Guidelines 1/1
Guidelines 1/1
Title: Guidelines
Fandom: Damages
Pairing: Patty/Ellen
Rating: PG 13
Disclaimer: I don't own them, they own me.
Author's notes: based on Patty's little "I don't get sick" number during therapy.
Summary: Patty is feeling under the weather and Ellen wants to help, but Patty has guidelines, and Ellen is trying like hell to break through them.
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"What about this one?"
"Mmm no..."
"I'll tell you what. There are two grapes left. You eat one and I eat one and we both win. Okay?"
"Okay."
Patty watches the exchange between Ellen and Catherine with a great deal of interest and confusion. She smiles briefly and watches on as Catherine eats one last grape in three bites, while Ellen pops her own in her mouth. The role of spectator is short lived, however, when a sneeze erupts from Patty unexpectedly and she instantly covers her mouth with a tissue in her hand. Both Catherine and Ellen turn their heads in her direction.
"Good morning--" Ellen greets with a smile.
"Hi, grandma." Catherine says in that sweet little quiet voice that makes everything all the better for Patty.
"Good morning," Patty manages through the ridiculous tone her voice has taken with the sinus problems. Not to mention, barely being able to keep her eyes open. She braves through it, however and walks into the kitchen, still in her robe and pajamas as she takes in the sight of her little girl--her other girl, and no Nanny, "Where is--"
"Oh, she's waiting downstairs. I told her I'd get Catherine ready for school today." Ellen assures Patty, then turns towards Catherine, who's just hopped off her seat at the counter, "Are we all ready?"
"Yeah," The tiny blonde answers with a prompt nod.
"You want to go get your coat?"
Catherine disappears through the door, leaving Ellen to explain, "I called the office and they said you called in sick. I had to see it for myself."
Patty rolls her eyes and turns to take a seat, as her head feels a little foggy, "It's somewhat disconcerting that you take so much joy in seeing me this miserable, Ellen."
"Well, actually--" Ellen starts, moving slowly towards Patty, "--I'm only jumping at the chance to take care of you--" She steps between Patty's legs leans in close, "--pamper you--" She adds and smiles as she nuzzles Patty's cheek. The other woman shivers a little and Ellen feels a tiny jolt of excitement.
Tiny approaching footsteps pull the two woman apart instantly, but Ellen is still smiling once Catherine returns, jacket and backpack in arms. In two minutes, Ellen's got both objects on the little girl and she picks her up to bring to Patty, "You want to say bye to grandma?" Catherine nods, and Ellen nods along, "Yes, let's say bye to grandma," When they're close enough, Ellen adds with a playful stare in Patty's direction, "And let's give grandma a kiss to make it all better because she's not feeling very well today."
Patty's glare disappears behind a kiss on either cheek--one more innocent than the other--and a bear hug from Catherine. Patty can't help but grin like a fool and she kisses Catherine back, "Be a good girl today."
Ellen leads Catherine out, the little girl talking about something Patty can't really hear, but imagines is about the infamous Blueberry. The front door opens and a mixture of chatting and laughing, followed by the door gently closing, tells Patty that Ellen has handed Catherine over.
Seconds later, the brunette appears again with a deep breath before stating proudly, "She ate an entire bowl of fruit. Tell me I'm great."
Patty smiles, "You are quite the revelation, Ellen."
"I know," Ellen says, returning to her place between Patty's knees, where she beings to gently push blonde locks back, caressing softly before leaning forward and stealing a chaste kiss, and meeting Patty's tired gaze, "Now, what can I do for you?"
Patty stares back.
Ellen instantly knows what she's staring about, "Come on, Patty. Enough with these rules. I'm here all the time as it is. Why does it matter that I get her ready for school when you're sick?"
Trying to ignore the hands currently combing through her hair in a way that makes her almost compliant, Patty says sternly, "She can't think that you sleep here--"
"Well--nine times out of ten, I'm not sleeping, now, am I?" Ellen retorts flirtatiously, then kisses Patty's cheek.
Patty ignores the comment as best she can and replies quickly, "--Ellen--"
"Okay-okay-okay, I get it," Ellen cuts her off, lips still against Patty's cheek as she leaves feather light kiss there, "It's one morning. Let's just--let it go, and then we'll see how it goes. I'm not going anywhere anyway, and I like Catherine."
"Catherine likes you a lot, too."
Ellen pulls back and touches Patty's cheek, then leans forward to press her forehead to the blonde's, "I seem to have that effect on the Hewes women."
Patty's mouth opens, but another sneeze takes over and she turns her head just in time for it to miss Ellen. Frustrated, she nearly growls, "I, literally, can't remember the last time I was sick. What the hell is going on?"
Ellen fights the urge to laugh at the almost pout on Patty's face before touching the older woman's forehead and feeling for temperature, "It's probably just a cold. Why don't you get back to bed? I'll make you some soup."
Patty glares at Ellen, but concedes anyway, getting up to leave the kitchen.
"And no working!" Ellen calls after her.
Forty-five minutes later, Ellen finds her doing just that.
"What did I say?" Ellen scolds from Patty's bedroom doorway. "Hey!" She tries again, but Patty continues to type away on her lap top, glasses perched on the ridge of her nose. Sighing, Ellen steps around to the other side of the bed and places the tray she so carefully arranged on the bedside table.
Patty only reacts when Ellen shuts her computer and pulls it off her lap, "Ellen, this is highly unnecessary."
"No working," Is all Ellen says, making sure to place the computer well out of reach before placing the tray on Patty's lap instead,
"Eat first."
Now, Patty notices the small touches and she smiles at the small, white rose--no doubt picked off the vase in the in the kitchen--placed promptly between the hot bowl of chicken soup and the hot cup of tea. "Well--" She says, "--I can't smell a thing, but this looks amazing, Ellen. Thank you."
"You're welcome," Ellen replies, then toes off her shoes before climbing in next to Patty, "Eat."
"You think that because I'm sick, you get to boss me around?"
Opening a magazine she's brought up with her, Ellen replies without missing a beat, "That's exactly how it works, baby. Get used to it."
Patty chuckles, then makes a hum-like sound at the first taste of soup, "Oh, god, this is amazing..."
"Thank you, I know." Ellen says smugly as she turns a glossy page.
Still savoring the lingering taste of a spoonful of Ellen's magic soup, Patty turns and stares at Ellen momentarily, "Aren't you supposed to be working?"
"I'm taking the day off," Ellen tells her plainly, "--to take care of you."
"Ellen, I don't need you to--"
"Be quiet."
"Excuse me?"
"Don't think I won't handle you myself if you choose not to obey."
Patty smiles to herself and returns her attention to her meal after saying, "I can't tell if you're scolding me or trying to turn me on."
Ellen turns another page she wasn't reading anyway and smirks, "If I accomplish both, it's a bonus."
"Hmm."
"So, listen--"
"Oh--" Patty groans through a hefty spoonful, "--I hate when you start sentences off like that. Nothing good can come of it."
Ellen laughs, but continues anyway, "Have you thought about taking Catherine to Disneyland any time soon?"
"...no. What's a preschooler going to know about Disneyland?" Patty asks, already weary of where the conversation is leading.
"Only every single thing, Patty," Ellen responds, deadpan. "Catherine would love Disneyland."
"Well--" Patty sighs, then takes a sip of tea before replying, "--maybe sometime next month, we could fly to California."
"You could, yes."
Patty watches Ellen continue to pretend she's reading her magazine a moment longer. She figures that torturing for a few more seconds can't hurt, "Ellen, would you like to come with us to Disneyland next month?"
"Well, I don't know, my schedule is kind of busy..."
Patty tilts her head to the side, Ellen not turning in her direction a single time, then answers casually, "Well, all right. We wouldn't want to inconvenience you or anything." before Ellen could reply with a smart ass remark, the blonde picks up the now empty tray and carefully places it on the nightstand before climbing out of bed and heading towards the bathroom, "I'm going to take a shower. Maybe it will help."
"--Kay..." Ellen says, offhandedly, waiting for the bathroom door to close before looking in that direction to glare in Patty's wake.
They've been a lot more domestic as of late. Mostly, due to Ellen's not so quiet persistence. Not that the invasion of personal space is much of a problem for Patty. Or Ellen, for that matter. They've been in each other's personal space since the day they met. And they wouldn't know how to be any other way if they tried. But, it's different now. Because there is Catherine to think about, after all. Catherine, who asks too many questions and loves Ellen more than Patty anticipated.
And then, there's Ellen, who seems to be just as taken with the little girl, and more than happy to spend her early mornings convincing Catherine to eat.
Patty sometimes thinks that Catherine's appearance in both their lives, has in some radical twist of fate, pacified whatever negative tension still lingered between her relationship with Ellen and made it into something they could both deal with. Except, Ellen tends to leave whenever she sees fit, and Patty isn't sure she can risk Catherine losing another parental figure so abruptly--constant as Ellen has been lately.
Still, Patty can't deny the ease occasional scenes of normalcy can bring.
As she shuts the blow dryer off and catches her reflection in the bathroom mirror, Patty feels happy. In spite of the lingering headache and stuffy nose which seems to be almost back to normal. She wonders, fleetingly, if perhaps, she's past this stage. If maybe, she's too old to feel this. She shakes it off quickly, however and fifteen minutes later, she descends down the stairs in comfortable, black pants that cling to her down to the ankles, and a soft, loosely fitting sweater she's had for years that she pairs with white slippers. There's no reason to change her shoes. She is supposed to be recovering after all.
When she sees Ellen fussing around the living room area, picking up numerous amounts of Catherine's belongings, Patty almost cannot help the sentence that falls from her lips, "Let's take Catherine to Disneyland."
Ellen turns from where she's just picked up a shoe, and once the initial shocks has passed, smiles, "Really?"
"Yes, but--" But Ellen already has both around Patty's waist and is softly kissing her. Once she manages a breath, Patty adds with a sigh, "--you're going to have to--go on all the rides and do all of that--I'm getting too old for that crap."
"Don't be ridiculous," Ellen tells her, steals another kiss, then adds with a slightly different connotation, "You are not too old for anything."
"Yes, that's true--"
"So..." Ellen begins, gently tugging Patty's forward a little, then looking up to meet expectant eyes, "...how do you feel right now? Do you feel very sick?"
Patty seems thoughtful with a brief glance up at the ceiling, "Not VERY sick, no."
"I think we should make sure," Ellen says with a decisive nod, then adds with another tug at Patty's hips, "So, why don't you go up to bed, and I'll be up in a few minutes to take your temperature..."
Patty hesitates, because she thinks there are better things to do in the middle of the day than have sex. She has guidelines about these things, "Hurry up." But these guidelines of hers are slowly becoming more like theories, rather than actual rules. Patty blames this on sex with Ellen. If the sex weren't as mind blowing as it is, chances are, Patty would be a lot more productive. And she probably wouldn't have remembered that she's human and is vulnerable to bacteria and infection and--just vulnerable.
Ellen has shouted something about playing Doctor as Patty reaches her bed. Patty's never been much for role playing, but she has a feeling that rule is about to go flying out the window, too.
She doesn't mind too much.
End.