A note from the author: I would just like to say what a pleasure it is to write for such wonderful... kind... understanding people as آپ all are. I bow to you.
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    “Jesus, Lisa!” He burst out, sitting straight up in bed. “I am fully aware of what I am! Do آپ honestly think that I would be doing this—saying these things—if I had a choice? I’ve tried to stay away from you. I’ve tried to stay angry with you—I’ve even tried to ignore you, and آپ just won’t go out of my mind.” He breathed hard, laying back down. He could hear Lisa’s breath grow ragged on the other end and closed his eyes—and plunged. He whispered. “I want you.”
~*~*~
    On the other end, Lisa swallowed in shock—and suddenly a coughing fit seized her as her saliva went down the wrong pipe entirely. Hugh’s voice was coming stronger over the phone, but she couldn’t answer.
    “Lisa?” There was no response. “Lisa, are آپ alright?” Hugh was starting to get himself up, wondering if he should call 911, or—
    “God—” Cough. “Damn it. I’m here. Sorry.”
    “Well,” کہا Hugh dryly, sinking back into his pillows. “I’m not sure what I expected, exactly, but I can assure you… that wasn’t it.”
    “Sorry.” Lisa croaked, trying to catch her breath.
    “You ok?”
    “Yeah. I’m fine. Um.” She closed her eyes tightly. “Where were we?”
    Hugh glared at his wall. “You know perfectly well where we were, آپ horrible, evil woman.”
    “Ok. Right. You… want me.” Her voice cracked and she rolled her eyes. Honestly, who was acting like a thirteen سال old now? “Um. Are آپ sure?”
    “Am I sure?” Hugh actually took the phone away from his ear and stared at it incredulously. “Lisa, this is pathetic. What, do آپ want a فہرست of reasons, a rundown of how I know this? Fine. Here it is. We’ll start with that funny feeling I get in my stomach when I realize we’re shooting together that day, یا the fact that آپ know me so well that آپ went off and brought in a gross of Really Crazy hats just to make me laugh even when I was being such an پچھواڑے, گدا to you. I never did thank آپ for that.”
    “You’re welcome,” Lisa کہا quietly, but Hugh wasn’t done.
    “And in the beginning of the season, when Michael was on set, I would see him flirting with you, and it would make me nauseous, and I couldn’t understand why. آپ wouldn’t back away when we were doing the Staredown for that تصویر shoot, آپ just—how about the fact that I now know آپ could sleep through an avalanche and I think it’s the most endearing thing I’ve ever seen in my life, یا the note آپ left me when آپ spent the night because your car wouldn’t start? Hell, even the fact that your car died on آپ and آپ called yourself spacey? Lisa, you’re one of the smartest, best people I know.”
    “Hugh…”
    “I am not finished.” Hugh کہا sharply. “Do آپ know I still have no روٹی in my house? آپ ate it all when آپ brought me my script, and I haven’t been bothered to go to the store and get more, but now I realize that probably the only way I could get آپ over here is to promise آپ any variety of ٹوسٹ آپ could possibly want, and that—is irrationally upsetting to me.”
    “You think I only care about your toast.” Lisa کہا flatly.
    “I know exactly what آپ about,” Hugh murmured. “And I’ll tell آپ for damn sure what I care about. I am just completely and totally overwhelmed سے طرف کی you. The way آپ can go from Cuddy’s clothes, which are just outrageously sexy, but even more, the way آپ look when you’re just wearing comfy pants and t-shirts before and after filming. The way آپ brush the hair out of your eyes. The way آپ cheat at Uno—and the way you’re getting all riled up and ready to deny it right now.”
    Lisa had sat straight up in the bed, and now leaned back again, narrowing her eyes and waiting for Hugh to play himself out.
    “You’ve done something to me,” he continued. “The way آپ make my palms sweaty, and آپ don’t even have to be doing anything… آپ send me crashing into set pieces and put me at great risk for injury—and even the fact آپ totally called me out on reading the Twilight books, and have been unforgivably cruel to me ever since. آپ came after me when I finally threw that temper tantrum during filming, and آپ got up in my face and told me I was being an ass, and then—God, Lisa…” Hugh rubbed his face with his palm, the phone slippery in his hand. “Kissing you… I don’t even have words for what it’s like to kiss you. I thought it was incredible even with all the cameras and sound guys and lights and everything, until I kissed آپ in the rehearsal room, and that was just—I’m serious. I can’t even tell آپ what آپ did to me that day. And I am, therefore, quite sure that my earlier statement still stands, in light of the evidence… I. Want. You. Period.” Hugh stopped, and for a few سیکنڈ there was nothing but heavy breathing on either end of the phone. “And when I tell آپ this momentous fact… your response is to choke to death.”
    Lisa burst out laughing. Hugh smiled into the air on the other end, waiting for her response.
    “God, Hugh…” Lisa was still chuckling lightly. “That was… not what I was expecting. I mean, it was wonderful, but…”
    And the world came crashing down around him. “But?”
    “No, God, Hugh, don’t misunderstand me, please, just—give me a second?” Lisa took a breath. “I understand. I do, I know exactly what آپ mean, just—the only thing I can’t understand, because I’m not in the same situation, is how difficult it must be for آپ to… go out on a limb like this, and take a chance like this, all the while knowing آپ have—I mean, back in London, you’ve got—”
    Lisa Edelstein absolutely positively hated to cry. She could do it, yes, at the drop of a hat, should it be required for a scene. But when it came to real life, she point blank refused to let herself get overwhelmed to the point of tears. Now, though, having this conversation, with this man… Twice already she had tried to use the word ‘wife’ and twice her throat had closed up convulsively and she began to feel sick to her stomach. Her eyes welled up against all her internal railing at herself, and one single tear fell before she could get herself under control enough to speak clearly.
    “Ok. Here’s what we’re looking at. It’s—its curiosity, that’s all. The lure of the unknown. And that’s—”
    “Don’t آپ dare.” Hugh hissed into his mouthpiece. “Don’t آپ dare try and talk this away. That’s all we’ve done is talk things away all year, and I won’t have it.”
    “What exactly makes آپ think I’m giving آپ a choice?” Lisa’s dander was up. This is good, she told herself frantically. Anger I can do. Yelling I can do. Loving him…
    “You’re not giving me a choice, you’re not taking away my choice, don’t آپ see choice has nothing to do with anything anymore?” Hugh argued. “Lisa… ok. I want آپ to say the words. I want آپ to tell me, once and for all, that I’m wrong. Tell me what you’re thinking.”
    And Lisa raised her eyes to the ceiling, کہا a few completely heinous swear words to herself in her head, and closed her eyes. “I don’t want you.”
    Hugh’s دل jumped into his throat; his stomach roiled. “You’re lying.”
    “Look, آپ told me to tell you, and I told you. And now I’m going to tell آپ to hang up the phone and get some sleep. We have to film tomorrow.”
    “Lisa…”
    “I’ll see آپ on set.” Lisa pulled the phone away from her ear and pushed the ‘off’ button. She put the phone down and picked up her تکیا and buried her face in it, trying to convince herself that if the pillowcase absorbed all her tears, they hadn’t really fallen.
    Hugh set down his phone, walked into the bathroom, and finally gave in to the nausea that had overtaken him. Resting his head against his arm, not moving from his position on the bathroom floor, he closed his eyes and tried to make sense of what had just happened. She was lying. She had to be. But what could he do about it?
    Suddenly he lifted his head, his eyes set and determined, a faint smile beginning to پار, صلیب his lips. She could lie to him on the phone. She couldn’t lie to his face. He was going to give her one last chance.
    This was, after all, an emergency.
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