Title: Meaningless - Chapter 3

Author: B0gw0ppit

Rating: M

Summary: Wendy couldn't believe she had been so stupid. Had it really all been meaningless? Wedges

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my dreams, my dog and my VW camper

Spoilers: A couple of small season 8 spoilers, but nothing plot-ruining at all.

Author's Note: I think Wendy maybe used to be a bit of a geek herself, maybe at school she didn't fit in or have many friends. Now image has become really important to her, because for the first time she does have friends who like and respect her. She's not really a bitch, but she doesn't want to jeopardize what she has achieved.

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Wendy drifted back to the present, blinking in surprise to find she was still sitting in her kitchen with Jacqui avidly following her every word. For a minute there she was right back at the Christmas party, and wondered why she felt so sad when she remembered the feel of Hodges' lips on hers. It wasn't like she would ever want to do it again...

"Wow," breathed the older woman, mouth slightly open. "That makes Hodges sound almost hot. What happened next?"

Wendy gave her a small resigned smile as she got up to make more coffee, turning her back to her friend so that Jacqui couldn't see the confusion in her eyes. This was the first time she had allowed herself to think about that night in any detail.

"We went back his place," she began, forcing herself to drag the details back to the surface of her mind, even though they kicked and screamed all the way, knowing it would hurt.

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The more she got to know about the trace tech the more he surprised her, not least in the way he so confidently held her hand as they walked outside, then hailed a cab with ease even though the street was jammed with revelers trying to get home or to a bigger and better party. As they climbed into the purring Mercedes she briefly thought about Nick, and wondered whether he had gotten a cab for him and Sasha so easily. Probably, he was the kind of guy that the world would stop for if he asked it to, even though he didn't realize it. She sighed, feeling more than a little dizzy, and settled back into her seat, Hodges' arm around her shoulders feeling surprisingly right.

On reaching his apartment she was surprised yet again, expecting some sterile man-pad with no home comforts or decoration. Instead she found piles of books which littered almost every surface and were piled high on the floor, some weird type of plant life which threatened to attack her as she fought her way past it in the hall, and a cat which wound around her ankles and asked very politely for food or fuss, whichever she felt like giving it.

"Kobayashi Maru," Hodges informed her, smiling a little self-consciously and giving a cute little shrug as he led the way through to the den.

Wendy stopped for a minute where she was, staring after him in confusion. Not, though, because of the cat's name. Why did she all of a sudden find everything he did either sexy or cute? Was she really that drunk? Yeah, that had to be it, she was drunk and horny and pissed at Nick for never even noticing she was alive, and she was sick to death of always being the good little girl who always did what was expected of her and had never tried to rebel. She had been careful her whole life, a good student, a good daughter, a good worker. Her parents were proud of her, her sister hated the sight of her because Wendy had never been in trouble when they were kids, not like she had. Vicky had been the rebellious one, the one who had gotten her belly button pierced, who had slept around, who had fun, while Wendy studied and got good grades and was always very careful who she dated, never letting any situation get out of hand. Well listen up world. Wendy Simms was sick of being good, it was Christmas and she was in the apartment of a hot guy who thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen and she was going to let her hair down!

Hot? Had she just told herself that Hodges was hot? She grinned to herself, her heart thudding wildly in her throat at the prospect of doing something unexpected, and followed the cute, hot, sexy guy into his lair. Hodges was standing just inside the door, brow furrowed, worried gaze flicking back and forth between the small but stylish kitchenette, and an open door on the other side which obviously led to the bedroom. He was fidgeting nervously, and as Wendy came in behind him he jumped, biting his lip as he turned to look at her. She smiled, amused at his discomfort. Evidently he didn't know whether to offer her a drink or lead her straight to the inner sanctum. Wendy took pity and made the decision for him, heart still in her throat as she stepped closer and gazed up into those beautiful turquoise eyes.

"Well?" she purred, wondering what the heck she was doing even as she did it. "Are you going to seduce me or just stand there all night?"

As she spoke she ran a hand seductively up and down his back, feeling the heat coming off him through his thin shirt. Yet again she was surprised, this time at the definition of muscle she felt there. Not such a skinny wimp after all... She felt him shiver deliciously at her touch, a small whimper of desire escaping his throat, and she smiled, catching her bottom lip between her teeth at the thought that she had elicited such a reaction just by touching him.

Nick Stokes eat your heart out, you don't know what you're missing.

Hodges was having a hard time, literally, controlling himself as he led her by the hand to his bedroom. He glanced round swiftly to check for incriminating evidence, thankful that he made a habit of always making his bed when he left it, and took several deep breaths to calm himself. He couldn't believe that he actually had Wendy Simms here, in his bedroom, and he was about to have sex with her. He would have pinched himself if it wouldn't have made him look unbelievingly uncool, so instead he contented himself with kicking himself in the ankle as he turned to face her.

Ouch... Yep, he was awake, and she was really here, standing before him, looking more beautiful than ever with her dark hair cascading round her dusky shoulders, red dress setting off her coloring to perfection. Then again, she would look beautiful in anything, and even better in nothing...

To that end, he hesitantly leaned forward to kiss her softly, unsure quite how to proceed. Not that he had never done it before, of course he had, lots of times... Well ok, a few... But he didn't want to mess this up. It was important, it was Wendy. He touched his lips to hers, and she wound her arms a bit unsteadily around his neck, pulling him closer and opening her mouth to his kiss. He groaned softly as her tongue touched his, and then his arms were around her, hands touching, caressing, sliding over satin to feel every inch of her perfect body. Wendy broke the kiss and arched her head back, inviting him to explore her exposed neck, and he did with relish, kissing, nipping, sucking at the soft flesh, tongue flicking over her earlobe to elicit a soft sigh from her, the sound of which went straight to his groin.

He fumbled with the zip of her dress, and she reached around to help him, letting the silky fabric fall to the floor to stand before him in a black lace bra and panties. He looked at her for the longest time, drinking in every inch of her body, but instead of feeling self-conscious she reveled in the attention, smiling seductively at him as he licked his lips nervously.

"Make love to me H... David," she breathed, and his name sounded right on her tongue.

"David..." she murmured again as he stepped closer, and willingly followed his lead as he lowered her onto the wide bed.

She reached up to unbutton his shirt, fingers shaking, and slid it off his shoulders, pushing it down over his wrists and off the bed onto the floor. She wanted to touch him, to run her hands over his chest and back and arms. She had a thing about arms, and Hodges' were not a disappointment, not overly muscled, but wiry and strong. She felt him shiver under her touch as she slid butterfly fingers over his smooth firm chest, and moaned softly as he leaned down to nip the soft flesh at the juncture of her neck and shoulder.

Even as he kissed her and shed the rest of her clothes along with his own she could hardly believe this was real, that she was really in Hodges' bed... Hodges bed... and he was making her feel things she had never felt before. She arched her back to meet him as he kissed and licked his way down her goose-bumped body, and cried out softly at the pleasure he brought her when his journey reached its conclusion. How could this be the same man who aggravated her so much at the lab? This was a completely different David Hodges, a considerate, unselfish, talented lover, and she wasn't at all sure if she was happy about it. It was all wrong. David Hodges, creepy trace tech, freakboy, should not be making her feel this good. It was so wrong... but then why did it feel so right?

As for Hodges, he thought he'd died and gone to Heaven as he moved back up over smooth golden flesh to nuzzle once again the softness of her breasts, the breasts he had fantasized over for so long. He smiled at the tiny whimpers of pleasure that emanated from her kiss-bruised lips as he covered her body with his own, and as he finally slid into her welcoming warmth he knew that if he should die tomorrow he would die a happy man. For the first time in his life he felt as though he was worth something, that someone wanted him... He felt alive.

As they lay breathless afterward, her head on his shoulder, she smiled. She was officially no longer a good girl. She had just slept with someone that she wasn't in a relationship with, that she didn't even like very much... Was this what it felt like to sleep around? Because if it was she would have to do it more, that had been fantastic, the best sex she had ever had in fact, and with David Hodges, who would have thought it?

Then it suddenly it hit her, and her eyes snapped open to look incredulously at him... at Hodges... she had just slept with Hodges! Oh God what had she done? She would never live this down, ever. This was all Nick Stokes' fault. What the hell had possessed her to leave with Hodges? How could she have thought he was hot for God's sake? She was in his house... she had let him... She shuddered and sat up, suddenly sober, to gaze down in horror at the satisfied smile on his face as he lay contentedly beside her, eyes closed, on the verge of snoring softly. This was the man who leered at her boobs whenever he got the chance, the man who stalked her in restaurants and insinuated himself into private conversations just so that he could try to impress to her. And she had just let him see her naked! She had to get out of here, right now. She had to go back and make sure no one had missed her, or worse, seen her leave with the geek.

"I have to go," she stated firmly, knowing that Hodges responded best to decisiveness and a strong guiding hand.

In other words he was scared of women... although looking at him now, that dreamy smile on his face as he lay on his back with his arm around her, she wouldn't have said he looked exactly scared. Ecstatic was more like it, and she couldn't help but smile for a moment to think that she was responsible for that satisfied look on his face. Her eyes drifted down over his wiry torso to where his hand lay relaxed on his concave stomach. Those hands... the things they had done to her... She almost weakened, then pulled herself up short, blinking and looking back at the gormless expression on his face.

"Hodges!" she snapped, and his eyes sprang open to gaze up at her worriedly.

"What?" he replied, seeming to shrink back into the pillow.

Had he not been good enough? Because it had sure felt good to him, and she certainly hadn't complained. In his limited experience she had sounded and looked as though she was enjoying it as much as he was...

"I have to go back, now," she stated, sitting up and reaching for her underwear.

Hodges' face fell, but he began to sit up obediently.

"No!" she said sharply, practically pushing him back down onto the pillow. "You don't have to, you stay here, you look erm... tired. I can call a cab."

She threw him a brief humorless smile and rapidly pulled on her crumpled red dress, raking her fingers through her hair as she retrieved one shoe from under the bed and the other from behind the door. She couldn't let him come back with her. He would want to walk in together and then everyone would know. She couldn't have that.

"Oh... ok," Hodges replied, pouting a little as he lay back down, pulling the sheet up over himself, and a surge of irritation ran through her.

Great. If he was a gentleman he wouldn't have given in that easily. Contrarily, she wanted him to get up anyway, to insist that he delivered her safely back to the party or to her house, even though she knew she wouldn't have allowed him to. She wasn't a bitch, not really; she wasn't shallow or unfeeling, but honestly... to be seen with Hodges? That would put an end to any respect she might have developed in the lab, wouldn't it? She took one last look over her shoulder at him as she left, to find him watching her with rather a sad look in his eyes. Once again it hit her how beautiful and expressive those eyes were, but she shut the thought out before it could solidify, and closed the door behind her.

Hodges lay looking at the closed door long after she was gone, going over and over the events of the evening, second guessing himself time and again over what he had done right or wrong, what he should have done differently or not done at all. He should have gotten up and gone back with her, he knew that much, but the sharp tone she had used on him had sounded almost afraid, and he wasn't about to make her mad at him after such an amazing night. She was so beautiful, so perfect, and he was so useless with women that he had no idea of what would have been the right thing to do. They seemed to say one thing and mean another all the time, and he knew he would never understand them in a million years. That was why he liked working with trace - DNA was too unpredictable, especially female DNA. One thing was for certain, he couldn't believe his luck, and now he was terrified of ruining everything as he had a habit of doing whenever he had anything good in his life.