There's an outtake for this one, I may post that and any others at the end of this once the countdown is finished.
Thank you for everyone that has reviewed - seriously, they make my day.
jae
Emerald
He has the holiday season to thank for the color she arrives in that night, and he sends a silent prayer of gratitude to every deity he knows that emerald is the color of the season.
He's seen her in the radiant color once before in his memory; that time stirs a tidal wave of emotions that overwhelm him to this day. He remembers the feel of the silk against her body, the heat of the material that radiated from the fire that was her skin. He can recall the way it made her eyes seem even warmer, her wild curls nuclear, and he would swear that the color was created solely for the purpose of her existence.
A hush falls over the crowd of agents, all gathered together for their annual Christmas banquet. Knowing looks are exchanged between colleagues and friends alike as she makes her way toward him across the floor. His attention doesn't catch the reactions of the room at large, however.
He only has eyes for her.
His eyes rake over the emerald dress that flows over her body, highlighting the curves and bare, golden skin he'll explore with greater detail in private when they take their leave that evening; leisurely, intensely, and with great enthusiasm.
Ducky captures her attention several feet from where he stands, and when she turns to greet him he discovers that the dress leaves little to the imagination when it comes to the expanse of her back and the delicate, graceful curve of her spine.
He has to loosen the tie around his neck before he picks up their drinks and meets her halfway in the middle of the ballroom. She's still smiling as she turns away from Ducky's retreating back, and one sweeping look over his body is all it takes for him to blush.
"About time you arrive," He murmurs, holding out a champagne flute that she takes daintily. A blush of her own creeps across her neck, a deep red that contrasts magnificently with her emerald dress.
They each raise their glasses, an intimate look exchanged, and she hides her smile behind the rim of the crystal.
And he thinks, not for the first time that night, that the holiday colors look so very well on her, indeed.