Disclaimers:

We don't own any characters although it would be nice to borrow them sometime.

This is not really a science fiction, so the effects of any future technological advances are minimized - for all we know, Katie could have cloned Jessie.

Rating: A couple of love scenes, but nothing really smutty

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CHAPTER 6: The Cabin in Vermont

STOWE, VERMONT

Later That Afternoon

Jessie took out the last remaining grocery bags from the red Ford Explorer to the cabin by the lake. She co-owned this cabin with Grace and Zoe; it was in a pristine development near some of the best ski resorts in the Vermont area. Sometimes, Eli and his family would spend a week in the cabin, and Grace and August usually stayed for 2 weeks around January for their annual family ski vacation, but mostly, Jessie drove up alone whenever she could find the time just to read and talk to the locals in town and walk along the lake. She had never missed an autumn without driving up to the cabin. And spring was equally pungent, with the smell of magnolia and fresh pine permeating the logs.

It was almost dusk, as they did not leave Boston until early afternoon. Jessie passed by Bread and Circus to pick up some groceries for the weekend, things that they would not find in the local stores in Vermont. Katie picked up her things and SUV from the Ritz and spent a good portion of the drive up on some conference call with some diplomats and economists all over the world.

Jessie drove Katie's SUV, which was equipped with the latest GPS map and video-satellite telephone. Occasionally, Jessie glanced at Katie who was busy punching numbers in her laptop before arguing some more against the latest reduction in oil production proposed by OPEC. Once in a while, Katie would scream something in Arabic, then French, or so it seemed to Jessie, and she could not help but smile at the intelligence and resolve of her friend. Katie still kicked butt.

"Helen, I am turning off my mobile phone now. Please don't call me…" Katie playfully said to her secretary before throwing the phone at the back of the vehicle.

There were several bedrooms in the cabin, some of them with fireplaces. They had a cleaning person come twice a month to make sure the linens were fresh and the place was clean and the chimneys swept. Jessie put Katie's things in one of the two bedrooms with its own bathroom, while she claimed the other one.

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Katie came down around seven, freshly showered and wearing an oversized sweatshirt and jogging pants. She was still trying to dry her long blonde hair with the Egyptian cotton towel that was neatly folded over her bed, and she saw that Jessie had made the fire and was sitting on the carpeted floor, appearing hypnotized by the embers.

Despite that 3-hour conference call that surely bothered Jessie, she thought, Katie was acutely aware of Jessie's solemn face and sad smile. She knew that face, she always saw it when Jessie was confused and scared. She did not know why Jessie had suggested that they go up to the cabin, but any assurance of an easy reconciliation vanished from her mind when Jessie put her things in a separate bedroom.

Yes, nothing good could ever be so easy, she thought. And the 20 years between them was just that – 20 human years.

She sat across the floor from Jessie and between them was an antique coffee table. It might as well be the Atlantic Ocean, as it seemed that way while Katie examined Jessie's face, still mesmerized by the fire, still looking as sad and confused. And all she wanted to do was to take Jessie in her arms. But it wasn't that easy. She wouldn't, and couldn't. Not yet.

"What do you want, Katie?" Jessie finally said as she looked at Katie, her eyes revealing real puzzlement at this sudden re-emergence after a 20-year absence.

"I don't know, Jess, I don't know why I came and I don't know why I waited so long," Katie answered, her lips beginning to quiver. "What do you want?"

"I want my friend Katie," Jessie answered as she turned back towards the fireplace again. The word "friend" sounded several decibels higher to Katie's ears.

"I am here, Jess. I will always be your friend. I never stopped being your friend," Katie whispered helplessly, now with tears in her eyes as she crawled across that old coffee table that seemed like the great divide, to sit by Jessie's side.

Jessie did not move but turned her head towards Katie who was now seated beside her on the floor, crying softly as tears fogged her eyeglasses. Jessie smiled at Katie and pulled out an old, yellow, folded letter she was keeping next to her. Across the paper Katie could still make out her handwriting "Jessie" hastily scribbled.

Jessie very solemnly unfolded the letter and read softly what Katie had written to her 20 years ago…

"Dear Jessie,

I am writing this letter from Mr. Dimitri's class. I really don't know why you seem so mad at me, but I want you to know that it is breaking my heart. Everyday, I am happy to come to school because I know I will see you and we will spend time together and somehow, the day doesn't seem too long. You have made my life brighter and I never ever want to lose you.

I love you and…"

"Stop," Katie finally took Jessie's hand down and folded the old spiral notebook page back.

"I told you I was going to keep your letter forever, and so forever hasn't come yet as far as I know," answered Jessie, while she took down Katie's foggy eyeglasses and carefully placed it on the coffee table.

And once more, Jessie and Katie were facing each other, their blue eyes filled with tears, as they did in the attic 20 years ago. And Jessie tilted her head towards Katie's face and kissed her softly, like it was the first time she had ever kissed another human being. It wasn't a long kiss, it wasn't any special kiss, but it was almost the same kiss they shared half a lifetime ago.

Katie smiled back at Jessie, and they kissed some more, this time more tender, this time more resolved to recover what ever it was they thought they had lost to distance and time.

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Jessie woke up to find Katie gone; it was almost 5 in the morning. She searched for her robe and went down to see where Katie had gone. In the balcony was Katie, wrapped in a blanket, seated outside.

They were both very tired the night before, both physically and emotionally, and they both fell asleep on the floor. As the fire died down, Katie felt Jessie waking her up and beckoning her to come upstairs. She was half asleep as Jessie led her to the bedroom, she did not even know which one. As she felt her head against the pillow, Jessie kissed her softly and pulled up the blanket while crawling next to her.

"Goodnight, Billie," she sort of heard Jessie say. She smiled, still half-asleep, as she returned Jessie's kiss. And they fell asleep in each other's arms.

"Katie…" Jessie whispered, afraid that if she spoke any louder she would wake up the sun and it would separate them again.

"Ssshh… come here…" Katie motioned for Jessie to sit next to her as she quickly wrapped the blanket around them both. They waited for the dawn as Katie occasionally kissed Jessie's hair as the blonde's head rested on her shoulder.

And just as the sun started finding its way through the horizon, Katie softly whispered to Jessie, "I love you, Billie, I will always love you."

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