"Wake up!"

Lovetta opened her eyes to see her two-and-a-half-year-old brother sitting on her legs. He had a goofy grin on his face as he grabbed her arm.

"I'm up, Ollie! I'm up!" she laughed, snatching him into a hug.

"Off!" he yelped, almost falling off the bed. She let go and helped him to the floor. He toddled out of her room and she smiled.

The twelve-year-old got out of bed and got dressed for school, frowning as she struggled to pull a brush through her curls. Her hair had not gotten easier to manage with time. She finally gave up and tied it back into a ponytail before heading downstairs. Her dad was drinking his coffee and her mom was trying to get Ollie to sit still so he could eat his breakfast.

"Morning, Vet," Max greeted her.

"Morning, Dad."

"You ready for the first day of seventh grade?"

"Ready as I can be. Middle school's a bitch." She started to get out the stuff to make her cereal.

"I know it is."

"Is it possible to drop out?"

"Yeah, but we aren't gonna let you do that." Ollie snickered and Lovetta sighed. "Besides, if you dropped out, you couldn't hang out with your friends. And I know you want to keep that going."

Lovetta stuck out her tongue before eating her breakfast. Once she was done, she brushed her teeth and grabbed her stuff. She watched Max give Nikki a kiss goodbye and mess up Ollie's hair before heading for the door.

"Bye, Mom!" Lovetta called, running outside. She buckled into the front seat as Max started the car.

"Got everything?" Max asked.

"Yep!"

"Great. Your mom's going to pick you up."

"Wait, she's allowed to drive now?"

"She can handle it. I keep forgetting we're not in high school anymore sometimes, and that she raised a kid by herself for ten years."

"Speaking of Mom… when are you going to pop the question?" Max slammed on the brakes—both in response to his daughter's question and the fact that some asshole had just run a red light.

"What the hell, Vet?"

"It's just that you dated Mom for three years before the whole thing with Vihaan happened, and you've been dating her for almost three years since. You guys are almost thirty and you have two kids; isn't it time to finally put a ring on her finger?"

"I know. I'm just shocked you're saying I should."

"Are you going to ask her?"

"Open the glove compartment." She unlatched the compartment to find a small velvet box, which she opened to find a ring inside.

"When were you going to ask her?!" she gasped excitedly.

"I was going to ask her when we go over to David and Gwen's for the end-of-summer barbeque. Any objections to that?"

"Nope. Do it in front of all of us. I want to see Mom knock you down when you ask her because she's so happy."

"And, knowing her, that's exactly what's going to happen. I'll ask and she'll tackle me to the fucking ground before saying yes. If she says yes." He got a look of worry on his face and Lovetta put a hand on his arm.

"Mom's going to say yes, Dad. You guys have been through too much not to get married."

"Thanks, kiddo."

"So, for the wedding, I was thinking we could have it at Camp Campbell and have Quartermaster officiate. Grandpa can walk Mom down the aisle, Ollie can be the ring-bearer, and I can be the flower girl or whatever."

"How long have you been planning this?"

"Since Ollie was born."

"Right… well, we're here." Lovetta nodded and slid out of the car, meeting up with Coral, Leo, and James outside the school as her father drove away.

"You guys ready for the barbeque?" she asked excitedly.

"I'm not gonna miss the chance to hang out with the coolest family in Sleepy Peak!" Coral stated, making finger-guns at her best friend and trying to keep her cello case from falling.

"Yeah," agreed James. "Mom says I need to hang out with you guys even more than I already do. I'm not entirely sure how that's possible."

"She wants you out of the house," Leo told him bluntly. "Come on. Let's get to class."

"I need to stop by the band room first," Coral sighed. "I have to drop off my cello or She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named will try and trip me in the halls again."

Yeah, middle school sucked. It's middle school, after all, but Lovetta and her friends had the added bonus of having to go to school with Alexis fucking Winters once again. Jessica was no longer trying to influence her daughter like she had before, but that didn't mean the Mama Alpha Bitch didn't still resent the entire Greene family for humiliating her—and Alexis was more than willing to make fun of Lovetta. This time around, however, Lovetta had backup in the form of her three best friends.

"Alexis needs to get a life," Lovetta scoffed. "She knows we're not putting up with her bullshit."

"Well, if it isn't the Four Stooges!" The four looked up to see Alexis, Lauren, and Bianca (the three had made up upon hitting middle school). "Where do you think you're going?"

"To class," Lovetta deadpanned. "Bye."

"How's your whore of a mom?"

"She's great, considering she's been in a steady relationship for almost three years and the guy she's with is my birth father. See ya." She and her friends headed off, leaving Alexis silently fuming.

David yelped as he burnt his thumb on the grill. Gwen rolled her eyes.

"I told you, be more careful," she sighed. "You may be the grill-master in this family, but that doesn't mean you're immune to burns."

"I know." David smiled.

"We're here!"

The two turned to see their oldest grandchild running across the yard, her brother toddling right behind her. David dashed over and picked up Ollie, sweeping Lovetta into a hug at the same time.

"I've missed you guys so much!" he declared.

"Grandpa, you just saw us yesterday," Lovetta laughed. "It's not like we live on the other side of the country!"

"I know, but you used to live with us!"

Max rolled his eyes as he entered the backyard, Nikki right behind him. He caught Lovetta's eye and subtly patted his pocket, letting her know that he had the ring. Just a couple minutes later, Neil, Tabii, James, Leo, and Coral showed up together. Neil had picked up his niece's best friends on the way over to save time for their parents.

"Okay, I've got the oddly-specific cookies you asked me to buy," announced Lizzie, entering the yard. She'd be leaving for college the next day, so that was the point of the barbeque. "And it looks like everyone's here."

"Great!" David put down his grandson and gave his daughter a hug, tears brimming in his eyes.

"Uh, no. Dad, you said you weren't going to do this."

"My daughter's going off to college. Let me be emotional."

"I meant save this for when I'm moving into the dorm. There'll be plenty of time to be emotional then."

"I know." David wiped his tears and Gwen gave him a gentle smile as she put a hand on his shoulder. "It's just… Max didn't go to college, and neither did Nikki, so we didn't get to give either of them a sendoff. The next one will be for Lovetta."

"I'm not going to college!" Lovetta called.

"Yes, you are," Max told her.

"Whatever."

"She becomes your kid more every day," Gwen commented.

"Burger," Ollie said, tugging at his mom's shirt.

"Okay, Ollie, we'll get you a burger," Nikki stated, picking her son up and resting him on her hip. David ran over to the grill and started to cook the meat while Lovetta and her friends just kind of hung out. Max was nearby, making sure James and Leo kept their hands to themselves (he'd been that age once, too, far more recently than they seemed to realize). Coral was talking animatedly about some new show her brother was in, gesturing wildly and mentioning that her ex-babysitter was on the staff of the show.

"Yeah, but why is he your ex-babysitter?" Lovetta asked.

"Because Chris decided I didn't need one anymore and that I can just hang out with you guys. He thinks you're a good enough influence."

"HA!"

Nikki smiled. She was happy with all the changes that had come in the past couple of years.

Just as she'd thought, Max was a fantastic father to both their kids. He was extremely affectionate yet firm, but that didn't stop him from pulling a 'dad joke' every now and then. Ollie loved them, and Lovetta did, too—even if she had the typical teen response of groaning at every joke he made. Sure, he'd looked a little jealous when she'd been breastfeeding Ollie, but she chalked that up to him not being good at sharing.

What could possibly make their lives more perfect?

"Burger!" cheered Ollie as his mom set the patty in front of him. His method of eating burgers was messy and inefficient, but he was only two. It was necessary for someone to watch him so he didn't choke.

The sun set on the horizon and David started a fire in the firepit he'd built shortly after they'd first moved into the house. It was a sweet and romantic setting, and Nikki leaned her head on Max's shoulder. Gwen tried to help her grandson eat a marshmallow without getting the goo all over his face, which failed spectacularly.

"Hey, Nik?" Max whispered, getting his girlfriend's attention. She lifted her head up.

"What is it?"

"We've known each other a long time, right?"

"Almost twenty years. What's your point?"

"My point is that you and our kids are the best thing to ever happen to me, and I want to make our family even more of a family." He slid off his chair and onto the ground, where he got down on one knee and pulled out the box. Gwen gasped, as did everyone but Lovetta and Ollie. "Nikki, will you marry me?"

"YES!"

Without any hesitation, Nikki tackled Max to the ground in a hug, just as their daughter had predicted. He was laughing, though, so she knew it was fine as he slid the ring on her finger. They exchanged their first kiss as an engaged couple and David was crying again. This time, they were tears of joy. Ollie looked confused, while Neil and Tabii clapped happily for the two.

Nikki was officially going to be a Greene.

"…and that should do it!"

Lovetta smiled as Ruby's older sister, Kami, finished hanging the handmade flower wreath. As usual, the Writing Camp girl had a pencil tucked in her ponytail and a Doctor Who backpack on her back. Most likely she'd rampage through the cabin later, searching desperately for the pencil before somebody pulled it out of her hair.

"I love weddings," Kami sighed. "The last one I went to was at the beach. I'm sure this one's going to be just as good."

"I was promised cake," Ruby stated, narrowing her eyes. "I'd better see cake, Kami."

Kami rolled her eyes and bent down to adjust the tongue of her sneaker. Lovetta ran towards the mess hall, where the reception was being set up by Tristan and his twin sister, Naomi. Naomi, it turned out, had a natural talent for baking and had made the cake with help from Gwen and David. Other campers were happily helping set up for the wedding, whether it be by putting out chairs or making sure that Max and Nikki didn't see each other until the ceremony.

"We've got it handled!" called Julius, the latest recruit from Extreme Sports Camp. "Go on and see your parents. We all know you want to."

Lovetta ran outside and into the infirmary, where her dad was pacing nervously.

"Hey, Dad! You ready?"

"Lovetta, I have wanted to marry Nikki since we were in high school. I'm ready. I'm just worried something's going to go horribly fucking wrong."

"It probably will. We're the Greenes and this is Camp Campbell; something is bound to go wrong."

"Fair enough, kiddo." He smiled. "You look adorable, by the way."

"Thanks."

The thirteen-year-old was wearing a yellow dress that ended three-quarters of the way down her thigh, a pair of shorts underneath in case any guys got any bright ideas that would likely end in her dad castrating them. Her wild curls had been tamed under a yellow flower crown that she had made earlier that day and Gwen had taken the opportunity to put a little makeup on her—just a little mascara and lipstick, though.

"I'm gonna go check on Mom. See you at the ceremony!"

Nikki, predictably, was almost as nervous as Max was. She was pacing in the counselors' cabin, wearing a knee-length dress and a pair of three-inch-heels on her feet. A crown of white wildflowers was on her head, a matching bouquet sitting on a dresser nearby. Lovetta entered and saw her mother's state.

"Mom, it's going to be fine."

"I know, Lovey, but I keep getting these awful thoughts in my head that everything's going to go wrong."

"It's like I told Dad: we're the Greenes and this is Camp Campbell. Something's going to go wrong but everything will be fine in the end."

"Aw, thanks." Nikki smiled and checked the time. "It's almost time for the ceremony."

"Let's go!"

Lovetta was the flower girl, despite the fact that she was thirteen and technically old enough to be a junior bridesmaid. She didn't care, though, as she spread flower petals on the aisle and steered her brother towards the end. Once they reached their father, she turned back around to see David walking Nikki towards them. Lovetta glanced up at Max and saw his mouth was open without any sound coming out. He was speechless.

"Friends, family, campers old and new," began Quartermaster. "We are gathered here to witness the union between Max and Nikki. Many of us knew them as children, when they spent their days raising hell right here at Camp Campbell. Others knew them as teenagers who snuck off-grounds to make out in the woods. Now they stand before us as mature adults with two children, ready to prove their love to all of us who doubted it. Your vows?"

"Nikki, my life started out pretty shitty," Max began. "Then, when I was ten and at Camp Campbell for the second year in a row, I met you. You were so bright, and happy, and full of life… it was a definite contrast to me. We spent our time as campers raising hell here, driving our counselors crazy. I fell in love with you that first summer and didn't even know it. It's been twenty years since we met and I'm looking forward to every year down the line—you, me, and our family against the world. I love you, Nikki."

"Max, I didn't have the best parents in the world, even though they were saints compared to your birth parents. I fell for you that first summer, just like you did, and we were practically attached at the hip. We were friends for four years, and we dated for three before you took off—just to protect me. And even if we don't have those eleven years together, we have every year down the line. You're my support when I need it and willing to put up with every single one of my stupid jokes. I love you, Max, with everything I have."

Preston (ever the drama king) sniffed as he dabbed at his eyes with a tissue.

"May I have the rings, please?" Quartermaster asked. Ollie handed him the pillow and Max and Nikki slid on their wedding bands. "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the—"

The old man didn't even get a chance to finish before Nikki grabbed Max and pulled him into a kiss. The startled groom didn't know how to react, but he just went with it. It was just Nikki being Nikki, after all.

Lovetta clapped along with everyone else.

A happy ending, at last.

This is the final chapter of part 1. Part 2 (not the AO3 smutfic) will be documenting the high-school adventures of Lovetta, James, Leo, and Coral with Makki in the background. Let me know who you want Lovetta shipped with. I'm actually considering a three-way ship between Leo, James, and Lovetta. Coral is elsewhere.

Author's note will follow this!

So long and thanks for all the fish!