A/N – So this is coming in just under the gun. It's still the 4th here for a few more minutes. This is way shorter than I would normally do for a one shot, but earlier today, I scrapped what I deemed to be a lot of boring and reworked what I did keep to come up with this finished product. Which is another reason why it's so late. I hope you enjoy what there is of this! It's a sequel to Find Yourself (as requested by Wendy) so if you haven't read that one, you may not understand some of the references. Enough talking, onto the story! Please leave a review!
When You Wish Upon a Firework
"No," Johnny said, taking a swig of his beer.
"Come on, mate," Ethan begged. "We could make a killing at a firework stand."
"Or we could kill ourselves by accidentally blowing the stand up with us inside," Johnny laughed.
"See, life on the edge!" Ethan said excitedly. "Now I want to do it even more!"
"Well, I'm too happy with my girlfriend to risk it," Johnny smiled.
"Did you know I was coming in the room?" Lulu wondered, appearing in the doorway.
"Well, the walls are a little thin," Johnny admitted, leaning down to kiss her chastely.
"Our poor neighbors," Lulu giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Your poor brother," Ethan muttered.
Johnny connected their lips again and kissed her deeply. After a minute, Ethan coughed to try to break them apart, but it didn't work.
"Oh hell, I guess I'll just leave," Ethan groaned.
"Wait," Lulu called, pulling away and making Johnny groan. "Why were you here?"
"I'm trying to get your love to run a fireworks stand with me," Ethan explained.
"And you said no?" Lulu asked Johnny.
"Baby, I worked a Halloween store with him, a Christmas shop, a Valentine's boutique and we even hosted an Easter egg hunt together," Johnny sighed. "All things which sounded like a good idea at the time, but ended up being a disaster."
"If you hadn't worked at the Halloween store you wouldn't have met me," Lulu noted. "Am I a disaster?"
Ethan snorted and Johnny glared at him. Lulu started to walk away and Johnny grabbed her arm, keeping her in place.
"I love you," Johnny offered.
"Is that supposed to be enough?" Lulu questioned playfully.
"I thought we already made plans for the 4th," Johnny reminded her.
"Look, I love you, but watching the firework spectacular on TV and eating hot dogs out of the microwave isn't exactly something I was looking forward to," Lulu admitted.
"I asked if you wanted to do something else," Johnny muttered.
"You sounded so happy when you were talking about your tradition, I didn't want to ruin it," Lulu replied.
"Unless it means making me go into business with your brother again," Johnny noted. "Because we always make so much money."
"Both of you make plenty of money working at the Star when it's not a holiday season," Lulu said, rolling her eyes.
"Why are you so eager to get rid of me and not spend the holiday with me?" Johnny wondered.
"Well, it is Independence Day," Lulu said sarcastically.
Johnny rolled his eyes and walked toward the door, but Lulu followed after him, blocking the door with her body.
"That was a joke," Lulu said softly, reaching out for him.
"I know," Johnny nodded. "But if I'm running a damn firework stand, I have to go do some scouting for a good location."
"No need, mate," Ethan spoke up. "I already know the perfect spot and the fireworks are already ordered!"
"But I just agreed," Johnny murmured. "How could you have known I was going to do that?"
"Lulu promised she'd help make it happen," Ethan smirked.
"Ethan," Lulu muttered angrily.
"Oops," Ethan laughed, walking past the couple and opening the door. "I'll call you with the details later, partner."
"Bye," Johnny called, closing the door as Ethan left and turning his attention to Lulu.
"You always have fun with Ethan," Lulu started, backing away from him slowly. "And he was really excited, so I couldn't say no when he asked for my help. Plus, I really didn't want to eat a microwaved hot dog."
"What am I going to do with you?" Johnny asked, watching her closely as he stalked her across the room.
"Oh," Lulu whispered as Johnny suddenly rushed her and pinned her to the wall. "What are you going to do with me?"
"I think you'll like it," Johnny smiled.
Lulu returned his grin and tried to kiss him, but Johnny pulled away and walked over to sit on the couch.
"What the hell?" Lulu demanded. "I didn't like that."
"No?" Johnny countered. "I guess that was just me, then."
"So mean," Lulu pouted.
"Aw," Johnny whispered, holding his hands out to her. "Poor baby."
"Rude," Lulu scoffed, pushing his hands away and sitting on the other end of the couch.
"Lulu," Johnny continued, scooting closer to her. "Don't be mad."
"I have every reason to be," Lulu muttered, looking away from him.
"So do I," Johnny replied, putting his arms around her. "You manipulated me with your feminine charms and conspired with your brother against me."
"You're just such an easy target," Lulu giggled, finally meeting his eyes.
"But I'm not mad," Johnny noted. "I'm actually very happy."
"Why?" Lulu wondered.
"Because I'm with you," Johnny answered, kissing the tip of her nose.
"I love you," Lulu murmured, meeting his lips briefly.
"Another thing that makes me very happy," Johnny smiled.
"So she has no clue?" Ethan wondered after he helped a customer.
"Not one," Johnny affirmed. "These last two weeks have been a breeze. It was a nice touch having you tell her she needed to convince me to do this."
"And good acting on both our parts, I might add," Ethan laughed. "My sister is not an easy one to fool."
"I know, that's why I had to go through all of this just to surprise her," Johnny chuckled.
"So what time is she coming by tonight?" Ethan asked.
"Eight," Johnny answered. "I told her we'd be open until midnight, but you had to take off then to help Luke at the Star."
"So she thinks she's coming by to help you run the stand," Ethan nodded. "Nice."
"Yeah," Johnny smiled. "Little does she know that the stand will be gone in a couple of hours and when she gets here, this place is going to be nothing short of a scene from one of those romantic girl movies she makes me watch."
"Been taking notes, mate?" Ethan wondered.
"I know what my girl likes," Johnny replied. "I just can't wait to see her face tonight."
Lulu drove out to where Johnny and Ethan had set up their fireworks stand. She couldn't believe they had made any money, considering the location was pretty remote. But in the end, she figured it was their thing and she didn't want to interfere. Especially considering she had been the one to convince Johnny to help Ethan.
As she approached the place where the fireworks stand was supposed to be, her eyes clouded in confusion. Instead of seeing the stand, she saw a large white tent. She pulled her car over, confused as to what was happening, but having a feeling her boyfriend had been lying to her. She stalked over to the tent and found the entrance, but before she could go inside, someone's hands covered her eyes.
"Guess who?" a voice asked.
"The love of my life," Lulu offered, turning to face Johnny.
"Surprise," Johnny smiled as he met her eyes.
"What is all of this?" Lulu wondered.
"Just a little surprise for the woman I love," Johnny answered. "Come on, let's go inside. We've got a great meal to enjoy before the fireworks show that I arranged for us a little later."
"I can't believe you did all of this," Lulu muttered, leaning up and kissing him. "I love it. And you."
"I love you, too," Johnny replied.
He led her inside and she could barely contain her excitement. The place was decorated with candles and there was a fancy table set romantically for two. She turned to Johnny and found him holding a single red rose out to her.
"For you, beautiful," Johnny whispered.
Lulu took the rose and wrapped her arms around him tightly. Everything about him was perfect and she was never letting go. He pulled away after awhile and led her over to her chair. The dinner, which Johnny admitted he had ordered, was fantastic. All of her favorites, which made her smile even more. Johnny had really pulled out all of the stops.
"Why did you do all of this?" Lulu wondered. "I can't imagine how much time and planning this must have taken."
"I just wanted to give you an Independence Day to remember," Johnny shrugged. "Especially since you're never going to be fully independent again."
"So, this is your way of telling me I'm stuck with you?" Lulu asked, smiling at him.
"Like glue, baby," Johnny nodded.
"I guess if I have to be stuck with someone, I'm glad it's you, Tarzan," Lulu offered.
Johnny laughed as she used the nickname that had stuck long after Halloween ended. She only pulled it out when she was really happy and he was delighted to have brought it out tonight.
"Come on, we better get outside," Johnny said, standing and offering his hand to her. "The fireworks should be starting soon."
Johnny led them out the back of the tent and Lulu's mouth dropped as she saw a blanket set up with a picnic basket in the middle. She let go of Johnny's hand and hurried over to the basket, desperate to find out what was inside. She found strawberries and whipped cream, a bottle of champagne and two glasses.
"I knew you liked Pretty Woman," Lulu muttered, beaming up at him from her spot on the blanket.
"Shh," Johnny chided, taking a seat next to her. "You can gloat tomorrow."
"So what are we going to do tonight?" Lulu asked.
"A lot," Johnny promised. "But we'll start with opening the bottle of champagne."
He opened the champagne and they enjoyed it along with the strawberries and whipped cream. When they had their fill, Johnny stood up and walked over to the small stereo that was set up. He pressed play and smiled as the music began to fill the air around them. On cue, the fireworks started as well and Johnny reached out for Lulu again. She stood and he wrapped his arms around her waist as she leaned back into his chest. From their position, they could see the fireworks perfectly.
"Do you think that fireworks count as shooting stars?" Lulu wondered. "Like, if I make a wish, will it come true?"
"What would you wish?" Johnny questioned.
"I would ask to spend the rest of my life with you," Lulu answered. "And every 4th of July just like this."
Johnny smiled and kissed her neck lightly as he hugged her closer. She turned her head to kiss him and before long, they had forgotten all about the fireworks as they stood, making out, under the big display. Johnny pulled away first, desperate for air and knowing it was now or never. He sunk down to one knee and Lulu's eyes widened.
"I didn't mean to pressure you into anything," Lulu offered before he could speak. "It was how I felt, but that doesn't mean you have to propose."
"I do have to propose," Johnny argued, pulling the ring out of his pocket. "I can't carry this around with me any longer."
"Johnny," Lulu breathed. "I...this is...really?"
"I guess fireworks are like shooting stars," Johnny smiled. "Because when you asked me that, I was trying to think of a way to pop the question. I was wishing that an idea would come to me."
"I just can't believe this," Lulu said happily, falling to her knees to be level with him. "Have you been planning this since I made you run the stand with Ethan?"
"Well, in the spirit of full disclosure before I officially ask, I should probably tell you that I've been planning this since before Ethan asked you to help make me run the stand with him," Johnny admitted.
"You tricked me," Lulu muttered, not even able to feign anger.
"For your own good," Johnny nodded.
"I love you so much," Lulu whispered, pressing her lips to his.
Their kiss turned passionate and Johnny moved them to where he could lay her back on the blanket. He managed to hang onto the ring in their frenzy and before things could get carried away, he pulled away. The big finish to the fireworks was going on above them and Johnny was hovering over her, smiling as he caught his breath.
"Just ask, you already know my answer," Lulu encouraged, running her hand across his cheek.
Johnny nodded and sat up, pulling Lulu up with him. He reached out and tucked some of her mussed hair behind her ears. She watched him carefully as he took a deep breath and tried to organize his thoughts.
"Lulu Spencer," Johnny began. "You came into my life at a time when I was lost. I didn't know who I was or who I could be. But from the second we met, it was like I had it all figured out again. I knew what my purpose was... what my purpose is. And that's to be the man who loves you with his whole heart and soul and does everything he can to make all of your wishes come true. So, selfishly, I want you to marry me. So I never have to be lost again."
Lulu smiled through the tears that were falling from Johnny's beautiful words. He always made her know how he felt, but he had never been quite so open to her with words before. She was so overcome with emotions, she could only nod and smile to signal her answer. She held her hand out, but he refused to put the ring on her finger.
"I want to hear you say yes, Jane," Johnny demanded. "I need to hear it."
Lulu giggled and kissed him lightly, making him smile against her lips.
"Yes, Tarzan, I will marry you," Lulu whispered, kissing him again.
Johnny pulled away and slid the ring on her finger, happy to see it fit perfectly. They kissed again and she deepened the kiss, wanting him to know just how happy she was to be marrying him.
"Let's go home," Lulu suggested, breaking the kiss. "I want to celebrate."
"There's just one thing I want do first," Johnny replied, getting to his feet.
"What?" Lulu wondered, letting him pull her up.
"Dance with me," Johnny said, walking over to the stereo.
"Really?" Lulu asked. "I thought you hated dancing. We haven't danced since the first night at the Halloween party."
"I know, that's why I want to dance right now," Johnny explained, starting a song. "One thing we didn't do that night was share a slow dance."
Lulu smiled as Johnny's favorite classical piece, which had become hers, too, started to play. She walked over to him and he took her in his arms as they swayed slowly to Clair de Lune. They whispered their love to each other and he twirled her a few times. As the song ended, a final display of fireworks was shot into the air. Lulu looked up and saw a giant red heart in the air and she laughed. Johnny watched it with her and shook his head.
"That one was Ethan's doing all on his own," Johnny noted.
"Did he help you with all of this?" Lulu questioned.
"Yeah," Johnny nodded. "Him and your dad."
"So, they've given you their blessing?" Lulu wondered.
"Yes, they have," Johnny smiled. "Ethan especially. I think he loves me more than you do."
"Take that back," Lulu said, slapping Johnny's chest lightly.
"Why don't you prove me wrong?" Johnny challenged, pulling her closer.
"So you're ready to head home, are you?" Lulu asked.
"I was thinking head into the tent," Johnny whispered, wrapping his arms around her and dropping soft kisses on her neck.
"Johnny," Lulu blushed.
"Home is so far away," Johnny continued, pressing a kiss below her ear and biting her ear lobe gently.
"And the tent is pretty private," Lulu noted.
"It's the Tarzan and Jane thing to do," Johnny murmured, kissing along her cheek and pecking her lips gently.
"Take me to the tent, Tarzan," Lulu smiled, pressing her lips to his again.
They spent most of the night making love to each other and the rest planning their future together. Independence Day ended as the clock struck midnight and so did the possibility of either of them ever being alone again.
And for two people who had been lost until the day they met, that was the thing most worth celebrating.