Carpi Dea!

Hephaestus would never be sure, in the years to follow, whether Lady Xian had used some kind of divine whammy on him, or he had just been at the breaking point with 'Dite already, nor would he particularly care.

Rather than answering directly right away he went to the bottom left drawer of his desk and took out a small black case that he had kept there for the past five years. He approached Lady Xian where she stood trembling as he had moved around the room and gently touched her cheek, forcing her to look at him, then went down to one knee.

"Lady Xian, you are a virtuous woman and the American culture says such is to be prized above rubies. I doubt it will fit, but," and here he revealed the box in his hand and opened it to show a delicate ring of yellow gold set with a flawless heart shaped pink diamond of four karats, "will you do me the honor of accepting this ring and my proposal that we become husband and wife?" Hephaestus asked.

For a moment Lady Xian didn't react, she just stared at him, a deep hurt and transcendent joy warring in her eyes, then, without any warning, joy won and she fell onto Hephaestus and kissed him all over his face! Finaly she found his mouth and their lips met, parted, and a deep kiss of intense passion locked them together for a minute or more. When at last the kiss broke Lady Xian expressed in words what she had already said with her body. "Yes, Yes, Ten Thousand Times YES!" She breathed at last, and only then did either of them realize that the ring and its box were missing...