((Hi all! Scribbler here.
So, this story may get a little steamy, seeing as its based off a dream I had and I'm like any red-blooded woman when it comes to Steve/Captain America and Thor. Also, the characters may get a little OOC, but I'm hoping to keep everything as normal as possible. My character is probably going to end up being a little teensy bit of a Mary-Sue, but come on, what character isn't. Elaine will have her flaws like any other person, I promise.
DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING. Except Elaine. And Hercules. And Maura. (aka please don't sue, I've got a dog to love on and a cat to be a slave to.)
Hopefully you'll enjoy my brain-child and please let me know what you want to see happen.))
Chapter 1
In which we meet our Main Lady.
Some people, when they get frustrated while on the job, slam their phones down in the cradle. Some grit their teeth and type furiously. Some stand up and take a lap around the office. All of these methods are usually quiet, so as to not disturb the peace. Some even take a bathroom break and take their frustration out by concentrating on ... well, pooping.
Some people, like Elaine Maddox of Camelot Insurance, preferred a more... violent approach. Such as slamming her head onto her desk, headset threatening to fall out of her ear, hands clenched in a fist around a pen and highlighter. Unintelligible noises fell from her mouth, along with a few curse words here and there.
Her co-workers, used to her antics, just peered over the tops of their cubicles and shook their heads at each other. Only one man braved the head-pounding woman and approached cautiously.
"Elaine?" the big black man asked softly," Everything ok?"
The strawberry blonde woman stopped hitting her head and let it rest on the desk, sighing as her hands loosened.
"Peachy-keen, Larry." she groaned. "Just learned I've got to stay late to process paperwork on some claims from the New York attack. And I've given myself a headache."
Larry relaxed and a slow grin spread on his face now that the head-to-desk session had stopped and she was speaking in full sentences.
"I've got some Ibuprofen somewhere in my drawers." He drawled. "I'll give it to you, but only if you promise to not to dent your desk again."
"You are a saint." Elaine lifted her head, and dark green eyes peered up at him through tousled bangs. Wincing, she lifted a hand and gently poked the reddening spot on her forehead. "I've really got to stop hitting my head." she grumbled.
"Maybe using a stress ball would help." a woman piped up from the adjacent cubicle, and Elaine looked over her shoulder at her. "Just sayin'. It helps me all the time." she grinned, tossing a brown ringlet over her shoulder.
"Last time I used a stress ball was in college." Elaine mused, using a pencil to tie her long hair back in a bun, then turned back to the brunette. "You know what, Maura, I just might. After I take something for my current headache." She added slyly, making both Maura and Larry laugh.
Taking the not-so-subtle hint, Larry left the cubicle, chuckling and shaking his head at the antics of his co-workers.
Winking at her friend, Maura lifted a hand to rest her chin on.
"So, any big plans for the weekend?" she asked, grinning at the droll look Elaine shot her.
"You mean after I get the claim paperwork done, finish painting my bedroom, wash the dog, do laundry and cook enough food to last me a week?" Elaine droned, "I may just shoot myself in the foot to avoid doing anything and finally get to relax on my two days off."
Maura laughed, drawing some appreciative glances from the men in the area, to which Maura smiled, running her fingers though her hair.
With her shiny brown hair curling naturally into ringlets and eyes so light brown they looked gold, not to mention a killer figure that was highlighted by the plain blue pencil skirt, creme blouse and sky high nude heels, Elaine struggled to not feel plain around her gorgeous friend.
There were some advantages to having a model-esque friend though. On the rare occasions that she actually had time to go out and have a good night, Maura never failed to get them into the hottest bars and clubs. On the other hand, if Elaine were ever to have a steady boyfriend, she'd constantly worry about introducing him to Maura, for fear that he'd fall head over heels in lust.
Maura, though she was a flirt herself, had promised Elaine many times that she would restrain herself if she ever got to meet Elaine's special someone, because she was that good of a friend and person.
To this day though, Maura had never had to hold back and Elaine had never the chance to worry about someone leaving her for her friend. It had been a long time since she was last in the intimate company of a member of the opposite sex.
"Come on, Essie." Maura whined, making even that look cute and not like a spoiled brat. "It's been how long since your last wild night of sex?" she asked, seemingly reading her friends mind.
"Five years and counting." Elaine told her, remembering the night with a grin. "Ah, good old college days." she chuckled, then paused. "And now I feel old. Thanks for that." Shooting a mock glare in Maura's direction, Elaine held back the smirk that wanted to appear when Maura rolled her eyes.
"Don't look at me, I'm only a year younger than you." Maura tutted, shaking her head. "You're only as old as you make yourself feel."
"That doesn't make any sense." Elaine muttered, dodging the sharp pencil thrown at her in return.
"I'm serious. You need a night you won't remember the next day." Maura retorted. "I'm leaving for a party tomorrow night at 8, and I can bring a plus one. You know where I live."
With that parting statement, Maura blew an air kiss and disappeared into her own cubicle.
Six hours later, and five of them after closing time, Elaine was ready to throw in the proverbial towel. Her feet hurt, her hands were cramping from all the typing, her eyes hurt from all the reading and she missed her dog.
Glaring at the last two forms, she shoved them under her keyboard with a sticky note to remind her to do them first thing Monday morning and slid her shoes back on. Triple checking to make sure her computer had saved everything and was shut down fully, Elaine turned off her light and made her way out of the office, waving to the cleaners as she left.
As she walked the few blocks it took her to get home to her small one bedroom apartment, she kept going back to the offer Maura made. It had been a while since she last went out and had a good time with Maura, and it had been a very long time since she ended the night in another man's bed. Hell, it had been almost just as long since she even kissed a man! (Last time she'd hung out with Maura, they'd kissed under the moonlight on a balcony. It would have been pretty romantic if they both hadn't been wasted and hadn't bust out laughing as soon as they'd parted.)
Smiling at the memory, she punched in the code to open the apartment lobby doors, waved to the doorman who managed a half-hearted one in return before going back to snoring again.
The smile fell off her face as she remembered exactly why she hadn't been with a man in five years. Rubbing her lower stomach through her clothes, Elaine shook her head and stepped into the elevator. She had the scar to remind her every time she looked in the mirror after a shower, and while the memory still hurt, it wasn't as painful as it once was. She didn't think about it all the time, but it was always there, waiting for the moment she felt low, ready to bring her even lower.
Once out of the elevator and standing in front of her door, the smile came back when she heard the excited barking from within her apartment. Unlocking the door and sliding in so the bouncing dog couldn't escape, she carelessly dropped her purse, keys and phone onto the waiting table and went to her knees, arms holding the wiggling dog who was desperately trying to cover his owner with gentle kisses.
"Hello buddy." she cooed, rubbing the brown ears, the color extending to around the dogs eyes, contrasting with the rest of his white fur. "Did you miss me? I bet you did, cuz I missed you too." she baby-talked, the happy dog yipping back.
Elaine didn't know why Pit Bulls got such a bad reputation. Her Pit, aptly named Hercules, was the sweetest dog ever, and he'd never even nipped at anyone. That didn't mean that he hadn't growled and showed his teeth, but only because he was protecting her from the evil dust bunnies and cruel wind-chimes.
Giving Hercules one last ear rub, she stood up and he sat down, tongue lolling as he panted happily, tail going a mile a minute as he waited. He knew what was coming next.
Walking to her bedroom, she dropped her clothes on the floor as she went, shoes getting kicked into the kitchen, skirt hung from the bathroom door handle and her blouse tossed into the corner of the bedroom. Shimmying into some leggings and tossing on an oversized tunic, she then went into the big bathroom and wiped off her makeup, pulling her hair from its pencil-held bun and trying it up in a high ponytail.
If she had to be honest with herself, the big bathroom was the main reason she chose the apartment, not because it was close to her work. It was easily the size of her bedroom with a huge tub that she was able to soak in on the rare occasion.
Grabbing the dog's harness from the drawer in the kitchen, she slipped on her running shoes and tucked her phone into her bra for safe keeping.
Whistling, she grinned as the 95 lbs dog pranced up to her, eager to go outside.
"Sit." she said quietly, and was pleased when Hercules' haunches dropped to the ground instantly. "Good boy!" she praised, sliding the harness on, tapping his front legs one after the other so he would raise his paws and step into the harness.
As was their nightly routine, Elaine and Hercules headed for the stairs to scale down the 15 flights of stairs that kept her legs toned on the way up and wiped out the last dregs of Hercules's energy after his run in the dog-park around the corner.
Since there wasn't anyone else around at this time of night, Elaine had no problems with un-hooking the harness from the leash and letting Hercules roam free. There was a tall fence surrounding the dog-park, woven with chain link so not even the smallest chihuahua could escape. As soon as she gave him the word, the big white dog took off, running in circles around her until he tripped, stumbled and then took off again, this time chasing a wandering leaf.
Elaine shook her head as she watched his antics, fondly remembering the first time she took him to the park, which was a week after she first rescued him off the side of the road. Finding a lone bench facing the area Hercules was cavorting in, she sat and turned her head up to the sky, lamenting the smog and pollution that kept her from seeing the stars she missed so much. She missed the stars almost as much as she missed human companionship. Sure, her last relationship was five years ago, but she'd had a roommate till she moved to the city a two years ago. Then, her roommate went and got married, prompting the move from the little rural city in Texas to the big city where she currently lived.
Sitting there alone on a bench at 11 o'clock at night, Elaine pushed past her worries and pulled out her phone, shooting a quick text to Maura.
"what's the dress code for the party?"
Before she could rethink her decision, she quickly hit send and took a deep breath, then turned the volume off, knowing that her text-happy friend was about to blow her phone up with happy faces and exclamation points for at least a few minuted before actually telling her the information she needed.
Maybe it was time to get back out and enjoy life to the fullest. Who knows, maybe her boring life would get spiced up enough so she'd have plenty of stories to tell to her grand-kids.
