IN THE TIME WE HAVE, Chapter 14

Lara had barely stepped out onto the sidewalk car when she found herself on the receiving end of an enthusiastic hug: how the blonde had managed to scamper around the car in the brief moment it had taken Lara to extricate herself from the passenger seat she had no idea.

"I'm home!" squealed Elsie as she squeezed her companion enthusiastically. "Be it ever so humble…"

Lara smiled as she pressed her cheek against the blonde's. "It's ace that you're back," she said affectionately. "You have a lovely collection of books, but they're not nearly as enjoyable as their owner…"

"Well, speaking of that, I asked my – oh, crap."

Elsie hastily pulled away.

Lara frowned. "What's the mat…oh…"

She followed the blonde's gaze to a short and squat elderly woman slowly shuffling down the sidewalk, heading in their direction.

Elsie leaned close. "Just play along," she whispered. "That's my landlord…try not to say too much, I'll explain later."

"All right…"

"Hello, Mrs. Webb!" said Elsie brightly as the woman drew near. "Lovely day, isn't it?"

Lara waved feebly.

"It most certainly is," replied the woman, her wizened features creasing into a smile. "And it's doubly nice to see you here, Elsie. For a while there I thought you had a squatter."

She looked pointedly at Lara.

"Um, no," said the blonde. "She was just minding the place for a couple of days while I was…away."

"Well, isn't that nice," said the woman.

"Mrs. Webb, I'd like you to meet my friend…Laura," said Elsie. "She's from…Texas."

Lara shot her a sideways glance. Bugger, Elsie…

"Ah, always lovely to meet a Southern Belle," said the old woman sweetly, lightly shaking the brunette's hand.

"Um…howdy," said the archaeologist in her best Texan drawl, which, judging from Elsie's slight wince, wasn't overly convincing.

"Whereabouts in Texas do you call home, my dear?" asked Mrs. Webb. The blonde shifted nervously.

"Eh, Dallas," replied Lara off the top of her head.

Please don't ask any more –

"Ah, the big D," returned the old woman. "Lovely city. Have you ever –"

"Oh!" exclaimed Elsie, looking at her watch. "Look at the time! Laura, we have to hurry, we'll be late for the, um, video log –"

"Uh, right," affirmed the archaeologist.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Webb, but we'll have to do this another time," said the blonde as she grasped Lara's hand and pulled her along the walkway to her flat.

"More internet business, my dear?"

"That's right!" replied Elsie as she fumbled for her keys with one hand. "Have uploads to do and…stuff…have a nice day!"

The two young women scurried into the comforting privacy of Elsie's tiny home, the blonde turning to latch the door behind them. "Whew," she breathed. "That was close."

Lara spun on her companion. "Bloody hell, Elsie," she blurted. "Did you have to make me a ruddy Texan?"

The American cupped her hands over her face but her quaking shoulders gave the game away.

"It's not funny!" insisted the brunette, gesticulating in frustration. "Why couldn't you make me from somewhere a little closer to home, like Wales or Scotland –"

Elsie burst out laughing.

"You little nutter," said Lara, failing at keeping amusement out of her tone. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?!"

"I had to, I'm sorry," laughed Elsie, pawing at Lara apologetically.

"Humph."

"No, it's true!" insisted the blonde. "She's a hopeless busybody, Lara, she just loves to snoop in other people's business if given half a chance. She's also a bit of a redneck…she's ridiculously suspicious of foreigners, almost paranoid, really."

"I'm English!"

"Makes no difference to her," explained Elsie. "You weren't born here, so she'd probably think you came to re-establish British rule or something."

Lara raised an eyebrow.

"That's what you have for a landlord?" she asked. "Sounds rather…barmy…"

"Oh, she's harmless," said Elsie, waving a hand dismissively. "You just have to know how to get around her without pushing her buttons, is all."

"Well, let's just try and avoid her for the next couple of days, all right?" asked the brunette. "I'm not sure I can do a convincing 'Southern Belle'."

"Hm, yeah," mused Elsie, stroking her chin. "My bad…maybe I shoulda picked someplace known for bizarre accents, like the Louisiana Bayou or something…"

Lara cringed. "Was it really that bad?"

Elsie opened her mouth and exhaled.

She grabbed Lara's hand. "Come on," she finally said, leading her companion toward her computer in the study. "Why don't we go surf up some haggis recipes…"

-oOo-

Elsie flipped the switch.

The lights fluttered to life; the book-lined shelves glowed their familiar brownish hues.

She turned to look at her companion. Lara stood there in evident awe, her brown eyes wide as she slowly scanned the gallery's arrays of rare tomes.

"My God, Elsie," said the brunette breathlessly. "This is where you work?"

"Most days, yeah," returned the blonde with a grin. "Thought you might like a private tour."

Lara moved ahead slowly, as though fearful of disturbing the sanctity of the place.

"Go on," encouraged Elsie, nodding toward the bookshelves. "Don't be shy, they won't bite."

The brunette spun to face the American. "But…you won't get in trouble for this, I hope?"

Elsie smiled. "Of course not," she assured the Englishwoman. "I already cleared it with my boss, he knows we're here. Don't worry about it."

"You're absolutely sure?"

"Absolutely, positively sure," said Elsie. She grasped Lara's wrist and forcibly pulled her to a nearby bookshelf, pressing the brunette's hand against a first edition volume of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. "There, you touched one, see?"

She looked up at the ceiling, the archaeologist following her gaze.

"The sky doesn't appear to be falling," remarked the blonde. "That's odd…the Earth continues to rotate…"

She looked back to her companion. "Somehow we've managed to avoid the Apocalypse. Go figure."

Lara put her hand on her hip. "Are you through?" she said with a smirk.

"For the moment," said Elsie serenely. "Now, go get your fingers dusty…"

The Englishwoman slowly wandered about the rows and displays, her face glowing with a gleeful anticipation normally seen on young children on Christmas morning. Elsie giggled.

"Good lord…where to begin…" mused the brunette.

She turned to the American. "Any recommendations? You know what I like…"

Elsie mused the question. "Well," she began, stroking her chin thoughtfully, "We do have a First Folio edition of Shakespeare's works currently in on loan…"

Lara ran her hand through her hair. "Shakespeare's First Folio? Gods, Elsie…"

The blonde smiled. "Good place to start?"

The brunette nodded, swallowing in anticipation.

Elsie slid her arm around her companion's waist, slowly guiding her companion down the main hall in the direction of the Special Exhibits section of the gallery.

"Just try not to drool on the books, please," cautioned the blonde.

"No promises," breathed Lara.

Elsie smiled as she nuzzled her companion's cheek. The archaeologist's adorable quotient had flipped off the charts.

"After that how about a genuine da Vinci Codex?"

The brunette's knees wobbled.

"You're fibbing…yes? Please tell me you're fibbing…?"

The blonde sighed contentedly. It promised to be a long but delightful night.

-oOo-

"Oh my God, don't go back into the house!" hissed Elsie, leaning forward. "He's in there!"

Lara was sitting back in her seat and trying her best to ignore her friend's protestations. Following the story unfolding on the cinema's screen was proving to be a challenge.

The blonde clasped both hands to her head. "What are you doing?" she exclaimed. "Oh yes, by all means throw away your axe, it's you're only weapon, you moron!"

The brunette shifted uncomfortably. "Um, Elsie –"

The American stood up and seemed about to clamber into the row of seats in front of her. "Turn around! He's behind you! Oh, for -"

Lara grasped Elsie by the shoulder and pulled her companion back into her seat. "She can't hear you!" whispered the brunette.

The blonde slouched back and crossed her arms, glaring at the screen. "Okay, I'm totally rooting for the killer now," she said darkly. "At least he has half a brain…she should win a freaking Darwin Award…"

"Shhh!"

Lara flinched at the rebuke from one of the theatre's patrons behind them.

Elsie grumbled something unintelligibly and kicked the back of the seat before her.

The archaeologist leaned over. "Explain to me again why you like horror movies?" she whispered into the American's ear.

Elsie turned to her companion and grinned. "Because they're so interactive, silly!"

"Seems you find them more aggravating than interactmmphh –"

Lara was startled to find her mouth full of exploring American tongue, an arm snaking around her neck for good measure. The blonde's ability to abruptly change gears was something she hadn't quite gotten accustomed to.

It didn't take long for the overt display of affection to get noticed.

"Woo-hoo!" came the first of the catcalls behind them.

"We got action, boys!"

A female voice. "God, that's hot…"

"Get a room!"

"Shhh!"

Lara pulled back abruptly, certain her cheeks were flushing noticeably even in the theatre's dim lighting.

"Awwwww…"

"Don't stop!"

"Do it again!"

"Quiet!"

"SHHH!"

The brunette slid down into her seat as low as she could manage. Oh God…

Elsie leaned close. "Getcha later," she whispered with an impish smile, a lingering finger slowly trailing along the archaeologist's neckline before eventually finding its way back to its owner's lap.

-oOo-

"You're dripping."

"Ack!" blurted the brunette, licking the sides of her ice cream cone in an effort to stem the slow melting of her confection.

Lara kicked herself for not anticipating the inevitable; it was a hot afternoon after all, shade notwithstanding – and now her fingers were getting sticky.

The two young women were seated on a bench in Portland's central park, overlooking the river while nearby buskers entertained a group of school children.

"What's next for you?" asked Elsie, taking a bite of her cone, which Lara noted with envy was devoid of the sagging deficiencies affecting the Englishwoman's. "After you get home, I mean?"

Lara mused the question. "Tibet, possibly," she finally replied. "We've been working on getting the necessary permits for the better part of a year. Chinese bureaucracy can be frustratingly lethargic when you're unable to bribe your way to the head of the queue…"

The American flopped her head against the brunette's shoulder and sighed.

"Please don't go," she whispered.

Lara bit her lip. "Elsie –"

"I know," interjected the blonde. "Don't answer that…I'm just being selfish…"

The archaeologist pressed a kiss against her companion's forelocks. "For what it's worth," she said softly, "You're making it bloody hard to leave…"

Elsie smiled. "Well, at least I'm not making it easy."

"Hardly," echoed Lara. "I'll have you know I'm already looking forward to my next visit…"

The two sat quietly for a time, intermittently sampling each other's ice cream treats while observing the crowd of children laughing happily at the entertainment provided by the street performers.

"Do you ever think of the future, Lara?" asked the blonde out of the blue. "I mean…what your life might be like five or ten years from now?"

"Sometimes," returned the brunette. "Mostly I wonder who will still be in my life by then...it frightens me to think about that, actually. Other than that, I expect I'll still be out there…searching…"

She slid a hand around Elsie's waist and gave her friend an affectionate squeeze. "What about you?"

Silence.

Lara leaned forward; her companion was staring intently at the schoolchildren basking in their playtime.

"Hello?"

The blonde blinked. "Sorry, I just...like to take it one day at a time," she finally returned.

"You all right?"

The American smiled sadly and nodded.

The archaeologist frowned. "I will be back, Elsie," she assured her friend. "I promise."

"I know," whispered the blonde. "Lara…I…"

The American hesitated.

"Elsie?"

The brunette felt Elsie's arm wrap around her midsection as her companion cuddled closer.

"I'll just…miss you so much, girl…"

-oOo-

It was to be their last sleep together before Lara's departure.

The two young women were sprawled on Elsie's bed, gazing into each other's eyes; no words were needed to convey the significance of their final night together.

The blonde's hand slowly reached out, trembling; the tips of her fingers slowly trailed across Lara's features, resuming an intimate exploration she'd all too briefly experienced once before.

She traced the partly healed gash along the brunette's cheekbone before moving lower, curving around the corner of Lara's mouth before drawing a sinewy line just below her lower lip. Her fingers then slowly shifted upwards, gently floating over the dips and crests of soft lips and up the smooth cheek before tracing over a gossamer line than ran across the bridge of Lara's nose.

The blonde's mouth was open slightly, her breathing becoming deeper. She edged closer, her grey eyes darting across the exquisitely scratched skin.

"I love these so much," she whispered as her fingertip drew a slow curve under her companion's orbital bone.

Her eyes locked into the brunette's. "Is that wrong?"

The brunette smiled. "Just don't give me too many more."

Lara closed her eyes, sensing the impossibly light touches drifting over the old injuries, slowly repainting past chapters of her life. She could feel the blonde's soft breath against her skin.

"So beautiful," breathed Elsie.

Fingertips gave way to gentle lips pressing delicately across her features, gradually working their way lower until they slid over Lara's own parted mouth.

Tongues writhed together inside Lara; the brunette, cognizant of the strength of her passion, allowed her companion to dictate the intensity of the embrace.

Elsie lingered a few moments more before withdrawing, sucking Lara's tongue as she slowly slid out. Her kisses moved down the curve of Lara's chin, the brunette throwing her head back as her companion worked her way down the slender column of her throat. The blonde paused at its base, pressing delicate kisses into the defined hollow between the archaeologist's collarbones before slowly resuming her downward path.

The Englishwoman chewed her lower lip as Elsie's kisses slowly worked down her chest, exploring her deepening cleavage before finally pausing at the thin cotton border formed by the brunette's top.

"Don't stop," gasped Lara.

A trembling finger slid under Lara's shoulder strap, slowly shifting the cotton band to the descending curve of her arm. The blonde then moved to the opposite side, gently sliding its twin from the brunette's shoulder.

Elsie swallowed nervously as she peeled the thin cotton garment downward. She licked her lips as she slowly exposed the luscious contours of Lara's perfect breasts. The blonde stared open-mouthed before slowly drawing her gaze up to the Englishwoman's.

"How can you even exist?" she whispered, shaking her head in wonder.

She didn't wait for an answer. A moment later she had her face buried in the brunette's bosom, alternately kissing and nipping the supple flesh with such verve that the archaeologist had the sensation of being lovingly cannibalized.

Lara's breathing accelerated as she cradled the back of the American's head and pulled her deeper into her chest.

The blonde began to suckle.

"Gods, Elsie," panted the brunette.

She gasped at the intense sensation of her flesh being drawn into the young woman's mouth, the blonde's hunger slowly magnifying her own until it burst forth in uncontrollable desire.

She shoved the American with sufficient force to send her flopping backward onto the bed with a squeak of surprise. Lara was on the blonde in an instant, roughly pushing up Elsie's shirt to reveal smooth, ghostly skin stretching across a lean abdomen, the flesh so pale that the bandage plastered on her side almost disappeared from sight.

Elsie had always been pretty - but now she was beautiful.

Lara's hungry mouth roamed across the milky expanse, tenderly kissing the young woman's firm stomach in between more forceful bites. Her hand snaked downward in search of the girls' loins.

The blonde was breathing heavily. Lara's lips rode the undulating stomach as she slowly slid her mouth up the shallow slope to the girl's ribcage. Elsie was not endowed with Lara-like curves; her body was lean, athletic and supple, with a decidedly virginal quality.

The brunette's hand slipped under the cotton of her companion's knickers, while her other hand pulled the shirt higher. Lara slid her lips up the girl's heaving chest as it rose and fell with increasing speed and intensity. The archaeologist kissed the soft mound of Elsie's breast, the skin there being especially pale and buttery-smooth.

Lara's lower hand found the soft folds of skin it had been seeking; two fingers gently probed the tender flesh before slipping inside the warm moistness.

Elsie's entire body shuddered.

The archaeologist writhed her body against the American's. Her full breasts filled the hollow of the blonde's abdominal cavity before slowly sliding up over the young woman's chest.

The brunette covered Elsie's panting mouth with her own. Her tongue wrestled with the blonde's as she drove her probing fingers in deeper.

The American's body stiffened abruptly.

A muffled squeal. A painful knee to Lara's midsection, followed by another, harder thrust, which was itself immediately followed by a violent thrashing as Elsie frantically extracted herself from beneath the brunette, pushing pushed herself off so forcefully that her back impacted the headboard and dislodged a picture frame from the wall. The glass covering the photo shattered as it crashed to the floor.

Lara pushed herself up to her knees, gaping at her companion.

"I'm so sorry!" said the Englishwoman. "Did I hurt – "

She cut off; the blonde was pressed back against the headboard, her knees drawn up protectively. But the girl's countenance was not one of pain.

Rather, she was staring wide-eyed at the brunette with an expression of absolute terror.

Lara was aghast; she reached out only to have the girl squeal in fright and draw back even tighter against the headboard. The archaeologist pulled her hand back hurriedly.

"Elsie, what's wrong?"

The blonde's grey eyes seemed ready to pop from their sockets.

"Bugger," whispered the brunette, a chilling realization running down her spine. "Elsie…it's me, Lara…I won't hurt you…"

The American's breathing, dangerously close to hyperventilation moments before, began to gradually slow to a less alarming level.

"I thought…I could do this," she finally said in a tiny voice. "It's been so long…I really…thought I could…"

Lara's shoulders sagged. "Oh, Elsie…"

Glittering grey eyes focused on hers. "Lara, I'm so sorry…I just…can't…"

The archaeologist moved to embrace her companion, only to have the blonde shrink back from her touch.

My God…

"Just…look at me…" squeaked Elsie as her eyes welled up. "I'm hopeless…"

"What did he do to you?" whispered the brunette, shaking her head in disbelief, desiring nothing more than to provide some measure of comfort to her friend.

The blonde was trembling; Lara could see she was waging an intense battle within herself.

"There was a reason he left, Lara," said the American finally, her voice quivering and weak. "He couldn't…couldn't hide it anymore…"

The Englishwoman was biting her lip painfully, her own eyes misting over at the sight of her friend's anguish.

The blonde's gaze drifted to the bedsheets, tears streaming freely down her face. Her shoulders drooped in final defeat. "I was fourteen," she said, every word seeming to be an intense struggle. "And…and he…"

She collapsed onto the bed and burst into tears.

Lara pulled Elsie up and drew her into an embrace; the American's fingers dug into her shoulders painfully.

"HE MADE ME KILL IT, LARA!" wailed the blonde uncontrollably. "HE MADE ME KILL IT!"

Oh my God…

Tears trickled down Lara's cheeks as she held the blonde close. The young woman's body was wracked by heaving sobs, her very soul threatening to sunder in agony. Lara felt utterly helpless.

She held the American for an interminable time until the sobs slowly reduced from sheer emotional exhaustion.

She felt the blonde's hands slowly release their grip as the American drew back. The sight of her young companion moved Lara profoundly: Elsie looked utterly drained. Empty.

"He forced me, Lara," she said, her voice hoarse. "I had to tell the doctor…that it had been my own stupid fault…for shacking up with a random dude for a one night stand…I was SO irresponsible…"

"Gods, Elsie," whispered Lara as she gently wiped fresh tears from the blonde's cheeks.

"But…he knew that excuse…would only go so far," continued Elsie, "And so…he left…"

She wiped her nose with the back of her hand. "I'd reached that age, you know…from that point his actions would have…visible consequences…I was no longer 'convenient'…"

The brunette stroked her companion's hair, her heart breaking at the depth of the confession she was now privy to.

Elsie brandished an unconvincing smile on her tear-streaked face. "I suppose some folks…might call me damaged goods, huh…"

"Elsie, that is such rubbish!" said the brunette.

"And they'd be right to," continued the blonde miserably. "Just look at me, Lara…it's been almost ten years…and I can't even make out…not even with someone I love and trust…"

Lara brushed blonde locks from her friend's eyes. "We'll work on that," she said softly. "And in the meantime, my love for you will never be dependent on our 'making out'."

Grey eyes looked into hers.

"I love you, Elsie," said the archaeologist softly. "More than I can ever say…"

The blonde burst into tears once more. The two friends fell back into each other's arms.

There would be no further lovemaking that night.

But there would be love.