Twenty-Five

"You're being quiet," Tori commented, glancing over at Jade as they mounted the steps to the lodge. Her hands were tucked firmly in her pockets against the chill air, and her breath escaped as puffy clouds of vapor.

Jade also had her hands hidden, and she sniffled a little against the cold. "I'm not generally speaking a noisy person." She responded mildly. "I was just thinking, that's all." She reached out and pulled the heavy door open, then inclined her head for Tori to precede her.

"You always do that," Tori commented. "Open doors."

"Well.. you need to, Tori.. or you crash into them and get a lot of splinters in your face." The other woman responded drolly. "How's your shoulder doing?"

"It's a little stiff, but okay," Tori replied. "Actually... " She blushed a little and moved closer. "My butt hurts more."

The blue eyes twinkled a little. "You probably bruised your tailbone." She patted the spot gently. "I'll have to get you a pillow for the office for a week or so."

They went into the dining room, already half full with guests at the scattering of tables. A table near the window was made available, and they settled into it, gazing out at the view of the last rays of sunset over the lake. The room was fairly dim, wall sconces made to look like candelabra and torches were the motif, and they spread a warm, reddish glow around rather than a harsh brilliance. A fireplace in the rear crackled merrily and leaned to the rustic atmosphere.

"It smells great in here. " Tori commented, as their server arrived, bearing a basket of warm, fresh biscuits and a bowl of sweet butter. "Is it the wood they're using in the fire?"

Jade glanced over at it, as she snagged a yeast biscuit and broke it open. "Um… that might be hickory, so yeah." A tiny hint of a smile appeared. "You know, this winter stuff isn't all bad." She tugged on her collar. "Except that this wool's driving me nuts."

Tori laughed. "Well, you look really nice in that sweater… even if it's tickling your chin." The turtleneck, a rich, solid electric blue, brought out the color of her eyes like nobody's business and framed her heart-shaped face wonderfully.

Jade looked pleased at the compliment. "You look very nice, yourself." She returned it, eyeing the brunette woman's layered flannel and sweatshirt combination. Tori's face had a gentle tinge of color from the wind they'd ridden through, and her pale hair was pulled back into a ponytail, with a few wisps escaping around her pink ears.

Which grew a touch pinker at the words, something Jade found eminently adorable. "The Gulfstream will be ready tomorrow at 8 so it gives us the whole day." She remarked. "You're going to teach me how to snowmobile in the morning, right?"

"Teach you? Jade, you've been on more all-terrain vehicles than I have all your life.. what do you mean to teach you?" Tori protested, smiling a thank you at the server as he put a cup of frothy local ale in front of her, and a similar one in front of Jade.

"Um… " Jade took a sip and raised her brows. "Not bad.. um... I can drive about anything on the water that uses petroleum products, and I even got to sit at the controls of something that uses…" She paused and waggled her head. "A more esoteric form of fuel, shall we say... but I've never navigated frozen water down a mountain."

"Really?" Tori thought about that. "Esoteric? I don't…" She remembered what branch of the service Jade's father had been in. "Oh...oh... I get it...right… " Pause. "They didn't let you drive a submarine, did they?"

Jade held up a finger to her lips. "Shhh…. I didn't even have a driver's license at the time."

Tori covered her eyes. "Oh... I suddenly feel so…soo….safe… " She sighed.

"I didn't hit anything." Jade objected mildly. "And I'm a safe driver, you know that."

Their conversation was interrupted by the entrance of a large family, who took a table not far from them. The father was an older man, gray-haired and stocky, dressed in a flannel shirt and corduroys, and he directed the three assorted children to sit down while his wife pulled the waiter aside. The children were all slimly built and meticulously dressed, and the mother had, incongruously, a mink stole around her shoulders.

Jade snorted as she took a sip of her ale, then glanced over and saw the pensive look on Tori's face. She reached over and covered the brunette woman's hand with her own, chafing the fingers of it lightly. "Hey."

brown eyes flicked her way, then held.

"Memories?" Jade guessed.

"Something like that." Tori acknowledged softly. "When we were younger, we used to go up to a Christian retreat up in the north lake area…it was a little like this, except that the focus was bible teaching and family building." She let out a faint, bitter laugh. "Family building... what a joke... it was just one big excuse to get us all together in one place so we could be preached at for a week... and told our faults."

Jade winced. "Not all families are like that." She told her friend, squeezing the nervously moving fingers.

Tori dropped her gaze to their hands. "I know." She looked up. "But I see kids like that.." She jerked her head towards the family. "And I always wonder."

Jade studied the children quietly, noting the almost furtive glances as they looked around. The eldest girl was probably about sixteen, and the youngest about ten, she reckoned. As she pondered, the oldest happened to look her way, and their eyes met briefly. The girl immediately dropped her eyes, and a blush made itself evident on her face.

A dark brow lifted, as Jade wondered what had garnered that reaction, then she realized she and Tori were still holding hands. Ah. She drummed the fingers of her free hand on the table. Well well. "So." She casually pulled Tori's knuckles over and brushed them with her lips, then released them. " What were we talking about... Snowmobiling, wasn't it?"

"Um…" Tori looked a little flustered. "Jade…you know, we are in Conservative Colorado."

Jade blinked at her. "I know that."

Brown Eyes flicked around the room, then back to her face. "Aren't they having some kind of white nationalist revival here?"

The dark brows knit for a long moment. "Wha…oh." Jade sat back, nonplused. "I… " She looked around in a startled manner. "B…"

Tori hid a smile behind one hand. "Jade… Jade… relax… I…didn't mean… " She covered her eyes and felt her skin warm. "I just...I sort of had you pegged, I thought, as someone who didn't do PDA's." She peeked at her lover hesitantly. The angular face was very still, as Jade processed her words, and then an indescribable look took it over. "Jade?"

"I…" Jade released a breath. "I didn't think I did either." She folded her hands and studied them. "I'm sorry... I didn't realize it was bothering you." Her voice was steady, and casual.

But Tori had learned something about her companion over the months. Sometimes she said what she thought the person she was talking to wanted to hear, rather than what she was feeling in her heart, and it usually showed in subtle shifts in her body language.

Like when her neck muscles relaxed, and it dropped her shoulders a little. It wasn't quite slumping, but Tori could see it nonetheless. "N-no, it doesn't bother me… " She hesitated, choosing her words carefully. "I love when you touch me.. you have no idea how special that makes me feel." She watched the dark head lift, and wary blue eyes peeked out at her. "I guess I'm just not used to being conspicuous."

"Conspicuous?" Jade repeated.

"Yeah... I um... " Tori twiddled her thumbs. "I made it a practice to attract as little attention to myself as possible.. it was sort of a survival reflex."

"Oh." The dark-haired woman murmured. "I never thought of that." She played with her roll. "I never really cared if I attracted attention or not."

Tori rested her chin in her hand and gazed at her magnetically attractive companion. "No... I bet you didn't." She remarked wryly. "But it's going to take me a little while to get over that."

Jade bit her lip, looking for all the world like a scolded child being denied dessert. "Sorry... I… I wasn't .. doing it on purpose, I just..." Damn it, I should have realized. what in the hell is wrong with me? "I'll try to keep my hands to myself from now on."

Tori felt a definite pang hit her in the chest, just hearing that self-disgust in Jade's otherwise even tone.

It was a quiet dinner, and Tori noticed neither of them ate much. She zipped up her jacket and followed Jade as she made her way out the front of the lodge, towards where the hayride was forming up, a soft round of laughter coming from the people who were waiting. A large wagon really full of hay was standing there, with two large workhorses hitched to it, their placid, gentle eyes regarding the crowd with little or no interest.

The family had decided to go, and so did six or seven other couples, two of them with children. Tori bounced on her feet a little in the chill, as she watched them all mill around, waiting for the lodge worker to allow them to climb up onto the wagon.

Jade stood quietly nearby, her hands tucked into her pockets, a look of polite interest on her face. Her breath showed as a gentle stream of vapor, and as Tori kept an unobtrusive eye on her, the stream doubled, as she let out a long sigh.

"All right, folks… let's get aboard. we want to get over to that campfire real soon, cause this weather ain't getting any warmer." The cheerful driver told them, as he unhooked the chain and let the back gate down, they put a set of stairs in place. "Up you go."

Jade and Tori were the fourth set of people to get into the haywagon, and they settled themselves in one of the front corners, out of the way of the giggling children who were burrowing in the hay, tossing bits of it around. Jade drew her knees up and put her arm against them, resting her chin on one forearm.

She thought about what Tori had said and found herself resenting the other couples there, who were free to hug and kiss each other, with no fear of any adverse reaction. In fact, the two older couples were watching one pair of lovebirds with an indulgent look on their faces.

She felt, at that moment, as though something very important had been taken away from her, and it was making her mad. So was Tori's assumption that she wouldn't like public displays. So was the annoying cold, that was making her throat dry out and giving her a headache.

She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back, letting herself slide into a fully-fledged, self-acknowledged really bad mood. Part of it was at herself since she really should have guessed that Tori wouldn't be comfortable announcing their sexual partnership to the world, especially here in what she assumed was a bastion of conservatism. Another part of it was because she hadn't even realized she was doing it, which made her kick herself for being so damned self-absorbed.

The cold pressed in on her, and she dropped her head a little and let it in, remembering the last time she'd been here.

Living through the hurt, and rebuilding her defenses, determined to go back out there, and never, never let anyone get close enough to make her feel that lousy ever again.

So what the hell was she doing here now?

Then the other half of her slapped her upside the head. Get a grip, Jade… she didn't blow you off, she just asked for some time to adjust. So just chill out.

Well, at least that was easy enough. She glared morosely at her visible breath, bracing her feet as the wagon started, and the other occupants laughed in delight. The horses started to pull them down the road, their hoofbeats making a regular pattern in the still, cold air. Stop behaving like a spoiled brat, already. Jesus, Jade…what would Dad say? He'd kick your ass for acting like this. "Pretty night out, huh?" She forced her bad mood down, and turned to Tori, shocked at the effort it took not to reach out and gently move aside the soft brunette hair obscuring her face.

Tori's jaw was working, and her brow was knit. She turned her head towards her lover in almost slow motion. "Yes, it is." She responded thoughtfully. "It's cold, though."

"Yeah." Jade agreed softly, as she rubbed her arms with her hands.

The brunette woman studied the wagon's occupants, noting the huddled duos with a speculative eye. Then she took in a breath and expelled it. "Jade?"

"Hmm?"

Tori chewed her lower lip for a minute. "I'm over it." She announced. "I guess the world will just have to expand its horizons."

Startled blue eyes regarded her. "What exactly do you mean?"

The Latina woman shifted, then crawled the short distance between them and wrapped herself around Jade's body, tucking her head into the hollow of her lover's shoulder and exhaling. "Is this explicit enough, or do I need to suck your tongue?"

Jade felt a surge of heat erupt, as a flush colored her skin, warming her rapidly. "Uh.. no.. no.. this is fine.. I get the idea." She blurted, knocked off balance by Tori's sudden change of heart. She put her arms around the brunette woman and settled back, letting their conjoined body heat chase away the chill of the air. "What made you change your mind?"

Amazing, how fast a bad mood could vanish, whisked away on the cold wind.

Tori thought about the question for a while, as she regarded the people around them. After a few initial, startled glances, they were being mostly ignored, which was fine with her. "Well." She picked up a stalk of hay and chewed it. "I thought about how uncomfortable I felt about everyone staring at me, and then I weighed that against how comfortable I knew I'd feel if I was snuggling with you, and snuggling won."

"Just like that?" Jade asked, in mild disbelief.

"Essentially, yeah," Tori replied. "Oh.. there was more to it.. and I'm still wrestling with stuff…but I realized when I thought about it that you've been doing all that stuff ever since we... um… "

"Yeah."

"So…just because we're in a strange place, why should that matter? I know I joked about them lynching people.. but then I figured out if anyone's got a problem here, you could probably kick their ass, so... " Tori shrugged. "What the hell? I never rebelled as a teenager.. maybe it's time."

"Oh."

"Maybe I'll get a tattoo."

"Uh…" Jade peered at her. "Don't get all drastic on me, okay? How about we start with a rainbow sticker for your bumper."

"I don't know, Jade... " Tori mused. "A nice knotwork design, around your name.. right on my.. um... " She glanced down.

"Uh.. Tori… " Blue eyes glanced at their neighbors, one of the older couples who were watching them with interest.

"Shoulder blade." The brunette woman finished, with a twinkle in her eyes. "I bet that guy at the desk knows where I could get one around here."

"All right.. " Jade gave her a look. "Now you listen here, Victoria Vega... I am not going to stand by while you get my name tattooed on any part of your body in some hack shop in the backwoods, you hear me?"

Tori's nose wrinkled up as she grinned. "You sound so like your dad when you talk like that." She teased. "Would you do it?"

"Get your name tattooed on me?" Jade countered.

The brunette nodded but said nothing.

The angular face went serious, suddenly, intense as Jade met Tori's eyes and held them. "I already have that." She whispered, touching her chest above her heart with a finger. "Written so deep there, nothing could ever remove it."

Tori just looked at her, forgetting their watchers, her eyes softening and carrying the sudden glitter of unshed tears. She started to speak, then shook her head, and buried her face in Jade's shoulder.

Hmm. The dark-haired woman rested her cheek against Tori's pale hair. Not bad, from a hard-bitten, cold, and ruthless bitch from hell, huh?

Up ahead she could see the brightening glow of the campfire, sending crackling sparks up towards the bright stars winking over them.

Jade floated blissfully in a pocket of warm comfort, her arms wrapped securely around Tori's peacefully snoozing body. The air outside the blanket felt chilly, but she had no intention of going out into it, at least until the sun took it upon itself to come up.

Funny, though. She could have sworn they'd left the heat on last night. She edged one blue eye open and surveyed the cabin. It was a dull gray from the light coming in the window, and very, very quiet. Too quiet, Jade realized, as she missed the faint, but just perceptible mechanical sounds of the heating unit. Her eyes flicked the clock, which showed a depressingly early time.

Great. She chewed her lip for a moment, then decided the only way they were going to get heat in the place was if she got up and turned the heat on, then started up that fire again. C'mon Jade… buck up… you made Tori get up yesterday, it's your turn. She told herself firmly, as she eased away from Tori's warmth, and scooted out the other side of the bed. Shit. The chill made her start shivering, and she quickly trotted over to her bag, flipping on the heat along the way

Tugging out a warm sweatshirt, she pulled it on over her head and rubbed her arms. "Brr." She commented softly. "This cold stuff is for the birds." But there was a good stock of wood, at least, and she quietly stacked some in the fireplace, remembering how Tori had arranged it the day before. She packed the moss into the crevices, then she grabbed some matches they'd gotten from the lodge the day before and lit a few, making sure the fire starter caught in several places.

"Hey.. not bad." She sat down in front of the fireplace on the rug and warmed her hands on the growing flames, quite pleased with herself. "Okay… we've got the heat going... I got a pot here I can heat up some water with, and we've got fresh coffee." She counted off silently, giving a tiny nod. "That'll do."

On the way to the sink to get some water, she stopped and simply stood, watching Tori sleep for a long moment. The brunette woman was curled on her side, with one hand tucked under her head, and the other resting on the blanket, and her face was peacefully relaxed in the early hint of dawn. Her breathing was slowly moving the fabric, and Jade felt herself breathing in the same rhythm, as she leaned against the doorway in pensive silence.

Funny. She sighed and continued on, getting the water and bringing it over to the fireplace, putting the pot on a small shelf evidently for that purpose. A soft hiss went up as the flames evaporated a few droplets on the outside, and she settled into the comfortable chair, tucking her feet up under her and gazing into the fire.

The light caught with a flash of brilliance on the unfamiliar band around her finger, and she found herself staring at it, almost mesmerized by its friendly twinkle. She rubbed her thumb against the inner band and exhaled, finding it hard to believe she was seeing it.

She'd spent so long the last time she was here, just sitting, watching the water, and wondering what in the hell she'd done so wrong in her life to earn the repeated disappointments dealt to her where her heart was involved.

Now, here she was, sitting wondering what in the hell she'd done so right in her life to deserve this. She leaned her head against the chair back. And it wasn't just the ring…it was what was behind it. It was the equal commitment she'd been searching for almost all of her life.

It was what her parents had, and something she'd simply assumed everyone else was entitled to. Jesus, if I'd known how damn rare that is, maybe I'd have entered a convent. She closed her eyes. The last time she'd been here, she'd decided to leave her dreams behind.

This time… she found the sudden gift so overwhelming, she hardly knew what to do with herself. Slowly, she lifted the ring to her lips and pressed them against it, feeling a single tear wind its way down her cheek.

There was no doubt this was messing her up. She knew it… she knew damn well this was going to make doing her job the way she'd become accustomed to it difficult to the point of impossible. Tori's gentle, loving influence had wrecked her emotional shields, breaking down icy barriers she'd kept in place almost effortlessly for years, and now she was left with the same responsibilities, and the same goals, but without the single-minded, cold purpose that allowed her to achieve them.

Damn right, she wished the resignation had stuck. Especially now. She let her eyes slide open, and blinked them, to clear the moisture out. Right now, she felt a distinct urge to chuck her whole damn career and take off with Tori to someplace quiet, someplace small and sleepy, and maybe open up a little corner computer shop where the most exciting thing that happened in a day was someone catching a boot sector virus.

Her eyes found her lover's face. But that wasn't fair to Tori, either. She'd just gotten started, and besides, she liked San Francisco.

Jade sighed. She'd just have to see how things worked out, that was all. Maybe she could change the way she did things.

Yeah. Maybe pigs would grow jet engines and take off from an onramp of the 101.

A rattle broke her out of her musing, and she looked up to see the water pot shivering against the shelf, evidently quite well heated. Jade stood up and retrieved it, yelping a little as the heated plastic stung her fingers. "Ow.." She put it down quickly, then got two cups ready, and set plastic cone filters on top of them, adding scoops of the fragrant ground beans and pouring the water over it. It smelled great, and she took an appreciative sniff, letting her worries go for the time being.

No point in worrying about it now anyway, right?

She fixed the coffee with lots of cream and sugar, then she picked up Tori's cup and wandered over to the bed, now gently bathed in early dawn's peach-colored light. As she neared, sleepy brown Eyes fluttered open and blinked at her, picking up the light in their depths and highlighting the golden specks that floated in the misty color. "Hey." Tori burred softly, her voice slightly coarsened from sleep. She cleared her throat. "What are you doing up?"

Jade smiled, and sat down on the bed, offering her the cup. "I had to uphold Californian's reputation for tough natives... I got up to turn the heat on." She admitted.

Tori sat up, crossed her legs, and accepted the coffee. She pushed her sleep-disheveled hair out of her face with an idle hand as she yawned. "Mm." She sipped the beverage. "Thank you, Jade… I really appreciate this." Her eyes flicked to the quietly pensive look on her lover's face. "Where's yours?"

"Hmm?" Jade started, then smiled. "Oh... it's over there... I was just sitting by the fire waiting for the water to heat up."

"Mm… sounds nice." Tori slid her legs out from under the covers, and stood, taking Jade's hand in hers. "C'mon.. let's go back over there." She clung to the long fingers as they crossed the cabin, and didn't let go as they seated themselves by the fire. "I had a dream about you."

Jade almost inhaled a bit of her coffee. "Um.. yeah?" She replied. "Good or bad?"

Tori chuckled as she took another sip. "Oh.. awful... you turned into a bug-eyed giant rabbit and went bouncing all over the place, drooling." She glanced over, to see wide, round blue eyes staring at her. "I'm joking." She put a hand on Jade's leg, stroking it gently. "It was a wonderful dream… it didn't make much sense, but you were in it, and so was I.. and a white horse… and it was summer.. and there was a really beautiful grassy meadow.." Tori exhaled happily. "And we were laughing, and running through the grass, chasing after the horse."

Jade smiled. "Sounds like fun…did we catch it?"

"Yes." Tori lifted their still-linked hands and kissed Jade's fingers. "And we rode off together, just like we were riding yesterday."

A faint twinge reminded her. "How's the legs?" Jade asked her. "Still sore?"

Tori flexed her thighs and considered. "No.. just a little.. but they're okay. My shoulder's okay too." She added before she could be asked. "C'mon… let's grab a shower, and get dressed… I can't wait to get out on the mountain."

"You got it." Jade grinned. "I can pick up a basket of pastries and a thermos.. we could have breakfast out there... how about it?"

"I like it." Tori released her, and stood, stretching luxuriously, then giving a little yelp of surprise as Jade enfolded her in a bear hug. "Urp." She felt herself lifted up off the ground. "Whoa." The grip gently straightened her spine, though, which felt wonderful, and she threw her arms around Jade's neck with a soft laugh. She could almost feel the emotion going through her lover, and she exhaled, as Jade finally released her back to her own feet. "Boy, that felt great."

Jade rubbed her back and gently kissed her head. "Yes, it did." She playfully scooped a handful of sunlight, letting it sparkle off her ring and send tiny flashes darting around the room. "C'mon.. let's go."

The sun poured down on white powder, unobstructed by a single cloud, and warm enough to offset the chill of the wind buffeting them as they rode the snowmobile through the mountain. Vail was beautiful. With Patches of Coniferous forests dictating the best path to ski and sled. Tori expertly turned the small vehicle and sprayed white powder at each turn, sending them over the neighboring trees and causing a cold spray to dust their skin.

Jade was seated behind Tori. her body pressed tightly against her over a padded seat, and her face turned into the breeze as they plowed through the snow. "This is great. "She whispered in the brunette's ear.

Tori smiled, as she moved the the snowmobile to a snow ram in the path, and jumped it with an excited whoop. "It sure is." She agreed, her body dredging up old memories of fun hours spent out on Massanutten on snowmobiles with her siblings... "The best day of my young life was the day I got my snow vehicle license and I didn't need to ride with anyone else. I would sneak out of the cabin and ride for hours."

Jade reached out and tucked a lock of brown hair behind her lover's ear, as she watched Tori's smooth, and precise motions. "You're good at this." She commented, enjoying the sight of her lover's wind-whipped figure. "And you look really cute."

"Oh, sure... I probably look like an Afghan hound with his head out the window of a car going down the highway." Tori laughed. "Glad the sun's pretty strong, though.. or it'd be really cold out here." She slowed down the mechanical sled and then turned to her fiance. "We should go to the hot springs."

Jades smiled and nodded. "But first… You ready for some breakfast?" She inquired.

"You bet...I'm starving." Tori informed her, as she edged the snowmobile towards one of the resorts that dotted the mountain. "I figure we can eat at the chalet and then go over to the hot spring until we're ready to leave. we've got all the time in the world. Right?"

The words brought a smile to Jade's face. "Right." She dismounted the snowmobile after Tori parked it and they entered the dining room. The waiter at the chalet greeted the m with fresh muffins and hot chocolate, and Jade almost melted in pleasure. They sat, and she broke a freshly baked blueberry muffin in half, offering a portion to the brunette woman. "Here.. take a nibble of this."

"Mmm…. " Tori captured it in her teeth and chewed. "Oo.. they have more of those?"

"They do have more of those," Jade informed her investigating the basket. "And they have those ones with all the nuts in them that you liked... and cornbread."

The brunette woman stopped chewing. "Cornbread? I don't get it."

"Wait a minute..." Jade snorted softly. "How do you not know what cornbread is…Here." She took out a miniature loaf of the cornbread and spread some soft, sweet butter on it. Then she drizzled a touch of honey over that, and broke off a piece, putting it in Tori's open and waiting mouth. "Try that."

Tori closed her mouth and chewed. "Mmm… " It was a rougher texture than the almost cakelike muffin, and the butter and honey made a nice counterpoint to the earthy taste of the corn. "Oh... I like it… now I know why the South lost the Civil War.. they were too busy cooking."

Jade laughed in pure reflex. "I don't think that's why... but we definitely go in for comfort foods in the South."

Tori laughed. "Do you ever miss it?"

"Alabama? Lord no… I haven't been there since I was a baby. I have lived on the West Coast for a long time. Once Daddy got sent to San Diego we never left." Jade said softly.

"So you've never met any of your dad's side of the family?"

"I don't think they'd appreciate who I've become Tori. I think I am okay with who I am, especially since My Dad is okay with it."

Tori let her eyes roam the skies out of the massive window of the Chalet, watching a hawk circle lazily. Jade reclined next to her, breaking off mouthfuls of her assorted goodies and popping them in Tori's mouth as they shared companionably. "Jesus.. this has been such a long week." The brunette woman commented. "I can't believe it was only a week ago that we'd gotten home from the trip to Hell."

"Uh-huh." Jade fed her another bit of cornbread. "I'm glad we had a few days up here just to relax." She paused. "Well, sort of." She chuckled. "Barring a fall from a horse or two." She brought out a large thermos and uncapped it, releasing an intoxicating scent of chocolate into the air.

Tori accepted the cup of hot chocolate and gave Jade a gentle kiss. "It's been wonderful.. despite the horse." She gazed into the blue eyes. "We'll have to come up here again when we can spend more time." They were sitting at the table side by side, and Jade shifted, slipping an arm behind Tori and drawing her closer.

Tori put the cup down, and half turned, sliding her hands over Jade's shirt and tangling her fingers in the fabric, as she willingly met the lips searching for hers. They tasted each other for a breathless moment, then backed off a little, as Jade reached up and stroked Tori's face. "I wish we didn't have to go back."

Tori studied her face, evaluating the statement. "You mean that."

The blue eyes dropped. "Yes." Jade exhaled, as she regarded the snow covering the slopes. "I keep trying to dredge up interest in going back into that office on Monday, and I just can't." She confessed. "I don't know if I can just go back to business as usual."

Tori's brunette head cocked to one side. "Jade… I don't understand…I thought you'd worked things out with Alastair… did something else happen?" She put a hand on her lover's arm in concern.

A soft laugh. "Sort of. " Jade's lips twisted into a wry smile. "We happened." She stated quietly. "I don't think I can put that aside when I have to be the company bitch anymore." She glanced up at Tori honestly. 'There are things I've done… that I couldn't do now.. not and look you in the eye at the end of the day."

Tori felt a little shocked. She hadn't expected that, hadn't even considered it. "Jade.. you don't know that… I mean.. we've hardly had a chance to… "

"I do know it." The dark-haired woman interrupted gently. "I knew it that afternoon at Disney." She picked up Tori's hand. "When I wouldn't trade a roll in the sack for a contract just because you were there."

A slow intake of breath. An exhale. "Oh."

"Yeah," Jade murmured. "What you think of me matters, Tori… I've never had to worry about that before." She tangled her fingers with her lover's. "I can't do things the old way."

Tori tried to jump-start her brain into action. "Find another way then." She offered, faintly. "We can do it.. you and I."

A long pause, as the hawk called overhead, lonely and regal.

Finally, Jade blinked. "Maybe." She murmured. "I guess we'll find out."

Tori studied her lover's body language, often a far more accurate guide to her feelings than her speech was. "Are you tired of doing what you are doing Jade?"

The sound of the many skiers floated over them for a few minutes. "I…" Jade paused. "I think I'm just tired of it never-ending," She admitted. "It never gets any better. It's just one fight after another, one crisis after another. I'm just over it."

"Wow," Tori Murmured.

"I've been doing this a long time," Jade went on. "I was just thinking it would be nice to just take a few weeks off and I don't know, just do nothing."

"Funny," Her partner mused. "I couldn't wait to start working because I felt like I was finally doing something useful with my life." She put her fork down on her plate. "The one thing I didn't want to be was someone who just stayed home and did nothing."

Jade looked at her. "Wow," she echoed.

"But you know what?" Tori continued. "It would be okay to do that if it was with you. I could spend the rest of my life just doing nothing with you and be happy." She looked at Jade's profile. "And no, I'm not just saying that because it's romantic and goopy and it would make you feel better."

Jade's lips twitched as she bit off exactly that accusation. "Well," she sighed. "Now that Alastair's okay with us maybe we can work together to change things back there," she said. "At least I'll have success to go back with. Maybe that will help."

Tori traced Jade's cheekbone with her finger. "If not, we'll make a change," She said. "Now we can be partners all the time, and I know that's going to make a difference to a lot of people in how they treat me."

"Good or bad?" Jade wondered.

"Both," Tori acknowledged. "But you take your advantages where you find them. I learned that the hard way growing up."

"Hmmm… we'll see," Jade said. "Wha the hell? Let's give it a try. What's another challenge, anyway?"

Tori nodded, profoundly relieved. "Right." She rubbed Jade's hand against her face. "Speaking of challenges, you want a turn on the snowmobile?"

A smile spread across Jade's face. "Yeah." She cupped Tori's cheek affectionately. "Teach me."