#conflea

 “You must be Flea.” Constance nodded at the woman who met her in the alley. “Porthos said you needed my help.”

 “Word is you’ve the Queen’s ear.” Flea got straight to business, cutting through the pleasantries. “And I’ve got people who are dying.”

 Constance had seen the mayhem in the streets. The Red Guards were still causing so many issues for everyone and no one had suffered more than the Court of Miracles.

 “Tell me what you need.” Constance replied, as serious as Flea was in the wake of the destruction. She’d do what she could to save people.

 Constance blinked back the sudden thoughts that felt like memories stirring in her mind, she let go of Flea’s hand and saw that she was in as much of a daze as Constance was.

 Constance cleared her throat, it must have been just the stress of the job getting to her that was all, “What can I do for you.”

 Flea stared at her, narrowing her eyes and for a moment Constance felt like she was being analyzed but merely stared back in a challenge. Flea slowly grinned and sat down in the chair across from Constance’s desk, look for all the world like she was comfortable when Constance knew the chairs weren’t. She took her own seat and waited for Flea to say something.

 “We need funding.” Flea finally said, “We’ve been looking for a candidate who will deliver on their promises and I think your girl will.”

 It was on the tip of Constance’s tongue to deny that Anne was ‘her girl’ as Flea made it sound more that they were dating, instead she bit the inside of her cheek and then answered back, “Anne certainly intends to, if you have a case file I can deliver it to her to look at.”

 Flea snorted, “’Intends to’ is just a fancy way of getting out of it if she doesn’t keep her promises. Guess my hope was misplaced.”

 “It’s not misplaced.” Constance sighed in exasperation, “But you know as well as I do that hands can be tied up by making deals elsewhere.”

 “I’ve made more than my fair amount of deals like that but I need this. People are dying on the streets because I can’t open a second location.”

 Any anger she could have felt at Flea dissolved at that. “I’d love to be able to help you.” Constance said, “But it isn’t up to me.”

 “You can’t tell your girl how important this is?” Flea cocked her head, “Porthos said you were capable of anything if you truly cared about it.”

 Porthos was going to get frogs in his bed at this rate, Constance thought quietly. “I will talk to her.” She could convince Anne, it would take some pleading and arranging of Anne’s budget if Anne got elected but she certainly would do it. Flea was right, she was doing this for the people as much as she was Anne if she was being honest.

 Flea must have believed her because she chucked the file in her hand onto Constance’s desk and stood up. She rested her hands on Constance’s desk and leaned in, “I look forward to working with you.”

 Whistling, Flea walked out of Constance’s office and it could have been her imagination but she could have sworn that Flea’s hips swung just a little more than they should have as she left. Unbidden more thoughts came to mind.

 Flea brushed up next to her in the market, to any passerbys they just looked like two people choosing bread.

 “Any word?” Constance asked Flea, keeping an eye on the merchant at the stall to make sure they weren’t listening.

 “There’ll be a march tonight. We have to speed things up. I’m breaking into the Lord Franciosi place tonight.” Flea whispered back.

 Constance glanced over at Flea and saw her exhaustion, “Come rest now at the garrison, I’ll keep an eye out for you.”

 “Unless you’d care to rest with me?” Flea leaned in just a little bit more, her lips close to Constance’s.

 “I…” Constance choked on her words. Her and Flea had been working so close together and it was pointless to say her eyes hadn’t strayed towards Flea when they shouldn’t have because Flea had seen it for herself by looking at Constance at the same time. Constance swallowed and turned away, Flea’s disappointment was almost palpable.

 “I’ll see you at the garrison then.” Flea said and her hand lingered on Constance’s elbow just a second longer. She disappeared into the crowd as Constance watched, wishing she could call Flea back but there was nothing she could think of to say.

 Flea stopped right at the doorway and turned her head back to Constance, smirking when she saw where Constance’s eyes were and winking before she was gone.

 Constance rubbed her hand where Flea had touched it, thinking about the strange thoughts that had come from nothing.

 Sylive walked into her office a moment later, noticing Constance’s expression. “Everything all right?” Syvlie ran the campaign when Constance was unavailable, they really shared the position together. “Should I call that woman back and get her number for you?” Sylvie teased and Constance flushed. In retaliation she threw a pen at Sylvie, ignoring Syvlie’s laughter as she walked out.

 There was something about Flea though. Something just so weirdly familiar.

 ~~

 That night she dreamt of cobbled Paris streets and running alongside Flea through the streets with a sword at her side and a pistol in her hand.

 “They’re getting closer.” Constance said, out of breath. “We need to find some place to lay low.”

 “I know a place.” Flea grabbed her hand that wasn’t holding the gun, “Follow me.”

 They ducked through alleys, avoiding the main streets where they could until they ended up in a closed down bakery. Flea moved the boards to allow them access and placed it again so it still looked boarded up. She moved around the place briskly while Constance caught her breath.

 “You need to get the message to the Queen.” Flea said out loud, “There’s a back door here that goes to a street, you can get to the servant quarters from there.”

 Constance frowned, tucking the letter in her belt in more, “I’m not leaving you. They could still find you.” Even as she said it she could hear the shouting in the streets of the Red Guards looking for them.

 Flea’s lips curved upwards in a deceptive smile, “Worried for me Connie?”

 Any other time she’d have told Flea to stop calling her that but she knew Flea was just trying to get her angry enough to leave her. “Flea.” She stated, all seriousness. Flea must have been able to tell her plan wasn’t going to work and sighed.

 She took a step closer to Constance, right into her space. “You need to go.”

 Constance was about to argue again when Flea closed the space between them, pulling Constance in for a desperate kiss. It said the things Flea couldn’t, projected her worry for both themselves and the people they were trying to save.

 “Flea…” Constance breathed out her name as the kiss broke, she could hardly see Flea’s eyes in the dark but they glinted with unshed tears.

 Flea took a sharp breath and stepped back, pulling boards down from a door Constance hadn’t seen. “Go.”

 She had to and she knew it but as she went to the door it didn’t stop her from pulling Flea into another kiss. More of a goodbye one this time it felt like and Constance bit back the sob in her throat at the realization.

 With one last look she was gone. In the morning, so was Flea.

 Constance woke up with tears on her pillow and memories she’d forgotten swirling in her mind. She recalled all of it, the riots in Paris and the Red Guards taking brutal revenge, the letters from nobles who ordered deaths without the Crown knowledge, leaving Flea behind. Losing her.

 She lurched out of bed, disoriented. Constance remembered there was also a church and a prayer she whispered, begging God for a second chance. In a rush she stumbled out of her room and to her door, not even bothering to change. As she pulled the door open she froze when she saw Flea standing here, about to knock on it.

 “You remembered then.” Flea said and if it wasn’t for how her hand was shaking and the way her voice trembled Constance would think she was unfairly calm.

 “I…how?” Constance whispered.

 “Does it matter?” Flea asked and Constance shook her head. She reached out to pull Flea to her and into a kiss reminiscent of their first one.

 Constance laughed as she pulled back, resting her forehead against Flea’s.

 “When I said we’d be working together I didn’t quite think this, Connie.” Flea muttered but she reached out to take Constance’s hand, threading her fingers through the spaces to clutch at it wildly.

 “Don’t call me Connie.” Constance deadpanned but she couldn’t stop smiling.

 “I think we have things to make up for.” Flea hummed and pushed them backwards into Constance’s apartment, letting the door close behind them.

 “Says who?” Constance raised an eyebrow, playing along.

 “Says the universe.” Flea laughed, free and alive and Constance had never heard anything more beautiful to her.