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smallfandomflshTitle: Her One
Author: Kat Lee
Fandom: Step By Step
Characters/Pairing: Rich/Dana, one-sided Cody/Dana, Cody/Karen
Rating: G/K
Challenge: #120: Green
Word Count: 1,338
Summary:
Disclaimer: All characters belong to their rightful owners, not the author.
She's been seeing friends and family all day, but she's still surprised at the sight of the next man who comes in through her family's open door. She should have known he would come. She should have known she would have to face him. She should have known he was coming right then, especially from the sound of his bike revving a mile down the road. She stands to greet him but finds herself uncertain of what to say, so she simply says his name instead of anything smart and witty, "Cody."
She's slung enough sharp remarks at him in the past. He doesn't need anything smart or witty, and neither does she right now, she realizes as he throws his beefy arms around her and wraps her in a bear hug. He needs a friend, and she needs him to understand. The realization surprises her, but she's even more surprised when he lifts her clear off of her feet and into the air. "Dana!"
Hesitantly, and with nowhere near the amount of reluctance she used to feel whenever she had been forced to deal with him, Dana returns his hug. This time, she truly does hug him with both arms instead of slinging one arm around him and patting him like he's a good dog. She smiles at the thought. Cody's many things, but even though she's seen him bark with the dogs and otherwise act like a canine many times in the past, he's certainly no dog. She wonders why she never realized before that he isn't exactly ugly. He's no Rich, but he's no dog, either.
He squeezes her so tightly that her breath stops until he sets her back down onto her feet. She's still staring up at him in surprise.
"What? Do I have something in my teeth?" he asks, wondering how he could have possibly screwed up with a simple hug. Maybe, he thinks with great sadness, she doesn't want him to touch her at all . . . still. It's not as though he's trying to make a move on her, though. She's a taken woman, about to be a married woman; his days of trying to woo her sadly came to an end a long time ago, when Rich put his ring on her finger.
"No," she speaks slowly as she tries to find the right words, and then she just admits the truth. "I'm just surprised to see you is all," she tells him with a shrug and a sheepish grin.
"Why?" He looks truly puzzled.
"Cody, I'm getting married," Dana speaks carefully, for the first time, not wanting to hurt his feelings.
"I know! Duh!" Cody grins and laughs. "That's why I'm here, Dana burger!"
She eyes him suspiciously. "You came for my wedding?"
"Of course! Why wouldn't I?"
"I . . . " She tries again to find the words she needs when dealing with him on this most special day of her life, but her expansive vocabulary fails her. She can't find them and shakes her blonde head.
Cody laughs again. "Come on, Dana! We're friends, aren't we?"
"Yes. I guess." They were friends, she reflected, even if she'd never wanted to be and he'd always wanted to be something more to her than he could ever be. They were family. He had saved her way back when she was just starting to become adventuresome in venturing out to support her causes. He had always been good to her, even when she'd hurt him time and again.
"Of course we are!" His laugh is still unnerving to her, but she tries not to let how it grates on her nerves show where he can see it, not that he ever noticed before. "I wouldn't be anywhere but here with you on your special day! Shucks, I'm not green with envy or anything! I'm happy for you! You found love, Dana burger, and you got it returned! Do you know how rare that is? I've always known Uncle Frank and Carol were lucky to find each other, but they were the only ones I've ever known who are meant for each other like they are until you and Rich!"
Her eyes watch his warily. "You're not mad that Rich got me and you didn't?"
He shakes his head and, with a sigh, lets his shoulders drop. "I'm a little upset, yeah, but that was way back when he first got you. I wanted you. I love you. But Rich loves you and you love him, not me." He laughs once more, but this time, his chuckle is shaky. "I would say the best man won, but I always thought I was better than Rich."
She bites her lip to keep from shooting a retort at him in Rich's defense. Cody could never truly compare to her Rich. He's nowhere near as gentle, sweet, and handsome. Rich may lack some intelligence, but he still looks like a rocket science compared to the Lambert men. She'll never know how her mother managed to fall in love with one, but Cody's right: Carol and Frank love each other almost as much as she and Rich love one another.
"The thing is, Dana," Cody speaks again, and she stills as he realizes he's somehow managed to catch her hands with his. "I don't know if Rich is the better man. I don't know why you never loved me like I love you. But what I do know is if you're going to marry some one, you'd better make sure that they're the right person, that you really do love them and they love you, because you're never gonna be happy with the wrong one. You love Rich, and Rich loves you. He's gonna make you happy." Slowly this time, he shakes his head. "I never could have, because no matter how much I love you, you still don't love me."
She feels a little sad for him, but then he grins boldly. "I got that long ago. I'm cool with it, and I know, too, 'cause you don't love me that somewhere out there there's a girl who does love me. I just hope I'm lucky like you and Rich and Uncle Frank and Carol and get to love her back and get to marry her." His smile turns sad, and she sees pass a little of his bravado. "I'd be way lucky if she looks or thinks half as good as you do."
"Dana, aren't you ready to go yet?"
Dana looks up toward her sister's voice, forgetting, for a moment, Cody's hidden sadness and that her hands are still in his. Karen comes into the kitchen, her hands on her hips and an irritated and expectant look upon her face. She's a world renowned super model now, but she still came home for her wedding, one of the few selfless things Dana knows of her ever having done.
"Whoa!"
Her head snaps back to look again at Cody. "Shut your mouth, wise guy," she whispers.
"Who's that?"
"Cody, you remember me!" Karen exclaims laughingly.
Cody does a literal double take, his eyes growing larger. "Karen?" he asks in disbelief.
She smirks. "The one and only." To Cody, her brown eyes seem to have a light in them which he's never noticed before, and as her smirk turns into a smile, he lets her sister's hands go. "Come on, Dana. Everybody's waiting."
Dana quickly finds herself alone as Cody, seemingly having forgotten all about her and their important conversation, trails behind Karen like another of her sheep. Dana rolls her eyes toward the ceiling, her lips twisting into some expression halfway between a helpless smile and her own smirk. What is it, she wonders, about Foster women and Lambert men? Her blonde head shakes, and she smiles truthfully. Thank God she has Rich! She hurries out the door, intent on making all her dreams come true for Cody's right. Rich is her One, and they're going to have a wonderful, happy, and blessed marriage.
The End
Author: Kat Lee
Fandom: Step By Step
Characters/Pairing: Rich/Dana, one-sided Cody/Dana, Cody/Karen
Rating: G/K
Challenge: #120: Green
Word Count: 1,338
Summary:
Disclaimer: All characters belong to their rightful owners, not the author.
She's been seeing friends and family all day, but she's still surprised at the sight of the next man who comes in through her family's open door. She should have known he would come. She should have known she would have to face him. She should have known he was coming right then, especially from the sound of his bike revving a mile down the road. She stands to greet him but finds herself uncertain of what to say, so she simply says his name instead of anything smart and witty, "Cody."
She's slung enough sharp remarks at him in the past. He doesn't need anything smart or witty, and neither does she right now, she realizes as he throws his beefy arms around her and wraps her in a bear hug. He needs a friend, and she needs him to understand. The realization surprises her, but she's even more surprised when he lifts her clear off of her feet and into the air. "Dana!"
Hesitantly, and with nowhere near the amount of reluctance she used to feel whenever she had been forced to deal with him, Dana returns his hug. This time, she truly does hug him with both arms instead of slinging one arm around him and patting him like he's a good dog. She smiles at the thought. Cody's many things, but even though she's seen him bark with the dogs and otherwise act like a canine many times in the past, he's certainly no dog. She wonders why she never realized before that he isn't exactly ugly. He's no Rich, but he's no dog, either.
He squeezes her so tightly that her breath stops until he sets her back down onto her feet. She's still staring up at him in surprise.
"What? Do I have something in my teeth?" he asks, wondering how he could have possibly screwed up with a simple hug. Maybe, he thinks with great sadness, she doesn't want him to touch her at all . . . still. It's not as though he's trying to make a move on her, though. She's a taken woman, about to be a married woman; his days of trying to woo her sadly came to an end a long time ago, when Rich put his ring on her finger.
"No," she speaks slowly as she tries to find the right words, and then she just admits the truth. "I'm just surprised to see you is all," she tells him with a shrug and a sheepish grin.
"Why?" He looks truly puzzled.
"Cody, I'm getting married," Dana speaks carefully, for the first time, not wanting to hurt his feelings.
"I know! Duh!" Cody grins and laughs. "That's why I'm here, Dana burger!"
She eyes him suspiciously. "You came for my wedding?"
"Of course! Why wouldn't I?"
"I . . . " She tries again to find the words she needs when dealing with him on this most special day of her life, but her expansive vocabulary fails her. She can't find them and shakes her blonde head.
Cody laughs again. "Come on, Dana! We're friends, aren't we?"
"Yes. I guess." They were friends, she reflected, even if she'd never wanted to be and he'd always wanted to be something more to her than he could ever be. They were family. He had saved her way back when she was just starting to become adventuresome in venturing out to support her causes. He had always been good to her, even when she'd hurt him time and again.
"Of course we are!" His laugh is still unnerving to her, but she tries not to let how it grates on her nerves show where he can see it, not that he ever noticed before. "I wouldn't be anywhere but here with you on your special day! Shucks, I'm not green with envy or anything! I'm happy for you! You found love, Dana burger, and you got it returned! Do you know how rare that is? I've always known Uncle Frank and Carol were lucky to find each other, but they were the only ones I've ever known who are meant for each other like they are until you and Rich!"
Her eyes watch his warily. "You're not mad that Rich got me and you didn't?"
He shakes his head and, with a sigh, lets his shoulders drop. "I'm a little upset, yeah, but that was way back when he first got you. I wanted you. I love you. But Rich loves you and you love him, not me." He laughs once more, but this time, his chuckle is shaky. "I would say the best man won, but I always thought I was better than Rich."
She bites her lip to keep from shooting a retort at him in Rich's defense. Cody could never truly compare to her Rich. He's nowhere near as gentle, sweet, and handsome. Rich may lack some intelligence, but he still looks like a rocket science compared to the Lambert men. She'll never know how her mother managed to fall in love with one, but Cody's right: Carol and Frank love each other almost as much as she and Rich love one another.
"The thing is, Dana," Cody speaks again, and she stills as he realizes he's somehow managed to catch her hands with his. "I don't know if Rich is the better man. I don't know why you never loved me like I love you. But what I do know is if you're going to marry some one, you'd better make sure that they're the right person, that you really do love them and they love you, because you're never gonna be happy with the wrong one. You love Rich, and Rich loves you. He's gonna make you happy." Slowly this time, he shakes his head. "I never could have, because no matter how much I love you, you still don't love me."
She feels a little sad for him, but then he grins boldly. "I got that long ago. I'm cool with it, and I know, too, 'cause you don't love me that somewhere out there there's a girl who does love me. I just hope I'm lucky like you and Rich and Uncle Frank and Carol and get to love her back and get to marry her." His smile turns sad, and she sees pass a little of his bravado. "I'd be way lucky if she looks or thinks half as good as you do."
"Dana, aren't you ready to go yet?"
Dana looks up toward her sister's voice, forgetting, for a moment, Cody's hidden sadness and that her hands are still in his. Karen comes into the kitchen, her hands on her hips and an irritated and expectant look upon her face. She's a world renowned super model now, but she still came home for her wedding, one of the few selfless things Dana knows of her ever having done.
"Whoa!"
Her head snaps back to look again at Cody. "Shut your mouth, wise guy," she whispers.
"Who's that?"
"Cody, you remember me!" Karen exclaims laughingly.
Cody does a literal double take, his eyes growing larger. "Karen?" he asks in disbelief.
She smirks. "The one and only." To Cody, her brown eyes seem to have a light in them which he's never noticed before, and as her smirk turns into a smile, he lets her sister's hands go. "Come on, Dana. Everybody's waiting."
Dana quickly finds herself alone as Cody, seemingly having forgotten all about her and their important conversation, trails behind Karen like another of her sheep. Dana rolls her eyes toward the ceiling, her lips twisting into some expression halfway between a helpless smile and her own smirk. What is it, she wonders, about Foster women and Lambert men? Her blonde head shakes, and she smiles truthfully. Thank God she has Rich! She hurries out the door, intent on making all her dreams come true for Cody's right. Rich is her One, and they're going to have a wonderful, happy, and blessed marriage.
The End
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