[Jace Rutherford]

Location: An upscale hotel ballroom • Date: December 24

The annual Rutherford Christmas Charity Gala was a perfect time to introduce his girlfriend to his family, right?

Jace was dressed in his finest suit, checking his watch. Because he had actually volunteered to help organize the event (a shock to his family), he had been at the hotel all afternoon and thus Elliot was supposed to meet him there. It wasn't entirely what he would have liked, but it worked. As he waited, he greeted guests as they walked past, continuously looking at the door.

This was going to be an interesting night.

[Elliot Flight]

Elliot bit her lip as she entered the hotel. The last time she had gone to a gala, her name had technically not been on the list. This time she was an invited guest and had bought a brand new dress just for the occasion. The dress may have mostly been bought to set a good first impression for Jace's parents, but at least she had a new piece of clothing in her wardrobe now. Plus it was super soft.

Once she reached the doors to the ballroom, she sighed a small breath of relief, seeing her boyfriend standing there. She made her way over to him, a small smile on her face. "Merry Christmas, Ashley," she said once she reached him, giving a wink.

[Jace Rutherford]

When he saw the familiar face walking towards him, Jace gave a small grin. To his credit, he kept the grin even when she called him that name he hated so much. His feelings for her outweighed his dislike of the name, though, and he had to be honest, it sounded nice coming out of her mouth. "Merry Christmas," he replied, kissing her cheek.

With that, Jace turned, taking her arm and leading her through the crowds of people. It was easy, sine most people moved out of the way when he walked near. "You look stunning, by the way," he said, glancing sideways. It was hard to believe this was the same girl who spent all her free time in a cow barn. "Found the place alright?"

[Elliot Flight]

Elliot followed him through the ballroom, slightly amazed by how quickly people moved out of his way. "Thank you," she said, smiling up at him. "You look pretty good yourself." She glanced around the other people in the room as they continued to walk, figuring a lot of them probably looked this nice on a daily basis. "Oh yeah, I come here once a week." She gave a small chuckle. "But actually, my old hideaway used to be not too far from here."

[Jace Rutherford]

He couldn't help himself. "Of course I do," Jace said in response to her compliment on his appearance. Eventually, he had lead her to a window on the far wall. Jace chuckled with her. "Oh, really?" he asked, offering her a small wink. "I surprisingly believe you. My family uses this place for all our events; I could walk around this room blindfolded."

Upon seeing a server, he called the man over. "I also know most of the staff," he added, flashing his most charming smile at the man, "Roberto, what do you have today?"

The man showed his tray, where there were sushi roll pieces. "Did you want one?" he asked Elliot, taking one for himself.

[Elliot Flight]

Elliot rolled her eyes at his response, a slight grin on her face. As they approached the window, her eyes were instantly drawn to the view. "I love winter scenery," she said quietly before turning her attention back to him. "Not that I don't believe you, but I'd like to see you try." She stuck her tongue out before chuckling again.

She was pleasantly surprised by how he acted around the server when he approached the couple. Very rarely did she see Jace act this charming. Upon seeing what was on the tray, she hesitated. She had never had sushi before. But she had had fish. After a couple seconds, she nodded and took a piece, deciding to try something new.

After she finished the sushi, which she quite liked, a thought crossed her mind. "Do you know which staff are working tonight?"

[Jace Rutherford]

"Hm?" Jace hummed, not looking at the scenery as his eyes were fixed on her. He jokingly rolled his eyes at her comment, though. The server, Roberto, obligingly waited until Jace gave a small nod of dismissal after ensuring that Elliot had enjoyed the sushi, then he disappeared into the crowd. It was just the two of them again.

He arched an eyebrow at her question. "I didn't see the full list, no... don't tell me you actually know someone on our staff?" Jace glanced around the room, then back at her with an incredulous expression. A faint memory flashed, and he pushed it aside. "I didn't think you approved of this lifestyle... at least, until now, I hope."

[Elliot Flight]

"Well..." Elliot hesitated a moment before continuing, "My best friend usually works at these events, especially from fall to spring." She decided to leave out the part where Whitney hated everyone at these events with all her being. "I may have snuck into one to hang out with her actually." She looked down to her feet, biting her lip. "But it was incredibly nerve-wracking, making me against this 'lifestyle,'" she threw up air quotes, "slightly more. Now though," eyes went back up to his, "I wouldn't say I hate this lifestyle. But I will say my jeans and t-shirt are more comfortable."

[Jace Rutherford]

Jace arched an eyebrow. "You snuck into one of these events?" he asked, his voice low. Then he glanced around and leaned in closer to her. "I guess we'll just have to improve our security." It was said with a wink, and he slid his arm around her waist. "I don't blame you, though. For people who aren't used to it, this must seem very overwhelming. I'm glad you don't hate it, though..." he kissed her temple, "and you wear that dress very well."

Hearing his name, he turned, fixing a pleasant smile. "Tammy, how nice it is to see you! Elliot, this is Tammy Soh - her parents own a cosmetics company in Vancouver. Tammy, this is Elliot, my date," he introduced the girls after greeting the heiress with a kiss to her hand. Tammy offered her hand to Elliot for a shake, arching an eyebrow.

"I don't think I recognize you," she said, glancing at Jace. He merely smiled.

"She's not really one for these big events, but I persuaded her for this one. Christmas is important, after all," he quipped, completely casual.

[Elliot Flight]

Elliot breathed a sigh of relief to know that he didn't seem too upset about her confession. She gave a small nod as he talked, leaning into him slightly. "You mean this old thing? I found it in the back of my closet," she couldn't stop herself from giggling as she spoke.

She was actually starting to forget that she was in a room filled with rich people when she heard someone calling out to Jace. She turned slowly to face to newcomer, beginning to feel nervous again. "It's nice to meet you, Tammy," she said with a nervous smile, shaking the other girl's hand. Her eyes went up to Jace at her comment, relieved by how quickly he came up with an reason.

[Jace Rutherford]

Jace grinned, a fond expression in his eyes. "You mean, behind all the plaid and coveralls?" he teased, although thy didn't have time to talk about the matter any further with Tammy showing up.

He took a step back, letting the two women carry out the necessary niceties, then flashed one of his trademark charming grins at the socialite. "It was so nice to see you, but I think we're going to go get something to drink. Maybe we'll see you on another pass of the room?" he said. Tammy agreed, and turned to walk away, and Jace turned to face Elliot.

"At least she was your first encounter tonight. She's new to the country, so she doesn't know everyone yet. Sweet girl, though," he explained, taking both her hands in his and starting to walk backwards, in the direction of the bar. "Nothing compared to you, though. What would you like to drink? It's an open bar... how about a Bellini?" He said it casually, not even realizing it was the same drink he had anonymously bought for her the time he had spotted her at a fancy party.

[Elliot Flight]

Elliot gave a small smile and nod at the other girl before she left. She turned to face Jace after she was gone. "She seemed pretty nice, indeed. I just need to get used to being around other rich people. I have being around you down though." She playfully bumped into him as they walked. "I'll try to be less awkward when you introduce me to your parents though. Show them that I'm sweeter than the new people." At the mention of a drink, she nodded. "I would love a Bellini, thank you. How'd you know?"

[Jace Rutherford]

"Lucky guess?" Jace replied, walking her over to the bar. He really was looking forward to introducing her to his parents. For now, though, they just needed to enjoy themselves, which he fully intended to do. After all, as much as he would never want to admit it, he was head over heels for Elliot, and he wanted to give her the world.