Disclaimer: I own none of the characters and only borrowed them for a little while.

Ivy said no the first time he asked because she didn't want him asking just because she was pregnant with his child.

She said no the second time he asked, for fear it was just because they were moving into a new place together.

She said no a third time when they discussed baby names, for even though their daughter would be Wills, that wasn't a reason for her to be too.

She said yes the fourth time, because she asked him herself...

Arriving at a workshop for his newest project, Ivy stood in the doorway and grinned as she saw that nothing had changed. "Come on people, focus!" Derek Wills clapped his hands with frustration. "From the top."

They broke for ten not long after and Ivy prepared to make her presence known, but stopped when she saw the leading lady approach him.

The jealousy that reared its head was also hormone-fueled as she tensed, fearing what was to come. She almost left then and there but forced herself to watch.

She watched the girl sidle up in the age old manner of seduction. She watched her place a hand on his arm with a flirtatious look. She braced herself for Derek's response like countless times before.

But instead his arms remained crossed, his face remained gruff and he responded to her question and then moved away.

Ivy could see the disappointment on the girl's face and was surprised at how possessive she felt. Back off. He's mine.

He saw her then and walked over, pressing a kiss to her upturned face before slipping a hand to where their unborn daughter grew. Baby gave a solid kick in response. "Hello love. Come to save me from this hell?"

She laughed, her heart singing. "Would lunch suffice?"

"It would be a start." He guided her over to his seat. "Tell me what you think."

As rehearsals commenced once again, she found that her eyes weren't on the dancers before them but on the complicated man leaning against the desk in front of her, arms crossed over his chest, brow furrowed.

A wave of emotion suddenly overwhelmed her as she struggled to breathe. She really did love this man. He sure as hell wasn't perfect, but then again neither was she, and he was working on it. And she realised that she didn't ever want to be without him. She wanted to scream to the world that he was hers.

So later that night as they lay in bed in one of their favourite positions, his head on her breast, hand on her swollen abdomen, her fingers running through his hair, she asked a question.

"You should ask me again."

"Ask what?" Derek murmured drowsily.

"Me to marry you."

"Hmm, sure."

Ivy bit her lip to suppress a grin as she waited for him to process what she'd just said.

It didn't take long, for he shot up on the bed. "Marry? Are you...?"

She didn't think she'd ever seen him so flustered.

Nodding her head, unable to suppress the happiness threatening to burst, she watched as he fumbled in his bedside table drawer and brought forth the velvet encased box that had been rejected three times previously.

She saw him fumbling to find words. "Ivy..." He swallowed and started again. "Ivy, you make me want to be a better man. And frankly I don't want to ever be apart from you. Marry me."

Tears streamed down her face as she replied. "Yes."

He slid the ring onto her finger and the diamonds sparkled in the light. Overjoyed, she grasped his shirt and pulled him in closer. Their kiss deepened before Ivy drew back with a laugh. "This is how we ended up in the situation in the first place!"

He looked down at her seriously. "And I don't regret a single minute of it."

Finito.