They Rule the Streets

“Is she going to tell?” Bill whispered, coming up behind Anna. Anna shook her head, leaning back so as to be wrapped in his embrace.

“She won’t tell. Bill, what are we going to do about the rumble? I can't stand knowin' someone is gonna get hurt! What if you or Jon gets hurt? Then what?”

“I’ll stop it,” Bill promised. “I’ll make sure it ends, no one gets hurt, nothin’.”

“And then?”

“I’ll come by for you!”

“I will wait on the roof,” Anna grinned, skipping past him to remove her apron.

“No, not the roof,” Bill insisted, helping her untie the laces. “I’ll stop by ya house!”

“You cannot! My mama,” Anna remarked, shocked. Bill stepped away, spinning around a wooden pillar.

“Then I’ll take you to my house!”

“Your mama,” Anna probed. Bill frowned, before his face lit up. He pulled a mannequin with a frilly green dress towards him, his arms wrapped tightly around it.

“She will come runnin’ from the kitchen,” Bill grinned, “Just to welcome you! She lives in the kitchen.”

“Dressed so eloquently?” Anna teased, raising an eyebrow.

“I had told her you were comin’. She look ya up and down, so try not to smile too much,” Bill smirked, placing his head over the empty space of the mannequin. “N’ then she’ll say ‘Too skinny. But pretty’.”

“Your mama,” Anna probed, moving closer, “Is she plump?”

“Fat.”

Anna moved closer to another mannequin, this one dressed in lavender. “I take after my mama, delicate boned.”

Bill moved closer to Anna and swooped in to kiss her. Anna moved out of the way, spinning behind the mannequin. “Not in front of mama!”

Her eye caught the vision of a mannequin dressed in suit and tails, complete with a top hat. “Oh, I would love t’see papa in this! Mama would ask about ya prospects.”

“Oh, many,” Bill nodded, moving closer still to Anna.

“And if ya go t’church.”

“Always!”

Anna lifted the hat from the mannequin, craning her head to hear the words she imagined he’d say. “Yes, papa might like you.”

“May I have ya daughter’s hand?” Bill asked, pantomiming a bow.

“He says yes!” Anna giggled as Bill pumped the empty sleeve up and down in happiness. “And ya mama?”

“I am afraid t’ask her,” admitted Bill shyly.

“Tell her she’s not gaining a daughter, she’s getting rid of a son!”

Bill shrugged and turned towards the mannequin, pointing quickly at Anna before spinning back around. “She says yes!”

“She has good taste,” Anna smirked.

“Here! Maid of Honor!” Bill shouted, grabbing a hot pink dressed mannequin and setting it next to the suit and dress of Anna’s parents. Anna murmured something about the color being bad for Phoebe, but ignored it.

“The best man, for Gabe!” Bill grinned as he dragged another mannequin next to his mother’s. “Sperm to worm!”

Anna grabbed a veil from one of the hooks and placed it on her head, before tossing the top hat from Papa to Bill. They met at the end of the line of mannequins, staring at each other. Moving slowly forward, they dropped to their knees, clasping hands.

“I, William, take thee, Anna…”

“I, Anna, take thee, William…”

“For richer, for poorer…”

“…In sickness and in health…”

“…To love and to honor…”

“…To hold and to keep…”

“…From each sun to each moon…”

“…From tomorrow to tomorrow…”

“…From now to forever…”

“…Till death do us part…”

“…With this ring I thee wed…”

“…With this ring, I thee wed.”

“Even death won’t separate us,” Bill whispered as they slipped imaginary rings onto each other’s fingers. Leaning down, Bill pressed his lips softly to Anna’s, relishing in the thoughts of love and marriage, together, forever.