Fearless – An Eleventh Hour story
Summary: A drunken Rachel makes for a rather interesting night. R/H…inspired by 'Fearless' by Taylor Swift
Disclaimer: Zip, zilch, noodles! :P
Dr. Jacob Hood sat in a chair in the hotel lobby and drummed his fingers on the arm as he waited for his FBI counterpart, Special Agent Rachel Young, to arrive.
Tonight they were going to the Mayoral Ball. Normally they wouldn't be invited, but as they had just stopped and cured an epidemic, one that had even affected the mayor himself, they had been invited and were being considered somewhat as guests of honour.
Hood looked at his watch, then back towards the elevators. He knew Rachel wasn't keen on going to the party, but she would never purposely stall.
Deciding to go look for her, Hood pushed himself out of the chair and strolled over to the elevators. As he stood waiting in front of the elevator, its doors opened and revealed Rachel as he had never seen her before. Stepping out of the elevator, she walked over to Hood and twirled around slowly.
"Well, what do you think?" Rachel asked.
She was wearing a navy blue spaghetti strap dress, its full skirt swishing around her legs just above her knees. At the top of the dress there was a swirling design done with gold beads and crinoline peeped out from under the dress' hem. Her shoes were navy as was the shawl she had draped over her arms, which bore the same gold design as the dress. Her wavy blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders and the only jewellery she wore was a gold locket and a gold and sapphire ring on her right ring finger.
"Umm…I mean…well…oh wow…" Hood stuttered and Rachel smirked.
"Do my ears deceive me? Is the great Jacob Hood speechless?" Hood smirked back.
"You look amazing." He said, making Rachel smile.
"Thank you." She replied, walking past him. "Sorry I took so long. I had to deal with a couple of pigs who were trying to pick me up."
"I bet." Hood muttered under his breath. Rachel turned to face him.
"You say something?" she asked and he shook his head.
"Well then," Hood said, going to stand next to her. "Shall we go before we're any later than we already are?" He offered her his arm, which she took and smiled up at him.
"Let's go."
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They pulled up in front of the venue and Hood jumped out, jogged around the car and opened Rachel's door. She looked at him, surprised, but took the hand he offered and got out. Closing her door, Rachel tossed the keys to the valet, took Hood's arm and they walked inside.
"Why did you open my door?" Rachel asked. Hood shrugged.
"I figured it was the gentlemanly thing to do." Rachel rolled her eyes as they walked through the grand double doors into the ballroom.
Rachel, who wasn't often easily impressed, was in awe of the spectacular ballroom. Sparkling crystal chandeliers hung from the vaulted ceiling, which looked like it was covered in gold. The large hardwood dance floor was surrounded by plush burgundy carpeting. At the far side of the room was a small stage occupied by a band and a young woman crooning into a microphone. Men and women, dressed in their evening finery, milled around the room. Some sat at the many round tables that peppered the room, some mingled with their fellow partygoers, some danced, and others hovered around the large bar in the corner, which Rachel knew was going to become her new best friend before the night was over.
She and Hood made their way over to an empty table and sat down. Hood watched Rachel as she looked around the grand room. Just as she began to eye-up the bar intently, the singer was replaced with an older man and the band struck up a new song. Before Rachel could make a beeline for the bar, Hood stood up and held out his hand to her.
"May I have this dance?" Hood asked, gentle smile lighting up his face. Rachel frowned.
"I can't dance Hood." She replied.
"Neither can I," he countered. "But we can't just sit here the whole time."
"Watch me." Said Rachel, with a cheeky smirk, but Hood shook his head.
"I won't leave you be unless you dance." Rachel frowned again. "C'mon Rachel. Just one dance, and then I won't bother you for the rest of the night." She sighed, giving in.
"Fine one dance." She said, taking his hand. Hood led her to the dance floor. Rachel placed her free hand on Hood's shoulder as he placed his on her waist.
As they danced, or tried to at least, Hood noticed a few of the men staring at his beautiful dance partner and he tightened his hold on her, pulling her closer, as if to tell these men 'Back off bubs! She's with me!'
Rachel noticed Hood suddenly pull her in and looked away, fighting back the blush that threatened to stain her cheeks. She was close enough to smell his cologne and feel the heat radiating from his body, and had to resist the urge to step even closer to him.
While they continued to dance, Rachel thought about the man who was holding her so close. When they had started working together, they had both resented the other's presence. Rachel didn't want to babysit an absent-minded scientist and Hood didn't want a bodyguard, so they had tried to make each others lives as difficult as possible. Eventually they had begun to get along, and that had then grown into friendship. Unfortunately for her, Rachel's feelings had kept on growing, to the point that she was now in love with the man she had once resented beyond all reason.
Rachel really wished she could just tell Hood how she felt, but, not only was she afraid of the rejection she was sure would ensue, she knew the Bureau would not be supportive of their relationship, due to the fact it might impair their judgement or priorities, and they would probably reassign Rachel. She knew she could never be happy with any other assignment, even the job in counter-terrorism that she had wanted so badly before she met Hood.
Suddenly, the song changed and they stopped dancing. Rachel dropped Hood's hand like it had burned her and turned away.
"Well, I'm off to the bar. And I'm holding you to your promise." She said, and then walked away.
---Two Hours Later---
"Another rum and coke please." Rachel said, her words slurring slightly, as she pushed her glass towards the bartender. He raised an eyebrow at her.
"You might want to slow down on those a bit." Said the bartender, but Rachel just waved her hand at him, dismissing his warning.
"I'm fine, just gimme another." The bartender sighed and refilled her glass. As Rachel went to take a sip, a loud, high, almost shrieking, bout of laughter rang out nearby, grating on her ears and nerves. She looked around, trying to locate the source of the laughter and found it coming from a busty redhead in a rather tight dress that was talking and flirting with none other than Jacob Hood.
Rachel's eyebrows knit together as she scowled. How dare that hussy flirt with her partner! Taking another sip of her drink, Rachel's alcohol influenced mind suddenly produced an ingenious, if slightly evil, plan. Switching her ring to the other hand, she got up and stumbled a bit as she jumped off the bar stool. Straightening her dress, Rachel strolled off towards Hood and the redhead.
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Hood sighed inwardly as the redhead let out a loud, and obviously fake, laugh at something that wasn't particularly funny in the first place. He wanted to turn to the bar and catch Rachel's eye, to signal for her to come and save him from this predicament, as she had from countless others. But he had promised to leave her be for the rest of the night and he refused to break his promise.
So, when Hood felt someone suddenly attach themselves to his arm, he was naturally surprised to find Rachel standing there, almost leaning on him.
"Rachel? What's wrong?" He whispered to her. She looked up at him, eyes unusually bright, and whispered back.
"Play along." Hood raised his eyebrows as the smell of alcohol assaulted his nose.
"Rachel, are you drunk? Before he could get an answer, Hood's attentions were pulled back to his other companion as she spoke up.
"And who might this be?" the redhead inquired, gesturing to Rachel.
"This is Rachel, my–" Hood was cut off by Rachel sticking out her left hand.
"I'm his fiancée." She said, wiggling her fingers and causing the lights to reflect off the sapphire ring that was now on her left ring finger.
Hood's eyes went wide, but he managed to resist the instinct to whip his head around to face Rachel. The redhead's sugary smile fell.
"Oh. Well, congratulations." She turned to look at Hood. "It was lovely talking to you Dr. Hood."
"You too." He replied, not really paying attention. When she was gone, Hood turned to Rachel.
"Where'd you leave your things?" Rachel gestured behind her vaguely.
"I left them at the bar." Placing a hand on her back, Hood steered Rachel back to her recently vacated seat at the bar.
"Grab your stuff; I'm taking you back to the hotel." Rachel looked at him, nonplussed.
"Why?" She asked. Hood sighed.
"You're drunk Rachel. We're going back to the hotel." Rachel sat down and crossed her arms stubbornly.
"I am not drunk! I only had, like, three or four drinks and I can hold my booze very well, thank you very little." Hood looked at the bartender, who was wiping the counter nearby. He glanced at Rachel, then looked back at Hood and held up six fingers. Hood sighed again.
"Rachel, seriously! Get your things, we're leaving." He said, but Rachel merely snorted. Hood, quickly becoming frustrated with the blonde agent, decided to resort to drastic measures. If she was going to act like a child, he'd treat her like one.
"If you don't get your stuff and start walking right now, I will pick you up and carry you out myself!" Rachel snorted again.
"I'd like to see you try!" she laughed. Hood took a step towards her and reached out to grab her by the waist, but Rachel squeaked and scooted off the stool before he could grab her.
"Alright, alright, I'll go." She conceded, grabbing her purse and shawl.
"I knew you'd see it my way." Hood said, smirking, while Rachel rolled her eyes and followed him out of the ballroom.
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As they stood outside, waiting for the valet to bring the car around, a chilly evening breeze blew by, causing Rachel to shiver in her short, sleeveless dress. Hood noticed and shrugged off his jacket, placing it around her shoulders. As he did, his fingers brushed down her arms. Rachel shivered again as her drunken mind wandered down a forbidden path. Thinking she was still cold Hood wrapped his arm around her and rubbed his hand up and down her arm to warm her up.
Rachel's logical and guarded side tried to push through, warning her against what was happening, but she pushed it aside and, using the chilly night and her drunkenness as excuses, snuggled into Hood.
Just then, the valet pulled up with their car. Hood removed his arm from around Rachel, opened the passenger door, and helped her into the car, before getting into the driver's seat and pulling away from the hotel.
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As they drove down the street, Rachel noted that it must have rained while they were at the party because the streetlights reflected off the wet streets. The shining puddles had an almost hypnotic effect and kept her staring out the window until she heard Hood sigh.
Rachel looked over at him and, suddenly, couldn't look anywhere else. She wasn't sure if it was her drunken brain or love struck heart, but Hood looked incredibly handsome with the amber streetlamp light illuminating his face and reflecting in his piercing hazel eyes. Hood sighed again and ran a hand absentmindedly through his curly hair and, in Rachel's eyes, went from handsome to sexy in an instant.
Feeling that the car ride had been silent for too long, Rachel switched on the radio.
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As he drove, Hood thought about Rachel's antics at the party. As grateful as he was to her for rescuing him from that conversation, Hood still thought that she had gone a bit too far. When Rachel had blurted out that she was his "fiancée", it had started Hood thinking about the feelings he had for her.
Sure, they were friends, but Hood knew that he cared for Rachel on a much deeper level than just "friends". He had felt this way for a while now, ever since the smallpox epidemic in Pittsburgh. When she had been in quarantine, Hood had been scared, genuinely scared, that he was going to loose Rachel like he had lost his late wife, because of something he could not protect her from. Hood sighed. Cal's words still echoed in his ears.
"The rules apply to everyone, Jacob, even the ones we care about the most."
He wasn't sure what Cal had been trying to say. Had he been referring to Hood's late wife or Rachel? Had he seen Hood's feelings for Rachel before Hood himself had been aware of them or was there no hidden meaning to it at all? Hood sighed again and ran a hand through his hair.
Suddenly Hood was jolted from his thoughts by the sound of music. He glanced at Rachel, who was bobbing around and humming along to the song.
Then she began to sing.
"This morning, I woke up with this feeling I didn't know how to deal with and so I just decided to myself, I'd hide it to myself and never talk about it and did not go and shout it when you walked into the room."
Hood blinked in surprise. He had never heard Rachel sing before and wondered why she didn't sing more often, because she had a beautiful voice.
"I think I love you, so what am I so afraid of? I'm afraid that I'm not sure of a love there is no cure for." Rachel continued singing. "I think I love you, isn't that what life is made of? Though it worries me to say that I've never felt this way."
Hood grinned in amusement as he recognized the song. Of all the songs she could be singing, Rachel was singing a Partridge Family song.
"Believe me; you really don't have to worry. I only want to make you happy and if you say 'Hey, go away' I will, but I think better still I'd better stay around and love you. Do you think I have a case? Let me ask you to your face. Do you think you love me?"
Hood wasn't sure, but he had a sneaking suspicion that Rachel was staring at him as she sang. Every time he glanced at her, Rachel's head, which had previously been turned in his direction, swivelled to face forward. She couldn't possibly be addressing him as she sang…could she? Hood scoffed at himself silently. What was he thinking? As far as Rachel was concerned, they were just friends and that was all they'd ever be.
"I think I love you, so what am I so afraid of? I'm afraid that I'm not sure of a love there is no cure for. I think I love you, isn't that what life is made of? Though it worries me to say that I've never felt this way." Rachel finished singing as Hood turned into the hotel parking lot, and switched off the radio.
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It had begun to rain again as they drove and now, as Hood helped Rachel out of the car, the heavens opened up and it began to pour. Rachel shrieked in surprise and shock as the cold water hit her bare skin and pulled Hood's jacket from her shoulders, putting it over her head.
Hood chuckled, grabbed Rachel's hand and they ran. Rachel began to giggle as she ran, trying to hold the jacket over her head and keep her balance in her heels at the same time. They ran for the door, splashing through puddles and laughing all the while. Hood stopped easily and turned as he finally made it to the door, but Rachel was not so lucky.
It is a well known fact that smooth concrete, rain, and high heels are a hazardous mix.
Rachel's feet slipped out from under her as she tried to stop. She fell forward and straight into Hood, her arms wrapping around his neck as he caught her around the waist. They stared at each other in surprise. Suddenly their closeness gave Rachel the courage to do what she'd wanted to do for a while now.
She stretched up and pressed her lips to Hood's. He unconsciously began to return the kiss, before his brain kicked in and he broke the kiss and held her back at arms length.
----------
Rachel felt her heart crack as Hood pushed her away. She had been stupid and impulsive. She had assumed that he didn't feel the same way about her as she did about him, but had dared to hope anyway. And now her heart was breaking. Hood squeezed her shoulders gently.
"Don't do this Rachel, you're drunk. We both know you don't actually feel this way. It's the alcohol talking. Don't let it make you do something you'll regret later." Rachel pulled away from Hood, tears of hurt and frustration pooling in her eyes.
"God damn it Hood! I'm not drunk! I may be a bit tipsy and a lot of my inhibitions are gone, sure, but I am not shit-faced drunk like you seem to think I am! I am fully aware and in control of my actions." She paused and swiped angrily at her tears with the back of her hand. Rachel hated to cry, it made her feel weak and vulnerable.
"The alcohol isn't making me do anything, especially not something I'll regret. They call it 'liquid courage' for a reason, you know." She finished quietly. Hood stared at her, brow furrowed in confusion.
"Rachel? What do you mean?" Rachel looked up at him with an almost pitying smirk tweaking the corner of her mouth.
"For a genius, you're pretty dumb sometimes. I mean that I kissed you because I was trying to tell you something. I love you." Hood wanted to grin like an idiot, she loved him, she loved him, but he made his face serious.
"Well, if that's the case, then I guess I'll just have to do this…" he cupped her cheek and tilted her head up as he leaned down and kissed her. Rachel's arms snaked back around his neck, her hands curling themselves into his soft hair. Hood placed his hand on the curve of her hip, pulling her in, as the kiss deepened.
Rachel tasted sweet, probably an after-effect of having such an insatiable sweet tooth. The taste was so her, so perfect, and the bitter taste of alcohol could neither ruin nor mask her perfect taste.
An awkward cough brought them back down to earth. A young man, a hotel employee, stood there with wide eyes and the door half open.
"Umm…are you coming inside? I'm about to lock up for the night." He asked nervously. Rachel gave the man a kind smile and intertwined her hand with Hood's as they walked inside
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They kept straight faces as they walked across the hotel lobby and into a waiting elevator, but as soon as the doors closed they burst into laughter.
"Oh that poor kid." Rachel said once she had caught her breath again. "I think we must have given him quite a shock."
"He certainly got more than he bargained for in agreeing to lock up." Hood agreed with a chuckle.
Extracting his hand from Rachel's, Hood stepped closer and hugged her around the waist. Rachel wrapped her arms around him and laid her head on his chest, snuggling into his embrace.
"I love you too." Hood whispered. Rachel closed her eyes and smiled as her heart soared. She had waited so long to finally hear those words from him.
"I know." She whispered back. Hood smiled and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
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It's true that good things come to those who wait, but being fearless enough to make the first move definitely helps.
THE END
A/N: WooHoo! It is FINISHED! :D *does victory dance*