Last chapter in the AU with Ichabbie and Jeremy. For ProfR who gave me this idea. Enjoy. :) I hope it makes sense though. Is it realistic? I wasn't quite sure. I hope the dialogue was clear, too. :/

Abbie walked into the living room of the cabin. Crane called her because he wanted her to meet him here, but she didn't see him. He said he had a question to ask.

"Crane?"

Jeremy came out wearing a tux with a smile on his face; his hands were behind his back. She was surprised to see him. Crane didn't tell her he'd be here this weekend.

"Jeremy? What are you doing here?" She bent down to him, gave him a hug.

"Will you marry us, Abbie? Daddy wants you a part of our family. Say yes. Okay?"

"What?"

Jeremy nodded his head. "Will you, Abbie? I want you to."

She didn't know what to say. They've dated for about ten months now. It's been amazing with Crane and Jeremy. She enjoyed them. Jenny really liked them a lot, too. But was she ready to get married to him so soon? It hasn't been a full year yet. Was she ready to become Jeremy's stepmom? How would Katrina feel about that?

"Listen, Jeremy, I care for you and your dad." She brushed her fingers through his hair. "I would love to be a part of your family. Can you let me think about it?"

"Whatever you need, Abbie."

She glanced up to see Crane. He wore a tux, too. She gave him a small smile.

"Jeremy, could you let me and your dad talk?"

He nodded. "Say yes. Okay?"

She tousled his hair before he left to go into Crane's room. Crane walked toward s her, held her by her waist. She messed his bow tie.

"You look really handsome."

He didn't look at her. "Thank you."

She lifted his chin. It wasn't her intention to make him feel bad.

"I'm not rejecting you or Jeremy, Ichabod. You caught me off guard."

"I know you aren't, Abbie. However, I can't help but feel a little bit disappointed. Do you not wish to marry me?"

She held his hands as they sat on the couch. "It's not a bad idea, Crane. I would love to marry you. You're moving too fast for me right now though. And what about Jeremy? If we actually get married, will he be okay this for sure? I don't want him to be uncomfortable."

The main reason she was hesitant was because of Jeremy. That's who she was concerned for the most. What if she and Crane got married and divorced? She wouldn't want him to experience that all over again, especially since he's grown so close to her and Jenny. She couldn't disappoint him like that. He would be devastated all over again. Maybe they shouldn't get married to protect Jeremy. He was important to her. She wanted to watch out for him. Causing him any kind of hurt would bother her. Both of her parents split. She knew how it felt to watch that happen.

"You make valid points. I understand. I talked to Jeremy about it. He said he would love for you to marry me. It was his idea to ask you like he did. He isn't uncomfortable in the least."

"How will he handle it if we got into a fight? Wouldn't that scare him? He saw that with you and Katrina. Look what happened."

"He did inquire about that. I told him not to worry. That if we ever got into an argument, we wouldn't do it in front of him as to scare him. Katrina and I often fought in his presence. We didn't mean to, of course. The arguments would get so heated that we forgot. It was a mistake to do that. As for a divorce, he also questioned that. I told him that if we ever got divorced, heaven forbid, we would always love him. I reminded him that it wouldn't be his fault at all. We wouldn't be mean to each other like Katrina and I were once before. You and I would get along, even if we divorce. However, I have no intentions of letting that happening to us. I think we communicate rather well."

She nodded her head. "I'm glad Jeremy is okay with all of this, but we just met each other. I'm flattered and all. Why so soon?"

"I thoroughly find your company pleasing. And the way you've taken to my son has brought him and me nothing but joy. I want you around forever, especially Jeremy. We also enjoy Miss Jenny. We want her around, too."

She kissed his cheek. "Same here. It's still a big adjustment though."

Why was she hesitating so much? Did she want to marry Crane? Yeah. Was she stalling out of fear as well? She's never been married before. She doesn't know what married life is like. What if she doesn't like it? What if she and Jeremy don't get along anymore because their roles are slightly different? She's been like a friend to him, not really a parent. She's babysat him one weekend when Crane had to go out of town for a lecture. He listened to her, but it was still weird telling him when to go to bed and having to tell him no sometimes. She wasn't his mom. What if he thought she was trying to replace his mom? Was she really ready to be his stepmom? There was so much she had to consider before she said yes to marrying Crane. She didn't want to be engaged or married to him only to break it off because of her uncertainty.

"Maybe we should move in together first. I know it's backwards, but I have to be sure this is what I want. I also want Jeremy to be ok with me sleeping over and being around more than usual. He's not used to that."

"Perhaps you are right. Moving in for now would be the best option. Even though Jeremy is excited, I wouldn't want to put all of this on him so suddenly."

"There's also Katrina. We have to talk to her about this, too. She has to be alright with our arrangement, whether it's moving in or marriage."

He nodded. "Would you mind being a stepmother to Jeremy?"

She bit her lip. "I don't know. What if he doesn't like me as a stepmom? How am I supposed to discipline him or love him like you and Katrina? It's not my place. I'm not his parent. He's not used to that from me. I'm not used to that either. I don't know how to be a parent. I don't have any kids. I wouldn't want to seem like I'm trying to replace anyone."

"You would be an amazing stepmom. As I've already said, Jeremy adores you. I don't think he would mind in the slightest. In all honesty, I think he respects you a little bit more than me. As for Katrina, we will have a conversation with her. It's probably best to do this in person. I'm not sure how she will feel about it."

Since Katrina gave Abbie permission to talk to Jeremy over the phone, she's been getting used to her. It's been awkward at times when they spoke to each other, but they've been polite.

"Would moving in work for now?"

"Yes, it would. Jeremy will be on summer break soon. He will be spending half the summer with me and half with Katrina. Would you like to move in then?"

"We can try it. I want this to work for all of us."

"If this goes accordingly, will you say yes?"

She nodded.

"Shall we make a time and day to meet with Katrina to discuss the subject?"

Abbie nodded again.

Abbie and Crane sat in the kitchen with cups of tea and doughnut holes in front of them the next day. Jenny took Jeremy out for ice cream and pizza. She would spoil him to no end sometimes.

"Are you nervous?" Crane said.

"No." She turned her saucer of doughnut holes around. "You?"

"No." He added more sugar to his tea.

"Is she almost here?"

"She said she'd be here in five minutes."

Abbie nodded, stirred her tea.

"Do you think she will like our news?" he said.

"I'm not sure. I don't think I would be too thrilled. Not at first anyway. I mean who would want a woman you barely know around your child so much? What did you tell her over the phone?"

"That we needed to talk to her, in person, about an important topic. She said ok. We planned a meeting from there."

"We'll see how she takes it. We have to be prepared for a no."

"You are correct. Maybe we can compromise."

"It's up to Katrina," Abbie said.

The doorbell rang, and they both stood up, grabbed the other's hand. When she opened the door, they smiled at Katrina. She returned it. They let her in.

"Hi," she said.

"Good afternoon, Katrina. We are glad you could make it. Please." He extended his hand to the kitchen.

Abbie and Katrina sat down while Crane stood.

"Would you like some tea?" he said.

"Yes. Thank you." She took off her jacket.

Abbie thought she was pretty. Jeremy had her eyes.

"You must be Abbie Mills," she said, sticking out her hand.

She took it. Her hand was kind of clammy. Was she nervous, too?

"I am. It's finally nice to meet you. Thanks again for letting me talk to Jeremy over the phone. He's a great kid."

"You're welcome, Miss Mills. In all honesty, I'm glad he has you. It was an adjustment at first, but I'm learning to be alright with it. He likes you a lot."

Crane sat her tea in front of her and sat next to Abbie. She put her hand on his thigh; he covered it.

"I'm glad. I don't mean any disrespect—"

"No harm done, Miss Mills. I understand you can relate to him in a way I can't."

"You sure?"

She nodded, sipped her tea.

"As you know, Katrina, I invited you here to talk to you. It is regarding all of us, especially Jeremy. I proposed to Abbie yesterday. She hasn't said yes. However, we talked about it, and we decided that it is best she move in with me. This will give all of us an idea of how our lives will be if Abbie decides to accept my proposal," Crane said.

"I want to make sure this is something I'm sure about. I've never done this before. I also want to make sure Jeremy will be happy with this arrangement if it ever becomes permanent."

"When will you move in, Miss Mills?"

"Crane and I were talking about the summer when he gets out of school. Doesn't Jeremy spend half with Crane?"

"He does." She sipped more of her tea.

"We thought that would be the best time. How do you feel about all of this?"

"Yes, we won't do any of this without your expressed permission," Crane said.

"I'm not sure. I do think you are a good influence on my son, Miss Mills. You and your sister. Jeremy talks fondly of her, too. It does make me a little bit uneasy. I don't know much about you accept for what Jeremy's told me. I do like you and think are good for him. However, as a parent, I'm not too excited about the idea of you moving in, especially for that amount of time. Perhaps we can start off with weekends and go from there."

That sounded reasonable to Abbie. She would agree to that. That's much better than moving in so suddenly. It made a lot of sense. Why didn't they think of that? This was another thing to add to her list of questions. What if she didn't make the best decisions for Jeremy if she ever had to?

"That's fine with me," she said.

"I am okay with that as well. We will see how Jeremy does with this during the summer then."

Katrina nodded. "I am fine with this as well. I'm glad we could agree. Is there anything else you would like to discuss with me?"

"We don't really know each other, Miss Van Tassel, but I do hope I can form a relationship with you for Jeremy's sake." Crane rubbed her back.

She smiled. "I do, too, Miss Mills. We'll take it slow. Thank you by the way. It makes me happy and reassures me that you care for my son so much. I feel like he'll be just fine with you all, but I have to be sure. I do think you're doing a lovely job with him. As the summer nears, we can discuss what to do if he gives you any trouble. We usually tell him no TV or video games for a day. I will also be sure to give you instructions on what to do if he gets sick or has any appointments. I don't need to teach you how to love him though. You already know how to do that, Miss Mills."

Abbie nodded, bit her lip. She squeezed Crane's leg and glanced at him. He kissed her temple. She was touched that Katrina was willing to share Jeremy with her like she has.

"She's right, you know? You already know how to do that, Abbie."

"Thank you all for that. Should we tell Jeremy when he gets back?"

Katrina nodded. "He'll be excited."

She was relieved that Katrina was alright with this arrangement for now. It was a good start. As they waited, they talked about Jeremy. Katrina also asked about Crane and Abbie's relationship. She seemed interested. She also shared a bit about her and Crane. They even had similar interests. This meeting wasn't as bad as she thought it would be.

The door opened, and Jeremy ran into the kitchen with cotton candy and fruit punch on his shirt. Jenny was right behind him with cotton candy, too.

"You two had fun I see," Abbie said.

Jeremy walked towards his mom. She put him in her lap, kissed his cheek.

"J1 took us to the fair," Jeremy said.

Jenny sat at the table. "Henry spotted it on the way back."

"Did he have ice cream, too?"

"Yeah."

Abbie shook her head. "This is my sister, Jenny. Jenny, meet Katrina."

"Hi. If he gets a stomach ache, I promise to take care of him."

"You better," Abbie said. "That's too much sugar."

"I'm just trying to keep him happy."

"I know. Not so much sugar next time."

She knew Jenny only spoiled him like she did because she wanted him to have the childhood she and Abbie didn't. She understood that.

Jenny nodded.

"Jeremy, we have something to tell you," Katrina said. "How would you like it if Miss Mills spent weekends with you and your dad this summer?"

His mouth fell open. He hugged his mom. "She can stay? Can she stay all summer."

"Not right now." She rubbed his cheek.

"Why?"

"So you can get used to me sleeping over," Abbie said. "We want you to be okay with it."

"I will."

"Are you sure?" Crane said.

He nodded.

"If you are comfortable like you say you are, then Abbie will be able to stay for longer periods," Crane said.

He nodded again. "Will you marry her?"

"If this goes well and if Abbie is sure she wants to, then yes, I will."

Jeremy looked at Abbie. "Say yes. Okay?"

She shook her head and smiled. "We'll see, Jeremy. Let's get through one weekend first, okay?"

"Okay." He looked at his mom. "Mommy, will you be sad if daddy marries Abbie?"

Katrina glanced at them, then Jeremy. "I won't be sad. I would be happy. I'm learning that Abbie and her sister will love you and take care of you just like your father and I. That's all I want for you. Understand?"

He nodded; she kissed his forehead, and he lay on her chest. Abbie smiled at them, then at Crane. She wanted what Katrina wanted for him, too and wanted to give him that. She would definitely say yes.