This chapter is dedicated to my best friend and beta, katetastic. It has been in the works for a few weeks now, as a surprise for her. I don't own Wicked or the Spring Awakening reference (I'll admit it, I know nothing about Spring Awakening, upon occasion, I just like the term, "totally fucked", LOL. Don't sue me!!) Enjoy! :)
Three months later...
One night in September, Mark found Roger sitting on the roof of the loft, playing Moondance on his harmonica. "Hey, Rog," he said. "Are you OK?"
Roger stopped playing and looked around. "Oh, hi, Mark," he said. "Yeah, I'm good. I just came up here to think."
"Oh yeah, what are you thinking about?" Mark asked him.
Roger looked at Mark. "I think I'm going to propose to Melanie," he said.
Mark's eyebrows rose. "You think?" he asked. "What do you mean, you think? That's a really serious thing. Don't you think you should be certain first?"
"I am certain, Mark. Melanie came back into my life and I still love her as much as I did on day one," Roger said. "I have to take that as a sign. It can't be anything else. I'm serious about asking her to marry me again."
Mark nodded. "Wow, Roger," he said. "I mean, I'm excited for you, I really am. It's just, this seems really sudden and I'm only looking out for you when I say I want to make sure you're serious about this before doing it again. I mean, you remember in high school, you did it sort of on the fly and it didn't turn out so well."
"Yeah, I remember, Mark," Roger said, suddenly sounding bitter. "But I've thought about it for a long time now. I can't think about it anymore. I just have to do it."
"I understand. Well, then, I'm thrilled for you," Mark said, smiling at him. "But who's going to be your Best Man?"
"I'm going to have two," Roger said. He looked at Mark. "I am not even going to try to choose between you and Collins. I can't do it."
Mark smiled. "I'm honored, Roger."
Roger smiled. "Thanks, Mark," he said. He looked at Mark. "Hey, you and Katie seem to be getting pretty serious. Is there anything like this going out that I should know about?"
Mark nodded again. "I've been thinking a lot lately about proposing to her, too. I mean, think about it. With Maureen, things didn't work out, but she's happy— usually, anyway— with Joanne. When Melanie came back, Katie entered my life and she's the girl of my dreams. She really is. I thought Maureen was, but that was just an immature high school ambition or something. Katie truly completes me."
"Yeah, she's lots of fun, you're no fun. She definitely completes you, Mark," Roger teased him, grinning evilly.
Mark hit him on the shoulder. "Watch it," he said, but he was laughing. "So yeah, I'm definitely thinking about it. I am not telling you when I'm going to do it, though."
"Aw, man, why?" Roger whined. "I'd tell you."
"Maybe you would, you know… tell. But you've… done this before, I haven't. I want to keep it to myself to make it perfect in every way," Mark said. "I can't mess this up with Katie."
Roger nodded. "OK, I get you," he said. "Hey, maybe we should ask Collins to go ring shopping with us? We could definitely use his input."
"Sure, Roger, that sounds like a great idea," Mark said, smiling at Roger.
"Thanks for listening, Mark," Roger said, smiling back at him.
"No problem, Roger," Mark said, and they went back to the loft together.
One month later...
"Sure, Roger, man, anything," Collins said. "What's up?"
"Will you come to the mall with me, now, while Melanie and Katie are out Halloween costume shopping with Madeline?" Roger asked. He knew he was asking in a really suspicious way, but he couldn't help it.
Collins noticed Roger was nervous and edgy. "Roger, you're acting weird," he said. "Is something bothering you?"
"No, not at all; just come with me, please?" Roger asked. "I really need your help."
"OK, OK, man," Collins said, "all you had to do was ask. Sure, I'll go with you now. We can take Mark, too. He's in his room, working on a film. I'll go get him."
Roger nodded, looking very nervous. Collins got Mark from his room and the two men followed Roger out of the loft.
Ten minutes later, Collins stopped and gave Roger a look. Roger had led him into a jewelry store.
"Hey, man, do you mind telling me what's going on?" he asked.
"We're ring shopping," Mark answered innocently.
"Mark and I are both going to propose," Roger said seriously.
Collins was blown away. "What? No way, seriously?" he asked. "That's great. Uh… when did this come about?"
"We talked together about it a month ago," Roger said. "We both realized that we have the girls of our dreams these days and that we want it to stay that way forever. Plus, in addition to being finally married to Melanie, I want to be Madeline's father for real, not just on a piece of paper that is her birth certificate. I still love Melanie as much as I did when I first met her in high school and nothing is going to change that; the same with my love for my daughter."
"And Katie is the girl of my dreams," Mark said. "It didn't take me long to realize that." He looked at Collins seriously. "Collins, do you think Mimi and Angel are helping us out? Do you think they sent Melanie back to Roger and Katie to me?" As he said this, he picked out a ring. "I mean, does it make sense to think that or is that totally fucked?"
"Nah, Mark, I think that makes total sense," Collins said, shaking his head. "Look at our lives. Melanie came back, you're great with Katie, Madeline is the best little girl, like, ever, and we're all healthy. It has to be some good karma or luck from our two amazing friends in Heaven. And if it isn't, well, then I'll be damned if it's not a fucking amazing placebo effect or something."
Roger nodded. "OK, this is the ring I want for Mel," he said, picking out a small diamond ring.
"Wow, Rog, a diamond?" Collins asked him, surprised.
Roger glared at him. "If Mel was Angel, would you have anything less?" he asked, trying to make it sound less harsh than it was.
"No way, absolutely not," Collins said firmly, shaking his head, although still skeptical. He didn't know how Roger could afford a diamond ring on no income, but if he could, he could and wouldn't have it any other way. "OK, I'm convinced."
"Then I'm down. I'm gonna go pay," Roger said, and he went up to the counter.
"Collins, what do you think of this one?" Mark asked him, holding up a ring with a peridot, not a diamond, in it. "I mean, a peridot is her birth stone and it's also her eye color, so I think it makes sense to get this. It would be different, unique, you know? And I could always inset diamonds."
"I bet she would love it, Mark. I say go for it," Collins said. He lowered his voice. "Are you OK, man? You seem… paler than usual, if I may say so."
"I'm just really nervous about this, Collins," Mark said, after a deep sigh. He watched Roger pay for his ring at the counter. "I mean, Roger's already done this once, twice, almost three times… sort of, anyway…"
Collins snorted, which surprised Mark. He raised his eyebrows at Collins and Collins explained his thoughts on that.
"Well, if you look at it this way, a high school class ring is no replacement for a real ring, and they were—"
"— young back then. Yeah, I know," Mark said irritably, turning away from him. "I just want to do this right, Collins. I can't mess things up with Katie. I just can't."
"You will do it right, man, just trust yourself," Collins said, ruffling Mark's hair in a brotherly way. "You're so worried about this because you're concerned about doing it right, and since you're so concerned, I guarantee you will make the night you propose the best night of her life."
Mark smiled. "Thanks, Collins," he said, smiling at him.
"No problem, man," Collins said. "You gonna go pay for that or are we going to get arrested for shoplifting and have to propose in jail?"
Mark grinned. He couldn't laugh past the nervous lump in his throat. "Ha… yeah… arrested… pay… right," he stammered.
"What's eating him?" Roger asked, coming back over to Collins with his purchase, as Mark went past him to pay for his ring.
"Nerves," Collins said. "His words were 'you've done this before, he hasn't'."
"I haven't," Roger said hotly.
"Maybe not officially, but you see his point, don't you? You still tried once already… twice…" Collins said.
Roger nodded. "Yeah," he said. "He'll be fine, though. He'll do great. I can hear him rehearsing his proposal in his room every night before he goes to bed."
Collins smiled. "So, uh, you know, just don't bug him about it. Bugging him won't make it any easier for him to do," he said.
"OK, man, I won't," Roger said. "I don't want to mess things up for him. Things are so great for him right now. He truly deserves this the most."
"I agree, man," Collins said, smiling.
"Baby, what do you think about going back to work?" Melanie asked Roger, two weeks before Christmas.
"What?" Roger asked, caught off-guard. "Why would I go back to work? We're doing fine."
"I know, but still, don't you get a sense of… oh, I don't know… accomplishment in going to work all day and knowing you can come home having gotten things done and made money?" Melanie asked.
Roger raised his eyebrows at her. "You can't tell me you possibly like your job that much," he said.
"I do, actually, I love my job," Melanie said. "I've wanted to be a secretary and court reporter since I was a sophomore in high school."
"Well, OK, but Mel, I like being home when Madeline gets home from school," Roger said. "I like being able to spend as much time with you two as I can."
"Yeah, but Roger, she's in school all day, she isn't able to see you at all," Melanie said. "And I work, too, so it doesn't make any sense for you to be lazy around the loft all day. You should go back to work. You can make money, too, and spend as much time with us after school and in the evenings as you want."
Roger was still hesitant, but he saw Melanie's point. She was entirely correct. "I… I'll think about it, OK?" he asked her. "I mean, I see your point, I really do. I need to quit being a bum."
Melanie grinned. "Yep, even though I like your bum side," she said, grinning and kissing him.
"I'll start looking for a job after the holidays, OK?" Roger asked her, as she straddled his lap.
"OK, baby," Melanie said, smiling and kissing him and holding him close.
"Mark, can I ask you something?" Katie asked Mark, that same day.
"Sure, Katie, what's up?" Mark asked.
"Are you… well… are you ever going to consider going back to producing films for a living?" Katie asked. "I mean, you liked that a lot. It was your passion. You even do it now, unemployed."
Mark rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Katie, I quit Buzzline, remember?" he reminded her.
"Well, yeah, you did, but you were angry with everything that was going back in your life at the time," Katie reminded him back. "I mean, things were going bad with Maureen and Joanne and Roger, and Mimi and Angel was dying, and you were caught in the middle of it all, being the witness. Your life is going so well now. It makes sense that you would go back to work— even if it isn't for Buzzline— and get even more accomplishment out of life, you know?"
Mark shrugged. "I can see your point," he said. "But I just don't feel ready. I like my own personal projects. I can figure it out myself how to sell them to people or companies, can't I?" Katie nodded. "Plus, I want to spend all the time I can with you. I can't mess things up with you at all. I messed things up with Maureen when I got obsessed with my work in high school and look how that ended up. I got obsessed with my work back in 1989 and 1990 and look how that ended up. Two of my friends actually died and I couldn't do anything to try to prevent that. I could have pitched in to help pay for medical bills more or something…"
Katie nodded. "Angel and Mimi dying was a terrible thing, Mark, I'm not saying it wasn't," she said. "But I just feel like you will feel better about yourself and your life if you started working again and were able to make money, rather than trying to sell your own personal projects. You can be inspired and do that in addition. And besides, I heard they have new management now. There was a story in the Village Voice about Alexi getting fired."
Mark looked at her suddenly.
"I didn't know," he said.
He never read the Village Voice, if he could help it, because that reminded him of Benny. But Katie didn't know Benny, and even if she did, knowing Benny wouldn't stop her from reading it.
"I'll think about it, OK? I'll think about it over the holidays and I'll start looking for job openings for a filmmaker after New Year's, if I feel ready or really need it— a job, I mean. And if I end up back at this new Buzzline, then… that's where I end up."
"Good," Katie said, smiling and kissing him.
The loft was filled with Christmas cheer in 1993, so much so that Roger and Mark could randomly be seen belting out Christmas carols at the top of their lungs, something Roger had vowed never to do again for the rest of his life after 1989, even being the singer he was.
"Now remember our plan, Maddy girl," Roger said to Madeline, looking down at his daughter, as they heard Melanie's car drive up and waited for her to come inside. "When Mommy gets home from work tonight, you're going to take this"— he handed her a small box— and give it to Mommy, saying it's a Christmas present a little early. Then she will open it, OK?"
"OK, Daddy," Madeline said, looking up at him. "Are you excited?"
"I sure am, kiddo, are you?" Roger asked her, hugging her.
"I am, Daddy," Madeline said, smiling at him.
Roger didn't tell Madeline how nervous he was about proposing to Melanie, especially after the fact that they had fought about it once. He forced himself not to think about it. He wanted this moment to be perfect between him, Melanie, and their daughter.
Roger heard the door opening and nodded at Madeline. "OK, go!" he said.
Roger smiled to loosen the knot of nervousness in his chest as he watched Madeline walk over to the door. It opened with a burst of swirling snow and Melanie walked in.
"Oh, hi, Maddy girl, Merry Christmas; just give me a second and I'll be inside," Melanie said, looking down at Madeline. "What do you have in your hand, Maddy?"
"Daddy said to ask you if you want one of your Christmas presents early," Madeline said, reciting what she and Roger had rehearsed.
"Daddy said what? Did he now?" Melanie asked her, sending Roger a curious look. "Well… it is the twenty-fourth, so… I suppose, sure, I'll take my Christmas present from Daddy a day early."
She took the small present from Madeline and opened it, revealing a small ring. She looked up at Roger, shocked, and her hand flew to her mouth. "Oh Roger, is this really what I think it is?" she asked him.
"It is, baby, so what do you say?" Roger asked. "Will you marry me?"
"Oh, Roger, of course I'll marry you," Melanie said, hurrying over and embracing him and kissing him deeply. "I love you, Roger, and Merry Christmas."
"I love you, too, Melanie Elizabeth Schwartz, and Merry Christmas to you, too," Roger said, smiling at her. "Thank you for saying yes."
Melanie smiled happily. Then she looked down at Madeline. "Maddy girl, did you know about this?" she asked her. Then she shook her head, rolled her eyes, and laughed. "Never mind, silly question. Of course you would know, you came up to me with the box. Looks like me and your daddy are getting married!"
"Yay, Mommy and Daddy are getting married!" Madeline cheered happily, running over to hug Roger and Melanie.
Katie inserted the key into Melanie's front door and opened it. Neither Melanie nor Madeline was home. Katie suspected they were both at Roger's upstairs or else out with him and she was not worried. She set down her purse on the kitchen table and went over to the phone and answering machine. She had gone to get groceries and was returning to put them away before she went to the Christmas Eve Wicked matinee. The light was flashing on the answering machine and she pressed Play to hear the messages. There was only one.
"Hi, Katie, it's Mark," Mark's voice said through the machine. "Listen, I know you have a performance this afternoon, but can you hang around for a while and meet me backstage? I have a surprise for you. I got a ticket to today's matinee so I could get in to see you. But I know it is Christmas and we need to get back to Roger and Melanie and everybody to hang out and celebrate, so I'll make it as fast as I can. Just meet me later, OK? I love you. Bye."
Katie was both puzzled and extremely curious. Mark was not normally so secretive. He was usually introverted, yes, but not secretive. Katie wasn't sure if she could make it through today's performance, knowing he had a surprise for her after the show, but she would do her best.
During the show that night, Katie could see Mark sitting in the first row of balcony seats, watching the show. It puzzled her why he wouldn't meet her gaze whenever he caught her looking at him.
During "Defying Gravity", as the guards were breaking down the door, Katie sent Mark a text message from her phone to his.
Why so secretive? This is not like you, especially after what you told me on our tell-me-about-yourself date that one time. What's your surprise?
Mark felt his phone vibrate and he knew he had a text message. Pulling his phone out, he looked at it, read it quickly, and messaged back,
You of all people should know better than to bother the audience during a show, especially right now, during DG! Couldn't you have waited until intermission?
No, you should know better than to have your phone on at all during a performance! If I didn't love you so much, I might have the ushers make you turn it off... Sorry, Katie replied. She knew Mark was annoyed. She knew she would be, if she was him in this situation. But I'm really nervous, and yet, so excited about your surprise! Why can't you tell me what it is?
Because that's the point of a surprise; and don't you dare try and beg, Katherine Elizabeth Campbell. No way, absolutely not. I'm not telling you what the surprise is before you receive it and you can't make me. Just meet me in the front row of house seats after the show and you will get your surprise.
Well, all right, but I have to do some things after the show first (check the dressing rooms; write a performance review; put props and costumes away…)
No worries. I'll see you after. Whenever you're ready, just come find me. Your surprise has to wait until the audience and everybody has gone home anyway.
Oh, does it?
Yes, it does. See you after the show. You won't be able to find me at intermission. :P
Well, if you insist. Love you. TTYL. Xoxo!!!
Love you, too, TTYL.
Katie smiled excitedly and went back to what she was doing. Her excitement was mounting with every second that passed, leading up to Mark's surprise.
Mark watched Isabelle Sullivan, playing Elphaba, "defy gravity" and fly up away from the guards to escape their spears and pitchforks and, ultimately, her death. He shivered slightly, not out of cold, but because he knew that was where the surprise for the love of his life would happen in less than an hour.
Katie was at the front doors of the theatre, two hours later, about to close the theatre for the night, when Mark appeared by her side. Before she noticed he was there, he swept her up into his arms and kissed her deeply.
Katie gave him a perplexed look as he released her. "Wow," she said, "that was…"
"Heavenly?" Mark suggested breathlessly. He smiled. "I know."
"So where's my surprise?" Katie asked him.
Before Katie could react, Mark snuck by her and bolted down the center aisle. "Mark!" she hollered after him. "Mark, wait! What are you doing? I have to close the theatre!"
Katie could only stand there, half-amused, half-irritated, and watch as Mark ran down the aisle. She ran down the aisle after him when he leapt onto the stage.
"Mark!" she hollered. "What's going on? Do you mind telling me or am I just going to have to stand here?"
Then Mark did something totally unexpected. He jumped onto the flying machine and it snapped shut around him and suddenly started moving! Katie, who was in shock, didn't even pause to realize someone was offstage at the moment helping Mark "defy gravity" by operating the flying machine. All she could do was stand and stare. There was no way she could get up to the top of the flying machine and get him down herself, as much as she wanted to at the moment.
"Mark!" she yelled up at him. He was about twenty feet off the stage and Katie was afraid he would fall and hurt himself. "What the hell are you doing?"
Then Katie received the surprise of her life, as Mark called down, "I'm asking the love of my life to marry me!"
Katie was positively stunned. For a moment, she didn't know what to say. "What?" she called up at him. "What are you talking about?"
Now that the flying machine had stopped moving, everything was quieter and they were able to talk normally.
"I mean, I'm asking you, Katherine Elizabeth Campbell, if you will marry me," Mark said, looking down at her. He wiggled the ring he was holding and the light reflected off it and flashed down at Katie.
Katie was floored. "Um... well..." She stammered for a second, still completely shocked, before she called up at him, "Well, hell yeah, I will! Now can you come down, please, before you hurt yourself? Please come down. Plus, you need to kiss me, please."
Mark grinned and the flying machine lowered. Katie knew somebody was obviously offstage helping him out; she guessed it was her flyer, Sam Jacobs. But how he had found out about Mark's proposal, she had no idea. She didn't know herself how to work the flying machine, except in emergencies.
But at the moment, she didn't care. Mark had gotten down off the flying machine and was running toward her. Then he embraced her and kissed her full on the mouth like he never had before. It was passionate and fiery and full of emotion. After they parted, Katie laughed happily and hugged Mark, leaning her forehead against his.
The new couple looked around as they heard someone walk onto the stage. It was Sam.
"Thank you, Sam," Mark said, taking one hand down from around Katie to shake Sam's hand. "I couldn't have done it without you."
"It was my pleasure, Mark," Sam said, grinning at him.
Sam looked at the happy couple— Mark beaming and looking very content and Katie looking over-the-moon, ecstatic— and then Katie exclaimed happily, "Well, Sam, it looks like I'm getting married!"
Mark grinned, wiped the happy tears from Katie's eyes, kissed her deeply again, and they laughed happily together, hugging each other on the stage, never to let each other go.
This is the end of chapter 7. You guys can't possibly believe how excited I am to have this chapter finished how it is. I am so, so happy how it turned out, seriously. I don't think I've written anything as happy as this, better than this, I really don't. This, to me, feels like the best thing I've ever written. I know it's really, really long, but I started writing and I just couldn't stop.
I had been thinking and thinking about what to do for the engagements. I wanted to do something totally out of the ordinary that I hadn't done before. It couldn't be just simple proposing or anything I'd done before. Roger using Madeline to give the ring to Melanie like she did and Mark asking Katie to marry him from 20 feet up (or however high it is) in the Wicked flying machine popped into my mind and were just so perfect. I couldn't do anything else, you know? It was too important, too perfect. It worked out so well, I am so happy how it turned out. I hope you guys liked it, especially katetastic. This chapter is your surprise and dedicated to you and only you. Your input, advice, words, listening, and everything means so much to me. I could not have done this chapter so well without you. You are amazing, my best friend, my inspiration, and my muse. Thank you so much for helping me out, not only with this, but with life. I truly could not have done this amazing chapter without you. Thank you so, so much! I can't say that enough.
There is more where that came from! Wedding plans and more will ensue in the next few chapters. Oh, and once I get to writing the actual weddings, be prepared for a bit of huge drama in Katie's wedding (katetastic already knows about it, as we've been discussing it, but she's on a gag order, so don't bother her about it, LOL.) I will update as soon as I can, but no promises as to when that will happen.
As always, don't forget to review. I love feedback, so please don't neglect leaving me some. I reply to as many reviews as I possibly can because I love connecting with my readers.
Thanks so much for reading. I'll update again as soon as possible.
Until next time, lots of love,
Renthead07