Hey there all you amazing people! I decided if I wanted to read an Ellen/Duncan fix, I may as well write one myself! It's a two shot, so know there's just a liiiiitle more coming. Read enjoy, let me know your thoughts. I wrote this at like 3 in the morning, so can I really be held responsible for my actions?

Sitting in the dim moonlight of the living room, she knew it was only a matter of time before one of them found her. She knew they didn't think she was up to something, curled up in a ball on the center of the couch with a glass of wine was a dead giveaway. There wasn't anything she could do but continue to sip at her glass as she watched his reflection watch her in the glass of the window. Duncan was more than what he appeared; he was a family man, a protector, something she could relate to if just slightly. She didn't know why she related to him at all, but objectively she understood it just fine. She knew what it was like to have people counting on you, to have the lives of people in the palms of your hands, but she didn't understand the ability to just shut off what she thought was reason and logic.

"I'm sure you have better things to do than to watch me zone out all night" she murmured, knowing Duncan heard her without a problem. He shifted behind the couch, crossing his arms across his chest. He met her stare in the glass, his eyes the only part of his face showing his amusement to her comment.

"In case you hadn't noticed, all I do is spend my time watching you Ellen"

She wanted to turn to him, but the way he said it made her drop her eyes as she took another sip of wine. She knew it was dangerous, he was dangerous, in every sense of the word. What didn't seem to matter, was the simple fact that she didn't feel the need to hide from him anymore. He knew what made her tick, and it was a welcome relief.

"How could I ever forget? I'm sure my daily activities are decidedly fascinating" she retorts, a smirk curling at the end of her mouth as his head tips to the side. He lets a smirk slip out briefly, and she feels like it's a small victory after everything. He was growing on her, and she didn't have it in her to push him away. Every time she did he came closer, and she wasn't sure if there was a professional line he wouldn't cross when it came to her. The thought made her pause; her husband wasn't as faithful as he claimed, but she wasn't sure what she was feeling for Duncan was more than Stockholm Syndrome. She was more confused than ever, especially when he kept looking at her like that.

"You'd be amazed. You should be asleep, what's keeping you awake Ellen? And no, that wasn't a rhetorical question" he mutters, well aware of the smile she was trying to hide behind her glass. He liked this side of her, the side that wasn't trying to plan his death. If circumstances were different, maybe she'd see him for the man he was rather than the man he'd become.

"Seemed like it. I don't think you really need an answer, you are almost always in my head anyway. You tell me" she challenged, knowing he'd take the bait. He moved slowly to sit on the coffee table directly in front of her, keeping his body language relaxed like that of a friend rather than an ever-increasing foe.

"I think you're trying to rationalize any and everything you can in order to feeling in control of something. It's a coping mechanism-"

"I'm well aware that's a coping mechanism. What escapes me is why you care…" She puts more bite into her comment than is strictly necessary, but he was playing a game with her that she didn't even know the rules to. She was losing ground again and she was tired of feeling left behind.

"This wasn't about screwing with your family as my sole objective, believe me. We all have something near and dear to us being threatened, I'm just trying to be the best person I can with the hand I've been dealt. Can you understand that?" He asked, his head dropping slightly trying to catch her gaze. She reluctantly looked up at him through her lashes as she took a sip of wine. She held his stare and nodded slightly, acknowledging his own sacrifice in the only way she knew how. She held her glass out to him, the smallest amount resting at the bottom as she smiled gently at him.

"Want it? It won't impair your judgment, but think if it as a peace-offering at-" she looked at her watch briefly, "- three in the morning. I promise I won't tell if you won't" she joked, trying to lighten the mood as his eyes darkened. She was playing with a fire she knew she couldn't control, but she held her tongue waiting for him to make a move. One way or another, she knew things we're going to change between them eventually.

He leaned forward, grasping the stem of the glass holding her fingers in his own as he watched Ellen for any signs of discomfort before he threw caution to the wind. His right hand held hers as his left tipped her chin up, quickly sealing his lips over hers in a gentle kiss. She sucked in a breath, inadvertently bringing his lower lip to rest against her teeth as she unconsciously grazed his lip with her teeth in the moment. She licked it gently as she brought her hand up to cup his face, the glass of wine still held between them. He held her chin between his fingers as he tugged on her upper lip with his teeth, tilting his head so he could lick her bottom lip slowly until her lips parted willingly. She sighed into his mouth as his tongue grazed hers softly, giving her a chance to pull back if she wanted. When she didn't, he made his way off the table while taking the glass out of her hand and setting it behind him. Her hands came up to cradle his face as he pushed her gently back onto the couch, one hand cushioning her head as the other rested on her waist. He placed one knee on the couch between to her thighs as his other foot kept his balance on the floor.

Just as he came up for air, she put her hands on his shoulders as she looked behind him. She was listening to the sink in the bathroom upstairs run as she sat up, causing him to return to his seat on the coffee table. He grabbed behind him for the glass of wine and drained it as he watched Ellen stare at him. He raised the glass and smiled genuinely if not slightly, relaxing as the footsteps upstairs faded a moment later. He nodded his head to the question she had yet to ask.

"Maybe you're right, this can just stay between us" he murmured, watching her for any signs of discomfort.

She stood up slowly, watching him track her movements as she slid past him, making her way to the paused at the entrance to the living room, looking over her shoulder at him and smiling when she realized his eyes hadn't quite made it to her face yet.

"Goodnight Duncan, I'll see you in a couple hours" she said and he nodded once more, still holding the stem of her wine glass as he heard her soft footstps move away from him. He rubbed his thumb gently over the rim of the glass, still watching the stairs even though he knows she's already gone. There was only one problem; now that he knows she feels something for him, what's going to stop him from wanting to have just one more moment like tonight? What's to stop him from wondering if it was spur of the moment, or if she'd thought about it as much as he had? Those were the questions he was going to ponder as he got up, knowing everything just got that much more complicated.

Like it? Have more prompts? Let me know! I'd be more than happy to have some ideas.