I did have an incident in this chapter that irked me to the core. there is an argument at the church, that Jade stops. the two women were written as black. And it was giving. I am the white savior and I am going to stop these unruly blacks from ruining these nice church people's party from getting ruined. You could have literally not added race to these people. so I took it off because she doesn't ever really mention race unless something negative is going down in the story . I don't know if it's this chapter or the next but regardless I didn't want to not address it.

Sixteen

Tori leaned on the kitchen counter, watching the palm tree fronds outside wilt in the stifling heat as she waited for the water in a nearby pot to boil. The air conditioning puffed gently against her still slightly sore shoulder blades through a layer of soft cotton, and she moved a little to one side to avoid the pressure, but had little ambition otherwise to do much else.

It was nearly noon. They'd just woken up a half hour earlier, and having gotten through coffee and a handful of Advil for Jade's obligingly timely cramps they had settled in to enjoy a peaceful, lazy Saturday. It felt good to just be hanging out, here in their own space, without work or trade shows to intrude on it.

Tori turned and surveyed the kitchen, taking in the touches she'd added over time to soften it's Spartan functionality. A set of imported cooking pots hanging over the stove here, a well oiled, interlaced wood chopping block there… she took pride in her ability to produce edible meals for them, and enjoyed having plenty of tools to do it with.

Also, the stainless steel refrigerator doors were now dotted with colorful magnets, brought back by both of them from various airports they'd either passed through or been stuck in, and the tiled backsplash displayed plates likewise acquired from all over. Tori especially liked the one nearest the stove, a tacky hunting scene that featured a near perfect replica of their often naughty but much beloved pet, Chino. She ran a finger over it with a smile, then turned to dump a package of pasta into the now boiling water.

"Hey, Tor?" Jade's voice drifted in from the living room.

"In the kitchen." Tori responded.

"Did I leave that damn folder in there?"

Tori pushed away from the counter and turned in a circle, studying the available surfaces. "No." She called back. "Thought you stuck it in your briefcase." She wandered out of the kitchen and headed for the corner where they'd both thrown their laptop cases the previous night. "I'll get it."

Caught in the act of getting up from the couch, Jade collapsed back into it and curled up again. "Thanks."

With a tug, Tori retrieved the somewhat battered folder and crossed the living room, setting it down on the coffee table. She took a seat next to her partner's feet, reaching over to tweak a toe under it's pristine white cotton sock covering. "How's the belly?"

Jade narrowed her eyes and growled. A bit ticked, Tori knew, that they were closer to that day, when they would implant.

"Hmm.. well, if it's any consolation to you, I'm getting that kinda achy feeling myself." Tori admitted. "Which doesn't really surprise me, because we're usually right on time together."

Jade growled again, but flexed her toes against Tori's thigh. "Least we're both miserable at once." She conceded. "You think that's what made the past few days even more stressful than they were anyway?"

Hm. Tori considered the question. She wasn't often bothered by PMS either, though she did have a tendency to be just a bit more emotional a few days before. Add that to the stress of dealing with Jade's first girlfriend and Michelle Graver, challenging them at every step? "Yeeeah, maybe."

The socked feet flexed against her thigh again, and Tori gave them a pat before she leaned forward and got to her feet. "Let me go get our lunch."

Jade poked her with a toe as she eased past, and smiled at the pink tongue stuck out in her direction. Then she returned her attention to Quest's requirements, wincing slightly as a cramp twisted her guts. Well I won't miss the bleeding… that's for sure. With a soft grunt, she tossed aside the initial document which she'd already gone over, and drew out the set of technical specifications, easing down to put her head on the couch arm as she started to leaf through the pages.

She spotted several big problems straight off. The hulks Quest had gotten his hands on were old as the hills – two of them were steamships, for god's sake, and the rest were retired passenger liners he'd dug out of mothballs somewhere.

That meant, she realized, they had zero infrastructure. Most had been built before computers, and the idiot was wanting to outfit them with the latest available technology. "Jesus." Jade clucked under her breath and shook her head. "Jackass wants to put laser video in the Merrimac."

"Did you say something, sweetie?" Tori called from the kitchen.

"Nah." Jade replied, lifting her head a little as she sniffed spicy pasta sauce in the air. "Just going over this stuff." She went back to reading. Quest wanted a computerized hotel system, a point of sale, connection to the damn Internet, and – Jade had to look twice. Voice over IP telephony. "Jesus." She repeated.

"No, just me and some noodles." Tori appeared at her side, bearing two steaming bowls. She set them down on the coffee table and resumed her perch at Jade's feet. "Parmesan?'

"Uh huh." Jade watched as a small snowstorm of freshly ground cheese settled on the surface of her pasta. "Are those little meatballs in there?"

"Yup." Tori dusted her own bowl with the cheese. "Last time I made sauce, I froze some." She set the grater down and handed Jade a fork. "So what are you cussing about this time?"

Jade stabbed herself a forkful of pasta and lifted it towards her mouth, pausing as the utensil came into her close line of focus. She pulled it back a little and peered at the sauce covered bits, then she selected the last one on the fork's tines and pulled it off, holding it up to examine it. "Victoria?"

"Mm?" Tori grunted around a mouthful.

"Why am I eating a disk drive?"

Tori swallowed and wiped her mouth with her napkin. "Ah." She reached over and pushed the bit of pasta towards Jade's mouth. "My guys gave me a thank you basket for helping out at the con. It was full of nerd things, including a bag of nerd pasta shapes. I figured you were the perfect person to share it with."

"Ah." Jade ate the disk drive, and studied the forkful of pc's left to consume. "Feels sorta cannibalistic, but all right." She chewed the mouthful and went back to the report. One finger pointed at a paragraph, and she pushed it toward Tori as she swallowed.

Tori edged over on the couch and started reading. Her brow creased. "Jade, am I reading right – he only wants one set of cables run?"

"Uh huh."

"Does he realize what that's going to cost in equipment?"

"He wants it on a shoestring."

Tori slowly ate a mouthful of her lunch. She swallowed before she answered. "Jade, you couldn't do that on Paul Bunyan's shoestring."

"Telegenics says they can." Jade replied. "They told Quest fitting it into his budget was a no brainer."

A snort answered the statement. "Obviously whoever told him that didn't bother to use a brain then. Jade, you know damn well doing this right's going to cost."

Yes, she knew that. Jade worked her way through her lunch bowl, eying the familiar shapes all the while. "Well, let's wait till we see the real deal." She said. "Maybe it's not as bad as the description seems to show."

Tori tapped the edge of her fork against her lip. "All right. Sounds like it's all we can do." She conceded. "Maybe when we lay the plans out, he'll realize what it is he's asking for, after all, it's his job to try and get everything he can for as little as possible."

"Eh." Jade flipped to the next page. "His timeline's impossible, too." She frowned. "How long did he say it would take those ships to be hauled here?"

"Two weeks?" Tori recalled. "Can they do it by then? Wonder why he had to pull out of New Zealand.. damn, I was looking forward to going there."

Jade set her bowl down. "You know, that's a damn good question." She pulled her laptop over and rolled onto her back, putting the machine down on her stomach and typing on the keyboard. "Did he mention where in New Zealand the ships were at?"

"Auckland." Tori leaned over and watched the screen with interest. "You think he was lying?"

Jade keyed in a request, and waited, scanning the responses as they flicked across the monitor. "I think outfitting six ships means big bucks for somebody. Now why…" She drummed her fingers on the keys. "Why would 'somebody' throw away those kind of big bucks?"

Tori rested her elbow on Jade's knee and looked at the list of shipyards now displayed. There were only six, but though she racked her memory, she couldn't recall Quest mentioning any of the names. What had he said? Just that the ships were somewhere in Auckland, being worked on.

Jade called up one of their info parsing agents and typed the names of the companies into them. "Now." She paused as she got to the intelligent language question field. "How would you tell if a shipyard suddenly lost business?"

"Not stock." Tori mused, as Jade shook her head. "Layoffs?"

"Too soon."

"Newspaper stories?"

Jade nodded. "Let's see what that gets us." She typed into the field. "Contract= canceled=loss=business (includes) shipping." Then she hit enter, and watched the small running dog in the corner dash merrily away. "Okay. " She half turned and set the laptop back down on the table. "So maybe that'll answer your question from last night." She put her head back down on the couch arm and picked up the report again.

Tori extended a fork full of pasta towards her partner. "Maybe." She agreed, smiling as Jade closed her teeth over the offering and removed it. "I'm going to throw the stuff in our overnight bags into the washing machine. Got anything else you need to go in?"

"Thought it was my turn to do that this week." Jade gazed at her. "You did it last week."

"Mm.. yes, it was your turn." Tori put a fingertip on her partner's chin and lifted it slightly. "But it seems some little nerdy gremlin got all my office clothes dry cleaned for me when I wasn't looking. I don't suppose you have any idea how that happened, huh?"

Jade smiled charmingly at her.

"And somehow my car got mysteriously washed and waxed while we were gone. Any ideas?"

The charming smile grew wider.

"Uh huh. I thought so." Tori leaned over and gave her a kiss. "So I'm going to go grab your dirty clothes from the closet and get those suds going." She pushed off Jade's hip and stood, collecting the dishes from the table before she sauntered off towards the kitchen.

Jade let her hand fall on the forgotten papers, taking a moment to enjoy the simple feeling of warmth inside her left by the look of indulgent affection in Tori's eyes. It even eased the cramps some, or at least she convinced herself it did as she stretched out, then curled her body up again into the dark leather.

She took a moment to look around the living room, which for so long had just been 'the house' to her. Plain white walls, and mostly monochromatic furniture had graced it since she'd moved in, providing her with a pleasant, if unremarkable place to throw her car keys at the days' end, and lay her head down for those long tropical nights.

It had never been her home. But now it was their home, and from the colorful Mexican throw rug over the love seat to the framed photograph of them both on entertainment center it had become a part of her in a way she'd never thought it would.

That was why, she acknowledged in silence, she'd gotten so wired being around Shari. It had brought back to her memories of what her life had been like for so long, and had provided a reminder of just what she had to be thankful for now.

She never wanted to take that for granted. She never wanted Tori to take it for granted either, though she'd never gotten the feeling that her partner felt that way. It was more an impression she got that Tori considered their relationship a natural part of her life that she expected to remain that way forever.

Tori had no doubts. Jade didn't have any doubts about Tori, but the last week had made her wonder if she didn't still have some doubts about herself.

Which, frankly, sucked. She'd thought she'd gotten past that. It was aggravating to say the least feeling again those tiny darts of insecurity pricking at her.

Jade sighed. Maybe it had been PMS. Certainly today, now that she'd started, the doubts seemed to have vanished completely, replaced by a feeling of rock solid stability she'd become used to over the last year and more.

Tori strolled across the tile in front of her, heading for the bedroom. "Crocodile Hunter marathon this afternoon.. you up for it?"

Jade grinned, releasing a happier sigh. "Sure." She hesitated. "Hey, Tor?"

"Yeeesss?" Tori paused in the doorway, leaning back into the room.

"Thanks."

"For the laundry?" Tori laughed. "You forgot the last time I did it I washed your whites with my burgundy sweatshirt and we both ended up pink in inappropriate places."

"I like my pink bra." Jade remarked mildly. "But thanks anyway. I don't' really feel like standing over the machine today."

Tori winked. "I figured. No problem." She disappeared into the bedroom. "It'll be my turn soon enough. You can get me hot chocolate."

Chino wandered over and climbed up onto the couch, circling twice before she settled down at Jade's feet, resting her muzzle on Jade's ankle.

"It's a deal." Jade murmured. "Best deal going, matter of fact, right Chino?"

"Gruff."

Tori heard the soft ding of mail arriving into her inbox. She swiveled around in her chair and rolled her trackball, glancing at the sender and the subject and stifling a curse. "Oh, pooters." She clicked on it anyway and read the text. "Crap, crap, crap."

Finishing, she sat back in her leather chair and frowned at the pc, sitting inoffensively on the center of her office desk. "I can't believe I forgot about the damn party tomorrow night." With a sigh, she hit the intercom button on the phone. "Jade?"

She released the button and waited, but after a minute there was no answer. She pressed the button again. "Jade?"

Still no answer. Tori got up and circled her desk, emerging from her office on the second floor of the house and starting down the staircase. She peeked over, but the living room was empty, Jade's laptop sitting mutely on the coffee table spinning its screen saver in lonely silence. "Hm."

She continued down the steps to the lower level, poking her head into Jade's office and finding an equally empty space. "Where are you, hmm?" She turned and realized Chino wasn't around either. "Ah." She headed for the patio, spotting a blond Labrador tail near the two person swing they'd hung out there.

"Hey." Tori slid the door open and stepped out, grimacing slightly at the contrast between the cool dry air inside and the warm, languid sea breeze outside. "Listen, I fubar'd."

Jade looked up in surprise from the book she'd been reading. "You?"

"Me." Tori walked over and joined her on the swing. "I.. um… committed us to a party tomorrow night that I completely forgot to tell you about." She studied her bare feet for a moment, before she glanced sideways at her partner. "Fubar."

Jade let the book close over her hand and studied her penitent appearing swingmate. "Hmmm… what kind of party? Don't tell me it's the Home owners association again."

"No."

"Goood.. I'd have to whip you with soggy Ramen noodles." The blue eyes twinkled gently. "Let me guess.. the church?"

Tori nodded, watching the expression on Jade's face carefully. "Are you going to kill me?"

"Nah." Jade displayed her book cover. "Conversation there's gotta beat this. I've seen drier material about heuristic switching but not by much."

Relieved, Tori rested her head against Jade's shoulder. "Remind me to get you some nice, trashy bodice rippers for your afternoon time outs, honey. You'll go blind reading this stuff." She tapped the book. "But I really am sorry it slipped my mind. I said yes right before we started talking about leaving early for the trade show and.. well…"

Jade put her arm around Tori and pushed against the railing, rocking them both gently in the light breeze. She wasn't that fond of parties, but the church ones were pretty harmless, and she'd taken a liking to a few of the more regular members. "Maybe I'll even stop having cramps by then. Son of a bitch, I got it bad this month. These hormones are kicking my ass."

"Want to go for a walk? Maybe it'll help."

Jade tossed her book down and stood up, taking Tori's hand as they opened the gate and walked down the steps into the small patio garden with Chino frisking happily at their heels. It was late afternoon, and the breeze from the sea had started to cool off the air a little, bringing the scent of the salt water with it.

They made their way down to the beach and turned to walk along it as the incoming tide chased their steps. Chino found a piece of driftwood and pounced on it, lifting it and returning to her owners with an air of excited triumph.

"Whatcha got?" Jade reached out and took the stick, examining it before she tossed it ahead of them. "Good girl!"

Chino raced after it, living up to her breed as she retrieved the stick and plowed back towards them.

Tori was content to watch, her hand still tucked into Jade's as they walked along the mostly deserted beachfront. They got a glance or two, but most of the residents knew them and she returned the smiles and half waves of the few still laying on neatly toweled chaise lounges, soaking up the sun.

Jade swerved a little, taking them into the surf up to their calves. Chino bolted into the water, barking at it as the surf surged back at her.

"Chino, you silly dog." Tori scolded their pet.

The Labrador bounded over to her and shook herself vigorously, showering both of them with cool sea water. "Gruff!"

"Bah." Jade shielded her face with her free hand. "Chino, you little…"

"Bitch?" Tori supplied, with a chuckle. "Yes, she is, isn't she? G'wan, Chi.. get the stick!" She pointed to the shore. "Get it!"

Chino bounded away to retrieve her prize, leaving her owners to walk out of the surf in peace.

"She's so cute." Tori sighed. "She gets away with everything, and she knows it." She added. "She has us wrapped right around her little paw."

"Imagine the kid…" Jade chuckled softly.

"Yeah, we're screwed." Tori agreed laughing along with her. "Walking helping any?"

"No." Jade managed a wry grin. "But the two of you are keeping my mind otherwise occupied, so the end result is all right." She told her partner. "I feel better."

"Mm.. well, that's what your family's for. To make you feel better when you feel crummy." Tori squeezed her hand around Jade's lightly. "So I'm glad we're doing our job."

Jade didn't answer, but her face lit up visibly at the words, and her step took on an extra swagger as they enjoyed the late afternoon sun. They passed the beach club, exchanging lazy waves with a few people seated outside and continued on along the south side of the island.

It was quieter on this end. They faced the terminal island where the cargo ships loaded up with containers, bound for South America and beyond. Jade shaded her eyes and then pointed to one side of the cargo area, a large, open space with several cranes standing slack and waiting for work. "Think that's where he's talking about."

Tori reviewed the spot. "Jade, it's really twisted that these damn things are going to be almost in view of our bedroom."

Her partner chuckled softly. "Remind me to point that out in a loud voice if we bump into our friends during the process."

They watched a cargo cruiser move stiffly away from the dock, chugging out down the channel towards the cut, shepherded by two hard working tugs.

"I think…" Tori mused, as they continued their walk, heading around the back side of the island. "I think we should throw a big party. Invite all our competitors over to break the ice, kinda, since we are the.. um.. hosts.. so to speak."

Jade eyed her. "Invite them all to our house?"

"Uh huh."

"You really mean, invite Shari and Michelle to our house so they can drool all over it and be jealous of our home life and good taste?"

"Uh huh."

Jade ruffled Tori's hair with her free hand, feeling around on the crown of her head. "Careful, Yankee.. your horns are showing." She teased. "Michelle's got some class. I'm sure they live in a nice place."

Tori solemnly stuck her tongue out. "Not as nice as ours." She said. "I looked up the address just to prove out my excruciatingly thorough WASP upbringing." Her brown eyes glinted slightly. "But I was serious, Jade. If we're going to do this, I don't want to spend two weeks being miserable like we were in Orlando. Let's take the high road, and let them be jerks if they want to be."

Jade pondered in silence as they rounded the curve and started up the northern edge of the island, which bordered the cut. Watercraft were moving through the channel, even including two daredevil jet ski riders courting disaster as they wove through a stately parade of sailboats. Chino trotted along behind them, and now that the sun was starting a serious tilt towards the horizon a cooling breeze sprang up and made the walk far more pleasant.

"Well, let's see what happens." Jade finally concluded. "After all, they might not come down here. I'm gonna guess most of the bidders will send an engineering team, not executives in silk and pumps."

Tori accepted the tacit victory with a gentle smile. "Bet you ten bucks they'll be here." She countered. "Because they know you will."

"We will." Jade corrected her. "I think Michelle respects you."

Tori's face wrinkled up into an expression of distaste. "You know something, I sort of liked her, way back when. I thought she was pretty cool, the way she made that pick the first time, and even after she messed around with those snapshots and came to the office, she seemed pretty straightforward."

"Mm." Jade stepped over a piece of driftwood. Her cramps seemed to be easing after all, and she was finding the walk increasingly enjoyable. "Yeah, I didn't have a problem with her that first time. I wasn't crazy about her sending those photos to Alastair, but I figured she probably was pretty stung when I blew her off that night at her hotel."

A smile played around Tori's lips. "The night you came over to my apartment." She murmured. "Ah, yes. I remember that night. I'm surprised I didn't stain that beige carpet green I was so freaking jealous."

Jade looked at her, caught in the middle of continuing her original thought. "You were?"

"Jade." Tori laughed, rolling her eyes. "Oh, Jesus, please. Tell me you didn't see it written right over my face."

"Um." Her partner cleared her throat gently. "Actually, no.. I was too busy staring lustfully at the half naked, sweat covered woman on the carpet to notice what color she was."

Tori looked at her, both eyebrows hiking up. Jade responded with a sexy grin, triggering a now far more rare heated blush that rapidly colored the brunette woman's face. "Euhr… you do say the nicest things sometimes, honey." Tori rubbed her cheek with one hand, and then she glanced up. "Really?"

"Really." Jade replied. "It was quite a feeling – after being hit on all night by someone I wasn't attracted to." She tucked Tori's hand into the crook of her elbow. "Funny how I used to like playing that game. I was in a meeting the other month with a half dozen new reps from that consulting company we integrated .. didn't know me, didn't know about us.. they started that sniffing around crap and I called a break and went out and put this on." She raised her right hand, displaying her ring. "End of that problem."

Startled to have her unasked question answered in such an unexpected way, Tori merely stayed silent for a few steps. Then she released a small puff of air, almost a laugh. "So that's why." She mused. "I remember you telling me once how you felt that people formed certain ideas about other people based on whether they had a ring on or not."

Jade nodded. "Yeah." She agreed. "I damn well wanted them to think that about me." She glanced at Tori's hand tucked in hers, it's ring glinting softly in the sunlight, then she met Tori's eyes. "Yeah."

"Me, too." The smile on Tori's face left no doubt her feelings. "You know, Jade, we should do these little walk and talks more often."

A wry chuckle spilled from Jade's lips. "Sure beats cramps." She looked up. "Hey.. hey… Chino!"

"Oh no." Tori's eyes widened. "No! C'mere, girl.."

Chino spotted a duck and bolted after it, spurring her owners into a mad dash after her, leaving laughter in the air behind them.

"Here you go." The short, curly haired man behind the makeshift bar handed Tori a beer. "Careful, it's a little foamy."

"Thanks." Tori inhaled some of the sharp tasting fizz before it poured over her hand and moved to one side out of the way of the crowd.

The church was mostly full, it's homey interior buzzing with low conversation and the occasional spurt of laughter. Tori dodged around a few chatting groups and headed for the low couches near the back wall where Jade was lounging inside a circle of people they were more familiar with.

At least the party was casual. Tori eased past a man in shorts so short she wondered why he really bothered and took the cushion next to her partner on the couch. "What'd I miss?"

"Oh, Lori and I were just filling Jade in on the latest church news, you know." A tall redhead told her. "This and that.. we keep trying to lure her in the choir."

Tori settled against Jade's warm body. "She'd be good at it." She agreed, ignoring the mock glower from a pair of nearby baby blues. "You should see her singing in the shower. It's amazing."

"I'm sure we'd love to. Invite us over." Lori shot back, with a mischievous grin. "Right, Rachel?"

"Absolutely! Tori, you little charmer! What a sweetie you are!" Her partner chortled. "When's the viewing?"

Tori felt Jade start to snicTor. "Well, I walked right into that one, didn't I?" She admitted, toasting them all with her beer. "Sorry ladies, I don't share." A reluctant grin appeared. "The view, or anything else." She bumped Jade with her elbow. "And you stop laughing!"

"Ahem." Jade cleared her throat. "Honestly, my work schedule just won't permit me getting involved in anything that regular." She told Rachel, the redhead who was also one of the principals in the choir. "And I don't commit to things I can't guarantee I'll do."

Rachel slouched in the easy chair across from them, swinging one denim covered leg over the arm of it. "Yeah, yeah. But all work no play…" She let the words trail off suggestively. "Workaholics are so uncool these days." She shook her finger at Jade.

An amused glint appeared. "I play." Jade replied in silken voice. "I just save all my playtime for one person." She turned her head and looked at Tori, catching the quick grin and returning it.

Their attention was drawn by a sudden noise nearby and they all turned to see two women facing off against each other, hands grappling at cotton shirts and faces twisted in anger. "Oh crap." Lori rolled her eyes. "Here we go again." She lifted her voice. "Would you two cut it the hell out and grow up?"

"You keep the hell out of this, bitch!" One of the women yelled back at her.

"Who are you calling bitch, you ugly piece of shit?" Lori got up. "Take your fucking drama out of here, yeah?"

"Lor, sit down." Rachel grabbed her by the back of her jeans and hauled her down into the chair. "Leave them alone."

The short, dark haired woman glowered at the two arguing women, who were now ignoring her, busy with shoving each other around. "Assholes."

"Hey, ladies." David, one of the church worTors hurried over. He was a middle aged man with salt and pepper hair, and a neatly trimmed beard. "C'mon, c'mon now.. it's a party! Let's be festive!"

Jade slid her arm around Tori's shoulders and idly watched the entertainment unfolding before her. The two women were on again, off again partners who always seemed to be arguing about something. Jade suspected they both had some real problems and were just using each other to keep their minds off them, but she'd never gotten interested enough in the situation to find out.

That sounded so damn callous, Jade acknowledged, but the two women were nasty to most, unpleasant to the rest, and quite probably deserved each other.

"Kiss my ass, fag." The shorter of the two women snapped at David. "Just leave us alone."

"Hey, c'mon now." David held his hands out. "We don't to get nasty." He warned. "So let's just calm down, okay?"

"Calm this." The same woman shot him a bird.

Tori looked at Jade. Jade looked back at Tori. "Do we want to get involved in this?" Tori asked.

"Well." Jade set her bottle of Yoohoo down. "Either we get involved, or we find a different party. I'm not in the mood to listen to this much pointless cursing." She got up and dusted her faded jeans off, stepping around Lori's chair and heading towards the battleground with a resigned sigh.

Tori got up and followed, trying not to see the anticipatory grins on the faces of their friends. She caught up to Jade as she reached the outskirts of the disturbance, which had now draw a small crowd.

The two women were short and heavy set, The short haired woman also had an eyebrow ring, and a beautiful tattoo of a parrot on one bare shoulder. The other was stylish in more feminine clothing, making it clear they favored gender roles in their relationships.

"Okay, people." Jade stopped just short of them, putting her hands on her hips and inclining her head slightly to look down at them. "Do what the man says and take it outside."*

David sidled up to her immediately, more than pleased to find a ready ally. Tori stopped just a step behind her partner, folding her arms over her chest and waiting to see what would happen next, satisfied to watch the two other women with a sharp eye.

Not that she was at all worried. Jade could more than take care of herself, of Tori, of David, and probably of everyone in sight without breaking a sweat. In her red tank top, with her burnished tan and solid muscularity, she had presence that was undeniable. But, soon this wasn't something that she'd be wanting Jade to do.

The shorter of the two women turned to confront Jade. "Did someone ask you to get in our business?" She asked.

"Yes." Jade replied in a calm voice. " You did, by acting like a pair of rutting jackasses. So knock it off."*

"Or?" The woman asked, sarcastically. "You gonna beat me up?"

Tori stepped forward, about to intervene. Jade beat her to it, though, and added a tiny bump to her shoulder.

"No. You'd enjoy it too much. I'm just going to cancel all your credit cards and get your driver's licenses revoked if you don't get the hell out of here and stop being such a pair of pitas." Jade replied. "Scram."

The short woman's eyes narrowed, and she tensed, but after a second she just shrugged and turned away. "Whatever. Asshole." She flicked her long nailed fingers as she sauntered off, pushing her way through the crowd as she headed towards the door.

Her partner glared at Jade as well. "You think you're so hot. Why don't you go back to your fancy island and leave the real people alone. We were here a long time before you were."

"Okay." Tori finally got a word in edgewise. "So let me get this straight. You guys cuss and punch each other and mess up everyone's fun here… and you're mad because we don't like to watch?"

"Stupid asshole."

"Tori Vega." Tori corrected her mildly. "And if you're that much into people watching you, why not join the theatre group? I think they're doing MacBeth this summer.. sounds right up your alley." She took a step forward, putting herself between Jade and the other woman. "You know what I think? I think you just like to be the center of attention, so that's why you always act out at these shindigs."

"Oh yeah, sure." The woman replied. "Kiss my ass."

"Never in a million years." Tori took a swig of her beer. "I have better things to kiss." She heard a faint sound come from Jade, and knew if she turned around she'd see very hiked eyebrows. "So now that the show's over, why not go get a drink and be normal like the rest of us."

"Great idea." David chimed in. "C'mon folks, let's get the music started again. She's right. Show's over." He gave two men next to him a nudge, then signaled the woman standing near the stereo system to turn it up. "Enough, enough, okay? It's a party. Everyone chill."

Tori turned and bumped Jade with her head, pushing her back towards the couch. "Gwan, you high faluten rich chick, you."

Jade chuckled under her breath, allowing herself to be herded back to the couch as the crowd slowly broke up and moved way. They settled back down together, giving Lori and Rachel a twinned roll of the eyes as a few others gathered around, watching them with casual interest. "What's next?" Jade asked. "Unisex twister?"

Lori settled into a half unstuffed chair next to the couch. "You guys are too funny. Like Batman and Robin." She accepted the cup Rachel handed to her, after a brief sojourn to the bar. "But those two and their little pod always had a problem with the two of you.. I'm not really sure why."

"Our bank balances?" Tori suggested, with a grimace. "Yeah, like we come in here in silk and pearls, flipping our minks." She glanced down at her somewhat worn aviator pants, with their odd assortment of pockets, then indicated Jade's faded jeans. "What's up with that?"

Lori shrugged.

"I guess some of them figure.. " Rachel hesitated. "You know, we're always raising cash for the place, maybe they think if you have more, you should just give it over."

Jade snorted. "We donate." She lifted a hand. "They want more, they can come do my job and then they can take what they want. Screw that."

"That's right." Tori said. "We've never said no when David's called us."

"Hey!' Rachel edged back a little. "I didn't say that's what we thought. I just said maybe that's what they think, you know? I mean, your paycheck's your own, yeah? Like all of ours is." She shrugged. "Some people just get really jealous when they see someone who has stuff they don't."

"Give me a break." Jade picked up her Yoohoo and took a sip.

Tori sucked at her beer, a look of wry cynicism crossing her face. "Isn't that the truth… I've had to deal with that since I was in frilly Pampers." She sighed. "But you know what, my family just has money. I earn mine."

Lori perched on the arm of the chair her partner was sitting in. "What exactly do you guys do, anyway?" She asked, tactfully steering the conversation down a different track. "Investment banking?"

Jade settled back and extended her legs out, crossing them at the ankles. "We're nerds." She explained briefly.

"Nerds?" Rachel laughed. "You're kidding me. Really?"

Tori nodded. "Really. Just regular, ordinary, working nerds." She added. "Besides, we do our part here. I'm working with those kids every week, and Jade.. " She glanced at her partner, who smiled faintly. "Jade shows up and looks great, and doesn't get mad at me for dragging her in here all the time."

"Heh." The dark haired woman responded.

"You could join our community action group." Lori suggested. "We've got a lot of stuff planned for this year.. lobbying and all that. Bet you're good at it."

"Bet I'm not." Jade said. "Thanks, but no thanks."

Both women across from them looked uncomfortable at that, Tori noticed. But it was the truth, and she knew Jade generally refused to sugarcoat her answers. "Honestly, our schedule doesn't permit either of us a lot of slack in doing organized things." Tori said. "We never know when we might have to travel, or get stuck late taking care of a problem."

"Okay, just a suggestion." Lori said. "I'm getting another beer. Want one?" She asked Rachel.

"Sure."

Lori got up and left. Tori used the slight pause to finish up her beer, and note that Jade had done the same with her Yoohoo. "Want another one?" She indicated the bottle. "Or something stronger?"

Jade fiddled with the bottle, then handed it over. "Nah. I'll stick to this. Thanks."

Tori eased off the couch and gave her a pat on the knee as she planned a path through the growing crowd towards the bar.

Rachel waited for Tori to vanish, then turned her attention back to the tall, dark haired woman on the couch. "Nerd, huh?"

Jade plucked at the seam of her denims. "Yeah."

"Uh huh."

"Know what I think?" Jade sat back, letting the car's air conditioning cool her off.

Tori was curled up in the passenger seat, looking tousled and somewhat aggravated. "What?"

"I think we need to find a new church."

"Ungh." Tori rested her head against the leather seat back. "Tell you what. Give me tomorrow off, and I'll find us a new church. How's that?" She shifted, grimacing at the cramping that had manifested with aching suddenness, giving her an unwelcome, yet welcome excuse to leave the party.

Jade glanced at her in perfect sympathy. "Sweetheart, you can have the day off any time you want." She replied. "I know your area's covered."

Tori grimaced again. "You know what's not covered?" She asked mournfully. "I forgot to stop and pick up supplies at Walgreen's." Her eyes met Jade's. "And you know I can't handle the kind you use."

Jade put the car into reverse and commenced backing out. "Guess we're going to the drugstore then." She said. "S'all right. I need some stuff too. We're low on Advil…"

"Ahhhh!" Tori squeaked.

"And I need some batteries for my digital." Her partner finished. "So put the seat back and relax, and we'll get ourselves taken care of."

Tori took advantage of the offer, releasing the seat and tilting it back about halfway. She closed her eyes and left the driving to her partner, idly listening to the soft new age music coming from the speaTors. "They really were kinda sucky today, huh?" She said. "I wonder why? We never had them act like that before. Did we do something I don't remember?"

Jade was silent for a while, drumming her thumbs on the steering wheel as she made her way through the surface streets towards the drugstore. "I don't know." She finally muttered. "It just pisses me off that they act like we owe them something all the time."

Did they? Tori pondered the idea. "Well, most churches do assume their memberships will do stuff like bake cookies and put money in the plate, Jade." She conceded. "I know ours did at home. Big time. Not that anyone ever said anything outright, but boy.. if you skipped a week, the looks you got."

Jade made a rude noise.

"Well, you know, they have to raise money somehow." Tori felt herself in the odd position of defending a faith she often was at serious odds with. "They have to keep the place up, and pay the pastor, and do community programs.. the money has to come from somewhere."

Jade pulled into the parking lot and parked in front of the drugstore. She set the parking brake, but left the car running. "Yeah, I know." She opened the driver's side door. "It's not that part I mind. They do good stuff especially for those kids you mess with. It's the other stuff they expect us to do." She got out. "As if just because we're gay, we have to be revolutionaries about it. Not my gig."

Tori watched in bemusement as her partner shut the door gently, and strode off towards the entrance to the Walgreens.

Jade waited in line, glancing at the items available for sale on the nearby racks out of boredom. She had her chosen items, obtained in quick order, but there was only one clerk working and several people ahead of her waiting to pay.

C'mon.. I've got melting ice cream here. Jade glared evilly at the line from behind her shades.

The clerk, unfortunately, was busy trying to understand the request of the first woman in line, who was attempting to obtain a specific type of cigarette using a language even Jade wasn't familiar with. It was hard to say at this point, which one of them was the more frustrated.

Her eyes fell on a shelf about thigh level, and she examined the contents, a grudging smile slowly appearing as she reached down and selected one of the items. After a quick look around, she added it to her basket, then resumed looking around.

The woman ahead of her let out a deliberately audible sigh. "Jesus."

The clerk glanced up at her, giving her an apologetic grimace, but slightly shrugging her shoulders. The foreign woman pulled out a piece of paper from her purse and unfolded it, showing it to the clerk with a bit of impatience. "Ma'am, we don't have those."

The woman questioned her in her own language.

"Ma'am, we don't have those." The clerk repeated, with commendable patience. She pointed at the picture in the paper and shook her head. The woman shook the paper at her, her voice rising.

"Jesus." The customer in front of Jade repeated. "What an idiot." With a disgusted look, she tossed her packages onto the counter and walked away, leaving the store with a slap at the sliding door on her way out. The man ahead of her did the same, shooting the clerk a bird as he followed suit.

At the same moment, the foreign woman grabbed back her paper and shoved it in her purse, storming off and walking quickly through the door on the heels of the other two.

That left the clerk staring after them, and Jade with no one ahead of her in line. Not one to look a gift tourist in the mouth, she stepped forward and began removing her choices from her basket, placing them down on the register counter.

"Why do people do that?" The clerk wondered, as she picked up the first item and scanned it. "Just come to a place and not know how to communicate?"

Jade studied her from behind her wraparound shades. "To give Americans a taste of what it's like to deal with them overseas?" She suggested mildly.

"Huh?" The girl frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You ever been in another country?" Jade inquired.

"No." The girl replied. "Why would I want to go to another country?"

"Doesn't matter. How much?" Jade indicated the register. She watched the total come up, and swiped her ATM card through the reader, punching in her code with an impatient motion. The machine hesitated, then regurgitated her receipt, which she snagged along with her purchases from the clerks' hands. "Thanks."

"Bye." Now bereft of customers, the clerk waggled her fingers at Jade. "Have a nice day."

Tori had amused herself by trying to make up stories about the people she watched coming out of the store while waiting for Jade's return. The first man who had come out seemed to have gotten something he wasn't too sure about, based on how he kept looking inside the bag he'd carried out as he walked to his car. She decided it was a choice between hair growth formula, some feminine products, or birth control.

She watched him until he got into his car, whereupon he drew something out of the bag and took a bite of it, skewing her theory.

She hoped.

The next two women who exited were apparently together, talking non-stop in Spanish as they walked right past the Volvo and got into a maroon station wagon right next to her. They started their car, and without breaking their stream of discussion, began to pull out.

Tori's eyes widened as she realized the car's front wheels were turned sharply to the right, aiming the vehicle right for the passenger side door inches from her. Reacting instinctively, she leaned over and slammed her hand on the Volvo' horn, closing her eyes and sprawling half over Jade's seat as she waited for the crunch and impact.

After a moment's silence, however, she opened her eyes and peered over her shoulder. The maroon station wagon was gone, and as she straightened up and looked behind her, she spotted it pulling out into traffic with a squeal of tires.

A blue Jeep just barely missed sideswiping it. Tori blew her hair out of her eyes and faced forward again, deciding the women had probably picked up either legal stimulants or prescription sedatives or maybe a combination of both.

Another customer stormed by the front of the Volvo, walking with short, furious steps. She banged into a trashcan mounted firmly on the sidewalk, and shoved it away from her with a curse audible even through the closed windows of the Volvo. She gave the can a vicious kick, before she continued on and around the corner of the store to the other side of the parking lot.

Didn't like her one hour photos? Tori wondered. She had little time to consider it, because the woman was followed almost immediately by another, equally upset looking, who seemed almost in tears. She walked over to a small four door car near the entrance and spoke to the man inside it, showing him something she had in her hands.

The man grabbed it, then shoved her backwards, with an angry snarl. He pushed the car door open and headed for the door to the drugstore, leaving the woman behind. She looked unhappily at the car for a brief moment, then went around and got into the passenger side, pulling down the sunshade and peering anxiously into the mirror.

Now, what was the story there? Tori wondered, but not for long because her peripheral vision was filled with an approaching figure that captured her attention fully as she turned her head to watch Jade walk over to her.

Just the sight of that angular face made her smile. Tori could feel her facial muscles responding, and she watched Jade react and return the grin as she opened the door and slid inside bringing a puff of hot, moist air and the scent of the apricot scrub still lingering on her skin. "That didn't take long. Thanks for getting my stuff."

Jade handed her the bag. "No problem. Careful, there's a jug of.."

"Ice cream in here." Tori finished, peering inside. "And.. what in the.. " She removed something from the bag and held it up, letting the plastic bag drop down to the floor between her hiking boots. "Jade, what is this?"

Jade was concentrating on removing the Volvo from the parking lot and keeping the body of the car intact while she did so. "Um… it's a hamster."

Tori tapped the small, furry foot, and the stuffed animal started to dance to the tune of "Over There…" "It's a dancing hamster." She observed, dancing a little in her seat along with it. "It's a dancing hamster in a sailor suit, Jade."

"Yeah." Her partner peered fiercely through the windshield. "You were calling me a hamster the other day so.."

A giggle worked it's way out of Tori's chest. She set the creature on her lap, and tapped it's foot again, watching it dance and squiggle in it's white outfit and hat. "Is this supposed to be you?"

Jade cleared her throat. "I thought you'd think it was cute."

"Hehehehehehehehe." The brunette let out a long, low chortle. "Oh, you're so right, I do." She danced with her new little friend. "Wait till your dad sees it."

Jade turned her head and gave her a look over the tops of her sunglasses.

"I'm going to put this on my desk." Tori decided.

"At work?" Jade's eyes nearly popped.

Tori reached over and turned her head back forward, as the light turned green and they were free to proceed across to the causeway home. "Don't' be goofy. Of course not at work. At home."

Jade settled back in her seat, relieved. "Yeah, well.. I had some time to kill at the register. They were short handed."

"Though… it might be a great ice breaker at new client meetings…" Tori mused.

Jade turned to stare at her again, only to find mischievous brown eyes waiting in knowing silence. "You're lucky I love you." She mock growled.

Tori's smile softened and gentled. "Don't I know how lucky I am." She replied. "And I will find us a different church, Jade. I like belonging to something like that. It gives me a sense of community here. But not at the expense of your being comfortable with it."

Jade fell silent, as she directed the car onto the ferry base. "Does it have to be a church?" She asked, as they pulled up to the cones. "Maybe we could just join a computer club or something?"

Tori rested her chin on her fist. "We spend enough time with nerds." She disagreed. "Hey.. how about a biTor club?"

Jade covered her eyes with one hand.

"Vroom vroom."

Now it was Tori's turn to be a couch potato, and she readily took advantage of it, tucking the light, worn childhood quilt she'd brought back from Connecticut around her as she watched the late news. She had a cup of hot blackberry tea on the table nearby, and sufficient quantities of painkillers to render her acceptably comfortable, at least for the moment.

They had paused at the Island market on the way home and gotten some fish filets, which Jade had insisted on cooking. Much to Tori's surprise, and also to her partner's she suspected, the relatively simple broiling experiment had turned out very tasty and after that, and some of Jade's newly purchased ice cream, the stresses from the party had finally dissipated.

"Nothing." Jade looked up from her perch sprawled across the love seat. "I don't get it. There's nothing here." She lifted a hand and let it drop, shaking her head at the screen of her laptop. "No mention, no little notes in the paper, nothing in the trades… a major contract falls through, and all you see is news about rugby."

Tori chuckled softly. "I don't know, sweetie. I think I like those priorities for a change." She took a sip of her tea. "Oh well. We'll find out eventually what the deal is. Once we get to those ships, someone'll talk. They always do, Jade."

"Mmph." Jade was rattling away at her keyboard.

Tori returned her attention to the big screen television, where an overly earnest reporter was relating the day's news in serious, emphatic tones. The shot cut away to a nighttime scene, with flashing police lights, and after studying it for a minute, she frowned. "Hey, Jade? Look."

"Mm?" Pale blue eyes flicked to her, then to the television. "What am I looking at?"

"Isn't that the Walgreens? The one we were at today?"

Jade leaned on the love seat arm and peered at the screen. "I don't.. hell, they all look alike to me, Tori. Maybe it is. Why?"

"Shh." Tori turned the sound up to listen.

"Police are unsure of how the woman got left in the trunk, or who might have done this to her. She was taken to ZucTorberg General Hospital where she's in critical condition." The reporter on the scene drew back, showing a small, four door car parked on the side of the building, it's trunk hanging open, having obviously been forced. "The car was rented, police say, by an unidentified man they are now looking for."

"Huh." Jade murmured. "Someone locked in a trunk? Lucky they didn't croak in this heat." She shook her head and went back to her laptop screen. "Wonder when it happened?"

"I don't know." Tori leaned forward. "They can't have found it that long ago.. it's a live report. Oh, Jade.. I'd hate to think that poor woman was in that trunk when we were there!"

Jade looked up again, studying the car. "We weren't on that side of the building." She said. "Car looks a little familiar though…. But it's a common rental type. Dime a dozen, Tor."

"Yeah." Something was niggling at Tori's memory, and she rested her chin on her fist as the news went on to another story. After a few minutes of trying to root it out, however, she gave up and tuned back in to the reporter. "Ah… gonna have rain tomorrow." She chortled softly. "Sure you don't want to spend the day inside with me watching it?"

"Mm." Jade gave her a narrow-eyed look. "Temptress."

Tori gave her best impression of sultriness, aware that her Pooh t-shirt was probably skewing the impact just a trifle. "Actually, I've got a ton of stuff to do tomorrow. I want to get a hair-cut for starters, and my car's due for service."

"Thought you were going to relax?" Jade reminded her.

"I will." Tori said. "But I want to get something accomplished too, so I don't feel so guilty thinking of you slaving away in the office stuck in your monkey suit."

"Ahh… and I have to meet with all the international sales directors. They're in tomorrow." Jade reminded her. "So you can really pity me. Mariela has a four hour block scheduled in the afternoon."

"Ew."

"Uh huh."

Tori rolled over on to her back and watched Jade's profile as she worked on her machine. "I could pass on having a day off." She suggested. "You want some backup?"

"Nah." Jade glanced up at her, and grinned. "But thanks for the offer."

"Okay." Tori wiggled her feet under their cotton covering. "But I'll make sure you've got something great to come home to."

The blue eyes twinkled. "Something other than you? What else you think I need?"

Tori sighed happily.

"Besides, you're going to have to run the ball game with Quest." Jade continued dryly. "Don't thank me yet." She went back to her typing, listening to the soft chuckle as Tori rolled back onto her side and the news switched over to sports.

"Okay." She reviewed her work for the last time, studying the presentation she'd put together for the meeting. "I think that'll work." She set the laptop down on the coffee table and stretched, reaching out to scratch Chino's head.

It was a completely ordinary Sunday night at home. They usually watched whatever was on either the Learning Channel, or Discovery, or a movie, then the news before getting together whatever they needed for work the next week and going to bed.

Comfortingly predictable. Jade regarded the shots of football players practicing in the hot sun with a touch of bemusement. "Y'know, they took us to see those guys do that once."

"That?" Tori pointed. "You mean, summer practice?"

"Yeah." Jade said. "They used to take school kids on different field trips. See the zoo, that sort of thing. A rakish grin appeared. "Summer day, ninety degrees, no water anywhere. We all ran off and raided a McArthur Dairy milk truck that'd stopped to make a delivery. Nearly got tossed in jail."

Tori started laughing.

"Haven't liked watching those guys play since."