Part One of Three

The nerves that Peter feel know no bounds. His hands shake on the steering wheel, and he grips it, forcing himself to calm. He takes deep breaths, drowning out the low music of the car's radio. New York traffic certainly isn't kind to a man with nerves such as these — that is, the kind that are absolutely through the roof.

He's going to ask today.

Not her. He suspects he'll feel ten times as nervous when that day comes, but today has to be got through first for that to happen. Today, in short, has to be perfect.

He told Grace a few days ago that he was going to take Morgan out today, which he's done a many times already, and Grace appreciates it and asks for pictures every time. It's a special day just for Morgan, to go to eat and shop and get her nails done and maybe see a movie, or whatever else she wants to do. A day to treat her like the princess that she is, as she deserves it — though not every day, of course; Pepper doesn't want him to completely spoil her, though he certainly doesn't mind to. Tony, he knows, would've supported Peter wholeheartedly. But Pepper always wins out, unless Grace manages to persuade her. She didn't in this case.

There's another purpose to this, however.

Peter is going to the house to pick up Morgan, where Pepper, Happy, and Rhodey will also be today, helping to start the set up for Grace's surprise birthday party tomorrow. Peter, when he last spoke to Pepper, convinced her to have Rhodey come to help out too, as he'll be gone with Morgan, and Grace can't help with her own surprise party.

In any case, she's actually working today, from home — specifically, from her apartment. That's where she does most of her work, though she sometimes has meetings and things of that nature.

It's been a year since she graduated with a Bachelor's in Art, and Peter graduated a few months ago with a BS in Chemistry. He plans to pursue a Master's, though whether that will be online or not, he isn't sure. He'll have to discuss it with Grace, provided everything goes well today and later on, when he'll be as nervous as humanly possible. He hopes he doesn't faint, if given the chance to get to that day.

Finally, thankfully, traffic thins out as he gets closer to the house, and he arrives at the lakeside cabin soon after. Rhodey and Happy's cars are parked outside, causing Peter's nerves to spike. After turning to the side, he parks his own car, then turns off the engine and gets out, his legs shaky. He tries to swallow his increased nerves as he walks up the stairs to the porch and knocks on the door, as it's locked and he knows they're home.

He can practically hear Morgan bounding down the stairs through the door, which she soon opens. Her wide smile helps to calm Peter a bit, and he leans down to hug her. "Hey, Morgs. You ready to go?"

She nods. "Yes!"

Pepper walks in from the kitchen with a laugh. "She's been ready for the past thirty minutes."

Peter smiles at that, then says, "Well, um, we aren't leaving just yet. I, uh... I have something I want to talk to you guys about first."

Pepper raises a brow in confusion. "Okay?"

"Can you, um, get Happy and Rhodey, too? In the living room?"

Pepper, still confused, nods. "Yeah, sure. They're setting up tables in the backyard." She leaves to house to go get them, and Morgan and Peter go to the living room.

Morgan sits on the couch while Peter paces nervously, and she looks at him with a raised brow, though she doesn't ask questions. She'll get answers soon enough.

Peter hears voices and footsteps in the kitchen, then Pepper, Happy, and Rhodey appear, all now looking at Peter. He wordlessly gestures to the couch, where they sit without so much as a word due to their confusion.

Peter closes his eyes, gathers his courage, and takes a deep breath.

"So," he begins, "I... I have a question that I want to ask you all. A, um, an important question..." Every rehearsal he did of this moment goes completely out the window, and he struggles for the words. "I..." He sighs. "You all know that I love Grace. Very much. And as the most important people in her life — her family — I have to ask you... for your blessing."

Tears prick Pepper's eyes. "You mean...?"

Peter nods. "I want to ask her to marry me. And I need your blessing to do that."

Pepper wipes her eyes with her hand, nodding. "Yes, Peter. Of course. You really didn't have to ask."

Happy smiles, his eyes glassy, too. "Of course, kid. There's nobody better for her."

Rhodey sighs, resisting the urge to cry as he jokes, "Shockingly, I can find no reason to object to this." He smiles. "Yes, Peter. You have my blessing."

"And Tony practically already gave it to you, in his message," Pepper half jokes.

Everyone turns to Morgan then, waiting for her response. She seems to be thinking, her brows scrunched as she looks up at the ceiling. Finally, she looks at Peter, and her face can't help but break into a smile. "Yes!" She jumps up and hugs him in excitement. Everyone else laughs, Peter in relief.

Rhodey looks at him when Morgan lets go. "So, where's the ring?"

Peter wipes his sweaty palms on his pants. "Oh, I haven't bought it yet. I was waiting for, well, this to go and get it."

Morgan's eyes widened. "Are we getting it today?"

Peter's mouth opens in surprise. "I- Well- I-I wasn't planning on it."

"So, when are you planning to propose?" Pepper asks with a raised brow.

Peter shrugs. "I'm not sure yet. I've been thinking about it a lot, but I can't decide."

"Why not tomorrow?" Morgan asks, all excitement. "It's her birthday! It'll be the best present ever!"

Peter smiles a little, though the thought sends a jolt through his heart. Tomorrow? But he isn't prepared — at all. He has to write a speech, and finding the perfect ring could take a while. "I-I mean, I don't- I don't have a speech prepared yet and the ring and all. I don't even know her ring size."

"Well, of course you don't, but-" Pepper starts, but Morgan takes off running upstairs, only to return a few moments later with a ring in her hand.

"Here," she says, handing it to Peter. "It was hers. She gave it to me before she moved out since I said I liked it."

Peter holds the ring in his hands, and the idea starts to settle in. Could he really propose tomorrow? If he could find a ring today and write down a speech tonight, he'd be all set. He could be engaged tomorrow — if she says yes.

"Come on, kid, why not?" Happy speaks up. "You don't even need a speech. Just... say what's on your heart in the moment. It'll be perfect. Everybody will be here."

Peter takes a moment to consider, then looks at Morgan. "This is really what you want to do today?"

She nods. "Yes."

A smile grows on his face. "Then, I guess we're gonna go buy a ring."

~~~~

"This is so crazy," Ned says, meeting Peter outside of the jewelry store — the same one Ned bought an engagement ring from a few months ago. Peter had called him on the way there, and, luckily, he was free today. "I thought you weren't gonna ask her for at least another few weeks."

Peter looks down at Morgan. "Yeah, well, somebody convinced me otherwise." She laughs at this, then leads the way into the jewelry store, beelining for the rings.

The jeweler looks at Peter and Ned, assuming she's with them. "Hello. How can I help you today?"

Peter smiles. "I'm looking for an engagement ring."

The woman smiles back at him, then gestures to where Morgan is looking. "Well, it seems she's already found most of our options, but there's some more over here." She points to it.

Peter nods at her. "Thank you."

As he stands next to Morgan, looking, the jeweler — her name tag reads Monica — asks, "Is there a particular style you're looking for?"

Peter doesn't know. He just figured he'd know when he saw it. But Morgan says, "Diamonds."

Peter can hear his wallet crying from inside his pocket, knowing some of these rings could easily be over ten thousand dollars. "Maybe... smaller diamonds. Medium-sized... Just... whatever feels right."

Ned, standing on Morgan's other side, points to a gold one with a heart-shaped diamond. "Oh, what about that one?"

Peter looks at it, then shakes his head. "No. I think I want a silver one."

"You want one made from silver or do you mean the color of it?" Monica asks.

"The color," Peter clarifies, albeit a bit confused.

Monica points out all of the silver-colored rings, and his eyes scan them all. He asks her to pull out the ones he likes.

He, Ned, and Morgan inspect them. Peter rules out the ones he decides he doesn't like as much up close, and then Morgan and Ned help him with the others. Ned rules out a few, and Morgan is very critical, paying close attention to the details.

"She isn't going to want a really big one," Morgan declares after a moment of thought. "It'll get in the way." That rules out a good bit.

Finally, they're down to two.

One has a silver piece that seems to be weaved around a strand of smaller diamonds, from one side of the round diamond to the other. The other is normal silver band, its circle completed by three rounded diamonds, the one in the middle being slightly bigger than the ones on the sides. More simple, yet beautiful.

"I don't know," Ned says. "This is totally up to you from here."

Peter looks at Morgan. "Morgs? What do you think?"

"I think I'm with Ned on this," she replies. "It's up to you now."

Peter sighs, trying to think. He looks down at the ring — the ring Grace gave to Morgan — that he's held the entire time.

It's a simple band, with red, probably inexpensive jewels in the middle.

Peter looks at his options, pictures them on Grace's finger.

He picks them both up, inspecting them, then sets them back down. Sighing, he looks at them for so long that his eyes slip past them, looking at the other rings sitting in the display below them.

And then he sees it. Tucked back into the corner, with all the other gold-colored ones.

"That one," he says. "I wanna see that one."

"I thought you said you didn't want gold?" Ned asks, watching as Monica takes out the ring Peter indicated.

"I thought I didn't," Peter replies, his eyes still on the ring. "But, I mean... look at it. It's perfect."

The gold band is normal on the bottom of the ring, but splits into golden leaves as it nears the jewel, two small diamonds within them on either side. The leaves encircle a light violet jewel, one that looks as if it could be a flower, especially with the leaves.

"It is," Morgan agrees, and Ned nods.

Peter takes a picture and sends it to Pepper, asking, 'What do you think?'

She responds quickly. 'It's beautiful! Happy and Rhodey like it, too.' Then, she adds, 'And I think Grace will love it.' Peter smiles.

"So this is the one?" Monica asks.

Peter nods. "That's the one."

She begins to put the others away, and, when she's finished, Peter holds out the ring he brought. "This should be her ring size, if you have time to resize the engagement ring."

Monica measures both rings, then nods. "Downsizing the ring should take about three hours, probably."

"That'll work," Peter says with a smile.

He pays for the ring before leaving the store, then spends time with Morgan and Ned for the next three hours — as Morgan wanted Ned to stay. The ring stays in the back of Peter's mind the whole time, and, even though he's having fun spending time with his best friend and Morgan, three hours feels like three years.

Finally, though, he has the ring. The ring.

And Grace will see it tomorrow.

~~~~

Getting Grace to the house for her party without her knowing why isn't a very difficult task; the party is being held on a Sunday afternoon, which is when Grace goes home to see her mom and sister every week anyway. Peter often comes with her, so it isn't odd for him to be coming with her today. She drives this time, though, which definitely keeps her from noticing how nervous Peter is. She talks to him about yesterday — his day with Morgan — and the piece she's currently working on. Peter tries to act normal.

When they arrive at the house, Grace's brows furrow at the cars outside — though there aren't as many as there are guests, to minimize the amount she'd see in the drive. "Who's here?" she asks, turning off the car.

Peter shrugs, getting out. "I don't know."

Curiously, she walks up to the front door, Peter behind her, then opens it, jumping back a little when people suddenly shout, "Surprise!"

"What in the world?" she says, looking around. The house is decorated in flowers. It makes Peter think of the ring in his pocket, as if he needs a reminder.

Pepper walks over and hugs Grace. "Happy birthday!"

Grace hugs her back. "I- Wow, this really is a total surprise. You guys got me."

Everyone is laughing and smiling as Pepper leads Grace further into the house and Peter closes the door behind him. He watches as Grace smilingly greets and jokes with everyone there.

There's Morgan, Happy, and Rhodey, of course. Then, Clint, Wanda, Sam, Bucky, and, shockingly, Carol, then, Stephen Strange — who has grown closer to the Starks in the past five years — Bruce, Ned, his fiancée Charlotte, MJ, Betty Brant, and, as another surprise, Hannah and Harley. Hannah's holding three-year-old Sammy on her hip, and Harley has a little bundle of joy in his arms.

When Grace sees them, her mouth drops open, and she runs and hugs them immediately, being mindful of the baby Harley's holding. She's not a year old yet.

"Aunt Gwace!" Sammy exclaims cutely, and Grace hugs him again.

"I can't believe you guys came!" she says. They still live in Tennessee, though not in Rose Hill anymore, due to Hannah and Harley's careers.

Harley shrugs. "Well, you only turn twenty seven once, so..."

"Plus, we knew you've been wanting to meet Ellie," Hannah adds.

Grace looks at the baby in Harley's arms, at her wide eyes and her little hands and her thin, blonde hair and everything. Grace looks as if she's going to cry. "Oh, my gosh, she's even cuter in person."

Harley laughs. "You wanna hold her?"

Grace nods. "Is that even a question?" Harley carefully passes Ellie to Grace, making sure she's holding her correctly. Ellie looks up at Grace and raises her hand to her face, almost as if she were waving. Grace turns to Peter, whose heart swells at the sight of her. "Peter, look."

Peter walks over and looks down at the baby in her arms with a smile. "Hey, Ellie. I'm Peter. Your Aunt Grace has shown me hundreds of pictures of you."

"Because your mom has so kindly and graciously sent them to me," Grace adds. She makes her next comment to Peter. "Gosh, she's so cute I could die."

Peter laughs, and Grace hands Ellie back to Harley so she can go to her mom and participate in her own birthday party, though she wouldn't mind just holding Ellie the whole time.

Everyone soon goes to the backyard where all the food is set up, along with a few games, like corn hole and ring toss. Then, Morgan and Sammy get impatient for cake, so Pepper gets the candles, matches, and a knife to cut it. Happy places the candles and Peter lights them.

"Wow, Grace," he says, blowing out the first match before the flame can lick his fingers, with at least half the candles left unlit, "you're so old I have to use two matches. Your birthday will be a fire hazard before you know it."

Grace rolls her eyes. "I don't know who in their right mind gave a baby matches in the first place."

Sam and Bucky bust out laughing, and everyone else laughs too, while Peter finishes lighting the candles. "You got me there."

Pepper gets her phone out to take a picture while everyone prepares to sing "Happy Birthday", but Grace makes sure that Peter is standing nowhere near her or the cake, as she's done every birthday he's been there since her sixteenth. It makes him laugh every time.

Finally, without any incident, the cake is cut and eaten, and now Morgan is insisting Grace open her presents. Peter's nerves, which had been subdued by all the distractions, rise again as they all walk back inside, and he holds the ring within his pocket in a clammy hand.

Grace opens her present from Pepper first, receiving a new laptop, which has been long overdo. Her current one is practically useless. Morgan made her a card, and it seems she's heading in the same direction as her sister in artistic ability, though she doesn't put as much focus on it as Grace did.

She gets books, clothes, gift cards, and a mug. All the while Peter's wrapped gift for her is in his one hand, and the other stays in his pocket. Grace doesn't seem to notice it.

Finally, his gift is the only one left. He hands it to her, and she unwraps it carefully, immediately laughing when she sees the cover of Michael Bublé's Call Me Irresponsible album, deluxe edition.

"It's signed," Peter explains, finding himself laughing due to Grace's contagious amusement.

"Wait, is the song-?" she cuts herself off, turning the album over, seeing "L O V E" on the track list. She laughs again. "How did you even get this?"

"EBay," Peter replies with a laugh.

She looks up at him, her eyes brightened by her amusement. She hugs him, saying, "Well, I can't wait to play this in the stereo that I don't have."

He laughs, taking his hand out of his pocket to hug her back, and the ring comes with it. Gathering his courage and fighting his nerves, he pulls back just enough to look at her face. "There's... There's one more thing."

She looks a bit confused for a moment, but then Peter steps back and sinks down on one knee. She gasps, drowning out a few others, and her hands fly to her mouth. "Peter."

Her reaction gives him hope, as her expression says that this isn't the worst thing that's ever happened to her in her whole life, and he presses on.

"Grace," he begins, "I don't... I don't even know what to say. I didn't write down a speech, I haven't planned out what I want to say. I was told to say what's on my heart. But... But what I feel about you can hardly be put into words. Grace, when I first met you... all I wanted was to know more. I wanted to know you. Everything about you. And even after all these years, I know I still don't know everything." He takes a deep breath. "Grace... you have no idea how much I love you. And I want to be able to learn more about you for the rest of my life. So..." His hands shaking, he opens the small box in his hands, revealing the ring. "Will you marry me?"

Unable to even speak, Grace nods, though she tries to choke out a, "Yes." Peter smiles so wide his cheeks hurt, and as he stands, he takes the ring from the box to put on her finger. So overwhelmed with happiness, she holds out her right hand, and Peter actually starts to puts the ring on her finger before she realizes it's the wrong hand and puts out her left instead, causing everyone to laugh.

Peter chuckles as he slips the ring on her finger, and it fits perfectly.

She hugs him tightly, never wanting to let go. He's here, and she has him, and she never wants to lose him again.

He pulls back to kiss her, and everyone is crying and some are cheering and others are taking pictures. Happy is videotaping the whole thing, though the camerawork got a bit shaky when he started crying.

Peter rests his forehead against Grace's, messing up her bangs, though neither of them care. "I love you, Grace Stark."

She looks into his loving, teary eyes, wanting to pinch herself to be sure this isn't a dream. "I love you, too, Peter Parker."