Love is harder than crime (3/3)
Title: Love Is Harder Than Crime
Author: ragelikeafire and
punky_96
Pairing: Emily Charlton/Lucy Diamond
Characters DWP: Emily, Miranda, and Nigel
Characters D.E.B.S: Lucy, Janet, Max, Mr. Phipps, Ms. Petrie, Dominique and Scud
Rating: PG-13 (language)
Summary: Emily struggles with her heart and her mind in order to save Miranda from the clutches of the evil Lucy Diamond.
Disclaimer: on our LJ/DW pages
A/N: See part one for our ramblings...
Love is harder than crime
Part three
Agent Emily Charlton, was ripped from the clutches of her dream by the incessant buzzing of the intercom, as it tore through her apartment. Trundling out of bed, she hit the panel in annoyance. “Wot!” Emily barked into the speaker.
A familiar face filled up the intercom screen and for a split second Emily thought she was still dreaming. “Max?”
“You betcha sweet ass!”
“What are you doing here?”
“Miss Petrie, reassigned me, said that the shit had hit the fan. Shoulda known you wouldn’t last long without me girl. You gonna let me in?”
Emily pressed the release button for the outside door and ended the call, as she muttered obscenities to herself. She reached for her cell phone and pressed the speed dial key. She wasn’t going to endure this pain alone.
“Janet.” She huffed into the receiver. “My apartment. Now!”
***
Janet cowered in the corner of the couch, tucking her fluffy bunny slippers under her body. Nursing a cup of hot sweet tea, she watched Max pace the length of the room, ranting about the code and regulations. ‘This is all we need!’ She thought looking to Emily and her wicked bedhead for some sign of hope.
Going through basic training and living together through to End Game; meant that Emily, Janet and Max had been through some tough times together. There had always been that bond and there always would be. However, in the last few years, Emily and Max had grown apart. She had been jetting around the world, engaged in top-level secret ops with MI6 and Interpol and Emily had spent her assignment getting coffee.
Emily chewed her bottom lip in frustration, not only had she failed her primary objective, she now had to sit there and listen to Miss Ego tell her exactly what she had done wrong.
“Max!” Emily shouted, stopping Max dead in her tracks. “Why are you here?”
“I’m here, because you messed up.” Max stood with her arms folded across her chest, tapping her toe on the floor.
Emily knew from the shit-eating grin on Max’s face, that she was just waiting for her to bite. What Max couldn’t appreciate was that her arrival and subsequent attempts to belittle Emily and Janet were just pitiful. If she’d had any idea of the type of mental torture and torment the two of them had been through on a daily basis working under Miranda, she wouldn’t have dared to challenge her. ‘In fact!’ Emily thought. ‘She wouldn’t have dared to show her face.’
“Couldn’t you have turned up to help at a more sociable hour?” Janet whined into her mug.
Max threw Janet a look of disgust before turning back to Emily.
The intercom buzzing warned them of Mr. Phipps’ imminent arrival although it was still always something of a surprise when his hologram appeared in the middle of the room. “Good evening, D.E.B.S.” He looked around at each of the three women before him. They were obviously up, but judging from the bed hair and bunny slippers Emily and Janet had been rudely woken up by the impeccably dressed Max. “We have intel on the location of Lucy’s lair. The coordinates will download to your home system Charlton. Remember safety first, D.E.B.S..” Mr. Phipps smiled once at them very quickly and then his hologram shimmered and was gone.
Max went to the bathroom to change. Emily rushed into her room heart racing and confused. Janet slipped back to her apartment taking deep breaths. She wasn’t sure how this was going to turn out and Max was an additional unpredictable variable that could drastically affect the outcome of this evening. Janet had always thought there was a special tension between Emily and Max, but had been unwilling to really analyze why she thought that was. Emily’s almost kiss of Lucy Diamond and the sudden appearance of Max renewed her past suspicions. She wondered what the story between them really was and how it would affect their interactions and Emily’s with Lucy. Having a few moments to wrestle with this myriad of facts, Janet came to the conclusion that she really just wanted Emily to be happy and if Lucy could do that for her, then maybe it was right. She hoped to talk to Emily about these things, but didn’t see how it would be possible with Max around.
Suited and booted they eyed each other over the coffee table each entertaining secret thoughts best kept from the others. Emily felt simultaneously exhilarated and concerned about seeing Lucy again; it was like she was being jettisoned through a tube and she had no other options but to move forward.
Max felt like she was back in the academy, a caged animal, hungry to best Emily in a face to face interaction and maybe finally capture her attention.
Janet found herself, once again swimming with the sharks, wondering what the hell the fall out would be from all of this. On a side note she was becoming increasingly convinced that Max had a thing for Emily even if Emily was blissfully unaware of it. How else could Janet interpret those furtive stares? And there was no mistaking the look me up and down, fuck me, undress me, take me, once-overs that Max was giving Emily!
“Coordinates?” Janet said to Emily.
Holding them up, Emily reminisced to her colleagues. “Remember when we went on our first mission?”
Janet laughed quickly at the memory of them running all over trying to get ready while Mr. Phipps was shouting at them from every screen in the house. “I couldn’t find my gun that time!” Janet’s girlish squeal was soon wiped off her face with a harsh look from Emily, the look to remind her that she couldn’t find her gun LAST WEEK.
Janet turned to Max. “So are you driving or are we taking the subway?”
Max looked hella-proud of herself and stuck her chest out. “I’ve got a sweet ride. Come on, D.E.B.S. let’s go!”
Checking their weaponry, protective gear and their GPS systems one more time Janet and Emily followed Max out into the hall and on to their mission.
*****
Most agents did not stand outside the building they were preparing to enter by force smoking a cigarette. Then again most agents did not go through men as fast as they went through cigarettes either. However, Dominique was not your usual agent. It made Emily smile to think of all the warnings Max had given her about the boys upstairs, curfew, and laundry. It was a fond memory when their days had been filled with blissful naivety. Dominique’s short plaid skirt kept the attention of the homeland security detail agents who had been assigned on the task at hand. Emily briefly smirked as she looked Dominique up and down through the lens of Runway. Nice legs, pouty mouth dragging on the cigarette, and body language that screamed ‘take me, fuck me, let me go’ shaking her head-Emily thought that Miranda would love her and Nigel would readily put her in animal prints and snake skin.
The lower floors of the nondescript target building were the run-down offices of the Mirror newspaper which had fallen on hard times. Emily wondered if Lucy helped to keep them afloat so that her building would not be so empty to deflect from the fact that she was using it as her criminal lair. Looking at the grey concrete, the old fashioned doors that hadn’t been upgraded since the 1950s, and with the drab signage on the front of the building Emily thought it really was a well chosen hide out. Right in the middle of New York where the comings and goings of Lucy and her colleagues would blend in, but it wasn’t so public and busy that a lot of attention was brought there either. The business of the newspaper provided round the clock action and gave the building a purpose. It would have been rare for anyone to look past the initial business to find out what the rest of the building was keeping. ‘Perfect!’ Emily thought as she considered Lucy’s genius.
Emily greeted Dominique and Seymour, the Head of the Homeland Security Detail, but as planning began she let Max surge forward to take a leadership role. She was in no mood for any additional drama.
The realization of what she was about to do had finally hit home. Storm into the secret lair of a criminal mastermind-the same woman that had not only kidnapped her boss, but also stolen Emily’s heart in the process-arrest her, and rescue the aforementioned boss. It was truly a heart breaking moment. ‘How had it come to this?’ She wondered, as the thoughts crashed over her amidst the sea of agents and bustle of preparations. How could it be when she followed all the rules, obtained the perfect score, and did everything that was expected of her only to fall for the dark princess. Emily was certain that she didn’t want to know how. In fact she was quite certain standing there outside Lucy’s building that she wanted to be in Barcelona at art school. She wondered if she really had to go in and arrest Lucy. ‘Couldn’t the other agents go in?’ She desperately asked herself. The thought of Lucy being taken away and never seeing her face again was too much for Emily and as she wiped a rebellious tear from her eye she caught Max staring at her.
“Too much for you, P.S.?” Max jeered.
Emily rolled her eyes. No one had called her P.S. since the academy. Perfect score, little-miss-perfect-score’ they had said behind her back and more than once to her face. That was fine because she knew that Max was the Perfect Scare, Dominique was the Perfect Whore, and Janet was the Perfect Bore. Sucking in a dragging lungful of air Emily had to fight laughter instead of tears as the juvenile epitaphs crossed her mind.
“Oh, God.” She rolled her eyes, “I love my job. Let’s do this.”
The tall dark homeland security agent cut the bolt, which secured the old delivery hatch, opening it just enough for the D.E.B.S. to crawl through. Weapons cocked and drawn they advanced on the flashing heat signatures which were indicated on their wrist GPS devices.
Much to Max’s visible annoyance, Emily led the formation forward. Guiding them through the abandoned rooms of the building, pausing at each blind corner and navigating around the various obstacles set to hinder their entrance.
Hearing the echoing sounds of music, Emily raised her fist and pulled it down to her side, silently instructing the four-woman team to halt and crouch. She crept forward, with practised stealth in her 4inch Mary-Jane’s to investigate.
“Oh my god, it’s from Dirty Dancing. I love that song!” Janet whispered excitedly before she remembered who she was talking to.
“Shut up!” Max spat shaking her head in disgust.
Peering around the blind corner Emily could see an unguarded room ahead which-according to her GPS-lead directly to the heat signatures they were tracking.
A strange feeling rushed through her mind and body. The lyrics of the song seemed to be talking to her, although she’d heard the song a million times before she’d never actually listened to it until now.
‘No, I never felt like this before. Yes, I swear it's the truth and I owe it all to you...
We saw the writing on the wall, as we felt this magical fantasy...
Now with passion in our eyes, there's no way we could disguise it secretly...
With my body and soul, I want you more than you'll ever know...
So, we'll just let it go. Don't be afraid to lose control’
If she had asked herself the question a week ago; who had her heart? Emily would have had no problem answering, resolutely, Miranda! But now, as the words began to register, she knew that from her first meeting with Lucy. She had been having the time of her life. Unfortunately she was a D.E.B.-it was her calling. It was time to end this.
Emily turned and signalled for the team to join her.
“It's a trap.” Stated Max matter-of-factly.
“Whatever.” Emily muttered rolling her eyes at Miss Condescension.
“Hey! Look. Creepy shadows. No bad guys in sight. Confined space! Trap!”
Emily wanted to wipe THAT look off her face so badly. “Why are to you giving me such a hard time? Do you think I can't handle it?”
Max placed a defiant hand on her hip. “No, I KNOW you can't handle it. You wouldn't know formation kappa kappa gamma if it smacked you on the ass.” She retorted, staring Emily down.
“We are going to die.” Janet whispered to Dominique.
“Oui!” Agreed Dominique as she lit up another cigarette.
Emily took a deep breath and moved into Max’s personal space. “This is my recovery operation-my primary target. I have given you the command and you, Maxine, will move your fucking arse! Do you understand?”
Max squared up to Emily. Emily squared up to Max. Janet stood open mouthed frozen in shock. Dominique took another drag on her cigarette and rolled her eyes.
“Oh mon dieu!” The chain-smoking French girl announced, interrupting the intense stare down. “Why don’t you just fuck her and get it over with?”
“Wha?” Max exclaimed.
“Wot?” Emily exclaimed.
***
As their song finished Scud strutted his stuff like a prize winning rooster going in a small circle in his farmyard pen. He held the microphone and made eye contact with Lucy and some of the other lieutenants participating in the duets challenge. His look was haughty and dared any of them to come forward and lay down a challenge to the winning team. He stopped after a couple of circles and smiled widely at Miranda. “I’ve got to hand it to you, Style Queen.” He said, “You have more than labels and a hot bod going for you. You can sing too.”
Miranda eyed him in thought. She wondered how she had ended up on this journey: kidnapped by an incompetently competent team, held somewhat hostage, invited to play games, and joked with like the smart sexy savvy woman that she was. It was beyond her why she did not want to chew him up and spit him out, and instead was thinking about what other songs they could sing and how much the twins would enjoy this. “I would worry about any other hidden talents I might have, Scud. I’m not called the Dragonlady for nothing.” She suddenly fixed him with one of her Runway death glares and waited for his reaction. As Scud backed away warily Miranda winked at him and jutted her hip out suggestively. “Who’s next?” She called, as she looked around the room.
Everyone looked to the floor, avoiding eye contact with her. Jesse, the youngest member of the team, quickly excused himself to the bathroom.
The banter was suddenly interrupted by a loud whooping siren and Scud whipped around to study the monitors. “Breach!” He yelled turning to lock eyes with Lucy and he went to the monitors he threw down the microphone with a loud thud.
Lucy’s loyal gang waited with baited breath as Scud tried to calculate which sensor went off, how much distance need to be covered, and how much time they had. Seconds was the last and most important answer and it came seconds too late.
Emily burst through the door with her weapon drawn. “Freeze!” She commanded as she scanned the room. The team spilled through behind her guns drawn and ready.
In the intense moment Emily hesitated, unable to process the surreal image of what must have been happening in that room as they approached. An image of Miranda and Scud with microphones in hand, singing ‘I’ve had the time of my life’ as a duet. Looking between Miranda, Scud, Lucy and the group of burly looking henchmen, she was suddenly unable to form words.
Seeing the murderous look in Max’s eyes, Lucy took advantage of Emily’s state of shock and bolted for the door.
Emily snapped back to reality as she watched Lucy race from the room and reassumed her post as the commander. “Max, Dom, Janet, secure the target and arrest these men.”
Max approached the henchmen with a group of homeland security officers in tow. Dominique and her smaller crew went to Miranda moving her to the perimeter of the living area. Janet growled in frustration as she followed Emily who followed Lucy. She could not precisely say what was going on in her friend’s head, but she knew this wasn’t the way the mission should be going down.
Following Lucy into the printing floor of ,i>The Mirror Emily was taken off guard by the noise of the running machines. She pointed one direction for Janet and then signalled where she was going.
Janet nodded and took off in the direction that Emily pointed. She looked up and down various corridors going around big drums of ink and endless bundles of aged newspapers.
Emily ran on, after seeing a glimpse of raven hair ahead. Her heart hoped to see Lucy again, but dreaded it at the same time. As she ran up a new corridor, in between what appeared to be a massive bale of newsprint, she was suddenly knocked off her feet as her body slammed into something from the side. Recovering quickly from the hit, Emily jumped to her feet and drew her weapon.
Once again, she found herself face to face with Lucy’s beseeching eyes and gun. Time slowed as she stared into Lucy’s eyes, pinned by the sparkle that she saw there and the lyrics that repeated in her head.
‘No I never felt like this before. Yes I swear it's the truth and I owe it all to you...
We saw the writing on the wall, as we felt this magical fantasy...
Now with passion in our eyes, there's no way we could disguise it secretly...
With my body and soul, I want you more than you'll ever know...
So, we'll just let it go. Don't be afraid to lose control’
The sound of her heart beating in her chest was deafening and suddenly Emily realised it was pounding to a different beat-everything had changed.
She admired Miranda, even lusted after the perfectionist’s body as it was paraded in front of her every day and demanded attention. It was suddenly clear however that the parade was as far as it was ever going to get. The true promise of love and being true to herself did not lay behind the steel blue eyes of her boss, but instead it was in the warm embrace that Lucy’s dark eyes offered her. A chance to be who she truly was, a glimmer of life in love, and a promise of true love were all clear as day as Emily breathed in and realized that she had been waiting for Lucy all this time.
“Come with me, what do you have to lose?” Lucy pleaded as she clicked the safety back on to her gun.
“Everything!” Emily whispered, biting her bottom lip.
“Think of what we could be together.” Lucy offered.
Emily hesitated and Lucy crashed forward wrapping her gun arm around Emily’s neck and pulling her close to her with her other hand on her hip. Emily gasped at the sudden contact but kissed back on instinct as if she had always known she was made for kissing Lucy Diamond. Lost in the fiery embrace, neither woman heard the approaching footsteps.
“I knew it!” Janet squealed as she arrived at the end of the corridor to find Emily and Lucy locked in a lover’s embrace.
Lucy pulled Emily close to her and drew her weapon on Janet.
“No!” Emily commanded as she pushed Lucy’s aim away from Janet.
Janet breathed a heavy sigh of relief, but then all three women snapped to attention again as the heavy steps of the back-up could be heard descending upon their position. Holding hands Lucy and Emily stepped back and looked at Janet and then up the corridor from where the steps were approaching.
Max and Dominique arrived with their guns drawn, ready for a fight and Emily stepped in front of Lucy to block them from hurting her. Miranda and Scud having followed the agents, stopped at a safe distance away from the possible gunplay.
“Agent Charlton, are you stupid?” Max spoke in disbelief. “What are you doing? That is Lucy Diamond. Evil incarnate. Why are you protecting her?”
“I’ve realised that this whole time I didn’t know who I was. I’ve been living a lie. You see the truth is; I feel more like me when I’m with her than I do when I’m with me. And the only brave thing I've done is what I'm doing now. So if you'll excuse me, I have a date with the devil.” Emily took Lucy’s hand stared into her eyes.
“Emmiiiilllleee?”
A shiver ran down Emily’s spine as she heard Miranda call her name.
“It seems I didn’t know you at all.” Miranda pursed her lips at Emily as she approached the group.
“Miranda, I...I...”
“No.” Miranda stopped the young British woman’s attempt at an explanation. “It wasn’t an invitation to speak.”
Emily cringed. Even after all this time, Miranda still had the ability to reduce her to a scared little girl.
“You do of course realize that you are fired?” Emily’s heart fluttered in her chest. The job wasn’t everything, but being fired was like failing. Then she caught the glint in the older woman’s eyes and knew that everything was going to be ok.
“Thank you, Miranda.” Emily smiled at Miranda.
“And you, young lady.” Miranda turned to address Lucy. “If you break her heart, you will have me to answer to. Do you understand?”
Lucy smiled. “Yes, Ma’am.”
Miranda brushed passed them to leave. Her hips were swaying and heels clacking as she walked away. “Emily come...” She commented over her shoulder.
Janet looked at Emily confused.
“She means you...” Emily mouthed as she pointed at Janet.
Epilogue
Our heroines Lucy and Emily were able to escape incarceration and ride off into the sunset together to begin their perfect fairytale life together.
The world of fashion heaved a reluctant sigh of relief as Miranda Priestly returned to her diamond encrusted throne, to continue her tyrannous reign.
Loyal to the core, Janet decided to stay on at Runway and protect Miranda. This meant taking the responsibility of first assistant, but she was promised by the agency that she would receive backup within days. Janet is now eagerly awaiting the arrival of the new second assistant, a rookie fresh out of the academy, Agent Andrea Sachs.
Scud decided to take a new direction in life and join dear Uncle Nigel as he took the reigns on the latest member of the EC family, Men’s Runway. Scud always knew he had a creative flare.
Thanks to Emily Charlton and Lucy Diamond, life in the international world of crime and within the walls of Elias Clark would never be the same again.
*************
N.b - Our song choices were already firmly in place before the sad loss of Patrick Swayze last week. However, I thought it was only fitting to give him a nod at the end.
The Punkmeister and I have shared many tears of laughter over the linked video, we hope you do too.
Author: ragelikeafire and
punky_96
Pairing: Emily Charlton/Lucy Diamond
Characters DWP: Emily, Miranda, and Nigel
Characters D.E.B.S: Lucy, Janet, Max, Mr. Phipps, Ms. Petrie, Dominique and Scud
Rating: PG-13 (language)
Summary: Emily struggles with her heart and her mind in order to save Miranda from the clutches of the evil Lucy Diamond.
Disclaimer: on our LJ/DW pages
A/N: See part one for our ramblings...
Love is harder than crime
Part three
Agent Emily Charlton, was ripped from the clutches of her dream by the incessant buzzing of the intercom, as it tore through her apartment. Trundling out of bed, she hit the panel in annoyance. “Wot!” Emily barked into the speaker.
A familiar face filled up the intercom screen and for a split second Emily thought she was still dreaming. “Max?”
“You betcha sweet ass!”
“What are you doing here?”
“Miss Petrie, reassigned me, said that the shit had hit the fan. Shoulda known you wouldn’t last long without me girl. You gonna let me in?”
Emily pressed the release button for the outside door and ended the call, as she muttered obscenities to herself. She reached for her cell phone and pressed the speed dial key. She wasn’t going to endure this pain alone.
“Janet.” She huffed into the receiver. “My apartment. Now!”
***
Janet cowered in the corner of the couch, tucking her fluffy bunny slippers under her body. Nursing a cup of hot sweet tea, she watched Max pace the length of the room, ranting about the code and regulations. ‘This is all we need!’ She thought looking to Emily and her wicked bedhead for some sign of hope.
Going through basic training and living together through to End Game; meant that Emily, Janet and Max had been through some tough times together. There had always been that bond and there always would be. However, in the last few years, Emily and Max had grown apart. She had been jetting around the world, engaged in top-level secret ops with MI6 and Interpol and Emily had spent her assignment getting coffee.
Emily chewed her bottom lip in frustration, not only had she failed her primary objective, she now had to sit there and listen to Miss Ego tell her exactly what she had done wrong.
“Max!” Emily shouted, stopping Max dead in her tracks. “Why are you here?”
“I’m here, because you messed up.” Max stood with her arms folded across her chest, tapping her toe on the floor.
Emily knew from the shit-eating grin on Max’s face, that she was just waiting for her to bite. What Max couldn’t appreciate was that her arrival and subsequent attempts to belittle Emily and Janet were just pitiful. If she’d had any idea of the type of mental torture and torment the two of them had been through on a daily basis working under Miranda, she wouldn’t have dared to challenge her. ‘In fact!’ Emily thought. ‘She wouldn’t have dared to show her face.’
“Couldn’t you have turned up to help at a more sociable hour?” Janet whined into her mug.
Max threw Janet a look of disgust before turning back to Emily.
The intercom buzzing warned them of Mr. Phipps’ imminent arrival although it was still always something of a surprise when his hologram appeared in the middle of the room. “Good evening, D.E.B.S.” He looked around at each of the three women before him. They were obviously up, but judging from the bed hair and bunny slippers Emily and Janet had been rudely woken up by the impeccably dressed Max. “We have intel on the location of Lucy’s lair. The coordinates will download to your home system Charlton. Remember safety first, D.E.B.S..” Mr. Phipps smiled once at them very quickly and then his hologram shimmered and was gone.
Max went to the bathroom to change. Emily rushed into her room heart racing and confused. Janet slipped back to her apartment taking deep breaths. She wasn’t sure how this was going to turn out and Max was an additional unpredictable variable that could drastically affect the outcome of this evening. Janet had always thought there was a special tension between Emily and Max, but had been unwilling to really analyze why she thought that was. Emily’s almost kiss of Lucy Diamond and the sudden appearance of Max renewed her past suspicions. She wondered what the story between them really was and how it would affect their interactions and Emily’s with Lucy. Having a few moments to wrestle with this myriad of facts, Janet came to the conclusion that she really just wanted Emily to be happy and if Lucy could do that for her, then maybe it was right. She hoped to talk to Emily about these things, but didn’t see how it would be possible with Max around.
Suited and booted they eyed each other over the coffee table each entertaining secret thoughts best kept from the others. Emily felt simultaneously exhilarated and concerned about seeing Lucy again; it was like she was being jettisoned through a tube and she had no other options but to move forward.
Max felt like she was back in the academy, a caged animal, hungry to best Emily in a face to face interaction and maybe finally capture her attention.
Janet found herself, once again swimming with the sharks, wondering what the hell the fall out would be from all of this. On a side note she was becoming increasingly convinced that Max had a thing for Emily even if Emily was blissfully unaware of it. How else could Janet interpret those furtive stares? And there was no mistaking the look me up and down, fuck me, undress me, take me, once-overs that Max was giving Emily!
“Coordinates?” Janet said to Emily.
Holding them up, Emily reminisced to her colleagues. “Remember when we went on our first mission?”
Janet laughed quickly at the memory of them running all over trying to get ready while Mr. Phipps was shouting at them from every screen in the house. “I couldn’t find my gun that time!” Janet’s girlish squeal was soon wiped off her face with a harsh look from Emily, the look to remind her that she couldn’t find her gun LAST WEEK.
Janet turned to Max. “So are you driving or are we taking the subway?”
Max looked hella-proud of herself and stuck her chest out. “I’ve got a sweet ride. Come on, D.E.B.S. let’s go!”
Checking their weaponry, protective gear and their GPS systems one more time Janet and Emily followed Max out into the hall and on to their mission.
*****
Most agents did not stand outside the building they were preparing to enter by force smoking a cigarette. Then again most agents did not go through men as fast as they went through cigarettes either. However, Dominique was not your usual agent. It made Emily smile to think of all the warnings Max had given her about the boys upstairs, curfew, and laundry. It was a fond memory when their days had been filled with blissful naivety. Dominique’s short plaid skirt kept the attention of the homeland security detail agents who had been assigned on the task at hand. Emily briefly smirked as she looked Dominique up and down through the lens of Runway. Nice legs, pouty mouth dragging on the cigarette, and body language that screamed ‘take me, fuck me, let me go’ shaking her head-Emily thought that Miranda would love her and Nigel would readily put her in animal prints and snake skin.
The lower floors of the nondescript target building were the run-down offices of the Mirror newspaper which had fallen on hard times. Emily wondered if Lucy helped to keep them afloat so that her building would not be so empty to deflect from the fact that she was using it as her criminal lair. Looking at the grey concrete, the old fashioned doors that hadn’t been upgraded since the 1950s, and with the drab signage on the front of the building Emily thought it really was a well chosen hide out. Right in the middle of New York where the comings and goings of Lucy and her colleagues would blend in, but it wasn’t so public and busy that a lot of attention was brought there either. The business of the newspaper provided round the clock action and gave the building a purpose. It would have been rare for anyone to look past the initial business to find out what the rest of the building was keeping. ‘Perfect!’ Emily thought as she considered Lucy’s genius.
Emily greeted Dominique and Seymour, the Head of the Homeland Security Detail, but as planning began she let Max surge forward to take a leadership role. She was in no mood for any additional drama.
The realization of what she was about to do had finally hit home. Storm into the secret lair of a criminal mastermind-the same woman that had not only kidnapped her boss, but also stolen Emily’s heart in the process-arrest her, and rescue the aforementioned boss. It was truly a heart breaking moment. ‘How had it come to this?’ She wondered, as the thoughts crashed over her amidst the sea of agents and bustle of preparations. How could it be when she followed all the rules, obtained the perfect score, and did everything that was expected of her only to fall for the dark princess. Emily was certain that she didn’t want to know how. In fact she was quite certain standing there outside Lucy’s building that she wanted to be in Barcelona at art school. She wondered if she really had to go in and arrest Lucy. ‘Couldn’t the other agents go in?’ She desperately asked herself. The thought of Lucy being taken away and never seeing her face again was too much for Emily and as she wiped a rebellious tear from her eye she caught Max staring at her.
“Too much for you, P.S.?” Max jeered.
Emily rolled her eyes. No one had called her P.S. since the academy. Perfect score, little-miss-perfect-score’ they had said behind her back and more than once to her face. That was fine because she knew that Max was the Perfect Scare, Dominique was the Perfect Whore, and Janet was the Perfect Bore. Sucking in a dragging lungful of air Emily had to fight laughter instead of tears as the juvenile epitaphs crossed her mind.
“Oh, God.” She rolled her eyes, “I love my job. Let’s do this.”
The tall dark homeland security agent cut the bolt, which secured the old delivery hatch, opening it just enough for the D.E.B.S. to crawl through. Weapons cocked and drawn they advanced on the flashing heat signatures which were indicated on their wrist GPS devices.
Much to Max’s visible annoyance, Emily led the formation forward. Guiding them through the abandoned rooms of the building, pausing at each blind corner and navigating around the various obstacles set to hinder their entrance.
Hearing the echoing sounds of music, Emily raised her fist and pulled it down to her side, silently instructing the four-woman team to halt and crouch. She crept forward, with practised stealth in her 4inch Mary-Jane’s to investigate.
“Oh my god, it’s from Dirty Dancing. I love that song!” Janet whispered excitedly before she remembered who she was talking to.
“Shut up!” Max spat shaking her head in disgust.
Peering around the blind corner Emily could see an unguarded room ahead which-according to her GPS-lead directly to the heat signatures they were tracking.
A strange feeling rushed through her mind and body. The lyrics of the song seemed to be talking to her, although she’d heard the song a million times before she’d never actually listened to it until now.
‘No, I never felt like this before. Yes, I swear it's the truth and I owe it all to you...
We saw the writing on the wall, as we felt this magical fantasy...
Now with passion in our eyes, there's no way we could disguise it secretly...
With my body and soul, I want you more than you'll ever know...
So, we'll just let it go. Don't be afraid to lose control’
If she had asked herself the question a week ago; who had her heart? Emily would have had no problem answering, resolutely, Miranda! But now, as the words began to register, she knew that from her first meeting with Lucy. She had been having the time of her life. Unfortunately she was a D.E.B.-it was her calling. It was time to end this.
Emily turned and signalled for the team to join her.
“It's a trap.” Stated Max matter-of-factly.
“Whatever.” Emily muttered rolling her eyes at Miss Condescension.
“Hey! Look. Creepy shadows. No bad guys in sight. Confined space! Trap!”
Emily wanted to wipe THAT look off her face so badly. “Why are to you giving me such a hard time? Do you think I can't handle it?”
Max placed a defiant hand on her hip. “No, I KNOW you can't handle it. You wouldn't know formation kappa kappa gamma if it smacked you on the ass.” She retorted, staring Emily down.
“We are going to die.” Janet whispered to Dominique.
“Oui!” Agreed Dominique as she lit up another cigarette.
Emily took a deep breath and moved into Max’s personal space. “This is my recovery operation-my primary target. I have given you the command and you, Maxine, will move your fucking arse! Do you understand?”
Max squared up to Emily. Emily squared up to Max. Janet stood open mouthed frozen in shock. Dominique took another drag on her cigarette and rolled her eyes.
“Oh mon dieu!” The chain-smoking French girl announced, interrupting the intense stare down. “Why don’t you just fuck her and get it over with?”
“Wha?” Max exclaimed.
“Wot?” Emily exclaimed.
***
As their song finished Scud strutted his stuff like a prize winning rooster going in a small circle in his farmyard pen. He held the microphone and made eye contact with Lucy and some of the other lieutenants participating in the duets challenge. His look was haughty and dared any of them to come forward and lay down a challenge to the winning team. He stopped after a couple of circles and smiled widely at Miranda. “I’ve got to hand it to you, Style Queen.” He said, “You have more than labels and a hot bod going for you. You can sing too.”
Miranda eyed him in thought. She wondered how she had ended up on this journey: kidnapped by an incompetently competent team, held somewhat hostage, invited to play games, and joked with like the smart sexy savvy woman that she was. It was beyond her why she did not want to chew him up and spit him out, and instead was thinking about what other songs they could sing and how much the twins would enjoy this. “I would worry about any other hidden talents I might have, Scud. I’m not called the Dragonlady for nothing.” She suddenly fixed him with one of her Runway death glares and waited for his reaction. As Scud backed away warily Miranda winked at him and jutted her hip out suggestively. “Who’s next?” She called, as she looked around the room.
Everyone looked to the floor, avoiding eye contact with her. Jesse, the youngest member of the team, quickly excused himself to the bathroom.
The banter was suddenly interrupted by a loud whooping siren and Scud whipped around to study the monitors. “Breach!” He yelled turning to lock eyes with Lucy and he went to the monitors he threw down the microphone with a loud thud.
Lucy’s loyal gang waited with baited breath as Scud tried to calculate which sensor went off, how much distance need to be covered, and how much time they had. Seconds was the last and most important answer and it came seconds too late.
Emily burst through the door with her weapon drawn. “Freeze!” She commanded as she scanned the room. The team spilled through behind her guns drawn and ready.
In the intense moment Emily hesitated, unable to process the surreal image of what must have been happening in that room as they approached. An image of Miranda and Scud with microphones in hand, singing ‘I’ve had the time of my life’ as a duet. Looking between Miranda, Scud, Lucy and the group of burly looking henchmen, she was suddenly unable to form words.
Seeing the murderous look in Max’s eyes, Lucy took advantage of Emily’s state of shock and bolted for the door.
Emily snapped back to reality as she watched Lucy race from the room and reassumed her post as the commander. “Max, Dom, Janet, secure the target and arrest these men.”
Max approached the henchmen with a group of homeland security officers in tow. Dominique and her smaller crew went to Miranda moving her to the perimeter of the living area. Janet growled in frustration as she followed Emily who followed Lucy. She could not precisely say what was going on in her friend’s head, but she knew this wasn’t the way the mission should be going down.
Following Lucy into the printing floor of ,i>The Mirror Emily was taken off guard by the noise of the running machines. She pointed one direction for Janet and then signalled where she was going.
Janet nodded and took off in the direction that Emily pointed. She looked up and down various corridors going around big drums of ink and endless bundles of aged newspapers.
Emily ran on, after seeing a glimpse of raven hair ahead. Her heart hoped to see Lucy again, but dreaded it at the same time. As she ran up a new corridor, in between what appeared to be a massive bale of newsprint, she was suddenly knocked off her feet as her body slammed into something from the side. Recovering quickly from the hit, Emily jumped to her feet and drew her weapon.
Once again, she found herself face to face with Lucy’s beseeching eyes and gun. Time slowed as she stared into Lucy’s eyes, pinned by the sparkle that she saw there and the lyrics that repeated in her head.
‘No I never felt like this before. Yes I swear it's the truth and I owe it all to you...
We saw the writing on the wall, as we felt this magical fantasy...
Now with passion in our eyes, there's no way we could disguise it secretly...
With my body and soul, I want you more than you'll ever know...
So, we'll just let it go. Don't be afraid to lose control’
The sound of her heart beating in her chest was deafening and suddenly Emily realised it was pounding to a different beat-everything had changed.
She admired Miranda, even lusted after the perfectionist’s body as it was paraded in front of her every day and demanded attention. It was suddenly clear however that the parade was as far as it was ever going to get. The true promise of love and being true to herself did not lay behind the steel blue eyes of her boss, but instead it was in the warm embrace that Lucy’s dark eyes offered her. A chance to be who she truly was, a glimmer of life in love, and a promise of true love were all clear as day as Emily breathed in and realized that she had been waiting for Lucy all this time.
“Come with me, what do you have to lose?” Lucy pleaded as she clicked the safety back on to her gun.
“Everything!” Emily whispered, biting her bottom lip.
“Think of what we could be together.” Lucy offered.
Emily hesitated and Lucy crashed forward wrapping her gun arm around Emily’s neck and pulling her close to her with her other hand on her hip. Emily gasped at the sudden contact but kissed back on instinct as if she had always known she was made for kissing Lucy Diamond. Lost in the fiery embrace, neither woman heard the approaching footsteps.
“I knew it!” Janet squealed as she arrived at the end of the corridor to find Emily and Lucy locked in a lover’s embrace.
Lucy pulled Emily close to her and drew her weapon on Janet.
“No!” Emily commanded as she pushed Lucy’s aim away from Janet.
Janet breathed a heavy sigh of relief, but then all three women snapped to attention again as the heavy steps of the back-up could be heard descending upon their position. Holding hands Lucy and Emily stepped back and looked at Janet and then up the corridor from where the steps were approaching.
Max and Dominique arrived with their guns drawn, ready for a fight and Emily stepped in front of Lucy to block them from hurting her. Miranda and Scud having followed the agents, stopped at a safe distance away from the possible gunplay.
“Agent Charlton, are you stupid?” Max spoke in disbelief. “What are you doing? That is Lucy Diamond. Evil incarnate. Why are you protecting her?”
“I’ve realised that this whole time I didn’t know who I was. I’ve been living a lie. You see the truth is; I feel more like me when I’m with her than I do when I’m with me. And the only brave thing I've done is what I'm doing now. So if you'll excuse me, I have a date with the devil.” Emily took Lucy’s hand stared into her eyes.
“Emmiiiilllleee?”
A shiver ran down Emily’s spine as she heard Miranda call her name.
“It seems I didn’t know you at all.” Miranda pursed her lips at Emily as she approached the group.
“Miranda, I...I...”
“No.” Miranda stopped the young British woman’s attempt at an explanation. “It wasn’t an invitation to speak.”
Emily cringed. Even after all this time, Miranda still had the ability to reduce her to a scared little girl.
“You do of course realize that you are fired?” Emily’s heart fluttered in her chest. The job wasn’t everything, but being fired was like failing. Then she caught the glint in the older woman’s eyes and knew that everything was going to be ok.
“Thank you, Miranda.” Emily smiled at Miranda.
“And you, young lady.” Miranda turned to address Lucy. “If you break her heart, you will have me to answer to. Do you understand?”
Lucy smiled. “Yes, Ma’am.”
Miranda brushed passed them to leave. Her hips were swaying and heels clacking as she walked away. “Emily come...” She commented over her shoulder.
Janet looked at Emily confused.
“She means you...” Emily mouthed as she pointed at Janet.
Epilogue
Our heroines Lucy and Emily were able to escape incarceration and ride off into the sunset together to begin their perfect fairytale life together.
The world of fashion heaved a reluctant sigh of relief as Miranda Priestly returned to her diamond encrusted throne, to continue her tyrannous reign.
Loyal to the core, Janet decided to stay on at Runway and protect Miranda. This meant taking the responsibility of first assistant, but she was promised by the agency that she would receive backup within days. Janet is now eagerly awaiting the arrival of the new second assistant, a rookie fresh out of the academy, Agent Andrea Sachs.
Scud decided to take a new direction in life and join dear Uncle Nigel as he took the reigns on the latest member of the EC family, Men’s Runway. Scud always knew he had a creative flare.
Thanks to Emily Charlton and Lucy Diamond, life in the international world of crime and within the walls of Elias Clark would never be the same again.
*************
N.b - Our song choices were already firmly in place before the sad loss of Patrick Swayze last week. However, I thought it was only fitting to give him a nod at the end.
The Punkmeister and I have shared many tears of laughter over the linked video, we hope you do too.
Click to view