It Takes One to Raise One
Sequel to the incredibly long titled No One Takes Down Hit Girl But Hit Girl. Welcome and thank you for reading and reviewing. Title courtesy of Makokam. I'll try to update this more often, really. Oh my goodness. Kind of wrote myself into a corner here….
My feet had started to run all on their own. I didn't really know where we were going but they seemed to have a plan so I decided not to argue with them. According to 'Find Iphone ' app, the iPad that I had Miranda bring to California was in the Wedding Garden behind our Disneyland Hotel.
I tried to shake my head clear it and then suddenly had to swerve to avoid running Goofy over. I don't think he'd make that 'Wa Ha Ha Hoey' sound if I knocked him halfway across the park. Instead, he'd probably get up and kick the shit out of me. That would really be embarrassing, having Goofy beat me up. And I'm distracted enough that he could probably pull it off.
OK. I just need to stop and think. I looked down at my feet. They kept running. I guess I'll focus on thinking part.
Obviously there is something strange going on because I can't think of anything other than a secret plan that would have kept Miranda from messaging me once she got off the plane. Plus she was acting really strange when I asked her to bring Marty and fly out here. Like it was messing up a plan or something….
A surprise wedding? For me and Dave? Was that why everyone pushed this whole vacation thing? My mind kept whirling. All kinds of shit was pouring through my brain. "I'm only 16! How in the fuck am I expected to be getting married? He never proposed… I don't have a ring…. I don't have a dress… I mean, I love him, but this is like forever! Holy Fuckety Fuck! Dave's going to marry me!"
With that thought, I tripped and went skidding across the pavement. After I got my breath back, I looked down at my knees which were a bloody mess.
"And now I'm going to get married with skinned knees." With that thought, I ran out of energy, pulled myself into a sitting position, and just started to cry.
Yes, cry. Brides get to cry on their wedding day, damn it! It's tradition or something. Although I'm considering starting a new tradition where the groom gets to roll around on the floor in pain because the bride kicked him REALLY hard in the balls.
Maybe not. I suppose that could ruin the honeymoon. Maybe if I didn't kick him too hard?
It was about that time that Goofy caught to me. After patting me on the back for a minute with those big padded hands, he called over a Disney staffer who came with a first aid kit to patch me up. I just sat there and balled. Finally, when the staffer started to look like she was going to call someone because I was a total nutcase, I pulled myself together enough to get them to leave me alone.
In case you wanted to know, Disneyland is a really weird place to have a breakdown. Happiest place on earth, my ass!
I blew my nose with some tissues they'd left me with and then called Dave.
"Um, hi." I said.
"Min? Thank goodness. Where are you? Are you on your way?" He sounded impatient.
"No. I'm not on my way. I scraped my knees."
"What? " I think he was confused because I was letting something as small as this stop me.
"Yeah! I tripped and skinned my knees. And they hurt." I tried not to tear up again.
"Do you want me to come get you?" He asked with the concern in his voice cutting through the impatience.
"No. No need. I'm staying here." I replied.
"But…" He tried to talk but I overrode him.
"Look, I know what you're doing and I know where you are. Your secret is blown, which is good, because you're never going to be again. Just a sec…" I took the phone away from my ear, trigged the find my iPhone app and sent a command to make the iPad beep. It was still chiming when put the phone back on my ear. "See?"
"I… I'm sorry Mindy. It was supposed to be a surprise. I thought you'd be happy about it."
"This is not a good fucking surprise, got it? Flowers are a nice surprise. Joining me in the shower is a nice surprise. This…" I trailed off for a sec, not knowing how to describe what he'd done. "This isn't fucking fair!" I tried not to wail. I wasn't entirely successful.
"Yeah, I'm starting to understand that. Like I said, I'm sorry hon." I had to hand it to him, he really did sound contrite.
I tried to pull myself together. "You were supposed to ask first, not just assume that I'd be OK with it."
"Would you have said no?" He asked, sounding hurt.
I was really tempted to say that I'd have said no. To hurt him. But I couldn't lie. Not right now. "I'd have said yes. But you should have asked. I deserved it.
"You're right. I, um, well, it seemed like a good idea at the time."
"Well, tough shit. I'm not coming." I wasn't that convincing. We could both tell from the sound of my voice that I was full of crap.
His voice got serious. "Look Mindy, I know you're upset. But everything is planned and people are here. I need you to get up and come join us. Please."
I started to panic a little when I realized that I loved him too much to stay away. I wanted him, loved him, needed to be with him. I wanted a future and a life together. But not like this, not rushed. But was I willing to give it all up just because the timing sucked? Shit. I needed to stall and come up with a way to get out of this without ruining any chances for the future. Ha! Lightbulb!
"I'm not coming if Marcus isn't there." I smiled a little. Got you now, asshole!
"Of course Marcus is here. How could we have done this without him? So please, I'll come get you if you want but we need you here." Dave soothed.
The cocksucker had called my bluff. "How did you find him?"
"He found me and thought this would be a good idea. Mindy? I've got your outfit right here. So you can just pop up to the room to change and be ready in time, alright?"
This was Marcus's plan? Shit! And while I didn't think my heart could sink any lower, at the news that I didn't even get to pick out my own wedding dress, I found out that I was wrong. I started to cry again.
"Mindy? Are you crying? It's more than skinned knees, isn't it? There are bones sticking out or something, right? Or is it that you don't want to come?" He sounded a bit panicked.
Fucking hell. I couldn't have that. Couldn't have my Dave thinking that I didn't want him. I wiped my hand across my nose and tried to put some confidence in my voice. "It's OK. Just hurts like a son of a bitch. I'll be fine. Goofy helped patch me up." Not even I could avoid smiling with how ridiculous that sounded.
"Goofy?"
"I'm still in Disneyland, dumbass."
"Oh, right. Good. Shall I come get you?"
"No. I'll be there in like twenty minutes, OK?" With that I pulled myself to my feet and started walking. Marriage was supposed to be about compromises. I guess this was my first.
"Great. Clothes are laid out on the bed and there's a note to tell you where to go."
"I know where to go." I hung up and then looked at the phone. "Asshole!"
I limped up to the room, went inside, and then just stood there staring at the bed. I wasn't some girly girl who'd sat around dreaming about her wedding dress, but in the few vague dreams I'd had, it had definitely been a dress. Not my Hit Girl outfit. Fuck. Well, at least it has a skirt? And as far as I'm concerned, Hit Girl is who I really am so the basic idea of getting married as her wasn't a problem. Still…. Maybe a purple dress? With small throwing knives hung around the waist so they kind of chimed and reflected the light?
No proposal, skinned knees, no dress… My wedding day was really sucking. Well, I'd get even in bed tonight. Dave would find out that when my day sucked, there was no way in hell I was going to.
OK. I was kind of grasping at straws at that point.
I pulled my outfit on, made sure my wig wasn't crooked, and went out the door. I wasn't worried about wearing it in public because Dave and I had already talked about it. There was a huge comic book convention going on nearby and 'Kick Ass' and 'Hit Girl' were pretty popular cosplay outfits. As long as I didn't carry any obvious weapons, I was fine. In the elevator, I got a few compliments from a Spiderman and a Black Widow. Those made me feel a little bit better. At least I looked nice. I walked through the lobby, down the hall, and out the side door that led toward the 'Wedding Garden'. Nobody was there. Strange. Confused, I went back to the lobby. As I entered, there was Dave walking in, wearing his green wetsuit best. Without a word, he held out his hand and I put mine in his.
As he guided me down a different hallway, I looked up at him. "Do I get a bouquet?"
He seemed surprised by the question. "No. Sorry. Did you want one?"
"It would have been nice." I tried to act calm but my pride was finally starting to assert itself. We reached a pair of double doors and he pulled one open.
"How about a ring?" There was an edge to my voice that I don't think he caught.
"Why would I get you a ring?" He asked.
I don't actually remember throwing the punch. I do remember him flying through the doorway and crashing into a table. And then advancing toward him with the intention of breaking at least two bones. Bones heal, right? And maybe he could think this all over while he wandered around in a cast. But Marcus and Dr. Gravity grabbed him and pinned me to the wall. I could have escaped them easily but I was so incensed at Dave that the idea of hurting anyone else didn't make sense. Miranda hurried past us in her Night Bitch outfit and quickly shut the door. Probably to minimize how many people could hear the tirade of swear words pouring out of my mouth. Bethany charged over and began pummeling Dave for about a minute, cursing up as much of a blue streak as I was. Then she came over to check on me. At her touch, I realized I'd better get myself back under control. Dave just kept repeating "I'm sorry! For whatever I did, I'm sorry!" over and over. I looked around the room. It was a standard conference room. A few tables, pitchers of water and glasses. A couple of meat and cheese trays. The remaining members of Justice Forever and a few other friends sat at small round tables talking. That was it. Geez, they'd really gone all out.
Dave climbed back up to his feet. "What the hell?" It's an interesting sign of how much he's used to me knocking him across the room in that the question sounded more focused on the 'why' and not on being pissed off about the brief trip through the air.
"Look, Dave. I tried to be OK with this. I appreciate you trying to surprise me. It's a nice thought. But no dress, no bouquet, no ring… God damn it, it's my fucking wedding day! I wanted at least a few traditional things! Not to mention the fact that you never actually proposed!"
Dave looked stunned. "Wedding?" He tried to say, but the word didn't quite make it out of his mouth.
Oh shit. I looked around the room. Miranda looked concerned. Marty appeared to be laughing so hard that he'd fallen off of his chair. Everyone else was just frozen in place.
"This isn't a wedding." It was more a statement than a question.
"No." Dave managed to say. "No it isn't. Just a surprise gathering of all of our friends. Marcus had been thinking for a while that his reaction in separating himself from you before was a little too extreme and that was time to get together. It made sense to turn it into a full on party."
"Oops." I said, my anger melting away. There was no point in being mad; this was my own stupid fault.
"What made you think it was a wedding?" He asked.
"The 'find my iPhone app' said the iPad was in the Wedding Garden. Apparently it wasn't." I actually giggled a bit.
"Umm, Mindy?" interjected Marcus. "You do know that thing is only accurate to, at best, 10 meters or so? Around 30 feet?" He glanced at the back wall of the room. "And I think the garden is on the other side of that wall. Incidentally, why was it important if I was here?"
I pushed Dr. Gravity off and hugged Marcus. I whispered in his ear. "I wanted you to walk me down the aisle. I mean, not today I guess, but when it does happen? I want that. So no more disappearing, OK?"
"Sounds good. Hey Min? I always wanted to keep you safe. Sorry if I haven't done that in the wisest way." He whispered back. I just smiled to show I understood.
I looked at everyone else. And managed to smile. And then laugh at myself. One of these days I guess I'll learn not to be such a pawn to my emotions. But what the hell, if you can't be an idiot around friends, who can you be one around? "Oh my god everybody, I can't believe I did that. Let's just pretend it didn't happen and that I have at least a little bit of dignity, OK? I'm absolutely thrilled to see all of you. I guess it's time for a party." I looked around and thankfully saw the tension easing out of the room. "Marcus? This is Bethany. She's, umm…" I wasn't quite sure what term to use. Friend? Daughter?
"Dave has explained. And she and I are becoming good friends." He looked down at her. "Right Bethany?"
At Bethany's shy grin, any remaining concerns that I had about seeing everyone faded. Family was important. And like I'd already figured out, family was important. Marcus might have driven me nuts, but I'd instinctively liked him and it looked like Bethany was doing the same. I wasn't going to forget to appreciate family. Speaking of which…
I then looked over at Dave. "I'm really sorry about hitting you. Are you OK?"
"Wedding? You thought this was a wedding?" was his only reply. I tried to hide how much that comment hurt but Marcus noticed. He might not have understood me being Hit Girl but he still knew me pretty well.
Marcus looked back and forth between us. "Look you two. We'll get the party started. You need to go talk. And you need to do it before this becomes a problem and you end up getting banned from Disneyland after some phenomenal fight."
I joked to avoid showing how vulnerable Dave's question had made me feel. "And I was looking forward to tossing him off the top of the Tower of Terror!" I walked over, grabbed Dave's hand, and pulled him out of the room. We went upstairs. I pushed him down on the bed and lay down on his chest. "Let's talk like this. So we don't accidentally hurt each other with something we say, OK? I've spent the last hour being a total fucking idiot and it's time for that to stop. As long as we've got each other, everything is fine, OK? You don't have to panic."
Some of the tension eased out of Dave's shoulders. "Did you really think that I would do that?" He asked.
I tried not to take offense. "Well, I kind of hoped you would someday. Not like that, but getting married… I mean, we've talked about it some. Have you changed your mind?"
"No, I haven't changed my mind." He replied. It was amazing how that phrase made me feel better. "I meant, did you really think that I'd just skip all of the preliminaries and go right to the wedding?"
"I didn't think you would, but I kind thought you had. You know, in the spirit of the surprise. If you take my meaning?" I said. I felt him nod his understanding.
"Good. I mean, not good that you misunderstood, but good that you didn't believe I'd do that to you. Because I wouldn't. Mindy? Do you remember when we first got together? When I talked about not going too fast with sex and a relationship and why?"
"Yes."
"Mindy, I'm not going anywhere. But I said then and I'll say it again. You deserve the whole experience. We deserve it. And I'm not going cut corners and jump ahead, OK? I will happily marry you, if you want me to. But not today, OK?"
"I do want to marry you. Does that mean you're proposing? That we're engaged?" I asked.
"No. Definitely not." He said. I tensed a bit at the 'definitely' part but thankfully he kept talking. "You will at some point get a proposal. One that will hopefully be a better orchestrated surprise than today was." We both managed to laugh. "Or maybe I'll skip the surprise and just schedule it with you. Not as romantic but definitely easier on my body. I love you Mindy. And you will get the whole thing. Ring, bended knee, the works. Because you deserve it and because I want to give it to you. I know a guy that got engaged after a misunderstanding like this. Not quite so severe, but where he wanted to marry the girl but hadn't planned on proposing quite yet. He always regretted it."
"Dave?"
"Yes?"
"Why in the fuck do you put up with me?" I was kind of kidding and kind of serious in my tone.
"Because you are the most amazing person I've ever known."
I squeezed him tight.
"And you have a great ass!"
I punched him in the shoulder. But gently.
I laughed and replied. "OK, now that we have everything settled, do we move on to the kissing and making up part?"
"Mindy, technically we didn't have a fight."
I smirked. "I know. But are you seriously going to forgo make up sex due to a technicality?"
"Not on your life!" He replied.
