Love And Darkness And My Sidearm...

Mutant X Fic: The Red Room

2003-10-28T21:05:01Z

Title: The Red Room
Author: Margaret Brown, aka Andromeda Valentine
Fandom: Mutant X
Pairing: Emma/Shal
Rating: NC-17
Status: New (10/28/03); Complete
Archive: Yes to list archives, anyone else please ask first.
Feedback: Yes, please!!
E-mail address for feedback: andromeda_valentine@hotmail.com
Series/Sequel: Not sure yet...
Other Websites: Crimson Redd - http://www.angelfire.com/goth/crimsonredd
Disclaimers: Not mine. Emma and Shal belong to Tribune and the song 'Honey Don't Think' belongs to Grant Lee Buffalo...

Summary: Soldier!Shal and Rent Girl!Emma - need I say more? :-)

Notes: Just a weird AU that sprang into my head fully grown after one too many repeats of 'Meet Me In The Red Room' off the second Moulin Rouge soundtrack. Dedicated to my li'l sis Lil, for her birthday...

Song lyrics are from Grant Lee Buffalo’s 'Honey Don't Think' ...

Warnings: Explicit femmeslash. (Uh... duh...?)

********************

"I don't know about this, Jess..." Shalimar Fox eyed the face on the other end of her vidscreen dubiously. "It's a little weird, even for me."

Jesse Kilmartin just laughed, blue eyes twinkling as the sound carried across the connection. "Nothing's too weird for you, Shal. Trust your little brother - you'll have a great time."

"And you don't see anything wrong with the fact that you're hiring me a *hooker*? Not exactly the sort of thing a brother does for their sister." Shal just stared at the vidscreen again, eyes wide.

"Yeah, well," Jesse shot back laughing,"we're only *honorary* siblings, so things are a little different. Besides - you're on Aphrodite Station, Shal. It's legal, perfectly respectable, and perfectly safe. Live a little! Besides, you'll finally have one up on Angel and Beau when you swap wild stories."

Shal still wasn't convinced. "I can find my own companionship, thank you very much, with*out* paying for it. And do you even know anything about this girl?"

"Of course I do!" Jesse replied, mock-insulted."A friend of mine - who I trust - recommended her, and I've even met her once or twice in passing. She's just your speed - red-headed, all leg, and totally wild."

Shal arched an eyebrow, interested despite herself. "Really?"

Jesse grinned at her, knowing he had her attention now. "Yep - and she's licensed, too, which means she's choosy *and* expensive, and good enough to be both. So you better appreciate this..."

"That hot, huh?" Shal asked, now completely intrigued.

"Oh, yeah - enough to make your eyes bleed. I'd be broke in a heartbeat if I was at all her type, believe me..." Jesse assured her. "She'll be there at 8 - all you need to do is make sure your medscan is current, and be there waiting for her."

"Fine..." Shal said, capitulating with a sigh. "So what's her name?"

"Emma." Jesse said, smiling again. "Emma DeLauro..."

***********

By 7:45, Shal had exhausted most of her wardrobe - what she'd brought with her, anyway - and was heartily sick of the whole idea. Finally, still half-naked from her earlier shower and almost snarling in irritation, she told herself to get a grip and just pick something.

Searching over her wardrobe again, she decided on something informal, but not entirely casual - a dark brown tank top with spaghetti straps and a matching brown skirt with a slit up one side. Paired with brown leather boots that came up to her knee, she was comfortable, stylish, and (she hoped) sexy...

With only a few minutes left, she neatened her hair and makeup and declared herself ready. Even to her nervous and critical eye, she looked good - only the barest traces of makeup, and her hair flowing loose down her back.

By the time the knock on the door came - at exactly 8:00, she noted - she'd managed to regain most of her composure back, though the sight that greeted her when she opened the door took most of it away again...

Jesse hadn't been kidding. The woman at the door was just... hot - tall, slender, with bright red hair in pigtails, and bright blue eyes rimmed in slightly smudged kohl. She wore a black tank top and leather miniskirt that showed off her pale, perfect skin, and her impossibly long legs were cased in thigh-high stockings in some sort of lace pattern, attached to a garter belt that just barely peeked out from under the miniskirt.

It might have been simply trashy on anyone else, but the way she wore it acknowledged that fact and made it into something entirely different...

She flashed Shal a wide grin, displaying even, white teeth. "Shalimar? I'm Emma..."

Shal, jolted out of her paralysis, stepped aside suddenly. "Please, come in. And it's just Shal."

Emma, walking in, let out a low whistle as she looked around the suite. "Wow - they really take care of you Sol Corps kids, don't they?"

"They try." Shal replied, still feeling a little off kilter. Whatever she'd expected, this force of nature was not it, and she had no idea how to act or what to say.

Trying to buy a little time, she headed over to the bar to fix them both drinks. "Something to drink, Emma?"

"Sure!" the redhead responded cheerily. "Bourbon, neat. Mind if I scope out the stereo system while you play bartender?"

At Shal's negative response - she didn't mind at all, it gave her that much longer to regain her bearings - Emma strolled over to the stereo, and spent a moment or two sifting through its contents before wandering back over to the bar.

Perching on one of the stools and crossing one leg over the other - Shal trying not to stare at the indecent amount of thigh her idly swinging leg revealed - Emma pulled a cigarette case and matches out of her purse. "Mind if I smoke? It's a clove - one of those 'safe' ones that takes all the fun out of it."

"Doesn't bother me." Shal said, handing Emma her bourbon. "Nikki - one of the women in my unit - smokes cloves, so I've gotten kinda used to 'em."

Images of some of the nights she and Nikki had spent together flashed across her mind, and she felt herself flush as Emma grinned at her as if reading her thoughts. "Nikki, huh? She sounds cute. Not the jealous type, is she?"

Shal just laughed. "It's nothing exclusive like that. And I've been told we look a lot alike, so I'm gonna have to go with yeah, she's cute."

"Works for me." Emma said, and Shal's pulse jumped up a notch or two at her sly, teasing grin as she went to light her clove.

A slightly uncomfortable silence fell a few seconds later, until Emma propped her elbows up on the bar, chin resting in one hand. "So you're a soldier, huh? Sol Corps? Must be pretty cushy - I know they're about creaming themselves to get New Mutants in these days, especially Ferals."

"Yeah, they are." Shal agreed. "My whole unit's made up of Ferals, actually." She held out her right arm to reveal the Mu and Phi tattoos, that, with the barcode under them, marked her as a registered Feral New Mutant. Directly beside it was another tattoo - a red circle with a black five-pointed star inside it.

Emma's eyebrows shot up as she took another drag off her clove. "Darkstar, too, huh? Damn, Shal, you just get hotter by the minute."

"That so?" Shal challenged, teasing.

"Fuck, yeah!" Emma replied. "How the hell *all* of you Ferals are so hot, I'll never know - and I don't really care, because, god, your stamina is incredible." she added, exhaling the last drag off her clove. "Plus you're a soldier girl on top of that, and I *love* a woman in uniform. Gets me all kinds of hot and bothered."

The teasing note dropped from Emma's voice at that last statement, and Shal found herself backing up a step as those direct blue eyes stared into hers. "Look - I don't - I can't-"

Emma just looked at her for a long moment, then smiled gently. "You've never done this before, have you?"

"Nope." Shal said, with a wry smile. "I mean - how does this work, exactly?"

Emma winked at her while putting her clove out in the ashtray. "Let me worry about that. I'm the professional here, remember?"

She hopped off the bar stool and sauntered over to the stereo. Punching a button on it, she kicked off her heels and held a hand out to Shal. "Dance with me? It'll help you relax."

It was Shal's turn to arch an eyebrow. "I don't think dancing with you is going to be... relaxing, exactly."

Emma just held her hand out again. "Humor me."

Shal considered for a moment, then paused just long enough to tug off her boots before walking over. The song started just as she got there - one of her favorites, actually, with mellow acoustic guitar and a male singer with a sexy, slightly raspy voice.

It wasn't as awkward as she'd thought it would be - they seemed to move together very naturally, standing there with Emma's hands on her hips and her hands resting on Emma's shoulders as the music filled the room.

It's the luck of the draw -
how you wound up with me
I don't know how at all.
But I beg you to stay -
crawl around on this earth
while the world's still small...

Emma pulled Shal a bit closer, the intimacy of the moment and the song finally letting Shal relax until they were almost dancing cheek to cheek.

Honey, don't think
about it too long, now...
Honey, don't think -
you're liable to figure me out...

Moving with the slightly increased tempo of the song, Emma shifted slightly to kiss Shal, gently at first, then with slightly more daring and urgency as she gauged the blonde's reactions.

There's something wrong in my stars...
Could you look at my chart and help me heal these scars?
Could you learn to read minds?
And in the case of mine,
do you read in the dark?

Sensing that Shal had begun to relax into the moment, Emma slid a hand over to cup Shal's breast. When she got only a slight moan in response, she brought her other hand up, too, hearing Shal's breathing quicken ever so slightly.

Honey, don't think
about it too long, now...
Honey, don't think -
you're liable to figure me out...
You don't want to figure me out...
You don't want to figure me out...
You don't want to...

Emma leaned in and kissed Shal again, then reached down to catch the hem of the blonde's shirt and tug it off. Shal didn't protest, especially when Emma's hands slid back up to toy with hard nipples.

Honey, don't think
about it too long, now...
Honey, don't think -
you're liable to figure me out...

Sometime in the last few moments, Shal had closed her eyes tight, and had yet to open them again. Emma, guessing the reason for it, smiled and leaned in to kiss her again as she let her hands roam a little.

Honey, don't think
about it too long, now...
Honey, don't think -
you're liable to figure me out...

"Open your eyes, Shal." Emma whispered as the song faded out. Shal's eyelids fluttered open to reveal that her irises had turned golden and her pupils slitted, and Emma's own pulse picked up a notch. "Fuck, that's hot..."

The next song on the stereo faded into background noise as she steered Shal up against the nearest wall. A moment later she had Shal's skirt off, leaving the blonde clad only in black silk panties.

Those Emma left on for the moment, sliding her hand up the inside of Shal's thigh to toy with her through the thin silk. Once the blonde had begun arching into her touch, she slipped two fingers inside the panties, feeling Shal tense as those fingers glided teasingly over her clit.

The blonde actually growled when Emma pulled away to tug her panties off, and Emma wavered between amusement and arousal. Finding your client as hot as they found you wasn't part of the job, but it was damn nice when it happened.

Grinning slightly, she leaned in to kiss Shal again, sliding her hand between them to slip two fingers into the blonde, who bucked against her. Then Emma started trailing kisses down Shal's body, finally ending on her knees trailing kisses up the blonde's inner thigh.

She paused for a split second to focus and center, then flicked her tongue ever so gently across Shal's clit.

Shal felt the floor drop out from under her, as her own pleasure was returned to her doubled and trebled until she finally just lost herself in the tidal wave. She heard someone screaming in pleasure and pain, then vaguely realized it was her.

When the world returned several moments later, she was sitting on the floor, aftershocks still rippling through her."How the hell did you do that?!"

Emma - who had barely managed to remain coherent and not be pushed over the edge herself just from feedback - held out a slightly shaky arm to show her own tattoos, Mu and Psi with a barcode underneath. "Psionic." she said weakly. "Telempathy..."

Shal, quickly regaining her bearings, grinned at her. "Kinky. So," she added, leaning in, "do you get to play too?"

There was no question of saying no after all that, not in her present state of arousal, and she capitulated with a whimper as Shal pushed her back onto the carpet. The last coherent thought she had was the blonde pushing her skirt up over her hips and tugging at her panties...

***********

"Three days?" Brennan Mulwray stared at Emma DeLauro across the vidscreen, amused and incredulous. "You two stayed locked away for three days?!"

Emma just smiled blithely back at him. "Yep."

"Was it worth it?" Brennan asked.

Emma felt a wave of heat wash over her at just the memory. "Oh, god, yes..."

Brennan just laughed, grinning at her. "That good, huh?"

"Better!" Emma shot back, grinning too. "You found me a good one, Bren - I'm thinking of taking her on as a regular client. I really like her."

"Uh oh!" Brennan teased. "I think someone's getting a little attached."

"No, I'm cool." Emma assured him. "Besides, I think I've earned a little fun."

Brennan just smiled. "You have. I'll tell Jesse everything went great. He'll be glad to hear it."

Emma just nodded as the vidscreen console beeped. "You do that. I gotta go - got another call coming in."

"Talk to you later, kiddo - take care of yourself." Brennan replied.

"I always do." Emma told his fading image as she reached to switch vidscreen channels.

Shal's image appeared, smiling and restless. "Hey, Red."

"Hey yourself, Soldier Girl." Emma said, smiling back. "We still on for tonight?"

"Oh, hell, yeah..."

Challenge for Future Reference

2003-10-22T04:29:15Z

Got IMed by a fellow fanfic author today and presented with a challenge.

From the Day of Judgement Day of Wrath ep of Andromeda - Remiel (the avatar) and Harper...

Hmmmmm.......

MX Fic: Comfort

2003-07-17T06:03:10Z

Title: Comfort
Author: Margaret Brown, aka Andromeda Valentine
Fandom: Mutant X
Pairing: Emma/Shal (pre-slash)
Rating: PG
Status: New (07/16/03)
Archive: Yes to list archives, anyone else please ask first.
Feedback: Yes, please!!
E-mail address for feedback: andromeda_valentine@hotmail.com
Series/Sequel: None
Other Websites: Crimson Redd - http://www.angelfire.com/goth/crimsonredd
Disclaimers: Not mine - Tribune's...

Summary: She hated darkness...

Notes: Written for the second weekly MXFiclets challenge: "This week's challenge is about the five senses. Choose one or two or however many you would like to write about."

The scene I describe is from the pilot ep, 'The Shock Of The New,' when they first have Emma on the Double Helix with the visual cloak on her eyes.

Warnings: None

********************

Darkness... She hated darkness. It wasn't that she feared it, as such - it wasn't as if it could hurt her.

But somehow, she'd always had this irrational fear of being blinded. Maybe it was some sort of strange twist on the fact that she could always *see* so much more than others could, and somehow feared losing that.

Either way, she hated darkness, and here she was, stuck in it with no way out until her... captors? saviors? ... chose to free her. Being so panicked, her blindness was total - not even her powers would work - and it took every ounce of strength she had not to dissolve into a screaming, mindless fit of hysteria right then and there.

Then, at random, she felt a hand brush her arm. It was soft, almost furtive, or maybe just very, very casual, but she still nearly jumped out of her seat.

A moment later, everything resolved into place as the physical contact forced her telempathy into focus, relaying all the emotion behind that touch. The impression was feminine, and almost frighteningly primal underneath, but there was also warmth, compassion, and concern, laced with a certain knowing amusement and a somewhat-more-than-friendly interest.

It comforted her, and intrigued her, even as her strong response to it scared her. She'd never reacted to any touch like that before - much less from a stranger *and* another woman - and it was high on the list of reasons she chose to flee rather than accept Adam's offer.

Strangely, though, when Adam asks her, again, to join them - at least long enough to help rescue Brennan - it suddenly becomes one of the many reasons she has to stay...

'Bonding' Pairings & Notes

2003-07-08T19:35:13Z

E = Emma, S = Shal, A = Adam, B = Brennan, J = Jesse

Couples (10):

Het:
E/B
E/J
E/A

S/B
S/J
S/A

Slash:
E/S

J/B
J/A

B/A

Threesomes (10):

S,J,A
S,B,A
S,B,J
S,J,E

E,J,A
E,B,A
E,B,J
E,S,A
E,S,B

B,J,A

Foursomes (5):

E,S,B,J
E,S,B,A
E,S,J,A
E,B,J,A
S,B,J,A

Fiveway (1):

E,S,A,B,J

Ch. 1: E/S --> Ch. 2: E/B/S --> Ch. 3: E/S/B/J
B/A happens *after* B/S/A

Mutant X Fic: Changing Perspectives

2003-07-06T04:40:31Z

Title: Changing Perspectives
Author: Margaret Brown, aka Andromeda Valentine
Fandom: Mutant X
Pairing: Adam/Shalimar
Rating: PG
Status: New (07/05/03); Complete
Archive: Yes to list archives, anyone else please ask first.
Feedback: Yes, please!!
E-mail address for feedback: andromeda_valentine@hotmail.com
Series/Sequel: None
Other Websites: Crimson Redd - http://www.angelfire.com/goth/crimsonredd
Disclaimers: Not mine

Summary: She changes, and his perception changes with her...

Notes: Written for the MXFiclets weekly challenge: Impressions - of others, a particular other, or of one's self...

Warnings: Slight spoilers for Ep. 222, 'Lest He Become'...

********************

"Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
That alters when it alteration finds,
Nor bends with the remover to remove.
Oh, no, it is an ever fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken.
It is the star to every wandering bark
Whose worth's unknown although its height be taken."

-William Shakespeare, Sonnet 116

********************

When he thinks about her, it isn't the little girl he first met that he remembers.

He remembers finally finding her again after learning of her flight from the asylum, hoping against hope that the streets had been kinder to a scared, lost little girl than he expected them to be. She'd been fourteen then, still more girl than woman, and strangely removed from the carefree child he'd treated all those years ago.

She'd seemed like a frail, wounded dove that night - so very desperately ill from her mutation growing unchecked, but still full of defiance. For all her illness, and despite the squalor of the 'hotel' she lived in, both she and her room were painfully neat and clean - almost as if in defiance of the wretchedness surrounding her.

He'd wondered how he would talk her into leaving with him, spent hours trying to form just the right chain of words to make her listen without misreading his intentions. None of it had been necessary - recognition, and hope, had flared in those brown eyes of hers the moment she saw him. She'd whispered his name, almost like a prayer, and lain her head against his shoulder as he carried her out of there, too weak to make even the short trip to his car on her own feet.

In that moment - with that simple gesture - she claimed his heart as hers. He found the daughter he'd never had, and she found the father figure she didn't even know she needed.

He also remembers a hot August night some two years later, when his view of her changed yet again. Her Sweet Sixteen party - the half-wild girl he'd taken in now grown into a happy young woman. He'd watched her dance with her friends and flirt with boys from school, and seen, with a jolt of surprise, the woman she would become.

And if he found that woman mesmerizing, he kept it to himself - even after she impulsively kissed him full on the mouth that night for the first time ever. Just a quick peck, almost fleeting, but unusual for her, and he'd smiled at her and taken it as the display of familial affection he assumed it was.

As a scientist, and a doctor, he should have known not to assume anything - for, more years later, on yet another hot August night, things changed once more. Her birthday again, a grown woman now and his equal in wit and willpower. And more beautiful than ever...

They'd kissed for real that night - something about the moment finally breaking down the carefully preserved walls between them - and found something neither of them had quite expected. They'd woken in each other's arms the next morning, and every morning thereafter.

Their wedding day brought yet another shift in perspective, sparking emotions in him that his scientific mind had long ago ceased to even remember. He didn't have words for any of it - all he knew was that she was now bound to him forever, by choice, by words and a ring, and it felt *right* to think of her as his wife.

To the amusement of his 'family,' however, it was the last and final shift in perspective that moved him most - the announcement that she was carrying his child. Maybe it was the awesome responsibility of parenthood - the pure strangeness of thinking of himself as a father - that made the transition from 'lover and wife' to 'mother' so mind-boggling.

But he makes it, with joy and no hesitation, and when he sees her hold their son for the first time, face aglow through her fatigue, he realizes that *that* is how he will always remember her - with the shared perspectives of surrogate daughter, lover, wife, and mother all rolled into one and offered up in her eyes and her smile...

Firefly Idea...

2003-06-09T05:45:49Z

This one hit me sometime last night, and definately threw me for a loop... Figured I ought to jot it down in case I decide to run with it...

It's Zoe/Inara (?!) - Zoe has an itch Wash can't scratch. BDSM, with domme! Inara...

Yeah, I know - and don't ask me, I have no idea where it came from either. I assumed I'd end up writing Kaylee/Inara eventually, maybe even Book/Inara (temptation of a preist and all *evil laugh*), but I never even *thought* of Zoe/Inara until this one...

I Have Original Fic Muses???!!!!

2003-06-09T05:11:30Z

And they're *talking*???!!!!

I think the world is ending....

Oh, wait - they're demanding a series of femmeslash songfics using Evanescence songs. Sounds normal enough for my Muses - must be business as usual, then...

The idea itself is completely original and devoid of any copywrighted material beyond the song lyrics - and gods know I'd write my own lyrics if I didn't suck at songwriting - but the characters and general concept involved are actually from a long-standing rpg Pat and I have had running since (egads) 1995 or so...

Less complicated version - there's Anna, Goth rocker chick extraordinaire (among many, many other things), and there's Raven, brooding Goth domme (among many, many other things). True love abounds - except that neither of them (after years of knowing each other) will admit to it, due to various guilt complexes and self-image issues... (Not to mention Anna's husband, wife, and *long* trail of not-so-broken hearts across the galaxy - let's hear it for polyamory, folks...)

Anyways, I've always loved the whole Raven/Anna dynamic, and recently seem to have acquired an Anna Muse and a Raven Muse. *Muses wave* And they're now demanding fic...

Anna on the left, Raven on the right. (And, yes - it's a manip of Katie Holmes and a cap of Eliza Dushku as Faith...)

Cutting out most of their history (and their respective significant others), I'm left with a three-part songfic about the two of them finally giving up their games and getting together. Evanescence lyrics are the lyrics of choice, because I sure as hell can't write my own - Anna may be able to, her character being one hell of a musician, but *I* can't, and Evanescence is a band Anna would cover frequently. Plus, the lyrics just work here, pure and simple...

Part One - Anna singing at a gig as Raven looks on; the song is 'Lies' by Evanescence, which Anna tries to use to communicate her feelings to Raven... The lyrics may not seem appropriate at first glance, but you'll see that they are when I add the body of the fic in there...

Part Two - this one's still tentative; Raven (having finally gotten a clue) jumps Anna in a hallway shortly after Part One, and things get steamy. *grin* The song this time is 'Give Unto Me' - though I'm at something of a loss as to how to work things to have Anna actually singing it...

Part Three - this one's been giving me hell locating an appropriate song, but I finally managed it. Raven makes a hasty dissapearance after the events of Part Two - more 'things to take care of' and 'sorting things out before talking' than freaking and running. She wanders back in during rehearsal for Anna's gig that night, and Anna launches into 'Anywhere' to try and communicate her feelings and intentions to Raven. Cue warm fuzzies and a happy ending...

*blinks* Oh my god - I think I got my Muses back! No more burnout!

Mutant X Fic: Watching...Wanting...Fearing...Loving...

2003-05-18T07:15:01Z

Not the Haunted songfic I had in mind, but it'll do for now... *grin*

Title: Watching... Wanting... Fearing... Loving...
Author: Margaret Brown, aka Andromeda Valentine
Fandom: Mutant X
Pairing: Emma/Shalimar
Rating: R
Status: New (05/18/03); Complete
Archive: Yes to list archives, anyone else please ask first.
Feedback: Yes, please!!
E-mail address for feedback: andromeda_valentine@hotmail.com
Series/Sequel: None
Other Websites: Crimson Redd - http://www.angelfire.com/goth/crimsonredd
Disclaimers: Not mine - Emma and Shal are Tribunes, and the song (Haunted) that was my inspiration belongs to Evanescence...

Summary: Emma watches, Shal wants, Emma fears, and Shal loves...

Notes: a series of drabbles inspired by the Evanescence song Haunted...

Warnings: Femmeslash. (Uh - duh?)

********************

Watching me...wanting me...
I can feel you pull me down...

Fearing you...loving you...
I won't let you pull me down...

-Haunted by Evanescence

********************

I) Watching... (Emma)

She's Beauty personified in motion - all leonine grace, tanned skin, fearless determination, and every inch a woman...

And I? I want to run my fingers through that mane of blonde hair and feel those muscles play under my touch. To kiss those smirking lips, bury my head between her thighs, and finally know what she tastes like.

I want to hear her scream my name as she comes - scream it so loud that all of Sanctuary hears, and knows that it's me driving her over the edge...

What I want doesn't matter, because she doesn't want me, and never will...

II) Wanting... (Shalimar)

She's watching me again. I can feel her eyes boring right through me like she's staring into my soul.

She thinks I don't know how she feels, that I don't know how much she wants me.

She doesn't know I've memorized the way she moves, the way she smells - like lavender and sandalwood. Or that I dream about the way her scent changes when I get too close, turning into this mixture of fear and lust that makes the Feral in me scream to be let out.

So I watch and I want, never knowing exactly why I can't ever do anything else...

III) Fearing... (Emma)

Shit! Shit! Shit! I've pushed her too far this time, I know I have. I don't know when things got so tense between us, but they're finally about to explode.

I wince as she slams me up against the wall, swallowing hard as I stare into flashing yellow eyes.

"Shal, please... I'm sorry..."

The world screeches to a complete halt at the sudden feel of her lips on mine, and her hands pulling at my clothes.

What follows isn't gentle or slow, but it's the only thing weeks of pent up emotion could lead to, and I just give myself to it completely...

IV) Loving... (Shalimar)

She falls into my arms with a cry, like a puppet with cut strings, still trembling from the aftershocks of her orgasm.

My legs give out too at the sudden realization of what I just did, and I sink to the floor under her added weight.

"Oh God... Emma... I'm so sorry..."

She wraps her arms around me. "Don't be. Wouldn't have let you if I didn't want it..."

Her voice is still shaky, and I hope it's only my paranoia telling me it holds a note of fear.

"What *do* you want, Emma?"

She pulls me closer, kissing me gently. "Just this, Shal. Only this..."

Argghh...

2003-05-15T23:32:46Z

Trying to work on an Emma/Shal idea that just won't gel right - it's mostly the beginning I can't seem to sort out. Basically, it's inspired by the Evanescence song Haunted - a predatory Shal stalking Emma. (Rather a smutty idea, as you can guess with it being mine. )

Anyway - I can't figure out how to get started. I need to establish that Shal's gone all predatory (in heat, probably) and is about to pounce Emma. The problem with that is that it's a songfic and I don't have many lyrics to play with - it makes fitting that sort of exposition in smoothly rather difficult...

Haunted by Evanescence

Long lost words whisper slowly to me...
Still can't find what keeps me here,
when all this time I've been so hollow inside...
(I know you're still there...)

Watching me, wanting me...
I can feel you pull me down...
Fearing you, loving you...
I won't let you pull me down...

Hunting you, I can smell you - alive,
your heart pounding in my head...

Watching me, wanting me...
I can feel you pull me down...
Saving me, raping me -
watching me...

Watching me, wanting me...
(Oh oh oh oh... Oh oh oh oh...)
I can feel you pull me down...
Fearing you, loving you...
(Oh oh oh oh... Oh oh oh oh...)
I won't let you pull me down...

Story Idea - 'Snap!'

2003-05-04T05:29:14Z

Just because this is one of my faves, and I don't want to forget it...

Title: Snap!
Rating: R at least, likely NC-17

Emma's teasing puts Shal's willpower to the test. Title is from the interspersing of the word (sound?) 'snap' throughout the fic - as in willpower and/or threads snapping... Thought breifly that it'd be cute to add 'crackle' and 'pop' in there, but damned if I could figure out how to. *lol*

Opening line:

"*Snap!*

That's the sound of my last nerve shredding, fiber by fiber..."

Random story images, with *Snap* inserted after each of them to represent Shal's willpower wearing down: Shal watching Emma's skirt slide up higher and higher on her thigh as Emma's shifting around on a nearby chair or stool; Emma (very deliberately?) pressing up against Shal when peering over her shoulder at something; Shal finally cracking and dragging Emma off with the words 'My room. Now." (That'd be where things get fuzzy - could continue on to make it an NC-17 fic, or end it with Shal dragging Emma off...)

Story Idea List...

2003-05-01T04:27:04Z

Just so I don't forget...

Concrete Angel: Shal songfic using Martina McBride's Concrete Angel. Shal's life in miniature, childhood to death - has shades of Shal/Emma/Brennan... (Shal's childhood before running away ---> Shal in labor, with Brennan and Emma beside her ---> someone (Emma?) at Shal's grave many years in the future...) Potential rating: PG-13

Untitled: Emma/Shal fic dealing with Shal's prolonged mental assault by Ashlocke during the Ashlocke arc - stemming from her line to the female Link of "That's not love, that's rape" - just 'cause I was shocked to hear her put it that way, especiallly referring to her own ordeal with Ashlocke, and annoyed when they never followed through with it. (Emma's pov - hearing Shal voice that line, then explaining things to Brennan when Shal wigs out on him, then going to talk to Shal about it...) Potential rating: NC-17

Gentle Persuasion: Emma/Shal/Brennnan pwp for meanarose... Emma picks the wrong time to visit the hottub. Or is it the *right* one?

There are probably others, but damned if I can think of them right now... *lol*

Notes: 'Visionary' Sequels...

2003-04-28T01:11:11Z

Just because I *finally* wrapped my brain around what I can do to keep things dark and *still* tie up all my loose ends. Though if I run with this, it may be the first time I've actually *needed* my warnings...

Part Two: Emma goes all Creepy!Mindbending!Emma on Jesse for spying, Shal goes along to protect Jesse because Emma's dark side is just freakishly violent, and there's lots of dark, kinky sex had by all. *lol* Well, Emma, Shal, and Jesse, anyway...

Part Three: because we're dealing with darkfic here, the possibilty of simply going 'Emma, you're a head case - get help' never occurs to anyone, despite the need to keep Emma under control. So, Shal decides to reduce things to terms Creepy!Mindbending!Emma can grasp and show her who's *really* in charge.

Again, lots of dark, kinky sex - though I'm not sure if it's just Emma and Shal at this point or not, as I've toyed with tossing Jesse (or even Brennan, as the de facto group 'alpha') in there too. I suppose it all depends on how I feel about the possible consent issues when I sit down to write...

Updated Writing List...

2003-04-16T05:27:45Z

As of 04/15/03... Making excellent progress...

Andromeda:

~~No Angel~~

Private Education:
~~-Ch. 2: Extracurricular Activities~~
-Ch. 3: Graduation Day
-Ch. 4: Detention Hall (tentative title)

Haven Series:
-Ch. 2: Unchain
-Ch. 3: *no title yet*

Demi-Drabbles #6-12

Mutant X:

'Visionary' Sequel
Demi-Drabbles #6-12

Mutant X Plot Bunny...

2003-04-13T02:48:26Z

This one latched itself onto my ankle while chatting with meanarose a couple minutes ago... I may have to try and write it up for her as her birthday fic after the fanzine insanity ends...

It's Brennan/Jesse and Emma/Shal - Brennan and Jesse make a bet about whether or not Shal and Emma are sleeping together, and set about spying to get an answer. So, of *course*, they get all hot and bothered while watching - because Emma and Shal are *so* doing it, you know they are - and have only each other to turn to. *snerk*

I haven't decided who takes what side with the bet, but this all but screams to be written from Jesse's POV. EEP! I hate writing from a male POV - I feel like I'm horrible at it...

I'm also toying with the boys get busted for their spying, because that would just be *too* funny... Turnabout's fair play and all that. *snickers*

Official Fanzine 'To Do' List...

2003-04-11T10:20:46Z

As of 04/10/03...

Andromeda:

~~No Angel~~
Private Education, Ch. 2-4
Haven Series, Parts 2&3
Demi-Drabbles #6-12

Mutant X:

'Visionary' Sequel
Demi-Drabbles #6-12

And did I mention that the fanzine deadline is 04/15?!

X-Men Fic: Call And Answer

2003-04-09T22:12:36Z

Title: Call And Answer
Author: Margaret Brown, aka Andromeda Valentine
Fandom: X-Men
Pairing: Jean/Logan (616 Comic 'verse)
Rating: NC-17 to be safe
Status: New (04/09/03); complete
Archive: Yes to list archives, anyone else please ask first.
Feedback: Yes, please!!
E-mail address for feedback: andromeda_valentine@hotmail.com
Series/Sequel: None
Other Websites: Crimson Redd - http://www.angelfire.com/goth/crimsonredd
Disclaimers: Not mine - Marvel's...

Summary: "Green eyes stare into blue, a challenge and an answer, and when she closes her eyes and bares her throat, he *knows* she's his..."

Notes: This is for Eiluned, Redshipper Extraordinaire... Told ya I'd write ya something eventually...

More than a little AU - established Jean/Logan, absolutely no Jean/Scott. (Don't even worry about it, or him...) Opening sentence taken from Eil's demi-drabble challenges and put to my own nefarious use...

Warnings: None

********************

"You look damn good in that dress, Jeannie." he says, grinning as he pushes her against the wall. "Smell damn good too."

She tastes of cinnamon when his lips move to her throat, cinnamon with a hint of vanilla and jasmine, and the rising tang of lust. His hands move up under her dress, moving of their own volition to the very heart of her, and her whimper drives the animal in him even closer to the surface.

Green eyes stare into blue, a challenge and an answer, and when she closes her eyes and bares her throat, he *knows* she's his...

He growls as he shoves her dress up above her hips, fingers rubbing at her core through her silk panties before he tears them loose in his haste. She doesn't even open her eyes at the sound of ripping cloth, trusting his control implicitly even at its weakest.

Instead, she reaches for him, measured and graceful even in her impatience to get rid of the clothes separating them. He growls as she takes him in hand, then pushes her hands away when the pleasure threatens to overwhelm him.

The man in him takes back control just long enough to appreciate her submission and the trust it implies, thanking her wordlessly with a kiss as he gently twines his fingers with hers and presses them to the wall to brace her.

The animal in both of them takes control as he thrusts into her, their bodies pushing, straining, and pulling as they try to drive each other over the edge. Gentleness is for later - this is the purely animal call of one predator to another.

There's the shared fleeting impression of having fallen into the flames of her namesake before they both tumble over the edge with a cry and a growl, the bond between them elevating the pleasure to almost unbearable levels.

The creature of fire and passion slowly fades back into the woman of flesh and blood, and she goes limp against his shoulder with a choked sob. "God, Logan..."

He holds her in silence, thanking her for the power she has to cut through body and soul and just let him *be*...

Andromeda Fic: No Angel, Chapter IV - 'Take My Hand'

2003-04-08T23:25:10Z

Parts Five and Six hopefully *very* soon to follow...

Title: No Angel IV - "Take My Hand'
Author: Margaret Brown, aka Andromeda Valentine
Fandom: Andromeda
Pairing: Beka/Rommie
Rating: NC-17, eventually
Status: New (04/08/03); complete; complete
Archive: Yes to list archives, anyone else please ask first.
Feedback: Yes, please!!
E-mail address for feedback: andromeda_valentine@hotmail.com
Series/Sequel: No Angel
Other Websites: Crimson Redd - http://www.angelfire.com/goth/crimsonredd
Disclaimers: Not mine, never will be - Beka and Rommie belong to Tribune, and the lyrics belong to Dido Armstrong...

Summary: Rommie has a breakdown and Beka helps her put the pieces back together. This part: Rommie's boldness pays off...

Notes: Whoo Hoo! Smut - finally! <lol> Also, the song lyrics take a bit to show up - not surprising, as this chapter came out to four pages in Microsoft Works...

Warnings: Femmeslash (duh) and a not-so-nice take on Dylan...

********************

{Previously, in Chapter Three...}

"You know, Beka," she says suddenly, "sometimes you talk too much." With that, she stands on tiptoe and kisses me, hard.

The shock of the kiss overrides my senses momentarily before I break off and backpedal a step. "Rommie - what...?"

She just casts her eyes down, suddenly fragile again. "You don't want me either..."

I smile wryly. "Honey, you have no idea how wrong you are. But I don't want you to do this because you somehow think you owe me - you don't, not at all."

She shakes her head, eyes wide. "Oh, no - I've wanted this for a while. I just didn't realize it before..."

I can't help but kiss her again as she stands looking up at me like that. I'm not sure if this a good idea or not, but something tells me it'll work out just fine...

********************

I couldn't tell you how we get from a simple kiss to rolling around in a tangled heap on the bed, but the moment finally fades long enough for me to pull away and let sanity return.

I shift myself so that I'm at least sitting up, straddling her hips. She's sprawled under me, watching me with a flushed face and wide eyes as I stare down at her.

After what seems an eternity, I'm finally able to speak again, though my voice is still barely recognizable as my own. It's torture to stop, but I have to be sure before things go any further.

"We don't have to do this, Rommie - we can wait, if you want."

She just looks up at me, lost in a haze of hormones, and I fight back a shudder at the raw lust in her voice when she speaks. " I want..."

She closes her eyes for a long second, gathering her self-control, and finally speaks again, coherently this time. "I want this, Beka - I want you."

"Are you sure? I don't want you to regret this later."

"I won't - I know it."

My indecision lingers, though, and I continue to simply stare down at her while my mind tries to impose order on the situation. The moment stretches out into eternity before she finally speaks again, a certain hint of desperation in her voice.

"Beka, please - I *need* this..."

God - I never could refuse her anything, and she knows it...

Touch my skin, and tell me what you're thinking.
Take my hand, and show me where we're going.
Lie down next to me, look into my eyes,
and tell me, oh, tell me what you're seeing.

I smile down at her as I lean in to kiss her, oh-so-gently. "No pressure, Rommie. You say the word and this ends, okay? No matter how far things have gotten."

She nods, wide-eyed and understandably nervous. "So how-?"

"Let me worry about that." I murmur against her throat. If she were anyone else, I'd leave her with a hickey or a bite mark, something to tell the world that I'd possessed her, even if only for a short space of time. I don't have the right to with her, though - she's not mine, yet.

Hell, I don't even know if it's possible for her to be marked like that...

So sit on top of the world and tell me how you're feeling.
What you feel is what I feel for you.
Take my hand, and if I'm lying to you...
I'll always be alone, if I'm lying to you...

She certainly *feels* real enough, all curves and satiny warm skin I *still* can't believe I'm touching. I swear I can even feel her heart pounding in her chest.

God, she's beautiful - and that's with her still fully dressed... She's going to be absolutely luscious naked...

Smiling, I shift my kisses from her throat and shoulders to her stomach - that inch or two of bare, toned belly between her pants and rumpled shirt is just *begging* for attention. She tenses at the feel of my mouth on her skin, overexcited nerves making her muscles play under my roaming lips and tongue.

A little half-moan, half-gasp escapes her as my tongue flicks in and out of her belly button - a teasing promise of what's to come - and it's got to be the most gorgeous sound I've ever heard.

See my eyes, they carry your reflection.
Watch my lips and hear the words I'm telling you.
Give your trust to me and look into my heart,
and show me, and show me what you're doing.

I trail my kisses back upward, intent on getting my mouth (and hands) on what those damned v-neck uniforms of hers have been taunting me with for months.

She bites back a moan, arching into my touch as I trace out the curve and swell of her breasts through her silk top before running my thumbs over her pebbled nipples. Then I lean down to suck at one of them, teasing her with the combination of heat, suction, and silken friction.

I stop just long enough to finally get her shirt off, and find that it's my turn to stare with wide eyes as my earlier thought finds voice. "God, you're beautiful..."

So sit on top of the world and tell me how you're feeling.
What you feel is what I feel for you.
Take my hand, and if I'm lying to you...
I'll always be alone, if I'm lying to you...

This close up, she smells like cloves, cinnamon, and vanilla, and I lose myself in her scent and the feel of her skin as I let my hands and mouth keep roaming over her bare chest.

Finally, as her moans and whimpers start getting louder, I trace my way back down her stomach, watching for any sign of hesitation in her as I go to remove the last of her clothing.

Take your time, and if I'm lying to you...
I know you'll find that
you believe me, you believe me, you believe me...

Once I've got her naked, it's a fight not to just bury my face between her thighs - I've had long, involved fantasies about what she'd taste like, smell like - but I manage to keep the very last shreds of my self-control so I can draw that last little extra bit of pleasure out of her.

I slip a finger inside her, sliding it lazily in and out until she's writhing against the mattress, hands knotted in the sheets, and her cries are echoing off the walls.

Then I start trailing kisses up the inside of one thigh, feeling her push up against me as I also slide a second finger into her. I skip over to the other thigh and trail kisses up it, too, stopping a hair's breadth away from her sex to suck and nip at her skin and leave what I hope will be a mark.

I don't care who comes after me, she's mine now in a way they can never change, and I want the world to know it.

Her whole body tenses as I flick my tongue across her clit, savoring my first (and, I hope, not only) taste of her. Sensing how close to the edge she is, I repeat the gesture and then start nipping and sucking, hard, as her orgasm tears through her so intensely that it leaves her breathless and nearly takes me with her.

Feel the sun on your face and tell me what you're thinking.
Catch the snow on your tongue and show me how it tastes...

She rides out the aftershocks with a whimper, pushing against my hand, and I kiss her to quiet her. Judging by the way she returns the kiss, she likes the taste of herself on me...

Things quickly heat up again, until she reaches for me and ends up looking at me in confusion. "You're still dressed?"

Take your time...

I just grin at her. "You went off like a firecracker - I kinda had my hands full."

She grins back and starts tugging at my clothes. "Let's get you out of these - they can't be comfortable."

Take my hand, and if I'm lying to you...
I'll always be alone, if I'm lying to you...

Take your time, and if I'm lying to you...
I know you'll find that
you believe me, you believe me, you believe me...

I groan, jokingly, and pretend to bat her hands away. "You're going to kill me, you know that? They'll find me here naked, dead of heart failure."

"Probably." she replies sagely. "But first you'd actually have to *do* something to get your heart rate up."

"Oh, god..."

Take my hand, and if I'm lying to you...
I'll always be alone, if I'm lying to you...

Take your time, and if I'm lying to you...
I know you'll find that
you believe me, you believe me, you believe me...

She ends up on top of me as we mock-wrestle, grinning impishly as she pins me down. "We're not done here yet. Call this Round Two - and this time, you're playing..."

Then her hands are on me, and coherent thought is impossible.

You believe me...
You believe me...
You believe me...
You believe me...

2am Story Ideas...

2003-03-30T09:51:06Z

This is *so* what I get for letting my Muses try and lull me to sleep...

Idea One: La Beaute et La Bete (The Beauty and The Beast): Emma/Shal, and *so* NC-17...

Think 'Fractured Fairy Tale': Emma as the innocent village beauty and Shalimar as the feral mistress of the local manor. (Not sure what to do with the 'hideous beast' angle there - was thinking Shal's 'hideousness' could be an overreaction on Shal's part to the 'family legacy' of her feral catlike eyes. I could also go with some sort of scar, but it's *got* to be illegal to even think of marring that face.)

So far, it would appear I'm working with a hodgepodge of the original tale and the Disney (?!) version - Emma ends up Shal's 'guest' at her manor somehow, and ends up winning Shal's heart and freeing her spirit. Again, Shal's disfigurement becomes an issue - I don't like the scar idea, but she couldn't hide her eyes in any way that's right for a fairy tale. I could pull a Cupid and Psyche (the original Beauty and The Beast) and have Shal around only in darkness, *or* I could have Emma temporarily blinded, and regaining her sight towards the end as part of the plot complications (or resolution)...

Not sure *where* to work in Adam, Brennan, and Jesse yet. Should probably try to work in Eckhart as well... (A mad scientist who wants to study the 'beast' that haunts the manor?)

Idea Two: Mutant X Goes Witchcraft... (Rating unknown, and no immediate pairings that I can think of...yet...)

Basically, the Mutant X folks as part of the Witchcraft rpg setting. Psychics, mages, and werecats, oh my... *lol* This one's *very* nebulous, as I'm not familiar enough with Witchcraft to remember every power or character type...

(For the unfamiliar, think something like Buffy and Angel, only less campy - witches, werecreatures, ghosts, demons, and the like are real, and not all evil. Your character pretty much runs around fighting evil supernatural beings and trying to prevent the uber-evil Mad Gods and their cronies from making it into this dimension and turning it into Hell or something very like it.)

Emma - a Seer (psychic), probably a Wiccan as well. Would make her Fey (a Sidhe) if I had the stats for them, because Emma just has a certain fey quality to her...

Shal - a cat Feral. Yes, this game has Ferals *lol* - people who have been possessed by an animal spirit and turned into werecreatures. I'd even be nice and make her a Born Feral so she has control over her powers. (BTW, the rpg's example Feral character is eerily like Shal in attitude...)

Adam: Either a Rosicrucian (a particular type of mage) or just a Mundane with knowledge but no powers.

Jesse: Hard one - no way to duplicate his phasing powers. I can see him as either Divinely Inspired (able to work miracles by faith alone) or as a mage of some sort.

Brennan - I'm pretty sure I'd have to go with a mage focusing on the element of Air to copy his electrical abilities...

Eckhart and the GSA could easily work in as part of The Combine, who want to rid the world of any supernatural influence, the consequences be damned...

[For the uninitiated *lol* the American Heritage Dictionary definition of rpg (role playing game): A game in which players assume the roles of characters and act out fantastical adventures, the outcomes of which are partially determined by chance, as by the roll of dice.]

The Trouble With Muses, 03/29/03...

2003-03-30T05:33:19Z

Emma Muse: *enters with Shal Muse in tow* "Um, Meg...? I think we have a problem...."

Meg: "Oh? What's wrong?"

Shalimar Muse: *grabs Emma Muse tightly and nuzzles her neck with a faint grunting sound* "Warm." *sniffs at Emma Muse* "Smell good."

Emma Muse: *squeaks*

Meg: *arches an eyebrow* "Ummm... I'm not sure what to tell you, Em. It looks like she's gone, well, feral..."

Emma Muse: *glares* "Ha ha - very funny... I could use a little help here..."

Meg: *supressing giggles* "Cave Shal..." *dies*

Shal Muse: *purrs and licks Emma Muse on the face*

Emma Muse: "EWWWWWW!!!!!"

Website Updated...

2003-03-17T06:21:26Z

Updated Crimson Redd again to avoid homicidal thoughts about my roommates - added Thank You, Ch. 3 of No Angel, and Visionary...

Am thinking of adding some new graphics next update - could use some pics on each fandom and genre page, I think...

The Trouble With Muses, 03/11/03...

2003-03-11T09:12:16Z

*Emma Muse saunters up* "Hey, Meg. Whatcha doin'?"

Meg: *looks over at Emma Muse, notes the black leather domme outfit, and chokes* "Good Lord, woman, are you trying to kill me?!"

Emma Muse: *smiling and fidgeting idly with a riding crop* "It's the slutty red lipstick, isn't it?"

Shalimar Muse: *slipping her arms around Emma Muse and nuzzling an ear* "Nah - it's the black thigh-high 'fuck me' boots."

Meg: "This is because I watched the trailer to Double Vision earlier, isn't it?"

Emma Muse: *smugly* "Hey, it's not *my* fault I'm good when I'm bad."

Meg: *sighs and braces herself mentally* "Spill. I can handle it - I think..."

Emma Muse: "See, it's after everything in Double Vision - they got both sides of me put back together, just like in the ep, but the integration wasn't complete. Bitch!Emma resurfaces every so often, looking to play. What's a girl to do then but enlist the help of her masochistic best Feral buddy to help her work it out of her system?"

Shalimar Muse: *smiling at Meg* "I'm game if you are." *nuzzles Emma Muse again and purrs*

Meg: *sigh* "You two are enjoying this blatent exploitation of my current dangerously high levels of estrogen, aren't you?"

Shalimar Muse: "Hey, if you write this, we'll help you write a fic with that quote you saw on the corridor wall at work."

Emma Muse: *smiles* "'Lipstick stains on whipped cream thighs' - I like that..."

Meg: *sighs* "You would. I'll write this, but you two better be *damn* helpful with that babyfic..."

Shalimar Muse: "Oh, we will be. And I'll even help you with that auditory voyeurism idea, if you want - though we oughta decide who's being overheard first."

Emma Muse: "Is that your new kink this week, Meg? 'Cause I can work with that. That reminds me - we've still gotta punish Jesse for his misbehavior in 'Visionary'!"

Meg: *bangs head on desk and whimpers*

Mutant X Fic: "Visionary"

2003-03-05T23:05:29Z

Title: Visionary
Author: Margaret Brown, aka Andromeda Valentine
Fandom: Mutant X
Pairing: Shalimar/Emma/Jesse (kinda)
Rating: NC-17
Status: New (03/05/03)
Archive: Yes to list archives, anyone else please ask first.
Feedback: Yes, please!!
E-mail address for feedback: andromeda_valentine@hotmail.com
Series/Sequel: None, yet
Other Websites: Crimson Redd - http://www.angelfire.com/goth/crimsonredd
Disclaimers: Not mine - the Mutant X gang belongs to Tribune...

Summary: Jesse sees something he wishes he hadn't. Or does he?

Warnings: Explicit femmeslash, voyeurism, and an overall dark tone... Also, slight spoilers for a couple scenes in the Season Two ep "No Man Left Behind."

Notes: In response to Luzmaria's birthday fic request - any pairing, any fandom, including somewhere in the fic the line "I am not here, and they are not naked..." I was going to write her an Andromeda fic for it, but this idea hijacked me instead, and came out *much* darker than I'd anticipated...

And just in case it wasn't completely clear, the 'half-memory' Jesse has at the end is from 'No Man Left Behind' - Emma zaps some bad guys with a broadband projection of extreme panic, then forces Jesse to forget about it when he freaks over how intense a projection it was. *Very* creepy...

********************

I am not here, and they are not naked...

I'm not standing here in the shadows, an unseen voyeur by sheer accident of bad timing, and the woman I've only just begun to notice is *not* falling headlong into the arms of the woman I consider my sister...

I close my eyes, as if that'll make this all go away, but Emma's soft cry begs me to open them again. It's a tiny little mewl of pleasure from the back of her throat, an unconscious reaction to the feel of Shal's hands on her breasts, and it makes me burn to be in Shal's place.

Emma leans back against the wall, unbuttoned shirt sliding off her shoulders as Shal kisses her, and whimpers as Shal whispers something in her ear before tracing a path down to one erect nipple.

It occurs to me - again - that I should go before they notice me, giving them back their privacy, but I find myself with more care to stay than will to go. I can only hope, as I stand rooted to my spot, that neither Shal's Feral senses or Emma's empathy pick me up, because there'll be hell to pay if they do.

The thought fades as Shal straightens, shoving Emma's skirt up past her hips, and my body reacts to the fact that Emma apparently doesn't wear underwear, even under those short skirts of hers - another painful fact I'm sure to recall in the dark hours of long, sleepless nights.

Shal trails a hand up the inside of one of Emma's thighs, fingers threading through the dark hair between them, and Emma wraps a long leg around Shal's waist, trapping Shal's hand as she rides the rhythm it sets with tiny little cries that almost send me over the edge.

Then, just as I'm sure Emma's about to lose it and take me with her, they shift, Shal falling to her knees with Emma's leg propped up on her shoulder. I can't watch what comes next - it's too personal, too private - and I force my gaze upward to Emma's flushed and pleasure-ridden face, still unable to tear myself away, yet feeling even more the voyeur than ever.

Emma suddenly reaches a hand out to Shal, almost as if stroking her hair, and I notice the telltale static tingle on my skin with just enough time to guess what's about to happen and realize that I'm effectively at ground zero.

The psychic projection of Emma's orgasm rips through the air almost visibly, sending me into oblivion on something balanced on the razor-thin edge between pleasure and pain.

Consciousness returns only a few seconds later, but I have spots dancing in front of my eyes in time to the throbbing in my head, and my whole body aches.

Alone now, apparently unnoticed, and suddenly disgusted with myself, I retreat to the shower. I climb into bed afterwards, seeking oblivion again in sleep, but only find strange dreams filled with half-memories of lying shaking at Emma's feet as she stares down at me with inhuman eyes...

Bad News...

2003-03-02T01:19:19Z

I got an email from Julia - her sister died today.

I'd like to thank everyone for their prayers and ask that they spare just a few more for Julia's family as they try and cope with this...

Andromeda Fic: Thank You

2003-03-01T06:03:30Z

Title: Thank You
Author: Margaret Brown, aka Andromeda Valentine
Fandom: Andromeda
Pairing: Beka/Rommie
Rating: PG
Status: New (02/28/03); complete
Archive: Yes to list archives, anyone else please ask first.
Feedback: Yes, please!!
E-mail address for feedback: andromeda_valentine@hotmail.com
Series/Sequel: None
Other Websites: Crimson Redd - http://www.angelfire.com/goth/crimsonredd
Disclaimers: Not mine, and likely never will be; Beka and Rommie belong to Tribune, and the song Thank You belongs to Dido Armstrong...

Summary: Beka has a bad day just post-'It Makes A Lovely Light.' Rommie helps make it better...

Notes: This is for my friend Julia, who loves my songfics and my femmeslash and gets both here because she's in dire need of warm fuzzies right now. *hugs* The song is the ever-uplifting 'Thank You' by Dido, off her album No Angel.

Warnings: Non-explicit femmeslash, and lots of warm fluffiness...

********************

My tea's gone cold, I'm wondering why I
got out of bed at all.
The morning rain clouds up my window,
and I can't see at all -
and even if I could, it'd all be gray,
but your picture on my wall,
it reminds me that it's not so bad.
It's not so bad...

The day *starts* bad, like so many of them have since I got myself screwed up on Flash. I tossed and turned all night, kept awake by the random twinges and muscle cramps that never seem to go away, and it's only made worse by the fact that I can't even have coffee because the caffeine only makes them worse.

So, instead, I sip at some nasty herbal tea Trance prescribed and feel it grow colder and nastier with each sip as I stare morosely out the Maru's windows at the vast featureless expanse of space around this backwater Drift...

Then I catch a glimpse of her reflection in the window, and things brighten for just a nanosecond.

I drank too much last night, got bills to pay -
my head just feels in pain.
I missed the bus and there'll be hell today,
I'm late for work again,
and even if I'm there,
they'll all imply that I might not last the day...
And then you call me, and it's not so bad...
It's not so bad...

Unfortunately, it doesn't last. To top everything off, I made the huge mistake of accidentally partying *way* too hard last night, trying just to break the tedium *and* get a little sleep, and now have a massive hangover that's making that damned tea about a million times worse than normal.

Due to that oh-so-familiar hammering in my head, I've also missed the launch window for our trip back to the Andromeda while trying to jump through the bizarre series of hoops that passes for permission to depart around here, and it'll be another week before the next one. (Yep, *so* majorly backwater...)

I called Dylan, who was all smiles and "don't-worry-about-it"s while somehow making me want to just knock him one upside the face. I am *so* sick of being coddled and condescended to like I can't do my freakin' job anymore - I'm a recovering addict, damn it, not an invalid, and I *need* my normal routine just to keep from crawling out of my own skin right now...

Then a small hand settles on my shoulder, giving me a slight squeeze of reassurance that once again makes everything disappear as I take her hand in mine.

And I want to thank you for giving me the best day of my life...
And, oh, just to be with you is having the best day of my life...

I plant a small kiss on her palm, smiling for the first time the entire morning. "I'll be all right, babe, I'm just... edgy. I think I just need to get out of here for a while..."

So she sends me off to do a little shopping and strolling, complete with a list of things for dinner tonight.

Shopping done, I decide on a quick stroll through the Drift gardens to maybe snag a few flowers. It's not as pretty as Trance's, but it's strangely almost as relaxing, and I grab a bench to sit and unwind for a few minutes before heading back.

Unfortunately, with Valentine luck, I pick the bench right between two sprinklers that both decide to malfunction at once...

Push the door, I'm home at last,
and I'm soaking through and through.
Then you handed me a towel, and all I see is you -
and even if my house falls down now,
I wouldn't have a clue,
because you're near me...

The look on her face when I stumble back into the Maru would be priceless, if I wasn't cold, miserable, and dripping all over the deck.

She runs to fetch a towel and starts drying me off, and is finally unable to hold in her laughter anymore when our eyes finally meet. With that, a sense of the comic absurdity of it all hits home, and I end up laughing with her, reveling in the simple comfort of her presence as she helps me out of my wet clothes.

And I want to thank you for giving me the best day of my life...
And, oh, just to be with you is having the best day of my life...

Her comforting takes a distinctly more hands-on approach after that, and I find myself drifting off her in arms after, finally drained of all the nervous tension I'd been carrying.

And I want to thank you for giving me the best day of my life...
And, oh, just to be with you is having the best day of my life...

I pull her closer to me, sleepily murmuring the words I never thought I'd ever again say and mean. "Love you, Rommie..."

Andromeda Fic: 'No Angel' Chapter III - 'I'm No Angel'

2003-02-26T06:17:00Z

I haven't worked on this fic in literally months, so it may be helpful to know I have the first two parts on my website...

Title: No Angel III - 'I'm No Angel'
Author: Margaret Brown, aka Andromeda Valentine
Fandom: Andromeda
Pairing: Beka/Rommie
Rating: NC-17, eventually
Status: New (02/25/03); complete
Archive: Yes to list archives, anyone else please ask first.
Feedback: Yes, please!!
E-mail address for feedback: andromeda_valentine@hotmail.com
Series/Sequel: No Angel
Other Websites: Crimson Redd - http://www.angelfire.com/goth/crimsonredd
Disclaimers: Not mine, never will be - Beka and Rommie belong to Tribune, and the lyrics belong to Dido Armstrong...

Summary: Rommie has a breakdown and Beka helps her put the pieces back together. This part: Rommie makes her move...

Notes: See Chapter One for notes, etc.

Warnings: Femmeslash (duh) and a not-so-nice take on Dylan...

********************

I fall back onto the bed with a sigh, half-dozing already as I kick my shoes off and listen to the steady noise of the shower running. It went without saying that trying to give Rommie a taste of what it meant to live for herself would be exhausting, especially with only a week to do it in, but I hadn't anticipated the overwhelming enthusiasm Rommie seemed to have suddenly found for the project.

If you gave me just a coin for every time we say goodbye...
Well, I'd be rich beyond my dreams -
I'm sorry for my weary life...

I smile to myself as I cross my arms over my eyes and relax even further into the bed. Rommie had come into her own over the last few days in a way I never would have predicted - not without momentary stops and starts, of course, but enough so that I could finally be content she'd make it through everything with Dylan in one piece.

I know I'm not perfect, but I can smile,
and I hope that you see this heart
behind my tired eyes...

And, of course, there was the fact that she and I had only grown closer through all of this, though I've been steadily holding back the part of me that wanted to see exactly *how* far the relationship could go. Still, it was far from the torture I'd expected to see her finally reach a realization of her own attractiveness, and I actually felt an unexpected sense of pride at the number of heads that turned whenever we walked into a room.

If you tell me that I can't, I will, I will, I'll try all night.
And if I say I'm coming home,
I'll probably be out all night.

The shower cuts off suddenly, and I sit up - she'd insisted that she run her errands this morning unaccompanied, and all I had been able to ferret out was that they had included a trip to a clothing store and a beauty salon. Needless to say, I was both pleased *and* dying of curiosity...

I know I can be afraid, but I'm alive,
and I hope that you trust this heart
behind my tired eyes...

Several moments later, she steps out of the bathroom, and my heart nearly stops as my breath catches. She's dressed in a red and black silk halter top and black leather pants, both clinging to her in a way her simple uniforms never had and revealing a trim, lithe figure I'd only partly guessed at.

But that isn't even the biggest change...

'Cause I'm no angel,
but please don't think that I won't try and try.
I'm no angel,
but does that mean that I can't live my life?

"Your hair!" I finally manage to say, eyes glued to the headful of waist-length braids she now sported. She'd even ditched the electric blue streaking she'd had for weeks, and her hair was now jet black with streaks of red in various shades, all bound into those braids in such a way that the color seemed to shift in the light with each little movement.

I'm no angel,
but please don't think that I can't cry.
Oh oh, I'm no angel,
but does that mean that I won't fly?

Rommie just smiles at me, the clothes and hair lending her features a newfound exoticness that's simply breathtaking. "I *thought* you might like it. No offense, but I got tired of the blue." she adds, crinkling her nose to indicate she's teasing.

I just chuckle as I walk over to her. "It's okay - I like red, too." Something in her smile at that makes my heart skip just the tiniest beat, and I rush on to cover my sudden nervousness. "See, I told you you should wear your hair long - it looks great!"

I reach out without thinking as I speak, leading to an intensely uncomfortable moment where we're standing entirely too close, with my hand on her hair and her looking up at me with a glint in her eyes I can't quite place.

"You know, Beka," she says suddenly, "sometimes you talk too much." With that, she stands on tiptoe and kisses me, hard.

I know I'm not around each night,
and I know I always think I'm right.
And I can believe that you might look around...

The shock of the kiss overrides my senses momentarily before I break off and backpedal a step. "Rommie - what...?"

She just casts her eyes down, suddenly fragile again. "You don't want me either..."

I smile wryly. "Honey, you have no idea how wrong you are. But I don't want you to do this because you somehow think you owe me - you don't, not at all."

'Cause I'm no angel,
but please don't think that I won't try and try.
I'm no angel,
but does that mean that I can't live my life?

She shakes her head, eyes wide. "Oh, no - I've wanted this for a while. I just didn't realize it before..."

I can't help but kiss her again as she stands looking up at me like that. I'm not sure if this a good idea or not, but something tells me it'll work out just fine...

I'm no angel,
but please don't think that I can't cry.
Oh oh, I'm no angel,
but does that mean that I won't fly?

Love And Darkness And My Sidearm...

Mutant X Fic: The Red Room

Challenge for Future Reference

MX Fic: Comfort

'Bonding' Pairings & Notes

Mutant X Fic: Changing Perspectives

Firefly Idea...

I Have *Original Fic* Muses???!!!!

Mutant X Fic: Watching...Wanting...Fearing...Loving...

Argghh...

Story Idea - 'Snap!'

Story Idea List...

Notes: 'Visionary' Sequels...

Updated Writing List...

Mutant X Plot Bunny...

Official Fanzine 'To Do' List...

X-Men Fic: Call And Answer

Andromeda Fic: No Angel, Chapter IV - 'Take My Hand'

2am Story Ideas...

The Trouble With Muses, 03/29/03...

Website Updated...

The Trouble With Muses, 03/11/03...

Mutant X Fic: "Visionary"

Bad News...

Andromeda Fic: Thank You

Andromeda Fic: 'No Angel' Chapter III - 'I'm No Angel'

I Have Original Fic Muses???!!!!