Title: The Layers of Luce
Author: McKenna.
Fandom: The film, Imagine Me and You
Pairings: Rachel/Luce
Ratings: R for sex, though, it's not very graphic.
Warnings: As I stated, this story has sexuality in it as well as my attempts to talk like a British girl, so, I hope that you can get through both. If not, this isn't the story for you.
Disclaimers: Imagine Me and You belongs to Ol Parker, and thus, these are his characters, so, I'm just toying with them. I claim no rights.
Author's Notes: I was watching the interview on the bonus features of the DVD and the first question asked to Piper Perabo (Rachel) and Lena Headey (Luce) was if they felt they were jipped in the sex department. They of course said yes, but, agreed it was justifiable, as the film was a comedy and not a drama. Well, my fanfiction muses went bizerk and I figured that I would give them some. This takes place after the movie, and what I think might've happened between the two lovely women.
“You’re a wanker number nine!” I shouted- using my mouth much like the Cathedral that Luce had been talking about. I do think I filled up the cathedral, and the shops alongside it. I’d never been so loud in my life.
I watched as blokes and women poked their heads out of their cars and gave me quite the odd looks. Certainly I’d have done the same if some crazy woman was shouting obscenities about football players on top of a Range. It worked, though, and there I saw her.
“I can do this!” I shouted again, not quite as loud, but now I had her attention. “I can do this!”
It was far off, and despite all of the traffic jam, I could tell it was her. Such a tiny thing wore so many layers of clothing, and still, she was so lanky, so fit, and anyone who was anyone could spot that richly ruddy hair and I grinned, hopping down and starting up the jog. I wove in and out of cars and watched as those same blokes stared at me curiously. It was still freezing, just turning to winter, and I felt the chill right down into my bones.
I don’t know who grabbed the other first, but at that moment everything else was stilled and all I saw was Luce. Her face was pink from the weather and I wasted no time in pulling her close, kissing her, just gently at first though reaffirming, possessing, whatever you’d like to call it. She kissed me back and before I knew it we were smiling to one another.
She tugged my hand, and I waved in the general direction of my parents and Luce’s mum, hopefully they’d get her home alright and she wouldn’t want to coast off of the road listening to their bickering. I thought I might have seen them kissing, but my mind was otherwise occupied, it perhaps was playing tricks on me. Coming back to reality, I noticed we were situated behind a shop, in some dank, cold alleyway and she kissed me again.
“You’ve got to tell me more,” She said in between kisses. “What happened?”
It took me some time to get my lips off of hers and I forcibly pushed her back, grinning softly at her deviant behavior. Taking a deep breath I explained it all, explained how Heck had wanted me to let him go because he simply couldn’t bare the thought of me loving another. She listened, occasionally stroking her fingertips over my cheek, brows furrowed with concern. Holding my face between her hands she kissed me again.
“And how did you find him when you left?” She asked.
“He left me, just after we’d gone ‘round my parent’s house for my birthday, he told me all that and then he left.” I answered, sighing softly.
Her thumb brushed over my bottom lip and I thought of the time at the flower shop where she settled me down and wiped my lips, as if she was making them new for her kisses. It felt the same this time; she leaned forward again and claimed my lips, wrapping her arms around me. I’d forgotten a jacket, just gone on impulse, and the extra body heat certainly did feel quite lovely.
I don’t remember who got the taxi or who paid for it, but somehow we were back at Luce’s flat, not far off from Flowered Up. She shrugged out of her jacket when we got into the room. I took a look around. It was small, though tidy, with dozens of floral arrangements decorating the place. It suited Luce and I smiled as she wrapped her jacket around my shoulders.
“Would you like some tea? Coffee? You’ve got to be freezing.” She smiled, voice low, as she turned on some lamps.
“I’m all right, thanks.” I smiled to her again and wrapped her coat around me. Luce’s little flat was a bit drafty and I made my way to one of the sofas, taking a seat upon it.
She gazed at me for a moment, before sitting beside me and looking straight out. Her hand went out for mine to take. “Would you like to have a look around? Well, I mean, of course I’ll show you around, but, you see…”
“Sure, I’d like that a lot.” I said gently and we got to our feet, hand in hand.
She toured me around, showing me the rooms in the flat; the kitchen, the sitting room, the study, and finally her bedroom. The other places in the flat were nice, tidy, and very Luce. Sprays of flowers appeared here and there and photographs of the same vibrant plants were positioned tactfully over the painted walls. Her bedroom, though, struck me as the most Luce-like thing in the entire place.
It was layers upon layers of things; starting with her duvet and stopping at her carpet. My eyes took in every little sight each treasured trinket, from the way it smelled just like her hair to the colors that accented her so brightly, the same hazel-blues of her eyes, and the same reddish browns of her hair. They say there’s always that one part of the house that everyone likes to be in, and I could tell this was Luce’s. I walked over, still in my daze, and picked up a photo frame from the night table housing a smiling little red head and a middle-aged man. Before I could ask her, though, she answered.
“That’d be my dad,” Her voice was soft and low and her hands were in her back trouser pockets.
“Ah, you favor quite nicely.” I chuckled and noticed that the two held the same winning smile.
“I sure hope not, I like to believe my hairline hasn’t receded just yet.” She winked and I laughed, tightening her furry-hooded coat around my shoulders.
She gently took the photograph from my hands and gave it a good look, drinking in the memory before she replaced it on the tableside. I reached up to brush that rogue strand of hair from her eyes and she smiled at me, a genuine smile, before I felt her lips on my own once more.
To be totally honest, I was more-than-slightly overwhelmed at all the feelings coursing through me. This was no longer some illicit affair lived out through tiny kisses and feeble attempts at taking one another in the back of the flower shop- no, this was real and tangible now, and the thoughts of reincarnation screamed through my mind. Perhaps we had been together in another life, perhaps we’d been friends or lovers, or didn’t get the chance, and now we were here, living it out.
She pressed me down against her unmade bed with a touch so gentle that it made me gasp. She did it again, brushed her fingertips over my lips and kissed me so passionately that I’d forgotten where I was. When she pulled back to push up the grey thermal top I was wearing, I asked her why she did that, brushed my lips like that.
“I want to remember them, in every sense. The way they look, taste, and how they feel; the sound they make when they touch mine…” Her face was inches from mine and her hands were gentle as they coursed through my hair.
“Feel free to train your memory,” I mumbled back and she kissed me again, breath exhaled, and I reached to unzip one of the many layers of Luce.
This caused a chain-reaction of clothing removal and after Luce had reverently removed her coat from my torso and the thermal underneath it, I was left simply in a plain, boring bra and still my trousers and pants. I suddenly wished I had worn something more vibrant or edgy, but the way Luce looked at me made it all worth while. She made me feel, just by those burning eyes, that I was much more vibrant and edgy.
It took a lot of finagling to get the rest of Luce’s clothing off and at one point I stopped to laugh a bit. “How many shirts have you got on, woman?” I joked and rolled the thin fabric of yet another t-shirt off of her body.
“I get cold easily, what can I say?” She smirked and helped me remove it, until we finally matched.
We kissed for what seemed like hours upon end. When Luce finally pulled back my lips felt swollen and puffy, from overuse, no doubt. She stared at me, spotting the nervousness in my eyes. I was sure about us, that stood unquestionable, but I’d never been with a woman before, intimately of course. Luce knew this, I knew this, and we shared a look that reaffirmed this. She reached around and undid the clasp of my bra with a few fingers, while her eyes stayed on mine. I was impressed at that little parlor trick and I touched her face. She kissed my palm before lowering her head to my chest.
It wasn’t a new experience, by terms of technicalities. I’d been with men, who’d done the same exact thing with their lips and mouths, but with Luce…with Luce it made my back arch and the way she so gently handled my breasts, I honestly could’ve wept. Men are all about power and dominance and getting what they want right then, but Luce took her time and I found this the perfect opportunity to try out my luck on her own bra. The clasp was standard, three prongs, and in the back, but I couldn’t get it for the life of me. It was the opposite of removing my own bra, the mirror, and without looking up from her handiwork, she reached around and undid it, sliding it off of her chest.
I touched her, gently at first, and I felt her tremble, much like she had when we rolled around at Flowered Up. I could feel it course through her and into me and that made me bite my lip. I wasn’t very vocal in bed, found it a bit harrowing, but, Luce was testing that. When she looked up from where her mouth had been on my breasts, I felt the room’s air splash against the spots she’d been kissing and sucking. It made me gasp once more and she smiled at me, eyes still bright and charming, though holding something much more unobtainable. Upon noticing this, my heart tried to leap out of my chest and met resistance of my very ribcage, the sound audible in my eardrums.
My touches became bolder and I circled around her nipples with my fingertips. She shook again and I looked at her, wanting to make sure this was alright, by her standards. She gave me another reassuring grin and the hands once previously outlining the contours of my chest began lowering to my stomach. I once believed I didn’t have stomach muscles, but I could feel them now, tensing and twisting as her hand made its descent. I whimpered- a sound foreign to my own ears. When she reached the button on my trousers, she undid it gently as well as the zip, and moved her mouth up to mine once more.
I took her lead, followed her, and undid her jeans as slowly and with as much calculation as she’d undone mine. While we kissed she got me out of my trousers and socks, leaving me upon the welcoming softness of her bed in nothing but my pants. They, too, were boring, but, Luce didn’t seem to mind. She pulled away again and stared down at me, one hand sliding through my already messy hair as she spoke, having to clear her throat a few times before finally getting the point across.
“Lily of the Valley means you’ve made my life complete…” She said, tracing her fingers down over the bone of my hip.
“Tell me more…” I coaxed as she worked her way out of her jeans and the two pairs of socks she was wearing.
“Hmm… Primrose means I can’t live without you.” She mumbled, kissing the side of my neck, making my eyes fight to keep open and the sounds fight to keep quiet.
“What…else?” I managed, feeling as she made her way to my earlobe and began nipping at it. This was a whole new side of Luce, like the removal of layers had brought her out, and my fingernails drug over her bare back, feeling lean muscles all the way through.
“Gloxinia means love at first … sight.” She whispered into my ear, in such a tone that the groan came without warning out of my throat.
“Oh, Luce,” I whispered as her hand sprawled out on my stomach. Her fingertips were somewhat calloused, and I could only imagine the amount of times she pricked herself on a thorn or tore her skin on a bit of nettle.
When her fingertips breached the waistband of my pants, I held my breath. She stilled her fingers and picked her head off from doing such lovely things to the bottom of my throat. Her eyes found mine again and softened, her whole face illuminated by them as she began moving once more. At first she was tentative, scared almost, touching me like one would hold a snowflake. Her eyes never left and I gave her another smile, I wanted her, and I needed to feel her. When her fingertips wove around that small, sensitive bit of flesh I whispered her name, partially in disbelief that a few gentle touches had me feeling this way.
It only progressed from there. Her fingertips left that pearl-sized bundle of nerves and found their way at the very core of my desire. She kept my eyes and used her other hand to touch the side of my face. I was biting my lip and trying not to squirm too frequently when she entered me, causing my head to jerk back with a sharp-as-shark-teeth gasp. She moved slowly at first, getting me used to her fingers while I held onto her waist, moving my hands over her hips and down the front of her checkered pants. She continued, speeding up some, the affect making it hard not to moan, until finally, I did, her name falling once like a stone into the void.
When this happened she stopped totally and looked at me, pressing kisses over my forehead and nose, cheeks, and finally lips. She wasn’t even half-finished with her task, so I was curious. “Are you alright?” She asked, softly again, voice a whisper, a flurry of emotion evident in it.
“Yes, Luce, I’m perfect.” I said and pushed the hair back from her face, leaning up to kiss her again; then, decided I would help reinforce that statement.
“Yes, you are…” She whispered once more and started up again, slow at first though picking up where she left off. My hands fell to her pants, and I removed them, with some help from her. Grinning at this, she took mine off as well, an embarrassed chuckle when she realized she hadn’t done that yet.
Once more, I imitated her, every touch I delivered and every caress I gave was formulated from something Luce had done to me. I had heard often that imitation was the greatest form of flattery, and I was hoping that Luce was feeling flattered. She certainly seemed happy, compliments and gentle requests left her lips and I complied, finally getting to the same rhythm as she, though she had slowed to wait for me to catch up. She pulled me up with her free hand so that I was nearly in her lap, our fingers never ceasing their duties as she stared at me. Our foreheads touched and I watched it, her face, twitching, changing. She tugged the sensitive skin of her lower lip in between her teeth and her brows crinkled together. I knew she was close, as was I.
We tried to kiss at that moment, but the need for air reigned over it. Our lips brushed and touched, though it wasn’t a proper kiss, it was perfect for the moment. I heard the somewhat far-off sound of bedsprings squeaking though barely registered it, trying to get enough oxygen into my lungs at the exchange between us. Gasps filled the space in between our lips and I heard a few staggered cries of “Rachel” and responded with my own utterances of “Luce” which started off soft and grew in volume, wave after wave of whatever this woman was doing to me, hitting me, drowning me, until finally…
She was the one to toss her head back first and I was quick to follow, rocking through something that had positively shattered me. I couldn’t help slumping against her, my head on her chest, her hands in my hair, stroking down my back. I could hear her heart, pounding incessantly in her chest and imagined my own to sound something similar. We stayed that way for a few moments, before the over-heated state of my body began to regulate and I shivered as a wave of goose pimples washed over me. She was quick and attentive, sliding the sheets up and over me, not leaving me though, arms winding around my middle as I turned to face her.
What a sight she was- completely glowing, eyes laughing, and hair royally messy from the previous actions. In a charge of intimacy I reached out and smoothed a bit of it down. She continued grinning and scooted her pillow closer to me. The one I was resting against smelled just like her; flowers, sandalwood, and something only she could mix up, another layer.
“You’re on my side, you know…” She said playfully and I grinned, nuzzling into the pillow for affect.
“I wondered why I’d felt so at ease.” Winking, I moved closer to kiss her again.
“What? You think the essence of me is imprinted in my bed sheets?” She chuckled and smoothed some of my hair down as well.
“Yes, I do, I really do, and now the essence of you is imprinted all over me, too.” I said gently, not wanting to break the mood between us.
“And you as well, you’ve got quite sharp claws, Rachel.”
“Claws?!” I said, laughing, “Well, then!”
“Oh, I’m only joking, but you’ve definitely left your mark on me.” She winked and I leaned over to kiss her, running my hand over where I had probably scratched her, right under her shoulder blades, I felt her wince, and we shared a laugh.
“You have from the moment I saw you, Luce.” I murmured against her lips and smiled a bit, noticing it had grown rather dark in the room.
“You’re amazing,” She whispered and pulled me closer. Her nose nuzzled into the top of my head and we settled there.
As I was falling asleep, I uttered a quiet, “Can I stay here, tonight?” She chuckled of course, and I took that as a yes, seeing as her arms didn’t loosen around me and the soft, evenness of her breaths blew against my cheek.
-----------------
I awoke several hours later and smiled to myself as the remembrance of last night flooded my head. When I turned to say good-morning to the one I’d shared such an evening with, I noticed her spot was empty and I frowned. Had she been getting second thoughts? I sat up and looked around, only to spot, on the table beside me, a large arrangement of gorgeous flowers that hadn’t been there the previous night. I recognized the Primrose and the Lily of the Valley, but the other flower was hard to detect and as I leaned closer I noticed the tiny envelope tucked inside the arrangement.
“Rachel- Primrose, Lily of the Valley, and Gloxinia… forever… -Luce.” I covered a hand over my mouth as I remembered the previous conversation of flowers at a more-than-tender moment last evening. I replaced the card and settled back into her bed, smiling idiotically to myself.
I must’ve been like that for quite some time before she came back in the room, wearing a sleep shirt that barely covered the bottom of her arse. I grinned to her and she proffered me one of the two paper cups of coffee in her hand.
“Sorry, woke up and realized we were out, so I went to get some at the shop.” She smiled and drank from hers.
“Hopefully not like that.” I surveyed her garment choice again and opened the sheets to her once more. She crawled closer and settled against me. I drank from the store-bought coffee, allowing the caffeinated beverage to clear my head some.
“‘Course not.” She sipped, “I just went naked.”
Laughing, I nearly spilled the coffee all over the bed and managed to steady it, settling it on the tableside. “I love my flowers, they’re gorgeous.”
“You’re gorgeous,” She beamed and I took the coffee cup out of her hands, setting it next to mine.
As I leaned down to kiss her, slightly tainted by the coffee’s taste, I heard the shrill ringing of the phone, when I tried to tell her, she shook her head. “Let it go.”
While we progressed and I got the long shirt off of her body, I half-listened as Luce’s phone machine told whoever was calling that she was busy at the moment or not home. Short and sweet and very much in the spirit of Luce. My ears were totally pricked when the unmistakable sound of Luce’s friend Edie permeated the once-quiet air.
“JESUS’ JAM!” The voice came, Wales-accent very evident. “I phoned your mum! She told me everything about you and Rachel! Why haven’t you phoned me yet you lazy trollop?” Edie sighed over the recorder. “Well, I’m sure you two are still mussing up the sheets, so give me a jingle when you’re decent…” Then, a soft chuckle was heard. “I’m proud of ya, darlin’, you got Barbie.”
I collapsed on top of Luce with a long, hard laugh that shook my shoulders like two matching tubs of trifle. I gazed at her, naked, laughing, and totally comfortable. “Barbie?” I asked.
“Oh boy,” She smiled. “Can I explain this later?”
I pressed my lips to hers once more. “Definitely.”