christianvbennet

[christianvbennet]

emmalinefaun·:

This had been a terrible mistake - Emmaline should have known better than to have ever left the Russian compounds against her popochka’s incredibly strict orders, and already she was trying to think of the numerous ways that she could somehow manage to make it up to him. He had done so much to keep her safe - had all but sacrificed his entire life for her well-being - and this was how she had supposedly repaid him? By sneaking out to attend a party she had no business even knowing about in the first place? All she had wanted was to make sure that he was okay, to check in on Ronan and ensure that he was safe, but clearly that had been a ridiculously foolish decision for her to make. Her lover - the father of her unborn child - was a man capable of commanding entire armies if he had to, and he would have been far less stressed and ill at ease if she had just stayed home like he had so kindly requested of her.

They were together now, though, and there was no changing the past. He caught her instantly in the warm and reassuring strength of his big arms the moment she came rushing towards him; as if she weighed nothing at all, he brought her securely up against the broad expanse of his chest, and Emmaline could do little more than cry with relief as she clutched onto him. He kissed into her glossy dark curls, murmuring bits of soothing nonsense as if she hadn’t just directly disobeyed his orders, and the young girl whimpered helplessly in response, looking up at him with her teary-eyed and apologetic little gaze. He held her small, heart-shaped face between both of his big hands that were only ever gentle with her, and she sniffled as he pressed a reassuring kiss to her brow before reaching down to stroke her baby bump, as if to tell himself that it was still there. “T - Tatia and Anya, yes. Tatia said she had to find someone real bad, and Anya had never been to a party before, and - and we thought we’d be safe with all three of us together, but first Tatia disappeared, and then Anya, and then - and then - “ Emmaline broke off on another broken little sob, ducking her head and bringing her tiny hands up to her face to crook her index fingers beneath her tear-filled eyes. she cried just like a child would, all snuffling, hiccuping sounds and quivering shoulderblades. 

Slowly, Ronan moved them away from the corner they had isolated themselves into, and Emmaline was incredibly grateful as he gave her one of his hands to cling to in the process. He was promising her that everything was okay - calling her his little bear - and Emmaline remained close to his side as he began to lead them back into the crowded ballroom. More than a little afraid of all of the unfamiliar sights, people, and smells, she cowered tentatively alongside her popochka, catching the pouty swell of her bottom lip between her teeth as she hesitantly raised her wide-eyed and anxious gaze to look throughout the dancefloor for any sign of her friends. “Tatiana said that she really wanted to, erm - really wanted to visit the petting zoo, so maybe she’s there?” she piped up hopefully, as desperate for Ronan’s approval as she always was, and she had to squeeze a little tighter up against his side, one hand protectively holding onto her tiny baby bump as a stranger nearly knocked her over. “And Anya, maybe - maybe she was wanting to find somethin’ to eat?” 

Ronan was grateful to have Emmaline by his side again, and although the party seemed to be going rather well, he couldn’t help the icy fear that had spread through his veins when he realized that not only was she here, but she hadn’t arrived alone. Somewhere out there was Anya, who likely was lost and couldn’t speak English nearly well enough to find her way out of whatever situation she had gotten herself involved in, and Tatiana. He had a sinking feeling he knew why Tatiana would venture out to this event tonight, and it was only confirmed by Emmaline’s statement; Tatiana wanted to find someone. Thoughts whirled through his mind at the danger of the young princess being swept up by the Irish mob once more, and when Emmaline suggested that Tatiana might have visited the petting zoo first, he took her hand in his own and began weaving through the crowd, moving from one room to the next in desperate search of Tatiana and Anya. Viktor needed to know about this--the sooner, the better.

If anything happened to any of these young women before Ronan was able to safely dispatch them from the party, he’d never forgive himself.

****

“...I know it might not mean much to you, Lils, given how far I--retreated into myself after Emmaline, but I just thought...” Christian trailed off, squeezing Lilianna’s hands lightly as he scanned her face for any sort of reaction to what he was struggling (and failing) to confess. That he had never stopped loving her. That even after the months they’d spent apart, his heart would always remain in her gentle and caring hands. It was more difficult than he had ever possibly thought it would be, confessing how deeply and hopelessly in love with her he still was, when he saw a shock of brown hair from across the room; just to the side of Lilianna’s shoulder. A riot of chestnut curls atop a soft, round, sweet face. Christian blinked once, twice, his mind halting and his tongue tripping over speech as he felt himself freeze in place. He felt himself release Lilianna’s hands, moving to the side slightly, his brows furrowed together as he scanned the crowd for that same unruly set of brown curls once more.

Nothing. Perhaps he was--maybe his friends were right. He spent too many long hours poring over police reports and interviews; he had become too infatuated with his sister’s case; he was beginning to see her in everyone and everything around him. He was just about to turn away and apologize to Lilianna for losing his train of thought when he saw brown curls bobbing through the crowd once more. And this time...this time, there was no mistaking it. His sweet Emmaline, walking hand-in-hand with a man much older than her as they exchanged what Christian could only deem to be intimate words as they made their way through the party.

Everything stopped. The world stopped turning, the party froze around him, his heart stopped beating. There was a humming in his ears; a high-pitched ringing that dragged out all other noise as his younger sister--his baby; his sweet, sweet Emmaline--came into view, cradling her stomach and the small bump that peeked through the soft blue dress she wore. The bump. As if she were...

“Emmaline,” he breathed, the word forcing itself from his chest. His hands were shaking, his entire body trembling as he felt himself pull farther away from Lilianna. This wasn’t real; it was another one of his cruel dreams. Any moment now, he would wake up, pulled out of a dead sleep and would end up crying himself ragged and raw after dragging his feet to Emmaline’s room and seeing everything untouched. As it had been for the past few months. Her name was a broken prayer, unanswered for so many restless nights, as it wrenched itself free from his chest once more, this time in the form of a broken, stuttering, agonized cry. “Emmaline.”

And then he was tearing through the crowd, his hair falling in his face as he pushed past and through people as politely as he could manage. Panic lit in his chest, concern that he wouldn’t get to her in time filled him with a sense of urgency and dread as he tore his way through the party towards her. By the time he made his way to where she was standing, Christian had eyes only for her. He acted entirely on impulse and emotion, rather than logic and practicality, as he reached for Emmaline, his hands shaking as he drew her away from the man who was looking at Christian with renewed interest and wariness as he brought Emmaline to his chest. And as his body collapsed against hers, his fingers scrabbling for purchase on the blue gown she word, Christian felt the tears fall--freely and brokenly, he sobbed as he clutched Emmaline to his chest, feeling the small imprint of her body against his.

“I thought you were dead. I thought I would never see you again.”

[christianvbennet]

adelinezhang·:

Adeline had done some light socializing, feeling pretty good about the connections she had made, although she was mostly floating around the party, gazing around the faces, smiling politely. Being an observer and new in town was making it somewhat hard for her to work her way around. 

So after circling the room three times, and passing the dessert table a number of times, Adeline permitted herself to stop for just one of those little brownies that looked so divine. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted a man she’d seen around the party, drop a strawberry. She snickered quietly, watching him throw it away. 

Adeline turned towards him, small plate and brownie in hand, “Nice try, I caught that.” She teased, easily. 

"And here I thought I might have gone undetected,” Christian said with a light laugh, fighting off the blush of embarrassment that threatened to creep onto his cheeks. It might have been a tad ridiculous, but Christian had simply gotten over-zealous when it came to the dessert table and all of the tantalizing options available. He gestured towards his plate, and then towards the spread before them.

“I take it I’m not the only one interested in the options they have available tonight,” he countered, pointing towards a small, three-tiered glass cake stand that held an array of scones, cakes, and cupcakes available. He reached for a chocolate cupcake topped with chocolate buttercream frosting and small silver pearls, placing it onto his plate and licking a bit of frosting from his pinkie finger. “I’ve gotta say, I’m pretty impressed with everythin’ I’ve seen tonight. They really rolled all the stops out for this one.”

“I’m Christian,” he said brightly, holding out his free hand for her to shake. “What brings you to the party tonight? Friend of the birthday girl’s?”

[christianvbennet]

liliannashulei·:

Lilianna worried endlessly about Christian, even from afar. Despite the fact that he had brought their relationship to an end - something that she didn’t blame him for, not one bit - her heart had never stopped beating for him, and she had never stopped caring for him either. He didn’t need to see her to accept her weekly deliveries of homemade steamed buns and noodle soup for his freezer, nor did he need to call and thank her for the special salve she made just for him to help with his headaches and sore muscles. Their relationship might have been over, but nothing else had changed between them as far as Lilianna was concerned. He would always be the great love of her life, and even if it killed her to have to be so far away from him now…she wouldn’t ever stop being there for him whenever he needed her to be. Like tonight, for instance - she knew Christian well enough to know when he wasn’t at his best, and he hadn’t been ever since Emmaline’s disappearance. His smile didn’t quite reach his eyes, and his voice seemed to waver every other sentence or so; she could tell just by talking to him as well that he was exhausted, and she wondered when the last time he had gotten a full night of rest was. She was one to talk, of course, but he didn’t need to know that she was every bit as obsessed with tracking down her mother’s murderer as he was dedicated to tracking down his supposedly lost sister’s location.

Tonight wasn’t about that, though. Tonight wasn’t about any of that. They were here to support each other, and as dates, and - that was what Lilianna wanted to focus on the most. “Not at all - in fact, I think that’s the best way to ensure that daddy dearest gets his money worth tonight, shi?” she said loftily when Christian joked about sneaking food home with them in their pockets; honestly, the amount of cold hard cash that must have been spent on a nineteen-year-old’s birthday party, of all things, was a little sickening to Lilianna, and she could only hope that the other billionaires in attendance were actually donating some of their wealth to the animal rescue charities that the young heiress had requested. At least some good would come out of it then. When Christian playfully nudged her and teased her about her precious Mei Mei, Lilianna couldn’t help but smile, and she bumped him gently with her own hip in return as they walked through the elegant french doors into the sprawling ballroom. “That’s because he is better than the average household pet, thank you very much. There have been several studies done that show pigs as having higher IQs than other animals - surely a farmhand like yourself realized this long before you met me,” she insisted with a pointed sniff, only to let out a small laugh as Christian brought them both further inside of the ballroom; she had missed him so much. 

He told her that he was fine, and she didn’t believe him in the slightest, but she gracefully allowed him to lead her over to the bar nevertheless. He ordered a beer, and she ordered a glass of sweet plum wine, all the while confirming that it must have been kept onhand solely for the consumption of the Triad - no gwailou would ever order the Chinese delicacy otherwise. When Christian asked if she wanted something to eat while the bartender prepared their drinks, she turned back to face him, just about to shake her head no and tell him that she wasn’t hungry, but then…he was looking at her with a soft, almost reverent sort of awe, drinking in the sight of her elegant and willowy frame in her mother’s lace and tulle gown, and by the time he was speaking to compliment her on her supposed beauty, Lilianna could hardly breathe. That was all he had to do - all he had to say - to bring her to her knees. Just like that, she was undone; just like that, she was falling in love with him all over again. “You haven’t called me Lilypad in a while,” she finally managed to say in a soft, hesitant voice, and she couldn’t help herself from reaching out to gently stroke the side of his face; for just a moment, her slim, fine-boned fingers caressed from his stubble down to the strong line of his jaw, a fleeting touch that she hoped he wouldn’t mind. “And I am so glad that you like my dress, niúzǎi. It belonged to my mother.” Cowboy. Even now, he was still her cowboy, and he wondered if he could see the rosy hue warming the apples of her cheeks as she looked up at him and smiled. “If I’m Cinderella, does that make you my Prince Charming? And am I meant to run away from you at some point? I have a feeling it would be all too easy for you to catch me after spending years herding in wild horses.”

Christian hoped that Lilianna knew he still loved her; even if she had moved on, which she had every right to do when he had chosen to focus on rebuilding himself after the loss of Emmaline, he hoped she knew it had nothing to do with her and everything to do with him. Standing with Lilianna now, in this crowded room with people who made more in a single week than he made in five years, he only had eyes for her. So what if everyone tonight was wearing designer suits and expensive, lavish jewelry? They couldn’t hold a candle to her; not in his heart, anyway. Whenever they were together, he felt himself pulled towards her--as though his heart wanted to betray his tongue and tell her he loved her still; as though he wanted to beg her to return to him, though he knew it wasn’t right to ask something of her that she might no longer be willing to give to him.

She would always be his best friend. Perhaps--perhaps that was a reality that Christian would need to face. That it was all he could be allowed to be for her anymore.

He warmed under her gaze as she brought up the pet name he’d used on her; it had been a favorite when they were together, but after the break-up, it had almost felt...wrong using it, somehow. As though he hadn’t been worthy of it. A blush blossomed across his cheeks as she teased him--he’d known her for years now, and yet the simplest of phrases could have him weak in the knees for her. “Maybe the occasion calls for some old words between even older friends.” He paused, wetting his lower lip and steeling his courage before deigning to speak again. “It’s a beautiful dress, Lilianna. Your mother would be proud to see you in it; I’m sure she would.” He took a step closer when she teased him about being Cinderella; something in his chest fractured when she joked about running away from him, but...wasn’t that exactly what this felt like? She had dropped her glass slipper, and he had been too late in picking it up and racing after her.

“Lilianna, listen, I’m--I’m real glad you agreed to come with me to this thing tonight; and not just because you’re my friend, but because it meant a lot to have you here again,” he started, stuttering over his words as he set his beer down on a nearby table top and turned to face her fully. For the most part, Christian had overcome his stutter, but the speech impediment still reared its ugly head when he grew fraught with nerves and anxiety every now and again. He reached for her hand, taking it in one of his own as he clenched his jaw and willed himself to speak. “What I mean is that--is that it means a lot that you came with me. You in particular.”

****

Slipping out of a previously-locked room in the hallway leading to the grand ballroom and conference area, Ronan Ludolf made quick work of slipping off the black staff suit jacket and stuffing it in a nearby wastebasket. He pried the latex gloves from his fingers next, stuffing them in a separate trash bin before making a beeline towards the men’s restroom at the back of the hall. Glancing around and slipping inside the rest area after ensuring it was deserted, he locked himself in one of the stalls, climbed on top of baby’s changing table, and used his elbow to pop open the ceiling tile. Inside were the clothes he had arrived to the gala with; a dark blue suit jacket and pants arranged in a plaid pattern. He made quick work out of changing out of the plain black pants he’d stolen from a staff member’s locker, changing back into his own party wear. He glanced in the mirror, fixing his hair and the front ofhis jacket before slipping back out of the restroom and making his way backtowards the party area.

His phone was fished out of his pocket easily, and heunlocked it and sent a quick text to Celine, frustrating edging his fingers asthey thumbed through the text across his keyboard.

No sign of the diamonds in any of the employee areas. IfGolightly brought them tonight, they’ll likely have their own armored squad inone of the suites.

He glanced through his phone at his texts to Emmaline mostrecently. He hadn’t heard from her tonight nearly as frequently as he hadpresumed, and worry ebbed away at his thoughts with each passing moment. Wasshe alright? Were she and Tatiana preoccupied playing board games? Was sheupset that he had left her alone out of duty to the family? Concern gnawed athis insides, and Ronan paced just outside the party area for a few momentsbefore cursing to himself and pushing open the doors leading to the dancingarea. He corralled himself in the back of the room, making a mental sweep ofthe room—with special attention to Viktor’s location—as he selected Emmaline’snumber and hit the “call” button, lifting his phone and pressing it to his ear.If someone had hoped to get him out tonight—if the guardshad somehow been disarmed—if anything happened to her, he would never forgivehimself. There would be no going back for him. Not now, not ever.

“Come on, come on,” he murmured, an almost frantic plea tohis tone. “Pick up. Pick up.”

[christianvbennet]

( &&. @adelinezhang )

There was one point of interest Christian had in the night (aside from relishing in Lilianna’s company), and it was seeing what sort of information he could gather from some of the more important guests of the night. He was concerned about the safety of the party, and although he was technically off-duty, Christian firmly believed a detective’s job was never truly done.

With that being said, though, it was a party, and try as he might to avoid it, the inevitable had happened: Christian Bennet had found the dessert table. He’d grabbed a small plate and was perusing the different options available--from dainty cakes to a chocolate fountain to tarts and cream puffs--when he knocked a strawberry off the table.

“Oop!” he exclaimed, ducking his head and to retrieve the runaway fruit from where it had fallen beneath the table. He stood and tossed it in the trash, hoping no one had noticed his fumble.

[christianvbennet]

rvfvels·:

Raf looked like someone had swaddled him in raw wool and sent him out the door itching to kingdom come with how much he was fidgeting in his suit. He didn’t even wear suits for work, only for court, and even then with the greatest reluctance. He was by far more of a denim or canvas jacket and jeans kind of guy. How did these rich people stand wearing penguin suits like this all the time?

Some of his fidgeting ebbed at the sound of Christian’s familiar voice, and he managed to find a smile. “Hey,” Raf offered, a hint of uncertainty in his voice as he patted Christian’s shoulder and shook his head. “Thanks, man, yeah. I, uh, I do my best. Gotta look better for these folks than a jury, right?” Jumping right into work talk was by far the best balm for his discomfort, and he leaned in closer so that they might not be overheard. “Not yet, but I am noticing a couple familiar faces.” He glanced around the room, eyes darting between a few individuals whose mugshots papered their office. “Romero, Moretti, Fyodorov… probably security for some bigger names.”

Rafael Cordova had been Christian’s partner at work for nearly as long as he’d been in New York City; there was truly no one else he’d rather have work beside him, all things considered. They operated like a well-oiled machine, and even if Rafael mistook Christian’s insistence that Emmaline was out there alive somewhere for misplaced grief, he still trusted his partner more than nearly anyone else in the world.

“I’m tellin’ ya, you should really start wearing suits to work more often--they won’t bother you nearly as much,” he managed with a sympathetic smile. He ducked his head closer to Rafael’s, listening with a grave, interested expression as Rafael clued him in on a few things he’d made observations of at the party so far. “I have a bad feeling. The event’s too public; something any of the organized families could use to their advantage. Lilianna would hate to hear I’m still obsessively discussing work at a party, but I can’t shake the feeling that they’re up to something tonight. I’ve been going over my case files for missing persons reports south of the Brooklyn Bridge; I think a lot of them have ties to Russian and Irish-organized crimes.”

[christianvbennet]

liliannashulei·:

The Golightly birthday gala simply wasn’t an event that Lilianna could allow herself to miss out on. Even before she had begun working undercover within the Chinese Triad, she would have diligently attended the star-strewn occasion solely due to her occupation as an investigative reporter, but given the fact that she had heard through the grapevine that all of New York’s most prominent mobs planned on making an entrance at the young heiress’ party…well. What sort of double agent would she be if she didn’t follow suit? She had only just started working part-time as a dancer for the Triad, but Lilianna was looking desperately in all directions for any sign, hint, or clue that might have pointed her towards identifying her mother’s murderer, and she didn’t care what it took from her in the process. She knew her body well enough to know that she could manage days without eating or sleeping just fine; she knew her body well enough to know that she could push it to its limit and back again, and who on earth in the world was she even close enough with to worry about taking notice and fretting over her lack of self-care?

Well…there was Christian. There was always Christian.

Having already privately decided to attend the gala on her own, Lilianna had been startled - but not at all displeased - when Christian had taken it upon himself to ask if he could escort her as his date. They were friends, of course - close friends, all things considered - but Lilianna still did her absolute best not to crowd or overwhelm him in the wake of…well, in the wake of everything. Emmaline’s death had shattered her to her very core, but it had broken Christian in half, and she didn’t blame him one bit for needing to put an end to their relationship. How could he focus on a romantic partner when he was suffering through the loss of the baby sister he had all but raised as his child? How could Lilianna ask or expect anything from him when he was enduring such grief? She still loved him, of course - she had never stopped - but what he needed from her now was…kinship, and nothing else. A friendly shoulder to lean on and occasionally attend ridiculously lavish galas with. Lilianna knew not to think of it as anything more than that. 

It would be a complete and utter lie, however, for Lilianna to think that she hadn’t dressed the way that she had tonight for anyone other than Christian. The gown she wore was one of her mother’s - a designer vintage confection of powder blue lace and tulle - and it left her striking decollete bared and exposed along with her graceful shoulders and the ivory lengths of her arms. Her glossy dark hair, normally tossed haphazardly into a chopstick bun at the back of her head, was left long and loose, tumbling gloriously down the delicate length of her back in shiny, almost pearlescent waves. The dress wasn’t the only homage to her late mother - tucked into the garter wrapped around one of her slender thighs was one of her 18th-century khanjar daggers, but…well. Christian didn’t need to know about that particular security measure. She didn’t know if it had been purposeful - though with Christian, it usually was - but he had somehow managed to match his suit and tie ensemble to her dress, and every last bit of it, from the deep blue of his jacket to the sweet and playful floral of his dress, was…indescribably perfect. Just like the rest of him. He was stupidly, absurdly good-looking, and he didn’t even know it - he never had. 

“Shì, that much I can believe,” she agreed with a graceful nod of her head as they entered the sprawling ballroom, taking a quick look around with a watchful eye before looking up at Christian once more; she had one of her elegant hands wrapped around the crook of his arm, and it felt so good to be close to him again like this. She could still remember the nights - and days - that they had spent rolling around in bed with one another; how big his strong and weathered farmboy hands had looked on her willowy frame and splayed across her creamy pale skin. She…missed it. Sometimes more than she could bear. “I also heard that there’s supposedly some sort of petting zoo in one of the gardens. Honestly, I should have brought along Mei Mei - the only time he’s able to make any kind of animal friends is when my father brings home an armful of char siu bao,” she mused with a wry smile, looking up at Christian and giving his arm a gentle squeeze. “How are you doing, hm? Did you want to get something to drink?”

A part of him still wanted to be good enough for her. He knew, deep in the pit of his soul, that it was primarily his fault he and Lilianna weren’t still together. He knew he should have been strong enough to overcome his grief to be with her, but it hadn’t felt fair, stringing her along when Christian felt as though he had been breaking apart inside. And as scary and dark as the thoughts grew, he knew--almost with frightening certainty--that if he had woken up and believed, truly believed with every atom of his being, that Emmaline was dead and gone, he would have followed her shortly. The thought that he could have so wretchedly failed the one person he’d sworn to protect had filled Christian with such a deep sense of hopelessness that it was only his keen sense of optimism, still somehow ingrained in the very fabric of his soul, that kept him going.

Some days were harder to get up than others; especially when he found himself missing Lilianna’s touch. Her soft, warm body nestled against his; the sweet, floral fragrance of her shampoo as he buried his face in her hair and forgot the roar of the city and everyday troubles.

But Lilianna deserved someone who didn’t hate their own reflection; she deserved someone who would be able to protect her. Much better than he’d been able to protect Emmaline.

“Maybe we can sneak a cupcake or two in our pockets to take home; I reckon I really shouldn’t be sayin’ stuff like that, should I?” Christian murmured to her conspiratorially. He dashed the darker thoughts from his mind; so long as he pretended to be the same chipper, happy person he’d been in the years before Emmaline’s disappearance, perhaps--perhaps he could make everything think he was fine. He appreciated the concern of his loved ones--friends, coworkers, and Lilianna above all--but he hated thinking of people pitying him or worrying about him. Not when their energy could be better spent searching for Emmaline. And, truth be told...he worried about Lilianna. She worked herself far too hard; often forgot to eat and care for herself the way she should. She felt smaller nestled against his larger frame tonight, and he made a mental reminder to cook her a week’s worth of meals on his day off tomorrow. She needed to take care of herself, even on the days when she’d rather let her work consume her. A party didn’t seem the right place to bring it up, but he’d be certain to suggest food to her at least a dozen times before the night was out. “D’you really think Mei Mei would have gotten along with the other animals? Between the two of us, I get the feeling he thinks he’s a little better than your average household pet.” He teasingly nudged her in the side with his elbow as they entered the room, a smile lighting up his features.

“I’m fine,” he lied, a false smile just barely failing to light up his eyes as he took a glance around the room. For sign of Rafael, of Nova, of any of the other detectives. When he didn’t immediately see anyone, he felt himself relax slightly as he turned back to her. “A drink sounds...great, actually. Maybe a snack or two?” He led them over to the bar, ordering a beer for himself and allowing Lilianna to order before he turned his attention back towards her again. His gaze swept over her frame, delight and pure adoration lighting up his dark brown eyes at the sight of her in that dress. Blue; it had always looked breath-taking on her. Like something directly out of a fairy tale.

“You, though--you look beautiful, Lilypad; like a forget-me-not in full bloom,” he said at last, his eyes lifting to meet her own. “No offense to the birthday girl, but I think I brought Cinderella to the ball.” But who will pick up your glass slipper when the clock strikes midnight?

[christianvbennet]

( &&. @rvfvels )

“Rafael!” Christian exclaimed over the tinkling of champagne flutes and wine glasses nearby, spotting his friend and partner just a ways off. A bright grin lit up his face as he made his way over to where the other man was standing, clapping a hand on his shoulder and squeezing slightly. He knew Rafael would be in attendance tonight, of course; much like Christian himself, his partner was a guest of the Golightlys for the evening.

“You clean up real good, Cordova,” he declared, stepping back to take a glance at Rafael’s outfit. He glanced around swiftly, lowering his voice to say-- “Have you noticed anything out of the ordinary yet?”

[christianvbennet]

( &&. @liliannashulei / @ronanvvludolf / @emmalinefaun )

They were friends. Friends could attend events together, right? Even if said friends had once been...romantically involved. Even if their relationship would never be wholly platonic--not on his side, at least, though he had been the one to end things between them out of necessity of grief. True, Lilianna had been nothing but kind and gracious to him in the months following Emmaline’s disappearance, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t a yawning chasm of awkwardness and unspoken thoughts and feelings that spread between them, as dangerous as teetering along the lip of an unstable cliff.

Most days, he wanted to call her; ask her to come over like she used to. And he knew, somewhere deep in his heart, that Lilianna would oblige with his request. But he knew, even just looking at her, that he wanted more than friendship with her. He always had, and deep in his heart, he knew he always would. There was a part of his soul that spoke to her; begged her to return to him. He wanted to nestle against her on the couch, pressing his face against her hair as they watched old romantic comedies and made fun of the trials and tribulations of the characters onscreen. He wanted to spend hours in the kitchen with her again, tediously learning the art to folding and crimping fortune cookies to prepare or teaching her his mother’s recipe to fried chicken. He found himself missing the mornings they spent in bed, his fingers tracing circles along the smooth dip between her shoulder blades; the way he would kiss along her spine as though each and every atom of her was a map that continuously led him to something deeply-rooted inside of himself.

Even now, as Christian and Lilianna made their way inside the sprawling ballroom and banquet hall of the Garden Hotel, he felt himself overwhelmed by the sheer force of his emotions. He loved her--he loved her with everything in him, and he’d let her go because of it. In his grief, Christian knew he had become a shell of the man he once was; it hadn’t been fair, making her stay tangled up in his grief and PTSD. It wasn’t fair of him to love her when he had let her go.

“You know,” he said as they made their way into the room, nervously adjusting the floral vest jacket he’d donned for the evening (he’d tried to match the beautiful blue of her dress, but there was no telling if Lilianna had noticed or not). “I heard the food tonight costs more than an entire year’s rent.”

Smooth, dummy, he chided himself. Real smooth.

[christianvbennet]

I decided to ask Amy to marry me all on my own on April 28th

[christianvbennet]

CHRISTIAN BENNET ☾ GOLIGHTLY GALA

attending the event as a guest of the NYPD, Christian wants to use the party as a chance to keep an eye on the guests; he has a hunch the underground crime syndicate of New York will rear its ugly head at the event, and any leads on potential cases are more than welcome to this workaholic.

[christianvbennet]

charles-rothschild·:

“I dated a South East Asian girl one time and she had me taste this bread called ‘Otap’, it’s a crunchy kind of cookie with sugar on top of it?” Charles tried to remember, unsure whether he was describing it right. “Nonetheless, it was sweet, but not that sweet. It had a perfect combination with a bitter coffee” He rambled, still trying to remember the taste of it. It was funny that he remembered the bread more often than the girl he even dated for a day. 

“Yeah, Charles Rothschild. I don’t know what to do with my money anymore so don’t mention it.” Charles said, he was brutally honest about that. He offered a handshake to the other man as he scanned the place to look for a chair. 

"A bread that tastes like a cookie with sugar crystals?” Christian asked, disbelief clouding his face as his eyes widened at the young man’s statement. He tried to picture the sweet treat in his mind, and it had him absolutely salivating. Perhaps he’d have to swing by Chinatown or Koreatown sometime the next week; maybe they’d have scores from other regions of Asia available in their shops. “So probably a bit like those biscotti cookies you get on the plane then? I think I might like that, the more you’re talkin’ ‘bout it.”

“Duly noted, Charles, I’ll keep that in mind for next time,” Christian said, a bit taken aback by the gentleman’s casual introduction of himself. He’d heard the name Rothschild before--who hadn’t, in New York City? But that begged another question; why was one of the social elite of the United States doing at a common coffee shop and bakery? He shook Charles’ hand and then pointed at a small table in the front of the shop. “Seems they’re just finishin’ up there, if you’re lookin’ for a seat.”

[christianvbennet]

kanafau·:

Kana slowly nodded at him, “I try to treat them before they leave, every time.” He shrugged, “it’s our tradition, because sometimes even the weekends are hard on us.” He smirked, placing a hand on his youngest’s daughter’s head to kind of stop her from bouncing. “We try to do special stuff just to create some memories while they’re with me.”

"I’m real sorry to hear that, Kana,” Christian said, sincerity lacing his tone. He meant it; though he didn’t know Kana very well--certainly not as well as the detectives he worked with on a daily basis--he still felt a twinge of sympathy for a man who struggled with his children. 

“Have you taken them to Coney Island? My little sister loved it there when she was a kid.” he managed, pain lancing through his frame at the mere mention of Emmaline. His hands tightened reflexively, almost of their own accord before he amended-- “Or, you know, the New York Wheel. I heard they finally got it up and runnin’.”

[christianvbennet]

alexandra-rothschild·:

“I agree, usually breakfast food is to heavy for my anyway, and yes I am guilty of being the type that needs their coffee to also have a lot of milk and sugar. One of my brothers sometimes teases me and tell me to drink anything else since clearly I don’t enjoy coffee if I have to mask its taste.” And well, yeah coffee wasn’t something she loved but if she was going to drink it why shouldn’t he ass anything she wanted.  “My parents don’t like that i do that though.” 

“Nice to meet you Christian, thanks again for the pastry.” She said taking his hand and shaking it “I’m Alexandra, its nice to meet someone who understands the importance of sweet things really

“Finally, a kindred spirit!” Christian explained with a laugh. A slight smile brightened his cheeks as he finished paying for their food, turning to hand the young woman one of the paper bags containing the homemade strudel. Just the mere thought of the sweet cream icing and cherries was making Christian salivate with hunger. “I’d say what your parents don’t know won’t hurt ‘em, but that doesn’t sound like the sort of practices I should be preaching.”

He shook her hand firmly, nodding and repeating her name once in an attempt to commit it to memory.

“It was a real pleasure to meet you, Alexandra; I hope my paths cross with yours again someday. I’m always a fan of people who know about what really matters in life.” He said with a wink, holding up his pastry bag and wiggling it slightly.

[christianvbennet]

rowanjaxson‌:

Rowan was actually glad he’d had enough sense to ask to leave the lab. Food and drink weren’t allowed - Rowan was always seen chugging coffee back like it was water before she went in to work. Christian was kind, though. She lead him to her office just down the hall, sliding open the door as she waved him in. It was touching that he thought to get her something to eat as well as coffee. Her stomach rumbled quietly and Rowan started to play the when had she last consumed anything besides coffee game, and it wasn’t good that she didn’t remember. 

“You’re sweet, thank you,” Rowan said, looking at him. Christian was one of detectives that rarely got on her nerves - so unlike his best friend Tommy. She glanced to the box of donuts and decided that she wasn’t going to tell him that she rarely ate things so fattening, because honestly, she was really craving a donut. Just because she rarely did something, didn’t mean she never did it. 

Like her bad smoking habit. 

Rowan plucked one of the coffee’s from him as she leaned against her desk, and looked at him. “You know, I never understood the cops and donut stereotype… Doesn’t everyone like like donuts?” She pressed her lips together to hide the smile on her face and settled back. “So, what brought the goodies on today? Are you trying to bribe me to get a test done faster?” Rowan’s joking, of course - but that had happened before. 

"Ain’t nothin’ but a chicken wing, darlin’,” Christian said as the door shut behind them. He paused momentarily, realizing that his dialect and slang was almost...entirely out of place in New York City. He cleared his throat, choosing to set the donuts and drink carrier of coffee down on the desk inside of her office, reaching for his own and blowing on the steam gently before taking a sip. Still a bit too hot for his taste, but if he allowed the coffee to cool too much, it would become lukewarm, stale, and unappetizing all-around.

Christian took a seat, fiddling with the ribbons of the baby pink box he’d brought with him until the lid fell away, displaying six donuts inside. He took a glance at the glistening, perfectly fluffy donuts before reaching for a strawberry iced one with rainbow sprinkles. He settled back in the chair he’d seated himself in, taking a careful bite and reaching for one of the napkins he’d brought along with him.

“You know, I’ve no idea where the donuts stereotype came from; I think it’s meant to indicate we’re lazy, but there were a great deal many other foods they could’ve chosen,” he said with a slight shrug. It didn’t bother him too much; he worked out six days a week and, aside from his wicked sweet tooth, Christian took prime care and condition of his body. And he doubted anyone could accuse him of being lazy. “Just wanted to check in, ask how things were, and...I heard you were gonna be examinin’ a victim today. And I wanted to see, well--signs of trauma? Anything that seems to align with mafia activity?”

[christianvbennet]

[christianvbennet]

How disappointed would you be if you learned your fellow officers were doing the dirty at the precinct? (yeehaw)

“If they were--they’re doing the what?! Well, I mean, I can’t really--that is. One time, Lilianna came to visit me real late, when I was working overtime to finish a case, and there was--well, I thought we had sex on my desk, but it was dark and...I couldn’t look the Lieutenant in the eyes for another week. I’m sure Teddy wonders why I kept bringin’ him muffins to work every day but I, uh. No. Yeah, they shouldn’t be doin��� that; I got swept away in the moment...”

( @liliannashulei / @teddyxmuller )

[christianvbennet]

What do you miss the most about your sister?

“I’m not sure there’s any one thing I can say I miss about Emmaline; I miss everythin’ we shared. I miss learning how to cook--not quite as good as our mama did, but decent enough--and teaching her how to prepare them as she got older and more interested in adult things. I miss taking her to thrift stores on my days off and we’d both goof ‘round tryin’ on everything in the store.

I miss having her around; miss letting her play the Dixie Chicks at full volume while I sung along terribly loud. I miss the movie nights where she’d pick a movie after I’d let her win a thumbs war and we’d build forts and eat pizza and watch 101 Dalmatians. I know she was my little sister, but--but I raised her. Most nights, I think of her as my child. My daughter, and I failed her.”

( @emmalinefaun )