Peter Talbot happily led Karen Yuletide to the dance floor. He even made a show of bowing before her as the werewolf disc jockey was bantering between songs.
Karen, staying in costume character as Cinderella, smiled and curtsied as the opening notes of Bryan Adams' ♫Have You Ever Loved A Woman?♫ began playing.
Peter smiled and moved closer to his girlfriend, one hand around her waist while the other held her hand.
Karen simply nodded her head before moving in time with her boyfriend.
Peter thought the song's title was a stupid question. Of course. I love Karen.
Then why haven't you told her so? an inner voice asked.
It's a big step, he silently replied. I don't just love her, I want to marry her and spend the rest of my life by Karen's side.
Well, you know she feels the same way about you. All those drawings of her's proves it, his inner voice said. If not tonight, ask her soon, or you'll regret it the rest of your long existence!
Peter knew his subconscious, or whoever/whatever he was talking to, was right.
He had talked to his father about this already and Leon Talbot, the werelion king of Moon Lake, had not only given Peter his blessing, but had helped arrange acquiring a token of his love for Peter to give Karen when he did ask the woman for her hand in marriage.
Within one of the jacket pockets of the Prince Charming costume Peter was wearing rested that token now.
He had seriously thought about getting Karen an engagement ring, but then realized that under the circumstances—considering at the moment that Karen Yuletide was still a normal human being and not a were anything—that there was something much more appropriate to show her how much he loved her and would be dedicated to their life together.
Inside that jacket pocket was a bottle of werelioness birth control pills.
What Peter thought made it truly special and a token of his love was that the prescription was made out to Karen TALBOT, not Karen Yuletide.
Now if I can only work up the nerve to ask her, Peter chastised himself.
♫To really love a woman...♫ Karen heard Bryan Adams sing as she continued dancing with Peter.
I do love him, she knew, staring at him, and I know Peter loves me. Sharing him with others, like a male lion collects a harem, regardless of if they're mundane or were, that's the part that I'm still concerned about. Yet to be with the one who is literally the man of my dreams...
With Peter being slightly taller than her, Karen laid her head upon his shoulder the best she could as the song continued.
I'll say YES to you in a heart beat Peter Talbot. All you have to do is ask...
As the Bryan Adams song ended, Peter Talbot and Karen Yuletide stood on the dance floor, looking at each other.
"Karen..." he began.
"Yes Peter?" she asked, staring at him.
"I—"
"HEY COUSIN PETER!" two female voices called out simultaneously, interrupting the moment.
The couple looked around and saw Joy and Ife Talbot approaching them.
Both of Peter's nieces were in their werelioness fursonas and dressed like Wonder Woman*, sort of.
Joy, being the older of the two, was wearing an outfit that reminded Karen of how Lynda Carter looked during her television show in the 1970s, while Ife's costume was closer to how the character was depicted in comic books today.**
"Well, look at you two," said Karen. "A couple of beautiful Were Wonder Lionesses."
"Yeah. We pretty much wound up having the same idea for Halloween this year," said Ife, while staring at her older cousin. Being the younger of the two, Ife was a bit jealous, not thinking she looked as good as Joy did.
"I know that look young lady," said Peter cautiously, catching Ife stare at Joy. "You are both beautiful, as anyone would tell you."
Ife looked at Peter in surprise as Karen added, "Besides, the character is about a lot more than outer appearance. She represents inner strength, beauty, and wisdom as well," she pointed out.
"I know, but sometimes..." began Ife.
"It's tough being a teenager, no matter who you are," Karen said. "My own awkward years certainly lived up to their name, and they weren't that long ago for me."
"Tell me about it," said Joy. "Just because I'm a senior, I've got all this pressure on me from everyone about my grades, what I want to do after high school graduation, who I am or not dating—let alone why..."
"All very important stuff," Peter reminded her.
"Yeah. But I just wish people would tell me something I don't know, like the answers to some of those questions," complained Joy.
"Just give it time. It will all work out," said Karen, while glancing at Peter.
"We're sorry to interrupt," said Ife, apologizing. "It's just that we saw you out on the dance floor, and thought we'd say hello."
"Okay. You have," said Peter, as he started leading his relatives off the dance floor, with Karen following behind him.
"Did you ask her yet?" wondered Ife, which received a dirty look from Joy, which is quite scary to see a werelioness do. Then Ife realized, "OOPS! Oh, no. You haven't. Otherwise, you wouldn't be trying to get rid of us so hard."
"Okay. Time for us to go," said Joy, as she started trying to push her younger sibling away from Peter and Karen.
"Ask me what?" Karen said to Peter, hoping it was what she was expecting him to do.
Peter Talbot looked around.
He knew he was within the relatively wide open space of the Moon Lake High School Gym, but it felt like the walls were closing in around him.
He could feel his heart beating more rapidly in his chest as Karen stared at him.
If he didn't know better, Peter Talbot would swear he had broken out in a cold sweat, which he had.
Then, after taking a deep breath, Peter took both of Karen's hands in his before getting down on one knee before her.
His girlfriend was actually beginning to cry as Peter started to say, "Karen Yuletide, would you—"
"YES!" she shouted, before jumping into Peter's arms.
The momentum of her leap knocked Peter to the gym floor, landing on his back.
But that didn't matter as the happy couple wrapped their arms around each other and began to kiss like there was no tomorrow.
Joy and Ife Talbot just stared at each other for a moment, and then began cheering as the rest of those gathered in the gym for the Halloween dance began to realize what had just happened and started cheering and applauding too.
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*This is just a Halloween party/dance costume, NOT any attempt at fan fiction.
**Technically this is Halloween 2015, so the 2017 movie with Gal Gadot hasn't even started filming yet.—tmw.