Sarah Johansson stirred and tossed before suddenly waking. Her eyes hurt from being closed too long, so with great effort, she pried their rusty lids open. Her radio alarm, playing very loud choral music (from the late 1300s, she believed), woke her up and gave her just the lift she needed to sigh, wallow in her sheets, and bump into the naked body next to her. She groaned and kissed the person's cheek until they woke. "Morning. School starts in two hours if you care." She yawned like a lioness, nearly tempted to slump back down on the downy pillow of her recent lover's chest. Said lover grunted, woke, and rubbed their eyes. "Ugh... we slept together. Jackie's gonna kill me for this." "I thought you two weren't on speaking terms anymore." "Just as professionals." They both yawned. Sarah sighed and fiddled with her new lover's curly black hair. "You still love her?" "I guess." "Then why'd you sleep with me?" "I dunno. I guess I needed sex." Sarah laughed quietly. "I don't want to repute myself as the person people go to when they need sex. And you should know better... Miss McGowen." "Ah, so sue me. Are those our clothes there in that pile?" Sarah leaned over the bed, naked save for her sheets, and exposed quite a bit of her bare back to her lover. She laughed as she saw just how disheveled their apparel had gotten. "Oh yeah," she answered. Nobody knows Just why we're here Could it be fate Or random circumstance At the right place At the right time Two roads intertwine And if the universe conspired To meld our lives To make us Fuel and fire Then know Where ever you will be So too shall I be Close your eyes Dry your tears 'Coz when nothing seems clear You'll be safe here From the sheer weight Of your doubts and fears Weary heart You'll be safe here Remember how we laughed Until we cried At the most stupid things Like we were so high But love was all that we were on We belong And though the world would Never understand This unlikely union And why it still stands Someday we will be set free. Pray and believe When the light disappears And when this world's insincere You'll be safe here When nobody hears you scream I'll scream with you You'll be safe here Save your eyes From your tears When everything's unclear You'll be safe here From the sheer weight Of your doubts and fears Wounded heart When the light disappears And when this world's insincere You'll be safe here When nobody hears you scream I'll scream with you You'll be safe here In my arms Through the long cold night Sleep tight You'll be safe here When no one understands I'll believe You'll be safe, You'll be safe You'll be safe here Put your heart in my hands You'll be safe here "L84AD8" Gabrielle O'Shannon yawned in Ms. Keeping's psychology class. Homecoming was just a few days away, and after that, a glorious three-day weekend, but here she was, Tuesday in and failing art (of all things), bored from hearing about Pavlovian theory and Freudian slips, sleepy and distorted, yearning to be free so she could see Lilian again, or at least so she could tease Blake or congratulate Janine. She rubbed her face and tried to concentrate, but to no avail. Ms. Keeping was beautiful and smart, but sometimes she could be so bloody boring (although seeing her acting chipper on Monday was fun, but for what reason, nobody could say). If Gabrielle was bored, Erica Fox was disappointed. Amina had crushed her hopes for a relationship not long ago, saying that she preferred to be friends, that even if she was interested in girls, Erica was just not her type. Fox didn't take the news merrily, of course, but since she had never really done anything deeply intimate with Amina, there really wasn't anything to be bothered about. Washim was a friend, all right, and quite a nice one too, and so was Nomi. And Joss, who would soon be showing her pregnancy. And Kula, wild like her sister and cute like, well, the kind of girls she liked. Ah, Nomi. There was a different story. Nomi had split with Erica's older sister Alisha over the weekend. Their romance was brief but hardly fiery; in fact, the main cause of the rift had been Alisha's roaming hands, flirty eyes, and snuffling face. Nomi liked Alisha but wanted to take her relationships slow. Alisha had been practically whining about sex. Nomi had gotten tired of it and said that the poor woman could only be friends with her, or maybe mates in a band. Alisha took the news really badly, but fortunately, Erica had not been around to absorb her anger. That did not stop her from thinking her sister deserved a little rejection. Jocelyn... was a unique case. And Erica did not have the extra capacity for thought to use on contemplating said case. Her work came first, at least now it did, and she wanted to keep her good grades (partially, yes, to show up her sister). Kula was also another unique case—the young transfer student had not been there a few days and had already asked Erica out on a date! She was just as bad as Alisha! Fox was more cautious than flattered, and gave a polite thanks-but-no-thanks. She feared Kula would retaliate violently, but fortunately the Hawaiian girl shrugged it off with a "Meh". She was not so kind to Usha. Erica was indifferent towards the older girl, and while sometimes Usha could be annoying and stuck-up, she didn't deserve half the bullying Kula gave her. Erica had wanted to defend Usha, actually, but usually one the girl's friends or two girlfriends beat her. Besides, Usha was capable of defending herself. "Yes, Miss Fox?" Keeping called on her, and she took a breath to clear her thoughts. "Jung's views on introversion and extroversion were written in Psychological Types, 1921." "Good. Can anybody give me examples of each?" "Yeah, me," said Hero Love, grinning. Even Keeping knew what she meant. "Well, yes, you're certainly extroverted. Any others?" "Myself," said Usha. "And your mama," muttered Kula. Keeping gave the girl a sharp stare. "Miss Nanahara, your new-student status means nothing to me. You're fifteen years old and ought to know how to behave in a civil manner. You will be assigned extra homework for your outburst." "What? But—" "If you prefer more, Miss Nanahara, by all means..." Keeping motioned to her, nearly daring her to talk. Kula sighed and gave an understanding nod. If she had any redeeming traits, Kula knew how and when to apologize. "No, ma'am. I'm sorry." "Will you apologize to Usha?" Kula made a sour face, but relented. She turned and said very smarmily, "I'm very sorry, Miss Usha Krishnan." "Kula." She sighed. "I really am. Forgive me?" Usha sighed. "Yes." "Good," said the teacher. "Let's continue, shall we? Who can tell me some of..." Kula tuned her teacher out and crossed her arms. She glared at Usha out of the corner of her eye, mentally picturing the woman in pain. Yeah, I'm sorry, all right. Sorry I gotta be on the same planet as you. ...... "Wouldn't it be cool if they got together?" "Yeah, but that's fantasy." "I think it could work." "Maybe you oughta join them." "Nah, I'm not into threesomes." "Hey Zane!" "Yo, Vick! My girl!" Aintzane Klein and Victoria Grissom, now studying each other, met and embraced. She gave Alexis Walker a nod and spoke again to Zane. "I heard about your play, Zane. I'm really happy it got accepted." She shrugged modestly. "Eh. I hear Post didn't get nearly as many as she expected or wanted, so she finally gave up hope and just picked from the ones she had. I guess if there were only a few other scripts for her to choose from, mine stood a pretty good chance. Hey, I hear Gab got hers picked as well. Uh, what's the one...?" "The one where rival pirates fall in love," said X. "Oh yeah! Hey, pretty cool. I'm dressing as a pirate for Halloween." "You are?" Victoria looked at Zane, who grinned, covered her eye with her hand, and let out a mighty "Arr!" Victoria giggled. "What about you, Vick?" "Um... June and I are thinking of going as Subaru and Tsukasa from dot hack." "Oh, really? That sounds cute. I hear you two are an item." Victoria blushed and combed back her red hair, revealing more of her smile. "Uh, yeah, we are. We are. It's good. She's older than me, but otherwise just my type." "So like, how do you two... you know... cuz' she's in a wheelchair." "We manage." A thought just occurred to Grissom that maybe, what she had thought Zane meant and what Zane really meant were two different things, and she blushed and started blurting. "Ohgod, I didn't mean it like that! Uh, um, you know, uh, it's not like we sleep together or anything! I mean, we don't! Um, uh, I mean, I've been over to her house and I've seen her undress—I mean, I watched her change—I mean, I accidentally saw her slip something off—I mean... oh, god..." Walker and Klein laughed and slapped poor Vicki on the back, nearly knocking the smallish girl over. "Eh, it's okay. You know, you're really cute when you stutter." "Oh, god!!" "Quiet now," said X seriously. She petted Vicki's hair and said, "It's obvious she's flustered and doesn't know what she's saying. Vick, whenever you find yourself in that situation, try not to panic. You have a bad habit of doing that." "I know," she squeaked. "I'm sorry. It's just... when I get embarrassed, I say all kinds of things and hope the right thing comes out and saves my behind. I just end up in more trouble." Zane and X said "Aww", and hugged her from two sides. Vicki let out a helpless squeak as she was crushed by the older, taller girls, but was saved by a sharp "A-hem!" "Oh." They waved at the source. "Hey June. Lovely day." "Kindly stop smothering my girlfriend," she said. The two jocks chuckled nervously and let Vicki breathe. Once freed, she burst out, gasped, and thanked June. Tramble wheeled over and took her hand, eyes sparkling as she asked, very sweetly, if Victoria was all right. Victoria answered, in a very romantic voice, that she was indeed safe, and glad for her concern. They shared a warm, tender smile, and a kiss that would've been very nice if the two girls who had been pestering poor Grissom had not left—or whistled loudly. "Grow up," murmured June as she rolled her eyes. Vicki waved farewell to them both as she pushed her girlfriend's wheelchair down the hall to their next class. Zane and X stood still for awhile. "That was good." "Yeah. Hey, uh, Zane?" "Yeah?" "You got any plans for Homecoming?" "You mean... am I going with anybody, right?" "Yeah, if you wanna put it that way." "No, I don't have anybody. I'll go, but man... it'll be lonely as hell there. I always did hate going to big social places by myself. Why, you offering?" "Sure, if you like. I mean, I got nowhere else to go and nobody to go with me either. We may as well help each other out." "Yeah, sure. Why not? Hey, X?" "Yeah?" "Does this make us a couple?" "If you want." Zane thought about it—for about two seconds. "Meh... sure, I guess." "All right. Fine by me." "Cool." They quietly walked side by side for a few minutes, passing by one of the restrooms that randomly lined the halls of Stanton. They paused and looked at their settings casually. "Wanna fuck?" asked Walker nonchalantly. Zane's reply was just as compliant. "Sure." "All right." The girls walked through the bathroom door, and to describe anything that happened afterwards would've been an exercise in futility. ......... Finally! School let out and Gabrielle was free! She had just enough time to drive home, shower, and get ready for her date. Lilian asked to meet her in a place called the Arboretum, a large outdoors facility used mostly by joggers and naturalists. It was pretty close to the local university, and although Gabrielle had been there before with her friends, it had been a long time since she went, so she had to ask her girlfriend for directions. Her girlfriend. It brought shivers of warmth to think of her. Lilian. Such a beautiful name—such a beautiful person. After so many failed attempts, heartbreaks, and disappointments, Gabrielle finally believed she had found a woman just right for her: older, more mature, calm, smart, generous, and lovely. Wendy, her very first girlfriend, was cute but hardly reliable; Patricia had been attentive but also obsessive; and Ayanna was nice, but seemed interested in something else, and besides, she was related to Olivia. Lilian was reliable, patient, and plainly interested in Gabrielle, and she also had every other good trait her three previous loves bore—and more. When she got home and started to sprint around the house, her parents asked her (once she was out of the shower and scrambling to get dressed), "And where are you off too in such a rush, young lady?" "Gotta date," she answered, applying lipstick. Her father poked his head in her room. "With Ayanna?" "No, dada, we broke up. I'm going with Lilian now." "Oh, that was quick." "Wasn't Lilian that girl you brought over early in the school year?" asked her mother. "The, uh, the pale girl from Germany?" "Yeah, that's the one." "See?" said her mother, tapping her husband on the stomach. "I told you she liked her." "I believed you. I just gave my girls the benefit of the doubt. But that was awfully quick work, Gab." "Yeah, well, such is the life of a teenager. Mama, ya seen me comb?" "It's in the bathroom, as always." Her parents gave each other a look of defeat as their daughter scrambled around, desperate to do as many things as possible in the shortest period of time. She looked awfully silly, too, but her parents figured it was the love bug's infectious bite. "So where will you be going?" "The Arboretum." "Ah, that's nice. How long do you expect to be there?" "A few hours." "And you'll be back when?" "Before eleven, ma." She knew the drill. Since Gabrielle could drive herself, she jetted off alone, leaving her parents with a farewell and a blown kiss. She began to panic as she drove and faced what seemed to be every red light from there to the university. She cursed mildly at her horrible luck. An ambulance screamed past and delayed her, but then an idea came to her. She changed lanes and drove behind the flashing vehicle, knowing it would clear a path for her. Her quick thinking worked, and she made good time. She arrived at the parking lot early, laughably early, and frowned with embarrassment. "I'm way too strung up for this," she sighed. Gabrielle got out of her car and waited, searching for Lilian. Odds were that she would also drive herself, and that she would be carrying a parasol and dark shades, maybe even a straw hat. Gabrielle's stomach careened around like a mad ambulance while she waited. She eventually walked over to the grass and plucked a few blades to stick in her teeth. Lilian's car drove in ten minutes later, still early, flagged in by Gabrielle's waving hand. As she expected, Nachtheim emerged with a large blue umbrella, sunglasses, and even (she squealed with glee) a cute straw hat. Gabrielle hugged her, forcing her to drop the umbrella. Lilian gave a jerk, but laughed and returned the hug. She blushed as Gabrielle stroked her pale face. "Wow, ya look so cute! How long have ya had that hat?" "Mm, since I was very young. I like it." "Me too. Where can I get one?" "Would you like to have mine?" Gabrielle grinned warmly. Truly, Lilian was a very giving woman; she would've given anyone anything if she felt they needed it. "Oh no, I couldn't." "You sure? I don't mind. It would make a nice present." O'Shannon's cheeks glowed merrily, but she refused all the same. She linked arms with her girlfriend, now sharing the umbrella, and walked with her to the path that wound around the large open space. Even though it was mid-October, people were still out playing, enjoying the last shreds of warm weather before the cold truly began to settle in. The day was perfect for walking and enjoying the scenery: trees erupted with volcanic color, each turning brown, orange, red, or gold; some staying green, green forever, lashing their flavor in with the taste of autumn; it reminded Gabrielle heavily of Blake Baum, who would've gone camouflaged in the autumnal season. "Wonderful day," she said. Lilian hummed. Gabrielle liked that she was not big on talking—after all, talk was cheap and silence was golden—and so it was nice to just be with someone in serenity. She stuffed her hands in her pockets, trying to think of something to say once she had her fill of peace. "Not much to talk about," she whispered. "We covered most everything in Miss Madsen's class." "Mm-hmm. Not too much else to say. We already know each other well." "Yeah. Hey, um... when's your birthday? You never told me that." "January 10th." "Oh, so you don't have too much longer to wait, huh? Let's see... mine is March 23rd, about a week after St. Patrick's. You'll be... eighteen, right?" "Yes, and you'll be seventeen." "Gosh," whispered Gabrielle after awhile. She looked over and gave her girlfriend a smile. "We're not that far apart in age, about... a year, a year and two months. I hope ya don't mind hangin' around with a lil' kid like me!" "No," said Lilian grinning, "I like it. I like you a lot, Gabrielle." She squeezed the woman's hand, rubbing their fingers together softly. Her very touch was erotic; Gabrielle gave out a hum of pleasure, and Lilian laughed. Silence took over again, because neither of them really trusted the moment with words. "You're so pretty when ya laugh," whispered the redhead. "And when ye blush." Lilian laughed and blushed at the same time, which only made Gabrielle smile broader. She clicked her tongue and said, "Lor', we're too friggin' cute for our own good. So tell me, Lil, ya havin' a party for your birthday?" Lilian's smile faded rapidly into a frown, and she hung her head and walked a little slower. Lilian rarely talked about her home life, or really her life in general, so at first Gabrielle thought she was treading on ice. But Lilian seemed okay in telling her. "Ja, my first real party since I was thirteen. I'm supposed to go to this big stupid gala ball... I guess you could call it my 'coming of age' party. My parents had it planned out since I was seventeen, at my last party. They said, 'Lilian, next year you will be an adult... so you need to be treated as an adult', and some other things. They already started planning the whole stupid thing, and come New Year's, they'll be ready." "You don't sound too enthusiastic." "I'm not," she grumbled. "My parents mean well, but it's like I don't even exist to them. All my parties I've had since I turned thirteen have been very quiet, very lonely. They get me a small cake with no candles, and give me two or three presents, usually things I need, like clothes, materials, things like that, although I did get a few books I liked, and last year I got a movie." "Oh, God. Lilian, honey, we gotta do something about all that." "It's not so bad," sighed the albino, holding the umbrella in one hand and her girlfriend's palm in the other. "They don't make a big deal of it, and neither do I. I just get closer to being an adult; that's when they actually care. More than likely it will be my last party; I think they expect me to get my own place after I graduate. Which I will, happily." "Oh. So... tell me about this eighteenth birthday party of yours. I mean, ya must know something." "Ja, like I said, they've been planning it for a whole year. I'm supposed to dress up, do my hair, wear makeup, nonsense like that. They expect me to, you know, be on my best manners and such, and probably bring a date." "Yup, that's me." Lilian broke out of her monotone and laughed sharply. Gabrielle grinned and swung her girlfriend's arm around merrily. "Oh, Gabrielle," she sighed as she calmed down, "it would mean so much if you could come with me and... be my date. It would be a real party with you. Please say you'll come." "Honey," she declared proudly, "you had me at hello!" "Wha?" "Eh, nothing. So, like, tell me more. Will there be food, presents, guests, what?" "Ja," she resumed, "a big gala ball, with lots of fart-heads I don't even know." Now Gabrielle laughed sharply, and Lilian soon joined her. Neither one stopped for a whole minute, drawing some attention to them as they walked around the arboretum. "Fart-heads!" cackled Gab, "That's great! Lil, you're frickin' hilarious!" "It's just the way I feel!" she exclaimed happily. "Vater und mutter have already made out the list. Nobody I know, of course, and certainly not anyone my age. No children either." "Oh, man." Gabrielle lost her merriment and gave her girlfriend a sad stare. "Oh, Lilian. Lilian, honey. We've got to do something about that." She smiled at her girlfriend, and took her hand tenderly. "As long as you come, it'll be okay." "I'm there," she promised. Lilian chuckled. "So what else can I expect?" "Umm... good music, great food, weird guests neither of us know, my vater und mutter... dad and mom, I mean." "It's okay. Oh! You'll have to teach me some German! Ya know, if I'm gonna be your date, I better impress your folks! I don't know if they'd think kindly of me if all I can say from your language is a few words and phrases." "Oh, good idea. Um, what do you want to know?" "Obviously, I'd like to say 'Hello, sir and ma'am', and 'My name is Gabrielle', and things like that." "Well, 'hello sir and ma'am' is Guten tag, herr und frau." Gabrielle tried repeating it, and Lilian pronounced it very slowly until her girlfriend got it right. "Very good! You should also know this: Es ist mir eine Freude sie endlich kennenzulernen." "Uh..." Gabrielle became as pale as Lilian, and asked, "What does that mean?" "It means, 'It's a pleasure to finally meet you'." She grinned, and Gabrielle smiled meekly. "Ho boy, I will have to know that. ...Es ist mir eine Freude sie..." "Es ist mir eine Freude sie endlich kennenzulernen. Slowly." She and Gabrielle went over the words together, again and again, Lilian being very patient with her girlfriend until at last she could say it properly. Gabrielle whistled and wiped her forehead. "I feel like a parrot." "Mm, don't worry, my parents speak English too. We are all bilingual." "Good to know." The girls smiled again, and let silence conquer them. Lilian took a deep breath. "So you are really going with me..." "Yeah, of course!" "That is wonderful, Gabrielle. I would love for you to be my date." "I'd love to come," she answered. "So what should I wear?" "Mmm... something you'd wear to very formal affairs." "Oh. I don't have anything like that. I got a few dress clothes, but they'd never pass." "I could buy you something." "Oh no, honey, no, I couldn't impose." "You wouldn't impose," she replied. "I would be happy to, really I would. I owe you more than you know for agreeing to come with me. Really, it's fine." "You sure?" "Mm-hmm. I owe you a lot." Gabrielle blushed as Lilian whispered to her, grinned, and leaned over to kiss her cheek. Lilian squealed happily, and returned the kiss. Gabrielle turned around after feeling the moist lips of her girlfriend, and they both exchanged a sweet kiss underneath a blue umbrella, blue sky. "Would your parents..." whispered Gabrielle apprehensively, "be okay with you going out with a woman?" "Mm, I don't care. They don't care about me, so why should I care about them?" "Lil, don't say that, hon. If they didn't care for you, why have this party?" "Because I'm their only child, and somebody has to carry on the family name. To answer your question, schatz, I don't think they'd like it very well at all, but... what does that matter? They could not separate me from you." Gabrielle smiled warmly, full of love, and rubbed her nose against Lilian's. She snapped out to kiss her, startling Gabrielle, and the two laughed as they continued to walk, and talk, and hold hands. ............ Janet Keys had not gone on a serious date since her late husband passed away, and she never, ever thought she'd ever go on a date with another woman, let alone someone who had been a student of hers six years earlier. Elspeth Post had asked her out for a casual dinner between coworkers, and there, Janet had learned the truth: that "Ellie" was bisexual, leaning towards homosexual, and she had carried a crush on Keys since her first year at Stanton, a decade ago. To say that Janet was surprised was like saying her drink was wet (she had spat some of it out in shock and got the poor drama teacher wet). "Ellie, that's just... no. No," she had insisted. "I can't. I can't, El. I'm forty-one years old, a widow, heterosexual, an art teacher, and a foster mother. I mean... even if I were interested in you—and no offense, I'm not—we both work at the same place, and... Joss! How would Joss take it!? Look, I'm just... I know I'm upsetting you, El, but I can't be selfish about this. I can't. No, sorry." Elspeth looked hurt. Janet tried to smooth things over. Then she stepped into foolish, dangerous territory, and compromised. Two dates, she said, but she chose where they went, and then they would stop. Elspeth would look for a woman more her age and Janet would prepare for being a foster grandmother. They would not—they could not—get any more intimate than the level they were at now, and Elspeth could ask no great personal question. "I wonder why I'm so anxious about this," murmured Janet to herself as she stared at her reflection. She was at the peak of middle age but looked wonderful: her figure was full and curvy, very proper for a woman her age, and "mature" wrinkles and spots of dark gray had only just begun to sprout. Everything was in place, she was well-dressed and made up like a woman, and she smelled good. But her stomach became home to bees and butterflies, as if she were dating a man instead. "I know I'm not gay," she whispered as she touched the mirror, "nor even remotely so, despite being an art teacher. I like Ellie all right, but not like that. And she used to be my student! Huh. What a revelation. I'm still reeling. Better check on Joss." (She was usually prone to talking out loud to further comfort herself and rationalize situations, and she didn't consider the act crazy) Janet peeked in on her foster daughter and smiled. Jocelyn was busy with a video game, and her best friend Erica Fox was in on it as well. Janet cleared her throat and got the girls' attention. "You two all right?" "Yes ma'am." It wasn't weird for Erica being in a teacher's house, since Janet seemed more like a friend to the students than an instructor—and besides, ever since Jocelyn moved in, she had visited enough to be accustomed to it. "Erica, Jocelyn already knows this, but I'll be going out for awhile. I left you some money in case you wanna go out somewhere or order a pizza. Don't stay up too late, okay Joss?" "Sure, mom." Janet smiled as her heart warmed. She loved being called Mom by Jocelyn, even though they were not even closely related. It made Jocelyn happy, though, so she allowed it. "Where ya goin', Mrs. Keys?" asked Erica. "On a date. There's this outdoor arboretum that I like to jog around. I hear it looks great in the moonlight." "Oh, sounds like a romantic evening! Anyone special coming with you?" "Just an old friend of mine. I won't be out long. I guess I better get going." She waved farewell after looking at her watch, and closed the door on her daughter and company. Jocelyn paused the game, let out a long breath, and rubbed her face. "Frustrated?" asked Erica kindly. "Uh... mom's acting a little unusual. I mean, it's not the first time she's been on a date since I came, but... something tells me it's different. Call it soon-to-be-motherly intuition." "I think your soon-to-be-motherly intuition is whacked." Erica laughed and forcibly unpaused the game, making Jocelyn yelp. She gave her friend a swat, emerged victorious, and performed a small victory dance. Erica groaned. "Oh stop, you look ridiculous, Joss." "Do not. So tell me about Amina." "We're friends. I already said that." "Did you kiss her?" "No. She's not gay, Joss." "Too bad for you, huh?" "Mm, not really. Plenty of women still on the market." "Ew, don't you ever compare women to produce." They both laughed, and Jocelyn sat down because she was feeling tired. Erica snuggled up to her, holding her body gently with her arms, and leaned up to give her best friend a kiss on her cheek. "Thought of what you're going to name the baby?" she whispered. Jocelyn smiled. "Theodore if it's a boy, Dorothy if it's a girl." "Quaint. Any reason why?" "Theodore means 'gift from God', and Dorothy means 'goddess of gifts'. Either way, I think it'll be a fitting name for the baby. Their middle name will either be Janet or Henderson." (Henderson had been the name of Janet's late husband) "Not Erica?" Jocelyn grinned. "Oh, of course. The baby will have two middle names: Eric if it's a boy..." "And Erica if it's a girl." Now they both grinned, Fox giving McKeough a thank-you hug. "So," she asked, "will I still be the kid's godmother?" "Of course. I'd be honored." Erica smiled and hugged her friend (Jocelyn truly loved hugs), and without really thinking or meaning to, she touched both her cheeks and gave her a brief kiss on the lips. The odd thing was not Jocelyn's reaction, but the fact that it had not been their first. ......... Janna Raulson was petrified with grief. Her cellphone finally collapsed to the floor with a bang after being held so loosely, so long. What a brief message that had been. At least Abi had the courtesy to call, but it was a short one, and she sounded so careless. Raulson wished that she could've been the one to puncture through the lovely Miss Cerio, to make her see that a long-term relationship was beautiful, and she need not spend her life hopping between beds and breasts. Her message said, "Hi Janna, it's me. Listen, um, I've had a good time with you, so I think maybe we could end this relationship on a high note. You've been a wonderful girlfriend, but me... well, I don't like to get tied down, even with someone as sweet and sexy as you are. Don't worry, you'll find someone better, someone you deserve. Me? Haha... stay away from me, I'm trouble. Seriously, though, it was great for awhile, don't you think? It's my opinion that this is the best way to end this. I hope you're not too hurt, honey. See you at work, bye!" Janna Raulson covered her eyes so she wouldn't cry. She had told Abi she loved her. What a foolish waste of emotion that had been! Depressed, and with no one to turn to, she resigned herself to a hot bath and the newspaper classified ads again. Out with the young, in with someone she knew she wouldn't like nearly as much. It was so frustrating... Damn you, Abi, she sighed. If you liked me so much, why'd you let me go? Love gave Janna Raulson no mercy. ...... That night produced many strange occurrences, things and events that affected many people, and in turn, many of the people affected believed the strange occurrences would never happen to them. They seemed too unlikely, but fact oftentimes was more queer than fiction. It was by no fault of the moon, which was in the middle of its phase, nor the stars, as the Bard had agreed upon, but of something or another inside each person, something that told them to go, carpe dium (which ironically was darkening), do it, before worse things befell them: before they began to regret. Janet Keys stood stone still as Elspeth Post kissed her. Amina Washim found friendship with Nomi Nakatori... and more. Sarah Johansson and Emma McGowen slept together. Janna Raulson lost Abi Cerio to Dr. Andrews. Erica became more than a godmother. And Gabrielle O'Shannon fell deeper in love with Lilian Nachtheim. Not all of these strange occurrences were unwelcome. In fact, some passed with great beauty. Others... "Fuck," whispered X, searching around her room in the nude, "where's my God-fucking-damned panties?" Zane purred with lust as she watched the nude woman wander around, breasts jiggling and rear end curving. "I think you threw them out your window in a fit of animal lust," she said. Walker froze and gave her new lover a horrified stare. "I whaaaaaaaat?!?!?!?!"
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