The reunion...

Twenty

Tori had almost, twice now, asked Jade to simply keep on riding instead of going into the large, buff colored building she could see looming just ahead with a sign that read Philip and Sala Burton Academic High School. Home of the Pumas out front. Riding a motorcycle was way more fun than she'd anticipated, especially when it became apparent that Jade did, indeed, know how to operate one of them. She was tucked in back of her companion, with both arms around Jade's middle, and just having a grand old time.

"You know.. " She murmured into the fairly close by ear. "It would be really cool to go down the PCA, all the way to San Diego on this thing." Jade's head turned slightly. "I could cope with that."

"Hm." Jade kept one eye on the road, and peeked at her. "Am I getting the message that we need to invest in a bike?" She grinned .

"Ooo." Tori squeezed her. "Now you're talking."

Jade chuckled, and faced back around, leaning the cycle a little to turn into the parking lot of the school. There was a crowd outside the door, and more people entering, and she was relieved to see most of them had entered into the spirit of the occasion and were wearing relics from bygone years. Though. She tilted her head. Wearing football pants three sizes too small and a full set of spikes was of at best, dubious intelligence. She squinted a little. That would be Barandon Pitts, she decided, the school quarterback her senior year. The homecoming king, boy voted most likely to do just about whatever he wanted, and senior class president had ended up going into the Navy, she remembered reading in the local press, and came out several years later to take over his father's local chain of coin laundromats.

Against the odds, she'd liked Barry. He shared her dry sense of humor, and refused to take any of the high school hoopla over him seriously, getting in and winning his share of games and getting out with a comfortable slate of memories and not much else. He was smarter than they gave him credit for, and wiser than an 18 year old boy typicallly was in the way of life, and Jade smiled now to see him amiably stuffing himself back into his old togs and talking to what appeared to be some cheerleaders who were reliving memories.

Tori was peering around with interest as they parked, her chin resting on Jade's shoulder, and she exhaled. "This is soooo different than my school was."

"Yeah?" Jade put both booted feet on the ground.

"Private, girls only, Christian."

"Oh." The dark haired woman made a face. "Sorry."

"No.. it wasn't bad, actually. It was kind of good, in a way." Tori disagreed. "Everyone competed a lot, but it was never mixed up in that pseudo chivalry stuff, and no one told you to be good, or bad, in anything because you were a girl. Everyone was considered equal."

"Mm." Jade thought about that, as she swung her leg over the bike's engine and stood, dusting her jeans off. "Interesting." She offered a hand to Tori with a hint of self consciousness . "Shall we?" After some serious debating, she and Tori had finally decided that the blond woman's outfit was just a little too.. well just a little too, that was all, and Tori had switched the extremely skimpy skirt for a pair of her oldest, most faded jeans, which were very snugly fitted and tucked into the tan leather boots that she'd gotten at the store. She'd kept the leather tooled belt, though. "You okay?"

"Mm." Tori plucked a the soft leather jacket she'd worn while riding. "Hope it's air conditioned in there."

Jade chuckled. "It is." She straightened the silver chain around her partner's neck, holding the old fashioned, age darkened setting they'd found in Aunt May's trunk. "Matches your eyes." She flicked the ear cuffs dangling from Tori's ears. "You look very..um… "

"Post Apocalyptic retro." Tori decided. "But I like it. And I like that outfit on you, so let's go get stared at." She peered at some of the other people making their way towards the school. "At least ours fits." She squinted. "That's not a tube top, is it?"

Jade tilted her head, then tilted it the other way, then removed her sunglasses and rubbed her eyes. "I don't want to know." She muttered, resuming the lenses and leading the way across the tarmac. Getting stared at wasn't going to be a problem, she soon realized, as she used her darkened lenses to peer around unseen at the gawking faces. Well, that certainly wasn't any different than when she'd attended the place, that's for sure. She kept her head faced forward and mounted the low stairs up to the door. It opened, and a waft of public school scent wafted out, making her nose wrinkle in memory as she passed through into the building.

The main hallway was filled with clumps of people, some in business clothes, some casual, some in outfits more appropriate to the teenagers they had once been. Jade took a breath of the air conditioned air and released it. "Looks the same. " She commented, peering around. Same oatmeal colored walls, same institutional tile floor with curves of oatmeal colored carpet liberally stained with toner, same rows, off to the left and down, of buff colored, paint chipped lockers.

Across the walls near the ceiling tiles were painted banners, welcoming the old students home, and to the right hand side, the folding walls had been pulled back, exposing the round tables of the cafeteria.

"Haey, Jade!" Barry's voice suddenly boomed at her elbow, and she turned, to see the tall, heavyset man beside her. "Can't believe ya showed up."

"Hello, Barry." Jade removed her sunglasses and extended a hand. "Nice to see you again." She half turned. "This is my wife Tori."

"Hey there, Tori." Barry released Jade's hand and took Tori's. "Well, ain't this a pile of pretentious preppies." His eyes turned to Jade. "Glad to see you ain't changed any.. still the rebel, huh?" His pale hazel eyes twinkled. "At least after business hours, anyway.. saw your picture in the paper couple months back, that was a kick, lemme tell ya."

"Mm.. I can bet there's a few folks here that never expected me to grace Business Monday, that's true." Jade chuckled. "Thanks.. things are pretty good, yeah. What about you? Still running that chain?"

"Branching out." He scratched his shoulder under the pads. "Business is good. I got married, got two kids, you know." Barry looked around. "Damn, things don't change much, do they? Same groups. There's the jocks, there's the brains, and the geeks."

Jade followed his finger. "Yeah, and the outcasts." She nodded towards a group off by itself, in clothing a bit like hers, most of the men long haired, and the women with body piercing. "Is that Cathy Singer?"

"Yeah. Guess she didn't join a cult and go postal after all. I always figured her for that." The very tall, muscular woman across the floor laughed, and hooked thumbs in her belt loops, exposing luridly tattooed arms that somehow matched her bright orange crew cut. Barry scratched his ear. "Unless she's out on parole again."

Jade's brow lifted. "What did they get her for?"

"Assault. When she got out the last time, she came over looking for a part time with me. I.. " Barry looked a little embarrassed. "I felt bad for her, y'know? But she was scaring the customers."

"Ah." Jade folded her arms. "Figures. We had a few run ins back when."

"Why?" Tori spoke for the first time, having been busy absorbing the scene with interest. "I thought you were part of that kind of group?"

"Naw." Barry laughed. "Jade weren't part of any group, that's the trouble - she qualified for all of em, and it drove em all nuts."

"I was pretty cocky, and not very tactful in those days." Jade advised her wife.

"I'm sure I would have hardly recognized you." Tori murmured, returning the polite smiles of a group of letter sweatered women in cheerleaders skirts and sneakers nearby. "Are those drinks I see in there? All this leather is making me thirsty."

Jade's nostrils flared and she bit the inside of her lip to keep from laughing. "Right. See you later, Barry." She nudged Tori in the direction of the cafeteria, returning the wary nods of recognition from several people as they worked their way through the crowd. Jade stopped to read the brightly colored schedule on the outer cafeteria wall and exhaled.

"They're calling this the Get to Re-Know You Reception." She commented. "Then we have the Old Times Cafeteria Spaghetti Dinner and the Squeaky Shoe Gym Dance." She put a hand over her stomach. "I think my stomach flu's re-occurring."

"Jade." Tori pushed her gently towards the makeshift bar, where a sweating bartender was dispensing cheap beer and jug wine. "Would you give me a tour around the place? I'd like to see where your classes were." She could sense how uncomfortable Jade was, and was beginning to regret coaxing her into coming. "Barry seemed nice."

"He is." Jade ducked past two men in leisure suits, one of which she seemed to remember as a math whiz in eleventh grade. "He and I used to hang out to just to make everyone wonder."

"JaeJae!"

Jade physically flinched. Oh shit. She forced a smile on her face and turned. "Hello, Patricia."

A tall, very well endowed blond woman was bearing down on them, a delighted look on her tanned face. She had short, feathered hair and was wearing an old, wool band uniform. "How are you? My god, I didn't think you'd show up for this if I'd know I would have told Sally and Carol to come too, though I think they'll be here later how've you been?" She grasped Jade's arm and squealed. "You look wonderful!"

Tori judged angles and distances, and calculated that Jade would effectively toss the woman right into the next concrete pilon, quite possibly within the next ten seconds if she didn't do something. "What a nice uniform." She smiled brightly. "Is that a cummerbund?"

"Oh." Patricia stepped back, and tugged at it, necessarily releasing Jade's arm. "Why, yes.. I had it dry cleaned twice, and I think I got all the mildew out of it." She beamed at Tori. "Do I know you?"

"No.. sorry. My name's Tori. " She stuck out a hand. "I'm a friend of Jade's."

"How nice!" She dismissed Tori, and returned her attention to the, dark haired woman standing next to her. "I can hardly believe it."

Fortunately, the interlude had given Jade a chance to regain her composure. "Been a long time, that's for sure." She nodded gravely. "I'm doing well, thanks. And you?"

"OH! I have a thousand things to tell you.. just wait until the gang hears you're here, don't move, Jade, I'll be right back." Patricia bounced off, heading towards a table full of uniforms in various states of repair.

Jade and Tori eyed each other, then Tori firmly took her elbow and headed for the door, not stopping until they were down the left hand side hallway, in a quieter spot. "Oh, my god." Tori took a breath. "Don't tell me that's a friend of yours."

"Ahem." Jade tugged her earlobe. "Actually, she's my cousin." She almost smiled at Tori's dropped jaw. "On my father's side."

Brown eyes peered at her, then Tori turned around and looked at the entrance to the cafeteria. She swiveled slowly back. "Does he know?"

Jade sighed.

"Ah am gonna kick her butt."

Cecilia prowled around the huge cottage, all three bedrooms, and two bathrooms of it, with kitchen. "Well… it's um.." She put a finger out and traced the marble countertop. "Not a Motel Six, that's for sure."

"Ah am gonna take that child up over mah knee, and spank her till she yelps the Pledge of Allegiance in six tongues."

His wife opened a closed door, and found a huge, turbidly swirling hot tub tucked behind it, raised, with ledges comfortably niched for drinks. "Hm." She left the door open and wandered into the kitchen, peeking inside the refrigerator and finding champagne, and a tray of assorted chocolates and cookies. She picked up a square of dark truffle and returned to the recalcitrant figure standing in the hallway, legs braced, and arms folded.

"Ah swear, I'm… fmf." Jim bit down on the unexpected object in his mouth. His brows lifted as he chewed. "Mm.. what the hell is that?"

"Chocolate." Ceci advised him knowingly, patting him on the stomach. "C'mon, relax. It's only for one night." She looked around and shrugged a bit. "It's like being in a miniature castle." She took his hand. "With my very own prince."

"Mmph." His eyes dropped.

"Besides, you never could stand to lay a finger on that kid, and you know it. All she had to do was look at you with those big blue eyes, and you folded." Ceci reminded him with a gentle poke.

Jim sighed. "Well, all right.. I guess one night in here won't kill me… what is that noise?"

"Hot tub." Ceci told him succinctly. "Jade has one, outside."

"Huh." He ambled over and stuck his head in. "Jesus H. Christ.. I seen swimming pools on Navy ships smaller than that." He peered over his shoulder at her. "You ever tried one?"

"Mmhmm." She wandered over to one of the closed doors and opened it, revealing a bedroom with an old fashioned four poster bed with a canopy. The room was painted in eggshell and coral, and a multi bladed fan over head passed lazily thorough the cool air. Two very fluffy, beige bathrobes lay folded on the dresser.

It was overwhelmingly luxurious, almost to the point where she had to laugh at it. But you know, every life deserved a little bit of ridiculous pampering, didn't it? A day or two here and there when you could lose yourself in a marble lined fantasy, surrounded by chocolate, champagne and down mattresses.

A tiny bubble of time to spend reveling in a restored love, a second honeymoon as it were. Of course, she and Jim had never had a first, since he'd been shipped out the day after they'd gotten married.

It was time. Ceci turned and leaned in the doorway. "Have you ever tried one?"

Jim looked up from where he was seated, with his hand stuck curiously in the warm water. "Closest I ever come to this was going out the top hatch of a hunter sub into a riptide."

Ceci walked over and sat down next to him. "That doesn't count."

"Sure was a lot colder." He agreed.

"Would you join some chocolate, champagne, and me in this one?" A hand curled over his. "We might as well take advantage of the place."

"Uh.. Ah don't think that brown eyed gal threw no swimsuit in that bag." Jim drawled slowly, watching her face.

His wife smiled. "That's good.. because I haven't got one either. I guess we'll just have to make do with what we don't have." She reached down and flicked a bit of warm water at him. "You up for some impromptu improvisation?"

One grizzled brow lifted. "What you mean by them three dollar words is, you and me are gonna get naked in this here bathtub, ain't it?" His tone dropped, and took on a faint growl.

Ceci nodded. "Mmhm.. that is indeed what I had in mind, sailor boy." She lifted a hand to his cheek and stroked it, feeling the unevenness of the scars and the light stubble of his beard. "What do you say?"

His skin tensed under her fingers as he released a partial smile. "What I say is that you are one wanton woman, Mrs. West." He rasped. "But I guess we're gonna get wet." He flicked back a handful of water at her. "You got more of them chocolates?'

She stood, and held a hand out. "C'mon."

They walked hand in hand into the small kitchen, and collected the goodies, then brought them back to the tub room, setting them on the marble surround. Ceci fiddled with the wall mounted sound system, achieving sound in a sudden jolt of volume as a Spanish balled played overhead. "Whoops."

"Yow." Jim blinked, and ambled over. "They got anything in english?"

"I'm working on it." Ceci worked a moment more, then the speaker produced a much softer, lighter sound. "Better?"

"Mmph." He slipped his arms around her tentatively, and she turned, laying her hands against his chest. "It'll do." He paused, and she smiled a touch, then closed her fingers and started tugging the dark cotton shirt he had tucked into his jeans out.

He slid his hands around her neck and down under her collar, stopping at the top button on her white, lacy shirt, then with a small, precise motion, undid it. A touch slid down beneath the fabric and separated it. "You smell nice."

Ceci trailed fingers over his ribs and leaned close. "So do you." She whispered, getting her hands under his waistband and unbuttoning it.

"Only cause you made me use that pink soap this mornin." Jim teased. "Making me smell all like coconuts.. good Lord." He felt the jeans drop loosely around him, and undid the rest of her buttons, slipping the pale fabric down her shoulders as she tugged at his undershorts.

"Mm…" Ceci felt the soft fabric. "I think I like you in silk."

"Don't you start." Jim ducked his head and kissed her, as their bodies slid together. They worked the rest of their clothes off, and spent a moment reacquainting themselves to each other. His hands closed around her and lifted. "Need to feed you, woman."

"Look who's talking." Ceci retorted, as she was lowered into the tub, followed by a mass of ex SEAL. The water was warm, but not hot, and pleasantly bubbly. "Here… this is a start." She picked up a piece of chocolate and offered it to him. "So. How do you like the tub?"

Jim chewed very thoughtfully, as he glanced around. "I do believe I like this." He approved, with a nod. "Stock some fish in it, it'd be perfect."

Ceci laughed. "Jimmy!"

"Heh." He stretched long legs out across the bottom of the tub and relaxed, turning to find gray eyes inches from his. "This here tub getting smaller?" His breathing caught as her hands explored below the surface, and he half turned, kissing her as he started his own touch.

Well. It certainly was one of the few things he'd never tried underwater before.

But it was as good a time as any.

It was much quieter down the hallway. Tori glanced around as they strolled, peering at the bulletin boards which featured announcements and posters about current school events. "It's different."

"I bet." Jade pointed. "That's the PE area. Everyone had to take it, and I think the locker room was one of the true character building moments for any high school girl." She poked her head inside the alcove, and tried the door. "Ah."

Tori followed her amiably inside. The lockers were painted in virulent shades of red, white and blue, and there were encouraging paper banners plastered on the walls for various team sports. The floor was tile over concrete, and the whole place smelled rather like…

Hm. Rather like an old gym sock. "Nice atmosphere." She commented. "What teams were you on?"

"None…well, that's not true. I ran track, and did field events like high jump. But I wasn't in any team sports." Jade strolled over to a plaque and viewed it with a mixture of nostalgia and regret.

Tori stepped up next to her and tilted her head back, reading the records hammered into the insets, made to be changed if the school records were. Her eyebrows lifted at a familiar name, in several places. She looked at Jade. "I always envied people who could actually do the broad jump." A hand traveled over and patted Jade's thigh. "My one shining moment in high school sports was during an archery competition."

"Really?" Jade turned and cocked her head. "Didn't know you were into bows."

"I wasn't. " Tori assumed a wry look. "I shot our head mistress in the butt." She laughed at the expression on her wife's face. "I was grounded for six months, but let me tell you, was I ever famous in school." She followed the laughing Jade back out of the locker room, in the mustier scent of the hallway. "I played on all the teams, though. It was sort of expected." They walked down a long ramp, towards another section. Other guests were also roaming, and occasionally, one gave Jade a nod, or waved. "Softball, field hockey, the usual."

"No field hockey here." Jade climbed up a set of steps. "Soccer, sure. Softball, Football, swimming.. I did a little swimming and diving too." They exited into a long hallway, with classrooms on either side, which opened up into a center, almost lab like area set up for larger groups, with audio visual screens. "This was my AP English classroom."

Tori regarded the small chairs, and old, wooden desk at the front, and tried to imagine a teenage version of her tall wife there.

It was tough. "Did you like school?"

Jade shrugged, and led her down the hall, towards a set of stairs that would lead back to the cafeteria. "I didn't hate it, but it didn't really challenge me." She admitted. "I left here, and went to work, or went home and hung around with the other brats. What was going on at the base always seemed more real to me." They ambled down the steps, moving to one side as a group of people started up them.

"Well, well." The tall redhead in their midst spoke, looking directly at Jade. "Look who showed up."

Some people, Tori decided, really did just have "Hi. I'm a bad attitude" tattooed on their foreheads. Following some primal instinct, she hesitated, falling a step behind Jade as her wife turned, tilting her head slightly to peer out over her sunglasses.

"Hello, Cathy." Jade's voice was neutral, and brief. "Have a nice tour." She continued on down the stairs.

"Whoa, whoa.. what's your rush." The taller woman edged over, blocking their path. "Been a long time." Her friends watched in silence. Cathy let her eyes roam over Jade's body, starting at the boots. "Don't you look butch."

Jade let her glasses slip down a little, so the redhead's eyes met her own icy ones when she reached that level. "Yeah, but I can take these clothes off. What's your excuse?"

A snicker came from the watching crowd, and Tori suddenly felt like she was back in school herself, as the attitudes around her devolved into an adolescent tenor. She put a subtle hand on Jade's back, feeling the tension beneath her fingers, and scratched the bare skin gently.

"Smart ass."

"Yep." Jade circled around her and continued down the stairs. "Always was."

Tori felt the eyes on her, and she kept her attention on her friend's back as she followed her, closing her ears to the sarcastic comments on her body. "That was pleasant." She muttered, as they exited the stairwell and gained the relatively cheery safety of the cafeteria. "I take it you and her weren't buddies?"

Jade ducked around a pilon and edged up to the now crowded bar. "Actually, we were." She ordered a soda. "You want a beer?"

"Sure."

Jade paid for the drinks and handed Tori hers, then pointed towards a table near the rear of the steadily filling room. "C"mon…I'm sure I'll have to suffer more of Patricia. We might as well sit down."

They took a seat and Jade tossed her glasses on the table, riffling her dark hair back and taking a sip of her soda. "Cathy and I hung out together for a couple of years. She was all right… not too many brain cells, but she was into partying, and having a good time."

"And?" Tori was secretly delighted at worming out a little more of her sometimes enigmatic wife's early years. She eyed the glass she'd been given, then wiped her beer bottle neck off and swigged directly from it.

"She got drunk, and tried to kiss me, and I beat the crap out of her."

Tori spit a mouthful of beer halfway across the table, and started coughing. "Jesus, Jade." She received a pentitant slap on the back. "You're kidding, right?"

"No." Jade tossed her napkin and Toris on the table, and wiped the beer up. "I was not a nice person in high school, I was very full of myself, and I had the skills, and the brawn to back it all up. Not a good combination."

"Mm." Tori set her bottle down and cleared her throat. "Did you fight a lot?"

Jade's eyes were flicking over the room, in an oddly tense movement. "I did my share." Her hands flexed.

"Jade?" Tori deliberately closed her fingers around one of her partner's, and waited for the blue eyes to flick in her direction. "You're not in high school anymore, remember? You're the owner of the largest IAming and media Company in the United Sates."

Jade paused and blinked, then exhaled, and leaned back. "Yeah, I know." She gently withdrew her hand and folded both arms over her chest. "Just reliving some not so nice memories."

A sigh. "Next time, we just go rent a movie, huh?" Tori was now definitely sorry she'd coaxed Jade into this. "Wonder what your folks are up to?"

That nudged Jade off her dark train of thought. "Oh… walking on the beach, maybe." She released the old memories. "Exploring the island, maybe trying out that hot tub." She spotted her cousin across the room and sighed as she was identified.

"You think so? I didn't think they'd mess with that…I guess your dad could get a suit at the market, but…"

Blue eyes blinked at her. "It's indoors, Tor, they don't need suits." Jade chuckled a little. "I bet they enjoy that big bed , too."

Tori's brows creased. "Um.. yeah, it looks comfortable."

"Bouncy." Jade smiled. "Hope they don't bounce off and end up on the carpet." She stopped, and took in the look of wide eyed incomprehension coming from her wife. "Tori?"

"What do you mean, bounce?"

"What do you think I mean?" Jade started laughing. "They're not going to sleep in it, Tor, they're.mmfph." A slim hand covered her mouth.

"Jade, let me explain something to you." Tori told her seriously. "Parents don't' have sex." She took her hand away. "Okay?"

Jade wasn't sure if she should giggle, or what. She rubbed her jaw and took a breath. "And you explain your presence… how? Oh right.. I forgot… private school. Let me guess.. Easter Bunny brought you?"

The brunette glanced around, and noticed the band party moving towards them. She lowered her voice. "Of course I know how I got here. I figure that gave my parents a total of three times." She made a face. "And even that's stretching my imagination to it's limits.. I wondered about cabbage patches more than once."

Her wife buried her face in one hand and bit off a semi hysterical giggle, her thoughts of school now completely vanished. "Victoria Vega, you better get used to the idea that my daddy did not limit his experience to one time." She peeked out over her fingers. 'We had that little father daughter chat real, real early."

Tori regarded her doubtfully. "Like, how early?"

"When he figured out my treehouse on the base looked right inside his bedroom window." A flash of white teeth in a mischievous grin as Tori covered her eyes, and blushed a deep crimson, very, very evident in her outfit.

At that moment, she was rescued, relatively, as Patricia came up on one side, and Cathy came up on the other, chairs scraping as they and their respective friends sat down at the round table. The two groups regarded each other. "Just like old times." Cathy smiled.

"Hope your table manners have improved." Patricia smiled back.

"Why? Your ugly face hasn't."

Jade sighed. It was going to be a very long night.

Tori regarded the tray that had been delivered to her by helpful, aproned servers seriously. It was divided into five sections, with a sixth ostensibly for silverware. The sections contained some spaghetti, with sort of meat, a slice of garlic bread, a 'salad', some 'green beans' and a square of carrot cake.

She had sudden insight into why Jade hated vegetables, if this was any indication of what she'd had to subsist on for twelve years, and she found herself with an insidious craving for Chinese stir fry as a result.

Or an apple.

Or something.

Anything. She glanced at Jade, who was carefully separating her strands of spaghetti from the meat like substance, and eating them individually, alternating with bites of the carrot cake.

A sigh. Well, at least there was a carton of milk, which was sealed. She tried not to remember she'd been drinking beer, and opened the red and white box, drinking down the cold milk with a feeling of relief.

"Tor?"

"Mm?" She looked up, slightly startled at the lull in the conversation, which had been going on around her for thirty minutes.

"You all right?"

"Uh.. yeah, sure." Tori nibbled a bit of the carrot cake. She'd let the string of reminisces go past her, glad at least that Jade was at least unbending enough to trade stories with the rest of the table. It was interesting, sort of. Jade's cousin kept up an neverending stream of questions, and she and Cathy constantly traded insults. Tori realized that the insults weren't really serious, but more of a game, and the intimidating Cathy wasn't nearly as scary as she'd like to make herself out to be.

She did, however, have her eyes all over Jade, a fact that earned her very little appreciation from Tori, harmless though she knew it was. She turned her head and found the redhead staring at her, and she lifted her chin a little, returning the stare steadily.

"So. What do you do?"

"I work with computers, like Jade does." Tori answered evenly.

"Any money in that?"

"We do all right." She rested her chin on her fist. "It's a very fast growing industry."

"Sounds boring as shit."

"Jade, are you still working for that company.. whatever it was?" Patricia interrupted, gesturing with a fork. "You know the one."

"ILS..." Jade stated flatly. "No, I don't."

Cathy laughed. " Man… you still working in a mailroom ?"

Tori's eyes narrowed, but Jade merely sucked on her fork prongs reflectively. "Where is our mailroom?" She turned her head and asked her wife. "I've had mine delivered for so long, I don't know where they put it last time."

"On the first floor, near security." The brunette supplied. "I had to drop a package off there last week."

"What are you doing now, Jade? Still in programming?" Patricia asked. "I remember when you made the report cards all print out in French our last year.. I don't' think Mr. McGrudber ever forgave you for that, even though you did use proper grammar." She laughed, and the three girls with her laughed too. "I bet he finds you tonight."

Jade rested her forearms on the table. "Actually, he and I had a laugh about that at our last stockholder's meeting." She remarked offhandedly. "He was one of the first investors to back me when I started WeTrek, and he just had to tell Alastair about the whole thing." She played with her paper napkin. "Alastair told him he was lucky it was only French." A pause, as Jade absorbed the looks of surprise from around the table. "In answer to your question, Pat, I've gone a little beyond programming." She basked in the sweetness of their very visible envy. "Despite many predictions to the contrary."

"Wow." Patricia seemed at a loss for words. "That's really great.. that's incredible, in fact."

"You son of a bitch." Cathy snorted. "After all that big talk about being so out there, you go and sell out and be a corporate asshole." She stood up and shoved her tray to the middle of the table, then stalked off, muttering disgustedly.

Jade and Tori exchanged glances. "Oh yes" Tori murmured. "You turned out so stuffy and traditional." She brushed a bit of dust off Jade's bare shoulder, since the paler woman had removed her jacket and slung it over the chair.

There was an uncomfortable silence, then Pat cleared her throat. "Here I thought I was doing okay being a law clerk." She laughed a little defensively. "Who knew?"

"Tell you what." Jade murmured into her ear as they climbed the flight of steep stairs towards the metal doors of the gym. "You share one dance with me in this place, and then… "

"Mm???" The pink ear twitched with interest.

"Sushi and the beach?"

"Oo." Tori warbled in delight. "You're definitely on." She laid a hand on Jade's arm. "Listen.. sorry if this has been a bust for you."

Jade dodged a thickset man who was swaying slightly as he climbed. "It hasn't been." She shrugged, and looked around. "It's been sort of…not fun, but I think it's been interesting for me to see how..um.."

"Far you've come?" brown eyes twinkled at her in the dim light. "I know how I'd feel if I was at home, walking the halls of my school." A memory stirred. "I had this one teacher, Ms. Van Schuver, who taught creative writing. She told me, after giving me a barely passing grade in her class, that I'd never go outside my nice, safe box so she considered me very Republican, and very boring."

Jade put a hand on her bare back and guided her into the gym. "And when is your high school reunion?"

"Hmm." A wash of air hit her, mixing the scents of a lot of people, alcohol, rubber and old wood. She paused inside the door to look around, as a babble of voices in several languages and loud music added to the atmosphere.

The gym had, of course, a large clear space in the center, and a stage on one side which had a DJ complete with an assortment of chaser lights. On the other side, the seats had been pushed back mechanically against the wall, exposing only the lower two or three tiers for people to sit on. Tables were lined up near the back with various nibbly snacks on it, and two large freestanding bars were quickly gathering customers. Tori followed Jade to the side of the room, and they stood watching quietly as a few groups broke up into twos and threes and drifted to the center of the room.

"Thirsty?" Jade finally asked.

"A little. Punch, though, please. That beer's deadly." Tori put a hand on her stomach, and watched as Jade slipped through the crowd and headed towards the bar. She leaned back against the collapsed, wooden tiers and exhaled.

It was a mixed crowd, of course. Hispanics were prevalent, with a liberal spattering of Anglos and African Americans among them. She could hear English, Spanish, Creole, and some Jamaican accents just in her vicinity, and smiled as the music changed to a Latin beat and the sports jackets started to come off.

"Hey…it's Jade's little brunette." Cathy appeared at her side suddenly, making Tori jump a little. Her voice was slightly slurred, and she smelt of something stronger than beer. "You're pretty cute, you know that?"

Tori folded her arms over her chest self consciously. "Hi." She smiled briefly. "Thanks for the compliment." She was aware of the taller woman's imposing presence, and that Cathy was standing within inches of her, well within her comfort zone. She eased back.

"Where's your big shot friend?" Cathy moved closer, reaching out to finger Tori's soft leather jacket. "Must be nice to have all that money, huh?"

"Jade's just getting a drink." Tori felt her heartbeat pick up. "And I have what I work for, just like everyone else does." True.

"Oh yeah?" Cathy pulled a flat bottle from her overalls back pocket and took a sip from it. It's sharp scent made Tori's nostrils twitch. "Bet you never been poor, though, have you ? Not a little wasp like you." Her voice became bitter.

"No, I never have." Tori admitted.

'Want some of this?" Cathy pushed the bottle at her. "Or are you too good to share a little drink with a poor old cracker like me?"

Tori realized, suddenly, that she was surrounded, by leatherclad, shadowy figures and a jolt of panic hit her in the gut. She forced herself not to shake as she took the bottle, and sniffed it cautiously. Well. She felt a tinge of wry amusement. I never thought this skill would come in handy ever again, but… She took a long sip of the alchol and swallowed it, then licked her lips and shrugged, handing it back. "Mescal's better."

Cathy took the bottle back and glanced at it, then at her. "Son of a bitch."

"Ever suck a worm?" Tori persisted. "They're not bad with a little lime on them."

The tall woman took a swallow of her own, then licked the bottle rim, watching Tori's reaction. "Mm.. I like that taste." She moved in closer and ducked her head, her intent obvious.

Uh oh. Tori lifted a hand and intercepted her, pushing back slightly as she looked up, and over Cathy's shoulder, utterly relieved to meet icy blue ones coming towards her. "Stop." She raised her voice and put an edge in it. "You don't want to do that."

"Sure I do." Cathy disagreed, reaching for the hand holding her. "C'mere, cute pie… you look good enough to eat."

"I said, stop." Tori straightened her back.

"Little tease.. " Cathy grabbed for her, then yelped as her hand was caught and wrenched back, and her arm twisted behind her back painfully. "Let me the fuck go!"

"Or?" A low, lazy, almost purr answered her, half an octave lower than Tori's.

"I'm gonna kick your ass!"

"No, you're not." Jade answered placidly. "Because we're not a couple of stupid kids."

"Let me go!" Cathy twisted savagely, but Jade's hold bested her, and the dark haired woman merely went with the motion, then slammed her into the wall with a clatter of wood.

"Cathy, if I have to call the cops, you're going to regret it." Jade told her. "So knock it off." She swung her around and got between her and Tori, then released her, giving her a relatively gentle shove in the opposite direction.

Tori put a hand on her wife's back, glad of Jade's calm, reasoned attitude. Her throat still stung from the harsh tequila, and she took a deep breath, willing her heart to settle down.

Cathy stumbled forward, then turned, and half fell against the tiers, staring back at Jade with sullen anger. "You think you're so hot."

Jade sighed. "I'll give you some free advice. Grow up As far as I can tell, you haven't learned a god damned thing since we left this place the last time." She turned her head as Barry came up, edging his big body between Cathy's friends and her.

"Hey hey hey… nifty party, huh?"

The leather clad group faded away, and after a long, hostile stare, Cathy followed them. Jade waited for them to leave, then let out a held breath. "You okay?"

"Outside of having a graphic reminder of just why I really, really hate bad tequila, yes." Tori responded dryly. "I'm fine." She exhaled. "Jade, does everyone in your past have a bad attitude, or is it just me?" She complained, getting a brief, guilty look from her wife.

"You don't have a bad attitude." Jade stated amused.

Barry chuckled. "Girl's got a bug up her butt, always has." He tilted his head. "besides, Jade had herself quite a 'tude in the bad old days." He nudged Jade's arm. "C'mon over by us old, balding, fat ex jocks, and make us feel macho, huh?"

Jade inclined her head, and they walked across the floor towards a group of men and women who were laughing around one of the bars. They waved hello, as the music changed again and took on an earthier beat.

Next time, Tori…. She accepted a cup of the frothy beer, glad of anything to get the taste of tequila out of her mouth. Next time, rent a movie.

Go bowling.

Miniature golf?

Do laundry.

Everyone loosened up, and after about thirty minutes, the music took a little break, slowing down and allowing the sweating participants to relax. The lights dimmed as well, and Tori felt a hand touch her shoulder.

"Join me?" Jade's eyes were almost violet in the dimness.

"Sure." Tori lead the way through the crowd, until they found a small clear space, then turned and let her hands rest on Jade's hips as the paler woman's arms circled her neck. She was briefly aware of a few startled looks in their immediate vicinity, and the unmistakable motion as distance was put between them and their nearest neighbors.

Relax. She mentally informed the crowd. If this was contagious, we'd have elected Liberace president.. In another forum, she might have felt self conscious, but here, in this smelly gym, in the dark, all that really mattered was the body now closing gently with hers, leather and skin brushing against her and making everything else fade into insignificance.

She moved with the music, and felt Jade move with her in synch as they took small steps in a lazy circle. Idle light beams from the ceiling drifted over them, dusting Jade's shoulders in rust and ochre and catching the occasional glint off her eyes, which were fastened on Tori's face.

They could have been completely alone, for all the impact the crowd was making on her, and Tori felt herself relaxing into a smile as her thumbs traced the gaps in Jade's vest, feeling skin and movement and just a little sweat from the heat. She moved a little closer as Jade's thigh brushed hers put her head down on Jade's shoulder, listening to the music of her heartbeat.

Jade felt content, something that had escaped her totally in the years she'd spent here, though the experience hadn't been bad. She knew she was being stared at, but it really didn't matter, because she had what she wanted, found what she'd searched for, and the only thing that mattered to her was the look of love in Tori's eyes, as she gazed upward.

If the rest of them didn't like it.. they could just kiss her ass. She half closed her eyes, and hummed along with the music, hardly conscious of what the tune even was.

The moon was rising as they left, and Tori had to pause a moment and collect her balance as they walked down the front stairs. Her head was buzzing a little, and she was glad of the warm arm that slipped around her, steadying her steps. "Thanks." She returned the grip, tucking an arm snugly around Jade's waist.

"Thanks for the dance." Jade replied, with a smile. "Didn't know you could move like that."

"Ungh. Give me enough beer, and I can do all sorts of things you'd never imagine I could." Tori admitted. "I did warn you about that." She swallowed against a mildly queasy stomach.

"Mm." Jade glanced around the parking lot, which was still quite full. The rest of the evening had been reasonably pleasant, and she'd even gotten a few dances in with Barry and some of the others, ending the reunion on a nice note she hadn't really expected. "I had fun."

Tori smiled, and gave her a squeeze.

They walked around the corner of a large Lincoln, and right into the harsh glare of a flashbulb. "Hey." Jade stopped and threw an arm up, blinking the spots out of her eyes. "What in the hell was that for?"

"Nail on your coffin." J.D. Ankow got up of the car hood he was seated on, and advanced his film, then shot a few more. "Photographic evidence, not that I needed any more, but I like to be thorough."

Jade felt the shock fade, and she sifted through her available options, which weren't extensive. He'd nailed her, and she was smart enough to realize it.

Question was, did she care? Tori had fallen mute, and was keeping her mouth prudently shut, but didn't release her hold on Jade.

"Did you get my good side?" Blue eyes widened, and Jade lifted a hand, glancing down at herself. "Though what pictures of me at my high school reunion prove I can't imagine."

"It's against company rules for supervisors to be in relationships with subordinates." Ankow commented mildly. "Such a tawdry little thing to nail you on." He cocked his head at Tori. "So sweet of you to go home and take care of your bedmate, Ms. Vega. I got excellent shots of you driving that nice little car onto that fancy island." He put the cap on his lens. "And now, I can leave this rancid hell hole, and go home, where I have three lawyers drawing up two different suits, with three different counts of negligence, misrepresentation, and dereliction of duty against both of you." He gave them a satisfied nod. "Damn good day's work." A smile. "Have a great day, you pair of disgusting perverts. It's going to be great pleasure for me to see the last of you when this is all over." He turned.

"Mr. Ankow." Tori spoke for the first time. She disengaged her arm from her stunned partner and walked over to him. He put a hand on his hip and waited, a look of smug pleasure on his face.

Tori stopped, concentrated, then threw up all over him before he was able to move out of the way. She wiped her mouth, then backed off. "Have a nice flight."

"Godless bitch." He left, stripping his jacket off.

They were both quiet for a moment, then Jade let out a low, whistling breath. "Did that make you feel better?" She asked her wife wryly.

"Mmhm." Tori sighed. "We're seriously screwed, aren't we?"

Jade made a faint noise.

"They're going to sue us for a ton of money, right?"

"Probably." Jade acknowledged. "Well, me, anyway. You didn't do anything. The corporate responsibility for the rule falls on the supervisor." She gazed at Tori. "And I certainly did know what I was doing."

"Jade we're married…" Tori said.

"Yeah I protected you'r assets… covering my private life from that of my company. It's all up to the rest of the stock holders, whether they want to sue me or not. Once they do their due didligence and finally find our Marriage certificates, they will realize that the marriage didn't happen until after I took control of my damn company. Therefore almost removing me from your direct reporting."

"Can they put us in jail?"

"No." Jade shook her head. "We're not criminals, just wives." Her lips twitched faintly.

Tori smiled, then leaned against the Lincoln. She felt curiously free, in a strange way. "You know something, Jade?"

"What?"

"I don't care."

"You don't?"

"No." She answered very softly. "If all I have in the world is you, no matter what we do, or where we end up, that's okay with me." She rubbed her arm. "Worst comes to worst, we can go the road and I'll sell my poems for food, how about that?"

Jade chuckled. "C'mon." She held a hand out. "You still in the mood for sushi?"

Tori went willingly, allowing Jade to lead her over to the bike, and settling behind her. "It's a little late for that, but boy.. could I ever use some ice cream." She mumbled into the leather covered back. "A nice big double scoop Sunday with lots of fudge."

"Your wish.. .is my command." Jade started the engine, and revved it. "Hang on."

"Don't' worry." Tori tightened her grip. "I'm never letting go of you."

They pulled out into the street, under a crisply starred sky with a peaceful full moon to light the way.

Jade parked the bike in the garage, and carefully put the cover they'd been provided with on top of it. Tori helped her and they both stepped back and regarded the machine. "You think?"

"Oh yeah." Tori stifled a yawn, and leaned against her. "C"mon… Chino heard us."

They walked up the stairs and Tori keyed the lock, pulling the door open and releasing the excited Labrador. "Easy, Chino… easy.." She knelt and hugged the puppy, then picked her up and followed Jade as she walked into the living room.

"Hey Jade?"

"Hm?" The taller woman had dropped her jacket over the back of the loveseat, and was unlacing her vest.

"I know you sort of just came into this, but if you had a choice, where would you live?"

Interesting question. Jade loosened the laces and wandered into her room, tugging the leather off and replacing it with a worn, heavy cotton tshirt. She rubbed her arms as she regarded her reflection, then glanced over at the blond in the doorway. "Honestly? A place that doesn't' exist." She chuckled a little. "A nice, rustic cabin on the beach, not too close to everyone else, with a little dock."

Tori considered that. "I'm sure there are places like that."

"Umm…. with fast wifi lines, and a shopping mall next door?" The blue eyes twinkled with wry self deprecation. "Not to mention cable tv?"

"Hm.. I get it. Microsoft rustic."

"Something like that." Jade shrugged. "A way to mix my preferences with my vocation… I think you have to trade off one for the other." She looked around. "I don't need the marble and silk, but I do love the technology. It's always intrigued me."

Tori nodded slowly. "Yeah, me too." She paused reflectively. "It would be kind of fun to pick a new place out with you, though.. I mean… " An awkward hesitation. "I don't' know what I mean." She wandered forward and pulled a faded blue t shirt from Jade's drawer. "Mind if I borrow this?"

"Since when do you ask?" Jade kidded her, then was quiet for a minute. "I wouldn't mind picking a place out with you either." They both regarded each other. "Let's see what happens with this whole thing. Maybe we won't have a choice. " She circled her finger in the air, then unfastened Tori's top as the bruentte turned around.

"Are you worried about it?"

Jade eased past her and headed for the back door, with Chino dancing beside her. "Worried?" She opened the door for the puppy, and watched her scamper out into the dark garden. "No.. I know I'm employable, Tori, and that's the bottom line." She glanced up. "Even if I end up getting a quarter of my salary, it's still livable, but.. " A shrug. "I feel like I've put so much into the company, after all this time, it hurts a little to have to face this."

Tori rubbed her arms, warming them in the chill of the fan, and glad of Jade's shirt. "It doesn't make sense, though, Jade." She mused. "Why now? You've never had a problem with the board before, and you've got a solid history with the company What's Ankow's agenda, I wonder?"

Puzzled, Jade waited for Chino to come back in and shut the door, then walked into the kitchen and started fiddling with the coffee maker. "I thought we knew it. He wants to take control, to oust Alastair. This is going to be damn embarrassing for him, since any disclosure of records will show he processed the overrides on our personnel records."

"No." Tori shook her head, and retrieved the coffee container, handing it to her. "He knew something was up between us before he started all this. There's something more going on Jade, and I can't help but notice the timing on this is awfully convenient." She moved closer, and leaned on the counter, watching Jade's thoughtful face. "Something he said tonight, about us. I know he has a bad attitude about immigrants, because he made snide comments in the lunchroom."

"So he's prejudiced" A shrug. "He's in the majority, Tor.. you saw the looks we were getting tonight. We're just lucky, in that most of the people close to us have accepted our relationship."

"I just have a feeling there's something more to it." Tori objected stubbornly. "Because you know as well as I do, that lawsuit of his is bullshit, Jade. In the entire time you've been at an executive level , they've shown a healthy profit. The only thing proving we're involved with each other gets him is grounds for my termination."

"Mm."

"And it makes everyone who supported us, Alastair, Robs, Cat.. look bad."

"True."

"So, it gives him the leverage to put his own people in, if it all goes his way."

"Yes, it does." Jade poured two cups of coffee and added cream and sugar, then handed one to Tori and guided her out into the living room.

"Why?" Tori sat down on the couch, and put her feet up on the table, crossing them at the ankles. "Why this company? Why does he give a damn? I don't get it."

Jade settled back and took a sip of her coffee, thinking. Chino scrambled up on the couch and curled up next to her, putting her muzzle on Jade's thigh. "His scan came up pretty clean." She mused. "He was in the Army for eight years, discharged as a captain, nothing out of the ordinary in his records. Family lives in Oregon, father's a lumber magnate, pretty well off. He went to school in Washington, got a degree, went to law school.. came out and worked for the father as a corporate lawyer."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. No criminal background, good credit, Sinjin couldn't find a thing on him, except that he'd been an Eagle Scout, something Sinjin found really funny, for some reason."

"Hm." Tori exhaled. "That doesn't help. What does he want from us? Or from WesTrek?"

Jade sat absolutely still for a long moment, then she put her cup down and turned towards Tori. "Data."

"Huh?"

"Data. It's what we do, Tori. We carry more data for more companies and governments than any other company in the world."

"Well, sure, I know but.. "

"Since we statted to build the network we have signed more contracts than ever. Once we go live, we will carry Eighty percent of the interbank transfers. Military signal processing. The corporate network." Jade rubbed her temple. "I never thought of it this way, but if you wanted to get information on anyone and anything, we're the kind of company that could do it, easily."

"But that data doesn't belong to us, Jade."

"I know.. but what would stop someone from passing all that through a filter in one of the big backbones, and siphoning it off into a data storage for sifting?" The blue eyes glinted. "Someone inside the company, I mean. Someone like Sinjin."

Tori thought, then she shook her head slowly. 'Nothing." She tried to grasp the enormity of it. "Do you really think that's what he's after, Jade? It sounds so… so… melodramatic." She gave her wife a wry look. "Like we're in a spy novel."

"I don't know." Jade settled back and picked her cup up again. "You're the one who thinks there's more going on.. I just came up with a possibility." She got up and strolled to the sliding glass doors, opening one and stepping through it into the warm breeze.

Tori got up and joined her, leaning on the railing as they both looked out over the Atlantic. The moon lit a path through the water, and turned the landscape to a silver and dark monochrome that outlined things on the shore in stark detail. "What should we do?"

The dark head shook back and forth. "I don't know… I mean, you're right, it's pretty outlandish. Maybe I can talk to Sinjin, see if he can dig in places we haven't looked yet." She rested her elbows on the balcony, then straightened a little, and nudged Tori.

"Hmm? What's t…oh." Tori smiled, spotting the two figures coming down the beach hand in hand. "They're so cute." She fitted her hand around Jade's biceps. "I'm so glad things are working out for them."

"Me too." Jade answered softly.

As though sensing their eyes, the two walkers angled their steps up from the water towards the House, and Jade reached over to key the electronic lock on the garden door for them to enter.

"Hey." Tori greeted them. "It's pretty out, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is." Cecilia agreed. "How was your party?"

"Different."

"Interesting." Jade and Tori spoke at once, then laughed. "There's some coffee inside, if you're interested." Jade added. "Did you have a nice night?"

"Very nice. Right, Jimmy?" Ceci nudged the tall, dark haired man next to her, who was sucking on something.

"Yeap." He agreed. "Ah found out something I would never have knowed otherwise tonight. I surely did."

"Really? What?" Tori asked, as they walked inside, and she slid the door shut.

"Knocking a bottle of that there soap into one of them hot tubs makes one hell of a lotta bubbles." James drawled. "I ain't been this clean since I was in diapers."

Jade started laughing in pure reflex.

"Oh my god." Tori clapped a hand over her mouth.

"It was… spectacular." Ceci agreed ruefully. "But not nearly as spectacular as watching your father bolt outside to save a mating peacock in nothing but courage and bubbles." She gave Jade a wry look. "I hope we didn't get you in trouble."

Jade slowly slid down the wall, holding her sides from laughing, as Tori tried not to snort up her coffee.

"Ah do not consider this that funny." James remarked gruffly. "It is not my fault that bird was yellin' help."

Tori lost it, and ended up on the tile, trying to fend off a busily licking Chino.

"Try to do a good deed, and lookit what happens."

Even Ceci started laughing.