Disclaimer: I own only my ideas.

Author's Note: I'm on a bit of a SimonxJeanette binge this week. For all you "Stolen" fans, I posted Chapter 4 yesterday. I hope you enjoy this one shot as much as I enjoyed writing it while eating cinnamon poptarts. :D

Hard to Concentrate

"Jeanette, would you like to go for a walk?" Simon asked of his girlfriend of nine years as he shut his college biology book. His final exam in intercellular research that would insure his future as a neural surgeon was tomorrow, as was Jeanette's exam to become an antiviral medication developer.

Jeanette had invited Simon over her house to study, since their exams were after spring break. Being the studious couple that they were, Simon and Jeanette had opted to stay home during their spring break, instead of partying in the Bahamas with their siblings, who didn't have exams for a few more weeks.

"That sounds like a brilliant idea," Jeanette smiled as she closed her own book of medicine that was resting on her lap, then stood up from her cozy nook in her living room couch. Simon stood up as well and took Jeanette's hand. They walked out of the Miller house, closed and locked the door, then were on their merry way.

It was a beautiful afternoon in May, despite the occasional breeze. Jeanette was dressed in a simple blue blouse and her trademark purple skirt. She had traded in her old purple legwarmers for bare legs and purple flats. Her glasses were still the same old pink frames, and Jeanette's normal messy bun was a bit neater. It was tied with the same purple ribbon Simon had given her when they were kids after she lost hers in an adventure instigated by none other than Alvin.

Simon was dressed simply in gray slacks and sneakers, with a long-sleeved white dress shirt under a simple blue cardigan. He had never lost his traditional blue glasses, and didn't see the point in getting a new, more in-style pair as suggested by Brittany.

The young couple crossed the street to their neighborhood's park, and held hands as they walked through their favorite place together. A few children were laughing on the swings, and some older kids were playing football in an open, grassy area. Jeanette stopped at her favorite spot.

A small garden kept by the Gardening Society of roses, tulips, sunflowers, marigolds, and carnations had instantly deemed themselves Jeanette's favorite part of the park since the first day she had moved into the town. The Gardening Society had a policy- if you pluck, you plant. Meaning if you were to pluck one of your favorite flowers, you had to plant a seed of the same kind in the spot you took it from. Many people didn't see the point in wasting their time and getting themselves dirty, but Jeanette loved the idea.

She knelt down and did her ritual. Jeanette plucked her favorite- a sky blue carnation with light purple tips- and took a seed of the same kind from the packets left in a corner of the small garden. She used a small trowel chained to the fence of the garden to bury the seed, and watered it with the watering can that had also been chained to the fence.

Jeanette smiled at her handiwork, then stood up and brushed herself off, rinsing her paws with the water in the watering can and drying them on her skirt. Simon had been smiling at her the entire time, admiring her loving nature and thinking of what a wonderful, nurturing mother she would be someday.

Jeanette stood up holding the carnation in her left paw, and held Simon's paw in her right. He smiled and kissed her cheek as they set off again down a more secluded path. Simon had made up his mind as to what he needed to do, and fingered a small velvet box in his pocket.

After a few more minutes of walking, Simon became frustrated when he couldn't find a single bench along the walkway. Suddenly an idea struck him, and he began leading Jeanette into the forest.

"Simon!" Jeanette called, alarmed at the sudden change in pace. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see," Simon said, flashing a boyish grin at his love. Jeanette decided that there was no harm in surprises, and followed him into the forest, grasping his hand to regain her balance when necessary.

Finally they stopped at an old sycamore tree, its limbs standing strong and proud. Memories flooded into Jeanette's mind as she delicately traced the solitary carving in the tree. It read "SS + JM" inside a heart; the most cliché of confessions, but sweet nonetheless.

"Do you remember what happened here?" Simon asked Jeanette, watching her from a few feet back.

"Of course," she said, turning around after placing the carnation on a low branch. "This is where you first told me that you loved me. But why are we here now? Reminiscing, are we?" Simon smiled, and took a few strides towards her.

"You could say that," he murmured, and wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her lips gently.

"Maybe we should reminisce more often, then," Jeanette said after Simon pulled away.

"Well," Simon began, leaning his forehead on hers, "I hope we have a lifetime for that."

Jeanette blushed a deep scarlet. They had spoken of marriage before, but knew they were much too young for that at the time. Then Jeanette began to question Simon's real motives for bringing her to the spot he had first told Jeanette of his deep feelings for her.

"I hope you realize how much I love you, Jeanette," Simon said softly, praying that his heart's palpitations wouldn't give him away. It was immensely hard to concentrate on his goal, however, when her perfect lips were only inches from his…

"And I hope you realize that I love you with all my heart, Simon," Jeanette replied, just as softly, reminding Simon of his purpose.

"I have never in my life seen a more beautiful girl, although you're a woman now, inside and out. Your kindness knows no bounds, and your intelligence far surpasses any woman I know. I feel so lucky that you fell in love with me, of anyone you could have chosen in the world." Simon pulled away, and took the small, black box out of his pocket while he knelt on his knee. Jeanette gasped in shock and anticipation.

"Jeanette Ann Miller…will you marry me?" Simon said, excitement rattling his voice and nerves shaking his body as he opened the box to reveal a small, yet delicately beautiful diamond on a silver band. Jeanette knelt on her knees and hugged Simon with all of her might.

"Yes!" she choked out in raw emotion. "Yes, yes, yes, a million times yes!"

That was all Simon needed. He stood up, and took Jeanette with him. He picked her up and twirled her around once, then set her down and kissed her with a passion Jeanette had never felt him use before. Perhaps the euphoria made it different, but neither of them cared.

After a long while, Simon broke away, struggling for breath, knowing he still had to finish his proposal properly. He slipped the ring onto the third finger of her delicate paw, then kissed it. Jeanette looked at her fiancé with admiration, but a sudden thought interrupted her dreamy state.

"When will we plan it for? We graduate in a month, and then we have to find jobs…" Jeanette thought, her hopes of being married that summer slowly diminishing. Simon then spoke as if to read her thoughts.

"I plan on making you my wife as soon as possible, don't worry," Simon said, kissing her head. "We'll marry in the summer, and the money I've been saving up from my part-time job at the campus bookstore will pay for the wedding and honeymoon, while the savings bonds Dave got us when we were kids, along with my portion of our band money, will be enough for us to live in our own apartment until our careers have kicked off. When we've saved up enough, we can move into a home of our own," Simon finished, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Wow…you've really thought this out. But you won't be on your own, you know. I have money from my sisters' band when we were kids, and I have extra money stowed away from my job at the café. We're in this together, Simon," Jeanette said firmly, and another rush of adoration for his fiancée hit him, along with the finality that he had indeed just successfully proposed to his high school sweetheart.

Simon held her close and whispered, "What on earth did I do to deserve you?"

"You were yourself," Jeanette whispered back, knowing that she had a lifetime to tell Simon how lucky she was to have him. Jeanette wrapped her arms around Simon's neck and kissed him tenderly, her ring glittering in the afternoon sun.

All I want is for you to be happy
And take this woman and make you my family
And finally you have found someone perfect
And finally you have found…
Yourself.

-from "Hard to Concentrate" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers