Back to Your Heart
"Happy Valentine's Day, Lil!" Rufus said as he handed Lily a single red rose and a box of chocolates to go with her breakfast in bed that he made her.
She smiled. "Thank you, My Darling." She kissed his lips, then looked down at her food. "What a surprise, waffles." She grinned to show she was just teasing him, and really had no problem with them. In fact, she loved his waffles. "I was going to give you your Valentine's Day present at dinner tonight, but why don't I give it to you now?" she asked with a grin.
Rufus grinned too. "Well, if you insist!"
She nodded over to her nightstand. "It's in there."
Rufus grinned, and ran over to the drawer. He took out a medium-sized square package wrapped tightly in red paper with a pink bow on top.
He raised an eyebrow and Lily and smirked. "Pink?"
Lily brushed moved her hand as if shooing him away. "It's Valentine's Day. Besides, it's only a bow. Now open your present!"
Rufus tore open the paper, and smiled when he saw what was inside. It was a silver ID bracelet with his name on it.
"Now, before you say anything, it is for a man. A lot of men wear those nowadays. They are extremely fashionable," Lily explained.
"I love it, Lil, thank you!" Rufus said.
"Look at the inscription on the inside," she said with a wink.
Rufus looked, and read the inspiration. To Rufus, the love of my life. You always have been, and always will be.
Rufus had tears in his eyes. He walked over to her and pulled her close. Then, he kissed her deeply. "I love it, Lil. Thank you so much!"
She smiled. "You're worth it! I mean every word of it. Here. Let me put it on you." She took the bracelet from him, and hooked it over his right wrist.
"I hope you could read it okay. They had to inscribe it small to fit it all in," Lily said as she bit into her waffles. "Mm... Good."
"I read it just fine. It's beautiful. Thank you again. I love you." Rufus kissed her.
"I love you too!" She said, kissing him back. "So," she then added, "can I open my present early too?"
Rufus blushed. "Actually, the rose, the chocolates, and the breakfast in bed are your present."
Lily paused from her eating. "Oh. Well, thank you." She went back to eating, though she suddenly didn't feel all that hungry anymore.
She looked up at Rufus after they had sat in silence for a moment. "You know, breakfast in bed shouldn't count as a gift. It would be something you do to be nice as my husband. And, I'm not trying to be rude or ungrateful. It's just, I don't think you really put much thought into your gifts. You didn't even give me a card! If this was going to be my gift, a full dozen roses would have been nice instead of a single one. And, as for the chocolates, you know I'm not a huge chocolate eater. I don't eat sweets too often."
Rufus blushed, feeling both a little insulted, and a little embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I thought you'd like them. All woman love chocolate. As for the card, well, I didn't think I needed to get you one. It's just some cardboard with someone else's words on it. You already know the gift is from me. And, as for the rose, I always thought a single rose was more of a romantic gesture. A big bouquet is so clichéd."
"Well, maybe I like clichéd! As for the card, regardless of whether or not you wrote the words, the words you picked out would mean something to me. Besides, you can also write your own words underneath! And not all women love chocolate. You, as my husband, should know I'm not big on it," Lily stated. "I have to be in the right mood for it."
Rufus sighed. He was getting pretty sick of Lily's attitude lately. He had never known just how nasty she could get! "Well, you as my wife should know I meant well! You know, you can be a real bitch sometimes!"
Lily gasped. "How dare you?"
Rufus knew he should be on his knees apologizing for that last crack, but, right now, he was far too angry to apologize. "Yeah, well, if the shoe fits, Lil."
Lily narrowed her eyes. "Get out. Now," she said, her voice low and anger-filled.
"Gladly!" Rufus said. He turned around and left the bedroom, slamming the door behind him.
"You don't have a romantic bone in your body, Rufus Humphrey!" Lily yelled after him behind the closed door.
"Yeah, well, maybe you don't deserve me being romantic!" Rufus yelled back from in front of the closed door. He heard Lily burst into tears in response, and, for a second, wanted to run in, kiss her, apologize, and make it up to her. But then he remembered how she had treated him today, on Valentine's Day of all days. So, instead, he headed down the stairs without looking back.
~Rufly~
"What did he say, Mom?" Serena said as she sat next to her mother on Lily and Rufus' bed. She still wasn't exactly thrilled with her mother for what she had done to Ben. Putting a man in prison that she knew was innocent was practically unforgivable. However, Lily was still her mother, and she didn't want to see her mother sad or upset—especially on Valentine's Day.
"I was a bitch. Rufus is right," Lily sobbed before blowing her nose in a tissue.
"Wait, Rufus called you a bitch?" Serena asked in surprise. Sure, she agreed her mother had been acting bitchy lately, but still, that gave Rufus no right to call his own wife a bitch!
Lily nodded. "He had every right to. He brought me a heart shaped box of chocolates and a single, long-stemmed rose and gave them to me with breakfast in bed as my present."
Serena raised an eyebrow. "Okay, so how is that bad?"
"Well, that's all he gave me. He didn't even give me a card! So, I told him that he should have made me breakfast in bed just to be nice as my husband—not as a present."
Serena nodded. "True. Especially on Valentine's Day. I wouldn't consider that a present."
"And, I told him it would have been nice to get a card. His excuse was that I'd already know the gift was from him, and that cards are just cardboard with someone else's words on them," Lily explained.
"Someone else's words that he picked out. Besides, he could have written something on the card too. It's not against the law," Serena said, appalled at Rufus' behavior.
Lily nodded. "That's basically what I told him. Then I told him that I'm not big on sweets, and it would have been nice if he put some thought into the gift. As my husband, he should have known better."
Serena nodded. "Even I know you don't eat sweets too often!"
Lily sighed. "And, as for the rose, I told him that it should have been a full bouquet if it were my present. He said he didn't want to be cliched, and that he figured a single rose was more romantic. I told him that he didn't have a romantic bone in his body. But that was only after he called me a bitch."
"Why did he call you a bitch?" Serena asked.
Lily sighed, and looked down at the comforter. "For being ungrateful I guess." She looked back at her daughter. "I guess I was wrong when it came to the rose. Still, the other gifts... It's not that I expected something really expensive. I just wanted something a little more thought out is all. Something that took a little more effort. Something from his heart."
Serena nodded, and gently pat her mother's legs over the comforter. "I know what you mean, Mom, and you're right! But sometimes guys are just dumb like that. They aren't always as romantic as women. In fact, guys can be pretty clueless sometimes."
Lily nodded. "Tell me about it!"
"Still, it didn't give him any right to call you a bitch. What did you get him?" Serena asked next.
"A silver ID bracelet with his name engraved on one side and 'To Rufus, the love of my life. You always have been always will be' inscribed on the inside," Lily answered.
"Well, then that bastard shouldn't have called you a bitch!" Serena said.
Lily laughed, and so did Serena.
Serena then stood up. "Don't forgive him until he apologizes good!" Serena said. She pat her mother's legs again. "Enjoy the rest of your breakfast." She winked, then took off out the door, gently shutting the door behind her.
Lily sighed, then took another bite of waffle. The only problem with Serena's advice was that Lily didn't know who should be apologizing—herself or Rufus. She guessed both of them. But he was going to have to go first!
~Rufly~
"Dad, I hate to say it, but you definitely need a lesson in love!" Dan said after Rufus finished recalling to him and Eric what had happened earlier between him and Lily.
Rufus crossed his arms over his chest. "Yeah, well, what do you know? How many times have you and Serena broken up? And do I really have to remind you about Georgina? Then there was your on again off again relationship with Vanessa. Oh, and of course there was Olivia, who dumped you when you clearly wanted Vanessa, who dumped you when you wanted Serena, who dumped you for Ben."
"Harsh!" Eric said with a wince.
"First off, not all those relationships ended exactly the way you said they did. Second of all, don't take your bad mood out on me, your own son!" Dan snapped.
Rufus sighed. "You're right. I'm sorry. I just feel so stupid! Lily was right. I should have known better, and put more thought into the gift."
"Well, you meant well. Women can just be difficult when it comes to buying them presents unless it cost a lot of money. Then again, my mother isn't like that. She just wants you to get her a gift from the heart. And, though your gifts might have been a little from the heart, you still could have thought it out a bit more," Eric stated. "Either way, I'm glad I'm gay. There's not as much pressure with guys."
Dan smirked. "In an odd way, he's right."
Rufus and Eric both looked at him.
"About what women want! I have no clue when it comes to being gay. Not that I'm gay. I'm just saying—"
Eric cut him off. "We get it." He turned back to Rufus. But shame on you for calling my mother a bitch! As her husband, you lost your right to call her that even if she has been acting like one lately."
Rufus nodded, and looked down to the floor in shame. "I know, and I'm sorry."
"Don't tell us that. Tell mom that," Eric said.
Rufus looked up at them. "But how? How do I apologize, and how can I make this right? What do I get her?"
Dan and Eric grinned at each other, and then at Rufus.
"I'm sure we can think of something," Eric said, rubbing his hands slowly together as if plotting something.
Dan nodded. "But please, if Eric and I are helping, let's keep the bedroom stuff out of it."
Eric nodded. "Oh, yes. I definitely agree with that one!"
Rufus grinned slyly. "We'll see."
"Dad!" Dan protested at the same time Eric said, "Rufus!"
Rufus laughed, and held his hands up. I"'m joking! I'll be the perfect gentleman. I promise." He winked.
"You better be!" Dan said, pointing a finger at him.
Eric nodded, trying his best to block out the memories of having heard his mother and Rufus "enjoying" their bedroom when they had first gotten together after Lily's ex-husband Bart's death. He shivered at the memory.
~Rufly~
"Thank you for helping me with this, guys. It really means a lot to me," Rufus said to Chuck and Blair once they had finished everything they had to finish. It had taken all day, but Rufus knew he finally had a Valentine's Day gift that Lily would definitely not think was unromantic.
"Don't mention it. I figured it is one last things I can do with this place before it gets sold," Chuck said sadly as he looked around the roof of the Empire, his dead father's business that was soon to be sold against his will.
"I didn't even know you had this much romance in you," Blair said, placing an arm around Rufus as she examined their work.
There was a gazebo set up just a few inches away from the edge of the roof, and there were chairs lined up in front of the gazebo.
Red and pink lights were strung all around, and there was a big, long table for food. There were also a few round tables covered with red tablecloths with pink and read heart shaped candle holders in the middle, and pink and red candles—the red candles in the pink heart candle holders, and the pink candles in the red heart candle holders.
"The caterers are taking care of the food. Now all we need is for the guests and the preacher to arrive, and of course Lily. And of course you need to get dressed!" Blair said, poking Rufus in the ribs.
"We'll go take care of him. You make sure everything still goes as planned," Dan said to her.
Blair nodded. "Go ahead, Humphrey. I have things taken care of."
So, Dan and Eric grabbed their father's arms, and walked with him down to the room they had reserved in the Empire.
The plan for the night was for Rufus and Lily to renew their wedding vows, then they would have a reception on top of the roof. Then he and Lily could come down to the room and enjoy the rest of their night together privately. Also, Rufus had a few gifts for Lily that he knew she would love. He had made sure not to screw up this time!
~Rufly~
There was a knock on the bedroom door. Lily hadn't gotten out of bed all day, and she certainly didn't feel like doing it now—even to answer the door.
"Mom, are you decent?" Serena called in.
"Yes," Lily said, a little disappointed that it wasn't Rufus. He hadn't come back to apologize at all today. She didn't know if it made her angry or sad. Actually, it was a little bit of both.
Serena walked into the room, carrying an unusually big box. "This is from Rufus."
Lily sighed. "He gives me a new Valentine's gift through you instead of just bringing it by himself? Well, he can keep it!" She crossed her arms over her chest. "Just when I was feeling guilty for treating him that way. Well, he can forget me apologizing now!"
Serena smirked. "Mom, relax. Just open the gift, all right? I know you're going to like it. He has a reason for not being here, and you'll understand why eventually."
Lily glanced at Serena for a moment. Then, she sighed, and held out her hands. "Well, all right! But only because you got me curious now." She opened the gift that was wrapped in a metallic pink paper with a red bow on top. "Well, at least he took the time to wrap it nicely. Or at least got someone else to." She opened the box, and gasped when she saw what was inside.
She took out the dress. It was a white strapless, bubble hem dress with a thick pink ribbon around the waist. There was also a white faux fur cloak with silver sparkles all over it, a pair of sparkly pink heels, and a silver and diamond tiara with a big pink diamond heart in the middle.
"It's beautiful," she breathed. "And the dress and heels are even in my size!"
Serena grinned. "See? He's not all bad, is he?"
Lily raised an eyebrow at her daughter. "You helped him pick these out, didn't you?"
Serena shook her head. "Well, he did ask me for your sizes, but he wanted to pick the dress, shoes, and tiara out all on his own."
"Well, what are they for?" Lily asked. "They are too fancy to wear for just anything. I honestly don't even think he was even planning to take me out to dinner tonight. I had just assumed!"
Serena grinned. "Go get dressed! I promise you, all will be revealed to you soon!"
Lily felt the soft, silky material of the dress. Then, she grinned up at Serena. "All right!"
She got up out of bed, and headed to the shower. "I have to shower first!"
"All right, but hurry up! I'll help you with your hair after," Serena said with a smile. She was glad her mother had Rufus. He made her truly happy, and that was more than any of her other husbands had ever done for her.
~Rufly~
"Where are we going? I hope it's somewhere fancy. I only say that because of the way I'm dressed," Lily said as she looked at herself in her compact mirror. Serena had put her hair in an up do after curling it so that there was nothing but curls surrounding the tiara. Her makeup was also done by Serena, and her eyes were now a sparkling pink. "I don't know about this pink. I don't usually wear pink on my eyes."
"You look beautiful, Mom," Serena said as she and Lily headed to the Empire in a cab. "Relax!"
They arrived at the Empire, and instantly, Lily felt nervous. "Is this some kind of set up to pay me back for what I did to Ben, and for selling the Empire behind Chuck's back? I thought you were being too nice to me!"
Serena laughed. "Gosh, Mom, you're so paranoid! It's nothing like that, I promise you."
Serena paid and tipped the driver, then took Lily's arm, and led her to the elevators. She pressed the button to the roof.
"Why are we going up on the roof?" Lily asked in confusion. "You're not going to try to push me off, are you?" she teased.
"No, but that's a good idea!" Serena teased back.
"Hey, I'm still your mother!" Lily said with a nervous laugh. The way Serena acted sometimes, she could never know for sure when she was and wasn't joking.
The doors opened, and Lily and Serena stepped out onto the roof.
Lily gasped when she saw the scene in front of her. There were red and pink lights all over, and a long buffet style table. There was a preacher waiting in a gazebo, and all their friends sitting in chairs in front of said gazebo. There was Vanya, Dorota, their baby, Cyrus, Eleanor, Blair, Chuck, Dan, Nate, Nate's father, Vanessa, Eric, and Rufus.
Rufus walked over to her, looking all dapper in his white suit and pink handkerchief in the pocket. He grinned at her. "Pink for Valentine's Day," he said with a wink.
Lily was still a little angry with him, but she couldn't help but smile. "You look great! Real men wear pink after all." She winked.
"Lil, I'm sorry for calling you a bitch this morning," he said. "You're not a bitch. I'm just an idiot. No, I'm a stupid, unromantic bastard."
Lily smiled. "Apology accepted. You're not stupid. I know you meant well. I'm sorry I was so rude."
Rufus shook his head. "You had every right to be upset with me. Now, I want to make it up to you." He got down on one knee with a red velvet box in his hands.
Lily placed a hand to her heart. "Rufus, what are you doing?"
He flipped open the box, revealing a silver ring with a heart shaped ruby. "Will you marry me again?"
Lily had tears in her eyes. She had wanted romantic, well, it couldn't get much more romantic than this! "Do you even need to ask? Yes! Yes, Rufus, I will marry you again!" She held out her right hand this time, since her other hand already had two rings on the ring finger.
Rufus grinned, and placed the ring over her right ring finger. "I'm sorry Jenny and Scott couldn't be here. It was too late of notice for Scott to get down here in time, and Jenny had some fashion thing."
Lily smiled. "It's okay, I understand. I'm just glad we have everyone else here."
Rufus then stood up, and took Lily's hand. "You look so incredibly beautiful. I love you."
Lily smiled. "Well, you did an incredible job of picking the outfit out. I love you too."
They kissed.
"Hey, you two! Save it for when the preacher tells you to kiss!" Serena said.
Rufus and Lily both laughed, then headed hand-in-hand to the gazebo to renew their vows.
~Rufly~
"I know I am not the most romantic person in the world, but please know how much I love you. There's not a day that goes by, or a breath that I take that I don't fall even more in love with you than the day before or the breath before. You are my queen, and there is nothing in this world that could ever change that. I love you more than you could ever imagine. You're my life, Lil, and I promise to spend the rest of my life being the best husband I can be to you," Rufus said.
Lily smiled, tears of joy welling up in her eyes. "And I consider myself the luckiest woman on earth! You say I'm your queen, well, you truly are my king. You take care of me and love me like none of my other husbands ever have. I love you so much it even hurts sometimes, and I promise to spend the rest of my life making sure you never regret making me your wife."
Rufus grinned. "I'd never regret that!"
"We will now have the exchanging of the rings," the preacher said.
For the rings, Rufus had decided to just re-place their original wedding bands on the other's hand. So, before the wedding started, he and Lily had taken off their rings, and given them to Dan and Eric to hold.
Now, Dan handed Rufus Lily's ring, and Eric handed Lily Rufus' ring.
"Please accept this ring as a symbol of my undying love for you," Rufus said as he slipped Lily's ring back on her finger.
"And please accept this ring is a symbol of my undying love for you," Lily said, placing Rufus' ring back on his finger.
"Well, then, by the powers vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife...again! You may kiss the bride," the preacher stated.
Rufus and Lily both grinned.
"Gladly!" Rufus said as he pulled his wife in for a long and passionate kiss.
"What are you trying to do, break your own record? Stop it!" Serena laughed after more than the allotted time passed by and Rufus still hadn't released Lily's lips.
"My eyes!" Eric teased, covering his own eyes.
Finally, Rufus and Lily broke the kiss, and turned to their friends hand-in-hand. They bowed as their friends cheered for them.
"Now, let's eat because, I for one, am starving!" Rufus said.
"I hear ya!" Eric said.
Everyone laughed.
The caterers came out then, with all the delicious smelling food.
Everyone ate, enjoying the mango chicken and brown rice that was served.
"I made it healthy, just for you," Rufus said to Lily.
Lily smiled, then kissed him. "Thank you, My Darling."
The other food included apple sauce, green beans, and mashed potatoes and chicken gravy. There was fruit punch to drink, as well as cocktails for anyone who wanted them.
Everybody clinked their water glasses, so Rufus and Lily kissed, Rufus of course turning it into a show.
"What are you trying to do, swallow me whole?" Lily joked.
Rufus' eyes lowered. "That will come later, My Love."
Lily licked her lips, and pulled him in for another kiss.
For dessert, there was fat free vanilla cake with white frosting and fat free French vanilla ice cream.
"No chocolate!" Rufus said to Lily with a grin as he fed her a bite.
Lily smiled, and licked her lips. "Mm... Thank you." She kissed him.
After dessert, there was dancing, and Rufus even surprised Lily by singing her a new song he wrote for her called "My Reason for Breathing." Of course the song had earned Rufus multiple kisses.
It was just a magical night, and Lily couldn't have asked for a better Valentine's Day.
~Rufly~
Two hours later, everyone had gone, but Rufus and Lily stayed on the roof for a bit by themselves.
Rufus led Lily over to a comforter and some pillows that he had lain out off to the side. There were also a couple of blankets. "I got us a room too, but let's stay up here for just a bit longer."
Lily smiled. "All right. Not too long though. It's a bit cold up here."
Rufus nodded his agreement. "All right."
They sat down together, and Rufus wrapped one of the blankets tightly around Lily's shoulders. "One of the reasons I made sure to get you the cloak was to make sure you keep warm."
Lily kissed him. "Thank you."
"Now, I got some real Valentine's Day presents for you," Rufus said.
"This wedding was present enough! How on earth did you pull this all off within a matter of hours?" Lily asked.
Rufus grinned. "It's what the power of having rich friends with connections gets you."
Lily smirked.
Rufus then presented Lily with a medium sized box wrapped in red paper with pink hearts.
Lily opened it up and saw a silver women's ID bracelet with her name on it.
"Read the inside inscription," he said, nodding toward the bracelet.
Lily read it, and saw that he had inscribed, To Lily, my reason for breathing and living.
Lily looked up at him, tears of joy in her eyes. "I love you so much! I love it! Thank you." She jumped into his arms, and they kissed.
Rufus then took the bracelet, and put it on her right wrist. "There. It looks beautiful on you. Not that that's any surprise, for anything looks beautiful on you."
"And I said you didn't have a romantic bone in your body. I take it all back!" Lily said with a smile as she nuzzled her nose against his.
They grinned at each other, then kissed.
Their kiss quickly grew more passionate.
"Make love to me," Lily whispered in his ear.
Rufus raised an eyebrow in surprise. "What? Here? Now? I thought you were cold."
"All the more reason to warm me up," she purred into his ear. She began kissing down his neck.
Rufus moaned. "Well, since you put it that way..." He trailed off, and their lips met again.
He then gently lay her down on the comforter, and straddled her body as he kissed her more passionately, and held her hands over her head as his lips worked on her neck.
~Rufly~
"It's so beautiful, isn't it?" Lily asked after their lovemaking. They were now redressed, and sitting side-by-side with the blankets and each other's arm wrapped around them as they looked at the beautiful city lights in the night sky.
Rufus nodded, then looked at Lily. "But not nearly as beautiful as you."
Their eyes lowered, and they kissed some more.
"I have one more gift for you," Rufus said, reaching over and grabbing a wide, long, rectangular box.
Lily looked at him as she took the box. "You're making me look bad now! I only got you the bracelet!"
Rufus grinned. "Please! That was more than enough. Besides, this one is a present for both of us."
"I'm curious now," Lily said as she unwrapped the box that was wrapped in the same paper as her bracelet had been. She pulled the lid off the box, and looked inside. She saw that it was a pair of plane tickets.
She looked up at him. "Two first class, round trip tickets to Paris?"
Matthew nodded. "We leave next Saturday. I figured we can spend a whole week there since we never got our honeymoon. Better late than never, right?"
Lily squealed, and wrapped her arms around her husband tightly. She kissed him hard on the lips.
Rufus smiled against her lips as he kissed her in return. "I take it you like the gift?"
Lily held him at arms length so that she could look at him as she spoke. "Like it? Oh my gosh, Rufus, I love it! Thank you so much!"
They kissed again.
"Mm, I love you so much," Lily murmured against his lips, her eyes closed.
"So, did I redeem myself this Valentine's Day?" Rufus asked her with a grin.
Lily opened her eyes, and grinned at him. "You know it! In fact, I want to thank you for such a wonderful Valentine's Day."
Rufus moaned, his eyes lowering again. "Again?"
"If your up for it," Lily said seductively, batting her eyelashes at him.
Rufus grinned, and roughly pulled her closer to him. "You know I'm up for it!" He began nibbling at her neck.
Lily giggled. "But not here! I am really cold now, so let's go down to our room."
"Done!" Rufus said, picking her up.
Lily giggled, the plane ticket box in her hand. "But what about the mess up here?"
Rufus grinned. "We're rich! We can have someone take care of it for us tomorrow. Right now, I need to get you down to that room before we don't make it down there in time."
Lily grinned too, and they kissed the whole way down as Rufus continued to carry her down to their room.
When they made it inside their room, Rufus set Lily down on the bed, then put the "do not disturb" sign out on the door, and shut the door tightly behind him.
Then, he pounced onto the bed, and ravished Lily again.
Lily noticed that they both had an overnight bag in the room.
"You think of everything, don't you?" she asked.
Rufus nodded. "So, I found the way back to your heart?" he asked.
Lily stroked his cheek. "You were never gone from it."
Rufus' eyes lowered, and so did Lily's.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Mr. Humphrey," Lily said with a grin.
Rufus grinned as well, and turned off the lamp before responding. "Happy Valentine's Day, Mrs. Humphrey," he said as he climbed overtop of her body.
The grinned as their mouths slowly moved closer together, then, their lips met, and they kissed. Then, they went about sharing their love for each other in their favorite way. After all, it was Valentine's Day.
*The End*