See Chapter One for disclaimers.
CHAPTER NINE
Cody sighed as she sat on the plane. The trip to Tennessee really hadn't been that bad, now that she took the time to think about it. Another game, another victory, a whole week away from Jennie...
Well, two out of three.
Matt nudged her elbow, from the seat he took across the aisle. "Bet you'll be glad to get back home to Jennie, huh?" he asked, and the woman grinned, nodding. "How long have you guys been together now, Cody?"
The tall woman didn't even have to think. "Two and a half months," she responded, with a happy grin. Jeffrey's birthday was coming up in just a few weeks, and she was already planning on making it the best day the boy had ever had.
"Way to go, C-girl," he said. His dark eyes sparked mischievously as he continued, "So, have you guys, uh, you know…?" The gestures he made with his hands were unmistakable.
With a low growl, Cody shoved him, and made a move to unbuckle her seat belt, to which the man sat quietly in his seat. "Didn't think so," he responded, very aware of the cold blue gaze that bore a hole through him.
"What the hell did you do, Brunswick?" asked James, laughing. "Oh, man! If looks could kill, Matt, I'm telling you, you'd be dead ten times over right now." He peeked around from his place directly behind Cody.
"I think I'm gonna just turn back around and stay out of this one," he said, when the blue eyes turned to him next, and Cody smiled sweetly, agreeing with his decision.
Although the flight was only three hours long, with air flight being improved since the 20th century, Cody picked up her cell phone, and dialed the number she knew so well.
"Hello?" answered a soft voice, and the grin that spread across the star's face was unstoppable.
"Hey," she said, simply.
"Hi! Where are you?" asked Jennie. She checked her watch. The woman should be on the plane home, if all was right. "Is everything okay?"
"Everything's fine," Cody assured her, used to the small blonde's worry by now. In fact, she found she liked it. "I'm a couple thousand feet above the ground," she replied, smiling. "We'll be landing in just a few hours."
Jennie sighed. "I wish I was with you," she said, and Cody smirked.
"So do I," the tall woman echoed, honestly. "Is Jeff in bed yet?" It was about eight o'clock Jennie's time, and the boy usually crashed twenty minutes ago, if he didn't have his nap earlier in the day, which he had been trying valiantly to do without.
The blonde laughed. "Probably not," she responded. "He's sleeping over at his friend's house tonight, so I really don't think they'll get to bed on time."
"Oh, that's right," said Cody, suddenly remembering that the young boy had been very excited about being able to stay over night at someone else's house, although still a little unsure about leaving his mother.
Seeing the motions Matt was making, she sighed, heavily. "Well, I've got to go kill my best friend, so…" She laughed when the man pointed to himself, looking innocent as could be. "But, I really should go. I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?"
"Okay," said Jennie, yawning a little herself. "Have a good flight."
"I will," Cody said. "Good night, sweetheart."
"Good night, honey," echoed Jennie, and softly hung up the phone. As Cody pushed the power off to her cell phone, little did she know that her manager sat just a seat in front of her, and had a very angry scowl on his face for the rest of the flight, after overhearing Cody's side of the conversation.
The plane landed with no problems, and Cody stepped off, with her duffel bag slung over her shoulder, trying to give the press a quick smile or two as the flashes went off. Everyone wanted to get an interview, since the rumor of Cody's chance at MVP had gotten around, and she had, once again, ensured the team's victory at the latest away game.
To her pleasant surprise, as she glanced through the crowd, and tried to make her way through, a small blonde was seen, standing just outside the fray. With a disbelieving grin, the tall woman dodged people and reporters until she found her, and swept the woman up into a strong hug.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, happily, kissing Jennie softly, as the green eyes brightened upon seeing her.
"You were gone for over a week," said the blonde. "That's too long. I couldn't wait until tomorrow to see you," she admitted, and Cody smiled.
"I'm glad you came," she said, and was going to place another kiss on her lips, when she caught sight of a cameraman, ready to take the picture. Snarling, she took the machine from his hands, and punched a few buttons, looking at the display to see what photos he had taken. Finding two of her and Jennie, she deleted them, and handed the camera back to him.
Raising her voice, she said, "Any one of you that has photos of me, I ask that you delete them. I do not give you permission to produce them." With audible groans, numerous beeps were heard, as the pictures were erased, being able to do that with the current technology and yet not disturb the rest of the film. Also, after many scandals of important people and the like had been released, it was necessary to obey the wishes of the subject - if they didn't object, or said nothing, the press could develop it. If the person said no, however, they had to listen, and remove the evidence from their camera.
Cody really began to appreciate the new law.
What humans saw, however, could not be controlled, and the frown was set deeper in the manager's face as he walked through the airport. He'd have to have a talk with Cody sometime about that woman.
Sometime soon.
"Come on, James!" shouted Cody, as she ran after the man, both of them crossing home plate, the tall woman almost tumbling over him. "Shit, James, you've got to run faster than that!" she cried, and he glared at her.
"Hey," he said, in his defense, "you've got more momentum pulling you forward than I do." At the confused eyebrow that was raised, he continued, with a forced straight face, "You're top heavy."
To his surprise, he was not hit. Cody just replied, "Oh, that's right. I keep forgetting you don't have any boobs. Or anything else, for that matter. Sorry." James scowled at her, miffed at having his own joke thrown back at him, as he stomped into the dugout after her, Matt going up to bat at the practice next.
"Not nice," he pouted, and the woman slapped him on the back.
"Don't dish it out if you can't take it, my friend," she laughed, as Joe eyed her, warily. The man had been giving her funny looks all week, ever since they'd gotten back from Tennessee, and she couldn't figure out why. He hadn't said anything to her, so maybe he was just having some personal problems.
When the practice time was over, and Cody had changed, she was not the least bit surprised to see Jeffrey make a running leap for her arms when she exited the locker room.
"Hey, little man!" she said, giving him a strong hug, before setting the boy on the ground. "Did you have fun tonight?" The practice was held from 6-8 in the evening, because Joe said he wanted to make sure everyone would be there for the full time.
"Yeah," he said, nodding. "You did really good when you caught that drive line."
Cody laughed. "Line drive, little man. And thanks," she said, ruffling his hair, lovingly. "I think it's too late for us to play ball tonight, but we can do it tomorrow if I have time, okay?"
"Okay," said Jeffrey, having gotten used to the fact that Cody didn't have time to play ball with him every night. When she couldn't make it, he'd practice by himself, or drag his mom into it.
"Good night, Cody," said Joe, tonelessly, as the trio walked past.
"'Night," responded the tall woman, wrapping her arm around Jennie's shoulders as they walked to the car. Cody rode her motorcycle, while Jennie drove Jeffrey in the car, and the tall woman once again had to carry the young boy into his bedroom.
"Thanks for letting him come," said Cody, after she'd tucked the child into bed. "I know it was kind of late for him to be up, but I think he had a good time."
Jennie smiled, and curled up on the couch next to her. "We both did," she corrected. "And it's a Friday, so he doesn't have any school tomorrow. I can't believe he'll be starting kindergarten in just a few weeks," she sighed. Every school was on the track system, where the students went for three months, and then took four weeks off, and then returned to school for another three months. The summer was either shorter or longer, depending on which track the student was on. Jennie was pleased when she learned Jeffrey's track had a longer Christmas Break.
"He'll do fine," Cody reassured her, kissing the top of the blonde head. "He's a smart kid." Jennie nodded, and was silent for a while, lost in her own thoughts, and the relaxing feeling of Cody's fingers in her hair.
"Cody?" asked the blonde, after a while.
"What?" responded the tall woman, as she ran her fingers lightly through the woman's short blonde hair.
"Can I ask you a question?"
"Didn't give me much of a choice, now, did you?" smirked the star, and Jennie looked up at her, meeting her gaze.
"I'm serious," she said, and Cody nodded.
"Okay," she agreed. "Go ahead."
"Have you... been with other women?" the blonde asked, and the fingers through her hair immediately stopped their ministrations.
Cody sighed. "Yes," she admitted. "There was a time in my life when I did a lot of things I'm not proud of, and sleeping around is one of them. I was a star, and the chance was always available to me, so I took it."
She paused for a moment, wondering why the woman had chosen to ask that particular question. "Jen, you don't think I'm doing that now, do you? Because I'm not! I wouldn't hurt you for the world, honey," she said, and Jennie smiled.
"I believe you," said the blonde, kissing her, softly. "I was just wondering if you'd have more experience at this than me."
When the kissing continued, realization dawned on the tall baseball player. "Are you sure?" she asked, and Jennie nodded, taking the woman's hand and leading her to the bedroom. She closed the door softly behind them, and turned on a low light next to her bed, swallowing the lump she felt in her throat.
Cody reached out and drew the small woman close to her, kissing the top of her head softly, before placing gentle kisses on the blonde's forehead, eyelids, nose, and finally, her lips. Cody groaned as the kiss deepened, feeling more passionate and filled with more need than any other she'd felt before.
Breaking the kiss only for a moment, to remove her shirt, Cody subtly inched closer to the bed, before bringing the small woman down with her when she sat. Sliding her hand under Jennie's shirt, she felt the woman flinch as her fingertips brushed against her skin, reluctantly removing her mouth in order to lift the garment over the woman's head.
"Cody..." began the blonde, quietly, as the tall woman kissed at her neck, "I've never... I've never been with a woman before."
"I assume it's not much different than being with a man," she murmured, continuing her kisses, gently nipping at the soft skin of the blonde's shoulder, eliciting a gasp from her soon-to-be lover. "Though I wouldn't know…"
"Neither would I, Cody. I've never done that, either," said Jennie, lightly.
Cody stopped and immediately looked into the blonde's face to see if she was kidding. "You're serious?" she asked, and the woman nodded. "But... Jeff...?"
Jennie smiled. "Is adopted," she finished. "I adopted him when he was just a few months old, because I decided I wanted a child, but hadn't found the right person to consummate that responsibility with, yet."
"Jen, honey, your first time should be with someone very special," said Cody, very serious.
"It will be," insisted the blonde.
"I'll go, then," said Cody, picking up her shirt and attempting to stand, but Jennie took her hand and forced her to remain sitting as she looked in her eyes.
"Cody," she said, but the woman looked at the floor, uncomfortably. "Cody, look at me," she requested, softly, and blue eyes slowly met her own. "It will be with someone very special, because it'll be with you. I have never felt this way about anyone. I trust you, and I want you to be my first," she said. "That is, if you don't mind being disappointed."
The tall woman smiled, lovingly. "Jen, you could never disappoint me," she said, honestly. "Are you very sure you want to do this? Because if you're not, it's okay, I'll understand --"
Cody's speech was cut off when Jennie pressed her lips against her own, fiercely, yet gently. Following the younger woman's lead, Cody allowed herself to be pulled down on the bed, and, to prevent crushing the blonde, easily held herself up over top of the woman with her arms.
"Jennie, I want you to understand something," said Cody, evenly, pulling away from the kiss to meet the woman's slightly nervous gaze. "I told you I've been with other women, and that's true, I have. I've had sex with more women than I care to remember, but I don't want to do that with you."
At Jennie's dismayed face, she quickly continued. "I want to do something I've never done before," she said. "I don't want to just have sex, Jen, I want to make love. They're two completely different things, you know," she added.
"I've never had anyone I wanted to be with as much as I do you. I miss you when you're not around, and no matter where I am, I'd rather be somewhere with you," she said, and tears brimmed in Jennie's eyes at the loving words.
"You've already stolen my heart, Jen. I love you."
"Oh, Cody, I love you, too!" exclaimed Jennie, wrapping her arms around the woman to give her a strong hug, which was eagerly returned.
"I will be as gentle as I can, because I don't want to hurt you," Cody spoke, and it was clear to Jennie that she was scared to death of doing just that.
"I know," she smiled. "I do trust you." Cody smiled reassuringly, and slowly slid the straps of Jennie's bra down off her shoulders, kissing the revealed skin as she went, occasionally making the woman beneath her shiver by lightly trailing the tip of her tongue against the same spot, before moving lower, constantly reminding herself to go slow and to be as gentle as possible. This was Jennie's first time, and the woman wanted to make it very special.
Once she'd caught her breath, Jennie was eager to return the favor, and it wasn't long before Cody cried her name into the night. The tall woman had had many lovers, that was true, but none had had as much of an effect on her as Jennie. She had never given herself up like that, not totally - and she'd never felt so loved.
"Jennie, honey, come up here," she said, pulling the woman into her arms, and simply holding her for a while. "I love you."
"I love you, too," smiled Jennie, snuggling closer into her side. "Was it... okay? Are you disappointed?"
Cody chuckled. "Oh, sweetheart," she said, "like I said, you could never disappoint me, and you certainly didn't tonight. It was more than okay, honey. That was wonderful. I have never felt anything like that," she added, sincerely. "How about you? How do you feel?"
Jennie smiled up at her. "I feel terrific, Cody," she replied. "I'm glad it was you."
The tall woman felt tears in her eyes at the admission, and pulled the blonde even closer to her. "That means a lot," she said. Jennie didn't press as to why, she just wrapped her arms around her lover, and went to sleep.