Alternate Universe FanFic. Borrowing the characters from ADOW to create my own new story with a completely different plot, and events. Canon couples and always Matthew/Diana HEA.
Summary: Diana lives in New York and works at her local hot spot Diner, and after numerous failed first dates, decides to forgo the dating scene for a while. That is until a rather attractive construction worker named Matthew Clairmont walks into The Diner and catches her eye. He becomes a welcome regular among all the staff, especially Diana.
NOTE: Thanks to Shawna for her editing help, suggestions and ideas!
DISCLAIMER: All rights to Deborah Harkness. Just borrowing the characters.
THE DINER
By Goode Girl
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
~TD~Diana~TD~
It was Sunday, mid-morning and I was getting ready for my lunch date with Ysabeau. Since our initial first meeting at the hospital after Matthew's accident, it had become a weekly appointment to get together. Matthew had stuck to a new regimen, and was more aware of how he was using his time. He was progressing well with the new design and was even ahead of schedule.
After finishing up in the shower, I was debating what to wear for my lunch date. Ysabeau had informed me that it was semi-formal for the restaurant she was taking me to, and I couldn't decide what to wear. It was between a red form-fitting body suit, that was tailored to fit my curves, or a knee-length blue cocktail dress.
"Matthew!" I hollered, carrying both garments down the hall in search of him. He was in the kitchen, cleaning up from our breakfast. I had to weave myself past a few boxes since moving in officially, a few days ago.
"What is it, Love?" He posed, drying his hands on the dish towel.
"What do I wear?" I whined, holding up each outfit for his inspection.
"What did mum tell you?" He posed, moving closer to see each of my selections more clearly.
"Semi-formal." I confirmed.
"Well, I'm wearing a suit, so go with that red pant thingy." He smiled.
"You're coming?" I smiled, bouncing on my feet excitedly.
"Yes, no working on the weekends, right?" He affirmed, leaning down to kiss me sweetly, as his arms encircled my waist. As always, he trailed a hand down and cupped my ass, squeezing gently as his lips moved to my neck. I pulled away reluctantly, knowing I had to get ready.
Each time Ysabeau and I had planned for a lunch date, Matthew was always too busy working to join us, but with the rule of no working on the weekends, he was amenable to our plans.
Matthew went to shower and I dressed and styled my hair simplistically. I left it down, and let the natural waves, fall past my shoulders. When Matthew emerged from the bathroom, my jaw dropped.
"Ohmigod!" I called, startling him as he was buttoning his shirt.
"What? What's wrong?" He jumped slightly, and looked around for what had caused my outburst.
"I've never seen you clean shaven!" I smiled, my hands cupping his cheeks and feeling the smoothness of his jawline. He smiled as he nuzzled his face into my hands.
"Mum will expect me to have shaved." He posed. "You like?" He baited, turning his face to kiss my palm.
"You remember how you 'liked' my hair removal?" I teased, hinting at when I shaved my pussy.
"Fuck, yes." He confirmed, his arms coming around my waist, as his hands cupped my ass, pulling me against him.
"Well, I want to feel this smooth face…" I began, kissing first his left his cheek. ", between my legs." I confessed, kissing the other cheek before he moulded his lips to mine hungrily; my hands still touching the softness of his freshly shaved jawline.
An hour later, we were ensconced in Matthew's jaguar on our way to lunch. Plans to feel that smooth face between my legs was postponed until our return home.
"Your mom is going to be so glad to see you." I smiled as we made our way into Manhattan.
The restaurant was a classic French cuisine establishment, and one of Ysabeau's favourites, 'Le Coucou'.
"Matthew!" She called in excitement when she saw him, standing from her chair.
"Hi mum." He smiled, embracing her.
"How's your arm?" She queried, looking him over.
"Not too bad," He smiled. "A couple more weeks with this," he indicated, pointing to his new brace, "and all will be well."
Matthew had been to the doctor last week, and they fitted him with a thin black brace for support purposes. After having the cast for so long, his arm is weaker from disuse, and this will allow for more mobility as he builds up his strength again.
"Diana, you look beautiful sweetheart!" Ysabeau complimented. I hugged her in return before sitting in the chair Matthew had pulled out for me.
"Thank you." I smiled as a waiter supplied us with menus and Ysabeau ordered a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon off the wine list.
At the end of our meal, Matthew's cell phone went off and he apologized, but it was Hamish calling. He excused himself from the table to take the call. The waiter re-appeared to remove our empty plates and offered the dessert menu.
I was perusing the tasty treats when I felt Ysabeau kick at my foot, getting my attention. I looked up at her in surprise when she reached across the table and pressed something into my hand.
"Put that on your left ring finger, and follow my lead." She stated hurriedly as she affected a bright smile on her face. I slipped the ring on my finger, and a quick glance showed it was a rather large diamond.
"Ysabeau!" I heard from behind me, and I turned to see a woman approach.
~TD~
Ysabeau seemed tense, like she didn't want to interact with this woman, and Diana kept quiet at first. She took in the woman's appearance and couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was. Soft creamy skin and raven black hair were her stand out features.
"Blanca, lovely to see you." Ysabeau declared in greeting, although it was clear that she was trying to politely dismiss this woman.
Diana just observed before Blanca turned to her. "And who is this?" She smiled, irritatingly wide. This stranger was eyeing her as if studying her.
"This is Diana, my daughter-in-law." Ysabeau introduced.
For whatever reason, Ysabeau wanted this woman to believe Matthew was married and the only conclusion Diana could arrive at was to assume that this Blanca was an ex-girlfriend. Diana wasn't surprised at 'playing wife'. After all, it's not the first time they've used the rouse to get past a certain situation.
"You know, Matthew and I were almost married. We were so in love." Blanca retorted, with a sickeningly sweet tone. Diana just smiled tightly, retracting her hand from the awkward handshake.
"NO, we were not almost married, there was never even a proposal!" Matthew interjected angrily, retaking his seat next to Diana.
She reached over with her left hand and placed it on his hand, signalling to the ring.
"The only woman I've ever wanted to marry, is currently my wife." He finalized, his gaze turning to Diana.
"I love you." She smiled, leaning over to kiss him sweetly.
"Thank you for stopping by Blanca, but I think it's best if you leave." Ysabeau dismissed her.
Diana watched as the woman huffed indignantly before walking off. She turned to Matthew and he was running his hands through his hair in irritation.
"Who was she to you?" Diana posed, reluctantly. She didn't want to upset Matthew as he clearly seemed bothered, but her curiosity won out.
"Can we talk about it at home, please?" He asked softly, his eyes pleading with her.
"Of course," Diana agreed, leaning over and kissing his cheek. "I should give this back." She added, trying to wiggle the diamond off her finger.
"No, wait until we've left, dear." Ysabeau stated. "Watchful eyes, after all." She added as the waiter returned with their coffee and desserts.
~TD~Matthew~TD~
"Hamish?" I called down the line as I left through the front doors of the restaurant to take my call.
"Matthew, I have some bad news." He began.
I listened as Hamish informed me that they'd identified the body found in the debris from the fire.
"Because there wasn't solid work for the past few weeks, we hadn't bothered to check in with the rest of the crews. Construction was shut down while the insurance company investigated and you know Gallowglass has been coming by to help out, but the investigation has halted how quickly we could do that." He rambled.
"What are you saying Hamish?" Matthew prodded.
"The autopsy on the body confirmed that the victim likely started the fire, but when they lit the match, the material from their sweater caught the flame." He went on.
"Who was it Hamish?" I pushed. It felt like he was stalling.
"Matt, it was Kit." He relayed.
"He's the victim and the arsonist?" I asked in surprise.
"I'm afraid so." He confirmed. "And, now that we know he was the one to start the fire, the case is closed and we are set to start construction on your new hotel plans in two weeks." He added.
"Alright, thanks for the call." I replied.
"Matt, I know Kit had his issues…" Hamish interjected.
"I didn't like him, but he didn't deserve to die." I finished.
"Agreed. Anyway, I've got to call Gerbert and fill him in. Are we still on for our meeting with Gerbert on Wednesday?"
"Of course, unless Gerbert reschedules."
After finalizing the plans for the meeting, we ended our call and ran my hand along my face in irritation. I knew I should feel badly for Kit, but at the same time, I wasn't overly upset at his passing. Pocketing my phone, I headed back into the restaurant and as I approached, I saw Blanca, my ex-girlfriend from almost ten years ago, talking to mum and eyeing Diana with disdain.
We'd had a rather unfriendly split, and there was no way I could forgive her for what she did. I caught the tail end of her comment and I interjected, as I retook my seat next to Diana. She reached over and placed her hand over mine, pressing something into my hand. I noticed the diamond on her hand and realized it was mum's and she was making it clear that Blanca needed to realize she'd lost out with her choices.
Once Blanca was dismissed, I knew Diana would want to know about my past with her and negotiated that we would discuss it at home. After coffee and a shared dessert, I intercepted the bill, and paid for lunch.
"Thank you, dear." Mom supplied.
We said our goodbye's in front of the restaurant and Diana discreetly returned mum's ring, before I took her hand in mine, kissing the spot where the ring was just sitting; knowing I wanted to put one there permanently.
It was about a twenty-minute drive home, and I reached over taking her hand in mine.
"Hamish called to tell me they identified the body from the fire." I added, finally pulling into the parking garage of our building.
Diana seemed indifferent to the news that it was Kit, but like me, we didn't wish him ill and it almost felt like karma for his attitude and actions.
"I know we need to talk about Blanca, you must have a million questions." I posed.
"I would like to know, but only if you want to tell me." She replied shyly.
Parking the car, I undid my seat belt and turned to her. "Of course, I want to tell you, but it never really came up. I don't think we've had the exes talk." I pointed out.
"No, not really, but I also never thought I'd run into one of your exe's, especially one who seemed to be acting mighty friendly with your mother." She added.
"Mum hates her." I affirmed, climbing from the car, and moving to open Diana's door.
Once back inside the apartment, I shed my suit jacket and undid a few buttons on my shirt. Diana kicked off her heels, and I reached out a hand, leading her to the couch. I sat down, and she cuddled into my side, pushing my hair back off of my forehead.
Taking a deep breath, I dived into the story of me and Blanca. "We dated about ten years ago, and were together for two, two and a half years." I relayed.
"Why did it end?" She murmured quietly, moving closer and slipping her arm around my shoulders, rubbing at my neck to release the tension.
My eyes sought out hers and the emotion from these events still greatly affects me. "One night, we were doing dinner at her apartment and I'd gone to use the bathroom." I started.
"Wait, you two never lived together?" She posed in surprise.
"No, it never felt right for some reason and honestly I'm glad we never did." I confirmed, my hand running along her thigh. "Anyway," I continued on. "That night, I spotted something in the garbage can in her bathroom and confronted her about it." I stated.
"What was it?" She spoke softly, her hand playing with the hair at the back of my neck.
"A pregnancy test. It was positive." I supplied and I heard her gasp of shock.
"Wait, do you…?" She prodded, trailing off.
"No, I don't have any kids." I clarified. "When I asked her about the test, she said she'd 'already had it taken care of, that afternoon'."
"Matthew!" She called, cupping my cheeks in her hands. "You mean she…?" She urged as my watery eyes met hers.
"She had an abortion." I confessed.
"Ohmigod! And she didn't even tell you she was pregnant?" She called in outrage.
"No. I confronted her about it, and she stated, as if talking about doing her laundry, that it 'wasn't the first time'." I concluded.
"She had more than one abortion during your relationship?" She asked, a horrified expression on her face.
"Three. In total." I relayed. "She admitted it like it was nothing." I added as Diana crawled into my lap, straddling me as her arms came around my shoulders; pulling me into a comforting hug. "I could have been a father, but she took that away from me, and I can never forgive her for it." I confessed, as a few tears escaped.
"You can still be a father. I want babies with you." She divulged, her sad eyes meeting mine. I smiled at her.
"Yeah? What about school first?" I suggested, kissing her sweetly.
"I can still do school, Matthew." She affirmed. "I mean, I'd have to stop my birth control first and it could be months before I do conceive. I only have one semester to complete. I would start in August and it's already the middle of April." She relayed.
"Wait, did you apply somewhere?" I asked.
"NYU. I was accepted." She smiled.
"When did you find out?" I posed.
"I got an email on Friday, but didn't check it until this morning." She admitted.
"Well tell 'em to send me the bill. I'm happy for you, Love." I congratulated, cupping her cheek, pressing my lips to hers chastely.
"I'm serious about having babies with you." She reaffirmed, kissing me firmly.
"I think there is something that should happen first." I negotiated.
"What do you mean?" She posed in confusion.
"Marry me?" I supplied succinctly.
"Well, we're already living together, so I suppose I could put up with you for the rest of my life." She teased and I laughed as she shrugged her shoulders adorably.
"Come with me." I urged, lifting her off my lap and leading her to the office.
Opening a file cabinet drawer in the corner, I reached to the back of the top one and pulled out a small lock box. Entering the code, and my palm print, the lid popped open and I retrieved a velvet box.
"What is that?" She queried.
"This has been in my family for generations and is from the sixteenth century." I began, and her eyes widened as I opened the box.
"Matthew," She whispered in astonishment.
"It's a French ring made of three gold hoops that fit together to form a single ring." I explained. "Each hoop of this wedding ring is inscribed with poesies-, verses that people wrote as tokens of affection. This one says 'a ma vie de coer entire'," I supplied.
"What does that mean?" She murmured, her fingers tracing the gold surface.
"It's old French for 'my whole heart for my whole life.' And this, 'mon debut et ma fin', with an alpha and an omega means, 'my beginning and my end'." I concluded.
"It's engraved on both sides." She noted and I nodded, turning the rings over.
"Yes, 'Se souvenir du passe, et qu'll ya un avenir', means 'Remember the past, and that there is a future.'"
"This is too precious for me to wear, Matthew." She refuted.
"Mon Coeur, look at me." I urged, bending to one knee.
I could see the tears forming in her eyes. "Why do you want to?" She warbled.
"Why do I want to marry you?" I posed and she nodded frantically a few tears escaping.
"I want to marry you because you're the first person I want to look at when I wake up in the morning and the only one I want to kiss goodnight." I started, cupping her cheek and brushing away the tears. "Because the first time I held you, I couldn't imagine not being able to hold you for the rest of my life. But mainly," I trailed off, her smile bright. "But mainly, when you love someone as much as I love you, getting married is the only thing left to do. Besides making babies that is." I affirmed.
"I love you, too." She smiled.
"So, will you marry me?" I posed, holding the ring up to her.
"Yes," She cried as I slipped the ring over her delicate finger before rising to capture her lips with mine.
"There's just one thing to really decide now." I smiled at her as she stood on tippy toes to pull my lips back down to hers.
"What's that?" She added, after pulling back from our kiss.
"Do you want to get married first or will it matter if you're pregnant when we do?"
"Things are going to be so crazy, Matthew." She relayed. "What with me going back to school, you're busy with the hotel, and if it was supposed to take three years before, is it four years now? And do we move to a bigger place, I mean we'll need a nursery too." She confided and I realized she was feeling overwhelmed.
~TD~
"Let me show you something." Matthew instructed, pulling her over to his desk, and into his lap as he pulled out some blueprints.
"What's this?" Diana questioned, her eyes scanning the design in front of her.
"Well, I was thinking this room here, could be the nursey." Matthew pointed out.
"Is this the house you've been designing?" She askedin excitement, turning to face him.
"It is. When I abandoned it a few years ago, it barely had any walls, let alone a fully realized design schematic. But, it's also why I've been working such long hours." He confessed. "The house is currently being built, Love."
"What? When will it be finished?" She smiled brightly, looking over the blueprints of the open layout design.
"Around November, maybe earlier." He relayed. "We'll still pick out paint colours and countertops, that sort of thing, but the structure is being erected." He clarified.
"Matthew, this is beautiful!" She gushed, turning and cupping his face in her hands once more.
"I never had the heart to design a home before, at least that's what I was told." He confessed. "I feel like I lost that when I learned of Blanca's deception and another architect wasn't shy about telling me so. I'll never forget what he said to me." He confided.
"Who?" Diana prodded, pushing his hair back off his forehead.
"Baldwin Montclair. He designed Montclair Condos." Matthew relayed. "Anyway, I was on the construction crew for one of his buildings and I was seeking honest advice about how to approach a design. This was after the revelation about Blanca and her abortions too." He relayed.
"So, you were trying to find the passion again?" She posed.
"To a degree, yes. But what I got was a surprise." He confirmed, his arms moving around her torso, and pulling her into his arms more securely.
"What did he tell you?" Diana pressed, her eyes searching his.
"I thought the abortions were bad enough, but Baldwin said to me, 'You need heart to design, and I suggest you find a new heart, because the one you've been screwing has been screwing me'," He admitted.
"Blanca was sleeping with your boss and you?" Diana called out in a rage.
I nodded in confirmation, "And I'll never know if that final baby was mine or his." Matthew added. "But with you, Diana, you are my heart." I confided.
"I love you, more than anything, Matthew." She alleviated, kissing him provocatively before standing from his lap.
Diana reached behind her and tugged at the zipper to her form fitting pant-suit. Pulling it down her body, she kicked it off and stood before him in nothing but a pair of red, lace panties. Hooking her thumbs into the sides of the waist-band, she pushed them over her hips until they fell to the floor. Her hands reached out, and started unbuttoning Matthew's shirt and he watched her intently as he bit at his lip in anticipation.
"I think it's time we christen your new desk." He smiled, standing from his seat and lifting her into his arms. She squealed in surprise as he set her on the top of her desk, the cold surface causing her to break out in goose bumps. "Lay back for me love, spread those legs." He smiled, pulling off his shirt before getting to his knees and kissing along the inside of her thigh.
His hands gripped her hips, lifting her closer to the edge of the desk.
"Matthew, please." She called, as he finally bent his head, his tongue lapping at her moist folds. "Yes," She panted, her hands tangling in his hair. "God, the smoothness of your cheeks against my thighs feels so good." She confessed, rubbing them against his face, revelling in the sensation of the hairless skin.
Matthew licked at her clit, flicking his tongue over her sensitive flesh as she writhed in pleasure at his ministrations.
"I'm so close." She called breathlessly, as he slipped a few fingers into her warm heat.
"Come for me, Love." He coaxed, his eyes meeting hers as he pressed his thumb against her clit, rubbing her to a release. Diana arched her back as the orgasm washed over her, and while she was coming down from her high, Matthew undid his pants, pushing them and his boxer briefs to the floor.
As he kicked off his pants, Diana got to her knees, and before he could blink, she had his cock in her mouth and was bobbing over him quickly.
"Fuck, that's perfect." He panted, sitting against the edge of the desk as her hands moved to cup and fondle his balls.
"Mmmmm…" She hummed around his length, his head tilted back as he revelled in the feeling of her warm mouth and tongue sucking and licking his hard cock.
"Up on the desk for me, sweetheart." He pressed, helping her from the floor.
Diana sat on the edge of the desk, her legs parted, as he pressed into her, slipping his cock into her agonizingly slow.
"Don't tease, Matthew. Please." She called, her hands reaching for his hips to pull him closer.
He bent over her, resting on his elbows as his hips started a frantic pace, thrusting hard and firm.
"I love how you make love to me." She revealed, trailing her hands up his arms. Her right hand moved over his brace before meeting her left around his neck as her legs wound around his hips.
"I'm so close." Matthew blurted, his lips fusing to Diana's as his tongue tasted hers passionately.
"Harder, please. I'm going to come." She announced, squeezing her Kegel muscles around him once more.
"Fuck, do that again for me, Love." He requested, as he helped her to finish by pressing his thumb into her clit once more.
He felt her climax as her walls contracted around his cock, squeezing the orgasm out of him.
"Fucking hell." He called, pumping into her a few more times as he cradled her in his arms.
After a quick shower together, and a wardrobe change, they cuddled on the couch.
Diana turned to face him. "I have a few rules for you to follow, now that I've moved in and we're getting married." She smiled coyly.
"Oh really," He smiled, "Lay it on me then." He added, kissing her cheek before brushing her hair off her face.
"Stipulation number one", she started, crossing her arms over her chest to appear assertive. "You must join me for every bubble bath, that I request you join." She continued and he smiled, pulling her to straddle him, holding her closer.
"Go on," He prodded.
"Stipulation number two, you must always fuck me in the shower, whenever I ask, and finally," She smiled once more, winding her arms around his shoulders. "And finally, you must always, always, always, sleep naked." She giggled.
"Hmmm…I don't know about all that." He teased. "Where do I sign?" He finalized, pressing his lips to hers enticingly.
"I love you, Diana. But I have one stipulation of my own." He relayed.
"Okay," She murmured, waiting for him to explain.
"You must promise to always be the heart of my home, as you are my heart." He finished.
"You know you're adorkably cheesy sometimes?" She teased. "But I love that about you. I love you. More than I ever thought I could love someone." She added, as a few tears escaped.
"You're all I want. For the rest of my life. Cheese or no cheese." He added with a laugh.
"I want the same. I never knew it could feel like this." She admitted. "Love, I mean. All consuming."
"I've never loved anyone like I love you." He relayed, his eyes locking on hers. "Because of you my life has a beginning a middle and an end." He confided, as he cupped her cheek. "When you're gone, my life will be over."
"I wouldn't have a life worth living without you, Matthew." She whispered, her voice choked with emotion, as his arms held her firmly in his embrace.
They held each other close, knowing that no matter what happened in their lives, they could always count on the other being there. If there was one thing their relationship was based on, it was loyalty, fidelity, and most importantly, trust.