Garrison and Adrienne - Tropical Christmas (Backdated)

[x-adrienne.livejournal.com]

On a sailboat in the South Seas, Adrienne and Garrison discuss her new business venture, happiness, and Tandy's Christmas present.

Adrienne had been on the phone for what felt like hours, cooped up in one of the tiny cabins on Christian Kane's (new) sailboat for some quiet. Anticipating that she could wrap the call up soon, however, she began to make her way topside, securing her cap and sunglasses before tucking a towel around her bikini-clad form. Garrison was the only one she saw on the deck, lazing in a lounger. "Right, that sounds excellent," she said into the phone in full-on professional-businesswoman tone as she wandered around the deck.

The boat was anchored and the scuba gear was missing, so she guessed Christian and Vikks had gone for a dive. She checked the on-board dive computer, synched with the one she knew Christian was carrying around his wrist, and saw that the'd just gone down a few minutes before. Excellent. It wasn't proving easy to get alone time with the Mountie on this trip, although what with it being the holidays, she supposed that was to be expected. And she couldn't begrudge Garrison time with his family at this time of year. Besides, Emma had stopped by for a visit already, and Tandy was being put on a plane by her uncle tomorrow to join them at the dock for a couple days, so she couldn't really blame all of their lack-of-privacy on Garrison's family. Still, it was really nice to think they might have this little time alone together.

"Yes sir," she carried on, tracing figures in the air with her finger as she visualized the work she was going to do. "Yes, I can certainly make that happen." The figures turned to check-marks. "Okay, I'll touch base with you in three days. Yes. Absolutely. Thank you for your business. Goodbye."

As soon as the phone was turned off a wide grin broke out on her face and she started dancing to a song only she could hear. "It's a Christmas miracle!" she squealed to Garrison, doing her money dance across the deck of the ship and shimmying towards him. "Meridian Enterprises' first client!"

"That's, uh..." He pushed up his sunglasses. "Is there disco playing that I can't hear? Wait, did you sign an invisible band? I had a feeling that Moby was a mutant."

Giggling, Adrienne kept on dancing around him. "Pfft, like Moby could perform my money dance appropriately. The BeeGees is much more likely," she nodded, changing up her dance moves to make them even more disco than they might have seemed to Garrison. "Also, an invisible band would be the greatest thing ever." Pondering this, she stopped dancing and sank into his lap. "They could just go around behind people playing random music and freaking people the fuck out. Like... doing the music from the shower scene in Psycho when someone's walking to their car on a dark night, or something..."


"I didn't realize that success made you sadistic, Adrienne. If you finish a merger, do you hunt down some co-eds like human prey?" He shifted her more comfortably in the chaise lounge, letting the sun soak them both. "Alright, tell me the deal. Who's the client that popped your consulting cherry, eh?"

"It was the HR director of a little architecture company that operates near District X," Adrienne answered proudly. "He wants a consult on sculpting some corporate policies regarding mutant hiring. And hey!" she protested, making a face, "I'm not sadistic! I didn't say the invisible band would actually hurt people, just fuck with them! For laughs! And technically, they could actually protect people, like invisible guardian angels. Because if someone really did get jumped on their way to their car on a dark night, the invisible band would be there and could help keep the person safe! I'm actually the do-gooder in this scenario," she preened.

"I've seen bands fight. I don't think it's as much protection as you might think." He replied, wryly. "So, mutant hiring. Have you guys worked up a program for that yet or is this going in largely blind and building from scratch?"

Adrienne gave him a Look. "Aside from my monumental blunder with the Hellfire Club, have I ever approached anything business-related blind?"

"Hey, you haven't talked to me about how far your work at the office is. As I recall, the last time I asked, I was scolded because you had other things for my mouth to be doing. So you can blame yourself or your libido for this one, lady." His tone was mock-affronted. Kane was good at reminding her how proud of her he was, even if his eyes tended to glaze over a bit when she went into the technical side of her work.

"Damn right you got scolded. That's because I only keep you around for your prowess in the sack; I'm not with you for your brain, you should know that by now," Adrienne teased. "I only planned to tell you about the times I got jobs that involved working as PR for mutant models and actresses, since that's clearly all you can keep in that pretty, simple head of yours." Except she hadn't gotten any PR jobs yet. Which was okay. She knew it would be slow going, starting a business out of thin air, and helping a company set mutant hiring policies was nothing to be ashamed of, even if it wasn't as high-profile as she might have hoped for.

"Uhuh. Well, you've gotten the talking down thing absolutely set for a consultant." He juggled her for a second on her lap, pretending to toss her out into the water. "That's fantastic babe."

Wrapping her arms securely around his neck (since she didn't doubt for a second that his pretense of throwing her into the water could turn into reality at any moment) Adrienne beamed at him, preening. "Thanks. I honestly didn't expect to feel this way about any new business I started," she admitted quietly. "Not after what happened with 64 Square. I imagine I went through what other people go through when they lose a beloved family pet." Her brow furrowed in discomfort. "64 Square was with me for a considerable chunk of my life; it was a factor in everything I strove for before it was built, and every decision I made after it became a reality. When it was gone... well, I don't have to tell you; you know how it was," she said with a wrinkle of her nose, "it was like I lost my identity. And after I found it again- or found a new one that suited me better-" she corrected with a shrug, "I didn't think I needed a business to run anymore. And maybe I still don't, not to be truly happy, or something sappy like that. But having Meridian now, the new challenges of something so different to 64 Square... it's been fantastic. Is that weird?"

"Of course not. You've been looking for a challenge for months now." He kissed her. "You've never backed down from anything, Adri. In fact, I don't think you even know how to. That's why you're happy."

Adrienne shifted uncomfortably, knowing it wasn't exactly true that she'd never backed down from anything. Her flight to Boston to escape Wyngarde was proof enough of that. But it was sweet that Garrison believed that of her. That belief made her want to work harder to make it true. "Well, I think you're probably just a liiiiiiittle bit responsible for me being happy, but, y'know, if you want the fact that I'm relentless and driven to have the credit for that instead, that's fine by me," she teased, swinging her legs casually and relaxing her hold on his neck. "How about you? Are you happy?" she asked, poking him in the shoulder with a manicured fingernail. "Your energy seems to be coming back, anyway," she commented with a sly grin.

"Seems to be. I guess that a few weeks of relaxation was all I needed. Although this has been more active than relaxation normally is." He gave her a wink.

"If you're complaining I'll volunteer to leave you here with your father and Vikks and go home," Adrienne shrugged, though she smirked a little as she suggested it. "Then I could check on Tandy. I know Jean and Scott and Father Michael said they'd call if she got into any trouble, so she's probably fine, but I haven't heard anything from her, either." Adrienne had figured she'd get a call on Christmas morning after Tandy found the car. But she'd heard nothing. What was up with that? "Do you think she hated her present and never wants to speak to me again?" she asked, worry leaking into her attempt to sound casual.

"Sure. What seventeen year old would want a car of their own for Christmas. You might have to buy her socks to make up for it."

"It's Tandy," Adrienne answered, as if that was enough justification for her thought process. "You know how she is. She might prefer socks; I dunno. What do I know about cars? All I know about that one is it's pretty and European. You're the one who said it would be a great car for her, except why did I listen to you? You drive around in the ugliest car on the face of the earth!"

"Yes, because what I want out of a car doesn't involve anything pretty or stylish. It involves being able to catch up to and then grind up anything on the road if necessary. Where as what Tandy wants is something pretty that doesn't cost a fortune to fuel and within a few months if not already, has a big enough backseat for two."

Adrienne squeezed her eyes shut, slapped her hands over her ears and started singing a song she made up on the spot called 'I am not listening do not say anything to me about Tandy and backseats la la la la la.' After a few moments she opened one eye cautiously and uncovered her ears, then narrowed her eyes at him. "Do you think I need to make up stories about seeing her in horrible sex acts again? Just to make sure she stays traumatized and never has sex?" She was joking, but only if Garrison saw it as a joke.

"Fish will swim, birds will fly, and teenagers will make out. It's natural law, babe. Besides, Tandy is a smart kid. You don't have to worry about her doing stupid things like getting passed around by a band or wet t-shirt contests on Spring Break. You should count yourself lucky."

"I suppose that's true," Adrienne acquiesced, letting herself relax a little. "We did see a commercial for one of those Girls Gone Wild videos one day and she was pretty outraged and swore she'd die before being in something like that. Mind you, it was because the camera work and lighting were so shoddy, but, y'know, I'll count that as a win. Did you ever go down to Florida for Spring Break? And not for Spring Training baseball, I mean?"

"Once, but that was before the whole topless thing and outdoor sex acts got popular. In general, we just drank too much on the beach, played volleyball and tried to pick up anyone who could properly filled out a bikini."

"Volleyball? I didn't know Canadians played volleyball," Adrienne mused with a raised eyebrow. "I thought you just did dogsledding and skiing. And hockey. I mean, you certainly don't play baseball," she teased with a shrug.

"You're just begging me to throw you into the water, aren't you?" He mock hefted her up as if to toss her overboard.

"Well, go on then," Adrienne retorted in her best Katharine Hepburn voice. "It's hot out and if there are any sharks I expect they'll get full eating your father and sister. But you better throw yourself in after me!"

"Well, if that's what you want-" Kane suddenly jumped over the side, dropping them both into the ocean and cutting off her brief, startled scream.

Adrienne kicked her way free underwater and grabbed Garrison's legs to hold him under for a few moments before releasing him so she could surface for oxygen. She then hooked an elbow around his neck and tried to pull him under the water again, cackling gleefully.

"Geez, you need to be more careful, Adri! You've managed to dislodge your bikini top." Kane said, leaving her to look quizzically down at her still on bikini. "Oh right, I need to fix that." Before she could react, he pulled the knot out from the back and dropped her top into the water.

"You think you're so amusing, don't you?" Adrienne responded, narrowing her eyes at him but making no effort whatsoever to retrieve her top. "You realize when I have my retaliation you're not going to be so amused, right? Because you already have no top. So by the laws of retaliation, there's only one thing I can remove of yours." She dove under the water and went for his swimming trunks.