The night before had been a restless one. Even a long soak with the peppermint bath bomb Veruca had been saving for a particularly draining day did little to help her wind down. Her mind was still racing when she climbed into bed, insistent on replaying her kiss with Gemma on some kind of loop as she stared at the ceiling.

When she'd had enough, she'd flipped on the light and reached for her script, figuring she might as well put her current fixation on work to good use. There wasn't much to go over because there was really no way to plan what was going to happen tomorrow. Chemistry was innate, something you either had or you didn't and Veruca wasn't about to deny that she and Gemma definitely did.

Which is why her worries eventually shifted to Luke. Kissing men obviously wasn't something enjoyed or did in her personal life, but she knew she could feign attraction easily enough. She'd done it a hundred times before but she was worried their little exchange the day before might throw a wrench in things. It was important to mend fences or at least remain civil if they were going to pull it off, which is why she arrived on set that morning with three to go cups and her mixtape in hand.

Luke's was something of a peace offering, which is why he got the muffin she had been planning to share with Gemma too. There was no room for being stingy when you were trying to ingratiate yourself to someone, but Veruca's gifts didn't seem to be needed.

He apologized for making her uncomfortable the moment he spotted her and before long the pair were enjoying drinks and conversation on the edge of the stage.

Sitting on the edge of the stage in their robes talking (because there really was no point in getting dressed when they were just going to be playing around with the wardrobe rack anyway), they looked almost domestic, the topic of conversation predominately the music Angela already had playing, though Luke's brow furrowed when he heard Wanda Jackson warbling over the speakers.

"What is this?! " He hissed before giving Veruca an almost accusatory glance. "Did you pick this? You definitely picked this. It's sounds like that Grandma stuff you're into, you definitely picked this."

Veruca snickered, nodding. Her lips twitched into a smirk, her eyebrow raised as she took another sip from her cup. "Do you know what it's about?"

She nearly laughed again when he shook his head, hesitating for a moment before leaning forward and whispering something in his ear.

"What?!" Luke choked on his coffee, looking up to see that Gemma had arrived. "Oh come here." He grabbed a very giggly Veruca by the arm, tugging her over to stand in front of Gemma.

"Veruca, tell Gemma what this song is about. Tell her as crudely as you told me."

Veruca may have delighted in teasing Luke and even more at his reaction, but she was a bit shy with a different audience, her eyes flickering down to the floor as she mumbled, "Eating pussy."

"See!? She has shame when she tells you!" Luke all but shouted.

"Well it is!" she said defensively before laughing again at how much she seemed to have ruffled Luke's feathers "Why am I not surprised you're terrified of a song about vaginas?" she asked before bursting into laughter again.

"Oh she's got jokes today, Gemma! Jokes today!" Luke shouted, but there was a smile on his face before he started laughing too.

"Here," Veruca said looking smug because she felt like she had finally gotten Luke back for what he pulled yesterday. She turned around and grabbed the coffee she got for Gemma off the stage and held it out for her. "I got one for you too."

That old saying of “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” was a “funny” thing most people used when they were too busy to deal with sleep. The saying flitted through Gemma’s head a time or two the night previous however, as she somehow made her way back to her temporary apartment. On set, she had stayed an extra few minutes, unable to really move from her spot as she’d watched Veruca leaving, her grin barely hid behind her fingers as she nearly left with her wardrobe on. Gemma told herself that her fondness for the other woman was just that - a fond liking of a colleague who she happened to have great chemistry with. That however, didn’t account for the buzzing feeling that remained in her lips as she wandered back to her trailer, or the warm feeling that seemed to settle in the pit of her stomach throughout her ride home. She took to making herself tea (a nightly habit, usually) and turning on some nonsense television in some attempt to wind down. Nothing seemed to really do the trick however, as she lay in her bed after a shower and replayed the events of the day over and over in her mind.

Their first scene had been a little harrowing, it was true, but then lunch alone with Veruca was lovely. All a set up for the surprise scene they had to do, and emotionally, she knew that they had nailed it. That was such an instinctive feeling, the knowing when something just connects on a cellular level. All of that before she allowed herself to think about the kiss. The kisses, in fact. Her fingertips touched absentmindedly to her lips (a tick of hers she could never rid herself of) as she remembered the first, and then the second, and then all the more so the desperation with which they seemed to cling to each other before Angela felt they got what they needed. Oh, it was just in the moment, their characters — all of that.

All night, save for the few hours she managed to gather of sleep intermittently, her mind reeled over what had happened the day before, and then grappled with what was to come. Gemma wasn’t used to having some kind of crush on a co-star, if that’s what this was, but it was hard to deny a certain amount of electricity between them, especially now. Gemma was usually so good with separating herself from her character, and some were easier to do that with than others, but this. This felt different. Scary, and exciting all at once.

Upon arriving to set, she was relieved that she was alone in the makeup trailer for a little while. With such a short handed crew today, she knew they’d be far more comfortable than with a whole crew potentially leering at what they were about to do. Gemma hadn’t been in a scene like this one, well, never exactly like this one, but also with this kind of freedom to improvise. They’d have to be comfortable with each other for it all to work.

Heading to the set in her own robe over her costume, she smiled as she came upon Luke and Veruca. Yet another relief that it seemed the two of them had squashed whatever had gone on the day before. She was already grinning as she set her bag down, and regarded the two giggling people in front of her.

Veruca’s comment, even bashfully mumbled, earned a brow raise, her heart sort of jolting in her chest. “Is that right?” Rolling her eyes at Luke, she chuckled and shook her head. “You needn’t have shame, I’m quite well versed.” She said coolly, narrowing her eyes at Luke’s shock. “I hate to break it to you, Evans. You’ll find most songs are about pussy. Or. Well, tits is a strong second.” If this was the kind of day they were going to have, Gemma could let out the Manchester filth strong. But for now, she just had some satisfaction that she played right against what Luke was going for. There was really no getting under her skin … well, not the way he probably intended. She felt warm just being back in Veruca’s presence, let alone following this kind of talk.

“I like her jokes!” She said, laughing as she graciously took the coffee from Veruca. “You’re my favorite.” Her voice took a tone for the dramatic, grinning as Luke scoffed. “I thought I was your favorite.” He pouted, earning a shrug from Gemma. “She brings me coffee and is far, far prettier than you. Sorry Luke, Veruca runs circles around you.”

"It's good to be loved," Veruca said with an over the top dreamy sigh, but there was no denying she really did like the idea of being Gemma's favorite, as eager for the other woman's attention as Olive was Elizabeth's.

There was no denying she liked hearing Gemma's reply to Luke, either. And not just because they both seemed to be getting the better of him. Veruca could be a bit prim and proper (in public, at least) but even she had a weakness for a woman with a dirty mouth and the attitude to match. She'd always liked women who could hold their own, even if her current high maintenance girlfriend was definitely not in that camp.

But Haley was as far away from her thoughts as she was physically and Veruca eventually hopped back up on stage to claim her former spot. "You know letting three theater kids play with the costume rack is like, the worst idea ever, right? Does Angela know what she's doing? We could be here for days."

"Can't you picture her as like, the world's biggest drama nerd?" He nodded toward Veruca, smirking as he directed the question toward Gemma. "The brown noser one who stays after to tidy up and brings the director cookies to snag all the parts."

Veruca gasped playfully, throwing the wrapper from Luke's muffin at him. "Why are you always so mean!?"

"Because it's fun," he said. "And probably true."

"Possibly true," Veruca mumbled, patting the spot next to her, a silent signal for Gemma to join them.

Apparently a lack of sleep (and whatever else was going on in her head) made Gemma more than a little punchy. It was good though, her mood considerably higher now that they were all together, joking, easing each other into the day. "Indeed." She agreed with Veruca, smirking over her coffee cup at the other woman. She averted her gaze a moment later, careful not to let herself linger too long.

"Oh no, I can already see you two ganging up on me, is that how today's going to go?" Luke said with such an incredulous tone, but Gemma did nothing but shrug her reply. "Most likely, yes. Buck up, buddy." It helped in some way, knowing that with Luke there was no grabby, lecherous man they'd have to contend with, particularly in a scene like this. Despite his annoying and overstepping antics from the previous day, Luke always had come off as rather respectful when it came down to the physicality of their scenes, and the emotions behind them.

The intimacy the three of them would have to convey today would certainly test the limits of their camaraderie and friendship, but honestly Gemma wasn't even the slightest bit worried about Luke. Her focus was, as ever it seemed, on Veruca.

Standing with Luke and looking over as Veruca sat back on the stage, she thought the moment kind of mirrored, in a way, moments to come. Somehow revering the woman across from them. "Oh absolutely, but I like a drama nerd." She shrugged again, playfully shoving at Luke before going over to sit next to Veruca on the stage.

"Don't be mad she's got more talent than the both of us." She smirked, bumping her shoulder gently into Veruca's. Her gaze was pulled from the other woman as Angela made her appearance, greeting the lot of them and pulling attention to start a very "loosey-goosey" rehearsal, as she put it. She expressed how important it was for them to play and feel comfortable in the space with each other. It occurred to Gemma that as much as this moment was key to their characters in trusting and giving into each other, that trust would have to transcend into the three of them as actors, as well.

Veruca had been something of a know it all back at school, eager to seize the spotlight whenever she had an opportunity once the acting bug bit. She couldn't even say she'd mellowed out with age. She'd been a bit pretentious in college too, but came crashing back down to earth once she entered the real world and the faced the harsh reality that was trying to make a go of it as a working actress.

The fact that Luke seemed to perceptive that, even if he had been joking, impressed Veruca as much as it annoyed her. She'd always thought a keen sense of observation was key in an actor.

She soaked up Gemma's praise like a sponge, but didn't have a chance to revel in it for long. As things started to get going, she watched the prop department bring out Gemma's prop cigarettes with a raised eyebrow, making a mental note to snag one to show off an old party trick somewhere down the line. When they brought out a flask too, she lifted it tentatively, then unscrewed the cap to take a sniff since it felt full.

It was somewhat comforting to know there was a little liquid courage in there if she needed it, but she gently placed it aside without comment, figuring she'd let everyone else discover it had a bit of the good stuff in there on their own, making her way to the costume rack next.

She knew she was eventually meant to wear the Grecian gown from the play Olive watched in the beginning of the film, so she gently held it out on it's hanger, running her fingers over the fabric. It was soft, a definite plus but as she stuck a hand underneath and realized just how sheer it was, she bit her lip, wondering just how much it would leave to the imagination.

She took a deep breath to steady herself then hopped down off the stage. "So should I just um... come back up the stairs and get things going?" Her tone was a bit sheepish, but she looked calm enough, directing the question more to Gemma and Luke more than anyone else.

Theater was something that Gemma had found at a time when she wasn't entirely sure what she wanted. She was a bit on the wild side in her school days, struggling with her own identity and sexuality on top of it. It was theater that allowed her to hone in her energy, and created a safe space for her to discover who she was - and who she wanted to be on top of it. Theater dovetailed into a love of screen, and while entirely different mediums, she found the balance in her own instincts when it came to both.

It suddenly clicked with Gemma that Veruca reminded her of some of her favorite, and most formative people who had become her community over the years. She gathered select people who became extended family, some sticking for years, others falling by the wayside. Some as friends, others as lovers. The people who Gemma remained closest with, she'd admit, were those who understood the nature of their business, and the art inherently ingrained in it.

The energy of set felt so different from normal. Usually, there were no less than fifty crew members around, all with purpose, all bustling about to do this or that. A closed set however, meant a closed set and with all six of them on the stage, it felt quiet, intimate. It may have made Gemma more nervous, but instead she appreciated the depth of care that was given to the three of them to create this scene.

Angela talked about the intimacy of their gaze, how important it was to convey enthusiastic consent between the three of them. This was launching their relationship for the rest of their lives after all. Gemma nodded along with Angela's direction, though found herself utterly distracted by the woman next to her.

Veruca's question suddenly had Gemma's throat feel dry, and before she answered, Angela chimed in. "Just do whatever feels natural. We're going to be rolling. Have fun with it! We'll let you know when we cut." The idea of that felt like a big responsibility, freeing in a way, and terrifying in another. As she gave a reassuring smile to Veruca, she shed her own robe - for now, still wearing the white blouse and skirt that would be shed as time went on.

As Gemma moved over with Luke to take their marks for where they'd eventually follow Olive, the speakers crackled with a new song, the blaring, overly familiar first chords to Let's Get It On. Gemma couldn't help the sudden burst of laughter that took her, Angela over by the camera monitors looking very pleased with herself. "My lord," Gemma laughed, shaking her head as she finally felt her over-thinking mind settle some.

Veruca made it about two steps toward the stage before Angela's song caused her to crack. She loved Marvin Gaye as much as the next person, but that particular song was such a romantic cliche that she'd always found it more corny than sexy. She allowed herself the laugh, the song she'd teased Luke with earlier had been her own attempt at humor even though the lyrics about trying to run and hide were definitely fitting for Elizabeth and Olive in their own way. She had another funny but fitting song on her playlist too, a modern one that she couldn't wait for everyone to hear because she found herself snickering the whole time she played it, but the rest of her songs were either sexy, relevant or both.

She had to be sexy.

As she remembered that Marvin's voice faded in to white noise. Seduction was innate, awkward and ineffective when you tried too hard. She tried to remember what had just happened before Olive started up the stairs. She'd kissed Elizabeth and she hadn't backed away. Will saw. Elizabeth kissed Will. Olive kissed will. They'd shared. And now they really would.

This was uncharted territory. Veruca didn't even have anything to pull from like her unpleasant college memory the day before.

While she didn't begrudge them their choices, she wasn't even sure she understood how her poly friends made their every day lives and relationships work because it had to be draining. It was hard enough to find one person you liked, let alone two.

She'd never had a threesome. But the idea of two people wanting you at once wasn't an undeniable turn on. So that was what she leaned into as she remembered what had happened previously like a mantra.

She'd kissed Elizabeth. Will saw. Elizabeth kissed Will. Elizabeth wanted Olive to watch her kiss Will. Olive kissed will.

She'd kissed Elizabeth.

Veruca suddenly found herself replaying the kisses she'd had with Gemma for what seemed like the thousandth time in a less than 24 hour period. Sure, it wasn't the kiss that had been the catalyst for this moment but remembering the feeling of her lips (and body) on hers shifted her body language in a way Marvin hadn't, a nervous excitement building in her stomach as she slowly started toward the stairs. Once she felt someone watching (Luke? Gemma? Did it even matter?) her hips began to sway in an almost playful strut.

A lot went into this very moment, and Gemma for one was glad to get out of her head for a moment with the break the song had given them all. She was sure some other classics would make their way onto the playlist (she herself had put on a classic Boys II Men song because - how could she not?) and imagined that those might bring levity as the day went on. After all, this was supposed to be a night filled with intimacy, yes, but also joy. They certainly didn't need to be so sullen about their first night all spent together. The importance of this whole moment was the connection between the three of them, but it helped that the connection between Elizabeth and Olive would indeed be a main focus. These women were the heart of what would become their family.

It helped too, that Elizabeth's focus should naturally be far more on Olive than William. Gemma didn't think that'd be a problem.

The moments before this one ran through her mind, as though she were already buzzing from a kiss that hadn't happened yet. She'd practically guided her husband to kiss Olive after indulging herself, and she wanted more. That was something Gemma could far and away relate to. Perhaps not the threesome, but the longing - that was easy.

She vaguely heard the gentle call for action "whenever you're ready", and her gaze was already fixed on Veruca as she walked away from them. Gemma stood next to Luke, awe and excitement in her gaze as she leaned into him. Luke stepped after first, Gemma's fingers lacing loosely through his with a comfort of a pair who had been together for years. She and Luke had worked hard on their chemistry as the Marstons, but she felt electrified by the chemistry she and Veruca had already begun to claim as their own.

As they took the stage, her lips cracked a smile, watching how Veruca moved. Her throat felt dry but everything else felt warm. Just the lights. She was only vaguely aware of the song change, one of hers that was a particular favorite in general. She'd once heard he'd written it from the point of view of the serpent in Eden, and that felt fitting.

Gemma took the flask from Luke as she stepped away from him, just a little swig of it as she moved to run her fingers over the rack of costumes left there to play with. Beyond anything, her gaze never faltered long from Veruca as they began to play in their space.

In true theater nerd fashion, Veruca really did head for the costumes first. Absorbed in checking out what was on display, she felt someone move into her space before she saw them, but immediately recognized the hand on her waist as Luke's, a little grateful that he had gone for her first. They needed to sort things out romantically. A trial by fire.

The pair hadn't had a chance to practice the way she and Gemma had the way before and a bubble of nerves formed in her stomach as his she turned toward him for a kiss, wondering just how it would go. There was no denying there was a certain chemistry there, a relief since they had a long day ahead of them, but kissing Luke just felt like...well, kissing. She wasn't left buzzing once she pushed him away, her shove more playful than the one she'd been on the receiving end of the day before. It wasn't a go away. It was more of a coquettish not yet.

She took a few steps back, watching her co-stars study the rack for a moment before heading back over and positioning herself in the middle, though she slowly gravitated more toward Gemma's end of it, her fingers dancing across the hangers.

She made a show of appearing interested in the same coat the other woman was eyeing, but it was really an excuse to enter her space. Her thumb accidentally brushed Gemma's wrist as she reached for it, though the look in her eyes said her touch hadn't been an accident at all. It was meant to tease.

When Gemma first read this scene, and moreover during their discussions about the schematics of it, she thought it was such a smart story choice that Olive lead Elizabeth and William into the moment. Though the time for hesitation was very much over, it felt all the more important in a film where power dynamics and consent were so important. Gemma loved that about what they were saying with this film. She might be the one getting more nude than the others in this scene, but it felt important that Olive drive them in certain directions. Add to that, Veruca looked impossibly alluring here. Good for the character, of course.

Gemma's gaze lingered on Luke and Veruca, a small smile on her lips as she watched them kissing. She remembered how Elizabeth said she didn't experience sexual jealousy, and used that as fuel to finding this scenario all the more intoxicating. It was foreplay in its best form, the three of them forming a connection that would lay foundation for their (assumed incredible) sex life going forward. The fact that Gemma felt a small pang of longing watching them kiss was something she decided to just let fuel Elizabeth in her mind.

A smile burst across her face, laughing softly as she bit at her lower lip once Veruca made her way over to her. That animal print coat, she realized why Angela wanted to make sure she wore it. One of the many easter-eggs that would invoke an iconic friend/villain of Diana's in the comics to come. She assumed there was a whole faction of fans who desperately wanted a relationship between Diana and Cheetah. "Oh are you going to dress me?" She teased right back, realizing a little late that they could talk, as this montage would most likely be played to music.

Veruca's thumb against her wrist just redoubled that electric feeling in her skin. Her fingers danced over Veruca's, teeth catching her lower lip as her other hand moved to brush against her side, traveling down over her hip and giving the hem of her shirt a tug before dropping it. Taking a couple of steps back, she smirked, shedding the cardigan she wore but not before pulling one of the prop clove cigarettes she'd been given and lighting it and playing with an inhale (she'd long since quit the real thing), passing it over to Luke as he'd arrived beside her.

"Kind of have a different endgame in mind, but sure," she shot back playfully.

She might have been implying that she wanted to undress her, but Veruca wasn't expecting Gemma to take matters into her own hands. Her mouth went a bit dry as she watched her, the fact that she'd always had a thing for women with cigarettes thanks to her love of old Hollywood hardly helping matters.

"Give me that," she said, not waiting for an answer before reaching up to take the cigarette once Luke ws done. She'd smoked very briefly in college and it resulted in a hidden talent. She inhaled, inwardly musing that it only seemed right that the cigarette was shared, something that all three of their lips had touched. She smirked as she started to blow out perfectly formed smoke rings, Luke letting out a laugh.

"Oh she's got an agenda, this one." She grinned, brows raised as though the pair of them were challenging one another, despite the flush of warmth in her cheeks. Elizabeth did love a challenge, and so did Gemma. Moreover here and now, she was genuinely starting to have fun, which was not something she expected from such a daunting scene.

The distance that she had put between them felt big, even if the space of the stage wasn't all that massive. Instead that pull she felt towards Veruca was all she could do to give into, using it for her character -- that's what it was, after all. Right.

It was Gemma's turn for her mouth to go dry, her eyes widening some as she watched Veruca breathe rings. While Luke laughed, she sort of let out a sound through a breath, something more decidedly, well, turned on would be a word for it, but professionalism meant of course she wouldn't call it that. "Running literal circles around us." She chuckled, taking another swig from the flask before handing it off to Luke, only vaguely aware of the camera off somewhere as the three of them inhabited the same close space. Her hand moved back to Veruca's side, curling her fingers around her waist to keep her close in their shared space.

Smug that she hadn't forgotten and succeeded in her one party trick, Veruca eventually handed the cigarette back over to Gemma, the sweet smelling smoke floating up between the two of them.

Though she leaned into the other woman's touch, she turned toward Luke. "You should play dress up too."

While he was preoccupied with the costume on the rack for him, her attention (naturally) drifted back to Gemma, suddenly a bit dismayed now that she realized her little stunt had stopped her from getting undressed. Her disappointment not entirely all Olive's.

She held out the coat to encourage her to keep going and to ultimately, join in on the game she started. She pulled out the gown for herself so that Olive could get in on the fun too, but it also meant that she could start getting undressed too. It had a dual purpose really.

Olive wanted to undress for Elizabeth. She wanted her to want and really see her. Veruca wanted Gemma to feel more comfortable and knew she would be if she shed some of her clothes too. A new song, one of hers, started playing as she began to unbutton her blouse.

It occurred to Gemma that once this day was all said and done, she might go for the rare actual cigarette to come down for the kind of energy that they were creating with each other. Gemma took the cigarette back, making sure their fingers brushed together as she did.

"Mm, there's a hat around here, somewhere." She agreed, glancing around for a moment before her gaze naturally returned to Veruca. She allowed herself to feel a certain kind of way about watching her, knowing on an artistic level that Elizabeth's reaction to Olive should be heightened.

Gemma laughed, snatching the coat from Veruca and running her fingers over the fabric, draping it over one of her shoulders. She watched Veruca pull out the gown, all imagery to invoke the inspiration for Wonder Woman, and yet she was sure would make her look downright angelic on top of it.

"Ooh, who is responsible for this one? Excellent choice." She said regarding the song, taking a step back as she in turn pulled at the ties of her blouse, dragging her fingers along the fabric as she loosened it from her skirt. For a moment she forced herself to look away to Luke, suddenly aware how intensely she had been watching Veruca. A moment later however, she bit at her thumb and let her gaze fall back to the other woman, deciding that Elizabeth would be more focused on her in this moment, too.

"Me," Veruca said, pleased someone seemed to appreciate her taste because Luke certainly didn't. Since Olive had been wearing fewer layers, she was left in her bra. Veruca's experience with vintage clothing told her the bulky longline bra with it's prominent underwire would show through the thin dress she had to wear. It would have to come off before she put on the gown but she was somewhat comforted by the fact that she'd ultimately be pretty covered over the course of the scene. More covered then Gemma, anyway.

Angela may have given them free reign, but Veruca knew what she ultimately had to do, what markers to hit and what the scene would look like. In that moment she remembered a few things she had to do to Gemma and it stoked a certain kind of anticipation. It should have scared her, but she reveled in it, even though she knew it wasn't just for Olive's sake.

She stepped out of her heels, kicking them out of anyone's path but as she started to contemplate taking off her own skirt, her bra staying put for the time being, she made an impulsive decision. She took a step forward to close the space between them and help Gemma take off her top.

"Brilliant." She smiled, though Gemma honestly didn't think the man who had promised Sir Mix-a-Lot would make an appearance would have chosen this one. Her smile faltered some, though not for any unpleasant reason, as she watched Veruca take off her shirt and kick off her shoes. The deeper they got into the scene, the more she realized what Angela had meant about the gaze (and distinctly the female gaze here) and how the intimacy could be portrayed there. As actors, they had to trust boundaries and respect one another, and that translated pretty perfectly into the scenario of their characters.

Gemma was suddenly glad for their unexpected scene the day prior. She knew the way Veruca's lips felt against hers and how warm her breath was. She knew the way to lean in and how they could compliment each other. Even if fraught with emotion, the kiss taught her some things about her scene partner. And now her head spun with how Veruca's lips might feel on her skin when they got to it. Shit. These scenes were so technical and easy to navigate when they were with a man because she wasn't attracted to men. It felt wildly different with a woman, and particularly one she was realizing more and more she fancied.

As Veruca approached her, her brow shot up, a wicked kind of smirk twisting her lips as she lifted her arms to aid her taking the shirt from her. Her short hair grew more wild for a second, but she didn't bother with it. With a smile still on her lips, she hooked two fingers under Veruca's chin and leaned forward to steal her lips in a lingering kiss.

While she wanted to helpful and frankly thought undressing a new lover you'd been longing for the way Olive had been longing for Elizabeth just made sense, on some level Veruca had been hoping for a kiss.

The moment their lips touched it was like no time had passed between now and the night before. It felt like picking up exactly where they left off, but now the electricity was even stronger because there weren't as many layers of clothing between them. As Veruca leaned in to deepen the kiss their skin brushed, eliciting an honest to god shiver that she didn't even bother to hide or allow herself to be embarrassed by.

It worked.

They worked.

It felt like this was exactly how it was supposed to be in more ways than one.

Whatever worries Gemma might have about cameras or blocking or any of that technical stuff seemed entirely secondary at this point. She could easily convince herself that this was just giving herself entirely to her character, that Elizabeth was in control of her instincts like any intensely prepared actor might hope for. She might know better, or at least not be able to bullshit herself, but those were thoughts best left for way later.

Nothing could account for the kind of rush it was to kiss her like this. This time she didn't have to dread pushing her away and breaking her heart. There would be other times for that yet again (ugh, Elizabeth), but tonight was about their connection, which would then become their relationship throughout the course of the film.

Gemma felt the shiver run through Veruca, a hand bracing against her side as her lips so naturally parted to deepen their kiss. She felt her warm beneath her fingers, Gemma's heart thundering a beat in her chest. Her tongue just barely swept over Veruca's lower lip as she pulled back in favor of a breath, using the excuse to bow her head against hers and almost forcibly push herself a step back. Every instinct in Gemma was to go back for more, but she fought against it for fear she might give too much away.

Luke was busy putting his uniform on, and made some joke about being the first one completely topless. Gemma rolled her eyes and grinned, looking from him back to Veruca as she moved to start to slip out of her skirt.

When they parted, Veruca was left softly panting, looking at Gemma in almost awe. On some level she shouldn't have been surprised. Kissing her had been intense yesterday. Her reaction shouldn't have been a total surprise but it was stronger now and honestly kind of scary.

She'd never felt this kind of intensity in a scene before and it wasn't because she had some sort of kinship with Olive. It wasn't because she liked women and kissing men felt slightly empty whether the cameras were rolling or not.

It was Gemma. There was just something about the two of them together, something potentially dangerous to explore when Veruca had someone else, but her perpetually absent girlfriend was easily forgotten. Luke was too, really.

Veruca's sudden flush had more to do with the fact that she'd temporarily forgotten him (a sure sign Olive wasn't entirely in the driver's seat) than his little joke.

"Of course you are. What guy can't resist taking his shirt off?"

She oftened made jokes about men she saw running around shirtless in public even when the temperature was barely above freezing. Truth be told, she envied their freedom once the heat actually justified being half naked. Women weren't exactly allowed the same privilege.

Battling her instinct to turn right back around to Gemma, Veruca took a step toward Luke instead, the song changing.

"Oh god, I was waiting for it," she said before completely cracking up. While she normally would have been mad at herself for losing focus, the break was needed. If anything, she was a little too focused right now.

"Did you pick this!?" Luke hissed, sounding exactly like he had earlier that morning.

Veruca nodded eagerly, starting to laugh again.

"Amazing." He grinned as he shook his head and Veruca looked delighted to have finally earned his approval.

The distinct difference between today and yesterday meant that Gemma didn't need to put on any pretense of not enjoying kissing her. She smiled without hiding it, unabashed in how much she enjoyed both the kiss and Veruca's response to it as well. Everything poured into their characters, to be sure, but Gemma was less and less concerned with the blurring lines - for now. It worked for the scene, after all.

"I'm honestly surprised you kept it on this long." Gemma joined in, grinning as she turned away from them with her coat. Glancing back over her shoulder, she spun on her heel to watch the two of them interact.

It helped her, at least in some way, that the scene was so much about both Elizabeth and William building their connection with Olive. Elizabeth and William had an implied (and shown in other scenes) intimacy in their marriage, so it was more important to show the gaze towards the other woman. Gemma had no problem with that.

"Oh my god." Gemma laughed out loud at the song choice, the sharp tones of Britney flooding the room and mingling with their laughter. It felt good to laugh and let some of the tension go.

Gemma made a decision as she slipped the coat over her shoulders, using the distraction of the song to turn back away from them and unclasp her bra. Her mind spun with this idea that if she was going to do the nudity in the scene, she wanted it to be a reveal of Olive's doing.

Slipping her arms into the coat she drew it back over her chest and spun back around with a bit of dramatic flair, her gaze finding (too naturally) Veruca again. She raised a brow, a smirk played across her lips like she'd done something really mischievous. "I think you should have done our entire list, honestly."

"Seriously, she needs a side gig as a dj or something."

Veruca practically glowed with their praise. She liked Luke and Gemma. She wanted them to respect her. Olive certainly felt that way about the Marstons, so it was yet another thing that worked out in her favor. When she turned to face Gemma again, it she found herself narrowing her eyes, trying to suss out if the other woman was wearing anything underneath her jacket. She was almost positive she wasn't and her lips twitched into a crooked, almost approving smile at Gemma's creativity, glad she'd found a way do to what needed to be done in a way that probably made her more comfortable than if she'd done it while she and Luke were standing around watching.

But it was still hard to ignore the strip of smooth, pale skin peeking out from the lapels of Gemma's coat, which is why Veruca kind of had to turn her attention back to Luke. He seemed relatively oblivious to what Gemma had done, still smiling and amused from Veruca's song choice. Noticing a dimple in his cheek she'd never really spotted before, Veruca suddenly found him adorable, which meant she initiated a kiss this time, the two of them looking much more natural this time around. She plopped the cap Gemma had mentioned on his head for good measure, then ultimately decided it was time for her to put her costume on too, grabbing a hold of the flask for a quick sip of liquid courage while Luke lit another cigarette.

Her skirt hit the floor without much fanfare, ending up a few feet away from her shoes, her hands sliding up her back as she gathered the courage to unclasp her bra.

"I don't even like clubs, but I'd go to that one." She agreed with a wink.

Gemma had been so concerned with how today was going to go, how the chemistry would work, how comfortable they'd all feel. She should have known that Angela was a genius and getting them all to work together was just a matter of enjoying laughter and each others' company ... even during various states of undress. Gemma wasn't often bashful, but as she blushed under Veruca's scrutiny, she figured it probably played well into Elizabeth's ego and need for validation. Particularly, it seemed, from Olive -- even if it did make Elizabeth uncomfortable to admit that sort of vulnerability.

Gemma watched them with barely concealed amusement, even so much so that the kiss caused her to break into a grin. She let them play for a beat before she sauntered over, maybe a bit more sway in her hips than previously. Gemma almost never felt particularly sexy during love scenes, but the atmosphere here lent so well to it. As Veruca moved off to continue to change, Gemma moved into Luke's side. He put the cigarette in her mouth and looped his arm around her shoulders, ruffling the fur of her coat. Gemma's eyes never left Veruca, so distracted that she honestly felt lucky she hadn't choked on the smoke she inhaled.

There was almost a reverence in watching Veruca, Gemma decided, her fingers plucking the cigarette from her lips and letting out the smoke as she watched her. No quips came to mind this time, just ... watching her.

Veruca wasn't really looking forward to getting undressed in front of her co-stars, but she didn't really follow her usual love scene mantra of get it done and get it done fast this time around. She could sense the two of them watching her but Gemma's gaze was the only one that really registered.

Veruca may have preferred vintage clothing in her day to day life, but she'd never been very fond of vintage undergarments, only bothering to wear them when the outfit she was wearing wouldn't look right without them. Weird shape and general discomfort aside, older bras usually had more clasps than modern ones and the one she was wearing was no exception. She loosened one hook, then two, her teeth sinking into her lower lip as she struggled a bit with the third since it didn't seem to want to come free. When she looked up again she locked eyes with Gemma, letting it fall.

She may not have been rushing, but she wasn't about to stand around bare breasted too long either. She slipped the dress on over her head, then smoothed it down over her hips. The costume department hadn't bothered to fit her for it. Elizabeth and the Marstons were borrowing them from the theater department. There was no way they'd magically slip into something that fit perfectly. Tall as she was, Veruca was worried the dress, like most she tried on would be a little too short on her frame. As she smoothed it down over her hips, she found it fit almost perfectly, though the top and straps were a little too loose for her liking, one already starting to slip down her shoulder as she walked over to Gemma again. She was close enough to steal a kiss, but she reached out and took her cigarette instead, her heart beginning to pound so hard she was sure they could see it through her laughably thin dress.

Angela had told them that she wanted to hit home the intimacy and the eroticism of the trio of them coming together, without making it gratuitous. She knew a lot of what they were doing would end up on the cutting room floor, but Gemma had to admit that it didn't feel like they were being exploited for anything just to draw an audience with some sexy-bait. This situation could feel very showy, but Gemma felt like she was immersed in this world that they were building for their characters and overall their film.

At least, that was on her mind as her gaze remained trained on the woman across the room from them. While Luke's hand moved to ruffle her hair, she smiled softly, but she knew it wasn't one that reached her eyes. Instead, she was in awe. That was really the only way to put it. Gemma and Veruca at this point had shared a room, even shared a bed, but it those were circumstances kept platonic, out of their control and completely innocent. Gemma might have wondered a time or few what it would be like to undress in front of each other, how this would play out. With Veruca's eyes locked with hers, she felt a sharp intake of breath in her lungs. That wasn't acting, it was something else. Something almost ... primal might be a word for it.

Gemma licked her lips as she watched her drape her long frame in the white outfit, her own heartbeat slamming an erratic rhythm. For whatever it was worth, she felt sort of stuck in place, stunned that certainly wasn't entirely Elizabeth in her mind. Her lips ticked up into a smirk as the other woman made her way over, exhaling sharply as she inched so close. "Tease." She murmured with a grin, sliding her hand along one of her long legs and brushing her thumb against the back of her knee. "This suits you."

Veruca's accidental shiver from their bodies brushing was nothing compared to the one she got from Gemma's fingers very consciously sliding along her skin. They had kissed before, even held each other during the process but there was something so satisfying about being touched, Veruca not quite realizing how much she wanted to be until it happened.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, a new thought emerged.

Gemma's done this before.

Okay, maybe not this. She was sure no one, not even the real Marstons had lived out this exact highly charged scenario. The other woman (probably) hadn't even had your garden variety threesome either, but she had touched a woman before.

It showed.

Veruca was suddenly very aware that she wasn't just having a love scene with another woman. She was having one with someone who actually fucked them in real life and it made her heart beat that much harder.

She wanted to return the compliment, but found herself slightly frozen in place unable to speak because words had kind of fallen by the wayside at the moment. Her lips had another way of answering as she grabbed hold of Gemma's lapels to pull her in for a kiss, one hard enough to prove she was anything but a tease.

And that she knew exactly what she was doing with another woman too. She wanted her hands all over her, which is probably why this kiss had a certain hunger that had never been there quite as strongly before. It was strong enough for Veruca to lose some of her inhibitions and let out a soft, barely audible moan as her tongue finally met Gemma's.

Gemma felt so focused on Veruca that it was hard for her to remember in the moment what was her character's doing and what was her own. She supposed the nature of being with a woman in this scenario could lend to that very predicament, but she knew better than that. It was Veruca, and their friendship they'd been cultivating since their first day together. Gemma wouldn't be so fond of just anyone, nor could she account for the energy that roiled between them.

Her cheeks were flushed and she knew it, but somewhere in her mind she thought about how that'd look for the scene. Everything about the scene felt secondary at this point.

What dangerous territory she'd stepped into, without even being prepared for it.

Gemma wasn't sure how Veruca was going to react, her gaze remained fixed on the other woman in those moments that seemed to stretch between them. She found herself luxuriating in the length of their breathing, of the intensity of their gaze. When she found herself pulled into Veruca by the lapels of her coat, she felt a distinct spike of heat alight her veins.

Sighing into her lips, she leaned into the other woman, her hands on her hips as some futile attempt to steady herself, but she ended up tugging her in closer if that was possible. Her lips parted easily, a soft murmur of her own echoing Veruca's as her tongue swept over hers. She felt electrified by heat that churned between them, her fingers curling in the fabric of her dress and keeping her close.

It took some time, but her lungs finally burned enough for reprieve, so she pulled back with a slightly dazed (but likely telling of how affected she was) look in her eyes. She grinned with kiss-swollen lips, bowing her head to kiss her neck somewhat noisily, smirking as her teeth grazed the spot. Eventually they'd need to move to the floor, a thought that had her head spinning just at how it would feel to touch more of her.

Every instinct and cell in her body told her to just give in and for the most part, Veruca listened. This was supposed to feel good. It was the total surrender the characters (and when the time came, the audience) had been waiting for, but Veruca was wary of liking this moment too much and it wasn't for her girlfriend's sake.

She didn't want to scare Gemma off by being some sort of weirdo who couldn't separate fiction from reality. But the two were blurring and as the other woman's teeth grazed her skin, she didn't try and catch her breath. She let it hitch, then let herself sink to the floor.

"C'mere," she murmured, gently pulling the other woman down with her. Once she joined her, the kissing resumed and there didn't seem to be an end in sight. There were things she had to do and she felt almost eager to do them, but for now she was content to kiss her. Too content, really, smiling even as the need for air caused their lips to part.

No one seemed to be in the driver's seat. They were playful, rolling around and exploring each other's bodies and kissing like a couple of teenagers but Veruca eventually ended up on top, straddling her slowly and cupping her face with both hands to kiss her as deeply as she could.

Though it was unbeknownst to Gemma exactly how Veruca was feeling, the tall blonde wasn't the only one finding it hard to not blur the lines between the fiction they were so (expertly) conveying and the reality of their connection. Gemma didn't like the idea that she might be crossing a line, but the way Veruca smiled with her made her all the more comfortable as things got fully under way.

She was only slightly aware that Luke was still about, but thanks to Angela's earlier direction for him to take a step back when it felt natural, the floor (metaphorically and literally) was theirs.

Outside forces didn't matter much, even if Gemma was aware somewhere in her mind that Veruca was with someone else, and they were being filmed for what would be one of the biggest moments in their film.

That didn't account for the way a shiver ran up her spine solely from Veruca's murmur, nor the way she eagerly bowed over the woman as they made their way to the floor. She grinned into her lips, her fingers sliding down her thigh and stopping just beneath the hem of her dress. Did her skin have to be so impossibly soft?

It felt good to laugh, and Gemma couldn't help but wonder in actual moments like this, in reality, if she'd make Veruca laugh through heated moments. Shit, don't think like that.

Easier said than done as she found herself on her back, her teeth sinking into her lower lip as she gazed up at Veruca. The heat that built between them was reaching atomic levels, so she was all the more grateful for the kiss to steal her attention. Her hands reached up to her hips, gripping them heartily as she deepened the kiss, her tongue seeking out hers more readily than before.

She let out a soft purr of approval when Gemma grabbed hold of her hips, her body automatically bucking forward but she fought the urge to start rocking against her just yet. They kept kissing until she felt dizzy a lack of air and their rolling on the floor not the real culprit.

Because that light, giddy feeling was beginning to shift into a more intense one that settled in the pit of her stomach and it was slowly creeping lower.

She yanked open Gemma's coat like she needed to and certainly felt that way, but not because the script told her too. A little voice whispered that she should probably check on Gemma and make sure she was okay with suddenly being exposed, but she kissed her instead. Somehow she knew it would help chase their nerves away.

Veruca didn't know what was going through Gemma's mind either, but she did know they were good at this and that Gemma knew it too. You couldn't kiss someone like this and not feel some sort of connection and trust.

Kissing was almost natural between them now, but it never really lost it's intensity and the feeling was only heightened when Veruca started touching Gemma too, her hand sliding along the curve of her body. It naturally made it's way upwards and that was when she allowed herself to look at her exposed breasts. Her eyes widened ever so slightly, but she wasn't sure why she was surprised. She had undressed her. She had known Gemma wasn't wearing anything underneath her jacket and would have even if she hadn't spotted it before. Rolling around on the floor with her had given her little flashes of exposed skin, but it was nothing compared to seeing her stripped (half) bare underneath her. Veruca wasn't entirely ready for it or to deal with just how attractive Gemma was.

She wasn't blind. Even Luke could look at Gemma and see just how beautiful she was, but Veruca had never seen her like this. Olive had never seen Elizabeth like this either, but Olive didn't seem like the one guiding her as the pair locked eyes, Veruca feeling a spike of nerves as she slid her hands up Gemma's chest.

Good god, nothing could have prepared Gemma for the sounds that Veruca made, nor the way they would make her react in turn. Her breath caught in her chest, her gaze trained on the woman above her as her hands flexed their grip on her hips.

It was hard not to compare the distinct difference between this feeling and any other she'd had while filming any similar scene. It wasn't just that this was a woman, nor that this was a woman who liked women. It was Veruca, and that fact struck her like a ton of bricks. With men, that technical, rehearsed structure felt good, even if not the most natural. She'd had some rather explicit scenes in her day, and it was never hard for her to pause to take a note mid-scene or to start again. At this present moment, she thought she might be driven to murder if someone stopped them for a note. Dramatic? Absolutely. But no less true in her mind for the moment.

Try as she might, Gemma couldn't help the chemistry of her own body that this woman aroused her. Sure, it was good for the character and the moment they were conveying to their would-be audience, but it was still a whole new feeling for Gemma. Almost voyeuristic. Not that she could bring herself to care. Not with the way Veruca looked at her, and especially not as she pulled her coat open.

A flash of a grin split her features as she found herself bare beneath Veruca, not exactly her usual reaction but one that couldn't be helped, either. Her teeth sunk into her lower lip, transfixed at how Veruca looked at her. She knew Veruca was a great actress, but she couldn't imagine that even she was putting on so much. Right? She kissed her back with a kind of abandon she didn't often with co-stars, unrelenting and even hungry as she was for it.

Gemma's back arched into the touch of Veruca's hand, letting out a soft gasp that tapered off into a moan. As her eyes found Veruca's, she gave the slightest nod. It may have been imperceptible to anyone else, but she meant what it conveyed to Veruca. Go ahead, the silent consent in a gaze that was probably exactly what Angela wanted from them, yet Angela was nowhere near her mind. The surrender of the moment meant so much to Elizabeth, and in that, Gemma could understand her entirely. She usually was a bit more demanding, in charge and even dominant with her own lovers; a pillow princess she was not. It took a certain kind of (special) woman to have her so easily relinquish control. Elizabeth and Gemma at present would give the world to this woman if she'd ask for it.

It was important to be in the moment. A love scene, especially one where people were being intimate for the first time was the last kind of scene you wanted to appear rehearsed or stale, which is why she Veruca appreciated Angela's approach to things.

Though there was no denying she'd be a little uncomfortable with any other co-stars. If anything, she was too comfortable with Gemma, but as lost in the moment (okay, as lost in her) as she was, she was still concerned about how the other woman felt. It was important for this moment to be real. Elizabeth should have had no idea what Olive would do next and Veruca knew surprising Gemma would help elicit a genuine reaction, but she was still wary of doing anything she wasn't ready for or completely on board with.

When the other woman (subtly) gave her the green light, her heart lurched in her chest. Veruca felt a sudden tenderness towards her, almost honored by her vulnerability. When their eyes locked, she knew Gemma trusted her enough to do anything she wanted to her and that as well as the gleam in her eye, was an undeniable turn on.

Soon she wasn't just touching Gemma's breasts, she was gripping both of them with two hands, giving them a firm squeeze before she ducked her head, her lips (and inadvertently, her hair) brushing her skin tentatively before slowly starting to work their way down.

The top of her dress really was ill fitting, one of the straps sliding completely off her shoulder as she inched downward. It left one of her breasts partially exposed, but she didn't seem to notice anything but the task at hand.

A task that didn't feel like a task at all.

Gemma was, for all intents and purposes, usually very in control of herself and whatever emotions she was experiencing - particularly while acting. She wasn't someone who blurred lines very easily, no matter how deeply she connected with a character. This felt like an entirely new experience to her, and in all honesty she wasn't entirely sure how to handle it.

Nothing felt uncomfortable or wrong however; quite the opposite. She felt wholly at ease with Veruca, in the moment and truthful -- which as an actor was all she ever hoped to convey. The emotion and desire that raged through her was real, and as hard as that might be to grapple with later, she leaned into it now. Her gut churned with anticipation, her breathing heavier all the while she didn't break from her gaze with Veruca. She was almost afraid the magic might snap if she did.

"Ahh," Gemma's surprise was evident in her smile, and the sound that came in direct response to Veruca's hands on her breasts. Her body instinctively lurched beneath her, pressing herself into her hands as her own hand reached up to drag her fingers through Veruca's short hair. Usually in scenes like this one, she'd have to take care of the sounds she made, walking an ever fine-line between having natural sounds and, because the nature of pretending, not sounding like an overzealous porn star. Gemma wasn't even thinking about that now, the soft sighs and moans that Veruca evoked were entirely natural. Some even more than others.

Everywhere the other woman kissed on her skin felt like fire, her eyes closing for just a brief moment. Her eyes were open again, taking in the sight of Veruca as much as she felt her. Her fingertips naturally dragged down along the side of her neck, over her shoulder, but she paused, giving her the same opportunity to decide what she was comfortable with.

Somewhere in the background the song changed. Veruca had momentarily forgotten there was music playing at all because she was tuned into the sounds she was coaxing out of Gemma instead.

They were what she really wanted to hear, but the switch caught her attention because the song was another one of hers. The sparse lyrics were fitting, but Veruca had mostly chose it because of the instrumentals, Jack's screeching guitar and a throbbing bassline that could get anyone feeling a little more sexy.

Her kisses became more confident, harder as she inched toward Gemma's bellybutton. She knew what would come next in real life. She knew what she really wanted to do to Gemma, but she hesitated for a moment, her eyes flickering up to find Gemma looking back at her.

Her nod was barely noticeable to anyone who else who was watching the two of them (and she really had forgotten there was anyone else in the room), her teeth sinking into her kiss swollen lower lip. Her eyes reflected the same thing Gemma's had moments before, the perfect mix of desire and trust as well as an answer to a question she didn't need to ask.

Do whatever you want.

The art (if you wanted to get fancy about it) of pantomiming sex and making it not only look believable but good was easier said than done. Much of the time, it was putting on pretenses of arousal or even attraction to someone. Everyone, particularly women, had horror stories of how wrong and revealing a scene anywhere near this one had been for them.

The difference here was palpable. Gemma was vaguely aware of the goings-on around her, but her head swam with desire that was not entirely the doing for her character. In fact, it had little to do with her at this point. The song that flooded through the speakers did seem to change the atmosphere somehow, or maybe that was just what Veruca's lips on her skin did.

Never before had Gemma experienced, while at work anyway, a kind of unflinching desire. She let out a shaky breath as she watched Veruca, their gaze connecting in a way that sent another shiver down her spine. She knew what she wanted, and knew she couldn't have it for a myriad of reasons. The desire coursing through her reached a near desperate level, which she simply tried to channel into something for her character. Right, her character.

That nod, that look on her face. Jesus Christ, she was going to have to practice every ounce of restraint she was capable of.

Every instinct she had was to do something entirely opposite of what she actually needed to do. She wanted to see how far they could push each other, to lurch her hips towards the other woman and find some kind of very-non-professional way of ending this night. Instead she dragged her fingers through her hair, guiding her gently back so she could crush her lips against hers again. Her tongue sought hers out eagerly, as her fingers moved down from her shoulder to greedily palm one of her hands over her breast. Gemma moaned into her lips, letting the rush of heat touching Veruca gave her carry through the moment.

Letting out a breathy, but audible moan Veruca sounded as surprised as she did aroused by Gemma's touch. She hadn't realized her dress had slipped down so far. Her exposed skin hadn't caused her to catch a chill.

She felt like she was burning up.

She wanted the stupid dress gone, unable to stop thinking about how good it would feel to just take it off and offer herself up to Gemma entirely.

But not before she tossed her leopard coat on the floor beside it.

That couldn't happen. Nor could she really please Gemma the way she wanted to, but Veruca still had to pretend to. It felt like a cruel joke, really. Being so close but so far from something she so desperately wanted, to have a taste of what it might actually be like but her hand slid up Gemma's leg anyway, largely hidden by the other woman's coat. The idea that only Gemma knew and felt what she was doing only fueled Veruca's desire.

It felt like a secret. Something only they shared.

Under different circumstances, she would have slipped inside her. Veruca's fingers rested lightly against Gemma's inner thigh instead.

They stayed perfectly still for a moment before the pads of her fingers started tracing the lightest of patterns against the soft skin she found underneath them. A tease of pleasure to help Gemma show that Elizabeth was experiencing the real thing.

As the minutes stretched out between them, Gemma was realizing just how wholly unprepared she was for the affect Veruca was having on her now. Every sound she made sent more desire coursing through her if that was even possible. She wished for some power to make everyone leave, to snap her fingers and have the two of them transported somewhere else.

There was no way this was all in her head, nor just acting.

Gemma wasn't used to wanting someone to touch her so badly. It felt as though they were near torturing each other, and it couldn't be all on her end, could it? She wanted to see Veruca, to feel her body and touch her in earnest. She wanted to hear what she'd sound like if she were sliding her own fingers inside of her.

The thought alone was dizzying enough, earning a soft sigh against Veruca's lips that easily dipped into the sound of a moan. As much as Veruca's touch sent shivers through her body, it was when their gaze met that Gemma felt electrified by it. She panted softly, maybe being a little showy of arching her back and bucking her hips gently into the make believe rhythm Veruca was curating.

This was hell, she had to believe it. She almost laughed at the thought, but instead lifted her head to kiss Veruca's skin, her mouth on her throat and dragging down to her shoulder. "Fuck," She said so quietly in her frustration she wondered (or hoped not) if the boom even picked up the audio of it. She was so close to her yet maddeningly far, but she just let that fuel the moment all the more. Both of her hands slid to cup her breasts, squeezing them through the thin fabric and wishing yet again she could get rid of the damn thing.

Veruca's body was betraying her. She was beginning to sweat through her thin costume. It wasn't thin>enough for how she felt and wanted to feel right now. As she felt her nipples beginning to tighten under Gemma's hand, she decided she was grateful for some sort of covering, if only on one side.

And then she remembered the other woman probably could see everything she was doing to her just as easily as she felt it. Her brain shifted to fear then embarrassment before landing on one very firm conclusion.

She didn't care.

Gemma's mouth coaxed a soft, needy sound out of her, more of a whimper than a moan. But what Gemma said next was what really caused her body temperature to spike.

Was she always like this? Veruca wanted to find out and if she wasn't she wanted to find more ways to get dirty words to fall from her lips. She wanted to show the other woman that she wasn't as boring as everyone, even Luke (though he mostly seemed to be teasing) thought.

She wasn't a grandma just because she kind of dressed like one. She was quiet, yes. But she wasn't meek. Especially in moments like these. If they were in a different place and a different time, a world where Veruca could have Gemma in her bed without so many complications she could show her how she really was.

The mood shifted once Veruca heard that curse. She let herself to watch Gemma underneath her, allowing herself to believe that she was fucking her, responsible for every last writhe and sigh. Her fingers stopped moving, lightly gripping her thigh instead as her lips traveled up the curve of her neck to her ear. She kept her lips pressed to it, not just because she needed to be as close to her as humanly possible, but because she wanted to be sure only Gemma heard what she said next.

"Come for me," she purred. Veruca was naturally soft spoken, but this voice was different, undeniably thicker with desire. She punctuated the sentence by giving the skin underneath her fingertips a firm pinch.

If Gemma thought that she might be into Veruca before all of this, the reality was striking her harder than ever at this point. Whatever connection they'd made as friends and colleagues now felt too big to ignore the other part of it. One could assume they were just two very highly skilled actors, giving their all to a performance of a moment that would mean so much for their characters and the audiences that would watch it.

The simple fact was that chemistry like this couldn't be faked or contrived. It couldn't come out of nowhere, especially not with how their bodies seemed to instinctively gravitate and react to one another.

Gemma wanted to tear the fabric of her dress (ill advised, if she wanted costumes to like her) and have her mouth every where on her warm skin. She was struck with just how desperately she wished Veruca would just touch her already, the rest of the scenario they found themselves in be damned.

Gemma wanted to know, she found herself a curious being over most things, but it was wanting to know her so intimately that struck her now. She wanted to know if she was like this in bed (or wherever), or how she'd react with Gemma taking command. God she wanted to know, and that was almost as painful as not being properly touched by her now.

Her gaze once again locked onto Veruca's, her heart thundering so hard in her chest she could barely catch her breath. Evidenced, she supposed, by the sharp gasp that sounded as Veruca's fingers dug into her thigh, a thrill of pleasure racing through her.

Then she said it. And an almost violent shudder took hold of her body just from the sound of Veruca's voice, the words she said, how close she was to her. Was it possible, she wondered, to come solely from someone's voice? She never thought so but at present she wouldn't put it past her. Her own hands slid down her sides, gripping her hips hard in return as she bucked her hips suggestively towards her. She didn't amp herself up like a moaning mess that would just look inelegant and ridiculous, but she did let her breathing do the work, her breath naturally coming out in shuddering gasps, her moans building to a crescendo as her back arched, pressing herself into Veruca as she let whatever pleasure/frustration/desire amalgamation contrive what looked as close to an orgasm as she could muster without one. Her lips crushed again to Veruca's as soon as she opened her eyes to look at her, nudging her nose with her own almost tenderly with her own as she broke for breath.

Veruca's dad was largely uninterested in her career. He was the sort of man who saw his daughter as a reflection of himself and knew an accomplished daughter would reflect well on him so he'd attempted to raise Veruca accordingly. Good grades were a must (and not really a problem, since Veruca was a naturally curious person to begin with) but it was more than that. She'd been signed up for everything from music to tennis lessons as a kid. Veruca's dad put so much emphasis on raising an accomplished young lady that she sometimes felt like she was living in a Jane Austen novel.

He'd never thought acting was very impressive. He'd seen her plays, of course. He drove her to rehearsals before giving her a car when she was old enough, but the art of playing pretend wasn't really an art to Christopher Fawley. He asked polite questions about work, but she'd only sat down to watch one of her projects with him. He'd read the novel 11.22.63 was based on and was eager to see it come to life, but even that had been a bit of a struggle, one she probably should have foreseen given her character's story line.

No father wanted to see their daughter abused, whether it was for the cameras or not. He'd looked at her with something akin to pity for weeks after. Veruca secretly held out hope that one day she'd make something her dad was genuinely into, something the two of them could watch together (no matter how uncomfortable seeing herself on screen was) without any underlying awkwardness.

She'd known going in that Professor Marston wasn't it, but when she heard Gemma moan, one of her first thoughts (and there were many floating around in the back of her mind) was, god, my dad cannot watch this. She was pretty sure she had never been in the center of a more erotic moment, imagined or otherwise in her entire life. Which was strange when you considered she and Gemma weren't actually having sex.

But it was easy to believe when the other woman was writhing underneath her. She flushed even more as she watched her pretend to fall apart, channeling every bit of her frustration into their kiss once Gemma caught her lips but as their noses brushed she found herself looking at her with a sort of smug satisfaction.

Pretending that Gemma's pleasure, faked or not was her responsibility had left her feeling a bit cocky but it wasn't just that. She was well, proud. She was as proud of Gemma as she was turned on by her. Proud of them because she knew that they'd killed it though if she was being honest, none of it had taken very much effort on her part.

Except for practicing restraint.

She brushed her nose against Gemma's, an eskimo kiss that didn't have a chance to turn into a real one because she heard a sneeze coming from Luke's corner of the stage. Veruca cursed softly, just loud enough for Gemma's ears as she realized she'd forgotten all about him and the fact that she wasn't done. Not yet.

Much of the work Gemma had done, she would have to say she was pretty proud of. She'd had some real crap peppered into her resume, but overall she had a real sense of pride at her body of work. If pressed, she might say that she wanted to tell stories that were more impactful than many she'd done. Lots were pure entertainment, not really saying much in them. This role was different from the jump, and she had been so excited for the work she would do, and the discussion it would naturally open up. Gemma had been wholly unprepared for Veruca, and that was never more clear than right now.

Families were tricky for people in their line of work, she assumed unless one were to come from an artistic dynasty or some free-love kind of atmosphere. For example, Gemma had begged her mother that if she was going to watch Gone Girl, that she do it with extreme caution and be prepared to sit through a number of uncomfortable scenes for any mother. Her family remained very supportive of her career, and kind of floored that she'd actually made it for herself. She simply learned to get used to breathing through unwanted criticism and opinions on performance or content. Gemma wouldn't hear a word of it about this film; she'd refuse.

The moment that she and Veruca created with each other was unlike anything she'd been a part of before. Beyond how deeply affected (and aroused) she was by it, Gemma had never felt like she had been a part of such a pure moment of connection before. She'd had love scenes, yes, but nothing felt like this. Never had she been so wholly unaware of everything around her that wasn't the woman she was with - at least not without actually having sex and on a film set. It felt almost unsettling - or would, if she was capable of feeling anything other than the intensity of their connection.

The sweet moments of "after" struck her in an entirely different way. Her hands moved over Veruca's body freely as they kissed, a smile on her face even through their kissing.

Luke's sneeze startled her, Gemma's own curse echoing Veruca's as she let out a low laugh, bowing her head against her shoulder and laughing into her neck. She'd have to return Veruca to the rest of their scene, for them to tie up Luke and involve him again.

Not yet, she decided, as she gave Veruca enough of a nudge that she could roll them back over. Her coat hung open, her breasts mostly exposed but she didn't care to cover up, not as she hovered half-over Veruca, her hand sliding along the inside of her thigh, fingers dragging deeply against her soft skin. Her own hair was wild and unruly, her skin flushed and pink. She cast a glance over to Luke, just for good measure though her gaze barely lingered at all.

She leaned in and kissed Veruca again, her own hand disappearing beneath the white fabric of her dress to grip her hip as her tongue swept over her lips. She'd steal a little while longer because it felt natural. Surely Elizabeth and Gemma were on the same page about this.

The sneeze had startled her in more ways than one. Sure, it reminded her that they weren't alone and there was still work to be done but on a simpler note, it was just loud, loud enough to remember and tease Luke for later. It caused her heart rate to spike in a different sort of way and the distraction and knowledge there were still, undoubtedly intense aspects of the scene to do really had pulled her out of her bubble with Gemma.

For all of five seconds. There was a flash of almost defiance in her eyes as Gemma pushed her on her back and it came entirely from Veruca. No matter how much she wanted someone (and she definitely wanted her), she never really wanted to give up her control. Olive may have been submissive, but Veruca wasn't. Gemma wasn't a pillow princess and neither was she, but as soon as the other woman's hand slid up her thigh she practically melted into the floorboards(which, granted, weren't the most comfortable of surfaces but she wouldn't notice quite the toll this scene had taken her body until the aches and bruises set in the next morning) until her grip sent her back arching up off them again.

She wanted Gemma to touch her. She would have given her anything in that moment and she did, every bit of herself she could give under their maddening circumstances.

Even their kisses were intense enough for the occasional sigh of pleasure to escape her lips, every touch giving her a tiny jolt of that much more of it. Every spike of adrenaline made her want to kiss Gemma harder and she did, but there was no denying that Veruca was letting her slide into the driver's seat this time around, her hands sliding up her back in an effort to keep her closer than she already was.

Gemma was sure if she glanced back over at Luke now, she'd probably find him sitting on a chair on his phone, waiting for the two of them to be done enough so he could get in his moments and then go home. The idea would have made her chuckle, but she was too lust-drunk on the power surge she felt from their shift in position. She could tell just from the way that Veruca reacted that she surprised her, and Gemma loved that.

"I think we're boring him." Gemma hummed quietly against Veruca's ear, an amused grin spread across her face before she kissed her cheek, and then her shoulder. Gemma was anything but bored.

Now she understood, perhaps (unless she was wildly off the mark), how Veruca must have felt moments before. She wanted so badly to touch her properly, to feel her body react to hers, to earn the sounds and flushed skin from the other woman. Her hair fell in her face as she looked down at the other woman, propping herself up on one of her elbows as she dragged her fingers higher up under her skirt. Her thumb brushed softly against the soft skin of her inner thigh, flexing her arm as she mimed what might have been touching her in earnest. That arch of her back ... dammit, she was intoxicating.

Leaning in close to Veruca, she hummed a soft sound of her own as she felt her tug and pull at her. Adrenaline surged through her solely how Veruca responded to her. How they kissed left her breathless, made her want more and ache for a certain reprieve of this mutual torture ... but she wanted to watch her just the same. Gemma began to shift and move her arm more purposefully, keeping her hand against Veruca's thigh as she pretended to fuck her, even if she so badly wanted to shift it elsewhere.

"I think he's the only person on the planet who would be bored by this." Veruca's tone implied she certainly wasn't.

But she was glad not to have an audience as she started to rock her hips, pretending to meet Gemma's phantom thrusts. Her eyes stayed locked on the other woman's, like this moment was meant for just the two of them and it was even if they were looking at this from Olive and Elizabeth's perspective. Will might have been there, but his was their time. They had waited long enough to be together.

Veruca understood Olive a little more in that moment because she remembered what it felt like to ache for someone, to want a person so badly it physically hurt. It was a twisted sort of pleasure and Veruca was letting it take over.

Veruca was a thoughtful sort. People often accused her of overthinking things. You couldn't be a perfectionist an actor at the same time. You could care, yes and she definitely did. But the very nature of their job was rolling with the punches, of feeding off situations and what your fellow actors gave you. She hadn't always done that when pretending to be intimate with a co-star.

Sure, you needed to pay attention to one another and build up some sort of connection but it had always just been easier and made more sense for Veruca to start imagining someone she wanted to have sex with when things got heavy, especially when she was paired with a man.

In the back of her mind, Veruca knew who she should be thinking about, but she found herself imagining that this was really happening instead. There was a wave of guilt as she decided to let herself let Gemma take her where she needed to be, guilt for betraying Haley, and in a way, Gemma herself. It caused her body to flush even more and that was when she knew it was time to start doing what she directed Gemma to moments before.

She had her own critiques on actors who spent the majority of their love scenes looking like howling contortionists. She didn't want to show too much, too fast and like her co-star leaned into what her body was already doing. She let herself begin to pant in earnest, just loud enough to be heard by someone other than Gemma. Then, slowly but surely, she began to moan, her fingers slipping under Gemma's coat to dig into the other woman's back like she didn't just want to hold onto her. She needed to because she needed something to hold her together while the world fell apart.

She watched Gemma through all of it, the intense eye contact making her moan a little bit huskier.

"You're probably right." She smirked, enjoying the implications of Veruca's words.

As Gemma hovered above her, she was somehow able to quell her dire need to kiss the woman, instead allowing herself to just be transfixed with watching her. Her mind reeled with elicit ideas that threatened to overwhelm all of her senses at that point. She had never had an experience like this, where her desire felt entirely bigger than herself and yet she would not give into it. Couldn't, more accurately, but even still. It was a true test of willpower as she watched Veruca work herself up all the more.

Somewhere in all of this, Gemma absurdly felt as though Elizabeth had fallen away from her. She was usually so attuned to her character, or at least prided herself on being so, but she wasn't thinking of this situation so much as Elizabeth and Olive as she was Gemma and Veruca. She wondered if the woman beneath her felt the same way. Bold as she was however, Gemma doubted she'd bring that up. It might open a whole can of worms neither were able or willing to grapple with.

No amount of acting, training or instinctual, could have prepared her for the way this would feel. Maybe she should have known on some level, but she didn't anticipate the heat that radiated between them, almost so palpable that she could reach out and grasp it.

The hand that wasn't buried between Veruca's legs reached up to stroke her hair, her fingertips dragging down the side of her face, like she was trying to etch the memory of her features twisting in pleasure into her mind. Once again, Gemma wondered how different it might be to actually bring Veruca to her climax, a though that had a flush rising up her neck as her hand continued to move as if in more deliberate thrusts.

Her own moan softly echoed Veruca's, the feel of her fingers digging into her flesh earning a whole different kind of pleasure. She smirked softly, brushing her nose against Veruca's and finally stealing a soft kiss, though she didn't close her eyes; she didn't want to miss a thing.

Gemma only broke the intense eye contact for a moment to brush her lips along her cheekbone and let them ghost against her ear, taking what seemed to be their way of passing secrets just between the two of them. "That's it," She purred her words, not thinking twice about how they might sound since she wasn't actually touching her. "I want you to come." And while she might be speaking for the moment of the scene, for her character, for the love and lust that Elizabeth had for Olive, Gemma couldn't hide the rush it gave her to say it.

Gemma's words made her heart stop and her eyes widen. Her mouth was dry enough for her next moan to be a little bit softer, the other woman's words echoing through her head once more.

They shouldn't have been a shock.

Veruca had said something similar.

She'd started this.

Was she tempting Gemma the same way Olive tempted Will and Elizabeth up the stairs? She hadn't meant to, but she also couldn't say this was all for the sake of the scene, either. She did her best to be a good scene partner, to help her fellow actors do what they needed to do to get the job done but Veruca didn't need to do half of what she'd been doing.

But she wanted to.

Just like she wanted to come for Gemma. Submission may have been difficult for her (though she was hardly as bad as Elizabeth, Veruca was just too set in her ways to be bossed around), but in that moment Veruca knew that if Gemma said that same thing to her in different circumstances, she would do anything she wanted. Even come on the spot because it kind of felt like she could.

Her moan of "release" was stronger and entirely for her. Her temperature spiked because she felt her eyes on her as she let herself writhe in imagined pleasure, her eyes fluttering closed as she let her blunt nails press into her back.

Only one thing, Gemma assumed, could actually top the way it felt to watch Veruca pretend to come undone beneath her - and that was actually experiencing it. She tried to get out of her own mind how much she wanted it, how badly she was tempted as every moment went on. She liked to take her control where she had it, and even more liked how Veruca reacted to her words. She couldn't help but grin, a brow quirked just for her like a challenge. Veruca may have started it, but she was willing and eager to go toe to toe with her.

A soft sound of -- what? Pleasure, awe, somewhere in between fell from her lips as she watched the other woman. The way she clung to her in those moments of "ecstasy" were enough to send her spiraling into a dizzying new wave of desire. What a fool Gemma had been to think for one second that this wouldn't have a deep affect on her.

"Good," She whispered as her lips pressed almost gently against Veruca's, her palm flattening against her thigh and giving a soft squeeze for good measure. Her own breath felt harsh and ragged, and she imagined by the end of this entire day, they'd both look thoroughly fucked without actually having truly touched one another.

As much as Gemma knew they should get on with it, her instincts kept her there for a moment longer. She pressed kisses to Veruca's lips again, then her cheek, and her forehead. A tenderness in her touch that might have been Gemma, but she felt Elizabeth would allow in such a moment of intimacy. They were building something, what would carry on for the rest of their years.

"I suppose we should stop neglecting the husband, hm?" She finally said after who knows how many minutes, her tone light and soft as she painfully tore her gaze away to Luke, who raised a hand almost dismissively. 'Oh don't you mind me, ladies. I'll tag in when your fun is over.' And with a suggestive waggle of his eyebrows, at that. Gemma actually blushed, rolling her eyes as she bowed her head against Veruca's. She winked, a grin spread across her face like she were conspiring with her. "Let's make him suffer through this hard ground for a bit."

Veruca was still in a daze as she stood up. She smoothed out and adjusted her dress as best she could (the left strap finally making it's way back to her shoulder where it belonged). She knew her attention should be on Luke, but she couldn't resist a backwards glance at Gemma once she got herself sorted and when the other woman hatched her plan, she had even more of an excuse not to look away.

Gemma could have proposed they take a lap around the city park naked and she probably would have agreed. Her praise, the way she said the word good had her body buzzing. She wanted to hear it again. She wanted to hear it again doing very bad things that didn't involve Luke whatsoever.

But she had a job to do and was somewhat comforted by the fact that she didn't have to do it alone. The knowledge that she'd get to kiss Gemma again once things got going was what ultimately caused her to take those first steps forward.

"You alright there, Vee?" Luke asked, looking amused.

"I'm fine, Luke. How are you?" she shot back. It sounded like a challenge. The scene was bringing out a side of Veruca neither of her co-stars had seen before. Veruca was on edge, thrumming with an energy that was annoying as it was pleasurable. She felt sexy and after rolling around on the floor pretending to climax, was it even possible to feel shy? What else did she have to lose when it felt like she'd given and shown Gemma everything already.

Luke raised an eyebrow, giving Gemma a look that said What the fuck did you do before holding out his flask to Veruca. "Liquid courage?"

Veruca nodded, even though the last thing she needed were more lowered inhibitions. The spout had just reached her lips when Luke proposed a toast.

"To heterosexuality!" he announced grandly.

Veruca lost it, beginning to sputter and cough on the whiskey that shot down the wrong pipe when she started to laugh. "Yeah we're all so good at it," she croaked, still trying to catch her breath, but smiling as she held it out to Gemma.

Much as she hated to lose the contact she had with Veruca, Gemma held back a moment or two longer, just watching the woman move across the stage. She didn't bother to cinch up her coat again, letting it hang over her for coverage, but without worrying about whatever state she'd be in with it open. She liked the idea that Veruca might get another glance. Standing before the two of them, her own confidence skyrocketed, giving her an air of even cockiness that she decided to run with.

Watching the two of them interact, Gemma grinned with what felt like almost pride with the utter sass that Veruca shot out at Luke. It was impossibly sexy to witness, but also gave her a swell of amusement that she might have had something to do with drawing that out in her. Again it made her wonder what it'd be like if she'd actually been allowed to make her come. The thought alone sent a shiver up her spine.

The look that Luke shot between them earned a smirk and a shrug from Gemma, her own prideful mood catching on. Luke's grand announcement earned a laugh from Gemma in earnest, rolling her eyes as she made her way over to the pair of them. "My god, we're aces." She chuckled, taking the flask from Veruca and making sure her fingertips brushed over Veruca's.

"It's probably more bisexuality, you knob." She laughed, taking a solid sip of the whiskey. "And let's not choke Vee in the process here, shall we? I don't think that's quite the S&M we're supposed to be into." She smirked at her own joke, taking another sip before handing it back. It occurred to her that it was the first time she'd used the shortened name for Veruca, and she liked that.

Veruca smiled when she heard her nickname. Angela had started the trend. Veruca assumed their director using the shortened version of her name was the result of trying to save time. Luke had begun to follow suit shortly after. She didn't mind it. Her name was rare, slightly unusual and not easily whittled down like Jennifer or Margaret. Vee was what she heard the most, though her father occasionally called her Rue as a child.

Her friends didn't really use either of those in real life but hearing it from Gemma made them seem...familiar. She liked the idea of something else shared, though it wasn't as much of a secret of their whispers moments earlier.

Still, Angela and Luke were good company, even if she was pretty sure her throat would never be the same.

"Did we miss the opportunity to put Rihanna on the list!? Don't tell me we missed an opportunity to put Rihanna on the list," she teased, Gemma's joke having planted a certain song firmly in the back of her mind.

"I'm disappointed," Luke said solemnly, making a show of shaking his head before she saw the outline of his phone in his pants pocket.

"Do you have a cell phone right now!?" she hissed incredulously.

"What?! You two were very busy."

Veruca turned to Gemma. "Oh see, now we have to tie him up. It's the only way to keep him away from that thing."

It hadn't taken Gemma long after first meeting Veruca to revel in the way her name sounded on her own lips. Though now as she knew what she might sound like in (even contrived) throes of passion, she wanted to say it in a different way. If she had allowed her moans to say any name at all, it would have had to be Olive's. Now using her nickname, Gemma couldn't help the way she liked it. She liked how casual it sounded, how even intimate it felt to use, considering what had just gone on between them.

"I would listen to Rihanna any day, even when I wasn't supposed to be in the mood to shag you two." She chuckled, her eyes lingering on Veruca a little longer than she meant to. It wouldn't take music to get her in that mood, or make her stay in it either. Gemma figured it might actually take some time to get out of this heady feeling.

"I don't think that's time period appropriate, Luke." Gemma scolded with a 'tsk' sound clicking after it, grinning wide at Veruca as she nodded her agreement. "If you're addicted to that thing, buddy." She laughed, moving away from them to go on the hunt for what they might use as restraints.

It was easy to find the scarves that had been laid out for them, a mischievous grin twisting her features as she turned back to Veruca, letting the fabric of it swizzle in the air a bit as she handed it over.

Hearing Gemma say the word shag did something to Veruca and brought about a whole new set of questions. Did she sound even more British when she was actually shagging? Did her accent get thicker in the throes of things, like Eloide, a French fling she'd had before her current girlfriend?

"Seriously," she said, disapprovingly, piling on to Gemma's scolding while she was off in search of scarves. "Go put that thing away."

"God, you two really do sound like wives," he muttered, going off to put his phone in on a chair in a darkened corner of the stage but when he returned, his gaze softened toward Veruca, his posture changing as well. "Should we..."

Veruca may not have been able to communicate wordlessly with Luke she could her other co-star but it only took her a beat to understand what he was asking. She gave him a little nod and took a step forward, tracing his cheek for a moment before letting him lean in and kiss her.

They needed to get more on film. There was no denying Veruca had sorely neglected Luke in favor of Gemma, all but forgetting about him the moment the pair really got to give in.

Kissing Luke still didn't elicit the same sort of reaction kissing Gemma did, but it throw a little more fuel on the fire. Veruca never looked awkward kissing Luke, but she suddenly looked like she needed to because she kind of did. She was so turned on that she was craving someone, anyone to ease the ache Gemma's lips (and hands, and voice) had left behind.

She stopped once she sensed Gemma was in her space again, nothing if not hyper aware of her presence. She smiled back, gently pushing Luke away while her eyes were still locked on Gemma's.

She was back in it, suddenly remembering Gemma (Elizabeth?)'s own comments about Luke (Bill?) being their husband. It didn't matter where they came from. Whether she was Veruca or Olive, she still wanted to be on their team and mostly by her side.

She snatched the scarf with a grin, then nodded toward Luke, a sign that Gemma should take the lead. "I've kind of been hogging him."

One of the things that Gemma loved most about their career-choice was playing with accents. Back in drama school, it was something she'd excelled at and liked challenging herself with. Her own, natural accent had the rough Manchester tones to it, which had fallen away some over the years. Her brother accused her of going "posh" the longer she lived in London, but she imagined it was no real difference between someone from the American South or Boston neutralizing their accents with time. The real thickness of her natural accent came out when she had been drinking plenty, or the longer she was around her family. But for her characters, that was the fun part. Whether it was finding a deeoer timbre of her voice (and American accent) for Amy Dunne or softer, more general British accent for Peggy Carter, she liked to find her character through her accent. Elizabeth had been a tricky one, from the Isle of Man but raised in Boston, the accent she'd created (with her dialect coach she'd worked with for years) was some amalgamation of the two, where Gemma let some words have a more British sound to them than others.

She'd sort of forgotten much of that in the current scene, distracted as she was. Thankfully she doubted any of their banter would be making it in anyway. "Get used to it." She countered to Luke with a smug smirk, her gaze naturally (as usual, now) gravitating back to Veruca.

Gemma watched the two of them interact, her soft gaze definitely more for her character's sake than her own. Her body still buzzed (as she imagined it would for some time) with electricity from kissing and touching Veruca, and that gave her some certain conflicting feelings while watching the two of them kiss. On the one hand, maybe there was the slightest twinge of jealousy but on the other, she sort of ... got (or at least, projected) that there was some performance in the fervor with which she kissed Luke. It gave her some sense of almost voyeuristic pleasure to see that, to think in some way it was for her. God, she'd have to do a deep dive in therapy for that one.

Gemma encroached on their space, grinning as Veruca pushed Luke away, her hand touched to his arm, while the other danced along the small of Veruca's back once she'd taken the scarf. "You have, but I'll forgive you."

While she kept her hand pressed against Veruca, she leaned across the space to kiss Luke, a familiarity to their connection that they'd worked on, considering the marriage of it all. She kissed him easily, passionately even, but while their chemistry was great, she didn't have that same guttural response to him. She imagined neither did he. "You should go lie down." She instructed him a moment later, a commanding tone that was definitely the boss of the trio: Elizabeth.

As she let her hand drag down the front of his shirt, Gemma turned back to Veruca, tugging her in closer to kiss her again. It was like her whole body melted with relief, of feeling that fire course through her yet again from kissing who she really wanted to.

She watched Gemma and Luke kiss with a sort of guarded curiosity. While she knew it certainly made sense for Olive to watch how they interacted together, Veruca felt a bit voyeuristic, especially when she found herself studying them so closely she actually started to tilt her head to get a better view.

She needed to know if Gemma kissing Luke looked half as intense as their kisses had felt. It was silly, really. It couldn't be when neither party could really be into each other. But she still felt a wave of relief when she concluded it was all for show. A good show, but a show all the same.

Gemma hadn't held Luke as tightly as she held her. Luke didn't seem to earn the same looks or sounds she had.

It gave her a strange sort of confidence that meant she was standing a little bit straighter when Gemma turned to face her again.

She wasn't expecting another kiss. On some level she knew there didn't need to be one. She and Gemma had certainly given everyone plenty of footage of them to pull from, but she didn't care, letting herself melt into her almost immediately. The kiss lasted a beat longer than it probably should have, something she was more aware of this time around since their audience was up close and personal. She could feel Luke watching them which definitely worked for the scene but kissing Gemma felt more than intimate. Something about it felt almost sacred, which was a ridiculous notion when everything they were doing was meant to be seen.

Gemma pushed Veruca away the day before but it was her turn this time around. Her shove was playful, but firm and entirely for her own sake. She couldn't let herself get too caught up in Gemma again because she was pretty sure nothing else would get done. She needed to focus, taking a deep breath before something shifted.

"God, you're so bossy." Veruca smirked, but Olive was in the driver's seat and her little dig was directed entirely at Elizabeth.

Somewhere in between what had transpired between Gemma and Veruca on the floor and now, Gemma decided (without actively doing so) to go with whatever felt right in the moment. She may have had to push herself towards Luke a little more than Veruca, of course, but when she wanted to reach out and touch the other woman, she was going to do so.

The scene called for a certain level of intimacy, and consent, and for all of that to be portrayed through their gaze. Gemma felt like they'd done that in spades, and now they could play with their comfort level. This was, after all, the beginning of a new life for all three of their characters, not just two and two.

Gemma leaned into Veruca as they kissed, her body naturally gravitating towards hers to press herself almost flush against the other woman. Any time for tentative kissing was gone now, an urgency to what they were doing struck so much stronger. It felt good that they hadn't lost even a little bit of passion in the time between their last kiss and this one. She didn't care that Luke was watching them, she (or Elizabeth?) wanted him to.

As Gemma took a couple steps back with the aid of that little shove from Veruca, she laughed, biting her lower lip and raising her fingers to run through her hair. Her flushed face said enough, as she cast her eyeline down to Luke and then back to Veruca.

"Mm. You'll learn to live with it." She replied with a shrug, her adlibbed retort telling of what was to come for them. She hung back, letting her fingers slide over the fabric of angel wings that hung on a rack while she watched Veruca take charge of the scene.

With the scarf clenched in her fist, Veruca ran her free hand through her hair before making eye contact with Luke to make sure he was ready to be tied up. He gave a little nod and Veruca slowly straddled him, figuring it was probably best to slide into position sooner rather than later. He watched with thinly veiled amusement as Veruca brought his arms over his head and started to wrap the scarf around his wrists.

"You're not like, a girl scout are you? Because you look like you could have been one and I heard they don't fuck around with knots."

She smirked, pulling her knot taut with a satisfying zip. It wasn't perfect, but it wasn't half bad either. "I guess you'll just have to see then, won't you?"

Veruca may not have had any experience with threesomes, but hadn't everyone gotten a little creative with restraints on more than one occasion? Once his other arm was taken care of, she made eye contact with Luke once more, wanting to make sure he was ready before they got going. A little nod, then a kiss from Luke gave her the green light to start moving, but not before she pulled open his jacket and ran her hands down his chest an experience that wasn't half as satisfying as it had been with Gemma.

It was genius, really, that Bill was tied up. Some people would probably just peg it as sexy (which, sure, it was) but Veruca saw it as symbolic. It left no doubt as to who was really in control of this whole encounter. It wasn't just about appreciating bondage or good old fashioned kink. It was about strong women and more passion than anyone could ever dream of.

It took her a moment to find a rhythm. It went without saying that intimacy with a man was well, slightly unnatural to Veruca, but she started to relax after a few moments, letting out a soft sigh once they were in sync.

While she hung back, Gemma watched with a kind of awestruck fascination of the two of them and how they interacted. She bit at her thumb, taking the pair of them in. Elizabeth would find the whole of this moment alluring, sexy, but still truly fascinating. On a scientific level, the three of them embarking on such a connection, a life even, was fascinating. The three of them somehow in time and space had found each other, and were making it work. They were going to. She was sharing her husband, but also a new love that she would have never anticipated for herself.

Maybe I'm in love her too. A line from a different scene for a different day, easily tossed away as only Elizabeth could by giving herself the caveat that maybe she only wanted Olive because William did. But it was a line that had struck Gemma when she read it, the true vulnerability in it. A confession before she was willing to say it to the woman herself. This night was a true testament of that.

Gemma bit at her lower lip as she watched Veruca straddle Luke, a flush belonging to the memory of her doing the same thing to her taking hold of her all over again. She was really going to be stuck in that memory a while, wasn't she? She nodded a little, mostly to herself, watching them for another few moments as Veruca found her rhythm. She probably should have been more focused on the husband, here. Oops.

Still a few moments later, she let them have their own before she began to walk towards them. She circled around wide, almost like a predator sizing up its prey before swooping in. She crossed the light, only vaguely aware of finding her light in the moment. It didn't really matter much, did it? Angela would tell them otherwise.

When she first reached out, she was slow about it, her fingers sliding through Veruca's hair almost gently, inserting herself into, well, the threesome they were creating. She kept her gaze on Luke for another beat or two, before she bowed towards Veruca to draw her close even in her rhythm for a kiss.

It was easier for Veruca to get lost in the moment if she kept her eyes closed, so after a few pointed looks at Luke for the camera's sake, she let her eyes flutter shut. This was the sort of love scene she was used to. Something more mechanical than pleasurable, though there was no denying she genuinely liked Luke and working with him a lot more than most of her former co-stars. The fact that she knew he wasn't going to be some pervy creep towards her definitely played a factor, but for all their teasing and playful bickering, she found him genuinely fun to be around and a joy to share a scene with.

But even with her eyes closed, she could sense when Gemma came around. Veruca's eyes snapped open and she found herself staring at her instead of the person below her. She looked up at Gemma in almost awe, leaning into her touch the way a plant leaned into the sun, letting out the softest of groans when she managed to catch her lips.

She almost hated to interrupt whatever was going on behind Veruca's closed eyes. Almost. It worked out well for Gemma that Angela didn't think it necessary to get more into the sex of Olive and William, but she wanted her there. This moment was the culmination of what was to be from this point on. The audience would know that their relationship was solid, even with Elizabeth's waffling when things got hard. Gemma was much less concerned with appearances than Elizabeth was, but rolling with it was more indicative of her own time than Elizabeth's.

Gemma couldn't help the soft smile that curved her lips as she leaned into the kiss. While it had been soft at first, it almost immediately grew hungrier at the soft groan she heard from Veruca. Her fingers curled in her hair, not even meaning to have such a grip on it as she leaned into the kiss more. She was aware of Luke's eyes on them, but took her sweet time before she tore her lips away to look down at Luke, a small smile on her face as she did.

The kiss was exactly what Veruca needed in more ways than one. She got what she had been craving from Gemma, but her desire for the other woman also helped her desire for Luke look real. It gave her a second wind, a new intensity as she allowed herself to look at him and rock her hips a little harder before pretending to come crashing down with some well timed gasps and sighs.

For a moment all three of them were still and then the announcement came that it was all over. Veruca let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding, quickly hopping up from Luke's lap. She started to walk away, then blinked, remembering he was still tied up.

"Here, lemme..."

Just like the night before, Veruca was feeling flustered. And just like the night before, her confusion was entirely Gemma's fault.

She squatted down to untie Luke, the two of them sharing a slightly nervous smile. She rubbed his shoulder affectionately, a silent apology in case she'd tied him up a little too tightly and was rewarded with a kiss to the cheek. Once she got up, she found herself looking for Gemma, but didn't exactly trust herself to make eye contact.

Over. For a scene where Gemma had at times forgotten she was actually being filmed, it being over took some time to wrap her head around. Or maybe it was rather the distraction of being so close to Veruca and watching her from a wholly different angle as she worked herself up to mimic a climax. More imagery that would stick with her for a while.

Gemma couldn't help but laugh as Veruca hopped away from Luke, only to realize the poor guy was tied up. "Oh I was just going to leave him there to figure it out." She grinned, tucking the coat back around herself and cinching it until she could get into her robe.

Taking a moment to step away from the pair while Veruca helped Luke. Gemma took the moment to inhale deeply, wishing she had a real cigarette after all of that. When she centered herself enough, she looked back over at Veruca, smiling softly even if she wasn't looking at her. "We made it, folks." Angela boomed at them, grinning as she made her way into their space. She adored Angela, but it felt suddenly odd to have someone else in their space. She applauded them and beamed at how incredible it was, but Gemma could only half-hear the accolades. Her attention gravitated towards Veruca.

Luke was wrapped for the night, but Gemma and Veruca had just one more scene to do. Gemma realized how difficult it was going to be to hesitant to kiss her, but she was a goddamn professional. "I should actually get clothes back on now, right? Unless you're going in a wholly different direction." She joked, somewhat shakily, looking from Angela back to Veruca in earnest this time.

Gemma wasn't the only one half listening to Angela's praise. Her thoughts were racing so fast and loud it was nearly to impossible to focus on anything else. Save Gemma. The other woman hadn't really left her mind since the night before and after everything that had happened Veruca had a feeling her current fixation was about to get even worse.

She felt a pang of disappointment in her chest as she watched Gemma cover up hers, her co-stars conversation with Angela sounding a bit like a chat Charlie Brown had with one of his unintelligible teachers. She was in a fog until she heard Gemma mention something about getting dressed.

She nearly wanted to ask Gemma why she'd even bothered to ask permission to change when they were finished. Veruca started to wonder what she was going to do when she got home (foreseeing yet another sleepless night that was bound to be even more frustrating than the last) and then she remembered.

They were done with this scene, but they weren't done for the day and their next scene was a doozy.

When Angela told them they could head back to their trailers to relax and prepare, Veruca nodded, eager to get out the door and into some fresh air, desperately hoping it would help her come to her senses, but Gemma seemed to have left at the exact same time. The two women were practically shoulder to shoulder as they headed down a narrow hallway that lead to their trailers in the great outdoors.

They shared a look but Veruca didn't know what to say. What could she really, after all of that?

"Ready to make me cry again?" she joked weakly, her best effort to break the silence. Their next scene was going to be an intense one, but tears weren't what she was concerned about. She was worried about the fact that kissing Gemma again wasn't worrying at all.

Throughout her career, Gemma had gotten used to long days on set, 12-14 hours that stretched into the wee hours of the morning, or those Friday-Saturday "Fraturdays" when you rolled into your hotel room as the sun was just coming up. All in all, today hadn't even been that long, but time had seemed to stretch in the hours they had been performing their scene, warped and feeling differently than she was used to.

Gemma couldn't even think about what the rest of the night would bring after she'd been wrapped from set. It occurred to her, in a way that made a blush creep up her cheeks, that any version of the night that ended without Veruca in her bed was going to be a disappointment. Probably not the best or most professional thing to be thinking of, but she couldn't help it. Her mind flooded with how it felt to pretend to be with her - when actually being with her ... now that was too much to comprehend at present.

Maybe it was just her imagination, but it felt like everything they had just been through somehow had them more in sync with one another. She fell in stride beside her, not needing to speak as they walked out of the stage and towards their trailers. How tempted she was to follow Veruca into hers -- not to put too much into their chemistry and what had gone on between them. She could have just been really into the scene, Gemma reminded herself. But then they were walking so closely, and even as they did so, the backs of her knuckles brushed against Veruca's arm unintentionally.

"I don't like making you cry, even if you are very good at it." She smirked, bumping her gently with her own shoulder. Gemma thought better of making a joke about kissing her again, afraid she might come off as too eager, actually. "Usually I'd say lucky Luke getting to sod off early, but I'm the lucky one of the pair of us."

After the night she'd had, Veruca didn't need time to prepare. She hadn't been able to do anything but go over her lines, a vain attempt to keep her mind off Gemma and the frustration their kiss had caused.

God, that'd been nothing compared to this.

She smiled at Gemma's compliment. As much as she liked Luke, Gemma had always been her favorite. She'd preferred working with the other woman before she learned just how good it felt to have her lips on hers. On some level, she'd always kind of liked having Gemma all to herself (or as much to herself as possible on a crowded film set), but part of her couldn't help wishing Luke would come right back, even if it was just to be some sort of human buffer that would save Veruca from herself.

She couldn't shake the idea it was dangerous for them to be alone. Really alone and after a beat of intense eye contact (she was sure that by now, she had the freckles in Gemma's eyes cataloged and memorized) she realized they were. There wasn't a single camera or even a crew member wandering around and....

She needed to get to her trailer. She needed to get to her trailer and pull herself together.

"See you in a bit," she murmured. She took a step forward, pausing before adding. "We... we did good."

Understatement of the year and as she finally shut her trailer door behind her Veruca wondered why she'd bothered saying it at all. It was a given because she wasn't naive enough to believe Gemma hadn't felt something, even she had it pegged as chemistry too. Veruca wondered if she seemed weird for bringing it up again, telling herself that the moment was over.

But for an actress, she was a terrible liar.

Still buzzing with a kind of nervous energy and a nagging craving that definitely wasn't going to go away, Veruca paced her trailer, holding her script even though the words were nothing but a blur. A knock on the door to ask if she wanted something to eat startled her, but she politely turned them down. There were too many knots in her stomach.

When she returned to set, clothes and a fresh face of make up on, she leaned into the idea that a reset button had been pushed, because she was supposed to be pretending her little tryst with Gemma hadn't happened yet.

When the lights came down and they started rolling, Olive's frustration overtook her. It was her turn to storm out. It was Elizabeth's turn to chase after her.

But Olive didn't know why the hell she was bothering.

Elizabeth didn't care about her or her feelings. This was a game to her, or even worse, research. She didn't see her as a person. She saw her as a lab rat. Bill may have pushed her too far with his questions, but when he heard her answer, he had been kind.

She kept her eyes on the floor when she heard her name, shaking her head of the absurdity of it all, a few tears beginning to roll down her cheeks.

"I don't know why I let you bait me like this. I hate you! I hate you with all of my heart."

The last words weren't just meant to pack a punch that didn't land. They were flat to Olive's own ears, the result of a choice Veruca had made in her delivery. She couldn't even pretend to hate Elizabeth. Her words didn't drip the venom she'd wanted to spit at the other woman.

Hearing them out loud didn't help Olive convince herself they were true.

And then Gemma caught up with her.

"We really did." Gemma agreed, a sideways grin cast at Veruca before she was off to her own trailer.

Running today with such a short handed crew felt like it just made tonight all the more intimate, as they weren't going to race in with a giant crew now for just the mini scene between Gemma and Veruca. The nature of the beast for any scene where they weren't just free like the last one was to get plenty of coverage that the director would need. Gemma wasn't sure the camera situation for this one, but she found herself hoping that it would take them a while. Hoping that she'd get more time kissing Veruca.

Shit. This was getting worse by the minute.

It seemed as though the time that Gemma wasn't in Veruca's presence felt sluggish and far too long - though she was busy, getting re-dressed in her wardrobe from earlier and having hair and makeup descend upon her. The women who were usually gossips must have taken a hint from Gemma's more contemplative mood. They let her be uncharacteristically quiet without prying into the scene that she'd just done -- a shock, actually.

Soon enough she was back on set, a rumble of anticipation fluttering back to life in her stomach. Seeing Veruca only made it stronger.

Thankfully they were ready to go, so the time for spinning her wheels wasn't there to begin with. She slipped into Elizabeth fairly easily, ignoring what just happened as much as she could.

Elizabeth had baited Olive, and run away from the way she felt. It was an odd thing, going into a scene where she didn't even have a line, and where everything was to be conveyed through the way they interacted. She supposed they had experience in that now.

She waited a beat, before charging in after Veruca, the other woman's words not halting her until she came right up to her. No you don't, she wanted to say, but her heart was pounding and that was where Gemma met Elizabeth.

Where they parted was how hard it was for her to actually hesitate. She encroached on her space, her fingers coming up to rest against her cheek. She let them tremble, her breath halted as she leaned forward just an inch, before her head reared back just a little bit. Elizabeth was grappling with everything here; fear and desire, her own obstinate nature and her inability to be vulnerable with someone. Hell, William only saw it in her because he'd been around for so long.

But Elizabeth wanted Olive, and all the terrifying, exhilarating things that meant. She could practically taste her lips from memory, and Gemma used that to fuel the immediate desperation she felt once she finally, mercifully allowed their lips to meet.

When their eyes met Olive knew that there was hope. That Elizabeth wanted her too because she had certainly acted that way when they'd kissed before. She wasn't going to let her push her away again, which is why she was patient, but persistent in trying to kiss her once more. It was the only way she knew how to go get through to her.

But she was still surprised when Elizabeth actually returned the kiss, the realization (and confirmation) of just how good it felt also a shock that caused a little whimper to escape her lips, though Veruca couldn't tell you exactly who it came from. In that last discovery, she and Olive were one and the same.

It was a strange sort of tentative passion. Olive was careful with Elizabeth, on edge but in tune with her feelings. She was fully prepared to be pushed away at any moment which meant she was desperate for more for as long as she could get it.

Also something Veruca could relate to.

Pulse pounding vulnerability was as erotic as it was terrifying and there was no denying there was vulnerability between them too. This scene felt...different than the one they'd just finished and different than the one the day before. They may not have been naked but Veruca kind of felt that way because slowing things down to make sure they were perfectly in sync gave her mind (and her hands) time to wander.

Suddenly they were kissing in earnest like Elizabeth & Olive were supposed to be and she didn't need to remember to pull the other woman closer. She couldn't just feel Gemma's breath, she was beginning to hear it mingling with her own, a sure sign that she was just as in it as she was. Veruca reached up to cup Gemma's cheek, Olive's silver bracelets making an audible clink at the sudden motion but then she heard something else. It was a female voice, but it wasn't Gemma's. It was Angela chiming in.

"Vee, your jewelry is kind of blocking the shot. Try it again."

She nodded, but she didn't need to be told twice. Not even a beat had passed before her lips were on Gemma's again and her kiss was even hungrier than before. It wasn't really an attempt to appease Angela or even make sure the scene went better. She was frustrated at the interruption, though she did her best to keep her arms at her sides, her hands sliding down Gemma's lower back instead.

Elizabeth's vulnerability was a journey throughout the film, and while most of their scenes would be filmed out of order, it was important for Gemma to track where Elizabeth was emotionally. Right now she understood her well. She understood the fear of putting herself out there and trusting someone to be what you were hoping for. What was Elizabeth hoping for in Olive? Elizabeth wanted so much more from her than a tryst with (or without) her husband. If Elizabeth were entirely honest with herself (a hard task), she was allowing Olive into her heart more than she'd admit to the woman for a long time. Olive would be a partner for her, and William -- but the two of them would live years together beyond that.

As much as Gemma wanted to lean into Elizabeth, it was hard not to let her own desire for Veruca to come forward. Her hesitation only lingered for so long, before she leaned into the full ferocity of the passion they were building for each other.

While her one hand stayed against the side of her face, her fingers stretching to brush against her neck, Gemma's other hand moved to her waist, her fingers curling in the shirt she wore and tugging her closer at the same time she found Veruca pulling her in.

It was probably telling just how good this felt, how natural and how much it made her desire for Veruca thrum through her veins. Gemma wasn't sure that she had ever kissed someone like this in a scene, much like she hadn't felt so deeply in a moment like the last scene they'd had. It couldn't be all in her head how good this felt, or how reciprocated it was.

She was in a daze when their lips parted, her breath heavy as she barely heard what Angela had said to them. Her gaze didn't leave Veruca until they were kissing again, she was so in tune and in the moment with her. Her lips parted easily against hers, her fingers bunching in the fabric of her shirt to pull her in closer if that was possible.

When she pulled away again, it was for breath, her gaze heavy but pointed as she looked at the other woman. It felt so natural at this point to look at her with awe and desire, but this would be the first time the audience would see it. She might not have dialogue, but she could convey what she needed to. I want this. An almost imperceptible smile hinted at her lips before she leaned in and kissed her again, her hands sliding down to hold her waist.

Angela's interruption should have been a wake up call, a reminder that they weren't really alone and in a sense, they weren't really kissing. It should have caused Veruca to reel things in and focus on what she needed to do.

But logic had flown out the window the moment Gemma's lips touched hers and once the other woman had caught her breath, she pressed against her, back for more. The kiss seemed to last forever, but her inner actress wasn't entirely out to lunch. She remembered the scene. They were supposed to stop. They were caught, spotted by Will so he could enter the fold.

They were supposed to stop, but Veruca didn't, not even when Angela chimed in again to tell them she had what she needed. In fairness, she couldn't hear her. It was impossible to hear anything but her heart pounding in her ears, her hand inches away from grazing Gemma's chest, Angela's little warning to watch her hands having gone straight out the window.

Kissing her shouldn't have been as distracting as it was. Gemma was a professional person, she knew how to hit her mark, she always came prepared with her lines memorized, she did so much research and preparation that it was probably obnoxious for some of her co-stars and directors. Gemma didn't allow her emotions to run away with her if it wasn't in service of the scene.

Most of the time she was kissing men. And when she wasn't, the few women she'd kissed on screen were friends, colleagues, nothing more. Whatever this was with Veruca was entirely unique, and maddening in its confusing depth.

Gemma had only vaguely heard some noise at the back of her mind. She leaned herself into Veruca more, her breath coming in short pants against her lips when they'd break apart just to fill their lungs. She pulled at the other woman, pressing herself against her as her tongue swept over hers.

"Ladies." Angela called out through a laugh, loud enough that Gemma pulled back suddenly. Angela was still chuckling as she told them she called cut, "But if you really want to keep going, by all means." Gemma grinned sheepishly, the whole while keeping her gaze on Veruca, searching for ... what, she wasn't sure. A blush lingered on her cheeks, and she knew she must have looked kiss-swollen and wanton like she was drunk off of their chemistry. Maybe she was.

"I think we've got plenty." Angela announced, smirking as she called for wrap on the set for the night and a congratulations for a good day. Gemma only then realized she hadn't moved, and one of her hands was still braced against Veruca's side. Swallowing hard, she withdrew her touch, almost feeling like a cold shiver was going through her when she did. "Excellent day." She said a moment later, trying to sound casual but knowing she really sounded anything but.