A/N: So...I took something I have wanted to write with these two and a bunny planted by Sab and this is what I came up with. Not sure I did my or Sab's any justice but...I do hope you enjoy!
"It didn't mean anything."
Alicia sat at her kitchen island, chin resting on her hand and staring off into space as she replayed her conversation with John from earlier that day. It didn't mean anything. It was just…a moment. She was happy. She wanted to celebrate with someone. There he was. Perfect timing. Or was it? She jumped slightly when her phone buzzed next to her elbow. Glancing at the screen, she saw a text from Grace.
Safe inside at Shannon's. Are you sure you're okay by yourself?
Smiling, she picked up her phone and typed a simple reply, I'm sure.
Okay. Love you, mom. You did great today.
After typing a reply bidding her good night, Alicia placed her phone back down next to her and picked up her wine glass, drinking a hefty gulp.
"I don't have feelings for you."
She doesn't. No. She hardly even knows him. However, if she were being honest with herself, she did feel…something. Not just when she kissed him, either. Since John arrived at her door a few months ago, she has continually found herself intrigued by him. By all that she does not know about him. Yesterday, he told her she was amazing. Amazing. Okay, maybe he meant her kicking ass in a mock debate was amazing, but still. At a time when she felt completely…lost. Like a fish out of water. The most unconventional of occurrences is anything she does being labeled as 'amazing'. It was the furthest thing from what she felt…before he said that to her. Something about the way he leaned close to her, his breath on her cheek-
She looked toward her front door when she thought she heard something and shook her head when she was met by silence. Lifting her wine glass to her lips again, she stopped, positive that she heard a knock at her door this time. Who could that be? As she lowered her glass, she paused and glanced at it. Deciding she might need assistance in dealing with her guest, she stood from the stool she sat on and made her way to open the door, glass still in hand.
As she reached out for the doorknob, she stopped abruptly and pulled her hand back. "Please promise me you will not just open the door without checking who it is first, like you usually do." John's voice ran through her head. The possibility of rioting had everyone on edge and his genuine concern for her well-being did not go unnoticed by her. She felt the smile before it fully formed on her lips as she stood on her toes to look through the peephole. Gasping when she saw who stood on the other side, she stepped away from the door.
"Shit." She muttered. "What is he doing here?" Standing in the middle of her entryway, she glanced at her reflection in the mirror and shook her head. "What are you doing?" she asked herself. Stepping forward when he knocked again, she inhaled deeply and reached for the knob. Pulling the door open, she feigned surprise when she was met with his piercing blue eyes. "John…"
"I'm sorry. Were you sleeping?" he asked before noticing the glass in her hand and smiling. "I guess not."
She shook her head slightly. "What are you…?"
"Oh…um…you…" he took a breath to slow the words in his brain so that he could form a coherent sentence. "You…have an interview tomorrow. I thought maybe we could go over the topics that she will bring up so that you are ready to discuss them."
Stepping back, she opened her door wider, inviting him in. "More interview prep, huh?" she asked as she closed and locked the door before turning to face him. "I think I remember our last go at this pretty well. Don't cross my legs. Sit up straight." She walked around him and led the way to her kitchen. "Don't react emotionally. Don't say 'friggin'. Don't joke. Oh wait…" She turned and leaned against the counter. "That one was Eli."
He chuckled and nodded. "You know, usually I would take offense at your mocking me. But…" he smiled softly at her. "I'm just happy to see that I've left an impression."
"You always do." She replied softly as she returned his smile. Watching as he broke eye contact with her and glanced around her apartment, she grew curious. "John…is everything okay?"
"Is Grace asleep?" he asked her.
"No. She's at her friend's house for the night." Seeing him visibly relax before her eyes, she came to a realization. "There's no interview, is there?"
He raised his hand to stop her attempt to continue. "Before you get upset, I was just…worried."
Taken aback by his admission, she looked at him, confusion plain on her face. "Worried? About…"
"You." Seeing that she still didn't understand, he attempted to explain himself further. "I tried to go home but, with all that's going on…" He gestured to her muted television and the live news broadcast of the protests. "I…I…I just couldn't take my mind off of you and whether or not you were okay." He took in her silence and cleared his throat. "Okay…now that I see you are safe…I'll go now." He turned to leave.
Finding her voice, Alicia moved from her position against the counter. "John." Questioning him with her eyes when he turned to face her, she shook her head slightly. "Where are you going?" She didn't give him a chance to answer before she spit out her next question. "Why didn't you just call?"
He shrugged. "Phone died."
Nodding toward the counter next to him, "Charge it." she told him.
"It's okay. I'll do it when I get home."
"You're not leaving." He glanced at her, confused. "Then I'll be the one worrying. It's bad enough you'll be out there in harm's way, but with a dead phone?" She stared at him until he gave in and plugged his phone into her charger.
"Now, can I offer you a glass of wine? I could use some help finishing this bottle." She said, glancing at the island.
He smirked before replying. "I find it hard to believe that you would need any help finishing that."
She released a light laugh and looked at him thoughtfully. "You're not a wine guy, are you?" When he shook his head in response, she walked over to her refrigerator. "That's the problem."
"That I don't enjoy wine as much as you do?" he asked, a hint of amusement in his tone.
"No." She glanced at the bottles of tequila and scotch on her counter before turning her attention back to the inside of her refrigerator. "The problem is…" Making a decision, she grabbed a beer and closed the door, pivoting to walk back toward him. "I don't know much about you and you only know what you need to know about me. Let's change that." She held out the bottle to him, smiling with relief when he accepted it. "One point for me." Grabbing the bottle of wine, she gestured for him to follow her to the living room.
Tentatively, he followed, unsure of exactly what was happening. As she settled into the corner of the sofa, he eyed her questioningly. "Alicia…"
Looking up at him, innocently, she shrugged. "What?"
"This…I don't know…maybe this isn't a good idea." He stuttered.
"Why not?"
"You made your feelings pretty clear today…"
"As did you." She replied immediately, causing him to lock his gaze with hers. "And…even after I said those things today, you're here." She sighed, her gaze shifting downward. "We have to navigate our way through this, John. One way or another. So…" She paused and sipped her wine. "I would really like it if you would take off your jacket, open that beer and get comfortable so that I can get to know the elusive Mr. Elfman." She smirked. "Who knows? Maybe you'll learn a couple of new things about me."
He smiled and nodded once, acquiescing. Placing his beer on the coffee table, he removed his jacket and draped it over the back of her sofa. Peering over at her, he lowered himself onto the sofa, opposite of where she sat.
Glancing over at him, she pointed to his beer, prompting him to reach forward and pick it up. "I believe I asked you to get comfortable." she raised an eyebrow as she took in his stance, sitting on the edge of the seat. "I'm not going to bite, John. Unless you want me to." She widened her eyes and internally chastised herself when he quickly looked in her direction. "I'm sorry. That…" She shook her head and sipped her wine. Where did that come from?
Twisting off the cap of his beer, he took a gulp and sat back. "So...what do you want to know?"
"Hmmm..." she looked at him as she searched her mind for a neutral first question. "When is your birthday?"
He chuckled lightly before falling silent. Feeling her eyes on him, he looked toward her as she raised her eyebrows. "Oh. Oh. You were serious. I'm sorry. April. April 6th."
"Okay. Your turn." He looked at her surprised. "Yes. You get to ask questions, too."
He looked thoughtful as he took another swig of his beer before turning his attention to the bottle in his hand. "Well, since I already know your birthday..." He saw her head tilt to look at him, intrigued by what he'd just said. "Where did such a wine connoisseur develop such great taste in beer?" he asked, turning to face her.
Smiling softly, she glanced at the dark brown bottle in his hand with the familiar red label and closed her eyes as an overwhelming sense of nostalgia washed over her. Opening her eyes, she turned away and raised her glass to her lips, slowly sipping the red liquid inside. "I wish I could take credit for that." She finally replied as she shrugged slightly and looked at him with a small smile on her lips. "I had a good teacher." she whispered.
"Something tells me we're not talking about Peter." He voiced his observation.
"Where did you grow up?" she asked, promptly shifting the attention from herself.
"Alicia…"
"John…don't. Please."
Taking in the pleading look in her eyes, he nodded and answered her question. "A farm."
Struggling to contain her laughter, she shifted on the sofa, turning her body to face him and pulled her legs up under her. "And where was this…farm?"
He looked at her and chuckled. "Go ahead. Let it out." He shook his head when she feigned innocence. "Ohio. Actually, my family still owns it." He drank the rest of his beer and set the bottle on the coffee table. "I can take you there sometime; teach you how to milk a cow. Could bring in a lot of voters." He joked.
Shooting him a look of incredulity, she rose to get him another beer. "So, what would you say is your favorite childhood memory?" she called from the kitchen. "All of the ones I hold dear to my heart revolve around my dad and how he would go out of his way to spend more time with Owen and me when my mom was having one of her…moments."
"Really? I would have expected it to involve your mom." He heard her laugh.
"That's because you haven't spent that much time around her." She told him. "So… How about you?"
"Honestly? My years on that farm. Some of the best moments in my life happened there. That's why I left." His voice trailed off with the end of his reply.
"What do you mean?" She asked, walking back into the living room.
Sighing, he rested his head back and looked up at her standing next to him. "My mom died there." He replied softly.
"Oh, John…" Quickly, she walked around and sat beside him, her hand landing lightly on his knee. "I'm so sorry. I...I…"
Placing his hand on hers, he gave it a gentle squeeze. "Alicia…it's okay." He smiled in an effort to assure her. "It was a long time ago. I was 10. The memories were always overwhelming so, after high school, I left. Never went back."
Slowly, she lowered her gaze to his hand resting on hers. "Never?"
Fearing he'd gone too far, he slowly removed his hand and reached for the beer she'd placed on the coffee table. After he drank, he shrugged his shoulders and turned to her. "No. It hurt too much. My dad still lives there with his new family. But, I've never gone back."
Reaching for the bottle of wine, she refilled her glass before sitting back with it in her hand. "I understand that. My dad…I was an adult when he passed…with my own kids. But, it hurt like hell. Still does, sometimes. We never get over the death of someone we love, do we?"
He glanced at her when her voice faltered, sure that she was not referring to only her father. "No. I don't think we do." He replied, softly.
Taking in their close proximity, her eyes roamed his body discreetly. "Why don't you have a family of your own?"
Shrugging in response, he drank from his beer again. "Never had time to settle down."
"Give me some credit." He looked at her, confused. "Don't feed me the same crap you do everyone else."
"It's the truth. I never found the right person."
Leaning closer to look into his eyes, "You mean to tell me that in your entire life, you never fell in love with a woman that you wanted to marry and have children with?"
Turning to lock his eyes with hers, he shook his head. "I never said that. I did, once. At least I thought I did. But, I was wrong."
Alicia shook her head lightly. "I'm confused."
"I was married once." Her eyes widened upon hearing this. "It didn't work out."
"What happened?"
"That's not important." He replied, brushing her off.
"John…of course it is. What? Did you realize you preferred the bachelor lifestyle with all the girls?" she prodded.
He drank from his beer before answering. "Alicia…I…I would just rather not talk about it."
She raised her eyebrows and huffed. "Well, that's not fair. You know all-"
"Why did you stay married to Peter?" He cut her off, his frustration getting the best of him.
She quickly sat up, placing her glass on the coffee table and turned to face him. "Excuse me?"
"Hey…you want to know why my marriage failed? I want to know why you stood by a man who failed you." He replied, matter-of-factly. "You deserve…to be treated…so much better." He told her slowly, looking into her eyes. "Why did you settle?"
"I didn't settle." She immediately replied, never looking away.
"Enlighten me, then." He challenged. Sensing the tension between them, he turned away from her, finished his beer and stood from the sofa. "I think I should go." He said as he reached for his jacket behind her.
"That's probably a good idea." She replied quietly and rose from the sofa as he turned to leave. "Don't forget-"
"You know what? No. I'm not leaving." he turned back and rushed toward her. Tossing his jacket down, he reached out and pulled her to him, kissing her. Running his hand along her neck and through her hair, he pulled her closer, deepening their kiss. Breaking their connection, he looked down at her as her eyes fluttered open. "You…are not…the only one that can do that." He told her. "But, you are the only one who can claim that it doesn't mean anything."
She stared back at him, speechless. Before he had a chance to fully grasp what was happening, her mouth was on his, her tongue seeking out his own. Their hands fumbled with buttons and zippers at a hurried pace as they undressed each other while she moved them in the direction of her bedroom. Tumbling onto her bed, he paused briefly to revel in the sight of her lying under him, bathed in the moonlight that seeped in through her blinds. God, she's beautiful. Feeling her hands snake up his arms, he lowered his head and placed soft kisses on her neck as she wrapped her legs around his waist. The moan she allowed to escape her lips when he slowly entered her was all the encouragement he needed to continue.
Lying with her head on his chest, running her fingertips lightly across his skin, she finally spoke. "That…was not supposed to happen."
She felt him chuckle lightly. "I definitely did not expect it to. Especially not twice." He joked.
Laughing in response, her eye caught the scars on the left side of his chest that she'd noticed earlier. Reaching out, she placed her palm on his chest and gently ran her thumb across one of them. "How did you get these?"
Feeling his chest rise and fall as he inhaled and then exhaled, she feared she may have once again broached a topic he didn't wish to discuss. Only when she felt his warm hand rest on hers, stilling her movement, did she relax again.
"They are a result of my stupidity." He continued before she could question further. "Hard lesson learned as to why it's never a good idea to get on a motorcycle in a drunken rage." He ran his thumb across the top of her hand. "I swerved to avoid a head on collision. At least that's what I set out to do…and then woke up in a hospital after undergoing what ended up being a lifesaving surgery."
She raised her head to look at him. "John…"
"Just think…" He looked into her eyes. "If I weren't wearing a helmet, I probably wouldn't be helping you take over the world right now."
Smiling softly, she turned to glance at the two scars before meeting his gaze again. "Why?" she asked. "The drunken rage…"
Removing his other hand from where it lay at the small of her back, he caressed her cheek with his thumb. "She cheated on me, my ex-wife. That's why we divorced. Apparently, my job consumed more of my time than she was comfortable with. So, instead of talking to me about it, Erica decided that sleeping with someone else was the best way to handle it."
"Oh." It was all she could think to say. "I'm sorry."
"That I was wearing the helmet?" He asked, feigning offense. She tilted her head and glared at him as he picked his head up slightly and placed a soft lingering kiss on her lips.
Moving to lay her head on him again, she leaned forward to place gentle kisses on his scars before shifting her body even closer to his and resting her head on his chest. Smiling when she felt his hand return to its position on her lower back, she wrapped the blanket around them and draped her arm across his torso.
"It was Will." She shared, in a quiet voice.
"What?"
"The reason I have such good taste in beer?" she shrugged lightly. "He was my teacher."
"Will Gardner? Your old boss?" he asked.
"He was more than my boss." She whispered.
Hearing the sorrow in her voice, he gently caressed her back. "And not just a friend." It was more of statement than a question.
"No." Her reply was barely audible, but he heard it and decided not to ask any more questions, positive that she had just shared with him in a few words more than she ever intended to. Instead, he tightened his embrace around her and softly kissed her head, content to lay there with her in his arms.
Emerging from her sleepy haze, Alicia's brain slowly began to register the arm resting on her waist and the feeling of John's steady breathing on her neck. Attempting to turn her body around to face his without waking him, she shifted slightly. Feeling her move, he rolled onto his back and rubbed his eyes. Rolling on to her side, she eyed him until he turned to look at her.
"Sorry." She whispered. He furrowed his brows in confusion. "For waking you."
"Only a fool would be upset to be awoken by you." He assured her as he looked around them. "It's morning." He told her.
"A fact I am fully aware of." She replied, amused.
"My staying the night was not supposed to happen."
Releasing a soft chuckle, she moved closer to him. "Seems we have a knack for that…doing the opposite of what's expected. I think I kind of like it."
"Oh yeah?" She nodded and leaned forward to gently press her lips against his as her fingers started a slow descent along his chest. Wrapping his arm around her, he struggled to contain the reaction his body was having to her touch. "At the risk…" He flinched when she reached his upper thigh. "…of living the rest of my life with regret over ruining this moment. We should probably talk about…this."
Slowly sliding her leg along his, she smiled when she saw him bite down on his lower lip. "That's not exactly what I had in mind." She replied in a low voice.
"I…I…" he cleared his throat. "I see that." Giving in to her, he grasped her thigh and maneuvered his body atop hers. She gripped his hair as he leaned down and gently nibbled on her neck. Halting when he heard her doorbell, he raised his head slightly to look at her. "Are you expecting someone?"
Glancing in the direction of her bedroom door, she shook her head before turning back to him. "No, I'm…not." Placing a quick peck on his chin to divert his attention back to her, she wrapped her leg around him. "Don't worry, whoever it is will go away."
Just as he placed his mouth on hers, the doorbell sounded again, this time followed by a series of loud knocks. "I don't think they're going anywhere. They seem pretty persistent to me." She groaned in annoyance as he removed himself from between her legs. "You should go answer it. It could be important."
"Whoever it is better have a damn good reason." She complained as she stood and quickly put her robe on, securing the sash tightly around her before storming out of her bedroom.
"Alicia, make sure you…check to see who it is before…" he sighed and lay back, closing his eyes.
Quickly unlocking the door, she grasped the knob and pulled it open, her eyes widening when she faced the person on the other side.
"Eli!"
John bolted upright, his eyes wide.
"What...what are you doing...here?" She stuttered.
"Alicia, we have a problem." Eli told her as he tentatively moved forward, requesting permission to enter with his eyes.
Quickly glancing behind her, she turned to face him again. "Can this wait, Eli? I..."
"Of course it can't. Why else would I be here?" He asked, exasperated.
Reluctantly, she stepped back, allowing him to enter. Walking further into her apartment, Eli trailing behind her, his attention on his phone, her eyes quickly scanned the living room and the trail of clothing leading to her bedroom.
"Coffee?" She asked, quickly turning to her kitchen before he could reply.
"Um...sure." Finally looking up from his phone, he followed her, never taking notice of the mess that lay before him.
As she busied herself preparing the much needed brew, she tried to calm her nerves and avoid bringing attention to the situation that lie within her home at the moment. "So...what's this problem that warranted you showing up here so early?"
"Have you seen the news?" He asked.
Turning to face him, "Really, Eli..." She raised her arms and shot a look in his direction. "Do I look like I have?"
"Right. Well...apparently..." He stopped mid-sentence and turned his attention to his phone again. "I need to get Elfman on the phone. God forbid I step on his toes again when it comes to you." He said, rolling his eyes as he raised the phone to his ear.
Before she had a chance to react to what he'd just said, a series of loud jingles echoed through the room, startling them. Simultaneously, they turned in the direction from which the sound was coming, Alicia's eyes widening in horror as realization sets in when it continues. Eli removed his phone from his ear to glance at it, before turning his attention back to the one that sat on the counter, charging. Unable to move, Alicia closed her eyes, silently wishing this was not actually happening.
John quickly jumped up from her bed and looked around for his clothes, silently cursing when he realized the only article in her bedroom was his underwear. Pulling them on as he rushed out of the room, he found the rest of his clothing strewn about her living room.
Eli walked over to look at the screen of the ringing phone. Seeing his own name flashing up at him, his eyes widened and he quickly turned on his heel to face Alicia.
"Alicia..." Eli choked out. "Why...why..." He looked at his phone again, pressing the 'end' button to stop the ringing. "That is..."
They both turned toward the living room when they heard a soft thud to see John standing in the middle of the room, wearing just his underwear, the remainder of his clothing sat bundled in his arms.
Eli's eyes widened even more as he quickly turned away. "Alicia...why is there a half naked Elfman standing in your living room?" He hissed. He glanced at her when she did not immediately reply and she took the opportunity to shoot him a look that said he knew very well what was going on.
"You can turn around now, Eli. I'm dressed." John teased. Alicia looked at him and shook her head slightly, suppressing a smile.
Slowly turning to face them, he glanced at Alicia, who continued to avoid eye contact and then to John, who met his gaze straight on and raised his eyebrows, questioningly.
"How long?" Eli asked, shifting his gaze downward. Before, either could inhale a breath to answer, he looked up and faced John. "When you called her your girl I didn't realize it was in the literal sense!"
Alicia's attention quickly shifted from the stain on her countertop to the men standing before her as her eyes quickly darted from Eli to John, tilting her head as way of a request for further explanation.
"That is not how..." John started to defend his words, only to be cut off by Eli.
"How. Long.?" He repeated his question through gritted teeth.
"I don't think that's any of your business." John immediately replied, shrugging his shoulders when Eli glared at him before turning his attention to Alicia.
Rolling her eyes, Alicia turned to glance at the clock on the wall. "About...12 hours?"
"Give or take a few months."
They both turned to face John, who smirked when he saw Eli's eyes bulging as he struggled to form a coherent reply.
Sighing, Alicia shook her head. "John, don't." She told him before turning back to her original task of preparing much needed mugs of caffeine.
"I'm kidding, Eli. Breathe." Gesturing toward the stool in front of him, "Maybe you should sit down." He watched as Eli took the seat he pointed to.
"This is because of Peter and Ramona, isn't it?" He asked, quietly. "You're getting back at him."
John peered over at Alicia, seeing her halt her movement and inhale deeply before turning to face Eli. When he saw the fire in her eyes, one that was very different from the one he witnessed the night before, he felt a slight twinge of pity for Eli.
"No, Eli." She started, her voice even. "Contrary to what you may believe, the world doesn't revolve around Peter. My world certainly doesn't revolve around him." Placing her hands on the top of the island between them, she continued. "Furthermore, I do not need to explain my actions to you or anyone else for that matter."
Fully aware that any attempt to continue questioning her would prove pointless, he nodded slightly in response before turning his attention back to John. "Is this what you meant by 'loving your candidate'?" He asked him.
Interested in his reaction, Alicia glanced at John, immediately noticing his jaw clench with tension.
"If you are insinuating that I make it a habit to sleep with my candidates, I'll have you know that I've never done so before. Actually..." He glanced at Alicia before looking at Eli again. "I've never been tempted to until...you...had me come here to discuss my taking on Alicia's campaign."
A wave of horror swept over Eli's features. "Oh God. You're right." He leaned forward on his elbows, dropping his head into his hands. "This is all my fault." They heard him mumble. After what seemed like several long minutes of silence, he raised his head again and stood from the stool. "I need some air." He muttered, turning to leave.
"Wait, what was the problem you came here to talk about?" Alicia asked.
Turning back, he looked at them, defeated. "The press is making a big deal about your not being with Peter while he tried to calm the protesters last night." He shrugged, slightly. "We should probably..." He waved his hand around. "...come up with something." He inhaled deeply, looking up as he exhaled. "Let's meet at headquarters in an hour." He told them before turning and making his way out of her apartment.
Hearing the door close behind him, John turned his attention to Alicia. "I wasn't lying about the few months thing. But, I never planned on acting on my feelings. I respect you too much to ever risk you thinking that I was taking advantage of your...arrangement."
Alicia nodded once before meeting his gaze with her own. "Guess I did us both a favor by making the first move, huh?" She joked, smiling when he chuckled and nodded in agreement. "One more thing, though." He urged her to continue with his eyes. "When, and why, did you call me your girl?" She asked, a very visible smirk on her lips.