Capital Turpitude: Emma and Adrienne

[x-adrienne.livejournal.com]

 Emma offers Adrienne a solution to her problems, and some threats to go with it.



The paramedics had wanted to take her in for observation to monitor her for smoke inhalation, but Laurie had done wonders on her and Adrienne had no desire to spend the night in a hospital, so they'd left her behind. Except now, sitting on the curb watching the aftereffects of the fire, she realized it would have been better to go with them, because she had no where to sleep tonight. Her accounts were frozen so she couldn't get a plane ticket back to Boston or even a hotel room for the night. She couldn't go to the penthouse because it was on company property. Kyle had assured her that she could stay at the mansion tonight, but Adrienne didn't trust that Wyngarde wouldn't arrange for a fire to be set there too. She was for all intents and purposes, homeless. And broke. Wyngarde had taken everything, absolutely everything.

Exhausted both mentally and physically, Adrienne lay back on the sidewalk, wishing a car would jump the curb and just drive over her.

“I could call my driver and see if he’s willing to do it,” said Emma. She looked down at her sister and then at her own shoes, somewhat dubiously. “I’d even be willing to walk all over you, if that would help the self-flagellation, but I don’t want to damage these.” She extended her shoe into Adrienne’s line of vision, knowing that, on the list of things that could snap her sister out of self-pity, shoes were close to the top. Particularly bespoke Christopher Kane floral embroidered heels.

"So pretty," Adrienne sighed, focusing on the shoe. "You're right. You shouldn't damage them on my worthless face." Distractedly she wondered if Christopher Kane was related to Garrison and his father. "Uggggh, he did it, Em. He took everything. My business. My money. I'm never going to be able to buy pretty shoes like those again. He nearly killed Garrison. Fucking Wyngarde!" she suddenly exclaimed with vigour. "Wait." She sat up and her eyes widened at seeing Emma. "Wait, wait. No. No no no. You can't be here, Emma. You can't be here. He's going to see you and he's going to hurt you!"

It was a mark of the extent to which their relationship had changed that Emma did something that she wouldn’t have done for anyone else on the planet. With a small sigh, Emma turned and sat down on the curb next to Adrienne. "No, he's not. Wyngarde wouldn't even think about taking on the White Queen. There are... rules about that kind of thing." The smile she gave Adrienne was almost apologetic. "We are quite arcane, sometimes. But we are what we are. We are... too powerful. If Black and White Court truly tried to destroy each other, we would tear the world apart beneath us. And I like my pretty things too much to do that. So does Sebastian. And so - we leash ourselves. Volunteer to submit to rules to hold ourselves in check. Oh, we bend them and distort them, when it suits us, but it's very rare that we actually break them. If we do, the punishment would be," Emma searched for a word, settled on, "harsh. Have you ever thought about why Wyngarde has spent so much energy trying to destroy you? To gain a hold over you?"

Adrienne shrugged. "He implied he'd been testing me. For the Black Court. For membership. When I first started out, and I told him I was interested in joining the Black Court, he made it clear that he would be testing my usefulness. Even when I knew I would never join, I went along with it, because I was fairly certain that being useless to him meant he'd destroy me. And it looks like I am useless, so he has destroyed me. Wow, that really backfired," she said with a wry laugh. "Why do you ask? Is there another reason he would try to destroy me or control me?"

“Because he’s bending the rules,” replied Emma. “He wouldn’t try to take on the White Queen, but if he can find a weakness to exploit, a place to get in...” Emma shrugged. “You are my sister. You may have been my estranged sister and Black Court, but even so, you are my sister. If Wyngarde owned you, then just maybe he would have some hold over me as well.” She smiled down at her hands. “It’s the way we think, Adrienne. Wyngarde wants power in the Black Court and you were a tool that might be useful to get there. A pawn on our chessboard. It probably hasn’t escaped your notice, but we are not nice people.”

The brunette gave her sister a watery laugh. "Well, some are nicer than others." She leaned back on her elbows and looked up at the smouldering building. "I... I didn't know the Inner Courts were bound by these... rules towards each other," she admitted. "I should have. Stupid." If she'd realized it before now, maybe she could have gotten Emma's help the minute Wyngarde had first threatened Garrison fourteen months ago, knowing Wyngarde couldn't harm Emma. She huffed out a sigh. "So now that I'm no longer useful to Wyngarde and the Black Court, what do you think I should do? Get out of Dodge? England, maybe? Brazil? Is there anywhere I can outrun them, now that I'm useless?"

“If Wyngarde can persuade Sebastian you are worth pursuing, then there’s nowhere on earth you would be safe. I’m not saying Sebastian would agree, but Wyngarde does seem to find playing with you somewhat amusing, so the possibility is there.” Emma looked out across the street, anywhere but at Adrienne. “How much do you trust me?” she asked softly. “To protect you? To keep you safe?”

Adrienne looked at Emma, but her sister wasn't meeting her gaze. She chewed on her lip for a moment before answering. "Well, as I was once told, you don't get strength from being alone. It's been a hell of a lesson, but I think I'm finally starting to understand that. You're the most powerful person I've ever met, Em, more powerful than Wyngarde and Shaw because you don't just have power, you also have compassion, and a conscience. I trust you because of that, because I think that makes you stronger than them." Quirking up a corner of her mouth, she shrugged again. "And you told me a while ago that all you ever tried to do was protect me from monsters. I think I'd be pretty damn stupid if I didn't finally let you."

A smile played over Emma’s lips. “A conscience? What a pretty thought. I don’t think anyone’s accused me of having one of those in years.” She stole a sideways glance at Adrienne. “But I certainly have power and I think I can protect you. We played the game one way; keeping you away from me so no-one would think to use you against me. Clearly,” Emma made a casual gesture back over her shoulder at the mess behind them, “that hasn’t worked out so well for you. So, I claim you. For the White Court. No rank, no role, you don’t even have to pay attention if you don’t want to. But I’ll put you under my direct protection and make it clear to Shaw and his dogs that the rules apply to you. Wyngarde might try and play you for old times sake, but I can slap him down in plain sight if you belong to me. Though,” Emma cautioned, “don’t assume that I won’t use you if I need to. I am who I am, Adrienne. I have no intention of changing that. Not even for you.”

Adrienne laid back down on the pavement for a brief time, thinking the offer over. She did trust Emma, so she wasn't worried about the truth of her statement that Wyngarde could be slapped down for trying to play her. The prospect of being free from the worry about him harming her was incredibly comforting. And if he couldn't play her anymore, then he couldn't use her friends and students against her, which gave her an amazing sense of relief. On the other hand, she wanted nothing more than to be rid of the entire damned Hellfire Club altogether, and Emma's offer didn't allow for that- she'd said that Adrienne didn't even need to pay attention, but then had added the caveat that she would use her if she needed to, which meant she sort of did need to pay attention, to some degree at least.

But no matter how she added things up, taking the White Court's protection seemed like the only way to escape Wyngarde's emotional terrorism. She hadn't been able to think up any solution to her problems in more than a year, she was at the end of her rope, but this might just be the answer. She had to trust Emma, because there was nothing else she could do. She couldn't touch Wyngarde legally on her own, he was far too powerful. But the White Court could keep him in check. This new realization, the more she thought it over, seemed like a gift. The White Court could protect her, and by extension, the people in her life.

"I guess you know what I've been thinking anyway," she muttered as she sat up again, "I'd like nothing more than to never have anything to do with the Hellfire Club again. But Wyngarde can't be beaten by regular old law and order, he's too powerful. I get that now. If he can be held in check by the White Court, than there seems to be nothing else I can do. If... if doing this means that everyone at Xavier's can be safe because he couldn't mess with me anymore, if-" she had to chuckle "-belonging to you means I could go back to the school again, then I'll accept your... claim. Gratefully." She huffed out a sigh suddenly, the great pressing feeling of anxiety over endangering her friends beginning to dissipate a little.

"As to being used by you, I think it's pretty clear that I owe you a hell of a lot," she smirked. "And I'll pay that debt. I won't be made to do anything illegal if it could get back to Garrison or Xavier's, though, Em, that has to be my sticking point. Garrison and the school can't find out if I'm doing something that would reflect badly on them, or there's no point in me going back at all." She hadn't said she wouldn't do something illegal, just that they couldn't find out about it. But since Emma had been the one to get her the job there in the first place, she hoped her sister could respect that. "I want to go back, Em," she added, almost pleading.

“You don’t want to be ruthlessly used for someone else’s purposes, but you want to go back to Xavier’s?” said Emma, very dryly. “Do you think if I shaved my head and sang songs about living in perfect harmony, people would stop noticing me throwing children into the line of fire for the “greater good” as well?” Her tone made the quotation marks on “greater good” perfectly clear.

"Well, when I left, I didn't take anything with me, so all my things are there," Adrienne smirked. "Also, I've never heard him sing. But that's a very good point," she said with a sigh. "I know the mansion's not perfect, but it's come to be home. And now that Wyngarde's got 64 Square tied up in those ridiculous federal charges I have nowhere else to go, and teaching's all I have left. Unless you were to put me on your payroll and let me live at the Brownstone so I could wash my hands of Xavier," she suggested with a grin.

“Then I would be forced to use you,” pointed out Emma. “And probably fight with Monsieur LeBeau over what he wants to do with your services. And be accused of turning Snow Valley into a branch office of the Hellfire Club.” She paused for a moment and considered her next words carefully. “I do not, on the whole, question Xavier’s motives. Just – be aware, Adrienne. His optimism is quaintly charming, but it hasn’t stopped him training his own private militia. I do not want you to be used, Adrienne. Not by me, not by anyone. And certainly not by Wyngarde. So, I claim you for the White Court and promise to leave you alone as much as I can.” She smiled. “Shall we celebrate with cognac and room service? I have a suite. And a driver to get us there.”

Adrienne couldn't stifle a giggle. "It was a joke, sis. Look, I love you and I appreciate the claiming and the belonging, but I think one of us wouldn't survive me working for you." She rolled her eyes and huffed out a breath at the change in topic. "Oh, believe me, I am going to be a lot more aware of being used in the future, even by old men who appear optimistic and sing songs about harmony like Xavier." She giggled again- that was a great mental image. "Cognac and room service sounds great." In a sudden fit of happiness or gratitude or relief or insanity, Adrienne leaned over and hugged her sister. "Thank you for claiming me, big sister. And you know, you don't have to leave me alone." Though you may want to after this, she thought to herself with amusement.

Emma blinked as Adrienne’s arms encircled her, startled both by it happening and by how very long it had been since she had been simply and happily hugged. It was not the sort of thing that Emma Frost did. But then again, her relationship with Adrienne wasn’t like any other one in her life, so maybe it wasn’t all that surprising. Emma twisted slightly and reached out, wrapping her sister in her arms, holding her tightly for just a moment. #You are my weakness,# she sent gently into her sister’s mind. #I don’t want to lose you. Don’t do this again.# She loosened her grip slightly and added, #And if there any photographers out there taking photos of this, I am going to teach them all of the places in a human body where you can insert a camera. And make sure they cluck like a chicken every time someone says their name. For all eternity.#

Adrienne laughed at the threat of camera insertion and chickens after responding with a placid #never, I promise,# to the other statement. She broke away from her sister, only now realizing that she was covered in soot from her brief foray into the plant, some of which had undoubtedly been transferred onto Emma by their hug. "Whoops. I think I made you dirty." She found herself giggling once again.

Emma looked down at her slightly besmirched clothing and grinned. “This isn’t close to the worst thing that’s ever happened to my clothes when I’ve been out with one of Xavier’s people,” she responded. She stood up and offered a hand to Adrienne. “Come on. My suite’s got a shower the size of a small Pacific nation and dry cleaning on tap. Let’s go and make havoc.”