A/N: I had fun with this. Let it get a little away from me. Hope you enjoy.
"We can make this work. But we need to do more than hope it works," he told her. And to him that meant things would need to change, maybe get a little shook up before they settled into that future he was hoping he could pull off.
Mary didn't think he meant anything specific about 'doing more.' But 24 hours would change an awful lot in their relationship.
/
The next morning was Sunday, and Lou needed to clear off from Mary's. He knew her parents were coming by to take her to brunch. But something kept him lingering there.
The doorbell rang as the pair worked on the last of their coffee.
"Tell me that isn't them. They're 45 minutes early!" Mary said sounding more dismayed than panicked.
Looking sadly resigned, Mary pulled open the door. And then she immediately shrunk an inch at the sight of her mother standing there. There were the distracted 'hellos,' a kiss on the cheek, and then her mother's clipped sounding, "Your father's in the car." This she said while coolly eying Mary's visitor.
Lou wasn't sure what had brought the older woman there early that morning. Suspicion. Concern. Or just the world's shortest church sermon. It didn't matter. Given last night's realization that the relationship needed to change and maybe even get a bit shook up, he was glad to see Mrs. Richards. This would save him a phone call.
"Mr. Grant," the woman said, carefully.
"Please," he answered amiably. "Call me Lou."
"I'm surprised to see you here," Mrs. Richards told him flatly.
"Mom!" Mary complained.
"You shouldn't be surprised," Lou replied, unbothered by Dottie's honesty. Mary's head spun to confront Lou now. But he seemed unfazed by the warning look. "Mary makes great coffee," he continued, hoisting his cup. "And well... I think the world of her. I hope you know that." He paused then for emphasis. "But I should be going. You have that brunch to get to. Lots to talk about." He laid a hand on Mary's arm as he handed her his mug. And if that didn't shock the two women enough, he then kissed Mary on the cheek. "I'll call you later, Mar."
He headed for the still open door without waiting for a reply.
And it would have been a brilliant exit. And it certainly could not come soon enough for Mary, but there was one problem.
"Lou," Mary said, sounding obviously pained.
"Hmmm?" he answered, pulling up short and reluctantly turning around.
"Your coat," she whispered urgently. Head down, she pointed to where it lay. On the chair that was, unfortunately, sitting closest to her bedroom.
/ / / / /
"Did you tell your mom about us?" he asked, as he watched her brush her teeth that night. She rolled her eyes at him in the mirror and then spat into the sink.
"I didn't have to," Mary accused. She turned to poke him lightly in the chest. "You did that."
"You could have denied I meant anything by it all."
"Maybe I'm sick of denying everything," she conceded, as she finished up in the bathroom.
"Good. I think I'd like it if you were."
He leaned in and kissed her neck while she smiled at him vaguely. She watched him walk for the bedroom before she called out, "Oh, and who have you come clean with then?"
He didn't answer until they had both crawled into the bed. He rolled to look at her, seeming sad that she doubted him. "I told my daughters," he told her softly. "But they know we are keeping things quiet for now. And I told Mike."
"You told Mike?" she echoed, as she pulled the covers around them both.
"I'm glad I did," he said, sounding surprised at the difference it made. "Not that I tell him any details. Just 'Mary and I had a great time out' or if he asks me if I've seen a movie, I can at least say who I saw it with. I mean, what's the point in feeling like the luckiest bastard around if I can't even tell anyone?" He paused and she kissed his cheek to acknowledge the compliment. "I know you like having Rhoda to talk to."
"I do," Mary admitted. "And I tell her how lucky I feel, too." She prodded him in the belly then, teasingly. "And, of course, I can talk to my mom and dad about us now, too," she said sarcastically.
/ / / / / / / / / /
It went without saying, given their propensity for teasing each other, that Mary would indulge in some good-natured getting even. By Monday, Mary didn't really resent Lou for having 'outted' them to her parents. The initial firestorm had died down, quelled by Mary's assertion that she loved Lou and that he was the sweetest man she knew (even if his socks mysteriously multiplied by the edge of the bed - a fact she left unspoken).
Lou hustled out of her apartment early on Monday morning to make a meeting with the station manager. This left Mary to plan her revenge while standing in front of her closet.
Once to the office, Mary's choice of punishment for Lou was drawing lots of attention. She stood by the coffee, arresting traffic in a set of daunting heels and a form fitting dress.
"Lunch date?" Murray wondered, swallowing hard.
Ted laughed nervously and nearly choked, lost in his own questionable thoughts.
When Lou came through the door a minute later, he looked, he processed what he saw, but he forced himself to continue walking for his desk... a task that was made difficult by his eyes' refusal to look at anything but the long line of her legs.
Lou made it to his office and pushed the door shut rather hard. A groan rose up from behind his walls, and Mary had to smile at the ease of her victory.
Murray chose to interpret things differently. "That's our Lou. Monday morning and he is decidedly hung over."
"Poor guy," Mary managed, sounding less than sympathetic. "Maybe I should check on him. See if I can get him something."
But she didn't need to approach him. Lou pulled the door open just then and leaned out. His coat was off and his shirt sleeves were already roughly pushed to his elbows. Mary tried to hide her grin behind her coffee cup.
"You okay this morning?" Murray asked.
"Fine," Lou growled. He looked to Mary then and froze before he barked out, "Budget, Mary. Now."
Two minutes later she was neatly arranged in his guest chair and holding the necessary file. He closed the door and slid into his own chair, before he shook his head at her.
"Those heels, Mary?" he said with an appreciative look at her footwear... And calves.
"Hmmm?"
"Are you mad at me?" he joked. A wicked smile creased his face.
She spared him a quick look before pretending to be absorbed in the budget numbers. "I'm just keeping you on your toes," she kidded.
He groaned at the pun. He put his head in his hands then and scrubbed at his face.
They'd been careful. By unspoken agreement they tried not to touch each other at work. They rarely let their conversations turn personal. And they certainly never let themselves tease and flirt with each other ... the way they were now.
"How about I take you … and your shoes... out for dinner?"
"School night," she warned. She dropped her head and tapped her pencil on the rows of figures before dragging the eraser over her lips seductively. "Hmmm, we have a surplus under Travel this quarter..."
"Please, Mary. After the first look I got of you this morning, I was fairly certain I was calling in sick tomorrow."
"We can't go out. You have a 'boys' night out' with Mike tonight. Don't you remember?"
"Mary, as of 10 minutes ago, I forgot my own middle name."
"Allen," she replied, feigning distraction.
"Are you getting even with me?"
She sighed and leaned back in her chair, becoming more her usual self. "Maybe I'm softening the blow. My mother wants the two of us to come over for dinner on Saturday."
"Absolutely no problem with dinner on Saturday," he said. "Just don't dress like that. Now, please, get outta here before I decide I want an early lunch... and that you are on the menu."
Mary returned to her desk where she laughed to herself while she changed into more sensible shoes and added a blazer.
/ / / /
