Title: Home For The Holidays
Author: melvncholymvmi
Rating: M (for chapter 3)
Summary: The one where Lou is forced to host Thanksgiving for the girls.
"And you were there with me..."
Lou's eyes searched Debbie's face.
"...every step of the way."
Shifting the gum to the other side of her mouth, Lou knew she'd already made up her mind to help Debbie, but she'd missed their banter.
"Oh, honey, is this a proposal?"
"Baby, I don't have a diamond yet."
Lou watched as Debbie gathered a smaller portion of food onto the fork.
"Come on. Do you really wanna spend the rest of your life watering down well vodka? 'Cause it's really kind of a waste."
Lou turned to look out of the window, laughing off the fact that she knew Debbie was right. Usually was. And she hated it.
She and Debbie hadn't left off the best terms. Just before Deb was pinched, she and Lou had gotten into an awful fight about their next con. Lou wasn't a moron. She knew when to take a step back, so she had. Next thing she knew, she was sitting in the back row of a sentencing, watching as Deb was given seven years for insurance fraud.
"Come on," Deb said, holding the forkful centimeters away from Lou's lips, "take a bite."
It was more than food. Lou knew that the second she was to wrap her lips around the food, it was as good as saying yes to Debbie. And as always, when a forbidden temptation was dangled in front of Lou, she had to allow its corruption.
"Just take a bite."
Lou removed her gum and told Debbie, "You're really irritating."
"Open." Debbie urged.
And Lou did just that. As she always did for the brunette. Always.
As she chewed, Debbie looked at her expectantly, waiting for the blonde's reaction.
Nodding, Lou admitted. "That's good." She sat the gum on a napkin and picked up a spare fork, digging into Debbie's plate. She was hooked now.
"Very good." Debbie replied, slightly smug.
They'd successfully pulled off the heist and went their separate ways until the heat cooled down. A few months had passed and they were nearing the holidays.
Lou should have known to expect Debbie to show up at her Californian condo because she, herself, had started to get that itch.
She just didn't know it would be today.
Two knocks sounded on her front door and she walked confidently toward it in yet another power suit tailored perfectly to her body.
"Thirty-eight point three million dollars and you can't afford a doorman who isn't sassy?"
"I pay him to keep out the riff-raff. Clearly, he needs a pay cut."
"It's nice to see you too." Debbie said, stepping into condo without an invitation.
"Do come in." Lou teased, closing the door. When she turned around, Debbie was walking toward the kitchen, slipping out of a Chanel shag pur. She draped it over the couch as she went and Lou followed closely behind, shoving her hands in her pants pockets.
"Was I interrupting?"
Something told Lou that she knew exactly what she had disrupted. There was no need to lie to this woman.
"Not really." Lou shrugged a shoulder and watched as Debbie pulled the opened champagne bottle from an ice-bucket full of water.
"What was this, romance? Did you go soft on me, Lou?" She asked, pouring champagne into a glass.
"Never." Lou opened her glass fridge and pulled out a bottle of orange juice, setting it beside the champagne.
Debbie looked at it and then back to Lou.
"For the love of god, it's ten in the morning, at least make it a mimosa." The Australian drawled.
Debbie did as she was told, and as she took a sip, she and Lou stared each other down. Casually leaning against the counter, Lou chewed slowly on a piece of gum, her chopped bangs moving every time she blinked her charcoal-lined eyes.
"Is she a blonde?"
"Brunette. Latina, actually."
Debbie took a few steps forward. On her way past Lou, she hooked a finger along the inner lapel of the maroon, suede vest Lou wore.
"You're consistent, I'll give you that."
She was shirtless underneath and the skin contact ignited a fire in both women. Still, the brunette continued onward, taking a tour of the lower level. She ran her hand along the back of the couch and over to a glass and titanium record player.
"Why are you here?"
"It's nearly Thanksgiving."
"Jesus, you Americans and your silly holidays."
Ignoring Lou's oncoming protest, Debbie continued, "I just thought we should have a proper family dinner."
Lou joined her next to the vinyls. "Where?"
"Here."
"Why not your place?"
"Why not here?"
"Are you running from something?"
"Nope."
"Well, what's here that you want?"
Debbie's brown orbs flicked upwards to catch Lou's blue ones in their grasp. Lou searched her face and tried to understand what she was trying to say without words.
You, Deb's eyes said.
As she always did, Lou remained cool outwardly. Finding a way to yes without actually saying it, Lou turned on her heels and stepped toward a couch. Gracefully sinking down, she told Debbie, "I hate turkey."
Trying not to show her elation, Debbie gave her a smirk. "You Australians eat like kangaroo or emu, right?"
Lou actually laughed. "Steve Irwin just rolled over in his grave."
Debbie smiled, clearly pleased with herself.
"The girls?" Lou inquired.
"Can be here in a week."
"Oh, so you knew I was going to allow this?"
"I hoped."
Lou stared at her for a few heartbeats. "Come here." She finally said, casually shifting down in her chair and crossing right her leg over the left.
Debbie was about to follow her orders, only to be stopped dead in her tracks.
"Lou?"
While Debbie's head immediately turned to the door, Lou continued to look at Debbie for a moment longer.
The brunette who'd poked her head in the room looked strikingly familiar. She was holding her shoes, Doc Martens, and in a black long sleeved shirt and leggings, obviously what she'd clearly wore the night before.
"Hi. I'm Debbie."
Remembering her manners, Lou introduced them. "Sorry, Deb this is April."
Debbie smirked down at Lou, feigning fascination, and whispered, "April."
Lou turned to April. "April was one of my vodka pourers, yeah?"
April nodded her like a dutiful little puppy. "Mhm."
Debbie took a seat on the arm of the chair where Lou sat and appraised April.
Sending the tension in the room, April pointed over her shoulder. "I should get going. I had fun."
"Me too." Lou admitted. "I'll call you."
Sizing up the stylish brunette standing before Lou, April accepted that Lou would never call her. Instead, she nodded her head again and disappeared to find her way out of the enormous condo.
"So," Lou said, eyes admiring Debbie's legs before returning to her face, "what are we eating?"
Catching the double entendre, Debbie reached out and ran her fingers down Lou's soft cheek before tapping her nose. "You won't be eating anything until you change those sheets."
Lou groaned. "My housekeeper doesn't come until Wednesday."
"Oh, then I hope April was worth it." Debbie stood to her full height and started towards a random hallway. "My room?" She asked over her shoulder.
"Turn right, spiral staircase, first door on the left."