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smallfandomflshTitle: Mrs. Rich Halke
Author: Kat Lee
Fandom: Step By Step
Characters/Pairing: Rich/Dana
Rating: G/K
Challenge/Prompt: #130: Rumor
Word Count: 1,194
Summary:
Disclaimer: All characters belong to their rightful owners, not the author.
Rumors have followed him since the first day he started dating Dana. His only friend made fun of him for liking his brainiac sister. He still tells him he's not the man in the relationship and that Dana has him tied to her like a dog on a leash. It bothers him sometimes, but not when he's looking at Dana.
When he looks at her, Rich feels like the only man in the world, and she is the only woman. He forgets all else. He forgets the teasing at school and at home from JT. He forgets that he's too young to feel like this. He forgets their differences and the many reasons he's been told why this won't work, why their love, in the end, will not last. He remembers only her and him, how she makes him feel, and his need, his driving desire, to make her happy.
She's been smiling at him all day, every time they've been together for the last week, but now as that smile brightens again, he forgets they're in a building full of people. He forgets that he's supposed to dread this day. He forgets all the reasons why men put off this moment. He forgets it all except for her, how he feels, and how much he wants to make her happy.
He takes her hand in his, looks again at how small and dainty is, and wonders if he can truly keep her happy. He's afraid he might not be able to. He's afraid she'll one day wake up and realize she's married to a man who will never be as smart, bold, or courageous as she. He's afraid she'll leave him one day, and on that day, she'll take his whole world with him.
"Rich?" Dana whispers, her voice urgent.
"Yeah, baby?" He smiles. He loves the sound of her voice.
"Ahem, they're waiting."
"Oh!" With a jolt, he realizes where he is and what he's doing and looks to the man in front of him as his hold on her hands tightens. "Yes," he affirms with enthusiasm that breaks her smile open into a sparkling grin.
Dana looks at the man she's marrying and has to secretly marvel. She once thought she'd never get married. Marriage held nothing for her, back then, but the burden of pleasing a man and bearing his children. It was a way for women to waste away, but there's nothing about her that's wasting when Rich touches her so lightly, tenderly, and lovingly as he's doing now.
She thought marriage was a way of ending any hope a woman had of living the life she deserved. She thought it was a hideous concept to be tied down to a stupid man for the rest of a woman's life. She hated the thought, swore she'd never get married, and yet now she is to a man whom she once never would have suspected of being the man he has become, the man who's standing here next to her today.
She knows he forgot where he was. She knows he forgot his words. She knows their peers are snickering behind their hands. She expects JT to shout crude things at them at any second. She doesn't look at their audience to see Frank has his hand clamped over his kid's mouth.
She looks only at Rich, and he makes feel like the only woman in the world. She looks at him, and she forgets her worries, her cares, her old beliefs. Marriage isn't the end. It's the beginning instead, and although she still wants to become a lawyer one day and is well on her way of earning her degree, there's one thing she wants more than that and anything else in the world, too. There's one thing she wants to be more than anything else, and she's becoming that today.
Rich is silly. He's naive and somehow still innocent in today's society. He tells dumb jokes and persists in hanging out with barbarians like JT. But he's cute, too, and his dumb jokes make her laugh. Far more than that, however, is the fact that she loves him. He treats her, when they are together, like his whole world, and although he'll never be the only thing in her world, he's by far the most important.
She's asked herself many times how she fell for him. He is, after all, so completely different from her and from what she used to seek in a potential boyfriend. She looks at him in his silliest moments and wonders if her falling for him has anything to do with her mom falling for a redneck like Frank. But it doesn't. Not really.
It sounds corny. It is corny, but it's all about their hearts. She loves Rich for who he is -- from the dumb, silly-looking guy who makes her chuckle no matter how mad she is to him to the budding, young man who has many times completely melted her heart. She thinks of all those moments now as the ceremony continues and she keeps holding to his hand.
She remembers him singing to her. She recalls their duet together. She remembers all the times he's taken her attitude and returned her fury with sweet love and the countless times he's been hackled for being with her.
She loves him for him, all that he is and ever will be, and he loves her just the same. She beams as he slips his ring onto her finger once she's answered the Preacher's last question. She beams and practically glows from the happiness flooding inside of her, because she is complete at last. Marriage isn't the end, not for them. It's just the beginning of the next chapter of her life that has truly become wonderful because he's in it and he loves her.
"I now pronounce you Mr. and Mrs. Dana Foster -- "
"No," she speaks up and sees Rich's face fall. Terror flashes in his eyes, but she's still smiling at him. They had talked about whose name would be taken. He had agreed to her dictatorial requests as he almost always did, but now she understands it's not right. She wasn't right, but she soon will be.
"We are Mr. and Mrs. Rich Halke."
Every one smiles. She can see Rich practically melting with both relief and joy. Yet, still, he asks, "Are you sure, honey?"
"I've never been sure of anything in my life," she tells him truthfully, "except that I love you."
"You may now kiss the bride."
With those words, Rich steps up to her, closing the remaining distance between them, takes her into his arms, and dips her while passionately kissing her. She holds to him, the one steady rock in her life, and returns his kiss with all the love and passion she knows she's always going to have in her for him alone. Their past is just that: All the rumors, all the doubts, all their fears, all her biased thinking have passed. They're gone, and she is whole. She is complete at last, and now and forever, she is Mrs. Rich Halke.
The End
Author: Kat Lee
Fandom: Step By Step
Characters/Pairing: Rich/Dana
Rating: G/K
Challenge/Prompt: #130: Rumor
Word Count: 1,194
Summary:
Disclaimer: All characters belong to their rightful owners, not the author.
Rumors have followed him since the first day he started dating Dana. His only friend made fun of him for liking his brainiac sister. He still tells him he's not the man in the relationship and that Dana has him tied to her like a dog on a leash. It bothers him sometimes, but not when he's looking at Dana.
When he looks at her, Rich feels like the only man in the world, and she is the only woman. He forgets all else. He forgets the teasing at school and at home from JT. He forgets that he's too young to feel like this. He forgets their differences and the many reasons he's been told why this won't work, why their love, in the end, will not last. He remembers only her and him, how she makes him feel, and his need, his driving desire, to make her happy.
She's been smiling at him all day, every time they've been together for the last week, but now as that smile brightens again, he forgets they're in a building full of people. He forgets that he's supposed to dread this day. He forgets all the reasons why men put off this moment. He forgets it all except for her, how he feels, and how much he wants to make her happy.
He takes her hand in his, looks again at how small and dainty is, and wonders if he can truly keep her happy. He's afraid he might not be able to. He's afraid she'll one day wake up and realize she's married to a man who will never be as smart, bold, or courageous as she. He's afraid she'll leave him one day, and on that day, she'll take his whole world with him.
"Rich?" Dana whispers, her voice urgent.
"Yeah, baby?" He smiles. He loves the sound of her voice.
"Ahem, they're waiting."
"Oh!" With a jolt, he realizes where he is and what he's doing and looks to the man in front of him as his hold on her hands tightens. "Yes," he affirms with enthusiasm that breaks her smile open into a sparkling grin.
Dana looks at the man she's marrying and has to secretly marvel. She once thought she'd never get married. Marriage held nothing for her, back then, but the burden of pleasing a man and bearing his children. It was a way for women to waste away, but there's nothing about her that's wasting when Rich touches her so lightly, tenderly, and lovingly as he's doing now.
She thought marriage was a way of ending any hope a woman had of living the life she deserved. She thought it was a hideous concept to be tied down to a stupid man for the rest of a woman's life. She hated the thought, swore she'd never get married, and yet now she is to a man whom she once never would have suspected of being the man he has become, the man who's standing here next to her today.
She knows he forgot where he was. She knows he forgot his words. She knows their peers are snickering behind their hands. She expects JT to shout crude things at them at any second. She doesn't look at their audience to see Frank has his hand clamped over his kid's mouth.
She looks only at Rich, and he makes feel like the only woman in the world. She looks at him, and she forgets her worries, her cares, her old beliefs. Marriage isn't the end. It's the beginning instead, and although she still wants to become a lawyer one day and is well on her way of earning her degree, there's one thing she wants more than that and anything else in the world, too. There's one thing she wants to be more than anything else, and she's becoming that today.
Rich is silly. He's naive and somehow still innocent in today's society. He tells dumb jokes and persists in hanging out with barbarians like JT. But he's cute, too, and his dumb jokes make her laugh. Far more than that, however, is the fact that she loves him. He treats her, when they are together, like his whole world, and although he'll never be the only thing in her world, he's by far the most important.
She's asked herself many times how she fell for him. He is, after all, so completely different from her and from what she used to seek in a potential boyfriend. She looks at him in his silliest moments and wonders if her falling for him has anything to do with her mom falling for a redneck like Frank. But it doesn't. Not really.
It sounds corny. It is corny, but it's all about their hearts. She loves Rich for who he is -- from the dumb, silly-looking guy who makes her chuckle no matter how mad she is to him to the budding, young man who has many times completely melted her heart. She thinks of all those moments now as the ceremony continues and she keeps holding to his hand.
She remembers him singing to her. She recalls their duet together. She remembers all the times he's taken her attitude and returned her fury with sweet love and the countless times he's been hackled for being with her.
She loves him for him, all that he is and ever will be, and he loves her just the same. She beams as he slips his ring onto her finger once she's answered the Preacher's last question. She beams and practically glows from the happiness flooding inside of her, because she is complete at last. Marriage isn't the end, not for them. It's just the beginning of the next chapter of her life that has truly become wonderful because he's in it and he loves her.
"I now pronounce you Mr. and Mrs. Dana Foster -- "
"No," she speaks up and sees Rich's face fall. Terror flashes in his eyes, but she's still smiling at him. They had talked about whose name would be taken. He had agreed to her dictatorial requests as he almost always did, but now she understands it's not right. She wasn't right, but she soon will be.
"We are Mr. and Mrs. Rich Halke."
Every one smiles. She can see Rich practically melting with both relief and joy. Yet, still, he asks, "Are you sure, honey?"
"I've never been sure of anything in my life," she tells him truthfully, "except that I love you."
"You may now kiss the bride."
With those words, Rich steps up to her, closing the remaining distance between them, takes her into his arms, and dips her while passionately kissing her. She holds to him, the one steady rock in her life, and returns his kiss with all the love and passion she knows she's always going to have in her for him alone. Their past is just that: All the rumors, all the doubts, all their fears, all her biased thinking have passed. They're gone, and she is whole. She is complete at last, and now and forever, she is Mrs. Rich Halke.
The End
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