Until We Meet Again

Summary: Chelsea and Raven haven't seen or spoken to each other in nearly five years.

Notes: Although I did do a small amount of research, I know next to nothing about how things work in fashion design or environmental biology, so I made it up. This story describes a relationship between two women. It's not overly graphic but, hopefully, it is tastefully written.

Chapter 1

"Rae, you need to get in touch with Chels and tell her what's going on," Eddie Thomas said as he sat having lunch in the crowded mall with one of his best friends, Raven Baxter. They made up two thirds of the best friendship that ever existed, although that title was in jeopardy and had been for quite some time. Raven had a job interview in San Diego, which happened to be where Chelsea currently lived, and he was encouraging her to look the redhead up.

"Eddie, I haven't seen or heard from Chelsea in nearly five years," Raven said. "I don't think she want anything else to do with me," Raven explained sadly. Her mind wandered back to the day when their friendship fell apart. She and Chelsea had been laughing and enjoying each other's company as usual when Chelsea suddenly kissed her. Raven had reacted badly and everything went downhill from there.

"Chels, what was that?" Raven said as she pulled away, her hands firmly placed against Chelsea's shoulders.

"I…I'm…I'm sorry," Chelsea whispered, thoroughly embarrassed. "I've been having these feelings for you and I couldn't pretend anymore. I thought…I thought maybe I would get lucky and you would feel the same way," she said as tears came to her eyes. "I'm sorry."

Raven watched dumbfounded as her best friend turned and ran away from her.

"I'm sure she's just scared, Rae. Imagine how it must have felt for her to fall in love with you only to find out that you don't feel the same way." Eddie said, shaking his head.

"Maybe I do feel the same way," Raven said softly, eyes glued to her barely eaten sandwich.

"Say what?!" Eddie said, his eyes bulging.

Raven sighed. "I didn't think I was in love with her when all of this first happened. I was still seeing Devon. I thought she was still seeing Danny. She never told me they broke up and I only found out after bumping into him on campus one day."

"So, when did you figure it out?" Eddie asked.

"Well, things started to go badly between me and Devon after Chels left. I just wanted to be alone most of the time and he didn't think I loved him anymore, so he broke up with me."

It was the first time that Eddie had heard any of the details of her and Devon's breakup. He always thought it was a mutual decision. "Rae, how come you didn't tell me any of this before?" he asked.

Raven could only shrug. "It was a confusing time, Eddie." It took her over a year to tell him what happened between her and Chelsea. "I'm sure a part of me just missed my best friend, but I knew it was something else." She took a sip of her drink. "By the time I had truly figured it out, it was, too, late. Chelsea was gone and we hadn't talked in years." In all of the time that had passed, she'd never forgotten what it felt like when Chelsea kissed her.

"Rae, you gotta tell her," Eddie said after a few moments of silence.

"Psh! Ain't gonna happen," Raven said, shaking her head adamantly.

"You have to," Eddie insisted. "How can you live the rest of your life not knowing if you guys could've had something more?"

"She's had all this stuff figured out for a lot longer than I have, Eddie. She moved away…started a new life in San Diego. She's probably fallen in love with someone else by now."

Eddie sighed. "Even if she has, Rae, it would be better to know than wonder about it for the rest of your life."

Raven knew he was right, but she was scared. After the kiss, she had tried so hard to talk to Chelsea, but the girl wouldn't let her and before she knew it Chelsea was gone.

"I don't know," she sighed.

Eddie thought Raven and Chelsea had to be the two most complicated women he'd ever known. "At least think about it…hard," he emphasized with a glare.

After lunch with Eddie, Raven went home to finish packing for her trip to San Diego. Entering her apartment, she hung her purse by the door and kicked off her heels before making her way to the bedroom. There was a mess of clothing covering her bed and she sighed.

Life had been good to her. During college, she started her own clothing line and with a little help from Donna Cabonna, she had a small line of fashion in a several different stores. It provided a steady stream of income for her and she had been able to live comfortably while she finished school.

After graduating, she spent all of her time working on a new line, which was due to hit stores that fall. She even had several small write ups in different fashion magazines highlighting her as hot, new designer. Now, she had been offered a job with a design firm located in San Diego.

After Chelsea left, Raven buried herself in her work. Her days and nights consisted of sketching, sewing and trips to the fabric store. She tried to forget the redhead and move on with her life, but the job offer in San Diego had dredged everything up again. Although she didn't talk to Raven, Chelsea still spoke to Eddie from time to time, so Raven was aware of where she lived. She would be working and living less than five miles from the person she used to share everything with, who now seemed to want nothing to do with her.

Quite honestly, her feelings were hurt that Chelsea would so easily cut Raven out of her life. At the time, Raven had been confused as far as what she felt when Chelsea kissed her and she knew that it must have been difficult for Chelsea to take such a chance. She thought they could get through anything together, but apparently she was wrong and she never thought Chelsea would just leave the way she did.

Although she had come to terms with what she felt for her best friend years ago, Raven knew that her feelings for Chelsea weren't the only thing holding her back from seeing her. A part of her was afraid that anger would be more prevalent than anything else she felt.

A few hours later, after her packing was finally finished, Raven prepared for bed. She had a long drive to San Diego in the morning and a lot of time to think about some very important decisions that needed to be made.

Chelsea Daniel's hurried around her apartment as she got ready for work. Having stayed out a little, too, late the previous night with friends, she was paying for it this morning. An orange tabby cat darted back and forth in front of her as she made her way into the kitchen, nearly causing her to lose her balance.

"Ginger!" Chelsea exclaimed as the cat meowed up at her. She scooped a small amount of food and poured it into the demanding feline's bowl. Once Ginger was satisfied, she quickly made her way into the bedroom to finish getting ready.

Today, she would be working in the lab. Part of the attraction of becoming an environmental biologist had been the field work, but as she progressed in her career, she realized that it was equal parts field work and lab work. Last week was spent collecting samples from several different lakes and this week would be spent testing those samples.

After moving to San Diego, she attended graduate school and earned a master's degree in biology. A doctorate wasn't out of the question, but she decided that she needed a break from school and quickly found a job that she loved.

Grabbing her earrings from the nightstand, Chelsea studied the picture that she always kept next to her bedside. It was a picture of her and Raven grinning with their faces pressed together. It was a beautiful summer day and they had gone to an outdoor Boyz 'N Motion concert. It was during their senior year of college, before everything had gone downhill. She missed her friend so much, but she was pretty sure she had ruined that by running away.

Just then, her phone rang and she hurried into the bathroom where she left it.

"Hello?" she said as she checked her reflection in the mirror one last time.

"Are you as tired as I am?"

She smiled at the comment. "Well, you drank a lot more than I did, so you might have me beat."

Chelsea met Andrea Walters several months ago while at work. Andrea specialized in marine biology and there were a few occasions when Chelsea needed her help to decipher some odd test results. When she first moved to San Diego, she was so devastated over what happened with Raven that she pretty much buried herself in school and work. She had a few dates here and there, but ultimately she kept to herself. Andrea was the first person that she truly felt a connection with. She was easy to talk to and they immediately hit it off. It didn't hurt that she was nice to look at with pretty blonde hair and clear blue eyes. Chelsea and Andrea were taking things slowly, but as time went on they grew closer. Last night they had gone out with a group of friends for dinner and drinks.

"Have dinner with me tomorrow night? Just the two of us," Andrea asked softly.

"Okay," Chelsea agreed easily. "What time?"

"How about seven?"

"Sounds good. See you then."

With a happy sigh, Chelsea finished putting on her earrings and left for work.

Raven had never been to San Diego before, but it was a beautiful city and she was pretty sure she would have no trouble getting used to it. Her interview had gone wonderfully and now she was on her way back to her hotel. The job was as good as hers and she was set to have dinner with her future boss later. Although the interview only required one day, she had booked the hotel for three days, deciding that she could use a mini vacation and some time to scout different places to live. She also knew that it would give her some extra time to decide whether or not she would contact Chelsea.

As she made her way into the hotel room's kitchenette for a bottle of water, she wondered how life had been for Chelsea since she moved away. Did she love her job? Did she ever think about or miss their friendship? Was she seeing anyone? She hoped the answer to the latter question was no.

One thing she never told Eddie was that she had actually gone out on a date with a woman once. It happened about three months ago while she was attending one of Donna Cabonna's fashion events. She quickly struck up a conversation with the young woman named Lauren Cooper who was also a designer. She had long, dark brown hair, deep blue eyes, and a beautiful smile. Raven felt an immediate attraction to her and before she knew it, she was agreeing to have dinner with her.

It was strange at first, considering she had never dated a woman before, but as things progressed she found herself becoming more comfortable. After a few dates and a few chaste kisses, they realized that they worked better as friends. They were both constantly busy with their careers, but they usually found time to get together every couple of months and catch up. Raven never told Lauren that she was psychic. It was still a secret that only her family and very close friends knew about.

There were a few hours to kill before she would be expected for dinner, so scooping up her purse, Raven decided that some shopping was in order.

"I had a great time tonight," Andrea said as she and Chelsea left the restaurant. It was one of a handful of dates they had with just the two of them.

"Me, too," Chelsea smiled. Andrea grabbed her hand as they walked to Chelsea's car. "Maybe we should start doing this more often."

Andrea grinned and leaned in for a slow kiss. "I think you're right."

After arriving at the car, they shared another kiss before saying goodnight. Chelsea watched as Andrea walked to her own car and then drove home with a satisfied smile on her face.

The next two days passed slowly and Chelsea was beyond tired after putting in extra hours at the lab. Kicking her heels off as soon as she entered her apartment, she dropped down onto the couch and sighed. Two of the samples she had collected the previous week had been compromised due to a technician's carelessness and now she would have to get new ones. The mishap would set her back at least two weeks.

Chelsea closed her eyes and smiled as she stretched her tired body out along the couch. Her mind wandered to her date with Andrea the previous night and she couldn't wait to see her again.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt the weight of Ginger landing on the cushion next to her. She lazily petted the cat, who gladly soaked up the attention, when suddenly there was a knock at the door.

"Who in the world could that be?" Chelsea asked as she moved the cat to the floor and stood up. Running a quick hand through her hair, she pulled the door open and gaped as she looked into the eyes of Raven Baxter.