Hurricane Watch

By Melissa Good

The boat bobbed lightly up and down in the gentle surf, the brass riggings clanking softly in the easterly wind. The sky was mostly cloudless, just a few puffy white intruders drifting across it, sending elongated shadows across the blue green water as the sun tilted down towards the west.

To the east, a city skyline lifted, sturdy concrete nestled in clusters of green, as street lamps alternated with palm trees in a landscape in turns colorful and brassy steel, overflowing with tropical foliage and lacking in any elevation which marked it definitely as that of Miami, Florida.

The deck of the boat was draped in various types of scuba gear, two regulators hung neatly to dry out, along with webbed belts, buoyancy vests, net bags, and wide, duck webbed fins nestled in the well in the center. On the front of the boat, two figures were sprawled, soaking up the late afternoon sun dressed in brief, one piece bathing suits.

Both were women, but one was tall, with long limbs, a swimmer's build, and dark hair. The other was shorter, with much paler coloring and a more compact frame.

"Dar?" Kerry kept her eyes closed, as she yawned a little.

"Mm?" Her taller companion merely grunted an answer.

"You know, there's something really off kilter about spending the day before Christmas in my bathing suit, getting a suntan on the Atlantic Ocean."

"Yeah?" Dar lifted one eyelid, exposing a crystal clear blue eye and peered at her.

"Yeah…Christmas is supposed to be about sleighs, and ice skating on the lake, and Jack Frost nipping at your nose.. sweaters…static electricity.. you know." Kerry sighed. "I don't think I can do Christmas at 85 degrees."

"Ah. Not cold enough, huh?" Dar replied, opening her other eye and sparing her blond lover a droll glance. "I think you Northerners are nuts… out there singing in below zero weather…slipping on ice, crashing on the highway, having to have your driveways plowed…suffering with dry heat…" She spread her arms out, then let them drop to the soft deck pad they both were sprawled onto.

"No.. no.. you’re missing the point.. " Kerry objected. "Christmas has to have snow… and cold weather… snow draped on the roof like in the movies…your nose has to tingle..it's part of the season."

"Okay.. no problem.. here you go.'" A huge handful of shaved ice landed on Kerry's midsection. "How's that?"

"Yeeeeooowww!" The blond flipped over, brushing her stomach off and reaching for a towel. "Dar!!" She yelped indignantly. "That was cold!"

"Wasn't that the point?" The dark haired woman asked, reasonably. "You were just complaining it was too hot, weren't you?" She bit off a grin as eyes the color of the surrounding ocean suddenly were less than a foot away, narrowing calculatedly. "Uh oh."

"Uh oh is right, you.. " Kerry scrambled for the ice chest, and grabbed a double handful, managing to get a good sized portion down Dar's back as she attempted to roll out of the way. "Ah ha… gotcha."

Dar chuckled as she stood up and shook herself off, then stretched lazily. "Well.. it's time to go in anyway.. sun's going down, and I have three status reports to review." She extended a hand down to her friend. "I've been putting that off long enough…c'mon… it's getting a little breezy out here."

"Oh yeah." Kerry accepted the hand up. "It might go down to 80 degrees if we're not careful… that'd be dangerous." She slid up next to Dar, and ran a hand over the taller woman's body, encased in a striking white bathing suit. "I like this one." She complimented her companion. "Is it new?"

Dar padded over and stowed the cooler. "No.. actually, it's an old one I came across when I was emptying out that chest of drawers the other day." She said. "Found some other stuff I'd forgotten I'd even had.. and some of the things Aunt May left here when she passed on."

"Mm…. Well, it's nice, and I like it." Kerry stepped carefully around the end of the bow, and made her way down to where the steps lead to the cabin. "I'm going to put some dry clothes on…I think I have seaweed in places seaweed really has no business being."

The dark haired woman chuckled. "Make sure you didn't collect any cuttlefish in there again…you scared me half to death when you screamed from that last week." She let her eyes wander over her lover's slim form, in it’s rich burgundy suit. "You look pretty nice yourself, by the way."

Kerry paused on her way down the stairs, and threw a glance over her shoulder. "Thanks… but if you're trying to butter me up so I won't pull any surprises on you tomorrow, forget it." Her eyes twinkled mischievously. "Birthday girl."

One dark brow rocketed skyward. "Oh brother." Dar muttered. "I'm in deep trouble.. how did I let myself get talked into this, anyway?" A sigh And for such an auspicious one, too, it being her thirtieth.

"What.. the party, having a birthday, or putting up with me?" Kerry asked innocently, then she came back up the stairs and relented. "I won't do anything horrible, I promise."

Dar took her hand off the throttle control, as she listened for the anchor to finish retracting, and gently cupped Kerry's chin, lifting it and kissing her with sincere passion. "Do your worst." She murmured, gazing into the sea green eyes. "But remember… paybacks are a bitch."

"Ooo… what are you gonna do to me?" Kerry crooned teasingly.

"Mmm… cross dressing full body stripper in the office?" Dar offered, with a full smile.

A momentary pause, while Kerry blinked. "Uh.. you wouldn't… do that… would you?"

Dazzling grin.

"Yikes." Kerry laughed, then leaned forward and kissed her back. "Don't worry… I've got nothing planned that will rate me that." She reassured her companion. "I was thinking more along the lines of making your favorite dessert for the party."

"Ah." Dar forgot about the controls, and found more interesting things to explore on the burgundy-suited body in front of her. "I don't know that I have a favorite… " She nuzzled Kerry's ear, and heard the soft sound of approval that trickled from the blond woman's throat. "Well.. not that you could serve at a party, anyway."

"You saying… " Kerry paused a moment to let her breathing catch up with her. "I'm better than Death by Chocolate?"

A low, seductive chuckle answered her, as Dar slowly eased her left strap down her arm, and ran a delicate finger across her sun-warmed skin. Kerry smiled at the answer, as she nibbled her way up Dar's neck, taking a slow backward step towards the tiny bedroom and drawing the taller woman along with her.

Dar went willingly, already working her other strap down, her hands warm against Kerry's damp skin. She returned the attention, easing the thin fabric over Dar's broad shoulders and tugging it down her body, running her hands over the taller woman's powerful back.

The quilt's warmth surprised her, as Dar caught her around the waist and boosted her up, joining her on the soft surface in one smooth motion, never letting up her nibbling. The windows in the cabin were open, and a rich, warm breeze came in, bringing to her the salt smell of the ocean and brushing lightly over her bare shoulders as a lone gull called overhead.

"Still think we need snow?" Dar's voice purred into her ear, as the strong hands slid over her hip and down her thigh.

"Nu uh." Kerry pushed her companion gently over on to her back, and started a slow exploration downwards, starting at her collarbone, tasting the sea's richness on her body. "Wouldn't wanna try this up north."

The sunlight painted rich golden stripes across them, in the fading sun of a tropical winter's day.

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

"Well." Kerry leaned against the console, now dressed in a pair of sweatpants and an overly large polo shirt. "I always wanted to see the skyline at night from this angle."

Dar sucked wryly at steaming cup of coffee, courtesy of the boat's small galley. "Lucky I have a position locator on this thing… we drifted a lot further than I thought we would." She aimed the boat northwest, roaring through the utter darkness of an Atlantic night. "Teach me to remember not to pull the damn anchor up and get distracted." She was wearing a sweatshirt over cutoff denim shorts, and a baseball cap to tame her windblown hair.

Kerry muffled a laugh. "I've never heard that many curse words strung together at one time, let me tell you." She peered ahead into the darkness, spotting a colorful string of lights. "Is that downtown?"

Dar shaded her eyes. "Yeah… that's the damn Centrust tower… " She identified the tall structure, kitted out in blue lights with white bulbs interspersed to imitate ornaments. "And I can see the Metrogonowhere from here." The people mover, which traversed a downtown that nobody actually lived in was lined with rainbow neon. The rest of the skyline came into view, tall buildings brilliant with lights.

"Is it still the Centrust tower?" Kerry inquired, enjoying the sight. "I think they went bankrupt, didn't they?"

"Yeah, yeah.. " Dar watched for the southern buoy. "I forget what it is now.. it's changed three times since then.. but I still remember it as the Centrust tower."

"Oh.. there's Bayside… wow.. it's really lit up." Kerry pointed. "Is that a tree on top of the Hard Rock?"

"It's something." Dar replied, with a chuckle. "Hang on.. I'm going to make the turn up Government cut."

Kerry obligingly slipped her arms around the taller woman, hugging her close. "Okay.. I'm ready." She announced, feeling the chuckle go through Dar's body, and the warmth as she circled Kerry's shoulder with one long, sweatshirt covered arm. "It's nice to have a couple of days off, huh?" She poked her boss in the ribs with a finger. "Glad you let me talk you into it?"

It certainly was, Dar reflected, steering the boat into the channel and heading for the island her apartment was on. First time for everything, I guess.. she mused. Prior years had seen her in the office even on Christmas, toasting the holiday with the grumpy cleaning staff who were forced to work. She'd brought eggnog last year, and it had actually turned out to be a little bit fun, coaxing smiles from the immigrant workers who hadn't expected to see any of the office staff in.

Not this year. They'd left work at five yesterday, and didn't have to be back until eight Monday morning, and she'd found herself looking forward to it even with it being her birthday, and having a threatened party thrown for her. "Yeah… I'm having a pretty good time.. you?" Dar answered, with a grin.

Kerry nodded, stifling a yawn. "Very much so….even if I have to settle for palm trees with strings of pink flamingo lights on them." Dar's Michigan born assistant had lived in Miami for several years, but had not yet quite acclimatized to the vastly different culture she'd found there.

Dar cut speed as she entered the marina, and steered between the concrete docks with casual skill. "Hey.. palm trees are naturals for lights." She pointed at the long row of the bushy topped trees that lined the drive coming into the marina. Someone had painstakingly woven tiny white lights between all the fronds on all the leaves. "See??"

Kerry peered. "Hey.. that's not bad looking, really." She conceded. "But I like our tree, though."

A real one. Dar had insisted that if she was being coerced into getting a tree, it was at least going to smell like a pine tree, and not like extruded plastic. So they'd gone out, and found one of the seven zillion tents scattered around selling the darn things trucked from North Carolina packed in snow, and picked out a Douglas Fir a little taller than Dar herself was.

She docked the boat, and they made their way up the winding path towards the condo, waving to various neighbors that Dar hadn't even known she had before the outgoing and friendly Kerry had started spending most of her time with her. A soft strain of Christmas carols were playing over the island wide loudspeaker system, gentle hymns that chased them from tree to tree along the path, and Dar found herself humming.

"Sorry.. I didn't catch that?" Kerry bent her head closer. "Did you say something?"

"Um.. no.. I was just.. " Dar flicked a hand at the speakers. "Humming along.. .I like that one." She put a hand on Kerry's back as they walked up the path to her door. "I think there'll be roaming carolers around tonight… you interested in listening?"

The blond woman gazed up at her. "Roaming carolers? Jesus.. I had no idea they knew what that was down here… sure.. I love Christmas carols. I can’t sing worth a poop, but listening’s great."

Dar opened the door, and stood back to let her enter. Kerry lived in an apartment in Kendall, but spent quite a few nights a week here, since Dar's place was undeniably larger, having a total of five bedrooms, three upstairs and two downstairs, and three bathrooms, plus the huge kitchen and living areas.

And it had a hot tub, on the stone patio outside they both loved to spend time in under the stars, looking out over the ocean, much more picturesque than Kerry’s yuppy congested, though comfortable apartment down south.

It was a tentative arrangement they had, as they cautiously felt out their fragile, little more than two month old relationship, maintaining a polite separation during the week that allowed them both space to adjust, especially since they worked closely together at the large information services firm Dar was the Operations Vice President at.

At work, of course, they were strictly business, under the luridly interested scrutiny of the several hundred staff members in their Miami office complex who persisted in making them the occasional topic of coffee room gossip anyway.

They were both taking a big chance. Exposure meant a transfer or worse for Kerry, and potential legal difficulties for Dar, but they'd made the mutual decision to try and balance their personal lives with their demanding professional ones, and so far, things had worked out all right.

So far.

Kerry glanced around at the now familiar condo, with it's marble tile floor and dark leather furniture, which had now been transformed for the holiday season, mostly under her influence. The fluffy tree sat in one corner, with strings of white lights nestled in it's branches, and colorful glass ornaments alternating with tiny carved ones Kerry had brought over from Kendall. Underneath the tree was a scattering…

No, Kerry corrected herself, piles of boxes, gifts they'd gotten for each other and wrapped in a frenzy of secretive sessions. She’d never quite had a Christmas like this before, where most of her time and energy were focused on one person, and just looking at those piles, and knowing at least half were hers…

Weird.

They'd put green and red pillar candles around too, and a prettily woven wreath graced the front door, no doubt surprising Dar's neighbors who had probably not even known anyone lived in the condo before Kerry started sharing space there.

"Something wrong wit the tree?" Dar came up behind her, and circled her with both arms, peering at what she though Kerry was staring at. "Interest you in some eggnog?"

"Um.. sure.." Kerry took a breath, suddenly a little nervous about the request she was making. "Listen, Dar… I know you're not a religious person.. but would you like to go to a service tonight?"

The dark haired woman paused, and studied her. "I thought you said there wasn't any of your brand around here?" She remarked curiously. "Or did you find one?"

Kerry tried to judge her companion’s comfort level with the request. Dar was hard to read sometimes. She’d spent so many years hiding behind her frosty, executive facade, her reactions occasionally weren’t honest, but geared to what she thought her listener expected instead. Kerry didn’t want her friend to be forced into an uncomfortable situation just because of her. "There aren't… really.. I… but my old pastor at home gave me the names of a few he thought I'd be comfortable with.. one's over here on South Beach." She paused. "It's.. not very formal." Dar was, she knew, distinctly unreligious, and had shown little or no interest in theological topics Kerry had occasionally brought up.

Dar cocked her head, and considered that. "You mean it's no big deal if we go and hold hands?" She asked with typical bluntness, holding back a grin at the blush which colored Kerry's neck and face.

"Something like that, yeah." The blond woman muttered. "Um.. never mind.. it's kind of a dumb idea." She hitched her gear back to her shoulder. "I'm going to put up a wash of this stuff.. want me to get yours, too?" It had been a stupid thing to ask, after all. There were some interests, she’d discovered, that she and Dar simply did not share.

"Hey.." Dar caught her arm, and swung her around so they were facing each other. "I know this stuff’s important to you."

"It’s okay." Kerry gave her a gentle push "It’s not your style… don’t worry about it."

Dar hesitated, then glanced over her shoulder. "Listen… I dragged you down to watch those alligator wrestlers.. fair’s fair. I can survive a church service." She tugged on Kerry’s shirt collar. "You have to poke me when I’m supposed to stand up or whatever though.. I don’t’ know much about any of it."

"Really?" Kerry peeked up at her. "I’ll treat you to ice cream afterwards.. how’s that?"

A grin escaped Dar’s usually serious face. "Ahhh… .so you think I’ll do anything for a hot fudge sundae.. is that it?" She traced a fingertip over Kerry’s visible blush. "Well, you’re right. I’ll take you up on your offer."

Kerry gave her a crooked grin. "I think I can do that.. it's not that hard, this kind.. not like we were going to Catholic Mass, or something." She tried to be offhanded about it, not wanting to scare her new partner off.

"I watched that on TV last year." Dar commented. "The Pope one. It confused the hell out of me."

Kerry laughed, more at ease. "Yeah… I watched that too, the repeat after we got home from the late service…it's quite a circus." She let out a relieved sigh. "Okay… well, it's not until eleven, so… you up for dinner?"

"After eight hours diving?" Dar snorted. "I could eat the couch for dinner, if you put a little A1 on it." She glanced outside. "It's beautiful tonight… could I coax you into joining me on a little outside table up at the.. um.. nice restaurant?" She lifted a brow hopefully.

"Ooo… starlight, candelight, and you…. I think I can twist my arm." Kerry agreed, relieved.. "On the single condition that you let me pay." She raised a finger at Dar's protest. "Ah ah… remember our deal."

A sigh. "Okay." Dar grumbled. "But the champagne's on me."

"Deal." The blond woman relented cheerfully. "C'mon.. I don't think sweats and polos are the dress code up there for Christmas Eve."

"Certainly not if you're wearing my polo shirt." Dar laughed. "But if you just add a belt to it, you could call it a dress, and that'd pass." The shirt hung almost to the blond's knees.

Kerry stuck her tongue out at her friend. "I like when they fit like this, and none of mine do."

"Well…. " Dar drawled. "Now I know to buy your shirts two sizes too big, and you'll be happy."

"Not the same." Kerry replied, a little shyly.

"No?" The dark haired woman inquired.

"They don't smell like you." Kerry admitted, looking up at her through fair eyelashes, as she delicately sniffed at her sleeve. "That's the part I like."

"Oh." Dar felt the blood heating her face. She cleared her throat. "I see… guess I'll just give you free reign of my closet, then."

Kerry sighed contentedly, determined to enjoy the evening now that she'd gotten Dar to join her. Even if the church was weird, and not what she was used to, it soothed her heart to know she'd be there at midnight, doing her part in the celebration of the Lord's birth.

If He chose not to listen….well, that was another thing all together. She impulsively turned, and hugged Dar, squeezing her tightly. "Thanks."

Dar patted her back, puzzled but pleased. "Anytime."

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

"So… you sure this is appropriate dress and all?" Dar deftly directed the Lexus off the ferry, and through the terminal parking lot. "I'd always thought of church as being a lot more formal.. you know, hats, floral arrangements, that kind of thing."

Kerry brushed a pine needle off her crisply pressed shirt, which was tucked neatly into a pair of dark Dockers, and surmounted by a festive, embroidered vest featuring running reindeer and holly wreathes. "Well, I called the pastor there.. and he tried to get away with the 'whatever you feel comfortable in' line. But I didn't go along, and I told him if I showed up in a bathing suit with a Santa hat on, and everyone laughed, I wasn't going to be very happy."

Dar laughed. "Oh my god.. I'd have paid to see that."

"Dar." Kerry gave her a look. "Anyway, he said most people wore jeans or chinos, and something other than t-shirts, one or two people wore dresses or suits, and there's one guy who comes in a reindeer outfit."

"With antlers or without?" The executive asked, seriously.

"Dar." The blond woman laughed.

"Sorry.. must have been those five glasses of champagne." Dar apologized. "Not to mention that Grand Mariner cake… wow." She exhaled a little. "I feel like I'm going to explode."

"Mm… tell me about it." Kerry rolled her head to one side, and regarded the dark water stretching away from the causeway they were on. "Should I be driving?" She gave her companion a concerned look. "You seemed okay."

"No.. it's all right." Dar shook her head. "I don't feel it.. I just tend to run off at the mouth when I've had a few glasses of anything." She gave her friend a light shrug. "Sorry."

Kerry patted her arm. "It's okay.. I think it's really cute." She confided. "Turn left up there, and it's three blocks down on the right hand side."

"I know." Dar muttered, as she navigated through the very busy traffic. "Jesus, it's a mess down here."

Kerry regarded her lover out of the corner of her eyes, approving the deep green sweater she'd put on over a collared shirt, which was tucked into her black slacks. The sweater was plain, but had pretty embroidery around the neck and cuffs, stylized birds chasing each other around and around in bold, clear colors. "I really like that sweater." She commented, reaching over to trace the embroidery. "It looks really good on you." Snug, but not too snug, in fact. She mused.

"Thanks.. you look pretty hot yourself." Dar commented casually. "Here we go." She pulled into a small parking lot adjacent to an old fashioned, two story concrete building. The back half of the structure seemed to have been converted into a church, based on the stained glass windows, and that part faced the sea. "Must look nice inside during sunrise."

"Mm.'" Kerry agreed, feeling a little nervous now that they were here. Was this such a good idea? She really had no idea how to act, given the open nature of the church, or what kind of beliefs or services they'd have. The pastor had mentioned music, and when she'd told him her own denomination, he'd said she'd feel comfortable, but… She exhaled.

"You okay?" Dar studied her.

"Yeah… " Kerry folded her arms across her chest. "I've just never…um… this is really stupid, but I've never been in a place where mostly everyone was gay before."

"Oh." Dar chuckled. "Relax.. just act normally… they don't stamp your forehead when you go in." She got out of the car and twitched her sweater straight, then she waited for Kerry to join her. "You're going to think everyone's looking at you, so just relax, because they are. "

"Comforting. Thank you." Kerry nodded, sighing.

"Just think of what it was like for you the first couple days at work." Her companion reassured her.

"Yippee." Being promoted to Dar’s assistant over the heads of lots of other people had certainly gotten her looked at, all right. "You've been down here… to South Beach before, I take it." Kerry inquired, as they started to walk across the lot, joining a small stream of others.

"Yes." Dar answered readily. "I used to cruise some of the bars down here in my younger years." She returned the appraising glances they were getting from some of the other attendees.

"Did you take your high school ring of then, Grandma?" Kerry poked her gently. "Listen to you.. 'in my younger years… yeah, when we had to walk to school uphill, both ways.. "

"Kerry.. " Dar put an arm around her and leaned closer. "Being a Miami native means you never, ever have to walk to school uphill." She reminded her. "Unless you live under the highway overpass."

They laughed, and entered the building, nodding at the tall young man who was courteously holding the door open for them.

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

It was weird. Kerry found her eyes flicking here and there, her eyes absorbing the collection of assorted couples and singles assembled in the chapel. That, at least, was mildly familiar, being roughly square, with a raised platform at one end, and rows of pews stretching across the floor. The pews were donated from various building projects from other churches, she noticed, and in one case, a temple. They were a mixture of woods and sizes, but no one seemed to mind. Missing were the typical Bibles, but there were hymnbooks, and she took one, thumbing through its well-worn pages to see old favorites and some she didn't know.

She and Dar were sitting about mid way on the left hand side, and as the room filled, she watched her lover's alert and interested eyes watching everything.

Of course, half the room, the female half, was also watching her. Kerry felt a mixture of pride and consternation at the veiled, and in some cases, not so veiled looks of lust directed at her companion, but Dar seemed oblivious.

Or maybe not. She felt a warm arm slide around her shoulders as Dar leaned closer, on the pretext of studying her hymnbook. "So. What's that?"

The pastor's arrival interrupted her somewhat meandering description of basic holiday services, and they both turned their attention to the man. He was of medium height, with sandy brown hair and pale colored eyes, about their age. He gave everyone a friendly smile, then launched into a short sermon.

It was…interesting. Kerry got the gist of it being a plea for more tolerance in the world, and she felt it probably was better off directed outside this room, since everyone in here seemed pretty darn tolerant to her. But she appreciated the sentiment, and he made several good points about how people who are persecuted tend to turn their anger outwards, and practice the same kinds of discrimination they themselves suffer.

Then three people got up, two men and one woman, and read some original poems they'd written. Kerry liked them a lot, and also the fact that they were contributing something of themselves to the ceremony. That seemed to her to be a good idea, and something other churches would be better off adopting. Sometimes the over usage of the old traditionals without infusing new blood made a church… well… she remembered being somewhat bored as a teenager in her own church, feeling that the people in charge really didn't have a handle on what was going on in her world.

These people had a handle - their works spoke of the lonely feeling of standing out in a crowd, of having family turn away from you, and the last, spoken by a short, owlish looking man with horn rimmed glasses and a buzz cut, was about what it felt like to be told that God hated you.

Kerry felt that one, but in a way it helped to hear it, because she understood she wasn't alone. She wondered briefly if someday maybe she'd have the guts to stand up there and mumble a piece of her own, then decided it would be a cold day in Hell first.

Dar leaned over, after the man finished. "That wasn't bad."

"Mm." Kerry agreed softly.

"Stuff you write is better, though." The dark haired woman confided casually.

Kerry felt like an icicle had suddenly grown in the pit of her stomach. "What?" She put a hand on Dar's arm, and gripped it. A suspicion formed and she felt her heart lurch. "How did you know?" The thought of Dar taking advantage of their closeness to read her private files was both chilling, and sickening.

"Uh… " The blue eyes opened wider, in consternation. "You.. you left a couple pages on the printer, I didn't… um.. " The crowd was rustling, as the choir arranged themselves up front, and she glanced around. "I'm sorry. .I didn't realize you… uh… " It was very obvious to her that Kerry was very, very upset. "Kerry, I'm sorry."

The printer. Right… of course, it hadn't been Dar's indiscretion.. it had been her own, forgetting to pick up her stupid print job on their shared device. Very slowly, she released the death grip on Dar's arm. "No… no.. It's my stupid fault… I left them on the printer." She got out. "That stuff is so personal.. I just… " Then she stopped talking, and her brow creased as she replayed the words in her head. "Wait a minute…you liked it?"

Dar let out a very relieved breath. "Yeah.. that one about the wind was great." She agreed enthusiastically. "And there was kind of a long one… um.. " The taller woman fell silent, reaching up and tugging an ear in obvious discomfort. "It was kind of…ah.."

Oh, god…not that one. Kerry ducked her head. "That was about you, yes." She murmured, hearing her heartbeat skip several paces. She peeked at her lover, who was definitely blushing. "You hated it, right?"

Dar folded her arms, and glanced around, the flush still very evident across her tanned skin. "It was beautiful." She muttered. "Never occurred to me that you were writing it abou…" She stopped in mid sentence, and took a breath. "I loved it."

Kerry nibbled her lip. "Wow. Cool." She tried to suppress a tiny smirk but failed. "Not the way I ever imagined showing you them but I guess that works."

Dar nodded, then straightened as the pastor resumed his podium. "I guess we've got something to talk about when we get home, eh?"

"Yeah." Kerry smiled. "I guess we do." She felt a quiet happiness lighten her mood considerably, and she turned the hymnbook over to the page he indicated. "Okay… this is simple. They sing, you sing." She instructed Dar, holding the book up. "I like this one… have you ever.."

"Mm.. yes… I’ve seen that one before." Dar replied blandly. "I think I can follow along."

They stood up, and waited for the choir to finish the first section, then joined in when the pastor indicated. Kerry started to sing, then stopped, as a crystal clear voice soared up from right next to her. She felt her jaw drop, and she turned to look at Dar, who was trying very hard not to laugh.

The chorus ended, and the choir started up again. "Something wrong?" Dar inquired, a definite smirk on her angular face.

"You can sing!" Kerry whispered incredulously. "I mean, not just sing, but like… that sounded incredible."

A light shrug. "Not something I use very often." Dar commented loftily, as she put her hands behind her back, and gazed around the room. Some of their neighbors were giving her interested, sideways looks, and she lifted an eyebrow at them.

"You never told me you could sing!" Kerry warbled softly.

"I don’t’ recall you mentioning poetry." Her companion answered, in a low voice.

They exchanged shy glances. Then Kerry reached over and took Dar’s hand, twining their fingers together as the rest of the congregation starting singing again.

The rest of the hymns went by in a blur, and before she knew it, Kerry found herself in a log jam of people all trying to get out of the small building, and into the cool night air. Hands stopped them, though, and she found herself being introduced to a rapid succession of faces, male and female, most of whom seemed friendly, and they received quite a few invitations to coffee, conversation, and in one case, a psychic reading on the beach.

Everyone seemed fascinated by Dar, who assumed her business face, all cool attention, and brisk politeness, until the pastor caught up to them, and offered a hand.

"You're new." He stated frankly. "Or is this just a convenient place to catch a service?"

"Um… actually, I called here earlier… asking about the church." Kerry answered, a little hesitantly.

"Ah.. bathing suit and Santa hat.. I recognize your voice." The man smiled, and then gave her a wink. "Honey, you could have showed up like that, and I guarantee nobody would have minded a bit." He shook her hand. "I'm David Argnot… the pastor, plumber, and all around handyman of the church."

That forced a chuckle from the mildly embarrassed Kerry. "Nice to meet you.. my name is Kerry.. and um… " She nodded her head towards Dar, who was fending off the choir mistress, a striking redhead almost the same height as the executive. "This is my friend Dar."

Hearing her name Dar turned, and regarded him, her pale blue eyes standing out with startling clarity against her tan. "Nice to meet you." She held a hand out.

He blinked. "Anyone ever tell you you've got fantastic eyes?" He took her hand and shook it gingerly. "Not to mention a killer voice."

Dar gave him a brief smile. "Thanks… that was a nice speech you made."

"Ah.. it was nothing." He grinned. "You should hear me when I don't have a major worldwide holiday to deal with… speaking of which… services are on Sundays, in the late afternoons, in case I hadn't mentioned it."

"Late afternoons?" Kerry had to laugh, used to crack of dawn ceremonies at home.

"We're hedonists, and don't pretend otherwise." He told her solemnly. "I have a standing reservation with a beach, a blanket, and a picnic basket on Sunday mornings." He rocked back and forth. "So.. how about it? You guys be back?"

Dar gave him a crooked grin. "Depends.. do you serve refreshments?" Her eyes twinkled with amusement.

His brows waggled. "What..do we look like Catholics to you? All that wine and cheese.. whoops.. wafers… " He took some joshing from the nearby listeners. "Nah.. just kidding… we usually get together after the service for some coffee over at the café across the street… they're used to us invading, and they make a killer seven layer dip."

"You should drop on by." The choir mistress urged. "There's lots of good talk, and stuff… we have a great time." She turned as a short, chestnut haired woman came up, and rested her chin on the redhead's shoulder. "Right, Anne?"

"Sure." The woman agreed. "As long as it involves orange juice and spanking." She gave Dar and Kerry a wicked grin. "Whoops.. I'm in church.. sorry about that."

Kerry had no idea if Dar liked, disliked, or was thoroughly freaked out by the group. "Sure. Sounds like fun." She finally said, figuring she could drop by on her own, at any rate. It was strange, and not at all like what she was used to, but…the people seemed pretty nice, and she liked the pastor, who definitely had a good sense of humor.

"Great… we'll see you guys next week, then." Pastor David smiled at them, and exhaled, loosening his collar. "Hey.. surf's up.. who's up for some midnight swimming?"

They edged their way out, and into the emptying parking lot, under the twinkling stars of a clear tropical night. Kerry waited until they were in the car before she cleared her throat. "Um.. that wasn't meant to agree on your behalf, by the way.. I know… I mean, it's kind of a weird place.. don't feel like you're obligated in any way to go back." She explained. "I can just go back by myself.. maybe talk to some of those people.. two of the women are from the same denomination I am, so.. "

Dar ran a hand through her dark hair, and backed the Lexus out of it's spot, then she reached over and ruffled Kerry’s hair. "Kerry, you know I love you, right?"

"Um… well, yes." The blond woman agreed, hesitantly. "I’d sort of gotten that impression somehow, yeah."

"Have you ever seen what piranha can do to a cow, in under a minute?" The taller woman inquired, turning onto the main street.

Kerry's brows knit. "What in the world does that have to do with anything?" She asked. "And.. yes, I saw that Animal Planet special, thanks." She made a face. "They almost ate Crocodile Man's parts." She referred to a favorite program on the cable channel.

Dar stopped at a red light, and turned to her. "Good.. because that's what that crowd would do to you… if you went back there alone." She grinned, and chucked Kerry's chin. 'They know an innocent when they see one."

"I am not an innocent." The blond woman protested, then she paused. "Am I? I thought they were nice… they seemed okay."

"They were very nice, and I'm sure we'll find some great friends there." Dar reassured her. "But you gotta know the ground rules first, understand?"

Kerry thought about that for a minute. "Oh." She chewed her lip. "You mean the social side of things… yeah, they've got that in our church too, but it's different." She reflected. "They tend more to quilting circles."

Dar muffled a chuckle. "Well, I'm sure some of what this group does involves a quilt, at some point." She muttered. "But it was a nice service.. I'm glad we went… did it make you feel better?"

Kerry leaned back. "Yeah.. it did… maybe it's just the going through the motions thing, I don't know…but the poetry was good, and I liked his sermon.. and that choir is not bad." She reflected. "It was really different, but I enjoyed it."

"Good." Dar gazed out the window at the now thinned out traffic.

"And I got to hear you sing!" Kerry remembered suddenly. "That was worth the whole trip." She poked Dar in the ribs. "You’ve been holding out on me, huh?"

The dark haired woman chuckled faintly. "Not…." Dar hesitated. "Not on purpose, or anything.. it’s just not something I think about a lot." She changed lanes, and leaned back.

They drove in silence for a bit, then Kerry glanced at her watch. "Hey.. it's after midnight."

"Yep.. it's Christmas." Dar commented. "Ho ho ho."

"It's your birthday." Kerry gently corrected her. "Pull over into that IHOP, Santa.. I promised you a sundae." She chuckled as Dar obliged, parking in the busy parking lot. They got out and entered the restaurant, where the staff was busy serving a number of like minded folks.

It took a few minutes to get a table, but they were tucked in next to a wide window that had been sprayed with fake snow all around it’s edges. A elf perched on the syrup bins, jingling at them with a goofy expression on it’s face.

Dar leaned on her elbows, and played with the edge of the menu. "Yeah.. it is my birthday, isn’t it?" She glanced up at Kerry with a wry look. "I can't believe I'm thirty years old."

"Given what you've accomplished, I can't believe it either." Kerry admitted. "I feel so inadequate."

Dar blinked at her. "Huh?"

"Well, Jesus, Dar… you're only two.. okay, three years older than I am.. and look what you've done already.. I mean, you're a vice president, you've got a great career, this fantastic lifestyle… you're gorgeous.. you're successful… " She threw up her hands. "It's incredible."

Her friend regarded her seriously. "I never considered it like that."

Kerry half smiled. "I know." She turned and ordered for both of them, having ordered ice cream enough for Dar to be confident in that, at least.

Dar's cell phone rang, and she sighed, then pulled it out and flipped it open. "Yeah?"

"Good morning, Dar." Mark's voice sounded annoyingly cheerful. "Merry Christmas." Mark Polenti was Dar's MIS Chief, and a good friend.

"Yeah yeah.. what's wrong?" Dar growled.

"Nothing." The MIS Chief drawled. "I was just calling to wish my favorite corporate shark a happy birthday."

Dar drummed her fingers on the table, and gave her blond companion a suspicious look. "And just how did you find out it was my birthday, Mark?"

Kerry peered innocently out the window. "Gee… look at that moon, will you?"

"A bird told me." Mark replied, the grin very evident in his voice.

"Uh huh.. is this bird about five foot six, with blond hair and green eyes?" Dar inquired wryly.

"Sorry, Dar.. that's secured info." The MIS chief clucked at her. "Anyway… you have a good birthday, okay? I'll see you tomorrow, at your.. uh… Christmas party."

Uh huh. "Thanks, Mark…. I'll remember this." Dar threatened, getting a wicked chuckle in response, before Mark hung up.

Kerry was still peering out the window, apparently fascinated by the fake snow.

Dar reached over and tickled her ribs, making her jump and squeal. "Little bird, huh?"

The cell phone rang again, and Kerry muffled a laugh as Dar sighed, then answered. It. "Yeah?" A pause. "Oh, hi Duks… yeah, thanks… I appreciate that… un huh… nope… what? Oh.. sure… hi Mariana… thank you… no, well, if I have to tell you, okay.. it's thirty." A longer pause. "Stop whining.. it's not my fault… okay, yeah, I'll see you guys tomorrow." She hit the disconnect, as the ferry docked on the island. "What did you do.. send out a message to MIAHQUSERS ALL?" She demanded.

Kerry whistled softly under her breath. The cell phone rang again. Dar glared at it, then turned her head as footsteps approached, seeing a huge bowl of ice cream approaching with a candle on top. She breathed in, then out, then looked at Kerry. "You are in such trouble."

Well. Kerry told herself, watching the bowl arrive. She could always hide under her desk come October.

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

Soft strains of Christmas music intruded itself into Dar's dozing mind, and her mind sleepily identified the song as Oh Tannenbaum as she nudged herself a little closer to consciousness. The other thing that was poking her was the smell of pancakes and biscuits.

"Mm." Her eyes opened, noting Kerry's conspicuous absence, which pretty much coincided with the delicious scents that now had her stomach growling. She rolled over and stretched, extending her arms out and yawning, as the morning light snuck through her blinds, and laid stripes across her bare body. She spared a glance down her length, tracing her recently reemerging abdominal muscles with an idle finger.

She’d kind of let that slip for a while, she acknowledged to herself, allowing the long work hours to nudge aside the frequent, long bouts of exercise that had been her habit. Then she’d met Kerry, and found herself dumped into an almost nonstop whirlwind of diving, climbing, running… and into a newly rediscovered involvement in the martial arts she’d only stayed on the fringes of previously.

Which was a damn good thing, in retrospect, for both her and her new found companion, because they both ate like starving wolves and if it hadn’t been for their shared love of physical activity, they’d both be in some serious trouble.

Fortunately, Kerry was an excellent cook, and had found ways to introduce undercover vegetables and other healthy things into their daily diet, and despite the late night raids on the ice cream container, Dar found herself in better shape than she had been for some time. She felt a lot more relaxed, in fact, and the bouts of quiet depression she’d been living through had vanished, replaced with a sense of fragile happiness that sometimes just made her smile for no reason.

She took a deep breath, detecting the positive scent of the fir tree in the living room, and she remembered the piles of presents tucked under it, all neatly wrapped. God, she'd had fun wrapping up Kerry's… she hadn't played with tinsel and ribbons in years, and she'd gone a little overboard, making little colorful curls and bows. With a grin, she hoisted herself out of the waterbed and padded to the dresser, donning a t-shirt and her flannel boxers. A trip to the bathroom to brush her teeth and splash a little water on her face, then she poked her head into the living room, hearing a soft humming coming from nearby.

Dar followed the sound, ending up in the kitchen next to a busily flap jacking Kerry, who was dressed in her favorite Tweety bird nightshirt, with her hair twisted back off her face. "Good morning ." Dar greeted her, with a smile, finding it hard to imagine what was like, only two months before, when all she'd have walked out to was the utter quiet, and sterility of loneliness.

No tree. No music.

Just another day. Dar swallowed, and took a shaky breath, then dismissed the thought, sliding both arms around Kerry’s middle and squeezing her.

Kerry leaned back against her, and tilted her head back, returning her smile. "Happy birthday." She kissed Dar gently. "Merry Christmas."

Dar glanced over her shoulder at the griddle. "Is that my present? I'll have birthdays every week, in that case."

"Chocolate chip pancakes, Eggs Benedict, biscuits, and that godawaful library paste you insist on eating." Kerry agreed. "It's almost done… go on out on the porch and let me bring it out." She'd only just been argued out of insisting on serving Dar breakfast in bed, curtailed only by the taller woman's demonstration of just how impossible it was to eat in a waterbed.

Well, food anyway.

"Grits." Dar replied, nibbling her ear. "Not library paste.. you just have to add enough stuff to it so it so they taste like something." She protested. "It's kind of like potatoes.. a delivery mechanism for butter, salt, and maple syrup."

"Right." Kerry gave her a push. "Go on… here, take some coffee with you.. I just put it in the carafe."

Dar took the pot, and two cups, and ambled out onto the porch which was drenched in sunlight, and washed with a freshening, cool breeze from the northeast. It was cool enough for the sun to feel good as it warmed her skin, and Dar took a seat, propping her bare feet up on the stone railing, and regarding the blue waters that extended to the horizon before her. Above the beach, a gull soared, banking on long narrow wings in search of a tasty meal. The breeze ruffled Dar's hair, and she smiled in pure, animal satisfaction at the beauty of the day, and how good that made her feel.

The sliding door opened, and Kerry maneuvered her way out with a large tray, setting it on the table and looking out at the water with a smile. "Wow.. nice day."

"Yeah." Her dark haired companion readily agreed. "You sure about this snow thing?"

Kerry pushed a lock of hair back behind an ear, and poured two glasses of very orange juice. "Well.. " She handed one to her lover. "I'm starting to consider alternatives."

They shared breakfast, except that Kerry refused to touch the grits, even at Dar's insistent coaxing. "Sorry… sorry… I just can't… they look too gross, Dar." She laughingly refused, taking seconds of eggs instead. "Leave me in peace with my hollandaise sauce, please."

"You could put that on the grits." Dar replied, undaunted.

"No." Kerry waved her off with a fork.

"What about if I put chocolate on them?"

"NO…. ugh.. look, I don't force you to eat broccoli, do I?" Kerry complained.

"Yes, you do." Dar replied. "In fact, you sneaked it into the soup the other week, and thought I wouldn't notice."

The blond grinned. "Whoops. Busted." She opened her mouth. "Okay.. one tiny taste."

Dar scooped up a forkful of the breakfast cereal, and placed it on her companion's tongue, with a wry chuckle at the trepidation on her face. "C’mon.. it won’t kill ya."

Kerry mouthed the substance, then paused thoughtfully. "Dar, all I taste is butter, salt, and maple syrup."

"Yes, thank you." Dar smiled. "Now, what's wrong with any of those?"

"Nothing." Kerry leaned over and took another forkful. "Share."

They wandered inside after breakfast, and settled in the living room, where the tree nestled quietly in one corner, it's twinkling white lights and bright ornaments livening up the room considerably. Kerry stretched herself out on the couch, and pillowed her head in Dar's lap, as the taller woman started up a new CD of Christmas music.

"This is very different." The blond woman commented, rubbing a thumb against Dar's skin idly. "At my parent's house, the first thing done on Christmas morning is everyone sits in the living room, and my father presides over the gift allocation."

Dar patted her arm gently, but didn't say anything. Kerry had spoken to her family once since Thanksgiving, a several minute long, anger filled, bitter confrontation that had left the blond woman shaken. There would be no going back there, and she knew it, and Kerry sadly accepted the estrangement, but Dar understood that it was still hard for her, even after what had happened, so deep was her innate love for her family.

"We.. never really had a tradition." Dar quietly said. "It was.. just whatever was going on at the time where we were… dad would always have a present for me, but we didn't do a lot in the way of decorating, or trees… " She glanced at the colorful tree, which she found appealing, in an odd way. "Too bad.. they're kinda nice."

"Yeah." Kerry smiled a little. "So.. you want to open stuff now, or later?"

Dar grinned like a little kid.

"I guess that answers that." The blond woman laughed, folding her arms over her stomach and gazing up. "Besides, we have to clear some space.. I've got a feeling a few more things might end up under there during the party." Her eyes twinkled.

"Urgh." Dar winced. "Well, if I have to… " She tickled Kerry's ribs through the soft cotton of her shirt. "C'mon.. let's go."

They settled at the foot of the tree, among little stacks of wrapped packages. "I think we went a little overboard." Dar remarked dryly, observing the piles. "Considering that there's only two of us here."

Kerry rubbed her nose. "Well.. maybe.. yeah.. but.. " She paused, and took a breath. "I didn't have too many people to shop for this year, so.. I guess I kinda made up for that with you."

Dar glanced down, and fiddled with the edge of her shirt. "So.. what's my excuse.?" She replied quietly. "My usual Christmas morning up till now has been a chocolate croissant, watching videos on VH1, and a run on the beach."

"I don't know… " Kerry pushed her hair back. "Maybe we can make some new traditions…I always looked on Christmas shopping as kind of a chore, especially for my parents, but it didn't seem that way for you."

"Yeah." The dark haired woman smiled a little, regarding the tile floor she was seated on. "I walked out of the mall the other week, and couldn’t believe all the stuff I had." She looked up. "Does that make you feel uncomfortable?" She knew Kerry felt very strongly about her own independence, and insisted on sharing all their expenses, regardless of the fact that Dar kept telling her she had more money than she knew what to do with.

"Well… " Kerry peered around at the veritable mountain of packages. "I'd probably freak out if you bought me a pony or something.. but I guess I'll survive." She grinned engagingly at her companion. "Besides…I think I kept pace with you…but I think you know that if you'd gotten me a box of Kleenex for Christmas, I'd have been happy." She leaned over and curled her fingers around Dar's. "You're the only gift that really matters to me."

Dar smiled. "Likewise." She glanced around. "But we'd better get this stuff opened." She squeezed Kerry's hand. "Hey.. the Disney parade is on at ten.. let me put it on."

Kerry laughed, and started sorting the packages, when her cell phone rang. "Oh hell.. " She glanced around. "Can you hand me that? " She'd arranged to have her apartment phone number forwarded to the portable phone., and now she opened it as Dar gave it over. "Hello?"

"Merry Christmas, chica." Colleen's laughing voice boomed. "I knew I wasn't gonna see you around here before the party, so I thought I'd call." Colleen was a good friend of Kerry's, who lived in her apartment complex.

Kerry smiled. "Thanks.. Merry Christmas to you, too, Col.. how did it go at your mom's last night?" Colleen's family opened their presents on Christmas Eve, before they all trooped solemnly off to Midnight Mass, being Irish Catholic and very traditional.

"O My God… " Colleen moaned. "I need a Uhaul to get all the stuff back here.. my mother, bless her Irish little heart, went berserk this year, and got me everything from new towels to underwear."

"Hey.. that's so sweet." The blond woman laughed. "Did all your brothers and sisters show up?"

"Oh yeah.. it was a real circus, let me tell ya.. the blarney was flying like nothing doing…we had a great time, except my brothers got into the usual fistfight, and we ended up dragging Mike to the emergency room after Mass to have a stitch put in his lip."

"Ow." Kerry made a face.

"How was your night?" Colleen asked.

"Well, we spent the day diving yesterday… then we had dinner overlooking the ocean, and we went to a service down here on the beach…it was really nice." Kerry told her, watching Dar pluck at a corner of wrapping, as she waited. "We just had breakfast, and we're about to get into some serious unwrapping."

"Trade ya." Colleen sighed. "I had to spend the night listening to my aunts and uncles tell me how it was in the good old days, and ask me when I was getting hitched, and tell me how chubby I am."

Interesting perspective, Kerry thought. "Funny.. that's exactly what I'd have been doing. " She commented. "No trade." She saw a slow, almost shy smile appear on Dar's face, as she pieced together the conversation. "So, when you coming over here?"

"Weeeell… you said the party started at seven.. but I figure if I show up a little bit early, you'll give me a tour, huh?" Colleen teased. "I want to see this famous fantasy island of yours."

"You got it." Kerry laughed. "See you then." She hung up and folded the phone, chuckling a little, then glanced up at her companion. "She's a lot of fun."

Dar smiled. "Yeah.. she seems very nice.. though I'm pretty sure she has her doubts about me." She handed Kerry a package.

Kerry took it. "Is this invasion going to drive you crazy?" She carefully separated the bow from the ribbon, and set it aside, then started working on the tape that held one end closed. "And Colleen does like you, by the way.. it just took her a while to get past your reputation."

"You can just tear that." Dar observed her. "And… no, I can deal with the party. I'm a big girl."

Kerry patiently unfolded the wrapping, and set it to one side, revealing a large, golden foil box. "I never tear the wrapping." She informed her companion firmly. "Now, go on and open one of yours so I don't feel so self conscious." She looked at Dar until the dark haired woman rolled her eyes and picked up a box, then she eased the top off her own, and peeked inside. "Ooo." A beautifully embroidered shirt peeked back at her. She had a feeling this was going to be a very interesting morning.

They'd gotten about halfway through, exposing a trade of clothing, and various computer trinkets, when her cell phone rang again. She picked it up, as she opened a box of wonderfully scented bath beads and oils, and answered it. "Hello?"

"Kerry?" The voice sounded strained.

"Angela?" She put down the box and listened. "Is that you?"

"Yeah… " Her sister sighed. "Michael's here too… we've kind of got a situation."

Kerry glanced at Dar, who had cocked her head in hearing her sister's name. "What's wrong?"

"Well… " Angela cleared her throat. "It's been…kind of bad at home this year.. I'm sure you can imagine."

"Sorry." Kerry answered quietly. Angela and Michael knew Kerry was the one who released the damaging information on her father's misdeeds to the press, though her parents did not.

"No.. don't be.. I mean… " Her sister hesitated. "You did what you had to do, you know? But anyway…all we've been hearing for the last two days is how our lives are all ruined…and Michael and I kind of got sick of it this morning."

Kerry felt a pair of warm arms circle her, and she leaned back against Dar's comforting presence. "Angela, I'm sorry…I know I screwed things up for both of you… I… "

"No…hold on." Angela's voice muffled a bit, then came back. "Michael says don't you dare blame this on yourself… you didn't do any of that stuff, he did, and it's his fault, not yours." She cleared her throat again. "Anyway… we sort of went off this morning about that… and how if it was anyone's fault, it was his, and he lost it."

Kerry took a breath. "Lost it?"

"Yeah.. he threw us out of the house." Angela laughed weakly. "Richard's on a business trip… Sally's with his mother, because I didn't want her around all the poison for Christmas.. she's too young, and she wouldn't understand."

"Wow." Kerry felt the hold tighten, and she pursed her lips. "Well, you can go by there, anyway…right?"

"Uh.. actually… " Now Angela's voice got muffled again, and Kerry was aware of an echoing sound in the background. "Actually.. Michael had this crazy idea… and before I could stop him, he kinda acted on it… so we're..um… " A slight laugh. "We're about to get on a flight down to Miami… to spend a little time with our favorite sister instead."

She couldn’t speak for a moment. "Angela, that's insane." Kerry finally breathed.

"Eyah… I know… but we're boarding… hope you don't mind." Her sister laughed. "Honestly, we really want to see you… we've got tickets back for tomorrow.. it was easier than I thought, because practically no one's flying today."

"No.. I don't mind." Kerry reassured her. "We're having a big party here.. it'll be great to have both of you.. I'll come pick you up.. we can spend some time before that… " She glanced at Dar helplessly.

The dark haired woman just grinned. "I love spontaneity." She drawled, privately very glad Kerry would get to see at least a part of her family. "The more the merrier."

"Great… gotta go." Angela sounded much more cheerful. "See you in a few hours." She hung up, leaving Kerry to exhale weightily.

"Well, that was a surprise."

Dar chuckled softly. "C'mon.. we'd better get finished opening stuff." She half turned, then scowled as her own cell phone rang. "Hello?"

"Merry Christmas, Dar!" Gerald Easton's voice boomed over the line. "I hope you got that little package I sent." The military general was an old family friend of hers, and had known Dar's father well before his death.

Dar held the phone a little away from her ear. "Yep.. and I hope mine got there all right."

"Sitting out under the tree even as we speak, my friend… we're about to start opening, and I thought I'd call to wish you a merry merry..oh, wait.. here.. all right, don't rip the damn thing out of my hands, you.. "

"Hey Dar!"

"Merry Christmas Jack." Dar smiled. "Got that home leave, I see."

"One frigging day, yeah.. " The pilot snorted. "How're you doing?" How's Kerry?"

"Fine and fine, thanks." The dark haired woman assured him. "And you?"

A bare hesitation. "Busy… hectic…the usual." Jack answered. "Hey.. Alabaster says hello, and wants to know if she can send you a present too?"

Kerry peered at her over one shoulder. "Alabaster?"

"Gerry's Labrador." Dar mouthed. "She has puppies."

"Oooooooo…. " Kerry squealed. "Oh, Dar.. those are SUCH cute puppies… did you get to see them?"

Dar regarded her with a solemn twinkle. "Had eleven of them crawling all over me, in fact." She assured her lover. "Yeah." She finally replied into the phone. "Sorry, what was that, Jack?" His voice was muffled.

"Oh.. nothing." Jack replied innocently. "So.. how's the weather?"

"Fine… why?" Dar asked suspiciously.

"Just wondering… I have to fly through Homestead on my way out tonight.. thought maybe I'd stop by and say hello." Jack replied brightly.

This party was rapidly getting to be about the size of an inaugural ball, Dar mused. "Sure.. why not.. we're having a get together over here.. I'll put your name on the list."

"Great… see you later!" Jack replied, a grin very evident in his voice, as he handed the phone back.

"Well, that's lovely." Gerald stated, sounding pleased. "You two get along so nicely."

Dar sighed inwardly. "Yeah, we sure do… listen, tell Mom I said Merry Christmas.. and I hope you like the gifts."

"Don't worry, rugrat… anything you send is always good stuff." Gerald chuckled. "Talk at you later." He hung up, and Dar let the phone drop to her knee.

"Rug rat?" Kerry grinned evilly.

"Don’t start." Dar warned jokingly. "He's been calling me that since I was twelve."

"Rug rat.. that's so cute." She leaned her head against Dar's arm. "He's nice."

"He is.. .he tries to be family to me." Dar replied quietly. "He was a good friend of dad’s.. Jack and I grew practically in each other’s houses." She reflected a moment. "I think both sets of parents thought we were going to..um… "

"Get married?"

A shrug. "Something like that… I do like Jack, a lot. If I had to marry a guy, he’d be the one." Dar admitted. "We have a lot in common."

"Yeah.. I know what you mean." Kerry agreed quietly. "That’s sort of how I feel about Brian." Her former fiance was living back in Michigan, and occasionally called her to see how she was doing. "Fortunately, I don’t’ have a marry a guy, though."

"Mm. .me either." Dar folded a piece of wrapping idly. "His wife's very sweet…and a great cook.. which reminds me." Now a dark brow edged up. "I hear I have a spy in my camp."

Green eyes twinkled. "Whoops… hey, you better be thanking me, because otherwise you'd have been munching on Brussels sprouts for Thanksgiving."

Dar leaned over and kissed her. "Thank you." She murmured sincerely. "For coming into my life and changing it for the better."

Kerry hadn't expected that, and she had to swallow, and take a minute to get her breath back before she could answer. "I did that?" She uttered. "Funny.. here I was thinking about how you'd done that for me."

They kissed again, then Dar gently nudged the wrapping they were nestled in aside, and moved closer, pulling Kerry half into her lap so she could concentrate better. "Damn." She glanced up. "I forgot to hang mistletoe."

Kerry explored her lips. "That would be overkill, I think." She admitted softly, laying a hand along Dar's side and slipping it under the soft fabric of her shirt to the warm skin underneath. Her fingers traced familiar curves, and tickled Dar's navel, which caused the taller woman to muffle a laugh.

Warm lips brushed hers, and Kerry let her body relax into the touch, tasting a faint hint of chocolate chips as Dar’s palm slid under her nightshirt and up along her side, cupping her breast gently. A faint murmur escaped her, and she traced a line down Dar’s middle, circling her navel, then moving lower.

They moved a little apart, and gazed into each other’s eyes. Dar nibbled Kerry’s nose just for fun, then kissed her again. "Thanks for the birthday." She whispered, into one of Kerry’s sensitive ears.

"We haven’t had the party yet." Kerry answered, nipping her lightly through the fabric of her shirt, and feeling Dar’s body jerk in reaction.

Dar cradled her head, as they shared breath. "It’s already the best one in a long, long time."

"What do you think?" Kerry held up a pair of tiny, stuffed moose head earrings.

"I think you should hang those on the tree." Dar replied, plucking one out of her fingertips and doing just that. "There."

Kerry hung the other one on Dar’s pocket. "I like them.. I think they’re cute." They were both dressed and showered now, the wrapping cleaned up and the condo prepared for the party.

Sort of.

Dar nodded, straightening little bits of the tree in an almost nervous fashion. "So." She turned, and folded her arms over her chest. "It's been quite a month, huh?"

"Mm." Kerry agreed, as she sat on the edge of the couch and folded her hands between her knees. "It sure has…a lot of changes to get used to."

"Yeah." Dar swallowed. "Hasn’t been too bad, though, huh?" She furtively watched Kerry’s face, trying to gauge her reaction.

Blond brows drew together in puzzlement. "It hasn’t been bad at all… I mean, besides getting used to the traveling back and forth stuff, and trying to remember where I left what when, the apartment or here… it’s been all right."

"So… " She tried for light humor. "I haven’t scared you off then yet, I guess."

Kerry blinked a few times. "Scar…" Her eyes suddenly registered the tension in Dar’s body and she got up and walked over to her. "You haven’t scared me at all." She tangled her fingers in Dar’s belt loops. "Have I driven you crazy yet?"

"No." The dark haired woman visibly relaxed a little.

"Not even with my force feeding you vegetables?"

A smile. "No.. you put so much stuff on them, I hardly realize they’re there." Dar reassured her.

"I don’t make too much noise? Or bother your stuff? Get in your space?" Kerry persisted.

"No."

"Good." Kerry leaned against her and exhaled. "Because I really like being around you, and I’d hate to think it made you uncomfortable, or that you were regretting asking me to spend time here." They were, surprisingly though, pretty compatible. More than Kerry had really hoped for, considering the vast differences in their natures and backgrounds.

They both liked to do stuff outdoors, and in the water. They both liked similar music, television programs, and movies. They both enjoyed pretty much the same types of food, give or take a vegetable here and there, and a grit or two.

Of course, Dar was moodier than she was, prone to moments of dark introspection that Kerry had learned to recognize. Sometimes she simply left her friend alone, but more often, she’d figured out a way to coax Dar out of her funks.

It wasn’t always easy. They were two very different people, and it was more difficult in Kendall due to the apartment’s small spaces. Here, at least, there was plenty of room, both inside the condo, and on the island itself which had a range of things to do within walking distance. "It’s been a really happy month for me." She asserted.

"That’s good to hear." Dar murmured, her face creasing into an unexpected smile. "It has been for me too." She reached over and plucked something from the tree. "I… thought maybe you could use one of these.. I know the guards know you already but.. " She offered Kerry a bit of plastic.

"What’s that?" Kerry took it, peering at the colorful item.

"It’s a..er.. resident’s decal." Dar coughed a bit. "For your car, you know I… "

"Oh..oh.. right!" Kerry wondered if didn’t go just a little deeper than that. "Thank you.. now I don’t have to worry when there’s a new guy on the gate." She looked up, catching Dar gazing down at her with a half fearful, half hopeful expression. "Makes me feel like I really belong here."

Dar’s lips twitched. "Would you like to? Live here… all the time?"

Woo. Kerry breathed out slowly. She had her hand lying lightly on Dar’s stomach, and she could feel the short, tense breaths, and the rapid beating of her heart, despite the fact that her attitude was one of forced casualness. "That’s a big step." She admitted softly.

"Well, just something to think about." Dar told her. "No rush."

"Definitely." Kerry let the smile inside her come out, and she hugged her lover, feeling the tension relax a bit as she squeezed hard. "Thank you, Dar… I can’t tell you what you asking me that means." A powerful hug back was her answer. "Mm… I wonder if being in love feels this good for everyone."

I don't know." Dar seemed to be having trouble swallowing. "But it's never been like this for me before… and I doubt it ever will be again, so I hope this lasts a long time."

"Mm… I hate to tell you this, Dar… " Kerry's eyes gentled. "But when I was.. um… eight, I think, I decided if I ever fell in love it would be one of those forever and ever things." She took a breath, as she felt Dar stop breathing entirely. "I know that sounds really…. Um… "

"Perfect." Dar blurted. "It sounds… perfect… forever and ever sounds… just fine with me."

Forever. Something inside Kerry smiled contentedly.

Kerry glanced up. "Did you say something?"

The blue eyes seemed to deepen a shade, and a faint hint of amusement tinged them. "Nothing you haven't heard before… just that I love you."

Kerry's brows knit. "I thought…' Then she tugged her ear. "Hearing things…I love you, too."

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

The sun made Kerry wince as she turned westward onto the causeway and headed towards the airport. She flipped her sunglasses out of the Mustang's glove compartment, and slipped them on, getting relief from the intense glare. A Christmas music CD was playing merrily in her CD player, and she hummed along as she picked up I395, then made the exchange to 836 towards the airport.

Traffic was surprisingly light, and she figured she got everyone between those that did a big Christmas lunch and were now half comatose in front of football, and those who had Christmas dinner, and were making last minute preparations. Those people who eschewed the day all together, were probably at the beach, since just about everything else except Walgreen’s was closed.

The airport, on the other hand, was a royal mess. Kerry sighed, and dodged a number of taxis as she entered the arrival lanes, finding tempers flaring in the heat. She pulled off into short term parking, and grabbed a ticket, hoping to get lucky.

And of course, she didn't, ending up about as far away from the Northwest terminal as she could and still be in MIA, but she figured she was early, and the walk wouldn't hurt her any, not after that breakfast, at any rate.

Kerry ran a hand through her fair hair, and got out, locking the Mustang and squaring her shoulders. She was really glad they were coming, but the sense of guilt she felt for fracturing a good part of their lives was weighing heavily on her.

There was no one else to take the responsibility, after all. Dar had even been shocked she'd released the information, and only the fact that the server sent the documents out anonymously had saved her ass when the recipients received them, and the shit hit the fan.

Dar would have stood behind her, she knew. But resigning would have really been her only option - mixing the company up in business like that would have been something not even her powerful boss could have protected her from. It was bad enough she'd been called by the judicial subcommittee investigating the matter, to testify. That had caused a wild round of whispers at work, though… now that she thought about it, there had been more looks of veiled admiration than anything else, and Eleanor Anastasia had even slinked into her office, and commented on how much she respected Kerry for coming to work for a company her father hated so much.

One thing, at least, she didn't have to worry about them finding any way she'd benefited from the nasty stuff. She'd been self supporting since college, and she'd had Mark do a trace to make sure there were no hidden bank accounts with suspicious dollars in them under her name. But the press had been sniffing around anyway, and she'd been glad more than once that she worked in a secure building, and spent most of her time on a nice, inaccessible island in someone elses condo.

Kerry walked briskly across the parking lot, glad she'd chosen a light t-shirt tucked into faded jeans for the trip as she began to feel the heat. The concourse was invitingly cool, and she went inside with a feeling of relief, then she stopped, startled at the seemingly mindless chaos before her.

Bad weather in the rest of the country had forced hundreds, if not thousands of people to camp out in the airport, and there were bodies slumped everywhere, trying to get some rest. The restaurants were working overtime, and it looked like a multinational convention inside. "Wow." She headed off towards Terminal G, where Northwest was housed, and wandered over to a display, searching for the flight. It was one of the few on time, she was glad to note, and due in approximately ten minutes. Kerry assured herself of the gate, then she edged into a cappuccino bar, and ordered herself a double, as she sat down to wait.

She took a sip of her coffee, and enjoyed the strong taste as it entered her system, and perked her up. While she'd seen Angela at Thanksgiving, she hadn't seen her brother since the preceding holidays, and she wondered if he'd changed any. She knew she had, her hair was shorter, and a lot more sun-streaked, and she was packing an additional fifteen pounds of what was mostly muscle on her slim frame which had broadened her shoulders, and given her a completely different way of walking and moving.

That was all the swimming, diving, running, and climbing she'd been doing with Dar, which required an incredible amount of energy, but which had made her feel really good about the way she looked and felt. Everyone looked at her when she walked into a room now, and she liked that she'd found, even though she thought that was incredibly egotistical and she'd never admit it to anyone but herself.

Ah. A crowd of people were heading out from the Northwest flights, carrying overcoats, mufflers, scarves, and heavy winter sweaters. Kerry sincerely hoped they'd all take them off before the walked out the front doors, so they wouldn't cause a traffic jam when they passed out from heat stroke. She spotted her sister and brother as they headed towards the exit, and she stood up, draining her cappuccino and heading towards them, catching Angela's eye as she approached.

Her sister plucked Michael's sleeve, and pointed, and Kerry had to muffle a smile as her brother caught sight of her and his dark eyebrows jerked up as his eyes widened. Guess I do look different, she decided, as she closed with them. "Hey… "

Michael hugged her, before he stepped back, and held her at arm's length. "Holy shit, Kerry… do I know you?" Her brother was slightly shorter than she was, and had disheveled brown hair and hazel eyes. He was lightly built, and had a perpetual look of wonderment about him. "Check you out."

Angela chuckled, and shook her head. She was taller than Kerry, and had the same light brown hair as Michael did, slightly curly and longer though, framing an oval shaped face that bore little resemblance to her sister’s.

"This isn't a library." Kerry answered wryly, before she shook herself loose from his grip and hugged Angela. "Good to see you guys… even though the cause is pretty bad." She exchanged looks with them. "How was the flight?"

"Given the weather everywhere else, it really wasn't bad." Angela told her. "The change in Detroit was on time for once, and even though it was bumpy most of the way, once we'd crossed into Florida, it was beautiful." She glanced around. "This place is a zoo."

"No, that's further south." Kerry replied solemnly. "Actually, everyone's pretty much stuck here, because the weather's so bad up in the Northeast and the Midwest." She tugged their sleeves. "C'mon.. do you guys have any baggage? Hope not."

Michael shook his head. "Nope.. just these carryons.. we figured one change of clothes would be enough to get us through tonight… we've got a noon flight back tomorrow. Angela's supposed to pick up Sally at five, and I have a flight out to school at seven. "

Kerry deftly guided them through the concourse and towards the doors. "First off, take your coats off." She warned.

"We'll be fine" Angela laughed.

"Okay." Kerry hit the floor plate to open the doors, and they went from 72 degree humidity controlled air conditioning into 88 degree 98 percent mostly soup masquerading as air.

"Whoa." Angela stopped. "Gotcha.. coats gotta come off." She stripped out of her heavy jacket and draped it over one arm while Michael did the same, also pulling off his heavy sweater. "Good grief, it's green." She commented, glancing around. "It's so weird."

Kerry smiled. "You get used to it after a while… come on. I'm parked out in south nowhere." She started across the parking lot, and her siblings followed, with Angela catching up to her quickly. "How much does he know?" Kerry asked softly.

"Well.. he knows about.. um.. you." Angela answered in a whisper. "And about Dar."

"Darn good thing.. since we're going over to her place. " Kerry replied wryly.

"Really?" Angie gazed at her. "I thought… " She broke off at Kerry’s expression, and smiled instead. "I bet it’s nice there, huh? "

"Definitely is." Kerry agreed. "So he knows about us, huh?"

Angie accepted the subject change. "Yeah.. but he doesn’t know about me and Brian.. and he's.. um.. he's got the idea that he's going to make sure Dar can.. um.. as he put it 'take care of my sister.'"

"Oh boy." Kerry burst into laughter, quickly muffled. "Well, no problems there.. wait till he sees her place." She shot a glance at her brother, who was staring around with interest at the thick foliage.

"How's Dar, anyway? I forgot to ask you before." Angela asked, casually.

Kerry smiled. "She's fine…we just opened our presents to each other… Jesus, did we ever go nuts." She confided. "And it's her birthday today, too, so… " She glanced at her sister. "How’s the baby coming along?"

Angie put a hand over her stomach, being a barely visible three months pregnant. "Not bad… a little easier than the last one, really. I haven’t been as sick." She exhaled. "Dick is convincing himself it’s a boy." Dick was Angie’s husband, a stock trader whose family was close with Kerry’s parents. "Brian says he doesn’t care, but he hopes the baby looks like me."

Brian, on the other hand, Kerry’s ex fiance, was the father of Angie’s unborn child. "You know, I never expected our family to qualify for a TV movie of the week." Kerry sighed. "We’re Republicans, for God’s sake."

Angela had to laugh, though a bit wryly. "I know.. I was thinking of writing my memoirs.. think there’d be a market for them?"

"Are you kidding? You’ll be on the bestseller list." Kerry assured her, as Michael trotted back over to them. "So.. how's school?" She asked her brother.

"A pain in the ass." Michael replied sourly. "I had to tell my statistics professor off the other day." He kicked a rock, an oddly adolescent behavior considering his age. "It didn't help.. he failed me anyway."

Kerry sighed. "Uh oh… are you in trouble?" She gave him a knowing look. School had never been Michael's strong point. In fact, she wasn't sure what was his strong point, or if he even had one.

"Yeah." He peered at her sheepishly. "In fact, I owe you a big one, sis… if it hadn't been for you shaking up the world, I'd have had to tell em I flunked out this semester again, and they'd have cared." He admitted, as they approached Kerry's car. "Hey.. that hotrod yours?"

"Yes.. and no, you can't drive it." Kerry hit the automatic keylock, and popped the trunk for their carryon bags. "I like my insurance low, thanks." She waited for them to put their stuff in, then closed the hatch and opened the doors. "You'll get to meet some of my friends and coworkers tonight.. we had a party planned, so.. "

"Great." Michael gallantly got into the back seat, and allowed Angela the privilege of riding up front. "I wanna meet this Dar person, though… you should hear dad talk about her."

Kerry started the car, and put it into gear. "Don’t' worry.. you will." She promised, pulling carefully out of the parking lot and heading for the toll booth. "And Mike.. don't try anything with her, okay? She's out of your league."

Her brother snorted. "I'm wounded… like I would make a move on my sister's sweetie… yeah, right!" He gave Kerry a rakish grin. "I can't help it if girls think I'm cute, though…and what exactly do you mean, out of my league?"

Kerry didn't answer, as she was busy paying for her parking and navigating the exit roads to catch the right highway out of the airport. They talked about inconsequential stuff on the trip back, and Kerry pointed out a few landmarks as they hit the causeway, including the Port of Miami. "The cruise ships go out of there….it's quite a sight on Sunday mornings." She pulled into the ferry terminal. "You have to ride a boat out to Dar's place."

"Whooo.. now that's privacy." Michael stated, approvingly.

Kerry almost pulled into the guest's lane, then she remembered at the last moment, and diverted smoothing into the special row for residents, getting a smile and wave from the security guard.

Angela glanced at the sign, then at her. "Resident’s Lane, huh?" She asked, one eyebrow lifting. "Looks like they know you pretty well here."

"Hi Carlos." Kerry greeted the deckhand. "Merry Christmas."

"Feliz Navidad, Ms. Kerry." The man waved, the pointed at her new sticker and gave her a thumbs up, as he crossed the deck of the ferry and secured the ramp.

Kerry was aware of the looks she was getting from her siblings, but she waited for the ferry to undock, and start it's way across the cut before she glanced at them.

"So… you live here too?" Michael asked, curiously.

"Pretty much, yeah." Kerry replied. "Dar's got a big place.. five bedrooms.. there's plenty of breathing space there. She asked me after Thanksgiving if I wanted to move in part time.. and I said yes." She was aware of the awkward silence. "She inherited the condo from an aunt of hers.. pretty much rent free. We share expenses otherwise, though."

"Oh.. .like roommates." Angela answered, slowly. "Doesn't that mess you up at work?"

"Not really." Kerry replied, leaning back, and propping her knee up against the steering wheel. "We don't mention it at work… and we pretty much just do our jobs there." A shrug. "Then we just go home… I was staying at my place most of the week, but that's getting pretty pointless."

Another really awkward silence. "So.. this is.. like, really serious, isn't it?" Michael finally asked slowly. "You two are like.. living together, right?"

Kerry turned her head to regard him. "Yes… this isn't one of your flings of the week, Mike." She felt her temper prickling a little. "Or did you think I was just kissing my bosses ass?" A pause. "Literally."

She shocked both of them, she could tell, and she almost laughed at the expressions on their faces. "Sorry.. that was pretty crude."

Michael scrubbed his head. "Um… it's going to take a little bit to get used to this, y'now…I mean, Jesus, Kerry… of course I didn’t think you were just playing around, or anything.. it just happened so fast."

She snorted. "I remember you going through six girlfriends in four months last year.. .give me a break." She gave him a look. "Double standards, huh?"

"Well.. no.. it’s not that.. " He protested. "I mean.. that's me, Ker…. I've always been a freaking flirt.. we all know it… I had three dates for my senior prom, for Christ's sake.." He leaned on the seat and put a hand on her shoulder. "But you always said when you fell in love, it'd be just the one time, remember?" A smile. "So…"

Kerry gazed at him, crossing her arms over her chest. "It's the one time." She replied evenly.

They both stared at her. "Really?" Michael asked.

"Yep." Kerry answered, with a smile.

He digested this. "Well.. all I can say is, she'd better be worth it then." His lip poked out pugnaciously. "She'd better be good enough for my sister."

Kerry bit off a wry grin, and started the car up, as they docked. "You can judge for yourself in a few minutes." She directed the Mustang up the ramp, and through the courtesy spray, turning left and heading towards the condo. They were both quiet on the drive, and while she parked next to Dar's Lexus. "Okay… here we are." She popped the hatch and got out, hearing the door on the condo open as they walked around to get the bags out.

"Hey." Dar's voice, tinged with amusement floated over them. "Clemente just called and wanted to know if you wanted dark chocolate, or milk chocolate mousse."

Kerry looked up, to see her lover leaning on the stair balcony, dressed casually in faded cutoff denim shorts with a bright red polo shirt tucked into them. "Ah." She grinned. "I'll call him back." She noticed her siblings glances. "You know Angela.. this is my brother, Michael." She gave him a poke. "Mike, this is Dar. Say hello, and stop staring like a tourist."

"I am a tourist." Her brother protested, then he summoned up a bright smile. "Hello, Dar… it's nice to meet you."

One dark brow lifted, along with the corner of Dar's mouth on that side. "Nice to meet you too." She replied politely. "Hello, Angela.. welcome to Miami."

The chestnut haired woman returned the polite nod. "Nice to see you again, Dar." She looked around. "It's lovely here."

"Thanks.. come on up.. " Dar motioned them forward.

Kerry prodded them both up the stairs, and into the condo, exhaling as she felt Dar's hand patting her back in comfort as the dark haired woman followed them in. "Let me call Clemente.. you guys want something to drink?"

They were both glancing around the condo. "That would be great." Angela said, firmly. "Flying always makes me thirsty."

Kerry disappeared into the kitchen, leaving the three of them alone. Dar finally cleared her throat. "Would you like to sit down?" She asked, politely, indicating the couch. Families, she reflected, were tough. "Nice flight?"

Angela put her bag down and seated herself, glaring at Michael until he did the same, with an abashed look. He'd been studying the painting over the couch in fascination. "Um… it was a good flight, yes…" The woman stated. "The weather's causing a lot of congestion at the airports, but we didn't have any problem."

Dar was about to answer, when she heard the sound of glasses being fumbled in the kitchen. "Excuse me a minute." She produced a brief smile, then escaped to where Kerry was retrieving an errant tumbler. "Hi."

"Hi." The blond woman set the glass down on the counter, and got a pitcher of peach flavored ice tea from the refrigerator.

"You okay?" Dar asked, mildly, as she came up behind her lover and rubbed her shoulders, feeling the tension in them.

Kerry poured two glasses, then set the pitcher down, and sighed. "They're being weird." She turned and looked up at Dar. "It's just so strange… I feel like I should be apologizing to them half the time, and the other half I'm mad because I feel like they're passing judgment on me."

"Well." Dar nibbled her lower lip. "I don't have any experience in the sibling scene, but I think they're actually passing judgment on me, not on you." She fondly ran her hands through Kerry's hair. "Give em time… they'll loosen up, and if they don't, I'll take em on a tour and shake em up a little."

That got a laugh from her companion. "Jesus.. they're just my brother and sister… I feel like a first time debater at the nationals." She picked up the glasses. "Come on… let's go face the inquisition."

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

"I'll get that." Dar eased up from her seat and ambled towards the door, glad of the distraction after two hours of desperately clever conversation with her lover's family. She pulled the door open, giving Colleen an amiable grin. "Hello, Colleen."

The redhead nodded back. "Merry Christmas, Dar… this is some island you've got here."

The taller woman chuckled. "Thanks… c'mon in.. Kerry's brother and sister came down.. we're just getting to know each other." She'd gotten a touch friendlier with Colleen the last week or so, at the classes she taught at the gym, but there was still a reserve between them, and she suspected Colleen still harbored some doubts about Kerry's judgement in getting involved with her boss.

"Oo… " Colleen hid a grimace. "Families.. gotta love em… be glad it's not mine." She stepped inside and moved past Dar, who kept the door open, spotting the catering crew headed her way.

"Hello, Clemente… Merry Christmas." Dar gravely greeted the first of them.

"Feliz Navidad, Ms. Roberts." The sweating hospitality manager wiped his brow. "My people will bring in the tables, and do the setup now, if that is okay with you."

"Great… go ahead." Dar cocked an ear inside, where Colleen's rich tones had been added to the conversation, and things seemed to be loosening up a bit. It was curiously exhausting, dealing with people on this kind of emotional level, she mused, seating herself on the railing and watching as the uniformed busboys and porters brought folding tables, linen, and chafing dishes inside. It was much easier to stand in a boardroom among business adversaries, because that never touched you, not on the inside, where it counted.

It had been a long time since she’d had any family, and even then.. Dar gazed out over the neatly landscaped area. Her father, Andrew, had been career navy, and her childhood spent moving from place to place, though his longest postings had been here in South Florida and Dar had always considered this her home town. Her father’s family had shunned him after his marriage to her mother, whose eclectic tastes, and odd ways were as alien to them as a Martians would be. A wealthy northerner, liberal in her politics, esoteric in her religion, and an artist by nature, Cecilia Roberts had seemed ill suited to her admittedly redneck, conservative husband with his mostly poor, Alabama based extended clan.

Somehow, they’d gotten past that, though. That was what gave Dar hope in her own relationship with Kerry, because different as they were, they were nowhere in that league. Dar sighed, hoping she hadn’t pushed things too fast with the decal. As much as she wanted the security that Kerry moving in would bring, she didn’t want to seem like she was forcing the younger woman into a decision. "She looked pretty happy about it, though." She commented to the thin air, feeling a bit of optimism rise at that. Maybe it would be okay after all.

Dar watched as a waiter walked by, carrying a beautiful centerpiece, bathing her with a sweet, floral scent. She reached out and plucked a small, tightly budded rose from the arrangement, and twirled it between her fingers, sniffing it idly, before she girded her loins, as it were, and returned to the living room.

Kerry was seated on the love seat, still looking uncomfortable and facing the couch where her brother and sister were perched. Colleen had captured the chair next to her. Dar stepped around the end of the love seat and settled into place next to her lover, catching her eye and handing her the rose.

It threw Kerry off her balance, and she gave Dar a near breathless, startled look as she took the bloom, bringing it to her nose in pure reflex as the taller woman relaxed and extended her long legs, crossing them at the ankles. "Thanks." Kerry smiled, forgetting their guests for a long moment.

Dar winked at her, then turned her attention to the raptly watching trio. "Is there a problem?" She asked, in her best boardroom no nonsense voice, one eyebrow lifting up in question.

"Uh… " Colleen fished for a conversation starter.

"You know." Michael folded his arms across his chest, and grabbed the bull by the horns. "Outside the movies, I've never actually seen one human being give another human being a rose before." He cocked his head at Dar. "That is obnoxiously romantic."

Everyone kind of froze, waiting for Dar's reaction. She let them wait a beat, then smiled lazily. "My father taught me to do that." She replied simply.

"What.. to give people flowers?" Colleen asked, curiously.

"To let my actions speak louder than words." Dar answered wryly, feeling the ice breaking a little, as grins went around the room. Kerry moved closer, and leaned against her shoulder, tucking her legs up under her and relaxing. "Now.. someone explain to me the candles in the little paper bags I saw everywhere last time I was up north?"

"Well… " Michael rubbed his hands together. "There's this tradition…. "

Kerry regarded her lover's profile, feeling a warm wash of affection as she reflected on Dar's quiet sacrifice, her giving up of a tiny bit of her cool reserve to smooth the way for Kerry's own comfort.

Nice.

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

Dar leaned back against the sliding glass door, sipping on a glass of very spiked eggnog and listening to Duks relate a story of his last vacation in Germany. The party was in full swing, and after the initial shock of having so many people in her usually peaceful condo, she'd actually started having an acceptably good time.

Most of the invites had been from work. Duks Draefus, ILS’s Finance VP and Mariana Sookis, ditto for Personnel were friends of Dar’s. Mark and his fiance Barbara often joined them socially outside of work, and Maria was a longtime assistant of Dar’s. Colleen and Kerry’s siblings rounded out the group.

Kerry was seated on the couch, with her brother and sister on the loveseat, and Mariana and Mark next to her, and all five people were arguing about the appropriateness of sports salaries. Dar chuckled, as Mark predictably supported the 'pay em anything as long as they score' view, and Mariana insisted the money could be better used to feed orphans in third world countries.

Everyone had brought presents, and Dar had, using verbal and almost physical strong arm tactics insisted on their being put under the tree and opened at an unspecified 'later'. "I haven't opened presents at a birthday party since I was five years old, damn it.. " She'd told Kerry. "I'm not starting up again at 30."

Colleen was sitting with Duks, and Mark’s fiance Barbara, and an interested, but mostly very quiet Maria. Dar had been surprised Kerry had invited her, and more surprised that her secretary had attended, but she was glad, and she's spent a few minutes giving the woman a tour around the apartment, mostly to convince her she really, truly, didn't live in her Lexus.

"Dar?"

"Hmm?" She glanced down, startled, as her name was called. "Sorry… just thinking."

"You've been to the Netherlands, haven't you?" Duks asked. "Tell them.. is it not true things are so much more relaxed in Europe?"

"Well… " Dar slipped into the armchair she'd been leaning against and considered. "Yes and no… they're different cultures, and they all have things that they're very strict about.. the French about language, for instance. They hate Americanisms creeping into their speech.. and we get into trouble with that a lot because it's so damn hard to translate a lot of the technology terms."

"Si.. " Maria interrupted shyly. "When I'm having to order things for you, it's hard." She stated. "It is me speaking Spanish, and our salesman speaking Spanish, and we are every third word going to English for 'buses' and 'gigapets."

"Gigabytes." Colleen and Duks corrected simultaneously.

Dar nodded. "Right…and you have to be careful of the cultural bias… especially in the Pac Rim countries if you're a woman….I would say that in Europe they're certainly a whole lot more relaxed about sex."

The all laughed, and Maria blushed. "Um.. " Dar laughed herself." That came out wrong… what I mean is, like the Clinton scandal. The French look at us and say "You must be kidding.. you're spending how much on WHAT?.." She waited for the laughter to die down. "Because there, of course, mistresses are paid for as a matter of course in the government.. no one cares about that. They do care if the person does their job, so they think we're very hung up on sex, and frankly, it doesn't make much sense to them."

"Right.. that's true." Duks agreed. "And Americans can be the biggest as…." His eyes flicked to Maria. "Ah.. the most obnoxious people overseas… we do ourselves no favors a lot of times, and that makes the people view the entire country in a certain way."

Dar smiled, and sipped her eggnog. "There are places overseas I refuse to speak English in, when I'm out and about casually."

Duks rattled off a question in German, and she answered it, with a tolerant smile. "Not bad." He chuckled. "You've even got the accent right."

They all laughed.

Kerry peeked over, and smiled as she saw Dar lean back and take a casual swallow of her drink. The party was working out better than she'd planned, and she was even having a good time, catching up with her brother and sister, and trading techie horror stories with Mark. The caterers had brought in eight chafing dishes full of things she knew Dar liked, along with a polite bartender who was behind a well stocked mini bar they'd rolled in for the party. Everyone had done the buffet justice, and now they just had to get through the cake, and she could claim a success.

A soft knock came at the door, and she looked up, to see it open, and Jack poke his crew cutted head in, spotting her. He grinned, and stuck a hand inside, curling a finger at her then putting it to his lips.

Kerry darted a glance towards Dar, who hadn't noticed, and she stood, brushing her slacks off and stepping around the coffee table. "Excuse me a minute." She trotted across the apartment and reached the door. "Hi Jack.. c'mon in."

"Shh… c'mere.. " He tugged her outside. "I've got a present… but if I give it to her, she's gonna say no." He whispered. "But if you're holding it, I bet she says yes."

Kerry's brows knit. "What??" She muffled a laugh. "Aw, come on, Jack..I know she'll love what…" She stopped speaking, as he produced the present, a cream colored puppy wearing a tiny navy sweatshirt. "Oh… my….god…."

"Isn't she cute?" Jack whispered. "She rode all the way in my back seat, and she was such a good girl…" He held the puppy out. "Say hello.."

Kerry took the animal, who squirmed, and sniffed her hair, making a small whining sound. "Jack.. Dar’s going to go bananas.. you know that." She stroked the puppy's soft fur, and felt it's silky ears. "I don't know if she'll go for this."

"Listen… I got a maybe out of her when she was up by us… and she really likes Alabaster." He paused. "That's the puppy's mother… they're great dogs."

"Oh.. I know.. I know.. " Kerry scratched the puppy's chest, and it licked her, finding some errant sauce on her chin and searching enthusiastically for more. "But it's a lot of responsibility, and she's not home most of the day.. I don't know if that's fair."

Jacks' shoulders sagged. "You should have seen her face when she was playing with them… I know she really wants one… they're great companions.. you know, she could go running with Dar in the morning and all… " He looked at Kerry's face. "No, huh?"

Kerry sighed, gazing at the warm brown eyes that seemed to radiate love. "It's not my decision." She remembered Susie, who had looked at her with that same trusting gaze. "Hey sweetie…" She whispered, reliving the memory of that last morning, when she'd said goodbye to her friend, and felt the hurt all over again. She'd never gotten attached to a pet since, for what she thought was good reason. "I don’t'… "

The door opened, spilling light out onto the porch, and a pair of sharp, blue eyes captured them. "What on earth is going on out here?" Dar asked, glancing at Jack as Kerry turned to face her. "What are you two…. " A pause. "Oh. I see." Her eyes went from the puppy to her lover, then back to the puppy. "What have we here?"

Jack put on his most innocent expression. "You said I could bring her."

"I what?" Dar's brows shot up. "When was this?"

"When I talk to you today.. I asked if I could bring a special present, and you said "Yeah." " Jack put his hands behind his back and rocked on his heels. "So I did."

"Um.." Kerry shifted the puppy, and tried to keep it from chewing on her earlobe. "I … he called me out here.. and I um… oo.. stop that…" She lifted her eyes to Dar's in appeal. "I told him it'd be kinda tough for you to handle a pet."

"Ah." Dar eyed them both. "I get it.. he called you out here, trying to get you on his side, because he knew.. if you asked me if I wanted to keep the puppy, I'd probably say yes." She paused. "Right?"

Jack studied his flight boots, then glanced up through blond eyelashes. "It was a plan."

"Uh huh.. and what do you think of this plan, Kerry?" Dar inquired, a gentle twinkle in her eyes.

"Oh.. well… I um.. " Kerry watched as the puppy yawned, and put her head down on the blond woman's shoulder. "I mean, I told him I didn't think you'd go for it.. I mean, you're not here a lot, and a dog's a lot of responsibility, and all that." She stroked the animal's fur. "She's really cute though, huh?" The puppy nuzzled her. "Maybe I could…um.. " She let the thought trail off. "Find someplace…or …maybe I could…um… but I don't think my complex takes pets..I.." A small tongue licked her cheek. "Aww.. uh.. "

The puppy turned it's head and gazed at her. Kerry gazed at her. Jack gazed at her.

Dar burst out laughing. "Well, to be honest, you just beat me to it, Jack." She informed her pilot friend. "I was actually working on getting a puppy… " Her eyes dropped to Kerry's surprised ones. "A cocker spaniel…as a matter of fact.. but I suppose a Labrador will do." She gave Kerry a shy, somewhat hopeful look. "I figured between the two of us we could.. I mean I thought maybe a puppy would be a good Christmas present for you."

Kerry's jaw dropped as she saw the smile on Dar's face. "Wait.. you mean it's for me?"

Dar nodded slightly.

She asked faintly. "Son of a… " She turned to look at Jack. "You… "

He chuckled. "Merry Christmas, Kerry." His face crinkled into a smile. "When Alabaster heard what happened to you when you were a kid.. she insisted on personally sending a little gift down for you."

Kerry had to stop, and think a minute. Her heart was beating so fast she could hardly distinguish the beats. This was more than a puppy. It was a commitment, on Dar's part, to her. To them. Kerry took a deep breath, and looked up at her lover. "I guess… with two people.. maybe it won't be so bad." She hugged the puppy a little, and it licked her neck. "Oh.. that tickles.. " Her eyes lifted to Dar's. "Thank you."

Dar looked exceedingly pleased with herself. "Your welcome." She turned her head. "Jack.. you hungry? We've got enough food in here to feed half of Miami." She opened the door, and stood aside to let him enter. "Go on… there's a bar in the back.. you can stay over until tomorrow, right?"

Jack hugged her. "Yep… otherwise I'd have to stick to club soda, and what a waste of your birthday party that would be." He moved past her, leaving them alone on the porch.

Dar let the door close behind him, and then she leaned on the railing, taking a breath of the cool air and letting it out. "Picked a name yet?"

Kerry walked over and perched next to her. "My brain hasn't stopped spinning yet.. are you kidding? Dar… " She stroked the puppy. "I don't know what to say… I never thought you'd.. even consider allowing something so much trouble as this into your day to day life."

Dar scratched the puppy's chin, then crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back. "I've wanted a dog for a long time." She answered quietly. "My mother was badly allergic to fur, and we never had one when I was growing up.. but when I went to college, I found this mutt and I adopted him. Damn thing followed me everywhere…waited for me outside my classrooms.. "

Kerry just waited.

"Day after I graduated, he got hit by a car." Dar's voice was steady, and almost resigned. "I spent the whole day at the vet's office, but in the end, there was nothing they could do… I just held him while they put him down." She shook her head. "It's incredible how much you can become attached to an animal… it felt like it was a brother or sister that was dying."

"Dar… " Kerry's voice ached.

"My father said its because animals give you something humans never do…unconditional love." The dark haired woman concluded quietly. "They don't care how rich you are, or who your parents are, or what you do…it doesn't matter to them." She looked up at Kerry. "It's no trouble, Kerry… we'll find a way to work it out.. the worst problem is going to be getting someone in to suck up all the little bitty Labrador hairs… or we're going to end up wearing a lot of tweed to work."

"Hm." Kerry regarded the puppy, who yawned, and licked her face again. "I like tweed."

"I hate it." Dar replied cheerfully. "C'mon.. let's go introduce our new friend to the crowd." She reached for the door, and circled Kerry's shoulders with her other arm. "What are we going to call her?"

"You're going to have to give me a little while to think about that, Dar." The blond woman advised her, as they entered the condo. "Wait…she's so creamy colored… how about Cappuccino?"

Dar laughed. "Cappuccino it is…. Hey… " She raised her voice. "C'mere and meet Kerry's Christmas present… Cappuccino."

"Oh… Calinde… " Maria quickly came over, cooing at the puppy, who woke up and looked around in bewildered alarm at the sudden sea of faces.

Dar stepped back, capturing a miniature shish kebab from one of the chafing dishes and nibbling on it as she watched everyone fuss over her lover and the puppy. Kerry was steadily becoming more animated, and she quickly sat down on the tile and let the puppy run around, laughing at it's antics. The animal decided her shoelace was appropriate prey, and tugged it, growling and scrabbling on the slick surface.

"I think I can report back to Alabaster that her daughter has a good home." Jack commented, balancing his full plate on one hand and attacking forkfuls of it's contents with the other. "She'll be happy as hell."

"Yeah." Dar snagged a coconut shrimp and bit it in half. "Thanks, Jack… I owe you another one." She looked at her friend in quiet gratitude.

"No problem." The aviator grinned. "I got me a good plate of chow, a way comfortable looking couch for the night, the company of two lovely ladies, and a damn fine home for one of Alabaster's puppies. Can't ask for better than that."

Dar smiled contentedly, in silent agreement.

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

"Close the door."

Kerry took one more quick look around the now quiet, and mostly dark condo. Jack was snugged down on the couch, and she'd settled Angela and Michael upstairs, her sister in her room, and her brother in the spare room on the other side of her newly converted office. She shut the door to Dar's bedroom firmly, then turned and regarded her lover, who was sprawled on the waterbed, eyes closed.

"Whew." Kerry yawned, rubbing her eyes. "I can't believe it's 3am…I haven't talked that much since the debating finals in college."

"Mm." Dar nodded. "It was nice, though… good party."

Kerry perched on the edge of the waterbed. "Yeah? You had fun?"

One blue eye eased open. "Yes, I did." Dar sounded faintly surprised. "I think everyone did…and the picture you got of Duks falling asleep on the chair with that puppy is some of the best blackmail material I've seen in years." She remarked, lifting her arms over her head and stretching. "Killer dessert."

The blond woman's eyes lit up . She'd personally constructed it, a cake with one layer of dark chocolate mousse, and a second of chocolate chip cheescake, separated by a layer of crushed Oreo cookies, and covered in a crispy, hard milk chocolate shell. "You should know.. you had four pieces." She teased. "And I saved you some in the refrigerator."

Dar's eyes brightened. "Really?" She started to get up, only to have Kerry catch her shoulder and stop her.

"You're going to be sick to your stomach, Dar.. come on now." She laughed. "And you'll wake up Jack and the puppy."

The dark haired woman settled back down. "Yeah.. you're right." She agreed reluctantly. "There's always breakfast."

"Augh." Kerry covered her eyes and winced.

"What… I'll have orange juice with it if it makes you happier." Dar teased, then patted her leg. "Just kidding…we'll have it tomorrow night, after everyone leaves." She relented. "Did you type up the recipe for everyone? I think Maria wants to put it on the company bulletin board." Dar paused. "I hope she calls it something other than my birthday cake, though."

Kerry laughed, then let herself slide into the waterbed, resting her head on Dar's stomach as she gazed up at the ceiling. "I think my brother has a crush on you."

"Ah.. is that why he was babbling." The executive mused. "Is he prone to those?"

"OH yeah." The blond woman snorted. "No offense to you, or anything.. but he goes gaga over just about every pretty woman he sees… " Her head turned, and she glanced up at Dar. "And you definitely qualify."

The blue eyes warmed as Dar smiled back at her. "He's sort of sweet.. and your sister and I managed to have a nice conversation about the Miami area… she's funny."

"Mm.. she likes you." Kerry found herself a little surprised by that. "I wasn't sure if… Angie tends to be a little on the conservative side."

Dar rolled her head to one side. "But you said she knew about you… right?"

"I said conservative, not blind or stupid." The smaller woman replied wryly. "A lot of people make that mistake… just because someone doesn’t want to see something, doesn't mean they can't."

"Ah." Dar lowered a hand, and gently rubbed Kerry's belly, eliciting a contented murmur from her. 'Thanks for the party."

A green eye rotated up and gazed at her. "Does that mean I can do it again?" Kerry inquired.

"As many times as you like." The dark haired woman assured her.

Kerry rolled over so she could look up at Dar. "That's a lot of birthday parties."

That got a contented smile from her lover.

They gazed at each other in peaceful silence for a moment or two. "I think Maria knows about us." Kerry finally commented, surprised when Dar started laughing.

"Maria knew about us before I did." The taller woman admitted. "I should have realized when she asked me if I wanted one set of tickets or two for Thanksgiving, and whether to put us in separate rooms at Disney."

"Really?" Kerry almost sat up in amazement. "She did that? No wonder she went along with me on….uh"

A low, sensual chuckle. "On getting us to stay in the park?" Dar's eyes sparkled wickedly. "C'mon, Kerry.. I'd figured that one out at least." She gave the smaller woman a gentle poke.

Kerry blushed. "I was trying to get you to relax." She complained feebly. "If you'd figured it out, why'd you go along with it? " She glanced up at Dar. "You could have stopped it."

Gentle blue eyes regarded her. "I know. But I didn't want to."

"Oh." Kerry murmured. "Well, I'm glad you didn't." She smiled up at Dar. "Because I really like where it's taken us."

"You do, huh?" The dark haired woman idly traced a finger across Kerry's face.

‘Yes, I do." Her lover replied softly. She wrapped her fingers around Dar's, and lifted her hand up, pressing her lips against the back of it, then tucking it against her heart. "Thank you for the puppy."

Dar grinned wholeheartedly, then sobered. "Listen.. I didn’t want you to think I just got that puppy so…" She paused. "I mean, it wasn’t to pressure you into moving in here or anything."

"Oh." Kerry tilted her head to one side. "That’s too bad.. I was hoping that was part of the reason." She felt a tiny, mischievous smile appear on her face at the look of startlement on Dar’s.

"T… but… " Dar scowled engagingly. "I was trying to be serious here."

"Me too. I’m seriously glad you felt comfortable enough to make the offer, Dar." Kerry reassured her. "In fact, I think I’d like to give it a try."

Blue eyes widened in delight. "Really?" Dar watched Kerry nod. "Great." She smiled in relief. "Guess we’ve got some work to do this week then, huh?"

"Yeah." Kerry inched forward and kissed her. "First things first though…guess we'd better get undressed."

"Oh… sure." Dar replied agreeably, sliding her hands up over Kerry's hips and unbuckling the thin leather belt around her waist. "No problem."

"Well… that wasn't what I had in mind but… " Kerry unbuttoned the top button on Dar's cotton shirt with her teeth. "But I guess it'll serve the right purpose." She felt the cool of the air conditioning on her skin as her pants were eased off and Dar's familiar touch circled her thighs then traveled up to start unbuttoning her shirt.

"Mm.." She had Dar's blouse open now, and the taller woman lifted her body up a little, letting her slip the fabric off over her tanned shoulders. Kerry let her hands go flat against the tensed abdominal muscles, leaning lightly against them as she nuzzled Dar's bare neck, then lowering herself down as the taller woman did, letting their bodies touch and slide against each other.

The cool air now hit her back and she shrugged out of her shirt and a trail of warmth followed Dar's hands across her skin, sliding across her shoulderblades, and down her sides, then gently gripping her hips as the shifted, rolling over and tangling their limbs as she forgot the long day, and the fatigue that faded before the insistent nibbling along her neck that dipped to her collarbone, and beyond.

It was, Kerry decided, the perfect end, to a darn near perfect day.

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

The quiet afternoon sunlight drifted gently into the apartment, as quiet finally descended. Dar hitched one leg over the arm of the chair she was sprawled on, and leaned back as Kerry walked in, carrying their new puppy. "Everyone's safely headed home… finally." She remarked, as the blond woman perched on the chair arm, letting Cappuccino chew on her fingers.

"Finally." Kerry agreed. "I thought I'd never get my brother to shut up… did you have to come sauntering in this morning practically in your underwear?"

Dar gave her a look. "It's not underwear.. it's what I run in." She objected. "This is Miami, remember? Running in a sweatsuit is an invitation to heatstroke." She let her head rest against the back of the chair. "Damn… I have sixteen pages of email I have to go through before tomorrow morning."

"Don't remind me." Kerry sighed. "I have a position status report on two different accounts due tomorrow at the 9am staff meeting, and I haven't even started it yet." She cuddled the puppy closer to her. "Guess we'd better get started….we have a ton of leftovers for dinner, unless that really bugs you."

"Nah.. that's fine." Dar lifted a hand and stroked the backs of her knuckles against Kerry's bare thigh. The blond woman was wearing a pair of cutoff denim shorts and a tshirt, and Dar could smell the remnants of sun tan lotion clinging to her skin. "I really don’t feel like looking at that goddamned mail." She finally admitted.

"Mm.. well, I don't feel like doing those reports, so I guess we're even. " Kerry told her. "We could be like everyone else, and do our work when we're actually supposed to be working." She reasoned. "As a matter of fact, I can't believe we haven't had a major problem this weekend…that's a first."

"Shhh… " Dar implored her. "Please.. I don't feel like having to scream at people tonight." She tickled the sleepy puppy. "Hey, there girl." A smile crossed her . "She's really a cutie, huh?"

"Yeah… " Kerry smiled. "She was fiercely defending the kitchen from the broom earlier." She chuckled. "Tell you what… let's play with her for a little while, then eat dinner, then maybe we'll be in the mood for work."

"Okay." Dar moved over and allowed Kerry to join her on the couch, as she pensively played with Chino's fuzzy ears.

Kerry stroked the animal for a moment, then glanced at her face. "Something wrong?"

Dar's lips tightened. "No, not really… I was just thinking."

"About what?" Kerry tucked her feet up under her. "You're not having second thoughts about the puppy, are you? I mean… we can find someone… "

"No no.." Dar shook her head, surprised at the surfacing memories. "I was just… imagining how much my father would have loved to meet her." She felt a comforting hand circle her arm. "I wish he could have."

Kerry pursed her lips. "I wish I could have met him.. he sounds like he was a wonderful person."

Dar nodded faintly. "He was… " She exhaled. "They came to tell us he died on my birthday, seven years ago." She admitted, in a low voice. "It was a pretty lousy day."

"Oh, Dar… " Kerry was dismayed.

"Yeah… " Dar acknowledged the emotion. "Anyway… that's the other reason I didn't do much to celebrate after that. I think of that day, and it’s just a wash of misery. It was easier to pretend I didn’t have a birthday."

"I'm sorry." The smaller woman murmured. "I wish you'd told me… Dar, I would never have…"

"It's okay." She was told firmly. "I'm glad we did this…I had a good time, and I know… if my dad was here, he'd kick my ass if I'd have told you no." She looked up at Kerry. "It’s time I took that day back."

"Mm."

Dar looked at her. "I wish you could have met him too…I think you two would have hit it off." She managed a smile as Kerry hugged her. "Anyway… um.. did you say you had some of that cake left?" Time for a subject change. "I bet it goes good with ice cream… huh?"

"Yeah." Kerry murmured softly. "I bet it does."

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

The office was very quiet, as a late afternoon sun filtered inside, dusting the maroon carpet with soft, golden motes. It was empty, as though waiting for something to happen, the PC on the desk showing slowly pacing panthers, and a small tank on the wooden surface holding two Siamese fighting fish circling each other.

The door slammed open, breaking the silence, and a tall, dark haired woman strode in, carrying a stack of printouts which she tossed on the desk, circling it and claiming the chair with an air of impatient disgust. "Stupid pieces of half assed useless…"

It had been a tough day. Two meetings, and the last one had been mostly her yelling, at a table full of glum looking department heads who were weeks behind in closing their budgets.

Dar closed her eyes and rested her head in her hand for a moment, then straightened and pulled the folders over, flipping the first one open and looking at the contents. She read for a long moment, then reached over without looking up and dialed a number on her speaker phone.

"Sales Executive, good afternoon." A precise, Hispanic accented voice answered.

"Put Jose on the line." Dar snarled.

"Uno momento, Senora." The line went to Muzak.

"I’m not a senora, arroz for brains." Dar muttered at it, riffling through the pages irritatedly.

The inner door opened, and Kerry poked her blond head in. "Hi."

Dar waved, and pointed at the speaker phone. Kerry entered, moving across the carpeted floor silently and kneeling at her side. She picked up Dar’s pencil and pad and started writing, in neat, bold script, the pencil making a faint scratching sound against the paper.

"What do you want, Dar?" Jose’s voice abruptly broke the peaceful quiet.

"Competence." Dar shot back. "But I’m not likely to get it from Sales anytime soon, so I’ll settle for the damn budget numbers, like I’ve been asking for the last two weeks."

Kerry peeked up at her, then went back to her scribbling.

"You got them yesterday!" Jose barked back. "It’s not my fault if you can’t find your damn inbox."

Dar peered over at the tray, which contained precisely two, small, flat pieces of paper in it. She stood and picked them up, flipping them over and studying them. "Oh.. right. " She snorted. "Yeah, the bathroom supply requisition – yeah, I can see where you’d confuse your budget with that."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"The only thing in my inbox is the god damned toilet paper bill, Jose. So unless you’re submitting that, try again."

"Jesu.. Marta… como esta venta numerales?"

"Painted on your butt, probably." Dar muttered under her breath. She could hear the secretary scrambling on the other end, then a rapid exchange of frenetic Spanish. "I’m waiting." She yelled. "I’ve got four days to close the books, Jose… either get me those damn numbers now, or I’ll submit the budget without them!" She slapped the release on the phone, and tossed the top folder in the in box. "Jerk."

"Well." Kerry nibbled her pencil. "I was going to write you a note saying I was running by the apartment after work, to pick up some stuff to bring over."

"Mmph." Dar propped her head up on one hand. "I’d help, except I’ve got a client briefing at six, and that wont’ let out until after eight, probably. "

"That’s okay." Kerry told her. "Meet you at the gym at eight thirty then?" She inquired. "Ken said he was looking forward to trying that new stuff with you tonight."

Dar leaned back in her chair, and exhaled. "Boy.. I’ll be ready for a sparring session tonight, that’s for sure." She gave Kerry a wry look. "Can I go back to last weekend?"

Kerry peeked at the door, then leaned over and kissed her knee. "It’s a short week, Dar… we’ve got New Year’s coming up, and another long weekend.. hang in there."

"Grumph." Dar allowed herself the luxury of indulging in a riffling of Kerry’s hair, scratching the back of her neck and watching her lover drop her head forward, and release a tiny moan of pleasure. "Thanks for reminding me.. things going okay over by you?"

Kerry straightened. "Yes.. well, mostly." She amended. "Eleanor roped me into a meeting at four, but other than that, the day’s gone fine." A sigh. "I think she wants to bitch about you, and frankly, Dar.. I’m not in the mood for it today."

"Sorry." Dar apologized. "I had a run in with her this morning at the 8am meeting, and told her she wasn’t getting her extra personnel allocations this year." Dar lifted a page and reviewed it. "Two of the marketing campaigns flopped big time."

"Ouch." Kerry winced. "Did you get lunch?"

Blue eyes peeked guiltily at her.

"No wonder you’re so grumpy." Kerry got to her feet. "I’ve got half a sandwich at my desk.. let me bring it over."

"I am not a slave to my biology." Dar protested, scowling. "I’m perfectly capable of being a rampaging bastard even on a full stomach."

"Okay, boss." Kerry tweaked her ear tolerantly. "I’ll be right back."

Dar watched her disappear, enjoying the warm wash of sensuality brought on by the gentle swagger in Kerry’s walk. The door closed, and she sighed. "Down, slave." She chastised her rebellious body and swiveled around, pulling over the next folder and opening it.

"Hey, Kerry…. " Elaine Costas was standing in the kitchen, getting herself a cup of cappuccino. "How was your Christmas?"

"Nice." Kerry entered, going to the cabinet and removing her persona tea jar, then selecting two bags and setting up two cups to steep. "How about yours?"

The accounting assistant glanced at the cups, but didn’t comment on them. "Pain in my ass… my damn cat got into the tree ornaments, and pulled half the damn thing down on top of her, and she got tangled in the tinsel."

Kerry laughed. "Well, I got a puppy." She admitted, figuring that was pretty safe. "A Labrador Retriever."

"Really??" Elaine gave her a surprised look. "Wow… I didn’t think your complex allowed dogs… my sister’s cousin lives there."

Oh… turtle turds. Kerry drew in a breath. "They know I’m thinking of moving.. so they didn’t make a big deal out of it."

"Oh." Elaine nodded. "Yeah…. They’ll sometimes do that.. depends on who you get to talk to. So.. boy or girl?"

Phew. "Girl.. I named her Cappuccino. She’s a really creamy white color." Kerry smiled. "I’ll bring in pictures.. she’s really cute." Kerry added some cream, and a good size dose of honey to the tea, and stirred both cups. "See you at the gym tonight?"

"You bet." Elaine agreed. "I musta put on ten pounds over the weekend.. my mother just kept stuffing me like a turkey." She took her cup, then waited for Kerry to walk out before her, carrying her two cups. "Want me to get your office door?" She walked alongside the shorter woman and held the heavy door open. "There you go."

"Thanks." Kerry smiled, as she pushed the door inward. "See ya later." She walked across the carpet and set her cup down, then picked up the half sandwich she’d promised Dar, and took the other cup of tea down the back hallway. She could hear Dar’s voice as she got closer, and winced at the raw anger in it. "Dar… what am I going to do with you?"

She pushed the inner door open, and peeked inside. Dar was standing with her back to Kerry, leaning on her desk and yelling into the phone. There was a hoarse note in her bosses usually smooth voice that usually meant she’d spent too much time hollering.

Tea was good for that. Kerry reasoned, as she eased across the floor, and came up next to her lover.

"That’s it, Rory… either you people complete those circuits by tomorrow night, or I’ll find another provider." Dar stated flatly. "Do I make myself clear?"

"But Dar…"

"Don’t ‘but Dar’ me." She interrupted. "We put this order in two months ago, and I’ve got a live New Year’s Eve broadcast to support from London. It’s a firm deadline."

A sigh. "I’ll get right back to you."

Dar hung up, and sat down. "I swear, Kerry… sometimes I feel like I’m an Eskimo sled dog dragging half the continent behind me."

Kerry took hold of her jaw, and turned her head, examining her face intently. "Well.. you’ve got the eyes for it, that’s for sure.. they look like a Husky’s." She handed her the sandwich. "Here.. munch on this, and I brought you some tea."

"I hate tea." Dar sighed, unwrapping the chicken sandwich and taking a bite.

"I know.. but your voice sounds like you can use it, it doesn’t have caffeine in it, and I put enough honey and cream in so that you won’t even realize it’s tea. Try it." Kerry nudged the mug over. "I’m going to my meeting… wish me luck."

"Goff lockf." Dar swallowed, then gave her a look. "Thanks."

Kerry waggled her fingers and left.

Dar stared evilly at the steaming mug, then cautiously sniffed it. "Mm." An eyebrow lifted, as she picked the cup up and took a sip, mouthing the substance a little before she swallowed it. "Hmph."

Kerry walked into the marketing department’s meeting room, and set down her mug, giving the two junior clerks there a brief smile as she took her seat. "Afternoon."

"Hey Kerry.. ." Candy leaned forward. "I heard some gossip.. .I bet you can tell me if it’s true or not."

"I can try." Kerry answered warily. "What is it?"

"A little bird told me it was the Ice Queen’s birthday this past weekend… true?"

It was always a question, as to what was safe to admit knowing. Kerry figured this was relatively harmless. "You mean Dar? Yeah, as a matter of fact it was." Kerry told them. "Why?"

"Just curious." Candy sat back, tapping her lips with her pen. "Did she have a party?"

Kerry wished she’d talked to Dar about how much to say about it. She made a quick decision. "Yeah… a couple of us went over to her place, had a little get together. Me, Duks, Mari, Mark.. you know."

"Ah." Candy nodded. "So you know where she lives then?" The other woman was watching her closely.

"No. We were all blindfolded and put in the back of a bus, then knocked out with nerve gas before we got there." Kerry told them seriously. "I have no idea where it is."

Fortunately, Eleanor chose that moment to enter, with her favorite assistant Charlie. "Hello, hello… good afternoon, Kerry, how are you?" She put her papers down and straightened the wool suit she was wearing, a thick rust red color that reminded Kerry of dried blood. "Hope you had a good holiday?"

"Great, thanks." Kerry replied. "And you?"

"We had Justin’s whole family over, and everyone had a lovely time." The Marketing VP assured her. "Did you get to go home?"

It stung. "No.. I stayed here and spent the time with friends."

"She went to Dar’s birthday party." Candy interrupted.

"Really?" Eleanor lifted an eyebrow. "That must have been a treat.. I heard her royal highness suffered a birthday… which one was it?"

They all looked knowingly at Kerry, who suddenly felt very conspicuous. "I didn’t count the candles." She remarked dryly. "Did we have an actual subject for this meeting, or is it just a general gossipfest?" Her head tilted in question. "Honestly, I have no idea… and I’m not really sure why everyone is so interested in it.. but if you are, why not just ask Dar?"

Eleanor smirked. "Well, let’s get down to business, shall we? But Kerry, it’s so adorable the way you stand up for the old monster.. it warms the cockles of my heart."

Kerry scratched her ear. "If you say so." She indicated amused condescension. "All right – I think the first topic on the list is the plans for expansion in the Northwest next year."

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

"No, No, NO, NO NO." Dar spoke in ever increasing increments of volume, scratching out things with her green pen. "I am not moving allocations from Houston to Boston just so you can sell an account to your brother’s uncle’s cousin at half rate, Jose. I’m just not going to do it."

"Excuse me, Dar?" A polite, Hispanic voice interrupted her dark muttering.

Dar lifted pale blue eyes to the door and slumped into her chair. "Sorry… what is it?" She propped her head up on one fist and sighed. It was late, and she was tired, and admittedly cranky. It was Thursday afternoon, and the week had been a long one, despite it’s shortened nature. She was glad it was ending, though, and she was looking forward to the coming weekend.

Maria gave her an understanding smile. "Kerrisita left a message for you.. she said she was leaving, and was going to how you say.. the Bayside.. and the shopping."

Rats. Dar rubbed her eyes and nodded. "Yeah.. I was supposed to… ah, I mean I got stuck in that meeting longer than I thought." She stared at the stack of reports. "Listen.. why don't you get out of here?".

"You too, should go home, Dar." Maria chided her. "Is late… so many people are gone."

Dar sighed, and leaned back in her chair. She had a stack of things left undone in her inbox, and a half dozen matters still up in the air. But Maria was right.. getting things done when the rest of the world was on vacation was pretty damn useless.

"Yeah.. I.." A pressure around her wrist made her look down. "Oh.. that's what I was supposed to do… damn it.. I have to get this fixed." She stood up. "All right.. that's it.. I'm out of here. This stuff can wait until next year." She flipped off her PC and stood, grabbing her car keys and thumping the stack of reports into her inbox. "C'mon Maria.. I'll walk you out."

The elevator and hallways were mostly empty, and they rode down in companionable silence until almost the bottom floor. "Dar?"

"Hm?" Dar glanced at Maria.

"I am hearing the whispers again." Maria looked apologetic. "About you and Kerrisita."

Dar closed her eyes, and exhaled. "Yeah… Duks told me the same thing." She waited for the doors to open, and walked out, with Maria at her side. "I don’t’ know what we can do about it though.. we don’t even have lunch together anymore." Dar felt bad about that. She’d enjoyed taking a break in the middle of the day and spending it with Kerry, but that was so out of her normal routine it had made the gossip rounds immediately.

"Is stupid." Maria frowned. "They hear she went to your party, and it’s a big thing."

Dar shrugged wearily. "Let them talk, Maria… it’s not the worst thing I’ve had said about me around here."

They walked out together, and Dar got in her car with a strange feeling of freedom. An afternoon free was a rare occurrence for her, and she stretched as she settled into the leather seat, adjusting the rearview mirror before starting the Lexus, and puling out of the parking lot.

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

"God.. did you see that sale?" Colleen tugged Kerry's sleeve, as they wandered through Bayside. "Cept what would I do with men's Speedos?"

Kerry grinned, stretching her arms out in the sun and exhaling. "What a weird week…I'm glad we've got the long weekend off now."

"Hmm…. " Colleen studied her friend. "You staying out at the Island for the weekend? Like I have to ask?"

Kerry looked down at the ground, then visibly inhaled. "Yeah.. I… " She turned and looked at Colleen. "I was hoping you'd help me move some of my stuff."

The redhead gazed at her. "Oh.. wow." Glancing around, she steered Kerry to a table at the small café they'd just been passing. "Here.. siddown.. "

They looked at each other. "So.. you're doing it, then." Colleen murmured. "I thought you were going to see how it worked out."

The blond woman toyed with the table tent. "I did.. I mean…" She glanced up the perky waitress who approached. "Lemonade, please."

"Same." Colleen added, absently, shooing the woman off. "Kerry.. "

"I know.. I .. know." Kerry rested her arms on the table, and turned her head, gazing out over Biscayne Bay. "I said I wanted time.. I said I didn't want to rush into anything… "

"And? So what's this then?" Her friend asked.

Kerry propped her chin up on her fists and produced a wry smile. "Colleen.. I really like being with her.. around her… I'm miserable on the days we're not together." She accepted the glass form the waitress and poked her straw in, slurping up a bit before she went on. "We talked the other day… and she gave me my resident's decal.. she asked me if I wanted to make it permanent."

Colleen sighed. "Ker.. I'm glad for that, honest I am."

A little silence fell. "But you think I'm making a mistake." The blond woman stated softly. "Don’t' you?"

Her friend sipped at her drink for a moment. "You're really stuck on her, aren't you?"

Kerry sucked in a breath of the cool, salty air. "Yeah.. I sure am." She admitted. "I feel really comfortable around her, too… the other night we just sat out on the porch, with our arms around each other, and made patterns out of the stars." She paused, thoughtfully. "It's like I've known her all my life."

Colleen sighed. "Well, I'm gonna miss you." She gave Kerry a wry smile. "And for the record, no.. I don't think you're making a mistake.. I just worry about you isolating yourself out there. " She put a hand on Kerry's. "At least with you at the apartment most of the week, we can get together… you see your other friends.. it's not that I have anything against Dar, I just don't want you to forget about the rest of us."

Kerry considered that, acknowledging that it would be very easy to do. "You're right.. I need to make sure I get out and do things with other people… that place does tend to suck you in." She smiled at Colleen. "Hey.. maybe I can change Dar from being a recluse, to a party animal.. what do you think?"

The redhead rolled her eyes, then chuckled. "Well, that Christmas party was a lot of fun.. maybe you can." She finished her lemonade and pointed. "C'mon… I want some of those candles."

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

The parking lot was surprisingly empty, Dar mused, as she parked near the entrance to Penney's, and walked in the back entrance, making straight for the watch repair department. She stood quietly and waited until the desk clerk was free, then stepped forward and unstrapped the watch from her wrist. "Need to see if someone can do something with this."

The man accepted it, after giving her a friendly smile, and peered at it. "Oh.. you got it wet, huh?"

"Mm." Dar agreed, having rescued the watch from the bottom of Chino's water bowl. "I know it's supposed to be water resistant, but it was in there a while." Not to mention, the puppy had been digging in the water furiously after it, sending a wash of liquid all over the kitchen.

"Okay.. I can have the technician take it apart and clean the movement…see if anything need replacing." He carefully attached a tag to the watch, then glanced behind him. "We're not busy.. I'll give it to him now."

Urk. "How long?" Dar inquired.

"Hour, maybe… is that all right?" He looked behind her. "You can finish your shopping, and it'll be done, if you like."

My shopping was finished. Dar sighed inwardly. Oh well, at least it was an interest….oo. They had a Ben and Jerry's. "Sure.. that sounds great." She gave them man a charming smile. "Be back in an hour."

She headed out of the store and got her bearings, realizing her goal was at the far opposite end of the place. "Figures." Dar sighed, then reflected that at least they'd been under casual dress code for the holiday week, and she wasn't wearing a wool suit. She started out along the upper floor, casting a casually curious eye on the passing stores.

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

"What do you think of these?" Kerry inquired, running a hand over a soft, silky piece of fabric.

Colleen peered over her shoulder. "I think it's a kite, kiddo… where are you gonna fly it?"

"Oh. .I don't know.. " Kerry held out the beautiful construct, a shimmering rainbow of colors that fluttered in the breeze coming off the water. "We've got that golf course in the center of the island.. I bet I could fly it in there." She grinned recklessly, and folded the item up, handing it to the stall's owner along with her credit card. "You going over to your mom's house for New Years?"

"Ehhh.. I don't know… I'm still deciding." Colleen sighed. "They're having a party at the complex.. but Ramon's bragging he's making the drinks, and you know what happened the last time he did that… what about you? I didn't hear your plans."

"Ah.. well, the company's having a get together out at the Sonesta Beach, on the Key… it's a formal dance kinda thing." Kerry explained. "Neither of us really want to go, but Dar says if she doesn’t' show up for at least a while, she'll get all kinds of grief."

"Oooo….a formal? You got a dress?" Colleen asked, then plucked Kerry's crisply pressed cotton shirt. "One that fits you now?" She added, with a smile. 'Now that you aren't skin and bones anymore?"

Kerry blinked, then chewed her lip. "Holy crap…. Well, yeah, I've got two or three I could get away with…." She almost slapped herself. "I can't believe I didn't think of that, though… wow…well, I'll figure out something tonight, I guess."

"Nu uh.. c'mon.. Castellano's is right over there, honey.. let's get you a snazzy Cuban dress to wear to your dance…you gonna dance with Dar?" The redhead teased.

"Uh." Kerry blushed ."No.. I …that would be a little too much, I think." She gave her friend a wry look. "But you know, a new dress isn't a bad idea… maybe they'll have something more up to date than what I wore to that Viscaya thing last year."

Colleen made a face. "Kerry, you make darn near everything look good, child, but that.. that you had to really work at, ya know?" She put a hand on Kerry's back and steered her towards the store, an understated place which disgorged the smell of silk, and starch, and money out as they opened the door and entered.

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

Dar strolled around the inside of Sharper Image, peering with interest at the myriad of gadgets the store held. "Electric nose hair trimmer." She picked it up and looked at it, then put it down. "Hope I don't need one of those any time soon." She chuckled softly, and circled the full size massage chairs, gazing at them.

"Nope.. got something better than that." She told the item cheerfully, finding a slightly giddy smile crossing her face, remembering the loving rubdown she'd gotten the night before from Kerry after they'd come back from the island gym.

Dar exhaled, then shook her head silently, and moved on to the next row of gadgets, then reluctantly moved on, deciding Kerry probably didn't need a personal electric clock that displayed on the ceiling.

Out in the mall, she stopped and got some cinnamon roasted nuts, and nibbled them as she walked, eyeing the trendy fashions with a jaundiced eye. "Bellbottoms… never liked those the first time around." She muttered disapprovingly, noting that the passing teenagers were dressed in them, along with elevator sneakers and thin, pastel tank tops.

"Yech." Dar preferred her navy polo, tucked into pressed Dockers. "My father would have lassoed me before I could have left the house looking like that." She went over the words in her head, then chuckled ruefully. "Dar, you're getting old." Her eyes flicked to the right, then she slowed, to study the baubles in the window of Mayor's jewelers. "Mm… nice."

A voice sounded behind her. "Ah.. Ms. Roberts! Been a long time."

Dar stopped, and turned. "Hello, Richard.. yes it has." She politely greeted the salesman. "How've you been?"

"Fine, fine thanks.. you're looking well." The tall, immaculately dressed man smiled at her. "I've got some nice earrings.. can I show them to you?"

Dar sighed, then figured she had plenty of time, and she'd just lost one half of a favorite pair of studs anyway.. "Sure." She agreed, following him inside the marble lined doorway and into the jewelry shop.

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

"Let's see." Colleen held out a long dress with frilly lace twirls near the neckline, and a bustle. "What do you think?"

Kerry burst into laughter. "I'd look like Carmen Miranda, is what I think.. get out of here, Col." She shook her head, and browsed the selection, moving more towards some understated, sedately dark gowns with conservative necklines. "This is more the company's speed, I think."

"Oh god." Colleen rolled her eyes. "What's Dar wearing?"

"Um.. " Kerry’s brows knit. "A strapless black thing…very simple.. very drapy… made me drool… why?"

Colleen giggled. "Oh." She gave her friend a look. "She's certainly loosened you up in some ways."

"Huh?" Kerry peered at her, then blushed badly. "Oh… um.. eyah.. I guess she has."

She distracted herself by burrowing deeper in the racks of dresses, then stopped, as her hands touched a soft, deep green silken one. "Ooo."

Colleen was immediately there, peering over her shoulder. "Mmm….. " She lifted the gown out and examined it. It had one shoulder, leaving the other bare, and most of the back and one side was cut out, with a soft gathering at the hip then a straight fall to an uneven, edgy hem. "That's nice, Ker." She nudged her friend. "Try it on."

Kerry hesitated, then grinned. "Okay." She smiled at the hovering attendant, and followed them obediently into a fitting room, closing the door and hanging the dress up as she stripped out of her slacks and shirt.

"Okay." She reviewed herself in the mirror for a moment, then took the dress off the hanger and slipped into it, allowing the silky folds to warm against her skin as she adjusted the fabric. "Hmm."

She blinked, turning a little, and watching the gown's conspicuous gaps reveal her toned body. "Oo… not bad, Stuart… not bad at all." She grinned for a moment, with an unrepentant smirk at herself, then she exhaled and opened the door, assuming a more serious expression. "What do you think, Col?"

Colleen looked up from where she was leafing through a catalog, and stared, letting a low whistle escape. "Holy Mary, mother of God, Kerry." She chortled. "That looks fantastic…you should wear your hair up, too."

Obligingly, Kerry lifted her pale locks, and pulled them back, exposing the line of her neck. "Think so?" She glanced sideways, and caught her reflection in the mirror, surprised at it's sophistication. "Mm.. I think you're right."

The redhead closed in, and adjusted the shoulder a bit. "Definitely, a good choice… you can wear that old, silver necklace you've got… the one with the emerald?"

Kerry nodded. "Yeah… that'd go perfect… okay." She gave the salesman a nod. "I'll take it.. thanks." She ducked back into the fitting room and carefully removed the dress, pulling her shirt and pants back on. "Think you'll like that, Dar?" She murmured to her reflection, whose eyes twinkled mischievously back at her.

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

"Here… they're blue diamonds."

Dar took the black display pad, and examined them. "Huh… never seen any like that before." She studied the earrings, lacy platinum surrounding a carat size diamond, in a conspicuous blue shade. "Nice."

"Mm.. I thought of you when I saw them.. they come close to matching your eyes." The salesman smiled. "I was going to call you… but it's been so busy."

Dar nodded, debating with herself. They were expensive, but.. how often did she ever buy stuff like this for herself? She imagined Kerry's reaction to them, and that put a grin on her face. "I'll take em." She pushed the pad back towards the delighted salesman, then let her eyes roam around the display case. "Box em up.. in fact, I've got a company event I have to go to tomorrow night.. that'll work."

She got up and roamed around as he processed the purchase, and found herself looking down at a neat display of rings.

Rings. She wasn't fond of rings, really… she'd tried wearing one or two on occasion, but with her typing all the time, they tended to annoy her, making her take them off, and promptly lose them.

"Would you like to see anything, ma'am?" The girl behind the counter asked, politely. "We've got some new ones in.. they just arrived."

Before Dar could answer, she disappeared, and came back with a velvet lined box, which she opened on top of the counter and turned around, to face Dar. "We haven't even had time to really catalog these, but.."

Dar found her eyes drawn to the center of the box, where a brilliant stone was winking. She leaned over, and blinked, then gently picked the small rest the ring was on up, and lifted it.

It gathered the light in, and twinkled at her, a brilliant cut diamond at least two carats that had a definite hint of rose to it. The setting was appropriate, an exquisite tracing of rich gold shaped into a nest of rose petals that cradled the stone, and two smaller stones on either side.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" The woman asked hesitantly.

"Yes, it is." Dar murmured, suddenly grabbed with an insane impulse. "I'll take it."

Dead silence.

Dar looked up, to see the clerk's jaw hanging open. "It’s for sale, right?"

"Uh.. yes.. um.. um.. " She looked over to her boss, who was busy at the register. "Richard?? Mr. Ellis?"

"Just a moment, Judy." The manager murmured, holding a finger up.

The girl licked her lips. "We can.. um.. I think the jeweler is here now, we can have it sized.. is it for you, ma'am?"

Dar shook her head absently, still gazing at the ring. "No. it's for someone who's about a different from me as you can be and still be a human being."

As if she'd ever, ever have the guts to give it to her, right. Dar exhaled quietly. It didn't really matter.. just by her getting this, she'd know, in her own heart, what it meant, even if she never gathered up the courage to admit that to Kerry.

But wait. "Um.. size…" Dar chewed her lip, then dug out her cell phone and dialed. It rang three times, then was answered. "Hey."

"Oh. Hey!" Kerry's voice sounded surprised. "Where are you? I just tried to call the office, but I got the voice mail."

"I left early.. had to go get my watch fixed." Dar told her. "And I met .. ah…I met up with that guy who's doing the new handheld inventory counter for the warehouses.. you remember I told you about it?"

There was a pause. "Oh.. oh, right.. yes, I do…they wear it on their hands and just click.. yeah." Kerry answered. "So?"

"Oh..well, we were just spec'ing it out here.. he needs a size range to give the engineers.. and…ah…well, my hand's not a good example for the women.. what ring size are you?"

Dead silence. "Uh.. oh, yeah.. that's true.. yeah.. um… mine's a seven… a bunch smaller than yours, huh?" Kerry told her.

"About three sizes." Dar acknowledge wryly. "Great.. thanks, Ker…. Where are you, anyway?"

"Bayside… I… Col and I are just browsing.. I got a kite, and something to wear tomorrow night."

"Oh yeah? Can't wait to see it." The executive replied blithely. "Thanks, Kerry.. .talk to you later." She disconnected, and looked up at the bemused clerk. "Tell him a size seven."

The manager walked over, and peered over the clerk's shoulder. "What do we have here?"

"She's .. um.. she bought this." The clerk squeaked.

Richard took the ring, and cradled it in one hand. "Um.. Dar… I um.. well, that's spectacular… I'm thrilled, but um. This is a unique cut stone, and I.."

"Shh." Dar held up a hand. "Don’t tell me how much it is. I don’t' care." She handed over a different card. "This'll cover it, wont' it?"

The manager took the platinum American Express card and glanced at it. "Well, I had someone put a Jaguar on one the other day, so I suppose it will.." He cleared his throat. "Let me have Michael come out and size it for you.. I.."

"She wants it done a seven." The clerk supplied promptly.

"Can I get something engraved on it, while he' sat it?" Dar asked, suddenly. "Will that take long?" She brought out a scrap of paper and scribbled on it, then handed it to him.

He stared at the words, then at her. "No.. no.. a few minutes, certainly.. Dar, can I get you a cup of coffee or something, while you wait?" Richard asked, anxiously.

Blue eyes glanced up. "No.. not unless the coffee shop has double chocolate chunk ice cream.. that's where I was headed."

The manager gave the clerk a significant look, then shooed her towards the door with an almost frantic gesture. "Well, let me just go get Michael to take care of this for you right away.." He disappeared, along with the clerk, leaving Dar completely alone in the store.

She rested her chin on her fist, and regarded her reflection in the small mirror resting on the counter, watching the tiny tugs of emotion at the corners of her lips.

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

"That was weird." Kerry leaned back in her seat, and watched Colleen try on shoes.

"What was?" The redhead asked, looking up from her pink and green sneakers. "Dar calling you? She does that all the time, Kerry.. I think she's got your number plastered on the inside of those snazzy shades of hers."

Kerry chuckled, then glanced behind her. "Oo.. I'll be right back, Col… "

"Oh no.. not another jewelry store." Colleen sighed, rolling her eyes. "Jeez, you'd think you were shopping for the crown jewels of England, Kerry." She sighed. "You didn't find anything you liked in the last six ones we've been in, what makes you think this is the one?"

"Tch.. I'll never know if I don't try." Kerry scolded her. "Is it so bad I want to find Dar a nice present? It has to be just right for her." She got up and trotted out, heading across the mall breezeway to a small, rustic looking store just opposite.

The door tinkled gently as she entered, and a small, gray haired man behind a wooden counter looked up. "Allo." His voice was accented, but not one she readily recognized.

"Hi.." Kerry pushed her hair back off her forehead as she advanced, glancing around. There were wooden trees snaking sinuously about, draped with gold and silver jewelry, and she smiled, liking the place for it's informal air. "I'm looking for something.. um… for a gift..I. "

"Ah." The man got up and spread his arms. "That covers bout everything in here, m'dear.. take yer choice. Anything in particular? Is it a man, or a woman?"

"A woman." Kerry answered, decisively. "Only I'm not sure… she doesn't wear much jewelry, so I don't really know what she likes."

"Mm." Faded gray eyes twinkled a bit. "Them's who doesn't wear much, are usually real particular… I've got some real nice necklaces here.. " He drew her attention to a huge abalone, lined in soft, dark blue cloth with pretty golden chains resting on it. "That there's polished mother o pearl as a setting.. see.."

Kerry leaned on the counter, gazing at the piece. It was a conch shell formed from the abalone's surface, with a double pearl set inside, one black, and one white. "Wow.. that is unusual." The entire thing was mounted on a thin cup of gold, which curled over the edges of the abalone in outline.

Would Dar like it? Kerry cocked her head to one side, and regarded the necklace. Yeah.. I think she would. "Okay.. I'll take it." She grinned at the man. "That was easy, huh?"

He chuckled, and removed the necklace gently, taking back behind the counter and preparing it for her. "Good choice.. it's a local artist.. all this stuff is. I sells it on commission for em.. they do one of a kind pieces, not like what ye find in the big stores."

"Mm." Kerry was scanning the rest of the jewelry, admiring the unique designs. "Yeah.. these are different." She touched a set of earrings made of tiny, dried starfish. "Not sure I'd want to wear those, though."

"Stinks, they do.. ifn they were bigger." The man commented. "But folks like em.. I've got sundials that bitty too."

The blond woman moved on, leaning on the counter to gaze down through the glass. Below her were rings, in all shapes and sizes, and one fanciful oyster shell lined in silk that contained….

Kerry blinked. "Boy.. that's a nice ring." She breathed, startled when the shopkeeper appeared at her elbow. It was a delicate pale gold ring, with interlacing that formed an intricate Celtic knot. Nestled in the center was a square cut diamond that seemed to gather in the surrounding light and bury it deep in the center of the stone, producing a visible glow.

"Thanks." The man answered quietly. "That un's my work."

She looked up at him. "It's beautiful." And before she could stop herself. "I'd like to buy it."

He looked profoundly surprised. "Well.. all right, then lass…it's a little pricey though.. you might want to.."

"Nope." Kerry made the decision before she could stop and think it out. She pulled out a card and handed it to him. "Go for it."

A delighted chuckle. "Will do… hang on a bit, and I'll measure you for it."

"What size is it now?" Kerry inquired.

"It's a ten.. a bit big, but I wanted to keep the right perspective and I.."

"That's perfect." The blond woman assured him. "Absolutely perfect….thanks."

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

"Here you go, ma'am… all ready." The watch clerk handed Dar her watch back. "We had a heck of a time with it.. what was in that water?"

"Puppy saliva." Dar responded, straight faced, as she took the package. "Thanks." She left the store, and headed for her car, feeling the pavement under her shoes oddly far away.

The doors unlocked at a touch of her remote, and she slid into the leather seat, setting her packages down on the other seat and starting the car. Then she sat there for a long moment, letting the air conditioning blow against her face, and considering what she'd just done.

Heck. It was just a ring. Just a piece of metal and stone, with a couple of words engraved in it.

And yet, in a way, it stood for something far more profound, to her. It was, even if in her own mind only, crossing the line into a commitment she'd once promised herself she'd never allow. She took out the ring and opened the box, staring at the glittering stone that winked back at her.

Then she removed it, and studied the words, feeling an unexpected sting of tears as she considered their meaning, understanding the truth of them, regardless of whether or not Kerry felt the same of her.

Yours Forever

She hoped so. She hoped she'd have the guts, someday, to hand it to Kerry, and find out. But for now, she merely tucked it back into it's box, and put it away, taking a deep breath and putting her sunglasses on, as she put the car into gear, and negotiated the parking lot.

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

Kerry stepped out of the bathroom, the air conditioned atmosphere a little bracing after the apricot scented steam bath her shower had created. The late afternoon sun cast her balcony in shadow, and she turned on her dresser lamp as she planted herself in front of the mirror, and studied her reflection.

"Ew." She raked her fingers through her hair, which was damp and sticking out all over the place. "ChiaKerry." That brought a smile to her face, and she watched her reflection smile back. She exhaled, then turned and glanced around the room, her room now, and nodded a little at the familiar bedspread, and the throw over the comfortable chair in one corner. It wasn’t much, but it was a start, this slow process of making this space hers.

She walked over to the huge walk in closet and opened the door, turning the light on inside and going to the back of the still somewhat sparsely populated rack, to the dark blue garment bag that held her new dress. She unzipped the front and removed it, hanging it up on the door hook and reviewing it critically. It’s neatly draped folds shimmered softly in the light and she found herself grinning a little as she pictured herself wearing it.

"Okay." She murmured, exiting the closet and finishing her toweling off. She quickly dried her hair into it’s customary wavy neatness, then gathered it’s length into a knot at the back of her neck and secured it with a quietly elegant pin. It occurred to her, suddenly, that her coworkers, and her boss for that matter, had only ever seen her in casual clothing, or business clothing.

Or, of course, in Dar’s case, no clothing. Kerry giggled to herself. No one had seen her really dressed, as she was accustomed to being around her father’s complicated professional requirements. "Should be interesting." She informed the figure regarded her in the mirror.

Her underthings were already laid out on the bed, and she wriggled into the lacy, strapless bra, a pair of natural toned panty hose and the silk, low cut half slip, which warmed against her skin as she walked towards the mirror again and turned, checking the line of the soft fabric. "So far so good."

A bit of perfume next, as she touched the backs of her ears, and her pulse point, then she walked to the closet and slipped the dress off the padded hanger and slid into it, fastening the catches and twitching the rich, green fabric to lay neatly across her curves.

Slowly, she lifted her eyes to the mirror, and studied the results. "Hm." The green fabric was attached above her left shoulder, leaving her right shoulder bare, and swept down across her chest and torso, gathering at the point of her right hip and dropping to an uneven hemline that bared her right knee, and covered her left. There were gaps on either side that exposed a portion of her ribs and belly. She took a breath, and watched the bones move under her tanned skin, though they weren’t nearly as prominent as they once were.

She gazed at her reflection, pleased with the overall look of poised sophistication. Then she stuck her tongue out and grinned, before ambling forward and rooting around her jewelry box, selecting a few pieces to wear. The gorgeous jade and pearl earrings Dar had surprised her with at the very end of Christmas winked shyly from her earlobes as she picked up the antique necklace her aunt had given her, fastening it around her neck and allowing the clear, mossy green stone to nestle in the hollow of her throat.

"Right?" The necklace glinted softly, it’s age darkened silver contrasting with her tanned skin. "Right." Kerry padded into the bathroom and applied her makeup, a touch more than her usual with a definite eyeshadow, and a neat outlining of her lips with a nice coral peach colored lipstick she’d found out at Bayside. She dusted her face with a little powder, then composed herself, before wiggling her feet into her medium height heels and heading for the steps.

She paused on the landing, peering down into the condo. Dar was standing near the sliding glass doors, gazing out at the sea, and she had a moment just to look at her.

Wow.

Dar was wearing a simple, strapless black sheath, in a matte silk that clung to her body, and outlined it’s athletic grace with beautiful clarity. She had her hair loose, it’s neatly layered glossiness crackling around her head and matching the dresses color almost exactly.

Kerry cleared her throat a tiny bit, and fastened her eyes on Dar’s face as she turned, and looked up, reading everything she’d hoped for in the widening baby blues and the dark, lifting eyebrows. "What do you think?" She asked diffidently, lifting her arms a little and indicating her outfit.

Dar walked slowly towards her, a frank, appreciative grin spreading across her face. "I think I’m in deep trouble." She crooked a finger at Kerry. "C’mere."

Her ego smirking contentedly, Kerry complied. She eased down off the last stair and stood quietly as Dar stepped forward, circling around her like a tall, nice smelling jungle cat sniffing it’s prey. "Oh yeah." The dark haired woman sighed. "I’m in big time trouble." She leaned over and sniffed Kerry’s neck, then nibbled it lightly. "You look gorgeous."

"Thank you." Kerry felt the goosebumps spread across her skin. "But why are you in trouble?" She watched Dar slide around to face her, and take her by the waist, her fingers slipping under the fabric and exploring her bare skin.

"Because I have to be your God damned boss tonight." Dar whispered. "And I don’t want to be."

Kerry exhaled, running her hands up Dar’s body and feeling the warm skin under the cool fabric. "Oh." She felt a distinct sense of disappointment. "I wish you didn’t have to be either." She lifted her eyes. "You look wonderful, by the way." She tilted her head, "Oh.. are those new?"

Brilliant, soft blue stones glinted from Dar’s earlobes. "Yeah… " Dar lifted a hand and touched one ear. "You like them?"

Kerry stood on her tiptoes and examined them. "They’re fantastic… they match your eyes, Dar.. wow."

Her lover smiled, then laid a finger on the necklace Kerry was wearing. "This matches yours." She brushed the soft, errant hairs near Kerry’s ear that had escaped her knot. "I like your hair up."

They gazed at each other. "Tell you what." Kerry suddenly blurted. "We go to the company party.. then maybe we can go out someplace else?" She watched the interested look appear on Dar’s face. "Someplace really nice?"

White teeth flashed in a delighted smile. "You’re on." Dar agreed readily. "Listen.. how attached to that lipstick are you?"

"Um.. well, I’m not but…. Oh." Kerry thoroughly enjoyed the kiss, and the wonderful scent of powder and Dar’s perfume, and the soft feel of silk under her fingertips. They paused, and she sighed, resisting the urge to go further, damn the party. "I think I’m in trouble too." Her hands outlined the familiar curves under the fabric. "But everyone thinks I have a crush on you anyway so…. "

Dar chuckled wryly. "C’mon. Let’s get this over with." She bent her head for another kiss though, and they moved together in a wash of crimson light from the window, bodies easing against each other, exchanging light touches that left them both breathing hard. "Oh boy." Dar released a ragged breath.

"Mm." Kerry forced her hands to their restless searching. "When does this stupid thing start?" Dar’s fingers were still lightly stroking her ribs, and her body growled softly in frustration, wanting much more. "Hey, Dar?"

"Huh??" Dar was exploring the edge of her ear with tantalizing nibbles.

"If… " Kerry had to stop a moment. "You don’t’ want to be wearing a black lace doily… you’d better cut that out."

"You want me to stop?" The voice whispered into her ear, every touch stoking the growing fire in Kerry’s guts.

"No." She found herself answering helplessly, as her body slipped disobediently out of her control and rubbed up against Dar’s in an explosion of sensation. "But we’re going to be late."

Dar moved around to the other side, nibbling across her throat. "Do you care?"

Kerry lost track of the question for a moment. "No. " She finally replied softly.

A loud noise startled both of them, and they jumped. "Wh. ." Dar glanced around dazedly, then realized it was coming from the dining room table. "Son of a bitch." She groaned, feelingly, as she identified the sound as both of their pagers going off in tandem, rattling on the wood and skittering across it’s surface. "I’m gonna throw those things in the God damned Atlantic Ocean right now."

"Shh." Kerry caught her breath. "They’d just get you another one." She patted Dar’s side, then gave her a little hug. "We’ll have plenty of time later to snuggle."

"Grumph." Dar looked definitely unhappy. "Bite me."

Kerry complied, getting a muffled scream from her lover. "Whoops… little sensitive there, huh?" She gave Dar an apologetic look. "Sorry."

Dar started laughing weakly. "My fault…

Kerry gave her a last hug, then went over to the table, and lifted both pagers, glancing at the displays. "Ops." She glanced at Dar. "I doubt they're paging us to wish us a Happy New Year." She reached for the condo phone, then paused. "Damn.. I keep forgetting that." She fished her cellphone out of her briefcase and dialed the ops number. "Hi.. it's Kerry Stuart…"

Dar leaned against the couch, folding her arms over her chest, trying to beat down the annoyance that was creeping up and putting her in a bad mood. Part of it was, she wryly admitted, her subverted libido. But the other part of it was a feeling of irritation that she and Kerry had to keep so much of their lives hidden, to the point where Kerry didn't dare use the condo phone to call work, because the caller id would immediately identify where she was calling from.

She could block it, of course, but that led to other questions. Dar sighed. "What's up?"

Kerry covered the receiver. "Some kind of glitch in the main backup systems." She mouthed. "Yes.." She added, into the phone. "No.. I haven't… have you tried her at home?" She glanced at Dar and rolled her eyes. "I know, but… oh. I see." She covered the receiver. "You wrote the program that runs it?"

Dar nodded. "Yeah." She reached for the wireless phone. "I'll call em.. they probably did a core dump again. " She dialed the same number Kerry was talking to.

"Okay, well, let me know if there's anything I can do." Kerry spoke reassuringly. "Bye." She closed her phone. "He had another line ringing.. imagine that."

Dar smirked. "Yeah?" She barked into the phone.

Kerry walked over and rubbed her back, leaning her forehead against Dar's shoulder for a brief instant. Then she straightened, and picked up her purse, clipping her pager and phone to the strap and holding her keys up where Dar could see them. "Meet you there?" She mouthed.

Dar looked decidedly unhappy, and answered with a shrug. "I guess." She whispered back. "Drive careful, okay?"

Kerry patted her leg and nodded, then headed for the door.

***********

"Wonder where the Ice Princess is?"

"She's probably too busy screwing someone over to show up… we'll hear about it Monday."

Kerry held her temper with difficulty.

"Screwing someone over, or screwing someone… didn't she have a meeting with that new account executive from Aldax?"

"The redhead? Yeah… that's her type all right."

Breathe. Kerry sipped her drink grimly, and tried to pay attention to what Mark was saying. "Sorry… did you say they were putting in a hundred megabit there?"

"Yeah.. " The MIS Chief, resplendent in a neat suit and tie, nodded. "Alan says he heard they were going to petition the account team to go to DS3's there.. I dunno."

"Means new substructure." Kerry shook her head. "They're gonna have to pay for it."

"Mm… hey." Mark changed the subject. "Have I told you that's a killer dress?"

"Twice." Kerry smiled at him. "But thank you… I appreciate the compliment."

Mark smiled back. "No problem.. uh.. " He moved closer, conscious of the three or four other employees around them. "Do you know if the boss is gonna show?"

"I think so." Kerry answered carefully, seeing ears perk around her. "She said she was on Thursday, but you know how it is. I got paged from Ops right before I left.. they were trying to get ahold of her for the backup systems."

"Shit." Mark scowled. "Yeah… she wrote the damn thing.. they always call her when it crashes." He set his drink down. "Lemme go call.. see what's going on." He walked to a more secluded spot and pulled out his cell phone, leaving Kerry to observe the slowly filling room.

The ballroom was large, and full of colorful decorations. Balloons were knotted in cheerful clusters, and multifaceted glitter was scattered everywhere. Each table had a festive centerpiece, and the dance floor was large, though at the moment mostly empty. The celebrants were trickling in though, wearing an intriguing collection of suits and dresses.

"Well, good evening, Kerry." Eleanor wafted up, in an elegant silver gown with a plunging neckline. "Don't you look wonderful." She turned. "Have you met my husband? Darling, this is Kerry Stuart, the new staff member I've been telling you about."

"Pleased to meet you." Kerry extended a hand to the tall, urbane, gray haired man.

"Same.. " The man eyed her with interest. "You're Roger Stuart's kid, aren't you?" He asked. "One of em?"

Kerry swallowed the bitter taste in her mouth. "Yes." She admitted. "His oldest daughter."

The man was about to answer, when Eleanor made a sound between a snort and a sneeze. "What do you know? I didn't expect her to show up tonight."

They all turned, and watched as Dar entered, greeting the two or three people closest to the door as she made her way into the room.

All her defenses were up, Kerry could tell, seeing the cold, almost arrogant attitude as her lover swept the room with her pale blue eyes, ignoring the stares coming her direction ranging from curious, to lustful, to disgusted. For a brief instant, their eyes met, and she saw the flash of sudden warmth sweep over Dar's features, disappearing immediately as she angled her steps towards the bar.

Everyone was watching her. Dar's powerful stride, and striking good looks drew the eye like a large, animate magnet, and you couldn't help but get caught up in that aura of attractive danger. Kerry watched along with the rest of them, then dropped her gaze as Eleanor started sniping.

"I have no idea why everyone thinks she's so good looking."

"She is." Kerry heard the words, and just kept herself from looking around to see who said them when her brain acknowledged that she had. She managed to keep her composure as Eleanor turned sharp eyes on her. "C'mon, Eleanor…you don't like her, but you can't say she's ugly."

Her husband laughed. "Pinned her correctly, Ms. Stuart." He was watching Dar as well. "El, she's a bitch by your lights, but she's a damn fine looking one by mine."

Miffed, Eleanor stalked off, dragging her spouse with her. Mark came back. "Looks like everything's okay." He reported, then looked where Kerry was pointing. "Huh…Oh!" A low whistle sounded. "Wow… "

Kerry smiled wistfully, as Dar accepted the drink she'd gotten from the bartender, and started working her way around the edge of the room. "Yeah." She murmured.

"Hhey, Kerry?" Mark edged closer, and lowered his voice.

"Mm?"

"She dance?"

Kerry smiled. "Why don't you ask her?"

"Yeah?"

The blond woman nodded. "Wish I could." She admitted.

Mark studied her, then glanced around the room. "This must suck for you, huh?" He sympathized. "If you guys so much as go to the bathroom together, I'll hear about it on Monday." He watched Kerry's jaw tighten. "Sorry."

"Not your fault." Kerry replied quietly. "It's true… I heard yesterday that a story's going around about how I bring Dar's coffee to her every afternoon." She rubbed her temple lightly. "I bring her tea, once… once, Mark.. and that's what happens."

Mark wisely remained silent, and cast his eyes on the floor.

"Oo… look what the cat dragged in there." The voice drifted over. "Guess she didn't bring her little redheaded friend with her… "

Kerry ground her teeth.

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

"Good evening, Dar." Duks straightened his snug bow tie and made her a half bow. "You are looking very well tonight."

Dar took a long swallow of her very alcoholic beverage and cocked her head at him. "You too." She glanced around the room. "Late start.. I thought I'd walk into the thick of things - got caught on a call with the office."

"Traffic coming up Biscayne." Duks explained. "You didn't hit it because you come over from the beach.. anyone coming from Kendall or south is sitting twiddling their whatevers." He scratched his jaw. "Except Kerry, of course."

Dar glanced at him warily. "Maybe she found a better route."

Duks chuckled. "She should hire out to the Department of Transportation in that case." He put his hands behind him and rocked on his heels. "I would venture to say the Operations division is beautifully represented this evening, in fact." His eyes drifted over to where Kerry was standing next to Mark.

Dar peeked. "Hmm." She hid a smirk behind her glass. In the sea of glamorous dresses, Kerry's simple elegance stood out clearly, and her boss noticed more than one envious glance tossed her way. "Yes it is." She agreed. "You interested in the buffet?"

"Certainly." Duks assented gravely. "I intend to have one of everything, before Mari gets here and makes me stick to bits of white fish and broccoli." He gestured. "After you, Madame?"

Dar finished her drink and set it down on a nearby bus tray, then proceeded across the dance floor to where the food tables were attracting a growing crowd. She picked up a plate and reviewed her choices, then was suddenly aware of a warm presence at her elbow. Her sense of smell told her who it was before she looked, and she only barely kept an uncharacteristic smile from crossing her face. "Evening, Kerry."

"Hi there." Kerry answered amiably. "How's the backup system?"

"Working." Dar held her plate out for some sliced roast beef, then added a large scoop of mashed potatoes, blithely ignoring the subtle throat clearing from next to her. "They connected up the new servers in the print room and the algorithms didn't recognize them." She plopped two biscuits and a bunch of grapes on her plate, then wandered along the rest of the display, marking several things to go back for. She was aware of Duks coming up behind her, with a plate of his own. "Pick your own seat, or did they do assigned seating again this year?"

"Assigned." Duks nudged her with an elbow. "Number twelve is us… Mari did the seating, so you should have a peaceful dinner, at least."

Dar claimed a chair and seated herself, noting the small list on the table. Herself, Duks, Mariana, Mark and his fiance Barbara, Maria and her husband Tomas, and, of course, Kerry. Mark was leading Barbara over, and Maria had just entered.

Dar looked up to see Kerry approaching, and smiled grimly as the blond woman hesitated, trying to pick a politically correct place to sit. 'Hey, Kerry." She indicated the seat next to her. "Save everyone else the trouble of finding an excuse not to."

"Why?" Kerry put her plate down anyway, and took the seat next to her boss. "Do you throw your food or something?"

That caused a chuckle.

"Ever see me at a meeting? Only one with two empty chairs on either side of me." Dar gazed around the table sardonically. "You'd think I had spikes."

"You do." Duks replied seriously. "Those damned pencils you use… how many times you have poked me with them? I go across the table, thank you very much."

Another chuckle.

"Hi, Maria." Kerry smiled warmly at the older woman as she approached. She stood and extended a hand to the short, owlish man with her. " You must be Tomas.. I've heard so much about you.. I'm Kerry Stuart."

Tomas took her hand and shook it vigorously. "Yes, Maria has told me much about you as well.. it is good to meet you finally." He gave Dar a timid look. "Hello, Ms. Roberts.. it is nice to see you again."

"Evening, Tomas… " Dar waved a fork at him. "I think I remember asking you to call me Dar last time we met though.. wasn't it at the picnic?"

"Si." He gave her a mildly abashed look. "Pardon, Dar. "

"The'yve got some nice things on the buffet, Maria." Kerry advised her. "Nice, fresh green beans." She forked one and held it up.

Dar sniffed at it. "Looks dangerous to me." She went back to her pile of mashed potatoes, puddling the little well of butter she'd melted in the center.

"How would you know?" Kerry felt herself relaxing a little, now that she was in a circle of friendly faces. "The last green thing I saw you eat was that lime Jell-O we had in the cafeteria the other day."

Everyone laughed. "Dios Mio, Dar… " Maria peered at her bosses plate. "I think that is half of the bull you have there."

"I will not comment on Dar and bulls." Duks intoned soberly. "It is not something we discuss in public."

"Hey!" Dar gave them all a dire look. "If I wanted abuse over dinner, I'd have gone over and sat next to Jose."

Abashed faces quickly reddened, and an awkward silence fell. "Pardon, Dar." Maria said softly. "I did not mean any trouble."

Dar glanced around. Kerry was staring at her plate, and Duks fiddled with his fork. "I was joking." The dark haired woman told them quietly. "It's okay to give me grief about my eating habits, really." A pause. "I started it, remember?"

Everyone relaxed a little, and Dar sighed inwardly.

"I think we are all just jealous, my friend." Duks admitted, regaining some of his cheerfulness. "We all wish we could eat like you do, and still look like you do."

Dar accepted the compliment with a graceful nod of her head. "You want to borrow my dress, Duks?" She inquired, a brow lifting. "Is that what you're getting at??"

"Tch… you know black is not my color." Her friend rose to the occasion. "Now, that red thing you wore last year…"

Everyone let out a relieved laugh, and went back to getting their food, and settling at the table. Kerry was still quiet though, sitting erect in her chair and eating with natural, but impeccable manners. Dar put her fork down and reached for a glass, using her motion to cover her other hand slipping under the table cloth and closing it's fingers around Kerry's knee.

A faint smile tugged at Kerry's lips, and she visibly relaxed. She gave a very quick look around, then surreptitiously snuck a green bean onto Dar's plate, and dared her not to eat the evidence.

The pale blue eyes narrowed a trifle, then Dar speared the intruder and smothered it in buttered potatoes before popping it into her mouth, chewing quickly and swallowing, then winking at her.

Kerry sighed, and chewed on her forkful of fish filet, and added a bit of steamed cauliflower to the mouthful. When she looked back down at her plate, she was very surprised to see a mound of mashed potatoes nestling next to her fish, and she gave Dar a startled look.

"I don't know, Dukky… that account's never going to consolidate if they don't start integrating their systems with ours." Dar was saying, pointing her knife at the Financial VP.

"Oh Dar… can we talk about the weather instead of business?" Marina broke in, as she arrived, and seated herself next to Duks, with a filled plate. "Seen any good movies lately?" She paused and smiled at Kerry. "Hello, Kerry… how do you like your first formal ILS party?"

Kerry was caught with a mouthful of potatoes, which she'd been enjoying. She swallowed them hastily and wiped her lips. "Very nice, thanks… and the last movie I saw was Like Water for Chocolate.. it was really interesting."

"I saw that." Mari agreed. "Good performances… "

"I'm going back up.. anyone want anything ?" Dar asked, getting to her feet. "No?" She shrugged and stepped around the table, heading back for the buffet.

Mari leaned over past Duks. "Kerry.. how in the hell does she get away with that?"

Kerry sighed, and lowered her voice. "A lot of hard work, if you mean her figure. What gets me pissed off is that her cholesterol and blood pressure are lower than mine." She complained. "Is that fair?" She held up a piece of cauliflower.

Duks and Mari chuckled. "No, it's not." Mari agreed wryly. "But you've been sharing her gym time, I see." She indicated Kerry's muscular arms. "Good for you.. I wish I had either the energy or the willpower."

Kerry smiled to acknowledge the compliment. "Actually.. it's a lot of fun, and what I found was, the more you do it, the more energy you have." She pushed her chair back. "Excuse me." She drained her water down, then headed outside for the restroom.

She pushed the door open, and slowed, as a small group inside turned, voices cutting off in mid syllable. Wonder who they were talking about. She wondered in silent sarcasm. "Hi."

"Oh.. hi, Kerry." One of the marketing executives smiled sweetly at her. "Having fun?"

Bite my left kneecap. "Sure… it's a nice party." Kerry replied. "How about you?"

"Great." A second woman also smiled. She was an outside sales agent, Kerry remembered. "Pretty dress… that color looks good on you."

"Thanks." Kerry easily handled the false banter. "I love that purse… did you get it to match your shoes?"

"Yeah, Macys.. well, gotta go." The two women left hastily, with their two companions following them. Kerry watched them go and sighed, then shook her head and used the facilities, deciding that she still hated panty hose and they still made her itch in inappropriate places. She stood at the mirror when she was done, washing her hands, and glanced into the reflection as the door opened behind her.

Beautiful blue eyes appeared.

"Do you have any aspirin?" Kerry asked plaintively.

Dar entered, and let the door close, then eyed the stalls to check for other occupants. "Yes, I do." She came up behind Kerry and put both hands on her bare neck, massaging it with sure, powerful fingers. "How are you doing?"

"If I had a two by four, you'd have a lot of paperwork to sign, and Mariana would be very, very, very pissed off at me." Kerry growled. "Don’t' these people have anything better to do with their time than trash other employees?"

Dar shrugged. "To each their own entertainment." She placed a daring kiss on Kerry's neck, just under her ear. "I prefer mine."

Kerry inhaled.sharply. "Dar, if you start that, and then make me go out there and pretend not to know you in the biblical sense, my brain is going to explode." She got an impish look, but Dar ceased her nibbling, and scratched Kerry's neck lightly with her fingertips instead.

"C'mon.. I've got some pills in my purse.."

The door swung open abruptly, almost hitting them, and Eleanor stalked in, obviously miffed. She stopped short when she spotted the two of them standing there, though Dar had dropped her hands to her sides at the first sound of the hinges.

"Problem?" Dar lifted an eyebrow.

"Strategy session?" Eleanor asked, with acid sweetness. "Don't let me interrupt." She turned and entered a stall, closing the door with a sharp snick of the lock.

Dar and Kerry exchanged wry looks. Dar patted Kerry's back and indicated the door. "Like I was saying, Kerry… sometimes you can just ping and ping, and you never get a valid response."

"Sometimes what you're pinging doesn't even have an address." Her assistant remarked. "It's just a dummy device."

Dar snickered, as the door rattled. "Ring in, but no ring out."

"Sixty megahertz card in a hundred megahertz bus."

"A SIMM short of a bank."

"A SCSI chain with no terminator."

Eleanor emerged, jerking her clothing straight. "You know, one of the biggest problems we have is that only a few people in our company speak normal ENGLISH." She stomped out, leaving the two nerds in momentary peace. Dar chuckled, then sighed, and gestured towards the door. "We've had our fun… c'mon.. before everyone thinks I'm planning a hostile takeover in here."

Kerry pulled the door open and followed Dar out, watching eyes in the lobby flick to them in interest. "I should carry my palm pilot around and pretend to be taking notes on everything you say." She muttered, giving two of the fourth floor art designers a smile as they passed.

"Think they could get any closer to each other?"

The whisper carried in a moment of broken sound to Kerry's ears, and she glanced at Dar, puzzled. She wasn't that close to her, no closer than she…

With a sigh, she dropped back a pace. Yes, they were that close. Inside each other's personal space as a matter of fact, far cozier than the normally very standoffish Dar would have allowed anyone else to be.

She wondered if Dar even realized it.

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

"Ugh." Kerry leaned against the door, flexing her tired toes as Dar keyed the code into the condo's lock. She'd followed her boss home, after the dinner had ended, and a few rounds of dancing had left her with sore feet, and a dislike for fruity men's cologne. "Ever consider company wide dancing lessons?"

Dar smiled, and held the door for her. "At least you got to practice." She remarked, having spent the rest of the evening mostly watching, and exchanging brief comments with the few people brave enough to approach her. "Mark's not bad."

"No." Kerry kicked off her heels, and sighed in relief. "I'm not used to these anymore… I used to have to suffer through this stuff once a week when I was younger."

"You're a good dancer." Dar complimented her. "A lot better than I am… anyway." She continued on into the living room, removing her own shoes and stretching a kink out of her back. "Went better than last year, though…I ended up in a scream fest with Jose outside the men's room that time. Ugly." She went over to the glass doors and peered out. "It's early yet… you interested in going over to the Mansion? Looks like they've got a nice party going over there."

Kerry joined her, looking out at the well lit old house, where the courtyard outside had been transformed to a dance floor under the bright stars. She could see tuxedo'd and gowned forms dancing together, and attractive as the sight was, she was suddenly reluctant to go again into the limelight, under the eyes of all those people. With a sigh, she rested her head against Dar's arm.

The dark haired woman glanced down. "Tired?"

Kerry gave her an apologetic look. "Dealing with all those people was exhausting." She kissed Dar's shoulder. " Could I interest you in some music, some good champagne, and a few waltzes right here? The living room's big enough."

Dar smiled. "Sure." She leaned closer. "I may be able to find some chocolate covered strawberries to go with that champagne."

"Oo."

"Besides… I'm honestly not a good dancer, Kerry… I'm really kinda glad no one asked me at that damn party." Dar leaned on the door frame. "I can't even remem.." She paused, thinking. "Anyway.. just don’t' move too fast, huh?"

Kerry sensed her change of mood, and she turned, leaning against the glass so she could see Dar's face. "I won't… listen, you okay? We can just relax if you want.. put on the Times Square thing, and watch the ball drop."

Dar folded her arms. "No.. I'd like to share a few turns with you." She smiled at the blond woman. "I grew up fast, when I was a kid… I was too tall for most of the guys to ask to dance."

"Their loss." Kerry took her hand. "I didn't have that problem. Everyone wanted to dance with me… but for none of the right reasons." She straightened, and got closer to Dar, letting her hands rest on her lover's hips, as Dar circled her shoulders. "They were all looking out for themselves.. wanting to catch my father's eye. I always felt like.. a dressed up stepladder."

Dar reached behind her, and turned the sophisticated stereo system on, her own addition to the condo. A quiet melody emitted, and she smiled at Kerry, as they nestled closer together, swaying to the music. "I can't believe that, Kerry." Dar said. "How could anyone be this close to you, and not notice how beautiful you are?"

"Well… " Kerry laid her cheek against Dar's shoulder. "I never thought of myself that way, and I don’t' think any of them did either… I always felt gawky.. I wasn't very coordinated and I was always worried about doing something wrong, and getting yelled at by my parents." She moved in a little circle, and Dar followed her lead. "You can't tell me with your body control, and reflexes, that you're not a good dancer, Dar.. I just won't believe it."

"Mm." Dar slid closer, and found the rhythm of the music. "Let's just say a navy base isn't a place where you learn refined skills like dancing, at least… " A wry chuckle. "Not this kind. I can do a mean break dance if you force me to it."

Kerry stopped dead. "You mean that spinning on your head stuff??" She peered up at her lover incredulously. "You're kidding."

"Nope." Dar pulled her close again. "I'm sure if we'd met as high schoolers, you wouldn't have looked twice at me."

Kerry thought about that, as they made the music louder, and swayed across the marble floor. She tried to imagine Dar coming to her Christian high school, set down in a world that would have been as alien to her as a military base would have been to Kerry.

She remembered how she felt then, just coming out of puberty, just becoming aware of who her father was, and how her family was viewed, her friends so carefully picked, her activities strictly regulated. A single day in her junior year stood out, when she'd flexed her developing intellect, overtaking both the girls, and most of the boys in her class, and finding not acceptance and good will, but disdain, and suspicion, and her father's disapproval for making a fellow Senator's son look bad in the process.

She'd been so confused.

What if Dar had walked into her life at just that moment? "You're wrong." She murmured softly.

"About what?" Dar had her eyes closed, and was simply enjoying the closeness.

"I would have been drawn to you like a iron plate and a magnet." Kerry told her. "For one thing, your intelligence would have reassured me that I wasn't a freak." She in haled. "I would have been totally fascinated by you."

Dar thought about that, as they moved in a lazy circle. "Think we would have been friends?" She sounded surprised.

Kerry smiled. "You would have been the friend they couldn't run off.. and who wouldn't have deserted me."

Dar kissed her. "Your folks would have hated my guts." She gazed into Kerry's eyes. "But you're right." They kissed again, then slid together, as fireworks off the shoreline arced upwards, leaving a faintly heard whistle and pop behind them.

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

The office was mostly silent, save the faint scratching of a pen on paper, and the soft, distinctive hum of the computer on the desk. It was a room filled with warm mahogany wood, with a small conference table on one side surrounded by chairs, a discrete credenza holding a tray containing a pitcher of water and a set of glasses on the other, and the desk in the rear center, it's back facing a large, floor to ceiling window which afforded a horizon view of a choppy, greenish blue Atlantic Ocean.

Dar was seated at her desk, dressed in a conservative gray skirt and white silk shirt, the sleeves of which were rolled up past her elbows, exposing tanned, muscular forearms. Draped over the back of the chair was a gray blazer, and her dark head was propped up on one fist, while the other hand curled about a busily moving pen. One paper was completed, and then it was turned over, coming to rest next to a small aquarium where the two suspicious Siamese fighting fish swam languidly, sparing occasional fishy eyes for the desk's tenant.

"Twelve down, eighteen to go." Dar sighed, scratching her jaw with the edge of the pen. "You'd think we'd have gotten our staff evaluations on computer by now." She paused, and then punched a button on the large console phone on her desk. "Mari?"

"Yes… hello, Dar. Good afternoon." The Personnel Director's voice was relaxed and friendly.

"Mind if I ask why one of the largest goddamn IS companies in the world can't put it's evals the intranet?" Dar asked, testily. "Do you know how much faster it would be?"

"Ah, Dar." Mariana sighed, as though she'd been answering that very question all day long. Which she had. "If we did that, how would we comply with the regulation that dictates we insure all our senior staff know how to write longhand?" She inquired lightly. "Now now… you shouldn't complain… you only have thirty people you're directly responsible for. Think how Jose must feel? He has two hundred."

Dar considered this, chewing the end of her pen. "You're right. That put me in a much better mood." She chuckled. "He must be tearing what's left of his hair out."

"You're not kidding." Mari sighed. "Actually, the reason they're not e-forms is because there were some concerns about employee security - the eforms might be accessible by people on the intranet that really shouldn't be able to read them."

"Oh." Dar thought about that. "So.. I probably shouldn't tell you that I just passed by the main printer room and saw all of Jose's completed forms printing out, right?"

Mari sighed aggrievedly.

"It was like a feeding frenzy in there." Dar grinned at the phone. "Everyone was peeking."

"And you didn't stop it? Come on, Dar… you're supposed to be responsible management up there." The Personnel director sounded peeved.

"Hey… how was I supposed to know that wasn't a new sales incentive of his?" Dar asked, reasonably. "After all, I fill out mine longhand."

"Jesu. All right.. I could use a cup of coffee anyway.. I'll wander down there. " Mariana exhaled. "How are you doing?"

"Bout halfway. "Dar lied.

"Uh huh." Mariana sounded supremely unconvinced. "Why do you all you guys have to wait until the last minute?"

"Because it's such a pain in the ass, Mari!!!" Dar responded, exasperatedly. "Tell Houston to get their anal pusses into the 21^st Century with the rest of us, and put these damn things online! If they'd migrate to IIS4, security wouldn't be a god damned problem!"

"Can you spell that phonetically, Dar? I'm sending them a carrier pigeon." Mariana responded, in a serious voice. "All right… I'll put in a recommendation, again, for the forms to be changed to eforms."

"Thanks." Dar grumped. "Gotta go." She hung up, and went back to her task. Each form had fifty categories, in which she had to grade her employees, and a comments section which by regulation had to be filled in. "Jesus Christ… " She sighed, riffling through the stack. "Can't I just send in a slip of paper that says 'If they're not fired, they're fine?'" She complained to the fish, who wiggled their fins at her.

"No, huh. " She bent her head to the paper, reaching out and snagging a piece of dried fruit from a cobalt blue dish on her desktop and nibbling it.

A tap at the outer door was a welcome interruption. "C'mon in." She called out, looking up to see her secretary poke her head in. "Maria… have we gotten the status reports from Marketing yet?"

The short, older woman shook her head. "Nada…and I have called that new facilitatoria there three times." She walked across the carpeted floor and put several folders into Dar's inbox. "Three new accounts.. Kerrisita is going to be busy this week."

"Mm." Dar agreed, the mention of her assistant bringing an unconscious smile to her face. "Hang on.. " She punched a number into the phone. It rang twice, then a perky voice answered. "I need to talk to Jose." Dar stated crisply.

"I'm sorry.. he's in conference right now." The voice answered.

"Tell him to get out of the john and onto the phone or he'll have me in there hunting him down in thirty seconds." Dar replied, pitching her voice lower.

Dead silence. "One moment, please."

Dar waited, checking her watch. Maria covered her mouth to keep a laugh from escaping. Twenty seven seconds later, the phone picked up again.

"What the hell, Dar?" The Marketing VP snarled.

"I need those status reports ." Dar snarled right back. "And I frankly don't have the time to have my god damned staff running around the building chasing down your staff to get them."

In the silence, she could hear his heavy breathing. She waited making a few more comments on the sheet she was working on, and munching another piece of dried fruit. "I'm waiting." She commented crisply.

"Hold on." The line went to music, and Dar hummed along, selecting a pecan from the dish and pushing it towards Maria. "Want some trail mix?"

The secretary accepted the offer, picking up a piece of apricot and putting it into her mouth, privately amused by her bosses' sudden fondness for the relatively healthy snack, replacing her usual dish of chocolates.

"They'll be there in five minutes." Jose's voice came back on. "And stop scaring the shit out of my staff."

"If your staff did their jobs, I wouldn't have to be calling you, now would I?" Dar replied silkily, before she disconnected. "Asshole." She muttered, shaking her head. "Okay.. if you don't get those reports by the time you get out to your desk, lemme know."

"Si… Dar, have you seen Mr. Jose's new assistant?" Maria lowered her voice. "I'm not the one for to be talking in corners, but I hear twice today he is very sharp, and they are looking for him to how you say… go against you."

Dar leaned on her elbows and fiddled with the pen in her hands, then looked up. "I've heard the same thing." Her pale, intense blue eyes regarded Maria. "Kerry's in a meeting with him, and Eleanor right now in fact… he called the facilities projections for this year into question."

"Dios Mio." The older woman's brow creased. "Is trouble, no?"

A slow nod. "Mr. Fabricini and I have met before." The executive remarked quietly. "In fact, we used to be friends." Her former classmate, whose hiring had been a very unpleasant surprise when they'd gotten back from the holidays. "We are not friends now." She told Maria frankly. "It could get very ugly, yes."

Maria sighed. "Is bad." She frowned. "Why can not everyone just come, do their work, go home… not spend all day making problems." She exhaled. "Poor Kerrisita.. stuck with those two."

A quiet smile edged Dar's face. "She's tough… she'll be fine, Maria. " She reassured her secretary. "Listen, I know I've got a meeting after lunch with the executive committee, but did we reschedule that client briefing for tomorrow or is it still at four?"

"I'll check." Maria headed for the door. "And I'll let you know about those reports."

"Thanks." Dar let out a breath, and went back to her task, concentrating for a minute, then dropping her pen down and leaning back, her eyes thoughtful.

So. Even Maria had heard it. Dar felt a familiar frustration rising in her, triggered by the secretary's plaintive question. Why couldn't everyone just show up and do their job? It was obvious by their first encounter that Steven Fabricini had been hired specifically because he knew Dar, and Jose was hoping that knowledge could turn things to his advantage in the boardroom.

Not that he wasn't qualified, Dar mused. He was, more than Jose was, in her honest opinion. But he was also less scrupulous than the blustery Cuban, more ruthless, and far more aggressively antagonistic.

Like her, if she wanted to view things very objectively, in which case Jose's choice hadn't been a bad one, for his purposes. Their first meeting hadn't gone well.

Since then, it had been a series of little testing jabs, culminating in a challenge, two days ago, to the projected facilities additions they'd structured before the end of the last year. She knew Steven was looking to prove himself to Jose, and use this as an opportunity to fence with her, so she'd reviewed the information, and sent Kerry to the meeting he'd demanded instead.

She wondered how it was going.

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

The meeting room was small, only an oval table, with six chairs around it, and a whiteboard stark against the beige corded wall covering. Four people were seated around the table currently, three of them staring across the table at the fourth, a young woman of middling height with blond hair and pale green eyes. She was clad in a plain, dark blue skirt with a matching sweater, contrasting with the other occupants pinstripe business suits and bright red skirt and blazer.

"I'm sorry.. I'm not sure I understand the question. " Kerry stated, turning her pencil in her hands, and peering patiently across the table. Jose, Eleanor and Steven rounded out the participants, and Kerry had the very uncomfortable sensation of being a rabbit in a cage with three hungry snakes.

Fortunately, she sighed, rabbits did have claws, and teeth, and could use them when needed. "What does half a dozen prospective leads that haven't even gone to bid status have to do with projections from last year?"

Steven Fabricini had been very obviously miffed that Dar had sent her, Kerry realized, but she also understood why her boss had done so.. she had the answers to their questions, and it prevented the meeting from appearing to be a forum where Dar would be pushed into the defensive, attacked by the three Sales and Marketers.

Now Steven stood, walking to the whiteboard. "Well, as I see it.. if we can show that kind of potential, then facilities has the obligation to add bandwidth so we have the ability to close the deals. " He held his hands out. "What is there to understand?"

Kerry cocked her head. "That's like saying you're going to buy six hamburgers at McDonalds because you might be hungry." She stated. "Upping bandwidth on the network is done via a formula based on your department's past performance… if you want that changed, you need to close more contracts, because they're not going to acquire hard circuits on the possibility of leads." She consulted the information Dar had printed out for her. "According to the last five years projections, infrastructure is increasing the acquisition of circuits based on a new account rate of ten percent." She looked up. "Are you saying we're going to close more new accounts than that?"

"We have no idea!" Jose threw his hands up. "But we can't sell the accounts if we don't have the bandwidth to handle their demands immediately."

"Don't you see, Kerry.. " Eleanor added smoothly, smiling at her. "We have to have a bargaining chip."

"Ah." Kerry stated, folding her hands over the papers. "Okay.. so what happens if we don't add that many accounts, and we end up with a negative balance we have to compensate for?"

"See? That’s your problem, cupcake.. you can't think like that.. you have to think positive." Steven pointed the marker at her. "You're too conservative.. and it's killing our potential to sign new business."

Kerry propped her chin up on one hand. "No… we're just following the written guidelines for new business, as set down by corporate, in Houston. If you have an issue with how the business case has to be structured, you need to address that with Alastair McLean, since it's his model." She neatly flipped the tables on him. "And those five accounts you tossed into this issue do not adhere that standard.. in fact, two of them show significant potential for our taking a loss on the overall account, despite the bonus you all will get for signing the new business." Her voice was gentle, and almost pleasant. "So, as you can see, I'm really not convinced we should go to Infrastructure on this, and ask them to accelerate their program." She stood up. "Now.. if you'll all excuse me, I have a lunch meeting I'm due at in twenty minutes."

Jose grabbed his papers and left, with a disgusted look. Eleanor trailed him out, leaving Steven and Kerry in the room. He sauntered over to her. " You're pretty sharp."

Sea green eyes regarded him. "Thank you." She picked up her papers. "Excuse me."

"Hey.. hey.. hold on.. " Steven circled around and perched on the table. "I'm not going to bite you." He smiled. "Unless you want me to, of course." He flicked the papers. "No need to be hostile.. we're on the same side, remember?"

"Are we?" Kerry asked. "Then why accuse our division of deliberately sabotaging yours?" She held up the printed out email. "Or didn't you write this?"

"Aw, c'mon.. " Steven chuckled. "It's just a game… loosen up." He slapped his folded papers against her arm lightly. "We're both pretty new here, right?"

"More or less. " Kerry replied relaxing her pose.

"So… we can talk.. look, I'm not here to make trouble, okay? I'm just trying my best to jump-start some sales here.. it's to all our benefit, remember?" His brows lifted. "We can help each other… things are kind of stagnating… and if we work together, maybe we can get things moving again."

Kerry studied him. He was charming, he knew it, and she could feel the allure of that engaging smile. "I'd be glad to help in any way I could." She answered, carefully. "Without compromising our standards."

He moved closer, in a casual way. "Ah.. now Kerry.. would I ask you to compromise your standards?" He grinned. "I heard you say you have a lunch meeting… maybe tomorrow we could grab a bite in the cafeteria and chat.. how about it?" Steven captured her eyes, and his lips twitched a little.

"All right." The blond woman said, quietly. "We can do that." She shifted her papers. "I have to go… I'll be late for my meeting." She favored him with a gentle smile.

He winked. "Go on, cupcake.. .see you later." He watched her leave, then smiled to himself, letting out a low, soft chuckle.

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

The cafeteria was crowded with the early lunch people, staff who came in before eight, and by noon were more than ready to eat. Kerry picked up her tray, and wound her way through the room, spotting Maria and several other older women seated near the back where a window allowed a view of the water. "Hi." She greeted them, putting her tray down by an empty chair. "Looks like we're going to get some rain."

"Si." Maria agreed, looking out at the threatening clouds. "How are you, Kerrisita? Did your meeting go all right?"

Kerry seated herself, and picked up her silverware. "More or less… " She took a sip of her ice tea, and speared a piece of lettuce. "We agreed to disagree… you know." She gave the older woman a wry look, then glanced around casually. "Boss get stuck again?"

Maria nodded. "Si… a conference call from France… she asked me to bring her up a sandwich."

Kerry clucked and shook her head, but didn't say anything. The table talk turned to the latest episode of a favorite TV show, and she joined in cheerfully.

"Guess that honeymoon ended fast." The faintly sarcastic remark made Duks raise his head, and regard the speaker coolly.

"Excuse me?"

Comptroller Selene Advosan leaned closer. "C'mon, Duks…when she first started, her and the ice princess were tighter than a champagne cork in a bottle… I haven't even seen them eat lunch together since the New Year.. I guess the novelty wore off."

The Financial VP chewed his corned beef sandwich thoughtfully. "Never noticed." He shrugged, then glanced over at Kerry, who appeared perfectly at home with her tablemates, and was laughing at something Maria had said. "Maybe they're just busy… Dar never did lunch much anyway… and they seem friendly enough."

"Yeah.. but I thought we had a juicy one going there for a little while." Selene sighed. "I should have known better.. Dar's way out of her league."

"Mm." Duks dismissed the subject, and concentrated on his lunch.

Kerry put her tray away, and joined Maria as the secretary ordered a sandwich for their boss. The older woman checked the available options, then glanced sideways. "What you think…chicken salad?" She inquired, her brow creasing.

"Tuna melt, on raisin toast." Kerry murmured. "With french fries."

"Aie." Maria winced, and gave her an appalled look. The blond woman shrugged, and smiled. "Dios Mio. All right." She ordered the sandwich, and gathered some napkins as it was being made. She took the bag the counterman handed her and clucked, then followed Kerry out the door and to the elevator, which swallowed them up along with several other staff members. At the last minute, running footsteps and a hand between the door delayed them as Steven Fabracini slid in.

"Well, hello there." He sorted his way through the mailman and two administrative assistants, choosing to lean against the same wall Kerry was. "How was lunch?"

"Fine thanks." The blond woman replied readily. "This cafeteria's really not bad…it's better than most of the restaurants around here."

"Ah.." He watched as the doors opened, and one woman left. "You live in the area?"

"Kendall." Kerry answered amiably.

"Hey.. me too." Steven smiled. "Seems like most of the building does…either that, or up in Miramar." He glanced up as the mail man and the other woman left. "Guess we're headed to the same place." He noted, seeing the fifteen button the only one left lit.

"Guess we are." Kerry eyed him. "Where in Kendall did you end up?"

He told her, crossing his arms. "It's a nice little complex…got a clubhouse, and all that."

"That's not too far from where I am…I like the area. We go rollerblading down to that little bakery on the corner near the mall all the time." The blond woman commented.

"Hey.. I blade al the time." Steven smiled. "Maybe we'll bump into each other sometime down there… I like that little place." The door opened and he gestured. "Ladies first.. "

Kerry followed Maria out, seeing the stiff set of the secretary's back and biting off a tiny smile. Steven accompanied them down the hall and into Dar's outer office, where the executive's distinctive, vibrant voice could be heard growling through the thick wood paneling. "Aie.. what now." Maria sighed.

Steven chuckled. 'Dar never needed a reason to be rude, crude and obnoxious." He brushed by them and walked into the dark haired woman's office, closing the door behind him.

Kerry and Maria exchanged glances, then Kerry picked up the paper bag. "I'll drop this off." She paused with a hand on the doorknob, then opened the inner office door, and stepped inside.

"Mike, I don't give a god damn what they're telling you, it's bullshit." Dar punctuated her words by slamming her pencil on the desk. "I'm not going to accept sixty days to pull a lousy circuit, so they better come up with something else."

"Look, Dar… we've been going around and around with them for two months.. they won't budge." The man's voice answered, sounding tired. "They've got unions to deal with up there, and facilities that are older than my damn mother."

Dar looked up as the door opened, and her nostrils flared a bit as Steven walked brazenly into her office. "Hang on a minute. "She hit the hold button. "People knock before they come into this office."

Steven clucked, and dropped into a chair. "Get your panties out of a wad, Dar."

"What do you want? I'm in the middle of something." The dark haired woman snapped back.

Steven leaned back, glancing up as the outer door opened, and Kerry slipped in. "Thought people knocked first?" He asked mockingly, smiling at Dar.

"She doesn’t have to knock. She works here." Dar replied. "You've got ten seconds. Talk, or get out."

Kerry paced quietly across the carpet and deposited the bag on Dar's desk. "Lunch." She murmured, then headed for the inner door that lead down a service corridor to her own office.

"Thanks.' Dar spared her a brief glance. "Hold on a second.. I have some contracts to turn over to you." Then she focused back on her unwelcome guest. "What is it?"

"I want a task force." He leaned forward abruptly. "I want two people from your staff so I can figure out what the hell you're trying to accomplish around here, and see if I can straighten it out. " He pointed. "I want her, and whoever else you have assigned over to me for a period of two months, starting tomorrow."

Silence fell. Dar folded her hands over her desk, and blinked at him. "That's what you want?" She inquired mildly.

"That's what I want." He smiled.

One long, powerful finger pointed at the door. "What I want is you out of my office." The executive stated flatly. "I don't have the time, or the people to dedicate to you for your wild goose chase. If you want to bring in temps to play with files, talk to Mariana."

"Afraid of what I'll find, Dar?" He crossed his legs, and smiled at her, as he glanced sideways at the quietly waiting Kerry. "You can't hide it forever."

Dar merely stared steadily at him.

"Fine." He stood up and brushed his pants off. "I'll just make it a formal request up the line… I'll get what I want… and everyone will know it… sorry, Dar.. I was trying to spare you that for old time's sake." He winked at Kerry then left, the door closing behind him with a bang.

A silence settled, then Kerry cleared her throat. "You know what I want?"

Dar raised an eyebrow at her.

The blond woman walked over and settled on the corner of Dar's desk. "I want a shower." She pointed "Right in that corner, so every time I have to talk to that sneaky little piece of pig manure I can go and wash myself off." She made a face and gagged. "He makes me feel so slimy!!" She shuddered. "Ugh! Dar! Gag! Gross! Yuck!!!"

That got a weary chuckle from the taller woman, who shook her head and sighed. "He's a piece of work, that's for sure. " She punched the phone button. "Mike you still there?"

"Yeah.. " A muffled voice answered. "Just eating my lunch."

"All right.. gimme the name of someone up in their chain.. I'll see what I can do to shove things along a little." Dar propped her head up on one hand. "Sixty days… my dog could pull a circuit in less than sixty days."

"Probably do a neater job of it. "The voice agreed. "I'll email you with some names… thanks Dar."

"Yeah, yeah…" Dar sighed, as she disconnected, and turned to face Kerry. "Hey."

Kerry cocked her head and smiled.. "Hey." She indicated the bag. "Tuna on raisin… better eat the french fries before they soak through the bag."

Dar's expression gentled, and she captured Kerry's hand, squeezing it. "Thanks.. how'd the meeting go? You must have made an impression, or he wouldn't be asking for you."

Kerry rolled her sea green eyes. "I think he's just bound and determined to screw you over…he went from being condescending and antagonistic, to hitting on me." She made a face. "He wants to do lunch tomorrow." She watched Dar's right eyebrow lift. "Here… just in the cafeteria." She amended with a gentle twinkle. The eyebrow remained where it was. "Oo.. do I sense some territoriality raising it's head?"

"Hmph." Dar snorted softly. "No… that's not… you can go to lunch with whoever you want to, Kerry.. I'm not.. um.. "

A hand cupped her cheek unexpectedly. "I'm flattered." Kerry whispered.

Dar fell silent, then chuckled a little. "I do have a pronounced possessive streak. " She admitted wryly. "But be careful, all right? He's very sharp."

The blond woman leaned closer. "Not as sharp as you are." She murmured softly. "Even though he thinks he is." She informed her boss. "What is his problem with you, anyway/"

Dar sighed. "We went to school together… we were pretty good friends, even though we don't have much in common.. we were both in the martial arts together, hung out with some of the same crowd… the trouble started when I beat him in the nationals that year."

"Ah." Kerry lifted a hand. "I get it… let me guess, he was god's gift to karate?"

"No." Dar replied, surprisingly. "He wasn't really that good, maybe that was the problem.. he never made it past the preliminary rounds, and I was the one that kicked him into the loser's bracket… purely by chance. " She exhaled, remembering. "He felt I should have helped him get further… because he was trying to impress this girl on the opposing team he'd been after for years… it was why he got involved in the stuff to begin with."

"That doesn’t make sense.. why would you have taken a dive for him?" Kerry inquired. "I can't see you doing that in any case."

Pale blue eyes winked at her from under long, dark lashes. "It was complicated.. he thought I owed him the favor.. but at any rate, I didn't, and he lost, and he dropped out of the karate program after that." She paused, ordering her thoughts. "He was majoring in systems design.. and through a chance routine I was running, I discovered he'd stolen his entire senior's design matrix from someone else. "

"Uh oh." Kerry winced.

"Yeah… well, me being a moral and upright bastard in the old days, I had to go running to the department head with it, and he was tossed out of school." Dar sighed. "Our last meeting wasn't very pleasant.. he told me he'd get back at me someday, and now, here he is trying."

"Jesus… he should get a life.. what was that, ten years ago? What a waste of time." Kerry folded her arms across her chest. "He gives me the creeps."

"Mm." Dar agreed. "Well, we have to deal with him.. if he keeps pushing you, you can tell him you're not interested.. or that you're involved with someone."

"Both of which are completely true." Kerry agreed." Your sandwich is getting cold." She gave her boss a not so subtle nudge.

The dark haired woman smiled, then opened the bag, tugging out the sandwich and munching on a fry. "Mm… bet Maria made a face at you for this." She bit into the gooey sandwich happily. "She usually brings me chicken salad on pita."

Kerry watched her indulgently for a minute, then stood up. "Yes, she did… but not nearly as nasty a face as when old Stevie Snake was flirting with me." She touched Dar's shoulder. "I think she has a protective streak, too."

"Mmhmm… " Dar nodded, with her mouth full. "She thinks you're a manifestation of the Blessed Virgin for getting me to eat trail mix instead of malted milk balls."

Kerry snorted softly. "That didn't take much effort at all.. c'mon…anyone could have done it."

Dar studied her sandwich for a moment, before taking a bite of it. "No one else ever tried." She remarked casually, as she chewed the mouthful, enjoying the gentle tang of the raisins in the bread. "Even my mother gave up on me."

"Well." Kerry reached oven and gently pushed an errant, dark lock out of Dar's eyes. ""I'm pretty stubborn." She smiled. "Not to mention a little on the possessive side myself." She confessed. "Was your mother into greens?"

"Vegetarian." Dar replied, wiping her mouth. "She tried… but my father told me even as a baby I used to chuck up the strained peas, and go after his hamburger. Must have driven her nuts." She finished off her fries and neatly disposed of the bag. "Thank you…now I have just enough time to review this damn status report before the executive committee meeting… and I'm stuck with a new client briefing at four… I won't get out of here before seven."

Kerry nodded. "I'm meeting a few folks over at the gym for a climbing session at six…will you be over for our class?"

"Oh yeah." Dar responded positively. "I'll be ready for that…. It's been a long, aggravating day, and it's only lunchtime."

"Yikes." Kerry's hands had found their way across her bosses neck, feeling the tension in her shoulders. She stood up and went behind the chair, reaching over and giving her a gentle massage, enjoying the warm feel of Dar's skin under the cool silk of her blouse. "You're all wound up, huh? "

"Mm." Dar closed her eyes and dropped her head forward, submitting to her companion's touch gratefully. "Yeah… Ow… oh… damn, that feels good." It was such a nice feeling, she reflected. Not just the massage, which was relaxing her, but the warmth and caring she could practically feel pouring from Kerry.. She finally leaned back, as the blond woman finished, and looked up at her. "Thanks."

Kerry smiled back. "Your welcome.. I'd better get going .. did you actually have stuff to give me, or was that just a reason for me not to leave?"

A soft chuckle. ""I'm not that bad. Here… " Dar handed her the three folders. "Three new ones…and in case I didn't say it before, the two you structured last week were very well done." She meant it, too, the business plans had been very well thought out, and the start up schedules were efficient, and thoughtful. "I got a note from Eleanor regarding the New England Power meeting…she was very impressed with how you handled it."

Kerry positively beamed. A big, sunny grin covered her face, and her eyes sparkled, as she drank in the compliments. "Wow.. thanks…" Somehow, when Dar discussed business with her, she managed to forget their relationship, and simply react as anyone else would in getting praised by their boss. It was a weird sensation, almost like she and Dar were two different people, the ones who worked together, and the ones that lived together. "Glad I did good."

Dar's phone buzzed. "Dar?" Maria sounded resigned.

"Yes?" The executive answered, leaning on an elbow.

"Personnel, line numero uno."

"I bet I know what this is." Dar sighed. "Thanks.." She hit the button. "Dar Roberts."

"You are such the troublemaker, you know that?" Mariana's voice sounded halfway between irritation and wry amusement. "Are you trying to set some record for complaints against one employee?"

Dar lifted her hands and let them fall on the desk. "What did I do?"

"Oh.. let's see.. " A rustle of paper. "Being rude, obstructionist, uncooperative, detrimental to the progress of business… "

"She really wasn't, Mari." Kerry spoke over her bosses shoulder. "I was here…she was really polite, as a matter of fact."

Mariana sighed. "What did he want?"

"Me." Kerry replied. "He wanted me, and another staff member assigned to him personally for two months, while he.. as he put it, straightened us out."

A soft curse in a fluid language followed. "And you told him no, I take it?"

"I told him I didn't have the time nor the staff to go on wild goose chases.. if he wanted dog's bodies to hunt stuff down, to go see you." Dar replied. "I'm not assigning one of my staff, not even mentioning my very valuable, and very efficient assistant to that horse's ass."

"Mm.. I see." The Personnel VP sighed. "Well, he kicked a copy of this up to Alastair, along with a bunch of statistics… it looks pretty nasty, Dar.. I'll forward you a copy."

Dar drummed her fingers on her desk. "Did he copy Jose?"

A moment's silence. "Um…now that you mention it, no." Mariana replied.

Dar smiled. "Okay.. thanks.. I'll handle Alastair if he decides to get involved." She pulled a folder over to her. "Meet you in the conference room?"

"You got it." Mariana agreed, and hung up.

"He sound like he really means to make a case out of this, Dar." Kerry stated quietly, her brow creasing in concern. "Would it be easier if we just went along with it? I mean.. it's not like he's going to actually find anything if he investigates our area."

The pale blue eyes thoughtfully roamed the room, settling on Kerry's face with quiet intentness. "Yes, it would be easier." She stated flatly. "But I'm not gonna do it." The ferocity in her voice surprised Kerry. "He wants a fight? He'll get one."

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

Dar glanced at her watch as she entered her office. The briefing had lasted an hour longer than predicted, but it had ended on a good note, so she considered the time well spent. It was a few minutes to seven, though, and she lifted her cell phone, dialing a number without looking. Three rings, then four, then a breathless voice answered. "Hey."

"Oh.. " Kerry paused to breathe. "Hey… what's up?"

"Where are you?" Dar inquired, hearing the panting.

"Halfway up the climbing wall, holding on by one hand." The blond woman replied. "So..as much as I love talking to you, could you kinda…"

"Sorry." Dar apologized. "I just got back from the briefing… I'll be over in about ten minutes."

"Right.. I'll let everyone know." Kerry responded. "Ooof…oh..wait..okay." She sighed. "That's better.. I was sort of upside down, and trying to hold myself up… my arm was giving out."

The executive chuckled softly. "Okay.. .well, get both hands back on those holds, okay? I'll see you in a bit." She was looking forward to the class, and her sparring time with Ken. "Take care."

"Okay.. see ya.." Kerry hung up, then managed to clip her cell phone to the back of her workout shorts. "Glad I got the lightweight model." She commented to the rough wall before her eyes. "Well, time to go down.."

She worked her way slowly across the wall, moving from handhold to handhold, and finally let go of the last one, landing lightly on the floor. Her shoulders and thighs ached, and she straightened up slowly, then leaned against the wall and caught her breath. "Whoo." She shook her arms out and flexed her hands, then paced back out of the climbing room and paused, searching the crowded gym. "Ah." She spotted Ken standing next to his small office, and she headed in his direction.

He looked up as she approached, and a smile creased his friendly face. "Hey there."

"Hey Ken… " Kerry wiped her brow with the towel she had tucked in her waistband. "Dar's on her way over… she had a late meeting."

Ken rubbed his neck. "I'm still sore from last night." He complained wryly. Dar had surprised him with a side kick that had nailed his jaw, and snapped his head sideways. "Maybe we can just have coffee tonight, huh?"

Kerry laughed gently. "I think she's really enjoying your sessions… but I'm sure she'd take it easy on you if you asked her." She looked up as Colleen approached, already in her workout gear. "Hey, Col… it'll be a few minutes. Dar's on her way over."

The redhead grinned. "Good..I thought I was going to be late..I had two tellers come up short today, and we spent an extra hour trying to figure out what happened." She tugged on Kerry's shorts. "Let's get a drink while we're waiting."

"Okay.. I"ve got to put my stuff on.. " Kerry agreed. "You want anything, Ken?"

"No… " The gym manager shook his head. "You two go on.. I've got to give a few tours." He indicated a small group of uncertain looking women. "New members."

Kerry nodded then followed Colleen towards the juice bar. "Order me a strawberry banana, would you.. I'm going to go change." She angled her steps towards the locker room, waving at three sweating women who passed by. "Hey guys.. "

"Hi Kerry." The closest one, a programming specialist who worked in Mark's department answered "The boss around?"

"On her way." The blond woman smiled, as she continued into the tile lined locker room, which echoed with the sounds of the showers, and the clank of locks against the metal doors. She went to her assigned space and unlocked it, pulling out her light cotton pants and top, and the white belt that went with them, and stripped off her shorts and the t-shirt she wore when climbing, along with the knee protectors that kept her kneecaps from being smashed against the rough concrete.

Idly she glanced to the right, and caught sight of herself in the mirror, and she paused to evaluate the reflection. Turned sideways as she was, she could see the smooth curve of her thigh muscles, which had become a good deal more pronounced and she slid a hand up along her waistline, where she was just beginning to be able to see a little definition. "Hmm." She raised an eyebrow at the sight, watching the rounded shoulder muscles shift as she moved her arm. It had taken her a while to get used to it, to be honest.. she'd been so accustomed to thinking about herself in a certain way, that this sudden change had made her a little uncomfortable at first.

Okay, she sighed, as she slipped into the cotton pants. A lot uncomfortable, as her mind fought against a lifetime of being subject to her mother's views on what a woman should, or should not look like. Women were not supposed to look like wrestlers. Slim, yes. Poised, yes. Buff?

Ah, no. And there were a lot of people here at the gym who fit into her mother's views, keeping strictly to the light aerobics, and the sweat rooms to produce bodies like whippets, all slim bone and taut skin, who avoided the weight rooms and machines like the plague.

Dar had gone a long way towards providing her with an example of a different way of thinking. The taller woman regarded strength training as an important part of her fitness regimen, and was completely unapologetic over the amount of smooth muscles that covered her body, explaining to Kerry a touch sheepishly that she preferred it that way, since the muscles burned up a lot of the excess she tended to indulge in.

That made a lot of sense to Kerry, and she'd decided if she was going to share a life with Dar, she'd better make an effort to insure sharing the taller woman's eating habits wasn't going to be totally self destructive. And she'd found that she liked the activities, as well as her growing competence at them, comfortable with the thought that the hour of climbing she'd just enjoyed would also make the pound of strawberries and crock of thick, dark chocolate waiting at home equally and guiltlessly enjoyable. As if on cue, her stomach started growling, and she rolled her eyes, locking her locker and heading for the door as she tied the belt around her.

"Took you long enough." Colleen gently pushed her drink over to her. "So.. how's the week been?"

Kerry sighed. "Personally, great. Professionally, great, except that new guy I told you about… he's been driving us crazy this week." She took a long gulp of the frothy fruit drink, enjoying the tangy sweet taste. "He's got it out for Dar."

Colleen sipped her own drink, and fiddled with a napkin. "Well, you be careful, there, m'dear.. don't get caught in the crossfire." She warned. "Dar's full capable of taking care of herself."

"I'm already in the middle of it." The blond woman sighed. "It's a mess…but we'll handle it." Her eyes went to the door just in time to see it open, and a familiar form ease inside. Dar was still in her business suit, but had her gym bag hitched over one shoulder, and she pushed it back as her eyes swept the interior of the gym.

It took less than five seconds. Kerry counted. It was a game they played, sometimes, to see how fast they could find each other. On the count of one thousand four, the blue eyes zeroed in on hers, and Dar's lips twitched into a grin. She made her way over to where they were seated, gracefully sidestepping a pair of power walkers, who were strutting their way across the machine area.

"Hey." Kerry offered her a sip of her drink. "How'd it go?"

A shrug. "Same as always." Dar accepted the glass, and took a swallow of the fruit smoothee. "Hello, Colleen."

The redhead smiled. "Hi, Dar…any chance of going over those punches today?"

"Sure." Dar replied, handing Kerry back her cup. "I'm going to go change… meet you guys over by the mats." She headed into the locker room, crossing to her locker, right next to Kerry's, and unlocking it. She put her bag inside, and changed quickly, glad to get out of her skirt, hose and pumps, and into a comfortable pair of cotton pants and soft boots.

She hung up her work clothes, and shrugged into the mid length shirt, pulling the long, black belt from her bag and glancing at it before she wrapped it twice around her waist and tied it off. Putting this on had felt very strange, she remembered. She usually worked out with the trainer on the island in a pair of sweat pants and a tshirt, but when she actually started teaching class, Ken said it would make the students feel less awkward with their own new garb if she wore hers as well. So she'd rooted around in the three trunks tucked into the condo's closet that represented her personal possessions, and dug the old thing out, a little surprised it still fit. She'd had her doubts about wearing it, but then Kerry had told her she liked it… okay, she'd told Dar she thought she looked really cute in it, and since then she hadn't minded wearing it again.

"A little egotistical?" She asked herself wryly. "Oh. Just a little." She chastised herself, as she locked the locker and headed out towards the class area.

They were all waiting, a group of ten including Kerry and Colleen. Dar took them through a series of warm up routines, using the time to stretch her own muscles out, then went over several concepts she'd taught the week before, and linked that into the day's lesson. As always, Kerry watched her with that little look of utter concentration, her brow furrowed, the tip of her tongue poking out a bit, as she repeated the exercise, at first uncertainly, then with more confidence.

"Nice. " Dar complimented her. "Okay.. now you and Colleen go at each other." The rest of the class watched, as the blond and the redhead squared off, and Kerry edged forward, getting the hold on Colleen's arm, then correctly dumping her on her butt. "Right."

"Ugh." Colleen squinted up at her friend. "I'll be needing a pillow on me butt, much more of this."

Kerry grinned, and offered her a hand up.

Dar hadn't expected to enjoy teaching. She'd volunteered on the spur of the moment, and afterward had almost regretted it, but as the weeks went on she'd found herself looking forward to her little class. "Okay.. good." She nodded, as two of the men squared off against each other, and demonstrated. "Right.. a little higher on the kick.. you have to get it just above the knee." She got in closer, and tapped the man on the thigh. "That's it."

The class finished, and she leaned against the wall, watching as Ken ambled over, an apologetic look on his face. "Evening, Ken." She greeted the shorter man. "How's the neck?" She really hadn't meant to nail the poor guy like that.. she'd just been trying out a move she hadn't been able to do in a while, half expecting it not to work, when it did, they'd both been pretty surprised. Or rather, she'd been surprised, Ken had been too busy counting stars on the mat to be anything other than in pain.

"Hurts like heck… " He admitted. "I think I'm going to have to give it a miss tonight."

Dar chewed her lip. "Sorry about that." She told him, sincerely.

"Don't worry about it." He chuckled deprecatingly, then he glanced up at her. "Say, Dar… you ever give any thought to going back into competition?"

The question surprised her. "No, I…" She paused. "No..c'mon, Ken.. it's been ten years. I'm way past that."

The short man shook his head. "I beg to disagree… I mean, I don't know if you're interested, but I was at a match this past weekend, and I have to tell you, honestly, Dar… you'd have walked with the trophy." He put his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "I know it was just a little local thing, but if you wanted to, you could go back into that… you've still got the moves, it would just take a little work."

Her first instinct was to say no. Absolutely not, she didn't have time for that, her life was too complicated as it was, there was no way she'd have time to do it right.. to get into the kind of shape she knew she'd have to in order to really compete.

But.

A seductive tendril she'd thought long buried surfaced, reminding her of just how much she'd enjoyed competing. How much she'd enjoyed winning. Maybe seeing Steven had shaken that loose and brought it to the surface, she mused. Her eyes flicked over Ken's waiting face. "Something to think about." She replied quietly. "I don't know… I really hadn't considered it before."

He grinned. "Well.. you think about it…" He patted her arm. "We'll talk about it in a couple of days."

Dar walked slowly across the busy gym, her eyes thoughtful.

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

Kerry relaxed into the soft leather seat and sighed. "God, I'm starving… I am so glad I stuck that bowl of chicken satay in the refrigerator before we left this morning."

"Mm… that sounds good." Dar agreed, as she gazed out at the road.

The blond woman glanced at her, studying Dar's profile. "You're quiet tonight." She said, after a moment of silence. "Everything okay, or are you still stewing about Mr. Slimeball?"

Pale blue eyes left the road and gazed at her for a moment. "He's not worth stewing over." She stated, knowing it for a lie. "I managed to put a corncob up Jose's tailpipe… I gave him a copy of that email." She chuckled softly. "I haven't seen him change that shade of red in a while.. I usually cause that."

Kerry stretched out, and leaned on the armrest. "What does he hope to accomplish, Dar? Fabricini, I mean."

"Bottom line?" Dar turned into the ferry terminal and drove onto the boat, which had just docked. She put the car into park and rolled the windows down, then turned the engine off. The cool January air blew in, ripe with the salt tang of the sea and she settled back, propping one knee up against the steering wheel. "He wants Jose's job, and my head." She said. "If he can prove we lost money because of something I did, he's got a good chance of both."

Kerry blinked. "But… how can he prove that? You know nothing like that happened."

Dar ducked her head to one side. "No one's perfect, Kerry… it's possible he could dig up something where we could have done our jobs better, and we lost out because of it… we've got so many things going on at once, and so much of it involves making decisions based on the best information available… it can happen." She settled her hands on her knee. "But I've got a pretty good batting average.. he'd have to find something really major, and I'm not really worried about that." She fell silent, and watched the ripple of the water in the ferry's wake, scattering the moonlight over it's surface.

"So.. what are you really worried about?" Kerry prodded gently. "Is it because he's made it so personal?"

Dar thought about that. "Maybe." She acknowledged. "Or maybe it's because he's sniffing after you…" She let rueful grin cross her face. "And if he does find out about us, he will most certainly make an issue of it."

"Mmph." Kerry rolled her head to one side, waving at the deckhand as they docked on the island. "Well, we just have to make sure that doesn't happen… right?"

Dar drove off the ferry, and through the spray, then turned onto the access road that lead to the condo. She pulled in next to Kerry's Mustang, and turned the car off. "C'mon.. let's go get slurped." She got out and took her bag, then waited for Kerry to join her before she trotted up the stairs and keyed the door open.

They ducked inside and turned the lights on, then Kerry dropped her bag on the couch and continued on into the kitchen towards the utility room, which was issuing shrill yelps. "Okay, okay Chino…. Take it easy.. " She unlatched the gate, and let the three month old Labrador puppy out. "Did you miss us?"

The puppy scrambled up her leg, hopping up and down until she picked her up and cuddled her. "Hey… " Kerry laughed as the pink tongue got her neck. "Hey.. no nibbling!" The sharp little teeth nipped her skin, as she glanced into the puppy's area. "You were a good girl, werentcha!"

Dar wandered over, and the puppy whined, wriggling towards her. "Hey, puppy… "

"All right…all right… here… " Kerry turned her over. "Go… I know who your favorite is… look, Dar.. she was a good girl all day."

The dark haired woman suffered a nose nibble, then peered into the room. "Hey… look at that. Good girl." She praised the puppy. "Getting resident services to come and let her out twice during the day was a good idea, huh?"

"You bet." Kerry agreed. "Want to take her for a walk while I get dinner up?" She watched indulgently as Dar scratched the puppy's chin, and cooed at it, the little tag on her collar, which bore her name, and their address jingled softly as she moved. "Dar?"

"Hmm?" The executive glanced up. "Oh.. right.. sorry." She kissed the puppy on the head. "C'mon, Chino… let's go out… see if you'll piddle for me, huh?" She slipped out the back door, and down the patio steps into the moonlit grassy area.

Kerry had to laugh, as she rinsed her hands off. "No one at work would believe hearing that." She shook head wryly. Dar had proven to be an extremely soft touch when it came to their little addition, and Chino had learned all it took to get a puppy biscuit was a pair of soulful brown eyes, and a tiny paw. She'd find Dar, and sit next to her, raising the paw up and patting Dar's leg with it, and the well trained human would immediately produce an Iams biscuit which Chino would crunch contentedly.

It was cute in the extreme, and Kerry loved watching her intimidating lover turn into a blue eyed puddle over the puppy's admittedly adorable ways.

She put up the satay and some rice, then added some fresh green beans to the steamer. "That'll do." She dusted her hands off and retrieved her bag, glancing around the living room with a sense of quiet satisfaction. At one time, it had seemed very sterile to her, but since she'd moved in, she'd coaxed some personal items out of Dar, and added her own stuff to it, resulting in a warmer and more cheerful atmosphere that now included some prints they'd picked out at the Grove Art Festival, a colorful native woven blanket that was draped over the central table, and a brass sculpture of dolphins and waves sitting in the middle of it. She'd even gotten a few pictures out of Dar, including two of her at school age which Kerry thought were adorable and added her own in the niches of the entertainment center.

Nice. Kerry trotted up the stairs and dropped her laptop off in her office, then went into her room.

Her room. She still had to run that through her head when she walked in, as the spacious, vaulted ceiling and the wide, glass doors that opened out onto the Atlantic Ocean hit her eyes. She'd moved most of her things up from her apartment, though she was still retaining the lease there temporarily, and it still seemed a bit strange to see Pooh holding out his arms for a hug from the comfortable, overstuffed chair perfectly situated for reading as the sunlight came in the room. She'd hung her pictures on the wall, and it was her quilt on the bed, and the dresser held her things in a slightly jumbled disarray.

Kerry put her bag down and went to the glass doors, sliding them open and going out onto the wraparound balcony to just stand, and gaze out over the black, rippling water for a long moment, watching the quarter moon send a tiny splash of light over the waves. It smelled of salt, and the rich scent of the freshly fertilized lawn below her, and the hint of hickory smoke from the beach club just down the way.

It was beautiful, and she loved it, even though she had to pinch herself sometimes just to prove it was real, and not just some outlandish dream Not just the house, but her life. Sometimes she was a little afraid to go to sleep at night, fearing she'd wake up one day and it would all be gone as though it had never existed.

A sigh. "C'mon, Kerry… get changed, and stop being goofy." She went back inside, closing the doors, and slipped out of her work clothes, exchanging them for her favorite sleep shirt and hanging her jacket and skirt up in the huge walk in closet that Kerry swore was the same size as her bedroom in her Kendall apartment.

A tiny whine alerted her, and she looked up as Chino pushed the door open with her nose, and came stumbling in, having laboriously negotiated the stairs. It was a new skill of hers. "Hey, Chino… c'mere honey." Kerry sat down and let the puppy scramble over her. She played with her for a minute then got to her feet and headed downstairs, with the animal trotting behind her.

Dar was in her office, working on something, and she looked up as Kerry poked her head in. For a minute, they just looked at each other, then Dar leaned back in her comfortable chair. "That smells great." She put her hands behind her head and exhaled, pulling the thin fabric of her worn baseball shirt against her body. "Ken sprang something on me tonight… he… broached the subject of me going back into competition."

Kerry came forward and perched on the arm of the couch. "Really?" She watched Dar's face. "You think you want to?"

The dark haired woman nibbled the inside of her lip. "I don’t know.. when he first mentioned it, I came up with all the reasons why I couldn't… and they seemed like good ones. "She shrugged. "I mean, it takes time, a lot of effort.. training…" She sighed. "It's been a long, long time… I don't know if I could still do it."

"But?" Kerry saw the indecision in her expression.

Both hands lifted, then fell to the arms of the chair. "Maybe the stuff I've been doing with him… triggered some stupid adrenaline gene in there… I don't know… I've been getting quite a kick out of trying to see how much I could get back." She looked up. "What do you think?"

The blond woman studied her in silence. "I think you should go for it." She grinned. "I love the classes, but watching you and Ken go at it afterward has been such a blast… you get this incredible look on your face when you get past him."

Dar scratched her jaw, looking a touch embarrassed. "I do?"

"Yes, you do." Kerry held out a hand, as she checked her watch. "Come on.. we'll talk about it over dinner. It should be ready."

They settled in front of the large screen television, Dar flipping in on after she set her gently steaming plate down. "Oh… look, it's the Crocodile Fanatic." She peered. "What's he after now?"

Kerry observed the screen. "Snakes." She took a bite of chicken and then a mouthful of the steamed rice, which she'd put a touch of ginger and spices into. "Mm… yeah, rattlesnakes." She shook her head. "Jesus… he's picking them up by the…. Dar, he's crawling into a cave of those things… isn't the Discovery Channel afraid they're going to have a lawsuit on their hands when he gets eaten alive?"

Dar pulled her plate over and took a bite. "They probably had him sign a document in quintuplet that absolves them of any responsibility for him." The spicy peanut sauce on the chicken contrasted with the gentle, gingery taste of the rice, and she sighed contentedly. "Kerry, this is great."

"Thank you." Kerry took a sip of ice tea. "We have strawberries for dessert, you know."

"I know." Dar chuckled softly, as she settled an arm over the blond woman's shoulders, eating one handed. "So. What's he doing now? Oh…hey, is his wife pregnant?"

Kerry peered. "Either that, or she's been munching on the crocodile crackers overtime." She watched. "And he drags her up into mountains, and hands her the tail of rattlesnake to hold onto…Jesus!" The man on the screen cooed at the angry female rattlesnake. "You gotta love them? No Steve.. I don't!" She chewed. "He's got such a cute accent, though." She reached over and picked up a green bean from Dar's plate, and offered it to her. "Here… I sautéed them in a little garlic butter… just pretend it's a French fry."

Dar obligingly took the bean, chewing it speculatively. "I think I'm being condescended to." She blinked. "Look at him… there must be a dozen snakes under that rock.. can't he just leave it alone? Wait… did he just say 'shit'?"

Kerry's brow creased. "Yeah.. he just said 'shit'…what's… oh man, did you see how pale he just got?" She turned up the sound a little. "Oh… Jesus… he's got a snake between his legs."

Her lover burst out laughing. "Well, it's not original, but.. "

"Tch.. Dar! NO! He's got a rattlesnake between his legs! Look… they're going nuts… he doesn’t know what to do!" They watched as the man on the screen eased out of the way, and scooted out of range. "Wow… that was outrageous.. I wonder if they'd show it if he actually got nailed in the nuts by a poisonous snake."

"Well." Dar laughed helplessly. "At least he could get a tourniquet in place.. not like if he got bit on the face." She sighed, and chewed a mouthful of rice. "I think he's an adrenaline junkie." She quieted for a moment. Looking for that fix.. that excitement… was that what was tugging at her towards resuming the aggressiveness of competition? Other wise, what was the attraction of going back ten years, and trying to recapture that particular bit of glory? Or was this even a reaction to her turning thirty… a reassurance to her ego that she still had 'it'?

Now.. that was a depressing thought, wasn't it?

Conceit, or a challenge it would just be fun to attempt? She studied the image of the undefeatable Steve Irwin bounding over the rocks in search of yet more snakes, undaunted by his close encounter.

Hmm. She finished her dinner thoughtfully.

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

"So.. how'd a sharp girl like you end up in a rat's nest like this?"

The smile was meant to make her understand it was all in good fun. Kerry reflected, taking a thoughtful sip of her peach ice tea. "I submitted a resume, and it was accepted." She replied dryly. "And I happen to like it very much." It had been a slow morning, unfortunately, and no crises had developed that might have excused her lunch invitation from Steve Fabricini.

Though, Dar had volunteered to create one, if she really didn't want to go, the executive having been in a fairly good natured mood after an early morning meeting with one of their newer account teams. Someone had clued them in, she'd informed Kerry, having been fed strawberry crepes and biscuits for breakfast, instead of the usual fruit cup at the meeting, her twinkling eyes indicating who she thought was the culprit.

"You do, huh?" Steve chuckled, scooping up a spoonful of yogurt. 'That's hard to believe considering who you work for."

Kerry shrugged "You know, people say that a lot, but I've really enjoyed working for Dar… she's smart, she knows her stuff, she gives credit where credit's due.. and she stands up for her staff." She commented, honestly. "If you know what you're doing, you have no problem with her." Just like Mark Polenti had said, at their first meeting. "Of course, if you don't… " She let the thought hang.

He laughed. "You poor little thing.. wait until you get thrown to the fire as a sacrifice the first time she has to take the blame for something… you can't really be that naive, can you?" He leaned forward. "Listen, cupcake.. I know her, all right? You don't…she will turn on you like a rabid dog at the first opportunity."

"Really." The blond woman nibbled on her sandwich. "Well, thanks for the warning."

"Anytime." Fabricini smiled, the lowered his voice. "Listen… there's no reason we can't work together, all right? My job here is to try and punch through these roadblocks we seem to be coming up against.. and if I do it, the whole company benefits. Don’t' get caught on the wrong side of that, hmm?" He put a hand on her wrist. "You're a sharp kid… everyone says so, and when this all shakes out, there could be opportunity for you, if you know what I mean."

Kerry smiled kindly at him. "You mean, if you dig up enough things to force Dar out, I might get her job."

He smiled back. "I said you were sharp." A dangerous glint entered his eyes. "Stick with me, cupcake."

The blond woman wiped her lips with her napkin, and set it down neatly on her plate. "There's just a few things I'd like to get squared away first." She paused.

"What's that?" He smiled, a triumphant look on his face.

"One, you need to let go of my wrist before I sink my fork into the back of your hand." Kerry responded, very mildly. "Two, if you call me cupcake again, I'm going to be forced to file sexual harassment papers." She smiled right into his eyes, enjoying the shock. "And three, where Dar goes, I go." She stood, as he let go of her and picked up her tray. "Have a nice day."

She left him sitting there, as she counted to twenty under her breath, waiting for her heart to stop hammering in her ears from anger. "Stupid piece of god damned… oh. Sorry." She'd collided with Mark Polenti, who glanced behind her.

"You okay?" He asked, having heard her growling. "Hey.. what did you do to puss face over there? He looks like he's been hit in the head with an obsolete mainframe."

Kerry took several calming breaths. "He is such a pig." She put her tray down in the washing area. "He wants me to work with him to find dirt on Dar, and then had the balls to say if I did, he's see if he could get me her job when it was all over."

Mark burst into laughter. "Boy.. did he ever get his lines crossed." He patted Kerry's shoulder. "Guess he picked on you because you're the newest.. figured the rest of us had our loyalties set by now." He put his own tray down. "So.. what'd you tell him?"

"To kiss my ass." Kerry replied, with a hint of a blush. "Only more politely."

They both watched as their subject sauntered up, his neck still red from anger, and deposited his tray. "My mistake." He oozed savage politeness to Kerry "Your loss." He left, giving them a disgusted look.

Mark and Kerry eyed each other. "Asshole." The both said in sync. Kerry sighed. "Well, at least I won't have to worry about him asking me out on a date, now." She remarked wryly.

"Yeah.. but he could get nasty that way." Mark replied, snagging two large chocolate chip cookies and offering her one. "You know how rumors are."

"Been there, done that." Kerry accepted the cookie, and bit into it. "I think everyone's over that one already." Meaning the whispers about her and Dar, which had subsided dramatically since the new year had started. They'd been careful not to hang around each other at work, going to far as to not even have lunch together, and it seemed to have cooled the rumor mill to the point where everyone had gone on to something more interesting.

"Yeah… but be careful." The MIS chief warned, as they headed for the elevator.

Kerry sighed, and punched the button for the fifteenth floor, then held the door as she heard footsteps approach. She couldn’t see outside from where she was, but somehow… a smile was already pulling at her lips as Dar stepped inside, moving to the rear of the car and leaning against it. "Speak of the devil." Kerry commented, as the doors slid shut. "I just pretty much blew up my lunch meeting."

"Oh really?" Dar leaned against the elevator wall. "Great… I've got a meeting scheduled with him, Jose, and Mariana in twenty minutes.. what happened?"

"He asked me to help him screw you and I told him to go to Hell." Kerry replied.

Dar rubbed her temples. "It might have been better if you'd agreed."

Kerry and Mark both stared at her. 'What?" They asked simultaneously.

The doors opened onto the fifteenth floor. "Then he'd have told you what his plan was." Dar exited, blowing the hair out of her eyes with an impatient breath. She headed into her office, with Kerry following her and waved at Maria as she continued through the inner door.

Kerry waited until Dar was seated behind her desk before she came closer, sitting in the left hand side visitor's chair. "Are you serious?"

Dar propped her head up on one fist, visibly a little frazzled. "No… that was just my frustration talking." She admitted. "I'm not looking forward to dealing with him, and I wish I had a way to avoid it."

"Mm." Kerry grimaced. "Sorry… I think I just made it worse." She gave Dar an apologetic look. "Maybe I should go stick my head in my monitor and do something useful."

"Ah ah." Dar shook a finger at her. "Don't start with that stuff… he's the asshole, Kerry, not you."

A faint smile. "Whatever you say, boss." Kerry stood and sighed. "Good luck." She left through the small back hallway door that led to her own office, closing it gently behind her.

Dar watched the empty space in front of her for a minute, as though expecting it to change back into her assistant, then she rubbed her eyes, and took a sip of the cold coffee from her mug.

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

It was dark out before she got back to her desk, dropping a stack of papers down on it and slumping into her chair before she swiveled it, and regarded the darkened water outside. Then she pulled her top drawer out and removed a bottle, uncapping it and spilling out several pills which she tossed into her mouth, and washed down with a little soda from the can she'd carried in with her.

Then she sat forward and gave her trackball a spin, brining up her screen saver and typing in the password. Her inbox was a solid black mass of new messages, and just looking at the number of urgent flags made her already aching head pound even worse. "Shit."

A soft knock came on the inner door, and she looked up in surprise. "Yeah?"

It opened, and Kerry entered, her silk shirt sleeves pushed all the way up, and her jacket off. "Hey."

Dar smiled for the first time in hours. "Hi… thought you'd have gone home by now."

Kerry shook her head, walking over and perching on the edge of Dar's desk. "I've got a major restructuring of that new account I'm working on… and we lost two processors in Kansas, so…"

"Ah."

"And I was waiting for you." Kerry admitted, with a tiny smile. "I heard you walked out of the meeting with Mari." She sighed. "I had a visit from our friend Steve - saying he wanted to start over, and really get a working relationship going with me."

"Ugh." Dar put her head back and closed her eyes. "Yes, I walked out… I told them both to grow up and start acting like corporate executives instead of high school locker room sweepers." She opened a blue eye and regarded Kerry wryly. "Then I had to go to a marketing projection session with Eleanor, and explain to her why spending money on television advertising doesn't do a thing for an international IS company."

The phone buzzed, and Dar put a finger to her lips before she answered it on speakerphone. "Yeah?"

"Well.. good evening to you, too, Dar." Alastair's voice sounded less chipper than usual. "Thought I'd still find you there… got a minute?"

Dar exhaled, and let the tip of her tongue protrude for a second. "Sure.. what's on your mind?" She asked the CEO.

"Well, I had a meeting with the Sales leadership today." Alastair paused. "They're projecting a slowdown in the next two quarters, and frankly, that's not going to wash with the board."

"And?" Dar rubbed her temples.

"I asked them for an explanation.. and I was told they can't project any better because you're deliberately putting a hold on them… now.. " Alastair held up a verbal finger. "I realize that's probably mostly bullshit.. but what's the deal, Dar?"

Dar lifted her hands, and let them fall on the chair arms. "Alastair - the problem is, they can't substantiate enough new accounts for me to increase infrastructure." A pause. "Period.. they're projecting twenty new accounts a quarter, they want me to provision for fifty.. and I'm not gonna do it! I am not going to sit there at the end of the year and explain to you why Ops is over budget three hundred percent while they're sitting over there, fat and happy with what sales they did make."

Alastair sighed. "This is one of those cart and horse things."

"I can't help that." Dar replied. "Hell, if it were up to me, I'd rebuild the entire god damned network from start to finish, and give them a thousand times more bandwidth, but the executive committee wont' give me the discretionary funds to even back up the frigging netops positions we do have."

"Hmm."

"They're full of shit."

"Dar.. you have to repressing this stuff. Let me hear how you really feel." Alastair remarked dryly. "I get the picture. Now, second subject." He cleared his throat. "Rumor has it you've gotten involved with someone."

Kerry's eyebrows lifted in silent astonishment.

"Did that make it on the board agenda?" Dar answered acidly. "Whose damn business is it?"

"Ah.. so it's true then?"

Dar weighted her options quickly. "Yes." She replied. "Got a problem with that?"

"Not unless you do." Alastair replied soothingly. "Relax, Dar… there was just a comment made that you weren't around the office as much… and Beatrice said the scuttlebutt was you'd started seeing someone."

Mm.. that was true. Dar couldn’t deny it, and didn't see any point in trying. "Yeah.. I got a life. You holding that against me?" But she consciously softened her voice a little.

"Nah… I never have before, have I?"

"No."

"Hope you have better luck this time… be careful, willya, Dar?"

Dar steepled her fingers, the lamp light casting most of her face in shadow. "I will. Thanks, Alastair."

"Well, I'll see what I can do with those sales projections… we might have to compromise a little, though, Dar.. can you get three, four percent more out of infrastructure if I need it?"

"Oh.. so you get to be the hero, huh?" Dar remarked. "Everyone's screaming, and Alastair the Brave uses his legendary negotiating skills to coax more lines out of that bastard Roberts in Ops."

Alastair cleared his throat. "That's not…"

Dar chuckled. "Yeah… if it's that desperate, I'll get you what you need, Alastair.. just don’t' make it too easy, okay?"

A sigh. "Thanks Dar… have a good night, willya? Go home."

"Night." Dar hung up the phone, and leaned back, meeting Kerry's eyes. "Good old Beatrice."

The blond woman got off the desk and knelt at her side, resting a hand on her knee for balance. "Are we in trouble? Good grief, Dar.. just because you've been leaving work a little early… people start rumors?"

"A little?" Dar smiled wearily. "Kerrison… before you and I met, ten pm was an early night for me." She chuckled at Kerry's shocked expression. "I'm not surprised someone noticed… don’t' worry about it." She patted Kerry's shoulder. "Besides.. I got myself an assistant, remember? So I wouldn't have to work that hard anymore."

Kerry reached out and clasped her hand. "In that case, can I take you out to dinner I hear a little Thai place calling our names." She kissed the fingers tangled with hers lightly. "I'll drive."

Dar got up and flipped off her screen without a second thought. "Lead on."

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

bridge, next morning

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

Mariana was waiting in front of Dar's office door, however.. "Uh oh." The executive murmured. "That doesn't look good."

"Dar, I need to talk to you." Mari said, as she approached. "You're not going to believe what they just dumped on us."

"Oh.. I'll believe anything… once." Dar gestured towards the door. "C'mon…" She led the way into her office. "Maria, book me for 1pm at a meeting, and cancel the briefing conference call, please."

"Si." Her secretary looked up from the phone. "Dar, your little puppy called."

"Thanks." Dar said, absently, as she went through the door to the inner office, then she stopped short, causing Mariana to crash into her. "Wait a minute.. .what??" She turned. "Sorry.. " She poked her head back out. "Maria, who did you say called?"

The older woman smiled. "Si.. the puppy… I got a call, I picked up, is nothing. I said, hello, hello… and then, Buenos Dias, but nothing. I almost hang up, and I hear.. " She made little whining noises. "I check caller id, is your house."

Dar blinked, ignoring the muffled laugh from behind her. "She must have gotten out.. and knocked the phone off the hook in the living room.. do me a favor, call resident services out there and have them go check, will you?" She shook her head and ducked back in the office. "Great… my luck, she went and called Singapore while she was at it." She muttered, as she closed the door. "All right.. what's up?"

Mariana threw a packet on her desk for an answer. "Before you start screaming, I've already been on the phone with Alastair, twice, and he's not backing down."

Dar circled her desk and sat down, picking up the packet. Her eyes scanned it, and she looked up. "You're joking."

A shake of Mariana's head. "Nope… it's an executive retreat, with a program specifically for team building. They have a reservation for twelve of us, starting Friday afternoon. They're sending a bus to pick us up." She crossed her arms. "Alastair says they've been using a very similar program out in Texas for three months, and it's worked great for them."

Dar covered her eyes. "Let me see if I understand this." She muttered. "He wants to send us all on a bus, out into the wilderness, to climb over rocks, and trees, and live in a cabin, and that's going to help us get along?"

"That's essentially it, yes." Mari nodded. "For the record, I've read up on this stuff, since I was trying to find some kind of help here, and it's got it's merits, Dar.. but it depends on the participants."

"In our case, it depends on the participants not KILLING EACH OTHER." The dark haired woman ending up yelling, her voice bouncing off the walls. "Is he NUTS?" She punched the phone. "Beatrice, is he there?" Then she drummed her fingers, until the line opened.

"Now Dar, before you say anything, let me get my spiel in." Alastair's voice was cheerful, as usual. "Okay?"

Dar folded her hands on her desk. "Okay." She responded, in a quiet tone.

"I got that email yesterday.. and to be honest, it concerned me." The CEO stated. "Not because I thought it was true.. although you can be a stubborn obstructionist when you need to be, Dar - but it's always been in our best interests when you have. "

"Uh huh." Dar grunted.

"I see it as an overall problem… company wide, and that's why we've been using these seminars.. they're wonderful! You'll love it.. listen, it's just a weekend out in the middle of nowhere.. no cell phones, no computers… the food's pretty good… and we found the damn things really do work, to get people to know each other better."

"Uh huh."

"So, I'm sure if this new guy, and you, get to know each other things will smooth out.. and besides, the rest of the group needs a little team building. I've been getting a bunch of grumpies from that office lately."

"Alastair?"

"Yes? You can go off on me now, Dar."

"The problem with me and Steve Fabricini is that we do know each other - I got him thrown out of school ten years ago and he's kept a grudge" Dar paused. "You think sending us both out into the woods is a good idea?"

Long pause. "Ah." Alastair muttered. "I see… wish I'd known that."

"Can we cancel this now?" Dar asked, hopefully.

"Well.. see, its' prepaid, and we've already transmitted the payment." The CEO sighed. "And if we cancel, we lose all that money.. " He thought. "Let's do it anyway, Dar… and I'm counting on you to set an example, and bring everyone back with at least a little more team spirit."

Dar sighed. "Alastair, I really don't have time for this… and you're tossing my top ops staff out incommunicado.. what if something goes wrong over the weekend?" Her last trump card.

Alastair chuckled. "Dar, we both know you pick the kind of people who won't screw you over in a pinch… your staff can cover things.. go on, have a good time, and loosen up a little. I went on one of these things, and I had the time of my life, trust me." He heard the repeated sigh on the other end. "You're mad at me, huh?"

"If I thought this was going to do a damn bit of good, I wouldn’t be." Dar snapped back.

"Ah ah.. keep an open mind, Dar…you never know what can happen.. you all could come back best of friends." Alastair chuckled. "And, by the way.. I just processed your year end bonus. I know I forgot to send you a birthday card, but see if that's an acceptable substitute."

"Alastair… "

"Gotta go… the chairman of IBM is here, we're going to swap lies and exaggerations over rubber chicken." Alastair told her. "Just do it, Dar… when you get back, if it was that awful, I'll make it up to you."

"How?" Dar inquired sourly.

A slight pause. "We'll talk about resolving the issues in a more direct way."

Dar's dark eyebrows lifted. "All right." She agreed quietly. "That's worth a weekend."

Alastair chuckled. "That's my Dar… try to have a good time, huh?" He hung up.

Mari shifted in her chair, and shook her head. "You have such an interesting relationship with him." She sighed. "You're one of the few people I can say for sure he really, really likes."

"Well, I tried." Dar gave her a wry look. "This is going to be a nightmare, Mariana."

"I know ." The personnel VP agreed. "You and me, Duks, Kerry, Jose, Steve, Mark, his second, Eleanor, Duks and El's assistants, and my assistant Mary Lou." She paused. "You know what you're biggest problem is going to be, don’t you?"

"Besides not killing Steve?" Dar played with a pencil. "Yeah. I do."

Not letting everyone in on their little secret. "You two have such a cute little chemistry when you're around each other. " Mari told her wryly. "That's going to be tough to hide, out there in the wilderness with nothing to do but talk to each other and roast marshmallows." She stood up. "Thanks for trying, my friend.. it was a good fight.. and you'd have had him if we hadn't already coughed up the bucks."

"Yeah." Dar leaned back, exhaling. "I should have just offered him my bonus back to cover it." She told her friend wryly. "It would be worth the money."

Mari chuckled as she turned to leave. "It's just two days, Dar.. we'll be back in Miami on Sunday afternoon.. I'm sure we'll survive."

Dar regarded her back as she left, then she threw her pencil down on the desk, leaning forward and studying the packet in consternation. A light tap on the inside door, however, put a wry smile on her face. "C'mon in."

Kerry poked her head in, then entered. "Hey."

"Hey." Dar leaned back in her chair and folded her hands across her stomach.

"Are we in trouble?" The blond woman inquired curiously.

"We may be." Dar pushed the packet over to her. "Cancel your plans for the weekend." Actually, they hadn't had any concrete ones, just a vague plan that included diving, a trip to Bayside, and spending some quality time with Cappuccino.

Kerry took the packet and sat down in one of Dar's visitor chairs, studying it with interest. "Oh.. I've heard of these." She glanced up with a smile. "This sounds interesting…it's upstate from here, isn't it?"

"Mmhmm." Dar acknowledged.

A shrug. "Sounds like it might even be fun, Dar…I mean, there are cabins, it's not like you're out foraging for hickory nuts or something."

Dar chuckled. "If it were just you and me, or just you, me, Duks and Mariana, and even throw Mark in there, I'd agree with you.. but we're going to have Steve, Jose, Eleanor, and a couple other people with us."

"So?" Kerry peered at the agenda. "Oh.. that's cool… they have obstacle courses, and you have to help each other through them… " She looked up. "Who knows? Maybe it'll help, Dar."

The dark haired woman gazed at her. "So.. you don't mind spending an entire weekend pretending not to know me?" She inquired mildly. "Other than as your boss?"

Kerry blinked. "Oh." She bit her lip. "Right. Hmm.. you couldn’t get us out of this?" She winced.

"I tried." Dar lifted her hands and let them fall. "Alastair had already paid for the damn thing.. we're kind of stuck."

They looked at each other. "Ew." Kerry finally sighed. "Well, I'm sure we can do this…I mean, we manage pretty well during working hours anyway." She stood up and put the packet back down on Dar's desk, then circled around and perched on the edge of the wood next to where Dar was sitting.

"We do huh?" The executive's lips twitched. "Well, I have to say you're the first assistant I've ever had who's made a habit of camping on my desk." She tweaked the edge of Kerry's skirt. "Most of them wouldn't get within ten feet of me."

Kerry's eyebrows lifted. "Their loss." She replied, in sultry tone, which brought a genuine smile to her bosses face. Reflexively, she reached out and touched Dar's cheek, letting her thumb trace the smile, then she uttered a soft sigh. "Two days, huh? This is going to be a bitch on wheels, Dar."

The smile widened slightly, then the dark haired woman curled a hand around Kerry's knee, and gave it a gentle squeeze. "We'll survive." She glanced at her watch. "Let's got to the damn meeting…I want to see Stevie baby's face when he sees what his email kicked off… what did he want from you, by the way?"

"Oh." Kerry stood, and backed to get out of Dar's way so she could stand up. "He wanted me to sell you out for the possibility of getting your job."

Dar paused in the middle of standing, then she slowly straightened and ran a hand through her hair. "Funny." She commented briefly. "That's the deal Elana took."

Kerry snorted. "I knew she was an idiot when I saw her… trade you for this job??? Give me a break!!!" She bumped Dar lightly. "Not for any job on earth… or anything else on earth for that matter, or anything on Mars, Jupiter.. the moon… " Her words were abruptly cut off by a pair of warm lips, and a fierce hug. "Mm.." Kerry murmured, when they parted. "I'm not sure.. but I think that might clue them in to our relationship, Dar." She leaned back in and ran her hands over the cool fabric of her lover's shirt, and kissed her again.

"Yes it would, but thank you." The dark haired woman caressed her cheek, and pressed her lips against Kerry's forehead before she released her. "C'mon… we're going to be late."

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

They could hear the yelling halfway down the corridor. "Oh, this sounds pleasant." Dar muttered, glancing at her companion, who pursed her lips in agreement, and pulled the door to the conference room open, motioning Dar to precede her.

The loud voices ceased as her six foot plus frame cleared the door, and all eyes turned her way. Dar was aware of Kerry entering behind her, but she kept her attention on the group around the table, and paused, putting her hands on her hips.

The silence went on for a long moment, then Dar lifted one elegant eyebrow. "Is there a problem?" She snapped, putting aggravation into her voice. "Or are you people just yelling at each other out of boredom?"

Jose stood up, or to be more accurate, stood further up, since he was already kneeling on one knee on his chair. He waved a familiar looking packet at her. "Have you seen this shit?" He slapped it on the table. "What is this crap?"

Dar's eyes went to Mariana, who was leaning with her fingertips on the table. "I take it you've filled everyone in?" She waited for the Personnel VP to nod.

"Certainly she did." Eleanor tapped her pen on the table. "Good grief, Dar… surely they can't expect us to just pick up and go… we all have lives!" A sweet smile at the Operations VP. "At least most of us do, at any rate."

"Yeah… I'm not going along with this." Steve stated suddenly. "It's senseless."

Dar sauntered around to the head of the table, which they'd left conspicuously empty, and leaned on the back of the chair there. "It's paid for. We're going." She stated bluntly "It wasn't my idea, but Houston's insistent, and that's all there is to it."

A chorus of voices thundered at her. Dar put up with it for a moment, then she straightened, and sucked in a breath. "SHUT THE HELL UP!" She thundered, making the glasses on the sideboard rattle. Kerry's eyes widened, and she slumped down in her chair a little in pure reaction, as a conspicuous silence dropped over the room. She let that go on a minute, then she pointed at Steve. "Next time, be careful what you ask for." She pitched her voice low, and her eyes swept over Eleanor and Jose. "You people had to start this, now Houston answered, and by god you're going to go to this stupid thing and not say another word about it, or I'm gonna take the charge for the course out of your damn paychecks." Each word had gotten louder, and more penetrating, until the last word barked out, making the glasses rattle again. "Understood??"

Silence.

"I'll.. um… bring a deck of cards." Mark offered, hesitantly.

Steve snorted, and leaned back. "I'm not going." He stated, staring insolently at Dar.

"Jes, you are." Jose turned on him. "If I gotta do this, you gotta do this." The Sales VP gave the room a disgusted look. "Lemme go call my wife."

Mariana passed a packet out to each person. "There are instructions in here on what to bring, and what not to bring. No electronics, no cell phones, that kind of thing. Four changes of comfortable clothing, sundries, and any prescriptive drugs you need. "

"Does that include tranquilizers?" Eleanor muttered, glancing at the glowering Dar. "I'll bring some extra."

Duks had been fiddling with the packet, reviewing it. , then he glanced at his assistant, a young, heavyset woman with short blond hair and thick glasses. "Sandy.. you all right with this? "

She pushed her glasses up her nose. "Yes.. I'll get mother to watch my cats.. it'll be different, at least." She glanced sideways at Kerry. "Have you been on one of these before?"

"No." Kerry had been keeping an eye on her boss, who still had distinct, angry waves pouring from her. "I never have.. but I'm sure it'll be a learning experience, if nothing else." She glanced at Steve, whose face had settled into a grim mask, and whose eyes were fastened on Dar.

Duks rubbed his jaw, as his glance followed Kerry's. "Oh.. yeah." He nodded solemnly. "We are going to learn something, of that, I'm sure."

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

Kerry glanced between two different shirts, then finally chose one and stuffed it in her overnight bag which hadn't gotten much use since she'd moved in with Dar. Her lover had taken Chino in the cart, and was scooting off across the island to the small Italian shop in the center, to pick up two orders of pasta for dinner. She had protested that she could just make some, but Dar had told her they'd both might as well relax as much as possible, since it was even money the next couple of days were going to be just a bitch.

Despite her usual optimism, Kerry had to reluctantly agree about that, and besides, she had a taste for the trattoria's fettuccini alfredo, which was really tough to make from scratch.

She finished packing her bag, zipping it up and trotting down the stairs, stopping to review the chewed boot that Chino had gotten to, after the clever little puppy had escaped from her utility room dwelling. "Ooo… you're a lucky little girl, Chino… this is an old one." She chuckled, turning it over and running a finger over the shredded heel. The puppy had pulled it out of Dar's closet, after turning over the wastepaperbasket, and managing to knock the phone off the hook. A visit by the puppy sitter had returned her to her room, but now they had to figure out how she got out in the first place.

The back door opened as she passed through the kitchen, and Dar walked in, carrying the puppy under one arm, and a large, nice smelling bag under the other.

"Mm… that smells good." Kerry smiled, taking the bag from her. "I can just imagine what we're going to get at the retreat.. what do you think.. beanie weenies?"

Dar sighed, and put Chino down. The puppy immediately went to her bowl and started to lap water. "Probably…from what the packet said, it's very 'rustic' - which usually means burgers and dogs… guess it could be worse."

"Oh yeah.. they could have picked one that only served raw vegetables.. they have those you know. It combines a heath food seminar with a corporate twist."

A low snort. "I'd have flown to Houston and beaten Alastair with a bag of celery until he screamed if he'd done that to me." The dark haired woman muttered. "It's going to be bad enough as it is." She tugged the two containers out of the bag and pulled out a long, fragrant loaf of garlic bread stuffed with cheese. "You all packed?"

"Mmhmm.." Kerry retrieved some silverware, a pair napkins, and tugged Dar towards the living room. "C'mon, Dar… it's not going to be that bad… I bet everyone get so involved in either what we're doing, or in how uncomfortable they are, that they'll forget how much we all don't like each other." She opened her container of pasta and breathed in the rich scent. "Mm… "

"Maybe." Dar sighed, prodding at her own dinner with a fork, a large pile of angel hair bolognaise. She split the garlic bread in half, and gave Kerry her portion. "Here… "

The blond woman accepted the fresh bread, and tore off a chunk, dipping it in the alfredo sauce and taking a bite. "I mean… we are all adults, after all.. and professionals, for goodness sake.. surely we can get along for two days."

Dar chuckled. "You may be right, my friend.. and I hope you are, or it's going to be a damn unpleasant weekend." She swallowed a mouthful. "Did you read all the way through that packet? They observe us, and a status report gets sent back to Houston. " She gave Kerry a wry look, as the blond woman flipped through the channels and settled on the History Channel. "That should kick start some cooperation… no one wants Alastair to know they acted like a cranky little baby."

Kerry licked her fingers. "Do you think he's really concerned about our office? " She asked. "You don't think he's buying into Steve's accusations, do you?"

Dar shrugged, as she plowed through a mouthful of her dinner. "Hard to say. "She answered, after she swallowed. "How's your pasta?"

Kerry leaned over and kissed her gently. "Taste for yourself." She teased, then offered Dar a forkful.

"Uh uh." Dar evaded the fork and went for the source, running her tongue over Kerry's lips before she returned the kiss, putting her almost finished container down on the coffee table and freeing up her hands to stroke the blond woman's face, then travel down her shoulders. "Oh yeah.. I like that." She breathed.

"Me too." Kerry put her own dish down, and turned her attention fully to her companion's body, which her hands were itching to feel. She loved the silky texture of Dar's skin, and her fingers slid beneath the cotton t-shirt eagerly as they spent a leisurely few minutes exploring each other. She nuzzled Dar's neck, and tucked a playful touch under the waistband of her jeans, feeling the muscles contract as she did giving her easy passage. "Wanna give In Search of Ancient Mysteries a miss?" She inquired softly.

'This qualifies, doesn't it?" Dar replied, with a chuckle, as she teased a shirt button loose.

"Who you calling ancient?" Kerry bit down on a tasty earlobe, feeling the laugh travel through Dar's body. "Hmm?" She tickled Dar's belly button, an area she'd discovered was very sensitive. "C'mon, I hear a nice, warm waterbed whispering my name." She nipped the soft skin on Dar's neck, then glanced up. "Hey!"

Dar reacted, her body shifting as she straightened up. "What in….oh." A soft laugh. "Chino, what do you think you're doing?"

The puppy was busted, tiny paws propped up on the low table, face covered in bolognaise sauce, wide brown eyes fastened on them in a big, canine "uh oh." A thin strand of spaghetti drooped form her mouth, and the pink tongue licked at it.

"Bad puppy!" Kerry scolded her sternly, getting a tail wag. "No..don't wag your little butt at me… bad girl!"

The small, creamy ears drooped, and she dropped off the table, sitting down and looking up at them through dark eyelashes. The effect was ruined by a satisfied lip lick, however. Both women laughed. "Oh. It's not funny. " Dar sighed. "But I can't help it.. look at that puss."

"Yeah.. she's got a better pout than you do." Kerry replied, with a faint giggle.

Both dark eyebrows lifted. "I most certainly do not have a pout." Dar stated sternly.

Kerry traced the warm, coral colored lips with a delicate finger. "Yes you do… when you want something you know is bad for you." She teased gently. "Like that cake I made for your birthday." The lips edged in a sheepish grin. "See?" She laughed. "I love that smile."

"Does that mean I get the cake?" Dar asked, ingeniously. She reached down and tickled Chino's ears, and the puppy stumbled over, putting her paws up on the edge of the couch and licking Kerry's arm. "I bet you'd like some too, hmm?"

"No no no.. no chocolate for her. " Kerry rubbed the silky ears. "I'm glad Colleen agreed to come puppy sit…I'd feel really bad leaving her here with just the island people dropping in once in a while." She flicked a glance to Dar. "That is okay, right? "

"Mmhmm." Dar agreed. "That works…I was going to see if Clemente could have someone hang out in here, but Colleen's a better choice.. even if I do think she's still a little unsure about me." She tugged lightly on a lock of Kerry's hair.

Kerry sighed. "It's….she just worries about me, that's all… she thinks it's great we're together, but the work thing weirds her out." She admitted, slowly. "And it is sort of weird.. I feel like I'm two different people sometimes."

"Mm… yeah, me too." Dar agreed.

"And I feel so… " Kerry pushed a lock of Dar's hair back. "I get upset when you get so stressed… like when you were yelling at everyone at the meeting today.. my guts hurt me." She admitted. "I got so mad at that creep today, I almost slapped him in the lunchroom, and it wasn't because I felt he was insulting my intelligence… it was just that he was doing something to get at you, and I just couldn't stand it."

Dar remained quiet, letting the puppy chew on her fingers while she considered Kerry's words. "Sorry." She finally muttered. "It's just the way I do things."

"I know." Kerry smiled a little. "It's just so…" She paused. "Your reputation is based on reality, and I forget that sometimes, because I know you mostly like this." She put a hand on Dar's cheek. "I forget most everyone else sees a different picture."

Dar exhaled. "You make me sound very schizophrenic." She made a wry face. "And unfortunately, you're going to have to live with Ms. Hyde this weekend…I'll apologize in advance."

Kerry laughed ruefully. "Probably better off that way.. or I'm liable to forget, and start hugging you in front of everyone." She demonstrated, settling more comfortably as Dar returned the hug. "Mm… that feels so good. "

"How about we get rid of our plates, and keep searching?" Dar rumbled, right into her ear, the warm breath sending a light, pleasant shiver down Kerry's back. "I don't want to think or talk about work any more tonight."

Kerry murmured agreement, as she nipped her way along Dar's collarbone. She broke off reluctantly, and turned to grab the containers, only to find a cream colored puppy with an Alfredo colored nose licking her chops. "Oh… poo.. Dar, she's going to be sick to her stomach."

Dar lifted the pasta out of the puppy's reach and brought them into the kitchen, putting them in the garbage and dropping the silverware into the dishwasher as Kerry slid up behind her, capturing her with a solid grip around her waist. "Whoa." The hands slipped up under her shirt, and explored her skin, making her knees shiver and almost unlock, and she grabbed the counter momentarily for balance.

Then she turned and met the relentless attack , wrapping her fingers in Kerry's blond hair and ducking her head as the smaller woman pressed up against her, losing herself in the intense passion, and letting the complications of her life drop away, fogging her awareness as her heart started pounding.

That must have been why she imagined she lifted Kerry up, and carried her to the bedroom, because she knew she wasn't capable of doing that.

Right?

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

Kerry became aware of her surroundings when a sharp crack of thunder rattled the windows. She blinked her eyes open, and glanced at the clock, realizing that though it was close to dawn, the weather was keeping it very dark outside.

Thunder rolled again, accompanied by several flashes of lightning. She peeked up to see the dim reflection of the clock's light against half open blue eyes. "Sounds nasty."

"Uh huh." Dar agreed.

"You're not considering going out and running in this, are you?"

"No." Dar snorted lightly, as she ran light fingertips across Kerry's bare ribs. "You think I'm nuts?"

"Just checking." Kerry nuzzled the soft breast she was resting on. "You've been very consistent lately."

Her lover snuggled closer, and made a soft noise deep in her throat. "Running's a good way to start the day out… kinda clears my head…gives me a little time to think." Thunder grumbled overhead. "However, this is perfect sleeping in weather." She muttered.

Kerry eyed the rain lashing against the window, along with the almost constant flashes of lightning. "Yeah… it sure is." She slid a knee between Dar's thighs, and went belly to belly with her, curling an arm around her back and exhaling contentedly. "Well, we have an hour or so before we have to get up, then."

"Mmhmm." Dar tugged the covers a little closer, and let her eyes slide shut.

The phone rang.

Dar cursed softly, and untangled one arm, reaching out and capturing the instrument. "Yeah?"

"Dar, it's Mark." The MIS chief sounded pissed.

"What's up?" Dar answered, stifling a yawn. "Meteor fall on Houston, or something?"

"Worse… the overseas gateways are down. Exxon tanker dropped anchor in the wrong place going across the North Atlantic, and snagged the cable. Took out three hundred pairs."

"Ugh." Dar winced. "Jesus… can we reroute?" She felt Kerry stir against her, and she stroked the woman's back lightly. "Oh shit… they've got a transatlantic sales meeting with four new British clients this morning." ar

"I know." Mark replied. "That's why I'm calling… the shit's going to hit the fan in so many directions, we might as well set up a freaking stand and sell fertilizer." A soft sound of clicking keys came through the phone. "One of the pairs that was cut was the admin line.. they can't tell who's up and who's down, and they can't reroute until they get some diagnostics over the cable…it could take hours, maybe all day."

"Can we buy transponder time and go via sat?" Kerry uttered, very softly.

Dar considered that for a minute.

"Did you say something, Dar?" Mark inquired. "Thought I heard something."

Tell him? What the hell, he knows she logs on from here all the time. "Kerry suggested a possiblity.. switch it to a sat conference and rent uplink time."

"Oh… tell her I said good morning. " Mark's voice held a touch of triumphant amusement, despite the circumstances. "That's… well, they were going to do a multimedia real time… I'm not sure the sat can handle that kind of bandwidth, but it's a thought. We'd have to reconfigure all the sets here, and there for the different network type.. I'd have to put that on the fiber backbone."

"Is there any other possibility? Other than the reroute, which we have no reasonable ETA on?" Dar inquired.

"Not that I can see, boss.. that's why I was calling you." Mark replied. "Got two for the price of one too.. Kerry was next on my list of notifies."

"Please don’t' page me." Kerry mumbled. "I left it on vibrate, and it's on the dresser… it always scares the crap out of me when it goes off."

Dar muffled a laugh. "Okay… contact Intelsat, see if we can get one.. no, get two transponders.. and bring some of your people in early to go up and reconfigure the presentation system in the big conference room." She gave Kerry a hug. "Good work." She mouthed.

Kerry shrugged modestly. "I learned from the best." She mouthed back, resting her chin on Dar's breastbone with a contented sigh.

"Okay.. will do." Mark replied, amid another clatter of keys and a rumble of thunder. "See ya in the office."

"I'll bring pastalitos." Dar remarked wryly. "And lots of Cuban coffee." She hung up, then sighed, as she regarded the dimly seen ceiling. "So much for sleeping in."

Kerry didn't let go of her. "Why? Is there anything you can do in the next hour there?" She asked, reasonably. "It's going to take at least that long for Mark to get someone at Intelsat to answer him, considering they're in California, and it's only quarter to six here." She started a slow, teasing rubbing up and down Dar's belly, running her fingers over the lightly rippled surface in little circles.

Dar hesitated, torn between a natural urge to pounce on the situation, and her body's insidious desire to remain right where she was, in this nice, warm cuddle, where she could almost feel the affection surrounding her in the circle of Kerry's arms.

Shockingly, her body won out, and she capitulated, resettling her hold around her lover's body, and exhaling softly. "You're right… no sense in going in there just to pace around the carpet." The gentle stroking was relaxing her and she felt her eyes flutter closed, as she eased forward, finding Kerry's lips waiting for her.

They were both too sleepy to go too far, but they spent a very pleasant half an hour in nibbling and touching each other, until the reluctant gray light warned them of the growing dawn. Dar stretched, and rolled out of bed, offering a hand down to her languidly watching lover. "I'm gonna go take a shower… the coffee should be ready."

"Y'know… " Kerry hopped out of the waterbed. "It would save time if we both showered at the same time."

Dar's dark brow lifted. "Oh it would, would it?" She laughed. "And save water, too… maybe." She agreed. "All right… let's go." She lead the way into the bathroom, flipping on the light and ducking into the free standing stall shower to start the water running.

"Mm.." Kerry curled an arm around her, and nipped her waistline. "You know, Dar.. I think the thought of not being able to touch you for two and a half days is making me… um… " She hesitated.

"Horny." Dar supplied, giving her a quick kiss. "That's all right." She smiled at the dull red flush that covered Kerry's neck and face. "C'mere." She drew the blond woman into the shower, and let the warm, pulsing water cascade over both of them. Then she picked up a natural sponge, and added some liquid soap to it, and started scrubbing Kerry's body.

"Mmm." Kerry swayed a little, then captured her own bit of sponge, and returned the service, rubbing the soft surface against Dar's tanned skin. She'd gotten halfway around her ribcage before she found herself sliding closer, and replacing the sponge with her lips, unable to deny her body's cravings.

Dar responded, dropping soap slick hands down over Kerry's hips, pulling her forward and into the intense flow from the shower head. She let herself forget the time, as Kerry's hands slid up her thigh and they allowed a spiral of passion to take them over, building to a fiery intensity, then leaving them both shaking, as Dar leaned back against the water warmed shower tile and managed to keep her legs from collapsing under her. "Whoa."

Kerry sucked in a breath that was half heated skin, and half chlorine tinted water, with the soft tang of their soap on the peripheries. "Oh.. …" She caught her breath, and bumped her head against Dar's arm. "Guess we're skipping breakfast this morning. "

Dar chuckled, on an uneven breath. "Thought that was breakfast." They finished showering and got out, wrapping towels around each other and easing into the living room, where they could hear faint whines as Chino heard them moving. "Okay… " Dar sighed, running her fingers through her damp hair. "Onward to Hell." She gave Kerry's blond head one last kiss. "Oh… Eleanor… you wish you had as much of a life as I do."

They both laughed.

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

Kerry reached over and flicked her computer on as she sat down at her desk, glancing at her inbox and taking sip of fragrant, steaming coffee. She leaned back in her comfortable leather chair and smiled a little, resting her head against the soft surface as she waited for her computer to finish booting up.

It did, and she was logging in when her phone rang. She punched the button. "Kerry Stuart."

"Hi, Kerry? It's John Brown in Charlotte." The man's voice sounded harried, but friendly. He was a supervisor in the networking office, she recalled.

"Good morning, John.. what can I do for you?" She answered cordially.

"Well… um. I got a request from your office, and I just wanted to check it out with someone.. I don't want to do something then get my ass nailed, if you know what I mean. I tried Ms. Robert's office first, but she's not there."

"She's just down the hall in MIS.. but what's the problem?" Kerry inquired curiously. "What did we ask for?"

"It's the fractional T1 we use for the insurance division's data transfer… we got a request to turn their link off, and reroute network traffic from your office to the London conference center." John replied. "They're gonna go bonkershits if we do that.. so… "

Kerry's brow creased. "We asked for that? Wait.. no, I mean, I know we've got a problem with the overseas links, but we found a way around that.. who made the request?"

Ruffle of papers. "Someone named Fab…Fabarini or something." He muttered. "I didn't get the spelling.. one of my guys took the call, and he gave it to me to check out." A pause. "You want me to go ahead?"

Kerry drummed her fingers on her desk. "No." She replied evenly. "In fact, don't do anything from this office unless you get it from Dar, Mark, or me."

A long pause. "Uh..okay." John replied, obviously confused. "I mean.. usually I wouldn't question stuff like that.. I mean you guys ask for shuffling all the time, but this seemed a little drastic, you know?"

That stupid piece of… "Yes, I know… but, as a favor to me, just clear everything through Operations here first, okay?"

A shrug she could hear even through the phone. "Sure." John agreed amiably. "Better for me… that way I don't get my ass nailed from Insurance and Banking when they find out their pipe got taken down." He rattled a few keys. "Thanks, Kerry."

"No problem." The blond woman responded, and hung up. She stewed for a moment, then she stood, about to head out the door for MIS to find Dar. The phone rang before she could move, though, and she punched the button again. "Kerry Stuart."

"This is Jose." The VP's voice sounded flustered. "We're having a meeting here.. come down. I can't find Dar."

Green eyes regarded the phone. "Sure." Kerry replied. "Be right there." She circled her desk and strode out of her office, heading for the large conference room at the end of the hall. She opened the door, seeing a group of six or seven people in side, and walked on in.

"We were heading right for disaster!" Steve Fabricini was insisting, thumping a fist on the table. "Can you imagine the egg on our face?" He turned and saw Kerry approaching. "And you people didn't do a god damned thing about it! This is disgraceful!" He threw his hands up. "If I hadn't been here, I can only imagine what would have happened!" A pause. "Nice of you to show up.. waltzing in here at nine o'clock."

Kerry paused, and regarded him, then walked around to an empty chair and sat down, folding her hands on the table. "Mind starting at the beginning? I'm not sure what you're talking about."

Jose threw a pencil on the table. "We have a big goddamn conference with the overseas office in London.. and the lines are down."

Kerry nodded slowly. "The intercontinental trunks.. yes… we were notified." She replied calmly, savoring what she knew was coming. "I was paged this morning. " Well, not quite, but…

"And you did nothing." Steve fumed. "Well, I took care of it.. I have the network office tying in some extra lines for us, so we'll be okay."

The blond woman cocked her head. "No you don't." She replied calmly. "Netops cleared it through us, and I told them not to do it."

"What?" Jose sat up. "Are you crazy woman?"

"That's it! I knew it.. you are trying to sabotage us." Fabricini accused, leaning on his hands.

Kerry exhaled. "Those extra circuits belong to a live account, which you were going to take down without any prior notification.. so yes, I told them not to do it." She stood and put her hands on her hips. "And it's not needed, because we already have an alternate link up."

Silence. "What?" Jose asked again, looking at Steve. "You said there was nothing." He looked back at Kerry. "No one was in your office… we called three times!"

The blond woman shrugged. "No one paged me." She replied simply. "Or called my cell phone, or left me voice mail… or contacted Maria. Seems to me someone didn't try very hard to find out if we were doing something." She brushed a fleck of dust off her sleeve, then she walked over to the presentation computer, and signed into it, hitting the key which would switch the output to the overhead screen. She waited, then accessed their intranetwork, and started a conferencing session. A list of remote offices popped up, the London one conspicuously in the center. "There you go." She glanced up. "Is there anything else I can do? I've got a pretty big inbox to clear."

Steve wasn't finished. "Okay.. so who did you steal lines from?" He asked, sarcastically.

Kerry smiled at him, with no humor in her face. "No one. We bought sat time, and used an uplink." She replied briefly. "And it's been done before dawn, so I guess you can say I've been working for three hours longer than you have." She gave them all a look, then walked around the table, and headed for the door.

"You should have let us know." Jose interrupted her. "You can't blame us for thinking we were high and dry, Ms Stuart… I have a department and company to protect here."

Kerry turned at the door, and regarded him. "You're right." She told him, sincerely. "We should have paged you… but we were hoping to get the alternate route up before anyone even realized there was a problem. " She admitted "I apologize for that…I'll make sure you get notified the next time."

Jose fiddled with his tie. "Exactly.. exactly.. yes. Good." He nodded, then waved at his secretary. "Get this conference hooked up, will you?"

Kerry slipped out the door, glancing back in as she closed it and seeing the hostile eyes watching her. She sighed, and let the lock click behind her, leaning against the wall as she willed her body to stop shaking. She hated face to face conflict like that. All at once, her stomach rebelled, and she got to the ladies room just in time to lose her breakfast, her body violently reacting to the sudden, unexpected stress. She leaned against the wall afterward, closing her eyes and hoping her stomach would settle. "Okay, Kerry… just relax.. you've been in more tense situations that.. what's up with you?" She asked herself silently. And it was true, she had… with her father, with Dar, for heaven's sake.. so why did this bastard get to her like this? She sighed, and trudged to the sink, washing her mouth out and splashing water over her face, which felt overheated. She was just drying her face off with a paper towel when footsteps approached, and she glanced up as the door swung open, and a familiar dark head poked in. "Oh..hi.." She greeted Dar. "I was just coming to look for you."

Dar slipped inside and let the door close. "I was just coming to look for you… " She gazed at Kerry. "You okay?"

Embarrassed, Kerry nodded. "Yeah.. yeah.. I'm fine…" She decided Dar didn't need any more stress of her own. "I was just making sure the conference went off… I logged on and confirmed the London servers were accessible from the big presentation room."

The blue eyes studied her in puzzled concern for a moment. "Good… good… I'm glad you did that.. " Dar glanced behind her then came closer, very gently touching Kerry's cheek. "You look really pale.. you sure you're okay?"

Kerry also glanced around, conscious of how public a place they were in. "Yeah… I'm sure.. something disagreed with me.. maybe that meat pastalito I had.. " She put a hand over her stomach. "But I'm fine now."

Dar stepped back, giving her a relieved nod. "Oh… yeah, they were kinda greasy this morning." She commented. "Well, if that crisis is done, I've got another one for us to work on."

Kerry exhaled. "Lead on." She responded. "What's up now?" She followed Dar outside and down the hall hearing the faint sounds of the presentation going on in the conference room.

"We took over a manufacturing plant's IS and we've got two mainframes down." Dar responded.

"And?" Kerry inquired. "That doesn't sound too tough."

"It's in Hong Kong." Dar replied dryly. "Which now has a technology restriction and we can't get parts in to fix them."

"Oh." The blond chewed her lip. "That sucks."

"Mm… "

"Smuggle the chips inside fortune cookies?"

Dar chuckled wryly as they headed down the corridor.

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

"Dar?" Maria's voice broke into her concentration, as she poured over circuiting diagrams. Dar glanced up with a start, aware suddenly of the time.

"Yes?" She asked, checking her watch. Shit.

"Mariana just called… the bus is here." The secretary said. "She asks, are you ready?"

Dar sat back, regarding the pile on her desk with a look of mild disgust. "No.. but that's not going to stop this thing from happening, is it?" She muttered in response "I've got a six inch stack of paper I need to go over.. and three reports that are due…. " She sighed, and rubbed her temples. "Tell her I'll change, and be down in the lobby in ten minutes… you might want to call Kerry, and see if she's headed down."

"Not quite." A soft voice answered, from the inner door.

Dar glanced up, to see Kerry's head poking into her office "Never mind on that last, Maria…she's right here. "

"Okay… I will wrap things up here, Dar… try to have a good weekend, okay?" Even Maria sounded doubtful, knowing what the situation was. "Good luck."

"Thanks." The dark haired woman sighed. "You have a good weekend too, Maria." She glanced at Kerry. "You ready?"

Kerry entered, already changed into jeans and a sweatshirt. "As I ever will be." She gave Dar a wry look. "I finished up everything I could Dar… but there's still a lot of stuff pending… next week's going to be a bitch."

"I know." Dar sighed, and stood up, stretching her six foot plus frame out and rolling her neck around to loosen it. "What a day… all right, let me go get out of this monkey suit, and we'll head down." She stepped around the desk and held her arms out. "One for the road?"

No argument from Kerry. She slid into Dar's embrace, feeling the cool silk under her fingers that warmed as she closed her arms around the taller woman's body. "Mmm…. " She sensed the pressure of lips against her head, and she let herself absorb the sweet feeling, wishing she could just stay like this and not have to get on that damned bus.

After a long moment, they parted, reluctantly, and Dar let her fingers brush across Kerry's cheek. "I resent having to spend an entire weekend pretending not to be desperately in love with you." She stated, seriously. "I think I resent that more than having to go in the first place."

Kerry blushed a little. "I just hope I don't slip up and forget you're just my boss." She admitted. "You'd better stay far away from me at night." She gave Dar a pat. "Go change… I'll get my bag."

Dar sighed, but complied, changing out of her dark blue suit and into a comfortable pair of jeans and a polo shirt. She ticked the ends of it in and buckled her belt, giving herself a cursory glance in the mirror as she did so, then running a comb through her hair before she put her suit on a hanger and headed back to her office.

"Dar, it's cold out." Kerry scolded. "You need a sweater or something.. you're going to catch a chill." She dug through her bosses bag, and retrieved a soft, fleece sweatshirt. "Put this on."

"Yes, mother." Dar chuckled, but did as she was told, slipping the fabric over her head and adjusting the waistband. "Better?"

Kerry reviewed the rich, crimson color against Dar's tanned skin and dark hair, and smiled. "Oh.. I like that… you look really good in red." She shouldered her bag and exhaled. "Okay.. let's go."

They went down the hall to the elevator and got in, riding it down in silence and exchanging one, last look before the door opened.

The rest of the group was there waiting, and they collected several annoyed looks as they joined them. "Sorry. "Dar addressed the woman sent to collect them briskly. "Just tying up loose ends."

The woman, a perky blond with an infectious smile, nodded. "Well, that's great…glad you could join us. " She checked her clipboard. "You would be Roberts and Stuart, right?"

Dar nodded. "Yep."

"Excellent. Well, okay… my name's Skippy, and I'll be your guide during the seminar." She checked her list. "What we're going to do is get on board the bus, and get started… the camps about three and a half hours north of here, and on the way we'll have you fill out some questionnaires, and pass out a little snack in case anyone gets hungry, okay?"

"A snack?" Jose objected. "Hey, come on now… most of us didn't get lunch." He glanced around, twitching his jacket closed. "It's almost six o'clock." Several other people nodded with him.

"All right." Skippy didn't miss a beat. "We also have some full dinners on board… so let's get going, and I'll explain more about the program when we're on the way." She checked them over as they boarded the huge, chartered bus. "Now, no one has anything nasty, like a computer, or anything like that, right?" She reminded them. "We're trying to get your minds into a different space this weekend."

"I wonder how many people have asked her if she has any peanut butter." Duks commented, in a low murmur. Causing Dar to chuckle. "I cannot believe I am doing this, my friend… or that you are, for that matter."

Dar shrugged. "Won't hurt us." She replied laconically, as she watched Kerry board, then stepped up after her, glad to leave the thick, diesel smell behind. The bus was plush, with two rows of seats going back on either side, spaced far enough apart to provide a decent amount of leg space. There was really no excuse to squeeze in, so Dar reluctantly went past the row Kerry had settled in, and slid into the row past her, pushing the arm between the two seats up and stretching out. If she leaned against the window, she could see Kerry's head doing the same and as she watched, the blond woman turned and peeked back through the opening at her.

Sticking her tongue out, and making Dar smile, which she quickly muffled as Steve settled in the seat across from her, his dark eyes regarding her coolly. Duks took the seat behind her, and Mariana took the one behind Steve, and she briefly kicked herself for not arranging to do the same with Kerry.

Great. Now she was stuck looking at Steve's obnoxious puss for three hours. With an aggrieved sigh, Dar propped one knee up, and rested her arm against it, as the bus pulled out of the parking lot, into the fading twilight.

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

"Here you go." Skippy smiled at Kerry, as she handed her a clipboard with a sheaf of papers on it. "Just fill everything out, and feel free to ask me if you have any questions."

Kerry took the papers. "Okay.. what's this all for?" She asked, glancing at the forms.

Skippy put a hand on the seat back next to her. "Well, it's so we know you better.. so we can tailor the seminar more closely to your needs."

"Ah… wouldn't it have been more efficient to give us these before hand?" The blond woman asked, curiously. "I mean… it's not like you'll have much time to do any tinkering."

Skippy's perky smile became a little fixed. "Why, we'll stay up all night if we have to.. don't you worry…if you'll just fill out that information."

Kerry pulled the cap off her pen and studied the papers. "If I didn't know better.. I'd say this was just to keep us busy on the trip." She murmured, with a shake of her head. "Because I don’t know how much tailoring you're going to get done with a list of my favorite library books."

"Now now.. you just let us do our jobs… that information tells our analysts a lot about you." Skippy informed her, as she escaped down the row, handing Dar her clipboard and leaning over to give Steve his. "There you go.. any .. um.. questions?"

"Yeah.. do you have an assigned seat, or can you help me fill mine out?" Steve asked her, giving the young blond a smile.

Skippy beamed at him "Well, let me pass out the rest of these, and I'll come back to give you a hand, okay?" She scuttled down the isle, making sure everyone had a clipboard. "Yes sir?" She leaned over where Duks was seated. "Did you need something? A pen?"

Duks held up one of his never-ending supply of mechanical pencils. "No, thank you."

"You must be an accountant." She smiled at him. "They always have those things."

Duks nodded gravely at her. "When you graduate from college with a financial degree, they give you a dozen cases of them." He assured her. "With your name on them." He held his up. "See?"

"Oh… yes" Skippy edged away from him, and turned a bright smile on Dar, who was neatly printing in her name. "And what are you?"

"Trouble." Dar replied, peering at her from under dark lashes, and leaving a faint smile on her lips.

"Ah." Skippy backed off. "Well, how about some pop, huh? We've got cola, orange, and lime."

"Milk." Dar replied, intent on sucking as much enjoyment out of the weekend as she could. That included tormenting little blond girls who were far too perky for their own good.

"Milk… okay..I think we have some of that.. let me go look." She escaped down the row towards the front of the bus, where Eleanor and her assistant were installed in regal splendor. The Marketing VP had a colorful, warm woven throw tucked around her knees, and her assistant, a tall, thin man with nervously blinking eyes and thick glasses was hunched over the forms. Just about everyone else had chosen to wear jeans, except for Jose, who was in a pair of neatly pressed chinos and a guyabera.

Dar tucked her knees up and rested her clipboard against them, chewing on her pen top as she studied the forms. They were a collection of questions meant to probe her innermost psyche, she reasoned, other wise why ask if she liked chicken instead of fish, or if she picked a aisle seat in an airplane or a window? She half believed Kerry was right, and this stuff was just to keep them occupied for a while, until they got there, or until the boredom of the trip set in, and they fell asleep.

Skippy came back and handed Dar a small carton of milk, then sat down next to Steve and started going over the questions with him.

"Psst." A soft whisper caught her attention, and she glanced over at the back of the next seat. Kerry's green eyes were peering at her.

"Yeah?" She asked softly.
"Do we get points if we can answer more than ten percent of the questions with 'none of the above'?" The blond woman inquired. "I hate all those animals in question six."

"Hey.. " Jose's voice rose. "What you mean here, relations with animals? What kind of people do you think we are?"

"Sir.. that means pets." Skippy smiled perkily at him. "You know, like doggies and kitties.. do you have any loved pets?" Her smiled faded. "Not do you..uh..love… pets.. not in that way.. um… we really don't… care to know about that."

"What about my python?" Duks commented dryly from his dark corner. "Do you consider the rats I feed her pets too?"

Dar covered her eyes and bit back a laugh.

"Um…. Well, no.. because they're kind of.. um.. transient, right? We mean permanent pets." Skippy replied. "Like that are there all the time."

"Like my Sweetiepie." Mariana mused, from her seat across from Dar. "She's the prettiest parrot:"

Skippy smiled at her. "See? Yes.. that's what I meant.."

"Mm… I loved her so much, I had her stuffed when she died." The Personnel VP added. "Now she's the most permanent thing in the house."

Dar clamped her jaw muscles tightly.

"You people are so disrespectful." Steve suddenly said, sharply. "This woman is here to do a job, and you all think it's a joke." He glared at them, and Skippy beamed gratefully at him. "The company takes this seriously, and you should to." He sat down, smiling at the guide as she eased into the seat next to him.

Dar sighed. It was going to be a long weekend.

The droning of the bus's tires finally changed, and Dar shifted, blinking her eyes and glancing out the window. It was pitch dark outside, only the very occasional lamp flicking by, along with the rare, desultory billboard. She glanced to her left, between the seats, and spotted the gentle curve of Kerry's cheek, as the blond woman dozed, her head resting against the chill window.

Across from her, Steve and Skippy were conversing in low tones, and everyone else seemed to have fallen asleep. Dar straightened, and checked her watch, then stood and stretched the kink out of her back from the semi comfortable seat. "Almost there?" She inquired quietly.

Skippy turned her head. "Yes.. we just turned off the expressway.. we've got a little bit to go yet." She replied cheerfully. "It's way, way out there… we wanted to get to where you couldn't even hear the traffic at all."

Dar leaned against her seat back and peered out the window. A billboard went by. "Aardvark Bail Bonds." She commented. "Next right." Her head turned. "Guess you're not the only ones who wanted some privacy."

Skipping blinked at her. "What do you mean?"

Dar peered out again. "Bill's Bail Haven." She enunciated. "No waiting, six lines." Her blue eyes regarded her wryly. "We're out near Stark."

"Stark?" Steve asked, obviously disgruntled at having his discussion interrupted. "What are you talking about, Dar?"

"The Federal Penitentiary." Came the droll response. "There's also a state jail out near here.. if I'm not mistaken.. no wonder it's empty."

"Oh.. well.. we're not going there." Skippy assured her. "It's a camp just west of here, really.. we wouldn't take you to a prison."

"Oh, I don't know." Steve sniped. "I'd like to see that, myself."

Dar gazed at him. "Steve.. you'd have a lot more to worry about than I would." She replied silkily.

He leaned back. "Oh.. I don't think so… I think those women would knock that tough attitude of yours right off."

The dark haired woman put her hands on her hips, and smiled at him. "At least my attitude has something to back it up." She replied meaningfully.

Skippy had been watching them, her head bobbing between them like an errant, blond ping-pong ball. "Oh… do you two know each other well?" She asked brightly.

Steve studied Dar's tall form speculatively. "C'mon, Dar… those days are long behind you.. cut the crap." He laughed. "When was the last time you even hit the mat?"

"Mat?" Skippy seemed to sense a fight, and dove into an attempt to divert it. "What kind of mats are those? Are you into aerobics? I am."

Dar decided to ignore them, and instead strolled off down the aisle, ending up in the back of the bus where there was a toilet, and a small refrigerator. Dar explored that, finding a can of Yoohoo to her muted delight. She also picked up a bag of pretzels and held on, as the bus took a right turn, and slowed drastically.

"Oh.. we're almost there." Skippy stood up and went to her seat at the front, gathering up her stack of paper and peering out the front window. "Okay, folks.. you'd better wake up." Her perky voice stirred the rest of the group, who struggled awake, peering around.

Dar made her way back to her seat, and dropped into it, opening her soda and sucking at it in silence. A blond head appeared over the seat in front of her, and she glanced up, only just barely keeping herself from giving Kerry a friendly smile. The green eyes, amber in the buses low light, twinkled a little in acknowledgment, and instead, she offered the blond woman some pretzels.

"Thanks." Kerry replied politely, selecting one and munching on it.

The bus passed through a set of stately gates, and curled through a circular driveway, stopping with a soft jerk, and a hiss. "Okay." Skippy stood up. "Here we are." She checked her clipboard. "Why don't you come on inside, and we'll get everyone settled down for the evening. We've got hot drinks, and some snacks inside if anyone's still hungry."

They shouldered bags in silence, and followed her off the bus, and through two large, wooden doors into a large lodge type building. Dar glanced around, taking in the sedate décor, and nodded slightly. The lodge had a large sitting area near a fireplace, and a round table where two other of the retreat's staff were waiting. It reminded her vaguely of a good, if rural corporate hotel.

"Not bad." Duks remarked.

"Hm." Mariana agreed.

"Come right this way, ladies and gentlemen." Skippy led them over to the reception desk. "Now, this is how the retreat is set up. We've got rooms that were designed for two people. What we'd like to do is split you up first, into men and women."

"Which do you qualify as, Dar/" Steve sniped. Jose snorted, and shook his head in amusement.

Dar merely looked him up and down, then smirked.

"Okay." Skippy had two bowls in her hands. "This is how this works, so it's nice and fair. Each of these has sets of pictures, folded up. Everyone picks one, and the people who have the matching pictures, room together. Got it?"

"Why cant we have our own rooms?" Eleanor objected. "I'm very uncomfortable sharing quarters with people I hardly know." Her eyes, without question, rested on Dar.

"Now, it's just for two nights." Skippy coaxed. "The rooms are nice sized.. you really have nothing to worry about. Part of the retreat is to let you break down some of the usual barriers with the people you work with, and this really helps. We used to have all the women in one room, and all the men in another, but that didn't work out as well." She held up the dishes. "Okay, let's pick."

They picked.

"Now unfold your papers, and hold them up."

They unfolded. Duks let out an almost imperceptible sigh. "Come along, Jose.. I am hoping you do not snore too badly."

"Hey. My wife tells me I never do that." Jose replied, insulted.

Kerry peered at the small black star on her paper, then glanced up at the others. Her eyebrows lifted as she spotted the other star holder, a very innocent looking Dar Roberts. "Fair's fair, I guess." Kerry commented, holding up her star.

"Lucky you." Eleanor muttered. "Snoring should be the least of your problems."

Dar let out a long breath. "You know, Eleanor.. .one of these days, I'm just going to get to the point where I'm over your bullshit." She told the Marketing VP crisply. "It's been a long day. Don't push me."

Eleanor stared at her, then she turned to Kerry. "There's five women, Kerry… why don't you double up with Sandy over there, and let Ms Congeniality go by herself? Everyone'll be happier, I'm sure.. and Sandy doesn't mind, do you?"

"I mind." Kerry replied. "It has been a long day, I'm tired, and I just want to get some rest. No offense to Sandy, but I'm perfectly happy rooming with Dar. She's housebroken, she puts the seat down, and she doesn't snore." She was aware of the faintly shocked looks. "You forget we travel together all the time, I guess."

"Well.." Skippy put a determined smile on her face. "That brings me to our first little exercise. " That got their attention. "Here are your keys. Your first task is, find your rooms." She exhaled. "Have a great night.. we'll wake you for breakfast." She pointed. "Coffee's there, if anyone needs it."

The retreat staff retreated, closing a plain, white door behind them.

They all looked at each other. Dar ran her hand through her hair and looked around. "Well, it's one building.. they can't be far."

Fabracini strolled around the edges of the big room. "Other than the front door.. let me see. We've got two other possibilities. That door they went through.. and this locked grate."

"This is bullshit." Jose snapped, obviously disgusted. "What kind of stupid games are they playing? I'm not going to put up with this crap, I'm telling you." He glared at the walls. "I can sleep right here on the damned floor."

Kerry walked to where Fabracini was standing, and examined the grate. It had a lock in it, and as he pulled against it, it sounded very solid. Kerry knelt, and examined the lock curiously.

"You going to develop a useful skill, like picking those?" Steve asked, with a chuckle.

"Dar.. is that a Yale?"

Blue eyes regarded the key. "Yes."

"Let's all try our keys in here." Kerry suggested gently. 'If this is the only way out, it would make sense one of our keys would open it."

Duks did. He inserted his key after Dar and Steve tried theirs, and it turned, making a solid click as the lock disengaged. Steve turned the handle and pulled it back, and revealed a stairway leading up. "Good work, Kerry." The accountant patted her on the back. "One obstacle down.. shall we?"

They trudged upstairs, finding another door at the top of the stairs, also locked. This time, it was Eleanor's key that worked, and they proceeded down a short hallway to where a wider spot featured an octagon of rooms, with all the doors facing inward around a central area, which had a round table in it. Each room, instead of having a number, had a small animal plaque next to the door, and Dar peered at her key to see if something matched. "Tiger." She pointed, with a wry look.

"Mine is the pig." Duks observed gravely.

"Half right."

Mariana nudged Dar in the ribs. "C'mon, be nice."

Dar glanced at her, and raised a brow. "Why? No one else is." She stalked to the door and opened it, politely holding it as Kerry ventured past, then following the smaller woman inside before letting it shut.

"Urf." Mari rubbed her temples. "Gonna be a long weekend."

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

The sound of catty voices drifted through the door, which Kerry let close very firmly before she held up her paper. "Okay. How'd you do this? I didn't think you were into sleight of hand."

Dar smiled. "I have many skills." She glanced around the room, which was plainly decorated, but comfortable. It looked very much like a hotel room, with a single dresser and mirror, two chairs, a small table, and a bed. A single, though quite large bed. "Damn good thing, too." She shook her head.

"Mm." Kerry was at her elbow. "One bed, huh? That must be giving them all fits."

Dar put an arm around her shoulders. "Yep."

"Breaking down of barriers thing, huh?" Kerry mused. "Me waking up snuggling with Eleanor would certainly break down a barrier all right."

"Ew." Dar's nose wrinkled. "Well, if I have to put up with them during the day, at least the nights'll be pleasant." She inclined her head and kissed Kerry, who responded in like fashion.

"Uer… what if they're filming this or something? "

"Who.. the retreat people.?" Dar murmured, continuing her exploration of Kerry's face.

"Mm.. to send back to Alastair or something."

Dar lifted her free hand, and made a rude gesture towards any potential watching electronic eyes. Kerry chuckled. "You're such a bad girl." She felt the soft gust as Dar snarled against her lips, the faint vibration sending a little thrill down the length of her body. Dar rested her forehead against Kerry's and exhaled.

"So.. how did you do it?"

"Hm? Oh." A smile. "I watched Skippy Junior when she was folding them.. memorized which ones went where, and made sure you and I picked first."

Kerry absorbed this information respectfully. "Wow." She murmured. "Really?"

A mischevious look took over Dar''s face. "Would you believe me if I told you we just got lucky?"

The blond brows lowered. "Knowing you? No."

Dar laughed. "Well, we might as well get some sleep. I'm sure it's going to be a long, bitchy day tomorrow." She cocked her head, and they listened as irritated voices came through the thin walls around them. Eleanor's rose to a shout, then they heard a bang. "Bitchier for some than others, I guess."

"Well…" Kerry patted her gently to remove the sting. "You're not helping much, honey." She heard Dar sigh. "Not that I blame you really… I feel like giving them all a sedative enema."

Dar set her bag down on the dresser and opened it, stifling a yawn as she pulled out her pyjamas. "I know.. I shoudn't let it get to me, but lately.. " She gave the familiar jersey a frown. "It's really rubbing me raw.. I'm not really sure why."

Kerry finished stripping out of her jeans and shirt, and tucking them away in her bag. "You seem a little…" She paused, considering her words, aware of the stiffening of Dar's back. "I don't know, maybe it's just so different… work and what it's like after we leave the building. I feel it too."

"You do?" Dar didn't turn.

"That irresistable urge to bitch slap people? Yeah." Kerry pulled her tshirt over her head, and exhaled. "Especially when they say bad things about you. I just want to kill them."

Dar turned, and leaned against the dresser. "I thought you were a little snippier than usual with Eleanor." She smiled. "I put the seat down? Kerry, why the hell would I leave it up?"

"Grmpfh." The blond woman walked over and buried her face into Dar's shirt. "I did say that, didn't I? I don't know.. she was just stomping all over my last nerve with those spike heels."

Dar reached over and flipped the light off, leaving them in stark, pitch darkness. The window outside was a blank square, the stars outside covered by clouds, and the city lights far, far away. Dar blinked, and waited for her usually excellent night vision to adjust, but the air remained impenetrably dense. Ah. She edged closer and found the outline of Kerry's face by nibbling it. "Now, this is my kinda challenge." She felt an unexpected touch sneak up her thigh. "Mm."

"We could get in a lot of trouble this way." Kerry whispered, not really caring. "These are real thin walls, Dar."

Her lover's hands slid under the soft cotton shirt she was wearing, and eased it up, exploring her skin curiously. "Scream quietly." Dar advised, right in her left ear. Kerry's nostrils flared. "Think of it as a character building exercise."

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

A loud crack of thunder brought Kerry bolt upright, her heart thumping in reaction half at the noise, half from the dream she'd been shaken out of. A flash of lightning lit up the room, and she caught a brief glimpse of Dar, lying asleep next to her, so still that Kerry reached out in unthinking reflex and touched her chest, only breathing herself when she felt the warm surface move under her hand.

"Buh." She rubbed her face with her other hand, trying to erase the chilling memory of kneeling over her lover, knowing the stillness was something more than just a peaceful sleep. She could almost smell the dream's scent of fur, and wood, and unfamiliar spices for a moment, then the image faded, and she was just aware of the musty, faintly antiseptic smell of the retreat's bedroom.

"Kerry?" A concerned voice came out of the darkness, and fingers closed over her hand. "What's up?"

"Just me." Kerry laid back down. "Bad dream."

"Mm.. c'mere." Dar tugged her closer, and she curled her body up against the taller woman's with a sense of relief. "Listen to that thunder… what time is it?"

Kerry lifted her head a little. "Five… I think it was the noise that woke me up." She put her head back down on Dar's shoulder, and hugged her. "But I'm glad.. I hate nightmares."

Dar rubbed her back lightly. "What was it about?"

The sting of tears was very unexpected. "Nothing intelligible." Kerry said. "Just my subconcious doing some housecleaning." She listened to Dar's heartbeat, steady under her ear, and found it relaxed her. There was something very familiar about the sound, and she allowed it to lull her back into a light doze.

Dar gazed up at the unseen ceiling, now wide awake, her memory focusing on her own dreams, which had been far more peaceful.

She'd been lying in the sun, in a thickly forested area just next to a small spring. It had been cool, just enough to offset the warmth of the sunlight, and she'd been aware of being sleepy, and contented, half curled on her side with Kerry cuddled up next to her.

And then she'd realized the woman in her arms was pregnant, the gentle swelling prominent beneath her encircling arm. Her dream's memory had even felt the soft flutter of life under her relaxed fingertips.

What on earth was that all about? Dar wondered in confusion. She felt Kerry snuggle closer, and release a breath that fluttered the cotton fabric across her chest, and warmed the skin underneath it. The blond woman's body was pressed against hers, and it's slim, familiar contours certainly held no hint of impending motherhood, so…

Weird.

Dar had never really paid much attention to her dreams, never really remembered most of them, for that matter, leaving the studying of that stuff to her mother along with the rest of the esoterica. Now, she had very little hard data to go on in figuring out her puzzling vision.

A bizarre reaction to their deepening relationship?

Deeply hidden maternal instincts popping up?

A sudden need for a more traditional household?

Dar scratched the side of her nose. More likely a reaction to the two packages of moon pies she'd scarfed down on the bus trip. That'd been enough sugar to cause nightmares. And come to think of it, she'd shared her chocolate booty with Kerry, so that was probably the source of her friend's dream as well.

Satisfied, Dar closed her eyes and resolved to avoid reexperiencing the problem.

She'd only have one package next time.

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

Bong.

Bong

Bong

This time, Dar sat up straight, her eyes snapping wide open at the deep, sonorous chime that rattled the walls. "Son of a bitch."

The window had just started turning a pearl color from the dawn, and she could see the inside of the room outlined in a silvery glow, which quickly outlined Kerry's shifting form as she pushed herself up onto one elbow, blinking in utter confusion.

"Huh?"

Bong

Bong

Bong

"Yow." Kerry covered her ear on one side. "What in the hell is that?"

A click answered her, then a cheerful female voice invaded their nest. "Good morning, everyone."

Dar pulled back the covers and got out of bed, moving towards her bag with singleminded intent.

"It's six thirty, and time to get up. We're serving breakfast at seven thirty, which you can find in the service area right outside your rooms. Please dress comfortably, we'll be inside this morning due to the weather."

The voice signed off with a satisifed click, and Dar, rummaging in her bag, found what she was looking for. She removed a tool kit, and selected a set of diagonal cutters, then pushed sleep dishevelled black hair out of her eyes and started a search and destroy mission for the speakers.

"Dar."

"Shh. I can hear the residual hiss."

Kerry covered her face with her hands, and scrubbed the skin, trying to summon some kind of wakefulness. "God, you're such a nerd." She sighed, and raked the covers back, then scrambled out of bed and dodged her hunting geek companion and trudged into the bathroom. "Bet you fixed the projector in high school, didn't you?" She called out.

"I substituted the films with porno." Dar muttered back, absentmindedly. "Ah." She discovered the speakers hidden behind the air conditioning grill, and she retrieved a screwdriver with a chuckle of triumph. "Gotcha." She hopped up onto the small table and spent a moment removing the grill, then reached inside and clipped the wires with a definitely satisfied snick. "Bong this."

"Nerd."

Dar replaced the grill and climbed down, in a much better mood. "There." She put her tools away and removed her selection of clothing instead. "Wanna share a shower? Might as well get as much enjoyment out of the day as possible before the torture starts."

"Sure." Kerry agreed. "But you know, Dar… maybe it won't be so bad. Try not to go into it so negatively." She patted her friend on the stomach. "It might even help… you know?"

"I'll consider the weekend a success if we don't end up in litigation." Dar grumbled. "I know what today's gonna be like… they used to do these 'team building and sensitivity development' sessions in college..I hated them."

"Why?" Kerry unbuttoned Dar's shirt, and tugged her towards the shower. "It's just so people can get to know you better."

"I don't want people to know me better." The dark haired woman replied, turning on the water and letting it warm. "I just want them to do their jobs… is that so hard?"

They stepped under the water together, bare bodies tangling in a well rehearsed dance of soap and chuckles. It didn't take long to finish washing, but Dar noticed the water was getting colder as they rinsed off and prepared to get out. "Huh." She joined a dripping Kerry outside the stall, and stuck her hand under the water, now finding it cool, but not ice cold to the touch. "Only enough warm water for one set of showers… bet that's going to go over like a soggy pastalito."

"Hm." Kerry picked up a towel, and started drying Dar off, admiring the taller woman's tanned form as she did so. "Guess that's to make people work together… you know, one takes the first shower one morning, the other takes it the second…right?"

"How unimaginative." Dar dried Kerry's hair, then ducked her head and nibbled on her friend's neck. "They could solve the problem like we did."

Kerry was about to answer, when a knock came at the door. She jumped, and grabbed for her towel, wrapping it around her body as Dar did the same.

"Go ahead… finish up. I'll see what that is." Dar offered, tucking the end of the towel under one arm and padding out of the bathroom towards the door. It sounded again as she turned the handle and opened it, finding Jose fuming on the other side of it. "Yes?"

"Dios Mio, Dar. Put your clothes on." The Cuban spluttered loudly.

Doors popped open on either side, and very curious heads poked out.

Dar smirked, perversely complimented. "Why? Do you shower with your clothes on, Jose? That explains a few things.. gives your ring around the collar a whole new meaning." She leaned an arm against the doorjam and lifted her eyebrows. "What do you want?"

Jose made a show of averting his eyes. "You have taken the hot water!"

Dar pointed a finger at her own chest. "Me? What do I look like, a 160 pound sea sponge?" She snorted. "Twelve people taking showers at once, Jose… drains a hot water heater. Get a grip."

"Twelve people?" Steve eyed the towel wrapped woman with a smirk. "Only six of us could at once… unless you and your friend in there are doubling up."

Everyone gazed at Dar, who rolled her eyes and backed up, slamming the door in their faces.

Kerry was brushing her damp hair out, perched demurely in a pair of jeans and a kelly green shirt neatly tucked into her waistband. "I think you were just busted."

Dar sighed, and removed her towel, ruffling her hair with it as she crossed to her bag and rooted out her own pair of jeans. "Jerk."

"Here." Kerry helpfully handed her a pair of cotton Dogbert briefs. "Nerd."

Blue eyes glanced sideways at her, then Dar chuckled, and relaxed. "C'mon. Let's go see what they've got for breakfast." She dressed quickly and raked a brush through her hair, then accompanied Kerry as they eased out the door and into the hallway.

Ooo. Kerry gave everyone a pleasant smile and picked up a plate, reviewing her options. "Morning." She selected a muffin and some marmalade, scooped herself some eggs and added several pieces of bacon, then took a seat between Duks and Jose. Everyone had a vaguely grumpy look on their faces, even the usually even tempered Duks, and she wondered how badly the rooming assignments really had been.

"Well, little Miss Sunshine." Steve was sitting across from her, pouring skim milk over a bowlful of what looked like Grape Nuts. "Sleep well?"

"Yes, I did." Kerry poured herself a cup of coffee, and added cream and sugar to it. "The storm woke me up once, but otherwise it was fine.. how about you?"

"The floor was great." Steve gave Mark an acid smile.

"We flipped, you lost." The MIS chief took a big bite of biscuit.

"Sleeping on the floor is good for you." Eleanor stated primly. "Don't you agree, Mariana?"

"Oh yeah." The Personnel VP had her nose stuck in a cup of coffee.

Dar and Kerry exchanged glances. Dar rubbed a hand over her mouth to hide the smile that momentarily transformed her face. "I think I just figured out why Ops is the only division that works." She remarked, spearing a potato and popping it into her mouth. "What kind of idiots are you all.. those beds were big enough for the entire damned board of directors to sleep in together… just share them."

A moment of frozen silence greeted her words, broken by the appearance of Skippy.

"Well, good morning!" The retreat organizer took her place in the center of the breakfast display, perched on a stool in her crisp khakis and pressed blue shirt. "Did everyone sleep all right?"

"What was the purpose of only having one bed?" Eleanor snapped.

"Well.." Skippy took a breath. "I know it's a little awkward, but really, once you think about it, they're very large beds, and I'm sure you found a way to work things out so that you all were comfortable." Pause. "Right?"

Mostly hostile stares answered her.

"Oh dear."

"Y'know." Dar was busy munching. "If you'd lay out the rules beforehand, you might get more cooperation."

"Dealing with the unexpected really does build team morale." Skippy disagreed. "Don't you think that's so, Ms. Roberts?"

Lazily amused blue eyes lifted to hers. "Lady, all we do all day long is deal with the unexpected… it never helped before, I doubt it will now."

Several snorts were audible around the table.

"That's pretty negative." Skippy mused.

"That's Dar. Ms. Negative." Jose sniped.

Dar waved her spoon at herself, then at Kerry. "We slept just fine last night.. unlike the rest of you." She reminded them.

Skippy regrouped. "Well, that's great. Why don't you tell us how you did that?"

"Did what?" Kerry nibbled her muffin. "Went to sleep? We laid down, closed our eyes… you know."

"No.. I mean, how did you work out sharing your space?" Skippy turned to Kerry, glad of a more pleasant victim. "Maybe some of the others can use the same techniques you used."

Kerry burst into helpless laughter, almost choking on her breakfast. "Um… no, really.. I don't think it'll work for anyone else… we really just didn't debate it." She took a sip of coffee. "It just didn't seem to be an issue - you're right, those beds are huge, and logically it made no sense to do anything other than just go to sleep." She was aware of the resentful looks and realized she was just making things worse. "But I think Dar's right.. maybe if we knew what to expect, it would have been easier to deal with."

"Definitely." Duks grunted.

The rest of breakfast was consumed in somewhat prickly silence.

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

"Okay." Skippy took her seat at the big, round table, with her twelve reluctant participants. They were seated alternating men and women, and had pads of paper, cups of water, boxes of crayons, and pensive looks to work with. "We're going to do some ice breaker exercises right now. I think we certainly can use those, don't you all agree?" She didn't wait for the answer that didn't come. "Right. Now, first, I'm going to go around the table, and I want each of you to tell me what your hobbies are." She turned to her right. "You first."

Steve gave her a pleasant smile. "I'm a marathon runner." He stated, with obvious satisfaction.

"Isn't that wonderful!" Skippy looked delighted. "So am I! We'll have to compare notes later." She gave Steve a warm smile. "Next?"

"I collect pencils." Duks deadpanned.

Skippy sighed.

"No, really, I do." The accountant objected. "My oldest one is from 1902.. it's a very interesting subject, pencils."

"Absolutely." Skippy recovered. "And you?"

Eleanor's quiet assistant Peter cleared his throat. "Um… I raise tropical fish." He answered. "Salt water."

"Really?" Dar perked up her ears. "What size tank?"

"Three hundred gallons." Peter replied, proudly. "Takes up my whole garage."

Even Dar's eyes popped. "That's not a tank.. that's the Seaquarium." She uttered. "Damn."

He looked very pleased with the response. "My family helps me take care of it… I've even got a baby nurse shark in there.. but I had to segregate him because he was eating the rest of the fish and getting fat."

"Remarkable." Eleanor murmured, though it was not clear if she meant the fish, or the revelation that her assistant had a life outside work.

"Excellent." Skippy praised him. "Ms. Stuart?"

Everyone looked at Kerry curiously. "I write poetry." Kerry informed them, with a brief grin, enjoying the expressions of mild surprise.

"Great." Skippy nodded. "Ms. Sookis?"

"I quilt."

"Mr. Guiterrez?"

"Dominos."

Skippy looked very pleased, then her eyes fell on Dar's daunting expression. "Ah. Ms. Roberts?"

"I collect shrunken heads." Dar remarked, with a straight face.

Skippy sighed. Everyone else stared at Dar.

"Well, that's what you all expected, wasn't it?" The ops VP queried dryly "Actually, I scuba dive." She relented, getting a prim smile from their counselor.

"Figures." Steve snorted. "You always were an unsocial loner."

"Steven." Mariana enunciated his name carefully. "That was uncalled for."

"Actually.. " Kerry spoke up. "You've got it wrong.. the first rule of diving is never do it alone.":

Eleanor leaned forward with sly interest. "Are you a diver as well, Kerry?"

Uh oh. Kerry hesitated, resisting the urge to look at her partner. Oh well, too late now. "Yes, I am." She smiled agreeably.

Jose looked like he was about to ask the obvious question, when Skippy mercifully intervened. "Well, that's terrific. Okay… " She took a breath. "As you can see, our hobbies make us more well rounded people…and you all have such interesting hobbies, so I'm sure you're all very interesting people." She nodded briskly. "The next exercise we're going to do is to have you look at the person to your right, and tell me one good thing, and one bad thing about them." A bright smile. "Ready?"

Dar sighed, and wished she were at the dentist's office.

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

After lunch, they moved into a different room, with individual tables. Kerry watched Dar choose a table near the wall, and seat herself behind it, her eyes cold and watchful. The exercises they'd gone through earlier hadn't worked particularly well, though it hadn't really been Dar's fault. She'd played along, and even come up with something gracious to say about Jose, but when it was Eleanor's turn to speak on Dar…

Kerry sighed. The tension was giving her a headache, and she wished it was dinner they'd just eaten, not lunch, and she and Dar could escape back to their room and relax.

Skippy had a partner now, named Dave. Dave was as relentlessly positive as his blond partner, and now he ambled from table to table, putting down white cardboard boxes. "Okay, folks… here's how this works. I want you to pair up, and one member of the team opens this box, and reads the instructions. You're not allowed to talk. After reading the instructions, you have to give the contents of the box to your partner, and instruct them on how to put together the parts inside, without telling them what the end product is."

Dar rested her chin on one fist.

"Now, don’t' pair up with the person you're rooming with." Dave continued. "Okay?"

Mariana gave Dar a wry look, then selected Duks as her partner, as Mark and Elaine joined up, and Jose and Eleanor settled next to each other. Kerry gave Peter a grim smile as he proved discretion the better part of valor, and that left Steve to saunter over and perch on the chair next to Dar.

"I'll take that." Steve plucked the box from the table. "See how you like being told what to do for a chance."

"We'll definitely fail, then." Dar remarked in return. "Since you couldn't direct someone out of a paper bag with instructions printed on the inside."

"Come on now, folks. Let's not get negative. It's so unproductive." Dave chided them.

"This weekend is unproductive." Dar responded edgily.

"Dar.." Mariana interjected.

"Dios Mio.. finally!" Jose burst out. "We have something we agree on! Dar is right."

"I'm with you." Eleanor agreed.

"Well… you know, your company sent you all here because they thought our program would do you some good." Skippy frowned. "But there's not much we can do if you're not willing to cooperate with us."

"These are child's games." Jose protested. "They mean nothing!"

"Actually.. I think they do have a point." Kerry spoke up. "I think it's to try and get your thoughts away from what you usually have to think about, and.. hopefully, to get you to see things a different way."

Skippy gave Kerry a very approving look. "Exactly."

"That's what I've been saying." Steve said. "It's what this company needs.. a fresh perspective. So let's just give it a try, hmm?" He unfolded his instructions, and read them with apparent interest.

"We're here - just make the best of it." Mariana stated, as she fingered the contents of her box. "Alastair wants this to work."

Dar snorted, but kept silent. Steve finished reading, then pushed the box over to her. "Okay.. take the pieces out."

Dar obligingly dumped the box over, sending the wooden parts all over the table. She reviewed the bits, then lifted a hand and scooped them all towards her, ending up with them in a pile. One eyebrow lifted.

"All right.. you got a long one there, take that, and the two shorter ones, and make a box."

"Boxes have four sides." Dar drawled.

"Take both long ones." Steve went on smoothly. "Then after you have a box, take the two flat pieces and put them on either side."

"There are four flat pieces. Two short, two long Which ones do you mean?"

"Ms. Roberts.. you're not supposed to ask questions." Dave hurried over. "Just do what he tells you to."

Dar's brows creased. "How can you define and solve a problem without asking questions?"

"Please. Just go with the program." The man told her. "And, Mr. Fabricini, you have to be more specific, like you were talking to a child."

Steve laughed. "That'll be a pleasure."

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

They all filed into dinner quietly, taking seats around the round table now set with neat placesettings, the center of the table filled with condiments, and a nice basket of flowers. Kerry, who was right behind Dar coming into the room, reasoned by that fact she could sit next to her boss without causing much comment.

So she did.

Dar started playing with her napkin, and Kerry watched as she tore off a corner, and started ripping it into tiny pieces. They'd gotten through the castle building exercise, with less trouble than Kerry had frankly expected, and now they just had dinner to complete, and then they were free to spend their evening however they wished.

Of course, since there were no televisions, no books, no radios, and the nearest store, ten miles distant, was a seven eleven, their options were very, very limited. Kerry suspected the retreat engineered this to encourage people to stay around the fire they'd built in the lodge sitting room and talk. And if everyone did, her disappearing with Dar upstairs would look odd, to say the least.

Kerry sighed, rubbing her temples to dispel the stress headache that had developed during the afternoon. She'd become aware that she was being watched, and it was making her very self conscious, especially around Dar. She folded her hands in front of her, and resisted glancing at her boss.

Skippy entered and took her seat. "Hi there! I hope you like what we're having for dinner. We've got a choice of chicken breast, fish filet, or meatloaf, and a couple of different side dishes. They'll be putting everything out shortly, and it's family style, so we'll all share."

"That sounds great." Mariana stated sincerely. "Unless you're a vegetarian."

Skippy's face went still, as she obviously hit a snag she'd not anticipated. "Is… anyone here a vegetarian?" She asked, weakly.

They all shook their heads at her.

"Great." The blond woman sighed. "Okay… I thought I"d start the ball rolling tonight by having us all talk a little bit about our families, and where we grew up." She smiled at the servers, who were putting down large platters and bowls. "Doesn’t that smell great?" She took a breath. "Okay, I'll start. I'm from Kansas…"

"Have any pets when you grew up?" Dar asked, suddenly. "Little dog, maybe?"

"Dar." Mariana lifted a hand to hide a smirk.

"Um.. no.. I had rabbits." Skippy bravely went on. "My mother and father were farmers, and I grew up on a farm." She turned her head. "What about you?"

Steve finished serving himself some fish, and a helping of steamed vegetables. "My dad's a stockbroker, and my mom's a real estate agent." He answered amiably. "I'm from Seattle." He handed a bowl of brocolli to Eleanor. "Next?"

"I can't see where it matters." The Marketing VP looked annoyed. "I'm from upstate New York, and my family owns several banks."

"This is sort of interesting." Kerry whispered to Dar.

"Gonna feel that way when it swings around to us?" Dar muttered back.

"Mm." Kerry glanced down, stung by the comment.

"Ms. Roberts?"

Dar's low voice answered, carefully noncommittal. "I grew up in South Dade, at Homestead Air Force Base… my mother's an artist, my father was career navy."

"You're a military brat? It figures." Steve's voice was amused. "That explains things."

"It certainly does." Eleanor smirked. "Maybe it's inherited.. I hear you've got a friend in every airport, isn't that true, Dar?"

Something snapped. Kerry realized later it was the wooden handle of the fork Dar had been holding. She glanced at her friend as Dar stood slowly, seeing the rage just under the surface of her calm features.

"You know, I have to work with you people. That's more than enough." Dar stated, then simply moved out from behind her chair and left the room.

"That was really uncalled for." Mariana gave Eleanor a look.

"Cmon, Mari.. I was just joking.. what the hell's the matter with her, all of a sudden?" Eleanor lifted her hands in rightous innosence.

"Getting a little touchy in her old age." Steve laughed.

"Acutally" Kerry raised her voice, overriding them. "Dar's father died in Desert Storm."

They stared at her in surprise.

"They were very close, and it's something she feels very strongly about."

Eleanor had the grace to look uncomfortable. "Well, how in the hell was I supposed to know that?"

"How is it that you know all that?" Steve asked, swirling ice tea in his glass, and watching Kerry closely.

"I asked." Kerry answered. "I took the time to get to know her, and I'm glad I did." She took a breath, then let it out. "And this constant fighting is one of the worst things about working here. I hate it." She lifted her eyes to Skippy's surprised face. "If you're writing it down, I'm from Michigan, and my parents are Senator and Mrs. Roger Stuart."

Now she shifted her glance to Eleanor. "GO ahead.. make a catty comment about the trial. It's par for the course."

Everyone was awkwardly silent, even Steve, who made a show of taking a drink of his tea. "Well, if you are going to spend time in this company, you had better learn to be less sensitive." Jose advised her. "We are all bastards here."

Skippy blinked. "Let's just leave our exercises for tomrrow, okay? I can see everyone's a little tense." She took a deep breath. "Maybe we can talk about something more neutral… anyone into sports?"

Everyone relaxed a little, and the discussion turned to current events. Kerry forced herself to join in, putting a firm hold on her desire to leave the room and go find Dar. After they finished, everyone moved towards the door and into the sitting area, and only then did Kerry allow herself to stay behind, and corner Skippy. "I need a container."

The woman was caught offgard, and now Mariana came over, seeing Kerry stay behind. "What's wrong, Kerry?"

"I'm going to bring Dar some dinner." Kerry said, as Skippy left to go find a box. "It's just been a really long day."

"Mm." The older woman agreed. "I've never seen her go off like that… is she not feeling well, or something?"

Kerry shrugged. "I don’t' think so… she just doesn't see much point in this, and frankly.. " She glanced around. "Neither do I."

"Some good may come out of it." Mari disagreed. "You never know.. but tell her to relax a little, will you?" She patted Kerry's arm. "I don't know how she rigged that room assignment, but I'm glad it worked out.. I just hope our nights will be as peaceful." She made her way out the door, and Kerry had a moment to relax before Skippy brought her a styrofoam container. She took it and selected several pieces of meatloaf, then added mashed potatos, and a half ear of corn on the cob. A piece of chocolate cake just barely fit into the space remaining, but she managed, and picked up a set of silverware before she went out the other door, and up the stairs.

It was very quiet near their rooms, and she paused a moment, before she inserted her key into the doorlock, and opened it. It was mostly dark inside, but she could make out Dar's form sprawled on the bed barely outlined in the light from the bathroom. She set her container on the desk and walked over, sitting down on the bed and meeting Dar's eyes. "Hi."

"Hi." A faintly hoarse response. "Sorry about that. I don't know what's gotten into me lately."

Kerry stroked her face tenderly. "Would it be supremely egotistical for me to say maybe it's my fault?" She smiled wryly. "Don’t worry about it.. I brought you some meatloaf." She got up and got the container, then sat back down. "Besides… they pushed a button they didn't even know was there."

"Hm… yeah, I guess." Dar rolled over onto one side, and propped her head up on her hand. "I've been thinking a lot about my father lately.. I'm not really sure why." She watched as Kerry opened the foam lid, and wielded her fork, cutting off a piece of meatloaf and scooping up some potatos with it. Then she offered it to Dar,who accepted it and chewed.

"I know you loved him a lot." Kerry offered another bite.

"Yes, I did." Dar swallowed. "I still do." She considered. "Maybe loving you just makes me remember that all the more clearly."

Kerry swallowed, caught by the simple emotion of the statement. She leaned over and rested her head against Dar's, finding a safe space in the chaos of the day. "I'm sure they're talking about us downstairs."

"I don't care." Dar reached out and curled her arms around Kerry's warm body.

"Me either." She dabbed a spot of potatoes on Dar's nose, then kissed it off, earning herself a smile. "Hell all day, Heaven at night."

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

Camp Day Two Section - in progress

************************ 

Bridge scene with Fabricini

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

"Oh God.. is it Friday yet?" Kerry leaned her head on her hands, trying to block out the sight of her overflowing inbox. A glance at her calendar told her she was still one day short. "This week is lasting a month." She sighed, speaking to the empty space before her.

Her phone buzzed, and she hit the answer button. "Operations, Stuart."

A panicked voice answered. "Oh…great… uh… Ms. Stuart.. this is Roger, in Charlotte.. uh… we've got a problem?"

"Okay." Kerry leaned forward, kicking her problem solving brain cells into gear. "What is it?"

A loud sound of splashing came through the phone. "Uh… ow!" Roger yelped. "Um.. the sprinkler system went off over here.. and umm. Yeeoww!" The phone fumbled and clattered, then was picked up. "Damn chair hit me in the.. uh… well, anyway, we're flooded."

"Flooded." Kerry repeated carefully. "As in underwater?"

"Shit!" He yelped. "Uh.. sorry.. yeah.. the control room's three feet deep.. and it's not getting any…wow!" A loud popping and snapping was heard. "Yow.. I think that was the main breaker panel going… "

"Roger?" Kerry spoke loudly into the phone.

"Yeah??" He answered. "Oh.. wait I gotta get up onto the desk.. "

"Get out of there!" Kerry yelled, then put him on hold and dialed Dar's extension, waiting for her boss to pick up. "Help!" She barked into the phone, then switched back to the other line. "Roger?"

"Uh… I've got a problem, Ms. Stuart." The man answered nervously.

"More than one." Kerry told him. "What is it?"

"I can't swim." He answered. "And I think I just saw a 3270 float by." The phone suddenly disconnected.

"Shit." Kerry glanced up as she heard running steps, then half stood as her inner door burst open, and Dar pounced inside, her pale blue eyes snapping, and every inch of her bristling with unreleased energy.

"What's wrong?" She snapped.

The blond woman drew in a breath. "God, you look sexy when you do that."

Dar was obviously knocked off stride. "Wh… buh… " She exhaled. "Kerry! You yelled for help.. what in the hell's going on?"

"Oh.. right… Charlotte's been flooded out." Kerry quickly explained. "Sorry about that.. they're in big trouble." She walked over and put an arm around her lover. "Sorry, Dar.. I didn't mean for you to think that I was.. um… " She rooted around for a phrase.

"In mortal danger?" Dar relaxed a little. "You know I just knocked a Xerox repairman so far back onto his butt they're probably going to have to remove the toner drum from his throat surgically." She sighed, and rubbed her face. "Okay.. so we've got a potential disaster, right?"

"Mm… the guy from Netops just told me he thought he saw a 3270 terminal floating in the control room." Kerry advised her.

"Anyone check to see if they're burning hemp around there again?" Dar snorted. "3270's don’t float." She exhaled. "Okay.. let me go start working the problem… try to get them back on the phone, or call the cells… " She muttered, as she walked back out, shaking her head.

Kerry smiled a little, as she heard the interested, but muted excitement in Dar's tone. She loves this, the blond woman realized. She loves when things are really tough and hard, and she can go in and fix them. With a soft chuckle, she turned back to her desk and called up a network schematic, wincing at the flashing red dots that indicated down sections. "Oh.. that bites." She started dialing emergency numbers.

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

"Look.. I don't give a damn about what you have to do to release that." Dar growled into the phone. "I need your damn president on this phone in five minutes, or the next call is from our legal department. Your choice." She glanced up as Maria stuck her head in, and waved a small cardboard tray. One hand lifted and waved her forward. "I'll hold."

Maria came over with the pastalitos and offered them to her. "I have three of those little queso ones." The secretary whispered. "I know you like them."

Dar's eyes twinkled gently as she nodded, and put her hand over the receiver. "Thanks." She mouthed, as she accepted the pastries and the steaming cup of creamy looking coffee, glancing up and meeting Maria's eyes. "Tough week."

"Si." Maria agreed. "I will look forward to the weekend."

"Me too." Her boss agreed wryly. "Maybe I'll take a ride down to the Keys."

"That is a good idea, Dar." Maria nodded. "Kerrisita will like that." She smiled, and ducked out of the office, closing the door behind her.

Dar regarded the closed door in startled silence, then looked up as a voice came back on the line. "Well?" She snapped.

"Ms. Roberts, we have a team of people heading out that way… I'm not sure.. " The voice hesitated.

"Look." Dar growled, sending her voice down to it's lowest pitch. "I need to know what chemicals were in that sprinkler mixture and I need to know NOW!" She punched up the volume, feeling the sound reverberate in her chest. "Or you're going to take responsibility for the bill when I have to fly a chemical hazard team in there on a god damned Learjet!" The insurance company was refusing to allow any employees to enter the networking office, until the dangers were evaluated, and they had fully three quarters of the domestic network down, three hours after the accident had happened.

"Dar.. " Maria poked her head in. "Mariana on line numero dos." She called, in a low voice.

"Not now." Dar muted her current call. "I'm in the middle of a disaster." She watched as Maria disappeared, then she propped her head up on one hand and released the mute button with the other. "Do I get that, or do I call my legal department? I'm done screwing around with you people."

Rustling papers, and low mutters. "Where do you need the information sent?" The voice stiffly answered. "We can pass along our usual information, but you have to understand that the composition will vary depending on local water quality, and the types of pipes.. and.. "

"Just send it." Dar interrupted him, and repeated the fax number at their insurance company's branch office in North Carolina. She looked up as Kerry entered, suppressing a smile. "And I'd like to know why that system discharged." An idea occurred to her, and she spent a moment examining it for loopholes. Then she smiled.

Kerry circled her and picked up a pastry, nibbling it as she perched on the corner of Dar's desk, listening to the agitated muttering coming from the phone. "Everyone's screaming." She mouthed.

Dar lifted her hands and let them drop. "Bite me." She mouthed back. "I didn't set off the god damned sprinklers."

Kerry obligingly put her pastry down and captured Dar's fingers, lifting them and nibbling on a thumb instead. "Okay."

"Ms. Roberts, we just don't know what caused it yet." The hapless voice came through the phone. "It could have been a false heat reading, it could have been a mechanical error.. there's no sense in speculating since we don't really have any data. My team is on their way there.. as soon as they get there and figure out what happened, believe me, I'll call you."

Dar felt an enjoyable tickle as the neat white teeth scraped lightly across the sensitive skin on the side of her finger. "All right." She agreed. "But I have an entire data center down, and they can't even get in there to start cleaning up… so they'd better move their asses." She hung up.

The phone rang again, and she glanced at it. "Your line."

Both of their pagers went off simultaneously. "We can talk later. " The blond woman gave her a wry grimace. "Wasn't anything big.. really." She reached for the phone. "Operations, Stuart."

A harried voice answered her. "Kerry, this is John Collins… I've got the New York office breathing down my neck, and I can't get ahold of Dar… you gotta give me something to tell them."

Dar put the call on hold a moment. "John's a nice guy, but he's got the spine of a jellyfish. Whatever you tell him, he'll repeat as gospel." She warned, with a smile.

Kerry smiled back. "All right." She spared a glance for the phone, still flashing. "Now.. what in blazes do I tell him, Dar?"

"Huh?" Dar's brow creased as she followed Kerry's eyes. "Oh… right." She rubbed her temples. "Um… tell him we're sending an executive team to North Carolina to take charge, and get the systems back up as soon as possible."

Kerry reached for the button, then hesitated. "We are?" She asked, curiously.

A sneaky, seductive grin tugged at one side of Dar's mouth. "Yeah.. I figure eight hours to get their asses in gear, and a couple days for us in a little cabin I happen to know about near there." She hesitated, both brows lifting hopefully ."Sound okay?"

Sea green eyes blinked. "You mean us?" She pointed at Dar's chest, then at her own. "You and me.. we're going up there?"

Dar simply nodded, shunting aside the objections she knew would be raised. If she got it done… no one would remember how she did it anyway.

"Awesome." Kerry pronounced, then hit the button. "Hello, John?" She muted the mic for a moment. "They don't have any horseback riding up there, do they?" She released the mic. "John, we know it's really bad.. you can tell them that Dar's going up there to take charge personally."

Pause. "No shit?" The man replied, clearly impressed. "That'll get them off my ass.. thanks Kerry… you're the best."

"It's my pleasure." The blond woman assured him cheerfully, all thoughts of Steve dissolved. She disconnected the line and turned to Dar. "Now.. we were discussing horses, right?"

A chuckle. "Yeah.. they've got some trail riding.. figured we could do a little hiking while we're up there." She offered. "If we leave tonight, we'll have tomorrow and Friday to get the network office back up, then the whole weekend to play." The idea had come to her right before she'd started over, and she'd put the plan in action before she'd left her office. "I've got Maria making reservations."

Kerry smiled. "Want me to go home and pick up our bags?" She offered. "When's the flight?"

"Seven, and that would be a great idea." Dar praised her. "Make sure you pack some warm stuff.. it's chilly up there." Her brows lifted seductively. "A little too much for any scanty lingerie, unfortunately."

Kerry stood and slid a fingertip down the buttoned closure of Dar's silk shirt. "I don't know.. I think you look really sexy in just that old jersey of yours." She whispered.

A soft chuckle. "Oh, you do, do you?"

"Mmhmm… " The blond woman lowered her voice even more. "But then.. you're gorgeous, Dar.. you'd look sexy in a burlap sack." She confided, brushing her lips against her lover's. "I'm going to go get our stuff.. I need some fresh air anyway." She patted Dar's leg, then stepped around her desk, pulling her jacket off her chair and swinging it over her shoulders as she headed for the door.

Dar watched her go, then let out a long, slow breath. "Wow." She ran a hand through her hair. "I think I need a little fresh air myself."

The sunlight winked merrily at her feet in cheerful agreement.

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

"Yeah, that's right, Col." Kerry stretched her legs out and closed her eyes, sucking in a deep breath of the sun warmed air coming in the window of the Mustang. "We're going to North Carolina…we've got a big mess there to take care of."

"OH.. right… yeah, I heard about that." Colleen advised her. "My boss was screaming… the interbank transfers won't go through." She cleared her throat. "No problem, Ker…staying out there isn't any kinda hardship, you know? Breakfast on the ocean… little tuxedoed manikins puttering about… no problem at all."

"Great." The blond woman sighed. "I never thought I'd be glad of a disaster.. but I can't say I regret this one." She stifled a yawn. "After we fix things, we're going up to a place Dar knows near there… for a little R and R."

"Oh?" Colleen sounded more interested. "Well now, me lassie.. you didn't tell me that…so you and the tall dark one are finally taking some time off together… that's great."

"Yeah." Kerry smiled at the convertible's roof. "That'll be a first for us.. even over Christmas we had so much going on, we hardly had time to breathe, much less relax.. I'm really looking forward to a few days alone with her." And wasn't that the truth. Kerry found herself impatiently wishing the crisis was well over and solved, freeing them to leave the technical problems behind and concentrate on each other.

A weekend hiking up in the quiet of the wilderness was very, very appealing, and she knew they both could use the break. . "You think they'll have a hot tub?" She mused.

Colleen laughed. "Well, if it's the kinda place I think Dar likes, I'm sure it will have… you can do some lovely skiing up in the mountains y'know." She commented. "Get yourself a nice fireplace, and toast you up some marshmallows, girl."

"Mm." Kerry could taste the warm, slightly burned morsels in her imagination. Then she imagined sharing them messily with Dar, and grinned, feeling the skin around her eyes crinkling up in amusement. "Sounds good to me."

"Heh… your eating habits surely have changed." Colleen teased. "And then there's the food, as well."

Kerry almost swallowed her tongue. "Colleen!!!!"

"Ah ah.. don't you be Colleening me, little Miss Michigan snowballs wouldn't melt in me mouth." Her friend laughed. "I'm just joshing, Kerry…honestly, I think Dar's the best thing that ever happened to you."

"Oh yeah.. she's turning me into a pleasure loving little butterball, that's what." Kerry laughed. "But thanks… " She added quietly. "I'm glad you ended up liking her." She put her car into gear as the ferry docked. "I'm going to get our stuff packed… talk to you later, Col.. thanks for staying over again."

She hung up the phone, and steered carefully onto the island, pausing for the spraydown before she turned onto the perimeter road and headed to the condo. The sprinklers were on in the center of the island, making an interesting chatter, and sending a whiff of mineral laden moist air to Kerry's nose. She pulled into her parking spot, then paused, backing up a little. "Aww.." She found herself grinning stupidly. The maintenance department had painted her name on the concrete bumper. "K. Stuart… check that out." She got out of the car and examined it, the neat black letters crisp against the white concrete, matching the "D. Roberts" right next to it half hidden behind Dar's tires.

It was such a tiny, insignificant thing, but it touched something deep inside Kerry, reinforcing her sense that this was, indeed, home. She gave the Lexus a little pat, then shouldered her briefcase and headed up the stairs, plucking the mail from the mailbox before keying in the lock code. Chino started whining the minute the door opened, and she dropped her case on the loveseat as she headed towards the kitchen. "Okay.. okay honey.. I hear you." She ambled across the tile floor and opened the gate, letting the puppy out to attack her feet fiercely. "Hey… hey.. careful… " She put the mail down and crouched, petting Chino's soft fur. "Okay… okay… I know.. I'm glad to see you too."

Chino whined ecstatically, her whole body wriggling with joy as she chewed on Kerry's fingers. Then she cocked her head, and looked past the blond woman expectantly. Kerry laughed. "Sorry, kiddo… she's not with me." She scratched the puppy's ears. "I know she's your buddy, huh?"

Chino blinked, then apparently gave up on Dar, and concentrated on attacking Kerry's shoes. "Raowr." The puppy tugged on a lace, dropping it and barking in outrage when the thing persisted in remaining attached to Kerry, and all the animal's pulling couldn't budge her.

"Okay… why don't you go out while I get some stuff done, huh?" Kerry opened the back door, allowing the puppy to scamper down into the tiny, walled garden. It was safe for her there, since Dar had spent most of one weekend puppy proofing it, which included making sure there were no gaps under the fence, and taking out the tiny pebbles the animal would surely try to consume. She watched Chino sniff around for a minute, then she went inside, and started getting together two bags, starting with Dar's.

Which was easy. Jeans, soft, neatly pressed polos, two sweaters which were all she owned, her one flannel shirt, the sweatshirt Kerry loved on her, and nice warm socks. And underwear, of course. Kerry had fun picking out her favorite ones of those, including the really cute ones with tiny pictures of Dogbert on them. Oh, and the baseball jersey and shorts, and her bathroom kit, which held shampoo, soap, her toothbrush and the small bottle of interestingly spicy smelling talc powder Kerry loved to sprinkle over her. She sniffed it and closed her eyes, a tiny humming noise erupting from her throat that almost startled her.

"Jesus." She clapped a hand on her forehead. "I'm turning into such a hedonist." She muttered, putting the bag away and zipping up the carry on duffel Dar always used. But that's how Dar made her feel, she reflected.. all sexy and sensual, like she was taking a bath in pheromones most of the time. Everything seemed more intense.. the smell of her.. the deep, rich color of her eyes…

"Oh boy." Kerry stopped and took several breaths. "Okay… I think I need a drink of water." She carried the bag to the couch and let it drop, then continued on into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of peach flavored ice tea, which slid down her throat in a cool, nicely sweetened wave. She leaned against the counter and sipped it, thinking about TCP/IP routing tables until her body had settled down again, and she could head upstairs to her own room.

Her bag was a little tougher, mostly because she actually had winter clothes to choose from. She threw in a few pairs of jeans, though, since they were more comfortable than the heavy corduroy that were her other choice, Dar's having informed her she really liked the way Kerry looked in jeans having nothing to do with the decision of course.

Of course. Kerry smiled, as she flipped through her collection of soft wool sweaters, selecting two that were favorites of hers, and one whose color reminded her of Dar's eyes. That one was a gift from her brother, and it hugged her curves, bringing out an appreciative smile on Dar's face the last time she'd had the occasion to wear it. She tucked inside her tan leather bag, alongside a couple of long sleeved shirts she could wear under them. She also added a pair of mittens, and her own warm socks and bath kit, glad she wasn't due for her period until late the week after.

Once she had everything packed, she started to go down, then stopped, setting the bag on her bed and going to the dresser where she tugged the drawer open, and pulled out a small, velvet case. Pensively she opened it, her eyes tracing the now familiar outlines of the beautifully made, filigreed ring inside. Was it time?

Kerry sighed, and closed the case, putting it back in the drawer. Part of her wanted to just push through the insecurities, and go ahead with the gift… but another part of her hesitated, caught between the fear that Dar wouldn't want that kind of commitment, and the inner knowledge that she, Kerry… needed it in some deep, almost uncomfortable way.

Maybe… She chewed her lip. Maybe on Valentines' day? It was only two weeks… a nervous ball formed in her stomach. Maybe she could sort of feel Dar out this weekend.. just to make sure she wasn't going to make a total fool out of herself when she did it.

Oh, come on, Kerry… you know she loves you. She chastised herself. Jesus…she's not going to laugh or anything.

Right? Kerry drummed her fingers on one thigh, then snatched the case up and tucked it into her bag, zipping it up and hitching the strap up onto her shoulder. Maybe she'd practice, she decided, going downstairs and putting her bag on the couch next to Dar's, then sitting down and leafing through the mail. "Oh." She pulled out the three or four pieces that were hers, forwarded from the Kendall address. Two were bills, a third was an offer to beta test the new Microsoft applications suite, and the fourth… "Haven't heard from her in a while." Kerry turned the letter from her great aunt over in her fingers before she lifted the flap and pulled out the creamy, soft stationary, faintly scented with the smell of dust and memories. She opened it, and spread the paper out on her knees, studying the thin, spidery script.

Dear Kerrison,

My dear, word has come to me that you are estranged from your parents - and this troubles me greatly. Not for their sake, as you know well that I never did get on with your father, but for your sake, as I know how much family means to you.

Your sister tells me you are well, and living there in Miami, with a person she tells me you are quite fond of. With her usual feckless nattering, she managed to talk all around the subject, but I am going to assume this person is another woman, and while you think my aged nerves can't take this, I will gladly inform you that this is not the case.

Splendid for you, my dear. I would love to meet this person, and I want to assure you that regardless of what your parents seem to think, your extended family is not cut off from you in anyway. You are welcome in my home, and I know Mitchell would love to see you. Please do call me, when you get a chance, since I also would like to get the real story, as opposed to the bowdlerized version your sister saw fit to grace my supposedly tender ears with.

With great affection,

Aunt Penny.

Kerry grinned, as she reread the letter. "Good old Aunt Penny. " She shook her head, remembering the old, but sharp woman who she'd last seen before she'd moved to Miami.

When she'd given her the ring, and laughed, making Kerry turn around in the light, watching her with twinkling eyes the same shade as Kerry's own.

Who had been one of the only people in Kerry's life who had told her, point blank, that she was pretty, displacing years of her mother's continual harping on her looks. Kerry would have cherished her for that alone, but she'd always gotten a sense of warm affection from her aunt and she was glad even this latest disaster hadn't broken that tie. She made a mental note to call her aunt after the weekend, and, on a whim, went back up to her room and got a small box of writing paper, tucking it inside her bag along with a couple of her favorite pens. "That's what I'll do, Chino.. I'll write her a note.. she'd like that." She told the puppy, who had curled up contentedly at her feet. "I bet she'd like you… she had a Scottish terror. I mean, terrier who used to eat my shoes when I went over there."

Chino looked up, then settled her chin on Kerry's foot, and sighed.

Kerry sighed too, and leaned back against the couch's soft leather, drinking in the peace of the place. She picked up Chino and cuddled her, smiling when the puppy sprawled across her chest, the warm breath sneaking between the buttons on her shirt.

She'd just relax here for a minute, then head on back to the office.

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

"Here you go, Dar." Maria bustled in, handing over two sets of airline ticket folders. "I have you both booked on the plane, and your hotel room is okay." The secretary gave her an impish smile. "They have only rooms with… how you say, a jaguar in them."

Dar stopped what she was doing, and looked up, startled. "What?" She glanced at the tickets. "A jaguar?"

"Si… with the bubbles.." Maria made a circling motion with her hand. "In the water."

"Oh..oh.. a jacuzzi." Dar chuckled, and gave her a stern look. "It's strictly business, Maria."

"Si.. si.. but you know how important is it to stay very clean, Dar." Maria replied, virtuously. "You know, it is bad if you come back with the germs."

Slowly, pale blue eyes lifted and regarded her, a mischevious grin tugging at Dar's lips. "Maria.. if I didn't know better, I'd say you were encouraging me to do something against company policy with my very talented assistant."

Maria blinked at her. "Oh, si." She nodded seriously. "I will see you Monday, Dar… have a good time." She trotted out, leaving a very bemused, and somewhat taken aback boss sitting behind her desk. "A jaguar, huh?" She tucked the folders inside her jacket and glanced at her watch. "And speaking of my lovely and talented assistant… " She picked up the phone and dialed Kerry's cellular number.

It took four rings before there was an answer, and the voice sounded a little dazed. "Oh shit."

Dar regarded the phone with some amusement. "And a good afternoon to you, too, Kerrison." She drawled. "What's up?"

"Shit, shit shit… " Kerry sighed. "I'm sorry, Dar… I got things packed, then sat down and played with Chino for a minute and I fell asleep." Sounds of rustling came from the phone. "I'm on my way back… I don't know what in the heck came over me." She sounded disgusted. "God…"

"Hey.. take it easy." Dar laughed. "We got up early, we didn't get too much sleep last night, and if you're tired, it makes sense to take a damn nap.. you didn't miss anything. " She reached over and took a sip of coffee from her cup. "The center's still down, they still need our help, I've got our tickets, and Maria booked us in a hotel room complete with a Jacuzzi."

Momentary silence. "Oh really?" Kerry had closed the car door, and the sound of the engine starting up was heard. "A Jacuzzi, huh? She's subtle." A pause. "Sounds good, though… Colleen was tempting me with visions of you, me, a fire and some marshmallows."

"Oo." Dar purred. "I could go for that…I love marshmallows." She stood up and started packing up her laptop. "I'll be waiting downstairs… we can pick up a quick snack at the airport before we get on the plane."

"Okay." Kerry stifled a yawn. "See you in a few minutes."

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

The plane was quiet, being only half full, and Dar took the opportunity to relax in her comfortable seat, a glass of white wine balanced on the console between herself and Kerry. The blond woman was curled up half on her side, a soft, blue blanket tucked around her as she idly watched Dar's profile. "We'll have to go out to the office as soon as we get there." Dar commented, laying a casual hand over Kerry's. "It's going to be a long night."

"Okay." Kerry mumbled, shifting over and curling her fingers around Dar's. "As long as I can spend it with you, I don’t' care how long it is." She closed her eyes and exhaled.

Dar gazed at her quietly, absorbing the unexpected compliment. "Thanks." She finally said, softly. A sea green orb appeared, and studied her. "That was a really sweet thing to say."

Kerry blushed gently, and closed her eye again, giving the fingers held in hers a little squeeze. "You bring out the poet in me." She admitted softly. "It's the weirdest thing."

"Oh really?" Dar rolled half onto her side, facing the blond woman. "Got any handy?"

Alarmed green eyeball. "Any what handy?"

"Poems." Her lover replied, a wicked twinkle in her eyes. "You said I brought that out in you.. I know you're writing them.. I'd love to hear one."

"B.." Kerry's brain ran around in circles for a minute. "I.. b…"

"Well, that sort of rhymes, yeah." Dar mused. "Doesn’t have much emotional impact, though." She took a sip of her wine. "Is that one of those haiku things?"

Kerry burst out giggling. "Dar!" She chastised her boss. "I.. um… you know I…that kind of thing sort of embarrasses me." She looked up to see a look of veiled disappointment on Dar's face. "Well, maybe one." She relented, hesitantly. "But I'll have to drag my notebook out when we get there… I don’t memorize them."

The blue eyes continued to regard her.

"Come on, Dar.. I can't just make one up on command, you know." Kerry tried to avoid looking at the soulful expression. "It just doesn't work like that."

Dar sighed. "Okay." She let her head drop down onto the seat's surface and lowered her gaze.

Kerry chewed her lip, her brows knitting as she regarded the angular profile facing her.

In the darkness of the world we walk,

Unwilling pawns, and victims of the night,

With no guidance save that of false prophets.

But I walk the shadows and fear not their dangers,

For my heart shielded by the shining defense

That is the armor of your love.

She felt very awkward, and could hardly look at Dar's face as she finished, a solid, dark blush coloring her cheeks. "I know it's really kind of corny.. and I have no idea what made me…oh."

Lips very gently brushed against hers, and she tasted their sweetness.

"It's not corny." Dar rumbled into her ear. "I think it's incredible." She kissed Kerry again, glad of the dimmed cabin lighting. "Just like you."

"Mm… " The blond woman found her hands moving irresistibly towards the warm body next to her. "Now.. which one of us is the poet??"

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

It was a dark and stormy night. Kerry rolled the words around inside her head, as she peered through the darkness surrounding them. They'd gotten to the airport safely, and retrieved a rental car, then headed out to the networking office.

"Pretty remote out here." Dar commented, the small muscles on the sides of her face tensing as she tried to see through the rain. The road was a two lane blacktop, bordered by trees and rolling up and down hills. Only the very occasional street lamp appeared out of the gloom, and the rain was so hard, it reflected Dar's headlights into a blurring glare.

"You said it." Kerry agreed. "Something like the area I'm from.. but more hilly." She hung onto the strap as Dar took an unexpected curve, then blinked as the road banked down and to the left. "Whoa."

"Yeah." Dar nibbled her lower lip. "I don't do hills very much.. sorry." She consciously slowed down, and ran a hand through her hair, wishing it was light out. "It's not that much further, though… whoa!" The car slid out from under her control, and she instinctively steered with it, resisting the desire to slam on the breaks. They did a three hundred sixty degree turn, and almost went off the road before the taller woman wrestled the car around straight, and slowed down almost to a crawl. "What in the hell was that?"

Kerry put a gentle hand on her arm. "Ice." She exhaled. "Um.. you want me to drive? I think I'm a lot more used to it than you are.. they probably don't have icy roads much in Miami."

Dar considered that, then prudently pulled off the road and stopped, tugging her jacket up before she opened the door. "Okay… yeah.. we get rain slicks, but nothing like this." She exited out into the frosty rain tinged with sleet, and exchanged places, settling into a cloth seat still warm from Kerry's body.

It was a surprisingly sensual moment, especially since she caught her lover's scent still clinging to the fabric. She sat back, a little bemused, and watched Kerry adjust the seat so her booted toes could reach the pedals. "Sorry.. I should have moved that."

Sea green eyes suddenly glanced up, a hint of mischief in them. "Or you could have just stayed there, and I could have sat in your lap."

A dark eyebrow crawled up Dar's face almost into her hairline. "Oh really?" She was tempted, then sighed. "Maybe after we get outta there.. it'd be a little conspicuous pulling up to the site like that."

Kerry finished her adjustments, then put the car in drive and slowly pulled out. "Mm… yeah, I guess." She studied the road. "Straight ahead?"

Dar nodded. "Yeah…turn right onto the next major cross road.. it has a state highway sign." She let her head rest against the seat back and stretched her legs out, giving Kerry a look as she reached down and adjusted the passenger seat all the way back. She decided she liked being a passenger, because it gave her the opportunity to study her lover's profile at her leisure, admiring the slightly upturned nose, and the smooth line of her jaw, the muscles shifting a little as she concentrated on the road.

Kerry was painfully aware of the eyes on her, and she fought the instinct to fuss with her hair nervously, which was a habit of hers. "Um… " She tried to think of something to distract Dar. "So, what are we going to do when we get there?"

"Well." Dar folded her arms across her chest, pulling the leather of her jacket tight around her body. "It depends on what the situation is…probably we'll have to push a few people around, kick a little ass, get nasty… hey, Kerry?"

"Kick ass.. take names.. be nasty… huh?" Kerry flicked a glance her way. "What?"

"You're really cute." Dar grinned.

The car slid sideways, with Kerry hanging on and cursing for several minutes before she regained control of it. "Dar, don't do that." She pleaded, willing her blush to recede. "We're going to end up in a ditch."

Dar chuckled softly. "Sorry." She fell silent, and let her companion concentrate on navigating the slick roads.

The dark countryside passed slowly, broken only by the occasional car or truck going in the other direction. It was another hour before Dar nodded towards a half hidden driveway. "In there… see where the arc lights are set up?"

Kerry nodded. "Yeah.. wait.. oh, yeah, I see the road.. okay." She steered the car into the parking lot, seeing several trucks hazily in view through the rain. "Looks like a circus." Groups of people were milling around, and she parked near a large clump of them, putting on the parking break carefully and unbuckling her seat belt. "Well boss… now it's your turn." She glanced at Dar, who was watching the activity with sharp, shifting eyes.

"Right." Dar murmured, letting the warmer side of her personality slip away, and calling up the cool aggressiveness she knew she'd need to deal with the situation. "Okay… you got your cell and the laptop, right?"

Kerry nodded, watching her in uneasy fascination. "Yes."

"Right. Let's go." The dark haired woman zipped up her jacket and opened the car door, slipping outside into the rain and closing it behind her.

"Okay then." Kerry murmured, tucking her phone into the pocket of her jacket and picking up her briefcase. She ducked out the driver side door and closed it, keying the lock and striding after her boss, who was already halfway to the building.

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

"All right, so when can we get in there." Dar said, standing under a dripping tarp in the very center of the building's front lawn. Two men were opposite her, clearly uncomfortable.

"Ms. Roberts.. ." One said, with a sigh. "Look, the environmental people won't clear us, because that chemical has been confirmed to be toxic." He gave her a look that indicated the last thing he'd expected was to have a VP Ops drop into his tent, where they'd been having a pizza and beer.

Dar's face tensed. "How long?" She snapped.

He shook his head. "I don’t know.. the regulator told me an hour ago she wouldn't even have a team here until tomorrow noon."

Pale eyes almost silver in the glaring lights studied him thoughtfully. "Where is she?" Dar's voice dropped a bit, taking on a predatory burr.

The man glanced at her nervously. "Well, she's over there.. by that van of theirs, but let me tell you, ma'am, she doesn't take any bullshit.. I've worked with her before. "

"What's her name?" The burr deepened.

"Anne Simmonds." The man answered. "But… I mean, really ma'am… if she decides to get tough on us, we could be here for weeks."

Dar turned and stalked out without a word, letting the rain drive against her in freezing darts, conscious of Kerry's quiet form a pace behind her. She was met by a young man as she approached the van, who was dressed in a white coverall. "I'd like to see whoever is in charge. "She told him quietly.

He cleared his throat and pushed pair of glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Well.. Dr. Simmonds is inside.. but she's busy.. can I help you?"

Dar stepped up closer, and stared him down, her eyes inches above his own. She let the silence grow for a moment, watching him swallow a few times in reflex. "No." She finally told him. "I'd like to speak to Dr. Simmonds, please."

"Uh…. " He looked past her, to Kerry's damp head. She smiled briefly at him. "Uh.. well, I.. I can ask her.. but.. um.. okay, are you from this company or.. "

Dar cocked her head and pinned him with a stare. "I'd appreciate that…my name's Dar Roberts.. and I'm from our Miami office."

"Okay." He nodded. "Okay.. um.. wait here.. I'll be right back." He turned and walked towards the van, startled to find Dar pacing next to him. "Oh.. we.. we're doing some experiments.. I.. "

"I'd like to get out of the rain. "Dar overrode him. "I won't break anything, I promise."

He looked past her.

"Me either." Kerry smiled kindly at him. "Really.. my mother used to take me into china shops when I was a child."

Dar hurriedly wiped a hand across her face, muffling a laugh, then cleared her throat as they approached the van, which had a tarp extending from it's passenger side, shielding several work tables with people busy over them. The young man went over to a figure bent over a microscope and touched her arm.

"What?" The woman snapped, not looking up. "You just shook this whole slide.. I'm trying to take pictures, Michael." She was very short, shorter than Kerry even, and slim, with dark auburn hair that was pulled tightly back under a close fitting cap. Her bearing was powerful though, and exuded impatience.

"Um.. yes.. doctor, I know.. but there are two people here from Miami.. they wanted to talk to you.. and I.. "

"Tell em to go the hell back to Miami.. I'm not having some stuffed suits smelling of Cuban cigars hanging around my neck asking stupid questions." The doctor snapped back. "Nothing doing, Michael, so you march your lily white butt back out there and.. " She glanced past his shoulder, where two shadowy, strange forms were standing. "Get rid of them."

"Actually." Dar's low voice spoke clearly, and concisely, as she strode forward, coming into the light with startling impact. "I don't think I'm going anywhere." She stopped precisely in the center of the tent, letting the garish light outline her in stark detail. "And I've never been partial to cigars."

The doctor was… surprised. Kerry decided, watching the smaller woman's eyes flick over her bosses truculent form warily.

An uncomfortable silence dropped over them, until Dar took a step forward, and offered a hand. "Dr Simmonds? My name is Dar Roberts." She waited impassively as the doctor studied her for a long time before extending her own hand. "I need some answers."

It was the charisma. Kerry gave the doctor a brief smile, as Dar released her hand and half turned. "This is my assistant, Kerry Stuart."

"I don’t have answers." The smaller woman recovered her composure and scowled, giving Kerry a brisk nod. "I told you people that hours ago.. that damn extinguisher company put so much toxin in that system, it's a damn good thing your folks evacuated, or they'd have been glowing like fireflies."

Dar exhaled. "What is it?"

"I have no god damned clue.. and those people won't say." The doctor stated, disgustedly. "So damn scared of a lawsuit they won't even admit to having first and last names."

Dar glanced at Kerry, who handed her the cell phone without a word. She dialed a number and waited. "Evening, Alastair."

"Jesus, Dar… it's.. " A yawn. "Midnight.. what in bl.. are you in North Carolina?" He cleared his throat. "Listen.. we've got twelve accounts set to cancel if we're not back up by tomorrow morning."

"Now you tell me?" Dar barked. "Good god, Alastair!"

"I wasn't worried… I heard you were on your way.. in fact, I went to bed." The CEO told her cheerfully. "You know I've got all the confidence in the world in you, Dar."

The responsibility slammed down on her shoulders with an almost audible crunch. "How much business are we talking about?" Dar asked, cautiously. "It doesn't look good here, Alastair."

"Well… " He paused. "It's not good, Dar." His cheerfulness vanished. "In fact, it's not very good at all… we can't lose them.. not like this, and remain competitive."

Dar's eyes drifted out to the rainy ground. "I see." A dull throbbing started in the back of her skull. "Wish you'd told me that earlier."

"Didn't know until after six, you'd already left for the airport." Alastair told her. "And anyway.. what more could I do? You're the best we have, Dar.. if you can't solve it, no one can."

Dar rubbed her temples. "All right.. I need someone from Legal to call whoever's in charge of that damn extinguisher company, and threaten them with a full liability lawsuit, naming the officers as personal respondents if they don't give the people here the name of the stuff they put in that god damned system."

"Hell with Legal.. I'll call him.. I know him.. he's my second wife's third ex husband's brother in law." Alastair advised her. "Call you right back."

"Right." Dar disconnected, studying the building thoughtfully. Then she dialed again, glancing over her shoulder "Call Bellsouth.. I'm going to need someone very high up in their provisioning department." Her voice had taken on a grim tone.

"Okay." Kerry got out her own phone, and her palmtop, and checked the number, then dialed, sensing the sudden change in her lover, and feeling a sick gnawing in her guts.

Dar listened for a minute, then heard Mark's voice. "Evening."

"Ah.. Dar.. hi." Mark's voice sounded blurry. "Um… I was just… uh.. "

"Sleeping at your desk." Dar remarked dryly. " Listen.. I need an inventory check.. can we duplicate the setup in NC?"

Momentary silence. "You're kidding, right?" Mark answered, faintly. "You know we can't do that."

"Thought so.. call up Cisco, and find out what they have on hand." Dar sighed. "We're locked out of here." She hung up and faced the doctor. "I need to get in there and get equipment out."

"No way." The woman answered instantly.

"Look.. " Dar started.

"Hey.. I said, no way." Anne put a hand up. "So don’t' try it, lady.. I've said no to a lot worse than you."

Kerry put her hand over the mic on her phone and stepped artfully between the two women, seeing the sudden icy glare settle over her bosses face. "Here.. Dar.. it's some Executive VP of something or other.. was that high enough?" She passed her the phone, watching the flare of Dar's nostrils as she took the instrument.

"Yeah. That's fine." She muttered, taking a breath before half turning away to talk.

"So." Kerry gave the doctor a grim smile. "Any coffee around here?"

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

"Well, that's it." Anne Simmonds closed up her cell phone. "All right, guys.. pack it up." She yelled to her team, then turned to a waiting Dar. "Sorry. They're going to have to bring in a team to scrub the place. Thanks for getting me an answer, though."

Kerry shot a glance at her boss. "What does that mean?" She asked.

"Means the stuff is so toxic, we can't go in there without environmental suits." The doctor answered succinctly. "And I'll be glad to get out of this weather.. you might as well do the same."

"How long?" Dar spoke for the first time, her voice sharp.

The doctor shrugged. "Who knows? Take the team a day.. maybe two to get here.. then probably a week or so." She packed up her kit.

"I can't keep this facility closed a week." Dar stated flatly.

"Well, that's just too bad." Simmonds replied. "Because I'm leaving a trooper there to keep everyone out." She gave Dar a grim smile. "Have a nice day." She shouldered her bag. "Oh, and Ms. Roberts?"

Cold blue eyes watched her silently.

"My boss, Shari, says have a nice day too." She turned, and walked off, joining her group as they got into their van and closed the door, driving off and leaving them in the fitful, freezing weather.

Kerry watched them, then turned and studied her bosses face, which had gone dark, and cold, with a glittering anger in the pale blue eyes that sent a chill down her back. "What was that all about?"

Dar felt the sour taste in the back of her mouth. "Old history." She replied, then returned her attention to the building. "All right. C'mon… we're going to have to do this the hard way." She started towards the tarp the rest of their assembled group was huddled under, at a brisk pace.

"But.. " Kerry caught up to her, tugging her collar up a little. "Dar.. I don't.. um.. "

"Okay, folks." Dar stated, as she ducked under the blue plastic. "Bad news. We don’t' get in for a week, at the least." She pointed to the Bellsouth regional service coordinator who had just arrived. "I need all the circuits in that building stripped, and redropped.. and I need them tonight."

His jaw dropped. "You're joking, right?"

"No." Dar stared him down. "Just get started.. I'll let you know where I need them dropped.." She turned and faced the building manager. "I have seventy Cisco 7200's headed here on a charter… find someone to go pick them up."

His jaw dropped too. "What in the hell are you doing, Dar? You make it sound like we're rebuilding the goddamn complex."

A dark brow lifted. "We are."

"That's impossible." He told her flatly. "There is no way this facility is going to be duplicated overnight."

"Have you ever tried it?" Dar countered, her temper building. "No? Then how do you know it can't be done?" She pointed "Just get moving.. and get me someone here with a truck, who knows the area…and you.. " She pointed at another woman who was muffled in a large macinaw. "Start getting your people back in here. " The staff had been sent home earlier.

"Look.. Dar.. " The regional manager objected.

She whirled on him, and jabbed a finger into his chest. "You want a job tomorrow morning?"

Silence.

"Then start moving your ass." She snarled. "All of you!"

A low muttering sprang up as people started to move, more than one whisper of "crazy" leaking back to Dar's ears. She turned her back on them and walked to the edge of the tarp, staring out into the darkness and trying to calm the churning tension ion her guts.

Kerry took a breath, then stepped up next to her. "Hey..look, Dar… I think he's right.. this is really crazy."

The back facing her stiffened, and it was a long moment before Dar turned her head and looked right at Kerry. Her face was an unreadable mask, but the turmoil in her eyes was unmistakable. "If you don’t' want to help out.. just go back to the car and wait." The taller woman spoke with low intensity. " But don’t stand here and tell me what I can't do.. I don't need that from you."

Kerry felt her knees start to shake, and she sucked in a shocked breath, having not expected the response. She tried to think of something to say, but before she could, Dar simply turned and walked away, out into the darkness. Alone.

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

The freezing rain now matched her mood completely. Dar stared into it, hardly even feeling the sting against her face as the last warm spot inside her dissolved, replaced by a damp bleakness that already regretted her words to Kerry.

Damn it. She tucked her hands under her arms, ignoring the pain the cold was inserting in her joints, and took a quick glance over her shoulder. Kerry had disappeared. The knowledge sank into Dar's guts, and she felt a long moment of just wishing she could scrap the entire night, and go after her.

And say what? Sorry for being an asshole.. it's just something you have to get used to? Wasn't it good old Shari who had told her she'd never have a successful relationship, because she always put everything else ahead of it?

Yeah. Funny she should turn up right at the moment. She let the freezing rain drive against her, numbing her face until heavy footsteps ran up and she turned, to see the Bellsouth supervisor pulling his yellow rain suit tight against him.

"All right.. we've got the pairs pulled out." He told her, scrubbing his face. "Now what? I can't keep those guys up on those poles, Ms. Roberts.. you need to give us some direction here.. we're pulling all the stops out, but I'm not putting my guys in danger, and it's icing up."

More than you know. Dar rubbed her arms, then exhaled. "Okay.. let's see where everyone else is." She led him back to the tarp, ignoring the angry looks she was getting by the rest of the team, channeling her focus only on the goal. "What's the status?'

"Plane just landed with the routers." One man grudgingly admitted, blowing on his hands. "I got a truck… we were about to leave to go pick them up."

"Good." Dar nodded. "Take off."

"Staff's headed back in.. those I could reach." The older woman told her. "But I had to get pretty tough.. no one's happy.. and a few flat out refused."

"Fine." The dark haired woman told her. "Okay, now we just need a.."

"The warehouse next door is empty." Kerry's voice quietly interrupted her. "They have a telco punchdown, and the landlord's on his way with a key."

The flapping of the tarp was suddenly loud, as everyone turned to look at her, and Dar felt an irrational jolt deep in her guts. She studied the set, serious face for a moment. "Thank you, Kerry… good work."

Kerry nodded, and glanced down at the churned, half frozen mud they were standing in.

"All right.. let's move everything over there.. we'll get inside as soon as they open it up.. it'll be warmer and drier at least." Dar stated quietly. "John… that's where we'll need the lines dropped.. I think I spotted a block on the back end of that building."

"Right you are." The Bellsouth manager nodded briskly, pulling out a walkie talkie and speaking into it. "That's an easy swing… they might even be wired for it already.. that used to be a telemarketing operation."

Kerry listened to the conversation, letting it roll over her, until she was aware of footsteps leaving, and then silence. With a sigh, she lifted her head, almost jumping when pale blue eyes met hers. "Oh." She'd thought Dar had gone with them.

They studied each other for a long, pensive moment.

"Sorry about that I.." Kerry started.

"Sorry I snapped at you. .I " Dar rumbled at the same time.

Silence fell again, then Dar released a breath and wiped a weary hand across her face. "You didn't deserve that."

Kerry stepped closer. "No.. I shouldn't have questioned you, Dar." She put out a hesitant hand, and touched Dar's arm, as though reassuring herself. "You needed my support right then, and I blew it."

Dar dropped her eyes to the ground. "I don’t want you to think that." She said, after a moment's thought. "Sometimes you need to question me, Kerry.. I don’t' know all the answers, and sometimes I push too hard… and the result doesn't end up justifying the means." Her eye swept up, in startling honesty. "You should know that." She sighed and looked around. "I don't know if this is the right thing to do… but I don't know what else to try.. and I have to try something."

Kerry nodded, and moved another step closer. "I know… I went over to the truck there and sat down.. and I thought about it.." She paused. "That's why I called about that warehouse.. I knew that's where you had to go next."

Dar lifted a hand and gently laid it alongside her cheek. "Thank you." She murmured, sincerely. "That really was well done…how'd you know about the punch down?"

Kerry smiled, feeling her cold stiffened facial muscles protest. "Modern technology.. I linked up to the local real estate page and did a search on available commercial property in this area.. listed my specifications, and it popped right up." Her eyes twinkled gravely at the widening of Dar's eyes. "Even had the landlord's number there." She added. "He wasn't happy about me calling him at two am, but since I offered twenty percent more than what he was asking, he made an exception, and said he'd get right over here. He lives about ten minutes away."

Dar gave a little shake of the head, then she impulsively pulled Kerry into a hug, reveling in the warmth as the smaller woman wound her arms around her and squeezed really hard. "You're the best."

Kerry smiled in pure relief, ignoring the dampness of Dar's jacket. Then she released her boss, and patted her gently on the side. "And.. hey, Dar?"

"Mm?" The now warm blue eyes regarded her.

Kerry lifted her chin. "If and when you want to talk about the old history.. I'm here."

Dar's eyelids fluttered as she ducked her head for a moment, then raised it. "Thanks." She replied quietly. "Maybe we'll have time this weekend." For a lot of things, she mused.

"Okay." Kerry exhaled. "Well, I think that's our landlord over there… I guess we'd better get started…but Dar, I have to ask you.. we're replacing the routers, but what about the mainframes? We can't duplicate those.. not even if you commandeer half the air force."

Dar slipped an arm over her shoulders and started to walk towards the now lit building behind the operations center. "No… but the mainframes are in a separate room.. they connect over a fiber optic LAN bridge." She pointed. "And the access block is on the roof."

Kerry stared at the roof, then her eyes shifted to a new truck that had just pulled up, bearing the fiber optics division insignia of the telephone company. "Oh.. you're just too good." She turned an admiring gaze on her boss. "That's slick, Dar.. but do we know they have power and are turned on in there? I thought those environmental people turned everything off."

Dar let out a breath. "We'll find out… but we've got a lot to do before then.. and it's going to be a race."

Kerry lifted her head and regarded the growing crowd they were heading towards. "I have a feeling I'm going to be present at yet another Dar Roberts legend in the making."

"Hmm.. let's just hope it's not my swan song." Dar muttered.

Kerry stood back and watched the group disperse inside the large, ill lit warehouse, scattering out from the door and trying to avoid the tumbleweed size dust bunnies that were rolling languidly across the stained carpet. It smelled like a cross between a dirty shed and a mildewed garage, and Kerry wrinkled her nose in pure reaction.

But at least it was warm, sort of, and not raining inside. Dar was standing in the center of the room, her hands on her hips and her eyes regarding the space they had to work with, and Kerry noticed the rain dripping off her jacket with a frown.

"All right." The tall, dark haired woman finally said. "Truck here yet?" She turned to the facility manager. "Thought I heard the engine outside."

He nodded. "Just got here… I'll have them stack the boxes over there, and start unpacking things."

"Right… there should be racks with them, and a spool of Cat 5." Dar told him. "Better start having people make the jumper cables.. I'll work with telco to get the lines dropped in."

"Okay." He rubbed his eyes. "Damn… wish we had an urn of coffee in here." He moved off towards a clump of grumpy looking technicians.

Coffee. Dar wished he hadn't said that. She could feel the day's exhaustion catching up with her, and she had to make a conscious effort to jump start her brain, turning it to the stuff still undone. The cold had stiffened up her muscles as well. With a sigh, she turned, almost slamming right into Kerry. "Wh.. oh.. sorry."

The blond woman pushed a bundle of cloth into her hands. "Here… go change you're making my teeth chatter."

Dar put her hands up in reflex, and found them filled with warm, dry clothes. "Whe…um… thanks." She gave Kerry a grateful smile. "Where's yours?"

Kerry showed her the bag slung over her shoulder. "I'm going to make a quick run out with Mary…" She indicated the day manager who had called in the staff. "When I get back, I'll change…they're offloading the routers now."

Dar nodded. "I know…okay, I'm going to start getting the T1's punched down."

"After you change." Kerry persisted. "Right?"

A soft chuckle. "Right." Dar followed the hastily lettered signs which indicated the rest rooms, and ducked inside the one marked Women, wincing at the smell of rotted grout. "Oh god." She debated holding her breath, then decided passing out would be a bad idea and simply turned her mind to more pleasant thoughts as she quickly stripped out of her soaked clothing. It was almost a sensual experience pulling on the clean, dry denim over her chilled legs, and she quickly tucked the flannel shirt Kerry had retrieved into them, buttoning the jeans closed and tugging on her sweatshirt as well. "Damn, that feels good." She commented to the empty room, gathering up her dripping shirt and pants, and draping them over a stall divider, tucking her drenched underthings into the pants pockets.

Then she sat on the edge of a water basin, tugging on a pair of thick, warm socks and her dry sneakers, letting her hands fall as she finished and reveling in the simple pleasure of being warm and dry after so many hours of damp misery. She wondered briefly how long it would have taken her to do this on her own, feeling a little guilty about having Kerry have to nudge her into it. With a sigh, she stood and gazed at her damp reflection, flicking her fingers through her hair to order it somewhat. "Drowned rat." She told the reflection, which looked wryly back at her. "No wonder everyone thinks you're nuts."

She trudged back out into the open warehouse, only then wondering where Kerry had scooted off to.

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

"Okay.. " Kerry peered out of the windshield. "We need to find a place to get sandwiches or something for everyone… they must be hungry." Of course, she had a personal motive for asking, but it seemed much nobler to think of the group first. "Any 24 hour groceries around here?"

Mary looked at her. "You're joking, right?"

"Come on.. we even had one in Saugatuck." Kerry eyed her. "Okay.. a Seven Eleven.. a Wal Mart.. anything?"

"How about a Big Fat Boy's Eat Em All?" Mary asked, with a perfectly serious face. "They've got some good pie."

Kerry held her breath to keep from giggling nervously. "Oh.. okay.. sure.. "

"And there's a Stop and Shop.. if you want." The woman added.

"Both." Kerry nodded firmly. "Um… the restaurant first… do they take credit cards?"

Mary just laughed.

"Okay then.. the stop and shop first.. maybe they have an ATM." Kerry sighed.

The other woman put the car in gear and headed out, driving the dark back roads for twenty minutes before pulling into a lonely looking, but fairly well lit convenience store. They got out and entered, and Kerry wasn't surprised to find they were the only patrons. She went to the obviously brand new ATM, standing in a place of pride near the slurpee machine and selected her corporate card, swiping it and keying in her id number. She considered a moment, then entered an amount, idly imagining an electronic gasp from the machine as it thought about her request. Finally it grudgingly gave up the cash, and she tucked her card away, turning around and prowling the aisles thoughtfully.

What a selection. She sighed, going up to the cashier, who was watching her with sleepy eyes. "May I have a box, please?" The man gave her a puzzled look, but went into a back room and came out with a cardboard carton, which he handed to her wordlessly. "Thank you." Kerry took it over to the shelf and scooped the meager choices of Twinkies and other goods into it. She stuck to recognizable items, leaving some dubiously packaged sweet rolls behind, and lugged the box up to the front. "Ring that up, please." She told the man, before she went to the freezer case and studied it. A brief grin crossed her lips, and she tugged the case open, retrieving an item and bringing it back to the cashier. "Okay." She paid the man, then claimed her box and followed Mary outside.

"I can't believe you're doing this." The woman commented, opening the trunk for her and watching as she put the box inside.

Kerry was about to answer, when a shadowy figure wandered over.

"Hey there cute stuff." His bearded face was slightly flushed, and he walked with a tiny stagger. "You look all wet.. lemme dry you off." He put a hand out, but Kerry evaded him. "Hey.."

"No thanks.. I'm fine.. but thank you for offering." The blond woman backed off, moving around to the side of the car.

"Aw.. c'mon.. " The man staggered after her, surrounded by a queasy cloud of alcoholic stench. "Nice little thing like you… c'mere… I won't hurtcha… "

"No.. really. .I'm fine.. " Kerry waited, as Mary unlocked her side and reached inside to unlock Kerry's door. "No.. stop.. "

He grabbed her jacket, and pulled her closer, bloodshot eyes eagerly looking at her face.

Kerry sighed. "I'm just not in the mood for this." She wrenched her arm free, then grabbed his hand, swiveling around and pulling him over her shoulder in a well practiced move that landed him on his butt in the freezing mud. Then she yanked the door to the car open and dropped into the seat, slamming the door shut and shaking her head with a muttered comment. "Jerk."

Mary started the car without a word, and pulled out.

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

"Did they send an Ethernet hub?" Dar leaned on the newly assembled racks, and watched as yet another box was unpacked. The musty smell of the warehouse was almost completely overrun with the scent of newly opened electronics, and the worn and dirty carpet was covered with tired looking techs busy making cables and assembling wiring harnesses.

"Yeah.. it's over there." The man she was addressing pointed without looking up, busy on his task and oblivious to the asker.

Dar didn't mind. She went over to the box he'd indicate and stuck her head inside, spotting the item she was looking for and tugging it out, pulling it free of the bubble wrap packing and dusting the top off. "Great." She limped over to a hastily set up table and set the box down, pulling a small pocket knife out of her jeans pocket and slitting the tape on the top of the container. Her eyes scanned the device, then she lifted it from it's nest of packing and carried it over to the first rack, sliding it into place above the first of the routers and screwing it down. "There… if the patches are ready, we can start hooking these damn things up."

"Right." The facility manager agreed wearily, plugging the hub into power. "At least they sent surge suppressors.. but I'm glad we found those extension cords in the basement here."

"Mm.' Dar agreed, flipping the switches on the installed routers. "Oh shit… " She rubbed her temples. "I need a damn straight through serial cable and 9pin to program these damn things."

John cursed softly. "Christ.. all right.. let me see what we have.. maybe I can have someone wire a piece of Cat 5 in serial."

Dar leaned against the rack for a moment, the straightened and moved over to where the telco technicians were screwing down two huge blocks and wiring. "How's it going?" She asked, examining the jacks. "Nice."

The nearer tech looked up. "Just about done.. ya got lucky, lady.. this is the only multi jack in this part of the Carolinas.. I got no idea how you got inventory to give it up to us."

Dar's nostrils flared. "I'd tell you, but I'd have to kill you." She joked faintly, recalling a twenty minute, top of her lungs, cursing in two languages conversation with a mid level infrastructure manager at the phone company. "Can we start plugging in?"

He finished one last screw into the peeling paint on the punch down board. "Yeah…you got drop cables?" He looked up as Dar lifted a handful of the requested items. "Oh.. right." He took the handful and started plugging them in while Dar connected the other end to the equipment. "What time is it, anyhow?"

Dar checked her watch. "Four thirty." She winced. "All right.. is the fiber drop in?"

"Almost." The man remarked, moving towards the door.

Dar finished her task, the she stepped back, and regarded the assembly of equipment. "What a mess." There were wires everywhere, connecting the routers, and the interconnecting hubs, not to mention the power cables running everywhere. Green and red leds were beginning to blink on the routers, and she ran a hand through her hair, trying to shove back the exhaustion as she figured out what needed to happen next. Oh. Right. She pulled her cell phone out and dialed.

"MIS." The voice answered.

"Mark… okay.. we've got the.. " Dar started.

"Circuits up.. yeah, I see them.. but they aren't terminated yet." Mark replied, amidst a rattle of keys. "Shit, that was fast, Dar.. what did you do, coerce the entire phone company?"

Dar sighed. "We got lucky.. there were already terminator blocks in this damn warehouse… they just had to assign the pairs." She found a box to sit down on and took a deep breath. "That was the easy part.. now I have to configure the routers, and get the fiber line in… and hope to god those damn mainframes are still running off the generator, or we're doing this for shit."

"You sound beat." Mark commented quietly.

"Been a long day." Dar acknowledged, letting her elbows rest on her knees and allowing her eyes to close momentarily. "Wish I had some.. " She stopped talking, and looked up as the smell of fresh coffee hit her nose, and found warm green eyes gazing back at her. "Oh, are you a sight for sore eyes." She murmured.

Mark chuckled in her ear. "Tell Kerry I said hi." He remarked wryly

Kerry handed her the large cup of coffee and took the phone from her. "Hi Mark.. can we call you back?" She waited for the answer, then hung up. "Sorry it took so long.. you have no idea how hard it is to find open places up here at this time of day." She looked around. "Wow."

Dar sucked on her coffee without comment, feeling some life come back into her as the warm, sweet liquid hit her stomach. "I was about to send out a search party." She advised her lover. "We've got the circuits up, but… " Dar let a tendril of doubt in. "Damn, Kerry.. I don't know if we can do this… there's just so much to get done." She cast a glance over her shoulder at the half assembled system. "Maybe I was crazy to try."

Kerry gazed at her in concern.. Dar's face and her arms were covered with smudges of dust and dirt from the equipment, and there were dark circles under her eyes, visible even in the dim light. "Dar… if you didn't belive this was going to work.. you wouldn't have done it." She sat down next to her boss. "I brought back food for everyone… that should help… and I can program the routers, if you give me a chance to change first."

The bloodshot blue eyes lifted and regarded her. "That's right..you are Cisco certified, aren't you?" Dar let a reluctant smile tug her lips. "Go change.. I have the making up cables for the laptops… if we both work on it, we can get enough done so that the other techs can get in and start downloading the routing tables."

"You got it." Kerry slung her bag over her shoulders and headed for the rest room, changing quickly and hanging her wet clothing next to Dar's. She returned to find her boss hunched over a box, studying the screen on her laptop. The silvery reflection flickered over her tanned features, which shifted as Kerry put her own laptop down next to her. "Okay." The blond woman smiled as a tech handed her a cable. "Thanks." She plugged it in, then ran the other end to one of the routers. "Oh. I'll be right back."

Dar nodded, absorbed in her screen. "Let's hope I remember how to do this." She muttered, shoving down her annoyance that they'd been unable to locate the hardware group for the facility, meaning that only she and Kerry really knew how to get in and program the complicated devices. "It's been a while." The scent of cooked food spread through the room and most of the techs had wandered over to where Kerry had left the boxes, leaving Dar in relative isolation as she puzzled through the software.

The screen started to fuzz out, and she stopped after what seemed like the twentieth screen, leaning back and rubbing her eyes, as her back protested against her hunched posture. "I think that's it.'" She commented to Kerry, who knelt at her side. "Wh.. "

"Open wide." Kerry instructed, capturing her gaze.

Dar stared, uncomprehending, then hesitantly opened her mouth, startled when a spoonful of cold, chocolate ice cream was deposited into it. She blinked a few times. "Mm." She swallowed the rich cream. "Was that Haagen Daz?"

"Yes." Kerry informed her, offering up another spoonful. "And don't you ask me where I found chocolate Haagen Daz in the middle of backwoods North Carolina, okay?" She watched Dar's whole attitude perk up, and was convinced if the dark haired woman had possessed a tail, it would have wagged enthusiastically. "It's amazing what ice cream does to you, did you know that?"

Dar licked her lips. "Hey.. it beats recreational drugs." She remarked wryly. "What did you bring the rest of these guys?"

Kerry glanced over her shoulder. "The best of 'Big Fat Boy's All U Kin Eat buffet." She told her boss, taking a spoon of ice cream for herself. "And a box of Twinkies, Snowballs, Ring Dings, and Mallomars."

The dark haired woman covered her mouth quickly, and stifled an almost hysterical laugh. "Did you get some buffet?" She managed to ask. "Damn.. I thought it was more.. uh… "

"You're joking, right?" Kerry fed her more ice cream. "I'd like to live to get back to Miami, thanks.. and I got the lecture that yes, during the day, it's much more sophisticated around here… but those places roll up the sidewalks at night, because all the workers go home."

"Well.. " Dar accepted another spoon and chewed it contentedly. "It was a good idea, though.. it might give everyone enough energy to get through the morning." She paused, and regarded her lover. "So, no buffet for you?"

Kerry sucked on the spoon. "Um.. no.. actually.. I… " She made a tiny face. "I have a weakness for Snowballs." She admitted, a touch embarrassed. "That was enough sugar to get me going."

Dar laughed. "Ah! I see…. " She teased gently. "Those white ones, with the chocolate insides?"

Green eyes batted their golden lashes at her. "Yeah." She confessed, a little shamefacedly.

"Wanna share a pack?" Dar inquired, one brow lifting.

Kerry cleared her throat. "Oh.. no, I'm okay.. I… " Then she glanced up. 'Well, maybe one."

Dar grinned, finding the energy to stand up, and stretch. She could feel her own determination returning, and she glanced out over the room, planning her next move.

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

Dawn broke, turning the darkness outside to a dull gray as the rain continued. Inside the warehouse, it was marked only by a break for coffee, from the multitude of thermos bottles that littered the worktable.

"All right, Mark." Dar leaned against the wall, crossing her ankles and exhaling. "Can you see them?"

Clicking. "No.. no.. wait." More clicking. "Ah.. yep.. there they are…"

Dar closed her eyes in utter relief. "All of them?"

"Wait.. I'm getting Unicenter booted." The MIS chief muttered. "Hang on.. hang on… okay.. yeah." He confirmed. "I'm seeing all the gateways, and both backbones." A beat. "Wow… tremendous work, boss… that kicks ass."

Dar let her head rest against the wall. "I had a lot of help." She muttered. "Okay… now.. I'm going to boot the fiber hub." She reached over, and flipped a switch.

Across the room, bodies were slumped on the carpet, or leaning against the far walls, and the door kept opening fitfully, letting in cold, damp air.

"I don’t' see it." Mark's voice cut through her exhaustion.

"Shit." Dar shoved her body off the wall and examined the piece of equipment. "I don’t.. it's connected… let me.. "

"Did you set the IP?" Mark asked, gently.

Dar thought about it. "I don't remember." She glanced up as Kerry came over. "Mark sees the backbones and the routers.. but not this box.. did we program it?"

Kerry brought the laptop over, and connected it, then ran through a few screens. "Nope." She typed in a few commands, then reset the unit. 'Try now."

Mark clicked a bit, then grunted. "Got it." He entered several commands rapidly. "Needs the secondary table though.. hang on.. I'm in there… I can download it from here.. wait.. okay." He sighed. "Got it.. got it… you're going to have to IPL the mainframes, though."

Dar and Kerry exchanged glances. "What?" Dar asked. "I thought they were up?"

"They are." Mark said. "But the ports shut down when you don’t' have activity after a certain point… it's a bug or something.. you need to reset them."

Dar let out an explosive breath. "Son of a fucking bitch.. Mark, we can't get in there." She told him. "Cant' you remote IPL?"

"Has to be a hardware reset." The MIS chief responded. "God, Dar… I'm sorry.. I knew that, in the back of my head, I should have told you before.. I didn't realize… "

No. Dar let her head smack against the wall, and she cursed softly under her breath.

Kerry chewed her lip in thought, watching her lover anxiously. "What if we cut the building generator off and on?" She asked suddenly. "It's outside."

Dar stared at her, then dropped the phone onto the fiber rack and took hold of the blond woman, kissing her soundly in full view of the room. "I love you." She patted Kerry's cheek, as she headed past her towards the door.

Kerry stood rooted in place, stunned beyond speech. She had her back to everyone and could almost feel the eyes beating against the back of her head. Finally, she picked up the cell phone and cleared her throat. "Um.. hi."

Mark also cleared his throat. "Hi." He responded. "Guess she liked that idea, huh?"

"Uh.. yeah." Kerry winced, as she slowly turned, relieved to see most of the techs still passed out and paying no attention to her. There were a handful of bemused faces, though, and she mustered a weak smile for them. "I just hope it works."

"Hey… that sure beats Q bucks." One tech laughed. "I think I'll move down to Miami.. they got a better bonus plan." A round of tired laughter followed.

Kerry scrubbed a hand across her reddening face, and sighed. "I'm gonna kill her for that." She muttered, then glanced up as Dar reentered the building.

"All right folks.. we've got fifteen minutes, and we'll know if this all has been worth it." The dark haired woman announced. "And if it is, or isn't… I'd like to say thanks to all of you who hung in there…I know we asked a lot."

A weary silence fell over them, and everyone settled in to watch the routers, whose traffic led's were dark. Dar walked over to where Kerry was standing and slid down the wall, clasping her hands lightly in front of her.

Waiting.

Kerry sat down next to her and fiddled with the phone, sitting cross legged and resting her elbows on her knees.

Fifteen minutes passed, and there was no change in the lights. Dar closed her eyes and let her head drop in defeat, hardly feeling Kerry's hand on her arm. Of all the times to fail, she had to pick this one. She refused the hear the disappointed murmur that echoed around the ill lit room, as the tired waves finally crashed over her.

"It was a damn good try." Kerry rested her head against Dar's shoulder.

"Not good enough." Came the whispered reply.

The blond woman moved closer, accidentally jerking the power plug of the fiber hub from the wall. 'Oh.. crap" She shoved it back in with an annoyed grimace. "For all the good that'll do." She muttered, turning her attention to her lover. "Hey.. c'mon.. no one could have done any more, Dar."

"Hey!" A tinny voice distracted her, and she lifted the phone.

"What is it, Mark? It didn't work." Kerry admitted.

"Bullshit.. yes it did!" The MIS chief yelled. "I'm getting packets!!"

Dar's head jerked up on hearing that, and they both stared at the router racks, where led's were coming alive in an electronic dance. "Son of a bitch."

Yells were now coming from the techs, who were pointing at the routers.

"Wow!" Kerry let out a surprised, and delighted laugh. "I guess it just took a few minutes longer… "

"No.. " Dar looked up at the hub over her head. "You did it.. you reset the optics hub." She grabbed Kerry and hugged her. "You did it!"

Dumbfounded, Kerry stared at her. "I did it?" She jerked around and looked at the plug. "It was an accident!"

"Waaahoo!" Mark yodeled through the phone. "Infriggingcredible, Dar! Give that woman a kiss for me."

Blue eyes now alive with mischief fastened on Kerry's face. "Oh.. I think I can do that." She stood up and pulled Kerry up with her, as a round of tired cheers went up around the room.

"Uh.. Dar?" Kerry whispered frantically. "Um.. you know, I love when you kiss me.. I really, really do, but um… could we just kinda… " She jerked her head in the direction of the watching technicians. "I feel like a video game."

Dar chuckled. "All right.." She relented, draping an arm over Kerry's shoulder instead, and walking towards the now excitedly talking group. She took the phone from Kerry. "So.. everything coming online?"

"OH.. yes… " Mark chuckled. "Oh wait.. there's the hotline.. figures, sun just started coming up." He rustled around. "MIS Ops, Polenti." A pause. "Hmm? Oh.. yeah, we're up.. no problem." Another pause. "Yep.. that too.. .the whole network's online." A longer pause. "Yeah, I've got her on the other line.. wh…ok…I'll relay that.. thanks." He hung up. "Hey, Dar?"

"Yeah?" Dar replied, accepting the cries of congratulations from the crowd.

"Alastair said to tell you he slept like a baby." The MIS chief related. "He said you'd understand."

She let a brief, humorless smile cross her face. "Yeah.. I understand." She replied. "All right.. let me get off this thing… I'm going to make sure this is stable, then go get some sleep." The thought of a warm bed, and snuggling with Kerry was suddenly overwhelmingly attractive. "Later." She hung up and tucked the phone into her pocket.

Fresh staff was entering the building, cautiously peering around the doorframe until they spotted familiar faces. A supervisor was busy making a schedule, and two other new faces were pulling out monitoring consoles from boxes and setting them up. "We did it." Dar stated, in a wondering tone. "I don't believe it."

Kerry exhaled. "We sure did." She confirmed.

They both looked up as someone called Dar's name out. A man trotted towards them, pulling up as he reached their sides.

"Ms. Roberts?" He asked. "There's some people outside… I think it's the environmental people.. they want to see you."

Dar went very still. "Same people as last night?" She asked cautiously.

He nodded. "Yeah.. that same doctor.. but she said her boss is here.. wants to talk to you." He made a face. "They were kinda rude about it." He added, then turned as someone called him, and moved off.

Kerry looked up at Dar's face, seeing the confusion and reluctance there. "You want me to take care of this?" She asked bluntly.

Pale blue eyes flicked to hers. "Thanks.. but.. um.. I'd better go." Dar told her heavily. "You wait here.. it shouldn't take long.. since I don’t' really care when they clear the other building now.. as long as we keep the generators going."

Kerry didn't back off. "Sure you don't want company?" She had no idea what was spooking Dar so badly, but she was damned if she wasn't going to find out. "Two of them.. only fair if there are two of us."

Dar hesitated. "Her boss and I have a history." She finally admitted.

"I gathered." The blond woman answered quietly. "That was the old history, right?"

A nod. "Yes."

"Dar, it's been a really long night.. you're tired… let me go take care of them for you." Kerry pleaded gently, seeing the stark indecision in Dar's eyes. "Or at least let me come, too."

She gave in. "All right." Dar ran a hand through her hair. "Let's get it over with… I want to get out of here." She picked up Kerry's duffel, and slung it over her shoulder. "We can just go after that."

They walked out, side by side, into a gray drizzle.

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

It was almost like her stomach was twisting into knots. Kerry paced along side her boss, watching the jaw muscles bunch and relax on the side of her face as they moved around to where the networking office was. Two figures were standing under the overhang out of the rain, and Kerry almost felt Dar bristle as she spotted them.

This was potentially very ugly, she realized, studying toe two people. One was Dr. Simmonds, she knew. The other, a taller, stocker woman with sun streaked chestnut hair was standing quietly, watching Dar like a hawk as they approached. Kerry had an immediate, very visceral desire to kick her in the shins, and had to wonder about her newly found physical nature.

"Hey, Dar!" A voice interrupted them, and they stopped, turning to let a jogging figure catch up. It was the Bellsouth regional manager, who held a hand out to Dar as he came up to them. "Hear it worked.. congratulations!"

Dar mustered a smile, and took his hand. "You made it happen." She amiably told him. "You guys really came through for us.. don't think I'll forget that."

They were close enough for the two women to overhear, Kerry realized, and she saw their faces fall. A grin worked it's way onto her face. "Yes.. it really was great working with you." She added, shaking his hand as well. "Your techs were wonderful… they got us back up with no problem." She made sure her voice was a little louder than necessary.

"Well, thanks.. " He grinned. "Can I treat you ladies to an old fashioned country breakfast?"

Dar regretfully declined. "We've got things to take care of.. but thanks for the offer." She nodded towards the waiting women. "I think the scientists have something to tell us."

"Right.. well, you take care." He waved, then trotted off, hailing one of the techs nearby.

"You know, Dar.. " Kerry fell into step beside her as they resumed their stroll. "If I didn’t know better. I'd say those people were disappointed to hear things worked out." Her eyes flicked to their targets.

"Mm." Dar murmured. "You could be right." She swallowed, to get the cotton out of her mouth, and tried to ignore the pounding of her heartbeat, very aware of Shari's eyes on her. She summoned her coldest, fiercest outer persona, and wrestled it into place.

"Dar?" Kerry's voice dropped to a low murmur.

"Hmm?" She ducked her head a little, nervously clenching and unclenching her fists.

"I love you."

Dar blinked, then looked up as they came even with the two women. Shari who? "You needed to speak with me?" She asked amiably, feeling the dread fall away, nudged aside by the living, breathing acknowledgement that Shari had been wrong, all those years ago. Her eyes met her old lover's, and she gave her a small nod of acknowledgement. "Hello, Shari."

"Dar." The woman answered, in a low, musical voice. Her eyes flicked to Kerry's face, then an eyebrow rose.

"Sorry.. " Dar felt a smile edging her lips. "This is my associate, Kerrison Stuart.. Kerry, this is Shari Englewood. "

"Pleased to meet you." Kerry responded politely, extending a hand, and returning the firm grip with one of her own.

An awkward silence fell. "Would you two please excuse us." Shari finally said. "I'd like to speak with Ms. Roberts in private."

Dr. Simmonds ducked away immediately, seemingly glad to get out of the situation, but Kerry paused for a long moment, gazing at the chestnut haired woman steadily before she took the duffle from Dar and gave her boss a quick grin. "See you at the car."

Dar half turned her face, and winked at her. "Won't be long." She watched Kerry stride off towards the vehicle, ducking her head against the still falling rain. Then she turned back and folded her arms over her chest.

And waited. The cool gray eyes studied her, and she returned the look without flinching, keeping her expression noncommittal. Shari hadn't changed much, save that she'd gotten a bit heavier, and her face had taken on a colder, more predatory expression. She was, Dar acknowledged, still very attractive, and the look of those familiar eyes brought up old, and painful memories she tried to shove back down.

"You haven't changed much." Shari finally said. "You still running around doing their dirty work?"

Dar refused to take offense. "Sure." She drawled. "Only now they pay me more to do it., and I've got an office in the penthouse." It gave her quite a bit of satisfaction to say that, and a tiny smirk caught the edge of her lip as the jibe registered. "And incidentally, if the chemical team finds no trace of your dangerous substance, you'll find the bill for this sitting on your desk."

"Oh, they'll find it." She responded. "I wouldn't have bothered making that up.. I was just so happy to hear it was going to screw you up, that I had to come see for myself." Her eyes wandered over Dar's body. "But you pulled out the fucking rabbit out of your ass again, didn't you?" She snorted. "That sucks, Dar.. I should have come over last night, when Anne told me you were tearing your hair out."

"Sorry to disappoint you." Dar replied. "Now, unless you actually have something to say, I have a Jacuzzi and a nice warm bed waiting." She let a frank grin shape her lips, watching the minute reaction in Shari's pale eyes.

A tiny shake of her head followed. "I'd forgotten how different you look when you smile." The other woman mused. "You going to be in town long, Dar?"

Uh oh. "Just until tonight… then I'm heading up into the mountains for a few days." She replied, cautiously. "Why?"

A shrug. "Thought maybe we could just sit down and talk for a few minutes." She paused. "You seeing anyone?"

Dar could hardly believe what she was hearing, and she felt a cool anger start to brew. "Yes." She answered quietly. "Despite your prediction."

A soft snort. "I'd love to meet… her?" She wrinkled her nose in question.

Dar caught her balance. "You just did." She answered mildly. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to be going." She gave Shari a nod, then turned and started back towards the car.

"I hope she knows what she's getting into." Shari yelled after her.

Dar stopped, and turned. "You were right about something." She gazed at her through the icy drizzle. "I had no idea what love was." She watched in savage satisfaction as the comment was understood, then she turned her back and walked off.

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

Kerry was glad it was light out, at least. She was tired, and she knew her reflexes were suffering, but the traffic was very light. "Right turn up there?" She asked softly, her eyes flicking to her companion.

Dar nodded.

Kerry was worried. Dar had been withdrawn since she'd gotten back into the car, allowing her head to rest against the glass of the window, her reflection bleakly evident to Kerry's watching eyes. A little hesitantly, she reached over and folded her hand over her lover's, encouraged when the long fingers tightened over hers immediately. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Dar sighed. "Just tired." She turned her head and studied Kerry's profile. "I think I need a nap."

Kerry glanced at her. "Me too." She confessed. The blond woman waited a beat, then took a breath. "That woman still bothering you?"

The jaw muscles along Dar's face clenched, the relaxed. "It… she just brought up some old, bad memories… that's all."

"Mm… " Kerry waited, but nothing else came. "Anything you want to share?'

Dar thought about that a long time, as rows of damp, gray shadowed trees went past them. "I.." She stopped, then cleared her throat. "I never…I've never really talked about any of that with anyone before…maybe a pair of friendly ears would help." It was, she acknowledged privately, a huge chasm she'd just leapt over, but Kerry couldn’t know that.

The corners of Kerry's mouth crinkled up, as she guided the car carefully across the slick road and up a long driveway, where a sign announced the presence of the hotel they were staying at. "I think that could be arranged." She pulled the car up under the valet parking overhang, and put it in park. "C'mon."

Dar willingly followed her up the stairs, shouldering her overnight bag and giving the valet a brief smile as Kerry turned the keys over to him. They approached the desk, and Dar gave her name quietly to the desk clerk. 'We were supposed to check in last night, but… "

"Yes, Ms. Roberts.. your office called and told us." The woman smiled at her. "We held the room.. it's no problem.. and um.. " She chuckled a little. "I think you have a little surprise waiting up there."

Dar and Kerry exchanged wary glances. "A surprise?" Dar asked. "What kind of surprise?"

The woman smiled cheerfully at her. "Now.. if I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise… but don’t' worry. It's nothing bad." She handed over the room keys. "Here you go… we have room service available twenty four hours, and you're on the concierge floor, so you can just ask as you get off the elevator if you need anything."

Dar sighed. "Thanks." She took the key and gave Kerry hers, then followed the smaller woman as they went to the elevator. "I hate surprises." She groused.

Kerry patted her belly tolerantly. "C'mon, Dar.. it's probably a fruit basket." She scolded her boss. "Would you relax? All the hotels do that for VIP's nowadays."

"Mmph." Dar leaned back against the elevator wall and tried to stifle a yawn. "Yeah.. I guess." She waited for the doors to open then pushed off the back wall and trudged through them, giving the pink and wide eyed concierge a nod before moving past his desk.

Their room was on a corner, and Dar pushed the keycard in, then pulled it out, turning the handle when the light flashed on and shoving the door open.

The scent of chocolate hit them and stopped them both in their tracks. "Whoa." Dar got out, as she flipped the lights on.

It was a large room, with a wide window and one big, comfortable looking bed. A door to one side led to a bathroom, and one on the other side to a tiled Jacuzzi. In front of them was a round table, which was currently covered with a huge, completely stuffed, overflowing basket of assorted things of the species chocolate. Dar found herself staring at it with a stupid grin. "Oo."

Kerry peeked past her. "Thought you didn't like surprises?" She commented, giving her boss a slap on the behind as she moved past her to put her bag down.

"Tell you what.. anytime you want to surprise me with fifty pounds of chocolate, you go right ahead." Dar responded, plucking the card from the ornate holder and examining it. "It's from Alastair."

"Gee." Kerry grinned. "What a surprise." She came over and peeked at the card. "That's really sweet of him."

"Well." Dar poked into the basket's contents. "Considering we just saved his gray flannel butt, it's not unprecedented." She glanced at Kerry. "There were twelve major accounts on the line if we hadn't gotten that stuff working this morning."

Kerry stopped dead, and stared at her. "Why didn't you tell me that?" She asked, stung.

Dar glanced at the table top, and fiddled with the card. "No sense in both of us being worried sick.. I guess.. I don't know… I should have." She gave Kerry a contrite look. "Not that you could have done more than you were doing." She paused awkwardly. "I'm sorry."

Kerry gave her a vexed look. "No.. but it would explain why you were so damned tense." She started to go on, then saw the almost imperceptible flinch in Dar's face. Not now, Kerry. Her mind warned her. Not now.. she's tired, you're tired, and she apologized for not saying anything. Just drop it. "Jesus, Dar.. .tell me next time, huh? So I can chew my nails along with you?" She gave her boss a lopsided grin.

Dar relaxed a little. "I will." She promised, stripping off her jacket and hanging it up in the small closet. "Wonder how long it'll take us to get through that basket." She turned a grin of her own on Kerry.

The blond woman gazed at the huge thing in trepidation. "I think we'll get sick to our stomachs if we try." She commented wryly, taking off her own jacket and tugging her shirt out from her jeans. "He must have worked pretty fast… it's not even nine o clock."

"Well.." Dar pulled off her sneakers and tossed them near her bag, then slipped her sweatshirt over her head, dropping it neatly on the chair before unbuttoning her flannel shirt and removing it. "If I could get seventy T1 circuits and routers installed before dawn, I guess he could handle a basket of chocolate." She leaned back and stretched, wincing as both shoulders popped before she straightened and ran her fingers through her hair, rubbing the back of her neck. "God, I'm tired." She admitted. "I'm glad that's over…we can rest here until dinnertime, then drive up to the cabin. It's about an hour from here.. and it looked like the weather's clearing a little."

"Sounds good to me." Kerry ambled over to her, already having shed her pants and half unbuttoned her shirt, while she worked on unfastening Dar's jeans. Her fingers slid easily under the waistband, and she unhooked the first button, letting her thumbs trace the ripple of muscles just under the skin. She leaned forward and gently kissed the soft skin, feeling the ribs move under her lips in an uneven breath.

Then the room's air was cool against her skin as Dar peeled her shirt off, the taller woman's hands sliding slowly down her arms, then releasing them and moving across her ribcage, causing a jolt of pure sensation as the wandering fingers brushed over her breasts. "Thought you were tired. " Kerry burred, nuzzling her face against a soft curve.

"The smell of all that chocolate must have woken me up." Dar replied, catching a thin fold of skin between her teeth and nibbling it gently. "Thought you were tired?"

Kerry undid the second button and moved lower, tracing the edge of her lover's navel, then working up to the tip of her breastbone. "I wish I could blame it on the chocolate." She murmured, inhaling greedily. "But it's not that smell that's giving me these goosebumps."

"Mm.. yeah.. lookit that." Dar's fingertip made a lazy trail across her shoulder, then her lips traced the same path, as her body woke fully, forgetting about the long night and the frustrations of the day. Even the last, haunting echoes of the past caused by Shari's appearance faded, replaced by the solid, comforting present now wrapped around her body. She stepped out of her jeans, finding herself being tugged towards the bed, and she gladly tumbled into it, her arms full of warm, bare skin.

Kerry rolled her over, and pounced on top of her, ending up with Dar's earlobe lightly caught between neat white teeth. " You let me know.. " She whispered in a muffled tone. "When I start squashing you, okay?"

Dar chuckled low in her throat, and gave her a pat on the butt. "Not a problem…I hardly feel it." Which wasn't quite true, but close enough. She stretched and wrapped her legs around Kerry's, and surrendered herself to a pleasant wave of passion.

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

The phone rang, dragging Kerry out of a sound sleep, and she fumbled the receiver off the hook, managing to get it somewhere near her ear. "Yeah?" She cleared her throat. "I'm sorry.. I mean hello?"

"Hey.." Mark's voice echoed weirdly. "Kerry?"

She pulled her wits around her, gently moving away from Dar's warm body. "Eyah. I'm here…. Go on." She paused. "Mark?" A glance at the clock told her it was close to four pm, and she rubbed her eyes, having been startled out of a weird, but interesting dream.

"Dar there?" Mark inquired.

Kerry glanced down at the long, powerful arm circling her stomach and grinned quirkily. "She's here.. she's sleeping.. what's up?"

"Oh.. nothing really… um… she should probably.. uh.. check her email when she gets a chance. "Mark said, innocently. "You know… nothing urgent."

"Actually. .I was going to ship the laptops back to Miami… I was hoping for a few days without them." Kerry admitted. "Is it something important, Mark?"

He chuckled softly "Nah.. Sunday night'll be fine… she'd just might want to check it before Monday morning, though." A rattle of keystrokes. "By the way, you guys are furking big time no shit heroes around here today."

"I bet." Kerry let herself back down onto the pillow, and snuggled back against Dar, who immediately hugged her closer. "Mm."

"What was that?" Mark asked.

"Uh.. I was just agreeing." Kerry mentally slapped herself. "Well, I'm glad everyone's happy about it… I guess there'll one huge meeting on Monday, though, huh?" She sighed. "That'll be a trip…I can just imagine the arguments."

Mark chuckled. "Uh… well, yeah.. it's certainly going to be quite a Monday." He agreed. "Listen.. you guys have a great time up there, okay? Relax, take it easy… unwind a little."

Kerry yawned. "Will do… I'll bring you back some maple syrup or pecans or whatever the heck they have up here." She listened to the laughter, then hung up, and allowed her body to sink back down into the warm pit she'd been resting in, while she sleepily regarded the quiet, peaceful room.

Dar was really out, she knew, glancing back over her shoulder. The taller woman had fallen asleep after they'd made love, and had hardly moved an inch in the intervening hours. Kerry debated going back to sleep herself, then realized they'd have to start moving around shortly if they wanted to get up to the cabin.

"First things first." She decided, reaching for the phone. "The only thing we've both eaten in the last twenty four hours just about is a half dozen Snowballs and a gallon of coffee. Even Dar can't live on that."

"Sure I can." The soft mumble tickled her ear. "That's.. what.. two of the food groups, right?"

"Shh." Kerry dialed the phone, after checking a card on the dresser. "Hi, this is..oh, you know what my room number is, great." She said, as someone answered. "I see you've got pizzas? Okay.. can I have two small.. " She got a poke in the ribs. "Um.. sorry.. two medium pizzas.. one a vegetable combo, the other with.. " She gave Dar a look. "sausage, and pepperoni on it." Another poke. Kerry sighed. "And extra cheese."

Dar grinned, and nuzzled the back of her neck.

"Thanks.. and a pitcher of ice tea, please… excuse me? Oh.. yes, no… that'll be fine." Kerry finished ordering and hung up, then squirmed around in Dar's arms and regarded her fondly. "Mark says we're heroes."

"I bet." The dark haired woman responded sleepily, her eyes still closed. "Guess we gotta get moving, huh?"

"Mm.." Kerry idly traced a tiny scar on her lover's chin. "You said you wanted to get up there before dark." She watched as Dar's eyelids fluttered open, revealing her startlingly blue eyes, and allowing Kerry to gaze into them.

To drown in them. Slowly, she leaned forward and kissed Dar lightly on the forehead, then hugged her, unable to either define, nor explain the suddenly overwhelming sense of devotion and connection she felt.

This was just so precious, she wanted to cradle it gently in her hands, and never let it go. Dar's hand smoothed the back of her hair in a familiar gesture, and she let herself sink into the embrace, feeling a resonance chime deep inside her.

"Hey." Dar whispered softly, a worried tone in her voice. "You all right?"

Kerry nodded mutely, breathing in the scent of the dark haired woman's skin. The feeling subsided, leaving her only conscious of a pervasive warmth, that she could almost feel running between them, leaving her body and entering Dar's, and coming back again. "Yeah… yeah.. I'm fine… " She took a deep breath and let it out, aware of the beating heart under her ear. "Just felt like hugging you.. that's all."

The long fingers slid down the side of her neck and lifted her chin, and she had no choice but to look up at Dar, knowing she was wide open to her, and helpless, tears edging wetly around her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Her lover asked softly, capturing a tear with one thumb, and gazing at her anxiously. "Did.. something happen? Did…wh… "

She felt Dar's heartbeat pick up, under the fingers she had pressed against her chest. "N…nothing…. I.. I don't know.. I just.. it got really intense there for a minute.. I'm not really sure why.. maybe I'm just overtired." She put her head back down and stroked Dar's side gently, needing the touch. "Felt so weird."

Blue eyes now alert flicked over her, as Dar took in a careful breath and released it. "Well…I mean.. it felt kinda nice." She offered, hesitantly. "Kinda.. warm." She started stroking Kerry's hair again, and felt the smaller woman relax against her completely, her body going totally limp. They stayed like that for almost a half an hour more, until Dar glanced at the clock and stirred, regretfully. "Better put a shirt on… don't want to shock the room service person when they get here."

Kerry's eyes drifted open, pale green in the late afternoon light. "Hmm.. you're right." She agreed peacefully, rolling onto her back and stretching her body out lazily, humming low in her throat as Dar took the opportunity to trace a gentle path from her neck to her groin. 'Thought you said we have to get up." She drawled softly, giving Dar a look from half closed eyes.

The dark haired woman released a half grin, and inclined her head in agreement. "We'll have plenty of time later." She conceded, then she planted a hand on either side of Kerry, and pressed her body over her lover's, landing neatly on the carpeted floor, straightening with a fluid motion. "Guess I get to open the door." She commented, as a soft knock was heard.

Kerry was too busy getting her eyeballs around her lover's sunset lit body to hear. "Uh.. what?" She blinked, then tugged the covers up as Dar slipped into her shirt, buttoning it up and managing to be decent by about two inches. "Uh.. Dar.. don't bend over to pick anything up, okay?"

Pale blue eyes glanced over one tanned shoulder at her, and one of them winked. "Okay."

"Unless you're facing away from me, of course." Kerry added impishly, just as Dar opened the door.

That got her an over the shoulder of the short, tow haired, frazzled looking room service waiter look, complete with an elegantly raised eyebrow. "Hi." Kerry smiled at the boy. "You can just put that down next to the fifty pounds of chocolate we're going to have for dessert, thanks."

Muddy brown eyes went to her, then to the table, then back to her. The scraggly moustache drooped as he chewed it nervously. "Uhm…ma'am… ah don't think I can put this tray down."

"Here." Dar slipped up behind him and lifted the basket out of the way, coming perilously close to breaking several county ordinances. "G'wan… put it down." She drawled, low in her throat.

He would have been all right if he hadn't tried to pull up his trousers and put down his tray at the same time. Dar managed to save the pizza, by hastily dropping the basket and making a grab, but the ice tea evaded her, and it smacked the hapless waiter in the chest, sending ice cubes flying across the room. The waiter juggled the carafe, sending himself off balance until Dar braced a muscular thigh up against the chair and pinned him in place with her knee.

"You all right?" The executive demanded, setting the pizza trays down.

The man's eyes dropped slowly down her to where the long, sinewy length of her leg was braced against him, then they rolled peacefully back up into his head as he dropped like a rock.

Stunned silence fell for an instant. "What in the hell???" Dar complained.

Kerry pulled the covers up over her head and burst into laughter.

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

It was just getting dark when they pulled up a long, sloping road to the quiet retreat Dar had chosen. It was off the main streets, and up into the mountains away from city lights. Dar pulled the car up to the low roofed main building, and turned the engine off. "Well, we made it."

Kerry was peering out the window, studying the peaceful scene with interest. Scattered up and down the hilly ground, tucked into alcoves and shrouded with trees were small cabins, neatly cedared paths leading the way towards each one. "Yep.. we sure did.. though I was wondering there for a minute, after we had to revive your liveried friend at the hotel."

"Hey..it's not my fault he couldn't take the sight of a little skin." Dar objected ,mildly.

"A little?" Kerry giggled. "Your leg was longer than his body, Dar… I'm glad we tipped him all right, though." She returned her attention to the outside. "Mm… "

In the distance, she could see larger buildings, and the lodge they were parked in front of, where yellow light poured from the windows, and painted gilded stripes across the lightly frosted ground. "Wow… this is nice." She finally said, giving her companion a smile. "C'mon." She opened the car door, starting a little as the cold, pine laden air hit her in the face. "Brr."

Dar smiled, and popped the trunk, then exited the driver's side and closed the door, walking around to the back to get their bags. A warmly jacketed valet appeared, and she tossed the keys to him, then shouldered the two bags and evaded Kerry's attempt to retrieve hers. "Ah ah… I got it." She waved Kerry on and chuckled as the blond woman swept the door open, and bowed her inside. "Why thank you, ma'am."

They entered the lodge, which was a long building that dog legged to the right past the reception desk. Sounds from the other side of the building indicated some kind of restaurant, and Kerry could see a dimly lit bar just ahead, half filled with shadowy forms. They walked up to the desk, and Dar quietly gave her name to the clerk.

"Ah yes, Ms. Roberts… my goodness, we haven't seen you here in a long time." The clerk smiled and looked up, pushing a pair of half glasses up onto her nose. "I swear, you haven't changed a bit."

Dar smiled politely at the compliment. "Thanks, Milly…hard to believe you remembered me."

A salt and pepper eyebrow lifted at her. "You're pretty memorable, I'll have you know…we reserved the far cabin for you.. since you said you wanted some quiet space." She glanced up at Kerry. "And you've brought a guest this time… how wonderful. Welcome.. Ms. Stuart, is it?"

"Kerry." The blond woman extended a hand across the counter. "Nice to meet you.. this place looks fantastic."

Millie laughed. "Well, we like to think so.. we've been here for over fifty years." She folded a packet together, then handed Dar a pair of keys. "Here you go… do you remember the way, or do you want me to have Charles take you over?"

Dar paused, then exhaled. "I remember the way.. thanks Millie." She looked over towards the back of the room. "What's the special tonight?"

The gray haired woman laughed. "Just your luck.. it's roast beef."

Dar chuckled. "Just my luck." She repeated, then gently bumped Kerry. "C'mon… let's go change, then I'll show you around… they've got a nice fireplace just inside."

"Lead on." Kerry remarked, cheerfully, as she followed, her eyes watching everything with interest. This, she considered, was going to be great. Dar knew the place, and it held some good memories, Kerry decided, just from the childlike grin that kept trying to break through on her companion's face. They'd have time to relax, and just talk.. something that had been rare since… Jesus. Kerry thought about it. They hadn't really had time away without any distractions since that trip to Disney World. Even at home, there was always work, and the calls in the middle of the night, and complications. But not here. They'd left their laptops locked in the trunk, and after a bit of convincing on her part, both pagers as well. "Colleen has the number up here in an emergency." She'd argued. "And so does Mark.. but they both know not to use it unless the world is coming to an end."

Dar had thought a moment, then shrugged, and relinquished the electronic device. "Okay."

Now, Kerry tugged up her collar as she followed Dar out the front door, and down a path which sloped a little downward, her sneakers crunching softly on the cedar chips that lined it. "Mm." The air was sweet, and rich with the scent of cold, and pine, and the wood she was walking on. "This is great."

In the semi darkness, the sudden glitter of Dar's eyes was startling. "Glad you like it." She drawled. "I used to spend semester breaks up here..it's not an expensive place, but it's family run… Millie's husband is ex navy."

Kerry nodded, looking around. "It looks like it's well cared for." She commented. "They seem to know you pretty well." She glanced up, seeing the quiet smile on Dar's face. "When was the last time you were here?"

The smile vanished. "Christmas, a few years back." Cam the quiet answer. "I'd… I'd just broken up with Elana.. I guess I needed some.. time out."

Kerry tucked a hand around her arm as the walked along. "Well, I hope you'll have better memories from this visit." She commented mildly. "We… we had a place out off the lake we used to go to in the summers, it was a little like this." She took a breath, aware of Dar's intent concentration on her words. "It was supposed to be a family vacation.. but it was usually a circus.. I mean, people coming and going… deals.. the press..you know."

"Mm." Dar agreed, leaded her down a fork in the path.

"Sailing was my favorite thing to do… but as we got older, my mother made sure there really wasn't much time for that… she had parties and whatever… kept us going from summer estate to summer estate.. talking to people I didn’t' have much in common with, even then." She sighed. "And dressing up… that was always a trial.. me and Angie paraded in front of her and usually my aunt, to make sure we looked all right."

"Doesn't sound like much fun. " Dar remarked, as they came up to a small, tree shrouded cabin with a wooden porch. "Closest I ever came to that was my mother making sure the rips in my jeans weren't going to get me arrested in some of the more rural counties down there." She put a hand on Kerry's back as they mounted the three low stairs, the wood echoing lightly under their steps. "I always liked this one." She turned and nodded. "Nice view."

Kerry also turned, and gasped a little, faced with a beautiful moonlit lake, reflecting a canopy of brilliant stars. "Oh my god, yes." She let out a delighted laugh. "It's wonderful, Dar." She turned and poked her companion. "Very romantic… is this where you always bring special friends?"

Dar gazed at her, a little sadly. "No… you're the first." She turned and continued across the porch, opening the door and gesturing her inside. "I always used this as a very private retreat…I never considered bringing anyone else here before."

"Mm." Kerry ducked inside without further comment, flipping on the light just inside the door. "Oh." She blinked in surprise. "This is really nice." The cabin was mostly one large room, with a neatly made bed against the far wall under a window, covered in a thick comforter in shades of crimson and navy. There were Indian patterned throw rugs on the floor, and one, a thick sheepskin, resided in front of the small fireplace. A garment press stood against the wall, and a doorway led to a luxurious bathroom, complete with a sunken hot tub surrounded by warmly weathered wood. "Oh.. I think I like this."

Dar chuckled softly. "Oh yeah.. that comes in handy after a day of horsebackriding, especially if you're not used to it. Trust me." She put their bags down on the bed, and looked around. Hadn't changed. She mused, walking over to the window and peering out at the silent, gently murmuring lake.

"Ah… " Kerry was exploring the counter against the back wall. "I see we have the essentials… coffee, cookies, and hot chocolate. " She investigated the supplies. "Cups and..let's see.. tea bags… oh.. and little muffins.. this is really cute, Dar."

The dark haired woman tossed a stuffed bag down next to her. "Well, we can add our little stash here." She grinned, her good humor restored. "Never thought we'd fit all that chocolate in there."

Kerry snorted, and lifted the bag up. "I can't believe we brought it all.. we're going to get sick on it." She sniffed at the bag. "Mm…. On the other hand… " The rich scent was alluring, and she sighed. "Later… dinner first?"

"Sounds good to me." Dar agreed. "Those pizzas were tiny."

"What pizzas..oh, those. Right." Kerry slipped out of her sweatshirt and pulled a heavier sweater over her head, settling the edge over her jeans. "Yeah… good thing I didn't order smalls.. we could have used them as drink coasters."

"Could have used them as that anyway." Dar complained, changing into a thick sweater of her own, and rubbing her hands. "It's cold here, Kerry."

The blond woman turned, putting down the brush she'd been pulling through her hair, and walked over, taking Dar's hands into hers and pressing them against her body. "Aw..my poor little hothouse flower." She giggled at the blue eyes widened in outrage. "You southerners…. Talk about thin blooded… we'll have to get you some mittens." She gently kissed Dar's fingers. "Thank you for inviting me up here, by the way."

Dar smiled at her, obviously charmed. "I'm glad you like it."

"Here.. bend down." Kerry released one hand and recaptured her brush, running it through Dar's dark locks to bring some order to them. The silky strands crackled with the dry air, and clung to the brush, winding themselves around her hands as well. "Ack…one nice thing about Miami… you don't get this much." She patiently untangled herself, meeting the watching blue eyes with a grin as she fluffed the usually disheveled bangs. "Your hair would look pretty in braids.. want to try them tomorrow?"

Dar blinked at her, obviously surprised at the question. "Um.. sure." She straightened as Kerry finished. "If I can do yours.. " She gently tucked the blond hair back into a tail, studying the effect.

Kerry smiled, loving the feel of Dar's fingers in her hair, as they brushed against her sensitive scalp. "You're on." She agreed happily. "It's a vacation, right? We can do whatever we want."

"Yep." Dar put an arm over her shoulder, and nudged her towards the door. "C'mon… they've got some really good roast beef."

"Oh yeah?" Kerry obligingly slipped an arm around her waist. "With gravy?"

"Uh huh… and killer mashed potatoes." Dar promised. "And homemade ice cream for dessert."

Kerry let out a little moan. "Uh oh.. I'm in trouble." She lamented. "I'm a sucker for home made ice cream."
"Yeah.. me too." Dar agreed sheepishly. "But it's vacation, remember?"

"Mm… good point.. how much trouble can we get into in two days, anyway?"

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

"Dar?" Kerry's voice floated out of the darkness, as they made their way back after dinner. It had gotten colder, and the sky seemed razor sharp, the inky blackness drenched in pinpoints of light so numerous you could hardly see the constellations.

"Yeah?" The taller woman ambled along contentedly, sucking on a mint.

"If I explode, is that covered under workman's comp?" Kerry asked idly. "God, that was good.. that chef is positively dangerous."

"Don’t' explode." Dar objected. "Do you have any idea the amount of paperwork I'd have to fill out if I had an employee explode on a business trip? I'd have to spend hours and hours in CAS." She paused, and moved her mint from one side of her mouth to the other. "Not to mention having to explain to Mari how I, a responsible corporate officer, allowed such a thing to happen."

"Allowed?" Kerry snorted. "You were feeding me maraschino cherries, you fink… you aided and abetted."

A soft chuckle. "Hmm… that's true… maybe I could claim I was performing research and development." She slipped an arm around Kerry and ducked her head, kissing her gently. "So… we've got a couple of choices… we can take a run up the mountain for some skiing.. or hike.. or go out on the lake.. or do a little riding.. what's your poison?"

"Well." Kerry steered her up the steps to their cabin. "How about…riding in the morning, and go out for a sail on the lake in the afternoon?"

That would work. Dar opened the door and exhaled. "Sounds good to me." She'd always mostly gone on solitary hikes up here, to small caves just uprange for some pensive solitude. It would be strange to have Kerry along.

They went inside and Dar spent a few minutes in the bathroom before coming out to find Kerry efficiently stacking wood in the fireplace. "Whatcha doing?"

On one knee, Kerry turned and regarded her. "Making a fire." She put another log in place, then tucked some tinder inside it. "I know that's an alien concept for you, Dar, but it can be very cozy."

"It's not alien." The dark haired woman protested. "I"ve been outside Miami, remember?" She studied what Kerry was doing. "I've just never had to actually.. um… " She waved her hands a bit descriptively. "Make one." She knelt. "What's that?"

"Moss." Kerry packed it between the logs. "It makes the logs burn." She looked around. "Do you see any matches?"

"Um.. no.. but I think you use this." Dar took down a flint and striker from over the mantel, and offered it to her. "Right?"

Kerry giggled. "Not in this century, Dar." She stood, and put her hands on her hips. "I think I've got some…hey!"

Dar had studied the items, then cocked her head, and positioned the striker, smacking the flint against it with devastating efficiency, and sending a shower of sparks down onto the neatly packed tinder. It obligingly caught fire, and started to burn, little tendrils of smoke wafting up. Dar spread her hands out, and looked insufferably pleased with herself. "Like that?"

"Son of a bitch." Kerry marveled. "I've never seen a twentieth century human being actually do that before." She regarded her boss. "What other hidden skills do you have?"

Dar chuckled, returning the tools to their place, and getting out of the way as Kerry gently blew on the flames, and shepherded them into a crackling blaze. It was nice, she decided, regarding the flickering light and holding her hands out to the warmth as it grew. Behind her there was a low couch, covered in colorful throws, and she settled into one corner, wriggling into a comfortable spot and looking up as Kerry joined her, the blond woman tucking one leg under her as she seated herself.

They both watched the fire grow, in a friendly silence that was broken when Kerry shifted, taking a breath and studying her hands, before she looked up at Dar. "I think we're going to have fun this weekend." She started, tentatively, planning her words with care.

A smile pulled Dar's lips. "I hope so… it's been a long week, huh?"

"Yes… yes it has." Her lover agreed quietly. "A lot's happened."

"Mm." A very soft murmur.

"I want to have a fun weekend… I think we both need it…. " Kerry felt the words getting out of her control a little. "I mean..well.. I"ve got something I wanted to talk to you about before we… I.. " She stopped, sensing something, and looked up, seeing an unguarded look of quickly veiled fear in Dar's eyes. Her train of thought derailed in reflex. "Why do you do that?" She asked, instead.

"Do what?" The taller woman replied, with forced nonchalance.

"Expect the worst, all the time?" Kerry asked.

A quick head shake. "I don't…what do you mean?"

"You do.. I saw it in your face just then… you don't know what I'm going to tell you ,but you think it's something bad… why, Dar?" Kerry asked, very gently. "Have I done something that makes you worry about that?"

Dar looked trapped. She turned her head, and knitted her fingers, long digits twisting around each other in upset. She hadn't expected Kerry to ask. Not like this.. not…

Not so soon. "I… you didn't do anything, Kerry." She finally muttered. "It's my hangup… it has nothing to do with you."

"Of course it does." Kerry felt her way gingerly, putting a casual hand on Dar's knee. "If it's part of you , it has everything to do with me." She could sense Dar withdrawing, and the dark haired woman exhaled unhappily, and folded her arms, tucking her hands against her sides. "Please talk to me." She asked, simply. "I want to understand.. I don't want to hurt you."

It took a long moment, as Dar stared into the flames, their flickering light outlining her sharply planed features in exotic detail. Then she apparently made a decision, as she nodded slightly. Her head turned, and the ambered blue eyes regarded Kerry seriously. "There's no really simple answer to that, I guess." She sighed. "I'm not very good at discussing myself…I try not to think about why I do what I do most of the time, it just gets too strange."

"Mm." Kerry murmured encouragingly, hoping by the time Dar finished telling her whatever it was, she'd have the guts to go ahead with her own issue.

"I guess you know I… haven't been really successful in relationships." Dar continued, awkwardly. "I don’t know.. it's probably my fault…I get so driven… I get so caught up in work, and … " She stopped, and shrugged a little. "Anyway… I.. I guess I was in my senior year at college.. I'd just figured out my orientation.. that was a shock.. " She exchanged grim little smiles with Kerry. "At any rate…I don’t know, I guess I must have been a dreamer when I was a kid.. always expecting… things to be like the books, I guess I.. " She stopped, trying to find words.

Kerry just stroked her leg, gently.

"I.. um.. I guess I fell in love." Dar said it as thought she wasn't sure. "And.. I was this idealistic kid, and I'd read about… fairy tales, mostly…I guess I thought that's what it was going to be like… I threw everything I had into it.. I figured I'd found my future." She thought back to that golden fall wistfully. "It was… I remember being deliriously happy." A pause. "Stupid. I know."

Kerry's eyes closed in empathic understanding.

"Anyway… I um.. it went along great for a while.. she was older than I was… really pretty.. successful in school.. I couldn't believe it…I felt like I belonged to something… to someone for the first time ever." Dar's voice was gentle, almost abstract. "I figured she felt the same way I did… so one day.. I remember it was a Saturday… we were supposed to go to the movies."

Kerry picked up a walnut from the dish, and fingered it, her body tensing against what she knew was coming. "Yeah?"

Dar shrugged. "I told her how I felt… how I wanted to spend my life with her."

Kerry looked up, reading a long lost pain in her lover's face. "And?"

The answer was almost spoken casually. "She laughed."

The sharp crack startled them both, making Dar jump a little. She stared at Kerry, who blinked, and looked at her hand, where shards of walnut were tumbling down. She opened her clenched fist to reveal the cracked nut and sighed. "Sorry."

A tense little smile caught Dar's lips. "Anyway… she proceeded to tell me just how deficient I was in all aspects.. and how she wouldn’t have been caught dead with me at any place other than one of our local pool halls. " Dar looked down at her hands. "She said I was unsophisticated, which I was, and uncultured, which was also true, and that I'd never have a relationship based on anything other than mutual bed sports because I just wasn't emotionally capable of it." This last with a wry grimace. "And she was right."

"She was not." Kerry shot back angrily. "She was stuck up piece of horses ass without the sense that god gave a dead hedgehog, Dar."

The taller woman laughed gently. "I know that, now." Dar stated softly. "But the kid I was then didn't." She looked lost, and very bleak. "And I believed her… I think some parts of me still do." She admitted lowly. "SO that's where that reaction comes from, Kerry… there is a part of me that remembers what she said.. and what she told me about nothing being permanent.. and how people really just use each other until they're ready to move on." A pause. "I guess I… intellectually I know better, but emotionally, I'm still waiting for the other shoe to fall." She finished, regarding the flames quietly. She decided she wouldn't tell Kerry about the little prayer she said every night, as they were falling asleep. "So.. what's bugging you?" She asked, quietly, knowing something had been, for some time now. At least she talks about it, Dar mused. At least she'll give me a chance to try and fix things… if that's what's wrong. She watched Kerry pluck at her sleeve, and noticed the slight tremor in her hands. If it's that simple.

"Dar." Kerry picked up her hand, feeling the chill in it, and kissed it gently. "I guess that brings me to my… little problem." She cleared her throat nervously. "I..um… I"ve been really thinking.. about things.. and about what I…about what I need in order for me to live… my life, I guess."

Dar gazed at her, with an open, haunted expression. "Yeah?" Her voice cracked, and she wondered what was coming.

"And… see, I've got this… I'm not really sure what you would call it.. maybe it was the way I was brought up.. I don't really know…. " She sucked in a breath again. "God, I'm having such a problem with this.. I don't know what's wrong with me.. you'd think I could just spit it out." She stood, and paced back and forth, visibly trying to relax. "Okay." She turned and saw blue eyes round with apprehension. "Oh Dar.. don't look at me like that.. you'd think I was going to tell you I was a cross dresser, or something. "

It broke the tension, and Dar muffled a relieved laugh. "Sorry… but the way you're pacing… Jesus, Kerry.. you're putting me all in knots just watching you… what is it?" She swallowed once. "I thought maybe…I thought you were maybe still mad about last night, or…"

"Last night…oh." Kerry exhaled, thinking about that. "Um.. next time, you might want to let me in on what your plan is… just so I understand what's going on first."

Dar nodded. "Yeah." She exhaled. "I'll try." A pause. "So.. was that what was bothering you?" She felt a little proud of herself for figuring it out… communication never having been one of her strong points, and she knew that.

"Um..no." Kerry stopped, and turned, facing her. Now or never.. just suck it up, Kerry, and do it! She hesitated, then she took two steps forward, and knelt at Dar's feet, resting one hand on the taller woman's knee for balance. "I have this thing about commitment."

A double thump of the heart. Jesus.. she knows I've never been in a long term relationship… maybe she…god. Dar's eyes scanned her face alertly, then a brow edged up a little. "You do?" She murmured softly. "Um.. I mean.. well… yeah, I know you're a very.. um… you seem to be a very loyal, and committed kind of p… Kerry, what exactly is this about?" If her lover was having a problem with her, she wanted to know right now. "Just level with me."

The blond woman scratched her jaw. "Um." Now that she was right down to it, the whole thing started to seem really silly to her, and she hesitated, torn between continuing and just…"This is going to sound maybe a little crazy to you… " She temporized. "And.. I just want you to know it's… it's just something that I…" She stopped, and dug in her pocket, pulling something out and focusing her attention on the tiny, embroidered fir trees that were dancing across Dar's chest. "Okay… look…" She put her closed fist against Dar's stomach, still staring intently at her sweater. "I tried to find a way just to let you know…how important you are to me.. and how important our relationship is to me."

"Okay." Dar responded, obviously deeply at sea. "Well, Kerry.. it's very important to me, too.. I hope you know that…it's changed my whole life."

Kerry regarded the sweater. "Is it a good change?" She whispered.

Long fingers gently grasped her chin and tilted her head back, so that she had no choice but to meet Dar's now very serious eyes. "Is that an honest question?" Dar replied. "I hope not…I hope you know the answer to that already." She paused. "Yes… it's been the best thing that's ever happened to me."

Kerry managed a nod. "Good." She stammered softly, folding Dar's fingers around the small box she'd taken from her pocket. "Because for me.. it's this all my life thing.. and I want you to know that.. I want you to understand that even if we can't go into a clerks office and say this, I want this to be forever, Dar… that whole.. in sickness and in heath, for richer and for poorer, in good times, and bad.. and have death never part us.. " Her words fell into a shocked silence. "Kind of thing. " A long pause. "Okay?" Well. That was the stupidest proposal in the history of the lesbian world, wasn't it? Maybe I should have downloaded those practice scripts form the internet…. She eyed her lover unhappily.

There was a soft, almost incoherent sound as Dar started breathing again. "K.." Her voice disappeared into a soundless squeak, and she self consciously cleared her throat and tried again. . "K..Kerry did… did you just… " Another sucking in of air. "p..propose to me?"

Kerry chewed her lip, trying desperately to gauge the response. "Um.. yeah.. I did." She glanced down. "On the bended knee thing and all." At least she realized that's what it was.. there's a point, Kerry. She watched her lover's face trying to process several different emotions at once. "I.. what I really wanted you to know, Dar.. is that… you're not going to roll over one morning and find me not there."

Dar very slowly lifted a hand, and slid it across Kerry's cheek, cupping the back of her head in an almost hesitant gentleness. "I'm not sure what in the hell I ever did to deserve this, but I can't think of any single thing in the world that would make me happier than to accept it." She pulled Kerry towards her. "C'mere." She wrapped her arms around the utterly relieved woman, who practically climbed up into her lap and threw a bear hug around her. "You know you didn't have to do that…"

"Yes, I did." Kerry mumbled into the wool of her sweater. "Yes, I did… because I want you to understand you're stuck with me, Dar… you're not going to be able to get rid of me, okay? Not unless you… I don't know.. toss me off a cliff or something."

Dar let out a pained laugh, trying to ignore the tear that tracked it's way down her face. "There aren't any cliffs in Miami, Kerry." She replied softly. "But if there were, and you fell… I jump right off after you." She cradled the younger woman's head , stroking her hair and pressing her cheek against it's softness. "Thank god you had the guts to do this.. it would have taken me either half a lifetime, or half a bottle to have done it."

Kerry peeked up at her, seeing the dampness glinting in the firelight. "Really?"

A hesitant nod. "I made myself a promise… that I'd never let myself risk what I felt when I was that poor, stupid kid back then ever again. " Another tear spilled out. "I never realized that when it happened… I wouldn't have a choice." Dar regarded her wistfully. "I've never been so scared in my life."

Kerry gently wiped away the tears, feeling a sense of almost overwhelming relief go through her. It was what she'd been scared of.. that Dar wouldn't.. or couldn’t… allow herself to accept the risk of the commitment Kerry was offering. But maybe she was right.. maybe she didn't even have a choice.

Maybe Kerry didn't either.

She wasn't sure she wanted one. "Are you going to even look at it?" She asked, shyly. "It took me forever to pick out.. I kinda wanted one like that old one I have, but they don't make those anymore."

Dar slipped her hand around in front of her, and offered it. "Open?"

Kerry leaned against her, her legs sprawled over Dar's, as she sat quietly in her lap. "Okay.. " She took the box and opened it, watching Dar's eyes pick up the glints of the fire off the ring. " It was kinda… I mean.. you're sort of tough to pick a ring out for, you know that?"

Dar gazed at the item, her eyes following the Celtic interlace that surrounded a square cut, understated diamond. "It's beautiful." She managed to get out. "Dear god, Kerry…. You didn't have to… that must have cost a… "

"I have no idea." Kerry replied, simply. "I didn't look at the prices… and it hasn't hit my credit card statement yet. "

Dar stared at her, her jaw dropping a little.

"Well, it was less than the card's limit, Dar." She replied, putting a finger on her lover's chin and closing her mouth. "Stop looking like I bought Pro Player stadium."

"W… what was the limit on that card?" Dar spluttered. "Good grief… "

"Um…. " Kerry was enjoying herself, now that she knew Dar's feelings. "Well. I don't really know.. it might have been the platinum… I'll have to check." She almost giggled when the blue eyes widened even further. "Oh… calm down." She leaned over and gave Dar a light kiss on the lips. "It wasn't that bad." A pause, while a hesitant smile claimed the dark haired woman's mouth. "I think."

"Kerry." Dar realized she was being tweaked. "Well… " She drawled softly. "At least you won't have anything to say when I give you yours, then." A slow, sexy smile appeared. "Because I didn't look at price tags either, but I know I got a bouquet of twenty four red roses from the guy who sold it to me at the office the next day."

Kerry's mouth dropped open. "Uh." She glanced up guiltily. "So that's where those came from."

"Yeah, I guess he… " Dar stopped, and stared closely at her lover, who was showing a slow flush up along her neck. "Were you … wondering?"

Kerry didn't know where to look, so she just dropped her head and didn't answer.

"Kerrison." The gentle voice recalled her, and she peeked up, reluctantly. "You could have asked me."

The blond woman sighed. "Jealousy is a very embarrassing, not to mention generally icky emotion." She admitted. "I wasn’t' very proud of how I felt."

Dar lifted their linked hands, and brushed her lips across Kerry's knuckles. "No.. I know.. but.. it's um… " She rubbed the unresisting hand against her cheek. "It's very flattering." She offered. "From my perspective, I mean."

Kerry's eyes softened, and misted over. "So you were thinking of making this more formal, huh?"

Dar dropped her gaze, her fingers tracing a light, idle pattern "I have this thing about commitment, too." She finally answered, her throat working. "I think I discovered I really like being a part of someone else's life." She paused, then indicated her carry sack. "Hand me that?"

Kerry handed it over, watching her as she dug inside and pulled out a small, velvet bag. "You carry it…… " She stumbled. "W.. with you?"

Dar stared at the bag, then looked up and nodded. "Yeah… if I ever found the courage to do it.. I wanted to be ready." She held out her hand. "Go on." She added, simply. "I'm not very good at picking things out for other people… shopping for this was… an interesting experience." Her mind remembered the conversation. "Is this for you, ma'am?" "No.. this is for someone as opposite from me as you can get and still be the same species."

Kerry took the bag, startled a little at it's weight, and opened the velvet cord, shaking the bag gently over her hand until a ring tumbled out.

The room went very still. "Oh." Kerry sighed, softly, finding it hard to catch her breath. It was so pretty. It sat in her hand, winking at her, a sturdy, yet elegant band which cupped up into a rose, whose delicate petals framed a brilliant, round cut diamond stone. She tipped it up a little, and looked at the inner band, where she spotted some engraving. "Dar wh.. " She looked up as the skin under her arm grew very warm, and she was shocked to see the profound blush on her lover's face. The blue eyes were fixed firmly on the fire, and Dar's nostrils were flared slightly. She looked back down at the ring, then bent her head closer.

With the words, something clicked home in Kerry's awareness, with a certainty that made her lightheaded. "Dar." She managed to whisper.

"Yes." The response was clearly, and precisely enunciated.
"I think I'm going to pass out." Kerry felt a strong grip take hold of her, and she let herself go limp, one hand closing loosely over the ring. She floated in a pleasant haze for a moment, hearing in the back of her mind a soft, affectionate chuckle. "That is so beautiful."

"The ring?" Dar murmured, into her nearby ear.

"The words." Kerry corrected her.

"Oh."

"The ring's gorgeous too."

"So.. you like it?"

Soft lips were the answer.

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

It was too quiet. Dar cocked her head as a tree branch brushed against the window, making a soft scraping noise. She'd forgotten how quiet it really was out here, without the ever-present sound of traffic, or airplanes.

Or air conditioning. She glanced at the ceiling in mild amusement. The AC provided a white noise that most Floridians were subliminally used to. It's absence was almost uncomfortable, as the silence beat down on her ears broken only by Kerry's soft breathing.

Her soft, adorable breathing, which was warming the skin right above Dar's heart, since the blond woman was nestled against her right side, with her head pillowed on Dar's shoulder, and one arm wrapped securely around her stomach.

It was nice and cozy, and she'd discovered, much to her own personal amazement, that she really, really enjoyed all this cuddling stuff.

A revelation. Her parents had been anything but physically affectionate, even with each other, Dar had only seen the occasional hug. A pat on the back, sure. A gentle slap on the leg, her father's favorite attention getter, yes. But hugs?

Hell no. In fact, she honestly couldn't remember the last time her mother had touched her…oh, no, maybe she could. Dar reflected quietly. Yeah… the first.. no, second time she'd broken her arm.. the bad one, when the bones had been sticking out of her arm, and had left the thin, straight scars Kerry always liked to trace.

Mom had held her then, while she tried so hard not to scream.

But then her father had come in, and she'd bitten her lip almost through to keep the crying inside, her efforts rewarded by a brief pat on her cheek, and his approving. "That's my tough girl."

Dar chewed her bottom lip reflectively. It had been an ever-present argument between them, she knew…until her mother had just given up, and allowed her to follow in his footsteps as far as she was able.

It couldn't have been easy to watch, she realized. She hadn't been an pleasant child, and going through adolescence had been one long string of fights, and trips to the principals office, and threats of reform school. She'd had one principal who wanted her out in the worst way, with only one thing blocking his case.

She'd been a straight a student.

Musta driven them all nuts. Honors everything, advanced placement, the whole nine yards. She'd gotten into college on an academic scholarship, and frustrated her friends, what few there were, by her ability to breeze through classes with little studying, and less preparation.

She'd graduated in the top two percent of her class, with honors.. but at that point in her life, she hadn't cared. She'd tossed her rolled up diploma into a basket in her room at her parent's house, and spent an entire weekend so drunk she still had no recollection of it.

Then she'd gone out into CAS, and found the first job that would pay her enough to cover the monthly payments on a car, rather than just her junk food budget, and spent her free hours under water, away from everything.

Alone.

Kerry stirred, shifting a little, then lifting her head and looking up. "Hey?"

Dar exhaled, and gave her a fond look. "Hmm?"

"Why are you still up?" The blond woman rested her chin on Dar's breastbone. "Do you want some hot milk?" Her dreams had nudged her uneasily awake.

A quiet smile, as Dar rubbed her arm lightly. "No.. I was just thinking.. that's all.."

"Mm… bout what?"

Dar hesitated, then shrugged, pursing her lips a bit. "Nothing really concrete.. my folks.. a little bit about school…" She moved a stray lock of hair out of Kerry's eyes. "Go on back to sleep…you looked so peaceful."

Kerry considered her words. "I wasn't really fond of school." She commented. "I wasn't that good at it… except stuff like English." She admitted. "I belonged to a lot of clubs.. Key club, Young Republicans, that kind of thing."

Dar smiled. "You were a Young Republican?" She queried. "I think the only club I ever joined was.. um… " She thought. "Some jock club or other.. I was on a lot of sports teams in high school."

"Oh, gee.. there' s a surprise." Kerry grinned at her, then her expression faltered. "Not me.. I wanted to play softball, but…" She paused in memory, then sighed. "I probably would have sucked at it anyway." Her mother's horror at the very thought. "I got stuck with golf."

"I'm sure you wouldn't have." Dar objected, mildly. "You've got good eye hand coordination.. and a nice running style…you'd have been fine." She analyzed. "I never had the damn patience for golf.. how in the hell did you stand it?"

Kerry peered at her in silence, then she let out a quiet breath. "Do you know something, Dar?" She stated softly. "Do you want to know when the very first time was that I was told I was capable and intelligent?" She had no idea why she was going into this, save that it had been a night of open truths, and this had been weighing on her.

The blue eyes peered at her in puzzlement. "Sure."

"You should know." The blond woman told her. "You wrote it, in an email."

Dar stared at her in shocked silence.

"And you hardly knew me.. you'd met me for what… a half an hour?" Kerry shifted, propping her head up on her fist. "Even the bosses at Associated…I mean, sure.. I was always spoke of as a hard worker… a nice girl… always on time… but despite what Robert said, the only reason I got that job was because the guy in there before me left with the accountant's wife in the middle of the night, and they needed someone real fast, and real accessible."

"That's not true, Kerry.. you were an excellent director.. your personnel record carried the highest recommendations in it." Dar argued. "You're highly skilled, highly motivated, very intelligent, and.. and…."

Kerry gazed at her wistfully.

"And adorable." Dar finished, having run out of professional descriptives. "Don’t tell me that's why you decided to come work for me.. because I stated the obvious????"

A soft sigh. "It might have been obvious to you, but it sure wasn't obvious to me." Kerry admitted. "I had a mental note somewhere to say thank you for that, by the way…I think you were the first person in my life who just took me at face value.. and didn't assume I was some fluffball muffinhead who got the job because of my father." She reflected. "Even Robert, who liked me… when he put me in as manager, he told me he didn't expect much.. just that I should try to keep things going until he could find a real director."

Dar watched her, stunned. "You're serious." She muttered.

A slow nod. "What did you see in me, Dar… that no one else did?" Kerry wondered aloud.

Dar actually reached up and slapped her own head. "Okay, for starters, you had guts." She spluttered. "And.. and you held yourself together in a very stressful situation.. and…you came up with some very good, and very intelligent plans for the takeover…and… and you told me to go hell, for chrissake… do you know how many people have done that and gotten away with it??"

"Not many, huh?" Kerry was guiltily soaking up the praise like a sponge.

"Try ONE." Dar hitched herself up and regarded her lover. "Listen… I know talent when I see it.. it's part of my job, Kerry.. and belive me, my talent meter went off the scale when I saw you." She sighed, perplexed. "Good grief, Ker.. you'd think I hired you because I had the hots for you or something."

An awkward silence fell, as Kerry's eyes dropped to the comforter, the sudden strike at her own hidden insecurities going home with a vengeance. "I…"

Dar felt her heart drop. "You didn't think that." She questioned softly. "Kerry? Look at me."

Fearful green eyes slowly lifted to hers.

"Kerry, I hired you because I thought you would be a tremendous asset to me.. and an excellent assistant." Dar told her gently. "And I was very, very right.. what would make you think otherwise?" She felt a little bewildered.

Kerry's eyes dropped again. "I… I don't know." She confessed softly. "Maybe because I've been told all my life that's how things work." Her eyes crept up Dar's still body. "You don’t get things because you work hard, or because you deserve them… you get them because someone pays for them, or because someone wants something from you."

Dar looked stricken. "Kerry… "

"I know… " Kerry let her head fall and rest against Dar's skin. "I know… my head knows, and god.. my heart knows differently, Dar.. but sometimes… sometimes I look in