The lights began to dim and Alex took the opportunity to slip his arm around Michelle's shoulders and kiss the top of her head. They watched the movie in silence and when it had finished, they left without saying goodbye to their unwelcome neighbors. Once out of the building Alex asked, "Who was that girl?"

Michelle pursed her lips. "That was our Home Coming queen and ASB president."

"Are you friends?"

She cast a glance at him. "No. I've never even spoken to her before. I've never seen her drool so much over a guy though." She laughed maliciously. "The look on her face when you told her that you're with me was classic! There's never been a guy that she couldn't have." She paused. "The fact that that boy was with me was a double shocker," she finished bitterly.

Alex wrapped a consoling arm around her waist and hugged her to him. "Can we walk through the town and maybe get an ice cream?" he asked.

The muscles throughout Michelle's body tensed and Alex almost regretted his request. "Yeah, I guess, if you want," she mumbled.

As they perused the streets in search of sweets, Alex kept Michelle tight against his body as the only protection he could offer. She walked with her head down and she was practically trembling. Alex looked at the people that he passed and enjoyed the slow life of the small town. He noticed that more than a few interested glances were tossed Michelle's way and he got the impression that had he not been there to stare them down she would have attracted whistles and cat calls.

This low self-confidence was a side of Michelle that had never been revealed to Alex before and the need to keep her secure was strong in his heart. He also felt pride swelling in his chest with each envious look that resulted from his closeness with the beautiful girl at his side.

A small ice cream shop on the corner was open and relatively unoccupied so Alex directed his date into the cozy room and sat down to wait for a menu. When an acne inflicted youth came to take their order Michelle perked up and asked for a banana split. She called him by name so Alex could only assume that they knew each other from school. Alex ordered a rootbeer float and when the boy left Alex picked up Michelle's left hand.

"Well, it's the afternoon," he said. "You did say that you would-"

"I know what I said." She cut him off and she knew that he hated that. "Yes."

"Yes?"

"Yes." Michelle laughed and pulled Alex's face towards her. They kissed and when they separated, Michelle wiped a single tear from Alex's rugged cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too, Michelle. I'm so-" but the arrival of the dessert cut him short. Alex glanced at Sean - as Michelle had named him - and saw adoration in his eyes for Michelle that he quickly hid when he saw the older boy staring at him.

The rootbeer float as well as half the banana split was consumed by Alex. Michelle picked at the other half of her dessert but it wasn't out of indifference but anxiety. Alex could sense that Sean was hanging around the corner and motioned Michelle to be quiet until they left. Alex paid their check and they left, arm in arm.

Back out on the street, Michelle pointed the way to a patch of grass with a bench and table that Michelle called a park; it looked no different from the rest of the scenery to Alex. They sat down and he held her hand for a few moments before speaking.

"I'm so glad that you decided to. . . to say yes. I have to admit that I was really beginning to doubt that you would."

"I did too." She squeezed Alex's hand.

As the sun set in a glory of reds and purples, Michelle rested her head against Alex's shoulder and they sat in silence as the softness of sunset blanketed the town.

It almost appeared as though Michelle had fallen asleep for her eyes were closed and her body, still. When Alex cleared his throat, though, she stirred and apologized for making his arm fall asleep.

They walked back to the car, Alex working his arm to encourage blood flow again. He noted how Michelle walked with more spring in her step and when she passed by someone, her head remained high.

"There's hope for you yet, country bumpkin," Alex teased when they were back at the car.

Michelle glared at him and slipped into the Jeep.

When the Jeep pulled into the driveway back at the ranch, the night's darkness was deeper due to the surrounding mountains. Alex offered his arm to Michelle and they walked to the main house linked by their elbows. The kitchen light was on but the rest of the house seemed dark.

Everyone was in the kitchen in the middle of dinner. Michelle flushed and apologized profusely for being late but her parents said they hadn't expected them to arrive early and had left their dinner on warm plates so they could eat it when they did get home. Alex and Michelle joined the rest of the Valentines around the table and finished just a little after the other three did.

Dinner was followed by a home made peach cobbler but Michelle reluctantly declined, explaining that they had stopped for ice cream. Alex had no such inhibitions and ate an astonishing three helpings, outstripping even Danny's zeal for the warm, crumbling dessert.

"So what'd you guys see?" Danny inquired. He had a piece of the cobbler on his chin and before answering, Michelle leaned over Alex and brushed it off. Alex had to enforce his will with all of his strength to keep his hands on the table.

" 'Good Will Hunting.' It was excellent! No wonder that it won so many awards!" Michelle gushed.

"I wanted to go to see that too! Why didn't you take me with you?" Danny demanded with all of a teenager's arrogance.

Dylan lifted a warning hand and Danny subsided with his complaints. "It was their night to be alone, young man! Besides, maybe this weekend we'll all go out and see it. If you two don't mind," he asked Michelle and Alex.

They shook their heads and Danny sat a little straighter in his chair, a hopeful grin plastered across his face.

"Well, children - and young adults," Dylan amended with a look at Alex and Michelle, "there's another movie on cable if you would like to watch it. 'In & Out' I believe it's called."

Danny hopped out of his chair and ran into the living room, flipping on the t.v. and claiming the plush armchair. Michelle helped her mother clear the dishes from the table but the washing of them would wait until tomorrow. The two women of the house situated themselves in the den just in time for the movie - Tallia on the couch with Dylan's arm around her shoulders and Michelle on the floor with Alex. Dylan's occasional glance at them kept the physical contact at a minimum.

The movie was entertaining and had the whole household laughing at the star's sorry predicament.

Abruptly, Michelle rose and ran up the stairs. Alex watched her go and peeked at his hosts. They seemed perplexed but weren't about to chase her, figuring she had her reasons. Alex was not so easily convinced. He waited a few minutes before following her and his absence seemed of no concern to the rest of the room.

No lights were on in the rooms but that was where he found her. Michelle was kneeling on her bed, resting her chin on the windowsill and looking out. He wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head against her side, asking no questions and yet Michelle knew that he wanted to know why she had run out.

"Sorry, it's just that I was watching the wedding scenes in the movie and thought about us and how I still haven't told my parents. I was so overcome with shame that I had to get some fresh air but if I had left the house then they really would have known that something was wrong." Michelle placed her hand on his head and ran her fingers through the brown strands. They were focused so completely on each other that a third presence in the hall went unnoticed.

"How am I going to tell my parents that I, a seventeen year old girl who wants to go to college for eight years, am engaged to be married? Alex, do you hear something in the hall?" she said with alarm.

Her caution was too late for Danny came bursting into the room, a shocked expression making him seem older than he was. "You're getting married?" he choked out. "Oh my gosh! I'm going to have a brother. Mom, Dad!" he yelled. And he was running down the stairs.

"No, Danny! Get back up here or I'll. . . I'll sick Aaron on you!" But her threats went unheeded and all they could do was follow Danny.

And they followed him right into a dead silence. Michelle could tell that Danny had just told them for he had an expectant expression on his face. . . and her parents looked like fish out of water.

Tallia looked at her husband and recognized the ire building up in him. "Danny, go to your room," she ordered.

The boy's face fell and he looked crushed. He couldn't understand why they weren't as overjoyed as he was. "But, isn't that a good -" he started.

"I said to get up to your room, Danny Valentine." Tallia gave him a look that brooked no nonsense and Danny scampered up the steps.

Shoot the messenger with bad tidings, Michelle thought to herself, sorry that she had gotten her brother yelled at.

Michelle glanced at Alex and then at her parents. Both were standing, but Dylan was towering. She had never seen her father this angry before and inwardly sighed. This was all her fault for not telling them when Alex had first proposed. She opened her mouth to speak but her father exploded.

"How dare you make plans like this behind our backs!" he raged. "You are seventeen, for Christ's sake!" His voice was like thunder and made Michelle cringe. His eyes were hot and he was breathing so erratically that Michelle almost hoped that he would pass out.

No such luck. He turned to Alex and stepped towards him, clenching his fists at his side. Michelle shifted to her left, blocking her father's way to Alex and stood practically toe to toe with him. She stared him right in the eye and up until her mother pushed Dylan away from the juveniles, Michelle thought her father was about to strike her.

Dylan's eyes were burning holes into Alex. "How dare you?! We allow you to stay and offer our hospitality and this is how you repay us. You steal my baby!"

"Father!" Michelle protested but shrank away when Dylan raised his hand.

"Dylan!" reprimanded Tallia sharply. "Don't you ever raise your hand to our children. Go outside, we'll meet you there." He hesitated and Tallia jabbed him in the ribs. "Go outside. We'll be there shortly."

Michelle almost sighed in relief but when her mother turned to her, she saw anger just as strong as in her father, except that the blue eyes shone with a cold anger instead of with the volatile temper of her father. She could feel Alex tense up beside her and resisted pulling him closer.

"I must say that I'm very disappointed with you two and how you've conducted yourself over this issue. Even if you had decided to tell us, we would've hoped that you could have told us yourself instead of leaving it to your brother.

"He came flying down here and just blurted it out like it was something that we hear everyday. It took us completely by surprise and that's part of the reason that your father is so upset." She paused and eyed the two teenagers.

"Mom, we didn't mean for Danny to find out-"

"Obviously you didn't intend for any of us to! How long until you decided that it would be a good time to inform us that you are engaged?"

"Mrs. Valentine-"

"I think you've said quite enough, mister, and I would suggest that when you go outside in a few minutes, you keep that tongue inside your head." Tallia's voice was clipped and Michelle couldn't believe that she was talking so to a guest.

"Mom, I didn't really know that I was going to say yes until today and I was going to-"

"Yes, Michelle, but how long have you been pondering this decision?"

Michelle grew heated and Alex tried to motion her to calm down. "This was a personal decision and one that I had to make on my own!"

"Michelle Valentine, until you turn eighteen and leave this house, every decision you make is not only yours but ours. You are still under our care, no matter how old you think you are."

Michelle studied her hands and a deep flush turned her cheeks crimson.

Tallia turned to Alex. "As for you, have you told your parents yet?" When Alex shook his head, she laughed mirthlessly. "Great!" She threw her hands up in exasperation. "We're going to have to go through this a second time. Did you think that this was something that you could both agree to and, poof, it would be set in stone?"

Michelle looked at her mother and Tallia must have seen true repentance because her face softened and her blue eyes glistened with unshed tears. "Oh, my baby girl. When did you grow up so fast?" Tallia held Michelle who had begun to weep.