+ Disclaimer - The characters in the following story that have been
borrowed from the show Kung Fu: The Legend Continues do not belong to me.
They are the property of Michael Sloan and Warner Brothers.
+ Time-Line - This story takes place approximately two years after the end of the show.
The Engagement
By Scott R. Barnett
If it weren't for the little package that was sitting safely in his desk drawer, Kermit Griffin would have gone completely out of his mind with boredom. The boredom was due to the fact that for once no one seemed to need him to research anything on the computer, and his latest cases were all wrapped up and sitting on the Chief's desk. Boredom was not the problem; instead he was going stir crazy waiting for the day to end. He, and that little package, had big plans for tonight and he was impatiently waiting for this Friday to end to begin them.
Since he was safely hidden behind the closed door of his office at the precinct, he took the opportunity to once again take out the little package and open it up. The diamond ring in the little jewelers box had cost him a small fortune, but he had plenty from his mercenary days. And besides she was worth every penny of it. Tonight was the night that he was going to ask Karen Simms to marry him.
They had been working together for about four years and had been seeing each other for three of them. At this point, she had seen him at his best and his worst. The fact that she still stood by him, knowing now what she did about his past made him the happiest man alive. This is not to say that their relationship had not run into a few snags over the years.
For one, there was the dreaded Emma incident. To this day he could not believe what an utterly stupid fool he had been to allow that slut to seduce him and take him away from the one woman who meant more to him than anything. Not only that, but he had flaunted her in the faces of the entire precinct crew, his friends. To top it all off he had blatantly ignored the warnings of both Peter and Kwai Chang Caine, two of only three men in the world that he would unquestionably trust with his life. It had taken her a little while to get over that, though she did finally forgive him. He, though, still had problems with forgiving himself for it.
Last Friday could have possibly been another problem. This time it would have been fatal to their relationship. He had talking to Paul and Annie Blaisdell about his plans to ask her to marry him. He asked them not to say anything to Peter about this. He wanted to surprise everyone after the fact. They said that they would keep his secret. On their advice he had sat Karen down after dinner at her place and told her all about his past. He did not leave out anything, no matter how ashamed he was of them, or how terrifying they may be to hear about. He wanted to make sure that if they had a chance at going forward with their relationship that they started it with a clean slate and that she knew about it all.
To say that she was shocked by some of it would put it mildly. She asked him to leave after that. She said that she needed to digest and think about all that he had told her. He did not see or speak to her until Monday morning at the office. He had worried all weekend whether had just damaged their relationship beyond repair. He spent some of that time agonizing about it with Paul and Annie. He worried about what he would do if she could not handle his past. To their credit, Paul and Annie merely tried to smooth his worries and calm him down. Privately, though, they smiled about it. They knew what Karen and Kermit were going through. They had been there themselves many years ago. They both knew that everything would work out. They were confident that Karen and Kermit had the strength and love to get past this. They both liked Karen, and as for Kermit, well they considered him like a second son.
Just as Paul and Annie had predicted, she accepted it. He was alerted to this fact on Monday morning when she arrived at the precinct. He had arrived early to work that day. He figured that he might as well considering that he had had trouble sleeping. He had the blinds down in his office and his door closed. He was acting like he was working, though he knew he was just fooling himself. He could not get the fear out of his mind. When Karen arrived that morning she had immediately walked into his office, closed the door and kissed him soundly. Then she put back on the mask of the professional police Captain and walked out and down to her office. No words had been said between them, none had to. What she told him with that kiss was perfectly clear to him. She accepted him for what he was, and that extra knowledge about his past was not going to get in the way of their love.
Not knowing what his best friend, Kermit was going through, Peter found himself just as nervous. Tonight he had planned to ask his girlfriend of almost two years, and partner before that, to marry him. Tonight he planned to take her out to their favorite restaurant for dinner and afterwards take a walk in the park. He wanted to pop the question in his secret place. He wanted to share that place with her and make it mean something special to both of them.
When he had left the force two years ago he had been seeing a vice detective by the name of Jordan Maguire. The problem was that she could not handle his new life as a Shaolin Priest. Truthfully their relationship was starting to fall apart any way, just like most of his had.
A few months after starting his new life as a priest he had had a visit from his old partner Detective Jody Powell. By this time most of the 101st crowd had already stopped by to see how things were going, but not her. He had moved out of his old apartment and converted the second floor of his father's building into a new one. It turned out, much to his surprise, that his father actually owned the entire building. It had been given to him by the previous owner as a thank you for saving the man's son.
Of course he still saw her at Delancey's when he met the crew for drinks, or when he came by the 101st on business, but she had never voluntarily sought him out. This time she came to see him about a girl that was living on the streets. When she came in she had done a quick look around the place and then, as if nervous to be there, quickly got to the business she came about. You see, unlike his father and Lo Si who were master apothecaries, his special skills were in teaching and helping people. The officers at the 101st had taken to sending troubled souls to him for help when their hands were tied by the system.
After Jody told him about the girl and where to find her, Peter had taken her for a guided tour of the place. He ended the tour in his pride and joy. He and his father had recently finished converting the first floor of the building into a Kwoon. Peter planned to start teaching Kung Fu and Tai Chi classes when he was not helping people. Caine and Lo Si had agreed to help him out with the teaching. He told her about this, including how he was thinking about seeing if Master Khan also would like to help out.
When they had finished the tour he asked her if she would like to get some dinner. After briefly hesitating, she agreed and they went to this new Chinese restaurant that had opened up down the street. After dinner they found a bench in the park and sat down and talked all night long.
After that night she had started to drop by more frequently. At first once every other week, then once a week, then a several times a week. It was gradually becoming apparent to both of them, as well as to his father and their friends that they were falling in love with each other.
She started to spend most of her nights at his place. She would get up early and go back to her apartment to get ready for work. The first few times that they were awakened in the middle of the night, or interrupted while spending time together, by people needing help she was annoyed. But over time she realized that this was now part of his lifestyle and that if she wanted to be with him she would have to accept it. And accept it she did, which made him happy, though he never said a word about it to her.
While thinking about all of this, Peter had been pacing around his loft and raking his hand through his hair. These were very good signs of how nervous he really was. Though they had talked about it several times in the past, he was still nervous about what her response would be when he asked her the question. He had talked to his foster parents the other day about his plans to ask her to marry him. They felt that he was making the right decision and tried to allay his fears. He then asked them not to say anything to Caine or Kermit about this. He wanted to surprise everyone after the fact. They said that they would keep his secret.
Caine sat on his balcony looking out over the city. To say that he was really looking out at the city would be incorrect, as his eyes were closed in meditation. Unlike his son in the apartment below him, he found meditation to be a much better form of calming his nerves. And nervous he was, though to anyone else's gaze, except maybe Lo Si, he looked his normal calm and controlled self.
The reason for his nervousness was that he planned to ask Mary Margaret Skalaney to become his wife tonight. The fact that he was nervous did surprise him slightly, considering that he had been married before, to Peter's mother, Laura. Laura had died when Peter had been very little, and though he still cared for her deeply he found many of the feelings that he had had for her directed now towards Mary Margaret.
He had met Mary Margaret early in his reunion with his son. She had been Peter's partner at the time. He was preparing to perform the brick breaking exercise when Peter and Mary Margaret had stopped by to pick up Peter's gloves that he had left behind the day before. He had been stunned by her beauty, and she appeared to be quite taken by him as well. He had impressed her when he had broken only the brick that she had picked.
Over the years, much to the chagrin of his son, they had seen each other on and off. He would take her out for dinner and they would walk around Chinatown afterwards. Both of them liked to lightly tease Peter about their relationship. Over time, Peter became much more comfortable with the idea of his partner and father having a relationship. This was important to Caine, as Peter was his chief joy in life.
Though he knew that the slow pace of their relationship sometimes bothered Mary Margaret he could not take it any faster than he had. He was still struggling with the reunion with Peter and the feeling that he was being dishonest to Laura. After much soul searching and talking with his ancient friend Lo Si, he finally came to the conclusion that Laura would have wanted him to move on and not to continue to mourn her for the rest of his life. She would have wanted him to be happy above all else. Also, Lo Si had told him it was about time. Lo Si liked Mary Margaret and felt she would make Caine very happy as his wife.
When he came to that conclusion he started to really look at his relationship with Mary Margaret. He saw a kindred spirit within her who cared for him as much as he cared for her. Also, teasing aside, she really did care for his son as a friend. On top of all of that she had a good heart and wasn't afraid to do what ever she could to help others. Even if that helping took her into areas that she did not understand, such as the Bardo world or Shambhala. Though she did not understand a lot of what Caine and Lo Si, and now Peter, did she still trusted that they were doing the right thing and she would help them in any way she could.
With these revelations out of the way, Caine made the decision to ask her to marry him. Once he had made the decision, he wasted little time in putting that decision into action. With the help of Lo Si he had procured a beautiful ring and the makings of a romantic dinner. He planned to cook her dinner at his loft and while they were sitting on the terrace afterwards, as they usually did, he would pop the question.
He had made the decision to not tell Peter about this until afterwards. He told Lo Si about this and asked him not to say anything to Peter. Though Peter may be slightly hurt by this he felt it would work out in the long run. Besides, he had not seen much of Peter this week at all. The classes at the Kwoon had been handled by Master Khan and Lo Si. Neither of them knew what Peter was up to. They told him that Peter had merely asked them to handle the classes while he took care of some personal matters.
On top of all of that, Mary Margaret had told him two days ago that Kermit had been acting kind of strange this week. While he was normally calm and collected, he had actually seemed nervous about something. He wouldn't talk about it to anyone. Also, strangely Peter had not been by the precinct at all that week, which was unusual in itself as he usually stopped by at least once a week, whether to socialize or to get some information.
Caine sighed. While he thought that meditating would help him calm his nerves, instead he found that he could not concentrate enough to center himself. He reached over and picked up his flute. Maybe playing it would help.
It was 9:00pm that night. Kermit sat next Karen on the sofa in her apartment talking. They had just gotten back from dinner and the theater. He had taken her to see Les Miserables'. It was a favorite of hers. After a few minutes of idle chitchat about the show Kermit slipped off the sofa and got on one knee in front of her. Taking the ring out of his pants pocket he told her how much he loved her and how much she meant to him. He then very calmly, though he was extremely nervous on the inside, he slipped the ring on to her finger and asked her to marry him. Through tears of joy she said yes and then kissed him like her life depended on it.
At just about the same time over in the park by the lake Jody and Peter were just sitting down on the grass. They had been walking for a while through the park after dinner. After they talked for a few more minutes Peter pushed himself up on one knee in front of her. She sat there speechless staring at him, afraid to believe that this move might mean what she thought it might mean. Taking the ring out of his pants pocket he told her how much she meant to him and that he loved her more than anyone else in the world. He then nervously slipped the ring on to her finger and asked her to marry him. Through tears of joy she said yes and then pushing him back she kissed him like her life depended on it.
Coincidentally, around the same time as all of this was happening, over in the heart of Chinatown, Caine and Mary Margaret had just gotten back from a walk they had taken through Chinatown after dinner. They sat on the balcony and talked while looking out over the city on this beautiful night. After they talked for a few more minutes Caine got up onto one knee in front of her. She sat there mouth open, stopped in mid-sentence of what she was saying, and stared at him. Taking the ring out of his pants pocket he told her that he loved her greatly. He then slipped the ring on to her finger and asked if she would honor him by becoming his wife. Through tears of joy she said yes and then pulling him to her she kissed him like her life depended on it.
Unbeknownst to all three couples, that mischievous little imp Lo Si had realized what was going on with Peter and went to talk to Paul and Annie Blaisdell about setting up a surprise engagement party for both couples for the next evening. When he told them of his plans they laughed and told him they already knew about Peter and Jody and then went on to tell him about Karen and Kermit.
Around 9:30pm Lo Si carefully projected his mind out to each of the three women involved and found that all three had been asked and had said yes. He did not dare try the men. Only Caine might be able to sense the quick mental scan, but he did not want to take a chance of ruining the surprise.
He told the Blaisdells of what he found out and they all set about making plans for the party. It was decided that they would have the party at the Blaisdell home. The trickiest part would be getting all three couples there.
They decided that best way to do it was to tell them that they were having a big barbecue for the precinct crew. Even though Paul was not technically with the police department anymore, most of the 101st precinct had served under him and were considered their friends. Besides, the Blaisdell's barbecues were legendary. Annie would take care of inviting Peter, Paul would handle Kermit and Lo Si would make sure that Caine got there. Considering all three brides-to-be worked at the 101st, this should not be a problem. Annie would also call up Marilyn, Kermit's sister, and invite her over.
It was about 5:00 in the afternoon on Saturday. The party had come together beautifully and even though the notice of it was extremely short, everyone that they had invited were there. The only ones missing were the three couples. While everyone else had been told the barbecue would start at 5:00pm, they had been told 5:30pm. Lo Si and the Blaisdells wanted to prepare everyone for the surprise before the couples got there.
Practically the whole precinct was there. Frank and Molly Strenlich, John Broderick, Blake, Nicky Elders, Roger Chin, TJ Kincaid, etc. Also, both of the Blaisdell girls were there: Carolyn, and her husband Todd, and Kelly. Marilyn was also there with her husband Steve. Paul had even been able to get some old friends of his and Kermit's there in time: Rykker, Steadman and John Durham. With the help of the three mercenaries he was also able to get some surprise guests, Matthew Caine, Major Jim Hellstrom and Todd Simms. Kermit had recently made Jim aware of whom he really was and the two of them had worked out there differences. All three of them were kept in the house, as they were going to be a surprise to everyone, not just the couples. This had been Annie's idea and all three of them agreed to it.
Paul walked out in front of the assembled crowd and asked for silence. He then proceeded to fill them in on the happenings of last night. Everyone just stared at him for a second and then started laughing and talking about it.
He once again got there attention and told them that this barbecue was really a surprise engagement party for the three couples and he would like all of their help in that. He told them that the couples were scheduled to be there at 5:30pm, so they had very little time left to get ready.
Carolyn and Kelly had just gotten back from the bakery with the huge cake for the party and were setting it up under Annie's direction on a rolling cart off to the side. This way it could be rolled out as part of the surprise. The cake had written on it "Congratulations!!!" and under that the names of each of the three couples. The baker was a friend of the Blaisdells and was more than happy to bake the last minute order.
It was now 5:30pm and all three couples miraculously arrived at the same time.
Peter looked around as he was holding open the passenger door of the stealth for Jody and saw both Kermit and Karen pull up in Kermit's Corvair and Caine and Mary Margaret pull up in Skalaney's sedan.
All three couples walked around the side of the house to the huge backyard. After all three of them had come through the gate, the assembled people parted to let Carolyn and Kelly push the cart containing the cake through to the front of the crowd. As soon as it was there they all shouted together, "CONGRATULATIONS!!!"
The three couples looked stunned. The six of them looked at each other and wondered how everyone knew already. Then they all noticed Lo Si sitting next to Paul and Annie. All three of them had guilty smiles on their faces. It wasn't hard to figure out how the secret got out after seeing that.
It wasn't until after that that they all looked at each other and realized the significance of all six of them being the only ones told the later time. As if on cue all three women held up their left hands to each other. At that every one started laughing hysterically.
Suddenly everyone was around them and congratulating them. It wasn't until a few moments later that everyone moved away from them to reveal yet another surprise. The other three guests. There were gasps all around as most of the guests had not known that they were here. Also, whereas some of them might know of Todd Simms and fewer still knew of Jim Hellstrom, most of them did not know of Matthew Caine's existence. There was no doubt in anyone's mind as to who he was though. The resemblance to Kwai Chang Caine was remarkable.
Todd and Jim came up to Kermit and Karen to offer their congratulations to their respective parents. While this was happening, Matthew Caine walked slowly up to Peter and Caine and reached up and closed their mouths. Everyone who saw this move let out another laugh. Neither of them had expected to see Matthew Caine here, even in their wildest dreams. The fact that the man was in his nineties and did not get around very well would have precluded such a possibility. Matthew informed them that Lo Si had contacted him last night about it and had asked Rykker to bring him here. Both Peter and Caine turned and bowed deeply to Lo Si and Rykker for their kind service to their family. They then turned and gave Matthew a hug together.
After their family hug the two younger Caines helped Matthew into a seat and then introduced him to their fiancés. Both Mary Margaret and Jody were surprised and happy to meet the elder Caine. Karen and Kermit also came over and were introduced to him.
The party went late into the night. More people came and went as time went on. Eventually all three couples got together and compared notes on last nights activities and came to the realization that they had gotten engaged at practically the same exact time. When this news got out to the rest of the guests there was a lot of teasing about advanced planning or mental communication.
By midnight most of the guests had left. The only ones still there were the Blaisdells, the three couples and Marilyn and her husband. Rykker had given Lo Si and Matthew a ride to Lo Si's house. Matthew was staying with him for the night. After that he would probably stay with Caine for a while before going home to St. Adele, France. Jim and Todd were both staying at Kermit's place. Kermit gave Jim his extra key. Both of them had to leave tomorrow. Jim back to his Air Force base and Todd back to the military academy he was attending. Karen and Kermit were going to spend the night at Karen's place, but would see both of them before they left in the morning. This way the newly engaged couple had some privacy tonight, and besides Jim and Todd were getting along great together.
The ten of them sat around the Blaisdell's living room and talked for a while. They were discussing wedding plans. Marilyn came up with the idea of a combined wedding. She thought it would be a great idea as all of them had gotten engaged at the same time, why not get married at the same time. There was some laughing at this at first, but then they started to seriously talk about it.
Before they left they had the beginnings of a plan. Kermit had suggested that maybe Lo Si could perform the weddings. This was fine with all of them, as both of the Caines were Buddhists and Kermit did not really practice a religion, but the three ladies requested that their priests be in attendance so that the marriages would be true in the eyes of their religions. Caine said that he would speak to Lo Si tomorrow about it.
Paul chimed in and suggested the Sutton Place hotel for the ceremony and reception. This had been the hotel where Carolyn's wedding had been. After an agreement on this, Karen turned to Paul and stated that neither of her parents were still alive and would Paul be willing to walk her down the aisle. She said that she knew how Paul and Annie felt about Kermit and that nothing would make her happier then having Kermit's psuedo father walk her down the aisle to him. Paul swelled up with pride at this and chocked out a yes. Annie sat there beaming.
After all of this the three couples all made arrangements to get together tomorrow to discuss more details. They each expressed their appreciation to the Blaisdells and said their goodnights. After they all walked outside they bade each other goodnight and got in to their cars and drove off into the night.
END
+ Time-Line - This story takes place approximately two years after the end of the show.
The Engagement
By Scott R. Barnett
If it weren't for the little package that was sitting safely in his desk drawer, Kermit Griffin would have gone completely out of his mind with boredom. The boredom was due to the fact that for once no one seemed to need him to research anything on the computer, and his latest cases were all wrapped up and sitting on the Chief's desk. Boredom was not the problem; instead he was going stir crazy waiting for the day to end. He, and that little package, had big plans for tonight and he was impatiently waiting for this Friday to end to begin them.
Since he was safely hidden behind the closed door of his office at the precinct, he took the opportunity to once again take out the little package and open it up. The diamond ring in the little jewelers box had cost him a small fortune, but he had plenty from his mercenary days. And besides she was worth every penny of it. Tonight was the night that he was going to ask Karen Simms to marry him.
They had been working together for about four years and had been seeing each other for three of them. At this point, she had seen him at his best and his worst. The fact that she still stood by him, knowing now what she did about his past made him the happiest man alive. This is not to say that their relationship had not run into a few snags over the years.
For one, there was the dreaded Emma incident. To this day he could not believe what an utterly stupid fool he had been to allow that slut to seduce him and take him away from the one woman who meant more to him than anything. Not only that, but he had flaunted her in the faces of the entire precinct crew, his friends. To top it all off he had blatantly ignored the warnings of both Peter and Kwai Chang Caine, two of only three men in the world that he would unquestionably trust with his life. It had taken her a little while to get over that, though she did finally forgive him. He, though, still had problems with forgiving himself for it.
Last Friday could have possibly been another problem. This time it would have been fatal to their relationship. He had talking to Paul and Annie Blaisdell about his plans to ask her to marry him. He asked them not to say anything to Peter about this. He wanted to surprise everyone after the fact. They said that they would keep his secret. On their advice he had sat Karen down after dinner at her place and told her all about his past. He did not leave out anything, no matter how ashamed he was of them, or how terrifying they may be to hear about. He wanted to make sure that if they had a chance at going forward with their relationship that they started it with a clean slate and that she knew about it all.
To say that she was shocked by some of it would put it mildly. She asked him to leave after that. She said that she needed to digest and think about all that he had told her. He did not see or speak to her until Monday morning at the office. He had worried all weekend whether had just damaged their relationship beyond repair. He spent some of that time agonizing about it with Paul and Annie. He worried about what he would do if she could not handle his past. To their credit, Paul and Annie merely tried to smooth his worries and calm him down. Privately, though, they smiled about it. They knew what Karen and Kermit were going through. They had been there themselves many years ago. They both knew that everything would work out. They were confident that Karen and Kermit had the strength and love to get past this. They both liked Karen, and as for Kermit, well they considered him like a second son.
Just as Paul and Annie had predicted, she accepted it. He was alerted to this fact on Monday morning when she arrived at the precinct. He had arrived early to work that day. He figured that he might as well considering that he had had trouble sleeping. He had the blinds down in his office and his door closed. He was acting like he was working, though he knew he was just fooling himself. He could not get the fear out of his mind. When Karen arrived that morning she had immediately walked into his office, closed the door and kissed him soundly. Then she put back on the mask of the professional police Captain and walked out and down to her office. No words had been said between them, none had to. What she told him with that kiss was perfectly clear to him. She accepted him for what he was, and that extra knowledge about his past was not going to get in the way of their love.
Not knowing what his best friend, Kermit was going through, Peter found himself just as nervous. Tonight he had planned to ask his girlfriend of almost two years, and partner before that, to marry him. Tonight he planned to take her out to their favorite restaurant for dinner and afterwards take a walk in the park. He wanted to pop the question in his secret place. He wanted to share that place with her and make it mean something special to both of them.
When he had left the force two years ago he had been seeing a vice detective by the name of Jordan Maguire. The problem was that she could not handle his new life as a Shaolin Priest. Truthfully their relationship was starting to fall apart any way, just like most of his had.
A few months after starting his new life as a priest he had had a visit from his old partner Detective Jody Powell. By this time most of the 101st crowd had already stopped by to see how things were going, but not her. He had moved out of his old apartment and converted the second floor of his father's building into a new one. It turned out, much to his surprise, that his father actually owned the entire building. It had been given to him by the previous owner as a thank you for saving the man's son.
Of course he still saw her at Delancey's when he met the crew for drinks, or when he came by the 101st on business, but she had never voluntarily sought him out. This time she came to see him about a girl that was living on the streets. When she came in she had done a quick look around the place and then, as if nervous to be there, quickly got to the business she came about. You see, unlike his father and Lo Si who were master apothecaries, his special skills were in teaching and helping people. The officers at the 101st had taken to sending troubled souls to him for help when their hands were tied by the system.
After Jody told him about the girl and where to find her, Peter had taken her for a guided tour of the place. He ended the tour in his pride and joy. He and his father had recently finished converting the first floor of the building into a Kwoon. Peter planned to start teaching Kung Fu and Tai Chi classes when he was not helping people. Caine and Lo Si had agreed to help him out with the teaching. He told her about this, including how he was thinking about seeing if Master Khan also would like to help out.
When they had finished the tour he asked her if she would like to get some dinner. After briefly hesitating, she agreed and they went to this new Chinese restaurant that had opened up down the street. After dinner they found a bench in the park and sat down and talked all night long.
After that night she had started to drop by more frequently. At first once every other week, then once a week, then a several times a week. It was gradually becoming apparent to both of them, as well as to his father and their friends that they were falling in love with each other.
She started to spend most of her nights at his place. She would get up early and go back to her apartment to get ready for work. The first few times that they were awakened in the middle of the night, or interrupted while spending time together, by people needing help she was annoyed. But over time she realized that this was now part of his lifestyle and that if she wanted to be with him she would have to accept it. And accept it she did, which made him happy, though he never said a word about it to her.
While thinking about all of this, Peter had been pacing around his loft and raking his hand through his hair. These were very good signs of how nervous he really was. Though they had talked about it several times in the past, he was still nervous about what her response would be when he asked her the question. He had talked to his foster parents the other day about his plans to ask her to marry him. They felt that he was making the right decision and tried to allay his fears. He then asked them not to say anything to Caine or Kermit about this. He wanted to surprise everyone after the fact. They said that they would keep his secret.
Caine sat on his balcony looking out over the city. To say that he was really looking out at the city would be incorrect, as his eyes were closed in meditation. Unlike his son in the apartment below him, he found meditation to be a much better form of calming his nerves. And nervous he was, though to anyone else's gaze, except maybe Lo Si, he looked his normal calm and controlled self.
The reason for his nervousness was that he planned to ask Mary Margaret Skalaney to become his wife tonight. The fact that he was nervous did surprise him slightly, considering that he had been married before, to Peter's mother, Laura. Laura had died when Peter had been very little, and though he still cared for her deeply he found many of the feelings that he had had for her directed now towards Mary Margaret.
He had met Mary Margaret early in his reunion with his son. She had been Peter's partner at the time. He was preparing to perform the brick breaking exercise when Peter and Mary Margaret had stopped by to pick up Peter's gloves that he had left behind the day before. He had been stunned by her beauty, and she appeared to be quite taken by him as well. He had impressed her when he had broken only the brick that she had picked.
Over the years, much to the chagrin of his son, they had seen each other on and off. He would take her out for dinner and they would walk around Chinatown afterwards. Both of them liked to lightly tease Peter about their relationship. Over time, Peter became much more comfortable with the idea of his partner and father having a relationship. This was important to Caine, as Peter was his chief joy in life.
Though he knew that the slow pace of their relationship sometimes bothered Mary Margaret he could not take it any faster than he had. He was still struggling with the reunion with Peter and the feeling that he was being dishonest to Laura. After much soul searching and talking with his ancient friend Lo Si, he finally came to the conclusion that Laura would have wanted him to move on and not to continue to mourn her for the rest of his life. She would have wanted him to be happy above all else. Also, Lo Si had told him it was about time. Lo Si liked Mary Margaret and felt she would make Caine very happy as his wife.
When he came to that conclusion he started to really look at his relationship with Mary Margaret. He saw a kindred spirit within her who cared for him as much as he cared for her. Also, teasing aside, she really did care for his son as a friend. On top of all of that she had a good heart and wasn't afraid to do what ever she could to help others. Even if that helping took her into areas that she did not understand, such as the Bardo world or Shambhala. Though she did not understand a lot of what Caine and Lo Si, and now Peter, did she still trusted that they were doing the right thing and she would help them in any way she could.
With these revelations out of the way, Caine made the decision to ask her to marry him. Once he had made the decision, he wasted little time in putting that decision into action. With the help of Lo Si he had procured a beautiful ring and the makings of a romantic dinner. He planned to cook her dinner at his loft and while they were sitting on the terrace afterwards, as they usually did, he would pop the question.
He had made the decision to not tell Peter about this until afterwards. He told Lo Si about this and asked him not to say anything to Peter. Though Peter may be slightly hurt by this he felt it would work out in the long run. Besides, he had not seen much of Peter this week at all. The classes at the Kwoon had been handled by Master Khan and Lo Si. Neither of them knew what Peter was up to. They told him that Peter had merely asked them to handle the classes while he took care of some personal matters.
On top of all of that, Mary Margaret had told him two days ago that Kermit had been acting kind of strange this week. While he was normally calm and collected, he had actually seemed nervous about something. He wouldn't talk about it to anyone. Also, strangely Peter had not been by the precinct at all that week, which was unusual in itself as he usually stopped by at least once a week, whether to socialize or to get some information.
Caine sighed. While he thought that meditating would help him calm his nerves, instead he found that he could not concentrate enough to center himself. He reached over and picked up his flute. Maybe playing it would help.
It was 9:00pm that night. Kermit sat next Karen on the sofa in her apartment talking. They had just gotten back from dinner and the theater. He had taken her to see Les Miserables'. It was a favorite of hers. After a few minutes of idle chitchat about the show Kermit slipped off the sofa and got on one knee in front of her. Taking the ring out of his pants pocket he told her how much he loved her and how much she meant to him. He then very calmly, though he was extremely nervous on the inside, he slipped the ring on to her finger and asked her to marry him. Through tears of joy she said yes and then kissed him like her life depended on it.
At just about the same time over in the park by the lake Jody and Peter were just sitting down on the grass. They had been walking for a while through the park after dinner. After they talked for a few more minutes Peter pushed himself up on one knee in front of her. She sat there speechless staring at him, afraid to believe that this move might mean what she thought it might mean. Taking the ring out of his pants pocket he told her how much she meant to him and that he loved her more than anyone else in the world. He then nervously slipped the ring on to her finger and asked her to marry him. Through tears of joy she said yes and then pushing him back she kissed him like her life depended on it.
Coincidentally, around the same time as all of this was happening, over in the heart of Chinatown, Caine and Mary Margaret had just gotten back from a walk they had taken through Chinatown after dinner. They sat on the balcony and talked while looking out over the city on this beautiful night. After they talked for a few more minutes Caine got up onto one knee in front of her. She sat there mouth open, stopped in mid-sentence of what she was saying, and stared at him. Taking the ring out of his pants pocket he told her that he loved her greatly. He then slipped the ring on to her finger and asked if she would honor him by becoming his wife. Through tears of joy she said yes and then pulling him to her she kissed him like her life depended on it.
Unbeknownst to all three couples, that mischievous little imp Lo Si had realized what was going on with Peter and went to talk to Paul and Annie Blaisdell about setting up a surprise engagement party for both couples for the next evening. When he told them of his plans they laughed and told him they already knew about Peter and Jody and then went on to tell him about Karen and Kermit.
Around 9:30pm Lo Si carefully projected his mind out to each of the three women involved and found that all three had been asked and had said yes. He did not dare try the men. Only Caine might be able to sense the quick mental scan, but he did not want to take a chance of ruining the surprise.
He told the Blaisdells of what he found out and they all set about making plans for the party. It was decided that they would have the party at the Blaisdell home. The trickiest part would be getting all three couples there.
They decided that best way to do it was to tell them that they were having a big barbecue for the precinct crew. Even though Paul was not technically with the police department anymore, most of the 101st precinct had served under him and were considered their friends. Besides, the Blaisdell's barbecues were legendary. Annie would take care of inviting Peter, Paul would handle Kermit and Lo Si would make sure that Caine got there. Considering all three brides-to-be worked at the 101st, this should not be a problem. Annie would also call up Marilyn, Kermit's sister, and invite her over.
It was about 5:00 in the afternoon on Saturday. The party had come together beautifully and even though the notice of it was extremely short, everyone that they had invited were there. The only ones missing were the three couples. While everyone else had been told the barbecue would start at 5:00pm, they had been told 5:30pm. Lo Si and the Blaisdells wanted to prepare everyone for the surprise before the couples got there.
Practically the whole precinct was there. Frank and Molly Strenlich, John Broderick, Blake, Nicky Elders, Roger Chin, TJ Kincaid, etc. Also, both of the Blaisdell girls were there: Carolyn, and her husband Todd, and Kelly. Marilyn was also there with her husband Steve. Paul had even been able to get some old friends of his and Kermit's there in time: Rykker, Steadman and John Durham. With the help of the three mercenaries he was also able to get some surprise guests, Matthew Caine, Major Jim Hellstrom and Todd Simms. Kermit had recently made Jim aware of whom he really was and the two of them had worked out there differences. All three of them were kept in the house, as they were going to be a surprise to everyone, not just the couples. This had been Annie's idea and all three of them agreed to it.
Paul walked out in front of the assembled crowd and asked for silence. He then proceeded to fill them in on the happenings of last night. Everyone just stared at him for a second and then started laughing and talking about it.
He once again got there attention and told them that this barbecue was really a surprise engagement party for the three couples and he would like all of their help in that. He told them that the couples were scheduled to be there at 5:30pm, so they had very little time left to get ready.
Carolyn and Kelly had just gotten back from the bakery with the huge cake for the party and were setting it up under Annie's direction on a rolling cart off to the side. This way it could be rolled out as part of the surprise. The cake had written on it "Congratulations!!!" and under that the names of each of the three couples. The baker was a friend of the Blaisdells and was more than happy to bake the last minute order.
It was now 5:30pm and all three couples miraculously arrived at the same time.
Peter looked around as he was holding open the passenger door of the stealth for Jody and saw both Kermit and Karen pull up in Kermit's Corvair and Caine and Mary Margaret pull up in Skalaney's sedan.
All three couples walked around the side of the house to the huge backyard. After all three of them had come through the gate, the assembled people parted to let Carolyn and Kelly push the cart containing the cake through to the front of the crowd. As soon as it was there they all shouted together, "CONGRATULATIONS!!!"
The three couples looked stunned. The six of them looked at each other and wondered how everyone knew already. Then they all noticed Lo Si sitting next to Paul and Annie. All three of them had guilty smiles on their faces. It wasn't hard to figure out how the secret got out after seeing that.
It wasn't until after that that they all looked at each other and realized the significance of all six of them being the only ones told the later time. As if on cue all three women held up their left hands to each other. At that every one started laughing hysterically.
Suddenly everyone was around them and congratulating them. It wasn't until a few moments later that everyone moved away from them to reveal yet another surprise. The other three guests. There were gasps all around as most of the guests had not known that they were here. Also, whereas some of them might know of Todd Simms and fewer still knew of Jim Hellstrom, most of them did not know of Matthew Caine's existence. There was no doubt in anyone's mind as to who he was though. The resemblance to Kwai Chang Caine was remarkable.
Todd and Jim came up to Kermit and Karen to offer their congratulations to their respective parents. While this was happening, Matthew Caine walked slowly up to Peter and Caine and reached up and closed their mouths. Everyone who saw this move let out another laugh. Neither of them had expected to see Matthew Caine here, even in their wildest dreams. The fact that the man was in his nineties and did not get around very well would have precluded such a possibility. Matthew informed them that Lo Si had contacted him last night about it and had asked Rykker to bring him here. Both Peter and Caine turned and bowed deeply to Lo Si and Rykker for their kind service to their family. They then turned and gave Matthew a hug together.
After their family hug the two younger Caines helped Matthew into a seat and then introduced him to their fiancés. Both Mary Margaret and Jody were surprised and happy to meet the elder Caine. Karen and Kermit also came over and were introduced to him.
The party went late into the night. More people came and went as time went on. Eventually all three couples got together and compared notes on last nights activities and came to the realization that they had gotten engaged at practically the same exact time. When this news got out to the rest of the guests there was a lot of teasing about advanced planning or mental communication.
By midnight most of the guests had left. The only ones still there were the Blaisdells, the three couples and Marilyn and her husband. Rykker had given Lo Si and Matthew a ride to Lo Si's house. Matthew was staying with him for the night. After that he would probably stay with Caine for a while before going home to St. Adele, France. Jim and Todd were both staying at Kermit's place. Kermit gave Jim his extra key. Both of them had to leave tomorrow. Jim back to his Air Force base and Todd back to the military academy he was attending. Karen and Kermit were going to spend the night at Karen's place, but would see both of them before they left in the morning. This way the newly engaged couple had some privacy tonight, and besides Jim and Todd were getting along great together.
The ten of them sat around the Blaisdell's living room and talked for a while. They were discussing wedding plans. Marilyn came up with the idea of a combined wedding. She thought it would be a great idea as all of them had gotten engaged at the same time, why not get married at the same time. There was some laughing at this at first, but then they started to seriously talk about it.
Before they left they had the beginnings of a plan. Kermit had suggested that maybe Lo Si could perform the weddings. This was fine with all of them, as both of the Caines were Buddhists and Kermit did not really practice a religion, but the three ladies requested that their priests be in attendance so that the marriages would be true in the eyes of their religions. Caine said that he would speak to Lo Si tomorrow about it.
Paul chimed in and suggested the Sutton Place hotel for the ceremony and reception. This had been the hotel where Carolyn's wedding had been. After an agreement on this, Karen turned to Paul and stated that neither of her parents were still alive and would Paul be willing to walk her down the aisle. She said that she knew how Paul and Annie felt about Kermit and that nothing would make her happier then having Kermit's psuedo father walk her down the aisle to him. Paul swelled up with pride at this and chocked out a yes. Annie sat there beaming.
After all of this the three couples all made arrangements to get together tomorrow to discuss more details. They each expressed their appreciation to the Blaisdells and said their goodnights. After they all walked outside they bade each other goodnight and got in to their cars and drove off into the night.
END