A/N: Thank you for being so patient. I've had this handwritten for a while but with school coming to an end I've been too busy to type it up. Tell me what you think. I'm curious:)
Lucy arrived home before Amy did even though she had left so many minutes after her blonde girlfriend. Their house was about 10 miles from the marina in the outer parts of the city. It was of moderate size with several large rooms including an art studio and gallery and, true to Spanish tradition, an open- air courtyard in the center. Amy had fallen in love with the house as soon as she saw it and they had spent the past year furnishing it with both antiques and modern pieces. Lucy had bought a few of the houses surrounding their house right after they moved in and had them converted to be her private garages. Lucy entered the house and strode quickly to the stairs, scaling them in record time, and found the bedroom they shared on the first floor. Grabbing a bag, she filled it with clothing for both her and Amy. When she finished packing she collected the bag and ran out colliding with Amy in the doorway.
"We've got to stop doing that," laughed the taller blonde.
"I agree," Lucy nodded smiling, "but I've gotta go!"
"Why?" asked Amy, "what's the rush?"
"Scud's flying in an hour. He's got business to do here. I'm going to pick him up at the airstrip," Lucy explained. The Reynolds Crime Syndicate had been disbanded when Lucy decided to 'come to the light' in a sense. But not all of the Reynolds business had been illegal. Scud now headed the security, including Lucy and Amy's protection, for all of the legitimate business Lucy Diamond owned.
"Oh, did you invite him to stay with us? I haven't seen him in months!" Amy said.
"I'll ask him," Lucy replied. "I've got to go though."
"Why are you taking a bag?" Amy asked jokingly. Lucy waggled her eyebrows.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" she replied giving her girlfriend a quick peck on the lips and striding down the stairs. She yelled a quick 'I love you' to Amy before exiting the house hearing the blonde respond with the same right before the door closed. Amy just laughed shaking her head before heading over to take a quick nap.
Lucy threw the bag in the passenger seat of the 911 and sped off towards the private airstrip. She arrived just as the private plane landed. It took several minutes for the stairs to be placed and for Scud to exit the aircraft. I had been almost a year since she had last seen him in person and to be honest she had to stop herself from running up and bear hugging him. Instead she resigned to walking speedily over to him but she still almost hugged him to death.
"Damn, Lucy, you gonna let me breath?" he choked. She let go and smiled. They walked over to the front of the car to load his bags in the trunk. After Lucy closed the trunk she leaned up against the car looking at Scud.
"So, how've you been?" she asked. He had a few days' stubble on his face and his hair was much shorter than it had been when she last saw him.
"I've been good. Work is good, stressful but good. How are you and Amy?" They both reached for their respective doors and got in the vehicle.
"We're doing really well. I actually wanted to run something by you," she replied reaching over into the glove compartment pulling out a small unmarked box. Lucy opened the box pulling out a slightly smaller leather covered box which she in turn opened revealing a beautiful pair of rings. One was a white diamond, about two carats in size ensconced on a platinum band. The other was almost identical but instead of a white diamond, had a black one.
"Wow Luce, I would say 'doing well' doesn't quite cover it. They're beautiful but why two?" he asked with a puzzled but happy expression.
"Yeah, well, this is going to sound silly but I've always want to wear an engagement ring and that's kind of hard when I'm asking so I decided to throw tradition to hell," she replied blushing.
"What is this? Is Lucy Diamond admitting to a girlish attribute?" Scud joked. Lucy hit him in the arm.
"Oh shut up!" she laughed. "Oh, Amy asked me to ask you if you wanted to stay with us so you wouldn't have to stay in a hotel." Lucy started the car and Scud put on his seat belt remembering how she liked to drive.
"Well, when do you plan on asking her? I really don't want to impose," he replied to her offer. Lucy screeched the car to a stop.
"Scud, you could never impose! You're closer than a brother to me." Several cars honked their horns and flew around her as she put the car back into gear and continued driving. "I'm asking Amy tonight but on our new sailboat. We'll be gone at least until tomorrow morning, maybe longer," she winked, "depending on how much she likes the ring."
Scud rolled his eyes. Lucy really hadn't changed much.
"I guess that's fine. What's your plan for tonight?" he asked.
"Well I bought a new sailboat this morning; it's beautiful, fine wood decks with blue and yellow sails. It was supposed to be a surprise but Amy came back from school early and found me washing off the deck. She doesn't know I'm going to ask her to marry me though," she replied.
"Hmm, well good luck," Scud shrugged.
"What's that supposed to mean? You think I'll have a hard time getting her to marry me? Who wouldn't want to marry me?" she exclaimed.
"Well, I wouldn't," he laughed trying to calm her down. He was one of the only people who saw her true emotions underneath her arrogance, anger, or whatever the hell she was using as a mask. Lucy grinned sheepishly.
"I'm really sorry. I… I forgot how good you are at reading me…" Scud just smiled back at her. "You don't think she'd say no, do you?"
The vulnerability that Scud saw on her face almost scared him. Lucy was a brick wall, a stalwart. She was never vulnerable. He chose his words very carefully trying to help her repair that confidence he was used to in the bad-ass woman.
"Amy loves you, I know she does. And I know that you love her more than anything. Don't think for a minute that she doubts you," he said. Lucy was obviously uncomfortable and was quiet for a while. He looked out the window seeing vast fields of sunflowers in mid-turn.
"So how's your life? Janet still keeping you occupied?" Lucy asked changing the subject.
"Yeah, we're doing well," he smiled. "She introduced me to her parents last week."
"Really? Wow. What are they like? I mean, were they weird?" she asked curiously.
"A little, well, I know where she gets her clothing obsession. Her mom… I can't even begin to describe her," he laughed.
"I haven't met Amy's parents," she commented before sadly adding, "I wish Dad could've met her. He would've loved her."
"Yeah, he would've." Lucy's dad had hired Scud right out of high school. Lucy had hated Scud at first but quickly found that he wasn't trying to weasel his way into her dad's wallet and they became great allies.
Lucy's eyes flashed to the clock. 7:30. Damn, she needed to get to the boat before Amy. She threw the car into the next gear and watched Scud grab into his armrest. Five minutes later they arrived at the girls' home.
"I have a cooking staff that will make you anything you want," she told him as she hurried him in the door. "I've got to get to the boat before Amy so you can stall her if you want."
Lucy gave him a thumbs-up and jumped back into the car. Scud closed the front door and looked up the stairwell to see a blue clad Amy running down to greet him.
"Scud!" she exclaimed as she approached him. He was the closest thing to family that Lucy had and Amy considered him to be like her brother-in-law. "How have you been? I've missed you so much! I love your hair! How's Janet?" she asked all at once.
"Whoa! Slowdown there!" he joked. "I've been good. Janet's good. She tried to cut my hair and I ended up having to chop it all off. How are you?"
"I'm good, school's a little demanding. Lucy wanted to kill one of my professors once and it was like Australia all over again." Amy laughed and hugged him. He seemed much more muscular than he had last time she saw him. "We have a house staff," she said rolling her eyes. "If it was my choice we wouldn't, but you know Lucy. They'll get you all set. Now if I could just find my damn shoes…"
"Don't worry about time. Lucy told me to stall you. She didn't realize the time," he laughed.
"Well, in that case, I'll show you your room," she offered helping him with his bags. "How are Max and Dominique?"
"Max is working in Germany with the International Bureau. Janet just talked to her a few days ago. She's got a new boyfriend, I guess. Dominique is back in France working as a liaison."
"Wow, I haven't talked to them in a long time," she said as they entered his room. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I've gotta find my shoes."
"See you later," he said as she left.