It was early February and Homer awoke to a cold, drizzly morning. A rarity in Key West, but not unheard of. Of course Homer had been through colder weather than this and thought nothing of it as he got up and made his way to the kitchen to grab some cereal for breakfast. He was the only one in the house that morning, Moe was off running errands with Mick, and both Barney and Roger were fishing. It was rare for Homer to wake up to an empty house, so he was happy to have some peace and quiet for a few hours. Quickly he poured himself a bowl of cheerios before making his way out to the screen room where he usually sat on his days off, he could watch the water in front of him and listen to the many sounds of Key West as a new day began.

Today was no exception as he stared out into the fog; Barney and Roger were out there and he hoped that the wind was with them. Hopefully the fog would clear out by noon as they returned from fishing. Hopefully it was good today, usually it was on cooler days, but sometimes fish preferred warmer waters. He would have to wait and see, for now though he could lounge on his chair and enjoy his cheerios while Hemmingway the cat sat nearby staring out into nothingness like he always did. When Homer finished his bowl of cereal, he set it beside him, Hemmingway's ears perked up and he hopped over to drink the milk that was left in the bowl.

Homer watched him for a few moments before deciding to dig into his pocket and take out something very special he had been carrying around for the past couple of weeks. He didn't spend much on it, thank goodness for pawn shops, he didn't have the money to buy anything big, but he knew that no matter what, Jenna would love it. For a moment he held a tiny beat up paper box, knowing that something special was inside it before actually opening it to look at it. When he finally did, the box revealed an emerald cut ring that sparkled even under the foggy weather. Homer smiled down at it. For many weeks he pondered on what the right thing to do would be. Finally he decided it was time to propose to Jenna, he finally told himself that it was time to get Marge out of his mind, it was time to show how much he cared for the one he was with now. The only problem was, he was not sure when or how to propose.

Homer let out a sigh and looked over at Hemmingway who was now staring back at Homer, watching him intently as if he was interested in the ring he was holding. Of course the cat would not understand him, but perhaps he would be a good candidate in practicing a propose to Jenna, of course he still had to find the right time and where to do it. There was also the issue of asking correctly, so practice made perfect. So Homer stared back at Hemmingway and thought of what to say for a few moments.

"Well Jenna…" he began while Hemmingway stared back with heavy lidded eyes. "…We've known each other for quite a while now, and you know I think that knowing each other and being with each other so long really says something about us. …And what it says is…well…maybe we should be together forever, we care about each other, we do things together, we are rarely apart. I've cared about you enough to believe we can work this out and I know you can too, so…"

Homer then bent down in front of Hemmingway and opened the ring box to reveal the pawned emerald ring. "Will you marry me Jenna?"

Homer stood still for a moment, thinking about what he said. All the while Hemmingway stared back before letting out a yawn and then lifting his back leg to clean his privates. Apparently what Homer was doing was just not interesting enough for him. "It was boring wasn't it?" Homer asked.

Hemmingway did not respond but continued to clean himself; Homer rubbed his chin and thought about what he said. It did sound long and pointless; maybe it was best to abridge it a little. Maybe write it down until he got it right, then memorize it. Yeah that sounded better; there was a pad of paper in the drawer next to him and a pen so he started writing his thoughts down on what he wanted to say. He would edit it once he was done, read it over several times and then think of a right time to ask Jenna. It was almost Valentine's Day; maybe he could ask her out and ask her then. That sounded plausible, but for some reason, just going to a restaurant sounded boring. Maybe some place better would be fun, like the key that they often went skinny dipping in.

For the rest of the morning, Homer worked on his proposal and was so caught up in it that he barely heard Moe and Mick return from their errands for the day until they literally walked in on him. Homer quickly tried to hide the paper he was writing as they came into the screen room, but of course it didn't get passed either of them, mainly because Homer left the ring sitting next to the chair on the drawer.

"What are you up to there Homah?" Moe asked as he entered the room and saw Homer staring at them with a big grin on his face.

"Oh nothing, just watching the clouds roll in," Homer replied.

"Oh really, then what's this?" Mick asked as he snuck behind Homer and picked up the ring that was on the drawer.

"Oh nothing, just something I found in a Cracker Jack box, thought it would be a nice collectible," Homer replied as he tried to grab the ring out of Mick's hand.

Mick stared at the ring for a moment, surprised by how pretty it was for something found in a Cracker Jack box. He examined it and noticed how it sparkled even on a cloudy day and that's when he realized it was more than just any ring. Mick looked down at Homer and smiled while Homer stared back at him with a sheepish grin.

"I know what you're doing Homer, and I for one approve," Mick said as he handed the ring back to him.

"You do?" Asked Homer.

"Of course, Jenna has been beside you for a long time now and both of you deserve each other. Just promise to be faithful to her, I don't want her coming home crying because you did something to upset her," Mick said in a stern manner.

"Of course Mick, I promise I will keep her happy," Homer replied but with nervousness in his voice. Suddenly he realized that doing this meant a big change in his life, he would be living with her forever, possibly even starting a family. Did he really want to go through with this? Well he had been with her long enough and enjoyed her company, and besides, Marge needed to be out of the picture. No more thoughts about the girl he only knew for a few months in high school. She had her own life now, away from him.

"Good! And if you don't, you better run," Mick replied in a rather sinister voice.

Homer gulped, now he wondered what would happen if he ever hurt Jenna in any way. Even with Homer there for her while Mick was gone, Jenna was still known to call her brother from time to time when she was feeling down. He was her security blanket and he was the big brother who cared and made sure she was happy. He had never seen Mick get mad and he knew he never wanted to, who knows what he could do when something upsetting set him off.

"But besides sparkly things and punching each other's throats, apparently Mick here has a gig tonight at the local four star hotel for a…what's it called again?" asked Moe.

"After wedding, more of a honeymoon with everyone invited to the reception," Mick said with a confused shrug.

"That's a new one," Homer replied.

"Yeah apparently the happy couple forgot that the honeymoon was just for them, but why should I complain, I'm getting money out of this," Mick said with a huge grin.

"I bet it will be fun to crash too," Homer said with a sly grin.

Moe looked back at Homer; apparently he was asking permission to do so. But he wasn't his father and Home wasn't working tonight, he could do what he damned well pleased, just as long as he came into work on time that was fine with him.

"Homah, I'm not your damn motha," Moe said as he walked back inside.

"You don't really have to crash either, you can just say you're with the band, and it could give you ideas on what kind of wedding you want to do with Jenna," Mick replied as he nudged Homer playfully.

"Nah, I would rather come for music and booze than get ideas," Homer said not really thinking what he just said. Mick stared back at him, one eyebrow raised as if he was unsure if he should laugh or not. "Or I could get ideas too, either way, I'm supporting you." Mick only rolled his eyes.

Homer and Jenna followed Mick and his crew toward the back door of The Sunset Key hotel, a security guard was waiting for them, he knew that three band members would be coming so when he saw Homer and Jenna, he got a little suspicious.

"There a reason these two are here?" asked the guard.

"Yes sir, Jenna is here just in case I feel the need to play one of my slow songs and she can play the piano and occasionally sing. Homer here is our mascot," Mick replied.

The guard stared over at Homer who was wearing a Hawaiian shirt with Bermuda shorts and flip flops. Definitely not dressed for wedding party material but he didn't care, it was just a party, everyone else would most likely not want to wear nice clothes for something like this. Of course while the guard stared at Homer, Homer gave him a goofy grin, trying his hardest to be innocent.

"Well that's a new one I must say, but I've seen weirder, like this one guy said his puppy was part of the band, sure enough we was. Dear lord was he a terrible singer. Any way go on in," The guard replied as he opened the door and let Mick and his friends pass through.

When they entered, they found the manager of the hotel waiting for them by two double doors. He did not look at the group strangely, he was just expecting a musical group to come and entertain his guests. He gave Mick a quick nod before motioning them to follow him through the hotel and into the ballroom that was set up for his guests. They went in the back way but were told to wait while the manager announced their presence.

Everyone stood behind the curtain and watched as the manager went forward before a large crowd of people mingling about. It wasn't the biggest crowd Mick had seen but he was still surprised by how many people actually showed up for a wedding reception that was not even in the same city where the happy couple recited their vows. These people must have been very special to have wanted to do this.

"Alright everyone, we finally got your entertainment tonight. So give it up for Mick and the Key Minors!" The manager said as he stepped aside and let Mick come on stage with his two sidekicks. Roger would have come that day, but he had to work of course, but he hoped to come later once things died down at the bar.

Homer and Jenna watched Mick play from behind the curtain for a moment before looking around the room to see the guests dancing to Mick's songs. They seemed to be having a good time, there was a cash bar so lots of drinking was involved and it wasn't long before Homer was able to find the buffet table in the far back still piled high with all sorts of good food.

"You wanna get a quick bite to eat and then dance the night away" Homer asked.

"After you," Jenna replied with a grin.

Quickly Homer and Jenna made their way down the side of the stage and stayed against the wall so they would stay out of people's way as they made their way toward the buffet table. When they got there Homer was amazed by all the more expensive foods lined up on the table. There was toast with caviar, honey glazed ham, cheese, bread, pasta salad, chicken, potatoes, salads, and even so delicious looking desserts. Homer felt like he was in heaven and began stacking as much as he could onto his plate while Jenna took a few items and laughed at Homer's comments about how happy he was to see food in front of him. He was so busy gathering the food he wanted that he barely noticed one of the guests come forward to get his share of food until he was right in front of him.

"Homer Simpson! Is that you?" the guest said.

Homer looked up from scooping all the pasta salad onto his plate and was surprised to see an old classmate from high school named Fred Brooks standing there. Homer's eyes widened, hopefully he wasn't the groom who this reception was for because that would be embarrassing because he would know if he invited Homer or not.

"Uh…yeah, how ya been Fred?" Homer asked a bit nervously.

"Not too shabby, didn't know you were invited to the reception of a lifetime too," Fred replied as he grabbed a roll and took a bite out of it.

"Oh yeah, I couldn't pass up on a trip to Key West, the best fishing is here and the weather is great," Homer lied.

"Oh yeah, one of the many reasons why I said yes to the invitation, I plan on going fishing in the morning if you would like to join me. I hear the Marlin fishing is great if you head south a little ways," Fred said.

Homer held his tongue, for one thing he knew that the best Marlin fishing was actually to the west just a few miles from the Dry Tortugas, but if he told him that then the tourists would come and ruin that spot. It was best to keep quiet about it. Secondly he was supposed to go fishing in the morning any way for Moe and he wasn't sure how Moe would feel about a greenhorn fishing with them.

"I'll think about it," Homer finally replied.

"Alright just let me know, my room is number fourteen zero seven, come by if you feel like it, we can catch up, haven't seen you since graduation, I bet we got a lot of stories to tell," Fred said as he walked back into the crowd.

"Wow you did really well there," Jenna said, surprised that Homer could pull a lie like that.

"Yeah I know, makes me wonder too if this reception is for a couple from Springfield, that would be crazy wouldn't it," Homer replied.

"Definitely," Jenna said.

Homer set his plate of food down for a minute and looked around the room to see if he might know anyone else. It didn't take long to discover that he did, he saw Stuart, the guy who kicked him out of the graduation party dancing with a girl he never knew a few feet away. Then he saw another classmate, and then another. Now Homer suddenly felt very strange being here, as if he would find out who the lucky bride and groom were and they would know him and kick him out. This was a new predicament for him and he now thought that dancing with Jenna was out of the question and it was best to head back home.

"Homer, are you okay?" Jenna asked.

"Uhh…" Homer replied as he started backing away from the buffet table without his food.

"Don't forget your food," Jenna said as she grabbed it from where he left it.

"It's okay Jenna, I think we need to get going," Homer said as he turned around and was about to walk away when he bumped into someone.

This time Homer bumped into someone he knew he had seen before, he just didn't know where. He was an older man, probably in his early sixties; his face looked tired and worn like he had not slept correctly in a few days. He had to be the father of the bride or groom and Homer knew that this guy would probably know who would be showing up to his son or daughters amazing wedding reception.

"Sorry sir, I was just trying to find my way around the place," Homer replied.

"Say ain't you that Simpson kid who tried to invite my daughter to the prom," the man said.

Homer gasped, he had invited only one girl to the prom and he did meet her father when he tried to pick her up. Now that Homer realized who was standing in front of him he knew that there was only one explanation as to why Mr. Bouvier was here and he did not like it one bit. He had to get out of here fast before anyone else saw him, or he saw something he did not want to see. He was starting to see the big picture now and he could not believe Mick had been called out to play for this reception. A reception that Homer never imagined seeing, or even wanting to see for that matter.

"Daddy, the band has been asked to play our wedding song and then a special daddy daughter song afterwards. Come on, I'll help you find a good place to wait."

Homer stared at the lady who now had her back turned to him and coaxing her father toward the dance floor. Was it really Marge, the Marge Bouvier that he had fallen in love with all those years ago? Her hair was high up in a beehive and her dress was an elegant pink that went down to her ankles, while a scarf went around her neck and tied to her wrist. From the back she looked beautiful, and he was already in a trance. He wanted to run but he seemed to be stuck to the floor as if waiting for her to turn around.

Moments later, Mr. Bouvier pointed at Homer, causing Marge to do just that and see her spare prom date staring back at her. Homer could not believe it; she was just as beautiful as he remembered, a little older but still just as gorgeous and amazing.

"Hello Homer," Marge replied with surprise in her voice but still had a kind smile.

"Uh… hi Marge," Homer replied sheepishly.

"I don't remember inviting you to my reception, but I'm glad you came," Marge said thoughtfully.

Homer gulped, she was the one who had just gotten married and was now spending her honeymoon in Key West, oh the irony of it all!

"Homer, you know her?" Jenna asked suddenly.

Homer jumped with surprise, unsure of what to tell Jenna since he had always told her that he never loved anyone but her, but now he knew he was busted because Marge would of course correct him if he said anything different.

"Marge, they're about to play our song, let's go," a voice called from a few feet away.

"Okay Artie I'm coming," Marge replied. "I'll be right back Homer; I would love to talk to you."

Homer watched Marge take Artie's hand toward the dance floor, Mr. Bouvier followed a little but was soon stopped by the crowd and had to watch from afar. Homer stayed put, still very surprised and shaking like a leaf at what he was seeing. He wanted to block everything out now but for the longest time he could not move, and he was unlucky enough to find himself staring through a gap in the crowd where he could see Marge and Artie dance to "They Way We Were" By Barbara Streisand. He could not believe this was happening, he could not believe that the person he cared so much about was now married to the person he hated so much. He wanted her but she didn't, and now she was dancing with the man she left him for on the night of the prom. His heart was breaking now and before he even knew it, tears were falling down his face.

"Homer, why are you crying?" Jenna said to him as she tried to look him in the eye.

"I…it's just that…I gotta get out of here," Homer sobbed.

And before Jenna could even reach out to him, Homer was pushing his way through the crowd and out the door, away from the most horrible thing he had ever seen. But he did not wait for Jenna to follow him, instead he ran, he ran as the tears fell down his face, he ran down the sidewalk toward the park, he ran through the cool grass in the park, he ran until he came to the end of a pier, unable to go any further. There he stopped and stared out into the water for the longest time before finally collapsing and began to weep heavily.

A/N: OMG what have I done? Yeah what a coincidence that Marge and Artie would be in Key West huh? Any way the next chapter will be very interesting and hopefully I can get it done quickly so you guys will know what happens.

So yes I am still alive after a weeklong trip across the country, what a fun trip too, glad I got to experience that. If you want to know what I did and saw, just go to my DA page, I have a nice journal about my trip there.

Also this chapter was dedicated to CalculatedChaos, who's birthday is today. He's a very good friend who has been a great inspiration, an amazing writer and just a great person to talk to. So go ahead and wish him a happy birthday and tell him he needs to stop being lazy and update his story. Or give him a pep talk about how awesome he is, it usually works, well sometimes any way. Hee

Well please review when you can, and look out for a new chapter soon.