Title: PJC's Season 5 -- #501, Caroline and Richard . . . and Stefano
Author: PepperjackCandy
Archive: sincereamore.com, my writing at fanfiction.net
Rating: PG
Pairing: Caroline/Richard, Annie/Del
Spoilers for: Just about everything.
Disclaimer: Caroline in the City belongs to Barron/Pennette, CBS, NBC and Three Sisters Entertainment. All of whom are most emphatically not me.
Feedback: Always welcome, either by e-mail or using the review system at fanfiction.net.
========
Caroline hurried into the restaurant as quickly as she could in her new shoes. Despite her early start, she still managed to run late.
The maitre d' took Caroline immediately to the table where Richard was waiting. "Sorry I'm late." She said, her eyes locked to Richard's.
"That's all right." Richard drank in the sight of her. "It gave me a chance to feed Stefano."
Belatedly, Caroline noticed Richard's son in his infant seat, some yellowy-beige paste around his mouth and dripping from his chin.
"Oh. That's pears. Sorry." Richard mumbled as he grabbed a napkin and began dabbing the pureed pears from Stefano's face.
Caroline stood transfixed by her first real look at Stefano. "He's beautiful."
"Would you like to hold him?" Richard asked with shy hope.
Caroline's eyes widened and she took a reflexive step back. "I don't think so. I don't know the first thing about babies."
Richard smiled, his eyes twinkling. "Neither did I. Stefano's a good starter baby. He's very patient with novices."
He turned and in a flash, had Stefano's harness unhooked. He picked the baby up a lot less carefully than Caroline expected, and hoisted him up to perch on his hip. "Stefano, this is Caroline. She's . . . my very best friend. And I hope that you and she will be friends, too."
He held Stefano out to Caroline, who took him gingerly, as if he were a soap bubble, and not a baby. "How do I . . .?" She looked up at Richard in confusion, starting to tip Stefano over, like she wanted to hold him like a newborn.
"Just hold him upright. He didn't like to be held lying down even when he was little. He likes to be cuddled in, towards your chest."
Caroline turned Stefano in her arms so that the baby's legs were splayed around her tiny waist, supporting his bottom with one arm, while holding his back with the other.
"Yeah. That's right. That's . . . perfect. You're a natural at this."
Caroline smiled shyly at Richard, then looked back down at the baby. "So, you're Stefano, eh? I hope we'll be friends, too."
Stefano grinned up into Caroline's face, and Caroline couldn't help but smile back.
Richard watched them, his heart swelling with happiness, daring to hope for the first time that perhaps Caroline would take him back, but he ruthlessly squashed that hope down when Caroline looked up at him.
"You should probably put him back in his . . . seat before we eat." She said, holding Stefano out awkwardly.
Richard took his son from her and settled him back into the baby carrier. Then, smiling at Caroline, he took his seat.
Caroline sat in the seat across the table from him. "So how've things been lately?" She asked in a deceptively calm voice.
Richard bobbed his head a couple of times. "Good. Good. Most of my time has been devoted to Stefano, of course. Babies take a lot of time."
"And what about your painting?"
"Oh, I've got a few canvases on the easel back in Italy. I suppose that since I'm not going back for a while, though, I should have them shipped here."
"You're staying in New York?" Caroline asked, surprised.
Richard looked at Caroline as though she'd slapped him. "Is that all right?"
"Yes. Of course. I was just . . . surprised. That's all." She paused for a minute, trying to work out how to ask an indelicate question. "What . . . I mean, how . . . It's very expensive, living in New York."
Richard smiled softly. "No, I don't need a job," he said, anticipating the question she was leading up to. "I already have one lined up."
"Really?"
"Painting trompe l'oiel murals and things. It won't pay much, but it'll keep food on the table. Plus . . . I have some money set aside." He mumbled the last sentence.
Apparently, Caroline had pretty good ears. "You have some money set aside? Boy, your employer must have been pretty generous." She kidded.
He looked up at her quietly. "Actually, it's not from working for you, or GMD or anything like that."
"Oh?"
"No." He feigned fascination with his menu.
"Are you going to tell me where the money came from?"
"Not really."
"You wouldn't have brought it up if you didn't want to tell me."
"Yes, I would have. I just . . ." He sighed. "You remember that song that Annie's sister Donna wrote?"
Caroline nodded.
"Well, I . . . well, the lyrics were sort of . . . I wrote a letter to you once, telling you how I felt about you, and Annie found it, and kept a copy, which Donna found and used for the lyrics to her song and she gave me credit as lyricist and the single sold really well and I didn't want to think about it and so I just shoved all of the royalties into investments, and the investments did really well so Stefano and I can live on that money for quite a while until the mural painting takes off."
He said this in such a rush, that Caroline was surprised he wasn't blue in the face when he was done. And his announcement was such a surprise that all she could answer was, "Oh."
After the waiter took their beverage orders, Richard took his glasses off, rubbing his face. Without putting his glasses back on, he looked searchingly into her eyes. "I want to be frank with you."
"Oh?"
"Yes." He reached over and took her hand. "I still love you. I never stopped. And I was wondering if we could start over."
Caroline's heart broke. "I can't Richard. Not right now." She tried to communicate her dismay in her eyes.
Richard looked down. "I suppose it was too much to hope for . . ."
"No, Richard." She put her hand on his cheek, gently guiding his eyes back to hers. "I didn't say forever. Just . . . I need some time. Some breathing space."
"I see. I'm crowding you. I understand."
"No. No you're not. But I went from being engaged to you to being engaged to Randy so quickly that I just need some time to be just me. Though no rule says that I can't spend a lot of time with my best friend." She said these last words pointedly.
"Your best friend?" She was probably talking about Annie. Richard couldn't possibly hope that she meant him.
"Yes, silly. You."
Richard couldn't help breaking out in a goofy grin. "Really?"
"Yes. Really. Now, what are we going to have for lunch? I'm starved." Caroline grinned at him as she turned back to her menu.
Next: #502 - Caroline and the Foreign Investor
Author: PepperjackCandy
Archive: sincereamore.com, my writing at fanfiction.net
Rating: PG
Pairing: Caroline/Richard, Annie/Del
Spoilers for: Just about everything.
Disclaimer: Caroline in the City belongs to Barron/Pennette, CBS, NBC and Three Sisters Entertainment. All of whom are most emphatically not me.
Feedback: Always welcome, either by e-mail or using the review system at fanfiction.net.
========
Caroline hurried into the restaurant as quickly as she could in her new shoes. Despite her early start, she still managed to run late.
The maitre d' took Caroline immediately to the table where Richard was waiting. "Sorry I'm late." She said, her eyes locked to Richard's.
"That's all right." Richard drank in the sight of her. "It gave me a chance to feed Stefano."
Belatedly, Caroline noticed Richard's son in his infant seat, some yellowy-beige paste around his mouth and dripping from his chin.
"Oh. That's pears. Sorry." Richard mumbled as he grabbed a napkin and began dabbing the pureed pears from Stefano's face.
Caroline stood transfixed by her first real look at Stefano. "He's beautiful."
"Would you like to hold him?" Richard asked with shy hope.
Caroline's eyes widened and she took a reflexive step back. "I don't think so. I don't know the first thing about babies."
Richard smiled, his eyes twinkling. "Neither did I. Stefano's a good starter baby. He's very patient with novices."
He turned and in a flash, had Stefano's harness unhooked. He picked the baby up a lot less carefully than Caroline expected, and hoisted him up to perch on his hip. "Stefano, this is Caroline. She's . . . my very best friend. And I hope that you and she will be friends, too."
He held Stefano out to Caroline, who took him gingerly, as if he were a soap bubble, and not a baby. "How do I . . .?" She looked up at Richard in confusion, starting to tip Stefano over, like she wanted to hold him like a newborn.
"Just hold him upright. He didn't like to be held lying down even when he was little. He likes to be cuddled in, towards your chest."
Caroline turned Stefano in her arms so that the baby's legs were splayed around her tiny waist, supporting his bottom with one arm, while holding his back with the other.
"Yeah. That's right. That's . . . perfect. You're a natural at this."
Caroline smiled shyly at Richard, then looked back down at the baby. "So, you're Stefano, eh? I hope we'll be friends, too."
Stefano grinned up into Caroline's face, and Caroline couldn't help but smile back.
Richard watched them, his heart swelling with happiness, daring to hope for the first time that perhaps Caroline would take him back, but he ruthlessly squashed that hope down when Caroline looked up at him.
"You should probably put him back in his . . . seat before we eat." She said, holding Stefano out awkwardly.
Richard took his son from her and settled him back into the baby carrier. Then, smiling at Caroline, he took his seat.
Caroline sat in the seat across the table from him. "So how've things been lately?" She asked in a deceptively calm voice.
Richard bobbed his head a couple of times. "Good. Good. Most of my time has been devoted to Stefano, of course. Babies take a lot of time."
"And what about your painting?"
"Oh, I've got a few canvases on the easel back in Italy. I suppose that since I'm not going back for a while, though, I should have them shipped here."
"You're staying in New York?" Caroline asked, surprised.
Richard looked at Caroline as though she'd slapped him. "Is that all right?"
"Yes. Of course. I was just . . . surprised. That's all." She paused for a minute, trying to work out how to ask an indelicate question. "What . . . I mean, how . . . It's very expensive, living in New York."
Richard smiled softly. "No, I don't need a job," he said, anticipating the question she was leading up to. "I already have one lined up."
"Really?"
"Painting trompe l'oiel murals and things. It won't pay much, but it'll keep food on the table. Plus . . . I have some money set aside." He mumbled the last sentence.
Apparently, Caroline had pretty good ears. "You have some money set aside? Boy, your employer must have been pretty generous." She kidded.
He looked up at her quietly. "Actually, it's not from working for you, or GMD or anything like that."
"Oh?"
"No." He feigned fascination with his menu.
"Are you going to tell me where the money came from?"
"Not really."
"You wouldn't have brought it up if you didn't want to tell me."
"Yes, I would have. I just . . ." He sighed. "You remember that song that Annie's sister Donna wrote?"
Caroline nodded.
"Well, I . . . well, the lyrics were sort of . . . I wrote a letter to you once, telling you how I felt about you, and Annie found it, and kept a copy, which Donna found and used for the lyrics to her song and she gave me credit as lyricist and the single sold really well and I didn't want to think about it and so I just shoved all of the royalties into investments, and the investments did really well so Stefano and I can live on that money for quite a while until the mural painting takes off."
He said this in such a rush, that Caroline was surprised he wasn't blue in the face when he was done. And his announcement was such a surprise that all she could answer was, "Oh."
After the waiter took their beverage orders, Richard took his glasses off, rubbing his face. Without putting his glasses back on, he looked searchingly into her eyes. "I want to be frank with you."
"Oh?"
"Yes." He reached over and took her hand. "I still love you. I never stopped. And I was wondering if we could start over."
Caroline's heart broke. "I can't Richard. Not right now." She tried to communicate her dismay in her eyes.
Richard looked down. "I suppose it was too much to hope for . . ."
"No, Richard." She put her hand on his cheek, gently guiding his eyes back to hers. "I didn't say forever. Just . . . I need some time. Some breathing space."
"I see. I'm crowding you. I understand."
"No. No you're not. But I went from being engaged to you to being engaged to Randy so quickly that I just need some time to be just me. Though no rule says that I can't spend a lot of time with my best friend." She said these last words pointedly.
"Your best friend?" She was probably talking about Annie. Richard couldn't possibly hope that she meant him.
"Yes, silly. You."
Richard couldn't help breaking out in a goofy grin. "Really?"
"Yes. Really. Now, what are we going to have for lunch? I'm starved." Caroline grinned at him as she turned back to her menu.
Next: #502 - Caroline and the Foreign Investor