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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Any idea what's going to happen there? Henry seems pretty keen on wanting him as a part of his life. You've got to have an opinion on that.

Honestly? I think they're probably going to move here.

[Her drink tastes better as topics get worse, funny how that works.]

When Gold thought he was dying, Neal and I - overheard some things. I think Neal saw something in him that he didn't expect. They might work things out.

[She shrugs. That part of him sticking around isn't her problem.]

And with Henry, it's...you know as well as I do that anyone who wants to be a parent should have the right to be one. If it applies to you and me, then it applies to Neal. I'm not going to try to keep them apart.

[It's for Henry. That's not so hard to understand, is it?]

I'll help him figure it out. The dad thing. He hasn't screwed it up so far.

[ He nods, taking a small swig. Well it sounds safe from the way it reads on the tin. There's no reason they can't be civil in sharing custody. Not everyone is Regina, and if they're both staying in town it seems like things might work themselves out.

How well still depends on her feelings about the guy, but she doesn't seem keen to share. ]

It's no easy thing. Especially trying to do it alone.

No, but with some help I think it could work out. I actually asked him about coming to Storybrooke while we were in Manhattan, but that was before I knew about Tamara.

[And after Gold had guilted her into it by comparing her to Regina.]

It seems right, that Henry has him. He won't have to go his whole life wondering what it's like to have a father.

[He could do worse, too. Neal's throwing himself into this.]

Is that what you wanted to know?

It does. He's lucky to have a mother like you, who understands that. Whatever your feelings are regarding his father.

[ Feelings he's not going to comment on. Sip. ]

Hm? Yeah, that's...if there's nothing else.

Nothing else.

[Except the way he pauses before he drops the issue, and him holding the brandy as tightly as she was a few moments ago. There's an elephant in the room, obviously, and Emma was expecting as much. She'd take offense to it if not for the current state of things between them.

They have something worth sticking around for that goes unlabeled, and without expectations. Neither one of them is secure enough for that to come without questions, no matter how often they pretend.]

Except that I want another chance with Neal. And as soon as the opportunity presents itself, I'm going to take it.

[Come on now, he's as bad as Gold.]

...You know it's what you're thinking. Don't lie, I'll see through it.

...not exactly.

[ That had been more the fear than the assumption. She was obviously braced to see Neal and Tamara together for the long haul, so leaping after him at the first opportunity wasn't exactly what had come to mind.

But if something was amiss with this woman, and something happened...well, who was to say she wouldn't find herself being drawn back to him? What right did he have to step in the way of Henry getting a family that was whole and happy and reunited, or Emma getting her shot at real love? God, he's going to need more to drink. ]

It wouldn't be strange if you did still have some feelings for the man, even after everything. That's all.

Oh, I have feelings. I feel like he tore my world apart.

[That's the tradeoff, though. Because the two of them were together, they have Henry. But because he left her, Henry was born in prison and she missed out on the first ten years of his life. And knowing all of that, she still understands that Neal isn't all bad. He chose to run from his father over staying with her.

It's never not going to hurt, but it was years ago. Her time with him gave her true love - Henry, and for that she can't regret it.]

I am glad that he's here, for Henry. And I get along with him, because it's easier than hating him. I do care about him, as my son's father.

[Luckily, she doesn't have to worry about protecting him. She might not like having Gold as part of the family, but it makes Neal untouchable.

Her glass is more empty than full, but she sets it down.]

If I had feelings for him, it's true, I wouldn't act on them. But I also wouldn't be here.

I wasn't trying to assume anything.

[ Which is unusual for him, to say the least. It's hard enough for him to let Grace visit with her other family, that possessiveness rears its ugly head when concerning Emma now, too. He knows enough to know it isn't right, that he's got no claim here and she does what she wants. Rightfully so.

But damn it, he has so little that's his he hates the idea of having to share that with someone else. Hearing her confirm that no, that's not the case, is an untold relief. ]

No, no one is trying to assume anything. I just have you and Gold talking about Neal, and David talking about you, and August asking Mary Margaret if Neal and I were together.

[The thought of all of these things going on is a little more than she can take. For Emma, it's not that complicated. Neal is Henry's father and her ex-boyfriend. Jefferson is in her life now, in whatever way they can handle. And this unnamed thing is not strictly physical, not completely destructive, and doesn't leave her with the same lonely feeling she had for years after she got out of prison.

So it needs to be protected; probably from the two of them. Given their pasts, that doesn't bode well.]

I don't want him back.

[There. Out in the open, no hesitation. Although words will probably only get her so far with Jefferson. Maybe this time she can do better. It's not like she's going to make a habit out of these things, that's not who she is now.

When she was younger she couldn't think to be anything but affectionate. Henry always brings it out of her, and Jefferson is starting to, but it still feels strange. She expects rejection and imagines she'll get it eventually. That doesn't stop her from getting up, to close the distance between them.

She lifts a hand to slide across the scarf on his neck and leans in. Just a kiss, and not exactly the kind that means she wants to rip his clothes off. Slow but searing, with arm winding around his neck to keep him close, because even if she can't bring herself to say as much about it as he can, she can show him. He might feel it. If he does, maybe he'll understand.

Wouldn't it be nice if one person in her life didn't think she was in love with Neal?]

[ He raises an eyebrow at the mention of David, but wisely decides not to interrupt by questioning it. For his silence, he's rewarded.

If she says she doesn't want the man back, he believes her. And who wouldn't with the way she proves her point, kissing him fully and leaving him to lean into the kiss, winding an arm around her waist and returning every bit of it.

Again, he feels that little jump in his heart, the same as when she'd brought him to life, and he can't help but grin a little into the kiss. No, this doesn't need a name. And he doesn't think she's in love with Neal.

This definitely proves it. ]

[If he believes it, then that's enough. Really, it's no one else's business. As much as she loves her family and misses her friend, it's her life. She wouldn't want to give up moments like this one to chase after someone who she has long moved on from.

She tilts her head back when she has to, not far, just enough to share the air between them. It could be that his grin is contagious, because she's smiling too, candlelight flickering off of her features when she pulls back enough to see if some of that tension has left him. It'd be nice if this conversation never happened again, but Jefferson is human, and he has spent years isolated from everyone else.

Sometimes she forgets that he's only this person for a select few.]

Is it alright if I stay?

[Her child is safe with his father. It's probably not fair to ask him while she's still wrapped up in his arms, but life gets hectic. These things don't happen all the time.]

[ It might not be fair, but he's not about to argue. ]

Of course. Any time you need...the door's open for you.

[ This place used to be a prison. Now, with Grace, it's a home. A home he's more than happy to include her as a part of whenever she wants. That smile softens as he reaches up to push a lock of hair back out of her face, fingers grazing her cheek as he does so.

It's hard to let go of what's been, even with it so far in the past. For the longest time it had been a day-to-day living, making sure Grace was taken care of, not thinking about what would come. Then this woman drove into town in her little yellow bug, and the clock ticks. The future suddenly seems real.

Whatever it holds now, he's ready to stand and greet it. ]

[One word he says catches her interest more than the rest. Need. For a good stretch of her life, she would have argued that she didn't need anything that she couldn't get on her own. People, comfort, none of that was allowed to matter. Neal grew up the same way, but he needs his fiancee, and he admits that openly.

It's enough to get a person thinking. And as soon as it does, those thoughts get shoved aside. Thinking isn't what got them here, so starting now wouldn't be a great idea.

She'll revisit that idea when she's ready for it.]

Thank you.

[She lowers her arms to her sides and takes note of the candles they'll have to blow out before they head up to the bedroom. The light might catch some of the mischief in her eyes, because what comes next isn't the kindest thing she could say.]

Bet you said the same to Regina.

[He might not hear the end of this for a while.]

[ It's a little more of a sore spot than the leather pants, admittedly. Regina had been a mistake, in every way he'd dealt with her. But those wounds are on their way to healing, and he manages to only look mildly offended. ]

I take it all back. Get out.

[ Deadpanned as the words were, he couldn't quite hide the twitch of a smile that made its way to the corner of his mouth. So maybe he deserved that one, and knew it. ]

Too late, you're stuck with me.

[Regina was the mistake everyone had made in one way or another, she wasn't about to judge him for it. The fact that it had come out now was a surprise, but what else did they have to do during a blackout? Confessing a few sins was normal.

She turned to blow out a few candles, picking one up to bring it with them.]

I get half of the covers and the right to pretend that the way you'll end up on top of me is an accident.

[When it's not, let's face it.]

[ Better for it to come out now than later, or even from Regina herself. He could only imagine how that would have gone, with her twisting the facts just enough to make it sound a thousand times worse than it had been, just to dig them apart. To isolate Emma and maybe punish him, yanking that invisible chain. Their pasts were littered with such landmines, and unearthing them before they could do any damage was a little easier than he'd feared it might be.

Of course, the worst hadn't yet come to light. That, he was in no hurry to share. ]

Damn.

[ His fingers snap as he draws back, enough to finish off that lick of brandy left at the bottom of his glass and set it aside. ]

I guess I'll have to live with it. Somehow.

Hey, at least you're not the one sneaking out before dawn.

[Which is different, to say the absolute least. She's good with it, and avoiding the questions Grace and Henry would have if they knew, but rushing out before his daughter wakes up is a turn Emma never would have taken before. A mistake or two with a man she didn't know was married was one thing, but she had never had to openly avoid his family. She wasn't the type to stick around long enough to have to worry about any of that.

Now there's actual sleeping to be done here and the scramble to get out isn't so bad. If she walks in and Henry asks about her wrinkled clothes (again), she'll say she slept in them. She doesn't have to say where she slept. It's not lying if you leave a few things out for your child's sanity.]

If I can live with it, you can live with it.

[She blows out another candle and picks up one to take with them.]

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The Candlelight Meme

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