Author's Note: This came out of a random thought about wanting to do something on Rob/Laura's courtship days. When I asked on Facebook for suggestions, someone mentioned the day Rob broke Laura's toes during the dance number. We know she eventually fell in love with him after that, but we don't actually see it. That led to this. I really enjoyed this, so maybe I should do more TDVDS stories!

Rob still couldn't believe this had happened. But the proof was right there in front of him. Just a few feet away, Laura lay in a hospital bed, and it was all his fault. It all happened because he'd wanted so badly to get to know her. His plan had been foolproof – or so he'd thought. After bribing her dance partner, Rob took the opportunity to dance with her himself. He figured that the romantic song and his flawless (or nearly flawless) dance steps would finally win her heart. It might've worked, if he hadn't stepped on her foot at the end. Now three of her toes were broken, and she wouldn't be dancing anytime soon.

He glanced at the flowers he'd bought as a sort of peace offering. Even if he had no chance with her whatsoever, he at least owed her an apology. He walked over to the bed, silently praying she'd at least talk to him. "Hi, Laura. How are you?" Rob held out the bouquet of flowers.

"Oh, just wonderful." Laura fake-smiled. Her sarcasm was obvious.

"I'm really sorry," Rob said. "I brought these to apologize."

Laura had to admit the flowers were pretty, but she was still angry. "Thank you." She made sure not to smile.

Rob sighed. "You can't stay mad at me forever."

"Oh, no? Watch me," Laura said, giving him a glare.

Even when she was so angry, she was still beautiful. That was why Rob knew he couldn't give up. "You have to know I never meant for this to happen. I had it all planned out. We were going to do that dance number together, and then..."

"And then what? I was going to fall passionately in love with you and decide to marry you?"

"No!" Rob protested. "I mean, yeah. But you make me sound like some arrogant jerk. I'm not, Laura. Really."

A jerk wouldn't have brought me flowers, Laura thought. But then she remembered, she was still angry with him.

Rob sighed in exasperation. "What do I have to do to make you like me?!" He thought for a moment. "Look, I know it's no fun being stuck here, but how about if I brought you some recipe books?"

"Recipe books?" Laura asked. "How did you know I collect recipes?"

"One of the other girls told me," Rob admitted. "That's how desperate I was to get to know you." He tried his best to look innocent. He had to break down the walls she'd put up.

Somehow, Laura's anger softened, just the slightest bit. "Well, if you want to come down here and bring me some recipes, I suppose I can't stop you."

"Thank you!" That was the first nice thing she'd said to him so far. He knew it was a far cry from where he'd wanted their relationship to go, but it was a start. Rob left the flowers in a vase by Laura's hospital bed. He hoped they'd cheer her up.

The next day, he managed to sneak off the base and visit the local library. He went straight to the librarian, asking if they had any cookbooks. Within minutes, he was shown to a large selection of them. He grabbed several. All he could do was hope these would earn him Laura's forgiveness.

With a stack of books in hand, Rob returned to the hospital. This had to work, because he didn't know what else he could do. As he approached the bed, Rob could see that she was looking a bit more like herself. This might work after all, he thought. But he knew he couldn't get ahead of himself. She might still be just as angry as she'd been yesterday. He did his best to smile. "Hi, Laura!"

She turned toward him, and she seemed less upset than before. "You came back." She almost smiled, before she caught herself.

"Well, of course I did! I told you I'd come back, didn't I?"

Laura nodded. As much as she hated to admit it, she'd been hoping she'd see him again. He was sort of handsome, now that she thought about it.

"I kept my promise, too." Rob showed her the books he'd carried all the way here from the library.

Laura gasped in amazement. "Where did you get all these? I thought you might be able to get one or two from somewhere, but not half a dozen!"

"The library. I didn't know which ones were the best, so I got as many as I could carry. At least, without breaking my back." He uttered a nervous laugh.

For a moment, Laura was too stunned to speak. In all of her life, no man had gone to so much trouble for her. Not to mention what got her into this predicament in the first place. "Rob, I hardly know what to say," she said, when she finally found her voice.

Seeing her smile, Rob suddenly felt as if he could fly. "Does this mean you forgive me?"

Laura nodded, realizing she had momentarily forgotten why she'd been so angry. "Yes."

Before Rob knew what he was doing, he leaned down, gently kissing her cheek. As he drew back, looking in her eyes, he realized his plan had actually worked much better than he could have hoped for.

The End