Saving Grace Extras

Say What's on Your Heart

Part One of Three

The nerves that Peter feel know no bounds. His hands shake on the steering wheel, and he grips it, forcing himself to calm. He takes deep breaths, drowning out the low music of the car's radio. New York traffic certainly isn't kind to a man with nerves such as these — that is, the kind that are absolutely through the roof.

He's going to ask today.

Not her. He suspects he'll feel ten times as nervous when that day comes, but today has to be got through first for that to happen. Today, in short, has to be perfect.

He told Grace a few days ago that he was going to take Morgan out today, which he's done a many times already, and Grace appreciates it and asks for pictures every time. It's a special day just for Morgan, to go to eat and shop and get her nails done and maybe see a movie, or whatever else she wants to do. A day to treat her like the princess that she is, as she deserves it — though not every day, of course; Pepper doesn't want him to completely spoil her, though he certainly doesn't mind to. Tony, he knows, would've supported Peter wholeheartedly. But Pepper always wins out, unless Grace manages to persuade her. She didn't in this case.

There's another purpose to this, however.

Peter is going to the house to pick up Morgan, where Pepper, Happy, and Rhodey will also be today, helping to start the set up for Grace's surprise birthday party tomorrow. Peter, when he last spoke to Pepper, convinced her to have Rhodey come to help out too, as he'll be gone with Morgan, and Grace can't help with her own surprise party.

In any case, she's actually working today, from home — specifically, from her apartment. That's where she does most of her work, though she sometimes has meetings and things of that nature.

It's been a year since she graduated with a Bachelor's in Art, and Peter graduated a few months ago with a BS in Chemistry. He plans to pursue a Master's, though whether that will be online or not, he isn't sure. He'll have to discuss it with Grace, provided everything goes well today and later on, when he'll be as nervous as humanly possible. He hopes he doesn't faint, if given the chance to get to that day.

Finally, thankfully, traffic thins out as he gets closer to the house, and he arrives at the lakeside cabin soon after. Rhodey and Happy's cars are parked outside, causing Peter's nerves to spike. After turning to the side, he parks his own car, then turns off the engine and gets out, his legs shaky. He tries to swallow his increased nerves as he walks up the stairs to the porch and knocks on the door, as it's locked and he knows they're home.

He can practically hear Morgan bounding down the stairs through the door, which she soon opens. Her wide smile helps to calm Peter a bit, and he leans down to hug her. "Hey, Morgs. You ready to go?"

She nods. "Yes!"

Pepper walks in from the kitchen with a laugh. "She's been ready for the past thirty minutes."

Peter smiles at that, then says, "Well, um, we aren't leaving just yet. I, uh... I have something I want to talk to you guys about first."

Pepper raises a brow in confusion. "Okay?"

"Can you, um, get Happy and Rhodey, too? In the living room?"

Pepper, still confused, nods. "Yeah, sure. They're setting up tables in the backyard." She leaves to house to go get them, and Morgan and Peter go to the living room.

Morgan sits on the couch while Peter paces nervously, and she looks at him with a raised brow, though she doesn't ask questions. She'll get answers soon enough.

Peter hears voices and footsteps in the kitchen, then Pepper, Happy, and Rhodey appear, all now looking at Peter. He wordlessly gestures to the couch, where they sit without so much as a word due to their confusion.