Lavender Dreams

Chapter 1 - Tolerable

Flying west from New York City. May 26, 2006. Friday morning.

Neal Caffrey sat in the co-pilot seat as his cousin Angela went through the pre-flight procedures. She'd offered to fly her New York family and friends to her West Coast wedding, and the passengers were taking turns sitting with the bride-to-be in the cockpit.

When they reached their cruising altitude, they chatted about the plane at first. Then Angela bit her lip a moment, a sign that she had something on her mind. "Has Eric talked to you yet?" she asked.

Neal shook his head. "About what?" Eric Vasquez was their cousin Henry's boyfriend, and the couple were currently in the cabin of the plane. Neal had chatted with them while waiting to board, and Eric hadn't mentioned anything out of the ordinary.

"He plans to propose to Henry, and he asked my permission to pop the question on this trip. He didn't want me to feel like he was taking away from my wedding." She smiled fondly. Angela was a romantic who clearly liked the idea of her wedding serving to further another love story. "He told me yesterday, and I've had so many ideas since then. I could throw my bouquet to Henry, with a ring in it. Or maybe hide a ring in a piece of cake?"

"Does Eric have a ring?" Neal asked.

Angela blew out a breath. "He didn't say."

"I know you enjoyed your big, public engagement," Neal said. Michael had proposed to Angela at a Halloween party. "But are you sure that's what Eric wants? He seems to me like someone who'd prefer a private setting."

"I didn't ask nearly enough questions," Angela admitted. "I was too busy squealing and hugging him."

"Tell me about Friday Harbor," Neal suggested. "That may spark ideas." Their destination was a small town on an island northwest of Seattle. It was a favorite vacation spot for Angela, but Neal had never been there. She filled him in on the location and they discussed options for a proposal until they heard a knock on the cockpit door. It was Eric's turn to sit in the co-pilot seat.

Neal patted him encouragingly on the shoulder on his way out. Back in the cabin, he sat beside Henry, who was more like a brother than a cousin. Neal maintained a bland expression to keep Henry from getting suspicious, but inside he was grinning from ear to ear.

"I need your help," Henry said. "And you have to promise not to tell Eric."

"What's wrong?"

Henry scowled. "Nothing's wrong. Why would you ask that?"

"Because you're keeping secrets from Eric again."

"This isn't that kind of secret," Henry blithely waved off his tendency to keep Eric in the dark about the risks he took at work. "I want to propose to him."

Neal's eyes widened. "Oh."

"You think I shouldn't?"

Sometimes actions spoke more loudly than words, and Neal reached over to hug him before saying, "I think it's an awesome idea. Of course I'll help. What do you need?"

Hotel in Friday Harbor. Friday evening.

"So then Henry told me he wants help scouting out locations that would work for a proposal this weekend." Neal grinned at Sara, who was unpacking her luggage while he sat on the bed in their hotel room. The white, fluffy comforter on the bed contrasted with the dark brown furniture and pale green walls. The artwork over the bed featured a field of lavender. "Each of them is secretly planning to propose to the other." He flopped down, looking up at the ceiling, and laughed. "This is going to be the most fun I've had in ages."