It occurred to Brenda, as she mounted the steps to Sharon's house, that she'd never really seen the interior. Sharon moved through her house as though it was as familiar as her own, but, as Brenda pressed the doorbell twice, she realized she'd be hard pressed to locate the bathroom, let alone the wine in the kitchen. Her reverie was cut short as the door swung open, and Sharon ushered her in. As she closed the door, Sharon hooked an arm around Brenda's waist, and pulled her close, kissing her gently. Brenda sank into the sensation of their lips moving softly in rhythm, and she looped her own arms around Sharon, pressing their bodies together tightly, sighing as their tongues touched. All too soon, they broke for breath.

"Hey." Brenda whispered, leaning her forehead against Sharon's.

"Hey indeed. I hope you're hungry. I got off work earlier than I expected, so dinner is almost ready." Sharon moved back, twining her fingers with Brenda's.

"Starved. I was so mad after that meeting with Delk, I just forgot to have lunch. So I haven't had anything to eat since this morning."

"Anything?" Sharon raised a bemused eyebrow.

"Well, okay. I had a ding-dong. And some twizzlers. But that hardly counts as a proper lunch, now does it?" Brenda huffed.

Sharon laughed, and turned to the kitchen. "Come on. You can open the wine and let it breathe while I finish up."

Brenda followed, her eyes soaking in everything. The house was bigger than she'd expected, with expansive windows providing a view of the PCH, and the water beyond. The walls were wood paneling, painted white, and there were exposed beams on the roof. Her furniture was inviting, but spoke of money, a large cream settee, with matching chairs, a low, glass topped coffee table. The art on the walls surprised Brenda. It had never really occurred to her that Sharon would be into anything beyond your basic couch painting, but the pieces adorning the walls seemed to be real art, not things you could buy at Rooms To Go. She shook her head at the big screen TV, and frowned when she didn't see the blinking numbers of an programmed VCR.

"This is a nice place, you've got here." She murmured, the cherry wood floor smooth beneath her shoes.

"Thanks. I'm fond of it. A little oasis in the otherwise chaotic existence of one Sharon Raydor." She snorted, the sound closer to bitter than amused.

Brenda focused in on the other woman, but Sharon was crossing the threshold into the kitchen, and Brenda couldn't see her face. She decided to let it hang for now. The kitchen was just as bright as the living room had been. Large open cabinets adorned the higher parts of the wall, and the counters were fancy, quartz, maybe, or that Corian kind that Fritz had been so excited about. An island took up the center of the space, and Brenda blinked twice, because it seemed to have its own sink. Glancing around, she realized that all of the appliances matched, and the pulls on the drawers were the same matte stainless steel. It shouldn't have surprised her, the almost surgically clean feel to the kitchen. She'd seen Sharon's desk, after all, and her car didn't even have an errant gum wrapper in the console, so the meticulous placement of counter appliances, and knife blocks should have been expected, but Brenda still felt slightly out of place.

"Are you going to stand there and gape, or are you going to open the wine, Brenda?" Sharon's voice cut into her thoughts.

"Oh, right. Where would I find a corkscrew?" She replied, taking the opportunity to glance around once more.

"On the island, above the wine rack." Sharon gestured with the paring knife she held.

"All right." She found the corkscrew, and set about letting the wine breath. There were stools here, near the island, a light unfinished wood. She perched on one, and watched Sharon move around the kitchen. It was so different than watching Fritz, or even her mama cook. Sharon was a study in grace. Her limbs moved with a fluidity that sent heat searing through Brenda, as she watched her Captain chop something…radishes, perhaps, into fine slivers. The sure movement of her hand, the flexing of the tendons in her wrist. Brenda was mesmerized. Sharon set the knife aside, and scooped the red bits of vegetable into a large bowl, already packed with greens, and other colorful veggies. Brenda groaned inwardly. Salad. She leaned her chin in her hand, as her eyes followed Sharon from the counter to the oven. She watched as Sharon pulled the door open, and basted something that smelled heavenly.

"What are you making?" She asked, breathing deeply.

"Balsamic beef with caramelized onions, roasted root vegetables, creamy garlic mashed potatoes, and a surprise for desert." Came the slightly smug reply.

"How on earth did you have time for this?" Brenda asked, incredulously.

"I swung by the house on my lunch break, and tossed the beef in the marinade, and did the few things that needed to be done ahead of time, for desert. The rest is just a matter of chopping and timing. That's all. " Sharon shrugged,

"Well, it smells delicious." Brenda said, leaning over to peek at the wine rack at her knees.

"It's nice to have someone to cook for again." Sharon's voice carried that same odd tone, and Brenda caught her eye.

"Is everything okay?" She reached out, laying her hand over Sharon's on the counter.

"I just got a call from my son, that's all. He wants to go spend Christmas with his frat brothers at some tropical something, instead of meeting up in Park City like we always do. And it's not as though I begrudge him the freedom, but my parents are getting on, and I worry that each holiday will be the last." She pursed her lips, and spun back to the salad, giving it a vigorous toss.

"Oh, Sharon. I don't know what to say…I'm not a parent, and I refuse to ponder the mortality of my parents, but, maybe you could come to a compromise? Charlie, my niece, is in her freshman year, and her winter break is about 2 weeks. So couldn't you ask…" Here she trailed off, realizing she had no idea what either of Sharon's children were named.

"Jeff." Sharon supplied wryly.

"Couldn't you ask Jeff to spend the first bit of his break with his little friends, and then meet up with y'all on Christmas Eve? That way, he gets to do the things that boys do in college, and you still get your whole family to the dinner table on Christmas day."

"It does occasionally astound me, how your mind works." Sharon swept across the room, and settled herself between Brenda's legs, pressing their lips together.

"I'm not sure if I should be flattered, or offended, Cap'n." Brenda replied breathlessly, when the kiss ended.

"Flattered. A certain Chief I know taught me that flattery and flirtation will get you everywhere." Sharon smirked, moving to the cabinet and fetching the wine glasses.

She poured, exactly half glasses, for each of them, and propped herself on the stool next to Brenda.

"Dinner should be ready in about 10 minutes. How was the rest of your day?"

"Really? How was my day? We sound like an old married couple already." Brenda laughed, taking a sip of merlot.

"It only counts if I don't listen to your reply. Otherwise, it's a perfectly valid date question." Sharon reproached, primly.

"Well, I spent a good part of it trying to murder Delk with my mind. I just ended up with a headache. Then I thought about needing to tell Pope. Which made the headache worse, and that's when the ding-dong's came out. I took Joel to the groomers, because he looked too fuzzy. They say he's depressed, and so he's not cleaning himself as much as he should. Whoever heard of a depressed cat?"

"They do make kitty Prozac." Sharon offered, hiding her smirk behind her wine glass.

"I think I might have to relinquish custody to Fritz. He's more maternal than I am."

"Paternal, perhaps?"

"No. He's a mom. He just doesn't know it. He's not happy if he doesn't have someone to take care of. Why are we talking about my ex?"

Just then, the timer beeped shrilly, and Sharon rose swiftly, moving to the oven, and removing two pans, expertly depositing them on the dining table trivet. The places had already been set, and so the two women carried their wine glasses, and the bottle, into the room with high ceilings, and a china hutch that took up almost an entire wall. The table was light wood, covered with a summery yellow cloth, the dishes an ocean blue. Brenda got the sense that the whole house had been inspired by the beach. As Sharon portioned out the food, Brenda kept a roving eye, noting the low buffet, that seemed to be made from driftwood, and the artwork on the walls appeared to be exquisitely painted birds, egrets, herons, and other birds that reminded Brenda of her southern home.

Taking the first bite of beef, Brenda couldn't help the small sound of pleasure that escaped. Sharon smiled a bit, and gestured to the dish.

"The secret is caramelizing the onions."

"I'll never tell, as long as you promise to keep cooking."

"Deal."

For a while, the only sounds were silverware clinking against the cheerful plates, and soon, the meal was consumed. Brenda stood, intending to help clear away the plates, but Sharon pressed on her shoulders, leaning in, and whispering. Her words left Brenda blushing, and stationary. Sharon stacked the plates quickly, and carried them into the kitchen. Brenda could hear her moving around, and though she was grateful that Sharon had made a surprise desert, she was thrumming from the suggestive words echoing in her ears, and she wasn't sure how much longer she could stay put.

Sharon returned, carrying a small plate, with something chocolate on them. Brenda thought it looked like ice cream, but it didn't seem to be melting.

"Close your eyes, and open your mouth." Sharon husked, kneeling in front of the younger woman.

Brenda obeyed, and Sharon spooned a morsel of triple chocolate mousse on a dark chocolate base into her waiting mouth. Brenda swirled the flavors around on her tongue, feeling the chocolate spike through her system just the same as arousal, and her eyes snapped open. Snagging the spoon from Sharon, she mirrored the spoonful of mousse, and as Sharon swallowed, Brenda caught a fistful of that dark hair, pulling her into a kiss, tasting wine, and chocolate, and desire on Sharon' s tongue. Brenda stroked the sensitive flesh of Sharon's lower lip, raising a hand to sweep over the crest of her breast, and she knew that it was going to be a very, long, night.