Emma doesn't seem as down today as she has recently, but she's not looking particularly upbeat, either. Her outfit matches this feeling; it's pretty, but very subdued, all greys and dull blues; not even a hint of Emma's usual sparkle-and-flash.
She grips her hands together as she brings the viewers up to speed. "Well, things haven't been too exciting around here lately," she admits. "My father's had a cold this week, so that's been keeping me busy." She sighs. "I haven't seen Annie for a few days; she and Ryan have been busy planning their nursery." Another sigh. "Although Annie did text me last night that Jane and Frank have decided to move to London." She looks underwhelmed. "That makes sense, I guess," she admits. "Jane's already established there, and it puts Frank closer to a lot of his investors." She thins her mouth ruefully, looking off to the side. "But it will make things duller around here without them." Tilting her head reflectively, she looks back at the camera. "Of course, things are already pretty dull around here now." She pauses, then gives one last, morose sigh. "Alex is still out of town."
There's another moment's pause, and then, astonishingly, Alex Knightley himself rounds the corner into her office, hands - as always - planted in his pockets. "Are you sure about that?" he asks.
Still staring at the camera, Emma's eyes get absolutely huge.
Cue opening title and music.
The moment the camera shows the office again, Emma whips around to stare at the man behind her. "Alex!" she exclaims. "You're...here!"
He saunters in with a small smile, heading for the seat beside Emma. "Yup," he affirms. "Just got in now." He peers at her as if he wants to say something serious, but then seems to think better of it. Instead, he points a thumb behind him and directs his gaze backwards towards the door. "Uh...where's Harriet? She doesn't seem to be in today."
Emma gives the camera a meaningful, worried stare. "You...went to Harriet's office first?"
"Mm-hm, it's on the way to yours," he replies absently, turning back around to look at her. "Is she sick?"
Emma forces out a laugh. "You seem awfully interested in how she's doing," she observes, a bit shakily.
He looks confused at this reaction. "I'm...just wondering where she is..." he comments, a bit defensively.
Emma turns away briskly from the camera and faces Alex. "Well, as it happens," she informs him, a bit tartly, "she took the day off. Things are a little slow around here this week, and she wanted to do a little local meetup of her music club."
Alex raises his eyebrows and nods approvingly, giving a bit of a smile towards the camera. "Oh, right, her online club. That's going well, isn't it? Good for Harriet!"
Emma swallows and gives the camera another worried, knowing look before turning back to Alex and firmly ending this line of questioning. "Anyway," she tells him, Harriet's not here. But," she continues, changing the subject altogether, "Now that you're here, I have some very interesting news to tell you! Big news! Huge!" she exclaims, warming to her subject.
Alex looks wary. "What kind of news?" he asks.
"Only the best kind!" Emma enthuses, determined to perk up. "A love match," she says, looking triumphantly at the camera, and almost winking, but not quite.
Alex frowns. "Emma...do you mean Jane and Frank Churchill? Because...I know about that already."
Emma's shoulders slump, deflated, and she whirls round to glare at Alex. "What?!" she squeaks, holding her hands out dramatically. "Why does everyone know about this already?" She points an accusatory finger at him. "Who told you?" she demands.
Alex chuckles mildly at her ferocious expression. "Annie sent me an email last night. But," he adds hastily, "I didn't read it until this morning." He hesitates, then admits, "I got on the first flight I could to get back here." He gently takes first her pointing index finger, and then her whole hand, into his own, and looks very seriously into her eyes. "Emma," he begins in a gentle, comforting tone, "it's okay. You don't have to put on a show. I know you must be hurting, but it's going to be alright." He looks away, frowning with anger. "What a jerk. Jane deserves better," he declares, then looks back and squeezes her hand sympathetically. "But he'll be gone soon; Annie said they're going to live in London. It won't seem so bad...in time."
Emma looks touched, and gives him a lovely smile. "Oh no, Alex," she says, joining her other hand to their clasped ones and shaking them all reassuringly. "I'm fine!" At his instantly skeptical expression, she clarifies. "I-I know what it looked like, but my feelings for Frank are just platonic." She nods to emphasize the point.
Alex looks very surprised. "What?" he asks.
Emma looks abashed. "Other than being embarrassed about flirting with him so much," she admits, "I don't really have any reason to wish I'd been in on the secret."
"Really?" Alex asked, looking at her closely. "Because I thought...I didn't know how much you felt, but I mean," here he laughs, "it was pretty obvious that you two had something going on." She bites her lip and looks down into her lap as he starts shaking his head. "Not that he deserved it," he mutters angrily, starting to get riled up. "He's such a weasel," he exclaims viciously. "And he gets to be with someone as great as Jane?! I just don't get it!"
Emma holds up her hands to try and stem his tirade. "Alex, no, wait, stop," she says. "I don't want you to misunderstand. Please believe me, I've known for a long time now that I only like him as a friend; that I only ever liked him as a friend."
Alex frowns. "You mean...you never...liked, liked him?"
Emma shakes her head. "No," she assures him. She bites her lip again. "I'm not proud of how I behaved when I was around him," she confesses. "But...I was flattered by how much attention he gave me, and he was a lot of fun, so...I gave as good as I got." She laughs ruefully. "Of course, it turns out that he was just trying to make sure no one would think he was actually with Jane." She shrugs. "But luckily, I was already...I mean," she hastily corrects herself, with a quick widening of her eyes, "I, uh...I never felt that way about him."
Alex looks floored, but also very relieved. He exhales with surprise, shaking his head. "Well, I just hope he'll treat her right from now on," he comments.
Emma smiles. "Oh, I think he will," she assures him. "I think they're truly in love."
As he considers this, Alex's head-shaking becomes sharper and more emphatic, and his expression gets harder; his jaw begins to clench. He turns back to Emma, who leans back a bit in surprise at the anger he's showing. "Man!" he vents, "that guy really frosts my-" He stops himself just short of an indelicacy and purses his lips together with frustration instead. When he speaks again, it's in a voice dripping with sarcasm. "Frank Churchill has got to be the luckiest guy in the world, y'know that? He meets an amazing woman, falls in love with her...and she falls in love with him right back. He has a major investor who would pull out if he was involved with a human rights activist; the investor dies." He continues ranting, now grimacing with disgust. "He treats his girlfriend like garbage, he takes advantage of his family and friends...and everybody's just lining up to forgive him!" He breathes hard with emotion as he finishes, glaring as he never has before. "It's just not right, Emma," he says with bitter conviction.
After a quick glance over to the camera for reassurance, Emma laughs nervously, before hesitantly attempting some teasing humour, "It sounds like you're a bit jealous there, Mr. Knightley."
Alex winces angrily, and looks like he's about to make a swift denial, but then he checks himself, his expression becoming thoughtful. He lifts his chin a bit before looking Emma straight in the eyes and confessing, "Actually...yes, I do, in a way." His gaze becomes more piercing, and his voice more serious; low, gentle and intense. "He does have one thing in his life that I wish I did."
Emma immediately looks frightened; she turns away, looking off to the side, thinking fast. Alex watches her, leaning forward a little bit to try and catch the expression on her face. He gives a short little laugh and shakes his head in disbelief. "What, no curiosity at all?" he asks, addressing the camera. He looks back towards Emma, and tries teasing her. "Who are you, and what have you done with Emma Woodhouse?" When all she does in reply is to give a throwaway token laugh and turn her head farther away, he looks even more taken aback. Blinking and frowning, he looks down, gathering his thoughts, looking over quickly once more at her profile. Suddenly, all the fight seems to go out of him, and his face takes a on a desperate expression. "Fine, then," he says, almost recklessly. "I know I'm going to regret this, but-"
Still turned away from him, Emma's eyes get wider, just as Alex takes her by the shoulder to turn her around to face him. He takes a deep breath. "Emma, there's something I need to tell you...something that's been building for a while...and I can't stand hiding it from you anymore-"
Upon hearing this, Emma's face reflects full-on panic. She shakes her head violently and cries out, "Why not?!" Alex takes a sharp breath inwards and leans away from her, staring like a deer in the headlights as she continues frantically, "You must have had a good reason to start hiding it! Why tell me now?! Don't say anything you're going to regret!"
They stare at each other, frozen for a moment, Emma's frenzied breathing the only sound filling the room.
Alex breaks the tableau, swallowing convulsively and looking down at his hands with a completely defeated and embarrassed expression. He swallows again, and manages to blurt out, "Okay...sure...right. Thanks..." before getting up and hightailing it out of Emma's office.
Once he's gone, Emma claps her hands to her mouth and looks back at the camera with a tortured expression. "Oh, what have I done?!" she asks wildly. She closes her eyes and clenches her hands at the side of her face, thinking hard. After a moment, her eyes fly open. She casts her eyes to one side, inhaling sharply through her nose, steeling herself, shaking her head. "No. Alex is my friend first." Her eyelids lower. "It doesn't matter if he tells me about Harriet...I will be there for him. Because he always is for me!" She opens her eyes and stares off into the distance for a few seconds, gathering courage. Finally, with a deep breath, she rises from her seat and marches towards the door.
The scene cuts to Alex in his office; but he's not working. He's leaning back in his chair and staring ahead with dead eyes. At the sound of a rustle behind him, however, he sits forward alertly in his chair, his fingers flying guiltily to his keyboard as he suddenly pretends to work. Half a second later, Emma's frame can be seen coming up hesitantly behind him.
"Alex?" she asks timidly.
"Yeah?" Alex asks in an overly-chipper manner, getting in some fake mouse action for good measure.
"Um," she begins, "I'm really sorry, I-I interrupted you just now from saying something...something obviously very important to you." Alex's head doesn't move, but his eyes look sideways as she speaks, as if he can't quite credit what he's hearing. "I'm so sorry if I hurt you," she offers. "I'm your friend, and-and I want to listen to what you have to say." She gestures appealingly towards the spare chair beside him. "Can I sit down?"
Alex frowns at this unexpected show of courtesy, and swivels around, looking up at her. "Okay..." he says, with not a little confusion.
Emma takes the chair, and tucks it in a little closer so she's at a good speaking distance from Alex. She clasps her hands together and speaks calmly and resolutely. "Okay. You were-you were trying to tell me, as a friend, about...something that's been on your mind for a while." She gestures towards him before continuing. "So I just want to let you know that I am here for you, and...I will be honest with you." She gives a quick glance to the camera before looking back at Alex. "As a friend," she adds.
Alex presses his lips together and angles his head resentfully. "As a friend?" he repeats. He gives a self-mocking smile. "Right. Of course! Friends. Great." He winces, then looks away. "Oh gawd," he muses to himself, "I've become one of those guys." He spreads his hands wide, as if not sure what to do with them. He looks over at Emma, who appears quite at sea about what's going on, then he shakes his head. "No," he says to himself firmly. Looking away, he then contradicts this decision. "Yes," he declares stoutly. Blowing out a frustrated breath of air, he's so agitated that he mutters his thought process out loud. "What the hell. Like I could be any less obvious at this point..."
Turning back to Emma, Alex takes her hands in his and looks at them before raising his eyes to hers and asking shakily. "Emma, please be honest...do I have any kind of shot here?"
Silence greets his question. She stares blankly at him.
He continues. "I'm so sorry, I don't want to be some kind of jerk who whines about being in the 'friendzone'. I-I'd like to think this is different." His stare becomes intense and sincere. "Emma, I love our friendship...it's the best thing in my whole life. I care about you so much. I never want to lose you." Here his nerve seems to desert him a bit, but he swallows and forges on. "So...so if you say no, if you tell me you could never feel that way about me, then...I won't say anything else about this again, ever. I promise."
Emma's mouth opens in amazement.
Alex looks at her intently, tension in every bone of his body.
The silence stretches on.
He tilts his head to look at her. "You're...not...saying no," he observes tentatively.
She shakes her head mutely in response.
He stiffens, leaning back fearfully. "You are saying no?" he asks.
Her head shaking becomes extremely vigorous.
He looks relieved, but frowns a bit, leaning forward again cautiously. "So, you're...you're saying that you...aren't...saying no?" he clarifies.
She nods rapidly, still unable to speak.
Alex looks like he can hardly believe his luck, and lets out an incredulous laugh. He looks down briefly at their hands again and starts absently stroking hers. "Emma, I-oh...wow..." His shoulders relax and he gives her a look of heartaching tenderness. Then he gives a self-deprecating laugh. "Look...you know me, I can never talk about this stuff. I can't...recite poetry, or...or whatever it is that a guy's supposed to do..." He looks her full in the face. "I'd probably be better at talking about it if I didn't love you so damn much," he confesses.
Emma's eyes go wide, and begin to glisten, the warmth of pure happiness spreading gradually over her features. Alex doesn't see this, however, as he's dropped his head again, abashed after having spilled something so huge. "I'm an idiot, I know," he mumbles ruefully, his tone becoming bitter. "I'm 'Snarky Knightley'! I criticize you all the time, I nag you about budgets, I'm always pessimistic about your ideas-" He shakes his head. "I don't know how you stand me." He laughs at himself again. But out of his line of sight, Emma shakes her head in adamant denial, all the while beaming from ear to ear, still vorklempt.
Alex sighs. "I haven't exactly been 'Mr. Romance'," he says sarcastically. Looking back at Emma, he seems heartened by her broad smile, and manages a faint one in return. "But you know what I mean. You know me better than anybody." He places his hands over hers again. "Do you think maybe...there might be any kind of spark there for you?" He blushes as her smiling silence continues unbroken. "Emma," he begs, "say something!"
Emma sighs happily. "Alex," she breathes.
He looks bewildered. "Emma?" he asks uncertainly.
She reaches out to grab the front of his shirt and pull him closer. "Alex," she says more forcefully, looking at him from under raised eyebrows.
Alex catches her meaning immediately, and begins breathing quickly, stealing little glances at her lips as the space between the two of them starts to shrink. "Emma..." he utters shakily, swallowing hard.
Once he's close enough, she snakes her hand around to the back of his neck, and closes her eyes. "Alex," she breathes against his mouth.
"Oh god, Emma--" is all he can manage thickly, before putting his own hand at the back of her neck and pulling her against him into a deep, serious kiss.
Their lips move together passionately but slowly, savouring every moment. Alex's free hand comes up to caress the side of her face and neck; hers moves around his side and slides up his back, unconsciously clenching and unclenching little fistfuls of his shirt fabric as their breathing gets louder.
After many exquisite moments of this, the rhythm of the kiss naturally slows. Alex gives a trembling exhale as he gently pulls his mouth from hers. Eyes still closed, he moves his head up to press his lips lovingly, disbelievingly, to her forehead. Faced with Alex's exposed neck, Emma runs a few kisses along his throat. His eyes open wide in reaction, and his voice is husky with feeling as he breathes her name.
"Alex," she whispers in return, pulling back to look at him. Their eyes rove each other's faces tenderly, basking in the moment. "I love you," she tells him softly, and smiles as his face takes on an expression of agonized happiness in response.
Overcome, he strokes her cheek. His answering "I love you, too," is almost too quiet to be heard, but she catches it. With another radiant smile, she leans forward to kiss him gently on the lips, then moves to one side, planting kisses slowly down his jawline. He turns his head to allow her better access, sighing as she reaches his earlobe and starts nibbling. He lets out a breathless laugh. "Uh...Emma? Shouldn't we take this somewhere more private?"
"Hmmm?" Emma asks lazily, emerging from behind his neck. After a moment, she seems to process his question, and looks right at the camera, holding a hand out toward it. "You want me to turn it off?" she asks.
"No, I meant maybe we could-" He suddenly straightens right up and interrupts himself. "What?! Emma," he snaps, his gaze whipping to the camera, "is that thing on?!"
She stifles a laugh. "Uh, yeah," she tells him, an unspoken 'duh' clearly audible in her tone. He gasps with outrage, but she places a hand on his chest, cutting him off before he can get really fired up. "Don't worry! I'll turn it off!" she assures him, whipping out her phone and flipping to the right app. He makes a few strangled noises, but starts to relax as she murmurs, "Let's see...cameraaas...Alex's offfice...ah! Here we are!" Her eyes sneak over to him teasingly. "Prude," she accuses, with a saucy wink.
His eyebrows shoot right up, and his eyes twinkle with naughty amusement. "Oh, you're going to be changing your mind about that," he promises quietly.
She blushes instantly, eyes going very wide...then wastes no time looking back down at her phone and, with a delighted smile, tapping it once more as fast as her finger can fly.
The camera winks out.
Fin.