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Story by Frootie-sama

The rain fell in gentle sheets, beating against the windowpane with a light thrumming, the wind barely touching the falling droplets. The sun was still shining though, peeking through the diminishing clouds, it's rays shining down on the ground, only to disappear and then reappear in a different place when a cloud passed by. The rain still fell, big droplets appearing from the sky to land with a plunk on the sidewalk, street, or the windowpane.

Flora Blake rested her chin in her hand, her elbow propped up on the windowsill as she watched the rain fall outside, a sigh escaping her lips. She had been sitting in a comfortable chair since the late afternoon, waiting for her husband to return from work, he was already half an hour late. She sat in a simple nightgown, a blanket tossed about her shoulders that she had snuggled under, for fear of catching a cold. Her free hand rested on her stomach, which was bulging from under the nightgown, as she was nearly eight months pregnant with her first child.

Flora sighed again, as if she expected the louder and more often she sighed, the quicker her husband, Daniel Blake, would come home. She gently brushed her hand against her stomach, looking down briefly and becoming mesmerized with the curve of her abdomen once more. The baby had been kicking almost viciously just hours before, as if it was running it's own aerobics program in Flora's body. Now it was still, and Flora continued petting her stomach, wondering if everything was all right. She dismissed her worry immediately, she had been to the doctor just the week before and had gotten a clean bill of health, everything so far was the epitome of the perfect pregnancy.

Flora blew a strand of blonde hair from her face, turning her gaze back out to the window, so bored it almost hurt to think about it. She idly began wondering about her life, remembering the moments in her childhood where she had toyed around at her mother's workplace, which was a counseling center, with her mother providing the counseling. More or less, Flora spent her time outdoors, digging through the forest behind the house to find flowers of all kind, later on collecting their seeds to plant in their garden behind the house. She often greeted customers with a brilliant smile and made sure that each person left with the advice they needed, plus an extra flower or two, depending on how dreary their story was.

The memories began to jump through her head, and Flora found herself remembering the time she had met Daniel Blake, the son of a woman that was seeing her mother for counseling. It was an odd meeting, but the youth was in need of help and Flora had apparently cheered him up with a grin and an offer of friendship. A smile crept across her face, as she remembered when the two had met up at a radio station. Flora had been working there for some time, had taken a small vacation and had returned to find the newly employed Daniel. After a slight bit of confusion the two had hit it off, becoming friends after all the initial hostility was forgotten.

Then, the station had shut down, and the two went their separate ways. Flora had taken a job as a reporter and was going through her training when she was assigned to do an assignment on a charity party. Fate had stuck out it's greedy paw again, as Flora had met up with Daniel a third time, he was taking random jobs and had ended up as a waiter on the ship that was hosting the party, the one Flora was reporting on.

After that ordeal the two began to see more of each other, eventually going so far as to date and bring themselves closer and closer in a relationship. Their friendship had escalated to something more, but neither Flora nor Daniel dared to do anything else about it, both fearing that another move would somehow break down the relationship they had strived to create.

It wasn't until the two had celebrated Valentine's Day together for the third year in a row that it finally struck Daniel to make a move and do something with their relationship.

The door above the pet shop rang loudly and Flora cringed as she walked in the door. She glanced around briefly, her eyes scanning the store, which was brimming with colorful fish, small furry rabbits and mice, and puppies in a playpen out in the middle of the floor, surrounded with all sorts of household products for caring for animals. She walked over to the large playpen that the puppies were in, leaning over to gently pet one on the head.

"I'm sorry, you can't pet the puppies." A female voice stated, causing Flora to look up. She blinked in surprise, not recognizing the girl that was dressed in an employer's uniform. Flora had been coming to the pet store every day since Daniel got the job as main cashier and attendant at the store, she had come to visit him during her lunch break every chance she got.

"Oh... Daniel said I could..." she murmured, watching the girl furrow her eyebrows.

"Well it's store policy that you can't pet anything in here." She replied, a somewhat snotty tone to her voice. Flora straightened, shrugging.

"Is Daniel here?" she asked, watching as the girl blinked in surprise. Flora could tell that the girl had some strange attitude, she acted defensive when the subject was brought up.

"What do you want with Daniel?" she questioned, her arms crossing in front of her chest. She was definitely acting overprotective of him, Flora wondered if the girl liked him in a romantic way or not...

"I just wanted to see him." Flora responded kindly, knowing that she shouldn't start an argument with store employers.

"He's busy doing work right now. Come back some other time." The girl returned, pointing toward the door hastily. Flora glanced past her, to where Daniel was walking with a customer to the counter, preparing to ring up the price of something.

"Daniel!" Flora waved to him, smiling sweetly. He glanced up, a grin on his lips as he waved back, holding up one finger and quickly returning to the customer. He paused, motioning for the girl to come to him.

"Hey, come here for just a minute." He called to her, and the girl turned with a smug look on her face, casting Flora a last glare before she pranced over to him, a bright smile on her face.

"Yes Daniel?" she asked sweetly, her voice ringing high and clear. He pointed to the customer briefly.

"Could you ring this up for me? Thanks." Daniel quickly blurted out the words, as she blinked in surprise. He turned, walking out from behind the counter to greet Flora, leaving the girl behind to glare at the customer with a frown upon her face.

"Flora!" he smiled, leaning forward to quickly kiss her, "What are you doing here?" he asked, watching with curiosity as Flora blushed, finding her hand tangled with his.

"Actually, I do plan to buy something today." She smiled, tilting her head to the side, watching as Daniel shook his head.

"Uh oh, what do you want from a pet store?" he asked, watching as Flora turned to look back down to the puppies in the playpen they were standing beside.

"Well... my second cousin is having a birthday party today, she's turning seven. I wanted to get her a puppy or something small and furry..." Flora returned, watching the animals tumble over each other as they played. Daniel frowned for a moment, thinking briefly.

"We don't really recommend getting animals for birthday presents... most of the animals get returned because the parents don't want them..." he explained, hoping that he wasn't crushing Flora's idea of a perfect present for a seven-year-old girl.

"Oh, no don't worry, I already contacted her mother and made sure it was all right. I just need to get a cute puppy..." she trailed off, biting her lip as she looked up, locking eyes with Daniel once more.

"And..." he murmured, knowing she hadn't quite finished her sentence.

"And I need someone to deliver it." Flora's smile quickly faded, "It's just, I can't take the day off to watch the puppy until then, and I don't have time to pick up the puppy and go to the party..." she murmured, looking up at him with pleading eyes. Daniel chuckled, reaching up to brush her hair from her face.

"I suppose you want me to deliver it?" he asked, his voice carrying a hint of laughter.

"Well that'd be nice... since I told my aunt and the rest of the family that you were going to join us..." she smiled faintly, her eyes sparkling as Daniel blinked in surprise. He rolled his eyes a moment later, shaking his head and sighing as he realized he should have expected that from Flora. He nodded a moment later.

"Yeah, I'll definitely deliver it." He smiled, turning to look down at the playpen, "Well, which one do you want?" Daniel asked, nodding to the writhing mass of puppies. Flora laughed, leaning over to look into the pen again, surveying all the puppies.

"The cutest, friendliest, liveliest puppy out there." She returned, still not being able to pick one puppy out of the six that were in the pen, all falling over each other as they chewed on each other's ears. There were several types of dogs, two black pups were playing tug-of-war with a rag toy in the compartment, while a third mixed breed sat by, yipping for encouragement. Three puppies, all different breeds, were tumbling and tackling each other, their high voices filling the store as each one attacked the other playfully. Daniel reached in, picking up an Irish setter pup and holding it up for Flora to see. The puppy was still wriggling, its voice coming in whimpers and barks as it writhed in Daniel's arms, trying to get back into the pen. Flora reached out, picking up the puppy and holding it at an arm's length, looking the tiny animal over. Its fur was soft and a beautiful bright red, its floppy ears adding a comical expression to its face while its large brown eyes gave it an intelligent look.

"I like him." She concluded, bringing the puppy to her body and cuddling it close, giggling with delight as the animal licked her chin, expressing its joy.

"Her, actually." Daniel replied, holding back a smile as he reached out to take the animal back. He walked with her to the counter, Flora close behind. He walked behind the counter, digging in one of the drawers that sat under the cash register, and pulling out a blue tag. He clipped it onto the puppy's collar, and then walked back to the pen. Flora followed at every step, reaching out to touch the blue "sold" tag that now hung around the puppy's neck, smiling as she watched the animal go back to play with the other pups. Daniel straightened after putting the animal back in the pen and smiled at her.

"So, happy with your buy?" he asked her, his hand wrapping around hers again. Flora looked back down to the puppy and then locked eyes with him.

"Definitely, how much?" she asked, frowning when Daniel cringed at her question.

"Actually, three hundred." He returned, a frown on his lips. Flora blinked for a moment, before putting a finger to her chin and considering the price for a time. She then smiled, nodding happily.

"And how much is the shipping?" she asked, knowing that it would cost extra to deliver the dog to a home.

"For you, free." Daniel returned, his lisp quirked in a smile, as he lead her to the cash register. She was already digging around for her wallet, a smile on her lips as she thought of how happy the child would be upon realizing she owned her very own puppy. Flora was smiling the entire time while she paid, even though the girl at the counter was still frowning at her. When she finally finished paying, she returned to the pen to pet the puppy once more, waving goodbye to it. She started walking toward the door, then stopped and looked up to see Daniel standing beside the door, making sure she wouldn't leave without saying goodbye to him. Flora blinked in surprise, than laughed, blushing as she met up with him at the door. He held out a clipboard and pen for her, smiling down at her.

"I need the address, remember?" he reminded, watching as Flora thought for a moment, before writing down the address and phone number of the place where the party was to be held. She smiled up at him, leaning up and kissing him lightly.

"Thank you, so much. I'll see you later." Flora smiled, turning to walk out the door of the pet store, leaving Daniel to look after her. He turned back to the store, lost in thought as he looked over the puppy pen, smiling down at the animals before he returned to the counter, his lips still tingling from the kiss Flora had given him.

The doorbell rang and what appeared to be thousands of children crowded at the door, all trying to open the door while the adults in the area were trying to hold them back. Finally Flora stumbled to the door, surrounded by young children, all being herded back by her aunt and her mother and several other adults. She opened the door, a wide grin crossing her lips as she saw it was Daniel. He was looking almost frightened, the mass amounts of children shouting and screaming behind the door didn't seem all that comforting.

"Come in!" she laughed, snagging his arm and literally dragging him into the house, "Did you bring her?" she whispered into his ear as she tugged off his coat, hanging it on one of the hooks by the door. He nodded, glancing back through the window to the van that was still sitting in the street.

"She's got a big bow on her head and everything." Daniel returned, smiling as he was slowly ushered into the living room. It was filled floor to ceiling with presents, cookies, adults and children alike. Flora's mother quickly came to greet the two, shaking hands with Daniel swiftly.

"Daniel Blake, I assume? I haven't seen you in years... I can barely remember you." She laughed, reaching out immediately to stroke his hair, "How have you been? Flora told me you brought a big present with you!" she chuckled again, her voice bubbling with her laughter. Daniel smiled pleasantly, nodding quickly.

"I've been doing fine Mrs. Kane, thank you for asking." He smiled again, "Yeah, I brought the present with me." He quickly stated, glancing to Flora, who was simply beaming with pride. He smiled down at her and she returned the gesture, nudging her mother.

"Is it time to open presents yet?" she asked, laughing slightly. Mrs. Kane nodded quickly, rounding up all of the children in the living room.

"Hey! Present time!" she called. Those three simple words caused cries and cheers to arise in the room, among the children in the room. Presents began to rattle and Flora stood back to watch the process of present receiving begin. The birthday girl went through them swiftly, taking her time to rip off the wrapping, dig around for the present, ogle it for a moment and discard it in turn for a bigger present. Flora laughed, turning to glance at Daniel and then nudging him gently with her elbow.

"Everyone please be quiet!" Flora's voice rang around the room as she stood in the midst of all the children, her face glowing with laughter, "There's just one more present to open..."

This statement brought with it the cheers of the children as they all laughed and tugged on her dress, asking her repeatedly what it was and how big, what it did and how much it had cost. Even the adults were curious and asking each other what the final present was.

"This is a present from me and Daniel." She smiled, turning to the door. All the children followed her gaze, where Daniel walked in the door, his back turned. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure everyone was watching, a smile crossing his lips as he turned to face his audience of curious children and adults alike. In his arms was the red puppy.

"Wow... that went a lot better than I expected..." Flora murmured, watching as all the children continued to nearly suffocate the puppy with their constant petting and snuggling. It didn't matter, the puppy itself was having a grand time licking every chubby hand that touched it's face, or playfully chewing on a socked foot.

"Children! Outside with the puppy!" Mrs. Kane's voice lifted above the bubble of the children and the entire group was herded outside, Flora and Daniel tagged along. The two found themselves on a high deck, overlooking a large yard, where the children were already playing and rolling around in the grass. Flora leaned against the railing, watching them, a warmth growing in her heart as she smiled, enjoying the perfect scene of children laughing and playing, having not a care in the world. She turned to Daniel, about to say something, but then closed her mouth and turned away to watch the children once more.

"I'll be right back." Daniel excused himself, his hand resting on Flora's shoulder for a moment before he turned, retreating back inside the house with the remainder of the adults. He glanced around, before catching Mrs. Kane's eye and politely interrupting the conversation.

"Mrs. Kane... I was wondering if I may be able to talk to you, privately..." he murmured, his face flushing as she glanced him up and down, and then smiled sweetly.

"Of course Daniel, dear." She excused herself and walked to the kitchen, Daniel at her heels. There was a moment of silence as a few children were ushered from the room to play outside and all the doors and windows closed in a protective manner.

"Ma'am... Mrs. Kane..." Daniel cleared his throat, not exactly sure of how he should bring up his question.

"Oh, just spit it out Daniel." Mrs. Kane smiled again, her face glowing from the pride of a well-arranged evening.

"I was wondering, if I may have your humble blessing and permission..." he glanced up from the floor to meet her gaze, and then quickly diverted it again, "To marry your daughter..."

Laughter rang from the room and Daniel suddenly glanced up, wondering what it was he said that had turned out to be so hilarious. Mrs. Kane was laughing, her hand placed carefully over her mouth as she gasped for breath, tears in the corners of her eyes. Daniel suddenly flushed, realizing she was laughing at him, and most likely at his request.

"Oh yes! Yes dear, my god yes you can!" she gasped between her peals of laughter, reaching out to draw Daniel into a tight embrace. He raised an eyebrow carefully, chuckling nervously as he hugged her back. It seemed like forever and a decade before she let him go, still giggling faintly.

"May I ask why you're laughing at me?" he questioned softly, causing Mrs. Kane to blink in surprise. She waved her hand nervously, laughing again.

"Oh not you dear, it was just this morning that I was telling one of my friends that I thought Flora would never get married. It's just irony that today would be the day you popped the question." She laughed again, and this time Daniel laughed with her. A wave of relief swept over him and he sighed, his smile fading as he glancing out the window to see Flora still leaning against the railing, her chin resting in her hand as she looked over the children thoughtfully.

"Do you have it with you?" she asked, curiously. Daniel nodded faintly, patting his coat pocket.

"Yeah... I wanted to ask you before I asked her." He murmured, before catching himself, "I mean, ask for your permission, that is." He cleared his throat nervously and Mrs. Kane only laughed.

"So..." Mrs. Kane elbowed Daniel with a wink in her eye, "How are you going to do it?" she asked, smiling brightly. Daniel sighed, shrugging after a moment, mulling over the question himself.

"I haven't quite figured that out yet." He murmured, glancing the window once more. Flora hadn't moved, her eyes glued to some point far in the distance, a frown on her small lips as she lost herself in her train of thought, not even glancing at the children anymore. Daniel pulled away from the window.

"Well you spend your time thinking then, if you don't mind, I'm going to go eat some cake. Feel free to join if you want to, and ask Flora if she'd like some cake!" Mrs. Kane's sounded distant as she left the room, joining the party. Daniel frowned at her words and then blinked in surprise, something quickly clicking in his mind.

"Would you like some cake?"

Flora's attention snapped when Daniel spoke to her, but her eyes were still focused off onto the ground below. She sighed, an eerie silence filling the air as she watched the children play for some time.

"No, thank you." She replied, her voice soft and frail. She hadn't even looked up.

"Please? Please try this cake?" Daniel's voice seemed softer, as if he were almost whimpering. He normally didn't beg Flora for anything, but she figured she might as well try it if he was so persistent. She turned, blinking in surprise before she realized she had to look down to see him. He was kneeling before her, holding up a piece of cheesecake, with strawberries strewn over the top. Flora frowned for a moment.

"What on earth are you d—" her voice caught in her throat and Flora's eyes widened, her jaw still hanging. On that scrumptious slice of cheesecake, on the highest, most delicious looking strawberry, there sat a simple silver ring with a sparkling diamond imbedded into the band. Flora didn't know what to say, the words had left her mind. She shrank to the ground beside him, causing a look of worry to flash across Daniel's face. He smiled at her a moment later, setting the cake down in front of her to see. She continued to stare at the ring, before tears suddenly sprung to her eyes.

"Is this for real?" she asked, her hands quickly covering her mouth as tears rolled down her cheeks. Daniel's smile widened as he laughed, reaching over to wipe her tears away.

"Yes." He returned, leaning closer, "Will you marry me?" He asked, making sure he got the point across. Flora nodded vigorously, laughing as more tears streaming down her cheeks, her eyes sparkling happily as she leaned forward, crying and giggling at the same time. Daniel wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly before he leaned back, capturing her mouth in a sweet kiss.

Flora flushed bright red, laughing nervously once again, sniffling and wiping her tears with her free hand as Daniel plucked the ring from the strawberry and slipped it onto her finger. She wiped the new tears that had begun to fall down her cheeks, quickly catching his hand and holding it in hers tightly. She leaned forward, kissing him gently, pulling away with another nervous laugh.

There was rapping on a nearby window and Daniel glanced up, flushing bright red when he saw that the majority of the adults were gathered at the living room window, looking onto them with eager faces. Flora just laughed, her hand enlacing with Daniel's. She nodded, lifting her hand to show the ring to their new audience. Cheering and applause came from inside the room and the two laughed again, sharing another tender kiss.

Daniel watched as Flora simply gazed at the ring, twirling it on her finger slightly. She smiled sweetly, simply content to sit on the deck floor with her new finance, the murmur of adults and children in the background. Daniel leaned forward, resting his chin on her shoulder and smiling faintly at her. He pointed a finger to the cake.

"Do you plan to eat that?" he asked, receiving laughter for a reply.

"No, no, you can have it." Flora returned, her smile was wide and grateful.

Flora's head jerked up and she yawned sleepily, her eyes focusing from the rain pattered windowpane, to the figure stepping through the door. She smiled faintly at her husband, her eyelids drooping as she yawned once more, not realizing she had dozed off. Flora stood carefully, one hand resting on her stomach while the other landed on her hip. She sighed, steadying herself and looking up as the light flicked on inside the house. Daniel stood, blushing sheepishly, his hands hidden behind his back.

"Why are you so late, what's behind your back?" Flora began to hound him with questions, slowly walking forward, before she stopped at the kitchen counter.

"I just thought I should give this to you..." he murmured, blushing faintly as he pulled his hands from behind his back. In one hand was a bouquet of various, colorful spring flowers, filling the air with their sweet scent, making Flora wonder why she didn't notice it before. The other hand clasped a stuffed kangaroo, complete with a baby rattle in its pouch. Flora laughed, raising an eyebrow and shaking her head.

"What is this for?" she asked, lifting her arms, almost demanding to be hugged. Daniel smiled faintly, setting the flowers and the stuffed toy on the counter, shedding his coat near the door and finally reaching his wife to hug her. He was careful not to press against her bulging stomach, pulling back quickly, one hand reaching out to touch her abdomen.

"It was kicking a while ago..." she murmured, smiling faintly, her hand wrapping over his, "So, what's this for?" she nodded at the various gifts on the table. Daniel shrugged, leaning forward to kiss her gently.

"Well, it's Mother's Day, after all." He smirked, causing Flora to blink in surprise. She hadn't even realized that it was Mother's Day, much less that she could be considered a mother now. She smiled, her fingers wrapping tighter around his, her eyes twinkling as she looked up at him. Daniel's free hand moved up to cup her chin, pulling her in for a kiss.

Their lips parted a moment later and Daniel smiled, opening his eyes, breathing gently against Flora's cheek.
"Well... Happy Mother's Day." He smiled, locking gazes with her. Flora returned the gesture, before putting a finger to her chin, her eyes twinkling mischievously as she pretended to think.

"Well... if we celebrate Mother's Day..." she trailed off, nudging Daniel with her elbow, "I guess this means we have to celebrate Father's Day too!"

Flora simply giggled at the look of feigned terror that crossed Daniel's face, before he joined in her laughter.

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Story © Copyright 2007 Frootie-sama. Characters © Farah. All rights reserved. Distribution of any kind is prohibited without the written consent of Farah.