Alright dears, here's the second part of this masterpiece. Enjoy!

Chapter Two: New Orleans

Tim shuffled off the plane in a stupor; he had tried to sleep during the flight but Abby kept him awake with a variety of games that he only played to keep her happy. He had worked diligently to make this the best vacation ever for her. She thought they would be staying in one of the hoity-toity hotels, but Tim had conspired with Abby's little brother Jacob and they were really going to be staying with him, his wife, and their daughter.

Jacob was waiting for them in baggage claim. "Jakey, what're you doing here?" she squealed when she saw him, jumping into his arms for a 'welcome back' hug.

He gave a hearty laugh. "Well, your man and I did a little sneaky planning. Surprise, you're staying with us!"

Abby turned her head to look at Tim without breaking the hug. "Did you really?"

Tim grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, I thought you'd like to be with family."

After several minutes, Abby finally let go of her brother. Tim shook his hand once it was Abby-free; they were finally ready to hit the road. They each grabbed their bags; Jacob insisted on carrying Abby's, and let the airport.

The car ride didn't take too long, but it was enough that Abby fell asleep in the backseat. Tim peeked at her to be sure she was asleep. "Thanks for letting us stay with you," he said gratefully to Jacob.

"No problem, it's nice to finally meet someone that Abby cares about," he smiled; Abby's visits to New Orleans were few and far between.

Tim wasn't sure how he would get on the subject he really wanted to talk about, so he kept to their polite conversation. He couldn't think of anything else to say, so he listened to Jacob talk about his wife and daughter, and how excited everyone was to meet him. Tim nervously stoked the small box in his pocket, but decided they could talk about it later.

Abby woke up the moment they stopped at Jacob's house. The look on her face was one that Tim had never seen before, like a mix of satisfaction and nostalgia. Jacob had purchased their childhood home after their parents had died.

Tim surveyed the area; several cars littered the street and most of the houses reminded him of the fifties. They were the kinds of houses with the white picket fence, occupied by John and Jane Smith, their two point five kids, and the family dog, Spot. It surprised him that this was where Abby grew up; no wonder she liked to be different.

Suddenly, they were ambushed; all sorts of loving family members popped up out of nowhere. Tim met thirty people in about twenty minutes; aunts, uncles, and cousins galore. His mouth hurt from smiling. Jacob's wife, Vanessa, met them at the door. She hugged both Tim and Abby before leading them inside. The various family members followed them inside and grouped in the family room. Vanessa introduced them to their daughter, Jessica. The three year old hugged Abby and shook Tim's hand. "It's nice to meet you," she said shyly.

"Honey," Vanessa said, "Can you take Aunt Abby and her friend upstairs?"

Jessica smiled. "Sure Mommy," she grasped Abby by the hand and almost dragged her up to the guest bedroom.

"Jacob, can I talk to you alone for a minute?" Tim asked quietly; Abby turned around, "I'll be there in a minute Abs."

They stepped into Jacob's study and closed the door. "Is everything alright Tim? I didn't think you would mind sharing a room with my sister."

Tim shook his head. "It's not that. Well, I have to say, I'm a little nervous. Since your father has passed on, I thought that it should be you that I talk to. I, um, I'm going to ask Abby to marry me, and I'd like your family's blessing."

Jacob looked a little shocked. "I don't want to hurt your feelings or anything, but you do realize that this is Abby that you're talking about, right? Abby's never really been one for doing the 'normal' things in life."

Tim hardened. "With all due respect, I love her, and I know she loves me. I want to marry her, and I will still love her whether or not she wants to marry me too."

Jacob straightened up and looked him up and down slowly. "You care for her, that much is clear; after all, you did all this just to make her happy. On behalf of our family, I give you our blessing."

"Thank you," Tim shook Jacob's hand, "I think I'm going to ask her at dinner tonight."

"You know it's going to be a family dinner, right. She might not like it," Jacob seemed worried.

Tim took a deep breath. "I know, but I think it will be fine."

-X-X-X-

The family sat down to dinner in the roomy backyard. Tim was much more nervous than he had thought he would be. "Timmy, are you alright? You look a little nauseous," Abby looked concerned.

Tim took a long sip of water. "Yeah, I'm fine Abs. Spicy," he pointed at his food.

Abby giggled and rolled her eyes. "It's just chicken Timmy."

"Spicy chicken," he mumbled.

He waited patiently for the family to finish eating. Once Vanessa had passed out dessert, Tim stood. "Can I have everyone's attention please?"

They all listened intently, as if they had known him for more than just a few hours. He turned to Abby. She set her plate down on the table in front of her, smiling at her boyfriend, mind racing trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

Of course, she had an idea, but it was unlikely. 'If Tim was going to ask me to marry him, he would have done it back in D.C. He wouldn't have waited until we got all the way to New Orleans,' Abby thought.

"Abby, you know that I love you; you are the most amazing person I have ever met."

Her breaths came more quickly. 'Oh my God, is he really doing this? What do I do; what do I do? Ok, I need to relax and go with my first instinct,' she tried to calm down.

Tim got down on one knee and pulled a small box out of his pocket. "Abigail Sciuto, will you marry me?"

She was almost expecting the question, but that didn't make it any less shocking. 'First instinct,' she reminded herself. She quickly evaluated the situation. She loved Tim, and she was sure he was her soul mate. "Yes," she said softly.

Tim thought he had misheard her. "What Abs?"

She pulled him to his feet and kissed him. All around them, her family erupted into applause and cheers; they couldn't be happier for their beloved Abby. When she needed air, she broke off the kiss, hugging Tim and burying her face in his neck. "Yes Timmy, I will marry you," she whispered near his ear.

Tim was sure that he had a goofy grin on his face, but he didn't care; he was going to marry the girl of his dreams, and that was all that mattered.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Thanks for reading, I hope you liked it! If you did, check out some of my other stories; I'm sure you'll like them too! Be sure to leave me a review.

Kisses!