In which there is an encounter that probably shouldn't have happened.

[allmydreams]

[Set in pretendy!world. Cowritten with aplayfulpup. Grace is heirtothe_chief and Jake is str8on_tilmorn.]

"Don't take forever, alright?" Grace sighed as she headed towards the frozen foods section, her daughter in the cart in front of her. Felicity shook her head and made her way towards the produce section. She'd had a long week and now that she was getting the chance to spend some quality time with her sister and her family. Michael was back home, with Becca -- the majority of Felicity's trip was for business, and Michael school and such to deal with. She wasn't going to uproot him for the week and have him miss school just because. She promised to bring Michael around to see her mother and the rest of her family as soon as he got a break from school, and she intended to keep up with that promise. She also missed her son terribly, but that wasn't anything new.

She paused in front of the apples, reaching forward to get a feel for some of them before starting to collect the things that Grace had asked her to. She only had a few minutes before Grace was going to come look for her, and she didn't want to push it. Grace didn't need something else to rag on her for, that was for sure.

Aaron was walking across the back aisle of the store. His basket was full of frozen meals, pizzas, and Chef Boyardee. And he was carrying a case of beer. He never actually bought anything from the produce section, but he always walked through it..just in case something struck him. And because the chick that worked there was hot, and currently bent over by the bananas. He stopped a moment to tilt his head and watch, his finger brushing his lip.

To be honest, Aaron was the last thing she was expecting. It wasn't that she didn't remember he lived there, it was that fact that she just -- didn't think to see him. But she looked up, and there he was, and she knew that she should walk away before she did something stupid. Like say hi. Hi had never gone to any place particularly neutral for them, and it was self-preservation, really. Or at least, her line of thinking was, because her body was moving, and she actually needed to get to the bananas. She just moved to the side and kept her eyes on the fruit in front of her, waiting for the shop girl to finish and trying not to notice how he was looking at her ass, and how much she missed having him look at her like that.

He'd flirted with the produce girl before, but she wasn't giving in, and that frustrated him. He started to walk closer to her, speaking up. "Hey-" And he froze. The words stopped. He had finally caught sight of Felicity. "Fuck." Maybe not what he would have intended on saying, and it had no baring on whether he wanted to see her or not....it's just what came out.

She tried not to cringe as she finally looked up at him, running a hand through her hair as she took a breath. "Hi."

He avoided her eyes and looked her up and down slowly. Yup, she was still hot. "Hey."

She swallowed for a moment before looking over at the fruit again. "Well, fancy seeing you here." She wasn't saying it to be dismissive, either, she just didn't know what to say.

Aaron shrugged, at an equal loss of what to say. "I'm the one that lives here."

"Yeah," she sighed, finally looking up at him and meeting his eyes. "Good point." She had to say, he looked equally good. Biting her lip, she took a breath before tossing an apple in her hand idly. "How've you been?"

"Fine. Same old, same old."

"Good," she nodded. "That's -- good."

He nodded, too, fixing his grip on his groceries. "Yeah...uh..you?"

"Good," she said with a nod. "I'm just in town for a couple days on business, then I go back to California."

"I see." He really didn't know what he was supposed to say. He did enjoy seeing her again, but he didn't want it to show. He couldn't ask about Michael. He couldn't be seen as interested in any way, because his interest didn't matter.


It did matter. It mattered a lot to her. But she wasn't going to bring it up if he wasn't going to ask. She didn't want to have to deal with the hurt of seeing if he truly didn't care. She could delude herself into thinking otherwise when she didn't see him, because she didn't have to see it. But now she would, and she couldn't deal with that.

"It-uh..it was good seein' you." He gave a slight nod, then looked down and started to walk past her.

She started off letting him go, before her hand came up and caught his arm slightly. "Aaron?"

He stopped and slowly turned back to her. This was bad. He could feel her touch all through his body, and scenes were flashing through his head, all the things they'd done. The things he'd done to her... "Huh?" Was about all he could muster, because he was starting to get really turned on.

She was quiet for a moment, and she didn't let go right away, which was probably her first mistake. What she said next was the other one. "I know this is probably a bad idea -- " At least she was willing to admit it. " -- but would you want to get a drink later? Catch up?" The logical part of her brain told her that they probably wouldn't be doing any drinking, but she figured it was worth a shot.


"I, uh...I could. I mean...just us, right?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "Just us. Grace wouldn't -- " She paused for a minute. " -- she doesn't get it."

"Right," he nodded slowly. He bit his lip a minute. He knew it was probably a bad idea, too. Mostly because he didn't want it to open up any doors that shouldn't be opened. But maybe it could be a carefully closed door... He took a step closer, wanting to feel her body heat again. He knew she could likely tell what he was feeling when his body brushed hers, but he didn't really care. "We'll meet then...just us."

"Okay," she said with a nod, swallowing hard as she felt him get closer. Her temperature was climbing with just that quick brush and she hoped to God she wasn't blushing, despite the fact that she could feel her cheeks burning. "Where?"

He shrugged. He realized he was better off pretending everything was like it used to be, easy and carefree. And after, even if he had to be a jackass...well, he'd wait until the after. He moved in closer and his fingers brushed her arm. He could clearly remember that arm wrapped around his neck, holding her up to the wall... "We could go to a bar..." His voice dropped and he leaned in a bit more. "Or you could just come over later and fuck me."

Her eyes closed when he leaned in. He was manipulating her. She knew it, and he knew it too. The question was whether or not she was going to let him. She should just say bar. If she really wanted to just talk to him, she should just say the bar. But there was the fact that she hadn't been with anyone since him, and it'd been nearly half a decade at that point, and there was no way that she could deny that she didn't want it. She could handle hating herself when it was over. "Guess I could," she said quietly.

A smirk spread on his lips. "I'd be getting off on you whether you're there or not...might as well make the best of it."

She blinked up at him, taking a breath and trying to relax a bit. "Yeah, guess I should."

"Drop by whenever. I'll be there."

"Okay," she said with a nod, before slowly taking a step back. "I should get back to Grace before she comes looking." He nodded, just watching her, his thoughts a couple hours ahead of them. And his eyes said so. She could see it. It was in the look he was giving her, and while part of her wished that they weren't in the middle of a crowded supermarket, she knew that waiting would be better. Waiting would probably give her more of a chance to get her head on straight and rethink. Which she knew she wouldn't but still -- the thought was there. She took a breath before walking away more. "Good seeing you."

He nodded and turned on his heel, heading off to pay for his groceries. When he got home he cleaned up a bit and made sure to turn his computer off. Then he popped a beer open and waited.



She went home, had dinner with her sister and the family, then played off a story about going out for drinks with people at work. By the time she got to Aaron's place she had dressed up a little more, and she still wasn't sure what she was doing, but she was here, and she might as well go through with it. She knew regardless of how the end went, her body at least would feel good, and for once she wouldn't be alone. She was starting to hate it.

She took a deep breath and knocked on the door, hoping her wouldn't take to long to get there and let her change her mind.

It didn't take Aaron long at all to answer the door. He was yanking his shirt over his head as he crossed the apartment and pulled the door open.

She looked around the door at him as the door opened, and when she first saw the muscles of his chest, her breath caught in her chest, and she managed to take a breath and shake it off enough to give a verbal response. "Hi."

He didn't really have any need for a verbal greeting. They'd already done that. Instead he stepped forward and wrapped his arm around her hips, pulling her body as tight to his as he could get her, before moving in to kiss her. She was startled slightly at the kiss, but she relaxed into him almost instantly, all her energy being focused on not groaning with how much she had missed this. One hand came up, brushing against the side of his face lightly, sliding back into his hair. He pulled her into the apartment and pushed the door shut, then moved her back against it. His kiss was hard and seeking, and his hand traveled down her body and up again.

She moaned softly at the touch, trying not to feel self-conscious. Her body had changed since the baby, and she didn't know how he'd react. It all seemed good so far, so she was trying not to stay in her head too much and just relax into what he was doing and just letting him take over. So far Aaron had no complaints, and he wasn't thinking he would. He had no thoughts, really, beyond getting her naked and calling his name. His hand pushed under her shirt, sliding up the skin and beneath her bra. She moaned a little louder into the kiss, her body pushing back into his hands, urging him further. She was gripping at his shoulders tightly, pulling him closer so she could feel more of him against her. He welcomed all of it, and lifted her up against his hips, grinding into her more. His hand still explored roughly. She slid her legs around his waist, her hips rocking slightly to match his rhythm as she just leaned back into his ministrations and let him take control. He groaned and leaned in to bite on her neck and ear. She arched against him again, biting back the "I missed yous" that threatened to escape from her throat. She knew that that wasn't what she wanted to hear, and she needed to just not think of their being any time between and just pretend like there hadn't been any time at all. She could do that. She had to.

They both knew he was strong and he shifted, able to keep her against the wall and start pulling at her pants all the same. She shifted her legs in order to help him get them off, kicking them to the floor as she pulled him back in again. He kept one of her legs wrapped around himself tightly, but pushed the other loose so he could slide a hand between them. Her fingers tightened, nails digging into his shoulder as her mouth sought out his again, using it to muffle her moans at his touch. The toes of her free foot found it's way against the ground, pushing up slightly so that she could use the floor for leverage to rock against his hand. He met her with it, just moving with her beat for beat.

It had been so long that it wasn't long before she was falling apart against the wall, gripping his shoulders even tighter before she relaxed against him, just letting herself come down. He held onto her as she relaxed, letting her have her time. She looked back up at him after a moment, before sliding her arms around his neck as she started to pull him in again. "I missed that." That wasn't emotional. That she was allowed to say.

"Me too," he murmured, pulling up a bit so he could look down at her.

"Yeah?" A slow smile slipped across her face, leaning back against the door. That she hadn't expected.

He nodded. "We've always been good at it."

"Yeah, we have," she said with a nod, letting her fingers run over his chest. He leaned down, his lips falling across her neck and chest. She closed her eyes, her head dropping back against the door as her hands ran over his shoulders, trying to pull him in closer.

He took his time, occasionally using his tongue and teeth. Anything to get her charged up again. It honestly didn't take much, he just had to touch her to turn her on, but it wasn't long before she was pulling him up to kiss her again, his hand reaching for the fly of his pants to get them off him. He helped shove them off, before hastily yanking her shirt over her head so he could get his body close to hers again. As soon as the rest of the clothing was gone, she let her hands wander, sliding down his sides to his hips, brushing her thumbs against the skin lightly before starting to move up again.

Aaron groaned and pushed against her hands. He was feeling a bit teased as her hands moved back up. "C'mon, Sexy," he muttered into her ear.

She smirked. "C'mon what?" she said breathily in his ear. "What do you want?" It was the same game he used to play with her, and after all this time, she figured turnabout was fair play.

His eyes darkened a bit, even though she couldn't see. He didn't find it as much fun the other way around. "What do you think?"

"Tell me," she murmured, nibbling on his earlobe gently. "What do you want?"

He pressed closer, his breath slipping fast and hot against her neck. "Your hand, your mouth, I don't fucking care."

"Like this?" she said softly, her hand moving down to brush against him gently, her lips starting to move down his neck slowly.

He groaned deeper, nodding just slightly. "Mmmhmmm."

Her lips continued to move lower, her body slipping down against him till she was on her knees in front of him, nipping at his stomach before going lower. His hips pressed in closer and he bit his lip, hard. His hand rested to the wall to brace himself. She just continued to move against him, both with her hand and her mouth, working to do the same that he had done to her. It wasn't much longer before his body slumped into the wall, a long satisfied groan coming up his throat.

She slowly made her way back up his body, leaning in to kiss him softly when she got close enough. He kissed her back for a moment, before lifting her up and heading towards the bedroom. She slid her legs around his waist, and her arms around his shoulders, just keeping close and continuing the kiss slowly, trying to make it last. He went with it and dropped her down on the bed, before leaning in against her. She pulled him in closer, wrapping her arms around his neck and just enjoying the feel of him wrapped around her again. His hand ran down her arm slowly as he continued kissing her.

She sighed softly at the touch, pushing her body up against his, needing him closer. He did just as she wanted, pulling her leg up as he got as close as he could. Her hands moved to grip his shoulders, breaking the kiss as she held on for the ride. He carried it out as far as he could, before finally collapsing and moving to her side. She closed her eyes as she did, just relaxing back against the bed as she tried to catch her breath.

"Mmmm." He closed his eyes, his arm dropping over his face. She rolled into him slightly, dropping a kiss on his shoulder, though she was far too wired to sleep. She would just stay there until he nodded off, before going to clean up or something. It really didn't take him long to nod off, his brain wasn't making it complicated quite yet, he was just calm and relaxed.

She waited until his breathing evened out, before rolling off the bed, grabbing one of his shirts off the floor on instinct and wrapping it around her shoulders, before wandering into the kitchen. She was definitely going to need a shower before she went home, but she wasn't thinking of that now. Now she was actually kind of hungry.

She had gone into the drawer purely on accident. She was looking for some kind of tool to help her open one of the jars in the fridge when she stumbled across it, tossed into the drawer somewhat haphazardly, but not as though it was being hidden. She didn't have to think about who it was -- she looked at that face every day. She just didn't think that he did. All of the sudden she was far too confused -- how was he getting these pictures, why wasn't he saying something -- but they all just kind of blurred into the great big question of "Why?" and she just couldn't move, staring at the picture in her hand.

Aaron was out cold and oblivious. He had thought enough to turn off his computer, but he forgot about the Christmas picture from the year before. He hadn't considered her in his kitchen to begin with. He really, really hadn't wanted her to know he had pictures. After a long time, she closed the drawer, holding on tightly to the picture of her son, before moving to stand in the doorway of the bedroom, not wanting to get too close. Now they really did need to talk, and she couldn't afford to let him distract her.

He rolled in his sleep, catching the empty bed beside him. He blinked his eyes open groggily, thinking for a moment that she had up and left, leaving him free and clear. Then he spotted her in the doorway. He rubbed his eyes and closed them again. "Hey."

"Hi," she said softly, crossing her arms in front of her chest, before looking down at the picture in her hand. "You never said anything."

His heart pounded against his chest when he saw what she was holding, but he ignored it. "About what?"

"Don't play dumb," she said quickly. "You know exactly what I'm talking about."

He sat up in the bed a bit and leaned against the headboard. He shrugged and stretched out a bit. "Helps me remember to keep a rubber on my dick. And that pulling out ain't always effective."

One hand tightened and she glared at him. This was probably one of the first times that she had actually been truly angry with him. Ever. Frustrated, yes, but never angry. "Go to hell." And with that she turned on her heel heading back into the apartment to find her clothes.

He knew that had been too much, but he preferred her hating him over her having any delusions that he'd play Daddy. And she'd never had any to be honest. She wasn't going to push him for anything he didn't want, wasn't going to ask anything of him than he wasn't willing to give. But she loved her son, and she'd be damned if she was going to let him hold on to her son's picture for that. She pulled her jeans back on sliding the picture into the pocket as she continued to get ready to head out the door.

Aaron wasn't really sure what he was supposed to do next. He didn't want her taking the picture, but there was no way he'd ask her to leave it. He sighed and rolled off the bed. He pulled on his jeans and headed out to the living room, dangling her bra on his finger. "Forgot something." And yes, he had the nerve to smirk.

She turned back to look at him as she smoothed her shirt down in front of her. She knew if she got any closer to him she would punch him in the face and she knew it. She didn't want to leave him with that, either, but it was better than the other option. "Keep it. Use it to jack off to, cuz you're never getting this again."

He rolled his eyes. "Oh come on, don't be like that. I thought we were havin' fun."

"Don't be like that?" Did he honestly just say that to her? "You don't get to use my son like that."

His arms crossed and he leaned against the door frame to the room. "This 'Mom' thing has really turned you uptight."

"Yeah well, this 'Mom' thing? Is partially your fault. You were there too. But I never asked you for a goddamn thing. I'm doing this on my own, and if that's how you're going to treat him when you haven't even met him? I could care less if I ever see you again." Her hand landed on the doorknob and as she pulled it back she fixed him with one last glare. "Stay away from me, and stay away from my kid. You don't deserve it." And with that, she slammed the door behind her.

As soon as the door was shut, he slammed his hand against the wall and dropped his head. "Goddamnit," he muttered.



She didn't bother grabbing a cab back to Jake and Grace's. She had too much pent up energy, and she was too pissed off, so she decided just to walk it off. By the time she arrived there, she wasn't feeling any better though, and just made her way through the house to the guest room, breezing past anyone who even tried to talk to her. Grace watched her whiz by, and it only took her two seconds to figure it out.

"Goddamnit."

Jake was sitting on the couch with his son, watching a game. He didn't even look up to ask, "What?"

"Your best friend," she snapped, giving his shoulder a slight shove. Not hard but enough to get his attention. "She saw him. I swear, if he said something stupid about Michael, I'll kill him."

He glanced up. "Babe, maybe she just had a bad day. Don't blame Aaron."

"Oh yeah?" she said, raising an eyebrow before getting up. "Well, I'll go find out."

He groaned to himself a bit. If this was Aaron related, he had to deal with it. Especially before his wife realized he'd been hiding things from her. "Stop. I'll go. When you're wrong, I'll let you go in and deal with it."

Grace huffed slightly, before leaning back in the couch. "I'm not wrong." And she knew it. She could feel it, because she knew how her sister got when it came to him.

Jake headed down the hall and knocked lightly on the door to the guest room. "Felicity? You okay?"

"Fine," she said faintly through the door. "I'm just fine." There was an edge of sarcasm to it, but not enough for there to really be an effort. She wanted to cry -- on some level she was, she could feel the tears streaming down her face, but she didn't understand why. This wasn't the first time Aaron had managed to make her feel dirty and used with a single word, yet each time it happened, she still managed to find room to be surprised.

He sighed, not quite picking up on her tone. "Yeah, well...your sister's convinced it's got somethin' t'do with Aaron."

She closed her eyes at the name, before taking a breath and opening the door for him, pulling him inside before actually speaking. "It's like she has a fucking sixth sense."

Shit. Jake shook his head and sat down. "You saw 'im?"

"Stupid. I'm so fucking stupid," she said, sitting down on the edge of the bed, staring at her hands. "I can't just let him go, I always have to fucking make things worse for myself."

He moved over and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "No you're not. What happened?"

She leaned into him a bit, moving a hand up to brush the tears away from her face. "I ran into him in the supermarket this afternoon, and I got the absolutely brilliant idea to see if he wanted to get together for a drink later. And naturally, to him, when I say drink, he thinks he's getting laid, and really, he isn't wrong. Because it's me, and I couldn't say no to sex with him if my life depended on it. So I'm over there, he's sleeping, I get up and poke around to get something to eat, and -- " She slid her hand into her pocket pulling out the picture. " -- I find this in one of his drawers. And then, when I go and ask him about it, in true Aaron style, he says something completely fucked up, and acts like its not a problem."

Jake looked at the picture, quite familiar with it, and sighed deeply. "Shit, Liss. I'm sorry. He, uh...say where he got this?"

"No," she sighed. "Or if he did, I was too pissed off to listen. He just said how the picture was his reminder to use a damn condom."

Nice one, Aaron. "And him sayin' somethin' like that surprised you?" Not that Jake wasn't already feeling anger swelling up inside. His best friend was a fucking moron.

"God, I wish it didn't. I really wish it didn't, but you know what? It did. Why? Because that's my son, Jake. And I don't care if he wants pictures, or wants to see him, because yeah, that's his right as his father. If he had told me he wanted to see pictures of him, I have boxes that I could have sent him. But nope. Not Aaron. Instead I get crude jokes, and he has the nerve to get offended when I tell him he can go rot in Hell and I never wanted to see him again."

Jake leaned in and kissed the side of her head. "I'm so sorry," he murmured. "For your sake, I wish he wasn't so...Aaron. But...I mean..." He sighed deeply. He had promised Aaron he wouldn't tell, and he didn't want Grace to be upset he was keeping things from her, but once more Aaron wasn't really leaving him with a choice. "He wanted pictures..." he started slowly. "He wanted to hear all about Michael. Every time I see ya. He...won't say it, but he loves Michael. He can't help it. You know he's not heartless, Felicity....he just pretends to be."

She listened to what he was saying and she closed her eyes pulling away from him with a different kind of sigh. She didn't know which was worse, being pissed off at him for being stupid, or knowing why he was doing it and just wishing that he wasn't the way he was. She buried her face in her hands, trying not to break down completely. "Why can't he just say that to me, Jake? I mean, I never pushed him for anything, ever. I never asked him for anything. Why does he have to do this to him of all people? I can't do this anymore."

He rubbed his fingers over his eyes and shook his head slightly. He didn't understand either, and he wished he could give her an answer. "I don't know," he said honestly.

"I'm tired, Jake," she sighed softly. "I'm tired of what you say about him not matching up with what he does. I'm tired of hoping that he'll grow-up, I'm tired of waiting for him to actually tell me the truth. I just want to know one way or another so I can just move on."

Me too, he thought. He'd always defended Aaron, because he'd seen sides of Aaron that no one else had, and he truly believed Aaron was a helluva better guy than he pretended to be. But he was getting tired, too. And this was starting to be too much. It had been different years before, when they were all younger, but now...this was his family. His sister and nephew. All Aaron had to do was admit he wanted pictures of his kid, but was too chicken shit to be in his life...that was all the bastard had to do for her.

"You shouldn't be waiting for him," he said. "It's not fair to you or Michael."

"I know," she sighed. "I'm done. He decides he wants to come around and actually see Michael, and he can actually get out the words without having to go through you, then fine. But until then -- I'm done. I just -- I can't. Not with where I am now."

"I love Aaron, but...you need somethin' more than that. Even if it's just you and Michael."

"I know," she said softly. "I know. I always knew. I just -- wish it didn't take me this long to actually realize it."

"Me too," he said under his breath.

She sighed softly, moving a hand up to brush the tears away from her face. "If you want to keep feeding him pictures, that's fine. Michael is his kid, and if it's just him being stupid, then fine, whatever -- he can keep them. But -- anything more than that, Jake, and he has to actually talk to me. Alright?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Got it." He hesitated, biting his lip. "You, uh...gonna tell Grace? See...she kinda thinks I don't see him as much, and...doesn't know I've been keepin' him so...updated."

"No," she sighed, shaking her head. "Because then I'd have to tell her why I'm bringing it up, and -- I'm not in the mood for that right now."

"She already knows it's somethin' about Aaron. Don't think she's gonna give up easy."

"I've been keeping things from Grace since I was old enough to lie. I'll get her to leave you alone."

"I'm not worried 'bout me. She wants t'talk to you."

"I'll come up with something. Don't worry -- I'll live."

"Sure you're okay?" His hand moved to rest on her back.

She nodded. "Or I will be. Right now? I just want to go home and see my kid."

He smiled. "Good idea."

"I'm gonna shower and get some sleep. Somehow distract your wife and tell her I'll talk to her in the morning before I leave?"

And there was his grin. "I can do that."

"Good," she said with a nod, before moving forward and sliding her arms around her brother-in-law. "Thanks, Jake."

He hugged her back. "Anytime, sweetheart." She pulled back after a minute, giving him a smile before heading to the bathroom. He got up and left her alone, heading back to the living room.

Grace sat up a bit when she saw him coming. "Well?"

He plopped back down on the couch, turning his focus to the tv. "She's fine."

"What'd she say?"

"You don't hafta worry, Gracie. She just had a bad afternoon, but she's better."

"You're covering," she said quickly, before starting to push herself up. "I'm going to talk to her."

"Honey, leave her alone. She's takin' a shower and goin' to bed."

"I talked to her through the shower all through high school -- not a problem." She knew that the only way she was going to stop was if someone physically did, and at this point her husband should know that as well.

Jake shook his head. "Fine. Do what you want."

"I will," she sighed, stalking off towards her sister's room, and getting halfway there before turning back around again. "And don't let him stay up to late, he's got a long day tomorrow."

"Uh-huh."

"I'm serious, Jake. You always keep him up late when it's football season."

He waved her off, the time out on screen ending. "Yeah, early bed. Got it."

Grace watched him for a minute, glancing from the TV, to her son who was half-dozing against his father's shoulder, and sighed heavily, before moving forward to scoop him up off the couch. "Come on, sweetie. It's bed time. I'll chew out your aunt later."

Alex frowned, confused, before resting his chin on his mother's shoulder. "Why would you chew her?"

"Figure of speech, sweetie. I'll explain when you're a little more awake."

Jake glanced after them, but quickly looked back to the tv. Family stuff could only distract him from his Eagles for so long. She was determined to break that habit before their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. Just so he's aware. She pulled her son close and carried him back into his bedroom, getting ready to put him to sleep.