"Remember Paris"
By Maria A. Moya

Not
e at the beginning: This story is a mixture between the early show
and the TV movies...has nothing to do with any episode in particular
and it's just a wondering idea in my mind. Ode to romance
Oh! And excuses to the French, cause as I don't know the country (and
probably never will) I just based this story in photographs and
encyclopedias.

Chapter One

The soft wind blew through the shades covering the windows. Della
sighed softly as she stared at the illuminated outside. A great view
of the always imponent Eiffel tower brought a light smile to her
face. "This second time is better than the first one, at least this
time is for fun and no business", she thought to herself.
She still remembered when he first told her they were coming...

"How's your French these days, Della?" Perry asked her
She gave him a funny look "A little rusty," she smiled, "why?"
He leaned closer to her, "Well, cause we're leaving to France this
afternoon"
"What are you talking about?"
He sat at the edge of his desk, picked up a cigarette from the case
and lit it, "Well, we have a case, and..."
"A case? In France?"
"Well," he said smiling, "what can I say?"
"And you want me to go with you?"
"Yes"
She looked at him straight in the eyes; "You never took me in your
trips before, why now?"
He gave her a curious look, "What's with all the questioning? You
don't like the idea?"
"Well, yes, but..."
"I just thought that afterwards we can have a little Rendez Vous.
What do you say?" He got closer to her wrapping his arm around her
waist.
Della placed her palms on his chest, "Sound very tempting..."
"So, let's get ready."

Her smile got bigger, she looked down at him, still sleeping
peacefully, his head resting on her chest. It was his costume to hold
her like that, "The beat of your heart is like a lullaby played just
for me," he once told her.
Softly he caressed the back of his head. He moaned softly, without
waking up. Della lifted her eyes to the window once again...

The case went good, as they expected. The client got free and the
real murdered got what she deserved.
Now it was time for them to start their vacation.
"What do you mean you're not coming back just yet?" Paul Drake's
voice sounded intrigued over the phone.
Perry shook his head, "Well Paul. Let's just say that, Della and I
need to practice our bilingual abilities. I'll call you later." and
he hung up.
"He's jealous isn't he?" Della asked chuckling.
"He'll get over it," Mason said smiling, "He always does."
"So. Now that the case is over, what do you have planned for us?"
He stood from where he was sitting, and walked toward her, "Well,
Mademoiselle. First of all, we will check in a fancy Hotel, and we'll
take it from there."

They left the Hostal where they placed their Headquarter during the
case, climb in their rented car and headed towards the big city.
They got to the "Voltaire Plaza" Hotel by noon.
"Bon jour Monsieur, Madame." the bellboy greeted them at the entrance.
"Good day," Mason said, "We are looking for available rooms"
"Oh, you can check in the front desk, Monsieur," the young man said
in English, with a marked French accent.
Mason got out of the car, while the bellboy opened the door for
Della. Then he proceeded to take their luggage from the trunk.
Mason walked next to Della and cradled her elbow, leading her inside.
"Good day," Mason said to the blonde girl at the front desk.
"Oh, good day, Monsieur. May I help you?"
"We need a--"
The girl interrupted "You need a room! Welcome to the Voltaire Plaza,
Monsieur?..."
"Mason."
"Welcome Monsieur and Madame Mason. I'll give you a room right--"
Della opened her mouth to speak, but Perry squeezed her hand
slightly, in sign of not saying anything.
"That'll be swell," Mason said smiling and grinning to Della.
She got the message, "Yes, that'll be swell."
The blonde smiled at the and handed the key, "Suite 732, Enjoy your
stay."
"Merci," Della said nervously
They started walking toward the elevators, but Mason could notice
Della was a little upset. "What's the matter, Darling?" he asked.
"They think we are married"
"I'm sorry Della, if this makes you feel uncomfortable I could--"
"No, it's okay. It's just...nevermind."
The got into the elevator, joined by the bellboy and their luggage.
After they arrive to their room, Perry tipped the bellboy who closed
the door behind him. Mason turned around to see Della staring at the
window. She was there, but her mind was somewhere else.
He walked behind her and placed his arms on her shoulders, "Penny for
your thoughts..."
"Huh, Oh, I'm sorry. I was just staring at the Eiffel tower. Isn't
it magnificent?"
"You are magnificent" he said and placed a kiss on her neck.
She smiled. "Perry, do you think this is right? I mean, sharing the
room and all..."
"Do you want me to get a room for you? Because if you want to--"
She turned to face him, "I'm okay with it, but what if we bump into
someone, and we're pretending to be married, I just--"
"Della, we are miles and miles away from home. We can be free here.
Don't worry, everything will be okay, I promise I'll be a perfect
Gentleman. "He leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips.
"Plus, we have pretended to be married like a thousand times."
"Yes, but this time is different. Those times we were involved in a
case, undercover, now, it's just..."
"You know that this can stop being a pretence.. Marry me, and this
whole problem would be solved"
She smiled at him, "Let's take it easy, okay?"
"Okay, okay. Well Madmoi--pardon me, Madame Mason. What do you want
to do now?"
"Well, Monsieur Mason, I would like to take a shower, change and
eat." she said smiling.
"The shower is all yours. You need any help unpacking?"
"No, I'm sure I can manage."
"You need any help in the shower?" he said with a wicked smile.
"A perfect Gentleman, remember? She said walking away and picking her
bag.
"Oh, come on!"
She laughed.
"Della?" he asked as she walked toward the room
"Yes?"
"It'll be okay, I promise."
She just smiled.

Chapter two
Della brushed a gray curl that fell over her forehead with her free
hand, the other one still caressing his head. She closed her
eyes. "Well, those were other times", she thought.
He moved and accommodated himself, hugging her even tighter. She
smiled at the feel of his warm body. "Sleepy head," she mumbled
softly.

While Della was finishing her unpacking, Mason came up with a
romantic idea. He called to the clerk desk and asked for a picnic
basket, which was delivered just as Della was coming out from the
shower.
Moments later, she came out freshly dressed and at sight of the
basket, gave Mason a wondering look, "Where did that came from?"
"Well, Darling. I thought we could have a little French picnic. What
do you think?"
"Três bien, Mister Mason!" she said getting closer to him.
He looked at her wickedly; "You know what it does to me when you
speak French?"
"I wonder..." she said smiling
"Well, you're about to find out," He grabbed her slipping his arm
around her waist, pulling her close to him, and kissed passionately.
He released her hungrily, "Did I made myself clear?"
She opened her eyes, still stunned by his sudden impulse, "Clear as
water." she said catching her breath, "Je t'aime, Perry Mason," she
whispered.
He kissed her again, and between kisses he moaned, "Can we eat later?"
She pulled him away a little, "Oh, no. That'll have to wait," she
grabbed his arm and dragged him to the door.
"But, why.. Come on, Darling!" he begged.
"No, no. I'm starving and...we'll have time for that later. Come on,
let's go."
"Okay, okay." Mason surrender, grabbing the basket and the blanket
the Hotel prepared for them.

She smiled at the memory of that. Those where indeed other
times, but for the first time, their were free, they enjoyed
themselves being completely free to demonstrate their love to each
other without worrying about tabloids and rumormills.
His breath sounded almost like a snore. Della chuckled
slightly. "Well, Darling, you sure deserve to sleep late today, and I
certainly have to quit speaking French", Della said to
herself, "otherwise we will never leave this room". She laughed.

They drive for a long while. Perry was trying to find the perfect
place. It took the about an hour to find it, but all the while they
were enchanted with the view.
Mason, having traveled to France several times, took time to show
Della the most beautiful places. She was just astonished, she never
imagined it could be like this.
"Well, we're finally here." said Mason stopping the car.
"Here, where?"
"This is a special place I discovered in my last trip. I'm sure
you're gonna love it."
Mason helped Della out of the car. Took her hand and together they
started walking. The view was spectacular. A beautiful path of yellow
wildflowers, green grass and trees everywhere.
Perry pointed out a river at the far end and its dock.
"You like it?" he asked.
The view took her breath away, "It's absolutely beautiful, Perry!"
"Well, shall we?" he asked leading with his hand.
They took the basket from the car and started walking down.
As soon as they got near the river, Mason spread the blanket on the
soft grass, took off his hiking shoes and sat next to Della.
She was just amazed. It was a warm sunny day, the breeze from the
water stroke her face softly.
She sighed softly, "This is wonderful..." then she turned to look at
him, "Thank you so much, Perry."
"You are very welcome, my Lady."
They sat there in silence just enjoying the view. After a moment
Perry broke the silence, "Hungry?"
"Starved"
He kneeled and opened the basket. "Well, let's see what we got
here... Mmmm, wine, cheese..."
"Wine and cheese, huh?"
"Caviar too," he said smiling.
"Oh, goody."
They ate enjoying each other's company. After lunch, Della grabbed
all the plates and stuff and put them back on the basket. Then she
leaned on the blanket staring at the sky.
"What are you thinking, Darling?" He asked
"Just wondering..."
"About?"
She smiled mischievously, "About how am I going to pay you for this."
He rolled to his side, and looked at her, eyes sparkling, "I think
you can come up with something. Although..."
"What?"
"I have some ideas of my own," He leaned and kissed her softly at
first, then he let the passion consume them. Della raised her arms
and crossed the behind his neck. After a while she released him,
"I liked that idea," she said.
Perry sat and pulled her, so her head rested on his lap. He started
caressing and playing with her hair.
"I could stay here forever," she said quietly.
"We could if you want..." he replied
"Nah! Don't you think we will miss our adventures?"
He laughed, "I guess you're right."
They sat there just holding each other for a long while. Della broke
the silence.
"Perry, the sun will be setting soon, we should leave." She removed
her head from his lap and sat next to him.
He looked at her with his penetrating blue eyes. He brushed a lock of
brown hair from her forehead, then lower his palm down her cheek and
cradled her chin. Pulled her close and kissed her.
He released her, "Okay, but first come with me." He stood up and
helped her stand. Hand in hand they walked to and through the dock.
They stood there embracing each other, staring at the horizon as the
sun began to set.

"A shame we can go back there," Della thought. "I think now that
place is private. Well, but we had a wonderful time."
It was twenty years ago but she remembered like it was yesterday.
He was still fully asleep.

Dinner was terrific and the conversation and the ambience of the
place even better.
"I won't eat again for a week," Della said placing the fork on the
plate.
"You say that everytime!" Perry teased.
"Well, now I mean It." she smiled "This place is beautiful, isn't it?"
He grabbed her hands, "You are beautiful. What do you say if we get
out of here and take a walk under the Parisian night?"
"What are we waiting for?" was her response.
Perry waved at the waiter for his check, paid and escorted Della out
of the Restaurant.
Hand in hand the walked down the street, there was a warm breeze and
the sky was filled with stars.
"I love this city," Della said.
"I love you," was his reply She just smiled.
At the sight of the Arch of Triumph, Della's breath was taken away.
She never saw something so magnificent. Perry felt her amazed, and
squeeze her hand slightly.
"Wonderful, isn't it?" he said.
"You can say that again." she turned to face him, "Have I thank you
enough for bringing me here?"
"Your company have been more than enough," he caressed her cheek.
They continued walking until they reached the Hotel entrance.

"Never been so nervous in my life. I knew he loved me, but still,"
Della remembered, "I knew he would behave...But I was sure I
couldn't," she smiled wickedly looking down at the sleeping figure
holding her.

Once in their Suite, Della was sitting on the couch next to the
window. Her eyes focused, but her thoughts banging in her head. It
wasn't the first time they shared a room, but this one they will be
sharing the bed too. "Maybe is time to move to the next level," she
said to herself. "He loves me, I love him. We are far away from
home...But what if...Do I sound needy? Ah! Della, shut up"
He came from behind, slowly leaning toward her, placing a soft kiss
on the back of her neck.
He felt her shivering, "I'm sorry, Darling. Did I scare you?"
"No, not at all. It took me by surprise, that's all."
He rounded the couch and stood in front of her. "Tired?"
"Not really,"
"Wait a minute," he crossed the room directly to the record player.
After a minute a soft melody filled the air. Then, Perry lowered the
lights a little and got back to where Della was sitting.
"May I have this dance, Madame?"
Della looked at him, "Let me check my dance card...Just what I
thought, empty."
She took his hand, kicked off her shoes and walked with him to the
center of the room.
"Watch the feet," she warned him.
"Hey, you're dancing with an old pro!"
He slipped his arms around her waist while she crossed hers around
his neck. They embrace and swayed softly.
"It's a pity we have to leave tomorrow" he said softly to her ear.
"Mmm, I know." she replied, closing her eyes.
"Did you have a good time?"
"The best...thank you..."
"Thank YOU"
She pulled his head down to her lips, and started nibbling and
kissing him softly. He felt the warmth of her body close to his.
Still swaying he started to run his hands up and down her back.
At his touch she felt shivers all over her spine. She realized that
he was the only man who could make her feel that way, and not only
with his touch. Just the sound of his voice, the mere sight of him
made her nervous and excited. She was so happy to have him, to love
him, to know that he loved her, to be there...
While kissing her, his thoughts absolved him. "Shall I move to the
next step...would she feel the same way?...My God, she feels so
good..."
She noticed that he was there, but his mind wasn't, she broke the
kiss to look at him. He met her eyes, those beautiful sparkling eyes,
he saw her fire and passion boiling. He raised his eyebrows,
questioning without saying a word.
She nodded 'yes'; he smiled, and for her that smile illuminated his
face.
They didn't even notice that the music was out, but he still danced,
at the rhythm of their own hearts.
Perry embraced her even closer, she felt so good, so warm, but so
fragile around his arms. He worked his way down her neck.
She trembled at the feel of his lips on her. She whispered his name
with pleasure, he couldn't resist it.
Mason stopped his exploration to look at her face, now blushed and
passion written all over it.
"I love you," he said to her
"Take me..." was her response.
He lifted her, she wrapped her legs around his waist and together he
walked to the bedroom.

The morning caught them wrapped in an embrace. Perry woke up first,
kissed her forehead and moaned.
"Good morning, Sweetheart." he said.
"Morning," she smiled.
"Sleep well?"
"Best I had in years."
They hold each other for a little while longer.
"We should get up," Della said, "our flight leaves in three hours,"
her voice muffled as she buried her face on his chest.
"Mmm, party pooper." he complained. "But I guess you're right. And
there's something we need to do first."
"What?"
"It's a surprise," he said wickedly.
"You know I love surprises," she kissed him.

A happy tear rolled on Della's cheek, "what a magical moment," she
said to herself. How much she loved him.

The bellboy knocked on the door.
"Monsieur, I'm here to pick your luggage,"
"Thank you," Mason said to the boy. "We'll be out in a minute. Is the
car ready yet?"
"Oui Monsieur. Car is ready"
Mason thanked him, tipped him, and closed the door behind him.
"Darling, are you ready?" he asked Della.
"Be right out!" she answered.
Seconds later, she came out of the bedroom and paused at the window.
Perry walked to where she was standing and wrapped his arms around
her.
"Just one last Good bye," she said.
"Well, Madame. We better do it properly." He took her hand and led
her to the door.

They checked out of the Hotel, and climbed in the car.
"We'll be home in a couple of hours," Della said.
"Yes, but there's something we have to do first." Perry swung the car
around, on direction to the Eiffel Tower.
"Perry, where are we going?"
"I told you, we have to say Good bye properly."
He stopped the car in the parking lot closer to the tower, got out
and rounded it to open the door for her.
They walked hand in hand, the closer view at the building was
overwhelming.
"The perfect good bye in the perfect place," Della's eyes were
filling up.
She looked at Perry, "Thank you again, Darling."
"Close your eyes," he said.
"What for?"
"Just do it, please?"
She did as said. Perry extracted a little blue velvet box from his
pocket and held it in front of her.
"Ready? Now, open"
"Perry, what is this?" she said at the sight of the little box.
"For you, here."
"You didn't have to..."
"Just open it."
Della took the box and opened it, to a platinum bracelet. Tears
rolled through her face.
"Just something to remember me by," Perry said smiling.
"It's gorgeous, I don't know what to say, I'm just..." she couldn't
believe it
"Read the inscription,"
Della took the bracelet, it read 'Remember Paris, July, 1962' She
began to cry again.
Perry took the gift from her and placed it on her
wrist. "There...looks perfect."
All she could do was fly to his arms and kiss him. "I love you..."
she said.

She started sobbing with happiness, "It seems like yesterday," she
thought "like a dream."
She looked at her wrist, and there it was, real as his love. "I can't
believe I've been using this for twenty years," she smiled.
He didn't notice that he was awake.
"Good Morning, Sweetheart." he said softly
"How long have you been awake?" she said wiping her tears away.
He raised his head to look at her, "Long enough," He noticed her
tears, "What's the matter Darling?"
"I'm getting old, that's all."
"Silly, you are as beautiful and young as the last time we were
here," he said tenderly caressing her cheek.
She laughed, he kissed her.
"Now tell me, the real reason of the crying."
"Just reminiscing..."
"Good or bad?"
"Good, of course. Those were happy tears." She smiled. That smiled
that took his breath away.
Twenty years and she still made him feel young and in love.
"I'm glad. The Tower looks beautiful from here isn't it?"
"As beautiful as always," she said.
"Happy Paris Anniversary, Darling," he said
"Je t'aime, Perry Mason"
"Je t'aime, Della Street" and he kissed her.
THE END

Author's Final note: There you have it. A romantic, kinda cheese,
experience in Paris. Thank you for reading. See ya in the next one,
but be patient. Inspiration comes when you less expected it.
Oh! and "Je T'Aime" means "I love you", in case you were wondering.