Chapter Text
Tweed was not unbecoming on Emmett Forrest. In fact, he looked quite handsome in his new blazer. Seated at his desk with a mug of coffee next to his laptop, he looked quite academic.
“Look at you, the picture of knowledge! You look just like Athena!” Elle stood at the office entrance, leaning on the door frame.
“Athena?” Emmett’s lips twisted up in a bemused half-grin.
“You know, Athena? Athena Parthenos? Greek goddess of wisdom?” Emmett shook his head bemusedly and looked back down at his computer.
“Coeus perhaps,” he replied.
“Coeus? What’s a Coeus?”
“Coeus was the Titan of knowledge. His name means questioning.”
“What’s wrong with Athena? I think she’s cool.”
“So is Coeus.” Emmett returned to his work. Elle huffed good-naturedly. Playful debates like these were a method of expressing love between the two.
“I just wanted to remind you that we have a date tonight. I called and got a reservation at the Italian place you wanted to try.” Elle stepped into the office and walked to her fiancé, handing him a printed menu. “Look at the menu when you get a chance, okay?”
“Thank you,” Emmett replied, adding the menu to the growing pile of papers on his desk. Elle bent to drop a quick kiss on the crown of his head.
“I love you,” she reminded him. He hummed an agreement and grabbed her hand, holding it for a moment. The two smiled, basking at the moment as Emmett continued reading from his computer, Elle looking over his shoulder.
“New case?”
“Maybe. An associate passed a possible client to me.”
“Ooh, exciting. Are you going to take it?” Emmett hummed while considering his response.
“Maybe,” he finally answered. “Rent isn’t exactly cheap here.”
“Well, now that I’ve moved in you only have to pay half,” Elle reminded him. “We’re splitting the rent, remember? That’s the whole reason you asked me to move in.” She laughed but Emmett seemed not to have heard her joke. “Well, I’ll leave you to your work, Mister Lawyer. I have to find the box where I packed the dress I want to wear tonight.” She ruffled Emmett’s hair and walked out of the office.
“Bruiser, come here. You need to go poo before dinner!” Elle rushed around the small apartment looking for her dog. She shook his leash, hoping that the familiar sound would coax him out. “Bruiser!”
“Are you looking for someone?” Elle turned around to find Emmett holding Bruiser in his arms.
“Emmett! You look,” Elle found herself at a loss for words. “You look, wow.” She laughed, her nervous giggle filling the air. Tweed was not unbecoming on Emmett but in his new blazer, he looked like the god Phoebus Apollo.
“I look wow?” Emmett handed Bruiser to Elle who nodded fervently.
“Yes.”
“Yes?”
“Yes!” Elle dragged her eyes away from Emmett and hurried to clip Bruiser’s leash to his collar. “Come on Bruiser, let’s go poo.” She walked to the door with Bruiser in one arm, trying to pat the extra blood out of her cheeks with her other hand.
“Hi, welcome to Piccola Venezia, what can I do for you two tonight?” The hostess that greeted them looked bored but maintained a polite tone.
“Hi,” Elle smiled at the girl. “We have a reservation for eight for Woods, Elle. Elle Woods.” The girl looked down at her stand and scanned her list of reservations. Upon finding the reservation she looked up with a smile.
“Elle Woods party of two?” she asked. Elle nodded.
“That’s us!” The hostess grabbed a pen from her stand, marking a note on her reservation list.
“Alright, Mr. and Mrs. Woods, please follow me.” She set off, leading the couple through a labyrinth of tables and booths to a secluded table overlooking the rest of the restaurant. “Here you go, your waiter will be with you in a moment.”
“Thank you.” Elle and Emmett sat down.
“Wow, this place is pretty fancy,” Emmett said. He ran his fingers over the silverware in front of him. Elle leaned in, putting a hand up to her face conspiratorially.
“Start on the outside.” Emmett laughed.
“I got it, thanks.”
“So Mr. and Mrs. Woods,” Emmett remarked on the hostess’s choice of words. Elle nodded.
“Well, it was my name on the reservation so maybe she just assumed.”
“Soon we’ll be Mr. and Mrs. Forrest.” Elle was silent after Emmett spoke. In the silence, Emmett was compelled to continue. “After we marry, you’ll become Mrs. Emmett Forest.” Elle shook her head imperceptibly.
“Emmett, I don’t think that I will.” Elle finally spoke after a moment of silence. Another silence hung in the air. Elle stared pointedly to the side as Emmett watched her.
“What do you mean?” Emmett finally asked. “Are we not getting married? Are you trying to call this off”
“No, no, of course, we’re getting married!” Elle quickly defended. “I just, I just don’t think.” She trailed off, unsure of how to finish her thought.
“You don’t think what?” Emmett asked, an unfamiliar tone in his voice. There was an edge of worry and an underlying hint of warning that Elle should choose her next words carefully.
“I just think.” Elle stopped her thought once again. “Why does the woman have to change her name?”
“What do you mean?” Emmett was taken aback.
“I mean, why do I have to change my name to yours? Can’t I just become Mrs. Elle Woods?”
“It’s a tradition.”
“Tradition doesn’t always need to be continued! Maybe a tradition that is rooted in patriarchal practices shouldn’t be continued!”
“I just thought that you would take my name,” Emmett said. “For Forrest and Forrest Law.”
“Well, we can be Woods and Forrest Law!” Elle tried out a different name.
“Woods and Forrest? What is this, a logging company?” Emmett laughed at her suggestion though it was not the joyful laugh Elle was used to. “Did you want the name recognition from your parents’ name?”
“No, never!” Elle insisted. “I just wanted to be recognized for my own achievements. I did the work, I graduated, I passed the bar exam, I want my achievements under my name!”
“Fine,” Emmett relented, glancing around at the other restaurant-goers. Elle did not take comfort in his acquiescence. She blinked, trying to dispel the tingling in her eyes.
Dinner was delicious but over it hung the cloud of argument from before. Elle and Emmett watched the musician at the restaurant’s piano for most of their meal, ignoring each other’s company.
“Can we see the dessert menu?” As their waiter cleared their plates, Elle spoke.
“Dessert? After such a large meal?” Emmett asked. Elle held up the unused fork and spoon that rested above her plate.
“Well, we haven’t used the dessert spoon and cake fork yet!” She grinned. “It seems a waste not to!”
“Is that what these are?” Emmett asked, examining them. “Huh.” Elle nodded.
“I’ve heard that the tiramisu here is good.”
“Really? Then let’s get that.” Emmett pointed to the tiramisu on the dessert menu and the waiter nodded.
“I’ll be back with that for you two.” As he walked away, Elle’s hand wandered to the box in her pocket, turning it over and over in nervous agitation. Elle and Emmett were already engaged, but Elle had wanted to give Emmett an engagement ring. It was a simple black and silver band that Elle hoped he would like. As the waiter returned with the tiramisu, Elle leaned forward and slipped the box out of her pocket.
“Thank you,” she nodded at the waiter.
“Elle, you seem nervous.” Elle nodded.
“Emmett, I know that we’re already engaged, but I wanted you to have this.” She put the box on the table. “Here.”
“Oh no,” Emmett reached over and opened the box. “Elle, you didn’t have to do this.”
“I know, but I wanted to.” Elle looked at him expectantly. “Do you like it?”
“I do,” Emmett nodded. “I do, but it must have been expensive.” Elle shrugged.
“Don’t worry about it. Do you like it? I wanted it to be subtle and elegant. I think it fits your personality.” Elle began to ramble, words spilling out of her mouth. “If you don’t like it we can return it and get another one. I just thought that you should have this because I felt so terrible about not having a ring for you when I proposed.”
“Elle.”
“And I know that you’ve been busy with work but I wanted to make this a special night for you. I wanted it to be perfect.”
“Elle, it was. It is. I love it, I love you.” Emmett ended her nervous chatter by picking up the box and pressing it into her hand. “Will you?” Elle’s face broke into a grin as she took the ring out of the box.
“Emmett Forrest, will you marry me?”
“I will.” Elle placed the ring on his finger.
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”