Summary: Dawn's a stripper and Kate is dating her. Set in the future. Third person's POV.

Disclaimers: The characters are the property of Joss Whedon, 20th Century Fox, UPN, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, and Kuzui Productions.

Date: July 10, 2002.

Liquid Summers

The crowd's roaring in contentment, and it's not surprising, since Liquid Summers is dancing tonight. All the girls are good, but none can move like she does. She doesn't just dance, she feels the music, flows with it. Hence the ridiculous name she picked: Liquid. I just assumed it came from a certain trait of her, which has nothing to do with her flowing with the music, of course. Overactive mind of mine, I guess...

Across the place, I watch in wonder at a seductress who four years ago was just a random girl. When she showed up at my door, I couldn't help but laugh at her. She was fit and good looking, but that's as far as it went. "Crowd will eat you alive, honey. This is not for you," I told her, worried by this innocent aura she had - She still does, when she's not playing her part as my establishment's Prima Donna.

But she insisted, and I agreed to give her a chance, just to humor my girlfriend at the time. And just like that, I listed her among the contestants for the Amateur Night. If she was doing it for money, then five hundreds would help for a while. If she somehow managed to outdance all the other girls, of course. Also, it left me feeling guilt-free, knowing she'd get over this crazy idea once she got to experience the real stuff.

Surprisingly, she did better than the rest. She got the money, and still insisted on working for me. I accepted despite my doubts on the matter, because even if I'm not a greedy person, I couldn't deny the fact that having her around would be good for me. That night alone, she had contributed to doubling my income!

She was desperate, I could tell. To be honest, my girls had all once been, too. But I'm a fair employer , and they get what they deserve, some more if possible... So, I gave into her, and a week later, she became a replacement girl, with just a few dance lessons under her belt.

I've asked her name so many times, and still she replies with a big smile and her customary "Just call me Summers." At some point, I just stopped trying, and eventually she became just Liquid.

She's paired with Zandria for this show. I love them dancing together, and apparently so does the crowd, if their yelling and cheering are any indication of it. Zandria and Liquid are very much alike. They don't need much to have steam coming out from people's ears, both hide under layers of make up and glitter, both are college students, have killer bods, and are very much in love with their respective significant others. They could even pass off as twins, if Liquid ever dares to go for the tanned look... Heck, they could have been a couple, too, if a certain blonde Cop Lady hadn't happened. And, speaking of the devil, she's here too, cheering along the drooling students around the stage.

Rumor is that she and Liquid go way back, from the time when she worked as Liquid's parole officer. Some say that maybe even before that, from the time when Cop Lady she had been a respected, if a bit conflictive, detective in LAPD... No one knows for sure, though.

***

Cop Lady and I had a chat some time ago, when she actually had the guts to ask Liquid out. She was polite and nice, but she seemed a bit hung up on something. A secret both shared, from what I gathered from that chat with her, and it was probably related to her previous job, too. But she never talked about it, and I never asked...

In all honesty, I've never seen a weirder pairing than theirs. They don't make sense, but I guess there's much more than what meets the eye with them. Cop Lady -now a PI, actually- is rather protective and loving of Liquid, but sometimes she can be a tad possessive, too. The look on Cop Lady's face, it hasn't changed much since that night when she realized it was Liquid dancing on the stage. With all my years in this business, I've learnt to read all kinds of emotions on people's faces, and hers was filled with a mix of rage and lust, tinted mostly of the first...

That night, Cop Lady made a show of dragging Liquid out, despite all the screaming and swearing on the girl's part. Later, once they were out of our sight, we heard the distinctive sound of a flesh meeting flesh. Immediately, we all assumed she had hit Liquid, and I was ready to intervene in case it got further than just a slap. But nothing else happened, and later we discovered it had been Liquid slapping the blonde woman, not the other way around. Also, my girl and I assumed Liquid would never come back, but the next night she was dancing with the rest of the girls, while Cop Lady just sulked at the bar.

***

A change of pace announces their number is about to end, and Liquid will be left alone, just the way she likes it. Their gleaming bodies are synched in a crescendo, and I can tell the music is not the only thing going faster here. Also, if the look on Cop Lady's face means what I think it does, it sucks being lonely tonight!

With a final twirl, Liquid ends up on her knees as she faces Zandria. Then, playfully shoving the other girl, she's leaning over her, noses less than a couple of inches apart. They're both panting from the exertion, as the glistening, uncountable beads of sweat on their young bodies only aid to highlight their natural beauty. As usual, the crowd goes frantic, dozens of hands with bills reach out for their thongs, almost all of them succeeding.

Now it's her turn to go solo, but Zandria, as usual, pecks her lips before leaving. Knowing this, Cop Lady pretends to be focused on her drink...

As the speakers blast her musical choice for the night, I notice she's picked a slow song again. This girl, she dances as if she were making love to her audience. She changes her pace and moves depending on their response. She can go hard and fast, or slow and tender... Her dancing style oozes sex, and I must admit that it makes me warm in all the right places. Each move, each turn, slide, shove or pass she does, I know them by heart. And still, my soul bursts into flames when she's up there. Certainly, she was born to make us weak at the knees, but as some would say, some women have all the luck. And in this case, Cop Lady is the luckiest bitch ever.

She gets on her knees again, crawling towards Cop Lady. It seems like she's going to pull her on stage again. If this keeps happening, I might have to consider her in the payroll, too. Cop Lady would just kill me if I hinted at it, but it's good teasing material. Also, she brought her padded handcuffs, too. Now this is getting interesting... Cop Lady hates being cuffed to the pole, but she always lets Liquid do as she pleases.

***

One of the bouncers glances at me in worry. The audience is not exactly under control right now, and he probably thinks it could get ugly if we didn't act on time. I nod in understanding. We need to cool them off, just like in that Coyote something movie... At my signal, the staff throws ice and water at people, and believe it or not, it seems to work. But Liquid and Cop Lady aren't even aware of it. They're so busy flirting with each other to realize that Liquid's number isn't over yet. And then, just as we feared, someone jumps on stage and starts pawing Liquid.

Cop Lady unsuccessfully tries to get free, but before she could hurt herself any further, a staff member shows up with a hose, and soon the three of them are drenched from head to toe. Unsurprisingly, Cop Lady is furious, and she's glaring at offender in contempt.

The music is still playing in the background, but the loud yelling of the crowd exceeds it. Soon after that, a couple of bouncers pull the offender out, and the crowd seems to calm down as Liquid tries her best to disappear the frown on her lover's face. Fortunately for all of us, it seems to be working.

Well, I guess that's how things can be in this lesbian strip joint. Now, I'd better shoo those two out of here, before their make up session causes yet another rumble...