Friday, 1st March

Liv had made a career out of organizing everyone around her, whether they wanted it or not, and she had long ago decided that waiting was always the worst part. Especially when she'd been working on a surprise for almost two weeks, and the first part of the reveal was about to take place. Or it would take place soon, if Johnny managed to get home before Snowstorm Hannibal hit the city full blast. She wanted to be out of Rhy'Din before the heavy snow fell hard. Already in her coat, she paced nervously back and forth beside the windows of their apartment, each circle taking her past the piled bags she had already packed for them both. "Come on, Johnny," she murmured to herself, knowing full well that his boss at the fire department knew to get her fiance out of work on time tonight no matter what. It all depended what Johnny had decided to do on the way home.

Some fiancees might worry that their significant other was late because he'd stopped at a bar for a beer with the boys or maybe he was seeing another woman. Liv needn't worry about either of these. Most of the time when Johnny was late coming home, it was because he'd been needed somewhere and stopped to help someone or the weather had been a problem in his getting home safely. Tonight, with a blizzard on the way, Johnny had made a side trip after work at the firehouse to the area just outside WestEnd known as the Shambles, where he'd gone head to head with a dragon not long ago and realized he could do more good working for the Fire Brigade than he could doing anything else. He'd been stopping back when he could ever since to check on the people there and help where he could. He didn't stay long, just long enough to make sure they were prepared to ride out the storm or to help those who needed shelter find it. A couple of hours was all that was needed, entirely unaware that back home a surprise was waiting.

It was a couple of hours that Liv could have done without today. Not that time was really a factor - they were in a good enough area of the city that the route to the portal wasn't going to be too obscured, and with Johnny around, a five minute walk in the heaviest blizzard wouldn't be any trouble. But all the same ....she'd had everything planned down to the last detail, and the longer the delay, the more nervous she got. What if he'd been hurt' What if he'd found out and wasn't happy with her for making arrangements without telling him' What if he'd decided to stay overnight in one of the shelters" So many what ifs, and no way to contact him. After all, there are only so many cell phones you can go through before giving in to the inevitable - he'd melted so many of them, he was practically keeping the company in business.

Fortunately for Liv, Johnny arrived home the conventional way - through the door. The snow was making flying tricky at best, not because of the moisture but the visibility. Trying to see through a flurry of mesmerizing snowflakes was enough to even get the Human Torch lost, and the motorcycle was out. He'd flown as far as he could before giving in and hitchhiking a ride the rest of the way home. There was a thump at the door as he trudged inside and called, "Honey, I'm home!" announcing his arrival. Anyone else might have been covered in snowflakes, but any snow that had touched him had almost immediately melted under the plasma heat of his internal furnace.

"Finally!" Though the tone was exasperated, the smile was fond and relieved as Liv turned to watch him making his way inside, moving to curl her hands to his cheeks and kiss him softly. "Is everything okay' No essential emergencies that mean you absolutely have to stay here over the weekend" And hello, by the way." Her smile widened as she added that last, lips touching the end of his nose before she lowered her hands from his face once more.

He returned her smile, lips and cheeks as warm as the rest of him, despite the dropping temperature and the snow that was swirling outside their windows. Thankfully, it hadn't hit blizzard proportions yet, but the forecast didn't look good. "No," he replied, furrowing his brows at her, wondering what all the questions were about. While it was true that his schedule wasn't exactly predictable, she knew him well enough to know that if he was late, it was usually for a pretty good reason. "Sorry I'm late. With this storm moving in, I thought I'd better check on a few things." He didn't elaborate further, but it wasn't hard to figure out where he'd been or what he'd been up to. "It looks like we're going to be snowed in for awhile," he said, sliding his arms around her with a mischievous smile on his face. "What are we going to do to fill the time?"

She laughed, deeply relieved that whatever he'd been doing hadn't affected his mood, and rather amused that her usually observant fiance had somehow managed to miss the fact that she was wearing her coat indoors. Never mind the fact that there were a few suitcases barely three feet behind her. As his arms wrapped about her waist, she grinned up at him, smoothing her hands down over his sleeves as she leaned back, soft eyes sparkling with nervous excitement as she dropped the first part of the surprise she'd been working on for more than a week. "We're going on holiday, that's what we're doing."

"Now?" he asked, more than a little perplexed. It wasn't that he minded really, but he hadn't let the Chief know at the fire-station, and there was a storm rolling in. What if they needed him' He didn't want to get fired already from the one job he was not only really good at but that made him feel useful. It was only now that he noticed the coat and the suitcases, seemingly packed and ready to go at a moment's notice. "What if they need me?" he asked, having no idea she'd planned this all in advance and had already taken care of all those details without his knowledge.

"Now," she assured him, reaching up to stroke her fingers against his cheek once again. "Remember that surprise you've been bugging me for days to tell you about' Well, this is it ....most of it, anyway." Her lips parted in a warm smile, one eyelid flickering in a cheeky wink. "And they won't need you. The Chief promised me that they won't need you, and besides, you have to take some vacation time. It's illegal not to." And hadn't she enjoyed finding out that little snippet of information' Liv raised a brow, daring Johnny to worry rather than enjoy the unexpected treat. "Trust me, love, everything is in hand. That's what I do best, isn't it?"

Johnny eyed her quizzically. He knew she'd had some sort of surprise up her sleeve, but he didn't know what it was. Apparently, it was some kind of trip. Oh! He perked up a little, as a thought came to mind. "Are we going to see Steve and Lucy?" he asked, missing them already, though they hadn't been gone that long. They'd made a few friends in the city, but none they felt as close to as family.

"Sort of." Liv giggled as she said this, fighting to hold her tongue on the slightly more overwhelming part of the surprise that she wasn't going to tell him about until they were there. "They're going to meet us there for a couple of days, with Sue and Reed. Sort of a family get-together for the weekend before they go home and we have a proper holiday." She bit her lip, her eyes wide with an un-thought of concern. "Is that all right?"

"What' Really?" he asked, eyes going wide, obviously not only surprised, but pleasantly so. "You're the best, Livvie!" he exclaimed, tossing his arms around her waist and spinning her merrily in place with a wide grin on his face, thankfully not bursting into flames from the excitement. "Where are we going" What should I pack?" he asked as he set her back on her feet, a sudden ball of hyperactive energy as he tried to sort out what he had to do first to get ready to go.

She let out a loud squeal of laughter as he hoisted her off her feet, her arms wrapping about his neck as he spun around. Lips pressed a warm kiss to his warm cheek as he set her back down again, stepping back to let him bounce off the walls for a moment or two. "You're all packed, I promise I didn't forget anything," she assured him cheerfully, nodding toward the collected luggage beside her. "And the destination is as much a surprise as anything else. We just have to get to the portal, which is only a couple of streets away, and we'll be there."

"I can't go like this!" he declared, sounding a little too much like a woman who was being dragged out to dinner in a house-dress. He was dressed in his usual blue uniform, not even bothering to wear anything over it anymore when it came to the Fire Brigade. Everything he wore just went up in flames if they were called to fight a fire, so there didn't seem much point. Everyone recognized him by his suit anyway. As much as he didn't like to admit it and as much as he needed it for practicality purposes, he got bored and tired of the same old blue suit all the time.

She sighed softly, knowing how important the suit was. "All right, you can bring it with you," she conceded, reluctant but understanding. "But you have to promise me that you're not going to put it on. This is a holiday, Johnny. I mean it, no work. I'm not going to answer my phone unless it's Lucy, and I'm not going to check my emails at all."

Now that she'd changed her mind, he wasn't sure if he should change out of the suit or not. He frowned over at her, his fingers lingering on the zipper that had been pulled half-way down his chest. At this rate, it would be faster if he just left the way he was. "But what if somebody needs me?" he asked with a pout. Holiday or not, heroes didn't take vacations. You didn't see Superman ignoring people in trouble so he could ride a roller coaster, did you?

It wasn't often that Liv lost patience with Johnny, but this was one of those times. She'd been wound up tight all day, he'd been late, he hadn't believed her at first, and now he was just being plain difficult. He knew she wasn't going to complain if someone needed him, but at the same time, she didn't want to spend the entire time away expecting him to flame out and leave her on her own for hours at a time. Besides, her habit of always having a bag with her meant he could keep a change of clothes pretty much on hand. She opened her hands and spread them in defeat, taking a deep breath to keep herself from snapping at him. "Fine," she conceded, trying hard to keep her voice light. "Whatever makes you happiest."

"You make me happy," he replied, oblivious of her annoyance with him, too excited about the trip to notice. Anyway, she loved him; she'd get over it. He pulled the zipper on his suit back up - getting dressed and packed would be a lot quicker that way - and threw a shirt over his head. "Are they waiting for us?" he asked, though she'd already told him they were.

She'd had to turn away to grit her teeth without him noticing, knowing full well that her sister or even his own sister would have marched him out the door, dressed or not, by now. "Yes, they are," she told him, turning back into the room. "They have plans for the evening, apparently, or at least Steve and Lucy do. I think Sue and Reed might be too busy being parents to attempt a late night just yet."

"Well, of course, they do! It's Disney World! There's fireworks and everything!" He knew because he'd seen it on TV. Fireworks were one of his most favorite things in the whole world, but you didn't want him getting too terribly close to them unless you wanted them all going off at once. He tugged a pair of jeans on over his suit, debating whether or not to bring a jacket. He didn't really need one, after all, and how cold was it going to be in Florida this time of year" Once he was mostly dressed, he stepped back to the dresser and started shoving the clothes that had piled up on the floor into the drawers, any which way, just so they were off the floor. "What's Reed going to do at Disney anyway' I really don't think the guy knows how to have fun."

"Well, maybe it's time he learned," Liv offered, moving to help him tidy up in a manner that was a little more controlled than his haphazard stowing of his belongings. "Besides, he's a dad now. He has to learn how to at least pretend to be enjoying himself while doing things that have absolutely no interest for him at all. But yes, I think Steve and Lucy want to take you and me out tonight."

"Unless it involves algorithms, I don't think anything has much interest to Reed. I'm surprised he knew what to do to get my sister pregnant." Okay, that was a bit harsh and exaggerated, but Johnny had never really understood his sister's attraction to such a dullard as Reed Richards. He was smart, sure. But his idea of a good time was boring to Johnny. Johnny wasn't even quite sure what an algorithm was, but it sounded good. He went to the closet and yanked out a jacket at random because it was mostly just for looks, not for warmth, and eyed Liv as he looked over at her re-sorting his haphazard stowing of his clothes. "I thought you were in a hurry to leave." It was just like Johnny to turn the tables and blame her for their being late, when it had really been him.

It was a little harsh, and it highlighted the similarities Liv saw between herself and Reed Richards. But she'd promised she wouldn't let those insecurities get in the way any longer; the moment of shaken uncertainty lasted less than a second before she let her smile blossom forth again. "Oh, I don't know," she mused, deliberately slowing down in the process of folding his clothing, nitpicking over every crease. "Maybe I should just string this out, make you wait patiently for the next couple of hours or so."

Johnny pouted at her. Now that he was ready to go, he was antsy and wanted to be on their way. They were going to Disney World, for God's sake! "Really?" he asked, pouting, shoulders sagging in obvious disappointment. "I thought you wanted to leave." He really was clueless at times when it came to reading her, not realizing she was teasing him now that he was excited about leaving.

"Well, that all depends if you've finished working out whether or not you want to spend your holiday waiting for someone to set themselves on fire, or actually having fun with me, doesn't it?" she pointed out, unable to quite let that one go by without mentioning it. But her expression was gently amused, softening the sting of the pointed query as she turned to look at him.

Johnny frowned as Liv's remark stung a little. Being someone's P.A. wasn't exactly the same thing as being a hero. Being a hero was a 24 to 7 job, on call all day, all night, seven days a week. He couldn't very well turn his back on someone if they needed him, and he had no idea when or if that could happen. How would he live with the guilt if he did" That didn't mean he couldn't have fun. He had plenty of time for fun, but if something happened and he was needed, well, that was just the way it was. Chagrined by her remark, however, he said nothing, his feelings hurt just a little. "Well, I'm ready to go when you are," he said, his excitement dampened a little by her scolding, even if it was said with a smile. He closed the closet door quietly and zipped his jacket part-way up his chest.

She felt his excitement mute, wincing at how badly she'd put her foot in her mouth. This was supposed to be an exciting surprise, something to make him smile, and she'd let her irritation get in the way of that. "I'm sorry," she apologized softly. "That was bitchy of me. Of course helping people comes first, I do know that." But it still stung that unpredictable events could quite easily leave her all alone in a place she would never visit were it not for her exuberant fiance. She offered up her smile again, turning to step out of the bedroom, berating herself for being selfish and spoiling his enjoyment already.

Now it was his turn to feel bad for making her feel bad. He hadn't meant to rain on her parade and spoil his surprise. He was excited about the trip and looking forward to having fun with her, but he couldn't promise that something wouldn't come up where he wouldn't be needed. It wasn't a matter of choosing other people over her; it was simply a matter of duty and responsibility. They hadn't even left yet, and they were both already miserable when this was supposed to be fun. He grabbed his sneakers and marched over to the bed to sit down and put them on, a frown on his face, but saying nothing in return. Should he apologize for what he was" He hadn't asked to become this. He wouldn't go out of his way to look for trouble. Most of the time, trouble found him. He wanted this trip to be fun for both of them. He thought Liv understood this side of him, but now he wasn't so sure.

These misunderstandings seemed to be happening more often lately, a source of friction that was grating against Liv's heart. She was trying hard not to be selfish, not to be insecure, not to smother him or upset him with her own quiet upsets, and yet so far she'd failed that badly. How was she supposed to tell him the rest of the surprise when he was mad at her for some perceived inability of hers to understand who and what he was" It wasn't that she didn't understand; it was that he had assumed that she wouldn't have considered it ahead of time. "This was supposed to be a fun idea," she called from the living room, making a real effort to keep her voice light, trying to coax him back into a good mood. "Can you imagine what Lucy will do to us if we show up looking like we've had a fight?"

"We're getting married?" he asked as he finally found his voice, sounding more than a little incredulous, his voice crackling a little as he spoke. He turned back to her, brows furrowed in confusion, not understanding why she thought he'd be angry at her for this. "Why would I be angry?" he asked, wondering if she really knew him at all, or if these were just her own insecurities and worries coming out.

Her soft eyes dared a glance to meet his gaze before darting away again, her twisting hands gripping tighter onto themselves. "B-because I didn't ask you," she tried to explain. "Because I just went ahead and arranged everything, and that's so rude of me. And you're already upset with me about the suit, and ..." She trailed off, shaking her head, trying once again to look into his eyes. "I didn't mean that you should ignore it if anyone needs you. I just ....when you wear the suit, you're always looking for the next emergency. And I know it's selfish, but I was hoping for maybe a day to have you just to myself ....which I know is a stupid thing to hope for because you don't belong to me, you're a hero and you should never try to be anything but that. I'm sorry, I'm not making any sense."

"I'm not upset about the suit," he corrected her. It wasn't the suit he was upset about exactly. It went a little deeper than that. He frowned back at her as she met his gaze, finally understanding what it was that was bothering her. Or at least, he thought he did. Now it was just a matter of trying to come to some mutual understanding of each other. "Liv..." he started, keeping his voice calm and steady and quiet. "This..." he indicated the handful of papers she'd handed him. "This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me." And he did mean ever. In his whole life, no one had ever done anything so thoughtful and sweet and completely unselfish. No one had gone to such efforts as this to make him happy, to make all his dreams come true.

She was his dream come true. When was she going to understand that' It wasn't about going to Disney or even getting married. It was about loving her and spending the rest of his life with her. He frowned, needing to apologize and try to make things better, explain to her what she should already know but apparently didn't. "I'm sorry, I....I didn't mean to ruin your surprise. It's just..." He sighed, looking back at the papers in his hand, feeling as guilty as she did.

"Oh, no, you didn't ruin anything!" She rushed to reassure him, pulling the papers out of his hands to fold her own fingers in between his as she dipped her head to find his gaze. "Really, Johnny, you couldn't ruin anything. It was my fault - I should have told you all of it as soon as you came in. I've been so nervous all day about how you were going to react that I got irritated over something that really doesn't bother me at all, and I made you feel bad, and I never meant to do that. I know my job is nowhere near as important as yours, I never meant to imply that it was -" though that stung in itself, the understanding that being a hero was more important, more useful, better than being a good assistant, "- I shouldn't have mentioned it at all. I'm sorry."

"Your job is important, Liv," he contradicted, feeling guilty even about that. It wasn't his fault he was what he was. He couldn't very well choose to ignore it, and she'd been the one to encourage him to embrace that side of himself to his fullest potential and become the hero he wanted to be, but at what price" He didn't love her any less. He knew her job was important to her, but it wasn't as easy for him to just turn it all off and take a break from it. He could try, but he couldn't make any promises.

He could only promise that he wouldn't go looking for trouble, that he wouldn't fly off to the rescue every time someone needed help, but that his life wasn't like everyone else's. He wasn't like everyone else. His life wasn't and never would be normal. "You know, I had this girlfriend once. She said she loved me..." He wasn't sure he should tell her this story. Though it would explain a little about his own fears, it might make her feel worse. He shook his head. "Never mind. Let's just....let's just forget it and pretend it never happened."

Strangely, just that little hint of something that had gone wrong with someone else, years ago, was enough to bring comprehension dawning in her eyes. Her hands tightened on his. "Johnny, I'd never ask you to be anything but who and what you are," she told him softly. "I love you, everything that makes you who you are. I want to marry you. I've just been so clumsy about it that it's not the happy announcement it should have been. I want you to be happy, Johnny. You're the most important part of my life. If you're happy, then I'm happy. That's all that matters."

"No, Livvie," he said, lifting his gaze to hers, unable to quite hide the sparkle of moisture threatening there, not so much at the pain of past hurts but the knowledge that he'd spoiled her surprise and made her feel bad. "Don't you know how happy you make me" No one has ever made me as happy as you. I want to marry you, Liv. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I'm never gonna love anyone the way I do you. I just....I can't stop being who I am. I wish I could. I won't go looking for trouble, but if someone needs me, I can't promise to look the other way."

"I don't want you to look the other way if someone needs you," she told him firmly. "I'd be disappointed in you if you did, you have to believe me. I won't ever ask you not to look for trouble again, but ....just this once, it would be nice to have all of you with me. Even if it's just for one day, and no more, I won't ask for more. I never want you to be anything less than what you are, and certainly not for my sake. I'm so proud of you, love."

"You deserve so much better than me, Liv. You deserve to be happy. I want you to be happy. That's all I want." That wasn't quite true. Though he wanted her to be happy, he wanted her to be happy with him, not someone else, no matter who they were. "I want to get married, Liv....If you still want to. If you'll still have me. I love you so much, and..." He broke off, having to pause a moment to steady his voice. "I want to be with you."

"Oh, Johnny ..." Her expression crumpled, shining tears touching her eyes for the uncertainty that poured from him. She shifted, rising onto her knees on the bed beside him, drawing her hands from his to stroke tenderly against the warm curve of his cheeks as she drew close, resting her forehead to his. "One little fight isn't enough to make me change my mind. I was scared you had changed your mind, that I'd gone too far. Johnny ..." Her lips brushed his lovingly, a light touch as much to reassure herself as to reassure him. "Will you marry me tomorrow" Despite the big mess I've made of things?"

The tears in his eyes mirrored hers - they really were two peas in a pod when it came to their insecurities and uncertainties, though they both seemed certain of their love for each other. He shook his head a little as her hands cupped his cheeks. "I'm never going to change my mind about you, Liv. I love you more than anything, and I want to grow old with you." Like normal people, spending the rest of their lives together and all that that involved. Warmer than normal lips touched hers in return, his forehead coming to rest against hers, a soft smile on his face at her question. "I would like nothing better than to marry you, Miss Broderick, if you're sure you can spend the next sixty years or so putting up with me."

Her lips softened into a tender smile at his answer. "So why are we sitting here crying over spilt milk?" she asked warmly. "You still have to drag me through a blizzard to the portal, you know."

He laughed at her question and drew a hand across his eyes to wipe the tears, more out of habit than necessity, as they usually evaporated almost as quickly as they were shed, given his elevated temperature. "Don't worry. I won't let you get cold," he promised with a smile, dropping an affectionate if brief kiss against her lips. He moved to his feet, reaching for her hand to pull her up with him. "Are you ready to do this, Miss Broderick?" he asked, with a grin on his face, all the pain of their misunderstanding forgiven and forgotten.

"Only if you are, Mr Storm," she giggled back to him, drawn back up onto her feet with the weight of their awkwardness lifted once again. Maybe, at some point, they'd be able to clear the air more easily, speak to each other more freely, but despite these hiccups, she always felt closer to her Johnny in the wake of little upsets. And it was a little upset, compared with the big celebration that was just on the horizon. "Don't forget the papers. Steve had to pull a lot of strings to get us that license, you know."

"Remind me to thank him," Johnny replied with a grin, reaching behind him to snag the legal documents and other papers from where he'd left them on the bed. Despite their argument - if that was truly what it was - they seemed closer than ever. Each little upset somehow drawing them closer, helping them understand each other better. It wasn't a perfect relationship, but Johnny knew it was about as close as he was ever going to get. And anyway, who wanted perfect' Perfect was boring. Neither of them was perfect, by any means, but in Johnny's eyes, no one was as perfect as Liv.

Perfection was overrated. As Liv drew Johnny out of the bedroom, releasing his hand to lift couple of bags from the small gathering by the couch into her grasp, she reflected that there really was no such thing as absolutely perfect. But Johnny Storm was as close to perfect for her as anyone could have imagined. And after tomorrow, no one was ever going to be able to take him away from her, ever again. She was going to make very sure of that.

If Johnny knew what Liv was thinking, he'd tell her he was feeling the same. Who needed perfect when they had each other" Perfect was for fairy tales and make believe. This was real life, and there was no one as perfect for him as Olivia. By this time tomorrow, they'd be husband and wife, and no one was going to stop them. This was just the first step in making all of their dreams come true, together, just like all of the Disney princes and princesses they were about to meet. They were about to start building toward their own happily ever after.

((Part one of the weekend done, with an unexpected bump along the way. :grin: Can't these two do anything without crossing wires" Here's hoping for a more successful Saturday! Awesome megalicious thankidoodledandies to Johnny's player!))