Breakfast In Bed

The Surprise

 "No Athena, I don't need or desire your help this morning. Stay down!" Becky scooped up and gently removed the protesting feline from her kitchen counter. The defender was attempting to make breakfast for her girlfriend. The two hadn't gotten to spend much quality time together so she wanted to take advantage of their week-long break before camp. The two were tucked away in Becky's house in Kansas City after visiting both sets of relatives. Her girlfriend was sleeping peacefully, which gave Becky time to get up and start on the plan she put into action a little over a month prior. She wanted to surprise her with a very special breakfast in bed.

Becky ignored the cat's protest and returns to making Alyssa's omelet. The home fries were sizzling on the opposite burner and the strawberries were in the sink, ready to be washed. Everything was going according to plan, even with the kitties trying to help. Freyja joined her sister and together they wove between Becky's legs, meowing for some spinach. Becky needed them quiet – she couldn't risk them waking up Alyssa before everything was ready – she had been up since 6:00 working on this breakfast. She gave each of them a leaf to quiet them up. She then plated the omelet and home fries so they could cool slightly. A quick wash of the strawberries and they complete the plate. Becky can't stop the butterflies in her stomach when she added the plate to the tray. She quietly padded into their bedroom and pulled the door shut behind her so that her babies wouldn't crowd Alyssa as she ate.

When she took a moment to stare at her girlfriend, Becky fell in love even further. Alyssa had sprawled out now that Becky had vacated her side of the bed. The younger woman had an arm curled around Becky's pillow. Her hair has fallen to cover half of her face. A soft snore was escaping her lips as Becky took in the sight of her girlfriend sleeping away in an oversized FCKC shirt and an old pair of USWNT shorts. The defender put the tray atop their dresser, her eyes sweeping across the pictures of the two that spanned their relationship. She then turned and sat on the edge of the bed, sweeping the goalkeeper's hair from her face. Becky placed a kiss on Alyssa's forehead, causing her eyes to flutter open.

"Morning Lys. Sleep well hun?" Becky's voice was soft as Alyssa fought to convince her eyes to stay open. The bed was warm and the room was still dark – inviting her back to the realm of dreams.

"Mmm very...." She yawned "very well. I always do when I get to hold you." The younger woman's voice was scratchy from sleep. Her response drew a smile onto Becky's face.

"I'm glad to hear it. I have a surprise for you – I made you breakfast."

"Sweetheart you shouldn't have." The goalkeeper leaned up and surprised Becky with a tender kiss. Even after all this time together the two still get butterflies. The kiss is slow and languid, only ended when Alyssa pulled away. "You mentioned breakfast?"

"Yes, I did." Becky, still breathless from the kiss, slid off the bed and grabbed the tray from the dresser. A jerk of her head had Alyssa sit up and smooth out the comforter over her legs. Becky placed the tray over Alyssa's thighs before sitting next to her. The tray had Alyssa's plate of food, glasses of orange juice and water, the morning crossword with a pen, and a vase of daffodils. All the goalkeeper's favorite things.

"Sweetheart this is absolutely perfect. You really shouldn't have. Thank you." Alyssa couldn't help but kiss her girlfriend again. The thoughtfulness put into this seemingly simple gesture is one of the many reasons Alyssa loves Becky. Everything she does has a meaning behind it – even if Alyssa didn't always spot it right away. Once they separated Alyssa dug in. She also loves Becky's cooking. Every bite filled her mouth with delicious flavors and subsequent happiness. The goalkeeper stole kisses in-between bites. She soaked in every moment of just the two of them.

Halfway through her scrumptious breakfast Alyssa picked up the pen and morning crossword. Over the off-seasons and numerous camps together it had become a tradition for the two women to find each other in the early morning and work on the daily crossword. It was their moment of solitude and peace before the start of the hectic day. Becky laid her head upon Alyssa's shoulder once she saw her plan.

"Just the local crossword today honey?"

"Yeah, our copy of the Times hadn't been delivered by the time I finished cooking. We can always do it tonight." Becky honestly hadn't checked to see if the Times had been delivered. But what god would judge her for a white lie so her plan could work?

"Oh, that sounds nice." Alyssa pressed a kiss to Becky's head. 'One down."

The two worked their way through the crossword. Alyssa was slowly finishing her breakfast in-between clues. The pair had become stumped by a clue, 23 across, that spanned the entire length of the crossword. It was one of the few times Becky saw her girlfriend become frustrated. In a way, it was cute. The way her brow furrowed when she was pondering the clue, the way Alyssa chewed slightly on the top of the pen before filling in answers, the little grunts when an answer she thought of didn't line up. All Becky could do was watch her, wanting to remember every moment.

"Isn't 13 down misinformed?"

"Oh...yeah. Good one." Alyssa filled in the squares. Slowly, 23 across filled in. Alyssa stared at it quite intently for a moment. Her brain still wasn't connecting all the dots.

"This is the hardest damn clue. Who wrote this crossword? It is just a local paper." The goalkeeper grumbled as she worked. Luckily for Becky, she was so focused on the paper she missed the blush that had flamed across her cheeks. Every square that Alyssa filled in raised Becky's nerves another notch. She reached gently into her pants pocket, moving slowly so not to make Alyssa aware of her movements. The cats scratching and playing outside the door did not aid her efforts to slow her heartbeats but they did cover the small noise she made. Blue eyes stared at the younger woman as she filled in the last box of the clue. Alyssa slowly read it out loud.

"Will you marry me? Aww look sweetheart someone proposed in the newspaper!" Alyssa glanced up to catch Becky's eyes on her. Her gaze darted down to the small movement of her girlfriend's hands. They opened a small box, revealing a large princess cut diamond on a platinum band. On either side of the diamond was a medium sized blue diamond, followed by three small white diamonds.

"Rebecca Elizabeth Sauerbrunn what..."

"I'm the one who wrote the crossword. Alyssa Michele Naeher, will you spend eternity with together with me?" Becky had a large speech planned, but that all went out the window now that she was faced with asking the most important question of her life. The butterflies in her stomach flew into a storm while she waited for an answer. Alyssa stared into Becky's eyes, seeing only a deep-rooted love and adoration. Alyssa couldn't be more sure of her answer.

"Yes! Always and forever yes." Both women blink back tears as they leaned toward each other. Their lips met in a sweet kiss. It was filled with the promise of their future together. They separated when the need for air became too great. Becky wiped away the few tears Alyssa had shed while they tried to catch their breath. Her shaky hands then carefully slid the ring onto Alyssa's finger. The goalkeeper couldn't look away. The only thought running through her head was that she was now engaged to Becky. She was going to marry Becky, the love of her life, and proclaim her love for her so that all the world would know. Their lives would be bound together forever.

She looked up to find her grin mirrored on her fiancé's face. Alyssa couldn't help but kiss her again. Their lips slid against each other's in a well-known but still exciting dance. The keeper's hands wove into Becky's soft locks, scratching slightly. Becky moaned, granting Alyssa's tongue the entrance it was seeking. The two were dueling for dominance of the kiss when they heard a pitiful meow. They separated, unable to do anything but laugh at Athena's timing.

"Should we let them in?"

"No." Becky replied as she moved the tray onto the floor. Now that Alyssa's lap was clear, she could crawl on top of it. Her hands wove into the dark locks and pulled Alyssa in for another kiss. "They can wait a little longer."