Story: A Deeper Kind Of Love- Chapter 4/4
Title: A Deeper Kind Of Love - Chapter 4/4
Pairing: Jennifer Shepard/Caitlin Todd
Rating: R
Disclaimer: NCIS is owned by CBS or whoever else. It's not mine and I do not intend to make money with this story...
Author's Notes: For C & R, with thanks to my beta, Jen
I can't see me lovin' nobody but you
For all my life
When you're with me, baby the skies'll be blue
For all my life
Me and you and you and me
No matter how they toss the dice, it has to be
The only one for me is you, and you for me
So happy together
(The Turtles - Happy together)
When she and senator Summers entered the fancy Restaurant, they were chatting happily about everything and nothing. Despite her former impression of him, when she had found him annoying and arrogant, Bob Summers revealed himself to be friendly, intelligent and an enjoyable companion. She was actually surprised to find out that he was one of the few men except NCIS’ elderly, Scottish ME who were still gentlemen. In a true act of chivalry he pulled out her chair for her, waiting until she was seated before he himself sat down. She absolutely enjoyed being treated like this. She was Jenny again, not Special Agent Shepard, not Jethro’s ex lover and especially not something like a closeted lesbian. She felt like a woman again. But nonetheless she dreaded what was sure to come after this date, or maybe after the second, after the third date. It was good to feel wanted again, to feel womanly and appreciated. But a male body somehow seemed not as attractive to her as it had before. Pushing this fear to the back of her head, she turned her attention to the menu. After she had ordered a meal that made her mouth water just because she had read the names printed on paper, she decided to make a quick retreat to the ladies’ room. Excusing herself, she started to cross the L-shaped room. As she turned around the corner, her loud gasp caused several of the people surrounding her to look up from their plates. Chestnut hair cascading in soft curls down her back, and wearing a dark red dress that showed a considerable amount of cleavage, Kate was staring at her with wide eyes. Jenny forced herself to keep moving, not pausing in her walk, without giving Kate as much as another look. She did, however, steal a glance at Kate’s companion. He was tall, muscular, his hair looking like he was a marine. A powerful wave of jealousy possessed her. Careful to remain a steady pace but straightening her back and applying a somewhat arrogant expression, she pushed open the wooden door. Slow but firm, she closed it behind her, not willing rage to take over. Fighting back tears that were somewhere between agony and anger, she leaned with her back against the door and let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. She had been right. Kate really didn’t seem too bothered out there - that was before she had spotted Jenny. She gave out a bitter laugh at the irony of the situation. For months, she had not seen Kate, had had no idea of who she was or where to find her and then, when Jenny actually had sworn to somehow get over this strange fascination, they saw each other twice in one week. Kate really had to be under the impression of being stalked.
She felt the door handle push into the small of her back when someone tried to open the door. Not wanting anyone to think she was hiding in here, she quickly turned on the water and pretended to wash her hands. She willed herself not to look up as she heard the sound of sharp heels echo through the room. And suddenly she was dragged around and pushed up against the wall, a demanding mouth bruising her lips, wanting hands groping her flesh. Jenny stood paralyzed as Kate overwhelmed her.
“This is so wrong”,
The brunette whispered and something inside Jenny switched, broke loose. Moaning in pain and pleasure when she felt Kate violently bite her lower lip, Jenny grasped Kate’s neck and started to forcefully kiss her back in what quickly became a battle of lips, wills and finally tongues. Jenny was the one to first deepen the kiss when Kate couldn’t suppress a moan on feeling Jenny’s wandering fingers brush her nipples through the fabric of her dress.
“What are you doing to me?”
Kate moaned between heated kisses and Jenny suddenly became aware that they were still pretty much in the open, where anyone could run in on them any minute. Forcefully and without breaking the kiss, she guided Kate into the nearer of the two cubicles, where she locked the door in one fluid motion. The next second she was slammed around, gasping when Kate’s hand made contact with her cheek.
“Why are you doing this to me?”
Kate nearly screamed, her voice ringing back from the walls as Jenny was slapped again, the pain adding to the dull ache between her legs. With the reflexes of the outstanding agent she was, she caught Kate’s hand around the wrist and pushed her against one of the cubicle walls, pinning her hand above her head. “I wish I knew”, she said quietly and wasn’t surprised to find her own tears mirrored in Kate’s eyes before the other woman’s lips were on her own again, bringing her to life and killing her at the same time. Willingly she granted Kate’s tongue entrance to her mouth, a powerful wave of desire streaming through her as both women moaned in unison into each other’s mouths on feeling their tongues meet. Feeling Kate opening her pants, she simply guided the seeking fingers to the throbbing between her legs. A few moments later she cried out, the fingers taking her over the edge, blindly reaching out for Kate’s shoulders to support her, her mouth frantically seeking for Kate’s lips, tears raining down her face.
When she was back in her study, hours later, Jenny was more confused than ever. After having consumed her as powerfully as she had done, Kate had all but run out of the ladies’ room, her quick and hasty retreat resembling nothing but a flight. And Jenny, only slowly coming down from her waves of ecstasy, hadn’t trusted her legs far enough to follow her. When she finally had felt decent enough to leave the room, Kate had been nowhere to be seen, the table she had shared with the sailor deserted. Senator Summers had been eagerly awaiting her, too much a gentleman to come and check up on her although the first course had been already standing in front of him and Jenny had had to summon all her self control not to fidget or show in any way else that she had just experienced the best orgasm of her life. It had been two and a half hours until she finally had been able to flee to the solitude that was her home. And there she was now, still feeling a mixture of arousal and self-disgust about losing control at this place and time. Where was her famous self discipline that let her both be admired and feared by probies? It wasn’t like her to let her guard down. Feeling drained both physically and emotionally, she stood up. The doorbell rang. Jesus. She considered not answering for a moment but knowing that it could be the call of duty, responsibility got the better of her. Out of habit she reached for her 9 mm Clark and opened the door just about an inch, jumping back when it was pushed into her face forcefully. Raising her hands to hold the intruder at gunpoint, she almost fainted when she felt Kate’s green eyes penetrate her for the second time that night.
“We need to talk”, Kate said through clenched teeth.
“No”, Jenny whispered, still not lowering the gun.
“What?” Kate demanded aggressively.
“No”, Jenny repeated more determinedly. “I can’t live like that anymore, Kate. I just can’t.”
Suddenly the younger woman seemed lost to Jenny. And against all better judgment she wanted nothing but to take her into her arms and make her feel better. No, she scolded herself but put her gun back onto the sideboard. It was now or never.
“You come and go whenever you want, always leaving me in pieces afterwards. I can’t take it, Kate.” Jenny was surprised to hear her voice break. She hadn’t realized she was on the edge of tears again. “I think it is better if you lea..” She started to say but Kate’s strangled whisper made her stop.
“Me neither” Green gaze flooded with tears, Kate suddenly sunk to her knees.
Helplessly Jenny knew nothing to do but shut the still widely open front door and listen to Kate.
“I…I have been trying to suppress it, Jenny, to ignore it”, she sobbed. “But there is nothing I can do. I… We can’t. I’ve been taught since I was a child not to sin like this. But… What shall I do? They never told me. They never told me how to stop this.” Jenny felt her heart break but the profiler instincts in her told her to let Kate continue, to not stop this outburst because Kate would feel better afterwards. “I… I can’t go on like this, Jenny. It kills me.” On seeing Kate’s eyes meet hers, Jenny felt unable to hold back her own tears. “You have done something to me that kills me.” Jenny bit her lip to keep herself from sobbing. “Or maybe you haven’t. I don’t know anymore.” Jenny couldn’t hold back any longer. Carefully she sank down to her knees and slid nearer, still fearing that she might be rejected.
“What I have done to you, Caitlin, I don’t know. Nothing, I suppose, but falling in love with you.”
When she held her arms open, Kate reluctantly came to her. Neither woman moved for what felt like hours, content to just cry into each other’s arms.
“Could you say that again?” Kate mumbled into the material of Jenny’s blouse, her voice husky from crying. Jenny had to swallow twice to not burst into tears all over again.
“I love you, Kate.” 3 words. That simple. Kate said nothing but Jenny felt that the heaving of the other woman’s lungs had evened out. She had stopped crying.
“You are right”, Jenny finally said. “We do need to talk.”
Kate raised her head and looked at her with an unreadable expression. Feeling helpless again, Jenny slowly loosened her grip on Kate and rose from the floor. Turning around. She held out her hand for Kate to follow her. Together they went into the living-room. Jenny felt Kate become slightly uneasy.
“You’d rather, we talked in the kitchen?”
Kate nodded tensely.
“Right”, Jenny said when they had sat down. “Talk.”
Despite their situation Kate smiled weakly. Neither of them said a word.
“You know, one of us should say something for this to qualify as talking”, Jenny finally stated.
Nodding, Kate said, “fine. What now? How do we go on?”
“You know how I feel…” Now, that she was so close to Kate, the realization hit her hard that she couldn’t live without her anymore. She saw how the same knowledge dawned in Kate’s eyes and she could have wept with joy upon realizing that despite all her fighting and anger and desperation, Kate, too, was in love with her.
“I do”, and after a moment she added, “and I know that, how it is now, there is no way for me to live.”
Jenny nodded silently.
“But I have been brought up in Indiana. I am catholic. Practicing catholic. I was taught that it is a sin to even consider sleeping with someone of my own sex.”
“And do you believe it?”
“No… Yes. I don’t know. I think I always practiced something like the civil don’t ask - don’t tell. When I was confronted with this topic I choose to ignore it.”
“It doesn’t seem to work anymore…” Jenny observed
“No. It doesn’t. May I ask… Have you… you know… ever been involved with a woman, like, romantically?” Insecurity clearly written on her face, Kate raised her gaze from the tabletop.
Jenny swallowed. “No. I haven’t. Maybe once or twice I could have…but it just never occurred to me.”
Kate nodded slowly. “Listen, Jenny. I do not even want to think about going home tonight and never seeing you again. I just can’t stand the thought”
Jenny felt her own smile broaden until she was practically beaming.
“But I’m scared. There is no way I could tell my parents. No way I could tell my family or my friends. They just… It would kill them. And I can’t bring that shame upon the family.”
Again, neither said a word. Silently Jenny contemplated that she also had nobody she could tell. She had told the Director of course but that was different. Her father was dead and her way to one of the top agents had left her lonely. The only confidant she had ever had besides her father was now living somewhere in the city, probably loathing her since he got back from France with every right to do so. And besides, she knew that Morrow had been right. If word got out about her and Kate, all her dreams would be gone like ice cream in the heat of a hot Californian summer.
“Jenny”, Kate gently whispered. “What are you thinking about?”
“That we really can’t tell anyone about this. I have dreams. Childhood dreams. My whole life I’ve been working to become the Director of NCIS one day. And my chances seem to be rather good. It’s… It’s the only thing I can do to honor my father’s memory.” Tears in her eyes. Again. “You seem to be something like a tear switch inside me. I haven’t cried this much for a decade.” She smiled through her tears.
“Oh, Jenny” Kate whispered, her hand moving to cup Jenny’s cheek but halting the last moment and instead settling for caressing the back of her hand.
Gently Jenny took Kate’s hand in her own, lifting it to her lips and tenderly pressing a soft kiss onto it. Their eyes locked and for minutes they just stared into each other’s eyes, Jenny losing herself once more inside light green.
Outside in the hall the old grandfather clock rang two times.
“Is it really two in the morning?” Jenny asked amazed. She could have sworn it was about midnight.
“It seems so”, Kate smiled.
“I think we should go to bed…” Jenny said and, on seeing Kate’s raised eyebrows, she added, “and sleep. I will prepare you the guest room.”
Kate opened her mouth as if to say something but closed it without a word. “Sure”, she said after a few seconds and smiled.
After having handed Kate something to sleep in and showed her to the spare bedroom, Jenny, too, changed and slipped under the covers. She couldn’t quite believe that this evening had actually happened. For months the only thing she had known was the torture of helplessness and then suddenly everything had happened at once.
She shuddered at remembering the fierce anger of Kate’s kisses, the way she had moaned Jenny’s name, the feeling of Kate’s fingers moving inside her. Rolling onto her back, she sighed. Her bed felt cold all of sudden. Out in the hall creaked the wooden floor. Maybe Kate needed to use the toilet. She wished Kate had asked to sleep in Jenny’s room, aching for the warmth of the other woman’s body next to her. She pulled the covers tighter around herself. The low squeal of the door being opened made her hand fly to her gun on the nightstand. Embarrassed she relaxed when she heard Kate whisper her name into the darkness of the bedroom. Instead she reached to turn on the lights and sat up.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, voice edged with worry.
“I can’t sleep…” Kate said shyly. “Would you… Could I…”
“Come here” Jenny smiled and held open the covers for Kate. Reluctantly Kate lay down next to her, snuggling into Jenny when she saw the redhead’s reassuring smile.
Within minutes, both of them were soundly asleep.
Pairing: Jennifer Shepard/Caitlin Todd
Rating: R
Disclaimer: NCIS is owned by CBS or whoever else. It's not mine and I do not intend to make money with this story...
Author's Notes: For C & R, with thanks to my beta, Jen
I can't see me lovin' nobody but you
For all my life
When you're with me, baby the skies'll be blue
For all my life
Me and you and you and me
No matter how they toss the dice, it has to be
The only one for me is you, and you for me
So happy together
(The Turtles - Happy together)
When she and senator Summers entered the fancy Restaurant, they were chatting happily about everything and nothing. Despite her former impression of him, when she had found him annoying and arrogant, Bob Summers revealed himself to be friendly, intelligent and an enjoyable companion. She was actually surprised to find out that he was one of the few men except NCIS’ elderly, Scottish ME who were still gentlemen. In a true act of chivalry he pulled out her chair for her, waiting until she was seated before he himself sat down. She absolutely enjoyed being treated like this. She was Jenny again, not Special Agent Shepard, not Jethro’s ex lover and especially not something like a closeted lesbian. She felt like a woman again. But nonetheless she dreaded what was sure to come after this date, or maybe after the second, after the third date. It was good to feel wanted again, to feel womanly and appreciated. But a male body somehow seemed not as attractive to her as it had before. Pushing this fear to the back of her head, she turned her attention to the menu. After she had ordered a meal that made her mouth water just because she had read the names printed on paper, she decided to make a quick retreat to the ladies’ room. Excusing herself, she started to cross the L-shaped room. As she turned around the corner, her loud gasp caused several of the people surrounding her to look up from their plates. Chestnut hair cascading in soft curls down her back, and wearing a dark red dress that showed a considerable amount of cleavage, Kate was staring at her with wide eyes. Jenny forced herself to keep moving, not pausing in her walk, without giving Kate as much as another look. She did, however, steal a glance at Kate’s companion. He was tall, muscular, his hair looking like he was a marine. A powerful wave of jealousy possessed her. Careful to remain a steady pace but straightening her back and applying a somewhat arrogant expression, she pushed open the wooden door. Slow but firm, she closed it behind her, not willing rage to take over. Fighting back tears that were somewhere between agony and anger, she leaned with her back against the door and let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. She had been right. Kate really didn’t seem too bothered out there - that was before she had spotted Jenny. She gave out a bitter laugh at the irony of the situation. For months, she had not seen Kate, had had no idea of who she was or where to find her and then, when Jenny actually had sworn to somehow get over this strange fascination, they saw each other twice in one week. Kate really had to be under the impression of being stalked.
She felt the door handle push into the small of her back when someone tried to open the door. Not wanting anyone to think she was hiding in here, she quickly turned on the water and pretended to wash her hands. She willed herself not to look up as she heard the sound of sharp heels echo through the room. And suddenly she was dragged around and pushed up against the wall, a demanding mouth bruising her lips, wanting hands groping her flesh. Jenny stood paralyzed as Kate overwhelmed her.
“This is so wrong”,
The brunette whispered and something inside Jenny switched, broke loose. Moaning in pain and pleasure when she felt Kate violently bite her lower lip, Jenny grasped Kate’s neck and started to forcefully kiss her back in what quickly became a battle of lips, wills and finally tongues. Jenny was the one to first deepen the kiss when Kate couldn’t suppress a moan on feeling Jenny’s wandering fingers brush her nipples through the fabric of her dress.
“What are you doing to me?”
Kate moaned between heated kisses and Jenny suddenly became aware that they were still pretty much in the open, where anyone could run in on them any minute. Forcefully and without breaking the kiss, she guided Kate into the nearer of the two cubicles, where she locked the door in one fluid motion. The next second she was slammed around, gasping when Kate’s hand made contact with her cheek.
“Why are you doing this to me?”
Kate nearly screamed, her voice ringing back from the walls as Jenny was slapped again, the pain adding to the dull ache between her legs. With the reflexes of the outstanding agent she was, she caught Kate’s hand around the wrist and pushed her against one of the cubicle walls, pinning her hand above her head. “I wish I knew”, she said quietly and wasn’t surprised to find her own tears mirrored in Kate’s eyes before the other woman’s lips were on her own again, bringing her to life and killing her at the same time. Willingly she granted Kate’s tongue entrance to her mouth, a powerful wave of desire streaming through her as both women moaned in unison into each other’s mouths on feeling their tongues meet. Feeling Kate opening her pants, she simply guided the seeking fingers to the throbbing between her legs. A few moments later she cried out, the fingers taking her over the edge, blindly reaching out for Kate’s shoulders to support her, her mouth frantically seeking for Kate’s lips, tears raining down her face.
When she was back in her study, hours later, Jenny was more confused than ever. After having consumed her as powerfully as she had done, Kate had all but run out of the ladies’ room, her quick and hasty retreat resembling nothing but a flight. And Jenny, only slowly coming down from her waves of ecstasy, hadn’t trusted her legs far enough to follow her. When she finally had felt decent enough to leave the room, Kate had been nowhere to be seen, the table she had shared with the sailor deserted. Senator Summers had been eagerly awaiting her, too much a gentleman to come and check up on her although the first course had been already standing in front of him and Jenny had had to summon all her self control not to fidget or show in any way else that she had just experienced the best orgasm of her life. It had been two and a half hours until she finally had been able to flee to the solitude that was her home. And there she was now, still feeling a mixture of arousal and self-disgust about losing control at this place and time. Where was her famous self discipline that let her both be admired and feared by probies? It wasn’t like her to let her guard down. Feeling drained both physically and emotionally, she stood up. The doorbell rang. Jesus. She considered not answering for a moment but knowing that it could be the call of duty, responsibility got the better of her. Out of habit she reached for her 9 mm Clark and opened the door just about an inch, jumping back when it was pushed into her face forcefully. Raising her hands to hold the intruder at gunpoint, she almost fainted when she felt Kate’s green eyes penetrate her for the second time that night.
“We need to talk”, Kate said through clenched teeth.
“No”, Jenny whispered, still not lowering the gun.
“What?” Kate demanded aggressively.
“No”, Jenny repeated more determinedly. “I can’t live like that anymore, Kate. I just can’t.”
Suddenly the younger woman seemed lost to Jenny. And against all better judgment she wanted nothing but to take her into her arms and make her feel better. No, she scolded herself but put her gun back onto the sideboard. It was now or never.
“You come and go whenever you want, always leaving me in pieces afterwards. I can’t take it, Kate.” Jenny was surprised to hear her voice break. She hadn’t realized she was on the edge of tears again. “I think it is better if you lea..” She started to say but Kate’s strangled whisper made her stop.
“Me neither” Green gaze flooded with tears, Kate suddenly sunk to her knees.
Helplessly Jenny knew nothing to do but shut the still widely open front door and listen to Kate.
“I…I have been trying to suppress it, Jenny, to ignore it”, she sobbed. “But there is nothing I can do. I… We can’t. I’ve been taught since I was a child not to sin like this. But… What shall I do? They never told me. They never told me how to stop this.” Jenny felt her heart break but the profiler instincts in her told her to let Kate continue, to not stop this outburst because Kate would feel better afterwards. “I… I can’t go on like this, Jenny. It kills me.” On seeing Kate’s eyes meet hers, Jenny felt unable to hold back her own tears. “You have done something to me that kills me.” Jenny bit her lip to keep herself from sobbing. “Or maybe you haven’t. I don’t know anymore.” Jenny couldn’t hold back any longer. Carefully she sank down to her knees and slid nearer, still fearing that she might be rejected.
“What I have done to you, Caitlin, I don’t know. Nothing, I suppose, but falling in love with you.”
When she held her arms open, Kate reluctantly came to her. Neither woman moved for what felt like hours, content to just cry into each other’s arms.
“Could you say that again?” Kate mumbled into the material of Jenny’s blouse, her voice husky from crying. Jenny had to swallow twice to not burst into tears all over again.
“I love you, Kate.” 3 words. That simple. Kate said nothing but Jenny felt that the heaving of the other woman’s lungs had evened out. She had stopped crying.
“You are right”, Jenny finally said. “We do need to talk.”
Kate raised her head and looked at her with an unreadable expression. Feeling helpless again, Jenny slowly loosened her grip on Kate and rose from the floor. Turning around. She held out her hand for Kate to follow her. Together they went into the living-room. Jenny felt Kate become slightly uneasy.
“You’d rather, we talked in the kitchen?”
Kate nodded tensely.
“Right”, Jenny said when they had sat down. “Talk.”
Despite their situation Kate smiled weakly. Neither of them said a word.
“You know, one of us should say something for this to qualify as talking”, Jenny finally stated.
Nodding, Kate said, “fine. What now? How do we go on?”
“You know how I feel…” Now, that she was so close to Kate, the realization hit her hard that she couldn’t live without her anymore. She saw how the same knowledge dawned in Kate’s eyes and she could have wept with joy upon realizing that despite all her fighting and anger and desperation, Kate, too, was in love with her.
“I do”, and after a moment she added, “and I know that, how it is now, there is no way for me to live.”
Jenny nodded silently.
“But I have been brought up in Indiana. I am catholic. Practicing catholic. I was taught that it is a sin to even consider sleeping with someone of my own sex.”
“And do you believe it?”
“No… Yes. I don’t know. I think I always practiced something like the civil don’t ask - don’t tell. When I was confronted with this topic I choose to ignore it.”
“It doesn’t seem to work anymore…” Jenny observed
“No. It doesn’t. May I ask… Have you… you know… ever been involved with a woman, like, romantically?” Insecurity clearly written on her face, Kate raised her gaze from the tabletop.
Jenny swallowed. “No. I haven’t. Maybe once or twice I could have…but it just never occurred to me.”
Kate nodded slowly. “Listen, Jenny. I do not even want to think about going home tonight and never seeing you again. I just can’t stand the thought”
Jenny felt her own smile broaden until she was practically beaming.
“But I’m scared. There is no way I could tell my parents. No way I could tell my family or my friends. They just… It would kill them. And I can’t bring that shame upon the family.”
Again, neither said a word. Silently Jenny contemplated that she also had nobody she could tell. She had told the Director of course but that was different. Her father was dead and her way to one of the top agents had left her lonely. The only confidant she had ever had besides her father was now living somewhere in the city, probably loathing her since he got back from France with every right to do so. And besides, she knew that Morrow had been right. If word got out about her and Kate, all her dreams would be gone like ice cream in the heat of a hot Californian summer.
“Jenny”, Kate gently whispered. “What are you thinking about?”
“That we really can’t tell anyone about this. I have dreams. Childhood dreams. My whole life I’ve been working to become the Director of NCIS one day. And my chances seem to be rather good. It’s… It’s the only thing I can do to honor my father’s memory.” Tears in her eyes. Again. “You seem to be something like a tear switch inside me. I haven’t cried this much for a decade.” She smiled through her tears.
“Oh, Jenny” Kate whispered, her hand moving to cup Jenny’s cheek but halting the last moment and instead settling for caressing the back of her hand.
Gently Jenny took Kate’s hand in her own, lifting it to her lips and tenderly pressing a soft kiss onto it. Their eyes locked and for minutes they just stared into each other’s eyes, Jenny losing herself once more inside light green.
Outside in the hall the old grandfather clock rang two times.
“Is it really two in the morning?” Jenny asked amazed. She could have sworn it was about midnight.
“It seems so”, Kate smiled.
“I think we should go to bed…” Jenny said and, on seeing Kate’s raised eyebrows, she added, “and sleep. I will prepare you the guest room.”
Kate opened her mouth as if to say something but closed it without a word. “Sure”, she said after a few seconds and smiled.
After having handed Kate something to sleep in and showed her to the spare bedroom, Jenny, too, changed and slipped under the covers. She couldn’t quite believe that this evening had actually happened. For months the only thing she had known was the torture of helplessness and then suddenly everything had happened at once.
She shuddered at remembering the fierce anger of Kate’s kisses, the way she had moaned Jenny’s name, the feeling of Kate’s fingers moving inside her. Rolling onto her back, she sighed. Her bed felt cold all of sudden. Out in the hall creaked the wooden floor. Maybe Kate needed to use the toilet. She wished Kate had asked to sleep in Jenny’s room, aching for the warmth of the other woman’s body next to her. She pulled the covers tighter around herself. The low squeal of the door being opened made her hand fly to her gun on the nightstand. Embarrassed she relaxed when she heard Kate whisper her name into the darkness of the bedroom. Instead she reached to turn on the lights and sat up.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, voice edged with worry.
“I can’t sleep…” Kate said shyly. “Would you… Could I…”
“Come here” Jenny smiled and held open the covers for Kate. Reluctantly Kate lay down next to her, snuggling into Jenny when she saw the redhead’s reassuring smile.
Within minutes, both of them were soundly asleep.