Kelsey Rose: Hi! Yay! And yada yada. It's almost Valentine's Day. Heeheeeee.

Tracy: We had, like, 95 percent of this chapter finished the DAY after the last one, I swear. It just took us a few weeks to get the last page together! And that it is, baby. Hehe.


It was hard to pull herself away from Shelley's hold, and she gave her another soft smile before leaning in again, placing a gentle kiss on her lips. She couldn't even begin to convince herself to care that they were on the sidewalk still, and could easily be seen by anyone who happened to wander down this street. This rare moment of tranquility between them was too great to sacrifice.

"This is how it should be, you know, with me and you?" She whispered the words to her, her fingers playing lightly upon the neckline of her dress, "It's so much better like this." Her face flushed a little, but she didn't move to pull away. Her hands caught Shelley's again, curling her fingers around the other girl's, holding their hands together. "I don't like fighting with you all the time, Shel."

Shelley was still hesitant, given their current placement outside. She kept that characteristic serenity and poise as she let Amber take hold of her hands, but she never once pulled away or denied her. Watching Amber in pleasant silence, she coiled her fingers against the palm of the blonde's hand and blinked her eyes slowly, as though she didn't know what to say in response to what she had said. In actuality, it was exactly that, but Shelley's face never gave any sort of hint to it. Instead, she sighed quietly and tightened her grip on Amber's hand.

"Amber," She said, her voice still low as she debated her choice of words.

Amber watched her with wide blue eyes, narrowing them slightly in question.

"What?"

There were a million different things that Shelley could have said, but almost all of them made her shy away. She averted her eyes for a moment, and then glanced back towards Amber, her eyes deceptive to how unclear she actually felt.

"You're staying over at my house tomorrow night," She said simply, her eyes narrowing much like Amber's as she surveyed her with an extremely vague sense of fondness in her eyes. Even though they had just had a fierce blowout and fight, she was determined, for once, to not let her anger get the better of her like it did everyday.

Amber let a grin slip across her face, and nodded.

"Okay," she agreed easily, her voice still quiet. She clutched Shelley's hands, swinging them slightly. Her teeth chewed lightly on her bottom lip, still watching Shelley's eyes. "I'd love that."

She dipped her head a little, placing another quick kiss on her cheek.

"I should probably get back upstairs." The words hurt her to say, even, but she kept her eyes locked on Shelley. She wanted to say so many things; wanted to offer to completely abandon the two girls in her bedroom, and ask Shelley to take her, wherever it was she was going from here. She smiled a little, nodding encouragingly at her, "I can't wait until tomorrow."

From the time she placed the kiss on her cheek, Shelley had simply taken to standing. In public, she always had difficulties being open and affectionate with Amber; it was really nothing new, because that was how it had always been. It was just how she was. She would still try to dominate the situation, while still backing off to a certain degree, if she was able.

"Mmhm," She mumbled softly, before nodding her head to Amber. "See you tomorrow, Amber," Her voice was distant as she turned her back, her fingers unenthusiastically brushing over the cigarettes in her coat pocket. She denied herself one as she got into her car and sat there for a moment, watching Amber silently. Shelley stayed like that for a second before averting her eyes, starting the car, and driving off, leaving Amber to do whatever she pleased with those two wannabes. She just had to get away from there, and continue to pretend that it didn't make her crazy with jealousy.

Amber couldn't push the smile from her face as she made her way across the street, and through the front door of her house. She took a moment to herself, in order to place the roses in a vase, and let the heat fade from her cheeks as she did so. Once the roses had been placed safely in the vase, she carried them carefully up the stairs and took a moment to let her smile fade before making her way into her bedroom. The girls stood staring at her, their eyes wide, and she offered them a tight smile.

"Well. Now that that's all taken care of…" she placed the roses absentmindedly on her dresser, wiping her palms on her skirt, trying to ignore the burning blush that remained in her cheeks, "What did I miss? Any good gossip?" She perched carefully on the edge of the bed, but the two girls remained standing by the window, their arms held behind their backs.

"Uh, Amber," Lou Ann spoke after a long moment, her eyes darting suspiciously towards Tammy, then back at the blonde, "What the hell was that?"

Amber blanched suddenly, swallowing hard, and tucking her legs beneath her on the bed, pulling her skirt over her feet.

"What was…" she paused, looking expectantly between the girls, "what?"

Tammy continued to stare, in shock, at Lou Ann, her eyes still wide from what she had seen. She honestly had no idea what to say, especially when something as unexpected as that had just happened right before their very eyes. Nudging Lou Ann gently with her arm, she stared over at Amber, trying her hardest not to let the look of disgust get too out of hand on her expression.

"You know," Tammy said softly, "whatever that," She glanced blankly towards the window before looking back to Lou Ann, and then Amber. "was."

Amber swallowed hard, letting her tongue dart out to wet her lips before chewing on her bottom lip, the heat rising in her cheeks as she watched them.

"Oh, that," she waved her hand dismissively, "No, that was just…that was something we do, you know, it was just…" she felt her heart beginning to pound in her chest, and shook her head, "no, that wasn't what it looked like."

"Really?" Lou Ann asked suddenly, glancing at Tammy again, making no effort to move towards Amber or the bed, "Because it looked like you and Shelley were…" She sneered suddenly, shuddering in disgust, "Were you… kissing her, Amber?"

Amber's mouth dropped, and she shook her head quickly, shifting uncomfortably on the bed.

"No! No, I told you, it wasn't-"

"We're not blind," Lou Ann cut her off, "We saw the entire thing."

"We saw everything," Tammy shuddered, as well, her eyebrows lowering as she stared at the blonde. Alike Lou Ann, she wasn't keen on moving so close to her, not after what they had just witnessed. "Amber, what was that?" There was a pause, and then, "Besides being absolutely disgusting!" She shrieked slightly and softly in horror at the mental images that ran through her head, and then narrowed her eyes unbelievably at Amber.

"I…I don't-" Amber shook her head slowly, her mouth suddenly as dry as cotton, "It wasn't…I mean, it-"

"Is that why you asked us to spend the night here?" Lou Ann shrieked suddenly, her eyes growing even wider, "Amber, we're not…" she glanced at Tammy, a disgusted sneer upon her face, "We're not… lesbians, even if you are. That's disgusting."

"No!" Amber shrieked suddenly, her eyes growing wide, brimming with tears. She stood quickly, and both girls scattered, pushing away from her as she neared them. "I didn't! I'm not…I'm not one of those!"

"Right," Lou Ann sneered, "You just kiss girls because you have nothing better to do?" She rolled her eyes meanly, "I'm not staying here tonight. I don't want to sleep in a room with a lesbian, do you, Tammy?"

Tammy kept her eyebrows furrowed as she looked from Amber to Lou Ann to Amber, and then finally back to Lou Ann again. She had scrambled away from Amber alongside Lou Ann, her mouth wide in disbelief as she stumbled over what to say, or do. Pausing momentarily after Lou Ann asked the question, she began biting the inside of her mouth before backing up.

"No," She said, her voice very low and timid. "No… of course I don't!"

Lou Ann looked towards her, then shook her head quickly.

"I didn't think so. Come on, Tammy, let's go." They began to gather their things, their heads dipped low as they attempted to shove their belongings back into their bags.

"Girls, you don't have to go," Amber begged them suddenly, her cheeks flushing crimson, "Really, you don't!"

"Right," Lou Ann snapped at her, standing suddenly, jerking her bag onto her shoulder, "Cause you wanted to make a move on us? You're disgusting, Amber." She turned suddenly, eyeing the roses, then looked back to Amber. "And you're a liar, too! Did your nasty girlfriend bring you those?" She looked toward Amber quickly, then lashed out with her hand, knocking the vase onto the wooden floor, shattering it into millions of pieces.

Amber gasped suddenly, and looked up at Lou Ann with tear-filled eyes.

"Fine! Get the fuck out, then, both of you!" She felt the rage boiling beneath her skin, and pushed Lou Ann suddenly, causing her to stumble on the glass before pushing Tammy's shoulder as well, "Just stay the hell away from me!"

"Don't worry, we will," Lou Ann vowed from the hallway, as Tammy scurried after her, her lips pursed tightly together. As the two girls were making their way towards the front door downstairs, they paused in mid-step at the sight of Shelley pushing the door open and readjusting her coat. The redhead stared up at them maliciously, her expression challenging either one of them to try anything.

Lou Ann sighed, rolling her eyes before pushing past Shelley and heading down the steps. Tammy was slightly hesitant, but followed after Lou Ann, clutching her purse to her as they scurried down the sidewalk, muttering to themselves.

In her bedroom, Amber knelt on the floor, tears stinging her eyes. She used her fingers to pick the large pieces of glass off the wood, letting them fall into a wastebasket before pushing herself from her knees. She moved toward the open doorway, intending to make her way to the kitchen to retrieve the broom. She sighed softly, chewing on her bottom lip in a desperate attempt to push the tears back from her eyes, though when her eyes fell upon Shelley, her face flushed darker, and she swallowed hard. Her initial reaction, despite the fact that she knew Shelley would be upset that they had been seen by the girls because of Amber's stupid actions, was a mixture of fear and shame. She lowered her eyes suddenly, horribly ashamed of the fact that the flowers she had given her only moments before were now laying in a watery mess on the floor.

She crossed her arms over her chest, her blue eyes brimming with tears. Her teeth chewed on her bottom lip, and she shook her head, unable to meet Shelley's gaze.

"I know…" she said softly, her voice already breaking, "I'm sorry."

Shelley stood there in silence for a few moments. She had her assumptions, and with the girls gone so quickly, she could only speculate even further. Sighing somewhat, she dropped her hands to her sides and slowly advanced towards Amber. She stood before her, her eyes looking her over.

"Amber, don't say you're sorry," She directed her firmly, one of her hands moving to rest against her own hip. "You're not sorry, and I'm not sorry. You, of all people, should know that."

Amber nodded a little, though couldn't raise her eyes to look at Shelley.

"I need a broom," she said the words softly, her eyes grazing the floor, "They…" she paused, swallowing hard, then bent to pick up the roses, stroking them gently with her fingers, "Lou Ann broke my vase." She blinked back the tears, then finally allowed her eyes to meet Shelley's. "I didn't mean for this to happen."

Staring down at the roses on the floor, she mulled over something constructive to say. Shrugging her shoulders, she glanced back at Amber and narrowed her eyes.

"Don't cry," She stared her down, her gaze unwavering. "You're letting those stupid girls get the better of you. You're a Von Tussle," Shelley brushed past Amber, keeping her back to her. "Show some backbone."

Amber pursed her lips, crossing her arms over her chest, letting her gaze drop to the flowers again.

"I need a broom," she repeated, letting her feet carry her downstairs to the kitchen. She grasped the handle, carrying it back upstairs with her. Once she reached her doorway, she allowed herself to study Shelley's profile before kneeling to sweep the glass into the dustpan, emptying it in the wastebasket. She stood then, crossed her arms over her chest once again, and frowned.

"These flowers are going to die," she observed quietly, then glanced back at Shelley, "Why did you come back?"

"I thought I left something," Shelley stated plainly, her shoulders falling in another shrug. She turned back around to watch Amber as she continued to sweep up the broken pieces. "Don't worry about them," Her voice was inexpressive and almost uncaring as she stared the fallen roses over.

Amber glanced up at her, her eyes dark.

"I do, though," she said softly, looking at the flowers sadly, "It's not every day I get a gift from you, you know. Especially not for an apology." She paused for a moment before smirking and taking another step closer to her, "You know something?"

"They're just flowers, Amber," Shelley looked at her in sarcastic skepticism, and then quirked an eyebrow as she began to edge towards her. "What?"

Amber turned the rose around in her fingers, careful to avoid the thorns, and glanced up at Shelley, smiling rather coyly as she moved even closer.

"We may regret them seeing that kiss in the long run," she said softly, then lifted the flower, brushing its soft petals against Shelley's lips before leaning closer. "But right now, I'm glad they're gone."

Shelley stared at the flower uncertainly, and then watched Amber with a new, veiled curiosity. Letting her nose wrinkle slightly from the feeling of the petals against her lips, she managed a small smirk, and then tactfully snatched the rose from her. Grasping Amber by the wrist with one hand, and then on one hip with the other, she pressed her lips heatedly against hers, while letting her hand travel slowly and deliberately up her side, the fingers curling occasionally.

Amber let herself melt into the kiss, goose bumps pricking her skin as Shelley traced her fingers over her skin. She sighed a little, happily, as she felt Shelley's hand on her hip. She smirked, returning the kiss, then shifted slightly, encouraging Shelley to move towards the bed.

"Sit," she encouraged her softly, somewhat reluctant to break the kiss at all.

Shelley went with Amber's physical instructions, and slowly backed up towards the bed. Sustaining her hold on the other girl, she sat down with the blonde, her mouth still ravaging over Amber's in an intensely passionate kiss. All of her frustration, anger, distress, and uncertainty spilled out into this one, single, affectionate gesture, as her hands moved all over Amber's flawless, slender, and curvy body, her fingers running over her with warmth practically radiating from their tips.

Amber giggled softly as the back of Shelley's knees hit the bed, and she pushed her back gently, smirking at her as she came to rest beside Shelley on the bed. She rested on her side, leaning in for another kiss, her fingertips dancing along Shelley's sharp sides. She sighed softly, her hand coming to rest on Shelley's side as their mouths ravaged each other in the type of kiss that only Shelley herself could give Amber. It was the kiss she thought about when Corny's mouth was upon hers, the only kiss she ever really thought about.

"I'm glad you came back," she whispered softly, her eyes meeting Shelley's, as she broke the kiss to catch her breath, her fingers skimming Shelley's sides lightly, "I missed you."

Shelley continued to smirk, especially as her teeth gently bit down on Amber's bottom lip and pulled at it for a few, playful seconds as Amber began to pull away. Combing her manicured fingertips through Amber's silky, blond hair, she kept the other girl as close to her as humanly possible.

"Mm," She concurred, her eyes narrowing slightly. "You, too."

Amber smiled softly at her, her fingers curling against Shelley's side as she placed another deep kiss on Shelley's mouth. She swallowed hard, pulling back, only to gaze at the redhead.

"Do you remember the time we were here," Amber began her voice quiet, "And we were fighting about something, and I found that spot right behind your ear?" She giggled softly, her fingers reaching out to lightly stroke Shelley's hair, "You instantly became putty in my hands."

Shelley huffed softly, a vague smirk still playing on her features.

"Don't act so smug about it, Von Tussle," She purred mischievously, her fingertips brushing against the skin of Amber's arms. "Anyone could've found it," Shelley went on to say, as she pressed her lips against Amber's neck, where she then began to nibble at the skin and kiss her affectionately.

"Yeah," Amber rolled her eyes playfully, "You keep telling yourself that, Shelley." She received the kisses, smirking before raising her head, allowing Shelley to kiss the skin on her neck. She stayed that way for a moment before leaning over slightly, allowing her lips to kiss the previously mentioned place on Shelley's neck. She sighed softly, using her hands to brush Shelley's hair out of her way.

"You're delicious," she smirked seductively, allowing her body weight to press against Shelley, "You've always been my favorite dessert, Shel."

"Right," She scoffed quietly, and bit her lip at the feeling of Amber's soft lips against her neck. Sighing softly, she ran her tongue over her lips after a moment, and then allowed one of her hands to travel down the length of Amber's side, until it reached her hip. Once there, Shelley drew Amber to her, and then kissed her again, her tongue trailing over Amber's lips before slowly venturing into Amber's mouth to challenge her to a fiery dance of sorts.

Amber moaned softly, returning the kiss, her hands traveling to cup Shelley's face. She had been waiting for this kiss for so long; it had been far too long since she and Shelley had been like this, together in bed, and the knowledge of being in her arms again was almost too much for her to stand.

"Oh, God," Amber pulled back slightly, moaning a little, pressing her forehead against Shelley's, grinning slyly. She worked her fingers into Shelley's, entwining their digits and shifting a little to keep her eyes locked on Shelley's face. She opened her mouth to speak, but her voice wouldn't come. Her tongue darted out to wet her lips, and she swallowed hard, still watching her face.

"Shelley…" her voice was so quiet that Amber wondered if Shelley had even heard her at first, but she let her fingers stroke the soft skin on the other girl's cheek, "I need to tell you something."

Finally, Shelley felt as though she could let go. With every kiss, touch, and advance that Amber made her on, she returned it, and in full, with absolutely no hesitations. When Amber did, in fact, interrupt the kiss, she moaned softly in protest, but then shared her gaze, her pale eyes resolute. Resting her hand on Amber's hip, she looked into her eyes questioningly.

"What?"

The word was a simple one, but Amber knew that her response would be, quite possibly, the hardest answer she'd ever given. She suddenly regretted saying those words, and wondered if she could ask the other girl to forget the entire conversation, and go back to kissing. She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment, her fingers never straying from Shelley's cheek. She stroked the skin there softly, the hopeful smile slipping from her lips as she studied the redhead's pretty face.

"Shelley…" she said her name again, her voice breathless now. She clenched her jaw, her eyes suddenly dark and narrow, though more from sheer concentration than anything else. She took a moment to collect herself, closed her eyes, then looked back at Shelley. "I just…I can't deny it to myself any longer." She blinked, pursing her lips slightly, "I love you."

Throughout the silence, Shelley furrowed her eyebrows once more. She honestly didn't expect much of the answer. She expected Amber to tell her something insignificant, like what a boy said, or what someone else did, or something of the sort, never in a million years did she even begin to imagine that it would be something like that. As soon as the words left Amber's mouth, Shelley's eyes reopened, and her mouth parted slightly in surprise. She swallowed, her stomach sporting a painful bundle of knots as she forced herself to look at Amber.

Suddenly, she had no idea what to say; and this wasn't just one of those typical loss for words, this was a grave and even life-changing situation for her. With her mind reeling, she pursed her lips, and hurriedly pushed herself up and off the bed. Her eyebrows were still creased against her forehead, and she didn't even bother to glance back at Amber as she snatched her coat, which had been tossed at the foot of the bed during their move, and stood.

"I'll see you," She muttered quietly, her hands visibly shaking as she threw her coat back on in a frenzy of shock and implicit emotions. "whenever," She shrugged her shoulders, evaded the roses on the floor, and promptly left Amber's room. Shelley couldn't believe what she had heard, and the words replayed in her head over and over again, as she tried to shove them aside as though it had never happened. Amber had, for the first time in years, caught her completely and utterly off-guard. Even now, she didn't know what to say. However, even she couldn't deny the definite and piercing pain in her chest. Somehow she felt just leaving Amber there wasn't the appropriate response, but there was nothing she could do about that now.

Amber was more than slightly taken aback by Shelley's sudden departure, and she furrowed her brows, her stomach twisting into knots as she watched her disappear from the room. She rested against the bed for another moment, then scoffed, pushing herself off the bed and into the hallway, catching sight of Shelley just before she descended the stairs.

"Shelley!" Amber's voice was shrill, and she tried not to think about the sudden pain in her heart at the idea of Shelley simply abandoning her after such a heartfelt confession, though there was no time to dwell on that now. Tears burned her eyes, and she furrowed her brows in a desperate attempt to contain her emotion, "Damnit! I said…" she chewed on her lip for a moment, her voice soft and low, "I said I love you, Shelley."

Shelley had cringed as soon as she heard Amber following after her. Narrowing her eyes again, she kept her back to Amber and listened painfully as she repeated the words back to her. That same pain struck her heart, and she could only glare at the wall in retaliation. Biting the inside of her mouth, she turned sharply around to stare at Amber, a settled look on her face.

"Then, I highly suggest that you stop."

Amber stopped in her tracks, her mouth dropping open as Shelley said those words. She tried not to let the hurt reflect in her eyes, and pursed her lips, furrowing her golden eyebrows at the other girl. Her hands curled into tight fists at her side, and she began to retreat slowly, taking an almost involuntarily step backwards.

To say that her words stung were an understatement; it was undoubtedly the cruelest thing the other girl had ever said to her. She began to shake her head slowly, still moving away from her.

"Okay," Amber nodded, her voice barely above a whisper, "Okay, fine. Then get the hell out of my house, and don't even think about ever stepping foot back inside. Take your fucking roses, take your damn card, take everything you've ever fucking given me," she stooped to pick up one of the abandoned roses that rested in the doorway of her bedroom, and tore the petals from the flower, letting them drop and crushing them beneath her feet. She narrowed her watery blue eyes back at Shelley, her face flushed pink, though no longer because of her flirtatious mood.

"I would tell you to give me my heart back, but it appears that you've already done an amazing job of breaking it."

Shelley narrowed her eyes spitefully, her lip curling back again slightly.

"Don't be such a goddamn drama queen, Amber," She said contemptibly, her pale eyes glittering with a dash of something that not even Shelley could understand. Her chest was hurting, but she couldn't tell if she was just imagining it, or if it was indeed happening. "Things are getting too complex and blown out of proportion. And you need to stop blaming every little thing that happens in your miserable life on me, because it sure as hell isn't my fault."

In actuality, Amber knew that not everything was Shelley's fault. In fact, more than anything, Shelley was the sole reason she usually convinced herself to get out of bed in the morning. Fighting, or loving, with her was the one thing that kept her going when nothing else did. And still, she couldn't bring herself to tell the redhead that all of the tears she'd cried in the past several months, they were all because of her, in one way or another.

Instead, Amber bit her lip, so hard that she felt the bitter sting, then the hint of blood in her mouth. She nodded twice, her eyes locking on Shelley's face. She had learned the hard way that the only way to prevent herself from crying was to focus on a particular object.

"Fine." Her voice had dropped several decibels, and her mouth was dryer than cotton. "Then get out. And I swear to God, I never want you to come back here again."

Shelley stared at her in silence for a few seconds, and then turned her back to her, her shoulders falling in a careless shrug.

"Good," She began, her voice low, as well. "You don't have to tell me twice," Shelley virtually hissed the words as she started off, down the hall. She just had to get out of Amber's house. It disgusted her to even be here right now. She wasn't sure where she wanted to go: home, the park, some shop downtown, or elsewhere; and, in all honesty, it didn't particularly matter, so long as she didn't have to look at that sorry, stupid look on Amber's face anymore.

Amber stood glaring hatefully at the back of her head as she went, her eyes burning with tears that she simply could not let fall. She had shown her spineless side to Shelley one time too many, and this would be the last. She swallowed hard, curled her fingers into tight fists, and spun on her heels, stomping her way back into her bedroom. She slammed the door shut, though for what reason, she didn't know. Her mother wouldn't be home for hours, if she even decided to come home at all tonight. Privacy was not an issue in this household; Amber had more privacy than a person could ever desire.

She felt the swell of emotion in the back of her throat before a painful sob tore through her. Her eyes could suddenly take no more, and hot tears began to stain her cheeks. She wiped them away angrily, hating herself for this, especially for the one thing she had vowed never to do; the one thing that made this so much more painful than she could handle.

More than anything, Amber suddenly wanted to destroy something. She needed to be able to physically release her anger, her hurt, her devastation. Her eyes fell immediately upon the card Shelley had given her only a short time ago, and she curled her fingers around the paper. Her heart pounded, and she had every intention of destroying that card, ripping it to pieces just as Shelley had torn her heart.

It took her another moment, but she couldn't bring herself to tear it. Even if it was generic, and signed with only an insincere copy of Shelley's name, it was something. It was more than she would probably ever get again, and this thought forced her to shove the card under her pillow before collapsing on her bed, letting the sobs tear through her body unabashedly.