Author's Note: Finally, a new part! Sorry for the long time in between parts…writer's block. Knew where I wanted to go, but wasn't sure how to get there. I think I'm satisfied with this, but who knows…I may rewrite it later.

Part 6

Ephram had the house to himself and was taking advantage of it. His dad had gone grocery shopping; Nina, Sam, and Hannah were coming over for dinner, and Liv had taken Delia clothes shopping. Ephram had set himself up at the old piano, which still sat in the living room, and he was writing music to go with some lyrics their friend Sara had written.

Ephram jotted down a few more notes and played the sequence again, mentally reciting the lyrics, and wished that Liv was there to sing so he could hear how it sounded. He'd have to have her do it when they got back. He had just picked up his pencil again when someone knocked on the door. Before getting up to answer the door, he wrote down another note.

Ephram opened the door and was shocked to see Amy standing on the other side. He really hadn't expected to see her again. That day at the lake she had been quiet, but polite. She had really only spoken to him when it was necessary, and he didn't think she had said a word to Liv.

"Hi," Amy greeted him nervously.

"Hey," he replied, wondering what she was doing there.

"Um…can we talk?" she asked quietly.

Ephram thought for a moment before taking a step back and gesturing for her to come in. He had a feeling that he knew where this conversation was going to go. They entered the living room where Amy sat on the couch and Ephram took a chair opposite her. Both were silent for a few minutes while Ephram waited for Amy to speak.

"Amy…" Ephram said, breaking the silence. "What did you want to talk about?"

She looked up at him sadly. "You're never coming back, are you?" she asked quietly.

"Amy…"

"You never had any intention of coming back here, did you?"

Ephram took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. "No…I knew when I left that I wouldn't be coming back here…not to live anyway," he finally answered.

Amy looked down at her hands in an attempt to hide the tears that were stinging her eyes from him. "Why didn't you tell me that? Why didn't you tell me you weren't coming back?"

"I did tell you," Ephram answered, shaking his head. "But you didn't want to hear me."

Amy looked back up at him. "And how long after you left here did you meet her?"

"Amy, I've told all this already."

"I stopped listening after you told me her name," Amy admitted.

Ephram sighed. "Two weeks. But we were friends for two months before we started dating."

"And you don't think you're moving kind of-"

Ephram put up a hand to stop her and took another deep breath. "Amy, if you're here to tell me that we're getting married too fast, making a big mistake…or anything else along those lines, you can save your breath," he said starting to get angry. "I've heard it before and no one's convinced me they're right so far."

"You've only known her for a year!" Amy exclaimed as she stood up.

"I'm well aware of how long I've known her! Why do you all keep coming back to that?" Ephram asked angrily, as he stood up and started pacing. "Is there some required length of time you have to know someone before you can get married and no one's told me?"

"No, but…it wasn't supposed to be like this. You weren't supposed to stay there…you weren't supposed to fall in love!"

Ephram stopped in front of Amy. "I am sorry that I hurt you. I am sorry that I don't love you the way that you love me. But I am not sorry that I met Liv. I am not sorry that I fell in love with her, and I am not sorry that I am marrying her," Ephram explained calmly. He looked up and saw his father standing in the doorway. "I am marrying Liv in August and there is nothing either one of you can say or do that will make me change my mind," he continued.

Andy set the groceries down and entered the living room, standing behind Amy. "Ephram, we're worried about you," Andy stated calmly.

Ephram began pacing again, looking back and forth between Amy and his father. "So, what, you two thought you would gang up on me and suddenly I would change my mind? Did you think I would come to my senses and come back here?"

"Ephram," Amy began, but was interrupted by Andy.

"We don't want you to make a mistake and do something you'll regret," Andy finished.

Ephram stopped pacing and looked at his father in disbelief. He thought that Andy had accepted that he was getting married. He should've known better. "Well, then, I guess it's my mistake to make. It's my life, and neither one of you has any say in what I do with my life anymore. In fact the only other person who does have a say in my life is Olivia." Ephram looked at his father. "You said you were okay with this. You said you were okay with Liv and I getting married. Were you lying?"

"No, Ephram, I…I tried to be okay, I did," Andy tried to explain.

"Try harder!" Ephram yelled. "I am marrying Liv! I'm sorry if you don't approve, but I really don't care anymore!"

Ephram stormed out of the room walking past Liv and Delia, who had come in unnoticed sometime during the fight. They all flinched as they heard the door slam.

Liv looked back and forth between Amy and Andy, and then handed the shopping bags she was holding to Delia. "Here, sweetie, why don't you take these up to your room?" Liv glanced at Amy and Andy again before turning and following Ephram.

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Liv tossed her purse on the bed in the motel room, and took a deep breath as she looked around. After driving aimlessly for a few hours she had finally convinced Ephram to stop for the night. She thought they were still in Colorado…but she wasn't really sure.

"I'm going to go get us something to eat," Ephram offered, sounding tired.

Liv glanced towards the door where he was still standing and nodded. "Okay." Ephram walked the few steps towards her and gave her a quick kiss before leaving.

After an hour in the car, Ephram had finally told her everything that had happened earlier. Now all she wanted to do was call Dr. Brown and yell at him for hurting Ephram…but she had promised Ephram she wouldn't do that. However, she would call him. She dug her cell phone out of her purse, and scrolled through the phone book, grateful that Ephram had programmed her phone when he had done his. She sat on the bed looking at the number for a few minutes, debating whether or not she should actually call Dr. Brown.

She just didn't understand Ephram's father's reaction. Her parents had been thrilled when they had told them they were getting married. In fact, her mother had started planning the wedding almost immediately. Their friends had been happy for them, too. They had even joked about it, asking what had taken them so long.

Liv sighed and glanced around the motel room again, hoping that Ephram was all right. All she ever wanted was for Ephram to be happy, but right now she wasn't sure how to do that. She hit the button to dial the number for the Brown house and bit her lip as she waited for someone to answer.

"Hello?"

"Dr. Brown? It's Liv."

"Thank, God. Where are you? Let me talk to Ephram," Andy insisted.

"We're at a motel somewhere in Colorado…I think. I'm not really sure where we are, but Ephram knows," Liv explained. "And…he doesn't want to talk to you yet. He doesn't even know I'm calling you…" Liv trailed off as she heard someone coming towards the door. "I've gotta go. We'll be back tomorrow." She snapped the phone shut before Dr. Brown had a chance to say another word and tossed the phone back in her purse just as Ephram opened the door.

Ephram entered the room carrying a pizza box and a shopping bag. Liv got up and walked over, taking the pizza from him, and setting it down on the table.

"Okay," Ephram started as he reached into the shopping bag. "Bottle of water for you," he said, handing it to her. "Soda for me, and napkins."

Liv smiled and thanked him as she opened the pizza box and was surprised to discover that he had gotten a veggie pizza. She smiled and shook her head. "You really are amazing, you know that?" she asked as she gazed at him.

Ephram looked up at her confused. "What?"

Liv took a couple of steps closer to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "You've had a horrible day. You have every right to be miserable and pissed at the world…and you come back with my favorite pizza. You really are amazing."

Ephram sighed and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against him. "Yeah, well…no reason for both of us to be miserable." Ephram released her and sat down. "Come on, let's eat."

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An hour later Liv found herself in the bathroom washing her face. She had changed clothes and was now wearing Ephram's t-shirt. Having rushed out of the house neither had any clothes other than what they had been wearing. Ephram had offered her his shirt, saying that he could sleep in his boxers. Liv took a deep breath and looked at her reflection in the mirror, and wondered how the hell they had ended up in a motel in the middle of Colorado with only the clothes on their backs and whatever Liv had in her purse…

"Liv?" Ephram called quietly.

Liv grabbed a towel from the edge of the sink and pressed it to her face before turning and leaning in the doorway. Ephram was still sitting at the table where he had sat back down after giving her his shirt. "Hmm?"

Ephram looked up at her and she was surprised to see that he had tears in his eyes, and in that moment she wanted to tell him to screw his father, go to the airport and go home…

"Could you come here for a minute?" he asked quietly.

Liv tossed the towel on the sink and walked across the room to him. He reached up and placed his hands on her waist and pulled her onto his lap. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he buried his face in her neck and breathed in her scent. Liv wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly for a few minutes.

"Something occurred to me today as we were driving back and forth across the state," Liv finally said quietly. "Have you noticed that the only people who seem to be concerned that we're getting married are the ones here?"

Ephram moved his head and looked up at her in surprise. He hadn't noticed, but now that he thought about it… "Everybody we see all the time…the people we see on a daily basis…they're happy for us," he realized.

Liv nodded. "I was thinking about it…they see how we always are; they know how we live…"

"The people here only know what we've told them…" he finished.

"And as much as we would like to think so, we haven't been acting like our normal selves here. Not around other people anyway," Liv continued.

Ephram stared into space and thought about that for a few minutes before speaking again. "Okay, we have three more days here, right? So, here's what we're going to do. From now on we act like ourselves."

Liv raised her eyebrows questioningly.

"I mean it. Act how we would normally act. If I feel like saying that I love you, then I'm gonna say it no matter who's around…You can sing and dance while doing the dishes, and maybe I'll join you…If you want to wear a tank top, then wear a tank top even if it does show off your tattoo. Hell, I'll walk around shirtless so Dad can see my tattoo," Ephram exclaimed, making Liv laugh.

"What are we going to do about your father?" Liv asked still laughing.

Ephram thought about it for a couple of minutes. "Well, we have three days to convince him that our marriage is the best thing in the world," he finally answered.

"And Amy?" she asked curiously.

"Yeah, I don't think we're ever going to convince her," he joked.

"Ephram…"

"I'll talk to her before we leave," he answered after a moment's hesitation. "You know, I'm in a much better mood now," he said as he moved one under her knees, and kept the other around her waist and stood up with Liv in his arms. Ephram walked over to the bed and gently laid Liv down before lying down next to her. "Now, if you don't mind, I don't want to talk about my father or Amy anymore." He reached back and turned off the lamp.

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The next morning…

Ephram entered the motel room, and walked straight back to the bathroom where he could hear the shower running. He entered the bathroom and stuck his head into the steamy shower. "Here," he said as he handed Liv a disposable razor.

"Thanks," she replied as she took it from him.

Ephram stepped over to the sink and unpacked the rest of the items he had purchased (another disposable razor, deodorant for both of them, toothbrushes, and a comb) at the drugstore across the street.

"So, I was thinking," Ephram yelled over the shower. "Did we bring those DVD's that Nick made? The ones with everyone's birthdays and the other stuff?"

"I think so. Why?"

"Well…I was thinking that instead of fighting with Dad for the next three days, I would just hand him the DVD's and say 'here, this is us,'" Ephram explained.

Liv pushed aside the shower curtain and stuck her head out. "And what if he watches the video's and still thinks we're making a mistake?" she asked.

Ephram put down his razor and glanced over at her. "Well, I guess he'll just have to learn to live with it, because nothing is going to change my mind."

Liv pulled her head back into the shower and closed the curtain as Ephram turned and looked at his reflection in the mirror. He hoped this worked; he did not want to spend the rest of his life arguing with his father. If this didn't work he didn't know what he was going to do…

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A few hours later…

"Here," Ephram said as he handed Andy three DVD's. He and Liv had arrived back at his father's house a few minutes earlier, and he hadn't wasted any time in digging the DVD's out of his suitcase.

"What is this?" Andy asked curiously.

"DVD's. It's us…Liv and me. Home videos of us, our friends…a good bit of the past year is there," Ephram explained. "I can try to explain it to you until the end of time, but it's probably not going to change anything. Watch this…maybe it will change your mind."

"And if it doesn't?"

Ephram shrugged. "Then I guess you'll need to learn to live with it, because Liv and I are getting married, and there isn't anything you can say or do that will change that."

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As Andy watched the video he was pleased to see that Ephram had acquired a close group of friends. He had always been slightly concerned that Ephram seemed to be a bit of a loner in Everwood. The only friends he really had were Amy, Bright, and Hannah, but in London he seemed to have a larger group of friends. It probably helped that they were all musicians and attended the same music conservatory. Andy was thrilled that Ephram had friends that were like him.

The videos were helpful in that they filled in some of the blanks. The first time Ephram had ever mentioned Liv was to say that he had made a friend. The next time he really had talked about her was when he had been in Everwood the previous fall, and that was to tell Andy that they were living together. And the first time he met Liv they told him that they were getting married. He had missed everything that had happened in between.

Ephram had handed Andy three DVD's, and Andy had been able to fast-forward through sections of them. However, there were three sections of the videos in particular that caught his attention: the day Ephram and Liv moved in together, Liv's birthday, and the day they told their friends that they were getting married.

Moving day…

The camera panned around a partially furnished apartment. Most of the furniture was piled in the middle of the room, with boxes surrounding it.

"So, here we are at Ephram and Liv's new flat," Nick narrated. "It's moving day, and they now officially live together," he said as he turned to face the kitchen where the girls were unpacking boxes. "And we all came over to help."

Mark walked across the screen holding one end of a couch, and was soon followed by Ephram holding the other end. Ephram stopped and faced the camera, looking at it angrily. "Nick, why don't you put down the camera, and actually help," he said sounding irritated.

"What? Oh, yeah," Nick replied as he moved the camera and turned it off.

When the next scene began a couple of hours had passed. Nick had the camera focused on Ephram and Liv who were sitting side by side on the kitchen table.

"So, how's the happy couple? How're you guys feeling? Scared? Nervous?" Nick asked.

"Surprisingly, no," Liv answered, shaking her head.

"Ephram?"

Ephram turned to look at Liv and smiled. "Best decision I ever made."

"Awww…" Nick said mockingly. "Now give us a kiss."

"Nick…" they moaned together.

"Come on," Nick urged.

Liv and Ephram looked at each other again, and leaned in towards each other for a quick kiss.

"Now, I know you can do better than that."

Liv rolled her eyes at Nick before facing Ephram again. The second kiss they shared lasted longer, and was more passionate.

"I love you," Ephram whispered as they broke apart.

"I love you, too," Liv whispered back.

Liv's 19th Birthday…
Nick held the camera pointing it towards himself. "Okay…it's Liv's 19th birthday." He turned the camera around and pointed it towards Liv, Ephram, Maggie, and Mark standing in Ephram and Liv's kitchen. "So, Liv, what are we doing tonight?"

Liv smiled and glanced first at Maggie and then at Ephram. "We're going dancing," she said as she faced the camera again. Then the scene faded to black.

The next time the camera came on they appeared to be in a nightclub. Nick was wandering among the dancers capturing the event. The fast song transitioned to a slow one, and the bodies slowed as well. Nick panned over Mark and Maggie, and then stopped as he swept over Ephram and Liv. They had their arms wrapped around each other, their eyes locked on each other. But what made Nick stop was Ephram softly singing along…

I don't know but I believe
That some things are meant to be
And that you'll make a better me
Everyday I love you

I never thought that dreams came true
But you've shown me that they do
You know I learn something new
Everyday I love you

'Cause I believe that destiny
Is out of our control
And you'll never live until you love
With all your heart and soul

It's a touch when I feel bad
It's a smile when I get mad
All the little things I am
Everyday I love you

'Cause I believe that destiny
Is out of our control
And you'll never live until you love
With all your heart and soul

If I asked would you say yes?
Together we're the very best
I know that I am truly blessed
Everyday I love you
And I'll give you my best
Everyday I love you

Declaration day…
They were all gathered at Mark's apartment. Mark's birthday had been the previous week, and as predicted his birthday request had been Truth or Dare. For some reason, which the others couldn't figure out, he was fascinated by that game. They had some unfinished business from the game, and Mark was making sure everyone had followed through on their dares.

"Sara, you're first," Mark started.

Sara got up from her seat on the couch and lifted her shirt enough to show her belly button and the new piercing that was there. The rest glanced at each other, surprised. Nobody thought she would actually go through with her dare.

Mark looked at Ephram and Liv. "Your turn."

Ephram and Liv glanced at each other before standing up as well. Liv reached up and slipped her cardigan sweater off her shoulders and turned around, so that her back was to the others, as Ephram pulled his shirt over his head and turned around as well. Both had a small tattoo of a Celtic knot on the back of the their left shoulders. Mark was surprised to discover that they had followed through with their dare as well. Actually, Ephram had followed through. He had been dared to get a tattoo and convince Liv to get one as well. Nobody thought he would be able to convince Liv.

Ephram put his shirt back on as Liv pulled her sweater back up and they looked at each other as they did so.

"So, we have some news," Ephram said as they faced the others again. He wrapped his arm around Liv's waist, pulling her close.

"We're getting married!" they exclaimed together, as Liv held up her hand showing them her engagement ring.

Maggie jumped up and ran over to hug her best friend, and squealed as she inspected the ring; Sara and Annie soon joined them. Mark, Nick, and David also jumped up and walked over to Ephram, and everyone began talking excitedly at once. They all seemed very happy.

Andy pressed the stop button on the remote and sat back, thinking. When Ephram had handed him the videos, he hadn't really thought that it would make a difference, but he was thrilled to discover that he was wrong. The videos had greatly changed his opinion about Ephram and Liv's relationship. They had filled in the blanks in their relationship. After seeing how the relationship had progressed he no longer thought that they were moving too fast.

Andy walked downstairs and saw Ephram and Liv lounging on the porch swing. Ephram was sitting up one end, and Liv was lying on the swing, her head resting on Ephram's thigh, one leg hanging off the side. The window behind them was open, and Andy could hear that they were discussing the wedding.

"What about the seating chart for the reception?" Liv asked.

Ephram lowered the papers he was reading and stared into space, thinking. "Why don't we skip the seating chart and just let people sit where they want? I mean, we only invited…what…50 people," he finally answered.

"No seating chart it is," Liv agreed, making a note on the papers she was holding. "Have you decided if you want to rent a tux or just wear your black suit?"

"Would you be upset if I just wore my suit?"

Liv leaned her head back to look up at him. "If I was going to be upset by it, I wouldn't have given you the choice. I would've told you to rent a tux."

"Good point." Ephram shuffled the papers in his hand. "What is this list?" he asked, holding the page over her face.

"It's a list for the photographer. We have to check which photos we want to have taken," she explained. "Do you want to do the formal pictures before the wedding?"

"Of us?" he asked. "No," he answered after he felt her nod her head. "Because the first time I see you in your wedding dress, I want you to be walking down an aisle towards me. What other pictures are we getting?"

"The usual…us, the wedding party, us with my parents, us with your dad and Delia…"

"And if my dad doesn't come?"

She looked up at him again. "Do you really think he wouldn't come?"

"I don't know…"

"I'll be there," Andy answered as he stepped outside.

"Really?" Ephram asked hopefully.

Andy nodded. "I wouldn't miss it."

"So, you watched the video's?"

Andy nodded again.

"And?"

"We're okay," Andy replied.

Liv sat up and leaned against Ephram, and they shared a confused look.

"Just like that?" Ephram asked.

Andy sat down on the other side of Liv and took a deep breath before responding. "They filled in the blanks. As I was watching the videos, I realized that what was really bothering me was that you were living with and marrying someone that I had never met." Andy looked at Ephram. "I still think you're too young, but I don't think it's too fast anymore."

"I'll be 20 when we get married," Ephram reminded his father.

"Doesn't matter. You could be 30 and I would still think you were too young." Andy shrugged. "I guess it's a parent thing…Ephram, I saw you smile more in those videos than I have seen you smile…ever. I saw you happier than I have ever seen you…and as long as you're happy…I'm happy."

Ephram looked at his father in shock. He had hoped that seeing how they really were would allow him to accept that they were getting married, but he hadn't expected a complete turn around. For the first time in a very long time he smiled at his father. "Thank you."

Andy nodded and smiled back. "Now, I just have one question….Is the tattoo real?"

Ephram laughed and nodded. "Yeah."

"Why would you do that to yourself?" Andy asked, shaking his head.

"It was a dare," he explained. "I don't turn down dares anymore." He glanced at Liv and if possible his smile grew even more. "Not since the first one. That dare was the best thing that ever happened to me."

--The song is "Everyday I Love You" by Boyzone.