AN: Hi guys, so sorry I've been absent for so long... I've had a promotion at work and well its more stress than I think I ever dreamed it would be. It doesn't leave me much time to write. I'm going to make an effort now though. I've just introduced my mother to Emily and the gang and she loved it as much as me; she has yet to see "Emily and the Leap" yet, but as I've just re-watched it my righteous anger is back so bare with me. I'm having a major Justin Hartley is so hot, but I hate Will Collins moment. Even saying that Micah wins hands down. I'd marry Micah-mouse in a heartbeat.
I'm sorry for any errors in this; I haven't checked it like a billion times. xxx
His fingers brushed lightly at her collar and she could feel the slight hardness of calluses on his fingertips; which made her wonder suddenly where he had gotten them from. The thought flitted away as soon as his lips found the sensitive skin of her neck and she shivered in delight. His fingers halted in their exploration at her collar and made a slow torturous journey down her body, memorising each dip and curve.
"You are so beautiful," he whispered and Emily fought back the snort of disbelief at that statement as he made her feel beautiful. She also managed to keep her mouth shut so she didn't embarrass herself horribly in front of him. Sure he already knew she was a total dork, but she wanted to prove that sometimes she could be that girl. The cool a d collected one. He chuckled as he wound a strand around his finger,
"Trying to stay quiet are we?" He asked, "What happened to all the ballvery that I fell for?" Emily choked at the use of the stupidest blunder in front of a child ever and he chuckled again. "Who knew making you blush would be so fun." he whispered in to her ear as he nibbled her lobe. When he pulled her waist closer to his she felt the butterflies in her stomach go in to overdrive,
"Relax," he murmured into her collarbone as his hands slipped under her shirt, "I'm a doctor; I'll take very good care of you, leave it to me."
Meep, meep, meep.
Emily sat up in bed and felt distinctly unsatisfied. Damn the dream for feeling so real this time. Not that the last dream hadn't felt real, she had after all woken up in a panic thinking she had made one of the stupidest mistakes of her mid-twenties.
There was something more to this dream though; the dream with Will had been make believe it was fuelled by longing and an over active imagination. In all the time she had known Will the only thing that she had ever gotten from him was that drunken voice mail; oh and that intense stare when he had said he had chosen her. Not that it counted she told herself again ultimatums remove any pretence of choice.
With her Will fantasy she had to dream up what it would feel like to have him touch her; have him devour her lips with his own. She had never felt it. She had seen him kiss enough girls to get a good idea of what it would be like. She knew it would be wonderful, it would be one of those kisses that would make you swoon and have your foot just pop up, but having an idea and knowing were two different things.
With Micah though? She knew how it felt to have him pressed against her, his hands in her hair, his fingers dancing across her skin, his lips caressing the sensitive skin of her neck.
There was no imagination needed; what good would that be when she had the real thing?
The very vivid dream seemed to suggest to her that her brain seemed to think that Micah wasn't moving fast enough because it had been supplying its own torrid fantasies ever since their first and so far only date. Well she had to debate there was that other time in the records room when he had bought her lunch; he had told her that if she didn't have to bring lunch that would class as a date... right?! As she madly scrabbled her jumbled thoughts together the idea dawned on her that it was as if her brain couldn't get enough of Doctor Micah Barnes and that it would do anything in its power to drive her crazy. Not that it needed much help; since that first kiss in the snow she had been pretty darn certifiable.
She blew out her breath and rolled over to the cooler side of the bed trying to calm down her raging hormones and heavy breathing.
She was just about to let her eyes fall closed again to catch a few more minutes of sleep when her phone rang.
"No rest for the wicked," she grumbled as she proceeded to fall out of bed in the most unladylike manner. She stalked to the other side of her bedroom and ransacked her dresser to fine her mobile phone. When she found it she saw Tyra's number and groaned, it was her day off. She wanted the apartment to herself. She loved sharing the space with Tyra, but only in fits and starts and in the quiet times in between the craziness that seemed to surround the pair of them. She slid her finger across her flashing screen and put the phone to her ear,
"Hi Tyra," she said before her friend could get a word in, "It just so happens to be my day off... I was enjoying a lie in." Tyra snorted on the other end of the line.
"You Owens do not do lie ins. I bet you were awake at the sound of your alarm, which you had set on your day off. Then you were going to do that 'I'm having a lie in' by rolling over, but not going back to sleep."
Damn Owens! Emily thought, She had you bang to rights, maybe Will was right and you are predictable?
"Was I right?" Tyra asked overtly chirpy over the phone line. Emily mumbled her response so low that the words were unrecognisable. On the other end of the line Emily could hear Tyra wooping her triumph. Emily bit her lip so she wouldn't speak out. Eventually when her irrational urge to scream at Tyra had waned she asked the question that had eluded her since she picked up the call.
"What do you want?" Emily questioned and she chewed on her lip in a nervous manner, she had no plans and really wanted to stay at home. It had been a very long week.
"Just letting you know roomie I won't be coming home tonight, hot, hawt, hot, booty call!" The way Tyra said it sounded so much like a guy bragging to his friends about his latest hook up that Emily had to choke on the laugh that bubbled in her throat.
"Thanks for letting me know," Emily replied a small and sly giggle slipping in to her speech.
"Is that a judgement, I hear?" Tyra sounded a little pissy, but Emily let it slide.
"Nope, have a nice day," with that she hung up and felt instantly guilty for the way she had ended the conversation. Then decided to leave it, her job was not to keep Tyra happy. She could only do so much for her friend. Since the rejection by Hot Molly had been her fault that was more than enough guilt for one person to handle.
She placed her phone back on the dresser and made the decision to get in the shower instead of getting back in to bed. Looking out of her windows Emily saw the snow falling gently outside and she realised it was the perfect day to curl up on her empty sofa with a good book.
By early afternoon Earl Bradshaw had managed to seduce the stable girl Evangeline and Emily was a little fed up of the book she was reading; even worse was that it had started off with so much potential. She left her kindle on the edge of the sofa as she went to brew another cup of camomile tea when there was a knock at the door.
The knock sounded familiar and her stomach became momentarily tight with panic.
Leaving the kettle to boil she tip toed carefully over the wooden floor hoping to make as little noise as possible. She reached the door and looked through the peep hole to see Micah on the other side of the heavy wood, she let out a deep sigh of relief and slid the bolt home to open the door for him.
When the door swung inwards Micah smiled and Emily could feel the butterflies starting in her stomach. Good butterflies, terribly good butterflies.
"Hi," was all he said before he stepped over the thresh hold intent painted plainly on his features. His right palm cupped her cheek as his left hand rested on the base of her spine drawing her towards him. His lips covered hers softly in the barest of caresses; before he rested his forehead against hers and spoke to her the sweetest words she could ever hear.
"I missed you," The analytical part of her brain was trying to rationalise the statement, that they only hadn't seen each other in about twelve hours, the other part of her brain... the more Emily part melted. He looked in to her eyes and smiled. "You know you can talk if you want," he said kissing her cheek. Emily pursed her lips and Micah smirked, "Trying not to babble?" he asked and she nodded; which made him chuckle. He kissed her again running his hands through her hair. "I like it when you babble," Emily bit her lip and nodded slowly before she opened her mouth,
"I missed you too," she replied softly.
"That's good to hear," he murmured as his lips found her neck. "I have a surprise for you," he told her after a few minutes of exploration.
"I hate surprises." Emily blurted with abhorrence. Micah paused and glanced at Emily's face; seeing the truth there he stepped back and shrugged his shoulders;
"This is a good surprise..." he told her with his palms raised in surrender, "I haven't invited like fifty people you don't know in to your apartment to celebrate a day that you don't see as an achievement." Emily snorted at that and suddenly became red; Micah leant in and kissed her again as if he couldn't get enough of her. "So... I could stand here in your door way all day, but do you want to know what this surprise is?" Micah took her hand and began to stroke his thumb across her pulse point making her shiver.
"Will I like this surprise?" She asked feeling the heat in her cheeks. Micah's brow furrowed for a second in thought, but then his lips twisted up in to a warm and genuine grin.
"I sure hope so," he took her hand and started to pull her out of her doorway.
"Wait," she uttered under her breath, "I'm not dressed," Micah turned and gave Emily the once over, she was wearing a large warm jumper and a pair of well worn jeans.
"You look perfectly dressed to me..." Micah replied without a hint of sarcasm, "But you might want a coat, its a little chilly." Emily picked up her coat and pulled on her Wellington boots that were a dusty pink with large purple swallowtail butterflies on. When Micah saw them he couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. Out of all the women he knew Emily was the only one he knew that even though she would be ridiculed she was always herself. Even when she was trying to emulate others there was always a part of her that clung to everything that made Emily Owens, Emily Owens. She pulled her hat on her head and wrapped her scarf around her neck leaving only her eyes visible before pulling on her mittens and turning to Micah.
"I'm all done," she spoke through layers of scarf muffling the words. Micah pulled on a glove and held out his hand to her and without a word she took his hand and was gladly led out of her apartment.
"So where are we going?" Emily asked as there walked hand in hand down the side-walk;
"I can't tell you," Micah replied, "That's what makes a surprise a surprise,"
"We could have stayed inside you know... my sofa is very comfy," Micah choked a little and paused in the middle of the side-walk.
"What are you trying to say Ow... Emily?" He asked his voice raspy. Emily stared at the floor after suddenly realising what she had insinuated.
Surprise: noun: An unexpected or astonishing event or fact or a feeling of mild astonishment or shock caused by something unexpected.
Both of the definitions fit the situation and Emily almost laughed at the blatant realism.
"Erm, nothing. I was just stating a fact. It is a very well put together sofa. The cushions are neither too soft or too firm, the fabric isn't too abrasive and its the perfect length so that you can sit on it with your feet tucked under you for warmth."
"You are such a nerd," Micah told her affectionately. "We can go back to your 'very well put together sofa,' but we have to do this first."
"And you still won't tell me what it is?" She asked pulling her scarf further over her nose that had turned an adorable shade of pink. Micah shook his head at the question and pulled her closer to him nestling her in to his side.
"We'll get a cab at the corner and then I may tell you where we are going."
We'll never get a cab, the snow is making everyone drive like crazy people. She thought as they got to the corner of her street, but when they got there a car was waiting for them.
"You planned this," she claimed as Micah opened the back door for her and motioned her inside.
"I may have; we have one of those rare days off and I thought we should use it to its full potential." He joined her in the back seat and pulled the door shut behind him. He tapped on the drivers headrest and the car took off in to traffic.
Fifteen minutes later the car pulled up to the side-walk and stopped, Micah passed a few folded notes to the driver and stepped out of the car holding his hand out to Emily to pull her outside with him. When her feet landed on the side-walk she looked up at the building in front of her as delicate snowflakes drifted across her cheeks.
"You brought me to the library?" She asked without really thinking about it, but Micah didn't say anything he just led her up the steps and in to the silent building.
As they stepped through the door she could feel the quiet and it was like coming home, inside the building it was safe and warm and there was no one there to judge her and make her feel bad about herself. There was no one to make her regress in to the girl she was at fourteen. There was only organisation from genre to author and pages and pages of information that she just wanted to devour. She turned to Micah with a grin on her face and he knew he had made the right choice.
"So what are we doing here?" She asked in whispered tones as she danced past the front desk. Micah followed her nodding a silent greeting to the Librarian that was gazing at Emily with barely restrained happiness. He caught up to her and began to take her to the poetry section. "Oooo poetry," she giggled.
"I wanted to introduce you to my favourite poem." he kissed her cheek softly, "You can't judge me for it though." Emily looked at him in a way that told him that she would never judge him no matter what. He pulled off his gloves and walked down the shelf his fingers lightly brushing the spines of the book as he went. He paused when he found the volume he was looking for and he pulled it off the shelf. He sat down at one of the reading desks and pointed to Emily that she should take a seat opposite him. She took the seat in silence and took off her mittens; as soon as the mittens were off her hands; Micah took one in his as he flipped through the book and began to read. "The fountains mingle with the river, And the rivers with the ocean," he carried on reading the poem in hushed tones this intonation and timing perfect making the words roll across the space between them; never looking Emily in the eye until he reached the last lines of the poem, "And the sunlight clasps the earth, And the moonbeams kiss the sea; What are all these kissings worth, If thou kiss not me?"
Emily dabbed at her eye trying to hide the tears, but Micah had noticed them and the right corner of his mouth quirked in a half smile.
"Do you use this on all the girls Doctor Barnes?"
"No, only the ones that are perfect."
"Oh," Emily sat back and crossed her arms, Micah closed the book and tilted his head looking intently at her,
"What is going on in that crazy brain of yours Emily?" he asked and at the use of her name she relaxed.
"I was just wondering how many perfect girls you've done this for." Micah sat back and mirrored Emily's pose;
"I think you know the answer to that," he told her looking more than a little mysterious.
"Do I now?" Emily asked a teasing edge to her voice,
"I thought I made it obvious... well I hope I made it obvious."
"I'm not so sure you have Micah." At the use of his name his teasing face softened to something close to joy. He leant across the table and captured her lips with his own. When he broke the kiss he laced their fingers together and spoke to her directly in words that she could not confuse easily.
"Emily Owens you are the only girl I ever thought would appreciate this poem. You are the only girl that has made me so mad that I could shake you for not noticing it sooner. Ever since that first day at the hospital I've been falling for you. You are warm and considerate, you care more than you should and even when the person of your consideration doesn't appreciate it you never give up on them. Emily..." he went to say something more, but Emily cut him off by kissing him first.
"I warned you that I'm like a barnacle right?" she whispered when she broke the kiss, "What about your proclamation was supposed to stop me latching on to you and never letting go?"
"That was not a proclamation," Micah told her with a grin, Emily chuckled and kissed him again,
"Oh yes it was; proclamation: noun: a public announcement dealing with a matter of great importance. I think you'll find that; Micah Barnes was most definitely a proclamation."
"You think you are so smart," Micah teased, "And just for that; I won't take you for the next part of our date." with that said he pushed Emily's hair behind her ear and rubbed his thumb across her cheek and she felt the callus she had dreamt about.
"There's another part?" she asked coyly, "But how can you improve on moonbeams and kisses?" Micah nodded considering her questions,
"I suppose I can only try." At his response her eyes widened and Micah stood up, "You were right Emily I had this all planned... follow me." She did as she was told following behind Micah unwinding her scarf as she went. He led her through shelf upon shelf of books, they went by the medical journals and anatomy text books, the culinary arts and paper folding, the comic book and graphic novel section and Emily thought they were going to walk straight out of the building when Micah stopped. Emily leant around him and all words escaped her. In the children's area there was a gingham blanket with cushions and a basket.
"You've made a picnic for me?" she asked not quite believing her eyes,
"Well I did tell you Emily if you are on a date with me I'd bring the food."
"Micah colour me dated," she mocked as she sat down next to him on the floor.
"I did tell you Emily, leave it to me." She leant in to him and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder,
"I have more than learnt my lesson, thank you."
"Here you go with the thanks again," Micah joked.
"Can we go back to the moonbeams and the kisses?" Emily asked as she looked in to Micah's dark brown eyes that as always were brimming with a warmth that was just for her.
"With pleasure," he replied as he cupped her cheek again, "because what are all those kissings worth if you aren't kissing me?" Emily blushed a deep red and her blue eyes were bright.
"From the treatment I'm getting here, I'm assuming not a damn thing."
"Finally she gets it." Micah chuckled,
"Sometimes I'm not as fast as the other kids," she pouted,
"And I wouldn't have it any other way." Damn it Emily thought I'd lost to him before this even began.
"You win," she muttered and Micah grinned,
"I'll hold you to that Owens."
"But where is our next day out going to be?" she asked hopeful that there would be another repeat of today,
"As I keep telling you, leave it to me Emily." She brushed her lips softly across his,
"I think I will."