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Chapter Ten: On A Whim


"Ana! Ana, come on. We're going to be late to our own wedding!" Howie knocked on the bathroom door again, shifting from one foot to the other impatiently. They had booked their wedding at a prestigious chapel in the city and needed to leave a little early so they could catch up with Josh and Drake. They were going to be the witnesses.

"I'm injured, on crutches, nervous, and wrestling into this wedding gown that you wanted me to wear and you have the nerve to hurry me along? Good Lord, Howie, when have I ever needed extra time during all our dates to get ready? My negative minutes should add up into this minor slow!"

"Let me help--"

"I've almost got it, just give me five minutes!" Ana grunted, fumbling back to zip her dress.

"Ana--"

"You can't see me till I'm ready perfectly!"

"Okay, okay," Howie waited for a minute, tapping his foot on the carpet. "Are you perfectly ready yet?"

"Do you want to get married tonight?" Ana growled with displeasure, yanking open the bathroom door with a sharp scowl. The negative tone and impatience in his voice was enough to drive her insane. She knew that Howie wanted things to be perfect, but it was foolish to think that she didn't want to look perfect for him.

"Yes, I do! Sorry, Baby. I'm just really excited," Howie quickly apologized. His jaw dropped once he saw how beautiful she looked in the wedding dress. "Ana, you look amazing."

"Don't you dare try to kiss up to me now," Ana answered with a smaller frown of hurt, attempting to reach to locate her crutches. Only, Howie caught her hands so he could admire her further. Immediately, Ana became self-concious and blushed faintly. Howie had bought the wedding dress that he hoped Ana would approve of. It was a white silk skirt that gently kissed the floor with its delicate hem-line as a crystal beaded bodice clung to her upper torso, displaying just a hint of her sleek abdomen. Her long curls were draped down past her shoulders, bouncing gently with her movements. And, just a touch of makeup accented her beautiful face. She was indeed a vision like no other.

"But it's true. You're the perfect bride and so very beautiful," Howie quoted almost like a poet, kissing her hands with a sincere smile. He had opted for a simple pair of white slacks with a loosely fit button-up black silk shirt. The first few buttons were undone to show his toned and defined caramel chest. His messy curls were gelled and a few hung in front of his eyes just the way Ana liked.

"Didn't I tell you it was worth the wait?" Ana whispered softly, just biting on the corner of her bottom lip. She continued to balance on her good leg, releasing one of her hands from Howie's hold to gently brush her fingertips against his cheek. The surrealness of the situation was finally starting to settle into Ana's nervous stomach. She was finally getting married to a man she had finally let into her heart.

"It was and so much more," Howie leaned in and kissed her sweet-glossed lips. "Are you ready to get married?"

"Are you?"

"Definitely."

"Then let's go!"

"Little anxious?" Howie laughed.

"I don't think you have room to talk," Ana yelped, reaching to hold onto Howie tightly as he tried to move her without her crutches.

"I think I--"

"I really think I need my crutches," Ana interrupted, looking back at her crutches leaning on the wall.

"You weren't just holding onto me to love me?" Howie frowned, glancing back to see her lone crutches. His heart slightly dampened, though he lifted her with ease to take her back to her crutches.

"I'm always holding onto you to love you, but I still need my crutches," Ana laughed, leaning to kiss his neck. "I promise that I'll always be holding onto you, even when I'm off the crutches."

"You promise?"

"I just did, didn't I?"

"Well--"

"Come on, Bee. Let's get hitched before Drake and Josh ditch us for being late."

"Drake and Josh would never ditch us!"

"No, they'd never ditch me, but you--"

"Ana!"

"What?"

"Just hush up and let's go," Howie rolled his eyes with a smile.

"I'll follow you, no problem," Ana laughed, settling against her crutches as Howie walked out of the bathroom. She admired his backside for just a passing moment, until he turned. Then, quickly, she crutched toward his side. "I love you, Howie, and I'm an idiot for ever thinking I didn't need you."

"I love you too, Ana. As long as we both need each other, that's all that matters," Howie smiled, leaning down to kiss her deeply.

"I'll always need you," she promised against his warm lips.

"Right back at you, mi amor."

~*~*~*~

"Nick, the point of lasagna is to have layers! Not a big ball of pasta!" Tierja groaned, smacking Nick's hands away as he attempted to help her with dinner. It had been a week since the guys had moved to Minnesota. Kevin and Tierja had decided to have a celebratory dinner, which was homemade lasagna and garlic bread. Nick and AJ had come over earlier than the rest to help but ended up causing a headache.

"There is no point to lasagna! Be creative!"

"Ugh, just get out of my kitchen! Shoo! AJ, come and entertain the kid while I try to make dinner!" Tierja groaned, pushing Nick out of the kitchen.

"Entertain the kid?" AJ snorted, glancing up from the TV with amusement.

"Well, he's acting like one?"

"Nice try, Tier. But if you really want Nick out of your hair... you need the Playstation 2."

"I do have one. It's in the den--"

"Playstation!" Nick bolted to the den with a grin on his face.

"Now you can go back to your pasta balls!" AJ commanded, crossing his arms like a Genie and blinking hard.

"LASAGNA! Not pasta balls!" Tierja threw her hands up with a laugh before going back to the kitchen.

"LUCY! I'M HOOOOOOOOME!" Brian's voice echoed through the house as he and Leighanne entered.

"That's my favorite cousin!" Kevin boomed, tossing his strips of pasta toward Tierja in order to rush toward the front door.

"How in the Hell do I get stuck with all the work?" Tierja grunted with annoyance, quickly layering the rest of the lasagna and covering it up before shoving it into the oven. She washed her hands and took off her apron, walking out to the living room.

"Because you manage to mush it together in such a tasty fashion," Brian laughed, leaning to peck her cheek. "Thanks for inviting us over."

"No need to thank me. It's always interesting to have everyone here," Tierja smiled, kissing his cheek before hugging Leighanne. "Are you both thirsty? We have every kind of soda, water and alcohol there is."

"We can get it ourselves. You don't have to wait on us," Brian answered, pushing Tierja onto the couch. "You just relax."

"Brian--"

"You made us dinner, so just sit and hush."

"Did I mention he was my favorite out of all of you's?" Tierja smiled sweetly toward Kevin as Brian disappeared in search of drinks.

"All the time," Kevin teased, bending down to brush their lips together. "Where's Nick?"

"He heard the word 'Playsation 2' and disappeared in the den."

"We won't see him for the rest of the day."

"That just means more lasagna for us--"

"Everybody watch out, Ana Crutchmeister has entered the building!" Howie called jokingly as he and Ana walked into the house. They had been married for a little over a week and were already settled into the husband and wife mold.

Ana immediately scowled at Howie's jib against her injury. So, wanting to get back at him, she stuck her crutch just in front of his foot, causing him to trip into the living room. He hit the carpet with a hard thud, sprawling out for the entire group to see as Ana entered behind him, playfully resting her injured leg on the small of his back. "Thought I'd help you along, Sweetheart."

"Hmph, thanks a lot," Howie mumbled into the soft carpet, hearing the snickers from Leighanne, AJ and Tierja.

"You're welcome," Ana answered without much though to the situation, continuing toward the group until she collapsed on the couch beside AJ. Releasing her crutches to the floor, she immediately hoisted herself into a sprawled position, cradling her head in AJ's lap for a nap. Needless to say, her honeymoon 'week' had left her entirely exhausted from Howie's series of 'surprises.'

"What were you two doing last night? You look exhausted," Leighanne replied, wriggling her eyebrows with a chuckle as Howie settled into the lazyboy.

"Don't worry, we got it all on video tape for the guys to observe," Ana yawned, curling against AJ without the slightest thought of Howie being separated from her.

"I don't want to see anything on tape!" Tierja and Leighanne snorted, throwing pillows at Ana.

"Not even my wedding?" Ana questioned, peeking open her eyes as the pillows connected against AJ's chest instead of her.

"Your WHAT?!"

"Nothing, besides, we made the tapes for the boys, right, Baby?" Ana continued, brushing off the girls' screeches as she tossed a pillow toward her new husband.

"Oof! Yeah--"

"Whoa, hold on a minute! Hold on for a damn minute!" Tierja stood up, hands on her hips. "Since when did I say you two could get married without me?!"

"Who said we got married in the first place?" Ana questioned, deciding that she'd rather not lay on AJ. Instead, she carefully leaned up to catch Howie's pantleg. She tugged accordingly, offering a small pout of lonliness to elicit his time and remaining energy into holding her.

"You just said--"

"I said it in a hypothetical sense, Tierj," Ana replied as Howie looked over and knew what she wanted. He pulled himself out of the chair and onto the couch, immediately cuddling her.

"Why use that hypothetical sense of a question then, Anastacia Grace?"

"To ruffle your feathers," Ana stated simply enough, wrapping her arms around Howie's waist as she cuddled against his chest. She closed her eyes with a dreamy sigh, just rubbing his abdomen tenderly.

"Well you did it perfectly-- YOU LIAR! You have another ring to go along with your engagement ring. And-and Howie has one on his finger! YOU TWO GOT MARRIED!" Tierja shrieked, jumping up and down like a pogo stick.

"Baby... That's what we did when we were wasted last week!" Ana exclaimed playfully, glancing down to her left hand in sheer horror. "I knew something was fishy when I woke up and saw that garter around your forehead!"

"I thought that wasn't supposed to be there!" Howie played along, slapping his forehead. "And that explains why you had that skirt on--"

"A SKIRT?!" Tierja moaned fitfully, collapsing on the floor as if her heart had been ripped from its home.

"I was drunk, Tierj!"

"A SKIRT! I MISSED HER WEARING A SKIRT!" Spunky scampered over to Tierja, lapping her reddened cheeks. She brought him into her arms and he yipped with delight. "Spunky! I missed her wearing a skirt!"

"She acts like it's a damn travesty," AJ murmured in confusion.

"No, you don't understand!" Tierja turned to AJ, letting her puppy scramble away to get Kevin's attention instead. "I have been trying for all my life to get Ana to wear a damn skirt. I have never won and the one time it actually happens, I miss it!"

"And I looked damn good, too," Ana quipped with an impish smile, reaching to bring Howie's hand to her lips. She absolutely loved tormenting Tierja, if anything, that's probably one of the biggest reasons why she eloped... Besides wanting to carry the last name 'Dorough' and start the rest of her life with the man she loved.

"Okay, that is not funny, Anastacia Grace--"

"I wasn't attempting to be funny, right, Mr. Dorough? I was stating a fact that was repeated at least twenty times before, during, and after the ceremony," Ana interupted innocently.

"That's right, Mrs. Dorough," Howie smiled, kissing her neck as Tierja frowned openly.

"You two are getting married again with me there! And you'll wear a skir--"

"Slow your roll," Ana laughed, lazily running her fingers through Howie's dark locks. "Getting married once was good enough for me."

"But it's not fair--"

"Damn straight, who the Hell was your best man, D?" AJ accused, suddenly realizing the specifics of the situation.

"Oh, so now you're on my side!"

"I just realized that he didn't have a best man if they eloped--"

"What makes you think you'd end up being the best man anyway?" Kevin interrupted, scowling toward the wild man.

"I'm his best friend!"

"So am I!"

"What about me?" Brian piped up.

"Hey, don't forget me!" Nick immediately pouted, walking out of the den to see what the commotion was about.

"Is this why you really wanted to elope?" Ana mused as she pressed her lips to Howie's cheek.

"No, make them go away!" Howie whined, burying his head in the crook of her neck as the boys continued to argue amongst each other.

"Liar," Ana laughed harder, feeling Howie tense beneath her hold.

"Just make them go away!"

"I doubt they're going anywhere," Ana answered, watching the brawl immediately break between the four men. Tierja yelped in horror as she reached to savalage the plate of treats on the coffee table, knowing they were destined to fall upon the four men without warning. "But we could disappear..."

"Could we? Please?"

"Let's..." Ana trailed off, watching for the right moment as all the attention was drawn to her husband's friends. She pulled on Howie's shirt. "Right now!"

"Where are we going?" Howie laughed in surprise, standing to bring her easily into his arms.

"A place where we can continue our celebration," Ana winked, nodding towards the door.

"I like the sound of that," Howie smiled, whisking her out the door without a single eye in their direction.

~*~*~*~

"Baby, are you sure I can't help? There's got to be something," Tierja complained, her mouth watering slightly as she watched Kevin cook some homemade fried chicken, mashed potatoes, cornbread and chili. Brian and Leighanne were coming over for a good old southern dinner. Everyone new to Minnesota had just gotten settled into the different lifestyle, which had only been about a month. It gave them a chance to cook a lot of homemade meals and someone was always eager to come over to mooch off the food.

"Are you southern?" Kevin murmured, glancing back toward his girlfriend with a raised eyebrow.

"No...?"

"Then you can't help."

"But, Kevin!"

"You don't meet the proper qualifications, I'm sorry," Kevin continued, pushing a foot into her backside to get her away from the stove.

"I no longer like you," Tierja frowned, rubbing her behind.

"You'll say different once you taste the food."

"Doubtful, because right now I am craving this big peanut butter and pickle sandwich--"

Kevin dropped a spoon into the mashed potatoes, immediately whirling around to catch Tierja's gaze. "Are you pregnant?"

"Say huh?" Tierja's jaw dropped.

"Pregnant women get weird cravings! Are you pregnant?"

"Uhh... I don't know... they get cravings like that?"

"You've never been around a pregnant woman?"

"My mother only had me before she died and I never met my father. None of my friends have ever had kids, so... that would be a no?"

"Have you missed your..." Kevin shuddered. "You definitely should be talking to Ana about this..."

"Kevy, don't worry--"

"Don't worry? Don't worry?"

"Shh!" Tierja laughed, cupping his cheeks with her small hands. She brushed their lips together, holding her surprise in for a little longer. "Your cousin and his wife will be here any minute. You need to finish cooking or else I'm taking over."

"Tierja--"

"Get cooking! I'm going to tidy up the living room and get Spunky out of his kennel since you're almost done."

"Tier--"

"Remember, if you don't cook, I will," Tierja smiled, skipping out of the room. She had just finished cleaning up when the doorbell rang.

"I brought some macaroni and cheese!" Brian announced excitedly as he and Leighanne were invited into the cozy home. He looked mighty proud of his dish, immediately pushing it into Tierja's arms for examination.

"Is this southern food, too?" Tierja asked, lifting the aluminum foil to peek inside. She licked her lips with anticipation.

"It is to this freak," Leighanne laughed, affectionately kissing her husband's cheek.

"Macaroni and cheese is southern if you make it right! And I can make it right," Brian pouted for a minute before wrapping an arm around Leighanne's waist. "So, did the Old Man make all the rest?"

"He was almost done until I told him my sandwich crave--"

"Peanut butter and pickles?" Leighanne guessed.

"How did you know that?"

"You've got the baby blush hue in your cheeks," Leighanne answered with a kind smile, noticing Kevin peeking in through the hallway. "Do you have the food on the table, Cousin?"

"Yeah, it's all set..."

"Bri-Bear, can you bring this into the dining room? Tierja and I need a quick talk," Leighanne took the dish from Tierja and put it in her hushand's arm.

"She's pregnant, I think I got the memo," Brian answered, but still obliged his wife.

"Just don't freak out your cousin," Leighanne groaned as Brian went into the other room. She looked back at Tierja, smiling gently. "He won't spoil your surprise... unless you weren't sure yet."

"Er..."

"Er? We're cousins, Tierja... At least in the technical since until Kevin pops the question... But, you can talk to me about this. You know that right?"

"I know, and I appreciate it. But..."

"But what?"

"How do you handle something like this? It's not a puppy... it's a life, and we're going to be responsible for it. Do you get what I mean?"

"I know what you mean, but there's nothing to 'handle' when it comes to a baby. It's a joy and Kevin's going to make a wonderful father. And, I think you'll end up being a pretty terrific mother, too. It'll be scary at first, but God does everything for a reason."

"Ana's going to think I'm stealing her eloping thunder," Tierja sighed with a shaky laugh as Leighanne gave her a reassuring hug.

"No, Ana's going to only tease you about that. She'll be happy for you like everyone else," Leighanna chuckled.

"You obviously don't know Ana..."

"And you're obviously too hard on the poor girl. No wonder she eloped."

"She did it just to piss me off--"

"Are the ladies ready for a complete southern dinner once the macaroni and cheese was set?" Brian interrupted Tierja, poking his head out into the living room with a wicked grin.

"Come on, Tier. You haven't lived until you've tried Kevin's cooking," Leighanne hooked her arm with Tierja's and headed into the living room.

"I don't know how good it could be if I wasn't allowed to help," Tierja tried to tease as her eyes locked with Kevin's.

"You could be excused from the dinner table...." Kevin trailed with a bemused smirk, trying to ignore all the signals exploding from Leighanne and Tierja.

"No, I'm starving! You better not excuse me from the table," Tierja broke from Leighanne and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Then shush," he bent down and kissed the top of her head.

"Even if I have some news?"

"What kind of news?"

"News that is going to change both our lives for the better..."