A/N: I was perusing through an old hard drive and came across a novel I had started a long time ago (15+ years ago). I figured I could Vauseman-ize it and see where it led. Many thanks to Nicki and R117 for reading through my humble beginnings and helping me to polish my utterly rough work.
P.S. Patience is a virtue.
"I guess it's going to have to hurt, I guess I'm going to have to cry,
And let go of some things I've loved to get to the other side
I guess it's going to break me down, Like fallin when you try to fly,
Sad but sometimes moving on with the rest of your life starts with goodbye"
― Carrie Underwood
The breeze is quite brisk this morning. I came on the patio to clear my head as my thoughts roll out of my mind with each gust of wind. I always think better when I am outside. I write better, too. Oh, that is not to say I think I write well; I just write better when I can smell the out of doors around.
Yesterday was such a wonderful day. The night before I fell asleep on the swing on the porch. The soft chirping of the morning birds awakened me quite early, so I got to see the gorgeous sunrise. Until I had watched that yellow orb rise, I had not realized how long it had been since I had observed an early dawn. Each one I see seems to be even more beautiful that the one before. And each time I see one, I doubt that its beauty can be surpassed. It is mornings like today that make me wonder why I like to sleep so late on weekends. Anyway, that started the day off just right.
Piper leaned back in her chair and looked at the words she had written. She could not imagine all that had happened that Saturday. She feared that writing it all down would erase the day's existence from reality. It had been a wonderful day indeed.
She had ridden her bicycle down to West End of Lake Donovan. The move had kept her busy from her normal activities, so the day had been planned as an escape to catch up on some long overdue reading. Well the reading was still long overdue but, at this time, it was the furthest thing from her thoughts.
Piper had just settled into the first chapter of her novel. The early morning sun was stretching its rays across the glassy lake. The peace was so overwhelming. It was a morning when time seemed to stand still and allow the beauty of the early day to be soaked in from head to toe. Perfection, pure perfection.
A soft and gentle sound began from up the shore. Piper squinted into the low, rising sun and saw a figure sitting on the dock. After a moment, Piper realized that the beautiful sound was a harmonica being played by the person on the pier. The music was not really a song, just a relaxing, soothing melody of notes. After studying the figure, Piper once more buried herself in her novel.
Several chapters later, a shadow covered the pages of the book. Startled, Piper rolled over and sat up rather quickly.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." Piper's eyes focused on the tall, dark haired woman standing over her. "I am sorry if I disturbed your reading." The chuckled as a slight frown came over Piper's face. "About the music and all. I saw you when you rode up. I finally decided to come over and see if my playing bothered you."
"Oh no, not at all. Your music is beautiful. It kind of matches the morning, calm and peaceful. Why don't you have a seat?" Piper spoke as she slid over on the blanket on which she had been laying. "Piper," she said, reaching out her hand.
"Andrea. Nice to meet you." Andrea's hand met Piper's with a firm, yet gentle grip. Piper was amazed at the softness. "
There was a moment of silence as each woman savored the luscious breeze blowing off the lakefront. "Are you…" Piper stopped short as she realized they had both spoken at the same time. "Sorry, go ahead."
"No, you first," Andrea laughed.
"I was wondering if you were from around here."
"Well I moved here recently and have not been around much. How about yourself?"
"I am in the same situation. I have lived here about a month and have not quite gotten adjusted to the area. That is why I am out here today. I decided to take advantage of the beautiful morning to relax and catch up on some reading. It is the first chance I have gotten to unwind since the move."
"I know what you mean."
Again, silence. Piper took advantage of the moment to look her new guest over and was overwhelmed by the woman who had come over to speak with her. No, my luck does not run that far, she thought. Andrea's features were remarkable. Her slim, fit figure, outlined by the morning sun, was quite lovely. The blue shirt she had on really blended well with her pale color. Piper's face flushed as she realized Andrea was looking at her, too, smiling.
"I hope you do not mind me coming over here. I have always thought that gorgeous days such as this are even more beautiful if you had someone to share them with." Andrea looked back over the water, the grin still peeking around her lips.
"Oh, I do not mind at all. I certainly enjoy the company. But to be honest, I was about to go for something to drink. Would you care to join me?" Piper's voice almost quavered in fear that she sounded too anxious.
"I would love to." Andrea's smile never faltered. "I live up the road a little ways. If you would like, I could make some tea."
Piper returned the smile. "Sounds great."
Piper's chair thumped back upright as the phone interrupted her thoughts. She walked into the kitchen and answered the phone.
"Hi, it's me, Andrea." Piper's face broke into a huge grin at the sound of Andrea's voice. "Is our dinner date still on?"
"Sure, I would not miss it for the world. How about I pick you up in an hour?"
"Sounds great. See you then. Bye."
Piper realized that the day before had not been a dream. It was indeed a reality and becoming more real with every passing moment.
At 6:45, Piper pulled up to Andrea's house. The windows were strangely dim. It seemed as though few lights were on. God, what a woman. The thoughts kept rolling through Piper's mind. How can I spend an entire evening with this woman, in public, knowing all the time that I am dying to touch her, to feel her lips press against my skin? Piper's mind had wandered all day, dying to see Andrea. The day before had been so wonderful.
Piper distinctly remembered the words she had written in her journal about the day before.
We arrived at Andrea's house and had a drink. And we talked. We talked it seemed forever, yet I cannot remember anything we talked about. All I can remember was Andrea, her beautiful face and lips, her graceful movements. Oh my, it seems a sin to capture these thoughts on paper. But I could write about this woman forever.
Piper jumped as she looked at the clock. It now read 6:53. She had sat in front of this woman's house, daydreaming when she could have been inside, with the woman of her fantasies.
Piper straightened her clothes and approached the dimly lit house. As she reached to knock, the door opened. And there was that smile. Gosh, she is beautiful. Piper stepped inside and closed the door behind her. Andrea did not say a word, only motioned for Piper to follow her.
They walked through the foyer and into the living room. From here, Piper could see the dining room table, set and ready to go. Her face must have shown the surprise, yet Piper said nothing. Andrea's laugh punctured the silence.
"I decided I wasn't in the mood to go out and took the liberty of fixing dinner here. Do you mind? I think you will find my cooking quite suitable."
Oh I can think of many things about you that are quite suitable, Piper thought. "Why, you took the thoughts right out of my head." Piper gulped in air so she could press her words out of her mouth. "This is great, wonderful indeed." Piper tried to keep from tripping over her words. "I like a woman who takes charge." Piper shocked herself as she realized she had given Andrea a sly wink.
After the sumptuous dinner had been served and devoured, Andrea brought Piper another glass of wine to the couch. Piper had seated herself on one end, hoping Andrea would sit next to her. Just thoughts of feeling her close sent shivers through out Piper's body. When Andrea sat in the chair next to the couch, Piper's heart about fell into her shoes with disappointment. Here was a woman she had thought about for over thirty-six hours, a woman who had taken away Piper's every thought and replaced them with sweet fantasies about a tall, dark, and handsome woman.
"I could not bear to be in public with you." Andrea's resonant voice sent chills over Piper's body. Slowly, Andrea rose from her chair, her eyes never leaving Piper's face. Andrea firmly gripped the arms of her chair and positioned it directly in front of Piper as she sat on the couch. As Andrea sat down, she leaned forward in the chair. Piper leaned forward as well, bringing her face not six inches from Andrea, Andrea's voice still creating those wonderful sensations in her stomach. "I could not go out all evening with you, watching you and talking to you…" Andrea's lips now a few inches from Piper's, "without kissing you."
Their lips met and were still, each person soaking in the energy created by the touch. Each body melting as they kissed was more than they could handle. The chair was pushed back and Andrea was on the couch beside Piper. Arms intertwined, bodies pressed together. Such power it took to separate, each set of lips lingering on the other.
Piper let out a breath. "Oh my. How can you read my mind?" Those were the only words spoken that evening. There was not room for words as tongues tumbled over tongues and flesh. Lips moved over necks and down shoulders. Passion could not be matched this evening, as each woman knew exactly where she wanted to touch and to be touched.
The shrilling alarm clock awakened Piper with a start. She slowly reached over and silenced the annoying sound. Then she remembered Andrea. She feared to turn over, as this would erase the night from existence. But it had to be done. She had to see that beautiful woman lying next to her. The night had been long and sleep almost non-existent, but Piper felt fully refreshed. She hoped that Andrea was as beautiful now as she was when they joined their bodies in hours of pleasure and lust.
Piper gathered her composure and rolled her body over, slowly, anticipating the moment when her body touched the silky smooth skin of the sweet woman beside her.
The spread was neatly pulled up around the pillow, just as it was every morning before. Her bed was empty, and Piper was quite alone. There still was no beautiful woman beside her. Piper's heart fell, just as it had every damned morning for the past six days. The reoccurring dream was haunting her to no end, stirring deep emotion and desire.
What was it about a figure at the lake that created these feelings inside her? What caused these dreams, these vivid plays on Piper's body and on her imagination? Piper had not been this mesmerized by any woman in years. In fact, Piper could not remember a time when she had thought of nothing except a single woman.
Her heart pounded from the dream that had just ended. Slight sweat beads were gathered across her shoulders and chest. Closing her eyes to preserve the memory, Piper doubted if reality could be as wonderful as her dreams. But such revelations would have to wait for another day. For today was her day to begin her new life.
Piper had come to Donovan to start over. She had sulked away many months after Samantha's death. She had left Piper a substantial amount of money when she passed away. Samantha had some family money, but the bulk of amount left to Piper was from joint savings and insurance policies. Piper had been so afraid to touch the money though. She felt that if she did, it would somehow confirm the death of her wife and best friend. When Piper's personal savings finally gave out, she decided that she would have to go into the money held in their joint accounts. But to do what? She had not actually worked in so long. If she was going to survive, she was going to have to give herself a life. But to do that, she had to leave. Leave everything and start over.
So here she is, in some small, non-descript town getting ready to open a new business. And that is what I am going to do, Piper thought as she rolled out of bed. The remainder of the morning hours were spent readying herself for her new life.
Oh Sam, can I really live without you? Can I do it? Please forgive me for wanting to. But I must try to get myself back together. I do not want you to be angry with me. I need this.
The door gave way as the lock clicked open. Piper stepped into her new establishment. The cleaners and decorators had certainly given her money's worth. The place was spotless. All of the furnishings were just as she had envisioned them as she planned out her venture. All she lacked were a few more details, and this restaurant would be ready for business.
Piper needed but three things to begin: employees, food, and a name. Not much, yeah right! She had decided to take care of this personally. Of course, she was doing this for herself, to get back into the working world. So she had to do some of the work. This would make it more real to her. Yet she wasn't above leaving the grunt work to the hired folks. However the finishing touches would make this place all hers … and Samantha's.
Samantha's. What a name. That would make it perfect. No, you cannot do it. You have to get on with your life. The strength in her voice startled her. Or maybe it was that she had spoken out loud at all. Nevertheless, Samantha's as a name was definitely out.
Damn it, where do I start? Piper had considered running an ad in the local newspaper for employees but then decided against it. Something told her that was not the route she wanted to take. So she had taken out an ad in the Labyrinth, an area women's magazine. The ad inquired simply for employment positions in a new restaurant. She had received a handful of inquiries, screened them, and set up a meeting this afternoon for five of the women. Her plan was to get some contacts in the area, choose a manager and a few employees, and then use these people to build a larger staff for the larger dream yet to be put to paper.
It had taken a lot of contemplation to advertise in a pure women-focused publication. It was a big step out of the closeted life she and Samantha had shared in D.C. But now she could be free. She did not have to fear for loss of money or job. Despite the increasingly liberal climate of today's society, Sam had started working for this law firm about thirteen years ago when things weren't quite the same. It was a strong possibility that Sam's law firm would have dropped her faster than a hot potato if there were even a remote rumor of her homosexuality. Nonetheless, Samantha had insisted Piper not work. Piper worked on her degrees, dabbled a bit in the arts, and kept house for her wife. But now her wife was gone. She did not have anything to do, to look forward to, except this.
So after eight years of marriage and four years of solitary, Piper was stepping out. She did not have anything to fear. She did not want just a business; she wanted a place that would be remembered. So the Labyrinth was her choice. She ran the brief ad for only a few short weeks. Piper figured that a handful of responses and word of mouth would bring her all she needed and what she needed was this restaurant.
As if Piper did not have enough on her mind, visions of Andrea, this fantasy woman, kept floating across her mind. Last week, Piper had gone out to the lake to read and relax. She caught a glimpse of a woman playing with her dog. And that was all. The rest was created in her mind.
Her imagination was playing awful tricks on her. How could she have such dreams about an unknown woman? Afterwards, Piper had been drawn back to the lake each day for reasons unknown to herself. Maybe it was in hopes of seeing this woman again. But how could she?
How could she after Samantha? Samantha had been her life for so long. Now here was this woman, this complete stranger that Piper had seen at the lake. And Piper was having very real cravings for this woman. But each trip to the lake ended the same; no woman, no dog, no reality to her dreams. Oh well. You never know.
Piper busied herself with the résumés she held in front of her. Some very interesting people had applied. There was one application she found most intriguing, Alex Vause. Alex had a degree in restaurant management. This woman seemed too good to be true, almost over-qualified to be looking for a job in a small restaurant such as hers. Then again, the ad had been quite vague. Time will tell, Piper thought. She would have to find someone, somewhere to help her out. She considered the importance of today and was curious at how many women would show up.