Chapter Text
Several weeks had passed since the night Andy and Emily first kissed. Weeks filled with more stolen kisses, brief touches at the office, around the kids, and dates in restaurants hidden as far from the city center as possible.
There were mornings when Andy set her alarm painfully early to slip out of Emily's apartment before the kids woke up. Afternoons where they tried to leave work together without making it look too obvious. And evenings where not much had changed, since Andy still fell asleep on Emily's couch while watching the kids, with one small exception: now, she wasn't awakened by a key turning in the lock, but by the warm touch of the other woman and a sleepy invitation to the bedroom.
They had become experts at functioning in fragments, or at least they liked to think so. Emily deftly swapped her masks, while Andy found it a bit harder to hide her puppy eyes whenever the redhead was in sight. Still, no one commented on it.
"Do you think anything would have come of this if you hadn't stumbled across that fanfiction online and told me?" Emily asked one day.
"I was thinking about that yesterday. And honestly? It's hard to say. I mean... it's not like Nigel wasn't regularly pestering me about you. But when you see hundreds of people latching onto the subject, well... things take on a bit of a different dimension."
"Okay, want to know a secret?" Emily leaned against the kitchen counter and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Oh, now I'm intrigued."
"I was planning on telling you," she began. "Actually... I was planning to get you a little drunk first, because you always get so clingy when you're tipsy. And myself too, obviously, so I wouldn't lack the courage."
Andy burst out laughing, shaking her head in disbelief. "Really? Are you implying I'm easy when I'm drunk?"
Sachs stepped closer and wrapped her arms around the woman's waist.
"No, not at all! I'm just saying you get even softer and more adorable."
"Sounds pretty much the same to me," Andy capped their lips with a kiss. "But I appreciate the thought, sweetheart. In fact, I'd like to experience that."
"Mmm... I think it's a bit too late for that," Emily murmured between kisses.
"Halfway thank God."
Andy moved even closer, pressing the girl against the cabinet. Her hands quickly found their way to Emily's thighs, and with a swift motion, she hoisted her onto the counter, never breaking the kiss for a single second.
"You drive me crazy so easily that it’s almost embarrassing."
She felt Emily smile, and defiantly, the redhead shifted one of her hands toward Andy's chest. Andy found her place between Charlton's legs, pressing against her even harder, leaving not a single centimeter of space between them.
They couldn't get enough of each other, every kiss, every touch felt incapable of filling the void of those years spent apart. Now, they weren't wasting a single second making up for lost time. They were like teenagers discovering for the first time what it meant to be close to someone.
"Mom, can we-"
Andy tore herself away from Emily as if she'd been burned. Her heart leaped into her throat, and it took an eternity before she resolved to turn toward the voice.
"What are you doing?" Bronwyn stood in the doorway, watching them with her perceptive eyes.
"Oh, nothing much," Emily slid off the counter. "Mom got something in her eye and Andy was helping me get it out. What is it, sweetheart?"
Andy felt her cheeks burn-no, sting-burn. She safely took a few steps back and turned toward the sink, pouring water into a glass.
"Can we watch a cartoon? Pleeease, we're already done with our homework and we're bored."
"Um, yeah, of course you can. We..." Emily hesitated. "I'm... about to make dinner soon. Can you handle turning it on yourselves?"
The little girl nodded happily, offered a quick thank you, and vanished past the wall. Once the sound of her running up the stairs faded, Emily buried her face in her hands and let out a deep sigh.
"Do you think she saw anything?"
"I... I don't know. Probably not? Jesus, I feel like an irresponsible idiot. We need to be more careful."
"Hey, you are not an irresponsible idiot. Besides, I initiated the whole thing. I knew the kids were home."
"And I didn't protest. God, I feel so stupid."
"Ems, calm down," Andy's hand found its way back to the woman's waist, and she kissed the top of her head. "Maybe we should just tell them?"
Emily closed her eyes. Andy knew how to ground her like no one else. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt as at peace as she had these past few weeks since they allowed themselves this closeness. She hadn't had the courage to confront it, but she was convinced others had noticed and thought something. They were both aware of it, but their little secret was too exciting to openly share with the rest of the world.
"Tell them what exactly, Andrea?" Charlton leaned her back against the woman, letting herself be held in the embrace.
She loved doing this: she loved being held by her, rocked, and receiving casual kisses on the back of her head. She loved surrendering to it. And for the first time in her life, she didn't feel like it was a blow to her pride to build a relationship with someone and let her softer side take the reins.
"That... we're seeing each other and..." Andy whispered into her ear, sending a shiver down Emily's spine. "And... that this is how things... are going to look now."
"There's a very specific word for that, Ms. Journalist."
"Yeah? What word?"
"You know which one."
"I don't think I do," Andy furrowed her brow and planted another kiss, this time on her neck. "Will you tell me?"
Emily tilted her neck back and closed her eyes, giving in to Sachs' warm lips. "Google it, Andrea."
Andy burst out laughing and rested her cheek back against the woman's head. "Yes, good to know they haven't accidentally swapped you out for someone else."
Emily turned in Andy's arms, placed her hands on her waist, and looked into her eyes with a questioning gaze.
"You are so beautiful, you know?" Andy murmured.
"So are you."
Andy's gaze wandered around the room, buying time. The truth was, her connection with Emily was so natural, and the new situation had scrambled her brain so much, that she hadn't found a single minute to think about what to call it. She didn't even know if there was anything to ponder over in the first place.
She kissed the woman again, this time on her forehead, and rested her chin on her. Emily closed her eyes and snuggled closer.
"I love you so much that it hurts," Emily whispered.
Andy's heart did a flip.
"And I wanna cry, because I’m getting old, and I don't know a lot about you still."
"Em," Andy glanced down at her. "Look at me, please."
Emily lifted her head, resting her chin against Andy's chest. Her eyes welled with tears.
"Oh, don't cry sweetheart, please," Andy began quickly wiping away the tears that started tracing down her cheeks. "We have all the time in the world, baby. All the time in the world, I promise."
"I know. But I'm just so happy and full of emotion that I don't know what to do with it or where to put it. I don't even know where to begin."
Andy tenderly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, feeling herself tear up a bit too.
"We can start together, from the beginning, hm? I've got you baby," Emily nodded, sniffling.
"So...” Andy began. „Will you make me the happiest woman on earth and be my girlfriend?"
A wide smile broke across Emily's face, matching Andy's own.
"Yes," she answered instantly. "A thousand times yes."