From Prada To Nada doesn't belong to me.

Enjoy.

Grand Gestures

Edward Ferrars almost had a heart attack when he saw Nora and Mary Dominguez enter the room. He couldn't believe it. He had told himself, okay lied to himself that he would never see her again and that when he did it would make no difference to him, that she would mean nothing to him. Obviously he'd been wrong. Seeing her at his engagement party to another woman, looking absolutely fabulous, showed him what he'd already known… that even thinking of marrying another woman, let alone Lucy was just wrong and he couldn't go through with it.

His eyes followed her as went to stand behind a pillar and without even thinking about it he found himself following her there.

"What are you doing here, Nora?" he asked her.

000

Bruno put his tools down and looked at the work he had done so far. It still had a ways to go but luckily Mary wasn't about to be discharged. He couldn't believe that he had almost lost her for good, and all because of some good-for-nothing teaching assistant. He wished he had been there at that engagement party and given Mr. I'm married Teaching Assistant a piece of his mind.

He had yet to actually see Mary, he couldn't let himself go and visit her in the hospital, he didn't want to see the scars he'd heard so much about and he doubted that Mary even wanted to see him at all, so he contented himself with sending her flowers and building a walkway that would make it unnecessary for her aunt to have her carried into the house.

What was wrong with him anyway? What was it about pretty socialite out-of-his-league girls that attracted him to them? He should have learnt his lesson and written off such girls but here he was again, pining for a girl who would never accept him for who he really was, a girl who would never be comfortable in his world.

Sensing the dark turn his thoughts were taking, Bruno, put the paint brush down and went inside for a drink.

000

Bruno was so lost in thought he didn't hear the car until the driver's door closed and he saw Edward Ferrars standing infront of him. What was he doing here? Bruno wondered. He'd actually never spoken to the man but he knew all about 'complicated' relationship had with Nora.

"Hey man," Bruno called to him, "they're not here. I'm sure you heard about Mary's accident. She's still in hospital and Nora's with her."

"I know."

"So what are you doing here than?" Bruno asked him.

"You know what," Edward seemed very unsure of himself, "I don't even know… I'm not sure."

"I get it," Bruno smiled at him, "you're like that guy from My Fair Lady." Edward was a bit confused and then he shook his head and smiled at Bruno. "Please. I'm nothing like Freddie."

"Yet here you are hanging around her house," Bruno pointed out. "Knowing I'm on the street where you live," he concluded in a singsong voice.

"Okay, okay," Edward conceded. "Maybe i am a bit like Freddie. But," he stopped and swallowed. "I totally messed up."

"Yes you did."

Edward was wondering why he was even talking to this guy, he didn't even actually know his name, but he needed someone to talk to and so he did.

"I broke it off with Lucy after our engagement party," he confided, "I don't even know what I was thinking getting engaged to her in the first place."

"How did she take it, your fiancée, I mean?"

"Pretty well, actually," Edward replied. "She's actually already got a new fiancé."

"Wow."

"I know."

"Do you think she'll ever forgive me?" Edward asked. Bruno didn't bother to ask which she he was talking about now. It was obviously Nora Dominguez.

"Do you think she'll ever forgive me, love me, and marry me?" Edward asked again.

"You know what they say," Bruno said, "you'll never know 'til you try."

"Is that what you're doing?" Edward asked, pointing at the half-painted walkway Bruno was working on. Edward hadn't spent a long time at the party but he seen the way Bruno had been looking at Mary and he'd heard Nora talking about him so he knew that Bruno was a big part of their lives now.

"You do what you can," Bruno shrugged.

Edward nodded.

"So what are you going to do?" Bruno asked him.

"I'm going to win her over," Edward replied. "That's the plan anyway… I'm not sure exactly how yet. I'm actually leaning towards the whole grand romantic gesture thing."

Bruno stared at him. "The flowers and chocolate stuff?"

"Like that would even work." They looked at each other both silently agreeing that that would never work on Nora and Mary.

"So… what then?" Bruno asked.

"There's actually a project I've been working on," Edward said, "and now that I think about it, I think I could use your help."

"Really with what?" Bruno was intrigued.

Edward told him his plan; Bruno listened and agreed that he would do what he could and keep it a secret. "So you think it'll work?" Edward asked. "It's a start," Bruno told him, "as a start it works very well, of course you'll have some major explaining to do."

"What about you?" Edward asked. "Is this your grand gesture?"

"As a wise man once pointed out," Bruno replied, "after you've done all you can, you just stand."

"So you're going to wait for her to make a move?"

"If she doesn't realize that I'm here, I've always been here and will always be here then I don't really have a chance, do I?"

"Nope," Edward replied. "You have no chance at all." He walked back to his car; he had made a new friend today, something he generally found it hard to do easily. "I'll see you on Tuesday then."

"Yes," Bruno replied. "Tuesday."

000

Bruno sat with Mary in the sitting room reading. He loved to spend time with her but today he was distracted; Mary had asked him several times if there was something wrong.

He glanced at his watch again, ignored Mary's look, and looked out of the window. Right on time the huge moving truck drove into the street and parked infront of the house.

000

"You knew something about this, didn't you?" Mary asked Bruno as they watched Nora and Edward kiss outside.

"I may have had some idea," Bruno smiled widely. Mary stared at him and then it hit her. "All that extra secret work that you've been doing lately," she hit him on the shoulder, "at the pink house," she pointed at the huge pink house across the road, "it's theirs isn't it? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I made a promise," Bruno replied dropping a kiss on her forehead, "and I'll have you know Miss Dominguez, I keep my promises."

"If my sister wasn't so happy right now and I didn't love you," Mary said. "I would totally hit you."

"So you love me, huh?"

"Did I say love?" Mary couldn't believe she'd say it out loud. She knew she loved Bruno and he had told her he loved her at least a dozen times but she had never reciprocated. Until now. Bruno laughed at her expression. "I guess this means we're stuck with each other for good then. I love you Mary Dominguez."

000

"I guess we'd better get inside," Nora said.

"Okay," Edward replied, "there's no need to shock the residents of this street any further."

"Yes," Nora replied, making no move to get out of his embrace, "such behavior is what they would expect of Mary not me. I'm the sensible Dominguez sister."

They walked hand in hand towards the door.

"I love you Nora Dominguez."

"I know."

000

What do you think?