The rain fell in heavy sheets, turning the skies gray and melancholy. Ellie looked outside mournfully. She stared out into the rain, sighing before turning to Jack.
"Damn. I so wanted to go out today., I wanted to go over to the hotel to see what information I could pick up about Mega's plans." She frowned at him.
"Sad luck." He commiserated, then perked up. "I know something else that we could do to pass the time." He leered suggestively.
"You fiend." Ellie slapped him on the shoulder, then became thoughtful. "If Amber catches us at it again when we could be 'helping', she's going to skin us alive." No, we have to go someplace else."
"How about my lab?" Jack asked, still hoping to convince Ellie that his idea had merit.
"No, that's the first place they'll look. The roof is out, my room as well…wait, I've got it, the basement!"
Jack frowned. "Why would you want to go down there? It's cold and creepy with the cage and everything."
"See, it's perfect. Just for the reasons you said."
He looked at her askance. "How do you figure?"
Ellie ticked off her points on her fingers. "It's creepy, with the cage and all. No one wants to think about being locked up in there. It's freezing and hardly anyone ever goes down there. They wouldn't think of looking for us there. And I'll help keep you warm if you do the same for me?" She blinked her eyes at him, pouting.
He threw up his hands. "Aagh! I never could resist the lips. Maybe the eyes, but not the lips." He leaned in to kiss those lips, lingering before dragging her down to the basement. They stood at the entrance, surveying the room before them.
"So what are we going to do know?" Jack inquired, waggling his eyebrows.
"Can't you think of anything else?" Ellie rolled her eyes and huffed in exasperation, walking further into the room.
Jack grinned, following her. "Sure I can, but nothing else would be as fun; admit it."
She rolled her eyes again, trying to look sternly at her boyfriend, but failing miserably.
"Fine, you win."
Jack pulled her into his arms, inclining his head to kiss her neck. He breathed over her goose pimpling skin, before licking a moist trail from her jaw down to the crook of her neck. Ellie moaned softly, rolling her head away to give him greater access. He immediately took advantage, nibbling on the exposed flesh, sucking her skin into his mouth, drawing on it gently but firmly
She blinked hazily, then her flew open. She pushed him away from her, knocking him into and old bookcase, scattering some of its contents.
"Jack! I've told you about marking me. I'll never hear the end of it from May now." The blonde craned her neck futilely as she rubbed at the sore spot, trying to catch a glimpse of the hickey she was sure Jack had left on her neck. Finally admitting defeat, she glared at Jack, who sat in a corner by the bookcase, trying desperately to appear contrite.
"Don't bother. I know you're not sorry, or else you wouldn't do it every time." She crossed her arms, leveling a displeased look at him.
"Ellie, I—"
"Save it, Jack. I'm so not in the mood—what's that?" A glossy magazine cover caught her eye, distracting her from her pique. Jack's nervously shifting foot had skittered it away from the pile of stuff on the floor.
She bent, picking up the magazine. "Vogue. I haven't seen one of those since…" Her voice faded as she sifted through her memories.
"Zandra." Jack finished.
Ellie blinked at him, coming back to her surroundings. "I was going to say since before the virus, actually, but who?" She asked, but then her face changed, her eyes rounding and her hand covering the O her mouth had become as memory came to her. "Lex's first wife." She said softly.
"Yeah, she was always into fashion magazines and style in general. A real sweetheart, and smart and strong. She had to be to take on Lex."
She half-listened to Jack as she flicked through the magazine. She stopped and flipped back a couple of pages, holding them open. "How Much Do You Really Know: A Vogue Intelligence Test." She read aloud, peering over the top of the page. "C'mon Jack, let's take this test."
He grinned at her. "I don't think so. I would only lead to another fight. You know how competitive you are. What happens after the test?"
She rolled her eyes mentally at Jack's implication of the outcome. Filling her eyes with tears but not allowing any to spill over, she opened them wide and pushed out her lips. "Please Jack?" She fluttered her lashes prettily.
Jack tried, really he did, to withstand the power of Ellie's super pout/puppy dog eyes combo, but went down in flames, agreeing to take the test. They each circled the room, searching for paper and find. They found both back where they started, on a shelf in the bookcase. Jack protested half-heartedly, but Ellie could spot his ill-concealed smugness. Sometimes she wondered just what it was she saw in him.
She began reading the questions aloud and they each answered them on their own paper, Jack exclaiming to himself at times when he felt he so knew the answer. Ellie answered all her questions in silence and when they came to the last question, she waited patiently for him to finish. As soon as he raised his pen, she snatched the paper from his hand and began checking the papers.
When she was done, she laughed triumphantly. "Take that, genius boy." Ellie shoved the pages in Jack's face before getting up to dance around the room. Jack looked at one paper then the other, from Ellie's rounded script to his cramped scratches.
"What? How? Th-this can't be right!"
Ellie danced back to right in front of him. She dropped the magazine in his lap. "Read 'em and weep." She twirled away again, going over to a record player in the corner, rifling through the records stacked beside it. "Wow, I can't believe this is here. I loved this movie." She pulled the large disc from its sleeve, blowing dust off it before placing it on the turntable. Delicately she maneuvered the needle and soon the opening tones of a funky song began to play.
She sang along to the silly tune, dancing in circles. She sashayed over to Jack who was silently berating himself for stupid mistakes, when she pulled the papers and magazine from his hand and tossed them over his shoulder.
"C'mon dance with me." She implored, tugging him to his feet. He resisted, dragging his feet, but Ellie was not to be dissuaded. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close to her body. She undulated against him and he gasped; she stepped back and he followed her. She smiled sultrily at him and he swallowed, his Adam's apple dancing up and down. She began dancing again, moving back and forth and side to side, and each time Jack followed her.
The record stopped and she danced backwards over to it, releasing Jack with a quick peck on his lips. She reset the needle and slipped into his arms again, swaying this time as she reached up to sing in Jack's ear.
"When the sun goes down (when the sun goes down)
And the bads are back again (and the bads are back)
The brothers come'round (the brothers come'round)
I get out of my dirty bed (my dirty bed)
I shake my pretty little head (I shake my pretty little head)
I tap my pretty little feet (I tap my pretty little feet)
We're brighter than sunlight
Laouder than thunder
Dancing like a yo-yo, wooh
Don't got no problems (no problems)
Ain't got no suitcase (no suitcase)
Ain't got no clothes to worry about (no clothes to worry about)
Ain't got no real estate or jewelry or gold mines binding me, yeah
I'll just through in my hand (through in his hand)
In the chilliest bunch in the land (in the land)
They don't look much (oh)
They sure chilly chilly
They party till they glow glow, huh (oh)
Chilly down with the fun gang
Think small with the fun gang
Bang hips with the fun gang
When you think it's wild
Chilly down
Chilly down with the fun gang (hey, I don't want a job)
Act tall with the fun gang (woah, walk tall)
Good times, bad food (yeah)
When you think it's wild
Chilly down, chilly down
Wild and crazy, really lazy, high rollin', funky strolling, ball playing
Hips swaying, trouble making, boody shaking, dripping, passing, jumping
Bouncing, brawling, stylin', creeping, pouncing, shouting, screaming
Double-dealing, rock-n-rolling, and oh reeling
With the max in sex appeal
Can you think I grew with feeling?
So when things get too tough (get too tough)
And your chin is dragging on the ground (dragging on the ground)
And even down looks up (down looks up)
Bad luck
We can show you a good time (show you a good time)
And we don't judge nothing (nothing at all)
Just strut your nasty stuff
Wiggle in the middle, yeah
Get you down talking, fun gang
Chilly down with the fun gang (think small)
Think small with the fun gang (bang)
Bang hips with the fun gang (hey, listen up)
When you think it's wild
Chilly down
Chilly down with the fun gang (ah, shake your pretty little head)
Let's go with the fun gang (tap your pretty little feet)
Good times, bad food (come on, come on)
When you think it's wild
Chilly down
Chilly down with the fun gang (wooh)
Think small with the fun gang (ha ha ha ha ha)
Bang hips with the fun gang"
He swayed with her, just enjoying the moment, then he began to listen to the words. He pulled away from Ellie, raising a brow.
"What?" He threw her a confused look and she laughed, pulling herself up to kiss him. His confusion dissipated as he found something he knew very well. He fell onto her mouth, opening it wide so that his tongue could explore. His tongue swirled over the roof of her mouth, then played with the delicate flesh on the inside of her lip then engaged her tongue in a dance where he lead the way, leaving her breathless when he lifted his head and rested on her shoulder as he gasped for breath.
After a few moments, he raised his head, then kissed her softly on her swollen lips. "One more time?"
She nodded, and he let her go, restarting the record for the second time. He turned up the volume a little and went back to her, pulling her into his arms. He grinned, shaking his head as the silly lyrics began and he began shaking his hips getting into it, as he spun Ellie around. He had just bent her back into a dip when heavy boots clomped down the stairs, causing them to freeze.
"There you two are!" Amber frowned at them, then looked over to the record player, momentarily distracted. "What is that you're listening to?"
She didn't wait for an answer, turning back to Jack and Ellie who had by now stood upright. "I need your help upstairs. Everyone's pitching in, even Mouse and Sammy are watching the babies so we're free—"
"Heaven forbid she watches her own kid," Jack whispered and Ellie giggled.
Not having heard Jack's comment, Amber continued, telling them what they were going to be working on and then left, without waiting to see whether or not they agreed with their assignments.
They stared at each other after she left, then Ellie sighed.
"It had to end sometime."
"Yeah, it was fun while it lasted."
She started towards the stairs. "C'mon. Let's get this over with. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can get back to where we left off."
"Is that a promise?" Jack held his breath.
"Well, if you're a good boy.." She winked at him and raced up the stairs.
He followed after her, taking them two at a time. "Oh, you have no idea how good I can be!"