AN// I did this for my last book so I just thought, why not... 🤷🏽♀️ I was contemplating whether I wanted to do it at the end of DREA or here, but it makes sense here since DREA is a whole other book to itself with a different story and a different timeline. So, enjoy!!!
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Sierra whisked into the living room, stopping before the couch where the others were lounging, watching TV. The kids were at school, the babies napping. Sloane and Grace looked up at her with quizzical faces.
Emilie glared. "And you're blocking the TV because...?"
Sierra grinned, unable to hide her excitement. "Vogue wants an interview!"
Grace blinked. Steph blinked. Emilie rolled her eyes. "No! Tell them to piss off."
"But baby," Sierra pouted, making her way to the other blonde. Emilie lay on her belly, her head resting on Grace's lap. The brunette combed through her hair in soft movements. Sierra sat in the curve of her lower back, straddling her. Then she was lowering herself until their bodies pressed together. Emilie didn't react, used to the torment. "It's Vogue!" She said as if that answered everything. When Emilie didn't budge she continued. "They just want to follow up after the wedding. It's been six months into married life. We have a new baby and a new daughter..."
"We could address those idiots who want to "apply" for a spot in our marriage," Sloane adds with an eye roll.
Grace scuffs. "If we can shut it down then yes please."
Sierra nods at her. "YES! See,"
Emilie grumbled. "When do they want to meet?"
"Next Tuesday."
"I'm busy."
"I already check your schedules. We're all free"
"I'll be busy. Whatever time is it they want to meet that's the time I'm going to need to use the toilet."
Sierra ignored her. "...and Ms. Chappelle and Mrs. Grey agreed to babysit."
Sloane chuckled. "And you worked out all of this when?"
"Five minutes ago." Grace shook her head. "What? If I'm going to sell my case, I have to have all my evidence, facts and proposals. She taught me that." She finishes, pressing a kiss to Emilie's cheek.
The older blonde wiped it off. "I regret the day you ever were my intern."
Sierra only beamed, getting off the blonde to sit next to Sloane. The redhead's head found her shoulder instantly and Sierra pulled her into an embrace. "So, we're doing the interview?"
"Yeah, sure." They all muttered.
Tuesday, June 8th, 2021
"Come on, Steph, let's go. They're calling for us!" Sierra begs, knocking on the bathroom door.
"Coming! I'm touching up my make-up."
"You've been touching up your makeup the last five minutes!" Grace complains.
"They'll do it backstage." Sierra tries again when the door still hasn't opened.
"Sloane!" Emilie growls, the undertone in her voice, warning.
The moment the word left her throat the door opened. Skin flushed, the redhead emerges, standing in the opened doorway. The other three stood speechless, confused about what the fuss about imperfect make-up was about. She was perfect, pretty. No, beautiful. At least they thought so. Every one of them.
She wore a two-piece garden team patchwork outfit. The fabric choice was all the same throughout, the designs varied from a gorgeous peacock print to an ensemble of golden flowers on a black base to tiny white polka dots on a navy blue base. It was genius.
She paired the outfit with high-heeled black combat boots. The same ones that Emilie wore. She wore the same designs too, only that her patchwork pants were in a paper bag top design with elastic foot. She wore it pulled all the way up above the top of her boot, giving it the baggy look that made it gorgeous. The orange flower pattern designs show more in her outfit than Sloane's. More surface area, more display. Her orange button-down had navy blue buttons and was tucked into the waist of her pants. The first four buttons were opened, exposing the entirety of her chest and the very start of her cleavages and her sleeves were rolled up, exposing her black Rolex.
Grace stood beside her, drooling. Her outfit was not even something Emilie would like to acknowledge. The orange skirt she wore was of the devil. It was long, below the knee, and flair which would be great for Grace if it was COMPLETED. It was missing a whole 2" by 16" on the left side where the skirt had a split. Emilie didn't mind splits but she minded this one because this one wasn't just a split. The entirety of the brunette's leg was exposed from the skirt's high waist to where her creamy skin disappeared into her cream ankle boot. It was the fact that Emilie couldn't tell if the brunette was wearing any underwear that made her very angry because she knew if she was wearing one it should've been visible but it wasn't. All she was seeing was just skin. Too much skin.
She threw a fit about it before they got out of the car. Steph backed her on it to her surprise at which Grace only laughed but relievingly, revealed a zipper that added a few inches more cover. The older blonde and the redhead were pacified.
Grace's cropped top was identical to Sloane's in style but different in colour. It was a plain cream cropped top with a layer of golden chains wrapping around the hem. Her skirt too had four layers of golden chains draped from the front left side of the skirt's waist to the back right side, resting on the hip where the skirt had its split.
Sierra's outfit was angelic. Pure cream from top to bottom. Her pants were the same as Emilie's only cream. Worn the same, resting just above her cream boots the same. Her top was a crisscross halter cropped top that exposed her cleavages and her flat stomach. It was provocative but compared to Grace's, it was modest.
"Fine. Let's go." Sloane tells them, leading the way from the bathroom. It took a minute for them to realize that she wasn't standing before them anymore and actually follow her backstage.
The entire crew bombarded them. Emilie was less than comfortable with it but having her wives by her side, supporting her, made it tolerable. They gave them a rundown of how the interview would go and gave a disclaimer for them to know that it was their interview, they could talk about whatever they wanted and refuse to talk about whatever they wanted.
A moment later the interview started. They all sat on stools around a high round table. A small audience gawked at them hidden behind dim lights created to put the spotlight on them. Clockwise, they sat, Emilie first, then it was Grace, Sloane and Sierra. The host, Keri, smiled at them.
"Welcome, ladies and thank you for doing the Vogue interview. I know you're very busy people and from our last encounter, we learn how much you want to keep your private lives private. But people everywhere are going crazy about our first lesbian polyamorous marriage. They are just itching to hear from you guys so let's get started. Do you mind introducing yourselves? Tell us your names," she glances down at a paper before her. "What do you do for a living, If you don't mind, and how old are you? Starting with you," she gestures to Emilie.
"Emilie." She answered in a monotonous voice. "I am thirty and I work for the Federal Bureau of Investigation."
"Graciela," Grace begins and the way her tongue rolled had the blood in all of their faces heating up and burning bright. "Twenty-eight years old. I'm an EMT."
Sloane shrunk in her seat a little, her face and ears red with her embarrassment. Grace reached for her hand, locking their fingers. The redhead immediately felt calm, having gathered the confidence she needed from the woman she loved. "Sloane. I'm thirty and I'm an orthopaedic surgeon."
"Sierra," she starts brightly. All smiles and bubbly. "I'm twenty-seven and I'm an educator."
Keri smiled with excitement, nodding at each of the wives. "Thank you for introducing yourselves. So, we have an FBI agent, an EMT, a surgeon and an Educator. Do your jobs affect your relationship? How much you see each other? How much you don't."
"Not really." Emilie was the one to speak up first. "Mine is basically a nine to five until it's not."
"Same here," Sierra added. "But I haven't been to work in the last year so there's also that."
"I work long shifts," Sloane told her. "Long, long, long shifts. But, I also get at least three days off a week so it makes up for it. Sometimes I feel like I'm home more than even Emilie and Gracie."
"That's because you are. I think I have it the worst." Grace complained. "I do four fourteen-hour shifts a week and when I do get home after doing those shifts it's bedtime. But as Sloane mentioned, I get three days off so it does make up for lost time."
"How do you guys get that many guaranteed days off a week? I thought, with the nature of your jobs, you'd be on call 24/7?"
"Yeah." Grace agreed eying Emilie. "It would typically be like that but one of our wives,"
"Not calling any names," Sloane joined in.
"Had a very intense meeting with the board about our work shifts and this is the result."
"Wow! And who takes care of the kids? You have five kids? Irelee," a picture of her appeared on a display to their left. Their gazes snapped to it. Lee was there smiling in one of the shots they did for the Vogue photoshoot at the wedding. Pretty much the only pictures they'll have of the kids. The picture changed to Wren who, much like Lee, was posing with a bright smile. Keri smiled at it. Emilie's lip twitched slightly. The slide went on. "Identical twin boys Jaison and Jaylin," They were dressed up in little tuxedos and they looked adorable. Sierra, Sloane and Grace stared with hearty eyes. Emilie tried to resist but her heart thumped with her love. "And lastly, baby Leia."
Sloane sighed, missing her baby all over again now that she was staring at her on a screen. Grace squeezed her hand comfortingly before wrapping an arm around her shoulder.
Keri paused to gawk at them. "Awww."
"It's her first time being away from Leia," Sierra explains, rubbing the redhead's back. "She's fine." Still, as she said that, she leaned in close to whisper in the redhead's ear, covering her stage mic. "You okay baby?"
Steph nodded. "Yeah," she took a deep, calming breath before mustering what she hoped was a convincing smile. "I'm good."
Emilie squinted at her. "Sure?" she nodded, reaching a hand to the other blonde. Emilie took it and placed a light kiss against her skin.
"That was great," Keri told them, with adoration. "Is there a primary caregiver for the kids? A specific mom who's listed as the emergency contact, that you know, drops them off at school, picks them up, stays home from work with them when they're sick? Or do you all take turns to do that? How does it work with four working moms?"
Emilie stiffened. She didn't really like the term 'primary caregiver.' Truth is, the conversation had been had twice before. On both occasions, it was agreed upon that for any of the kids, Sierra would be the first point of contact. Not because the others didn't want to be there, but knowing their jobs and schedules, Sierra is just easier to get to and more flexible. Sloane couldn't up and leave in the middle of surgery. Grace couldn't up and leave while she trying to save somebody's life in the back of an ambulance somewhere and Emilie, most times, isn't even near Virginia when she's conducting investigations.
They shared a look amongst themselves before they all responded, in sync, "Sierra,"
Keri looked taken aback. "Wow! Any particular reason why?"
"She's just more flexible," Sloane told her simply. Grace agreed with a hand gesture. Emilie just sipped the sparkling water they were given, trying to wait for the part where this became fun.
Keri nodded. "Makes sense. So, people want to know how much you guys really know each other. They've compiled a bunch of questions for you on our social. Starting with Sloane—"
"They're individual?"
"Yes," Keri confirmed. Sloane looked nervous but still, she nodded. She wasn't afraid of the interview, she just got really anxious and she wasn't on her anxiety pills anymore. She hadn't been since she got pregnant. Now, she wished she'd taken just one before coming here. Keri continued. "What're your wives' favourite flowers?"
She looked at Grace beside her first and the ease at which the answers came to her, calmed her down. "Green carnations. Sierra likes red roses and Emilie," she paused her brow furrowing in confusion. Emilie smirked, finally lowering her glass. Sloane's confusion only grew. "Baby, I don't remember ever buying you flowers!" she said in a panic.
Emilie shook her head, stifling a laugh. "A damn shame really."
"Why?" She asked, mostly rhetorically. The answer seemed to come back to her as the words left her mouth though. "Oh, I remember." She laughed nervously and the others cackled. She hides away behind her hands for a second, embarrassed. "Well, this is embarrassing. Emilie doesn't like flowers." She came out of hiding again with renewed confidence. "But she does like wine and coffee so those are her flower replacements. A 75 château or an Americano. Probably a cold brew depending on how bad her mood is."
Emilie blushed. "I could use a 75 Château right now."
Steph rolled her eyes. "Of course. You can have a Rosé when we get home."
"I'll take it."
Keri smiled at them. "Emilie, what's their favourite colours?"
"All ugly sh*t. Steph's is baby blue. Sierra has an unhealthy obsession with pink and Gracie is all green everything. It's disgusting." Their mini-audience laughed.
Sierra scuffed at the other blonde and for the first time, took a sip of her sparkling water. Her flawless lipstick remained perfect, her perfectly manicured nails gripping the glass gingerly.
"Graciela," Keri hummed. Grace lifted her gaze to the host. "is that Spanish? It has a Spanish feel to it."
"More Greek than anything else."
"Who's the worst sleeper?"
They all immediately laughed. Grace's face reddened with every second that went by. "Uhm," she started but their laughs only got worse. "So, it's not me. A lie that they all saw through. Even the audience. Even Keri. "I'm just short." She reasoned.
"Do you sleep fight?" Keri inquired, stifling a laugh.
Grace was about to deny it when Emilie spoke up. "She definitely does. When it's not her head in my back, it's her hair in my face, or her fingers in my mouth. I don't sleep next to her, I can't."
"She traps me all night with her legs and I don't even sleep next to her either." Sloane frowned.
Sierra chuckled. "I can't even say on air how she traps me. I'm the one stuck with her."
"I'm sorry. I'm trying to find the cold part of the bed!" she defended again.
Keri shakes her head, laughing. "So, just out of curiosity. Because I'm hearing all these sleeping arrangements of who doesn't sleep next to whom. Do you all sleep in the same bed? I know most monogamous couples have a Queen bed or a king-size that has plenty of room for two people but this is a four-person relationship. What does sleeping look like for you guys?"
Emilie chuckled, ducking out of the question. "It's crazy, that's for sure."
Sierra smiled sheepishly searching through her phone for a picture. "Just imagine this is our bed," Sloane starts drawing a big square with her finger in the middle of the table. "We have an Extra Wide Alaskan King—"
Keri's eyes widened. The audience gasped. "An Extra Wide Alaskan what? That sounds really big."
"An extra wide Alaskan King. It's 144" by 108". So it is really big." Grace assured her, slipping off her stool. She goes to walk the length of the stage, stopping randomly at a point. "Its like from here to," she walked counting twelve feet as she went. But she was short of a couple of inches.
"You're short babe, that needs a foot and a half more," Emilie tells her.
"Oh," she gives it another foot. "So this wide."
"Yeah," Sloane slipped from her stool too, standing where Grace is. "This is where Emilie sleeps. Baby come here," Emilie went and stood where Sloane was. "Then it's me, Sierra," She called the other blonde over. "Then Grace."
"Here! Here!" Sierra rushes back to the table, sliding her phone to Keri. "That's our room. That's our bed. You can see where we sleep because our initials are hand-carved on the headboard."
Keri studied it. "Awww. This is lovely." She slid Sierra's phone back to her. "So, you have a twelve-foot bed and still suffer from Grace's attacks?"
Grace flushed again and went back to take her seat. "I'm trying to find the cold part of the bed!"
"Hmmm." Emilie hummed. "Yet you somehow move closer to warm bodies."
"I give up." Grace pouted. The others laughed as Sloane took her seat again too.
"Sierra, what's each of your wives' idea of a perfect date?"
"Oooh!" she beamed, finally happy it was her turn. "Emilie is all about quality time. She'd rather stay in with snacks and drinks and a nice movie. Apple and cinnamon-scented candles everywhere, lights turned down low, cuddled up under a blanket beneath a pillow fort of some sort. We'd talk about everything and nothing while eating away at unhealthy things until we eventually succumb to sleep."
Sierra glanced at the blonde as she finished, catching her blush. Grace and Sloane smiled at them, envisioning just what Sierra was describing. Keri had hearty eyes. "Emilie, comments?"
Emilie shook her head, swallowing the wave of emotions rising in her chest. "She hit the nail on the head."
"Aww. You sound like you're getting emotional."
Emilie cleared her throat. "No. I'm fine it's just the water." She sipped it slowly again.
Sierra smiled, proud of herself. Her eyes landed on Grace, loving and tender. Grace blushed instantly but couldn't help keeping the blonde's gaze.
"Gracie loves an adventure," Sierra explained. "Take her out somewhere fun. Go on a hike together, a late evening stroll. Something to get her heart pumping. Then buy her street food, barbeque or something from a food truck. No dessert, no fast food or fine dining. Give her a glass of red wine and a bouquet of carnation, then end the night with a kiss and an," the blonde smiles at the brunette, her lips parting to whisper, "I love you."
The heat in Grace's cheek rose to the tip of her ears and she whispered back an I love you in response.
Sloane threw a side eye at Sierra, her gaze flicking back and forth between the blonde and the tabletop. Sierra smirked and reached for her hand. "Steph," Sloane turned to her, almost mechanically, her blush so high, the heat was tangible. The way Sierra's voice went down a few octaves didn't help the situation. "Steph," she breathed again. The redhead shivered. "She's a lot like myself. Ostentatious. She loves dressing up and showing it off. A nice fancy restaurant would speak to her most. Somewhere quiet where we can talk uninterrupted for hours about everything and anything. Where there's stellar food and wine for her to taste and privacy enough for her to get," she leaned in close to the redhead's ear. "Dirty." Sloane blushed again. "End the night with a mild dessert. Chocolate-covered strawberries and cream cheese frosting or good old Hersey's chocolate kisses."
The audience applauded. Keri stared with a bit of envy mixed with adoration. "So, Emilie, the whole time we've been sitting here, social media and even the audience want to put you on the hot seat—"
They cheered and screamed. Emilie just gave the entire studio a tired look. "Why me? Pick Sierra or even Sloane. They're nicer."
"Emilie! Emilie! Emilie!" The audience chanted.
Emilie scowled at them. "No!"
"Yes!"
"Find someone else to torment." She grumbled.
"Please?" It was the voice of a child. An innocent little plead that tugged at her soft, way too soft, little heart that made her give in.
"Fine,"
They cheered again.
Keri dug up for the questions. Emilie dreaded them."Would you rather people perceive you as being kind, smart or attractive?"
"Dangerous. But if I were to choose one of the very limited choices I was given, it would be attractive. I'm hot."
All three of her wives rolled their eyes. Keri continued the questions with a smile. "How do you like to receive care?"
"The answer to that is not at all fit to be aired or even appropriate for this audience right now,"
"My God," Steph hid in embarrassment. Sierra's eyes are bulged and Grace's jaws are loose.
"Emilie!" She hissed, quietly.
Emilie just shrugged. Now she was having fun. Keri went on. "How do you cope when things get hard?"
"I shoot everything. If I can't shoot anything I curl up in a lonely corner and cry."
"What do you really care about?"
"Everything so then I end up not really caring about anything."
"What really frustrates you?"
"Not having my way,"
"What keeps you up at night?"
"I have three babies. They do a fine job,"
"Say that again," Sierra agreed.
"Who sticks out as being an early positive influence in your life?"
Keri's question lingered for a few silent seconds before Emilie answered. She was debating on whether she wanted to give a serious answer or not. "My mother," she said, truthfully.
"Who is most important to you now?"
"Is that answer limited to one person?" Keri nodded. Emilie shifted uncomfortably. "You sure I can't list ten people?" Keri shook her head. Emilie frowned. "This seat is very very hot now. Uhm... So... the person, currently, that has the slight edge above everybody else in my life is Leia."
The other women didn't mind. They understood why and they all shared the same sentiment. Leia is just a priority right now and although those reasons could not be explained to everyone there and all of America, they knew it very well amongst themselves.
"How did you feel about where you grew up?"
Emilie stiffened at the question. Not because it made her sad but because she'd never given much thought to it. How she felt about where she grew up. Where did she grow up. France, New York. She loved France. She hated New York. She hated her father and what he put her—them through. "I liked it," she answered, thinking of France and forcing New York to the back of her mind, hoping it would bury itself somewhere unreachable. "France was home,"
"Was it a supportive environment?" Keri followed up.
"It was," Keyword, was.
"Who are you most like in your family?"
"Amelia," Sierra, Sloane and Grace answered before Emilie could even get the chance to come up with some bullshit.
She only rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Amelia is my triplet and we are nothing alike. I am better."
"Better hair, better body, right?" Keri encouraged.
Emilie smirked. "What can I say? I'm a goddess."
"Goddess Emilie, who in your family do you struggle with?"
"No one. I refuse to lose brain cells on people. It's either we get along well or you're dead. Pick your poison."
"Is there a time when you did something that seems so out of character that most people wouldn't believe it?"
"Yes. It was on my wedding day to be precise—" Sierra just heard the word wedding and rolled her eyes. Grace and Sloane snickered at the memory. "I wore a dress. I still can't believe it."
"Yeah, why did you?" Keri wondered.
"Because I can get her to do anything I want." Sierra bragged.
Emilie scuffed. "A certain blonde— she coughed. "Sierra" she coughed again. "—cursed me with her eyes."
The audience cracked up. Whether it was the dramatic flair in which she answered or the serious look on her face as she did, that made it so funny. No one knew. Perhaps it was both.
"What is the most trouble you've ever been in?"
"If I answer that, this moment will turn out to be the most trouble. So, I'm not answering. You're not going to have the FBI showing up at my house tonight. No ma'am."
Keri laughed lightly. "Alright, alright moving on. Looking back on your life, who or what makes you instantly light up?"
"My family."
"Do you do any charitable donations?"
"Yes," the blonde answered truthfully. "We all do. 30% of our combined salary goes towards helping kids in foster care. I also collaborate with my sister who is a chef every second and third Sunday of every month to provide food clothing and necessities for the homeless."
"And where do you guys typically host this?"
"Uh, at her restaurant in Washington DC. It's called the French table. Big place. You can't miss it."
"Last question," Emilie sighed with relief. "What are you most proud of about yourself?"
That I found the key to immortality! Dah. She wanted to say but she knew better. "At one point, I never thought I'd have a relationship or get married."
"So you were a player?" Keri wondered.
Emilie sputtered for a millisecond. "I wasn—"
"Definitely were," Sierra corrected sipping her drink innocently. Emilie sent her the most poisonous glare.
"I wouldn't say I was a player. I liked having fun and I didn't want the commitments. But anyway. Relationships were something I thought I couldn't do until I met my wives. I tried for them, committed to them and I am damn proud of myself for being able to do that and doing it so well."
"She's like the best wife," Grace added with a little playful voice.
"I second that!" Sloane backed. "And I thank you for trying. We see your efforts every day."
Sierra didn't say anything. She just smiled and looked at Emilie like that. Emilie blushed and tried to cover it with an eye roll that didn't work. At its failure, she reached out to turn the woman's gaze away from her.
"Is she always so... Theatrical?" Keri wondered, laughing.
"Yes!" They all answered.
Emilie didn't even get the chance to say no, the word still hovering on the tip of her tongue. "Can y'all let me be happy for one second?" She complained. "I am a Queen! I deserve nice things."
"Sure," Grace patted her thigh beneath the table.
"Here's one for you Grace,"
"Okay?"
"What's been on your heart and mind recently?"
"Honestly, home."
Emilie looked at her then but said nothing. This would need to be a conversation for later. "So, you're homesick?" Keri pried.
Grace nodded. "A little bit."
"Can I ask where home is?"
"You can. You just did but I'm not going to tell you."
"Sierra," Keri turned her eyes to the blonde. "How would you like people to experience you? What kind of person do you want to be in the world?"
"The element of surprise. A lot of people will look at me and go you're a pretty dumb, rich blonde. A spoiled daddy's girl who gets everything she wants. I don't try to change anyone's perception of me and I don't try to prove people wrong anymore. You think what you think so long as you don't make it a bother to me, and you don't blame me when sooner or later you end up looking like a fool."
"So, you're often misjudged."
"I'm often taken too lightly."
Keri nodded. "Sloane, f you had a whole day where you could do anything you wanted, what would you do?"
"Sleeeeeeeep!"
"Shouldn't have expected another answer. I mean, you have three babies at home," Keri realised. "Six months after the wedding," She continued. "(and this is open for anyone to answer) Would you say you're still in the honeymoon phase?"
"We were never in the honeymoon phase," Emilie informed her. "We're always like this."
"The dating, the flirting, the butterflies. It's been there from day one, years ago, still here to this day and I doubt it'll go away." Grace backs.
"Hmmm," Sierra agrees. "I love falling in love with them over and over every day."
"It's the thing that keeps my heart beating," Sloane added as barely a whisper but her words carried a truth that settled on all of their chests.
"Keeps me breathing," Grace agreed.
"Stop it," Emilie complained, side-eyeing them. "The audience is going to vomit. I am going to vomit."
The ladies laughed.
"What do you have to say to people who want to 'apply' to be a part of your relationship?" Sloane was raising her hand even before Keri finished speaking.
"We'll start with Sloane, then move to Grace."
"I know people are saying all this because of how it seemed I got 'accepted' into their relationship. I just want to shut that down real quick. This was always our," she gestured to them all with her hand. "relationship. I admit, it was low-key. We weren't telling a lot of people because I wasn't sure what I wanted. I wasn't even sure I wanted to get married at all."
"And you told Emilie that, right? That you didn't want to marry her?"
Sloane face reddens. "Yes."
Keir turns to Emilie. "How did you take that?"
"Like a champ, actually."
"She cried." Sierra provided.
"Like a big baby." Grace mocks.
Emilie glared at them. "Anyways...I was just really confused because look at me, I'm a goddess. The best thing since sliced bread and she doesn't want to marry me? What?"
The entire studio laughed. Sloane rolled her eyes. "So," Keri began. "What made her change her mind?"
Emilie smirked. "Best thing since sliced bread. She could not resist."
Sloane scuffed. "This level of narcissism was not a convincing factor, that's for sure. I had a lot of personal issues that I was working on which was the whole reason I didn't want to marry in the first place. The biggest of all was my commitment issues. Like, that just scared me. Then on top of that, it's Emilie and behind her obnoxious exterior, there is this wonderful, amazing woman who has this way about her that makes you feel like you can't ever measure up. Then add Sierra and Grace to the equation and its like you're living your dream life. It just felt too good to be true. I was overwhelmed. But then, I thought about it for a long time and I love these women and I want to be with them so why not be with them you know?"
Keri nods. "So, it was that delayed decision that would make it appear that you got accepted into their relationship?"
"It's complicated really, and I could spend the whole day trying to explain it to you without even beginning to scratch the surface of it. It's just one of those things where if you know, you know and if you don't, then doesn't matter. It's not your business anyway."
"What she said," Grace interjected. "And I'm really annoyed at all this application stuff. We are not running a women's centre, this isn't a daycare. We're not taking in refugees—Ow! I am being nice."
Sloane elbowed the brunette again. "Be nicer."
Grace huffed. "What I mean is, this thing between us is a marriage. It is serious. It is love. Commitment, trust, support, loyalty. It's crazy, it's unorthodox, it's never seen before. It's a lot of things but it's real and it's true and it's exclusive. The one thing it's not is a free-for-all. Applications are closed!"
Emilie and Sierra couldn't have said it better themselves. Keri was satisfied by the responses she received and smiled with admiration at the women. "What advice do you have for other people who are looking to pursue a relationship like this?"
Grace laughs. "Be rich,"
"Don't do it for just the sex," Sierra warned. "People will get hurt and it's not worth it."
"Be willing to work three times harder than you've ever worked in any relationship," Emilie added. "It's not impossible, you just have to equally want it."
"Be transparent with each other about everything," Sloane spoke. "Communication is key in all relationships but in a relationship like this, it is utmost important."
"So, that means you tell each other everything right?"
"Yeah," Grace begins to answer.
"Well, we don't purposely withhold anything from each other." Emilie corrects.
"Yeah that," Sierra agrees.
"Great! Take a look at this," She pushed a button and the screen behind them lit up, already playing a video. A little redhead girl is on the screen, standing in the middle of a living room. Whoever was talking to her was behind the camera. She had hair that fell down her shoulders, soft grey eyes, rosy cheeks and a raspy voice as she answered the questions thrown at her.
"Your teacher called me this evening. Said you told her your dad grows weed in the backyard..."
"Oh my God! No!" Sloane recognized the little girl. Of course, she would recognize herself. But with the recognition came something else. Embarrassment engulfed her quickly, swallowing her deep until it was the only thing she felt or saw as she slid off her stool and sprinted backstage. Her heart was slamming in her chest and the only thing she wanted to do in this moment was reverse time.
A thought occurred to her but before she could do it, she heard approaching footsteps behind her. When she glanced over her shoulder, she saw Emilie and the camera crew, she pouted, heading for her wife. Emilie embraced the redhead, pushing back her hair until it was completely out of her face. She holds the side of Sloane's face as if she were fragile, every touch dressed with a bit of her love, her affection. The shorter woman melted, her pout fading into a slight frown. "It's so embarrassing."
"Well, I thought you were adorable."
Sloane felt her embarrassment turning into a blush. As she stared back into the golden eyes of her lover, she felt nothing but love and adoration. She could use a million words to describe it and still felt as if it wasn't enough.
Her eyes involuntarily closed as Emilie leaned in to press a kiss to her forehead. The warmth from her lips spread throughout Sloane's body like a drop of colouring in a glass of water. Her stomach fluttered at it and her heart kicked up a frenzy. She could feel the sparks of their love bouncing around the walls of her heart, climbing up her spine. She felt alive.
The blonde's hands slipped away from her face to as her eyes reopened but the redhead couldn't find her voice yet. Emilie smiled and held out a hand to her. Less than a second later, she felt her wife's fingers lacing with hers. She gripped tighter, leading her back towards the others where the rest of her heart remained. They smiled at them as they approached. Sloane takes her seat before Grace and Sierra again, taking each of their hands.
"Shall we?" Keri asked, gesturing towards the monitor.
Sloane nods, her cheeks burning. They all stared at it.
...Little Steph nodded at her dad's question.
"I grow weed in the yard?" he asked again, emphasising the 'I'.
"Yeah." She answered confidently.
"In our backyard?"
"Yeah. Lots of it."
"Alright. Can you show me where?"
"Uh-huh." She starts off towards the kitchen, leading her father through a back door. They step out on a stone patio. The backyard was neatly trimmed except for where the grass met the patio. A few stubborn ones grew up too much, curling onto the stone. Sloane points at them all. "Weed! Weed! Weed! Weed!" she turns to their fence and points to those too. "Weed! Lots of weed! It's ridiculous!"...
Grace is the first the burst out laughing but the redhead is just hiding away behind her hands in shame. The audience is having a fine time and Sierra thinks it's hilarious. Even Emilie was chuckling at it. She really hoped her father had somehow misplaced that video.
"You weren't wrong," Keri told her. But even her words were laced with amusement.
Grace dramatically wiped her eye corners. Sierra sipped her drink to stifle her laughter. "That was great." She told them.
"How come we've never seen that video?" Grace asked, her eyes still dancing with amusement.
Sloane frowned, pointing her thumb over her shoulder at the brunette. "That is why."
Grace laughed again. "Oh come on. You were cute." She kissed the redhead's cheek.
Sloane embraced her kiss. Keri Gabe them heart eyes. "We just have one more thing before we go." She turned to Emilie. "A few months ago, our city was alarmed when young girls of all ages started to go missing. Some of them even ended up dying. The situation quickly became a matter of national security. I understand that you were the lead on the investigation?" Emilie nodded. "What was it like? From the reports, I understand that your adopted daughter was one of the first girls you found. What led you to make the decision to adopt her?"
"As a mother, I don't want to see any child at all suffer. When I found those girls, my heart went out to all of them. I did everything I could to make sure that they would all be safe and looked after. Wren, from the very beginning, was just attracted to me and I her. She's the opposite of my daughter but she's a very special child and she just wanted a home very badly. She convinced me so," she shrugged. "And I'm not easily convinced."
Keri smiled. "You are an inspiration to those girls, you know that?"
Emilie didn't answer, just stared at her. She never thought of the possibility of inspiring anybody. "Oh?"
Keri's eyes shifted to Grace. "Ms Graciela, you were also a big help during this crisis. Working on the front lines isn't an easy task. Just how many of these girls did we lose?"
"Way too much."
"How hard was it for you?"
"I needed therapy for months."
"Wow! I'm so sorry."
"It's okay. I'm happy I could help. We saved who we could and we did our best with every single one of the victims. For all who we lost, I hope their souls are resting peacefully."
Under the table, Emilie held her hand and squeezed it.
"I and the entire state of Virginia, Washington DC and the United States thank you both for your dedicated services," Keri says and as she says two men wearing plain white shirts and black slacks come on stage holding two separate big cheques.
The women turn to look at them. Each of them a hundred thousand dollars each. One to Emilie and the other to Grace. Both women stared at it dumbfounded as everyone around them applauded. Even Sierra and Sloane. They were their biggest cheerleaders! Grace's blush took over her face as she turned back to Keri but her face held confusion too. "Thank you," she began. "But, we don't need this money—"
"What's your name?" Emilie's voice dragged everyone's attention. She was already making her way into the audience, pointing at a little girl who sat with her mother in the third row.
"Caitlin!" The girl said at the top of her voice.
Emilie made it up to her and towered above the miniature human. "Hi, Caitlin."
"I've come here to see you." The little girl reveals excitedly.
Émilie gave her an enthusiastic gasp. "Oh, really? Well then, special hello to you Caitlin." She offered a hand towards the child and the child shook it with a huge grin.
"What would you do with a hundred thousand dollars?"
"Give it to my mom," Caitlin answered without hesitation. "She has cancer and it's really hard to pay for it so I would pay it for her so she doesn't have to die."
Emilie's eyes shifted from the girl to the woman beside her who was sniffling and wiping away tears from the corner of her eyes. "I'm sorry to hear about your illness." She offered with sincerity.
The woman nodded. "Thank you."
Émilie could feel the lump of her emotions rising in her throat. She gulped it back down as she looked back at the child. "Want to come give your mom a hundred thousand dollar cheque?"
The girl nods excitedly and takes Emilie's outstretched arm. The blonde led her towards the stage and helped her up. Her mother follows them in disbelief as the audience cheers them on. Emilie held one end of the cheque with the child. As her mother approached, Caitlin smiled. "Here, Mommy. This is for you!"
Her mom was in happy tears and accepted the cheque with a laugh of disbelief. "Thank you so much!" She told the blonde.
Emilie moves to hug her. "My pleasure. How is treatment going?"
"I haven't started chemo yet because we couldn't come up with the money–" she choked.
Emilie's heart broke. "Does this cover it?"
The woman nodded. "T-thank you!"
Emilie gave her another hug and gave Caitlin one too before they left the stage again. Grace went up to her whispering in her ear. She was pointing in the audience again. "Last row. He's an aspiring musician. Applied to Julliard and got accepted but can't afford tuition. No scholarship. He's a foster kid."
Emilie nodded at her and made her way towards the young man. She smiled down at him. He looked up at her, confused. "Uh, hi?"
"Hi," she said. "What's your name?"
"Oliver?"
"How old are you Oliver?"
"18?"
Emilie smiled. "If my wife should give you that hundred thousand dollars today, what would you do with it?"
"Me? Why would you give it to me?"
Emilie shrugged. "Just a feeling."
The boy stared at her in disbelief. "Uh, pay my tuition. Buy new instruments. Pay for housing so I can stay on campus or near campus. I'd—" He trailed off and looked up at her again. "You're not giving me that. Other people need it."
Emilie smiled at the fact that he was thinking about other people even while he himself was in a position where he saw no way out of his problems.
"Which college are you going to?"
"Julliard... Hopefully."
"What will you be doing?"
"Composition and piano."
Emilie smiles approvingly. "When you graduate, will you compose a song for me?"
"O-okay." His face is still pure confusion.
Emilie turned back to look at Grace, nodding at the brunette before she turned back to the boy. "Come on, I have something for you."
"But—"
Emilie gave him an encouraging smile. "Consider this your tuition being paid, new instruments housing and what else did you say?"
Oliver chuckled nervously. "Dude, you can't be serious."
"Are you serious, Baby?" She asked Grace.
"Yeah! If he wants it, it's all his. "
"You heard the woman." She turned back to him and said.
He stared at them for a moment more before getting up and following her on stage. Grace offered him a hand that he shook. He was already towering above her by at least a foot. "Graciela," she told him.
"Oliver. Nice to meet you."
Emilie moved back to her seat and found her other women's hands on the table as they watched Grace offer Oliver the cheque, then a hug that he returned, awkwardly. "Thank you."
She goes back to sit with them with a deep sigh. "Well, that's that."
The audience cheered. Keri smiled at them. "Wow. That was incredible. How did you know who to choose?"
Emilie shrugged. "I followed my heart? I just had a weird sense of who needed it most."
"Intuition?" Grace backs. "If we take the time to listen sometimes, we'll hear our spirits speaking to us."
"That was truly an admirable moment. Thank you ladies for being here. Thank you for doing the Vogue interview with us today and thank you for being an inspiration to today's youths."
"Thank you for having us," Sierra tells her and she shakes Keri's hand as she offers it. The other three women followed.
Keri turns her attention to the crowd. "Give it up for the LaRues!"
The audience clapped and the four wives waved gently at them. Sierra was blowing air kisses and Grace was mostly laughing at her antics. Sloane couldn't help but blush and Emilie was tempted once more to warn them about making everyone nauseous. As the interview ended, young Sloane's voice came back to haunt her, the video appearing on the monitor behind them again as the girl pointed continuously at more overgrown patches.
"Weed! Weed! Dad, do you love weed or something?...."