REAL, michael j. fox

Chapter 28: More Than This

Song Selection: La Vie En Rose by Édith Piaf

Arriving back at the apartment from a long shift at the hospital, I slowly made my way up the steps. Barely being able to move quickly out of feeling drained, I continued to drag myself up the hallway towards my place. Seeing a figure at the end of the corridor, I paid no attention to this and only set my focus on my current destination. "Cat-" Stopping myself over this, I suddenly became aware of who was at the end waiting for me. Focusing my attention now to the figure, I was able to clearly see it was Michael standing before me and became more than confused by this.

"I must be tired,"'I said to myself instead, attempting to unlock the door before a hand stopped me suddenly.

Realizing I was in fact not dreaming this up, I turned back to Michael as he leaned over me for a moment before stepping back. "I-" He coughed before giving me a small wave awkwardly. "I decided to take a trip to Paris."

Blinking stupidly to him, I knew that wasn't the reason he was here now. "How'd you'd find me?"

He looked down for a moment. "Could get through a lot just by asking around." I nodded, opening up the door to the apartment. "I could come back-"

"No! No, come in." Pushing the door open for him, I rubbed my eyes and I continued on inside. Turning back to see him looking around completely dazed by the interior had me smile to myself for a moment. "You've been around the city yet."

He shook his head and I nodded, putting down my things onto the chair in the sitting room. "Let me just get out of this and I'll show you around, alright?"

Michael only smiled to this in agreement, continuing to look around the apartment as I got out of the business outfit I'd been living in for work. Returning back out only to find the balcony doors opened, I followed the bellowing curtains to see him looking out to the lights for a moment. I frowned to myself at the sight of him here, knowing why he was even here at all. "It's beautiful, isn't it."

He turned back to me, looking me down cheekily for a moment before responding. "That's a bit of an understatement."

Realizing he wasn't talking about the view I cleared my throat awkwardly from this to tilt my head back towards the front door for him to follow along with me. Stepping off the taxi to the rather empty night life at this hour, the two of us stood at the foot of the bridge for a moment. "I'll give you a more tourist troll through the Pont Alexandre III. It's only fitting," I told him to have him only give me a small grin over the joke to walk beside me. Sharing the silence for a moment, I continued to drive the conversation. "You wanna actually tell me why you're here now?"

"Told you, it's just a small trip. Nothing else besides that." Shaking my head over the lie, he looked over to me briefly. "You seem better, Caitlin. It's nice to see."

Frowning for a moment over the circumstances of me leaving, I held my arms for a moment over the memory. "It's just a little easier to deal with is all. Staff here is lively enough to prove a distraction, which is always nice." Finding myself recalling the first days here, I reached out to grab his wrist to stop him in his tracks. He turned to me surprised by this as I looked to him worried. "I never called about the photos of me and my coworker. He's married so if you assumed any-"

Being cut off by him laughing, I was immediately confused. "Mike-"

"You could see the wedding band in the photo, I was the only one smart enough to catch it apparently. Jerry had brought it up to me, but I knew they couldn't be the slightest bit true." Shutting my mouth slowly as he said this caused for me to be embarrassed he'd assume something else. "I know you well enough, Cat. You were in a rough time and I doubt you'd be finding yourself in another romance as you went through it."

I nodded, twirling my fingers for a moment before him. "I'm sorry. For leaving you, for everything I-" Tearing up for a moment caused for him to only worry at the sight of me. "It was just better and you definitely deserved better. I shouldn't have been so brash."

Being stopped to continue on my apology by him enveloping me in his arms tightly, I held onto him to rest my head against his chest. "Caitlin, when you left I was worried about you constantly. I just wanted to make sure you were okay, don't apologize. You're at the job you've always wanted living your dream career while battling your own demons, I understand. I was hurt but- if it made you happy, it didn't really feel all that bad."

Nodding into his head, I stepped away from him to try and laugh away the situation. "You really have no flaws, I'm floored." Seating myself on the bridge despite technically not being allowed to, Michael soon joined me. "Can you tell me why you actually came now?"

"James told me he thought I was dating Jennifer Grey after Megan yelled at me, so now I'm here," He explained.

I laughed under my breath at this. "So you're not dating Jennifer Grey then?"

He shook his head. "I am not."

Continuing to tease each other this way for a moment, I grinned up to him cheekily. "Surprised someone hasn't stolen you away, a sly fox like you."

Sneaking a quick kiss as I said this, he looked down for a moment before returning his gaze back to face me. "Guess I'm just still hung up on someone." Moving forward to kiss him properly, I smiled to myself over him being here to think the world of the gesture. Kissing my forehead for a second, he laughed to himself. "There's actually another thing. Well, it was a thing I've planned for months now that never seemed to fall through because there was a better place to do it that I didn't even know about."

He stepped off the bridge to look to me excited for a moment as I only tilted my head confused. "What's the-" Seeing him reach into his jacket pocket for a moment almost sent me flailing backwards in surprise before he caught me. Blushing over this Michael carried me down to place me back onto the street. Going down on one knee before me with only the two of us around to see, I held my breath in for a moment at the sight.

"You're all I've ever wanted, Caitlin. I can't picture myself going along back to L.A. and not seeing you in my life. I love you and I've loved you from the moment I made you smile. It's all I ever wanted then after just to make you that happy." He paused for a moment, clutching the box in his hands. "Being with you to even share a fraction of your smile and your time is enough for me. You keep me grounded for a moment in a time of my life I didn't think it could feel possible. It's you and me as the endgame. It was always gonna be you and me because this, right here, it's real and scary and worth every bit of trouble. You're more than worth it and I'd never hesitate in going through it for you."

Smiling at this, Michael opened the box to reveal the ring inside. "So, Caitlin Hall, will you marry me?"

Was there every really a hesitation?

Tearing up for a moment, I chuckled at the words failing to come out. "God yes, of course. Of course." Beaming at my excitement, he lifted me up for a moment to kiss me. Slowly falling back towards the ground, I laced my arms around him for a moment to keep the memory a little longer. Parting for a moment, he looked down to place the ring on my finger before tilting my chin to him again to steal another kiss. "I love you. God I'm so in love with you."

He smiled to wipe away the tears rolling down my cheeks, kissing them softly. "And I love you."

Taking a moment to look down to the ring on my finger as he continued to smother me with kisses, I turned to him excitedly. "Let's do it tonight?"

Michael looked to me confused to only laugh nervously over this. "You mean-"

"There's a small chapel that's just a 10 minute taxi drive from here-" I stopped for a second at the whirlwind situation occurring here. "Let's get married tonight."

He laughed again at this, spinning me in the air for a moment again before holding my hand tightly. "I'd marry you in a damn Vegas drive-thru chapel, I'll get us the taxi."

A/N next update is going to be the final chapter so :( feeling extra romantic and nostalgic with these two. Much love always✨
~J.S. 💋