The first faint hint of dawn crept into the slightly chilled room, and with it, a bright blue eye cracked open, shifting around to orient the fuzzy mind of the owner. The eye closed; having recognized the approaching dawn, its task was complete.

The tall, lean woman was lying on her left side, and a substantial weight was pressed heavily against her back. Her right leg was drawn up towards her chest, and another leg was plastered to her own, mirroring her pose. She could feel skin, and a tuft of springy curls tickled her ass when she twitched it slightly, so she knew she was bare from the waist down.

A warm hand gently held her breast, and she could feel her heart beat against the soft skin of her lover’s palm.

Her ears got into the game then, picking up the slow, steady sound of Jamie’s breathing. Judging by the volume, she guessed that her partner shared her pillow, one of the blonde’s favorite morning habits.

Then her nose performed its duties, and her mouth twitched into a slow smile when she filled her lungs with the lingering musk of their lovemaking. That was clearly not a dream, she told herself, immensely pleased by the confirmation.

Only one sense remained, and for unassailable proof of the previous evening’s activities, she held her hand under her nose, then licked the tips of her fingers, grinning broadly when she tasted the unmistakable essence of her partner. "Nice," she purred, not even realizing she had said the word aloud.

"What’s nice?" a soft, raspy voice whispered into her ear.

"Waking up like this," Ryan sighed. "Feeling so close to you … feeling so well loved … having you hold me like this … It’s incredibly nice." She shifted out of Jamie’s hold and lay on her back, snaking an arm around her partner. "Thank you," she whispered.

The blonde woman placed a kiss on her chest, then nuzzled her slightly cold nose against the warm skin. "You’re welcome. The pleasure was equally mine."

"I guess that’s true, isn’t it?" Ryan dipped her head and gently kissed the pink lips, tasting herself on her partner. "You had me in every way imaginable."

"Huh-uh," the blonde said. "I’ve concocted lots more ways in my little head to have you."

"I eagerly anticipate being on the receiving end of that quest."

There was a slight pause, then Jamie hesitantly asked, "Uhm … really?"

"Really." Ryan hugged her tightly and said, "You helped me break through my fears last night, sweetheart. I think we’re gonna be fine."

"Hey, now," Jamie began, soothingly stroking her partner’s belly as she spoke. "Don’t push yourself too hard. If we have trouble again, or if you need to go slow or change anything that we do, it’s okay with me …"

Mid-statement, a pair of warm lips cut off her words. After kissing her thoroughly, Ryan said, "I don’t need to go slow. We’ve got a lot of time to make up for." She hugged her again and said, "This is like falling off a horse. The best cure for your fears is to get on her back and ride her."

"With pleasure." Pulling Ryan’s arm from around her neck, Jamie rolled her over and sat astride her ass, hips thrusting lasciviously. "I’ll ride you all day."

"Ya gotta love a woman who takes you literally," the brunette purred, not caring if her riding lesson made her miss an entire day of school.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Jamie only had time for a quick ride, and she scampered out of bed just minutes after her usual wake-up time, much to Ryan’s amazement. The brunette wasn’t usually so completely enervated by early morning lovemaking, but Jamie had managed to rock her world thoroughly, and before she knew it she was out like a light.

Waking at 7, Ryan stretched and rolled around the bed like a big cat, twitching her body into a multitude of contortions to get the kinks out. My God, Jamie nearly loved me senseless. Ooo, but what a way to go. She linked her fingers and stretched her arms straight up over her head. I’d love to wake up exactly this way every day for the rest of my life. She lay quietly for a few minutes, the thought of having Jamie right by her side for all of her days making her hum with pleasure. Every day for the rest of my life.

Suddenly, she sat up in bed, thoroughly bedazzled. What in the hell are we waiting for? We talk about having a commitment ceremony — of publicly declaring how we feel about each other — why haven’t we done it? Good, God, we almost died during the carjacking — and if that taught me anything, it taught me that every day is precious. I want to — I need to — show Jamie how precious she is to me. I want to marry her in front of everyone we know — and to give her a ring that she can look at every day for the rest of her life and know that I love her with all my heart. I can’t waste another minute!

* * * * * * * * * * *

Minutes after she had made her decision, Ryan paced in front of a buff-colored telephone, which rested on a small, wooden table near the front door of her home. She had been pacing for quite a few minutes, and was no closer to picking up the phone and dialing than she had been when she had begun.

This is silly, she reminded herself. There’s nothing to be nervous about. You’re only being polite, and you know it. His opinion means little at this point. Her mouth curled into a smirk as she looked down at her roiling stomach and said aloud, "Hear that? The brain is telling you to calm down. Don’t you realize the brain is in control around here?"

Decisively, she picked up the phone and dialed the long series of digits. "Senator Evans’ office, this is Margaret Aimes. May I help you?"

"Hi, this is Ryan O’Flaherty. I’d like to speak to Senator Evans if he’s available."

"Ryan O’Flaherty," the woman repeated, pleasing Ryan by getting the pronunciation correct. "I’ll see if he’s available, Ms. O’Flaherty."

She waited just a moment before his voice came on the line, sounding slightly agitated. "Ryan? Is anything wrong?"

"No, not at all, Jim," she said, acknowledging to herself that a call from her was a pretty rare occurrence. "I have a couple of things to ask you, if now’s a good time."

"Yes, it’s fine," he said. "What’s on your mind?"

Avoiding the more difficult issue, she chose the easy one. "I wanted to make sure you’re still planning on coming to Jamie’s birthday party. just trying to get a final count."

"Of course I am," he said immediately. "That uhm … does bring up one issue, though, Ryan, so I’m glad you called. I uhm … know you’ll tell me the truth."

"Sure. What is it?"

"I was going to bring Kayla with me. Do you think that will present a problem?"

"Kayla, huh?" She let the question rumble around in her mind for a moment.

"Catherine claims that she doesn’t mind if I start to see her again," he said, obviously trying to convince her.

"Jim, I don’t have an opinion about who you date. I’m only trying to consider how it will affect Jamie. I know you don’t want to make her uncomfortable on her birthday."

"Of course not, that’s why I asked."

She spent a moment thinking of the dynamics of the group that would be at the party, and she answered him as honestly as she could. "I can’t imagine that it won’t make Catherine uncomfortable, no matter what she says. If Catherine is uncomfortable, that might make Jamie uncomfortable, too. But, she claims that she wants you both to move on — so I imagine she’ll do her best to get over her discomfort."

He sighed and said, "That’s what I thought."

"Let’s be honest, Jim, Jamie would prefer that you and Catherine were still together, but since that can’t be, she’s actively trying to get used to the fact that you’re both free now."

"I’ll call Catherine and ask her directly," he said. "I wouldn’t press this, but I’m in kind of a bind here, Ryan. Kayla’s going to be with me for some meetings on Thursday and Friday, and I don’t want to exclude her from this if I don’t have to."

"Well, I’m sure Catherine would appreciate the ‘heads up,’ if nothing else."

Letting out a breath, he asked, "What else did you want to talk about, Ryan?"

Her mouth was suddenly very dry, and she wished she had brought a glass of water into the living room. Clearing her throat, she forced herself to say, "Circumstances didn’t allow me to do this in April of last year, even though I wish that I could have."

"Go on," he said warily.

"As you know, we’ve had a rough month. One thing the carjacking reinforced for me was the fact that life is very short, and it’s best not to put off doing the things that are important to you."

"Yes …?"

"One thing that we’ve been putting off is having a formal commitment ceremony to celebrate our union. We both very much want to do this, and have from the beginning, but we’d agreed to hold off until everyone we loved was willing to celebrate with us." She took in a breath and added, "Up until now, you were the only hold-out. But, it seems that things have been going well between us for a while now, and I hope that you’ll agree to not only come to the ceremony, but to participate in it."

Stunned silence came from Jim’s end of the phone line, but Ryan let it go on, knowing that it would take him a while to get used to the idea. "Why didn’t Jamie call to ask me?" he finally got out.

"She doesn’t know I’m planning this. I want to give her a ring for her birthday, but I don’t want to even bring up the topic if you’re unwilling to attend. We’re only going to do this once, and I know she’ll always regret it if you don’t share this with her."

Ryan could hear him exhale sharply, and heard a slight squeaking as he probably rocked in his desk chair. "You’d wait until I was ready to do this?" he asked quietly.

"That’s the only reason we didn’t do it originally. Ideally, we would have had a ceremony before we moved in together, but that wasn’t possible."

"I suppose not." He was quiet for a minute and finally asked, "Did you predict I’d be so opposed to your relationship, Ryan?"

She paused for a moment and tried to recall how she’d felt before they spoke to Jim and Catherine about their love. "No, I didn’t. I actually thought Catherine would have the harder time with it. So did Jamie," she added quietly. "She was pretty sure you’d be behind her."

"She’s always given me too much credit," he muttered, as much to himself as to Ryan. With his voice at normal volume, he said, "I’ll be there for her this time, Ryan."

"That’s great to hear, Jim. Jamie will be very pleased." A moment passed, and she added, "I’m pleased, too. Having both of our families there will mean a lot to both of us."

"Uhm … forgive my being dense, Ryan, but this feels like you’re asking for my daughter’s hand in marriage, but given all of the recent tumult about Proposition 22, I know that’s not possible."

Ryan gritted her teeth slightly, her anger over the statewide ballot proposition prohibiting gay marriage very much on her mind. "No, not technically," she said. "We’re going to ask your father to perform the ceremony, of course, so it has religious significance, but it has no legal import."

"I see," he mused. "But you’re not an Episcopalian, Ryan. Will the ceremony satisfy your spiritual needs?"

She chuckled mildly and said, "There will be a long wait before my church comes out of the Dark Ages to acknowledge same-sex relationships. Besides, I don’t think God belongs to any particular denomination. To be honest, what matters are the vows we’ve already made to each other — it doesn’t matter who blesses us if we don’t honor those."

He was quiet for a moment, reminding himself that she wasn’t aiming her comments at him. "Ahh … that’s what I thought. Well, I’m sure it will mean a great deal to you both, even without the state’s recognition."

"It will, Jim. We pledged our love to each other before we … moved in together," she said, deciding not to mention that it was actually right before they made love for the first time. "This is an occasion to repeat those vows in front of our families and friends. It’s a lot more formal and a lot more public, but the meaning is the same."

"I see. Now, you say you’re going to do this for Jamie’s birthday, correct?"

"Yes, that’s right."

"Good. I won’t say a thing when I talk to her."

"Thanks, Jim. I really appreciate that you’re being supportive of something that I know you don’t approve of."

"I approve of my daughter — and her choices," he said quietly. "I’ve come to learn that being supportive of her is sometimes difficult … but always rewarding. Besides," he added, laughing softly, "you’re pretty easy to like, Ryan."

"I suppose I have my charms," she said, joining him in the laugh.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Less than an hour later, Jim picked up his private office line to hear his daughter’s cheerful voice on the other end. "Hi, Daddy. Have you got a few minutes?"

"Sure, Jamie," he said absently as he made a note to mark his place in a document he was reviewing. "Funny that you should call today. I just talked to Ryan." The words were out of his mouth before he realized what he was saying.

"Pardon?" she asked. "Why did Ryan call?"

"Oh! Well, she wanted to make sure I was still planning on coming to your party," he explained, hoping she’d buy it.

"Odd … the O’Flahertys never care how many people show up. Oh, well," she said, unable to divine Ryan’s intent. "I hope that your answer was yes."

"I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Now, why did you call? Same reason?"

"No, I don’t think so," she said. "I want to bring up a subject that might be a little difficult for you to come to terms with, Dad, but it’s something that’s important to me."

"Okay," he said. "What is it?"

She let out a breath and steeled her nerves. "Ryan and I both want to have a celebration of our commitment to each other, Dad."

Good Lord! These two really do belong together! They even think alike! "Yes, go on, Jamie," he said, feeling grateful that Ryan had prepared him already.

"We’ve wanted to do this ever since we became a couple, but … well, things didn’t quite work out that way."

"That’s putting it mildly," he said, surprising her completely.

"Yes, well, I was playing golf this morning, and something hit me, Daddy. None of us knows how long we’re going to have on earth, so it seems wasteful to delay doing the things that mean the most to us. Nothing is more important to me than showing everyone the place Ryan holds in my heart," she said quietly, her voice catching with emotion. "We wanted to do this earlier, but it was obvious that you wouldn’t have participated then. I want you to be a part of our ceremony, Daddy. It would make me very, very happy. But whether or not you’re able to support us — we need to make our plans. I can’t wait any longer to do something this important."

"I’ll be there, Jamie," he said, the emotion welling up inside of him. "You can count on me."

"Really?" she asked with a voice that reminded him of when she was a small child. "You’re okay with this?"

"I think it’s a wonderful thing, Jamie, and I’m touched that you gave me some time to come around. I know how hard that must have been for you," he added, his voice heavy with regret over his actions.

"I wish you were here, Daddy," she whispered. "I’d give you the biggest hug you’ve ever had!"

Leaning back in his chair and gazing at the ceiling with unseeing eyes, he let the warmth and love that filled her voice wash over him. "Not many children would be able to forgive the things I’ve done. I’m eternally grateful that you’re an extraordinary woman, Jamie. I mean that in every sense of the word."

* * * * * * * * * * *

Standing right outside of the locker room at Levine-Fricke Field, Ryan adjusted her baseball cap to keep the sun from her eyes and called Catherine. "Hi, there," she said, long past the point of having to identify herself.

"Hi, Ryan. How goes it?"

"Good. Very good, as a matter of fact. I uhm … have a favor to ask, Catherine."

"Anything in my power, Ryan. All you need do is ask."

"Okay." She sucked in a breath. "I’d like to borrow your daughter for, oh … I’d say, the rest of her life. Is that okay?"

Catherine’s amused chuckle soothed the slight bit of anxiety that had been building up in Ryan all afternoon. "You want to know if Jamie can come over to play for seventy or eighty years?" she asked lightly.

"Well, that’s a fairly modest goal, Catherine. I’m hoping to squeeze an even hundred out of her. She’s got very good genes."

"I can’t think of anyone I’d rather entrust her to, Ryan. But now that that’s been established, can you tell me what you’re getting at?"

She laughed softly and said, "I think it’s about time we made honest women out of each other, Catherine. I’d like to have our long-delayed commitment ceremony, if you approve, of course."

"Oh, Ryan," she sighed, "of course I approve! I’m wholeheartedly in favor of it." She paused for a moment and asked, "If you don’t mind sharing, could I ask why you’ve decided to do this now?"

Ryan cleared her throat, not having prepared herself for the question. She surprised herself by speaking straight from her heart. "Because I love her so much it makes me ache," she said softly. "She’s the most important person in my life, Catherine, and I want my creator and everyone I know to hear me pledge my life to her."

Catherine was quiet for a moment, then asked, "Do you speak like that to her?"

"I do," Ryan said, just a little embarrassed about being so open. "I try to tell her every day how much I love her."

"She’s a lucky woman," Catherine said. "And so are you. She loves you with all of her heart, Ryan."

"I know. And as much as you try to avoid taking credit, part of her ability to love comes from you, Catherine, and I’m very thankful to you for giving her that."

"We weren’t always the best parents, but we both tried to show her that we loved her — even though I know she didn’t always feel what I tried to convey."

"More got in than you realize," Ryan said.

"Well," the older woman said, wiping at her eyes, "I support you both completely. The question remains about Jim though, doesn’t it?"

"Surprisingly not," Ryan said, the bright tone of her voice telegraphing her news. "I spoke to him earlier today, and he’s agreed not only to come, but to participate. He was very gracious, Catherine," she insisted, still surprised, but very pleased.

"Well, I give you credit for having the nerve to ask, and I give him credit for the progress he’s made. This is very good news, Ryan."

"I certainly think so," she said. "Now all I have to do is buy Jamie a ring as special as she is, and I’m good to go."

"You should know there’s no such thing, Ryan," she teased. "But I might be able to lead you to a place that can help you to come close. What’s a good time for you?"

"How about Thursday morning? I’ve got a few hours then."

"That would be great. Call me on Thursday morning and we’ll arrange to meet."

* * * * * * * * * * *

"Charlie? It’s Ryan," she said as she reached the last key player.

"Well, hello, Ryan. To what do I owe the honor?"

"How would you feel about blessing Jamie and my commitment to each other?"

"I’d feel great about it, Ryan! Just great!" Are these two sharing a brain? I haven’t been off the phone for ten minutes from Jamie asking me the same question! And she used practically the same words!

* * * * * * * * * * *

Jamie had to rush, but she managed to arrive at Levine-Fricke Field in time to watch the last half hour of her partner’s first softball practice. She was a little surprised to see Jennie standing over on the grassy shoulder of the field, playfully tossing a ball with Ashley. Both of them waved at Jamie, and Jennie came running over, giving her an enthusiastic hug. "Ashley’s gonna go over my homework with me while we watch practice," she gushed.

"That’s great, Jen," Jamie said. She walked the girl back to Ashley and shared a hug with the freshman. "How does Heather feel about starting a new sport?"

"Good, I think," Ashley said. "She’s a little nervous, since she doesn’t know many people." She grinned at Jamie and said, "I think having Ryan here made all the difference."

Jamie patted her on the back and said, "I think having Heather play pushed Ryan over the edge, too."

Ashley blinked at her and her mouth gaped open. "Really? I … uhm … really?"

"Yeah," Jamie said, smiling brightly, reminding herself that the freshmen from the volleyball team considered Ryan to be slightly god-like. "She wanted to have a friend on the team. She likes Heather … and you, of course."

Ashley beamed a luminous grin at her. "Ryan’s the best, Jamie. She and Jordan made this the best year I’ve ever had playing volleyball. I know she’s gonna have the same kind of impact here."

"I sure hope so," Jamie said, her worry evident. "She sure didn’t make much of an impact on the basketball team."

"I still don’t know what that coach’s problem was," Ashley said, shaking her head. "Ryan could have lifted that team into the top three in the PAC-10."

Jamie nodded and said, "It was a complicated team. I’m really glad she’s off of it."

Ashley shot a look at her young friend and said, "We’d better start looking at your schoolwork, Jen. It’s starting to get dark."

Jamie looked at her watch and said, "Those are some nasty looking storm clouds. It’s only 4:30. It shouldn’t be nearly this dark yet."

Smiling, Ashley said, "Good thing the bleachers are wood, huh?" She and Jennie went up into the stands to have some quiet time, but Jamie stayed close to the field, wanting to closely observe her partner. She noted that most of the players were wearing sweats, and a few had on jackets over their sweats. Yet, there was Ryan, wearing only a pair of navy blue Lycra shorts, with a little Cal bear near the hem of one leg, and a bright gold T-shirt with "Cal Softball" imprinted on the chest.

Looking around, Jamie spent a moment checking out the other players. She recognized Heather, of course, and she remembered Michelle, the woman that Ryan had worked out with, but no one else looked familiar. Her perusal led her to decide that these women looked more like average women than either the volleyball or the basketball players. They were mostly of average height and weight, and even though they looked fit, their bodies didn’t scream "jock." Ryan was, of course, the exception, and she stood out on many fronts.

Ryan was the tallest woman on the field, topping Heather by a few inches, and most of the other woman by a lot. Jamie noted that one woman looked to be less than five feet tall, and when Ryan stood next to her, the top of her head didn’t quite reach Ryan’s breasts. I like her view, Jamie said, but I wouldn’t like having to stand on a step stool to kiss my sweetie.

As the minutes passed, the wind picked up until it was blowing fiercely. Jamie thought she had dressed warmly enough, but a few minutes of sitting still and she was chilled to the bone. Ryan’s in shorts and a T-shirt? I wonder if I’d embarrass her if I took off my jacket and made her put it on? She entertained the idea for only a second, recognizing that Ryan would rather freeze than be embarrassed in front of her teammates. Besides, she’s probably not even cold, she reasoned. She hasn’t stood still once since I’ve been here.

A light drizzle began to fall, and Jamie climbed the stands to join her friends. "I’m taking off. How about you two?"

"I have my bike," Jennie said. "I don’t mind riding in the rain." Jamie gave her an assessing look and immediately removed her Gore-Tex jacket and handed it to the girl with the admonition, "Put this on, Jen. You’ll freeze to death once your sweatshirt gets wet."

"I’m really oka …" she started to say, but Jamie tapped her on the head and said, "Humor me."

"I’m gonna wait for Heather," Ashley said. "They’ll stop soon."

"Okay, guys. Tell Ryan I’ll see her at home, okay? Tell her not to rush."

"Later, Jamie," Jennie waved. "See you tomorrow?"

"Maybe," Jamie said, unwilling to commit until she got a look at the weather. "I’ll see you at some point in the next few days. We’ve gotta keep our girls motivated, huh?"

"Right," Ashley said. "They don’t have much of a rooting section."

Jamie looked around at the completely empty stands and said, "Maybe it’ll fill up a little when the games start, huh?"

"Couldn’t help it," Ashley said as Jamie waved goodbye and carefully climbed down the now-slick stands, feeling colder by the minute as she got wetter and wetter. She ran as fast as she could, darting into buildings whenever possible, finally arriving at the student store, where she purchased a rain jacket in a woman’s extra-large, knowing that Ryan could always use a spare.

* * * * * * * * * * *

When Ryan came home an hour and a half later, Jamie came into the living room as soon as she heard the door close. She stood with her arms crossed; a scowl on her face, watching the rain drip from Ryan’s thoroughly drenched body. The tall woman had on a pair of jeans and a hooded sweatshirt, both of which were utterly sodden.

"Did it look like rain when you left the house, love?" she asked, narrowing her eyes dangerously, while slapping the wooden spoon she held in one hand against the palm of the other.

"Mmm … not really," Ryan said, knowing that she was stretching the truth to dangerous limits.

"It looked like rain when I left this morning, Ryan," she said, the spoon cracking sharply as she continued to whap it against her hand. "Did it clear up on just this side of Berkeley?"

"Uhm … no?" the dark, dripping woman said, her blue lips twitching into a guilty smile.

"Good answer. I’ll go a little easier on you for not lying." She came up behind her partner and said, "Take off your pants and your sweatshirt. I don’t want you dripping all over the wood floor."

Ryan kicked off her shoes, which squished audibly as she did so. Next came the jeans, which she had more than a little trouble peeling off, due to their water content. The sweatshirt was easy, and she breathed a sigh of relief as the wet, heavy garment hit the floor. "Cold," she said needlessly, her hands chafing her bright pink arms as she hopped back and forth from one foot to the other.

"I want you to go upstairs and get into the shower. Stay there until you’re warm," Jamie ordered. "Dinner’s ready, but it can wait until you’ve warmed up."

"You’re so sweet to me," Ryan cooed as she bent over to press her ice-cold lips to her partner’s. "Trying your best to keep me nice and warm."

"Oh, I’m not done," Jamie said. "I’m gonna heat up another part of you, right now." She cracked her partner across the buttocks with the spoon, laughing evilly as Ryan’s hands shot to her butt to protect it.

Even her large hands couldn’t protect everything, and Jamie got in a few more sharp slaps. Realizing she was allowing herself to be vulnerable by remaining in place, Ryan took off, running for the stairs with Jamie right on her heels slapping at her wet bikinis as she gave chase. They made such a ruckus that Mia popped her head out of her room as they came thundering down the hall. The curly-haired woman stood in her doorway, arms crossed over her chest, smirking widely. "I always knew there was a dominatrix in there waiting to get out," she said.

"Help me, Mia!" Ryan cried, running behind her smaller roommate and trying to use her as a shield.

"Jamie," her old friend soothed, "violence isn’t the answer. Come on … give me the spoon."

The blonde gave her partner a narrowed glance, but complied. Ryan gave Mia a hug for being such a good protector, but her chilled skin made the smaller woman squawk. "Jesus! Have you been in the freezer?"

"She’s trying to catch pneumonia," Jamie complained. "She practiced in a T-shirt and shorts, then came home in the driving rain in a sweatshirt and jeans." A further narrowing of her gaze accompanied the rest of her comment. "It’s not like you don’t have proper raingear. We bought it for you after the last such incident."

"I have to take it somewhere to get the bullet hole sewed up," Ryan said.

Turning to the miscreant, Mia shook her head and said, "I think you can afford a new jacket, Ryan. That’s a ridiculous excuse." She gave her another swat, snapping the spoon much harder than Jamie had. "Get in the shower and warm up, or there’s more where that came from," the feisty brunette ordered.

"What is it with you Hillsborough girls?" Ryan cried as she covered her stinging butt with her hands and ran into the bath. "Bunch of sadists," she grumbled as the door closed on the laughing friends.

"What ever are you going to do with her?" Mia asked, smiling sympathetically at her friend.

"Everyone on that field had on sweats today … but not my Buffy. She thinks it’s a sign of weakness to stay warm and dry."

Mia shook her head. "My Jordy has the jock gene, but she doesn’t have the ‘I’m tougher than you’ gene. You have my sympathies."

"Please don’t say that it’s a gene," Jamie begged. "Then she might pass it down to our kids."

"Tough break, babe," Mia said. "I think you’ll have a bunch of kids just like her. You’d better stock up on wooden spoons, 'cause you’re gonna break a few on those cute little O’Flaherty asses."

* * * * * * * * * * *

Jamie went into the bathroom while Ryan was still in the shower. The room was steamy, and she could tell by the way her partner moved that she was nice and warm now. When the dark woman heard her come in, she turned around and placed her butt up against the glass door, showing Jamie the bright pink stripes that crisscrossed her cheeks. "You do good work," she said, a wry tone to her voice. "You can take my Granny’s place as the enforcer in the family when she can’t carry the load any longer."

Jamie winced when she considered that Ryan might not see the humor in being spanked, even though she'd meant it as a joke. As Ryan turned off the water, Jamie handed her a towel, and then took another and rubbed her back briskly. Kissing her warm, damp skin, she said, "I apologize for hitting you. I was only teasing, but it probably didn’t seem like that to you. I hate to act like your mom, and I know you don’t like it in the least. It was particularly insensitive of me to make a joke of spanking you. I don’t want to bring back bad memories."

"It’s okay," Ryan said, giving her a big smile. "I don’t mind when you do it. As a matter of fact, it’s kinda … kinda hot."

Letting her hand drift lower, Jamie smiled back and said, "Oh, you’re hot, all right. You’re positively sizzling back here." Her hand caressed the warm skin, gingerly touching the fading pink stripes. "Does it hurt?"

"No. It marked up more because of my wet underwear. Wet skin makes it smart a lot more, though," she said knowledgably, having been spanked under a variety of conditions. "It just tingles a little now. If you haven’t spanked anyone before, you don’t realize how hard to do it."

"I’ve never spanked anyone before, and I won’t do it again," Jamie said. She gave her partner a sexy grin and added, "Unless you ask me to, of course."

"We’ll see," Ryan said, not yet willing to commit to incorporating that practice into their sex life … even though her tingling butt did give her the urge to get horizontal. "I’m as hungry as a wolf," she said. "Can we eat?"

"Go put on your warm clothes," Jamie insisted. "I want some form of fleece on every square inch."

"Yes, Mom," Ryan said as she gave Jamie a playful tap on the butt. She smiled as she added a kiss. "You might like a little swat once in a while, too. Tingling in that area can be a good thing."

"Un-unh," Jamie said firmly, shaking her head. "I don’t have a butt fetish like you do."

Ryan started to object, but realized that she did have more than a casual interest in both her own, and other’s butts, so she shrugged her shoulders and went to follow orders.

* * * * * * * * * * *

After thoroughly encasing herself in fleece, Ryan joined her partner and Mia at the dinner table. "How’s your ass?" Mia asked, giving her a leer.

"Excellent," Ryan purred, dropping her voice an octave and intentionally trying to be provocative. "How’s yours?"

"You’d better watch it, buddy," Mia said. "If she spanks you like that for getting wet, imagine what she’d do to you if you checked out my butt."

"The mind reels," Ryan said, her eyes round with imagined fear.

"Knock it off you two. I wanna hear all about Ryan’s first day." Jamie turned to smile at her partner and asked, "Were the other girls nice to you?"

"Yes," Ryan said, a playful grin on her face. "I’m glad I hung around for a while. I found out that they’ve already got a nickname for me."

"Ooo … let me guess," Mia said.

"You won’t get this one," Ryan said. "They’ve been calling me Notorious R.O.F. because I was in the paper so much. It seems that Coach Roberts informed them that I might join the team, and their interest in my celebrity was piqued."

"I loved Notorious B.I.G.," Mia sighed. "Biggie came correct."

Ryan smiled at her, always amused when Mia spoke of her deep love of rap and hip-hop music. The art form had always eluded Ryan, but she assumed that was because she hadn’t gotten in on the ground floor. She had developed her musical tastes from her much older cousin and her mother’s old records, which were still stored in boxes in her closet, and had never had an interest in exploring the developing genre when she was young. Mia was a true fan, though, and she knew most of the performers and could imitate some of her favorites to near-perfection.

"I want a rap nickname," Jamie said, grinning.

"You’ve already got a porn name all picked out if you ever shed your good girl image," Ryan reminded her. "Isn’t that enough?"

"Tell! Tell!" Mia begged as Jamie jumped up and tried to muzzle Ryan with her hand.

After being spanked, Ryan was in no mood to go easy on her partner, and she grasped both of Jamie’s hands while she choked out, "Cinna Bunz! Her name’s Cinna Bunz, ‘cause they’re so sweet and tasty!"

Mia laughed long and hard at that one, as much at the outraged look on Jamie’s face as the nickname. "That’s awesome, Ryan. Just awesome."

"Well deserved," the dark woman insisted as she grabbed a handful of the sweet cheeks and gave them a squeeze.

"Ryan’s is Randy Libido," Jamie revealed, joining in the laughter.

"I want one," Mia pouted.

"You’ve gotta have Jordan pick it out for you," Jamie insisted. "It doesn’t work if you self-name. It’s an honorific."

"I’ll get on it tonight," Mia said. "It’s my turn to call her, so I can keep her on the phone as long as I like."

"Your portion of the phone bill was obscene last month," Jamie reminded her. "Your dad’s gonna wonder what’s going on with you."

"Nah … he never seems to care what the bills are. He just hates it when I spend a lot on clothes and stuff."

"Okay," Jamie warned, "but you’d better have a good excuse if he asks why you have a $300 bill — all to Colorado Springs."

"One more indication of why you’re not a good liar," Mia insisted. "All of the naturals lie best when it’s extemporaneous." Mia looked at Ryan and sighed as she said, "She’ll never be good at it."

"My loss," Ryan said, patting Mia on the hand sympathetically.

* * * * * * * * * * *

"So, sweet cheeks," Jamie said when Mia got up to clear the table, "tell me how you feel about your new team."

Ryan sighed and stretched a bit, getting some of the kinks out of her shoulders. "I like softball, Jamie. It has such a different energy from the other sports I play. It’s kinda slow, and the action is sporadic, but you have to be mentally ready, and your reflexes have to be really sharp."

"I know yours are," the blonde said, smiling sweetly.

"Yes, well," Ryan sniffed, tossing her dark hair over her shoulder. "I think softball is the perfect sport for me right now. I’m still toast emotionally, as you might have noticed, and it feels good to join a team that’s already established. I’m not the only senior … they went to the College World Series last year, so they’ve got a strong nucleus … they’re not looking for me to make a big contribution. I can relax and enjoy myself."

"I didn’t know that they were that good. I must have been otherwise occupied last spring. I don’t remember a thing that happened around campus," Jamie said, her brow furrowed slightly as she tried to remember what had kept her so entertained.

"It’s all a blur to me, too," Ryan said. "I only remember trying to find out where a certain blonde was at every possible moment, and keeping my lips on her when I caught her."

"Same problem," Jamie said, as though just having the memory hit her. "Only my fixation was for a gorgeous black-haired beauty with the most incredible blue eyes in the known world."

Ryan leaned across the table, closing those incredible blue eyes as she drew near. They kissed softly for a few moments, just long enough to start a slow fire burning in each of them. "Nice," she sighed as she sat back down in her chair. She placed her elbows on the table and set her chin upon her hands, gazing at Jamie with her best lovesick expression.

"Do you think your team will be as good this year?" the blonde asked.

"Mmm-hmm. I think so. We have our starting pitcher back, and as you know, softball is mostly about pitching. I watched Heather warm up for a while, too, and she has a gun. She’ll be the third pitcher, from what I can tell. That’ll give her a nice opportunity to get comfortable without having too much pressure put on her."

"That sounds perfect," Jamie sighed. "I didn’t even ask, but what position will you play?"

"Well, the first baseman is good, and is the best hitter on the team, but she’s not real agile. I’ll probably be a defensive replacement for her in tight games. I can also help out in the outfield wherever they might need me. I can play second and third, too, but those positions are locked up by seniors, and I don’t expect to get any time there, unless there’s an injury. Looking at the team critically, I’d say I’m probably the first call off the bench."

"Must be some team," Jamie said, knowing that her lover was being modest.

"Yeah … they’re good," Ryan said. "I’ll be happy just to be a part of it. It would be a thrill to get to go to the World Series."

"I know you’ll do everything you can to get there. You’re indefatigable."

"I’m gonna try not to be so indefatigable," Ryan informed her, smiling wryly. "I learned something important playing basketball, Jamie."

"What’s that?"

"I learned that winning isn’t the most important thing." She smiled as she said, "Most people learn that before they’re 24, but I’m a little slow."

"Yeah … that’s how I think of you. Slow and plodding."

"What I mean is that if the basketball team had been undefeated, I still would have hated it. The chemistry sucked, and I hated being the one who everyone looked to when we were behind. That’s not teamwork. As far as I can tell, that won’t happen here. I wanna be one of the guys," she said. "That’s what I’m comfortable with."

"That’s how it is with you and the boys, isn’t it?" the smaller woman asked reflectively.

"Yeah. They’re bigger and stronger, but my speed and my quickness help equalize us. I never dominate when I’m playing a game with the boys. I like that. Now, lord knows I like the limelight. I love to show off. But I don’t like to have to. Do you see what I mean?"

"Yeah, I think so," Jamie said, thoughtfully. "It puts a lot of pressure on you, doesn’t it?"

"It does," Ryan said. "But more than that, I don’t want to be where I’m not wanted. I don’t want to try to force my personality onto a group of people who don’t want it. That’s another thing I learned this winter. I learned that I couldn’t change a team that didn’t want to be changed."

"When did you realize that they didn’t want you?"

Ryan chewed at her lower lip for a moment, trying to be honest with herself. "Before I started practice," she said. "I knew Coach Hayes was gonna be difficult, and I knew that Lynette was giving me fair warning." She looked at Jamie with a sheepish grin and said, "I thought I could change them."

"It must have been hard when you realized that you couldn’t," Jamie mused.

"It was a bit of a blow to my ego. That had never happened before," she said, smiling gently at her partner. "Usually, I’d go onto a team that wasn’t very good and make an immediate impact. Within a few games I’d be the leader, and eventually, we’d start playing as a team." She looked at Jamie and said, "It’d always worked before, and I guess I couldn’t imagine that it wouldn’t work this time. I was a casualty of my hubris."

"That’s one way to look at it," Jamie said. "Another is to acknowledge that something that had always worked didn’t work this time. As a scientist, that should be something that you expect to happen every once in a while, shouldn’t it?"

"I suppose so," Ryan said. "But I want you to know that I did learn something this winter. I learned that it’s the relationships that matter … not the box score."

"That’s true in most areas of life." Jamie said as she moved to her and climbed into Ryan’s lap, straddling her. She bent her head and kissed her thoroughly, smiling to herself as she felt her partner respond enthusiastically.

They were about to head for the bedroom when Mia emerged, dishes washed and put away. "Gosh, look what you two are doing. How rare."

"It’s not what it looks like," Jamie murmured, her lips not more than an inch from Ryan’s. "We’re working on our relationship."

"Hmm …" the brunette mused thoughtfully. "Jordan and I call that foreplay … but the nomenclature isn’t important. Have at it, girls. I’ll give Jordy your regards."

"Hey," Ryan called out as Mia started to climb the stairs. "I’ve got a tournament in Las Vegas in a couple of weeks. See if Jordan is able to fly out and meet us."

"Cool! I’ve never been to Las Vegas!"

"That makes two of us," Ryan said.

"Neither have I," Jamie chimed in, stunning the other two.

"Well, that’s a first!" Ryan said. "I thought you’d been to every place large enough for a zip code. This sounds like the makings of an adventure."

* * * * * * * * * * *

"Hey, Mia," Jamie said as she entered her friend’s room on Tuesday morning.

"Hi. Toss me those jeans, will ya?"

Jamie took the jeans from the bed and threw them to her friend. "Wanna play golf with me this afternoon?"

While wriggling into her pants, Mia gave her friend a puzzled look, "Don’t you have your teammates to play with?"

"Yeah, I do, and they’ll be there, but I want you to help me figure something out. Besides, I haven’t had a chance to talk to you in any depth since we’ve both been back. I miss you."

"We do some of our best talking while riding around a golf course," Mia said, smiling. "Yeah, I guess I can do it. I only have one afternoon class today. Will I have to skip it?"

"Well, we play at one …"

"No problem. Where are we playing and what do you want me to help you figure out?"

"We play at Tilden. Be home by 12:30 and I’ll drive. Our goal is to figure out if one of my teammates is hitting on me."

"Ooh! This I’m good at! Is she a hottie?"

"Uhm … she’s actually pretty cute, but I’m not in the market for a replacement. Ryan’s all I want or need."

"Yeah," Mia said, running her fingers through her curls to provide some order, "I think Ryan’s enough for any woman." Mia started to gather her books, saying, "I was thinking about her last night after I spoke with Jordy. Having Ryan as a girlfriend is really a full-time job. She’s a weird kind of high-maintenance girl. You don’t think of her as high-maintenance, since she doesn’t spend a lot of time on her hair or makeup, and she’s always ready to go — but she gets into so damned much trouble that you have to keep an eye on her all the time!"

"That’s my Buffy," Jamie agreed, smiling broadly. "But I love every little trouble-attracting part of her."

* * * * * * * * * * *

The other girls all chose to walk, so Jamie rented an electric cart so that she and Mia could dish while they drove. "Well, what do you think so far?" Jamie asked, after they’d teed off on one.

"She’s cute — definitely cute — at least, I think she is," Mia said. "Could she wear that visor any lower on her face?"

"She likes to concentrate," Jamie said. "And I’m not seeking opinions on her attractiveness, bud, I want to know if you think she’s gay — and if you think she’s sending vibes my way."

"Oh, lord! Of course she’s gay! Are you blind?"

Jamie looked at the determined young woman again, trying to see her through Mia’s eyes. No matter how hard she tried, Juliet didn’t look one bit gayer to Jamie than any of the other players. "I don’t see it. I honestly don’t."

"How can you not? She oozes lesbianism." Mia gave her a puzzled look, cocking her head while she wrinkled her nose.

"What is it, Mia? What do you look for?"

"I can’t believe I have to tell you these things, James, I mean, you’re a full-fledged member of the club."

"Well, I don’t have gaydar — for women, at least. I can almost always pick out gay men, though."

"Now, there’s an unhelpful skill," Mia said, patting her hand.

"Come on … you have to be able to give me some clues. How do you tell?"

Mia sighed, then looked at Juliet critically. "Okay, here’s one. When we went to check in, the guy at the starter’s window was totally cute. And he was flirting his ass off with every single woman who was standing there. Every one of the women acknowledged him in some way. Those little freshmen blushed, the juniors acted like they didn’t notice he was flirting, and you were your usual friendly, but not flirty self. You gave him the ‘I’ll be nice to you so you don’t give me a bad tee time, but don’t get your hopes up, buddy’ look that you’re so good at."

Jamie’s mouth gaped open in surprise. "I do that?"

"Yep. Constantly. You’ve been doing it since I met you, almost 8 years ago."

"Go figure … I didn’t realize I did that."

"Well, ya do. Now, Juliet … she acted as if there was a robot at the window. She didn’t acknowledge him as even a human — much less a man. That’s gay, Jamie. Way gay."

"Maybe she has a boyfriend, Mia. Maybe she doesn’t like to encourage men to flirt with her."

"Nope. Not buying it. When you’re attuned to men — you’re always attuned to them. You don’t turn it on and off. The juniors acted like they had boyfriends and they were telling the guy nonverbally that they weren’t interested because they were taken." Tilting her head in question, she asked, "Do they?"

"Yep," Jamie said, nodding. "Every one of them."

"Ha! Told ya! I’m great at this!"

"Maybe she isn’t into anyone," Jamie said. "She’s so focused, Mia. Maybe she’s asexual."

"Mmm … maybe, but asexual women don’t put their sunglasses on so they can check out your ass when you put your spikes on."

"She did not!"

"She did so," Mia said, laughing heartily. "She waited until you stuck your foot up on your bumper, then she hurriedly put her glasses on, and turned her head so it didn’t look like she was facing your way. But she was," she said, giggling fiendishly. "I moved over so I could see her eyes behind her glasses, and they were definitely on your sweet little ass." She elbowed her friend in the ribs and said, "Your butt looks adorable in those pants, by the way. Can I borrow ‘em?"

"Oh, lord!" Jamie dropped her head and let it rest on the steering wheel. "I don’t want Juliet checking me out. It makes me uncomfortable."

"Why?" Mia looked totally perplexed, her face scrunched up in question.

"Because I’m married!"

"So? She’s just looking. You don’t have to let her touch. It’s a compliment," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "I love it when people check me out. Hell, we’re only gonna be young and hot for a few years. Enjoy it while ya can."

"You and I are wired differently, Mia," Jamie said. "Besides, I know it would bother Ryan, and I don’t want to get her riled up right now. She’s got enough people on her hit list."

"She doesn’t seem like the jealous type to me," Mia said. "She’s so full of confidence it’s sickening."

"Mmm … not so much now. The carjacking has changed her. She was so jealous of one of the golf pros down in Pebble Beach that she nearly threw a tantrum when I played golf with him."

"Ryan? Ryan did that?"

"Yeah. My sweet Ryan did that. I don’t blame her, and I really do understand, but it was still hard. She felt so broken, Mia, that she started to doubt who she was. It deeply affected her self-esteem."

"Uhm … I don’t wanna pry, but you two looked pretty normal after dinner last night. Is everything … working again?"

"Yeah." Jamie nodded as she blushed slightly. "We’ve been making very slow, but steady progress, and I thought it might take us another month or so to be open again. But we worked through some tough things on Sunday night, and Ryan really pushed herself. I don’t wanna jinx anything, but I think we’re gonna be fine. I was so moved …" She shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. "She touches my soul when we make love, Mia, and she touched it all over again on Sunday night. I was so overwhelmed that I decided that I have to marry her," she said, smiling shyly. "I just have to."

Mia threw her arms around her friend and whispered, "I’m so happy for you, James; I knew you’d get it back. You guys have too good a relationship to let the sex fade away."

"Thanks. I even called my father and asked if he’d participate in our ceremony. To my amazement, he not only said yes — he was supportive."

"That’s great! So — when are you going to ask your maid of honor if she’s busy?"

Jamie wrapped an arm around her friend and kissed her cheek. "I don’t know when we’re going to have the ceremony — probably early this summer. Can you make it?"

"I think I can squeeze you in. As long as you don’t have it during the Olympics, I’m there."

"Well, we obviously haven’t discussed the details yet, but if my hunch is correct, Jordan’s gonna be an integral part of the ceremony."

"So, Ryan doesn’t know yet?"

"Nope. I’ve got to get a big, flashy, engagement ring for her," Jamie said, smiling brightly. "This is probably my one and only chance to get some diamonds on that lovely left hand — so I’m gonna take full advantage."

"You are so gonna take me with you when you go shopping," Mia said. "I wanna go to one of those snooty places where they bring you champagne and caviar while you shop."

"I’ll definitely take you with me," Jamie said. "We’re gonna have to negotiate on the champagne and caviar, though. You know that I love a bargain as much as I love champagne — and those ritzy places are waaaaay overpriced."

* * * * * * * * * * *

Both Jamie and Mia were playing well, and having the cart allowed them to sneak ahead to the green on most holes, giving them time to sit and chat while Juliet and Lauren caught up. "I opened my big mouth at practice this morning, and suggested we have a party at our house this Saturday night," Jamie said, looking glum.

"Oh, James, don’t make a big deal out of this. If Ryan sees Juliet staring at you, she’ll loosen a few of her teeth and it’ll all be settled."

"You act like this is a joke, Mia, but it’s not. Ryan’s usually so placid and peaceful, but lately her temper can get away from her. I know she’s feeling a lot better, but I still worry about her."

"Can I come to the party?" Mia asked, "or do I have to make myself scarce?"

"Of course you can come. I don’t know why you’d want to, to be honest, but you’re certainly welcome."

"Why wouldn’t I want to come?"

"Well, this isn’t the most interesting group of people I’ve ever met," Jamie said, shrugging. "The athletes that Ryan’s played with have been outgoing and fun-loving for the most part, but this group isn’t like that at all. I think the fact that many of them have dreams of playing in the LPGA has made them a lot more serious about the game than is wise. Juliet in particular acts like she’s merely marking time until she can play professionally. She doesn’t seem to be enjoying college at all — and that just seems a shame."

"Well, maybe you can have a wild party and loosen them all up. Wanna make Jell-O shots?" she asked, her eyes lighting up.

"Mmm … I don’t know if that’s a good idea. Some of the girls are just 18."

"You’re not their mom, Jamie. Come on, loosen up a little. Part of the fun of being in college is getting drunk. Everybody knows that!"

"We’ll see," Jamie said, smiling at her friend. "The question remains why you want to come, Mia. Don’t you have more interesting things to do on a Saturday night?"

"No," she said, shaking her head. "It’s no fun doing things without Jordy. I doubt that I’ll hang out much at your party, but I don’t want to leave the house if I don’t have to."

"Oh, Mia," Jamie said, patting her leg, "I hate to see you so down."

"It’s hard," she said, looking like she was on the verge of tears. "I had no idea how hard it would be to be this far away from her." She wrapped her arms around her knees and leaned over, hugging herself. "She gave my life a focus — a direction." Looking at Jamie, she cocked her head and asked, "Do you know what I mean?"

"Yes, of course I do, but it’s only for a few more months. I hate to see you having so little fun during your last semester. I’d love to see some spark back in those big, brown eyes."

"That’s where you’re wrong, James," Mia said, her voice sounding flat and lifeless. "It’s gonna be a lot longer than a few months if Jordan fulfils her dream."

"Huh?"

"When she signed on for the team, it was with the intent of staying with them until she was cut. She hopes to play in Athens in 2004."

"You’re … you’re kidding!"

"Do I look like I’m kidding?" Mia asked, looking anything but. "She says that it takes a long time to make a team gel, and that playing together over a period of years is the only way to do that."

"Oh, Mia …" Jamie said, patting her leg in sympathy.

"She’s willing to quit after Sydney — but I know that’s not what she wants to do. She’d only do that if I want her to, and that puts a tremendous burden on my shoulders. Jesus! I don’t want her to resent me for convincing her to abandon her dream before she’s ready. But I also don’t want to live in Colorado Springs for the next four years — working at some crap job while she’s off playing volleyball all around the world."

"You could go with her when she travels," Jamie said.

"On what? She’ll make around $30,000, and she’s got to pay for her own housing and meals. That doesn’t leave much money to be buying me plane tickets for everywhere on earth."

"But what about her modeling money?" Jamie asked. "I know she has to make a good buck for that."

"She does, but she’s trying to put that money aside to pay for graduate school. She wants to get a master’s degree when she’s done playing, and she doesn’t want to be saddled with a lot of student loans."

"You two are very creative people," Jamie said. "I know you can figure this out. Heck, you could go to grad school in Colorado, and that would keep you busy while Jordan was playing. Then you’d have the credentials to get a good job and support her while she was in grad school. You’ve got to put your minds to it, honey."

"Yeah … I guess. It just seems like there are so many barriers, James. It depresses the hell out of me."

"I know," Jamie sighed. "If I didn’t have Ryan nearby, I’d go bonkers; so I really do understand."

"Who knew being in love with such a wonderful woman could suck so bad?" Mia asked, getting out of the cart and grumbling to herself as she walked to the next tee.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Mia’s sour mood didn’t last long, and when Jamie walked back to the cart after her tee shot on 9 she couldn’t help but see the smirk that her friend was trying to hide. "What’s funny?"

"Nothing … nothing at all," the curly-haired woman said.

"Come on. I know that look, and I know that I’m the butt of the joke. Spill it."

"Well, butt is the operative word," Mia said, trying to look innocent.

"Mia … out with it!"

"Okay," she said, still trying not to laugh. "Did you know that you wiggled your butt right before you swing?"

"I do not!"

"Yeah, you do. You always have. It’s part of your swing — no big deal. But I’ve been watching Juliet try to get into position to watch you without anyone else see her do it. That time she almost broke her neck when she backed into the ball washer." Mia was smiling brightly, but Jamie’s expression did not match hers.

"Damn it! I’m gonna have to have a talk with her! I refuse to let her gawk at me."

"What can you say?" Mia asked, still chuckling. "She’s very subtle about it, James. She’ll know I ratted her out."

Scowling, Jamie crossed her arms over her chest. "I’ll have to wait until I catch her."

* * * * * * * * * * *

After the round, the pair went to a nearby coffee bar to warm up. The afternoon had grown chilly, and there was a definite hint of rain in the air. "Well, that was an all-time sucko round," Jamie said, looking at her scorecard. "I had a 35 going out and a 50 coming in." She looked up at her friend and said, "Of course, trying to swing without wiggling my butt might have contributed to my stellar play." Rapping Mia over the head with the card, she said, "Thanks for totally messing up my swing, pal. I never knew that my butt was the key to my success."

"Why do you think this bothers you, James? She’s not being aggressive or anything. She thinks you’re cute. Why is that so awful?"

Jamie sighed and rested her head on the table, mumbling into the wood. "I don’t know. I just can’t stand the thought of someone looking at me without my permission."

Laughing, Mia said, "James! You’ve had the majority of the press corps taking your picture for over a month, and you got through that without much trouble."

Looking at her friend for a moment, Jamie said, "That didn’t bother me as much because those weren’t people in my life — if that makes any sense. Juliet is a teammate, Mia. She’s someone who I wanted to get closer to, to bond with. I don’t want to feel like an object with someone that I let inside my circle of friends." She shook her head and sat up, running her hands through her hair. "I don’t know. I don’t have a lot of patience lately. I’m not sleeping well again, and it’s pretty darned easy to piss me off."

Reaching across the table, Mia slipped her fingers through Jamie’s and held her hand. "Tell me why you’re not sleeping well."

"Oh, it’s the usual," the blonde said, giving Mia a resigned shrug. "I have a couple of good days, then I have a few nights in a row where I have nightmares. They scare me, and make me afraid to go back to sleep."

"Are the nightmares about the …"

"Yeah, they’re about the carjacking in some variation. Last night was a new one, though. In this one, we were in the boat with the paramedics and I was struggling to regain consciousness. I finally focused on Ryan, and saw that she was crying hysterically. When she saw I was awake, she looked at me with an expression I’ll never forget and said, "We lost Caitlin."

"Oh, God, James! What a horrible dream!"

"The worst part was that I was the one who’d lost her. I’d been holding her, and she’d slipped out of my arms. It was all my fault," Jamie whispered, as tears started to run down her cheeks.

Mia scooted her chair around and wrapped her friend in a hug. "Shh … it’s okay, baby. Caitlin’s fine. You saved her."

"I know," Jamie sniffed. "But at night, my imagination goes wild. I’ve been through every variation possible, Mia. Some nights I die and I feel my soul hovering over my body while Ryan beats on my chest to make me breathe again. That one is so horrible," she whispered. "Seeing the pain on her face breaks my heart — and I want to come back so badly … but I can’t. I feel myself slipping into an unfathomable darkness, and my last thought is that I’ll never see my Ryan again."

"Oh, James, that’s so horrible," Mia said, tightening her hug.

"It’s even worse when she dies," Jamie murmured, her voice choked with tears. "She’s died every way possible in my nightmares, Mia. She’s gotten caught on the submerged car; one of the carjackers fights with her and knocks her out and she drowns; she’s fallen off the car — and I see her land and split her head open; and they shoot her through the roof of the car. Oh, and I had a doozy where each of us was killed — in a dark alley, execution style — and I was last. I got to watch both Ryan and Caitie die."

"You poor, poor thing," Mia soothed, rocking Jamie in her arms. "I didn’t know it was still so bad for you."

Jamie sat up, trying to regain her composure. "It comes and goes," she said. "Ryan’s doing pretty well this week. When I wake up, she’s usually sound asleep. It’s like one of us gets worse when the other one gets better." Wiping her eyes with a napkin, she said, "Anna says this will pass, but it’s awful while I’m in the middle of it."

"Have you told Ryan that you’re having nightmares again?" Mia asked.

"Huh-uh. She’s just starting to get some of her equilibrium back, and having her worrying about me won’t help a bit. It also won’t stop me from having nightmares," she said glumly.

Mia reached out and touched Jamie’s chin, lifting it so she could see her eyes. "Am I your best friend?"

"Yes, of course you are."

"Then let me act like it. The next time you have a bad nightmare, I want you to come wake me up. I haven’t been through what you and Ryan have, James — I’m not all stressed and wrung out like you two are. I have the capacity, and I’d like to help you get through this. Knowing you’re not alone and knowing that you can talk to someone might help."

Jamie gazed into Mia’s eyes for a moment, seeing that her friend was very serious about her offer. "All right," she said, nodding her head. "That might help. Lying there in bed and feeling so alone makes it a lot worse. Talking to someone who’s not running on empty emotionally would really be helpful." Hugging her friend soundly, Jamie said, "Thanks."

"Don’t mention it, James. We’re all in this together, babe."

* * * * * * * * * * *

Jamie woke at her normal time on Wednesday, and automatically reached out to cuddle for a few minutes before she had to get up. But her cuddle partner was notably absent, and Ryan’s side of the bed was cold. Jamie sat up and switched on the bedside light, squinting against the brightness. There, atop Ryan’s pillow, was a pithy note.

5:30 — went riding. Love you, R

Taking the quickest shower of her life, Jamie got dressed and drove around the streets of their neighborhood, finally finding Ryan about four blocks from their house. She didn’t chase her down, since it was nearly time for golf practice, but she had to reassure herself that Ryan was all right. Well, this is going to be fun. I’ll get to lie in bed and worry about her, then have to track her down before I can go to practice. No coffee, no breakfast … I should be in great spirits today. Shit! I may as well do the damned ride with her!

* * * * * * * * * * *

That afternoon, Jamie sat in Anna’s office, her mood having grown darker over the course of the day. "I know that I can’t make Ryan give up her plans to participate in the AIDS Ride, but I’m spending so much of my energy worrying about her! I know that’s why my nightmares are back."

"I take it you’ve told Ryan this?" Anna asked.

Jamie shook her head. "No, I haven’t." She sat quietly for a moment, then looked at the therapist and said, "One of the reasons we have a good relationship is because I give Ryan the freedom she needs. The problem is that she needs a lot of freedom — and when it comes to something like this — her needs and my needs can’t both be satisfied."

"So … does that mean that your needs have to be ignored?" Anna asked.

"No," Jamie said a little tentatively. "Not … ignored. But this is an either/or situation. Either Ryan trains as much as she can so she can do the ride properly, or she cuts back and risks injuring herself."

"There’s another option, Jamie, and I think it should be on the table as well."

"Yeah? What’s that?" the younger woman asked.

"You can let Ryan know how much you’re worried about her, and try to find an alternative to her doing the ride."

The blonde head was shaking before Anna finished her sentence. "She knows I don’t think it’s wise for her to do this. But it’s truly important to her."

"And she’s important to you, Jamie. Given what you’ve told me about Ryan, I can’t imagine she’d intentionally participate in something that was causing you a lot of distress. I have a feeling that you haven’t made clear to her how much this is worrying you."

"No, you’re right," she said softly. "I haven’t let her know that." She shook her head again and asked, "Is being in a relationship ever easy?"

"Yes," Anna said, smiling. "And when you’re feeling better, you’ll get your perspective back and remember how easy it sometimes is." Anna’s eyes crinkled up as her smile grew. "You have to realize that you’ve chosen a woman who will always challenge your patience, Jamie."

"You don’t think this is a phase, huh?" Jamie asked, a smirk forming.

"No, Ryan sounds like the type who will always be a handful. But, I have a feeling that’s one of her attributes that appeals to you. You don’t seem like the kind of woman who would be satisfied with a predictable, stodgy partner."

"Stodgy and Ryan don’t belong in the same sentence," Jamie admitted, a smile finally beginning to form.

* * * * * * * * * * *

After her session, Jamie went over to the softball stadium and hunkered down in the warmest, least windy corner. Ashley arrived about an hour later, and came over to sit by her friend. "I just stopped by on my way home," the younger woman said. "It’s too cold for me!"

"It’s awful out," Jamie agreed, her body shivering.

"Why don’t you go home?? They sure aren’t doing anything very interesting."

"Yeah, I probably will," Jamie said. "I’ll leave in a few."

"Okay." Ashley got up and said, "I’ll see you when it warms up a bit. Don’t freeze!"

As Jamie watched her go, she rolled her eyes as she considered what she was doing. You can’t keep her in your sight every minute, Jamie. Sitting here in the cold to keep an eye on her is stupid! You know darned well that she’s going to go ride that damned bike for an hour after practice, and you can’t follow her around in the car. You’ve got to let go!

* * * * * * * * * * *

After returning from her pre-dawn bike ride the next morning, Ryan reached her mother-in-law. "I’ve got three hours available from eleven to two," she said. "Is that enough time to go to the best jewelry store you know?"

"Hmm … no, that won’t do, since it’s in Rome," Catherine drawled. "But that’s ample time to go to the best jewelry store in the Bay Area."

"Great! Should I come pick you up?"

"No, it’s in the city, dear. I’ll meet you. Now, let me in on what you’re planning to buy. Are you looking for matching bands?"

Ryan smiled broadly, even though Catherine couldn’t see her. "Oh, no. Jamie will want to continue to wear my mother’s wedding band. I want to buy her an engagement ring, Catherine. A ring special enough that Jamie will proudly wear it forever."

"Oh, Ryan," Catherine chided. "If it came from you, Jamie would be pleased to wear a ring from a Cracker Jack box."

"Maybe," the younger woman allowed, "but it’s important to me that she have something really nice."

"Then, I’m your woman," Catherine said. "Really nice is my specialty."

* * * * * * * * * * *

Mia was up for a shopping trip as well, and the three of them arrived at Catherine’s jeweler of choice just after eleven. "Mrs. Evans," the elegantly dressed man murmured as they were admitted to the small store located on the upper floor of a building near Union Square. "It’s wonderful to see you again," he said, giving her a wink to show that he remembered to be discreet, careful not to mention that Catherine and Jamie had an appointment for the following Monday to purchase Ryan’s ring.

"Thank you, Jeffrey," Catherine said. "This is Ryan O’Flaherty," she said, "and our friend, Mia Christopher."

"Pleased to meet you," he said to each woman.

"Ryan is in the market to purchase a ring for my daughter, Jeffrey." Ryan raised an eyebrow at the relaxed way that Catherine announced this fact, but she was very pleased by it.

"Marvelous," he said, acting like he was very used to women buying women engagement rings. "We have every style and size stone that you could wish for. Would you like to begin by looking at some diamonds?"

"I think so," Ryan said. She turned to her companions and asked, "Jamie’s a diamond kinda girl, isn’t she?"

Catherine and Mia shared a look, then both of them said, "Or an emerald."

"Really?" Ryan asked. "We’ve never discussed this, so I have no idea what would appeal to her."

"Well, she and I talked about it until I was ready to gag her," Mia said. "When she and Jack were getting serious, we went to every jewelry store in town; and she always gravitated towards the emeralds."

"Hmm … but she didn’t wear an emerald when she was engaged," Ryan mused. "She wore Jack’s grandmother’s diamond ring."

"Yeah, and she was perfectly happy with it," Mia said. "It didn’t bother her one bit that it was a dated style, with a tiny diamond. She was touched that it meant so much to Jack, and that he wanted to share it with her."

"What do you think, Catherine? Would Jamie prefer an emerald? That is," she scowled slightly, "if I can afford one."

"I don’t want to influence you too much, Ryan," Catherine said. "I meant it when I said that Jamie would love anything that you gave her." She gazed at her daughter-in-law for a long moment and decided, "If I had to make the choice, though, I’d choose an emerald. She’s spoken of emeralds as her favorite stones ever since she was a young girl." Smiling at Ryan, she added, "Besides, diamonds are fairly traditional. And neither of you seems too bound by tradition."

Jeffrey caught Ryan’s eye and said, "Let me go to my safe and bring out a selection of diamonds and emeralds. Seeing the stones might help you decide between the two."

As he left, Catherine said, "Don’t let the cost influence you, Ryan. You’re only going to buy a stone like this once in your life. I’m sure Jamie wouldn’t want the price to even cross your mind."

Ryan cleared her throat and revealed her plan to her mother-in-law. "I’m not using our money, Catherine." At Catherine’s raised eyebrow she extracted a small, blue, dog-eared document and said, "All of the money I have in the world is in this bank account. This represents the savings that I’ve been accumulating since I started to baby-sit when I was 13."

Catherine looked from the bankbook back to Ryan’s sober face, urging her to go on.

"I won’t spend more than I need to, of course, but I’d like to use this all to buy Jamie something very special."

"Oh, Ryan! Jamie wouldn’t want you to do that! I’m sure of it!"

"It’s what I want to do, Catherine. Really," she insisted, the determined look in her eyes emphasizing her point. "I want to make a statement with this gift — I want to show Jamie that I’m giving up all of my worldly goods to commit myself to her. I’m not sure why this means so much to me," she said, "but I want to see her wearing the evidence of everything I have — for the rest of her life."

Catherine slid her arms around the earnest young woman, repeating an oft-expressed feeling. "I’m so glad that she found you, Ryan. You are such a gift."

"I don’t give my heart away easily, Catherine," she said. "Jamie deserves everything that I have to give."

A very discreet clearing of his throat announced that Jeffrey had returned, and before Ryan could make her way back to the counter, Mia was eagerly sorting through his selections.

The threesome used all of their allotted time, but by 1:30, Ryan was completely satisfied. Catherine and Mia agreed with her selections wholeheartedly, and after measuring Mia’s ring finger — which was exactly the same size as Jamie’s — they departed the small shop.

"When will you give her the ring?" Catherine asked.

"On her birthday." Catherine’s eyes involuntarily widened, and Ryan raised an eyebrow and asked, "That’s not a good day?"

Luckily, Mia was thinking the same thing, and she came to her rescue. "Jack broke up with her on her birthday last year, Ryan. Why don’t you do it on Valentine’s Day instead?"

"Isn’t that a little cliché?" she asked.

"No! I think Jamie would prefer it," Catherine said, both she and Mia nodding in unison.

"She’ll love it," Mia said once again. "We’ve talked about this, Ryan." When Ryan continued to look doubtful, Mia said, "Trust me — it’s a girl thing."

"Oh! Okay, then," she said, as they walked to the elevator lobby. "I don’t know where I was when they were handing out the girl lessons, but I seem to have missed every one of ‘em."

"You were probably at softball practice," Mia teased, getting a pinch in the side for her suggestion.

* * * * * * * * * * *

A very tall, very large woman, holding the hand of a much more diminutive one, walked down a dark, damp street just south of Market, heading back to their hard-won parking space. The attractive brunette smiled at her substantial friend and said, "You were a very good sport to agree to take my car tonight."

Ally chuckled softly, squeezing Sara’s hand as they approached the red Toyota Spyder convertible. "Well, you were a good sport to buy me dinner at such a nice place. Besides, I fit into the car just fine, although, I wouldn’t recommend it when it rains."

"I thought you were kidding when you said that we had to have the top down. You weren’t!"

"Nope. I don’t think I fit into the demographic model that car manufacturers in Japan use."

"It’s actually a little close for me," Sara said. "The BMW was more my size, but I couldn’t make myself buy it. Something about a young lawyer, living in the Marina, and driving a BMW that I couldn’t stomach."

When they reached the car, they worked together to drop the top, then they sped off down the street. The air was cool and moist, and there was an acrid, stale smell to the streets down in SOMA. Ally commented, "This comes fairly close to riding my motorcycle. You can still smell the city and hear what’s going on all around you."

The smaller woman cocked her head and her eyes narrowed a bit. "You have a bike … and you haven’t mentioned it before now? This is critical … no … vital information, Ms. Webster. What else are you hiding from me?"

Seeing the gentle humor in the dark brown eyes, Ally chuckled softly. "I swear I wasn’t holding out on you. It hasn’t come up. But I’ll take you for a spin the first chance I get."

"Oh, you’ll take me for a spin, all right." Sara reached over and gave Ally’s arm a squeeze. "There’s no doubt about that." They rode along in silence for a few minutes, until Sara gave her friend a tentative smile and slid her hand from her arm down to her thigh. "Do you mind?" she asked softly.

One corner of her mouth curled up in a grin as Ally took the hand and moved it higher, placing it nearly at the apex of her legs. "Not a bit," she said, leveling her gaze.

Sara nearly gasped at the frank, open desire that radiated from Ally, hitting her body like a laser. Deciding to see where things led, she swallowed and asked, "Are you ready to go home? Or would you like to stay up and … talk for a while?"

"I’d like to talk," Ally said, placing her hand upon Sara’s and squeezing it gently.

"Let’s go to my apartment. I have a parking space."

"A permanent parking space in the Marina," Ally drawled. "That enhances your already substantial allure."

Sara gave her a raised eyebrow glance, seeing the other woman looking at her with thinly veiled interest. Now we’re getting somewhere, she said, guiding the little car down the wet streets as quickly as possible.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Sara tossed her keys onto the tiny table by the front door and shrugged out of her raincoat. "Let me hang up your jacket."

Ally handed it over and walked into the kitchen. "I’d love some water. Do you have any in the fridge?"

"Help yourself," Sara said, coming into the room behind her. "I’d like one, too."

Ally took two bottles and politely opened both, then handed one to Sara. The brunette grasped her friend’s free hand and led her into the living room, sitting very close to her on the sofa. "So … what do you want to … talk about?" she asked softly as she started to place tiny kisses on her jaw line.

Ally blinked slowly, looking like she was reminding herself of something as her head shook firmly. "I … I think we do have something to talk about, Sara," she said, her voice growing earnest. "We need to talk about Ryan and … other things."

"Ryan?" Sara asked, her head cocking slightly. "Why do we have to talk about Ryan?"

"I uhm … don’t want to do this either, Sara, but I think we have to."

"O … okay," Sara said, shifting away from Ally and looking at her warily.

The larger woman cleared her throat, then sat up a little straighter. Following a long drink from her water bottle, she looked at Sara and began, "I know she was and is important to you, and she’s important to me, too. I want to … make sure that we aren’t fooling ourselves, here. I want to be sure that we’re not interested in each other because we can’t have her." She said this very quietly, looking slightly embarrassed.

Tilting the bottle of water to her mouth, Sara took a long, slow drink, trying to clear her head as the water slid down her throat. Blowing out a stream of air from her pursed lips, she said, "I uhm … I could have had her, Ally. She was mine for the asking for almost seven years. I’m the last person in the world who can claim that she didn’t get the chance to be with Ryan."

Ally shook her head in question, her brow furrowing a bit as she did so. "I don’t think I realized …" she started to say, but Sara patted her leg and continued.

"I’ve never talked to Ryan about this, and I don’t think I ever will," the brunette said thoughtfully. "I’ve given this so much thought over the past few months, that my head hurts to even talk about it."

"I still think we ought to …"

"I agree, Ally. I’m only trying to show you that this isn’t something that just occurred to me. I’ve searched my soul over this."

Scooting a little closer, Ally placed her hand on Sara’s shoulder. "I’m sorry I interrupted. Go ahead."

"As much thought as I’ve given to this, I can only come up with one explanation for why I let her go." She turned and gazed into Ally’s warm eyes and said, "I don’t think I ever felt worthy of her." Her eyes closed as she let out a heavy sigh. "I was a year older than her, but from the first time I met her, she was like the older, smarter, more talented kid. Yes, she was my best friend, yes I loved her … but I was always slightly intimidated by her. I always felt like she’d wake up one day and see that I wasn’t who she thought I was." Tears came to her eyes and she wiped at them angrily. "Talk about your self-fulfilling prophecies." She shook her head roughly, a few tears flying from her eyes at the gesture. "If I had only trusted myself, Ryan could have helped me get over my fears and my insecurities, but I ran from them, Ally. I ran from her, and I ran from my sexuality, and I ran from ever letting anyone know me well. I … didn’t … deserve … her."

"Hey …" Ally tossed an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, letting her comforting warmth soothe the shaken woman. "Don’t be so hard on yourself."

"I’m not, I’m really not. I’m being honest. I’ve grown up a lot over the last few years, Ally. I like myself better. If I met Ryan today I think we might have a chance, but that can’t happen. Even if we were both single, I’m certain that it’s too late. I’d never get over my guilt for hurting her like I did, and I can’t imagine that she’d ever truly forgive me." She paused for a second and a small smile slipped out. "Well, she’d probably forgive me. She’s extraordinary like that. But I know that it couldn’t work — as much as I would want it to."

"Hold on." Ally held a hand up, shaking her head quickly. "I don’t know what went on between you two. I don’t know how you hurt her."

Taking a breath, Sara looked at her friend for nearly a minute. "Do you want to know what happened?"

In the blink of an eye, Ally shook her head decisively. "No, I don’t. I don’t want to know what happened between the two of you, and I don’t want to tell you much about what went on between Ryan and me. That’s intensely personal stuff, Sara, and I can’t imagine it would help either of us to learn it. All I want to know is how you feel about her now."

Her brown eyes closed and she forced herself to be entirely honest. "If I could change the world, I’d be with her until the day I died. But I can’t." She looked down and blinked slowly. "It’s going to take me a while to completely purge her from my system, but I’m resolved, Ally. She’s in the right relationship for her, and I hope it lasts for their whole lives. I’m ready to move on, and I’m not attracted to you because you’ve known Ryan. You have your own special allure that isn’t at all reminiscent of her."

"Thank you," Ally said softly, her warm Southern accent sending tickles of delight down Sara’s spine. "Wanna hear my story?"

"Well, it’s obvious from the way you kiss her when you see each other that you were sexual together, but it didn’t work out, or you’d be together now. Anything else critical that I should know?"

"No," the larger woman said. "That about covers it." Her expression grew serious, and she said, "You know, if I could change the world I’d be with Ryan, too." She sighed and let her mouth curl into a gentle grin. "I wonder how many women in the Bay Area have had that very thought?"

"Probably quite a few. I’ve gotten the distinct impression that she got around quite a bit before Jamie tamed her."

Ally twitched her head nervously and said, "Uhm … we’re the only two to fall under her spell."

Sara chuckled mildly and said, "She’s damned near irresistible, Ally. I can’t imagine who wouldn’t be attracted to her, and Ryan’s always had a big appetite. I can’t imagine her appetite for women wasn’t as voracious as her desire for everything else."

"No comment," Ally said. "She and I both have a rather sordid past." Giving Sara a shy look, she asked, "Does it bother you that I’ve been with more than a few women?"

"No, no, it doesn’t. If we get serious I’d need to be sure you could be monogamous, but I don’t see why your past is any of my business."

Ally leaned forward and brushed her lips gently across Sara’s. "I’m already monogamous. I haven’t felt the slightest attraction for anyone else since the day I met you."

"I … I haven’t either," Sara murmured, pulling Ally close and returning the kiss with gentle intensity.

Pulling away, Ally grasped Sara’s hand and looked into her eyes, saying, "There is something else I need to talk about, and your kisses make me lose my train of thought."

"Name it," the brunette said, giving the larger hand a squeeze.

"I’ve been talking to my therapist about you," she said, making Sara’s stomach flip. "She’s a little worried about my motivations for being with you."

"Go on," Sara said, her stomach churning at what she feared was bad news.

"This is embarrassing for me to talk about, Sara, but I need for you to know what’s in my head." She continued, "I have a tendency to be pretty dominant with women. It’s something that I’ve struggled with, because being dominant is too reminiscent of how my brother was with me. I’m trying — very hard — to avoid getting into another relationship where I’m on top all of the time."

The smaller woman nodded, waiting to see if her friend was finished speaking. "I understand that, Ally, I do. I can see that you might be more comfortable if you try not to re-create those dynamics." Sara draped an arm around her shoulders and said, "I worked as a volunteer with a rape crisis help line when I was at Berkeley. I’m not an expert by any means, but I do know that your brother wasn’t merely dominating you — he raped you. That’s a very long way down the road from dominance."

"I know that." Ally’s voice sounded rough and dry, and she nervously jiggled her empty bottle as she got up. "More water. Need anything?"

Sara shook her head and watched as her friend’s posture and gait transformed from their usual confident ease into a slow, almost halting way of moving. She sat down inelegantly, then leaned back against the couch. "I want to get rid of all of this. I want to be able to make love with a woman and not have to worry about who’s doing what. But I have no idea how to get there."

"How long have you been working on this?" Sara’s voice was soft and gentle, soothing Ally a little.

"Not very. About 7 months, I suppose. I’ve been in therapy for a long time — but I had a lot of things on my agenda. This is the first time we’ve been able to get to my dominance issues."

"Have you always felt the need to be dominant, Ally? Even when you were first having sex with other girls?"

"Always," she said quietly, staring blankly at the floor. "The first time … the very first time … I tied the girl’s hands with a sheet."

"You didn’t do that against her will," Sara said, the confidence and sureness in her voice startling her friend.

"How do you know that? How can you possibly know that?" Her eyes were wide, and bore a childlike wonder that made Sara want to hold her in her arms and make all of her pain disappear.

Wrapping both arms around the broad shoulders, Sara leaned close and whispered into Ally’s ear, "You would never … ever do to another woman what your brother did to you. I know that about you, Ally. I know that in my soul." Suddenly, the powerful shoulders began to shake violently, and she began to sob. Sara held her close, murmuring soothing words into her flushed ears. "I trust you, Ally. I know you have a very gentle soul. You’ve been hurt, but you wouldn’t hurt others. Not you, sweetheart, not you."

The tear-streaked face lifted, and red-rimmed gray eyes gazed at Sara for a long while. "Do you trust me?"

"Completely," Sara said immediately. "We’ll work together, and we’ll find a way that both of us can be comfortable. We will, Ally. Trust me."

"I do," she whispered. "I really do." She looked down again and said, "I worry that you won’t be able to wait for me."

"I’ve told you before that I’m very patient. I meant that." Sara kissed her forehead, letting her lips linger on the skin for a moment. "We’ll get there, Ally."

The larger woman lay back against the couch again, looking thoroughly wrung-out. "I’m beat, but I hate to make you drive me home. I’ll call a cab."

"Why don’t you stay?" Sara asked. At Ally’s stunned look, she clarified. "You’re tired, and so am I. I’m feeling a little raw from talking about this, and I bet you are, too. Why don’t we comfort each other tonight?"

"I’ve … I’ve never slept … just slept … with a woman. I’m not sure I can relax enough to comfort you, or to let you comfort me." She looked terribly sad at this admission, but Sara did her best to reassure her.

"We don’t have to touch. Really. I only want to be close." She kissed her cheek and added, "I want to hear you breathe."

Summoning her courage, Ally nodded. "Okay. Do you have a T-shirt that might fit me?"

"Yeah. I can fix you up. I like to sleep in extra large T-shirts, and I’m sure one of them will fit you."

Ally stood and wrapped her arms around Sara, giving her a gentle squeeze. "Thank you. For everything."

Kissing her gently, again, just on the cheek, Sara took her hand and led her into her bedroom. Rummaging through a drawer stuffed with shirts, she pulled one out and extended it. "I’m not the neatest person in the world, but it’s clean." Letting her eyes slide down Ally’s body, she asked, "You don’t need bottoms, do you? My sweats wouldn’t go to your shins."

"No, I’m fine. Let me get changed." The larger woman ducked into the bath, feeling her heart rate rising precipitously. She calmed herself as well as she could and changed into the red, Stanford Law T-shirt, leaving on her pink and white striped cotton boxers. Poking her head out, she asked, "Spare toothbrush?"

Before the words were out of her mouth, a brush was in her hand. "I just went to the dentist," Sara said. "Compliments of my hygienist."

Chuckling, Ally finished her bedtime preparations and went back into the bedroom, trying not to look at the long T-shirt that covered Sara’s body. She looked so profoundly alluring in the thigh-length shirt, that Ally could feel her pulse start to race, but she knew this was not the night to start experimenting with each other, so she tried to tamp down her lust. "Bathroom’s all yours. Thanks for the brush."

Sara walked up to her and kissed her gently, tickling her lips with the tip of her tongue. "I’ll save it for you. It might come in handy again," she said, her voice dropping into a decidedly sultry range. She left Ally standing in the middle of the room, hoping that her shaking legs would carry her the three feet to the bed.

Luckily, her legs propelled her properly, and she was firmly clinging to the far edge of the queen-sized mattress when Sara emerged. The smaller woman slid into the bed, staying a respectful distance away. "Is this okay?" Sara asked softly.

"Yeah. Fine."

Ally’s tight voice betrayed her anxiety, and Sara tried to loosen her up by talking a little more. "You know," she said, "you don’t know a thing about how I normally am in bed. Do you wanna?"

Despite her nervousness, Ally couldn’t help but laugh gently. "Uhm … sure. Not many women start off a conversation quite like that, but I’m game."

"Well, you’ve told me a lot, and I believe in reciprocating," Sara replied logically. "I uhm … don’t think I’ve ever had a role in bed. Most of the women I’ve been with have been kinda like me … more concerned about being ‘outed’ than anything else. Actually, most of the sex I’ve had hasn’t been all that great." She shrugged her shoulders, the dim bedside lamp illuminating her lovely features. "It’s hard to have good sex with someone you don’t care for."

Ally reached across the expanse of mattress and placed her hand on Sara’s hip, closing her eyes at how unspeakably delicious it felt to touch that gentle curve. "I care for you," she whispered.

Sara’s hand covered Ally’s, patting it gently. "I know you do. That’s why I know we’ll be able to work things out." She smiled, her eyes twinkling, and said, "Even if the sex we have is very poor quality — which I doubt — it’ll be what I’m used to."

"That’s strangely reassuring," Ally said, her teeth glinting in the warm light. "I’m used to some pretty awesome sex — so long as I’m completely in control."

"Tell me what that means," Sara asked. "Tell me how you like to have sex."

Sara could both see and hear the larger woman swallow, but Ally forced herself to answer. "I … I have to control everything — totally everything. I have to make the first move, even deciding when to kiss her for the first time. I want her to be totally compliant — to follow my lead, and let me take her where she needs to go."

"Mmm …" Sara’s sultry voice purred. "Sounds divine."

"Yeah … well …" Ally tried to get some moisture back into her mouth, then she continued. "I need to undress my partner, then I have to decide how to love her. I don’t want any direction."

"Mmm … what idiot would want to direct you when it’s clear you know what you’re doing?" Sara said, her warm voice sending tingles down Ally’s spine.

"Uh-huh." Her voice was much higher than normal, but Ally continued. "Then I try to make my partner lose her rational mind. I uhm … get a lot of pleasure out of making a woman beg me to make her come. Nothing makes me hotter than to have a woman writhing under me, moaning insensibly," she whispered, unconsciously drawing closer to Sara. "I want her shaking with desire, unable to form a coherent sentence. Her body craving release so feverishly that she’s nearly faint."

"Oh, God, I want that," Sara gasped, wrapping her arms around Ally and pulling her tight against her body.

"Whoa!" Ally’s eyes flew open and she pulled away roughly. "What happened?" Her heart was beating wildly, and she wanted to put her clothes on and bolt, but she forced herself to stay and try to at least appear calm.

"Oh, Ally, I’m sorry," Sara said quickly. "I … you … I just got carried away. I promise I won’t do it again."

The larger woman shook her head, then absently patted her friend. "It’s okay. I … I’m pretty sure you didn’t drag me over to your side of the bed. I … I’m very, very attracted to you, Sara. Lying in bed with you and not doing what my body’s telling me to do is damned near torture."

"What does you body tell you to do?" Sara asked, her hand reaching out to touch Ally’s.

"Huh-uh. No way." The larger woman chuckled softly. "If I tell you, I’ll wind up doing it, and that’s not how I want to start. We’ve got to slow down."

"We say that a lot, don’t we?" Sara asked, laughing.

"Yeah, I guess we do." Ally rolled over and hovered above Sara, staring into her warm eyes for a moment, her resolve wavering the longer she did so. "Let’s go to sleep before we get into any more trouble. Can I kiss you goodnight?"

"Yes." Ally leaned into her, allowing their breasts to compress together. Then she opened her mouth just a touch and let her lips caress the incredibly soft mouth. Only her strong will kept her from abandoning her decision and ravaging the ever-so-willing woman, but she broke the kiss after a few seconds, already feeling her breathing go ragged. "This sleeping together thing is harder than I thought," she murmured, her eyes filled with desire.

"It is. Much harder than I remember from prior attempts." Sara ruffled Ally’s sandy hair and offered, "Let me try to help you sleep. Come on, lie on your side."

Ally raised an eyebrow, but complied, rolling over to face the window. Sara scooted up behind her and started to stroke her body soothingly, letting her touch glide over her clothing. "Just relax, Ally. We won’t do one thing before you’re ready. Not one thing."

After a few minutes, the larger woman began to relax, letting Sara’s soft touch calm her heart and her libido. "Nice. Very nice," she murmured, feeling her body grow heavy.

"Take nice, deep breaths," Sara said, "Relax and feel my touch."

"Sleepy," Ally sighed.

"Yeah, sleepy." Sara snuggled up against her back, smiling when Ally reached around and grasped her hand, tucking it firmly between her breasts.

Feeling the strong, slow beat of Ally’s heart underneath her fingertips, Sara kissed the back of her neck and snuggled even closer. "G’night, Ally. Sleep tight."

* * * * * * * * * * *

Early the next morning, Sara slowly emerged from a very vivid dream to find that her reality was a near-perfect match for her dream. Ally was lying on her back, and Sara was cradled up tight to her side, her head resting on the muscular chest — feeling the slow cadence of the other woman’s heartbeat. It was such a peaceful feeling, that she wished she’d never have to move — but it was a workday, and her alarm was set to go off in only 5 minutes. Deciding to make use of every precious moment, she started to trail her hand up and down Ally’s side, trying to wake her slowly so the alarm didn’t startle her.

The larger woman was obviously not in favor of waking up at all. She rolled over on her side, taking Sara with her — pinning the brunette to the bed with a good portion of weight atop her. This position was even nicer — to feel the sheer size of the woman who she was coming to care for deeply, and feel the trust that Ally obviously placed in her to be this unguarded and vulnerable.

All too soon the moment ended, and Sara reached over with a free hand to turn off the alarm seconds before it was scheduled to ring. It wasn’t easy, but she slowly extricated herself from Ally’s hold, then stood by the side of the bed and merely watched her sleep — with not a single sign that Ally was going to wake in the near future. The larger woman stretched out, and in seconds was lying on her belly, right in the middle of the bed, Sara’s still-warm pillow held in one arm.

Going into the bath, Sara took a quick shower and blew her hair dry, then tiptoed around her dim room trying to get her clothes together. When she had everything she needed, she went into the living room to get dressed, managing to do a good job even without a full-length mirror. Going back into her room, she sprayed on a whiff of perfume, then sat down to write Ally a note. They hadn’t discussed their plans for the day, but Sara crept over to the bed and noted that Ally’s watch alarm was set, and she hoped it was set for the correct time.

Placing the note on her pillow, she blew her a kiss and found her briefcase in the living room, then headed out.

Two hours later, a very groggy, slightly grumpy woman finally woke, stretching thoroughly as she called out, "Sara?"

Her hand hit the paper, and she chuckled as she read the note.

It’s only six, and I know you don’t like to get up this early. So, you have a few options — you can take my car home if you’d like. The keys are on the front table, and I wouldn’t mind a bit. Or, you can do it the hard way and take the bus. I’d take the easy way out if I were you — and then I’ll have a very good excuse to see you again soon.

I really enjoyed our night together, and I hope you did, too. Knowing you better makes me care for you more and more, Ally. I really appreciate that you let me hold you and cuddle with you — I know that’s not easy for you, and I admire you for taking the risk.

Ally lay on her back and read the note several more times. Gotta love a woman who’s not afraid to say what’s on her mind. This one is definitely getting under my skin. A soft laugh bubbled up as she added, And she has a parking space!

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Ally chose to take the hard way and took the bus home — unwilling to leave Sara without her car. But before she left, she called her at the office to let her know her plans.

"Sara Andrews."

"Is this Sara Andrews, cuddle queen?"

"The one and the same. Do I take it that this is Ally Webster, able to sleep through a 4.0 earthquake and not budge?"

"It is, but only when I’m being snuggled thoroughly. I don’t sleep very soundly when I’m alone."

"Well, we’ll just have to do something about that," Sara stated logically. "Your rest is of prime concern, you know."

"Thanks," Ally said. "I’d like that, too. I’m gonna take the bus home — maybe stop and grab some breakfast on the way. I’m uhm … busy tonight, but I’d love to see you soon. How about tomorrow?"

"I have to work tomorrow, but we could get together kinda late so I could take a nap after I get home from the office."

"That sounds fine. How about 9 o’clock?"

"That’s good. Let’s get dinner on our own so we don’t have to worry about it."

"Okay. Come by my place around 9 — well fed and well rested. I look forward to seeing you."

"Me, too. See you then, Ally."

* * * * * * * * * * *