bakerstreet | The Forced Family Unit Meme

The Forced Family Unit Meme

The Not So Happily Married Meme

(or the FORCED FAMILY UNIT meme)

Let's get one thing straight. Not all marriages are happy. They don't start with love, and they don't end with it. In fact, some marriages are more arrangements that anything. Whether it be through the will of an iron-fisted totalitarian government or something as ancient as tradition, people end up stuck. And now, you're one of them. Maybe you were assigned you partner. Maybe your parents picked them out. Maybe it's something different all together. But no matter what, you're going to be with them in some shape, fashion, or form.

So, what can you do? Do you just deal with it? Try to find a way out? Or worst of all, do you blame your so-called "spouse" for all this? You'll have to do something.

HOW TO PLAY;
1. Comment with your characters, putting any preferences you have in the subject. These are your OOC preferences, however. Remember, in meme your character's preferences won't matter.

2. Reply to others! You can use the RNG to roll for the WHY (why are your characters in this mess), the WHEN (what stage are they at), and the HOW (how do they feel about their partner). Or just wing it.

3. The fun of this meme is putting together characters who would normally never be together or have no business getting married, whether it be cross-canon, enemies, or strangers. But feel free to do what you want. Unlike your characters, you're never forced.

4. This is not a smut meme, nor is it a romance meme. There is a smut option and a romance option, but neither are required. The focus here is on CR and coping with situations that might be fairly unpleasant.

5. Have fun! And by that, I mean be miserable.

WHY;
1. GOVERNMENT: You live in a world where all aspects of life are controlled by the government. This includes who you're matched up with. Take "government" to mean anything you want it to, whether that be actual government or something like gods.

2. ARRANGED: Due to your culture, status, or family, you have an arranged marriage. Your significant other was picked out long before now.

3. SOLD: One of you belongs to the other in some way. At any rate, it's not a completely consensual arrangement.

4. KEEPING UP APPEARANCES: You don't particularly care for this person, but you have to look good for some reason. They'll do for that.

5. SHOTGUN WEDDING: Because of outside circumstances (read: an unplanned child), you're stuck together.

6. CURSED/POTION: At least one of you is under the effects of a curse or potion that binds you both.

7. THE BEST I COULD GET: Either one of you or both of you are settling. This is just a marriage of convenience.

8. Wildcard/free space.

WHEN;
1. JUST MET: You've never seen this person that you're engaged, intended, or assigned to. This is your first meeting.

2. JUST MARRIED: Ceremony or knot, you've just tied it.

3. CONSUMMATE: What's a married live without consummating the union? Whether it's for some kind of ritual, a fulfillment of a contract, or the need to produce offspring to become workers, you have to come together.

4. IN THE FAMILY WAY: Congratulations! You're about to bring a child into this (potentially loveless) family. Are you proud?

5. MARRIED WITH CHILDREN: You have kids already. They might be biological, or they might be state-assigned. How's the family life going?

6. FILLING YOUR ROLE: The two of you have a job or purpose, such as starting a business.

7. TRYING TO ESCAPE: You have to get out. You can't take this life anymore.

8. THERE'S SOMEONE ELSE: Since you didn't ask for this marriage, one of you has a lover on the side. Do you tell your spouse upfront, or do they find out themselves?

9. Wildcard/free space

HOW;
1. STRANGERS: You hardly know this person. Getting to know them is important (since you're only going to be spending the rest of your lives together) , but are you willing to put forth the effort for that?

2. HATE: They've ruined your life. Maybe not directly, but they're there and that's enough.

3. LOVE: There might be a light at the end of the tunnel. Perhaps you do love each other, or you're at least learning to do so.

4. IN THIS TOGETHER: It may not be perfect, and you might not be be in love, but you're making it work for yourselves or for any children you might have. And hey, sometimes friendship like that can be a strong enough bond.

5. Wildcard/free space

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Howard swore to God he had not had a drink today. Not a single sip of scotch at lunch, not even one when he was meeting with the investors. He hadn't stopped for a beer on his way to the labs with the fellows, or even had a shot from his flask at work. Far too much to do to pause for the bottle today - it was move, move, move.

In fact, this evening was supposed to go the same way - Inara had an event for her House, he promised he would be home in time, and so he literally came through the door at a run, and up to the bedroom that they shared. He was ranting apologies for being late, heading straight for the closet, talking the whole while.

" -- and then of course Olson had to show me the math for the whole damned thing, so there we are, and I'm checking my watch but he's not explaining it any faster - anyways I think we'll be all right for time but I hope they've got some grub there, darling, because I'm famished and dry as a well in Texas."

He popped his head back out a moment later, sans pants and in his dress shirt, because there hadn't been a word from her. "Hey, you alive out there? Are you mad? I am sorry, sweetheart."

Inara was sitting on the bed, still in her dressing gown. Her hair was up, but she clearly wasn't ready to go herself. The lovely gown selected for the event was lying on the bed next to her. She'd spent most of the day rehearsing what she was going to say, but now that he was here?

She shook her head quickly when he popped back out, half dressed and concerned. "No! No, I'm not mad at you. Nothing like that. I just . . . "

The former Companion finally looked up at him. "We need to talk. Before we go out." Because she couldn't put on her professional face when she was this distracted.

"You know, that's a phrase a man never wants to hear out of his lady's mouth. 'We need to talk'." He exited warily, carrying his dress pants over his arm as he went to join her on the bed.

"I'm going to assume you're not leaving me - because you're in a dressing gown and not an actual gown -- did you crash one of the cars? Because as long as you're all right and whoever you hit is all right, you know I don't care, yes? It's just a thing."

"Yes, I know, but in this case, it's a true statement." She kept her hands folded in her lap, keeping her famous calm but it was a stretch. A curl of hair was tucked behind her ear, an old tell that he hadn't seen in months.

"Why would you assume that I crashed one of the cars? Of the two of us, I am the least likely to crash a car." She spared him an exasperated look before reorganizing her thoughts. It would be for the best to just say it, right? Inara took a deep breath and looked up to meet his eyes. "I'm pregnant."

"Fair enough - I'm here - I'm listening - it's obviously not something with the car ..." No, it was definitely bigger because that curl was tucked behind her ear. A clear sign that something was agitating her.

"And I only bring up the car because there are so few other things you could tell me that would upset ... me ... I'm sorry?" He blinked at her, reminding himself that he was completely and totally sober right now. "I mean - you're - I'm going to be - are you sure?"

He seemed to be taking that fairly well. Or he hadn't processed what she'd said, one or the other. "I'm hoping you're not terribly upset, it's not what I had planned. Not right now, anyway." In the future, certainly, they had talked about it. But she had taken steps to make sure that she didn't get pregnant before they had discussed it.

There was a saying about making plans and gods laughing . . .

"I saw a doctor today. I didn't want to mention it, since I was certain it was a false alarm. I was wrong. The doctor seemed confident in his diagnosis."

"Oh."

His eyes went a little wider, as he stood up, and then abruptly sat back down again. "Oh .... damn. Oh Damn." He put his hands into his hair, and then ran them back abruptly. "This is - ah - well - I - okay. Okay. We can make this okay. I'll have to call a few people, get the ball rolling ..."

He stood up again, and put his pants aside, before looking at her, staring at her. "This is totally real. You're .... you're having our baby?"

Well, maybe he wasn't taking it well after all. Inara kept her hands in her lap, her eyes sliding down to study them. She didn't think he was suggesting she end the pregnancy, and she would never agree to that anyway. He sounded rather overwhelmed and not overly pleased.

"Yes, this is real. I am pregnant, and as you're the only man I've been with in quite some time . . . " It was clearly his. If her birth control was going to fail, at least it wasn't while she was a Companion. "I understand if this is too soon for you."

"What? Oh - well - it's ahead of schedule ... I just ... I wanted it to be a little more romantic? You know - not a - got to get this under the gun sort of thing." He sighed, softly, before he got down on one knee in front of her. "But regardless of my 'Grand Plans', I want to do this right. And I want you to know I was planning on doing this anyways? This just ... bumped up the plans by a few months, is all. I was trying to wait until Christmas. I'm sorry I don't have a ring ... but we can go shopping tomorrow."

He looked up at her, giving her a sheepish smile. "At any rate - as I'm making a complete hash out of my first proposal - might as well go the whole hog. Will you marry me?"

It was Inara's turn to blink at him, mouth hanging open slightly. Yes, they had discussed getting married, but she didn't expect him to propose to her in that moment. Even with the planning and preparation, she felt her heart hammer against her ribs when he got down on one knee.

"The ring is not the part that's important." She slid her hands up his arms so that she could lean into him. "And yes, I will marry you. Sooner than either of us planned, but there are worse things." They had been living like a married couple, anyway. It would make very little difference, but it would mean a new last name and she took oaths very seriously.

She leaned in to kiss that sheepish smile gently. "You're not upset?"

"No, why would I be?" He gave her a bright smile, if not puzzled at her question, before it clicked together. "Oh! No - no - kui'ui'lei ... we're spending the rest of our lives together - this is just the next step. I'm only upset that we've got to rush through the early parts - the engagement, the marriage."

He grinned a little wider, before kissing her again. "But the bun in the oven? Nope. Just - ah - how many months along? Did the doctor say? Did he say everything was all right?"

"I certainly didn't plan for this to happen right now." But she didn't mind, now that he was smiling at her and she knew that this wouldn't go to a dark place. The tension in her shoulders eased and she allowed herself a faint tremor of excitement.

"About two months by my guess. I was wondering, and then I started to feel queasy in the mornings, so I went in to the doctor. He says that I'm quite healthy and he's certain that everything will be fine." She set her hand against her belly. She wasn't showing at all, especially not in a dressing gown, but she was still adjusting to the idea.

"Well, it's a blessing mixed in with a little panic and a little fast hopping. I know you don't care, but it looks like we'll have to elope." He gnawed on his lower lip thoughtfully. "Just have to get the marriage license, the blood test. City Hall ... a little less fancy than I wanted, Beautiful. But I'll be with you, so you'll light the place right up. I doubt either one of us will even notice."

He looked a little shy, before he looked up at her, raising his hand. "Can I ... can I touch your stomach?"

"I'm sorry, baobei. I know you wanted something more than a quick elopement." It wasn't something she could truly control, unless she had thrown him out of her bed. Something that neither of them would do willingly or would be able to keep up for long.

She laughed, catching his hand with hers. "That is the first time you've ever asked to touch me anywhere, husband. Of course you can. I am not that delicate. There's nothing to really feel." She set their hands against her stomach.

"I did, but I get you, so I think I'm getting the better of the deal." Neither one of them was good at being without one another now - and birth control - such as it was - wasn't fool proof. It was bound to happen.

"Well, my darling wife," and he savored that phrase, because it would be soon enough, "I'd rather ask permission than have a ringing ear from you smacking me for putting my head on your belly." He felt her stomach, still flat, but still... he leaned in, and whispered, "Hello there, little Stark, and yes, I promise you'll be a Stark when you get out of there ... I'm your Daddy. You've just made it possible for me to marry your Mommy, so thanks kid. I'll buy you a pony later."

"You can throw a grand reception afterward, spin a tale about how we just couldn't wait. Everyone will think it is terribly romantic and will laugh at how impulsive you are. Then you can have your grand affair." And it would be a grand affair, with most of Inara's House turning up and all of Howard's powerful and wealthy connections.

She gently smacked his shoulder. "You were going to marry me either way, husband. There is no need to promise ponies for that. No ponies until at least four years old."

"Oh now that's a great idea - and that's what we'll do to appease my mother, your House friends, and of course everyone who will want to suck up to you by buying you an expensive wedding present. Good thing I have a reputation of being horribly impulsive." He grinned up at her, before kissing her hand. "I will be buying you a ring, though. Something old fashioned and simple for this hand, I think. And a plain gold band for both."

He laughed quietly as she smacked him. "True enough - and you should know little Stark that Mommy can always tell when I'm lying. You're a little early, but I was going to marry Mommy anyways." He whispered to her stomach. "You're still going to get the pony though. When you're four."

"Oh, yes, we will need to appease your mother. Quite a bit. If you'll handle the elopement, I'll handle the reception. We'll have a lot of ground to make up." His mother was a sweet lady, but she would not be happy about this sudden elopement. At all. "It would be expected that I have an appropriate mark to my new status as Mrs. Stark. Which still sounds odd."

She sighed, running her hand along his cheek and managing to look both adoring and exasperated at the same time. "Can you at least wait until after the birth to begin the outrageous spoiling?"

"I will get off my knees in a few minutes and start making calls -- which will give you more time to get dressed for our party. Then tomorrow we can do blood tests, go ring shopping, and I will take you out for a very nice engagement lunch where we can talk about names for little Stark." He leaned in to kiss her belly gently, before resting his head there.

That got another laugh from him. "Only if you let me buy you a very expensive dress for our City Hall wedding. If I can't spoil one Stark, I should spoil the other ... say, did you want to be Mrs. Stark? Or did you want to be Hollywood about it, and keep your name? Or use your name for professional purposes and use my name for every day?" He leaned on her lap, looking up. "I guess you could be Inara Serra-Stark ...and you love it when I'm spoiling you, and our future baby, because you know that's just how excited I am about being a father."

"I almost forgot about the party." Inara laughed quietly, shaking her head. It seemed surreal to worry about finishing dressing for one of her events after the conversation they'd had. Her timing did occasionally leave something to be desired. She dropped a quick kiss on his lips. "Tomorrow will be a hectic day, and I can't say that I'm looking forward to another visit with a doctor."

"I think I'd like to be Mrs. Stark, at least for most purposes. I doubt I will stop being Inara Serra professionally any time in the future." Serra-Stark just sounded odd to her and made things overly complicated. "I'm very happy that you're still so excited when it's more than just an abstract idea."

"I haven't - I'm starving." He grinned, fierce with joy. He returned that kiss - pressing his lips happily against hers. "Yes, absolutely hectic, but very much fun, and you're not the only one who's going to get jabbed."

He said that a few times, before smiling warmly, "I think I'll just call you 'my darling wife'. Because it will be true." He rose to his feet, and taking her hands, pulled her up so he could kiss her. "Well, it's still pretty abstract, if only because you don't even look a day pregnant, much less two months, and I still won't be able to tell anyone for another month beyond that. You know, I'm sort of surprised I've done so well not asking you to marry me until now - as I'm horrible at waiting."

He leaned his forehead against hers. "So where are we going on our honeymoon, my darling wife."

"I won't keep you from your dinner longer than necessary. And may I remind you, I was the one that had to see a doctor already. It makes a difference."

She kissed him back happily, enjoying his excitement at this turn of events. "We'll just keep things quiet for as long as possible, and then I'll excuse myself from society. Hopefully, not too many people will be able to count on their fingers." Not that it bothered her one way or the other, but it would bother Howard and his family.

"We could always go back to Paris so I can play tourist this time."

"This is why you're the best fiancee. And I will remind you of that, and make up for it, whatever way you like."

He closed his eyes, smiling happily as he thought of it. "Juuuuuuuust this side of scandal, but hey, that's where I usually live." He wasn't going to have anyone say anything about his future wife, nosiree. Or their child.

"I like it. Paris has been good for us."

"You'll make it up to me by being a charming date while I hold my little soiree for a group of trainees and hope they don't embarrass me more than necessary." She sighed and slipped far enough away to pick up the gown she'd picked out for the night.

"You would be bored if people weren't whispering. This is more fitting for your reputation than a drawn out engagement. People will be less shocked by this."

She stepped into the silk and turned her back to him so he could zip her dress up. "Paris it is."

"I will utterly charm your group of trainees, and give them excellent practice for your possible client pool." He went to grab the phone, flicking through his memory to his lawyer. He dialed to the operated, and asked for the appropriate connection, before resting the headset on his shoulder.

"True - I just don't want your reputation to take the hit because of mine." Which was utterly true - Inara had a sparkling reputation next to his, and he wanted to keep it that way. She took such pride in her work...

He leaned over and zipped her all the way up, pressing a kiss to her shoulder. "I'll make a call - do you want to stay in my favorite place or yours?"

Tin Roof Whaaaaaaaaaaaat?

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