Time And Time Again
By Dimples
Disclaimers:
The many characters in this story are all mine, though the main ones may resemble the X:WP characters, which are not mine....unfortunately. The song in the story is all mine as well.
Love/Sex/Language:
Yes to all of the above. This story depicts an explicit loving relationship between adult women. There is a scene that might seem like voyeurism but it's not....exactly...There is also a scene of self-gratification. The language gets a little rough from time to time but so does the sex...so if you're ok with that.... So if you're under-aged or live in a place that this isn't allowed or this isn't your cup of tea, I suggest you move along and look for something else to occupy your free time.
Violence:
There are some scenes that contain pretty graphic violence but I don't consider them to be much. But if you're of the fainter heart, I'd suggest you don't read 'em. They're really not bad though...Not worse than any regular Xena episode..
Thanks:
To my beta-readers Erin Jennifer and Cindy AKA "ForevaXena" for everything. Starting with beta reading my stories and finishing with posting my stories and giving them a chance in the first place.
To all the readers that took the time to write to me and telling me what they thought, you encouraged me to keep on writing.
And to all the great bards around and their amazing stories that I loved reading and gave me the inspiration to start writing my own.
Author's comments and Feedback: This is the first story I've written of this length. I hope you'll like it. Everything in this story is meant purely for fun and I hope you find it funny (in places it was meant to be funny), dramatic (the same) and so on. I would really appreciate knowing what you think of my stories. Tell me if I'm doin' alright or if I royally suck. Some plot ideas would be very much appreciated also. Actually, come to think of it, any comment would be very much appreciated :) mailto:Dimples_2000_fr@yahoo.com
© Dimples 2001
Part Seven
Ch. 17
Alex jumped back reflexively and thrust her rifle in front of her to hit whoever or whatever was there. She landed on her back quite hard, releasing a loud "oof".
Opening her eyes slowly, she looked above her and then around, still not noticing anything out of the ordinary. She slowly got up, wincing slightly from the pain that shot up her spine from the hard fall. In front of her, on the ground lay a small black boar.
Alex released a shuddering breath as she checked the poor animal for a pulse. Smiling in relief, she felt a strong pulse under her fingertips, she'd just knocked him out. Leaving the boar there, she jogged back to her post.
A few minutes passed and she felt hands reaching around her from behind, pulling her into a small but strong body. Although she jumped a little at first, Alex knew right away who it was, it could only be one person ; a person who could afford themselves to sneak up on her without being toppled over and thrown halfway across camp.
The hands traveled up her stomach, moved to her waist and then up, grazing the sides of her breasts, making Alex moan softly.
The hands moved up and down a few times, making Alex's breathing turn ragged. Alex grabbed the roaming hands and pulled them to her lips, kissing them softly as she turned around to face her torturer.
She took Elizabeth's hands and put them behind her neck as she lowered her lips to kiss her inviting neck, nibbling and licking softly every inch she could possibly reach. As she licked a particularly sensitive spot, she felt Elizabeth's hands tighten their hold on her hair. Alex moved to capture the sweet lips of this beautiful bewitcher that stood in front of her, placing her hands on her hips, moving closer still. Between kisses, Alex mumbled "You know, You're a very bad influence on me Miss Wright. You're distracting me from my job and because of that anyone could infiltrate this camp. Not to mention that Sergeant Jones might pop up at any given time and then make my life a living hell, not that it wouldn't be worth it..."
Elizabeth pulled away slightly and said huskily as she was pulling Alex down on the ground to lay on top of her "You know, you Miss Roberts, talk way too much..." And all conversation ceased to exist, morphing into soft moan and groans and other such sounds of passion released into the night's chilly air.
Audry thought to herself that yet again she'd have to listen to them make love whilst she tried as hard as she could to ignore the sounds and images that penetrated her lonely mind. That was until she suddenly snapped from her sad musings at the sound of Alex's last name. 'That's it! Her name's Alex Roberts.' The second she finished her sentence, she snapped back to reality and found herself once again on Madam Lia's couch.
"I did it, I found out her full name!" said Audry, excitedly.
Lia, who was waiting patiently for Audry to come back to her, snapped from her musings and smiled widely at the wonderful news. "Good! Now all that's left is to see if this gives us anything."
Audry's mood changed, she sobered up a little. "Yeah..."
Madam Lia felt like an ass for saying what she said. She didn't mean to upset the girl. "Hey...Everything's going to be alright. You'll see."
"I hope."
Ch. 18
Audry thanked Lia, promised she'd get some rest and left. When Audry entered her apartment, she locked the door behind her and made herself something to eat. It had been a long, hard day and she hadn't eaten in...ummm...a long time. She was tired and she couldn't wait for the current day to end so her life might begin on the next. Deciding the fastest way to pass all these hours would be sleeping them away, she turned in.
Even before her alarm clock rang, Audry was already out of bed, halfway through brushing her teeth and one leg was already pant covered, all in a few minutes time.
It was pretty early so she decided to stop at a small coffee shop, one she used to frequent some time ago with Jaime, at their lunch hour. Waiting in line, the hostess flashed her a friendly smile and ushered her in. Now sitting at the farthest booth from the door, Audry picked up the menu and distractedly browsed through it. Sighing, she put the menu down and decided to go with her usual, tuna fish sandwich and some salad, since it was appropriate as breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Finishing with her breakfast, she asked for the check. A blonde waiter, muscular with beady blue eyes came to her table with the check in hand. He smiled sexily, or what he thought was considered sexy, at Audry as he started a conversation with the cute blonde. "Hey there, I've seen you here before a few times. Remember me?" Audry looked skeptically at the waiter and shook her head. "You used to come here with a tall auburn haired woman, right?" He continued asking, still holding onto her check.
"Look," Audry strained her neck to look at his name tag, "David, I'm sorry but I don't remember you. Yes, I did come here a few times but I don't exactly remember the surroundings. Now would you please give me my check so I could leave? I'm in a hurry." Audry was starting to get upset with the waiter. She wasn't exactly looking for a conversation when she came here and it was pretty obvious that he was trying to pick her up. She definitely wasn't looking for that either. Not from him, anyway.
The waiter plastered a fake smile on his face, almost sneering at Audry as he practically threw the check in Audry's face, "I'm sorry I bothered you. Wouldn't like to make you remember the surroundings, Audry."
"Hey! How do you know my name?!" Audry yelled after him but it was too late because he was already out of hearing range and back to his work, serving other tables. He must have heard it when I was here with Jaime. I really don't remember him though... Audry looked at the check and gave the necessary amount of money, not leaving a tip. With a curt thank you to the hostess, she left the establishment, not noticing the look she was getting from the waiter. He had a strange glint in his eyes as he watched her leaving but then just as suddenly he turned around, casually shrugged his shoulders and went back to work.
It was time. City-hall would now be open.
Getting in her car she drove to the building. Five minutes later, the building where all the City's records were held came into view on her right. She signaled the turn and parked the car next to the curb, hoping she wouldn't get a ticket. Audry hoped that she would find what she was looking for here, otherwise it might cause some problems. Of course, being a reporter gave her access to all sorts of files and documents that she could look into, if needed, but that would take too long and would be too complicated. She wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.
The large hall of records was nearly empty, no person would be found there at this early hour on a Sunday no less, that is except Audry or...Other people the might be searching for their soulmates...
Striding towards the information desk, she waited for the woman behind the counter to become available to her. Audry cleared her throat to try and get her attention but to no avail. Deciding enough was enough , she turned and walked to one of the computers. If that woman over there can do this, I could probably handle myself. And if not and I bust one of their computers then...Hey it's not my fault she ignored me.
Audry adjusted her chair in front of the computer screen, which flickered alive once she found the correct button. A search program loaded itself up on the screen. Audry skimmed through the search possibilities ; newspaper clippings, names, addresses and other records. She clicked on the screen where it read 'names', hoping it would include names of people dead long ago.
The program opened another window where you were supposed to write the name, if known, of the person you were looking for. A long list of names appeared underneath, listing all the names alphabetically, going through the whole thing would quite probably help you find the name you need.
Before she began searching through the names, she decided to go get a cup of coffee because this would definitely take some time.
Leaving the screen as it was, she walked to the corridor where she came from. When she passed through there earlier, she saw a hot drinks machine. Feeding the machine the correct change for a black cup of coffee, she waited for the cup to get filled. Cup in hand she went back to her seat. Everything was in place and the search began.
After writing the name 'Alex Roberts', she started flipping through all the people that apparently shared the exact same name. Slowly and carefully she flipped through the newspaper clippings, the different pictures and other names that were similar to the one she was searching for. She would click the mouse than sip a little coffee and then click the mouse again then release a soft sigh of frustration.
Audry was very close to reaching the end of the list when suddenly someone addressed her "Excuse me?" said a deep silky voice from behind her. Audry was so engrossed in what she was doing that when the person addressed her, it had startled her. She jumped a little in her chair, making the cup of coffee that she held in her hand lose its balance and spill all over her shirt.
"Oh god, I'm sorry!" exclaimed the voice apologetically.
"No, It's ok.." said Audry as she turned her gaze to the person who had caused all this mess. When she turned, she was met with the most beautiful face she had ever encountered, making her speechless for a moment.
"Was that hot? Are you hurt?" The woman became frantic when the thought that the coffee might have been hot occurred to her.
"No, no. I'm fine, really. It was almost finished anyhow and cooling."
Breathing a sigh of relief, the woman tried her best to clean the coffee spots from Audry's black t-shirt.
"It's ok, forget it. The shirt is black. It's barely noticeable and besides I was about to finish here."
"Well at least let me make it up to you or something?"
"Nah, It's fine. Really..." What am I, stupid!?! A beautiful woman wants to make it up to me and I say no!? Since when do I say no to such an offer? Not that I ever got such an offer, especially not from a woman...Oh god, now I'm arguing with myself instead of answering her. I'm really losing it...
The stranger smiled and said "Ok...maybe I'll see you again sometime and then get to buy you a cup of coffee...You know, just to say I'm sorry."
"Ok..." Squeaked Audry shyly.
The woman started turning away when suddenly she turned around as if remembering something. She put her hand out in greeting and said, "I'm sorry, I almost forgot, I'm Chris."
Audry smiled and took her hand, shaking it slightly. "Audry." After a slight pause, "Nice to meet you, Audry."
"Nice to meet you too."
Neither wanted to release the other's hold. Both marveled at the sweet sensation, warmth and softness of the other's hand. Finally, they needed to part so the woman headed on her way and Audry went back to her computer screen.
Audry could still feel a tingly sensation where their hands touched. She had to get that woman out of her mind so she could concentrate on her mission. Shaking her head to clear her mind of such thoughts, she turned her attention back to the names on the computer screen.
Close to the end of the list, she saw something familiar. Underneath the name Alex Roberts was a brief description of the person mentioned:
Sex: F
Occupation: Desk clerk turned honorary soldier in WWI
Born: 1894
Deceased: 1915
That's it! Audry thought to herself happily as she clicked on the name. The program brought up a fuller description of Alex and a few newspaper clippings, which only helped to confirm the fact that this was the same Alex she's been looking for.
It said that Alex started out as a simple desk clerk, handling secretarial business. As she reached the overseas base, her commander took notice of her and her special skills. Following her many requests to be positioned on the field as a soldier, her commanding officer gave her a chance to prove herself and she did. She became an honorary soldier during the war. Being a woman no less brought her name in many conversations at that time and of course, in the media. The clipping she was reading talked about her doings in the war, about her heroic efforts to save her fellow soldiers from death. Her attempts had been successful in two cases, she indeed saved the lives of two injured soldiers - the clipping documented statements from the said soldiers, describing the situation and the way Alex had saved their lives. On her third attempt, however, Alex was not as successful, to say the least. As she was trying to save a third soldier, who was mortally injured, the blast of an enemy shell killed the both of them instantly. Her fellow soldiers tried, it said, to pull her away, to tell her that it was hopeless to try and save that man, that he was as good as dead anyhow but she wouldn't hear of it. She gave it her best shot and got killed in the process.
Nothing was mentioned about Elizabeth or anything about any of the other nurses for that matter. It said that the medal for bravery, Alex should have received was given to relatives. Ah! Relatives...Relatives... scrolling down the page she found what she'd been looking for.
Relatives of the deceased: Brother (Michael), born in 1890, died in 1970. Was married to Cindy. Michael and Cindy had two children, Mark and Anna. Both were married.
Mark and his wife Fiona had two children, Jason and Steve.
Anna and her husband Rick had only one child, Jennifer.
Audry looked at the addresses listed next to the names and searched for the one closest to her, so it would be possible for her to go and see one of them. She noted that the closest descendant to her would have to be Mark and Fiona's son, Jason.
She tore a piece of paper from a page she found nearby and scribbled the address down, adding the phone number as well.
Shutting the computer off , she tucked the paper into her jeans' pocket. She took the paper cup and threw it in the trash can and walked out of the building. She hoped the coffee stains on her shirt weren't too obvious. When she reached her car, she saw that she indeed got a ticket. Picking it up and tucking it in her pocket as well, she released a frustrated, annoyed breath.
All through the drive home, she hummed happily to herself, listening to a few favorites on her pre-set radio stations. Nothing could bring her mood down now, she was finally on the right way. I hope.
Unlocking her apartment door, she entered and made a bee-line to the phone, calling Madam Lia.
Ch. 19
"Madam Lia? hi, It's Audry."
"Hey Audry, how are you?"
"I'm great! I've found the address of one of her descendants that lives close by." Audry had a hard time containing her excitement and it was quite palpable in her voice, making Madam Lia smile as well on the other side of the line.
"Oh yeah? that's wonderful, dear. Who is it?"
"It's her brother's grandson."
"Good, good. So, when are you going to go see him?"
"Well, I guess I might as well go as soon as I can. I'll go see him tomorrow, today's already too late. I can't believe I've spent almost my whole day at City-Hall.."
"That sounds good to me but what are you going to tell him? I mean, the truth might be a bit too overwhelming..."
"Oh, ummm. I don't know. I never really gave it a second thought. I guess I'll just...uhhh. I have no idea what I'm going to say to him. I'll think of something until tomorrow."
Smirking slightly, Lia answered "Yeah, you do that."
"Ok well, after I go and see him, I'll call you and tell you everything that happened, alright?"
"Alright. Do that and we'll talk then. Goodbye, dear."
"Bye, Madam Lia."
Audry put down the phone and slumped backwards on the couch, releasing a soft sigh. I've been doing that a lot lately. She went to one of the kitchen's cupboards and took out a snack, then went back over to the couch. She sat down, tucking her legs underneath herself. Sitting and munching away on the snack, she started thinking of what she would do tomorrow morning when she went to see Jason. What should I tell him? Oh, hi. I'm Audry. Apparently, in one of my pastlives, I was your grandfather's sister soulmate. Try saying that three times... Damn, that would probably earn me a slammed door in the face. And why not, I would do the same if it were me and some wacko came to my doorstep claiming such a ridiculous thing.
Audry raised herself from the couch, threw the now empty potato chip bag into the trashcan and went to her bedroom.
Undressing and putting on her pajamas, she tucked herself in bed. Turning the TV set on, she distractedly flipped through the channels and lowered the volume. Letting the low buzz of the TV sooth her, Audry soon drifted into a deep, relaxing sleep.
The rays of light filtered through the blinds in Audry's bedroom and lay a comforting glow on her slumbering form. She hadn't set the alarm the night prior and so she just kept on sleeping. At around 11:00AM, small movements could be seen under the blankets, accompanied by small whimpering sounds from the waking Audry. Throwing the blankets down, she brought the heel of her palms to her eyes, trying to rub away the drowsiness. She looked at the clock and read the time. Shrugging, she went into the bathroom to fully wake herself up.
Around half an hour later, she was in her car driving to the address written on the piece of paper. Reaching the correct street, she began looking for the numbers on the houses.
It looked like a nice neighborhood with small red brick houses and medium sized front lawns. I hope he's home. I should have called, I forgot other people actually work in the mornings. Mentally slapping herself, she finally reached the correct address.
Audry parked her car in front of the house and walked to the door. She noticed two cars standing in the driveway. Oh good, he's home. Now for the hard part. Audry came up with the idea of how to approach Jason, late the other night. She had just woken up with this idea in mind. She knocked on the door a few times and waited. A few seconds later, a handsome young man opened the door. He was tall and muscular with blond hair and light blue eyes. "Yes?" He asked politely, smiling at Audry.
Audry smiled back and said, "Hi, I'm Audry Haven and I'm a reporter for the "Rising Sun"." Oh god, I really hope he doesn't check out my story...
"Yes..."
"I'm writing an article about your grandfather's sister, Alex Roberts. She was an honorary soldier in WWI..."
"Yeah, yes she was. Umm, please come in, Ms. Haven." Jason motioned her in and shut the door behind her. "You'll excuse me for a moment, I have company. You should have called, Ms. Haven." Jason smiled gently to take the sting out of his words. A beautiful woman like Audry was always welcome into his home.
"Yes I know I should have but it was a very recent assignment. My boss just told me about it and he said it should be turned in today or tomorrow at the latest. I'm sorry, I just hoped I'd find you home and wouldn't think me too rude for showing up like this."
"Do you always talk so much?" asked someone from the other room.
"Yes well, I do when I'm flustered or embarrassed." She answered automatically, not noticing the fact that it was a someone else's voice that asked the question.
"Chris! Hey, come here. I was just about to get you. This is..."
Chris stopped Jason mid-sentence and filled in the name. "Audry."
"Yeah, how did you...?" Jason shut up when he saw the two women exchange shy smiles and a quiet 'hello'.
"Hi Chris."
"Hi."
"What are you doing here?" Asked Audry.
"I could ask you the same thing." answered Chris playfully.
"Wait a minute!", Jason interrupted their conversation, "Where the hell do you guys know each other from?!" he was getting frustrated, being left out.
"I..." Both started answering at the same time. Audry let Chris do the explaining. "I kinda bumped into her at City-Hall the other day. Actually I literally bumped into her." Chris finished with a smile.
"Ok...Whatever that means." Said Jason, still confused.
"Now it's your turn, Audry."
"What you said was right..." Audry was now confused.
Chris chuckled and said, "No, I mean about the reason you're here."
"Oh!" Audry blushed, making Chris' grin turn into a full fledged smile.
"I'm a reporter and well, you've seen me at city-hall. I was looking for information about Alex Roberts. And here I am." Audry hoped her story sounded believable because it didn't to her own ears.
"Alright, cool. I guess now's my turn, huh? Jason here, is my best friend. We've known each other for years."
"Yeah," interrupted Jason "Chris lives practically on the other side of the continent. She came to pay me a visit. She'll be staying a while. Anyway, would you like anything to drink, eat?"
"No, thank you."
"Ok, well, ummm, would you like to start?"
Audry gulped and nodded, going over to the couch, sitting herself down.
"Umm, Ms. Haven?" asked Jason.
"Yes?"
"I still don't quite understand the reason for this...I mean, she died so many years ago, why now? And I'm sure you know that she had quite a few articles written about her over the years."
"Yes I'm well aware of that. It's just that...uhhh...the magazine is doing a tribute to famous women. Alex was very famous in her time, she was a hero and still is. We wanted to take the things we knew about her, find one of her descendants and write another article about her from a slightly different perspective."
Jason nodded slowly and finally said, "Oh alright. Sounds good."
Breathing in relief, Audry wiped at the small beads of sweat that formed on her upper lip. Good.
"Do you mind if I'm here as well?" asked Chris, not sure if she was welcome. Audry almost jumped from her place when she answered "NO! Not at all!". Embarrassed from her outburst, she cleared her throat and tried her best to calm the heated blush that seemed to appear constantly around this woman. Chris smirked and took a seat on the sofa next to Audry. Jason sat in front of them on an armchair, giving them a strange look. Audry cleared her throat again and began making up questions for the 'interview'.
Jason stopped her before she even started, "Don't you need a notepad or something?" Audry couldn't believe she'd done such a thing, her whole scam seemed to go to hell right in front of her eyes. To try and escape their scrutinizing gazes, she just did what she did best, she blushed and squeaked out a strangled 'yes'. Jason let her off the hook by leaving it at that and got up to get her a piece of paper to write on.
As soon as Jason left the room, Chris took her chance to chat with the cute reporter. "I'm gonna start thinking you followed me from city-hall, Ms. Reporter." drawled Chris, teasingly.
Audry jumped from her seat, exclaiming "No! I...ummm...I have all the questions I need memorized. I mean...I,"
"Hey, hey. I was only teasing ya. Relax..." Chris felt a little guilty now for teasing her like that so she tried smoothing things out. She was glad to see Audry breathing a sigh of relief, realizing she wasn't mad at her or anything. However, it didn't stop her from trying to flirt with her, now did it?
"So, I think the fates might be telling us something here. Making us run into each other twice in two days."
"Yeah, might be." answered Audry as she felt her heartbeat pick up a faster pace.
Chris decided to go for the kill, "What do you say we go have that coffee I promised you when you finish your work here?" Say yes, say yes!
Audry pretended to think about it for a second, prolonging Chris' agony and then uttered a soft, sure "yes", that was said as casually as she possibly could manage. Chris smiled and said "Good" just as casually but both were trying very hard to restrain themselves from jumping up and down with giddiness.
Jason walked back in the room a few minutes later. "Did I miss anything?" He had noticed a strange chemistry between the two women since the moment their eyes met. Actually, he had noticed a very strange behavior displayed by both women when interacting. Hmmm...Interesting. That's why he wasn't all that surprised to hear Chris say, "Yeah, me and Audry...Hey, I don't even know your last name?"
"It's Haven."
"Beautiful name." Chris looked Audry straight in the eye when she said that and whispered, almost to herself, "Just like the woman..". Abruptly, she broke the eye-contact and turned to look at Jason. "Me and Audry are going for a cup of coffee afterwards so I guess I'll see you tomorrow. You're going to see Steve right?"
"Yeah, ok great. You two have fun and I'll tell Steve you said 'Hi' and that you'll see him another time? He was kinda hoping to see you..."
"You bet."
"Hey wait, I don't want you to change your plans just because of me."
Chris turned to look at Audry, "Nonsense. I'm not changing anything. Besides, I did promise you, didn't I?" Chris had the most charming smile plastered on her face as she said that, but it was meant only for Audry. At the same time she was giving Jason the evil eye, promising a payback. Soon. When he least expected it.
Audry returned the smile, frowning slightly at the exchange between the two friends. Finally, she turned her attention back to Jason, who was still holding the pages he had brought her in his hand. He had an evil little glint in his eye as well. Audry cleared her throat to snap them from their silent duel, which did the trick. Jason handed Audry the blank pages and sat down.
"Well...Do you know what Alex did to earn her the honorary medal? Besides the written facts, that is. Have you been told about her from your family members?"
And so the conversation went on with Audry asking questions and Jason answering as best as he could. Jason and Chris exchanged wicked smiles from time to time and within the hour, they were through.
"Thank you Jason and again, I'm really sorry for taking your time and for showing up without calling first."
"Nonsense. It's been a pleasure meeting you, Audry."
"Same here, Jason."
They shook hands and turned toward the door to put on their coats. Locking the door behind them, Jason said his good-byes and went to his car. He waved at them and drove off.
They decided to leave Audry's car at Jason's place and then pick it up when they returned. Out of the corner of her eye, Audry noticed a car parked along the curb as they came out of the house. As the two women were getting into Chris' car, the other vehicle sped away. Audry frowned and then shook her head, not thinking too much of it.
Riding in Chris' Honda, they exchanged soft conversation, nothing much though. Chris was not the overly talkative person and Audry didn't want to talk too much. "There's a nice coffee shop close by."
"Alright."
The rest of the ride passed in a comfortable silence, each woman was deep in her own thoughts. Ten minutes later, they stopped in front of a small diner. They entered the diner and went to sit in a booth next to a window. The place was nice and small, homey. There were only a few people in the diner, other than them.
"So..." Again, both started at the same time, bringing a soft chuckle from both women.
"We have to stop doing that."
Audry smiled and nodded. "You know what I do for a living and a few other facts for that matter, such as my full name and I barely know anything about you."
"Okay, well my full name is Chris Stokes and I'm a cop."
"A cop? What are you doing here? I mean, Jason said something about you living on the other side of the continent?"
"Yeah, you could say that. I'm from Boston. Like I told you, I'm here to visit Jason, I'm on vacation."
When Audry heard 'Boston', her hearbeat picked up. Boston is where her parents live, where she used to live. "Boston? Really?" She squeaked.
"Yeah, why?" Chris looked at her quizzically.
Audry gulped and answered sadly, "Oh, nothing special. That's nice." Suddenly, it crashed through her. Chris was here, where she lived, for a short period of time. When that time was through, Chris would go back to Boston and she wouldn't be able to see her again. She had no place in Boston anymore. Not really.
"Yeah, it is." Chris sensed a change in the mood so she tried to change the subject smoothly by turning on her charms. "I met some really nice people here.."
Audry returned the gesture and added, "Yeah, me too." She decided with herself that even though their time together may be short, she would give it her best shot. She would try her best to make this time as enjoyable as possible for the both of them. We'll just have to let things flow and see what happens. Perking up, she snapped herself from her dark mood and gave her full attention to Chris.
"Aren't you going to order anything?"
Audry bit her lip and said, "I don't know, I'm not really hungry. Well, maybe a cup of coffee and a tuna sandwich and...oh...some salad would be nice. Hmmm...I guess I could eat some fries too."
Chris chuckled at hearing Audry's order.
"What?" Audry asked, frowning.
"Nothing, I just thought you said you weren't hungry. I wonder what you'd order if you were. Besides, I can't believe you'd actually eat all that."
"Oh, you don't know me yet, when I sink my teeth into something..." said Audry, wiggling her eyebrows, until the meaning slammed into her and she blushed furiously.
Chris laughed at the blush and at the cute pout that appeared on Audry's face. "Oh, don't pout. I would love to sink my teeth into something as well..." Chris smiled wolfishly, making Audry's blush spread to her upper chest, which brought more laughter from Chris.
Chris finally stopped laughing and tried to take Audry's hand into hers, as a peace offer. The hand was jerked away and Chris was given the silence treatment. "Oh, c'mon. I'm sorry. Please forgive me?" Chris gave Audry the best puppy dog look she could muster. It eventually worked its magic. Between her gorgeous face, her blue eyes and her adorable look, Audry was helpless but to relinquish. "Now, can I please see that beautiful smile of yours?" Chris asked as she reached over the table to caress Audry's cheek with the back of her knuckles. That did it and Audry smiled.
"We've got ourselves a winner, ladies and gentleman!" Exclaimed Chris as she sat back. Audry chuckled softly.
"Hey, I just remembered something. The other day at city-hall, when you made me spill my coffee,"
"Yeah, what about it?"
"You came over to ask me something but after all the commotion, we both forgot why you even addressed me. What did you want to ask me?"
Chris blushed a bit when she remembered that moment. She had just entered city-hall to look for something for Jason and she thought she'd be alone. When she saw Audry sitting at the computer, she felt this strange need to strike up a conversation with the attractive blonde. As fast as she could, she used her sharp mind to come up with something to discuss with the woman. At that moment, asking her for the time seemed the perfect choice. Now...It didn't seem that way at all. Chris cleared her throat and with an embarrassed look on her face told Audry the truth, "I kind of came to ask you for the time... I was, ummm, running late and..."
Audry figured out the reason why Chris had approache dher that day, when she saw Chris blush at her question and she thought it was quite adorable, so she let her off the hook. "Okay." She answered happily and looked around them to show Chris that the subject was done and over with. Chris breathed a sigh of relief and waited for the waitress to approach them.
The waitress finally arrived to take their orders. She looked skeptically at Audry as she gave her order, right after she looked up and down her petite body. After the waitress left, they sat quietly waiting for their order, sipping their coffee's slowly. Neither had any idea of what to talk about.
"So...A cop, huh? What department?"
"Narcotics"
"Wow, sounds interesting. Dangerous."
"Yeah, but it's okay. I can handle myself pretty well." Again the wolfish smile appeared on her beautiful face.
When their food arrived, all conversation stopped and Chris watched amazed as Audry finished everything she had on her plate and took half of hers as well.
"What? I told you I would, didn't I?" Chris nodded mutely, "Yes you did..." Where the hell does she put it all? "Remind me to never mess with a hungry you."
Audry smiled cheekily and took a last sip from her coffee. When the waitress brought them the check, a strong sense of deja vu swept through Audry, making her a little dizzy. But it was something that happened a lot lately with her so, there was nothing really to it.
"Audry? Are you alright?" Chris was getting concerned. She was bent over the blonde as she took her hand in hers. "Audry?" Chris gave her a little shake and Audry snapped out of it, "Huh? What? Oh, I'm uhh I'm fine. Just drifted there for a moment. Sorry."
"Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yes, yes I'm fine."
"Okay." Chris then took her wallet out and paid for both of them.
"Hey, no. Let me pay for what I ordered. You invited me for just a cup of coffee..I would really like to pay for myself..."
"Audry?"
"Yes?"
"You're talking too much again."
"But..." Audry tried to argue but to no avail. Chris stopped her by pressing her fingers to her lips. "Let's say you'll owe me, okay?"
"Ummm...Okay, what?"
Chris just smiled and said, "I'll think of something."
Audry wasn't sure if she should feel excited or anxious. At last, she decided on excited. They left the secluded diner and drove back to Jason's place. Getting out of the Honda, Chris walked Audry to her car. Now standing next to the driver's side door, they stood quietly facing each other. "So umm when can I see you again?" Asked Chris shyly.
"How long are you going to be staying here?"
"A few weeks, maybe a month."
Audry really wanted to see her again but she didn't know how to tell her she was free at...anytime. And she didn't want to seem too anxious to see her again. She really wanted to play hard to get. But she is sooo cute!
Biting her lip in thought, she said "Well, I have some work to do but I'm quite free otherwise. I'm entitled for a vacation. I could take it if I really wanted it." A small white lie never hurt anybody...
"Well...Do you really want it?"
Both understood the meaning behind those words. This budding relationship could be over before it even started, with just one word from Audry.
"I really want it." Twin smiles appeared on both faces. Chris raised her hand to gently brush the back of her knuckles on Audry's soft cheek. Audry leaned into the soft touch. "How about you give me your number and I call you tomorrow? Maybe we'll do something?"
"Sure." Audry took one of the blank pages Jason had handed to her and tore a piece. She wrote her home and cell number, adding her address and handed it to Chris, who put it in her back pocket. "Thanks." Chris opened the door for Audry and stood in front of the open door. Chris cleared her throat, looking awkwardly all around them. "Umm, I'll call you tomorrow then, okay?"
"Okay." A slight pause and then "Well then, goodbye."
"Bye."
Both women felt like they were back in their teens, neither knew what to do or say, not to mention how to act. They felt awkward and tense. Even after saying their good-byes, neither moved. A soft giggle from Audry had broken the tense moment and brought forth a chuckle from Chris as well. Soon, both were laughing so hard they had tears in their eyes. Finally, the laughter stopped and they composed themselves. Wiping the tears away. Chris took a step closer to Audry and put her hands on her waist. Her head bent down and came closer to Audry's. The last coherent thought that went through their minds was
Oh god, I'm gonna kiss her.
Oh god, She's gonna kiss me.
And then the kiss. It wasn't deep or probing just sweet and tender. It wasn't a kiss meant to ignite but to sooth a heart and soul. Before it could go any further, they parted. Chris, still holding Audry by the waist, looked into Audry's eyes. Their eyes were a little glazed as they took a few breaths of air. "That felt amazing." Said Audry.
"Yes it did. You are amazing." Said Chris, making Audry blush yet again.
With one final kiss on the cheek, Chris dropped her hold on her and moved a step back. Audry situated herself in the car and put her seat belt on as Chris closed the door. She put the car in drive and waved Chris goodbye. When she saw her wave back, she drove off. Chris watched the road for a few more minutes after Audry's car left from view and then walked back into the house with a smile on her face.
It was already late in the evening when Audry got home. She couldn't believe the day went by so fast. Well you know what they say, time flies when you're having fun, and boy did I have fun. This thought brought a smile to her face. God! the look on her face when she kissed me was just priceless. I thought I was going to pass out. She was just so...Cute!
Now I wonder what all this means...Is she just a crush? Or is everything more than just a coincidence?
Ch. 20
She looked at the time and saw that it wasn't too late to call Madam Lia, so she did.
"Madam Lia? Hi, It's Audry."
"Hello, Audry. How are you?"
"I'm fine. Actually better than fine. I went to see Jason and there..." Audry continued telling her the whole story, starting with her and Chris' abrupt meeting at city-hall and ending with their dinner at the coffee shop. By the end of her story she was beaming. Madam Lia could hear Audry's happy tone and could almost see her smile, making her smile as well.
"Wow, well that's quite the story. This Chris, who is she exactly?"
"She's Jason's best friend. She's a cop and she's here on vacation." After a slight pause, she added "From Boston."
"Okay and...I can feel there's something more to it than your telling me.."
"Well...I don't know, I kinda felt something for her since that meeting at city-hall. Maybe it's just a crush. It doesn't necessarily have to mean something more. Does it?" Audry was almost afraid to hear the answer. What if she is my soulmate? What then? Things will be just all that more complicated. And what if she is and I screw it up?! That's the thing that scared her the most. She didn't want to do anything that might ruin it.
Madam Lia felt the anxiety in Audry's tone and tried her best to reassure her. "Honey, I think that just because you're even thinking that way, there's something more to it. And whatever happens, know this, what is supposed to happen will happen. It doesn't matter what you do."
"How would I even know if Chris is the one? I mean, what if I'm wrong or something happens...And besides, even if she is, nothing could ever come of it..."
"Why do you say that?" Madam Lia was now confused, she thought at first that Audry was happy or would be happy to find out that Chris may be her soulmate.
"Well, like I said she's from Boston. My parents live there and it's so far away from here..."
"Honey, nothing bad will happen. You won't be wrong and things will be alright. Trust in yourself. I can't tell you if Chris is your soulmate or not because I don't know. But I can help you understand your feelings and guide you somewhat. You said you felt something from the first moment."
"Yes."
"Well then, there is definitely something here. I say take your time to find out. There's no other way and you have nothing to lose. Follow your heart and it will guide you to do the right thing and everything will fall into place, you'll see. When are you seeing her again?"
"I think tomorrow. She said she'll call me."
"Good. Take your time, get to know her and I promise you. You will know when the time comes. Your soul will know, listen to it."
"Okay. I guess I can handle that. Thank you Madam Lia."
"Your welcome, dear. Goodbye."
"Bye."
Hanging up, Madam Lia thought to herself I hope everything will fall in its place. She'll be just fine, she's a tough one.
Audry hung up the phone and relaxed against the sofa. She was happy. She really liked Chris...Really liked. She just hoped everything would turn out okay.
That night, two people living on opposite sides of town, laid in bed and thought of one another. They imagined a future together, their lives before and after their meeting, their feelings. Both drifted into a peaceful slumber with smiles on their faces, the image of the other's face, dominating their dreams.
In a small house, close to downtown, someone laid in bed in a fitful slumber, dreaming of breaking up that future, the want for revenge poisoning his sick mind.