Author's Note: Not sure if people will agree, but this is probably my favorite thing that I've written. Regardless, I hope you enjoy it anyway!

(Takes place in the same universe as "Need You Now")

Alexa missed being an outdoors person, her free time often spent taking morning strolls through the park, enjoying the breathtaking beauty of nature and all it had to offer. Animals roaming grassy fields of bright green, a cool breeze invigorating the senses, children at play without a care in the world. Everything taking place underneath the ever-changing colors of the sky, it's tranquil blue steadily shifting into fiery shades of yellow, the clouds floating aimlessly above her head like wayward guardians. Alexa loved the imagery, the way that the scenery changed before her very eyes. Those pleasant walks, the calm atmosphere, assisted her in gaining some much needed perspective on life. Yes, they were always so relaxing.

This was, of course, before Alexa's internship sapped away at her life. Now, she barely had enough energy to walk to the couch, let alone through the park. Constantly on her feet, fetching this thing or that for her bosses, it was slowly driving her up the wall. It wasn't that way at first, but as time went by, things were becoming more difficult. More paperwork to file, more appointments to make, more people to deal with, and - this was the worst one - more coffee to deliver. Though while the 'job' did suck her soul away like a vacuum, the prospect of things working out in the end pushed her forward. Thoughts of a bright future kept her sane in an otherwise nightmarish place.

Lately, those thoughts of the future were becoming less and less bright.

Seconds ticked by like days, and every day that Alexa was stuck in the same position was another blow to her morale. No matter how above and beyond she went for her employers, it was never enough. There was never any mention of hands-on-experience, no mention of doing something - please, just give her anything! - different to do. Alexa was sure that she was living in a time paradox, where every day in the workplace was the same, except gloomier, and would continue that way until she solved the secret of life or whatever stupidly cliched thing happened in the movies.

Alexa often questioned whether or not this was worth it. Either way, she was stuck with this until she was offered a real job, one that paid with money and not back-handed compliments from socially incapable bosses. For now, she and Becky would be living in that apartment. She wondered - would they ever be able to afford a house? Would their lives always be bogged down by Alexa's inability to be useful? She had Becky, but how long would Becky be satisfied with the way things were?

It was too early in the morning for this, she told herself. Unable to sleep, Alexa's pessimistic thoughts keeping her up through the night, she felt compelled to wake Becky as well, showering her with tiny kisses as she rolled on her side. A brief moment of annoyance flashed through Becky's features before she realized what she was being awakened to. "Mmm, waking up to a bunch of kisses. What'd I do to deserve this?"

Alexa nuzzled closely into the crook of Becky's neck, breathing in her sweet, tantalizing scent. "Well, I looked over and you were still as beautiful as I left you. Kisses well-deserved in my book."

"Ah, and who am I, but a humble lass, to argue with the novels of my beloved?"

Their morning banter never failed to bring Becky joy. She turned to face Alexa, readying her lips to return the gesture, but it was evident to her that something was wrong. "Are you feeling alright?"

"What do you mean?"

Becky grabbed Alexa's face with one hand, rubbing the sleepiness away and opening her eyes to get a clearer view of it. "You look horrible."

"So, your response to me calling you beautiful is to say I look horrible." Alexa sat up from her position on the bed, arms crossed as she spoke. "How romantic," she stated sarcastically.

"Don't change the subject. Did you get any sleep last night?"

Oh no. Becky was going into 'over-protective girlfriend' mode. "Duh, of course I did."

"Right. I'm sure you just look like a raccoon because you've been sleeping so well."

"Rude!"

Becky sighed, running a palm across the length of her face. "Look, I didn't want to say anything, but I've noticed that you've been exhausted lately. More than the usual."

"I'm just stressed, okay?!" Alexa hadn't meant to yell, wanting to apologize as soon as she saw the petrified look on Becky's face, but she hated feeling like she was being examined, like a lab rat. "It's fine. I'll be fine."

Becky stared at Alexa again, unflinchingly, until the blonde turned away. Suddenly, Becky grabbed Alexa by the arm, practically dragging her out of bed.

"Hey, hey! What the hell, Becky!"

"Get up! We're going out."

"Where?"

"To the park!" Becky shouted triumphantly, no doubt waking the entire apartment complex. When Alexa didn't immediately reply, she knew she had to elaborate. "You used to go to the park between classes, right? To clear that pretty little head of yours."

"How do you remember that?" Excited as she was to share her favorite pastime with Becky, she still had to ask. Not because their college days were necessarily that long ago, but because, well, it was Becky.

The Irish woman chuckled, almost menacingly. "You know what they say about elephants."

"That they never forget."

"No, ya goof. It's that nothing is irr-elephant to them! Get it? 'Cause… 'cause irrelevant. Elephant."

Alexa couldn't stop the groan that escaped from her mouth as Becky nudged her side multiple times, the accompanying wink making her wish she'd just left Becky sleeping. As they changed into something less pajama-like, discreetly stealing glances at each other, Alexa parroted her previous thoughts.

It was too early in the morning for this.

Everything outside was just as Alexa remembered it. 'Remembered' because she honestly couldn't say when the last time she stepped outside of her door was. Not counting the times she immediately hopped into her car and cursed wildly on her way to the intern Underworld, anyway. The crisp air felt amazing against her skin, the springtime winds a different feeling to the air conditioning in her office.

She realized, though, that perhaps her body wasn't quite ready for a lengthy walk, Becky laughing heartily when Alexa suggested they sit on a nearby park bench. "I guess we're not as fit as we used to be."

"Seriously," Alexa agreed wholeheartedly. "We should invest in a treadmill."

"Do you really need it? I mean, on account of how often you're running through my mind."

"Every opportunity, huh Becks?" Alexa shook her head, Becky grinning profusely, as they took their seats. She closed her eyes, taking a moment to enjoy the atmosphere. The sounds, the smells, the sensations - it all felt so wonderful. Ready to relay such to the woman on her left, Becky spoke up first.

"So, you never told me what you've been stressing over." She briefly panicked as Alexa began to fidget about, a tell-tale sign of nervousness. "O-Only if you want to. I'm not gonna force you or anything."

Alexa mentally debated with herself, wondering if she wanted to burden Becky with the silly non-issues keeping her up at night. Not that it mattered. Becky already seemed to cross the threshold of unrelenting curiosity. "Work's just been kicking my butt lately."

"Yeesh, I hear you." Becky raised her arms over her head, stretching them out as far as her joints would allow. "Yesterday my boss told me that I typed 'colour' wrong. You think people would get some worldly experience under their belt, for Christ's sake. Why does this country hate the letter U? What did U ever do to… you?"

Alexa tried her best to laugh at Becky's comical complaints, or at least acknowledge them in any capacity, but she didn't have it in her to be positive. Even surrounded by the amazing scenery she loved, her negative feelings were beginning to take on their own will. This wasn't like her. Why did the future suddenly worry her so much? Well, she knew why, but why did it have to be so frightening?

Noting Alexa's lack of response, Becky began to speak again. "There's more, right?"

"I'm just worried about the future." Alexa didn't know what else to do except share exactly what she was thinking. If anyone would understand, it would be Becky.

"The future?"

"Yeah, like, 'What if my internship doesn't lead anywhere?' or 'Am I going to be stuck here forever?' Stuff like that. I don't want you to have to support us forever. And I don't want you to get tired of me, and…"

Alexa felt so rotten for even implying that Becky would leave her, but she'd be wrong if she denied that it was a possibility. She felt Becky grab her hand, stroking its backside with a solitary finger. "Alexa, that is the last thing you have to worry about. I'm never going to leave you. You've been working your freakin' tail off trying to make our lives better. I'd be an idiot to leave someone that cares about me that much."

Though she didn't know how to vocally express it, Alexa felt relieved, like the weight of the entire world had suddenly removed itself from her shoulders. Why she expected anything less than perfection from Becky Lynch, she had no idea, because that was all that Becky ever gave her - pure, unspoiled perfection. "Could you be any more perfect?"

"I could be you."

"Okay, now you're just being cheesy for the sake of it." Alexa expected another quip from Becky, maybe a dairy pun or two, but she could tell that Becky was thinking. She practically heard the gears turning in her girlfriend's head, almost afraid of what scheme she was hatching. "Got something to share, Becks?"

"I was just thinking."

"As you do."

"You've been so worried about the future because you dream up these doom-and-gloom scenarios. We just need to fill your head with positive thoughts instead."

Alexa raised an eyebrow. "It took you that long to come up with this? Whoa, slow your roll there, MacGyver!"

"It's a good idea, alright?" She didn't say another word, leaving Alexa wondering how Becky could make such simple things so unnecessarily complicated. 'Think positively' wasn't exactly a new concept, and not one she hadn't already tried. "You ever think about getting married?"

Alexa's eyes nearly popped right out of her skull as soon as Becky's words made way to her ears. Where did that come from? Why was this happening? Did Becky lose her mind between loving words and witty banter? "M-Married? Us? W-What are you talking about?! Quit being dumb!"

"Aw, are you saying you wouldn't want to marry me?" Becky's voice was filled with such giddiness despite the over exaggerated frown now adoring her face.

"Of course I want to marry you!"

"Really? I accept!"

"What? Becky!"

Upon hearing her name shouted in such a desperate manner, Becky again laughed loudly, her eyes brimming with tears. Even as Alexa shoved her and slapped her arm, she continued to laugh. "You're so easy to rile up sometimes."

"Don't joke around like that!"

"I won't. Scout's honor." Becky stuck a tongue out at Alexa, the blonde glaring daggers at her. "You didn't answer my question."

Alexa nearly forgot that there was an actual question hidden within Becky's teasing. "About marriage? I… I guess I think about it. Occasionally."

"Already planning your dream wedding?"

"I wouldn't say 'planning,' but I've given it some thought. Certain details."

Becky gasped, hand placed squarely over her hear. "And you've never told me? Shame!"

"You must've given it some thought too, or else you wouldn't have asked. So you can take that air you gasped and exhale it right back out!" She pointed at Becky, poking her gently in the stomach, knowing she was one-hundred percent correct in her accusation.

"Caught me red-handed. But I haven't put too much time into it. Looked at some dresses. 'Window shopping' and all that. Can't imagine a girl that hasn't."

Alexa shrugged, knowing full well that she'd done the same in the past. "I think that's a given. I've done that since I was five."

"Double wedding dresses then. That'll be interesting."

That was one thing Alexa hadn't taken into consideration. As far away as a wedding would be, she never really put much time into ironing out these smaller details. She didn't think there would be a problem with two wedding dresses. Would both of their fathers be walking them down the aisle then? She shared this with Becky, who couldn't come up with anything. "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. If anyone has a problem with it, I'll send them packing."

"No fighting at our wedding."

"I meant with a strongly worded letter. I'm not a barbarian, Lexi!"

"Good, because I'm not explaining that to our kids. Just flipping through our scrapbook, and there's you with a black eye. 'And here's when mommy fought a grown man because he said something mean!'"

"Oh, kids?" Becky commented, making sure to accentuate the plural.

Alexa didn't mind - it wasn't exactly a secret that she wanted kids. They'd discussed it enough times as friends, and she was positive she'd written a research paper on the subject at one point or another. "Boy and a girl, just like I told you."

"One of each!"

"Don't say it like that. You make them sound like collectibles."

Becky scratched the back of her head. "I-I meant it'll be good to have a boy and a girl." A light breeze picked up, sending both women's hair flowing in one direction. "Lass and Brass are going to be the best of friends."

Alexa furrowed her brow, confused beyond belief, before it suddenly hit her. "Oh god. Tell me those aren't the names you've been thinking of for our children."

"Something wrong with 'em?"

Alexa's palm smacked the center of her own forehead. She couldn't believe Becky had actually come up with these names. For actual human beings. "That's a name you give to your stuffed animals, not children!"

"Come on. Are you telling me it wouldn't be cool?"

"Yes, that is what I'm telling you."

"Let's here your names then."

"Um." Alexa paused. She should've expected to be put on the spot after making fun of Becky. "It's a bit embarrassing."

"I knew it. You've got nothing."

"Fine! Skylar and Dawn, because they'd be my entire world. Including you, of course. Like the sky and the sun. I watch a lot of movies, okay?"

Alexa waited for another round of laughter, but it never came. Instead, she felt a pair of lips lightly grazing the top of her head. She looked at Becky, who was absolutely beaming.

"That's beautiful, darling."

"Is it?"

"Definitely. We can save Lass and Brass for our first two cars."

"First two? They probably wouldn't fit in our apartment," Alexa stated, reminding Becky of their lack of garage, or any sort of parking space that wasn't adjacent to the sidewalk.

"We'll obviously have moved out by the time we've had kids, right? We'll have enough money to buy the castle you're always on about."

Alexa huffed in response. "Uh, excuse me? You never exactly objected to having a castle."

"It's a castle. How could I object?"

Alexa mumbled out a quick 'Fair enough,' before going along with this castle-owning future. "It'd have to be the biggest castle. White, made of marble, not stone. That's too played out. Although," she wondered aloud, "a castle is a bit big for just four people."

"There's going to be more than four people. We're going to have guards. And butlers of some kind. A few maids."

"Owning a castle has a few perks to it. Oh, we could have our wedding in the great hall!" Alexa exclaimed, a little too excited for her own good.

"And each child can have their own wing of the castle."

"Do castles have wings? It's more like sections."

"Wings, sections. Whatever. Point is, they'll have it. It'll be everything we've ever wanted!"

Alexa could get behind this fairy tale future. However, as another, slightly more chilling gust of wind blew by, she was brought back down to reality. All of this - the wedding, the children, the cars, the castle - it was all make believe. None of it was real. The only real thing was how stressed they'd both be come Monday, then Tuesday, then every weekday, until the next week when they repeated the cycle. Why were they discussing things that more than likely couldn't happen? At least not for a very long time. "Becks, this is great and everything, but it's just pretend."

"That's the point, Lexi. It's supposed to be pretend. It did get you in a good mood though, didn't it?"

Alexa wanted to argue, to disagree vehemently, but she couldn't. She was in a better mood than before, the smile on her face a testament to that fact. "Yeah, I am pretty happy now."

"See, I'm not saying that these things are going to happen for sure, but your future isn't just written in stone like a really long book. Truth is, neither of us knows what's gonna happen, but why focus on the negative when there's so much positive to explore instead? Does that make sense?"

Alexa didn't need to give her an answer, her lips doing the talking for her. She kissed Becky, parting her lips so that their tongues could meet in the middle, feeling Becky's tongue brush against her own. With the gentle winds caressing their skin and the sun making Becky glow more than she did normally, Alexa savoured this, the most romantic kiss she's ever had.

Once they parted, oxygen making its way through their lungs, Alexa spoke again. "We might not have a castle, but you'll always be my queen." She gave Becky time to reply, but only heard a small 'hmph.' "What, is this where you draw the line on cheesiness?"

"No, it's just that… that was so cool. I wish I'd said it first."

"You don't need a one-liner to call me your queen too."

"I know. You're definitely my queen as well, darling."

As they locked lips yet again, Alexa was now fully convinced that maybe a fairy tale life wasn't out of the question. Even if they never lived in one physically, no matter what happened, they'd always be the queens of their very own castle.

End