AUTHOR: trista groulx (the dustytiger)
DISCLAIMER: kim, jimmy, bobby, carlos, lieu et al don't belong to me, they belong to NBC, their creator and the actors and actresses who portray them
RATING: R for sexual situations (not really anything really "r" about this one)
SUMMARY: When will he give her the ring?
AUTHORS NOTES: more with fluffiness... i should be crowned the queen of fluff or soemthing... see no hosptial scenes yet? aren't i amazing?
Bobby found the listing for the restaurant he had first brought her to. Now that it was out in the open, he wasn't sure exactly how he wanted to give her the ring. He thought it would be romantic to go to the place where it had all started, but he wasn't sure.
After they got off work he drove her to her place so she could get changed, and while she was at her place changing he quickly went to his to get himself changed.
When he came back she was wearing a different dress then the last time they had gone out. It was a long red dress, which only showed a little bit of cleavage. It looked wonderful on her, and his heart warmed just seeing her.
He had been surprised to learn that she had not asked any questions about Jimmy since he had gone to the hospital. He didn't want her to not care about what happened to him, he just felt insecure sometimes. He knew that she had agreed to marry him, and not be with Jimmy anymore, but he knew that Jimmy could always get Kim to do thing she didn't really want to do sometimes.
He didn't want a broken heart, while Jimmy used the woman he loved as a pawn in a cruel game. He didn't want to believe that Kim could fall under that spell again, but he knew that it had happened many times before, and he feared it would continue to happen. She had tried so many times before to not get caught up in it and had failed. How was it really different just because she was with him.
Bobby had not told Kim that they were going back to the same place they had the first time they had been on date. He wanted it to be a surprise. He had just told her to dress nice, and not to worry about a thing. He had it all covered.
When they got there Kim's eyes light up remembering the place. They went in, and were seated immediately. They both picked up their menus, and before long that portion of the evening was over. They had had a wonderful time together.
Bobby had planned on giving Kim the ring that night, but something didn't feel right. He wanted to present her with it at the exact right moment.
He drove her home, and followed her upstairs. He sat down on the couch, and she curled up next to him. She began kissing him, he wrapped his arms around her, but pulled away.
"It's nice to have the place to ourselves," he whispered.
"Yeah, it is," she replied kissing him again.
"Kim, just wait a minute let's just talk and be close."
She shrugged. "What do you want to talk about?"
"Does it seem silly to you to have two apartments?"
"I guess so, but I don't want to move."
"I wasn't suggesting you move. Joey's comfortable here, and it's not too far of a bus ride to school for him every morning."
"You're here most nights anyway," she reasoned.
"So what do you think?"
"I think it's a great idea."
"So do I."
He leaned over to kiss her. That was not what he had planned of that night, but he was happy none the less. He excused himself, and went into the bathroom. He just stood in there, staring at the ring that he had been carrying with him for so long.
He had planned to give it to her the moment she told everyone, but it didn't seem right. He had wanted to just slip on her finger to stop their earlier fight. He wanted to be all suave and give it to her at the same restaurant it had all started. But none of those places seemed right.
It was a beautiful ring, white gold, with a heart shaped diamond surrounded by smaller diamonds. It had cost him a fortune, but he knew she was worth it. So why couldn't he put it on her finger? Why was he still carrying it around everywhere even as everything was out in the open? He realized he had been in there for longer then he should have, and left the small room. She had curled up under the covers, in her room. He decided to join her. He pulled her into his arms. She smiled at him, lovingly, as he held her close.
"Bobby, is there something wrong?" she asked him.
"Why would you say that?" he wondered.
"It's just you said that when I told everyone you'd make it official, and give me a ring."
"How do you know I've even picked it out?"
"Cause you're you, and you seem to plan almost everything to do with us in advance."
He shrugged. "I haven't really found the exact right one yet." He lied.
"Oh."
"I'll find it."
"Do you still want to marry me?" she asked suddenly.
"Of course I do! That has defiantly not changed."
She was staring at her hands. "I'd understand if you changed your mind."
"I wouldn't change my mind. I've loved you since the moment I saw you."
She smiled. "Sometimes the chase is better the catch."
He kissed her. "That catch is defiantly better."
"I don't want flowers, and white horses, Bobby. I've already answered the question."
"I know Kim, but once I find it, I want to give you the ring at the right time."
She shrugged. "I don't care, Bobby."
"So what you want to tell your son, and any future children we may have that we were sitting naked on the bed when I proposed?"
"I'd leave out the naked part. But, yeah I'd tell them, that we were just talking one day, and out of the blue you asked me."
"But if I give you the ring somewhere else, then you have a choice of stories."
"I don't really want a choice. I just want everyone to know. I want the whole world to know that I'm committed to you. I want everyone to know that I want to be Mrs. Roberto Caffey."
He kissed her. "Soon, Kim, I promise, soon."
He hated to even think it but he was wondering if he maybe wanted to give her the ring where Jimmy could see it. He wasn't much for revenge, but after what he had done to Kim, he wouldn't mind putting a little salt in his wound. He just held Kim, and soon her breathing had slowed, she was asleep. He carefully moved so that she was next to him, wrapped his arm around her. He fell asleep moments later.
tbc
end notes: Yeah, that's not what i expected either, this is what the muse whispered in my ear, tying up of some loose ends, but i think that we are gonna be done with part 24.