A/N: Alright, I might as well be honest, I am not exactly thrilled with this chapter, and I'm afraid no amount of editing is going to save it. But, it is what it is, and has some relevancy to chapter twelve. Otherwise I'd delete it entirely and re-order everything. My original intention was to have Scarlet's grandmother play a bigger role, but the jury is still out on if she will or not. I don't particularly like her, which is probably why I can't get my head wrapped around her character. The quote is supposed to illustrate how shallow the old bat is. Time will tell what I decide to do with her, if anything.


"For we pay a price for everything we get or take in this world; and although ambitions are well worth having, they are not to be cheaply won." - Lucy Maud Montgomery


Ordinary World

Chapter 11

Women were complicated. Along with death and taxes, the young Irishman knew these things to be constant truths. Initially it hadn't occurred to him that preparing for this evening would consist of spending seemingly countless hours waiting as Scarlet selected materials, and was fitted for the perfect dress. When all was said, stitched, and done, the result paid dividends. Though the stars sparkled brightly in the early evening sky, none of them were as beautiful to Neil as Scarlet. He crossed to her side of the car, opened the door and offered her his hand. "Lady Dunham."

Scarlet blushed, accepting her lover's hand and stepping onto the sidewalk. She stood on her tiptoes, and kissed his cheek. Even in heels she was considerably shorter than Neil. "Silly boy."

Neil closed the door behind her, and then turned his attention to his apparently preoccupied girlfriend. He took her hand in his, giving it a light squeeze. "Everything okay?"

"I never imagined I'd feel so out of place." She paused and laughed at the irony. "It seems I have accomplished my goal after all."

Neil raised a curious eyebrow at this as they walked toward the entrance of the concert hall. "And what would that be?"

Scarlet nodded. "To successfully live as a normal person."

Neil only smiled, silently musing about the irony of his own ambitions, none of which could remotely be classified as 'normal.' Dismissing the thought, he kissed her lightly. "I'm going to go find a parking space."

Scarlet looked up, tilting her head slightly. "Or you could let the valet service do it." She glanced over at a small group of uniformed young men and then back at Neil.

"And let some kid who's had his license all of twenty minutes touch my car? Not a chance."

Scarlet shook her head and watched Neil leave to attend to said task. "Men and their toys." She perched on a nearby bench, and began observing the goings-on around her more closely. Attendants stood ready to greet the concert hall's patrons, directing them to their assigned seats, pointing out beverage vendors, and otherwise offering to take orders of people who preferred to not leave the main room. Scarlet watched as an increasing amount of people filtered in through the now open doors. Her eyes followed one woman in particular who must have mistaken the event for something more casual as she was wearing blue jeans and a less than flattering blouse. The few moments of people watching were brief however, as an all too familiar voice instantly sent chills down the young woman's spine.

"How dreadfully distasteful.

Scarlet looked in the direction from whence the voice came, and paled. "Grandmother..."

The older, elegantly dressed woman regarded the younger with little warmth. "Well, if it isn't my wayward grand daughter. How have you been, Dear?"

Scarlet steeled her nerves and stood. "I'm well, thank you." She glanced briefly around the large entry way. "This must be quite fascinating for you. Tell me Grandmother, how many years has it been since you've associated with 'commoners' such as these?"

Scarlet's grandmother ignored the question. "Rumor has it you have lowered yourself to public service."

The younger woman's eyes narrowed. "The correct term is waitress, and I rather enjoy what I do, if you must know."

The elder woman raised an eyebrow. "You enjoy serving other people food and drink for such little pay?" She looked Scarlet over with a critical eye. "How is it you managed to afford such a lovely dress on so little salary? Surely you must have another source of income."

Scarlet sighed and shook her head. It wasn't necessarily what the other woman had said that upset her, but rather the tone in which she said it. "You haven't changed a bit, have you?"

A short distance away, Neil stood observing the two women. Judging by Scarlet's obvious discomfort, the other woman wasn't simply a casual acquaintance. Having a reasonable suspicion as to what was going on, he crossed the short distance, coming to stand by his girlfriend's side and took her hand. "Sorry I'm late."

Scarlet hesitated before introducing the two. "Neil, this is my grandmother, Gwendolyn."

Neil nodded politely. "Scarlet's told me a lot about you."

Gwendolyn regarded him with a quizzical look. "Is that so?" She looked back to the young red-head. "When are you finally going to tire of this little charade, Scarlet? If he's the only reason you continue demean yourself, I'm certain he could, shall we say 'be put to good use' at the estate. Perhaps we could discuss a compromise?"

Before Scarlet could speak, Neil interrupted. "Would you excuse us?" He then gestured for Scarlet to walk with him. Once they were out of sight, he held her close, and dealt with the tension in her neck and shoulders. "You're letting her get to you."

She closed her eyes and whispered softy, resting her head lightly against his shirt. "It irritates me to no end – her insinuations, and her belief that anyone can be bought..." Scarlet looked up, her expression troubled. "Do you have any idea what she meant by-"

"Of course I do. Do you think I've never been propositioned by an older woman before?"

Scarlet blinked, instantly fixated on what she believed to be an indirect confession. "How much older?"

Neil's expression became temporarily sheepish. "Well I-" He paused. Whoever said honesty is the best policy was either a terrible hypocrite, or had spent his entire life explaining himself. "That's not important right now."

Her skepticism was obvious. "It isn't?"

Neil shook his head. "The most important thing right now is that you don't let her have the upper hand. End this before she upsets you any more."

Scarlet nodded. "You will answer my question though, won't you?"

A sly smile crossed Neil's features. "Maybe. Come on, let's get this over with." He looked at his watch as they started walking back to the previous location. "They'll be starting soon."

Gwendolyn's greeting was nothing short of impatient. "I trust you've made a decision?"

Undaunted, Scarlet replied, her voice cold and steady. "You and I have nothing to talk about, and I'll thank you to keep your judgments about my private life to yourself."

The older woman regarded the younger with an equal amount of coldness. "Very well." She then turned to Neil, her expression becoming oddly hopeful. "Does this ill-humored child speak for you as well? I could make life very comfortable for you."

"You can't just buy and sell people like they're stock market commodities, Mrs. McKnight." Neil waved a hand dismissively and shrugged. "Besides, you're not my type." Having no intention of letting Gwendolyn have the last word, he tuned and started toward the place where his and Scarlet's seats were located.

Scarlet followed him to their private balcony that overlooked the stage, and settled down into the seat. "How very curious..."

"What is?"

She took brief the opportunity to lean against Neil, hoping that doing so would help her relax a bit. "It's almost as if she knew we'd be here."

"I'm sure it's just coincidence."

Scarlet sighed. "You're right, I really don't know why I'm surprised. This kind of once in a lifetime event attracts high society like moths to a flame." With that, she wondered idly how Neil could have possibly afforded tickets to the concert, but decided it best not to dwell on the matter. She could do that another time.

[xy]

On the other side of the large room, a very dapper looking Valentino Rossi sat at his own reserved balcony, glass of red wine in hand. He set it down as his phone began to vibrate. "You two clear on what to do?"

Sonny replied from the other end of the connection. "We're all set Boss."

"Good. Remember, we only got one shot at this."

Sonny nodded and adjusted his fedora just slightly. "Right." He looked over at his younger counterpart after ending the call. "You do anything to screw this up and I'll make sure you get real cozy with a concrete filled barrel."

Although he knew this was no idle threat, Nick showed no fear. "Don't worry, I know the plan like the back of my hand."


To be continued...