Natalie froze in place entirely. The words that came out from Shannon's mouth were so unbelievable, it was almost as if she was dreaming once more. Natalie's brain struggled to catch up with what had just been said. Shannon loved her. Strong, beautiful Shannon was hopelessly in love with her nature addict self. That must have been why she acted the way she did when she walked in on her having a bath. The thought was almost too much for her to handle. Remembering the event, she now felt slightly embarrassed from the whole thing. "Sham, if that is truly how you feel, then I feel the need to be just as honest and open with you."
Shannon audibly gulped. She had laid feelings bare, and so she felt the need to brace herself. She admitted to her friend of over five years that she was in love with her. Natalie had never dated anyone, the whole time they were friends. Always dedicating herself to studying or her job. Her only free moments were usually hanging or going out with just the two of them. While she waited impatiently, she never took her eyes off of Natalie's while she quietly waited for her friend to respond.
"When I first met you, it was in the hospital after finding out you were the person who saved me from being dragged away. Then we got talking, and found that we were attending the same university. Not in the same classes, but similar enough of disciplines to be able to bounce questions off each other for things here and there. Then we went to spend days with each other, almost inseparable while we had the time. All of those times, as well as now, I have thought the exact same thing when I looked at you." Natalie paused for a second to collect her thoughts, making sure that they were cohesive and together. "You are the most beautiful, stunning, and sexy woman I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Every day, I wondered how someone as amazing as you were single. You have the brain to be a physical therapist, the strength to fight off a dozen men, and the drive to push yourself. If anyone who ever truly knew you ever said that they did not like you, they would be liars. The worst liars on the planet."
Looking directly at Shannon, Nat saw her best friend was on the verge of tears. Not ones born of grief and loss, but born of joy and happiness. "Just as time did to you, I have also fallen hopelessly in love with my best friend. Shannon, will you please do me the pleasure of being my girlfriend?" With her question, Nat held her hand out towards her tear-stricken friend. At this, Shannon's tears started to flow freely. Quickly it turned into ugly, happy sobbing as Shannon's head dropped into her hands to try and contain the waterworks.
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It took a minute for Shannon's sobbing to subside enough to be able to communicate. Taking a minute, she cleaned up her face and tried to gain back a modicum of decorum. Looking directly at Natalie, she adopted a mischievous grin on her face as a plan went through her head. Pretending to think it over, she responded to Natalie, "Hmm. No." Shannon's eyes twinkled with delight at Nat's reaction to the outright refusal.
"Wait, what?" Natalie asked, flabbergasted by the sudden shift in personality. They both just admitted to loving one another, what reason would there be to refuse?
"If you think for one goddamned minute that I would settle for just being your girlfriend, you have another thing coming. Either count me as your wife at this point, or just as friend. I will accept nothing less than having you all to myself!" Shannon declared through tears, while still somehow managing to have a smug smile on her face.
Natalie looked at Shannon with wide eyes for a few minutes, before breaking out into laughter. "You fucking dork. You made me all worried there for nothing! Damn straight I'll be your wife. You aren't the only one who is selfish here. I want you all to myself as well!" Nat choked out between laughs. She stepped forward towards her now wife to embrace her, but stopped when Shannon held an arm up.
"While I do love you, and want to hold you, it feels too soon for me. I need some time to get over what happened. If you would not mind being patient, just for a little longer." Shannon asked, a sad look coming onto her face. The shadow of what she suffered in Lethbridge still hung close over her head.
Seeing the hurt look on Shannon's face, she felt the need to try and improve it. "Of course not babe. I mean, we both held down the feelings we had for the other for what, five years? How bad could another five years be?" At that, both of them struggled to keep a smile off their faces. In the end, both of them failed and devolved into full blown laughter.
"You better not make me wait for another five years. No way am I going to let being with you wait anywhere near that long again." Shannon croaked out, straining for air. The laughter from her earlier ultimatum, mixed with the one from now, left both of them wheezing for air as they struggled to supress their giggles. Ash, Shadow, and Emily all howled together for the joyous moments, and inside the Soulscape, Nat could feel the rest of the canines cheering them on as well with howls of their own.
As soon as they were done laughing and got their breath back, they turned back towards the west. They still had a large distance to go, but their steps now had an additional bounce to them, as if a giant weight was taken off their shoulders. Side by side, but not quite close enough to hold hands, they walked down toward the mountains in the distance as the sun blazed directly over their heads.