A return to normal??
This is a short fan-fiction that follows more closely what happens after the movie version of Watchman to the Characters of Dan and Laurie.
Laurie was sitting in Dan's living room staring at the T.V. She would love to be watching it but it was just not that kind of day. So instead she was staring at it. She still couldn't believe the events of the past few weeks. Well more like the past few months. She still couldn't believe the lie they were all living all to protect this stupid semi-permanent position of peace. Not that Dan would call it that and to be honest that is why she is staring at the T.V. She hated to admit it but she really did love him. She loved Dan. She never thought she would ever say that let alone mean it but today it just hit her. Now that life was back to normal, whatever that is. She was sitting down to watch some T.V. when it just hit her. She loves him and not in that I like being with him type of love but the I want to grow old with him type of love. To be honest with herself when she left Jon and first came here to Dan's to was more out of anger and to spite Jon. She knew that he would know she was here and she wanted him to see that. To see what he threw away. Some small part of her wanted Jon to come looking for her. To tell her he was sorry and things were going to change but within a few hours she knew that was never going to happen. In a few days she had become comfortable at Dan's, she thought it was great to be with someone who wanted her there, which enjoyed having someone to talk to and eat with and sit and watch T.V. with.
Of course in typical fashion Laurie didn't realize what she till the last second. Well it didn't help that she had almost destroyed Archie. What a stupid move that was snooping where she didn't belong and than almost burning down Dan's place or in the very least damaging something that wasn't hers and than he just had to put those goggles on her. For the first time Laurie realized that Dan really liked her, liked her as a woman way more than she ever knew. The entire way up the stairs that night she contemplated her options, pretend it never happened or act on it. Laurie still feeling that this was a good way to get back at Jon decided to act on it. She will never openly admit it but she was glad that in that moment things didn't go as planned. She was glad the first time they consummated their relationship was on Archie at a time when she was not doing it to spite Jon but because she really did want Dan. Well that and it really had been awhile. Laurie never thought she would ever end up in the type of relationship where she had to beg for sex but enough of the past.
Now she was here in the present trying to find a way to make sure Dan felt the same way. Laurie knew that Dan loved her. He proved that on a very regular basis if sex had anything to do with love plus she very much doubted that a man held on to a woman that tight at night if he wasn't trying to make sure she wouldn't disappear by morning. Although Laurie thought by now Dan would be a little surer of the fact she wasn't going to leave. It had been a good couple of months now. That gets to Laurie's other problem, to be honest the bigger problem than the fact that she loves Dan and needs to know how much he really loves her. Man how had she been so stupid. The other reason she was blindly staring at the T.V. was that she couldn't stare anymore at the item she had placed on the coffee table. That evil little item that she knew could ruin everything. Well to be honest in a part of her mind it already had. This item was going to ruin all the fun she had been having lately with Dan fighting crime quietly on the side making sure they didn't get caught and for the first time in her life she was enjoying it. Not that she didn't sort of like it before it was just that before she was doing it more to make her mother happy than her. So now she sits staring at the T.V. waiting for Dan to come back from the store. Some part he wanted to make Archie more efficient had come in and he was dying to go get it. So now she was attempting to try and get a speech ready so she wouldn't just be one giant mess of tears when he walked in the door.
Laurie was just about to let herself over to the tears for the second time today when she heard the front door open and Dan shout a "honey I'm home" type line at her. When she didn't respond right away but he could hear the T.V. on he came quietly into the living room. "Laurie is everything ok?" She didn't know how he always knew when something was wrong but he always did and he always tried to do his best to make her feel better about whatever was happening. Laurie didn't do much but shake her head no. She was still on the verge of tears but didn't want to cry in front of him. For some reason it made her feel more like a child that a woman.
It was than that Dan noticed the plastic stick on the table. At first he was a bit confused as to why that little piece of plastic could be making Laurie this upset. I mean as far as he could tell it was just a plastic stick with a pink plus sign on it and than it hit him. Laurie was pregnant. He knows this was not the best response but he sat down quite quickly bag in hand and stared at it for what seemed like forever.
Laurie had to be the one to break the silence between them. "So are you mad?" she said quite nervously thinking that was a good way to start this conversation off.
"Mad??" Dan said "Of course I'm not mad Laurie I'm just a little shocked. I mean how could this happen" he started to ramble off.
Laurie just burst out laughing. She couldn't help it. "How could this happen. Dan we have been fornicating like rabbits for months now and you ask how this could happen" she said between laughs.
"Well I always thought you were on something. I thought… Well I guess I thought that you wouldn't really ever want this kind of thing with me. You know the kids and marriage type of thing." He said almost sadly. The sadness in his voice as he told her that, told her he thought she didn't really want him as a forever man gave her the courage to tell him the whole truth.
"Dan I Love you and not the in the moment type of love but the I want to grow old with you kind of love. I know I have never really expressed that I would like to be married and have kids but that was more because I was scared of being too much like my mom. Not doing those things because it was what I really wanted but because it was what was expected. As for the baby, I will admit I was an idiot. Really Dan I have spent my entire sexual life with a man that was blue. Jon couldn't get me pregnant if he tried and so stupidly I somehow thought the same of you. Well not that you couldn't but more like forgot that you were supposed to use something." She blurted out.
Dan sat there and took it in. If it was possible he was more in love with her in that moment than in what were probably the most passionate of their short lived romance. "So I guess this mean you might not be too mad about what is in the bag than." Dan said.
"What do you mean Dan??" Laurie asked quizzically since she thought he had the new part for Archie in his hands.
"Well you see." He started off nervously, "I just saw it in the window last week and I planned to wait a while before I did this but I guess perhaps now would be good." Dan dug into the bag and reappeared shakily with a velvet black box. "Laurie I know we haven't been together long but we have known each other a long time. I love you more than I can express and I want you to be with me always. Will you marry me?"
Laurie was in a bit of shock. Not bad shock but more like I can't believe how happy I am shock. "Yes" she both said and nodded at the same time. It was than that Dan leaned in and kissed her. It was the type of kiss he always gave her. Full of passion and love and that undeniable feeling that it will always be this way and for once she felt like she was able to say that back with hers. The message of we will always be in love and together message that a kiss like that sends. "So does this mean you are happy about the baby?" Laurie asked a bit scared for the response.
"Of course, you know that I have always wanted kids. Although I thought it would take a bit more to talk you into them." He admitted. They both laughed and kissed again and for the first time in a few hours Laurie decided she could stop staring at the T.V. and start watching it. As long as she had Dan's arms to cuddle into and the knowledge that they will always be together.