Original: Loneliness (Emily and Tony) PG
Title: Loneliness
Author: Erin (erinm_4600)
Characters, Pairing: Emily and Tony (mention of Ken)
Rating: PG
Summary: In a moment of weakness, Emily calls Tony.
Warning: follows Desire *Written for Round Three of love_bingo. Prompt: loneliness Original titles are wholly unoriginal.
Disclaimer: For the first time, I can say that EVERYTHING about this one is bizarra's. Mwahaha!! Inspiration comes from a minivan at Downtown Disney, and bizarra's entry for the Make Your Own Fandom challenge at womenverse, with thanks.
Emily rolled over for about the hundredth time and sighed heavily as she stared at the ceiling. The evening had been downright exhausting, topped by an unexpected bout of tears when her mother came in to talk.
Having told her mother that she'd call Tony in the morning, Emily knew that she didn't want to call him at all. But, right now, he was the only person she could think of to call. Not Liz or Sherri, Pete, Ken, or Craig. Not even 'Shrink Robbins', as the boys called her.
With another sigh, Emily turned her head toward the night stand and eyed her phone. Rolling her eyes, she looked away again then rolled sideways to reach for it. It only took a moment for her to call up his name - she didn't exactly have a lot of names stored in the phone, after all. But, instead of dialing, she opened up a text message and stared at the blinking cursor.
What should she say to him? 'Hi. How's it going? Sorry to wake you, but they made me cry.'? Cancelling the message, Emily dropped the phone against the blanket and stared at the ceiling again. She was an adult, for God's sake. She didn't need him to play knight in shining armor and come rescue her.
But, Emily also knew that until she talked to someone, she wasn't going to get any sleep.
"Em? Emmmm..." she heard. Wide-eyed, Emily lifted the phone to see that she hadn't cancelled the message at all, but had instead hit DIAL. Cursing under her breath, Emily raised the phone to her ear.
"Hi.." she stumbled. "Sorry.. I didn't mean to-"
"It's okay," Tony laughed. "I was up." Emily couldn't help but smile, hearing the smile in his own voice.
"Up watching SportsCenter with your eyes closed?" she needled. He had always had a habit of nodding off in front of the TV.
"Is there another way to watch it?" he asked, laughing slightly.
"Eyes open usually gets a little more information," she replied.
"Yeah, yeah," Tony huffed. After a moment of silence, he asked: "So.. how's the family?"
Emily glanced at the blanket and made a face. "Everyone's fine. Mom's mad you didn't come visit. Made you an entire sweet potato pie that I now have to carry back, on my lap." She left out the part where the ride back to Orlando was going to be awkward enough, as she'd hitched a ride with her brother and sister-in-law, and two kids.
"I love pie," he hummed into the phone. He was keeping the conversation genial, mostly because he didn't want her to know that her father had already called him.
"How was the party?" Emily asked a moment later, fiddling with the hem of the blanket. "Ken get Cool Whip up his nose, this year?" she added with a slight chuckle.
"Nope, no whipped cream. I think he might have been hit on by one of the ostriches."
Emily smirked. "Well, that's what happens when he goes to the Entertainment party."
"Too handsome for his own good," Tony added, also laughing.
"I'm sorry," she said suddenly, then rolled her eyes.
"For what?" Tony asked, sitting forward on the couch.
Emily fiddled with the blanket again and made a face. How could she really have any tears left tonight? "For screwing us up," she said quietly, trying to keep her voice from breaking.
Tony closed his eyes and glanced at the floor. "You didn't." Lifting his head, Tony pushed up from the couch and started toward his bedroom. "What happened, Em?"
"Nothing," she replied quickly.
"Em. You called in the middle of the night, asked about Ken, and then said you were sorry. What happened?" He knew, of course, and was already pulling a duffel bag out of the closet. Her father had suggested he might consider coming up, to give her some moral support. But, Tony wanted to wait and see if she would call him.
"I just.. " Emily let out a heavy sigh and shook her head. "I had a bad night."
Tony closed his eyes and nodded. He could hear it in her voice, but he knew her well enough to know that she wouldn't say it outright.
"Worse than Ken getting hit on by an ostrich?" he asked, forcing a smile. Emily couldn't help but laugh as she turned her head toward the pillow. That sound made him smile, honestly. "Em," he said, then paused. "Go to sleep."
"Yes, sir."
"I mean it," he said through a smile. "You're not hanging up."
"Waiting on you," she replied tracing a light pattern against the pillowcase with her fingertip.
"I've got unlimited minutes, woman. I can wait forever."
Emily nearly snorted and before she realized it, she replied: "I love you." Immediately, her lips pressed tight and her breath held.
Tony smiled proudly and nodded his head. "I know."
Emily rolled her eyes and then turned to her side. "Go back to ignoring the TV, Han."
"Bye," he responded with a cheeky tone. A moment later, he heard the ended call and lowered his phone. Smiling again, he tossed the phone to the bed, then moved over to open a dresser drawer.
~*~
An hour later, he was pulling out of the gas station, and heading for the interstate on-ramp, north to Valdosta.
Author: Erin (erinm_4600)
Characters, Pairing: Emily and Tony (mention of Ken)
Rating: PG
Summary: In a moment of weakness, Emily calls Tony.
Warning: follows Desire *Written for Round Three of love_bingo. Prompt: loneliness Original titles are wholly unoriginal.
Disclaimer: For the first time, I can say that EVERYTHING about this one is bizarra's. Mwahaha!! Inspiration comes from a minivan at Downtown Disney, and bizarra's entry for the Make Your Own Fandom challenge at womenverse, with thanks.
Emily rolled over for about the hundredth time and sighed heavily as she stared at the ceiling. The evening had been downright exhausting, topped by an unexpected bout of tears when her mother came in to talk.
Having told her mother that she'd call Tony in the morning, Emily knew that she didn't want to call him at all. But, right now, he was the only person she could think of to call. Not Liz or Sherri, Pete, Ken, or Craig. Not even 'Shrink Robbins', as the boys called her.
With another sigh, Emily turned her head toward the night stand and eyed her phone. Rolling her eyes, she looked away again then rolled sideways to reach for it. It only took a moment for her to call up his name - she didn't exactly have a lot of names stored in the phone, after all. But, instead of dialing, she opened up a text message and stared at the blinking cursor.
What should she say to him? 'Hi. How's it going? Sorry to wake you, but they made me cry.'? Cancelling the message, Emily dropped the phone against the blanket and stared at the ceiling again. She was an adult, for God's sake. She didn't need him to play knight in shining armor and come rescue her.
But, Emily also knew that until she talked to someone, she wasn't going to get any sleep.
"Em? Emmmm..." she heard. Wide-eyed, Emily lifted the phone to see that she hadn't cancelled the message at all, but had instead hit DIAL. Cursing under her breath, Emily raised the phone to her ear.
"Hi.." she stumbled. "Sorry.. I didn't mean to-"
"It's okay," Tony laughed. "I was up." Emily couldn't help but smile, hearing the smile in his own voice.
"Up watching SportsCenter with your eyes closed?" she needled. He had always had a habit of nodding off in front of the TV.
"Is there another way to watch it?" he asked, laughing slightly.
"Eyes open usually gets a little more information," she replied.
"Yeah, yeah," Tony huffed. After a moment of silence, he asked: "So.. how's the family?"
Emily glanced at the blanket and made a face. "Everyone's fine. Mom's mad you didn't come visit. Made you an entire sweet potato pie that I now have to carry back, on my lap." She left out the part where the ride back to Orlando was going to be awkward enough, as she'd hitched a ride with her brother and sister-in-law, and two kids.
"I love pie," he hummed into the phone. He was keeping the conversation genial, mostly because he didn't want her to know that her father had already called him.
"How was the party?" Emily asked a moment later, fiddling with the hem of the blanket. "Ken get Cool Whip up his nose, this year?" she added with a slight chuckle.
"Nope, no whipped cream. I think he might have been hit on by one of the ostriches."
Emily smirked. "Well, that's what happens when he goes to the Entertainment party."
"Too handsome for his own good," Tony added, also laughing.
"I'm sorry," she said suddenly, then rolled her eyes.
"For what?" Tony asked, sitting forward on the couch.
Emily fiddled with the blanket again and made a face. How could she really have any tears left tonight? "For screwing us up," she said quietly, trying to keep her voice from breaking.
Tony closed his eyes and glanced at the floor. "You didn't." Lifting his head, Tony pushed up from the couch and started toward his bedroom. "What happened, Em?"
"Nothing," she replied quickly.
"Em. You called in the middle of the night, asked about Ken, and then said you were sorry. What happened?" He knew, of course, and was already pulling a duffel bag out of the closet. Her father had suggested he might consider coming up, to give her some moral support. But, Tony wanted to wait and see if she would call him.
"I just.. " Emily let out a heavy sigh and shook her head. "I had a bad night."
Tony closed his eyes and nodded. He could hear it in her voice, but he knew her well enough to know that she wouldn't say it outright.
"Worse than Ken getting hit on by an ostrich?" he asked, forcing a smile. Emily couldn't help but laugh as she turned her head toward the pillow. That sound made him smile, honestly. "Em," he said, then paused. "Go to sleep."
"Yes, sir."
"I mean it," he said through a smile. "You're not hanging up."
"Waiting on you," she replied tracing a light pattern against the pillowcase with her fingertip.
"I've got unlimited minutes, woman. I can wait forever."
Emily nearly snorted and before she realized it, she replied: "I love you." Immediately, her lips pressed tight and her breath held.
Tony smiled proudly and nodded his head. "I know."
Emily rolled her eyes and then turned to her side. "Go back to ignoring the TV, Han."
"Bye," he responded with a cheeky tone. A moment later, he heard the ended call and lowered his phone. Smiling again, he tossed the phone to the bed, then moved over to open a dresser drawer.
~*~
An hour later, he was pulling out of the gas station, and heading for the interstate on-ramp, north to Valdosta.