*sorry for any confusion the alternate story is causing*

*it was only related to this story in a very basic world-building way*

*it definitely didn't tie-in to this in anyway, both stories were independent, that's why i posted it on its own story page altogether and kept it separate*

*that other story was what i intended to write in the first place and this story is what actually came out of me when i sat down to write this world*

*my brain is an interesting place*

Chapter 24

Wandering Through Rooms

Worlds of time seemed to have passed for them both. Since the moment Amy met Karma, and this moment outside of Karma's house on Karma's drive, it almost felt like the world had just somehow shifted to the left and things were just as they needed to somehow be at long lost. What had become of their lives? How strange to feel so attached so quickly. Neither of them were used to this sort of thing. This wasn't like them. It made no sense to either of them. And yet… They were suddenly so important to one another, so epically irreplaceable, and that feeling was thick and palpable like a fresh sweet mystified nectar they couldn't help but taste upon the air.

In the driveway, after the parental storm, Karma clutched Amy with desperate hands and thoughts she'd never had. She had waited too long to come home. Seasons had passed. Emotions had shifted. A hole had been left. There was no way to go back. What she had done was interesting and very sad. She had battled her life all alone until now. She had waited until her Liam war was over. And she realized that now, clutched to Amy. She realized she had gone without by choice when she could've had help. Her mother had been right all along. As usual. About everything.

Karma held onto Amy's frame as if letting go could kill her.

"Thanks for coming here," Karma whispered. Something about Amy made her feel both anxious and safe all at once.

"I'm glad I came," Amy assured, holding onto her girl and feeling how she needed to be present.

"I'm a shit girlfriend," Karma said. "I was supposed to feed you." She took her palm to Amy's cheek and felt her soft skin. Amy took her hand and pulled it to her lips so that she could kiss it.

"Feed me then," Amy teased. The word girlfriend triggered all of Amy's expectations and led them to fly-low now, close to landing, since verification was not too far off. This was new but it did feel safe. She could wait forever to eat, really she could. Food was never hard to get or resist for her. She loved food but she didn't need it constantly. Plus, this was better, whatever this was.

Amy would give up food for a week if it meant Karma could feel some peace of mind again. There seemed to be an earthquake upon Karma's life lately. All of a sudden, everything in Karma's life was being shaken and rearranged. Amy felt her part in that. Karma could go through this alone but why would Amy allow her to? That wasn't something that even crossed her mind. They couldn't go back and become strangers and right now Amy knew she wanted to be with her more than she wanted anything in her world.

"Was that okay?" Karma asked. Time was passing slow in the driveway where cars rarely moved and voices were rarely heard. Karma needed to recover. She kept nuzzling her head into Amy's neck and then pulling her face away so that she could look at Amy and see her out in the daylight. When Amy's lips came too close and her eyes stared in that exact right way Karma would sigh and hide her eyes in Amy's shoulder and neck again, an unfamiliar feeling of happiness just filling her up inside.

This was love...

"What?" Amy asked, wondering.

"I mean… Is it okay if I call you my girlfriend?"

Amy smirked and then that smirk grew into a smile. "You already know I want you to," Amy said.

"And how can I possibly know that?" Karma asked, moving her head away again, the better to marvel at Amy in the heat of the sun and tease the beautiful woman who had become this sudden precious gift on her life.

"I'm not exactly playing hard to get," Amy teased with a small laugh.

Karma leaned in close, staring a bit down from eye-level, at Amy's lips. "Mmmhmmm, right," Karma sighed. She pulled Amy in by her shirt and kissed her in her drive-way, feeling as emotions had built up and now they were being tugged at and taunted by lips and softness and a not-so-careful need. There was no place in the world she would rather be. No feeling she'd rather feel. No person she'd rather taste. When Amy kissed her now it was set in Karma's mind. She'd hitched her wagon. "If I had my way, we'd still be in bed," Karma teased, her eyes growing lazy from the tenderness and the want to be resting nestled up with Amy for a good long while without any other distractions to drag her away.

"If you had your way we'd never be here," Amy said.

"I know," Karma smiled. "And that's why I love you." She needed her.

And there was that word again, that word that sent Amy's mind reeling. Love. Karma had said it while she was gazing up at Amy's eyes and holding her in her arms like she was the only person who could ever matter. Karma said it without qualm or preemption or fear. Karma said it.

"You've said that twice now," Amy noticed.

"Have I?" Karma asked. It had escaped it the first time. But if she said it she must've felt it. Karma didn't joke around about love. Love was dangerous and delightful all at once. Love could turn her into someone she wasn't. But with Amy, love was different. With Amy, Karma never felt more herself.

"Mmmhmm," Amy agreed, swallowing a tiny fear down her hopeful throat.

"Hmmm… I wonder what that means," Karma teased, she was rubbing her hands at different times around the skin of Amy's neck and looking up at her in such a way that she just wanted Amy to know how good she felt just now at her home where she hadn't been for at least two years.

Amy felt Karma's hands rubbing soft and warm on her skin. The touch exited her. She loved the way in which Karma touched and felt her. She loved everything but she hadn't said that yet and she wasn't sure why.

"Come on," Karma said. She'd noticed her special word had yet to be returned. She leaned up again and kissed Amy just for herself. She felt her finger-tips rest on Amy's chin as she tried to hold her love in one single kiss. "I wanna show you my room," she said, like a teenager all over again.

She took Amy's hand in hers and tried not to feel a slight sting.

If Amy wasn't in love she wasn't in love. Karma had time to figure that out but it did frighten her not to hear the word "love" given right back, especially after being told she herself had said it twice.

On the way to the door Amy's phone began to vibrate in her pocket.

"Oh shit," Amy said, "It's Lauren, I better answer."

"I'll be inside," Karma said, leaving the door open wide. In case Amy needed some privacy Karma took off to the kitchen to see if she could make something for Amy to eat real quick to tide her over until they'd both leave.

"Hey," Amy said.

"WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?!" Lauren yelled.

"Whoa, calm down," Amy fought.

"YOU HAVEN'T BEEN HOME ALL NIGHT OR DAY. IT'S ALMOST NIGHT AGAIN. WHERE ARE YOU. TELL ME NOW." Lauren was yelling but in that way that meant she was no-nonsense.

"I'm with Karma. We're at her house."

"What?!" Lauren hadn't been expecting that one. She wasn't sure what she expected but it was definitely NOT that.

"Karma Ashcroft?"

"Yes," Amy scoffed. "Have we even met another Karma?" Lauren was being annoying but it was all due to worry so Amy tried not to be EXTRA mean.

"Why are you with her? And why would anyone want to be with her if she was with Liam again?"

"Oh," Amy said, realizing the confusion. "No, we went to see her mom," Amy said.

"Karma never sees her mom," Lauren said flatly.

"Lauren, whatever, I'm fine okay. I'm with Karma. It's no big deal. We're just hanging out."

"Yeah, but why?!" Lauren still wasn't sure why it bothered her so much, this answer. Maybe it sounded like a lie? Maybe it just sounded weird? Something didn't sit right with her. Amy and Karma didn't have friends. And they weren't friends. Were they? Lauren thought to herself.

"Fine, okay, I'll tell you but you can't tell anyone."

"Fine," Lauren said, waiting on the other end of the line with barely any patience left.

"Karma and I… We're- We're sort of dating."

"You're WHAT?!" Lauren didn't like it. She hated it. The last thing Amy needed was another affair with a boss.

"It's not like Reagan, okay. Karma even just told her mom I was her girlfriend."

"Girlfriend?! What like you're both 11 all of a sudden?!"

"HOW WOULD YOU SAY IT?!" Amy whined, more frustrated than angry. Here she was trying to be open and Lauren was JUMPING DOWN HER THROAT.

"What's gone on between you. When did this start? I don't want her hurting you."

Amy busted up laughing.

"Look, just… Don't worry okay? I'll tell you about it when I have time. Right now I'm at her house and we're both safe and there's no need to worry about me. That's all you need to know."

"I can't believe you kept this shit from me," Lauren spat gruffly.

"Just… Don't tell anyone."

"Okay…"

"Okay," Amy said. "I'm gonna hang up now."

"Okay. Bye." Lauren said, hanging up her phone first.

Inside, Karma had pulled a bowl of strawberries out of the fridge and put a few on a plate with some melted chocolate. She figured that would work.

"Hey you," Amy said, walking up behind Karma in her kitchen until her body was too close not to touch. She pulled Karma's hair back from her neck and lowered her lips down to delicated kiss her while her arms slid in on Karma's sides and she pulled her close to hold her from behind.

Karma felt her entire body wanting Amy in a very dirty way. She felt her eyes close and her stomach leap. She wanted Amy's lips to be everywhere and her fingertips too. She felt Amy's tongue tease at her pulse.

"I guess I can just eat you," Amy teased in a whisper.

The thought was intense. It was getting harder not to touch and they both were beginning to notice.

"Here," Karma said, holding a strawberry up and watching as Amy bit into it.

"Mmmm," Amy moaned. "That's delicious."

Karma turned and Amy closed the gap between their bodies again. "You're starving," Karma said, gaining back some of her strength and her usual poise. Karma picked another strawberry up and fed Amy again, watching as she tasted it.

"Thanks," Amy said once she had chewed it enough to swallow. Her lips were extra red now and Karma needed them.

"Don't thank me," Karma said, feeling overwhelmed. She pulled Amy down to kiss her, this time Amy tasted like strawberries and chocolate, much sweeter than candy. She felt Amy's lips smile as her hands came to hold her. "I like you in my kitchen," Karma said, tasting her some more and letting her hand slide onto the skin of Amy's back beneath her shirt. She felt as Amy got goosebumps from all the touching she hadn't been used to. "Come on," she said. She took Amy's hand and the plate full of strawberries. She wandered down her familiar hall and took the stairs up to her bedroom from long long ago.