To You, I Will Always Return (Patreon)

"So that's it, then? You're really gonna stay?" Strawberry attempted to mask her worry with an air of indifference, but her voice nonetheless came out as a sharp bark. She winced, trying again.  "....I don't want you makin' promises you don't plan on keepin'. I deserve better than bein' somebody's pity choice. So......if you wanna walk away, I'm givin' you an out, Saint. Last chance. Speak now, or forever hold yer peace."

Saint blinked at her, quiet for a single long, terrifying moment. Then he chuckled. It was an easy sound, pouring free like warm honey- and Strawberry felt herself grin back, just a little. 

"Heh. You ain't gettin' rid of me that easy, Straw-Hat."

~~~

Strawberry and her husband (and Skye's dad), Saint.

Saint and Strawberry grew up together as childhood friends. Strawberry, stubbornly independent since birth, had never once pictured herself doing the whole "settling down and raising kids" thing- that is, not until her easy friendship with Saint morphs into something more ambiguous, and results in her getting pregnant in her mid-twenties. Saint- a free spirit, but also a good dog- suggests they marry, which Strawberry balks at. She doesn't want a tacky marriage-of-convenience to the town layabout ("No offense, Saint") and is adamant she can handle this entirely on her own. In reality, Strawberry is terrified, both at the idea of being responsible for something tiny and helpless, and at the idea of letting Saint into her life fully, of being vulnerable and admitting she may be in over her head- of admitting that maybe she does indeed want to be understood and comforted and cared for. 

It takes Saint a few weeks of chipping away at Strawberry's ironclad defenses ("Say, if we got married, I could make you beignets whenever you want" "Get lost, Saint!"), but eventually they do decide that maybe trying out family life wouldn't be so bad. It is indeed a marriage of convenience (and social pressure from their families), but not a bad marriage, all things considered. Saint is quiet and a bit stoic, though never unkind- he was endlessly supportive of Strawberry, and a patient, playful teacher to their pups. If pressed, Skye can't really recall her parents ever being especially sappy or affectionate with each other- she mostly remembers Ma yipping at Pa not to let her and the other pups get their play clothes so muddy. Yet Saint and Strawberry loved each other, deeply. Strawberry never remarried after her husband's death, and she always grows very quiet whenever he is mentioned.