Maris' Aunt Ramona, while well intentioned, always thought her niece needed (and to some extent liked) her more than she actually did. She often worried Maris lacked a feminine presence in her life and tried to coax her brother into finding himself a wife countless times while Maris was growing up.

Ramona "helped" Maris navigate womanhood as best she could, but most of her attempts proved disastrous. Maris was still mortified by her aunt's attempt to teach her about periods and sex. About four years after she'd gotten hers and plenty of knowledge from friends and a surprisingly thorough sex ed class.

Not that they'd really taught her anything about the sex she'd end up having.

Maris was wary of introducing Rory to her aunt. While not a bigot, Ramona was certainly old fashioned and didn't always think before she spoke. Her lack of filter would have been something Maris admired (and could even relate to) if her aunt didn't have such a knack for pissing her off.

Ramona had never met any of Maris' girlfriends, not that Maris had ever really had any that reached the meet the extended family level, but there were plenty of reasons why she'd never brought them around.

Her aunt was... a lot. Maris knew she would embarrass her before the day was done, which is why she drove uncharacteristically slowly to the restaurant where they'd agreed to meet.

It was much too fancy for a lunch date. Her aunt was a widow. She'd only been married a short time before her husband's passing and never seemed that interested in dating again. A single, childless woman with a fairly good job as a paralegal, Maris' aunt had never really had to worry about money, because she only had to support herself but Maris could never shake the feeling her aunt was putting on airs. Ramona liked to seem a bit grander than she actually was.

"Maris, there you are!" she shouted, shuffling over in pink kitten heels that matched a knock off Chanel suit.

"Oh, there's the voice," Maris hissed. "I warned you about the voice." She plastered on a smile. "Aunt Ramona, this is my fiancee, Rory."

"Ohhh, she's so pretty," she gushed, eyebrow raised as she gave Rory a once over.

"You seem surprised," Maris said, smoothing a wrinkle out of her slacks before sitting down, not entirely sure she was joking.

"Of course not! Of course not!" She sucked her teeth and Maris held her breath. A well was coming and wells were never good. "Well, I almost expected someone a little more..." She lowered her voice. "Manly."

Maris blinked. "Because we're lesbians."

"Right! See, you get it." She tilted her head at Maris. "But you are wearing slacks so..." She wrinkled her nose. "And those are some very masculine shoes."

Maris took a deep, not very cleansing breath. "I'm not butch."

"No, no of course not. But you're very assertive so...it all makes sense now! Anyway!" She beamed at Rory, oblivious to Maris' scowl. "You're gorgeous, which makes sense because my niece is gorgeous. You know, people say she takes after me."

"No one says that," Maris mumbled.

"Well, I say that," Ramona snapped, starting to butter a slice of bread from the basket. "Don't mumble, Maris. It's very rude."

Oh boy, this was going to be a trip. For as nervous as Rory had been to see Maris' father for the first time (again), there was a distinct absence of nerves when they were preparing to go and meet up with Ramona. Perhaps it was Maris' feelings on the matter or just the very idea that they'd have a lot to talk about afterward. Whatever the case may be, Rory wasn't worried about it. She was actually more than a little curious over just what kind of things Ramona would throw at them. She knew lunch would not be dull.

The way Ramona breezed in was in such a way that Rory had to stifle a laugh - she was exactly how she presumed she would be. That boisterous and opinionated right off the bat. Rory had just jabbed Maris softly with her elbow at mention of the voice. She'd caught some muffled tones over the phone before but it was very different and ... loud in person.

"So nice to meet you, finally." Rory said genuinely, smiling in a bit of a flustered way. That smile faltered some as Maris and Ramona went back and forth, as she bit her tongue more than once (already). Because we're lesbians. Good god, they were going to have quite the ride home.

"Well, it's a good thing I wore a dress, huh?" She said in an attempt to keep light, but honestly, what a ridiculous thing. Rory was actually wishing she'd gone for a damn power suit or flannel and denim rather than the springy dress she was wearing.

Rory smirked a little bit, hiding it by rubbing her fingers over her lips and reaching for Maris' thigh to give her a squeeze under the table. "She is gorgeous." She agreed emphatically, her gaze naturally lingering on Maris a few extra seconds before she looked across to Ramona. "Oh thank you for that soup assist the other week. It turned out really well." Best to start with a compliment, right? Even if in the end she was sure Maris would have done an amazing job without it.

“How did it turn out?!” Ramona gushed. “I wouldn’t know because someone didn’t send me a picture.”

Maris didn’t see the need because she didn’t see how someone could tell how dinner turned out from a photo.

But she’d learned to pick her battles as far as Ramona was concerned and tried to focus on the menu in front of her.

Maris’ aunt not so subtly checked out Rory’s ring, giving it a little nod of approval before picking up her own menu. “So when’s the wedding!?”

“We don’t know yet.”

“Oh, Maris, you don’t want to be one of those long engagement types. Nobody likes those people. People want to go to weddings!”

“Nobody really likes other people’s weddings. They humor the couple, really.”

“You’re so cynical!” She shot Rory a conspiratorial look. “She’s always been so cynical, even as a little girl, it’s terrible. We just went through a horror movie. Even grumps like you would appreciate a wedding. A spring wedding. Think of how nice that would be.”

“I can’t do it now! I have a book tour in a few weeks and-”

“Ohhh, you got a book tour!?” she squealed. “Oh, your father didn’t tell me! When are you coming my way? I’m coming. I’ll bring my book club. We have an author in the family!”

“Dad’s written stuff.”

“Boring history stuff.”

“You do realize I write boring history stuff. I wrote boring history stuff.”

Ramona made a face. “Yeah, but your father writes papers and magazine articles. You have a book! I want one for my shelf!” She brightened. "Did they take your picture? For the back?" She wrinkled her nose. "Please tell me you didn't wear black."

Rory almost winced, but was able to refrain from a full scowl at the idea that she'd opened up a can of worms just by trying to thank Ramona. "I guess this is the one time it's not great that we're not the sort to pull out our phones and instagram every meal, we were too hungry." She chuckled a little, refraining from a yikes underlying it.

She happily let Maris take the reigns of the conversation as she perused the menu, thoroughly, just making pleasant eye contact and a smile here or there. "Spring is probably a little too soon for us. I'm a big planner, I like to make lots of lists." She smiled over at Maris, then back to Ramona. "Maris knows this, but we'll set a date soon enough." When it was right for them. Rory would marry Maris with no more than their parents and an officiant, but best not to completely piss off their families and friends.

"I'm already buying at least a dozen copies to send to friends and family, so we'll all have her on all of our bookshelves." She said proudly, before their waitress mercifully arrived to take their orders. Once food was ordered, Rory leaned forward a little, her hand still resting against Maris beneath the table. "How did you end up spending your quarantine, Ramona? I feel like everyone came out of it with some new skill or at least a renewed appreciation for the outside world."

"Oh, a little of this, a little of that. I was supposed to have Rabbi Weiss over for Passover but that obviously didn't happen."

"He's still..." Maris bit her tongue. No matter how much she hated her childhood nemesis, asking if her old Hebrew teacher was still alive was probably poor manners. Especially if her aunt liked him well enough to invite him over for Passover dinner.

Then again, Ramona was the type of person to invite just about anyone over for clout.

"I mean, dad said you two skyped," she amended quickly, admittedly curious as to how that had gone. Her father wasn't a total Luddite but he had asked her for technology help on more than one occasion (not that Maris was much better). She wasn't sure Ramona knew how to do more than type on her computer.

"You should have patched in!"

Maris smiled at Rory. "We did one of our own so we should have! We'd actually have had a proper seder."

"Ohh, you're Jewish?!" Ramona all but squealed. "This just keeps getting better and better! But really, I just stuck it out with Gigi."

"Gigi is a dog," Maris explained.

More than a dog, really. Gigi was spoiled in the way only a lapdog owned by a single, childless woman with no one else to lavish money and attention on could be.

Maris had never really liked her. She was a mean, yappy creature whose bad attitude had only gotten worse with age, but it did make her feel better knowing her aunt hadn't been all alone during lock down.

"Gigi is an angel," Ramona said fondly, showing Rory a photo of q very derpy pug on her lock screen. "But we did alright. I'm just glad we all made it out in one piece. Which is why a wedding would be nice."

"We're getting married! Maris said with a laugh. "I wouldn't have asked otherwise. We're going to do it and we're going to do it right, I promise."

While Rory wasn't entirely sure who this Rabbi was to Ramona, she did remember hearing a story or two about him from Maris. Having not grown up knowing much about her Jewish side, she only vaguely knew that having certain rabbi over was a big deal.

"I am, well. My father was but I wasn't raised Jewish. Maris has been really good about teaching me the traditions I've missed out on." She didn't want to open the can of worms that was her father, but it was ever Rory's curse to be chatty when she eased into a situation.

Rory's smile, she hoped looked genuine as Maris told her who Gigi was to Ramona. She understood the deep love between humans and their pets (obviously), but she was suddenly reminded of a friend whose mother legitimately got mad at her for not referring to the dog as her sister. She thought Ramona seemed like that type. "Oh she's adorable." She said with a smile, though Rory had never been that much of a dog person - she probably would have liked bigger dogs if she was.

"Neither of us really fall into the bridezilla type, I don't think..." She narrowed her eyes playfully at Maris before continuing, "But we're definitely going to have a great wedding. I'm really just looking forward to the cake testing." Rory said with a laugh, before taking a bite of her food that arrived. "There are a lot of steps that go into the grand scheme of it, but we have plenty of ideas already."

To her credit, Ramona didn't pry about Rory's dad. Maris had her own family history, after all. If anything, it helped convince her that her niece and her fiancee had common ground, an important thing for two people starting a life together. The fact that she was Jewish made her even happier, but by some miracle she managed to bite her tongue on that account too, turning her attention to her meal now that it had arrived.

Eventually, she started telling a story about a trip she and Maris had taken when she was a teenager. Maris really hadn't wanted to go with her aunt to Atlantic city that summer, but she ended up having a blast. Despite their differences, there was no denying that Ramona had always been good to Maris, spoiling her the way any aunt would, especially when they had no children of their own. She'd always treated her to things and experiences her father wouldn't and even though they sometimes argued because their styles couldn't be more different, Ramona usually caved and let Maris have her choice when they were out shopping. Although she never really stopped complaining about her niece's "dreary" fashion choices.

That trip was the first time she'd ever seen her aunt as fun. Maris wasn't sure she'd ever stayed in a nicer hotel and Ramona had gone out of her way to treat her like a grown up, something her father had taken a little while longer to do. Like most dads, he'd wanted his daughter to stay a child as long as possible.

"So technically, you had to be 21 to be in the casino because they served alcohol, but Maris was always so tall I said, you know what? We'll slap a little lipstick and eyeliner on her and we'll be good to go."

Maris laughed. "And it worked a little too well."

Ramona wrinkled her nose. "Some creep started hitting on her when I got up to get more chips. I was mortified but she obviously wasn't interested."

"Because of course it was a man," Maris filled in.

"Of course," Ramona said, shaking her head in disgust. "You never told your dad about that did you?"

"About being jailbait? No. But I told him you won the money because I had to explain where my new stuff came from."

"Oh, right!" Ramona smiled at Rory. "Maris won like two hundred dollars at a slot machine. What did you even buy?"

"Doc Martens and Fiona Apple cds," Maris said with a grin, downing the last of her wine.

Ramona made a bit of a face. "Please don't wear those terrible boots to your wedding. That seems like a very you thing to do." Her niece smirked as if she was considering it. "I mean it, Maris Rachel!" Ramona brightened like an idea had struck her. "You know there's a bridal shop down the street. We should all go. Take a look around."

Rory honestly couldn't comprehend how some couples dealt with staunchly religious families that differed. Her family were lapsed-something-christian-y without the bible thumping and (most of) the judgement. Her mother wasn't against her learning and incorporating parts of her Jewish heritage, and never had been. She'd been lucky, that even with the grudge held against her father, Rory's mother didn't try and deter her daughters from embracing what little they had to grasp at. Not that Rory could ever see herself trying to downplay or talk over one bit of what made Maris Maris. She absolutely loved when Maris opened up that whole part of her world to her. Apparently it had done well because now Ramona approved all the more so as well. Lucky, that.

As Rory finished her meal and pushed her plate to the side, she'd leaned in to hear more about this story of theirs. In all the stories she had heard of Maris' growing up, she didn't remember hearing this one at all. She grinned, leaning her chin in her palm as her other hand stretched out to rest against the back of Maris' chair. It might seem silly just how much she enjoyed watching the two interact, sharing a story with her sometimes-deemed-annoying Aunt.

"Did you even look twenty-one at all?" She laughed, shaking her head at the two of them. "Confidence must really have sold it for you, from the both of you." Though, the glee on her face naturally skewed into a scowl at the mention of some total creep. Not ideal, not at all. While it was far before Rory and literally an obvious thing, she bristled at the idea of anyone ever making Maris feel uncomfortable. Especially a man.

"I think this means we have to hit a casino at some point! Two hundred? That can't be beginner's luck. Or underage luck." Rory grinned, one that widened even more when Ramona declared what Maris spent the money on. "Of course you did." But Rory's affectionate tone said plenty.

Rory laughed, allowing her mind to wander to just what Maris would pick to wear on their wedding day. Anytime she thought about that, it made her giddy, knowing their wedding was coming. "Oh?" Rory stole a glance to Maris, raising a brow quizzically. "I mean, we could. But we can't see anything either of us pick out, right?" She was leaving it open for one way or another, not wanting to lock them into more plans but also kind of loving the idea of looking into a bridal shop with Maris, before she went without her.

Maris may not have had a wedding dress just yet, but she had some pretty solid options in mind. She was fairly certain she'd avoid the whole mess that was browsing shops altogether because despite the fact that she'd never actually been in one, she knew enough to know she probably wouldn't find anything that would suit her tastes.

Simple dresses seemed hard to come by when most brides seemed to gravitate toward the most dramatic gowns possible. Maris didn't want to be dripping in fabric and lace. The fact that she didn't really want to wear anything white limited her search even further. Poking around some shop seemed fruitless. She didn't want to accidentally see anything Rory picked out either, but... it was sweet of her aunt to offer.

And it wasn't like they had anything else to do. Weeks of extended lockdown meant Maris reveled in even the most mundane of outings. She'd spent a good ten minutes in the local gas station that morning, checking out every type of gum on display simply because she could.

"Well, alright. But I already know I'm not going to buy anything."

Ramona beamed, already grabbing her purse off the floor. "Of course not, browsing only."

The shop was cluttered, but cozy. There were racks of dresses, veils and shoes as far as the eye could see, which meant that Maris was instantly overwhelmed, mumbling a thank you when a pretty young salesgirl thrust a free glass of champagne into her hands.

Ramona took off toward the nearest available rack of dresses, insisting she'd show Rory and Maris if she found something "good" as Maris started flicking through a nearby selection of veils, suddenly realizing she'd never considered if she actually wanted one even though they were a jewish tradition.

The fact that nearly all of them were white meant she probably wouldn't find one to suit what was bound to be a black dress even if she did want one, but a very long, particularly intricate one with gorgeous embroidery on the edges kind of took her breath away.

"Ohhhh, that's so pretty!" Ramona all but squealed, having seemed to sneak up on her niece out of nowhere. "Your mother had a really dramatic one like this."

Maris blinked. "What? I thought my mom and dad got married at city hall."

"They did, but your mother was very chic. She wasn't about to miss an opportunity to buy a dress."

Maris smirked at Rory, as if proud that the apple didn't seem to fall far from the tree. At least until her aunt unceremoniously plopped the veil on her head. "Aunt Ramona!" she said a little too loudly, fidgeting as her aunt tried to frame her face.

"Well, we have to see how it looks!" she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, gratefully accepting a clip from the associate. Since it was basically floor length, it took a good bit of maneuvering (and scowling on Maris' end) but Ramona was choked up by the time she finished. "You're even prettier than your mother. And looks were about all that klafte had going for her. You're the whole package."

Maris couldn't help but smile, mouthing out the word bitch so Rory would know what Ramona's sudden yiddish had meant. She'd always sort of appreciated that her aunt was open and honest about her disappointment in her mother's choices, especially because from what she'd gathered, they'd been close before Christina had left Maris and her father.

Maris knew her father still harbored some pain from their split, which was why her mother was rarely talked about, but when he did, he seemed to make a conscious effort to talk of her fondly, painting her out as some sort of saint when Maris was never going to see her that way. She liked her aunt's more realistic approach.

"It's too big," Maris grumbled, swiping at the sheer fabric surrounding her on all sides and making her feel vaguely claustrophobic. "It feels like a burial shroud."

"Oh you're such a complainer! How do you know what a burial shroud feels like?" Ramona snapped, dragging Maris over to a mirror.

True to her nature, Rory had certain boxes that her wedding dress would have to tick for her to fall in love with it. She didn't want a huge skirt or a train, nor did she want something that was so over the top she couldn't move in it. She wanted something simple and elegant, and also something that might just speak to her. She wasn't against lace or embellishments, but she didn't want something completely littered with them. Classy is what she was after. Something that Maris would see her in and love.

The bridal shop was how Rory always expected it to be, but it was kind of surreal to be walking into one with Maris. It struck her that maybe they should have done this already, if only to experience it together for the first time, but this felt just right. And the champagne didn't hurt, either.

Rory stuck with Maris as they wandered into the shop further, keeping hold of her hand until a rack of dresses pulled her away to thumb through. She turned back to listen to the two women speak, a soft smile twisting her features as she listened. She knew as much about Maris' mother as she'd been told, and it was nice, even with the colorful commentary, to hear another piece of the story. They really did have such similar stories, just with the opposite parent, didn't they? Rory knew next to nothing about her father beyond the years she had known him at all, but she never minded that in the long run. She had what she needed, and now that was all the more true. With Maris, and with her father being so loving and welcoming ... it was all just part of their families coming together. She'd have to remember that word though. Klafte packed a certain punch.

Taking the few steps back to the women as Maris fought off the veil, she couldn't help but laugh. "If they have one in black, it could be a burial shroud." She laughed, stepping in closer to Maris just to run her fingers along the embroidery and rest her other hand on her fiancee's side as if reassurance she wouldn't let her drown in lace and tulle. "Oh no I like this. Maybe a little too big, but it's good for a very dramatic reveal." She made a face and then touched her fingers affectionately under Maris' chin. "Kinda like looking at your face, so any veil shouldn't keep us from that, you think?" She beamed, stepping back.

She leaned over to pick up a long piece of what looked like silk. "Ooh look at this!" She flung it around her back and tied it using a clasp around her neck, spinning about halfway and looking back at Maris and Ramona over her shoulder. "A wedding cape is wildly too much, right?"

"Oh Maris, you're not wearing black are you?" Ramona said, sounding horrified at the idea, her volume going up a few notches when her niece didn't answer right away. "Maris, no."

She smirked, gently unclipping the veil and placing it in her aunt's hands. "We'll see."

Ramona sighed, starting to flip through a rack of dresses with newfound purpose. "I'm going to find you a dress you'll like, we'll see. One that doesn't make you look like you're going to a funeral."

Maris had her doubts, but she wasn't going to rain on her aunt's parade, especially when browsing would keep Ramona busy and out of her hair.

She turned her attention to Rory's cape, grabbing hold to feel the fabric with her fingertips, then tugged her closer. "Well, I like it." She leaned in, whispering in Rory's ear, "Feel free to show up in just the cape."

After wrinkling her nose at a puffy marshmallow of a dress Ramona held up to show her, Maris headed over to the far end of the store where various accessories were on display. She had no interest in sparkly headbands or tiaras, but she was charmed by an arrangement of paper flowers. They were expertly folded and even the ones made out of newsprint looked real.

"One of our salesgirls makes those as a side hustle," the associate chimed in.

"They're fun," Maris said, tracing one with her fingertip. "Does she make whatever you want?" she asked, noticing that not all of them were the same shape.

"Whatever flower and whatever paper."

Maris smiled at Rory. "You could get a book bouquet babe."

Rory winced, wrinkling her nose in a "sorry" expression when Ramona began to grill Maris on what color she might wear to the wedding. Maris could wear white, black, purple, a full goddamn rainbow (not that she expected Maris would ever) and Rory wouldn't care. So long as they were together at the end of the aisle, that's all she cared about. But, she knew her fiancee, and she knew whatever she chose would be perfectly her. She couldn't wait to see what she ended up picking.

Laughing once Ramona skulked off to look at dresses, her full attention was turned to Maris as she inspected the cape. "I thought you might." She grinned, playfully pinching at her side but taking their close proximity to steal a quick peck to her lips. "I'm sure that'll go over very well. A nudist wedding. Maybe I'll get it for the honeymoon though..."

While Ramona seemed to find the absolute opposite of Maris' tastes, Rory really was enjoying that she was trying, and being a bystander in their family banter was pretty hilarious. She unclipped the cape and put it back carefully, then followed after Maris to the display table she pointed out.

"Oh," She beamed, picking up one of the bouquets and carefully touching the delicate flower petals. "That's such a cute idea!" She had her heart set on certain flowers, naturally, but this idea had immediate appeal. "Maybe we could both get one, at the very least for display and keepsakes of the day? I think I could get over a book being pulled apart for such a noble cause." She straightened her back and held the bouquet in two hands, as if showcasing how she'd look on the day. "What do you think?"

You could do both," Maris offered. "Some paper, some real. All mixed together in one, could be interesting." But she wasn't focused on what could be so much as what was happening right then. Play or not, she had never seen Rory with a bouquet in front of her. It was an image that made her chest feel tight, full. A glimpse of the future no matter what those flowers ended up looking like.

"Beautiful," she said softly, lightly tipping up Rory's chin, both of them knowing Maris wasn't just talking about the bouquet. She leaned in for a kiss but didn't have a chance to make good. Ramona's shrill voice cut through the air as she held up a surprisingly chic dress.

"Oh wow," Maris said walking over to it.

"See, I can be nontraditional," Ramona said proudly.

"It's gold," Maris said, her surprise creeping into her voice.

"Gold is a happier color than black."


Maris smiled, running her fingers along the elaborate gold beading on the sheer shift dress. "It is. And it's actually very pretty. Bit too...regal for me though."

Ramona snorted. "If anyone 's regal, its you."

Maris kissed her aunt's cheek. "You're sweet. Still not wearing gold though!" She shot her a cheeky grin before actually starting to flip through a dress rack in earnest.

"I love it. Maybe we can have the arrangements for the tables do something similar ... mm, or maybe stacks of old books under the arrangements? Let's think about this." Rory didn't want to go full kitschy or even have a theme like some did. She once knew a distant relative who had a winnie the pooh themed wedding. Complete with atrocious red and honey yellow bridesmaid dresses. But she did want pieces of them, things that they liked and were unique to the two of them.

The way Maris said the word made Rory blush a deep color, and she'd have looked away with it had Maris not directed her chin to stay upright. The distraction of Ramona made her wrinkle her nose in disappointment, but she couldn't deny it either -- Ramona had good taste in the gold dress.

"You'd really look like a trophy wife in that, babe." She teased, but she really did think it was beautiful. She only hoped Maris didn't pick it so she wouldn't have seen it before their day. Rory couldn't help but smile softly at the interaction between the two women. It really was sweet for Ramona to be here with them.

She turned to a different rack, flipping through a few dresses before she saw one she liked enough to pull out. It had long sleeves, which she didn't think she'd want, and was long with just a small train. It wasn't ultimately her style, but she liked the hand embroidery and beading that ran up the side and over the bust. She held it in front of herself so she could see it in the mirror, scrutinizing the way it would look and how she might look in it. She was lost in her own little world for a moment, wondering whether she'd wear her hair up or down on the day. The day, that her heart beat race every time she thought about it. God, she was so lucky.

Maris couldn't take her eyes off Rory as she looked at her reflection in the mirror and she wasn't the only one.

"She's lovely, you know," Ramona murmured from behind her niece.

"You act like you thought I was bringing Quasimodo," Maris said, shaking her head as she finally looked away from Rory.

"Wasn't just talking about looks," Ramona said with a smirk. "But she is pretty. And she seems to adore you." Not one to get overly sentimental (an apparent family trait) she held up a blush colored slip dress that Maris vetoed with an immediate groan. "If I wasn't going to wear gold, what makes you think I was going to go for pink?"

"I had to try. Okay, this... this could work."

The white dress with black embroidery was closer although Maris was surprised with just how little material there was. "It looks a little clingy."

"And you have the figure for it," Ramona insisted, thrusting the dress into Maris' hands. "You should show it off before everything starts to sag."

Maris laughed. "Oh come on, if you're anything to go by, I'll stay just fine."

"Because I never had kids. Then again, I guess we'll be alike in that too."

Maris smirked. "Well, I wouldn't say that..."

"You're having babies!?" Ramona screeched, looking delighted at the idea.

"Well, not right now," Maris hissed, cheeks warming at her aunt's outburst as she shoved the dress back on the rack.

Ultimately, Rory put the dress back, but it certainly gave her some ideas. Maybe she could do less with lists, and more with doing. She wanted a dress, and wanted every piece that would make up the path taking them to their wedding. She knew if she had the dress by now, she'd be pushing them to get there even sooner. City Hall would be more appealing by the hour.

She made her way back over to Maris and Ramona early enough to hear the exclamation, and Rory couldn't help but laugh. Her own cheeks colored a little pink, and she nudged Maris with her elbow as she came to stand next to her. "Oh I see we're projecting way into the future now, huh?" But she was practically beaming. She couldn't wait for all of their plans to come to fruition.

"I'm afraid if we stay here much longer, I'm going to find something I really love and then I'm not going to be able to stop myself from asking your opinion on it." She directed to Maris, laughing a little. "I'm glad we've done this though, now I know not to go into a bridal shop if they don't offer champagne upon entry. I have to have standards."

Ramona was delighted enough by the news to have abandoned her dress search. "Our family hasn't had a baby around since...well, you, really."

"Yeah, I know," Maris said softly. She never felt her family pressured her into living some sort of picket fence life. Her father adored her and praised her for the sort of accomplishments that really were as such. Anyone could get engaged or by a house. Maris was bright. She excelled in her schooling. She had her pick of any teaching position she wanted after college. But she sometimes felt a little... guilty that her family name might fade away with her. Children weren't exactly on her radar and were hardly the sort of thing that might happen for a woman like her. They were always going to be a conscious decision, a choice, one she never would have made alone even if she was nothing if not capable, precisely the sort of woman who could take care of herself and anyone else who came along.

Rory had made her want a family beyond her own.

"Pop would have been so happy," Ramona said, her own tone softening and Maris ducked her head, overwhelmed, as she so often was at the mention of her grandfather.

But she pulled herself together well, forcing a smile. "I know that too," she said with more cheer than she felt at the idea he wouldn't be around to see any of it, an idea that pained her every time she thought about it. Especially since he had been so fond of Rory.

"That must be so nice. Having a permanent shopping buddy." Ramona's eyes widened as she considered something. "You two are about the same size so you can share each other's clothes."

It wasn't a sweeping declaration of gay rights, but it was the first time Ramona admitted there might be some perks to Maris spending her life with a woman rather than a nice Jewish boy which meant it kind of meant the world.

Their visit with her aunt hadn't gone off entirely without a hitch, but Maris had to admit it had been more fun than she anticipated. Ramona was trying and Maris wasn't dreading her involvement in the wedding as much as she had before they arrived. In fact, she was sort of considering her for a little bit of help, at least on the Jewish end of things. She'd always been a bit more connected in the community than her father, who preferred to practice at home. Ramona would be useful if Maris wanted to know how everyone else did things.

If she wanted to include anything at all.

Ramona seeming to sense that this was probably time to make her exit (for once) said her goodbyes and gave Maris a hug, then immediately pulled Rory into one, cupping her face as she pulled away. "Oh, you're so pretty," she cooed before shooting Maris a knowing look. "Well, I'll tell you one thing. You'll be the best looking couple under the chuppah this town has ever seen!"

"Bye aunt Ramona!" Maris called after her fondly, playfully falling into Rory once her aunt was out of sight. "So, that was Ramona..." she teased, taking Rory's hand so they could have a bit of a stroll down the street.

It was a ways off, at least a year if they were being stingy about it, but Rory couldn't help but smile at Ramona's response to the idea that she and Maris would have a baby. It made her heart swell just to think of the inevitability of their kid(s), and how much they would be loved and adored by their families. Not every kid had that, and it struck Rory so strongly that she was so grateful for it.

All of this talk of family, and particularly of Maris' grandfather had Rory feeling a certain kind of sentimental. She had adored the elder Forrester, and it still kind of gutted her that the last time she'd seen him had been the last time. And that she hadn't been able to be there for Maris through that loss. Rory considered herself a pretty well adjusted adult. She didn't have deep bouts of inferiority or anything of the sort, but when she was younger she had to get through a lot of internalized shit thanks to her father. This idea of being unwanted wasn't easy, but thinking about starting a family with Maris made her practically glow with how different that would be. Their children would be so wanted, not only because it had to be a conscious choice for them, but because of who they were, and who their families were. Again, she was struck with just how lucky she was to love Maris.

"We can." Rory beamed with a smile. "She refuses to give me back my leather jacket." By the time Ramona was taking off, Rory was a little tired from feeling so "on", but she was elated by the whole thing.

She laughed as Maris fell back into her, circling her arms around her and hugging her back against her chest. She kissed her temple and sort of leaned her chin against her there. "That was Ramona." She grinned, letting her go so they could walk together. "I like her." She declared a moment later, practically giggling as she said it. "Did you know your future wife is very pretty?"

"I'm as shocked as you are considering I was apparently supposed to bring home a weathered old sea hag," Maris joked before giving Rory a quick kiss, then another softer, more lingering one once she realized their day with Ramona was finally over and that her fiancee had handled it well.

Maris had hoped to make it as brief as possible: get lunch with her aunt, then head back home as soon as they could, even if that meant making up some bullshit excuse about work or some pressing errands.

But the shopping trip, however fruitless had been fun and with the weather as nice as it was, meant Maris wasn't exactly ready to go home just yet.

After a quick trip inside a nearby coffee shop for drinks, Maris lead the way to a bench, using her straw to stir her iced coffee once she plopped down.

"Did you really like her? Because it's not too late to take this back, you know." She wiggled the fingers on her ring hand with a smirk.

"You really fucked up on that one. You should have gone to some far off caves to find the right kind of fiancee." Rory grinned, nudging her playfully after they kissed. Sure, at the beginning there had been some trepidation with all the stories she heard about Aunt Ramona, but it really hadn't been bad at all. In fact, she'd had a really good day. There was still this residual hum of excitement from all being in the bridal shop together.

Coffee was exactly what Rory needed, which was of course, perfectly timed to Maris' suggestion. She grabbed her iced vanilla latte and sat down with Maris, her gaze following the various people walking by who all seemed happy to be out and about in the world again.

"Oh no, that stays right there." She said, snatching her hand and bringing Maris' knuckles up to to her lips to kiss. "But I really do mean it. She was lovely ... a little ... okay a lot, and I can see really having to let certain things go... but she's clearly a fan of me, so..." She tossed her hair, grinning as she leaned over and stole another kiss from Maris. "And she adores you. That much is very clear."

"She just told me she's pretty sure you adore me too," Maris teased, smirking as she sipped her coffee.

She took a look around, letting out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. She was relieved things had gone well. She was relieved to be outside. A day she had been dreading turned out to be one of the best she'd had in a while, filled with good surprises, which weren't really the type she was used to as far as her aunt was concerned.

"Did you find anything you liked?" she asked, realizing they really hadn't had a chance to talk about their time in the shop. Maris almost hoped Rory hadn't, if only because that meant she hadn't inadvertently seen something meant for their big day.

But it had been nice to have a glimpse of what was coming and could be. Seeing Rory among all those dresses had her even more eager for the real thing.

And for it to happen soon.

"Did she?? Oh wow I'm not subtle at all." Rory chuckled, biting at her straw.

Rory wasn't sure if it had much to do with Ramona or not, but after the day they'd had, it felt like things were all the more so underway towards their wedding. Aunt Ramona really was the last family "hurdle" she had to jump as far as Maris' family was concerned, and it wasn't half bad at all. It opened up the path that they had forward and thankfully that included outdoors, and resuming normalcy in their day to day lives. Though Rory couldn't really complain. Quarantine had been anything but miserable living every day with Maris and their brood of furballs.

"Mmm," Rory made a sound, contemplating the various dresses and veils she'd seen inside. She even saw a pair of shoes she thought were kind of cute. "Not really. But it definitely gave me a good idea of what I'm looking for, and what I'm not." She smiled, looking down at their twined fingers. "Did you? Am I going to need to forget something I saw today?"

"Oh, I'm thinking of swanning around the house in that veil the next time I need to scrub the shower," she joked before shaking her head. "No, I... I knew I wouldn't find anything. It's weird, I sort of knew I'd be a struggle to find what I wanted but it's even harder than I thought. So I wasn't about to get my hopes up." She wrinkled her nose a bit at her complaining. "Not that I'm worried. I'll find it. We're not doing this wedding until we both have exactly what we want. I meant it when I said I want to do this right."

And doing it right (or at least, accomplishing everything she wanted) meant taking a step that didn't actually have anything to do with their wedding, one they hadn't really talked about when they were cooped up worrying over far more pressing matters.

"But maybe we shouldn't get too far ahead of ourselves when..." She bit her lip. "Do we think we should maybe worry about a house before a wedding?"

"God I'm just gonna start spouting vows at you when you do that." Rory laughed, leaning her chin against Maris' shoulder and giving her a kiss there before sitting upright again. Both of them really were so particular about what they wanted. It was any wonder that Rory and Maris were able to compromise with each other as easily as the two of them did in their relationship. But it wasn't even something that Rory felt she consciously did -- they were able to navigate their relationship easily because it was as natural as breathing, being with her. "You will, and we will. And whatever our day ends up being, it's going to be perfect." Even if their day did inevitably end up being in the middle of a hurricane (knock on wood) or any number of potential disasters -- as long as they were married at the end of it, Rory wouldn't care.

"Mm, you're probably right. I like the idea of going home to our house with my wife." That sentence alone was enough to make her giddy. "Are you still thinking London? I think now that the world is slowly coming back to normal, it could be time to make it happen."

Maris wanted their marriage to be the culmination of everything finally falling into place. She knew better than to believe that it would be all sunshine and roses once they said I do, but it was a sort of transition. The next step to the next phase of their lives and she wanted it to go as easily as possible.

She didn't want to worry about who was moving into whose house or putting the empty one on the market. She wanted a place that was completely theirs. She wanted to build a home together.

"I still like that one house I found," she admitted, more sure than ever that it was probably gone now that months had passed since she first spotted it. And maybe that was for the best, really. It was a bit pricier than she could probably manage, even if she gave up the living on her inheritance, book advance and the occasional freelance gig and actually went back teaching.

Then again, the world had changed. She felt a little guilty, but she couldn't help wondering if everyone tightening their belts lately meant they'd had trouble selling it or even gone down a little on the price. Maybe now would be the time to get a good deal on a house, wherever it was.

"I just... I've never bought a house before. You know me, I stayed in apartments. And then Pop's house was given to me so... I'm not sure I'm going to be much help with this one."

They had been given a fresh start the moment that Maris breezed her way into Rory's favorite coffee shop months before. It felt like the world cracked open and said here, you can breathe now. Whatever convergence of events had allowed that to happen, Rory would be forever grateful for. But this wasn't their home, and Maine was never even meant to be long-term anyway. But now was the prospect of forever in a space where she and Maris could and would make it their own. Where they'd start a life as married women, raise a family. The prospect of it made Rory giddy just thinking about it.

"I do too. I think about it all the time." She laughed a little, reaching into her pocket for her phone after putting her drink down on the bench next to her. "Do we dare look for it now? Just to ... see?" It was their dream home, that much was clear from the moment she looked at it. Maybe they could get lucky, that nobody would have bought the place with the pandemic, with the work that did need to go into it. If it was, Rory would be hard pressed not to jump right at it and wire money.

Rory was still grinning, leaning over and pressing her lips to Maris' cheek. "Leave it to me. I know all the ... lingo ... well. No I don't. I have a really great real estate agent. Actually..." She paused, chewing on her lower lip as she lowered her phone. "I wasn't going to mention it until I worked out with him ... but I sent him an e-mail about putting my house on the market. I just figured ... we already spend so much time at yours, it made little sense to keep it ... and it'll give us more money to buy. Of course, I was going to talk to you about really just uh, inviting myself to move in with you of course, but just put some feelers out and -- you're gonna have to stop me cause I'm rambling now."

Maris wrinkled her nose. "I don't think I can look." Just the possibility that the house was off the market gave her a sick, sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She knew if they actually looked and got actual confirmation they'd missed out, she'd be crushed. And she wasn't ready for the high their day had brought to be over just yet.

But leave it to Rory to say something that brought it up to a whole new level. She cut her off with a kiss, her heart pounding hard enough for it to be a dull thud in her ears.

She'd wanted to move in with Rory before she moved to Maine, but had a bit of trouble working up the nerve to actually ask. She thought she'd missed her chance once she left but they were back in that place again.

A better place, considering it (and everything else) was finally happening.

"I want you to move in," she murmured against her lips once they finally came up for air, resting her nose & forehead against Rory's. "Hell, we start grabbing your stuff as soon as we get home." She bit back a smile, gently stroking Rory's cheek with her knuckles. "Course, now this means I need to give you more than a drawer."

"I know." Rory mirrored Maris' look, huffing a noise before putting her phone back into her pocket. Something in her gut told her, made her want to believe that the house was still there, just waiting for them. Life had been pretty cruel to them before it was amazing, a real roller coaster that seemed to culminate in getting onto the right track. That should include a home for them, shouldn't it?

Relief flooded through Rory as soon as Maris kissed her. She couldn't help but grin into the kiss, murmuring a soft sound as she hooked her fingers under Maris' chin and kissed her softly again. It was oddly hilarious that she had been so nervous, as they'd gone through an entire quarantine living together, as her cats were acclimated to Maris' place, and to Byron. She'd lived out of a suitcase of her things, and barely missed her own house. A house that she had once loved, but didn't give her the same feeling anymore. Her home was with Maris.

"Really?" She beamed at her, laughing a little at her own surprised reaction. "Oh I'm gonna take over your black closet." She laughed, cupping Maris' face in her hands and kissing her deeply again. She couldn't stop smiling, which just made her feel giddy and silly because this had been such a step she barely realized they needed to verbalize. But god did it feel good to. "You're really gonna be stuck with me now, Maris Forrester."

Maris wasn't caught up in her head about moving in together this time around. Rory bringing it up first meant she wasn't worried her fiancee didn't want it and deep down she knew it would hardly be an adjustment.

They were together most of the time. Maris was used to seeing Rory's jackets on her coat rack and her shampoo on the edge of the bathtub. They were used to each other's presence enough to crave it when one of them was gone.

Maris' muted closet may have been filled to bursting (and despite all the extra time she'd had to do so, she hadn't bothered to start going through it to get rid of things she just didn't wear) but she knew she'd find space for Rory's things.

She knew she'd make this work in every sense. Even though things, at least things as far as they were concerned, seemed so much easier now because she couldn't contemplate not being together. Loving Rory was easy, the catalyst for everything and all she really wanted to do.

"I mean it though," she said, kissing her again before meeting Rory's eyes to make sure they were on the same wavelength. "I want you to move in. Tonight. Right away. You don't know how long I've been waiting for this."

In some way, it almost felt like a given. Rory had been spending so much time (and a whole quarantine) at Maris' house, that she wondered sometimes if she'd ever really go back to her own. The things she needed at home had been brought over when they isolated together, and everything else was just ... stuff. But actually saying it and actually having the conversation made her heart flutter. Just another step towards the rest of their lives.

If they had not only survived, but thrived throughout months of only each other for company, Rory knew that they could get through anything. She had friends who joked they'd come out of quarantine either pregnant or more likely - looking for a divorce lawyer. But what she and Maris had was perfect for them. They were, naturally, kind of obsessed with each other, and Rory loved being anywhere near Maris at any given second of the day. But they also could give each other space, do their own thing, read together or apart. She could be doing work and not constantly worry that Maris felt neglected, just like she knew when to leave Maris to her own work. There was an ease. She'd never had that with anyone else.

"Tonight. Right now. Let's do it." She beamed at her, leaning her forehead against Maris' for a second before kissing her again -- and one more for good measure. She stood abruptly, using their joined hands to tug on Maris to join her. "How long have you been waiting for this, hm? We better get a move on."

Determined to follow through on moving Rory (or at least her lightest, most necessary things)
in that night, Maris packed the tiny backseat of her convertible with as much as it could hold, a decision she found herself regretting when she carried the last of Rory's things inside. Her arms and legs were tired after so many trips and collapsed onto the sofa, pulling Rory down on it with her once their arms were free.

"You have way more books than me," she grumbled, undoing the first few buttons on her blouse in an effort to cool down. "It's going to take us five years to get them all."

But she wasn't really annoyed. Rory's passion for books was something Maris understood.

And something that made her love her all the more.

She laced their fingers together, playing with them idly as she tried to get her heart rate to slow. "Fuck, I'm not even out of shape. We're definitely hiring movers for the big stuff."

Not for the first time, Rory considered herself insanely lucky that she had a woman who was just as spontaneous and ready to jump into certain things as she was. Easily, they could have put off moving anything whatsoever from her house to Maris'. It could be a tomorrow thing, or a next week thing, but no. They were both too excited, and off they went to Rory's house to pack up boxes and the two suitcases she had left there. A lot of her clothes had gone, a small box of favorite books, and ones she meant to read next. Some cooking supplies that Maris didn't have doubles of. It was a whole eclectic car-full in the end, but she was as giddy as she was tired when they settled back into Maris' house.

"That was always going to be true, babe." She laughed, easily settling in atop Maris on the couch. Her blue one would have to take a backseat to the favorite green one, but she was just fine with that. This would be her home, until they found their home.

Rory couldn't help but feel just light even after all they'd gone through today. She squeezed Maris' hand and pressed a kiss against her collarbone, thanks to that open blouse. "Oh we definitely are, I'm not doing manual labor. I'm just going to sit with lemonade with you." She smiled, wiggling a little to settle in more comfortably. "I think I'll get a storage locker for a bunch of my furniture and things. Until we decide what we take with us when we go, or what we just want to get when we move..." She trailed off thoughtfully, smiling at the idea of how they'd have a whole house to meld their styles together.

Out of nowhere really, Rory pushed herself up just enough to kiss Maris, slow and passionate, her lips parting against hers. She indulged in the kind of roiling passion that was never far away, and only parted to lean her forehead against hers when she needed breath. "Y'know for a couple of lesbians, we really took our sweet time in U-Hauling."

Maris beamed, caught off guard by Rory's kiss and it's intensity. "Yeah, well, I like to defy expectations," she teased, toying with her fiancee's hair.

She still hadn't told Rory just how long she'd wanted them to live together. The knowledge that she had wanted them to come together right before everything had fallen apart was bound to bittersweet and she didn't really see what good it would do or how it mattered now. But there was another thing she hadn't told her. It wasn't a huge deal in the grand scheme of things, but it did sort of prove what was happening now was.

"I've never lived with someone before," she admitted. She had a feeling Rory had probably guessed as much. Maris was nothing it not independent and a little too particular about having things her way, but even if certain lesbian stereotypes weren't to be believed, she knew it was a bit strange for anyone her age to have never cohabited with someone.

"Well, except for my dad, but that hardly counts, does it?"

"You really do, and you're pretty damn good at it." Rory laughed, tilting her head a little into the way Maris' fingers played with her hair. Always a weakness.

For the time being, Rory would be unabashedly happy that when she texted Maris that she was coming home from work, home meant theirs. Well, it was still Maris' of course, but it was a home they were sharing. It was their shared space, a place that she'd been comfortable in for months of living anyway, and now had a kind of label to it. She loved living with Maris, and almost felt bad for her friends who came out of quarantine desperately needing space from their partners. Rory only felt closer to Maris. Especially now that they were allowed out in the world.

"Really?" Rory's head shot up, a wide grin spreading across her face as she marveled at the idea she was Maris' first something. "Not even in college? God, I hated my freshman roommate. She snored, and stole my food." She laughed, loosening her grip on Maris' hand to delicately play with her fingers. "You rank much higher on the roommate scale."

"Well, as long as I rank higher than the food stealer," she teased before tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and becoming more serious. "But no, I just knew I couldn't do it."

Even though it was a struggle, Maris was too determined (and proud) to take on a roomie or ask her father for help when money was tight which it definitely was in those early, just out of the nest years when she had to juggle school, tutoring gigs and the occasional cocktail waitressing shift at a family friend’s bar.

She'd had lovers and the occasional girlfriend, of course. She would spend the night or even the weekend at her place or theirs but she never craved their company the way she did Rory's. If anything, she wanted alone time once it was over. She’d always valued her own quiet space to think, but now she found it hard to think of anything but Rory.

She didn’t think it would be much of an adjustment. The two of them had spent nearly every waking moment together even before they were forced to. As far as she knew, Maris didn’t have any quirks that would drive someone living with her crazy (although her father often complained about her hair clogging the sink, something that she could hardly help during her Rapunzel lookalike years).

But it seemed like something Rory should know. If she’d learned anything from their time apart was that bad things happened when she held things back so she wasn’t going to anymore.

No matter how small.

She kept running her fingers through Rory’s hair, murmuring, “You’ve made me change my mind on a lot of things, you know.”

"Oh yeah, definitely a few notches above." Rory said as earnestly as she could muster, but her smile (as always) gave her away.

Rory had never romantically lived with someone, as much as it was the stereotype for women who loved women to do so. She liked her space too much, she didn't like to be hung upon by someone she was just spending time with or even in a relationship with - though those were rare before Maris. It had barely come up with anyone else, though Jess had been pushing for it, for sure. She didn't even give that a thought now, when everything with Maris felt like it was supposed to be.

The thing about living with Maris in the past few months, was that everything felt as though it were laying out a map for how the rest of their lives would be. They had routines and then changed them up for boredom of staying indoors. They picked different movies or shows to watch, cooked for (and with) each other. They made love all over the house and then some. She was so happy with the life they were building together, and all the more so now that they could take big steps together.

Lying there with Maris, Rory couldn't help but let her imagination stretch to everything they had on the not-far distant horizon. It made her all warm to think about, dream about.

"Have I really?" She said softly, leveling her gaze at Maris. "What else have I changed your mind about?"

"Everything?" she offered, wrinkling her nose at how cliche and hyperbolic at sounded. But most of the things she and Rory were working toward, the really big steps and dreams that would hopefully come next were things she'd never really wanted before.

She'd been okay with renting apartments, although like most people, she hoped each new one would be a little nicer than the last. She'd never wanted marriage or children and she was pretty sure they wouldn't suddenly be goals if for some reason she had to start all over again with someone else.

She wanted them with Rory. Some couples had one partner who wore the other down. Who coaxed or even forced them into their other way of thinking. It wasn't like that with them. Rory never even brought them up. She just... made Maris want and believe in things she'd never considered before.

Her thumb grazed her fiancee's cheek. "It's like I've said before. Being without you was awful. I would never want to go through it again, but... I could. I did. I could be fine on my own and I was. Maybe not my best self but... I'd survive without all of the things we want. But I want them with you and now that I have you why shouldn't we have them together? I would never I don't know, search for a wife? Or tell my girlfriends hey, the end goal is marriage. I would never have a baby on my own. But I want one with you. With you so many things seem like they make sense. Like they should come next and not just because everyone says they do. Because I know we can do it, you know? And thinking about them just... makes me feel happy rather than I don't know, obligated?"

Rory's response to Maris' simple response was different than her fiancee's. Instead she just smiled, the kind of indulgent, adoring smile that often graced her features when Maris said something that struck her, that maybe only the two of them would get. Rory knew what Maris meant on the base level, but she wanted to hear Maris explain it in her own words.

And again, it was nothing particularly new, but it still made Rory's heart thump a little harder in her chest. Her fingertips traced lazy designs against the skin of Maris' chest that the buttons had exposed, some silly romantic part of her mind wondering if Maris' heart was beating faster, too.

Their time apart had been excruciating. More so, she thought, now as she looked back. The months in the beginning had been nearly insurmountable, but eventually she'd learned to live her life alright. She knew now the kind of half-light life that was. But she understood what Maris was saying, it was the difference between want and need, and wasn't it so much better, so much more palpable to know they were two highly independent women who didn't need anyone else. But they wanted each other, they chose each other every day.

"I know exactly what you mean." She kissed her softly. "And you said it beautifully." Everything they wanted, it fell into place. They could have their disagreements, even on rare occasions feel annoyed with each other, but the big stuff - that all felt exactly right. "I was never the person to fantasize about my wedding or what a perfect life would look like." She said softly, wrinkling her nose because for such a hopeless romantic in most things, that might seem like a lie. "I think because I never had a traditional family -- whatever that means -- it didn't make sense that I should want the whole thing. But when I've thought about our future ... even, kind of embarrassingly in the beginning... it's always been there."

She huffed a little sound at how flowery all of that was, bowing her head against Maris' collar bone and laughing to herself because it just felt ... so overwhelming sometimes. "I just love you so much. I got entirely lucky."

Maris' face softened when Rory talked about coming from a broken home, sympathetic to her fiancee in more ways than one. She could relate.

Her mother leaving hadn't just colored her thoughts on marriage, she was beginning to wonder if it was at least part of the reason why she'd never really considered a family as well. Maris had never told anyone, especially not her father just how sure she was she had ruined her parents' relationship. Christina leaving so soon after she was born and never checking in on her daughter once she was gone meant she had to be the problem.

Not that she often felt like one. Maris' father had given her nothing but love, but... there was no denying she had often wondered if children were the death knell of any relationship or in the cases that both parents stuck around, the catalyst of the end of passion andfun, that carefree phase of any relationship that you could never really get back to.

Those fears weren't completely gone but whenever she thought about a future with Rory, the family that by now she knew they'd build, they were drowned out by happier, stronger feelings. She was excited. She found herself longing for an experience that didn't, couldn't even exist yet.

"I keep dreaming about it, you know," she confessed softly because apparently now that she'd started putting her feelings out on the table, she couldn't stop. "During quarantine I had a couple dreams I was pregnant. Well, I had the first one way before then, but..."

They were nice dreams at the wrong time. She knew it wasn't her place to judge people (just like she knew it was in her nature to be judgmental anyway), but she couldn't help but feel a mild sense of disgust toward
selfish, stupid people who were still talking about or actively trying to start a family in the midst of the pandemic. She knew that even if the world hadn't gone to hell in a hand basket, that she and Rory were still gonna hold off on even taking the beginning steps to starting a family until they were married and had some time to enjoy each other and adjust to everything that meant.

But the dreams made her happy, given her something to look forward to in a time where she'd had just as many nightmares. Not that she'd told Rory about those, either.

She unbuttoned the last few buttons on her shirt before shrugging it off her shoulders. Then she helped Rory out of hers. There was no rush. And though she always wanted her fiancee, it was more of a tender move than a passionate one. She wanted fewer layers between them. She knew that almost always lead to something more and she would welcome that when the mood inevitably shifted, but she wanted to be close above all else.

Whatever that meant.

"Nothing even happened," she said as she laid back and pulled Rory back into place, her fingers dancing along her arms and shoulder. "You didn't even say anything. I didn't either. I don't even think I saw you but you know how you know someone's there? In a dream? I was by the window standing, holding my stomach, smiling and that was enough for me to wake up smiling too." She huffed out a laugh, shaking her head gently. "I don't even know why I'm telling you. It's hardly the most fascinating dream in the world. But I like it every time it happens. And it's happened more often since we got engaged."

Their similar backstories was something that at some point had maybe given them the ability to understand one another on a deeper level. Rory had always prepared herself for that head-tilt and attempt at sympathy when people heard that she grew up without a father. There was this kind of immediate understanding when they got to that point of sharing in their relationship.

And now here they were, discussing the family that they were going to build together. Rory had not a doubt in her mind that Maris would be the most amazing mother. They had time, and they'd get to it when they wanted to, but it was fun to think about. It was fun to create the fantasy of their little Keats and Jane and the life they'd have all leading up to that point in their lives. Rory felt like they were true partners, and with that, they could take on whatever steps came next.

"Do you really?" Rory said softly, her smile edged into her words as she pressed her cheek against her hand when she leaned her elbow into the couch. Her other hand reached up to brush her fingers through Maris' hair. "You're going to look so fucking cute with a big belly." Rory said with a little laugh, wiggling on top of her in a little shiver of excitement. But truly, there really was no rush. She figured anytime a couple rushed into kids, it just compiled stress on top of figuring out what a marriage looked like. Rory was pretty sure their marriage would look like a lot more of this, and wanted to take her time to enjoy just being Maris' wife before kids came in. But she knew her then-wife would look absolutely amazing, she would be amazing, she would be the partner she loved like crazy.

Rory lifted herself up to help get rid of their shirts, sighing softly as her skin touched Maris'. Her nose nuzzled against Maris' neck, her lips grazing against her skin. There was this feeling of total contentment, no restlessness or need to be doing anything else. No rush of life coming at them. It was a rare moment of feeling utterly in the moment with her love, unhurried and luxurious with her time.

"I must have been. Probably just out of your field of vision, looking at you." She grinned, kissing Maris' shoulder and resting her cheek there. "I love that you're telling me this, are you kidding me? I like dreaming about these things ... figuratively and literally." She brushed her fingers over Maris' bare side, tucking her fingers under her body to hug her a little closer. "In your dream, were we in this house? Or were we in our London house... or somewhere totally different?"

"Our London house, huh?" Maris said, a faint smile on her lips once she realized she wasn't the only one in danger of getting ahead of herself as far as their dream house was concerned.

She let out a little sigh.

"I don't know where we were, babes. It was just peaceful. Zen."

Which was exactly how she felt now even though there weren't any babies in the equation just yet.

Quarantine had been scary. She'd been worried about Rory, even more worried than she'd been for herself, but the thing that really brought Maris' mood down, was the stillness that came along with it. Staying home was what she normally preferred to do. It had kept them safe but she found herself resenting the monotony of it all. With no end in sight it was easy to believe they'd never get a shot at everything they'd been working toward.

That even if they stayed safe, there would be no wedding, no move, no Keats or Jane and if by some miracle they did get everything they wanted, things wouldn't be exactly like she imagined. All of her and Rory's carefully laid plans would be for nothing but...that particular dream gave her hope.

And here, in Rory's arms there was no denying things were turning around.

In truth, she'd envisioned moving in together once they found their own place, but she was anything but disappointed things had turned out the way they did. It was fitting, really.

Her grandfather had intended for the house to be shared by two people, even though Maris' grandmother had gotten sick before his plans could come to fruition. He'd always loved Rory. She had a feeling he'd be thrilled they were sharing the place together, even if it was only going to be a brief pitstop on their own journey.

She tipped her fiancee's chin up with her thumb, smiling. "Don't worry, I don't have baby fever. Yet. Just a few degrees above normal."

"Oh what you think it's just gonna be yours?" Rory grinned, poking at Maris' side with her fingers. No matter where they ended up, be it their dream house, or London at all, Rory would be happy. At once she had been convinced that coming to Maine had been the right choice all that time ago. She'd known it was what she needed to do, but foolishly didn't think she'd have to give Maris up to do it. Now she knew better, and she knew that she would go to the ends of the earth to be with this woman, always.

"I like seeing you in peaceful zen." She hummed softly, kissing the side of her neck softly.

Rory knew without a doubt that she would not have survived quarantine on her own, but more importantly, without Maris. Anytime she felt frantic or like she was getting into her own head, Maris was there. She was there with a story or a show to watch, a meal to cook together, a walk to take. Sometimes just to hold her hand and with that, anchor her into all that was good.

The world would take a while to get back to complete normal, or whatever the new-normal was. But Rory was grateful every single day that she and Maris had made it through without so much as a scare. That was the point of taking things seriously, wasn't it? But now their life stretched out in front of them, complete with dresses and new homes to covet. She loved this woman with everything she had in her.

Rory beamed at Maris as she raised up to look at her, tucking her head just enough to brush her lips against her fingers. "Oh well, that's good to know. Here I was going to suggest we really take full advantage of our time pre-babies."