See part 1 for all of the disclaimers

Lost Paradise 3

By WolfDragon.

The damages done to the set weren't as bad as first thought. The technical crew had started working as soon as possible, clearing the area and then started rebuilding the damaged set. The schedule was slightly re-worked to adjust to the change in filming location. Instead of filming in the old Montreal section, they were now doing some scenes in the countryside. Both Alex and Nicole had moved along with the crew to the new location. Kris was at another location, preparing for a stunt that would be performed later in the evening.

Taking a break from the hectic schedule, Alex and Nicole were slightly apart from everybody, sitting on the grass and chatting amicably. "I still can't believe that Kristina came all the way from Montreal just to have lunch with you." Alex said as she shook her head. Nicole had looked so happy when she saw the tall Austrian approach her, riding the black Harley. "You even made a lunch for the both of you." Alex continued, smiling. "Isn't that cute!"

"Well, I told her that I would prepare something to eat." Nicole grinned at her cousin. "I just didn't expect her to show up after Robert split the crew in two."

"So, how are things between you two?" the brunette asked as she lay down on the grass.

"We're good friends. She's really nice." Nicole said. Taking a quick look around them and seeing that they were alone, Nicole looked back at her cousin, taking a deep breath. "Alex, how do you know when you're in love with somebody?"

The sudden question surprised Alex and she quickly looked up at Nicole who was watching her. "You think you're in love with Kris?"

"I didn't say that." The blonde quickly said. "I just want to know, well you know…"

'You don't have to say it, my friend. It's written all over your face.' Alex silently thought, smiling. "How can I explain this." She thought for a minute then looked back up at Nicole who was silently waiting. "You know you're in love when all you can think about is the other person. You long to be with them every waking moment. A simple touch or smile from them gets your heart beating so hard against your chest it hurts. All you want to do is hold them in your arms and never let go."

"But…" Nicole sighed, a little frustrated. "How do you know if it's more than just friendship you're feeling?" she looked down at her fingers, nervously pulling at the grass. "You know I've never had any relationships before. How am I supposed to know?" She whispered.

"Do you feel like you want to kiss Kris?" Alex asked bluntly. The crimson color on Nicole's face clearly answered her question.

"Why do you think…" Nicole started.

"Don't play games with me, Nick." Alex smiled to take the edge out of her reply. "I've never seen you so happy since Kris came along." She watched as Nicole relaxed a little and saw the beginning of a smile. "You laugh more, smile a lot. Damn Nick, you look alive!" Alex chuckled. "Of course you have strong feelings of friendship for her and that's good. She's nice to you and obviously she cares a lot about you." Taking a moment to think about the best way to say what she wanted to ask, Alex took a deep breath before speaking. "Did you have that talk with Kris? About how worried you were that you may have freaked her out?" Seeing no recollection on Nicole's face, Alex pushed on. "About the massage you gave Kristina?"

"Oh! That! Well, I didn't exactly talk to her about that, but I think I know what you're trying to say." Nicole smiled. "I know that she's gay. She told me herself."

"She did?" Alex asked, surprised. "How did it come to that?" she sat up, facing Nicole.

"Well, after seeing my reaction to her being a celebrity, she was afraid that I might find out about her being gay from strangers, so she told me herself."

"And how do you feel about that?" Alex wanted to know.

"Relieved?" Nicole smiled shyly at her cousin. "I mean, I thought that I had freaked her out when I gave her the massage. At least now I know it wasn't that."

"But how do you feel about her being gay?" Alex continued.

"Why would I feel differently?" she asked, "It makes no difference to me that you are. I love being with Kris. I love the way she looks at me and smiles. I love the way she makes me feel." Nicole looked at her cousin and smiled. "That's a good enough reason to me."

"All I can say is go with your feelings Nick. I know Kris really cares about you, but if you want to know how she feels towards you, you'll have to find out by yourself." Alex smiled and winked at Nicole. "Talk to her." She gave her cousin a light squeeze on her shoulder before getting up. "Time to go back to work."

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

The following days found Kris becoming as tired as she ever was. She had been working almost non-stop since Sunday night, the day Robert announced the new stunt schedule caused by the set incident. Many outdoor scenes and stunts had to be filmed earlier than planned and Kris had to work overtime trying to have the final adjustments ready for filming. Kris often awoke on the office desk at her rented house, plans and calculations littering the desk and floor. More often than not, Kris would spend the night drinking coffee and taking cold showers just to shock her body awake.

The latest stunt to be performed had been the explosion of a convertible car, rigged in a way that the stuntman sitting in the driver's seat would be expelled out of the car and into the air amidst the flames of the explosion. The stunt had been done perfectly, the stuntman having only suffered minor bruising from the harness solidly attached around his body. Once the stunt had been performed, the crew had quickly started the clean-up job, clearing the burned-out car and debris out of the area.

Kris watched the clean-up crew working as she passed shaking fingers through her long, raven hair. It had been more than 48 hours since she last slept. The crew had finally caught up to the schedule but Kris was so tired because of it, she wondered how long she could keep this up before falling down. A soft hand slowly glided along her back and Kris looked down at Nicole who was watching her with worried eyes.

"I hear the stunt went well." Nicole smiled, giving Kris' back a small pat. "That was the last one until next week, right?"

"Yes, it was." Kris said as she rubbed her fists on her burning eyes. "Now what I have to do is get the next stunts ready so that when…" Kris suddenly stopped as Nicole stood in front of her, frowning.

"No, you won't." Nicole stated. "Kris, you're so tired, you can barely stand!" she reached down and lifted one of Kris' hand. "See how you're shaking? You need to relax and get some sleep."

"But I have so much work left to do Nick. We're finally on schedule and I don't want to get behind like we were."

"But what good will it do if you get sick or worse, what's going to happen if you're too tired and there's an accident? Will your reflexes be good enough to do something about it?"

Kris knew that the young woman was right. "I've got too many things on my mind. I just can't seem to relax."

Ever so slowly, Nicole had been guiding the stuntwoman towards the dressing room trailer. Knowing that Kris had very little sleep in the past few days, Nicole had arranged, with the help of her uncle, for the use of one of the trailers. Stopping at one of them, Nicole unlocked the door and smiled at Kris, inviting her in with a motion of her hand.

"What's going on?" Kris asked, confused. The smile on Nicole's face quickly turned into a grin as she gently pushed the taller woman to climb the few steps.

"You need to relax and I'm going to make sure that you will." Once inside, Nicole locked the door behind her and indicated the small bunk at the end of the dressing room trailer. "Take off your shirt and lie down."

"Take off my…" Kris repeated, looking at Nicole with a raised eyebrow and a small grin.

Seeing the look on Kris' face made Nicole chuckle. "Unless you want massage oil all over your shirt?" Nicole asked as she held the bottle for Kris to see.

So many conflicting emotions ran through Kris' body. She needed to relax so much, a massage would surely do the trick, but she was afraid of her reaction to it. It was getting so hard to keep the feelings she had for Nicole tucked down. Logic clearly stated that a relationship with the younger woman would be impossible without Nicole being hurt by Kris' departure in three months. Kris would be back home in Innsbruck, leaving Nicole behind.

But every smile the younger woman gave her, every gentle touch she received was slowly bringing the walls she had built around her crashing down on the ground, piece by piece. To feel Nicole's gentle hands on her back once again was what Kris had dreamed about ever since the first and only time Nicole had given her a massage. But Kris knew that it was only a matter of time, if they continued this way, before her walls would be fully down. She would give in to her feelings and finally let Nicole know how she truly feels.

Looking at Nicole who was patiently waiting, Kris silently nodded and walked up to the small bed, pulling her shirt out of her jeans and started undoing it. "I might fall asleep on you." Kris smiled.

"I'm kind of counting on it." Nicole winked as she shook the oil bottle and urged Kris to lie down. Turning around, Nicole twisted the bottle cap off and poured a good amount of oil into her hand, put the bottle back on the small table and rubbed her hands together vigorously to warm the oil. Nicole couldn't believe how easy it was to get Kris to agree to this. Thinking that she was soon going to be massaging Kris, roaming her hands on the muscled flesh, Nicole started to worry a little bit.

After her talk with Alex earlier in the week, Nicole had paid more attention to how she was reacting towards Kris and found out that what Alex had described was exactly how she felt towards Kris. But how to approach the subject with Kris? Would it be better to just come up and say: 'Kris, I love you.' And hope she feels the same? Or just try to hint as much as possible, hoping that the older woman would pick-up the signs and act on them. So many questions, Nicole didn't know what to do. All she knew was that she didn't want to be apart from Kris. She longed to lean on her while watching TV like they did the week before, to wrap her arms around her or give her a hug. But now she found herself wanting more, hoping for more.

"You can turn around now, I'm ready." Kris teased, trying to hide her nervousness. Nicole was so quiet, Kris wondered what the younger woman was thinking about.

"I'm sorry. I was just thinking." Nicole turned around and smiled. Taking a deep breath she sat on the edge of the small bed.

"Thinking about what?" Kris asked, closing her eyes as Nicole gently began to rub the massage oil over the muscled back.

"About all the things we did ever since we met. I really have had a lot of fun." Nicole had done more exciting things in the last two weeks than she had done in her entire life. The motorcycle rides, going to the movies or renting videotapes to watch at Kris' house, the nice dinners at fancy restaurants. Kris had even agreed to a dinner at her uncle's house including a late swim with her cousin and friends. She remembered with a smile the jokes Kris had told and the practical jokes that most crewmembers were fond to play on the different movie sets. Both her uncle and aunt had really enjoyed the Austrian's presence that night, her aunt having only heard about Kris.

"I'm glad you enjoy it." Kris smiled. "It's been a very special time for me too." 'You have no idea how special it is.' Kris silently thought.

Nicole slowly glided both her hands up Kris' back, gently but firmly trailing her thumbs on each side of her spine, then gently began massaging the neck and broad shoulders. The younger woman took her time, enjoying the liberty of being able to roam her hands anywhere she wished. 'Well, almost anywhere.' Nicole added. She let her eyes wander all over the bronze skin, seeing for the first time the numerous scars on the muscled back that had been unknown to Nicole until now. She noticed more scars on her shoulder blades and the beginning of a nasty cut that started on her left side, right below the first rib and continued down towards the front.

"When did you get this?" Nicole asked, trailing her finger along the scar, curiosity getting the best of her.

Kris held her breath as she felt Nicole's finger slowly tracing the old injury. Such a simple action but it brought out such a strong feeling. "That happened three years ago." Kris explained, letting go of the breath and tried to get her racing heart under control. Nicole had continued tracing each and every scar on her body, ever so slowly it was driving her insane with desire. "We had a stunt to do, a simple fight." Kris continued, trying to get her mind off what Nicole was doing. "We had rehearsed the scene but when it came time to film it, the stuntman I was working with came in too close and hit me. I landed on a metal pike fence." Kris heard Nicole's sharp intake of air, her hands stopping their movements for a second before she continued massaging her back.

"Where you injured badly?"

"The pike went right through my left side. But I was lucky, it was only a flesh wound."

'That's no flesh wound.' Nicole told herself as she inspected the scar more closely and breathed in a hint of Kris' perfume mixed with the soft smell of the massage oil. She was so close to Kris. How she wanted to just curl up beside her and feel the strong arms wrap themselves around her. Sitting straighter, she took a few deep breathes to calm herself. Bringing both hands up and along Kris' sides, Nicole softly brushed her fingers on the sides of Kris' breasts. For a moment, Nicole didn't know what to do and so she just left her hands there, not moving. She could feel her heart beating furiously against her chest, the blood rushing through her veins creating a regular buzz in her ears. Slowly, Kris turned on her back and looked at her.

Nicole blinked a couple of times, swallowing convulsively, gazing into the blue eyes watching her. 'She's not running away! She's not saying anything! She's smiling at me!' Thoughts came rushing through her mind as both women locked eyes. Kris' right hand slowly reached up and gently brushed Nicole's cheek, then glided into the blonde hair.

'Don't do this!' Kris heard herself think. 'You're not staying here, remember? You're going back home. She'll stay behind. She'll just get hurt.' Kris saw Nicole slowly bend her head, hesitated slightly then slowly continued down towards Kris' lips. 'But I want this so much,' Kris silently replied to the voice. 'You'll regret this!' The voice said. 'I don't care.' She stubbornly argued, 'I love her.'

'This is it!' Nicole thought, 'Either I'm making a fool out of myself or…' she let her thought trail as she hesitated a moment and seeing that Kris was making no move to get away, continued before she lost all nerve. The only move Kris made had been to reach up and softly put her hand behind Nicole's head and slightly guide her down, inviting her.

The kiss had been so much better than in Nicole's dreams. Kris' lips were so soft and gentle. She knew that Kris was able to be caring but Nicole had never expected anything like this. She could feel the older woman's hands glide along her back, sending thrilling chills down her spine. Her breathing became labored as the seconds passed.

Kris couldn't believe how happy she was feeling right now. Not only was she finally letting Nicole know how she felt, it seemed that the younger woman felt the same way. Kris softly kissed Nicole on the lips, the cheek, worked her way up to Nicole's delicate ear, then left a trail of small kisses down her neck to finally go back to the soft lips waiting for her. Gently, Kris nibbled at the smaller woman's lower lip and trailed her tongue along Nicole's lips.

Her heart and breathing were out of control. Nicole tried to calm herself, but each and every kiss Kris gave her only managed to get her more excited. Feeling Kris' tongue sensually gliding along her lips, Nicole slowly opened her mouth and kissed her more passionately, giving Kris' tongue access into her mouth.

A sudden knock on the door made both women freeze in their movements. Robert's voice could be heard through the locked door. "I'm leaving in ten minutes. I'll be waiting by the car."

"Thanks Uncle." Nicole called out, her voice shaking. She looked back at Kris and leaned her head on Kris' naked chest, wrapping her right arm around the tall Austrian's waist.

"Talk about a mood killer." Kris said, taking deep breaths. She tightly wrapped her arms around the smaller woman and kissed the blonde hair. "Are you okay?" she asked her silent companion. Kris felt Nicole nod a couple of times and then as she lifted her head to look at Kris, glanced into sparkling green eyes.

"I've never been better." Nicole leaned down again to give Kris another kiss before giving the taller woman a squeeze and then got up. "We better get to Robert before he leaves."

"I knew I should have taken my motorcycle this morning." Kris grumbled good-naturally. "We wouldn't have to rush this way." She sat on the edge of the bed and slipped into her shirt, fastening it closed.

"You were too tired to ride it, remember?" Nicole said as she put the oil bottle back into the small backpack that had been waiting for them. She slung it over one shoulder. "That's why I asked Robert to pick us up this morning."

Before unlocking the trailer door, Kris tenderly wrapped her arms around the smaller woman and gave her one more kiss before leaving.

"Do you know how many times I wished for a moment like this?" Nicole smiled as she locked her hands behind Kris' neck. "How long I've been waiting for this?"

"Since this afternoon?" Kris said, grinning and laughed as Nicole quickly brought her hand down and slapped Kris' butt. "I've been wishing for this too." She smiled as she let go of Nicole. "But we have to talk about this Nick. You know I'm going back to Austria."

"I know." Nicole whispered, then looked up into Kris' pale blue eyes. "But it doesn't change the way I feel. I want to spend as much time as possible with you."

"We will, I promise." The stuntwoman smiled as she opened the door and both stepped out into the darkness and their waiting lift.

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

Nicole had been walking along the lake for some time now. She had been unable to sleep all night, images of Kris and the massage she had given her were still fresh in her mind. She only wished that her uncle wouldn't have insisted so much for Kris to go and get some sleep once he dropped her off at her house. She knew Robert was right, but Nicole didn't want to be apart from Kris. She wondered what went through Kris' mind last night. Maybe Kris was so tired she just fell asleep, not thinking too much about their kiss, or did she think about it as much as Nicole did? How did Kris feel about it?

Nicole sat on the grass, absentmindedly looking out at the lake. So many questions went through her mind. Kris had said they needed to talk about what had happened last evening between the two of them. Was Kris going to say this wouldn't work out? She did say they would spend as much time as possible together, but did she mean as friends or as anything more than friends? Nicole turned her head and looked in the general direction where she knew Kris' house was located and sighed. How she wished Kris would be here right now, but she wanted her to get as much sleep as possible. She would wait until noon and then would give Kris a call on her cell phone.

Some distance away on the paved bicycle path, Kris was running back to her house. She had been able to get some sleep, but not as much as she should have had. She had gotten out of bed and had aimlessly walked around her empty house, wishing for Nicole's presence, but it had been too early in the morning to go to her house or even to call her. She could still feel the younger woman's lips on hers, remembering how she had felt when they first kissed. She had never felt this way before. That intense feeling of really loving someone was a new experience to Kris. The stuntwoman had many relationships before, but none compared to how she reacted towards Nicole. She didn't want to lose that feeling. But what was she going to do? Nicole didn't deserve to have her hopes of a lasting relationship with Kris be destroyed by her return to Austria and Kris couldn't stay in Montreal. She wished she didn't have so many responsibilities back home.

Spotting a lone figure sitting on the edge of the water, Kris slowed her pace to eventually stop. Nicole was watching a few seagulls fly and dive above the calm waters. Kris quietly walked to an empty bench and sat some distance away from Nicole and just observed her. The stuntwoman was amazed at how quickly her heart had started beating against her chest once she spotted Nicole and it wasn't caused by the long run. Taking a few more minutes to watch the younger woman, Kris finally stood up and walked towards Nicole and sat down beside her.

"Good morning."

"Hi!" Nicole exclaimed, smiling from ear to ear. "Did you get some sleep?"

"Some." Kris smiled. Nicole looked tired, she wondered if the younger woman had as little sleep as she did. "What time did you go to bed?"

"Not too long after we dropped you off at the house." Nicole said as she played with a blade of grass. Lifting her eyes to look at the dark-haired woman, she saw Kris watching her intently, one eyebrow lifted in question. "I did!" Nicole said. "I just didn't fall asleep right away." she whispered, looking away from Kris. "I kept thinking about last night." Turning slightly, Nicole took a few deep breaths before looking up at Kris again. "Do you regret what happened?" she suddenly asked.

The question caught Kris by surprise. "Of course not!" she exclaimed. "Do you?"

"No!" Nicole quickly said. "It's just that…well I…" 'This is so embarrassing!' Nicole thought as she took a deep breath. "You've had…relationships before, right?" she asked, looking into pale blue eyes.

"If you mean have I been with women before, the answer is yes."

"Well…what I'm trying to say is…I…well…"

Nicole let out a frustrated sigh which only caused Kris to want to chuckle. She had an idea what Nicole wanted to say, but somehow it seemed so important to Nicole to say it. Kris waited patiently until the younger woman gathered her courage and looked back up again, locking eyes with Kris.

"I love being with you Kris. I've never felt anything like this before." Nicole quietly admitted. "But…I don't know what to do."

"What do you mean?" Kris asked, frowning. "I thought you liked being with me." This conversation wasn't going the way Kris had hoped.

"I do!" Nicole insisted as she lay a hand on Kris' thigh, giving it a squeeze. "What I'm trying to say is, you have experience in…having girlfriends…and stuff…I don't." she finished in a whisper. "I've never been with…anyone…before." She said as she looked down again, playing with the grass. "I don't know what to do...you know…" Nicole waited for a reaction from Kris, expecting a comment or maybe a chuckle but nothing came out of the older woman. She slowly looked up at Kris and found the woman smiling gently at her.

"Nicole," Kris softly said as she brushed her hand against the younger woman's face, her right thumb gently caressing her cheek, "There are no instruction manuals that go with new relationships." She smiled as Nicole chuckled. "You just do what comes naturally to you, what feels right."

"But…"

"Don't worry so much." Kris quickly said. "You give me something I've never had before Nick; pure friendship and love, and that's very precious to me…" Kris waited until the few people walked by them before she continued. "I love being with you too Nicole, but I'm afraid…I don't want to see you hurt when I go back home."

Nicole slowly knelt beside Kris and looked into the older woman's blue eyes. "I know you'll eventually go home, you let me know from the start. But like the saying goes: 'It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.'" She smiled shyly. "I want to be with you. I want to share every moment we have together. Kris, you are the best thing that ever happened to me."

"I'm glad to know how you feel Nicole. I want to be with you too." Kris took a quick scan around them and then leaned forward and gave Nicole a kiss.

This felt so right, Nicole thought as she closed her eyes, feeling Kris' soft lips on hers. How she wanted so much more than just a kiss. "This is so new to me," Nicole shyly said as she looked back at Kris. "I want to get closer to you, I want…" she stopped talking as Kris put two fingers on Nicole's lips and smiled.

"I want it too," Kris smiled. "But I want our first time together to be special. We'll take our time, go at your own pace, no pressure okay?"

Nicole took a deep breath and nodded. "No pressure." She agreed and smiled. Nicole felt so much better now, knowing that they wouldn't rush into things. As much as she wanted to make love with Kris, she was nervous about it, being her first time. But Kris had been understanding and was even giving her the time to get comfortable with the idea.

Kris stood up and helped Nicole to her feet. "What would you like to do today?" she asked as she loosely put her arm around Nicole's shoulders.

"Hmm, first how about some breakfast!" Nicole grinned at Kris as she wrapped her arm around the taller woman's waist.

"Okay, we can't have you starve to death, now can we?" Kris chuckled, getting a slap on the stomach from Nicole.

"It's not my fault if I'm always hungry!" she said as she stuck the tip of her tongue at the older woman.

"Hey! Don't stick that out if you don't intend to use it." Kris teased, getting a good laugh from Nicole in the bargain.

"Oh, believe me. I intend to use it real well." She winked up at Kris as both started walking towards the house.

A huge grin on the stuntwoman's face was Nicole's only answer.

**********

The day's destination had been Old Montreal. Nicole knew that Kris was still tired and she didn't want to go too far away so that the stuntwoman wouldn't tire herself even more. Nicole wanted to have a relaxing day and evening for the both of them. There was still so much to do and see so close to home and Nicole had promised two weeks ago to act as tour guide for Kris. The tall Austrian had agreed to play tourist, accepting Nicole's little impromptu history lesson with a grin.

A brief stop to buy some cheese, cold cuts, bread and cocktail carrots, and they headed for the Champ-de-Mars, a huge public expanse surrounded by trees. It was the perfect place to relax and soak up some sun. A superb view of downtown Montreal greeted both women, the best place for a small picnic. They took their time, enjoying the fresh air, watching the children play and laughed at the antics of a couple of dogs running after and catching in mid flight balls and sticks.

After lunch, they continued towards Place d'Youville, stopping briefly at the old Grey Nuns Hospital where the oldest section dates back to 1693 and Place Jacques-Cartier in the heart of Old Montreal. The gentle slope down from the Nelson monument afforded a superb view of the Old Port. A major gathering place and entertainment site in Old Montreal, Place Jacques-Cartier drew passers-by and visitors, enjoying street artists, roving entertainers, jugglers, mimes, face painters and caricaturists. Sidewalk cafés and lively restaurants lining the square with Victorian street lamps created a festive atmosphere day and night.

As the day wore on, Nicole guided Kris along Saint Paul where many of the buildings, which dated from the 19th century had been renovated and served as boutiques, artists' studios and even homes. Nicole visited one boutique after the other, with Kris following close behind, an amused grin on her face. From the way things looked, Nicole seemed more the tourist than Kris was. The different Inuit and Native American pieces of art seemed to catch the younger woman's attention, from the sculpted seals in soap stone, to the Dream Catchers, to the suede moccasins and native jewelry. The street overflowed with warm, inviting restaurants offering traditional Québécois fare and they decided to stop at one of them for dinner.

It had been such a beautiful day, Kris smiled to herself as she listened to Nicole chat animatedly. She had enjoyed her day immensely and it was obvious that Nicole had enjoyed hers as well. She had been amazed to see the quantities of food that Nicole could swallow in one day. What was the most amazing was that all the food didn't seem to have any effect on Nicole's slim form. Kris shook her head in amusement as Nicole finished her piece of maple syrup pie.

"Are you sure you don't want another bite?" Nicole asked half way through. She chuckled as she watched Kris shake her head no. "Okay, your loss." Nicole grinned at her companion. "I love that stuff." She cleared her plate and took one last sip of her coffee. "That was great!"

"Yes it was." Kris grinned. "Do you always eat everything with the same attack plan?" she chuckled.

"Yep, everything." Nicole nodded and looked up at Kris. "Well, almost everything." She added with a grin and a wink. "I suppose some things I would just take my time and savor the moment."

Kris bit her lip not to start laughing out loud in the restaurant. "I can't wait to find out what those things are." Kris teased as they both stood up after Kris paid the bill and exited the restaurant.

Nicole couldn't help the blush that was now heating her face. "Well, some of them you already found out." She quickly glanced at Kris and saw a beautiful smile on the tall, dark-haired woman's face.

They continued walking down the street, passing busy nightclubs and jazz clubs which added spice to the neighborhood nightlife. The cobblestone road was crowded with horse-drawn carriages and a sudden idea crossed Nicole's mind.

"Kris?" Nicole asked, stopping at the corner of the street.

The tall woman turned her attention from an artist working on a painting to her young companion beside her. "Hmmm?"

"There's something I'd like to do but I'd like you to promise me that you'll let me do it, okay?" Nicole asked, hoping that her friend would let her do what she wanted.

"What is it?" Kris asked, knowing just by looking at Nicole that the younger woman had something planned.

"Just promise me you'll agree, please?"

She didn't know what Nicole had in mind, but it was obviously very important to her. Kris took a moment before finally nodding her head. "Sure, I promise." She smiled as Nicole got excited all over again.

"You've given me so much, I just want to be able to give you something in return and…"

"Nick, you don't have to…" Kris started.

"You promised!" Nicole said with a smile and waited until Kris nodded again. "It's not much, but I thought it would be a special way to end our evening in Old Montreal." Nicole continued as they walked toward a series of horse-drawn carriages. "It's a very nice ride through the old streets and we get to visit a lot too."

Kris smiled at her younger companion and bent to whisper in Nicole's ear. "And it's very romantic." She said as she gave the blonde a soft kiss on the temple. "That's very nice of you. Thank you."

A beaming Nicole looked up at Kris, happy that her idea had been well received. They walked up to an available carriage and climbed aboard. The driver slowly got the horse going and proceeded to guide the two women through the streets of Montreal.

"If you ever come to Austria for a visit, I promise you that we'll do the same through the streets of old Innsbruck." Kris softly said in Nicole's ear.

"I'd love that very much." Nicole smiled as she cuddled against her companion. She nestled her head comfortably in Kris' shoulder as the stuntwoman wrapped her arm around Nicole's shoulders, bringing the smaller woman closer to her.

To feel Nicole against her like this and the thought of her young friend visiting her in Innsbruck someday was enough to get Kris smiling again. She listened absentmindedly to the guide reciting the history of the buildings they were going by and concentrated on the wonderful feeling that was going through her body, wanting to commit to memory another exciting day spent in such wonderful company and with such a beautiful woman.

**********

The ride back home had been uneventful. Neither woman was in a hurry to part and after a brief conversation, they had decided to head back to Kris' house and relax, stopping briefly at a video store to rent two movies for the evening. Once inside the house, Kris had changed into a pair of sweatpants and T-shirt to be more comfortable. Remembering Nicole's dress pants and blouse, Kris reached into the drawers and called out to Nicole to come into the bedroom.

Kris smiled at the smaller woman as she entered the room. "Would you be more comfortable wearing this?" she asked as she held out a large T-shirt towards Nicole, "It might be a bit big for you though."

"Oh, that would be great, thanks!" Nicole smiled as she took the offered T-shirt and looked at the words written on the front. "Is that German?"

Chuckling, Kris closed the drawer and opened the bathroom door for Nicole to change into. "That's a joke my crew did after a small incident that happened last year."

"What does it mean?" Nicole asked, still looking at the unfamiliar words.

"It means: Tall, Dark and Deadly."

"Deadly?" the younger woman asked, both eyebrows nearly at her hairline.

"While performing a stunt, a seagull had the misfortune of crossing the car's path. It hit the windshield. That's where I got the 'deadly' from."

"Oh!" the thought of the bird crashing against a racing car gave Nicole shivers down her back. "What a mess that must have been!"

"Here," Kris chuckled again at Nicole who was still staring at the shirt. "You can change in here." she said as she indicated the bathroom and let Nicole walk by her. "Would you mind if we watch the movies here?" Kris asked out loud to be heard through the closed door. "I installed the video player in the room last week. But I can put it…"

"No, watching the movies here is fine." Nicole called out and then opened the door and walked out. She now wore Kris' T-shirt but it came down to her knees. "How do I look?" she asked with a grin.

"You look real cute." Kris said as she popped a videocassette in the VCR and sat on the bed, leaning against a couple of pillows. "Comfortable?"

"You bet!" Nicole smiled as she got onto the bed and cuddled against Kris. "This looks like a slumber party! You know, like the ones we see on TV?" she said as she looked up at Kris. "I never had one of those."

Reaching out to turn off the light, Kris wrapped her arm around the smaller woman and smiled down at her. "There's a time for everything." She lightly kissed Nicole's lips and brought her closer against her.

A few minutes passed in comfortable silence before Nicole spoke up again. "Kris?"

"Hmmm?"

"Thanks for inviting me over for the night. I didn't feel like going home alone." She gave the taller woman a squeeze before burrowing herself more comfortably against Kris.

Kissing the top of Nicole's hair, Kris took a deep breath as she closed her eyes, "I'm glad you're here Nick."

Nicole never saw the ending of the first movie. The younger woman quickly fell asleep, curled into a ball next to Kris. She had watched her companion sleep, hearing her regular breathing hoping that sleep would claim her too. No such luck. Having finished watching the movies, Kris decided to get up and do some work in the office. Only a few stunts remained to be performed and by the end of the week, the first project would be finished and Nicole would continue working with her uncle until the movie was completed. Kris would then have one week of free time before she started teaching at the Canadian Stunt School for one month. 'Now that should be fun' Kris thought with a smile.

A small noise caught Kris' attention. She held her breath and listened more closely. 'There it is again!' Kris stood up from her desk and quietly walked out of the small office. The sound seemed to be coming from the bedroom. Kris worried that Nicole was in trouble when she heard a small whimper and she hurried towards the room. She walked in to find the younger woman caught in a nightmare, her legs kicking out and her arms pushing at an invisible assailant. "No! Please Daddy, no!" Nicole mumbled in her sleep.

Kris quickly sat on the bed and reached out to Nicole, gently brushing away sweaty locks of blonde hair from her face. "Shhh, it's okay," she said softly. "It's just a nightmare."

"Daddy…NO!" Nicole screamed and sat up straight, breathing heavily. She could feel strong arms holding her, preventing her from escaping. 'He's here!' Nicole's sleepy mind told her. She started fighting even more, trying to push away the arms surrounding her. "Please, stop!" she cried.

"Nicole it's me, Kris." She said softly as she held the trembling woman in her arms, gently brushing her fingers through the blonde hair. "Shhh, it's okay, I've got you."

"Kris?" Nicole asked with a shaky voice. "I'm sorry." Remembering where she was, Nicole suddenly threw her arms around Kris' neck and held on for dear life, realizing that the arms that were holding her before had not been her father's but Kris'.

"Everything's gonna be okay now, shhh." She continued rocking the smaller woman back and forth, humming softly. She could feel Nicole's body slowly relax in her arms, her breathing going back to a more normal rhythm. 'Were these nightmares the reason why Nicole looked so tired in the mornings?' She could feel her temper rise at the thought that Nicole's father was responsible for this. Thoughts on how she could make the bastard pay for the pain he was causing Nicole rushed through her mind. "Are you okay?"

Nicole nodded silently. She felt safe here in Kris' arms. Felt protected. Somehow, she knew that Kris would keep her away from harm. She didn't know how, she just knew. "I'm okay now." She quietly said as she let go of Kris and sat back.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Kris asked.

"It's always the same thing." Nicole tiredly rubbed at her eyes. "My father comes home, he's upset, I manage to do something wrong, he hits me." Nicole explained in a quiet voice.

"Nicole, he's got no right to hit you." Kris tried to reason with her friend. "No matter what the situation is."

"But he's not always like this. Sometimes…" she started.

"It doesn't matter Nicole." Kris insisted. "You can't go on like this Nick, you deserve better." A small shrug from Nicole was Kris' only answer. "You need to get out of his house. He'll continue to terrorize you if you stay there."

"But where would I go?" Nicole asked looking up at Kris, her eyes red and watery. "I have very little money, most of it goes to my father and after the movie I'll have no job."

"Your uncle offered to give you a room, right?" Taking a deep breath, Kris spoke out loud the thought that went through her mind earlier. "Or you could stay here, with me." She watched for any reaction from the younger woman and saw a hint of hope on her face before it quickly disappeared.

"I couldn't do that." She said in a whisper looking down at the bed. "I wouldn't want to become a burden for you."

Kris quickly lifted Nicole's chin to make her look in her eyes. "You are not a burden to me Nicole. I'm offering this because I want you to…I'd like…" Kris took a deep breath to steady her heartbeat. "I'd like you to stay with me Nicole." Kris admitted. "You don't need to say anything right now, but think about it okay?" she smiled at the smaller woman when she nodded finally. "Why don't you get some sleep." She said as she slowly got up. "I'll be in the livingroom if you need anything."

"Please," Nicole quickly held Kris' hand, "Stay here with me?"

Kris slowly nodded and slipped under the blankets. Nicole quickly cuddled against Kris, holding on tight. She held the smaller woman in her arms, and soon heard Nicole's breathing slowly become more regular. "Thank you." She heard Nicole mumble just before falling asleep. Kris softly kissed the blonde head under her chin and smiled, soon joining her companion in sleep.

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

The day at work seemed to go so slowly for Nicole. Kris, after giving her a ride to the set, had gone back home to continue working on the next stunts. Most of the planning was done but Kris wanted to make sure that everything was perfect. She would be on the set tomorrow, ready to have the next stunt performed, but it didn't help Nicole feel any better. Their daily lunch together had been fun but Nicole wished that the tall Austrian had stayed longer. She shook her head, smiling, not believing the way she was reacting to Kris. She hoped she would fall in love one day but she had never expected that she would fall for another woman.

Nicole took another bite of her apple as she sat under a tree, chuckling while remembering this morning. What a feeling it had been to wake up in Kris' arms, comfortably nestled against the taller woman's body. A light breeze from the lake came in through the patio door, causing the curtains to flutter gently, the birds singing sweetly in a tree not too far away. Why did she have to get up this morning? She had finally found peace and comfort. Why ruin it by coming to work? Nicole chuckled again.

 "Hey girl!" Alex said, sitting beside her smiling cousin. "You seem to be in a good mood today. What's up?"

"Hi!" Nicole smiled and quickly took another bite. "Nothing much."

"Well, your 'nothing much' is making you blush." Alex teased. "Does it concern your tall, dark and extremely gorgeous friend?" she asked as she took a sip of her coke.

"Alex!" Nicole blushed even more.

"Ah!" she exclaimed slapping her thigh. 'I knew it!! Details girl, details!"

Nicole started laughing. "Yes, it does concerns Kris." She glanced at Alex who was grinning at her from ear to ear. Her cousin would understand the way she was feeling now. "I'm in love, Alex."

"Of course you are! I could have told you that a long time ago." She gently poked Nicole in the ribs. "Do you know how Kris feels about you?" she asked but she already knew the answer to that question. Kris looked as in love with Nicole as she did for the stuntwoman. Alex was so happy to finally see her cousin this way. Kris was the best thing that ever happened to Nicole.

"I kissed her." Nicole stated, causing Alex to nearly spew a mouthful of softdrink in her direction.

"You kissed her?" Alex exclaimed. This was getting better by the moment Alex thought grinning. "And?" she pressed as she put the can of coke beside her on the grass.

"Yeah, I did. She didn't run away this time." Nicole smiled, thinking of Kris' reaction to the first massage she had given her.

"Nicole!" Alex threw her hands in the air and stared at her cousin. "Do I have to torture you to get all the information? Details! I want details!"

"Okay! Okay!" Nicole chuckled and then began talking about the massage she had planned for Kris in the dressing room trailer, not knowing how it would turn out. Then she described their day in Old Montreal, her sleeping over at Kris' place for the night and the nightmare.

"She asked you to come live with her?" Alex asked after Nicole had finished talking.

"For the time she'll be in Montreal." Nicole explained. "I still didn't decide what I want to do. I'd eventually have to find a place of my own after she leaves. I couldn't go back to living with Father." She sighed. "I want to stay with her so much, but I feel like I'll just get in her way."

"Nick, listen to me." Alex said, squeezing her friend's hand. "From what I know about Kris through all those European magazines, she isn't the type to make offers like this just for the hell of it. She really cares about you, you know."

"That's what she said." Nicole nodded. Why was it so hard to believe that somebody could love her and would want to be with her? Maybe after all the times her father had told her she was worthless, she had started to believe him.

"And I believe her. Nick, you deserve better than the way your father treats you. It really looks like Kris loves you and she wants to help you. Why don't you let her?"

"I'm scared Alex." Nicole said softly.

"Of what? Moving in with Kris?"

Nicole silently shook her head. "Of my father. He'll go nuts if I move out."

Alex knelt before her cousin and cupped Nicole's face in both of her hands. "He's already nuts Nick!" she said bluntly. "I never liked the bastard. Nick, you're not alone. There's a lot of people who want to help you. Please, let us?" Alex watched as Nicole hesitated for a moment then nodded, making the brunette smile. "Since we're talking seriously, there's just one thing I worry about." She said as she looked into Nicole's green eyes. "How do you feel about Kris leaving to go back home?"

Nicole knew that this question would come out sooner or later. "I wish that she could stay here. I don't want to see her go, but I understand." Nicole explained as she looked out at the people rushing past them. "Falling in love wasn't in anybody's plans but it happened and I'm not sorry about it Alex." Nicole said defensively.

"I'm just worried that you'll get hurt when she does leave, that's all."

"Were you ever hurt in any of your relationships?" Nicole asked her cousin, looking her straight in the eyes. "Things happen. I'll get hurt just like everybody else, if not by Kris leaving, it'll be by something else." She stated and took a deep breath and let it go slowly. "I finally know what being in love feels like Alex, I want to live that to the fullest."

Alex quietly nodded. She understood her friend so much. What Nicole and Kris had together was special, the type of love not too many people got a chance to have. "Okay my friend," she smiled at Nicole, "You convinced me. You're a lucky woman you know that? I just wish I was in your shoes!" she winked at the blonde, grabbed her can of coke and stood up. "Come on, we have to get back to work."

 Nicole smiled at her cousin's remark. Yes she was a lucky woman. Lucky that such a beautiful woman like Kris would want to spend time with her, or better yet that Kris would fall in love with her. Nicole nodded and stood up. 'Live every day to the fullest, my new game plan'.

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

The last stunt was about to be performed. Everything had been checked and checked again, making sure that even the smallest of details had been reviewed. Kris nervously walked about the area, playing with her headset absentmindedly. No matter how well a stunt was planned, when dealing with explosives anything could still go wrong. She scanned the area around her for the tenth time, making sure that the security on set had cleared enough space between the building they were about to blow and the growing numbers of curious onlookers standing behind the barricades.

The space they were working in was minimal. The old, abandoned factory was located in the industrial park of Montreal, with other buildings right across the street, giving the crew very little space to work within. Kris nodded to the explosive experts as they came walking back from setting the charges. Everything was ready and the rest was up to the movie director. It looked like most of the management had shown up for the final performance. The Director Gary Watts was talking with the second unit director and Kris could see that Robert was nervous, judging by the chewing he was doing on his half destroyed pencil. She spotted the two stunt people that were about to perform and headed towards them.

"It promises to be one hell of a bang, right boss?" the young stuntman grinned at Kris.

"If it's anything like the one in 'Law & Revenge', just be sure to tighten your belt or you'll lose your pants, pretty boy." Claudia, the stuntwoman chosen to perform, teased him. "Everything ready?" she asked Kris.

Kris nodded looking out at the still arguing directors and saw the producer now approaching the little group. "If they can make up their minds, we should get going soon." Robert seemed to be more agitated than before and she could see his hands pointing at different locations, shaking his head. Watts, the director, had his arms crossed over his chest and kept silent. Watts said one phrase and both he and the producer left, leaving a fuming Robert behind.

"Doesn't look good." Claudia said as Robert walked to a small group of technicians and dispatched them in different locations. "What is he doing? They're going too close to the explosion site!"

"I don't like this." Kris said between clenched teeth. "Take your positions and wait for my signal." She told both stunt people and headed towards Robert.

Robert saw Kris heading his way and held a hand up to stop the stunt coordinator from saying anything. "Don't you say anything!" he said as he planted his feet solidly in front of Kris and brushed his hands through his grey hair. "Bunch of stupid assholes!" he spat, furious. "They didn't like the camera angles I chose for the shot, they changed the whole plan."

"But the cameramen will have less protection from the blast where they are standing now." Kris argued. "This is insane!"

"I know." Robert said, defeat in his voice. "The big boys want it this way." He looked up at Kris and gave her a half smile. "You wouldn't happen to have any army helmets or flak jackets for the crew, would you?" he shook his head and scratched his jaw. "Everything ready on your side?"

"Do you want me to talk to Watts? Maybe I can change his mind. Insists on the security of the crew, maybe..." Kris started but was cut by the second unit director.

"I already tried. I argued as much as I could." Robert shook his head. "He says they have enough protection where they are and will get better shots that way." He quickly looked around them and spotted the rest of the technical crew standing a few feet away, among them Nicole and Alex. "They look excited about the blast."

Kris turned to see where Robert was looking and spotted Nicole who waved enthusiastically at her. Kris smiled and waved back. "It's not everyday that you get to see a building blow up." Kris said as they started to walk towards the explosive experts. "I just wish Nic…that they wouldn't be so close." Kris quickly rephrased.

Robert looked at the stuntwoman and smiled. "They are far enough, don't worry." Before reaching the explosives operator, Robert reached out and stopped the tall woman by her arm. "Kris, I never thanked you for all that you've done for Nicole. I've never seen her so happy, especially when you're around."

"I'm only trying to…"

"You don't have to explain, Kris." Robert held a hand up and smiled. "I know that you care a lot about her and that she cares about you too. She's happy Kris, that's what's important to me." He gave a small pat on her shoulder, "Come on, let's get this show going." He said as they continued walking.

Kris quietly walked behind the director and watched as he made his last round among the different department supervisors, making sure that everybody was ready. Did it show that much on her face what Nicole meant to her? Even Robert had noticed. She glanced one more time at where Nicole was standing and smiled as she saw the young woman chat animatedly with Alex.

"Kris, you're ready?" she heard Robert ask. She quickly scanned the area one last time, seeing both stunt performers waiting at their mark, the firefighters and medic units waiting on the side.

"We're ready." She confirmed as she lifted her hand in the air and looked at the stunt people, holding her fingers extended.

"Okay people!" Robert called out in a loud voice, "Everybody get ready!" He glanced at the explosive operator and saw his hands ready by the controls. "Okay, start rolling cameras!"

"Cameras rolling!" Somebody called back.

"Stuntmen ready in five, four, three, two, one…GO!" Robert yelled as Kris ticked off her fingers with every seconds and then brought her hand down in one swift motion.

Coming out of the explosive rigged building, both stunt people started running away from the factory. Following the plan made by Kris, the male character stumbled on the ground holding on to his wounded leg. The female character stopped running and turned back to help her fallen comrade, pulling him back on his feet to continue running away.

"Explosives ready in five, four, three, two, one…GO!" he yelled again as the explosive operator hit the switches in pre-determined sequences.

As the stunt people continued running, an incredible explosion was heard, shaking the surrounding buildings by the blast. Glass from the deserted factory windows came exploding out, pieces of concrete and materials came flying up and then raining down around the two performers who had been thrown on the ground by the force of the explosion. A gigantic ball of flames and smoke could be seen above the building that had started to crumble towards the ground like a huge wounded beast.

Something had gone wrong, Kris thought as debris started falling down further than anticipated. People behind the fences had started to run away from the site as big chunks of bricks and concrete fell around them. She saw the technical crew that had been moved closer to the explosion site run away to get undercover, leaving behind the cameras still filming.

The amount of falling debris had somewhat declined when Kris started sprinting towards the stunt people lying on the ground. She quickly knelt beside them as they slowly got up and sat, and then she inspected them for any major injuries. "You guys okay?" she asked. Both nodded as they brushed off the concrete dust on their clothes.

"What the hell happened?" Claudia asked slightly shaken. "We weren't supposed to get bombarded by debris."

"Somebody's balls will be in trouble." Mario, the young stuntman said. "I bet those explosives guys are really nervous right now." He grumbled.

Kris helped them get up and once she was satisfied that neither had suffered any serious injuries, looked around to find Robert. Somebody was going to pay for this foul-up. "Get the medics to clean those cuts." She told the stunt performers and headed off towards the directors and producer.

Ripping her headset off her head, Kris handed it to a gopher that was walking by. A sudden panic took hold of her as she remembered that Nicole had been standing among the crew in the area where a lot of debris had fallen. Turning around to look at the assembled group of technicians, she started running in the opposite direction from where she had been heading and started to look for the small blonde.

"Nicole?" she called out loud, trying to find a familiar face and ask about Nicole's location. Kris spotted a group of technicians surrounding somebody sitting on the ground and the stuntwoman started running even faster towards them, her heart beating in her throat.

Some distance away, Robert was arguing violently with Watts, his face crimson with rage. "What do you mean it's not your fault?" he screamed, veins bulging out of his throat. "Don't you dare put the fault on your assistant! You're the one who hired those amateurs!"

"Robert, just cool off okay?" the director was trying to calm McGrail. "Nobody got seriously hurt, just a couple of scratches that's all. Besides, we got great shots!"

Robert turned around, and took a few steps away from the director. If he didn't do that he was going to hit him. The only thing that mattered to that asshole Watts were his shots. It didn't matter if people got injured, even though they weren't seriously hurt. Robert scanned the area slowly, looking at all the debris littering the ground and watched as the firefighters battled the flames that were still coming out of the crumpled building. A sudden move caught his attention and he turned his head to see Kris start running towards a group of technicians. Forgetting Watts and the producer, Robert started running after the dark-haired stuntwoman.

Pushing people out of the way, Kris saw that it was Nicole who was sitting on the ground, a trail of blood running down from the side of her head and down her jaw. "Nicole!" she exclaimed with a shaking voice.

Slightly dazed, Nicole looked up at the sound of the familiar voice. Kris was pushing people away and quickly knelt down beside her. "Kris?"

"I'm here." She said softly, as she brushed a lock of hair away from Nicole's bloodied face and put it behind her ear. "I want the medics here, now!" she ordered the technicians surrounding them and turned her attention back to Nicole, only then noticing that the person kneeling beside the blonde woman was Alex. "How are you feeling?" Kris asked Nicole, her voice back to a soft level.

"I'm okay." Nicole assured the stuntwoman. "Just a little dizzy, that's all."

Kris quickly looked at Alex and asked the seemingly uninjured gopher, "How about you?" Alex hadn't let go of Nicole's shoulders and was holding on tight. She really looked upset by her cousin's injury.

"I'm okay." The brunette said. "Is there anything I can do?" she asked Kris.

"Yeah, get everybody away from here." Kris said. She watched as Alex nodded and quickly stood up and started backing people away from both women. Turning her eyes back to Nicole, she saw that the younger woman had started to shake slightly. Kris quickly wrapped her arms around Nicole and pulled her close to her, holding on tight. "You're going to be all right, Shhh." She whispered in her ear, gently rocking the smaller woman back and forth. Kris could feel tears starting to form in her eyes, thinking that her young friend could have been more seriously injured. She should've insisted that Nicole not be present on the site. Even though the accident wasn't her fault, Kris felt responsible for what had happened, for Nicole's injuries.

As soon as Kris had pulled her closer, Nicole had tightly held on to Kris, feeling the strong arms surrounding her. She was okay. Kris was here. Everything was going to be all right, she told herself. Aside from a cut she had received when a small piece of concrete had hit her on the side of the head, Nicole wasn't that badly hurt. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, she relaxed in Kris' arms. Nicole felt small tremors through Kris' body and looked up. Kris had her eyes tightly shut and Nicole could see tears had fallen down her cheeks. "Kris? Are you okay?"

The medics arrived at the same time as Robert did. He saw them checking up on the injured people and quickly began treating them. The scene on the ground in front of him that greeted him touched him greatly. Kris was kneeling on the ground, crying with a bloodied Nicole in her arms. His niece was looking up at the stuntwoman and gently wiping tears away with her fingers. "Kris?" he heard Nicole say.

"You could have been seriously hurt, I'm so sorry." Kris said her voice cracking with emotions.

"It's not your fault Kris. It was an accident." Nicole spoke gently to the dark-haired woman. "I wanted to be here. I didn't want to miss the show."

"But you got hurt." Kris said as she felt another tear sliding down her cheek.

"I'm okay Kris." She softly reassured the stuntwoman as she looked into the pale blue eyes looking back at her. Nicole stretched up and gave Kris a small kiss on the lips and then smiled. "I'm okay." She whispered.

Kneeling down beside both women, a medic started examining Nicole, making sure that her head trauma wasn't serious. Kris reluctantly let Nicole go so that the medic could do his job properly and stood up, keeping her eyes on the smaller woman.

Robert lightly touched Kris' arm and smiled. "They're going to take care of her, Kris. Let's go have a talk with Watts."

"No." Kris said, still watching the medic examine Nicole. "I don't want to leave Nicole alone."

"Kris, I'll be fine." Nicole said with a smile. "Go take care of business. I'll join you soon after the medic's done." She saw Kris hesitate slightly. "Go on Tiger, go kick some butts!"

Kris smiled and then chuckled slightly. "Okay, I'll see you soon." She bent down to Nicole's level and kissed her, not caring if anybody was watching. She stood up again and started walking then suddenly stopped and turned back to look at Nicole. "Tiger?!" she mouthed, causing the young blonde to smirk.

"I think it suits you!" Robert smiled but quickly lost it as Kris glared at him. "Or maybe not." He quickly added.

Kris silently shook her head. 'Tiger.' Nobody had ever given her a pet name before, and it felt…nice, Kris decided with a smile as they headed towards the nervous looking Watts and his producer. Kris was in a perfect mood to 'Kick some butts' like Nicole had put it so well.

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

"Do you think you had enough?" Kris asked with a grin. She looked at all the empty cartons of Chinese food on the table, most of it eaten by Nicole. The younger woman pushed her plate away from her with a sigh.

"Oh yeah!" she smiled while rubbing her stomach. "Couldn't have another bite." Nicole said as she started to get up to clear the table. "Thanks for having me over for..."

Kris quickly stood up and took the plates away from Nicole's hands. "I'll do that. You just relax okay?" She cleared the table and put the dishes in the dishwasher, "The doctor said to take it easy for awhile. How's your headache?"

"Kris, I'm fine!" Nicole shook her head with a smile. Ever since they had come back from the hospital, Kris hadn't stopped fussing over Nicole, making sure that she was comfortable. Her injury wasn't that serious, but the doctor had told her to take a few days to relax. "I appreciate all the attention though." She grinned at Kris and let herself be guided out of the kitchen towards the livingroom.

Taking a pillow from the sofa, Kris fluffed it before putting it behind Nicole's back once the younger woman sat down. "I just want to make sure that you'll be okay." She fussed with it just a tad longer before stepping away, satisfied.

"Are you always this caring with slightly injured friends?" Nicole teased.

"Only to the ones that I really care about." Kris answered as she sat down beside her. "And there aren't that many."

"Thanks for the pillow, but I'd rather have you." Nicole smiled as she leaned onto Kris. "I'm going to miss you this weekend."

Kris had planned a working weekend at a horse-breeding stable some distance away from Montreal. She wanted to check out the latest techniques and equipment in treating horse injuries. Having horses performing stunts also meant having to deal with all kinds of injuries. Kris had spoken to the veterinarian that was working full time at her estate and had promised her to look into specified equipment for their uses. Now with Nicole's injury, Kris was very reluctant to leave her younger companion alone for the time she would be away.

"I'm not going." Kris decided.

Sitting up on the sofa, Nicole looked Kris in the eyes. "Why?" she asked, "I'm going to be just fine. I promise that I'll be careful okay?" Nicole gently took one of Kris' large hands in hers and gave it a squeeze. "I know this visit is very important to you Kris and you had so much trouble getting an appointment with these people. Also, you don't have much free time left before you start teaching at the stunt school." She smiled at the tall woman and leaned back against her. "Besides, I have some housework to do before Sunday."

"That's another reason why I don't want to spend my weekend away from you." Kris said as she started brushing her fingers through Nicole's hair. "Your father will be coming back and it'll be difficult to see each other like we have the past two weeks."

The past two weeks had been the most incredible weeks Nicole ever had. She felt so at ease and at peace with Kris and especially loved. She didn't want to lose that feeling and she was damned if she'd let her father get in the way. She was scared of her father's reaction to her moving out of the house, but she couldn't continue living in fear like this. Kris had shown her that she could live as an independent woman, being in control of her own destiny. It was about time that she did something about it. A smile slowly crossed her lips at the thought of telling Kris about it. "We'll have plenty of time to see each other Kris." Nicole reassured her and waited for a moment before continuing, "If the offer is still open that is, I'd like to come and stay with you."

Kris held her breath. Did she hear right? She slightly moved so that she could see Nicole's face. The younger woman was smiling at her, waiting for her answer. Her heart began beating wildly against her chest. "Really?" she softly asked, afraid that Nicole was playing a bad joke on her. She watched as the younger woman silently nodded with a smile. "Of course the offer is still open!" she exclaimed in joy and gave Nicole a hug. "It'll give you a chance to get away from your father and…" Soft fingers on Kris' lips made her stop talking and she blinked at Nicole in surprise.

"Kris, I'm not asking to move in with you to run away from my father." She smiled at the now silent woman. "I'm doing this because I want to be with you." She slightly moved so she could look at Kris better. "You made me realize that I need to do things because I want to, not because I'm ordered to. I want to work with movie cameras and go back to school to learn about the techniques properly. I want to be able to have friends come visit me and not be scared of him going nuts." Nicole looked into Kris' blue eyes and smiled. "I want to be able to live my life with a loved one, even if it means for a short amount of time." She paused slightly and took a deep breath and let it go slowly. "Kris, I want to live."

Kristina didn't know what to say. Words couldn't express what she was feeling right now. So she did the next best thing. She wrapped both of her arms around Nicole and held her close against her. How could she leave this woman behind when she went back to Austria, Kris thought. Nicole was quickly becoming such an important part of her life, making her feel so alive, she didn't want to leave that behind. They had known each other for nearly a month now and Nicole had made such an impact on her that she still didn't know what hit her. Kris had loved before, but this time it was different, she was in love, head over heels.

Nicole smiled as she rested against Kris, lovingly wrapped in the long and muscular arms. She could clearly hear the older woman's fast heartbeat and feel her warm breath caressing the side of her face. She didn't know what the future held for her or for the both of them, but she knew that she had made the right decision. "Kris?" she asked softly, breaking the comfortable silence.

"Hmm?"

"Promise me that you'll go to the stables in Quebec City and enjoy yourself over the weekend?" Nicole asked as she distractedly trailed her fingers on Kris' stomach.

"But don't you need help moving your things out of the house?" Kris asked softly, loving the effect the younger woman had on her. Nicole's slowly moving fingers were giving her a nice tingle all over her body.

"I don't own much." Nicole sadly said. "Mostly clothes and books. Alex said she would help get most of my stuff out before my father arrives Sunday."

"But…" Kris started.

"Promise me?" Nicole said, slightly poking Kris in the stomach. "I mean it Kris. I want you to have a good time this weekend, even if it's not a pleasure trip." She said as she continued her aimless exploring. "I'll be fine."

Kris let a sigh escape her lips. She hated to leave Nicole alone with her maniac father. At least she said that Alex would be there to help her. Kris also knew that Nicole could count on her uncle if anything happened. She would feel so much better if could be with Nicole though. "I'll promise you only if you'll do something for me okay?"

"Okay."

"I gave you my cell phone number before right?" Kris asked, feeling Nicole nod. "Okay, you give me a call as soon as you're out of the house or especially if something goes wrong, all right?" This was the best she could do to make herself feel better. Nicole seemed to feel like everything was going to go well, but asking her this made Kris feel slightly better.

"Nothing will…" Nicole started.

"Is it a deal? I'll go for the weekend and you give me a call no matter what's going on?"

'This went better than I thought!' Nicole smiled to herself. She knew that Kris was really looking forward to the visit but wouldn't want to leave Nicole alone, especially after hearing what she was about to do. "It's a deal." Nicole agreed.

"Also, promise me that you'll be careful? Run out of there if you see that he'll go nuts." Kris insisted.

"You are a real mother hen, you know that?" Nicole chuckled. "I promise I'll be careful."

Satisfied, Kris leaned more comfortably in the sofa and brought the smaller woman closer to her. She wished that she could be there with Nicole but she understood the need for her to face her father with her decision. It was Nicole's first step towards being an independent woman.

"How about if we watch a movie?" Nicole asked.

Kris nodded, accepting Nicole's silent wish to change the subject. She was beginning to know her young companion. Kris reached for the remote control and switched the TV on to see what was interesting. It would be their last evening together before everything happened and Kris wanted Nicole to relax and enjoy herself. Things would get rough fast enough.

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Nicole wandered around the house, trying to see if she had forgotten anything. All of her clothing was already at Robert's place. Alex had helped her pack the books and CDs that she had, along with her TV and CD player. All that remained was a small travel bag filled with little things she found around the house. Things like her mother's favorite coffee mug that was still in the cupboard. Along with the pictures that she had on her night table, the mug was all Nicole had that belonged to her deceased mother.

It had been a long and lonely weekend without Kris, but she had called Nicole twice Saturday and three times today, wanting to know if everything was okay. Kris told her that new equipment had been bought for the stables and that it would be shipped to Austria soon. Kris' business trip was a success and she would be coming back on Monday. Nicole couldn't wait to be with her friend again. She smiled as she remembered Kris telling her that she missed her. Nicole's heart stopped briefly as she heard a car door slam shut. She quickly hid the travel bag beside the front door and waited for her father to come in.

McGrail came barreling into the house and dropped his suitcases at Nicole's feet. "Bring those bags to my room." was the greeting he gave his daughter, and marched into the kitchen. Nicole silently grabbed the bags and did as she was told. This was not the time to make him angry. After dropping the suitcases into the room and closing the door behind her, Nicole took a deep breath and walked towards the kitchen.

Her father had served himself a cup of coffee and was sitting at the table reading papers that he had brought in with him. A good sign that her father was angry or in a bad mood would have been his going into his office directly. Seeing him sitting in the kitchen gave Nicole courage enough to inform her father of her decision.

Nicole took a few hesitant steps forward and stood some distance away from the table. "How was your trip father?" she asked with a soft voice.

"Hmmphh, what do you want?" he tersely asked, never lifting his eyes from his papers.

She swallowed a few times and held her hands in front of her to stop them from shaking. "I came to tell you goodbye."

McGrail looked up briefly to look at his daughter. "You're going to bed early?"

"I'm not going to bed father, I'm leaving to go live on my own." She held her breath as she saw her father slowly put his coffee mug on the table and stood up.

"What did you say?" he asked slowly, his voice a deep rumble.

'Don't quit now girl!' Nicole told herself as she stood a little straighter in front of her father. "I'm moving out. I'm eighteen years old dad, it's about time that I live on my own."

"Who put those ideas in your head girl?" he asked as he slowly stepped forward.

"Nobody did father." Nicole fearfully said. "You gave me food and shelter all my life and for that I'm grateful." She said taking one step back to match her father's steps. "But it's time that I do this on my own now."

"And how are you going to live? You don't even have a good job!"

That question had surprised Nicole. She had expected her father to rant and rave but never to ask a legitimate question like this. "Uncle Robert said he would give me a job at the studios. He would also help me go back to school."

"And would my dear brother also give you a place to live?" McGrail asked, crossing his arms over his massive chest.

There was no way that Nicole would implicate Kris in this. She didn't want to lie to her father either. "I'll have my own place eventually." was the answer Nicole gave him. She watched him closely for any signs that he was losing his temper but found none. He looked calm and collected. Nicole started feeling a little more comfortable. "I want to go to school and become a camera person. I want to travel the world and see places that I've always read about."

"But I want you to go to school too. I already talked to a friend of mine so you could start your lessons next semester." He calmly explained. I want you to have a good, stable job that will give you a future, not make you some kind of drifter hopping around the world aimlessly." He said as he slowly approached his daughter.

"But daddy, courses in management aren't what I want to do, I want to learn the techniques of filming movies and go on location. Alex applied to be part of a crew that will be filming in Central Africa. I'd like to do that too and..." she watched as his calm features slowly turned into a frown and then became hard.

"So it's Alex who turned you against me!" He said in a low, dangerous voice. "I told you to stay away from that dyke. She will only cause you trouble."

"Alex had nothing to do with this daddy, I swear!" Nicole said as she took another step back away from her furious father. "I just want to live my life…"

"I gave you everything that you needed. Food…" McGrail took a step forward while Nicole took one back, "…Shelter…" another step, "…Clothes…" and another. "…Everything that you wanted. You know what you are? You're just a little ingrate, that's what you are, just like your mother." he spat.

"That's not true daddy, I always apprec…" Nicole started.

"Are you calling me a liar girl?" he hissed as he swung his right arm and hit Nicole across the face, sending the small woman bouncing off the kitchen sink and collapsing to the floor.

Nicole lifted a shaky hand to her lip and looked at her fingers to see blood on them. She looked up at her father through teary eyes. "Why?" she asked McGrail who stood towering above her. "Why do you keep hitting me?"

"Because you deserve it, you little bitch!" he reached down and grabbed both of Nicole's arms and dragged her up back on her feet. "You're just like your mother! All you women are all the same!" he screamed shaking Nicole like a rag doll. "You tease men by flirting with us, wear clothes that should get you arrested, promise to spend the night with us and then laugh at us as you leave us behind to go into another's arms…with another woman!!!" he slapped Nicole again, sending her reeling against the fridge, crying.

The man was clearly insane, Nicole thought. She didn't know what the hell he was talking about. Who was the woman he was talking about? Did he mean that it was her mother who left for another woman or was it somebody else? Her father wasn't making any sense. She saw him take a few steps towards her and she quickly moved out of the way. "ENOUGH!!" she screamed, surprising him. "I've had enough of you hitting me." she said through clenched teeth. "I don't want to live like this anymore, I'm leaving!" she stated with confidence, quickly turning around and headed towards the front door. A loud noise behind her made her look back and she saw that her father had thrown a chair against the wall and was coming after her. She started running, quickly grabbing her travel bag on the way and tore through the door and ran outside.

"Come back here you bitch!!!" Nicole heard him yell. She didn't stop. She knew that if she did, he would probably kill her. Nicole kept running, trying to get away from her insane father. She didn't know where she was heading but she just wanted to get away.

After a while, Nicole looked behind her and saw that her father wasn't following anymore. She ran down another street and ended up at the general store two blocks away from Kris' house. She headed towards the public phone and reached into her jeans pocket for a quarter. Pulling the crumpled piece of paper out of her pocket, she wiped her eyes of the tears and angled the paper towards the light so she could see the number scrawled on it. She picked up the receiver and inserted the quarter into the slot and dialed the number. As she listened to the rings, Nicole kept her eyes open for any signs of her father. She sniffed a couple of times, trying to get her tears and breathing under control. It wouldn't do to start crying again with Kris three hours away from Montreal.

"Hello?" Kris said at the other end of the line. How good it was to hear a familiar voice. "Kris, it's me." Nicole said, trying to keep her voice steady. She gingerly touched her lip with her fingers and saw that it was still bleeding.

"How are you?" Kris asked. "You sound nervous, is everything all right?"

"I'm okay Kris, I'm…" she could feel the tears coming back again and swallowed a couple of times trying to keep herself from crying. "I'm okay." Her voice cracked, betraying her emotional state of mind.

"Where are you now?" Kris asked worry in her voice. "Did your father hit you?"

"I'm at the corner store near your place in a public phone booth." Nicole sniffed again. "He's nuts!" she cried.

"Listen to me Nicole. Go into the store and ask the clerk to make a call for you. Stay inside. Call your uncle and tell him to come and pick you up there, okay?"

Nicole nodded to the phone, and looked outside around the booth once again. "Okay." She said as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

"I'll be with you as soon as possible, Nicole. I'm leaving right now."

"Kris, you don't…" Nicole started.

"Go inside the store right now, Nicole. You'll be safer there." Kris instructed the younger woman. "Listen, I'll call Robert. You just wait for him inside, okay?"

"Okay…Kris?" Nicole spoke softly into the phone. "Please be careful riding back? I'm fine now. Really."

"I'll see you soon Nick." There was a silent moment before Kris continued again. "I lov…" she started, "See you soon." She said instead.

"Bye." Nicole said, missing Kris' half-declared admission and hung up. Nicole stepped out of the phone booth and took another look around and saw no signs of her father. She quickly made her way towards the store and entered. She gave the woman working behind the counter a shy smile, "Would it be possible to have a tissue or something?" she asked the clerk, fingering her bloody lip.

"Of course!" the woman exclaimed. "Come over here. Paul," she hollered towards the back room. "Take the front desk will you?"

Nicole quietly followed the grey haired woman towards the bathroom. Like Kris had said, at least she'd be safe here.

Somewhere in Quebec City, Kris was packing her back pack and rushed out of her hotel room, stopping briefly at the registration desk to pay for her room. If McGrail had injured Nicole in any way, Kris thought, she would make sure that the man would pay for it. Kris climbed on her Harley and started the motor. She would ride all the way to Montreal at breakneck speed even if it meant getting a few speeding tickets. She wanted to be with Nicole as soon as possible. Kris guided her motorcycle towards the highway and then headed towards her friend, her new love.

Continues in Part 4

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