Thank you lovely people who are still reading this and VERY lovely people who have left reviews. I've skipped a few episodes because I felt it was far too long since there had been any snogging and that was supposed to be the whole point of this story! I may go back and fill in some gaps, but for now...

Rachel catches Janet in the kitchen doorway, pinning her against the frame with a solid foot of tense air between them. She raises the newly filled glass of wine that she has brought her, a pitiful excuse to cover the fact that she could not stay any further away from Janet for a second longer. Janet cocks an eyebrow. Rachel swallows. Their fingers slide together as Janet slips hers over Rachel's and around the stem of the glass. The pale liquid trembles. Rachel's breath is loud in her own ears. Janet smirks, tilts the glass in salute.

'Cheers.'

Rachel can't help but stare as the wine spills over Janet's lips and disappears into her mouth. She can't help the way her heart pounds and heat rises through her until it feels like she might burn up on the spot if she doesn't do something. The glint in Janet's eye as she lowers the glass says she knows exactly what she is doing and that only makes it worse and better all at the same time. Rachel knows she needs to back off, fast, before she does something that breaks the terms of their agreement. Their all new sharing-a-house-but-not-like-that agreement. The one that is testing Rachel's limits harder than any yet. She is acutely aware of the fact that they are not quite alone. At that moment in fact the stairs creak not too far from her head, indicating that Dorothy is still making her way up to bed. Stairs are tricky for her, she's a bit slow. Rachel should have remembered that. She wonders how much of the doorway can be seen from up there. What do they look like, hovering opposite each other, to an outside eye? Her eyes flick sideways. She's scared to look. Janet's mum hates her enough as it is. If she knew...

'Night Mum,' Janet calls and is it just Rachel's imagination or is there a pointed niggle to Janet's tone/ It starts the stairs creaking again anyway. Rachel has a sharp urge to giggle. She catches Janet's eye and the urge doubles. She claps a hand over her mouth and almost chokes on the laugh. Janet holds her gaze, her blue eyes sparkling, her mouth twitching. Then her gaze trails downwards and she inhales deeply and Rachel can feel herself swaying forward, the tug of desire drawing her in. The space narrows between them. It's not funny any more. It's something much better. Janet toys with the edge of Rachel's jacket.

'Do you want a cigarette?' Her eyes are all baby-blue innocent as she raises them to look up at Rachel but her fingers tightening on the fabric are more than a hint at what she wants.

'I've just had one.' Rachel arches her eyebrows and spreads her smile slowly. It's her turn to tease. Now that she's sure that Janet wants her, right now, that there's no risk of her drawing back, she feels confident enough to drag it out. And it's true. She had gone out for a smoke when Janet went upstairs to say goodnight to the girls, partly to avoid Dorothy's lecture. Although she had cut it short when Janet had come down again and stopped in the hall to give her mum a hug. Rachel hadn't been able to help herself trying to get as close to Janet as possible, as soon as possible. Even the half-smoked cigarette hadn't mattered, she had chucked it without even noticing. She hadn't been expecting quite such a willing response though.

Janet pouts slightly, considering her next move. It's almost enough to make Rachel lose it there and then and kiss her, rules and agreements be damned. But negotiating those rules are part of the thrill of this arrangement. It's knowing she shouldn't that makes Rachel go giddy at the thought.

Janet licks her lips, about to speak. Rachel has to close her eyes.

When she opens them Janet has paused, obviously appreciating the effect she has had.

'I think I need a spot of air,' she says, studiously casual.

'Why Janet Scott, I think you're drunk.' Rachel leans over her to breathe in her ear. She catches the tiny intake of breath that gives Janet away. This is turning into some kind of competition, she realises and this makes her grin.

'No.' Janet insists. She still holds the edge of Rachel's jacket in one hand and she presses the backs of her fingers into Rachel's stomach gently, shifting them against her top.

'Tipsy then?' Rachel tries to keep her voice steady but she can't stop it hiking up in pitch. 'Maybe I should...' She holds out her free hand for Janet's wine glass, quirking her mouth to show that it's a joke but, to her surprise, Janet gives it up.

'Mmmm' Janet hums her agreement as she slides her newly free hand inside Rachel's jacket. 'Maybe that is a good idea.' Rachel realises her mistake.

'Now.' Janet takes a step backward, tugging Rachel's jacket to make sure she comes too. 'Suppose you put those down somewhere and we go get a breath of air.'

.

Outside the chill of the night bites them. Janet shivers. Rachel feels light-headed. Maybe they have had too much wine. They stand close but not touching in the little check of light coming through the glass door. Hesitant again. Rachel clears her throat, awkward again.

'So is outside, not the same as inside then?' She frowns at herself, the way the words come out. 'I mean...'

Janet touches her fingertips to Rachel's.

'No.' She laces their fingers. 'Maybe. Maybe not tonight.' Her grip tightens says so much more.

Rachel glances back through the glass, wondering what they look like, framed out here. She feels spotlighted, breaking all the rules like this. Even though there's no one there looking, there could be. Janet notices of course and gives an anxious little jerk of a look. It's her house, her family, she has so much more to lose. But then, it's her idea this outside thing, it's her instigation. Well, sort of.

Rachel steps sideways out of the light, drawing Janet with her, their hands still clasped. In the shadow of the wall, she wraps her in her arms, draws her close. Janet fits her head against Rachel's shoulder, breathes in deeply, kisses into her neck.

'You'll freeze out here Jan,' Rachel whispers, running her hands over the flimsy fabric of Janet's shirt.

'Shhh.' Janet lifts her head and presses her lips to Rachel's.

And Rachel forgets the cold because Janet's mouth is warm and her hands are warm against the back of her neck and in her hair and Janet's back is warm through her shirt and the heat of their kiss is the centre of the world and their bodies are pressed tight hot together and their arms warm around each other and the sweetness of just kissing Janet drives all other thoughts from her mind.

It's only when her back hits the wall, cold, that Rachel opens her eyes and comes back to the world where they are snogging in the back garden in the dark and Janet is shivering steadily.

'Shit,' she mutters. 'We should go back in.'

'In a minute.' But Janet doesn't let go. She gazes at Rachel steadily, hands still tangled in her hair, drinking her in. Rachel blinks. She's not used to being wanted so obviously, not by anyone she wants anyway, not by Janet. She's always the one who does the chasing. The cold is starting to seep through even Rachel's jacket and cardi though and she's getting worried about Janet standing out in only that thin top. She rubs her hands up and down Janet's arms, more vigorous than romantic and Janet laughs. She lets go of Rachel and burrows her hands under her jacket instead, encouraging Rachel to wrap her tight in her arms.

'Oh this is nice,' Janet murmurs against Rachel's shoulder.

'Yeah.' Rachel looks over her head. 'This is...' She wants to say perfect but she stops herself. Stupid. It's not perfect. But it almost is. For a moment, Rachel allows herself to imagine how this would feel if she belonged here, if this were hers and Janet's house, if she could say let's go inside and it wouldn't mean letting go of this moment, if she could carry this with her all of the time, if it was something real. But it's not.

Rachel blinks. There is a darkness in her stomach. Better not to imagine sometimes. She looks down and realises that Janet is watching her again.

'One day.' Janet reaches up to kiss her softly. Rachel wonders if she is always this easy to read. Of course, she tells herself, this is Janet.

'I want it too, remember,' Janet whispers against her lips and Rachel does remember. There's that whole big conversation they had. There's a plan now, as well as an agreement.

'Soon.' She knows she sounds possessive and needy and desperate but she doesn't care. She kisses Janet hard with all those feelings. The hungry little catch in Janet's throat almost undoes her. The clutch of hands against her back doesn't help either.

But Janet pulls back. She's a little breathless and a lot pink in spite of the chill.

'I wish...' she begins, then visibly draws a shutter down over those thoughts. She laughs shakily. 'No that's not a good idea.'

Rachel's pretty sure she knows what she's thinking. She wishes Janet could take her upstairs too. It is a sore temptation, living in the same house, staying in the room next door, knowing that the other is lying in bed just the other side of a wall. Just two doors between them. Only about twelve feet or so.

Rachel hasn't been sleeping well.

But that was the point of their new agreement. Because in spite of this torturous proximity, they are never alone. Janet certainly cannot forget that her daughters and her mother are only a wall or two away from her too. There are things that she cannot do.

Janet sighs. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, Rachel thinks, bending the rules like this. She feels a tight little rush of emotion and blinks hard against it.

'We should go in.' She loosens her hold and Janet steps away from her.

'Yeah.' Then she notices the brightness of Rachel's eyes and the tightness of her mouth. 'Hey, it's ok.' She brushes the hair back from Rachel's face, holds her jaw in her hands. Rachel clenches her teeth, feels ridiculous and scorched and protected and lonelier than ever. She feels like she's teetering on the edge of a high-rise.

'It's ok.' Janet says again. Rachel's not sure she believes her but she hopes she'll keep on saying it.

'It'll be ok. Tomorrow is another day.'