The day started out like any other day. There was nothing different. She was clocking in good time with her work, and by the looks of it, she would be ahead of schedule. Her sleaze ball of a boss was still making googly eyes at her, hoping to one day get into her pants and fulfil his fantasy of 'sleeping with a lesbian'. Even the smells of the room was the same. Her favorite essential oils – Rosemary and Sandalwood – burning in the background.

Yes, today was like every other day. Except it was Thursday. When once upon a time, she had looked forward to Thursdays, she now groaned at the thought of having to end the day there. She made excuses the past few weeks to skip the gathering at the Planet, but today… she had to be there. Kit had made sure of it.

She had no more excuses. "It's Jenny's birthday, and if you don't come to the party, I'll personally come down to your studio and drag you here!" Kit had screamed. And considering that it was her ex-girlfriend cum best friend's birthday, she couldn't give any ol' excuse not to turn up.

"Maybe a bus will come crashing through." Carmen mumbled to herself, looking around her studio for an excuse.

"Excuse me?" Pete, her assistant asked.

Carmen shook her head and smiled. She knew exactly why she was so reluctant to appear though. There was only one reason. It was a mistake from the start, and she still blamed it all on the alcohol.

With a sigh of despair, Carmen continued to fiddle with some knobs and sliders on the mixer.

"Let's just… forget about tonight…" She did say that. And Shane had replied with a shrug.

"Okay… It's all the alcohol right?"

"Riiight." Why was she so unsure then? Was it really the alcohol?

"No worries… I think your top's dry enough." Shane got up from the cushion and pulled the top off the clothes hanger, she threw it to Carmen still huddled in between the sheets. "I'll take you home. Meet you at the driveway."

Shane walked out of the room, leaving a startled Carmen in her wake. They drove back to Carmen's place in silence, and since that fateful day, Carmen had not seen the gang.

She missed them, her only friends away from work, and it had been rather dull without their laughter. Deep down in her heart, she knew she missed Shane too, the very same person that annoyed the hell out of her. Yes, she missed Shane.

She couldn't see a future with Shane, there could not possibly be a happy ending with Shane. In all the time she had known the elusive player, she had never once seen the woman settle into a serious relationship. Hell, Shane wouldn't even commit to a second date with any of the girls she had slept with.

Nope. There was no way they could be together. Carmen was sure she made the right decision. Instead of getting into a relationship she cared about, and having her heart broken, she would rather pull the brakes on whatever there was and pretend it never happened.

But that was the problem, wasn't it? She cared for Shane, and cared enough to be thinking of a relationship with the woman. Carmen let out a laugh when she thought about how ridiculous this whole situation was, she had become one of the 'stupid girls' that Shane McCutcheon had conquered.


"Okay, what's going on with you?" Pete asked, a little annoyed that Carmen was not concentrating on work. "Boss?"

"What?" Carmen came out of her daze.

Pete rolled his eyes, "The mix?"

Carmen smiled apologetically, she was not in the best of mind to continue the work, and Carmen pride herself on giving her all, "Pete, let's call it a day."

"Really? I get the rest of the day off?" Pete grinned cheekily.

Carmen rolled her eyes and pushed Pete towards the door. "Yes… Take the day off and spend it with Fran. I'll pack up."

Without waiting for his boss to change her mind, Pete almost ran to the door, but he had the decency to poke his head back in and said, "Sure you don't need me?"

"I'm sure… just go." Carmen waved her assistant away.

She was still tidying up the work file when she heard a soft knock on the door. "Pete… Leave before I change my mind and make you do paperwork."

"Hi."

Carmen turned, startled that the person at the door was not Pete. It was Shane.

"What are you doing here?"

Shane shrugged. "I'm tasked to bring you to the party."

Carmen nodded knowingly, "Kit's idea?"

Shane flopped herself down onto one of the chairs. "Actually, it was Jenny's idea. She hasn't seen you in a while."

Carmen nodded again, and turned back to her computer, concentrating on saving her work file on her hard drive. She could feel Shane's gaze burn into the back of her head, and felt heat rise to her cheeks.

Finally, after an eternity of silence, Shane sighed, "Look, I know you are avoiding me. I came to tell you that you didn't have to do that."

"I'm not…" Carmen started, but when she turned back to see Shane's face, she turned many shades of pink that her bronzed skin couldn't hide. She quickly turned back to the screen again.

"Carmen…"

"Okay… I'm all done. We can go now." Carmen powered down her laptop and stood to pack her bags. "Could you wait at the reception area, while I pack?"

Shane eyed Carmen, and walked out of the door without a word.


As Carmen strolled out to the reception area, she spied her boss eyeballing Shane. Looking completely unaware, she continued to flip through her magazine and occasionally stopped at some dull article to read.

'She looked beautiful.' Carmen sighed.

The boss, spotting Carmen at the hallway, made his way towards her. "Going out? Finished the mix?"

"Nope… But I still have time." Carmen smirked at him. "Relax your balls, Gil."

Gil nodded in Shane's direction, "New girlfriend?" He said it too loudly, loud enough for Shane to look up from her magazine and put it away.

"No… Er…" Carmen stuttered.

Shane strutted up to her and put her arms around Carmen's shoulders. Her smile was so fake that Carmen had to stifle a giggle. "Introductions?"

"Er right… Shane, this is Gil… Gil this is…"

"Shane, I'm her girlfriend." Shane smiled at Gil, in such a threatening way that Carmen was sure that Gil got the message loud and clear.

Carmen smiled at Gil, trying hard to make sure it looked 'apologetic' and as Shane led her out of the office door, waved a goodbye to him.

"Thanks." Carmen said when they were well cleared of earshot, "How did you know…"

Shane smirked and opened the door of her jeep for Carmen, "You were telling Bette that one day…"

Carmen was surprised, "You heard? I thought you were making eyes at that waitress."

Shane looked at Carmen with a glint in her eye, but didn't say anything.

They sat in complete silence till they arrived at the club.


"Carmen Morales! Where have you been, stranger!" Alice shouted as soon as she saw Carmen and Shane walk through the door. "Haven't seen you since Helena's party."

Carmen looked around the Planet, and found only Alice sitting at the table. It was still early and Alice was the only one there. "Hello beautiful."

"Hold it there… Dana will get the wrong idea." Alice patted the seat next to hers, and Carmen gladly took it. "So… why are you avoiding us?"

"I'm not avoiding you.." Carmen protested.

"Well, that means you hooked up with someone at the party and uhauled! Spill!"

"I di…" Carmen started again, but decided not to continue when she caught the look Shane was giving.

"HAH!" Alice exclaimed triumphantly. "I knew it! Tell me tell me!"

Carmen rolled her eyes, "I'm gonna get a coffee… Shane?"

"Black."

Carmen nodded and left the table. As soon as she was gone, Alice attacked Shane, "So… did you see who she hooked up with?"

Alice scrutinized Shane's face and found it to be hiding something, "Oh my god, you did see who she shacked up with. Man, I'm dying of curiosity."

Shane turned her eyes up lazily at Alice, "Yes… I know who she hooked up with. And I also know that she isn't dating that woman." She grinned, "But I think all of that will change soon."


It was a good party. Jenny invited the entire world to celebrate with her, and at the moment she was sucking faces with her new girlfriend on the dance floor. Carmen was enjoying herself. This wasn't like Helena's boring party, and she didn't need for Shane to keep her company. Not that Shane had tried anything, Carmen thought with a frown, Shane hadn't even so much as approached her direction.

No… Shane was…. busy somewhere… out of sight. Carmen strained her neck to look for the elusive Shane, dreading, yet hoping, that Shane was in a corner, making out with some new girl from the block. She wanted evidence for herself, that she didn't mean anything. She needed proof, and needed to get rid of all her hopes once and for all. 'And stop acting like a blubbering idiot!'

But she couldn't find Shane, she looked and looked. She saw Jenny and Nicki in the middle of the dance floor, swaying slowly and sensually to the music. She saw Dana and Alice, sitting in the swing chair – Alice's legs thrown over Dana's – laughing and chatting with each other, occasionally stealing a couple of kisses. She saw that Bette had her arms around Tina's waist, and their were leaning in the corner of the club, lost in each other. She saw Helena, freed of her high-society manners, dancing wildly with a dyke by her side. She saw Kit yelling out orders, and she saw everyone else in the room having fun. And yet, she felt like she was missing something from her life.

A big bull dyke approached her, giving her simple little wink, "Hey ya, do you like your women strong?"

Carmen smiled politely at the bull dyke, but averted her eyes. The bull dyke did not get the hint. "So I see you looking the entire night. Looking… and now seeing… me."

"Er… No." Carmen came out bluntly to say, and for good measure, added a helpless shrug, "Sorry."

The bull dyke changed her tactic, and tried to chat Carmen up in another way, "I see that you are alone…"

"She's not alone," a voice came up from behind Carmen. Carmen smiled, keeping her eyes on the bull dyke.

Shane took the seat beside Carmen and leaned in close to the bull dyke, so close that the dyke could see the menace in her eyes. She lifted her arms up in surrender and left.

"Shane, my knight in shining armor. Always on hand to rescue me." Carmen laughed.

Shane leaned back into her seat and grinned. "I've got something for you." With that, she took out a rose from behind her, and handed it to Carmen.

"For me?" Carmen swallowed, staring in disbelief at Shane.

Shane took a huge swig off her drink, and jumped up, "Dance with me!" She held out a hand to Carmen who was so shocked she didn't take it. "Come on!"

"You don't dance." Carmen proclaimed as she took Shane's hand, she allowed Shane to lead her out into the dance floor.

Shane grinned, she pulled Carmen close to her, their bodies touching, sending shockwaves into Carmen's lower abdomen. "No I don't. But you do…"

They swayed with the music, a slow number at the moment. Carmen's lips so near Shane's ear, she had to resist kissing it. When it ended, Carmen tried to pull away, but Shane held her close.

"Shane, what's going on?"

"I just want to dance." Shane twirled Carmen around to avoid answering the question in full.

"Bullshit." Carmen spat.

With another turn, Shane brought her face an inch away from Carmen's, "Why are you so upset?"

Aghast, Carmen breathed out, "I'm not upset… I'm… I'm…"

In the middle of the dance floor, the music had changed into one of strong beats and techno, Shane still guided Carmen in a sway, "What are you afraid of?"

"I'm not!"

"Carmen… I was looking… and looking… and now I'm seeing…. You."

"What are you saying?" Barely a whisper, so soft Shane could have swore she was hearing things…

"I'm saying… I like you."

"But you don't do relationships." Carmen turned her face away from Shane's, still swaying out of tempo to the music.

"There's always a first…"

"But you don't even like me…"

Shane threw her head back and laughed. And she laughed till Carmen got annoyed and tried to pull away again. "Ever notice how I'm always around?"

Carmen gasped. And Shane sealed her lips with a kiss.

A kiss that was once too many.