Disclaimer #1: My characters are of my own creation, though they bear physical resemblance to a couple you may recognize. Any references to XWP, Diet Coke or Depends should be considered uncompensated product placement.

Disclaimer #2: This story is about two women in love, and all that goes with it. If you find that idea offensive, if you aren’t old enough, or if you live where reading such depictions is not allowed, this isn’t for you.

Disclaimer #3: Occasionally, my characters use bad language.

Disclaimer #4: Occasionally, my characters use bad grammar.

Disclaimer #5: Most of the places depicted in this story are real. However, I took poetic license in the creation of some specific venues and streets. If you happen to be from LA, don’t bust a gut trying to figure out where these places are.

Disclaimer #6: There is no number 6.

Disclaimer #7: This is my first attempt at fan fiction. I apologize in advance if you’re bugged by my writing style. I wanted to tell a story that’s been cooking in my head for a while, and this is the best I can do for now. I welcome your feedback, as I sincerely want to get better at this.

Thanks to my beta readers, especially Tami, who spent a lot of her precious time reading my rewrites. She also served as my fashion advisor. Thanks also to Roz, TF & Linda for their feedback and encouragement.

This is for my Sweetcakes, ‘cuz without her, I don’t think I could write about love at all (or skyboxes).

The dark-haired driver of the black 745i puzzled over the words "rush hour." Nobody was rushing, and here in LA, this traffic lasted all day and half the night! Occasionally, the congestion broke up and all five lanes took off like the thoroughbreds at Hollywood Park. A half-mile later, the mass would slam on its collective brake and come to a standstill.

The snarled freeway, as germane to southern California as its poverty and pretense, caused Anna Kaklis Rutherford to dread the regular trips from her Bel Air home to the downtown convention center. But as the new treasurer of the Greater Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, her presence was a must at their monthly breakfast meetings.

This morning’s meeting had featured a compelling presentation on community organizations involved with the area’s "at-risk" youth. It was, of course, a thinly-veiled plea for businesses to support charities and causes that carried less prestige and opportunity for notoriety than those already in the public eye. The accompanying video had shown children and teenagers in a variety of settings, in classrooms, on sports fields, in hospitals, and even in their own homes. Many of those depicted were minorities or disabled, and all were being guided by caring adults.

For more than 40 years, Premier Motors of Beverly Hills, southern California’s top BMW dealer, had lent its support to LA’s thriving symphony, its opera, three of its theaters, and no less than a half-dozen art museums. The company was a major underwriter for an afternoon business update that aired on the local public radio station. "After all," Anna’s father had reasoned, "those are the people who buy luxury cars." Anna, who at 31 served as vice president of the family’s dealership, agreed that supporting the arts was good business, the best advertising their money could buy.

But the car dealer had been moved by today’s program, especially by the teenaged girl who told a personal tale of how one organization had helped her overcome an abusive home, poor school performance, and a flirtation with drugs and alcohol to become a college-bound senior with hopes and dreams of one day being a leader in this very business organization. Despite losing her mother at an early age, Anna felt truly blessed by the hand dealt her, and she vowed today that she would do something to help LA’s disadvantaged children and youth.

A blaring horn snapped her out of her reverie, and she hurriedly accelerated to close the 30-foot gap between herself and the red Honda Civic with the "Bush Cheated" bumper sticker. It wouldn’t do to leave enough room for another car to squeeze in – that might create good will in the world!, she thought to herself, rolling her eyes. Spotting the ramp for Endicott Avenue, she slowly picked her way to the exit lane. Endicott eventually dumped into Santa Monica Boulevard, and stoplights and surface streets were preferable to this creeping, growling mass of motorized inhumanity.

This morning’s look at the struggles of troubled youth had ironically been a respite from the thoughts that had consumed the dark-haired woman like a cloud for the past three months…no, make that 15 months, two months before she had married Scott Rutherford. Focusing on the plight of others was an effective ploy for getting her mind off her own problems, and Anna was determined to milk this morning’s presentation for all it was worth. But the silver Z3 that stopped in the lane to her left brought that cloud back to bear on her consciousness. There was nothing special about the driver, a red-haired woman of about 20, gesturing animatedly as she talked on her cell phone. It was the car itself, the James Bond roadster, that started the depressive spiral. Her husband drove a Z3.

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

As days go, today was a bad one, even by Lily’s standards.

She had started her day in the family courtroom at the Los Angeles County Courthouse with her client, Maria Esperanza. They were squaring off against ex-husband Miguel for primary custody of the couple’s two children.

She’d called Maria the day before, reminding her of what to wear to court and what to tell the judge about her ex-husband’s volatile behavior. "Whatever you do, don’t get angry," she had advised Maria. "We want the judge to know that you want custody of your children because you’re afraid of what Miguel might do, not because you’re angry about what he’s already done."

As Lily looked back with her near-perfect hindsight, Maria had seemed quite surprised by the call. "I had marked tomorrow on my calendar," her client had said. For a fleeting moment, the attorney too had recalled a Friday court date, thinking that she would have used today to go over next week’s filings and four scheduled court appearances. Nonetheless, Maria hurriedly agreed to be ready, and Lily had stayed late yesterday to prep her case.

Unfortunately, the case file that Pauline, the clinic’s newly-hired secretary, should have pulled was that of Maria Espinosa, Lauren Miller’s client, whose final divorce hearing was to have been today. It all came to light when Maria Esperanza looked across the aisle at Mr. Espinosa and asked her attorney simply "Who is that man and why does he want custody of my children?"

Begging opposing counsel’s forgiveness—they would tangle many times, so it was always a good idea for either side to be owed a favor—she threw herself upon the mercy of the court and Judge Evans fined her only $200. She forked over a personal check, and offered to drive her testy client home.

Once in the hallway, she’d called Lauren to give her the bad news – Judge Evans was fining her $200 too for not having her client in court this morning. Lily held the phone from her ear as Lauren spewed forth a stream of curses that would have had a New Yorker looking at his shoes. "I’m going straight to Tony about this," she shrieked, her reference to the firm’s administrative partner. "Jesus H. Christ on a Raft! All we get at this salary are Murphy Brown rejects!"

Lily chuckled inwardly. Often the chief peacemaker in their office, she finally replied, "Lauren, it’s partly my fault, too. It’s hard to keep all of these names straight and I didn’t check it out before calling the client."

Climbing into one of the first RAV4’s to come off Toyota’s assembly line, Lily gathered up the pile of folders and law books on the front seat, making room for her passenger. "There you go. Sorry about that." She tried to make nice with Maria—they had to go through this again tomorrow. The day was usually warm for February, and without a working air conditioner, Lily thought it best to remove her suit jacket and fold it over the back seat. Sweat might be sexy, but it’s hell on silk.

Maria had finally seemed to accept Lily’s profuse apologies, and it looked like they would have a peaceful ride to Culver City, where Maria was staying with her sister and brother-in-law until she got the custody of her children resolved. Rather than subject herself to yet another briefing on what tomorrow would bring, Maria opted instead to call the sister she would see in only a matter of minutes. Had Maria known that Lily had a pretty good working knowledge of Spanish, she probably would not have said anything to her sister about the "abogados tontos". Idiot lawyers. As she merged onto the crawling Santa Monica freeway, Lily decided to take her thoughts elsewhere.

**********

Now racing from one stoplight to the next, Anna checked the digital clock on her instrument gauge. 11:40. Today’s meeting had lasted until ten, then the officers met in closed session to discuss the new membership drive. Passing her hand over the infrared eye on the doorframe produced a dial tone. "Premier Motors," she stated succinctly. A few moments later, her call was answered with the same two words. "Carmen, would you let Dad know that things ran late this morning? I’ll be in the office in about an hour." Thanking the receptionist, she started looking for a bookstore along Endicott.

Three months ago, Anna’s well-planned life was flung into doubt. Could she salvage her marriage? Could things ever be the same? Not yet ready to talk about this with her family—not even with her stepsister Kim, who was her closest friend—she had called her longtime friend and roommate at Cal Poly, Liz Patterson. Liz lived now with her husband and daughter in San Mateo. Anna recounted most of the tale, purposefully leaving out the details of the doubts she had harbored about her marriage even before the wedding. Strong and confident in most aspects of her life, especially in business, Anna had somehow always struggled with relationships and was particularly lost in this current dilemma. The situation left her feeling hurt but also angry that she didn’t have complete control.

Liz had listened with love and concern, but was unwilling to guide her friend to a decision she could not reach on her own. She asked all the right questions to prompt Anna to explore her options, and finally recommended a book she had seen reviewed in the New York Times.

The distraction of the morning presentation now forgotten, Anna recalled her friend’s suggestion. Playing by Ear was a rising best-seller about a woman who had left her job and boyfriend to pursue her bliss as a concert cellist. Though she lived now from hand to mouth, the cellist had found her fulfillment in her lifelong dream. Anna wasn’t looking to change careers. On the contrary, she loved selling cars. But she needed to find the nerve to make at least a change in her own personal life.

**********

As long as she could remember, 29-year-old Lily Stuart had wanted to practice law. "They help people be happy" was the reason she gave as a young girl when teachers had asked her why. Katharine Fortier had certainly helped Lily and her mom find happiness, by seeing to it that they stayed together.

Lily’s birth certificate listed no father. Her birth mother, Lisa Parker, was little more than a child herself when Lily was born, far too immature to care for the demands of a baby. Rather, she left Lily unattended for long hours while she saw to her own social needs. On those occasions when Lily was actually taken along, it was often to places children shouldn’t visit, such as bars, pool halls, and parties with alcohol and drugs. Social services stepped in twice to remove the child from her mother’s care, once when Lisa was arrested for shoplifting, a second time when 2-year-old Lily was left unattended in a car for over an hour. Each time, Lily was returned after short stints in foster care.

On the third occasion, when Lisa faced certain jail time for assaulting a woman and stealing her car, social services began processing the papers to sever parental rights. Since Lisa’s mother had a record of her own, Lily was adjudicated dependent and placed up for adoption at four years old.

In the next two years, the little blonde lived in seven foster homes and attended four different elementary schools in kindergarten and first grade. She was uninterested in school, and very much a behavior problem. She rarely completed her work, and was constantly getting into fights with classmates who teased her about not having any real parents. Lily was small for her age, but she usually held her own in these playground tussles.

Something about this errant child tugged at the heartstrings of her first grade teacher, Eleanor Stuart, who began spending more time with Lily in the classroom. She stuck close at recess to protect the little girl from the other children’s cruel taunting. Eleanor saw past the tough exterior Lily tried so hard to create and knew that under this façade was a passionate, creative, and kind-hearted little girl. Suddenly, Lily’s interest in school soared as she tried desperately to please the only adult who had ever seemed to care about her. Her foster parents, the Tomlinsons, reported to social services that she seemed to be adjusting finally, and all were hopeful that this would improve Lily’s chances of being adopted.

Toward the end of that school year, social services requested her school records yet again, because the Tomlinsons had agreed to take in two brothers, and they would no longer have room for Lily in their small home. When the little girl learned that she would be changing both her home and school, she became hysterical. She had been content staying with the Tomlinsons, but where she lived was unimportant. What mattered was that she stay close to Miss Stuart. She was devastated.

So too was Eleanor, and she immediately contacted her friend Katharine, an attorney who specialized in family law. Katharine was one of the nicest women you’d ever want to meet…and she ate nails for breakfast. With Katharine’s help, Eleanor was granted interim custody of Lily. Four months later, as Lily entered second grade, Eleanor began adoption proceedings.

In late October of that year, a paroled Lisa Parker informed the court that she had had a change of heart. Out of prison only three months and already pregnant with her second child, she knew she’d need seven-year-old Lily’s help to keep an eye on the baby, lest she find herself back in trouble with the authorities. Of course, the story she offered the judge included none of those plans. Instead, she spoke tearfully of how heartbroken she was at the loss of her child, and how she thought of nothing more for the past two years than how she would make up for her past by doing right by her daughter.

Fortunately, Eleanor and Lily had Katharine Fortier in their corner again, and she was a bulldog in court. By the time she was finished with Lisa and her false promises, the miscreant was lucky not to be going back to jail for perjury. On November 15^th of that year, Lilian Lisa Parker became simply Lilian Stuart.

Katharine remained close to the family, and it was she who suggested to Lily at age 17 that she study law at UCLA. Not that Lily needed any encouragement. On that day long ago when the three of them had walked triumphantly from the courthouse, Lily had vowed to be just like Katharine someday. It was Katharine who prepped her for the LSAT, who wrote her recommendation for law school, and who finally pushed her through the bar exam.

When she accepted the job at the Braxton Street Family Law Clinic, she was proud to tell her mentor that she had been her inspiration. "Don’t do this for me, Lily," Katharine had said humbly. "Do it for the Eleanors and Lilys who will need you."

Eleanor and Lily were crushed two years ago when Katharine’s sightseeing plane crashed in Alaska, leaving no survivors.

Clutching the steering wheel of the RAV4 a little tighter, Lily fought back the emotions that memory always brought to surface. Even though the attractive young attorney now possessed an optimism which seemed to belie her rough start in life, it was this part of her life which had given her empathy for others. She pursed her lips a bit and sneaked a sidelong glance at her passenger. Maria Esperanza probably doesn’t know it, but she’s an Eleanor who needs me, Lily resolved, as they pulled up in front of the small stucco home. With an "adios" Maria dropped her phone into her handbag. She actually said ‘goodbye’ to her sister and she’ll see her in about 10 seconds! Mentally rolling her eyes, Lily neatly executed a tight U-turn, and headed back to her office.

**********

Anna had reached an important decision. She wasn’t going to languish in this mess another day, just waiting to see what life would hand her next. She was going to take control, make the decisions that had to be made, and live with the consequences.

There was no easy answer. Anna knew that she and Scott would both have to work hard for their marriage to survive. Do I even want it to survive? She also knew that admitting the failure of her marriage and walking away would be humiliating and a disappointment to her family, especially her father. Can I do that?

It had been easy in some ways to retreat emotionally and act on the outside as though nothing were wrong. She went to work early, and stayed late most nights. She avoided spending time with friends, even her sister Kim. And it was so uncomfortable being at home with Scott. But she couldn’t keep this up. People had begun to comment on her weight loss and tired features. In truth, though she masked her emotional turmoil from her friends and family fairly successfully, it wasn’t hard for them to notice the physical changes. Anna was usually confident and upbeat, and her strikingly beautiful features were noticed by everyone, except perhaps by Anna herself.

What Anna realized she missed most over these past three months, even more than personal happiness in her marriage, was her confidence. She had quietly stepped back from the world, allowing things to proceed as she watched from the outside. Today, Anna resolved to come out of the safe corner she had willingly backed into.

Turning on her blinker, the dark-haired woman pulled into the parking garage of the Endicott Mall. She had decided that today would be the day she would begin dealing with this mess. Getting her hands on Playing by Ear was the first step.

Finding a space easily on the ground level, she pulled her long slender frame from her car and straightened her shoulders, as if physically demonstrating the resolve she now felt. She tapped her keychain to set her car alarm, and turned toward the breezeway leading into the stores. Out of nowhere, a battered RAV4 careened around the corner, and continued its rapid climb to the second floor. "Crazy driver," Anna muttered as she rolled her eyes.

**********

At precisely 11:40, Lily’s phone vibrated to announce a new text message, calling her to a one p.m. arraignment for another client’s abusive boyfriend. These little gadgets sure were handy in court, but the attorney missed the good old days when she actually got to speak to people.

She just had time to pick up lunch at In-and-Out Burger on Endicott Avenue, and to stop by her office to gather the files she would need. Lily placed her order and proceeded to wait for what felt like an hour while the single man in the car in front of her retrieved seven bags of food. He’s obviously picking up lunch for the entire office. Why isn’t there a ‘two bag or less’ rule for the drive-thru? Lily sighed and pulled up next to the small window.

"$4.36, please," the woman in the window barked. Lily handed her a five dollar bill and watched in fascination as the woman stretched one arm across the small compartment to top off Lily’s Diet Coke and with her other hand punched hurriedly at the cash register.

"Sixty-four cents is your change." Lily quickly put out her hand to catch the change but was a second too late as the rushed and oblivious employee opened her palm and deposited the money onto the ground. As Lily cracked her door open and leaned out to rescue at least the quarters from the pavement, the other woman stretched her arm out of her window with the Coke, bumping Lily’s right shoulder with the beverage. As usual, the plastic lid on the cup was not secured. Oops, and that blouse was pure imported silk, the nicest one she owned. Lily had never understood the appeal of Coca-Cola clothes.

A right turn out of the drive-thru and four quickly-crossed lanes later, she turned into the Endicott Mall. Pealing around the corner to the second floor of the parking garage, the frenzied blonde barely missed a tall, beautiful woman with long dark hair exiting her fancy BMW. "Careful, gorgeous," she muttered.

Squeezing her mini-SUV into a narrow No Parking walkway by the elevator, Lily phoned Pauline to have a runner deliver the needed files to the courthouse. This time, she spelled her client’s name, just to make sure there were no mistakes. Grabbing her wallet and jacket, and shoving her briefcase under the seat, she set out to find a cream-colored top to match her olive green suit. Thank goodness I had taken off the jacket – otherwise, I’d be looking for a suit too! Little victories were important on a day like today.

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

Entering the nearly deserted mall, Anna looked about for a bookstore. She scanned the directory at the entrance to the main concourse. "Come on, come on. Every mall has a bookstore," she pleaded with the silent sign. There! Binders Books on the lower level.

It was now a few minutes past the noon hour, and the only other person in the store was Skye, a friendly young clerk with orange hair and multiple piercings. Ah, youth!, Anna thought enviously. "I’m looking for Playing by Ear. Do you have it?" she inquired.

The girl looked up from a copy of Rolling Stone, quickly swallowed a bite of what appeared to Anna to be a peanut butter and banana sandwich, and swiped the back of her hand across her mouth. "Sure, I’ll show you where it is," Skye answered with a half-grin as she laid her sandwich on the opened magazine.

"No, go ahead with your lunch. I’m sure you don’t get many breaks. Just point in the general direction and I’ll find it." From her perch at the register by the shop entrance, Skye directed the dark-haired woman to the Bestsellers shelf located along the left wall.

A few moments later, Skye once again looked up from the magazine. "Are you sure I can’t help you find what you need? Those are all mysteries," she called, noticing that her customer had wandered from the left side to the very back of the store.

"Yes, I know. Actually, I’ve already found what I need. Now I’m looking for what I want."

Anna loved a good action or mystery book. Her eyes immediately fell on the cover of Case of the Orphaned Bassoonists: A Cassandra Reilly Mystery. Though she hadn’t played in years, the bassoon might have been Anna’s first love. Unlike other bassoonists, she didn’t "start" on another instrument and "work up to" the skill required to play the strange instrument. She just picked it up instinctively. A mystery and bassoons…cool!, she thought. She flipped open the front cover and skimmed the reviews.

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

The very slow elevator emptied Lily onto the mall’s main concourse. She scanned the directory and located the Casual Corner, a women’s apparel store, on the lower level at the far end of the building. She could not possibly have been further from the store than where she currently stood. Naturally.

Lily headed for the escalator and got her bearings for a hasty retreat once she found what she needed. She charged past Fredrick’s of Hollywood--Wow! Check out that slinky red number!—Lawson’s Jewelry, Rack Room Shoes, Peggy’s Bridal Shop, Binders Books, Foot Locker, and finally entered the Casual Corner.

An online and catalog shopper, Lily rarely set foot in a mall. Though she usually only hated shopping, she absolutely despised it when she needed something in particular and was short on time. Not believing her luck, there was a rack near the door holding the perfect style blouse in a variety of colors, and on sale! But there was none of any color in her size. "Naturally."

Her size was available however among a new shipment in a slightly different style, and at a much higher price. Out of options, she handed over her debit card and dashed to the fitting room to change. A good yank on the stuck louvered door caught her knee with a sharp crack, and a splinter in the wood neatly pierced her hose. "How could this day get any worse?" she asked the ceiling of the small room…rhetorically.

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

Art Hanson scribbled a few additional comments into his small notebook. He had just finished an interview with tenants at Casa Del Sol, an apartment building on the edge of Culver City. The story was a public interest piece about the dangerous health risks related to the level of lead in miniblinds. God, how can I make this story not put people to sleep?, he mused.

"Hey, Janie! Watch the potholes, will you? I just want to get a few more comments down," he said to the driver of the white and blue News 26 van.

"Mr. Hanson, we’re at a stoplight!"

The van began to violently shake and suddenly lurched forward. Both passengers were pushed hard against their seatbelts. Art’s coffee toppled out of the holder and splashed onto the dashboard. Camera equipment and video from the back of the van broke their bindings and crashed to the floor. The van continued to tremble and shudder and it seemed to the pair that some unknown force had picked up the back end of the van, thrusting their end vertically downward at a nearly 45 degree angle.

Forty-six seconds later, the news team found themselves still suspended by their seatbelts, though the shaking had stopped.

"Shit! That was a big fucking quake!" Jane excitedly shouted to the reporter. Art knew that a bigger story than leaded miniblinds had just broken, and was already radioing back to the station.

"This is Hanson in van 4. Janie and I are at Endicott and Spruce in Culver City and there was just an earthquake here. Hang on….I’m going to check and see if there’s anything big here to report…the van feels like we’re sitting on a cliff…." Art put his phone in his shirt pocket momentarily and carefully extricated himself from the seatbelt, pushing against the dashboard for balance. He carefully opened the passenger side door of the van and hopped down.

"Oh my God! That must have been a pretty big one, Dennis," he commented anxiously into the phone to the station manager. Looking around, he continued, "The road looks like someone was kicking it from underneath. The stoplight is lying on the street in front of us. There aren’t a lot of people around…just one other car and the driver looks fine." Looking off to his left, Art audibly gasped and his voice was grave as he said, "Holy shit, Dennis. The north end of the Endicott Mall looks like it was bulldozed. Janie – get the camera! Dennis, I’ll call you back when we get closer to the mall and have good position."

The reporter slipped the phone into his pocket and looked across what had been the west parking garage of the mall. Cars and concrete were sandwiched together and one entire side of the garage had completely toppled. The pair had been traveling on Spruce Street, which ran along the west side of the mall. The north end of the mall was actually built into the side of a hill, so people parking in this garage on the west side entered the mall on the top floor. What made Art’s stomach flip over was this realization that the mall was supposed to be two stories. The north end had completely collapsed.

The inevitable sound of police sirens and emergency vehicles were already invading the eerily silent landscape.

Take me to Part 2 Now!

Part 2

Nine miles from the Endicott Mall in his second floor office, Scott Rutherford eyed his senior marketing student. The young man had shown a great deal of ingenuity in his earlier work, but Scott was very disappointed with the latest assignment. "Your plan was quick and dirty, just like too many product launches in the real world," he scowled. "Remember Mr. Caldwell, your marketing budget includes research and development. In your project, you designed a product launch without putting your product in front of potential customers. If you guess wrong, you waste a quarter of a million dollars."

Justin Caldwell looked first at his professor, then at the floor. "Dr. Rutherford, I can do better. I’d appreciate the chance to rework this, and resubmit it," he pleaded hopefully.

After a few moments of contemplation, the professor answered. "Mr. Caldwell, what’s important here is that you learn to do this correctly. But if I agree to evaluate your project a second time, I want to be assured that it’s your best effort." Seeing the relief on the young man’s face, Scott continued, "You should review Chapter Four of Paddock’s book. It deals with..."

As he reached to retrieve Paddock’s book from the shelf above, the professor lost his footing on the shaking floor and fell across his desk as though struck by an unseen force. At the same moment, Paddock’s book and dozens of others crashed to the floor as the windows rattled and burst. Practicing what he had learned in his youth, Justin jumped back to brace himself in the doorway as fiberglass panels shook free from the ceiling.

Nearly a minute passed before the tremors stopped. The student, now pale and wide-eyed, stepped forward to help his teacher stand. "Are you all right?" he asked.

"Yeah, thanks," Scott murmured. He stood up from the desk and looked around at the total disarray in his office.

"That was some powerful shake!" Justin said queasily. "We must have been right at the epicenter."

Looking out the open window across the LA basin, Scott replied "Well, if we weren’t, God help the people who were."

His first thoughts were of the safety of his young son. If they were at home, they should be safe, since they lived near the water. Guiltily, he thought next of his wife.

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

Skye remembered the floor shaking and shuddering, books falling and the shelves being wrested from their bolts and crashing to the floor. A mighty jolt had thrown her from her stool across the counter and after another thrust, the lights in the store flickered twice and went dark. The clerk had scrambled for the entrance, where the last of the natural light poured in from the atrium, forgetting the dark-haired woman at the back of the store. No sooner had she reached the lower concourse than it lurched skyward, hurling her across a rippling plane. Heavy plastic panels floated from the skylight, and she had scurried for the cover of an overturned candy kiosk.

Now, the earth was finally still. Gradually, moans, shouts and a baby cry began to fill the air, and Skye struggled for her footing. She turned instinctively toward her shop, confused and disoriented. Where Binders had once stood, computers and electronic gadgets were strewn about and smashed. Radio Shack had been located directly above the bookstore.

Skye crawled to her feet and began to climb across the piles of debris toward the south end of the mall.

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

"Annnnhhh!" the woman grunted, struggling against the bookcase that pinned her firmly to the floor. Only minutes before, Anna had been reading the book jacket for The Case of the Orphaned Bassoonists when a deep rumbling suddenly consumed the moment. In a matter of seconds, the floor had simply fallen away, and she was enveloped in blackness.

Breathing heavily, the tall woman regrouped for another push. "Unnnnnhhhhhh!" she groaned again, moving the bookcase only an inch or two from her chest. With every effort, more of the books that were somehow bracing the heavy bookcase fell away, leaving her left knee to bear even greater weight under a lower shelf. Her twisting and pulling had only exacerbated her predicament, and now her knee was throbbing and firmly trapped in a vise.

"Help! Somebody!" Anna heard no one. Where is everyone? Where am I? "In deep trouble," she answered herself aloud.

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

The worst part was that it was completely dark.

No, scratch that. The worst part was the throbbing of her head right above her eye. Rolling onto her side, Lily traced with her forefinger the rim of the wide gash responsible for the sticky mess on the left side of her face. Remembering her earlier lament to the proverbial heavens, Lily muttered, "I was only frustrated…it wasn’t intended to be a challenge!" But, she had received her answer to the rhetorical question when the floor beneath her began to shake. Lily had reached to brace herself in the doorway, and was suddenly flung head first into the angled mirrors on two walls of the fitting room. The accompanying boom was deafening, and was followed by grinding and popping, as the drywall crumbled all around into dust and ragged shards and the newly exposed metal supports twisted and bent. A second jolt had rippled the floor and plunged the small space into darkness.

As she had felt the ground give way underneath, her last conscious thought was that the sales clerk had probably already run her debit card, and without moving money from her savings account, her check to Judge Evans was going to bounce.

Lily had no idea how much time had passed while she lay unconscious in the fitting room. She now groped around on the floor hoping to find the top she had intended to purchase earlier. Grasping the cloth from underneath her, the young woman held it to her wound and pressed hard to stop the bleeding. She pulled herself up to a sitting position and reached out to get her bearings. Glass was everywhere. The mirrors, she figured. The floor—if it was still the floor—was uneven, and the wall to her right now leaned above her. She knew it was the mirrored wall, as she felt a few of the jagged fragments still attached. Behind her, the place she remembered as the back of the store was a concrete block wall. "Where the hell did that come from?" she asked aloud, not expecting but half hoping to hear a reply. It seemed to Lily that she was still in the fitting room, such as it was. To her left was a wall and she recognized in front of her the splintered texture of the wood from the louvered door. That meant the entrance to the store was past the door and straight ahead.

Where was the light? Hadn’t there been an atrium in the center of the mall? She knew she been knocked out for a few minutes, but surely it wasn’t evening already.

"Is anybody in here?" Silence.

Louder this time, "Hello! Anybody!" Lily strained to hear another sound. Nothing.

Slowly, she tried to stand. The uneven floor and the low ceiling made it difficult to navigate the darkness, but she picked her way along the edge of the hallway and emerged into what she supposed was the main store. Again, she called out "Anyone here?"

As she continued in the direction of the entrance, the floor became steeper, sloping forward. Racks of clothes had gathered where the floor had buckled, and she lost her balance as her feet tangled in the cloth and metal. The smell of fresh dirt was vaguely present, and Lily realized that the ground had literally broken through the bottom of the store. She knew from 29 years of living in California that she had been near the epicenter of a very significant earthquake. She was indeed lucky to be alive.

Reaching forward, her hand came to rest against a wall of earth. The mall had collapsed, she realized, wondering what had become of all the people who been inside. Was she the only one still inside? Or were the others… With alarm, Lily acknowledged the truth: The worst part was that she was trapped.

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

Art Hanson shed his jacket and rolled up his shirtsleeves. "How much time?" he asked into the air. He nodded as the answer crackled back into the discreetly placed earpiece. "I’ll do the background, then we can pull in the eyewitness. I’ll track down the scene manager for a follow-up," he stated, the latter referring to the area’s emergency services coordinator, who had arrived on the scene a few moments ago, sirens screaming. Loosening his tie, the reporter mussed his hair to give the appearance that he, too, had been working frantically to free those trapped in the fallen building behind him.

Getting his cue, Hanson—born Randall Lyzcienski—began his report. "Julie, at 12:04 p.m. today, a massive earthquake shook the Los Angeles basin. We’re live on the scene at the Endicott Mall here in Culver City. Preliminary indications are that the mall has suffered major damage, and that the second floor may have collapsed onto the lower level in the north wing."

The camera panned the broken structure, zooming in on the north wing with its crumbled exterior and uneven roofline. "I have here with me Skye Steinberg, a clerk at Binders Books on the lower level. Skye, what can you tell us about what happened?"

"It was awful!" the clerk blurted. "Everything shook and the ceiling started to fall. I was near the door when the shaking started, and I was knocked out into the center of the mall. Glass was falling, people were screaming. I was so scared!" The young girl’s forehead furrowed and her eyes became wide as she recalled the images. "When I turned around, the Radio Shack, the store that was right over us, had fallen to where the bookstore used to be."

The reporter lowered his voice somberly, and followed, "Did you see other people in there? Did everyone get out?"

"It wasn’t crowded today." Skye’s lip began to quiver as she remembered the kind woman in her store. "But there was one customer in the back of the bookstore. She was tall and beautiful and she had long black hair." Tears welled up and threatened to fall.

"Do you know what happened to her?" the reporter prodded. They were live on the air!

"I didn’t see her again. I…I don’t know…I don’t think she made it." Skye raised her hand to cover her eyes and started to sob.

Hanson signaled Jane to linger a few more moments on the crying woman, then cleared his throat softly and said "I’m Art Hanson for News 26, and we’ll have more later from the Endicott Mall."

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

Anna was exhausted. She had tried in vain to pull herself from her prison. The shelf now rested firmly on her left leg, its sharp edge digging into the soft tissue around her knee. Her toes had begun to tingle, and she feared that she would soon lose feeling in her lower leg.

The woman’s repeated cries for help had gone unanswered and she knew with a certainty that she was alone. She wondered what had happened to the orange-haired clerk and then shuddered as she acknowledged the likely truth. It’s too soon to panic, she calmed herself. She’d read that a person could survive for several days without food or water, so as long as she had enough air to breathe, the rescuers would probably find her. If they know I’m here, she allowed the thought to creep into her consciousness.

"Help! Help! Somebody! I’m in here!" She yelled until she was hoarse.

"Well, this would certainly solve all of my problems, and all of Scott’s too," she sighed. "Worse things could happen." Trapped, and for the moment out of options, Anna closed her eyes and succumbed to the fatigue she felt.

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

This wasn’t Lily’s first experience at being trapped in a dark space. Time had a merciful way of stealing memories from her early childhood, but one she clearly remembered was being locked in a dark closet on several occasions when her mother went out. To this day, Lily slept with a nightlight.

Fighting back the urge to kick at the walls and scream, Lily gathered herself for what she knew would be her strongest test. I’m going to get out here if I have to bore through the floor and dig a tunnel.

She couldn’t reach the atrium here, so she decided to try to reach it from the adjacent store. Where the floor had fallen, she expected a gap between the wall and the partially collapsed ceiling, or between the wall and the floor. She would crawl or climb, whatever it took.

As she began feeling along the dirt wall to guide her towards the next store, the young woman unknowingly passed within inches of the clerk who had taken her debit card. The total darkness spared Lily the image of her crushed and broken body, and her wide, lifeless eyes.

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

"We’re back here on the scene at the Endicott Mall with emergency services coordinator Philip Bertram. Mr. Bertram, what’s the situation here?" Art Hanson asked.

"Well," the official began, "we can confirm that part of the second level on the north wing has collapsed onto the lower level. There are about six or seven stores that are affected, and right now, we don’t know how many people were in those stores at the time of the quake."

"Do you have casualties?" Hanson asked eagerly.

"Yes, we do," Bertram replied grimly. "There were over 200 people who were injured, some seriously. We’ve sent about 75 to area hospitals."

"Are there still people inside the mall, or have you gotten everyone out?"

"Our crews have been inside the main areas that we’re able to reach to clear out the survivors. We haven’t started our sweep yet, but we’re talking with people who were in the mall at the time to help us determine how many people might be missing. It’s pretty dangerous to be in there right now, but we’re going to do all we can with some of listening equipment that we have. With a quake of this magnitude, we’re expecting some pretty significant aftershocks. "

"Are there fatalities?" Hanson prodded.

"We have four confirmed fatalities." Bertram paused. "We expect many more."

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

Two hours and 40 minutes later, Lily had finally found a small opening at the top of the wall and squeezed into what seemed to be a Foot Locker. Athletic shoes, even new ones, had a distinct odor.

If the floor in this new store was even with that of the store she had just left, Lily expected about a seven-foot drop on the other side. Hanging by her fingers, she stretched her toes down to the floor. In truth, she knew that she was still a long way from getting out of this tomb, but even the small progress was exhilarating.

"This would be a good time to change into sensible shoes," she joked aloud. She had lost her own pumps in the fitting room. "My luck, I’d find shoes that fit perfectly, and when I finally crawled out of here with all of America watching my miraculous escape, I’d be wearing two different colors. Mom would be mortified. I can see her now. ‘No, that’s not my daughter!’" She laughed at the image. "Earthquake survivor arrested for shoplifting. Details at eleven."

Lily rested a moment when she reached a pile of what seemed like sweat suits and t-shirts. She was exhausted, but she knew she needed to keep moving. It was a roll of the dice whether the aftershocks would free her or bury her deeper.

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

Anna became vaguely aware of someone talking…laughing even. "Hello! Help! Is somebody there?" She was hoarse, and knew her voice wasn’t carrying very far. Her left knee was throbbing, and every small movement was met with excruciating pains. She strained to hear a sound, but all was quiet.

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

Lily groped around the perimeter at the front of the store, finding nothing but earth from the floor to where the ceiling had fallen, a space only four feet high. Crawling along the far wall, she found no gaps between the floor and the wall. Her only hope was that there would be an opening between the wall and the ceiling.

Most likely, the opening would be at the apex of the spot where the floor had fallen so sharply, just as it had been on the opposite wall where she had crawled from the clothing store. To reach the spot, Lily dragged what she imagined was one of those cone-shaped shoe displays to the far wall. It was lightweight, but sturdy, and it had nice little footholds where the shoes usually sat.

Sure enough, the small woman found an opening at the top, but it was going to take all her strength to pull herself up that high. Those hours on the weight machines are going to pay off after all. The wall had cracked neatly in two where the earth below the store had jutted through. The opening Lily managed to find was a small triangle made by the uneven portions of the wall and the straining ceiling. On her third attempt, she managed to get her head and shoulders through the hole. "Finally!" she shouted triumphantly. Pulling herself through, Lily tumbled to the floor in a heap. "Shit!" she said as she clutched her shoulder, which bore the brunt of her fall.

"Please, help me," a woman’s weak voice called.

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

Seven hours and 13 minutes after the initial quake, the first aftershock began to rattle the darkened chamber. The shift had caused the shelf to grind against Anna’s knee, and she passed out from the excruciating pain.

Part 3

Downtown LA had been spared the brunt of the quake, but power was out over much of the city. Tony, Lauren and Pauline were in the Braxton Street Law Clinic, calling clients on their cell phones to check on their well-being and to let them know not to worry about their pending cases, that the courthouse was temporarily closed. "Did anybody reach Lily?" Lauren asked.

"I’ve called her a half-dozen times. The only times I’ve gotten through, it’s gone to voicemail," said Tony.

"I talked with Maria Esperanza," offered Pauline. "She said Lily dropped her off about 11:30 at her sister’s house in Culver City."

"I’m going to call my brother in San Diego," Lauren said. "They’ll have TV. They probably know more about everything than we do." Scrolling through the numbers in her Palm Pilot, she dialed her brother. "Damon…Yeah, I’m okay…Jason’s okay…," the latter reference to her husband. "Well, we’re a little worried about one of our lawyers, though…Lilian Stuart, you know the cute lesbian you wanted me to fix you up with…Listen, we were hoping you might know something. Our power is out…" She listened a moment. "Are you sure…? Thanks, Damon. Hey, call Mom and Dad and tell them we’re okay."

She turned to her co-workers, her face drained of color. "They’re saying that it was centered in Culver City. That a mall collapsed. People are dead."

Nervously, Tony asked, "Did she say anything about going to a mall?"

"No," answered Pauline. "She was supposed to come back to the office. She had a court appearance at one. But she called back to say she had an errand and to send her files to the courthouse."

Tony’s stomach tightened and an ominous feeling came over him. "I’m going down there." He grabbed his jacket and cell phone. "Call me if you hear anything."

**********

Scott Rutherford stared into the traffic. His handsome face was set in an anxious combination of fear and concern. The muscles in his jaw tightened and he ran his right hand once more through his sandy brown hair in frustration. He glanced in the rearview mirror before signaling to move to the next lane. The brown eyes reflected back at him from the mirror were tired and masked the guilt which he now so keenly felt.

"Kim!" He spoke loudly into the speakerphone as he merged into the next lane. After hearing the obnoxious recording six previous times that "all circuits are busy", he had finally gotten through on his cell phone to his sister-in-law. "Has anyone heard from Anna?" he asked as he inched along the freeway towards Culver City,

"No, she called Carmen about 11:30 and said the meeting had run over and she would be in the office in about an hour. No one’s heard from her since." Scott could hear the worry in her voice.

"Kim, I got a call at my office from our housekeeper." He took a breath and stared grimly into the traffic as he broke the news. "They found Anna’s car crushed in the garage of the Endicott Mall."

"Oh, my God!" she screamed. "Scott, was she…?"

"No, Kim. The police said she wasn’t in the car. A lot of people have gone to the hospital, though." He paused. "They said that part of the mall has collapsed. Listen, I need you to see if you can find out if she was taken somewhere. And somebody has to stay by the phone. I’m headed toward the mall. I don’t think I’ll be able to get all the way there, but I’ll get as close as I can. I’ll call you as soon as I know something and you do the same. Okay?"

Kim was frantic and she felt tears beginning to form. Her usually cheerful face was fractured by the deep creases which formed in her forehead. However, she knew this was no time to panic. She knew they needed to find out all they could before the news reached their father, George Kaklis. "I’m on it. If you can’t reach me, leave a message."

"Right." Scott ended the call and edged over to the exit for Endicott Avenue. Please let her be okay.

Scott loved his wife and was deeply committed to his marriage. But a careless one-night stand with his ex-girlfriend one month before his wedding had produced a child, a beautiful son, and had put his marriage at risk. Anna might never have learned of this breach had they not run into the woman three months ago, now carrying the two-month-old baby boy with Scott’s brown eyes. As she had watched the awkward but knowing exchange between her husband and the woman, realization dawned. Anna moved her things into the guest room as soon as they got home and, as yet, refused his attempts to talk about it.

I’ll do whatever I can to make it up to her, just let her be all right!

**********

"Hello!" Lily called out. Desperate to find the source of the voice she had heard, she asked again, "Where are you? Are you hurt?" Hearing nothing, she feared the worst for the woman who had cried out. The aftershock had brought the ceiling lower, but Lily was safely crouched at a low point in the bookstore. If the woman was at a higher point, she may have been hurt…or worse. "Talk to me! Where are you?" she yelled. Still no response.

Lily understood the danger she was in. The next tremor might bring the ceiling all the way down, sealing her underground with no hope of rescue. But she couldn’t forge ahead knowing that there was someone else trapped here, someone who likely had no chance at all without her help. Her mind made up, Lily started to scramble toward the direction of the sound.

After more than an hour of groping in the darkness and calling out, Lily’s hand brushed upon a full head of thick hair, then a warm face. "There you are. I finally found you," she said with relief. Reaching out, Lily discovered that the woman was pinned underneath a bookshelf. The top shelf lay across her chest. She found a strong pulse in the woman’s neck, and gently patted the woman’s cheek until she felt her stir.

Anna’s eyes fluttered open, but in the darkness, she couldn’t see who was touching her face. Nonetheless, she felt calmed by the presence of this other person. "Thank god," Anna murmured, shaking her head slowly from side to side. "I’m…the bookshelf is…"

"Yeah, I can feel it across your chest. Can you move?"

"It hurts. My leg…the whole weight of the shelf is on it. Every time I try to push it up off my chest, it presses harder into my knee," she explained. Taking a deep breath, she went on. "That last tremor made it even heavier. I think something fell on it." Lily could hear the relief in the woman’s voice, relief she assumed was because someone had come to help.

"Well, let’s see if we can get you out of here." Lily crawled alongside the woman. The second shelf lay across the woman’s lower abdomen, just above her hips. She ran her hand underneath it, noting that it wasn’t pressed tightly against the woman’s body.

"Under normal circumstances, I’d buy you dinner first," Lily joked, hoping to ease the woman’s tension. "I’m Lily, by the way. I thought you’d like to know who was feeling you up."

Anna laughed at the joke, not minding at all the hands that brushed against her to help free her. "I’m Anna, and I can’t tell you how glad I am to meet you! I’ve been screaming for hours."

"Yeah well, sorry. I was busy trying on a new top."

Anna was comforted by the woman’s gentle humor. She caught the small hand and squeezed it. "Thank you for coming to help me," she said sincerely.

"No problem," Lily reassured the woman, returning the squeeze. She then pulled her hand away and reached lower to gently touch Anna’s knee where the lower shelf pinched the swollen flesh. "I can see why this hurts so much. This shelf is digging into your knee. Let’s see if we can take some of the pressure off."

Reaching around her in the dark, Lily began gathering books into two piles, one underneath the shelf that pinned Anna’s knee, the other beside the top shelf that pressed against her chest. When the piles were stacked even with the shelf, she told Anna of her plan. "I need you to get ready to push up on the shelf on your end. I’m going to lift this one up at the same time and slip a couple of books under it. Then I’ll put a couple of books under your shelf."

"Just say when," Anna said, gripping the shelf.

Lily double-checked the positions of her stacks of books, and kneeled next to Anna’s knee. There was barely enough headroom for her to straighten up. "Ready? Now."

Both women grunted as they lifted their respective shelves. Lily strained to hold the bookshelf with one hand while her other quickly slid two thin books onto the top of the stack. Next, she added one thick book to the stack next to the top shelf. When they released their loads, the shelf was still touching, but not pressing into Anna’s leg. The other shelf was no longer resting on the woman.

Anna was so relieved that she could have cried. Her foot began to tingle as the blood once again surged through her lower leg.

"Is that better?" Lily asked hopefully.

"Much better! Most of the pressure is off my leg now, and I can’t feel the other shelf at all."

"Think you can do that again? One more time, and I think I’ll be able to pull you out."

"Ready when you are," Anna replied eagerly.

They repeated the procedure, this time adding one thick hardback book to each stack. "How’s that?" Lily asked as she reached again to Anna’s knee.

I’m free! "It still hurts, but at least I can move now." Anna squirmed, trying to no avail to slide out of her prison. "I need to get out from under this thing," the exasperation evident in her voice.

"Let me help." Lily moved up and slipped her hands underneath the woman’s arms. "Tell me when you’re out." Slowly, she scooted backwards, extricating Anna from the vise that had held her for almost nine hours. It seemed to Lily that she had backed up ten feet. "Good God, woman! How tall are you?"

"About five-ten."

"Amazon!"

"And you?"

"Five-five."

"Pygmy!"

Lily threw her head back and laughed heartily. Anna joined her, and both women felt a little of the palpable tension of the past several hours start to lessen, perhaps simply from the knowledge that they were no longer in this alone.

**********

Once Anna was free, the two women moved slowly to the lowest part of the room. The injured woman’s knee was throbbing, and she couldn’t support her full weight on it. She followed Lily to the far wall, and sat while the shorter woman felt for a path to the next room.

"Is there a method to your madness, or do we just keep moving any way we can?" Anna asked.

"In the other rooms, I’ve found a break between the wall and the ceiling right where the floor has sunk the most," Lily explained. "I’m hoping we’ll find an opening, maybe some light from the atrium or even outside. If we do, we’ll work towards getting out that way. There’s no way out back the way I came."

"Sounds like a plan. What do you want me to do?"

"If you can crawl up to the front of the store, try feeling around the ceiling for a breeze, or even air that’s a different temperature. If you find something, it might mean there’s a way into the atrium."

Anna did as she was told, but after almost an hour, she had found no clue of a break in collapsed walls. Her leg was aching badly, but she kept it to herself. We have enough to worry about.

Lily, though, had located another pass-through halfway up the east wall. The weight of the store above them had pushed on the wall and forced it to buckle. A small hole had formed between the two sliding layers of wall and the two women pushed and pulled one another until they both fell from the gap into the adjacent bridal shop.

"God, I could sleep for a week!" Lily flopped down into the pile of lace and satin lining the crevasse that bisected the store. Racks of wedding gowns had rolled into the gaping hole and toppled, layering the earth which had broken through the store floor with a strange blanket of plush cloth.

"Maybe we should stop and rest a few hours," Anna suggested casually, falling beside her savior.

"As tempting as that sounds, I’m worried about the aftershocks. The ceiling dropped during the last one, and the next one could finish the job. If that happens, I’d realize my worst fear."

"What’s that? Being buried alive?"

"No, being caught dead in a bridal shop," Lily deadpanned.

Anna laughed and reached across the darkness to elbow her companion jovially. After a moment, she said, "Look, I know it’s a risk. But my stomach tells me that it’s way after dark, and if we wait, we’ll have a better chance of seeing an opening in the daylight."

Lily considered Anna’s point, but persisted, "I really think it would be best if we kept moving."

"I can’t, Lily," Anna finally confessed. "My knee is killing me. I’m going to have to rest it, at least for a couple of hours."

"Do you mind if I check your knee?" Lily reached toward Anna’s leg and ran her hand across the woman’s injured knee. She heard Anna’s breath catch in her throat as she anticipated the tenderness in the joint. Lily was shocked to discover how swollen it was. "Anna! Why didn’t you say something? God, it must hurt like hell!" She groped around on the floor until she found what felt like a small display pedestal. Pulling it over to the tall woman, she piled several cloths—probably $3,000 wedding dresses—on top to soften it, and gently lifted Anna’s leg to place it on the cushion.

Anna considered the gravity of their predicament for a moment and finally proposed, "I know it’s still dangerous in here. Maybe you should go ahead by yourself. When you get out, you can tell them where I am. I’m only going to slow you down."

Lily didn’t hesitate. "We’re going out together, Anna. I think we’ll be safe here—it’s a low point. We’ll rest a few hours and move out when your leg’s better. Besides, with two of us, we should make good time if we’re rested."

Both women leaned back and got as comfortable as they could. A minute or so passed and Anna asked into the darkness, "So why are you so afraid of bridal shops?" She was impressed that this woman could keep her sense of humor at a time like this. It was calming, and she knew somehow that the story behind that phobia would be a good one.

Lily chuckled. "Let’s just say that walking down the aisle in a white dress has never been on my list of dreams."

"Wish I’d had that foresight," Anna mumbled. "How did you get to be so wise?"

"Well, it isn’t wisdom, exactly." Lily wavered. She was usually up front about her sexuality, but finding herself trapped with a homophobe would be the icing on the cake for a day like today. "It just isn’t for me."

Anna heard the hesitation and regretted putting her new friend on the spot. "Sorry, I didn’t mean to get personal."

"No, it’s okay…I just…" Oh, what the hell. "I’m gay."

Silence. More silence. Shit! Should have kept my big fat mouth shut!

"Oh…so you really were feeling me up?" Anna threw another elbow into Lily’s rib, and the young woman let out the breath she’d been holding.

I like this lady! Lily thought with relief as she laughed out loud.

**********

Tony reached the mall long after dark. Between the emergency vehicles and the traffic restrictions, he was forced to park in a residential area off Endicott and walk the last mile to the site. Others had the same idea, and soon Tony fell into step with a tall, sandy-haired man who had left his Z3 on the sidewalk.

"Have you heard anything?" he asked the man.

"Just that the mall has collapsed," the other man responded grimly, not losing his stride.

"Yeah, the radio said it was the north side. I think we can get there quicker if we cut through here," Tony said, indicating a side street that ran parallel to the mall’s fenced parking area.

The two men helped each other scale the fence and soon emerged behind the parking garage. By approaching from the north, they had bypassed the police tape that restricted foot traffic in the area.

"One of the lawyers from my office is missing. She was in Culver City when she called in, but no one knows exactly where. We haven’t heard from her since just before the quake," Tony related to the man, who seemed extremely focused on getting as close as he could.

"My wife is missing," was all the man said as he began to jog to the rescue site.

"Well, good luck! Hope you find her!" Tony shouted to the receding figure.

Tony was taken aback at the devastation before him. On the lower level of the south wing, the mall opened directly onto the parking lot. But the site sloped upward to the north, thus the lower level stores on one side of the north wing were effectively underground. When the second level collapsed, the new roofline dropped to ground level, making it appear as though half of the north wing had been bulldozed.

Tony scanned the parking lot for Lily’s RAV4. Not finding it, he slipped into the restricted garage. He ducked to walk through the lower level, checking carefully the crushed vehicles. When he reached the second level, his breath caught. There sat Lily’s small SUV, its ‘What Would Xena Do?’ bumper sticker confirming its owner.

The lawyer backtracked his route to exit the garage. By the time he reached the parking lot, his eyes were full of tears. Pulling his phone from his pocket, he called Lauren. He got through on the fourth attempt.

"Tony! What did you find out?" Lauren immediately asked, recognizing the number on her caller ID. She stood up from her kitchen table and clutched her husband’s hand.

"She was in the mall, Lauren. I found her car."

"Oh God, no!" Lauren gasped. Jason stood and wrapped his arms around his wife. When she calmed, she said simply, "I’m going to call her mom, Tony. She needs to be here." They talked a few more moments and hung up.

**********

At 6:15 a.m. on Friday morning, the second aftershock woke the women from their exhausted sleep. Without thought, they reached in the dark for each other and clasped hands while the earth shook. What previously was the ceiling above them groaned under the weight of the collapsed building. Both women uttered silent prayers that what was left of the walls and supports would hold. They could hear the sound of metal scraping and twisting and smelled the fresh dust and debris loosened by the jolt.

"You okay?" Anna asked.

"All things being equal, I’d prefer to wake to ‘Morning Edition’," Lily quipped when the shaking stopped. She drew in a deep breath, and stretched her arms and shoulders as she sat upright. "We’d better get a move on. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to get out of here." She pulled the taller woman to her feet. "How’s the knee?"

"It’s still pretty sore. But I can walk. Let’s go."

They repeated the drill from the bookstore. Anna crawled to the front of the bridal shop and checked along the ceiling for a draft. Lily found another gap at the top of the south wall or the bridal shop, and soon they were squeezing through into the shoe store.

"Only two more to go and we’ll be at the end," the small woman declared. Left unsaid was the hope that at the end would be a way out. "There’s a jewelry store next, then a lingerie store." They sat for a moment and rested against the slanted floor. Out of habit, Lily reached to straighten her skirt. She caught the irony and laughed. "I picked a great day to wear my favorite suit, huh?"

"Yeah, me too. I had a fancy meeting first thing, so I got out one of my best."

"What kind of work do you do?" Lily inquired.

"I sell cars. What about you?"

Anna’s response surprised the blonde. This woman sounded well-educated, cultured. "I’m a lawyer." She paused, anticipating a lawyer joke.

"That figures. You strike me as someone who could be pretty argumentative." Another elbow to Lily’s rib followed. Since the darkness prevented either woman from seeing the other’s expression, Anna’s elbow let Lily know she was only teasing the young attorney.

"Hey, watch it! You ever been sued for personal injury?"

The banter quieted for a moment, each woman mentally sizing up the other. After a few minutes, Lily asked, "Are you afraid, Anna? Afraid that we won’t get out of here?"

Anna was quiet for so long that Lily wondered if she hadn’t heard the question. Finally, the tall woman spoke. "I’ve considered that. I thought about it a lot during those hours I was trapped and alone. But ever since you helped me out from under that bookshelf, I haven’t doubted for a moment that we’re going to get out of here. I just don’t think you’d have pulled me out if I had been meant to die in here."

"I hope you’re right, Amazon."

**********

Friday morning, Scott attended the briefing for family members at FEMA’s Public Information Office, a tent set up near the entrance to the mall. No additional damage was reported after the morning aftershock, and rescue workers were hopeful that they could re-enter the building to search for survivors and victims.

Reaching Kim’s voicemail, he passed on the update.

Meanwhile, Kim was consoling her step-father, George Kaklis. She and her husband Hal had driven to her parents’ home to let them know what they had learned about Anna.

The patriarch of the Kaklis family was visibly distraught. George Tydeus Kaklis was a first generation American. Born in 1937, shortly after his parents left Greece for the United States, he had been raised during tumultuous times. Though too young to remember the war itself, the values of the World War II generation—loyalty toward his country and a firm belief in hard work—were deeply ingrained in him. Anna was his beloved daughter, the only remaining link to his first wife, Christia. It was Christia’s father who had founded Premier Motors as an Oldsmobile dealership in 1951. Working with his wife, George had acquired the BMW franchise in the mid-1960s, and built it into the success it was. Anna’s beautiful mother had died of breast cancer when the child was only ten. Three years later, George married Kim’s mother, Martine, a widow of six years. Together, they had one son, David, now a high school junior.

The entire family, with the exception of Scott, was gathered at the Kaklis home in Beverly Hills. Everyone understood the special bond between the old man and his daughter, and it was important that they offer their support. As blended families go, theirs was unusually devoted.

Martine had always taken in stride her husband’s doting on Anna, as she herself was particularly close to Kim. Over the years, Anna had forged a very loving relationship with her stepmother, made much easier by the fact that she had bonded instantly with her stepsister, only one year younger than herself. Since the first day they met, the girls had been best friends and confidantes.

As the family comforted George, Kim walked out to the patio alone and began to sob. She had spent the entire day feigning optimism. A full day had passed since the earthquake and the fears she had worked so hard to bury had begun to simmer to the surface. Knowing she couldn’t just sit by the phone and wait for news from Scott any longer, she hurriedly wiped the remaining tears and went back into the house and grabbed her sweater. "Hal, will you drive me to the Endicott Mall? One of us should be there, and Scott shouldn’t be by himself. I’m going to sit with him until we learn something."

**********

"It was probably bad luck for me to say anything about not getting out of here. In fact, the earthquake was probably my fault too." Lily and Anna had been searching the room by hand for more than two hours when they concluded that they were trapped. The shorter woman had found a gap at the top of the wall, but when Anna had scoped it out, she determined that it was only about two inches high and four inches across.

"We’ll just have to think of something else," Anna said reassuringly.

Guessing that Anna would be reluctant to complain about her knee, Lily spoke up. "What do you say we rest a few minutes?"

The tall woman was instantly relieved. They sat down to rest and regroup. Anna closed her eyes and soon, her thoughts wandered to the life that awaited her if and when she escaped this tomb. "So who’s waiting for you out there?" Anna asked.

"Probably no one," Lily replied. "I’m sure my friends from work have missed me by now, but I didn’t tell anyone that I was stopping by the mall."

"So no girlfriend?" Anna tried to imagine what kind of girlfriend Lily might have.

"No. I’m between heartbreaks," Lily joked.

"Yeah, I bet. I suspect that you’re the heartbreaker. You seem so confident and in charge of everything else."

"It’s a ruse." Lily was quiet for a moment. "Is anyone waiting for you?"

"My husband, I guess."

"You guess?"

"No, I’m sure he’s there." Anna grew pensive. She didn’t want Lily to think she’d married an ogre, but their current situation was depressing enough without adding to the misery by pouring her heart out to a virtual stranger in the dark. "I…I didn’t mean to give you the wrong impression. He’s a good man. It’s just that we may have rushed a bit in getting married." She paused, and said aloud for the first time, "I’m not sure we’re right for each other."

"How long have you been married?" Lily inquired.

"A little over a year."

Lily placed a hand on Anna’s shoulder. "If you want to talk about it, I’m not going anywhere. Literally."

"No, that’s okay." Anna paused, then added, "I’ve had a lot of trouble talking about it. It’s just one of those things I’m going to have to work out on my own. And with my husband."

Just thirteen months ago, Anna and Scott had stood before their family and friends saying those words everyone hopes to utter only once in a lifetime. Now those promises stood in shambles, and neither was sure their marriage could be saved.

Anna had desperately wanted to hide her situation from her family. If we can work it out somehow, no one need ever know that this happened. She had waited so long to find the man with whom she thought she could spend the rest of her life, enduring gentle criticism from her father about her so-called perfectionist standards for men. For years, she had written off dates that she deemed too dim, too self-centered, or too focused on ending up between the sheets.

Scott was none of those. A professor in the business school at Southern Cal, he had been eager to hear how she applied her MBA coursework to the operations of the BMW dealership. He picked her brain for ideas on how to make his classes more practical to build in his students the enthusiasm for business that she so clearly manifested. As they shared coffee and conversation over several weeks, Anna grew to like the handsome 40-year-old with the gentle brown eyes. Coffee became dinner, and dinner became romance. Four months after their first meeting, Scott proposed.

Anna had never been so comfortable with a man in all the years she had dated. Memories of her first—and only other—sexual experience always brought an involuntary shudder. Victor was a grad student at Cal Poly with whom she had gone out only casually for a few months. She hadn’t even told the young man that she was a virgin, because that would be acknowledging that he was somehow special, and he really wasn’t. To this day, she regretted sharing that intimacy just to satisfy a curiosity. The experience was fine. "Fine" was really the only word to describe it. The lack of "fireworks" made sense, she reasoned, since in the absence of love, sex itself seemed an empty act.

Scott was an experienced lover, and the physical aspect of their relationship was pleasing. But to Anna, it seemed that sex wasn’t exactly living up to its reputation as the be-all-end-all, though she convinced herself that it would get better as they grew closer. But after only a few months of marriage, their lovemaking seemed strained and mechanical, and no matter how hard either of them tried, they couldn’t seem to connect on an emotional level when they shared their bodies. Despite the fact that she truly loved Scott, she just didn’t feel the passion for him she thought she eventually would.

After eight months of marriage, Scott suggested they start a family. "I’m not getting any younger," he had stated, "and neither are you," he teased. Anna knew Scott would be a wonderful father, and decided that a baby might be just the ticket to bring them closer. Then they ran into Sarah.

Anna was returned to the here and now when a hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her to her feet. "Let’s see if there’s a way to go through the ceiling!"

Part 4

The channel 26 news crew was setting up for its live report from the scene for the 26 Noon News. Art Hanson picked up the scene report from the public information officer and scanned the crowd for an anguished face. He found many, including that of a young man in a crumpled suit.

Hanson approached the man. "Hello. I’m Art Hanson with Channel 26 News. Would you mind answering a few questions so that our viewers can get an idea of how serious the situation is here at the mall?" he pleaded hopefully.

"Sure. But I’m just waiting like everyone else."

"That’s okay." Turning, Hanson yelled "Janie, over here!" and a tall, forty-ish woman with curly brown hair trudged over to the tent, her camera already shouldered for the news spot. Hanson scribbled on a notepad. "Could you tell me your name?"

"Tony. Anthony LeFevre." He spelled his last name for the newsman.

"Who are you waiting for here?"

"Lilian Stuart. She’s a lawyer at our firm. We haven’t heard from her since yesterday. Her car was found in the garage by the part of the mall that fell."

Hanson briefed Tony on the questions he would ask, and gave instruction on where he should face and how he should use the microphone. As the taped interview was winding down, the reporter squared his shoulders and looked directly at Tony. "Mr. LeFevre…it’s been twelve hours since any survivors were found. What do you think of your friend’s chances?" Hanson was hoping for an emotional response, and he was not disappointed.

"If I were trapped in there, I’d want Lily with me. Lily’s going to make it out. She’s that kind of person." Tony's words sounded stronger and more assured than he perhaps felt.

Scott Rutherford listened in to the final remarks. He wondered if Anna were that kind of person as well. How could I not know that about her?

As though reading his thoughts, Kim Philips placed her hand on her brother-in-law’s shoulder. "She’ll be all right, Scott. She’ll fight to hold on."

"I certainly haven’t given her a reason to fight her way out of there," he said dejectedly. Turning to walk away, Kim pulled him back.

"You’re going to have to explain that comment, Scott."

The pair walked over to the Red Cross water truck and sat on the bumper in the shade. Scott was crying at the end of the awful tale, and Kim had listened intently to every word. It was all coming to light now—Anna’s long hours, her moodiness, the way she had avoided the family. Kim wanted very much to slap her brother-in-law senseless, but knew that this was Anna’s call. Instead, she said, "I’m in Anna’s corner, Scott. Whatever she wants is what I want." It was their Oath of Sisters, a pact they had made when Anna was fourteen and Kim thirteen. Kim pushed herself up and brushed off her dusty jeans. Looking down at Scott, she could see the anguish in his eyes. She patted him lightly on the back and then turned to head toward the public information tent to await the noon update.

**********

"Damn! This thing is stubborn!" The women had been working more than an hour to loosen a ceiling panel near the wall that bordered the next store. The ceiling at this point was just low enough for Anna to stretch her arms up and reach it. Lily had located a standard plastic and metal chair on which to stand, though it teetered precariously on the crooked floor. Each time they pushed, pulled or pounded, it gave a little but always returned snugly to its place. On one occasion, Lily reached through the opening when it was pushed upward and determined that there was about a foot of space between the ceiling tile and the actual ceiling of the shoe store. That would be barely enough room to maneuver, but first they needed access.

Lily, still trying valiantly to keep their spirits up, had been jabbering on about how they could have picked up souvenirs along the way, emerging from the rubble in dirty white wedding gowns with tennis shoes and diamond earrings. "Just imagine what we could pick up in Fredrick’s of Hollywood!" she joked.

Her companion though, was quiet, lost in thought from their earlier conversation about who might greet them when they exited. "Pardon me, am I keeping you awake?" Lily noticed the woman’s extended silence and tried to inject some levity into the question.

"Sorry. I was thinking about something. What were you saying?"

"I was saying ‘Why don’t you tell me what’s on your mind?’ It might help if you got it off your chest." Lily continued to tug at the ceiling tile.

Anna sighed, and plopped down on the sloping floor. It might help. And maybe it would be easier to talk about it in the dark. "Well, it’s…you see I…I learned recently that my husband had a baby with another woman. It happened before we were married, but we were engaged, and…we had already…been intimate." Well there, that wasn’t so hard. She continued, "It was his old girlfriend, and both of them had been drinking. We ran into her and the baby last November, and I’ve spent every night since then in the guest room."

Lily considered her companion. Anna's quiet strength and confidence were obvious and Lily realized it must have taken a lot of courage for Anna to admit this betrayal in her life, especially to someone she had known for such a short time. Lily wanted to kick Anna's son of a bitch husband, even though she didn’t even know him. "That’s a pretty heavy load, Anna. I can see why you’re upset." She didn’t want to pry, but she sensed that the woman needed to talk about it. "What do you think you’ll do?"

"Well, it occurred to me more than once that disappearing under a pile of concrete would settle a lot," Anna laughed quietly.

"Don’t even say that!" Lily countered angrily.

"No, no! I’m not being serious," the tall woman backpedaled. "I told you already. Once you helped me out, I knew I wasn’t meant to die in here. I plan on getting out of here. And when I do, I have to decide what’s next. I’m not going to keep beating Scott up about all of this, or myself for that matter. We’ll fix it."

Lily relaxed, relieved to see that Anna still had a fire in her. "I’m sure you will, Anna. I bet you have no idea how strong you are. I can see it, and I’ve known you less than a day."

With a strong jerk, Lily broke off a corner of the sturdy tile, and reached above it. A metal brace in the center was holding the tile – each tile, probably – firmly into place. To get through, they were going to have to break it apart piece by piece.

"What would you do if you were me?" Anna continued.

"I wouldn’t touch that question with a ten-foot pole! I don’t really know your history, or how you feel about each other. Besides, you definitely don’t want to be taking advice on your love life from someone like me."

"Oh, right. I forgot I was in here with The Heartbreak Kid."

"Noooo. You’re in here with The Heartbroken Kid. I make bad decisions. Repeatedly."

"Why don’t I take a turn on tearing that ceiling apart? While you rest, you can tell me your sordid tales."

"You’ll think I’m pathetic," Lily groaned.

"Me? Who am I to pick on you? Come on, tell me about your heartbreaks, Kid." Climbing up to take her turn at the ceiling, Anna added, "Besides, if you’re that pathetic, maybe I’ll feel better."

"Great. I’m stuck in here with a comedienne."

"You’d have said the same thing and you know it." She was right.

"Okay, but you’re going to think I’m such a loser." She leaned back on the incline and told Anna the tales of Melanie, Becca and Beverly, leaving out the sex parts so she wouldn’t embarrass her new friend.

Lily had never been with a man. Her first sexual experience was during her sophomore year in college, with Melanie, a woman she met at a lecture on lesbian health. The sex was fantastic and Lily was sure she had found her other half on the very first try. But it was not to be. The more experienced lesbian wasn’t ready to settle down, and Lily was determined not to wear her heart on her sleeve next time.

Alas, the heart has a will of its own, and at the beginning of her senior year, she fell hard for Becca Silby, UCLA’s All-American point guard. That lasted nearly two years, until Becca opted out of the WNBA draft in favor of a more lucrative European contract. It was pretty clear to Lily what that said regarding their future.

After she landed her job at the law clinic—landed is a funny word, since most young lawyers shunned this work in favor of a little prestige and having enough to eat—she met Beverly, a home health care consultant ten years her senior at 35, with a precocious five-year-old son. Lily moved into Beverly’s three-bedroom home and immediately meshed her life with that of her new lover. She adored Josh, and the feeling was mutual. Beverly was definitely The One. That is, until two years into their relationship when Lily suggested that they trade rings or some other token of devotion. Beverly wasn’t into commitment, but she didn’t want to be the jerk here, especially since it might be difficult to explain to her son. So she began to complain about the things Lily did, little things at first, then eventually, most things. She would pick fights, then lambaste the younger woman for losing her temper. In a final act of cruelty, she asked Lily to move out so that her son would no longer be exposed to Lily's mood swings and unpredictable temper. It took a long time for Lily to stop blaming herself for the demise of the relationship and realize Beverly's game.

"So I’m a three-time loser," she finished. "If I ever do really fall in love, I seriously doubt if I’ll be able to tell if it’s real. Now you see why I say you shouldn’t ask me for love advice."

"Don’t be silly. You’re not a loser. Sounds to me like you opened up your heart and some people just took advantage," Anna comforted. "Your turn again, okay? My arms feel like they’re going to fall off." Anna had successfully removed another portion of the tile.

"Sure," Lily said, scrambling up to the lowered ceiling. Taking turns, the women continued to break the tile apart bit by bit. When Anna found a metal shoe sizer in the pile of debris, they were able to make quicker work of their task, and soon, the hole was large enough for each to squeeze through.

**********

Eleanor Stuart drove straight to her daughter’s apartment, hoping against hope that Lily had somehow made it home. She was met by Lily’s two closest friends, Sandy, a social worker who collaborated often with Lily on some of her cases, and her partner Suzanne. Without a word, the three women embraced in the entryway, each shedding quiet tears.

Sandy and Suzanne had been partners for 11 years, and Eleanor loved that Lily had such strong successful role models in her life. Two years ago, she and Lily had vacationed with the pair in Mexico, and she got the chance to really get to know the two, individually and as a couple. There were never any secrets between Eleanor and Lily so Eleanor had known from Lily’s high school days that she was gay. Though she would never have chosen such a difficult path for her daughter, Eleanor wanted the kind of happiness she saw between Sandy and Suzanne for Lily.

Those pleasant memories were far removed from the moment. The women saw the dark circles under Eleanor’s red-rimmed eyes, and knew how hard this was for her. They pulled her into Lily’s apartment, and filled her in on what they had learned from Tony after the six o’clock briefing.

Search crews using dogs had entered the mall shortly after ten this morning. As of six o’clock, they had removed the bodies of nine victims. No survivors had been found. The search was continuing, though the FEMA task force was no longer optimistic.

Tony had been sickened by what he saw, but he was relieved to report that Lily was not among the dead. Eleanor knew Tony from having visited Lily several times over the five years that her daughter had worked at the clinic, and she had passed on through Lauren her appreciation for the role he was playing in learning Lily’s fate.

"I need to go down there," said Eleanor, looking around to retrieve her car keys. "It’s my job to wait, not Tony’s. He’s done enough."

"Not now, Eleanor. You need to rest." Sandy put her hands on Eleanor’s shoulders. "I’ll go down there with Tony. Suzanne will stay here, and you can come tomorrow morning." She searched Eleanor’s eyes for agreement. "Really, you need some rest."

Eleanor acquiesced, and walked out onto the small patio for a few moments of quiet contemplation. "You need to come back to me, baby," she said to the night, hoping Lily would somehow hear her.

Suzanne brought the woman’s bag in from the car and placed it in Lily’s guest room. Hugging her partner, she instructed, "Call me on my cell phone if you hear anything. I’ll have it on vibrate so it won’t wake her up."

**********

It was well past midnight, but the trapped women had no way of knowing. Both were tired, sore, hungry and thirsty, but they resolved to keep moving as long as they could. Dehydration was their biggest worry now.

Over an hour ago, they had climbed into the narrow crawlspace above the ceiling. The support structure, a series of metal frames and braces, was difficult to navigate, especially in the dark. Anna in particular was struggling, her long legs constantly scraping against the bolts that stuck out from the frames. Progress was slow in the limited space.

When they reached the wall, they were frustrated to find that the metal frames were laid out like a maze, preventing them from moving forward toward the gap in the ceiling. In fact, it seemed that the only avenue for moving from the back of the store to the front was along the row that held the light fixtures. That meant backing up about ten feet and crawling toward the front of the store. They would have to guess which alley led to the gap in the wall.

Two hours later, on the fifth try, Anna found the opening. "The wall is crumbling here, but it still isn’t big enough for us to get through. I think we’re going to have to break it away like we did with the tile," she reported.

Lily was behind her in the narrow corridor which housed the light fixtures, and opted to return to the store for the shoe sizer. There was no way they could break through the wall with their bare hands.

The crawlspace was filled with dust, bugs and rodent droppings, though these elements were fortunately hidden from view by the darkness. For Lily, the stagnant air and exertion had combined to produce a tickling cough that was always bad news. Prone to asthma attacks when she exercised or encountered certain allergens, Lily carried her emergency inhaler wherever she went. Almost everywhere, she lamented, knowing it was in her briefcase under the driver’s seat. Who knew?

Anna napped while Lily retrieved the tool. She awoke to the sound of violent coughing. "Lily! Are you all right?"

"I’ll be fine," Lily wheezed as she crawled into the narrow space beside the tall woman. "I’m having a little trouble with my asthma, but I don’t think it’s going to get any worse."

Anna took the shoe sizer and began pounding at the edges of the crumbling drywall. Lily insisted on taking over after a few minutes, but it was obvious to both women that she was in acute distress.

"What can I do?" asked the tall woman anxiously.

"Nothing." She drew a shallow raspy breath. "I just need to get out of here and get some fresh air."

Anna took the sizer and began to work feverishly on the wall. She refused Lily’s attempts to take a turn, sliding ahead of the smaller woman so that she blocked the wall from her reach. When the hole was finally large enough, she started through head first. Lily strained to hold her feet as Anna lowered herself to the floor of Lawson’s Jewelry. Immediately, she noticed the broken glass. First her hand, then her bare foot met jagged shards that drew blood. Quickly, she turned and helped the blonde through the opening, guiding her up the sloping wall to avoid the danger. Lily was taking rapid shallow breaths and coughing profusely.

"It’s okay, Lily. We’re almost out. The air’s better in here. You’ll be okay." She desperately hoped that what she said was true.

"I need to…prop up…breathe better."

Anna hurriedly scooted behind her new friend, pulling the young woman onto her chest. She smoothed short strands of hair from Lily’s face, and rocked her gently.

For Lily, this was familiar relief. When she was younger, Eleanor had held her close and rocked her while she wheezed. Lily knew she was in big trouble here. Without her inhaler, the attack could get worse. Anna needed to keep moving.

"You need to go on," she rasped. "Send someone back."

"Not a chance, Pygmy. Like you said, we’re going out together." Anna hugged her loosely. "Get some rest. You’ll get better."

**********

Eleanor arrived at the mall at 6:30 a.m. on Saturday morning. Tony had brought his car to the family parking area, and was asleep in the back seat. He had been at the site since Thursday afternoon. Sandy led the woman to where he slept, opened the backdoor of the car and nudged him gently. "Tony, Eleanor’s here."

The young man sat up, shaking his head to clear the cobwebs. His sorrowful look as his eyes met Eleanor’s nearly broke the older woman’s heart. "Thank you, Tony. I appreciate what you’ve done more than you could ever know." She took the man in her arms as he broke down and sobbed.

The crowd had dwindled this morning to fewer than three dozen. At last count, searchers had removed 18 bodies from the rubble, and no survivors had been found since mid-afternoon on Thursday. The list of missing was down to 11, including the wife of the haggard young man who had come to the mall with Tony. All were concluded to have been in one of the six stores on the lower level, as every other inch of the structure had been searched.

At the seven o’clock briefing, it was announced that engineers were going to come in today to determine the safest way to excavate the lower level. Sound technicians were setting up to scan for stray noises underground. "I’ll be honest with you," the site coordinator said. "We’re running out of time to help anyone who may be trapped underneath the structure. We don’t know what kind of air pockets there might be, or whether there was any gas or hazardous materials in the area. And at this point, dehydration is going to be a problem."

The families looked at one another grimly.

"But be assured that we’re going to do everything we can."

**********

Something was different. Anna awoke to Lily’s vicious coughing spell. She helped the younger woman sit up and rubbed small circles on her back to comfort her as she gasped for breath. Anna looked around the jewelry store. There! A small but definite glow was evident at the back edge of the wall going into the next store.

"Lily! I can see daylight! Look!" Anna turned her friend in the direction of the patch of light. "Let’s go!"

Lily was unable to move. Without treatment, her asthma attack had left her depleted of the oxygen needed to make her body work, her muscles move. Between rapid shallow breaths, she pleaded, "Go, Anna! I can’t."

Anna was frozen with fear. She couldn’t leave her friend. This woman had saved her life.

Lily made it clearer. "Get help." She gasped for breath, then coughed violently. "I…have….to get….an inhaler…" Lily stammered. Or I’ll die.

With that, Anna squeezed Lily’s hands and kissed her bloodied forehead. "I’ll be back, Lily. It’ll be okay, I promise." Anna stood and hurried toward the faintly lit crack in the wall.

The dividing wall had separated from the concrete blocks that lined the back of the store, but the opening was too narrow to get through. Anna retrieved the shoe sizer and pounded fiercely on the wall until it crumbled and tore away. She easily scrambled under the fallen ceiling into the lingerie store and was elated to see a solid beam of light coming in from a quarter-sized opening at the apex of the room, about nine feet above the floor.

"Help! Help!" She screamed louder than she ever had. Looking about, she spotted an extension rod that clerks used to reach items on the higher displays. Stretching it to its full length, Anna poked it through the hole to the outside. Up and down, side to side. She needed to get someone’s attention.

After fifteen minutes, there was no response. She yelled again, but still no one heard. No one came.

Her eyes had grown accustomed to the dim light, and she spotted a mannequin at her feet, dressed in a red satin teddy. Anna pulled the extension rod back inside, and tied the teddy to its end. Pushing it back through the hole, she again waved it up and down, side to side, screaming for all she was worth.

**********

Scott had been staring dejectedly at the crumpled mall as the searchers went about their work. He had asked for the fourth time to accompany them, and was told for the fourth time that he was not properly trained.

Suddenly, a movement caught his eye. "What the hell?" He squinted and walked toward the mall, gradually making out what looked like a red cloth…no, it was lingerie. It was definitely lingerie and it was waving back and forth. "Hey!" he yelled to the site manager, pointing to the spectacle. He started to run toward the spot, but was stopped by security.

By this time, a crowd had gathered around Scott and people were straining to see the first sign of life at the mall in almost 40 hours. Their view was obscured as rescuers rushed to the area.

**********

The pole suddenly stopped moving as someone grabbed it from above. Anna pulled it back through, and yelled again. "Can you hear me?"

"We’re here. We’re going to get you out. Are you hurt?" the rescuer shouted.

"I’m all right. My friend needs help. She’s having an asthma attack. Please hurry."

"You need to stand back. We’re going to make the hole bigger. Get as far away as you can. Tell us when you’re ready."

Anna hurried back to the passageway. "Go ahead! I’m ready."

The next 15 minutes seemed like hours, but finally, the searchers had widened the hole enough to illuminate the entire room. "It’s going to be a few more minutes. We’ll need to use some machinery to break through this asphalt," he assured.

"My friend can’t wait," she pleaded desperately. "She needs an inhaler now for her asthma. She can’t breathe."

A few minutes later, a head emerged through the hole. "Where is your friend?" the emergency medical technician asked.

"She’s in the next store, back there." Anna pointed toward the hole through which she had previously climbed.

He disappeared, but soon the hole in the ceiling was filled by another man. "We want you to stay here. It’s too dangerous for you to go back there. When we get the hole widened, we’ll pull you out and send in one of the firefighters."

Anna was incredulous. What part of ‘she can’t breathe’ don’t they understand? "Give me the goddamned medicine!" she screamed. "Now! She’s dying!"

The man retreated and the EMT reappeared. "I’m going to pass it to you in a pouch. Do you know how to use it?"

"Yes," she lied. She was certain Lily would know, and she didn’t want to waste another second.

Moments later, a red pouch dropped through the hole to the floor below. Anna hurried to pick it up and shouted, "I’m going back. You can work on the hole. I won’t be in the way." With that, she was gone.

Lily was only vaguely aware of the commotion in the next room as she teetered on the brink of unconsciousness. She felt the tall woman scoot behind her and pull her into her lap. "I’ve got it," she heard, "the medicine. I need your help Lily." The EMT had assembled the inhaler for immediate use, and Anna figured out how to hold it to her friend’s mouth. Lily wrapped her hand around the instrument, and pumping it once into her mouth, breathed deeply. The reprieve was instant. She took three or four deep breaths, and pumped the device again.

Anna smiled widely with relief when she felt Lily sit up. "We’re about to get rescued. You ready?"

"You bet," whispered the blonde.

Together, they ambled to the passageway. As they crawled into the lingerie store from underneath the fallen ceiling, they were overjoyed to see a firefighter descending a ladder, carrying blankets and first aid equipment.

**********

"Anna!" Scott shouted as he watched the tall dark-haired woman emerge from the hole in the ground. He pushed past the security guard and broke into a run. Half a minute later, he was holding the bruised and exhausted woman to his chest, feeling a convergence of emotions that threatened to overwhelm him completely. "Thank God, Anna. Oh, thank God!" was all he could say as tears streamed down his cheeks.

Anna returned the hug, crying as well, and raised her hand to take that of her sister, who joined them seconds later. "I’m okay. It’s all okay," she murmured.

Their joyful reunion was interrupted by the EMT, who was directing Anna to a waiting ambulance. She turned back to the rescuers to see them bring her friend through the opening on a stretcher, a ventilator affixed to her mouth and nose. Lily was slender and blonde, with cute features that belied her toughness. A nasty gash crossed her forehead above her left eye, which was swollen and black. "Scott, write my phone number down on something. Quick!" Anna ordered.

Anna crouched low to the stretcher and took her friend’s hand. Lily opened her eyes to behold the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. Anna’s sparkling blue eyes leapt out from her dirty face amidst a cascade of shoulder-length jet-black hair. She smiled down at Lily and it melted her heart. Lily reached for the mask and pulled it aside. "Thank you, Anna. I couldn’t have made it without you."

"And I wouldn’t have made it without you. You saved my life, Lily." Taking the paper scrap from Scott, she said, "Here’s my number. Call me when you’re better. We’re going to be great friends, Pygmy." She stuffed the paper into Lily’s skirt pocket.

"Is she going to be okay?" Anna asked anxiously as the EMT inserted a butterfly clip into Lily’s forearm.

"Yeah, she looks good. We’re just going to get some fluid into her as soon as possible. This is the best way to do it." His voice was reassuring. "You should probably have some too," he added.

"Will I see her again at the hospital?" she asked as she limped toward the waiting ambulance.

"Probably not," the EMT answered. "You’re going to Sinai and she’s going to Central. Central is closer and they need to treat her asthma right away."

Anna turned back to watch Lily’s departure. An older woman now crouched over her friend, crying and smiling, obviously joyous to have her loved one back. Anna liked knowing that Lily was loved.

"Scott, Kim? Will you meet me at Sinai?" Anna stepped up gingerly into the back of the ambulance. She had wanted Kim to ride with her, but she knew that such a request would have been hard on Scott, so she opted just to go alone.

"Of course!" they blurted, as they turned and ran for the car.

The radio crackled inside Lily’s ambulance. "Change of plans, Dean. We’re taking her to Valley. Central’s full."

When the ambulance arrived at Valley Hospital, the triage nurse carefully removed Lily’s soiled clothing and tossed it in a trash bin. "She won’t be wanting any reminders of this, I bet," she told her co-worker.

Part 5

"I’m so proud of you Lionel! Everything you said was perfect. It was just the way we practiced." The blonde lawyer drew the shy four-year-old into her arms and hugged him fiercely. Turning to Sandy, at the courthouse today in her role as Lionel’s social worker, Lily went on, "I think Judge Evans will come back with what we want. This kind of stuff really gets to him." What they wanted was the boy’s removal from a drug-infested and violent home. Lionel’s grandmother had petitioned for custody, fearing he would suffer irreparable harm under her daughter’s care.

"You were great too, my friend. As usual, I might add," Sandy responded. Indeed, Lily was a powerful ally for families in trouble. It was as though she took each case personally, the social worker thought. She had seen her friend devastated last year when the attorney had failed to win a restraining order to protect a woman from her abusive boyfriend. The boyfriend subsequently killed the woman with a shotgun blast as she answered the door. Lily was sullen and withdrawn for days, second guessing her strategy and beating herself up mercilessly for failing the woman who had needed her.

Lily steered the boy to his grandmother’s side. "Look, you two should get some lunch at the café downstairs. We need to be back here by one. I think we’ll get a decision then." She turned to her friend. "I’ve got to make a couple of calls. Any chance I could talk you into grabbing me a tuna sandwich and a bottle of water? She hadn’t had a Diet Coke since the In-and-Out server had doused her silk top on that fateful day last February. I’ll be outside on one of those benches." she indicated the exit.

"Sure, I’ll be right there." With that, the social worker and her clients turned for the stairs.

Looking up, Lily caught a glimpse of a tall dark-haired woman. It had been seven months since the earthquake, and still, when she saw the familiar features on women she encountered it triggered her memory of the remarkable woman she had met. Automatically dialing her voicemail, her eyes followed the woman as she walked in her direction, the face obscured by the people in the crowded hallway.

It’s her! The sapphire eyes suddenly looked up and locked with her own. It’s really her!

Oh my God! It’s Lily! Anna realized at the same instant, her heart skipping a beat.

Both women stood frozen for a long moment as the recognition settled. Without thought, Lily turned off and pocketed her cell phone. She was the first to find her voice. "Anna?" Please let it be her!

"Lily?" the woman returned, her lips turning up into a broad grin.

Both women rushed the final few steps to come together in a tight hug. Neither spoke as they held the other close, each awash in memories of their ordeal. They relished the sensation of holding one another in the here and now, almost unbelieving that the moment was actually happening. Lily finally pulled back to take in the smiling face of the tall woman, but she didn’t relinquish her grip.

"I’d almost given up hope of ever seeing you again." Lily was elated, but she couldn’t stop the tears that welled up at seeing her friend again.

Anna saw the sparkling green eyes, and knew that her own were shining as well. "I waited for you to call. I figured you didn’t want to…you know, that maybe you wanted to put it all behind you." The blonde discerned the slightest hint of hurt in Anna’s statement.

"No, I wanted to call you. I tried, but I didn’t know how." She went on to explain how she’d lost her clothes at the hospital, and how she’d tried in vain to track Anna through the Red Cross and the hospital. "They didn’t have any records of anyone named Anna."

"Well, that makes sense. My full name is Christianna. That’s probably what the records said." Anna then recounted her own frustrations about trying to learn what she could about her friend. "Central Hospital had no record of a Lily or a Lilian, or even a Lilliputian."

"Stop it already with the short jokes! I didn’t go to Central. I went to Valley."

"I don’t believe it!" said a third voice. Not letting go of one another, the women turned to find Sandy holding two bottles of water and a brown bag lunch. "You have to be the one and only Anna the Amazon that Lily here has been talking about for months."

Still beaming, Lily reached out and pulled the social worker closer. "Sandy, I’d like to officially introduce you to Anna the Amazon. Anna, meet one of my dearest friends, Sandy Henke. Sandy’s a social worker and she and I are here today to argue a custody case," she explained.

"Hi Sandy. I’m Anna Ru…" she caught herself. "Kaklis. Anna Kaklis. Pleased to meet you."

"It’s great to finally meet you too. I tell you, Lily described you perfectly. I think I would have known you anywhere," she said, remembering how often her friend had used the word ‘beautiful.’ Anna was dressed in a tailored navy suit, the cropped jacket accentuating her trim waist. A strand of ivory pearls with matching earrings finished the look. ‘Stunning’ would have been more appropriate, she thought.

The little blonde blushed and panicked. She shot her friend a look that said, "Oh God, Sandy! Please don’t tell her how I went on and on about how beautiful she was!"

Anna unknowingly saved her with a quick reply. "Well, I almost can’t believe she could remember what I looked like. We only saw each other for a minute, and she was kind of on the edge there."

How could I ever forget you? "Well, you made quite an impression, saving my life and all. What brings you to the courthouse?" Lily asked, hoping to move away from the potentially dangerous subject.

"I came for my final divorce decree," Anna stated with a confidence she didn’t quite feel. Her eyes met and held those of the attorney as if waiting for judgment.

They were quiet for a moment until Sandy spoke up, "Listen, I’m going to head outside and look for a bench. Come out whenever you’re ready, Lily." Turning to Anna, she added, "Very nice to meet you. I hope to see you again."

"Same here. The pleasure was mine." Anna held her hand out to the social worker, who took it in hers. Sandy was pleasantly surprised by the firm handshake. She had expected the grip to be more…well, prissy.

Lily watched her friend and turned again to face the dark-haired woman. She remembered how troubled Anna had been when they were trapped, how determined she was to work through it, and how she had vowed to "stop beating up" both her husband and herself. What could have gone wrong? Taking Anna’s hands in her own, Lily tried to find the right words to support her friend. "I’m so sorry things didn’t work out."

"Who says they didn’t?" Anna straightened to her full height and smiled. "I’ve always believed that things happen as they should. This is better for everyone." All of this was true, she was certain.

"Sweetheart, you can’t mean this! You’re emotional. This has been a horrible ordeal," Scott had argued, when his wife had stated her intentions to divorce him. The handwriting had been on the wall, though. He had been hopeful that this trial would bring them back together, and was bitterly disappointed when Anna returned to the guest room upon arriving home from the hospital.

Anna had called her lawyer as soon as Scott left for his office the following day. By that afternoon, the details were settled, and she’d announced her decision and presented Scott with an equitable financial settlement. Defeated, Scott refused a scenario that involved Anna moving out, so she requested that he remove his belongings as soon as was feasible. She would stay with her sister until he was relocated.

"I know it seems trite to say this, Scott, but a part of me will always love you. I have forgiven you for Sarah. I don’t want you to carry that burden. Your son is a precious gift, not a mistake. I believe in my heart that you belong with him, and perhaps even with his mother, but that’s up to you to decide. I only know that I don’t belong with you. It just isn’t what I want. I’m sorry."

Scott was gone by the end of the week. The large four-bedroom house was quiet, but no more so than it had been for the past few months. Anna slowly reclaimed her life, still working long hours, but spending more time now with her family. Breaking the news to acquaintances and business associates was sometimes uncomfortable, but it wasn’t humiliating, as she had feared.

"Then I’m glad it’s worked out for you," Lily said sincerely. Anyone who would let you get away is an idiot.

Anna studied her friend’s face and found no sign of reproach. "Listen, I’m joining my sister and her husband tonight for dinner to sort of…well, to celebrate a fresh start. How about coming with us? I really want them to meet you."

"Sure! I’d love to," the blonde said eagerly. I hope that wasn’t too eager.

"That’s wonderful! They can finally put a face on the woman I’ve talked so much about." Anna reached into her Gucci purse and retrieved a business card and a pen. "Here’s my number. Don’t lose it this time!" she teased, as she jotted her cell phone number on the back.

Lily reached into her own briefcase and passed Anna a card, also scribbling her home number. "Here, my cell phone is on here. So, what are the plans for dinner?"

"We have eight o’clock reservations at Empyre’s in Beverly Hills. It’s a Greek place, one of my favorite restaurants. If you want, we can pick you up."

"No, that’s okay. It would probably be easier if I met you there."

"If you’re sure?" Lily nodded. "The reservation is under Philips. That’s my brother-in-law."

"Okay, then I’ll see you at eight," Lily said. She looked at Anna again, and without a trace of awkwardness, took her again in a mighty hug. "I’ve got to go. I’ve got to be back in court soon, and I need to eat first so they don’t fine me for making too much noise with my stomach," she joked. Pausing for a moment, she looked happily at her friend and added, "It’s really good to see you again, Anna."

"I feel the same way."

**********

"I don’t have anything to wear to a place like that!" Lily shrieked. "I’ll make a fool of myself. ‘I’d like you to meet my friend Lily from Hooterville,’" she mocked herself. Lily had visited Empyre’s web site and explored the menu. Entrees started at forty bucks, and there was that condescending footnote, ‘Proper attire required’.

Lauren watched her co-worker pace back and forth in the cramped office. "You know, you’re really getting yourself worked up. It’s just dinner with a friend. It’s not like it’s a date or anything." She waited…"Is it?"

"Of course not!" Lily plopped down in her treasured Aeron armchair and sighed. "I just want to make a good impression." She fingered the embossed business card. "Anna Kaklis. Vice-President, Premier Motors." She was starting to get a grip on who Anna was. "She doesn’t just sell cars. Her family probably owns the place. BMWs, for crying out loud!"

It wasn’t that Lily was a stranger to people who had money. After all, she’d grown up in the Silicon Valley, where even teenagers drove expensive foreign cars. But as the daughter of a school teacher, Lily was unaccustomed to such opulence. It was just another thing that separated her from her peers. That said, she wouldn’t have traded her comfortable life with Eleanor for all the money in the world. When Lily finished law school near the top of her class, she was recruited by several firms who promised high earnings and a great potential for partnership. Still, she couldn’t see herself living that kind of life—taking cases based solely on the amount of revenue they generated for the partners. This young attorney, mentored by Katharine Fortier, "champion of the downtrodden," wanted to give something back, and the Braxton Street Law Clinic was a perfect match. It wasn’t that she scorned those who made a better living; she just didn’t aspire to that for herself.

So why am I feeling so inadequate all of a sudden? "I’d like to think we could be friends some day," she said to Lauren. "Really good friends. But I’m not sure we have all that much in common." Lily’s friends didn’t drive Beamers. They were social workers, teachers, nurses, therapists, and other young lawyers like herself.

"Look, it’s just dinner, right?" Lauren asked. Lily nodded. "So why don’t you go out and splurge a little on a new dress? It’s not like you’re going to break the bank. It’s just one dress. I say go for it."

Lily voiced her doubt but she had already decided that Lauren was right. She really wanted to look good tonight. She talked her fellow attorney into getting a head start on the weekend by taking a side trip to Bloomingdale’s on the way home. A mere $1,312 dollars later, she was slipping on the brand new black heels that matched her new black bag, that matched the simple black sleeveless shimmery dress that she wore under the lightweight black and tan wool jacket. She withdrew from a box under her bed the small diamond earrings she had received from Katharine’s estate upon her death. She smiled wryly at the image that stared back from the full-length mirror. Okay, so I look good!

Lily almost laughed at the incongruity between her attire and her ride. When she spotted the parking valet at the restaurant, she decided to park the battered SUV in a public garage and walk the remaining two blocks.

It was 8:02 when she entered the restaurant. An attendant traded a small blue claim check for her wrap, and the maitre d’ directed her to the bar where her companions were already waiting. Suddenly very nervous, the blonde checked her reflection once again in the foyer’s mirror. Taking a deep breath, she walked tentatively through the entry. It’s not like it’s a date, she reminded herself.

The tall woman was seated facing the doorway so that she could easily spot her friend. The three were nursing their first round, having arrived early at Anna’s suggestion so that Lily wouldn’t have to wait for them in an unfamiliar place. She was taken aback by the elegant sight of the attorney as she entered the dimly lit room. She looks lovely, Anna thought. She rose from her chair and waved her friend to their table.

"I’m so glad you could come. I love that dress!" Anna said excitedly.

Worth every penny and then some! Lily thought fleetingly about pilfering the money she had been saving for a down payment on a house and spending every last dime on cocktail dresses at Bloomingdale’s. "Thank you. I’m glad I could make it too. Thanks again for asking me."

Lily had expected Anna to be beautiful in her evening attire, but she wasn’t ready for the sight that beheld her. The stunning woman wore a deep burgundy strapless cocktail dress, the lines of her collarbone prominent against the creamy white skin. She had swept her thick raven hair into a French twist, and her ears sparkled with diamonds that made Lily’s earrings look like chips.

"Kim, Hal, I’d like for you to meet my dear friend, Lily Stuart. Lily, this is my sister Kim Philips, and her wonderful-but-stilted husband, Hal." Whenever they were together, the sisters teased the good-natured bean counter about his conservative demeanor, often referring to him as "Hal Gore." He and Kim had been high school sweethearts and had eloped during their junior year at Berkeley. He was the perfect foil to Kim’s vivacious personality, and Anna loved him like a brother.

Hal stood to take Lily’s outstretched hand, shooting an accusatory glare at his sister-in-law before breaking into a broad grin. "Nice to meet you, Lily. Anna’s been talking about you ever since the earthquake."

She has, has she? Lily stored this tidbit to relish later.

"Indeed she has," Kim joined in. The attractive red-head surprised everyone by drawing Lily into a fierce hug. "Thank you for saving my sister," she whispered, her voice filled with emotion.

The blonde nearly lost her own composure when she pulled back and noticed tears brimming in the hazel eyes. "I can see that I’m going to have to set the record straight on who saved whom. Your sister was my hero that day, too."

Dinner was the most fun Lily had had in ages. Following Anna’s lead, she ordered the swordfish and a small salad, noting that her entire food budget for the week was going into this meal. I’ll worry about that tomorrow…at Tara.

The two friends took turns recalling details about their ordeal, each giving credit to the other at every opportunity. Both of them blushed when Kim dubbed the pair "the mutual admiration society." Embarrassed a bit at this obvious truth, Anna redirected the discussion to fill them in on her day in court.

It was the first time she had seen Scott since he had moved out, though they had talked on the phone a few times. It was awkward for a moment, but Anna had initiated a light hug that brought a small smile to the man’s face. "I wish you all the best, Scott. I mean that," she had said. He returned the sentiment, sincerely she thought, and the rest was lawyer business. "So if you don’t mind, I’d like to ask you to join me in a toast to a really nice guy."

"To Scott," Hal said, raising his wine glass. He had genuinely liked his brother-in-law. The glasses clinked, and the foursome took a sip in unison.

"To Anna," Kim added, "for knowing when to look forward instead of back," raising her glass again.

Anna gave her sister an unmistakable look of love. "Thank you," she said quietly, touching her sister’s glass and pressing against it for a long thoughtful moment. Though not related by blood, the two were as close as twins, each seeming to know the soul of the other. As strong as Anna appeared on the outside, Kim knew that her sister struggled with important decisions, afraid of making mistakes that others would scrutinize. Without continuing support from the people who loved her, Kim feared that Anna’s failed marriage might seriously undermine her confidence in matters of the heart. She so wanted her sister to find the kind of love she shared with Hal. Kim had kept to herself the fact that she saw no such devotion between Anna and Scott. As painful as the parting was for Anna, Kim was glad to see her sister starting anew.

"To Anna," Lily and Hal chimed in, ending the poignant moment.

As the tuxedoed waiter began clearing their plates, Lily’s thoughts were invaded by the irrational fear that she had lettuce stuck in her teeth. Excusing herself, she made her way to the ladies room.

"Your friend certainly doesn’t look like a lesbian," Hal started.

Both women stared at the man incredulously, then at one another to see who would bop him first. Kim won, and she smacked her husband’s shoulder. "I’m surprised at you, Hal. Just because people could make you as an accountant from across the room doesn’t meant that everyone else should fit a stereotype."

Hal realized his gaffe and knew he would soon be getting a second dose of discipline from his sister-in-law. She did not disappoint. "You know Hal, I have several friends who are gay, and I wouldn’t have known at all if they hadn’t told me. My hairdresser is probably the most flamboyant man on the face of the earth, and he’s married with two children. I’ve heard it said that if all the gay people in the world were to turn blue tomorrow, we’d be surprised to find that those stereotypes don’t fit at all," she scolded.

"Stereotypes?" The three were startled that Lily had returned so quickly. Clean teeth.

"Yeah, it happens to me all the time at work," Anna covered quickly. "I was telling them about an incident on the lot yesterday. The sales staff was in at 6:30 in the morning for training on next year’s features. Just after seven, this guy drove up in a ’97 Mitsubishi Eclipse, Special Edition and started looking at the 530i." Anna knew cars. "I walked out and asked if he had any questions, and he said ‘No, I already know probably as much as you do about the car.’" Her voice deepened and her head bobbed back and forth as she mocked him.

"Right, like he knows more than my sister with the mechanical engineering degree," Kim interjected.

"So then he said he wanted to make an offer on the car, and asked me to go get the manager. I explained to him that the manager was in a meeting, and assured him that I could handle the transaction. But he insisted, so I dragged Brad—he’s our sales manager—out of the meeting to talk to him. They hammered out a price, but Brad said he needed the owner’s okay—which wasn’t true, but Brad wanted to jerk his chain—then he paged me to his office to look over the deal. You should have seen the look on the man’s face when I walked back in."

Lily processed this wealth of information on her new friend, mechanical engineering degree, owner. "So what did you do?"

"Oh, I approved it. Brad doesn’t give cars away. But we both had quite a laugh about it when the guy left. And I met the guy again and gave him the overview when he came back to pick up his new car. But the fun part was that I told him everything about the engine in excruciating detail, and told him to stop me if he already knew it. Of course, he didn’t." Her companions laughed at the image, all wishing they could have been flies on the wall.

The waiter returned at that moment to offer coffee and dessert. He was back soon with four baklava, two black decafs and two espressos.

"So what part of town do you live in, Lily?" Kim inquired.

"Sun Valley."

"Do you have a house? A condo?"

"Uh-oh! Kim’s putting on her real estate hat." Hal chided his wife.

"I am not! I just wanted to know," she whined.

"Actually, I live in an apartment. It’s in a prime location, convenient to public transportation. I learned after moving in that that means it’s directly underneath the flight path for Burbank," she joked. "I’ve been saving for a down payment on a house, but every time I get ready to look, prices jump again, and I have to save a little more."

"Well, at the risk of being accused of doing business at dinner," she shot a sidelong glance at her husband, "give me a call if you want some help on finding something. I sometimes get a heads-up on new listings before they go on the market." She fished a business card from her purse and passed it across the table.

"Wow, thanks! I will. Hal, I don’t suppose you have any ideas for making my modest savings account explode into a fortune in a few short weeks, do you?"

"I wish!" Hal reached over and covered his wife’s hand with his own. "I hate to be a party pooper, but I’m about ready to call it a night."

"He has a date with his boat in the morning," Kim whispered conspiratorially.

Neither Anna nor Lily was ready for the evening to end, but both stood and gathered their things. It was then that the party discovered that the car dealer had already discreetly paid their check. She declined their offers to pitch in, so they thanked her for her generosity.

While the women waited for their wraps, Hal exited to order their car. Kim offered, "Lily, you should give Hal your ticket too. He’ll get your car while we wait."

"Mine’s in the garage around the corner. There was a line for the valet, and I was worried about being late, so I just parked it myself," she lied.

"How would you feel about dropping me at home?" Anna asked suddenly. "I live pretty close. That way, you won’t have to walk to the garage by yourself."

Do I let this beautiful woman see the piece of shit I drive, or do I want this night to be over? Wishing she had time to buy a new car first, Lily answered, "I’d be happy to."

Bidding goodnight to Kim and Hal, the pair began the short walk to the garage. Noticing a slight limp in her companion, Lily gestured toward Anna’s leg and asked, "So is that a souvenir from the earthquake?"

"Yeah, it was in pretty bad shape for a while, but I worked with a physical therapist and then a personal trainer. It’s so much better now than it was. In fact, I’m probably stronger now all over than I was back in February." Lily concurred, noting the sinewy muscles in the woman’s shoulders and arms. "But I’m not the only one with a souvenir." Anna reached out and gently traced the small red scar above the attorney’s left eye.

"Well, that’s getting better too. It was bright red for a long time."

"All in all, we were both pretty lucky, I’d say," the tall woman said.

"Definitely." Meeting you was the lucky part.

Approaching the worn out RAV4, Lily prepared her passenger for the sight. "When I was in the hospital after the earthquake, one of my comforts was that I had heard that the parking garage had collapsed. I was looking forward to collecting the insurance money and getting a new car." Lily unlocked and opened the driver’s door, then reached across the front seat to roll down the passenger window. "But as luck would have it," she continued, "mine was one of only three cars that escaped unscathed." She then walked around the car and reached through the window giving the door handle a hard yank as she leaned back. Anna stepped up into the passenger seat, and Lily slammed the door.

"Well, at the risk of sounding a lot like my sister, I sell cars." Anna winked at her, and Lily thought she would melt.

Part 6

"I couldn’t believe it either! Mom, she is so nice. And she’s smart and successful. I hope you have the chance to meet her the next time you come down." Lily had been going on about the car dealer for nearly thirty minutes, recounting as many details as she could remember of her meeting with Anna at the courthouse and at dinner last night. "No, we haven’t really made any plans to get together again, but I think we will. I think we just sort of clicked." Lily walked from her bedroom out to her balcony and sat down in the sun. "No, not that way. Aren’t you listening, Mom? She’s straight. But I think we’ll be great friends."

Eleanor had always been both mother and best friend to her daughter. Though she had warded off the cruelty of the younger schoolchildren, she had been powerless to stop the heartbreak when a supposed friend from Lily’s high school had broken a confidence and told their classmates that Lily was gay. The vicious taunting that followed had driven a wedge between Lily and her peers and the teenager simply withdrew from social activities. She concentrated on her studies and spent more time with adult friends, like Katharine. It was then that Katharine first told Lily that she too was a lesbian. That revelation was a godsend to the confused young girl as she learned by example to accept and love herself without guilt or shame. And over the years, Eleanor could not have been more supportive, offering her shoulder each time Lily had her heart torn in two.

"I’ll come up to see you soon, I promise." Lily stood to return the phone to its cradle for recharging. "Love you too. Goodbye."

Lily loved her work, but weekends were a guilty pleasure. She usually managed to take care of things like cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping and errands by mid-afternoon on Saturday. That left Saturday night for socializing, often dinner with Sandy and Suzanne or with Lauren and her husband, Jason. On Sundays, Lily was outside as much as possible. Her favorite pastime was hiking, and though she preferred long walks alone, she wisely adhered to the adage of safety in numbers. When she couldn’t find a companion, she usually opted to hit the popular trails in the San Gabriel Mountains, where she encountered dozens of hikers, bikers and cross-country runners.

Sandy had called first thing this morning to invite her to a cookout tonight at their Sherman Oaks home. She and Suzanne were eager to hear about her evening with Anna and her family, and she was looking forward to the retelling.

Lily was running out the door when her phone rang. Her heart skipped a beat as she recognized on her caller ID the number she had memorized from Anna’s business card. "Hello, this is Lily," she answered nervously.

"Hi, it’s Anna." Such a nice voice!

"Well hi yourself, Amazon. What are you up to? Six feet?"

"Funny girl." Anna didn’t mind at all the teasing from her diminutive friend. "I’m still at work. What about you?"

"I’m heading out to dinner at Sandy’s. You remember my friend from the courthouse?"

"Of course, the social worker. She seems like a nice person."

"Yeah, we’ve been good friends for about five years."

"Listen, the reason I was calling was to see if you had any interest in going to the Dodgers game tomorrow. My account manager at the LA Times sent me two tickets to their skybox."

"The skybox?" Lily asked, working hard to contain her eagerness.

"Yes, you know. Their corporate suite. We spend a lot of money on advertising, and they pass on tickets to things from time to time."

"Are you kidding? I’d love to!"

"Great! It starts at one. What if I come by and pick you up about 12:15?"

"Are you sure you don’t mind? I could meet you somewhere, or I could come by and get you."

"No, that’s okay. Just give me your address. I have a GPS in the car, I’ll just punch it in." Anna wasn’t eager to fold her long frame into the mini-SUV again. If they encountered heavy traffic, her injured knee would protest vehemently at the cramped position.

"A GPS? Cool! If you’re sure." Lily gave her address, and told Anna where she should park at the complex to avoid the wrath of the Parking Lot Nazi, the elderly neighbor in the adjacent building who didn’t even own a car. "Listen, I’ve never been in a skybox before. What should I wear?"

"Well, they’re a little stiff. Hal would fit right in," the car dealer joked. "I usually wear slacks or khakis and a nice shirt."

Lily’s mind immediately went to her wardrobe as she mentally dressed herself six times. This exercise always saved her at least two rounds of tossing clothes about the room as she ruled things out. "I can’t wait. See you at 12:15. Oh, and Anna?"

"Yes?"

"It’s seven o’clock on Saturday night. Go home."

"Funny girl. Have a good time tonight. Tell Sandy I said hello."

"I will. Thanks for calling." She hung up and dashed out the door, giddy with excitement.

Twenty minutes later, she was pulling into the driveway of her friends’ California ranch home. She could smell the burning charcoal as soon as she stepped from her car, so she followed the path around the garage to the redwood deck. Suzanne was tending the grill, and she could hear Sandy in the kitchen. "I brought wine!" she announced, holding up Sandy’s favorite Coppola merlot. Lily greeted her friends in the usual manner, like they hadn’t seen each other in months.

As expected, Lily’s report on her dinner at Empyre’s dominated the dinner conversation. Sandy and Suzanne had lots of questions, and they were genuinely glad that their friend had reconnected with the woman she met during her earthquake ordeal.

When dinner and dishes were done, they returned to the deck for a soak in the Jacuzzi. In the darkness, the three friends shed their clothes and slipped into the warm churning water. "Lily, I sure wish you could meet a lesbian that lit your fire like Anna has," Sandy started.

"You and me both, my friend," Lily replied, realizing too late what she had just admitted.

"She’s straight, Lily," Suzanne warned. "You need to be careful, or she’ll break your heart."

"She’s my friend, Suzanne," the blonde said defensively. "I don’t have any expectations that she’ll be anything else. It’s just that we went through something together that changed our lives. I feel a very special bond with her, and I want to know her better. Does that automatically have to mean a sexual attraction?"

"No, of course not," Sandy reassured. "We just don’t want to see you hurt, but it sounds like you’ve got the right perspective. Neither of us meant any offense."

"That’s okay. None taken." Lily was grateful for her two friends, even when they were overprotective. "Thanks for worrying about me."

Soon after they toweled off and dressed, Lily bade her friends goodnight and went home to try on clothes.

**********

The two women showed their tickets at the gate and made their way to the escalator that would take them to the concourse for the lower level suites. As promised, Anna was wearing black tailored slacks and a light blue sleeveless silk shirt. Her hair was pulled back and tied with a thin strip of black leather, and a lightweight cream-colored sweater hung loosely around her shoulders to ward off the chill of the air conditioner in the suite. A native to southern California, Anna hated to be cold.

Lily wore Gap khakis with a short-sleeved forest green sweater. It was the sixteenth combination that she had tried. It wasn’t that this one was the best; rather it was the one she had on when her doorbell rang at 12:10.

Lily was duly impressed with Anna’s luxurious black 745i, especially the global positioning system. From her passenger seat, she assessed the multitude of gauges that gave the appearance that the car drove itself. "You’d have to be pretty smart to drive a car like this," she joked.

"Not a problem," the dark-haired woman replied dryly.

When they entered the suite, they were greeted by a handsome man in gray slacks and a starched white shirt. "Anna! It’s great to see you. Glad you could make it!"

"Thank you. Steve, I’d like you to meet my friend, Lilian Stuart. Lily, this is Steve French. Steve is my account manager at the Times, and our host for today."

"I’m really pleased to meet you. Thanks so much for the invitation." Lily couldn’t help but notice that Steve had hardly glanced her way, his eyes glued to her beautiful friend.

"So Anna, where is Scott today?" Were the rumors true?

"That I wouldn’t know, Steve. Scott and I have divorced," she said unceremoniously.

Bingo! "I’m sorry to hear that, Anna." He wasn’t really. In fact, it was all he could do not to blurt out ‘You seeing anyone?’

"Thank you, Steve. I appreciate that. It was a friendly parting." She had learned that sharing that with acquaintances usually put them at ease. Steve led them to their seats on the front row of the suite just in time for the National Anthem.

Anna has a beautiful voice, Lily thought when the song finished. The blonde resisted the urge to pinch herself. Here she was in a luxury suite at Dodger Stadium, sitting beside the most beautiful woman in LA. Her friends’ words of caution from the night before crept into her head for a moment, but she reminded herself that she and Anna were just getting to know each other, on their way to a deep, lasting friendship.

Lily was pleasantly surprised to find that Anna knew her stuff when it came to the Dodgers. They talked about players, trades, strategies and statistics, all to the consternation of Steve French, who badly wanted Anna’s attention.

"I think someone has his eye on you," Lily whispered.

"Oh yeah? He’s a handsome guy, don’t you think?"

"Yeah, I guess," Lily shrugged, feigning exaggerated boredom. "If you go for that trim and muscular, square jaw with deep set eyes thing. Not really my type, though."

"So what is your type, Ms. Stuart?" Anna wasn’t sure why she’d asked, but she found herself profoundly interested in Lily’s response.

You are—God, please don’t let me have said that out loud! "You mean apart from my gender specifications?"

"Well, I’d say that’s a given, unless you’ve decided to swing back the other way."

"Not a chance. I go for smart first, then a sense of humor. Outer beauty means little to me," Lily said haughtily.

"Yeah, and I like ugly cars too."

**********

"Lilian Stuart," the lawyer said, picking up the phone on her desk.

"So how did you know he was going to call?"

"Anna! I’m fine. Thank you for asking," Lily ragged on her friend.

"Funny girl. I just got a call from Steve French inviting me to go to San Diego next Saturday for the first game of the Dodgers’ road trip."

Lily knew this was going to happen, and she didn’t like it one bit. She had overheard the arrogant prick bragging to his buddy at the game that he could get Anna to go out with him. Something about his tone suggested that he was definitely interested in more than just a date. But who wouldn’t be? Anna is irresistible. "So what was your reply? I suppose you fell for the line about having the chance to get to know each other better on the drive down." It was meant to be teasing, but it came out as sarcasm.

Anna was taken aback at her friend’s response. "What’s that about, Lily? It sounds like you don’t like Steve much."

I’m so screwed! Lily thought about coming clean about what she had overheard, but it occurred to her that Anna might well be interested in Steve’s advances. "No, Steve is very nice. I was just teasing. Welcome back to the world of dating. I always keep my ears open for what lines work best on women," she kidded, hoping that would cover her faux pas.

The women tried to work out getting together one night during the week for a quick dinner, but their schedules wouldn’t meet. Lily usually prepped for court appearances the night before and this was a particularly busy week with three cases on the docket. Anna would be with her family celebrating her father’s 58^th birthday on the only night the lawyer was available. They agreed to reconnect after the weekend to see if they could get together next week.

**********

For his 58^th birthday, George Kaklis asked to have his birthday dinner outside on the patio. His very best memories were of the times the family had eaten, laughed and played around the pool in the backyard. He wanted "something simple, like we used to do when the kids were all at home." Trouble was, "simple" to his wife, Martine, was having a caterer shop, prepare, serve and clean up. Even so, she was always happy to do things for her family, and especially glad to help make George’s birthday a special one.

The second Mrs. Kaklis now stood in the kitchen, dutifully sorting ingredients for Turkish pilaf and stuffed baked tomatoes. Six top sirloin steaks marinated on the top rack of the industrial model refrigerator in the expansive kitchen. Hal and David had agreed to do the honors at the grill, while Kim and Anna would prepare the dinner salad. Martine had picked up the large, elaborately decorated cake earlier in the day.

When they finished dinner, Hal and Anna cleared the table and returned to the patio for birthday cake and presents. "So what is everyone doing this weekend?" the patriarch asked. He was genuinely interested in the lives of his family members.

"Going out on the boat," said Hal cheerfully.

"Going out on the boat," Kim groaned.

"Going out on the boat?" David pleaded for an invitation.

"Going out on the boat!" Hal extended it, nodding at his teenage brother-in-law.

"Going out on the boat?" begged Kim, turning to her sister.

"Sorry. Not going out on the boat. I’m going with Steve French to the Dodgers game in San Diego."

"You’re going out with Steve French?" George asked, obviously surprised. "I don’t think he’s for you, dear. Maybe you should consider waiting a while before you start dating again." The elder Kaklis had always been protective of Anna, even overprotective when it came to her dates or friends. He had thought Scott the perfect match for his daughter, and was distressed when they divorced, unaware of his son-in-law’s breach.

Through the years, Anna had found it easier to defer to her father’s judgment than to deal with his disappointment. Her father’s approval of Scott had been the deciding factor when she accepted his marriage proposal. "It’s not really a date, Dad. I went last week to their skybox for the Reds game, and he knows what a Dodgers fan I am." Fine, I just won’t think of it as a date.

He would try a new tack. "I don’t know, darling. After all, he is our account manager. You don’t want to mix business and pleasure."

"Oh for goodness sakes, Dad! Anna isn’t going to run off and elope." Like Hal and I did, she left unsaid. "I swear, you’d have us both still living at home if you had your way." Kim rescued her sister with a little levity.

Anna laughed and stood up quickly to gather the cake plates. Kim had created a slim opening and she wasn’t going to miss it. "Mother, could you grab those two plates?" Anna disappeared into the kitchen with Martine. "Don’t let him worry too much, okay?"

"I’ll deal with him if he brings it up again. You just go have fun. It’ll do you good to get out." Martine was used to running interference for the girls. She only wished George would pay as much attention to her as he did to the children and that goddamned dealership.

**********

Lily stretched across the couch to grab the phone, not taking her eyes off UCLA’s gridiron battle with the Stanford Cardinal. Fresh from her shower after cleaning the house and washing her pathetic car, she now wore an oversized long blue and yellow jersey that boasted her alma mater. Her beloved Bruins were already up 7-0 in the first quarter.

"Hello?"

"So how did you know that Steve French was a creep?"

Football flew right out of her head as she recognized her friend’s voice. "Hi Anna. I’m fine. Thanks for asking."

"Funny girl." It had become her standard reply. "Let me be your tour guide for the landmark Hotel del Coronado in San Diego. We’re here in the mahogany trimmed ladies room off the Del’s main lobby, admiring the polished brass fixtures adorning the ornately carved marble sinks."

"What on earth are you doing in the bathroom at the Del?"

"Such a personal question!" Anna said with mock indignation. "Steve suggested the Del for dinner, and I stopped in here to wash up." The rest of her tale left the lawyer in disbelief.

Anna exited the washroom to find Steve standing with his back to her at the hotel’s registration desk. Pocketing something from the desk clerk, he walked out to the balcony to wait for her.

With a queasy feeling, Anna approached the counter and asked the clerk, "That gentleman who was just here, did he register for the night?"

"I’m sorry, ma’am. I can’t give out that information."

Drawing a fifty dollar bill from her purse and passing it discreetly across the counter, she explained to the young woman, "I’m here with that man on our first date, and I would like to know what he has in mind."

A look of understanding crossed the clerk’s face, and she gently pushed Anna’s hand back across the counter, not taking the bill. "Yes, he got a single room with a king-sized bed. And a bottle of champagne."

Anna lurched on the last remark. "Thank you."

Though already jaded regarding Steve French, Lily couldn’t believe how pompous the guy actually was. "What an arrogant jerk!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah. I was going to fake a migraine, but I may not have to fake it after all. I’m thinking about renting a car and driving home."

"You get migraines?"

"Sometimes."

Lily imagined her friend hiding out at the Del. "What if I drove down and picked you up? I could be there in about two and a half hours."

Anna protested, but secretly, she loved the idea of riding back to LA with the woman who always made her laugh. Even in the tiny RAV4. Lily further prodded her friend to think about it, even as she walked upstairs to pull on her jeans and change into a rust-colored knit sweater.

"Well, I can’t stay in the restroom for two and half hours." Anna had decided what she would do. "So I’ll be in the lobby at nine o’clock. Are you sure, Lily? That’s a lot of driving."

Lily confirmed her offer, telling Anna that she was ready now to head out the door. The dark-haired woman exited the restroom in search of her date. The direct approach, right between the eyes, she decided. Finding the man on the breezy balcony above the restaurant, she began, "Steve, when I was coming out of the ladies room earlier, I saw you picking up a room key."

Busted! "Oh," he stammered, "I thought you might want to freshen up after dinner." That could work, he thought stupidly.

Four hundred dollars a night to freshen up? "I have to tell you Steve, that makes me very uncomfortable. I’ve already called someone to pick me up. And I’m going to be having dinner alone tonight." He protested at first, but when it suddenly occurred to him that he had just offended one of the paper’s most important advertisers, he managed to voice a humble apology. It was too soon to tell if this would damage their working relationship.

Lily pulled into the valet circle at 8:50. "I’m just here to pick someone up," she told the young man in the pith helmet who had moved to take her keys. Less than a minute later, she emerged with her tall friend in tow.

On the ride home, Anna confessed that she was nursing a small headache, and requested that Lily carry the conversation. She reclined her seat slightly and asked to hear all about the attorney’s family, her friends, her work, and the things she liked to do. Lily answered with the story of her precarious start in life. With the love evident in her voice, she described how Eleanor and Katharine had helped her to become the person she was today. She then went on to talk about the Braxton Street Law Clinic, about Tony and Lauren, and the work they did with underprivileged families.

Anna was fascinated and intrigued by the tale. She understood now that the grit and determination she had seen in this remarkable woman during their underground ordeal was not something Lily had called up to answer their desperate need. Rather, it was an integral part of who she was.

She began to tell Lily about the presentation on youth programs she had seen at the Chamber of Commerce meeting the morning of the earthquake, and about her desire to do something for kids. As she spoke, though, she realized that her small headache was indeed turning into a full-blown migraine and she begged off the rest of the conversation until another time. The last hour was logged in companionable silence, Anna dozing when she could, and Lily lost in thought about the feelings she knew were growing for the beautiful woman. When she realized where her thoughts were headed, she mentally cautioned herself.

"Anna? We’re here." Lily gently shook her friend’s arm. Her arm feels so clammy. "Are you okay? What can I do?"

Anna sat up and pressed two fingers from her right hand onto her right eyebrow, directly above her eye where her worst migraines formed. She barely noticed her aching leg as she stepped from the car. "It’s a big one. I think I’m going to be sick," was all she said.

Lily helped the tall woman into the house, sticking close by all the way to her bedroom. As she had predicted, Anna was sick as soon as entered the adjoining bathroom. Lily wet a cloth and tenderly wiped her friend’s face as she slumped on the cool tile floor. "How can I help, Anna? Do you have medicine?"

Anna nodded slowly. "There’s a plastic jar on the door of the refrigerator. Can you bring it?"

"Of course." Lily found the medicine and returned to the bathroom with a small glass of water. "Here," she said, handing the jar to her friend.

Anna unscrewed the cap and removed one of the yellow capsules. Despite the awful headache, she couldn’t stop the smile that formed when she saw the offered glass. "Um…these are suppositories. They work faster."

"Oh." Lily could feel the heat rush up her chest to her face, and she knew that she was bright red with embarrassment. "I’ll just…uh, I’ll wait out here." She left the room, closing the door behind her.

When Anna emerged a few minutes later, she sat beside the blonde on the queen-sized bed. "I need to lie down now. The medicine will knock me out cold in about ten minutes."

"Do you want me to stay a while, until you’re asleep?"

"No, I’ll be okay." Anna withdrew a blue silk nightshirt from the bottom drawer of the nightstand. "There’s an extra key in the kitchen drawer under the phone. Take it, and lock up for me, okay?"

Lily nodded. "Can I give you a call tomorrow?" Anna agreed and began to unbutton her blouse. Lily felt her face go red again, and stood. "I hope you feel better." Nervously, she leaned forward and lightly kissed her friend’s forehead."

"Thank you, Lily. For everything." It was all she could do to get the words out, but she needed to show the attorney her gratitude for her friendship. It was indeed special, and Anna knew with a certainty that it would get stronger.

Alone in her car, Lily tried to recall if she had ever been more embarrassed in her entire life. She must have thought I was waiting around to watch her put it in! The image brought the deep blush back to her face and neck.

Her thoughts turned again to the attraction she was feeling for Anna, but she couldn’t bring herself to imagine closeness beyond that of best friends. She indeed wanted to be Anna’s very best friend, and to protect her from jerks like Steve French. That didn’t mean it was sexual attraction. They were just friends. .

Part 12

"I don’t understand you George. You’ve always been pretty open minded about this sort of thing. Why is this different?"

"I don’t have anything against gays. You should know that. I just don’t understand why she’s being invited to our family functions."

Martine had known this wouldn’t go over well, but she was glad they were having the discussion this afternoon in their bedroom instead of tonight when everyone was there. "She’s invited because Anna asked if she could come."

"But this is a family thing…"

"George, we’ve always had an open door for the children’s friends, too. Is this really about tonight being a family thing? Or is it about Anna having a lesbian as such a close friend?" Martine had been dodging this discussion ever since her husband had returned from Munich alone and in a foul mood, but it was time to finally have it out.

George finally voiced his worst fear. "Has it occurred to you that they might be more than just friends, or have you just decided not to see that?"

"Yes, it has occurred to me, but I don’t think that it’s any of our business unless she makes it that way."

"So I take it you don’t have any problem with your daughter being a lesbian?"

"I care that she’s happy." Martine meant that. "If it turns out that Lily is the one who makes her happy—and I’m not saying that’s the case at all—but if it is, then I’ll accept it."

"Well I’m not going to sit by and watch her make a fool of herself in front of everybody. She just needs to see that it’s all wrong for her."

"George, why is it that you think you know best what’s right or wrong for Anna! She’s 32 years old. Shouldn’t she be allowed to make these choices for herself?" Martine was on the verge of anger at her husband’s arrogance.

"She made a perfectly good choice when she married Scott. I’d love to know if her little friend was the one who convinced her to walk away from her marriage. You know, it was right after they met during the earthquake that the two of them split up." George hadn’t thought of this before, but it made perfect sense.

"Oh, that’s nonsense and you know it! Have you ever thought that maybe you were wrong about Scott? What if he wasn’t right for her? What if Anna married him because she was more intent on pleasing you than she was pleasing herself?"

The man knew there was at least some truth in his wife’s words. He had been lucky enough in this lifetime to love not one but two women with all his heart, and he never once saw the proof of that kind of love for Scott Rutherford in his daughter’s eyes.

Martine saw the resignation in her husband’s slumped shoulders as he pondered his own role in Anna’s failed marriage. Placing a hand on his shoulder, she comforted him, "George, it’s time for us to step back and be confident in the way we raised her. Her happiness is all that matters, and it’s important that she make those decisions by herself, and for herself."

**********

George was mesmerized by the dynamic between his daughter and her friend. They were definitely…familiar. The women seemed to touch almost every time they spoke to one another, and the man was certain that the hands underneath the table were joined from time to time.

Despite George’s reservations, this night’s dinner was more fun than anyone could remember. David pumped Lily for the inside scoop on living in the South Bay, since he was eyeing Stanford for his bachelor’s in business administration. "Hey, I’m sure Anna can pull some strings and get you into Southern Cal," Kim kidded, her reference to Scott’s position on the faculty. The shortest Kaklis—at five feet ten—then shocked everyone by sending a glazed carrot across the table at her sister’s forehead.

When the laughter finally died down, Martine stood and sternly threatened the next person who threw food at her table. Each member of the Kaklis clan glanced sheepishly at one another, not willing to challenge the matriarch. The blonde guest was quiet as a mouse, almost uncomfortable with the woman’s harsh reprimand. As Martine returned to her seat, she startled everyone when her hand unexpectedly tipped a water glass into Anna’s lap, sending the tall woman leaping from her chair. Several seconds of stunned silence passed as everyone realized her prank. "Oh, clumsy me," Martine sighed with a wry smile.

Once she’d dried off in the kitchen, Anna returned to the table, her beautiful blue eyes shooting mock daggers at her mother. Martine, however, was the picture of innocence.

Kim’s joke was the opening George had been looking for. "So Anna, have you heard anything from Scott recently?" He really missed talking business with his son-in-law, and had held out for a reconciliation until Anna had told them of his second marriage. Neither he nor Martine had any idea of Scott’s unfaithfulness.

"No, Dad. I’d say he’s gotten on with his life." And I’ve gotten on with mine. Quickly changing the subject, she turned to her brother and told him, "I think Stanford’s a great choice, David. Anywhere but Berkeley."

"Hear, hear!" cheered the Bruin in agreement. With a warning look, Martine double dared Kim or Hal to throw any of the food on their plates.

**********

"So tell me again what’s in South Carolina." Lily was talking on her portable phone as she got ready for bed.

"It’s a BMW plant. In fact, it’s where your little X5 was born." She said the latter with an intonation of family pride. She too was preparing for bed. "They’re previewing next year’s models."

"I thought that’s what you went to Germany for." The blonde wasn’t whining. She just didn’t understand.

"No, the design center in Germany showed us what the next generation of cars will look like, those about three years away. I’ve already seen these cars in South Carolina, but we get to take a last look at the changes before they roll them out." Anna got excited when she talked about her work. There was a mechanical engineering nerd inside that beautiful casing.

"So when will you be back?" Saturday was Lily’s 30^th birthday, but her brain had already stored the fact that Anna would not be in town.

"My plane gets back on Sunday around six o’clock. Maybe somebody could meet me at the airport," she hinted.

"But I’ll be 30 by then. If I show up at the airport, I’ll probably need a skycap with a wheelchair." Now she was whining. "I’m going to miss you. What am I supposed to do by myself for five whole days?"

"Think about me." Anna had turned out the lights in her house and was now getting in bed.

"I already do that." Lily too had finished with her own nightly tasks and was pulling back the covers. "Morning, noon and night."

"What do you think about?" Anna settled between the sheets and switched off the bedside lamp. It was after 11, but her plane for Greenville-Spartanburg didn’t leave until 11:30 the following day. She could talk for as long as Lily wanted.

"I think about being with you. About some of the things we’ve done together, like the boat ride, the camping trip, and the time we drove to San Jose right after I got the X5."

"Not very racy. Well, except for the X5 part, Mario." Anna was feeling playful. Lily had finally fessed up about the $534 speeding ticket she had received on her way home from Tahoe.

"Oh, you want racy, do you? Well what do you think about?" The gauntlet was thrown.

"Well…I think about a certain cute little blonde attorney. How sweet her kisses are. How she makes me feel inside." Anna’s tone lost some of its playfulness. She was thinking about how her body had responded to the woman’s touch.

"How do I make you feel?"

Anna had trouble putting such intimate feelings into words, but she wanted to try. She hoped they would be able to talk about these things, especially given her naiveté about what Lily would want from her. She would need Lily’s help to take the next steps in their relationship. "You make me feel warm. My heart beats faster and…my body wants to press against yours." I can’t believe I just said that!

Lily shifted slowly under the sheet. Anna’s words had certainly stirred a response in her own body. "God, you can’t imagine what it does to me to hear you say that."

"Tell me what it does, sweetheart. Tell me what I do for you." Anna focused her thoughts on the beautiful, slender blonde that set her blood racing.

"You make my stomach flutter. My knees go weak. Everything else disappears." She shifted again.

Anna needed to know more, but the thought of asking for what she needed was terrifying. It wasn’t that she hadn’t thought about these things at all. On the contrary, she’d been thinking about them more and more every day. She needed to know if she could do this, if this was what she really wanted. "Lily, if I were with you right now, what would you have me do? How would I make love to you?" Anna’s voice was low and sensuous.

There went the stomach flutter. "You want me to tell you how I want to be touched?" This was interesting.

"No, I want you to tell me how you envision me touching you." Anna couldn’t believe the words that left her mouth. She’d never done anything like this before in her life. With uncommon boldness, she asked, "What are you wearing to bed?"

"I’ve got on a long tank top and panties. That’s all." Lily was becoming very aroused.

"Take them off, baby." Anna listened while the woman removed her sleep shirt and panties.

"Okay, they’re off. What about you?"

"I’m taking off my nightshirt too. Now I want to just go there, Lily. Describe it to me." Anna leaned back against the pillows and closed her eyes. She wanted to be there with her love. How close could they get?

"Okay, we’re lying together, naked with only a sheet covering us. I’m on my back, and you’re on your side looking down at me."

"Which side am I on?"

"You’re on my right side. So you’re lying on your left side alongside me."

The tall woman rolled onto her left side and pulled a pillow to her. "Tell me what I see when I look at you."

Oh my god!. We’re really going to do this! Lily couldn’t have stopped now if she wanted to. And she definitely didn’t want to. "My eyes. The first thing you see is my eyes. They’re full of love for you. And desire." She paused to let the image settle. "I lift my lips to your face, reaching behind your neck to pull you down." Lily closed her eyes to imagine the sensations. "I’m trembling, and so are you."

Anna could picture Lily’s green eyes. "I’m going to kiss you."

"Yes, your lips are on mine. Then they travel ever so slowly across my cheek, down to my ear." Lily trailed her own hand softly along the path she described. "I feel your warm breath in my ear. Your tongue and your teeth tease my earlobe, then they wander below to my neck. I love to feel your mouth on my neck."

"Yes, your skin is so soft there." Anna’s body began to stir as she imagined her lips and tongue on Lily’s neck.

"You raise up on your arm to look at me. You pull the sheet back to my waist. Your eyes take in the sight of my naked body. I’m aching for your touch, to feel your hands on me." She was.

"Tell me what I see." Anna wanted to see it. Tell me what you look like.

Lily was tentative, but she knew somehow that Anna needed this. "First you see my breasts. My nipples…they’re dark. They’re hard, like pebbles. I need you to touch them."

"Yes." Anna was trembling all over. She pictured again the full breasts she had admired that day on the boat. To that image, she added the hard, dark nipples.

"So you cover my left breast with your palm. You squeeze it softly, then stronger, more possessive." Lily’s own hand began to squeeze her breast. "Oh, I like that," she moaned.

Anna then knew with a certainty that Lily was touching herself. She was becoming crazy with desire.

"Then you take my nipple with your thumb and fingers, and you start to pinch it. Gently at first, then with more pressure. When you tug on it, it makes me gasp for breath." And she did.

"Ahhh." Anna’s fingers pulsated as she imagined them on Lily’s breasts.

"I need to feel your mouth on my breasts. I’m lifting my body up to your face. I feel you take me into your mouth, you feel so good." Her fingers closed again around the nipple, but she imagined the beautiful woman’s mouth. "Your soft tongue draws circles around my nipple, then your lips close around it and you suck it into your mouth. I can feel your teeth teasing me. Your hand has closed around my other nipple and you’re pulling on it with the same rhythm."

"You’re so exciting." Anna had never experienced anything so erotic in all her life.

"My hips are pushing toward you now, in the same rhythm as the sensations in my breasts. My whole body needs you."

Anna’s body was moving rhythmically, matching Lily’s pace.

"You bring your lips to mine again, then you look at my rolling body. I’m hot and I want you so much. Your hands are roaming all over my chest and my stomach and hips." Lily’s own hands stroked the heated planes.

"Yes, I need to feel your naked skin. Tell me what I see when I look down at you."

Lily opens her eyes to describe the sight. "You lower the sheet to my knees. You see the patch of hair that hides me from your eyes. It’s light brown, thick and curly. It’s already damp from what you’re doing to me."

Oh god, Lily. "What am I doing? Tell me." Anna was desperate.

"Oh, you’re exciting me, sweetheart. I want you so much. And you want this, everything I’m offering you."

"Yes, I want it." Anna’s voice was raspy.

"Now I’ve raised my knee so that I can open myself for you."

"I need to touch you, baby." She needed to be closer.

"And I want you to. So badly I might explode. Your hand crosses my stomach and stops to twirl around my navel. You’re such a tease." For Lily, it was no longer her own hand at work. She felt it as though it were Anna’s. "Then you brush against that curly hair. Your fingers run through it, lower, until you feel it getting damp. Then lower…there! Right there!" Lily gasped for breath as she touched herself intimately for the first time since they began.

Anna shuddered with anticipation. "Please, baby! Tell me what I feel."

"You find me wet, so wet! And I’m warm and swollen, begging you to touch all of me. So you slide your long fingers through me. Up and down." Lily moaned softly as she mimicked what her lover would do. After several long moments, she began again. "You linger on the outside, circling my opening. Then you slip two fingers inside."

Anna was shaking with excitement. "Oh, yes. I’m inside you now," she whispered.

"You push deep inside, and you feel me clutch your fingers with my walls. You move inside me, in and out."

"Oh god, you’re so hot."

"I’m moving with you, rocking against you so you’ll reach deeper."

Both women were writhing now, Anna against the pillow, Lily against her own hand.

"Then you slowly pull your fingers out and touch me where I’m hard and swollen. Oh, I need that." Again she grew quiet while she brought herself closer to climax. "Your fingers are making circles, and I’m lifting up off the bed to get closer. To feel more of you." She was drawing deep rapid breaths to keep up with her body’s need. "My fingers are digging into your back, showing you the rhythm I want. Harder, you press harder."

Anna closed her eyes tightly as her senses filled with the image.

"And now I’m coming, baby." Lily filled her lungs with a deep gasp, then released it in short, steady bursts. "Yes, baby, so strong."

"Oh god, Lily. Oh god, I love you." Anna shuddered as she listened to Lily’s release. Her desire to pull the woman close was overwhelming, far more than a mere physical need. She wanted to look into Lily’s eyes to see how the sensation had moved her, to confirm that Lily too had shared her heart along with her body. Anna had never felt such a need to connect with another in her life. She resisted reaching between her own legs, already knowing what she would find. Her body craved release, but she would wait for Lily’s touch.

Lily gradually lowered her hips to the bed as the waves receded. Her body was spent, but her thoughts remained attuned to the woman on the phone. What was Anna thinking? Had she felt the emotional connection or was this merely a sexual display? Lily suddenly worried that she had exposed too much. She felt vulnerable, embarrassed even.

Both women were quiet for a long moment, one embracing her feelings, the other anxious with her own. Finally, Anna broke the silence. "Lily?"

"Yes, I’m here."

"I want you to feel my arms around you, my whole body against yours. I’m going to hold you tonight while you sleep."

Lily relaxed and lost herself in the comforting image. "I love you, Anna."

"I love you too, baby." Anna saw herself place a kiss on Lily’s forehead. "Goodnight."

**********

Lily searched among the stacks of paperwork for the file she needed. Pauline had gotten better about keeping her records in order after the incident last year with Maria Esperanza. Maria’s now very thick file rested on the corner of the cluttered desk. "Yeah, Pete. I’ve got it right here. What do you need? ...Yeah, that’s what it says…She isn’t?" Miguel had complained to his lawyer that Maria and the children were gone the last two times he went to see his children. "When did that start? ...Okay, I’ll give her a call right now…Thanks for the heads up."

Lily placed the call, but got a recorded message that the cellular service had been discontinued. Thumbing through the file, she came across the number for Maria’s sister, the one who lived in Culver City. The attorney dialed the number and asked to speak to Serena Whitman. "Hello, this is Lilian Stuart. You may remember me. I’m your sister Maria’s attorney."

The voice on the line hesitated. Then formally, "How can I help you, Miss Stuart?"

"I’m trying to reach your sister. Something very important has come up with her case. The number that I have for her is no longer in service. I was hoping you might have a new number, or a way that I could reach her."

"No, I don’t know where she is," the woman answered quickly.

A little too quickly, Lily thought. She needed to make the woman understand what was at stake. "Listen, I have an urgent message for her. If you see her or hear from her, she needs to know that there is trouble with her case. Mr. Esperanza’s attorney plans to ask the court for custody of the children because she had not allowed him to visit them. I will not be able to help her if she doesn’t call me soon." Lily hoped that Serena understood the gravity of the situation and would pass the message on to Maria.

In the meantime, Lily had a hunch that Maria was hiding out at her sister’s home. Sometimes she had very little patience for her adult clients, but the children she served needed her to work on their behalf. The Esperanza children were pawns in this battle of wills between their parents. Lily wondered if perhaps they weren’t better off elsewhere, but that was the judge’s call. She was reluctant to step into the middle of a volatile domestic dispute, but guarding the children’s interest was part of her job. She picked up her keys and purse, and stopped to let Pauline know where she was headed.

Driving through the Culver City neighborhood, Lily was suddenly flooded with memories and images from a year ago. Like then, it was mid-morning on a Thursday, unusually warm for a February day. She marveled at how her life had changed since that fateful day. She’d gone from being a loner to being one-half of something that seemed greater than a whole. She could no more imagine her life without Anna than she could imagine it without her work, her mother, her past. The beautiful woman was now part of who she was.

Her daydreams nearly caused her to miss what she was looking for. From her vantage point in the tall vehicle, she could barely see the rear bumper of the old red Ford Escort that was parked behind the Whitman house. "I knew it," she said aloud triumphantly. Parking across the street, Lily set up her surveillance of the home. Neither of the sisters would recognize the X5.

Nearly 45 minutes passed before she observed activity at the home. Maria’s children, Sofia and Roberto, emerged from the side door to play in the small yard. "That’s good enough for me," the attorney muttered as she exited the vehicle and dashed quickly to the front door.

Serena answered almost as soon as Lily knocked. "I told you, I don’t know where Maria is."

"Oh, I’m sorry. I should have been more clear. It isn’t really Maria that I need. It’s the children. I just saw them in the yard. They’re supposed to be with their father, so I’ll just call the social worker to come pick them up and take them to his house." She reached for her cell phone, prepared to call Sandy to the scene.

"No, wait!" As Lily had expected, Maria miraculously appeared to head off the call. "Please don’t call him. He’s been hurting the children. I can’t let them go."

"Goddamnit, Maria! I told you to call me if there were problems. He’s going to try to get custody again." She was furious that Maria would put her children at further risk by keeping this from her.

"I was afraid he would hurt them worse if I told on him." The woman was nearly hysterical.

"Your children will be safe. But I have to put them in protective custody while a judge considers new charges. You can’t just violate the court order."

"No, please don’t take them!"

"I have to. It’s to keep everyone safe." Maria wailed into her sister’s arms as Lily called Sandy. While they waited for the social worker, she helped the children pack a few items for their next placement in foster care. A flashback invaded her thoughts, that of a small child placing her few belongings in a brown grocery bag as a woman waited.

**********

"You wouldn’t believe the new models! We’re going to have to trade yours in. You would love this edition!" The X5 Anna had in mind would go for $68,000 next year.

"No way! I’m driving my car until it falls apart." Lily pulled the phone from her ear and shouted her intention into the mouthpiece.

"What? I didn’t tell you that yours was on a custom lease that expires at the dealer’s discretion when new models become available?"

"Just you try it, Amazon. Besides, the one I have is already smarter than I am. I’d have to go to school to learn how to drive a new one."

"Funny you should say that. There’s a school here. We all had the chance to take out the new models and crank ‘em up. You could come and do it too if you wanted to. There’s nothing quite like the feel of an open course with all that muscle."

Lily loved it when Anna talked about her powerful cars! It was almost…butch.

"So, Birthday Girl, I’ll try to call you tomorrow, but it will probably be after seven or eight your time. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, but don’t forget, I’m going to dinner at Sandy’s and Suzanne’s tomorrow." What a bummer that her girlfriend—girlfriend?—was out of town on her birthday.

"Oh yeah, that’s right. Your real friends are the ones who are with you on your birthday." Anna was chiding Lily about her earlier pout.

"Well, I’ll forgive you this time. But I sure hope this ‘next model year’ preview doesn’t always fall on my birthday." Fuck! I can’t believe I just said that!

Oblivious to Lily’s gaffe, Anna warmed at the thought that she would spend more birthdays with the cute little blonde. Maybe next year, I’ll just take you with me. "Goodnight, sweetheart. And happy birthday all day tomorrow."

Lily’s gut tightened as she hung up the phone. Goddamnit! Why didn’t I just drive over to her house with a U-Haul! She was suddenly afraid that Anna would bolt at her presumption that she’d be with her next year. She had made that same mistake with Melanie, Becca and especially Beverly. She and Anna had been taking things slowly, the older woman needing time to adjust to the idea of being in a new relationship, let alone a relationship with another woman. Fuck me.

**********

Lily laughed aloud as she pulled onto the freeway from Sherman Oaks. Her "dinner" with Sandy and Suzanne had actually been a surprise party, attended by 12 of her closest friends, mostly from work or from her socializing with the couple, all dressed in black to commemorate her passage "over the hill." Her gift haul included not one single serious gift. Instead, she had opened such things as wrinkle cream, denture adhesive, and a Lawrence Welk CD. Looking back, she couldn’t fault their sense of humor. She was the last one in the group to hit 30, and she had given several of them a box of Depends on their significant birthdays.

Pulling into her covered spot, she gathered the gag gifts and cards from the passenger seat. Despite the darkened apartment, Lily did not feel so alone this year. Flipping the light switch with her forearm, she dropped her gifts onto the kitchen table. To her disappointment, the solid red light told her there were no messages. As if reading her thoughts, the phone suddenly rang. Anna!

"Hello," she answered cheerfully.

"Happy birthday to you," the voice sang cheerfully.

"Happy birthday to you."

It is now!

"Happy birthday dear Pygmy."

My Amazon!

"Happy birthday to you."

"You just made my day, Amazon."

"Is that so?" Anna could picture the blonde in the kitchen, probably leaning against the counter while she talked.

"Yeah, it’s so. Just hearing your voice makes me warm all over. I love you." Lily checked the clock on the microwave. It was after ten, so that meant it was after one a.m. in South Carolina.

"I love you too, baby. I really wanted to make your day. So I started thinking about what I could do on your birthday that was really special."

God, I love it when she calls me baby. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, so when I tried to think of something really special, I started thinking about what we did on the night before I left. Do you remember what we did, Lily?"

Every detail. "How could I forget that?" Her voice grew very small. Do I need to be lying down again?

"Yes, that was very special indeed. In fact, there was only one thing I could think of that would be more special than that."

"And what’s that?" Only one thing.

"Why don’t you come upstairs and find out?"

Part 13

It was at that moment that Lily first noticed a glow from the barely cracked door at the top of the stairs. That light hadn’t been on when she entered the apartment—she would have seen it from the walkway. Turning off the lights in the kitchen, the blonde nervously made her way up the darkened stairway, trying to envisage what she would see when she got to her bedroom.

No imagination could have done justice to the sight that greeted her as she gently swung open the door. Anna Kaklis sat in the corner armchair by the window, the picture of calm with one long leg crossed over the other, one hand raised so that her fingers rested on her chin. Her features were shadowed by the dim light from the small lamp on the far side of the room. The woman was dressed in dark slacks and a long sleeved white shirt, the black hair draped loosely around her shoulders. Her elbows rested nonchalantly on the arms of the chair and her other hand held a cell phone in her lap. Beside her on the bedside table sat a small wrapped gift.

Lily walked slowly into the room, stopping at the end of the bed. "I can’t believe you’re really here," she said with guarded excitement. If they both kept their nerve, they would be lovers soon.

"I didn’t want to miss your birthday," Anna answered quietly. "A girl doesn’t turn 30 every day." Despite her seeming composure, the beautiful woman was quickly losing the bravado she had needed to set up this scenario in Lily’s bedroom. Never before had she stood on this end of a seduction.

As Lily’s eyes adjusted to the lighting, Anna’s features became clearer to her. The woman wore a look of apprehension that bordered on panic. Crossing the room, Lily calmed her by placing a hand on her knee. "Well, just having you here is about the nicest birthday present I could have imagined," the blonde woman said from her heart. It was clear from her presence in Lily’s bedroom that Anna had intended for this to be the night that they made love. Yet she had come as far as she could of her own volition. Lily knew that she would have to lead her lover the rest of the way.

Silently, she took Anna’s hand and pulled her up into a confident embrace. Looking into the blue eyes, she leaned forward into a gentle probing kiss that quickly became deeper, more passionate. There was no need this time for either to hold back.

Placing the woman’s long hand against her pounding chest, Lily told her, "This is only one of the things you do to me." With that, she slid her palm inside the open collar of Anna’s shirt, finding a rapid heartbeat that matched her own. Ever so deliberately, Lily’s fingers moved to undo the buttons of the shirt, pushing back the collar to reveal the top of a lacy white bra. Pressing her lips against the soft skin between the woman’s breasts, deft hands gently tugged the shirttail free.

Without a trace of shyness, Lily stepped out of her shoes and removed her own jeans and sweater, leaving her standing in dark green panties and bra. Anna then matched her movements, finally reaching behind her to unfasten her bra.

"Please, I want to do that." Lily stepped forward and reached around the woman. Releasing the clasp, the bra slipped loosely from Anna’s shoulders. Lily lifted both hands to caress the soft naked breasts, then brought her face once again to the woman’s chest, brushing her cheek against a hardened nipple. "Beautiful," she murmured, as she pressed her lips to the smooth skin. Kneeling on the edge of the bed, she guided Anna to sit beside her.

Anna was trembling with anticipation as she watched the smaller woman remove first her bra, then her panties. Lily’s naked form was far more beautiful than Anna had imagined from their late night telephone interlude. Overwhelmed with the need to touch this woman, she ran both hands up Lily’s waist, trailing her fingertips against the sides of her breasts. She realized now that she had wanted this since the day on the boat.

Remembering perfectly the touch that Lily had described, Anna gently pushed her lover back against the pillow. Slowly, lovingly, wondrously, she made love with this beautiful woman, repeating each stroke of the fingers and mouth that Lily had asked her for that night. Every facet of the experience was more incredible than her meager imagination had allowed. When she drew her fingers from the warm cocoon to touch the hardened nub, her whole body thrummed with excitement. Anna watched in wonder as a deep red flush covered Lily’s chest and neck as she climaxed. With one arm underneath, Anna pulled her close and searched for the green eyes. "I love you, Lily. I love touching you this way." Lily, look at me! Yes, that’s it. In her entire life, she had never felt so connected to another person.

Lily looked back into the blue eyes that seemed so desperate to hold her own. In all the scenarios that she had dreamed, none had involved Anna being first to touch her. When her tremors ceased, she gently nudged the beautiful woman to her back and cradled her as she herself had been held, all without breaking the intimate link. "I want to make you feel as wonderful as I do," she said. With that, she covered Anna’s mouth with a deep kiss, breaking after several moments for air, but not moving her face from that of her lover. "I want to know you, Anna, every inch. I want to touch you, kiss you and taste you," she whispered. She could feel the shudder underneath her as Anna’s mind journeyed to the intimate act of which she spoke.

Lily’s kisses and strokes stirred Anna to such arousal that when she finally lowered her mouth to taste her lover, the woman released within seconds, calling Lily’s name as she went over the edge. The skilled tongue drew back, barely touching the tender spot, waiting…waiting for the woman to still. Once she did, Lily pressed harder and drew out a second climax, then a third when she entered Anna as her lips once again encircled the sensitive bud.

**********

Anna awoke before dawn and slipped into the bathroom. She and Lily had made love until after one, when both collapsed physically spent. That in itself was remarkable, since Scott had never continued their lovemaking once she had an orgasm. Last night, she had lost count of the times Lily had brought her to climax. Splashing water on her face to clear the cobwebs, the dark-haired woman removed the traces of her lover’s arousal from her chin. Now that had been an amazing experience. She surprised herself with her own lack of reservation—she had simply wanted to devour the woman. In fact, she was astonished at her own need to give Lily pleasure, almost unmindful of her own body’s desires.

Almost, that is. It had certainly been the most satisfying physical experience she’d ever had. Okay, it was more than satisfying—it was incredible. Hell, it was mind-blowing. That’s what it was. Remembering now the thundering physical sensations, the tender words and intense looks they had shared, and the way they held onto each other as they climaxed, Anna finally knew what all the fuss was about. It was about connection.

She had questions, complicated questions for herself about her own expectations for where this all would lead. But right now, she needed to return to Lily.

The blonde in the bed was starting to grow concerned about the length of time that had passed since Anna had gotten up and disappeared into the bathroom. What is she thinking about? What is she feeling? A part of her wanted to go see if everything was okay, but another part was too afraid of the answer. Traumatic imaginings tumbled unbidden through her head. She supposed first that Anna had awakened with guilt or disgust at what they had done last night. Or perhaps it was just disappointment because Lily hadn’t lived up to Anna’s hopes or expectations. Worse, she had come to Lily simply for the experience of being with another woman, and now that they had shared this sexual encounter, she would move on. Either way, Anna was probably in the bathroom contemplating how to dress and leave without a word.

With her imagination running wild, Lily was simply astounded when Anna returned to the bed and turned on her side to draw the smaller woman close. As she began to doze again, the blonde woman noted that the very worst thing about insecurities was that they robbed you of energy that you could be spending on more pleasurable pursuits.

The sun streaming in through the narrow window above the balcony door stirred Lily awake. To her delight, a sleeping Amazon draped over her from shoulder to feet, dark hair splayed across her chest. Unfortunately, nature’s call was adamant.

"This is the lumpiest mattress I’ve ever slept on," the blonde mumbled mischievously as she returned, lifting the covers and crawling across the tall naked form. "Just can’t seem to get comfortable," she continued, shifting her head from one breast to another. Finally, she settled in and began a series of obnoxious snores that dissolved the "mattress" into fits of laughter.

"That’s a gift you have, finding lumpy things to crawl on," Anna laughed as she poked the woman in her ribs.

"Hey, who are you? How did you get in here?" Lily demanded playfully.

"Isn’t this Apartment 12? I was told to wait for the lady in Apartment 12."

"No, I’m afraid this is number 10."

"Does this mean I’m not going to get my money?"

Good one, Amazon! "Sorry, I’m but a penniless champion of the oppressed. You’re going to have to take it out in trade."

"That can be arranged," Anna agreed, arching her eyebrow suggestively.

And so began Sunday morning in Apartment 10.

**********

"Lilian Stuart," the attorney answered.

"So what are you wearing?" came the sexy voice over the speaker phone.

Lunging across the desk for the receiver, Lily absently checked the door for traffic in the hallway. "I’m fine. Thank you for asking," she scolded.

"That’ll teach you to answer your speaker phone without checking caller ID," the car dealer chuckled. Pausing a moment, she followed, "So? Are you going to answer my question?"

"I’m wearing a suit. Court clothes. I have a hearing this afternoon on an adoption proceeding. What about you? You in your grease monkey clothes?" Lily had stopped by the dealership last Saturday to find Anna working with one of the mechanics under the hood of an early model BMW. She was dressed in a grease-smeared pin-striped jumpsuit, her long ponytail pulled through a Dodgers baseball cap. Lily had never seen a sexier sight.

"Not today. I’ve got an appointment this afternoon with Steve French. Remember him?"

"Of course. The San Diego Sleaze. Maybe a grease monkey suit wouldn’t be such a bad idea."

"But you said I looked sexy in that. Are you saying that I should look sexy for Steve?" Anna enjoyed poking at the green-eyed monster.

"No, I’m saying that I should come down there and sit in on your meeting. If that jerk so much as looks at you, I’ll clean his clock with a crow bar." She fingered her birthday present, a delicate gold bracelet from the box beside the bed. The casual observer likely wouldn’t notice the series of BMW emblems etched into the small links. It just screamed Anna!

"My hero," Anna sighed in a mock swoon. "Can we do dinner tonight, sweetheart? I’ll take you out or pick something up and bring it over. I just want to see you." Work and family obligations had gotten in their way this week. They had spent nearly every night together over the last two weeks, but the only chance they had gotten to see one another this week had been lunch on Tuesday, which meant they had none of the private time that each of them now craved.

"6:30? I can stop and get Chinese food." Lily’s mind was already way past what they would eat for dinner.

"See you then. Love you."

"Love you too." The attorney wanted to pinch herself every time she heard or said those words.

**********

"I can’t believe there was ever a time when I didn’t need this," Anna sighed, rolling onto her back and pulling the blonde on top. Dinner had been a blur, both women looking ahead to having one another for dessert.

"Oh, you always needed it. You just didn’t know it." Lily trailed her fingers softly across Anna’s thin collarbones, down between her breasts and back up again.

"Well, I think you’ve ruined me."

"How so?"

"Well, I think about this every six minutes, no matter what I’m doing. I think I would have driven through a police barricade to get here." She chuckled, remembering her excitement on the way over. "I love this. I mean, I also love talking to you, or going out, or just sitting around. But this is what I need," the last part emphasized with a squeeze around the blonde’s middle.

"Yeah, I need it too, sweetheart. All of those things." The more time she spent with the beautiful woman, the more secure she felt about their relationship. But Lily knew better than to presume anything. She would take all that Anna had to offer, even if it meant losing her in the end.

**********

"Anna Kaklis, you have a call on line two. Anna Kaklis, line two." The normally animated Carmen always sounded so official and reserved when she used the intercom.

The car dealer swung into an empty office to grab the blinking line. "This is Anna Kaklis. How may I help you?" She had been on the lot with Holly, a new saleswoman she had hired yesterday. Holly was one of the top sellers at the BMW dealership in San Diego. Anna was pleased to find that she knew her stuff when it came to the BMW line; it was only a matter of learning the ins and outs of Premier Motors. They were lucky to get her.

"Anna, it’s Mother."

Well, here was a surprise. Anna couldn’t remember the last time her mother had phoned her at work. "Hi Mom. What’s up? Is everything okay," she asked anxiously.

"Yes, of course. I was calling to invite you to dinner on Saturday. I’m preparing a London broil." Anna knew that was one of her father’s favorites.

Anna was confused. It was usually her father who delivered these types of invitations, since they saw each other every day at the dealership. Nonetheless, Martine was waiting patiently on the other end of the line for her answer. "Saturday?" That bought her a moment. Saturday evening was Lily Time.

"Yes, about six. Kim and Hal are coming, of course. And David is bringing Heather. It would be nice if Lily could come too." There! She’d just told her stepdaughter that the attorney was welcome in their home. She wanted to create a comfortable setting that would allow her husband to get to know the young woman, and to see how happy the two were together.

They know! The car dealer was flabbergasted, to say the least. "I think that would be very nice. I’ll call her and call you back. Thank you, Mother."

**********

"I’m not kidding! She called me herself at work last Thursday, and she asked me to invite Lily too." Anna was filling her sister in on the details of Martine’s call.

Lily was outside by the pool with the rest of Kaklis clan, telling them all about the plans for the next Kidz Kamp outing, slated for next month. She was trying to sell David on the idea of coming along. Community service looks good on a college application, she reminded him.

"How do you think she knew about Lily?" Anna did not attempt to conceal her accusatory tone with Kim.

"I didn’t say anything, I swear. Not like I would have to, though. All anyone has to do is look at the two of you together, or listen to you talk about each other. You’re in love, Sister." Kim smiled knowingly. She loved seeing her sister so happy. "And it really looks good on you."

Anna couldn’t help but return the smile. "So do you think I should say something? If they already know, it’s like an elephant in the parlor."

"Well, I’d just be sort of casual about it if I were you. I don’t think it calls for any big announcement. Does it?" Kim was fishing.

"No, of course not! I do love her, but there’s really nothing more to say."

"Just remember, you promised to tell me all about the sex," Kim reminded playfully.

"I did not! Just because you asked me to promise doesn’t mean I did!" Anna folded her arms in mock indignation, a pose she adopted often when dealing with her little sister. "But since you brought it up…"

Kim’s attention was instantly riveted to her older sister. "Oh yeah?"

"Oh yeah! God, I had no idea it could be like that," she whispered animatedly, unable to hide her excitement. "It was never like this with Scott. Not even close."

"I told you, Anna. Scott was not right for you."

"I know. I just wish I knew if this was right for me," the tall woman said wistfully. "I don’t think I’ve gotten a perspective on the lesbian thing yet."

"Well, what about it? If it feels right for you, that’s all that matters. You don’t have to worry about what to call yourself." Kim was open minded and accepting, but she didn’t quite understand Anna’s dilemma.

"It’s more complicated than that, though. I…I feel like Lily has shown me what real love is supposed to feel like. Now that I know, should I be looking for that feeling with a man? Or what if I really am a lesbian? Is Lily the right woman for me? Am I right for her? I’m plowing all new ground here."

Kim recognized the seriousness of these questions, but wasn’t about to spoon-feed her own opinion to her sister. "Well, you’re the only one who can answer those questions. Do you have any interest in going out with anyone else? A man? Another woman?"

"No, not at all. If I could have this from now on, I’d be happy." The enormity of that struck Anna suddenly. From now on.

From now on? Wow! "What do you think Lily wants?"

"I don’t know. I mean, I know she loves me, but she’s been burned before. I get the feeling sometimes that she really doesn’t expect this to be permanent. I doubt she’s thinking about anything long term."

"You’re already thinking long term? You’ve got it bad, don’t you?"

"No, it’s not that I’m already thinking long term. But why keep seeing somebody, especially intimately, if you know that there isn’t any chance for a commitment at some point down the road? I’m just not into dating or sleeping with somebody for recreation. That’s not me." That was it, she knew. She wanted Lily, but only if Lily also wanted her. Anna wasn’t looking to get her heart broken either.

"Well, give it some time, Anna. There’s no rush. I think the answers will come to you." Kim was pretty sure that they already had, but that her sister just needed to try them on for a while. "So I take it you’ve figured out what it is that you do?"

Anna turned red and smiled. "I should have known I couldn’t distract you from your mission." Kim smiled triumphantly. "Yes, I’ve figured it out. Yes, it’s wonderful. Yes, we do it every chance we get." That last bit was actually more than she had intended to say. "Now, we’d better get out there. Lily’s going to think I’ve thrown her to the wolves."

George Kaklis was soundly impressed at the way the little blonde attorney had coaxed his son into agreeing to help out with Kidz Kamp. In his father’s opinion, David was pretty self-centered, though not unusually so for most young men his age. Padding his college application was certainly a plus, but besides that, he seemed eager to have the chance to work with some of the younger boys that Lily spoke of. The elder Kaklis found himself genuinely liking the woman, despite his misgivings about her relationship with his daughter. She was obviously a good, decent person.

George followed Martine into the kitchen so that they could have a few minutes alone. Wrapping his arms around his wife from behind, he told her, "Dinner was marvelous darling. You’re the best." There was more, but it was going to be difficult to get out. He waited for a moment, anticipating the argument he would get when she voiced his thoughts. "I…I really like Lily, but I just don’t want that for Anna."

"George, please. It isn’t your choice." Martine wasn’t going to put up with this any longer. She had orchestrated this entire evening as an opportunity for her husband to get to know the young woman better—Martine was certain that Lily herself could win him over. "Can’t you see how happy Anna is? Are you so selfish that you’d deny that for your own daughter?"

"It isn’t right for her," he practically wailed.

Martine hated to do it, but it was ultimatum time. "As long as this is my home, Lily will be welcome here, no matter what her relationship is with Anna. If you can’t deal with that George, then you can go spend the day at the goddamned dealership." With that, she turned and headed back into the dining room.

Part 14

"I’m sorry Sandy and I spent so much time talking shop." Anna and Lily were headed home in the black sedan from having dinner with Sandy and Suzanne at their home. It was the first time the dark-haired woman had socialized with her lover’s longtime friends.

"Oh, it wasn’t a problem at all. I think your work is very interesting." Lauren and Sandy were going to court the next day to petition for Sofia and Roberto Esperanza to be removed from Maria’s care, and placed with their aunt in Culver City. Maria had not complied with the visitation order for Miguel, and there was growing evidence that the children’s abuser was actually Maria’s new boyfriend, Jose. The final impetus had been a call from Serena, asking Lily to help her get custody. Since she was already Maria’s attorney, she had referred the case to Lauren. "And it’s important. I’m very proud of you and what you do."

"That means a lot to me, sweetheart." Lily immediately reddened with shame as her mind flashed back to the scene before Christmas when she had derided Anna’s work as inconsequential. She hoped her lover wasn’t thinking of the same thing, as some things were best forgotten. "I’m almost afraid to ask, but now that you’ve spent a little time with my friends, what do you think of them?"

"I think your friends are very nice, and it’s obvious that they think the world of you." Anna was especially fond of Sandy, and it appeared that she and Lily shared a unique friendship, reinforced by their working relationship. "Why were you afraid to ask?"

"Well, it’s just that Suzanne can be sort of abrasive at times," Lily said meekly. "It took Mom a while to get used to it. She’s really a sweet person, but she doesn’t always come off that way."

Anna chuckled. Suzanne had cornered her in the kitchen and threatened to break off her arm and beat her with the bloody end if she hurt their little friend. "Yeah, she did sort of warn me that I should treat you well, which I intend to do, by the way. I mean I might have treated you well anyway, but she gave me a little added incentive," she teased.

They were nearing Lily’s apartment. "Can you stay tonight?" The blonde was hungry for her lover, especially after the hot tub scene. She had told Anna that they usually had an after dinner soak, but she would beg off if that felt uncomfortable. On the contrary, the beautiful woman nearly stole Suzanne’s breath when she pulled off her clothes and climbed into the tub in all her glory. Eat your heart out, ladies. She’s mine.

"Sure, I’d like that a lot."

Lily had momentarily forgotten her own question as her mind wandered back to the majestic sight of the tall woman standing to leave the tub, water cascading down her sinuous body. Once she realized that Anna had just agreed to stay the night, she reached across the console and laid her hand in the woman’s lap.

Anna loved their nights together. Making love was wonderful, of course, but their connection now went far beyond that. The soft words they’d share as they lay in one another’s arms seemed to close a circle with both of them inside. Her whole world went still each time she awakened to find herself entwined with the naked blonde. This was contentment like Anna had never known.

**********

A whole corner of the VP’s office at Premier Motors was devoted to putting the Chamber of Commerce records in order, as Anna was happily passing the baton to the incoming treasurer. It had been a busy year for the Chamber, and the car dealer had made quite an impression on the members with whom she had dealings. Several were pressing her to run for vice-president next year, which would mean an automatic ascension to president the following year. On the one hand, it would mean a lot of extra work, with meetings, committee work, and special events. On the other hand, community service was something she believed in, and it was good business.

"Anna, do you have a minute for your dad?" George poked his head into his daughter’s office.

"I’m sorry, do you have an appointment?" Anna was feeling somewhat overwhelmed by all of the things she needed to finish by the end of the week. This was definitely cutting into her Lily Time.

"I can come back later if you want." It was almost comical seeing the distinguished man pout.

"No, silly. I always have time for you." Anna stood up to move a pile of paperwork from one of her extra chairs.

George sat down and cleared his throat, obviously waiting for his daughter’s undivided attention. He had a plan. "I’ve been giving some thought lately to how I…I tend to interfere sometimes in matters that really aren’t any of my business."

Where on earth did that come from? In her 32 years, Anna couldn’t think of a time when her father had come to her with such an admission.

"Anyway, I think I may have jumped the gun a while back when you were going out with Steve French." Anna couldn’t believe her ears. "I talked with Steve the other day. He really is a nice guy, and I’m sorry if anything I said about him dissuaded you from seeing him again." George reasoned that if Anna just got back into dating, she would surely abandon this fixation with her attorney friend.

"Steve French?" A knot in her stomach told her this wasn’t about the account manager at all, but about a certain blonde attorney.

"Yeah, he’s really a very interesting fellow. You two probably have a lot in common. I mean, with both of you in sales and marketing and all. Sure, he drives a Jaguar, but we’ll win him over in time." He winked at his daughter, but this time, his usual charm fell short. Way short.

"I’m not really interested in Steve French, Dad." That might have been the understatement of the year. The guy still gave her the creeps.

"You should give it a chance, darling. He offered us tickets on Sunday to the skybox. I told him you and I would come together."

"You’re right, Dad…."

George let out of a sigh of relief. That was actually easier than he thought it would be.

"You do sometimes interfere in matters that aren’t really any of your business," she finished.

What?

"I already have plans for Sunday." Lily Time. "I’m sure David will be glad to go with you," she said coldly, turning back to her work.

George was taken aback by his daughter’s tone. There were plenty of times that she resisted his guidance, but never before so…adamantly. "Anna, I’m worried about you." He would try a different tack. "Ever since Scott left, you’ve stopped dating. It’s like you’ve…given up on…finding someone to love." Actually, it was more like she’d given up on men, but he wasn’t going to voice that one.

Yep, this was definitely about Lily! Anna now saw clearly through her father’s charade, and was appalled at his obvious attempts to manipulate her. Truth be told, he had always done this, granting or withholding his approval as a way of bending her to his will. It was time, she thought, to lay her cards on the table. The woman’s voice was shaking as she began. "Dad, I think there’s something you should know…." She stopped herself. She needed to have this conversation with her mother also. "I was wondering if I could stop by the house tonight, about 7:30. Would that be alright?"

George nodded grimly. He knew it was time to face this, and that his daughter was thinking the same thing. "Sure, I’ll call your mother. Do you want to have dinner with us?"

No, we may not have much of an appetite after you hear what I have to say. "No, I’ll probably eat dinner later."

When her father left her office, Anna crossed quickly and closed the door. She called Lily first at her office, then on her cell phone. Getting her lover’s voicemail, she left a message. "Hi sweetheart. Listen, I need to go to my parents’ house after work tonight. It’s time for us to have that talk." She knew Lily would know to which talk she referred. "I don’t know how long it will take, but I’ll come to your place when I’m done. Love you."

Promptly at 7:30, the black sedan turned through the hedges of the Kaklis home in Beverly Hills. George met his daughter at the door and ushered her into the family room, where Martine sat waiting nervously for the fireworks to begin. Anna sat not on the offered sofa, but on the ottoman next to her mother’s wingback chair. She could be closer to both of her parents this way.

"I’ve been feeling like it was time that we talked about Lily," Anna started. A pin dropping at that moment would have been deafening, she thought. Martine looked at her and smiled softly, while her father wouldn’t meet her eyes at all. Turning to her stepmother, she continued, "Dad stopped in my office today and told me that he was worried that I’d given up on love. I want to assure both of you that that isn’t true at all, because I have fallen in love. With Lily. She feels the same way about me, and I hope you’ll be seeing a lot of her in the future."

Martine reached out and placed her hand on her stepdaughter’s knee. "I’m really glad to hear that, Anna. Lily’s a wonderful person." Anna squeezed the woman’s hand and turned to her father, who stared numbly at his lap. As family moments go, this one was pretty uncomfortable.

Finally, George broke the silence. "Anna, I just don’t think this is right. I think you’re letting all of the emotions from what happened in the earthquake cloud your judgment."

The words were all too familiar. "That’s funny, Dad. That’s exactly what Scott said when I told him that I wanted a divorce. It pains me that both of you think I’m so weak that I’d give in to emotional moments."

"It isn’t that I think you’re weak at all. But sweetheart, did you ever consider that maybe Scott was right? I hated seeing you leave him. He was so good for you."

"I hated seeing you leave him." The woman cringed inwardly at those words. What about what I wanted? Reluctantly, Anna acknowledged that it was time to knock Scott off the pedestal her father had created for him. "I had never intended to tell you this because I know how much you both liked Scott. I divorced him because he fathered a child with another woman, the woman that he later married. I probably could have forgiven him for that, though it wouldn’t have been easy. But I realized that I didn’t want to work that hard for something that had never made either one of us really happy in the first place." She paused to let the words sink in. "I realize now that I didn’t know what happiness was until I found Lily."

George was dismayed to hear of his son-in-law’s infidelity. Still, he didn’t want to see his daughter giving up on men just because of Scott had turned out to be a louse. "Anna, darling, why didn’t you tell us this about Scott? We don’t blame you at all for leaving him under those circumstances. But all men aren’t like that."

"Which circumstances, Dad? His betrayal or the fact that we weren’t happy?" No matter how he answered, Anna acknowledged a bitter truth. If her father was happy, that was really all that mattered to him. "I want you to be able to accept Lily as the person I love, as the person that makes me happy. But if you don’t, it isn’t going to change anything. I don’t know where it’s all going to lead, but Lily and I are going to play this out." She looked for her father’s eyes, but he still refused to look up from his lap.

Anna stood and reached for her jacket, a grim look of resignation on her face. This was one of the most difficult moments of her life, and she knew her heart would break the moment she left the house. For now though, she was determined to stand her ground.

Martine got up and pulled her stepdaughter into a tight hug. "I’m happy for you, sweetheart." The tall woman could have cried on the spot, but she wouldn’t give her father the satisfaction of seeing anything he might construe as weakness. "He’ll come around," she gestured with a nod of the head to George, speaking as though he weren’t even in the room. "He’s hard headed and selfish, but he loves you very much."

Fortunately, that much was true.

**********

"I’m sorry it was so hard for you, baby. Maybe your mother’s right. Maybe he’ll come around." Lily comforted her lover, trailing her fingers under the shirt across the bare abdomen. It wasn’t meant to be a sexual caress, just a way to keep contact while they shared their heavy emotions. Anna was still distraught about what had transpired earlier at her parents’ home. She had arrived about an hour earlier, eyes red and swollen, unable to talk. Lily sat with her in the darkened living room for long quiet minutes until the woman finally found her voice. When she had finished with her tale, there was nothing for Lily to do except to hold her.

"I meant what I said, Lily." Anna spoke again after a long silence. "I have to see where this will all go."

Her words were meant to be reassuring, but the blonde woman still was unable to accept that Anna could really let herself do this. "Darling, I know this is hard for you. If…" Lily couldn’t believe she was going to say this and mean it. "If it’s too hard, I understand. I won’t ask you to give up your family." What was that old Indian proverb about setting free something you loved? Lily had always thought that hokey, but at this very moment, she understood just how much you needed to love someone to make such a deep sacrifice.

Anna couldn’t believe her ears. "You’d really let me go?" she asked.

"Yes." And then I would die.

I would fight my own family for you, and you’d just let me go? Had she been reading Lily wrong all along? Anna was ready to give this woman everything, but Lily didn’t seem to want it. Abruptly extracting herself from the arms that held her, the tall woman stood and gathered her things as she moved toward the door. "I need somebody who’ll fight for me, Lily." With that, she was gone.

**********

Lily finally got it—Anna was really in love with her. Real love, lasting love, not just filling a gap in their lives. The stoic woman was willing to forsake her own family to see if she and Lily could build something together that would last. Instead of embracing this offering from Anna, Lily had held back, protecting herself against the certainty that Anna would someday leave. The real Lily would have worn her heart on her sleeve and Anna would have had no doubts at all about where she stood. Fuck me. She needed to show Anna that she wanted her badly enough to fight for her. How would the real Lily do that?

Anna saw the X5 through her bedroom window when it pulled up. She debated simply not answering the door, doubting that Lily would use her key if it were clear that she wasn’t welcome right now. Deciding instead that nothing could happen that would make her feel any worse, she made her way downstairs to answer the persistent bell. She needed to know where they stood.

Despite herself, the sight that greeted the dark-haired woman brought a smile to her face which she quickly covered with her hand. Standing on the doorstep was the love of her life, dressed in a short brown skirt with a ragged hemline and a matching sleeveless top. Across her chest was what appeared to be a series of coat hangers, spray-painted gold and twisted into curly-cues to cover her breasts. Boots and kneepads covered her legs, and her forearms sported black cardboard gauntlets that matched her arm bracers and shoulder pads.

"Who on earth are you supposed to be?" Anna was losing the battle with covering her smile. Her sparkling blue eyes had already given away her delight. Lily looked adorable.

The costumed blonde reached over her shoulder and extracted a sword made of cardboard and covered with aluminum foil. Its business end curved significantly to one side, only adding to the comical effect. In her other hand, she gripped a plate-sized ring, also covered with foil, but painted gold and black. "I am Lily, the Warrior Princess. I have come to fight for you."

"Get in here before somebody sees you and calls the police!"

Lily lowered her sword and stepped into the darkened foyer. The Halloween costume from a couple of years ago had had the desired effect. She had managed to get herself invited in. Now it was time to lay it all out there. "Anna, can I have my words back and tell you how I really feel?"

Anna walked to the foot of the steps, turning to take a seat on the third step. Lily’s face was now illuminated by the light from the upstairs hallway. "How do you really feel?"

Lily hadn’t practiced this. Somehow she just knew the right words would come out if she only spoke her heart. "I love you, so much that sometimes it just takes my breath away. When you tell me you love me, or when I wake up and find you in my arms, it’s almost surreal. I just can’t believe that someone as wonderful as you would choose me." She walked forward and kneeled on the bottom step. "What I said earlier about not asking you to give up your family had nothing to do with what I really want from you. Because I want everything you’ll give me, Anna, absolutely everything. If you someday decide that you just want to be friends, then I’ll want to be the best friend you have. If you want just to be lovers for now, then lovers we’ll be." Okay, here goes. Please don’t run away from me. "And if you ever decide that you want to be partners, then I’ll promise myself to you for the rest of time."

The anxiety that Lily expected from within herself never surfaced at all, since Anna’s response didn’t matter this time. What she’d told the beautiful woman wasn’t a question, as it had been with lovers in the past. It was a statement, and whatever Anna wanted wouldn’t change a thing about what Lily felt. She was offering everything, and Anna could take whatever part she wanted.

Indeed, Anna did understand what Lily was saying. Her words about needing the woman to fight for her seemed silly now. All this time, she’d been waiting for Lily to feel secure enough to move ahead, and the little blonde had just covered all that ground in one fell swoop. The tall woman shifted on the stairs to touch her lips to those of the green-eyed warrior. "Will you come upstairs and hold me tonight?"

Lily knew that Anna had a mental block about making love with her in this house. "I’ll do whatever you want. If you’d rather go back to my place, I’ll bring you back in the morning."

"What, and miss seeing you drive home in that outfit in the light of day? Not a chance, Pygmy."

**********

Lily noted the caller ID before slapping the answer button on the speaker phone. Reaching instead for the receiver, she kicked at the door to send it swinging shut. "Lilian Stuart. How may I be of service?" The last time she had answered "How may I service you?" and it turned out to be the service department at Premier Motors calling to schedule her 7,500 mile check-up. She was mortified, and only hoped that she would have the chance to tell Anna before one of the mechanics did.

"Oh, I can think of several ways. But for starters, I wanted to know if you could get off early today." Anna was working hard to contain her eagerness.

"Sure. I can come in a little early tomorrow. I’m prepping for a court appearance tomorrow afternoon." Maria had asked her to help get her kids back from her sister, but Lily had convinced her to petition the judge instead for visitation. That, the attorney knew, was best for the kids until Maria broke things off with Jose. The Esperanza children were going to have a happy ending if it killed her!

"How soon can you leave?"

Lily glanced at the clock. 3:30. "How about 30 minutes? Where should I go?"

"Meet me at my house. I have something to show you."

Traffic was crawling at four, and Lily didn’t make it to Bel Air until 5:15. Her beautiful lover met her in the drive and hopped into the passenger seat. At Anna’s direction, Lily wound through the back streets and side roads until they reached Brentwood, one of LA’s most upscale suburbs. On a quiet street, they stopped in front of a beautiful two-story Spanish-style home, white with a multi-level red tile roof.

"So what do you think?"

"Wow! It’s beautiful! Did Kim find this?"

Anna nodded excitedly. "I’ve got the keys. Let’s go take a look." She had seen the house yesterday and again this morning. Lily gasped when they entered the grand foyer. Stained glass above the door played colors all the way up the swirling staircase. Anna walked her lover through the house room by room. Downstairs, there was a small formal living room, a dining room, a family room with a cozy office off to the side, and an enormous kitchen with a breakfast nook. Both the family room and kitchen opened up onto a beautifully landscaped patio and yard. The pool featured dark blue concrete and Spanish tile, with an attached hot tub. Anna pointed out the two-car garage in the side yard. Upstairs, they found three bedrooms, including a large master suite. The suite and one of the bedrooms had balconies overlooking the pool. Lily had never seen such a beautiful home, and she really hoped Anna had decided to buy it.

"So what do you think?" Anna could already tell that Lily loved it.

"Are you kidding? It’s wonderful. Are you going to buy it?" she asked excitedly.

"I put a contract on it this morning." Anna paused and watched the smile that started to form on her lover’s face. "I wanted to ask you about it first, but it was set to go on the market today and I was afraid it would get snatched up."

"Well, you sure didn’t need my help. I think it’s a smart move."

"Yeah, it’s a great house, but that’s not why I wanted to ask you first." She took her lover’s hand and brought it to her heart. "Will you live here with me?" she asked hopefully, locking blue eyes onto green.

Lily’s stomach did that thing again. Not the fluttering and sinking thing it did when she was nervous or anticipating bad news. This was a fluttering and soaring. The same thing it did every time Anna whispered to her while they were making love.

Anna waited nervously as a long quiet moment passed. Lily seemed to be thinking about it. That was a good sign, wasn’t it?

"I don’t think I’ve ever told you before, but I love it when you talk to me in bed."

Okaaay. It was kind of exciting to hear her lover say that, but Anna was certain that she had asked a different question.

"I know, you’re probably wondering where that came from. It’s just that when you talk to me while we’re touching each other, I get this…giddy feeling in my stomach. It’s a pretty powerful sensation. It’s when I know how deeply I love you."

Okaaay. This was all good news. But what about my question?

"I just got that feeling again when you asked me to live with you. That stomach thing."

"So, will you?" Help me out. I’m dying here.

"Oh yeah." With that, the Pygmy dragged the Amazon to the floor of the master bedroom for a proper christening of their new home.