He paced back and forth in his room, the three bodies on his bed watching him, as he opened and closed his mouth like a fish. How was he supposed to spit it out? How was he supposed to get them in on this, when the last time he had gotten this so horribly horribly wrong, he had lost her.

But he loved her.

Sibling-family-children-Foreman meeting, is what he had called in the living room. And now that he was standing there...

Fuck.

He sighed. He had looked over at her the other day, in the Vista Cruiser, naked, and smoking a joint with him. And maybe it was his drug-induced haze, but he just instantly knew that was what he wanted. Hell, he was so in love with her that he knew he could never let her go.

The next day, he finally did it. He put a down payment on a ring, and brought it home.

And now, it's been two weeks and he doesn't know what to do. With the ring, how to ask the question without fucking up what had been going so well. And, in the event she objected his question, how he was going to react in terms of being understanding. Anxiety bubbled up in the pit of his stomach, and his palms got sweaty, as he swallowed thickly, his breath shaky as he exhaled.

He turned to them, fiddling with the box in his pocket, silently. The three just sat there, Jackie with her eyebrows raised, Laurie examining her nails, and Hyde focused on his shoes. He would spit it out when he was ready.

Instead, he took the box out of his pocket and flicked it open. Jackie let out a gasp, which caused the other to to snap into looking at him. Hyde coughed. The ring wasn't crazy. A small gold band with diamonds in it, and it was in a black velvet box.

"Foreman, we've been through this before..." Steven started, looking at him. He pursed his lips. "Donna, man, she-she-"

"I know." Eric stated, sitting backwards in the wooden chair at his desk. "And there's no pressure. I understand if she says no." His voice was distant. "But, man... I don't know how to explain to you how I feel about her."

Steven felt a smile tug at the sides of his mouth. "I get it." He told him. "You're just doin' the Foreman-y thing right now."

"I've had the ring for like two weeks." He admitted. Laurie scoffed. "And you didn't consult with us sooner? Come on, little brother, what are ya waiting on?"

"Yeah? Why did you buy the ring in the first place?" Jackie piped up, ignoring the fuzzy feeling in her stomach from Steven's comment.

"I don't know. I'm nervous." His entire last two weeks had been a distorted mess of fighting with himself. He could just keep the ring and wait, or, he could possibly make one of the worst decisions of his life and scare her off again. Or, he could make the best decision. Steven snorted, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"I say it's a hit or miss. She's crazy about you, but remember the promise ring fiasco? And California? C'mon man, you gotta think with your brain." He told his adopted brother.

"Well, yeah, but she and I have actually talked about marriage and kids this time around. I think it's so badass how she wants to be a career woman. I want that to be my wife, man." Eric ran a hand through his messy hair. "She's everything to me. I don't know what I should do."

"I say just ask." Laurie piped up. "Worst she's gonna say is no, and all you gotta do is say I understand, Donna. And then, you pretend like it didn't happen." She mimicked him, shrugging her shoulders. "And you return the ring, and you wait another few years. You guys graduate in a few months. Not like you guys are twelve."

"I agree with Laur. Just ask her. The ring is small though." She teased. "Donna's lumberjack fingers deserve better."

"Haha." His sarcastic laugh floated over towards the tiny brunette, before hugging her from the side. "I'm gonna ask." He told them after a moment.

"Okay, man. But, I'm out of it." Steven put his hands up in defense.

The wind whipped her red locks around in circles as they walked through the woods, teeth chattering, linked together as they giggled like grade school children. It was cold enough that her cheeks were rosy red, and Eric was sure his fingers were numb, but it wasn't quite cold enough that anything would be frozen yet. So, he took his woman somewhere that he knew was a special spot for all of them.

She furrowed her brows.

"Why are we at the water tower?" She asked him, voice hinting at confusion, and looking up the ladder.

"Just climb the ladder, and enjoy the spontaneous date, my love." He booped her nose jokingly after the statement, and she laughed, climbing up first, him following behind. He whistled at her jokingly, and she wiggled her ass in his face, laughing.

When they got to the top, she sat down on the edge with him, feet dangling. Over the nearly bare treetops now, you could see Point Place's tight-knit community with a bunch of lights, and further into the distance the city so far away with its bajillion twinkling lights like golden speckles. The stars above shone brightly, and the moon illuminated the space where they sat, catching on her beautiful eyes, and making Eric grin like a dope.

"You've been acting weird for the last few weeks... What's up?" She finally questioned, tearing her gaze away from the beautiful view. His stomach dropped out beneath him as his mouth dried out. "I love you." He told her quickly, and she furrowed her brows. "I love you too." She told him, but it sounded more like a question than a response.

"I have a question, actually." He prodded, swinging his feet, eyes sparkling as he scanned over the fall view.

"Which would be?" She prompted, her stomach flipping around restlessly.

"If you don't respond the way I want, I won't be mad." He told her, glancing at her. "But if the answer is no, you need to promise not to be mad." He fiddled with the box in his pocket.

"Eric, what are you talking about? We're not trying anal." She stood up. He followed, laughing. "No, Donna, I love you." He told her, grasping her hands. "My hands are numb." He was sheepish. "I love you and I want to be able to love you for a long, long time."

"I love you too."

"Marry me." He spit it out, quickly.

"What?" She asked, taken aback. "Eric, we're seventeen."

"Hear me out. Not now, we can wait on the wedding. We can wait for the future." He reassured her, gazing into her eyes with a small smile. "But Donna, you're it for me. I've loved you since before I knew what it was, and the way I feel about you doesn't even feel real. We messed up with the promise ring." He told her.

"I know, so what prompted this?" She asked, tone of voice uncertain. She felt the urge to run. But she needed to hear him out.

"My expectations of you were unrealistic." He told her. "I want you. I want to follow you and be by your side as you become the most kick-ass feminist political journalist of your wildest fantasies. I wanna watch you dominate the world, and be able to tell people, I'm your husband." He told her. "We don't have to rush a wedding. But, I wanted to tell you how crazy I am about you. Maybe it was dumb." He shrugged. "But it doesn't feel like it."

"Eric, this is nuts." She grinned at him, giggling. He shrugged, getting down on one knee. Her eyes went wide, when he pulled out a small black box.

"Donna Marie Pinciotti, will you do me the honor of making me the happiest man on the planet, and marry me?" He asked. She was eerily silent, but a smile tugged at her lips, and she blushed, giggling softly. "Uh-huh." She told him.

"Was that a yes?" He asked, standing up. A tear rolled down her face, and he brushed it away with the pad of his thumb.

"Yeah, it was. Yes." She told him, pulling him in for a searing kiss, and he pushed her against the water tower.

"Are we gonna do it? Up here on the water tower?"

"I didn't think of it." He told her, grinning. "Would be super hot, though."

She grinned, when they melded into each other.

And looking back, she was so happy she made that decision.