Fandom: The Practice

Title: Wooing the Goddess

Author: Carla

Email: cmfloresfd@yahoo.com

Rating: PG-13

Pairing: Helen/Eleanor

Disclaimers: The talented David e. Kelley is the creator and owner of The Practice and its characters.  I am grateful to be able to play in his sandbox.  I make no profit from this work of fiction.  In fact I make no profit anywhere. Oh well such is life.

Archiving: Ask and ye shall receive.  My utmost gratitude to Kim at The Realm where all my stuff is archived. Check it out at http//:www.realmoftheshadow.com/carla.htm.

Author's Notes: Thanks to Sinanna and Blyss for the wonderful thought provoking feedback that resulted in this fic.  This has not been beta'd so any and all mistakes are mine.  All mine I tell you.

Feedback:  Well sure I'd love to know what you think about it.  Feedback the good the bad and the ugly can be sent to me either on list or directly at cmfloresfd@yahoo.com

It was; Helen noted with a glance at the clock on her bedside table, almost two in the morning and she still couldn't fall asleep.  She needed to talk to someone but Lindsay Dole, the obvious choice under normal circumstances, was out.  The underlying competitiveness between Lindsay and Eleanor made talking to her best friend about what was happening between she and Eleanor simply impossible.  Plus Helen wasn't sure about the etiquette behind asking the former roommate you were in love with for advice on the new roommate you're in love with. Besides there were other issues at play here that Lindsay wouldn't be able to help her with.  Picking up the phone she dialed a number and sent up a silent prayer that her sister, not her sister's husband, would answer the phone.  On the third ring she was rewarded with a muffled "hello" and a yawn.

"Karen? Karen it's Helen."

** Helen? Do you know what time it is? **

"I know I'm sorry but I didn't know who else to call and..."

** Is everything...Are you okay? **

"I'm fine work's fine I just need to talk to someone.  Look I know we aren't exactly close but you're my sister and..."

** It's okay you don't need to explain.  Let me go into the other room hold on. **

Helen could hear her sister whisper to her husband followed by the door closing behind Karen as she left her bedroom.

** Helen you still there? **

"Yeah"

** Sorry I didn't want to wake Adam. **

"No I'm sorry.  This can wait go back to bed."

** Don't be silly.  You called me it must be important.  So what's on your mind baby sister? **

"I don't know how to ask this so I guess I'll just ask...don't be offended. I mean you don't have to answer if you don't want to but I hope you will cause there's a good reason that I'm asking and..."

** Helen just ask already.  If I don't feel like answering I won't okay. **

"When you and Adam first got together."

** Uh-huh **

"Well I know you had some 'issues' with your body...that is with sharing with showing...you know what I mean."

** You mean because of my weight? **

"Yeah"

** Why do you ask? **

"I...I was just wondering is all."

** You were 'just wondering'?  C'mon Helen you don't mean to tell me that you called me at two in the morning because you were 'just wondering' what's really going on? **

"I um...I," Helen sighed. "There's this girl...woman I...I want her to be comfortable."

** Okay.  That's good but why don't you start at the beginning. **

Over the next hour Helen told her sister about Eleanor.  How she had fallen in love with the defense attorney and how scared she was to push things with her.  Eleanor seemed hesitant to have things progress further than they already had physically.  Which meant that they sometimes spent hours cuddling on the sofa kissing and caressing each other over their clothes but if Helen suggested, either by touch or word, that they move into the bedroom Eleanor would freeze.  Helen feared that the other woman would never be comfortable enough to share herself that way with her and it saddened her. And then there were her own issues her own insecurities.  Her own fear of once again loving a roommate who could not or would not love her back with the same intensity of emotion.  She thought she'd learned her lesson with Lindsay.

** I don't know what else to tell you sweetie except give her time. Tell her how you feel tell her what you want and keep telling her till she believes you. Really believes you. The hardest part for me about being with Adam for the first time was that I couldn't believe that anyone, much less this incredibly hot guy would really want to be with me.   I was sure that once he saw me naked and really saw my body for the first time he would be disgusted.  And you know what sometimes it's still like that for me even now and we've been together for almost seven years. **

"What did he say to you to make you believe?"

** I couldn't tell you exactly.  I just started believing him one day. Not that I jumped in the sack with him right away after that or anything, it just...it was the way he said how beautiful I was.  How he wanted to be with me in every way, how he dreamed about it.  It was the look in his eyes and something in his voice and suddenly I knew that he really meant it.  And I knew that I wanted that. Now it sounds to me like you're already a good deal further along than Adam and I were at this stage of the game. Be patient it sounds to me like you think she'll be more than worth the wait. **

"I do."

** Listen Helen I've...**

"I know you've got to go back to sleep. Thanks.  I love you. Give Adam a kiss for me."

** Will do. I love you too kiddo.  You go to sleep too okay. **

Helen hung up the phone and sat in bed going over the conversation with her sister in her head before rising and going to sit at her desk.  She found a clean legal pad and began to write.

 / / / / / / / / / / / /

Lucy Hatcher looked up from her desk at the sound of the door to the offices of Donnell Young Dole and Frutt opening.  She waved hello to Eleanor as she continued talking to someone on the phone.  Eleanor hung her coat before picking up her messages from Lucy's desk.  It wasn't until she was actually sitting that she noticed the vase, on the corner of her desk, filled with a dozen roses.

"That was sitting outside the door when I opened up this morning," Lucy said as she removed the headset she normally wore at her desk. "So who's sending you roses these days?"

"I don't know.  Was there a card?"

"There was isn't it...oh there it is," the petite receptionist bent down to retrieve the envelope which had fallen in front of Eleanor's desk. "Here you go."

"Thanks Lucy." Eleanor opened the small envelope inside was a single piece of heavy stock paper with the words "More beautiful than a rose" written in calligraphy.  Smiling to herself she tucked the note back in the envelope and put the envelope in her jacket pocket. "Yes Lucy? Is there something I can do for you?"

"Oh come on Eleanor you can tell me," Lucy wheedled.

"Yeah right I might as well just call a partnership meeting and make the announcement there," Eleanor snapped out.

"Jeesh easy there be that way," she walked back to her own desk continuing to mutter under her breath. "You'd think she'd want to share the good news."

Eleanor about to apologize for her sharp tone was interrupted by the door chime signaling Bobby and Lindsay's arrival and the beginning of the practice's busy day. It wasn't until that evening as they were preparing to leave that Eleanor was finally able to apologize to Lucy, "I'm sorry for the way I snapped at you this morning."

"It's alright.  I understand I was just curious. We all were actually."

"I know but it's not something I'm ready to discuss right now okay?"

"Sure anything you say Eleanor.  I'm happy for you though.  You need a hand getting those down to your car?"

"No I think I'm going to leave them here."

"Okay see you tomorrow then."

"Good night Lucy.  Be safe."

"You too.  Kiss Zoë for me when you get home."

"Will do."

A few days later a messenger delivered a basket filled with mangoes, kiwis and other tropical fruits.  The accompanying note was once again written in calligraphy and read: Lush and ripe like you.  Eleanor was rereading the note when her cell phone rang, "This is Eleanor."

** Save a mango for after dinner. ** 

Eleanor smiled turning her back to the room she lowered her voice to answer, "Are you making dinner then?"

** I was hoping you'd let me pay for a sitter so we could go somewhere romantic. I know just the place I want to take you. I already asked Julie and she's available to stay later if you want.  Please say yes. **

"I have to go home first."

** I'll take that as a yes.  Would you wear that dress you wore to your brother's cocktail party last month you looked gorgeous in it, the color suits you. **

"If you'd like."

** I'd like very much. **

"What time?"

** We have reservations for 8:00 o'clock **

"The kiwi is a bit sweeter than the mango I'll bring some of that instead." Eleanor hung up the phone pointedly ignoring the open looks of curiosity her officemates sent in her direction when she resumed facing the room.  Sometimes it was a pain in the ass having an open office space.

That weekend Eleanor's brother Stephen came for a visit.  Stephen was deaf and so he and Eleanor taught Helen some basic words and phrases in sign. Rudimentary signs some of which Helen had already observed Eleanor using with Zoë when she talked to the baby in her crib.  Eleanor liked the way Helen paid close attention to their hands, hers' and Stephen's, when they signed while they talked.  Stephen read lips and could speak fairly clearly and even though he made it a point to speak so as to include Helen in their conversations he and Eleanor continued to sign to each other even as they spoke aloud. 

Monday afternoon a Candy-gram arrived for Eleanor at the office.  The message was delivered in sign language: I love your hands when you speak.  Once again her cell phone rang, "This is Eleanor."

** I love your voice the way it wraps around me like liquid silk **

"Like liquid silk," Eleanor murmured in a low throaty voice. "I like how that sounds."

** And I liked how you sounded saying it. **

"I'll talk to you later.  The walls have ears."  It really was a pain in the ass having an open office space.

At home things progressed nicely.  They had moved to cuddling on Helen's bed while they watched TV sometimes falling asleep entwined with one another until the baby stirred in the nursery.  Then Eleanor would rise to check on her daughter before returning to her own bed for the rest of the night.  Other times though cuddling led to making out which led to hands wandering and this too was becoming easier between them.  Eleanor was no longer as shy about where and how Helen touched her but was still not quite comfortable with allowing the much thinner Helen to see her nude. Every day Helen made it a point to tell Eleanor she loved her and the baby and to compliment the heavy set attorney in some way however small. 

This went on for several weeks until Helen noticed a change in Eleanor's attitude, which seemed to signify to her that Eleanor was, as Karen had said she would eventually, beginning to believe Helen's words.  Began to believe that Helen thought she really was beautiful, that Helen really desired her, her body not just the emotional aspects of their relationship so far. 

They met for dinner at a Thai restaurant not far from their apartment the night Eleanor realized she was very much in love with Helen and that she really did believe the district attorney's compliments.  Believed that Helen meant them and believed herself deserving of them. She'd arrived at the restaurant to find Helen already waiting at a secluded corner table.  The shorter woman stood a huge smile plastered on her face as Eleanor walked towards her.

"Hi"

"Hi.  Sorry I'm late."

"You're not I got here a little early," Helen blushed. "You look...you got a haircut?"

"Just a trim really, it was an excuse to get my hair washed and a scalp massage.  God I love how that feels you know."

They sat opposite each other smiling at one another over the flame of the small candle centerpiece. Eleanor admired the sable highlights the flickering candlelight brought out in Helen's hair. "You look beautiful, the candlelight really brings out the color in your hair."

"Thanks, you know I'd be more than happy to wash your hair for you if you'd like.  All you have to do is ask?" Helen said in a low husky whisper. "You can ask me for anything anytime?"

"Can I?"

Helen's answer was forestalled by the arrival of their waiter. They ordered drinks and appetizers.  As the waiter walked off Helen reached for Eleanor's hand across the table and laced their fingers together, "Yes."

"What do you want?"

"What do I want or what do I want from you?"

"Both."

"I want to love you make love to you.  I want to learn your body, your skin your heat." Helen's voice, rich thick with desire, seemed to wrap around Eleanor and the heavyset attorney lost herself in the pleasures of listening as Helen continued. "But its not just that. I love you. I love your smile and I love your laugh, the way you laugh with your whole body, I love that about you.  I want to wake up next to you and have breakfast with you.  I want to come home to you and fall asleep next to you everyday.  I want everything.  I want to have to get up to take care of Zoë in the middle of the night; I want to learn sign as you're teaching it to Zoë.  I want Christmas trees and Thanksgiving dinners. I want menorahs and seders.  I want a life with you Eleanor Frutt."  Helen took a sip of water as she finished speaking.

"All of that with me?" Eleanor's voice held a note of wonder.

"With you.  If you want that with me that is."

"I want that...with you."

"Good."

"Let's go home."

"Now? Aren't you hungry?"

"Yes.  Aren't you?" Eleanor scratched Helen's palm with the nail on her index finger in the age old sign for "I want you" or at least that's what she hoped Helen would take it to mean.

"Oh umm yeah.  We could get everything to go."

"Lets"

////////////

Everyone in the office made note of the twice-weekly deliveries though they were careful not to discuss it until after several weeks of mystery Rebecca finally broke the silence.  Eleanor was out of the office and not expected to return until late in the afternoon.

"Does anyone have any idea who Eleanor is seeing?  Lindsay has she said anything to Helen that you know of.  I mean they are roommates Helen must see something."

"She hasn't said anything to me but then I haven't asked and I don't really care. Eleanor's a big girl she can see whomever she wants...even if he is a knife wielding psycho," she muttered more to herself than to the room.

"That's not fair Lindsay," Eugene Young cut in. "If she is seeing someone maybe."

"Eugene's right with her track record maybe we ought to have this guy checked out."

"Lucy!" Bobby scolded the receptionist. "Now listen up there will be no 'checking up' on Eleanor's admirer, when she's ready to say something she will."

"Bobby's right we should be happy for her."

"Thank you Bec."

"So Jimmy you're probably the one she's closest to here, what with helping her out with the baby and all so you should ask her."

"Rebecca! That is not what I meant and you know it. Jimmy."

"Right no asking," Jimmy shot the firm's senior partner a tight grin.

"Good that's settled. Eugene and I have a pre-trail motion in," Bobby looked at his watch. "Thirty-five minutes.  Lindsay I'll see you tonight.  Everybody else if I don't see you later have a good night.  See you tomorrow."

Lucy waited a good 10 seconds after the door closed behind the firm's senior partner before speaking. "So against the advice of counsel."

"I couldn't ask her directly." Jimmy looked down at his feet and mumbled, "You know how private she is and I respect that.  She'll say something when she's ready."

"Linds."

"I'm afraid not Rebecca.  I have to go with Jimmy on this one.  Besides Helen is the Queen of Gossip, if something serious were going on she'd spill in an instant.  Trust me."