Gaspard sometimes couldn't believe his luck. He would roll over in the middle of the night and catch a glimpse of his sleeping love and his heart swelled. How he could somehow find someone so perfect to spend his life with he'll never understand but he knew there would be nothing he wouldn't do to keep it that way. And Daisy... The Frenchman couldn't keep from smiling at the little hellion the two had created. Gray hair would be inevitable but he couldn't be prouder of his daughter and the woman he loved more than he could ever express. Sometimes he expected to wake up and still be back in his old apartment, not warm from Arianna's arms and completely alone surrounded by his books. He never realized what was missing from his life at that point but now that he had them both he'd fight tooth and nail to keep them.

And what time better than Valentine's Day weekend? It was nearly perfect, being approached by Headmaster Madigan with the offer to watch Daisy and his sister practically begging him to take Arianna to a formal event. Though he would have been perfectly satisfied laying in bed with his arms around her, sometimes a couple had to show their faces, and not just at work or at school. Anymore than a weekend would surely drive the two of them mad, being away from leur fifille* but he knew Daisy would be fine, more than fine in the arms of her grandfather. The Madigan family was full of love and never seemed to end, surely one little girl was not too much for the patriarch. As spoiled as their little one was, Gaspard was completely sure was only going to be reinforced in her grandfather's arms. How anyone could escape her irresistible charm he would never understand. Surely he was completely under her spell, midnight feedings and late-night lullabies, things he never saw himself doing.

Flooing to his childhood home in Paris he heard the steady stream of Bekah's voice down the hall and grinned, hoping he could save his fiancee eventually but at the moment there was nothing he could to save her from his sister's clutches. Many things he would take on for his love but not his sister when in midst of a fashion session. Gaspard doubted that any person could possibly be so brave as he walked past her door towards his room, standing in the doorway as the deep feelings of sense memory took hold. How strange it was, the feeling of returning to what he once claimed as the most important thing in his life, his comfortable and private world.

Thankfully his views had changed since then.

Rebekah had his best tuxedo pressed and it now hung handsomely on the door. What he would do without her he would never know but Gaspard made a quick mental note to thank her expensively in the future. Though she had always made Gaspard her living doll so it honestly wasn't that much different than the years spent in the nursery before he left for boarding school.

Shirt, pants, vest, cufflinks (also picked out by Rebekah), jacket, bowtie; done. The vest somehow felt tighter around his midsection than it previously had been but Gaspard was no longer the sprightly young man he had been when this tuxedo had been purchased and his ego was more than willing to blame the cleaners at the moment. Hearing her voice outside the door, he called out "Un moment, se il vous plaît!" With a large grin, he quickly plopped into an arm chair in his room,
striking a ridiculous pose with the top hat he had bought on a whim years ago.

"Come in, mon coeur!"


*Leur fifille: Their little girl. It's an antiquated term of endearment but something about it seemed right up their alley.
tag: arianna sophia madigan
Tuxedo: So handsome

An inevitable grin spread across Gaspard's face as he heard Arianna laugh from the other side of the door. Glorious, fantastic sound, was there honestly any better in the universe? He had always been a sap, according to his brother, and the former librarian had to emphatically agree. Years spent with his nose in nineteenth century literature had made a lasting effect. His mind could be filled to the brim with Shakespearian sonnets and Mozart's sonatas but nothing made his heart sing like that, that perfect laugh. Merlin, how did he end up so lucky?

He watched as she opened the door, attempting to keep the ridiculous pose and his heart seemed to stop. Synapses not firing, blood not pumping, completely struck dead by the vision of absolute beauty that was standing in his doorway. Gaspard quickly dropped the top hat that was in his hand carelessly to the floor and stood up straight, the years of societal training taking over in lieu of actual thoughts.

No words he could ever come up with could describe what he was seeing and he doubted that Shakespeare or Mozart would have anything either.

"Mon dieu..." Gaspard crossed over to where she was standing, swiftly taking her hand and kneeling before her. He kissed her hand, running his fingers lightly on the inside of her wrist. "I am in the deepest shade compared to the radiant beauty standing before me." Oh, boundless smiles. Standing up, he straightened his pants before carefully wrapping his arms around her waist, aware of the potential of death if she were to become wrinkled. "You are beyond beautiful, mon amour."

He kissed her lightly on the lips, knowing that anything else would result in him ripping the dress off her and the two of them never leaving his room. And as tempting as that plan was, he attempted to keep all thoughts of pink silk falling to the ground in pieces and just took in her loveliness, hoping to completely engrain this image forever in his mind. "Happy Valentine's Day."