This turned out way longer than I meant it to. But I went back and forth and ultimately decided to include their daughter - so it's actually two one shots in one with Sweet Pea proposing and baby's first Hanukkah. Since Lane's due date is mid September, their daughter is almost three months old at this point.

II. Festival of Lights

It was dark by the time they made their way home. As the year drew to an end the days had grown short and the nights cold. In those early days of the last month there were only a few strings of lights twinkling with eager anticipation of the coming holiday. And Lane sat beside Sweet Pea as he drove, warmed by the heater and by him.

"I heard from her teacher today, and they are gonna be closed Friday before Christmas. One of us is gonna have to miss school."

With a grin he turned into their neighborhood. "I'm willing to make that sacrifice," he said reaching a hand to squeeze her leg. "That's how much I love you."

"My hero," was her dry, half amused, reply. As he pulled into the driveway her eyes narrowed seeing the blinds to the front window were closed, which they hadn't been when they left that morning, and there was a faint glow coming from inside. "Why are the lights on?" she asked, undoing her seatbelt but not getting out of the car.

Cold bitter air stole into the warm car as he opened his door. "It was probably Fangs."

"Did he say he came over?" Lane asked, too cautious to shrug it off.

Shutting his door and coming around to open hers Sweet Pea offered her his hand and forced her out of car. "Why don't you get her and I'll check it out." With a quick pop on her ass he made his way to the door and let himself in, making a show of looking around before he stuck his head out and gave Lane – too smart for anyone's good – the all clear.

With the handle of the car seat hooked in the crick of her elbow Lane headed inside, maneuvering around Sweet Pea as he shut the door after her. And he turned to look down at her seeing her wide glistening eyes in the warm glow from the tree. Very gently he took the car seat from her and set it on the couch, checking under the blanket draped over it that their daughter was still asleep before he flipped on the lights.

It was like a Jewish winter wonderland. Everything was blue and white and silver, there were hand painted dreidles and Stars of David, a blue and white bouquet on the coffee table beside her father's menorah, a center piece on the dining table of a lovely vase with what looked to be a thin wiry tree with it's own smaller ornaments, and a royal blue table runner.

With a baffled smile she turned to where Sweet Pea stood with his hands in his pockets waiting, feigning bashfulness. "You were with me all day," she said not knowing how he'd done this.

Shrugging his shoulders he moved to her and stood with his hands on her wide hips. "I mentioned it to Toni who made the mistake of talking about it in front of Cheryl." He didn't need to finish, Lane knew how fiercely Cheryl could take something over. "And before you remind me we agreed on no presents this time, we never said anything about Daya. It is her first Hanukkah."

She was looking up at him with such gentle eyes, a gentleness she hadn't been able to show before she'd had Daya. Rising on the tips of her toes she pulled him down to kiss her, almost surprised at how completely in love with him she still was. He sighed against her, feeling too warm, and he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her up into his arms as he walked her to the bedroom. At the first little sounds of cooing he stopped and they both turned toward the couch and waited. Sure enough Daya's little voice came louder as she babbled at the butterfly hanging from the handle of the car seat.

"How does she know?" Sweet Pea asked setting Lane down. It was like their daughter had a sixth sense for sex, and any time he and Lane got remotely close she'd wake up.

Patting his arm with contrived sympathy Lane moved to the couch and pulled the blanket down, seeing Daya first blink startled and then give a gummy smile at the sight of her mom. "Wanna see what your aunts did?"

Gently lifting her out of the car seat she turned Daya toward the tree, and she stared with wide eyes and flapping arms. Lane stepped closer letting Daya touch one of the large bows, but she turned to look behind them and squealed no longer interested in the tree. "Did you find daddy?" Lane asked her, having felt Sweet Pea at her back.

He'd never been the kind of person to melt at anything, Lane had been the closest for him but even then he'd been too hard for it – but the way Daya looked at him, like he was the best thing in her whole world, he melted every time. "There's my baby girl," he said taking her from Lane. And he kissed her soft round cheeks and smiled at her sweet laughter. "Let's watch momma light the candles."

They stood at the table as Lane situated the menorah with a candle in the center and the first night's candle in the rightmost stand. And they listened as she sang the prayers, Daya joining in with little coos. When it was done and the candles were burning he stood with their daughter in one arm and Lane wrapped in the other, and he looked down at Lane with a cheeky grin.

"Yeah yeah, you're the best and I love you," she mumbled, reaching a hand to Daya's dark hair to try to smooth it down from where it stuck it up.

"More than anything in the whole world."

Lane hummed as though contemplating that, taking several seconds longer making him roll his eyes. "I don't know, I do love her very much."

He looked down at Lane and very plainly told her, "it's me or the kid."

Blinking up at his serious face she nodded like she was thinking it over. "How long do I have to make a decision?" she asked.

"Sounds like you already did," he said forcing his voice to break, as though he was close to tears, and he marched out of the kitchen and headed for their room.

Laughing lightly she followed him, seeing he'd laid Daya down to get her ready for bed, and Lane cupped his face and kissed his cheek before grabbing a onesie out of the dresser.

…

Sweet Pea woke to the sound of the alarm and he flung an arm to reach blindly for the phone and shut it off. With a groan he stretched and turned to see Lane half sitting propped up by pillows still fast asleep with Daya in her arms. Instead of waking her he jumped in the shower, giving her a few extra minutes. And when he came back with a towel around his waist and his wet hair falling in his face he found them both still sleeping. So he got dressed, toweled off his hair, and knelt on the bed waking Lane with soft kisses on her face.

"What time is it?" Lane asked looking for her phone. If he was dressed already it meant they were late.

"We're not late," he told her. "Get ready, I'll take her."

She really loved him sometimes. She could also almost hate him sometimes too, like when she was awake with a baby sucking her dry every two hours at night while he snored beside her. But god could she love him.

Showering quickly she threw her hair up and got dressed before making her way to the kitchen, seeing Sweet Pea had already gotten Daya dressed and packed her bag for daycare. Since she made their lunches last night the only thing left to do was grab their backpacks and get their shoes on, and Sweet Pea's were already on.

Lane sat in the back of the car distracting Daya from the fact that she was in her car seat, which she hated. And dropping her off at daycare the two made their way to school, Sweet Pea headed to class with Toni and Lane went with Cheryl.

"You did good," Lane told Cheryl as they walked arm in arm through the hall.

Cheryl smiled to herself already knowing that. "Did you really expect any less? Elegant but not gaudy, which concerned me with all that blue." She sighed heavily. "And not a single drop of red."

"That must've been very hard for you," Lane commented.

"Don't patronize me," Cheryl said dryly. "You know it was."

Pressing her lips around a grin Lane nodded, absentmindedly playing with the menorah necklace Sweet Pea had gotten her last year.

After school they picked Daya up, was told she was a little fussy – which wasn't a surprise to Lane because they hadn't had a great night's sleep. And then went to work at the garage. Lane spent most of it either holding Daya as she worked, or sitting at the computer with Daya playing on a mat trying to reach for the little dangly toys above her.

All in all, a fairly good day. Made better by the warmth of their decorated home that still made Lane pause in the threshold to marvel at. With the candles lit and the prayers sung they sat on the couch, with Sweet Pea holding Daya, and Lane opening the present he'd wrapped. "No way," Lane gasped at the sight of the outfit. It was a little white onesie that said 'my first Hanukkah' with a little menorah and a blue skirt. And then she found the "mommy's little latke" shirt and pants beneath it.

"I even went ahead and washed them cause I knew you'd want her to wear one tomorrow," he said pretty proud of himself.

Lane was still beaming as she looked between the two, trying to decide which one she'd wear. "You're gonna look so cute," she said as Daya sucked on her fingers.

Mouth pursed around a grin Sweet Pea watched Lane, seeing so much warmth and joy in her face. "You ruined your mom kid," he told their daughter.

"Coming from the man still scared of me when I'm angry," was Lane's half serious retort.

And Sweet Pea shrugged responding in kind, "that's cause you're scary when you're angry."

Lane sat back knowing she was so horribly soft, that had really started when she'd been pregnant. But there'd been something about holding Daya that first time that just devastated her in the best way possible.

…

The next night Daya leaned back against Sweet Pea's chest trying her hardest to grab onto the blue plush dreidle Lane was holding in front of her. She was throwing her arms at it and she'd get her little hand on a small part but she'd get so excited that she'd grab it too soon and would end up with nothing. Before she could get mad Lane would shake it making it rattle and Daya would make some kind of half squealing sound and kick her legs. Lane looked up at Sweet Pea and he at her, and they shared a small happy smile.

…

The next two nights were presents she couldn't use yet. "Hebrew letter blocks," Lane exclaimed when she unwrapped them. She'd played with these, and she had a vague memory of being young and her catholic mother having a very big problem with it.

"You know I got those for Daya, right?" Sweet Pea teased.

Smacking his leg Lane told him, "shut up."

He sucked in air like he was offended. "Did you see that?" he said looking down at a very awake Daya. "She assaulted me. Your mother's very mean."

Beside him Lane rolled her eyes refusing the smile that tugged at her mouth as she settled pressed against him.

The next night she unwrapped a box and stared confused at the plush Jewish man sitting on a cardboard bench. Mensch on a Bench. She read the box realizing he helped tell the Hanukkah story, and could even hold the Shamash. "Oh that's gonna be fun," she said already imaging Daya holding her Mensch and helping light the menorah in a couple years. And then she was left with the realization that she was thinking long term, with him, and rather than that scaring her it made her so unbearably warm.

…

Sweet Pea sat on the bed with Lane in his lap, and Lane sat with her legs bent and Daya sitting up against her reading one of the books she'd unwrapped that night. They'd already gone through the kid's story of Hanukkah, made very simple and colorful. And now Lane read Shmelf the Hanukkah Elf, that she'd found to be the funniest thing. Every so often Daya would reach for something on the page and slam her little down trying to get it.

They only had a few more pages when Daya started whining, too tired to be awake anymore. And then Sweet Pea sat on the bed beside Lane while she nursed Daya to sleep. "The last two gifts are mostly for you," Sweet Pea told her quietly.

As though she'd expected that, Lane asked him without turning, "you gonna fix the oven?" Not that she minded eating out, or grabbing something to bring home, because it was easier. The cost of it is what bothered her.

"No," he was quick to respond, having no idea what to do with the oven. "But FP's gonna take a look at it tomorrow. And you, are not gonna be here." He waited for her to catch on and met her confused eyes when she turned to him. "Daddy daughter day."

Which mean alone time. "Seriously?" she asked too afraid to hope. She hadn't had a day to herself in almost three months, Sweet Pea got a several hours every weekend but Lane had the milk and she couldn't go far. She reached a hand to his face. "I picked a good one."

He turned his face into her touch and kissed her palm. "Yeah you did," he agreed making her smile. "Also, I've been told Cheryl and Fangs compromised and are splitting your day."

Still smiling she looked down at their daughter seeing she'd fallen asleep, and she very gently and slowly moved her to the crib. And with her on her back Lane turned to the bed with the plan to snuggle up against him, but there was the most pathetic whimper behind her and she sighed realizing they were gonna be having another long night. Giving it a second, that was long enough for full blown tears, Lane gave up and sat back on the bed with Daya in her arms.

"You little shit," she mumbled as Daya almost immediately fell back asleep now that she had what she wanted.

Lane herself fell asleep half sitting propped up by pillows with Sweet Pea, who knew she wanted to be held, spread across her lap as he drooled.

…

The next morning she was still sitting up with her head fallen to the side, her arms still crossed to make a sling but they were empty. She shot awake looking for Daya and instead found Sweet Pea also gone, and she released a breath hearing muffled voices from the TV behind the door he'd closed so she could sleep longer.

Daya was strapped in her swing talking to the animals that spun slowly above her. "How long has she been up?" Lane asked, seeing it was after nine.

"Since five thirty," Sweet Pea mumbled only half awake. He felt Lane sit beside him and he turned to wrap his arms around her as she leaned against his chest. "Cheryl's waiting for me to tell her you're awake."

"Ten minutes."

But he was already on his way to asleep and he barely heard her, not that he would've argued anyway. Ten minutes turned to thirty and he woke to find her gone and the swing empty. Following her soft voice to the kitchen he stood leaning against the wall watching Lane, who'd gotten them both dressed, stand with an arm curled under Daya as she nursed all the while making coffee with her free hand and talking to Cheryl over the phone she'd put on speaker.

Ten minutes later a knock sounded on the door and Lane let Cheryl and Toni in to say hi to Daya, and for Toni at least to say hi to Sweet Pea since Cheryl still some days tried to pretend he didn't exist. Pulling her shoes on Land told him, "bottles are in the fridge, and your lunch is the container with the blue top." She moved beside him and kissed Daya's forehead before heading for the door. "See that," she said motioning to her daughter, who was content in Sweet Pea's arms, "she only cries when he leaves. Who cares about mom, right?"

"She's just the cow with the milk." He met Lane's suddenly burning eyes as she turned to glare at him. "Oh," he laughed turning his back on her and looked down at Daya, "she did not like that."

…

Lane came back with a bag containing two to go boxes she'd grabbed for them to have dinner. The sight she was met with upon entering their small house was Sweet Pea slumped on the couch sleeping with Daya curled on his chest. Taking the food to the kitchen she quietly sat on the armrest beside him and ran a hand through his hair, looking at the way he held their daughter. She looked so small against him, and him being this almost constantly bruised giant who was so incredibly gentle with her.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked without opening his eyes, having felt the way her hand stilled on his head and knew it to mean a thought had surprised her.

"Having another in a few years."

Now his eyes were open and he looked up at her face made soft with her admittance. It was so hard to get out of her what she wanted for herself, with a kid the future was made obvious and obligated – but she wanted this, she wanted him. "I want a boy," was as close as he'd get to admitting he thought about it too and wanted it just as much. And as she smiled faintly he wished so much they'd had this conversation tomorrow, it would've been the perfect lead in.

…

Lane hadn't been suspicious when Sweet Pea told her that morning as they got ready for school that her gift would come after they lit the last candle. It was understandable, not worthy of noticing. But when he kept distracting her, which he made unfortunately very obvious, she started to wonder. Giving Daya a bath and nursing her to sleep she set her in her crib and tiptoed out of the room, leaving the door open just a crack so they would hear her, and she waited and waited and sighed so relieved at only hearing the lullaby music. "I think she's down," she whispered coming into the living room, not seeing Sweet Pea on the couch where she'd left him.

Laid on the coffee table was a large wooden picture frame and she stepped closer seeing an intricately painted circle of leaves and flowers and inside it was writing. The breath stilled in her lungs recognizing the Hebrew letters, and beneath it the English script outlining the day next year they would enter into the covenant of marriage. He'd gotten her a Ketubah, because he knew whether or not she liked to admit it she wanted to keep her father's Jewish traditions.

She turned seeing Sweet Pea down on one knee holding a box with a ring, and he wore just about the most vulnerable expression as he looked up at her. "Will you do me the honor of being unhappy with me for the rest of our lives?"

Any other time she would've smiled at his word choice, but now she was standing with an entire future ahead of her and she could barely breathe. So when words failed her she nodded.

"Yeah?" he asked, needing to be sure, to hear it again. Because even though he'd been dropping hints since she was pregnant it was nothing now that he was here on his knee with his heart laid bare waiting for her accept it.

She nodded again and gave a breathy, "yeah."

With a large dopey grin he stood gathering her in his arms and kissed her over and over, and again. They pulled apart with mirrored half contained smiles, and with his hands under her he maneuvered the ring out of the box and brought one hand to hers slipping it on her thin finger over her tattoo. It was beautifully simple, the way he knew she liked. The diamond was oblong with smaller stones surrounding it, all on a thin gold band. And she looked back to his warm dark eyes and kissed him again.

"So we're going with my plan," she said when she'd pulled away. And a wide grin spread on his face.

.^.

All Hallows Eve

Music blared in the heavily decorated bar as the costume-adorned Serpents moved about in tune with the beat, most with a drink in hand. Sweet Pea knocked back a quick shot hoping to calm his fried nerves and ran a hand over his slicked back hair.

"What are you supposed to be?" Toni asked the boy in the suit as she worked behind the bar. She'd tried to get out of it, but with the party Hog Eye told her they'd need all available hands.

He looked down at his watch seeing there was less than ten minutes now. No use in lying anymore. "A groom," was his simple answer. While Toni sputtered he motioned her to come out from behind the bar and he grabbed Fangs. "Go get Lane, she's in the back room with Cheryl," he said taking Daya from him and passing her off to Toni.

Toni looked from the little girl in her arms, dressed as Dorothy because for some reason Daya loved to sit in a swing and watch The Wizard of Oz, and looked to the unknown man wearing a scarf over his shoulders and what she was now realizing was a yamaka. He was a wedding officiate.

Fangs knocked on the closed door and waited for Cheryl to jerk it open and drag him inside before closing it again. He was stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of Lane in a stark white dress with her dark hair pulled back. The front of it was very simple and swooped along her collarbone, which was very Lane, but the back plunged down her spine and came together at the beaded belt around her waist. "What?" was all he could think to ask, he was too stunned to come up with anything else.

"Obviously their getting married," Cheryl said with a roll of her eyes as she fixed Lane's hair around the lovely clip holding her braided bun in place.

Lane reached back and smacked Cheryl in warning. "We need two witnesses," she said, explaining his presence. "You'll sign the ketubah with us and then we'll start." She couldn't keep from smiling even if she tried.

"Ketubah?" Fangs asked, still unable to take his eyes off her.

"Wedding contract," Cheryl snapped as she smoothed the back of Lane's gown. The material was light and it draped around her form. "Alright," she said stepping back satisfied. Blinking the not yet formed tears from her eyes she tried fixing Lane's hair again but it was as close to perfect as it could get. And she looked at Lane's shining eyes wanting to throw her arms around her. "You're beautiful and I love you."

She held Cheryl's hand in hers and squeezed it, so incredibly moved by hearing the words she often gave to the other girl. Taking a breath she turned to Fangs and nodded.

The music cut out and the bar quieted as the hour turned, and a low excited murmur ran through them when Lane stepped out as they realized this wasn't just a costume party.

Sweet Pea didn't know what he expected, a simple white dress she'd picked up at a store just to check off a box in her list of things they needed to do. But every part of him froze when he saw her, and he stared with wet eyes as she walked to him. He had to remind himself to breathe. His hand was almost shaking as he signed the paper, and it took him every ounce of will to remember he shouldn't be this nervous.

They'd decided together to split the circling between them to equal seven times around, Lane as the bride taking the extra turn. They stood under the chuppah, a simple canopy of wood framed by lace and flowers, and recited the traditional vows promising to forsake all others and love only each other. And they both gave their 'I dos'. He'd never wanted to kiss her more than when he slid the wedding band on her finger, and she smiled up at him as if in knowing. It ended with Sweet Pea stomping on a cloth wrapped glass, and a chorus of "Mazel Tov," rang through the bar.

And so they were wed. They danced to a slow more romantic version of the song that made Sweet Pea realize he loved her. And he held an arm around her back and his other hand holding hers with his head bent to rest against her as they swayed contentedly. He sang the words very softly in her ear spreading a warm smile on her lips that he couldn't keep from kissing. And every so often their eyes would meet and they would share a subtle knowing grin.

.^.

Mid-January (nine months earlier)

He hadn't thought it'd be this hard, that each day would get harder like a weight that grew steadily heavier until he couldn't stand it. There wasn't anything special about that day or even anything special about the way she looked that morning as she stood in sweatpants with her hair piled on the top of her head as she made them much needed coffee. She was pretty, as he always thought she was, and tired as she now always was. And in the living room behind them Daya was babbling in her swing.

Yet still his mouth opened and what he'd been thinking and wanting for a month fell out. "God I wanna be married to you." He came up behind her running his hands around her waist and nestled his head in the crook of her neck. "I'd marry you right now."

She turned in his arms and looked up at him. "Okay," she responded simply.

He blinked stunned at her easy reply and the openness of her face that told him she meant it. A smile was slow to spread over his face. While Lane got ready he called Fangs asking him to watch Daya for a couple hours, and then he went into the bedroom behind her to get dressed. He settled for a pair of jeans without holes and the nicest shirt he had, and he felt so underdressed when he turned to see Lane standing in a burgundy dress that hung near the end of her shoulder and cut high on her breast bone. She had no makeup on and her hair was still a mess, but he thought she looked beautiful.

Because it was Lane she'd already gotten everything in order, and she collected the license and paperwork while Sweet Pea let Fangs in. Within an hour the two were standing in the courthouse waiting to be seen by the judge. Their names were called and they turned to each other, each taking their own steadying breath, and they stood reaching for the other's hand as they went before the judge.

Sneak peek: since this was so long I'm gonna do a short snapshot next chapter that will explain what their wedding song was.