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 7: The Jessie Toddy

Later That Evening

Jessie poured the fresh maple syrup into her concoction of fresh milk, locally brewed Irish whiskey, some decaf coffee and a dash of cinnamon, juggled the shaker, and poured some into a tall glass and handed it to Katie. She then proceeded to drink straight out of the stainless steel shaker, which did not escape Katie's attention.

"So I guess this pretty much is my first and last nightcap of the evening," she quipped while pretending to be aghast at what Jessie was doing.

"You don't need more than that. The Jessie toddy is so potent that it will totally obliterate any semblance of sanity from your head you'll forget to ask for more," Jessie said as she put down the shaker on the coffee table and checked the logs in the fireplace.

Katie started laughing as she looked at Jessie and realized that she had a milk mustache, and leaned over the coffee table, careful not to spill whatever's left in Jessie's shaker.

"What?" Jessie turned back and faced Katie leaning over her.

"This," Katie said as she proceeded to wipe the trace of leftover milk on Jessie 's face before she planted a quick kiss on the now milk-free lips.

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Jessie couldn't remember the last time she had such a peaceful day, not boring, not quiet, not content, but peaceful. She and Katie biked down to town that day and walked along the quaint thoroughfare. They had some blueberry pancakes for brunch at "Gilda's" before she took Katie to the farmer's market at the opposite side of town. The town was no more than 15 blocks long, really, but Katie found this parochial setting magical. And Jessie knew all the vendors at the market and they knew her.

They picked up some fresh flowers, mostly blue freesias, some fresh vegetables to go with whatever groceries they already had, and of course, some fresh fruits and anything else that caught their fancy.

"Let me try this," as Katie picked up a tiny piece of candied maple syrup, the size that sellers wanted you to try so you would buy a whole big package afterwards. Jessie waited for her reaction, and before she could ask Katie planted a quick kiss on her lips, making sure Jessie also tasted some of the now-melted candy.

The seller was amused as he watched these two attractive women display so much affection in front of him, even though he thought that the shorter one was visibly surprised at the tall one's sneak attack. But hey, he had seen so much in his 70 years ever since Vermont became the first state in the country to approve same-sex marriages, and he had concluded that happiness was not a monopoly of traditional man-woman relationships.

"We'll take a bag," Katie said, "And a jar of your freshest maple syrup."

"Here's the bag, and the maple syrup is on me," winked the vendor as he handed the brown package to Katie.

"Thanks, Vernon," Jessie called out as they walked to the next stall.

"How about steak tonight, Billie," Katie asked as she examined the portions of Angus beef spread out on the table.

Jessie looked at her narrowly, the kind of look that was ready to annihilate, and then Katie remembered, "Oh, you are still a vegetarian? I thought that after you got your medical degree, you would have realized the nutritional value of carnivorous protein."

"You don't have to have a medical degree to understand the basic flaw in eating animal meat," Jessie looked very seriously at Katie, "You can be a 10-year old and still know that murder is wrong."

"But it's also the law of nature, Jessie. We hunt, we kill, we're part of the cycle and we happen to be on top of the food chain. So, steak tonight?" Katie said, as she pretended to choose a few pieces of prime rib.

Jessie pulled Katie's hand from the meat stall as she admonished, "Well, we are taking ourselves out of the food chain because when another specie more superior than we comes along, I don't want to be dinner."

Katie looked bemused as Jessie led the way, walking through the maze of stalls and shoppers, until they stopped at another store. "This is what we are having for dinner," Jessie said as she examined the different kinds of Vermont cheese wedges spread across the table."

"But cheese is made from the milk of a cow! And that still makes you a part of the food chain!" Katie screamed.

Jessie looked at her, feigning annoyance, and said, "Mothers breastfeed their babies all the time, and babies don't eat their mothers. It's different with milk. It is a product of the body that does not require the death of its producer to make its consumption enjoyable."

"Some mothers eat their young…" Katie pouted before Jessie kissed her cheek very quickly.

They did not get back to the cabin until late that afternoon. They prepared their dinner, something that Jessie put together with several vegetables, lots of garlic and olive oil and served with fresh pasta topped with melted Vermont sharp cheddar. They had some fresh fruits for dessert, all gooey with homemade maple syrup vanilla ice cream, another one of Vernon's specialties.

After they cleaned up, Jessie decided to take a shower and freshen up. Jessie always HAD to brush her teeth and take a shower after supper. It had been her routine since medical school. Probably because supper usually came late and the only way she could stay awake after a meal was to take a shower. Katie took her lead and went to the other bathroom.

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They were still seated across each other with the antique pine coffee table between them, their remaining Jessie toddy on it, their hands stretched out across, holding, grasping each other's fingers, trying to blur where one hand began and the other ended.

Jessie stood up and walked across to sit on the couch while Katie remained on the floor. Jessie put her chin on top of Katie's head all the while caressing Katie's cheeks, once in a while brushing Katie's lips that were ever so ready to give her palm and fingers a quick kiss.

"Billie…" Katie said as she looked up at Jessie.

"Ssshhh…" Jessie just whispered as she kissed Katie's lips.

"Agh, you're breaking my neck," Katie said afterwards, and Jessie started laughing. She WAS breaking Katie's neck.

"Are you done with your Jessie toddy?" Jessie asked as she reached out for her stainless steel shaker and sipped the remaining concoction.

"Not yet, but I will be …" as Katie took her glass and gulped the rest of the toddy, "Now. Boy, that was good! Where did you get that recipe?"

"I invented it," Jessie said nonchalantly as she stood up, taking Katie's hands with her. "I spend a lot of time here by myself, and frankly moonshine just wasn't cutting it for me. Plus Vernon always gives me his best maple syrup."

"Ah, I see. You have also mastered the art of alcohol alchemy," Katie said as she stumbled up on her feet trying to catch up with Jessie.

"Do you want to see my best bartender tricks? I can juggle 3 shakers with three different cocktail mixtures," Jessie laughed as she led Katie upstairs.

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IN THE BEDROOM

NC-17 rating here

Katie was gazing at Jessie as they tried to get some sleep. Katie was supposed to go back to New York the following day and she needed some sleep for the long drive home. The room was dark and they had put some logs in the bedroom fireplace. Despite summer threatening to make its appearance, it was still cold in Vermont in May. Damn, it was still cold all over New England; whoever prophesied the total depletion of the ozone layer was premature, global warming sure hadn't happened. Not in Stowe, Vermont, where it was still supposed to go down to the low 30's that late spring night.

And so they lied there, both staring at each other, their faces vaguely illuminated by the fire in the corner. Jessie did not know what to do – the last person she ever slept with was Katie. She was called many names at Northwestern for not wanting to sleep with anyone but she did not really care. She did not find anybody else interesting enough. She had forgotten this feeling – the tingling all over your body – she actually had come to regard this so-called sensation in medical terms. But a plausible medical explanation for what she was feeling was not enough to diminish its existence.

"Katie," she whispered as she put her hands on Katie's cheeks and kissed her mouth. She felt Katie's tongue meeting hers, and the emotion she was feeling inside was too much, her tears started flowing.

"Billie," Katie whispered, aware of the salty tears which she had wiped away with her lips, "Why are you crying?"

"I don't know… I mean… I never really thought I would ever see you… much less kiss you, again," Jessie whispered.

"Well, you thought wrong," Katie said as she kissed Jessie again, this time more intensely while they felt each other's hands burning… on this cold Vermont night.

Katie moved her hands up Jessie's pajama top, taking liberty with what she found underneath while she felt Jessie's chest go up and down more heavily. She hastily unbuttoned Jessie's pajama top off, moved her lips down to Jessie's breast and began kissing them. Jessie moaned, as she held down Katie's head closer to her chest where her heart was supposed to be. And with her other hand, she reached out to the hem of Katie's pajama top to pull it off.

Katie did not let this minor inconvenience of stretching her arm to deter her from the activity she was tremendously enjoying. Her hand moved to pull down the rest of Jessie's animal-print pajama and explored whatever else she found.

And then they lied there naked, tracing each other's body like a roadmap that they should have taken 20 years ago, breathing heavily into each other's mouth as if their spirits wanted to be free to join each other, every molecule in their body alive and aware of the other. And somewhere in the night, it almost seemed to happen – a very metaphysical reunion of two stars that have wandered the vastness of the universe never knowing but always seeking where the other was. And when this miracle happens, one could not help but be in awe.

And before such a great thing, what else could you do?

"Jessie, please stop crying," Katie whispered, although tears were also streaming down her face as they gazed at each other, feeling unworthy of the joy that overwhelmed them.

"I can't, I can't," Jessie repeated, unable to think much less say anything resembling intelligence.

Katie tenderly kissed Jessie's forehead before turning over to gaze at the ceiling, the light of the moon shining through the curtains. And she smiled and closed her eyes while she continued to hold Jessie's body next to hers, Jessie's arms now flung across her. She was home, she thought. It took her 20 years, but she had come back home.

Jessie closed her eyes too, ready to fall asleep on Katie's arms, feeling all spent and reinvigorated at the same time, a million thoughts and emotions going through her head. She had never felt so happy and peaceful in a very long time. Things were not as simple as they were 20 years ago, and no matter how hard she tried she still could not forget the 20 years between them.

But tomorrow is another day, and tonight they were together. And really, that's all that mattered right now, Jessie thought.

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