XI.
Cora lifts her hand to take the one that is being held out to her, helping her stand as best she can in the new blue and very sparkly dress that Alec has bought for her, but he didn't need to know that. She feels his familiar, and comforting hand wrapped around hers as she steps out of the transport, taking a much more careful step in her high heels than she would usually in her pumps.
Cora feels Scott's eyes on her so she looks into his face and sees him smile, he was still feeling happy that she'd agreed to be his date tonight, and so far she was also pleased with her decision. She feels herself smile again when he squeezes her hand. Cora turns her attention away from Scott when she hears how much noise there is, and how many people are moving around in this part of the station, all heading to the party and speech. Last week she'd almost felt they were completely alone.
"You look gorgeous, Cora," Scott whispers and draws her eyes back to him, she is sure she blushes again when he leans towards her and kisses her cheek. "That dress is incredible. I am the luckiest man alive." He adds and kisses her again.
"You are looking very handsome too." Cora smiles when she feels him place his hand between her shoulder blades, and slowly slides it down onto the bare skin of her lower back. She eyes him for a moment thinking how gorgeous he looked in his black three-piece suit, with matching black waistcoat and blue tie, that matches her dress perfectly. She couldn't wait to unwrap him like a present later.
Cora lifts her hand to gently adjust his tie, making sure that it is straight and tucked into his waistcoat, she sees him give her a grateful smile. Not only had he managed to sort something out, as he'd said he would, but he was also looking sharp, sophisticated, and easily the hottest man in the room. She wondered if the girls from the first night they met would be here tonight and what they'd make of Scott looking like he does. What about the woman from HR that he'd dated?
"I can't get my hair to behave though." Scott whispers and she giggles quietly when she watches him scraping a hand through his hair trying to make it lay flat against his head.
"Come here." Cora giggles when she sees him struggling with just his fingers. "Your hair is so nice." Cora adds, as he turns to face her and she begins trying to tease it back into place with her own hands. She was quite jealous of how thick and soft his head of hair was and loved having her fingers in it. When she's happy with it and sure he will be too, she gives him a light pat on the top of the head making him laugh.
"It must be good genes." Scott smiles making her nod, yeah he'd inherited some good things from Alec but there wasn't much more good he had to offer.
"Ready?" Cora asks him as she takes hold of his hand wanting the comfort again, she was starting to feel nervous about this whole thing and the worry of seeing Alec was too much. She hadn't set eyes on him for a long time, and as soon as she'd administered medi-gel the bruises had faded, but the hurt he'd caused was staying with her. It hurt to have someone she loved hurt her so much.
"As I'll ever be." Scott whispers to her, making her nod. "Where have all these people come from?" He asks, she looks to her side as he moves to walk in line with her. She feels him slip his fingers through hers as they walk side by side, the sound of their footsteps against the floor, Cora's heels tapping as they walk and Scott's highly polished black shoes stepping in time with hers.
"I guess some people like parties." Cora replies and she sees him shrug and steps closer to her when people try to get past them, wanting to get to the party and seeming to be in a hurry. Cora lifts her hand to take hold of his bicep, squeezing it gently, which draws his attention back to her.
"People like free booze." Scott chuckles making her smile. "They can't all be wanting to listen to boring Alec?" He laughs making Cora shrug lightly. He was the first Human Pathfinder and the poster boy for this whole mission, plus if you believed the vids and the posters he was the saviour of Humanity. Yawn.
"You mean that's not why we are here?" Cora giggles and gives his shoulder a nudge with hers making him smile. Cora feels him let go of her hand and wrap his arm around her body drawing her closer to his side as they walk; she places her arm around his waist accepting his hold on her.
She turns her attention away from the feeling of him warm at her side and back to the party ahead of them when she hears the sound of a large group of people clapping, someone was impressing them and she wondered if it would be Alec. No, it was too early for him yet. She can also hear how loud the conversation is, and that they are almost completely drowning out some awful choice of music that is being played from the speakers in this section.
"Do you recognise anyone?" Scott asks and she shakes her head. "How long did you say you've lived here?" Scott laughs turning to look at her again; Cora feels his eyes settle on her and his hand come to rest in the centre of her back.
Cora thinks for a moment trying to remember how long it had been since the first day that she stepped off of that shuttle and onto the Andromeda Initiative's space station. She'd had no idea what she was getting herself into, back then. Four years away from Humans and in Asari space had meant that Theia had been quite a culture shock when she was suddenly thrown back with them.
"About eighteen months." She nods, it had been months since she had first met Alec and got herself dragged into his ridiculous schemes. Part of her had been sad when they'd had to pack to leave for Andromeda because she had been happy for a time on Theia, but the excitement of what was waiting for them was even stronger than the sadness. "How about you?" Cora asks him looking into his face again; she leans closer to his body watching his brow furrow as he recalls how much time has passed.
"Six, eight months maybe? Not long enough to get too attached." He adds, making Cora smile; they'd probably walked past each other hundreds of times.
Maybe even bumped into each other in the morning rush for an elevator or a queue for coffee. Cora was certain she would have noticed someone like Scott and remembers what those women had been saying about him in the bathroom at the first party, he definitely left a lasting impression.
"But Theia has always been too loud for me. Twenty thousand people sometimes sounded like twenty million." Scott laughs.
Cora knew he'd been living in the high-rise section of Theia the whole time he'd been on the station, where they had housed as many people in as they could in tall, multi-levelled accommodation, and she'd found it just as awful. She'd been assigned a room there too but hadn't used it for months and months. One day Alec had told her to stop bringing an overnight bag and to move her things, so she'd stayed.
She knew how overcrowded it was and how difficult it was to find somewhere quiet. The Pathfinder's apartment was on the other side of the station and was mostly quiet but there was still the constant hum of the mass effect drives and the shields.
"I do miss complete quiet." Cora laughs seeing him wrinkle is nose at her in agreement. "I grew up on a cargo ship so you'd think I'd be used to so many people living on top of each other, the whole time." She adds seeing him give her a sympathetic smile. "Sometimes it was so loud, all you could feel was it rattling in your chest." She adds lifting her hand and placing it on his chest as if to highlight her point, the cool of his suit beneath her palm.
"It must have been tough growing up on a ship." Scott replies as she feels him place his hand over hers and rub his fingers against the back of her hand. Cora feels his eyes on her face as she nods. It was tough, it was the hardest thing she'd ever done and she thought about the fact that she had left her parents behind to their fate, every day since then.
"I'm guessing you are a Citadel kid?" Cora sees him grin when he hears her words. Of course, he was, he didn't have the outlook or attitude to be an Earthborn child, and she'd seen the photo of the Ryder's together on the Citadel.
Cora had no doubt that he'd had a difficult childhood with Alec, but he'd probably never gone without food or had to constantly be on the move like she had. Scott had probably spent some short stints in other sectors because of his parents work, but he'd always had a home to return to and food on the table.
"I guess if I'd ever called anywhere home, it would be there." Scott nods and she sees him smile as if he is recalling a time of being there, probably with Ellen and Sara. "I never felt it was as hectic as here." He smiles again and she feels him lift his hand to brush her hair back.
"Aren't there thirteen million people living there though?" She asks wrapping her arm tighter around his waist and hearing him laugh.
"Thirteen point two." Cora glances over her shoulder when she hears Sara's voice behind them and spots Scott's sister has joined them. "But not so tightly packed in, as Theia." She adds, making Cora nod in agreement and smiles at her. "Cora, right?" She asks as she steps past them to walk slightly ahead of them.
"That's right, and you are Sara Ryder." Cora smiles when she sees Sara give her brother a look that makes him grin. "We met briefly in the Pathfinder training. It's nice to see you again." Cora adds lowering her hand from Scott's chest, she feels him place his hand on her lower back again.
"I'm sorry, I just assumed Scott was bullshitting me about you." Sara laughs making Scott snort. "But here you are." Sara adds making Scott grin again. Cora glances at Scott and sees another smile at the corner of his mouth, looking very pleased with himself.
"Why would I bullshit you?" Scott chuckles shaking his head at Sara making Cora smile; they were obviously trying to wind each other up.
Cora looks at Sara for a moment; you could tell they were brother and sister but they were also different enough that when they were apart you wouldn't guess they were twins. Sara she notices is much shorter than her brother but has the same dark hair that he has and the same light blue eyes. Both of them did resemble Alec too.
Cora smiles to herself when she realises that the woman she saw Scott talking to on the ship had been his twin, not someone she would need to fight for his affections. Cora had never had to shoot anyone over a man but maybe Scott would be a good reason to and worth it.
"Because just look at her." Sara begins drawing Cora's attention back to her again; she watches Sara turn and begins walking backwards so she can talk to them with ease. "Cora is so, so far out of your league, little brother," Sara adds with a laugh making Scott snort again. "No offence, Cora. I'm not judging your choice in men." Cora laughs when she hears this, she actually thought it was the other way around and wasn't sure what she had done to deserve to meet someone like Scott.
If Sara had any idea of who her previous choice of man was, she wouldn't be so quick to apologise. Cora knew Sara had heard the rumours about her and Alec, but she had never commented or made any speculations herself. Cora knew that Scott was close to his sister, but she didn't think he would have shared that information with his twin.
Cora notices that Sara stops as they reach the main area of the party, so they do too. She lets her attention wander from Sara for a moment and notices that there are lots of people sitting at tables that have been spread around a large stage that has been erected, as well as an extensive bar that runs along one side, and plenty of tables for people to stand at. She can't immediately see Alec, which makes her relax a little. Now that they've got closer Cora can hear that the music that is being played loudly here from some unseen source, and is mixing with the excited chatter and merriment. Cora turns her attention back to Sara realising they were halfway through a conversation.
"Oh, I don't know. He's pretty special." Cora lowers her voice pretending to not want to be heard by Scott, she turns to look at him again and giving him a small smile that he returns. Cora unwraps her arms from around him and reaches over to press her hands against his ears pretending to cover them. "But you are right, I do make terrible decisions when it comes to men." Cora adds; making Sara laugh quietly and nod her head.
"Who doesn't?" Sara laughs again making Cora smile; she could imagine her and Sara could become good friends if given the chance. She'd tried to keep her distance during training, always feeling conflicted when she saw Alec's daughter.
Cora knew Sara wouldn't understand or approve of the relationship she'd had with Alec, but maybe things could be different now. Cora was feeling even more confident about what Andromeda could bring, getting to know the people she was going to living and working with. She was suddenly feeling a lot less isolated and part of a team.
"Sara, please don't embarrass me in front of Cora." Scott whispers trying to keep the smile from his voice as Cora lowers her hands from his face and wraps her arm around his waist again; she squeezes his hip beneath her hand. "I really like this one." Scott whispers to his sister making Cora smile to herself, she feels a blush creep onto her face hearing his compliment and he gently lifts his hand to brush her cheek with his thumb. When he lowers his hand he wraps his arm around her shoulders.
"Is he always this adorable?" Cora giggles quietly hearing Scott laugh and shake his head, he lowers his eyes to their feet and then back to Sara who just shrugs. "He pretends to be tough but I think it's all an act." Cora adds leaning into his shoulder again.
"No, he's usually an asshole, to be honest." Sara mumbles making Cora laugh again and Scott huff. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding of course. I'm very glad to see him looking so happy and as much as I give him a hard time, he's a great guy and he deserves to have some fun before Andromeda." Sara replies giving Cora a genuine smile and then reaching to give Scott a shove in the arm, Cora frowns lightly when she realises Sara has decided this was just a bit of fun for her brother. "By the way, the matching outfits are very cute. You especially look lovely, Cora." She smiles.
"It was Scott's idea." Cora smiles and glances at him, it was cute and they did look like a real couple. "He's looking sharp, tonight." Cora adds and sees him grin. He really was full of surprises.
"Are you staying to listen to the speech?" Scott asks his sister who Cora sees nods her head.
"I am, but I told Kosta I'd find him first." Sara replies quietly glancing over her shoulder towards the large gathering of people. "He's in there somewhere." She adds; making Cora lift her eyes in the same direction.
She can see that lots of people have gathered across the other side of the room in front of the stage, some that she recognises from the original party, and some that she hadn't seen. She does notice that they have also placed small podium on the stage, to lift the Pathfinder above everyone else as he gives his speech.
"Scott, will I see you for lunch next week with Liam?" Sara whispers dragging Cora's attention away from the crowd and back to her again.
"Actually," Scott mumbles. "I was going to ask Cora on a sort of, you know.." He sighs; Cora looks at him and sees that he is suddenly looking embarrassed. He lifts his hand and rubs the back of his neck. "Like a proper date." Scott finally announces making Cora smile to herself.
"You were?" Cora feels his eyes settle on her and a smile stretch onto his face. She didn't think she could think of anything better than going on a real date with Scott. Other than a day in bed, but they were having a lot of those days. "I thought this was a date?" Cora asks with another smile.
"Yeah, but maybe just the two of us?" Scott adds suddenly looking like she regrets asking her in case she says no, Cora gives him a reassuring smile and squeezes him even tighter beneath her hand to comfort him. "Would you want to?" She sees Scott smile when she leans towards him and presses a gentle kiss against his mouth, she knew she was showing him up in front of his sister, but she didn't care.
"Oh Scott, you are so cute." Sara laughs making Cora smile. She couldn't agree more. Scott lifts his hand to place his palm on the back of her neck, she feels his fingertips moving slowly on her skin making it feel warm at his touch. "He must really like you, he doesn't usually do dates." Sara whispers making Scott sigh and lifts his hand to show her a finger.
"He is cute." Cora nods in agreement; she feels his eyes on her and wonders why they were even here. Proving to Alec that she wasn't scared of him didn't even matter anymore. She had a new Ryder in her life and that was proof enough that he didn't have control over her any longer. As much as she loved him, he had been bad for her.
"We'll catch up later." Sara says making Cora realise that she had been gazing at Scott for a few seconds too long and it had probably appeared rude to his sister. Cora sees Scott nod at his sister's words; no doubt they wanted to see each other a few times before they were loaded onto the Hyperion. "It was nice to see you again Cora." Sara adds with a smile.
"You too, Sara." Cora replies, she feels Scott lower his arm from around her and take hold of her hand in his again. She lets him hold it firmly in his palm as he begins leading her towards the tables, towards the back and away from the stage.
"Be good." Scott mouths to his sister, she just nods her head and smiles at him before turning away and moving through the crowd. "How about here?" Scott asks and she feels his eyes on her as he nods towards one of the small tall tables.
"This looks good." Cora nods and smiles at him. "Not too close to Alec, nice and close to the free bar." Cora giggles and sees Scott grin, maybe he'd been right that the free bar was the reason everyone was here. "Although maybe the drink being served isn't a good idea, especially after last time." Cora laughs seeing Scott laugh.
"Yeah, this suit is too nice for that." He chuckles as they make themselves comfortable at the table, standing next to each other so that they can see what is happening in the rest of the room. Cora feels his arm come to rest lightly around her waist and his fingers squeeze gently, she wondered if he was nervous too.
"I was just thinking about how much I'm going to enjoy getting you out of it." Cora whispers to him seeing him laugh quietly. Cora gives him a small smile when he draws her closer to him and wraps his arm around her body, his hands on her waist. Cora carefully slips her hands beneath his suit jacket and wraps her arms around his waist when he leans to press a kiss against her mouth.
She knew that they were being very familiar in public, but Scott made her feel relaxed and he had become so important to her in the time they'd been together. Her relationship with Alec had been so much a secret, he'd rarely shown her any affection where they may have been seen. Cora had spent years keeping almost everyone out until she'd met Alec and he'd destroyed her trust, but now before she'd had a chance to build up her walls again, Scott had run headfirst into her life, a little bit like a cute baby Krogan.
"I'm looking forward to it." Scott mumbles against her lips making her giggle. "I'm sorry about my sister." Scott laughs making Cora shake her head; he had no reason to be sorry. Sara seemed nice and she would obviously be looking out for Scott, not only was he her brother but he was her twin and that was always going to be an important bond.
"She cares about you, of course, she wants to look out for you." Cora smiles to him and loosens her hold on him; she takes hold of the lapels on his jacket and looks into his face.
"I know, but what she said.." Scott sighs and she feels his hands on her. "This isn't just a bit of fun, you know that right?" Scott adds making her smile.
"I know." Cora whisper and pulls him closer. "She'll see how we feel about each other, and how serious we are about being together." Cora adds and sees him nod and smile.
"I've never been more sure of anything." He smiles again and she lifts her hand to his cheek to draw his mouth to hers in another gentle kiss. "Cora." Scott sighs as he breaks their kiss making her laugh when she hears it.
"What?" She whispers and feels his eyes on her, but he then shakes his head lightly. "Tell me." Cora laughs again and lifts her hands to his face. "Scott.." She whispers and notices his gaze on her, and only her.
"It's nothing." Scott smiles and shakes his head. "Would you like a drink?" Scott replies with another grin as he unwraps his arms from around her and rests them on her waist, she watches him glance over towards the bar and then back to her.
"Sure, that would be nice." Cora nods. "Surprise me." She adds seeing him smile and lean towards her, his mouth brushing against her cheek which makes her flush. "Just don't be long." Cora whispers and he grins and nods, she didn't want to be on her own for too long, especially with Alec on his way.
Cora watches Scott walk away and towards the bar, smiling to herself when he slides his hands into his pockets. As he approaches, and at the same time he does, she spots Commander Raymond stood with a group of smartly dressed officers and civilians. She sees Scott approach his uncle, who greets him with a warm hug and begins patting him on the back, clearly very fond of Scott.
She watches, as his uncle appears to be introducing him to the men he stands with and they all shake the young Ryder's hand. Cora can't help but smile when Scott turns and begins pointing her out to Commander Raymond who notices her and begins waving at her.
"Hi." Cora mouths to Commander Raymond as she returns his wave, seeing that Scott is watching her and he looks happy; a big smile on his face. Maybe she'd get to spend some time with Scott and his family when they were in Andromeda and hear all of the war stories that his uncle had to share. Maybe she'd get to be part of a family again.
Cora laughs lightly to herself when it looks like Commander Raymond is commenting on Scott's appearance, which only causes him to show off his suit jacket and tie, doing a little twirl that she sees makes his uncle laugh. Before long she watches as Scott gives his uncle another hug and moves away from him and towards the bar, he places his hands on it as he waits to be served with his back to her.
"I wasn't sure you'd come tonight." Cora hears his voice and feels his hand on her elbow, making her quickly turn her attention away from Scott and to Alec, who has suddenly appeared at her side.
"Don't touch me." Cora whispers angrily at him, pulling her arm out of his grasp and attempting to move away from him. "I'm here for Scott, not for you." She adds and looks into his face, seeing the disappointment in his eyes as he nods. Cora takes a quick look over to the bar and sees that Scott is busy talking to the person serving him and that he hasn't noticed his father has arrived.
"I'm sorry for what happened at the hospital." She hears Alec's voice, calm and gentle as she remembered it used to be sometimes. "Please Harper, can we talk?" The Pathfinder adds and she feels his eyes on her. "You know this isn't me." He mumbles and she lowers her eyes to his hand that he brings to rest on her arm.
"That is the problem, Alec." Cora shakes her head and places her hand over his. "I don't know who you are anymore." She adds and removes his hand from her bare skin. "We both know what kind of man you are turning into.." Cora whispers and glances over to the bar again, hoping Scott won't be much longer and will be back with her.
"I'm not that man." Alec sighs and she watches him lift his hand to rub his head, a headache again she imagined. "You know I would have never laid a hand on you." He adds but she just shakes her head when he looks at her, his grey eyes sad but sincere for the first time in weeks, making her heart ache when she sees it.
"Well, you did." Cora huffs and looks past The Pathfinder's shoulder to see if anyone else has spotted their conversation and noticed that he's arrived. "I'll never let you do it again." Cora lowers her voice hoping they aren't drawing attention to themselves and making a scene.
"I'm sorry." Alec nods giving her a light smile that she doesn't return.
"I'm not the only one you should be apologising to." Cora snaps at him. "You don't know how lucky you are to have a son like Scott, who despite your best efforts came out as a really decent man." She adds feeling her pulse start to race as she lets him know what she's thinking. "Leave me and Scott alone Alec. You've done enough damage to us both." She huffs and turns her back on him, not sure how else she can let him know she's finished talking to him.
Cora is sure that she can hear him sigh as he moves away from her, and as he steps towards the other guests she can hear that they all start cheering and clapping that their VIP has arrived.
She closes her eyes for a moment trying to calm herself, and when she opens them she sees that Scott is heading back towards her and that he is carrying a bottle in one hand and two glasses in the other. Cora feels his eyes on her and knows that he's probably picked up on her body language that something has bothered her.
"Are you alright?" Scott asks as he reaches their table and lowers the twin tall and elegant glasses down in front of her, followed by the bottle. She watches his eyes move over her face trying to decide if she is when she nods.
"Of course." Cora nods and gives him the best smile she can manage. She sees him sigh and nod lightly, not entirely convinced but not going to keep pressing her. "When I said surprise me." Cora laughs when she sees him grin and pick up the expensive bottle of sparkling wine.
"Well, I figured we have a lot to celebrate." Scott nods and she notices him glance up towards the crowd and that he has also seen that the Pathfinder is with them. When he looks back at her she gives him a sympathetic smile. "Plus I think my Dad's covering the bar bill, so.." Scott chuckles making her smile.
Cora watches as Scott carefully opens it, the bubbles fizzing to the top and almost escaping the bottle. She takes hold of the glasses in her hands and lifts them so that he can pour the cold honey-coloured liquid into them. She grins at him when Scott takes a glass from her and moves to stand beside her, his arm wrapping around her body and hand coming to rest on her waist.
"What are we celebrating?" Cora smiles, remembering the first night they'd met and saying the same thing to him then. She feels his eyes on her and can tell he's thinking about it too. She lifts her glass higher to match his.
"To you still being here all this time later." Scott laughs and lets his glass touch hers making it ping. "To you being the most beautiful woman in Human Resources." He laughs again making her giggle.
"To us." Cora whispers and feels his eyes on her and that this makes him smile, a smile that makes her stomach flutter with butterflies. She couldn't think of anything better to celebrate than being with Scott.
"To us." Scott nods in agreement, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth as they touch glasses carefully. Cora lifts the glass to her lips to take a small sip of the fizzy wine; looking over the top of her glass that Scott does the same but takes a larger drink.
Only a couple of seconds after the wine has reached her tongue does she suddenly realise how much she doesn't like it, not enjoying the bitter taste at all and wondering what all the fuss was about. Cora glances up at Scott and watches as he lowers his glass from his mouth, his face slowly turning to a look of disgust. She can't help but let out a loud laugh when she sees his face and that he is trying hard not to spit it out.
"Don't you dare spit that out." Cora laughs looking around them for some napkins just in case. "You have to swallow it." Cora giggles when he starts shaking his head. "Scott, use the glass." She laughs seeing him pointing to his mouth and shaking his head until he picks up his empty glass and turns his back to her, to deposit the drink back into the glass. Cora lifts her hand to her face, closing her eyes for a moment and shaking her head trying not to laugh.
"That is the even more disgusting than last time." Scott pants as he can finally breathe through his mouth. "I can't believe how much they charge for that." He adds making her giggle. She removes the glass from his hand and takes hold of them in hers.
"Scott.." Cora laughs drawing his attention back to her. "Why don't you stop complaining and come kiss me?" She adds lifting her arms to wrap around his neck and draw him into a kiss; silencing him and making them both forget all about the drink. Cora smiles against his lips when she hears him sigh and wrap his arms around her and press her tightly against him. "Better?" She mumbles against his mouth watching him nod lightly as she breaks their kiss.
"So much better." He sighs. "Would you like to dance?" Scott asks and she laughs when she hears his question, her immediate thought being that he is joking. "I'm being serious, Cora." He adds with a smile.
"No one else is dancing." Cora smiles and looks over his shoulder to the people gathered, yes there was music but they were all too busy chatting and having a good time to be dancing. "This isn't the sort of music you'd dance to." Cora adds nodding her head above her to the music being played, noisy, not suitable, and unrecognisable.
"Is that a no?" Scott grins making her narrow her eyes at him, not sure what he was up to and why he would suddenly be so interested in dancing with her. Cora watches as he reaches his hand out to her and nods his head to where he has decided is their dance floor.
"You told me you don't dance." She whispers but sees Scott smile and shrug lightly, lifting his hand higher towards her. "Which surprises me with the amazing rhythm I know you've got in those sexy hips of yours, Ryder." Cora giggles hearing him chuckle and notices he is looking at her expectantly. "Okay, fine yes. I'll dance with you." Cora huffs lightly and lets him take her hand.
Cora laughs when Scott quickly drags her away from the table and towards the space in the room in front of it, unable to keep the grin from her face when she realises how easy it is to feel relaxed and have fun with Scott. He was making life fun again. Scott stops abruptly when she thinks he has picked his spot, and she watches as he turns to face her and reaches to take hold of both of her hands in his. Cora can't help but laugh again when he grins at her.
"This music isn't right." Scott laughs. "SAM, play Cora and Scott's playlist." Scott instructs, having to raise his voice slightly she notices to be heard over the noise. Cora sees the light behind his ear flash and knows he can hear it in his head.
"I can't hear anything." Cora replies and shakes her head at him, knowing that he wouldn't be able to hear her as well as the music. She sees him smile and move even closer to her.
Cora watches as he lifts his hand and feels Scott's fingertip come into contact with the back of her ear; moving over the soft skin until she can suddenly hear the music too, and it's not the music from the party. Cora sees Scott smile and waits for her reaction.
"Can you hear me?" Cora hears Scott's voice in her head, in addition to some of the old love songs they had been listening to in their apartment. Cora raises her eyebrows in surprise when she realises he hasn't moved his lips.
"Yes." Cora replies, keeping her mouth firmly shut, which she notices, makes him grin. "How did you do that?" Cora smiles when he lifts his finger to his mouth pretending it's a secret. "I'm liking the playlist." Cora adds and he smiles again. She wasn't sure how he'd managed to link their comms up to his music playlists but she liked it, she could hear him clearly and the music he had picked for them.
"I knew you would." He says drawing her attention back to him when he takes hold of her hands again. "So, let's dance." Scott adds and she hears the song change to a more upbeat, and fun old song that she knew would have heard in bars back on Earth.
Cora lets out another loud laugh when Scott begins dancing, twisting his hips along in time to the song and moving her along with him. She sees him laughing too as they get into the song and begin throwing their arms and legs in time to the music, not caring that people might be observing their strange behaviour and that Alec would be watching them. Scott places his hands on her waist and moves her to the rhythm, grinning at her as they enjoy the song together.
Cora giggles when Scott lifts her hand into the air and twirls her in place, his arm moving around her waist to hold her close. He takes hold of her hand and lifts it higher, his hand on her back so that they can dance and move together to the fast beat. They continue to dance for the next two songs until Cora starts to notice she is getting out of breath, and that her stomach has started hurting from their laughter. She sighs happily when Scott places his hands on her hips and closes the distance between them, pulling her until she is flush against his body.
"That was fun." Cora giggles and slides her arms around his body, relaxing into his arms when he wraps them around her. "Thanks for dancing with me." Cora whispers and rests head against his chest.
"We aren't done yet." Comes Scott's reply in her head, making her glance up at him and see him smile. She watches as he lets go of her and shrugs his suit jacket off, slipping it off of his arms and moving away from her to put it down for safekeeping on their table. Cora watches as lifts his hand and flicks it away to select the next song. "One more?" He asks as he steps closer to her and she nods lightly.
"My sweet, romantic man." Cora smiles when she hears the song start, another old love song but this one much slower than the previous ones. She knew he'd added it to their playlist because it had made him think of her.
Cora sighs again when he wraps his arms around her body, letting her rest her head against his neck. She slips her hands underneath the collar of his shirt and lets him hold her; sure she can feel how fast his heart is beating beneath her palm from their dancing. Cora feels him lean his head against hers as he moves them slowly to the music, not focusing on the dances moves anymore and just each other. She laughs lightly when she feels Scott's chest vibrate as he hums along to the song. Cora lifts her head to look at him and notices he is watching her closely, so she moves her hand to his cheek and strokes his skin, which makes him smile.
"I've waited a hundred years.." Scott begins to sing to her along with the song making her smile when she hears it. She closes her eyes for a moment when he leans his forehead against hers. "I'd wait a million more for you." He sings quietly. "Maybe I should change the lyrics to 600 hundred more." Scott laughs making her smile. He was so cute and romantic, and everything she ever hoped to have someone be with her.
"I love this song." Cora whispers and feels him press a soft kiss against her forehead. "I'd wait a million more for you too." Cora giggles and hears him laugh too as they continue to sway together on the spot, him holding her the length of him as they move.
Cora rests her head on his shoulder and her attention moves away from the feeling of being in his arms to noticing that people are watching them and she is sure she spots Alec's face from the stage.
"Cora." Scott sighs drawing her attention back to him, she hears him sigh again so she lifts her head to look at him. He has the same expression on his face than he had when she'd kissed him earlier as if he was desperate to tell her something. She feels him stop their movement so that she's focused just on him.
"I know what you have been wanting to say." Cora sighs and speaks so he can hear only her in his head, she feels his eyes fix on hers and he gives her a questioning smile waiting for her to continue. "I heard what you said to Sara last week.." She continues and sees him frown lightly and open his mouth as if he is going to interrupt but then remembers he doesn't have to.
"What did I say to Sara?" He asks, clear and comforting in her head and making her forget all about the party when he lifts his hand to her cheek and his eyes are on hers. Cora rests her forehead against his for a moment, wondering if she should even be voicing this. But she wasn't saying it out loud, and this was private and just for him.
"About how you feel about me." Cora begins and sees him smile and nod. "I'm falling for you, too." Cora adds knowing he can hear her as clear as she can hear him. She sees a smile stretch onto his face when he has decided he wasn't hearing things, as hard as she found to tell people how she is feeling, these words came easy.
"Yeah?" He asks and she sees his smile widen even more.
"I'm not even scared about that." She whispers and hears him laugh. She feels him take hold of her face in his hands and kisses her, his mouth tender and gentle on hers but full of promise.
Cora wraps her arms around him, her fingers digging into his shoulder blades trying to get him closer to her when he deepens their kiss. He drops a hand from her face and places it on her waist, letting himself get just as caught up as she is. She feels his hand move around onto her lower back, his palm hot on her skin making it tingle. Cora feels him move his hand to cup her jaw, his thumb stroking her cheek as he continues to kiss her.
"Cora." Scott sighs against her mouth, so she leans back to look at him. "I lo.." He continues making her eyes widen, she suddenly sees him frown and lifts his hand to his ear. "Shit.." Cora hears Scott mumble as he lowers his arms from around her, she watches as he lifts his hands to his head and screws his face up as if he's in pain. "Can you hear that?" He huffs as she sees him screw his eyes closed and bend at the waist.
"Are you okay?" Cora asks, worried when she sees him shake his head and begin rubbing his temples. "What's wrong?" She adds placing her hand on his face and trying to get him to look at her, and the other on his back.
"My head feels like it's splitting." Scott mumbles and she sees him wince again, his hands gripping his head as she sees pain go through his body. Cora places her hand on the back of his head, starting to panic that she doesn't know what is happening or how to help him.
"SAM, disable Scott's receiver." Cora instructs SAM with the only thing she can think of that might help, she takes hold of Scott's hand and begins leading him back to the table. Cora watches as he stands next to the table and leans against it as he takes a deep breath.
"Okay, that's.." Scott huffs "Better." He whispers with a nod before Cora notices he glances at her and then beyond her to the crowd where she knows if she looked she would see Alec still watching them and probably sending the painful high-pitched sounds to his son. "I don't understand what happened." He mumbles. "So much for that idea." Scott adds with a sigh and she sees him lower his eyes.
"It was a lovely idea." Cora gives him a reassuring smile and takes hold of his hand on top of the table. "We'll just have to use our mouths for talking as well as kissing." She adds giving him another smile trying to get him to return it. "I think it will be starting soon." Cora adds nodding towards the stage when she sees Scott nod.
"Your probably right." She sees Scott nod and she watches him rub his head with the palm of his hand again before he picks up his suit jacket. "How bad can it be?" Scott gives her a small smile and takes her hand that she holds out to him.