bakerstreet | The Candlelight Meme

The Candlelight Meme

The Candlelight Meme

How To Play

1. Comment with your journal, listing fandom and sexual preference.
2. If you don’t want any sexual options, please make that clear in your comment.
3. Tag others and enjoy the romantic lighting.

i. Power Outage: The power’s gone out. Your flashlight is dead. The only choice you have is candlelight. Luckily you’ve got plenty of matches and candles to keep things bright.

ii. Camping: Out in the woods there are no lights. The campfire keep things warm and bright in your little corner of the world. It’s relaxing, isn’t it? To get away from it all.

iii. Religious: Lighting candles is a tradition in many religions. You feel the need for some peace and prayer. Light a candle to ease your burdens.

iv. Romantic Date: You really want to impress your date so you’ve pulled out all the stops. Amazing meal, fancy wine, and romantic lighting. The candlelight makes your date look incredible.

v. Seduction: Your lover certainly looks incredible in candlelight. In the dark, spread out on your bed with the candles casting teasing shadows, you are completely seduced. So is your lover.

vi. Kinky: A little pain can equal a lot of pleasure. In the right hands the sting of candle wax can really turn things up a notch.

vii. Make Your Own: Got an idea for your own? Go for it!

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[ It isn't immediately clear what downs the power throughout Storybrooke, though it does appear to be quite thorough. From downtown to the edges of the town's borders, anything with electricity appears to be shut down.

Of course, thanks to last year's Miner's Appreciation Day sale, most of Storybrooke is stocked up on candles to last through the night. Maybe whatever it is will have rectified itself by morning, they hope. Some of the dwarves are looking into it, so one can hope.

Jefferson's not really one for optimism, but he too has a box of candles, one of which is currently lighting the face of his sleeping daughter. For a minute or two he watches her sleep before reaching to tuck her in, gently enough not to cause her to stir. Then he leaves her to it, the light of his cellphone lighting up the hallway with its blue-hued screen, as he taps in a familiar number.

If she's still out and about, trying to sort things out, she might come by when she's done. ]

[If there's one thing Emma doesn't know anything about, it's how to get the power back. David's in the same boat, but of course he hasn't admitted it yet. Instead, he's working with the dwarves, probably annoying the crap out of Leroy, and she's on patrol.

So far, no damage. The hospital's fine, they have their backup generators up and running. The town is quiet, with people either giving in for the night or lighting their homes the old-fashioned way. Henry is with Neal, listening to stories about the Enchanted Forest. Granny is watching Pinocchio while Marco pitches in with the outage.

...Her phone is ringing. She pulls over and slips it out of her pocket, not even bothering to look before she answer. Bottom line? In a situation like this, she has to answer.]

Emma Swan.

So how bad is it?

[ He makes his way down in the hall in near complete darkness. Of course he's walked these halls enough times to find his way through them blindfolded, so making his way down to the first floor. Sleep would probably be a better idea, just wake up and hope the world is back to normal, but he's a curious sort and...

Well. This has sort of been one of those weeks. They're having a lot of those, lately. Frankly he's worried about her, but God forbid he say as much. ]

If all else fails, the sun's still gonna rise in the morning.

[It's not like all is lost. Sure, this is a pain in the ass to deal with, but give them a few hours and it'll all be back to normal. Henry is hoping for a day off, but Emma is thinking they'll have a delay instead. A late start to make up for the late night. He should be in bed, but with Neal in charge, God knows what time he'll get there.]

I think it'll be a few hours. No more, no less.

[Less if Mary Margaret drags David's ass back home where he belongs. The holster doesn't help in this particular situation.]

Is everything alright with you and Grace?

[ Right, Neal. That's another thing entirely, but not one he really wants to bring up over the phone. He's not blind, that's all.

There's the scratch of a match as he lights up one of the candles in the downstairs study, the phone balanced between his shoulder and ear with ease. ]

She's already asleep. No worse for wear. I think I forgot how dark it could get in this place.

[ And that's a total lie, but he's fishing, here. ]

Let me guess. Patrol.

Patrol, but everyone's fine. I just figured I'd stay out of Leroy's way and let David be the one pretending to call the shots.

[Like he could. It's a little endearing, mostly because she's not someone he's trying to 'help']

He likes that.

[Emma, on the other hand, is tired of dealing with all of this already. If it's not someone mysterious threat, it's the power. Come on, can't she ever just catch a break?]

But I'm guessing you didn't call me to hear about life with the Charmings.

It looked like I missed a fair bit of it. I heard we got some new guests in town, not much else.

[ He knows who one of them is, and he couldn't care less about the other. But he can feign patience when he has to, and knowing how harried she's been lately he doesn't intend to put her on edge five minutes after calling.

Might be a new record, but he'll save it for another time. ]

Neal and Tamara, yeah.

[She does a nice job of keeping her tone even, but there's a pause before the next person she decides to mention.]

And Pinocchio, if that counts.

[Sure as hell does to her.]

Like I said, everyone's fine.

[Except August Booth, he's dead.]

Pinocchio.

[ And suddenly Grace's mention of a new classmate makes a little more sense. There's a definite pause on his end of the line, because while he and August weren't exactly friends...well, he was a part of the town. He'd had a hand in Emma really believing, and he mattered to her. ]

...what happened?

He's - um -

[She starts and stops, and pauses. It takes that moment of hesitation for Emma to realize that maybe she's not in the best place to talk about it. And maybe it wasn't as happy a change for her as it was for everyone else.

But she is glad that Marco gets this chance with his son. She knows how important that is, it's just -

Not yet.]

It's kind of a long story.

...right. I imagine it would be.

[ He lets out a breath, nodding, forgetting for a moment that she can't see him. ]

Well, you know I'm...well, I'm here.

[ He almost said he wasn't going anywhere, which was true. Also probably not the most tactful thing he could have said, given the circumstances. ]

I know you are.

[And it helps, or it should help. She sighs, watching the candles flicker out in a few windows down the block where she's parked.]

Thank you.

Edited 2013-04-03 04:32 (UTC)

...should I let you get back to it?

[ There's the sound of him easing into a chair, watching the little lights flicker in the dark. He'll likely just stay awake and think, maybe read. It's too dark to see anything through the telescopes tonight, and there's too much in his head battling for attention for him to sleep.

He likes to think he has options other than to bother her. It makes him feel a little less of an ass for doing it anyway. ]

I'm just about done, actually.

[She's also stuck on a more recent conversation with David, something he said to her when Jefferson's name came up. Something she never would have expected to hear.

Nevermind the fact that he didn't have a right to say it. Meddling, it seems, is his new thing.]

Do you want some company? Henry is with Neal.

[And she regrets saying it as soon as she does. Now it's an obligation.]

Ah.

[ He pauses again, before realizing this is the only way she'll let herself come up here. It's never for herself, no matter how selfish she thinks herself. Smiling wryly to himself, he lets his gaze fall to the blackened window. ]

I'm afraid tea's out of the question. Electric stove. Unless I bothered with the fireplace.

I barely trust you to make tea when it's light out, you think I'd let you make it in the dark?

[It's a weak joke, but she's trying. The past few days have been weighing on her, but she'll get over it. This is nothing compared to what Mary Margaret is going through.]

See if I bring you any when you're sick again.

[ He chuckles quietly, shaking his head. ]

I'll be waiting. No rush.

I'll check in with the boys and head over.

[Call and make sure her child isn't still eating smores and learning games from the land with magic, that's step one. Step two is for her, even if she hasn't said as much. It makes her feel guilty when she does.]

See you soon.

[She hangs up and taps out a different number, because now it's not about tying up loose ends, it's about getting through what she needs to so that she can go there and not feel like the worst parent or sheriff imaginable.]

[ The phone shuts off with a click, before it finds itself resting against Jefferson's chin. He shouldn't say anything...but doesn't he have a right to know? She wouldn't say anything for fear of upsetting him, he knows her, or maybe he doesn't. Maybe he just hoped that he had, maybe this was a terrible idea.

It's the worst time imaginable for him to start feeling self-conscious and paranoid, so he pushes it down as hard as he can and waits for her to arrive, eventually standing to make his way towards the front door. Those tell-tale lights should be pulling up soon. ]

[It's a small town, she's there in minutes; one phone call and one text later. If she's lucky, her phone will hold the charge for the night and anyone who needs her will be able to get her. If she's not, they'll get what they need from David and Mary Margaret, who tend to be everyone's first choice anyway.

Without the street lights, it's darker than usual as she pulls up. Emma refuses to rush. She takes her time making her way up to the house, where she knocks lightly this time. Going home would have made more sense, this is harder to explain. But if the secret's out anyway, where's the harm in visiting?]

[ There's only a few seconds pause between her knock and the door opening. Jefferson's got a candle in hand, the flickering light somehow catching the faint lines on his face, sharpening them against the shadow in contrast. It makes him look more tired than he is.

Wordlessly he steps back to let her inside. ]

[He does look tired, it only takes a moment of studying him to pick up on that. She steps in first, reaching for the arm of the hand that isn't holding the candle, and smiles half-heartedly.]

Hey, Jefferson, if you want to get some rest, I can come back tomorrow or something.

[Or something. She should have checked in before this, so who knows when she'll work up the nerve next time. This is only happening now because he called.

But it's fine. She's fine. Everyone's fine.]

I had no plans for sleep, believe me. I've always been a night owl, I guess.

[ He smiles thinly and shrugs, shutting and locking the door behind them. Her hand on his arm allows that smile to warm a little, and God, why does she make him feel like this? It's inconvenient to the both of them, surely, just another complication, but just having her near makes things better somehow.

And there's no telling how long it will last, before she decides to find something better. ]

Me too. I guess I'll take that, us having something in common that doesn't always suck.

[As opposed to crime, loss, and parenting issues. She lets her hand lower to her side after a moment, with a nod to his decision to let her stay. It's not that she doesn't want to go home, there's nothing going on at the apartment that has her feeling like she needs to hide. She'd just rather be here, for a while.

If that's alright with him.]

Apparently Henry fell asleep too, so our kids don't get that from us.

Likely tired himself out with his father. The excitement probably got to him.

[ Jefferson's brow knits slightly as he nods down the hall, leading the way back to the study. It's warmer in there than the living room or anywhere other than the upper bedrooms, since heat tends to rise, but the amount of books and lavish furniture in there traps the heat better than most. ]

Storybrooke suddenly feels a little more crowded. You wouldn't think just three people would be capable of that, especially considering one of them is...well, one of us.

1 because that is their luck

Bonus points for the Miner's Day reference.

how could I have missed the opportunity?

Tamara's taser must have done it.

I choose to blame Cora. Because reasons.

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