[For Phoebe, Lilo] Viva Las Vegas

[girlsolo]

Light flickers off the flatscreen monitor of Kate's media station where it sits on top of a stack of boards separated by coconut shells that they use for Lilo's dresser. From her spot on the bed, Kate can just make out the folding screen she'd made from a couple of crappy tourist-trash kimonos like they sell at the International Market in Waikiki and jungle-trash branches she spent days soaking, warping, whittling straight. Lilo likes it, because she can 'slam' it across the space between her pallet and the bed and it feels like she has her own space. Kate likes it, because it feels like she did something right for once. Even if it's just giving an angry six year-old her own room and a door to slam.

Right now, Bonny's curled up in her corner on her pallet. Lilo's on her stomach, chin on her hands, watching Elvis and Ann Margaret prance around a pool party in Viva Las Vegas. There weren't a lot of Elvis movies on her media station when she got it. Just a few, but there are enough that Kate's pretty sure the guy never wore short sleeves. Ever. And not enough that she doesn't know this one by heart, which is why she's making up stories about tragic fires, shooting up, angry hookers, never-revealed deformities, Abnormalities, when she sneaks a kiss to Phoebe's shoulder and her fingers pick idly at the hem of Phoebe's dress.

It's not a thing, like her and Declan. More of a thing like her and Imri. They like being together. It's comfortable. She trusts Phoebe with Lilo. And they're both cool with the booty call list being longer than one. Tonight, it feels a little more like a thing but Kate knows it's because she's struggling to stay awake, even with Lilo half-wrapped around her leg and Bonny's occasional barked commentary on the movie. She's had to dial back her training, but she's got lifeguarding and first aid and sewing and cooking and training and sparring and laundry and the chick-a-dees and William and Lilo. Even with all that, sleeping around someone else who's awake is kind of huge. It says things. But either Kate's grown or she's just really tired because she knows what things and she honestly doesn't care.

Comments

[ikipelekai]

Lilo has a lot to do every day -- school and visiting the neighbors and helping Kate. Sometimes it's important to just kick back and watch a good movie.

Kate and Phoebe don't appreciate Elvis like Lilo does but Kate still lets her watch movies when she wants to. Kate tries hard, like Nani does. It's not even her job to do it because she's not Lilo's sister like Nani. But Kate does it anyway.

Phoebe's nice too. Lilo doesn't know her very well and she thinks maybe she might be a witch or a mermaid for real but so far Lilo has kept her suspicions to herself. She makes Kate happy and that's good enough for Lilo.

[blackb3ltbarbie]

Phoebe smiles slightly when Elvis and Ann began to sing doing 60s dance moves but she loves this. Chilling out and watching cheesy movies, it reminds her of home but not in the same way as her sisters, obviously. Her fingertips trail over Kate's arm, she glances down at Lilo and as she does, she can't help but wonder about Piper and her pregnancy. It's bittersweet feeling to be here like this with Kate and Lilo, but she wouldn't miss it.

[girlsolo]

Lilo's quiet. Bonny's quiet. Phoebe's quiet. Kate's exhausted. It doesn't take more than another few minutes before her head slips to Phoebe's shoulder and Kate's drifted off to a mixed movie-watch and dreamland.

At some point, they merge, and Kate's dreaming about a dance party on the beach with Imriel's hair styled in a pompadour and Phoebe in a tiny bikini.

[ikipelekai]

By the time Lucky and Rusty have found love in Vegas, Lilo's getting restless. She worms around on the bed as the credits roll. "Kate."

But Kate's asleep and Lilo frowns then transfers her gaze to Phoebe. "Can I have a snack?" she asks the substitute adult.

[blackb3ltbarbie]

Phoebe contemplates for half a second, not really long at all because what could possibly go wrong with giving a kid a snack at night? She gently disentangles herself from Kate, putting her head on the back of the sofa and stands up.

"Sure. What did you have in mind?"

[ikipelekai]

"Desserts are good." Lilo says, her eyes wide and voice slyly convincing, sensing the presence of an adult without much firsthand knowledge of child wrangling. With Kate asleep, Lilo's inclined to push the envelope a little. "And juice."

[blackb3ltbarbie]

"Dessert and juice it is." Phoebe said with a smile and motion toward the kitchen. She figured fresh squeezed fruit juice would nutritionally offset whatever dessert Kate had around in the kitchen.

[girlsolo]

Somehow Pheebs managed to get Lilo to bed without waking her, and Kate could kiss her for that. Fuck, actually, she will kiss her, but not just for that. After sucking down half a mason jar of water to rinse the sleep out of her mouth, Kate jerks her head toward the porch and then gets up and pads out.

The night's warm and the breeze feels good on her skin. She stretches into it, arms overhead, and then leans against the porch rail to wait for Phoebe to come out.

[blackb3ltbarbie]

Phoebe had been afraid that being around Lilo would bring up too many bittersweet feelings about not being there for Piper and her pregnancy but it didn't. It only made her maternal yearnings continue. Not for anytime soon, Phoebe had way too much to work through emotionally to ever be there, but they didn't go away.

She follows behind Kate to the porch rail and leans her elbows on it, looking out over the landscape.

[girlsolo]

"You're good with her," Kate says and then has to laugh. God, she sounds like someone's mom. It's insane.

She shakes her head, then slides a hand up Phoebe's arm into her hair. Her voice takes on a different tone, softer, richer to match an intimate smile. "Not what I really wanted to say. Thanks, for sitting through showing fifteen of Viva Las Vegas with us."

[blackb3ltbarbie]

Phoebe tilts her head into Kate's touch with a smile. "I liked it. I forgot how much cheesy fun Elvis movies can be and Ann Margaret is always fun. At least she didn't ask to watch Harum Scarum."

[girlsolo]

"She'll get to it. And she'll tell you she likes the songs, the pretty things the girls wear, and Elvis is a model citizen, even if the movie has outdated social norms." Kate grins and shrugs while her thumb slides softly over the bow of Phoebe's bottom lip. "I'm not sure she knows exactly what that means, but it makes me laugh every time she says it."

[blackb3ltbarbie]

Phoebe's teeth nip at Kate's finger as it passes over her bottom lip in a tease, "you have to wonder where she heard those phrases." The thought of Elvis being a model citizen was enough to make Phoebe bite back a laugh. "And you'd have to wonder who she compared Elvis to, to get the model citizen."

[girlsolo]

"Seriously. Both who said that kind of stuff around her and how she got that idea about Elvis, but, yeah she totally thinks so." Kate laughs and curls her fingers around the back of Phoebe's neck. She likes this. The anticipation of a kiss. It's something Imri's been feeding her a steady diet of. "Works out pretty good for me. Better than if she thought Princess Buttercup or the Little Mermaid was the model citizen. Trying to pretend to be a princess for the kid would kind of suck."

She leans in and blows a soft breath across Phoebe's mouth, before their lips brush. "So would the part about pretending to be innocent and virginal," she adds, low and purring, and then closes the kiss.

[blackb3ltbarbie]

"Or Barney." Phoebe laughs thinking of all the Barney jokes but her amusement fades when she feels Kate's soft breath across her lips. She lets the kiss linger a bit longer before she pulls back with a hint of a smile. "I don't think you or I appeared innocent and virginal even when we were."

There was an innate sexuality to them both, that in Phoebe's case, had her looking sexy as soon as she got curves. Phoebe suspected it was the same for Kate.

[girlsolo]

"I haven't been innocent or virginal in so long I don't even know what those words mean." Her hand skims down Phoebe's side, over her waist to cup her hip and draw her closer. "I don't know if I ever was."

Her first kiss was innocent. After that, they were all a con, all something she gave up to get whatever she wanted. Like a way not to go back to Mumbai.

[blackb3ltbarbie]

For a brief moment, Phoebe wonders what Kate's life was like. There was a flash of something in her eyes that tugs familiarity in Phoebe. In her own way, she's used her looks as a way to get what she wants or a mask and diversion.

As her body's drawn closer, Phoebe slides her hand around Kate's waist. "My sister, Piper, is pregnant and she still manages to look innocent." Her lips quirk upward. "I think she got those extra genes."

[girlsolo]

"Sorry you won't be there to see that, babe," Kate murmurs, words soft on the night air, softer than her fingers curling into Phoebe's hair. "Know that's got to be rough."

It's weird, Kate thinks, that she wants Imri hurt her, and that she and Phoebe started out in a slamming threesome with Aidan, but when they're alone it's all quiet and sensual. Weird, but not bad. Kinda nice to have someone to be with like this. She might maybe be missing it since Declan taught her she wants it.

[blackb3ltbarbie]

"The only thing that gets me through it, is knowing that somewhere another version of me is there." Phoebe admits just as softly, "and if I ever find out that this version thing is shit and I'm missing it, this place will wish I never arrived." She would bring on the wife of the Source that kicked hell's ass to get back to Piper.

Phoebe is kind and giving, she has a loving heart and natural empathy that was enhanced with her magical abilities, and because she loves deeply, she is very protective of them. Phoebe will do whatever it takes, including getting in touch with a side that knowingly agreed to be the Queen of Hell beside Cole.

[girlsolo]

Kate strokes her thumb along Phoebe's jaw then frames it with her hand. "If this version thing is shit and you're missing it, this place will wish we never arrived." Because as much as the island had to answer for, hurting her people is at the top of the list. Taking families apart, taking kids from the people who love them... Kate shakes her head then closes the kiss again.

She doesn't even want to start thinking about what the island did to Lilo. Because if there's anything that could tip the scales back toward black for her again, it's that. Hurting that kid. But tonight, hurting Phoebe's running a not-so-distant second.

[blackb3ltbarbie]

Phoebe takes comfort in the kiss and Kate's touch, letting it push aside thoughts of Piper and her family back home. She was beginning to make connections here, not as deep, that would take time, but just as binding as the ones in San Francisco.

As she pulled back from the kiss, she smiles slightly, "that was a nice conversation changer." Though in a way it wasn't. It was a reaffirmation that if something happened, they'd both fight hell and back to help.

[girlsolo]

Phoebe doesn't have to say what she's thinking. Kate's a good con. She knows that it matters there's someone to help. She knows that thinking about it's not good for either of them.

She grins wickedly instead and suggests, "If you're up for a little risk of indecent exposure, I've got a better one."

[blackb3ltbarbie]

"Oh like I wouldn't pick up that thrown gauntlet." Phoebe smirks, "and it's only an indecent exposure charge if you're caught." So says the voice of experience and someone that had never got caught. Her expression was just as wicked. "Probably not a good time to mention that a lot of witches get skyclad for their spells out of doors."