A/n Hi everyone. Thanks for all the wonderful reviews for the last chapter. I know it was hard for some to see Gensai so upset. But Kaoru has to get knocked down if Kenshin is going to be the one to pick her up eh? Still, I feel bad for her for feeling like the only one having to shoulder the responsibility. Anyways, the wedding is up so I won't keep you guys waiting!

Disclaimer: I claim no creative rights, darn it all.

Kaoru didn't respond. They sat for a moment, staring at the chapel.

"Are you ready for this?" he asked at last.

She took a deep breath and nodded.

"I'll go make sure they're open and that they have room. Do you want to come along and see if you like the place? Because there are plenty of others, that there is."

"No, it doesn't matter. Let's just get this over with."

"Okay." He got out and strode down the wide sidewalk to the green door of the wedding chapel. They'd passed several competing places as they'd driven through the city. Some had a storefront, others resembled a plan house or the lobby of a hotel. A few actually appeared to be churches, but they all looked as if they were having some sort of identity crisis. Decorated with neon lighting in the front, much like chapels in Las Vegas. And they only got cheesier and more horribly furnished the closer to the Love District they were. Kenshin figure this would be the best place he'd find other than a real church and far better than a government building.

Kenshin suddenly remember the beautiful, traditional Japanese wedding he and Tomoe had. Dozens of friends and family at a beautiful old shrine. It was a long and wonderful ceremony. He had never been more nervous, and he had never seen Tomoe looking as beautiful as she was in pure white kimono, her face painted white and she sparkled from the light bouncing off the many ornaments that hung from her headdress. He wore the traditional black kimono, and cut a fine figure if he remembered properly. A wave of guilt washed over him as he glanced at the flashing neon light above him. This was nowhere near the kind of wedding he was offering Kaoru. But then he remembered that this wedding was only for show and to protect his investment. Besides, he was sure Kaoru wouldn't have wanted such a display for a fake wedding.

At first the small lavender lobby was empty, but as soon as the bell tinkled over the door, announcing Kenshin's presence, a young, chunky, high school girl appeared from somewhere in the back and took her place behind a cash register. "May I help you?"

Kenshin told her what he wanted. She gave him instructions on how to get a marriage license and where the nearest place he could get one was and charged him twelve thousand, one hundred and forty-five yen in advanced for the ceremony.

When he returned to the car, Kaoru was reading a book called Hematopathology. "Time to get the license," he said. "But it should only take a few minutes."

She nodded, seemingly immersed in her studies.

He came around the car and drove to the nearest courthouse, where he had her go with him. No blood test or birth certificates required, only one form of picture ID. They both flashed their driver's licenses and were back at the chapel in twenty minutes.

"I'll get your clothes," he said, popping the trunk as they got out of the car.

"There's really no need to change is there?" Kaoru asked, standing on the curb. "I mean, no one's even here to see us. If I don't wear it I can take the dress back and save Misao some money."

"Come on. We should get a good picture for Yahiko. He deserves a souvenir, that he does. And I'm sure Misao wanted you to wear that dress or she wouldn't have bought it."

"I don't think Misao understands what's really going on here, even though I've tried to explain it to her." She muttered, but she dutifully took her hang-up bag and small suitcase into the changing room with her when they went inside.

Kenshin used another small room to change into his best suit and tie, then waited alone in what served as one of the actual "chapels." A small room with about ten fold-up chairs, it also had an abundance of dusty silk-flower arrangements and some candles and burning sticks of incense arranged symmetrically in front of a sort of shrine. Again Kenshin was flooded with memories; of the scent of fresh flowers mixed with the thick curling smoke of the hand rolled incense sticks. Again he felt guilt, glancing around at the fake, dusty flowers that had to be over ten years old. And the cheap drugstore type incense sticks that smelled more like burning wood than anything. The joke of a shrine had his lips turning downward.

A noise drew Kenshin's attention to the doorway, where he found Kaoru, looking as though she might bolt at any moment.

"You look…nice." He said, knowing it was a tremendous understatement, but trying to keep them on safe ground. She'd piled her dark hair loosely on top of her head, which revealed the delicate hairs that curled at the nape of her neck and accentuated the size and shape of her sapphire eyes. Her dress was sleeveless and sort of bone colored with a tailored bodice and a flared skirt that fell to midcaff. Nylons and strappy sandals finished off the ensemble. She'd quickly swiped on a touch of glossy, pink lipstick. She looked far different than the traditional figure Tomoe cut during their wedding but Kaoru was sexy as hell in her own way. But if he told her that, he might just pull her into his arms.

Hoping his expression didn't betray him, Kenshin motioned for her to come on into the room.

"Where's the minister?" she asked, hanging back.

"The girl out front said it's a woman. She should be here very soon."

Kaoru nodded, sighed, then wrung her hands.

He smiled and handed her the bouquet he'd bought her. "You seem nervous, that you do."

Her chin came up, but when she answered her voice was a little higher than normal. "I'm not nervous. Why would I be nervous?"

"Who knows what's going on inside that pretty head of yours. Why don't you tell me?" he flashed her a pleading smile.

She tugged at her lip with her teeth and moved closer to him, then looked over her shoulder once and lowered her voice. "I've just been wondering if…if you're going to kiss me. I mean, I think it might embarrass me if you let the minister know that you don't want to. But-" She swallowed "-I understand if you don't…want to."

Kenshin watched her in amazement. She didn't now how appealing she was. That if he were any other man…

"This is just a business deal and all that." She was saying. "You don't really like me, I mean in that way, but it wouldn't have to be a big kiss. Just a peck, so the minister doesn't know." Tears started to well in her eyes, but she blinked furiously and managed to hold them back. "I didn't think any of this would bother me, but now that I have this dress on and I'm holding these flowers, I feel kinda like a real bride, you know?"

"I was going to kiss you." Kenshin said gently, feeling sad for her predicament.

"Right." Her cheeks went pink and she nodded. "Okay."

… . . …

Kaoru cringed inside. Her and her big mouth. She'd already made a fool of herself once today, when she'd started that war with her uncle. She just didn't know when to quit, did she?

Avoiding Kenshin's curious gaze, she stared down at the perfect white roses in her bouquet, then smoothed the skirt of her dress, wishing the minister would hurry. She wanted to put this day behind her, get back home. But there was another wedding party next door, a happy, large crowd but then finally the minister walked in. She was a large, happy looking older woman in black robes. She introduced herself to them and promptly took her place in front of the shrine.

"Are we all set? Who's going to be our witnesses?"

Kaoru glanced around, a sudden depression washed over her at the sight of the empty room. She shook it away and glanced at Kenshin. She hadn't thought about witnesses other than her uncle.

"I paid for that service to be performed for us." He assured her and the minister.

"Fine." The older lady said and she disappeared behind a door and spoke to someone. A minute later she returned with a man and woman. Staff members.

"Now we're ready. They will be your witnesses. Shall we get started?" The two employees seated themselves in the folding chairs and the minister cleared her throat. "We are gathered here today…"

It was the customary western style wedding, the one most people could recite from heart and yet the words stood out, having more clarity, more meaning to Kaoru than ever before. She was making a vow to love and cherish Himura Kenshin, and he was making a vow to do the same to her. Yet they didn't mean a word of it. They were planning on getting a divorce in nine months. Kaoru's stomach knotted. Had they thought this through carefully enough? What if he left the cap off the toothpaste? What if he expected her to do his laundry? What if he stayed out late and came home reeking of another woman's perfume? Wouldn't that bother her even though it wasn't suppose to?

The minister was looking at her, waiting for her to respond, but when Kaoru opened her mouth, nothing came out. Kenshin didn't want her, he wanted a baby and he had a way of getting one that didn't involve the intimacy most people shared in marriage. For a moment, she had a hard time remembering why she'd agreed to take this vow in the first place. Yahiko would get better. He wouldn't die…

Kenshin touched her elbow. She could feel the force of his will compelling her to respond and finally the words came.

"I do."

"You may now place the ring on your bride's finger."

Kaoru felt a circle of cool metal slide onto her finger and she looked down, expecting the slim gold band she'd seen at the jewelry store. Instead she saw the rock-sized pear-shaped diamond. Her gaze flew to Kenshin's face. The smile she saw there shot warmth through her whole body. She'd told him he couldn't come to the birth, but he'd brought her the ring anyway.

Oh, God. She was going to be hurt, completely devastated when he walked away… "Why did you do it?" She asked, amazed.

He shrugged. "It looks good on you, that it does."

"You may kiss the bride." The minister said.

Time seemed to stand still as Kenshin pulled her into the circle of his arms and bent his head towards hers. She could smell the wintergreen on his breath and felt the most incredible thrill of anticipation, as if she'd been waiting for this since the first moment they'd met.

But with Yahiko sick, she couldn't afford to love Kenshin too.

Ignoring the ripple of his powerful shoulders beneath her hands, and how badly she hungered for a real kiss, she went for the safe thing instead. Closing the last inch of distance between them, she brushed her lips quickly across his and jerked away.

He stiffened in surprise and for a moment, Kaoru thought he was going to pull her back and kiss her right. But then the minister said. "I now pronounce you husband and wife." And the moment was gone.

… . . …

"What would you like?" Kenshin stared across the table at Kaoru, who appeared to be having trouble concentrating on her menu. Her gaze kept straying to the ring he'd given her, then to his face then back to the words on the menu.

"Um-" She glanced at her ring again. "-I'll have the salad."

He cocked an eyebrow at her. In his peripheral vision he could see the waitress approaching "Which one?"

"The Cobb salad."

"We're at a steak and seafood place. You sure you don't want scampi or lobster or something?"

She sighed. "I'm not very hungry. I just want to get back."

"Our plane doesn't leave for another two hours."

"I know"

"You might as well eat something and try to enjoy yourself."

"Okay." She glanced up at the waitress, who was already waiting, pad in hand. "I'll have the filet mignon."

"How would you like that cooked?"

"Medium well."

They went through the usual questions…soup or salad, choice of dressing, choice of drink, choice of dinner bread. Kenshin ordered a surf and turf, lobster with steak. He handed over the menus and turned his attention to Kaoru. "My partner Sanosuke and I went in to be tested as a marrow donor for Yahiko yesterday morning." He said. "Did they tell you?"

"No, have you received the results?"

Kenshin nodded. "I called while you were changing, hoping to give you some good news." He shook his head. "No match. I'm sorry, that I am."

For a moment her eyes grew bleak. After everything the nurse had told him yesterday about how hard it was for find a donor, Kenshin knew why. But in a flash the look was gone and the mask returned to her face.

"That's okay." She said. "Unless it's a blood relation, the chances are pretty slim of it being someone I know. Thanks for being tested though."

She played with the rim of her water glass, and the diamond on her finder twinkled in the sunlight filtering in through the window. "Why did you by me this ring?" she asked suddenly. "It's not very practical, considering we're only going to be married nine months."

Why had he bought her the ring? Because she'd decided to go through with the pregnancy even though she didn't have to. Because of the sacrifices she was willing to make. Because Yahiko might not make it despite any operation. And most of all because it was all he could give her. He was in love with his dead wife and couldn't plug the emotional holes in Kaoru's life, even though there were times he wished he could. Like when he visited Yahiko, or when he saw Kaoru trembling with hurt and disappointment in her uncle's living room. Or when she stood before him in her wedding dress, ready to trust him enough to marry him, looking more beautiful than he could have imagined.

Only he didn't want to talk about any of those reasons. So he chose to rile her temper instead.

"Maybe I was hoping it would make you relent and include me in the birth." He said.

Her eyes narrowed. "That's what I was wondering."

"So did it work? What are my chances?"

"Next to nil. Does that me you want the ring back?"

"No."

"And after the nine months are over?"

"It's yours. You can have the diamond reset if you want."

"Are you giving me this so I have something to remember you by?"

He shrugged his shoulders, wishing he was more impervious to the earnest look on her face. She really was beautiful, in an uncommon elegant sort of way. "I don't know, the money went to Yahiko. I felt you deserved something too. You can sell it if you want."

She looked out the window to the busy street outside. "I'm sorry I didn't get you a ring. But I don't have any money, and you'll have plenty to remember me by anyways, right?"

He knew she meant the baby, but he didn't want her to think about that. Not today. He grinned, purple eyes flashing. "You mean the bill?"

She smiled faintly and was silent for a moment. "Are you still planning on moving in?"

"Yes."

"When?"

"Tomorrow."

Their food came. Kaoru didn't say anything until the waitress had delivered their plates and walked away. "There's no hurry, right?" she said then. "I mean, why don't you wait until after finals to move in. I'll be under a lot of pressure until then and-"

"Chicken." He accused in a low voice. "That's an excuse."

Her bright eyes went wide. "What do you mean?"

"You're scared, that you are." He leveled his gaze, catching her eyes, from under the fringe of red bangs.

"Of what?" she sat back; shocked at the look he was giving her. It unnerved her to see his eyes watching her behind the red strands.

"If that sorry excuse for a kiss you gave me and the chapel means anything, you're scared of me." His smile flashed, shark-like.

Her jaw dropped. "No, I'm not! It's just that I put you under a lot of pressure about that kiss, and I didn't want to make you feel like…I don't know…like it had to be a bigger deal than what it was. It was nothing to worry about, just a quick peck-"

"Any quicker and I would have missed it altogether. But I wasn't the one who was worried about it in the first place." His smile turned arrogant.

"Well, it's over with now. There's no use even talking about it." She went back to her food, prepared to drop it.

He waited until she glanced up at him, he grinned again. "I'll probably never mention it again if I could move in tomorrow."

Kaoru paused. "And if you can't?"

"You might never hear the end of it."

She stabbed a bite of meat with her fork and shoved it in her mouth. "Not that you'll be around for long…but have it your way." She grumbled and Kenshin nearly laughed out loud.

… . . …

"Thanks for the…wedding and everything." Kaoru said, hopping out of Kenshin's car almost as soon as he pulled into her driveway. He wondered if she thought he was going to force his way in and somehow convince her to let him stay the night or something. But it was too inconsistent with the other things she had said and done that day, such as how she'd behaved about the kiss. She didn't know she stirred anything in him. And it was better that way.

She probably just wanted to be alone. They'd already stopped by the hospital and presented Yahiko with a bunch of balloons and the Polaroid pictures taken by one of the witnesses at the chapel. The poor kid had gotten up so early and was up all that day so he could hardly keep his eyes open despite the excitement. Another round of chemotherapy and radiation had taken their tool as well, and when he fell asleep only minutes after they arrived, Kenshin talked Kaoru into letting him drive her home. It had been a big day for everyone.

Well it wouldn't take long to see Kaoru safely inside. He put the car in Park and cut the engine. "At least let me walk you to the front door."

"That's okay, I'm sure I can make it." She replied automatically.

Ignoring her, he popped the trunk, retrieved her luggage and carried it to the house. She unlocked the door and they both went inside. He delivered her suitcase to her room, noting the neatly made bed with the thick goose-down comforter and the orderly dresser top, on which sat a jewelry box and pictures of Yahiko. Curious to know what Saitou looked like, he glanced through all the photographs and poked his head into all the other rooms on his way out to look for a photo that might show Kaoru's ex, but couldn't find any.

He came down the hall wondering how Kaoru had managed to erase him from her life so completely. Had she ever really been in love with Saitou? "There's no boogiemen hiding in the closets." He said when he saw her. "I checked."

"Thanks, I'll rest a lot easier knowing that."

He grinned at her sarcasm, aiming to soften her up. His smile grew as he saw the slight curl or her lips. She really was too responsive for her own good. It made it very difficult to keep people at arm's distance.

"It's only ten o'clock," she said. "I guess we may as well finish off our wedding day with a few minutes of conversation and a cup of tea. I have a particularly good blend that one of my professors gave me when she heard about Yahiko. Any interest?"

He opened his mouth to respond but she cut him off. "And I'm warning you, if you say anything about the caffeine being bad for the baby, you'll go home right away and you won't be allowed back here for weeks, perhaps months."

Chuckling, he raised his hand like a pledge. "I won't say a word about the caffeine, that I won't"

"Good, then I won't have to kill you and plant you in the backyard."

She really had a sexy smile, he though, not quite a dimple, but close, and lots of teeth. Even and white.

"I'm not pregnant yet." She was saying. "I may as well enjoy my last cup."

"So you're going to give it up?" He asked. Kaoru growled at him, but he just laughed and followed her into the kitchen.

He took a seat at the table while she set a kettle on the stove. Thanks to the food he bought for her, she had some poppy seed muffins in her cupboard. He was about to suggest they have one when she reached up to get them herself. Her sweater lifted to reveal a section of creamy skin on her midriff; her narrow skirt hugged her trim behind.

Shaking his head, Kenshin let his breath glide silently through his teeth and pulled his gaze away. It had been a long time since he'd looked at a woman like that. Must have something to do with the wedding. A preacher pronounced them man and wife and suddenly he feels he has a right. But they weren't serious when they took those vows. He had to remember that.

"Hardly what you'd expect on your wedding night," she mused, setting a plate in front of him, "but it's the best I can do."

Not if she set her mind on giving him something better, he thought, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. He shouldn't have come in. He'd been enjoying her quick wit, admiring her beauty, taking in that musky scent of her all day. But his libido had defiantly shifted into high gear since they made it home. It had to be the expectations associated with a wedding night. The sudden and complete privacy. The frustration of missing her lips as they passed quickly over his during the ceremony. She'd been so close he could almost taste her, then she was gone.

"You're being very quiet." Kaoru cocked her head to the side. "What are you thinking about?"

Kenshin rubbed the back of his neck and took another deep breath. About eighteen months of celibacy and how long it suddenly seems. "Nothing."

She put her hand on her hip and turned to face him fully, the kettle started to steam behind her. "I think you're getting tired."

He wished he was. "Did you really love Saitou when you married him?" he asked.

She laughed. "Of course."

"Where are all of his pictures?"

"Right after he left I gouged out the eyes and then burned them. The one's of us anyways. I saved the ones with Yahiko, I figure maybe someday he would forgive him for abandoning us and may want them when he's older."

"But you won't, forgive him I mean."

She shrugged. "Maybe I will, when life gets easier. I don't feel ready to tackle that right now. And I don't think he cares much either way."

"Tell me how you met him."

Kaoru leaned against the cabinets. "Saitou is the last thing I want to talk about. Besides, you know my whole life history remember? Even the skeletons in my closet. Which gives you a distinct advantage.

"Why? Because you don't have any dirt on me?" he stretched his legs out in front of him and crossed his arms, enjoying the smell of the tea as it steeped. He knew she felt embarrassed about the night she slept with that stranger, but it was nothing compared to some of his exploits. "What would you like to hear about? The drinking? The fights? The women?"

Kaoru turned to take the kettle off the stove and poured them both a cup "Definitely not your sexual escapades."

"Don't worry. I was never like Saitou. I had my share of women, but they liked it just as light and easy as I did. I never made promises I couldn't keep and I never left anyone in the lurch, that I did not."

"Okay then, tell me about the fights. Were any of them very serious?"

"Not really. My older brother was small for his age and had to wear thick glasses to see the chalkboard. The other guys used to pick on him. I thought it was my duty to make the harassment stop."

"So you fought older boys?" Kaoru blinked in surprise as she stirred in a carefully measured spoon of sugar in each cup.

He ran a hand through his hair, not caring that it was starting to fall apart from its tie. He chuckled, "Probably once a week. I was always getting suspended from school. And not only were they guys I fought a couple years older, they were a whole hell of a lot meaner. They mostly kicked my ass."

"How did it stop?"

"I finally learned how to fight." He smiled.

Kaoru felt her lips curl upward. "Any scars."

"A few."

"Where?"

He lifted his shirt to show here were some drunk had cut him with a beer bottle on his left pectoral.

She surprised him by blushing, as though the sight of his bare chest embarrassed her.

"Ow." She finally muttered. "You got that when you were just a boy?"

"No I got this when I was twenty, in a bar fight, but it didn't hurt much at the time. I was too angry at the time."

Kaoru arched a delicate eyebrow. "I take it he regretted the decision to go after you?"

"I hope so." He said, touching the pale raised flesh. "I know I regretted mine, that I did."

She laughed, her eyes lingering on his chest for a moment longer. "You don't seem so reckless now, what reformed you?"

"I met Tomoe."

"Oh" Kaoru tore her eyes from Kenshin. "That's a testimony to the power of a good woman I guess."

"Yeah."

She brought a little jar of honey to the table and the two small tea cups. She then transferred the tea from the kettle to a more fashionable china teapot. She set the pot on a tray and carried it to the table. She poured Kenshin his tea. "Tell me about your brother. Does he live around here?"

Evidently she didn't want to talk about Tomoe anymore than he did. Except that it helped to act as a barrier between them, stopped his body and the chemistry between them from taking over. "He's married now, lives up north. My sister lives near here and my parents live down south where it's a little warmer."

Kaoru's spoon clinked against the small palm sized teacup as she added enough honey to turn the tea into syrup, but her eyes slanted up at him as she listened.

"They travel a lot between there and my brother's home."

"Are they coming here soon?"

"Yeah, now that it's warmer, their trip will start, they should be here next week, just in time to hear that we eloped. I'm going to tell my whole family at once and get it over with all at once, that I am."

"And what are you going to say about the baby?"

He set his spoon on the table, wanting to choose his words carefully. "As you know, our marriage solves lots of problems."

"And that's one of them, because it puts the horse before the carriage."

"Right. They've been bugging me to move on and get married again."

Kaoru licked her lips as something shot to the front of her mind. "So you're going to let them believe you tried. What, are you planning to tell them that I ran off and left you with the baby or something?"

Kenshin didn't answer.

"Well?"

He felt what could only be guilt stomp through his heart like a construction worker with big muddy boots. "Something like that."

She frowned, staring down into her cup, and he had the urge to lift her chin and tell her everything would be okay. But he couldn't make that promise. He wasn't feeling to sure of himself, so he kept his distance.

"That'll make me look good." She muttered. Not that it mattered; the truth wouldn't look any better.

He studied her reflection in the light that bounced off the window and the darkness beyond. "I'm sorry, Kaoru, but the truth would be worse." He said, almost as if reading her thoughts. "Especially for the baby right? We've already talked about this, or about most of this." He hadn't specifically mentioned his parents before. Maybe that was one of the ramifications she hadn't thought about. He guessed there'd be aspects of their deal that would surprise him too. His desire to slip his hands under Kaoru's sweater was one of them.

"I know." She sighed and finished stirring her tea, and twirled a finger in the wisps of hair that had fallen free from the mass of curls on top of her head. "Yahiko will have his operation. That's what matters. I can't forget that."

She spoke more to herself, so he didn't answer. Toying with the sugar, he took the conversation in a different direction altogether. "What made you go home with him?"

"Who?"

"The guy from the club."

Kaoru grimaced. "I don't know. I was drunk, but I can't really use that excuse. I went to the club planning on going home with someone. I think I was trying to convince myself that I wasn't so unappealing, you know? My husband had just left me for a girl still in highschool. I wanted to make sure I could attract a man."

Attract a man! If he still wasn't feeling for Tomoe, if he had any less restraint…"You could have had them standing in line," he said. "Why did you choose him?"

Kaoru shrugged. "He'd come on to me a lot. He was convenient. And I wasn't about to risk rejection." She took a sip of her tea. "I never knew how badly I'd regret it, though. I realized that I'm not cut out for meaningless sex. I just didn't want to be alone. You probably know as well as anyone, but after you've been married-even if it's not a great marriage, like mine- it's hard to be alone."

He focused on his own cup, finished his tea and muffin, and crossed the room to set his dishes in the sink. He could make it so she wasn't alone anymore, at least for tonight. There was nothing to stop him. Except his conscience. And probably, hopefully, her. "Loneliness makes people do crazy things."

"Yeah, like having a baby with a stranger." She gave him a weak smile from the table.

Or taking more from another person than one has a right to take. She was already giving him his baby, he had no right to hope for more.

Marshaling his self-control, he turned and smiled. 'Thanks for the coffee. I'll see you tomorrow."

She finished her own cup and only half the muffin and set her dishes on the counter and followed him out. "Good night."

He reached for the doorknob, hating the thought of going home to his empty bed and cold sheets, when a knock sounded on the opposite side. Surprised, he dropped his hand and glanced at his watch, wondering who would be showing up at Kaoru's doorstep at nearly eleven o' clock

The voice that came through the panel explained everything. "Kaoru, it's your uncle. I know this is probably isn't a good time to barge in, but I haven't been able to stop thinking about earlier. I'm sorry I missed the wedding, I think we should talk, dear, don't you?"

A/n Hmm this chapter was a tad longer than the others. But what a terrible place to end it! Arg. Now Kenshin and Kaoru have to pretend it's their wedding night in front of Gensai. Uh-oh. I hope there wasn't too many editing mistakes in this chapter, as I'm super tired and I have a rough time catching my own mistakes anyways.
Oh! I have a poll on my profile page regarding RK fics.. Please take the poll and let me know what parings I should write in my next series of fics. Please oh please. Thanks for reading and reviews are most loved!