Thanks to shanascarlettohara for beta'ing this for me.
The plane ride was lonely. No matter how hard he tried thoughts of her kept creeping into his mind, which just made the trip longer and harder. He never imagined he would ever meet anyone like her, the smart-ass redhead who wouldn't put up with any of his crap. It was no use. All he could do was think of her: her smile, her laughter, the way she looked, her touch, and even her perfume. He looked out his window to try to clear his mind. Even those cruel clouds in the heavens brought back memories of her. He thought of the first time they met. He wouldn't admit it back then, but that was the exact moment he knew she was the one. Two problems: one - she was his subordinate. And two - she was taken at the time. So, he settled for the second best thing, to be her closest and dearest friend.
He chuckled out loud when he thought of the time he finally admitted to himself that he was one hundred percent in love with her and decided to forgo the frat reg's. He was glad he did. Memories of their life together flooded his thoughts. He couldn't picture his life without her. He couldn't wait to finish this trip and get back home. Then, this whole ordeal would be in his past, although, he knew this was really just the beginning. He would have more to deal with upon his return. Despite all the missions he'd been on, this would be one of, if not the hardest thing he'd ever done or would ever have to do.
The blond First Sergeant of the GI Joe team de-boarded the plane at Hartsfield and picked up his rental car. He sat in the parking lot, studying a map of Atlanta, although he knew exactly where he was going. He had been to the house a number of times before, but she always drove because it was her hometown. Before he left the parking lot, Conrad placed a call on his cell phone to let the other party know he was on the way. He had dealt with people from all walks of life during his career, but he never felt as nervous as he did now. He had asked Patrick O'Hara if he could visit without Shana's knowledge or presence. How he managed to pull that off without her finding out is a mystery in itself!
Conrad pulled up to the driveway and sat in the car for a few minutes gathering his courage. Patrick opened the front door to see who had pulled up. The house, hidden in the countryside, had a long, winding driveway. This meant that whoever it was came there purposely or else they would have turned around long before reaching the house. Conrad got out of the car and greeted his love's father. The two men entered the home and talked for awhile before Patrick gave Conrad a questioning look. Conrad somehow found himself asking Mr. O'Hara for his youngest child and only daughter's hand in marriage.
Patrick smiled realizing he had been right. He expected this day to come. There were no secrets between father and daughter, except those concerning her career. Patrick had watched Shana and Conrad interact when they visited and could tell they were in love. Patrick, wanting nothing but to see his daughter happy, gave Conrad his blessing but warned that he would have to deal with the boys, who would have plans of their own. This was their baby sister, in every sense of the phrase. Sean, the youngest, was 11 years older than Shana. In fact, Frank and Brian were in college and out of the house by the time Shana was in the first grade. All of them were always very protective of her.
That evening, all three brothers and their families came over to the house. Conrad wondered what he had gotten himself into. He could have kicked himself for not realizing the whole family would confront him. He hoped her brothers would go easy on him, seeing that they had known him for several years (even before he and Shana became a couple). But why would they? He knew what they did to her ex-fiance. In fact, he couldn't stop laughing when he heard about it. Now that he was the voluntary victim, it didn't seem so funny. "Is she worth this?", he thought. He tried imaging what his life would have been like the past couple of years without having her by his side. He regretted the many times he denied his love for her. "Definitely, worth it."
"After spending that evening and most of the next day being harassed and threatened by Shana's brothers, he was glad to get back to Hartsfield and be on his way home. All was not in vane, though. Patrick had given him his blessing and her brothers, following Frank's move, ended up giving him their blessings as well. Conrad understood this was a big brother thing. Heaven help whoever thought about marrying his own baby sister, Heather.
On the flight back home, he thought of the future; Shana, as his wife, and their children. Shana Hauser: sounds pretty good. Would their children be blonde like him or redheaded like her? Definitely, blue eyed and witty. He imagined them playing football in their yard, piano lessons, and of course, martial arts lessons at the O'Hara's dojo. They would settle down in Atlanta, not St. Louis. Although he loves his family, he would never take her away from hers. He knows how important they are to her. The more he thought about it, the more he couldn't wait for it to become a reality. The only problem now was asking her. How? It had to be just perfect.
Back on base, everyone rushed to put Duke's plan into place. Hawk gave Scarlett a list of bogus errands to complete. The list was pretty long to ensure she didn't return early and spoil everything. Duke went to his place, showered and headed out to the pavilion. Most of the Joes were already there in formation. Those present, including Duke, wore their dress uniforms.
The last thing on Scarlett's list was to go to Cover Girl's apartment. No reason was given. Before she knew what had hit her, Scarlett was pulled into the room, given a makeover, and drug out to the pavilion. Right in front of her was Duke, her soul mate, on his knees holding a black velvet box. Behind him was just about the entire Joe team, dressed to the nines. To top things off, Josh Groban's "My Confession" played repeatedly over the loudspeakers. Scarlett blinked her eyes several times and pinched herself to make sure she was not dreaming or hallucinating. Duke took her hand and looked up into her eyes.
"Shana, I... I... uh." He started. When he looked at her, the thoughts he had on the plane came back to him. He had a whole speech planned but couldn't get any of the words out. All he could manage to say was "Marry me?" Tears flooded down her face as she nodded. He gently took the diamond ring out of the box and placed it on the third finger of her left hand, then stood and kissed her passionately.