Room 528, Thursday Morning

[icecoldfrost]

After her spa trip the other day, Emma had come home to find a large envelope with her name on it, and Hank's clumsy printing on the outside.

Now she sat at her desk, considering the contents and accompanying note with an evil little grin on her face.

party is monday. send this back to me fast so it can go where its supposed to go. bee careful. -- H

"Hank, I love you," she breathed, turning over the invitation to Ben Nishimura's charity gala in her hands. The man had proved infinitely profitable once before, with what she had gleaned from him at Cumberland's birthday party, and this definately held promise. "For this, I might just kiss you."

Humming happily, she skipped over to her closet, pulling out a small box filled with stationary supplies and setting to work.

Practice the lettering, first. Then match the paper and inks properly. By the time of the party, Emma was going to have an absolutely perfect match, and no one would ever know it was fake.


[Open door and open post! That Emma got a package is totally FB, the any mentions that she's a total delinquent and is committing forgery is NFB.]

Comments

[icecoldfrost]

The comment about 'difficult women' got a snort and a lighthearted swat at his arm.

Although Emma was hardly denying the charges.

"I don't rely on my powers for everything," she teased instead. "Why waste the energy? Big parties and galas are exhausting, and my powers were initially sporadic and required a lot of effort. I learned how to do this just to save myself the migraine from pushing too hard, too fast."

[bitten_notshy]

Jack looked alarmed, though he understood her logic perfectly. "Do you still get migraines, Emma?"

[icecoldfrost]

"Not quite as often," she answered, which was still a 'yes', but one meant to reassure him. Emma didn't like seeming weak or fragile, but she wasn't going to lie to him about it. "It gets tiring, trying to keep you all out, or to sort through the noise to see what belongs to who."

[bitten_notshy]

Jack felt a stab of sympathy at that.

"I'm sorry," he offered, knowing those weren't exactly the right words. "If there's any way I can give you a quiet space, I will."

[icecoldfrost]

"Being around just one or two people at a time helps, it gives me something to focus on; helps block out the rest of the din," Emma said, reaching over to give his hand a squeeze in silent thanks. "And you aren't 'loud', not like some of our other compatriots."

"Which probably sounds utterly ridiculous, but there you have it."

She wasn't going to outright say 'I like you as a person and your mind is comforting,' that would make her sound like some sort of idiotic simpering girl.

[bitten_notshy]

"Well," Jack said, squeezing her hand back, "you can come be alone with me almost anytime."

Which meant he liked her as a person too.

"I should have more free time," he added. "I'm always happy to see you, but I've no classes all week, and Rose has gone home."

[icecoldfrost]

"Careful, Mr. Priest, that almost sounded scandalous," Emma replied in mock horror, pressing her other hand to her heart. "An entire week of free time, not studying anything, and you invite me to be alone with you anytime? I'm already spiriting you away for nefarious purposes for an evening; what will our peers say?"

[bitten_notshy]

"I can't imagine our peers caring, sadly enough," Jack said. "It's terribly hard to scandalize them, have you noticed?"

[icecoldfrost]

"You just have to find the right ones," Emma replied with a sigh. "I'm rather sure every time I breathe, I manage to scandalize Jeannie."

[bitten_notshy]

"The cute redhead who dates Mr. Capulet?" Jack -- who made it his business to notice such things -- asked. "Why does she find you less than charming?"

[icecoldfrost]

"The clueless redhead that he's trying to catch? Yes. 'Our powers are dangerous, I should exercise restraint, our gifts are to help people,' and so on and so on," she answered, rolling her eyes.

"Don't get me started on the face she makes when I smoke."

[bitten_notshy]

"Sounds dull," Jack observed. "Could you just decide you don't care what she thinks?"

[icecoldfrost]

"I could," Emma admitted, smirking at him. "But what fun would that be?"

[bitten_notshy]

"Not nearly as much as mocking her," Jack guessed, and reached a hand to rest on her stomach.

[icecoldfrost]

"I'm not mocking her," she murmured, giving him a coy glance from under her lashes. "I'm furthering her education."

[bitten_notshy]

A slight smile touched Jack's face, and he laughed. His hand started tracing circles on her belly.

"Emma, the first time I kissed you, we ended up fighting," he said carefully. "The second time, you didn't wake up."

"My very important question is if we should try for a third."

[icecoldfrost]

Emma tilted her head as if she had to think about it.

"Well, they say third time's the charm," she pointed out, "and I heard a rumor that you're good with difficult women."

Her casual nonchalance on the subject was probably shattered by dropping the invitation and its clone off the end of the bed as she moved to straddle his lap, intent on kissing him properly.

[bitten_notshy]

That was more reaction than he had expected, but he didn't fight the kiss. His hands went to rest on her hips and his lips met hers.

His mind was blissfully gone.

[icecoldfrost]

Emma's mind was not gone; she was keeping a careful eye on it, thank you, since she didn't want it to go wandering where it wasn't welcome.

...maybe half-an-eye. His kisses and the weight of his hands on her hips were both very distracting.

[bitten_notshy]

He deepened the kiss more, walking one hand up her back to bury it in her hair.

"Nothing's gone wrong yet..."

[icecoldfrost]

"If you just jinxed us, I am going to be cross," Emma murmured, nipping at his lower lip playfully before getting pulled back into the kiss.

[bitten_notshy]

"Does this feel like a jinx?" He moaned softly, pulling back, and tilted his head to nibble at her ear. His hands were creeping under her shirt.

[icecoldfrost]

Emma gasped, eyes drifting shut and neck arching to give him better access.

"No," she whimpered in agreement, her own hands moving to loosen his shirt enough so she could slide her fingers against his skin. This would be much better with fewer clothes in the way. "Feels wonderful. Don't stop."

There was... something. Some thought in the back of her brain, and it was important, but Emma couldn't recall what it was right now.

...possibly because Jack kept doing that to her ear, and she needed to squirm in his lap some more.

[bitten_notshy]

The squirming caused a predictable physical reaction, and Jack squirmed back against her, then laughed and threw his head back to expose his neck.

Subtle, like the hands that were pulling her shirt free now. Which was to say, not subtle at all.

[icecoldfrost]

No, not subtle at all, and the moment they were both at least mostly-free from their shirts, Emma leaned in to kiss and bite his neck, even as her hands slid over his chest and --

-- through half-lidded eyes, she could see that the door was open. Crap. She knew that they'd forgotten something.

"Jack? Door," she muttered, pressing a kiss to his throat in apology even as she groped for her shirt...somewhere. Where had they thrown it? "You totally jinxed us."