Chapter 18: I Wanna Marry You

"Little girl, I wanna marry you / Oh yeah, little girl, I wanna marry you / Yes I do / Little girl, I wanna marry you / Now, honey, I don't wanna clip your wings / But a time comes when two people should think of these things / Having a home and a family / Facing up to their responsibilities / They say in the end true love prevails / But in the end true love can't be no fairytale / To say I'll make your dreams come true would be wrong / But maybe, darlin', I could help them along / Little girl, I wanna marry you."

"Mom, Dad! Time to wake up!" Annabelle sang through Payson and Sasha's bedroom door on Sunday morning. Her voice was followed by a few quick raps against the wood. Payson groaned and buried her face in Sasha's neck and he laughed. Pressing his lips firmly against her forehead Sasha rolled them over so that he was hovering above her.

"We'll be right down!" He called. Payson mirrored his smile, reaching up to trace her fingers over his cheeks before surging up to capture his lips.

"Five minutes or I'll come back with a bucket of cold water!" Payson and Sasha burst into laughter.

"I guess we'd better go then," Sasha laughed. He climbed out of bed and slipped into jeans and a t-shirt. Payson watched the play of his back muscles as he lifted the shirt over his head, taking just a moment to admire his wonderful physique. Though he wasn't a competing gymnast anymore, his body still looked it; strong muscular back and shoulders like cut granite.

Sasha turned to find her staring and smirked wolfishly. He stalked across the room and crawled over her, leaning down to kiss her fiercely.

"Get dressed, or Annabelle will be angry with us," he whispered against her lips.

"At least she let us sleep until eight," Payson sighed, throwing on some clothes as well. Sasha laughed and followed her out the door. At the top of the stairs Payson stopped, her mouth starting to water.

"What smells so good?" Sasha asked.

"I don't know," Payson breathed. They descended the stairs quickly, moving into the kitchen where Harper was seated in her booster seat and Annabelle was setting the table. A small bouquet of flowers was propped in a vase in the middle of the table.

"Annabelle," Payson breathed.

"Sit," Annabelle ordered. Payson and Sasha sank into their seats as Annabelle turned back to the stove. She brought over a large pan, dividing shredded hash browns that smelled better than hash browns should onto each plate. Then she retrieved another pan and added an egg, over easy, on top of the pile of potatoes on each plate except Harper's. Harper got scrambled. Then came the kicker; cinnamon buns sliced thick and cooked like French toast.

"Belle, what is this?" Sasha asked, dumbstruck. Annabelle blushed and sat down in her seat.

"I know I'm not supposed to eat like this, but my parents have always said that Samantha and I should have one meal a week that's whatever we want. This is the breakfast my Dad makes, it's our favorite. Anyway, I just…I wanted to thank you guys for being so great. For letting me stay with you and everything," Annabelle said, shrugging dismissively.

"Oh Annabelle, we love having you stay with us," Payson said softly, reaching across the table and squeezing the girl's hand. Annabelle had been staying with them for over a week, and the house had been brighter, happier for it. It almost felt like they had two children, which was of course making Payson think more about having a baby with Sasha.

"I'll overlook the food choice, just this once," Sasha said with a smile. Annabelle smiled broadly.

"This looks fantastic, Belle," Payson said. She picked up her fork and dug in, taking a heaping scoop of hash browns and egg. The moment the food hit her tongue, she moaned softly. Though she didn't eat as strict a diet as she had during her competition days, she was still careful with what she ate; she almost never indulged in a meal like the one Annabelle had made.

"My Dad taught me to cook. It's our thing," she said brightly.

"How's your sister?" Sasha asked.

"She's doing okay. My parents say that the doctors will let her fly in two more weeks. They'll come home then." Payson didn't miss the way Annabelle's eyes brightened. The poor girl missed her sister terribly.

"That's wonderful." Neither Payson nor Sasha asked about the possibility of Samantha returning to gymnastics. They both knew it was unlikely a doctor would clear Samantha for anything that might result in another head injury; with a skull fracture a second blow could spell death, or at least severe incapacitation. Someday, maybe, but for this Olympic cycle it was likely that Samantha was done.

"I'm excited," Annabelle said, nodding. Then she sat up straight and smiled even more brightly. "So, now that I've nailed the triple, what other never-before done skill can I work on?"

#

"Annabelle is really on a mission to blow everyone away in Johannesburg," Payson said, reclining back in her office chair. Sasha grunted in response, reading through the mass of emails the Rock had gotten over the weekend.

"I'm not sure she has time to perfect anything truly heroic," Sasha said, his eyes flicking back and forth across the screen. She saw his eyes narrow and then he shook his head, rubbing his temples. "Come look at this."

Payson came around his desk, bracing her hands on his shoulders and leaning down to see what he was indicating. She nearly choked on the coffee she'd been drinking, sputtering as it burned her throat. Lauren Tanner had sent Sasha a sketch of what she wanted to design for Team USA. The leos were red, blue, and gold, which wasn't the bad part. The top half of each leo was red, and the sweetheart neckline was bordered with gold trim; the bottom was blue with tiny white stars, and across the middle was a gold band, almost like a belt. The upper chest and long sleeves were red mesh, and sparkly silver ribbon was worked in around the wrists.

"Oh my God, she wants to turn our girls into Wonder Woman," Payson breathed. Sasha snorted.

"I think that's as close as she could get without violating some sort of copyright," Sasha said.

"Tell her no. That's tacky; our girls aren't wearing anything like that to the Olympics. We're going with GK," Payson insisted. Sasha sighed.

"Lauren is not going to like that."

"I don't care what Lauren thinks," Payson snapped. Sasha, laughed, holding his hands up in defense.

"I'm just saying," Sasha said. Payson rolled her eyes and drained her coffee.

"I'm going to run Harper over to my parents' before the other girls get here." Sasha gave her a small wave as she jogged down the stairs.

In the middle of the floor, Annabelle was helping Harper with her back walkover. Payson paused at the edge of the mats, watching the two girls interact. She couldn't help but smile at how close they had gotten since Annabelle had all but moved in; Harper idolized Annabelle, followed her around every minute she could, and Annabelle was so indulging.

"Time to go, bugaboo," Payson called. "Grandma's waiting."

Harper jumped to her feet and ran across the mats, waving goodbye to Annabelle as Payson scooped her up.

"Mommy, when I grow up I want to be just like Annabelle," Harper insisted. Payson smiled and pressed a kiss to her little angel's head. There were a lot worse people for her to want to be.

#

"How's it going, having a teenager in the house?" Kim asked as she poured coffee into a Styrofoam cup for Payson. Harper had already run off to "play" outside with Mark, who was really doing yard work.

"Annabelle's been fantastic. On Sunday, she made us all breakfast as a thank you for letting her stay with us," Payson explained. Kim's eyes went wide.

"Are you sure she's sixteen?"

"I'm sure." Payson laughed. "She's a good kid."

For a little while they were silent, just sipping their coffee and enjoy the crispness of the mountain morning. Payson could feel her mother's eyes on her, studying her the way she did when she wanted to say something. Payson's eyes ticked over to Kim's, telling her to just get it over with. Kim smiled.

"You want another one, don't you?" Kim asked knowingly. Payson sighed. She should have known she wouldn't be able to keep that particular desire from her mother.

"I do. But it's not the right time," Payson said with a sigh.

"Why not?" Kim's tone didn't suggest protest or disagreement, just curiosity. Payson stayed silent for a few moments, gathering her thoughts.

"Things have just been so crazy since Sasha and I got together; first with the divorce, and then with the break up, and then with the custody stuff," Payson listed, shaking her head. "And there's still some tension over the marriage thing, even though we try to ignore it. I just…I want us to have a little time to figure everything out before we make a decision like that."

Kim snorted with laughter.

"Oh honey, you'll never have everything figured out. There is no perfect time to have a baby," Kim reminded her. Payson nodded, running her index finger around the rim of her cup.

"I know," she whispered. Then she took a deep breath. "Sasha isn't going to want to have a baby until we're married."

"Where is all this traditionalism coming from? He's never seemed that committed to it before," Kim said.

"It doesn't have anything to do with being traditional. He really wants to be married, and I think his greatest fear is that we'll get comfortable…playing house, he called it. He was even uneasy about moving in. If we have a baby together before we get married, he's going to think that I won't have any reason to marry him and we'll just be dating forever," Payson explained. Kim frowned.

"Is he right?" Kim asked. Payson shrugged.

"No. Yes. I don't know. I know that this fear I have is irrational, I know it is. But that doesn't stop me from nearly having a panic attack every time someone mentions it."

Kim reached out to toy with Payson's hair, twirling it around her fingers like she used to when Payson was young.

"I think, when someone has been through what you have, that feeling doesn't ever go away. Especially for someone like you, who is so used to being in control; you made a career out of being in absolute control. It comes down to trust. Do you trust Sasha?" Kim asked. Payson's brow furrowed.

"Of course I do. I always have."

"There you go. You've always trusted him to keep your body safe, no its time to trust him with your heart."

#

"I'm here for an appointment at one o'clock," Payson told the receptionist Wednesday afternoon. The young girl smiled up at her, reaching for the phone.

"Please have a seat. Mr. Tanner will be out in a moment."

Payson had barely sunk into the plush leather cushions when Steve came out from his office, smiling warmly. He held out his hand to shake, leaning in to kiss her cheek and then guiding her towards the office.

"I have to say, I was more than a little shocked when I saw your name in my appointment log. After that dinner…"

"Don't worry about it, it's forgotten," Payson assured him. Steve smiled in thanks.

"Can I get you anything; water, tea, coffee?" Steve asked. Payson sat down in one of the chairs across from his desk and shook her head.

"No, thanks."

"Okay then. What can I do for you?"

"What else will it take to make Sasha Harper's legal father?" Steve paused for just a moment, almost like a stutter, before pulling out Payson's file. He chewed on his bottom lip.

"I have to be honest Payson, getting Jeffrey to sign away his rights wasn't the only road block in getting Sasha down as Harper's legal guardian," Steve said.

"So what do I need to do?" Payson pressed.

"No judge in his right mind is going to allow Sasha to adopt Harper if the two of you aren't married. It's just not going to happen," Steve said, apologetically. He understood how Payson felt about marriage. It was still strange to Payson, but throughout the divorce process she and Steve had actually bonded. Steve knew what it was like to have a drug abuser as an ex, what it was like to have a child in the middle of it all, and how scary it was to face the prospect of marriage again. He understood her in a way not many others did, certainly none of her friends.

"Okay," Payson said slowly.

"Have you given it any thought?" Steve asked.

"What, getting married? Of course I have." Steve shifted, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his desk, and looked Payson in the eyes.

"Marrying Summer was the best decision I've ever made," he said pointedly. Payson nodded.

"Thanks Steve. I'll get back to you."

Scooping up her purse, Payson hurried out of the office. She had a lot of thinking to do.

#

"Annabelle! Dinner!" Payson called as she set plates on the table. A moment later she heard the rhythmic thumping of Annabelle's feet in the hallway. Harper came chasing shortly behind.

"Sorry. We were playing Olympics," Annabelle gasped, flinging herself into her seat. She helped Harper scramble into her booster seat and then got up to get everyone water. "So, I've been thinking."

"Oh no," Payson groaned, smiling. Sasha came in from the office and looked between them.

"What?" he asked.

"Annabelle's been thinking," Payson said dramatically. Sasha laughed.

"That's never good," he teased.

"Hey!" Annabelle protested. "I was thinking about another big move I could use to win in Johannesburg."

"Okay, what did you have in mind?" Sasha asked.

"I was thinking about a double front tuck full off the beam. It isn't in the Code of Points yet, but I think it would be a G skill, wouldn't it?" Annabelle asked. "I know it's been done before, but it's more realistic that I'll perfect it before the Olympics than another skill that no woman has done."

"It hasn't been done much," Payson pointed out. "It's still rare enough that you'll get a big score out of it if you stick it."

"Exactly what I was thinking!" Annabelle said brightly.

"We can start working on it, but if it isn't up to par by Trials we're going to scrap it," Sasha warned. Annabelle nodded quickly.

"Of course," she said.

"Good. We'll start on Monday"

#

"You want to have kids, right?" Payson asked, tracing swirls against Sasha's bare chest. He purred, and she could feel the rumbling against her skin. She smiled and pressed a kiss to his ribs.

"With you? Absolutely." His arms tightened around her.

"How would you feel about starting small? Like…adopting Harper?" Sasha shifted beneath her, twisting so that he could look at her. She turned her face up to him, meeting his eyes.

"Are you serious?" Sasha asked. They had talked about Sasha being Harper's father, when she started calling him Daddy, but never in an official way. Never about actual adoption.

"I'm very serious. I want Harper to be yours, as much as she possibly can be," Payson said, smiling softly at him. She watched as his brow furrowed, as he mulled over the implications of what she was saying.

"Don't we have to be married for that?" Sasha asked slowly. Payson smiled broadly.

"Yes." Silence reigned for a long minutes as Payson watched Sasha struggle with how to react. There was a cautious hope in his eyes as he searched her, looking for the right answer.

"Payson, I need you to spell this out for me," Sasha said slowly. Payson twisted up onto her knees, hovering over him and staring straight into his eyes so he would know she was serious.

"I. Want. To. Marry. You."

"If you're joking…" Payson's loud laugh cut him off.

"Why would I joke about this?" Payson asked, still laughing. Excitement bloomed on his face, taking away at least ten years. He looked like a boy, and that made Payson's smile nearly split her face.

"You want to marry me?" He asked again.

"Yes. I want to marry you, Sasha. I want to be your wife."

Sasha rolled them quickly and Payson shrieked, giggling as he reversed their positions. His lips crashed against hers, making her gasp sharply as he delved into her mouth. When she moaned, he pulled away.

"Well," he said with a smirk. "You're just going to have to wait until I've asked you."

A/N: As usual, a HUGE (I'm talking a parade and fireworks huge) thank you to Egyptian Kiss, franxample, BearyFunny66, Xhex-Athame-Snape, Crayon115, SunStar123, explamation points forever, and JTellersOldLady for your reviews!

I know that Payson seems to have changed her mind awfully quick, but there's a point when people have to decide to either get over it or not, and Payson reached that point. Hopefully you all understand why it happened and what her thought process was, but if you'd like to discuss it further, feel free to PM me!

Oh, and guess what guys? This chapter is being posted from my new apartment in DENVER! I am so in love with it here, everyone should visit if they have the chance. It's gorgeous.

As always, I really appreciate reviews of all kinds (the good, bad, and ugly)!