Disclaimer: Blah, blah, don't own 'em.
A/N: What siege of Terminal City? Never happened. In this story, a good number of the transgenics, faced with increasing publicity decided to take their chances in the welcoming north (Canada). Some stayed, and some continue to straggle over the border. They're not really important to this story... at all. Just know that they're there, and Max still takes care of them... sort of. Whatever, just read.
Grazia de Mayo
Chapter One: Similiarities
Annabella Montgomery-Cale had been everything her friends and family had wanted her to be. She'd been a beautiful daughter, a giving friend, a devoted wife, a loving mother, and a perfect hostess. To the world, the latter was what mattered most. There was the monthly Cale dinner party, which was never missed by any of its esteemed invitees, the seasonal ball for the Montgomery-Cale Society for the Protection of Widows and Orphans, the organization she founded when she was only twenty-four years old, the bi-weekly tea for the Seattle Public Library Board of Directors, and the list continued. She was, in short, the perfect woman of polite society.
Though the two had never met, Grazia de Mayo was startlingly similar to the late Mrs. Cale. She was a mystery to her friends, having arrived in polite society almost by accident on the arm of William Lucas-Patterson III. Apparently, the two had met while Will was vacationing at a ski resort in Canada, and within two weeks he was madly in love. When he returned to San Francisco, Grazia was by his side, and San Francisco society practically fell over themselves to welcome her. She was young, beautiful, intelligent, and her often stinging wit had them laughing so hard they cried. She immersed herself in charities that appealed to her, most notably the San Francisco branch of the Montgomery-Cale Society for the Protection of Widows and Orphans, into which she threw herself with a selfless devotion. It was whispered about town that Will Patterson had purchased an apartment in her name, and she drove a beautiful Mercedes. She didn't wear a ring, but popular opinion had it that they were "pre-engaged." Obviously, an engagement after only a month would be unseemly, but there wasn't any doubt in anyone's mind that Will would propose as soon as a suitable amount of time passed. He was too enamored not to, and she was just so lovely, and would be the perfect wife for him. It was all so very romantic.
Of course, it was considered romantic because everyone just assumed that Grazia was "of their kind." Her natural grace, her overwhelming aura of self-confidence, her sense of style, and her obvious sophistication all lent credence to the belief. Will had too much sense to fall in love with a low class woman, anyway. Everyone knew that. Grazia was, quite obviously, impoverished royalty or something similar. Her blood was the right color, and that was all that was important.
The night of the Spring Montgomery-Cale Society Ball was a beautiful, warm night, and all of San Francisco high society showed up to dance, mingle, and bid in a silent auction. That night was also special, because a speaker had arrived to address the glittering audience before the auction. The only son of Annabella Montgomery-Cale had arrived from Seattle to speak on the night that happened to fall on the anniversary of his mother's death. No one in San Francisco had seen Logan Cale, at least not in the last five years, but his reputation preceded him.
