Disclaimer: These wonderful characters are, unfortunately, not mine and I will make no money from this story.
Setting: This story begins approximately six months after Perry Mason Returns. Right now, the only spoilers are for PMR but, that may change as the story progresses
Rating: PG-13
As It Should Be
Chapter 1 "All In Good Time"
Della Street sat at her desk in the new offices of Perry Mason, Attorney at Law. She stared out the window at the clouds passing by, the chill of the late January day evident in the howling winds. She allowed her thoughts to wander over the last few months. Oh, how her life had changed!
She would never forget the fear she had felt when she was arrested for Arthur Gordon's murder. She couldn't remember a time when she had ever been more scared. Of course Perry had ridden to her rescue without hesitation. He had given up everything to come to her side. At the time, she had been a little upset with him for signing his appellate court resignation without talking to her first, but in the end she admitted that she was thankful that he had done it. Funny thing though, from that moment in the holding room she was no longer scared. Perry had held her in his arms as she cried out her fears. She knew that Perry, her Perry, would move heaven and earth to protect her.
Della later told him, jokingly of course, that the only reason he had taken her case was because it had provided him with the perfect out to get away from that god-awful bench. She could still remember the day eight years before when she told him she wouldn't be going to San Francisco with him. He looked as though he had been slapped and essentially he had. She still had Aunt Mae to care for, plus she was angry with him for just assuming that she would just pack up and go with him. And if she was honest with herself, she knew that there had been another, deeper, reason why she wouldn't go. He told her he wasn't going anywhere without her. But she'd refused to let him do that. Della knew that it would have driven a wedge of resentment right into the middle of their relationship. Just as it would have if she had walked away from her life to go with him. At the time she didn't know how the distance would affect their relationship but she did know that if one of them began to resent the other, it would be the beginning of the end. For the first five
years things were very difficult between the two of them. He had been so hurt and so
angry that they barely spoke to one another, and when they did it was strained and uncomfortable. He wouldn't even allow her to visit him. It was heartbreaking. Della had thought they would never work things out and that she had lost him forever. But then three years ago Paul died. It was the first time they had seen each other since he had left. She remembered looking at him and realizing that she had made the biggest mistake of her life. And he too, realized the same thing. They sought solace in each other. Neither one of them knew just how to fix what they had so carelessly broken but, they both knew that they couldn't go back to the way things had been. So they had agreed to play it by ear. Life on the bench wasn't what Perry had expected, he'd grown to hate it, and they both had grown to hate being apart. Della knew that for the last eighteen months he only remained out of a since of obligation. So when she was accused of murder it was the proverbial last straw and he resigned.
Their love had remained strong despite their stupid decisions and the hundreds of miles between them so, once the trial was over, things had developed quickly. Perry moved back to Los Angeles and opened a new practice. She and Perry spent every moment together. When they weren't working they were taking long walks, enjoying leisurely dinners, dancing, and of course, loving each other.
"Enough of this Della, you had better get these errands out of the way," she said to herself, realizing just how long she'd been absorbed in her reflections.
Later that evening she had returned home, noticed his car in her drive, and wondered what he was up to. The lights were dim and there was a quilt spread out in front of a roaring fire. She smiled as she noticed the music playing quietly in the background. It was one of their favorites. Going into the kitchen she found Perry and his famous lasagna.
"Hello Love." greeted Perry.
"Hello Darling." He was carrying an aperitif and a bottle of wine. Chardonnay no doubt. Oh, how well he knew her. "What is all this?'
"A surprise. Hungry?" He asked as he kissed her.
"Starved," she replied with a suggestive kiss.
For the next hour they ate and talked about their day. Then Perry stood, pulled her up with him, and eliminated the space between them as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
Della loved the feeling of his arms around her. She loved this man with her whole being and had since the minute she first walked into his office. Perry planted several kisses on the top of her head. They moved gently, swaying to the music, before Perry broke the comfortable silence. "Oh, I almost forgot. I wanted to ask you something."
"Ask me what?" She questioned dreamily without moving from his embrace.
Perry pulled back and lifted her chin so he could look into her eyes. "Della Street, will you marry me?"
"Will I what?" Della said in shock.
"Will you marry me?" He repeated.
"Perry we've…"
"Della," he interrupted. "I have loved you for more than half my life. You are my best friend, my love, my life, my everything. We have spent too many years loving each other from a distance, and I don't want to spend one more day apart. After everything we've been through I don't want to take any more chances. I'm not willing to risk losing you. I want you to be the last thing I see when I fall asleep at night and the first thing I see when I wake up in the morning, every morning."
"Perry I love you more than life itself. You know that. But I'm not going anywhere." Della leaned in and kissed him gently, "and for the record, I know you aren't going anywhere either."
"For the record, name one good reason why we shouldn't be married."
Della thought back over the years. Perry had proposed to her in the past, more than once, but she had always told him that she would rather share in his life than his bankroll. She couldn't imagine staying at home, albeit a big beautiful home, while he was out with another secretary/woman on one of their adventures. But now that their lives had calmed down a bit and they weren't dodging the police and chasing murderers all over God's green earth, she couldn't think of one solid reason not to say yes. Except, of course, the secret that she had kept from him for the last thirty years. The same secret that broke her heart every time she allowed herself to think about it.
"Perry, I don't know. We're both old and set in our ways and…"
"Della," he took her by the shoulders and looked into her eyes, "do you not want to marry me?'
Della could see the hurt in his eyes. It was like San Francisco all over again. "Of course I want to, I love you." And she did. She desperately wanted to say yes. Admittedly, it felt right at this point in their lives and in their relationship. She felt confident that this was what they both needed. Her love for him grew stronger every day. And she knew that it was the same for him. But what about the past? Could she marry him knowing what she had done; knowing what she had kept from him for so long? Would he forgive her if she told him?
Perry could tell she was trying to muddle through her thoughts. He picked up her delicate hands and kissed them both. Tears were threatening to spill from her sparkling, breathtaking eyes. "Della what is it? What is keeping you from saying yes?"
"Nothing," she lied. She wanted this so much. He was right. They had wasted too much time living apart and she couldn't let what had happened nearly three decades ago dictate her life now. At first she was hesitant but then grew more confident, "Okay Counselor, let's get married." she answered.
A huge smile spread across her face. Della's smile had never failed to cause his heart to skip a beat.
"Yes? You're finally saying yes?"
"Yes, I am finally saying yes!"
He took her in his arms and kissed her. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box. Slowly, he opened the lid to reveal the spectacular treasure that lay inside. The diamond, an emerald cut solitaire, had to be at least five or six carats. It was surrounded by tiny seed pearls and the wide band was inlaid alternately with garnets and diamonds, while the edges of the platinum band contained an intricate carving.
"Oh Perry," Della said as she sucked in a breath. She looked into his eyes as he slipped it onto her finger. Those eyes, those gorgeous and piercing blue eyes that never failed to make her heart skip a beat.
"Depending on who you ask the birthstone for April, for your birthday, can be either diamonds, or pearls, and since my birthday is in January, that's where the garnets come in. Do you like it?"
"Do I like it, Perry; it's the most beautiful ring I have ever seen. I…I don't even
know what to say. Perry you…this ring…it didn't just come out of a store. It's obviously an original creation. I love it!"
She reached up and brushed away a stray tear that rolled down his cheek. He took her in his arms, kissed her passionately, and then drew her quietly into the candlelit bedroom. As Perry drifted off to sleep Della, wrapped within the comfort of his arms, realized just how happy she was.
However, she couldn't deny that ever present nagging pain in her heart, the constant reminder of the past, of what she had done to Perry, and of what she had let slip away.
