Disclaimer: I do NOT own Desperate Housewives or any of the characters. I do not own the songs I named the chapters after. No copyright infringement is intended.

A/N: This episode takes place during the 5-year gap, after latest chapter, Kiss me. I've changed the rating to M.

Thanks so much for the compliments! It helps me a lot to go on writing.

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'Stop tickling me!' Katherine yelled, chuckling and struggling to get rid of Bree, who was on top of her in bed.

Bree finally moved to the side, gasping and laughing. Having a tickle fight with Katherine was more exhausting than it seemed.

'Look at us, we're like little kids' Katherine smiled 'Who would have thought you liked to play around so much?'

'I know, I usually don't do this kind of things' Bree recognized 'But it's just so much fun!'

'You know what this reminds me of? Pajamas parties. You know, when you have a sleepover at another kid's and you spend the whole night fooling around instead of sleeping… Actually, if you think about it, the idea of it is a bit… lesbian. Four or five teenage girls in the same room in their underwear… Don't you think?'

Bree looked slightly embarrassed.

'I have no idea what you're talking about… To be honest, I never had one of those'

'You didn't?' Katherine exclaimed.

'No' Bree's cheeks blushed.

'Aw!' Katherine planted a sweet kiss on Bree's mouth 'I'm sorry to interrupt you, but you looked just too cute!'

'I was never allowed to sleep at anybody's or to invite someone for a sleepover as a child. My father and my stepmother thought it would pervert me'

'How is that supposed to pervert you? It sort of belongs to life and growing up. I can't imagine how your first sex talk with your parents must have been like…'

'Sex talk? My gosh, I wasn't even allowed to use that word!'

Katherine looked at her friend with a certain touch of sadness in her eyes.

'I didn't even know what an orgasm was until a couple of years ago…' Bree continued, feeling immediately awkward after saying that.

She felt Katherine's arms holding her and her lips on her cheeks, encouraging her to go on and comforting her.

'God, I feel so ridiculous… I just had never had oral sex before. I had always thought it was something disgusting and dirty. But Orson convinced me to do it and… well, that was something completely new for me'

'That gives food for thought' Katherine commented 'Sweetie, I don't mean to be offensive, but… don't you think you might have been a lesbian all along but have always been just too uptight about sexuality to try it?'

'What?! No, not at all! I don't think that means anything like that… I also enjoyed sex with men and besides… well, I've never had sex with a woman'

'True. In fact, that's one of the things I like about us. As we're both women, we can be close and touch each other as much as we like without any pressure or anyone begging for sex'

'Hmm, me too' Bree replied, resting her head on Katherine's shoulder.

Mary Alice's voiceover

Addictions… what are they in truth but strong passions that make us weak, thinking that we are unable to live without them? Addictions are everywhere; they can be everything from a pleasant activity to a certain substance that makes our senses go numb. The bad thing about them is that it's hard to get over them. Sometimes, the most effective way to get rid of an addiction is simply to find… another one.

On that weekend, there was a christening party near Wisteria Lane. That was a great opportunity for Bree and Katherine, as that was a rich and influent family and they wanted to throw an important party. They were very busy for some days, but all the effort was worth it. Their little business was slowly but steadily taking off and they were getting more and more calls each time. Working for the cream of the crop in Fairview would definitely open many doors to them.

'Ok, the duck is in the oven, the salad is done… So there's just the cake, I guess' Bree summarized.

'I've already taken care of the chocolate sauce' Katherine informed her 'We just have to cover the dough with it and add some ornaments'

'Oh, that's great'

'Would you like to try the sauce?' Katherine offered with a flirtatious grin.

'Sure'

Katherine took the wooden spoon she was using to stir it, but instead of taking it to Bree's mouth, she used it to put some chocolate on her own neck.

'Katherine!' Bree exclaimed 'What are you doing?'

'You said you wanted to try it, didn't you?'

'You're a little tease, did you know that?' Bree rolled her eyes with a smile.

She got close to her friend and started licking the chocolate off her neck sensually, causing her to moan. However, Bree suddenly stopped when she heard that someone was getting close.

'Mum, the guests have just arrived' Andrew announced as he got in the kitchen 'Is the salad ready?'

'Yes' Bree rushed to hand him one of the salad bowls 'Tell the waiters they can start serving it'

'Ok, great. By the way, Katherine, you have chocolate on your neck'

'Oops, hadn't realized it' she lied, wiping it away with a napkin 'Thanks for telling me'

Once Andrew had left, Bree sighed in relief.

'God, that was close!'

'We'll have to be more careful' Katherine agreed 'Or maybe we could tell him'

'Are you crazy? After how I reacted when he came out, he would hate me!'

'Well, you're right in that. And I understand that you're a married woman, so it's better to keep it as a secret. But to be honest' Katherine approached Bree in a seducing way 'It'd also be nice if we could have a bit more freedom to mess around, wouldn't it?'

They kissed briefly.

'I suppose we'll always have the bedroom' she sighed.

Nevertheless, the fact that it was a secret did not prevent both women from making the most of their romance. Having to keep it from their friends and acquaintances made everything even more exciting. Besides, it made them appreciate their nights together much more.

'So, any news anyone?' Gaby asked, shuffling the cards.

Lynette shrugged.

'I'd rather not get started. Porter was caught two days ago shoplifting. I seriously don't know what to do. We've tried everything – grounding him, talking to him, even bribing him… But I just don't make it to get through to him. And the worse thing is that Preston is starting to imitate him… You see? I told you guys I shouldn't get started!'

'It's ok, sweetie' Susan, who was hosting that evening's game, told her 'You needed to get it off your chest'

'Speaking of which' Lynette replied 'Are things getting any better with Mike?'

Susan sighed.

'Not at all. He still doesn't get it. I'm really not sure how he can be so calm about it and this is driving me crazy. For God's sake, two people died and it was our fault!'

'Honey, I know it was horrible for you, but don't you think it's time you got over it?' Gaby asked 'It was an accident, after all'

'Yes, but it could have been avoided. And it has changed the way I look at Mike. I can't sleep with a man who is unable to feel the tiniest bit of regret'

An awkward silence filled the room. A change of subject was urgent.

'So Gaby' Bree broke the quiet 'Have you already thought about names for your baby girl?'

Gaby, who was six months pregnant, nodded.

'I'd like to call her Aurora, but Carlos keeps insisting that we should call her Celia, like his great-aunt, that blind idiot!'

'Well, it's a nice way to honor a family member' Susan commented.

'Shut up!' Gaby snapped 'Wasn't that the reason why you had to call your son Maynard?'

'Touché'

'What about you guys?' Lynette asked Bree and Katherine 'We haven't seen you two for ages, and you've been so silent all night…'

'Oh, well, it's just… We've been pretty busy with the catering business lately' Bree answered.

Of course, none of the girls apart from Katherine knew a thing about Bree's alcohol problem.

'How's it going?' Lynette wanted to know.

'Pretty good, actually' Katherine replied 'In fact, guess who hired us last week for their christening party… the O'Connors!'

'Oh my!' Susan exclaimed 'They must have paid you a fortune! And if they liked it, you're going to become famous'

'That's so great!' Gaby smiled to them 'I'm happy for you guys'

'Oh, I'm sure they liked us' Bree smirked proudly 'We got many compliments on our almond and vanilla cake with chocolate icing'

'You mean my cake!' Katherine looked daggers at Bree 'Everyone knows that was my idea!'

'Yes, they are the same as always' Lynette muttered with a smile as she put her cards on the table.

What they did not know, though, was that while saying that, Katherine's bare foot was caressing Bree's calf. Later, as their conversation went on, they drifted away from one topic to another. For no apparent reason, they began to talk about the excitement the start of a new relationship or affair brings to life. And once again, without anyone noticing it, Bree and Katherine held hands below the table. That sudden touch, which suited the mood of their chat perfectly, made the two of them feel very aroused and wish for the poker evening to be over.

In fact, those poker evenings were becoming slightly annoying. Having a fun time with the girls was always good, but there were many moments in which they just felt like being on their own. It was getting harder and harder to resist the temptation of touching each other when they were with other people.

'Bree, I have to, um, discuss something with you about tomorrow's menu' Katherine said once when they were saying goodbye to the girls.

'You guys are working too hard' Lynette joked.

'Of course' Bree replied, ignoring Lynette's comment 'Come to my place and we'll talk about it'

When they were some meters away and sure that no-one could hear them anymore, Katherine whispered.

'Shouldn't we just tell them that we're living together? This way I wouldn't have to come up a different excuse to go to your place every week'

'Oh, fantastic, and how would you explain us living together?' Bree wondered 'We cannot tell them about my addiction, it would just worry them. They wouldn't understand that I'm already recovering. Besides, what would they think…?'

'Maybe you're right' Katherine sighed with resignation 'I'm sorry, it's just… sometimes I feel as if you were sort of ashamed of me'

'Honey, how could I be ashamed of you?' Bree put Katherine's hair behind her ear to caress her cheek 'You're a wonderful woman everyone can be proud to be seen with and I love to have you in my life. But the situation is just too complicated. I'm still a married woman and I defend traditional values… what would my friends think of me if they found out that I'm having an affair… with a woman? I wouldn't have a problem if everything had happened when I was single. Actually, if that had been the case, I would be shouting from the top of the roof how happy I am with you'

'Wow, you're a real expert with excuses' Katherine smiled 'I understand it. But don't think such sweet compliments are always going to get you out of trouble'

They closed the door behind them after entering the house and kissed in the dark.

To be continued…