Songs About Us

Pairing: Stewart(Larry)/Donna(Petunia)
Setting: Post "It's A Meaningful Life"
Song: "Meant To Be" by Steven Curtis Chapman

What a day.

Well, when you start off your morning with a magical train ride that transports you into an alternate version of your life it's bound to be a long one regardless. Of course he was only actually "gone" for about an hour or so, but to him it felt like he was gone for a much longer time than that.

But regardless Stewart Green was just happy to be back home with his family.

The cucumber honestly could not even begin to describe a worse feeling than the emotion he felt when he saw how lonely his wife Donna was in his "other life", or when he heard that his two twins were never born.

And then of course there was the little rhubarb peacefully sleeping in his "arms".

When Stewart saw how Donna was living without him he felt like his heart had broken up into little pieces, but when he saw Emma sitting alone in that adoption home he knew for sure that his heart had broken.

It was at that exact moment when he wanted, he needed to get back home. Back home to the people he loved, back home to his life. It didn't matter anymore that he would have to own up to his own mistakes if he stayed, he was through pining for a different life and blaming all his problems on fate.

He had every intention of taking the fall for the toy factory failing to make 10,000 trains by Christmas, the first thing he did after getting off the train was go to the factory to start cleaning up the mess that he caused.

Needless to say he wasn't expecting to walk into the factory and see that the entire town had already done just that.

He was practically speechless when Donna strolled up to him and explained how willing the town was to come help once she explained to them that Stewart would never in his wildest dreams ever sell the factory to Morty.

Of course the ironic part is that it turned out that he wouldn't have to anyway. Not only because of the town's intervention, but also because of his old teammate's sudden change of heart after a ride on a certain train.

It seemed that Stewart wasn't the only one that Gabe had visited that day.

Morty actually came up to him after they all finished making the trains and presented the cucumber with an offer that was completely different from his previous one. Instead of buying the factory he offered instead to become partners with Stewart. The gourd said he was planning on staying local in order to "return to his roots" on a more permanent basis.

The partnership would give Stewart a good source of financial backing that would prevent ever having to worry about paying the factory bills again, and it would also at the same time give Morty a reason to stick around.

It wasn't a really that hard of a decision for him to make. Not only did it solve Stewart's money problems but it also allowed him the opportunity to give Morty the same chance that Gabe and the rest of the town had given him.

The chance to live a meaningful life.

"Stewart."

Stewart looked away from his daughter's sleeping form to search for the source of the dulcet voice calling out to him. His eyes stopped when they saw his wife Donna leaning against the door frame that led into Emma's bedroom.

"How is she?" Donna asked as she walked up to the bed.

"She's fine," Stewart answered as focused back to Emma. "She just wanted me to sing the song to her again until she fell asleep."

Donna leaned over her husband's shoulder to look down at her daughter. The rhubarb couldn't help the loving smile that came to life once she saw how content Emma looked.

And then when Stewart looked up at her with a goofy but sincere smile, she fell in love all over again.

"Come to bed Stewie," Donna requested before she kissed Emma on the forehead.

Stewart wordlessly nodded as she walked out of the room, before doing the same as he kissed Emma and softly tucked her under the covers of her bed. He took one last loving look at his daughter before he went off to join his wife.

Later when he was laying on his side and she was sitting up on their bed reading a book that she just couldn't put down yet Stewart felt a sharp pang of emotion in his chest. It took him a moment to decipher what emotion it was but once he did his eyes widened slightly.

It was guilt.

Stewart was feeling guilty, though the cucumber didn't exactly know why. He saved the factory, he reconciled with Morty, he finally learned to appreciate and be content with the life that he has. What could he possibly have left to be worried about?

The bills were paid, the kids were safe, Donna was...

Donna.

Stewart rolled over onto his side and observed his wife as her eyes diligently scanned over the pages of her book. Even though he could tell she was extremely focused on the story she still seemed like she was in a complete state of serenity. Although when he really thought about it, he realized that he doesn't think there was ever a moment when she didn't seem like that.

She was like that when they started dating in high school and that never changed, not after his injury, not after they got married, and not after they had children.

No matter what she was always at peace.

Sure sometimes raising the kids would stress her out from time to time, but aside from a stray hair here and there and a well hidden sigh or two she never, ever complained to him or anyone else about her life or the cards she was dealt.

Stewart couldn't even remember a time when she looked anything even close to sad. The only moment that would probably come close was when she first visited him in the hospital after he got injured.

That was definitely the closest he ever saw her eyes get to tears in the near lifetime that he has known her. She was sad both because of the fact that he had gotten hurt, and also because of the fact that she had witnessed his pain with her own two eyes live and in person. That much was obvious. But Stewart always thought in the back of his mind that there was something else that was causing her sadness.

But she never said anything so he never asked.

He was almost positive though that it was because of something he said that day in the hospital. The cucumber tried his best to replay in his head the exact conversation they had in hopes of getting to the root of that uncomfortable feeling in his chest.

Let's see.

"I know your upset Stewart... but football isn't the only meaningful thing in your future."

"You just don't understand Donna."

"No... I guess I don't."

I guess I don't.

Wait.

In that moment he couldn't have felt more stupid.

He didn't realize it then but his future wife was trying to show him that, even though he wouldn't have football he would always have her.

And he basically shot her down by insulting her intelligence. Yet she STILL stayed with him! In fact it was almost immediately after that when she told him that she would be waiting outside when his dad came in to talk to him.

She was telling him that she wouldn't leave him.

But he was too bitter about Morty being able to leave town to realize this. Stewart wanted to leave and find something better so bad that he never realized that he already had something far better than anything he would ever find waiting for him in the very place he wanted to leave.

She was always there for him.

And what did he do to thank her?

Nothing.

At least that's what it felt like after thinking about all the things she has done for him.

She gave him a family, kept their household from falling apart, and never left his side under any circumstance. And all he had done was keep one eye on Morty, jealous of the life he felt that he deserved.

He had never felt more guilty in his life and he needed to do something about it.

"Hey, Donna."

The rhubarb in question looked away from her book to see her husband staring up at her with those wide eyes of his.

"What is it Stewie?"

Stewart layed off of his side onto his back and shifted up so he was sitting up against the headboard like Donna was.

"Can I uh, talk to you about...something."

Donna cocked her head to side but nonetheless placed her book onto the nightstand next to her side of the bed.

"Of course." She said as she smiled and scooted closer to him.

"Uh thanks," He started as she leaned her head over to rest on his shoulder. "It's just that, I wanted to...tell you something."

"What is it?" She asked as she looked up at him through her eyelashes.

Of course that only made it harder for him to say what he wanted to say.

"I..."

He had to look away from her just to compose himself. The sight of their wood flooring helped him swallow the lump that had tightened in his throat.

"I wanted to say... that I'm sorry."

"What?" Donna picked herself up off of Stewart to look at him in his eyes, confusion evident in hers.

"I'm sorry," He looked up from the spot of the floor he had been gazing at and turned towards her. Though he still couldn't meet her gaze. "I'm sorry that I've never appreciated you the way I should have."

"Stewart..." She gasped quietly as her breathe hitched.

"I'm sorry that I've always been too pre-occupied with the life I could have had to properly repay all the kindness, love, and support that you've given me," He said as he finally met her gaze.

"I'm sorry Donna."

She wasn't sure where to begin.

"Stewart... what brought this on?"

He looked into her eyes and saw a mixture of emotions. He saw confusion, which wasn't surprising, but there was something else there as well. It was something a little more than confusion, it was more like astonishment. It was almost like she couldn't understand why he would have anything to possibly be sorry for.

Or, if he was more of a glass half empty fellow he would think that she was astonished that he finally realized he should apologize.

"It's just that everything that's happened recently made me think about our lives and the decisions that I've made, the things that I've said. And..." This was one of those moments when at first the words flow out uncontrollably like a stream of consciousness, and then suddenly turn into rocks that clog the kitchen sink. And in this case the kitchen sink was Stewart's throat. "...Well you've been the best Donna."

Of course she blushed at this.

"I don't deserve you."

"Stewart."

"I'm serious Donna."

Donna scooted over the small distance between them and snuggled closer into his side. Stewart, even after all of the years the two have been married, still felt heat rush to his cheeks from the close contact with his wife.

"Look at me Stewart."

Stewart knew that if he obliged then he would melt into a bumbling mess of a cucumber who couldn't construct even the simplest of sentences, so he resisted for as long as he could. He valiantly fought the urge for a grand total of 5 seconds(a new record!) before he finally gave in and looked at Donna. She had still yet to free her fiery hair from the confines of the scorpion braid it was in but a few loose strands had popped out of it, a couple of them framed her face in an almost angelic way. And although she had long removed what little make up she wore her eyes and cheeks still seemed to shine like diamonds as she smiled up at Stewart.

Yup, he had melted into a bumbling mess of a cucumber.

"Stewart-" Donna started, breaking her husband out of his reverie. "I know that this life isn't exactly the kind of life you had hoped we would have when we were younger... and I know you feel guilty for feeling that way." She added when she noticed the glint in his eye.

"I know you think that you're a failure of a husband because you believe that you have failed me by neglecting me."

Stewart silently nodded as he started to look down again, the guilt seemingly taking over again.

"I also know that you're wrong."

"Huh?" He asked as his head shot up, staring into her eye's once again in confusion. Donna laughed softly to herself as she turned herself more towards Stewart and lightly touched his cheek.

"You're wrong Stewie," she spoke quietly though the emotion in her voice was as loud as a crack of thunder. "Yes, you've made some mistakes but you know what?" She asked as she continued to lightly stroke his cheek.

"What?" He asked as he stared at her.

"Well first off, you helped raise three fantastic loving children while always keeping a roof over our heads."

Stewart didn't say anything but he was clearly becoming bashful because his cheeks puffed out a little bit and he smiled, albeit it was a small smile.

"And also you've always taken the time out to do things like coach the neighborhood boys, or work late to make sure everything's good with the factory and it's workers."

"And you know what else Stewart? You've always been here for us, that counts for something."

"I..." He felt like he should say something, he almost needed to say something. But his wife had done a pretty good job of rendering him speechless, and she knew it. Capitalizing on the fact that she had caught him off guard, Donna shifted her shoulder until she was laying on top of a rather flustered Stewart and was now staring down at him.

"Whether things were going good or there were going bad you're always here to support us Stewart. That's one of the reasons why I love you."

"I love you too Donna."

"No matter what I'll always be here for you Stewart, that's what's love's all about. It's supporting one another through thick and thin. Through every failure and victory and everything that comes in between. It's not perfect, but that doesn't matter because we have each other."

As Stewart stared up at this amazing rhubarb that he was lucky enough to call his wife he tried his best to find the right words of gratitude to show he grateful he really was for her once again picking him up off the floor when he was down. But all he had to do was look at her smile.

"You're the best Donna."

She giggled like she used to when they first started to date and leaned down to kiss him on the cheek.

"I know," She said.

He couldn't even remember why he had felt guilty, but it didn't matter. Because he found his meaning. Donna and the kids were his meaning in life. That was the last step in his redemption, admitting what was important to him. And sure maybe he had been worried that he didn't deserve them and this life, but Donna had showed him that thoughts like that didn't matter.

Because they were always just meant to be.

Well that was a lot longer than I originally thought it was going to be. But anyway, welcome to my first ever VeggieTales story and thanks to everyone who read it and be sure to leave a review telling me what you thought about it. So as I'm sure you've noticed by now each chapter, while not being a song fic, are based off a specific song that I will always leave up above the story and I strongly urge that you listen to the songs when you read the chapters so you can see the inspiration behind them but it's your choice of course.

And I'd also like to take a moment to thank the wonderful author of Timely Love Stories Comment Person who sent me a really wonderful message after I left a review on TLS talking about how that story inspired me to go outside my comfort zone and write for a new fandom.

Anyway thanks again for reading, I'm not sure when I'll update this since I already have a couple other stories I'm responsible for but be sure to leave me a comment if you guys want me to continue this in the future.