I Know
It was a jolly Christmastime at the O'Brian household, with Bruce and Carrie celebrating their first Christmas as spouses and the first at their home by hosting Debbie and Todd as guests for the week, something that Bruce had strongly insisted to repay the Reynolds family for hosting him the year prior even though no one in the family considered there was a debt to be repaid.
The day had been a joyful one, it starting off with Bruce attending Christmas mass with Carrie and his in-laws, a very welcome and cherished experience for Bruce thanks to it his first Christmas mass he attended in five years where he wasn't alone. With his immediate family spread across the world and unlikely to live near each other again, Bruce was forever grateful that he now had a second family he loved just as dearly as the first and could see on a daily basis, with hopefully decades of cherished memories to come.
They then returned home to gather around the Christmas tree and unwrap the mountain of Christmas presents that had flooded the living room from their many friends and family. In Bruce's opinion, he had done a rather good job at gift giving for his wife and her family. For Carrie he had gifted a brand new electric typewriter to help aid in her new quest to write a novel, for Todd an autographed Sandy Koufax jersey, and for Debbie Toad's Scooter from American Graffiti and one of the rare unedited 3 hour copies of the film that George had made to add to her collection. His own "daughters" were not left out of the fun with Natalie receiving a stocking full of bones and dog treats while Ginger's was filled to the brim with toys and stuffed animals to meet her hyper energy.
After the living room became a landfill of wrapping paper and presents, the O'Brians and Reynolds spent many hours watching their preferred Christmas classics, and then came time for the feast.
"Dear heavenly Father, we thank you for the birth of your son Jesus Christ nearly two thousand years ago so he may redeem us for our sins and guide us all on the path of salvation. We thank you for this wonderful year with its many blessings and joys, most especially the creation of Carrie's movie. We thank you for standing by us at our darkest hours and giving us strength to return to the light. We thank you for all of our wonderful friends and family. And thank you most especially God for bringing Carrie into my life and guiding us down the path of matrimony. Our love has been my most greatest blessing and strength and I am forever grateful to be at her side and become part of this family. Bless this food as we pray. Bless us, O Lord, for these, Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty. Through Christ, our Lord. Amen." Bruce prayed, with him and Carrie then finishing with the sign of the cross, the latter looking to her spouse in heavy love for the words he spoke.
"That was a wonderful Grace Bruce." Debbie complimented. Long ago she had been fearful that Bruce's devotion would sabotage his and Carrie's relationship or make things complicated, but it seemed to make him all the more better a man and while Carrie's conversion was a bit too fast in her opinion, she seemed to be slowly embracing her newfound faith and joined Bruce earnestly.
"Thanks Mom." Bruce replied, causing Debbie to smile widely at the man who she considered to be a second son in return. At the wedding, Bruce had cautiously asked for permission to use the title, explaining that his parents both referred to their in-laws as mom and dad. Debbie was more than happy to comply, cementing his inclusion into the Reynolds family as its fourth member with Bruce having called her as such for everyday since.
"Dinner looks awfully delicious Bruce, it looks like you've outdone yourself again." Debbie praised, then gave a side eye to Todd who was heaping multiple large spoonfuls on his plate without care of what was left for the others.
"What?" Todd innocently asked, causing Bruce and Carrie to laugh.
"It's okay, we got a couple more plates worth in the kitchen. I kind of forgot it was just going to be the four of us." Bruce said. "But I wasn't the only one responsible tonight. Carrie did the mashed potatoes, rolls and pecan pie." Bruce informed, with Carrie beaming at the credit.
"You trusted her to not burn the house down on Christmas?" Todd joked, causing Carrie to groan at the reference to their appearance on The Newlywed Game with the knowledge that Carrie was a bad cook being spread throughout the rest of Hollywood by the end of the week.
"I ask myself everyday why I had to go and blurt that." Carrie complained, Bruce smiled fondly, remembering the very exhausting and traumatizing journey of Carrie's cooking journey where she had gone from a demon of the kitchen to having beginner's competence.
"It's okay before Mom met Dad she knew absolutely nothing of cooking and could only do PB&Js. Several years later and she turned into the head chef for Jumping Whale and our first choice for breakfast and dinner. Carrie did a fantastic job tonight, and if we follow O'Brian family tradition I'm sure she'll turn out better than me." Bruce said sweetly, causing Carrie to gush at him.
"I love you." Carrie declared.
"I know." Bruce returned, with the two sharing a tender smooch.
While Debbie smiled fondly at the display of affection, Todd paused midbite in bafflement. He contemplated for several seconds as he chewed, and then made up his mind with a swallow. "You know, I didn't want to say anything, but it's been bothering me ever since the wedding. Why do you two always say that?" Todd questioned.
"What?" Carrie asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I know whenever the other one says I love you. It's weird."
"TODD!" Debbie scolded, Carrie giving her brother a sour look while Bruce looked on in bemusement as he served himself.
"Oh come on it's true! Donna and I tried that the other day and we both thought it wasn't romantic. Who says I know when someone tells you they love you? It just sounds wrong."
"Well maybe we're more romantic and loving than you two." Carrie fought back.
Before Todd could escalate and Debbie had to play peacemaker, Bruce intervene. "Come on Carrie, you hated it yourself after you said it the first time." Bruce reminded.
"I knew she said it first!" Todd announced.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Carrie asked.
"That just screams you, Bruce always tries to talk like Shakespeare and be all dramatic when he's romantic, you're the natural and instinct type."
Bruce raised his finger to retort, but thought it over and found Todd to be in the right. "Yeah, that's pretty accurate."
"Alright settle down, it's Christmas dinner. Todd, we don't question how other people love each other." Debbie lectured.
"I'm sorry." Todd earnestly apologized, "I guess it works for you, but it's just not something I would ever say and I don't understand why you both think it's special and sweet."
Carrie waited for Todd to bounce back with teasing but realizing he was being sincere, she accepted his apology. "I guess it is pretty weird to other people." She confessed, remembering all the weird looks from her friends when her and Bruce said the same thing during group dates.
"Wait a minute, did we never tell you guys about the time we first said I love you to each other?" Bruce asked in confusion.
"Not that I recall." Debbie answered.
"Haven't you guys always said it since you started dating?" Todd asked seriously.
"NO!" Carrie protested strongly, "We first said it to each other right before we left for New York." Carrie protested. She wasn't THAT much of a hopeless romantic.
"Hold on, when and where, cause I don't remember it happening?" Todd asked.
"It was when we were staying with Bruce during the divorce. You were at school at the time and I guess I just forgot to share. It's also why we always say 'I know'. " Carrie informed, smiling fondly at the memory.
"Oh, I smell a story!" Debbie gushed. Carrie gestured for Bruce to share, always preferring for him to be the storyteller thanks to his way with words.
Bruce gave her an air kiss and then told the story.
On a fateful Wednesday, Bruce and Carrie were going through a board game marathon together in his old apartment while Todd was away at high school. Since Carrie ran away, Bruce would spend all of his time playing host to the Fisher siblings save for going to Church and on a couple of occasions, hanging out with his new friends John and Robin.
It was an interesting experience to live together in the same home, both liberating for the constant closeness and a challenge for the somber circumstances that brought them together. In those first days Carrie had been heavily fraught with anxiety and guilt, believing that she had been a major cause of her family's struggles. As he had many times before, Bruce kept Carrie constant company and showered her with endless affection and support, showing her the strength and beauty of her character, and with the help of Todd and Natalie, helping her to move on and rise from her lowest point.
One method that greatly helped to distract from the turmoil at home was Bruce and Carrie's favorite shared pastime, board games. A few days after she came to his apartment, Bruce bought as many as he could stuff in his closet and along with his self-made tabletop, they played the time away with many hours passing by in a flash due to the great fun shared, even when the Fishers often double teamed to deny Bruce a win.
Currently Bruce and Carrie were playing Scrabble, and the current standings was Carrie winning 5 to 0, holding a dominant lead thanks to her bibliophilia which gave her a heavy advantage through a mental dictionary while Bruce was left with only basic nouns to counterattack, his only advantage in multilingualism denied strongly by Carrie the rule shark. However, thanks to Carrie having poor luck in the draw bag and Bruce blitzing through a Webster dictionary during their lunch break, he was heavily close to winning.
The board was nearly complete, only a few open spaces that were impossible to fill new words in. Through advantage of the double and triple words, Bruce caught up and with Carrie forced to spell "Cat" in the previous turn, it was now Bruce's opportunity to hopefully apply the finishing blow.
"Alright, better watch out for the Jacobins Carrie, cause the Revolution has come to topple the Queen." Bruce taunted, with Carrie sticking her tongue out. Bruce then applied a few pieces left, finishing what he hoped to be the final word.
"Alright Hydro. That's 20 points, with triple word and double letter, this gives me 28 and times 3 is 84, which means...I'm 44 points ahead and I win!" Bruce excitedly shouted, pumping his fists and victory screeching his lungs as loud as a Yankee homerun.
Eventually Bruce settled down, "Well fought Miss Fisher, but every story comes to an end, and with this final chapter, Bruce O'Brian is the Scrabble King." Bruce said in haughty fun. He extended his hand with a smirk for congratulations, only to receive nothing in return. Confused, Bruce whipped his head and found himself facing Carrie, whose neutral expression slowly shifted into a chesire grin that would rival Norman Bates in disturbingness, causing Bruce to develop Goosebumps.
"No...NO, that's impossible! I filled the board, there's nothing left! You sit on a throne of lies!" Bruce accused in a hammy manner. As a couple of actors, both Bruce and Carrie liked to spice their game with either roleplay or heavy overacting and dramatic reactions as if the stakes were life and death. They had to pause such emotions when playing with Todd after he was heavily creeped out the first game, but with him at school the two were free to play as they pleased.
"Oh Bruce, sweet, handsome, utterly naïve and illiterate Bruce. You falsely assumed that you were conducting a grand strategy leading to victory, but all along you have been dancing on my puppet strings to the tune of my song. You foolishly believed to have placed me in checkmate, when all you have done is tie the noose around your neck." Using five letters, Carrie would then transform Bruce's masterstroke into one half of her finishing move, turning Hydro into Hydrofluoric.
"And with that 40 times 3 and another 3 is 360. 316 more than yours, and continuing my undefeated reign." Carrie dramatically finished.
"NOOO!!!" Bruce cried cried to the heavens as Carrie then broke out into dance over the game board to assert her dominance.
Slumping back against the couch in defeat, any miniscule feelings of bitterness or anguish over the loss were completely evaporated at the comical sight of Carrie having a mini dance party over winning a simple game of Scrabble. Bruce looked to his girlfriend, smiling widely and eyes gazing in total adoration and affection. To see Carrie in such jubilation and high spirits days after her lowest point where she quit school and ran away over feelings of being a burden and all the while her mother fought a bitter divorce battle in court made him feel completely at peace and heavily thankful that he was blessed to have Carrie in his life.
Having grown closer than he ever could have imagined to Carrie over their time living together and being the happiest that he's ever been in his life thanks to her, Bruce without thought or planning expressed his feelings in the only way he could.
"I love you."
Carrie halted her personal disco and froze in utter shock and disbelief at the words he had uttered, the heavy shift in atmosphere and each passing second of silence causing Bruce to realize the magnitude of his statement, anxiety quickly rising over concerns that he had rushed or misspoken. For while Bruce and Carrie cared very deeply for one another, the great three letter declaration had never once been uttered, until now.
"What did you say?" Carrie whispered. The teen felt a paradox of emotions overwhelming her, happy that the words were spoken, and scared of what they would lead to.
"I love you." Bruce answered, both for Carrie and himself. "I love you." Bruce then repeated, testing the phrase, and finding it to be the most wonderful words he had ever spoken. "I love you Carrie Fisher, with all my heart and soul." Bruce proudly declared, wanting to make it clear with no possible misunderstandings how much he loved Carrie and what she meant to him.
A heartfelt impasse was raised between the two, Bruce patiently waiting for a response, gazing wistfully at the young woman he knew to be the love of his life. Carrie stared back, hands covering her most sweetest smile with happy tears streaming down her face. She had known for weeks that she loved Bruce O'Brian, ever since that fateful day where she came to his home and shared her greatest shames and secrets, and instead of being rejected and shunned, she was met with kindness and compassion with Bruce staying by her side on the road to recovery. For more than a month she loved Bruce with all her heart, but had refrained from confessing for fear that her dream would end right after and she would awaken to the miserable life of yesterday.
Now her dream was here and real, with Bruce stating the words she had been hoping to receive for a long time. In response to such a declaration, there was only one thing she could say.
"I know."
Bruce blinked a couple of times in mild surprise and bewilderment over her choice of response, although after a second of thought his gaze returned to lovestruck adoration, finding the simple sentence rather sweet and endearing. Carrie on the other hand, when realizing that she said two words instead of three, felt a tidal wave of shame, cringing in recoil over her actions and then plopping herself on the ground, curling into a ball and keeping her back towards Bruce in shame.
"Carrie?" Bruce asked in concern.
"No, no, No, NO, NO! I ruined it!" Carrie cried in despair.
Bruce immediately rushed over and wrapped Carrie in warm embrace, "Carrie, you didn't ruin a single thing." Bruce kindly assured.
"Yes I did! You told me you loved me, and I just stood there like an idiot and then said 'I know', what kind of a response is that?!" Carrie sobbed.
"It's the words of the woman I love, words that make it clear my love is not spontaneous, but that my confession is the culmination of our time together, the greatest days of my life. It shows that I treated you in every possible manner you deserved, and that I don't have to worry about the future for I shall love you as I have before." Bruce said, his words laced with earnest devotion
As Bruce spoke, he felt Carrie relax in his grip, her sniffling pausing as he spoke comforting poetry. Right as he finished, Bruce would be ambushed by a grateful kiss from Carrie. It was a deep exchange, the longest they had ever shared, and both savored every second for all the million little words and emotions exchanged through the contact.
After what felt like an eternity, the two released. Carrie then said the words Bruce did not know he had been secretly yearning for until this point.
"I love you." Carrie confessed, correcting her mistake and finally releasing the joyous secret she had been keeping for a long time.
"I know." Bruce returned, both to comfort Carrie for her earlier response by repeating it, and to give an honest answer, for the kiss and all the little details of their time together served as enough of an answer.
Carrie looked to the side, cheeks rosy and bashful with a goofy smile. "You make it sound so cool." She said wistfully, causing Bruce to roar his head back in laughter, leaning back and then falling on the ground with Carrie falling on top of him. The two shared a laugh at the slapstick and then cuddled together on the floor, wanting to extend the warm sensation of their open and newfound love for as long as possible.
After several minutes of simply lying and gazing wistfully at each other Bruce spoke as he brushed his hand through her hair tenderly, "You know, we could make that our thing?" Bruce suggested.
"What?" Carrie asked in puzzlement.
"Whenever one of us says 'I love you', the other says 'I Know."
Carrie playfully slapped his shoulder, "Come on Bruce, you don't have to make me feel better, I'm happy with where things are now."
"I'm serious." Bruce protested, surprising Carrie.
"Why?"
"Cause whenever one of us says 'I know', we'll always be brought back to this wonderful moment, and it'll let the other know that they are speaking earnestly and true. It's not like we have to say it everytime, but it's our own little way of making all of those future moments special."
Carrie ruminated over the offer several seconds. Bruce was expecting for Carrie to politely decline, and then she answered in her own way. "I love you." She spoke confidently with pride.
"I know." Bruce returned, causing her to smile greatly. "I love you."
"I know."
