Disclaimer: I still don't own. And it's doubtful that I ever will.
A/N: Okay, a few things need to be said. First of all, there is more to Perry moving than meets the eye. Don't get mad at him for what he may or may not say to Della in their conversation. Of course, it may be a while until you get the whole moving story, but there has to be some suspense! So, just keep that in mind. Also, feel privileged, you get two chapters for the price of one. I put two together because I decided the phone conversation wasn't long enough and I did want to have this up yesterday afternoon…and I didn't like the place I was going to split it up. Okay, now, after these rambles, enjoy!
"Hello?"
Perry was sure his heart stopped when he heard her voice. He couldn't say anything. He tried, but he couldn't get his vocal cords to cooperate.
"Hello?" Della asked again.
Perry was finally able to speak. "Hi."
Della drew in a sharp breath. She knew who it was and almost couldn't believe it. Why was he calling her? Three months of nothing and then out of the blue he calls. She wondered if something was wrong. There was so much she wanted to ask, but her mouth could only form one word. "Perry?"
"Hello, Della," Perry said, his mind finally able to catch up with his physical reaction at hearing her voice. "How have you been?" Okay, so maybe his mind hadn't exactly caught up yet. That was what he wasn't going to say.
"I've been okay," Della said, blinking. She was still trying to register that it was Perry's voice on the phone and he was calling her. "How about you?"
"Okay," Perry agreed. He couldn't help but realize she hadn't said she'd been fine. He wasn't sure if that meant anything, but right now he couldn't handle thinking about much more. He was going to analyze that at a later date.
Della couldn't help but smile. "Routine boring you already?"
Perry smiled as well. This woman knew him so well. Why did he ever think he could live without her? "A little."
"I think it's more than a little," Della guessed. "But I'm sorry. Maybe it'll get better?"
"Maybe," Perry agreed. "What are you doing in two weeks, for the fourth?"
"I'm not really sure," Della honestly told him. "I assume Paul and company are going to bug me to go out to dinner with them. I might go watch the fireworks after."
"Could I talk you out of that course of action?" Perry asked.
Della felt her guard falling away. She knew she had to be careful, she couldn't let this happen. Of course, she didn't have to be as careful on the phone since he couldn't see her and wouldn't be able to read her, but she was needed to be careful, regardless, she couldn't let herself get used to him. She decided she would be careful… right after this phone call. "What did you have in mind?"
"What do you mean?" Perry questioned.
"Well, you don't think I can just agree blindly do you?" Della asked while laughing. "Surely you know you've taught me better. I have to know what you are going to use to lure me away from my planned evening."
Perry smiled, loving her tone and loving the teasing. It made him feel like he was back in time, back before his big mistake. "I was hoping you could come out to San Francisco. I'm having a party, celebrating the fourth, but I'm also calling it a housewarming party. I'm inviting a few people from here and 'Paul and company' have already agreed to come."
Della bit her lip. This was exactly what she wanted to avoid. She did not want to see him. It wasn't that she didn't miss him, because God, she did. It was just, if she saw him, she was afraid all her defenses would fall. She would let herself remember the times they had together and she wouldn't want to leave. Of course, she would have to; there was nothing she could do for him or herself in San Francisco. When she did leave, she would be crushed again, just as she had been when he'd left without looking back. She was finally feeling more like herself again and now he was pushing this on her. Good grief, sometimes she hated this man.
All her thoughts were contradicting though. She did want to see him and she did miss him like crazy. She wasn't sure it would be such a bad thing if her defenses fell. It might be nice to remember how it was back then and go back in time for a weekend. Maybe she could start to visit more and she wouldn't be as crushed when she had to leave. She narrowed her eyes at herself. She was sure she still loved him and that was a thought she was trying to push from her mind forever!
Della decided she had been quiet long enough. She sighed. She might as well go. She didn't want to be totally alone on the fourth and if Paul and his family were going then she really would have no one to spend the holiday with. She could work if she was going to spend the holiday with no one, but that didn't really sound appealing. She was sure if she stayed home, she would be thinking of what could be going on at his house right now and wishing she was there.
"Della?" Perry asked, after she hadn't said anything for a few seconds. "Are you still there?"
"I'm still here," Della assured him. "You've talked me out of my plans. I'll come to your party for the fourth."
Perry couldn't stop a huge grin from overtaking his face. Yes! "Okay, well I'll call the hotel and reserve you a room. I'll also call the airport and have your ticket waiting there for you."
"Make sure you remember how much it all costs," Della told him.
"Not a chance," Perry disagreed.
Della tried to argue, "But—"
"No arguments," Perry insisted. "I'm paying for it."
Della rolled her eyes and again remembered back to three months ago. He may have moved across the state, but he was still the same Perry. "Fine. I'll pay you back somehow."
"I'm sure you will," Perry said, knowing she wouldn't. He also knew she knew she wouldn't. "See you soon."
"Bye," Della said.
-%
Della sighed as she hung up the phone. She had just agreed to go see Perry in two weeks. She couldn't believe she had let herself do that. It was probably the stupidest thing she could've done. She may want to go back in time for a little while, but she didn't want to relive the day he left. That's what she would be doing when she had to leave San Francisco on the 5th, the day after his party. She shook her head. Why couldn't she ever resist that man?
Her phone rang and she stared at it for a second. Maybe Perry was calling to cancel? She laughed at herself. If she believed that, she really had been away from him for too long. She knew nothing short of a tragedy would make him cancel and she definitely didn't want that.
Della silenced the phone by picking it up. "Hello?"
"Hey, Beautiful," Paul greeted her.
Della smiled at the greeting. In all the years she had worked for Perry and even after he left, she and Paul still kept in touch and he had never stopped calling her beautiful.
"Hi, Paul," Della said. "What's going on with you?"
"Oh, nothing much," Paul said. He realized he didn't think this call out very well. He wasn't sure what to say about the fourth without giving anything away. If Perry hadn't called her yet, he couldn't say much. He definitely couldn't ask her if Perry called, because that would make her suspicious. He hoped Perry had already called, if he hadn't, Paul would have to call him and try to push him into doing it. The problem was figuring out if he had or not.
"Go ahead and ask," Della prompted Paul.
"What?" Paul questioned.
Della rolled her eyes. "You want to know if Perry called and if I'm going to his party."
Paul smiled. Good for Perry, at least he'd called. "Well, are you?"
Della sighed. "Against my better judgment, yes."
"Against your better judgment?" Paul wondered.
"You know he's just getting bored up there. He wants a reminder of what it was like when he was the best lawyer in L.A. and we're the best reminder he can get. He wants to remember the good old days," Della explained.
Now, Paul was the best detective in the business and he knew that was not the reason. In fact, even before he asked, he knew Della wouldn't tell him the real reason. He was pretty sure he knew the real reason, so he wasn't even sure why he asked. "Did you ever think he just misses us and wants to see us?"
"No," Della answered quickly. That was just one of the many thoughts she was trying not to think about since Perry called. There had been many before and his call had just added more.
"Well, you'd better make sure you show up at that airport on the 3rd," Paul told her. "If you don't, I'm going to show up at your house and drag you there."
"I'll be there, Paul," Della assured him with a small eye roll. He had always been way too interested in her and Perry's affairs. Even now, when she wasn't sure if anything was going on between them he was still interested and still looking for some good gossip.
Paul decided to fish for a reaction. "You'd better be. I'm not going to be the one to tell Perry that you aren't coming. He would just be so upset."
Della narrowed her eyes. She schooled her voice to sound incredibly sweet. "Do you want me to hang up on you, Paul?"
Paul began to laugh. He loved hearing her reactions to his teasing about Perry. It had been much too long since he had gotten her angry about Perry. He missed it. "Aww, you wouldn't do that, now would you?"
"It's questionable," Della muttered. She realized Paul had been fishing for a good reaction. She couldn't believe she gave him one. She wasn't looking for his tricks and was out of practice.
Paul chuckled. "I know you better than that, Beautiful. You know you love me."
Della smiled. She did love him, regardless of what he did. "Again, that's questionable."
"One of these days you're going to give me a complex!" Paul teased.
"If you don't have one now, I think you'll be okay," Della told him.
"I'll see you at the airport in a few weeks?" Paul inquired one last time.
"Yes, you will," Della assured him. Despite all her misgivings, she wasn't going to chicken out and not go.
"Bye, Beautiful," Paul said.
Della shook her head. "Bye, Paul."
Della hung up the phone with a smile on her face. Paul always made things look just a bit better. Paul would be there on Friday to help her forget her nerves. She would have Paul and his family to talk to at the party and if things went bad, Paul would be there and would know just what to say. Not to mention if she was sad on Sunday, Paul would be there to cheer her up. She also knew he wouldn't say anything about leaving San Francisco, knowing that's what had her down. Maybe this party wouldn't be so bad after all.
Well, what did you think? Did Della and Perry's call live up to your expectations. Remember what I said at the beginning…there's more to Perry moving than meets the eye. And what did you think of Della and Paul? I just had to add that in there somewhere, I just love Paul and Della and their interactions too much! Please drop me a review and thanks for reading!
