Disclaimer: I do not own the Total Drama series or anything else copyrighted.
"How did you even get inside this morning, sweetie?"
"I still have my house key."
Mrs. Evans sighed, staring at her son. They were currently in her kitchen, sitting at the table. "And why on Earth do you still have your house key?"
"For moments like this?" Duncan shrugged. He wasn't quite sure why he still had his old key to his parents house, but he was sure glad he still had it, and that it still worked.
His Mom smiled, shaking her head lightly. "Well, I'm glad you made it in safely. So... Tell me about your fight with Courtney."
He sighed, letting out a long, deep breath. "She doesn't want to get married anymore, I guess."
She frowned, wrapping her hands around her coffee mug. "Why?"
He shrugged. "She said that we're getting married for the wrong reasons, and that we'll end up divorced."
"And what did you say?"
"Well, I asked her if she loved me, and she said she did, and I told her that that should be a good enough reason for us to get married."
When he didn't continue, his Mom asked, "Is that all you said?"
"Well, I told her I was tired of you guys and her parents telling us we should be getting married..."
She smiled, rolling her eyes. "I see your problem."
"And what's that?"
"Getting married because your Father and I and her parents say that you two should get married isn't a very good reason for getting married. And, I know you two are truly in love, and, yes, that kind of is a good reason, but there's much more than that."
"Tell me more, Mother Dearest."
Ignoring the name, she said to him, "Are you two prepared to get married?"
"I mean... I guess? We've lived together for years. Four and a half, to be exact...ish. We share our bills, and have since day one. We know how to share food and other sh- uh, stuff. I help her when she needs help, and vice-versa, and I'll continue to do so, and I guess vice-versa as well. And, well, I want to be with her forever," he quietly said.
She smiled. She was so proud of her son for turning into a smart, young man. Well, he was still a snarky boy with his faults here and there, but no one was perfect. "You failed to tell her this, right?"
"I... It was two-thirty in the morning, Ma. We were basically yelling at each other. Neither of us were thinking straight." He paused before adding, "And I would think she would know."
His Mom shrugged, taking a sip of her coffee. "Sometimes it's nice to be reminded of why you're loved by someone. It's easy to get caught up in the moment and forget all the reasons someone loves you. Why don't you talk to her?"
"I wouldn't know where to start." He sighed, running a hand over his head. "I think we need some time apart. Space is good, right?"
She shrugged. "Some space is good. Don't let this dwell on too long, though."
"Yeah, yeah," he muttered, standing up. He smiled at his Mom and said, "Thank you for the talk. But, I'm sleepy. I'm going to sleep for a little while now."
"Sleep well, sweetie. Remember: You're welcome to stay here as long as you need to."
"I know. You'd've changed the locks if I weren't welcome."
---
Courtney sighed as she walked up the Evans front steps. She draw her jacket and arms closer to her. It was gloomy outside, and the wind was blowing quite a bit. She quickly rung the doorbell and sighed.
She really hoped Duncan was there. They hadn't talked since their argument, and that was about eight hours prior to now. She couldn't fall back asleep, and was constantly thinking about what they were both saying. She felt guilty for basically breaking his heart, and very much breaking their engagement. She didn't blame him for his actions. She just hoped that he wasn't completely mad at her.
She wasn't surprised when his Mom opened the door. It was always either Duncan or him Mom that answered the door, not just when she arrived, but for everyone. His Mom looked a bit surprised to see her. She didn't like that look at all. "Hey, Mrs. Evans," Courtney said.
Mrs. Evans laughed. "It's almost like deja vu." Her tone suddenly changed when she softly asked, "Are you looking for Duncan?"
Courtney nodded, looking down. "Yeah," she squeaked out.
"He told me what happened," his Mom softly said. "I don't blame you for saying what you did, and he knows that."
Courtney looked up, her eyes wide and surprised. "Really?" Mrs. Evans nodded, stepping forward and wrapped her arms around Courtney. The tears immediately formed in her eyes and instantly began to fall. She felt sobs rise through her and she muttered, "I said some stupid things. I screwed up our engagement. I shouldn't have said anything at all..."
"No, you didn't," Mrs. Evans softly said, rubbing her back. "Communication is a vital part to a relationship. Fights are normal, too. Don't let one lead you to believe you two are over and done with."
Courtney nodded but continued to cry. "I don't know what to do..."
"Why don't you talk to him?" his Mom asked, stepping back and placed her hands on Courtney's shoulders. "He's upstairs in his room. He may be asleep, though."
Courtney nodded, wiping away her tears. "Thank you so much... Suocera."
His Mom laughed as they stepped inside. "You know I'd prefer if you called me by my first name, Suzie, but if you insist on the formalities, I'd much rather Mrs. Evans than Suocera. Even Mom would suffice."
Courtney laughed as she headed upstairs. "I'll keep that in mind!" She continued to smile as she made her way to Duncan's room. She quietly opened the door, hoping the noise wouldn't wake him up. She saw that he was laying down on his bed, his back turning to the door. She quietly made her way over to his bed, slipping off her shoes before laying down next to him. She laid there for a few moments, thinking while staring at his backside. She reached forward and started rubbing his forearm.
It felt really good to be in the same room as him, and it felt even better that she was laying next to him. Granted, he wasn't awake, and who knows how he'd act when he woke up, but she was still a bit happier regardless. She leaned closer to him, her hand still resting on his forearm. She shut her eyes, just trying to rest her eyes for a few moments.
"What the- Oh... Courtney..."
Courtney slowly opened her eyes. She felt so tired for only shutting her eyes for a few moments. At least, she thought she was just resting her eyes. She glanced up and saw Duncan staring over at her with a slightly confused look on his face.
"When did you get here?" he tiredly asked.
She tiredly reached behind her, feeling around his bedside table before finally grabbing her phone. She looked at it and saw that it was 4:30PM. "About four hours ago," she murmured, reaching behind her to put the phone back on the table. Instead, it ended up on the floor.
He smirked at her, clearly amused. "Need some help?"
She let out a tiny smile, shaking her head. She then leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Duncan, hugging him the best she could.
He returned the hug, resting his forehead against hers. "I'm sorry," he muttered.
She shook her head. "You have nothing to be sorry about."
"I should've been calmer and should have listened to you more."
She smiled and gave him a small kiss. "It's alright. I'm sorry I wasn't more open with you. I should've told you about these feelings earlier."
He shrugged, his hand running along her back in a comforting matter. "I shouldn't have stormed out."
"That you shouldn't have," she said, poking him in the chest with an amused grin on her face.
He laughed, kissing her nose. "So, how's the baby?"
"Six pounds, eight ounces," she said.
"Boy or girl?"
"They had a girl. Her name is Isabelle."
Duncan smiled, and then remembered what his Mom told him. He slowly sat up and said, "Sit up. I wanna talk to you." When she gave him a worried glance, he continued to smile and said, "It's nothing bad. I promise." She sat up, sitting in front of him. He let out a small breath and grabbed her hands. "You know I love you, right?"
"I do."
"Good." He sat there for a few moments, gathering his thoughts. He then continued, "I really do want to be with you forever, Courtney. And we've lived together for so long already, and people always tell us we act like a married couple. I've always helped you when you needed help and I'll always continue to do so. You know I don't like seeing you upset, and, well... gosh, this is going to sound cliche and horrible, but... When you're happy, I'm happy. When you laugh, I laugh. When you cry, I feel like shit and want to make you feel better ASAP." He chuckled and muttered, "I hate being this much of a sap..."
She laughed, a genuine, bright, wide smile on her face. "True, it's not very like your 'normal' self, but I love it."
He smiled and said, "Well... Courtney Richardson... Will you marry me?"
She grinned, nodding her head. "I will!" she happily said.
He grinned and said, "Good." He reached on his bedside table and grabbed her engagement ring. He held it in front of her face and said, "I believe this is yours..."
She placed it on her left ring finger and said, "It felt so weird not wearing this ring today..."
"I knew you liked the ring..."
"I never said I didn't, darling."
Duncan chuckled, leaning back and resting his head on his pillows. "Aah, this reminds me of the good ol' days..." He grimaced slightly before correcting himself by saying, "Well, some of the good ol' days..."
"What are you talking about?" Courtney asked, resting her elbow on her leg and her head on her hand.
"You know, back when we were in high school and you'd be here and we'd just chat and chat for hours..."
Courtney nodded, drumming her fingers against her jaw. She then smirked and said, "I guess I'd call what we did 'chatting'..."
"Oh, you know we did some of that, while we did a little something else, too..." He winked at her.
She rolled her eyes, still smirking. She leaned over and rested her head on his knee and muttered, "I'm glad I'm done with school..."
"Me, too... Well, I'm glad to be out of school..."
She smiled, patting his thigh. "I'm just glad to have started my career, you know?"
He nodded, grabbing her hand in his. Suddenly, his Mom burst into the room. Frantically, she said, "We're going out to dinner."
Duncan raised an eyebrow before a highly amused smirk began to slowly form. "Somebody forgot it was my birthday..."
"Well... I was a little distracted..."
"By the birthday boy himself..." Duncan said, wickedly grinning.
His Mom sighed, smiling lightly. "I'm glad I didn't wake you two up. You two ready? We'll go... Where do you want to go to dinner at?"
"Let's go to Chili's," Duncan muttered, shrugging as he slid off the bed.
"Alrighty, I'll inform your Father and brothers," Mrs. Evans said, shutting the door as she walked away from the room.
Duncan straightened up as he stretched. He turned around and saw Courtney still laying on the bed. Now she was on her back, her hands resting behind her head and her eyes shut. "Now, I know you heard my Ma just now," he said, looking down at his fiancee.
She opened an eye and said, "I sure did."
"Well, c'mon, Princess."
She shut her eye and wickedly grinned. "If I'm such a Princess, you better start treating me like one."
"And what would you like me to do, your royal highness?"
"Carry me."
He laughed. "If that'll get your lazy ass outta my bed..."
Her eyes instantly shot open. "HEY! I am not a-"
"Yeah, yeah, shut up and hold on," he muttered, leaning over and wrapping his arms around her waist. She squeaked, instantly wrapping her arms around his neck. He hoisted her out of bed, wrapping an arm underneath her bottom and the other securely fastened around her waist. She kept one leg wrapped around his waist, and the other around the top of his legs.
"I... I cannot believe you just did that," she muttered, her eyes wide.
He chuckled, quickly pecking her lips. "I'm pretty fit, darling."
She shook her head, now giggling. She loosened up and stared at him before asking, "Are you having a good birthday, Duncan?"
He nodded. "It's been pretty good."
She raised an eyebrow. "You've got to be kidding me."
"What? Boys aren't as emotional as girls." He laughed when she punched his shoulder. "We made up, didn't we? And neither of us have to pay for my birthday dinner."
"I left your present at home," she muttered.
He shrugged. "We're back together, and we're engaged. And you're alive. That's all that matters." She smiled and was about to respond when he promptly put her down while muttering, "I take that back: You are a bit heavy..."
"You asshole!"
A/N: Thank you all for the reviews! Keep them coming! I'm glad you all were able to say "I DIDN'T LIKE THAT!" But, of course, the drama didn't last too long ;) And except the wedding in the next two-three chapters. Give your ideas for ceremony ideas! And, I suspect this story will end in three-four chapters. I know, very sad, but there's still the prequel to read! Thanks!