Title: The Mixtape Series
Rating: PG
Ship: Blake/Doris [GL]
Disclaimer: All characters belong to CBS et al. I'm just having fun with the bestest couple that never was!
Summary: Sometimes it's the most common moments that change our lives.
AN: I just stumbled onto an old backlog of Blake/Doris fics posted on another comm ages ago and I just wanted a copy to keep :)
.
~*~
"I don't care if forever never comes
'Cause I'm holding out for that teenage feeling
I'm holding out for that teenage feeling"
- Neko Case
~*~
Doris was frustrated.
She was fed up of the four walls of her office, of her house, of her car and even of the empty courtrooms she would sneak into to think sometimes.
Truth be told, she was fed up with herself - everywhere she went, there she was.
Alone.
So that Tuesday night she gathered her papers and her laptop and made her way over to Company and settled down into a booth near the back and began to work. Here she didn't feel quite so lonely... why was that? She wondered as she raised her blue eyes over the paperwork for some useless bylaw and found the wind knocked out of her by the eyes of a smiling Blake Marler. Familiar, adversarial and suddenly brand new Blake Marler whose smile shifted slowly into a smirk as she poured two cups of coffee and made her way over. Suddenly Doris Wolfe felt something deep and unsettling in her stomach, her mind raced to put a name to the feeling and it wasn't until the other woman sat down before her that she knew what it was:. Butterflies.
Blake Marler, the town gossip was giving her butterflies.
A slight rush rose to her cheeks as Blake slid the cup of coffee across the table towards her. "Looks like you could use a break," she smiled, green-blue eyes twinkling, "I know I could, I was getting tired just watching you."
"You..." Doris cleared her throat for a moment, "You were watching me?"
"Nothing else to watch." Blake teased, raising the coffee to her curved lips. Doris took a quick glance at the place, it was indeed nearly empty... Nothing but a few college kids lingering over their books and their cold cups of coffee, like her. Blake snatched the forgotten bylaws from in front of her and began to peruse it. "Riveting stuff, isn't it?" Doris asked, somehow both afraid of the return of Blake's gaze and eagerly awaiting it.
"Doesn't it bore you?" The strawberry blond in front of her asked, placing the papers down.
"It does, actually." Doris admitted, shocked that someone actually asked.
"Why do you sound surprised?"
"I - it's just no one's ever actually asked before."
"Well," Blake stretched, extending her arms over her head and arching her back. "I'm asking now..."
Doris swallowed hard as she tried not to notice the soft curves of Blake's body pressed against that t-shirt. If anything there should be a bylaw against hiding anything that spectacular under something so...drab. As the butterflies in her stomach dropped lower, Doris crossed her legs tightly and shifted in her seat. "Asking what? I'm sorry Blake - I was..."
"Distracted." The woman teased, lightly touching Doris' hand which was fidgeting on the table. "You look busy - I should probably let you get back to work."
"No, it's not that, it's just..."
"Don't worry, I'll stop by before you leave again...Besides," Blake rose from the table, her hand still gently holding the other woman's as she bent down and leaned in, close enough so that every square inch of Doris' body tingled to life taking in the scent of the other woman's scent. "You're the only person I can talk to about Natalia and Olivia." Blake rose, finally releasing Doris' hand and walked away... It was then and only then that Doris realized she had forgotten to breathe.
This wasn't good.
The butterflies. The curves. The breathing (or lack thereof).
The Blake.
In fact, this was anything BUT good.
But, Doris thought as she raised the cool cup of coffee to her lips and re-crossed her legs as she watched Blake's hips sway as she walk away, she was most definitely a different kind of frustrated. The kind of frustration she enjoyed.
.
~*~
I would go out tonight
But I haven't got a stitch to wear
This man said "It's gruesome that someone so handsome should care"
- The Smiths
~*~
Blake Marler knew a lot.
She knew more secrets than Father Ray; she knew more lies and more truths and more comings and goings than anyone else in Springfield.
What she didn't know was what just happened at Doris Wolfe's table. One moment they were chatting about the dull mundanities of Doris' work (and really, she would NEVER complain about another day of editing a manuscript after skimming those parking lot bylaws) and the next she felt the blue eyes of the mayor take in each and every swell and curve as she stretched. And it had been so long since anyone had looked, let alone cared that Blake only felt the teeniest bit bad about holding the stretch a little longer, enjoying the attention and the blush that spread against the other woman's normally pale skin.
Maybe it was knowing Olivia and Natalia's little secret, or maybe it was just something in the water - but suddenly it seemed women in Springfield were a little more...gay than usual. Blake smiled as she walked away, feeling the icy blue eyes of the other woman following her, remembering what it was like to see Doris' body freeze as she leaned in to whisper in her ear.
Blake began to close down the bar, her body working automatically, letting her mind wander where it would. It wasn't that she hadn't thought about another woman before. When she was 13, she and her best friend Chrissy would practice kissing on their arms until they realized that they could just practice on each other. And she'd seen The L Word once or twice - she knew what was what. It was just that 10 minutes ago she hadn't given a passing thought about Doris Wolfe. And now she was all she could think about. Doris, and those eyes, and that voice. Once she got her out of that hideous jacket, of course. Thank goodness there wasn't a hat that went with that outfit! Blake giggled to herself as she glanced behind her only to find the normally brash woman quickly avert her eyes, embarrassed at being caught.
Blake tossed a quick wink to the mayor as she returned to her work. The few remaining customers trickled out until all that was left was Doris and herself. Blake began to close out the till, piling the cash in neat little piles on the bar as she watched the other woman from the corner of her eye slowly gather up her paperwork and slide them into her briefcase.
"You don't have to leave." Blake called out, counting the cash.
"Excuse me?" Doris asked, making her way towards Blake and the bar.
"I was saying you didn't have to leave just yet. You could stick around. Keep me company?"
"I, ah. It's been a long day." The mayor stammered, unsure of what was going on or where this was going.
"It has. We should probably get you a drink."
"That might be nice." Doris admitted, "I know somewhere we could go?"
"I would go out tonight," Blake sang along to the song playing softly in the background, "but I haven't got stitch to wear."
"You look, ah, fine."
"Just fine?" Blake teased, stacking up the piles of cash. "You sure do know how to flatter a woman, Doris!" Blake laughed as she locked the till and began to shut off the lights. "No, I think I'd rather not go out tonight, especially if all I look is fine."
"Oh." Even in the dark Blake could see the disappointment in Doris' face as she led the other woman out the front door.
"You should probably come over instead. I'll see you there in a half hour?"
"A half hour?" Doris asked, confirming both the time and that this was indeed happening.
"A half hour." Blake repeated, taking in the adorable look on Doris' face. She bet it had been years since anyone had used the term adorable in relation to Doris Wolfe, but it was indeed what she was right here and right now. Adorable.
The women split up at the parking lot, each to their own cars - and it hit Blake what she was about to do. She was about to seduce the mayor of Springfield for no other reason than it had been a slow night and she was bored. This was why Blake liked to be kept busy - because left to her own devices, she would only get in trouble.
And if she had her way, she would soon be getting in trouble with the surprisingly attractive Mayor Doris Wolfe.
Because if Blake knew a lot - she was sure she could learn more from Doris.
Lucky for Doris, she was a quick learner.
.
~*~
You know she's waiting,
Just anticipating,
For things that she'll never,
Never, never, never possess, yeah, yeah.
But while she's there waiting without them,
Try a little tenderness.
- Otis Redding
~*~
The evening was nowhere near as scary as either woman suspected.
Blake had rushed home and took a quick shower, trying to scrub the smell of Company off of herself and slipped into a clean pair of jeans and a button-down shirt... with a few extra buttons undone. Women, she suspected, were a little more aware of manipulations and she would have to be a little more subtle when it came to Mayor Wolfe.
Doris, for her part, raced home where she touched up her make-up and made sure to grab a nice bottle of white wine from her collection. Red, she felt, was too formal and too heavy for the warm summer night.
When she reached Blake's house she thrust forward the bottle as an offering and the night progressed from there. Both women found themselves comfortably curled up on opposite ends of the couch, their wine glasses now empty and dry. They began to talk about their differences, then moved towards the local town gossip, then towards their children and then finally themselves. With each new story, Blake's hand lingered longer and longer on Doris', her eyes seemed to look up through the deep, dark fringe of lashes, her laugh seemed to get lower and lower until Doris had no choice but to ask: "Blake," Doris began, pushing herself deeper into her couch cushion "are you... Are you coming on to me?"
"Only if it's working," Blake responded, leaning closer to Doris. "But it *has* been a while, I may be a little rusty." she flashed Doris her patented smile - wide and bright and with just a little bit of a head toss to shake her pale red hair.
"I should go..." Doris stammered, trying to dig herself out of the couch cushion she had just spent moments pushing herself into. Doris Wolfe could and would seduce most women without a second thought - a little bit of self-deprecating humor, a little leg, and killer blue eyes went a long way with women as well as with voters. But sitting here with Blake Marler, crosslegged on the couch and chatting like teenagers, the same butterflies in her stomach as were there 25 years ago, sitting in Alison Wilson's rec room in 1984 - it was all a little too much for the cunning mayor. She could barely contain herself back then, now, with 25 years of frustration and tension and attraction building up, there was little she could do but grab the other woman or get up and walk out. As she found the strength to stand, the look on Blake's face shifted from flirtacious to confusion. "Doris? I'm sorry-" she began, rising to stop the other woman. Suddenly she was confused - she found herself actually caring about Doris Wolfe and there was an inexplicable desire to keep the other woman here, with her. "I was just teasing, I'm sor-" and before she could get out the end of the word, Doris turned on her heel and roughly grabbed the other woman's by the back of the head and pressed their lips together.
There was, Doris was surprised to discover, no pushing or struggling from the redhead in her arms - just a little sigh, and lips parting and tongue darting and hands roaming her hair. After a moment, both women came up for air, cheeks flushed and lips bruised and overused, unaccustomed to such forceful activities. "Well," Blake whispered, her voice huskier than before, "Remind me to tease you more often!"
"I should go," Doris began, turning around and picking up her purse from the table. She turned around to say goodbye to Blake and stopped short when she saw the other woman still standing, giggling at her. If there was one this Doris hated, it was giggling, especially when it was at her.
"What? What is it?" she barked out, feeling akward and uncomfortable by the other woman's laugh. Blake simply pointed to the mirror hanging behind Doris' head, where Doris caught sight of herself, her hair sticking out of her bun every which way like a modern Medusa.
"I'm sorry," Blake began, moving towards Doris, "I may have been a little too eager." She moved in front of the other woman and reached her hands up, not disregarding the fact that Doris flinched slightly at her touch. Softly, Blake took out the few remaining hair pins and elastic that kept Doris' hair so neat and prim. Next, she ran her fingers through the soft brown waves, breaking them down and taming them. She could feel Doris' gaze on her, she could feel the breath the other woman held. She could also feel the currents radiating from their bodies, she could smell the crisp scent of Doris' perfume, and hear the silence all around them. "There you go. All done." She smoothed the last piece of hair down and gently turned the other woman around to inspect herself in the mirror. There they both were - Blake was struck with how beautiful Doris was in this light - it occurred to her that not many people had a chance to see Doris like this, undone and unguarded. Doris for her part was struck with how... right that image of her and Blake seemed, and it was because of that overwhelming sense of rightness that she had to leave.
Now.
Purse still in hand, Doris quickly turned and marched out of Blake's house and towards her car.
.
.
Though it's cold and lonely in the deep, dark night
I can see paradise by the dashboard lights
- Meatloaf
~*~
Blake knew the reputation she had: flighty, gossipy, and inconsequential. She also knew that in addition to all those things she was smart - and standing in her living room, watching Doris walk out, every fiber of her body told her to go after that woman. Besides - it had been entirely too long since she had a kiss that... That... That... Wow.
She quickly slipped into her shoes (cute little white canvas wedges, thank you very much) and raced out the house. Rather than seeing the taillights of Doris' sedan racing off she was mildly surprised to find the Mayor sitting stoicly in her car, staring straight ahead. Blake allowed herself a smirk as she made her way over to the car and gently tapped on the window. Eyes still straight ahead, the other woman rolled down her window "I left my keys in your house."
"I see" Blake's smile grew. "Would you like to come back inside, to retreive them?"
"No, I'd rather not. Thank you though." Doris rolled up the window once more. In addition to being flighty, gossipy, and smart, Blake Marler was also resourcefull and determined. She nodded for a moment then made her way to the passenger's door and slid into the seat. "Well, if you weren't going to invite me in, I felt it was only fair I invite myself." She could see the small smile of amusement seeded in the other woman's face. She slipped her hand into Doris and looked down. It felt nice to hold another person's hand, and if that other person's hand was a little smaller, and a little softer - so be it. And if they kissed as passionatly as Doris, all the better! "I wasn't that bad of a kisser, was I?" Blake teased, lightly shaking their intertwined hands. "Not quite." The other woman revealed, "Just the opposite, infact." Doris turned to look at Blake, who had a confused look on her face "So why did you run out of there like a bat out of hell? Normally that type of behaviour is reserved for bad kissers and the poorly bathed and I showered before you got here, and as for the kissing part..." Her voice dropped down an octive and she raised her free hand to lightly brush the hair out of the other woman's face. "It's that! That's what it is!" Doris exclaimed, shaking her face out of Blake's grasp. "What? What is it? Geeze! Are all women as insane as you?"
"YES!" Doris exclaimed loudly, "Yes we are! Look at you?"
"Me?"
"Yes, you! With your hand holding and your hair brushing -"
"And don't forget the kissing!" Blake offered up helpfully.
"No, no I won't forget the kissing! One minute you're chasing after Frank and the next... The next you're..."
"I'm what?" Blake asked, calmly pressing all the right buttons to get Doris sufficently flustered.
"You're kissing me! That's what! One minute you're running after Frank and the next minute you're kissing me!"
"Oh," Blake nodded, finally understanding, "Like this?" Blake leaned over and quickly captured Doris' lips with her own.
.
.
What would it take to wipe that smile off of your face?
Are you ready to be… Are you ready to be heartbroken?
- Lloyd Cole
.
.
Hey Lloyd I'm ready to be heartbroken
'Cause I can't see further than my own nose at this moment
- Camera Obscura
~*~
For a few moments all that could be heard was soft, gentle sighs. Finally when neither woman could take anymore they stopped, breaking apart to take in lungful after lungful of air. "I'm going to ask you one more time - would you like to come back inside?" Blake asked, her hands running themselves nervously through Doris' hair.
*~*
The walk up to the house was quiet and uneventful. If pressed, Doris would say she could barely remember anything - her nerves tingling and charged with energy; maybe a moon? Blake opened the door and both women walked through, Doris taking off her jacket and setting down her purse while Blake turned to quietly shut off the lights. She didn't so much hear the other woman as she did feel her, the heat of her body alerting her as Doris wordlessly wrapped an arm around Blake's waist and used her free hand to brush aside disheveled strawberry hair and gently pressed her lips against the soft and neglected skin at the nape of the neck. Both women held the moment - each vaguely aware that this was more than a casual meeting of the bodies. Blake, holding on to the other woman's arm still around her waist, lead her up the stairs and to her bedroom.
They both slipped between the door and into the room, lit by the same moon that guided them back towards the house. Doris gingerly shut the door behind her and took a calming breath. "Now's the time to change your mind," She warned, her back towards the other woman. Blake wasn't the only woman who was self-aware, Doris knew herself well enough to know that there would be no backing out - when Doris Wolfe set her mind to something, there was nothing that could be done to deter her and right now, Doris wanted Blake Marler as badly as she had ever wanted anything else in life.
There was no response from the other woman - Doris around and what she saw took her breath away. Blake stood before her, half dressed - eyes meeting her dead on. Doris could feel the familiar sensation clouding her senses -the blood rushing through her veins, the adrenaline starting to take over. This, this Doris knew - she knew how to strip the remaining articles of clothing off the other woman as carefully as a dainty child would carefully unwrap a present, smoothing and folding the wrapping; she knew how to speak to the other woman, make her beg and make her moan and make her shout out; she even knew how to make her exit the next morning with minimal sound or emotion. Looking at Blake however, something was different - she was different from the other woman she would occasionally go home with - the bartenders and the grad students - Blake was softer, sweeter, and in a way stronger. Doris could see it in the shape of her legs, bare and disappearing under the bottom hem of her shirt, in the curve of her arm, resting on her hip, in the amused cocking of her head and the playful smile spread across her face. Even Doris couldn't help but smile back as she made her way towards Blake and grabbing the front of her shirt and pulling her in for a passionate kiss as she made short work of the other woman's shirt and bra. "You've done this before, haven't you?" Blake eked out as Doris backed her against the bed until she had nowhere to go but down onto the bed. "Maybe once or twice..." Doris teased as she swiftly pulled her shirt up and over her head and straddled Blake, her pantyhose clad legs rubbing smoothly against the other woman's nude ones. "So I shouldn't worry? I'm in good hands?" Blake replied back, laughing as she reached out and wrapped her arms around Doris' back and simultaneously unhooked her bra and tugged her in a heap on top of her. "The very best..." Doris murmured softly in her ear, content to lie in the other woman's arms for a moment and savor the feeling of Blake's hand tracing lazy shapes on her bare back.
The sudden ease she felt in the arms of the other woman unnerved her immensely - Doris held others, she was never held, and she was unsure of how to process most of the feelings she could feel swelling up from inside. So she did the one thing she knew how to do – she began to make love to Blake Marler until neither woman could keep their eyes open.
.
.
I don't know why you're mean to me
When I call on the telephone
And I don't know what you mean to me
- R.E.M.
~*~
That next morning had been less awkward then either woman had thought it would be when they woke up and quietly assessed the situation, each with their eyes closed praying the other would make the first move. Finally Doris, eyes squeezed shut called out into the room: "Blake?"
"Yes."
"Are you awake?"
Pause.
"Yes."
Doris felt the bed shift as Blake rose and slipped into a nearby robe, "Coffee?" Blake asked, prompting Doris to open her eyes and take in the other woman. Her hair was disheveled, but there was a certain something about her - a flush to her cheeks, a sparkle to her eyes and a plumpness to her lips, bruised by constant assault last night. "Doris, I asked if you wanted coffee?"
"Yes, yes please." Doris managed to croak out, closing her eyes again. Knowing the other woman may need some time, Blake left the room. When sure that Blake was truly gone, Doris opened her eyes and flung back the covers, scrambling around on the floor for her clothes: bra, skirt, blouse were all found - but no matter how had she searched, she couldn't find her ... Well ... Doris knew what she was missing! She was certain she was wearing them last night, but in the haze of emotions, she couldn't recall where they ended up. She quickly threw on her clothes and ran to the bathroom, groaning when she saw her reflection in the mirror. Where Blake looked well rested and sated, she looked a mess, her hair sticking up every which way, her makeup smudges and... Was that... A hickey on her neck? She couldn't believe that Blake Marler gave her a hickey! She ran her fingers through her hair, and finally gave up, throwing it into a loose bun and washed off the remnants of last nights makeup and made her way downstairs.
Once down, she found Blake puttering around the kitchen in her robe and nothing else. The thought made Doris blush as she stood in the doorway. She wasn't used to this - the morning after. She was used to waking up after a few fitful hours of sleep and making her way in the dark to collect her clothes and slip out unnoticed. But this, sleeping the whole night, waking up to someone, was new. Blake finally noticed Doris standing at the door and turned around, "You can come in, you know." She laughed as she extended a cup of coffee. "Black."
"Thank you." Doris reached for the cup, taking great care to prevent their fingers from touching and then sat herself down beside Blake at the counter. Both women sipped their coffee as they watched the morning unfold before them through the windows leading out to the backyard. "More coffee?" Blake asked, rising to fetch the pot. "No thank you. I should... I should get going." Doris explained, as she rose from her chair. "You sure?" Blake asked, slightly surprised at the realization that she would miss the other woman's company. "I am. Thank you though." Together they walked towards the door where Blake watched the Mayor's every move as she slipped into her jacket and then her shoes. Like this, her hair disheveled, her face stripped clean and bare - she looked so different, so much more vulnerable than she had last night, lit by the moon. "Well," Doris began, throwing back her shoulders and opening the front door, "Thank you" ever the politician she extended her hand towards the redhead. Blake glanced down at the hand and smiled to herself as she leaned over and pressed her lips softly against Doris' cheek and held it for a moment.
.
~*~
This world is full, So full of crashing bores
And I must be one, 'Cos no one ever turns to me to say
Take me in your arms, Take me in your arms, And love me...
- The Smiths
~*~
It began slowly after that. A movie here, a cup of coffee there. Neither woman meant for it to be anything more than a fun night that led nowhere. Blake found herself fond of stopping off at the Mayor's office around lunchtime to drop off a sandwich or a salad, learning quickly that unless it came in a chilled glass and held three olives, Doris more often than not would neglect lunch. Doris for her part, found herself at Company on nights she had to work late, taking up a seat at the end of the bar, close to Blake. There had been nothing past that initial night, barring a few lingering gazes and accidental grazes - both women were in a hesitant holding pattern, unsure how to proceed or if they even wanted to. They became comfortable in each other's presence, taking comfort with nothing more than the other woman's silent breathing. Blake began to take her work with her to Doris' office in the afternoons, settling down at the other side of the room and pouring over manuscripts with the same intensity that Doris gave the bylaws and regulations that crossed her desk. Doris, initially irritated by the idea came to find she didn't mind, taking advantage of the fact that she could look up and take in Blake for as long as she wanted. Blake, she discovered had a habit of playing with her glasses, twirling them, pushing them up atop her head, nibbling them - doing anything but actually wear them. Blake meanwhile could feel the Mayor's eyes taking her it. It was a familiar but forgotten sensation - she'd been used to being looked at, but this reminded her of the way Ross would look at her, admiring and shy and just a little bit naughty. She enjoyed the looks, the company, and the friendship, and to be honest she enjoyed the anticipation that came over her every time she looked down the bar and saw Doris working or every time she stood outside the Mayor's office door, wondering if this would be the day the other woman would make a move.
So it was with great displeasure that she stood at Doris' office knocking, only to discover that the Mayor was working from home. It took Blake all of two seconds to justify re-routing herself towards Doris' house - after all, she had brought her favorite, a chicken wrap with a salad on the side and it would be a shame to let it go to waste. At least that's what she kept telling herself as she stood at Doris' front door knocking.
And knocking.
And knocking.
Blake bit her lip and turned to go, disappointed at not seeing the other woman when she heard the door open behind her. "Blake!" Doris exclaimed, "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, I was just... Um... Lunch?" she held up the paper bag and gave what she hoped was her most charming smile. It must have worked because Doris stepped aside and let her in. Blake smiled when she noticed what Doris we wearing - her hair was up, covered with a handkerchief, and she was in an oversized button down shirt and formfitting jeans. "What?" Doris asked, leading the way towards the kitchen, "Why do you keep smiling at me like that?"
"Like what?" Blake asked in return, a grin spreading further across her face as she watched Doris maneuver herself in the kitchen, stirring a simmering pot on the stove. "I don't know – like I have two heads or something."
"I've just never, you know, seen you in something other than a suit. Well, aside from that one time." Blake chuckled as she placed the bag onto the counter. Doris blushed at the thought of that one time and quickly pulled down two bowls and two plates and began to split Blake's offering. "Oh no – that's for you," Blake protested as the other woman set the plates down at the table. "Nonsense, you're always watching me eat, it's your turn now. Besides," Doris pointed to a pot boiling on the range, "You're not about to turn down some homemade stew, are you?"
"Stew? Is that what that is?" Blake asked, watching the other woman ladle out the contents of the pot, sniffing the surprisingly savory scent in the air.
"Mmmhmmmm," The other woman answered, "It's not everyone in Springfield who gets a chance to taste my grandmother's legendary stew. Anyways, I've gained about 7 pounds since we've started…" Started what, neither woman was quite sure about "Well that's a relief," Blake quickly glossed over the slip, searching for spoons in the kitchen drawers, "You were entirely too thin!" She placed a hand on the small of Doris' back, letting her know she was nearby, "You look…wonderful." She shot the other woman a shy look and quickly whisked the two bowls away, giving Doris a moment to take in a deep breath. She would be lying if she said she didn't come to enjoy the time spent with Blake, and she would be lying if she didn't get the sinking sensation that her feelings for the redhead weren't morphing into more than just friendship. Each day she would pick up her phone to call the other woman, to cancel their lunch plans, to say she was entirely too busy, too important, too awkward for meeting up, and yet each day the thought of not seeing Blake in her little glasses, perched on a chair in her office was even more overwhelming than the thought that this would eventually hurt when it ended abruptly and painfully, as it always did for her. Doris Wolfe knew that happily ever after came true, for others. When she turned around though, and caught sight of Blake sitting patiently at her kitchen table, watching her, Doris Wolfe let out a silent prayer that for once, she would be wrong.
