As we reach these last two chapters before Monday's finale, I feel a little melancholic. As our final chapter falls just under the mark of our second anniversary, I can't help but look back and thank everyone for their wonderful support. We've had a lot of fun with the videos, teasers, banners, and all-around cooperation of our readers. Kudos to you all. We hope you'll check out our new story Wonderwall once we post.
Steven walked back into the room to see if maybe Georgie was awake yet. He supposed he hadn't made much of an effort to get her out of bed today, or the three days previous. Grinning, he moved around the bed and pulled the blankets back, crawling in beside her. "Georgie?" he asked slowly.
"Hmmm?"
"You're so pretty."
"You're just saying that to get me out of bed."
"If I wanted you out of bed, I wouldn't be murmuring compliments." Steven reasoned, brushing her hair behind her ear.
"So my entire trip to Australia will be spent in bed?" Georgie turned around in his arms to face him. "Sounds good to me. But I don't think anyone would want to see the pictures."
"Since when do we care about other people?" Steven wanted to know, pulling her closer.
"Good point." Georgie leaned in and kissed his nose.
"Okay, you do need to get up." Steven confessed.
"Spoilsport." Georgie pouted. "Convince me."
"It's a beautiful day?"
"Try again."
"We have plans."
"We do?"
"Yep." Steven nodded. "We have a lot to do today."
"Like what?"
"Well, you weren't wrong when you said I've kept you hostage for most of your visit."
"I wasn't actually complaining about that."
"Yeah, but you're visiting another country and you're entitled to see more than just the hotel room."
"What exactly do you have up your sleeve Mr. Webber?"
"You'll have to get up and get dressed to know Mrs. Webber. Oh," In a quieter voice, he continued, "Happy Anniversary by the way."
"You remembered." Georgie whispered happily.
"Did you think I would forget my little Juliet?" he teased, remembering her reason for being in Verona exactly one year previous.
"In a few months I won't be so little anymore."
"In a few months, we'll be welcoming our baby."
"If you told me that a year ago I would have laughed at you."
"Are you happy?" he asked, resting his chin on her shoulder.
"Completely. Are you?"
"If you're happy, I'm happy."
"So is spending New Year's Eve halfway around the world from our families going to be our tradition?"
"I think I could get used to it."
"Me too."
He glanced over at the clock. "Oh. Breakfast. Come on."
"Alright. Give me five minutes to get beautiful and I'll meet you downstairs ok?"
"You're already beautiful."
"Then humor your pregnant wife."
"Fine. Fine. I'll leave you to it."
"Good." Georgie sat up to watch him leave before falling back against the pillows, sighing happily. Had it really only been a year since she first saw Steven? And she had only been slightly interested in meeting her cousin's best friend's older brother? Georgie made a mental note as she made her way to the bathroom. She owed Robin and Elizabeth one hell of a souvenir.
*****
Instead of spending breakfast in the lobby of the hotel, Steven decided it was about time he incorporated Georgie into the half of him she never got to see: the part of him that he devoted to work. It would have been impossible for him to make it this far from home if he hadn't picked up a few friends along the way. Even though he had no intention of spending the entire day at work—something Kitty would definitely tease him about—he wanted Georgie to know what he actually did all day.
"And who's this?" Georgie asked.
"This is Kitty Vega." Steven confirmed, jogging up to them. While he had been leading her around the set, she had wandered off to meet Kitty, his first and favorite friend and co-worker. Her hair was the color of amber and her true eye color was hidden beneath soft, colored contacts.
"I'm not blushing am I?" Kitty wondered, holding out her hand for Georgie to shake. "I know. I know. I sound like a character from this damn movie."
"The famous Kitty. At last. And someone whose name is Georgie is in no position to judge."
"Kitty, this is my wife Georgie. She's visiting for the week before she has to return home to finish the semester."
"So this is the famous Georgie? I'm flattered you're finally introducing us." Kitty remembered how many times she had had to go down to the local pub and drag Steven back to his hotel room. The sap, she grinned. He had been in such a foul mood and yet still managed to stay coherent enough to apologize and walk her through the list of ingredients for his hangover remedy.
"I'm sure he's just hoping he doesn't regret it later." Georgie laughed.
"Of course I won't. Where's Tommy? I thought he was meeting us for breakfast."
"Who's Tommy?"
Kitty smacked Steven in the shoulder. "Tommy is my older brother. I don't know why Steven insists on including him."
"He's hysterical." Steven assured Georgie. "You'll like him."
"Well so far I like everyone you've introduced me to."
"He can catch up later." Kitty stressed each word. "Please?"
"Want Georgie all to yourself huh?" Steven taunted with a smile.
"Are you kidding?" Kitty turned to Georgie. "She's like a celebrity. Damn." Kitty ground through her teeth as Tommy hurried toward them.
"Steven!" Tommy pulled him into a bear hug. Bear was about the best way to describe Tommy. He and his sister shared the same amber colored hair, but he was definitely the optimistic one. "When did you get back?"
"Three days ago." Steven admitted sheepishly.
"Is this Georgie?" Tommy figured that, for Steven to stay away from the set that long, this must have been his wife.
"Guilty as charged."
"I see why you didn't introduce us sooner. She's pretty." Tommy bowed dramatically.
"Watch it buster." Steven warned.
"See? This is why we shouldn't have invited him." Kitty pointed out.
"Should we go?" Steven asked Georgie.
"Let's go."
*****
"I still don't know why you wanted to spend New Year's Eve here of all places." Lulu commented as she wiped her hands on her jeans. She wasn't going to lie and say she wasn't thrilled by his decision but it was still confusing. "Wouldn't you make double time if you worked tonight?"
Evan took his time answering, remembering all of the offers he had received to spend the holiday elsewhere. When it came right down to it, he would rather be in the stale room with Lulu than lost in a crowd of strangers. "You mean you want me to work when all the crazies are out?"
"No." Lulu admitted reluctantly as she took the last egg roll from the Styrofoam container. She didn't know how he had managed to sneak in Chinese. His powers of persuasion must have been growing. "But come on. This isn't anyone's ideal way to celebrate."
He couldn't exactly blame her for her thinking. How many people brought in the New Year in a rehab facility? Still, when he considered the alternative… "Is that right? Where would you rather be?" He wasn't sure why he asked the question. It wasn't as if he could whisk her away, at least not without severe consequences; the only reason he had gotten away with everything he had was luck. Not skill. No negotiations. Simple, stupid luck.
"Party at my dad's club."
"You spend New Year's with your family?" Even though her time here had been short, her doctors were astounded by the incredible progress she continued to make everyday. They must not have known her very well, Evan thought to himself, because there wasn't anyone in the world more stubborn than his Leslie. She was tired of having to depend on other people and realized that this was her final option.
Before the truth about Steven's accident came out, he could admit, he hadn't had a lot of confidence in the Spencer family. As far as he was concerned, they had abandoned her when she needed them most. And then everything came to light and they stepped in to protect her the best way they knew how. He might never trust anyone else to take care of her the way he could, but it was as clear as the nose on her face that her family needed her as much as she needed them.
"Sometimes. If I don't have a better offer." Lulu clarified, glancing over at the New Year's Eve hat Evan had brought her. Red, silver, and blue streamers sprung from the open top and the sparkling silver letters spelled out Happy New Year. She traced the letters, pretending nothing had changed and they were back in his apartment. Everything had seemed so much simpler there.
"A better offer?" Evan repeated, tapping her chin with his index finger.
"Yeah." Lulu nodded. "You know, like making out until you have to leave."
He grinned in spite of himself and plopped the hat on top of her head. "Who says I'm leaving?"
"You have to." Lulu reminded him. "Center rules."
"I bet I could sweet-talk the staff into letting me stay longer." Evan countered, cupping the back of her neck with his palm and pulling her into a deep kiss. She swayed when he broke the sweet contact.
"You are pretty persuasive." Lulu agreed, tracing his bottom lip. "They might let you stay longer, but they're not going to let you stay all night."
"I want the night with you." He slid his hand across her throat.
"What you want is privacy, and that's the last thing you're going to find here." Lulu whispered, pressing her lips against his mouth soundly. "Why did you wait so long to come and see me?"
"I told you at the wedding." He muttered between kisses, folding his hands over hers.
"Don't you know how much I need you?" she asked, tilting her head and ignoring the sound the hat made when it rolled onto the carpet.
"Always in such a hurry." He admonished, pulling away from her.
"They could walk in at any time. I don't want our time cut short." Lulu explained impatiently.
"Then I better give you your present now." Evan declared, reaching into his pocket.
"Present?" Grinning, Lulu pushed his hand out of the way and snaked hers into the back pocket of his jeans. "I always did like a good game of Hide and Seek." She couldn't feel anything out of the ordinary, but it didn't stop her from taking her time making a complete search. She moved her hands to the front pocket and felt something slip between her fingers. Reaching in a little further, she worked the object between her fingers and started to pull it out. "Ha! I found it..." The triumph in her voice faded as soon as she saw what she was holding.
"You found it." He confirmed.
"That's...that's a diamond ring."
"Want to try it on?" He tried to laugh, but the sound was hollow.
"Evan... What's going on?"
"I brought you a present." He repeated.
"I see that. But this is not the present I was expecting."
"Don't you like it?"
"It's beautiful."
"It doesn't hold a candle to you. It belonged to my great-grandmother. She gave it to my father. He gave it my mother. I'm giving it you to."
"Evan..."
He pressed his thumb to her lips. "Shh, I'm trying to tell you a story. My great grandmother raised my father. His mother and father had been killed in a car accident on his second birthday and so she adopted him. She told him that he was all she had left of her daughter, my grandmother, and she would take care of him. When she first met my mother, she instantly disliked her. After all, my father was studying for the bar exam and my mother was just a distraction. 'That waitress.'" He laughed.
"She asked my mother to leave and come back once my father aced the exam. Then they can have a life...once he's established. So she did. She listened to my great-grandmother and left town. My father went crazy trying to find her. Had anyone seen her? If so, with who? No one just vanishes. So the day of the big exam comes up and my father can't concentrate. He might have met the woman he was meant to spend the rest of his life and he can't just stop looking for her. She's important. She's wandering around with half his heart, damn it." He laughed again, remembering the way his father had told the story.
"He obviously found her." Lulu whispered.
"He never showed up for the exam. For all my great-grandmother knew, he had fallen down a hole. She calls in every favor trying to find him. She hires private investigators. As she's nearing the end of her life, my father goes to see her. He apologizes for leaving her and says he brought back a present. That's about the time my mother walks in wearing a wedding ring. You can guess how that went over."
"I'm thinking not very well."
"She looks down at the ring and scoffs, saying it's too small. How can he claim to love her if he can only give her something so undeserving? While my father's scrambling to come up with an answer and my mother's repeating over and over that it's what she wanted, my great-grandmother asks my mother to get the jewelry box from her vanity. She shows them this ring and then asks if my mother would like to wear it."
"So she really liked your mother after all then?"
"No." Evan shook his head. "She had been so angry at my parents for skipping out on their responsibilities. Her son, the lawyer, actually became the cop and my mother, the waitress, worked as a nurse. Between them, they made almost no money. Still, they had managed to make it work for years without asking her for anything and, most importantly, without touching my father's inheritance. Once my great-grandmother realized that their marriage was based on love, on trust, and not money as she originally thought, she had no more objections. That's when they introduced her to Ethan."
"Why are you telling me all this?"
"Everyone has their own story. My parents had theirs and we have ours."
"Then why do you want to change it?"
"I don't." Evan countered with a quick shake of his head. "We've gone about this whole thing completely backwards."
"A little."
"For one thing, you spent so much time in denial when it came to your obvious feelings."
"And what exactly are my obvious feelings?"
"You're in love with me. And, really, who can blame you? I'm pretty irresistible."
"And egotistical."
"And right. Right?"
"I may possibly love you."
"Only possibly?"
"I'm smart enough to not feed your ego."
"Well if you only possibly love me..." He pretended to try and get the ring from her, but she skidded backwards. He watched her twirl the ring around her thumb and index finger.
"Is there a second thing you wanted to tell me? Or are we going to get caught up in feeding your ego?"
"You already know I love you."
"I had a pretty strong suspicion."
"I did actually tell you once. I can't believe you don't remember. I guess you were sleeping at the time."
"I guess so." Lulu said softly.
"So...If I asked you to wear this ring, would you?"
Lulu had always prided herself on her ability to have the last word. It was a carefully honed survival mechanism growing up the only girl in a sea of boys. But with one question, Evan Cassidy had managed to do what no one in her life had ever done. Stun her into silence. "I…I...Are you serious?" she managed to stammer.
"Of course I'm serious."
"But...but....I'm in rehab."
"Well obviously we wait until you're out of here."
"This, this is crazy. We've barely dated. You don't even know who I am sober."
"I will."
"Evan. God...I don't know what to say here."
"You're overthinking this."
"Good because I don't think you are thinking at all."
"Tell me why it won't work then." Evan prompted.
"We fight all the time."
"We make up every time."
"Which brings me to my next point; the only time we don't fight is when we are in the bedroom."
"So we take a long engagement. I'm not asking you to elope with me. Obviously there's a lot we need to learn about each other. I'd like to take you on a real date for one."
"So you want to get engaged and then go out on a first date?" Lulu shook her head. "Are you sure you don't need to check in here?"
"Tempting. We could be neighbors. Would you let me borrow some sugar?" Despite her bafflement, he noticed her battle a smile at the double entendre.
"Why? Why do you want to do this?"
"I've never been engaged before."
"Not a good enough reason."
"Why don't you want to marry me then?"
"I never said that. I'm surprised. This isn't the present I imagined."
"So you do want to marry me?"
"I never said that either." Lulu sighed. "I don't know what to do here."
"What do you want? And don't give me a hundred reasons why not. Just tell me what you want."
Lulu closed her eyes and took a deep breath. What did she want? She wanted to finish this program and find some way for Steven Webber to not hate her. She wanted to make up for every rotten thing she had done to her parents and her family. She wanted to spend all the time in the world with her niece and nephews. She wanted so many things her mind couldn't keep track of it all.
For so long she was used to wanting just one thing—to feel alive. Now all her wants and wishes threatened to over-run her. She needed to focus more clearly. What did she want from Evan? She wanted him; Lulu wasn't going to ever deny that. She wanted him to make her laugh. Tease her. Protect her, even though she would never admit to liking it. She wanted him to kiss her and never stop. She wanted...she wanted...
She opened her eyes and looked into his. "You. I want you."
"You have me."