For Those You Love – REDUX
Chapter 4 - I'm Sure

A/N - I've been teasing an update for Valentine's for WEEKS, so here it is! Have a really cute, shippy chapter for today guys! I hope you enjoyed it!

Also, just a little shout out to my friends Jen, Paul, and CiCi, who celebrated their birthdays in January! Y'all are my rocks, and I know for damn certain I wouldn't have been able to get through everything lately without you. I love you all so much, and I hope your birthdays were truly, truly amazing, because you deserve everything you get!

While I'm here though, everyone, I just want to ask a favour. If you enjoy the story; please, PLEASE leave a review. I'm finding it hard to stay motivated when I get one review per chapter. Sure, people get back to me on Tumblr about it, but it doesn't really match up to seeing the review count going up on here. I hope this doesn't come off as needy or whiney, but it's something I need in order to keep on pumping out chapters like I do.

That's all, and with that; on with the chapter! Thanks guys! Enjoy! And happy Valentine's from HarryPotterTwin!

The months following their pregnancy scare passed by in a complete blur for the couple. Lee worked non-stop for the entirety of the week, and Carley threw herself into her college work. This, along with Carley's upcoming assessments, and the grading Lee would have to do every night after work, meant they'd simply not had time to fully sit and talk as a couple about the predicament they'd been in. Hell, they'd barely had time to spend with each other at all; never mind talking.

So, one weekend while Carley was studying for her exams, Lee jumped at his parents' offer of letting him work at the pharmacy for a few hours, to cover one of their weekend staff's shifts.

The man heard soft footsteps approaching him, rousing him from his thoughts, as he stood behind the service counter. He'd been deep in thought for over thirty minutes, barely even coming out of it to serve customers. His parents, (his mother, mostly) had picked up on this, and her brow was furrowed in absolute concern for her son. Never had he been so withdrawn, or so upset. At least not since his very early childhood, where he'd been bullied at school for his inability to read even the smallest of sentences. Of course, this was soon revealed to be dyslexia, which they'd managed to help him with, in turn dealing with the bullying and teasing he'd been dealt.

But at least Christine knew the reason for his withdrawal. Now, he was a closed book; a puzzle; as deep as an ocean, and seemingly too lost in his thoughts to concentrate on anything else.

Christine Everett was a small woman: her stature was even smaller that Carley's. Her graying, curly hair was cut into a neat perm, and under the apron she wore as a work uniform, she donned a floral blouse and black skirt. Her brown eyes were narrowed in pure concern and kindness, as she approached her eldest son. "Lee, honey… You've been quiet all day. Is everything okay?"

The man in question stood from his slumped position, which he'd previously been standing in with his elbows resting on the counter. His hands moved up slightly, and slipped into his pockets. This only solidified Christine's concerns, as it was what he'd done when he was nervous since he'd been a young boy. She slowly reached out, and set her hand on Lee's arm, her brow furrowed. "Honey, you know you can talk to me about anything…"

A sigh left him again, and he gulped; his brow furrowing. His mind seemed to go into overdrive, mulling over his different options and what he could do to help his situation. He hadn't told any of his family about his worries. He hadn't told them about the pregnancy scare, nor the coldness he was now receiving from Carley in the aftermath of said event.

So, after a moment, he let out a sigh, and closed his eyes only momentarily, before slowly speaking. "I… Well, Carley and I had… well, a close call a couple months ago…" He admitted, his jaw tensing at his own words. "We took a pregnancy test and it was positive. And then, well, obviously it turned out negative when we saw her doctor. But… She's not speaking to me like she used to."

His voice cracked as he spoke again, not even being able to look at his mother's expression. Would it be sympathy? Would it be anger at being kept in the dark about the whole incident? "I… I don't know what to do, mom…"

Shock. That was the only word to describe the expression on Christine's face. Of anything Lee could have told her, that was not what she'd been expecting. She'd always thought he would tell her anything; talk to her about all troubles he'd have. But here she was, being proved wrong by her son; and she found herself becoming more hurt by the second.

One look at her son, though, had all feelings of hurt or anger immediately leaving her. He was broken; that much was evident. Before her wasn't the happy-go-lucky young man she'd raised. He wasn't the teenager who'd spent most of the time drunk, high, or partying. Before her was a man who was too old for his years, his eyes deeper than she'd like, and his expression sunken into his face. Frown lines stood out to her at first glance, but she quickly allowed everything else to sink in, and whatever anger had remained left her in an instant.

"Oh, honey…" She muttered softly, her hand reaching out, and resting on her son's forearm again; pity flooding her features as she did so, her own age showing more than she'd care to admit. She had been aware that the two of them were 'active', having walked into his apartment one weekend, and seeing a little more of Carley than she'd have liked. But she'd always trusted him to be safe; and she knew that any pregnancy that he'd contribute towards would be an accident; there was no doubt in her mind about that.

So to have him admit to what he'd just admitted to was huge for Christine Everett. How long had he been bottling everything up? Far too long, it seemed. "Honey, I am so sorry…"

Lee gulped, his brow furrowing, before he looked up at her, tears now brimming in his eyes. "Mom, I… I don't know what to do…" He muttered lowly, his voice cracking. That was the point in which her heart broke; to see him so vulnerable. But she let him continue speaking; God knows he needed to let it out somehow. "I… I feel like I'm losing her, mom… And I don't want to lose her. She's everything to me… I don't… I don't know what to do to make things better…"

"Have you talked to her? About any of this?" The woman asked softly, mentally thanking God that the pharmacy was quiet for the moment. He needed to talk about this; and she knew her son. He wouldn't open up unless he was 100% trusting of the people around him. He'd always been the same. Even as a child, he'd refused to be seen as anyone other than the 'tough' kid in class; bottling everything up until it just burst out when things got too much. There'd even been a few times they'd needed to re-plaster his bedroom, as he'd lashed out; effectively putting his fist through the plaster.

So to see him here, almost in tears over the whole thing… it was heart-breaking for her. No one wanted to see their son or daughter so upset, and Christine Everett was no different. When he shook his head, she sighed again, and gave his forearm a small squeeze. "Honey, you need to talk to her… You need to be there for each other as much as you can. You two are perfect together. You've come so far; too far, even, to let this tear you apart."

"So," She continued after a small pause, in which she thought over what she could possibly do to make things better for the two of them. "What you need to do, is go see her when she's alone. Take a night for just the two of you, and sort everything out between you two. Because, I swear to you, I've never seen two people better suited together than you two. And to throw that away is a crying shame."

That was three hours before he finally plucked up the courage to find Carley, who he eventually found in her apartment, with a glass of red wine in front of her, as she jotted down notes in a ring binder, and pored over notes; wearing a pair of white pyjamas with pink bunnies on them, and a pair of bunny slippers Lee had bought her for her birthday. She seemed to be almost in a world of her own, as he made his way slowly inside, kicking off his shoes as he went, in order to keep her white carpet clean.

Carley and Amanda shared a small apartment; with two bedrooms, one bathroom, and a kitchen-living area. The walls were decorated with white paint, and had a couple of pieces of art hanging up on the walls, along with photographs of them and their other friends. On one wall, there was a large TV, mounted on a television cabinet, which was filled with all of her VHS tapes and music. The sofa, where she was sitting, was a soft blue, to match the fluffy rug beneath a clean, white coffee table between the sofa and the TV, which was covered in various papers and documents as she worked. Lee couldn't help but smile at the sight of her being so engrossed in whatever she was doing, and felt a slight pang of guilt over the fact that he was about to intrude.

But it had to be done.

So, without giving himself time to back out, he coughed softly, and waited, seeing her tense only slightly at the sound. Then, when he saw her shoulders slump slightly, he spoke; his voice soft. "I… I'm sorry intruding…" He said lowly, as he approached the sofa, and moved around it, so he could sit down on the opposite end of it, as far away from her as possible. He wasn't scared of her; of course he wasn't. But he also didn't want to intrude any more than he already was; and he knew she was uncomfortable almost immediately, before he'd even sat down.

"Lee, now really isn't a good time." She replied lowly, keeping her eyes trained on the coffee table in front of her, and purposefully away from the man beside her. "I have like, a dozen exams to study for and just as many assessments that are due in—"

"Next month." Lee countered, cutting off her words, and letting out a sigh of frustration. His elbows leaned on his thighs, as he moved forward, his entire being radiating how insecure and depressed he truly was. "Your assessments and exams are next month. And all I ask is one night away from that, so we can talk. Can you do that for me?"

Despite his tone of voice being as soft and loving as he could possibly make it, and despite all attempts he'd made at keeping calm, his rage rose when she didn't even look at him, her jaw tense, and her eyes distant.

"God dammit, Carley! Look at me, would you?!" He snapped, finally snapping as all the repressed anger, hurt, sadness, depression, and desperation bubbled up out of him. It had been so long since they'd sat and talked together, and he felt like she was trying to cut him out on purpose; blocking both of them away from each other in some attempt to get her life back in order. But that wasn't what they needed. He knew that she was hurting, too. But she still insisted on being so cold and distant towards him. When she didn't look at him, his rage only further increased.

"Fucking hell, I give up! I give the fuck up!" He yelled now, standing from the sofa and beginning to pace; beginning to get caught up in his own rant. "I've tried to give you space! I've tried backing off, and I've tried supporting you! I've tried to reach out; organize something for just the two of us, but every time I try to, you end up ditching me and making excuses! It makes me feel like you don't want me anymore—that you don't want us!"

He was going to continue, but the very sight of her eyes snapping over to him, filled with equal amounts of rage, hurt, and upset immediately stopped him. Never had he seen her look so—so downright wrathful. And in some, weird way, he already knew it was about to be unleashed in his direction.

"… How… How dare you, Lee…?" She eventually said. Her voice had turned as cold as ice, and her eyes narrowing. Long gone were the sparkling, warm emeralds he'd grown to know and love, only to be replaced by two orbs of a steely, reptile green, as they locked onto their target. The very tone of her voice left nothing to the imagination; the hurt she was feeling oozing from her in waves; radiating onto him, and making his own guilt deepen in his chest.

"Do you—Do you even realize what the hell I've been going through?!" She hissed; her voice not quite raising yet, but slowly getting more intense. Her face was slowly darkening, to match the pink of the bunnies on her pajamas, and that was when he knew he was in trouble. Long gone was the relaxed, playful girl he'd come to know and love. She'd now been replaced by a woman at the edge of her tether, ready to pounce at any sudden movement. "Oh no! Of course you didn't! Because you don't think, Lee! With whatever brain cells you have going on up there, do you have any idea what I've been going through lately?!"

"You don't know what it's like!" She stood now, beginning to pace, not giving him the chance to get a word in. Her hair fell from the ponytail she'd had it pulled back into; stray hairs flying out in all directions, and seemingly standing on end at the pure nerve of the man in front of her. When she saw make as if to speak, she cut him off, gesturing with her hand, after throwing down her pen. "You want to try having a boyfriend, going to college, and juggling a social life with your best friend of ten years? It's not fucking easy! Sometimes I'd just wish you'd leave me alone!"

By now, her breath was coming out in short pants, and she tried (and failed) to stop tears brimming in her eyes at the sight of the man she'd been raging to. She hadn't been aware of his expression or body language through her entire rant, but now she'd seen it; she wished she opened her mouth. He'd paled, and was now almost grey in complexion, having shrunk back into the cushions with a blank expression. And then, in a rush of emotion and guilt, she realized exactly what she'd said to him.

"… What brain cells I have…?" Was all he managed to say, his voice weak and quiet, as his eyes gazed off somewhere distant. Carley's heart broke, and her hands came up to cover her mouth in complete shock. Never in a million years would she have wanted to hurt him like that; ever. So the fact that she'd literally just blurted it out in the heat of the moment hurt her to the very core. And if it was hurting her so bad, god knows what it would be doing to him. His eyes slowly moved up to stare at her, darker now than they'd been earlier, unfeeling and hard. When Carley went to speak again, he cut in before her, his voice low and hurt-filled. "I get it… I get it that you're angry right now… You're upset over the false-positive. You're angry at me for intruding, and for not leaving you alone. And I'm sorry for putting you in that position. But that… That was out of line."

"N-No," Carley said, almost scrambling over to him now, and sitting down beside him, her hand moving to cover his, squeezing gently, and almost pleading with him. Long gone was the anger and hate she'd previously shown, being replaced by panic and guilt. "L-Lee, I… I swear, I didn't mean it… I swear, I don't know why I said it. I just… fuck, I love you. I don't want you to leave me alone. Ever."

When he didn't reply, she sighed, and gulped, closing her eyes to steel herself for what she was about to say. "L-Lee… I'm so, so sorry if it seemed like I've been pushing you away…" She started, her thumb trailing over his knuckles, her own knuckles white-knuckled now in panic. "I… I've just been so scared… I… I know it sounds so stupid, and childish, but… Lee, I couldn't bare to look at you after what happened."

An expression of slight offense formed on Lee's face, and he furrowed his brow slightly. And, before he had chance to interrupt, she held a hand up, and set the tips of her fingers over is lips. "Just… Listen to me, for… for a second, Lee…" She muttered gently, her eyes locking with his for only a moment, before speaking again. "I… Every time I look at you, I see how hurt you are. I feel like you blame me for what happened, and I-I… I couldn't deal with that. I couldn't deal with letting you down; with me not being pregnant."

"I see now that I was wrong, and you have to believe me when I say that I am so sorry…" She continued, now looking directly at Lee. Her eyes were brimming with emotion, and the man in question could plainly see just how true her words were. "But you have to understand that I felt so fucking guilty, Lee… I was angry and upset and disappointed… And to this day I still don't know why. Every time I look at you I see how disappointed you are, and I-I… I couldn't deal with it. I couldn't deal with feeling any worse than I already was and—"

Her words were cut off with a small grunt, as Lee leaned forward, and pressed his lips to hers firmly, his arms wrapping around her gently. It took only a moment for her to relax into it, mentally thanking him for stopping her rambling, before she had gotten too upset. The kiss itself was one filled with love, tenderness, forgiveness, and relief on both of their parts; and was the most tender, loving kiss they'd shared since that first kiss on their first date.

When they pulled apart, Lee gulped, leaning his forehead against hers, and bringing his hand up behind her head, pushing her hair away from her face gently. "Listen to me, Carley… I'm upset about the baby for one reason, and one reason only; that you were upset. I knew that you'd gotten excited over the prospect of us… well, settling down and having a family. So, when it came back negative, I wasn't upset for me… I wasn't upset about us not being pregnant. I was upset because I felt I'd let you down—both of us down."

His eyes opened slightly, locking with hers for a brief moment. Chocolate met emerald, and in that instant, Lee made what he would come to see as the single, best, snap decision he'd ever made in his entire life. He took a brief intake of breath, before he spoke, his voice soft, yet completely serious.

"Marry me…?"

The woman's eyes widened slightly from their position, and she gulped, her jaw dropping only slightly. Sure, they'd been together for near-on two years, and had been through a lot together. They'd been through a rough patch, and there was no way in hell they were 'perfect' by anyone's standards. But they were a team. They'd come to be known as the couple everyone envied yet loved at the same time; balancing each other in ways no one could even comprehend. Lee was calm-natured and level-headed, where Carley dove straight in at the deep end, and was essentially a ticking time bomb; not backing down in arguments until she'd made sure her position was heard. Where Lee was deliberately relaxed about keeping things neat and ordered, preferring to leave his work in what he called an 'organized mess', Carley was the complete opposite, preferring to have all of her files ordered and numbered, listed under various sub-sections, so she would be able to grab whatever she needed at a moment's notice.

Despite their differences, though, they fit together like two pieces of a puzzle; literally in some cases. Whenever they cuddled in the evening, Carley felt truly at home in his arms and in his company, as if they were truly made to hold each other. Every crease of his body seemed to fit hers without even trying to. Lee was much more to her than just a boyfriend, or a 'friend'. He was her home. When she imagined her life in the future, she couldn't imagine it without him there, by her side.

Whenever marriage had been brought up by her friends, Carley had simply brushed them off. Why settle when it was much more fun to see where things would head naturally? She'd always thought that single life (or unmarried life) was for her; no responsibilities, no deepset commitments, and ultimately, no possibility of rejection. She'd never thought that the whole marriage and a baby thing was for her, but since she'd gotten serious with Lee? She'd began to change her mind.

After they'd made things official, and they'd settled down in the relationship, Carley had caught herself quite a few times daydreaming about some big, white wedding. She'd caught herself waking up from dreams of a suburban house with a station wagon parked on the driveway, and a toddler running around the front yard who was being chased around by her husband (who slowly began to look more and more like Lee as things progressed, squealing in absolute happiness. And as these dreams became more and more frequent, the less anxious Carley found herself becoming towards the idea.

So when the words fell from Lee's lips, there was no response she could say, other than:

"Yes."

"Lee, come on!" Carley called, running across her living room to the mirror that was up on the wall, in order to touch up her makeup. She wouldn't normally fuss, but their parents, Lee's brother, and Amanda were heading to her parents house for a meal to celebrate their engagement, and she didn't want to give her friend any more ammunition to use against her getting engaged so soon.

Amanda was handling it as well as any best friend would. At first she'd been ecstatic for her friends, insisting that she pay for Chinese as her way of congratulating them. But the more time Carley spent at Lee's apartment, and the less time she spent at home due to wedding researching and organising, the more sceptical she became. It had eventually reached the point where Amanda had all but cut herself off from the couple, barely seeing them and outright refusing to go for drinks with them one evening.

After some reassurance, and a couple of 'girls nights' with Carley, though, she'd eventually come back around to the idea of a wedding, and was now focused on furiously planning her bachelorette party, with the newly-given role of Maid of Honour. Of course, she'd been warned to keep things somewhat PG, or at the very least T for Teen. But knowing Amanda, she wouldn't expect anything but raunchiness from the outset.

She was broken from her memory by the appearance of Lee, who was dressed in a simple, white button-down, and a pair of grey suit pants. "Alright, Alright," He chuckled, as he walked through to where she was, stopping short as soon as he set eyes on her.

She wasn't wearing anything fancy; a white sundress with a yellow cardigan over top, and a pair of white sandals. Her hair was pulled back with a white hair-tie, letting enough hair fall from the loose ponytail in order to frame her face almost. Her face was a mask of confusion at his sudden silence, and she smiled softly, as she approached him.

"C'mon, fiancé… Can't leave our family waiting around while you gawp over me. You can do that when we get back here." She teased, before gripping his hand, and pulling him out of the door after her.

Twenty minutes of driving later, and one emergency bathroom stop for Lee later, they pulled up outside of her parents' house, each of them a complete bundle of nerves. This was it; from the moment they walked through the door of the house in front of them, they'd be engaged. Although they already were, and had acknowledged it often, it didn't seem 'real' to either of them. They felt as if they were in the honeymoon period, between the time that Lee had popped the question, and the time they'd sit and attempt to plan out the first, tiny details of their wedding day.

A moment of reflection later, they walked inside the house hand-in-hand.

The first thing they noticed when they walked inside was how quiet the house was. Every other time they'd been over, either Jennifer or David had been to greet them at the door, fussing over them and handing out hugs, before bringing them through. So, to have it completely silent should have been the first sign that something was out of the ordinary.

Their fears, however, were confirmed when they walked through the small lobby, and opened the door to the living room, only to be met with the most startling, yet heart-warming sight either of them had ever seen.

A large banner had been pinned above the fireplace, with balloons tied to either end, the words 'Congratulations Lee and Carley!' printed on it in bright, yellow lettering. Beneath the banner was a long table where the coffee table had previously been, piled with gifts of all shapes and sizes, in various wrapping papers and bows. Food filled the rest of the table with a whole manner of different sandwiches, pastries, fruits, and cakes; most notably the centre-piece which was a plain white sheet-cake, with black accents, and small, fondant hearts dotted around the face of it. The words 'Congratulations on your Engagement Carley and Lee' Were written in grey icing along the top and bottom edge, with a slightly raised sheet of fondant in the centre, decorated with the words 'Shit just got real'. That - Lee thought with a smirk - must have been either Brad or Amanda's task to decide upon.

However, the most surprising part about the entire thing, was the sheer amount of people that had turned up, who had let out an almighty cheer when the couple had entered the room, cheering happily. Party poppers sounded, along with tweeters, and even a few rattles from the back rows. The man looked around to his girlfriend, completely gobsmacked at the reception they'd received, to find her just as shocked, laughing along with their families.

After a quick thank you speech, and after they greeted their family, both Lee and Carley ended up mingling in with the crowd, drinks in-hand, and grins plastered firmly on their faces.

"Carley, you look amazing!" Debbie; one of Carley's cousins commented, her hands firmly gripping the other woman's as she looked her over. The woman was tall, with long, black hair, and olive skin, and despite the obvious differences between the two, there was also numerous similarities. Carley and Debbie shared their grandmother's green eyes, and nose. They shared a small hug, before pulling apart again, with Debbie raising Carley's left hand expectantly, her brow furrowing in confusion. "Oh, honey, please tell me Lee hasn't put off buying the ring!"

A chuckle came from Carley in response, and she shook her head, squeezing her cousin's hand in order to reassure her. "No, no, it's okay." She soothed, still amused by the other woman's reaction. Some of the women who had gathered were now intently listening to her; some of them looking to be almost scandalized over the lack of an engagement ring being on her hand. "Lee and I decided that it's not important. It wouldn't be financially wise right now. Besides, I've never been the jewellery type, and I don't think either of us are really experts in that department."

The women surrounding her all started murmuring amongst themselves, and Carley rolled her eyes in exasperation. She knew deep down that they wouldn't take no for an answer, and wouldn't back down from their opinions, but one look over to her fiancé told Carley everything that she needed to know.

He was standing with both of their fathers, his Brother, her uncle Tommy, and her Aunt Maud. In Lee's arms was her young cousin, Daniel, who was little over three months old. The young boy seemed blissfully unaware of the party around them, as the man was letting him play with one of the balloons, letting the baby stare happily at the shiny, spherical object in complete awe. And that was when she was sure she had made the right choice in her future husband.

Most women would have been put off by the fact he'd not bought an engagement ring. They'd be put off by the fact he hadn't proposed in some huge, grand gesture which cost and arm and a leg, and took months to prepare and set in motion. But just looking at the way he smiled at the little boy in his arms, bouncing him gently, with nothing but love and absolute adoration held in his eyes for young Daniel, Carley knew he was the one. Whatever would come, they'd face together, as a team. They made mistakes, sure. They'd had arguments. There'd been times where Lee was insufferable, or annoying, or flat-out irritable. But there was one thing for sure she knew would never change:

Lee Jackson Everett was hers.

And she wouldn't have things any other way than she had them at that moment, surrounded by their family, and celebrating what would be a joyous occasion for all of them. So when Debbie asked if she was sure about getting engaged, and jokingly assured her that It wasn't too late to back out, Carley only had one definite response for her:

"I've never been more sure about anything…"