Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't own anything R&I related.
AN: Hey y'all! So I had a chance to get some writing done this weekend and that means since I'm a little bit farther ahead of where I want to be you get a bonus chapter, especially since I know a lot of you had read the first chapter from when I had it posted before. Now you can get a little bit deeper into the story! Oh, and to the GUEST reviewer who thought that this should have had a warning label; that would have defeated the whole purpose of the last chapter. I know it's not fun right now, but we'll get some Jane really soon and we'll get to Rizzles. Thanks to all of you who are reading, following, favoriting, and reviewing! Enjoy!
They sat huddled in the back of the limo next to each other. Maura looked down at her ring. It was a beautiful three stone band with a halo of smaller diamonds around each of the three main stones. There were also smaller diamonds running down along the side of the band. Everything was set in platinum.
Maura had glanced at all of the rings in the store. When it came to an engagement or wedding band she would have preferred to have something that was a little more simple and modest. Even though it was supposed to be her choice in the ring, Grace didn't seem like she thought any of the ones she really wanted was worthy enough. So, Maura chose one of the ones she could at least tolerate out of the ones she felt Grace liked. To Maura, the ring was supposed to be symbol of their love, not a symbol of wealth. Though she was afraid she had been made to choose just that kind of ring tonight.
This wasn't the night to discuss it though. She could speak to Grace more about it later. The surprise proposal was going to make them late to the art installation. Though Grace worked in business her family was into the arts, as well as politics. It was how they had met; an art event. Grace's father had been more of a local artist and very rarely showed his pieces publicly. She and Grace had started talking about art while in front of one of his pieces. They had known each other ever since; that was over a year and a half ago now. Grace's father had passed not long after that night they met. It turned out he had been privately battling cancer for years, going into remission a couple of times, but it had come back once again and he knew that showing would be his last.
The two didn't really see each other again right away after the first night they met. They bumped into each other again at a small gallery event a few months after the man's passing. Once again they struck up a conversation over a painting and they had talked about art until the opening was over. They had exchanged numbers that night before parting and the next thing Maura knew, Grace was calling her up asking her out to dinner. They had been dating ever since.
Though tonight's event was an art installation it fell more on the political side of things. Grace's mother Victoria was into politics. She had been Mayor for a while, even during the time that her husband was ill, but when things had progressed she had stepped back from politics. After his death she continued to stay out of politics. Now though, some of her political advisors thought she should try for a seat in the State House. Tonight's installation would feature a couple art pieces of Grace's father which Victoria was loaning to a museum for a display. However, the decision to loan the pieces out was strictly to help Victoria get a captive audience to tell them her plans for running just before she launched a major campaign in a few days. All of the people invited to tonight's event had been big supporters of her as Mayor and were sure to start making generous campaign contributions.
Maura laughed at herself a little. Wasn't this the kind of life her parents had always wanted her involved in? The life she was supposed to fit right into, one of politics, wealth, importance, influence and affluence; it was what they had always wanted and what she claimed she would never get into. Love had always been a funny thing to her. Her love this time was completely the opposite of what she wanted and what she ever thought she would be involved with. Though, the last love, the one she thought she had always wanted and was everything she would ever need, burst the way a red blood cell does that experiences hemolysis. The bursting released all the toxins in the relationship the way the blood cell does the hemoglobin, and they hadn't been able to recover. She stopped herself right there. She had tried for so long to forget that love, but still now it stuck with her; soon though, she would have to do something about it.
"Maura," Grace said taking her hand and pulling her from her thoughts. "Are you alright, sweet?"
"I'm sorry, I was just thinking about some things," Maura apologized as she drew her gaze from the ring over to Grace.
"No, it's okay. I was just worried. You had gotten so quiet the last few minutes. You aren't disappointed are you?"
Maura leaned in and placed a light, chaste kiss on Grace's lips. She pulled back from the kiss and shook her head no slightly, knowing that she couldn't say the words out loud. She was only slightly disappointed with the whole ring situation and she knew that it would work itself out eventually.
"Hey, why don't we call your parents and tell them the good news? Let's see it's…" she trailed off and Maura knew she was trying to figure up the time difference in her head between their time and what it was in Paris.
"No!" Maura said a little more forcefully than she had intended it to come out. She knew it would be the middle of the night, but she didn't want to tell her parents just yet. There were others that she needed to see first. "It's just been, what, close to six months since I last had the chance to see my mother in person. Plus my father is still working as well. I would prefer it if I could speak to my mother first and see if she knew anymore about my father's plans so I could maybe tell them together, in person.
"In fact, could we just keep this to ourselves for a little while until I am able to at least reach my mother? You know words spreads fast and I would hate for her to hear it from someone other than myself that I was engaged. I know that she thinks you're a wonderful woman, but I don't want her to think that we did this behind her back or anything; she can still be quite protective of me at times."
"Oh, yeah, of course we can do that. Whatever you think is best," Grace replied to the request. Maura could pick up on the slight tinge of disappointment in the words though. She hated the idea that she might be hurting Grace by asking her to wait for them to share the good news, but she had things she wanted to take care of before they told the public.
Just then the limo pulled up outside of the museum where the art installation would be held. Everyone attending tonight would have a chance to see all of the pieces before they went on display to the public sometime next week. Judging from the amount of flashes already going off around the limo the press had received word that Grace's father's works were going to be displayed and that Victoria was going to be in attendance.
For months all media outlets had been in a frenzy to get some kind of word on whether or not Victoria was going to try and run for another political office and which one exactly she would choose. Some had speculated that she would try for Governor. The most outrageous claims being that she was going to try and throw her hat in for President since the election was a only a couple of years away. Maura wondered for a moment whether they would be pleased or disappointed that she was going to try for State House.
Nathan finally made his way through all of the paparazzi flashing the outside of their limo and was able to open the door. Grace slid out of the limo and immediately turned on her 'public' face. The smile was big, but Maura knew that it was fake; simply donned to look good for the media. Grace waived to them once before she turned to help her out of the limo.
Maura graciously accepted the proffered hand of her… fiancée. It seemed almost strange for her to think of Grace as her fiancée but it was the truth. Maura steeled herself for the onslaught of flashbulbs that she knew would immediately follow her exit of the car. The media had always kept tabs on their relationship since they realized the two were a couple. For the most part, over the last nine months of their actual dating, the media had left them alone. Occasionally they would ask questions when the pair attended high profile functions together. Now that they has suspicions that Victoria might be getting back into the political race, the heat on them had ramped up considerably in the last couple of months.
She placed her own fake smile on her face as she saw a dizzying amount of flashbulbs explode around them now. Luckily, though Nathan had to fight through them to be able to come around and open the door, they were in a cordoned off area that slightly kept the hounds at bay. Laid out in front of them was a red carpet. Seconds later the questions were hurtling at them from the photographers and reporters all wanting a scoop.
"Grace what does it say about your mother loaning out these pieces for this exhibition?"
"Why show his work after all this time when he was such a private man?"
"Grace is your mother really planning on running for office again?"
"Do the two of you have plans to take your relationship to the next level?"
That one caught Maura's attention more than anything, but she kept the smile on her face and they both remained silent as they made their way up the carpet towards the entrance of the museum for the party. They had heard some form of that last question at all of the high profile functions they had attended together. She was sure that it wouldn't be hard for them to have tracked her down and looked into her past. If they had though, she would think they would also know that it takes time to get past what she came from and together she would do that with Grace, in their own time. She understood though that they were just out to get the next scoop.
She had told Grace about some of her past, not all of it, and she had been completely understanding and willing to move things at a pace that was good for Maura. While she had expected a proposal one day, she wasn't quite sure she would have wanted all of this to happen now. But they could have a long engagement while planning a wedding if they wanted and soon the spotlight should be off of them when Victoria announced her plans.
"Ah, mother, there you are," she heard Grace say. She looked up seeing the older, beautiful woman. When you saw the two side by side you could definitely see the relation between them. Grace was almost the spitting image of her mother, from the dark brunette hair to the same facial structures; except for her eyes. Those gorgeous blue eyes that Maura loved so much Grace had gotten from her father. Maura watched as Grace leaned in to kiss her mother on each cheek.
Maura smiled, a little more genuinely this time, she knew what was coming next. "Maura dear," the woman greeted her. Victoria always greeted her this way when they were out in public.
"Victoria," Maura said politely as she leaned in for a small hug from the woman and kissing one of her cheeks. "You look well," Maura followed up as she started to step back from the woman.
"Thank you, I'm feeling great. I think it's all of the excitement with everything," she followed up. Her hand had remained on Maura's shoulder and it had started to trail itself down Maura's arm and they prepared to make their way into the museum.
"Cutting it a little close on the arrival, weren't you?" Victoria asked of the two of them.
"Sorry mother," Grace apologized. "I had a meeting that ran a little longer than I had intended which caused our delay."
Maura sighed in relief that Grace wasn't going to say anything to her mother. She was also relieved that Grace had decided to cover with the lie. Grace knew the trouble she had when she tried to blatantly lie or cover up details about anything. Now though, she suddenly realized that Victoria's hand was sliding down her left arm. She almost froze, but before she could do anything Victoria had her hand in her own. Seconds later, Victoria froze on the spot. Now she knew what had really detained them earlier this evening.
"Grace," Victoria said to deliberately draw her daughter's attention away from whoever it was she was lightly chatting to as they started to enter the museum.
"Yes?"
"Your meeting earlier; would it have had anything to do with the…"
"Please don't we aren't…" Maura tried to stop her.
"Very large ring that is now on Maura's most important finger?" She finished anyway.
She took Maura's hand and lifted it and looked at the diamond ring on Maura's finger. "You're engaged?"
Though the press had been stopped several feet back Victoria had said the phrase just a little too loudly. One of the reporters had overheard the question. "You're engaged?" she could hear several of the reporters behind her saying in astonishment. She could feel the flashes from the photographers' cameras going off again as well.
"Ready to tell anyone just yet," Maura quietly finished off what she had been trying to get out to Victoria. She was sure there she had a pained expression on her face and that there was a somewhat shocked face on both of the ones around her.
"Maura! Grace! Have you two set a date yet!" a reporter shouted over all of the commotion happening around them. Just then a photographer whom had apparently accompanied the reporter broke free and came rushing over. He snapped a picture of the three of them standing there with stunned expressions.
Well, so much for trying to keep their engagement a secret. By morning it would be in every paper in the state, if not the country, that she and Grace James were engaged to be married. A big caption about it over the top of that horribly timed photo with their stunned expression, most likely. This did not bode well for her plans and the things she needed to take care of. It also meant that there would be no way to put them off any longer than she already had. Maybe that was a good thing though; she had put it off for far too long anyway.
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