Beau walked into the speakeasy after tying up her horse and making sure he would get some food and water. When she walked in, all the chatter and bustle stopped. Everyone just stayed where they were and stared at her.

She kept her hat low, seeing that she had been crying most of her journey—or trying to not to cry most of her journey—so the crowd could barely see who had just walked in.

She plopped down and a shot was slid down the bar from the other end to her. She didn't care what liquid she was about to down, she just wanted to feel nothing as fast as possible. She threw it back, and when she slammed the shot glass back down on the bar, everything picked back up.

The bartender slid her beer, "Hiya, how ya doin' Beau?" He asked.

Beau didn't do or say anything in response, she just drank the entire glass in one drink and slid it back to him. He knew what this meant. He poured her another round and called to the hallway upstairs, "Megan sweetheart?" A woman turned and looked down to the older man, "Will ya do me a favor? Will you go get Lilah? Tell her Beau is here."

Beau sat there and drank from her glass, still not saying anything, and soon a commotion started. Lilah came downstairs, gracing everyone with her presence. She was the prettiest working girl around, and everyone wanted her, but hardly anyone was allowed to have her. So, needless to say, all the men began hooting and hollering, trying to get her attention.

"Alright, alright!" She yelled at them, "That's enough! Go 'bout yer business." Beau felt hands slide from her shoulders down her arms, then a body press to her back as the hands clasped together around her chest, "How 'bout we go upstairs, Sugar." Lilah whispered into Beau's ears and kissed her neck once. "That sound good?"

Beau nodded, still not speaking..not trusting herself to speak and Lilah led her up by taking her hand and pulling her along. "Sweetie, what's wrong?" Lilah asked as she shut and locked her door.

In response, Beau took the back of Lilah's neck and brought her in for a rough and urgent kiss. She made mad work at Lilah's clothes as she walked them to the bed. After getting Lilah's dress off, she pushed her on the bed then settle on top of her. Lilah had raised brows…she had never been treated this way by Beau before, but she wasn't gonna lie…she kind of liked this side of her and was curious where this was going. So she let Beau do to her what she wouldn't let any man do…she let her be as rough as she wanted.

A few hours later, Beau was completely naked sitting on the edge of the bed, staring out of Lilah's now open window at the moon. The off white top sheet was haphazardly curled around her body, only managing to actually cover her left thigh. She sighed.

Lilah was smoking a cigarette, leaning against the headboard on the other side of the bed. She stared at Beau's back. "Beau?...You gonna tell me what's wrong, or just grunt at all my questions?" She finally spoke after having given up talking during their first round.

"I don't know…" She tried to start talking, but looked down and took a ragged breath, "I don't know what I did wrong…" She said, not even daring to turn towards the other woman.

"What you did wrong when, Sugar?" Lilah asked as she tapped her cigarette before taking another puff.

"With Miss Alley." Beau began turning, but changed her mind and just shifted on the bed. She scoot more towards the center and pulled her feet up so she could wrap her arms around her knees.

Lilah understood now, "You fell fer a woman that don't like you? That you cain't charm into liking you after finding out that you are in fact a woman too?" She asked. Then grinned and took another puff, "I never thought I'd see the day…" She shook her as she exhaled the smoke from her lungs. "Then again," She said after a moment of thought, "I also never thought I'd see the day when Little Beau House fell in love at all…I just figured you'd never settle…like the rest of yer brothers."

"Naw, the rest of my brothers all have ladies now too…Miss Alley taught 'em, taught us how to court a lady and we all was…'cept now I ain't."

"Who is this Miss Alley?" Lilah asked.

"She's our cook." Beau said, "House decided we needed to eat good food, and he went and got us a cook."

"So she's just a lonely lady up there on yer farm with a bunch of men…" Lilah shook her head, "My what the folks must be sayin' 'bout her."

"They ain't sayin' nothin' but nice things!" Beau turned and spat heatedly, "Cause she's a nice person! She's beautiful and kind and she ain't no whore like you if that's what yer implyin'!" Beau vociferated.

Lilah raised her brows, "So I'm just a whore; some girl you come to, to, to..to what? Fuck? You honestly believe that?" Lilah asked. She didn't get a response from the other woman, "Maybe you should go on home. Go back to yer family and come back after you finished your manner lessons with Miss Alley" She spoke as if she were higher on the totem pole than Beau and Ally..Beau maybe, but Miss Ally was the tippy top to the metaphorical pole. Still she continued on, "There's the door." She pointed.

"Naw, Lilah please." Beau began begging, "I ain't got nowhere else to go." She got off the bed and walked to Lilah's side, "You know you ain't just a whore. You're my…" Beau swallowed, "You're my best friend." She looked away, "Please don't make me go."

"Fine." Lilah said in the same calm and cool manner she had told Beau to leave. She put the butt of her cigarette in an ashtray on her nightstand, "Come on back to bed."

Beau slid back into the bed, and Lilah began doing what she did best: Seduce and fornicate.

~0~

The next morning Beau was crying again…this time though, she felt like vomiting. She felt like she took advantage of her friend, and like she was homeless. She couldn't very well go back home and face Miss Alley…and she and her family were so antisocial that she didn't have anywhere else to go except for where she was…in Lilah's place of work, getting a free fuck.

"Beau?" Lilah looked at the brunette woman as she came out of her personal bathroom looking very refreshed and very ready to do her job. Beau could only stare, "I know you don't wanna go home, but you cain't stay here all day…I gotta work. Come back this evening 'round eight, kay?" She asked as she opened her door for Beau to leave.

Beau got up made sure she had everything and went downstairs to spend the day drinking. That night consisted of pretty much the same thing…sex and thinking. The next day she felt even more guilty…she only knew one thing at that point: She needed to go back home and see Miss Alley…

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

In an odd way as Beau and Thirteen came back to the farm, she felt refreshed…despite that she was anything but. She had just finished fixing Thirteen up with water and food when her brothers all came running into the barn.

"Did you see Lilah?"

"How's Lilah?"

"Is Lilah just as good as she always is?"

"You were gone longer than usual!"

And more sentiments were given as she finished up with Thirteen. She had a smirk on her face and rolled her eyes as she began her daily chores. "Come on now…Y'all know I ain't gonna say nothin' just like always."

They all gave her hugs before filing out…except for her eldest brother. He just stood before her with crossed her, "Ooh, girl! You are in a heap o'trouble, and I swear if you run her outta town, I'm'a throw your ass on the street. She's a good girl and she don't need anything you're selling and you know that." House said in a protective tone.

He had always used that tone to protect her; he had never used it against her…until now. She nodded and looked down, "I know. But House! You don't understand!"

"What don't I understand? She's a woman fer the takin' and you just wanna take. You wanna take her more than the rest of us—"

"I love her!" Beau tried to match his height to show how serious she was, "I'm in love with her. I ain't gonna never hurt her like you think I'm gonna." Beau said with a lump in her throat. She clenched up and looked down as she spoke.

"Shit." Was all House could say in response.

~0~

An hour or so later, Allison began ringing the dinner bell. She had heard them exclaiming and calling at her. She even saw a glimpse of the brunette, but that was all. She set a place for her and told Foreman and Chase to sit on either side of her. She didn't speak to her at dinner and barely grunted a greeting home from her trip, then retired to her bedroom early.

She was getting ready for bed after reading some of a novel she loved—really she was trying to figure out what was going on with her and why she was so mad at Beau…and so jealous of Lilah. She heard a tap-tap-tapping on her second story window and looked up to see Beau sitting on a tree branch outside. She got up, covered herself and walked to open it, "Beau! What are you doing?" She asked in a soft whispering voice, not knowing if any of her brothers were around or downstairs or anything.

"I wanted to see you." She shrugged sitting back on the thick tree branch.

Allison paused and stared at Beau who was staring right back at her, "Well…you've seen me, now get out of that tree before you fall and hurt yourself."

"Okay." She said as she climbed into Allison's room.

"WHAT? What are you doing? Get out!" Allison's voice was still soft, but very, very harsh.

"No Miss Ally." Beau stood her ground, firmly planting herself so that Allison couldn't move her. "Miss Ally there's something you need to know about me." She said.

Allison finally stopped trying to push her and looked up at her, hearing the seriousness of her tone, "When I get mad or angry or anything, I tend to run west to meet up with a friend of mine named Lilah. Now, I know it sounds bad, but it ain't as bad as it sounds…Lilah is a trollop. She, uh," Remy scratched the back of her head, "She makes me feel better when I'm down…but she didn't make me feel better this time. She made me feel sick. I felt sicker and sicker with each hour that passed and I hadn't seen yer face. Miss Ally…I love you."

"No you don't." Allison said with a shake of her head.

"Oh yes I do." She said with insistency.

"You're just a kid. You don't know what you're talking about." Allison responded.

"I know that I love you. I know that it's the realest love I ever felt…and I felt a lot of love from and fer differ't women and you…you's got the kind that I want in return. That my love equals." She said as she took Allison's hand.

Allison jumped and looked down, "Let go of my hand." She said with venom that masked her true feelings.

"Yes ma'am" She said as she bowed her head and took a scared shitless step back.

"I'm packing my bags tonight, and I'm going to ask one of the men—the real men—to take me back to town in the mornin'." Allison said, in indication that this conversation was over.

"Oh, no, ma'am!" Remy had tears in her eyes, but knew that her brothers needed Allison more than herself. "Please stay!" she pleaded, "I'll leave. There are plenty of places I can find work at. Just…please don't leave my brothers…not cause of me." She said.

Allison crossed her arms and didn't say anything. They stared at each other for a while before Allison nodded and Remy nodded back before climbing out of her window.

She went to her own small cottage, packed her essentials, went back to the main house quietly, wrote a note to each of her brothers, went to the stables, got Thirteen ready and with a trot back to look into Cameron's window and a happenstance look from the blonde who had been looking at the stars, she was gone.

AN: I know, I know. "You took forever and now you pulled them even further apart! I bleeping hate you!"….I'm sorry! I just…hakuna matata! You know me! I could never keep these women apart! I love them being together too much. I'll let you know right now…there will be at least some action in the next chapter…

Please R&R!