Title: The Most Important Question
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Carl Hickman/Louis Daniel
Fandom: Crossing Lines
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1,126
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my own imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the lovely Carl Hickman or Louis Daniel, unfortunately, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***

Carl ambled along the street towards the home he shared with Louis, reaching into his pocket and closing his fingers around the small velvet box.

What would Louis say when he popped the question?

He'd never asked anyone to marry him before. He'd never wanted to be married before. And he had certainly never though that he'd be married to a man.

But his love for Louis changed everything in his life. Nothing was the same as it had been before Louis had come back into his life, both as a teammate and as a lover.

Their relationship was complicated; he didn't know quite how to explain it. But there was one simple truth that shone through, one thing in their lives that wasn't complicated, one thing that he knew just as well as he knew his own name, one thing that was perfectly clear to him.

He loved Louis. And Louis loved him. The two of them belonged together, and they always would. Which was why he had made up his mind of ask that question.

Carl wasn't sure if he was doing the right thing. He wasn't even sure if Louis would say yes. But he knew that he had to ask. He had to know what that answer would be.

If it was no, then he would still keep the ring.

He wouldn't give up after the first question. Maybe it was too soon. Maybe Louis would need time. But he knew that even if the answer was no, it wouldn't be the end for them.

They would simply keep on as they were, living together, working together, being a couple, and growing closer. And eventually, he would pull out that ring, get down on his knees, look into his lover's eyes, and ask him again. He would keep doing that until he got the answer he wanted.

Louis might not want to get married now; he might have a million reasons as to why they couldn't. But he couldn't deny that the two of them belonged together, and that they loved each other.

Louis would never deny the truth, and Carl knew it.

But even though Louis would readily agree with him that they were in love and belonged together, it remained to be seen if Louis would want to get married.

He had been married before, after all. And even though Carl knew that Louis was over the death of his wife, and that he'd left his former marriage in the past where it belonged, he might not be ready to make that kind of commitment again. Marriage was a big step, a huge change in anyone's life.

But wasn't it almost as though they were already married? he asked himself. They lived together, and they had grown comfortable with each other in the past months.

In most ways, they already were married. The only thing thing that would change was their legal status, and possibly their names if they chose to hyphenate them.

Carl couldn't help but smile at that thought; he rather liked the sound of Carl Hickman-Daniel. And he liked the sound of Louis Daniel-Hickman even better. There was just something about having lover take on part of his name that gave him the warm fuzzies.

That was really saying something, as he had never been the kind of guy who confessed to having warm feelings. It was hard for him to let his inner emotions show.

Though it was never hard to do with Louis. It never had been.

Saying those three little words to Louis had been so easy. He hadn't thought it would be, but they had simply slipped out, almost without him realizing it.

Those words had never come easily with anyone else, and he had rarely said them. And Carl had to wonder if he'd really meant them the few times that he'd uttered them. He didn't think so. Because, somehow, whenever he had, Louis had always been there, in the back of his mind.

He'd always loved Louis. There was no reason for him not admit it, to himself and to everyone in the world. That love had never faded, never died. It had only grown with time.

And now, he knew that his love was returned.

So why was he asking himself questions, when the only question he needed to ask was the one that he so desperately wanted to put to Louis?

There was no need to ask himself anything. He knew what he wanted to do, and what he would do, when he felt that the time was right.

No, he wasn't going to wait for what seemed like the right time, Carl told himself firmly. He was going to ask Louis as soon as he could. No, that wasn't right, either. He would ask tonight. They would have a quiet dinner at home, and then he would get down on his knees and propose.

Even if Louis said no, he would still have planted the seed. It would germinate in his lover's mind, and the next time he asked, then Louis would be more likely to say yes.

But why was he expected to be turned down? There was no reason for him to think that way. There was just as much of a chance of Louis saying yes as there was of him saying no.

Something in him was sure that the answer would be yes.

Louis wouldn't say no. He was sure of it. He couldn't let himself think that his boyfriend would turn him down; he just didn't think that Louis had any doubts about them.

The answer would be yes, he was sure of it. And the moment he heard that simple word, that one single syllable, he would be flying high amongst the clouds. He would be the happiest man in the universe, and the didn't think that he'd ever come down from those lofty heights.

Now, all the had to do was keep his excitement and anticipation hidden until after dinner. It wouldn't be easy, but Carl thought he could do it. Just this once.

And then, his question would be asked -- and answered.

Carl jogged up the steps of their home, taking out his keys. Tonight, he would ask the most important question of his life. And he hoped that the answer would be the one he most wanted to hear.

***