Disclaimer: Not mine. Don't sue. :) title inspired by Vienna, by the Fray.

Author's note: Sorry about the delay, just got my practice books in, which is why this is unfortunately a bit short, but I promise the next one will be longer to make up for it, as we'll be going to Seattle in the next chapter. You guys are awesome with the reviews, thanks for paying such lovely attention to my little ditty. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 7: So This is Your Maverick, This is Paris

The year I was to turn seven, I was convinced it was my destiny to summer in Paris because there I would meet prince charming ( William to be exact) and we'd run away to Barcelona and paint together for the rest of our lives. My parents thought my dreams were delightfully amusing and listened to me with rapt attention until I told them I expected them to finance the trip.

They chuckled in amusement and tousled my wavy black hair before explaining to me that one day I would go to Paris but this year was not quite possible. I threw a fit. I'd never been more upset in my life. All I could see was their inability to understand my artistic dream and I was furious. I cried for two days. And then my father took me a side and I'll never forget what he told me.

We are in charge of our own destinies, Kimmy. If you want to go to Paris, then go, but of you must go of your own merits and not ours. You see? If you go of your own merit, no one can stop you.

I started saving that day and on my seventh birthday, I took my father aside and told him that I had meticulously saved 42 dollars and 14 cents and was it enough to go to Paris, please. Dear William was waiting for me, and I couldn't bear the thought of him losing faith in me.

He had smiled then, his eyes tearing up slightly but before I could ask, my mother had come in and the two of them had taken me to the windowsill and sat me down.

"Sweetheart, we've seen you tuck away all your allowances for the past few month and we're very proud of you." My father tousled my locks.

"So," my mother continued, "we got you a little present that we thought would reward you."

My dad picked up their string of words now, his face exuberant in the light of the rising dawn.

"And here its." With a flourish he handed me a small, flat rectangular envelope with my name on it. I should it lightly and grimaced in disappointment. I supposed it wasn't the pony or the easel I'd been hoping for.

Instead it was three tickets to Paris for a plane that would leave in two days and I threw myself at them in glee. The three of us danced around the living room as my father belted out La Marseillaise in a deep, booming baritone that had us in tears. We spent the summer on the borders of Nice, lounging in our vacation home, which had been passed down to my father on his mother's side. I went to what felt like every art museum in France that summer but I'm sure it was really only a handful, they were so incredibly large, and decadent. I never met Prince William, but I did meet Harriet, the little girl next door. We became fast friends, rolling around in the grasses, painting the sunsets and dining on fresh cheeses and breads every night.

I never forgot that summer, and now as I waited for Jared to run up and meet me with my bag I felt charged with that same sense of resourcefulness. My father's words would not go to waste, I was in charge of my own destiny, which meant that I would find my parents and bring them home. And that was that.

Jared arrived then, panting slightly, his form straightening to his full height. I took a step forward and grabbed my bag from him before taking a step back.

"Thanks." I smiled at him.

"Sure, uh-" he rubbed his neck again, and I filed that little nervous tick of his away carefully.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry you couldn't-uh, see it." He finished lamely, his eyes narrowed in frustration, but he flashed a smile at me, his teeth dazzlingly white against his lovely skin, which was almost gamboge in this light.

I smiled faintly before nodding. I wished I had something to say but my mind was running completely blank.

"Hey, so when do you want to do this thing?" He was looking slightly passed my left shoulder as he said it and I flipped my head around and saw Nina Russet walking towards us. I spoke quickly, wanting to wrap up our conversation before she arrived. The girl made me nervous.

"I was thinking Saturday, maybe?" I wanted to be home on Sunday, they wouldn't miss my birthday, I knew that. If I didn't locate them on Saturday, they would be coming back on Sunday, and they were probably going to surprise me.

"Oh, uh, yeah sure. That sounds great, do you want me to pick you up?" I looked at him in surprise.

"I said I would cover us for getting there." I smiled at him.

"Yeah but, I noticed you didn't have a car, so I thought driving would be easier than taking a shuttle."

"We're not taking a shuttle." He looked thoroughly confused and I was enjoying every minute of this. It was rare that I got to control the flow of the conversation. You see, my parents weren't exactly poor, rather, they made a considerable amount of money; we were one of the few wealthy families in the area. But I liked to keep off the radar. I walked to school by choice, the Audi waiting for me the garage would have turned heads and I didn't like the attention. But just this once, as Jared and Nine were doing me a rather large favor, I thought I'd, splurge a little.

As a rule, my trust fund went untouched but considering the circumstances and the number of places I planned on going to for inspiration, it was a necessary. Besides, this was hardly going to dent it. I was given full access on my sixteenth birthday, just before they left for Seattle in case of emergency. My allowance easily covered the rest.

But my affinity for painting supplies tended to leave me with very little saved on that front.

"So what're we taking?" I snapped back to attention, and felt my face heat up. I must have spaced out for a second.

"It's a surprise." I smiled at him, a bit mischievously and then waved at him lightly before turning away and walking home.

I heard Nina run up to him in the background and ask him what we were talking about. And then I heard him mumble something that was no doubt meant to charm her because she started giggling, our conversation forgotten in her mind.

But for the first time, in a long, long time, I felt like I'd gotten the upper hand.

And it felt good.