Title: Drunken Objection

Pairing: Ryder/Marley

Author's Note: Hey! Sorry it took a while to get this epilogue up, but I had to make sure it turns out good. So, this is what I ended up with, and though it's not that good, I think it pretty much covers what I promised, which is Jake's and Carlos's reaction, and what's next for Ryder and Marley. Also, I decided to add a bit of Jake/Kitty pairing into the story. Anyway, review and let me know what you think. Also, I've started on yet another Ryley fanfic, but I'm not sure it's really good, so I'm still editing a few parts here and there, and I'll see if I should post it. If not, well… I'll probably write another Ryley fanfic anyway. So thanks for reading, and please review! Oh, and thank you to those who reviewed the previous chapter of this fic. I really appreciate it.

And a heads up, this final chapter will be kind of long, and it's more of an actual chapter with an ending than an epilogue, so don't kill me if you think it's not at all like an epilogue. I'm well aware of that fact.

-Sux2budude

-MR-

Epilogue:

…

Marley was sure that Ryder was joking when he tells her that he wants to stop by at a bar, not that from the chapel. Seriously? He stops a wedding by way of objecting in the middle (or rather, the beginning) of it, pours his heart and soul out to her, kisses her, and then invites her to join him at a bar?

She's never been one to say 'no' to him, even back in high school, and she doesn't start now. "Sure… I mean, if that's what you want." She shrugs, trying to look nonchalant, though she was seriously starting to wonder if maybe Ryder is now an alcoholic. She hasn't seen him in years, so she really doesn't know much about his present life.

In the past, Marley would've probably laughed in your face and told you that you were crazy if you told her that Ryder would be an alcoholic… but right now, as they walk hand in hand down the street towards a bar after everything that just happened in the front of the chapel, she's not so sure anymore. Yes, she loves Ryder… or loves the Ryder she knew. But this Ryder just entered her life about 45 minutes ago, since high school graduation, so she can't say she really knows him anymore, can she? The thought both saddens and repulses her. She shouldn't judge who he is now. Maybe she's the reason he's an alcoholic. Maybe he's going through a rough phase in his life. Maybe he just wants a refreshing drink to cool down his hyperactive system!

Marley is pulled out of her deep thoughts by Ryder, pulling her into a small bar to the right. It was fairly empty, considering its only 9:53am. Marley wrinkles her nose as the pungent smell of staled cigarettes and cheap beer wafted up her nose, and she tries not to look uncomfortable (though she looks extremely out of place in her knee-length, white bridesmaid dress) as Ryder keeps pulling her towards the counter with a goofy grin on his face. He turns to her, smiling happily, and she can't help but smile back just as happily. Even after all these years, he can still make her feel like a giddy school-girl… that's got to count for something, right? That barely manages to count for anything when Ryder opens his mouth and calls out, "Bartender, I'll have the usual!"

Carlos, who had been facing the back, wiping glasses, freezes up when he hears the familiar voice of Ryder Lynn. He immediately feels terrible, because Ryder could only be back to ask for 'the usual', if he didn't get what he wanted. Which is, the girl. He's always felt bad for Ryder whenever the young lad would walk into the bar with his head down and a permanent look of sadness across his face. Ryder reminded him of his younger brother Roberto, in some ways. Polite, yet blunt. Bright, yet concealed. That's why he would keep a close eye on Ryder, always substituting the guy's last few shots of the night, when he knows Ryder would be too drunk to notice that the shot he's drinking is not Jack Daniel's whiskey, but rather, sparkling water.

Carlos plasters a large, yet fake smile on his face and turns towards Ryder, ready to console the poor guy, but he finds his fake smile sliding off his face when he sees the girl standing next to Ryder, looking around with wide eyes like she was scared of actually being in there. "Oh." Carlos mutters a bit confusedly. Who's that beauty with Ryder? She can't be THE girl, because one, she's not in a wedding dress, and two, Ryder just asked for the usual, so that could only mean one thing. "What's going on, Ryder?" Carlos asks with a furrow of his eyebrows.

Marley couldn't believe that Ryder is a regular here. Of course, she knows he was drinking because he obviously showed up at Quinn and Puck's wedding, drunk and smelling of strong liquor. But he asked for 'the usual', which means that the bartender obviously knows what Ryder always drinks. Marley stares intently at Ryder as he pulls her closer to him, wrapping an arm around her petite frame. The next words out of his mouth, manages to both relieve and intrigue a confused, and slightly upset Marley Rose.

"I'm just kidding, Carlos." Ryder says with a laugh. He turns to look fondly at Marley, another goofy grin creeping up his unshaven, yet handsome face. "Marley, I'd like for you to meet the guy who practically kicked me out of this bar this morning, and told me to go after the girl of my dreams." He turns his head, looking over at the bartender, who lets out a long relieved sigh and chuckles lightly as a look of realization crosses his dark features.

"Carlos, this is Marley Rose… she's—she's the one."

Marley grins, waving a bit shyly. "Hi."

"Why hello there, blue-eyes." Carlos chuckles, walking up closer to the two and throwing an impressed look at Ryder. "So this is the infamous girl you've been moping and pining for, huh?" Carlos asks with a teasing look at Ryder, who rolls his eyes.

Marley shifts a bit uncomfortably as Carlos gives her the twice over. He whistles loudly, and looks back at Ryder. "I can definitely see why, man… she's gorgeous." Marley smiles politely, blushing a little at the compliment.

"Of course." Ryder says with a hint of cockiness. He turns his eyes towards Marley's, letting them soften as he pulls her closer to his side. "I wouldn't fall for anything less." He mutters, and Marley doesn't bother to hide her blush this time, because with Ryder, she can't exactly hide a blush… it's simply impossible to not blush whenever he says sweet little things like these.

Carlos chuckles, watching in pure amusement as the two love-birds make googly eyes at each other. "So," he begins, pausing to chuckle at the surprised look on Ryder and Marley's faces. Clearly, they had forgotten that they weren't alone. "Quick question, Ryder… What happened to the wedding, and what exactly are you doing back in here?"

Ryder looks back at Carlos, smiling widely. And Carlos could almost see Ryder's internal thoughts, jumping for joy, because in the past two weeks since he met the guy, Ryder's face was always contorted in pain… and the look on Ryder's face now? It's the exact opposite of that pained expression. "I uhhh—I," he pauses chuckling at the odd, yet gleeful event that had occurred just a little over half an hour ago. "Well, it turns out that I was mistaken."

"About?" Carlos asks confusedly, looking between the two.

"Everything!" Ryder laughs. "The wedding… I mean, there was definitely a wedding, but… I kind-of-sort-of misunderstood the bit of information I got from one of my glee-mates, about who's wedding it was, and long story short," he looks sheepishly at Marley, who chuckles softly. "I practically crashed a wedding that wasn't Marley's, and we both got kicked out by the bride, and we kind of just talked in the front of the chapel, where I finally professed my undying love for this beautiful blue-eyed girl here, and… she accepted me!" Ryder grins giddily, almost bouncing up and down like a four year old.

Marley laughs heartily at the little twist that Ryder had added into the storyline of the past half hour. "That's not exactly how I remembered it, but… it's close enough." she adds.

Carlos couldn't hide the smug smirk on his face. "I hate to say it," Carlos begins, pauses, and chuckles with a shake of his head. "Actually I don't, I'm going to enjoy being able to say this…" he pauses for effect, holding up his forefinger as if to get the young couples utmost attention. "I told you so." He mutters cheekily to Ryder who rolls his eyes, but lets out a laugh.

"Yes, you did. Which is why I came back here, to thank you."

"And for what, may I ask?" Carlos asks smugly, wanting to hear exactly what he's being thanked for.

Ryder looks back at Marley, smiling lovingly at her. "For reminding me of what I'd be losing if I just sat here and let the girl of my dreams get married to another guy, or so I thought…"

Marley smiles lovingly at Ryder, feeling her heart soaring into the skies at his words.

"For being a great friend." Ryder continues, looking back at Carlos, offering a sincere, grateful look. "And for letting me pay for all those last six glasses of water you would give me every night when you thought I was too drunk to notice."

Carlos's face contorts into that of surprise, but it quickly turns to a more sheepish look. "I wouldn't want to hear about my favorite customer being mugged in an alleyway because he wasn't walking straight." He jokes.

Marley watches the exchange between Ryder and the bartender, Carlos, was it? And she feels a whole weight lift off her shoulders. "So you're not an alcoholic?" she asks Ryder who gives her a smile.

"Of course not. I only started drinking because it helped me cope with the pain of thinking you were marrying… Jake." Ryder clears his throat, obviously a bit embarrassed by his admittance. "But uhhh- I actually just wanted to stop by here to say a temporary goodbye to Carlos here."

"Goodbye?" Carlos questions curiously. "So you're not gonna be drowning anymore of your sorrows here?" he jokes.

Ryder chuckles, shaking his head. "I already have everything I need." He says, wrapping a hand around Marley's. "All my sorrows have been drowned."

She can't help it. He's always had a way with words, so you can't really blame her for completely forgetting about Carlos for the moment as she leans up on her toes and places a quick kiss to Ryder's lips.

…

"So… you two are an item now?" Jake asks bitterly as he sidles up next to Ryder at the Glee club Alumni's 5-year Reunion Party. It's been three weeks since the whole Wedding-Crashing fiasco, and though Ryder and Marley are taking things slow, they've become really close, both enjoying getting to know each other again.

Ryder rolls his eyes, sighing heavily. The two guys both remember a similar moment like this happening back in high school, except without the presence of the one girl they're both in love with. "Yes." Ryder answers, turning towards his used-to-be-best friend.

Jake watches Marley as she goes around, chatting with some of the former glee club members. He hates to admit it to himself, but he's never seen Marley so happy. She was practically glowing, and bouncing around like a giddy girl who was obviously in love. He glances over at Ryder, who is apparently doing the same thing he was doing just a moment ago, and watching Marley with a goofy look on his face.

Ryder sighs deeply. "Jake, I know you're probably angry at me for interrupting your brother's wedding, and practically stealing Marley out of the chapel, but… I didn't do it to hurt anyone, or anything like that. I did it because I knew I couldn't live without Marley, and I had to do what I did back at your brother's wedding. I lost her once, and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I lost her again without even fighting."

Jake stares at his shoes for a long moment, before finally looking up at his high school best friend. The guy who was his mortal enemy-turned-best friend. He lets out a long, heavy sigh. "I know."

The two words come as a shock to Ryder. "You do?" Ryder asks skeptically.

Jake nods. "I'm not saying I'm ecstatic about you two, and that I'm a fan now, but… I guess I know what you mean." He shrugs, gesturing at Ryder. "You did everything you could to make Marley happy back in high school, even when she was with me, and you were the guy who loved her enough to let her be with someone else, even if it hurt you. I had my chance to be with her, and I blew it."

Ryder doesn't say anything. He just stares at Marley.

"So," Jake begins after a long moment of silence. "you actually thought Marley was marrying me?"

Ryder shrugs, "When Blaine mentioned 'a Puckerman wedding', I immediately thought the worst."

"Worst, huh?" Jake says with a raised brow. "Do you hate me so much that you think it would be the worst thing in the world for Marley to marry me?"

Ryder sighs, shaking his head. "Back in our Sophomore year at McKinley, when I gave up my chances with Marley, I did it because I knew she liked you, and you liked her too… I didn't want us to go back to being mortal enemies again, so I backed off, and let you be with her if you promised me one thing."

Jake is a bit confused about this promise that Ryder is talking about. "The lead in Gangnam Style?"

Ryder rolls his eyes, huffing as he looks pointedly at Jake. "You promised me you wouldn't hurt her."

At that, Jake's shoulders slump in defeat. He had indeed, promised Ryder that he would never hurt Marley. "I did." He agrees, swallowing the lump forming in the back of his throat.

"And you broke your promise, in the worst way. I'd have understood if you hurt her by accident, like maybe you accidentally pinched her," Ryder shrugs, making Jake look incredulously at him, wondering if that was really the only kind of pain that Ryder could allow to be inflicted on Marley. Ryder shakes his head as he continues, "…but you cheated on her, with whatever that other cheerio's name is—,"

"Bree." Jake says off the top of his head. He wasn't really thinking much, just kind of filling in details, that he realizes a moment later, doesn't matter.

"I don't really care what her name is." Ryder snaps a little, and Jake immediately shuts his mouth. He's not really here to argue with Ryder. He really just wants to understand a few things, and hope to get past all their past problems so they can start being friends again. "My point is, you hurt Marley in the worst way possible, and for that, I'll probably never forgive you."

Jake can only nod, his eyes still following the brunette who is currently the subject of his and Ryder's conversation. "I get that. I do, but…" he shakes his head, letting out a small frustrated sigh. "You have to understand that I wasn't in the right state of mind," Jake quickly glances at Ryder, seeing the brown-haired guy tense up and turn to glare at him, so he quickly continues. "And before you chew my head off, I just want to say that I know that that is not an excuse, at all. I'm just telling you what I feel… and I feel like a complete idiot for what I did to Marley, and this probably doesn't matter to you, but as soon as I did it, I regretted it. I never wanted to hurt Marley, but because I'm my father's son, I did what any Puckerman would do, and screwed things up, royally. I wished so badly that I could turn back time and change things, but I can't, and I have to live with that regret and guilt for the rest of my life."

Ryder visibly relaxes a little and turns his eyes back to follow Marley around. "Part of me will always hate you for what you did to Marley." He tells Jake, who gives him an understanding nod. "Another part of me believes that you really didn't mean to hurt her… that even though you had cheated on her, and hurt her…" Ryder trails off, turning to look at Jake again, giving a serious look. "You also loved her."

Jake nods, managing a small smile. "We both did… do." He chuckles rather humorlessly as they both turn back to stare at all their glee friends.

"Well if isn't Three-Nipples and Beiber-Hair." A familiar voice purrs from behind the two guys, making them both roll their eyes.

"Hey, Kitty." Ryder turns, putting on a fake smile.

The blonde grins, nodding at him, before turning to Jake. "No friendly hello from Three-Nipples?"

Jake yet again rolls his eyes, but slowly turns to look at the former glee club member and Cheerio. "It's great to see you too, Kitty." Jake says sarcastically, making the blonde laugh.

"Oh, you're just too easy." She says with a roll of her eyes. "Still drooling over Bulimic, I see." She nods towards Marley who is currently talking with Mercedes, Sugar, Blaine, and Sam.

"What do you want, Kitty?" Jake asks in a bored tone.

"The usual." She shrugs, "to make everyone as extremely uncomfortable as I can, so this party can end and I'll be allowed to finally go home to my warm bed."

"Why'd you even show up if you don't want to be here then?" Ryder asks, trying not to notice how he's kind of defending Jake like he used to do back in High school.

Kitty only laughs, taking a sip from her glass of white wine. "Because Mr. Schuester is an insistent man-whore who wouldn't take no for an answer and practically stalked me for eight hours and called my bluff of being busy tonight, donating all my dad's old refrigerator boxes to a homeless shelter."

This makes Ryder and Jake exchange knowing looks. Same old confusing, indescribably odd Kitty. "Well, I'm sure he won't notice you're missing if you leave now." Jake tells Kitty, who yet again, rolls her eyes.

"Trying to get rid of me, Puckerman?"

"Barely. Just stating the obvious, which is, no one is going to miss you when you leave."

Apparently, and unsurprisingly, Kitty is unfazed by Jakes harsh comment. "Oh, I just miss your inadequately formed comments, Jake. It wouldn't be surprising if your brain is the size of a lima bean, considering your head is too small for your body." With a flip of her blonde locks, Kitty walks off with a smirk, leaving Ryder and Jake in a rather weird silence.

A moment later, Ryder couldn't handle it any longer, and burst out in a fit of laughter. Jake glares at him, lightly punching Ryder's shoulder. "Shut it, Lynn." Jake growls, but even he was starting to laugh at the hilariousness of the moment.

"You gotta admit though," Ryder gasps between his laughs. "She has a point."

Jake turns, glaring daggers at Ryder who only laughs harder, drawing most of the attention in the McKinley High gym to them. Marley's eyes are the first to meet Ryder's and she smiles, waving a little at him. He's still not used to the feeling of being Marley's boyfriend, and part of him will never get used to being the object of her affections. Because if he really thinks about it, he barely deserves someone as amazing as her. Jake nudges him on the shoulder, drawing Ryder out of his thoughts as he turns to give the half-Jew a curious look.

"For what it's worth," Jake says with a shrug, "I'm glad you're the one she's with."

Ryder grins, staring over at Marley, "Like I said… I lost her once, and I'm not losing her again… ever."

Jake smiles. "I don't think you ever lost her to begin with. She was always yours."

-MR-

…

-Two Years Later:

…

"And you're sure?"

Marley nods to her boyfriend as she bites her lip to keep from laughing. "Yeah."

"You're not pulling my leg, are you?"

"No." Marley shakes her head, stifling her laughter at the goofy grin on his face.

Ryder laughs softly, "Jake is probably flipping right now."

Marley nods in agreement. "Well, I hope he's happy, because Kitty put me through hell today."

Eight hours ago, Marley Rose was running up and down the aisles of Wal-Mart, looking for a small box with a picture of a white plastic stick on it. She almost went ballistic when she saw not one, but six different boxes with practically the same picture, except they were different colors. What the actual hell? She picked up the first box she saw, which is the pink one, and stared intently at the picture of the stick on it. It looked pretty legit, so she took two more of the same box and quickly made her way towards the counter closest to the door, and paid for the items.

She was excited to say the least. It's not every day that you're running around Wal-Mart, looking for plastic sticks. As soon as she made it back to her car, she was bombarded by loud screeching from a certain blonde. "What the hell took you so long?!" Kitty yelled angrily.

Marley merely rolled her eyes, huffing in annoyance. She'd been getting a lot of yelling from the blonde ever since she walked into Kitty and Jake's apartment today, to find Kitty in the bathroom, bent over on the toilet seat, and practically puking her guts out. Marley had of course, immediately got worried, pestering the blonde for answers on what happened. Kitty, who's usually calm and collected, lost her shit and went into overdrive, practically flying around the apartment, looking for her planner. Luckily, Marley knew for a fact that Kitty always keeps her private things hidden in some sort of secret compartment inside her underwear drawer, so she's the first one to locate and find the planner, and tried her best to calm down a wildly-freaked out Kitty as the blonde nervously checked the date on the last time she had her period. They found out that Kitty is in fact, a good two weeks late, and that's how they found themselves parked in front of Wal-Mart, where Marley suggested that Kitty waits in the car because no one wants to face the one-man firing squad that is Kitty Wilde-Puckerman.

"Can you stop yelling at me? You're freaking me out!" Marley snapped as she jumped into the driver's seat and started up her car.

"I'm freaking you out?" Kitty asked in disbelief, trying to wrap her mind around the fact that Marley Rose actually had the nerve to tell her that she's the one freaking out, when clearly, it's the other way around. "You don't have a right to freak out, Bulimic! I'm the one who might have a Puckerman-bun in the oven!" she snapped.

Marley rolled her eyes, letting out a small groan. "Can you at least tune the volume down a bit? I need my ears at least until tonight, so I can at least enjoy my anniversary with Ryder!" Marley snapped back.

Kitty ignored Marley as she went about pulling out the contents of the plastic bag, staring down at the three pink boxes on her lap. "Why the hell did you buy three?" she asks incredulously.

Marley shrugs, glancing over at her. "I brought you two so you can make sure."

"You brought three." Kitty pointed out, waving one of the three boxes at Marley, who stared back onto the road, eyes refusing to glance towards the blonde. Suddenly, Kitty's eyes widen into saucers and she gasped. "You're late too?"

Marley bit her lip, nodding over at the blonde. "Almost three weeks."

Kitty squealed uncharacteristically, nearly deafening the brunette. "Can you shut the hell up?" Marley snapped, leaning away to keep her ears as far away from Kitty as possible. "I'm right next to you, so you really don't have to scream."

Kitty rolled her eyes, "How are you so calm about this? And you're not even married to Ryder!"

Marley shrugged, "I'm not gonna lie, I'm kind of nervous, but… I've wanted a family with Ryder for as long as I can remember, and I really don't see a reason why I should freak out… If anything, I'm just super excited at the fact that Ryder and I are possibly about to have our own little family… And yes, I'm not married to Ryder, but… when you know you're with the one, then there really is no point in putting your life on hold until marriage."

Kitty was silent for a moment, staring out the windshield. When she finally spoke, her voice was calm, and almost back to the confident and witty tone she always possessed. "I think I'm more terrified of the prospect of actually having another human being growing inside me. Of being responsible for another life."

Marley glanced over at her friend, smiling softly at her.

Kitty and Marley, though both different, and having next to nothing in common, have become rather close friends. In the past two years, things had changed from bad to great in the span of a week, and it's been going great ever since. Of course, not everything was perfect, but Marley had Ryder, the love of her life; Jake and Kitty, one of her and Ryder's closest friends; Unique, Marley's best friend; and the rest of their Glee family. They also had their own families, who were extremely supportive of Ryder and Marley's relationship.

Ryder and Marley took things slowly, taking their time to get to know each other again. They went on countless dates; made-out like love-sick teenagers; made love in every possible place they could, both glad that they agreed on spicing up the sex; and today, is their two year anniversary as a couple. She had only been waiting for this moment since their first year anniversary. And now, she was almost sure she might be carrying the first of many more of their children. And though she's a little nervous about Ryder's reaction if she is pregnant, she couldn't bring herself to even begin to worry. Ryder loves her, she loves him, and that's all that matters to her. As long as that fire between them is still burning, she knows that she won't ever have to worry about anything.

"Earth to Marley!" Kitty said rather loudly, snapping Marley out of her thoughts, the two immediately laughing.

"Sorry." Marley smiled sheepishly but kept her eyes on the road. "I kind of zoned out for a moment."

Kitty snorted at that, "I noticed. Anyway, what exactly are you daydreaming of? It's not a certain Bieber-haired-boyfriend, is it?" the blonde teased, making the brunette blush.

"It's not wrong, so yes. I was daydreaming of my handsome Ryder, and I'm just wondering what our lives would be like if I am pregnant."

Kitty grinned, "I'll tell you what your life with Mega-Sap will be like. It'll be like something that developed in a build-a-bear workshop."

Marley laughed, giving Kitty a disapproving look. "Contrary to popular belief, my boyfriend is not a total sap. Yes, he's a romantic at heart, and yes, he can be extremely soft at times, but…" she paused, biting her lip. "He can be wild and rough when he wants, too."

Kitty rolled her eyes at that, giving Marley a bored look. "Okay, you of all people should know that I won't believe that without proof, because your care-bear boyfriend is totally not capable of being 'wild and rough'." She says, putting up air quotes over the last three words.

"Proof?" Marley glanced curiously at Kitty.

"Yes. Like solid evidence that he actually got you pregnant on purpose."

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

"It means I have to see with my own two eyes, that Ryder is not such a total dork when he's with you, for me to believe it."

"What, like photographic proof?"

"If that's as close as you can give, then sure… but I'll probably think you staged it."

Marley exhaled heavily through her nose in a bit of annoyance, running her tongue over her teeth. "Whatever. We're here." She announces, turning into her and Ryder's driveway.

The two girls both get out of the car, hurrying inside Ryder and Marley's home, and straight into the bathroom on the first floor.

"Okay, give me my pee stick." Marley said, taking one of the boxes from Kitty. "Let's go pee out some results."

Kitty snorted, "You make this sound like Mission Impossible 6."

"It kind of is." Marley shrugged, pushing Kitty out of the bathroom so she can go about completing her test.

The blonde does the same, and the girls sit on the edge of the bathtub, waiting for Kitty's iPhone alarm to go off after three minutes.

Marley is the first to get up, feeling like she might collapse. She picked up the white plastic with trembling fingers. What she sees, both confuses and stings her. One blue line… Negative.

"Well?" Kitty asked cautiously, not making any movements towards her own pregnancy test stick, probably trying to draw out the time in hopes that she'll be calm enough to find out the answer soon.

Marley turned back to the blonde, and Kitty didn't have to hear her answer because it was already written across Marley's disappointed face. "I'm not pregnant." Marley stated blankly. She felt tears beginning to sting in her eyes, and she quickly wiped them away. She had been so excited about the possibility that she's pregnant, that she didn't even stop to think that maybe she wasn't pregnant.

Kitty finally moved, but instead of going to the sink where her pregnancy sticks lay, she stopped in front of Marley and pulled the brunette into a comforting hug. "I'm so sorry, Marley."

Marley shook her head, sniffling a bit. "It's fine. Maybe next time, right?"

"Yeah." Kitty muttered, pulling away to look at Marley.

As if sensing the array of unnecessary sympathy about to come from Kitty, Marley quickly turned towards the sink. "What does yours say?"

Kitty hesitantly walked to the sink, picking up the first stick. She stared at it for a moment, and Marley can't really tell if Kitty is happy or not about whatever the stick indicates, because the blonde's expression stayed pretty much blank. Kitty picked up the second stick, looked at it closely, before looking at the first one again. Finally, the blonde looked up at Marley, and small smile appeared on her face. "I'm pregnant."

…

-RM-

…

Ryder nervously glances at Marley every few seconds, trying to read her. Tonight, is unlike any other night. He was going to be taking a huge step, and to be quite honest, he's nervous. Really so nervous, he thinks he might have a heart attack. They're currently seated at a really fancy restaurant, enjoying the wonderful food and just talking about everything. The news about Jake becoming a dad is really great, but Ryder can't help but be a bit jealous that Jake is now in the second big step of his relationship with Kitty, and Ryder has yet to take the first big step with Marley.

Marley glances over at Ryder, and she catches him looking away quickly. Her eyebrows furrow a bit, and for a moment, she begins to worry. He's never nervous or shy around her, so she's not sure if it's a good thing that he looks it now. He keeps fidgeting with his hands, and his laughs are kind of different from his usual laughs. "Are you okay?" Marley asks.

Ryder's eyes snap back to connect with her for a moment, but then he's looking everywhere but at her. "Yeah—yes. I mean, I am." He stammers.

Marley nods even though she's unconvinced. She's still feeling a bit upset that she wasn't pregnant. That would've been great news to share with Ryder on their second year anniversary, because she's sure he would've been ecstatic about it. He's always talking about mini-Ryder's and mini-Marley's running around their house.

When they're done eating, Ryder takes a nervous, shaky breath and exhales slowly, hoping that Marley will like his final surprise for their two-year anniversary. Marley brushes back a stray strand of her hair hanging in her face, and Ryder feels a sharp tug at his heart. She's so beautiful, he thinks. She deserves so much more than what I'm about to offer her. But I can't stop now, and I don't want to wait any longer. He glances down at his right hand clenched around a small navy blue box, and finally, he starts to get up.

Marley glances up at Ryder, wondering if maybe he wants to get out of the restaurant now, but instead of offering his hand to pull her up like he always does after they eat at restaurants, he does something entirely different that gives her the shock of her life. He gets down on one knee, and takes her hand in his.

"I—," he begins, but pauses when he sees Marley's eyes widen into saucers. "Please don't freak out." He whispers softly. Marley immediately gives him a reassuring smile. She knows that he knows that she's easily freaked out about big surprises, but… what he's doing right now is not just any big surprise. This is The Big Surprise. And she's more on the excited-euphoric-elated level rather than the Freak-Out level.

"I won't." she assures him.

He pretends to let out a relieved sigh, but it comes out as more of a nervous sigh. Ryder clears his throat loudly, starting again. "I never believed in love at first sight, until I saw you. I never believed in friendship, until I met you. I never believed in Angels, until I heard you sing. I never believed in soulmates, until I kissed you… and I never believed you'd love me, until you did." He pauses, looking deep into the blue pools of Marley's eyes that he loves so much. "Before you, I was lost, lonely, angry, sad, and hopeless… you found me, gave me hope, trust, friendship, love, and unimaginable happiness. Every day, I look forward to waking up beside you. I look forward to coming home from work to see you. I look forward to kissing you goodnight, and dreaming about you. And I look forward to every day because I get to spend it with you." He feels his heart beating faster than he thought was possible, and he has to force himself to keep looking into Marley's tear-filled eyes. He's never liked to see tears in her eyes, and he can only hope that the tears that are there now, are happy ones. Taking a deep breath, Ryder continues, "And I'm hoping you'll let me look forward to spending forever with you." He finally looks away, letting go of Marley's hand to open the small, navy blue box in his hands.

Marley let's out an audible gasp, her hand flying to her mouth as the happy tears swimming in her eyes start to roll down her cheeks. Inside the box, sitting atop the small white cushion, is a beautiful, white-gold, ring, encrusted with two small diamonds, flanking either side of one large diamond, sparkling beautifully in the dimly lit private booth. She suddenly feels lightheaded and weak.

Ryder smiles, thankful that Marley isn't running for the doors. He wasn't sure what to expect tonight, but it looks like it's heading in the direction he wants it to. "So, Marley Rose of Lima Heights Adjacent, will you make me the happiest, human being in this universe, and agree to spend forever with me?... Will you marry me?" he's not sure why, but he feels like he's just finished running twenty miles, battled Voldemort, fought both Peeta and Katniss in the Hunger Games arena, swam from China, and got caught by Jake's right hook. His insides are squirming, his lungs are refusing to take in air, his heart is racing seven hundred eighty six times faster than a moment ago, his palms are sweaty, and his fingers are trembling as he awaits Marley's answer with bated breath.

Marley was so caught up in the moment, that she had forgotten entirely how to speak for a very long minute. The whole proposal was just so beautiful and breathtaking, and she's not sure whether to jump into Ryder's arms and hug him, or jump into Ryder's arms and kiss him. She glances into Ryder's eyes, seeing the worry starting to stir in them, and she mentally smacks herself for keeping him waiting for so long. She doesn't even know why she's still sitting there, staring at him like an idiot instead of answering like a normal human being and kissing him to her hearts content.

Finally, Marley opens her mouth to answer. No, she did not say yes like she wanted to. No, she did not nod like she wanted to. And no, she definitely did not answer him exactly the way she pictured it in her head, like she wanted to. Instead, Marley does the most inane thing she could've done in that moment, and she faints.

-MR-

…

Ryder is sitting by her bedside when she wakes up in the hospital, with a nurse poking and prodding her. "The doctor will be in shortly with Ms. Rose's results." The nurse tells them before she finally leaves.

Marley glances at Ryder, and she instantly remembers his proposal and how she had fainted before she could answer him. She feels her insides squirm at how that must've looked to Ryder, and her eyes begin to well up with tears as he leans over her worriedly. So much for not freaking out, she thinks sarcastically. But she knows what she wants to tell him. She already has her answer, and she doesn't want to wait any longer to tell him.

Ryder feels like his heart was about to just flop down and die. He immediately forgets his hopes of getting an answer, and goes to comfort her. "Marley, how are you feeling? Are you okay? I'm so—I'm so sorry. I—I didn't mean to make you so upset. Please don't cr—,"

"Yes." Marley says, cutting him off, quickly wiping away her tears as she smiles weakly at him.

"Yes?" Ryder asks confusedly. "Yes you're okay? Or yes, you—,"

"I want to marry you." Marley blurts out. She stares at him for a moment, watching his expression change from confused to elated, in half a second, flat.

"You—You do?"

Marley giggles, nodding her head up and down. "Of course, I do! I love you so much, Ryder… and there is absolutely no one else on this planet that I would rather spend forever with."

Ryder lets out a relieved sigh, grinning widely. "I think I have something of yours." He smiles, reaching inside the pocket of his slacks to pull out the ring. Marley grins widely at him, holding out her hand so he can put it on her finger. He slips it on her ring finger, smiling at how perfectly it fits. After a short moment, Ryder leans down to pull her into a gentle embrace.

Marley retaliates immediately, throwing her arms around Ryder's neck and pulling him down so she can kiss him. The kiss only lasts for a few moments, but in that time, Marley saw her whole life flash before her eyes. It held hope, trust, honesty, friendship, love, and so many more beautiful things that she knows she'll get to share with Ryder. Her fiancée. She smiles as she holds up her right hand, admiring the way the light reflects off the diamonds on her new engagement ring.

Ryder nuzzles his nose into her hair. "I love you, Marley Rose."

Marley grins, closing her eyes and inhaling the intoxicating scent of his cologne. "I love you too, Ryder."

Someone clears his throat loudly, interrupting the delicate moment. "Sorry to have to interrupt you." The man begins, walking further into the room. He has a clip board clasped in one hand, and Ryder assumes that it holds Marley's results. "I'm Dr. Demetrius Miller."

"Oh." Ryder says a bit dejectedly at being interrupted. How many more interruptions can there possibly be? "Nice to meet you, Doc." Ryder says, holding out his hand for a handshake that the Doctor immediately accepts.

"It's nice to meet you too, Mr…" he trails off.

"Lynn. Ryder Lynn."

"Right." Dr. Miller nods, offering a smile as he turns to look at Marley. "Your boyfriend, I presume?"

Marley's eyes light up at having a chance to correct that statement. "Fiancée, actually."

The doctor grins, glancing down at the ring on Marley's finger. "Ahh, I see. Lovely." He smiles, taking the clipboard and looking at it for a short moment. "May I ask what you were doing when you fainted Ms. Rose?"

Marley blushes, glancing over at Ryder who smiles back with a sheepish look. "I was about to accept my boyfriend's proposal to marry him."

The doctor glances up at Marley, probably checking to see if she was joking. Dr. Miller turns to Ryder, chuckling softly. "That must've been a great proposal then." He jokes, going back to reading the papers on his clipboard.

Marley lets out a tiny laugh, her face reddening in embarrassment. I can't believe I actually fainted after Ryder proposed!

Dr. Miller smiles, looking up from his clipboard as he tucks it under his arm. "No need to be embarrassed Ms. Rose. It's completely normal."

This confuses both Marley and Ryder.

The doctor continues, "When someone faints, it's usually because changes in the nervous system and circulatory system cause a temporary drop in the amount of blood reaching the brain. When the blood supply to the brain is decreased, a person loses consciousness and falls over, and luckily, you had your fiancée to catch you."

"So she fainted because she wasn't getting enough blood in her brain?" Ryder questions confusedly.

"Yes, and no." the doctor answers, further confusing the young couple. "Ms. Rose's fainting, was caused by a shortage of blood reaching her brain, but it was initially caused by hyperventilation, during the process of your proposal. She may not have noticed it at the moment, but given the circumstance, her blood vessels are dilated."

Ryder, more than Marley, is completely confused now. "So…" he trails off, hoping the doctor would further elaborate on what that means for them.

Dr. Miller grins widely. "I'm quite glad to be the first to congratulate you on both the engagement and the baby."

"Baby?" Marley perks up, her eyes widening into saucers.

The doctor chuckles, nodding his head. "Yes. Fainting during early and middle pregnancy can be caused by your blood vessels naturally relaxing and dilating under the influence of the hormone progesterone, lowering your blood pressure."

Ryder was silent for a long moment, his eyes widening at the doctors words. "Baby." He whispers.

"I don't understand." Marley begins. "I bought a pregnancy test this morning and it was negative."

"Pregnancy test sticks are not a hundred percent accurate at all times, Ms. Rose… and I can assure you. You, are definitely pregnant."

When the doctor leaves the room after telling them that Marley will be free to leave the hospital whenever she wishes, Ryder is the first to speak. "You're pregnant." He whispers, as if he's afraid that if he says it any louder, the doctor will come back and shout, 'Just kidding!'.

"I'm pregnant." Marley nods, her eyes welling up with tears of joy. Not only does she get engaged to the love of her life tonight, but she also finds out that pregnancy test sticks are inaccurate, and she's definitely carrying her and Ryder's first child.

"You're pregnant." Ryder repeats, this time a little louder. "Oh my God, you're pregnant."

Marley watches in amusement as Ryder's eyes widen, as if he's finally been able to process the words. "I am." She confirms with a giddy smile.

Suddenly, she's bombarded by kisses and a fierce hug, courtesy of her fiancée. "We're pregnant!" Ryder exclaims, bouncing up and down as he presses a kiss to her lips, a giant smile gracing his handsome face. She joins in on his mini-celebration, laughing at the odd, yet euphoric events of the day.

After a few quiet moments, Ryder pulls away, and Marley feels her heart swell with love when she sees the tears in his eyes. "Thank you for giving me the chance to love you."

Those words alone, makes her happier than anyone has a right to be. "Like I said on that day you crashed Puck and Quinn's wedding for me… You are the only guy who has a chance with me."

That's all he needs to hear, to lean down and claim her lips in a passionate kiss, full of promise, hope, and love. "I love you, Marley Rose."

"I love you too." Marley tells him honestly, and she's never meant those words more than she does in that moment.

Finally! - The End!

A/N: Yes, I know. This epilogue is a total drag, and a complete sap-fest. I apologize if sappy endings are not your cup of tea. Apparently, it's mine... Review's are greatly appreciated, and adds to the writing fuel. Thanks for reading!

-Sux2budude