Work Text:
“Right guys, last thing on the agenda: unless you have had my explicit written permission, you are expected to attend the black tie fundraiser evenin’ tomorrow night. You’ve had a month’s notice. I know that nobody wants to go, but if I’ve gotta do it, I’m afraid you all have to do it too.” McNally explained to the section.
Her announcement caused a few groans around the room, but for the rest of the day there was buzz in the office as people discussed what they were going to be wearing and who they were bringing as their plus ones.
Stevie and Grace both shrugged off any interest when they were asked about the event. They both knew they’d hate the evening.
“You excited, Constable Ellis? You takin’ a date with you tomorrow?” Murray Canning asked Grace as he smirked down to her.
“Nope. I can think of many other things I’d rather be doing instead of going to this event. I hate it every year.” She replied to him bluntly.
“How about you spend the evenin’ with me then? I’m sure you’d be more excited for that.” Murray said to her as he got closer to her.
The door of the kitchen opened, and Stevie stepped in.
“Am I interruptin’ somethin’?” Stevie frowned softly as he looked between the pair.
“Absolutely not.” Grace chuckled as she continued to make her coffee, realising she’d answered both men’s questions. Canning ignored Stevie’s presence completely.
“Why not? I’m almost certain you won’t regret it.” Murray chuckled confidently.
“What the fuck is your problem, Canning? She’s already said no.” Stevie snapped at him, stepping between the two of them.
“Jog on, constable. Remember your place...”
“Stevie, it’s alright.” She told him as she looked at him sternly. Stevie frowned and stepped away. “As much as I appreciate your offer, DS Canning, I’d rather stab myself in the eyes with pins.”
Grace smiled sweetly as she picked up her coffee and left the kitchen. Stevie chuckled and shook his head as he left the kitchen and headed back to his desk.
“I’m sorry, Grace. I didn’t mean to step in like that. You handled him really well.” Stevie told her as he leant back towards her desk.
“It’s alright. I had it handled, but don’t worry.” She shrugged.
“He’s a dick. You gonna report him?” Stevie asked her.
“No point. Who are they gonna believe? A constable two years into the job or a detective sergeant?” Grace rolled her eyes and sighed. Stevie frowned at her statement, completely aware of what she was saying and disappointed at the state of the justice system that seemed to put status above anything else. He shook the thought out of his head and focused on their conversation. “You excited for tomorrow night?”
“Oh, yeah, I’m a buzzin’ ball of excitement. Can’t you tell?” Stevie replied to her flatly with a deadpan look on his face.
Grace giggled as she turned back to her computer.
“I can’t remember what you looked like last time in your little bow tie. I look forward to seeing it.” She smirked at him. He rolled his eyes and turned back to his computer.
Stevie’s phone pinged in his blazer jacket as he leant against the bar and observed everybody else in the room. He fumbled for his phone, feeling the small box he’d been hiding for a couple of weeks. He pulled out his phone and smiled as he read the message.
Meet me at our spot x
He finished his drink and left it on the bar before heading out of the room that had been hired for the event. He walked down a corridor and slipped into a small room that looked like it had been an office once but now stored chairs and tables.
There she stood, by the window, staring out across the fields and up at the stars.
He stepped over to her in silence and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. She jumped slightly but relaxed when she realised it was him.
“Hey, gorgeous.” Stevie whispered before ghosting his lips across her neck.
“Hello, handsome.” Grace replied as her eyes fluttered closed and she tilted her head to the side.
“You havin’ a good evenin’?” He asked her.
“It’s not bad. It would be better if I could stay with you and dance together.” She told him.
“I know, darlin’. But we can’t risk anybody knowin’ at all. They’ll move one of us off the section, possibly even from the station.” He explained to her.
“No, I know. I just wish I could dance with my partner and not be worried about it.” Grace pouted as she rested her head back on his shoulder.
"Oh, believe me. I know. I just wanna show you off to the world; shout from the rooftops about how I’m the luckiest man alive.” He told her as his arms tightened around her. She chuckled softly as she turned around to face him, still in his arms.
“You’re too good to me, Stevie. I don’t deserve you.” She sighed softly.
“What are you talkin’ about? You deserve every good thing in the world. It’s me that doesn’t deserve you.” He frowned softly as he reached up and stroked her cheek with his knuckles. “What’s bought this on?”
“Nothing. Honestly, nothing’s happened. I’ve just always thought you’re too good for me.” She said as she looked up at him and leant into his touch.
“You’ll always be too good for me, Gracie. And I won’t have you thinkin’ any different.” He told her seriously. She smiled softly and rested her head against his chest.
“I love you.” She whispered.
“I love you too.” He whispered back before pressing a kiss into her hair. “Do you know what happened here this time last year?”
She frowned and looked up at him, quite confused about what he was talking about.
“This time last year, almost to the hour, we had our first kiss... right over there.” He grinned as he pointed to the opposite corner of the room.
“A year? It’s our year anniversary? Oh god, Stevie, I can’t believe I forgot!” She said as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “Of course you remembered.”
“Of course I remembered.” He echoed back to her with a laugh. “Don’t worry, darlin’. I don’t mind that you forgot; you’ve had a crazy year. I guess you could say our first proper date is where we actually got into a relationship. But our first kiss? Right there.”
She pushed the guilt out of her mind as she remembered that night a year ago.
*****
“Didn’t you hear her, Canning?” Annie snapped at him as she got in his face.
“Annie, it’s okay. Don’t worry.” Grace told her friend as she pulled her away, hoping to calm the situation.
“You better listen to her, Conlon.” Canning smirked as he sipped the whisky from his glass. “So… What do you say, Grace? Fancy comin’ back to my place?”
“She said no, Canning. Leave her the fuck alone.” Someone said from behind them. Grace turned and looked to see Stevie standing behind them.
“Stevie… it’s alright. I can handle it.” She told him as she placed her hand on his arm. He shook his head and stepped closer to Canning.
"No, it ain’t. He’s usin’ his position of power to intimidate you, and he’s pressurin’ you to change your mind. It ain’t on.”
“Oh, fuck off, Stevie. Find somethin’ better to do; leave us to it.” Canning told him, waving Stevie away.
“Leave her alone, or I swear to God.” Stevie shouted as he pounced towards Canning. Grace and Annie managed to stop Stevie before he did any damage, with Shane and Tommy quickly stepping in to pull him away.
Canning stood at the bar with his glass of whisky in his hand and a huge smirk on his face. He always enjoyed winding Stevie up, and he knew how easy it was when Grace was involved.
Once Stevie was pulled far away enough to no longer be a danger, Grace stood in front of him.
“How many times do I need to tell you that I don’t need you to protect me? I can handle myself.” Grace shook her head and walked away, out of the room and down the corridor.
“Fuck…” Stevie groaned and ran his hand through his hair.
“What are you doin’?” Tommy frowned at Stevie. He frowned back, confused. “Go after her. Apologise. Sort things out.”
Stevie nodded and rushed out of the room. He saw a door close at the end of the corridor, so he began running.
He knocked on the door lightly before opening it and stepping into the dark room. He could see Grace’s figure sitting at one of the tables. He closed the door behind himself and cleared his throat.
“Grace… I’m sorry.” He told her as he walked over and stopped in front of her.
“You say that, Stevie, but you keep doing it. It keeps happening where you won’t let me stand up for myself. I managed to look after myself and my son on my own for 18 years. I don’t need someone to look after me now.” She told him as tears threatened to spill.
“I get it, Grace. I really do.” Stevie sighed as he kneeled down beside the chair she was sitting in and reached for her hands. She looked up from her lap and across to him. “When you’ve been through a loss like I have and the grievin’ process I’ve experienced, the self-preservation methods you learn..." Stevie sighed as he tried to work out how to say it. “Grace, I can’t go through a loss like that again. It’ll destroy me, and I genuinely don’t think I’ll survive it a second time around. I can’t lose you. I don’t ever want to lose you. I know we said that we can’t work together and do this. But as long as I don’t lose you, I don’t care what happens. So I will always be there to look out for you, support you, and protect you, whether you like it or not. Cos I don’t know how to stop it.”
"Stevie...” she sighed as she stood up in front of him. He rose to his feet and watched her. “I can’t lose you either. I haven’t been this happy in so long. I know it’s difficult for you, but if you understood what I’ve been through too and the way that I’ve been underestimated my whole life, you’d understand why I feel the way I do.”
“I completely understand, Grace. I do. And I promise to do everythin’ I can for you to be independent, but I can’t help myself when there’s a risk of somethin’ happenin’ to you. That twat, Canning, is unpredictable and disrespectful. I couldn’t just stand by and let him talk to you like that. Even if it wasn’t you, any woman, I wouldn’t have been able to stand by and let it happen.”
Grace didn’t have anything to say. She stared into his eyes and could see the remorse as well as the genuine concern for her. It made her heart ache that he'd go out of his way for and risk pushing her away if it meant that she was safe. It was information she didn't know what to do with, but she knew she couldn't push him away any longer. She knew he was right for her from the very start, but the leap of commitment terrified her.
Stevie took the opportunity to cup her cheek and stroke it with his thumb. She relented in that moment and stepped closer to him. Stevie smiled more as he closed the gap and pressed his lips to hers. Her arms wrapped around his body as his hands cupped her face as the kiss deepened with more passion and desire.
After what felt like a lifetime, they separated from each other. Both were breathless with big grins on their faces.
“Okay, runnin’ after you is possibly the best decision I’ve made in years.” Stevie smiled widely.
“Not telling you to piss off was a good choice on my part too, I guess.” Grace shrugged. Stevie burst out laughing and feigned hurt.
“Well… I think another good choice would be to let me take you to dinner tomorrow night.” Stevie told her casually.
"Oh, that was smooth.” Grace grinned and scrunched up her nose.
“Yep. I’m a smooth operator; I’ll have you know!” Stevie grinned back at her before kissing her again.
******
“I’ve got somethin’ for you actually.” Stevie said to her, snapping her from her thoughts and back to the present.
“Oh, really? Had I remembered, I would’ve got something for you too.” Grace told him with a slight pout.
“It’s nothin’ special, love.” He told her as he pulled the box from his pocket. He handed it to her. Her eyes lit up as she opened the box.
It was a silver chain necklace with a small metal bar hanging from it. There were two small engravings on opposite sides of the bar; they were coordinates.
“You’ve gotta put them on the map on your phone and work out what they are.” Stevie told her.
"God, I don’t know if I can read them; hold on.” She went through her clutch bag for her phone and opened the maps.
She copied the first set of coordinates into her phone and looked at the map. She looked confused for a moment until she zoomed out.
“Why have you given me a necklace with coordinates for the station on it?” She chuckled.
“Just look up the other coordinates... stop bein’ a pain.” He laughed softly. She rolled her eyes and searched the other location; it was their exact location now.
“The station and here. Am I being dim?” She laughed nervously.
“A little bit. But I love you for it.” He laughed as he wrapped his arms around her. “They’re the places we had our firsts. Where we first met and where we had our first kiss.”
“Stevie, that’s beautiful!” She gasped as she wrapped her arms around him and buried her face into his neck.
“So now you can wear it; you know what it means, but nobody else needs to know.” Stevie told her as he kissed her forehead. She nodded and relaxed against him.
“I love you so much!” She mumbled against his skin.
“I love you more than you’ll ever know.” He chuckled gently. She stepped back and took it out of the box. “Want me to put it on you?”
She nodded quickly as she handed it to him and turned around. He laced it around her neck and did the clasp at the back.
“The writing is so small that people won’t notice it unless they’re looking for it!” Grace grinned as she adjusted its position on her chest. It matched her dress perfectly.
“Exactly. And look…” Stevie said as he pulled up his sleeve.
Right next to his watch was a braided, black leather bracelet with a small metal bar between the ends of the leather. It had the matching numbers on it.
“We’ve both got it?” She smiled widely.
“Yeah, so you’re always with me, no matter what. And I’m always with you too.” He grinned back to her.
Her arms snaked around his waist and pulled him close. He grinned and placed his hands on her hips.
He dipped his head and kissed her neck, working up along her jaw to the hollow beneath her ear. She squealed slightly when he nibbled and whispered how much he loved her.
“Tickles!” She giggled as she squirmed in his arms.
“You’re so adorable, sweetheart.” He chuckled gently.
His hands on her hips pulled her body closer as he stepped forward and gently pushed her against the wall.
"Stevie... someone’s gotten a bit excited.” Grace smirked as their bodies pressed together. He rolled his eyes with a smile and kissed her.
“I think we should get out of here. Ditch this lot and head back to mine.” He told her as his piercing blue eyes stared into hers.
“As much as I’d love to, I think they’d all notice that we went missing and never came back.” Grace told him.
He shook his head and went back to kissing her neck. She chuckled and tilted her head to the side to give him better access to her neck.
“You better not be even thinking about leaving a mark. You’re not 15!” She told him. He stepped back with a grin on his face.
“Nah, don’t worry.” He chuckled before he kissed her again. “I love you, sweetheart. I can’t believe it’s been a year.”
“I love you, too. Even though it’s been a crazy year, it's probably been the best year of my life.” Grace told him before kissing him back.
Her arms moved around his neck and held him close as she started making out with him like a horny teenager—Stevie didn’t complain; he followed her lead happily.
That was until the door burst open and the light flickered on after a few seconds. They frantically stepped away from each other before the lights managed to turn on.
Helen stood in the doorway, a shocked look on her face.
“I fuckin’ knew it!” She grinned. “I was sent to come get you; they’re starting the auction.”
“Ma’am. It isn’t what it looks like.” Grace said quickly, hoping to rid her of any suspicion.
“It isn’t what it looks like? Grace… Your lip stick is smudged all over his face. It’s exactly what it looks like.” Helen laughed. “How long’s it been goin’ on then?”
“It hasn’t-” Grace started before Stevie brushed his hand against hers and glanced across to her.
“It’s been a year, ma’am. But we’ve been keepin’ it quiet. We’d appreciate it if you could do the same, ma’am. We know that it’s supposed to go through HR, and one of us would transfer out. But we haven’t let it get in the way of our work. Please, we don’t need to change anythin’.” Stevie pleaded with her as he squeezed Grace’s hand.
“Stevie, firstly, we’re not at work. You don’t need to call me ma’am. Secondly, I’m not goin’ to report it. You’re both my best performin’ constables, why would I go and shoot myself in the foot and ship one of you away?” She reassured them.
“You’re not gonna say anything?” Grace asked, and a small smile crept onto her face.
“I’ve always known you two would get together and that you’d be happy. I’m annoyed at myself for not realisin’ sooner, but you’ve been very good at hiding it.” Helen chuckled.
“Thank you. We really appreciate it.” Stevie smiled widely. “We’ve worked our arses off to keep it a secret.”
“We better get back out there; otherwise, everyone will notice that there’s three of us missing.” McNally told them.
“Yes, of course. We’ll be out in a minute.” Stevie told his boss. She nodded and left them alone in the room. “You look even better in that dress when the light is on.”
She blushed hard as she looked down at her feet.
“I’ve got one more thing for you, darlin’.” Stevie told her as he held her hand.
She frowned softly as he held both of her hands in his and sighed.
“Grace, I love you more than I have ever loved anythin’ in the world. You’ve changed my life from the moment I met you, and it’s for the better. You’ve made me a better man and a better officer. Every day, I wake up rememberin’ that I get to call you mine, and it brings the biggest smile to my face. I couldn’t see myself being this happy again, but I think I’ve found the person I’m goin’ to fall in love with for the last time.” Stevie told her as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. “I want to be with you for the rest of my life, and I want to be your last everythin’.” Stevie dropped down onto one knee and opened the box. “Grace Ellis, will you marry me?”
Tears welled up in Grace’s eyes as she covered her mouth in shock. She nodded slightly as she also dropped down to her knees and pressed her forehead to his.
“Of course I will. I’d marry you tomorrow if I could.” Grace told him. Stevie laughed and kissed her softly.
“I love you so much, darlin’.” Stevie grinned as he lifted her hand and pulled the ring from the box.
“Why don’t we put the ring on the opposite hand? Just until we tell people we’re together. If people notice a ring on that finger, they’re gonna ask questions straightaway.”
“That’s probably a good idea. But we will need to tell them soon. We can’t just get married in secret.” He chuckled softly as he lifted her right hand and kissed her knuckles.
“We could do. But I know your family would never forgive me if we did. And we’d have to tell the section eventually.” She shrugged softly. “Stevie, that ring is gorgeous!”
The second the ring was slipped onto her finger, she was admiring it.
“Really? You like it? Cal helped me pick it out.” Stevie grinned at her before kissing her cheek.
“Cal knew you were doing this?” Grace grinned back to him.
“Yeah. I needed to ask someone’s permission first, so who better than your son?" Stevie chuckled as Grace leant in and kissed him.
“You’re incredible! I can’t wait to marry you.” She said as she straightened out his tie and kept grinning up to him.
“Come on, darlin’. We better get back out there.” Stevie told her as he tucked a loose strand of hair back behind her ear.
“You can’t go anywhere till we’ve sorted out the giveaway on your face!” She chuckled as she went through her clutch bag and pulled out a new tissue. She wiped the smeared lipstick from his face.
He kissed her as he cupped her cheek, and she relaxed into his touch.
“What was the point in me getting rid of the lipstick on your face if you’re just gonna do that?” She laughed.
“I can’t help it. I just end up kissin’ you without realisin’ I’m doin’ it.” He chuckled sheepishly.
“Now I just wanna go home with you... You always say the right things at the right time, and they make me feel a certain way.” She pouted softly.
“Just somethin’ for you to look forward to.” He winked at her before slipping his hand into hers and lifting it to admire the ring. “Do you want me to go out first or you?”
“I’ll go out. It’s okay.” She smiled sweetly as she kissed his cheek. He smiled widely as she let go of his hand and slipped out of the room.
He sighed shakily and tried to calm himself from the adrenaline that was coursing through his body.
They were engaged. She said yes. He didn’t even plan on proposing that night; he just carried it with him in case the moment was right.
He shook his arms out as he tried to stop his hands from shaking.
He glanced at his watch and saw it had been a few minutes since Grace had left the room and that the auction also started a few minutes ago—he should be able to sneak back in unnoticed.
He turned off the light and left the room, attempting to casually stroll back into the room. He spotted Grace standing with their section: Annie and Shane caught up in a discussion, Aisling and Tommy were chatting with Grace, while Sandra and Helen chatted a bit further away. He decided to approach Sandra and Helen.
Helen noticed him approaching and stopped responding to whatever Sandra had said to her.
“Sorry, Sandra, can we continue this in a bit? I need to chat with Stevie.” Helen asked, hardly taking her eyes off of Stevie.
“Yes, of course. Come find me later.” Sandra shrugged as she left them alone. Stevie smiled awkwardly and waited for whatever his boss needed to say to him.
“Stevie…” Helen sighed.
“Yeah?” He frowned softly.
“She wasn’t wearin’ that gorgeous ring when I saw you a few minutes ago.” She told him with a small smirk on her face.
“I don’t have a clue what you’re talkin’ about.” Stevie chuckled with a casual shrug.
“When you said you’d be out in a minute... did you just do what I think you did?” Helen asked him.
“Maybe.” He grinned and glanced over to Grace, who was quite animated in a very lively conversation.
“Stevie! That’s great news!” She grinned back as she instantly threw her arms around him. “Congratulations.”
They stepped back from each other with smiles on their faces.
“Cheers. I wasn’t really plannin’ on doin’ it. I’d been carryin’ it for when the moment was right. And the moment just turned out to be right.” Stevie explained to her with the biggest smile on his face.
“Seems like you’ve definitely gotta tell the team now, though. I think they’d all be able to keep the secret though.” Helen told him.
“Yeah, I think it’s somethin’ Grace, and I will definitely need to talk about.”
“I’m happy for you both. I knew you’d get there eventually. You’ve gotta tell me the story of how you finally managed to win her over.”
"Well, it was this time last year, at this fundraiser." Stevie began explaining.