Six

It was.

They stepped off the elevator into a bustling restaurant, and were greeted by a slim man in a tuxedo. "Will you be joining us for Thanksgiving dinner , ladies?"

"Yes, we'd like to." Tori smiled at him. "Is there a table near the windows available?"

The man gave her a politely regretful smile in return. "I'm very sorry, those are all reserved, but we've got some lovely booths up here." He pointed towards the side of the restaurant.

Tori leaned on the railing next to him, and regarded the spot, then she took a menu from him in a smooth motion. "You sure you don't have a table near the front?"

The man glanced down at his hand, then his smile altered without moving a muscle from polite to truly appreciative. "For you, ma'am, I'll find one. Please come this way."

"Thank you." Tori hooked a finger through Jade's belt loop and drew her along the short platform, then followed the maitre'd down the steps past crisply set tables in the half filled room. They were settled in a very comfortable spot right up against the floor to ceiling glass windows, with a spectacular view of Chicago spread out below them. "This is just perfect… I really appreciate it." Tori told the solicitous man.

"Anything else I can do for you, just ask, ma'am." He touched his forehead, then retreated, leaving them in peace.

Jade leaned forward. "What exactly did you give him?" She inquired.

"My phone number." Tori answered, with a straight face.

Both dark eyebrows lifted.

"Just kidding, and no, I'm not going to tell you how much so forget it." Tori said. "Because I know you're going to find a way to pay for dinner, so we're even."

"Urmf." Jade leaned back in her chair, and folded her hands over her stomach, regarding the view. "This is worth the trip up here."

"Mm." Tori agreed, studying Jade's sharp profile. "Sure beats where I was a year ago."

Blue eyes slid over to meet hers. "Yeah." A nod. "You know, when you left last year, I was hoping your folks wouldn't convince you to stay."

Tori snorted.

"As it turned out, I shouldn't have worried, but there were a few moments where I wondered what I'd do if you did." Jade said. "Wonder how much terrorizing I'd have had to do to move the corporate HQ to Darien?"

Tori sat back. "Even if things were good with my folks, there was nothing for me in Connecticut." She said. "Most of my friends had moved away or gotten married, our industry isn't exactly a hotbed up there, and there wasn't anything they could offer me that I'd have even thought twice about, to be honest " She took a breath. "Completely aside from the fact that I had no intention of letting go of you, of course."

The waiter chose that moment to come over. "Ladies, we have our Thanksgiving dinner available tonight."

"Perfect." Jade drawled. "As long as it has mashed potatoes."

"Yes, it does." The waiter laughed. "Okay, let me bring out soup and some bread. We've got mushroom barley, or harvest chicken."

"One of each." Tori said. "And can I get a beer?"

"We have Killian Red on draft?"

"Perfect."

"And for you, ma'am?" The waiter turned to Jade.

"Give me the same." Jade told him, returning her attention to Tori as the waiter left. "Now, what were you saying?"

"Where did I leave off… was it the part where I confess perpetual, undying love for you, and tell you I want to be yours for eternity?" Tori leaned on her chair arm. "Because I do." Uh oh. She stifled a smile. A fawn framed in light brown hair caught in a pair of very bright headlights was looking back at her. Might as well get it in all at once. "Thank you for the most wonderful year of my life." She paused, as the waiter returned with their beers, and they took them. "Here's to a hundred more just like it."

She had to reach over to touch her glass against Jade's, with a musical clink. Her wife was simply gazing at her over the rim, a dazed look on her face. "Jade?"

"Thanks." Jade answered faintly. "I think you just put me into a logic loop. Hang on a minute." She took a sip of the beer, and let the cold, crisply bubbled beverage slide down her throat, leaving a faint aftertaste of wheat and hops. The sentiment hadn't surprised her, but the forthright poetry of the words had, and she paused a moment to savor them. She let her eyes drift over Tori's face, which was lit from the dimming light outside, and the candles inside and warm with affection as she slowly took a swallow of her drink. "A thousand more just like it."

Their glasses touched again and they drank in silence, watching each other until their helpful waiter returned, bearing bowls of steaming soup, and a basket of really nice smelling rolls which he set down on the table. "There you go, ladies. Now, so I can get the kitchen ready, we've got a couple choices for dinner."

Jade paused in the act of snitching a roll. "White or dark?"

The man chuckled. "No, not exactly. We've got ham, turkey, or roast beef."

"Turkey."

"Turkey." Tori nodded. "Jadek meat for me."

"Same here." Jade said.

"Great." Scribbling. "Mashed potatoes or whipped sweet potatoes?"

"Yes." Tori waved her spoon at him. "Just bring both. Trust me."

"Okay." More scribbling. "Cranberry sauce and stuffing come with it, so that's all I need. Enjoy your soup."

Jade buttered a bit of her roll and dunked it in her soup, then paused, before she reached over and offered the tidbit to Tori. Without hesitation, Tori captured it in her teeth, and gave Jade's thumb a lick before she consumed the yeasty tasting bite. "Keep this up, and we might cause a scandal." Jade commented, with a wry smile.

"Let 'em stare." Tori answered immediately. "I don't care if they start a riot."

"No?" Jade started laughing.

"No. You'll just kick their asses, and I'll take pictures." Tori's nose wrinkled up as she grinned whole heartedly "Happy Thanksgiving, Jade."

"Same to you." Jade grinned, as the light outside faded, and the city burst into glowing prominence below them. She let the panics of the last two days slip from her conscious thoughts, and concentrated on the moment, leaving the problems for another day.

"Wooof." Tori pushed the door to the restroom open, and entered, holding it as Jade wandered in after her. "I think that was one bite of pumpkin pie too… wow."

"You well when you ate the pumpkin pie, then took my sweet potato pie as well…" Jade the southern belle groused.

"My god! You didn't ever tell me how good… I used to think it was the same." She kept walking, and ended up at the glass wall, displaying an even better view than the one they'd eaten dinner gazing out at. "Pretty."

"Uh huh." Jade leaned her head against the cold glass, blinking amiably at the lights. "Looks like the inside of an excited Cray." She traced a bit of dust on the inside of the window. "Tori, I drank too much."

"You did, huh?" Tori turned and leaned against the glass. "Are you drunk?"

Jade nodded. "Yeah."

"Well, at least you know you are." Tori patted her arm. "Sit down for a minute… then we can catch a.."

"No trains." Jade's lower lip poked out.

"A cab, I was about to say." Tori steered her over to a low bench, and pushed her down. "How's that?"

"Okey dokey." Jade let her head rest against the wall and closed her eyes. "You're the boss."

Tori glanced around, then kissed her wife on the forehead, before she took a moment to use the restroom. Hmm. You could leave the door open, and really get lost watching all those pretty lights out there. She found herself following a helicopter across the sky, then she shook her head and finished up. "I think I had a beer too many too, honey... I'm drifting."

"I'll tie a string to you." Jade wandered over and started removing the belt from her jacket. "C'mere."

"That's okay." Tori retied the leather. "Let's go, Dixie Cup..time to find us a bed."

"Why?" Jade surprised her by lacing fingers along the back of her neck and kissing her with uninhibited passion. "Better view here."

Tori could hear the sounds of people moving near the door, and her heart skipped, but her body leaned into Jade's and she let herself enjoy the jolt that hit her in the groin and move outward from there. "Jade?" She rasped, as they parted.

"Uh?" Long fingers traced Tori's cheek. "Didn't I do that right?"

Tori made a noise halfway between a whimper and a groan. "Turn around, and start walking, before we make the front page of the Chicago Tribune." She shooed Jade in front of her. "Movemovemovemovemove."

Jade sighed aggrievedly. "Oh, okay." She grumbled, then paused. "Hey.. did you say something about a cab?"

"Yes." Tori opened the door and guided Jade out. "A nice fast cab."

"They got backseats, right?"

"Erf." Tori almost giggled. "I think I'm in trouble."

The phone buzzed.

Tori creaked open one eyelid and glared at it, attempting to melt the plastic with the very force of her displeasure.

It didn't work. The buzz repeated itself, accompanied by a flashing red light.

Slowly, a hand crawled out from under the covers, and snatched the receiver off its cradle, drawing it back to be pressed against a pink ear. "Hello?" Tori swallowed against a dry throat.

"Well, good morning, Victoria, dear."

Tori pulled the phone away from her head and peered at it, as though the equipment had grown tentacles or something. The voice was faintly familiar, but not enough for her to positively identify it. "Hi." She issued a neutral greeting.

"It's your Aunt Penny, dear. Are you there? I'm down in the lobby. I'd love to come up and see you."

"Uh."

"Splendid. I'll be right up."

Click.

"Buh…wait..uh.." Tori stared at the now dead phone, then put it back in its cradle. "Oh boy…uh, Jade?" She rolled over and burrowed under the covers, digging around until she found Jade's soundly sleeping and tightly curled up body. "Jade?" She shook her wife. "Jade!"

Both of Jade's eyes popped open, and her body surged upward, as she reacted to the alarm in Tori's voice. "Wh..what?" Pause. "Ow." Jade fell back against the pillows and reached for her head with both hands. "Son of a bitch."

"Jade, we've got a visitor coming up here." Tori started to pull the covers back. "Oh god, I can't believe this."

"What?" Jade covered her eyes with her forearm. "Whoever it is can turn around and get lost, Tori."

"No..no, honey, it's my Aunt Penny." Tori stumbled into the bathroom and turned the water on, thrusting her hands into it and splashing her face with the liquid. "Jesus!" Tori looked up into the mirror, to see a dripping wet, shocked looking face staring back at her. "That's cold!"

Jade sat up painfully, and swung her legs over the side of the bed, resting her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands. "I knew there was a reason I didn't drink." She groaned. "Damn."

Tori rubbed her face with a towel, then poked her head out. "Sweetie, you need to at least put on a shirt. My Aunt Penny's a very cool lady, but.."

"I know." Jade hoisted herself to her feet and trudged over to her bag, her tanned skin moving through ripples of light from the window. She first removed a bottle of Advil and opened it, shaking out four of the tablets. Then she eased into the bathroom behind Tori's busy form and picked up one of the hotel glasses, filling it with sink water and washing down her handful of painkillers. "Ugh."

"Sorry." Tori handed her a toothbrush, reflecting that Jade was one of the few people she knew that could be naked, hung over, and just right out of bed disheveled, and still look gorgeous.

Maybe she was biased. She snuck another look while Jade studiously scrubbed her teeth. Nope. "I'm going to throw some clothes on.. I'll try to keep her occupied while you get conscious, okay?"

"Grouf." Jade rinsed her mouth out and splashed water on her face, then patted it dry. "Toss me a… thank you." A pair of jeans and a shirt hit her in the chest, and she miraculously caught them. A knock came at the door and she fielded her hastily tossed underwear, then closed the bathroom door to dress in peace.

Tori barely had time to run her fingers through her hair before she reached the door and opened it. On the other side was a small, but self possessed woman, with silver white hair and Tori's brown eyes. "Hi, Aunt Penny."

"Victoria!" Aunt Penny entered, and immediately hugged her. "Goodness, it's wonderful to see you."

Tori returned the hug and found herself smiling. "Same here… if I 'd had my brain on straight I'd have remembered you moved to Chicago.. We got stuck here yesterday."

Aunt Penny released her, and looked around with curious interest. "Ah, so you have your friend with you, then? Excellent! I'm so glad." The older woman peered at the pile of technology on the desk. "What do we have here?"

"Oh." Tori recovered her equilibrium. "That's two laptops, two tablets, and two cell phones and two palm pilots.. we're both kind of techno hounds." She offered her aunt a seat. "Sit down... I was just going to call down for some coffee… would you like some? We just woke up."

Aunt Penny seated herself. "Did you? I'm terribly sorry, Victoria.. why didn't you say so? I could have spent time downstairs in the shops." She chided her niece. "And I would love some coffee, thank you."

"So would I." Jade's lower tones added, as she emerged from the bathroom clad in jeans and a sweatshirt.

"I figured that." Tori gave her wife a smile. "Jade, this is my Aunt Penny. Aunt Penny, this is Jade West, my partner."

Jade walked over and took a seat, extending a hand. "Nice to meet you. Tori's always spoken very fondly of you."

Aunt Penny studied Jade's face with a curious intensity, before she took the offered hand, and pressed it. "It's nice to meet you too, Jade. " There was a quiet, wistful note in her voice which lingered, then vanished. "I'm so glad you two were here. Did you get caught in the storm?"

Tori finished ordering coffee and sat down next to Jade on the couch. "I did… my flight was diverted." She told her aunt. "Jade drove in from New York, so we could spend Thanksgiving together."

"Of course she did, dear." Aunt Penny replied. "I called your office to wish you a good holiday, and they told me you were in Chicago, and where you were staying. I was so glad I'd get a chance to see you, and to meet your friend." Her eyes twinkled at Jade. "Your mother is Cecilia West, isn't she? I have one of her pieces in my house."

Jade blinked. "Yes." She agreed. "She gave Tori and I one not long ago."

Jade's cell phone rang, and she gave Tori a dour look before she stood up and retrieved it, opening it and listening for a moment, before she walked over to the desk and sat behind it, tugging her laptop over as she did so. "Scuse me." She muttered in their direction.

"Never stops." Tori chuckled and turned her attention back to her aunt. "Thanks for coming down.. it's great to see you. The family's been.. eh.." Tori grimaced.

"Terrible, I know." Penny clucked her tongue. "I've been working on your Father. Your Mother is a lost cause, I'm afraid."

Tori lowered her gaze, and nodded. "Yeah. I know." She missed the compassionate look her aunt bestowed on her, a mirror of the one coming from the nearby desk. "Some things you just can't change."

"Well, dear, she always was a pinhead, you know." Aunt Penny patted her leg comfortingly. "I'm so glad you took after our side of the family, being so smart, and so pretty." She chuckled as Tori blushed. "Now, you said your plane was diverted, you didn't have any trouble, did you?"

Glad of the change of subject, Tori ordered her thoughts to answer. "We hit that storm, and the plane had a little trouble. It was pretty scary." She said, "I was really glad to see the ground, let me tell you."

"Oh dear." Her aunt murmured. "You must have been terrified! I know I would have been."

"I was." Tori admitted. "I wasn't ready for a chat with St. Peter." She looked over, to see Jade bent over her laptop, one ear pressed to the phone, oblivious. "In fact, I think I was so scared, even Jade felt it." She chuckled.

Aunt Penny didn't twitch a hair. "Of course she did, dear." The older woman stated placidly.

Tori stared at her for a long moment. "What?"

"It's quite natural, you know, when one is very close to someone, to sense something is wrong with them, even over quite large distances."

"It is?" Tori felt very confused. "This isn't one of those Discovery Channel specials on psychic phenomenon kind of things, is it?" She became aware of a sudden lack of clicking near the window, and looked up past her aunt to see Jade gazing at her bemusedly.

"I prefer to think of it as a connection of the heart, dear. Don't worry yourself too much about it." Aunt Penny bestowed another pat on her knee. "I had a friend when I was younger, a very close friend, and when something was wrong, I knew immediately, even from far away. It's very natural."

"Oh." Tori sat back. "I didn't know that. In fact, I wouldn't have ever even imagined something like that was possible."

"Wouldn't you?" Aunt Penny smiled at her. "I always thought you had quite a good imagination, Victoria. You know I still do have some of those lovely poems you wrote in high school."

"Eek." Tori grimaced, as a light knock came at the door. "That must be the coffee… be right back." She got up and walked across the hotel room, her mind mulling over this new information. Aunt Penny couldn't really mean she and Jade had some weird psychic bond, could she?

Tori acknowledged the room service waiter, and signed the check absently as he put the tray on the table near the door. It closed behind him, and she fiddled with the contents while she pondered.

No. That was crazy.

Right?

Tori sighed as the Gulfstream waited for takeoff. Jade was sprawled , one leg hooked over a seat arm and her laptop perched on her knee.

Outside the sunglasses settled firmly on the bridge of her nose, Jade showed little sign of their overindulgence the previous night, and Tori found herself slightly nettled about that since she herself had a headache that would fell a moose at thirty feet. "Here you go." She took the seat next to her wife and handed over a cup. "God, I can't wait to get home."

Jade finished typing something, then took a sip of her coffee. "Just so you can turn around and leave again on Monday?"

Tori sighed. "Jade, can I ask you something as my boss?"

The light brown head turned to regard her, blue eyes invisible behind tinted lenses. "Sure."

She looked down at her sneakers, and considered her words carefully. "You know I never ask you for help." Tori said. "I take a lot of pride in that, because I know I can always take the easy way out, but I don't."

"I know that." Jade rested her hands on her keyboard and focused her attention wholly on Tori. "I trust your judgement implicitly, you know that."

"I know that." Tori accepted the compliment gracefully. "Jade, is there any way to fix Redmond so I don't have to go there?"

Her boss pushed her sunglasses up, and tilted her head back, considering the question. Tori simply waited, having reviewed the options herself numerous times without coming up with a solution.

"It needs a face to face." Jade finally said.

Tori's shoulders slumped, but she nodded in quiet acceptance. "Okay."

Jade pulled out her cell phone and looked up a number, then dialed it. She waited for an answer. "Clarice? Jade West."

"Jade.. hey, what a surprise. Happy Thanksgiving." Clarice's voice sounded startled, but pleased. "What can I do for you?" The Washington based manager asked.

"Pack." Jade replied. "I've got an operations issue down here that I need handling on, and I can't spare Tori to fly out there and straighten your asses out. Get your team, and you, on the first flight out here on Monday, and plan to stay the week."

"Jeez, Jade, I don't know if…"

"No excuses." Jade snapped back. "Figure out a way, and just get it done."

There was an awkward silence for a minute. "Well.. a week in San Francisco in the winter won't be so bad, I guess." Clarice sighed. "All right, I'll get things in motion… my guys are gonna kill me."

"Too bad. If they'd done their job in the first place, we wouldn't have to bail them out." Jade kept a hard edge to her voice.

"Okay, boss. See you Monday." Clarice replied in a resigned tone.

Jade tucked her phone into her pocket, then pushed her glasses down so her eyes were visible, then raised an eyebrow at her wife in question. "How's that?'

Tori laced her fingers together, and hooked her hands over one knee. "She didn't sound happy about it."

"She's not the love of my life." Jade said. "So frankly, I don't give a damn how she felt about it. Besides, it's the truth. They're screwing up, why the hell should we have to fly out to them?" She shrugged. "Yeah, it'd be less expensive, and probably more productive for you to go to the source, but this'll work too."

"I feel like I'm taking advantage of our relationship." Tori said. "But thank you. It's just that they're predicting two more major storms coming out of Canada this week, and I just don't want to be traveling through that right now."

"Fair enough." Jade reached over and tweaked her nose. "You're not going to feel all guilty about this now, are you? I'm gonna have to kick your ass if you are."

"No." Tori picked up her coffee and examined it. "Well, okay.. a little, but I'll get over it." She took a sip. "So, how'd you like Aunt Penny?"

Jade looked up and smiled. "I liked her a lot. She's quite a character.. I can see how you two are related."

A pink tongue poked out at her. "She likes you too. She said so before she left. " Tori paused. "She's into a lot of that esoteric stuff, you know? She's got crystals and God only knows what else at home… she used to always drive my parents crazy trying to get them to try some new thing or other."

"She and my mother would get along great." Jade leaned back and regarded her thoughtfully. "I think she's right, though." She closed her laptop and rested her hands on it.

"About…us, and that connection thing?" Tori asked, watching Jade nod. "Ah."

"You don't think so?"

Tori chewed the inside of her lip. "It's kind of way out there, Jade." She told her wife apologetically. "I've never been much into that stuff."

"Mm." Jade nodded, then shrugged. "I was just thinking about it. It makes a few things that have happened in the last year make more sense to me."

She didn't know what to say, and then Jade was back on her laptop working, and the plane began to Taxi, she sat back, reasoning that they'd have plenty of time to discuss it once they got home. She still didn't think there was much to the whole thing, but what was intriguing her was: Obviously, Jade did think so. The question was, of course, why?

"Okay..okay.. Chino… take it easy." Tori ended up on the floor, with a Labrador in her lap. "Honey.. yes, yes.. I love you too.. pah. Not right in the mouth, huh?" She hugged her creamy colored pet, who wriggled with extreme happiness at their return. "Good girl… that's right, go get mommy Jade."

Chino corkscrewed over to where Jade was putting down the bags, and thumped against her knees, coming close to sending the other woman sprawling. "Whoa!" Jade fell back into the leather couch, and caught the Lab as she squirmed up into her lap. "Hey.. take it easy!"

"I think she missed us." Tori stifled a yawn, and leaned back on her hands, stretching the soft cotton of her T-shirt across her body. Getting off the plane and taking off most of her clothes had been a pleasant experience, and she'd made Jade open the sun roof in the Volvo as they drove, letting in the cool afternoon air and the sea tang. "I think I want one of those."

Jade, her lap full of dog, peered over Chino's shoulder at her. "Want one of what, Tor? Another dog? "

"An SUV." Tori waggled her foot, and regarded it. "I like yours, but I think I want one of the smaller ones."

"Thought you were happy with the Fiat?" Jade got up and stretched. "It's more your kind of car than my truck."

"Eh." Tori rolled over and got to her feet. "Are you saying I'm little and sporty?"

Jade chuckled. "I think you're a little punchy, is what I think. We both need some sleep." She walked over and put her arms around Tori, pulling her into a hug. "I'm glad we've got two more days before we go back to Hell."

" ." Tori nodded, burying her face into Jade's cotton shirt, infused with Jade smell and sunshine. "I can get caught up on everything, and prepare some kind of action plan for Clarice." She paused. "Is she nice?"

Jade didn't answer for a moment, then her chest expanded and contracted as she sighed. "I should have mentioned this before. She used to be based here."

"Eh?" Tori snuffled against the cotton. "So?"

"She shares our lifestyle."

A pair of brown eyes peeked over the curve of Jade's breasts. "And? Don't tell me you guys were an item?"

"Ah..no." Jade shook her head. "But she wanted to be."

"Ohhhhh…. I get it. She had a crush on you." Tori said, watching Jade nod with a hint of embarrassment. "Well, so, she's got good taste. No problem."

Jade circled her shoulders with one arm and led her towards the kitchen. "Actually… It was a really big problem for her. It's the reason she moved to Redmond. I had to sit her down and tell her that I wasn't interested, and b…um..b, that company rules.."

"Clearly say no relationships are allowed within the chain of command." Tori finished, the full realization hitting her. "Oh, Jesus Christ, Jade - what are you going to tell her now?"

"She wasn't my type?" Jade suggested weakly. "I didn't think it would be an issue, but if she's coming here, I thought you'd better know."

"Erf." Tori unwound herself and went to the refrigerator, removing a bottle of juice and shaking it. "Want some?"

Jade lifted a brow, then lowered it, getting a glass and filling it with wine. Then she paused, and opened the refrigerator door again. "Tor, what are we gonna do with that thirty pound bird you got in there?"

Tori wandered over and peered at the neatly trussed, and patiently waiting naked turkey. "Well, it's thawed. I have to cook it." She said. "Maybe for Sunday? We can have a substitute Thanksgiving."

"Okay." Jade readily agreed "I'll be in the study if you want me." She placed a kiss on Tori's lips, then headed out of the kitchen towards her office.

"If I want you." Tori leaned against the refrigerator and crossed her arms. Jade hadn't mentioned their conversation before the plane took off, even though she'd tried to bring it up a few times, and she wondered if Jade had thought about the whole psychic thing, and decided it was too silly to believe in.

That's what Tori thought, after all, wasn't it? Tori sipped her banana strawberry juice as Chino nibbled at her toes. She'd always been very pragmatic about otherworldly phenomena, to the extent of considering herself a skeptic. She'd assumed Jade had the same attitude, certainly her generally no nonsense partner never evidenced any interest in the occult or confessed any belief in ghosts, or UFO's or…

Tori slowly sat down on the stool near the counter and gazed out the window at the dark sea. What things in the past year could Jade have been talking about? She asked herself silently. Well, there was the plane thing, Tori acknowledged. That was definitely strange, but one incident could have been a coincidence. Had there been any others?

"How did you know I was in here?"

Tori heard her question echo lightly inside her mind, exactly a year ago today, when Jade had appeared at the mental hospital she was being held in, as if by magic.

"I woke up in a cold sweat and decided to dial in to see what was going on." Jade had answered her, and neither of them had thought anything of it.

"Why aren't you sleeping, Jade?" She'd asked, curled up in pain upstairs with monthly cramps.

"Something woke me up.. a dream maybe.. and you weren't there." Jade had answered that time, too.

"What are you doing here?" She'd been delighted, but very surprised when Jade had shown up in Vermont, wondering how her wife had known just how much she needed her there.

"I was headed to the airport , the next thing I knew I was on my way to vermont." The explanation had been simple, and Tori had been far too busy being happy to care.

All coincidences? Tori got up and walked out of the kitchen and across the tiled living room, her bare feet almost soundless against the cool surface. She paused in the doorway to the study, and leaned against the jam, studying the quiet figure behind the desk.

Jade had her feet up on the polished top, and she was holding a wooden puzzle between her fingertips. Her attention was focused on the small toy, a recent gift from Tori, and she turned it slowly before her eyes, examining the possibilities. She felt the attention, then, and looked up, cocking her head in question at Tori's silent regard.

"Jade, what time did you have that accident the other night?"

Both dark eyebrows knit together. "What acc…oh, that. " Jade considered. "About five thirty, I guess. Why?"

It was an eerie feeling, almost a sense of déjà vu that settled over Tori. "I woke up about five thirty, from a dream about you getting hurt." She walked into the room and sat down on the edge of Jade's desk. "That's the kind of thing you were talking about before, wasn't it? When you said things that now made sense?"

Jade wiggled a sock covered toe. "Something like that, yeah."

They both remained quiet, watching each other's face. "Wow." Tori finally said quietly. "That's very weird." There was a reflective pause. "Sorta cool, though."

Jade's lips tensed into a smile. "A lot cooler than thinking I need a shrink, yeah." She admitted. "Given a choice, I'll take Dial a Psychic over Freud any day."

"Therapy is good for everyone Jade, but it's nice to know your Panic isn't coming from nowhere."

Jade shrugged. "I guess."

Tori draped a hand over the socked foot next to her and gently massaged the toes under the fabric. "Hm… you think we could start up a little business on the side, Ms. Cleo?" Her face creased into a grin, as she saw the sparkle start in Jade's eyes. "Come vith me… little sugarplum.. I vill tell you great secrets…"

Jade laughed. "Think about this, and those damn crystals May left, and we could start our own counterculture head shop."

Tori nodded. "Be the first one with a satellite Internet head end, I bet."

"Interactive incense."

"Downloadable Palm files of 60's poetry."

They both snickered. "Dad could help out behind the counter."

Jade swung her feet off the desk and stood, spreading her legs and folding her arms in an uncanny imitation of James West's usual aggressive stance. "What you boys think ye're doing with them pipes there, huh?" She drawled. "Put that there flawer pot down fore I plant yer ass in it."

Tori bent over double with laughter.

"Jest what do you find so funny there, kumquat?" Jade growled softly into a now bright red ear. "You makin fun of this here old salt?"

It was hard to catch her breath, so Tori had to straighten up, tears running from her eyes. "Oh my god, Jade… you have no idea how much you sound like him."

"Sure I do." Jade returned to her normal pitch. "He's my dad."

"Yes, he is, and I'm definitely glad the apple didn't fall too far from that tree." Tori wound her arms around Jade's body and hugged her. "C'mon. My crystal ball tells me there's a nice, warm sleepnumber bed not far from here just begging to be gotten into."

Jade didn't argue, and they walked through the house, turning off lights as they went until they entered the large, cool tinted bedroom they shared. Chino trotted over and curled up in her bed with a little grunt and a sigh. "I know how you feel." Jade advised the dog, as they stood together, removing each other's clothes in a little ceremony of exploration.

Tori pulled the covers back, and slid under them, feeling the bed surface flex under her weight. Jade turned the light out and joined her, She turned and they snuggled up together, arms and legs finding familiar spots as bare skin touched and warmed.

"Mm." Tori felt herself smiling as she tucked her head up against Jade's shoulder and pressed her ear to the skin underneath her to listen for Jade's heartbeat. Powerful thumps, with the faintest hint of a echo between them caused by the irregular structure of her wife's heart.

Her mind drifted for a moment, remembering the day she'd accompanied Jade to the hospital, suffering right along with her new friend as she was tested for the bad valve she'd known she inherited. She'd hardly known Jade then, but she remembered feeling as anxious about her as if she'd been close family. Certainly, she'd felt honest joy, and utter relief when the doctor had told Jade she was okay.

Hm. Tori listened to the beats, hearing them slow as Jade's breathing slowed. She tried to consciously remember what it had felt like before they'd met. It was hard. Sometimes she felt like she'd known Jade forever, instead of just over a year.

Her eyes closed, and the heart rhythm lulled her. For a brief, surreal moment her senses shifted, and the scent of clean cotton and Jade blended with an oddly distinct smell of hay, and horses, and wood.

Tori opened her eyes, and looked around the dimly lit room.

Weird.

With a shake of her head, she snuggled back down to sleep.