Hey all! Here's the next chapter. I know it all seems a bit sudden to have them engaged already, but I feel like it kind of fits their characters. Enjoy!
"Phil! Phil!" Bob shouted, pushing his way through more people. "Bob!" yelled Betty, who was being towed behind her fiancé. Bob turned to face her, a quizzical expression on his face. Betty laughed and kissed his cheek. "You were nearly pulling my arm out of it's socket. Slow down honey," she said laughingly. A little sheepish, Bob kissed her gently, and then proceeded to continue his search at a slower pace. "Judy!" Betty called out, figuring that Phil wouldn't be far behind her. Her assumption was correct, as a slightly red faced Judy appeared with Phil in tow. "You'll never guess what just happened," both girls said at the same time. "She said yes!" Both men exclaimed. After looking at each other in shock, the foursome burst out laughing.
"So it's for real this time?" Betty teased, earning an embarrassed look from her sister. "We've already apologized for that Betty. But yes, it's real this time. And you?" Betty asked, trying to take the attention off of her and Phil. Bob threw his arm around Betty's shoulders, placing a light kiss on her head. "Definitely," was her answer as she smiled up at him. Phil and Judy looked at each other with a mixture of fondness, surprise, and satisfaction. Neither of them had ever dreamed that their plan would actually work, let alone end up in a marriage proposal. But, thank heavens for small miracles, it did. Phil watched his friend with a mix of pride and satisfaction as he saw how happy his friend was... For the first time in what seemed like forever.
"Forty five minutes all to myself," Phil mumbled, earning a confused look from Judy and an amused smirk from Bob. "That's the second time I've heard you say that Phil..." Judy started, looking at Bob for an explanation. Before Bob could answer, Phil jumped in quickly. "Don't worry about it honey, just... Remembering a past conversation," he said, eyeing Bob warily. Bob smirked again, and reached out to pat his friend on the shoulder. "Yeah, don't worry about it Judy, his arm must be affecting his brain again," he teased, earning a glare from Phil and another perplexed look from both of the girls. Laughing, Bob kissed Betty's forehead. "That's a story for another day..." He whispered to her. Betty just shook her head, knowing that this particular story was going to be memorable.
"Well, well, if it isn't Ms. Haines!" A soft (albeit gruff) voice called out from behind. All four performers turned to see General Thomas Waverly headed towards them, a smile on his face. Both Bob and Phil stood at attention, drawing laughs from the girls and the general himself. "At ease," he said quietly, his eyebrows raised when he noticed Bob's arm go back around Betty. "I see the two of you had a little chat," he smirked, causing Bob to blush slightly. "Yes sir," he responded, holding Betty a little tighter. "Us too," chirped out Phil, placing an arm around Judy's shoulder. General Waverly smiled and shook his head. "Well, I'm glad that's all fixed. It's good to see you smile again Captain," he said, gesturing to Bob. "Yes sir, I've got a lot to smile about, I've asked Betty to marry me, and she's accepted," Bob responded, beaming from ear to ear. "And Judy has said yes as well... For real this time," Phil added hastily. General Waverly broke into a huge grin, and strode up towards the two couples. "I'll be damned!" He exclaimed, hugging both Betty and Judy, and shaking both Phil and Bob's hands. "You kids will have the weddings here?" He asked, already knowing the answer. "Well, Vermont sure is nice this time of year," Phil responded, getting a laugh from everybody.
"Is it true? Did I hear correctly? You all are getting married?!" A voice shrilled out, causing the five of them to jump. Ms. Emma Allen came running from behind a corner, her face flushed with excitement. Behind her came General Waverly's young granddaughter Susan, a big grin spreading across her face. "So Ms. Allen, have you been training my granddaughter to become junior spy?" General Waverley smirked, winking at Bob. Rolling her eyes, Emma gave both Judy and Betty a big hug. "I was just doing what every self-respecting housekeeper does, and I heard the best news I've heard in a long time. So, naturally I had to come out and congratulate the lucky couples," she explain haughtily, earning a laugh from the entire group. "The army could sure use her to gather intelligence," Phil remarked. General Waverley laughed before returning his attention to Bob and Betty.
"So, how did this come about? Last I heard Betty you were on the train out of here and were never coming back," he questioned, eyebrows raised. Betty blushed and turned to Bob, who in turn just shrugged his shoulders as if to say, "It's up to you." Betty turn back to the general and laughed. "Well sir, it's a long story. But to make it short, let's just say we had a really large misunderstanding," she laughed. Bob leaned down and kissed her forehead, nodding in agreement. General Waverley just shook his head and smiled. "Well, that's the way it goes I guess. I'm just happy you two got it all figured out," he finished, remembering fondly the days with his own wife. His attention turned back to Bob, a serious look crossing his face. "Captain, what you did for me today I can never repay you for. I'm forever grateful for what you and Phil have done for me and my morale. This whole experience has been a wonderful one for me, and now I know I haven't had to resort to playing the game of horseshoes just yet," he added with a grin. Bob just smiled and nodded his head, understanding what the general meant. "It's been my genuine pleasure," Bob said, holding out his hand to shake General Waverly's.
"Enough of the gushy stuff kids, save that for the wedding," Phil joked, causing Judy to slap him in the arm. "Leave it to you to ruin the moment," she chastised, to the amusement of everyone else. Phil adopted a fake "puppy dog" look, and spread his arms out dramatically. "Look, we're not even married yet and she's bossing me around," he added. Everyone was laughing now, watching as Judy fixed him with what only could be described as a death glare. "You better believe it buster," she affirmed, as Phil paled a little. "A little scary ain't she?" Bob whispered to Betty. Betty laughed, though she still gave him a look. "Easy pal, she's still my sister. But yes, she can be kind of scary. She'll keep Phil in line," Betty said. "Good, I bet she gets that from her sister," Bob joked, and kissed Betty before she could utter any retort. When they broke apart, Betty smiled up at him. "Oh, we have so much to do. Come on folks, quit standing around. We have TWO weddings to plan!" Emma shouted, before heading off to tell others the news.
Well, that's it for this chapter. Should it be a double wedding, or should each pair have their own special thing? Please review and comment.