Ellen

[furrywall]

If he's honest, he's not entirely sure why he's here.

Well, he knows the basics. Jackie had made it all very clear when she'd left Naples in his care for the year. Make sure the boy goes to school. Check. Make sure he doesn't flunk out. That one was easy enough, given that his spawn is practically a genius. Do the right thing as a parent and attend all parental-type school related activities. That's why he's here.

But he still doesn't understand the purpose of a parent-teacher conference. He knows how smart and well behaved his son is, he can't imagine what a teacher might have to say to him that he doesn't already know.

That's why he's drunk. Well, he's drunk because he has a drinking problem, too, but partly because he's here. At the school. Sitting in a little plastic chair, waiting to be called into the room where Naples' teacher lives. Works. Whatever it is she does in there.

Comments

[shewaswarned]

Aldous Snow is a man whose reputation precedes him, and Ellen would've had to have been living under a rock not to hear about at least part of the path his career has taken, but more than half of the children she teaches come attached to affluent families. If she allowed herself to get starstruck, she'd be dumbstruck in every parent-teacher conference she held - and half the time, it's the nanny who shows up in lieu of an actual parent, as sad a reality as that is.

She's already met one-on-one with Naples, but she's making a point of trying to meet as many parents as she can - when she can fit into their busy schedule, anyway. She takes a sip of coffee from the mug on her desk - lukewarm, prompting a wrinkling of her nose and a popping of some breathmints before she strides to the door leading out into the hallway.

"Mr. Snow?" she calls out, glancing down in that direction when she sees him practically sprawled out in one of the kids' chairs. "Would you step inside, please?"

[furrywall]

"Right, yes," Aldous answers, though it takes him a moment to get his legs under him and his flask back inside his inner jacket pocket. There are people all over the world who refer to him as Mr. Snow, but when he turns to look at Naples' teacher, he's surprised to find Jackie looking back at him.

"What are you doing here?" he asks, tilting his head. "You're supposed to be in... Africa? Somewhere like that, aren't you?"

But she looks awfully good in this teacher get up and he flashes her a grin a moment later, having figured it all out. "This is a thing, isn't it? A role play thing."

[shewaswarned]

And he's drunk. Ellen can smell it stronger on him when he stands, nearing closer, and she knows she probably looks surprised as a result, but a part of her isn't. Not really. Not after being made aware of the kind of reputation he already has.

"I'm sorry," she responds, shaking her head slowly, unsure of how to address his words at first, not even entirely sure she can make sense of them. "I'm not sure what you mean."

She's going to blatantly pretend she didn't just see him handling a flask as she steps to one side, offering to let him go through the doorway first. "Shall we?"

[furrywall]

"Absolutely we shall," Aldous answers, giving Jackie a slow once over before he saunters into the room ahead of her. If this is what all parent-teacher conferences are going to be like, then he thinks he can definitely get used to them. He isn't sure if it's appropriate to be doing this sort of thing at a school. There are students and... principals. He's sure the principal won't like this sort of hanky panky.

"So," he says, sprawling in a chair in front of the desk, legs spread wide. "How does this begin? Do I take my pants off first or do we dance around it for a little bit? Do some pretending?"

[shewaswarned]

Forget drunk; he's practically bordering on wasted. It takes all her strength not to roll her eyes before she follows him into the room, keeping a safe distance as she closes the door behind them. Rather than take her usual favored position of leaning back against her desk - she thinks that might give the wrong impression - she stands next to it, arms lightly crossed.

"I don't know what you think this is, Mr. Snow, but we're here to talk about your son," she gently corrects. "Who, by the way, is doing very well."

[furrywall]

"Oh, I know, Naples is brilliant," Aldous says, looking at Jackie with genuine confusion now. "Seriously, did you go to all this trouble just to play around? I know Lars Ulrich is boring, Jackie, but you know you can just ask for me to give you an orgasm, right?"

He owes her, after all, especially after last time when she'd been especially attentive to him and he'd fallen asleep after it was all said and done.

[shewaswarned]

It takes all of her effort not to completely splutter and fumble for words, shaking her head slowly and silently, as if she can't even believe she's having this conversation right now - or listening to it, more accurately.

"Mr. Snow," she murmurs, not even attempting to hide her chastising. "My name is Ellen - Miss Parsons. I'm your son's teacher, not this - Jackie you seem to have confused me with."

[furrywall]

For a long time Aldous just stares at her. Even in his drunk stupor, he's aware enough to pay close attention to the things Jackie's saying and the things she's doing and the way she's standing. And all of the sudden, out of nowhere, he's very aware that this woman isn't Jackie.

"You look just like my ex-wife," he says, very matter-of-fact. "Naples' mother. He has to have mentioned it. I mean, you're not dressed like she would ever dress, unless she's sober. When she's sober she dresses... yeah, just a bit like a teacher, actually, so maybe you are dressed like her, but you're not her. I can see now, so... sorry about the offer of the orgasm."

He pauses, then adds, "Unless you're interested in it and then I take back the apology."

[shewaswarned]

"He might have mentioned something about it once," Ellen replies, not even sure why she's trying to assuage the man's doubts - and the odd part is that she can feel heat creeping up her neck and into her face as he stares at her, but she clears her throat, willing it away with a mental cease and desist. Stop that.

"I guess I didn't realize how true the resemblance really is." None of her co-workers had ever pointed it out, but maybe it's just as well. "Like I was saying, Mr. Snow," she adds, with only a small clearing of her throat again to hide a tremor in her voice, "what I do is call parents in for a meeting to talk about their child's progress, just to let them know how they're doing and if there are any areas that might need improvement. They're not just learning at school, obviously, but from you at home."

[furrywall]

"Right," Aldous says, although he doesn't hear most of what she says, he's concentrating too hard on the way her breasts look in her top. And he knows he's supposed to be paying attention, he does, but it's just that he hasn't had to pay attention to anyone in a long time.

"Well, Naples is a good kid," he continues. "Very smart. Very well grounded and I don't know where he gets that from, honestly, between me and Jackie and Lars Ulrich."

[shewaswarned]

Her lips tease into a subtle smile as she leans back against her desk again, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well, sometimes there are certain cases in which the children wind up doing some parenting of their own, in spite of their - unique upbringing," she murmurs, still somewhat amused as she tries to meet his gaze. He's focused on - well, something not quite at the level of her eyes.

[furrywall]

And now she's got her arms crossed, which does wondrousthings for her breasts. The way she's leaning back on the desk doesn't help much and Aldous knows, were he to be a little stoned as well as a little drunk, he'd probably have tried to put his hand up her shirt already.

Maybe she won't mind.

"Hey, wait a second," he says, finally snapping into focus. "I'm a good father for him. Only get drunk at the teacher meetings, never in front of Naples." That's one thing he doesn't do. It helps that he's gone a lot and he realizes, belatedly, that being gone a lot isn't exactly a good father sort of thing to do.

[shewaswarned]

"Oh, so you pulled out all the stops for me?" Ellen counters, raising an eyebrow with a small smirk playing at the edges of her mouth. "I'm flattered."

As vehement as he is, though, she has to wonder if he's telling the truth. His son does seem like a very near and dear subject, and there's no disguising real sincerity. Her gaze softens, but only slightly.

"I'm sure you are a good father. Whatever you're doing, it shows."

[furrywall]

For a moment Aldous just looks at her, trying to decide if she's being sincere. It doesn't seem like she's teasing him, though, and he relaxes, giving a nod. "He's my world," he says honestly. Not even music makes him feel as good as Naples. None of the drugs can even come close and he thinks that's why he does them so often.

"So are we supposed to... you know, you really have to stop pushing your breasts up in such a fetching manner if you expect me to be able to concentrate on this," he says.

[shewaswarned]

Her next smile is more sincere, not laced in sarcasm or skepticism or anything that might have been the underlying meaning. "Well, I guess it's also just reassuring to see that he has some support at home. Clearly you want him to succeed, and that's good."

His next words throw her for a pretty big loop, her arms tensing briefly before she quickly forces them down to her sides. "That's just - wildly inappropriate," she fumbles.

[furrywall]

"It is," Aldous agrees. "But most of the time women don't even realize what they're doing, which makes it hard on us straight men. And lesbian women, I imagine. They must enjoy the sight of pushes up breasts as much as we do..."

He trails off, distracted by the thought of two women and pushed up breasts, then finds himself again. "Anyway, no need to apologize. Most women don't even realize they're doing anything inappropriate."

[shewaswarned]

"You know that was directed at you, right?" Ellen finally replies, when she can think of anything at all to say. She finally leans back, taking a beat or two to collect herself, and then starts to round the desk, choosing to put a considerable amount of distance between them.

"Are there any questions you have for me?" she asks, trying to steer the conversation back on track.

[furrywall]

"Yes," Aldous says, considering. There are plenty of questions he can ask, though none of them really have anything to do with Naples. His son does well, that's all that he's concerned about.

"Are you single?" he asks with a smile. In the time he's been in the office, he's sobered up a bit. Not completely, but enough that his words aren't slurred and his eyes are bright when he grins at Ellen.

[shewaswarned]

"Am I - " She pinches her lips together firmly. It's not the question she intended, and she's certain he realizes that, but maybe if she just answers it, gets it out of the way, they can press on from here.

"Yes, but I don't see what that has to do with anything."

[furrywall]

"It just means that I can feel slightly less guilty about trying to get you to sleep with me," Aldous answers honestly, giving her another grin. In truth, he wouldn't feel all that guilty anyway, because if a woman is willing to sleep with him when she already has a man, clearly that man just isn't doing his job properly.

Like Lars Ulrich.

But it's nice, knowing there isn't someone he has to worry about coming after him.

[shewaswarned]

Fine. Two can play this game, she thinks, once she realizes this isn't a topic of conversation he plans to readily drop. If anything, it makes her all the more intent on catching him off-guard for once, the way he'd looked for at least half a second there when he'd thought she was his ex.

"Slightly guilty, then?" she asks, lifting an eyebrow slowly. "But still a little guilty."

[furrywall]

"Well, still a little," Aldous agrees, though he isn't sure why he's letting her know. "Because you look like Jackie, I think, or maybe because you're Naples' teacher. But that's what makes it exciting, too."

He grins at her, leaning back in his chair a little bit. "And the sex is always better when it's just a little bit naughty."

[shewaswarned]

"Is it?" she asks, and there may be a part of her that's more than a little curious now before she pinches her lips together firmly. Down, girl, she tells herself, glancing away for a moment.

"Well, I wouldn't know," she mutters, busying herself by rounding the desk again to collect some stray papers, clearing her throat softly.

[furrywall]

For a moment Aldous just looks at her, his eyes widening just slightly. "You wouldn't know?" he repeats, completely scandalized. "You wouldn't know? Honestly? A woman as beautiful as you doesn't know that naughty sex is more exciting than the regular kind? I mean, the regular kind is great, too, don't get me wrong, but..."

He trails off, shaking his head sadly. "Well. Let's remedy that, shall we?"

[shewaswarned]

"What?" She nearly wrenches her neck in how fast she turns her head to look back at him, eyes widening subtly before she starts to shake her head slowly, feeling her face flush.

"Oh, no. No, no, no," Ellen murmurs, punctuating it with a nervous chuckle, and despite her willpower, there's a moment when her hands tremor as she reaches for that paperwork. "No, I don't think that's - that would be beyond inappropriate, it would be - " She pauses, hesitates, meets his gaze for a beat. "Wrong," she mouths.

[furrywall]

Despite the large quantity of alcohol he's put into his system this evening, Aldous still manages to get up from the chair smoothly, a smile in place. "What's wrong, love, is you not knowing how wonderful a bit of naughty hanky panky can be," he says as he approaches the desk. She's on the other side of it now, but it's just a desk. In fact, it can be used to his advantage.

"But there's nothing wrong with two consenting adults enjoying the pleasures of each others' bodies," he continues. "That's just natural."

[shewaswarned]

"Natural, yes, but - " She glances up when he rises from the chair, her eyes carefully tracking his movement. Maybe if she can keep him in her line of sight, she can keep a lid on this before it gets too out-of-hand - and yet she can't deny that there's something hypnotizing about him in the movement, the smoothness of the motion, seemingly sobered up despite the untold amount he's had to drink.

"We shouldn't. Couldn't. Can't. Absolutely cannot," Ellen declares, pursing her lips slightly.

[furrywall]

"Why?" Aldous asks simply. He isn't pouting -- not yet, anyway -- and it's merely a question as of this moment. It's a good question, too, one he thinks she should consider, give him an honest answer to.

Because, as far as he can see, there isn't a single good reason they shouldn't or couldn't or absolutely cannot. In fact, all he can come up with are brilliant reasons why they absolutely should.

[shewaswarned]

"Because," Ellen says, and for the life of her, she can't come up with a stronger reason or even summon up the desire to do so at the moment. It's ridiculous. She's starting to sound like one of her students.

"Because I'm your son's teacher, and because - " She takes a step back for every one he takes forward, but the blackboard is looming behind her and soon she'll have nowhere else to move to. "Because - "

[furrywall]

Aldous has slept with his son's teachers before, so that's really not a good enough reason, as far as he's concerned. And it seems like Ellen doesn't have any other good reason, so he smiles as he nears her.

"Because?" he prompts gently, his head tipped to the side, his gaze sliding down from her face briefly. But it isn't just her breasts he's interested in, she has an exquisite face as well.

[shewaswarned]

"Because," Ellen echoes, one last time, except for the part where her voice falters on the last syllable, turning into more of a hushed whisper, and she swallows visibly when his gaze descends over her.

"Mr. Snow," she utters, only she's not completely sure what she's trying to protest anymore, or if she even intends to at all.

[furrywall]

"Yes?" he asks sweetly, bringing his hand up to cup her cheek. She's astonishingly beautiful, not only because she looks like Jackie, but in her own right. And her skin is quite smooth.

"You must moisturize every day," he says musingly, his thumb stroking over her cheekbone. "You know, you still haven't come up with a very convincing reason why we should stop this."

[shewaswarned]

"Well, I - " she starts, tipping her head slightly into his hand, her cheek nudging his palm. It's surprisingly gentle, that touch, and she finds herself drawn towards more of it, stepping in close despite some lingering reservations.

"No, I suppose I haven't," Ellen confesses, tilting her face up to his.

[furrywall]

"And here I am, having given you all these good reasons," he continues softly, his other hand lifting to gently push her hair back. She's a beautiful woman, very much like Jackie in some ways, but she certainly isn't in possession of Jackie's tendency to either jump on him or punch him in the face, which he's quite grateful for in this moment.

[shewaswarned]

"Wait, remind me what those reasons were again?" Ellen asks, brow furrowing slightly as she tries to think back to - oh, moments before. It's getting a little harder for her to mentally backtrack when he's lingering in close, his hand gentle against her cheek. She swallows visibly and takes a steadying breath, her chest rising and falling slowly.

[furrywall]

"It's loads of fun," Aldous murmurs, his thumb tracing along the line of her jaw and down to her chin. "And sex is always better when it's a little bit naughty, remember? That was the number one reason that I gave and I stand by it."

He does, too. It's the truth, whether people want to admit it or not, and it's the reason he and Jackie were caught in public so many times.

[shewaswarned]

Rather than tense under his gaze, or stiffen when he reaches out to touch her, she leans in, removing all remaining distance between their bodies.

"Kiss me," she whispers, if only because she wants to know what it feels like, just the once.

[furrywall]

That's it right there. That's what Aldous has been waiting for -- not that he needs to be asked, of course, he'll kill anyone anytime even without them having said he should.

"Yes, teacher," he says in a low voice, a grin curving his lips before he leans down, capturing Ellen's mouth. It's not like kissing Jackie. Not at all. Her mouth is different and she tastes different, but it's good. Better, even, given that Ellen probably hasn't also kissed a drummer.

[shewaswarned]

This is as far as she plans to let it go - at least that's what she tells herself, seconds before his mouth closes over hers.

It's not perfect, though. She can taste the liquor he's had still lingering on his breath, but his mouth is warm, and despite herself, her eyes slowly fall shut as she clings to him, one hand fisting in the leather of his jacket.

[furrywall]

Aldous takes this as a cue and he wraps one arm around Ellen, pulling her tight against him. He'll wait a moment or two before trying to sweep all her things off her desk and for now he concentrates on just kissing her. The taste of her lips when he parts them gently with his tongue, the press of her breasts against his chest.

As far as he's concerned, this is the best parent teacher conference he's ever been to and he has half a mind to ask Jackie if he can go to all of them from now on.