Disclaimer: Mine.

Sex:  PWP.  Need I say more?  DO NOT, AND I MEAN, DO NOT READ AT WORK.  READ ONLY IN BED BY THE LIGHT OF YOUR SCREEN.

Note: This story is a bit raunchier than my usual fare.  I hope you enjoy it.  I know I sure had fun with it. J 

If you’d like to tell me what a wonderful writer I am or that I royally suck, feel free at: XenaNut@hotmail.com

For DS Bauden.  Let’s see what I can do, shall we?

Burnin’ Rubber

by

Kim Pritekel

Madelline slammed the car door shut, satisfied by the wicked slap of metal against metal and the way the small car rocked with the force.  She glanced both ways before crossing the street, making her way to Lee’s Chinese Restaurant.

Reaching into the pocket of her skirt, she felt the crumpled slip of paper, everyone’s order written on it.  Why was it that she got stuck going to get dinner when she hated Chinese food, wasn’t even hungry, and just wanted to get the project done?  She sighed.  It had been a shitty day, so why not be a shitty night, too?  It was late, and she was tired, and very cranky.

Pushing through the glass door, she entered into the small, dirty hole in the wall.  Torn paper, Chinese lanterns hung from the ceiling, crappy music screeched through crappier speakers to fill the small space.  A couple sat at a corner table, attempting to eat their dinner with cheap, wooden chopsticks.  They glanced up at her as she passed, then turned back to their food and conversation.

Walking up to the counter, a young Chinese man stood behind the register, looking at her expectantly.  Absently tucking a short, blonde strand of hair behind her ear, Madelline smiled at the man.

“Can I help you?” he asked, fingers poised over the keys of the register.

“Yeah.”  She quickly read off her list, the man’s thin fingers zooming at breakneck speed over the keys, ringing up her order, and calling it back through the small, square window that led to the kitchen behind him.

Finally finished giving her order, arms crossed over her chest, Madeline walked toward the large, plate glass windows of the small restaurant. 

“Shit!” she hissed, seeing a dark figure kneeling behind her car.  Pushing through the glass door, she began to run across the street, a passing car honking loudly as it barely missed her. “Hey!” the blonde yelled.  The crouched figure glanced at her before standing and running toward the alley. 

Not even thinking, she followed, full speed ahead.  The bastard had stolen her back license plate.

“Hey, asshole!  Give me my damn license plate back!”  She was not in the mood for this.  Stomping through a puddle, she cursed, but kept going.  The alley opened up to an empty lot of some kind.  Stopping, almost out of breath, green eyes looked around.  The gravel at her feet crunched, and she hadn’t moved.  Deciding that perhaps it wasn’t a good idea to be there, the little blonde turned to head back, but stopped with a gasp.

The dark figure stood at the mouth of the alley, license plate clutched in his right hand.  He was dressed in black, a full-face ski mask covering his face.

Madelline could feel her heart pounding wildly in her chest.  She tried to surreptitiously look around, find any sort of escape route. 

“You want your plate back?” the dark figure asked, though the blonde was shocked, and a bit relieved, that it was a woman’s voice.

“Yes,” Madelline said, feeling a bit bolder now.  The dark woman held up the plate.

“And what are you going to give me for it?”  She wiggled the plate between her fingers.

“What?!  You stole it from my car!”

“Yeah?  Well it’s mine, now.”  The dark woman held her ground as the blonde stormed over to her, grabbing for the plate, which was snatched out of her grip.  Madelline yelped as she found herself whirled around and pushed up against one of the buildings in the alley.  The other woman’s body was pressed against her back. 

“Don’t do that,” the woman growled in her ear, her voice low and dangerous.

Madelline felt her fear return, as cold as the brick her cheek was pressed against.  Her fingers clawed uselessly at the wall.  She felt something hard being pushed against her ass.  Eyes popping wide, she tried to look back at the woman.  She heard a soft chuckle.

“You see, I come packin’ for all sorts of occasions.”  The dark woman moved her hips ever so slightly, just enough to let the blonde know she meant business.  Madelline tried to hold in a gasp, but wasn’t sure how successful she was.  Swallowing, she closed her eyes.

“What are you going to do to me?” she whispered, her voice shaky.  “Are you going to,” she swallowed again, “rape me?”  Just the idea terrified her.  The woman chuckled in her ear.

“I don’t play that way, baby,” she whispered, though Madelline felt a hand worm its way between her and the brick building she was pushed against.  A wave of heat spread throughout her as she felt the woman’s hips move against her again.  “So?” the woman asked softly, “what are you going to give me for the license plate?  Hmm?”

Madelline’s eyes closed, feeling soft, warm breath against her neck, fingers resting on her stomach.  She took a deep breath to try and get her pounding heart under control.

“What do you want?” she managed to answer.

“Well I don’t know.  What do you have, darlin’?”

“Nothing.  I don’t have any money.”

“Well, come on, beautiful.  See, I need this license plate really bad, so …”

“I can buy you dinner?” Madelline asked, feeling the woman’s hips moving again, the hardness at her crotch grinding against her skirt-clad ass.  She heard the dark woman snort in her ear.

“At that shit hole place?  I don’t think so.  Try again, baby.”

Madelline gasped as she felt her body being slightly pulled away from the wall, back into the strong body behind her.  The woman’s hands snaked around her body, covering her cotton-clad breasts.  They were gentle, yet firm.  The blonde was ashamed as she felt her nipples responding, her eyes wanting to close at the sensation.  She fought it, having to keep her wits. 

“Tell me, baby,” the woman whispered, slightly breathy.  “Tell me.”

Madelline couldn’t stop her body’s reaction to the strange woman.  Slowly being turned around, her back hit the brick wall, and she was faced with the thief.  Reaching up with shaky hands, she felt the rough material of the ski mask the woman wore.

“Tsk, tsk, little one,” the woman cooed, moving her head away.

“I want to see you.”  Madelline’s voice was soft, and to her surprise, she really did want to see the woman.  As if thinking it over, the dark woman was quiet for a moment, her hands still cupping Madelline’s breasts, gently massaging, the blonde’s eyes becoming hooded at the sensation.  One hand was removed as it reached up, tearing the mask away.

Madelline was shocked to see the beauty that stood before her- long, dark hair wild in the night.  She could barely make out the woman’s face in the darkness of the alley, but what she could make out was gorgeous.  The blonde felt an immediate pull toward the strange woman.  It left her shocked and confused.

The woman’s face, pale skin against the surrounding darkness, got closer.  Madelline could feel her breath against her skin.

“I’m gonna tell you something,” the woman said, her words blown across the blonde’s neck and cheek. “if you tell anyone what I look like, I won’t be very happy.”

Madelline knew the words were a promised threat, but she still couldn’t manage to feel threatened by them.  She nodded, bringing her hands up to the woman’s shoulders, feeling the soft material of her black hoodie under her fingertips.  She was surprised when she felt a soft sigh escape her lips when the dark woman began to kiss her neck.

“Why do you wear that?” Madelline asked breathlessly.

“This?” the woman asked, grinding the hard bump against the blonde again.  Madelline’s eyes closed as a new wave of wetness saturated her.  All she could do was nod before tilting her head to the side slightly, giving the woman’s wandering mouth more access.  “The street isn’t a safe place to be for a woman at night,” she purred, one of her hands making its way to the buttons on Madelline’s shirt.  “As you found out.”

“Uh huh,” the blonde breathed absently, her body beginning to burn as her skin was slowly being exposed to the night air.  Her fingers squeezed slightly on the woman’s shoulders.

“You are gorgeous, baby,” the woman whispered, her tongue running a trail down Madelline’s neck to her exposed cleavage before continuing her explanation.  “It’s also part of my disguise.” 

The blonde gasped slightly as the woman’s hand was suddenly on the back of her thigh, forcing her leg up, held against the woman’s side, a warm hand massaging the flesh of her thigh.  Madelline groaned, her sex jumping to attention at the sudden movement, leaving her open and vulnerable.  She felt even more  vulnerable when her skirt was pushed up and the night air brushed against her quickly dampening panties.

Madelline grabbed the woman’s face, brought it to hers.  She was desperate for a kiss.  Moaning into her mouth, the brunette quickly obliged, pressing her body that much harder into the blonde’s.  Madelline gasped as she felt the woman’s bulge press between her legs.  Feeling a sense of urgency pouring from the dark woman, Madelline’s breathing became ragged as a hand moved between her legs, brushing her sex as the dark woman quickly unzipped her black jeans.

Madelline cried out when she felt the tip of the phallus being rubbed against her clit, only to have her mouth covered by a gentle hand.  It was quickly replaced by a searing tongue.  The blonde responded to the kiss, her hands burying themselves in long, dark hair.  The dark woman pulled away, panting.

“Is this what you want, baby?” the woman panted, again, running the tip over the entirety of Madelline’s sex.

“Yes,” the blonde gasped with a vigorous nod, chewing on her lower lip.  She felt her panties being pushed aside, her passion flowing down the inside of her thigh.

“God, you’re wet,” the woman whispered, her voice shaky with desire and anticipation.  Madelline whimpered as two fingers were ran through her slick heat, then heard the phallus being lubricated with it.  Within a couple seconds, the blonde felt the woman entering her with a quick, smooth thrust of her hips.

Grasping onto the woman’s shoulders, Madelline’s head fell back against the building as the woman continued to thrust into her swollen sex, the blonde’s thigh still held securely against the stranger’s side.

Madelline’s mouth was suddenly covered with the woman’s, their tongues battling for dominance as the blonde’s body was flooded with warmth and juices, a ball of fire beginning to spin in her lower gut, tentacles of flame shooting out.  The woman swallowed a cry as fingers reached down, driving into her clit, making her dizzy with the intensity of her climax.  She’d never come so quickly in her life!

Clutching onto the woman, who was also trembling, she panted into a warm neck, trying to get herself under control.  Gentle hands ran over her hair and back before the blonde felt the woman pulling out of her.  She shivered at the sensation, then fell back against the wall, her leg finally released, and sliding shakily back to the ground.

Finally opening her eyes, she watched as the woman tucked the phallus back into her pants then zipped up.  Madelline followed suit, tugging her skirt back into place, and reaching under to adjust her panties. 

Unsure what to do, she was slightly startled to feel a warm hand take hers.  Looking up into a pale face, the eyes light, but colorless in the darkness, the blonde’s eyes closed as a soft kiss was placed on her forehead, then lips.  The cold, hard metal of her license plate was placed in her hand, then she was alone, leaning heavily against the cold brick, wondering if she’d dreamt it all.  Only the feel of her license plate made it all real.

With a shiver fingering its way down her spine, she headed back toward her car, and Lee’s Chinese Restaurant.  She was far happier as she gathered her order.

Two days later Madelline watched the news, dismayed at her body’s reaction when she heard the story of a car theft ring in the north side of town.  It all seemed to center around, or near, Lee’s Chinese Restaurant.

The blonde swallowed as no suspects were mentioned, though it was thought perhaps a notorious theft ring was responsible.  She watched her father, Captain John Wilkes, talking to reporters about it, a sense of pride and dread flowing through her in equal measure.

Glancing over at the bedside table, she saw the short note her roommate had left for her:

All’s well, but doc says test again in four months.

Turning back to the TV, Madelline couldn’t help but feel her guilt beginning in earnest.  She had a very strong suspicion that the woman from the other night was very much part of the theft ring.  She had seen the woman, and knew that there was a woman involved.

“Shit,” she muttered, turning onto her side, pulling her covers up closer around her body.  She had absolutely no reason to protect that woman, and her loyalties were certainly to her father.  At the same time, she was embarrassed and ashamed by what she had let happen.  Madelline had no doubt that she could have stopped it at any time, yet she hadn’t. 

Her father would freak out for a few reasons: she’d had sex in the middle of an alley; she’d had sex with a perfect stranger; she’d had sex with a woman.  This was something they hadn’t covered yet in their father/daughter discussions.

Rolling over to her back, Madelline stared up at the ceiling, thinking.  Maybe she didn’t have to tell her dad just exactly how she knew it was a woman.  She could just tell him about her license plate being stolen, then she ran after the guy, got it back.  Yeah, that’s it!  Wait.  How did she get it back?

Groaning, the blonde pulled the blankets up over her head.  “I don’t know for fact that she was involved,” she murmured, words muffled by the cave of blankets.  “It’s just one person.  I did get my plate back.”  A rogue thug, maybe? 

Sitting up, the blonde could feel her hair all over her head, sticking up at crazy angles from the static electricity.  Too much on her mind to care, she sighed.  If her dad did find out, she worried that the strange woman would somehow be hurt or killed during the arresting process.

“Crap.”

^^^

Two weeks later, Madelline butted her car door shut, trying to balance her backpack, laptop and dinner.  Glancing down the street, the blonde hurried across before a dark blue SUV ran her over.  As she made her way up the steps that led to the apartment complex door, she smiled in gratitude as a tall, beautiful woman held open the door for her.

“Thanks,” she said, hurrying inside, hearing the outer door ease shut behind her.  Humming softly, she stepped up to her door, balancing her takeout in one hand as she fumbled with her keys.

“Let me help you with that,” a soft voice said from behind her.  Madelline froze, her breath catching in her throat.  She felt warmth behind her, and a soft hand take the keys from hers.  “Quite a load you’ve got there.”  A body brushed against her back as the key was inserted into the lock, and clicked open.

Fear trickled up her spine as the blonde turned, not wanting to enter her apartment with this woman.  She had recognized the voice, and tremors it sent throughout her body, immediately.   Looking up, she was surprised to see the woman who had held the door open for her, and that she wasn’t just beautiful, she was stunning.  Her long, dark hair was a bit more tamed than it had been the first time, though not by much.  Her features were chiseled, eyes a devastating blue.  She smirked down at the blonde.

“Expecting someone else, were you?” she asked, bringing a hand up to brush Madelline’s jaw with the backs of her fingers.

“Wasn’t expecting anyone,” the blonde gasped, moving her face away from the woman’s touch.  The brunette smirked, leaning in close.

“Come on, baby.  Tell me you haven’t forgotten about the fun we had?”  She brought her hand back. “Hmm?”

Madelline looked up into her eyes, struck all over again by her beauty.  She’d never seen anything like her.  “Of course I haven’t,” she whispered, again guilt battling with the desire she had for this woman.

“You don’t need to be afraid of me, Madelline.”

“How do you know my name?  Where I live?” Fear began to gather as the situation became clearer.

“Great memory,” the woman grinned, completely invading the blonde’s personal space.  Her voice lowered. “Memorized your plate number,” she whispered, running a fingertip along Madelline’s jaw.  The blonde swallowed at the intimate touch.  Her breathing hitched.

“I don’t want any trouble,” Madelline whispered back, eyes closing for a moment as she tried to get her heart rate to return to normal. 

“I’m not looking to give you any trouble, baby,” the brunette said, gently taking Madelline’s laptop from her.  “Let me help you.”

Madelline nodded, though had absolutely no idea why she was allowing this woman to stick around.  Reaching behind her, she found the knob, turning it.  She fell back against it as the door swung open.  Catching her balance, Madelline turned away from the darker woman, walking inside her apartment.

“You can set it over there, please,” she said quietly, nodding at the coffee table.  She heard the woman doing her bidding as she made her way over to the breakfast bar, setting down her dinner, and backpack.  When she turned back around, she nearly ran smack into the woman.

Gasping in surprise, her hands came up to stop the collision, landing on the woman’s upper chest.  She felt hands grasp her waist. 

“Why are you here?” Madelline whispered, feeling her fear returning.  The woman took a slight step forward.  With a hard swallow, the blonde managed to hold her ground.

“I wanted to see you again.”

“What?  After someone took the fall in your theft ring?” Madelline challenged, though wanted to take the words back as soon as she said them.  The woman’s face darkened, her body stiffening.  Quicker than Madelline could move away, her chin was captured between two strong fingers.

“Careful, little one,” she whispered, her eyes still hard, though her grip loosened, becoming a caress.  “Don’t talk about something you know nothing about.”

Madelline swallowed again, tucking in her lower lip as she tried not to concentrate on the woman’s lips, so close to her own.

“I can’t seem to stop thinking about you,” she continued, fingers now brushing over the blonde’s throat.  Madelline realized that her own hands were on the move, slowly snaking their way up around the woman’s neck, feeling the long, soft strands of her dark hair.

“What are you doing?” Madelline asked, her voice breathy, her heart pounding and wetness gathering.  She felt the woman pulling the blonde toward her. “What is your name?”

Ignoring her first question, the woman moved on to the second.  “Ripley.”

“Your name is Ripley?” Madelline asked, surprised.  She looked up into the amused face of the brunette.

“It is for today,” she murmured, lowering her mouth to the blonde’s.  Everything inside Madelline was telling her to push Ripley away, make her leave, but her inner voice of warning was silenced by her intense attraction to the gorgeous woman.

Ripley groaned into the kiss, pressing her body into the blonde’s, hands entangled in her hair drawing her closer.

Madelline couldn’t believe how wet she was becoming as the kiss deepened, Ripley pressing her against the breakfast bar with her body.  She tugged the brunette’s hair, trying desperately to get her closer.

She gasped as lips moved to her neck.  Strong hands grabbed the blonde around the waist and lifting her to the counter behind them.  Madelline immediately wrapped her legs around the brunette’s waist, moaning loudly as her shirt was ripped open, a hot mouth attacking her nipple outside her bra.  She hissed as Ripley tugged on it with her teeth, her other breast covered by a large, massaging hand.

“Where’s your bedroom, baby?” Ripley asked around a satin-clad breast.  “Gonna do this right this time.”

Door slammed shut, Madelline allowed herself to be undressed, her own hands making quick work of Ripley’s jeans and t-shirt.

Ripley pushed the blonde down onto the bed, both moaning at the feel of naked flesh against naked flesh as she climbed on top of her.  Her mouth was instantly on Madelline’s, the blonde’s hands reaching down to grab the brunette’s ass, pressing her deeper into her.

Ripley reached down, roughly pushing Madelline’s legs apart, fitting her hips between them.  The blonde gasped, feeling the brunette’s wetness mixing with her own.

“Spread your legs wide, baby,” Ripley breathed, reaching down between their bodies.  She could feel the almost burning heat of their cores.  Eyes closing at the intense pleasure of her newly exposed clit pressing against the blonde’s.  Ripley pushed herself up on strong arms, voice shaky as she tried to keep her body under her control as it threatened to succumb to the excruciating bliss of the body beneath her.

Madelline reached down, clawing at the brunette’s flesh, needing more.  She cried out as Ripley began to move her hips, small strokes to keep their clits in contact.  She moved with the body above hers, using the strength in her thighs to buck her hips.  The pleasure was almost painful, so intense and concentrated.  It took her will power to not wrap her legs around the taller woman’s waist, wanting her as close as possible.  There was a part of her that almost wished Ripley had been packing today- she wanted the brunette inside of her, stroking her walls and filling her.

She was brought from her reverie when she heard Ripley begin to moan, her breaths coming in heated pants against the blonde’s neck.

“Oh, yes, baby,” Ripley hissed, moving her hips faster until the bed beneath them was being pounded into the wall.  Madelline cried out with every thrust, her orgasm hitting her full force, riding out wave after wave, her body trembling and convulsing against Ripley’s.  Finally the brunette stopped, holding the blonde close, their combined sweat and juices bonding them together.

Even as her body continued to tremble, Madelline knew she wasn’t anywhere near sated.  Using all her might, she turned them over, Ripley looking up at her with stunned eyes.  Grinning devilishly, the blonde began to make her way over the brunette’s skin with her mouth, tonguing a painfully stiff nipple, not allowing anything to enter her brain except just how much she wanted Ripley.

“Yes, baby,” the brunette moaned, her hips arching up in search of purchase somewhere to help ease the ache that had been renewed between her legs.  “God, fuck me, Madelline,” she whimpered.  Her words made the blonde burn.  Usually not one for vulgarities during sex, this woman made her break all of her own rules, and happily dance on their shattered remains.

“I want to lick you,” she mumbled into the skin of Ripley’s inner thigh.  She could smell the brunette’s fresh desire, and her mouth watered for it.

“Yes, baby,” she agreed, “lick my cunt, darlin’.  Ung!”  Her head flopped back at the first swipe of a very enthusiastic tongue.

Madelline hummed against the soft, wet flesh in her mouth.  She felt two strong hands on the back of her head, urging her to do as asked.  From the way Ripley was moving beneath her, the blonde could tell the taller woman was close.  Concentrating the tip of her tongue on Ripley’s clit, she attacked it viciously until Ripley’s hips thrust up, her thighs tightening around the blonde’s head.  She kept the pressure on, pressing down on the bundle of nerves until she was begged to stop.

She was pulled up to cover the brunette’s body, her mouth plundered.  Madelline moaned into the kiss, her own passion desperately begging for release once more.  Strong hands were on her hips, urging her to straddle the body beneath her.  Doing as bade, Madelline looked down at the gorgeous woman in her bed.  The hands left her hips, moving up to her breasts.

Eyes closing, and head falling back, Madelline spread her knees further, balancing her hands behind her on Ripley’s thighs.  She began to move her hips, clit rubbing against the hard flesh of the brunette’s stomach.

“Inside me, baby.  I need you inside,” she whimpered, sighing in relief and pleasure as two fingers were slid inside.  Moving her hips in earnest, Madelline began to ride the thief, a warm hand on her hip, guiding her, helping her to reach the pinnacle.  Head thrown back, she cried out her pleasure, upper body collapsing, sweating and spent, on top of Ripley, who wrapped her in strong, warm arms.

Eyes closed, she buried her face in Ripley’s neck, her heart pounding rapidly.  She could feel the brunette’s heart beating just as fast.  Lifting her head, she rested her temple on her palm, looking down at the brunette who grinned up at her.

“You look quite proud of yourself,” Madelline said with raised brows.  Ripley’s grin widened.

”I must say I am.”

“Hmm.  Well, you should be.”  Leaning down, she placed a gentle kiss on full lips.  Madelline’s eyes dropped as her brow wrinkled slightly. “Ripley,” she said, though her voice was a whisper.  “You do scare me, you know.”  She dared to look into troubled blue eyes.

“Don’t be.”

Madelline snorted.  “Don’t be?!”

“Okay, okay.”  The brunette ran her hands through soft, blonde hair, sticking up in all directions from their haste.  She smiled at the picture it made, gently patting the worst offenders down.  “I won’t hurt you, Madelline.  And I won’t let you be hurt.”

“What is it you do?” the blonde asked, moving to her side, only to be stopped by a hand on her back.

“Stay.”

Madelline stopped her movement, instead getting more comfortable atop the dark woman.

“Tell me.”  She looked into amazing blue eyes, a finger running along the thief’s strong, defined shoulders and collarbones.

“I can’t do that, beautiful,” Ripley murmured, tracing a finger along the blonde’s features, full lips kissing her finger as it passed.

“Why?  Are you afraid I’ll run and tell my father?”

“Your father?” Ripley asked, brows drawn in confusion.

Madelline grinned, a spark of evil trailing through her.  “Someone me thinks you’re quite acquainted with.  Captain Wilkes.”

“What?!”

Trying to pull away from the blonde, Madelline pushed her back down.  “Guess we’re even with that fear thing, huh?”  Ripley glared up at her.  “Relax.  I think you’d know by now if I’d said anything.”

Blue eyes looked up at her. “You better not be playing any games with me, Madelline.”

“Games?”  Anger building, it was the blonde’s turn to pull away.  She sat on the edge of the bed.  “It seems to me that’s all you’ve done is play games with me since you tried to steal my fucking license plate!”

Ripley pushed herself from the bed, walking over to a window, hands on her hips.  Madelline, still angry, yet feeling it begin to seep out her ears as she looked at the gorgeous specimen in her room.  Her eyes took in the long, lean lines of the brunette’s body. 

Standing from the bed, she walked over to her lover, pressing her naked front against Ripley’s very naked behind.  Eyes closing, she snaked her arms around the woman’s body, cupping her breasts, making Ripley gasp.

“We’re letting our fears make us fight,” the blonde whispered against a shoulder blade, before swiping at it with her tongue.

“Yeah, we are,” Ripley agreed, reaching behind her to grasp the sides of Madelline’s thighs.

“I’ve never defied my father before,” the blonde whispered, licking a line across the brunette’s back, nipping lightly at her shoulder. “I don’t know why I didn’t say anything.”

“I’m sorry, Madelline,” Ripley whispered, resting her head back against the blonde’s shoulder, whimpering softly as her nipples were tweaked. “I never meant-“ she gasped loudly as the blonde ran her palms in slow circles over the tips of her nipples, “never meant to put you in that position.”

“I have something I want you to use,” Madelline breathed into her ear, the brunette nodding, too turned on to say anything.

Stepping away from the brunette, Madelline walked over to her dresser, taking her prize from the top drawer.  Handing it to Ripley with a grin, she watched, her breath catching, as the thief strapped herself in.

“Lay down, baby,” Ripley breathed,

“I guess if you’re not packin’, I have to.”  Madelline grinned, lying back onto the bed, reaching between her spread legs for the brunette.

“Hmm, guess so.”  With a cat-like grace, Ripley eased her body atop Madelline’s, the blonde sighing at the feel, a quick gasp as Ripley entered her with a single thrust.  Holding her body still, Ripley held the blonde close, looking down into beautiful green eyes.  “You feel wonderful,” she whispered, leaning down to lay a gentle kiss on soft, slightly parted lips.

“So do you.”  Madelline wrapped her legs around the brunette’s waist, holding the thief to her body.  She couldn’t believe how close she felt to her, and not just physically.  There seemed to be some sort of connection between them, and it warmed her from the inside out.

Ripley’s breathing was jagged as she tried to keep herself under control.  Lifting herself up to her forearms, she looked down into the blonde’s face.

“You really are beautiful, baby,” she whispered, earnest and steady.  In response, hands snaked around to the back of her head, bringing her down for a deep kiss.  Madelline moaned into her mouth as Ripley began to move her hips, slowly, just enough to barely move inside the blonde’s heated core.  The kiss broke, but Madelline’s eyes remained closed as she felt soft lips moving over her face, a swipe of a tongue to her earlobe before a chain of kisses was led down her neck.  She brought up a hand, running her fingers through long, dark hair as Ripley’s lips continued to move over her skin, sucking on her pulse point.

Madelline’s head fell back as sensation hit her from every pleasure point.  Ripley continued her slow, smooth thrusts, the bed creaking softly under the movement.  A hot mouth and tongue worked its way back up the blonde’s throat, finally reaching Madelline’s own mouth.  The blonde accepted the kiss, her breathing heavy and labored as the slow, torturously wonderful movement of Ripley’s hips began to scorch her insides, once again bringing her to release.  The climax was like an avalanche- starting small, but building speed and size until it bowled her over, causing her body to jerk, legs to tighten around Ripley, eyes squeezed shut and mouth open in a soundless scream. 

She could feel the hot breath of her lover on her face, and opened her eyes.  The most beautiful sight met her as Ripley arched her head back, a smooth column of throat presented before her as the brunette thrust harder, slamming into the blonde.  Finally, with a shaky gasp, Ripley came, bringing her head down to bury her face in Madelline’s neck.

“That was incredible,” Ripley panted, hugging Madelline to her, feeling the blonde’s arms and legs wrapped tightly around her body. 

“Yeah.  It was.”  Sighing with a happy smile, Madelline gently caressing the sweaty, dark hair of the woman atop her, still inside of her.  Kissing the woman’s cheek, she froze, hearing her roommate moving around in the apartment beyond the blonde’s closed bedroom door.  “Shh, wait,” she whispered.  There was a soft knock.

“Hey, Maddie?  You home?”

“Yeah, Tina.  I’m home.”

“Are you okay?  Your dinner is all cold out here,” Tina said, her voice muffled through the door.

“Yeah.  I’m okay.  I’ll be out in a bit.”

“Uh, okay.”

Madelline heard her friend walk away, then let out a relieved breath.  Suddenly her body felt cold as Ripley rolled off her, sitting on the side of the bed.  The blonde knew this was going to be awkward.  How was she going to get the brunette out without bringing attention to it, and having to explain things to Tina?  As it was, her friend had asked her tons of questions about her tests from the doctor, why she’d had them, and who the potential culprit would have been to give her the gift who keeps on giving. 

The blonde had managed to wiggle her way out of the questioning, telling her long-time friend that she was getting tested just as a precaution.  This was true, but not totally.

“I’d best be going,” Ripley muttered, quickly releasing herself from the straps of the harness, gently laying the device on the bed as she pulled on her clothes.

Madelline watched her for a moment before gathering her own clothing.  Both dressed, Ripley looked at the blonde. 

“Do you want me to sneak out a window, now?” the brunette asked, seeing her lover’s uneasiness at Tina’s presence.

“No,” Madelline muttered, though didn’t think it was an entirely bad idea.  Holding up a hand, Ripley waited while the blonde glanced outside her bedroom door.  She saw Tina curled up on the couch, watching TV.  Stepping back into her bedroom, Madelline closed the door, leaning against it.

“What’s the problem here, Madelline?” Ripley asked, hand on her hip.  Flashing green eyes glared at her.

“What’s the problem?  Ripley, my father is a captain in the police force, the police force that just busted a car theft ring, which I have high suspicions you belong to!” she poked the brunette in the chest.  “How the hell do I explain to Tina that not only am I fucking a woman I met in an alley a few weeks ago, but that she’s a criminal, too?”

Ripley chuckled, running a hand through her hair.  The situation was ridiculous, no doubt.  She sighed, glancing out the window, considering for a moment actually climbing through it.  Changing her mind, she turned back to the blonde. “What do you do?  Do you work?  School?  What?”

Madelline snorted. “What, your source for my name and address didn’t tell you my life history?”

“The computers for the DMV don’t tell me everything,” Ripley growled, just about having enough of the blonde’s smart remarks.

“I’m a student,” Madelline finally said, sensing she was pushing the brunette to her limit.

“Okay.  What are you studying?  Is Tina a student, too?”

“History, and no.”

“Alright.  Come on.  Let’s do it.”  Ripley smirked at her own words, walking over to the blonde.  Hands planted firmly on Madelline’s ass, she pressed the smaller body into her own, taking startled lips in a deep, intense kiss, leaving Madelline breathless.

Tina glanced up when her friend and roomy stepped out of her bedroom.  She was surprised to see a tall, gorgeous woman with her.

“Hey, Maddie.  Who’s this?  Hi.”  The dark woman smiled brightly at the strange woman.

“Ah, Tina.  Nice to finally meet you.  Mad, here, has told me about the infamous roommate.”  Ripley winked with a grin.  “I’m Ripley.  Mad and I had to do some finishing touches on a project for phys anthropology.”

“Oh.  Yep.  I’m ‘the roomy’, and it’s nice to meet you, Ripley.”

“Nice to meet you.”  Ripley gave the dark woman her biggest, most charming smile, then turned to the blonde.  “Well, I think we were pretty productive today, wouldn’t you agree?  See you later.”

“Yeah.”  Shaken, and trying not to die on the spot, she walked the brunette to the door, then closed it behind her, leaning against it.

“My god!” Tina exclaimed, dark eyes wide. “That woman is drop dead gorgeous!”

“Huh?” Madelline said absently, then realized what her friend had said.  “Oh, yeah.  I hardly noticed.”

^^^

The buzz of the cage elevator was almost like a lullaby to a jittery car thief.  Once inside that huge, industrial-sized car, it was over, job well done, the safe zone.

Britt Ripley sat in the black Lexus, hand tapping the steering wheel as she waited for the elevator to traverse the nine floors, heading down into what was known as The Dungeon. 

To the everyman that walked by the nondescript, twelve story brick building, they were passing an old apartment complex.  It was true, though many quickly passed by the graffiti-covered building, on their way to a better neighborhood.

There was no evidence, including the building’s blueprints, that showed any basements further down than two floors beneath the main floor.  Even the building’s legitimate tenants had no idea of the operation happening beneath their feet.  The extra floors had been installed by bootleggers during prohibition, many a vat of hooch distilled where hundreds of stolen, reworked cars now were.

Finally the car came to a screeching stop.  Britt pushed a button on her remote, and the steel lattice slowly opened with a hum.  Reaching beneath the dash once again, the brunette got the car rumbling to life once more, and drove down the short cement ramp to the polished cement floor of Processing.

Waving at a few workers she passed, the thief pulled the car into an open space. Shutting the car down, the brunette stepped out, easing the door shut behind her.  Looking her find over, she knelt down behind it, easing the all-in-one tool from her sleeve.  License plate she’d removed from the Durango removed, she tossed it in the plate bin, and headed to the offices.

She nodded at Carl, who was ever on the phone, as she walked over to her desk, plopping down heavily in the leather chair.  Bored and restless, she glanced at the monitors, watching as the boys began to process her newest find.  They lifted the hood, checking out the car’s innards.  For a moment Britt felt wistful and nostalgic.  She could remember endless hours in her dad’s garage, working on cars, rebuilding his ’57 Chevy pickup from the ground up, with him.

“What’s with the smile, Britt?” Carl asked, tossing the cell on his desk.

“Nothing.”  The brunette sighed, running a hand through her hair.  Watching the boys, she absently said, “Don’t you get tired of this, Carl?”

“Tired of what?” the balding redhead asked, sitting back in his chair with hands behind his head, a smug look on his plump features. “Tired of the money?  Tired of my three houses?  Tired of the adventure?  Tired of-”

“Tired of running.”  Blue eyes caught his gray.  “Tired of hiding who you are.  Tired of worrying that someday they’re gonna catch up to us.  Captain Wilkes has been sniffing up our asses for months now.  Do you really think that’s going to stop?”

“Honestly?  Yes.  I do.  Come on, Britt.  Tell me a little heat isn’t gong to scare you?  You’ve been in this business a long time.  Come on, kid.  Don’t bale on me now.  And I’m gonna tell you something, Ripley,” he pointed a meaty finger at her. “don’t you dare be losing your touch, neither.  You can’t find a certain car, or you can’t manage to get a replacement plate that one night.  Don’t get soft on me, kid.”

“I’m not,” she muttered, though in truth, that’s exactly what she was thinking. 

“I need you to get me an H2.  We’ve got a request-“

“Send Nick out.  I need a night off.”  Britt pushed up from her chair, snatching the keys to her own car and her wallet, and heading out of the office.

Clicking to disengage the alarm on her spotless black 1955 Thunderbird, she climbed in, and hit the button to send the ragtop humming into its hiding place.  The tires screeched on the slick, polished cement as she rounded the curves headed up to the elevator and underground parking of the complex above.

The afternoon sun was glorious, beating down on the brunette as she drove casually through the streets, hand beating a tune against the top of the door her arm ran along.

As she drove through neighborhoods and through downtown, Britt watched the interplay of passersby, a mother and young son fighting on a street corner, two lovers walking down the sidewalk holding hands and smiling like for all the world, they had no troubles.  Houses with immaculate lawns and flowerbeds; houses with a half rust-eaten car parked near the front porch.  A woman standing in her front yard, a hose in one hand, phone in the other, laughing at whomever was on the other end of the line.

Not surprisingly, she eventually found her way to a squat, four-story apartment complex with a few shutters looking like they needed repairs, and a small front porch, held up on four steps from a cement pathway.

Pulling the car to a stop at the curb opposite the building, Britt lowered her sunglasses.  She took in the quiet serenity of the building, knowing one of its occupants all too well.  The small car wasn’t anywhere in sight.  Britt couldn’t help but wonder if Madelline was in class.  With a heavy sigh of discontent, she got the car turned around, and headed home.

^^^

Madelline tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, sighing heavily as she stared at the screen of her computer.  Leaning her cheek on her fist, she fingered her mouse, watching in mild amusement as the flaming curser wore a fiery trail across the screen.

“You do realize your paper won’t write itself, right?” Tina asked from the couch, where she was watching her beloved Amazing Race.  Ignoring her friend, Madelline turned in her chair, watching a few minutes of the reality show.

“How can you saturate your brain with that crap?” 

“What?  It’s entertaining.”

“What a sad commentary on our times.”  Madelline turned back to her computer, still no more inspired than she was two seconds ago.  Giving up, she shut her computer down, walked to the kitchen.  “Want something?” she asked, scoping out the contents of the fridge.

“Yeah.  Bring me a BJ, will ya?” Tina called from the couch, followed by a giggle at some ridiculous commercial.

Walking to the living room with a water for herself, and wine cooler for her friend, the blonde plopped down on the love seat.  “So how does this work, anyway?” she asked, indicating the reality show that was back on. 

About to explain the rules, Tina stopped, glancing over her shoulder at the knock on the door.  Climbing over the back of the couch, the dark woman unlocked the door, opening it to a grinning brunette.

“Hi.” Tina smiled.  “Come on in.  Maddie, it’s your friend from school.”

Almost falling off the couch in her haste to scramble to her feet, the blonde grumbled down at the water she’d spilled on her shirt.  Looking up into amused blue eyes, she smiled.

“Hey, Ripley.  What are you doing here?”

“Was in the neighborhood, and wondered if you wanted to grab a bite to eat.”  The brunette shrugged at the casualness of her invite.

“Oh.  Okay.  Sure.”  Snapping out of her reverie, Madelline set her bottle of water on the table next to the door.  Grabbing her keys and wallet, she said a quick goodbye to her friend, then left with the brunette. 

“What?” Ripley asked, noting that the blonde had been staring at her the entire walk down the hall toward the front door of the building.

“Why were you in the neighborhood?” the blonde asked, unsure, yet deeply excited to see the dark woman.  Blue eyes caught hers.  At the door to the complex, Ripley bent down, face within inches of Madelline’s.

“No, I was not stealing anything.”

Madelline said nothing, ignoring her very obvious meaning.  Instead, she led them outside, looking around for Ripley’s car.

“Over here.” 

The blonde was led to a gorgeous, polished-to-a-shine black Thunderbird.  The white rag top was down. 

“This is your car?” she asked, glancing up at the taller woman, who nodded proudly.  “Wow.  Where did you get this little gem?”

The brunette bristled at the implication behind the question.  “I didn’t steal it, Madelline,” she said, her voice slightly harsher than she’d intended, unable to hide the hurt.  “I built this car from the wheels up.”

Madelline was surprised to hear the hurt.  She turned toward the taller woman,  looking deeply into troubled blue eyes, she saw the truth. “I’m sorry, Ripley,” she said softly, bringing a hand up to cup the taller woman’s face. “It’s beautiful.”  She leaned up and placed a soft, healing kiss to pouting lips.

“Thanks,” Ripley said quietly, looking down at her hands that fidgeted with the keys.  Glancing up, she met beautiful, green eyes. “Call me Britt, Madelline.”

“Oh, so tonight it’s Britt?” the blonde asked with an amused smile.  She was glad to see the matching one.

“That’s my name.”

“Good to know.”  With a sly wink, Madelline walked around to the passenger side of the sleek car, letting herself in.  She looked over at her companion.  “Well, come on.  I’m hungry.”

^^^

“So was that to her Highness’ approval?” Britt asked, glancing over at her passenger.

Madelline snorted.  “Yes.  It was very much to my approval.  Thank you.”

“Better than Lee’s Chinese Restaurant?” the brunette smirked, getting rolled eyes in response.

“I never knew that little place was there.  I love Italian, especially homemade Italian.”  Madelline sat back in the black and white vinyl bucket seat, content, and with a happy, full stomach.

“Good to know,” Britt murmured.

The blonde looked over at the beautiful woman sitting next to her.  She hadn’t seen her in over a month, and was surprised at how much she’d missed her.  Her body, yes, but something else: her presence.  The thought surprised the student greatly.  She voiced another thought.

“So why does this feel like a date?”

Britt glanced over at her, meeting her gaze for a moment before turning back to the road.  “Do you want it to be?”

Madelline’s mouth opened, about to reject Britt’s question for an answer, but decided to be honest.  “Yeah.  I do.”

Britt felt her stomach roil for a moment, shocked at the nerves that suddenly began to gnaw at her.  She was filled with a huge smile that just had to burst forth on her lips.  Glancing again at the beautiful girl, she reached across the expanse of the small car, taking Madelline’s hand where it rested on the blonde’s thigh.  Their fingers automatically entwined.

“So tell me more.”

“What else is there to tell you?  I grew up in Austin, moved here when I was in sixth grade, when my dad got on as Sergeant with the department.”  Madelline grew quiet for a moment, enjoying the night as she walked hand in hand with Britt through the dark grounds of the park.  She loved the feel of the larger hand in hers, soft, yet calloused, much like its owner, she suspected.

“Why history?”  Britt asked, glancing over at the blonde, watching with fascination as the slight breeze picked up a few strands of blonde hair.

“I don’t know,” Madelline answered, her voice soft and wistful.  The softest smile brushed her lips. “I’ve always loved it, since I was a small child.”  She chuckled quietly at a memory. “When I was a kid I used to dig up rocks, bottle caps, old, buried and squashed beer cans.  I’d pretend they were ancient artifacts, you know, some old Roman bowl or something.”  She smiled over at the brunette, who nodded understanding. “It just comes natural to me, and I have a really good memory, too, so that helps.  Can remember dates, facts, and stuff.  My mom used to call me the Steel Trap, and tell me that with my memory, I’d either grow up to be an actress, memorizing all my lines, or a politician, so I could remember all my lies.”

Britt threw her head back and laughed long and hard at that.  “That’s great!” she howled, her companion laughing right along with her, but mainly at Britt’s reaction rather than the old words.

“You’re great.”

Britt sobered quickly, looking at the blonde.  She shook her head slowly.  “No, I’m not, Madelline.  Not even close.”

The blonde stopped walking, halting the thief with a tug of their joined hands.  “Tell me about you,” she said. “How did you get into this?”

Britt looked down, suddenly ashamed at her vocation.  “It’s a long story-“

“Tell me.”

Sighing, Britt nodded, leading them over to a set of swings.  Dropping the blonde’s hand with a kiss to the knuckles, she sat on the thin, rubber seat, trying to get comfortable.  Her hips were a lot wider than they’d been as a kid playing in the park.

“I grew up in a tiny town outside Shreveport.  Daddy owned a garage out there.”  She pushed herself lightly, the swing breezing back and forth.  Madelline did the same, hugging the chain to her as she looked at the brunette.  “I used to help him out there all the time.  Man, we did some fine work.”  She smiled at the memory.  “He taught me everything he knew, and I taught him everything I picked up along the way.  We started building cars, then selling them.  Turned a nice, tidy profit, too.”

Madelline saw the sadness enter the beautiful eyes, the slump of strong shoulders. “What happened?”

“Dad died.  Too many years of hard drinking and smoking.  Mamma and I had no idea he was up to his eyeballs in gambling debts.  I tried to run the garage for awhile, but,” she shrugged.  “One night they decided to collect in a big way.  They bombed the garage, and everything in it.  All my tools, money, building, all of it.  Lost it all.”  She sighed heavily, looking up into the star-filled night.

“The police didn’t do anything?”

“No, baby, they didn’t.  See, down there, gambling is huge.  The cops know when to stay out of private business.”

Madelline nodded, knowing it all too well.

“So,” the brunette continued, “I met up with some good ol’ boys, found I had a talent or two, and there you have it.”

“And your mother?”

Britt shook her head. “I haven’t seen her in about six years.  She’d be ashamed of who I’ve become.”

Madelline had to listen hard to hear the last words, whispered on the breeze.  The brunette’s face was captured with a gentle hand.  Blue eyes looked into green, just before Madelline closed her eyes, pulling Britt in for a kiss.

The brunette sighed into it, bringing her own hand up to run through soft, golden hair.  Feeling her body come alive, she pulled slightly away.  “I want you baby,” she breathed.

“Take me, Britt.  I’m yours.”

The grass was cool and soft, the body atop hers warm and softer.  Madelline buried her fingers in thick hair as Britt’s mouth latched onto her neck, leaving a trail of hot, wet kisses, making her body burn.

A restless hand had managed to worm its way up under her t-shirt, cupping a breast.  Green eyes closed at the pure bliss of it all.  She reached up, peeling Britt’s thin leather jacket from her shoulders, the brunette helping until the jacket slid down her arms.  She came back to Madelline’s body, finding the blonde’s mouth.  The kiss was hungry, filled with need.

She had stayed away, hoping that as time passed, her desire for the blonde would, too.  Not to be.  It had only grown stronger, until she had been consumed with a burning need to see Madelline, talk to her, touch her, make love to her.

The warm breeze kissed naked skin as Madelline rolled them over, breaking the kiss long enough to look down at the stunning woman beneath her.  She twirled a lock of dark hair around her fingers.

“You truly are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, Britt.  By far the most beautiful I’ve ever been with.”  She marveled at the look on the brunette’s face at her words- awe and surprise.  She leaned down, her lips a breath away from Britt’s.  “I love being with you.  I love the way you feel against me, the way you touch me.”  She gasped as she felt a hand snake its way between her legs.  Madelline spread her thighs, allowing searching fingers to enter her.  Her voice was shaky as she continued. “You do things to me that no one has ever done.  God, you make me burn,” she gasped, eyes closing as she tucked in her lower lip. 

Britt set an easy, smooth pace inside the blonde, looking up into the beautiful face, so filled with rapturous pleasure.  She reached up with her other hand, touching Madelline’s face, tracing her features, running a thumb over soft brows.

“God, you feel good inside me,” Madelline blew out, her hips moving with Britt’s hand, gasping slightly as the brunette began to run her fingers across her clit with every out motion.

“I love to watch you,” Britt admitted, her words breathy and excited.  “You are so beautiful, baby.  So beautiful.”

“Oh, Britt,” Madelline gasped again, her head falling, forehead resting against the brunette’s shoulder as the pleasure began to take over.

“I’m here, baby.  I want you to come for me, baby.  Yeah,” she breathed as she felt Madelline’s pace increase, her body moving against her hand, the blonde impaling herself on long fingers.

Madelline raised herself to her hands, rocking against Britt, her release rising like a wave, crashing down over her entire being, leaving her weak and drenched.

Britt wrapped the smaller body in her arms, tucking a golden head under her chin.  Madelline trembled for several moments as she tried to get her body back under control, calming with the soothing caresses over her back.

“You are so incredible,” she finally whispered, taking Britt in a long, passionate kiss, leaving the brunette breathless.  “I want to taste you,” she said, her voice deep with hunger.

Madelline made quick work of the brunette’s mouth, leaving her lips bruised and gasping.  A trail of fire was laid over Britt’s neck, a tongue dipped into the hollow of her throat before lips latched onto her painfully erect nipple.

“Oh, baby,” she breathed, arching her back to offer as much of herself as possible to a very hot mouth.

Madelline moved her body between Britt’s legs, feeling the scorching heat of the brunette’s sex against her stomach.  She pressed into her, making Britt gasp in pleasure as she tried to rub her clit against the firm flesh.  She licked a single line down Britt’s stomach, teasing the fluttering muscle beneath the skin.  The smell of the brunette’s passion met her nose, making her groan in approval.

Holding herself up on a forearm, the blonde took hold of one of her breasts, looking up at her lover with mischievous eyes as she ran the hard nipple over an even harder clit.  Britt’s head fell back to the grass, a cry escaping as her hips bucked.

“You like that, baby?” Madelline moaned as sensation raced through her breast, smack between her legs.  She ignored it, giving all her attention to the beauty beneath her.

“Oh, baby.  God, I want your mouth on me so bad,” Britt whimpered.

One final swipe of her nipple, and Madelline lowered herself down the rest of the way, snaking her tongue out to swirl in the copious wetness.  She eased long legs over her shoulders, getting comfortable against the tickling grass.

Britt reached down, finding soft, golden hair, running her fingers through it as Madelline feasted upon her desire.  A hand reached up, taking the brunette’s, entwining their fingers as Madelline hummed into her prize.

It didn’t take long before Britt felt her body curling in on itself before exploding in a cry that startled some sort of park-dwelling creature in a nearby tree.  Madelline grinned with satisfaction as she began to crawl up Britt’s body.  To her surprise, strong hands guided her to keep climbing.  She held onto the tree they lay under as she poised over a hungry mouth.

Madelline gasped, Britt’s tongue vicious and unyielding.  She was devoured as she tried to hold herself up on trembling knees and thighs.  Four swipes, five, the blonde cried out, her clit bursting with the intense, concentrated attention.

Spent, she maneuvered herself into Britt’s arms.  Head resting on a strong shoulder.  She traced lazy patterns on a flat stomach with gentle fingertips.

“How old are you, Britt?” she asked, eyes watching her finger’s progress.  She felt the brunette’s chuckle.

“How old do you think I am?”

Madelline raised her head. “Oh, come on.  Don’t play that game with me.”  She tickled the brunette, who squirmed before catching hold of the wandering hand.

“Okay, okay.  I’ll be twenty-seven this summer.”

“Oh!  Older woman.  Gemini, Cancer or Leo?” the blonde asked, raising her head to rest on a hand.

“Cancer.”

“Ohhh, nice to meet a fellow softy.”

Britt chuckled again.  “Summer baby, too, huh?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Dare I ask what year?”

“Oh, I see!  You want to know how old I am as well, eh?”  Madelline grinned, placing a soft kiss on the brunette’s lips.

“Turn about, my dear.”

“I’m twenty-two, thank you very much.”

“Hmm, young pup,” Britt purred.

“Oh, I’ll show you young pup.”  Madelline was pulled atop Britt’s body as the kiss deepened.  She was shocked to feel herself becoming wet again.  She couldn’t get enough of the brunette.

Movement caught green eyes.  Raising her head, Madelline saw a police cruiser with spot light trolling along the edge of the park.

“Shit.  We better go.”

Both giggling, they quickly dressed and hurried to the Thunderbird.

“Thanks for coming by,” Madelline whispered against soft lips.

“Any time.  Thanks for coming out with me.”

The blonde smiled. “Any time.”  A quick kiss, then she pulled away, reaching for her keys.  She clicked the tiny pen she kept on there, and grabbed Britt’s hand.  Kissing the number she’d just written and curling long fingers over it, she looked up at the beautiful woman.  “Call me.”  One more kiss, and she disappeared into her apartment.

Britt stood there, looking at her palm, grinning like a fool at the seven digits carefully scribed there.  There was a bit of pep in her step as she walked back to her car.

^^^

A week later…

Madelline smiled a greeting, flopping down on the couch, wincing slightly.

“You look exhausted,” Tina said, peeling her eyes away from the television.  The blonde sat slumped over, head lying on doubled up throw pillows.  “Study hard, did you?”

Green eyes opened to take in more than suspicious brown.  Madelline turned her head, staring up at the ceiling.

“Madelline?”  Tina grabbed the remote, muting the sound.  She had a feeling something was up.  “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.  Just tired.”  She sighed, bringing an arm up to cover her eyes.  Unable to look at her roommate and closest friend, Madelline began to speak. “Tina?  Have you ever been so drawn to something, and you can’t fight it no matter what you do.”

“You like Ripley, don’t you?”

Glancing over at the dark woman, Madelline sighed again, then sat up, staring at her friend.  “I’m going to tell you something, but I want you to keep your trap shut until I finish.  And you can’t be mad,” she added as an afterthought.

“Mad?  Why would I be mad?”

“BecauseRipleyandIarelovers,have beenforweeks,she’snotastudent,butsheisacarthief.”

“What?!”  Tina shot to the edge of the couch, leaning as far over her knees as she could before falling over onto her face.  “Wait, take a breath next time.  What the hell are you talking about?”

“Tina, I’m in trouble,” Madelline whispered. “Bad trouble.”

“Okay, honey, let’s take it one word at a time.”  She moved over to sit next to the blonde.  Looking her in the eyes, she waited.

“Remember, like a month or so ago when I got back from my study group, and we were all working on that project?”

“Yeah, you had food poisoning.”

“Exactly.  Well, uh,” Madelline looked down at her hands, which fidgeted nervously in her lap.  “More happened that night then bad Chinese.”  She waited for comment.  Not hearing any, she continued.  “I-“  Cutting herself off, she looked her friend in the eye, poking her in the chest with every word. “You tell my dad and I’ll kick your ass.”

“Madelline, you know I’m not going to tell your dad you’re gay-“

“Britt is a car thief.”

“I know how he’d…,” Tina trailed off, her brain catching up with the conversation.  “A what?”

“Shit.”  Running her hands through short locks, Madelline stood, again wincing as she began to walk around.  Maybe she should have let Britt go as slowly as the brunette planned.  “She stole my license plate while I was waiting for our order at Lee’s.  I thought it was some guy, and chased him down.  Turns out, it was Britt.”

“Who’s Britt?”

“Ripley.  Britt is her first name,” she explained absently, blowing out a breath, feeling antsy and guilt-ridden.  Turning to her friend, “Tina, she fucked me right there in the alley.”

“What!  Did she attack you!?”

“No.”  Madelline grinned.  “Not even close.”

“Were you scared?” Tina asked, tugging the blonde down back to the couch.

“Out of my mind,” Madelline admitted.  “But god, she was, is so gorgeous, Tina.  Something about her I just cannot resist.  Tina,” she whispered, “tonight I let her,” the blonde looked around, feeling raunchy and bad, almost looking to make sure they were alone, “I let her do me, well, up the, you know!”

Tina gasped, covering her mouth with her hand, eyes huge, brown circles.

“But here’s the thing,” the blonde said, brows drawn in thought.  “I love being with her in bed, yes, but I just,” she sighed, “I don’t know.  I really enjoy spending time with her.  We talk, you know?  Today she took me to this beautiful park, fountains, and all that.  We sat underneath a tree, me lying in her lap.  She asked me questions about school, about what I’m interested in.  I got to tell her all about the Battle of Agincourt!  She listened to every single, gory, blood-riddled word I said, and even asked questions.  She listens to me, Tina.  She wants to know about what interests me, you know?”

Tina looked into pleading green eyes, her hands captured in soft, pale ones.  “But,” Tina began, her voice soft, trying to understand. “she’s a car thief.”

“I know.”  Madelline dropped her head in her hands.  “God, I don’t know what to do.  This is so wrong.”

“What about your dad?  I mean, honey, he’s been a cop for like thirty years.”

“I know,” the blonde whispered.  When she raised her head, Tina could see her green eyes were swimming.  “You know,” she sniffled, “it hit me today, spending almost the entire day with her.  I really like this woman.  She just… just… fits.”

“She is really beautiful.  I was stunned when I first saw her that day.”  Tina ran her hand through the soft, blonde hair, feeling her friend’s pain.  “How did she become a car thief?”

“One bad thing after another, in her late teens, early twenties.  Just kind of happened.”  Madelline swiped at her eyes, sighing heavily.  She leaned into her friend.  “Oh, Tina.  What am I going to do?”

“Wow.  I just don’t know, Maddie.”

“I really should break it off.  I feel so guilty.”  What Madelline didn’t tell Tina was that she also suspected Britt was part of the ring her dad was fighting.

Tina truly had no idea what to say to her friend.  She could see a huge difference in the blonde, whom she’d known for more than five years, back in their high school days.  She hadn’t been able to exactly put her finger on the change, but now saw that Madelline was falling for this girl. 

“Kind of a catch twenty-two, isn’t it?” she asked, resting her cheek against the top of the blonde’s head as it rested on her shoulder.

“Isn’t that the truth.”  Madelline snorted. “That’s why I had that whole battery of tests run.”  She smiled up at her friend. “After that happened that first night, I was so terrified at what I’d done, I just freaked.  Had every test known to man run.”

Tina smiled, though it was sad at her friend’s predicament.

^^^

The water blasted dark strands from her face and forehead, eyes closing as her face lifted to let the hot water shower over her skin.  The heat eased tired and tense muscles from a particularly adventurous and physical afternoon with Madelline. 

Instantly a smile spread across full lips.  The blonde was the light in what was quickly becoming a dark life.  The heat wasn’t only on in the shower stall.  She’d gone to work yesterday afternoon to see two squad cars parked along the side of the building.  She never did see the cops they belonged to, but knew they were somewhere in the building.  Word was that they were getting close.  Captain Wilkes was making it his mission in life to close down the theft ring, and it looked like his hounds were finally finding the right trail.

Rubbing the water out of her eyes, Britt twisted the cold knob, letting the water become even hotter as she groaned, adjusting her shoulders under the spray.  She allowed her thoughts to shift back to her young lover, the smile returning full force.  So trusting.  So soft.  So beautiful.  So wonderfully alive and interesting.  The little blonde made Britt feel alive for the first time in a long time, if not her entire life.  She found herself thinking about Madelline, daydreaming, wondering what the student was doing.  She was absolutely captivated by her.

And yet.

Something inside Britt was gnawing at her, telling her something bad was just over the horizon.  Perhaps it was the heat at the shop, and knowing that the blonde’s father was involved.  Either way, something just didn’t sit right, and not for the first time, Britt was wondering if she should break things off with Madelline.  She knew deep down it was the right thing to do, but God help her, she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

“Damn!” she hissed, slamming her fist into the tiled wall.  She had no will power when it came to Madelline, and this was no different. 

Finishing with her shower, Britt wrapped her body in a soft, terry cloth robe.  Padding into the rest of the house, she flicked on the television and computer.  About to sit down , she noticed the yellow sticky note on the desk next to the keyboard, seven precious number transcribed onto it.

A voice inside her head screaming for her to not do it, slowly start backing away, Britt grabbed her cordless, quickly dialing.

Madelline blindly reached for her cell phone as she tried to finish the paragraph she was reading in her History of Christianity text.

“Hello?”

“Hey, gorgeous.”

A mile wide smile sprung to the blonde’s lips at the velvety voice.  She closed her text book with a slap of finality, then brushed it to the side.

“Hey, yourself.”  Rolling from her side to her back on her bed, she absently played with her shirt.

“Am I interrupting anything?”

“Never.  What’s up?”

“I missed you.”

“You did, huh?  Even though I spent the entire day with you, leaving you not even,” Madelline glanced at her alarm clock, “four hours ago.”

“Well, you know, I can always let you go-“

“No!”  Madelline grinned at the chuckle that earned her. “I didn’t say it was a bad thing, you know.”

“No, you sure didn’t.”  Britt leaned back in her desk chair, bouncing slightly on the spring-back.  “So what are you doing?”  She grinned at the simple talking to you.  “And so you’ve just been sitting there, since the moment I dropped you off, waiting to talk to me?”

“Wellll,” the blonde hedged, “not exactly.  I was doing some homework, actually.”

“Do you need to get back to it?”

“No.  Thank you, though.  I was just getting some reading out of the way that needs to be done by next week.”

“You good little student, you,” Britt purred.  The sound sent a shiver down Madelline’s spine.

“I do what I can.”

“And you do it so well.”

“That voodoo that you do?”

Britt chuckled.  “Something like that.”

“So what were you doing?”  The blonde snuck her hand up under her t-shirt, feeling the warmth of her palm against her stomach.

“Well, took a nice, long, hot shower, and just couldn’t get you out of my mind.  You know, I said I’d either talk to you, or see you tomorrow.”  Glancing at the clock at the bottom right hand corner of her computer screen, she noted the time. “It’s thirty-eight past, so it’s tomorrow.”

Madelline chuckled softly.  “So what are you saying there, beautiful?  You’re talking to me.”

“And that’s great and good and all…,” the brunette could feel her body already beginning to ignite just at the thought of Madelline.

“But?”

“But, it’s just not quite doing it for me.”

“You wanna see me, Britt?” the blonde asked, her voice lowering almost an entire octave, slicing right down to the brunette’s center. “Is that what you’re saying?”

“Yeah, baby, that’s what I’m saying.”

Madelline’s eyes fell closed, her breath hitching in her chest.  “Come over.”

“Are you sure?  I know you have class,” Britt said, already heading toward her bedroom to change into jeans and a t-shirt.

“No, come over, baby.  I miss you, too.”

“Give me ten minutes.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

Madelline clapped her phone closed, then sighed deeply.  She was already on fire, and knew full well that her panties would soon be drenched.  Why could she never say no to this woman? 

Rolling off her bed, she tucked all of her books back into her backpack, setting the heavy bag against the wall.  Looking in the mirror on her bedroom door, running fingers through messy hair, then checked her breath against her palm.  Making a quick run to the bathroom to brush and floss, she paced her room, listening for a knock at the front door, so she could hurry and catch it before Tine awoke.

Taking several deep breaths, she tried to figure out why she was so nervous and filled with anticipation.  Stopping, she listened.  Maybe she hadn’t heard that?  Her head snapping toward her window; she heard it again. 

Tap, tap, tap, tap

Bemused, she unlatched and shoved the window open.  A startled cry was cut off by a hand to her mouth as Britt hopped up from the shadows.

“You scared the shit out of me!” Madelline hissed, helping the grinning brunette to climb through the window.

“Didn’t want to wake your roommate, and figured I’d be a little bit of a bad girl.”

“Oh, like you’re not every second of your life?” the blonde said, hands on her hips as her heart began to finally slow, only to quicken for another reason.  Britt walked over to her, like a panther stalking her prey.

“You complaining?”

“No.”

“Hmm?” Britt purred, backing Madelline up against the wall, leaving the blonde with nowhere to go in the small room.  She pinned her to the wall with a hand on either side of her golden head.  “I really missed you.”

“I missed you, too,” Madelline whispered, tugging lightly on Britt’s jacket, pulling her closer until their bodies were a breath apart.

“Yeah?”

“Oh, yeah.”  The blonde smirked. “Though I must say it was hard to forget you, considering I’ve had a little hitch in my giddy up all evening.”

Britt tried to hide her grin, but wasn’t entirely successful.  “I didn’t hurt you, did I?” she murmured, leaning in to nuzzle the blonde’s neck.

“No,” Madelline breathed.  “Just not used to such exploration.  The new world, geographically speaking.”

“Mmm.  Call me Christopher Columbus.”

“You certainly made good use of your ship, that’s for sure.”  Madelline lifted her head, giving the brunette all the flesh she could possibly want.  Britt chuckled against the warm skin under her lips. 

“I enjoyed every moment of it, too.  Love being put into a tight spot.”

Madelline erupted in laughter, being joined by the brunette’s.  She smacked her lover playfully on the arm.  “Oh honey, that was bad.”

“Not what you said earlier,” Britt whispered, stealing the laughter from the blonde’s lungs as her breast was covered and squeezed.  Her eyes drifted closed, hand burying itself in thick hair. 

“Oh, Britt.”

“I’m here, baby.”  Her hand moved up under the blonde’s shirt, groaning deep in her throat when she found a bare breast.  “Do you have any idea how fucking sexy you are?” she whispered against parted lips.  She lifted the hem of Madelline’s t-shirt, gently tugging it over her head.  Looking at the bare breasts that haunted her dreams, she bent down, swiping at an erect nipple with her tongue.

“Oh, god,” Madelline whimpered, hugging Britt’s head to her chest. 

“You make me burn, baby,” Britt murmured, nuzzling the newly wet nipple with her cheek before taking it between her teeth.  Though her body was filled with an urgent physical need, she began to be washed with the need to truly make love to Madelline, to show her through her actions just what the little blonde was beginning to mean to her.

Leaving the small, firm breast with a pop of the nipple from her mouth, Britt took Madelline’s hand, looking her in the eye as she led her over to the bed.  Standing beside it, she turned Madelline to face her.  She ran her hands over the blonde’s shoulders, down her arms, until smaller hands were tucked into her own.  Bringing both hands up, she pressed them to her lips, then, eyes tightly closed, nuzzled her cheek against them.  When she looked at Madelline again, she saw the softest, most beautiful look on the already beautiful blonde’s face.

Madelline could feel her heart beating loudly in her ears.  One of her hands opened, cupping Britt’s cheek.  When blue eyes met her own, she felt a surge of warmth flow straight to her heart.  Stunned by the intense emotional wave, she took a deep breath, trying to shut her mind and heart off, both sending messages she wasn’t ready to hear. 

Closing her eyes, unable to take the intensity in Britt’s any longer, she stepped into the brunette’s personal space, finding herself enveloped in a warm, safe embrace.  Her rigid nipples brushed against Britt’s shirt, making her shiver.

Gently pushing the woman from her, Britt bent down, lightly flicking a full bottom lip with her tongue, moaning in appreciation as the blonde’s lips opened.  Just using lips, she caressed Madelline’s, trailing the softness of her bottom lip over the blonde’s, teasing her by tucking it between before pulling away, caressing Madelline’s again.

“God, you are so good at that,” Madelline whimpered, her appreciation flooding out between her thighs, slicking the insides.  She sighed heavily as those incredibly talented lips moved to her neck again, equally talented fingers tugging lightly on the drawstring of her flannel pants.  Warm hands slid underneath the waistband.  Britt sighed in pleasure when she found no sign of undergarments.  A whimper of her own escaped when she felt the inferno inside the blonde’s pants.

“You’re wet for me,” she whispered unnecessarily.  The red and black checkered pants slid down strong, smooth legs, falling to a puddle at socked feet.  Standing nearly naked before burning blue eyes, Madelline felt deliciously exposed, her flesh devoured by Britt’s stare.  “Undress me, baby.”

Kicking her flannel pants aside, Madelline bridged the distance between them.  Madelline ran her hands up over Britt’s stomach, over hard-tipped breasts, then slid under the shoulders of the brunette’s leather jacket.  Her hands slid the distance down strong arms until the jacket finally plopped to the floor.  The blonde bent down, a trail of kisses following the exposed skin of Britt’s stomach as her shirt was lifted.  Full breasts, filling satiny cups, were exposed next, nipples making their mark clearly in the burgundy material.  Britt sighed, head falling back as one of her nipples was engulfed in hot wetness, the satin immediately forming around the shape of the rigidity.

Deft fingers made their way around a strong, smooth back, unclasping the three little hooks with efficient expertise.  Shivering slightly, Britt watched as the garment slid down her arms, her newly bared breasts kissed by the cool, night air.  Madelline used the interruption to remove the brunette’s shirt, dark hair shaken free of the cotton confines.  Her lips were instantly captured as warm, naked breasts were pressed against her own.

Hands slipped between their bodies, tugging one button free at a time, the button-flies opening.  As the kiss deepened, Madelline pushed the jeans down, delighting as her fingers caressed a bare, firm ass, the slight string of the g-string brushing her fingers.

“The most beautiful thing in the world,” she murmured, falling to her knees, working on the laces of Britt’s shoes.  “Step out, baby.”  Both shoes gone, Madelline made short work of the brunette’s socks.  Hands gliding up long legs, she placed a soft kiss on both thighs before sliding the jeans further down, a large hand on the blonde’s shoulders, balancing as Britt stepped out of her pants, which Madelline tossed aside, followed by the red g-string. 

Resting her forehead against a strong thigh, the blonde sighed, eyes closed as her hot breath sent chills up the brunette’s body before it headed straight back south.  A long, wet tongue snaked out, running a line up Britt’s thigh, fluttering over her hip bone before trailing over to play in the brunette’s belly button.  She lingered there for a moment before leaving a small kiss there, and beginning anew, headed south.

Britt’s eyes fell closed, her head back as she reached down, burying her hands in spun gold.

“Oh, baby,” she breathed as she widened her stance, one hand shooting out to the bed for balance as Madelline swiped through her wetness with her tongue.  The blonde took her time, exploring every single crevice, bump and entrance. 

Britt’s hips began to thrust with every lick, her breathing gaining speed as her pleasure began to flow through her in a violent wave.  Within moments she erupted, voice hoarse as she cried out, grabbing a handful of blonde hair.

Purring in satisfaction, Madelline gave Britt’s clit one last lick, grinning at the shiver that little maneuver created, then rose to her feet.

Britt wasn’t sure where she’d lost control of this seduction, but she certainly had.  She glanced over at the blonde when her hand was taken, and she was tugged toward the side of the bed.  Blue eyes watched as Madelline laid herself down, eyes never leaving the brunette.

“Come here, baby,” the blonde whispered, reaching for Britt.  “Make love to me.”

Britt may have ended up the seduced, but she was glad she’d had her release; now she could give all her attention to Madelline’s sweet, gorgeous body.  She could have sworn she heard a purr as she crawled onto the blonde’s body.  Was it her own?

Starting at a flat stomach, she began to leave a trail of little kisses, some wet, some not, working their way up until she nuzzled the underside of a perfect breast with her nose, swiping an intensely hard nipple with a feather-light touch of her tongue.   She felt soft ands beginning to entangle in her hair.  Bringing her head up, she took those hands in her own.  Gently bringing them up until fingers were latched around the bars of Madelline’s brass headboard, she grinned, placing a soft kiss on full lips before returning to the breast she’d left.

Madelline’s eyes fell closed, her fingers wrapped tightly around the cool metal.  She arched her back, offering more of her breasts to an exploring mouth.  It was hard not to touch Britt, but she did her best to behave.  Her breath caught as her nipple was taken between sharp teeth, tugged just a tad shy of aggressively.

Britt purred against the skin she nuzzled, working her way over to the other breast, a hand coming up to cup the one she’d just had in her mouth.  She could feel Madelline’s hips moving, the blonde’s scent filling her nose as she inhaled deeply.  Pushing herself up to her knees, straddling Madelline’s hips, she looked down at the blonde’s body.  Starting up at slim wrists, she ran her hands down the length of the girl’s arms, the softness of her skin wonderful.  Britt smiled at the chuckle and squirm she received as she ran the backs of her nails over the blonde’s armpits.

Leaning down, the brunette began to follow the path her hands were taking with her tongue.  Madelline sighed in pleasure, feeling every nerve ending in her body tingle.  She lifted her head as soft fingers brushed along her throat, followed by soft lips and nipping teeth.

“Oh, Britt,” she whispered, a shiver rushing through her body as long, dark hair was brushed across her breasts.

“Yes, darlin’,” the brunette murmured against her ribs, a hand drifting down the blonde’s thigh, tickling behind a sensitive knee with her fingernails.

Madelline’s breath hitched as that hot tongue neared her sex, leaving her whimpering as it bypassed where she needed it most.  The whimper quickly turned to a moan as her legs were bathed in sensation and attention.  She giggled as the big toe on her right foot was enveloped in warmth.  She squirmed even more at the vibration of Britt’s chuckle.

“Turn over, baby,” the brunette murmured, watching as her request was obeyed.  “Yeah,” she breathed in pleasure, her eyes taking in the sea of flesh and firm muscle before her.  Running her hands up over shapely calves and thighs, she straddled her way up Madelline’s legs until she sat just behind the blonde’s firm ass.

Madelline adjusted her hips slightly as she felt the wetness trickling to the sheets beneath her.  She groaned deep in her throat as rigid nipples were scraped up her back, hot breath in her ear.  She raised her ass when she felt Britt’s wetness settle on it, whimpering quietly as the brunette made a few passes with her clit over the rounded flesh.

“You are so soft,” Britt whispered, raising herself on her hands, feeling Madelline’s hips moving beneath her own.  “So beautiful, and so fucking sexy.  I could spend an eternity making love to you.”

Madelline whimpered at the hot, breathy words, her clit pulsing in time with her rapid heartbeat.  Her arousal was becoming painful.

“I’m so ready for you,” she whispered, turning her head when she felt a hot tongue brush her ear.  “God, I’m hard.”

“Mmmmmm, good.”  Britt ignored the whimper of discontent from the blonde as she sat up, running her hands down over Madelline’s back.  “I want you to get up on your knees, baby.” 

As the blonde did as she was told, Britt pushed pressed her hips to the blonde’s beautiful ass, making them both groan at the contact.  Keeping one hand on Madelline’s hip, she reached down with the other, between their bodies.  She could not believe how wet Madelline was, the brunette’s fingers immediately covered.  She settled herself against Madelline’s ass as she entered the blonde with her fingers.

Madelline moaned as she was stroked, then entered, pushing back against her lover.  She could feel Britt’s wetness against her ass cheek, the brunette’s hips moving in time with her fingers.

Madelline began to pant in time with the thrusts, her body moving with Britt’s.  She was so turned on from Britt’s hands and mouth on her, she knew it wasn’t going to take long.  Her eyes squeezed shut as she pushed back further onto long fingers, her breaths coming faster and higher in pitch with each exhale.

Britt knew the blonde was getting close.  She wasn’t far off herself, but tonight it was about Madelline.  The blonde yelped as she suddenly found herself flipped over onto her back, her clit sucked hard into a hot mouth.

“Oh, god, Britt, oh fuck!”  She pushed the brunette’s head down hard between her legs, her entire body convulsing and jerking as Britt’s tongue flickered over her clit, unmerciful.  Her cry of release was smothered by Britt’s mouth, who was between her legs quicker than a shot, kissing the blonde deeply as she brought their clits together, her rhythm pounding another climax out of the blonde, both coming fast and hard.

Madelline felt dizzy and lightheaded as she began to come back to earth.  Britt’s warm body held her tight, the brunette rolling over to her back, pulling the blonde with her. 

Britt could think of not one thing to say as she held Madelline against her, basking in the warmth and safety of the blonde’s arms.  Madelline couldn’t keep the smile off her face, her body still tingling and pulsing.  At length she began to speak.

“If you didn’t do what you do, what would be the perfect job?”  She kissed the brunette’s shoulder as she settled in.

“Hmm.  It’s funny you ask that.  I’ve been thinking about that a lot, lately.”

“Really?” Madelline raised her head, resting her head in her hand as she looked down into sad eyes.

“Yeah.”  Britt sighed, pushing her wistful thoughts away. “I would open up my own garage, or go back to building cars, selling them.”

“Why don’t you?” the blonde asked, leaning down to lay a gentle kiss on Britt’s cheek.  The brunette smiled at the sweet touch.

“It’s not that easy, baby.  Things are far more convoluted than you know.”  She reached a hand up, taking soft strands between her fingers.

“So educate me.”

Britt looked into smiling eyes, though she did not smile back. “I can’t, baby.  I’m sorry, but I just can’t.  With things being the way they are, the less you know, the better.”

“I hate this, Britt.  I hate only knowing part of you.  I hate the fact that I can’t see where you live, or drop by your job to take you to lunch.  I hate the fact that I have to lie about you, hide you.”

“I hate it, too,” Britt whispered.  “Do you have any idea how many times I’ve tried to talk myself into breaking it off with you?”  She smiled ruefully, shaking her head. “The more I think about it, the less I can do it.”

“I think the same things.  I just don’t know what to do.  There’s this part of me, the part that was raised with the morals of a lawman, that has such a hard time swallowing what you do.”  She looked truly troubled as the next words left her mouth.  “How can I have respect for woman you are, the person who has become my friend, and who is an amazing lover, yet dislike that other part of you so badly?”

Britt looked up into her eyes, a knife stabbing right through her heart, though she knew Madelline hadn’t meant it that way.  She was left with a swollen tongue, words blocked within her heart.  Closing her eyes as she swallowed hard, Britt sighed.

“Baby, I don’t want to be your dirty little secret.”  She held up a hand to silence the protests from Madelline’s suddenly animated body.  Pulling the blonde to her once again, she continued.  “I understand why you feel the way you do.  I don’t want you to be pitted against your father, or what you feel is right or wrong.  It’s not fair, and it’s not right, and eventually you’d hate me for it.  And the thought of that, well.  I’d rather lose you than you hate me.”

Madelline could only look at the brunette, knowing full well that Britt was right.  With a resigned sigh, she nodded, laying her head back down on a strong shoulder.

“Can we at least have tonight?” 

“Please?”

“Yes.  Stay with me tonight, Britt.  I want to always remember this.”

“Yes,” Britt whispered, pulling the blonde in for a deep, desperate kiss.

The night was spent making love, until the sun began to come up.  Whispered words of wishes and wistfulness adding an emotion to their lovemaking that hadn’t been there before.

Britt was shocked at how profoundly sad she was as she held Madelline, the blonde’s back to her front.  She suspected the blonde had finally drifted off, but she could not. 

She had been in the car theft business for more than six years, and not once during that time had she been truly ashamed.  Until now.  Now, as she held whom she suspected could quickly become the center of her world, she wished she could turn back the clock.  Maybe she could have met Madelline in that Chinese restaurant.  A soft smile spread across her lips as she pictured them both in the tiny dive, waiting for their orders to come up.  Maybe some small talk to pass the time, an exchange of names, and circumstances of why they were there.

“Man, I hate waiting,” Britt said, arms crossed over her chest.

“Me, too.  Not a fan of Chinese food, either,” the cute blonde said, sounding more than irritated.

“No?  Mind if I ask why you’re here, then?” the brunette was amused and curious.  The blonde, who she was told was named Madelline, smiled.

“I’m working on a project for class with a few others, and they were hungry.  Lucky me got to grab their grub.”

“Oh.  That does suck.”

After a moment, the blonde glanced at her. “What about you?  Late dinner?”

“Yeah.  Basically.  I own a garage over on Middleton, and have been working on the restoration of a Model T all day.  Taking a break.”  She raised her grease-stained hands.

“I certainly hope you plan to wash those before you eat,” the blonde laughed, Britt chuckling as she wiggled the grubby fingers.

“I don’t know.  Might add a little protein to my sweet and sour pork.”  She was enchanted by the sweetest laugh she’d ever heard.  Britt was sorry when the blonde’s name was called, her order complete.

“Well, it was nice talking to you,” Madelline said, holding the large, paper sack in her arms.

“Yeah.  You, too.  Hey!”  Britt reached into her pocket, taking her wallet out.  She dug around until she found a card.  “Here.  You know,” she shrugged, “in case you ever need anything.  Your car worked on, whatever.”

Madelline took the card, smiling at the greasy fingerprint on the corner. “Thank you.”  She looked up, meeting blue eyes.  Giving the brunette the most charming smile she could, she nodded. “I will definitely do that.”

BAM, BAM, BAM, BAM!

“Madelline!  Wake up!”

The blonde gasped as her eyes sprang open, heart pounding from being awoken so violently. 

“Maddie!  Your parents are on their way over!”

“Oh shit!”  Reality managing to enter into her sleep-deprived brain, she rubbed her eyes.

“You’d better get Britt out of here.”

She blushed deeply as her roommate walked away.  “Crap,” she whimpered, realizing that Tina must have heard them.  Then again, how could she not.  Turning to look at the beauty in her bed, she saw that Britt was still sleeping soundly. “Baby?  Wake up.  Come on, Britt.  Wake up.”

“Hmm,” the brunette groaned.  “Good dream.”  She turned over onto her side.

“No, Britt.  Wake up.  My dad’s on his way over here.”

“What?!”  Eyes opening wide, Britt shot up like a rocket.

“Come on.  We need to get you out of here.”  Already out of bed, Madelline began to dress, tossing Britt’s clothing to the bed for easy access. 

Still trying to shake off sleep’s seductive call, the brunette made herself push the blankets off her naked body, tugging on her clothes.  Madelline tugged a brush through her hair, wincing as a few knots were tugged a little too hard.

“Okay.  I’m ready.”  Britt hurried over to the blonde.  Madelline looked up at her, eyes filled with sorrow and unshed emotion.  “Shh, baby,” Britt whispered, taking her into her arms. “Everything will be okay.”  She felt Madelline nod, but figured it was simply the blonde being brave, and certainly not believed.  Britt didn’t believe a word of it, either.  Placing a soft kiss on full lips, the brunette brought a hand up, fingertips brushing the blonde’s cheek.  Her eyes scoured the beautiful face, trying to freeze the image in her brain, like a photograph she could pull out and look at anytime she needed Madelline.

“You better go.”

“Yeah.”

Taking the brunette’s hand, Madelline led her out of her bedroom, heading toward the front door.  They froze as a knock sounded, just feet away.

“Oh, shit,” Tina muttered from the kitchen.  Three pairs of eyes met each other. 

“Your window?” Britt offered.

The knocking grew louder.

“Fuck,” Madelline hissed.  “My dad will notice.”  She looked at the brunette, eyes desperate.  “Study buddy?”

Britt swallowed, but nodded.  “Study buddy.”

“Okay.”  Madelline blew out a breath, running her hands through her hair. “I can do this.”  Walking over to the door, she unlocked and unchained it, pulling it open with a big smile. “Mom!  Dad!  How are you?”

“Hi, honey,” Jenny Wilkes exclaimed, taking her daughter in a hug. 

Britt watched the scene unfold, trying to stay as calm, and look as casual as possible as John Wilkes stepped into the small apartment.  He glanced at her, nodding acknowledgement before turning to his daughter.  Introductions were made, and Madelline’s parents were seated on the couch.

“Well, honey, we were going to take you to breakfast.”  Jenny said, looking from the blonde to the brunette, then back to her daughter. “Since you girls have so much work to do for school, why don’t you come with us, Ripley?”

“Oh, mom, I don’t know,” Madelline hedged, feeling her insides about to turn inside out.

“Come on.  I know you don’t eat well, and no doubt you don’t either, honey,” the older blonde said to the thief.  “I know how hard your students work.  Come on.”  She patted her husband’s knee as she stood.

Madelline looked to a slightly frightened looking Britt.  Their silent conversation resulted in the brunette joining the Wilkes’ family for breakfast.

Britt picked at her food, unable to offer any commentary on the conversation Madelline was having with her mother, various family members and gossip.  She did, however, feel eyes on her.  Glancing up, she gave Capt. Wilkes a small smile, the man’s eyes never leaving her.

“So,” he said, tossing a piece of cut sausage into his mouth, chewing quickly, “what are you studying, Ripley?”

“Dad,” Madelline warned. “She doesn’t need to be interrogated.”

John Wilkes grinned at his daughter, knowing he had a tendency of doing just that. “What?  I’m asking her a simple question.”  He looked at the brunette expectantly.  Her brain turning, Britt tried to think of a good answer that wouldn’t get either of them in trouble.

“Well, uh, to be honest Mr. Wilkes, I’m not sure.  I just decided to go back to school recently.”  She smiled winningly, praying that neither of the elder Wilkes’ would realize that any classes she would be having with Madelline would be upper level classes.

“Ah.  Well good for you.”  John smiled.  “It’s never too late.”

Relieved, Britt smiled back.

“I feel like such an asshole,” she muttered later, standing outside by her car with Madelline.

“Why?”

“Because I just had breakfast with Captain John Wilkes.”  She snorted ruefully. “The crazy thing is I really liked the guy.”

“Yeah,” the blonde said softly, sadness overtaking her, the reality of just how grave their situation was coming back to her.  She was able to forget about it if just for a little while.  She sighed.  “I need to get to class, Brit.”

“I understand.”  Turning to the blonde, she gathered her in her arms, holding her close.  Eyes squeezing tightly shut, Britt pulled away just enough to kiss Madelline’s forehead.  “Have a good day in school.”

“Thanks,” the blonde whispered, her eyes focused on Britt’s t-shirt.  She felt a heavy sadness weighing on her, like the weight of the world.  Certainly the weight of her shattering world. 

Britt found herself looking into watery green eyes.  Her heart broke.  Resting her forehead against the blonde’s, she took a deep breath.  “Everything will work out, baby,” she whispered, her own voice thick.

“Yeah.”  Giving the brunette a soft kiss on the lips, the blonde hurried back toward her apartment.  It was entirely too painful to be around Britt any longer.  Her heart broke into a million pieces when she heard the engine of the Thunderbird roar to life.

^^^

“I want out!” Britt hissed, slamming her hand against Carl’s desk.  The pudgy little man looked up at her with surprised eyes.  “Let me out Carl, I mean it.”

“Whoa.  Wait a minute.  What the fuck happened to you?”  The little man shot up in his chair,

“It doesn’t matter.  Look, I don’t want anything.  I don’t want any money, don’t want any of the cars, nothing.  I just want out.  My mouth stays shut, I don’t give a shit what you guys do.  Just do it without me.”  She walked over to her desk, yanking one drawer open after another, beginning to pile folders and files on her chair, ready to send them to the shredder in the corner of the room.  A calloused, hairy hand on her arm stopped her.

“Wait, Britt.  What’s going on?  Is there something I should know about?”  Carl’s voice was laced with fear.  The brunette shook her head, running a hand through her hair and standing to face him.

“No.  Nothing to do with the cops or anything.  It’s personal.”

“What?”

“Let’s just say I met a better thief than me.”

Carl sighed, standing in front of the bank of monitors. “Alright, Britt.  You do one more job for me, and you’re out, clean and clear.”

Blue eyes closed, Britt sighing.  She knew he’d pull something like this.  She also knew not to cross Carl.  “Fine.  What do you need?”

^^^

“Fuck,” Britt whispered, eyes scanning the neighborhood as her fingers worked frantically under the dash of the Mercedes SLK.  The little sporty car’s alarm was blazing.  There were no lights on yet, including the house in which the car was parked in front of.  Turning back to her task, Britt chewed on her bottom lip as she reached further under the dash, grunting slightly as she used her all-in-one tool, snipping the wire with a little snap. 

“For fuck’s sake, Britt!” Corey hissed, hurrying to the driver’s door from the back of the car, where he’d already changed out the license plate.  “What’s taking so long?”

“I got it, I got it,” the brunette whispered, the alarm falling silent.  The night seemed almost deafeningly quiet.  She breathed a sigh of relief, then turned to the steering column.   About to crack it open, she stopped at the shrill sound, and Corey’s hissed curse.

“Come on, Britt!”

The brunette jumped out of the car, tugging her mask into place.  She saw the dark figure of Corey headed toward their car that was parked a mile down the road, and quickly followed.  They both stopped, the abruptness making Britt’s ankle scream out in protest.  A squad car screeched to a halt at the end of the block, completely blocking their exit.  A search beam was illuminated, and the night was suddenly turned to day.

Turning to her left, she and Corey slipped off into the darkness.  Britt was breathing hard, her heart in her chest as she jumped a fence, finding herself in a backyard.

“Fuck.”  Looking around for an exit, the back porch light flickered on, a figure yelling from the door.  “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”  Using long legs to her advantage, Britt jumped the person’s back fence, coming into a field.  She ran on, shocked to see Corey not fifty yards ahead of her, a darker spot in a dark night.  She ran away from him, knowing it would be harder for the cops to catch two rather than one.

Her heart hitched when she heard sirens to her right, where Corey was.  A spot light began to sweep the field, black figures running against the light, yelling out for them to stop.

Breathing heavy, Britt found a thick tree, pinning herself against it.  The concentration was on Corey.

“Freeze!” she heard a man yell, and knew instantly that it was Captain John Wilkes.  Sneaking a peek from behind her hiding place, she watched.  Corey stopped, but to her horror, drew his gun.  A yelling match between the thief and police ensued, one side screaming for him to drop his weapon, Corey screaming for them to back off.

“What are you doing, Corey?” Britt hissed.  She could tell the young man was getting more rattled, more desperate.  His body was trembling, head moving around, frantically looking for a way out.

“I said freeze!” Wilkes cried.

Everything slowed, the night growing heavy.  Blue eyes widened as she watched Corey raise his piece, in what seemed a crawl.  The barrel was pointed at Captain Wilkes. 

“No!” she cried, slipping out from behind her hiding place, raising her own Glock .45.  She aimed low, a blast ripping through Corey’s leg.  He cried out, gun punching a hole through the night, harmlessly out into the field before it was thrown from his hand by arresting officers. 

“Step out with your hands behind your head!  Now!” Officers yelled, guns now pointed at Britt’s tree.  Eyes squeezing shut, the brunette knew she had no choice.  First she tossed her gun out from behind the tree, then stepped out herself, fingers laced behind her head, falling to her knees, submitting to whatever fate she was destined for.

Time stood still as officers ran over to her, their voices and words mere echoes in her head as Britt watched Captain John Wilkes slowly walking toward her.  It took mere seconds for recognition to enter his eyes, once her mask was pulled free.

“You have the right to remain silent…”

He got closer, eyes still blazing from the excitement of the chase.

“… Anything you say can and will be used against you…”

Breathing hard, the captain stood just in front of her, Britt having to look up at him.

“… one will be appointed to you…”

The captain shook his head, sadness filling brown eyes.

“Do you understand these rights as they’ve been read to you?”

“Yes.”

Pulled to her feet, Britt kept eye contact with the stocky man, her eyes following him as she was led past.  Finally she turned away, head held high as she was led to one of the many squad cars that lit the night, squawking radio voices ripping the peace to shreds.  Glancing to her left, she saw two paramedics working on Corey, loading him onto a stretcher, and toward the waiting Ambulance.

It was only as Britt was tucked into the back of the cruiser, the door slamming shut with finality, that her head hung.

^^^

Tap, tap, tap.

“Yeah?” Madelline said absently, turning through the text spread out between her legs on the bed.  She stuck her pen between her teeth as she flipped through the pages, looking for the number of casualties in the Battle of Acre.  She glanced up when her bedroom door was opened, and a very shaken Tina stepped inside.  “Hey, you okay?”

“You need to come here, Maddie.”  Without another word of explanation, the dark girl walked back into the living room.  Tossing her pen back to the bed, the brunette followed.

“… in the seven hundred block of Winton, an affluent neighborhood.  One suspect was shot,” the newscaster looked down at his notes, “Corey Limon, purportedly shot by fellow suspect, Britt Ripley, just before she was taken into custody.”

“We have every reason to believe that Miss Ripley and Mr. Limon are part of the notorious car theft ring that has been plaguing the city for several years now,” Captain Wilkes explained, still in his uniform, eyes squinting against the camera glare of reporters.  “That’s all we have for now.”

“Oh my god,” Madelline whispered, hand covering her mouth.  She gasped when she heard her cell phone chirping in the other room.  Turning to her friend, they shared a frightened look.  Hurrying to her room, the blonde looked down at her cell, not sure whether she should answer or not.  Finally she picked it up.  “Hello?”

“This is the Curtis County Jail, you have a call coming through from inmate Britt Ripley.  Will you accept this call?” asked the recorded voice.

“Yes,” Madelline said, her voice shaky.

“One moment.”

There was a click, then the far off, tinny voice.  “Madelline?”

“Oh god, Britt.  I just saw it on the news.”  The blonde sat heavily on the edge of the bed.  “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.  I’m fine.  Listen, I don’t have very long, but I wanted to call and say I’m sorry.  I really am.”

A sob was ripped from the blonde’s throat.  “The news guy said you shot that guy, Corey.”

“Yeah, well.”  Britt sighed, running a hand through her hair.  She closed her eyes, seeing the blonde on the other end, her heart tearing in shreds.  Madelline’s sobs grew louder.  “Don’t cry, baby.  Please, don’t cry,” she whispered, eyes squeezing shut.

“You have two minutes,” the recorded voice said, though only Britt could hear it.

“I don’t have long, Madelline.  I just wanted to say I’m sorry, and I’ll never see you again.”

“No!  Britt, I can visit you-“

“No, Madelline.  Don’t.”  The brunette took a deep breath, blinking away tears. “I don’t want you to come see me.  A classy college grad like you has nothing to say to scum like me.  Your slumming days are over.  Go back to your good little life, with your good little daddy, and all that history shit.”

Madelline gasped, her heart literally feeling like it was being ripped from her chest.  “What?  Britt, why are you saying this?”

“It was good while it lasted, gorgeous, but I’m done with you.  Got what I wanted.”

“You have thirty seconds.”

“I need to go.  I’ve wasted enough time with you.  Goodbye, Madelline.  Go find yourself some academic to listen to you.  I’m done.”

Madelline sat on her bed, stunned as the line went dead.  She pulled the phone from her ear, looking at it as though it were a snake, ready to strike.  Throwing it across the room, she collapsed in a heap of uncontrollable sobs.

Britt held the black, plastic phone to her chest, eyes closed as she hugged the handset, the cold, steel coiled cord resting against her forehead.  She wanted to vomit.

“Let’s go, Ripley.”

Looking up, the thief blinked away her tears, knowing she couldn’t shot that kind of weakness here.  Gently replacing the handset into its cradle, she gave the smooth plastic one final caress, then followed the officer back to her cell.

^^^

Heart pounding, Britt remained seated in the brightly lit, though small, room.  Her cuffed wrists rested on the scarred, wooden table.  She sighed heavily, glancing at the ‘mirror’ inlaid in the far wall.  She smiled at those she knew was watching on the other side, giving a little wave.  Sitting back in the creaky wooden chair, she continued to wait.  She knew it was a tactic to try and psych her out, but she just found it annoying.  Though it was nice to get out of her cell for a bit.

The sturdy wooden door opened, and Captain Wilkes entered with a female in uniform.

“Britt, this is Sergeant Clifton, she’ll be sitting in during our chat,” the captain said, taking a seat across from the brunette.  “Care for some water?  Coffee?  A soda?  Cigarette?”

“Coffee,” she said, “and lose these.”  She banged her wrists on the table, the metallic clanking filling the room.

“That can be arranged.”  The captain left for a moment, only to return with a small, Styrofoam cup and a small hill of sugar and powdered creamer.

“Trying to get DNA from me, Captain?” she smirked, nodding at the cup.  The sandy-haired man chuckled lightly, taking his seat once more.  Sergeant Clifton stood next to the brunette, taking the metal bracelets into her cool hands.  Once the cuffs were released, Britt sat back, eyes on the captain as she tapped a bag of sugar into the cup.

“Before we get started, I need to know where Madelline fits in with all this.  Does she know?  Did she know?”  The captain asked.  Britt could tell he was keeping his anger in check.  She looked at him for a moment, sipping from her coffee, then sighing, shaking her head.

“No.  She knew nothing.”  Leaning back in her chair, she hung one arm over the back, head tilted to the side.  She knew she had to take on the cocky con that the officer was expecting.  “I lied to her, and I lied to you.  I knew Madelline would be a good way to find out where you guys were in your investigation.  I used her.”  She held a cold tone, looking the captain right in the eye.  She smirked. “Too bad she didn’t know anything.  Waste of time.”

John looked at the woman across from him, his body burning with the need to reach across the table and throttle the cocky little shit.  Bored blue eyes met his.  About to do just that, he thought back to the night before, remembering clearly that Britt had shot her own comrade, who was about to shoot the captain.  Could she have been shooting at the officers?  Not likely.  The shot through Limon’s leg was a dead on bulls eye.  It had been carefully aimed to stop the car thief without hurting anyone.

The captain cocked his head to the side, studying the woman.  He’d been in the business of law enforcement for a long time, and had become an expert at reading people.  This one was good, but he suspected there was more there than met the eye.

“Why did you shoot Corey Limon?”

“Because the little bastard was about to get into more trouble than he already was.”

Sighing, John leaned forward, resting on his elbows.  He looked deeply into blue eyes, trying to figure out which angle to take with this one.  He was surprised when Britt beat him to it.

“You bring in D.A. Gains, and make me a deal, and I’ll tell you everything you want to know.”  A streak of guilt shot through the brunette, but she knew that after shooting Corey to stop him, Carl’s revenge would be swift and deadly.  This had to end, and it had to end now.  She looked deeply into the captain’s eyes, letting him know she was serious.

John Wilkes saw nothing but sincere exhaustion in the blue eyes, and nodded.  “Alright.”

^^^

Pulling into the driveway of his house, exhausted yet satisfied, John sighed, cutting the engine.  He looked up at the house he had worked so hard to build with his wife and daughter.  Madelline.  Sighing heavily, he thought about the beautiful young girl.  There was no way he was going to tell her what Britt Ripley, whom his daughter thought was her friend, had said.  He didn’t want to hurt his little girl anymore than she probably already was.  No doubt she’d heard.

It had been a long day and even longer night.  Now, one-thirty in the afternoon of the next day, he was dead on his feet, having put in twenty-six hours.  The case had consumed him over the last months.  Thanks to the Ripley woman, it was all coming to an end.

“Hi, honey,” Jenny said, relieved to see her husband home and unharmed.  She took him in a long hug, sighing into his chest.  “When are you going to retire?”

John chuckled, kissing his wife’s hair.  “I need a shower and bed.”  One final kiss to her forehead, and he disappeared further into the house.  Jenny watched him go, sighing.  She had no idea the specifics of the case, only what she’d seen on the television.  It was quite the story, rocking the small community.  What had been perceived to be a nasty, yet small theft ring, was turning out to be quite the operation.

She had tried to talk to Madelline, find out how this had happened.  The older blonde had liked Britt Ripley quite a lot when they’d had breakfast together.  She could tell her daughter was shaken and sad, but she refused to talk to her mother about it.

Sighing heavily, Jenny went to the kitchen.  She knew John would need some food.

^^^

“Are you sure about this, sweetie?” Tina asked sweetly, running her fingers through her friend’s hair.  The blonde nodded.

“Yeah.  You know, I’ve thought a lot about this.  What she said.”  She sighed, not looking at her friend.  She shook her head.  “I don’t believe it, Tina.”  Green eyes finally met brown.  She shook her head again. “I don’t believe it.  There was no way what we shared was fake.”

“But what about what the press is saying?  That she was just using you for information?” 

“She never asked me anything, Tina.  Never.  In fact, she told me that last night we were together that she couldn’t tell me anything to keep me safe.”  She studied her friend.  “Is that the actions of someone who is that vicious and cruel?”

Tina sighed, shaking her head, though there was still such a large part of her that wanted to plant seeds of doubt into her friend’s head.  She worried that Madelline was getting in over her head, and would end up getting hurt.  But, knowing just how headstrong the blonde was, all she could do was trust her.

“No, honey, it doesn’t.”  She hugged the petit woman to her.  “Just be careful.  Okay.”

Madelline nodded.  “I will.”

The courtroom was filled with soft murmurings, various parties waiting to see their specific accused plead.  Madelline sat nervously alone.  She listened as the man, dressed in jail-issued black and white stripes, pleading innocent to his case.  The judge and lawyers set a trial date for him.  He was led away, wrists cuffed at the waist.  Once he disappeared through the heavy, steel door at the side of the courtroom, the blonde took a deep breath.

Looking around, she noticed the reporter for Channel 4 News, who had been covering the case since the beginning.  She waiting patiently, going through a notebook of notes before checking her watch.  Turning back around in her seat, Madelline felt her heart rate pick up.

The case had been broken wide open, thanks to the cooperation of Britt.  The headquarters of the theft ring had been plundered, hundreds of stolen and modified cars had been confiscated.  Carl Mason had been arrested, led to a police cruiser with a jacket over his head as reporters had filmed and snapped pictures, shouting questions.  She knew it would take months and months to get to the total bottom of the organization, but it had been broken wide open, and stopped.

The steel door opened again, and Madelline held her breath, watching as Britt was led in.  She was also dressed in the jail-issued uniform, her hair pulled up into a tight ponytail, hands cuffed and attached to a belly chain.  Placed at the defense table, she leaned over, saying something to her lawyer.

Madelline studied the brunette’s profile.  Her face was washed clean, eyes hanging dark circles.  She looked tired and life weary.  Turning toward the front again when the judge began to speak, Madelline was left with the back of Britt’s head.

She felt her stomach roil, and emotions begin to build in her throat.  It had been three weeks since she’d seen her last, and her feelings hadn’t diminished one bit.  If anything, they’d grown stronger and deeper.

“Miss Ripley, how do you plead?” the judge asked, looking over his somewhat thick glasses.

“Guilty, Your Honor,” Britt said, her voice strong and sure.

“Alright.  District Attorney Gaines has worked out a deal with you, is that correct, Mr. Willford?”

“Yes, Your Honor,” Britt’s attorney said.

“Alright.  Then we’ll set up a date for sentencing.  Say, one week from Thursday.  Ten in the morning.”

“That’s fine, Your Honor.”

At the crack of the gavel, Britt and her lawyer stood.  They spoke for a moment before the bailiff walked over to the brunette.  Britt began to follow him, but stopped.  She had the strangest feeling.  Turning toward the gallery, she saw green eyes looking at her, and she met them.  Madelline’s being there hit her like a punch to the gut, and she felt the physical recoil from it.

Madelline stared, trying to keep her face and eyes expressionless, but knew that was not possible.  Her father always said she wore her heart on her sleeve and in her eyes.  Britt looked at her for a moment before the sweetest smile spread over her lips.  Her eyes softened, her head slightly tilting. 

Britt felt as though her heart were breaking all over again, what was left of it.  Goodbye, she mouthed before turning away, led back toward her holding cell.

The End

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