Serious (Reprise)

x

Warner was a very large man. He was tall, broad shouldered and muscled. His move was to intimidate people by standing very close to them, emphasizing the distance in height. When they'd been dating she had always felt so safe in his arms, like she was being swaddled in his giant bear arms.

Now though, he looked very small. He slumped forward and was making eye contact with his toes rather than her.

"I've got to find my way," she told him with a shy shrug. He seemed to understand. At least he nodded anyway.

They left the courthouse together in silence, leaving just enough room between their shoulders for one of Elle's particularly thick law books. Outside, a sea of reporters instantly bombarded her.

Warner faded into the background and Elle felt herself responding automatically to probing questions. A pageant smile pasted itself across her face while she scoured the crowd for her friend. Emmett said he'd see her later, did that mean he'd waited? Or that he'd meet her back at her dorm? Or at some undisclosed point they would communicate a meet-up? She'd have given anything for her Greek Chorus to help her dissect his meaning the way they had so many text messages in years past.

"The rules of haircare are simple and finite. Any Cosmo woman would have known," she heard herself say self deprecatingly, mind still on the absent Emmett.

Eventually she pushed through the mob to the street, where Brooke was waiting in her white Mercedes to take her to the celebration.

Brooke had, it seemed, invited everyone she'd ever met, in addition to everyone that Elle knew in the greater Boston area. This week that included her Delta Nu sisters and her parents.

When the triumphant blonde duo entered the spacious Wyndham Mansion, the main hall erupted in congratulatory celebration.

"The guests of honor have arrived!" Vivienne exclaimed with her usual undertone of sarcasm, though it felt good-natured to Elle. She hugged Elle and shook Brooke's hand firmly.

Vivienne led them over to the impromptu bar that had been set up in the corner. There were cases of wine and more than a few kegs of beer. Just because she was feeling triumphant and a little adventurous Elle selected one of the Solo cups of beer.

Trying to sound casual she turned back to Vivienne and smiled sweetly, "Oh! By the way, have you seen Emmett? I thought he was going to wait for me at the courthouse but-" she took a sip of her drink and immediately spat it back into her cup. "OMIGOD!"

"Wow Miss Woods, super classy."

"Emmett!" She screamed. She turned around and threw her arms around him, forgetting all about the disgusting swill in her hand.

"Gah, Elle!" She's spilled her beer all down the back of his suit in her excitement to see him.

"Oh no, I am so so so so so sorry. I will get that dry cleaned, I promise. And it's your nicest one," she pouted, "Ooooh, I am so sorry."

He pulled her back into a hug and laughed. "Well if you're paying for dry cleaning, no harm no foul."

Elle liked hugging Emmett. He was very sturdy. He wasn't much taller than her so when in her heels their chins rested on each other's shoulders perfectly. And he always squeezed her, it seemed, as hard as he could, like he had no fear of crushing her, like excitement was too much work to contain.

"So how's your night going?" Emmett asked, too casually, once she pulled away.

"Eventful!"

He laughed, "Anything you wanna tell me? Perhaps Huntington comma Elle?"

Elle snorted, feeling no need to act ladylike in this instance. She shoved him by the shoulder and shook her head. "Come on. You know."

"Yeah," Emmett replied, "I guess I did. I was confidant anyway. Hearing it is still better than just knowing." He was prompting her.

"Fiiiiine," she exaggerated her tone and rolled her eyes, "Gawd, you can be so annoying. I, Woods comma Elle, will not be marrying, dating, or otherwise engaging in non just-to-be-polite relations with Warner Huntington III. I was nice, I swear. You would have been very proud."

"I'm sure," Emmett laughed.

"He didn't treat me well, I deserve better than that." In a lighter tone she said, "Also, I deserve a guy who gets me. I mean come on, who calls a blonde Marilyn as an insult?"

"Oh yeah, what was that all about?"

"'Less of a Marilyn more of a Jackie'," Elle exclaimed, "When we broke up that's what he said he wanted. It's so stupid, don't even worry about it."

Emmett's face was grim, "Of course I'm gonna worry about it. Elle-!"

"Hey, no more moping. This is a party, remember? This is a way too serious conversation for this venue." She smiled, radiant, having truly forgotten the topic at hand in favor of happier things, "Plus, you promised me a dance."

"When did I do that?"

"Just now!"

"What! No I did not!"

"Overruled. Come on!"

Emmett was different from Elle though, as she dragged him around in search of the clandestine dance floor he couldn't help but think about Warner's words. He meant that a Marilyn was someone you just fooled around with. He meant that a Jackie is the kind of girl you marry. He was calling her cheap, easy and not worth committing to.

Emmett, being a TA for Callahan, had marked and corrected a lot of Warner's tests and papers. Still, he thought, the idiot had never been more wrong about anything in his life. If Emmett had the same chances that Warner had he'd-

Well.

Dancing with Elle, Emmett had to wonder how anyone could ever want anyone else. She bounced around, waving her arms and shaking her hips in goofy exaggerated gyration. She liked to spin a lot and grabbed his hand every once in a while, spinning around his pointer finger like a spastic ballerina. His own shy moves, elbows kept close to his waist, were ravaged by Elle's insistence on him joining her in abject embarrassment. She didn't stop laughing the whole time.

It was the most adorable and sexy thing he'd ever seen.

"Do you want to have dinner with me tomorrow?" he shouted above the music.

"What?!" she asked, louder, squinting her eyes trying to read his lips.

He swallowed and stepped closer, so that he was speaking directly into her ear. "Dinner tomorrow?"

Her mouth formed an 'O' of understanding and she nodded enthusiastically.

"Great," Emmett mouthed, feeling his heart speed up and match the rythme of the thumping beats.

"Great," she answered, smiling so big that her cheeks started to hurt.

Usually they hung out at Elle's dorm, or the library, or this tiny coffee shop off of Mass Ave. that they seemed to single handedly keep afloat. But Elle had been to Emmett's apartment more than a few times.

She liked it, it was two rooms, small, cozy and cluttered, his couch was small enough that they had to sit right next to each other but it was squishy and soft from wear. He seemed embarrassed by it all, so she didn't press the issue, but she much preferred studying at his place.

Emmett hadn't told her anything about where they were going so she hadn't known how to dress at all. Which was annoying, and she told him so. "Dress however you're comfortable." Which could, again, mean any number of things. Pilar was the best at deciphering boy code. She really should have called her.

She'd eventually settled on her most worn in pair of jeans. They were from like, three seasons ago so they had a wide leg and were half a size too big but they were comfortable. Her t-shirt was pink and bedazzled.

Emmett laughed when he answered the door, which made her smile. "Gee, what school do you go to, again?"

She unzipped her sweatshirt the rest of the way to showcase the bedazzled 'Harvard' emblazoned across her chest. "Now there's no doubt."

She made herself comfortable, taking the entire couch for herself. "Where are we going?" she asked.

Emmett rubbed the back of his neck, "Um, I thought we could stay in? Now that neither of us have jobs I had time to cook."

She'd almost forgotten, "Oh, I'm so sorry. I still can't believe you did that for me." She sat up straight on the arm of the couch so she could look at him earnestly.

"No, no, it's really fine. Brooke's legal fees should tide me over until I find another one. And it was the right thing to do. I'd have done it for anyone," he joked, deprecatingly and pushed her so she fell back onto the couch.

"I'm still so so so sorry."

"Don't be. You did good. And well as it happens."

The next hour was spent with Emmett cooking and Elle trying and failing to help. She kept getting distracted by various topics. Jokes she'd heard that she thought he'd find funny, silly stories from Delta Nu, the weirdest cases she'd come across in her readings.

Eventually dinner was done and they sat in comfortable silence side by side on the couch, eating off the coffee table.

Well, comfortable for Elle. Emmett was agonizing over whether or not to broach the reason he'd invited her over tonight. Best or worst night of his life, no in-between.

"Sooo," Elle ventured finally, making the decision for him. "This is new and different."

"Good different?"

"Oh, yeah! Totally! This is way better than Meal Plan Central."

"Good to hear," he said with a tight smile. Then took a breath and leapt. He turned to face her and she did the same.

(All italics to the tune of 'Serious')

"You don't know why we're here.
I see it in your eyes.
I guess it calms my fears
to know that I can think twice.
I thought talking to you,
joking like we always do,
would leave me speechless like you always do.

"But now I'm wide awake.
We've got some plans to make.
Lets take some action, Elle, I-"

He got to his feet and began to pace around the room. Her eyes never left him.

"Emmett give me your hand," she offered. He came closer and took it. "Whatever it is, we'll make do. Leave the future to then."

"It's time to be serious," he braced himself. "Time to be serious with you."

"I never thought that I-" they began together.

"Oh, sorry," exclaimed Emmett, gesturing at her, "You go."

"No, no!" Elle exclaimed back. "You go, go ahead, seriously."

"Since I was a teen,
my life was planned out neat.
I'd get my law degree,
and make my mom's ends meet.
My own practice, free.
All of the amenities.
Travel the world,
Out east, see what I've never seen!"

He turned back towards her and put his hands on her shoulders, before pulling away, shy. Elle in turn sat up on her knees and touched his arm gently, urging him to go on.

"But now my life is a mess,
because you dropped in."

Her eyes widened and she pulled away.

"No, I mean-!" Emmett groaned at smacked his forehead. "I'll break it down for you, Elle."

"Emmett give me your hand," he did.

He continued, "I've got new dreams to make true.
I hope that you'll understand.
When I get serious,
I want to get serious,
With you."

"What does that mean?" Elle asked, looking at their entwined fingers. They felt warm, whether because her palms or his were sweating, she wasn't sure, but she suddenly felt like all the wind was knocked out of her.

"I want the moon and sky.
the timings never right.

But Elle, you and IIIII-"

"Should get together," she whispered, going out on that limb.

"So Elle give me your hand, we- wait. WHAT?!"

She took a deep breath, "We should be together… That is what this is about right? Oh, darn, I've totally misread all your signals. I have a history of that. Look. We can forget this ever happened. I'm gonna, I'm just gonna go and wallow in abject embarrassment. Okay? Okay. See you in a few weeks when I'll be able to make eye contact again." She tried to speedily gather her sweater and purse and speed towards the door.

Emmett, absolutely stunned into submission, shook himself and dashed after her. He leapt over the back of the couch and closed the door as she tried to open it. She turned around so her back was to the door, but Emmett didn't back off to give her space. "I'm not letting you go," he told her and with more gall and guts than he'd shown in his entire time at Harvard he pushed Elle up against the door and pressed his lips to hers. She was frozen in shock for only a moment before responding with the fervor and enthusiasm she applied to all things in her life that she loved. With more force than necessary she slung her arms around his neck, her right leg around his thighs and crushed him to her.

They simultaneously pulled away to look into each other's eyes then came together again in a tight embrace. Elle loved Emmett's hugs. He liked to squish her to him, like he was melding them into one person, or like he never wanted to let go. She squealed in his ear. "I love you!"

"I love you too, so much." He smiled and laced their fingers together.

"Elle, the future's unplanned.
We've both got dreams to make true.
Together we can withstand.
I am delirious,
Completely serious,
I love you."