"Well he was skinnier the last time I saw him, but that sounds like him," Bryce said when they were all back at the rowhouse. "He asked you for change?"
"Put his hand on my shoulder," Jo said, looking vaguely uncomfortable.
Chuck served up chicken pepperoni for everyone and frowned. "What was the point? Wanting us to know that he knows who we are?"
"It's a game," Casey said. "He's toying with us. He wants us to scramble, thinking we'll get sloppy and he can make his move."
"Good thing that won't happen," Bryce said as he took a seat next to Jo. "We've got my mother working on the wedding planning, though she's not thrilled that the date's been bumped up. Now she doesn't have enough time to invite all her friends."
Sarah shook her head. "She does understand that this isn't what she thinks it is, right?"
"On some level," Bryce said. "But she also knows I might never actually get married, so this might be her only chance to throw me the wedding of her dreams."
"She want you to look like a pretty princess, Larkin?" Casey teased.
"Considering how little say she gets in my sister's life on a regular basis? I wouldn't be shocked," Bryce grinned back. He took a bite of food and then glanced at Jo, who was pushing the food around on her plate. "You okay?"
She nodded. "Fine."
He nodded back and went back to eating. "So? Any word from your brother?" he asked Sarah.
"He's not coming," Sarah said. "It's too short notice, and he says that something came up this week."
"Probably just feelin' lazy," Jo said. "Or he really don't wanna see us."
"Sure he does," Chuck said gently. "He's your brother, he loves you guys."
"Winchesters, Singers and Harvelles don't really indulge in the warm fuzzy stuff the way you and Ellie do, Chuck," Sarah told him, a little amused.
"Yeah, we're more of a 'hold still so I can punch you' kinda family," Jo grinned.
"Ah, so that's where it comes from," Chuck grinned playfully and squeezed Sarah's hand before digging into his food.
"How bad do you think this wedding'll be?" Jo asked as she ate.
"It's gonna be bad," Bryce said. "My mother loves planning parties, and she's been dreaming about planning her children's' weddings since she started thinking about having kids in the first place."
"Wow, I can't even imagine thinking that far ahead," Sarah said.
"Chuck's been thinking about getting married since he knew what it was," Bryce said jokingly, earning himself a glower from his best friend.
Sarah smiled and looked at Chuck. "Oh, I know he's a planner. That's what I love about him."
Casey grunted in disgust.
"You wash, I'll dry?" Bryce asked as he stepped in next to Jo in front of the sink. Chuck, Sarah and Casey had gone back to their hotel, and the rowhouse was quiet now.
"Well ain't that downright domestic," Jo grinned as she waited for the water to get hot.
Bryce shrugged. "Just protecting our cover."
"Right."
He frowned. "You okay? You seemed kinda quiet at dinner tonight. You didn't make fun of me once."
She shrugged. "Casey had it handled."
"That he did," Bryce agreed as he watched her start to wash the dishes. She'd been hand washing them since they moved in, even though they had a dishwasher. He didn't ask why she never bothered with it. "So?"
"It's nice of you to be concerned, but I'm fine," she told him.
"How bad was James' body?" he asked.
Jo froze with her hands under the hot water for a moment before starting to wash the dishes. "It was fine."
Bryce nodded. "It was pretty bad, huh?"
She took a breath. "Yeah. Yeah, it was pretty bad. Throat was slit and then he got strung up to the Spirit of St. Louis."
"That's brutal."
"Yeah."
"You okay with the wedding being moved up?"
Jo quirked an eyebrow at him. "Why do you care? This mornin' you were bemoanin' my existence, now you're all nice?"
"Things are getting serious," Bryce said. "We're in this together, and we both wanna get this job done. Let's do it right, and watch each others' backs."
She looked at him appraisingly before handing him a clean dish to dry. "Yeah. Okay."
He took it and grinned a little to himself. "I mean who wouldn't wanna watch your back? It's very nice."
Jo blinked and turned to him, not saying anything, and he gave her a boyish grin.
She glowered, before lifting up the detachable faucet and pulling it out, shifting the setting so it sprayed him in the face.
Bryce yelped and jumped back, laughing.
Jo gave a laugh too, and hosed him down just a little more before turning the sink off and replacing the faucet. "You had that com-"
Before she could finish, Bryce had lifted the dish towel and swatted her in the ass with it so it make a loud crack in the air. She yelped. "You are dead, Larkin!"
"Gotta catch me first," he grinned impishly, before stepping away from her toward the stairs.
Jo gave chase, as Bryce booked it up to the second floor and into his room, tripping over a small stack of paperwork on the floor, making it easier for Jo to catch him. He turned around just in time for her to run into him, sending him sprawling on the bed, with Jo landing on top of him.
Silence filled the room as they stared at each other, both breathing hard from running.
"You got me," Bryce said finally, his voice a little deeper than normal. "What are you gonna do with me?"
Jo didn't get a chance to say anything before Bryce' phone rang. He couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. When he pulled it from his pocket, it was playing that damn Edvard Grieg piano concerto that his mother (and he, at that very moment) hated so much.
"Hello, Mother," he said, clearing his throat.
Jo grinned a little and got to her feet, stepping out of his room.
More disappointment filled Bryce as his mother rattled off pointless wedding details he didn't care about.
"Are you even listening to me?" his mother asked as Bryce stared at the doorway.
"Not really," Bryce admitted. "Mother, we'll talk tomorrow, alright?"
There was a cold pause between them before Emily spoke again. "Fine. Tomorrow."
She hung up and Bryce sighed heavily, tossing the phone down, and closing his eyes, before picking up his phone again and dialing.
"House of pancakes!"
"I wish," Bryce grinned as his sister answered the phone.
"I'm sorry, this…this voice that I'm hearing is too far in the past for me to place, could this possibly be my baby brother on the phone?" Lorelai Gilmore asked.
"Good guess."
"Oh, my god. How are you? How's DC? How crazy is Mom driving you?"
"I'm fine. Good. And very," Bryce replied in order. "But that's actually not why I called."
"Uh-oh. More love life woes, huh?" Lorelai teased. "Are you sleeping with your college roommate again? Because I already told you that it's okay. You just love everybody."
Bryce huffed and rubbed his face. "That is not why I called, either."
"Ooh, should I keep guessing?"
"I nearly kissed the agent I'm partnered up with," Bryce admitted, taking a deep breath. "And I have to pretend to marry her next weekend."
"next weekend?!" Lorelai cried. "What do you mean this weekend?! I thought I had more time to dress shop!"
"It's moved up," Bryce said. "That's not the point."
"It is the point," Lorelai argued. "I was gonna come! I was gonna buy a pretty dress and pretend to cry and pretend to get drunk at the reception."
"Pretend?"
"Okay, maybe I was planning on getting a little drunk at the reception."
"Yeah."
"Okay," Lorelai grinned. "So you nearly kissed your partner."
"Yeah."
"Cause she's pretty, or because you have a thing for her?" Lorelai asked, finally getting serious.
"Well, she is pretty, and…when we met she drove me crazy, but I…"
"What does mom think of her?"
"That'd be two thumbs down from mom," Bryce said.
"Ooh. Interesting. So she's pretty, she drives you nuts and you have a thing for her and mom thinks she's…"
"A heathen."
"Bonus. What's the problem here?"
He didn't answer. He didn't say that he hadn't really felt any romantic feelings for anyone since he was with Sarah, before sending Chuck the Intersect, or that it was incredibly hard to trust someone when you spend your whole life lying, and expect the people around you to do the same.
He didn't have to.
"Oh kid," Lorelai said sympathetically. "You gotta take some chances that don't involve getting shot or jumping off of buildings."
He paused for a long moment and then nodded. "You're right. You're right."
"Of course I am, I'm your sister."
Bryce grinned a little as he sat up. "Thanks, Lorelai. Gotta go."
"Go get 'em, kid."
He hung up and, bolstered by his sister's words, he pulled himself up from the bed and took a deep breath before crossing the tiny hallway to Jo's room.
He was about to tap on the door, but it opened before he got the chance and suddenly they were face to face.
"Hi," he breathed out.
She nodded without meeting his eyes.
"Jo…"
She glanced up at him, and Bryce found himself leaning closer to her, his lips inches from hers, ready to move in. His eyes closed as he breathed her in, but she pulled back a little, putting a hand on his chest.
"We shouldn't."
He took a breath and then looked down. "Because you don't want to or because we're working?" he asked.
"Second one." He'd never heard her voice that gentle, or seen her look so vulnerable. "Ain't that I don't wanna…"
Bryce nodded and rubbed his eyes. "No, you're right. You're right. I just…before…"
"I know."
"I'm sorry."
"Ain't nothing to be sorry about," Jo said. "We should probably call it a night. The rest of the dishes can wait til morning."
He gave another nod and rubbed at his hair. "Right. Yeah. Goodnight, Jo."
"G'night, Bryce."
He stood there, rooted to the spot for a long moment, and then turned and headed back to his room.
Jo watched him, and watched the door across the hallway close, before taking a deep breathing and closing her own. She slumped against it and crossed her arms.
Jo took a deep breath as they stepped into the Carnegie Library. It was beautiful. The marble tiles underneath her feet gleaned and her heels (god help her she was wearing heels) echoed as they connected with them. Two winding staircases, also marble with dark wooden railings jutted out on either side of the entryway.
Bryce looked around, eyes just as wide as Jo's. "Mother."
"Amazing, isn't it?" Emily said, obviously, pleased. "I had to have a couple of other parties relocated, but it was worth it. We can have the ceremony here on the first floor, and hold the reception upstairs."
"Mother," Bryce repeated, looking at her. "How much is this going to cost?"
"Never you mind," she waved a hand. "Come with me, I've got mock-ups of the centerpieces and the table settings upstairs."
Jo looked surprised. "Did you sleep at all last night?"
"I slept fine," Emily grinned excitedly. "I got up early this morning, though, and got a head start. It's a good thing there are plenty of people in this town who owe me favors."
Bryce tried his best not to laugh. "What kinda favors?"
"Never you mind."
"Seems to be a running theme this morning," Bryce said as they hiked the staircase up to the second floor.
Emily led them down a cavernous hallway and under a stone archway, into a large space. "This is where we'll hold the reception."
"You really think Quinn is gonna go for this whole set-up?" Jo muttered to Bryce. "He made us yesterday. I think he knows exactly what's going on."
"Even if he does," Bryce said softly. "And he's not gonna be able to resist showing up. Especially if he wants the Intersect."
"What's he gonna do, nab Chuck, and cut it out of his brain?" Jo asked.
"Not if we catch him first."
"Will you two stop talking shop?" Emily asked, exasperated. "We have a wedding to plan, and only a few days to do it in." She led them to the far side of the room, where a beautifully decorated table was set up in a corner. "I was really hoping that the wedding could wait until the winter because winter weddings are so elegant, and fall has so much orange in it. But I had to make do."
In the center of the table was a vas with what looked like a leafless tree sitting in it. Hung on its bare branches were white candles in little glass holders, and surrounding it were smaller vases filled with mauve and purple flowers. The table linens, plates and napkins that surrounded the centerpiece were all white.
"Wow, Mom," Bryce said, gaping at the table. "That's amazing work for less than a day."
Emily looked mildly smug as she stood by her handiwork. "Yes, well. I did the best I could with such a tiny budget." She kept walking past the table and then headed toward a long buffet table, with plates of elaborate-looking food lined up on its surface. "Now. Menu." She turned to Bryce and Jo. "Bryce isn't allergic to anything that I remember, Joanna, what about you?"
"Now I'm Joanna?" Jo asked, quirking an eyebrow.
Bryce gave a small smirk and nudged her playfully. "Answer the question."
"I'm not allergic to anything," Jo replied. "I mean when I first met him I thought maybe I was allergic to your son, but lookin' back that was just a case of the sniffles."
Bryce tried valiantly to keep a straight face as he watched his mother's face turn to a look of complete confusion.
"Better out than in, Larkin," Jo muttered, and he finally laughed, bowing his head.
"Bryce!" Emily cried. "Take this seriously. You are getting married in one week. We have one week. Do you even have a tuxedo picked out? Or shoes? This is serious!"
"What can I say?" Bryce said, gaining a little composure. "My fiancé is funny."
Jo grinned a little. "So, what kinda food did you pick out, Emily?"
She shook her head and turned toward the table, where two older men where standing in chef whites, waiting for their food to be critiqued.
Bryce eyed the food warily, spotting a roasted pheasant, and what looked like an escargot appetizer.
"No," he said.
Emily quirked an eyebrow at him. "What do you mean no?"
"I hate escargot," Bryce told her. "And if there's going to be poultry on the menu, it's gonna be fried chicken. Not pheasant."
"We are not serving fried chicken at your wedding!" Emily cried.
"Why not? What's wrong with fried chicken? What did it ever do to you?" asked a new voice from the entryway.
Emily's eye twitched just a little, and she turned slowly to find her daughter standing there, grinning. "Lorelai. You're here."
"I caught an early train," she said as she stepped over to them. She kissed Bryce's cheek. "Hi, bratty brother."
"Hi." Bryce kissed her cheek in return, looking surprised. "Lorelai, this is my fiancé, Jo Harvelle. Jo, this is my older sister Lorelai."
Jo nodded, and held a hand out. "Nice to meet you."
Lorelai smiled. "Nice to meet you, too. I hope you're keeping my brother in his toes."
Jo smirked as she shook the older woman's hand. "Oh, I try."
Bryce eyed his sister warily. He hadn't known she was going to show up, and so soon. "Sis…Why didn't you call?"
"Because you love surprises," Lorelai needled, and then turned to Emily. "And so does Mom. Hi, Mom. How's it goin?"
"Fine," Emily replied, her voice a little cold.
Lorelai gave her a sly grin. "Yeah? This is some place. And this food is so…not Bryce."
"It's wedding food," Emily said.
"Snails are not wedding food, Mom. Nobody wants snails at their wedding."
"And you would know this how?" Emily grumbled.
"You don't have to have a wedding to know how to plan one," Lorelai pointed out. She threw an arm around Bryce. "I could call Sookie, you know. She loves a good challenge. She'd be happy to work up a wedding menu that you'd actually eat."
"No," Emily snapped. "Jo said I could plan this wedding, and I am planning this wedding and we are having pheasant."
Lorelai frowned and turned to Jo. "You said that?"
"Guilty," Jo said sheepishly. "I don't know a thing about planning weddings, and since Emily seemed to have so much experience…"
"You let her take the reigns," Lorelai finished. "A risky move."
"We can keep the pheasant," Bryce said. "But no snails."
Emily hesitated.
"Come on, Mom, work with him here," Lorelai said. "Nixing the snails is a small price to pay for keeping a hold of the wedding planning."
Jo watched this, marveling at how alike Lorelai and Bryce looked. The same light colored eyes (though apparently Bryce's were a product of contact lenses), the same dark, wavy hair, and pale skin. Lorelai looked quite a bit older than Bryce though, and Jo wondered briefly what the age difference was between them.
"Your sister takes up the whole damn room," she said quietly, leaning into Bryce.
Bryce nodded as he watched his sister and mother as well. "She's definitely larger than life some days." He absently placed a light hand on Jo's back, and considered how natural it felt.
"Just try the snails," Emily said, exasperated.
Jo wrinkled her nose, and Bryce smiled at her. She looked endearing, and he felt drawn to her again as he had the night before.
"I think we're all pretty against the snails, Mother," he said, his thumb absently running against the back of Jo's blouse. "Couldn't we have something different as an appetizer?"
Emily sighed heavily. "Fine. We can think of something else for an appetizer. But we're keeping the drink." She gestured toward a very purple drink that sat in a martini glass near the pheasant.
Jo's eyes widened, and she turned to Bryce. "You're drinkin' it."
"Nope!" Bryce said. "No I'm not."
"What is wrong with you two?" Emily asked. "It's a Lavender Cosmopolitan. It matches the flowers."
Bryce leaned even closer to Jo. "Maybe Quinn'll kill us before the reception."
Lorelai tilted her head at them and grinned. "Bryce, can we talk over by the tree/candle/flower thing?"
"It's a centerpiece," Emily groused.
"Yeah, that," Lorelai nodded, taking his arm and tugging him away from Jo and Emily.
Bryce frowned as he followed and faced her. "What's up?"
"Hoping to be crowned the king and queen of personal space?" Lorelai asked.
Bryce froze and turned a vaguely red color.
"Oh," Lorelai said sympathetically. "Oh, Bryce. You have it so bad. I had no idea."
"Neither did I, until last night," Bryce said softly.
Lorelai crossed her arms. "Before you called me, what actually happened last night? You were pretty vague."
"She sprayed me with the kitchen sink."
"That hussy!"
"Lorelai, come on."
She eyed him for a moment quietly. "You know, you're a lot like the kid I visited at Stanford and less like the smooth spy I accidentally ran into in Hartford two years ago."
He sighed. "That's not the point."
Lorelai gave him that grin that always made Bryce feel like he had no idea what he was talking about. "You let your guard down, and now you're falling for this girl that you have to pretend to marry in order to catch a terrorist, so you have to keep your cover your cover but you're having a hard time not climbing each other like playground equipment."
Bryce blinked and stayed quiet for a long moment, considering her words.
Lorelai grinned more.
"How do you do that?"
"I'm a big sister, big sisters know everything," Lorelai smirked. "Now come on. We should get back over there before Mom tries to force feed Jo a snail."