Disclaimer: I do not own AHS. If I did, Freak Show wouldn't of had so many damn musicals.
A/N: Lana is so slick lol how dare she. Thanks for the love, everyone! I noticed a few new people followed this story and I thank you, hope you are all enjoying this fic so far. I know I am.
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CH 4- One Of a Kind
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Lana was the first one to pull away from their delicate but unearthing kiss, leaving Rachel a little bereft and out of breath. The two women met eyes. The sun had set fully and the streetlights covered the street. Neither of them spoke. Rachel couldn't find the words and Lana was waiting for her to say something.
When Rachel didn't speak, she said, "You're not running away this time." She said it in an amused tone and Rachel remembered back months prior when she first kissed Lana in the office, after hours. She had panicked and run away.
"I would." Rachel finally found her voice, "But I can't feel my legs."
Lana stared at her until she began to laugh. Rachel did too.
"You're the sweetest thing." Lana told her, "I almost don't want to let you go tonight."
Rachel blushed profoundly at Lana's words. She was so bold. It was almost frightening.
"Then don't."
Lana leaned in closer, whispering to her, "I'd take you home right now, if I could, Miss Dylan. Don't you doubt that." Her voice was rigid, almost cold and filled with steel. She then leaned in further and pulled the door handle, opening the door for Rachel and backed away.
Rachel suddenly felt a small sense of panic flip her stomach upside down. She looked to Lana, not sure what to say.
"It's for your own good." Lana softly kissed her cheek, "Goodnight."
Silently, Rachel climbed out of the car and closed the door. "Goodnight." She told Lana through the rolled down window.
"Oh, Rachel?" Lana spoke up.
Rachel leaned down, peering through the window, "Yes?"
"I'll see you bright and early Monday."
Rachel smiled a small smile. "Okay." And stood straight. "Goodnight, Lana."
"Goodnight, Pretty Doll."
Rachel backed away from the car and made her way up the front steps of her apartment building. She looked over her shoulder to see Lana still parked there. She waved at her and Lana waved back. Rachel turned to the door and opened it. When she stepped inside and closed the door behind her, she heard Lana turn on the ignition to her car and drive away.
Rachel fell back against the door and brushed her lips with the tips of her pink-tipped fingers where her skin still tingled from the kiss. For just a moment, Rachel had been walking through the gates of heaven.
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The following day, Rachel lay upside down on her wine red sofa, her feet in the air, her arms dangling above her, brushing against the plush rug. For What It's Worth by Buffalo Springfield played on the radio, filling the otherwise empty and silent apartment. Rachel lifted her hand, softly brushing her lips where Lana's had been the night before. She had been doing so as if somehow she dreamt it all. Her eyes gazed off into the distance, barely grasping if what had happened was real.
She had been reading one of her books when the thought suddenly slipped into her mind and made her roll around the sofa until she ended up in her position.
"Wow." She said, wishing Lana had never pulled away.
Doyle's face came into her vision, inches from her face and purred loudly, bringing Rachel back from her long stupor.
"What?" She asked the cat.
Doyle head butted her in the face, purring louder.
"Okay, okay," Rachel pushed the cat away and sat up on the sofa and Doyle immediately hopped on her lap. Rachel ran her hand through her tri-colored fur. "She kissed me…" She smiled to herself, "And it felt so normal."
Doyle continued to purr like a motorboat.
Rachel couldn't help but to grin like a fool. She hugged the cat, "Oh, Doyle. Please hope this doesn't go south. I couldn't stand it."
Rachel sighed heavily and leaned back against the sofa, releasing the cat. "You should have heard what she told me…"
"I'd take you home right now, if I could, Miss Dylan. Don't doubt that."
Lana's words spun in Rachel's mind until her stomach twirled and plopped. She wondered what indeed Lana would have done if she had taken her home that night.
She raised Doyle in the air in front of her, "What do you think she meant by that?"
Rachel's expression went serious, her brow pensive and her eyes glossed over with wandering thoughts. The possibilities were so many and by the time Rachel was done thinking about it, she was tight lipped and red in the face.
Lana had this way about her. She was so bold and sure of her words, as if she knew the reaction they would cause Rachel and Rachel began to wonder if Lana had ever been with other women. She didn't doubt it. A woman like Lana must have had at least a small handful of lovers. She was surprised that she didn't already have one.
Rachel began to wonder what kind of woman Lana was attracted to. It must have been the beautiful and lavish type of woman with a character just as strong as hers. If that was so, then she wondered why Lana had even noticed her in the first place. Rachel knew she was still so bashful and awkward. She supposed it was because Lana caused such strong, unsettling feelings within her that put her off.
There had been only two other women that Rachel had truly felt something for. One, was Sister Caroline. She was so young and pretty and as Rachel grew older in the boarding school, she began to develop a small crush on the nun that had taken her under her wing. Sister Caroline was the first woman Rachel had ever noticed and the one in where she began to realize what she really was.
Rachel leaned against the armrest of the sofa, propping her cheek on the palm of her hand. She thought of Sister Caroline for a brisk moment and then remembered the other woman, Vivian.
Sister Caroline had only been a tiny, innocent, childhood crush but Vivian, Vivian had been the first woman Rachel had felt anything as close to love and lust before. She was the woman that uprooted her life and unraveled all the feelings that caused her to lose everything.
Rachel still remembered the look on Vivian's face when she kissed her that cold autumn evening in New York when her life was still normal and her parents still loved her. Then it all came tumbling down after that single mistake of a kiss.
Rachel's fists tightened at the thought of that woman. The look of disbelief and utter disgust still made her stomach lurch and her head twirl. It made her feel ashamed.
Then Lana came to mind. Lana with her exuberant smile and her understanding gaze. Her endearing words and tantalizing kiss. Lana was so different than Vivian. Of course they were both beautiful and elegant with a strong aura about them but Lana was kind where Vivian was brash. Lana had comforted her, sought her out while Vivian only humiliated her.
Rachel crossed her legs and wrapped her arms around her shins, comparing the two women unwillingly.
She thought of the way Lana looked at her with that dazzling, white smile and shinning brown eyes. She then thought of the look of her eyes in the car the evening before. They were hard, coy and filled with a hunger Rachel had never seen. Yet she noted a sense of distance in them, fear even. As if Lana's mere touch would make Rachel break or disappear.
However, the looks Lana gave her made Rachel's heart beat and her stomach twirl. She made her feel something other than self-pity; unlike the looks Vivian had given her that day.
Rachel pushed the thought of Vivian aside, replacing her with the thought of Lana's sweet kiss. It had been so sudden and she hadn't expected it. Now she was sure Lana was just like her.
The first time she kissed Lana, she hadn't been sure. Of course there had been rumors in the office that Lana didn't fancy men but that was simply because she showed no interest in dating them, not because she truly was a lesbian. But then after she kissed her, Lana didn't react in the way Vivian had and something she had said that night made Rachel really think those weren't just rumors.
Rachel exhaled, wondering how her life had gotten that way. She remembered being seven years old, playing on the shore of the lake by her parent's lake house. She was so small and carefree with her entire life ahead of her. She had no clue the card she would be dealt later on in life. Hell, she didn't even suspect it.
Rachel used to think the thoughts she had about other girls, growing up, was a normal thing. She saw nothing wrong with it, nothing out of the ordinary. As far as she knew, thinking about kissing girls and letting her eyes wander in the locker room as a young preteen was something normal, almost curious. They were just innocent glances, nothing sexual. Just little peeks admiring the beauty of another girl as she stood there, awkward and still underdeveloped. Rachel never thought these little feelings of admiration, these stares in the classroom, those thoughts of "what would happen if I kissed her right now?" would lead up to anything but how she had been so wrong.
She just wished she had realized it sooner before she was released out into the world, innocent and naïve. Some people just always knew off the bat, what they were. Others, well, it took them just a little bit longer to catch on.
Still, as Rachel sunk deeper against her sofa, she couldn't help to wonder what else lay behind the feeling of Lana's kiss. Her lips were sweet like honey and her hair smelled of lilacs and jasmine. Her perfume was intoxicating and the feeling of her hands was warm and inviting. But Rachel was curious about everything else. She was curious about the feeling of Lana's bare arms, the feeling of her lower back and the taste of her neck.
She turned red at such bold thoughts and buried her face in her arms, embarrassed at even thinking about such things. Lana in bed was something so dangerous to think about.
Not to mention they frustrated her beyond belief. Physical starvation and lust did not mix well. However, Rachel knew she felt more for Lana than just a simple lust. She didn't want to say she loved her, but perhaps she did. Rachel was just afraid to admit it to herself. She used to think that love only blossomed from two people that had known each other for so long and had shared a relationship for years.
How could she love Lana when she wasn't with her? When she hadn't personally known her for so long? Perhaps it had been love at first sight. After all, Rachel had felt like she was hit by a bus the first time she ever saw Lana in the breakroom at work. And every time after that, it felt like cupid had taken a swing with a bat to the back of her head, instead of an arrow to her chest.
Lana left her speechless. She made her feel safe and afraid all at once. And Rachel didn't often realize it but her hands had been shaking.
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Monday morning rolled around and Rachel was a nervous mess by the time she arrived at the office. She didn't know what to expect. A part of her was nervous and wanted to throw up and hide. Maybe she should tell Lou she wasn't feeling well and wanted to go home.
Her terrible experience with Vivian was rocking her and unsettling her. She couldn't help but to feel like the same thing would happen.
Rachel was in the back room where they kept the office supplies. She leaned against the wall, trying to recollect herself. She knew she was being dramatic and over thinking the situation but she couldn't help it. It all seemed too good to be true.
Maybe what she needed was to go home. To go home and rethink things over.
"Crap." She muttered and bolted out of the room.
She had made her way through the door when someone grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. Rachel immediately met eyes with Lana.
"Where are you headed off to in such a hurry?" Lana asked, curious.
Rachel thought of their shared kiss the night before and stuttered to form words. She became frustrated, angry with herself for acting like a teenage girl with a silly crush. She gathered herself.
"I'm not feeing well."
"Oh?" Lana's voice was laced with skepticism. She looked over her shoulder, down the hall, where the rest of the office was. They buzzed about, unaware of what was going on down the hall.
Rachel glanced down to her wrist still in Lana's grasp. When Lana saw no one watching them, she pulled Rachel into the stock room and closed the door behind them.
"Lana, what's the matter?" Rachel grew concerned, wondering why Lana had closed the door but her imagination ran wild, barely letting her concentrate.
"Not feeling well?" Lana asked, stepping closer, "Are you sick?" She searched Rachel's eyes for an answer.
Rachel became rigid, unsure what to do with Lana so close. Before Rachel could answer, Lana laid her hand upon her cheek to test her temperature.
"You feel a bit warm." She stated with a frown.
How could she not? Rachel thought. Her entire body was a blaze with her touch.
"Are you okay?"
Rachel nodded. She smiled. "I'm fine."
Lana pulled her hand away, her gaze looking Rachel over in a way Rachel couldn't quite pinpoint. It was a look of curiosity and wonder mixed together.
"You left awfully early last night." Rachel blurted out without thinking. It seemed as if she always spoke around Lana without thinking. "You kissed me and you left."
Lana's expression softened and she took a step closer, brushing her cheek against Rachel's as she leaned into her ear, "Why? Did you miss me, Miss Dylan?" Her tone was low and playful, almost teasing.
"Yes." The word escaped Rachel's lips before her mind could form a proper answer. It was serious and short, to the point.
Lana paused for a slight second and pulled away enough to look at her. Her unrelenting brown eyes meet Rachel's nervous green ones.
"Did my kiss bother you?"
"No." Her answer was firm.
"Then what's the problem?" The question was awfully challenging but not skeptic. There was almost a flirtatious and dangerous tone to her voice.
The problem was that Rachel wanted more. How could she begin to tell her that?
Rachel glanced down to Lana's lips. "I'm not sure what to say."
"Would you be mad if I kissed you again?"
Rachel shook her head softly, meeting her gaze, "Never."
Lana lifted her hand, brushing Rachel's face, along her jaw line, her eyes searching every single one of the young woman's features. She was so close to her.
"You're awfully nervous." She mused.
"You make me nervous." Rachel admitted. Her mouth was ahead of her mind.
Lana chuckled lightly. "And why is that?"
"I'm not sure." Rachel said half honestly. "I've never met someone like you."
Not even Vivian compared to Lana. They were two very different women.
"Is that a good thing?"
"I think it is."
"Goodness, Pretty Doll."
"What?"
"You have no idea how precious you are, do you?"
Lana's question made Rachel blush. She didn't know what to say in return.
Lana dropped her hand from her face and stepped back, still looking at Rachel with that amused expression and gleaming eyes. Yet, she distanced herself in a way that confused Rachel entirely. She couldn't pinpoint Lana Winters no matter how hard she tried.
"I'd like to see you again." Lana said suddenly, optimistic and sure of herself.
"But you're seeing me now." Rachel piped up in a mousy voice, still distracted by Lana's closeness.
Lana shook her head, maintaining her smile, "No, I meant outside of here."
"I'd really like that." Rachel could feel her smile widening with excitement at the thought of spending another day with Lana.
Lana was indeed far different than Vivian.
"I'm taking Johnny to the Children's Museum. Join us?"
Rachel was awfully surprised that Lana had invited her to go out with not only herself but her son as well. "Yes. When?"
"Saturday." Lana said. "2 pm."
Rachel grinned like a schoolgirl; "I'll meet you there then."
"Good." Lana said, leaning in closely to kiss her.
They both then heard Lou's, loud, endearing (and often abrasive) voice booming down the hall in search of Rachel. "Oh, Rachel Wyatt Dylan!" He sang.
Lana paused before her lips could brush Rachel's and pulled away.
Rachel huffed, blowing air under her bangs as she made a grumpy scowl. Lou always had the worst timing.
Lana lifted Rachel's chin with her lean index finger, "Chin up, Rachel Wyatt Dylan. You'll live." And with that Lana exited the stock room, closing the door behind her and leaving Rachel standing there in a daze.
"Winters!" She heard Lou boom next, "What are you doing here?"
Rachel pressed her ear against the door, nervous that Lou would catch them.
"Last time I checked, I work here. Anyway, what are you doing screaming down the halls?"
"I'm in search of my lovely assistant. Have you seen the girl?"
"I believe I saw her in the break room. But you know, Lou, you should take it easy on Miss Dylan. If you don't treat her right, someone else might just snatch her away from you."
She heard Lana's steps go down the hall, followed by Lou's. Rachel leaned back against the door, wondering what she meant by that.
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The rest of the day seemed to drag. Lana left the office in search of some leads regarding the tax frauds of one of Boston's most popular socialites. She didn't seem awfully keen on the story but she was glad to be out on the field.
Rachel lulled around the office for the greater part of the day. Lou was locked in his office, door closed, working on a model plane he had received in the mail. Rachel was glad for she had the rest of the evening to herself.
Peter came in from the field with a grand smile and hung around Rachel's desk. Rachel didn't seem to mind his company, Peter meant well. He talked excitedly about his fishing trip with his brother.
"Wish you could have gone." He looked up at her with those kind eyes of his.
"Yeah, well, fishing's not my thing." Rachel said with a little shrug, knowing that there was only one person who could manage to drag her out on a little boat in the middle of a lake.
"Maybe next time."
"Maybe."
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The rest of the week seemed to drag on by. Lana told her "Hello" every morning and "Goodbye" every evening (if she wasn't out on the field). On Wednesday of that week, Lana found Rachel in the breakroom in a delighted conversation with Patty Donahue, one of the editors.
Patty, a bubbly red head, laughed at whatever conversation she and Rachel were having. Lana strode into the breakroom with casual ease, shooting Rachel a side-glance with the darling smile of hers and gave her a wink.
Rachel stopped talking mid sentence and stuttered on her words. She glanced away, losing her train of thought. Lana left the breakroom without a word, only her confident walk and lingering smile.
On Thursday, Lana was out on the field all day and Rachel missed her but she kept busy with work. Lou had come in a terrible mood and asked Rachel to help him edit through the articles of the week. Rachel liked the work and the day went by before she knew it.
On Friday evening, Rachel stayed late to make copies of a few HR forms regarding safety in the workplace. Anna Calling from HR had left on an emergency and Lou had asked Rachel to do the task. She didn't mind, not having anything better to do on that Friday evening but wait until Saturday afternoon to go to the Children's Museum.
Lana had been at the office that morning but left to follow another lead. She had overheard her tell Lou she was a paragraph away from closing the win.
Rachel had thought a lot about their interaction in the stock room. Lana had been awfully flirtatious in the most casual and almost unnoticeable ways. She was smooth with her actions and sly with her words. She had the slickest innuendos Rachel had heard and she didn't doubt that's how Lana had kept her sexuality a secret for so long.
Rachel gathered her purse, hung it over her shoulder and exited the office. She bumped into someone as she stepped out of the door, not watching where she was going.
"Careful there, Pretty Doll."
That voice. That heavenly voice.
"Lana." Rachel was quite surprised but happy no less, "Oh, I'm sorry." She blurted out for bumping into her.
"You're here at an odd hour." Lana commented, reaching out to brush a loose strand of hair that had become undone from Rachel's ponytail, and tucked it behind her ear.
The small gesture made Rachel smile, no less. She liked the little things Lana did, like the tucking of loose strands of hair or the reassuring squeeze of an arm.
"I stayed behind to make some copies for Anna."
"Well, that was mighty nice of you."
Rachel shrugged with that impish smile of hers. "It was just a little favor. I don't mind it."
Lana looked ahead to the empty office behind them. "Is everyone gone?"
"Yes. As a matter of fact—"
Rachel was cut short when Lana kissed her again. Lana's kiss was different than the last; it was soft and gentle, delicate in its own way but just as loving and just as sweet.
When she pulled away, Rachel slowly opened her eyes. "—They all left before four…" she finished her previous sentence.
Lana chuckled lightly, brushing Rachel's cheek. "I've been waiting all week to do that."
"All week?" Rachel asked out of breath, "Why didn't you do it sooner?"
Lana laughed again. "Silly girl."
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Rachel and Lana walked side by side out of the building into the late Boston evening. Rachel had been telling Lana about the more than normal day at the office. They stepped out into the street and faced one another.
"So, will you still be joining us tomorrow?" Lana asked.
Rachel grinned, "Yes, of course."
Lana was awfully glad to hear it. "Good. I told Johnny you'd be joining us and he seems awfully happy about it."
"Does he?" Rachel asked, surprised.
"Yes." Lana said with a smile, "He's been telling me for weeks that I need to make friends."
Rachel laughed at this. "At least he's looking out for you."
"That's true."
Rachel's smile softened. She glanced out into the street where cars drove by and people hurried along. Saying goodbye to Lana was always a little disarming.
"Well," Lana spoke up, "I won't take up anymore of your time."
"Oh, you could never do that." Rachel frowned, "As a matter of fact, I have too much time. Time I don't really have anything to do in."
Lana laughed, "I'll see you tomorrow, Miss Rachel Wyatt Dylan." She said teasingly and stepped away.
"Yes, tomorrow." Rachel turned in the opposite direction where she had parked her car. She brought out her keys and unlocked it. Lana called out to her before she stepped inside.
"Oh, Rachel?"
"Yes?" Rachel glanced up to see Lana a few yards away.
"Don't be late." She called out, that dazzling smile still shinning.
Rachel felt herself go warm inside with pure excitement. "I won't."