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[everyonetakes]

It's still sort of hard to believe.

There are only a few people Kate has gone out of her way to tell about the fact that she and Newt are actually, seriously, for real engaged and it's not because she doesn't want to tell people, but just that she sort of wants to hold onto it on her own for a little while. She wants it just to be hers. She'd never really imagined herself getting married, but then, she'd never really imagined there was someone like Newt out there for her, so she knows plans change.

She knows things about her life, her family, she knows about the things she's done since coming to the island. The same sort of thing has happened to other people, too, and she's always been a little nervous, but it had turned out to be a good thing. She feels better for it. It's proof that her family, while irrevocably fucked up, is also still hers, no matter what happens to them. And even if she's not there with them, they love her, and she's okay. She's not as terrible at being an adult as she thinks.

So she's going to marry him even though her family isn't here to be with her, because she has other family now. People she loves, people she needs, people who are just as important and people she needs to tell about this whole thing.

So she sends a text asking them to meet her that evening at the really awesome diner not far from her apartment building. And she's nervous when she gets there, but she smiles in greeting and waves, and the ring flashes on her hand in a way she's still not used to.

Comments

[a_capella_boy]

If it was anyone else but Kate, Jesse might have blown them off. He still wasn't in the mood to be social, the struggle it took to fake that he wasn't miserable was exhausting. He still hadn't really told any of his friends that Rebekah was gone. While he wasn't hiding it he wasn't annoucning it because... because he wasn't sure exactly how he felt about it, other than crushed.

But Kate was Kate and if anyone could inadvertantly cheer him up for a bit, it was probably her. When he entered the diner he gave her a grin and a wave before sliding into the seat across from her in the booth.

"So this was kind of unexpected. Welcome, but unexpected. What's- oh my god he finally asked!" Jesse shouted, spotting the ring on her finger.

[everyonetakes]

"Oh, my god, you already knew?" she asks, slumping in the booth like she's totally defeated, which is so not the case. She's been on some kind of high since Newt asked, she's pretty sure, she hasn't had a bad day since then, and it actually doesn't surprise her all that much that other people knew he was going to ask. Newt's about the only person in the world she's met who talks as much as she does.

"Did he tell you? That's so not fair. Did like, everyone know except me?" She knows the point is that it should be a secret, but she wonders just how many people Newt told before he actually asked her. Probably half of Darrow. At least half her social circle.

[a_capella_boy]

"Only by accident!" Jesse said, raising his hands in a defensive gesture. It was probably not the sort of thing that you wanted to hear, that everyone was clued in to the fact that you were going to get married except for you. Still, she had to know it was probably coming, right?

"I came across him while he was looking at engagement rings. It's pretty much impossible to pretend you're doing anything other than shopping for engagement rings when someone sees you doing it. But show it to me proper like I haven't already seen it."

[everyonetakes]

"Ugh, forgiven, I guess," she says, but she's grinning as she leans her chin in her hands. There's a part of her that kind of likes the idea that her friends knew about it beforehand. That no one told Newt not to do it or, if they did, he didn't bother listening. Which is good, because if anyone out there told Newt not to ask her, it was bad advice.

"So, yeah... I guess I'm getting married." She says it sort of like a question, although it's not, she's obviously getting married and it's kind of a huge deal. Extending her hand across the table to Jesse, she can't help but admire the ring again. It's perfect. It's not the standard fare, it's not some plain, boring diamond, which she totally loves, because she knows it means Newt got something specifically for her.

[a_capella_boy]

Jesse couldn't deny that there was a bit of an ache in his heart at this, that it made him think of Rebekah and the conversations they had had about spending their lives together, unnaturally immortal. In hindsight it seemed kind of crazy, or at least very surreal. Jesse had been thinking of becoming a vampire. Craziness. But for Rebekah?

Anyway, this was Kate's moment and he wanted to be excited with her. And she was excited, he could tell, because this was an awesome moment and she and Newt were both crazy in love with each other and just belonged together. He hoped that neither of them would ever leave the city.

"You're going to be Mrs. Dr. Newt someday," he said with a grin as he admired the ring. "You could do a mash up of names? the Geizsons. Gregszlers?"

[pontmercyfriend]

Marius smiles reading the text from Kate, wondering briefly if Newt has finally asked her the important question. He makes his way to the diner, keen to enjoy Kate's company either way. He enters the diner nonchalantly, making his way over to the table where various other people sit. He spots Kate instantly, and as he heads in her direction, he catches a glimpse of a flash on her hand. His grin widens.

"I take it you have good news to share?" He asks.

[everyonetakes]

"Oh, my god, did you know already?" she asks, leaning her elbows on the table to look at Marius. She's glad he's come, she'd wanted to share the news with him, but it seems like he already knows and she's really going to have to talk to Newt about the fact that he totally hasn't left anyone for her to tell.

"Did Newt tell you?" she ask, grinning. "Wait, did he tell you before or after he asked?" She has to wonder how many people knew before she did. Not that she minds. She's way too pleased about life in general lately to actually be annoyed that she was totally the last to know.

[pontmercyfriend]

"Well, I was on my way home some nights ago now when I ran into Newt and he asked for ideas on how to propose," he admits with a sheepish grin. He remembers how nervous the other man seemed then; he is so glad to find that both Kate and Newt now are quite happy.

"So he did inform me before he proposed," he says. "But he never told me the idea he ultimately settled on to propose, so that part is still a mystery to me."

[everyonetakes]

"Oh, my god, he totally would," she says with a huff of laughter, trying to imagine Newt and Marius coming up with a way to do it. "It was... it was totally sweet. Up on the roof of the apartment building, which just seemed totally right. That's where he told me he loved me, that's where we had his birthday party. It was really nice." And she still can't quite believe she's actually engaged.

"My parents would be flipping out right now, wow," she says with another laugh.

[jianhuo]

Saffron has an idea of why Kate might be asking to meet her, and when she returns Kate's wave and goes over to join her her suspicion is confirmed when she catches sight of a familiar ring on Kate's hand. She doesn't say anything, though, just smiles and hugs her before sliding into the booth across from her. Getting engaged is a big deal to most girls, and Saffron doesn't want to steal the thunder of her announcement.

"Hi, honey," she says cheerily, ordering a water when the waiter comes by to see what they want to drink. "I'm glad you texted me, we should get together more often."

[everyonetakes]

They definitely should and Kate knows she's supposed to ask about Helen's day and see how she's doing, but she's pretty convinced Newt has already told like, half of Darrow that he was going to ask her to marry him and she's sure most of their good friends already know. Still, she can't help but bounce in her seat a little as she says, "He totally already told you this was happening, didn't he?"

She doesn't mind. It's not like he's stolen her thunder or anything like that. She still has all the thunder. Or maybe Newt has a little, but that's okay, she's willing to share.

[jianhuo]

"He already told me what was happening? That we were meeting here for lunch?" Saffron replies with a perfect look of wide-eyed innocence, but a moment later it gives way to a sunny smile.

"I did know," she admits. "I ran into him when he was ring shopping. I didn't know when he was going to pop the question, though. Congratulations, I'm so happy for you!"

She decides to leave off the part where she and Derek hunted down the guy who stabbed Newt and got the ring back. That's his story to tell or not tell Kate as he chooses.

[everyonetakes]

"I knew it, I swear he told like, half the city," she says, but she's smiling as she speaks and she clearly doesn't mind. It's not the sort of thing she ever thought would happen to her, so she's not looking for the typical experience with engagement parties and bridesmaids and all that. Really, the only thing she wants out of being engaged to Newt is being married to him at the end of it all.

"But thank you," she adds. "It's totally unexpected and... god, my parents would kill me." They'd gotten married young, Tara had been only eighteen and Kate has three years on her there, but she knows a lot of people will still think she's too young to be doing this.

[babochka_x899]

Alex has been busy with a secret project the past couple of weeks, and she's just leaving an appointment when she gets Kate's text. She has the good luck of the diner being on her way home, but even if it hadn't been, she isn't going to ignore a text like that. A last minute invitation to dinner usually means something more, and when she finds Kate in the diner, Alex is quick to see what that more might be.

She crosses the diner quickly, her heels clicking quietly against the floor, and slides onto the booth bench opposite Kate. "Okay, spill," she invites, waving her hand in a gimme gesture. "Tell me everything. Let me see. You know, all that good kind of thing."

[everyonetakes]

People just seem to know, but Kate totally doesn't mind, because everyone always seems so excited for her, too. She grins, holding her hand out toward Alex, the blue diamond glinting in the light and she still doesn't know how he picked exactly the right ring for her, but he did. He got it perfect without Kate even being aware there was a perfect.

"Did you know?" she asks. "Because I'm pretty sure like, half of Darrow has known for ages." And yet she doesn't mind at all. It just means he was excited or nervous or both and she totally understands that.

[babochka_x899]

"It's beautiful," Alex says first as she admires the ring. It's maybe not a surprise her thoughts go back to Michael and Nikita, and she hopes, whatever else happened after she left, they have managed to stay together.

"And no, I didn't. I had no idea. Maybe this will finally convince Newt I'm not the spy he thinks I am." She hasn't been checking in with Newt as much as she should have recently, so many it's not a shock she didn't know. Of course, it's also not a shock that half of Darrow might know. Newt's not exactly the most secretive when he's excited. And Newt was always excited about something.

"I'm so happy for you. Did you know? I mean, was this all planned out and carefully discussed and everything, or was it some big surprise?" She's betting on surprise, but she also doubts it beats taking down a Hong Kong police detective in order to get the ring back, while handcuffed and escaping from custody. It's just a feeling Alex has.

[everyonetakes]

"I had no idea," Kate says honestly and it's not like she's completely surprised, but she really hadn't known. The truth is, she and Newt have talked about it here and there, about how there's no one else they'd rather be with, that they're happy, that, as long as Darrow allows it, they want to be together. She looks ahead to her future and she sees him there and it's not scary, it's not overwhelming, it just is. But marriage had never come up.

"The only thing we really talked about was that we definitely don't want kids," she admits. "And only because I sort of thought I might be pregnant for a little bit. I mean, I wasn't, which was good, but it's kinda hard not to have that conversation when something like that happens. But getting married? No, we never talked about it."

[fuck_it]

Chris is already there when Kate turns up, and he's stacking sugar packets on the diner table in front of him. He's only been able to mange to get about seven to stack before the whole little pile topples over, but he's convinced that he's gonna get all the ones in the little ceramic holder in one neat stack before he leaves.

He's crouched down in the booth so he can see his little stack at eye level when Kate walks in and he notices her waving just there in his line of sight. He sits up a bit and waves back, but in the process bumps the table and the packets go sliding onto the table.

"Bollocks," he says, under his breath.

[everyonetakes]

"How many have you gotten piled up?" she asks as she slides into the booth across from Chris, because yeah, she has some pretty big news, but it can wait. That's sort of the beauty of her friendship with Chris; they can talk about the most random shit and it just feels right.

Of course, there's the part of her that's a little nervous about telling people, too. She's sure everyone will be happy for them, but at the same time she knows she's young and she knows what some people might think and she's just kind of nervous.

[fuck_it]

"Seven," Chris admits, and he's disappointed, 'cause it's not enough, compared to how many he's got on the table, "They've got to make them so they can't be stacked on purpose or something. This is shit."

He can't think of why they might do that, though, so maybe he's just coming up with excuses for why he can't manage more.

[everyonetakes]

"They're probably made that way just to fuck with you," she agrees with a bright smile before she wets her lips with the tip of her tongue after realizing just how dry they are. Her whole mouth feels kind of dry, actually, and she doesn't know why she's nervous, just that she sort of is.

"So, I kinda... I have a thing I have to tell you and... oh, fuck it," she says, then just lays her hands on the top of the table, showing Chris the ring. She's not usually so bad with words, but she figures the ring is a pretty clear indication of what she's trying to tell him.

[unrestraint]

Korra's been around long enough to pick up on most of the customs that people in Darrow hold, but it still takes her a moment before she really recognizes the ring on Kate's hand for what it is. Realization smacks into her a few steps away from the table, and Korra stops entirely, gawking before letting out a whoop and rushing to seat herself down next to Kate.

"Wait, is this? Are you guys," Korra stammers, reaching instinctively for Kate's hand, though for what reason she's not quite sure. Still, she squeezes it in her own, more focused on Kate's expression than the bauble for the moment. "Please tell me I don't have my traditions mixed up — you're getting married?"

[everyonetakes]

Kate laughs brightly, unable to help herself, because Korra seems so excited, so happy and she nods in response, squeezing her friend's hand in return. It's not that no one has allowed her to be excited about it -- they definitely have, her friends have all been great, they've all been happy for her -- but there's something different about Korra's brand of excitement. Something infectious and Kate dances a little in her seat.

"Yeah, we're getting married," she says, then laughs again, as if she can't quite believe it. Marriage isn't the sort of thing she ever imagined for herself. She thought she'd be one of those super awesome forever single women who did whatever the hell she wanted and while marriage was fine for others, it was never going to be for Kate.

And then she'd met Newt.

[unrestraint]

As someone who's always admired her parents' marriage and wants that for herself, there's nothing happier than seeing her friends realize a similar dream. Korra punches a hand into the air, letting out another loud whoop, and earning herself a few glares from fellow patrons in the process.

She can't be bothered to apologize.

"That's awesome," Korra declares, taking the time to look properly at the ring on Kate's hand. It's a different tradition than the betrothal rituals in the Water Tribes, but the theme is similar enough. A piece of jewelry, and one that looks pretty sturdy, at that. Korra chuckles to herself, imagining how Newt must have looked while trying to pick out a ring. "I'm so happy for you guys! I feel like you'll make an awesome married couple. I'd better be invited to the wedding, okay? I'll be the one obnoxiously cheering in the background for you two."

[everyonetakes]

Kate laughs, covering her face with her hands, but she's not really embarrassed. She's kind of enjoying Korra's reaction. Everyone's been really supportive, no one has told her it's a bad idea, but no one has quite reacted like Korra is either and it spikes the excitement in Kate's chest, makes her realize that she's really doing this. She's really getting married. She has really found someone she loves enough to promise as long as she has in this world to.

"Of course you're invited," she says, as if there was ever another option. "I can't do this without my friends." She knows there are people who run off and elope and while there's a part of her that can get behind the idea, it's not something she wants for herself. She doesn't want anything huge either, but she wants their friends to be there. She wants to celebrate. "But you have to stop cheering during like, all the legal stuff," she adds, teasing.