Fall in Love in a Coffee Shop

Sixteenth Cup

8 months later

"Okay baby, I'll be home after work. We can get dinner then." Chase said happily into the phone. Exchanging an 'I love you' Chase slipped his cell into his pocket. Today was going to be very special. But he only had an hour for lunch, so he needed to hurry. Pulling up to Kay's, Chase took in a breath. He was going to do it. He was going to ask Serenity to marry him. It was a no-brainer. Stepping out of the car, into the cold February air. He made his way inside. A few people became a bit intimidated and worried when they saw the uniform. But he just gave them all a friendly smile to reassure them as he made his way up to the counter.

An older woman with bright red hair and cheetah print glasses strolled up to him, "How can I help you, officer?" she asked. Hoping something wasn't amiss.

"Yes, uh. I'm here for an engagement ring." He rubbed the back of his head, "Going to ask my girlfriend to marry me." The old woman's face lit up.

"Oh! How wonderful!!!!" She pulled him along and he was able to spot her name tag. Of course, her name was Candy. He had to chuckle. "Now darlin', what did you have in mind? Style cut, color? Also, her size?" she pattered on, going behind the counter, pulling up a few 'classic' options. "Are you looking for a set? With wedding bands?" she hummed in thought. "A picture of the lucky lady to help fit her looks and personality?" This woman knew her shit when it came to jewelry.

Chase held up a finger and dug out his phone to get a picture of her. She hated pictures of herself, but he loved taking them. He flipped the phone over to show a picture of her playing with Mocha, another of her driving and singing, and one of her at the café on her break looking off into the distance. "She owns a coffee shop. She loves rock n roll...our dog, she is really amazing. And pure." he smiled softly, looking at the pictures.

Candy looked up at him from the edge of her glasses, smiling. "Well..." she pushed them up, "I see a lot of men come in to get rings. Very few I can see true happiness in. And you darlin' are one of the few." Chase rarely blushed but he did. "I think I can help you find something perfect."

Together they went the non-traditional route. Chase decided to go with a blue diamond ring accented with white diamonds. He knew Serenity liked to keep things simple, but he thought this would be a perfect fit for her. Plus, it was her favorite color. He took a deep breath after thanking Candy for all her help and slipped the ring box into his pocket.

Climbing back into his car he stopped by the café to grab something to eat and see his soon-to-be fiancée. He had no doubts she would say 'yes'. After of course, she beat him senseless for buying her something so expensive. That was just how she was. She had broken down into tears when she couldn't afford to replace the broken windshield on her new car. They had no idea what happened, but Chase had given her the money to fix it and she couldn't handle it. They only had been together about 6 months at that point and she was too stubborn to ask. Even though they were living together.

Pulling up to the shop he watched her and the girls doing their thing. He was trying to hook Amaya and Zane up and he wasn't too fond of Lily's 'boyfriend'. The guy was an asshole and way too controlling. Plus, the way Elliot looked at her said enough. They would be perfect together if she would just dump the jerk. Getting out he made his way into the semi-crowded café, catching Serenity's eye immediately. She ran around the counter and hugged him. All the regulars knew they were an item. Chase kissed her deeply, "Hey beautiful, what's on the menu for lunch today?" Serenity always made him special lunches and he picked them up or she dropped them off at the office.

Before Serenity had a chance to answer, people outside began to scream. A call came over Chase's walkie and rose a chill in his blood. An active bomb threat just 2 blocks down the road. Repeating back to dispatch Chase gave Serenity a worried look. Of all the days... "Babe, listen to me carefully. Get everyone out of here now. There is a threat in a nearby building. You all need to get out of here."

Serenity panicked. No, this wasn't happening...But he had to do it. He was the closest one to the scene. A few swat guys rushed in and began to evacuate people from the shop. Chase pulled her into a tight embrace, "I love you. Get somewhere safe. I'll be okay." He stared down at her misting eyes. "It's probably nothing." He hated to lie, the dispatch he got said active, and that meant a high probability of live explosives. Watching her go, he rushed two blocks down, he was one of the first to respond. He and a few others geared up as the fire department and other police officers arrived. One of the captains began to explain the severity of the situation and what they were dealing with. There were several people stuck inside. Kids too. Shit.

Despite the danger, many civilians had made their way to witness the scene 'Stupid' Chase's adrenaline surged through his veins. He had to get in and save as many as possible. Then try to deactivate the explosives. They went in together.

Serenity pushed through the crowd. She couldn't stay away. Not when she had no idea what could happen to Chase. Fire and Paramedics were on standby. Minutes passed. Several people came running out, screaming for their lives. Sobbing and crying. Then there was an explosion. Not a massive one, but it blew out the windows on one of the floors. Dread froze Serenity in her spot. Everything was ringing as glass rained down from the air. That's when she realized she was screaming, "CHASE!!!" Amaya and Lily were holding her back as they watched the scene unfold.

~*edited*~