Chocolate Cupcake
Disclaimer: Not mine, just borrowing them. The 'cupcake' endearment (also not mine) is from Janet Evanovich.
Summary: "We're a lot more complicated than fondue, Jake." Holiday fic with S5 spoilers. JC.
For everyone who received one over the holidays…
Calleigh Duquesne stood in the middle of her living room, her hands perched on her hips. She was eyeing the room critically, going over each detail, looking for anything that might be out of place or missing. The lights on the Christmas tree shone brightly, illuminating the perfectly spaced if somewhat eclectic collection of ornaments. Her mantle was covered in garland, with a set of eight hand-carved cherry red cardinal birds peeping out from amidst the branches. All other available flat surfaces displayed her extensive collection of Santa Claus figurines. The table was set, complete with two tall, slender candles ready to be lit. Calleigh tilted her head and frowned. Maybe the candles were a bit much, a shade too romantic for the just-friends dinner she had planned.
She was still debating over the candles when the doorbell rang, sending her heart soaring and turning loose a flurry of butterflies in her stomach. Quickly, Calleigh snatched the two candles out from their holders and shoved them in a nearby drawer. She could always retrieve them if need be.
Calleigh walked towards her front door, smoothing down her perfectly-straightened hair one last time. A quick check in the mirror that hung near the door confirmed that her lipstick still shone. She took a deep breath and opened the door, planting a large, if somewhat forced, smile on her face.
"Hi Jake," she said, hoping that he couldn't feel the fear rolling off her.
Jake smiled slowly at Calleigh, making no attempt to conceal the fact that his eyes were raking over her body. "Hi Cupcake."
Calleigh frowned at Jake's use of the nickname he'd long ago christened her with and snapped out of the daze that his presence always sent her into. She stepped back from the door so that he could come in. "Can I take your coat?"
Jake slipped out of his worn leather jacket. "Do you still throw your guests' coats on the spare bed?" he asked, not waiting for an answer as he brushed past Calleigh and headed towards the back of her house.
"It's the first door on the right," Calleigh called after him, knowing that there was no point in fighting with him over the issue, and hoping that by directing him to the correct room, he'd be less inclined to snoop through the rest of her house.
She paused and counted to ten, taking deep breaths. She was not going to chase after him, was not going to turn the first few words they'd said to each other into a battle of wills. She would give him exactly one minute, and if he didn't return then, she was going after him.
Jake surprised her by returning promptly. "You've done a nice job with that bedroom," he said, slipping easily onto one of her bar stools and focusing his dark brown eyes on her. "In fact, the whole house looks great. It's good to know you haven't lost your flair for decorating."
"I haven't morphed into a completely different person just because I moved to Miami, Jake. People don't really change that much." Calleigh groaned inwardly. She'd promised herself that she wasn't going to pick a fight with Jake, and that she wasn't going to bait him with loaded statements like the one she'd just uttered. What was it about him that made her want to antagonize him?
Jake gave Calleigh a wistful look but let the comment slide. "So, what's for dinner?"
Calleigh relaxed. Dinner was a safe, neutral topic. "The usual. Turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce…"
Jake's attention had already wandered. "What is this contraption?" he asked, standing up and making his way over to Calleigh's buffet table.
Calleigh sighed, but it was good-natured. "It's a chocolate fondue fountain," she said, walking over to stand next to Jake. "My cousin sent it to me. She claims they're all the rage this year. I figured that since I was having people over I might as well use it. Last I heard, fondue went in and out of style in the 70s, but everything makes a comeback eventually, I suppose."
"Interesting," Jake said, eyeing the molten pool of chocolate in the machine's well. "Are you going to turn it on?"
"I guess I could," Calleigh said. "I'm pretty sure the chocolate's melted by now."
Jake reached over and switched the 'fountain' knob to on. The machine gurgled loudly, and the chocolate pool began to churn. Jake looked at Calleigh. "It sounds like it's about to blow."
In a mock heroic gesture, he grabbed Calleigh's upper arms and pushed her back a few steps, shielding her body with his own. Calleigh swatted at him, but Jake's hands remained firmly on her arms, scorching them with his touch. Calleigh was all too aware of the heat that radiated off his body through his thin cotton t-shirt.
She stood on her tiptoes, peering over Jake's shoulder at the machine. "Look," she cried. "There it goes!"
Jake released Calleigh's arms then, swinging around to watch as the chocolate began to pour from the top of the machine, coating each level of the tower in a perfectly even layer of chocolate.
"Huh," Jake said. "Now what are you supposed to do with it?"
"Haven't you ever seen fondue before?" Calleigh asked, heading back into the kitchen. "You're supposed to dip fruit in it."
Jake followed behind Calleigh, half-listening as she prattled on about the details of fondue. Her upper body was buried so far in the refrigerator that he couldn't make out most of what she was intently lecturing him on. He smiled as Calleigh backed out of the fridge, a large platter of cut fruit in her hands.
"Strawberries and chocolate, Cupcake? Really, if I'd known that's what you were serving up, I would have been over here a long time ago." Jake raised his eyebrow suggestively at Calleigh.
Calleigh frowned. "Move, Jake," she said, pushing past him to take the fruit into the dining room.
"Come on, Cal, lighten up," Jake said, still trailing behind her. "Can't we joke about these things? There was a time when you couldn't keep your hands off me. Do you remember that time when –"
Calleigh set the platter down a bit more forcefully that she'd intended. "No," she said curtly. "I don't remember. And don't go reminding me either. Those days are over, Jake. Don't forget what I told you when I invited you over." She spun around, surprised to find her face mere inches from Jake's chest. Calleigh looked up.
"Maybe you should remind me again," Jake said, his voice low and husky. "Because being here with you like this is making me forget everything except how good we were together. And unlike you, I don't mind being reminded of that fact."
Calleigh remained seemingly calm, unaware that Jake was watching her pulse beat frantically against her neck.
"I told you that you were invited to come over and have Christmas dinner with me, but that you weren't to put any meaning into it except that I didn't want you to be alone on Christmas." Her words were short and clipped.
"Ah yes, now I remember. How could I forget such a cordial invitation?" Jake's tone was teasing, and he held his hands up in mock surrender when Calleigh frowned at him.
"Come on, let's try this thing out." Jake leaned forward into Calleigh, nearly knocking her off balance, and plucked two strawberries off the platter.
"Get off me, Jake," Calleigh howled, pushing at Jake's chest until he straightened back up.
Jake opened his mouth to reply, a smart remark ready just beyond the smirk, so Calleigh cut him off.
"Let me go get the toothpicks," she said, slipping out from around him and trotting into the kitchen. She returned moments later, but Jake had already stuck one of the strawberries into the chocolate wave, and was watching intently as chocolate flowed around the plump berry.
"Only you would cut the tops off the strawberries," he said, more to himself than her. "That takes all the fun out of it." Jake continued to twirl the deep red berry around slowly, coating its entire surface as well as the tops of two of his fingers.
"Here," he said suddenly, pulling the berry out of the flow and cupping one hand underneath it to catch any wayward chocolate drops. He pushed the fruit towards Calleigh, who was too surprised to do anything other than open her mouth.
Jake popped the berry in, his smile widening. Some of the excess chocolate ran over Calleigh's lip and down her chin.
"Woops," Jake said, swiping at the chocolate trail, succeeding only at smearing it around.
Calleigh was unconcerned about the chocolate. Her eyes were shut and there was a dreamy look on her face. She chewed slowly, deliberately, savoring each bite.
"Yum," she said, when she opened her eyes. Before Jake could respond, she plucked the second strawberry out of his hand and stuck it in the chocolate. She pulled it back out quickly and moved it towards Jake's mouth. "Open wide," she teased.
Jake opened his mouth willingly, and Calleigh tossed the berry in. He chewed quickly, efficiently. "Not bad," he agreed, licking a stray smear of chocolate off the top of his lip.
Calleigh smiled, her good mood restored. "You still have chocolate on your face, Cupcake," Jake said, reaching out with his finger to wipe it away. He captured Calleigh's chin in his hand and rubbed at the chocolate with his thumb.
Calleigh stared up at Jake, locking her jade eyes with his darker brown ones. Her eyes were bright and clear, the shield that usually hid her emotions gone. Jake stared back, captivated by the unveiled intensity in her eyes.
"Cal?" he said quietly.
"Jake?" Calleigh asked back, her voice barely audible.
Jake's other hand came up and threaded through her golden locks with an unnerving familiarity. "You're gorgeous, you know?" He dropped his head down until his mouth was only inches from Calleigh, waiting for a sign from her that it was okay to continue.
Calleigh held her breath. Her insides were a complete mess, melting and swirling together and around faster and faster the closer Jake came. This – her with chocolate smeared on her face and Jake eyeing her the way a wolf might eye its prey – had not been in her plans. Of course, Jake reappearing in her life hadn't been in her plans either, but here he was. It was all too easy for her as she rose up on her tiptoes and closed the distance between their lips.
He tasted like chocolate, and strawberries, and something else that she'd never been able to identify but that was uniquely Jake. He tasted like comfort and security, like danger and seduction. He tasted like love.
Calleigh pulled back from the kiss then, too disoriented by the thoughts whirling through her head. "What's going on, Jake?" she asked. She met his eyes, but her expression was again guarded and distrusting.
"I don't know, Cupcake," Jake said, his tone nonchalant. "I was just trying to get the chocolate off your chin."
"You're not doing a very good job," Calleigh retorted, realizing an instant too late that she'd fallen right into his trap.
Jake smirked before dropping his mouth to Calleigh's chin. Calleigh closed her eyes and sighed. She felt Jake's tongue trail slowly across her chin, lapping up the last bit of chocolate that remained. His mouth then continued upwards, returning to recapture her lips with his own. The taste of chocolate was stronger now, as was Calleigh's desire – and confusion. She wasn't sure that she was ready to go a second round with Jake, but she knew there was a part of her that no longer wanted to push him away.
"Cal?" Jake asked again, pulling back just far enough to form the words.
"What?" Calleigh asked hesitantly. She didn't trust her own words not to betray her.
"Do you think we should give us another try?" His voice was hesitant, as if he wasn't entirely sure of the answer himself.
"I don't know," Calleigh answered, pulling further away from Jake. At some point, her arms had ended up around his waist, and she dropped them to her sides, squeezing her hands into tight fists.
"We're better than fondue," Jake said, earning a quizzical look from Calleigh.
"What are you talking about?"
"You said that fondue was making a comeback, right?" Jake ran one finger down Calleigh's arm lazily, watching the goose bumps that formed in its wake.
"Yeah," Calleigh's eyes narrowed.
"Well," Jake reasoned, shrugging his shoulders as he did so, "We were better than fondue our first time around, and if fondue can make a successful return, there's no reason we can't."
Calleigh shook her head. "We're a lot more complicated than fondue, Jake."
Jake groaned. "Okay, enough with the fondue analogy. Can't we just try, see where things go? I've really missed you."
"You mean you just want to see if I'll go to bed with you. I don't think so, Jake. It's just not that easy. It took me a long time to get over you the first time. Part of me never did. I don't know if I'd recover a second time."
"I'm hoping there won't be a second time, Cupcake." He smiled, knowing that the nickname irritated her.
They were quiet for a moment, and then Calleigh spoke. "It's just a passing trend," she said. Jake frowned in confusion.
Calleigh continued. "Your fondue analogy, remember? This may be the hottest appliance right now, but how many people are actually going to use these things more than once? And I am not going to be something that you use once and then forget about."
Jake rolled his eyes. "Didn't I say to forget the analogy? Look, Cal, I just want to make things up to you."
"People don't change," Calleigh reminded him.
"Priorities do," Jake said, his tone now sober. "Isn't that what got us in trouble last time? It was never a question of love – at least, it wasn't on my part."
With those words, the last of Calleigh's barriers, protests and hesitations crumbled. In her mind, she'd known that work had torn them apart, but she couldn't help but question if maybe they'd split up because they just didn't love each other enough – because Jake just didn't love her enough. If she was honest with herself, she'd never really stopped loving him.
Calleigh stepped back into Jake, wrapping her arms around his waist and laying her head on his chest. "I want to believe you," she mumbled.
Jake placed his hands on Calleigh's hips and tilted his head down until his lips were just beyond her ear. "Then let me show you. I don't think my words alone are going to mean anything to you, but I can't prove to you that what I'm saying is true unless you give me another chance."
The doorbell rang then. "Who's that?" Jake asked, pulling Calleigh closer to him.
Calleigh snuggled up against his warmth, not ready to let go yet. "Horatio and Yelina. Things between them have been a little tense since they came back from Rio, and Thanksgiving with just the two of them was a complete disaster, so I invited them to have dinner with me. With any luck, Yelina's bribed Ray Jr into coming along as well. He's hardly spoken to either of them since Ray died."
"You better get the door then," Jake said, reluctantly releasing his hold on Calleigh. "Think about what I said?"
Calleigh stepped back, looking up at Jake and gracing him with one of her thousand watt smiles. "Fix another strawberry and ask me again." She winked at him and turned away to answer the door.
"Cal, wait."
Calleigh turned around. "What?"
Jake walked towards her. "You've still got some chocolate on your face." He lightly rubbed his thumb across her cheek and then dipped down to steal another kiss.
"You are so full of it," Calleigh told him when he pulled away, her indignation tempered by her smile.
"You know you love it, Cupcake," Jake answered with a satisfied smirk.
"I know that I love you," Calleigh sassed back, grinning as shock wiped away the smirk on Jake's face. She turned away from him then, and headed for the door.
Calleigh's thoughts swirled and tumbled over each other as she walked towards the door. Jake did have a point. They had been better than fondue – a lot better. And if she'd been willing to give that god-awful fondue machine a chance, then maybe Jake deserved one too. With any luck, the fondue craze would pass, but she and Jake wouldn't. Fondue might be a phase, but she and Jake were a timeless classic.
The End