Control - the Oceanview Motel

"I took care of the incursion in the maintenance sector," Jesse announced as she dropped her service weapon on the table. It shifted and changed shape a few times before settling, like an annoyed cat. Exhausted, she collapsed heavily into a chair in the boardroom she and Emily had converted into a command center. She closed her eyes and groaned as she relaxed into the chair, relieved to be getting off her feet. It felt like she'd been running around non-stop for days. She didn't notice Emily discreetly gesture for the other scientists to leave, giving her and the Director some privacy.

"How are you doing, Dir... Jesse?" Emily corrected herself as Jesse started to raise a hand to object to the use of her title.

"I'm beat."

"Is there anything *I* can do to help?"

Jesse raised her eyes to regard the blonde. They'd grown very close, but there was an unaddressed tension that smoldered between them. Sometimes she felt like Emily looked at her as a specimen. Other times she would say something that seemed to hang in the air like an invitation. A frustratingly ambiguous invitation. Jesse felt out of her depth, like she was playing a game, but didn't know the rules.

Not for the first time, she considered directly asking Emily how she felt but dismissed the idea. It wasn't the right moment. It was never the right moment. Especially now, given the current state Jesse was in.

She glanced down at her increasingly grungy jeans and scuffed Docs. There was a bloodstain on her shirt, but it wasn't too visible against the black fabric. Her red hair felt greasy and was pulled into a sloppy ponytail. She was sore all over, and she'd kill for a clean pair of socks and underwear.

Looking at Emily, there was no comparison. Her blonde hair was perfectly styled. Her white dress shirt was crisply ironed, and her boots were spotless. She wore a smart pair of charcoal trousers that were obnoxiously well-fitting. Jesse sighed with a confusing mixture of envy and desire.

"Actually, Emily, there is something I could use your help with. Where in this place can I do my laundry?"

"Oh! Yes, I can help you with that." Was Jesse imagining the flash of disappointment in her eyes? "There's a small laundromat down by the field training facility. During lock-down procedures, most Bureau employees use that."

"...But?" Jesse prompted, sensing there was more.

"...But, as Director, you have access to the Oceanview Motel. So do department heads like me. It doesn't have laundry, per se, but it does have a tendency to offer what you need. Such as a change of clothes."

"You know," Jesse tried not to get her hopes up. "I've passed through the Oceanview at least a dozen times and never seen anything like that."

"Well, it operates on dream logic. When you visited before, you were focused on getting from point A to point B, so the motel provided what you needed. But when I've been, I was more focused on finding a place to, er, rest, and that's what I found."

"I dunno." Jesse frowned. "Seems risky. Every time I pass through there I have to solve some sort of puzzle to escape. I should just head down to the field training facility." She got to her feet, intending to leave.

"And what, sit around in a towel for two hours?" Emily scoffed as she stood up to stop her. "You're the Director. You have more important things to do. Look, if you're worried, why don't you come with me to *my* motel room."

Jesse coughed and tried her hardest not to read anything into that invitation, even as Emily made a point of looking her up and down. Jesse felt her cheeks burning as the scientist's eyes roamed over her curves.

"We're about the same size. My hips are a bit narrower than yours. You can borrow some of my clothes if the motel doesn't provide for you."

Emily seemed so confident, and Jesse was so tired that any further discussion seemed pointless. Soon they were standing side-by-side at one of the light switch cords that served as an entry point to the Oceanview Motel. Jesse reached out to pull the cord, but Emily stopped her.

"Dream logic, remember? If we're going to my motel room, I need to do it." Then she took Jesse's hand and quickly pulled the cord three times. The lights shifted, there was a strange sound, and then they found themselves standing in the dimly lit hallway of the motel. At the end of the hall, late afternoon sunlight seemed to make the lobby glow invitingly. A romantic song was playing on the radio behind the counter.

...And they were still holding hands.

Jesse bit her lip and smiled. Emily seemed to be distracted.

"I never get tired of coming here," Emily said in an awed voice. "We still have so much to learn about the Oceanview. Have we been transported to a real motel somewhere, or is this just another part of the Astral Plane? Why does dream logic work here, even though we seem to be awake? Or are we perhaps in a shared hallucination?" As Emily got more excited, she squeezed Jesse's hand tighter, then looked down in surprise, finally realizing they were still holding hands.

"And where, uh..." Emily let go with an obvious reluctance that set Jesse's heart pounding. "Where do the other locked doors..." The question trailed off as she raised her eyes to meet Jesse's.

For a long, tense moment they stood facing each other. Then, just as Jesse made up her mind to push Emily up against the wall and kiss her, the blonde abruptly turned away and walked toward the lobby.

"...Anyway! My room is right down here." She grabbed the key that was laying on the counter and unlocked the second door in the next hallway. Warm sunlight spilled from the open door as Emily walked in, gesturing for Jesse to follow.

When she entered, Jesse was struck by how different the room felt. She was sure she had been in this room before. Many times in fact, while solving the puzzles the motel liked to throw at her. But it felt more... comfortable? Inviting? There were no obvious differences. All the same furniture. The dresser against the wall, the double bed. The little writing desk and clock radio. But it all seemed to be welcoming her in and inviting her to relax in a way that...

"HOLY FUCK," Jesse blurted.

"What?" Emily, who had been watching Jesse's observations with amusement, looked suddenly concerned. Jesse ran to the open bathroom door on the wall by the dresser.

"Is that a SHOWER?"

"Yes?" Emily sounded confused.

"You don't understand." Jesse sounded like she was ready to cry. "I've been in this room before. All the rooms! There's never been a bathroom here before. When we were standing in the hallway earlier, I was thinking that if we got some clean clothes what I could really use after that was a long hot shower." She sighed and lovingly caressed the ugly 70s floral print shower curtain.

"Well, there you go!" Emily laughed with relief. "I told you, the motel provides what you need."

"Can I really take a shower now? We don't have anywhere to be?"

"As your doctor, I *insist* you take a shower," Emily said teasingly.

"You're not my doctor." Jesse shot back, raising an eyebrow and smiling.

"Well, I'm *a* doctor. And you need to take care of yourself or you won't last long as my Director."

"Hmmm... Okay." Jesse bit her lip in anticipation. "Give me 15... no, 20 minutes."

"Take as long as you want," Emily laughed as she sat on the bed. "I'll be waiting right here."

"You, uh, you could leave if you need to?" *Don't Go.* Jesse kicked herself for saying it. "If you have, you know, work to do?"

"I can't leave, this is my motel room. If I left you could end up stranded in non-Euclidian space or something."

Jesse peered at her suspiciously. She was no scientist, but that sounded made-up. Still, it meant Emily wasn't leaving, so she decided not to question it.

"Okay. Thank you, Emily."

Jesse shut the door. She felt giddy with anticipation as she turned the water on as hot as it would go. The room began to fill with steam as she peeled off her clothes, tossing them in a pile on the floor.

When she finally stepped into the shower, she actually did cry for just a moment, overwhelmed with gratitude. She allowed herself to just stand under the spray for a few minutes and savor it. The pressure of the water massaged some of the tension from her shoulders. The water was almost painfully hot, and her skin quickly turned pink. It was everything she'd hoped for.

As she turned slowly, allowing the water to stream over her body, she took stock. She'd half expected her shower to look like a scene in an action movie. The one where the hero stands in the shower and washes the blood from his last fight down the drain. But all in all, she was in better shape than she'd expected. Some bruises and scrapes, but no serious injuries.

Eventually, she removed the hairband from her ponytail and ducked her head under the spray. She worked her fingers into her hair, loosening it and allowing the water to cascade through. Her fingernails scratched her scalp, helping to wash away days of concrete dust and dirt and who knows what.

The shower held some of those little bottles of motel shampoo and body wash. Jesse picked them up warily and was pleasantly surprised. The shampoo smelled citrusy and made her feel more alert as she massaged it into her hair. The body wash had a mild vanilla scent and left her skin feeling soft and smooth.

There was no razor, which suited her fine. Jesse had an ambivalent relationship with shaving at the best of times. She rinsed the shampoo from her hair and gave her face a vigorous scrub, removing what little makeup she'd been wearing when she arrived.

Finally, feeling clean and refreshed, she turned the shower off. A shelf on the wall had a pile of soft white towels. She squeezed and patted her hair, then wrapped it up before drying her body. But the crowning glory was hanging on the back of the bathroom door: A fluffy white robe, which Jesse gleefully pulled on. She shot a guilty look at the discarded pile of filthy clothes on the floor. She'd get them washed soon, but putting them back on now was unimaginable.

"How was the shower?" Emily asked as Jesse opened the door. She'd kicked off her boots and was sitting cross-legged against the headboard, looking at her clipboard.

"It was everything I ever dreamed of." Jesse grinned as she fell down on the bed. She lay on her back and stretched happily, before rolling onto her side, facing Emily. "I'm not sure I realized how gross I was feeling until I was able to scrub it all away."

Emily glanced at her, blushed, and quickly looked away. Confused, Jesse looked down to find that her robe had fallen open, partially revealing her chest. Bemused by the blonde's reaction, but not wanting to embarrass her, she calmly stood up and pulled the robe closed.

"So... I believe you said I could borrow some clothes?"

"Clothes, yes..." Emily pointed to the dresser while keeping her eyes fixed on her notes. "You should find everything you need in there."

As she walked to the dresser, Jesse chuckled at how the normally unflappable scientist was left flustered just by glimpsing a nipple. Well, by glimpsing *her* nipple. Jesse bit her lip as she opened the top drawer, wondering how to recapture the moment they'd shared in the hallway.

"Oh!"

She wasn't sure what she'd expected to find in the dresser. Based on Emily's personality, probably a neatly folded collection of trousers and dress shirts? Practical underwear and socks separated into their own compartments? Maybe one of those organizers holding a collection of tasteful and supportive bras, all in nude or white, with their cups all lined up in a row.

What she did not expect was a drawer that looked like a lingerie store exploded. There were bras and thongs and garters galore. It was a riot of bright colors and animal prints. Everything she saw was lacy or silky or mesh or frilly.

Excited now, she opened the next drawer. It held a collection of bodysuits, bustiers, and corsets. Everything was strappy and structured, the kind of underpinnings designed to give you confidence and make you strut.

The last drawer held an assortment of stockings, everything from fishnets to silk. Tantalizingly, it also contained a box with the logo of a company that made really expensive vibrators that Jesse couldn't afford.

None of the drawers actually contained any clothes.

*Why, Emily, you saucy little minx!* she thought.

Jesse returned to the top drawer with a new motivation. She rummaged around, looking for something that would make Emily blush again. She decided on a little bra made from practically transparent black mesh with hot pink straps and lace trim. Another moment's digging found the matching thong.

Moving quickly, afraid Emily would look up before she got them on, she stepped into the underwear. She shook the towel from her head and let the robe drop to the floor before eagerly pulling the bra straps over her shoulders. She adjusted the fabric and nodded approvingly at the way her nipples looked through the mesh when she reached behind her back to hook it. Both the bra and thong fit surprisingly well. Emily must have been right about them being the same size.

"I dunno, what do you think, Emily?" Jesse asked as she turned towards the bed. "It doesn't leave much to the imagination, does it?" She couldn't keep the grin from her face as she seductively traced her fingers over the straps. She could already imagine Emily getting more flustered. Then Jesse could go kiss her, and then...

Emily glanced up, saw what Jesse was wearing, saw the overflowing lingerie drawer, and squealed in horror, clapping her hands over her mouth.

"What?" Jesse frowned. "It doesn't suit me?"

"No!" Emily looked mortified. "I mean, yes, *obviously*, but oh my god. That dresser should have been full of *my* clothes. I assumed you'd be wearing one of my shirts, or... oh fuck, is all that yours?"

"What, are you kidding? I could never afford this stuff. I get most of my underwear at Target. I assumed these were yours. I never took you for a fishnet girl."

"I mean, I'm not really? Oh god." Emily turned away and sat on the side of the bed, cupping her face in her hands so Jesse wouldn't see how red she was. "I think I know what happened."

"What do you mean?" Jesse was starting to feel guilty. She'd only wanted to tease Emily a bit, but she seemed really upset.

"Well, when I came to the motel before, I was looking to... relax, you know? And it was so nice here, and no one needed anything from me, and the drawer was full of things that I don't normally wear, but maybe I'd like to? Things that make me feel sexy. And I... Well, never mind. Every time I came back, I noticed that what I found in the dresser had changed based on what I, um, needed at the time."

As Emily spoke, Jesse slowly climbed onto the bed, moving forward until she was kneeling behind her. Tentatively, she lay a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Emily let out a long, shaky sigh and placed her hand over Jesse's.

"Jesse, I swear, when we came here, all I was thinking about was getting you some clean clothes. I figured you'd end up wearing some of mine. But then there was that moment in the hallway, and I... I may have had some thoughts? About you? And I guess the motel must have picked up on that. Oh fuck, this is mortifying..."

Jesse moved forward until she was pressed directly against her back. Emily tensed for a moment but relaxed as Jesse slowly wrapped her arms around her, and rested her chin on her shoulder.

"I can't even imagine what you must think of me." Emily murmured.

"I think of you *constantly*," Jesse whispered. "I was working up the nerve to kiss you in the hall before you walked away."

"Really?" Emily sighed, still sounding uncertain.

"Really." Jesse turned her head and felt Emily shiver when her lips brushed against the blonde's ear. "Can I kiss you?"


"Oh god, yes."

Emily tipped her head back as Jesse leaned into her. Her lips were so soft. Jesse traced her fingers along Emily's jawline, past her ear, and into her hair. Emily clung to Jesse's arm like a life raft, fingers wrapped around her wrist and shoulder.

After a long minute, she twisted in place to face Jesse. They caressed each other's arms and backs as they rose to their knees, the kiss growing in intensity. Emily made a small surprised sound when Jesse's tongue danced against her lips. But when she started fumbling with the straps of the HRA device, Emily stopped her.

"Wait, wait. Is it safe to take it off? What about the Hiss?"

Jesse stopped, and reached out with her mind, seeking confirmation they were safe. She searched for any hint of the constant scratchy red feeling the Hiss left on the periphery of her mind. She found only the familiar blue fractal presence of Polaris, radiating a wordless message of safety and love... and behind that, approval?

*You like her too, huh?* Jesse thought.

The fractal sensation crested in her mind, leaving a feeling of certainty and encouragement in its wake as it receded. Jesse grinned. For a long time now, the otherworldly presence in her head had been the only constant in her life. She'd learned to trust Polaris' judgment. If there had been any doubt in her mind about moving forward with Emily, it was gone now.

"We're safe here," Jesse said confidently.

"Really? You can tell?" Emily looked relieved.

"Yeah, I think it's like you said, we're somewhere else. Somewhere the Hiss can't..." She was cut off by a frantic kiss from Emily, who was already unhooking the bulky machine.

"We... we can... we can figure it out later," Emily gasped between kisses as the HRA fell to the floor with a loud clunk. They worked together to undo the buttons of her shirt. When Jesse nudged her collar aside to nuzzle her neck, she inhaled sharply, struggling with the last button. It finally came undone and she carelessly shrugged her shirt off, biting her lip as Jesse continued kissing along her collarbone.

Unable to take any more teasing, Emily pushed forward, and they fell back onto the bed. Jesse squirmed as the blonde pushed between her thighs, then rolled onto her side. She threw her leg over Emily's and reached down to grab her ass. As they kissed, Emily moved her hand down from Jesse's shoulder to cup her breast.

"Are you sure this is okay?" She breathed the question.

"Yes, I'm sure!" Jesse laughed and did the same, tracing her hand up Emily's flank to the padded cup of her bra. Emily purred happily, cupping her hand over Jesse's, encouraging her to squeeze harder. Happy to accommodate, Jesse gripped her breast more firmly.

Jesse felt hands snaking up her back as she leaned in to kiss her way up Emily's neck. And when she reached around to unhook her bra, she felt the blonde's fingernails impatiently dig into her shoulders.

Unable to fully remove Emily's bra without moving, Jesse just pulled it down her right arm. She didn't seem to mind, pulling away enough to let it fall awkwardly between them. Jesse stared hungrily at the pale skin of her now-exposed breast. When she closed her hand over the soft mound, she felt the dark pink nipple stiffen under her palm.

Jesse kissed her again, sucking on her bottom lip. Emily moaned and leaned into Jesse's hand. They lay together, kissing and squirming, grinding back and forth, the heat increasing between them. Finally, Jesse broke the kiss, lowered her head, and sucked Emily's nipple into her mouth.

As she flicked her tongue, she felt Emily reach over and begin fumbling with Jesse's bra clasp. She felt it come unhooked, the strap being tugged frantically down her arm and then the heat of Emily's hand against her chest. She sucked harder as Emily rolled her nipple under her thumb, gently pinching and pulling, leaving her skin tingling.

When it became too much, Emily pushed her away. She lowered her head and licked all around Jesse's breast until the redhead grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her mouth over her nipple. Jesse moaned at the heat and sensation as the blonde sucked the erect nipple between her lips, flicking it with her tongue.