Disclaimer: I did not get the rights to Perry Mason over Christmas, though I did get season 4 and 5 on DVD! So…that's pretty much all I own.

A/N: So, I decided since my updates have been rather scarce, I should combine two chapters. That and the fact that the chapters separate would've been incredibly short and I just felt mean having two short chapters. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

"Please, Mom!" Little Paul begged. They were sitting in the hotel suite on the couch. Paul was in the bathroom getting ready for bed. Little Paul finally broke down and told his mom all he had heard. Not only that, but he really needed her help. He knew Della would listen to her. "I have it all worked out."

Eve raised her eyebrows. "Your father would kill me."

"But it's the perfect opportunity!" Little Paul cajoled. "I know Dad wants something to change, we all do. Even Nancy! Besides, we don't know what kind of secretary Perry will get after Nancy resigns if Della doesn't do it."

Eve bit her lip thinking about all this. Her son definitely had a point. She did want things to change and she knew her husband and Little Paul did as well. She knew Perry regretted leaving and she knew Della regretted telling him to leave, but that was all in the past. This was the present and they could keep the two stubborn fools from making the same mistake, from missing the same opportunity. Eve sighed. "Okay."

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Eve took a deep breath knocking on Della's door. She only hoped Della agreed to listen to her.

Della opened the hotel door. "Hi, Eve!"

"Hello, Della," Eve greeted her. She smiled and began the plan. "So, did Perry ask you to move out here again?" She said it in a joking manner, pretending it was supposed to be a joke.

Della looked at the floor and Eve gasped. "He did! What are you going to do about it!"

Della sighed and motioned for Eve to come in. After she shut the door she leaned against it. "I'm not really sure."

Eve squinted at her. "Don't you want to stay here? Oh, but you don't want to get married. And you couldn't work because of Nancy."

"No, Nancy says she's resigning on Monday," Della corrected. "Whether I'm there or not. I'm not sure I believe her, but Perry and I did talk about how stubborn she is. I really think she might do it, and then Perry would be in a horrible mess."

Eve slightly smiled. She always loved how Della thought about Perry and his job, even now. Eve had often thought Della cared more about Perry than she did herself. Eve knew this was the only exception to that; Della was just scared.

Eve nodded. She sat down in the chair. "Della, why don't you want to move out here? Besides what this move might mean for you and Perry?"

Della shrugged. "I have a life in Los Angeles. I have friends, I have a job, I have a home."

Eve tilted her head, thinking. "You have friends, but Perry is your best friend. I've heard you talk about a friend named Felicity. She doesn't live in L.A., but you guys still keep in touch, right? Paul and I are your only friends in Los Angeles, and we would still talk all the time if you were out here.

"You have a job, but I highly doubt it's the one you want. Do you really enjoy it? After working for Perry, I bet any job would be dull. And I don't know why you wouldn't take this job, it's the perfect opportunity. Nancy's leaving it wide open for you!

"I have to disagree with you on your last point though. You have a house in Los Angeles, but is it a home?" Nancy asked.

Della frowned, still leaning against the door. "What do you mean?"

Eve smiled. "A home. A place where no matter what happens, you're happy. A place where you feel welcome. I know it's a horrible cliché, but home really is where the heart is. Paul and Paul Junior have my heart and wherever they are, that's where my home will be. Home isn't necessarily four walls, two windows and a door. It's family, it's open arms…it's love."

Eve paused for a minute, letting that sink in. She got up and walked over to the door. "So, I'll see you tomorrow at the airport to go 'home.'" When Eve said home she made air quotes.

Della moved to let Eve out. "Maybe."

The smile lit up Eve's eyes and overtook her whole face. "Good."

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Little Paul bounced up and down with anticipation. As soon as Eve walked back in the door he attacked. "Well? What did she say? What happened? Is she staying?"

"I don't know if she's staying," Eve admitted.

"What?" Little Paul almost shouted. "But I thought—"

"My job was to go over there and make her think," Eve reminded her son gently. "I was not going to try to push her into staying. I just wanted to make her think about things. She said she might come to the airport tomorrow."

Little Paul sighed. "So she still might not stay here? Everything might go back to the horrible new normal?"

Eve nodded. "It might. But we'll have to wait until tomorrow to know for sure."

Little Paul groaned as Eve walked into the bedroom. He would never be able to sleep tonight.

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Della couldn't help but smile after she closed the door. Eve looked so happy that Della might be changing her mind about going home. She knew there would be a lot of technicalities if she did decide to stay. She'd have to call the airport, she'd have to see if this room was booked and if it was get a new one. The biggest technicality of all was to figure out what she and Perry were—if they were anything anymore—and try to keep that separate from their working relationship but still be amazing together, work or not. Della sighed. When did her life get so complicated?

Eve was right on all accounts Della supposed. She did still keep in touch with her best friend, Felicity. Felicity had moved to Florida ages ago, but they still talked to each other every week. They exchanged letters regularly too. They didn't get to see each other too often, but Della knew that would be different with Paul and company. They would still be far away, but would be much closer than she and Felicity. After keeping in touch with Felicity for such a long time, Paul and company should be a cinch. That was, if she decided to move.

Della thought about her job with Arthur Gordon. She was his personal assistant, but he had said if she was still this amazing in a year she would definitely get promoted. She was glad he appreciated her work, but she wasn't sure she enjoyed working for him. It wasn't a horrible job and he wasn't a horrible boss. He respected her, so he wasn't rude to her. It was a job that paid decent money, but it wasn't the same as working for Perry. Arthur Gordon could be a real bear to some of his clients and she liked to steer clear of him when he was like that. She was always able to calm Perry down when he got frustrated…but she realized she didn't care enough to try with Arthur Gordon. She was always nice to the clients, especially when they endured his wrath, but she never went to talk to him. That must say something about how much she enjoyed and wanted the job with Arthur Gordon?

The last thing Eve said really stuck with Della. Was Los Angeles home? Yes, she did have a house, four walls, two windows and a door. Her house was beautiful and it was one thing in which she took pride. She also loved to garden and she made sure her yard looked beautiful every year. She knew that wasn't what Eve was speaking of, though.

Home was where you were happy, no matter what. Was she always happy in Los Angeles? Of course she wasn't. She wasn't even always happy when Perry was there. She always did find it hard to be sad when she was with him though. All her sadness melted away when she saw him again today and she hadn't been sad the whole time the party was going on. She knew she was sadder in Los Angeles lately. Even Little Paul had commented on it, loudly, to his mother the last time Della visited them.

"Home is where the heart is," Della said out loud. She loved Paul Drake and his family. They definitely held a part of her heart but she knew her whole heart wasn't with them. It wasn't hard to figure out where the other part was. It was right here in San Francisco, sitting on an appellate bench.

Della leaned her head back on the couch and closed her eyes. What was it Eve had said again? Home was family, it was open arms, it was love. Home was family. She had family back in the Midwest, but since she moved out to Los Angeles, she often felt Perry and Paul were the closest things to family she had. Paul was like her older brother and Perry…she couldn't describe everything he was to her.

Home was open arms. Well, that was easy. Perry wanted to welcome her. He asked her to move out here again with no reservations. She sighed and shivered slightly with her eyes closed. She imagined those open arms closing around her and wrapping her in comfort and security. She could still feel it with amazing clarity, which didn't exactly surprise her. She could also feel something else in Perry's arms every time he wrapped them around her, today included. Love.

Eve had said home was love and Della knew that's what Perry still held for her. She also knew that, no matter how much she tried to deny it, she still loved him. All those old feelings she had for him, those feelings she thought she had buried, resurfaced when she saw him, not to mention when she hugged him. She still loved him; she was still in love with him. She knew Perry felt the same way about her. She was always able to read him and she saw it in his eyes just enough today. Della chuckled, thinking they may not have been too discreet. If Eve had talked to Nancy, Nancy must've said something. Sure, Eve loved to talk, but she didn't just run her mouth without prompting.

Della squeezed her eyes shut tighter and sighed. She hated to admit it, but Eve was right on all accounts. Her home was in San Francisco now and there was no way she could go back to Los Angeles tomorrow without exploring this.

Let's hear it, a sigh of relief all around! So she's staying. The question is…will Perry accept her working for him? Will Nancy really resign? Will Della end up talking herself out of going to the office on Monday? So many questions! Stay tuned to find the answers…and review this chapter please! Thanks for reading!