Disclaimer: I own none of this. Unauthorized fan work, yada yada yada.
After leaving Elle and Warner alone to have their moment together when the trial ended, Emmett waited on the steps of the courthouse and joined Elle as soon as she came outside. He smiled tightly at her and said, "I suppose I should congratulate you."
Elle smiled back at him and said, "I couldn't have done it without you."
"Really? I thought I was in the way more than anything."
Elle laughed. "Of course not, silly!"
Emmett looked down at her hands. "So can I see it?"
"You were there; you saw the whole thing!"
"No, I left when Warner said he wanted to talk to you, remember?"
Elle stopped in her tracks. "Wait, is that what you've been talking about this whole time?"
Emmett had kept walking for a few steps; now he turned around and came back to her. "Yes. What have you been talking about?"
"The trial, of course!"
"So Warner didn't propose?"
Elle waved her hands, looking flustered. "No, he did, but . . ."
Emmett forced another smile. "So congratulations!"
Elle laid a hand on Emmett's arm. "Emmett, I turned him down."
Emmett stepped out of her grasp. "You did? But you were so cut up when he proposed to Vivienne last week . . ."
Elle tossed her platinum blond hair. "God, was that only last week? It feels like a lifetime ago. I've learned so much about myself since then—and so much about Warner. Emmett, he saw Callahan kiss me. He came in afterward and said I'd probably make partner soon, since I'd 'earned' it."
Now it was Emmett's turn to put a hand on Elle's arm. He looked shocked. "Oh my God, Elle, I'm so sorry," he said quietly before removing his hand.
Elle shrugged. "It's okay. I'm over it. Besides, even without that, I couldn't have accepted Warner. Not when . . ."
"Not when what?"
Elle ducked her head. "Not when I'm falling for you."
Emmett opened his mouth, closed it again, sighed, and then said, "Elle, I'll be honest with you. I'm in love with you. I've been falling for you since October. But would this be a good idea? There's a power differential not unlike the one between you and Callahan—"
"What Callahan did was wrong because I didn't consent, because he's married, and because the age gap is too wide. Besides, the trial's over, you're no longer my supervising attorney, and I doubt you'll be my TA anymore, because no way is Callahan keeping you around."
Emmett smiled tightly. "Still . . ."
Elle took his hand. "You want this, don't you?"
Emmett let out a breath and then said, "Yes. Admittedly, yes. Very much yes."
Elle went up on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek. "Then I think we can reach a verdict about this."
