This is wrong I'm conflicted
I should be gone
Yet here we lay
'Cause I can't stay away
I inhale, now I'm addicted
To this place
To you babe
I can't stay away
Can't stay away
-The Veronicas
This was not how Laurence Dominic had planned on spending his Friday night. His typical routine involved finishing up old reports; grabbing some take-out on the way home and finishing up one of the novels he'd started the night before. It wasn't a particularly exciting routine, but when you were undercover going out to bars wasn't really advisable. Plus after three years of success in his mission, he wasn't about to start making any changes. This was the job, this was the mission and he did it well. Keep your head down, don't get involved and do your job well, but not so well as to stand out; those were the rules and Dominic liked to play by them.
Look where that had gotten him though. Instead of sifting through a good book, he instead was looking through the racks of clothing kept for the actives. Pulling out a clown outfit and what looks like a pair of neon yellow hot pants and groaning loudly, he shoves them back roughly knocking several items off their hangers. The clatter attracted the glare of the idiot running the department. Considering the other man practically dressed overgrown Barbie dolls for a living, he wasn't going to apologize to him for mussing up his little outfits. Dominic snarled out a response and moved further down the clothing rack. He really, really hated Halloween.
He'd been on his way home, almost out the door when Ms. DeWitt called him to her office. He hadn't really known what to expect from the summons but a demand to accompany her to the Rossum Corporate Halloween party was the last thing he'd expected. Each house had been requested to send two representatives and Boyd Langton was no longer able to attend. The other man had claimed a sudden family emergency and left work early, although Dominic doubted this very much. He had already done a background check on the majority of the staff. Langton didn't have any family still living, so any emergency with any of them really could wait. Dominic rolled his eyes. He couldn't blame the man though, as these parties were notoriously dull. Add to the fact that it was a costume party, and Dominic couldn't think of a worse night.
He'd tried to say no, but although DeWitt didn't exactly demand it of him she'd always made it difficult to say no. He thought it might be the accent. Something about the smooth, even tones that distracted until you had already agreed to something without entirely realizing it. The woman did have a talent for convincing people of difficult things though. He supposed it was just part of her job description. DeWitt had made it very clear that the only other possible employee still working at that time was Topher and she wasn't sure that was in everyone's best interests. After sharing a grimace with her, Dominic had agreed. It was certainly in the House's best interests that he goes with her.
He returned dressed in costume to her office within thirty minutes. She'd managed to get changed in the meantime and looked at him with eyebrows uplifted. DeWitt had one hand raised to her mouth as if in deep thought, but from the sparkle in her eyes and the shaking of her shoulders he could tell that Adelle was trying not to laugh. She almost succeeded, but an unladylike snort escaped despite her efforts.
"Something amusing ma'am?" Dominic smirked at her.
"I find it impressive that you managed to look through the entire stock of clothing Mr. Dominic and yet you are still dressed in a suit." Adelle responded, the corner of her mouth lifting as she took in his tuxedo and black bow tie. "Are you a waiter Mr. Dominic?"
He stared at her in slight disbelief, holding up the imitation gun, "I'm James Bond, obviously." He rolled his eyes at her. "Isn't that supposed to be part of the British educational system or something?"
"I am perfectly aware of the character, Mr. Dominic, merely amused by your incredible departure in dress. Do you have a type then?"
"Tall, brunette and snarky" he thought without hesitating. "Shit. Shit. Shit. You are not saying that out loud Dominic." He mentally smacked himself before replying "That would be telling ma'am." He was not flirting with her, absolutely not flirting with her. She raised an eyebrow at his response and gave a smirk to rival his own. "Hold on, was she flirting back?"
" I suppose it would be more entertaining to be a spy rather than head of Security, so I shall forgive your lack of imagination."
Dominic suppressed a wince. Instead of responding, he opened the door for her and caught sight of her costume in full. She was wearing a long Renaissance style dress. It was dark green with golden flowers strewn throughout and tightly laced up the back. She had her hair piled high upon her head with tendrils coming down and a small golden headpiece holding it in place. He's not staring, he was absolutely not staring, but he couldn't tear his eyes away. She was absolutely…looking straight at him, looking really annoyed. "Crap", he thought. "What the hell had she been saying before?" Adelle was clearly waiting for an answer to something that he missed while he had been not-staring. He quickly gave an apology for his inattention and refocused as they walked toward the door. He waved the driver away and opened her door for her.
"You look beautiful ma'am." He added as he moved to close the door. She smiled at him and he thought he caught her blush as he shut the door. They passed the limo ride smoothly enough, occasionally talking of work matters before arriving at the hotel. The party was in full swing, which really wasn't saying much. It was like any other corporate party, just with the added torture of being in costume. Adelle had dragged him to several others over the years, and they were continuing their usual pattern. Adelle mingled, chatting pleasantly with various people from other Houses and he stood slightly behind her trying not to look too bored or antisocial. They had it pretty much down to a science.
After talking to the Head of Security from the Tokyo House for several minutes, he excused himself to get them some drinks. Dominic returned with a scowl firmly in place. The moronic bartender had asked if he wanted it shaken or stirred, smirking as though he were being slightly original. The man had handed a martini to him without waiting for an order. He'd taken it along with Adelle's vodka on the rocks, deciding not to fight it. She glanced down as he handed her the drink before grabbing the martini out of his other hand.
At his protest, she'd shaken her head at him. "Don't be ridiculous. You don't like martinis Mr. Dominic. Just take mine."
He looked at her in surprise, not knowing how she knew that about him, but accepted the other drink gratefully. They didn't really drink together often. It was probably written down in a file somewhere. They'd sat down for dinner shortly after, which was surprisingly good for one of these parties. He was seated next to Adelle and Clive Ambrose. Ambrose looked ridiculous. The man was dressed as a musketeer, in a puffy white shirt and a large red feather in his hat that kept poking Dominic in the face every time the other man turned. He really, really, really hated Halloween. Ambrose kept leaning across him trying to speak to Adelle. She obliged him by responding to his continued questions politely, if a little distantly.
The oily man was trying to get a measure of the stability of their House following the mess with Alpha, but Adelle wasn't giving him much in return. Her answers were getting shorter as the "friendly" conversation continued and she looked annoyed. After an uncomfortable silence followed one of the statements, Dominic finally stepped in, fielding one of the security related questions. Ambrose finally turned his gaze away from Adelle.
"Oh, Mr. Dominic, I didn't see you there. Perhaps you could give me some more information on your security updates since the incident. Terrible tragedy that was," sputtered Ambrose after pausing for a great deal of time to recall Dominic's name more likely, than for dramatic effect.
Dominic fought the urge to roll his eyes. Ambrose's sincerity was thinly transparent. He was clearly seeking specific information and doing a very poor job of hiding it. "I'm sure a report of the systems would more useful to you in the long run than me making it up on the spot here," he says trying to reign in the sarcasm and failing miserably. He's tempted to let the other man have it. Security updates are the last thing he wants to discuss on a Friday night, especially with this idiot, who's clearly looking for someone to blame.
"Yes, Mr. Dominic would be all too happy to give you all pertinent data Mr. Ambrose at a more convenient time, but I'm afraid we must get back to check on some matters at the House. You understand of course," Adelle jumped in. She's trying not to laugh again, grinning at him from behind her napkin as she pretends to smooth her lipstick.
"Yes, of course Adelle, quite. Have a pleasant evening," Ambrose returned.
They both stand from the table and walk toward the exit. "Thank you," whispered Dominic.
"I'd had quite enough of Mr. Ambrose for one night Mr. Dominic. This wasn't entirely for your benefit. You're welcome," she replied, smiling at him.
She looked tired, which he should have noticed earlier. She'd doubtlessly has not been getting as much sleep since the Alpha incident. They'd all had to adjust since then, but then Dominic had never worried about his job being in jeopardy. If anyone were blamed, it would have been higher up then him. So it wasn't a surprise she wasn't sleeping. He offered to get the car brought up and left her waiting on a small balcony. She walked a little unsteadily over to the edge, wobbling slightly on her heels, then resting her arm against the ledge.
The car would be a little while, he finally determined from the valet, as their limo driver is on a break somewhere. Though Dominic can't see why the man needs a break when he hasn't been working in hours, he returns to Adelle to let her know. She's sitting down on a bench and looked paler than usual. Her breathing was shallow and rapid and she had a hand pressed tightly to her chest as she gasped for breath.
"Ms. DeWitt are you feeling alright?" he asked.
"Just fine Mr. Dominic. This is not the most comfortable dress, that's all." She indicated the corset ties running down the length of her back. Though her tone was as carefully modulated as ever, Dominic could see the slight panic building behind her eyes. From her medical file, he knew she was prone to asthma. She's definitely concerned. Dominic could hear a slight wheezing in her breathing now that had not been present before.
He didn't want to worry her further. He didn't know if he should get her to a doctor, get her back to Saunders or just stay here and try to calm her down himself. If it's just the dress, then he didn't want to overreact. If it is a medical emergency, he was not equipped to deal with it himself. "You can't breathe in that thing. Let me loosen it a bit," he tried for even tone.
She looked at him a bit suspiciously, but turned and allowed him to slowly loosen the tight bindings. She shivered. It'd gotten chillier outside and the dress though lovely was not protecting her much from the wind. When he's finished she took several deep, cautious breaths, her body relaxing slightly, leaning into his. "Just try to breathe slowly Adelle. It's okay, just don't try to breathe too deeply just yet." She looked toward him, much calmer now, and nodded. "There. Good. You're alright. Just slow breaths okay?" Dominic added quietly.
He slipped his jacket on her shoulders and she accepted it wordlessly, clearly a sign that she's feeling unwell as she doesn't argue. They sat there, her breathing slowly returning to normal and him watching her carefully. They both jumped when the limo driver suddenly popped his head around the corner, asking them if they're ready to leave. The ride back to the Dollhouse was quiet, but comfortably so. Adelle looked out the window, while Dominic made himself another drink.
They made their way back upstairs to Adelle's office. They were standing in silence awkwardly, when Adelle spoke up. "Thank you for accompanying me tonight Mr. Dominic. I appreciate it greatly."
"Of course ma'am. Glad to help."
"I'll let you get along home now. I wouldn't want to monopolize any more of your free time" She was looking around the darkened floor somewhat uncertainly while she was speaking. He was puzzled at first by this, but quickly figured out why.
"Adelle, how are you getting out of that dress?" he blurted out.
Adelle's eyes widened at the question. "What?"
"Sorry. I just meant, there's a lot of it, though it's a lovely dress, and it's not an easy thing to get off and I'd be happy to help you if you want and…" He stopped right there. This was starting to sound really bad. He's babbling like Topher, fantastic. "Didn't Judith help you get dressed ma'am?" he finally finished in a breath.
"Yes, but I'm sure I can manage by myself Laurence," she raised an eyebrow.
"Adelle, just let me help you unlace it before I leave. There's no way you can untie that by yourself. And you can't just stay in it until Monday," he replied, though the picture is tempting. He may never get it out of his mind.
Adelle looked thoughtful for a moment. She cocked her head at him, a slight smile playing about her lips. "Do you have a great deal of experience with corset lacing, Mr. Dominic?"
He shrugged. "Pretty much like unlacing a boot I guess. I won't rip it though. I've already fixed it once, right?"
Adelle turned, exposing the back of her dress. "Go ahead Mr. Dominic," she said quietly.
He swallowed, hard. Dominic began slowly unlacing the dress, wondering why the hell they made these things so complicated. His fingertips brushed her back and she shivered. The dress had a ridiculous amount of holes to unlace, but he took his time, not wanting to miss one. As he finished his hand lingered on the small of her back, resting lightly on her skin. She shivered again. With the heat going full blast in the office, it could not be blamed on the weather this time. Dominic held his breath and removed the hand. They stood there silently, just breathing.
"All done," he said, breaking the silence.
"Right."
"I should get going ma'am," he offered.
"Of course Mr. Dominic. I apologize for keeping you so late tonight," Adelle said, still facing the wall.
"Not a problem Ms. Dewitt. I'm glad to be of help," a tiny smile curving his lips.
Adelle turned back around to face him, a gentle smile on her face. She placed a hand lightly on his chest, then leaned forward and brushed his lips with hers. It took everything he had not to lean into the kiss, not to pull her closer. She smelled faintly of vanilla and gin. "It seems that I have a savior tonight. Thank you for coming to my rescue Laurence."
"Anytime ma'am." He's surprised to hear the forcefulness in his voice. It's his job to be her right-hand man, he's done so seamlessly for three years, but in this moment he really means it. He could deny it all he wants, but all she's ever had to do is ask. He is the mission, his life is the mission, but somewhere Adelle DeWitt slipped in too. It stopped being about the job a while ago, maybe years ago. He can't help himself. She looks at him or smiles at him and he's gone.
She turned and walked into her bathroom to finish changing. Dominic stood there unmoving. He raised a hand to his lips, holding it there and staring at the closed door in front of him. "Dammit. Dammit. Dammit. Fucking hell," he muttered under his breath, eyes slightly wild. "What the hell are you doing man?" Dominic sighed. Trouble, really big, monumental trouble, that's what he's in right now. Sticking to the routine is going to be much harder now. He's pretty much screwed.