Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Charlie Brown nor his gang from Peanuts. I'm simply playing. They belong to the immortal Charles M. Schulz.

A/N: I have always loved this pair, which is strangely one of the only canon pairings I like. Anyway, hope you enjoy this bit of fluff.

Five Simple Words

She watched him from across the school's lunch room. Sitting at the same lunch table he always did, with the same group of friends he had had since grade school. Year after year, time peeled away, but he remained the same. Same big head, same silly yellow sweater. Same sigh, same little beagle following him around, dressed in goggles and a red scarf.

He had never said her name; she wasn't even sure if he knew it, really. He just called her his 'little red-haired girl,' a statement that usually ended in a heavy sigh, and a wistful look. He thought no one saw, but she did. She saw each time his eyes stole a look at her, each time his lips smiled. She saw him miss the ball in gym class because she was running by. She saw every movement, heard every word he had ever said about her.

She saw, and she knew. Oh how she knew him. She knew how much he loved his dog. She knew how loyal he was to his friends, even when they seemed to take advantage of him. She knew he was Linus' confidant, how he had stood beside him, especially when he had to let go of his blanket… They were not allowed in high school after all.

She knew how Lucy tormented him, and she hated every moment of it. She knew how much he wanted to kick that football, even to this day. She felt the earth shudder each time he fell to the ground after Lucy had pulled the ball away mercilessly.

She knew he loved baseball; the summer evenings his team spent playing in the park were the times he smiled the most. Even if they never won a game, she knew he would come back, words of encouragement rolling off his tongue, inspiring his troops as only a true general could.

She knew he coddled his little sister as much as he could. His playful teasing of her only serving to strengthen their sibling bonds. She knew how Sally had relied on him when Linus had broken her heart last year. It was the only time she had ever seen him so very angry. Her heart had leaped seeing the fierce protectiveness in his eyes.

Yes, she knew him. Knew him better than anyone else in his life. She knew what made him laugh, and cry. She knew what made his eyes dance, and turned his cheeks red. She knew his dreams, his desires, his ambitions.

And in so knowing all of this, she had long ago fallen in love with him. This he did not know, she was quite certain. For she was shy, and even as he watched her, she watched him just as much, the longing in her eyes. His laughter brought a smile to her face. Hearing his voice, even if it was only in classes, could make her heart shudder.

As high on a cloud as he held her, she was by no means perfect. Her halo had long been tipped crookedly. She watched the flirtations of Peppermint Patty with jealousy hidden in her heart. She envied that girl with her easy ways, and brass tongue. She understood what drew Patty to him, the unassuming nature he possessed. He seemed oblivious to the light he shone around him. The light she wanted so badly to bathe in.

Years had passed in this softly tripping river of longing. And she had rode its waves. Rode them until she felt as if she would drown. So today, she had made a decision.

Today, she would swim.

Clutched in her shaking hand, her pencil was pressed against the stark lined paper, awaiting the words she would write. Her eyes darted to the clock, the second hand ticking loudly in the silent class room, drumming out the rhythmic beating of her hammering heart. Nervously, her teeth caught her bottom lip, her fingers combed through her red curls.

Finally, her hand began to write the words she longed to say, words she could only place on paper. The words baring her soul, revealing her hidden heart of hearts. There they laid scrawled in black and white, looking quite plain, for all the emotions behind them.

Sighing as the last bell rang, she packed up her bag, slowly making her way down the aisle. She sat behind him in that class, and she knew he was always one of the last to leave. Counting on this fact, she walked past his desk, noting his head was still bent over his book, lost in the fanciful world the novel had immersed him in.

Silently, with a trembling hand and a racing heart, she touched his shoulder, dropping the small folded note onto his desktop. As their eyes briefly met, his wide in amazement; hers soft with benediction, she smiled. Nodding to him, she gracefully walked away, her steps not revealing the fear she felt inside.

She knew he watched her until she was gone. What he didn't know was that she stopped outside the door, pressing her back against the wall, gasping in deep breaths before turning and peeking back into the room. He didn't know she watched with glistening eyes as his fingers gingerly picked up the folded note and gently pulled it open. He didn't see her hands clutching the doorjamb; knuckles white, waiting for his eyes to scan her letter. He didn't hear her heart beating so loudly she thought she would go deaf from the sound.

Waiting for what felt like a lifetime to her, he sat there stunned, his cheeks flushed, his eyes wide. Slowly, a smile spread across his face, and lovingly, he lifted the note to his lips, kissing it. Reading all she needed to know within that small action, she turned away, content to wait until the morrow before seeing his face again.

For now she felt alive, knowing that he knew what she had all along. Five simple words was all it took. Five simple words began it all. Five simple words that were not so simple after all.

"I love you, Charlie Brown."