(A/N: And I'm back with another "T.U.F.F. Puppy" fic, only this one involves a couple I don't write about as often. I'm writing about KeswickXClaire in this Valentine's Day fic, and I'm writing it as a Valentine's Day gift for AuBurneyT-Keswick (on deviantART). Hope it's good!)
It was Valentine's Day in the city of Petropolis. Everyone knows that this is the most romantic day of the year, and the sweethearts were already feeling the love. You know, there is one couple out there that finds this day more special than most, and I say we go visit them!
Over at Keswick's house, the character in question just woke up to the sound of the alarm clock going off. Keswick managed to shut off the alarm before reaching for his glasses. He put his glasses on and rolled to his other side, expecting to see his wife, Claire, by his side. But Claire wasn't lying next to him, as he had hoped. This was one of those mornings when she was up and about before the alarm went off, but he liked the mornings when he was up before her, watching her sleep, then seeing her wake up, happy to see him.
Knowing that lying there wouldn't do any good, Keswick got out of bed and went to the closet to get dressed for the day.
A few minutes later, Keswick came downstairs, dressed for the day. He saw Lisa, Tyler, Nate, and Ariel sitting at the dining room table, waiting for breakfast to be ready.
"Morning, Dad." Lisa said upon seeing her father.
"Hey, Dad." Nate, Tyler, and Ariel chimed in.
"Morning, kids." Keswick greeted, happy to see his kids. Apart from Claire, these were the 4 most important characters in his life. Remembering Claire, he asked, "Where's your mother?"
"She's in the kitchen." Nate said.
"But you can't go in there." Ariel said.
"And why is that?" Keswick asked.
"'Cause she won't let us in." Nate said.
"She's making breakfast, and she claims that it's a surprise today." Tyler said.
"It probably has to do with the fact that today is Valentine's Day." Lisa muttered.
Keswick already knew that today was Valentine's Day, but it was also his and Claire's wedding anniversary. This little fact made the most romantic day of the year even more romantic for him and his wife.
He went out to the living room for a moment, and when he returned, he was holding a vase containing a dozen red and pink roses.
"Ohh, how lovely! Are those for Mom?" Lisa asked.
"Of c-c-course!" Keswick replied, setting the vase on the table.
"For Valentine's Day, or your anniversary?" Ariel asked.
"Both." Keswick replied.
"If Mom hasn't noticed them yet, you're in luck." Tyler said.
"I don't think she noticed. Dad obviously hid them in the living room, and if I know our parents well enough, they don't go into the living room until it's time for them to go to work and us to go to school." Nate said.
"I'm not school-age yet." Ariel reminded her brother. She was only 3, after all.
"Okay, all but Ariel, who is left in the care of our grandparents." Nate corrected.
"In that case, your mother is going to be s-s-surprised." Keswick said, hoping that this was true.
And then Claire appeared. Her intention was to let her family know that breakfast was ready, but she forgot all about that when she noticed the vase of roses on the table.
"Where did these come from?" Claire asked, walking over to the table for a better look at the flowers.
"Guess." the kids said.
"I think I already know the answer." Claire said, and she was looking at Keswick, who gave her a loving look.
"Yup. I went out and b-b-bought those while you were r-r-reading in our room last night." Keswick told her.
"When's the last time I told you I loved you?" Claire asked.
"Last night, before we f-f-fell asleep." was Keswick's reply.
"Then you're overdue. I love you." Claire said, and she and her husband shared a long, passionate kiss. Well, it would've been longer if the kids hadn't been there, asking about breakfast.
"Is breakfast ready?" the kids asked, interrupting their parents' show of affection for one another.
"Oh! Yeah, it's ready. I'll go get it." Claire said, and she hustled back into the kitchen.
"Shall I join you?" Keswick asked.
"Not so fast! Breakfast is a surprise for you as well as the kids, so you just stay right where you are." Claire said.
"Okay." Keswick replied.
Claire disappeared for a few seconds before coming back out with mugs of hot chocolate with marshmallows.
"All right! Hot chocolate!" the kids cheered.
"That's only part of the surprise." Claire said as she went back into the kitchen. When she came out again, she set down plates of heart-shaped strawberry pancakes, topped with whipped cream, and drizzled with chocolate and strawberry syrup.
"Wow!" Keswick said, but now he understood why Claire wanted her family to keep out of the kitchen.
"How's that for breakfast on the most romantic day of the year?" Claire asked.
"Sweet!" the kids said, and they got right to eating.
"As sweet as you, the woman I m-m-married. Come to think of it, you're sweeter than this." Keswick said to Claire.
"That's right. Not only is today Valentine's Day, it's also our wedding anniversary." Claire remembered.
"Which only makes today m-m-more romantic." Keswick replied.
"Ah, l'amour..." Claire sighed as they enjoyed their breakfast.
Since Valentine's Day happened during the weekend, Keswick and Claire didn't have to work (since there's no crime on the weekends), and Lisa, Tyler, and Nate didn't have to go to school. So Keswick and Claire spent the better part of the day telling the kids about how they met, got together, and got married.
Hearing the stories their parents told really surprised them. They never would have guessed that things happened the way they did. It also shocked them that their paternal grandmother probably would have prevented their existence if it hadn't been for their maternal grandparents, but now they better understood why they were often cared for by Claire's parents.
Keswick and Claire also showed the kids their wedding album, and the kids really enjoyed that, mainly because Keswick and Claire really looked good in their wedding clothes.
"Wow! Dad looked so handsome!" Lisa said, looking at one of the pictures of Keswick.
"He certainly was." Claire said, smiling as she thought back to that day.
"Whoa! I'm willing to bet Dad thought he left his body and went to Heaven when he saw how pretty Mom looked." Tyler said, looking at a picture of Claire in her wedding gown.
"Actually, I knew I was alive, 'cause I could feel my 3 hearts p-p-pounding in my chest." Keswick said. He could still remember how nervous he'd been, and how quickly his nervousness disappeared when he was told to kiss the bride. (A/N: No, I didn't make a typo. Keswick did mention that he has 3 hearts in the show.)
By mid-afternoon, Keswick disappeared into the kitchen, and he was working on something, but he didn't tell anyone what it was. He did, however, tell Claire to take the kids to her parents' house.
Claire didn't know what her husband was up to, but she did as her husband asked.
When Claire returned, she found out what Keswick had planned. The dining room table was set for two, and Keswick was just setting the food on the table.
"WOW!" Claire said, almost speechless.
"This is the other p-p-part of your present." Keswick told her.
They sat down, and they feasted on spaghetti and meatballs, which Keswick prepared himself. That's what he'd been working on in the kitchen. And to drink, they had sparkling apple cider. And for dessert...
"I didn't make dessert..." Keswick admitted.
"Hang on a sec..." Claire said, getting up and walking into the kitchen. Then she came back with a heart-shaped strawberry-flavored cake covered with vanilla icing. but on top, in red icing, were the words, "Happy Valentine's Day!".
"Where did that c-c-come from?!" Keswick gasped. He hadn't noticed that.
"I got up earlier than usual to make this, and that was only part of the reason I kept you and the kids out of the kitchen this morning. I put it way in the back of the fridge, so you and the kids wouldn't find it." Claire said as she cut a slice for Keswick.
"Did I ever t-t-tell you how amazing you are?" Keswick asked.
"All the time." Claire said, sitting down after cutting a slice of cake for herself.
"Sometimes, I wonder what I d-d-did to deserve a wonderful girl like you." Keswick told Claire.
"If anything, I'm the lucky one to have such a terrific guy like you in my life." Claire replied.
After dessert, the couple went out for a moonlit walk and to look at the stars. It was very romantic, and they were still very much in love.
Later that night, after they picked up the kids, Keswick and Claire were in bed together, kissing and snuggling for a good while before falling asleep, holding each other close as they slept. It had been a happy Valentine's Day and anniversary for both of them.
The End
I hope this helped put you all in the Valentine's Day spirit, and I hope your Valentine's Day is as happy as Keswick and Claire's was!