Disclaimer: I own nothing. The characters all belong to Amy Sherman Palladino. No copyright infringement is intended and no profit will be made from this story.
PLEASE NOTE: THE END OF THE CHAPTER COMPLETELY CHANGED.
Emily thought that it had been a long time that Richard didn't kiss her with such a big passion. She liked his new force, but she knew that if she surrendered to the temptation to lose herself in his arms she surely wouldn't be able to stop in time. She broke the kiss and pulled away to avoid that her body forgave him before her mind. Both breathed heavily, but happy. Richard was a bit disappointed, but understood his wife. He had to wait. He wanted she forgave him completely, not only with her body. Slowly he regained his composure, gently stroked a lock of hair from her face and looked intensely at her.
"Are you hungry?" He asked caressing her upper arms.
"A little. I'll go to look for the maid and I'll ask her to cook something." She responded, caressing his left cheek.
He took her hands on his and gave them a light kiss.
"Stay here. I'll do it. Go to bed and relax. I'm coming soon." And then he opened the door of their bedroom for her.
He gone down the stairs and found the maid in the dining room. She was preparing the table when she jolted at the sight of her employer. Why on hell all the maids that Emily hired were so frightened from him, he thought. Maybe it was his tallness, he reasoned.
"Gwendolyn, please clear the table and go home." He tried to sound gentle and not demanding. The middle aged woman nodded and immediately took the dishes from the table and brought them in the kitchen. Richard waited for her to finish in the living room. He poured himself a scotch and sat down on the armchair, his feet on the coffee table in front. Usually he would never have done a similar thing, but tonight he felt different. He felt free. He knew that probably tomorrow he would have regretted the way he talked to his mother, but now he had the strong awareness to have done the right thing for his marriage. He listened for the service door closing, and then walked to the kitchen smiling.
He silently entered the bedroom and put the tray on Emily nightstand, awkwardly moving her book and glasses. She turned her head at the noise that the book made falling on the floor.
"I'm sorry." He looked at her as if he was a little boy caught with the hands in the jam.
"Never mind, it's a boring book that I have to read for the club. But what there is in the tray?" She asked lifting her on the elbows.
"The dinner. I prepared some sandwiches and I cut two slices of the cake Lorelai gave me today." He explained moving the tray to the middle of the bed.
"Did you meet Lorelai today?" He didn't mentioned her that. After all it was a very weird evening, so probably he forgot about.
"Oh, yes. I went to the Inn for a quick lunch. I was near Stars Hollow, so I thought to stop in it and…." He was mumbling something when Emily cut him off.
"The truth, please." She demanded with a playful look.
"Oh, well! I wanted to see her. It seems so incredible she's pregnant again. Another grandchild sounds so good that I wanted to control it's not a dream." He admitted shyly.
"I can understand. So Lorelai gave you this chocolate cake to thank you for the visit." She ascertained.
The noise of a cell phone interrupted their conversation.
"Hello" "Yes, I think I can postpone my appointments." "Two week." "It sounds great!" "What airport?" "Ok, see you tomorrow, good night."
Richard stared at Emily with a puzzled look.
"Who was?" He asked suddenly.
"Fiore. She asked me to accompany her to Italy. Oh, it's wonderful. Two weeks her and I alone around Sicily. I hope she'll have a good time with me. What if she doesn't like me? Richard, I want so badly she enjoys the trip with me." She spoke quickly.
Richard was a bit disappointed. He was happy for her. She waited for so long for this possibility. It was only that he had had the idea to organize a little surprise for her next week. But looking at her now, so happy, he simply nodded and tightened her in a long and tender embrace.
"I'm sure she'll spend a wonderful time with you." He whispered in her ear.
They ate the dinner quietly chatting about Fiore and the trip. Emily was so excited, and Richard was happy to see her like this. She fell asleep before midnight, his arms around her waist. He was awake all night long. He knew he would miss her for the next two weeks, so he spent all the time staring at her, gently caressing every inch of her body.
Fiore arrived at the Hartford airport half an hour before the departure. She looked for Emily and was glad to see her with Richard. She squeezed John's hand and walked to them.
"Hello" She said simply.
"Hello Fiore, how are you?" Richard asked, hugging her.
"Well thank you. I'm happy to introduce you John Smith, my fiancé." She said proudly.
The four chatted for a while before Emily and Fiore had to go.
"Please bring back your mother in one piece, without tattoo, piercing and above all without Italian lovers." Richard whispered in Fiore ear. She nodded smiling.
"I love you my dear Emily. Be careful and have a good time. I'll call you when you'll arrive in Palermo." He said caressing his wife cheeks.
Emily excused herself and Richard for a moment, walked hand in hand toward a hidden corner and pushed his back on the wall. She took his face on her hands and fixed her eyes in his. He was surprised by her behaviour, she usually didn't show physical attentions in public, but he didn't opposite. She brushed her lips on his and kissed him passionately. Her tongue forced in his mouth to meet his. They fought lovingly around each other, their hands exploring their neck and shoulders.
"I love you too." She whispered between the heavy breaths.
The flight was calm, mother and daughter spoke for a while about their projects for the weeks before Fiore fell asleep. She usually didn't like to fly, so she read some pages of an old Latin book to help her to sleep. Emily slept a couple of hours too.
The arrival to Palermo was amazing for Emily. It was the first time she went to the Falcone Borsellino Airport and she was stunned looking out of the airplane window. She could see the extraordinary closeness between the sea and the mountains. It was an incredible sight.
They took their luggage and went to the hotel. It was and elegant old hotel in the centre of the city, with big white balconies decorated from red flowers. Along the avenue there were tens of palms and the climate was definitively warmer than in Hartford. They made the check in and climbed the stairs to join the second floor. Fiore loved the pictures on the walls and showed them to Emily.
It was not the Ritz, Emily thought, but the suite was comfortable and clean. It was enough. Fiore reached her bedroom and put her purse on the little wooden desk at the left side of the balcony door.
Emily walked in her own bedroom and gasped at the sight of a bouquet of sunflowers. Not her favourite kind of flower, she thought, but the way they illuminated the room was beautiful. She noticed a little cream colour paper in it and walked to the table to bring it up.
"I hope you like the flowers. I wish you to spend a lovely time with our Fiore.
I miss you my beautiful wife.
I love you.
Richard."
She caressed the spot where there was his name and searched for the phone.
"Richard Gilmore speaking." He responded seriously dipped in the reading of an insurance contract.
"I love you too Mr. Gilmore." She said softly.
The night was amazing. Mother and daughter dinned in a little picturesque restaurant in shore to the sea. The fish they ate was superb, like the two glasses of white wine they had. Then they walked around the city for a couple of hours. Emily was exhausted, but the look on her daughter eyes was so excited that she hid her tiredness and followed her up and down the alleys.
Emily was half asleep, her right arm on her face to avoid the weak light coming from the curtains, when she was totally brought out of her dreams by the ring of the room phone.
"Good morning sweetheart." Richard said in a low and sensual voice.
"Good morning Mr. Gilmore." She said.
He smiled at the sound of his wife calling him Mr. Gilmore. She used to call him in that way during the first years of their marriage.
"Did you sleep well?" He asked.
"Yes, I was so tired last night. You know, the flight, the jet lag and the after dinner…." She made an audible yawn.
"What did you mean with the "after dinner"?" He asked wondering what her wife and daughter could have done the night before.
"Oh, we made a step tour of the town. A two hours walk up and down the alleys. She was so happy with her sneakers, and I was so painful with my high heels…." She could still feel the pain in her feet.
"Oh, darling. I'm sorry." He said honestly.
Emily spent other fifteen minutes talking with him before to stand up and take a shower.
Richard lay down on the pillow and stared at the ceiling. He missed her. She was gone no more than twenty hours before, and he already missed her. It was a weird sensation for him to be alone in their bed. Usually he was the one that went out of the town, and not her. He could understand Emily better now. She often told him that she was unable to sleep well without him. It was truth, he thought. He wanted to make her happy, to see again the extraordinary light in her eyes that he saw at the airport. He would make all his efforts to succeed in this.
Emily chose to wear an elegant blue suit, her diamond earrings and the necklace Richard gave her two nights before. She looked very refined. She wanted to be perfect that day.
Fiore knocked at the door twice before to enter.
"Good morning Emily, wow you're very elegant this morning." Fiore stated.
"Good morning Fiore, you are very elegant too this morning." Emily smiled in return.
Fiore wore an elegant black suit, adherent but not too revealing. Her hair was combed in a classic chignon and she wore glasses. Emily noticed them.
"I didn't know you wear glasses." She said.
"Oh, usually I don't wear them. It's not a very necessity. But when I attend to some important conference or meeting I'm accustomed to wear glasses, I think they give me a more professional air." Fiore explained.
They had breakfast at the hotel, and then they went to the Palermo Cathedral. Fiore was one of the critical of art invited to the show of the restored Santa Rosalia statue. Emily looked at her with proud. Her name was the first in the list of the critical of art. She had to be important in her job, also if she tried to hide it. She was a modest smart girl, Emily thought. Fiore made her speech with safety and competence, and Emily could see the looks of admiration that her colleagues gave her. She felt the tears fill the corner of her eyes. The last time she felt like this was at Lorelai graduation. She smiled to herself for to be the mother of two such excellent girls.
When the conference finished Fiore suggested another tour around the city. Emily willingly accepted, despite her feet were still painful. They took a taxi and came back to the hotel to change.
"You were really great!" Emily said walking out the hotel hall.
"Oh, thank you. But it was nothing of extraordinary. It's my job." Fiore responded blushing.
Emily smiled at the sight of her daughter embarrassment. She was definitively modest.
They visited some museums, lunched in a little restaurant and walked for all the afternoon. Emily understood that her daughter didn't love taxi or cars in general. She loved to walk, to see every hidden corner of the town, trying to find something special. She was amazing like tourist guide. She was only twenty eight and her feet were so good! Emily needed to sit down as soon as possible.
"Fiore I love so much the way you show to me the city, but my feet are not so young…." She looked a little embarrassed.
Fiore noticed the faint blush on her cheeks, and smiled. She liked the similarities they had.
"What do you say if we'll go to the hotel to take a nap, and then we'll look for a good restaurant?" Fiore suggested.
"I agreed. I really need a short nap." Emily whispered in Fiore ear.
They took a taxi and came back to the hotel. Fiore climbed the stairs easily, while Emily arrived to the first floor painfully. She looked around and quickly took off her shoes. She breathed in relief. She reached for her bedroom slowly, but less painful without shoes. Fiore was leaned out the balcony. Emily closed the door behind her back and sat down on the armchair next to the bed. She closed her eyes and relaxed her feet on the soft carpet. When she reopened her eyes she put a hand on her mouth to cover the little yell of surprise she made. On the edge of the bed there was a big pink box, with a golden silk bow. She jumped to the bed, despite her feet still hurt, and enwrapped the box. She smiled at the sight of the beautiful white sneakers. She took them off the box and put them on her chest. She inhaled deeply. When she put them into the box again she saw a little paper card. Like the night before, she thought. She brought it out of the box and read it.
"I hope you can have good walks with these.
I love you.
Richard."
The paper was not hand written, obviously, but she liked it as much as the shoes. She took the phone and dialled Richard number.
"Richard Gilmore speaking." He said, moving some papers out of the desk.
"Thank you Mr. Gilmore. I don't understand how you can make so many beautiful things from the other side of the world, but I want you know I appreciate these so much!" She said in a soft and sexy voice.
He closed his eyes, to imagine her in her hotel room. They spent more or less half an hour on the phone before finally they hung up. Emily lay down on the pillow when she heard a knock on the door.
"Can I?" Fiore asked gently.
"Come in, it's open." Emily responded, moving to sit down.
"How are your feet?" Fiore asked entering the room.
"Not too bad. Your father just sent me a pair of sneakers." Emily motioned to the box near to her.
"Oh, wow! What a nice thought. It seems like he cares a lot of you." Fiore responded, walking toward the bathroom door.
"What are you doing?" Emily asked at the sight of her daughter disappear into the bathroom.
"You'll see." She responded playful.
Fiore stepped back in the bedroom with a white plastic basin full of warm water in her arms. Emily looked puzzled at her.
"For what?" She asked.
"Please take off your pantyhose ant put you feet into the basin." Fiore said calm. Then she turned to the wall to give her mother more privacy.
Emily obeyed to her daughter silently. She lifted her skirt up, took off the pantyhose and put her feet on the water. It felt so good. It was warm and relaxing. She looked up at Fiore and gave her a thankful gaze. The younger woman knelt down to the basin and upset the content of a little plastic bottle on the water.
"The best part." She added.
Emily looked surprised.
"What?" She asked looking at the white content.
"Sea salt. It's the best thing to regenerate the feet." She simply explained.
"You're really a good girl." Emily smiled down at her daughter.
They spent the following two days visiting museums, walking through the near towns, relaxing on the beach, and talking. They talked a lot about their lives, their passions and obviously their loves.
The third morning Emily was sat down on a big couch, a town map on her lap and a cup of coffee in her right hand. She was waiting for Fiore to come.
"Emily, I'm sorry for have made you to wait. I had some e-mails to respond, you know how my job is." Fiore said approaching Emily in the hall.
"Don't worry Fiore. I was just drinking my coffee, or better my second coffee. I had to admit that this Italian coffee is really wonderful, strong but creamy." Emily said.
"So, are you ready for a new tour of the city? I think that we can begin with a walk through one of the most characteristic street of the town. Vuceria." Fiore suggested.
Emily nodded, put the cup on the little wooden table in front of the couch and stood up. Fiore walked out of the hotel, and Emily followed her smiling. She really loved the way her daughter showed her the city, she was so enthusiast and involving. They walked through the principal avenue for more than ten minutes, the climate was really warm and the sun was high in the sky, no clouds. It was the perfect day to explore the coast, Fiore thought imaging their afternoon on the beach. They turned into a narrow alley, it was difficult to march side by side, so Fiore went first. When they arrived at the end of the alley both of them opened their mouth in surprise. There was a very picturesque market, with all of kind of vegetables and fish. Fiore and Emily spent half an hour in the market, looking at the singular way the sellers used to sell their products. Everywhere there was people yelling and gesticulating. Mother and daughter decided it was time to find a more silent place to spend sometime talking. They came out of the market and entered into another little alley. Like the time before Fiore went first. Suddenly two men stopped their way. They were masked and completely dressed on black. The taller one immobilized Fiore, putting a hand to her mouth to prevent her to yell, and the second one hit Emily with a blow in the head. The men ran away quickly with Fiore, while Emily fell on the dirty cement of the alley, stunned.
TO BE CONTINUED
I'm sorry to have changed the end, but it was necessary for the following chapter. I want Emily and Richard more involved in the investigations, and above all together...
In the next chapter Emily had to face the fear to lose her daughter again. Richard will join her in Italy and Emily will discover his hidden side... or sides?
Thanks to all!! Please let me know if you like the different end of the chapter!! Please let reviews if you want!!
