Weekends had the tendency to have a bit of a sanctity to them, if only for Gemma to take time to rest and recharge. They were also for catching up on errands and general adult tasks she didn't have time for during the week. This week in particular had been a bit (or a lot) of an emotional roller coaster. It was probably one of the more fulfilling weeks of the shoot, maybe even her career. Gemma couldn't remember a time when she had been more connected to a character, and the work showed because of it.

The thing that Gemma didn't really like about weekends was the lack of company. Or, in particular, the company of Veruca. She'd grown quite attached, hadn't she? It might be a bit problematic because of the nature of how she felt for the woman, but the fact remained that she liked her company. She liked it more than most, no matter the nature of it.

Still, Gemma didn't have any real reason to see her over the weekend. She had no grand ideas of fun outings or reason to run over scenes. Any excuse to see her, Gemma realized, would feel as though she were really trying to spend time alone with her - particularly because she hadn't thought about spending time with Luke. Gemma was trying as hard as she possibly could to be respectful of Veruca, and of the relationship she was in ... even if she didn't like it or the woman who got to call herself girlfriend.

Heading to the grocery store, she'd been filling her cart with a few things she needed - and wine. Always needing to be stocked well enough. As she wound around the corner, she halted in her stride when she spotted a familiar tall blonde across the store. Dammit. She looked good. But she always looked good and there was a difficult piece of the puzzle.

Maybe Gemma should have left her alone - it was the weekend after all, but she was moving towards Veruca and sidling up next to her before she thought twice about it. "You know I've heard you can tell a lot about a person by looking at the contents of their cart." She smirked, leaning over onto her own. "But I don't like to pry."

Veruca's morning had been a lazy one. With only one thing on the agenda for the day, she'd woken up when she wanted to, then took a nice long soak in a vanilla scented bubble bath that was relaxing enough to have her contemplate crawling back into bed all over again. She'd treated herself to a large, late lunch instead, then wandered a boutique, then a record shop. She'd practiced some restraint, only buying a new pair of sunglasses because she'd only bothered to bring one pair on location and was getting tired of having to search for them.

She'd read about one of her favorite movies playing in the park a few days before and had been looking forward to it ever since. Her trip to the store was an attempt to grab mostly movie snacks, nonperishables and things that were light enough to carry home rather than household essentials, but there were a few scattered around her cart too.

A green smoothie and oversized tote (even bigger than the one she took to work because she needed something to carry the blanket she'd be sitting on later) were perched in the front basket. A bag of peanut butter M & M's, a box of the peanut butter granola bars she'd shared with Gemma a few days before, two tubs of almonds: one dusted with cocoa powder, the other wasabi, some Swedish fish, and a bag of the Ritz chips she loved but didn't like to have around the house because she could eat an entire bag in one sitting (surely a sign that she loved them too much) were in the bottom.

"Oh god, don't judge me on this," she said, attempting to cover it's contents with both arms. "It's half snacks."

She was dressed for what was bound to be a chilly fall night outdoors. A ribbed black sweater was tucked into gray tweed pants. She'd even had time to paint her short nails black that morning, though she didn't really see the point. She would have to scrub it off before work before Monday morning because it was hardly a popular shade in Olive & Elizabeth's time.

It was a surprise to see Gemma out of work. It felt slightly strange but in no way unpleasant, fated really, given all their plans to meet up and watch a film, even though she thought it wouldn't happen until the distant future.

If it ever really happened at all.

"There's a movie in the park in a couple hours. Fried Green Tomatoes. The flyer said there'd be a concession stand, but they never really have the candy you want wherever you go so..." She bit back a nervous smile. "Do you want to? Go, I mean. I obviously have enough snacks to share."

Though Gemma had already taken great interest in Veruca's cart, it was not to judge it, but rather she was quite curious as to what snacks she'd filled it with. "I so far have a baguette, wine and cheese so ... I'm either going for very French, or I don't know how to build a proper meal." She laughed, making a show of lifting one of the wine bottles she'd selected. It usually took her a good ten minutes to browse through -- and she'd always end up with one of the go-to standards.

Gemma was delighted to see Veruca outside of work -- though she was always delighted to see her, so that might not be exactly new. They could talk about what they were up to over the weekends, be it the banal running of errands or something far more exciting. Gemma wasn't one to invite herself along to things, or even worse that sort of passive-aggressive way some might sigh and coax out an invitation from someone.

If she were honest, Gemma was usually plenty content on her own. She could revel in a weekend with nothing to do, spending it catching up on sleep or reading - or burning her way through a tv series or few. She liked her space -- something that had been an issue in a relationship or two.

Simply put, she was not a needy person. Though again if she were entirely truthful with herself, she'd note how much she had come to look forward to, and even rely on the company of this woman. She was in so much trouble.

"See, I need to be properly educated on American candy. I've only found a couple I've liked in all these years... I end up craving my favourites from back home." As she spoke, she reached for the bag of peanut butter M&M's, her eyes widening a bit. "Except for these. These are stellar."

The invite caught her a bit by surprise, a wide smile slowly growing across her face. "I love that film." As any self respecting lesbian would. "Well," Perhaps she should hem and haw and make believe that she had more plans than curling up on the couch of her rental and watching a movie herself -- maybe she should have made up some fabulous event or a party ... or a date she should put off. But Gemma lacked a certain ability to hide anything from Veruca, it seemed.

"I'd love to." She said simply, glancing to her own cart to check its contents again before her gaze returned to Veruca. "But be careful I don't eat that whole bag... can we bring alcohol to this thing? I've clearly picked out enough wine to share."

Veruca grinned, pleased and not entirely surprised they had yet another thing in common. "They're my favorite. Kind of hard to find, though." Or at least, not usually right up at the checkout counter with all the other varieties, which was probably a good thing when you considered just how much she liked them.

She knew she couldn't really deny Gemma anything, even her favorite candy. The idea of sharing it in a movie scenario felt romantic, a feeling she probably shouldn't have wanted to indulge in, but she did carry herself with a certain amount of pride (though not nearly as much as a certain Mrs. Marston). Gemma didn't have to know just how much of a sucker she was for her.

It was probably better that she didn't.

"Really? Well, I think we need to head over to the candy aisle so I can help fix that." She playfully snatched her M&M's away from Gemma. "And get you your own bag."

She shrugged when the other woman mentioned alcohol. "I don't see why not. It's not like they're going to be checking our cups."

She shouldn't have been surprised Gemma liked the movie, either. Even straight people did, probably because there had been a conscious effort to make it considerably less gay than it actually was.

"Have you read the book? First lesbian novel I ever read, I think I'm always gonna have a thing for Idgie Threadgoode."

Her eyes narrowed in concentration as they reached the candy aisle. She didn't really have much of a sweet tooth. Her father had been something of a stickler for "healthy choices" growing up and she only got candy as a rare treat or something to be savored on special occasions. But movies counted as those, these days. Especially when viewed somewhere other than her living room.

"Sour patch kids?" she offered, holding up a bag slightly unsure because she didn't know just what Gemma had tried or even her tastes on the food front. "Clearly the best of all sour candies, but only the people shaped, never the watermelon. It's best to pace yourself with these though. Too many at once and your tongue starts feeling weird. More of a half the box now, half later kinda deal."

Clearly on a mission, she scanned the next shelf. Her choice in granola bars and M & M's probably gave away just how much Veruca loved peanut butter, but she skipped over the endless varieties of Reese's and held up a Heath bar. "Oh see, English toffee. You have to like these." She shot her a cheeky grin and tossed it in the cart before she got an answer. "Well, I like these so..."

"Are they your all-time favorite candy?" She asked, laughing as Veruca snatched the bag back as though she knew she might slink away with it like a pirate might a sack of gold. Maybe now Gemma would have something to return for Veruca on set, a bag of the proper kind of M&M's slipped into her hand between scenes. A mental note for later.

"Oh a little sneaky action. I like it." She grinned, figuring that her bread and cheese would provide a good counter balance to the loads of candy that she'd inevitably be stocking up on as well.

It was too easy to imagine, as they wandered with their carts towards the aforementioned candy aisle, the domesticity of the moment. How easy it was to imagine shopping together and filling a cart with things to cook, things to indulge in - all to take home. Lord, that was a lot to imagine, but it was a sudden one that caught her off guard. Gemma tried to frame it around Elizabeth and Olive, and found herself wrapped up for the moment in wondering if they ever did the shopping together, or if Elizabeth always left that to Olive.

"I did a long time ago, when I was young. I should actually probably read it again. Are you going to need a fan to get you through this movie in the park?" She chuckled, bumping her shoulder with her own.

As she perused the candies, she made a face as Veruca instructed her of what kind of candy was the better kind. "Oh no. Is this where our tastes really take an impasse? I sort of like the Watermelon ones..." She winced, but laughed as she reached for the one Veruca held up and tossed it in her own cart. "I like the sour peach rings, I think they're called ... I don't think they have those."

Leaning an elbow against her cart, Gemma had to just smile as she watched Veruca go on about this candy and that. She could practically see a whole powerpoint presentation coming from this, and it was all just the most endearing thing. "They get stuck in my teeth, but I do like them." She said as she made a point of snapping her teeth together. "Alright I'm going to have to return this favor when you're in London, because we have incredible candies you don't get here. Have you had a Flake bar?"

Veruca nodded. "They have some stiff competition now that they have those chocolate bars with Oreo filling inside though Which, apparently you guys had over in England first so maybe you have a point on the superior candy front."

Veruca wrinkled her nose, looking at Gemma like her opinion on sour candies was nothing short of sacrilege. "What? No. They're gross, watermelon isn't even a fruit that tastes good being...sourfied or whatever. Apples and lemons, sure, but watermelon? Besides, who only wants to eat one flavor of something? Variety is the spice of life, Gemma."

Veruca hadn't known she had so many opinions on sour gummies until that moment and felt a little silly for (playfully) waxing poetic about them, but it was surprisingly easy to talk to Gemma about just about anything, an unfamiliar experience around co-stars and strangers alike.

"But as for Idgie, I think I'll be able to contain myself," she said dryly, but there was a bit of truth there. Veruca had certainly exercised more than her fair share of self control over the past month. Especially as far as her co-star was concerned.

She gave the shelves another once over, turning to face Gemma when she chimed in with her own recommendation. "I don't think so. What's in them?"

She perked up when she saw an old favorite, leaning down to snatch it off the bottom shelf. "Ooh! Gummy colas. gross in theory, delicious in execution. Not at all a weird, old people candy like someone told me once."

That someone had been her girlfriend, but Veruca had never really mentioned Haley since that night at the bed and breakfast and certainly not after everything that had happened at Luke's birthday. "Besides, they're Haribo. You can never go wrong with Haribo." She waved the package in what she hoped was a tempting fashion.

"They have those? I remember when they had Oreo flavored cereal ... unless they still have that. I don't think it has much morning nutritional value though." Gemma laughed, wondering just how many cereals she'd have been allowed when she was small with that kind of sugar content. Not many. Breakfasts were a pretty standard eggs and toast in the Wethersby household.

"Well it's not a real watermelon taste, but the candy watermelon taste is pretty delightful." She couldn't help that everything she said seemed to be through a laugh, that here they were debating the merits of sour candy as if it were a very important moment in their relationship. Friendship. Gemma smiled at Veruca, shaking her head a little and holding her hands up in mock surrender. "You're teaching me so much. I defer to you, candy wizard."

"That's a relief. I don't have any smelling salts on me." She teased, reaching for a bag of chocolate covered ... something. Gemma glanced at the package and whatever berry it was, before putting it back.

"Just chocolate, but it's really smooth. It's sort of folded over on itself a lot so..." She was gesturing with her hands, eventually lacing them together before dropping them altogether. "It's simple, but delicious. You know that's why Kit Kats in the UK are far superior to the ones here. They use a richer chocolate." She winked, like she was telling her a huge trade secret.

Eying the bag that Veruca held out, Gemma's brow narrowed until she reached for the bag to inspect it. "I've never actually tried these, so I'm just going to trust you here." A joke, yes, but Gemma did trust Veruca, more than most. She tossed the bag unceremoniously into her cart. "Anything else? Or should we just run down the aisle and scoop one of everything off the shelf?"

While they didn't get one of everything Veruca's tote was weighed down with more treats than had originally anticipated that night. They'd purchased every single one of each other's recommendations and their own personal favorites on top of it. They also managed to grab a corkscrew keychain and a pack of paper cups (with a comically childish Halloween design) so they could enjoy Gemma's wine without much of a problem.

They may have been more than covered on the snack front, but Veruca still made a beeline for the concession stand when they arrived. A movie just wasn't a movie without popcorn.

Since their outing had been her idea, she insisted on buying a big bag, drinks (because one could not live on wine alone, especially when they were as much of a lightweight as she was) and whatever else Gemma wanted before stepping out of the order line to wait for it.

The snack bar was pretty crowded. There was a pretty long line of people waiting for their food, but Veruca didn't really mind, though she was vaguely aware of a brunette twenty something who seemed to be watching them pretty intently. Veruca wasn't sure if his interest of the result of them being recognized, him finding them attractive, or both.

"I always wanted to work in a movie theater," she said after a beat, hoping to take her mind off his gaze. "I had an interview lined up once and everything, but one of my dad's friends offered me a receptionist's job before I could go so..." She trailed off with a bit of a smile, strangely...proud to share she had something in common with Elizabeth. "It wasn't a bad gig, I got to do theater at night and my boss was pretty good at letting me go to auditions, just..." She wrinkled her nose. "Dull. And a hell of a waste of my degree."

She could definitely relate to Elizabeth on that front, too.

No way whatsoever could they (or rather, should they) eat all the candy they'd managed to get away with, but Gemma figured they would in fact make a heavy dent. Maybe that'd make for more movie nights, later on. The thought made her smile as they walked away from the grocery store.

Gemma had bought a new tote because she'd forgotten hers at home, which had the store name but with a fall motif to it. With that slung over her shoulder, she fell easily enough in stride with Veruca.

The venue was busier than she thought it might have been, which pleased her so many people were out ready to watch one of her favorite films. Even if it had been a long while since she'd seen it. Gemma didn't pay much mind to it, or even really notice - but from an outward viewer, someone might note how comfortably close they stood together. No arm's length was necessary, really.

While Veruca insisted on buying their concessions, Gemma paused before they went looking for a spot to grab a couple of ground cushions they were renting out for a few dollars. "Did you?" She grinned, turning back to her as they walked off towards the bigger seating area. "Maybe one day you'll do a film where you get to play a concession worker." She teased, smiling all the while. "What did you study in school?" Gemma realized she'd never asked her that, just assuming someone with her innate talent must have studied drama.

"There?" She asked, gesturing toward a big open spot not too close but not too far from the screen. Once over there, she helped Veruca set up their "camp", plopping down to cushions on top of the blanket and putting a decent amount of their snacks out. "I realized I forgot a knife for the bread so we're just going to have to tear away like ... do the French do that? Unsure about that, but it sounds good."

Veruca nodded, pleased with Gemma's choice because a nearby tree meant they would a bit of privacy and something to lean against during the film. "Theater and gothic literature?" she offered a bit hesitantly. Even the latter probably wasn't a huge surprise. It was a piece of the puzzle that made Veruca's penchant for dark, atmospheric films make sense. Gothic literature had been her sole focus at one point. She'd written a very lengthy thesis on how Mary Shelley's work mirrored the themes of her mother's (Olive wasn't the only person she adored with a famous feminist in their bloodline, further proof that Marston was kind of made for her) because while undeniably niche, she figured a degree in any sort of literature would serve her better than a theater one. At least in the job department.

But she'd eventually ignored (mostly her father's) advice and studied what she was most interested in. One day she hoped her interests would intersect on her own terms. There were a few novels she really wanted to adapt and she'd honestly kill to see a film that took a proper look at the life of her beloved Mary and beautiful, tragic life with Percy Bysshe Shelley or even a biopic on all three Brontes.

"How about you?" she asked, laying out her snacks in order of which she wanted most. She wasn't just curious about Gemma's field of study, though like the other woman, she assumed her friend had just stuck with theater. She wondered what she had done before her career got rolling. No one started doing movies straight out of high school. Well, unless they were Veruca's girlfriend, one of a very, (disgustingly) lucky few.

Gemma sat as they talked, settling in with her back against the tree, but leaving plenty of room for Veruca, naturally. "You know, I probably could have guessed that. I love it." She beamed, more of the puzzle that made up this woman she was so fond of clicking into place. Not to generalize either, but Gemma really liked working with actors who had studied theater. It seemed as though less and less of their peers and younger were taking the time to really learn about their craft and what worked for them.

"I studied theatre at the Royal Acadamy of Dramatic Art ... predictably." She rolled her eyes, a kind of self deprecating way of trying to make it seem far less impressive than it sounded. "I feel like it's almost a requirement if you want to work in the UK to go through there, but I loved it. Sometimes I really do long to go back to the stage for a while, just live in the depths of a show again." She said almost wistfully, falling silent for a few moments after she'd said it.

Sipping at the soda she'd gotten at the concessions, she narrowed her eyes a little and picked up the cola bottle bag. "Now is it going to really throw me off to drink diet coke and eat a bunch of these?"

Gemma's alma matter didn't surprise her any more than her major did. She couldn't remember a British actor she'd come across who didn't have some kind of formal training, usually from the very same place, so she didn't bother commenting on it.

But Gemma stood out from all the rest, even if she took her emotions out of account. She was simply better than a lot of people she worked with and not just because the two of them seemed to work together well.

"So you're a purist," she teased. Veruca would take any opportunity to perform she could get, but theater wasn't always her favorite. She'd never quite lost her stage fright, though it had lessened considerably over the years. It was hard to forget you were being watched (and on some level judged) when the audience was right there in front of you. Movie sets were probably just as stressful with cameramen and sound operators lurking up close and personal but, they suited Veruca better because she could remember that the film wasn't for them. The audience was all she was worried about and movies afforded her the opportunity to fix and fine tune her mistakes.

"So what's your poison? One of my college friends runs a Shakespeare festival so I think I ended up playing every female character at least once. Well, except Lady Macbeth which kind of annoys me to be honest." She shot Gemma a playful smile, partially quoting Luke for what seemed like the thousandth time since his party because she'd never been more strangely charmed by someone's analysis of her. "Exactly my brand of spooky shit. Bring on the curse."

Veruca laughed, holding out her palm so Gemma could pour some cola gummies into it. "Honestly? Yeah. They don't just taste like Coke, they're kinda fizzy too. Not...pop rocks fizzy, but I swear it's the whole soda experience in gummy form. Just try one, it kind of defies words."

"Oh I'm absolutely a purist." She affected a haughty tone, but her smile betrayed her. Truthfully she had been very worried early on in her attempt at this career that she'd made a huge mistake. Yes, she loved theater and the feeling it gave her, and had this far-off idea of what the screen would be like, but it simply wasn't a practical goal. Or even attainable, as some might say. It felt good to prove any sort of nay-sayers wrong, but at the time, she'd had to simply put her nose down and worked hard to be the best she could be at any given challenge. Her parents had been tentatively supportive - so there was that, at least.

"Oh you would be an absolute brilliant Lady Macbeth." She exclaimed suddenly, excited at the very idea of it. "Macbeth is my favorite Shakespeare play, too. Surprisingly or not." Gemma suddenly very much hoped that she'd be able to see Veruca play that role at some point. Her smile widened at the spooky shit comment. "You must be rubbing off on me. Curses be damned." She pondered for a moment before answering what else she liked in theater. "I wish I had a better voice to really do a proper musical, but I'll stick to watching them. Old Shakespeare is obviously the standard, but there's a lot I'd like to do. I did an adaptation of Chekhov's Three Sisters once, and I loved that." She probably could geek out about theater and film for hours on end. Something that might annoy just about anyone else, but like most things with Veruca, she didn't feel the slightest bit self conscious.

"Mm, you're really selling this." She said with a skeptical look, pursing her lips together before she poured some of the gummies into Veruca's hand. She took a couple from her hand, sort of an absentminded thing even if she was holding the bag in her other hand. Popping one in her mouth, she narrowed her eyes as she took in the bite of it and the taste. "Okay ... that's pretty excellent."

"Ooh, I love Chekhov. I did The Seagull at school." She paused. "I wouldn't mind throwing some theater back into the mix, either. One of my director friends keeps mentioning The Women. I keep trying to talk her into doing it. I mean, it's a great play and an all female cast would make plenty of people very happy because it sucks to have to fight over like, two measly roles with every other actress in town, but she wants me to play Crystal and it's been a year on the work front so..." She trailed off with a slightly sheepish grin knowing that ultimately, she had nothing to complain about. Things couldn't have been going better if she tried, especially as far as her current project was concerned.

Her smile only widened when the cola gummies seemed to be a hit. Knowing Gemma liked them too made Veruca happier than it probably should have but she liked the idea of having yet another thing that was theirs, something to remember her by though she already knew she probably wouldn't need much help in that department.

The movie started before she had a chance to gloat. It really was a perfect blend of nearly all the things Veruca loved most: vintage lesbians, little old ladies and...

"God, I love Kathy Bates," she whispered conspiratorially, crunching into some popcorn as she showed up on screen. "She can do everything."

Gemma smiled at Veruca's response, pleased at yet another thing they shared. It seemed more and more commonplace in their industry in particular to look down on playwrights or to think of them as old-hat in favor of the bigger films, the bolder stories. Or at least more modern ones. "That's brilliant. God, what a good idea, it's smart of you to collect director friends." She chuckled as she already began imagining what it would be like to work on something with that many women. Gemma was sure that she was already being entirely spoiled by this film. Not only did she and Veruca get to share a certain kind of spotlight, but the amount of women working behind the camera as well made her feel as though anything less would feel exactly that. Less-than. "You'll have to tell me if it happens. I'll be there opening night."

As they settled in to watching the movie, Gemma smiled, totaling more things to add to the ever-growing list that made up things that belonged to them. Surely she'd never be able to watch this movie again without thinking of this night.

"She's absolutely incredible." She whispered back, leaning back into the tree so that their shoulders brushed against each other. "You know," She kept her voice low, which just meant that she had to lean in closer. "I had a boss once who swore this movie turned women into lesbians." She bit back a laugh at the memory. "I'm not sure about the turning, but certainly speaks to our ilk."

"Well, I am a New Yorker. I feel like everyone has at least one director friend even if they're a normie," she joked. "You should audition though, snag Mary so I can really steal your husband next time around."

It was yet another instance where Veruca wasn't entirely sure she was kidding. The need to come up with more excuses to just plain see, nevermind work with Gemma once this was all over was overwhelming.

Probably because the end was increasingly near.

But in this moment, so was Gemma.

Veruca let out a laugh, settling back against the tree trunk as she balanced their popcorn on her knees. "Now I'm going to have to sit here and do a deep dive to try and figure out the movie that turned me gay." She tilted her head for a moment. "Probably something with Winona Ryder or Angelina Jolie," she said after a beat, unwittingly admitting that her current girlfriend wasn't her usual type.

Veruca had always had a thing for brunettes.

"Oh now there's an idea. We'll see if I could convincingly glare at you." Gemma laughed, but attempted to actually do it -- nope, not convincing at all. Probably due to her smile. Or the very lovely idea of actually working with her again. Being in Veruca's orbit felt like a particular thing she wanted to make her new normal. Anytime she thought about going days without Veruca when this was all over, she got a weird hollow feeling in the pit of her stomach.

And working with her again ... that would be the dream.

"Ohh Angelina. She was a definite factor." She smirked, her eyes catching Veruca's for a moment too long. Gemma did wonder about what her history was with the women she fancied, how it might compare to her own. Then her mind followed that path which seemed to land her squarely right back to underneath a lamp light and the way it felt to kiss her, and to be kissed by her. Dammit. Focus.

She took time to open up the wine, distracting herself with the task. "Want some?" She asked, lifting it with a little wiggle of the bottle. After wine was poured, she settled in for more of the movie, getting more invested in the story and the memories it invoked. All the while, she tried as much as she could to focus on the movie, and not how it felt to be sitting so close to Veruca to watch it.

Veruca smirked, nodding her thanks as she took a sip from her paper cup. "Okay, I've pinned it. Lydia Deetz and Lara Croft. Spooky, smart, sexy, I wanted a little bit of everything. I don't even know how I made it through Girl, Interrupted."

When adult Ruth & Idgie showed up on screen, talk of past crushes ceased. Part of the reason Veruca liked the other blonde so much was because she had confidence, a certain swagger that she didn't quite possess. She wouldn't have minded a pair of suspenders that fit half as well as hers either.

"Look at them skipping the entire relationship that happened before this," she said, nodding at the exchange Idgie and a battered Ruth were having through her front door. "We really should talk Angela into retconning this. She won't even have to buy wigs. But I'm gonna have to insist on a double for all the bee stuff. I saw what happened to Thomas J."

Gemma couldn't help smiling through Veruca's assessment of her formative crushes, nodding in approval at her final answer. "That tracks." She paused once, the answer really right in front of her. "Michelle Pfeiffer in Grease 2. As soon as I was deemed old enough to watch it ... that was that." She said with a snap of her fingers. She remembered her friends giggling at the Reproduction song and fawning over the handsome Australian man but no. Gemma really had a soft spot for blondes - with or without the pink satin jackets.

This movie was one of those which was so easy to get lost in. A near flawless film, as far as she was concerned -- though absolutely could have dialed up the queer factor for sure. Still, she loved the friendship and how deeply the women felt for each other. Of course it made her think of the dynamic she shared with the woman sitting next to her. How could it not?

"Ohh I do love that idea. Normally I'm a purist and say let the classics stay that but ... I would say yes so fast." She smirked, sipping at her own wine then. Maybe she should have played a little more coy, but Gemma didn't like the game of dulling down the things that excited you in life. "Poor McCauley ... I still can't believe Mary did that walk with the bees herself."

"Oh god, Michelle," Veruca practically swooned, though her childhood crush had somewhat lessened after working with the older woman. Michelle slowly humanized for her turning into a colleague rather than some far off, unattainable goddess, but during those first few weeks...

"You do realize she's so beautiful in person you're kind of struck dumb, right? Honestly, when introductions were made, the producer was like Michelle, this is Veruca and he was kind of a mumbler so she was like, sorry, Veronica? And I was like yes, my name is Veronica now." She gave Gemma a cheeky grin. "Because Catwoman can call you anything she damn well pleases." She brought her knees up to her chest before continuing, "Honestly surprised you didn't go with Selina. Full body leather, hello."

Baby Veruca had been so enamored with Selina Kyle (though true appreciation for her and her outfit hadn't come until later) that she begged her father to be her for Halloween in elementary school. She'd been crushed when he bought her a Cinderella costume instead, but now she understood why he'd subtly steered her away what was essentially bondage gear.

Of course, she was kind of getting a crack at it these days. They had a particularly interesting scene on the agenda tomorrow.

Veruca sat up a little straighter, ignoring the movie for the time being while her mind raced at the prospect of Gemma tying her up the next morning. And not for the first time. Had she been thinking about it too?

She had to, if only from a logistical standpoint.

She was so distracted she nearly missed the food fight, something she read the director put in because it portrayed "intimacy" or something. The audience was supposed to read it as a sex scene, or at least some sort of very vague hint at their "connection."

Veruca couldn't help but roll her eyes.

That's not how lesbians have sex, dude.

And then her mind was right back to places it shouldn't have been, stuck on the idea that if she and Gemma made a film, they could remedy it, the naughtier corners of her mind whispering exactly how it could go.

"God, I wouldn't even know what to do with myself. Nope. No." She waved her hand as though she could rid herself of the inevitable embarrassment that meeting her childhood crush would bring with it. Gemma was all smiles though, shaking her head at the woman beside her. "I completely would have understood if you just fully changed your name after that." She laughed, raising her eyebrows at the mention of Catwoman. "Oh, that was when the crush really took hold of me on a soul-level, trust me. Grease 2 was just my first introduction."

Technically they were both in the Marvel universe now as well and Gemma might meet her yet, but her crush on the older woman notwithstanding, her attentions were firmly elsewhere.

It was any wonder they were able to think of anything but the scene on the docket for tomorrow. Gemma knew how she wanted to play her part in it long before they got to rehearsals. Elizabeth was indignant and repulsed thinking that William was forcing his ideas on Olive, but then she'd see her, confident, shining in her own power -- the shift would come then. The idea of it through the lens of the connection she and Veruca had created for themselves and their characters excited herr.

The whole thing made her head spin a little.

Gemma shifted in her seat slightly, stretching her legs out in front of her and letting her hands drop from her lap. Her attention (visually anyway) remained on the movie in front of them, but her hand shifted enough so her fingers brushed over Veruca's. It could have been accidental enough, but it wasn't. She felt that she'd go crazy sitting so close to her without reaching out, even just a little.

The night had gotten considerably cooler, but there was no need for Veruca to sit any closer than she already was. She'd thought ahead, bringing two blankets so she didn't have to choose between covering herself or the ground. Her sweater was a bit too thick under normal circumstances and currently blocking the night air nicely.

Gemma's touch, however purposeful, warmed her more than all the others and that trumped everything. That was exactly why Veruca felt like she needed to stay close, even though she couldn't bring herself to speak. For a moment, she couldn't even move, but her fingers eventually twitched, then flexed before finding Gemma's. Veruca laced them together loosely, her grip not nearly as tight as she would have liked, but she didn't trust herself to do much else. She didn't even look at what she was doing for fear of calling too much attention to it, worried that making a spectacle out of it might scare Gemma off.

Holding hands wasn't a big deal.

But it could be.

It certainly felt that way right now. Acknowledging that would only lead to trouble, but Veruca was increasingly weary of analyzing every aspect of her relationship with Gemma and reigning in her behavior around her.

Meaningful or not, it felt nice. They deserved a moment where they could just be.

She wordlessly pulled her second blanket out of her tote. Their hands separated for a moment as she tossed, then smoothed it out over them, but Veruca found Gemma's again under the quilt once it was in place.

"Can't have us getting sick," she whispered, a bit scared to let her eyes stray too far from the screen. "Nobody likes when a cold turns into an on set plague."

It felt easy, mostly during the times they were apart, for Gemma to convince herself that whatever it was she felt was brewing between herself and Veruca might be just in her head. The kiss that still burned in her mind now weeks later notwithstanding, it would have been too easy to think that it was just a moment they'd shared, nothing more. Impulsive and reckless... but anytime Gemma's mind tried to dismiss what she felt, another moment like this one would come up. She couldn't deny any of it if she wanted to.

Her own gaze remained fixed on the screen, though she felt her lungs fill up sharply with a quick intake of breath. She only hoped it wasn't an audible one. Gemma's lips ticked up into a soft smile, as she marveled at how easily their hands found each other and fit together. This wasn't the first time they'd held hands; her mind went back to the day not much more than a week ago now as they sat over coffee. Friends could of course just hold hands and not make a big deal about it.

This didn't feel like that. The feelings it invoked were bigger ones than she felt capable of dealing with.

While she had an immediate gut reaction of loss when their hands pulled apart, the blanket was surely needed. It felt cozy and, well, intimate in a way. "Definitely not." She said with a cheeky grin, her own gaze not lingering on hers for fear it might call attention to spark alighting between them. Still, Gemma smiled softly as their hands so naturally found each other again.

She noted how nicely warm her palm was pressed against hers, and how their fingers fit perfectly. Her thumb brushed softly along the length of Veruca's, an almost absentmindedness to the rhythm of it. "I love this part." She chuckled softly as Kathy Bates took a sledge hammer to her wall.

"At least she's not hobbling anyone this time," Veruca teased with a grin. But food fights and fun with sledgehammers couldn't last forever. Eventually Ruth passed and Veruca was left wiping at her eyes as subtly as she could. It was no easy feat considering one of her hands was still in Gemma's, but she didn't dare let go, not when the scene resonated more than she'd like to admit.

There were so many things she wanted to say to Gemma, too. Even if their situation wasn't quite so dire.

But there would be a goodbye, at least for tonight and Veruca sighed a bit as the end credits signaled it was near.

They were closer to Gemma's place than hers this time around. It was late enough that Verica would probably arrange a taxi, but they still needed to make their way out of the park and onto the main square, a process she was determined to drag out for as long as possible.

She dropped Gemma's hand to gather up her things, shaking her head as she tried to close up her M & M's. "I love how I went to town on M & M's and popcorn the night before I have to wear the most ridiculous costume in the entire film. Or hey, maybe that was why I was subconsciously doing it." She smiled at Gemma, resting a hand on her shoulder as they reached the park's front gates. "Are you going to be alright getting home?"

"This time." She echoed with her own grin, her gaze catching Veruca's for a bit longer that time. Dammit. It was probably actually a good thing that there were a lot of reasons why holding her hand was the extent of what they could (should) do. If given the opportunity, she'd likely kiss her and never actually feel able to stop.

Her own cheeks were wet by the time they'd finished the movie, and when the time came, she very reluctantly let her hand slip from Veruca's. She somehow felt colder because of it. She curled her fingers into a fist to stave off that feeling, but then got busy enough packing up their things.

"I think it was a brilliant choice. I say do what makes you happy." She grinned, finishing folding up one of the blankets and handing it over to Veruca. "Oh, yeah I'll be good." She said with a wave of her hand. She paused to pick up her re-packed bag, a long pause settling between them. Oh how desperately she wanted to throw all caution to the wind and invite her to come with her. Sadly, she knew better. Instead, she leaned in and gave Veruca a hug and a kiss on her cheek. "Thank you for tonight, this was fantastic."