Hard Choices

Ethan didn't see Emily for almost three weeks after their discussion on the night of his birthday. It was nearing the end of October now and he knew that his parents would be leaving on their trip soon. He hoped that he was prepared to deal with three little kids while they were away. The boys he didn't feel would be so bad, they were boys, just like himself. It was dealing with his little sister that had him worried. Not that he thought that Katie would be a problem for him, it was just the fact that well, she was a girl and girls were different. He was just really glad that she was a little girl and not a big one.

Emily was worried, she hadn't seen Ethan for three weeks. He hadn't called on Sunday or anything. She knew that he was busy, last time he had seen her he had told her that he was hanging plaster board up inside the house to make the walls nicer for her. He had also told her that when they got married that she could in his words put up that paper stuff if she wanted too. She had laughed at that when he said, because he had sounded so much like a little boy trying to please his mother. Then there was the other things that she was supposed to be thinking over, wheather or not to move up their marriage. She just really couldn't make up her mind, if she moved it up then her aunt from Philadelphia wouldn't be able to attend, if she left the wedding as is, then it would just drag on, the months and months of waiting and planning. She was almost ready to ride out the ranch and ask Ethan to just ride off and elope with her. She knew that he probably wouldn't do it though and that if they did do it they would have to face off with two very angry and upset mothers. She looked at the dress hanging on the wall. It was supposed to be her wedding dress and she had been working on it like mad, in case she decided to move up her wedding day. "Why can't things just be easy!" she said to no one.

Casey was walking by when she heard her daughter make the comment so she stopped, thinking that maybe they needed to have a mother/daughter talk. "Emily?" she said before walking into the room.

"Hi Mama." Emily said.

"I couldn't help but over hear your comment. Are you and Ethan having trouble again?"

"No. Nothing like that Mama. We are just trying to make a decision."

"What is that?" Casey asked, hoping it would be something like what color to paint the walls in the house.

"We can't decide if we want to move our wedding ahead or not. I'm almost ready to just ask him if he wants to elope." Emily said with a sigh.

Casey gave her daughter a look of horror, "Elope! Emily Kathleen Munch! Elope! No you will not do that to your father and I."

"Mama, it has nothing to do with you and Papa. Ethan and I love each other and we're just getting tired of waiting." Emily cried, falling back on her bed. When he had kissed her three weeks ago, she had had thoughts of not stopping him, just letting him ravage her right there in front of her parents house.

"Oh, honey, waiting is half the fun. It just makes the moment all that much more special when it does come." Casey said, patting her daughter's leg.

"Yes but if we married in say, two or three days then I would be there with him, to help him with his little brothers and sister." Emily said. Even though she hadn't seen him for almost three weeks. She had a feeling he was staying away because he wasn't sure he could control himself either.

"I don't know dear. I suppose you could ride out and visit him this afteroon as long as you didn't stay to late." Casey told her daughter. She and John had both noticed Ethan's absence as of late.

Emily didn't even say anything to her mother, she just jumped up, grabed her cloak and rushed down the stairs and out the door. She quickly saddled her sorrel mare named Fancy and loped out of town.

A half hour later she was at Ethan's ranch. She pulled the saddle from her mare and let her into one of the box stalls in his barn and then rushed to the front door. She didn't bother to knock, she just ran in and found Ethan. He was hard at work in the bedroom, hanging plasterboard up. There was dust everywhere including on him. "Ethan!" she said.

Ethan turned and nearly dropped the piece of plaster board he was holding. He hadn't been expecting to see Emily, at least not today. "Emily, darlin' what are you doing here?"

"Ethan Stabler, how dare you ask me that? I haven't seen you for three weeks!" Emily said to him.

Ethan sat down the piece of plaster board and leaned it against the wall. " I didn't say I didn't want to see you darlin'. I was just surprised to see you is all. Have you made a decision about what to do about the wedding?"

"Yes. Let's elope." Emily said.

Ethan didn't say anything at first, he just stared at her like she had grown an extra eye in the middle of her forehead. Then he said, "Elope? Emily are you sure you want to do something like that?"

"I just want to be with you, Ethan. I don't care how we do it or where or when, just so that we do it and the sooner the better." Emily said, coming to wrap her arms around him.

Ethan again was at a loss for words, usually it was the fellows wanting to get in a big hurry to get the wedding done to get one with the honeymoonin' but it seemed that Emily had made up her mind on the situation. He wrapped his arms around waist loosely and kissed the top of her head before he said anything further. "I just don't want you to make a rushed decision now, and then not be happy later on, Emily."

Emily lifted her head from his chest and said, "I won't be unhappy because I will be with you, Ethan."

"Well if we did do this, when would it occur?" Ethan asked before setting his chin on Emily's head.

"As soon as possible. I thought if we did it right away then I could help you out with the children when they come to say."

"Yeah, but uhm if we got married close to that, it would be kinda of interfearing don't you think?" Ethan said. He was thinking about the honeymoon portion of the wedding when he said this.

"Oh don't worry cowboy, there will be plenty of time for that before your brothers and sister comes besides they'll be sleeping upstairs." Emily said, looking up into his blue eyes with her own.

"Well I guess if you want to arrange it, I'll be there." Ethan said. "Give me a date, a time and a place and I'll be there."

Emily clapped her hands together like an eager child and said, "Good! Oh, Ethan, I can't wait to start my life with you."

"I can't wait for that either." Ethan said. In his mind he was thinking about all the other things that he couldn't wait to do. He'd been dreaming every night for three weeks since he had done all that kissin' on her of the things that he would do once they were married to each other.

Emily inspected Ethan's work on the walls and then she left after giving him a passionate kiss. "I'll stop by the preacher's place on my way back home and see what I can arrange and then I'll come out tommorow and let you know, ok."

Ethan smiled at her and said, "Ok. I'll see you tomorrow then darlin'." He stood on his porch and watched her ride away from him.