Since taking her sabbatical from teaching, Maris had stopped checking the weather as religiously as she once did. With Rory back in her life, school closing and delays were back on her radar, if only because they meant more time together.

More than a few people had mentioned the possibility of snow to Maris the night before, but she'd mostly written it off as needless panic. Despite definitely being cold enough for it, they hadn't really gotten more than a dusting this year.

But Maris' bedroom was freezing when she woke up, not really seeing the snow outside until she finished going to the bathroom and rushed back into her room to climb back under the covers with Rory where it was warm.

She smiled faintly, cautious excitement filling the pit of her stomach as she grabbed her phone to check for delays.

It turned into a full on grin when the school website declared Rory really did have the day off. Maris placed a hand on her fiancee's shoulder, but slowly took her hand away, opting not to shake her awake.

After bracing herself for the cold that was going to greet her, she hoped out of bed and tossed on her nearest robe and slippers, quietly making her way downstairs to make Rory some breakfast.

Maris wasn't really a breakfast person. Being too full in the morning made her feel tired and she was the sort of person who preferred soup or a sandwich to eggs and bacon, but she had all the ingredients needed (including about a half a pint of blueberries) for pancakes so she quickly got to work.

Maine did have a bit of a personality all its own, and currently that personality seemed to be lingering in the bitter and cold territory. Definitely not a favorite, but there were some perks if it gave her more time to be home with her girlfriend. Nope, fiancee. That still struck her so completely whenever she thought it or caught a look at the ring on her finger. She would suddenly be giddy for a good while.

Mornings were the hardest for Rory, particularly since she and Maris had made the pact that they wouldn't sleep alone anymore. Even on a day she was excited for whatever was to come at work, she hated leaving her love.

When her alarm buzzed (she couldn't stand the noisy ones and she was a light enough sleeper she never slept through it, she let out a whine into the pillow and scooted towards the other side of the bed ... only to find that it was empty. "Maris?" She questioned blindly with her eyes still shut, her hand reaching over to the other side of the bed to indeed find it entirely vacant.

There was a slight (or more than) grumpy pout on her face as she ruffled her fingers through her hair, as she slipped out from the warmth of bed with a shiver. Checking her watch, she pulled on a sweatshirt and shivered a little but what was she gonna do, actually put on pants? Instead of heading straight for the shower, she decided to investigate why she'd been abandoned already.

"Hey you." She said through a yawn, her voice rough with sleep as she made it to the kitchen, leaning in the doorway. "What are you up to? I gotta go soon." She hadn't even glanced outside just yet, but maybe she'd gotten it all wrong and it was in fact, Saturday. A girl could dream.

Maris smiled, automatically reaching for Rory even though one hand was busy flipping a pancake. She managed to pull the other woman against her and blindly press a kiss to the top of her head all the same, smiling at the sight before her once she could take her eyes off the pan.

Rory wasn't the only one who was happy when she wasn't wearing pants. "You're not," she said, using her spatula to gesture toward the snow outside. It hadn't let up either, a steady stream of admittedly tiny snowflakes was still coming down. "They called off school and I have you all to myself and since there's no way I'm heading out in that to grab breakfast..."

She scooped up her now finished pancake and put it on a plate. "I'm going to attempt to be Martha Stewart." She poured out some more batter, then gestured to a plastic bin of blueberries on the counter. "Go on, add as many blueberries as you want. I just remembered I have some turkey sausage in the fridge. You want some?"

Rory actually loved her job. The day in and day out could get a little exhausting, sure, but overall she really did love what she did, and the students she worked with. It had become harder in recent months to love getting up to go to work however, when the alternative of staying at home with her girlfriend-now-fiancee was just too enticing. Staying at home, in bed with her ... what sort of job could she get where that was more than just a twice-a-week affair?

Maine certainly had its perks even in winter, and as soon as she followed Maris' gesture to see the blanket of snow coming down, her mood lifted considerably. A big grin spread across her face like a kid who was getting a snow day, not a teacher. "Oh I'm definitely not." She chuckled, now fully taking in the scene before her and the aroma of pancakes that made her stomach growl.

"You're being very domestic." She smirked as she walked over to her, sliding her hand around Maris' waist and pressing a kiss to her shoulder as she moved by to the fridge. "Sounds delicious. Smells it too." She popped a few berries into her mouth before going off to the fridge to get the sausage for Maris. "Did you start coffee? I'll put on a pot."

"Just reminding you I'm excellent wife material in case you're thinking of changing your mind," Maris teased, her playful grin softening ever so slightly as she caught a glimpse of Rory's ring out of the corner of her eye. Even though she'd had a little bit of time to get used to seeing it on her finger, she couldn't help but feel a sudden wave of emotion every time she did.

"God, yes. I need warming up, it's freezing in here," she said, tying her short black kimono just a little bit tighter. It might have been her prettiest robe with plenty of great memories (not all of them involving giving delivery guys an eyeful) attached, but it was hardly the best choice for a cold winter morning. In her hurry to throw something on and get breakfast going before Rory woke up, Maris had simply grabbed what was closest.

Before long their breakfast was ready. Maris quickly got a fire going in the living room so they could eat in front of it while enjoying the snow outside through her living room's largest windows.

"It looks pretty wimpy," Maris said, spearing a piece of sausage before using her fork to point outside. "If it let's up soon we should go out and do something."

It was a strange suggestion from a woman who often insisted they stay in when there wasn't snow on the ground. Maris still couldn't stand the cold and snow meant this was probably the coldest day in Maine she'd had to endure yet, but it was the first real snow of the season and Rory's first full day off because of it. It was a momentous occasion and one she wasn't about to waste.

Even if they ended up being stuck inside.

"Excuse me, like that's even in the realm of possibility." Rory feigned offense, but her grin was still too big for her face at that point. Not only did she get an unexpected (cozy) day off, but the reminder of their engagement always lifted her spirits considerably. She was getting married to the love of her life. Not a lot of people got a chance like this one. The more she thought about it, the less she was even able to fathom any idea that she would have ever married anyone else. What a miserable person she could have been.

"Don't give me any ideas about warming you up. I need sustenance." She winked, getting their mugs ready as the coffee brewed. It was such a little thing, making breakfast together, knowing exactly how Maris took her coffee and which brand she liked. She'd learned the latter early on in their relationship, and had never switched back to whatever brand she'd used before Maris. Not even in their time apart.

Sitting on the couch, she balanced her plate in her lap and took a bite of the fluffy sweet pancake and a berry along with it. "You're actually willing to brave the snow? I might need to check you for a fever." She smirked, taking another bite as she nudged Maris' knee with her own.

Again, Rory loved her work, but a morning like this is when she craved all of them to be like this. Luxuriating over breakfast, sitting together with their coffee, exchanging the odd syrup-infused kiss. "What do you want to do? Build snowmen?"

"We're gonna need to take Byron out at the very least!" she said a bit defensively. Maris was normally glad to have a cat that behaved more like a dog. Bengals needed walks to get their considerable excess energy out and since he'd been trained to go to the bathroom on those walks before she ever got him, Maris had never had to deal with the hassle (or smell) of a litter box.

It was great in warmer weather when Maris would have been looking for an excuse to go outside anyway. Not so much in the middle of a snow storm, but she didn't really mind. Maris was just as far gone for her pet as she was the woman beside her. There was nothing she wouldn't do for Byron, which is why he was happily gnawing on a brand new catnip mouse his owner had only bought him the day before.

"First of all Anna..." Maris smirked, pausing for a moment so Rory had a moment to (hopefully) appreciate her joke. "We're feminists so we'd be building snowwomen if we were going to build anything and second of all, I dunno. I did promise to take you ice skating at that new rink but I guess that depends on how bad the roads are."

"Oh yes, our very high maintenance boy." Rory grinned, not even realizing the slip of "our" in there when he was indeed very much Maris' cat. Soon enough (well, not soon enough in her mind) they would have a home of their own, and all their cats would roam it (and hopefully love each other), and then they'd really integrate the rest of their separate households into one. God, she loved the idea of it all coming together.

The first time Rory had experienced a New England winter was definitely something to behold. She was a bit of a nutcase, getting so excited about snow falling and certainly enough to trek through. She'd stayed out in it until her nose was ice and a chill ran deep to her core. She still actually had moments like that, but it really did help now that snow meant an extra day with Maris. The idea of playing in it a little bit together was actually really appealing.

"Mm, please, I'm way to gay to be Anna." She huffed, tossing her hair in some haughty moment. "We should build them in feminist power suits and pussy hats." Okay having a little army of feminist snowwomen was kind of a great idea, actually. Though ice skating quickly stole her attention. "Mm, they shouldn't be too bad? I'm sure the plows are already going..." She grinned, reaching over and squeezing Maris' hand. "Let's go, and if we freeze we can just come home and thaw each other out."

Rory's use of the word our didn't go unnoticed, but apart from a faint smile appearing at the corners of Maris' lips as a result, she didn't really acknowledge it. There was no need to make a big deal about it. The last thing she wanted to do was make Rory potentially self conscious over something she really didn't need to feel self conscious about.

It made sense. Byron was theirs, part of the life and family they shared and were still building.

"I just realized something," Maris said as stood in front of her closet, minds made up to go out and brave the cold. "We haven't told the kids we're engaged yet."

It was silly. But Maris did like the idea of telling someone about their engagement since she hadn't had the opportunity to yet. If nothing else, it would be practice for the real thing.

Maris selected her clothes carefully, putting on a pair of fleece line leggings under her black jeans in an effort to fend off the cold, wet unpleasantness that came with going out in the snow. Ice skating would be doubly uncomfortable, especially if she landed on her butt (something she was fully anticipating since she hadn't been to an ice rink since she was a teenager). Her sweater was a dark forest green with black stripes, slightly different than her usual aesthetic but very much in line. She planned on finishing her outfit off with her warmest coat and winter boots as well as the beanie Rory had gotten her for Christmas once she headed downstairs.

Maris started to point out some of her warmer clothing options so that Rory could borrow wisely, but ended up smiling once she realized the other woman was doing just fine on her own.

Rory was just as familiar with her closet as she was everything else in her life. Once upon a time that would have scared her. Maris thrived on being a mystery, keeping lovers at arm's length because a challenge would only keep them wanting more.

Familiarity had once meant boredom, because surely once someone figured out all there was to know, they'd move on to someone else, but Maris had come to realize that familiarity was only the beginning. It could be a foundation to so much more.

Rory knew her in a way no had before and she couldn't quantify just how comforting that was.

She kissed her cheek, tender and chaste in a way that was slightly uncharacteristic and probably seemed apropos of nothing, then took her hand to lead her downstairs.

"Come on, you're driving."

This too, was proof of just how much Maris (a woman who was set in her ways and had nothing if not a strong sense of self) was starting to grow.

She liked control. Maris was stubborn and proud, hard pressed to admit when she wasn't good at something, but she knew she wasn't the world's best driver even in ideal conditions. Snow could be a disaster and Rory was nothing if not precious cargo.

The amount of things that would be come theirs in the coming months and then years honestly made Rory giddy any time she thought about it. Starting with the house they'd end up finding. She knew it would be a perfect marriage of the both of their tastes, even before their actual marriage. So long as they had a place for all of their books.

"Oh you know what, you're right!" She grinned, moving over to where she kept some of her clothes, pulling on leggings herself before her dark jeans, and a waffle shirt beneath one of Maris' shirts. She borrowed a clean pair of her socks and then grabbed a scarf as well. She'd grab her gloves on the way out, but her boots were the last things to pull on in the bedroom.

After she'd grabbed the last of her cold gear (a red beanie of her own on her head now), she paused in the doorway to steal a quick kiss from Maris before they were off, braving the frigid cold. It wasn't snowing so heavily now, but the ground was still well covered in it.

Swiping her keys, she held tight to Maris' hand with her free one as they made their way out to her car. Rory had plenty of practice in winter driving, and the quick work of the city made for safer road conditions than a city that didn't deal with snow. "Buckle up, you." She said once they were in the car and she got it started, cranking the heat before heading out into town. "Helps that the roads are pretty vacant ... unless we just totally missed the rapture."

Even with snow, they made it downtown fairly quickly thanks to the nearly empty roads. Even parking was a breeze, though Maris didn't make her way across it with her usual brisk confidence. Despite being in relatively good shape for his age, her father often scolded her for walking too quickly, but Maris was a no nonsense sort who didn't do anything without a strong sense of purpose.

But the lot didn't seem well salted, further proof that the snow storm seemed to have taken everyone by surprise. Maris held tightly onto Rory as they shuffled to the entrance, wanting to make sure they both had something to hold onto in case they slipped.

There was a small cafe that promised cider, tea and cocoa a few feet away from the rink. A friend had posted a picture of some sort of unicorn hot chocolate (which basically looked like a regular cup of hot chocolate after four year old had went to town with Lucky Charms marshmallows and rainbow sprinkles) from there a few days before. Maris had a feeling their wares were probably made more for looks rather than taste, but knew she and Rory would end up there before the day was over all the same. It was simply too cold to not order something hot.

Once they rented their skates, Maris was pleased to see the ice was fairly empty too. She hadn't gone ice skating in years, after all and was grateful there wouldn't be a crowd of people to avoid crashing into while she found her bearings and if it really did take her a while to get the hang of things again, all the better that there wouldn't be (m)any witnesses.

But even though she was a little worried about her skating ability, she couldn't resist teasing Rory about hers as she started lacing up.

"Do you need one of those?" she teased, nodding toward a kid going around on one of the walker like contraptions that helped beginners keep their balance on the ice.

Boots had definitely been a good idea, but even as such, everything was too fresh for Rory to really trust that she could bound across the snow and not end up on her ass. So she'd quickly made her way to Maris, clinging just as much to her as her fiancee clung right back.

By the time they made it to the rubber-lined walkway to the entrance, Rory was nearly in a fit of giggles that here they were, doing this insane thing in the freezing cold. She almost wished they had slipped back there, just for the story of it.

"Oh it's deceptively warm in here." She scowled playfully, glancing around at their surroundings as she shook off the cold. Though in no real danger of slipping anymore, Rory still held fast to Maris' hand. The rink was cute, definitely charming in a way that she assumed some big rink in some suburbia that smelled of sweaty kids and rental skates wouldn't.

Growing up in California hadn't exactly given Rory some idyllic ice-rink upbringing. She was more into climbing trees and playing a few sports here and there, with more summery and indoor sports being the go-to in the Bay Area. Summers were for riding bikes, winters were for dealing with the onslaught of rain and fog. The bitterly cold mornings her mother would drive her to school where they could barely see five feet in front of the car the fog was so thick. But she had gone a few times, little holiday rinks put up here and there. But now ... well. Now she had to attempt to make it through this without breaking any bones.

"Oh shut up." She laughed, rolling her eyes at Maris as she stood up on the skates. "You know, I used to roller blade as a kid. I thought it was the coolest thing ... this is very different." She wrinkled her nose, taking a few steps towards the ice but clinging to the side of the rink once she got there. "If I bruise my tailbone ... well no there's no end to that sentence, just carry me home please." She smirked, reaching her hand out for Maris to join her.

"Of course, darling," Maris said as if it was a given. Though she obviously didn't want Rory to get hurt, there was a definite appeal in sweeping her fiancee off her feet if she happened to get knocked onto her butt, proof of a slight chivalrous streak that Maris didn't always get a chance to indulge in.

She was equally unsteady as she rose from the bench, wobbling a little as she tried to find her balance. She subtly pressed a palm against the side of the rink to try and steady herself, letting out a snort of annoyance as a teenage boy, also making the most of his snow day, whizzed past fast enough to spray little flakes of ice at their ankles in his wake.

"Well, that's just showing off," Maris grumbled once she felt steady enough to reach for Rory's hand. "Not one of your students is he? Because I'm leaning toward automatic F."

"New England kids are goddamn jerks." Rory muttered in reply, her scowl cast towards the same kid that she mercifully did not recognize. "No, sadly. Lucky for him, cause me too. But lucky for us cause I don't think I'd ever live it down." She laughed, but Rory was realizing she really was just delaying the inevitable.

Clutching Maris' hand in her own, she raised her eyebrows and figured now or never. She made a gentle push off from the wall, steadying herself with her other hand stretched outright before she felt okay enough to move. She still clung tightly to Maris' hand as they started to get their bearings, only cutting in to grab the wall when she really felt like she was going to fall.

"I really hope you're still going to want to marry me after I make a total ass out of myself here." She said with a laugh, wrinkling her now-pink nose as she let go of Maris' hand enough to propel herself a few unsteady steps forward.

Maris was anything but graceful as she pushed herself away from the wall. Images of Bambi stumbling across the ice came to mind, but once the boy passed, she and Rory had nearly half the rink to themselves.

She kept a slow pace, not wanting them to end up on their asses any more than her fiancee did, pressing a soft kiss to Rory's temple once they seemed to have found their footing. "Of course I'm still going to marry you. An Ice Capades themed wedding isn't exactly high on my list of priorities," she joked.

When a little girl glided by with ease, Maris couldn't help but feel a little self concious that they were going at an almost snail like pace, but she wasn't in much of a hurry and not just for safety's sake. She'd slowly come to the realization that this was their first snow day since getting back together and she wasn't about to waste it.

Rory's marriage comment reminded her of something else too, an idea Maris had the night before that she wanted to discuss, but decided to wait until they had cocoa in hand.

"Did I ever tell you I went through a very severe roller blading phase?" Rory asked as she found her footing a little more, growing only slightly bolder with the strokes of her feet on the ice. It was good to go at a slow pace, particularly that it gave them opportunity to stay close. Case in point, she smiled when Maris kissed her temple, relieved this wasn't some make or break situation on the ice. Not that she thought it was.

"I went everywhere," She continued her story, raising a brow at Maris with a smirk. "To school, home from school. We had this little path by this creek ... mind you, the creek was pretty muddy and there was probably more trash than life in it, but ... I'm really painting a picture, huh?" Rory wrinkled her nose. Growing up in the suburban outskirts of Sacramento had been fairly idyllic, which at least gave her plenty to do while her mother worked her ass off to support her family. "But sometimes I'd go skate by the actual river, that was best."

Rory clung to Maris as they skated around in circles, her nose getting redder by the seconds and her cheeks following suit. Though her gloves kept her fingers warm, the chill outside made her lungs ache after a little while. "You gonna try a triple axle before we take our break?"

"No," she said, amusement creeping into her voice at the mental image of Rory roller blading around town. "As cute as that is, I don't think you would have wanted younger me to hang. One of my friends had a birthday party at a skating rink when we were like 13? I completely hated it."

But Maris' poor time at the party probably had more to do with the company than the activities. It had taken her a long time, college even, to find a friend's group she actually liked, probably because apart from a certain violinist she often mentioned, she had never really found anyone even remotely queer.

"Tempting, but I'd rather not end up needing a walker to go down the aisle. Let's go inside."

The cafe was small and relatively crowded, but Maris staked their place in line and used the wait to make sure she gave the menu a good once over before making her selection. She ended up being glad she took her time. She nearly missed the fact that they offered Oreo cocoa. She liked chocolate as much as the next person, but had never been big on cocoa, often pouring hers down the drain after a few sips because she found it too sickly sweet, but she could never pass up anything that featured her favorite cookie.

Despite the crowd, they managed to snag the table closest to the fireplace.

Maris made a bit of a face as she pulled off her beanie, knowing from experience that it usually gave her a terrible case of hat hair, but her ears needed a bit of a break from being shoved under it.

"I actually wanted to talk to you about something." Knowing just how ominous that statement was, she jumped right to it before Rory had a chance to worry. "My dad's birthday is at the end of February and I wanted to drive up, spend the day and take him to dinner, which you're obviously invited to if you want to come, but I was sort of thinking we might as well tell him about the engagement while we're there? Also if you want."

"So you're saying a doubles career in roller derby is probably out of the question, huh?" Probably one of the gayest things they could get involved with, but she liked her facial features and ribs right where they were. Rory chuckled, thinking about what a dork she used to be way back when. She really hadn't gotten rid of it all, but thank god she hadn't. She wouldn't be who she was if she'd tried so hard to veer toward whatever "cool" things she could have gone for. She was into sports but she was into reading and theater. She was sort of all over the place back then, and somehow high school hadn't deterred her enough away from wanting to spend her whole career teaching kids in that same space.

"Probably a far better idea." Rory grinned, and held tightly to Maris' hand all the while until they were safely on solid ground.

Rory was going to go for a coffee, but as soon as she heard Maris' drink order, she ordered one of the same. She'd always loved Oreos, but it paled in comparison to Maris' love of the cookie. She felt a strong resurgence in her love of the sweets though. She ordered them a couple of croissants too, only after the kid behind the counter upsold her that they were from a local bakery she loved.

Sitting down with Maris, she pulled her own hat off and brushed her fingertips through her hair, before reaching across the table and brushed her fingers through Maris' to right a stray tuft of hair that wanted to stick up like Alfalfa. It was the most natural thing, but an intimate one. Her fingers brushed against her chin before dropping down to the table, scooping up her drink to warm her hands.

"Oh yeah?" Rory was beaming a stupid-big smile by the time Maris finished her question. They had been living with their engagement for almost two months now, their joy was big but it was theirs, and she loved that so much. She loved the sudden shock or excitement when someone around her saw her ring or noticed it for the first time. She was full of pride and happiness, being engaged to the unquestioned love of her life. "I would love that." She said all at once, the words sort of running together as she reached over and slid her hand into Maris'. "I think it's about time we let everyone else get in on this happy, yeah?"

"You can definitely do derby. I'll just help you come up with a punny nickname and wave a little sign from the stands," she joked. But she had to admit those two things (and seeing Rory in some sort of roller derby get up) did have their appeal.

Maris was excited to let her dad in on their engagement. She knew he'd probably be surprised (and tease her accordingly), but ultimately happy about their news. He liked Rory and judging from the one major argument they'd had when she was in college, he wanted to see his daughter settled, though their was no denying Maris was far less wild now than she had been at school, even before Rory had entered the picture the first time around.

Maris wanted to share their excitement but that wasn't the only reason she was glad Rory had agreed now was the time to tell him. "Good, because even if we decided to hold off, I can't help feeling like he'd notice your ring and that something was up anyway," she said with a wry smile.

She may have known her dad would take their news well, but she was a little nervous about telling Rory's family. Christmas with the Berlantis had gone well and been a major factor in why she decided to go through with proposing in the first place, but there was a difference between liking someone and thinking they were a good potential spouse for your loved one.

Especially when they had a different intended a few months before. One of many things Maris still hadn't entirely squashed her insecurities about.

"One step at a time, I guess? We don't need to do some big blanket thing. Just...tell people as it comes up, maybe?" She winced. "I don't know, does that make sense?"

"Don't tempt me, I might actually do it and you'll have to put up with all my bruises and broken bones from all the smashing." Rory laughed, wrinkling her nose as she thought about all the knocking into each other roller derby inevitably entailed. It was an intriguing idea though ... to be thought about later.

Her own family might think things were moving fast on the surface, just a quick word of warning here or there, not to get too far ahead of herself, but Rory had reminded her mother at Christmas that it wasn't as though Maris was a stranger. They'd seen it so clearly over their Christmas holiday, too. Maris knew her better than anyone ever had in her life. Not only did she know her heart and soul, but she knew every side of Rory. She'd argue that now they were even more ready to take this step together because they had been through the very worst. Maris knew her on her bad days as well as she knew her on her good ones. She knew what she looked like when she was sick, she knew how to deal with her when she was in a cranky mood. She knew how to coax a smile out of her with so little effort, Rory wondered how it was even possible she was ever not smiling with her. It was a love that had been tested, what they had together, and though they'd failed a test years before, every moment led them to be ready for each other now and for the rest of their lives. God, it excited Rory to no end that this was truly just their beginning.

"Oh that's a really good point." She laughed, glancing down at her ring finger, her thumb brushing over the underside of it. She loved her ring, but of course she did. Maris was always going to pick something perfect. "This doesn't really scream like a ring you just buy yourself and wear on your left finger."

Every once in a while (increasingly less so, the further away her relationship with Jess got), she'd think back to the engagement she'd had and just realize how wrong it was on so many levels. Like trying to fit a square into a circle shape, it just wasn't going to work. And forcing it was something that had exhausted her even before Maris came back into her life. With Maris, she felt effortless in her feelings. She didn't have to over-analyze or worry about saying or doing the wrong thing. They were so solid, and she felt that every morning she woke up with her, every time they texted over mundane things or had heavier talks. Their love was just how it was supposed to be.

"Yes, you're right. It does make sense." She smiled softly at the way Maris winced, raising their hands so she could kiss her palm and then press another one to her wrist. "We should skype my family sometime soon, too. I don't know when we'll get out to California and I know once we tell your dad I'm kind of going to be bursting with it."

Maris wrinkled her nose. "Yeeeah, I'm suddenly rethinking this you doing derby thing because if someone hits you I'm going to have to come down there and hit them right back."

Nevermind the fact that she had never actually been in a physical fight and usually found violence uncivilized. When it came to Rory, all bets were off.

Her stomach sank a bit when her fiancee mentioned skyping her family. Maris knew they would have to tell them eventually. She also knew she'd be nervous no matter which how they did it, but she couldn't help but wonder if it was the right way. Would they see it as impersonal? Even though Christmas had gone well, Maris was still paranoid about making a wrong move and losing Rory's family's favor. Especially now that she was becoming a part of it.

She just wanted to make sure that they started off on the right foot.

"I mean, do you think they'd rather hear it in person?" she said after a beat, sounding uncharacteristically unsure of herself.

"Okay that..." Rory gesticulated with her finger, brows raising, "Is extremely hot." Their defense of one another, even in ridiculous or far fantasy circumstances always felt absolute. If anyone dared hurt her love, she was immediate in her fury. It still sometimes irked her that she'd never gone to confront Jess after Maris was accosted by the other woman.

Rory's family was a prickly one but not without reason, and not entirely. She blamed it often on her upbringing, that it was just she, her sister and her mother against the world. Dad abandoned them early on, and while her grandparents were there to help much of the time, it was just the other women in her immediate family who had been her constant. Letting any 'outsider' in was tough. Rory had been tough on Meg's husband in the beginning, too. But Christmas had done a lot for them, and dare she say it, both Berlanti women had separately noted they were happy Maris was back in Rory's life. It was a relief to have their blessing, and she figured would be all the more so for their actual engagement.

But she understood the trepidation. Of course she did.

"I mean yes, probably." She said, squeezing Maris' hand and kissing it again. "We can play it by ear. I just want to make sure they hear it from us. When we're both ready."