Okiedokie kids, I'll be straight with you, I've been handling a recent family loss on top of the apocalypse and a whole mess of personal issues, so I am doing my best to keep up, but I am exhausted. I'm still ahead of my uploads for now, and I hope to remain so, but I also don't want to rush things out at half-finished, so I just wanted to give you all a heads up that before this is through I might not be able to keep up with the weekly deadline. That said, I am still 2-3 chapters ahead, so hopefully this won't be the case as we approach the final third of this story, but I felt it would be sensible to give you all some warning. Thanks so much for sticking with me this far and I hope you all enjoy this chapter. - J
Chapter 19: The Return
After a visit to her aunt to fill her in on their success, Soph opted to follow Roxy to the infirmary, only to find both the blonde and Annabelle on their way out. She flashed a grin, holding out her arm to her cousin.
"Still alive then?" She chuckled as Annabelle stepped closer for a quick hug.
"Of course, we got the ring?" Obviously she already knew, but as she stepped back she tipped her head.
"Of course." Soph smirked and ran a hand over her hair, still slicked back against her head.
"The girls have it upstairs, and I need a shower. Give me a shout when we're planning?" She gestured in the general direction of the dorms and her cousin nodded with a smile.
"Go wash off your stubble, we need to debrief Thwaites yet, so planning probably won't happen until after dinner." She squeezed her arm and Soph chuckled.
"Thanks kid, see you later." She smiled Annabelle and offered a quick nod to Roxy before turning on her heel. She could just feel the edged of a headache starting to fade in, she needed a shower and a nap.
One scalding hot shower later and she felt herself again, albeit an exhausted version, so she took just long enough to throw a towel over the pillows before crawling into the cool sheets and honestly… passing out.
Maybe she'd been more stressed than she'd thought these last few days, or maybe she was still trying to recover from her lack of sleep over the last half a week. Either way, nothing felt more comfortable than her bed in that moment.
Except, maybe this.
Warm. She was half floating on the edge of consciousness, curled comfortably into warmth. Typically speaking, she didn't dream much; nightmares were fairly common, but dreaming, that had been relatively new. Of course, like most of the new things in her life, they tended to be about Kelly.
Kelly. She was there now, a comforting presence in the darkness. Invisible, not really there, but she knew it was her; knew the ghost of that familiar perfume, the cool tough of her fingers as they brushed across her face, combed gently through her hair and came to rest over the back of her neck. She hummed contentedly to herself, leaning into the imaginary touch and stretching like a tired cat. If she could have her way she's stay in this dream forever, but a quiet and familiar chuckle dragged her further from it. Lips pressed lightly to the side of her head and she frowned in confusion.
That… felt real?
"Miss me, love?" Gentle and coaxing, the words faded in through her ears and suddenly she was a whole lot more awake. The hand on the back of her neck remained, a gentle thumb brushing back and forth in a familiar action that jolted her heart in her chest. She forced her eyes open and blinked rapidly in an effort to clear them, focusing on the dark shape perched on the bed beside her. The bedside lamp was on, filling the room with warm amber light and allowing her to take in the sight of Kelly fucking Jones smiling softly down at her.
"Am I still asleep?" She narrowed her eyes, deeply suspicious of the mirage before her. Still only semiconscious, she wasn't sure she trusted her vision. Still, figment of her imagination or not, she wasn't exactly about to send her away.
"'s fine if I am, 'm just curious." She offered a tired smirk and Kelly tipped her head, leaning down to bring their lips together in the barest hint of a kiss.
"Nope." She could feel the curve of her lips as she smirked.
"Oh." Well that was convincing enough for her. She shifted to tip herself onto her back and dragged a hand up to run her fingers through long black hair, brushing her thumb across the familiar line of Kelly's cheek. She was here, actually here, and Sophie did not need any more information than that.
Her mind finally woke up and she pulled her arms out of the duvet, seizing handfuls of what she was sure was a lovely leather jacket, and using it to drag the woman further onto the bed. Jones did not disappoint, settling above her as their lips met in a bruising kiss. Her stomach flipped delightfully as a leg slid between hers and she cursed the ridiculous blanket for being completely in the way, a quiet growl rumbling out of her throat as she struggled to pull it from between them without breaking the kiss, or particularly letting go of the other woman. Kelly was no help, apparently occupied with thoroughly dishevelling Sophie's, probably already tragic, hair. Soph caught her lip between her teeth and nipped sharply to get her attention, unprepared for the hitch in Kelly's breath that sent the simmering heat emerging in the base of her stomach blazing. Pressing back in to recapture her lips, Soph tugged sharply on the covers and rolled her hips upwards, hoping to get her point across. Sure enough, one hand untangled itself from her hair, and with far too little effort, Jones whipped the duvet from between them and tossed it off somewhere out of the way.
Holy fuck.
Jones lowered herself back down and Soph became very aware of the difference in their clothing situations. Kelly was fully dressed, still wearing her jacket and boots; Sophie didn't have a stitch on her. The juxtaposition was startling, the cold leather and warm cotton pressing to her skin both jarring and addictive. Rolling her hips with the shiver that raced down her spine, Soph couldn't help the smile that curved her lips, throwing a leg up over Kelly's hip to pull her closer.
A warm hand gripped her thigh and slid upward, smoothing over her hip; there it froze, along with the rest of the woman. Soph grinned against her lips as nails dug into her skin and the hand in her hair tightened just a little.
"Problem?" She smirked and did nothing to suppress a delightful shiver as Kelly pulled back just enough to glance down between them, the truly sinful look in her eyes more than enough of a response even before she hummed her negative. Soph wasn't smug for long, as in the next moment, Kelly recovered and Sophie lost any capacity for coherent thought.
Her hands were everywhere, tracing the planes of her stomach, nails dragging over her ribs, fingers gripping tightly to her hips. Lips left hers and trailed down over her neck to her shoulder, teeth grazed over sensitive areas with practised accuracy and nipped sharply, warm breath ghosting over heated skin. God, she'd missed her.
Her hips rocked of their own accord, finding next to no friction on the smooth faux leather leggings that clad the thigh pressed between hers. With no lips covering hers, Soph's breath came hard and fast, a tremor setting into her limbs that had nothing to do with the cool air against her overheated skin. A whine forced its way from her throat as lips trailed down over her stomach, her knuckles turning white as she fought the urge to push or pull the woman in a more decisive direction. Patience was not her virtue and the heat in her gut was raging through her veins, demanding immediate attention.
"I've got you, baby." Gentle hands smoothed down her thighs as Kelly whispered against her hip, lips brushing her skin with every word. Soph forced her eyes open enough to look down, which was probably a mistake as she locked eyes with the older woman. Her breath caught in her throat and she could do nothing by stare, lips parted, down at the impeccably dressed but sinfully dishevelled woman currently leaving a deep red mark on the inside of her thigh.
God, this woman.
She dropped the jacket and threw her hands up, one gripping tight to the headboard and the other winding in the pillow beneath her head, control was Kelly's, and she knew from the soft edge that flickered in her impossibly dark eyes, she knew it.
Normally she'd pull her back up, keep her close to keep the woman's face in her mind as she let go, but she didn't need to. She was everywhere; her perfume heavy in the air, her delicate hands always so surprisingly strong holding her hips, her long dark hair brushing her thighs. Even with her head thrown back against the pillows and eyes tight shut against the rush of electric sensations flooding her veins, Kelly was all she could see, all she could feel. Even as she rushed toward the edge, biting hard into her hand in a vain effort to suppress the whimpers and moans tumbling from her lips, she didn't reach for her. There was only one name on her tongue, in her mind, as her back arched from the bed.
Fucking hell.
It took her a moment to remember to breathe as she coasted back down to earth, her limbs heavy and her mind… Still closed for business.
She just about managed to pull her eyes open, rolling her head to find Kelly shifting to lay beside her. Finally releasing the headboard, she lifted a lazy hand to hook around the back of the woman's neck, coaxing her forward to bring their lips together once again. Words escaped her, as always, but she poured everything she had into the kiss, and when they broke apart, the soft smile on Kelly's lips gave her hope that she'd understood.
They lay there a moment until Sophie regained higher brain functions, when she heaved a heavy sigh, flashing a lazy grin.
"Welcome back." She heard the breathless note to her own voice but couldn't quite bring herself to be embarrassed as Kelly smirked, her gaze flickering down and dragging back up painfully slowly.
"It's good to be home." The dark tone sent a shiver down Soph's spine and returned energy to her limbs, and her grin only grew as hands ghosted over her waist once more. That had been one hell of a wake up call.
"You're still dressed." She commented, shifting closer to smooth her hands over cool leather. Kelly smirked.
"I am." Her eyes danced mischievously and Soph hummed.
"My room, my rules, I'm afraid I have strict 'No Clothes' policy." She feigned a scowl and the woman arched a challenging brow.
"Is that so?" Suddenly she vanished as she rolled away and to her feet beside the bed, leaving Soph to sit up, catching herself from almost following her on pure reflex. Instead, she held her ground, watching as Jones slid her jacket from her shoulders, dropping it onto the back of the chair, but Soph was distracted. Under it, tucked discreetly into a carefully positioned holster, a gun sat nestled at the small of the woman's back… It probably shouldn't make everything that just happened a million times hotter, yet somehow it did. Biting her lip, she watched as the woman methodically removed the item in question, checking it over before placing it, holster and all, deliberately into the lockable drawer of Sophie's desk.
Allowing her a moment for firearm safety, Soph took the opportunity to let her gaze wander. Jones really was dressed to murder; pairing a form-fitting knee length dress with an under bust corset and faux leather leggings… She had to withhold a wistful sigh as she took her in, god she was beautiful.
Jones kicked off her boots and made short work of the corset that would have confounded Soph for far too long, but it was at this point Sophie's tenuous patience jumped out the window, all too familiar with Kelly's teasing to even pretend to resist as she cross the space in two strides. Obviously, Jones had predicted this move as she spun on the spot, a far-too smug smirk on her face. Damn this woman. Soph couldn't help but grin as she caught her about the waist, pulling her in to silence any snarky remark that might have been on its way; the only tried and true method of holding back the sarcasm of Kelly Jones.
The moment their lips touched, any remaining lethargy left her. Lying in bed, fresh from sleep, it had been easy to get swept up into a cloud of pure sensation. Now, her feet were firmly back on Earth and energy pulsed along her veins. Kelly was here, in her arms, just like she'd been wishing for days. What was she playing at if she didn't show her exactly how much she'd missed her?
The bed was two steps away, the desk was less than one, so really, she could blame simple math when she nudged the woman back up onto the sturdy surface. Kelly's lips curled against her own as long legs hooked over her hips, pulling her ever closer. Somehow, she got a sense she didn't mind the location.
Inanimate objects paid the price for their time apart. The desk now wobbled, one of the legs apparently knocked out of alignment. Kelly's leggings had been shredded when both of them had refused to move away from each other for the time it would take to remove them, and were now laying in tatters across her floor. The very same floor that was now covered in shards of glass, from a poor unfortunate lamp that had taken a direct hit from a flying dress and not lived to tell the tale. However, Soph would happily demolish the entire room, and probably the school, if it meant she had the absolute delight of listening to Kelly's contented sigh as she stretched lazily across their bed, tousled hair splayed across the mattress and a smile on her lips.
Fucking hell, she'd missed her.
Sophie tipped her head as she gazed, and when sharp brown eyes opened and focused on her, she couldn't help the grin that found her face.
"You're staring." Jones feigned a frown, but it was far from fooling anyone. Sophie couldn't find it in her to feel even the slightest hint of embarrassment.
"Absolutely." She smirked and leaned down, capturing the woman's lips out of pure indulgence and humming her delight as long fingers carded gently through her hair.
Too tired to take anything further, neither of them made any move to start thing anew, but simply remained entangled together across the sheets, trading lazy kisses and just revelling in the fact that they were both here.
Honestly, if this is how ridiculous they were after five days, she dreaded to think what would happen to the room if they made it through a whole week… and the fifty one other weeks after that.
"So, did you just miss me? Or did Annabelle call you back?" She eventually smirked at the woman, who shrugged.
"Can't be both?" She grinned and Soph chuckled.
"Obviously." They shared a smirk for a moment before Jones sighed.
"I was going to come back soon anyway, but the location of the second ring is pretty secure, she wanted an expert on board to keep you lot safe." She poked her in the forehead and Soph recoiled just a little, mildly insulted. Kelly rolled her eyes.
"Don't give me that look, it wasn't just you she was worried about." She scowled and Soph retained her pout for a moment before sighing, letting her head drop back down onto the mattress in defeat.
"I suppose." She sulked. It was probably pretty childish, but she didn't much care. Yes, Kelly was a badass MI7 agent in training, but Sophie had been through her fair share of shit, and she was pretty adamant about taking care of herself. For god's sake, she was barely getting used to the idea that she was much happier with the woman around than alone, it would take a whole lot more for her to even go near the idea of someone else taking responsibility for her safety.
"Oi." Jones broke her from her thoughts with a hand on the side of her face, pulling it up so their gazes met once more.
"How do you think I'd feel if something went wrong and you got hurt, and I wasn't there?" Kelly's tone was hard and her eyes sharp, the hand on her face firm. Soph scowled right back.
"About the same as I'd feel if you got hurt trying to save my ass." She grumbled and, briefly, Jones seemed taken aback, but slowly, her gaze softened, annoyance and confusion fading to a gentle smile and something Sophie had no name for as she was pulled into a tender kiss.
Okay, she might have a name for it, as the same emotion rose in her chest and threatened to smother her, but it was nothing she was ready to face, not yet.
When they shifted apart once more, they shared a small, knowing, smile. That was more than enough, for now.
"We'd better get over to the dorms, Annabelle wanted to get planning this evening." Eventually, Kelly sighed and Soph groaned, rolling onto her face. She was very against the idea of a) getting dressed, and b) leaving the room. Jones chuckled and leaned over, pressing a kiss to the back of her shoulder.
"Come on. Once we get it over with, we can get back here." Her tone was appeasing, Soph huffed into the sheets and lifted her head.
"Promise?" She scowled, but it lost any measure of severity at the sight of the fond smile on the other woman's lips. A gentle hand pushed her hair from her eyes and Soph tried hard not to lean into it. She failed.
"Promise." The nodded once and Soph sighed.
"If we must, then."
Getting dressed took a little longer than it should have as they tiptoed around shards of glass to find Kelly's clothes… Though her leggings were a little beyond repair. The woman sighed heavily as she tossed them in the bin.
"I liked those." She scowled over at Soph, who flashed a grin.
"I did too." She winked and ducked under the pillow that was tossed at her head.
Eventually, however, they were both fit to be seen in public and nearing the dorms, from which they could already hear Roxy and Annabelle bickering.
"Oh, keep an eye on the blonde, and let me know what you think. I've got money on her and Annabelle." She pulled Kelly up short with a smirk and the older woman arched a brow, pausing to listen.
"Well they already sound like an old married couple. Let's get in there."
"…and what exactly do we know about breaking into high security vaults?" Roxy was being her usual defeatist self and Soph smirked as she and Kelly moved quietly into the room. A couple of people noticed, but most eyes were on Annabelle, who had her back to them.
"Not much, but I know a girl that does." The smugness evident in her voice was brilliant, Soph had to restrain a grin as the Head girl moved to one side to reveal Kelly behind her. Her dear cousin was getting good at this job if she'd heard them come in.
"Well hi, strangers." Kelly, of course, could be relied upon for a dramatic pose leaning against the support beam and Soph rolled her eyes. Bloody dramatic head girls.
The twins and Chelsea rushed forward to greet her but Soph was watching Roxy, who was eyeing the older woman with a look of confusion, scepticism and just a little bit of checking her out; which was fair. Restraining a grin, Soph moved to stand beside her, watching the round of hugs that would take a good few minutes.
"Kelly Jones, last year's head girl." She explained for her and the blonde nodded slowly.
"There's a painting of her in the entrance hall, isn't there?" She glanced over and Soph nodded with a small smile.
"She was pretty well loved by… Everyone, really. One of the reasons Annabelle had such a tough time early this year, she was being held to a very high standard." She gave a wistful sigh as she watched Kelly talking with her friends.
They stood quietly for a moment before Soph noticed Roxy staring at her with a far too smug expression.
"What?" She frowned in confusion, but the woman's smirk only grew.
"You make fun of me over Annabelle, but have you seen the dopey puppy look on your face right now?" She chuckled and Soph couldn't help but laugh, clapping her hand onto the woman's shoulder.
"Yeah, there's a difference between you and me though, Rox'." She paused while she contained her laughter and the woman tipped her head, obviously confused. Soph allowed herself a moment of pride as she nodded toward Kelly.
"I actually did something about it." She squeezed her shoulder and moved off, back to Kelly's side to wrap and arm about the woman's waist, casting a wink over her shoulder to Roxy as Jones' hand came to rest over her own, entwining their fingers without pausing in her conversation. Sure enough, the blonde looked suitably dumbfounded, and as her gaze flickered to Annabelle, her cheeks went just that little bit pink.
Oh, Sophie was definitely making some money at the end of this game.
The meeting went well, Kelly and Annabelle working almost seamlessly together to formulate and solidify a plausible and relatively safe plan to get in, get the ring, and get out again. Soph lingered at the back, arms folded as she watched the team at work. Lucy provided a method to get past the heat sensors, the twins were happy to provide smoke canisters that should knock out those in the security booth they had to pass. There was no pre-made animation to display, but she couldn't help but think back to the planning meeting for the heist. It was almost nice, not to be quietly fuming to herself and stressing about how she might go about ruining anyone's life, it really freed her up to just watch Kelly be amazing… A much better use of her time.
With the details ironed out, everyone else took off for dinner, leaving the two head girls and their groupies. Of course, Kelly and Annabelle were still talking away at a mile a minute, so Soph dropped down to sit beside Roxy, copying the girl's position by throwing her feet up onto the desk and folding her arms.
"So, what do you think?" She tipped her head toward the blonde, keeping her eyes on the other two as she spoke.
"Remind me not to get on their bad sides any time soon." Roxy muttered back and Soph snorted.
"Oh, you have no idea. Kelly's terrifying enough but if Annabelle keeps this shit up I might actually start to worry." She smirked and the blonde copied her as they continued to watch the plotting pair.
"So, are you going to ask her out, or are you going to keep sulking until we finish the school year?" She kept her voice low, but the woman still startled like a baby deer, looking rapidly between Soph and the other two until she was sure they hadn't heard.
"Can't you just leave me alone?" She hissed back and Soph chuckled.
"Absolutely not." She grinned to herself and Roxy groaned.
"Why do you even care?" The woman scowled and Soph sighed.
"I don't really know. I guess because you're not completely terrible, and I think you and my dear sweet cousin might actually be acceptable together." She refolded her arms and scowled at nothing in particular as she considered how true this answer was. Overall, she'd grade it about fifty-fifty. Yes, she did vaguely approve of Roxy, and yes, she did imagine her a safe option for Annabelle to consider. More to the point, she was bad at reading people, but she was half sure her cousin was interested in Roxy too, so that was fairly important, but she'd be lying if she didn't admit to herself that her reason for wanting to hurry this train along was more financial than familial at this point, Zoe's updates reported that the betting pool was really starting to get lucrative.
But still… she did want them to be happy too.
Roxy almost seemed touched by her words, so Sophie opted to escape before this got emotional.
"Take Annabelle to get some dinner before she completely forgets, we'll meet you guys after breakfast tomorrow." She patted the woman's shoulder and got to her feet, stretching her arms above her head and pulling her phone from her pocket to organise some food for herself and Kelly. The food at St. Trinian's was excellent, but it had the downside of exclusively being served in the dining hall (barring the use of a strange ritual and a whole lot of bribery, as she had previously discovered), and she had a far more desirable location in mind, and going on the smirk that curled Kelly's lips as she turned to face her, she wouldn't be catching any complaints.
Roxy managed to drag Annabelle off to dinner, but by the time Soph had finished shoo-ing them away, Kelly was back to staring at the plans, clearly running them over in her mind. Sophie shook her head with a smile, moving forward to wind her arms about the taller woman's waist.
"Old habits?" She rested her chin on Kelly's shoulder, her smile growing as the woman leaned back against her with a sigh.
"You can take the girl out of St. Trinian's." She tipped her head to lean against hers and Soph grinned.
"Love, you'd be a badass with or without St. Trinian's." She pressed a kiss to the side of her neck and Jones gave a wonderfully contented hum, her hands coming to rest over her own.
"Come on, I ordered some food, you head up, I'll be there in a minute." She squeezed her waist gently before stepping back. Kelly turned to her with a soft smile.
"Don't take too long." She leaned down and Soph was more than happy to oblige her a kiss.
"As if I could." She stepped back with a wink and Kelly chuckled as she aimed for the door, casting one last smirk over her shoulder.
Goddamn that woman.
Soph waited out by the front door for their delivery, partially out of a necessity to protect the driver from being stood, alone, outside St. Trinian's, and partially to enjoy the cool air. The sun had set about half an hour ago, the stars were starting to appear between wispy clouds and a gentle wind had started to pick up through the trees. The peace was soothing.
It had all been a bit of a blur, one minute she'd been asleep, the next, Kelly was there and everything else was swept to the wayside. She imagined it made sense that she might need a moment to re-calibrate.
Aw, look at her, having rational thoughts.
Tilting her head back, she took a deep breath, tomorrow they'd be breaking into a secret anti-woman society run by an absolute dickhead, but tonight, she was free to relax with Kelly. Sex was one thing, and damn if she was more than happy to make up for lost time on that score, but honestly… As miserably sappy as it sounded, she'd missed just having her around. Before all this, she'd never been big on physical contact, or even socialising, but for some reason, that had apparently changed. She missed the casual touches and random embraces; the gentle slap against her arm when she teased or made a terrible joke… Suddenly she wished the damn driver would hurry the hell up.
She didn't have to wait too long, and soon enough she was back at her room, dinner in hand.
"Good timing." Kelly was stepping out of the bathroom as she entered, and Sophie nearly forgot how to breathe. Obviously she'd had a shower, a light haze of steam followed her through the doorway and she'd managed to find her dressing gown from the wardrobe. The charcoal grey material shifted and flowed, allowing glimpses of porcelain skin as Kelly moved about the room, seemly oblivious to Soph's lack of higher function as she ruffled her hair, eventually sweeping the whole lot up into the towel to keep it from dripping down her neck.
"Alright there, love?" The remark pulled Soph from her staring and she blinked rapidly to refocus before catching Kelly's amused smirk in the vanity mirror. Blood rushed to her face, but she forced back her embarrassment to set the bag down on her desk and move forward.
"Absolutely." Once upon a time, she might have made some defensive comment or other, but frankly, what was the point. Instead, she stopped just behind the woman and bent to press a lingering kiss to her shoulder, just where the dressing gown had fallen a little.
"There's a stunning woman in my bedroom." She muttered against her skin and was rewarded with Kelly's quiet chuckle as long fingers reached back to card through her hair.
"I missed you." She sighed and Soph's stomach twisted at the sad edge to her tone, turning her head to meet the woman's gaze in the mirror.
"Me too." She mumbled back but it was more than enough as they shared a sad smile for a long moment before Kelly frowned.
"Can I smell Chinese?" She turned in her chair and Sophie chuckled, stepping back and gesturing to the bag of food behind them.
"Your favourite." She grinned, but it quickly dissolved into laughter as arms were thrown about her neck.
Their dinner was interrupted by Kelly's phone vibrating its way across the bedside table, the older woman frowned in annoyance as she scooped up the offending device.
"Jones." She spoke sharply and Soph almost smirked.
"No, I booked the week. No." Clearly, something was up, but Sophie wasn't about to bother the woman while she was on the phone, so she waited patiently, finishing her dinner.
"Fine, but I don't care what happens, I'm leaving dead on the hour." Without another word she pulled the phone from her ear and hit disconnect, tossing it onto the nightstand with a growl. Sophie gave her a second before tipping her head.
"Problem?" She tried not to sound too concerned, particularly as guilt flashed across the older girl's face.
"My leave is being cut short, I'll have to go once we get back from AD1." Her tone was apologetic, her expression wary, Soph quickly offered a shrug.
"That sucks, but it's okay, you do what you have to do." She set her container down on the side and shifted until she was beside her, wrapping an arm about her waist.
"Best to keep these things short and sweet anyway, can't have you getting too bored of me." She flashed a grin and the sadness in the older girl's eyes lessened just a little as she smirked.
"You say that like you were ever interesting." She teased back and Soph gasped, holding her hand to her heart in feigned shock.
"How dare you?!" She yelped, recoiling in 'horror' from the woman who was busily shifting the last of their dinner from the bed.
"I wait here for you like a housewife, and that's the thanks I get?" She continued to rant, pulling herself up onto her knees to shuffle along, gesturing to the air as if appealing to an invisible audience. She was about to launch into a thoroughly dramatic monologue on the subject, but she never got the chance as she was tackled to the mattress with a startled yelp.
They rolled across the bed, laughing and fighting until Soph landed on her back with a huff, Kelly sat comfortably on her hips. Their laughter subsided, and a soft smile found the older girl's lips as she reached down, brushing Soph's hair from her eyes and settle on the side of her face.
Sophie tipped her head as she stared back up at her, leaning into her hand, just a little. It was obvious she was thinking about something, but she couldn't fathom what. Before she could ask, Kelly leaned down, capturing her lips in a kiss to light it was barely there. She shivered.
"This week has been hard. A year will be harder." The words ghosted across her lips and Soph sighed, bringing up a hand to keep her close.
"Yeah. Worth it though?" She didn't mean to pose it as a question, but her repressed fears coloured her tone without her consent. She held her breath as she awaited the reply, not daring to open her eyes.
She didn't get an answer, not with words anyway, but the kiss that stole the breath she'd been holding erased any fears she might have had. Warmth spread through her chest and crawled up her throat, words she didn't dare to acknowledge almost choking her.
Goddamn it.
Morning came and dragged Soph slowly from sleep. She was sprawled out on her front, the covers low across her waist. It was still warm at this time of year, and having someone else in the bed only made it warmer. Speaking of, Kelly was awake; she could feel her tracing lines across her back. She knew the paths she was following, the pattern of scars that marked her skin. Idly, she recalled a time she'd rather have jumped out the window than even let her see them. Kelly still didn't know the story behind them, she never asked, never pushed, and Soph appreciated that more than the woman could ever know. Honestly, when it came to her past, there were still quite a few secrets between them. The older girl knew a lot, the broad strokes anyway, and she'd read the official story of her time at each school in her file, but when it came down to the brutal details, Soph had always been a little… Vague. It wasn't so much that she was ashamed, the past was the past, and god knew she wasn't that person anymore, but she might be a little…. Apprehensive, about revealing all the terrible things she'd done… The things that had happened. Honestly, the large scale stuff was all actually pretty tame, she wasn't up for causing actual death, but the small things, the petty revenges and the little vicious vendettas she cooked up when she felt it was deserved. Frankly, given how they met, she imagined the woman knew exactly how vindictive she could be over the smallest things. After all, a school girl prank against a family member had apparently almost warranted a couple of years in prison; to say she had a tendency to overreact was probably an understatement.
"I know you're awake." She was broken from her mild spiralling by Kelly's voice and gave a low hum, rolling over to curl up closer to the woman.
"Morning." She grumbled against her chest and smiled as Jones chuckled, wrapping her arms tight about her.
"Good morning." Lips pressed to the top of her head and she grinned as she looked up to claim a proper kiss. It was short lived, however, as Jones pulled back.
"Come on, big day." She moved away and Soph pouted, remaining sprawled on the bed as the other woman moved about the room.
"I miss your short hair, your bedhead isn't nearly as funny now." She smirked and it evolved into a laugh as she narrowly ducked under the hairbrush thrown at her head.
Black clothes were the uniform of the day, Soph opted for a long sleeve T-shirt, jeans and her black docs, while Kelly chose leggings, a short sleeve T and knee high heeled boots.
"Jeans are terrible for free movement." Jones commented and Soph rolled her eyes.
"So are heels." She glanced down pointedly and the other woman chuckled.
"Good point." Finishing applying her lipstick, Kelly stood.
"How do I look?" She held her arms out and Soph arched a brow, she didn't even need to look.
"Like a really hot badass. And me?" She tipped her head, sticking her hands on her hips while Kelly dragged her gaze up and down. Soph resisted the urge to fidget at the very familiar smirk that curled the other woman's lips.
"Like I wish we didn't have things to do today." She stepped forward and Sophie grinned arms wrapped about her waist, pulling her close. She tipped her head up to meet the woman's gaze.
"Hm… Don't tempt me, I'm the impulsive one, remember?" She trailed her hands up her arms until they came to rest on either side of her neck, Kelly chuckled.
They were late to breakfast.
When they finally arrived, they managed to grab some (admittedly cold) toast but as they turned to find a seat, Kelly seemed to pause, her eyes on her old table that was now occupied by the emos.
"We moved around a bit, I'm usually over there." She nodded toward the table across the room, where sat Chelsea and her girls. Jones smirked as they made their way over.
"Turning Totty on me?" She spoke quietly and Soph snorted.
"You wish." She nudged the woman with her elbow. Kelly laughed.
They dropped down across from the totties and Chelsea smirked at them over her /"Finally bored of each other?" Chelsea arched a brow and Soph chuckled to herself as Kelly answered.
"Never, but you know, people need food." She shrugged and pointedly took a bite of her toast.
"Dickinson looks a little sleep deprived. I hope you two didn't keep her up too late." The blonde's tone was casual, but her smirk grew as she nodded over their shoulders toward the staff table. They looked, and sure enough Miss Dickinson was looking very tired; she caught them looking at her and gave them a tentative smile. Confused, they looked to each other for a moment before realisation hit Soph like a lightning bolt and she burst out laughing. Kelly was left to be confused until Soph managed to dial it back enough to explain.
"We share a wall with her." She laughed anew, and Kelly joined her as they glanced back and found the woman looking decidedly flustered. They might need to remember that their new bedroom is not sound proofed in future.
After breakfast they hit the library to meet the group. Immediately in 'business mode', Kelly moved off to help check the equipment, while Soph parked herself next to Roxy to watch the proceedings.
"Told her yet?" The blonde jumped and her head whipped around toward her.
"Will you stop it with that? There's nothing to tell." She even sounded unconvinced by her own statement so Soph repressed her amusement and just stared back, waiting. Eventually the girl sighed.
"Okay, let's say for a second that I did... Like her. How would I even begin to tell her?" Her tone was hushed, cautious, Soph smiled, turning to watch Kelly check over the smoke grenades.
"Well… I wouldn't do what I did." She sighed, a smirk still on her face as Roxy gave a questioning hum.
"Well I kissed her, slept with her, then she thought I was sleeping with someone else, then I told her how I felt. You might want to try four first, then maybe one, two if you guys get there… Maybe skip three…" She grinned at Roxy's obvious confusion.
"Got all that?" She smirked and the blonde scowled.
"You're not helping." Her annoyance was obvious, but under it was a genuine plea for help that softened Soph's grin.
"Just tell her straight. When we get back after getting the ring, take her off somewhere and tell her. I recommend the roof, no cameras." She shrugged and clapped a hand to her shoulder.
"You've got this. Besides, it's Annabelle, on the off chance she doesn't feel the same way, she's not going to be a dick about it, is she?" She tipped her head and they both turned to watch her cousin for a moment. As badass as she was becoming, Annabelle wasn't an asshole, Roxy sighed.
"Good point."
Their access point at AD1 was a vent around the back. It was horribly cliché, and typically not a viable option, but given that the group had bricked up all the windows, they had an extra-large ventilation system to compensate and pull in enough fresh air to keep the place from getting too stagnant. Honestly, if it worked, who was she to complain?
They found Thwaites waiting for them at the other end and Soph watched as Kelly jumped down without more than a dull tap on the floor, which was impressive as hell in heels. She had no hope of doing the same in her docs, so she pulled them off and landed with a muted thump in her socks. Kelly smirked, but nodded her approval while she pulled them back on. Once she was done she helped to catch the twins and they all got dressed in their incredibly dramatic robes.
Lucy instructed them on their path through the building, a winding maze of indescribably boring corridors until they finally hit the basement. It took a little longer to find the specific corridor they needed, but when they did, it was show time. This was the bit that required care; if they messed it up, the alarms would go and they'd be trapped in a basement with a whole lot of men with guns baring down upon them. Now, Sophie knew that Kelly was, in fact, armed. However, badass or not, one of her against a building full of bastards was a fight Soph wasn't willing to risk, particularly not with the twins to protect.
She forced her mind back to the present as Kelly held up a hand to keep them back while she crept forward.
"Kinsmen? What are you doing down here?" Some guy appeared behind them, but was painfully dispatched by a signature Tania head butt, directly to the jewels, poor bastard. When he crumpled, Soph knocked him on the back of the head and she and Annabelle dragged him off to a nearby dead end. Sophie lingered a little longer and tie him up and gag him, in case he came to, and jogged back to the group in time to catch up to Kelly. This shit was a little too tense.
The smoke grenade was tossed into the surveillance room, and within moments, the air was full of thick smoke. The concentration of it was in the room, hopefully blinding and confusing their soon-to-be opponents, and keeping them from hitting any alarms, but the actual work of taking them down was going to be a little more work. She and Annabelle stepped forward to stand beside Jones and the three of them exchanged a grin as they dropped their cloaks. Soph hadn't actually fought anyone in a while... Man, this would be fun.
The first guy within her reach took a direct hit across the jaw, followed by a knee to the gut. She ducked under the swing of another but grinned as a familiar heeled boot cracked the man in the head before she could take him down herself. Instead she stuck her arm out and caught a passing guard around the neck, sweeping out a leg to knock him clean onto his back, following him down to smack his head against the floor just once to knock him out.
However, just as she turned to check on Annabelle and Kelly, the familiar voices of the twin caught her ears and she spun to find them facing down a goliath of a man. Holy shit… She made to sprint forward but was halted in her tracks as Kelly took him down with little to no effort at all. Well damn… that was hot. The woman turned toward her with a smirk and Soph rolled her eyes as she sauntered over.
"New tricks?" She arched a brow and Jones winked as she reached her, leaning down.
"Top secret." She smirked, but Soph didn't miss the quick once over she gave her, checking she was okay. Soph caught her hand and squeezed gently before backing up, they still hand a job to do.
The vault door was a little beyond Sophie's lock picking skills, so she was relegated to keeping watch while Kelly worked on the iron behemoth. When the lock finally beeped and the giant door began to swing open, the ex-head girl turned to their group with a smug grin.
"What would you do without me?" She tipped her head and Soph batted her arm, both of them recalling the time Soph had said those exact words.
"Cheeky git." She shook her head but her mild annoyance faded as Kelly wrapped an arm about her waist.
"You love it really." She chuckled and pressed a kiss to the side of her head. Soph's heart stuttered in her chest and she struggled to right herself in time to offer a good-natured eye roll in return.
Some freezing gas, thick winter coats, and some vault searching later, they had no ring.
The box was empty.
Disappointed, and more than a little disheartened, they made their way quickly back out along their planned escape route and out to the car. Thwaites would be finding his own way back, so they left without him. The drive was quiet, the twins driving and Annabelle staring dejectedly out of the window. Kelly didn't have much to say either, but she dropped and arm over Soph's shoulders and honestly, she was more than content to recline against her, letting the contact sooth her annoyance and frustration all the way back to school. Which was just as well, because if she'd still been in that state when they arrived, she might have joined in with the all-out shouting match going on between every damn girl in the school.
Instead, she settled back against the wall and watched as Kelly and Annabelle exchanged a look that was probably head girl code for 'we're surrounded by idiots', and after a few moments of more arguing, Jones seemed to have had enough. She raised her fingers to her lips to deliver her piercing whistle, only to have Annabelle beat her to it, the current head girl striding forward with the confidence of a general toward their army. At Kelly's bemused expression, Soph shifted closer, catching her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. They shared a grin before turning to watch Annabelle at work.
"How can we expect to fight an organisation like AD1 when all we do is fight each other?" Her tone of authority rang through the stairway and everyone seemed to be appropriately shamed.
"This is not the time to play the blame game." She placed her hands on her hips as a new voice rang out, announcing Camilla's arrival. If she was the suspicious sort, Soph might say she'd probably been waiting outside for Annabelle to get a handle on things.
"Absolutely right Annabelle. If it's anybody's fault, it's that double crossing swine Geoffrey Thwaites'..." She carried on talking about never trusting him again but as she rounded off her rant the man himself entered the room.
The room at large winced in sympathy as he took a brutal right hook to the face, but to his credit he managed to remain conscious as he fell to his knees, holding something up. It didn't last long, he was out the moment her Aunt took the mysterious object, but the poor man was immediately forgotten as Camilla held out the ring for all to see.
The shouts of celebration that filled the entryway were loud enough that the whole school knew of their victory.
A light tug on her hand caught her attention and she turned to find Kelly watching her with a very familiar smirk.
"Want to get out of here?" She tipped her head and Soph swallowed hard has she nodded.
"You have no idea." Hand in hand, they made a quick escape toward her bedroom. Jones would be leaving again very soon, they may as well make use of the time they had left.
Well, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, there will definitely be an update next week, and hopefully more news on how I'm getting on with writing the remaining chapters. I envision I might start to struggle once I run out of films, as a lot more of the plot after that is kind of clunky and in need of re-working (I'm worried I might have to add whole chapters to improve the flow), but I maintain hope that I'll be able to kick my ass into gear. Thanks again for reading and I hope to see you again next week. - J
