#your honor my client is innocent. look at him. he’s just a little guy. (lie) | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

youreacowgirllikeme · 3 years

Text

Case Closed

note: Chris talked law on Prime Time again last night, so I felt inspired to write a second part of my Lawyer!Chris fic (you can read the first part HERE) sorry for eventual typos

enjoy :)

words: 2900

warnings: swearing, smut (dirty talk, oral, fingering, unprotected sex (wrap it irl, please))

“Your honor, the jury finds the defendant guilty of all charges.”

Oh. OH.

This was absolutely glorious. You couldn’t dance in court, of course, but on the inside, you were definitely having a victory parade.

A triumphant grin split your face as your gaze wandered across the courtroom over to the defense desk.

Chris Cuomo, the defense lawyer, looked absolutely crestfallen. His mouth was hanging slightly open, and he couldn’t even utter a word. Serves him right, smug bastard, you thought.

You had made an excellent case, a new witness and some very compromising documents were able to convince the jury of the defendants guilt despite all of Cuomo’s efforts to keep his incredibly whealty client out of jail.

The judge announced the sentence, and now Chris just slammed his fist on the table. This was getting better and better, but you told yourself to keep your smugness at bay, no need to stoop as low as your opponent and gloat.But there was something else you definitely needed to do, something you couldn’t let Christopher Charles Cuomo get away with.

After the defendant was taken away and you had packed up all your papers, you slowly made your way over to his desk.

“So, I was wondering if you are going to keep that horrendous tie on for dinner tonight? Because I plan on wearing a dress and I would hate for us to clash color-wise, you know.” You said, barely able to remain serious.

The look he gave you was so murderous, it sent a shiver down your spine. You weren’t sure if it was out of fear or arousal. You were still a bit sore from your encounter in the parking lot yesterday, and you really hoped on repeating it. Riling him up was just foreplay to you.

“If you’re really suggesting that I will take you out for dinner after that dirty game you played today, you are even crazier than in originally thought.” he hissed. The vein on his temple was back, pulsating as if it was threatening you.

“Dirty game?” you almost shouted, then pulled yourself together so you wouldn’t draw the attention of the people still lingering in the courtroom.

“Your client was guilty as hell, even you with your twisted sense of morality should see that. And you lecturing me about playing games, pot calling the kettle black.” You whispered furiously, unable to keep your unfazed façade on any longer.

“About dinner, you invited me yesterday, so you’re either not a man of your word or a coward. Maybe even both.”

You hit home with that, you could see that on the way Cuomo’s fists clenched around the papers he was holding, scrunching them up. Men were so predictable, you thought, call them a coward and they will do every stupid thing in the book to prove you wrong.

But you wanted dinner and, most of all, dessert, so playing into his insecurities was fair game this once.

“There’s a new Italian place on 5th avenue, across from the Public Library. I know the owner, I’ll get us a table. Be there at eight.” He muttered and was gone in a hurry.

Of course he knew the owner.

“I look forward to it.” you called after him, fake cheeriness in your voice.

+++

As agreed, you stood in front of the restaurant at eight. You wore your favorite dress, it was bright red and showed just the right amount of both legs and cleavage. You thought that you looked stunning, and you knew Cuomo would appreciate the look as well.

The roar of an engine pulled you out of your thoughts, and you spun around to where a familiar black SUV was pulling up. You rolled your eyes, if you didn’t know it better you’d think Cuomo was compensating with that car.

It stopped and he emerged on the driver’s side. And Lord help you, he looked fantastic. He wore a tight-fitting black suit and a white dress shirt with the top two buttons undone, showing a peak of tanned skin beneath. You wanted to climb him like a tree in the middle of 5th avenue. The confident, almost arrogant way in which he carried himself was infuriating and incredibly hot at the same time. Why was he so attractive while being such an asshole?

Your thoughts about his appearance were clearly written all over your face, because when he addressed you, he sounded even more smug than usual.

“Hi, Y/L/N, enjoying the view? I have to admit, you really clean up nice, I’m impressed.”

“Shut it, Cuomo.” You said, unable to suppress a smile. “You don’t look too horrible yourself.”

“Come on, I look great and we both know it.” he chuckled. And of course, he was right, but his ego was already big enough, no need to feed it any more.

“You look alright, I guess, but don’t to get ahead of yourself.” You said, “And now you better take me inside so I can have the amount of wine I need to make your company tolerable.”

+++

The food was absolutely delicious, and the wine the waiter recommended was so good that the two of you drank a whole bottle. It was Friday anyway, so no need to hold back.

What was really shocking too you was how good the conversation was. After a bit of initial bickering and arguing about which country produced the best red wine, you slowly started getting more comfortable with each other. The atmosphere was eased by the wine and you discovered that Chris wasn’t a completely horrible person.

Yes, he was a smart arse and cocky, and so fucking full of himself, but he was also incredibly clever, had surprisingly progressive views and on top of all he loved dogs!

When he told you that his favorite food were his mother’s spaghetti marinara, you could not suppress a little “aaw”. He looked at you funnily, but you just gave him a smile.

Your were slightly confused. This evening was supposed to be about you eating some fancy food for free and getting on Cuomo’s nerves (and maybe getting laid later).

But now, you were actually enjoying his company, and he didn’t seem hostile towards you, either. He hadn’t even brought up the trial, or how you allegedly played him dirty. Instead, he was actually listening to what you had to say and engaged into meaningful conversation.

You really were surprised, and when he was signing the bill later, you took your time to appreciate his appearance again while taking your newfound knowledge about him into consideration. Maybe he wasn’t the devil in person. Maybe, there was an actual decent human being under that expensive suit.

The two of you decided to go for a little after-dinner walk in the nearby Bryant Park, your favorite in NYC, and, as is turned out, Chris’ as well. Conversation shifted to growing up in New York and how your experiences differed from each other. But, as you found out, Chris actually grew up in a Queens neighborhood not too far from your own home, a fact that surprised you immensely.

“I could’ve sworn you were born on the Upper East Side.” You admitted “You certainly look and act the part.”

“I’m not gonna lie, prep school and Ivy and Law school certainly played a role in this. And of course, the firm I’m working for is high end. You’re expected to conduct yourself in a certain way. It’s a shark tank, you eat, or you get eaten. But I don’t have to tell you that.” His voice was quiet, almost wistful. He sounded like a totally different person.

“If that’s Queens Chris I met tonight, then I like him a lot better than this Cuomo guy from court.” You said, stopping and looking up to meet his blue eyes.

“You’re not the only one, I like him better as well.” He replied, meeting your gaze and reaching out to take your hand. His fingers were warm and rough as they intertwined with yours, holding his hand felt shockingly natural.

There were definitely sparks flying now, you could not deny it. You were drawn to this guy, and not only because of his good looks, but really attracted to the person behind the persona, you desperately wanted to know more about him.

“Tell me.” You whispered. “How did this happen? We were about to kill each other this afternoon and now were standing here, holding hands?”

“You tell me.” He murmured, and then he leaned down to kiss you. It was nothing like you expected, he was tender, gently cupping your jaw with his large hand, his thumb stroking over your cheek. His lips were soft and pliant against yours, a contrast to how hard and broad his body felt when you leaned against him to deepen the kiss.

The hand that was previously holding yours slipped around your waist and pulled you closer. You fisted your hands into the lapel of his suit jacket and what began as an innocent kiss grew increasingly steamy.

You groaned as he nipped at your bottom lip and slid his tongue inside your mouth and reached up to grab the short hair at the nape of his neck. He hissed into your mouth, his grip on your hips tightening.

You felt heat starting to pool between your legs and telling from the bulge that was beginning to press against your abdomen, Chris was sharing your sentiments.

“How fast is that ridiculous car of yours?” you panted, a bit breathless from the kiss.

“Very fast.” He replied, a grin on his slightly flustered face.

“How about we take this to your place before we get in trouble for public indecency?”

“You weren’t that concerned about it yesterday.” He chuckled “But I don’t care for the headlines either, so let’s go.”

+++

The door to Chris penthouse (you were right, of course he had a penthouse) slammed shut, and a second later, you were pressed against it by two strong arms. Chris effortlessly pinned your body against the wood with one hand while the other one fumbled with the side zipper of your dress.

The garment dropped to the floor, leaving you with only a matching black set of underwear on. Chris eyes wandered over your body and he swore under his breath before attacking your bare neck with his mouth, kissing and sucking on the skin, probably leaving another bruise.

“You’re really marking me like a fucking caveman, Cuomo.” You gasped, the effect of his lips on your skin evident, you were already slick with need.

“Come on, Y/N, you know you enjoy it.” he whispered, and you only groaned as an answer as he softly bit the junction of your neck and shoulder. You could hear his dark chuckle before his hand started to unclasp your bra, exposing your tits to the cool air of the hallway.

He sucked one of your nipples into his mouth, and you couldn’t suppress a whimper at the feeling of his hot mouth against your sensitive skin. Slowly, his large hand wandered between your legs, rubbing your pussy through your panties before pulling this last item of clothing down as well, only your black high heels remaining.

Releasing your hands, Chris slowly dropped down to his knees and grabbed one of your ankles to prob your leg over his shoulder. You let out a sharp hiss as his mouth wandered to your inner tight, leaving a trail of soft kisses before he reached your center. His fingers slowly dipped into your wet folds, spreading your arousal before he started to lightly circle your clit with his tongue. You cried out and threw your head back against the door, one of your hands fisted into his curly hair, pushing him closer between your legs.

“So bossy.” He murmured. “And so fucking wet for me.” Suddenly, he pushed two of his thick fingers into you while harshly sucking on your bud. White, hot pleasure surged through your body as you came on the spot, your knees almost giving up as you bucked against Chris’ face, coating it with your arousal.

“Fuck.” You whispered, slowly coming down from your high. Chris got up, looking very pleased with himself. You grabbed him by his dress shirt, pulling him in for a deep kiss and grinding your naked core against his very prominent erection.

“Bedroom. Now.” He groaned against your lips and kissed you again. Your hands were busy unbuttoning his shirt, tearing it from his body. It joined the rest of the clothes on the floor. You took a moment to admire his now exposed, well-muscled torso. He looked like fucking Greek god, and you wanted to run your hands and tongue over every inch of his tanned, smooth skin. You needed him, now.

“Fuck me right here, I don’t care.” You whispered, palming his erection before starting to work on his zipper.

“Filthy girl. You want me to rail you against the door.” Chris murmured, before pulling his pants down along with his underwear. His cock sprung free, hard and heavy, making your mouth water. With a swift motion, he grabbed your tights, effortlessly lifting you up against the door. The blunt display of strength just made you even wetter, your hands were grabbing his shoulders, nails digging into his skin.

“Stop talking and fuck me already, Cuomo.” You groaned, and a second later, he pushed his cock into you, the sudden stretch making you cry out in pleasure. He wasted no time, immediately starting a hard, fast pace.

“Fuck, Y/N.” Chris hissed through clenched teeth. “You are so fucking tight. Taking my cock so perfectly.”

“Shit, Chris, please keep moving, just like that.” You whimpered as he fucked you relentlessly, a stained expression on his face. He never slowed down his thrusts while he was holding you, it was like watching somebody run a marathon. Seeing him handle you like that was mesmerizing, bulging muscles glistening with sweat, his piercing blue eyes fixed on you. You were starting to feel slightly dizzy as your head hit the wooden door with each thrust, but you didn’t care.

Chris leaned forward to capture your lips in a bruising kiss, biting into your lower lip and pushing his tongue into your mouth. You let out a guttural cry as he eased his grip on your ass a bit, making you sink down onto his cock even more. The different angle created a totally new sensation, causing both of you to groan as Chris was thrusting into you even deeper now. A powerful, burning feeling was beginning to form in your lower stomach, quickly spreading through your whole body with every hard snap of his hips. Chris name was falling from your lips like a chant now, begging him to keep fucking you, to go harder, deeper.

“Who would’ve thought that you’d beg me to fuck you against my front door.” Chris said in a husky, breathless voice, never slowing down his thrusts. “Little Miss Perfect is not so perfect after all, huh?”

You couldn’t answer, your mind was fuzzy, and the only thing existing was the feeling of Chris, his large hands grabbing your ass, his hot breath on your skin, his cock filling you over and over again.

You were already hanging on the edge of your orgasm, but when he leaned down to sink his teeth into the tender flesh of your shoulder, the raw pain and the sheer possessiveness of the gesture were the push you needed to spiral down into your climax.

You came with a shout, your whole body convulsing, squirming against Chris. He moaned as he felt your pussy clenching around his cock, squeezing him until he came as well, calling out your name, his cock buried so deep inside you that you were sure you’d be limping tomorrow.

Neither of you moved for a minute, your sweaty foreheads pressed against each other as you tried to catch your breath. After a moment, Chris carefully pulled out and lowered you onto the floor before collapsing next to you with a huff. His hair was sticking to his forehead and his breath was tickling your face when he leaned in to kiss you. You were surprised by that motion, you had expected a cocky comment or a crude joke, but not this.

When he broke the kiss, you could see his trademark smirk spreading over his face as he inspected the hickey he left on your neck, tracing it with his fingers.

“I might really be into leaving marks on you.” He said, “A little reminder of the good time I gave you.”

“You really are just a caveman, aren’t you? Also, it seemed as if you enjoyed yourself as well.” you replied, your hand involuntarily reaching out to play with a lock of hair that clung to his face.

“I did, immensely so. In fact,” he said, voice going serious for a moment. “I’d like to repeat it, sometimes. Maybe even with another dinner, if you would like that.” His face was passive, but there was a softness in his eyes that you haven’t seen before.

“Are you really asking me on a date, Cuomo?” you exclaimed, the fake astonishment masking the giddy excitement you felt about the question. You wanted to go out with this idiot so bad, you could hardly believe it yourself.

“Looks like it, huh.” He murmured, and if you didn’t know it better you would’ve thought he was embarrassed.

“Hey, I’d love to go out with you, Chris.” Your voice was as sincere as you felt.

Chris gave you a brilliant smile, then winked at you.

“You know, I wouldn’t have taken no for an answer anyway.”

#chris cuomo #chris cuomo fanfiction #Chris Cuomo fic #chris cuomo x reader #imagine #cnn #cnn anchors #fanfiction #lawyer au

34 notes · View notes

timehealsfanfictionbka · 5 years

Text

Time Heals....Chapter Twenty-Seven

Robyn yawned as she stretched her legs and felt something beside her. Her brow furrowed as she opened her eyes and looked beside her. She smiled and poked the face.

“Mommy, stop,” the voice said.

“What are you doing in the bed, Erin?”

“Daddy let me in. Erica is downstairs with him.”

“When’d you guys get here?”

“We asked Grandma if we could stop by and see you and Daddy.”

“Is she here?”

“She went to the store but said she’d be right back. You gonna come downstairs?”

“Yea. Just give me a minute to put on some shoes.”

Robyn pulled back her covers then swung her legs over the side of the bed. She walked over to the other side of the bed and grabbed Erin’s hand, “did you eat yet?”

“Yes. Grandma fed us. Mommy, why were you in Daddy’s bed?”

Robyn froze as they left the room and stopped at the top of the stairs, “well Mommy stayed over last night.”

“You did?”

“Yea, it was really late and your daddy was nice enough to let me have his bed for the night.”

“So why was he in the bed with you?”

“Ummm...I don’t know. You might wanna ask your dad.”

“Ok,” Erin replied with a shrug of her shoulders.

Robyn led her down the stairs and into the kitchen. Chris was standing at the stove as Erica sat at the island drinking a cup of juice. Chris looked up as he heard their footsteps and his brow furrowed at Robyn’s frown. “What’s wrong?” he mouthed. Robyn nudged her head towards Erin and Chris nodded.

“Girls, how about you go set up the art supplies in the back room and me and Mommy can meet you there in a few minutes?” Chris suggested.

“Ok,” Erin and Erica replied simultaneously. They quickly left the kitchen. Chris turned off the flame on the pan he was cooking in and went to Robyn, “what’s the matter? Is something wrong?”

“Erin asked me why I was in your bed.”

“Oh. What’d you say that?”

“That it was dark and you were nice enough to let me stay over.”

“Ok, so what’s the issue?”

“She then proceeds to ask me why were you in the bed with me?”

Chris palmed his face with both hands as Robyn’s brow raised, “and what did you say?”

“I told her to ask you.”

“Ask me? Why the hell would you do that?”

“Because what else was I supposed to say. I was stalling.”

“Yo know Erin can be like a dog with a bone when she wants to know something. You couldn’t think of anything else?”

“No. Why are you freaking out?”

“Because I don’t know what to tell her either. I do not want them to think we’re getting together. I’m still married.”

“I know.”

“And they know too. How do I explain this?”

“Hell if I know; that’s why I’m telling you. I don’t know how to lie to them.”

“You sure?”

Robyn sucked her teeth, “don’t make me slap you.”

“So violent. Well, you got us in this mess so you gotta get us out.

“How?”

“Just tell them the truth, they’re not gonna know any different,” another voice said.

Robyn and Chris turned, “Mama Fenty?” they said simultaneously.

“You know, if you didn’t want the twins to hear you, you should probably talk a little lower. So what’s going on? Why the freak out?”

“Erin asked why we were in bed together,” Chris replied

“Ah, and you have no idea what to tell her.”

“Exactly.”

“Tell her the truth. Why were you in bed together?”

“We fell asleep, talking.”

“So say that.”

“I don’t want them to get the wrong idea.’

“What’s the wrong idea? That their parents are friends and have sleepovers.”

“We weren’t having a sleepover, Mama,” Robyn interjected.

“So what do you call it? I mean it’s not like y’all are having sex, are you?”

“Eww..NO.”

Chris frowned, “Eww...No? What’s so bad about having sex with me?”

“I don’t want to have sex with you. And I’m not having sex with you. Shut up.”

Monica chuckled and rubbed Chris’s arm, “She didn’t mean it.”

“We’re getting off topic. What do we tell them?”

“Exactly what happened. Why are you making this such a big deal?”

“I don’t want them to think me and Chris are getting together. I also don’t want them to get comfortable seeing us in the same bed. He’s still married and it’s not appropriate.”

“So that’s what you say to them. You’ve never sugarcoated things to them before, why start now?”

“It’s different now.”

“Why?”

“Because they have somebody else to go to for answers.”

Chris turned to her, “and you think I wouldn’t back you up if need be?”

“I don’t know,” Robyn ran her hands through her hair.

“You know you’re gonna have to trust me at some point.”

“I do trust you.”

“I’m not too sure of that. Regardless, I’ll go with whatever you say. It’s really not as big of a deal as you’re making it.”

“You don’t get it.”

“I do get it. I’m just not trying to freak out about it. If they start looking at us a little funny then we might have an issue but until then let’s just play it cool.”

Robyn sighed, “Ok. Mama Fenty, how long are y’all staying here?”

“I came to drop them off. When I went back to the house and your car wasn’t there, I figured you had went out so I was bringing them to Chris’s house. I wasn’t anticipating you being here too.”

“Mama..”

“I didn’t say anything, Anna. When are you going home?”

“Probably within the next hour or so. The girls can finish hanging out with their dad.”

“Why you not staying?” Chris asked.

“I didn’t plan on staying. We spoke about this last night.”

“We didn’t get to finish talking.”

“What else is there to talk about?”

“A lot, if you have to ask that question.”

“Chris, now is not the time.”

“I’m just saying. Well you can go get dressed then.”

Robyn rolled her eyes and left upstairs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chris adjusted his tie as he stood in the mirror. He really didn’t understand these formalities like why can’t they just send him a copy of the divorce settlement, he signs it and it’s over with. No, Tiana wants this whole dramatic court situation.

Chris sighed as he ran a brush over his hair and grabbed his phone off the vanity of the guest bedroom. He looked over and shook his head. He still hadn’t taken any time to strip his bedroom so he could actually sleep in. He was being lazy but a part of him wasn’t quite ready to strip his house of their memories. He wasn’t in love with her anymore but he did still love her. He was reconciling how those things could co-exist.

Grabbing his car keys, he left downstairs to head to the courthouse.

Tiana flipped her hair over her shoulder as she watched Chris walk into the courtroom with his lawyer. She hated the feeling that came over her body, her stomach still dropped and her heart did flips. How could she still feel like this about him considering what they were about to do?

Chris saw as Tiana’s face scanned his before she turned her back to him. He knew it wasn’t appropriate but he really wished Robyn was there. He needed her comfort right now. He sat down at the table beside his attorney and turned off his phone ringer. As he pressed the volume button, his screen lit up with a message. He smiled.

Bajan Girl: Hope things go well and you can work this out amicably. Girls wanna see you afterward. We’ll be home all day

Chris typed back a quick response before tucking his phone in his pocket. A few moments passed before the bailiff and the judge entered the courtroom. Chris sighed as he stood as instructed before sitting back down.

It didn’t take long for Chris to get bored. He didn’t understand much of what was going on until the judge brought up the question of alimony and their prenup.

“Mr. Brown, Mrs. Brown is seeking alimony in the amount of $2,000 monthly,” Judge Rollins said, “is that a stipulation you can agree too?”

Chris looked at his lawyer then spoke, “2 grand a month is more than half my paycheck. I can’t afford to pay for that. Also, we have a prenup, alimony isn’t to be given to either party.”

“Mrs. Brown states that the prenup was voided due to infidelity.”

“Infidelity? I cheated before we got married. Before the prenup was even signed.”

“Mrs. Brown has provided photos of your interaction with another woman as proof of continued betrayal.”

“Photos? What photos?”

Tiana’s lawyer stood up and handed Chris’s lawyer a manila folder filled with pictures. Chris ruffled through them and noticed it was all photos of him and Robyn from the past two weeks.

“Your Honor, this is my best friend and my daughters’ mother. We’re not involved with each other.”

“Daughters? There are no children listed in the divorce petition.”

“They were conceived prior to our marriage. I didn’t find out about their existence until earlier this year.”

“What do you mean?”

“I had a one night stand before we got married. A pregnancy resulted but I was never informed. Me and their mother, her name is Robyn, had lost contact for the last eight years so I never knew about the children. They were involved in a car accident a few months back and that’s how I found out that I was their father. DNA testing was done.”

“Are you listed on their birth certificates?”

“No, we haven’t gotten them changed due to their accident, it fell to the wayside due to other important things we had to handle.”

“And you swear that you and Ms. Robyn aren’t involved?”

“Yes, I swear. We are friends and have been friends since we were children. We meet weekly to discuss our daughters' schedule and visitation. That’s what those photos are of.”

“And that last photo? Is that another friendly meeting?” Tiana’s lawyer, Ursula Nevins interjected.

Chris flipped to the last photo and it was of him and Robyn sitting on his couch just as he kissed her forehead, “Your honor, this is completely innocent. Mrs. Brown is making these photos out to be more than what they are.”

“But what are they?”

“Me and Robyn have been friends since the 4th grade. We literally grew up together and this has been a ritual we’ve done all of our lives. As I stated, I did cheat on Mrs. Brown but that was prior to our marriage and before this prenup was ever signed. I don’t think it’s fair that she gets to insinuate things that aren’t true because she’s upset.”

Chris’s lawyer patted his hand for him to relax. His lawyer, Nadia Weathers stood up, “Your honor, I would like to call a halt to these proceedings so that me and my client can review all of this documentation that Mrs. Brown has brought into the courtroom. We were never informed that this would turn into a formal hearing over the validity of the prenuptial nor that any evidence had been provided. Ms. Nevins and her client never spoke to my client or me regarding any photos or any other documentation. I believe it is in the best interest of fairness for us to be able to review this documentation for proper discussion.”

“That can be arranged. We will meet in my chambers tomorrow morning at 10 am. Court adjourned.”

Chris waited as the judge left the courtroom before following his lawyer to the hallway. Chris leaned against the wall and began to check his phone when he heard footsteps coming in his direction. He looked up and saw Tiana. Just as he started to walk away, she stepped in front of him, “what T?”

“I haven’t spoken to you in weeks and all I get is a what.”

“Yea especially since you’ve clearly been stalking me.”

“I wasn’t stalking you.”

“Oh sorry, you paid somebody else to stalk me.”

“Chris.”

“Don’t Chris me. I thought we were gonna be fair about this but you got investigators following me. You bringing up Robyn. Seriously?”

“Fair by whose definition? You cheated on me, shouldn’t I get something for my heartache?”

“Yea but playing games and blindsiding me isn’t the way to do it. That was sneaky and underhanded.”

“And you still fucking Robyn isn’t-”

“I’m not fucking Robyn and I’m not gonna keep saying that to you. I told you that I would help you. I told you that I would make sure your transition was smooth but you’re forcing me in a direction I don’t want this to go in. Let’s cut this out, clean and amicable.”

“You still don’t get it.”

“I do get it but what you aren’t getting is I am not gonna let you take me for a ride just because your feelings are hurt. We’re adults, it shouldn’t be too hard to act like it.”

“And you’re telling me this. Mr. Let’s string my wife along because I don’t want to tell her that I don’t love her.”

“I love you but I’m not in love with you. I didn’t string you along, I wanted to make sure before I said anything because I didn’t want to ruin us for a temporary feeling. I thought you would understand that.”

“I understand that you lied to me and you cheated on me. You will not minimize my feelings to better suit your ego. You played me and it’s not right.”

“So doing what you’re doing is right? Taking photos. Sitting outside my house.”

“I don’t trust you, Chris.”

“And clearly I shouldn’t trust you either. Goodbye Tiana. You wanna speak to me again, contact my lawyer first.”

Chris left the courthouse leaving Tiana standing in shock. She brushed her hair over her shoulder and made her way back over to her lawyer.

“Are you ok, Tiana?” Ursula asked.

“I’m fine. Guess we should be prepared to go to war huh?”

“He didn’t take the truce.”

“I didn’t offer one, just requested a fair deal for my anguish. He doesn’t want to cooperate and doesn’t want to seriously apologize for his errors then fine, I’ll make him.”

#chrianna #timehealsfanfiction

7 notes · View notes

jennycalendar · 6 years

Text

regarding honor and honesty in the workplace (37/43)

read it on ao3!

the last of the oddly timed updates ends today thank HEAVENS; i have just gotten back from vacation and will probs spend tomorrow sleeping it off

“You’re good?” Jenny asked him, after, lightly touching the very edge of the bandages and gauze.

Rupert gave her a wry smile and held her hand there. “You didn’t exactly toss me around, Jenny,” he said.

“But you’re good?”

“I’m fine.” Rupert lifted Jenny’s hand to his face and kissed first the palm, then the knuckles. “Please don’t worry.”

“I feel like being worried about you is part of the job description, at this point,” said Jenny, and moved up the pillows to settle herself in his arms. She’d been half-expecting sex with Rupert to be more oh my god I slept with my partner and less…strangely, comfortably familiar, after. For the first time since Lilah, she felt delightfully glad to have been wrong about something. “Did we ever have that follow-up conversation about our feelings?”

“Sort of?”

Jenny raised an eyebrow.

“We kissed a lot and then we fell asleep on the bed,” said Rupert, “and then we threw ourselves into the case again.”

“How is that sort of?”

“I don’t precisely know,” said Rupert sheepishly. “I’m following your lead on this one, Jenny—it’s not as though I’ve been dating around, these last few years.”

Jenny smiled a little sadly. “All this time?” she said. “That must have been terrible.”

“A bit,” said Rupert. “And then—sometimes it wasn’t. I suppose I really just wanted to see you happy, even if it wasn’t necessarily with me.”

“Oh, god, that’s such a lie,” said Jenny with an incredulous laugh. “If I had really fallen for someone else, it’d have destroyed you.”

“And you know this how?”

Jenny felt her smile become something warmer and a little more tired. “Because I know how cut-up I’ve been feeling about you these last few months,” she said. “Adding some new lover of yours to the mix? I’d have been miserable.”

Rupert smiled too, breathlessly shy. “You really do love me,” he said, almost wonderingly. “I keep on—expecting you to—I don’t know, think better of it.”

“Never,” said Jenny simply, wishing she could come up with something more sweetly verbose. She moved closer, though, pressing a contented kiss into the crook of his neck. “Tell me,” she said softly. “When did you know?”

“Honestly?” Rupert was tracing quiet circles on her upper arm. “When you offered me the job as your associate.”

Jenny looked up at him, stunned.

“It was—a selfless thing to do,” said Rupert, then, “You look—what’s wrong?”

“Oh no,” said Jenny, half-laughing at her realization. “Oh, god, Rupert, I gave you that job because I was crazy about you.”

from the personal files of Jenny Calendar (three years ago)

I offered Rupert a job as my associate. Not assistant—associate. I know it’s an unusual move to make, especially since he’s a museum curator with little experience in detective work, but—I get a good feeling from him, and I get a good feeling when I’m aroundhim. Creating a power imbalance between us feels weird; I want him to know I respect him, even if the rest of the world doesn’t right now.

Rupert looked at Jenny, then at the laptop screen, then at Jenny again, and then they both started laughing, Jenny falling sideways to lean on Rupert’s shoulder. “Good god, Jenny,” Rupert choked.

“I’m so fucking obtuse,” Jenny managed, pressing her hands to her mouth in an attempt to muffle her laughter. Rupert tugged her hands away, and she grinned at him, then kissed him, squeezing his hands before pulling away. “Wait, wait, there’s more. Read the rest of it.”

“More,” said Rupert, looking a little floored.

“I mean, a case could be made for most of these files being pretty swoony,” Jenny quipped. “I could make a whole damn database about the dumb in-love things I’ve written about you in here.”

“By all means, please do,” said Rupert, and gave her this shy, somewhat uncertain smile, as though he still wasn’t completely sold on the concept of Jenny being in love with him.

“Hold on,” said Jenny, and brought up the case file she’d written in Cordelia’s hotel room—the one that had a good seventeen pages of keysmashing from where she’d fallen asleep on her keyboard after writing it.

“Interesting choice,” said Rupert, amused.

Jenny shoved him lightly and scrolled up to the top, angling the laptop so that he couldn’t see it. “I’m, um, going to read it to you,” she said, suddenly shy, “because—I think, after three years, you should hear some nice things from me.”

“You don’t have to—”

“I want to,” said Jenny softly. “I love you.”

Rupert reached up, touching her cheek with that nervous reverence. “All right, darling,” he said. “Go on, then.”

from the personal files of Jenny Calendar:

I haven’t gotten enough sleep to coherently write an account of what’s happened between my last entry and now, but some part of me feels like I’m a little more honest with myself while I’m half-asleep. Maybe something will come of me writing, right now, because god knows I don’t seem able to talk to Rupert about whatever’s been going on between us.

I just can’t believe I told him that Faith was my only family. I can’t believe I would be enough of a vindictive idiot to try and hurt him like that without even thinking about it. He cares about me and Faith so much more than he’s ever had to. He’s fiercely loving, fiercely loyal, and I feel so at home with him.

Jenny stopped, here, looking up to see Rupert’s face. His smile was shaking and he was very clearly holding back tears. “Oh,” he said. “I didn’t—um, know. That you,” and raised a hand awkwardly to his face, still smiling a little dizzily. She reached up, tugging his hand away so she could see his eyes, and continued to read.

I want to make this up to him in any way I can. Bringing down Glory, taking down Wolfram and Hart—he has to know that I would do anything to make him happy.

“Okay?” said Jenny, softly, and shut the laptop, almost hesitant to look at Rupert. She hadn’t ever been that honest with anyone about her feelings, not even herself, and it was terrifying and freeing at the same time. “I just—needed you to know, I think,” she said, eyes on the bedsheets. “How much you mean to me. I don’t know if I’m that good at—expressing myself as poetically, and I know you thought you were feeling this way all by yourself—”

“Jenny,” said Rupert, breathless and almost disbelieving, “you’ve not asked for any poetry from me. Not once.”

Jenny looked up. “Do you want me to ask?”

“No, I just—it floors me.” Rupert moved forward, taking her into his arms, and Jenny rubbed her nose against his. “You love me so visibly, now that I’m looking for it, and you don’t ask me for anything in return. I cannot possibly understand what I did to deserve—such a courageously loving partner.”

“In every sense of the word, huh?”

“You’re deflecting,” said Rupert, and grinned at her almost unconsciously. “You don’t want me to tell you how much I love you?”

“I take you at your word,” said Jenny, stumbling.

Rupert looked amused by this. “Since when have you simply accepted a statement I make as fact?”

“I don’t know, I—” Jenny wavered. “Lilah said so many wonderful, flowery things to me,” she said, “but she never followed through on any of the stuff I needed a partner to be there for. I don’t think flattery means as much to me as someone who’s—there. For me. I don’t need poetry, Rupert, I know you love me because you’ve showed me so many times over.”

Rupert smiled a little at that and she kissed him, a cozy kiss wrapped in blankets that made her feel so blissfully at home. “Then I’ll say, love, that I’m yours,” he said very softly, “and I shall leave it at that. All right?”

Jenny nodded, tucking her head into his shoulder. “You make me feel so—”

“Good?”

“Mmm. That.”

“The statement is most definitely mutual.”

from the personal files of Jenny Calendar:

Without too much regret, I think I’m closing the chapter of my life in which I use my personal files to record my personal feelings. There’s no need for me to hide anything from myself anymore, and no need for me to justify in writing why I make the decisions I make. I’m happy with where I am, in every sense of the word.

Jenny got dressed. She found one of Buffy’s hair ties in Rupert’s dresser drawer, pulled on a sweater she’d been eyeing ever since Rupert had worn it a year or so ago to a client’s thank-you barbecue, found a pair of jeans in the bag of clothing Willow had brought over, and headed downstairs to find Rupert making dinner and fielding a lot of uncomfortable questions from Dawn and Faith.

“So you guys are getting married, right?” Dawn asked with the intense seriousness of a very romantic thirteen-year-old. “Cause you’ve been in love forever—”

“They’re just consenting adults banging it out,” said Faith, grinning when Rupert flushed. “No shame in that.”

“Please stop putting my associate through the wringer and let him make dinner,” said Jenny, who was highly amused at the way Dawn hastily attempted to look innocent.

Faith made no such effort. “Your associate?” she said, drawing out the word.

“It’s a term of endearment,” said Rupert, smiling at the frying pan. “Jenny, would you help me with the soup?”

Jenny blinked, then smiled. “You’re letting me help you cook?”

“Well, I’m not attempting to express my love for you through cuisine anymore,” said Rupert, looking at her askance and then outright. God, he had the sweetest smile. “I think some help in the kitchen is all but required at this point.”

“Maybe I don’t wanna cook now that you’re okay with it,” said Jenny, but crossed the kitchen to join Rupert at the stove. “Oh, wow, this broth is all wrong. Were you trying to make my vegetable soup?”

“No,” said Rupert, affronted, “I’m making tomato. Don’t just come in and throw soup suggestions around when you’re five minutes late to the—that’s my sweater.”

“So?”

“I told you last year not to wear my sweater.”

“We’re in love now, doesn’t that change—”

“We were in love when I said I didn’t want you wearing that sweater, Jenny, you have this horrible habit of pulling at sweaters till they unravel—”

Jenny tugged at Rupert’s shirt, and when he turned to face her, wooden spoon in hand, she stood on tiptoe and kissed him. Pulling away, she grinned at the look on his face and said, “I’m wearing the sweater.”

“Yes, of course, dear,” said Rupert immediately.

“That’s only gonna work for a few more days, you know,” Faith commented.

“Which is why I’m making use of it,” Jenny agreed, and took the spoon from Rupert to stir. “Looks like it needs a pinch more seasoning—”

From the other side of the house, Jenny heard the front door unlock and then open, and then Buffy’s laughing, nervous voice: “Yeah, I bet they’re freaked, hold on—hey, Dad, Jenny, we’re home and no one got shot!”

Jenny dropped the spoon in the pot with a clatter, and she and Rupert both raced for the front door. Buffy was carefully hanging up her scarf, still looking a little shaky, and Willow was holding a small, thin file folder, watching Buffy with nervous affection.

“Oh,” said Rupert, and Jenny could see the tension drain from him. “Oh, you’re home. That’s good.”

“Very British of you,” said Buffy, smiling exhaustedly, and crossed to Rupert, snuggling into his arms. Rupert rested his chin on the top of her head, closing his eyes. “Thanks, Dad,” Buffy mumbled.

“What on earth for?”

“I don’t know,” said Buffy. “For making sure I have a place to come home to after something like this.”

“Well,” said Rupert, and grinned shyly, stepping back to clap Buffy gently on the shoulder. “Dinner’s almost ready,” he said. “Willow, if you’d like—”

“Yeah, I kinda would,” said Willow, looking between Jenny and Rupert with a small smile. “So you two are in love?”

Jenny opened her mouth, but Buffy said, “Oh, god, Will, I love you so much, but you can’t ask them that, they take any opportunity to just not shut up about each other. It’s terrible.”

“They always did that, though,” said Willow, and giggled at the looks on Jenny’s and Rupert’s faces.

Buffy skirted around Rupert, then hugged Jenny, who definitely felt about seventy to eighty percent less stressed upon knowing that her kid was safe. “What’s for dinner?”

“Hmm?” Jenny pulled back a little to look at Buffy. “Oh—um, tomato soup and a salad, probably.”

“Who’s cooking?”

Jenny exchanged a small smile with Rupert. “Both of us.”

Buffy grinned, slow at first and then startlingly bright. “That’s great,” she said. “That’s awesome. You guys are gonna tag-team on dinner from now on?”

“We are partners,” said Rupert, and his smile widened. “It’s only fair.”

#fic #regarding honor and honesty in the workplace #this chapter is so cute i'm very happy with it

7 notes · View notes