2013.04.18 - Mommy's Back

The long-term undercover assignment in Madripoor had plenty of build-in reasons to -go home-. On 'assignment'. 'Out purchasing ammunition'. Other 'missions' that Contact could 'assign' that meant he could return home to visit Lian, take his time with her. 
And usually on the first day or so, Lian was spoiled rotten. 
Today was the first day of one of these trips home, and Lian Harper had spent the day -demanding- her father buy her every 'My Little Pony' she could get away with, and watching the show with her, since video conferencing just wasn't enough and it was his 'punishment for being away too much'.
But at last, she'd worn herself out with the last show, and Roy Harper had carried her to bed, tucked her back in, and settled in for a night of watching -baseball- with a bottle of beer. Thank god, he would've gone stir-crazy seeing any more whassit Rainbow Dash and the whatever of whatever. 
Gradually, Roy becomes aware of some sort of noise, not coming from the television. It was the sound of running water. 
Huh. Did Lian wake up and forget to turn off the water? 
And the light was on, but the door was closed. Hmmm... 
Heading to the door, Roy knocks lightly. "Lian, honey? You okay in there?" 
Yes, the shower is definitely running. And there's a peculiar scent in the air near the bathroom door as well. Faint, and vaguely familiar. Like French perfume, only... different. No one answers back from within.
Inside the bathroom, someone is definitely in the shower. Designer suit, leather attache, killer pumps, and silk lingerie. A woman, most definitely. And a familiar voice filters out from the other side of the shower curtain just as the source of the perfume comes rushing back as well. "Oh good, you ARE still up. Be a dear and hand me the conditioner, won't you?" Jade.
The heady scent of that exotic perfume triggers a ghost of a memory. Of a time when he'd been undercover, working to gain the confidence of a woman, and then turn her over to the authorities. But one night, one night, and Roy Harper had disappeared, unable to turn her over. And that one night... the consequences he'd -raised- once he learned about her. 
"... Jade?" Roy says softly, glancing at everything. No... no, he wasn't ready for this. 
Closing the door behind him, a hand goes for the conditioner, while Roy brings his toe towards the pumps and kicks one up into his other hand. He had no idea what her reaction would be like after the last time he'd seen her, when she'd let him take Lian, and so he can only hope for the best, and prepare for the worst. "Here... Jade. Shhh, Lian's sleeping.." he says as he offers the conditioner to the side of the curtain. He certainly wasn't going to -open- it, not unless he had an idea...
Cheshire's bare, wet arm snakes out of the curtain to take the bottle. Her nails are well-manicured and impeccable, of course, deadly things that they are. "I know." she replies. "I waited." And instead of taking the bottle she grabs his wrist to tug him a step closer. "Would you mind? No one does my hair the way you used to." Releasing his wrist, then, the shower curtain parts to show a familiar silhouette and that cascade of long, dark hair down her back.
No, no, he wasn't doing this. He -knew- exactly what she was. Jade Nguyen. Cheshire. Mercenary. Famed assassin. He couldn't turn her in, but... 
"Jade," Roy says, as the pump falls from one hand, to land on the floor with--- a soft thud as Roy belatedly uses his foot to dull the landing so that Lian wouldn't wake up.
And yet, Roy's hand twitches, as he looks at the conditioner. "Why are you here?" he asks, as he considers. No, don't turn around, it would be easier to think. As it was, Roy was already on the verge of doing her hair up... 
Cheshire doesn't turn, just standing there facing away from him as the water streams down her naked back. "Don't you mean 'why haven't you killed me yet?' or something similar? Really, Roy. With all the take-out you order, that would be ridiculously easy." Her hands raise, then, to flip her long hair back with an impatient gesture. "You've been taking good care of our daughter, I see."
Yes, yes, her 'come hither' hair toss signal. He hadn't seen that one in a while, not since... well, before Lian was born.
 
"Well, if that's how you want to put it." 
Like a moth to a flame, Roy answers the call, pouring conditioner into his hand and then putting the bottle down and reaching to run his fingers through her hair, so that he can separate strands starting at the top of her head, and then running it down, very very carefully. Yes, he was standing outside the shower, and so very -keeping- his clothes on the best he can, trying to not react to her presence beyond the obvious. 
Especially since he hadn't realized till much later that him being requested to do her hair usually meant 'Poison nails, do not touch self'. "So what are you -doing- here...?" Roy asks as he separates strands, plastering the loose ends against the shower stall wall to collect later...
She makes a sound the moment she feels his fingers upon her scalp again; a sound that's almost a purr. Tilting her head back a bit, Jade's eyes are closed and there's probably a lot of reasons for him to be thankful she's nearly as tall as he is. "That feels wonderful, Roy." she replies, voice thick and smooth like silk and honey. "Actually, there are matters we need to discuss. Many concern Lian." Only 'many'?
"After all this time?" Roy says, tentatively starting to massage Jade's scalp, struggling with the wandering eyes syndrome. He couldn't -help- it. They'd been young then, and now...
As soon as he was done massaging her scalp and teasing out the strands, Roy starts to withdraw his hands. "What about Lian...? She's doing well in school, she's been a good girl for her teachers and babysitters..." Roy trails off, unsure what more he can say without giving away, well, anything. Though considering that Jade knew he was once Speedy... 
Cheshire sighs softly again, quite genuinely enjoying his fingers massaging her scalp. Yes, they'd been young when they first met. But for her part, the assassin has kept herself in remarkable shape. At least from what he can see. "I will admit that given my present... notoriety... it is good for you to be raising her." She admits. Reaching over as he withdraws his hands, she shuts off the water and starts to turn for a towel. Pausing *just* before things get really interesting, she smiles a little and seeks his gaze. "However a little girl also needs to know her mother."
Damn her, because -now- Roy was unsure whether he wanted to see more from that -very- deliberate pose, her glancing at him over her shoulder. Act on one impulse, which was to react to her feminity now... or act on the other, which was to grab Lian and flee, very, very far away. 
"Lian getting to know her mother is..." Roy says, making -no- move to help towards the towel, torn between wanting to see more and resisting temptation.. "... I haven't figured out what to tell her, and now you... this is going to make things really complicated." 
Cheshire keeps her gaze fixed on his eyes, and she slowly turns to face him fully in her nakedness. Yes, she's definitely kept her figure alright. Reaching casually past him, she plucks a towel from the rack and begins to dry off. Shamelessly. "We both have secrets, Roy. Secrets that she is not yet ready to know." It's a casual statement, and yet laced with implications. Perhaps of blackmail? "What have you told our daughter about your trips to Madripoor? Daddy has a long business trip again?"
Only the slightest twitch of Roy's jaw and the ever-wandering gaze betrays his struggle, as he folds his arms across his chest. No, wait, he really couldn't take any more of this. 
Shifting over to lower the lids on the toilet, Roy sits down, slumping over to think, and keep his reactions at least semi-hidden to himself. "She knows I'm working to make the world better. Business, yeah. She's been with..." Straightening up, Roy turns to look fully at Cheshire. "How long have you been tracking us?" 
Drying her body off briskly, Jade flips her long hair forward and wraps it in the towel. Rising again, she's wearing naught but the improvised turban as she steps out of the shower. And there's a look of triumph on her face. "Us? Hmm. Interesting." Okay, so maybe she was bluffing about what she knows. Then again... 
"In exchange for your continued, primary custody I would like to start spending time with Lian. I will tell her nothing of your business and you tell her nothing of mine. We each have our secrets, as I said, but mine are not yours to share. Let us agree to respect that first."
Eyes shift automatically down the length of her body. Yeah. Not a girl anymore. Definitely all... 
No, no, concentrate, Harper. Her eyes were -up- there-, and gleaming, apparently thinking she'd had him cornered. So that's what she thought, did she? 
"Yeah. We've got secrets we're not ever sharing with Lian. We agree, check. You want visitations with Lian, you can have that... if you're giving up -that- life. Are you?" Roy says, moving to stand up so that he can look at Cheshire in the eyes. Just... hold firm, Harper. Hold steady. 
Cheshire looks amused at his question, and when she shrugs everything moves in all the right ways. Yes, motherhood has certainly been kind to Jade. "I am much more a mercenary now, if that answers your question. I will not get any more specific. And it does not change the fact that I am wanted for my past deeds." Turning, then, she finds a robe on the back of the door (likely Roy's!) and slips it on.
"As such, I will not schedule my visits with Lian. I will, however, tell you when to expect her back. And I will absolutely guarantee her safety." It makes sense, really. Roy's government friends would just -love- to know when the notorious Cheshire will be stopping by to pick up her child. And with that, she asks. "So tell me what's going on in Madripoor."
Damn it. She -knew- Roy wasn't going to betray her. If he hadn't turned her over back then, could he turn her over now? 
And damn him, his own body and eyes were betraying him, by the way he tracked her movement across the restroom. 
Mouth dry, Roy swallows. "You know her babysitters aren't going to just let Lian go. Let her have a normal life. Isn't that what you wanted...?" An appeal to Jade's better nature, at least. Moving to stand up, Roy puts a hand onto Jade's shoulder. "You know I can't tell you about Madripoor. I can't. I just want to make sure Lian doesn't have to run into a world like -that- in the future." 
Jade was moving towards the door when she felt his hand upon her shoulder. Turning slowly, she shifts her weight forward and eases her arms up around his neck. "Then tell the babysitters I won't hurt them if they don't resist. I want Lian to know her mother, Roy, and I want it on my terms. The demands aren't unrealistic, if you think about it." 
Especially if he thinks about some of the alternatives.
Voice lowering, she whispers very close to him now. "I just want a better world for her as well, Roy. Our ways are not really so different, yours and mine."
Taking a deep breath, inhaling that exotic scent, Roy closes his eyes, his face the expression of turmoil. "You won't ever show her your world, the way I don't show her mine?" Roy says, and Jade should be able to tell from that that his sense of -fairness- about giving Lian a chance to know her mother as well is overriding his sense of keeping Lian safe and protected. 
Because, really, who -could- protect Lian better than an assassin mother? 
"But if I catch her on one of your assignments..." Roy goes on, hand shifting almost out of habit to push a stray lock of hair out of Jade's face. "Then you'll have her over my dead body."
Jade tilts her head with a small smile at that brush of his hand over her stray lock. "Don't be stupid, Roy. Taking a 5-year old on an assignment? Really?" She chuckles, then nods once. "But I agree to those terms." 
Raising up onto tiptoe puts her right at eye level, and she casually presses soft lips to his own. "Sealed with a kiss, even." she murmurs. "Is she a heavy sleeper?"
"I should take you in right now," mutters Roy as he rests his head against her forehead. But she knows as well as he did that he wouldn't turn her in as long as she didn't do anything -in his presence-. No matter how Speedy'd fought Cheshire back then. Because Cheshire was also -Jade-, and that made all the difference to Roy.
"She has her ups and downs. It's why I don't usually have overnight guests of my own. Just hers. But you knew that, of course," Roy says, his hands starting to wander down her sides, a slow crooked devil-may-care half-grin crossing his face.
Cheshire draws a slow, deep breath and leans in to rub her cheek against his own, her body swaying gently against his exploring hands. "I did, yes." she whispers, breath hot in his ear. "But I had to ask all the same. I shouldn't stay, then. I don't wish to wake her." she adds, but the way her fingers massage the base of his neck suggest something different entirely.
Oh hell, that wasn't -fair-. He shouldn't want this, and yet he -did-. She -had- to have put some sort of aphrodisac into that perfume, and yet... 
"Yeah, wouldn't want to wake her up, it'd raise too many questions," Roy murmurs, burying his face in the hair where he's only just run his fingers through, lightly nuzzling her ear. "I'll be wanting the robe back," Roy murmurs, hands shifting to reclaim his clothing from the woman. 
Jade untangles her arms from about his neck, cheek still pressing against his cheek as he opens the robe. One arm out, then the other, she cups his face in her hands as her nudity is revealed again and whispers close to his ear. "I should dress, then." And yet she makes no move towards the neatly-arranged lingerie.
Roy looks at the cloth robe in his grip, and then back at Jade, reason warring with feeling across his face. And then Roy reaches out to grasp her wrist. "Not right away," Roy says slowly... 
The next morning: 
"Daddy, we have ghosts in the bathroom," Lian announces over breakfast. 
"Oh?" Roy replies, absentmindedly scratching a few new bandages on his neck. 
"Yep. There was screaming and... and noises." 
"Oh. It's nothing, honey. I was just, uh... working on the plumbing." 
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