Jean and Scott, Thursday night

[x-jeangrey.livejournal.com]

Jean gets a present!



It had been a good day - in spite of Jean's insistence that she wasn't that interested in remembering that she was older yet today, she actually didn't mind the well wishers, and certainly not the presents. She was a bit miffed to find that Scott had already fallen asleep by the time she got back to the room, but she knew how hard he was working these days and didn't really begrudge him the rest. Besides, he was cute when he was asleep.

Not feeling that tired yet, Jean decided to do some just for fun reading and, after pulling on one of his shirts, she'd curled up in bed next to him. Which was when she found the box under her pillow. Grinning to herself, she pulled it out. "Silly man," she whispered, not wanting to wake him up. Of course, the question now was, to open it, or wait until he was awake...

Scott hadn't actually meant to fall asleep. He had fully intended to play the innocent, forgetful fiance until she found the box underneath her pillow. But he had been tired enough that when he'd laid down for a moment - just to rest his eyes - he'd been asleep almost instantly.

Patience was not really one of Jean's virtues. She was very careful unwrapping the box, so if she wanted she'd be able to rewrap it and open it again when he was awake, but she wanted to know now. Finding the thin velvet box underneath the wrapping paper was not that surprising, and she glanced over at Scott, smiling, even as she cracked the box open.

Jean's eyes widened when she looked back. Wow. That was very sparkly. All but hopping off the bed, Jean moved to her dresser mirror and carefully held the gorgeous necklace up against her skin. "You have really, really good taste," she told her sleeping fiance.

Delight bubbled down the link, and Scott blinked his eyes open sleepily, spotting her admiring her birthday present. "Sneak," he murmured. "I wanted to watch you open that." He pushed himself up on an elbow. "C'mere. Least I can do is put it on for you."

"Have you ever known me to be able to resist opening a present?" she asked, returning to sit on the bed and offering the necklace to him. "It's beautiful, by the way."

Scott moved her hair aside and then fastened the clasp carefully. "'Ro helped," he said with a crooked smile. "I mean, I picked it, but she registered approval."

Turning to slide her arms around him, Jean smiled. "A very important form of assistance," she said. "How does it look? I mean, the outfit doesn't exactly match, but..."

Scott tilted his head, regarding his be-necklaced fiance for a long, contemplative moment. "It looks... just precisely like I thought it would," he finally said, softly. "Perfect."

He could still make her feel like a teenager with her heart all aflutter when he looked at her like that. Her hand moved to toy with the chain and she blushed slightly, at a loss for words.

"There's an invisible part of the present," Scott said, a smile tugging at his lips. "Goes with the necklace."

Sweetest man in the whole world, Jean decided, not for the first time. "Really? Then it's a good thing you woke up. I don't think I could have found an invisible present."

"Yes, there would have been a whole lot of not knowing where to look," Scott said, and then grinned helplessly. "And I"m half-asleep still. But anyway. Once we decide on on when, I have a where, as in a where we can go for dinner where you can wear that."

"Oh?" Jean looked curious. "Where, then? Because I'm going to need to acquire a what which is suitable for showing off."

"Spanish place in New York," Scott said, the grin lingering. "Suba? You wouldn't have heard of it, it's new. Supposed to be the most romantic tapas place in the city."

"Sounds fabulous," Jean said, leaning forward to steal a soft kiss. "Shall definitely have to get a new little black dress."

If he was a different man, this would have been a moment for shouting 'Score!' and pumping his fist in the air. Instead, Scott kissed her back, quite contentedly. "Happy birthday," he said, his lips still twitching as he leaned back.

"Mmmm, very happy, yes. Even worth having to turn thirty-three for."

"Thirty-three? You'll always be twenty-nine to me. Even when we're both in our eighties," Scott promised, very sincerely.

Jean laughed, cuddling against him. "Good man. That's the sort of sweet talk that will get you all sorts of fun rewards."

"Why is it that telling the truth and spoiling you gets me rewards?" Scott asked whimsically. "That seems entirely too good to be true."

"What, you think I should reward you for not spoiling me? That would be highly counterproductive."

"Such a win-win situation," Scott said smugly.

"Yes, exactly," Jean agreed, smiling brightly up at him. "Works to both our advantages and is tactically sound. "

Scott shook his head, the grin turning into something warmer and more tender. "Love you," he said and kissed her again.