A
ll that I am...
Judy widened her eyes as he began to talk. She recognized that. Where did she recognize that from?
All that I was...
Wait.
All that I ever shall be...
Judy's eyes widened even more, ears pinning back as her heart nearly seized up. It felt like time itself nearly stopped. This was the vow Nick had explained to her when she was medicated and on the mend from being hit by the bus. What was he doing?! Judy glanced just slightly to the side at her smiling and oblivious parents, but Nick's mother was more or less behind her where she was standing.
I give unto thee.
Judy began to breath faster. She didn't know what she was supposed to even say back, wasn't there supposed to be a question asked first, then arrangements and planning? No, Nick said it was usually just the parents, and he made a point that he had to be looking into her eyes. She thought to look away, but that thought seemed... terrible. This moment was important to Nick, wasn't it? She couldn't just ruin it. Judy hadn't dated much before, sure, but she was positive this wasn't how it all worked.
To love and protect...
Judy's breath hitched. Her entire mind focused onto a single word. Love. She loved him. She wasn't able to deny that anymore, and the thought that he said that word to her, looking into her eyes, caused her to lock up. She couldn't speak, staring intently into his green eyes, not sure she was even breathing at that point.
To honor and to aid...
If she didn't say the words back was she ruining this? She felt a surge of panic running through her, her little nose beginning to wiggle. She couldn't ruin this.
Unconditional and unwavering in this life and the next...
This promise was for more than the span of his life. She remembered that. This wasn't a joke. This was not a situation where he'd pull out the coin and roll it around on his fingers with a smirk on his face. He'd never violate this tradition in front of his own mother like that. This was serious. This was actually happening.
... may Fate never bear us apart.
And the moment he said those words he leaned up and pulled Judy forward a little to where he was sitting on the couch, embracing her. She stood there, too stunned to speak, unable to move even to put her arms around the fox who just... what did he do? She didn't say anything back. Was that okay? Was it required? She didn't know enough to understand what just happened.
Nick leaned back again, wincing a little, seeming in pain since he'd not taken his medicine. Judy understood completely at that moment why. He wanted to be completely lucid for that. It was not a spur of the moment decision. He had thought about it. Judy realized suddenly she'd been crying, she didn't know when that started, so she wiped her cheeks.
Stu was the first to speak. "Well that sure was beautiful Nick. That's a right nice and proper show of gratitude and support. I think you two are gonna be just fine." Judy looked over to her parents. Her dad seemed happy, but her mom seemed a bit surprised. She would be a lot more surprised if she knew what more about it, Judy considered. She looked down, realizing she was still holding Nick's hand in hers. She turned a bit to look at Vivienne. She saw the lady fox dabbing her eyes gently with her long and elegant sleeve. She was smiling at least, so it didn't seem that Nick had done something that his mom thought was wrong, but it was still obviously important.
