"I don't think it will be a negative reaction. Well, maybe a little, because it's very fast - they have an unusual perspective because when they got married it didn't work out. They'll probably have all kinds of questions about how I can be sure I want to marry you."

"And how are you sure you want to marry me?"

"I think you're pretty much as you present yourself," says Bella. "Some people aren't, but I don't think you're one of them. I like the way you present yourself. If there weren't princess-related issues lurking about I'd probably want to wait longer before getting married, and just be your girlfriend for a while first, but I'd still really like you."

"I am exactly as I present myself," says Sherlock. "And I really like you too."

Bella grins. "So few people are exactly as they present themselves. I have a deal with myself that I won't pretend to be anyone I'm not to myself, but I'm not always perfect about being open with everybody else. I'm not proud of all my characteristics." She sobers a little throughout the course of this utterance.

"Like, you said I was a helpful person. I am, in the sense that I help people, but that's just because I feel like it. I don't go far out of my way to do it. It falls by the wayside if it's competing with other things I want more. I've never been able to - never been interested in fooling myself into doing anything I didn't really want. And I'm good at figuring out what I really want. It just usually includes helping people who wander by."

"I see," says Sherlock.

"But," says Bella, "unless my thinking turns up something unexpected, I want to marry you, and I had not really been planning on kids anytime in the immediate future but I expect I can warm to the idea, and if I manage the technical stuff I want to marry Tony too, and I want to be a queen and do all your politics for you when that is called for, because I think being an effective and decent monarch sounds like a fascinating challenge."

"That seems very reasonable to me."

Nuzzles and neck-kisses!

Nuzzles and cheek-kisses!

Bella tugs Sherlock down after her. For snuggles. If she also waves a bare foot at the door in such a way that it is convinced to close, that's unrelated. Maybe.

Kisses and snuggles and making the knowledge of Bella's name useful, maybe?

Well, Sherlock is not a very exclamatory sort of person.

Awww. Does she mind if Bella tries to fix that?

Not at all.

Good!

In fact, she appreciates the effort quite thoroughly.

"Yes, you probably should."

Bella starts reaching for a change of clothes. "Where's a mirror I can use?" she asks, stuffing her head into a raspberry-colored tunic.