PR: SRR: Mirror
Timeline: Recognition
Challenge: Mirror (number 37)
She stands in front of the mirror, eyes picking up every nuance, every change, every detail. So much has changed, so many things are different, or missing altogether. But she's found so much. Her eyes soften as she realizes that there really is a faint glow from her, seeming to erase all the flaws. A small smile tugs at full (slightly bruised, thanks to a certain Red Ranger), glossed lips as she realizes the reason for it. She's happy. Well and truly happy. Down to her pink-painted toenails. Smothering a giggle, she realizes that she can't, and lets loose a full-blown laugh, one that doesn't stop until she's gasping for breath on the floor, wiping away tears. As she leans against the cabinets, she looks at the ceiling and smiles. She's happy. Happier than she's ever been in her life before. Even the thought of Cruger finding out can't bring down her great mood. Giggling again, she stands up, and glances in the mirror again. There's only one thing that could ever make her happier, and she's not about to push it. She's happy, no, she's delighted, overjoyed, ecstatic, thrilled, and overwhelmed.
And he's the reason why.
He paused as he passed the mirror on his way to the shower. Normally he avoided mirrors…they showed him a facet of himself that he despised. His dark eyes showed a childhood survived…not thrived. A soul of an older person stared back at him through those eyes, and that of a survivor. He hated seeing that. But today, he noticed a difference. There's some contentment in those dark orbs, and he steps closer to the glass reflection, wanting, for a change, to see what the windows to his soul are saying. He is slightly stunned to see contentment, but also joy. A smile starts to tug at his lips, and the slight twinge makes him think again of his Latina angel. How in the world did a woman as amazing as her decide to settle for him? He was always taught not to look a gift horse in the mouth, so he hasn't, but the cynical part of his soul questions it nonetheless. Silencing that train of thought again, he looks again at his countenance, taking in the changes. Seeing the relaxed look, the lack of tension and fatigue in the muscles. As girly as it might sound, he's happy. A chuckle escapes him, and he shakes his head as he continues to the shower. As the spray of water beats on his torso, he laughs. He's happy.
And she's the reason why.
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Knight