As always, thank you so much for the reviews! They're great inspirators and motivators for me to continue this story!

—The Reins—

''I do want to be with you,'' Andy said, ''I wouldn't be here if I didn't. It just wasn't until you referred to me as your girlfriend that it fully sank in that we're doing this. I have wanted you for so long… it doesn't seem quite real yet, and so I didn't think about the fact that I now have to actually tell you about things like…''

''Like your boyfriend ordering you that I can't make you come? About how you've apparently slept with Peter?'' Lu asked, still in disbelief about the latter. ''Andy, we've been friends for years and you always shared things with me—when Les hit you you came to me, when you first started dating Milo and felt insecure you came to me, when Milo talked to you about his fantasies… you came to me. Why is it that now that we're together you suddenly feel you can't tell me stuff?''

''I don't know,'' Andy admitted, sitting down on the bed next to Lu, resisting the urge to scoot closer. ''This is uncharted territory, and I'm trying to figure out how to be a good girlfriend to both you and Milo. I have no idea how to do that, I just know that I want to.''

Lu was pretty much done with the conversation. ''Then prove to me that you do,'' she said. After the things Andy had said to her earlier that day she didn't feel comfortable continuing their relationship until Andy gave her the feeling that she wanted to, like she was willing to make any kind of commitment to Lu instead of making her feel like they were just messing around…

''Prove it to you how?'' Andy asked, willing to do anything. ''What do I have to do?''

Lu shrugged. ''Figure it out.'' She could tell this took Andy by surprise. ''From the first moment you came to me talking about how Milo was talking about fantasies he had about you and me, I have taken the reins. But I'm done taking control-''

''You love taking control,'' Andy reminded her.

''I'm done calling the shots, for now,'' Lu said, ignoring Andy's words. ''I told you that I want us to be in an actual relationship, an actual couple, and I need you to show me that you want that as well.'' She leaned in closer to Andy, she hadn't been oblivious to the fact that Andy had been restraining herself, and Lu knew just how important the physical side of their relationship was to Andy. She brought her lips close to Andy's ear, ''I'll make it worth your while,'' she whispered.

''What're you doing?'' Lizzy asked as she watched her mom—who was readjusting the plate setting for the umpteenth time—with a confused look on her face. Jesse was finally home from college for the first time since the semester started, their mom had been fidgeting around all day long, and Lizzy had been trying—and failing—to get her assigned reading done all day long.

''We're expecting guests, I want everything to be perfect,'' Andy told her daughter. It was the first day of Christmas break and she and her daughters had planned an early Christmas dinner since Jesse and Lizzy were going to go to Les' house for the holidays. She had invited Lu and Marc to come over as well, which was a surefire way to make this Christmas particularly memorable. The doorbell rang and she wiped her slightly sweaty hands on her black skirt, ''oh lord,'' she said under her breath.

She had been a nervous wreck all week. She had left Lu's hotel room soon after their talk, after Lu had told her to figure out how she could possibly prove to her that she was serious about their relationship. Andy had sent flowers, had tried to talk to Lu multiple times, and had ultimately decided that actually coming out of the closet about their relationship to the two most important people in her life would be the best way to show just how serious she was.

Andy knew her daughters were confused about why Lu and Marc were joining them for Christmas; it was usually just the three of them and Milo, just their little family.

Andy opened the door with a smile, ignoring her first instinct to greet Lu with a kiss—a pretty girlfriend thing to do, but not with the kids around and not while she and Lu were fighting. ''Come on in,'' she said, opening the door a bit wider. She took their coats and after not too long—a half an hour of awkward conversation—they sat down for dinner.

If anything, dinner was even more uncomfortable. Andy knew that her daughters had felt the tension and were waiting for an explanation as to why Lu was there instead of Milo, and they were almost done with dinner by the time she mustered up the courage to actually tell them. She shot a look at Marc who was looking at his plate; she assumed Lu hadn't told him anything yet.

Jesse looked at her mom and saw just how close she and Lu were sitting to each other. ''So what's going on?'' She asked when there was a lull in the conversation. ''Why isn't Milo here?'' Despite how upset she had been about her parents' divorce and—in the beginning—that her mom was dating Milo, she had grown to like him and missed him being there.

''Milo had to go to California for a medical conference,'' Andy told her daughter. She looked over at Lu, ''Lu and I wanted to talk to you guys about…something that's been going on,'' she said, looking for the right words to explain this to her girls. She had had trouble introducing Milo to them, and this was infinitely more difficult than that. Her daughters, along with Marc, looked at her expectantly. She could feel Lu reach for her hand underneath the table and gave it a squeeze. ''We have been seeing each other… in a romantic way… for a while now-''

''Wait; are you not with Milo anymore?'' Jesse asked, interrupting her mother. She had been wondering the whole meal what could possibly be going on but she hadn't expected this.

''No, I am,'' Andy said quickly, ''I'm just also with Lu.'' These words came out slowly. This was the first time they had told anyone about their relationship and she had no idea what the reactions were going to be, especially from Jesse and Lizzy who she was sure never saw it coming. At least Marc had found out somewhat organically, had been introduced to the idea a bit slower.

''Is this why you and Jonas broke up?'' Marc asked his mom. He knew there was something going on between his mom and Andy, she had vaguely talked to him about it—he just didn't expect it to turn into an actual thing.

''It's part of it, yes,'' Lu said. She knew Marc had liked Jonas and had been confused about why they had broken up. She hadn't planned on telling him quite yet, despite the fact that he had found them asleep together and had been asking more than just a few questions. She reached across the table for him but he waved her away, ''Marc, I can't help how I feel…''

He threw his napkin down on the table, ''I have to go,'' he mumbled, grabbing his coat off the rack and making his way out the door as he started calling one of his friends to come pick him up.

The four remaining at the table grew quiet. Andy turned to Lizzy. The thirteen-year-old had been quiet the entire time and Andy couldn't help but wonder how she felt about this. ''Lizzy, what do you think?'' She asked.

Lizzy finally looked up from her plate, silently processing her feelings. She looked at her mother with open mouth, trying to force out anything at all, but when none came she took Marc's example and bolted upstairs. She threw herself down onto the covers of her bed, burying her face in her pillow as her mother came in and closed the door behind her. Andy sat down on the bed next to Lizzy, rubbing circles on her back. It took a little while but Lizzy sat up, facing her mother. ''Mom…''

''What is it, sweetie? You can ask me anything.'' Andy said, ''what is it? Do you not like Lu?''

''I like her,'' Lizzy said quietly, ''but why do you have to be with her? Why do you have to be with a woman? Or with two people? Why couldn't you just have stayed with dad?'' She asked, remembering how much easier it had been when her father still lived with them, when he would tuck her in at night instead of a long-distance phone call when he had the time.

Andy tried to look for the right words, ''you can't control who you fall in love with,'' she told her youngest daughter. ''We didn't plan for this to happen, it just did and we've been waiting to tell you guys because we wanted to see where it would go, but we want to be with each other. And whether I am with Lu or not, or with Milo, daddy and I aren't getting back together.''

''But you're with Milo,'' Lizzy argued, ''how can you be with both of them? What if the people at school find out?'' She could see her mother starting to dismiss that, ''why don't you just tattoo 'freak' on my forehead and completely ruin my life?''

''Lizzy, I know that it's not easy for you that daddy and I aren't together, but I have to move on. Nobody at your school will find out if you don't want them too,'' Andy said. ''I just happened to fall in love with two people, and we're trying to make this work, can you try to be supportive? Just wait a little while until the dust settles and see how you feel then?''

''I'm a terrible mother,'' Andy said as she sat down on the edge of the porch that Les had finished building right before their divorce, next to Lu. After getting Lizzy somewhat settled down and fielding questions from Jesse about if she was gay, if she was trying to ruin her daughters' lives, and what the hell this meant long-term, she was exhausted. Lu was still calling Marc's cell phone over and over again, trying to get a hold of him.

''You're not,'' Lu said as she got Marc's voicemail again. ''They just need some time to adjust, just like you.'' She smiled at Andy as she put her phone down. ''I'm glad that you told them, it means a lot to me.''

''Am I forgiven yet?'' Andy asked. ''I mean, that's not why I did this, but-''

''It's a start,'' Lu said, interrupting Andy. Lately it seemed that letting Andy ramble on just led to getting hurt and she was not in the mood for that right now. She had been wanting Andy to make their relationship real to herself so that she could actually get used to it, so she wouldn't come with a spiel about how she didn't know who she was and how could she have possibly fallen in love with a woman? Telling Lizzy and Jesse made it about as real as it would ever be.

She could see Andy look down at the ground. Lu head butted her softly. ''Why don't you come over tomorrow night? We can have some fun, spend the night together before Milo comes back and gets involved in everything again.''

''What did you have in mind?'' Andy asked, knowing that she would say yes no matter what Lu had planned. At this point she would do just about anything for the Latina, hoping to somehow get back what they had. Undo the damage she had done.

Lu got up, getting ready to leave. She gave Andy a smile as she thought about what she had in mind, ''just a little fantasy of mine.''

Andy sat down her glass of wine on the coffee table, looking around Lu's new apartment. It was similar to her old one—from before she moved in with Jonas—and Andy wasn't sure why but she felt right at home there. Lu seemed the slightest bit calmer now, and Andy wanted to ask her if things between them were okay now, but it didn't look like Lu would appreciate that very much.

She was trying to figure out a way to shift the focus of their conversation back to their relationship when a pause fell. She smoothed out her dress—the red one that she had worn on their date—and looked up at Lu. ''So… I talked to Milo,'' she said. This was how it had all begun. Milo had asked her to figure out what their relationship was going to look like, and now that she had it somewhat figured out she had decided to discuss it with him.

''No,'' Lu said, shushing her before she could say anything else. ''Don't mention Milo, not now.'' She said, sounding like she was getting the slightest bit pissed off. ''I know that you're in a relationship with him as well, and that you love him and his feelings about us matter, but not now. Right now I just want you to be mine, to be my girlfriend, and focus on our relationship with each other instead of what he thinks our relationship should be.'' Andy fell silent upon hearing this. Lu grabbed Andy's hand and pulled her up off the couch and through the beaded curtain into her bedroom where Andy looked around, ''take off your dress.'' She ordered.

She had made dinner for the two of them, they had sat down to drink some wine and talk, but now she just wanted to actually do what she had invited Andy over for. All day she had been excited by the prospect of finally doing this and if she waited any longer she would undoubtedly ruin Andy's dress by ripping it off of her.

''I thought you said you were done calling the shots?'' Andy said, turning away from the mirror and to Lu, who seemed to be not in the mood for jokes—at all. She narrowed her eyes at Lu. Lu was always the one taking the more dominant role but the look in her eyes was more than Andy had seen before, darker than Andy had expected, ''do I want to know what your fantasy is?'' It was only half-jokingly.

''Andy, I swear to God, just take off your dress and get on the bed,'' Lu said, taking off her shirt and flinging it onto the back of a chair. She watched Andy kick off her shoes and reach behind her to slowly unzip the back of the dress, making Lu impatient. She quickly took her jeans off and pushed Andy face down onto the bed, sitting on the back of her thighs. She pushed Andy's dress up to her waist, pulling down her black, lace panties as well.

Lu leaned down, wiping Andy's hair away from her neck and pulling it—forcing Andy's head to bend back, making her just the slightest bit uncomfortable—and softly biting her on the side of her neck. She could hear a moan coming from Andy and smiled to herself. ''Do you like that?'' She asked, biting a little harder, almost breaking skin. She reached down between them, pushing two fingers between Andy's folds, softly brushing against her clit—feeling Andy push back against her—before slipping a finger inside. Andy was wet, as she always seemed to be for Lu, but Lu thought they surely could do better.

Lu got up off of Andy, looking around the room searching for what she needed. ''Don't move,'' she told Andy as she slipped into the bathroom real quick, coming back out with a paddle brush. ''Say a number,'' she ordered, staring at Andy's uncovered ass. She had watched Milo do this and Andy's reaction had been like nothing she had ever seen before.

''Six,'' Andy said hesitantly, confused by the need for it. She lifted her head up to look at Lu and saw her hide something behind her back.

Lu looked at Andy disappointedly, ''I told you not to move,'' she said. She was looking to recreate a dream she had had, one that had turned into a fantasy that had gotten her off more than once. Andy questioning what she was doing hadn't been a part of that. She saw Andy bury her head back into the pillow like it had been seconds before. ''If you do as I tell you, I'll make you hurt in all the right ways and places.'' She could see goose bumps forming on Andy's skin. ''Now, because you didn't listen, I'll double your number. I want you to count them down as we go.''

Andy frowned, wondering what she was talking about but knowing that it was best to just go along with it. Her wonder was soon answered though as the first stinging blow landed on her right cheek. She let out a whimper, ''oh my god…'' She pushed her legs tightly together, making the pleasure she felt there even more intense as Lu massaged the area where the blow had just landed. Andy took a deep breath, ''one.''

Lu brought the paddle brush down on the other cheek, continuing this alternating as Andy counted off every single one of the blows, her moans only growing louder and longer with each one. By the time they finally got to twelve she was putty. Lu put the brush down on the vanity, staring at Andy who was lying on the bed processing what had just happened, happy but in disbelief that Lu had been willing to do this. Without needing prompting from Andy.

Lu bit her lip as she thought of how to proceed, ''now, will you be a good little slut and listen to me?'' She asked, hoping that Andy wasn't turned off by her language, as well as hoping that she sounded stern enough to make her language effective. She considered what Milo had done—spanking her with his belt—to be more extreme, but she knew that they didn't use a lot of dirty talk from what she had heard and seen, and didn't know how Andy would respond to this.

Andy nodded, she wanted to ask what to do next but it sounded like it would be best not to speak unless Lu asked her a question. She could hear Lu tell her to get up off the bed and did as she was told—a little unsteady on her feet—, letting Lu unzip the back of the dress further than she had been able to and take it off completely. She could feel her juices roll down her inner thighs just the slightest bit and was embarrassed, but decided not to show it.

Lu knelt down, pulling Andy's panties off as well. She could see the glistening and smiled up at Andy, glad that her plan had had the desired effect. After unhooking Andy's bra and throwing it on the floor behind her she ordered Andy to get back on the bed—on her back this time—and opened her bedside table drawer. ''Put your hands above your head,'' she ordered. She could see the nervousness in Andy's eyes but appreciated that she didn't protest, ''do you trust me?'' She asked; glad when Andy nodded right away.

She had thought about this moment more than once, had even mentioned to Andy during their phone call. Pinning her down wasn't an option because they both knew that Andy was stronger than Lu, this was simply the best alternative. She put the handcuffs around Andy's wrists and around one of the bars that was part of her bed. She had needed a new bed when she moved out of Jonas' house and the fact that this had been the only bed with bars had been a huge selling point.

She took off her own underwear as well before straddling Andy again, raking her nails over Andy's soft skin, making Andy whimper when they went over her nipples. Lu pinched them softly, waiting for Andy's reaction and disappointed when the moan wasn't as loud as she had liked it. She pinched them again, harder this time and twisting just the slightest bit.

Andy looked at Lu, her mouth hanging open, a small groan escaping. Without meaning to she pushed her chest up against Lu's torturous hands, the latter woman smirking down at her. Part of her wanted to tell Lu to stop, ashamed that Lu's actions had this kind of effect on her, but her mouth had a different idea, ''harder,'' she whispered between moans.

Lu leaned down, sucking one of Andy's nipples into her mouth as her hand continued its attack on the other one, pinching it harder and pulling on it. She gently scraped her teeth against the hard bud and Andy's reaction was immediate. She brought her hand down to Andy's mound, scraping her nails over her skin on the way down. She could feel Andy bring her knees up a bit, pushing her centre against Lu's thigh, needing some kind of friction.

Lu pulled away, ''I told you not to move,'' she said. For a second she considered threatening that if Andy moved again she would spank her again, but that would just be an incentive for her. Andy straightened her legs on the bed again and Lu scooted down her body. She rubbed Andy's clit and could feel her buck beneath her, before pushing in her finger again, quickly joined by another one. It was easier now that Andy was so wet the sheets beneath her had a spot on them. Pushing in a third finger, Lu switched from pumping them in and out to curling them up—looking for Andy's g-spot and quickly finding it.

Andy's whole body tensed up before she pushed up against Lu's hand. She had been low-key turned on for the past 24 hours, ever since Lu had told her to come over so they could re-enact one of her fantasies. To finally get that sweet, sweet touch… Curses fell from her lips and she could feel herself getting close, the only thing holding her back was Milo's voice in the back of her head.

Lu could see how close she was and withdrew her hand. She was determined to in one way or another get Andy to come tonight, but not quite yet. The longer she drew it out the better it would be. She brought her hand up to Andy's mouth, pushing the wet fingers in. Andy sucked them quite enthusiastically as they held eye-contact, and Lu pushed her fingers in further, trying to see how far Andy would let her go. ''No gag reflex, huh?'' Lu asked, thinking how pleased Milo probably was about that. ''That's good to know,'' she added quietly, mostly to herself.

Andy smiled; glad that at least up until this point she seemed to be living up to Lu's expectations. She was almost disappointed when Lu took her hand back, at least for a few seconds she got to do something other than simply lie there. She remembered back to Lu telling her that she wanted to tie her up and do whatever she wanted to Andy's body, but beyond that she had no idea what was in store for her. They had never really progressed beyond simple manual and oral stimulation, never feeling the need to get more creative than that.

Andy stared up at the ceiling and sucked in a deep breath as she could feel Lu push something inside of her, filling her up to the hilt. She could feel Lu move it in and out of her, every small movement sending pleasure signals to her brain. It had been too long since she had had something that big inside of her, a few weeks had passed since she and Milo had had sex. ''Fuck… Lu…'' her head was tilted back as her hips rolled against the dildo. She could feel Lu still it and she looked up at her partner, a pleading look for more in her eyes.

She could see Lu insert the other end into herself, one of her legs over, and the other one under Andy's legs, their pelvises pushed together. Lu sat up a bit more, preferring this angle. She rolled her hips against Andy's. She had purposefully chosen a shorter one so that their clits could rub against each other and she bit her lip as Andy's fluids mixed with her own.

Their hips were rocking together and it wasn't long before they got in sync. Lu looked down at Andy lying in front of her, her body arching up off of the bed as her legs tightened behind Lu, trying to pull her closer. Lu grabbed Andy's leg that was resting on top of Lu's thigh and set her own pace, picking up the speed for a bit. Her hand moved up to Andy's mound, resting on it as her thumb moved down to Andy's clit, rubbing circles there which seemed to almost push Andy's over the edge.

Andy could feel Milo slipping from her mind and she watched Lu in fascination. She pulled on the handcuffs, wanting to reach out for Lu and pull her close, wanting to make her feel as good as she was making Andy feel. Through hooded eyes her gaze wandered up and down Lu's torso, Lu's scrunched up eyebrows proving how much she was enjoying this turning Andy on even more. ''You look so beautiful right now,'' she said between moans.

Andy's words brought Lu somewhat back to reality. It was rare for them to speak much at all during sex, mostly just to tell the other to get off their hair or switch positions. She smiled down at Andy, her thumb rubbing faster and faster, ''I want you to come for me,'' she panted. She could see how close Andy was and she hoped that Andy could forget about Milo just long enough that their night didn't have to end early tonight.

She kept rolling their hips together, giving Andy all the friction she needed, but stilled her upper body, looking Andy right in the eye. She could hear moans and curses falling from Andy's lips and she knew that the former colonel only needed a small push to get her over the edge—probably for the first time in weeks. Andy had always responded well to instructions, it had been ingrained in her when she was raised by a U.S. army general and army nurse, it had been what she had to do for most of her career, and it had been an increasingly large part of her sex-life.

''Come for me,'' Lu ordered her.

With a gasp and a small scream she finally did, her muscles contracting and releasing over and over again, forcing the dildo out of her pussy by the sheer force of it—her juices squirting out of her as she bit so hard on her lip it bled into her mouth. Her vision blacked out as Lu continued her assault on Andy's clit, forcing her into a minutes long continuous orgasm. Andy whimpered as she somewhat came back down, feeling aftershocks through her entire body as Lu never stopped.

Lu's hand continued to do its thing without her even thinking about it, her other hand moving down to her own clit to push herself over the edge. She collapsed on top of Andy, burying her face in Andy's hair as she came, her moans only somewhat muffled as she rode Andy's thigh. Her hand moved down to Andy's boob, massaging it, something that did something for both of them.

Their sweaty, sticky skin stuck together and neither of them really wanted to move. Andy moved her head and softly kissed Lu's cheek. Lu sat back up, looking down at Andy in front of her and staring unabashedly for a minute. There were some small bruises forming on Andy's boobs, red tracks leading down her belly where Lu had scraped her nails. Lu could only imagine what Andy's ass must look like at that moment. She smiled to herself knowing that Andy would have these little reminders of what they had done for the next couple of days. She reached over to the bedside table, grabbing the small key and unlocking the handcuffs.

Andy rubbed her wrists, seeing the red marks on them proving to her how hard she had pulled on them. She put her hands on Lu's shoulders, moving them down over Lu's nipples down to Lu's hips, softly stroking the skin everywhere. Finally she cupped Lu's face in her hands, bringing her face down to her own and softly kissing her lips, ''you're amazing.''

Lu could see in Andy's eyes that despite the many reservations she had voiced during the past week, she did very much mean this. A grin formed on Lu's lips, ''I'm not done with you yet.''