Blacklight S2 (R)

[Ange Keating]

{name:Elijah #|#picture:17}

After confirming his decision, Elijah felt…happier inside – relieved, almost. He’d much rather stand at the top with Emma, rather than be there alone. Hell, he never pictured himself ever admitting that, but she had this way of completely changing almost everything he had ever believed in. Plus, there couldn’t be anything hotter than being able to clothesline your girlfriend at any given time like it was the most normal thing in the world.
Since dinner, Elijah had managed to toss a few of his belongings in the duffel bag he had come with, now clad in a hoodie and sweats as he tucked an arm behind his head, opening the webcam session with Emma. It took all the self restraint in the world to not tell her his intentions, him and Sol coming to a consensus they’d keep it as a surprise.

Elijah would never admit it, but the chick was pretty cool.

“Naw, nothing yet. Just some cardio.” He paused, the excitement in his eyes gradually fading though once he truly took in the disturbance welling in Emma’s eyes. “What’s wrong? Did someone do anything to you?” The worst thing about being hundreds of miles away was the inevitability of constantly being out of the loop. Emma was the type of person to try and compress her emotional burdens, much like himself, and he strongly doubted she would openly admit anything through a computer screen. Having her confess her love for him had already been a whole other challenge.

"No," She answered simply. "I told you, I'm fine."
“You’re not fine,” Elijah responded simply. “Em – tell me what’s wrong.”
"Look," Emma grinned. "I'm happy, see? Now, please, tell me about your day."
“Not until you tell me the truth.”

They could both be stubborn if she wanted; he was amazing at that.

"There's nothing to tell. I've had a rough day, with one thing and another, I'm just tired I guess."
“Tell me about your rough day. I’m all ears.”
Emma shrugged, "I met my new partner, gave him a tour of the building, introduced him to Amanda and had some fun in the community room, had a one-to-one with Landry in the gardens - which, did I tell you they made a memorial out there for Jacob's victims? It's tragically beautiful."
“Doesn’t sound like a rough day to me,” he mused, “Unless Amanda did something to you?” Her attempts at trying to change the subject failed majorly.

"Doesn’t she always?"
“So that’s who made your day shit?” Elijah should have known. The bitch was psychotic.
"Elijah," She sighed. "Drop it already. I'm perfectly fine. I sugar coated my crappy day for you, isn’t that enough?"
“Alright,” he replied with a shrug. “Feel free to tell me whenever you want to.” Elijah hated pushing people, because 99.9 percent he never gave enough of a damn to inquire, but this was Emma. The girl he loved, the girl he never wanted to see upset. And if she didn’t want to tell him, he might as well cheer her up.

“You’re beautiful,” Elijah murmured, “so smile. And I don’t care if I have to stay up the entire night trying to get a genuine out of you.”
"I am smiling!" Emma groaned, "I dont know what you want me to say, I'm in one of those grumpy moods, that's all."
“My presence should automatically turn that frown upside down, darling,” he teased with another grin. “Do I have to say I love you a million times to brighten your day? I will.”
A hint of a smile tugged at her lips. "That might help."

“I’m ridiculously in love with you Emma Ward, and your smile, your face, your beautiful spirit, the way you make me feel – fuck, the way you make me act – whenever we’re together. So I’ll ruin anyone that takes that joy from you, even if it's for a second.”

[/blockquote][/size]

[laura]

{name:Emma#|#picture:18}

There was no way Emma was about to tell him all the gruesome details about her day, it would give away her ridiculous insecurities to him.

But then, he had to go and blow away everything by saying something like that.
The happiness she’d found around him suddenly blossomed once more in the centre of her chest, banishing away all the shadows formed throughout that day.
A genuine smile shaped her lips, “You mean that?”
"Of course I mean it. What kind of question is that?"
“A stupid one,” Emma breathed, pushing up onto her elbows. “Would that little speech come with a kiss if you were here, with me?”
"And a little more," he teased with a wink.
“Like…?” She enquired, twirling a strand of auburn hair around one slim finger.
Oh, did Emma miss his warm hands on her skin, touching her innocently and…not so innocently; she craved the emotions that came along with it. With one touch, Elijah had the ability to make her feel like the sexiest woman on the planet.

His gaze burned at her through the screen. "Like take more physical actions to make you feel better, that may or may not involve clothes."
A bubble of laughter forced its way up her throat. “I guess it’s a good thing you aren’t actually here.”
“Oh, yea?”
“Mhmm,” She nodded, “Because after what you said, about loving me, I’m not sure I’d be able to control myself. I’d be on you faster than a bee to a flower.”
"And that's a bad thing?" Elijah raised his brows.
“I’d lock you in my room, at least for the next few days.”
"Again, I would mind in the slightest," he responded with a smirk.
“Are you sure?” Emma asked, a mischievous glint in her eye. “I wouldn’t want to tire you out too much.”
"Tire me out? I'd worry more about you, love. I usually don't play nice."
“Usually,” Emma teased.

There was nothing she wanted more than to be locked in her room with Elijah for a few days; unfortunately, it wouldn’t be happening any time soon.
Emma dropped her teasing attitude with a soft smile. “Elijah…when are we going to see each other again?”
Something flashed in his eyes, but vanished in a second. "I don't know."
“What if… I don’t know, I could come visit you? I could ask Landry for a few days off.” Not that he’d give it to her, but after the crap he’d pulled lately it was the least he could do for her.
"I'll come visit you," he proposed just as quickly. "Besides, I miss the city."
Emma looked down to her hands. “The city misses you too.” Would he ever admit to missing her? And she knew he did… she was sure of it.
"Just the city?"
“I was thinking the exact same thing.”
Elijah smirked before asking, "Did you get a partner yet?"
Nope. He’s never say the words. The man could say he loved her, but not that he missed her.
“Someone wasn’t listening to me earlier. Didn’t you hear me say I took him on a tour of the building?”
"Oh him, right," Elijah mused. "What does he look like?"

An image of Ryan flashed through his mind.
“He’s tall, like you, dark hair, green eyes, in need of a shave, muscular, likes the colour black. His name is Ryan. He transferred here from D-72. Why do you want to know what he looked like?”

[/blockquote][/font]

[Ange Keating]

{name:Elijah #|#picture:17}

Elijah hadn’t really taken to mind her partner until the curiosity officially sparked. After all, when he came back, would Landry give him his room back? With Emma? Regardless, Elijah wouldn’t be taking no for an answer because, well, surely the man had to understand. Seeing as he’d never been in a relationship, he never figured out if he was the jealous type or not and really had no plans of figuring out, either.

“Because I need a mental image in case I have to kick his ass,” Elijah teased, adjusting his pillow.
"Why would you need to kick his ass?" Emma asked, genuinely curious. "He seems like a nice, but grumpy, guy to me."
He scoffed. “You don’t think the majority of men have a secret agenda?” Elijah should know; he used to comprise of that large percent.
"A secret agenda for what?"
"Copping a feel. Getting laid," Elijah explained, a tinge of amusement spreading across his features. Was she being that naïve? What other secret agenda was there? It was all about breasts and ass, and bragging to your bros about how quickly you got a chick out of their panties.
Her brows shot up, "You think he's going to try to sleep with me?"

“Why not?” Elijah questioned.
"Do you think I would?" She asked, ignoring his question.
“Sleep with him? When you’re with me? Nah.” Elijah had never been cheated on in his life (well, the proper statement was he had never met someone who had sex with someone else around the same time they were with him) and didn’t think it would begin with Emma. Not when he was the greatest thing that had ever happened to her, and likewise.
"Good, not even you could be stupid enough to think otherwise. You're the only man I want to sleep with." Emma murmured the last part.

Elijah found himself genuinely smiling inside before quickly playing it off with a pleased smirk. “I thought so.”

Before he could add anything, the door was banging open, Sol rushing over to the bed and plopping on it with a towel tightly wrapped around her body, hair free around her shoulders. “Hey Eli,” she called, before dropping against his pillow, “we need to come up with some bullshit reason on why we’re—”
Elijah automatically rolled over to cup her mouth with his hand, before his eyes darted back to the screen.
Emma's wide eyes locked onto Sol, before slowly drifting down the length of her. Surprise was quickly replaced by a dark mask of pure heated anger. "Don't mind me. If you're bored and want to entertain yourselves, don't let me stop you."

Elijah and Sol’s eyes seemed to widen at the same time, before the sudden recognition hit him like a dart on how terrible and suspicious this looked. Because it was never okay to nearly tackle a chick half-clad on your bed with your girl witnessing the entire scene through webcam.
Sol was quick to speak up though, brows raising in surprise before quickly elbowing him in the rib cage. “You were right, Elijah. She’s cute. Nothing beats a red head.”

Elijah then used it as the perfect opportunity to smirk playfully at Emma’s stunned expression. “This is Sol, Sol meet Emma.”

[/blockquote][/size]

[laura]

{name:Emma#|#picture:18}

Okay, all good feelings gone.
Jesus Christ, could this night be any more of an emotional rollercoaster?!

Emma glared at the almost naked woman lying beside her Elijah and frowned. “Yea, real nice to meet you. I’m going now, Elijah, I can see you’re busy, so we’ll talk tomorrow or something.”
Emma wanted to punch the bastard in the face. One minute he was telling her how much he loved her, the next this?! What the hell was going on here?
"What are you talking about, Emma? She-she's not like that." He bit his lip before quickly adding, "She's a lesbian. So, without further explanation, she'd be more interested in you than me."
“Then why is she practically laying naked right freaking next to you?” She growled through clenched teeth.
Elijah tried to find the words. "I guess she just got out of the shower? It really isn't what it looks like, Em. She's really a lesbian, though, I swear."
“It’s true,” The towel clad bitch finally spoke up. “I don’t find your man remotely attractive, you on the other hand…”

Emma ignored her, “So, you’ve known her, what? A day? And already she’s having a shower and jumping into your bed?”
"It's not me, it's her. She's crazy."
Sol nodded. “That’s true, too. Hey,” She nudged Elijah in the ribs once more, “want me to leave you two to it? We can talk later.”
Emma shook her head. “You can talk now, honestly. I’m going anyway.”
"Yeah," he shooed her way before glancing back towards Emma. "Nothing like what you think happened, Emma. We don't even see each other like that. Because that would be fucked up and weird. I'm telling the truth!"
“Is that why you won’t tell me you miss me? Because you’re too damn preoccupied with your new piece of Southern tail?”
“Southern tail?” Sol laughed as she got up from the bed. “I like that. Laters, Red.”
The bitch made sure to close the door behind her when she left. Good.
Next time, freaking knock! Emma wanted to shout after her. Who did she think she was, just walking into someone’s room like that? Didn’t she know the meaning of personal space?
"Emma!" Elijah exclaimed. "Of course I miss you. It's not like that at all. Nothing happened. And nothing will happen."

It took all of a second for Emma to suddenly realise what it was that was making her so angry (well, apart from the obvious, naturally); jealousy.
Emma was…jealous. Holy hell! Jealous over an apparent lesbian, of all things. Man, this really was turning out to be one messed up day.

She narrowed her eyes on Elijah and asked, “What would you have done if Ryan had just done to me what she did to you? And I don’t want any smart ass comments. I mean it.”
"C'mon, Em. If you said he was gay or something, then I wouldn't care."
“Ah! No! He comes in, wearing nothing but a towel, and I haven’t told you he’s gay.” She was not going to be alone in this irrational boat called S.S Jealousy. Not a chance.
"Then I'd be upset, but..." he paused before gazing back at her. "Shit. I see your point. But I did tell you she was a lesbian right after."
“After. That’s the point.” Emma looked away from him and muttered a string of curses beneath her breath, “great, one more thing to add to my day. I’m fucking jealous now. Like things couldn’t get any worse.”
Elijah burst out into laughter. "It's cute. Don't worry about it."
“Don’t laugh at me!” Emma growled, rolling away from the screen. “And don’t call me that, you’re meant to see me as sexy, not cute.”
He raised his hands in apology. "Alright, sexy."

She smiled, despite not wanting too. “You’re such an idiot sometimes.”
Elijah opened his mouth to reply, when a soft rapping sounded on her bedroom door, cutting him off.
“Emma?” Ryan. “Can I come in?”
“Um… just a minute, I’m in a call. Is something up?”
A brief pause before he answered her. “No, I put up a plate of food for you if you want it, and Landry sent a memo down for us. I’ll wait until you come out to open it.”

Sighing, Emma turned back to the screen. “I better go and see what it is. But no more towel wearing women in your bed…please?”

[/blockquote][/font]

[Ange Keating]

{name:Elijah #|#picture:17}

“As long as ‘Ryan’ stays out of yours,” Elijah responded with a slight smirk. He hardly felt threatened, but that didn’t mean he wanted some prick trying to get excited by feeling up on his girlfriend. Elijah was never the one to share, whether it was between toys or women.
Emma rolled her eyes playfully but nodded nonetheless. “Deal.”
“I thought so. Sweet dreams.”
“And?” Emma urged with an arched eyebrow.
He snickered. “I love you.”
“Love you too, big guy,” she responded, teeth grazing her bottom lip, a true smile brightening it, before the screen faded black, sending the hologram back into its cube.

Even months after the fact, Elijah still found it hard to believe they were at this point in their relationship, two people who couldn’t be any more opposite, meshing together in such indescribable ways.
___

Sol’s hair was slicked into a high bun, clad in a dark tank top and matching pants as she met Elijah’s long strides down the hallway. Morning had come relatively quick, and as eleven-thirty flashed on the clock, they had compiled all their things into an array of luggage, their sheets stripped and tossed into the laundry dump.

“Ready?” she inquired, once they were within several paces of their boss’s office.
Elijah simply shrugged. “Why wouldn’t I be? All I can say is they’ll definitely be mourning the loss of Elijah Walker.” That confident grin stretched across his lips once again, ignoring Sol’s obnoxious snorts.
“Alright, big shot. I’ll go first – you follow.”

Elijah shrugged again, leaning against the wall as he idly stared out the window as rain pattered against the glass. It hadn’t taken Sol relatively long to return, her expressions failing to give much away until it was his turn. The meeting had been just as brief, Elijah stating he’d be returning to D-79, much to the annoyance of the heavy man. He had said a string of phrases like, “I’m disappointed’ and, ‘You’re passing up on a good opportunity’, and ‘An agent just quit before you’, like it wasn’t incredibly obvious they had planned this being partners in the same living space. In the end, the shit that came out of his greasy mouth had gone in one ear and out the other before he was standing to leave and joining Sol outside once again.

“When’s our flight?” Elijah finally questioned once they were halfway back to their room.
“Six tonight? I figured you wanted the soonest flight, to get back to your girl and all.”
“Sweet. Thanks, by the way.”
“Hey, it's no problem. I just hope the city’s all its publicized to be.”
He draped an arm around her shoulder, the corners of his lips turning upwards. “You’ll love it. Action, women, liquor. That’s definitely what drew me from my shit small town to the bright lights.”

“I guess I’ll take your word for it, Walker!”
“My words always right, darling.”
“We’ll see.”

[/blockquote][/size]

[laura]

{name:Emma#|#picture:18}

”This is absolutely ridiculous!” Emma seethed, folding her arms tightly over her chest.
Landry shrugged, “This is important, Emma. It’s a big night for the Mayor, since it is her last night in office, and everyone knows how much she believes in her charities. Tonight, in fact, is one is rather close to your heart as well.”
Which meant, it could only be Angelica’s Angels; a charity created for children of abusive and neglectful families, many of them orphans or just no longer wanted by their parents. Angelica, the founder and Mother of the charity, had created it nearly twenty years ago, giving each and every child that needed it a home and a family. Emma had stayed there for a year when she’d first come to D-79.
Not that anyone knew that. Apart from Angelica of course.
Emma had been giving money from her monthly pay cheque since she’d started with the agency.
She sighed, “I get that we have to guard her, since her piss poor security isn’t good enough, but why the hell do I have to learn how to freaking dance? And better question, why do they have to come with us?”

Emma nodded toward Nigel and Amanda, who were happily getting into the swing of things with their dance instructor. Ryan stood beside Emma, looking less than impressed.
“Because as partners they work well with one another, not to mention they’d fit in amongst the other ball goers perfectly.”
“Why do we have to learn a stupid dance, Landry?” She asked again, her patience wearing thin.
“Because you have to mix in, Emma, how many times do I have to tell you?” His icy gaze levelled on her steadily. “You can’t go in wearing your black agency uniform. It’s not what the Mayor wants – she prefers to be guarded from afar, and in secret.”
“That’s the most-“
“We’ll do it.” Ryan murmured, cutting her off. “The dance is important to the ball, yes?”
“Yes.” Landry answered. “It’s quite lovely, if I do say so myself.”

*****

A black and white masked ball – did Emma ever imagine herself going to something quite like it? Hell to the no.
Car after car pulled up outside the massive mansion that was hosting the event, masked faces pouring out from each one, walking up the velvet carpet and filing into the building.
Emma stood off to the side, watching through her own glittery white mask as Ryan and Nigel acted as the doormen, checking tickets and ticking off names. They too had black masks of their own. Amanda on the other hand, was already inside, making the most out of her situation.

“Hmm… that red hair and beautiful half face can only belong to one person.”
A warm, soft voice sounded from behind her, and Emma knew who it was before she even turned to face the aging woman.
A tender smile shaped her lips as the woman reached her side. “Hello, Angelica.”
“I knew that was you, Emma, darling. My, my, don’t you look breathtaking? You look like an angel in all that white.”
The older woman looked her up and down, from her silver strapped heels, her white flowing dress, to her wavy auburn hair, cascading elegantly down her back.
“You’re more beautiful every time I see you, my darling. What are you doing here, anyway? I’ve never seen you at one of these things.”
Emma shrugged, “I heard what it was for and decided to come.”
“Oh!” Angelica’s expression lit up. “Are you here with a man?”
“Um, not-”
“Emma?” Ryan waved at her. “Shall we go in now?”

The man sure had excellent timing, didn’t he?
Angelica put two and two together and nudged her in his direction, her eyebrows wiggling suggestively. “I see. Mmm, he’s a handsome young man, darling, good choice! I greatly approve. Go, go. Have fun. We’ll talk more later on.”
Emma didn’t have the heart to tell her that Ryan wasn’t her boyfriend; after all, the look of pure excitement was evident on her face.

Waving Angelica goodbye, she met Ryan on the red carpet and took the arm her offered her. “Ready for this?” He asked, a ghost of a smile filtering over his lips.
“As ready as I’ll ever be. When is this main dance thing meant to be starting?”
“It’s the last dance of the night, so you’re safe. Well, for now. I can hear the music already and it’s catchy, so I’d like to dance before that as well.”
Emma narrowed her eyes on him. “Then find someone else to dance with.”
As they started into the building and toward the main hall, Ryan kept his gaze directly in front of them. “And leave you alone? I don’t think so, Emma. 99% of the men that walked up the carpet took a glance, or two, in your direction, earning most of them a slap from their ladies. You dance with me or a stranger. Who would you rather it be?”

Elijah.
The name flitted through her mind without a second of pause.
“Fine, one small dance, and that’s it.”

[/blockquote][/font]

[Ange Keating]

{name:Elijah #|#picture:17}

__

Elijah leaned back against the plush seat, hoodie covering his slender form as he shuffled through his i-Pod. Sol was to his right, sipping a soda as she idly flipped through some astronomy book. He simply furrowed his eyebrows together in surprise before shaking his head and returning to his music. Elijah was never the Einstein of his class, always being the one to crack jokes during tests or try to get a peek up the teacher’s skirt.

His average throughout high school had been a C at best, his thoughts, like most teenage boys, focused on everything but education. Elijah had spent the night before his SATS making out on the merry-go-round of a playground with Annalise Cooper, hitting the sheets somewhere between three AM and four, only an hour before he was due to wake up for school.

Needless to say, Elijah was never the academic type, and the military was an easy escape, if anything. But regardless, he was perfectly content with how he had turned out, and he wouldn’t change his teenage years for the world.

Elijah took a moment to nudge Sol once the song had ended, a tiny smirk tugging at his lips. “I’ve never seen you any more interested in something.”
She snickered, although a bashful expression plagued her features. “What can I say? Books from centuries ago interest me.”
“I was pretty convinced you didn’t have an intellectual side.”
“You thought I was stupid?”
“Just interested in other things.”
Sol rolled her eyes. “I’ll save the stupidity for you, Walker. But it’s actually called Galileo’s Daughter by Dava Sobel? The dramatic retelling? Man, did you do anything in school?”
“Besides screw around in the bathroom and sleep? I’d say nah.”

She scoffed. “I swear the pretty people of our society get it easy.”
Elijah pressed a hand to his chest, mouth popping open. “Talent got me here, darling. Looks is just a bonus.”
Sol craned her body to look at him, brows raising. “Are you telling me you haven’t had to screw anyone in your entire professional career to get what you want?”
“Hell no,” Elijah quickly retorted. “I’m offended, Sol.” He feigned hurt, before another smirk was bubbling through.
“Okay – revision of the question. Have you screwed anyone in your entire professional career for fun?”
“Now that’s not fair.”

She tried to contain her laughter, although it exploded through the once-quiet plane. “You’re such a manwhore. It’s honestly ridiculous.”
“How many girls have you slept around with then? I doubt your Mother Theresa.” Elijah chuckled before tugging out his ear buds.
“None of your business.”
“Now that’s a shame. I fessed up, so don’t be a pussy.”

Sol rolled her eyes, although she leaned into him closer, voice low. “Well, maybe over thirty.”
Elijah’s eyes widened, a look of amusement crossing his features. “That’s child’s play.”
“Not everyone can be the national sperm bank of women y’know. I like to keep a close circle. Now if you asked me how many times I’ve had sex, that’d be another story entirely.”
“Well then how many—“
“That’s all you’re getting today, Walker.” She removed her glasses, directing it at his chest pointedly, before facing frontwards again.

“I’ll save it for another day, then,” he teased, before pushing back in his buds.
“Pervert.”
“Just curious.”
“That’s the shittiest justification I’ve heard for the word.”
“I speak the truth.”

[/blockquote][/size]

[laura]

{name:Emma#|#picture:18}

Emma flitted about the hall, stopping once to talk to the mayor. She was a rounded lady, in her late 50’s, with greying black hair and a kind, worn face. Running the North’s biggest city couldn’t be easy.
Ryan walked with her most of the time, but when he didn’t, Emma found herself the subject of many men’s appreciating gazes. She found it oddly… exhilarating, being the focus of such heated stares. What a wonder a dress and a mask could do.
Maybe Emma would keep it on when she called Elijah later – if these men liked it, he would too, she was sure.

Emma stopped at the foot of the stairs to look up at the hologram ceiling above the hall. Small black and white butterflies flew across the starry night sky, dancing amongst themselves, bowing and bobbing toward the dancing couples, flowing through their heads and bodies like elegant little phantoms. No-one gave them any heed; too busy focusing on their footwork and their partners.
Just then, one ghostly white butterfly flew toward her. Emma extended her hand, smiling as it landed gracefully in the palm of her hand. She couldn’t feel it there, obviously, the small creature nothing but pixels and lighting, but Emma couldn’t help but value the one trace of beauty in that moment.

Here she was, at a charity evening for unfortunate children, a home that she’d once stayed in herself, dressed in clothes she never thought she’d wear, at a ball she’d never thought she’d go to… it was almost perfect.

Her finger tips twitched and the small ghostly white butterfly floated away above the crowd, once more joining the others in their own dance amongst the stars.
As she dropped her hand to her side, Emma felt the familiar burn of eyes on her. She glanced up, toward where the tall windows were set, looking out over the vast gardens, and found two men, idly chatting to one another.
One was looking in her direction; the younger one. While the other, a man looking as though he was in his late forties, centred his attention on the crowd.
They were both red heads.

The young man looking at her couldn’t have been any older than twenty or twenty-one, even with his mask on Emma could tell by his stance, the way he composed himself, his lean, tall figure, and the quirk of his lips. His suit alone, matching that of the older man, told her he was one of the higher class of the city.
In other words, more money than sense,

He looked away first, taking a sip of his champagne as he spoke to his companion.

Perhaps masks weren’t all that bad after all; behind hers, Emma felt hidden, and safe, almost.
“It’s oddly nice in here, isn’t it?” Ryan asked, walking down the stairs to stand behind her. “Like we’re miles away from D-79.”
Emma spared once last glance at the ceiling before looking at him. “I’ve always loved the power of holograms. They can bring anything to life, with a click of a button.”
“Mmm, even the dead,” Ryan mused, “Or so I’ve heard. Personally, I think its all nonsense. No one can bring back the dead, in any sort of form.”
He sounded almost wistful?
“Where did you hear that?”
“TechLab. Those are some interesting guys.” He shook his head then, his emerald eyes bright behind his plain black mask as he offered her his hand. “Shall we dance now? I do like this song.”

The calm, serene melody playing was a wonderful tune, Emma had to admit.
She slipped her hand into his, “Sure, I guess so, but I need to put my bag somewhere… it’s a pain in the ass carrying it around.”
“Here,” Ryan slipped the spaghetti string off her shoulder. “Amanda’s at the bar – has been for nearly half and hour now- I’ll give it to her to watch.”
“Uh, I don’t think-“
“Do you have anything valuable in there?” He asked.
“Not really. I didn’t bring money and it’s just my company cell, but-“
“If she breaks the cell or loses it you can just get another.” And with that, he vanished through the crowd and toward the bar, rejoining her less than thirty seconds later. “Done. Come on, before the song ends.”

[/blockquote][/font]

[Ange Keating]

{name:Elijah #|#picture:17}

The entire plane ride had been spent going back and forth with Sol, eating the stale airplane peanuts (mind you, the taste had only gotten worse but Elijah’s hunger forced the bad flavor away), and sleeping. He occasionally glanced at his watch here and there, seven turning into eight, and eight into nine. Finally the flight attendant was demanding they fasten their seat belts and prepare for landing. And as much as Elijah wanted to play it off chill, his fingers were practically twitching with excitement.

Hell, he was excited to see her. Elijah feared he’d get whiplash from the suddenness of his changing emotions.

But the buzzing of his phone in the depths of his pocket brought him back from his thoughts, fingers fishing for it as he pulled it out in front of his face. Elijah’s eyebrows slightly perked at the sight of Emma (and mostly Emma, because holy hell she looked breathtaking), wrapped in the arms of a dark-haired man concealed by a mask.

His first reaction could have been anger, if not for the fact he had remembered his last episode with jumping the gun. Flashes of the shattered glass spewed across a once crisp table spread instigated Elijah’s thoughts, and he shuddered subsequently. It could have—no, it had to be her partner. Emma wouldn’t dance with any stranger, wouldn’t ever let some completely random guy touch her. She had already had enough problems with that before he had come into her life. And in spite of her obviously letting her guards down a little more now, she’d never let that happen.

But an urgency ignited in Elijah’s stomach that very second, seeing the way his fingers curled around the small of her back, face dangerously close to her vivacious red curls as his lanky form leaned over. And then he pictured himself there, with his woman. The thought of any man being able to hold her like that and get so close, a man that wasn't him, bothered him way more than he was willing to admit.

Elijah had been wanting her since the day he boarded that plane, and being the selfish ass he was, he’d run over anyone that detoured his plans. He had no idea in hell what came next after getting off the plane, whether it was a night’s stay in a local hotel or getting his old room from Landry immediately, but he was positive he’d be at that ball, rightfully going for what he deserved.

Once the runway hit the wheels and the flight attendant was escorting them out, Elijah nearly rushed into the midnight of the Underground, keys dangling in his hand.

“What’s the rush?!” Sol shouted, dashing behind him. “I mean, we could definitely talk to Landry tomorrow.”
Elijah kept his jog brisk, sparing her a quick look. “What time does the ball end? I forgot Emma had told me about it being tonight. Some charity thing she was guarding for.”
She shrugged. “How would I know that? Why don’t you just call her?”
“Because she doesn’t have her phone,” he responded. It didn’t take a genius to realize the picture hadn’t come from Emma, considering she was the one in it, and there was no reason for anyone to want to take a picture unless—

Elijah’s jaw clenched, a mix of amusement and disbelief shadowing his features. Amanda? Of course. The bitch had and always would be psychotic, and for some reason, she was hell-bent on drawing a rift between the couple. Her 'schemes' were just getting repetitive now, and hell, if she was going to do this devious thing she might as well be good at it and not resort to the uninspired, childish ploys of the dumbass girls in high school that honest to God thought they shit gold. If he was in her position, he was one hundred percent positive he would've done a better job.

But Elijah couldn’t care less about that at the current moment. With Sol on his heel, he quickly moved towards a ticket booth, pushing past angry pedestrians before standing in front of a blonde secretary.

“Excuse me, do you know when the charity ball ends?” Elijah rapidly questioned.
She seemed taken aback by his urgency, but looked downwards at what he assumed was a paper laying on her desk. “Ten thirty, sir.”

He glanced down at his watch, ten o’ clock flashing in bright letters. Letting out a sharp curse, he continued out into the parking lot, pressing the button on his key bad as the bike materialized in front of him.

“Is this about her?” Sol raised her brows after jumping on the seat behind Elijah. He handed her a helmet before gunning the engine.
“Yes.”
“Why now? Why not tomorrow?”
“Because I can’t wait until tomorrow,” he quickly returned. “Do I look like the patient type?”
“Point taken.”

With one more glance at his watch, his bike shot up into the sky, taking on the highway. “We’re ten minutes away from the capital; I have the suit covered.”
“And your cove-up? It is a masked event.”
“There should be a costume shop open along the way.”
“You really love her don’t you?” Sol scoffed in mild disbelief.
“What do you think?” Elijah responded, an air of sarcasm in his tone. He hardly had time for manners, when something much much more important plagued his mind.

[/blockquote][/size]

[laura]

{name:Emma#|#picture:18}

”You look uncomfortable,” Ryan observed.
Emma looked everywhere but at his face. “I don’t like dancing, or crowds,” or being this close to you, she mentally added. She jumped into the dance with him, momentarily disregarding her no touching rules; now, however, she was paying the price for it. Emma’s skin prickled in every place Ryan was touching, even with the material of her dress between them she could still feel his hand resting idly on her hip.
“Do you want to stop?”
“Yes,” She answered quickly, before adding, “I’m sorry, I just…I’m not good at this. It’s been two weeks since I had proper, full on contact with someone and I forgot how uncomfortable it makes me feel.” Emma didn’t mention that the contact had been with Elijah, the only person she seemed to tolerate.

The thought abruptly depressed her. Emma missed his touches more than she’d ever missed anything else (not including the man himself, of course), and who knew when she’d get it again? Probably months, maybe longer…
Meanwhile, his lesbian partner was getting as much of him as she liked, which included fucking slumber parties. The bitch. Emma didn’t know her and she hated her.

“It’s a good thing there’s minimal touching in the formal dance then, right?” Ryan immediately dropped his hands from her. “Since you’ll be passed around to every man involved.”
A lump the size of a golf ball appeared in her chest, shooting its way up her throat. Passed around, well my, wasn’t that a pleasant way of saying it? By gods, more than anything Emma wanted to turn and run back to the safety of her apartment, call her distant boyfriend and fall asleep, forgetting about the day completely.
Why did the mayor need four of them to guard her anyway? There were no risks here, and even if there were, Emma was sure that Ryan and the two dragoons could handle it.

With that thought, a dainty chime sounded throughout the room, signalling 10:15, and that meant…
“Hello, everyone!” The mayor’s voice appeared from the front of the hall, echoing across the room thanks to the help of her microphone. “I would like to take the opportunity to thank you all for coming and for your generosity this evening. So far, we’ve raised a total of $18,458 for Angelica’s Angel’s. Isn’t that amazing? What a fantastic final night for me. I ask now that we finish off the night with a formal, traditional district dance – grab your ladies, gentlemen and enjoy the music,”

Couples moved to the dance floor, taking up their positions in a circle. Amanda dragged Nigel forcefully through the crowd, pushing Emma aside as she went.
“Ready for this?” Ryan murmured into her ear.
Ugh, why oh why did she have to do this? Couldn’t she watch instead?
As the mayor took her place on the floor with her husband, Emma answered her own question. No, she couldn’t watch; getting involved was the best way to guard the woman’s movements.
“Let’s do this already.”

Instead of touching her, Ryan ushered her to the dance floor by placing his hand onto the small of her back.
Emma barely got two steps before a tall, slim woman knocked into her, her long black hair pinned up into a ponytail.
“Ooops,” She grinned, shooting her a wink from behind her black beaded mask. “my fault, sugar.”
A frown instantly creased Emma’s brows. There was something oddly familiar about the dark skinned model wannabe… but what, she wasn’t sure.
The woman was gone before she could figure it out.

When the gentle hum of the orchestra started, Emma and the rest of the women in the large circle began their steps. She felt utterly ridiculous slowly stepping around Ryan in time to the music, her dress trailing behind her – holy hell, Emma prayed no one stood on it, that wouldn’t end well.
The music picked up as they met face-to-face once more and on cue, Ryan gripped Emma’s hips, lift and spun, placing her safely back onto the floor before he passed her onto the next man.

[/blockquote][/font]

[Ange Keating]

{name:Elijah #|#picture:17}

Elijah felt like God at that very moment as he dismounted his dark bike, adjusting the tie on his neck while Sol stood by his side. He had not only managed to fly across the country, but put together a decent enough outfit, all before ten-thirty. Even if fifteen minutes remained, the woman he had fervently been craving to see was only a few paces away.

Elijah hardly paid any attention to his partner by the time she was shuffling behind him into the building, which was a large metallic structure at least three floors above the city level. People, dressed in showy clothing, masks obscuring portions of their faces, entered and exited the building, ‘Angelica’s Angels Charity Ball’ flashing on a hologram overhead.

Sol glanced down at her phone. “How long will you need?”
“However long it takes,” he responded simply, tossing her the keys to his bike before adding, “I’m trusting you with my baby – head back to the hotel if you don’t find me after eleven.”
“I can’t believe your bestowing me with such an honor! Thank you, Elijah Walker, my highness,” she bowed slightly, although sarcasm danced in her dark eyes. “I’m heading over to the food table. Later.” With that, she placed the keys in her dark purse before shuffling to the eastern side of the room.

Elijah glanced around at the circular space, an older woman making a brief announcement about raising money for her charity, before the band was cued for a soft ballad, a district dance ensuing. Suddenly, pairs of two were wrapped in each other’s arms, sashaying from side to side systematically, meriting an eyebrow raise. From the sheer perfection of each set of feet moving together in near unison, he wondered if the dance had been practiced beforehand.

But pushing those thoughts away, Elijah was impatient sliding through the clusters of couples, in search for the red head – his red head. At first he didn’t see her, but then the swirl of the same white gown he had seen on his phone caught his eye, her crimson curls cascading down her chest in loose curls.

He didn’t have to intervene, her partner quickly moving onto the next at the cue of the announcer, Elijah quickly sliding into the previous man’s place. His fingers wrapped around her own, a surprised, albeit hushed gasp escaping her plush lips at the sudden male attention. Elijah snickered softly through his mask, pulling her close.

“Surprise,” Elijah murmured, leaning low so his mouth touched her ear lobe. He noticed the goose bumps prickle her skin, only causing his signature smirk to widen. "Now this couldn't be any fun without me."

[/blockquote][/size]

[laura]

{name:Emma#|#picture:18}

For a moment Emma was convinced she was hallucinating the voice in her ear, after all, he wasn’t here, he couldn’t be. She frowned when the hold on her hands tightened, dragging her close enough that her body was flush up against his.
The scent of him hit her like a freight train, the oh-so familiar musk tingling at her nose.
Holy, shit!

Emma stepped back, her head snapping up to look at him. Bright blue eyes shone at her through his black mask. “E-Elijah? You’re…here?”
"In the flesh," he teased.
With that, Emma hustled him out of the dancing circle, her hands moving up to cup his face. Warm solid skin, not a hologram. Excitement pounded through her system, making it hard to focus on anything other than the man standing, grinning like an idiot, beneath her hold.
She pushed his mask up, needing to see his face. “It really is you!” She exclaimed, unable to quite believe her own words. “W-Why are you… How are you…here?”
"So many questions," Elijah breathed with a smirk. "I'm here now, and I'll tell you the rest later."

Later? Yes, later.
“Forget that,” Emma breathed, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. “You’re back with me, and I really couldn’t give a shit about the details.”
She couldn’t quite believe what she was seeing – her Elijah, standing in front of her, wearing a suit and a mask, looking as happy as she felt.
"Even better," he murmured, his fingers teasing at a lock of her loose red hair.

Emma smirked, her cheeks aching from the force of it. She wanted to drag him to her, in front of all the other people in the room, and make him feel how much she’d missed him, how much she wanted him with her, right now and every other time after it.
His eyes were nearly burning into her skin, containing the same intensity that she felt.
“Are you going to stand there at stare at me all night, or are you going to kiss me already?” Emma asked, shifting his mask back into place. There was something incredibly sexy about this man as he was now; not a single other man in the room pulled off a mask half as well as Elijah did.

"You look stunning," he admitted genuinely before running a thumb along her jaw, "but your lips do look a smidge lonely."
Elijah bowed his head to meet her, pausing a breath away as she nodded her agreement. “Incredibly lonely.”
“Can’t make them wait another second longer then, can-“
She dragged him to her, closing the small inch of space between them, her fingers knotting into his hair as their lips meshed together.

The kiss was fuelled with so much needy hunger, Emma instantly felt like she couldn’t breathe. There was nothing gentle about it, and that was fine by her; she needed to feel his mouth harshly against her own, his teeth nipping at her lips, hands squeezing her hips tightly.
Elijah was actually there, with her, his kiss fuelled by all the love he had for her. It was staggering for her to comprehend.

When they finally parted, both breathy, Emma brushed her lips over his once more. “I love you,” She murmured. That was all she’d wanted to do from the minute he’d left her at the airport; tell him to his face, not over a computer screen, that she loved him. “So fucking much, Elijah.” Truly, madly, deeply… all that jazz.
He kissed her once more, obviously finding it as hard to stop touching her as she did him.
“You have no idea, Em,” He smirked against her mouth.

[/blockquote][/font]

[Ange Keating]

{name:Elijah #|#picture:17}

___

“Never thought I’d see the day where Emma Ward is sneaking me into her room,” Elijah teased, before having the breath nearly knocked out of him by the urgency in her lips, soon followed by body colliding with the mattress. She crawled on top, fingers twisted in his hair as she feathered passionate kisses along his jaw line, free hand starting at the button on his coat.
“Shut up and undress me,” she muttered, although the slightest hint of teasing danced in her otherwise frenzied tone.
Elijah was always the bastard to try and delay the moment as much as he possibly could, in spite of the need swirling in his chest as well.
“I always thought you were a fan of foreplay.”

She bit his cheek – bit it. Emma biting? Elijah never thought he’d ever witness anything hotter.

“Not now,” she breathed. “Christ, Elijah.”
He couldn’t help but allow the lightest snicker to flit past his lips, thumb running circles against the small of her back. “Maybe I should move across the country more often.”
Emma’s nails dug into his scalp, and he wasn’t quite sure if it was intentional or not. “My-My zipper, Elijah.”
“Right,” he murmured, although his smirk returned, dragging down the metal piece and allowing the bodice to loosen and reveal a dark-colored bra.

Emma momentarily moved to toss the large dress on the tile flooring underneath her bed before mounting him again, lips dangerously close to his before he pressed a finger to it, separating them.

“What about Ryan?”
“Why the hell do you suddenly care about others?” she questioned, brows shooting up, although she hardly gave him time to respond before snatching the dog tags around his neck, “Give me what we both want or I’ll strangle you with these.”
“You’re turning me on, love.”

Emma slid his wingtip blouse off easily, hips lightly gyrating against his. Elijah couldn’t help but groan in response; there were only so many things she could do to him before his plans of messing with her flew out the window. He didn’t have the will power to pretend whatever the hell she was doing felt like heaven on Earth.

It didn’t take them long to strip off the remainders of their clothes effortlessly, Elijah eventually grabbing her hips and switching their positions, reaching for his wallet and grabbing the silver package. Emma grabbed his hand, tearing off the top and pulling out its contents.

He then positioned himself between her thighs, lips grazing her hairline, before closing the gap between them.

[/blockquote][/size]

[laura]

{name:Emma#|#picture:18}

It was a little after 3am when Emma stirred, feeling hotter than she had in weeks. It didn’t take much guessing as to what it could be making her warmer; a small shift on the bed and Emma found that moving wasn’t half as easy as it should have been, her body draped in Elijah’s sleeping form, his legs entangled with her own beneath the covers, his arm wrapped around her waist and his face buried into her hair, his light breathing tickling the back of her neck. Was there a better way to wake up?
Emma smiled to herself before turning in his hold and snuggling herself deeper into his embrace.

“Elijah…?” She whispered, nudging him gently.
He didn’t so much as flinch.
Emma nipped at his chin, “Wake up, big guy.”
An incoherent grumble sounded. “What?”
“When do you go back?” Emma murmured, uncaring that he was half asleep.
"Never," he whispered.
“Never?” She echoed. “As in, you’re here… for good? To stay? With…me.”
"Mhm," Elijah breathed.
A grin burst out across her lips and she couldn’t help but kiss him. “You missed me.” Emma whispered happily, kissing him once more.
He grinned. "Are you gonna get all mushy over this? But yes, I did, love."
Mushy? Emma? Heck, yes. If being happy as hell meant she was going to be mushy, then that’s what she’d be.

Trailing a tender line of kisses across his chin, Emma eased him onto his back. “You love me so much that you couldn’t bare to be without me a second longer. Don’t try to deny it, I know it’s the truth.”
And boy, did Emma thrive on that thought.
“You’re the one that’s mushy, idiot.”
Elijah rolled his eyes although a smirk tinged at his lips. "Now you're just milking this."
“You didn’t deny it – good boy,” Emma moved over him, straddling his hips and resting her hands, palms down, onto his bare chest. “I’m glad you’re home.”
"Me too." His finger tips brushed up her legs, pausing at the curve of her hips.
A slow, cat-like grin shaped her lips as she stretched out over him. “I’m feeling too mushy to go back to sleep now.”
“You only have yourself to blame for that.” A low murmur of a chuckle sounded as his hands slid from her hips to give her butt a gentle squeeze.
“Are you going to help me get back to sleep, then?”
“What do you suggest? A game of cards? Monoploy?”

Emma shook her head and reached across to the bedside table, wear his wallet had been abandoned the night before. “I know one thing that will definitely work.”

****

“Landry just called,” Ryan said when Emma walked into the kitchen the next morning. He was nursing a cup of hot coffee as he regarded her carefully, in her normal bed shorts and Elijah’s shirt, that was a good three sizes too big for her. “He said, and I quote, ‘I know who’s in your apartment, and I want the fucking lot of you in my office by noon today. Get it? Got it? Good.’”
Emma yawned and flicked on the coffee machine. “That man needs to learn how to say please.”
“Damn…” A low whistle sounded from the coach, where apparently Sol had slept the night. It was in a disarray of blankets and pillows as she turned over. “Nice legs, Red. I’m starting to see what makes Walker so mad on you now.”
She frowned at the other woman. “Nice to see you with clothes on.”
Sol laughed heartedly. “Wish I could say the same thing.”

[/blockquote][/font]

[Ange Keating]

{name:Elijah #|#picture:17}

After eating a quick breakfast and getting dressed, the four of them were striding down the hallways, Elijah at the forefront. He had no idea in hell what to expect from Landry, or if he would be pissed off although he doubted it’d be the latter because, well, this agency needed him. The only thing he was probably in for was explaining why the hell he was back in D-79 and so abruptly, with a woman that had no true authorization to be inside of the building.

And Elijah hadn’t been too far off with his prediction.

“Can someone please explain to me what the hell is going on?” Landry questioned, leaning back in his chair before the four agents.
“Me,” Elijah teased, attempting to balance a pen on his nose before adding, “I decided the new agency wasn’t a good fit for me, so I’m back.”
“That much is obvious,” Landry responded, tone tense. “And what about her?” He gestured towards Sol.
He opened his mouth to speak, but she intervened.
“Sir, I actually came here to apply for a job. Not only would I be a phenomenal asset to your team, but my skills are definitely a force to be reckoned with. Isn’t that right, Walker?”

Elijah never kissed anyone’s ass, absolutely detesting it, but he found himself forcing a smile and nodding his head. “She’s a great agent, Landry.”
Landry didn’t say anything before glancing over to Emma. “Did you know of this?”
"No," She answered honestly. "Or maybe I did. I haven't decided yet."
Their boss sighed. “This isn’t a game, Ward! I’m trying to fathom all of this and I’m getting more lip than actual words.”

Elijah couldn’t ignore the fact he was mildly (hell, completely) confused. Why couldn’t he simply nod it off and give him his damn room back? It wasn’t like he was a scrub, far from it, so what the hell was up?

“Cutting to the chase, I want my room and my partner back.”
“And I want a job,” Sol intervened.
“I don’t even know why I’m here,” Ryan huffed quietly.

“Christ,” Landry pretended to rifle through some papers.
“Why are you acting like this is such a difficult decision?” Elijah questioned, removing the pen from his nose. “You already know I'm a hell of an agent.”
“It’s just—“ he paused, eyes downcast as he thought hard. “Sometimes being an excellent agent doesn’t compensate for one’s attitude.”

Elijah’s jaw almost dropped to the floor, but he kept it wired shut. “When has my personality ever been a problem?” So it was a crime to be confident in his abilities. Elijah must have missed the memo on that one. Seriously, was the man BS’ing him? Elijah could hardly believe anything coming out of his mouth, trying to mask his stunned expression.

Landry’s jaw clenched before he straightened up in his desk. “Do you want me to be straight up with you, Walker?” He didn’t wait for a response. “You’ve caused this agency harm and you’d be a complete idiot not to realize it. Jacob would have never murdered all those innocent people if you hadn’t come waltzing in through the door.”
Elijah had no idea why the words stung as much as they did. But in a flash his defensive side roared through, body springing from his chair. “So this is fucking all my fault, right? My fault that Jacob scouted me here without me knowing he was a psychopath that intended to kill everyone around me.”

Landry showed no sympathy. “Everything is a chain reaction, Walker. You killed Remiah, Jacob gets upset, he seeks you out without me knowing a thing, you arrive, he murders everyone and then tries to go for you. If your careless decisions didn’t fuck things up in your past, then it wouldn’t be affecting not only your future, but the severed futures of dozens of agents. Own up to your mistakes.”

Elijah felt the constriction in his lungs, followed by deflated anger even he couldn’t attempt and reignite. “I killed Remiah,” he muttered through a scoff. “That’s what you think.”

He almost felt nauseous, old feelings rushing back at once.

[/blockquote][/size]