For: Victor Petrenko

Prompt: something with Marseille, like Marseille/Minna

She was really close, and Minna felt herself swallow thickly, almost instinctively.

"No autographs or interviews." Minna shivered from the feeling of Marseille's warm breath in her ear. She opened her frustratingly dry mouth to respond, but Marseille cut her off.

"No exceptions."

Minna blinked in a vain attempt to react, but Marseille had already pushed herself off the wall she had pinned Minna against and was making her way to the exit.

"How about dinner, then?" Minna asked, licking her lips and wondering where her sudden outburst came from. "Do you have any rules about that?"

Marseille shot her a glance over her shoulder. "Dating a reporter? Nope."

With that she continued on her way, but not before leaving a confused Minna a few parting words.

"Saturday, seven o'clock. You know where my hotel is."

Minna ran a hand through her hair as she slumped against the back wall of the elevator. The walk back to the Bunte offices was long but necessary; her knees had been shaking in a way that could only be fixed by making them work. Minna hoped the same would apply for her head.

Her hand slipped down to run over her face. She had interviewed countless numbers of celebrities: world-renowned scientists, music giants, athletic heroes… one movie star should not work her up so much. Particularly not Hanna-Justina Marseille, whose talent and ability in front of a camera was rivaled only by her self-confidence and refusal to get along with the press.

As a reporter for Karlsland's premier gossip rag, Minna had entertained the thought of bumping into one of the world's most recognizable actresses and nonchalantly asking a few select questions (which she would then turn into the article of the century), but she never expected it would actually happen.

Or that the "few select questions" would get her pressed up against a wall by one of the most attractive people she has ever had the pleasure of meeting.

Minna knew that Galland, the editor and her boss, would string her up to dry if she found out about Minna's weekend plans. Marseille might not have any restrictions on who she dates, but Minna does, and dating a celebrity?

Definitely against the rules.

The elevator doors jerked open, and Minna made her way to her desk, absent-mindedly greeting her coworkers as she went.

She slumped in her stiff chair and let her head drop the wooden surface. Saturday was too soon.

The restaurant was swanky and high-end, the exact kind of place Minna would never go to if it was coming out of her wallet. Marseille was dressed in a way Minna would only expect from such a high-profile celebrity, so Minna couldn't help but feel terribly self-conscious from both how simple her own clothing was and how everyone else in the dining room seemed to be staring at them.

"Not used to the limelight?" Marseille questioned, smirking over her glass of far-too-expensive wine.

Minna forced out her own smile, determined not to let the woman across from her get the upper hand like last time. "Or the setting… or the food…"

Marseille chuckled, "Then you should enjoy it while you can."

With the same grin, Minna made a noise of agreement in the back of her throat. "So, just how did you get in to acting?" she asked lightly but taking a large swig from her own wine glass.

"I thought I said no interviews," Marseille asked in good humor, one eyebrow quirked.

"We're on a date," Minna explained. "It only makes sense for me to want to find out about my date, doesn't it?"

Taking a bite from her food, Marseille looked thoughtful for a moment, swallowed, and smirked again. "Alright, I'll bite."

"So," Minna took another drink from her glass, "what made you start acting?"

Dinner went considerably better than Minna had expected, and she frequently found herself surprised that she was having such a good time. Her company seemed much more relaxed when she had a few drinks in her (or, rather, when they both had a few drinks in them).

When the check came, Marseille paid for both of them, despite Minna's protests, and they left the restaurant in a taxi at Marseille's insistence. By the time they had arrived at the Hotel Adlon, Minna had been convinced that she should see the grand suite where Marseille was staying, if only for posterity.

Minna realized, about half-way through their second bottle of wine, that Marseille was really quite convincing when she tried. With anyone else or in any other situation, Minna would never spend time in a hotel with someone she had just met, especially if that person was a celebrity.

But Marseille had a way with words, and it didn't take much coercion for Minna to think that a good-night kiss would be a good way to end the night.

When Minna woke the next morning, it was to unfamiliar sheets and an unfamiliar room. She slapped a hand to her face, exasperated at her actions the night before. Glancing to her side, a single open, blue eye stared at her, obvious amusement shining in it.

Minna glared at eye's owner. "How did you do it?"

"Do what?" Marseille asked, propping herself up on her elbows. "Give you the best night of your life?"

"You-" Minna started, but her gaze dropped down to the rest of Marseille's body, and she was forcibly reminded that she was naked. That they were both very naked.

Marseille laughed as Minna flushed and clutched the sheets to her upper body. "It's not like I haven't seen it all already, you know," she said, laughing even more as Minna turned even redder.

"Are you always like this the morning after?"

Body still shaking in amusement, Marseille rolled over, wrapping an arm around her beet-red bedmate. "Maybe I just like seeing you flustered," she said unabashedly. "Like that first time we met when you-"

Minna pushed herself up and clamped a hand firmly over Marseille's mouth, successfully stopping her from finishing her sentence. "Please don't bring that up. That was hardly professional of me."

Peeling the fingers from her mouth, Marseille showed Minna her infuriating smirk. "And sleeping with me was?" In a second, Minna was as red as she had been just a moment before.

"You really are arrogant, aren't you?" Minna asked, studying Marseille's confidant face in half amazement, half-annoyance.

Grin still in place, Marseille used her other hand to pull Minna's face down to hers. "Do me a favor," she said, voice low and eyes locked with Minna's. "Next time you want to shut me up, use your mouth."

Marseille, apparently deciding that actions speak louder than words, showed Minna exactly what she meant. Any retort Minna could have come up with was lost to Marseille's lips, and any train of thought disappeared as Marseille pulled Minna on top of her.

"How about we be unprofessional again?"

*Warning*: This story contains implied sex. Oh wait, this might be a little late...

A/N: It's AU time! I couldn't, for the life of me, think of an inventive way of putting Minna and Marseille together, so they got stuck in a different universe. Victor, I hope you like AU's.

If this chapter isn't an indication to you, I don't plan on seriously warning for anything I put in this fic, so long as I think fits in the "T" rating. This will probably be as risqué as I plan on getting (risqué = mentions of nudity, implied naked bedroom wrestling, kissing with an aforementioned lack of clothes on).

Historic References:

- Bunte, full name: Bunte Illustrierte, is a weekly celebrity, gossip, news, and lifestyle magazine. Originally named Das Ufer, in 1954 it added illustrations and got a name change. It is one of Germany's most popular magazines.

- Hotel Adlon is possibly Berlin's most luxurious hotel. Room prices run from €290 (about $394 or £202) to €12,500 (about $16998 or £8,709). It's also notable for being the hotel where Michael Jackson held a baby out of the window.