Best Laid Plans

((post-series future fic - humor, fluff - Rating: K; Words: 651))

could possibly be tied to Sunny Side Up

Mindy spent hours preparing the special dinner and dessert, taking the day off from work, to make sure that everything was perfect for Drake. Now, she is trying very hard to give him the benefit of the doubt because she doesn't want to believe that he bought her lingerie for their anniversary, despite the tell-tale pink striped gift bag sitting on the table in front of her. She doesn't care if it's one of those stupid diamond encrusted bras, there had better not be lingerie in that bag. She knows that he's not always the brightest, but he cannot be that stupid.

"Aren't you going to open it?" Drake asks nervously.

He must know that he's screwed up; clearly, he's mentally preparing himself for her wrath.

She does not want to look in the bag. She wants to leave the tissue paper exactly as it is, obscuring whatever lacy, gauzy bits of fabric that are laying underneath. It's their first anniversary as a couple and she'd like for them to make it through the day without fighting.

She sighs, reluctantly dragging the bag closer to her. "Is there a gift receipt? In case it doesn't fit?"

Drake frowns. "Just open it. You don't even know what it is and you already want to return it?"

She steels herself for disappointment as she starts to slowly pull the tissue paper from the bag. She tells herself that she will not yell at him and she will still let him stay the night. She removes about half a dozen layers before she freezes. There's no lingerie in the bag but a small black ring box. She looks at him, petrified and shocked, "Drake, what is—"

He takes her left hand in his and his voice is trembling ever so slightly as he begins, "I love you and I'm pretty sure that I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

Mindy picks up her glass and drains the rest of the wine out of it. This is so not what she was expecting.

He's about to slide out of his chair and down onto one knee but she's not quite reacting the way the way that Drake had imagined that she would and he starts to panic. He lets go of her hand, his face falls and he shifts in his seat, "Oh God, you're going to say no, aren't you?"

"What?" Her voice squeaks a little. She swallows, counting to ten to calm down. "You haven't asked me anything yet."

"I'm not going to ask you if you're just going to say no!"

"Did I say that I was going to say no?"

"No." Drake looks and sounds perplexed.

They're both growing antsy. Mindy's getting upset that not only did he start to propose but that he's had the audacity to stop and has decided that she's going to turn him down. "Then stop putting words in my mouth and ask me already!"

He starts to raise his voice, "Fine!"

She raises her voice, "Fine!"

"I will."

"So do it!"

He snatches the bag from in front of her and pulls the box out, yanking the lid open and slamming the ring box down before her. "Will you marry me?" he shouts.

She answers with an equally loud and harsh, "Yes!"

Drake's taken aback, a little because she actually said yes, but mostly because the proposal culminated in a shouting match. It's really not how he had planned it at all. His volume returns to normal, "Yes? Really?"

Mindy softens. She gets up and walks around the table, sits across Drake's lap, and kisses him. "Yes, really, you idiot." She reaches across the table, picking up the box and gives it to Drake. She holds her left hand out, fingers spread apart. "Yes."

"Yes?" It's still sinking in as he slides the ring onto her finger.

She smiles, "Yes."

*** Finis ***