Velvet Rope Overkill
Characters: Skimbleshanks and Jennyanydots
Genre: Romance
Rating: K+
Based on: Shooting Stars by Edwin McCain


[Flashback of Skimbleshanks and Jennyanydots' young adulthood]

It was summer and the watermelon was ripe. Jennyanydots was in school at a university, studying to become a teacher, and Skimbleshanks was helping his father out on the railways, as always. On a day that the sun shined brighter than usual, Skimbles decided to take his loved one on a date. Oh, it was a special day.

"Meet me in the apple tree grove at six," he said to Jenny as he pecked her on the cheek and left for work. She blushed as he scurried away.

'I love him, so much!' she thought to herself, 'I'm going to wed that tom one day!' Little did she know what Skimbles was going to ask her later.


When the train station clock struck five, Skimbleshanks punched in his timecard and headed back to his den. He'd even tidied up for his girlfriend! Soon he was well on his way to the apple tree grove.

"Look who's early!" he said as he approached his soon-to-be mate.

"You know me, always trying to get on top of things!"

Skimbles snickered and told a funny joke. "Would you like to get on top of me later?" He winked at the blushing queen.

Jenny's jaw dropped. "Skimbleshanks, you naughty tom!" She playfully swiped at him with her dainty paws.

He giggled and then said softly, "Close your eyes." She did as he commanded and got down on one knee. He pulled a little brown, plain box out of his vest pocket and told her to open her eyes.

A gasp escaped Jenny's lips. "Skimbleshanks, t-this is for m-me?" she asked in excitement.

The tom blushed and said, "Well, I know it's not some fancy diamond, but-"

"Darling, I don't care!" she interrupted. She slipped the cheap ring onto her finger.

"Is that a yes?" Skimbles asked with a smile.

"It's a yes times a million!"

The orange railway tom picked up his new mate and carried her back to his den where they shared a night to remember.


[Thirty years later]

Skimbleshanks walked in the door to his homey, comfortable den.

"Good evening, dear," he said to his wife as he kissed her and sat down to eat dinner with his family.

Later that night, when he and Jenny were alone in their bedroom, he told his mate to close her eyes. She did, and he pulled a shiny, small item out from underneath his pillow.

"Open," he commanded. Jenny's eyes lit up when she saw the diamond ring he held in his paw.

"Skimbleshanks!"

He smiled and whispered, "Happy thirtieth anniversary, Jennyanydots. I love you."

"I love you, too!" the queen said as she fastened the new ring on her paw.

The couple drifted off to bed, but Jenny could not sleep. A song was playing in her mind, and it wouldn't let her be.

We keep our love in a plain brown box
We keep it tied with a simple lock
We hold it close 'cause it's all we got
We think it's ordinary, but it's not
Tired of hearing about the bling-bling
We're so concerned with material things
It's all cars and diamond rings
And do you think it's going to ease your sting?

After repeating these words in her head a few times, she took the diamond off her paw and replaced it with the one she'd word for thirty years.