Disclaimer: I do not own any part of For the People, this is pure imagination.
A Fire Burns in Washington
-By MegannRosemary
She couldn't sleep.
She couldn't stop thinking about her.
Kate.
She couldn't stop thinking about Kate.
Even though Allison had basically deposited her brother in her lap. Here, date him. They'd had a nice time last week, all three of them drinking wine and laughing together. It had been really nice, and Sandra has only had a crush on him forever. It should have been perfect.
But, it was nothing compared to too tight way her skin felt and the way her palms sweated, when she was sitting in front of Kate Littlejohn, across a conference room table. The way Kate's steady gaze set fire to her nerves, and the blaze spread, coursing through her veins and settling in her belly. The way she had to push through blinding desire whenever Kate's voice rose with passion in the courthouse.
And then, the way Kate had opened up to her.
Then the fire took another turn. Part roaring forest fire that wanted to consume her and part cozy wood burning fire in your living room that you wanted to spend the rest of your life in its presence.
She'd declined a date with Eddie, citing work as an excuse, and she'd only half wondered if she was shooting herself in the foot. Alison had looked at her with a look of 'What the hell is wrong with you?' in her eyes.
A week and half went by as she was slowly burning up inside.
Ten sleepless nights later, she had to do something.
And so here she was, walking though silent halls of gleaming glass and pale wood that existed in an air of superiority.
The only plan she had, was her go-bag and the rental car out front, and the woman in question just past the open doorway.
The only thing left was to knock. She rapped soundly and stepped into Kate's office.
"What are you doing here? Do we have a case?" Kate flew to her computer, clicking impatiently at her email app. "Shit."
"We don't have a case. There are no cases for five days. Tomorrow's Thanksgiving Kate."
She slumped in her chair, relief apartment in the way the tension washed from her frame. She slumped as much as Kate could slump anyway. She still looked poised and downright sexy.
Kate sniffed. "Ah, I suppose that's the reason my mother has called six times today."
"Family plans?"
"God no."
"Good, because we're going on a road trip." Her voice squeaked a little at the end and Sandra cursed mentally. Be confident. You can do this.
"What, you think because you're cute people will do anything you say?"
"I don't know. You tell me."
"Let's go." Kate stood in a single fluid motion and logged out of her computer. She grabbed her coat and what looked like a gym bag from behind the door.
When Sandra stopped in front of the silver Toyota she'd rented for the weekend, Kate let out a snort of laughter from behind her. "What, you're driving? Can your feet even touch the pedals?"
"As if you're taller than me." Sandra pulled herself to her full height, which she had to admit was shorter than usual because her boots didn't have a heel, unlike the shoes she usually wore to work and the ones Kate wore now.
"Let the facts show..."
"Whatever. Do you want to drive, or do you trust me?"
"I trust you."
The three little words come out a little breathy and she's staring at Sandra's lips in a way she shouldn't have.
Then she rolled her eyes, breaking the tension that hung in the moment, and handed her bag to Sandra. "In any case, I could use a nap. Some people work harder than others."
"Want to bet?"
"Why bother. I'll win." Kate slid gracefully into the passenger seat without another glance at Sandra.
She was infuriating as she was hot. Sandra stowed the bag and climbed into the front. Admittedly she had to pull the seat way up so she could see past the long nose of the car. Damn these new models, they were only made for giants and supermodels.
They didn't speak until they were clear of the tunnel, when Kate broke the silence. "Do I get any hint of where we're going?"
"Would it change anything? You're here aren't you."
"No, it wouldn't."
Sandra could feel Kate's eyes on her, studying her, before she asked. "So why are you driving me to god knows where on Thanksgiving weekend? No family?"
"No family."
"I'm sorry, Sandra, that must be hard."
"It is. But it is what it is. Life goes on."
"I'm sorry." She said again, and reached out the tip of her finger, trailing it down Sandra's arm.
Sandra jumped, the steering wheel jerked, and the car swerved for a fraction of a second before she settled her nerves, tightened her grip, and set them on a straight path.
She chanced a glance at Kate, who, rather than look annoyed, had her chin lifted with steely pride.
Maybe Sandra's attraction wasn't one sided after all. Her traitorous heart leapt at the possibility.
"What about you, why didn't you answer your mother today?"
"I didn't want to talk to her." Kate's voice took on the steely quality that she usually reserved for court.
"Why?" Had the sharing last week been a one-time deal, she wondered, or had Sandra entered the universe in which Kate is head over heels, all in.
"She doesn't agree with my life choices. If this weekend is truly Thanksgiving like you say it is, then she's calling me to invite me for dinner with strict instructions to come alone because the one time she left me to my own devices I brought home a girl as a date. and my mother had her security personnel remove her from the property forcibly. Marie and I had been together nearly a year, but after that, she never spoke to me again."
"Did you love her?"
"At the time, I did. Who knows where it would have gone? I'll never find out. I have a job now, so my mother can disown me, I'll be fine now. But going there is just so against…. Everything." She stared out the window for a beat or two and Sandra studied her profile, her jaw clenching like she was working something out.
"It's the Romans."
"Is it?" Sandra giggled.
"Yes. I don't believe that our views should be ruled by emotions, they should be ruled by facts. Her views are wrong. The facts are the only thing that matters. The Romans are the foundation for modern law, science and philosophy. The Roman ideas on sexuality should be triumphed in our modern day, not disdained."
"You're preaching to the choir Kate." Sandra didn't discriminate between men and women when she went on dates, and she didn't discriminate who slept with. Only when it came to relationships. Relationships with men were easier. She'd been with Brian nearly two years, and it had been incredible for a while. They'd nearly been engaged, but in the end, he left just like everyone always did. And she moved on. Relationships with women were scarier. Her feelings were too intense. Falling for a woman in the long term would only mean she'd be all the more hurt when they left.
And yet here she was, on an insane journey with a woman that left her burning with an intensity unlike she'd ever felt before. That intensity that threatened to blow up in her face.
"I see."
Sandra hopes she does.
Kate doesn't fidget. It's mesmerizing, the way she sits so still, gazing out the window. Sandra wonders what she's thinking, what racing brilliant thoughts are running through her mind. She hopes she'll be privy to them one day.
She wonders too, what would it take, to make her lose control. To have her come apart beneath her hands and her mouth and surrender herself to pleasure.
Somewhere before Philly, Kate rests her head on her arm, and it's only a few seconds before she's fallen asleep, her eye lashes fluttering against the dark circles under her eyes.
Sandra turned the radio on low, and alternates between watching the beautiful girl in the passenger seat beside her and the road.
"I got you a coffee. We're almost there."
Kate sneered. "Please, I don't think…"
"Grande latte, three pumps sugar free vanilla, two extra shots of espresso, milk as hot as you're legally allowed to make it. Is that close?"
She picked up the cup and took a tentative sip. Her eyes fluttered shut and her hands curled around the cup, cradling it close to her body like it's worth millions. "It's good." Is all she says.
And then they're pulling off the highway and Kate blinks the last sleep from her eyes as she sits ramrod straight in her seat.
"Holy shit." Her head whipped back and forth. "Sandra, holy shit."
"How could you really not guess this is where were going?"
"I don't know, I thought you were taking me on a hike or something."
"Do I look like I hike?"
"I wasn't sure if you were really listening that day, or if you just wanted to win."
"I can do both Kate." But she could tell that Kate wasn't listening anymore, she was basically pasted to the window, sipping her coffee like her life depended at it.
"Can we see the Lincoln Memorial too? And the White House? Oh my god. I wasn't prepared for this. I should have brought my guide book."
"We can go back?"
"No!"
"Of course not Kate." The sharp crack of Kate's shout was enough to bring a grown man, or woman, cowering to their knees. But Sandra only grinned, Kate's passion meant that the road trip had been an excellent idea. She wiggled out a celebratory dance in her seat. "I'm going to see if that parking garage has space and we'll get out and walk around ok. Anyways, I'm sure you have the guidebook memorized."
"I do."
"I can pay for a tour if you'd rather."
"No. I know more than they do."
They headed down the street at more of a run or a skip than a walk, until they stood in front of the Capitol building.
Kate just stood there for several minutes. Staring. A moment of reverence.
"Let me get a picture of you, for your scrapbook."
"Ok."
She looked a little dazed, but her smile was brilliant and genuine as Sandra pulled out her phone to snap a series of pictures.
Kate arrived at her side and reached out to slip her hand into Sandra's, lacing her cold fingers with Sandra's own, and she tugged her towards the building.
Her fingers may have been cold, but the softness of her skin and the perfect way their hands fit together kept a fire burning inside her.
Knowledge spilled unchecked from Kate's lips and Sandra half paid attention to the rapid-fire words, half mesmerized by the way her cheeks flushed pink as she talked, and the way her hands gestured with excitement. Kate didn't let go of her hand for the remainder of the tour except when she needed both hands to measure up to her passion. Her hands were strong and elegant, and in the midst of the info dump, which truth be told Sandra loved, she also wondered what it would be like to have those hands on her body.
They were thorough but efficient, making their way through The Capitol, the Library of Congress and the Supreme Court. They stopped only to grab a sandwich for a late lunch.
They took more pictures along the way and Sandra even convinced Kate to take a selfie with her in front of the Supreme Court, their bodies pressed up against each other as they tried to get as much of the building in frame as possible.
"Do you ever dream of arguing something in front of the supreme court?" Kate asked, as they left the commanding building behind.
"If it's a cause I believe in, yes, I think it would be amazing to be able to try and change people's lives for the better. But I think any victory for the people, small or large, in our courts or the highest court in this country, is an accomplishment."
"Is that how you got though law school, by being a suck up and making people fawn over you like an adorable puppy."
"I think the key word in that sentence is adorable, yes I am. I won't waste my time answering to your insults because we both know I'm an excellent lawyer."
"You're a worthy opponent."
For Kate, this was the highest praise Sandra could ever ask for, and she basked in the glory of the statement.
"What about you?" Sandra steered them out of the path of a toddler on the run from his parents.
"If it means upholding the laws, following the rules, and fighting for what's right in this country."
"But what if the rules are wrong. What if you're fighting for a new law?"
"I don't trust my judgement to make a call that monumental. I argue for laws already in place."
"You should trust yourself more Kate, you're amazing, I trust you and I don't usually trust prosecutors. I think you'd be perfect to the job, you're never clouded by emotions."
Kate shook her head. "Sometimes you need emotions; emotion, ideas and passion, that's what brings people into the future. I just protect the present and the past."
"True. Let's just say were both amazing."
"I never said you were amazing."
"You know I am though."
"It's true," Kate said softly, "you are."
Sandra just squeezed her hand.
As they walked along the Mall, the facts came a little slower, but Kate didn't let go of her hand. Not even when Sandra forgot herself, started caressing the skin at the pulse point at her wrist. Kate only smiled and leaned into her side as they read plaque after plaque.
Sandra was over-sensitized with the proximity of the subject of her sleepless nights. She hadn't really planned on this going further than taking Kate to the Capitol. But she'd be lying if her lust filled mind hadn't hoped for much more than that, if not for Kate's silent encouragement, the visit is where it would have ended. But now Sandra wondered if she could take Kate out for a nice dinner, a date, and see where the night took them.
It was nearly dark when they got back to the car, and she had to promise Kate that they would return the next day to see the Lincoln Memorial in the daylight.
"Two rooms, facing the Mall please."
"One room." Kate arrived at her side, bringing with her the smell of fresh air and a hint of her perfume.
"One?"
The guy behind the desk gaped at them, blinking slowly.
"One will be fine, chop chop." Kate tapped her credit card against the counter.
"Right…"
It was agonizing, the trip up the elevator, packed with people laden down with armfuls of shopping bags, already getting that jump on the Christmas shopping. They waded through the packages and burst out onto the well-lit eighteenth floor.
Their room faced the Mall as requested, and Sandra dropped her bag on the floor and crossed to the window, desire momentarily forgotten. "Damn this will be gorgeous at night." The lights already winked at them though the descending twilight and the low banked clouds.
Kate stepped up beside her. "I felt it too Sandra. You and me, on the Rios case."
Kate's soft, husky voice brought her lust to the surface in an instant and her own words shook with want in a way she couldn't hide. "Were you going to do anything about it?"
"No. I have far better control of my emotions. You're ruled by your heart, like the FPD you are. But since we're here, and your cheesy little ideas made my childhood dreams come true, I intend to act. Hence the room."
"Perfect." She turned to face Kate, taking in the clear blue eyes, her hair still perfectly framing her face in despite the blustery November day outside. "You're perfect."
"You know that's not a fact."
"No, it's how I feel." At last, she reached out and covered the last few inches that separated them. She moved slowly, like if she moved too fast, it would startle this moment away, because it wasn't meant to be. But her hands settled on Kate's waist and she swayed closer, brushing her lips over Kate's.
Kate gasped but she didn't step away.
"I'd like to take you to dinner, like a date." Sandra whispered against her lips.
"I want you to kiss me now. Dinner later."
More confident now, Sandra pulled their bodies flush together, curves molding into curves. She saw the spark of passion reflected in Kate's eyes before she closed the gap between them, pressing their lips together, her own eyes closing as she surrendered to the softness of Kate's mouth.
As the kisses grew hungry and Kate's tongue probed at her lower lip, her hand cupped the back of her neck and they angled evermore closer and deeper. It was an equal give an take, an exploration of tongues and teeth and lips.
Kate's fingers were cold on Sandra's skin as she lifted the hem of her sweater and skimmed her fingers across her skin.
She forgot to breathe at first, and just lost herself in that touch.
When she couldn't take it anymore, she slipped Kate's blazer from her shoulders, desperate to have her hands on her skin.
"Don't drop it on the floor," Kate whispered against her lips, the faint vibration heightened her arousal. Sandra folded it on the chair behind them with what felt like agonizing slowness and then drew Kate back towards the bed.
Sandra fumbled with the buttons on her shirt, undoing them one by one, placing open mouthed kisses on every inch of skin she's uncovered.
Soft moans escaped from Kate's mouth, and she arched into Sandra's touch.
Sandra was the one tossing the shirt aside, shedding her own clothes. She made the moves, but she wasn't in control. Kate was. She was perfectly control of her reactions to Sandra's touch. As if she was testing Sandra, challenging her even in this state of vulnerability and primal want.
Sandra never backed down from a challenge. Her only desire was to give Kate pleasure, to give her a moment suspended in time that was out of the realm of her control, suspended in bliss.
With slow deliberate movements she undid the clasp of Kate's pants, drawing the zipper slowly, letting her fingers brush over Kate's sensitive centre.
Kate gasped, her abdomen quivering.
Sandra couldn't help but stop and stare at the gorgeous woman before her, all soft swell of her belly, curve of her hips and thighs. God. She was just…A damn gorgeous woman. A woman in all her beautiful glory.
She brought a trail of kisses to her lips as she covered her body with her own. Kate's arms came around her, pressing her closer as her thigh slipped between her legs. Kate undid the clasp of her bra and they rolled until Sandra was free of hers as well and they met skin to skin for the first time.
"God you feel amazing."
Kate's only answer was a kiss, an arching, roaming kiss that left them breathless and ready for more.
Sandra replaced her knee with her fingers as they dipped into the warm wetness behind Kate's simple bikini bottoms.
"Please, Sandra, don't stop."
As if she could stop now.
She stroked the swollen bundle of nerves and Kate's eyes squeezed shut.
And then Kate let go.
Literally let go of her hold on the sheets and gripped at Sandra's arm, urging her on, pulling her closer.
She slid a single finger inside and then a second, as Kate's hips rose to meet her, again and again.
She brushed her thumb over her swollen clit, once twice, and then she's coming in a shuddering cry and Sandra can feel her clenching around her fingers, pulling her ever deeper.
She rolled her hips, whimpering, a near silent wish, and Sandra slid down her body until she tasted Kate, all of Kate. Her senses are overwhelmed by her scent, her sweetness, her breathy demands, and she feels her own pleasure building to a crescendo just being here as Kate comes apart in her hands. She rolled her clit beneath her tongue, sucking gently, flicking, until Kate cried out, bucking against her mouth until she's gasping, her breasts lifting and falling, and the dazed look in her eyes is the most exquisite thing she's ever seen in her life.
That is until, minutes later, Kate has rolled them over, and her blonde hair is spilling over Sandra's chest, and her mouth is closed over her breast, her teeth teasing her nipple. And her hand is slipped between their bodies, finding a rhythm deep inside her that has her riding the edge of pleasure for what seems like an impossibly long time.
Then she's in free fall and she can't breathe because the pleasure is too intense, and she has a momentary vision of what heaven feels like.
Tears pricked at her eyes and she blinked them back, as her breath returned to normal, utterly convinced that she would never be normal again.
Eventually, Sandra sits up and pulls her hair into a disaster of a bun. "I'm so hungry now."
"What 'little miss emotions' doesn't want to lie here and whisper sweet nothings in my ears?"
Kate did look incredible, lying beside her, cheeks flushed from their exertions and lips swollen with the kisses they'd shared. "'Little miss emotions' is taking into account that 'little miss facts' over here might not like her emotions. And so the fact is I'm hungry and I'm ordering a burger."
"Fair enough. Order one for me too."
"Fries or salad."
"Fries. What kind of godawful question is that?"
"I like you Kate Littlejohn, I do." Sandra continued, brushing off the slight panic in Kate's eyes. "So, red or white?"
"What?"
"Wine."
"Red. And I want my burger medium rare."
"Ok damn girl. And what kind of desert person are you? Chocolate? Vanilla? Strawberry? Or are you not a desert person at all."
"Strawberry."
"I can work with that." Sandra pulled on a tank top and dialed.
Kate pulled on a T-shirt from her gym bag and settled in beside Sandra on the bed, their shoulders brushing. It smelled fresh, like laundry detergent, but it was worn and loved, faded letters spelling out University of Virginia on the front. Her hair is sticking up just a little at the back and her eye makeup is smudged. She's never looked more beautiful.
"So, was this part of your fantasy Capitol visit?" Sandra asked.
"I did have a crush on this girl Susannah and she broke my heart by being on Richard Prince's side during the argument on the bus. So no, my young mind never went this far." She pressed a kiss to Sandra's lips, "This was an excellent addition to the trip. Thank you."
"It was my pleasure. Literally."
"I'm well aware."
Their lips met again, the fire just below the surface as they tasted and sucked.
The food arrived, and they found Legally Blonde playing on an obscure movie channel.
Kate leaned against her chest as they finished the bottle of red wine, laughing as they shouted lines out loud, each of them vying for most lines memorized.
And as the credits rolled, Sandra slipped beneath the sheets, her mouth finding Kate ready and wanting.
"Good morning." Kate was propped up on some pillows beside her, the sheet pulled up to cover her breasts, scrolling through CNN on her phone. "I was thinking about waking you up, we have to check out soon."
"Food."
"Yes, I know, I'm beautiful in the morning, thank you."
"I need food Kate. Ugh. Food."
"I slept with a Neanderthal then last night, did I?"
"Don't joke." The sun was bright through the curtains they'd forgotten to close last night. She didn't think she'd ever woken up this late. Or this hungry. She stumbled from the bed and fished an emergency granola bar from her bag. It was dry and hard to chew but the sweetness of the chocolate chips and dried cranberries burst over her tongue to wake her up and only partially dull the hunger gnawing at her belly. "Yes Kate, you are beautiful in the morning."
"Thank you." Kate tugged at the sheet, pulling it higher on her chest.
"We're not going to be awkward about this are we?" She could feel the other woman withdrawing into herself, closing herself off from Sandra.
"You scratched your itch last night are you happy?"
"Yes Kate, I'm happy."
Her face fell, ever so slightly, but her eyes squinted, focused back on her phone.
Kate, so strong and sure in so much of her life but so unaware of how attractive she was and how much she deserved to be cared for, loved, taken care of. Sandra tossed the wrapper in the garbage and crossed to the bed, she tugged her tank top on over her head, wanting to be covered for the serious conversation she was about to begin. "But that's not all it is for me I like you Kate." She sat across from her willing her to look up and see how much she cared. "I'd like to get to know you better outside the office. I didn't get to take you to dinner last night"
Her wish was granted. She looked up. Her crystal blue eyes swimming with the mixture of hope and pain that Sandra saw so frequently in her own eyes when she looked in the mirror.
"You would?"
"Yes. I had a nice time yesterday. We can talk about stuff most people don't get."
Kate nodded and put down her phone at last. "We are sexually compatible. We would understand our commitment to work. Your intelligence is closer to mine than most women.
"Well when you put it that way, when are we getting married?"
Kate shot her a panicked look.
"Relax." She reached out to squeeze her calf through the sheet and Kate jumped slightly. "I'm not interested in that either Kate. Not after one night and maybe not ever."
She tried not to think about the way Kate had stayed in her arms all night. She tried not to think about how if they made this work, Kate would be her greatest fear. She sighed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm not good at relationships. I don't let people in."
"Miss 'I'm so ruled by my emotions that I lost a case' doesn't let people in?"
"No. I don't want to lose anything or anyone else. I don't think I could handle it one more time. You won't find your forever with me. I'm not available for that."
"What are you available for?"
Did she risk dating the brilliant woman that fascinated her to no end. The woman she didn't think she'd ever get tired of talking to, or debating with. The gorgeous, sexy, woman she'd never get tired of looking at. The woman who had given her pleasure unlike anything she'd ever felt before.
It would be so much easier in the short run to say goodbye to the weekend and go back on everything she'd just said, tell her yes, she'd scratched the itch but that was it. She'd deal with the pained look on Kate's face in the moment, and then move on.
There was no available.
And yet, the desire, the need, to get to know her better, was something she couldn't ignore.
The fire was too intense.
So she opened her mouth anyways and surrendered herself to the flames. "Dinner. Dates. Watching Legally Blonde number two. Sex is totally on the table."
"I'd like that."
"Can I ask you about your favourite things?" Because she's going to want to know more even though it's only going to add more gasoline to the fire that will one day burn her alive, leaving nothing but a smoking, crumbling, shell.
"Yes. I'll allow that."
"Will you now?" Her heart was pounding in her chest, it felt like too much too soon, and she pasted a grin on her face trying to add some levity to the situation.
"Yes. Casual. But exclusive. I won't be with anyone else, and neither will you, I won't be exposed to god knows what diseases are out there by you sleeping around."
"Totally fair. I believe in monogamy over anything anyways. No pressure. Casual commitment. We'll have some fun with our time outside work."
"And what happens when I beat you in court."
"Well I just so happen to find your passion extremely attractive."
"Is that so?" Kate lifted a perfectly sculpted eyebrow.
"Yes. I'm sure I will find ways to punish you in the bedroom."
"Is that so?" Kate's blue eyes sparkled with awareness, "I would have expected Sandra Bell to be on the vanilla side."
Sandra winked. "I never said I was vanilla. You did. So, we'll keep work at work and fun after hours." She sighed, "Do you think we can manage that? Allison and Seth - they crashed and burned."
"They're not us."
"Do you really want there to be an us?" Sandra asked.
"I do."
"Why?"
"For once in my life the facts are a little hazy on that one."
For once in her life, she wondered if her reservations might be a little hazy too. Was she really sure of choosing never when forever might be right in front of her?
But in the now, in the moment, she nodded slowly, deliberately, sealing the deal. "Now that that's settled, join me in the shower?"
"Yes."
"Good." Sandra tugged at the sheet, pulling it down to expose Kate's creamy skin.
Kate squawked, and Sandra bounced up for the bed and out of reach. "Hurry your cute butt in here because I need more food."
"And I have more monuments to see."