It Happened One Weekend by Kakie
"There, that should just about do it." Ally walked into the den and collapsed on the couch. "You are officially moved in."
Larry smiled from across the room. "Not quite." He hammered in one more nail. "There, all done."
Ally looked over from her comfortable position on the couch. "What is that?"
"What does it look like?"
"It looks like one of those ridiculous singing fish. Larry, tell me you didn't bring in one of those awful singing fish into my home."
"It's our home and Seymour is not ridicules."
Ally waved him off. "Fine, fine, come over here, I have a welcome home present for you."
"I thought that wasn't until later."
"Funny." She patted the seat next to her. "Sit."
He sat and she placed a box in his lap. "Open it."
"Ally, I thought we agreed you weren't going to buy me underwear anymore after the bulls-eye incident."
"Would you just open the box?"
Larry opened the box and pulled out a picture frame. "Oh Ally. It's you, me and Sam last month at the ski resort. It's perfect." He leaned over and kissed her.
Ally smiled. "I'm glad you like it."
"Like it? I love it and I know the perfect place for it. I want Sam to see it when he comes this weekend." Larry walked to the fireplace mantel. "I want it to go right here, between this picture of you and Renee and this picture of a younger you and some guy I don't recognize." He turned around and stared. "Ally?"
"It's a picture of me and Billy taken at Harvard."
"I see."
"No, don't 'I see'. It's not a big deal. That picture has been sitting there for years, even before we met up again at Cage and Fish. It's a memory, nothing more."
Larry nodded and placed his new present on the mantel. "Looks good, doesn't it?"
"It looks great."
"So, is he still living in Europe?"
"As far as I know. He sends a letter to John once a month and the last one said that his one year in London was coming to a close and word has it they are going to offer him a full partnership."
"How did you leave things when he left?"
Ally gasped in surprise. "Why, Larry Paul, are you jealous?
"Can you blame me. This guy was your first..."
"Everything," Ally admitted sheepishly. "Look Larry, I don't want to spend our first night together discussing on old flame who lives on another continent and whom I will probably won't see again for a long time, if ever. I want tonight to be about us."
"Us works for me. Come here." He pulled Ally close. As she held on, she glanced at the picture and her eyes locked with Billy's.
Across the Atlantic, Billy buzzed his secretary, Julie. Within seconds she appeared.
"Yes, Mr. Thomas?"
"Julie, is everything ready for my trip?"
"Yes, Mr. Thomas. Your flight leaves in two hours and your tickets are waiting for you at the airport."
Billy nodded. "Good, good. Do Mr. Benton and Mr. Corbin have all my necessary numbers?"
"Yes, your cellular phone and the number at Cage and Fish. Mr. Benton asked if you were going to be returning in time for his monthly staff meeting next week."
"I'm catching the red eye Monday night." He picked up the small photo of Ally that sat on the corner of his desk. "But first I have some things to work out."
Larry paced around the living room. He kept glancing at his watch and then out the window. The door opened and in ran Ally.
"Larry, I am so sorry. Court ran late."
"Fine, let's go."
Ally shook her head. "You go out to the airport. I'll change clothes and meet you and Sam at the pizza parlor."
Larry nodded and flew out the door.
Ally closed it behind him and walked to the bedroom. She sat down on the bed. "I'm sooo glad it's Friday." She removed her shoes and rubbed her feet. "What an exhausting week. What I need is a relaxing weekend with my two favorite guys."
Ally quickly changed into jeans, tee shirt and tennis shoes. She also grabbed some quarters for the video games. She was reaching for her purse when a knock came at the door. She looked at her watch. It's too soon for it to be Larry and Sam, she thought. She walked over and answered the door. She gasped.
"Surprised to see me?" asked Billy as he leaned against the doorframe.
"Billy! Wha..., wha…what are you doing here?"
He grinned. "In this country, in this city, or at your door?"
Ally laughed. "All of the above. Now get in here."
Billy stepped inside and Ally threw her arms around him. He pulled her close and hugged her. "I have missed you, Ally."
"I would hope so. So let me see our world traveler." She stepped back and gave him a once over. "I see you are still looking as great as always especially with dark hair again. And no English accent, I see."
"No," he replied shaking his head. "I'm what as known as a Yank. To them, I speak with an accent. Are you going to invite me in?"
"Um," she glanced at her watch, "but just for a second. I have somewhere I need to be."
Billy glanced around the room. It looked the way he remembered it. He took a seat on the couch. She sat on the chair. "So, tell me, what's London like?"
"Definitely different. The people, the places, it's all so different."
"So do you like living there?"
Billy smiled. "I love it but there are some things I desperately miss."
Ally was about to reply when the clock chimed 6:30. "Look, I need to be someplace now but I want to see you while you are here. When are you scheduled to leave?"
"I have a flight out Monday evening."
"Well that doesn't leave us much time. Why don't you come for lunch tomorrow? Larry has plans for him and Sam in the morning. Say 12:30?"
"Sure, 12:30 is fine but I have a couple of questions."
"And I have questions for you but as I said, Larry is waiting for me so we will answer all our questions tomorrow."
She all but pushed him out the door and left behind him.
"Hey, Ally, watch me." Sam yelled from the ball pit.
"I see you, Sam." She waved back. She turned her attention back to Larry. "Now, where was I?"
"Um, you had a visitor."
"Oh yes. Well you can imagine my surprise when I opened the door and found Billy Thomas standing there."
Larry was surprised. "Billy Thomas? Billy from Cage and Fish? Billy from the photo?"
"Yes, all three of them."
"Why is he here?"
Ally took a drink of her soda and waved again to Sam, who was now sliding down a slide. "I don't know. We didn't have time to talk. But I'll ask him tomorrow."
"What's tomorrow?"
"I invited him to lunch."
"You did what?" he exclaimed.
"I invited him to lunch. Why are you getting upset?"
"I don't know, it could be the fact that you invited your ex to our home for lunch."
"Lunch being the operative word."
"I still don't like it. Maybe he wants you back."
Ally smiled. "I doubt that. I like it when you're kind of jealous. Besides, I don't recall getting all so emotional when Jamie came on the scene."
"Not emotional? Ally, honey, you tried to break up with me."
"That's because you kissed her."
Larry and Ally smiled at each other. Larry looked over and saw Sam attempting to play ski-ball.
"I think maybe I should go help him."
"I would have to agree. That's still his first ball."
"Be right back." Larry jumped up and went to aid his young son. As Ally watched the two of them together, thoughts of Billy jumped into her head. Could he be right, she thought? Ally shook the thoughts from her head and watched as the Larry/Sam duo beat the highest score.
As John Cage entered the coffee shop early the next morning, he immediately saw his friend and former associate sitting by the window. "Billy Thomas, as I live and breathe."
Billy stood up and the two men hugged. "John, it is so good to see you. Sit down."
John took the chair opposite Billy. "Well, you look good. England must agree with you."
"Yeah, mostly but I miss Boston."
The waitress came over and John ordered a bagel and coffee and Billy just coffee.
"I was really surprised to get your call last night. You didn't mention in your letters that you were planning a visit."
"It was last minute. I was offered the partnership I wrote you about. They gave me a week to think about it so I decided to come back to Boston to clear my head and review my options."
"Well, what ever the reason, I'm glad you're back. How long can you stay?"
"I leave Monday."
John nodded and bit into his bagel. "Have you seen Ally?"
"Yeah, last night for a minute. She was in a hurry to get some where."
"I know. She flew out of the courtroom yesterday. Sam was arriving and she didn't want to be late for his flight."
"Who is Sam?"
"He's Larry's son. Quite a character, that kid is."
"And Larry is what, the new boyfriend?"
John chuckled. "I don't think the phrase "new boyfriend" applies here."
Billy took a sip of coffee. "Oh, why is that?"
"Because they are living together."
Billy's cup tipped but didn't spill. "Living together? It's that serious?"
"Oh, it's very serious. When the three of them get together, they look like a family."
"I see."
John could see the happiness leave Billy and was replaced with disappointment. It didn't take a genius to see what was wrong. "You still have feeling for her, don't you?"
"I didn't think so but as time went on, I began to really miss her. At first I blamed it on homesickness but after awhile I realized that wasn't it. So when this partnership came up, I decided I needed to see if there was anything still between us. And here I am."
"Yes, here you are but Ally isn't the same Ally from a year ago. When you left, Ally was so devastated She got involved with a couple of guys but it wasn't until she met Larry Paul that she came alive. He is a good man and a good father and he loves her. Billy, as a friend, I am asking you not to pursue this. She's happy, let it be."
Billy shook his head. "No, John. I can't return to London without at least knowing. I'm meeting her for lunch at her place. I plan on discussing it with her then."
Ally picked up the Sam's Gameboy off of the floor and set it on the coffee table. Then placed his house shoes in the guestroom. It amazed her how much chaos such a small child could occur in 12 hours. She had just checked on the chicken salad she had ordered from the deli when the doorbell rang.
Ally handed Billy a bread stick. "I'm sorry I had to rush you out the door last night. You see…"
Billy held his hand up. "It's okay. The Biscuit filled me in."
"Oh, you've seen John, then?"
"Yeah, we met for coffee."
"I worry about him. He just ended what could have been a great relationship. He and Melanie were perfect together."
Billy added more dressing to his salad. "John seemed fine to me."
"You're such a guy. To you, unless John is throwing things or crying hysterically, he's fine."
"Speaking of guys, how did you meet Larry?"
Ally smiled into her ice tea. "Well, actually it's a rather off-beat kind of story."
"Ally, you have a rather off-beat kind of life."
"True. Anyway, at the time I was seeing this English guy named Brian. We had been seeing each other for a few months and he decided the time was right for us to move in together. I was having conflict about it and I wanted a second opinion."
"You went to see Dr. Tracey."
Ally nodded. "Yes I did, except she wasn't there. Instead I found this man, Larry, unpacking his stuff in her office."
"Where was Tracey?"
"She moved and took all her files but mine. Larry, of course, had seen it and was amused by this "cracker." I was not amused but I found myself confiding in him. He made a lot of sense and I realized that it wasn't going to work with Brian so I broke it off. I was just starting to think that maybe Larry was the therapist for me, when I found out he wasn't a therapist at all but a lawyer renting Tracey's office."
Billy was horrified. "He deceived you?"
"No," Ally laughed. "It was really my fault. I didn't notice the 'Attorney-at-Law" on his door and he didn't know I was mistaken. But at the time, I was furious. Eventually we sorted it out."
"And started dating?"
"No, first I hired him as outside counsel to represent me."
"Then you started dating him?"
"No, then he started dating Nelle and I started seeing this father and son team. But what we realized was that we wanted each other and that's the story of Ally and Larry."
"Father and son team?"
"Don't ask."
Billy cleared his throat. "Look Ally, there is something I want to…"
Just at that moment the door flew open and Sam came running in. "Ally, look what Dad bought me." He handed Ally a big foam finger.
"Well, Sam, that's almost as big as you."
"That's what Dad said."
"Speaking of Dad, where is he?"
Sam climbed into one of the two empty chairs. "I told him we needed ice cream so he went to get some." He looked over at Billy. "Hi, I'm Sam. What's your name?"
Billy smiled. "I'm Billy and I'm an old friend of Ally's."
"I'm a new friend of Ally's. She and my Dad are in love."
Billy glanced over at Ally. "That's what I hear."
Ally cleared her throat. "Hey Buddy, why don't you take your neat finger and put it with the rest of your stuff. I don't want you to forget it tomorrow."
"Okay." He climbed off the chair and ran into the bedroom.
"Cute kid. So, where does Sam live?"
"Detroit with his mother Jamie. He comes here about one weekend a month and one weekend a month Larry goes to Detroit. Last month the three of us went skiing and this summer a week in Florida is on the agenda." Ally heard the TV in her bedroom turn on. "That should keep him occupied until Larry gets home."
Billy watched her. "You seem to enjoy this maternal role you have going."
She smiled. "I really do."
"Ally, I want to talk to you about London."
"London? What about it?"
"I…"
"Sam, I got your ice cream." Larry closed the door and walked into the kitchen. He set the ice cream on the counter. He kissed Ally on the cheek and quickly sized up their visitor. "Hi, you must be Billy Thomas. I'm Larry Paul." Larry extended his hand and Billy accepted it.
"It's nice to meet you, Larry," Billy replied, "I have heard many things about you."
"Yeah, you too. So, do you like living in England?"
"For the most part. There are some things I miss about Boston."
I'll bet, thought Larry. "Have you seen my kid?"
"Yeah, he's great."
Larry smiled. "I agree but I meant his location. He had to have ice cream, couldn't wait."
Ally handed him a soft drink. "Well, apparently he could. He's in the bedroom watching cartoons."
"Well, see about that." Larry headed in and the sounds of giggling filled the air.
Ally smiled and turned her attention back to Billy. "So, what plans do you have for the rest of your visit?"
"I'm meeting John, Richard, Elaine and the rest at the bar tonight. Why don't you and Larry join us?"
"We can't. We're taking Sam to the movies tonight. We like to spend as much time with him as we can while he's here. You're going to get to meet Mark for the first time?"
"Yeah, my replacement. It will be weird there without Georgia."
"I'm sure but she loves working in Washington. That was the best job she could have asked for."
"So, she's happy?"
"Very and with a new man in her life. And I'm sure you will find the perfect woman for you someday."
"Perhaps sooner than you might think."
She smiled. "Let's hope so."
"Did you pack everything?"
Sam thought about it for a second and then nodded to his dad. "Yup, I got everything."
"Good. You are officially checked in. Got you a seat by the window the way you like and your mom will be waiting for you in Detroit. All we have to do is wait here for your flight to be called."
Sam sighed. "Dad, I know the drill."
"I know you know the drill but I still worry about you traveling alone."
"I'll be fine." He looked around. "Why isn't Ally back yet?"
"I guess her page from work is taking a little longer. She said she'd meet us here at the gate."
Sam nodded and watched as a couple kissed good-bye from another gate. "Dad, can I ask you something?"
"Sure, Sammy, anything."
"Do you love Ally?"
Larry signed. "Sam, if this about your mother and me again…"
Sam shook his head. "No, it has nothing to do with mom. Do you love Ally?"
"Very much. Why?"
"I love her too."
Larry squeezed his shoulder. "I'm sure she would love to hear that. She loves you too."
"I know that. So if you love her and she loves you, why haven't you asked her to marry you?"
Larry was taken by surprised. "What?"
"I said, why haven't you asked Ally to marry you?"
Larry was at a lost for words. "Well…it's not that simple."
"Sure it is. You ask, she says yes and we're a family."
"Sam…."
"Look, Dad, I may be a kid but I know what I know. She is terrific and I think you'd be crazy if you don't. I think you should do it."
"Do what?" Ally asked as she joined them.
Larry cleared his throat and wondered how much she had heard. "Is everything okay at the office?"
"Yeah. John wants me to come by for a minute. I told him I would stop by on the way home." She turned to Sam. "I'm going to miss you, Buddy."
"Me too, Ally."
Larry took a deep breath. "Ally, me and Sam were talking about the future."
"Oh?" She looked from father to son. "Are we planning another trip?"
Larry took her hands and kissed them. "No, another kind of future. As Sam pointed out, you love me and I love you and I would have to be crazy to let you get away."
Ally was concerned. "Letting me get away? Larry, I'm not going anywhere." To her horror, Larry got down on one knee.
"Ally, I love you. You are the best thing to happen to me. Will you marry me?"
"Me too." Sam chimed in as he knelt along side his father.
A thousand feelings went through Ally at the same time. She nodded her head, afraid of her voice. "Yes. Yes, I will marry you, both of you."
Larry leaped up and pulled her to him. He kissed her with such enthusiasm that Sam could only roll his eyes. As they pulled apart, they could see and hear the cheering of the audience they had acquired.
Sam waved to them. "We're getting married."
As the crowd cheered again, Ally lifted Sam into her arms and hugged him. She locked eyes with a smiling Larry. I love you, she mouthed. He pulled the three of them into a hug.
Larry and Ally handed Sam over to the flight attendant, who would see to his needs.
"Don't get married without me."
Larry laughed. "Without my best man? Never."
"Bye Dad, bye Ally. I love you."
They each gave him a final hug and watched him board the plane. They stood there silently until the plane began to depart.
"That is some kid you got there, Larry."
"He's our kid now. Yours and mine."
They walked in silence through the weekend travelers and headed for Larry's car. As he paid the toll, he noticed that Ally was unusually quiet. "Ally, what's on your mind? Second thoughts?"
Ally turned to him. "Absolutely not. You're stuck with me now and for always."
"Works for me. So, you want to tell me what's on your mind?"
"It's silly."
"Tell me."
"Okay, I was just thinking that for as long as I can remember, I always pictured what my marriage proposal would be like but I never once considered an airport gate. Which is not to say it wasn't perfect, it really was. If you think about the way we met and got together, getting engaged in an airport is perfect."
Larry thought about this for a few minutes. "What was a perfect proposal when you were younger?"
"You know the usual, flowers, wine, music. A romantic setting."
"That sounds nice too. How about a romantic dinner to celebrate?"
Ally smiled. "That sounds wonderful. Why don't you drop me off at Cage and Fish, let me deal with John's crisis while you make the reservations?"
"Sounds good." He pulled in front of the building and Ally hopped out. "Do you want me to wait?"
"No, I'll walk home. I'll see you shortly."
She waved him off and headed up the elevator and into John's office.
"John?
"Ally."
She turned around and found Billy standing in the door. "Billy. This is a surprise. Have you seen John?"
He entered the room and sat on the sofa. "He's not here."
"What do you mean, he's not here? He paged me and asked me to stop by."
"That was me, I called you."
Ally turned to him, confused. "No, I know John's voice and that was definitely John."
"What I meant was that I needed to see you."
"What about John?"
Billy exploded. "Forget about John. Other than calling you, he has no part in this."
Ally took a seat behind John's desk and let her brain attempt to make sense. "So let me see if I have this straight. John paged me and asked me to come in but he didn't need to see me. Yes?"
"Yes."
"You wanted to see me so you asked John to page me. Yes?"
"Yes."
"Why didn't you just call me yourself?"
"Because I didn't think you would come."
Ally was surprised. "And why wouldn't I?"
Billy walked around the desk, took Ally's hand and walked her over to the sofa. "Do you remember in high school when we talked about seeing Europe?"
"Sure I do. We were going to start in France and a month later end up in England. Why?"
"Because I want you to come back to England with me."
"What!" Ally leaped from her seat. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that I want us to start a life together in England. I'm sure with your experience you can find a job there."
"Wait a minute." She stepped back from him. "You're not making any sense."
He stepped closer to her. "For the first time, I'm making perfect sense. When they offered me the partnership, they only thing that kept me from saying yes on the spot was you."
"Me?"
"Yes, you."
"Billy, are you saying you're in love with me?"
Billy sighed. "I believe so. For the last several months, you have been the first thing I thought of in the morning and the last thing at night. That sounds like love to me."
"Or home sickness. Come on Billy, the fact is that I represent home to you. I think you were looking for comfort in a strange country and that's why you thought of me."
Billy placed his hands on her shoulders. "Why can't you believe that I could love you?"
"I do believe that you could love me but I don't want you to love me."
Billy removed his hands as though they were on fire. "Why not?"
Ally returned to the sofa and placed her face in her hands. "Do you have any idea how many times I have had to deal with the pain that you inflicted on me? Leaving me for Georgia and Michigan State, having to work on a daily basis with you and Georgia, and then there was the time when you kissed me and thought we belonged together but you were really having some sort of early mid-life crisis."
"Ally..."
She sat up and stared at him in the face. "And finally when you accepted the job in London. Do you have any idea how much that hurt when I returned from visiting my mother to find you gone? I didn't even know about the job offer and I was only gone three days!"
"Look, Ally, I know I have hurt you in the past, and I am sorry. But this time is different. I'm not a confused kid any more. I know what I want and it's you."
Ally stood up and began to pace. "For the first time in my life, I am happy. I have a man who loves me and a little boy who thinks I'm pretty terrific."
"I love you and any children we have would think you were pretty terrific."
She placed her hands on each side of his face. "Billy, I will always love you. You were my first love and that will stay with me forever." She removed her hands but stayed close. "But, in Larry, I have met my soul mate and true love. We are going to have a wonderful life together starting now. This afternoon we got engaged. I'm getting married and I have never been so happy."
"Married?" Billy stepped back, unsure of his balance. "You're getting married?"
"Well it won't be tomorrow but soon, I'm sure. I finally found happiness, Billy, be happy for me."
Billy felt dizzy. His world was coming apart. He sat down.
"Are you okay?"
"No, but I will be. I am happy for you. Is Larry a good man?"
"He's not perfect but neither am I. What we have is something I have never had before. I believe with all my heart that he is the man I have been waiting for."
Billy smiled. "I'm glad."
Ally looked at her watch. "I need to go. Larry is taking me to dinner to celebrate. Will you be okay?"
"Yeah, I just need a few minutes."
"When do you leave again?"
"I'm suppose to leave tomorrow night but I might try to push it up to tonight. I have a lot to do before I begin my new job."
"Well then I guess this is it." She pulled him into a hug. "I'll miss you and I'll expect to hear from you."
"You will." He closed his eyes and remembered the day they said goodbye at Harvard. His heart broke. "I love you."
"I love you, too." Without looking back she grabbed her purse and left the office. She waited until she was outside and then let the tears fall. How was it possible for her heart to break again?
When she opened the door, she was greeting with delicious smells, candle lit room and soft music. "Larry?"
"I've been waiting for you."
He stood in the living room dressed in his tux with a rose in his hand. "This is for you."
She accepted it. "Thank you but what's all this for?"
"It's for you. Come let me show you." She took her by the hand and led her to the kitchen. "I was limited on time so Chinese was the best I could do."
She opened one of the boxes. "It smells incredible."
He handed her a glass. "We were out of wine but we did have some of Sam's grape juice left, so here's to you." He clinked her glass and she giggled.
He led her to the living room pulled her into a dance. "I wanted to get a five piece orchestra but again the time problem so we'll have to settle for the CD player." They danced close to 'I only have eyes for you.'
When the song ended, Larry got down on one knee.
"Larry, what are you doing?"
"Giving you the proposal of your dreams. Ally McBeal, will you marry me?"
"Yes, of course now stand up so I can kiss you."
"In a second. First this.." He pulled out a ring box and opened it.
Ally gasped at the beautiful ring. "Larry.. how did you… when did you…?"
He slipped it on her finger. "I bought it in Detroit when I was there with Sam."
She admired it. "It so beautiful." She looked up at him. "You've wanted to marry me all these weeks?"
"Weeks? Hell, I've wanted to marry you since the beginning. Specifically since Christmas."
"Why didn't you ask me sooner?"
"Because I wanted to be certain you were ready."
She looked at her ring and then at his face. "Boy am I ready. I have waited my whole life for you."
He smiled at her. "You are the part of my life that's been missing. Now where is that kiss?"
George mcbeal
Jeannie mcbeal
I only have eyes for you