Title: Please

Author: Simon

Characters: Mary Grayson and her sister /AU

Rating: PG

Summary: Mary is about to run away to marry John Grayson

Warnings: none

Disclaimers: These guys aren't mine, they don't belong to me, worst luck, so don't bother me.

Archive: Fine, but if you want it, please ask first.

Feedback: Hell, yes.

Please...

"Where have you been? Daddy will kill you if he finds out you snuck out."

"He won't find out."

"You met him again, didn't you?" Her sister just smiled as answer. "You're going to get caught. You know you are—and you have to get up for work tomorrow, you know."

"It doesn't matter."

"…Of course it matt…Oh my God. You're serious, aren't you? You're really going to run away with him or something."

"Will you be quiet? Mom and Dad'll hear you."

"Sorry. But Mary—why do you have to sneak around like this? If he's so great let Mom and Dad meet him. This is just so cheesy, for God's sake."

"They'll never like him. They won't—you know that; as soon as Dad heard I'd even talked to him he almost had a heart attack. Dad would have him arrested if he came around here. Besides, everyone's leaving tomorrow, anyway."

"Everyone?"

"C'mon. Don't look at me like that."

"You're going with him, aren't you?"

"It's late, go back to your own room."

"Mary…c'mon. Don't do this, please don't. You've only known him a few days."

"…"

"Please, Mare."

"I love him—I know how that sounds, but I really do."

"I'll bet."

"C'mon, don't look like that. You've met him, too. He's handsome and funny—you saw that. He's charming…"

"And he has a girl in every town, right?"

"He doesn't. Even the other performers told me that he doesn't fool around. He's always been a one woman man and he broke up with his long time girlfriend a couple of months ago. You haven't really talked to him. He's not like that."

"Sure. And so you're going to follow him around like a puppy dog waiting for crumbs from him or something, right? And he'll be having a good time while you throw away your job and family and all of your friends and everything. He sounds like a real prince."

"He asked me to marry him."

"Sure he did…And set a date or is that open ended?"

"We're getting married as soon as we get to Baltimore."

"…God, Mary. Why can't you just, you know—why do you have to run away to do this? Mom would be on your side and you know that Daddy will come around if you give him a chance…so why do you have to do this right now? He said he didn't want to rush you and maybe if you both stepped back a little, maybe you'd…"

"Not go through with it? No. I love him and I'm going to marry him."

"But Mary—what's the rush? He even said that he could finish the tour, come back here and meet Mom and Dad. They could get to know him, maybe they'd get to like him and then…"

"Then they wouldn't object as much? Or maybe we'd change our minds? Forget it."

"Are you pregnant?"

"Thanks a lot. No. No, I'm not pregnant. I love John and he loves me and we want to get married as soon as we can. It's as simple as that."

"God, Mare…"

"Can't you be even a little happy for me? I really love him and he really loves me. I'm going to work in his act—he said he'd teach me. In fact, I've already started and he thinks I'm going to be good at it."

"You go up on that trapeze? You use a net, don't you?"

"Of course I use a net, I'm not completely stupid. He's really careful of me—I use a harness and all—it's not dangerous with all the safety equipment. It isn't."

"…So when are you going?"

"Tomorrow after dinner. He wanted to come here and talk to Mom and Dad, but I told him it would be better to just write or call them later."

"When it's too late to do anything. Mary, you're going to break their hearts, you know that."

"I don't want to do that, you know I don't, but I know they'll be against it and I…"

"You said he makes you happy, but does he make you laugh? God, that's so important and if he can't do that…"

"Oh, yes…we have so much fun together and he's gentle with me and so kind and he's just so—I've never been this happy—I haven't."

"You're really this sure?"

"And you know what I keep thinking about? I keeping seeing us traveling with the show, performing and I can even picture our kids. I can imagine a boy who looks just like John, but he'll maybe have my eyes—black hair and blue eyes, wouldn't that be striking?—and maybe a couple of years later a little girl, too. Or maybe just the boy, but I can see him already and we'll all travel and perform together. It will be so—it will be wonderful."

"Uh-huh, and maybe if you named him after Daddy it would help."

"After Daddy and after John—John Richard Grayson."

"Richard John sounds better."

"You're right."

"But you're really happy?"

"…I am."

"You'll let me know how you are, won't you? You'll let me know you're all right?"

"Of course I will."

"And if anything happens, if he…you'll let me know? You won't be afraid to come back if, you know, if…"

"If it doesn't work out? I promise. If I'm wrong, I'll admit it."

"Mary…"

"You know me. If it's not right I'll be on the next flight home and you can count on that."

"Promise me."

"I promise—if it's not right I'll call you, no matter where I am, I'll call you. I swear that I will."

"You're really this sure after only knowing him a week?"

"I knew the first minute I talked to him that I'd be with him the rest of my life. I've never been so completely sure of anything. I know this is the right thing for me to do. I'm positive of it."

"Tomorrow, I'm coming with you, I want to see you off. I want to talk to him and tell him to—you know, just to tell him."

"I'd like that. I'd really like it if you came."

"Good. Mare?"

"Yes?"

"Is he really a gypsy?"

"That's why he's so sexy—that dark hair and those black eyes."

"Is he a good kisser?"

"Mind your own business!"

"Is he?"

"He's the best kisser and he, when he—all right, I'm not going there, but he's so careful of me and he's so kind and gentle and—he's honest and loving and he loves me and I know this is just so right. I'm completely certain, no doubts, no second thoughts or reservations. This is what I want—he's what I want. Hey—it's going to be all right, you'll see. This is going to be so good and we're going to be together forever, you'll see—everyone will see."

"But you're leaving tomorrow, Mare—when will I see you again?"

"You'll see me. You'll hear from me all the time and I'll visit and you'll visit me. We'll write and we'll call all the time."

"I'll miss you."

"…Would you like to sleep in here tonight?"

"Like when we were kids?"

"Like when we were kids."

"Last time, right?"

"For a while."

"I love you, Mare—I want you happy, okay? Promise me you'll be happy?"

"I'll be happy with John for the rest of my life. I promise."

5/6/05