Bart and Cissie in Boston
[Co-written with nokidflash]
Bart was practically vibrating with excitement. This was actually a worry, because he'd been known to vibrate excitedly before, and that never led to good things. Usually falling through the floor sort of things. But everything had being going perfectly so far. Cissie loved the hotel, just like he'd hoped, and the bed was just as comfortable for hotel-room-sex as he'd planned. And the shower was nice, too. And dinner the night before was amazing, and then just walking hand in hand around the city, following the Freedom Trail and riding the Duck Tour together had been fun. It was nice to have some time away, just the two of them (which didn't stop Bart from running off to stop a few crimes, but still... Cissie understood). And now the big night. He'd gotten them up into the special part of the lawn, right near the stage, and so they had a little room to stretch out on the blanket he'd brought them. Bart wrapped an arm around Cissie's shoulder and pulled her close. The show was set to start in a few minutes. "How's the second night of my BAP going?"
Cissie leaned against him, tilting her head to smile at him. "Amazingly," she said, leaning over to kiss his cheek. "Much like the first night." Everything about this trip had been wonderful so far. It was really nice to get away with Bart and not worry about anything but enjoying their time together. It didn't hurt that everything Bart had planned for them had been ridiculously fun, too. She wrapped her arm around his waist and settled against his side. "Thank you. Are you having fun too?"
"Yeah, I am." Bart smiled and kissed the top of Cissie's head. "So I really hate when people misuse the word 'best' and call everything 'best' and stuff, even though Kon and Tim are both my best friend, but every day with you is like the best day of my life. But this weekend is like the best of the best. Does that make sense?"
Cissie laughed and put her other arm around him to hug him tightly. "It does make sense. I think I speak Bart, though. But--yeah. Thank you for planning all of this. It's been... fantastic, I don't even know." She pulled back to smile at him. "And now we have an amazing spot to watch the concert and the fireworks together. I really don't know how it could get any better than this."
Bart smiled down at her. "Ciss, it's only day two. We've got another twenty-four hours of BAP to get through." Of course the main event was in about two hours, but still. She didn't need to know what. "And I totally haven't goaded you into skinny dipping after hours yet. Nothing will top that."
Cissie just laughed and leaned up to kiss him. "Normally I might doubt that you could have any more awesome secret plans, but you have been surprising me for two days now. And isn't the tub big enough to count for skinny-dipping?"
"Uh, no, the tub is not big enough. Or chlorinated enough. There are rules for these kinds of things, dork." Bart tickled her ribs lightly. "Why don't you want to skinny dip with me? We only have to do one lap, I promise I won't even try anything naughty."
Cissie squeaked and swatted at his hands. "I would just rather not get caught and thrown out of our incredibly nice hotel!" she protested, wrinkling her nose. "You reeeeeeally want to skinny dip?"
"Uh, we won't get caught. I run reallllly fast." He let his hand fall, since there were people around them and he didn't want to be too inappropriate. "I really want to, but we don't have to."
"You do run really fast." She dropped her head back against his shoulder and found his hand, lacing her fingers through his. "Maaaaaybe I could be persuaded."
"I do. Faster than anyone else in the world." Bart leaned his head against hers and squeezed her hand. "Well, let's see. We may be too tired after the concert anyway."
"Hmm." She hugged him, happy to just be with him. She was always happy to be with him, but this weekend was special somehow. "You always do things for me, to make me happy. You did this whole weekend for me. If you really want to skinny dip, and you don't think we're going to get caught, then--why not?" She smiled. "Besides, it's not like you're asking to do something that would be just horrible for me."
He laughed. "Are you sure? Because you've sort of been avoiding it the entire time we've been dating. I was starting to get a complex."
She giggled a little and shrugged a shoulder. "I'm sure. It's got nothing to do with you." She pulled back a little to look at him. "I love you. Obviously I have no problems being naked with you. And I like swimming. It's just... I don't know, me being kind of silly, I guess." She smiled. "I don't want anyone else to see us?"
"Soooo, we can't have sex right now? Because... I had sort of planned..." Bart grinned and winked. "Okay. That makes sense. You're shy. I mean, you're basically the hottest woman on the planet and you're shy, so that's a little weird, but I can deal."
Cissie laughed and leaned up, kissing his cheek. "Shy, yes. Even though saying I'm shy makes me feel about twelve. Maybe I just want you to be the only person to see me naked."
"Oh. Well. That's okay." He smiled softly. The music started, so when he spoke again it was barely above a whisper. "I love you, Cissie."
She kissed him again, and put her head back on his shoulder, curling up against his side to watch the concert. "I love you too, Bart."
Bart watched the concert quietly for a few minutes, through one piece and then another. He just held onto Cissie, going over the music that Tim had composed in his head, getting ready. He didn't feel nervous, just excited but he hoped he wasn't being too obvious. "Soooooooo, right before the fireworks I have a surprise for you."
Cissie was having a lot of fun, enjoying the music and watching the orchestra and just being in Bart's arms. She appreciated moments like these, when Bart could sit and be mostly still with her and they could enjoy something like this together. She tilted her head to look at him. "You do? Another surprise? What is it?"
"I can't telllll you. It's during the last song before the fireworks start." He grinned and kissed her. "It's my best BAP yet, though. Promise."
She sighed and leaned back against him. "Oh, fiiiine. I trust you. I'll wait."
Bart pulled her in as close as he could. "I've been waiting my whole life for this one. It's just a few more minutes, Ciss."
She pulled back to eye him curiously. "Your whole life? What are you going to do?"
"Moon the crows." He stuck his tongue out. "I'm not telllllling, you'll have to wait."
She stuck her tongue back out at him and settled back against him. "Okaaaay."
"Okaaaaaay." Bart smiled. "Now, ssssh. There's a concert going on."
Cissie laughed and hugged him, leaning back to watch the concert.
The night went on, and the Pops played as the sun set. The fireworks were due to start in ten minutes, and Bart was feeling twitchy. Just in time, before he blurted everything, the Emcee of the event went to the microphone. "Ladies and gentleman, we have a very special request from a very special friend of the Pops. Normally we don't invite an audience member up to play with us, but this young man is a talented violinist, and has donated a significant amount of money not only to our cause, but the cause of charities worldwide. He's asked for five minutes of our time tonight. We've heard his piece, an original composition by a Mr. Timothy Drake, and we can assure you these five minutes will be well spent. So, ladies and gentlemen. Without further adieu, we'd like to ask Mr. Bart Allen to come to the stage." Bart coughed and kissed Cissie's head. "Well. Gotta go."
"Wait, what?" Cissie was caught so off-guard by hearing Tim's name that Bart's name didn't really register until he kissed her head, and then it wasn't until he was up and moving for the stage before she realized what was going on. "Bart!"
Grinning like an idiot, Bart looked over his shoulder and waved at Cissie as he hopped up the steps. His violin - in its orange case - was waiting for him. He nodded to the Emcee, and then shook the conductor's hand before stepping to the mic. "Thanks everyone for bearing with me on this." He tuned his violin as he spoke. "I'm dedicating this to Cissie, my girlfriend, because, well. I love her more than anything. So," he put the violin under his chin and waited for the okay from the conductor. "I hope she likes it."
Cissie climbed to her feet as Bart went up on stage. Obviously he was doing it, but she wasn't sure she believed what she was seeing. And then he was speaking and then he was playing, and really, all she could do was grin. Because Bart was playing his violin with the orchestra, in front of a zillion people, for her. It was amazing, and she felt like crying, but she couldn't stop smiling.
Bart had been impressed with the piece Tim composed, and had practiced it every day since he'd received it. It was perfect. Slow and sweet with bits that sped up in a crescendo until it slowed down again. It was condensed, but it was his life, and it ended on a sweet and happy note. Bart bit his lip as the audience applauded, and when it died down he went to the mic again. He held his violin in his left hand and with his right he pulled a small black box from his pocket. He flipped it open, revealing the ring he'd picked out months ago, with Tim. "So, uh, this is the main part of the BAP." He knew no one in the audience but Cissie would know what that meant, but it didn't matter. They knew what the ring meant, and a collective gasp went up. "Cissie King-Jones... would you marry me?"
Cissie was having a hard time not crying as she listened to Bart play. She wanted to remember everything about this. The song was gorgeous, and everything was so perfect. She had thought this must be his big secret, but then... Cissie could only stare as he pulled the ring from his pocket. When he asked her, it took a second for her to realize that this was actually happening, that he was really proposing. And when it did, she burst into tears, nodding and wishing the stage wasn't so far away. "Yes! Yes, yes, yes!"
A cheer went up from the crowd, which Bart figured meant she'd said yes (he couldn't actually hear her). He was back with her in an instant, not caring who saw him run that fast. They could pretend they were all overheated or drunk or something, it didn't matter to Bart. He swept Cissie up in his arms, kissing her.
Cissie grabbed him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and holding on as tightly as she could, kissing him until she was out of breath. Then she kissed him again, and again, small kisses between words while she cried but didn't even notice. "I love you. Oh, Bart."
"I love you, too." Bart wasn't paying any attention to the fact that people were standing around them cheering, or that the music had started again, or anything else. Just Cissie. "See why I didn't want to give it away?" He kissed her again, grinning. "I love you. I've been waiting almost two months to ask you to marry me."
Cissie just laughed. She didn't notice anything but Bart, either--not the music, not the people. If the fireworks had started, she wouldn't have noticed them either at the moment. All she cared about was Bart and what he was saying. "You--that the was secret BAP?" she asked, kissing him back. "I love you too. I love you so much."
"That was my secret BAP," he answered. "Was it okay?" Bart stopped hugging her long enough to take the ring and slide it onto her ring finger. He pulled her hand up to his lips and kissed her knuckles. "You really had no idea?"
"Okay?" she repeated thickly, laughing. She watched him put the ring on her finger and felt her hand shaking--she was shaking. She shook her head, unable to stop grinning or crying. "It's--more than okay. I didn't have any idea. At all."
Bart smiled. "I thought I gave it away..." He took her face between his hands and kissed her gently. "Stop crying, Ciss. No crying."
She kissed him back and put her arms around him, holding him. "You didn't. I'm sorry, I'm not crying, I'm just--I'm happy, Bart. I'm so happy."
"I'm glad you're happy. I want to make you happy for the rest of our lives." He held her close, rocking a little on his feet. "I should probably tell you..." Bart paused for a second, holding onto a breath before saying in a completely serious voice: "I'm pregnant."
Cissie burst into laughter, crying and laughing at the same time. She pulled back to grin at him and kissed him fiercely. "Oh, really? Is it mine?"
After they kissed, Bart nodded solemnly. "It is. That's why I proposed. I can't have a baby out of wedlock, I'm a very traditional guy." He pressed his forehead against hers. "We should sit. Except I'm probably gonna kiss you all through the fireworks..."
She giggled and kissed him again. "I forgot about the fireworks," she confessed.
"Let's go back to the room," he whispered. "I got us one with a view on purpose." It had cost a few hundred dollars extra, but Bart didn't care. "I'll even be cheesy and say 'let's make our own fireworks, baby.'"
"Okay," she whispered back, leaning her forehead against his. "I like that idea."
"Okay." The blanket he left behind, and his violin was in safe keeping with the orchestra. He'd pick it up later. Bart lifted Cissie into his arms and kissed her, walking to the edge of the crowd, then running as fast as was safe for her back to the room. He skipped the elevator, running up the stairs. "I love you," he murmured as he opened the door. "Always."
Cissie wrapped her legs around his waist to hang on, tucking her head in against his shoulder, pressing kisses against his neck as he ran. When they were in the room, she pulled back enough to take his face in her hands and look him in the eye. "I love you too. Thank you so much, Bart."
"You don't have to thank me. It's really easy to be in love with you." Bart knocked the door closed with his foot. "You make it easy by being so perfect."
She shook her head. "That's not what I meant. But--yes, thank you for that too. But I mean--thank you, for tonight. And this weekend. And..." She grinned. "For wanting to marry me."
Bart laughed and walked over to the bed, lowering her down onto it. Outside, the fireworks had just started up. "Oh. You're welcome. Thanks for saying yes."
Cissie pushed herself into the center of the bed and looked up at him. Behind him, the window lit up from the fireworks, but she hardly noticed. All of her attention was focused on Bart. She reached for him, drawing him closer. "Did you really think I wouldn't?"
"I was worried." He climbed into the bed and let her tug him down on top of her. "I know we talk about it a lot, but talking and it being real are different. And we're young. And it was fast. So... I was worried."
She hooked her legs around his, curling into him, getting as close as she could. "I always want to be with you," she said softly. "I want to marry you. Maybe not tomorrow," she added with a laugh. "But I do want to marry you." Cissie grinned, kissing him as it really hit her. "We're engaged."
"So... we're not going to Vegas in the morning?" Bart laughed and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. "Yep, we are. You're my fiancé now, BooBoo. Better get used to it."
She giggled. "No. No Vegas. I want a real wedding. White dress and tuxedo and a party. No Elvis impersonators." She kissed him back, grinning hugely. "Fiancé. I like that. I like that a lot."
Bart made a silly face. "Oh my god, you're planning our wedding already. We've been engaged for ten minutes. Are you going to be a Bridezilla?"
Cissie laughed, kissing his nose. "No. That is not planning anything, Bart. That's just the basics." She dropped her head back to the bed. "I promise not to be a Bridezilla, though."
"How is that not planning? What if I want to get married on a beach?" He didn't, and his voice was light to indicate he was teasing. "I mean, I guess I'll give in and say we can have a white dress, tuxedo, party wedding. But only because I'm madly in love with you and I'd do anything to make you happy."
"We can have those things on a beach," she said, playing with his hair. "The tux is negotiable. Well, everything is. The wedding's not the important part."
He closed his eyes and sighed happily. "What's the important part?"
Cissie hugged him, pressing her face into his neck. "Marrying you. What happens after the wedding. The marriage part, where I spend the rest of my life with you."
"After the wedding we have honeymoon sex." He smiled. "Oh, yeah, and the life thing. That too."
She laughed and pulled back to grin at him. "I love you so much, Bart."
Bart grinned back at her. "I love you too, Cissie. I'm just gonna start calling you Mrs. Bart, okay?"
She giggled, beaming. "Can I call you Mr. Cissie?" She wrinkled her nose. "That actually sounds kind of silly."
"Yes. I'm officially Mr. Cissie." Silly or not, Bart thought it was awesome. "I like it."
Cissie just smiled and rubbed her nose against his. "Okay. I am so happy. You make me happier than I've ever been."
"It's my job. I'm going to be your husband," he whispered, pressing his lips against hers. "I need to practice."
"Hmmm, my husband." Cissie could not stop smiling. Her face was starting to ache, but she couldn't care. The fireworks lit up the room around them. "I like the sound of that."
"Does it sound nice? Maybe you should be my husband, too, since it sounds so nice." Bart was grinning as much as she was, but none of that mattered. He looked down at her, not breaking eye contact. "I'm in love with you. And I'm going to marry you, and spend the rest of my life with you. But first I'm going to take off all your clothes and have lots of we're-gonna-get-married sex with you, because I want to see what you look like naked in the light from the fireworks. I know the answer is amazing, but I want to remember it forever."
"I think I'd rather be your wife," Cissie murmured. She listened to him, staring into his eyes, and leaned up to kiss him, soft and slow. "Okay," she whispered. "I'm in love with you too, Bart. So very much."
"Okay. Wife it is." Bart smiled and reached down to lift at the edge of her shirt. "How long have you loved me? I've loved you forever. Before I met you." He trailed his fingers up her skin. "I was just waiting for the right time to realize it."
"I've always loved you." She smiled up at him and pulled at his shirt in return, running her hands up his back. "I just... didn't know how much. Or I was waiting for you. I'm not sure. But-do you remember how I joined Young Justice? I had an arrow through my arm. I could have gone to the police, or the hospital, or my mother. Or found Superman or an adult... But I went looking for you."
"I..." He wasn't sure what to say. Part of him had always wondered. He moved one hand from her stomach, brushing it over her arm. "I remember. I'm glad you did."
Cissie laughed and pulled him down to kiss him again. "I didn't know why. I just--I knew I needed help and I didn't want to go to Mom, or get the police involved, and... then I thought of you." She smiled. "I think it worked out for the best."
"Even with everything you had to go through?" He pulled her shirt over her head and then leaned in to nuzzle her neck. He'd said a hundred times that he didn't regret a moment of his life because he was with her, but... he wanted her to feel the same.
She reached up and took his face in her hands, pulling him up to look him in the eyes. "Yes." She was quiet, her throat closing up. "Because--I wouldn't have you."
Bart looked at her for a long, quiet minute. "I love you, Suzanne King-Jones." He grinned. "Even if your name is Suzanne."
She laughed and kissed his nose. "I love you, Bartholomew Allen the second. Even if there is no Bartholomew Allen the first."
"Maybe there's a first and we just haven't met him yet." He smiled and wrinkled his nose. "Guess what."
"What?"
Bart laughed. "We're gonna get married."
Cissie's smile grew into a huge grin and gave a happy squeak. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close. "We are. I love you so much. I'm going to spend the rest of my life with you."
"Me too. Except, you know, reversed." Bart kissed her neck. "You're going to be the most beautiful bride ever. Ever. In all of history."
She titled her head back and tugged his shirt up. "You're biased. But that's okay because I'm biased, too."
Bart laughed and moved back, letting her pull his shirt up. "So we're both biased and think you're going to be the most beautiful bride ever? Okay!"
She giggled and beamed at him. "I meant that I'm biased because I don't think there is anyone in the world as handsome as you. Or as perfect for me." She put her hands on the back of his neck. "I feel like I'm dreaming."
"You're not. This is real." He nipped gently at her lip. "I'm real. And I'm going to be your husband."
"I can't wait," she whispered, kissing him deeply. "This is the best night ever, Bart. Thank you."
He smiled against her lips. "You're welcome. Can we have fireworks sex now?"
"Oh, yes, please." She laughed. "We'd better--the fireworks won't last all night."
"But I will." He waggled his eyebrows.
"I knew you would say that." She grinned and kissed him again. "I think you should prove it."
"You doubt the stamina of a speedster?" He clicked his tongue. "Prepare for the night of your life, Mrs. Almost-Allen."
Cissie smiled at him. "It already is the night of my life, Mr. Allen."
Bart was practically vibrating with excitement. This was actually a worry, because he'd been known to vibrate excitedly before, and that never led to good things. Usually falling through the floor sort of things. But everything had being going perfectly so far. Cissie loved the hotel, just like he'd hoped, and the bed was just as comfortable for hotel-room-sex as he'd planned. And the shower was nice, too. And dinner the night before was amazing, and then just walking hand in hand around the city, following the Freedom Trail and riding the Duck Tour together had been fun. It was nice to have some time away, just the two of them (which didn't stop Bart from running off to stop a few crimes, but still... Cissie understood). And now the big night. He'd gotten them up into the special part of the lawn, right near the stage, and so they had a little room to stretch out on the blanket he'd brought them. Bart wrapped an arm around Cissie's shoulder and pulled her close. The show was set to start in a few minutes. "How's the second night of my BAP going?"
Cissie leaned against him, tilting her head to smile at him. "Amazingly," she said, leaning over to kiss his cheek. "Much like the first night." Everything about this trip had been wonderful so far. It was really nice to get away with Bart and not worry about anything but enjoying their time together. It didn't hurt that everything Bart had planned for them had been ridiculously fun, too. She wrapped her arm around his waist and settled against his side. "Thank you. Are you having fun too?"
"Yeah, I am." Bart smiled and kissed the top of Cissie's head. "So I really hate when people misuse the word 'best' and call everything 'best' and stuff, even though Kon and Tim are both my best friend, but every day with you is like the best day of my life. But this weekend is like the best of the best. Does that make sense?"
Cissie laughed and put her other arm around him to hug him tightly. "It does make sense. I think I speak Bart, though. But--yeah. Thank you for planning all of this. It's been... fantastic, I don't even know." She pulled back to smile at him. "And now we have an amazing spot to watch the concert and the fireworks together. I really don't know how it could get any better than this."
Bart smiled down at her. "Ciss, it's only day two. We've got another twenty-four hours of BAP to get through." Of course the main event was in about two hours, but still. She didn't need to know what. "And I totally haven't goaded you into skinny dipping after hours yet. Nothing will top that."
Cissie just laughed and leaned up to kiss him. "Normally I might doubt that you could have any more awesome secret plans, but you have been surprising me for two days now. And isn't the tub big enough to count for skinny-dipping?"
"Uh, no, the tub is not big enough. Or chlorinated enough. There are rules for these kinds of things, dork." Bart tickled her ribs lightly. "Why don't you want to skinny dip with me? We only have to do one lap, I promise I won't even try anything naughty."
Cissie squeaked and swatted at his hands. "I would just rather not get caught and thrown out of our incredibly nice hotel!" she protested, wrinkling her nose. "You reeeeeeally want to skinny dip?"
"Uh, we won't get caught. I run reallllly fast." He let his hand fall, since there were people around them and he didn't want to be too inappropriate. "I really want to, but we don't have to."
"You do run really fast." She dropped her head back against his shoulder and found his hand, lacing her fingers through his. "Maaaaaybe I could be persuaded."
"I do. Faster than anyone else in the world." Bart leaned his head against hers and squeezed her hand. "Well, let's see. We may be too tired after the concert anyway."
"Hmm." She hugged him, happy to just be with him. She was always happy to be with him, but this weekend was special somehow. "You always do things for me, to make me happy. You did this whole weekend for me. If you really want to skinny dip, and you don't think we're going to get caught, then--why not?" She smiled. "Besides, it's not like you're asking to do something that would be just horrible for me."
He laughed. "Are you sure? Because you've sort of been avoiding it the entire time we've been dating. I was starting to get a complex."
She giggled a little and shrugged a shoulder. "I'm sure. It's got nothing to do with you." She pulled back a little to look at him. "I love you. Obviously I have no problems being naked with you. And I like swimming. It's just... I don't know, me being kind of silly, I guess." She smiled. "I don't want anyone else to see us?"
"Soooo, we can't have sex right now? Because... I had sort of planned..." Bart grinned and winked. "Okay. That makes sense. You're shy. I mean, you're basically the hottest woman on the planet and you're shy, so that's a little weird, but I can deal."
Cissie laughed and leaned up, kissing his cheek. "Shy, yes. Even though saying I'm shy makes me feel about twelve. Maybe I just want you to be the only person to see me naked."
"Oh. Well. That's okay." He smiled softly. The music started, so when he spoke again it was barely above a whisper. "I love you, Cissie."
She kissed him again, and put her head back on his shoulder, curling up against his side to watch the concert. "I love you too, Bart."
Bart watched the concert quietly for a few minutes, through one piece and then another. He just held onto Cissie, going over the music that Tim had composed in his head, getting ready. He didn't feel nervous, just excited but he hoped he wasn't being too obvious. "Soooooooo, right before the fireworks I have a surprise for you."
Cissie was having a lot of fun, enjoying the music and watching the orchestra and just being in Bart's arms. She appreciated moments like these, when Bart could sit and be mostly still with her and they could enjoy something like this together. She tilted her head to look at him. "You do? Another surprise? What is it?"
"I can't telllll you. It's during the last song before the fireworks start." He grinned and kissed her. "It's my best BAP yet, though. Promise."
She sighed and leaned back against him. "Oh, fiiiine. I trust you. I'll wait."
Bart pulled her in as close as he could. "I've been waiting my whole life for this one. It's just a few more minutes, Ciss."
She pulled back to eye him curiously. "Your whole life? What are you going to do?"
"Moon the crows." He stuck his tongue out. "I'm not telllllling, you'll have to wait."
She stuck her tongue back out at him and settled back against him. "Okaaaay."
"Okaaaaaay." Bart smiled. "Now, ssssh. There's a concert going on."
Cissie laughed and hugged him, leaning back to watch the concert.
The night went on, and the Pops played as the sun set. The fireworks were due to start in ten minutes, and Bart was feeling twitchy. Just in time, before he blurted everything, the Emcee of the event went to the microphone. "Ladies and gentleman, we have a very special request from a very special friend of the Pops. Normally we don't invite an audience member up to play with us, but this young man is a talented violinist, and has donated a significant amount of money not only to our cause, but the cause of charities worldwide. He's asked for five minutes of our time tonight. We've heard his piece, an original composition by a Mr. Timothy Drake, and we can assure you these five minutes will be well spent. So, ladies and gentlemen. Without further adieu, we'd like to ask Mr. Bart Allen to come to the stage." Bart coughed and kissed Cissie's head. "Well. Gotta go."
"Wait, what?" Cissie was caught so off-guard by hearing Tim's name that Bart's name didn't really register until he kissed her head, and then it wasn't until he was up and moving for the stage before she realized what was going on. "Bart!"
Grinning like an idiot, Bart looked over his shoulder and waved at Cissie as he hopped up the steps. His violin - in its orange case - was waiting for him. He nodded to the Emcee, and then shook the conductor's hand before stepping to the mic. "Thanks everyone for bearing with me on this." He tuned his violin as he spoke. "I'm dedicating this to Cissie, my girlfriend, because, well. I love her more than anything. So," he put the violin under his chin and waited for the okay from the conductor. "I hope she likes it."
Cissie climbed to her feet as Bart went up on stage. Obviously he was doing it, but she wasn't sure she believed what she was seeing. And then he was speaking and then he was playing, and really, all she could do was grin. Because Bart was playing his violin with the orchestra, in front of a zillion people, for her. It was amazing, and she felt like crying, but she couldn't stop smiling.
Bart had been impressed with the piece Tim composed, and had practiced it every day since he'd received it. It was perfect. Slow and sweet with bits that sped up in a crescendo until it slowed down again. It was condensed, but it was his life, and it ended on a sweet and happy note. Bart bit his lip as the audience applauded, and when it died down he went to the mic again. He held his violin in his left hand and with his right he pulled a small black box from his pocket. He flipped it open, revealing the ring he'd picked out months ago, with Tim. "So, uh, this is the main part of the BAP." He knew no one in the audience but Cissie would know what that meant, but it didn't matter. They knew what the ring meant, and a collective gasp went up. "Cissie King-Jones... would you marry me?"
Cissie was having a hard time not crying as she listened to Bart play. She wanted to remember everything about this. The song was gorgeous, and everything was so perfect. She had thought this must be his big secret, but then... Cissie could only stare as he pulled the ring from his pocket. When he asked her, it took a second for her to realize that this was actually happening, that he was really proposing. And when it did, she burst into tears, nodding and wishing the stage wasn't so far away. "Yes! Yes, yes, yes!"
A cheer went up from the crowd, which Bart figured meant she'd said yes (he couldn't actually hear her). He was back with her in an instant, not caring who saw him run that fast. They could pretend they were all overheated or drunk or something, it didn't matter to Bart. He swept Cissie up in his arms, kissing her.
Cissie grabbed him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and holding on as tightly as she could, kissing him until she was out of breath. Then she kissed him again, and again, small kisses between words while she cried but didn't even notice. "I love you. Oh, Bart."
"I love you, too." Bart wasn't paying any attention to the fact that people were standing around them cheering, or that the music had started again, or anything else. Just Cissie. "See why I didn't want to give it away?" He kissed her again, grinning. "I love you. I've been waiting almost two months to ask you to marry me."
Cissie just laughed. She didn't notice anything but Bart, either--not the music, not the people. If the fireworks had started, she wouldn't have noticed them either at the moment. All she cared about was Bart and what he was saying. "You--that the was secret BAP?" she asked, kissing him back. "I love you too. I love you so much."
"That was my secret BAP," he answered. "Was it okay?" Bart stopped hugging her long enough to take the ring and slide it onto her ring finger. He pulled her hand up to his lips and kissed her knuckles. "You really had no idea?"
"Okay?" she repeated thickly, laughing. She watched him put the ring on her finger and felt her hand shaking--she was shaking. She shook her head, unable to stop grinning or crying. "It's--more than okay. I didn't have any idea. At all."
Bart smiled. "I thought I gave it away..." He took her face between his hands and kissed her gently. "Stop crying, Ciss. No crying."
She kissed him back and put her arms around him, holding him. "You didn't. I'm sorry, I'm not crying, I'm just--I'm happy, Bart. I'm so happy."
"I'm glad you're happy. I want to make you happy for the rest of our lives." He held her close, rocking a little on his feet. "I should probably tell you..." Bart paused for a second, holding onto a breath before saying in a completely serious voice: "I'm pregnant."
Cissie burst into laughter, crying and laughing at the same time. She pulled back to grin at him and kissed him fiercely. "Oh, really? Is it mine?"
After they kissed, Bart nodded solemnly. "It is. That's why I proposed. I can't have a baby out of wedlock, I'm a very traditional guy." He pressed his forehead against hers. "We should sit. Except I'm probably gonna kiss you all through the fireworks..."
She giggled and kissed him again. "I forgot about the fireworks," she confessed.
"Let's go back to the room," he whispered. "I got us one with a view on purpose." It had cost a few hundred dollars extra, but Bart didn't care. "I'll even be cheesy and say 'let's make our own fireworks, baby.'"
"Okay," she whispered back, leaning her forehead against his. "I like that idea."
"Okay." The blanket he left behind, and his violin was in safe keeping with the orchestra. He'd pick it up later. Bart lifted Cissie into his arms and kissed her, walking to the edge of the crowd, then running as fast as was safe for her back to the room. He skipped the elevator, running up the stairs. "I love you," he murmured as he opened the door. "Always."
Cissie wrapped her legs around his waist to hang on, tucking her head in against his shoulder, pressing kisses against his neck as he ran. When they were in the room, she pulled back enough to take his face in her hands and look him in the eye. "I love you too. Thank you so much, Bart."
"You don't have to thank me. It's really easy to be in love with you." Bart knocked the door closed with his foot. "You make it easy by being so perfect."
She shook her head. "That's not what I meant. But--yes, thank you for that too. But I mean--thank you, for tonight. And this weekend. And..." She grinned. "For wanting to marry me."
Bart laughed and walked over to the bed, lowering her down onto it. Outside, the fireworks had just started up. "Oh. You're welcome. Thanks for saying yes."
Cissie pushed herself into the center of the bed and looked up at him. Behind him, the window lit up from the fireworks, but she hardly noticed. All of her attention was focused on Bart. She reached for him, drawing him closer. "Did you really think I wouldn't?"
"I was worried." He climbed into the bed and let her tug him down on top of her. "I know we talk about it a lot, but talking and it being real are different. And we're young. And it was fast. So... I was worried."
She hooked her legs around his, curling into him, getting as close as she could. "I always want to be with you," she said softly. "I want to marry you. Maybe not tomorrow," she added with a laugh. "But I do want to marry you." Cissie grinned, kissing him as it really hit her. "We're engaged."
"So... we're not going to Vegas in the morning?" Bart laughed and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. "Yep, we are. You're my fiancé now, BooBoo. Better get used to it."
She giggled. "No. No Vegas. I want a real wedding. White dress and tuxedo and a party. No Elvis impersonators." She kissed him back, grinning hugely. "Fiancé. I like that. I like that a lot."
Bart made a silly face. "Oh my god, you're planning our wedding already. We've been engaged for ten minutes. Are you going to be a Bridezilla?"
Cissie laughed, kissing his nose. "No. That is not planning anything, Bart. That's just the basics." She dropped her head back to the bed. "I promise not to be a Bridezilla, though."
"How is that not planning? What if I want to get married on a beach?" He didn't, and his voice was light to indicate he was teasing. "I mean, I guess I'll give in and say we can have a white dress, tuxedo, party wedding. But only because I'm madly in love with you and I'd do anything to make you happy."
"We can have those things on a beach," she said, playing with his hair. "The tux is negotiable. Well, everything is. The wedding's not the important part."
He closed his eyes and sighed happily. "What's the important part?"
Cissie hugged him, pressing her face into his neck. "Marrying you. What happens after the wedding. The marriage part, where I spend the rest of my life with you."
"After the wedding we have honeymoon sex." He smiled. "Oh, yeah, and the life thing. That too."
She laughed and pulled back to grin at him. "I love you so much, Bart."
Bart grinned back at her. "I love you too, Cissie. I'm just gonna start calling you Mrs. Bart, okay?"
She giggled, beaming. "Can I call you Mr. Cissie?" She wrinkled her nose. "That actually sounds kind of silly."
"Yes. I'm officially Mr. Cissie." Silly or not, Bart thought it was awesome. "I like it."
Cissie just smiled and rubbed her nose against his. "Okay. I am so happy. You make me happier than I've ever been."
"It's my job. I'm going to be your husband," he whispered, pressing his lips against hers. "I need to practice."
"Hmmm, my husband." Cissie could not stop smiling. Her face was starting to ache, but she couldn't care. The fireworks lit up the room around them. "I like the sound of that."
"Does it sound nice? Maybe you should be my husband, too, since it sounds so nice." Bart was grinning as much as she was, but none of that mattered. He looked down at her, not breaking eye contact. "I'm in love with you. And I'm going to marry you, and spend the rest of my life with you. But first I'm going to take off all your clothes and have lots of we're-gonna-get-married sex with you, because I want to see what you look like naked in the light from the fireworks. I know the answer is amazing, but I want to remember it forever."
"I think I'd rather be your wife," Cissie murmured. She listened to him, staring into his eyes, and leaned up to kiss him, soft and slow. "Okay," she whispered. "I'm in love with you too, Bart. So very much."
"Okay. Wife it is." Bart smiled and reached down to lift at the edge of her shirt. "How long have you loved me? I've loved you forever. Before I met you." He trailed his fingers up her skin. "I was just waiting for the right time to realize it."
"I've always loved you." She smiled up at him and pulled at his shirt in return, running her hands up his back. "I just... didn't know how much. Or I was waiting for you. I'm not sure. But-do you remember how I joined Young Justice? I had an arrow through my arm. I could have gone to the police, or the hospital, or my mother. Or found Superman or an adult... But I went looking for you."
"I..." He wasn't sure what to say. Part of him had always wondered. He moved one hand from her stomach, brushing it over her arm. "I remember. I'm glad you did."
Cissie laughed and pulled him down to kiss him again. "I didn't know why. I just--I knew I needed help and I didn't want to go to Mom, or get the police involved, and... then I thought of you." She smiled. "I think it worked out for the best."
"Even with everything you had to go through?" He pulled her shirt over her head and then leaned in to nuzzle her neck. He'd said a hundred times that he didn't regret a moment of his life because he was with her, but... he wanted her to feel the same.
She reached up and took his face in her hands, pulling him up to look him in the eyes. "Yes." She was quiet, her throat closing up. "Because--I wouldn't have you."
Bart looked at her for a long, quiet minute. "I love you, Suzanne King-Jones." He grinned. "Even if your name is Suzanne."
She laughed and kissed his nose. "I love you, Bartholomew Allen the second. Even if there is no Bartholomew Allen the first."
"Maybe there's a first and we just haven't met him yet." He smiled and wrinkled his nose. "Guess what."
"What?"
Bart laughed. "We're gonna get married."
Cissie's smile grew into a huge grin and gave a happy squeak. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close. "We are. I love you so much. I'm going to spend the rest of my life with you."
"Me too. Except, you know, reversed." Bart kissed her neck. "You're going to be the most beautiful bride ever. Ever. In all of history."
She titled her head back and tugged his shirt up. "You're biased. But that's okay because I'm biased, too."
Bart laughed and moved back, letting her pull his shirt up. "So we're both biased and think you're going to be the most beautiful bride ever? Okay!"
She giggled and beamed at him. "I meant that I'm biased because I don't think there is anyone in the world as handsome as you. Or as perfect for me." She put her hands on the back of his neck. "I feel like I'm dreaming."
"You're not. This is real." He nipped gently at her lip. "I'm real. And I'm going to be your husband."
"I can't wait," she whispered, kissing him deeply. "This is the best night ever, Bart. Thank you."
He smiled against her lips. "You're welcome. Can we have fireworks sex now?"
"Oh, yes, please." She laughed. "We'd better--the fireworks won't last all night."
"But I will." He waggled his eyebrows.
"I knew you would say that." She grinned and kissed him again. "I think you should prove it."
"You doubt the stamina of a speedster?" He clicked his tongue. "Prepare for the night of your life, Mrs. Almost-Allen."
Cissie smiled at him. "It already is the night of my life, Mr. Allen."