Together In Paris

Rules Of Engagement

Elizabeth squealed with delight and jumped up and down at the news. Neal grinned to see her so happy. She grabbed him by the shoulders and yanked him into a hug.

"Oh my little baby's all grown up and getting married!" she cried happily.

"Thanks mom," Neal laughed.

"I'm proud of you son," Peter said, smiling.

He clapped his son around the shoulders, and made him smile. "Thanks dad."

"Don't you think you're a little young to be tied down?" Mozzie asked.

Elizabeth hit him with a dishcloth. Mozzie was sitting with a glass of wine swishing in his hand, watching the boy he had helped raise show off the engagement ring he had brought for his girlfriend.

"I'm just saying, I've never even met this girl. I haven't been able to vet her. She might not be good enough for you," Mozzie said.

"She's fine Uncle Moz. More than fine. She's amazing. And I'm twenty two years old. I'm plenty old enough to be tied down!" Neal insisted.

Mozzie hummed dubiously. He took a long sip from his wine, while maintaining eye contact with Neal as he did. Neal felt himself grow hot under mozzie's judgement. It was almost as bad as his mother's.

"Well I think it's a lovely idea. Have you planned where you going to ask?" June asked.

"Ooh that's lovely," Elizabeth cooed.

"That will be beautiful," June said.

"Sounds wonderful," Peter smiled.

"Cliché!" Mozzie spat.

"Come on mozzie! Don't you have a quote or something about marriage?" June asked, pointedly.

Mozzie noticed the hopefulness in Neal's eyes. He mistook it for hope that mozzie would approve, instead of what it was. Hope that mozzie wouldn't figure out what he was up to.

"A successful relationship requires falling in love many times always with the same person. Mignon McLaughlin," Mozzie said, grumpily.

Peter pulled Elizabeth a little closer to him. She looked into his eyes, and fell in love all over again. Neal smiled at the sight.

"If I end up anything like you two, I will be the luckiest man in the world," Neal said to them.

Elizabeth's eyes filled with tears again. She grabbed him, and forced him into a hug. Peter joined in. mozzie scoffed, bitterly. June gently slapped his arm with her fingertips to scold him. Mozzie huffed.

"Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies," he said.

The others looked over at him, awaiting the source. His back was turned to them, and he was downing what little wine was left in his glass. As he gasped in admiration of the wine, and smacked his lips. Then he resettled in his seat, leaving them waiting.

Finally, he said, "Aristotle."

-

Theo sat in his bedroom, holding onto his mobile, expecting a phone call at any moment. Diana was downstairs preparing dinner. She had a date for the first time in seventeen months, and Theo was forcing her to go. But she didn't want to leave him with nothing to eat, so she was preparing a meal for him to have when he got hungry.

"Take it out of the oven in twenty minutes Theo, and eat it all!" Diana called upstairs.

"And then do the washing up and clean down the sides, you're a boy not a pig, I know mom! I know!" Theo called back.

Diana walked in through Theo's bedroom door, and perched on the edge of his bed. He had spent hours helping her decide which accessories went with the outfit she had picked out. Theo always helped his mom decide what to wear. She called him her special fashion advisor. He just liked spending that extra time with her.

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay?" Diana asked.

"I'm a grown man mom, I can take care of myself!" he laughed.

"You say that, but you haven't got a house yet! Or a girlfriend! You only leave the house for work, or the bar," Diana argued.

"If you continue this lecture, you'll miss your date. Then you won't have a girlfriend either," Theo said, pointedly.

"Then we'll have to sit on the sofa with a pint of ice cream each and watch Brooklyn-99 on Netflix. We can't have that," Diana smiled.

Theo grinned back. They both knew fully well that they ate more ice cream than anything else in the house. Especially when watching Brooklyn-99.

"Shall I wait up, or do you plan on staying out all night," Theo teased.

"Don't be cheeky. But don't wait up," Diana warned.

She forced him to sit up so that she could pull him into a hug.

"Have a good night mom," he said.

"Make sure you eat. I love you," she said.

She pulled him back to arm's length and kissed his forehead.

"Love you too," he smiled.

Diana's phone buzzed. The Uber driver was outside waiting.

"Be careful out there. Don't let them drive anyway you don't know, even if they say it will save time. It's better to be an hour late in this world-" Theo began.

"Than a minute early in the next, I know. Who's the parent here?" Diana teased.

Theo's shoulder's sagged. He smiled. "I love you mom."

She kissed his head again. "I'll be back by morning. Promise."

Then she vanished down the stairs. Theo heaved himself up off of the bed, and headed to the window. He watched Diana hurry down the steps, and climb into the back of the Uber taxi. He made a note of the time and direction that they pulled away. Mozzie had filled his childhood with warnings about avoiding cons and scams, but also stories of Peter, Elizabeth and Caffery being kidnapped. Theo worried about his mother being next.

Theo was yanked from his thoughts by the buzzing of his phone. a WhatsApp message from Neal.

Ready for Part 2

Theo replied with a thumbs up emoji, and pulled up a number he hadn't dialled since he got it. he phoned on WhatsApp. It wasn't a burner phone like mozzie wanted them to use, but it was a damn sight cheaper.

"Hello, Sara Ellis from Sterling Bosch, how did you get this number?"

"Hello Miss Ellis, my name is Theo Berrigan and I have a proposition for you."