A/N: It's official. I've been bitten with the Kristina/Ethan bug, especially now since the writers seem to be headed in that direction, which I'm so excited about. So this is another one-shot that's a bit drabble-esque based off the song "Dream a Little Dream of Me." I just wanted to make this one light and a little bit more fun. With that being said, I hope you like it! And as always, please review! Reviews make me so incredibly happy! :)
Dream a Little Dream of Me
She doesn't remember how it starts out. Perhaps it was during one of her immensely boring history lectures or maybe it was when she decided to lay out in the sun at the Yacht club on a particularly lazy afternoon. It doesn't really matter when she started dreaming about the boy that she was head over heels in love with but she knows that she doesn't want it to stop.
Stars shining bright above you
Night breezes seem to whisper "I love you."
Birds singing in the sycamore tree
Dream a little dream of me…
The first time Kristina dreams about Ethan, she imagines that they are on a boat. It's Edward Quartermaine's yacht, actually. The old man would've probably had a fit if she actually referred to his yacht as anything but a yacht. Night has already fallen and the dark sky mixes in with the dark water that breaks at the base of the boat. Others are out on the lake, anxiously waiting for the fireworks. It's the Fourth of July after all. She holds onto the rail and leans over the bow, enjoying the warmth that still lingers in the air.
"I thought that I might find you up here."
She turns around and there he is. His boyish grin makes her smile, as it always does, and he comes to her. He's wearing shorts, something that she never thought that she would see him in, and his shirt is unbuttoned, exposing his surprisingly toned stomach. She bites down on her bottom lip only to prevent herself from salivating.
"I'm waiting for the fireworks to start."
As if on cue, the first flare shoots into the air, bursting into a bright red that paints the night sky. His hands come to her shoulders and she feels herself being drawn into his chest. He chuckles softly, clearly aware that she can't hide the fact that she's turning a particularly deep shade of pink.
"You alright, love?"
"You called me love?"
She doesn't mean for her question to come out shaky but she can't help it. He's dragging one of his long fingers along her collarbone, smirking as her breath hitches in the back of her throat as he does it. He turns her around to face him and tilts her chin up so that their eyes meet.
"Of course… because that's what you are."
And then his lips are on hers. Soft, just as she imagined that they would be. And then, just as fast as it had come, the moment is gone and her eyes flutter open. The purple ceiling of her bedroom greets her, along with her alarm clock, instead of a starry night and fireworks. She hastily shuts her alarm clock up with the snooze button and curls back up with her pillow, smiling as her eyes close.
Say nighty-night and kiss me
Just hold me tight and tell me you'll miss me
While I'm alone and blue as can be
Dream a little dream of me…
The second time that Kristina dreams about Ethan they are at the MetroCourt. She knows everybody in the room but it doesn't change the fact that she's standing on the wall, watching everybody else dance. Even Molly is being twirled around on the dance floor. She manages to slip out onto the terrace and looks out at the city as it glitters in the night.
"Have you been hiding from me?"
Of course he looks great in shorts, with his shirt unbuttoned and his unkempt summer hair, but she thinks that he probably looks even better in a suit. He's wearing a white dinner jacket and black slacks, looking like he just stepped out of one of those old Hollywood movies that Molly makes her watch over and over again. He leans against the doorway, hands in his pockets, and stares her down. His eyes are focused and intense but smolder with a slight hint of wickedness.
"I thought that you wouldn't show."
"I never miss a good party."
He laughs as she takes him by the hand. His hands are bigger than hers but they are surprisingly soft and gentle. His fingers lace through hers and he pulls her close. The smell of his cologne mixed with the feeling of his breath on her face makes her feel dizzy. His lips are mere inches away from hers but he doesn't kiss her, much to her dismay.
"Come on, let's get out of here…"
"Dance with me first."
His voice is breathy and strained, like either he's struggling to not kiss her as well or dancing is the last thing on his mind. Nevertheless, he extends his hand out to her and then they're dancing on the terrace, with the stars twinkling and glittering above their heads. It's a perfect moment as they sway slowly to the music, holding onto each other. The music stops but he still holds her, just staring into her eyes. She blinks and then he's gone, just like last time. She's on her couch with Molly's pink throw blanket draped over her. She groans and dives back underneath the blanket, willing sleep to come and take her back to that terrace.
Stars fading but I linger on, dear
Still craving your kiss
I'm longing to linger till dawn, dear
Just saying this...
The third time that Kristina dreams about Ethan, she's at school. From what she can gather, it's her dormitory at college. Maybe she's at Yale and maybe she isn't. It's all beside the point because he's at her door, holding a large brown paper bag and sporting a smile.
"Special delivery for a Ms. Corinthos-Davis."
He shakes the bag and she laughs as he quickly makes himself at him in her dorm room, plopping down on her bed. He looks delicious as always with his hair back in a low ponytail, his dark stubble and his even darker eyes. It takes all of the willpower that she possesses to not just jump him right there.
"A care package? I didn't think you cared so much."
"You wound me, Kristina… of course I care."
She tries her hardest not to burst out laughing when he puts his hand over his heart and feigns being shocked but she does. He retaliates by pulling her to him and she lands, quite ungracefully, on top of him. Her curls a stray lock of hair behind her ear and smiles at her in a way that says how much he's missed her since she's been away.
"What's in the bag?"
"I don't know… why don't you open it?"
His lips are right by her ear and his voice, that gravelly whisper of his that always makes her toes curl, sends a shiver down her spine. She reaches into the bag and as she fishes out a smaller bag, he presses a kiss right below her earlobe.
"Ethan…"
Her voice is meant to sound like a warning but it ends up sounding more like mewling. He chuckles, clearly proud of his handiwork, but doesn't exactly stop. He just moves farther south, down her neck, and she can barely even focus on opening up the bag in her hands.
"Cookies… and they're not store bought… I figured that I'd take a page from your book and try and make them myself."
She smirks as she takes a quick glance at the chocolate chip cookies. They even look edible. He manages to get her out of her cardigan sweater and begins peppering kisses along her shoulder and her back. The feeling of his lips on her skin is almost enough to distract her from the rest of the care package that he brought.
"Sparknotes for As You Like it, Hamlet and Twelfth Night?"
"You told me that you were taking a class on Shakespeare… those were all of the ones that they had in the bookstore."
"How thoughtful…"
He lasciviously runs his fingers along her skin as his gaze never leaves hers and she suddenly forgets how to breathe. She needs to work on that. She pulls out the last item, a deck of cards, and raises an eyebrow. He gives her that sheepish boy grin of his that got her to fall all over him in the first place and he takes the cards from her.
"I mean, do I even need to explain the deck of cards, love?"
He practically tosses the deck of cards aside, with them landing on her desk, and kisses her. She could seriously get lost in this man's kisses forever. When he pulls away, he's gone again. She's back in her room, clutching her pillow tightly as if it was him. She can hear Molly and Sam downstairs, making breakfast, but she doesn't have a craving for Molly's chocolate chip pancakes.
Chocolate chip cookies maybe, but not pancakes.
Sweet dreams till sunbeams find you
Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you
But in your dreams, whatever they be
Dream a little dream of me…
The fourth time Kristina dreams about Ethan, they are at the Haunted Star. It's dark and the only light that she can see comes from the candles that he's lit that are now sitting on the poker table. He sits across from her and he fans out his five cards, smirking as he does it. He must have a good hand this time. His denim jacket, the one that she knows is his favorite, is on the floor, letting forth the black wifebeater shirt that he has on that she now wants to rip off.
"How many cards do you want, baby?"
She looks down at her hand and tries to keep a straight face. She has a straight. She could totally kill him with this hand. She looks back up at him and her eyes roam over his arms. It's a shame that he keeps them covered up most of the time, she thinks. They're quite impressive.
"Give me two."
She plucks two cards from her hand and slides them slowly across the table. She chuckles to herself because he totally snuck a peek down her tank top. She doesn't have to win the hand in order to get what she wants. She puts her feet on the table and leans back, letting him get a good long look at her legs. He quickly snaps out of his trance and tosses her two new cards before taking three for himself.
"Alright, let's see 'em."
She places her cards on the table and juts her lip out that makes him snicker. He might've been the one who taught her how to play poker but she's also picked up a few other tricks on how to run a scam form him. A scam that he doesn't even know that's happening. He leans over and smiles triumphantly.
"A pair of queens... what do you have, Lovett?"
"Four of a kind… I win again… you must be off your game tonight, Kristina… I've taught you better than this."
He starts shuffling the cards to deal another round but stops as she stands up and shimmies out of her tank top. She drops it in the middle of the table and sits back down, with a devious smirk on her lips. He picks up the shirt and meets her gaze. Maybe he's onto her now and thank god. She didn't know how much longer she'd last with him just sitting there, pretending to be interested in playing a game of strip poker.
"Maybe I need more poker lessons."
"Or maybe you're losing on purpose."
She laughs and rises to her feet. She makes sure to lean over the table, just to make sure that he's completely aware of what he could have if he just put the stupid cards away. His jaw twitches, indicating his impending loss of self-control, and she smiles, enjoying this game far more than cards.
"I do recall that it was you who wanted to play strip poker, Ethan."
His eyes stay on her for a moment until he shoves the deck of cards away from him, sending them to the floor. Before she knows it, they're making out on top of that poker table. He impatiently tugs downward on her bra strap, which makes her giggle, clearly liking the results of running her first con and she manages to get the upper hand, turning them both over so that she sits astride him and he raises an eyebrow. The student was definitely on her way to becoming the master.
"You are so… dangerous."
His voice is somewhere between a whisper and a growl and with that accent? It's quite possibly the sexiest thing that she's ever heard him say. He presses another kiss to her lips and when she opens her eyes, the blue sky above her on her father's boat greets her. Michael invites her to come inside to steer the boat for a while but she pops on her sunglasses and shakes her head before attempting to go back to sleep.
Stars fading but I linger on, dear
Still craving your kiss
I'm longing to linger till dawn, dear
Just saying this...
"Kristina!"
She opens her eyes and sees Ethan as he enters Kelly's. He smiles as he joins her at her table and she quickly sits up and matches his smile. She knows that she's not dreaming but it doesn't matter. Even though he's amazing in her dreams, he's perfect just the way he is when her eyes are wide open.
"Hey! I haven't seen you in a few days. How're you doing?"
"Yeah, I've been out of town… you actually looked like you had dozed off. Is everything ok?"
"Yeah! Of course… Sam, Molly and I had a movie marathon last night so I didn't get much sleep."
"Sounds like fun."
He leans in across the table as he speaks and she's completely lost in his eyes and that grin of his that always makes her want to smile. She half expects him to kiss her like he has so many times in her dreams but he never crosses that line. But perhaps he will one day.
"You know, I actually had a dream about you last night."
"Oh really? What was it about?"
She can't help but to giggle slightly to herself and she can feel her cheeks turning red. Sure, she's said worse to him and she still hasn't managed to scare him off but as much as she adores him in reality, she'd like to hold onto those dream versions of him, at least just for a little while longer. So, all she does is offer a coy little smile as she takes a sip of her coffee.
"I'll tell you someday."
Sweet dreams till sunbeams find you
Sweet dreams that leave all worries far behind you
But in your dreams, whatever they be
Dream a little dream of me…
["Dream a Little Dream of Me" – The Mamas and The Papas]