Dinner at Keira's parents' house wasn't an abnormal event, once every few weeks or so. Norman was always enthused to go because he enjoyed the company of Keira's parents. Growing up, his mother was distant and his father was, at times... let's say "unsavory." Practically from the get-go, the Brownings had taken him in. Donna always had baked goods for Norman to take home while Richard invited Norman to share his hobby of building models.

He was basically part of the family at that point. All that was left was to make it official.

When Norman called the house from Keira's phone in her office, her mother had picked up. He debated on telling her his intentions, but figured she had a right to know. Whether she told Richard between then and the dinner was her business. After Harry was more than excited about having a mom again, the stars seemed to align perfectly.

Norman hated calling himself a liar, at least to Keira. Obviously he had stretched the truth in the past for the sake of his business, years of practice meaning he was somewhat of a good liar. Knowing it would go badly, Norman never lied to Keira. "Surprising her," on the other hand, was something he did quite frequently. Favors and gifts every so often came Keira's way, the most recent being the office she now called hers. Once the time came, Norman's plan would be to move her to the C.O.O. position after the job opened up.

For now, the latest "surprise" was in his pocket as they arrived at the house. Trying his best to hide his anxiety, Norman instead chose to channel his emotions into acting normal. Accepting Donna's hug, returning Richard's wave from the armchair, and setting his shoes on the mat to the right of Keira's.

"Oh, Keira, I need some help in the kitchen, would you mind?" Donna asked, winking at Norman.

"Sure, what do you need?" Keira asked, immediately following her mom.

"I haven't made the salad yet, so I need the vegetables chopped..."

After they disappeared around the corner, Norman cleared his throat and sat next to Richard.

"Sir, can I ask you a question?" Norman asked.

"Seems like you just asked me one." Richard said, chuckling. Norman smiled softly before continuing.

"Can I ask you a question after this one?" He asked.

"Sure thing, son." The familial term always gave Norman confidence when talking to Richard. He took a breath.

"I probably don't have to tell you this, but I love your daughter more than anything. She's made me a better person and made me the happiest man in New York. I'd like to keep making her happy and give her the best life she deserves. So... may I have permission to marry your daughter?" Norman asked. Richard blinked a few times before scrunching his face in thought.

"No." He replied bluntly. Norman felt his chest tighten before Richard burst out laughing. "I'm kidding, I promise. Donna told me your reason for coming over and I knew right away I'd say yes. Even just thinking of asking me is something I appreciate. Now, when do you plan on asking her?"

Norman allowed himself to relax.

"Tonight, after dinner. I'm taking her to the lakeside of Strawberry Fields. It's one of our favorite places to go." He replied.

"And I assume you have the ring?"

"Right here." Norman pulled it out of his pocket, letting Richard open the small box. He pulled it out and examined it. One small diamond in the middle framed by two tiny blue gems on either side.

"You know her well; she likes simplicity in her appearance, even if she has access to fancier. She'll love it."

"Dad, do you want Italian or balsamic vinegar?" Keira asked, popping her head around the corner. Norman snatched the ring back and snapped the box shut, determined to not let Keira see it.

"Balsamic. Thanks, kiddo." Richard replied.

"What are you two up to?" She asked, noticing Norman's hunched posture facing away from her. He opened his mouth to reply, but Richard spoke first.

"Oh, just looking at our teeth." He said. Keira raised an eyebrow, Norman fighting the urge to laugh.

"Okay... anyways, dinner's almost ready." Keira said, a suspicious tone in her voice. She retreated just before Norman finally let out a wheeze.

"Teeth?" He asked.

"You've got some nice ones, son. Besides, I doubt you had anything better." Richard replied, standing up and leaving. Norman remained for a moment, slightly dumbstruck. Glancing back down at the small box, he stuffed it back in his pocket and followed after.

***

Maybe Keira was a little suspicious about her dad's strange excuse or her parents being a little too eager to send them on their way. She chose to just ignore it, knowing how her parents could be sometimes. Dusk was settling in by the time they left the house. When Norman suggested finding their bench in Strawberry Fields, Keira was a little surprised at first, but eventually agreed.

The drive over was mostly silent, likely because Norman was too anxious to say much. He briefly considered waiting until the next night, noting Keira's yawn. The car stopped before he could make the decision to turn back in the direction of home. Too late to turn back now.

The dim yellow lampposts lit the path after night had fully fallen. It was relatively quiet, only the sounds of distant cars on the roads and maybe other people far away once in a while. Keira seemed to relish in the peace and quiet, none the wiser to how nervous Norman was. He honestly couldn't understand why he was so anxious; this wasn't his first proposal.

"How's your finger?" He asked, choosing a softball question to start. Keira flexed her right pointer finger wrapped in a rubber cover holding a bandage in place.

"It doesn't even hurt. Cardboard moving boxes are killers." She smiled, picking at the bottom ring. "It's overkill, but most of the time when I wear just a band-aid, it gets unstuck and I wasn't gonna risk getting a chemical in the cut."

"You have sweaty hands; it nulls the adhesive."

"Maybe." Almost as if corroborating the point, Keira gently grabbed Norman's hand as they continued down the path in search of their bench. When it eventually came into view, they sat down, basking in the near silence around them. Crickets chirping, cars running, and the faint smell of the roses nearby. Keira breathed in a deep breath, closing her eyes and leaning back on the bench. She smiled gently, lost in her own world.

Norman just watched her, observing her mindful stance with admiration. Knowing there was no better time, he began to move before he was stopped.

"Here comes the Sun, doo-doo-doo-doo. Here comes the Sun and I say it's all right." Keira sang under her breath, scarcely louder than a mumble. As the months had gone by, Keira had gotten more comfortable showing off her passion for singing in front of Norman. Even still, Norman still listened as though it was something forbidden, a Siren luring an unsuspecting victim to her jagged rocks to crash. "Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter. Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here."

Norman almost forgot what he was doing until he glanced at her bandaged finger. His pulse jumped for a moment before composing himself, Keira's singing reinforcing his confidence in what he was trying to do.

Keira finished the song, letting the silence follow after she came out of her stupor. Her smile relaxed as her eyes opened. She turned to face Norman only to notice he wasn't right next to her. She didn't have to look very far, spotting him at her feet looking up at her as if she had painted the stars in the sky for him. At first confused, she eventually noticed the small box gripped in his hand and started putting the pieces together.

"Keira, I'm not exactly good with words and try as I may, I don't always have the answers or know exactly what to do. But I do know that this is what I should be doing and I want to find those answers with you. So..." Norman paused to open the box, revealing the ring as Keira's eyes filmed over with tears. "Will you marry me?"

Keira knew her answer before Norman had even finished the question. Her heart felt like it had burst open before she could even open her mouth. As such, she launched out of her seat, tackling him to the ground with an enthusiastic "yes!" Norman laughed as they touched foreheads together, the thick frames of Keira's glasses close enough to distort his vision. He kissed her gently before sliding the ring onto her finger. Despite being on the ground, they were comfortable in each other's embrace.

"Yes." Keira repeated with a wide smile. "Yes, I will."

***

Keira and Norman knew they could have made the wedding anything they wanted. They had the funds and resources to do so. The only problem was their own impatience. They wanted to be married as soon as possible, regardless of schedules. So, it was decided they would go to the courthouse to get married and then have a reception later on when they had the time to plan.

The conflict on Yvette's face when Keira had told her was priceless. On one hand, she was the first to tease Keira about her then just blossoming crush morphing into marriage as had happened. On the other, she had made it clear several times in these taunts that she wanted to be at said wedding. She was placated quickly after Keira offered to let Yvette act as her witness... and that they would do a party at a later date.

"Maybe I should quit and become a fortune teller at one of those trashy voodoo places." Yvette said. "I clearly have a gift."

"Okay, go make something explode before collecting your paycheck and then revisit that idea." Keira said, smirking.

"Smartass." Yvette muttered.

"Be a bitch again and I'm making Ethan my witness."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Try me."

By the time Friday came, the marriage license had been acquired and given the subsequent 24 hour wait period. Since the ceremony would be right after they got off work, Keira and Norman arrived at the courthouse wearing their lab coats, cheesy as it may be. Yvette had forced a short veil onto Keira's hair while the paperwork was processed.

There were only five other people aside from Keira and Norman in attendance. Yvette, Siobhan, Keira's parents, and the slightly squirming Harry. Keira could hear her mom gushing about how adorable the kid was, making her smile. She faced Norman, both of them beaming while the judge prepared their vows.

"Keira Emily Browning, do you take Norman to be your lawfully wedded husband to have and to hold from this day forward?"

"I do." Keira said, grinning from ear to ear.

"And do you, Norman Virgil Osborn, take Keira to be your lawfully wedded wife to have and to hold from this day forward?"

"I do." Norman looked at Keira with equal enthusiasm.

"Then by the power vested in me by the state of New York, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Neither of them spared a second of hesitation as they went in for the kiss.

"Just remember I called it! I totally called them getting hitched!" Yvette said loudly.

"Shut up, Vette." Keira said before Norman pulled her back in for another kiss.

***

Being used to a small apartment, Keira felt like the penthouse was going to swallow her whole. She had moved in even before the wedding, and yet she felt like she would never get used to it, even now, a few weeks into the marriage.

It was absurdly late at night. Keira was alone in the kitchen while Norman was asleep in their bed upstairs. She poked at the slice of leftover cake from their reception with the fork she had, the lamp on the counter being the only light source in the dark house.

She finished the cake on the plate, scraping the extra frosting off of it with the fork in her hand. Keira wasn't eating out of depression, of course; she had never been happier. Late night cravings would sometimes kick up at random when she knew there was something sweet to eat, even as a teenager. It's the reason why her dad always bought cakes and cookies with the extra loud plastic containers.

"Dad says no sweets after bedtime." A boy's voice said behind Keira. She jumped, nearly dropping the plate in her hand. Spotting Harry at the entrance to the kitchen, she let out a soft laugh as she put the plate in the sink.

"For you, no. But once you get older, you can eat whatever you want whenever you want. Including cake." She ate the rest of the frosting off of her fork before laying it next to the plate. "Speaking of beds, shouldn't you be in yours?"

"Can't sleep." Harry shrugged. Keira frowned.

"Nightmares?" She asked.

"Sometimes. Not tonight though."

"But you're worried that you'll get nightmares when you go to sleep?"

"A little bit."

"Well, is there anything you're scared of seeing specifically?" Keira asked, taking Harry's hand and leading him back upstairs to his room.

"Sometimes I see a creepy green monster wearing a purple hat and shorts." Harry admitted.

"Sounds like the scariest thing about that are the purple shorts." Keira laughed. "Such demons don't exist. They can't hurt you."

"I wish I didn't have so many bad dreams, Keira."

"Unfortunately it comes with having a hyperactive imagination. I had the same problem as a kid and I still do. Lizard people and sticky black goo monsters only torment you in your mind. Once you wake up, they're gone."

"Yeah, I know." Harry said as he and Keira went inside his room. He climbed into bed and Keira pulled the covers up high, kneeling next to the bed. She sighed and looked at Harry.

"Harry... look, I know this is a bit of a strange time right now. But I want you to know that I'm here for you. I may not have given birth to you, but I'm still gonna make sure you're okay." She said.

"It's just... going a bit fast. I haven't had a mom in several years, and suddenly you come along a few months ago."

"I get it. I kind of wish your dad had introduced us earlier. But I married your dad for a reason, and you come with that. Someday you're going to find someone who will make you feel like your dad makes me feel. You'll understand then. I'm not trying to replace your mom, I'm just..." She trailed off, unable to find the right word.

"You realized that's kind of what you are, didn't you?" Harry asked. Keira smiled at him.

"You're one smart kiddo." She said. "I'm not meaning it like that, but you're my responsibility now, too. I knew this walking in. I consider myself pretty lucky, really. I get to marry your dad and I get a pretty cool kid out of it, too." Keira poked Harry's shoulder, making him laugh. "Like it or not, you're my kiddo now, and I'm gonna make sure you can say you have a good mother figure in your life. I'm gonna make your mom proud, and that means protecting you, too."

Harry looked at her for a second before reaching over and hugging her, only really able to reach her neck.

"Thanks, Mom." He said. Keira's eyes watered as Harry let go, laying back down in his bed. She wiped her eyes and tucked him back in.

"Tell ya what, kiddo. I'll help you get to sleep so you can fight your nightmares." Keira said, sitting on the foot of the bed. Harry nodded, closing his eyes and settling in. She held off stroking his hair as her mother would do to her when helping her sleep. Once they got more comfortable with each other, then maybe.

"I have a dream, a song to sing, to help me cope, with anything. If you see the wonder, of a fairy tale, you can take the future, even if you fail. I believe in angels, something good in everything I see. I believe in angels. When I know the time is right for me, I'll cross the stream, I have a dream." She sang quietly. As a college student, the song would help her through anxious periods, so she figured it could help Harry, at least a little.

Sure enough, the kid was asleep. She smiled, finding comfort in his peaceful face. Keira stood up and left the room to find her and Norman's room just around the corner. When she stepped inside to see her husband's sleeping visage, she couldn't help but notice how similar he and Harry really were. Yawning, she slid under the covers and curled up closer to Norman.

Her eyelids fell as she went into sleep's embrace, content.