Title: Marry Me!
Author: Carrie Pairing/Classification: Skate/Jacket Rating: GS

Summary: "Daddy guess what? I'm gonna marry her!"

"Damnit."

He pinched the bridge of his nose between his index finger and thumb. The headache seemed to ease, but he just sighed, dropping the wrench he was holding. It was a lost cause anyway. He couldn't fix it.

It had been a quiet morning, but suddenly there was the sound of pounding footsteps. He lifted his head to see the little boy racing at him, arms wide open. "Daddy!" he yelled, skidding to a stop, the soles of his small sneakers peeling up.

Yet another thing that needed to be fixed, he thought, reaching over to tie one of the loose laces. "Yeah buddy?"

"Daddy guess what? I'm gonna marry her!"

He looked up at his son's piercing blue eyes, smiling slightly. "You're going to marry who?"

"I'm gonna marry Lilly. She's fine."

"You've been hanging around your uncle too much," he joked, straightening up. He picked up the rusty bike, tossing it against the house. "I can't fix your bike kid. I think you really broke it this time."

The small boy shrugged. "Oh well. But Daddy, I have to marry her. Will you let me marry her?"

"You're four," he reminded his son, walking into the house, the little boy trotting after him. Once inside he opened up the fridge, pulling out two bottles of water, handing one to his son and keeping the other for himself. Sipping at it, he set it on the counter, leaning back to cross his arms over his chest. "So you're going to marry Lilly?"

"I am," he said proudly, puffing out his chest. "I'm going to grow up and I'm going to be a doctor and then I'm going to marry her." He smiled happily, wiping water off of his mouth with the back of his grubby hand. "Daddy are you and Mommy married?"

In a loose sense of the term, he thought. He smiled, shaking his head. "Sort of."

"What about Lilly's mommy and daddy are they married?"

'Hell no," he laughed, shaking his head. "Those two get married? No. But if you want to marry her you can. I'm sure Lilly's daddy would be more than happy to let you guys get married. You have to ask him you know."

"Huh?"

"You have to ask the bride's father for permission."

He wrinkled his small nose. "Why?"

"Lilly likes books right?"

"Yeah."

"Well in the old books the daddy used to have to give his permission. It's just an old thing. I think you should do it, just so Lilly's daddy knows."

"Okay! Come on. Let's go." He slid out of the chair, grabbing his father's hand and dragging him out the door of the house

A few houses down from them, he ran up to the stoop and banged on the door. It opened a second later, revealing Lilly's dad. "Hey Rome. What's up?"

"I have a question," he announced, crossing his arms over his little chest.

Glancing up to the other man, he shrugged. "Shoot."

"Can I marry Lilly?"

The sole reason he told his son to do this was so he could see the expression on the other man's face. It was priceless. He hid a smile, keeping his hand on his son's shoulder.

The other man crossed and uncrossed his arms, opening and closing his mouth. He looked away and then back, trying to make up his mind. He knelt down to the little boy's height, smiling slightly. "She make you happy?"

"Yes."

"You'd do anything in the world for her?"

"Yes."

"You love her?"

He nodded his little blond head proudly. "Yes."

"Well then," he commented, smiling at the little boy. "You can marry her."

"Yay! Thank you! I'm gonna go find her right now!" He turned around and ran as fast as his little legs could carry him around the house to the backyard, leaving the two adults behind.

Immediately, the other man spoke. "I ain't your in-law."

"I don't want to be yours either." He nodded to the backyard. "When do you think they'll get a divorce?"

"Should be soon I imagine."

A moment later a little girl with long dark curls ran around the side of the house, shaking her head from side to side. "I ain't gonna marry you Romeo Shepard! I'm gonna marry no one!"

"Guess it was over before it began," he commented, seeing his son chase the sprite around the houses and the pathways, attempting to convince her to marry him. He looked to the other man, smiling slightly. "She asked me if you were married."

"Freckles and me? Hell I asked her about twenty-three times and she keeps saying no."

"What do I keep saying no to?"

They both turned to see her walking towards them, her hands pressed against her lower back. She smiled politely at him, frowning at the sight of her daughter running away from his son. "What are they doing?"

He smiled at his old friend slightly. "Romeo asked your daughter to marry him and she won't accept."

"Good for her."

"Will you marry me Kate?"

"I told you no last night," she reminded him, rubbing her belly. She nodded to both of them before disappearing back into the air-conditioned house. They stood on the step a moment longer before he went back inside, deciding he'd try to convince her again.

Waiting a second on the stoop, he grinned at the loud "NO!" from inside the house.

"Come on Freckles!"

"I'm not marrying you!"

"I'll knock you up again."

"Ooh, nice comeback!"

Laughing, he walked back to his house, seeing his "wife" waiting for him, her arms over her chest. She smiled serenely. "Why is our son chasing Lilly Ford?"

"He's going to marry her. Then he went to ask Sawyer for permission and he gave it to him, but Lilly wouldn't accept. Now Sawyer is trying to convince Kate to marry him." He smiled at her, taking her hand into his. "Not like we can anyway."

She returned the small smile, rising on her toes to kiss him gently. "We can pretend. But I think even then she's going to just say no. It's not their nature."

This woman surprised him constantly. "How do you mean?"

Shrugging, she sank down on the steps, looking out at the children playing. "I mean, that it's just not their nature to settle. They don't have to be married to be in love," she calmly explained, as though it was plainly obvious and he was a rather obtuse child.

She glanced over to see the two back out on the porch, laughing and smiling together, clearly over their spat. "See? They don't need to be married to have that." Then she grinned widely. "Just like you and me."

He smiled, holding her close. Resting his cheek against her blonde hair, he closed his eyes. That was very true.

But still, as much as he loved his son, he kinda hoped he'd move beyond Lilly Ford.

There was a scuffle in another yard and he looked over just in time to see Lilly push his son into a hole, where the little boy looked up at her in complete adoration before she flounced off.

"Wait!" Romeo shouted, fighting to climb up. "Lilly! Marry me!"

Her long dark locks flew in her freckled face when she giggled, hands on her hips. "What part of no don't you understand?"

Romeo pursed his lips as she ran back to her house. He smiled lovingly, stars in his eyes. "She likes me."

THE END