Let It Burn

[Gabriela Moreau]

Gabriela batted playfully at Liz's fingers as the went to pinch, but ended up nearly violating her nose and mouth. "Ack!" She spit a little and blew at the errant digits between closed lips. "Stoppit!" The petite brunette started laughing and it soon grew to near hysterics. She didn't know why she found Liz's drunken antics so hilarious but she did. At least Gabriela was able to get a hold of herself before she drifted into the 'laughing so hard no sound comes out' part that she had visited many times before.

"Oh, yeah." She said, wiping at a tear much in the same way Liz had. "I can..." Gabriela's brow furrowed mightily at Liz's reply. Something didn't make sense. "Wait." She said, turning to woozily look at Liz. "Beau doesn't wanna get down so yo go to clubs?" Liz certainly didn't seem like the club going type. "Where are these clubs, what kind of music do they play, what do you do at these clubs, and why haven't I been invited to go?" She asked, her mind latching on to, obviously, the very wrong type of club Liz had been referring to.

[Elizabeth Edison]

Hearing Gabriela start laughing made Elizabeth continue laughing. She laughed so hard that she comically fell out of the bed. It made her laugh even harder as she clutched her stomach, trying to take in gulps of air.

Her own laugh went into the 'shallow wheezing' territory that she always did after one too many drinks. It wasn't an attractive laugh but at that point, it really didn't matter.

She almost didn't catch Gabriela's response about her club remark. And when she did, she laughed even harder. "Ah shit shit, my stomach's cramping oh God." She wheezed but still continued laughing, rolling on to her side on the floor. "Nooo not those clubs." She answered in a thin wheezing voice.

She tried her very best, which in her drunken state wasn't that much, to control her laughter. Crawling back on to the bed, she pushed all the opened and unopened packets of chips and miscellaneous other foods before lying down, still with little bits of laughter. "Photography." She managed to get out before she burst into a fit of giggles again.

[Gabriela Moreau]

And just when Gabriela thought she had herself under control Liz tumbled out of bed and onto the floor. This brought out another, immediate round of high pitched laughter from the tiny girl as she clutched her stomach. With a red face and tears beginning to streak down her cheeks, all sound from the girl suddenly ceased. She was still laughing, this was certain do to her strained, almost painful looking facial expression, but there was a distinct lack of any noise coming from her wide open mouth.

Gabriela couldn't help it, she simply curled up, turning her back to Liz as she couldn't stand seeing the blonde laughing so hard, it only made it worse for her, and went fetal atop Liz's bed. Curling up into the tiniest ball she could, Gabriela continued to laugh her silent laugh. She tried to get a hold of herself, tried to regain control but she couldn't. It was just too damn funny. Even when the haggard voice wafted up from the floor informing Gabriela she'd identified the wrong type of club she didn't stop laughing.

Only when she felt the weight of Liz returning to the bed did Gabriela start to come down. Her stomach hurt something awful and even her cheeks would be sore from the strained twisting of her face into a mask of pure, unbridled joy. "Geezus..." She managed to breathe between gasps of air. "I'm a fucking moron." Okay, so maybe it was okay to drop two f-bombs in a day. "I thought you meant you went to clubs because..." She trailed off and stifled another fit of laughing before it could overwhelm her. "But you just keep yourself distracted. Got it." She was still breathing heavily and curled up in her tiny ball upon Liz's bed. She didn't dare move lest the laughing start again. "Oooh, god... I hurt..." She whimpered weakly in between tiny laughs.

[Elizabeth Edison]

"You're not," Elizabeth reassured the brunette, even as she laughed. "It's...we're drunk!" She tried to explain. It probably didn't do much convincing but she had to let Gabriela know.

She laughed a little as her hand started to massage the other girl's back gently. "Is that ticklish for you?" She asked with a small giggle, her hand moving all over Gabriela's back.

[Gabriela Moreau]

A low moan escaped the brunette's throat as Liz began to rub her back. In the drunken stupor that had been the night Gabriela didn't realize just how tense and desperate for human contact she had become. Even as Liz's touch lacked the conviction or coordination of someone sober, it was still welcome. "No." She whimpered at the word 'ticklish' and tried to scoot away but found the edge of the bed keeping her from doing so. "Don't tickle."

It was obvious the alcohol and fatigue was beginning to set in for the petite girl as she inhaled deeply, still under the affect of the gentle touch of Liz, and yawned. Finally, after milking the rubbing for all it was worth, Gabriela unfurled herself and shifted to lay on her back, stretching her full 5'3" form along the bed. Her expressive brown eyes, clouded by hundred proof rum, peered adoring up at Liz. "Thank you for tonight." She said softly, her voice still taking on a bit of a whimpering tone. She couldn't help it. She was way too drunk to be of a sound mind but the seriousness of her words shone through. "I mean it. You have no idea how much I needed this." Her hands came up to rest upon her lap as she fidgeted idly.

[Elizabeth Edison]

Elizabeth laughed but kept her hands in the straight and narrow, that was until Gabriela moved to her back, stopping her from continuing her ministrations. She slide her hands out and dropped to her side, facing the brunette.

Elizabeth smiled softly at the look on Gabriela's face. She looked so sweet and just slightly red from the laughing but peaceful, it seemed.

The smile widened when the thank you came. Elizabeth pushed the hairs that had fallen into Gabriela's face and stroked the other girl's cheek lovingly. "Don't mention it." She sighed softly, glad she managed to help.

"What are friends for, right?" She nodded before pressing her lips against Gabriela's cheek and hugging her from the side. She yawned a little and sighed. "I'm forgetting something." She said to herself as she curled up against Gabriela. What she forgot was to drink water. Oh she was going to regret tomorrow morning.

[Gabriela Moreau]

The flushing in Gabriela's cheeks deepened at Liz's touch and she smiled warmly up to the blonde. It hadn't occurred to her until Liz suggested a night of drunken movie watching, but Gabriela had been tense, stressed, and a little more emotional than normal. As friendly as she could be, Gabriela found herself with few close friends and she hoped, at least now, it wouldn't be too hasty to count Liz among them.

The stress had long melted away leaving a thoroughly contented Gabriela. The unexpected sensation of the blonde's soft lips pressing against Gabriela's skin only served to send the redness in her cheeks into full on blushing and she reached up with an arm to do the best she could to return the hug before Liz went to settle beside her. Gabriela shifted to face her new found friend. It didn't matter how Liz felt, Gabriela knew the girl was one she wanted to keep close. She smiled as Liz's head rested upon the pillow in front of her before the words came out soft, just barely above a whisper. "You are so beautiful, you know that?" Gabriela was speaking more of the blonde girl's heart and personality than her looks, but those hadn't escaped the brunette's eye either.

[Elizabeth Edison]

When Gabriela turned and they were face to face, Elizabeth couldn't help but realise exactly how different she looked now than she did when they had been training. The vast difference was only made obvious with a little alcohol in her. The proximity helped too.

She almost didn't catch the brunette's words as she started playing with Gabriela's soft dark hair. Her hand trailed down the girl's shoulder, tracing some scars there, following them down her arm, so very fascinated by the bumps and valleys on the otherwise soft skin.

"You too," she whispered back before rubbing their noses together. "I'm glad we decided to do this." The blonde admitted with a soft smile.

[Gabriela Moreau]

Another low groan escaped the brunette's throat as her eyes closed. Liz's touch was so soft, so gentle it could easily put Gabriela to sleep if she allowed. It didn't even matter that Liz's fingertips tended to linger upon the faint traces of scar tissue embedded into her skin. "This is all your doing." Gabriela murmured, smiling as she felt Liz's nose touch against hers. She couldn't take the credit for anything that happened today. It was all Liz. From Gabriela's breakthrough in the training room, to the frightening and gross movie that had them clinging to each other, and all the way up to the quiet moment they were sharing now. It had been Liz's idea from the beginning.

Gabriela's eyes fluttered open to look at Liz. She was so close but Gabriela didn't mind. Her mind swam drunkenly as she caught Liz's gorgeous hazel eyes. Carefully a slender hand came up to rest against Liz's cheek. She wanted to thank the blonde again, thank her for everything, for helping her, for this night, for this moment. But she'd already done that. She didn't dare get emotional, not here, not now. She just smiled into that perfectly gorgeous face that was so close. Those soft, inviting lips that were also so very close...

[Elizabeth Edison]

Getting the blame for something like this was not a bad way of going, the blonde thought to herself with a small grin. She was glad Gabriela had fun. She did too. And that was what they had set out to do.

Now, things were going in a direction that Elizabeth had not foreseen. Of course, this was exactly what had happened between her and Erika when they first slept together. But then, at that point, she didn't have Beau. This felt different because he was on her mind. Hazy as her mind was right then, anyway.

The feeling she got when Gabriela slid her hand on her cheek was about the same feeling she got with Beau. It felt good. She wanted more of it. Her hand slid up to meet Gabriela's, linking their fingers together before she gave the girl's inner wrist a long kiss. Her eyes were closed by then and she let her lips linger.

[Gabriela Moreau]

There was something about the feel of Liz's fingers lacing between her own that caused a slow inhale of breath to swell Gabriela's chest. Through her inebriated fog she felt a strong rush of emotion. Then those lips carefully pressed against the sensitive skin of her wrist. Eyes closed once again as Gabriela's mind attempted desperately to ask a hundred questions. What was happening? Was this wrong? Why did it feel this way? Why did Gabriela like it?

Even though Liz's lips remained at wrist the brunette's eyes slowly opened. She found herself mesmerized by the sight of the blonde's lips pressed softly against her skin. She was almost stunned by the beauty of the image and almost felt... aroused? This wasn't right. Gabriela didn't see Liz that way. She didn't see any girl this way. Hell, Gabriela wasn't even sure what way it was in which she was gazing upon Liz in the first place.

Swallowing hard Gabriela then did something that would cause her a great deal of confusion and sleepless nights. The hand that rested upon Liz's cheek carefully pulled those soft lips from her wrist. Gabriela didn't want to, the feel of them was relaxing and brought out conflicting, but wonderful feelings. But there was a sense of certainty in the brunette's eyes as she leaned forward. Even though her mind screamed at her to stop. Screamed that this wasn't right and she should be doing it. But her body and her heart had already taken control. With a swift, almost greedy motion Gabriela's hand splayed out against Liz's cheek and pulled the blonde to her in a drunken, but deep and passionate kiss.

[Elizabeth Edison]

Elizabeth hadn't meant anything by the wrist kissing. But it felt good. She was going through the motions because it made her feel nice. Her body was also reacting to the kiss she was giving Gabriela's wrist for some reason or another.

And when Gabriela pulled her face up and their lips met, there was no hesitation on the blonde's part as she returned the kiss, her hand sliding across the brunette's neck and unlinking the other hand only to cup her cheek as she deepened the kiss.

It must have been the alcohol. She would probably blame the alcohol in the morning. But until then, she was doing this and nothing was actually going to stop her.

[Gabriela Moreau]

The kiss lingered for as long as Gabriela could hold out. Her fingers tightened against Liz's cheek as the passion grew. Her other arm would squirm out from beneath her body to snake around Liz and pull her heatedly into Gabriela's slender form. Gabriela kept her lips pressed hungrily to Liz's until she had to come up for air. Only then did she dare pull away from the soft embrace and even then, it was only an inch or so. She didn't want to to pull away, not much.

"Liz..." The blonde's name escaped Gabriela's lips in a husky whisper as she fought to catch her breath. The passion from the kiss as well as the lack of oxygen left the petite brunette almost gasping for air. "Liz, I really shouldn't..." And the heated whisper trailed off. The hand against Liz's face went limp, as did Gabriela's entire body. Her breathing slowed to a steady pace. Gabriela was out, suddenly dropped into a deep slumber.

[Elizabeth Edison]

When they broke away to breathe, Elizabeth was still clutching Gabriela's neck and cheek, her eyes searching the other girl's. Suddenly she was no longer drunk. The realisation that she had just kissed someone else hit her quick and hard and she almost panicked.

But then she asked herself why she had to. Beau was her boyfriend, yes, but did that mean she wasn't allowed to give in to her natural instincts? Maybe she should ask him about it. Yes. That was what she was going to do.

Not now though. Now, she wanted to say something to Gabriela, but the girl was out like a light. Her eyes widened in surprise before a soft chuckle escaped her lips. With a soft kiss on the brunette's forehad, Liz settled in to sleep too.

[Gabriela Moreau]

Mid-morning brought with it the sun shining through the blinds of Liz's room, illuminating the chaos that remained. It looked as though it had been a wild night for the both of them as empty ice cream containers, empty bags of chips, candy wrappers, and the former contents of many of the wrappers and bags, were strewn about the room and the bed where Gabriela and Liz still lay. The two biggest culprits of the crazy night were still sitting smugly on the bedside table. The first was a plastic Coca Cola bottle that only had a small bit of a potent, brown liquid resting in the grooved bottom. The red cap was missing, probably mixed in somewhere among the debris and, upon further inspection, it would be painfully obvious the contents of the bottle, despite what the red and white label stated, had decidedly not been Coca Cola. The second culprit was also a bottle. This one, however, had no label and was empty. It was also glass and had the unmistakable shape of a liquor bottle. A middle-shelf tequila, to be more specific.

Gabriela and Liz lay in the center of the bed, in a perfect world it would've made for a beautiful image. The two friends entwined in each other's embrace, protecting one another from the trials and tribulations they had been driving off the night before. But it was not perfect and alcohol had a habit of making things far more beautiful the night before than they would be the morning after. Hair was mussed and matted and fell precariously into faces. What should have been a loving embrace between friends was nothing more than a mass of tangled arms and legs with assorted wrappers scattered around them. And, instead of peaceful, sleeping faces, Gabriela lay with her face half mushed into the pillow, a faint trail of drool trickling from the corner of her open mouth.

It was a beautiful sight to behold.