"Tea tomorrow sometime?" Constance asks as they walk out of the constabulary, she had stopped by with some form of a business.

"Just tell me where to show up?" Jimmy tells her with a grin.

"Oh well then actually the Royal York is supposed to be doing an afternoon tea and you owe me an afternoon out," Constance grins.

Jimmy raises his eyebrows but nods his head, she is never quite so outspoken about it, especially while at the constabulary. He kisses her briefly, ignoring the whistle coming from his partner's desk,

"We are going to get an invite to the wedding one day are we not?" Someone asks him.

"Sure, one day when we go to the court house you'll all be invited," Jimmy rolls his eyes sitting down.

"Your mum will allow that? I would think she would be the one demanding a wedding to plan."

"Mom will just be happy we are making it legal," Jimmy says under his breath looking over his paperwork. "Tea though, that probably takes a reservation?"

"At the Royal York probably and not just for the tea?" Someone says to him and Jimmy sighs and picks up the phone some snicker before he puts it down as it rings on another phone and looks at the clock.

"I have an appointment I have to run to, I'll be back within an hour," he tells his desk mate before leaving.

He walks down the street, paperwork in his hands as he heads down to the lawyers. A few hundred signatures later he sighed.

He did it, the first step in this was finished and the plan was in motion. His trust fund from some old lady he managed to charm according to Rilla, when he was four was paying off. Much as Ken wanted it to, refusing to use the money for school would be a good nest egg for him when he wanted to get married. It would be perfect, he just had to wait out a few weeks and have someone give it a good scrub down before he would show it to Constance. Though now he had to get back to work, at least it wasn't the night shift and just the evening.

"Constable Ford" Jimmy heard his name being called from his desk.

"Yes, Sir?" He stood up and waited for instructions.

"We got a complaint about a group of high school boys messing about in an old warehouse," he said passing an address on a piece of paper. "Bring Davies along with you."

"Right on it," Jimmy said with a nod of his head as he grabbed his hat and his overcoat from the back of his chair. Grabbing his keys and pocketing them, come on Basil!" He said whistling to the dark-coloured lab who trotted up to him from his bed on the floor.

"Constable Davies we have a call, some kids in an old warehouse apparently?" he said to his co-worker who was coming out of the men's washroom.

"Sounds good, I'll grab my things," he said nodding his head and went to grab his hat and jacket.

"Kids these days," Davies said shaking his head. "What do they see in old warehouses?"

"A place to drink and smoke without their parents finding out?" Jimmy retorted.

"Isn't your brother getting to that age?" Davies asked quietly.

"Oliver is sixteen, he's a good kid," Jimmy nodded his head. "Helps that mother doesn't allow alcohol in the house. Ken smokes from time to time and goes out for a beer once in a while with some friends but I rarely ever seen him drunk?"

"You were raised partly on the Island?" Davies said remembering what his partner had told him. "Prohibition is still there, makes sense your parents are a bit straight-laced."

"We moved here when I was turning twelve, a few months before my one sister was born," Jimmy said as they got into the car. Basil jumped in and sat in his spot in the back seat. Jimmy turned on the engine and backed out of the parking space.

"I still don't understand how an Upper Canada boy ends up in the police academy," Davies said out loud.

"I wanted to do good?" Jimmy explained at a short pause as he drove, signalling and turning the corner as he made his way to the old warehouse. "I didn't particularly enjoy Upper Canada but I had some good friends. I was a good student and I could have gone to college but with the economy as it was, Police Academy was cheaper and I could graduate with a job. I could and can save money to buy a house of my own. While at the same time, I could help my parents out."

Fair enough," Davies said. "I think this is the place?" He asked looking around the abandoned old building.

"I think so," Jimmy said with a nod as he killed the engine as they went to go check out the complaint. Jimmy said getting out of the car and leashing Basil who hopped out after his master. They pulled open the old creaky door and turned on their flashlights. "Toronto Police, whoever is in here I suggest you show yourself.

"It's the coppers!" One shouted as they looked over the railing as they heard the door open and the flashlight swish around. It was a rush of commotion, as the two men went into action. He caught one of the kids trying to escape.

"I have two of them!" Davies called out.

"I have another!" Jimmy called back to his partner before he looked over his delinquent. His blood boiled when he saw the dark curly hair.

"What are you doing here?" Jimmy said as he dragged his younger brother out of the warehouse. "You were trespassing!"

"We were just having a poetry session," Oliver stubbornly crossed his arms huffing.

"Really? Just poetry? I won't find any hidden liquor bottles or cigarettes lying around. No girls' stockings that randomly went missing. "

Oliver snorted, "What girls? Like a girl would come here with us. We're all a bunch of quiet morbid poets?"

Jimmy groaned "Lord if I have to bring you home and have your father talk to you. I'm just goddamn glad I don't have to take you to the station. A trespassing warning is a one-time thing, I won't be able to save you or your friends next time if you do this. I get it Upper Canada is hell at times. You all want to just let loose and forget about school, but hiding out in old buildings doing whatever you are doing is not going to help you."

"Oh come off it, you sound like Dad," Oliver spat out.

"Be glad I'm not your father, though I wouldn't worry so much about your father. You want a tongue lashing just think about what your mother will say?" Jimmy told him. "But here is the real wake-up call Oliver Gilbert, outside of our house, I am a police officer. I am above your parents," he said reminding him. "You don't get to speak back to me as you do at home. I'm not sure what had your drawers in a twist lately, or why you let others bother you at school, but if it's part of this then I do suggest smartening up. Maybe I should bring haul your behind back to the station and make you call mom and to come to get you?"

"You wouldn't" Oliver cried out.

"I'm thinking about it right now. Do Mum and Dad know where you are, did you sneak out? I should haul you all home one at a time. I think I will just prove my point," he said.

"Please," Oliver exclaimed. "We weren't doing anything bad, we were just reciting from Poe and we wanted the atmosphere!"

Jimmy sighed. "Get out of my sight before I change my mind if I ever catch you again—," he said warning the younger boy. "I will do everything I just promised. Now I will follow you back to your friend's house, and if you make a fuss I'll drag you by the ear to your parents."

Oliver huffed and crossed his arms. "Fine."

When Jimmy made it home after a long shift, he found Oliver's door closed, but the light was on, meaning he was reading or something. He sighs shaking his head, heading towards the bathroom, before his attic room.

It was early when he was up, dressed and shaved for the morning, and at the breakfast table, he found a grumpy curly-haired teenager who openly glared at him as he sat down.

The girls were missing, something about something at an aunt's place, or Rowena slept over at a friend's? While Rilla had gone to work by way of an early morning telephone call he heard the phone ringing as he did.

"Okay, what is with the two of you lately?" Ken said folding his paper and looking at his two sons who were silent toward each other to the point one refused to pass the salt, or plate of bacon that Ken had made for them on the table.

"Nothing," Oliver said shoving some toast in his mouth. He glared at his older brother, in the process who was still tired from a long night.

"I highly doubt that," Ken said looking between the two. "You've been in a stink over something for a while now Oliver. Whatever it is, it needs to stop and stop now."

Oliver pushed back his chair and stood up before he carried his plate to the sink ignoring his father, getting a glass of water.

"Am I allowed to go down to the library and get some books?" He looks to his father.

"Of course," Ken says simply. "Why wouldn't you be?" He says raising an eyebrow.

"I don't know?" Olivers says after a moment. "Other plans?"

"None that I know of?" Ken says shrugging. "Just keep warm?"

Oliver nods his head and within twenty minutes he is out the door to the point his father is even shocked.

Ken looked over at Jimmy who shrugged. "I'm sure whatever bugging him will come out eventually," Jimmy told him.

"Of course," Ken nodded with a smile.

"Thank you," Jimmy said with a nod of his head. "I'm not exactly sure, but I sometimes wonder if me being a cop is what makes him act as he does," Jimmy mused for a moment.

Ken's brow furrowed, looking towards the door. "He never had an issue before though? I know your mother was worried and still does worry. Also, I haven't said it in a while, we're all proud of you."

"Thank you," Jimmy says nodding his head and eating another piece of cold bacon.

"Actually! The lawyers, how did it go?" Ken asked remembering.

"It's done and signed for," Jimmy says grinning: "She's going to be so surprised."

"You sure about that," Ken chuckles. "You bought the right house?"

"I couldn't muck this up if I wanted to Dad, it was the only one for sale on the street when she saw it. It's perfect. Three bedrooms, and two bathrooms, close by the office for her once she transfers to it. Her mother isn't far, and you and mom aren't far either."

"Is that an actual selling point?" Ken says teasing him. "Rilla was more than happy to not be near your aunts or uncles and her parents?"

"Either way with what you and mom kept saved for me and my wages saved, the mortgage is far less than what I thought it might be," Jimmy says. "I can manage it by myself along with expenses. I know Connie wants to work but at some point…"

"You have golden-haired monsters for your mother to spoil, or go into conniptions about being a grandmother at her age," Ken grins.

"Eventually, we're in no rush," Jimmy's ears go red.

"Yes, well, sometimes they happen when you don't plan it," Ken reminds him. "Nothing is foolproof."

"Yes, yes I know. I don't need another talk,..though you and mom could have used one after the summer." He says a tad insensitively. "Shit I didn't mean it like that."

"You're not wrong though," Ken says after a moment. "But never repeat that to your mother or she will not be as forgiving, now Will I allow it."

Jimmy just nods his head solemnly.

"I am proud of you though for the house," Ken changes the subject. "I am sure she will have great fun decorating and draining your account by doing so."

"It can't be that bad," Jimmy says shrugging. "Don't you essentially give Mom all the money and she does what needs to be done with it?"

"Pretty much," Ken says with a crooked grin. "And passed on her love of clothing and pretty things to your sisters…it only gotten worse."

"Isn't that your fault then?" Jimmy chuckles amused by his adoptive father.

"The first rule of marriage you'll soon learn Jimmy, is it's always your fault and it's never your money, it's our money and her money." Ken clasps his shoulder, pulls out his cigarettes and walks towards the back door, despite it being a cold late January day.

"If you see Oliver when he gets home, tell him I left a draft on his bedside table, I should be done my reading of it before he gets back?" Ken tells him. "His story, it's interesting, but I feel like it has done nothing to clarify what is going on in his head."

"Well, sixteen isn't exactly a fun age to be," Jimmy says. "Is it that that odd of a topic for him to write about?"

"He just wrote some things that surprised me, he let me read it, of course, but I'm still unsure of how to approach the subject he's writing about."

"Well, I remember our awkward talk about things and given he's far more…well sensitive than I was," Jimmy says after a moment. "Maybe just let him come to you about it? I mean if he's not running around with the wrong crowd or getting girls in trouble what's there to worry about?"

"Nothing like that, I'm sure it's nothing and he'll tell me that when the time comes," Ken said humming, not wanting to break any more confidence that his son had put into his hands. "Do you have plans today?"

"Picking up Constance and spending the afternoon together?" Jimmy says simply. "Tea and sandwiches, walk in the park?

"Sounds enjoyable," Ken says nodding his head. "So don't expect you for dinner?"

Jimmy mainly shrugs impishly, and Ken chuckles.


"So, I'll check in while you use the lady's room, and I'll walk by to use the men's room and tell you the room number," Jimmy says as he helps her up the stairs to the hotel.

"Whatever in the world are you talking about?" Constance looks at him. "We're here for Tea Jimmy."

"Yeah, Tea is usually or code word for afternoon fun," Jimmy says suddenly confused.

"No, it is not, afternoon tea means I want fancy tea," Connie looks at him. "Really Jimmy not everything in is a code word or euphemism for sex."

"It has been before?" Jimmy's brow furrows. "You just wanted tea?"

"I'm starving, and want scones and tea, so yes James Kitchener, I want actual tea," Constance says slowly.

"Well, I suppose it's a good thing I didn't pay for the room yet then?" Jimmy says laughing awkwardly.

"Oh you are keeping the room," Constance shakes her head. "But first you are feeding me tea and scones and then I'll think about letting you have your fun," Constance whispers in his ear, as she watches a man in uniform…not a police uniform a CAF one pass them by and it still sent chills down her back.

Jimmy shakes his head but leads her towards the dining room, hoping and praying he doesn't need more reservations but manages to get them a table.

"I have something else for you actually," Jimmy says when she has a mouthful of cream and scone, holding out a box to her.

Connie manages to swallow the lump of scone, looks up at him and takes the velvet box from him. "I told you I don't need it."

"And I told you that was nonsense," Jimmy grins. "We're getting married this year, at some point whenever we manage to get the same Friday off to manage city hall, you need a ring."

"Well, twist my arm then," Connie says shaking her head and opening the box. It was simple, gold with an emerald and pearls around it.

"Pearls are a family thing," he explains. "They seem to have brought many people in my adoptive family many happy years."

"It's beautiful, truly," Connie looks at him with glistening eyes.

"I just hope I am right by not making a spectacle of a moment?" Jimmy asks cautiously. "You didn't tell me for years you weren't one for grand gestures and didn't want that sort of thing and make me believe it, only to actually want it?"

"If I wanted it you would know, this is perfect," Connie says shaking her head. "Grand gestures can come later when you're thoroughly making me call your name," she says whispering wickedly.

Jimmy grins as she eats another piece of a scone.

It's their usual song and dance, to make it up to the room, it's nicer than their usual and the bed is soft and big.

Jackets are tossed to the side on a chair, shoes kicked off, zippers are pulled down and dresses wiggled out of. How far they had come since the first clumsy awkward encounters.

He peels off her clothing knowing the claps and elastics like the back of his hand these days, until he sees creamy skin covered in tan freckles and a mole that sat on her hips. He loved that mole because he knew it was there and no one else.

"One day...we'll get to do this in our own bed," he says huskily, kissing places of her body that make her squirm and whine. "Be as loud as we want?" he adds to his thought. "Really do it wherever we might wish to do so."

"You have quite the plan don't you," Connie says with an amused laugh.

"Well it's not like I plan on living at home forever and if we're getting married it means finding a house for us," Jimmy says nipping lightly on her earlobe. "Make love on the kitchen counter, in the living room."

"You can just make love to me now, actually you can always leave that for later and just fuck me now" Connie remarks, hand snaking down between them.