"The One" – Part 27

Summary and additional notes in part 1.

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews! We're returning to Coyne Penthouse for this one!

References made to the previous story, "Bury The Castle"!

This is not related to my Degrassi timeline fics. (See my Author's profile for details!)

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Degrassi!

-oOo-

Adam fidgeted as he looked out the window. They were in a cab heading to Fiona's parents. They ran into mild traffic when they reached midtown, but they were still doing well with time.

Fiona reached out and touched his shoulder. She had been checking work emails on her smart phone for the past ten minutes, but it hadn't escaped her notice that Adam looked tense.

"Hey, you ok?" she asked him.

He turned to her with a small smile. "Of course! Just wondering how far this traffic goes."

She studied him. "You're not nervous about dinner?"

Adam shook his head. "No." After a beat he added, "To be honest, I'm surprised they're alright with me coming. You know, because it's a family thing and we got together so suddenly."

Fiona grinned at him. She could tell he was a little nervous but didn't want to admit it. "Well, you know my dad. He's Mr. Go With The Flow," she laughed. Adam smiled and nodded. "My mom had reservations though."

Adam furrowed his brows. "Wait, your mom didn't want me come?"

"She thought it was too soon," Fiona revealed.

He frowned. That was just great! How come she didn't tell him about this sooner? Now he felt like an interloper. "If your mom doesn't want me there then why am I going?"

She looked into his eyes. "Because I want you there," she affirmed.

He sighed and sat back in his seat. "This is going to be awkward," he lamented. Maybe it wasn't too late to back out. He already knew how Holly J felt about him, and Declan was a wild card.

Fiona grabbed his hand. "They'll just have to adjust," she said gently. "You're not just part of my life. You're everything."

Adam visibly brightened upon hearing her words. He reached up and caressed her cheek. "Same here." They both leaned in and shared a kiss. Adam held her gaze as they pulled away. "I might need a few more of those to get through the day," he lightly joked.

Fiona grinned broadly. "That can be arranged." She quickly brought her lips back to his.

-oOo-

Fiona and Adam laughed as they approached the elevator. They sneaked one last kiss in the lobby of her building before pressing for it. As they waited, Fiona studied him. His eyes were focused on the display which let them know which floor it was currently on.

"You look like you're going in for a root canal," she noted.

He turned towards her and smiled. "Sorry. I was just thinking about things."

"About what?" she questioned.

"The last time I was here," he told her. She blinked. "It was so long ago. It's strange being here again. In the same place."

"Well, once you own a Penthouse apartment in Manhattan you rarely move," she remarked in jest.

He chuckled. "I know. It's not that…"

She furrowed her brows. "What is it?"

He sighed. "I'm just being weird. The past is in the past!" he declared in an upbeat tone.

Fiona looked at him unconvinced, but he was saved by the chime of the elevator. The doors swooshed open and the elevator operator greeted them.

"Good Afternoon Miss Coyne," he told her as they stepped inside. He nodded politely at Adam.

"Hi O'Rourke," she responded with a smile. "This is Adam."

Adam waved. "Hi."

They turned towards the front as they waited for their stop. Fiona leaned closer to him. "One last kiss?" she suggested playfully with a raised an eyebrow.

Adam snorted. "Fiona, we're almost there and… we're not alone." He whispered the last part.

She softly laughed. "It's your last chance. Once these doors open the biscuit shop will be closed for several hours."

Adam thought about it. When put that way, her idea didn't sound so crazy.

"O'Rourke, can you give us a minute?" she said.

"Sure thing ma'am," the operator chuckled. A kiss wasn't the end of the world. He had seen worst.

Fiona grinned and leaned forward slightly. Adam closed the distance between them and brought his lips to hers. Fiona eagerly responded and he rested his hand on her cheek. After a long moment she pulled away.

"What did I tell you?" she teased as she looked into his eyes.

Adam smiled and leaned in for another kiss. Just as his lips made contact with hers the doors opened. They snapped apart, but they had already been seen. By her dad!

"Fiona?" Mr. Coyne said.

Adam cursed his luck.

"Hey Dad!" she said brightly as she stepped off the elevator.

Mr. Coyne chuckled. "I was just grabbing my Blackberry. Left it in my coat pocket again."

She nodded. It was a regular occurrence.

He glanced at her companion. The one he spotted kissing his daughter a moment ago.

"Adam?" he questioned. He found it hard to believe this was the same kid who dated Fiona in high school.

"Uh, hi Mr. Coyne," he said awkwardly. He left the elevator and stepped into the foyer.

"Have a good day!" O'Rourke called out before leaving. Adam looked back and waved.

Mr. Coyne chuckled again. "Everyone is out on the patio. Take your time. We'll see you in a bit." He told them and exited the room.

Fiona and Adam looked at each other.

"Well, that was awkward," she stated.

Adam gave her a look. "Ya think?"

-oOo-

Mr. Coyne had a small grin as he returned to the table. He sat down next to his wife. Across from them sat their son, Declan, and his wife, Holly J. The three of them appeared to be discussion a recent news story.

"Fiona's here with her boyfriend," he informed them. "They will join us momentarily."

Holly J and Declan shared a look.

"What's he like?" Mrs. Coyne asked curiously. Her husband smiled and paused for a beat. Declan recognized it as his father building suspense.

"Remember to keep your jaws off the floor," Mr. Coyne said in jest.

He laughed. Declan and Holly J joined in, but Mrs. Coyne was too busy trying to decipher his meaning to participate.

"Does he have a lot of piercings or something?" she questioned befuddled. They had all seen pictures of what Adam looked like now, so how else would his appearance take them by surprise?

Her husband shook his head. "He doesn't have any piercings. At least none that I saw."

Declan chuckled. "Well, where are they? The anticipation is rising," he deadpanned.

Just then he heard footsteps approaching. He looked towards the door and spotted his sister holding hands with a guy who could be none other than Adam. He was grateful his dad warned them. Years ago, after first meeting Adam he quipped that the boy seemed like he was 'waiting to go through puberty'. Clearly that wasn't the case anymore.

Adam was tall. So was Fiona but he had couple of inches on her. His build was lean yet muscular. Overall his appearance was more masculine. His jaw was more defined, he had thicker eyebrows, broader shoulders, and even his neck was wider!

Declan found himself shocked when he realized if he and Adam got into a fight, he couldn't automatically assume he'd win! It was surreal because when he thought of Adam, he remembered the thin, boyish looking guy who loved his sister and comic books. The man standing in front of them looked like a completely different person. Only the hair color and the eyes were the same. He wondered how the heck Fiona recognized him!

Holly J was also taken aback. She had seen him in Toronto years ago, but Adam had filled out some since then. She noted that pictures didn't quite do him justice. He was more striking in person, which was surprising because he seemed photogenic. There was presence about him that couldn't be captured on film.

"Hey everyone. You all remember, Adam?" Fiona said cutting through their silent reveries.

Adam waved. "Good afternoon," he greeted them. His voice was much deeper then they all remembered.

Mrs. Coyne exchanged a look with her husband. This was going to be an interesting meal.

.

tbc

A/N: Wow! Who knew the Coynes could be so gossipy? Lol.

Reviews are cool to the school :D

In the next chapter Mrs. Coyne asks some burning questions…