Rings
Shopping for rings should have been the hardest thing in the world. They had decided to do it separately and then come together right before they checked out. Nate was thoroughly surprised by this but he figured he would let it slide. It probably had something to do with the engagement ring he picked out anyway. It wasn't like he knew what the size of the diamond was compared to others. It was just the only one that stood out as something that came closest to describing Sophie in his eyes. It wasn't a perfect description but it was the one that had her saying yes and it only strove to drive his confidence through the roof. For some reason Sophie expected him to find her perfect wedding band as well.
"Remember," she whispered in his ear, definitely pitching her voice sultry low just to make certain he paid careful attention, "Something subtle."
Then she was gone as if she had never been there to begin with.
Why they needed rings he had no idea. It was the worst idea possible for two conmen. Sure they were retiring but that didn't mean their enemies were finished with them. Any minute somebody from their past could drop right on in with every intention of revenge. A ring was a symbol of a loved one, a weakness that could destroy them. He had already lost a wife once and a child to top it off. He wouldn't survive if something happened to Sophie, even if the others constantly reminded him they were a reason to survive.
Yet Sophie insisted on a ring. He surprised more than just her when he suggested they get a matching pair. He never wore one with Maggie. His job dictated that he show no weakness, and a family was a big weakness. Plus he wasn't exactly the ring kind of guy. But Sophie said she wanted a ring, something he was dead positive wasn't going to happen. No matter what, he wanted one that matched hers. And she was stupid enough to agree.
He watched as she retreated to find his perfect ring. It was something else she was dead set on. They would find each other's ring and compare notes afterwards. Nate had a feeling it was the grifter's way of testing their relationship's durability. If they found each other's rings on the first try then fate was telling them to continue. If they didn't, then doubt or something equally bad would form in her head. She didn't even believe in fate but she was letting it dictate them. He was one mastermind who wasn't going to wind up empty handed.
"You want me to help you find the perfect ring?" Parker's smile alone was enough to make the mastermind think twice about asking for her help. She bounced from rafter to rafter before she started naming diamonds, their shapes and what kind she's seen the grifter wear before.
"Where do you come up with this stuff, Parker?" Eliot had growled at her. He was also keenly aware of the meaning behind the diamond cuts and where they came from. He knew which ones were conflict free, a personal requirement of the mastermind.
"What, I'm a thief!"
Hardison giggled at the thief's excited reply. He then came up with every possible combination to fit Eliot's standards and meet Parker's requirements. It's how Nate ended up picking the very store they were in. He knew Sophie could appreciate something where nobody died to get that diamond on her finger. Of course, the mastermind had to make that even more complicated by needed more than three.
"You want diamonds wrapped into the band. Parker wants them heart shaped and over one carrot. Eliot told me how to tell if it's conflict free and I haven't even begun to search for my preferences. You're just gonna have to be patient, man." Hardison cocked his head to the side, big goofy grin plastered to his face. The hacker was almost tickled pink at the play time he was allowed to have. Nate nearly groaned when he realized the hacker was right.
"What should be on it, Hardison?" He asked already wishing he hadn't.
"All three golds," Hardison grinned, "Well, white, yellow and antique. The rose and the green are a bit harder to find and I found a shop that has everything we're looking for. And it's in Portland, baby!"
Nate grinned in satisfaction of his hacker's great work. Then he landed a little dig of his own. "Who are you calling baby again?"
"Baby," Hardison sputtered, "as in the universal… dammit, how old are you? It's not like I'm hitting on you. I know you're taken."
"So you're saying you are interested… in Nate." Eliot jibed.
A fight erupted but Nate didn't care. He got the address, called his fiancé and they immediately made an appointment to get the ball rolling. He didn't even look back to see what happened to get Parker in on the argument. He just said good-bye and left them there.
So, the mastermind thought, what to get the only woman in the world who already has every kind of jewelry imaginable… and has already been through this before.
He didn't know the details about William. He knew they were married and that Sophie loved him very much. He knew she felt guilty for his death and left for some reason she still wasn't comfortable speaking to him about. She did try once.
They were sitting at the breakfast table the night after their engagement. She was wearing his shirt and nothing else. He was trying his hardest to focus on his plateful of food instead of the fact that there was nothing underneath his shirt. He was losing very quickly. Then he noticed her posture change and a fear gripped him he hadn't felt since his boy was taken away from him.
"You're not changing your mind, are you?" He didn't even breathe when he said it. The panic just forced those words out so quickly he didn't even have time to register them. He just knew that that look was very serious and he probably needed to worry.
Then a smile fell on her lips that he had only seen a couple of handful of times before. She placed her hand on his, the one with the ring gleaming on it. She gave him a light squeeze but refused to pull away. Her eyes were suddenly red and the panic returned in full blast for an entirely different reason altogether.
"No," she said, "but I think you should know something."
She paused, signaling that she was thinking about how much to tell him. Her trust issues always went into overdrive when she was about to reveal something about her past. He always had the feeling it was more than guilt over her deeds. It was fear of his disappointment as well.
"Grifters aren't allowed to fall in love," she explained. He released a breath of relief immediately. "It's a weakness and a shortcoming. I've already made that mistake once and with you it's different."
Nate placed his left hand over hers and maintained eye contact. He learned long ago it was key to just let her know he was listening. She never needed anything else.
"William," she chocked on his name and tears swirled in her eyes. The guilt she felt over him was so obvious it made his heart squeeze. "William learned that the hard way. His family even moreso."
She took a deep breath and he detected so much pain in that one moment. His right hand fell out of her grip and found home on her shoulder. He squeezed her gently and inched forward to give her any strength he could.
"I don't want my enemies to take you away," she said, "I will do anything to stop that from happening."
"Ditto," he said, making her laugh just enough to ease the tension for a bit.
"I need you to promise me that you won't do anything stupid if I leave," she whimpered and he was completely unprepared for that, "I need to know that you'll go to the others if you try to find me and that you won't drink yourself to death."
"Sophie…"
Her hand found its way to his lips and silence immediately followed the gesture. Her chocolate eyes were so focused on him that the world could fall to pieces and he wouldn't care. Her moment of vulnerability was just too important.
"I need you to know that I would only ever leave you for your own protection." She shook her head in annoyance but maintained eye contact, very unusual for her. "I'm leaving because… because I care for you and I want you safe. Please promise me you'll do everything to stay safe, Nate."
"I promise," he replied without even a second thought. He knew it was true too. He wouldn't drink himself to death. Maybe a little bit more than he was at current, but never to get himself killed. Besides, he knew the best retrieval specialist in the field, had the best thief at his call and the world's best hacker ready to make him proud.
She only removed her hand and nodded in acceptance. Then, "William didn't make that promise… He didn't get the chance."
He let that go even though he was itching to enquire further. Sophie was in emotional distress and neither one of them fared well then. He just pulled her into him and gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead. Then he promised her they would be different because they were.
A funny feeling in his pocket alerted Nate of the text he just received. He pulled out the funny and smiled at the hacker's question.
Found it yet?
He typed in his reply and was unsurprised to be informed by the hacker that his fiancé had already decided on the perfect one for him. He put his phone back in and gave a curt nod the security camera. Then he turned his attention to the very ring he had been staring at since they entered the store.
At a distance it looked very plain and ordinary. Just a simple diamond encrusted wedding band. Then, as you slowly moved closer to observe it, the detail began to pop up and its beauty shown. The band was diamond encrusted, yes, with circles that were each three quarters of a carrot wide. Little Celtic knots filtered around these simple diamonds in simple elegant waves. The metal looked to be yellow gold with the middle portion of the knots having a red tint. There was nothing else special about the ring. It was just highly elegant in its complicated simplicity. Small diamonds that held the eye but balanced with the carvings around it, a ring of many depths and meanings that took time to decipher. Celtic knots were a symbol of eternity, specifically eternal marriage. Diamonds last forever and are a girl's best friend. The rose gold gave it just the touch of exotic but only enough. Not too much.
"Would you like to try it on?"
He felt the hesitation in the grifter the moment she stepped behind him. She was just as captivated by the ring as he had been the moment they entered the store. She wasn't even in his peripherals but he knew the exact moment she nodded her head yes.
"Size six, please."
The ring expert didn't even hesitate to discuss the piece. He just pulled the ring out and looked completely baffled.
"I've never had a ring already made for the woman to try," he explained as he carefully put the ring on the grifter's finger.
It was almost like that moment in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, and damn Hardison for allowing Parker to force them all to watch that marathon as if they weren't too old to do so. The ring went onto the grifter's finger and something magical happened. He envisioned them holding hands on a beach in Europe, chasing her around the roofs of Paris once again. He even pictured the way her white dress would look with wedding band to match. He saw their whole lives ahead of them.
And for once it didn't scare him to run.
He watched the grifter's eyes dance in merriment and didn't even hesitate.
"That's the one," he said.
Sophie turned to him then, guilt flashing all over her features. Tears filled her eyes and panic began to set in. He could tell she was about to run and using everything she had not to do just that. He grabbed her arm just in case.
"What?"
She looked away from him then and damn the pain that one move made. Then her chocolate eyes found his again and it was like they were back at that breakfast table, discussing her past without really trying.
"It's not the right one," she shook her head in misery, "It just can't be."
He grabbed her hand to steady her and felt something cool in it. He frowned in confusion and curiosity. Then he moved to see what it was.
"Don't," She warned, bringing the ring up to her chest protectively.
He stared at her for a moment, forcing eye contact once again. He silently explained that whatever she thought was wrong and he just wanted to see. She gave in but not without reluctance. Her hand shook as she dropped the ring into his own.
It was a simple gold band, very similar to hers in a way. There were no Celtic knots, no diamonds or color variation. It was just a regular gold band, but like hers that was only at the surface. As he examined it closer he noticed a slight mark on it. It was a tiny sliver that only a trained eye could ever detect. A blemish fell on the little gold thing. A mark of red that showed the ring had broken during its original formation process. For whatever reason, the welder decided to use a different gold alloy to fuse it back together. Its elegance was slightly marred… just like him.
He tried the ring on and tried to ignore the sharp intake of breath the grifter made. The ring fit like a glove and the mark shimmered on the top like a beacon. It was perfect in more ways than one.
"It's a perfect fit, Soph," he said, confusion starting to settle in.
"You don't hate it, do you?" She asked, sounding far too frightened for this to only be about the ring, "You don't want to return it and look for another do you?"
"What the…?" He stopped himself just in time. How could a woman like Sophie Devereaux ever think a man as smart as he was be dumb enough to throw her away? Sure he was completely unworthy of her but that didn't mean he was going to let her go. Sometimes her insecurities threw him for a loop, especially when they belonged to someone so indescribable.
"We found the perfect rings on the first try, Soph," He smiled at her, "Even Maggie and I couldn't do that. We traveled to eight stores before we found it and we were only looking for the one. Even your engagement ring took longer."
"So these rings do go together?" She asked, phrasing it perfectly so he would catch her drift without admitting to some emotional issue of her own.
"Something tells me they always did," he winked.
His eyes were enchanted by hers automatically. He captured her gaze and found himself absolutely baffled by how hard it was to look away. Once again he acknowledged that there was nothing on Earth that could force him to pull away. Suddenly her chocolate eyes turned ridiculously cheerful and she turned to the clerk.
"We'll take them."
