Hope you like...

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The entire week, Meg, Amilee, Robby and Lissa had fun. They went to the zoo and saw the elephants, and made Robby take almost fifty pictures there. They went out to dinner and really did bash around the city, even hitting one of Copenhagen's famous discotheque's on Tuesday night. It was a fun week, since nobody had the pressure to win the Championships. They would all be going to Torino, so the anxiety to qualify wasn't there.

That didn't stop them from practicing, however. Pavel didn't push Meg very hard, but she definitely worked all of her footwork combinations so that she was comfortable. The quad was looking good, and every day she grew even more confidant.

It was also lovely to spend time with her best friends. Having all three of them in once place with a week to hang out was sheer bliss. She couldn't wait to go to dinner with everyone once Andy got into town.

Her costumes were cleaned by experts, and ready to go, and Meg was feeling fabulous. When Andy, Mark and Derek got in on Thursday night, they caught a taxi to the hotel where Meg had booked them a room. Unfortunately, there was only one room to be had so the three of them had to share. Meg was a little worried that Mark would make Andy sleep on the floor.

As soon as they put their bags in their room, they went down to Meg's room, where they saw the entire group sitting on Meg's giant queen bed. Robby was stretched out across the bottom, while Amilee and Lissa sat next to Meg against the headboard. The custom was to leave the door slightly open so that other skaters could come in and chat, and Andy opened the door a little bit, wanting to make sure he had the right room.

"Hello?"

Meg flew off the bed and wrapped her legs around his waist as she kissed him, ignoring the whoops and hollers from Amilee and Lissa. When Meg finally let go, she grinned up at him.

"Welcome to Copenhagen."

"You know, that's the exact welcome I got at the airport."

She just laughed and went to hug her father and uncle, as Andy was accosted by Lissa and Amilee. When they had finished hugging and kissing them, Andy and Robby man-hugged and shook hands.

"Good to see you."

"You as well."

Amilee turned her attention to Mark and Derek.

"Monsieur's. Welcome to Copenhagen."

She kissed Derek's cheek, and then sent Mark a sultry grin as he threw his head back and laughed.

"C'mere, Amilee."

Mark gave her a bear hug and gave her a peck on the lips. "That's all you get, you little minx. I'm a committed man now."

She just winked at him. "You're too old for me anyway."

"Ouch. That hurt. A lot. You know what? Forget Addison. Let me show you what an old man can do."

Amilee just laughed, and patted his cheek before walking away.

"I think I just got taken down a notch. Thanks, Blondie."

She and Lissa went back to sit on the bed, and Robby greeted Derek and Mark.

"Hey Germany, how's it going?"

"Pretty good. Yourself?"

"Not bad. I'm excited for tomorrow. It'll be fun. How could it not be; you have the girls who are going to go one, two, and three in this room!"

Meg smiled at Robby as she sat on Andy's lap in the armchair. She was wearing cashmere lounge pants and an old Brookings tshirt that had shrunk in the wash. She had her hair in a high ponytail that reached just above her mid back, and Amilee had just painted her toenails a dark red. Andy cupped her foot and kissed her neck, just under her ear.

"Very pretty toes."

She giggled, and snuggled more into his chest. Andy's phone beeped, and he pulled out the blackberry to check it. He typed something in, and put it back in his pocket.

"What was that"

"My alarm."

"We were watching some game show, but it's in Danish and we don't really understand it. And also, Robby is lying about the translations because Amilee googled it."

"I told you, it's loose translation. I speak German, not Danish."

A couple minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Andy whispered in Meg's ear.

"Surprise."

She looked at him in confusion as Derek went to open the door.

"Can I help you?"

"I'm here to see Meg."

In the chair with Andy, Meg heard the voice.

"Oh my god."

Immediately, she leapt out of Andy's arms and ran around the room and to the door, where she jumped into the arms of Luke Beyers. She didn't wrap her legs around him, but she wrapped her arms around his neck and he lifted her off the ground.

"What the fuck are you doing here?"

He just laughed as he walked into the room, still sort of carrying her.

"Aren't you happy to see me?"

"I'm thrilled to see you, but you're supposed to be in France."

"Come on, Meg. France is like, two hour's plane ride away. Did you really think I'd miss this?"

He put her back on her feet and she kissed his cheek, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Everyone, this is Luke. Lukas Beyers. My best friend."

Andy stood up. "Oh absolutely not. This is Luke Beyers, my best friend."

Andy and Luke hugged each other, thrilled to see each other again. They had been friends for almost twelve years, since they had entered Brookings. They were also as different as possible.

Andy was realistic, practical. He dealt in medicine and saving lives. He didn't have an artistic bone in his body, but was a great lover of art; because of both Meg and Luke.

Luke was the essence of all things creative. He was a painter and a writer who celebrated life through art. He had started at Brookings as a law student because of his parents. Luke came from an extremely prominent and rich Philadelphia family who had generations of prestigious lawyers. His father had sent him to Brookings to be a law student, but Luke had quickly shown his flair for writing. Mr. Beyer had refused to allow his son to attend Brookings to pursue writing, so at age fourteen, Luke had decided to follow both law, to please his father, and writing for himself. A double major essentially.

But then, Luke had discovered painting.

His natural talent at painting was the kind of thing the art department craved to teach, and he then began in the art program. It was part of the brilliance of Luke really; he graduated from Brookings with Andy with three degrees; law, art, and writing. It was almost unheard of, but it could be done. Having pleased his father by graduating with the law degree, he then told Grant Beyer that he could go to hell, and took off for Paris to further his studies independently.

The talent that Luke had with a brush or a pen was unbelievable. His paintings were brilliant, and his stories absolutely gripping. He was scheduled to make a debut in March with his paintings, and he had already written his first book, which was undergoing the publishing process.

So, essentially, Luke was creative. It was why he and Meg had connected so well. She was an imaginative being herself, with her skating and music, and they had clicked almost immediately. Luke was probably one of the reasons that Meg and Andy had gotten together in the first place.

"Hey brother."

They had been like brothers, really. Neither of them were exceedingly close with their families- especially Luke-, and the two of them had been a team.

"Listen, you've met Robby and Amilee and Lissa."

"Yeah. Last year, in New York."

"It's nice to see you again."

Lissa smiled shyly, and Amilee shook his hand. "Meg tells me you've been in Paris."

"Yes."

"My hometown."

He smiled, and she winked. She did that a lot.

Luke was attractive in the very typical artistic way. He wore his hair a little longer than Andy's but it had a life of it's own. When he painted or wrote, he ran his hands through it so many times that it resembled a forest. He was lean- thinner than Andy, and stood at five foot nine. He also had an interesting sense of dress. He wore a lot of scarves, wrapped around his neck multiple times, with all kinds of vintage jackets and shirts, and well fitting jeans. He had glasses that resembled the old NASA glasses, and he wore Birkenstocks habitually. He spoke in a smooth voice, and had an intricate personality.

"Luke, it's so fucking good to see you."

Meg put her arms around Andy and Luke, and kissed both of their cheeks.

"I think we need to go get dinner. There's a Thai place two streets over."

The door opened, and Pavel walked in. "I think you need all of your friends to leave so you can get some rest."

Meg wanted to argue, but Andy just kissed the top of her head. "Pavel's right. You need your sleep. Come on."

Amilee and Lissa took the admonishing glance from Pavel, and ducked out of the room, followed by Robby, who looked Pavel in the eyes.

"I don't take orders from anyone…I am, however, going to go and eat dinner with my coach, and then go to bed. But only because it's what I want to do."

"Get out."

Robby kissed Meg's cheek, slapped Andy's back, and left. Mark and Derek then said goodbye to Meg, and walked out with Luke, who gently kissed Meg's lips and her forehead.

"Good Luck Maggie."

Once Meg and Andy were alone (Pavel had stepped into the hallway), he kissed her with all he was worth.

"Ooh. Do that again."

"If I do that, then I'll never leave."

She leaned in to kiss him again. "Sounds like a plan to me."

"Good luck tomorrow. We'll be right there watching."

"What do you say we forget this whole ice skating thing and rent a room at one of those couples resorts? There's a great one in north Denmark, I hear."

Andy laughed. "What did you ever do without me? You have no will power."

"I had will power until I met you."

"That's sweet, I think."

"You're in Copenhagen. This is one of my favorite cities. Sunday night, you and I are going to have fun. They'll be dinner, and we can go ice skating in the Pirokov Square, and then go for desert at Rilnaitv's-"

"I will be happy to do all that with you and the rest of our friends. And we can talk about it. I love you. Goodnight."

He kissed her again, and left her in the hotel room, passing Pavel in the hall.

"She's all yours."

Pavel nodded, and went in. Andy took the elevator down to the lobby, where Mark, Derek and Luke were waiting in the hotel bar. Mark and Derek seemed to like Luke, who had a great sense of humor.

"Alright. She's in for the night. What should we do? Find a bar?"

Luke nodded."I'm up for that. Let me ask the concierge."

He went up to the concierge, and began chatting with him in French. Two minutes later, he returned.

"There's a great lounge bar about four blocks away."

"Sounds good."

They began to walk, with Derek and Mark in front and Andy and Luke just behind. The two boys talked the entire way there, catching up, and when they got to the lounge, they were seated in a four seat high top table. The waitress came up with some bread and took their orders; beer for Andy and Derek, scotch for Luke and Mark.

"So. Luke. What do you write?"

"Fiction. Short stories."

"Luke has a book coming out in June."

"Wow. That's great."

"Thanks. It's a short novel, actually, so I'm pretty excited. Right now I'm focusing on my painting."

It seemed to go like that. When he was in the mindset to paint, he couldn't write. As soon as he began writing, he had trouble painting. It seemed that his creative thought process could switch from one to the other. So far, he was usually able to work in one sphere or the other.

"But Andy's told us you have a law degree?"

"Yeah, but that was only to please my father. He threatened to stop paying for Brookings if I didn't do a law degree, and I seemed to be okay at the process in school, so I just went ahead and got it, then went to Paris in June to spend some time there."

"Do you think you'll end up there?"

"I think that eventually, I'll buy a permanent residence in Seattle. Something small. I travel a lot, so it's just nice to have a home base, and we had always talked about me just sort of keeping a home near Meg and Andy."

Andy snorted. "We want him to just move in for good- he travels so fucking much, and he takes up like, two rooms, so that's what we would like. But he's being irritating."

"You and Meg need your space."

"You know you're always welcome with us. She loves you as much as I do."

"Newlyweds need their space."

Mark laughed. "They aren't newlyweds. This one right here will be a newlywed in two weeks, but Meg and Andy won't be newlyweds for-"

"I'm proposing at Christmas."

There was a silence at the table as Mark and Derek looked at him in shock. The waitress came back with their tray of drinks, and set them down. As soon as she had left, Mark and Derek clinked beer glass and scotch tumbler and began to drink.

"I mean, I'm planning on it. It's time. I need her to know that I'm committed, regardless of how her skating career goes. I love her. So much. And, I uh. I want to spend the rest of my life with her. So, I guess…this is me asking you for that ring, as soon as you get back from your honeymoon with Meredith. Which translates, roughly into me…asking you for permission."

Even Mark had to restrain himself from making a comment due to the gravity of the situation. Derek was still shocked and couldn't really say anything. He just stared at Andy, unsure of how to even really proceed.

"I wanted to ask you in private. I did. But…I uh. I think this works. I'm asking to be part of your family."

"You already are part of my family."

Mark hesitantly put his hand on Derek's shoulder, as Luke discreetly put his hand on Andy's upper knee in a silent show of support.

"I think Derek is worried that you guys are too young."

"I love her. We share the same house. We have joint accounts. Everything is in both of our names. We share…a bed. But I want to make it official. I want to make her my wife."

"You know, when I first met you, it wasn't that you were older than her. Or that I worked with you. I mean, it was, but it was that she was so ready to have everything. And I want it for her. I was just so sad because I'd lost her. That she wasn't my little girl anymore and I had missed so much. But you've changed her. She's more independent and confidant and assertive because of you, and I know how much you love each other. She's already your wife. I can't wait for the ceremony. Of course you have my blessing."

Mark patted Derek's back.

"Mine too. Mine's the one you need."

Andy smirked.

"Does that mean I can call you Uncle Mark?"

"No it does not, asshole."

Andy turned to Luke. "You know this means you have to be there at Christmas. If you miss this, she'll fucking kill you."

"I'll be there. I won't be able to get in till Christmas Eve, though. I have a showing in Paris I have to go to."

"As long as you're in by Christmas Eve, it's fine. I'm also getting her one of those fluffy dogs that she wants."

"She needs a real dog."

"Don't tell me, please. I know."

They drank up, and continued to talk. Eventually, they got onto the subject of the wedding.

"You must be very excited," Luke said.

"I am. I'm thrilled. Meredith is…wonderful."

"I can imagine- Maggie sings her praises. She's thrilled that you've found happiness again. She's also extremely happy that her Aunt Addison is happy with you," he nodded towards Mark.

Mark smiled. "So, I can't figure out how I haven't met you."

"I'm not really the meet the parents type. I was pretty busy at Brookings."

"And when he wasn't busy in the studio, or in the library writing, or studying for his law classes, he was dating girls. Luke here is a regular Casanova."

"Only because you got the best girl there is."

They both smiled, thinking back on the time that Meg had come into their lives. Her relationship with Andy had been absolutely rocky, even after that evening they watched Titanic, and she had met Luke the next day.

There was little question that Luke and Meg would be almost more suited to be together than Meg and Andy were. They had clicked so intensely, and Andy was fully convinced that Luke had fallen in love with Meg almost the moment they had met. Luke, however, had backed away, understanding how deeply Andy had cared for Meg, and had never made any romantic overtures towards her.

Andy trusted Luke with Meg in any situation, because he knew that the two were extremely close. Luke and Robby were one of her four best friends, and she loved them as dearly as she loved Amilee and Lissa, if not more.

"You'll find your Meg. In the meantime, Amilee is a whole lot of fun."

"Please do not fix me up with Meg's friends- you know it'll only end badly."

"So. Mark. What about you. Going to marry Addison?"

"If you know what's good for you, punk, you'll keep your mouth shut. Addison and I are doing just fine, thank you."

"I'm just saying. Meg will have a ring, Meredith will be married…"

Mark rolled his eyes.

"Mind your own business. Meg hasn't said yes yet. She could still grow a brain."

"I need some more alcohol."

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Brookings Academy Crew Match; Brookings vs. Harvard, 3 years earlier.

Meg had walked to the river where the Crew matches were held. The night before with Andy had been amazing, and she was feeling better about their relationship. She still felt a little apprehensive, because they were moving so fast. Still, she had put on her most fetching sundress, which was a lovely blue with white flowers, and put on a pair of white lace flats. She had put her hair in curls, and tied a white bow at the base of her neck to make a lose ponytail.

By the bank, lots of people were already seated, on picnic blankets and on the grass, enjoying the morning sunshine.

Several of the girls from her dorm went to the crew matches because they knew the boys on the team. They had brought blankets to sit on, and Meg had brought a parasol because she was absolutely not allowed to get any darker. They put the blanket next to some others that had people they knew, and sat down to watch.

Andy's race was fourth, and supposedly the most important and contested race that there would be.

"Do you know how long till Andy's race?"

Lying at the edge of one of the blankets was another guy, leaning back on his elbows. He had chestnut colored hair and wore light wash jeans with a white dress shirt and a short leather jacket. When Meg asked, he turned around and smiled.

"Andy Carmichael? About an hour, I think."

"Thanks. What's he rowing?"

"One thousand yards. The big one."

Meg smiled. "You'll have to forgive me. I've only been to one other regatta. If the course is only five hundred yards now…"

"That's what's beautiful this one thousand. At the other end, there'll be another boat waiting, and they'll transfer and come back. It really tests the endurance. And it's two man, which makes it really intense."

"You seem to know a lot about rowing."

"I used to row myself. Now, I paint."

"Yes, you've got some yellow by your eyebrow."

He patted his eyebrow to wipe it away and smiled.

"My apologies. I can never seem to get it all off. I'm an embarrassment."

"You should stop going out in public. What do your friends say about you?"

"I'm the shame of my frat."

He said it with such a serious face that she burst out laughing. He smiled as well, and scooted himself up just a few feet so they were a bit nearer.

"What do you paint?"

"Everything really. Right now I'm focused on life portraits."

"And before that?"

"I had a strange attraction to landscapes."

She laughed again. "You do paint everything."

"The portraits I've been doing lately are traditional. You know, sitting and having your portrait drawn. But I really enjoy doing drawings of people. Being still and all."

"And what do you paint with?"

"Everything, again. Charcoals, a lot. Oils. I do watercolors, but they aren't as bold as I like."

"Do you have a favorite artist, then?"

Luke smiled, and shook his head. "Not a singular one, but of course I'm influenced by others' work."

"Like who?"

"For oils, I've always loved Rembrant."

"His portraits?"

"Yes. I really focused on oil portraits for a while. They're difficult for me."

"I like Rembrant. There's something interesting about his subjects. I always wondered who they were. How they lived their lives and why. Especially his paintings that showed the whole body."

"Who do you like?"

"I'm quite traditional about what I love, but I also love seeing difference in art. But I do love the regular crowd. Van Gogh, but only for the color. I like the combinations. Mary Cassatt always makes me feel happy."

"What about Monet?"

"I love Monet. Really. Woman With a Parasol, a lot, and the gardens and…Poplars."

"Woman with Parasol facing left, or right, or with child?"

He wondered if she would know. She seemed somewhat educated about art.

"Left. It's like he caught her just as she turned to look. But my absolute favorite is by Renoir."

"Let me guess then. Two Sisters on the Terrace?"

"No."

"The Girl With a Watering Can."

"Nope."

"Dance in the City?"

"Sorry."

"Alright. Tell me then."

"Lunch at the Restaurant Fournaise."

"Interesting. Why?"

Meg took a deep breath and mulled it over, picturing it in her head.

"I just…they way they're lounging. There's something innocent and relaxed and somehow sexual about it. I don't know. I've seen it so many times. Every time I'm in Chicago, I just love looking at it. It works, because I also love Paris Street, a Rainy Day, by Caillebotte. Maybe that makes sense; they were only painted two years apart. The Renoir in 1875 and the Caillebotte '77. I like that period a lot."

"You know a lot about art."

"I took some art history classes. And I've read a lot. I didn't really settle on my major till late."

"And it is?"

"English Literature with a…minor or double in Business."

"Are you doing undergraduate?"

"Yes. I'm not following graduate studies here. Are you just an art major?"

Luke laughed a little bit. "Not exactly. I'm in the writing program, as well as law studies."

"You're a triple? Wow. That's intense. Why all three?"

"Writing and Art are for me. Law is for my father."

"And once you finish at Brookings?"

"I'll be pursuing art and writing."

"The creative writing program, then?"

"Yes. Fiction."

"And what kind of fiction?"

"The kind that's like non-fiction."

Meg smiled, and accepted a glass of lemonade from one of the other girls on her blanket.

"Who's your favorite writer?"

"I don't have one. Writers who have favorite writers can't really write. I'd rather guess your favorite."

"Alright."

He studied her for a long moment, his intense stare making her blush.

"I'd say Austen, but I think she's too simple for you. So then I'd go to Bronte. But the question is Charlotte or Emily."

"What makes you think I like either of them?"

"Let's call it a feeling. Anyway. I'd go with Emily. You look like you would love a tortured soul, and Jane Eyre isn't that tortured, it only appears like it. Wuthering Heights seems more like you."

She gave him a small smile. "How did you know?"

"Because. Well, first- you love Jane Austen, correct?"

"Yes."

"You're too much like her books. You're an Austen character; lovely and serene. Too beautiful. And you love Austen because you relate, but people connect most deeply with characters that are just like them but different. Jane Eyre is boring. There's nothing about her to endear her."

"Alright. So you can read me like a book."

"Maybe. Let's see. You tell people that Pride and Prejudice is your favorite because you think Wuthering Heights is too dark."

"You're wrong. Pride and Prejudice isn't my favorite."

"No?"

"I prefer Persuasion. Have you read Austen at all?"

"Of course. I've read all the classics. But I stand corrected."

Meg smirked a little bit."So. What else do I like?"

"I'd say…Little Women? You look like you might think you're something like Jo. And Anne of Green Gables. You secretly love the imaginative redhead. And…let me think. You look like just the sort to like wild romances. So let's see. Something older…Gone With the Wind?"

Meg's mouth dropped open as she looked at him in disbelief. He had just named some of her favorite novels.

"How did you know."

Luke smiled, the gesture lighting up his eyes. "I like to guess things about people. Books, especially."

"I'm not just a romantic ninny, you know."

"No?"

"I like the Russian writers as well. Tolstoy. Dostoevsky. Pushkin. Chekhov is my favorite."

"I like Checkhov too. By the way, I'm Luke Beyers."

He lazily held out his hand, and Meg smiled as she took it. "Maggie Shepherd."

Luke's face froze for a moment, turned sad, then resigned, as he smiled to himself, and gave a half laugh.

"You Meg...Andy's Meg."

She nodded. "Yes, I suppose. I met Andy a few months ago."

"You're an ice skater."

"Yes. Are you very good friends with Andy?"

Luke nodded slowly. "He's my best friend. We're roommates."

"Oh. I'm glad we met. Andy and I had a long talk last night. I think…that I'm going to be around more."

"I'm glad. And yes, Andy told me."

Luke felt the pangs of disappointment inside. He had thought the girl sitting on the bank was beautiful. She'd looked so fresh and lovely that he'd been immediately transfixed. The light blue sundress showed off her figure, and gave her an old sixties look, and her face had been clean and with minimal make up.

He'd heard her laugh with the other girls, and he'd turned around just in time to see hear ask about the race.

An English lit minor. How delightful. Luke would have loved to take her for coffee and talk with her about literature. She was just the sort of romantic that he was, and he liked her immediately.

Until she'd said her name. Meg Shepherd. Knowing his best friend as he did, Luke knew how taken he'd been with the ice skater from the girls dorm across the quad. He'd pursued her relentlessly, sending her flowers and chocolates and attempting to court her. And he'd been disappointed when she hadn't really returned the sentiment. At the time, Luke had been amused by the sheer number of bouquets and attempts that Andy had made. But then, Andy had come home the night before on Cloud 9. He had immediately called the two other girls he was dating, in groups and just to pass time, and told them that he was in a committed relationship and wouldn't be dating anymore. Something about Meg Shepherd had bewitched him, and Luke could certainly understand it.

"So how long have you known Andy?"

"A long time. We came in the same year."

"He told me once that his roommate was his best friend. That you were like brothers."

"Yes... I'd do anything for Andrew."

Including staying away from Meg in any romantic sense.

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A/N: I hope you liked it. Yes, there's a section in there straight out of Pride and Prejudice the movie.

Luke is going to be important.

In my head, he looks like Robert Pattinson.

Please Review!