Okay. For those who don't follow me on twitter, I asked if you rather want me to update that small chapter with a cliffhanger, or wait until I wrote the whole thing after I finished it (and who knows, when that wouzld be). So, more of you out there rated that I should 'bring it on' and so here we are.
I hope you like it still. Please let me know what you think. BTW you peepz are just the best. I recieved so much great feedback for this story, I don't have words to descirbe how happy that makes me. So, thank you all soooo much!

Also special thanks to my beta and wife :*

Here we go:

Chapter 17

"What just happened?"

Bo stared across the room at the door her Boss just went through. The flashes of light coming from the TV threw weird shadows on the walls.

The brunette ran the top of her tongue over her lips absentmindedly. She could still taste the blonde's toothpaste on them. A shaky hand went through her still slightly wet hair.

Inside of her head was a storm of thoughts bursting. She could almost feel them smashing against her brain's front lobe.

"What in the name of Bloody Mary is wrong with you, Bo?"

She hated Bloody Mary's. She hated tomato juice. She so, so hated celery. And she especially hated vodka in tomato juice with celery. But what she hated most, was the fact that she was angry at a cocktail she couldn't even blame for her moment of unresponsiveness.

The brunette was pacing up and down along the couch, hitting her forehead twice and raking her finger's through her long, brown tresses, dangling wildly around her head.

"Ouch! Motherf…., argh!"

Bo stopped walking and held her small toe. She must have hit the corner of one of the couch's feet.

Holy pain!

However that happened, it somehow rebooted the shock-stated brain of hers.

"Butter my butt and call me a biscuit. Ah!"

A last soothing stroke of her hand over the pounding ache, she straightened up and stretched the muscles in her neck and shoulders.

"You can do this. No problem. Just… you know, do it!"

After another few seconds of pep talk, the brunette focused on the blonde's bedroom door.

"Okay!"

Walking across the room with one hand on the top of her head and the other one shaking nervously in the air - as if it had fallen asleep and needed to be woken up - the brunette made her way in front of Miss Lewis' quarters. Squeezing her eyes shut, she took a deep breath before she decided to lift her hand off of her head to knock against the dark wood.

And she waited.

If she thought, she had been nervous before, she must have been mistaken, because the longer she stood there in the spotlight of the sitcom, that was still running in the background, the wobblier her legs became and the more her heart rate increased. Maybe she didn't knock loud enough. So, she tried again. And again.

"Lauren?"

Her voice broke through the silence and the brunette was surprised about how strong it sounded, because how she felt right now was anything but strong.

She felt like summer camp nineteen ninety-six, when she was standing in front of her best friend's tent after their first big fight, waiting to apologize. Again. Yes, it was Bo's fault that Kenzi's skin was blue, but it was just ink in sunscreen and it was freaking funny, until the color wouldn't go off - even with soap - and Kenzi looked like Smurfette for another week or so. Bo was really sorry and apologized a hundred times. They were kids, okay? Kids sometimes act without due consideration and whoever maintains the contrary, lies!

Leaning her ear against the door she tried to listen to anything that would tell her if her Boss was still alive in there. Just because the only rational explanation for not hearing the, well, rather desperate hammering, was death. Simple as that!

The brunette was pressing her body flat against the wood. She could feel its coldness through her shirt.

Nothing. She couldn't hear shit.

"Argh!"

Bo pushed herself off of the door. At least that's what she wanted to do, when the hard barrier fell away suddenly and she lost her balance…

"Woah!"

…and landed on the ground with a thud.

"Oh my God, Bo! Are you okay?"

Well, yes!

But the fact that the blonde called Bo by her first name and the way she was bent over the brunette with her hands searching for potential fractures or at least a wound was just… arousing!

"I don't know."

"Are you hurt?"

Bo really, hand on heart, had a hard time concentrating.

"I don't know."

"Can you get up?"

Helping the brunette first into a sitting then a standing position, the blonde's arm wrapped around Bo's waist protectively while her other hand steadied the brunette's forearm. They walked towards Miss Lewis' bed and sat down slowly.

Her Boss turned sideways and switched on a little bedside lamp. Bo had to shut her eyes for a second surprised by the brightness. When she opened them again she looked into her Boss' concerned gaze. A warm hand was carefully placed on each side of Bo's face.

When those whiskey brown orbs were scanning the brunette's face and neck and hairline, while soft fingertips brushed carefully over all those sensitive spots to make sure everything was the way it's supposed to be, the brunette felt so many things, that she could burst into a thousand pieces by the full monty of emotions bubbling in her body.

"I cannot see any lacerations or abrasions."

The blonde took her right hand off of Bo's left cheek. The other one was still holding the brunette, as if Miss Lewis was afraid Bo could otherwise fall again any second.

How can you be so good?

"Follow my finger with your eyes."

First to the left, then to the right.

"Okay! Good."

"Ah, damn. Where did you get the flashlight from?"

The blonde was shining a bright yellow light first into Bo's one, then the other eye. Blinking, the brunette tried to turn her head sideways, but was stopped by that gentle but firm hand on her cheek.

"I always have one close by. Now, don't move and look straight ahead."

Bo did as told. The blonde had a proving glare into each eye. There was so much care and worry in her Boss' look that the brunette could hardly breathe.

"What exactly are you checking me for?"

Bo managed to speak up quietly. She was afraid, that if she didn't let out some words, that steam cooker of emotions in her belly would explode from the pressure it had built up. No one had ever put that much effort into finding out if the brunette was alright.

"Con-cussion."

Her Boss stretched the word absentmindedly while taking her time examining.

"I didn't fall that hard."

The blonde continued her observations.

"Better safe than sorry. Can you turn your head?"

Bo nodded.

"Well, then. Show me."

With a soft sigh Bo turned her head left and right and back to face the woman in front of her who was still slightly on edge.

"Any pain?"

"Uhm, no?"

"Was that a question or an answer?"

Bo took a shallow breath. She wasn't sure if her body was even capable of feeling anything else but the blonde's soft touch on her skin and the ferventness growing on the inside.

"Uhm, no. No pain."

The blonde nodded. Without further explanations she got up and went out of the bedroom door into the main area.

"Wh-where are you going?"

Bo could hear some rustling noises and jumped up to follow her Boss. When she walked around the corner of the doorframe, she collided with the blonde, who was holding an icepack in her left hand.

"Oomph."

Bo had to steady herself by holding on to the blonde's shoulders. Her Boss' free hand reached out to grab the assistant's front of the shirt to not fall backwards. They were silent for a while, just looking into each other's eyes without moving a muscle.

With every inhale, Bo smelled the sweet scent that was Miss Lewis. The brunette's chest touched the blonde's with each breath she took and with every passing second Bo's hands were more aware of what they were holding on to. She could feel the sharp bones of Miss Lewis' collarbone underneath her cotton shirt and flashes from basically every dream Bo had ever had staring the blonde ran through her head.

Some of them even started like that.

The brunette just realized they had to be about the same hight, because the tip of their noses almost touched.

There was no sound in the room but the orchestra of Bo's heartbeat and the quick intakes of Miss Lewis' breath, which was loud enough to fill the brunette's ears. Her Boss' cognac brown eyes seemed almost black in the dim light and the way they were running over Bo's face to her lips and back up fanned a fire in the brunette's core.

"I, uh, I just got some ice for, for your forehead. You have a…"

The blonde had a hard time controlling her vocal cords to form the words she wanted to say. She cleared her throat before she could continue her shaky explanation.

"You have a small bump on the side of your forehead."

Bo had a half smile on her lips.

Oh boy. How can you be so adorable?

"I do?"

"Mhm."

The brunette nodded.

"I just… got some ice."

The blonde lifted the small bag she was holding in a tight grip. The brunette followed her Boss' gaze over to the plastic sack.

"Yes, you said that."

Bo's right hand moved along her Boss' shoulder, over the strong muscles of the upper arm – that the brunette was staring at way too often within their night out – to lay her fingers on top of the blondes' around the plastic. Turning her head back to the woman so close in front of her, Bo saw her Boss' eyes glued to her lips again.

This moment was by far the brunette's most favorite one of all times and yet again, Bo was thinking, that special moments in life should have some kind of soundtrack. A song that starts playing in the background suited to the situation. Like in a musical, or a movie, or a musical-movie. Yeah, what? Bo was woman enough to admit, that she watched Moulin Rouge once or twice. She's still a badass! Even wonder woman had her moments. Just saying.

Standing like this, holding the blonde like this, that's what paradise must be like. The feeling in Bo's stomach had grown from butterflies into giant waves of pure desire and her body was more aware of the other woman's presence than ever before.

Yeah, Bo didn't think that that was possible either!

The tension between them was basically as thick as the amazon rain forrest was wide – not that Bo had an idea of measurements – and there was just one thought in the brunette's head.

"I wasn't prepared."

The blonde's eyes shot up from where they were lingering to look questioningly at the brunette.

"Uhm,… prepared?"

"Earlier. When you… you know? Kissed me."

Miss Lewis' gaze sank, as did her hand that was still holding Bo's shirt.

"Oh, yes. Uhm, sorry. That was… out of place."

A soft apologetic smile formed on the blonde's lips when she tried to step backwards. Bo's hand slid off of her Boss' shoulder unwillingly and the brunette already missed the warmth. Before Miss Lewis could slip out from underneath Bo's fingers still holding the bag, the brunette pulled the other woman back and placed her hand on her Boss' right hip. A surprised gasp escaped the blonde.

"That's not what I meant. What I meant was..."

Bo shook her head and looked sideways out the window to find something else, anything else to concentrate on than Miss Lewis.

Focus!

"I meant, it was… just very unexpected and I was just too, you know, perplexed and just not in my own body at that moment and just… using the word just way to much when explaining myself, sorry."

A nervous chuckle escaped the brunette.

What kind of Xena the warrior princess are you, Bo? Where's your confidence?

Confidence? Most likely at the same place where her self-control and coolness were. At some beach, in the sun, drinking margaritas, decorated with this little umbrellas and some piece of lemon on the rim of the glass, which didn't really come with the drink per se, but it made it look so much like vacation and Bo had to freaking control her thoughts a bit better.

She tried to steady herself with a shaky intake of much needed air. Bo was gathering all the courage she could find in that lake of edginess in her guts and she really didn't know why the word lake let to thinking of those stupid fishing trips with her dad right now. Stupid lake! Stupid trips! Stupid fish!

So much for controlling thoughts, thank you very much.

Seconds passed before Bo's eyes found their way back to her Boss' face again. Bo's hand, which was wrapped around the icepack moved its way to loose blonde hair that fell alongside Miss Lewis' cheek. The softness underneath the brunette's fingertips when she played with the lock was overpowering and Bo had that urge to run both of her hands through the tresses.

But instead she managed to stroke the single strand of hair back behind her Boss' ear and laid her hand carefully back on the blonde's shoulder. All the while, Miss Lewis didn't move a muscle. She simply watched and Bo had never thought that undivided attention could be so damn erotic.

"Anyway."

The brunette's voice was nearly a whisper. She was too afraid that any sound could break that spell they were under.

"I was wondering."

Bo's eyes wandered over her Boss' cheekbones and nose and lips back to those deep dark orbs she could easily get lost in.

"Would you kiss me again?"

A loud bang echoed through the room, which startled the two women out of there embrace-like state. Looking down to their feet, the brunette found the plastic bag full of ice laying next to the small toe she had hit against the couch earlier.

Bo had her hand on her heart which pulsated fast in her chest, like a race horse speeding down the track.

"Oh boy! That almost killed m-…"

The brunette couldn't finish her sentence. She was stopped by her Boss' gaze when she looked back up again. There was so much determination in those eyes, Bo had never seen before. In one swift move Miss Lewis grabbed the assistant's back of the neck with one hand and the small of the brunette's back with the other and within milliseconds Bo found herself pressed against the blonde's body from chest to toes.

"Me."

Bo finished before Miss Lewis started to lean forward slowly. Centimeter by centimeter their faces came closer, staring into each other's eyes. The fire in Bo's belly spread out and was now tickling the flesh where Lewis' skin touched the brunette's. When her Boss' nose brushed along Bo's, she closed her eyes. Her tongue moved over her own lips waiting for what was about to come.

But nothing happened.

Bo opened her eyes to find Miss Lewis staring back at her. When did she move her head backwards again?

"I need to know, that this is what you want. That you won't run away or freeze again."

The brunette placed her hand on top of her Boss' hand that was holding her neck.

"Lauren, I want this. I want this so much."

The blonde's eyes moved from Bo's brown orbs down to her waiting lips. The brunette watched her Boss' features and could make out the inner monologue the blonde was having. She knew the blonde well enough by now – since as her driver Bo had quite some time to observe, or study, or, well, stare! – to tell when her Boss was trying to figure out what to do next. A quiet sigh left Miss Lewis' lungs when she rolled her eyes up to the ceiling.

"Good grief!"

It seemed as if the blonde's inner debate was running out of arguments and Bo didn't know if it was the pros or cons that had the upper hand. Brown eyes were glued to every little sign, even the smallest hint when out of nowhere the space between the two disappeared and warm, soft lips crushed against Bo's mouth.

The brunette's free hand shot up into the air out of surprise and a small gasp escaped Bo's throat. After the first wave of astonishment ebbed away and the brunette was back in control of herself, she relaxed and leaned into the touch. That free hand hanging in mid-air easily found its place on the side of the blonde's head. Bo's other hand moved to its favorite spot on Miss Lewis' shoulder.

Bo tilted her head slightly to the side when her own mouth slowly started moving. The pressure the blonde had used to finally stop overthinking and jump into action faded away when Bo carefully took a hold on the other woman's lower lip. For a second the time stood still. They stayed like this for another moment before the brunette broke the contact to leaned backwards just enough to look at her Boss' beautiful face.

The blonde's eyes opened ever so slowly. Bo was searching for an answer to her unspoken question in those hazel browns and when she saw the same passion in them, that the brunette was feeling, a smile spread over her face.

Without another second of hesitation Bo closed the distance between them and joined their lips again. This time the brunette put more force into her actions. Her hands went into blonde hair and brushed over cheekbones and slid over jawlines and played with whatever skin they could find.

Bo was in trance and she liked it. She liked it a lot.

The brunette's teeth took a soft hold on the blonde's lower lip and when the warm tip of Bo's tongue danced along the delicate flesh, she could feel the blonde melting into her very touch.

The brunette wasn't aware that they had moved backwards until her calves hit something soft that made her loose balance and she fell on the blonde's bed. The bedside lamp was still shining brightly and threw a spotlight on the woman in front of her.

Miss Lewis was standing at the foot end of the king-size bed looking down at the assistant with a fire in those cognac brown's Bo had not expected to find. She had never seen that much want, that much concupiscence directed at her and she had had a lot of lovers in her life. Although, lovers sounded a bit too, well, deep. More like sexual partners. Not that Bo thought that this would go any further than it had already gotten, but when she looked at her Boss, at the raw fervor in her eyes, all the air in her lungs disappeared.

Bo put her weight on her elbows and watched as the blonde walked around the bed and laid down on her side facing the brunette. Leaning her head on her hand, Lauren just stared at Bo.

Lauren.

Was it okay to say Lauren again? Well, she said it before and it was fine but that was then and now is now and one never knew when it came to Miss Lewis and who would have guessed Bo could be nervous in a situation like this. It was Bo we were talking about here. She knew her way around in bedrooms or living rooms or backseats of cars or, anyway…

"I don't…, you know, expect anything, Lauren."

Where the heck did that come from? For the record, usually she expected a hella lot more than this and saying the contrary was weird and uncharacteristic for the brunette and she decided, she didn't want to dig any deeper into what she actually felt for the blonde right now.

All she could wrap her head around in that moment was how the blonde's gaze held that shine whenever their eyes met and how great it made Bo feel to be looked at like that. The brunette watched those whiskey brown's move to her lips again and Bo really, really wanted to have Lauren's lips back on hers and Lauren's hands back on her body and Lauren's hair brushing over her face again.

The hem of Lauren's shirt had moved upwards, just enough for Bo's wandering eyes to find the porcelain like skin of the blonde's stomach.

The brunette acted on autopilot. She didn't mean to but her left hand just reached over. The tips of Bo's fore-, middle-, and ring finger stroked small circles over the exposed hipbone and over the velvety skin of the blonde's belly.

The brunette was lost in the moment. She didn't think, just lived out what she had wanted to do for so long.

Her hand moved further over the shirt's fabric to the edge of the blonde's ribcage where Lauren's left hand was laying. Caressing over the back of her Boss' hand, to her wrist, along her forearm. When Bo finally snapped out of that fantasy-world she was in, she could feel the heat in her face. She must have been beet red.

Don't expect anything. Yeah, right Bo.

"I'm so sorry."

As if she burned herself, Bo's fingers stopped touching the woman next to her. The brunette was about to take her hand back to her side when Lauren caught her in mid-air. Looking down Bo found Lauren staring back at her with so much lust and desire and want and that fire in the brunette's core sent a heat wave through her body.

Bo's eyes grew wide as they watched the blonde move up from her spot and over the brunette to place herself on top of Bo. One of the blonde's legs found its way between Bo's. Lauren was holding herself up on her arms looking down on a flummoxed brunette. When the blonde moved her leg upward, to find a more comfortable position, she hit just the right spot. The brunette took in a sharp breath and closed her eyes for a second to maintain control over her vocal cords.

I will not moan. I will not…

But when the blonde laid fully on top of Bo, she just couldn't hold it back anymore. It just has been way too long, okay? Bo had needs and those needs just weren't satisfied with self-service any longer. She craved the touch of another person. Hell, who was she kidding. She craved the touch of just one person. And that person was now spread out all over Bo.

"I'm sorry, did I hurt you?"

The blonde jumped up on her arms again, scanning Bo nervously.

"Oh gosh, no."

Bo finally managed to open her eyes again. Smiling at Lauren, she grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her back down.

"You have no idea how long I've been fantasizing about this."

And Bo caught Lauren's mouth in a soft kiss. She could feel the blonde's smile on her lips and when Lauren pushed down harder against Bo, she was sure she could see stars dancing behind her closed eyes.

Cliffhanger... at least some what... :D