Together Forever

Amy was pulling up in front of the elementary school. "Now remember Marie you can't tell anyone about your magic okay?"

"Yes Mommy I remember, bye." Marie slid out of the car and waved to her mom as she ran toward her classroom door.

Marie was sitting on a picnic table waiting for the bell to ring for class. She looked up at the clouds passing overhead and sighed. "I wish I had someone to talk too."

"How about me?" Marie turned around and saw Todd standing behind her. She smiled as she watched him take a seat beside her. "These are for you Marie." He handed her a bouquet of yellow and white dandelions.

"Ah Todd they're so pretty." Marie took the flowers from him and admired them.

"I hope you feel better after what happened yesterday." Todd was looking away slightly as blushed.

"Thank you Todd." She leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. She smiled a girly smile as she looked back at the flowers.

Todd was blushing madly now as he looked at Marie a bit mystify. He noticed that she picked out a single white dandelion closed her eyes for a moment and then she blew all the seeds off. "What cha doen?" He asked as he leaned back on his hands.

"Making a wish." She looked at Todd smiling.

"What ja wish for?" Todd was so oblivious to women sometimes.

"I wished that we would be together forever." She scooted closer to him.

Todd would have tried move but he was already at the end of the table "really?" He was in a bit of a sweat from all the nervousness.

"Umhum" She wrapped her arms around his waste and snuggled her head into his chest. "I love you Todd."

"Ahhh…" Todd hesitantly put his arms around her too. "Um I love you to Marie." What was he doing he didn't even know what saying 'I love you' to a girl other than your mom meant.

Todd stepped off the bus as he did he heard someone yelling at him. "Bye Todd see you later."

Todd yelled back as the bus pulled away from the curve. "Bye Marie!" He waved at her as he saw her doing the same. When the bus was out of sight Todd sighed as he pulled his book bag up over his shoulder. He walked into the house and threw it in his room and then walked into the kitchen where his mom was fixing dinner. He sat down at the table and plopped his head in his hands.

"How was school today?" Rouge asked as she dumped some noodles into a pot of boiling water.

"Good." Todd sighed as he looked down.

Rouge could hear the differences in his voice it sounded like confusion. She left the pot to boil and sat down beside her son. "Todd what's wrong?"

"I don't know I feel…weird." He looked up at his mom.

"What makes you feel weird?" Rouge leaned her head in one hand listening to Todd.

"It's a girl…" Todd said a little embarrassed.

"And who is this girl?" Rouge smiled as she began to realize what was going on here.

"It's…Marie…lately when I'm around her I feel all sick in the stomach and my hands get all sweaty, mom and I sick?" He looked up at his mother with big eyes.

"Oh sweetie you're not sick you're just in love." Rouge smiled as she pulled him into a hug.

"Is that why I told Marie I loved her today?" Todd asked as he was released from his mother's grip.

"Oh you told her that?" Rouge smiled as she looked at him excited.

"Well she said it first and then I said it cause I didn't want her to feel bad." Todd looked down at his feet which he was currently swinging back and forth.

Suddenly Knuckles walked into the kitchen. "Hey Todd." Knuckles put his hand on Todd's head.

"Hey dad." Todd mumbled.

"Knuckles." Rouge stood up and grabbed him by one of his dreadlocks and pulled him close.

"What Rouge?" Knuckles said in an annoyed voice pulling on his dreadlocks wasn't something he favored. Rouge whispered something to him. "What you're kidding." Knuckles looked at Rouge with wide eyes. Rouge shook her head. "Well I'm not to surprised look at him he's a perfect little stud." Knuckles smirked with pride.

"Yea I wonder who he gets that from?" Rouge said playfully.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Oh nothing." Rouge kissed him on the cheek.

"Mom am I gonna feel like this forever?" Todd intervened in his parent's argument for just a moment.

"Only if it's true love and the feeling won't be so bad either." Rouge put her hand on his shoulder. "Just let things take their course and don't worry love will find its own way." Rouge kissed him on his head and then returned to the stove to check on the noodles.

Todd got up from the table and walked to his bedroom where he flopped down on the bed. "Why does this love thing have to be so confusing?"

- - - - -

Amy turned off the water now that the sink was full. She was finishing up the dinner dishes while Marie sat at the table coloring a picture with her crayons. Amy rinsed a few more plates and put them in the dishwasher. She dried her hands as she looked over Maries shoulder. "What are you drawing sweetheart?"

"Wanna see?" Marie held up the picture for her mother to see.

"Oh it's beautiful Marie." Amy took the picture and observed it. "Who's in this lovely masterpiece?"

"That's me and that's Todd." Marie pointed to each of them in the drawing.

"Oh and is Todd holding your hand?" Amy smiled as she continued to look the picture over.

"Yep and we love each other and will be together forever." Maries smile was huge as she spun around in a circle.

"Really?" Amy looked at Marie with immeasurable interest.

"Todd said he loved me and I love him too!" Marie spun around again but this time she lost her balance and she fell backwards but instead of falling on the floor she had fallen into someone behind her. It was Shadow. "Oh hey daddy."

Shadow picked up Marie in his arms. "What's all this talk about loving someone hope you're talking about me."

Marie wrapped her arms around her father's neck and hugged him. "Daddy you already know I love you, I was talking about Todd." Shadow's eyes got huge as he looked over Maries shoulder at Amy who smiled and rolled her shoulders. "I really like Todd I hope my wish comes true."

"What whish?" Shadow asked as he continued to look at Amy still confused as to how this all happened so fast.

"I wished that Todd and me would be together forever." Marie hugged Shadow even harder.