MVP is copyrighted ©2001 CE Gray

Sex Disclaimer: But of course! This is the story of two women who love each other, and have been known to express that love. Nothing extremely graphic, as always, but if you can't handle a little love, I suggest you click "back".

Language Disclaimer: Let's just say I'd be in big trouble if I ever talked like this in front of my mother. There are lots and lots of bad words in here, because a six-foot tall woman is not someone you want to piss off, but when she gets mad, she does curse. Please have a bar of soap handy.

Thanks to: Again, thanks to my beta and best friend, Amber, and my friend Charlene, for all their input into this story. And for keeping this little bard going when things got tough. I love you guys!

No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.

- Robert Frost

Without further ado, the story!

Y02Mustang@AOL.com

Part 3

The next morning, not long after Jennie arrived at work, the phone rang. Picking it up, all the while keeping an eye on the children, she answered, "Uncle Mac's Daycare, this is Jennie speaking, may I help you?"

"Hi, honey," came a deep even voice from the other end.

"Cody?" asked Jennie, surprised.

"Yeah," said the woman. "I just called to say hi. And to apologize for last night. I'm really sorry I left like that," she said.

"Yeah, I was wondering what was going on," Jennie admitted. "You scared me."

"I'm sorry, Jen," she said, honestly. "That was the last thing I wanted to do. I just had some things on my mind, and got to thinking about something that happened a long time ago. It kind of got to me, but I shouldn't have taken it out on you," she finished.

"Are you okay now?" she asked, kindly, and Cody was very surprised that she

wasn't going to have to go through an interrogation as to what had caused all the trouble.

"I'm all right, thanks," replied the tall star, still waiting nervously for the infamous demand of "Tell me about it".

"How'd you get home, by the way?" was the next question.

"Took the bus," Cody muttered. She'd forgotten about not having her bike until she was halfway down the street, and was too embarrassed by the way she'd acted to go back and ask Jennie if she could use the phone to call a taxi.

Jennie was relieved. She'd worried about the woman, out there in the dark, without a ride home. Knowing she got home safely made her feel better. "Well, I've got to run. Some of the kids are really upset about James, so I need to talk to them. I'll see you at home later, and we can go to the movie, okay?" she asked, and Cody agreed.

"Take care, honey. Bye," she said, and hung up. With a sigh, feeling a little better about the tall star, Jennie turned her attentions to the matter at hand - dealing with distraught children who had just lost one of their friends.

Despite an emotional morning, the day went well, and there was no sign of Mac

the entire day, which was a plus in Jennie's book. Heading home quickly, Jennie anxious to get ready to go the movies with Cody, she stuck Jeffrey in the bath while she got dressed, but ran into a slight problem, which she was still dealing with when Cody knocked.

"Jen? It's me," Cody clarified, when there was a period of silence after her knock.

"Come in!" called Jennie, and Cody closed the door behind her.

Looking around and not spying the blonde, Cody's voice rang out, "Jen? You ready to go?" They were planning to see a movie, the new one starring the kid from the old horror flick The Sixth Sense… Cody couldn't remember his name.

The small woman emerged from the bathroom. "Not yet; I'm sorry, Cody. Jeff refuses to get out of the bathtub. I'd lift him out myself, but I'm already dressed. He's just not listening; he's been in a bad mood all day today," she sighed, recalling how her son had sulked around the daycare, ignoring most of his friends, neglecting to open up to Jennie, who was preoccupied with the other children most of the day.

"Mind if I try?" When Jennie had no objections, the tall star politely knocked on the frame of the door, before entering the room. Sure enough, there sat Jeffrey in the tub, water now cold and bubbles long since gone.

"Hey, little man," she greeted, and the boy glanced up at her, warily.

"Hi, Cody." Brown eyes kept a careful watch on her as she stepped closer, and sat down on the toilet seat, now mere inches from the tub.

"I hear you're giving your mom a hard time. Want to tell my why?" The boy shook his head. "Well, your mom and I are going to a movie, but you have to be all ready for bed before we can take you over to James'."

"I don't wanna go," he pouted.

"Why not? I thought you liked James."

"No."

Cody shook her head. There was something else going on here; Jeff was typically a well-behaved kid, so this type of attitude was unusual. "Listen, do you want to tell me what's wrong? I know there's something bothering you, little man. Why don't you climb out of there and talk to me?"

"No."

"I hate to say this, Jeffrey, but either you get out right now and get yourself dressed, or I'll do it myself," she warned, evenly.

"No."

"Okay," Cody sighed, grasping the child under the arms and lifting him out of the water. Placing him on the floor, the boy still sitting, Cody began drying him with the towel.

"Stop," he whined. "I could do it myself."

A dark eyebrow was raised as Cody handed him the towel. "You certainly weren't acting like it a few seconds ago," she remarked.

The young boy frowned. "I don't want my mom to go with you," he stated, and Cody blinked, surprised by the sudden admission.

"Why not?"

"'Cause I don't see her no more, and we don't watch TV together no more and I don't get my story," he explained, and Cody paused. She'd been enjoying her time with Jennie so much she hadn't even stopped to consider if Jeff was feeling included or not.

Apparently, he wasn't, and Cody felt bad.

"Jeffrey, I'm sorry," she said, sincerely. "We didn't mean to exclude you. Why don't you hurry up and get dressed, and you can go to the movies with us? And we'll try to take you along more often, okay?" Cody offered, and the boy smiled.

"I could go with you?" When Cody nodded, the young child ran into his room to get dressed, while Cody went to let Jennie know of the change in plans.

The blonde looked almost devastated. "Oh, no… how could I have overlooked his feelings?" she muttered.

Cody wrapped her arm around the smaller woman's shoulders. "Jen, honey, you didn't overlook his feelings. We were just too excited about our own time together, we didn't expect Jeff to be interested. But we'll be sure to do better from here on out," Cody assured the blonde with a light kiss.

"Hey, there's my little man!" exclaimed Cody, seeing the boy exit his room. "You ready to go? All right then, let's head out." Jeff had thrown on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, squirming uncomfortably when the tall baseball star wet her thumb and fixed the cowlick atop his head, giggling as Cody lightly tickled his stomach after she was done.

"I guess we'll have to take your car," noted Cody. "I'd rather not take my bike with both of you."

Jennie agreed, and offered to drive to the theater. On the way there, the three discussed which movie to see, since the R-rated movie Jennie and Cody had picked out was no longer an option, with Jeffrey along.

"Jellybean!" voted Jeff, as Cody and Jennie exchanged glances. Did they really want to sit through a kid's movie about a magic green jellybean that comes to the aid of a small boy?

Only as long as it meant they could be together.

"Sure, little man," grinned Cody. "Jellybean it is."

"An' can we get popcorn?"

Jennie responded, "It wouldn't be a movie without it."

"Yea! We're gonna see Jellybean, we're gonna see Jellybean," Jeff sang, thrilled by the idea as Cody chuckled at his enthusiasm. "And we're gonna have popcorn. And candy and soda!"

"Hey, now, I don't think you need any sugar," said Jennie. "Maybe we'll share a soda, but nothing more." Both Cody and Jeffrey pouted, Cody sticking her lower lip out as far as she could, until the blonde couldn't hold back her laughter.

"All right, maybe we'll share a bag of candy, too."

"Yes!" Giving the boy in the back seat a high-five, Cody lovingly ruffled his hair, as Jennie looked on with a smile. Sometimes the tall woman amazed her with her gentleness and love around Jeffrey and herself. Even when the star had a hard day at practice, she still managed to play baseball with Jeffrey, and usually spend a few minutes alone with Jennie.

"What's that look for?" asked Cody, noticing that Jennie kept looking at her from the corner of her eye.

The blonde blushed slightly at being caught, and replied, "Just thinking about how good you are with Jeff."

"Ah, he's a good kid," smiled the star, brushing her long black hair behind her ear in a rare moment of embarrassment. The duration of the drive was spent in a comfortable silence, and the soft eyes of a child lit up with delight when the large theater came into view.

"Wow! There's lots of lights so we can see at night, huh?"

Cody grinned at the boy. "Yep, and they're also for decoration, and to make people want to stop by," she explained, patiently.

"I know that." Cody just smirked - five-year-olds were worse than teenagers when it came to knowing everything, but Cody appreciated the fact that Jeff was willing to learn.

Stepping outside and waiting for Jennie, Cody took Jeff's small hand in her own when it was offered, the boy's mother grasping his other. Walking with Jeffrey between them, the two women entertained him by lifting him over every crack in their path, smiling when the child's happy laughter filled the air.

Walking through the door after buying the tickets, Jeffrey stood in awe of the vast selection of virtual reality machines that lined the far wall, with a banner above the room proclaiming, "Games!"

Expectant brown eyes looked up at both women. "Can I?" Jeff asked, full of hope.

Cody looked at Jennie, who nodded. "Tell you what, little man," she said, kneeling down to be eye-level with the boy. "Why don't you go play games with your mom, and I'll take of the popcorn and the candy?" If Jeff was feeling that Cody was taking up more of his mother's time than he was comfortable with, Cody was determined to make sure he and Jennie spent some time together.

The blonde smiled, and took her son by the hand. "Come on, Jeff. It looks like there's a new game open, and not too much of a line," she hinted, and the boy took off towards the room, before running back to Cody and giving her a hug.

"Thanks, Cody," he murmured, and then rejoined his mom, leaving a brilliantly smiling baseball star behind him. Getting to her feet, Cody shook her head fondly, and stood in line for the refreshments.

"Pow! Bang! Boom! Ha ha!" cried Jeff, his voice ringing out as he held his hands out in front of him, curled into fists, seeing the form on the view screen in his helmet. When he ducked down, so did the display on the screen. Small boxes where in the area, available for hiding behind to dodge attacks. The game included sounds, transferred through speakers in the helmet, so neither Jennie nor Jeffrey heard Cody calling until their game ended, having fought the bad guys side-by-side.

"Yeah, we won! Cody, did you see?" he asked, bouncing around, happily reenacting a scene from the game.

"Yep, I saw you guys," she grinned, and held the door open for both Jennie and Jeffrey to enter the theater, where the lights were slowly dimming, signifying that the movie was about to start.

"Where do you want to sit, little man? It's all up to you," Cody said, and the boy chose a seat in the back - something Cody and Jennie greatly appreciated. Being away from most of the people gave them a chance to be close, without having to worry about being bothered by narrow-minded observers.

With crystal clear video and sound, the members of the audience watched George the green computer-animated jellybean learn about friends, bullies, and parents. It was a standard kid's film, dealing with the normal kid issues, but not a bad movie altogether. As long as Cody was able to hold hands with Jennie and steal an occasional kiss, she was happy.

"Did you like the movie, Jeff?" questioned the blonde, walking out hand-in-hand with Cody, the connection having become so natural she didn't even think anything of it.

"Yeah! I wanna watch it again!"

Cody chuckled, and made a mental note to buy the film when it came out on DVD. Old videocassettes were obsolete, and now qualified as subject matter for history books. Even DVDs were being gradually replaced by micro-discs, a miniature CD.

"Fucking dyke sluts," could be heard across the parking lot, and Cody instantly stiffened, searching with dangerously narrowed eyes for the owners of the voices.

Jennie relinquished the star's hand, whispering, "Just let it go," as even Jeffrey's good mood diminished, and the boy fell silent. Taking a deep breath, Cody continued on her way to the car, and was tempted to let it drop, when two large men stepped into view, one revealing a switchblade, which he snapped open.

"Let's show these bitches what a real man feels like," the one with the knife encouraged, and Cody immediately pushed Jennie and Jeffrey towards the car.

"Get in the car, both of you," she said, her voice trembling a bit from the adrenaline coursing through her veins. "Jennie, please don't argue with me right now, just put Jeff in the car and stay down," Cody ordered, lowly, and the blonde did as she was told, to Cody's relief.

When the first man, who couldn't have been older than about twenty-one, made a slash at her with his blade, she cursed under her breath, jumping back just in time to miss being hit. Her backpack was in the side compartments of her bike, and so was her knife.

She was unarmed.

"Listen, I don't want to hurt either of you," she explained, dodging another jab, and ducking as the second one threw a punch, both thugs now closing in around her.

"Oh, hurt me, baby," smirked the bare-handed man, earning himself a quick kick in the jaw before he even saw it coming, stumbling backwards, stunned.

Glaring at the man with the knife, she spat, "Try me again, ass hole, I dare you." With a growl, he did just that, and Cody leapt to the side and just missed being stabbed, wrapping one arm around his neck and the other restraining the hand with the weapon. Choking, he dropped the knife to claw at his throat, and Cody released him with a push towards his dazed buddy.

"Get out of my sight before I get really pissed, you stupid fucks," the woman cursed, and the two took off into the night, never once looking back. When she was sure they were gone, she kicked the knife away, and then went to check on Jennie and Jeffrey.

"You two okay?" she asked, opening the rear door to see Jeffrey huddled on his mother's lap. "Hey, Jen, Jeffrey, are you guys all right?"

Jennie looked up and nodded. "What about you, Cody? Are you hurt?" the blonde asked, and Cody gave a half-grin.

"Nah, they didn't get a hit in," she assured the woman, kissing the top of her head, as well as Jeff's. "Come on, let's go home. I'll drive." Their pleasant night ending on a sour note, Cody drove the two people she cared for the most in the world back home, carrying Jeffrey to bed and tucking him in tightly.

"You sure you're all right, little man? You're not scared?"

Jeffrey shook his head. "No, you're here," he stated, honestly, and Cody smiled.

"Thanks, Jeff. You get some sleep, okay? Good night," she added, shutting of the light and moving out into the living room with Jennie, who was sitting on the couch.

"Come here," the small blonde beckoned, opening her arms. Cody willingly sank into her hold, and Jennie questioned, "Are you sure they didn't hurt you? Honestly, Cody, please… are you hurt?"

Cody smiled. "I promise I'm fine, honey, but thank you for your concern. I just put Jeff to bed, and he seems to be all right." The stillness of the night descended upon the two for a few minutes, as they both took time to come down after the emotional evening, Cody trying to straighten out a few of the thoughts coursing through her mind.

"Jen, can I ask you something? You don't have to answer, I'm just curious," said Cody, her tone of voice enough to make the blonde look up.

"Of course, Cody. What is it?"

Cody paused, trying to figure out how to phrase her inquiry so as not to offend or upset the young woman. "When I told you I was going to build the playground at the daycare, you almost seemed surprised that I was honestly going to do it… can I ask what happened?" she asked, gently, and Jennie sighed, sitting up straight.

"It was a long time ago," the woman began, not meeting Cody's gaze as she fiddled with the seam of the couch, pulling at a thread. "Jeff was only about a year old, and I was with a woman named Donna. We started out as friends, but she quickly decided she wanted more, and I was pulled into her enthusiasm.

"When we'd been together for about three months, Donna and I started talking about beginning our own daycare, since she also worked for Mac, and felt the same way about him as I did," Jennie spoke, her voice low as she remembered things she'd promised herself she'd never think of again.

"It took two months of planning, but we finally had it all laid out. Donna offered to take the idea over to the bank for not only a loan but to begin an account, and I agreed. She took the money and never came back. It took me a long time to recover from that, both financially and emotionally.

"So when you first offered to pay for everything and put it all together," concluded the blonde, finally meeting the blue-eyed woman's compassionate stare, "I guess my first thought was that you wouldn't go through with it. I was cautious, but now I know I had no reason to worry."

"I'm not Donna," agreed Cody, softly. "I'm sorry she hurt you like that, but I can promise you I won't. Money's not an issue with me, and I don't want to ever do anything to hurt you in any way. You can trust me, Jennie," she assured the young woman, who smiled.

"I do trust you, Cody. I really don't believe you're the kind to act like Donna. But, it's getting late. I'll see you tomorrow?"

Cody grinned. "Yep, for dinner. Get some rest, honey. You sure you don't want me to stay? I will, if you need," the star offered, and Jennie chuckled.

"Of course I want you to stay, but I think we'll be okay tonight. Good night, Cody, and thank you for taking care of the situation tonight," the blonde added.

The tall woman leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "I'm not about to let anything happen to you or Jeffrey. 'Night, Jen," she murmured, reluctantly pulling back and forcing herself to walk out the door and drive home.

The next day, Jennie became more and more nervous as time wore on. Happy as she was to be going out to dinner with Cody, she was extremely concerned as to what her parents would think when she told them who she was dating. Unable to stop time, however, the workday quickly came to an end, and the last child waved their goodbye from the back of an electrically powered vehicle.

Jeffrey readily helped Jennie close up, and they drove home, the small boy helping his mother choose her outfit. He was all too happy to have his mom go out with Cody, since Jennie had patiently explained that while she and Cody would take Jeff with them to as many things as they could, there were some places he just wouldn't be able tag along. The young boy understood, and decided that spending time with James and Mike would be much more fun than eating dinner at a stuffy restaurant with his grandparents.

Jeffrey thought the dress suit his mother wore to their occasional church attendance would be nice, and Jennie agreed, slipping on the beige slacks, white shirt, and beige jacket. She made sure she was comfortable, since she had no doubt the tall woman would ride her motorcycle.

Sure enough, not long after Jennie was dressed, Jeffrey ran to answer the door when he heard the doorbell ring. He happily let Cody inside, who wore black dress pants, with a crisp white shirt and a black coat, followed by James. Jeffrey bid his mother goodnight, and ran after the male baseball player, who led him out to the car where his son was waiting.

"Wow," said Cody, grinning as the young blonde flushed a light red. "I'm going to have to keep my eye on you, lest those line of guys outside your door get their hands on you."

Jennie smiled, and gave her a quick kiss, before heading to the door, singing, "Oh, boys!" Cody growled, and went after her, literally sweeping her off her feet as she swung her around.

"She's mine," she proclaimed, to the nonexistent competition, kissing the woman in her arms soundly on the lips to prove her point.

"And don't you forget it," said Jennie, as she climbed on the motorcycle behind the tall woman, after securing her helmet.

"Never," promised Cody, with a grin, as she revved the engine, and took off down the road. They had half-an-hour to make it to the restaurant by six, but she figured they had plenty of time.

Cody eyed the traffic with caution, noticing that the black car in front of her didn't seem to be slowing for the upcoming stop sign. Catching a movement out of the corner of her right eye, she saw a green van coming towards the intersection, without a stop sign in their way.

The noise was deafening, as the vehicles collided, and Cody did all she could to keep from adding the motorcycle to the crash. "Shit!" she cried, braking hard, bringing her hand behind her to help keep Jennie on the bike, as the motorcycle slid to a stop. By the time Cody had checked on her passenger, smoke was already billowing out of the cars, the black car having run the stop sign and slammed into the green van, who technically had the right-of-way.

Jumping off the motorcycle, and removing her helmet, Cody opened the side compartments, as Jennie looked on, startled by the sight before her.

"Call 911," Cody said, tossing her a cell phone. "Tell the dispatcher there's been an accident on…" she glanced up at the street names, "4th and Davis. I'll tell you how many are injured when I know.

"Jen, you can do it," she assured the woman. The blonde nodded, and the tall woman rushed to the smoky scene, first aid kid in hand. Laying it on the ground, she went up to the black car, which had been hit the worst in the passenger side, and opened the driver's front door.

A man, probably about fifty or so, was slumped over his steering wheel, as a young girl beside him cried and begged, "Grandpa, wake up!"

Cody locked eyes with the brown-eyed child, and tried to calm her down. "My name's Cody," she said. "I'm going to help your grandfather, okay?"

The girl nodded, and watched with big eyes as the tall woman quickly checked

the man for a pulse, and finding none, stabilized his head as best she could, before removing the large man from the crunched car.

"Come on out here," urged Cody, and the girl clambered out of the car in a hurry. Noticing she was holding her arm, where a large piece of glass was protruding, the star knew she'd have to take care of the other victims first, since the girl didn't seem to have any other injuries.

"Sit on the curb, sweetheart," she said, and held up three fingers to Jennie who was still on the phone, taking note of the sole driver in the green van, and then noticed she was gaining an audience.

"Any of you know first aid or CPR?" No one stepped forward. "Then stay out of my way. You," she said, pointing to a man who was just stepping out of his car to get a closer look, "park down at the end of the block, and direct traffic. Keep your hazard lights on.

"You, do the same up there," she instructed to another spectator, so the flow of traffic would be stopped, and the people sprang into action. "Don't need another accident," she mumbled.

"Jennie!" she called, and the blonde hurried over.

"They're on their way," she reported.

"Good. Sit with the girl on the curb," Cody requested. "Don't let her go into shock; if she complains of being really hot, or starts shivering from cold, let me know. Jen," she said, before the woman left. "Thanks. You're doing fine."

As Jennie sat down beside the child, Cody checked her grandfather for internal bleeding or broken bones. Finding none, save a concussion on his forehead, she was going to begin CPR, when the smoke snaking through the hood of the other car turned into orange flames. Since gasoline was a thing of the past, she didn't have to worry about an explosion, but electrical fires were a definite cause for concern. The old man was, unfortunately, going to have to wait, as Cody decided she'd much rather get that fire under control than to have to deal with an explosion that could injure everyone around.

With a growl, she ran to the driver's side, where the woman was struggling to get free. The doors were stuck, and the fire was growing, smoke filling the inside. Taking off her jacket and wrapping it around her hand, she shouted at the woman to cover her face and get as far away from the window as she could, before sighing when she realized the woman had stopped struggling, and passed out.

One swift punch, and the glass gave way. Clearing the glass from the frame as much as she could, the tall woman took a step back for a moment, coughing, as smoke surrounded her face. Cody worked on opening the door, but it wouldn't budge, so she quickly unlatched the unconscious woman's seat belt, and tried to pull her out, trying to ignore the blood that was running down her arm.

But, the driver's left foot was stuck between the floor and the dash. Leaning through the window, hoping she didn't cut her stomach, Cody grabbed the twisted ankle, and freed it, paying no mind to the fact that the young brunette's shoe slipped off. Taking the woman under her arms, she drug her out of the window, and then brought her over next to her first victim, noticing she couldn't have been more than 20- or 25-years-old.

"Hey!" she called, to a man who was just standing there. "Come here." Tilting the brunette's head back, she ordered the man to kneel beside her, and paused for a moment before telling him what to do.

"Anyone here have a fire extinguisher?" One woman stepped forward, shyly. "Don't just stand there, goddamn it, go take care of the van before it gets worse!" Darting into her vehicle, the woman retrieved her fire extinguisher, and did as she was told, the fire soon under control.

"Pinch her nose and give two slow breaths, and watch her chest to make sure the air gets into her lungs. Keep it up until she starts breathing on her own," she instructed the nervous man who was kneeling beside the unconscious woman. Seeing his hesitation, she continued, "She has a pulse, but she's not breathing. She needs you to do it for her. Just do it!" Gathering his courage, the man did as he was bid, and Cody checked the girl's grandfather for a pulse again.

Still nothing.

Placing her right palm two fingers above the man's breastbone, she put her left hand over top and interlaced her fingers to keep her hands steady, and leaned over so her hands were positioned right under her shoulders. Without bending her elbows, using the weight of her upper body, she started doing chest compressions.

"… and four, and five, and six," she counted, and the man beside her, who was

comforting the woman who was coughing as she breathed on her own again, just stared at her, hearing the popping noise that occurred every time Cody pushed down on his chest.

"What's that noise?" he asked, encouraging the lady to relax.

"His ribs," replied Cody, tilting the man's head back and doing rescue breathing as the bystander had done with the woman. Giving him two breaths, and watching his chest rise as her air filled his lungs, she went back to doing the compressions.

"What do you mean? You're breaking his ribs?" the man cried.

She glared at him. "I have to compress down about an inch and a half," she explained. He still looked horrified, and didn't understand that, especially with older people, the pressure of the compression was often too much for their ribs to handle, but it had to be done, if he was going to have a chance.

"They can fix cracked ribs, but they can't fix him if he's dead!" she snarled, and leaned down to give the man another breath. Before she could finish another set of compressions, the ambulance and police officers arrived, and the paramedics took over CPR. While they were busy with the more seriously injured, Cody walked over to the girl, who was sitting on the curb still, talking with Jennie.

Cody was glad the blonde had turned the girl away from the scene, so she wouldn't have to watch her grandfather being worked on.

"Hey," she smiled, retrieving her first aid kit as she approached. "Can I take a look at that arm, sweetheart?"

"Yeah," said the girl. "I'm Anna," she added.

"That's a pretty name," said Cody, as she opened several packages of gauze. "I'm just going to put these pads around the glass, so it doesn't move and hurt you more, and then I'll wrap your arm. Okay?"

"Okay," agreed the girl. "You're not gonna take it out?"

Cody shook her head. "No," she said, "the glass might be helping you. You're doing a terrific job," she praised, as she began to use the roll bandage to hold the gauze in place. If she removed the piece of glass from the girl's arm, she was afraid the blood would flow much quicker than it was, and determined that the foreign object was probably doing a good job of slowing the bleeding.

"Cody, is my Grandpa gonna be okay? I kept asking Jennie, but she said she didn't know," said Anna, and Cody sighed.

"The paramedics are helping him right now," said Cody, gently, as she tied off the bandage, and looked into the girl's face. "They'll do all they can."

Anna nodded, and threw her arms around Cody's neck, squeezing her tightly.

"Thank you," she said, and then walked over to the man in the uniform, who was beckoning to her.

The tall woman took a deep breath, and sat down beside Jennie, glancing over

at the young woman. "Are you okay?" she asked, and the blonde nodded.

"Yeah," she said, taking a shaky breath. "I think so."

"You did a great job out there, honey," she smiled, putting her arm around her shoulders. "I really appreciate your help." Seeing the paramedics load an alert, talking man into the ambulance, along with his granddaughter, Cody broke out into a grin.

"You saved them, Cody," said Jennie, putting her head on the broad shoulder.

"You were amazing. I didn't know you knew first aid, much less CPR."

Cody shrugged. "I renew my license every year," she said, casually. Reaching into the first aid kit, she took out some more gauze, and Jennie watched as she began working on her own arm.

"Cody!" she cried. "What happened?"

"Just a little glass," she said, "that's all." While her hand had been protected from the glass, the woman's arm had been sliced, and was bleeding in several places.

"You should get that looked at," said Jennie, and motioned a paramedic over before Cody could stop her.

"So, you do bleed," smiled the paramedic, as he walked up to her, and examined her arm. "Hm, not even green blood! Some of the witnesses around here were thinking you were some kind of god or something. Well, at the very least, you're an angel with very real injuries. I'll get an officer to take you to the hospital, so you can get it sewn up.

"Thanks," he added, before he left. "You saved that man's life, and did some real nice work. Take care of yourself." Cody echoed the same, and the man walked away, speaking to a uniformed police officer on his way. Cody watched the medic point to her, and saw the policeman nod, and sighed.

"Well, I guess dinner's a bust for tonight," she said, grimly. "Sorry, honey."

"Oh, I should call my parents!" cried Jennie, grabbing Cody's cell phone, and dialing the number that was tucked away in her pocket.

"Yes, will you please tell Dana Donavon she has a phone call? Thanks," Jennie said, when the man agreed. Moments later, Mrs. Donavon got on the line, and sounded concerned.

"Jennie, is that you? What's wrong? Your father and I were getting worried!"

The blonde sighed. "It's okay, mom," she assured her. "But, I'm afraid we'll have to reschedule dinner to another night. We were on our way, when there was an accident, and we stopped to help," she explained.

"Well, that was very nice of you, dear," smiled Dana. "Is tomorrow night okay?"

"Let me ask Cody," she said, and put her hand over the receiver. "Cody, are you free for dinner tomorrow night? My mom wants to cash the rain check early." The tall woman nodded, as she began to wrap her arm, and Jennie put the phone on her shoulder as she continued the conversation, taking over the bandaging.

"Yeah, that's fine," replied Jennie. "We'll see you then, mom. Good night," she said, and hung up a moment later. As gently as she could, the blonde tied off the bandage, and helped Cody to her feet. "What do you want to do with your motorcycle?"

The tall woman shrugged. "I can drive it to the hospital, if need be," she said. "I can't just leave it here… Let me talk to the officer." Walking over to the uniformed officer, who was planning on taking her to the hospital, she asked him if it would be all right if she just drove herself to the hospital.

"I'll escort you, then," sighed the man, and Cody agreed. Putting on her helmet, and helping Jennie fasten hers, the tall woman pulled in behind the black and white police car, and followed it to the medical center.

"Ow!" said Cody, as the doctor drew the needle and thread threw her arm. The man didn't say a word, concentrating on his task, and the tall woman growled.

"I said ow," she persisted, and heard Jennie chuckle.

"I swear, Cody, you're worse than Jeffrey," said the blonde, kissing the woman's cheek, who grinned.

"Yeah," Cody agreed, "I'm just too darned cute to resist. Ow!"

"All done," smiled the doctor, bandaging the sewn arm of his patient. "Come back in a week to get the stitches taken out. Don't get it wet, and you should be fine. Oh, and no baseball," he added.

Blue eyes widened. "What?" she exclaimed. "No baseball? You've got to be

kidding me. I have to play - I've got a game in… three days," she calculated.

"Too soon," he said. "You'll chance tearing your stitches if you exert yourself like that. Just take it easy, and I'll see you back here in a week." That said, he left, and Cody sighed.

"I'm playing baseball," she stated, and Jennie laughed at the way her lower lip stuck out as she pouted.

"Right now, we're going home," said the blonde, and Cody agreed, following the woman outside. Securing their helmets, the two climbed on the motorcycle, and Cody drove Jennie to her house, dropping her off.

"I'd love to stay, honey, but I'd have to leave early in the morning, anyhow," she said. "I've got to let Joe know I got hurt. I still have to attend practice, but I'll probably just go over some of the plays, and help the guys improve. I'll talk to you tomorrow night, and pick you up for dinner, all right?"

Jennie sighed. "Okay," she said, kissing the woman softly before she left. "Get some sleep."

"Promise," smiled the star, returning the kiss, and then replacing her helmet. "I'll ask James tomorrow at practice if he'll mind keeping Jeffrey another night, and let you know what he says." With a quick smile, the woman rode away, and the blonde watched her go, before realizing she was still standing outside in the dark, and went inside.

The next day passed quickly for the blonde. When James dropped Jeffrey off at the daycare, she thanked him over and over for letting him stay, and mentioned the possibility of another night of the same.

"Sure," smiled the man, kindly. "Jeff's a great kid, and he and Mike had a good time. I'll pick him up on break, if that's all right, and he can spend the rest of the day at practice with us."

Jeffrey was thrilled by the idea, so Jennie agreed, and James told the boy he'd be back in a few hours. Every ten minutes, Jeffrey asked Jennie how much longer, until the woman finally said she'd tell her son when it had been two hours.

"Jennifer," said Mac, coming out of his office for just a minute, "I need to see you after the kids are gone, but before you close up."

"Okay," agreed the blonde, biting her lip. Had she done something wrong? A million thoughts ran through her mind, interrupted by the sound of crying.

Looking around, she saw that Nicole didn't want to let go of her mother's leg.

"Hi, Nicole," said Jennie, kneeling down to be next to the girl, who's mother looked exasperated. "What's wrong?"

"My mom's going away!" she cried, and Jennie glanced up at Theresa, who sighed.

"I have to leave for three days on business," she explained. "She doesn't want me to go without her."

"Nicole, I think I've got an idea," the blonde said, and the girl looked at her, brown eyes curious. "Why don't you let your mom go, and we'll read some books. The sooner she leaves, the sooner she can get done with her business, and the quicker she'll come back," she enticed, and the girl thought about it for a minute.

"Okay," she sniffled, taking Jennie's hand, waving goodbye to her mother, who was looking gratefully at her friend as she walked out the door. "Can we read this one?" she asked, going over to the bookcase, and Jennie nodded, calling all of the children over for story time.

Just after lunchtime, but before their naps, James came back to pick up Jeffrey, who gave his mother a quick hug and rushed out the door. Thanking James once more, Jennie turned back to her charges, and announced that they would watch a movie before naptime.

Jennie knocked softly on the frame of the open door, hoping not to startle the man as he sat at his desk.

"Mr. Donaldson? You wanted to speak with me?" she urged, quietly.

The man looked up, and nodded, motioning for her to come in, checking the clock to make sure it was closing time. "Yeah," he agreed, and added, "close the door behind you, please, Jennifer."

The blonde frowned, and paused, but did as she was told. She suddenly had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach, but shrugged it off to not knowing what he was going to talk to her about - nervousness, she told herself.

"You like this job, don't you, Jennifer?" asked the older man, after Jennie took the seat in front of his desk, and the woman nodded.

"Yes, sir," she confirmed. "I love the children."

"You'd do anything to keep this job, wouldn't you?"

A fair eyebrow made its way upward. "Yes," the woman drawled, unsure of where the man was going. Was he going to fire her? "Mr. Donaldson, if I've done something to upset you," she began, but the man cut her off.

"No, no," he assured her, with a wave of his hand. "You're a fine employee, Jennifer, and you work well for being the only one. It is just you working the daycare now, isn't it?"

Jennie nodded, alarm bells going off in her head at the man's unusually caring tone.

"I'll bet it can get kind of lonely out there."

The blonde took a moment to think about it, and answered, honestly, "It's really not that bad, sir. I enjoy spending time with the children."

"I'll bet we can both use a little adult companionship, though. Am I right?" he asked, openly eyeing her body.

Jennie swallowed, and shakily got to her feet. Not good, this is not good at all! "I… I think I'd better go, Mr. Donaldson," she said, and began walking towards the door.

Faster than she had ever seen the old man move, the door was blocked by his body, and Mac Donaldson was standing in front of her, keeping her from the only possibility of escape she had.

"Either you cooperate, or you're out of a job," he snarled, locking the door and advancing towards her.

The blonde backed away. "You can't do that!" she exclaimed, searching frantically for something to use as a weapon, if it came to that, but finding nothing.

"You don't have the money for a lawyer, and you won't quit," he pointed out. "I think I can. Now, stand still!"

Before she knew it, the blonde had backed herself into a corner, and the large man was upon her.

Minutes later, a rather disheveled looking blonde hurried from the office, and a man could be heard saying, "You're fired, Donavon!" Jennie just swallowed her tears, tried to ignore the throbbing in her left breast that the man's hard grip had caused, as well as the rumpled look of her shirt.

The woman wasn't paying much attention to where she was going, just so long as it was away from Mac, when she bumped into someone - a tall, safe, strong someone. Cody's arms went out to catch her, and keep her from falling.

"Hey, there," she smiled. She'd left practice early to surprise the blonde by picking her up at work, giving them time to talk about Jeffrey before they left for dinner, as she was sure the woman would want to know all the boy had done at practice.

"Fancy bumping into you here." Suddenly, Cody saw the tears, and noticed the blonde's disturbed appearance. "Jen?" the tall woman asked, all humor gone. "Honey, are you okay? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," sniffled the blonde, wiping at her eyes. "Nothing, I'm fine."

"No you're not," stated Cody. "If you were fine, you wouldn't be crying. Now, what happened?" The small woman averted her gaze, and Cody gently but firmly lifted her chin, until their eyes locked. "Jennie, I can't help you unless you tell me what's wrong."

The promise of the star's help, and Jennie knew everything would be okay. With a sob, she sank into the woman's arms, and cried until she wasn't scared anymore. The startled woman just held the blonde in her embrace, whispering soothing words into her ear until she calmed down a few minutes later.

"What happened?" repeated Cody, gently, holding the woman tightly against her, and stroking her hair.

"I went to talk to Mac," said the blonde, hiccuping as the tears slowed. "He… he said he needed to speak to me after work, so I went into his office, and he asked me to close the door. I did, and then he started talking, asking me how much I like this job, and what I'd do to keep it. He said if I didn't… and he fired me…" she stammered. The tears returned, and Cody's throat tightened.

Softly, she pulled the woman back, and looked into her frightened green eyes. "Jennie, this is very important. I want you to listen to me," Cody said, her voice even.

"Did he touch you?"

Biting her lip, Jennie nodded.

"Did he hurt you?" continued the tall woman.

Another nod.

Cody took a deep breath. "Did he… did he rape you?"

So help me God, if she nods, it'll be the worst murder case in history, Cody thought.

Jennie shook her head. "No," she said, still sniffling. "He just… grabbed me, and hit me when I tried to get away, but I kicked him in the groin and left."

"Good girl," said Cody, kissing her forehead, and pulling her close again. "Stay here," she said, kissing the woman once more, and heading towards the manager's office. Without bothering to knock, the woman stormed in, and slammed the man up against the wall, from his former position of sitting at his desk.

"Remember me, ass hole?" she demanded, hotly. "You had the nerve to threaten Jennie, and then fire her when she didn't let you molest her? You goddamn son of a bitch! You're lucky all she did was kick you in the groin; I would've ripped it off and shoved it down your fucking throat.

"I still might," she growled, as an afterthought. "I can have you arrested so fast…"

"What do you want?" blubbered the old man, finding it hard to breathe for the strong hands around his throat, holding him a good three inches off the ground.

"I want you to quit," she snarled. "That's right. I want you to write up a letter saying you give the ownership over to one Jennie Donavon, and I want you to do it now."

"But… I can't do that!" he protested. "This is my daycare!"

"Do you even know how many kids come here? Or how to take care of them? Or their names? Or their parents' names?" Cody demanded. "She's run this place for the past God knows how long, and you're just going to make it official. You will write that document, selling the daycare to her for one dollar, and you'll do it now."

Numbly, the man nodded, and Cody shoved him back down into the chair at his desk. "Write," she commanded. A few minutes later, the man signed his name at the bottom of the deed, and Cody fished a dollar out of her pocket after approving the document. Stuffing the money into the man's hand, she escorted him outside, shouting, "And don't come back!"

Turning around, Cody found Jennie a few feet behind her. "Honey, what would you say to running this place - officially?" she proposed, showing the document to the small blonde.

Jennie's eyes lit up. "Really?" she asked, happily taking the paper from Cody's hand and reading it with fervor.

Cody nodded. "Yep," she agreed, sweeping the woman into a strong hug. "It's all yours, Jen. Congratulations."

"Thank you," murmured the blonde, kissing the tall woman, deeply.

"Do you still feel up to going to dinner tonight?" asked Cody, reluctantly having to end the kiss to ask her question.

Jennie nodded. "I'll be all right," she confirmed, and Cody helped her close up for the night, before starting down the road towards the restaurant. The blonde was already feeling the butterflies in her stomach at the knowledge of what she was going to tell her parents in just a few minutes, and her tension was felt by the tall star in front of her.

"Are you sure you want to tell them, sweetheart?" asked Cody, over the sound of the motorcycle. "Like I said, I'll understand if you're not comfortable with it, and we can just be friends."

Jennie shook her head. "I'm sure," she insisted, "but thank you, honey. I'm just a little scared as to how they'll react." Patting her hand reassuringly, Cody tried to get the woman to relax, as they pulled into the parking lot of The Olive Garden.

"How's your arm?" asked Jennie, walking beside Cody, whose right forearm was wrapped in a clean bandage, showing her injury with the short-sleeved shirt she wore. Sans the jacket, she looked much like she had the night before - black slacks and a white shirt. Her long black hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail, and Jennie had insisted she looked beautiful.

While Cody, of course, had proclaimed Jennie absolutely breathtaking. The small blonde wore dark blue jeans, with a gray shirt, and green earrings that Cody said brought out her eyes even more. While neither was dressed up, both felt the other couldn't possibly look any better in casual dress clothes.

"Feels all right," shrugged the tall woman, nonchalantly. "Doesn't really hurt right now, so I'll be okay." The blonde smiled, and took a deep breath as the two walked in the door, and were led to a table for four, where Dana and Thomas Donavon were patiently waiting their arrival.

Thomas wore jeans and a button-up shirt, with cowboy boots and a silver belt buckle, ex-rodeo rider that he was, his black hair not even hinting gray. His smile reached his soft brown eyes when he saw his daughter, and immediately stood to give her a hug, standing at least four inches taller than his little girl.

Dana also stood, wearing a gray pantsuit, her long blonde hair still up in a bun, having just come from work, showing a house for the real estate company she owned. Her green eyes took in the tall form that was beside her child, and remembered the description Jennie had given them of Cody - tall, dark hair, with blue eyes…

"Jennie, you made it," she smiled, enveloping her daughter in a tight hug. "We were expecting you to bring your boyfriend, Cody. Who's this?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at the tall woman with dark hair, who was standing by, somewhat awkwardly.

Jennie met Cody's eyes, and then swallowed, turning back to her parents. "Mom, Dad, this is Cody," she introduced, and watched as the adults exchanged glances, before turning their gaze to the baseball star.

"Cody Madison, right?" asked Thomas, and the woman nodded.

"Yes, sir," she said, shaking his hand, and he laughed, asking her to call him Thomas.

"Honey, is this your boyfriend's twin sister? She looks just like you said he would," said Jennie's father, urging his daughter to respond with a look.

"Dad, you don't understand…" began the blonde, with a sigh. "This is Cody. I don't have a boyfriend, because Cody is my girlfriend." Waiting for the angry response, Jennie quietly took Cody's hand, and leaned into the tall woman for support, which was readily provided.

Dana spoke first, after motioning for everyone to sit down. "So, how long have you two been together?" she asked, lightly, not yet letting it show if she was pleased or upset with the information.

"About two weeks," answered Jennie, her green eyes darting from her mother to her father, trying to read their expressions, and failing.

"Does Jeffrey know?" asked Dana, and Jennie winced, but nodded. She knew her parents would disapprove of her raising Jeffrey if she was with women, especially if the young boy knew, and she was pretty sure he did.

"And what do you think of him, Cody?"

Blue eyes met green as Cody looked at Mrs. Donavon, seriously. "I think he's a terrific little boy, and a pleasure to play ball with," she replied. "Jennie's done a wonderful job of raising him, and I'm glad she's allowed me to spend time with him. I've always liked kids, but with Jeff, it almost makes me feel like a mother, with my own child," she said, and paused for a moment.

"Making the decision to have a child - it's momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body," the tall star said, quoting Elizabeth Stone. "But that's the way I feel with Jeff, and it's great."

Thomas spoke up, breaking the surprised silence that had settled over him and his wife, after Cody's eloquent response. "Well, Cody, what are your intentions towards my daughter?" he asked, and Cody's jaw almost dropped at the question.

"Dad!" exclaimed Jennie, when she realized the woman was blushing to the roots of her dark hair.

The man laughed. "I'm sorry, honey. Forgive me, Cody," he said, smiling. "I just couldn't resist. Jennie, why didn't you tell us from the start that Cody was a woman?"

Jennie looked away. "I wasn't sure what you'd think," she admitted. "I was afraid you'd be angry. And I still don't know you feel!"

"Jennie, we've known for a long time," said Dana, gently. "You're our daughter; we know you. We didn't say anything because we didn't want to push you into telling us before you were ready. And just to let you know, I never really had any dates lined up for you. But, I couldn't let you know I knew, so I had to keep saying I wanted you to meet some nice guys," she smiled.

Jennie just shook her head, disbelieving. "So, you're okay with all of this?" she asked, and her parents nodded.

"As long as you're happy, that's all that matters," said Thomas, smiling to himself when he saw Cody nod slightly in agreement, and slip her arm around Jennie's waist.

The waitress came, and took their orders, eyeing the younger couple with disgust when she noticed that Cody was absentmindedly rubbing Jennie's thigh with her thumb. Seeing the woman's look of discomfort, the tall woman removed her hand, and checked her back molars with her tongue as she looked away.

"Cody, what happened to your arm?" Thomas asked, once the waitress had left, noticing the bandage for the first time, since Cody's arm was now in plain view.

Before the star could answer, Jennie said, "She cut it helping those people in the car accident yesterday. She saved their lives!"

Cody blushed again, and sheepishly nodded. "Had to bust a window," she explained, modestly. While Dana and Thomas demanded to know what happened, Cody watched with interest as the waitress spoke with the manager, and pointed over at their table. Frowning, the manager nodded, and started walking over to them.

"I'm going to let Jennie tell you the details," she said, scooting her chair back. "Excuse me for a moment." Getting to her feet, she intercepted the man's journey, and led him over to a corner.

"I know what you were going to do," she told the owner, and glared at him when he wrenched his arm free of her grasp, and almost looked as though he was going to be sick, standing so close to her. "That waitress told you that that beautiful woman and I are together, and you were going to ask us to leave, because we were disturbing people," she continued, knowingly.

"This dinner is very important to her, and she will be very upset if something goes wrong. And if she's upset, I'm upset." Reaching into her back pocket, she withdrew her wallet, and handed the man a fifty dollar bill. "You keep quiet, don't ruin the evening, and tell your waitress to stop staring at us like we're anything less than she is. If people complain, tell them not to look," she said, giving him the money.

"Do you understand?"

The man nodded, but couldn't resist saying, "We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone. The moment I see anything inappropriate, you and your little girlfriend are gone." Cody growled at him, but left, clearing her anger before returning to the table.

"Everything okay?" asked Jennie, and Cody nodded, eyeing the manager from across the room as she took the blonde's hand.

"Yeah," she assured her, smiling. "Everything's fine. What did I miss?"

The night passed without incident, and, as they drove home from the restaurant, Jennie's bubbly personality was back. Cody was glad things had turned out as they had, even though she had been worried for a while. She decided against telling the blonde about the near-incident with the manager.

"I'm glad my parents are okay with us," the young woman said. "Despite the problem with Mac, today's been a really good day. Thanks to you," she added with a smile, kissing the tall baseball player on the lips.

"Wanna come inside?"

Cody grinned, and said, as she followed the woman into the house, "I don't know if I should. Your father might not like my intentions."

Jennie laughed. "I can't believe he said that," she said, smiling when she remembered the adorably dark blush that had covered Cody's face. "You're cute when you blush," she said, and the tall woman turned a little pink.

"Well, you've got me beat," she said. "You're cute all the time." The blonde laughed, and snuggled in close to Cody's side as they sat on the couch. "Much as I'd love to stay here all night long, and wake up with you in the morning, I've got to go to practice early tomorrow. Joe wants me practicing for the game, since I have to play," she sighed.

"But, what about your arm?" asked Jennie, concerned.

The star shrugged. "Joe says I've got a good chance at becoming Most Valuable Player this year, but I have to play every game, unless I break something," she explained, evenly. "Getting MVP would be great, Jen, and I have to try. I'm sure I'll be fine," she assured her, and the smaller woman sighed, wrapping her arms around Cody's waist.

"You'd better be," she said, "or I'll hunt Joe down myself."

Cody smirked. "Thanks, honey," she replied. "I'll tell him you said that." In truth, the tall woman wouldn't say a word to her manager, because Joe didn't like for anyone in the team to date the fans. In other words, unless they were already married, or at the very least engaged, he didn't want them to have a personal life. The game was all that mattered to him, and he figured that's all his players should worry about, as well.

"How would you like to come to the practice on Sunday?" she offered. She knew the woman wouldn't be able to come to the game on Friday, even though it was a home game, because Jennie had plans to help the parents of one of her kids run a birthday party that would last well past 7 o'clock. So, practice was the next opportunity.

"That'd be great, Cody," agreed the blonde. "Jeffrey loves watching you guys play, even if you're just practicing. And I just like watching you," she admitted, kissing the tall star deeply.

"Mm," muttered Cody, "keep that up, and I won't be able to leave tonight." Regretfully, she pulled back, and kissed the woman on the forehead. "I'll see you in the morning, Jen," she said, getting to her feet, and embracing the small woman one last time before she left.

"Good night," said Jennie, and Cody echoed the same, forcing herself to walk out the door. With a sigh, Jennie dropped into bed, and considered doing something for Cody on Saturday night, to celebrate, since she had no doubts about the Warriors victory at the game on Friday.

Cody sighed as she sat on the plane. The trip to Tennessee really hadn't been that bad, now that she took the time to think about it. Another game, another victory, a whole week away from Jennie...

Well, two out of three.

Matt nudged her elbow, from the seat he took across the aisle. "Bet you'll be glad to get back home to Jennie, huh?" he asked, and the woman grinned, nodding. "How long have you guys been together now, Cody?"

The tall woman didn't even have to think. "Two and a half months," she responded, with a happy grin. Jeffrey's birthday was coming up in just a few weeks, and she was already planning on making it the best day the boy had ever had.

"Way to go, C-girl," he said. His dark eyes sparked mischievously as he continued, "So, have you guys, uh, you know…?" The gestures he made with his hands were unmistakable.

With a low growl, Cody shoved him, and made a move to unbuckle her seat

belt, to which the man sat quietly in his seat. "Didn't think so," he responded, very aware of the cold blue gaze that bore a hole through him.

"What the hell did you do, Brunswick?" asked James, laughing. "Oh, man! If

looks could kill, Matt, I'm telling you, you'd be dead ten times over right now." He peeked around from his place directly behind Cody.

"I think I'm gonna just turn back around and stay out of this one," he said, when the blue eyes turned to him next, and Cody smiled sweetly, agreeing with his decision.

Although the flight was only three hours long, with air flight being improved since the 20th century, Cody picked up her cell phone, and dialed the number she knew so well.

"Hello?" answered a soft voice, and the grin that spread across the star's face was unstoppable.

"Hey," she said, simply.

"Hi! Where are you?" asked Jennie. She checked her watch. The woman should be on the plane home, if all was right. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine," Cody assured her, used to the small blonde's worry by now. In fact, she found she liked it. "I'm a couple thousand feet above the ground," she replied, smiling. "We'll be landing in just a few hours."

Jennie sighed. "I wish I was with you," she said, and Cody smirked.

"So do I," the tall woman echoed, honestly. "Is Jeff in bed yet?" It was about eight o'clock Jennie's time, and the boy usually crashed twenty minutes ago, if he didn't have his nap earlier in the day, which he had been trying valiantly to do without.

The blonde laughed. "Probably not," she responded. "He's sleeping over at his friend's house tonight, so I really don't think they'll get to bed on time."

"Oh, that's right," said Cody, suddenly remembering that the young boy had been very excited about being able to stay over night at someone else's house, although still a little unsure about leaving his mother.

Seeing the motions Matt was making, she sighed, heavily. "Well, I've got to go kill my best friend, so…" She laughed when the man pointed to himself, looking innocent as could be. "But, I really should go. I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay," said Jennie, yawning a little herself. "Have a good flight."

"I will," Cody said. "Good night, sweetheart."

"Good night, honey," echoed Jennie, and softly hung up the phone. As Cody

pushed the power off to her cell phone, little did she know that her manager sat just a seat in front of her, and had a very angry scowl on his face for the rest of the flight, after overhearing Cody's side of the conversation.

The plane landed with no problems, and Cody stepped off, with her duffel bag slung over her shoulder, trying to give the press a quick smile or two as the flashes went off. Everyone wanted to get an interview, since the rumor of Cody's chance at MVP had gotten around, and she had, once again, ensured the team's victory at the latest away game.

To her pleasant surprise, as she glanced through the crowd, and tried to make her way through, a small blonde was seen, standing just outside the fray. With a disbelieving grin, the tall woman dodged people and reporters until she found her, and swept the woman up into a strong hug.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, happily, kissing Jennie softly, as the green eyes brightened upon seeing her.

"You were gone for over a week," said the blonde. "That's too long. I

couldn't wait until tomorrow to see you," she admitted, and Cody smiled.

"I'm glad you came," she said, and was going to place another kiss on her

lips, when she caught sight of a cameraman, ready to take the picture. Snarling, she took the machine from his hands, and punched a few buttons, looking at the display to see what photos he had taken. Finding two of her and Jennie, she deleted them, and handed the camera back to him.

Raising her voice, she said, "Any one of you that has photos of me, I ask

that you delete them. I do not give you permission to produce them." With audible groans, numerous beeps were heard, as the pictures were erased, being able to do that with the current technology and yet not disturb the rest of the film. Also, after many scandals of important people and the like had been released, it was necessary to obey the wishes of the subject - if they didn't object, or said nothing, the press could develop it. If the person said no, however, they had to listen, and remove the evidence from their

camera.

Cody really began to appreciate the new law.

What humans saw, however, could not be controlled, and the frown was set deeper in the manager's face as he walked through the airport. He'd have to have a talk with Cody sometime about that woman.

Sometime soon.

"Come on, James!" shouted Cody, as she ran after the man, both of them

crossing home plate, the tall woman almost tumbling over him. "Shit, James, you've got to run faster than that!" she cried, and he glared at her.

"Hey," he said, in his defense, "you've got more momentum pulling you forward than I do." At the confused eyebrow that was raised, he continued, with a forced straight face, "You're top heavy."

To his surprise, he was not hit. Cody just replied, "Oh, that's right. I keep forgetting you don't have any boobs. Or anything else, for that matter. Sorry." James scowled at her, miffed at having his own joke thrown back at him, as he stomped into the dugout after her, Matt going up to bat at the practice next.

"Not nice," he pouted, and the woman slapped him on the back.

"Don't dish it out if you can't take it, my friend," she laughed, as Joe eyed her, warily. The man had been giving her funny looks all week, ever since they'd gotten back from Tennessee, and she couldn't figure out why. He hadn't said anything to her, so maybe he was just having some personal problems.

When the practice time was over, and Cody had changed, she was not the least bit surprised to see Jeffrey make a running leap for her arms when she exited the locker room.

"Hey, little man!" she said, giving him a strong hug, before setting the boy on the ground. "Did you have fun tonight?" The practice was held from 6-8 in the evening, because Joe said he wanted to make sure everyone would be there for the full time.

"Yeah," he said, nodding. "You did really good when you caught that drive line."

Cody laughed. "Line drive, little man. And thanks," she said, ruffling his hair, lovingly. "I think it's too late for us to play ball tonight, but we can do it tomorrow if I have time, okay?"

"Okay," said Jeffrey, having gotten used to the fact that Cody didn't have time to play ball with him every night. When she couldn't make it, he'd practice by himself, or drag his mom into it.

"Good night, Cody," said Joe, tonelessly, as the trio walked past.

"'Night," responded the tall woman, wrapping her arm around Jennie's shoulders as they walked to the car. Cody rode her motorcycle, while Jennie drove Jeffrey in the car, and the tall woman once again had to carry the young boy into his bedroom.

"Thanks for letting him come," said Cody, after she'd tucked the child into bed. "I know it was kind of late for him to be up, but I think he had a good time."

Jennie smiled, and curled up on the couch next to her. "We both did," she corrected. "And it's a Friday, so he doesn't have any school tomorrow. I can't believe he'll be starting kindergarten in just a few weeks," she sighed. Every school was on the track system, where the students went for three months, and then took four weeks off, and then returned to school for another three months. The summer was either shorter or longer, depending on which track the student was on. Jennie was pleased when she learned Jeffrey's track had a longer Christmas Break.

"He'll do fine," Cody reassured her, kissing the top of the blonde head. "He's a smart kid." Jennie nodded, and was silent for a while, lost in her own thoughts, and the relaxing feeling of Cody's fingers in her hair.

"Cody?" asked the blonde, after a while.

"What?" responded the tall woman, as she ran her fingers lightly through the

woman's short blonde hair.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Didn't give me much of a choice, now, did you?" smirked the star, and Jennie

looked up at her, meeting her gaze.

"I'm serious," she said, and Cody nodded.

"Okay," she agreed. "Go ahead."

"Have you... been with other women?" the blonde asked, and the fingers through her hair immediately stopped their ministrations.

Cody sighed. "Yes," she admitted. "There was a time in my life when I did a lot of things I'm not proud of, and sleeping around is one of them. I was a star, and the chance was always available to me, so I took it."

She paused for a moment, wondering why the woman had chosen to ask that

particular question. "Jen, you don't think I'm doing that now, do you? Because I'm not! I wouldn't hurt you for the world, honey," she said, and Jennie smiled.

"I believe you," said the blonde, kissing her, softly. "I was just wondering if you'd have more experience at this than me."

When the kissing continued, realization dawned on the tall baseball player. "Are you sure?" she asked, and Jennie nodded, taking the woman's hand and leading her to the bedroom. She closed the door softly behind them, and turned on a low light next to her bed, swallowing the lump she felt in her throat.

Cody reached out and drew the small woman close to her, kissing the top of her head softly, before placing gentle kisses on the blonde's forehead, eyelids, nose, and finally, her lips. Cody groaned as the kiss deepened, feeling more passionate and filled with more need than any other she'd felt before.

Breaking the kiss only for a moment, to remove her shirt, Cody subtly inched closer to the bed, before bringing the small woman down with her when she sat. Sliding her hand under Jennie's shirt, she felt the woman flinch as her fingertips brushed against her skin, reluctantly removing her mouth in order to lift the garment over the woman's head.

"Cody..." began the blonde, quietly, as the tall woman kissed at her neck, "I've never... I've never been with a woman before."

"I assume it's not much different than being with a man," she murmured, continuing her kisses, gently nipping at the soft skin of the blonde's shoulder, eliciting a gasp from her soon-to-be lover. "Though I wouldn't know…"

"Neither would I, Cody. I've never done that, either," said Jennie, lightly.

Cody stopped and immediately looked into the blonde's face to see if she was kidding. "You're serious?" she asked, and the woman nodded. "But... Jeff...?"

Jennie smiled. "Is adopted," she finished. "I adopted him when he was just a few months old, because I decided I wanted a child, but hadn't found the right person to consummate that responsibility with, yet."

"Jen, honey, your first time should be with someone very special," said Cody,

very serious.

"It will be," insisted the blonde.

"I'll go, then," said Cody, picking up her shirt and attempting to stand, but Jennie took her hand and forced her to remain sitting as she looked in her eyes.

"Cody," she said, but the woman looked at the floor, uncomfortably. "Cody,

look at me," she requested, softly, and blue eyes slowly met her own. "It will be with someone very special, because it'll be with you. I have never felt this way about anyone. I trust you, and I want you to be my first," she said. "That is, if you don't mind being disappointed."

The tall woman smiled, lovingly. "Jen, you could never disappoint me," she

said, honestly. "Are you very sure you want to do this? Because if you're not, it's okay, I'll understand --"

Cody's speech was cut off when Jennie pressed her lips against her own, fiercely, yet gently. Following the younger woman's lead, Cody allowed herself to be pulled down on the bed, and, to prevent crushing the blonde, easily held herself up over top of the woman with her arms.

"Jennie, I want you to understand something," said Cody, evenly, pulling away from the kiss to meet the woman's slightly nervous gaze. "I told you I've been with other women, and that's true, I have. I've had sex with more women than I care to remember, but I don't want to do that with you."

At Jennie's dismayed face, she quickly continued. "I want to do something I've never done before," she said. "I don't want to just have sex, Jen, I want to make love. They're two completely different things, you know," she added.

"I've never had anyone I wanted to be with as much as I do you. I miss you

when you're not around, and no matter where I am, I'd rather be somewhere with you," she said, and tears brimmed in Jennie's eyes at the loving words.

"You've already stolen my heart, Jen. I love you."

"Oh, Cody, I love you, too!" exclaimed Jennie, wrapping her arms around the

woman to give her a strong hug, which was eagerly returned.

"I will be as gentle as I can, because I don't want to hurt you," Cody spoke, and it was clear to Jennie that she was scared to death of doing just that.

"I know," she smiled. "I do trust you." Cody smiled reassuringly, and slowly slid the straps of Jennie's bra down off her shoulders, kissing the revealed skin as she went, occasionally making the woman beneath her shiver by lightly trailing the tip of her tongue against the same spot, before moving lower, constantly reminding herself to go slow and to be as gentle as possible. This was Jennie's first time, and the woman wanted to make it very special.

Once she'd caught her breath, Jennie was eager to return the favor, and it wasn't long before Cody cried her name into the night. The tall woman had had many lovers, that was true, but none had had as much of an effect on her as Jennie. She had never given herself up like that, not totally - and she'd never felt so loved.

"Jennie, honey, come up here," she said, pulling the woman into her arms, and simply holding her for a while. "I love you."

"I love you, too," smiled Jennie, snuggling closer into her side. "Was it... okay? Are you disappointed?"

Cody chuckled. "Oh, sweetheart," she said, "like I said, you could never disappoint me, and you certainly didn't tonight. It was more than okay, honey. That was wonderful. I have never felt anything like that," she added, sincerely. "How about you? How do you feel?"

Jennie smiled up at her. "I feel terrific, Cody," she replied. "I'm glad it was you."

The tall woman felt tears in her eyes at the admission, and pulled the blonde even closer to her. "That means a lot," she said. Jennie didn't press as to why, she just wrapped her arms around her lover, and went to sleep.

Cody awoke the next morning with pleasant memories of the night before, and glanced over at Jennie, who was still sleeping soundly.

She looks so peaceful when she sleeps, she thought, as she smiled. I can't believe she let me be her first. God, I love her so much...

"Honey," she whispered, brushing her lips softly across the blonde's. "Jen, it's time to get up, sweetheart."

The woman groaned, and tired green eyes slowly opened. Jennie smiled. "Morning," she said, happily.

"Morning," replied Cody, giving her a proper good morning kiss. "Any regrets?" she asked, trying not to show how afraid she was of an affirmative answer.

"Not a one," smiled the woman, returning the soft kiss. "You?"

"Never," replied the tall star, rolling her eyes as she glanced at the clock. "Shit," she cursed. "Joe wants us to practice today. I've got to go if I want to make it there on time."

Jennie sighed. "Okay," she said, placing small butterfly kisses all over her lover's face. "I'll just stay here all day and think of you."

Cody grinned. "What do you think I'm going to be doing? Don't you have to

work, honey?" she asked, after realizing that it was Saturday.

Jennie shook her head. "No," she said. "I get to sleep in. I gave notice to the parents that I'd be taking this weekend and the next off, since most people were going to be out of town for one reason or another, anyway," she added. "I figured it wasn't worth it to open up the daycare for only Jeffrey."

The star smiled. "I guess I'll go, then," she said. "I'll miss you."

Jennie grinned. "I'll miss you, too," she echoed, and kissed her, gently.

Cody dressed quickly, kissing the woman once more before she headed for the door. "I don't think I'll be able to come over tonight," she said, sadly. "I promised Joe I'd work on a few plays for him, and I need to get that done. I'll probably call you, though, okay? See you tomorrow. I love you," she added.

"Love you, too," responded Jennie, grabbing the vacated pillow and closing

her eyes again, as Cody smiled and walked out the door.

And ran straight into Jeffrey. "Hi, little man," said the woman, trying not to look as awkward as she felt. "What are you doing up so early?"

"Watching cartoons," he said, as if it was obvious. "Did you and my mom have

a sleep-over?"

Oh, boy, did we!

"Uh, yeah," replied Cody, sure she was blushing a deep red.

"Were you guys having a pillow fight or something? 'Cause you kept yelling,"

he said, innocently.

How much trouble would I be in if I told him to ask his mother? Cody wondered. Nah, I think I can handle this one myself.

"Yeah, we got in a pillow fight," agreed the tall woman, groaning inwardly that the boy could hear them.

Oh, who am I kidding? I'd be surprised if the whole neighborhood doesn't give me a funny look! Question is, do I care? Not in the slightest! she decided, happily.

"Who won?"

Cody paused for a moment, before a bright smile lit her face. "Your mother. Twice."

"Cool! I'm gonna go say good morning!" he said, but Cody caught his arm before he could run down the hallway.

"Why don't you let her sleep, little man?" she asked. "She's tired."

Jeffrey nodded, and sat back down in front of the TV, waving goodbye to Cody as she left.

"Whoa," she said, as she climbed on her motorcycle, "that was close. Wonder

what Jennie's gonna tell him if he asks her about it. Wish I could be there to see the look on her face."

Why? It'd probably be the same as the one on mine, she mused.

Cody's mind was on Jennie the entire day, just as she'd said, and her game was good, but not nearly as fierce as usual. If anyone noticed, they were wise enough not to say anything. Joe kept shooting her angry looks, and Matt just grinned at her, saying something about "Finally!" and earning the man a slap across the back of his head.

As the practice came to an end, and Cody gathered up her belongings, Joe approached her. "Get your stuff and meet me in my office in ten minutes," he ordered, and the woman nodded. The men on her team, of course, started humming the funeral procession, which was silenced with a single icy blue glare.

Once she had everything in her bag, she drove the few miles to Joe Henry's office, trying to decide what was going on. The three-story building looked small, but was really quite large. Joe's office was on the third floor, all the way in the back, and Cody walked the familiar route up the stairs. A desk for his secretary was visible next to the double doors, but it was empty at this hour of the night.

Cody knocked on the doorframe, noticing that the door was open, and the man looked up from the papers on his desk. He motioned her in, and she sat down in the chair across from him, wondering what her coach wanted with her. He'd said he wanted the plays in by Monday morning, so she wasn't late with that...

Joe Henry finished writing something, and finally looked up to face her. "Cody," he said, "I'm not going to beat around the bush. I know about Jennie."

Cody swallowed, but willed her face to remain impassive, praying the man couldn't tell how fast her heart was beating inside her chest, as it threatened to explode. "What do you mean?" she asked, evenly, hoping her voice didn't betray her.

"Just what I said. I distinctly remember telling you that I would not tolerate any personal relationships between my players and fans, unless they were together previously. And I know that's not the case with this particular blonde," he said, and Cody refused to let him know he was scaring the crap out of her.

"So, what are you gonna do about it?"

"I want you to break it off with her," he said. "You haven't been playing your best, and the game comes first. You've had your head up your ass since she started showing up for games, and you couldn't even concentrate for practice today. She's the problem, now correct it," he ordered.

Cody glared at him, angrily. "I love her. I'm not going to break up with her just because you say so," she stated. "Besides, she wasn't a fan when I met her."

"I don't give a damn!" he shouted, and then calmed down. The man sighed, and Cody didn't like the way he suddenly became smug. "I guess you're forcing me to play hardball, then, Madison," he warned, and Cody raised an eyebrow at him, urging him to continue.

"Remember our deal? Pauline?"

The baseball star blanched. "You wouldn't," was all she could say. "You wouldn't play that fucking card, Joe. You wouldn't," she repeated.

"Oh, yes, I would," he said. "I told you when I caught you that I wouldn't say anything if you'd keep playing for me, and if you'd put your all into it. Now, you're slacking, and it's easily remedied. Either you break it off with her, or it all goes public."

"You little shit!" she cried, getting to her feet. "You can't fucking blackmail me!"

"On the contrary," he grinned. "I can, and I am, because I always get what I want. Do what I ask, or you can say bye-bye to your career, your little girlfriend, and even your life for the next seven years or so," he said, smiling with confidence as she sank back down into her chair. "And everyone will hear about how Cody Madison is a no good gay slut with a drug problem, and jail time just waiting for her."

Cody hung her head; she knew she was beat. "No one knows about that, Joe."

God, not even Garret knows about that. He can't know… no one can.

"And no one will," he soothed, knowing he had her where he wanted her. "Just so long as you continue to play at your prime, stop seeing Jennie, and quit playing ball with the sniveling little brat. That's all I ask. You break it off with her tonight, make sure she knows the kid won't play catch with you anymore, because he's only a connection of her, and tell me in the morning, during practice. Do that, and your secret's safe with me," he said, spreading his hands.

Almost imperceptibly, Cody nodded. "I'll do it," she said, standing on shaky legs. "Just keep quiet." Joe Henry was smirking, and he made a sign of zipping his lips, and throwing away the key. "I'll tell you in the morning."

"Oh, and Cody?" he called, and she turned to him. "Don't try to fuck me

over. I'll know if you do it, or if you're just bluffing. Don't bluff. Believe me, you don't want to screw with me," he growled, and she nodded.

"It'll be solid," she said, and walked out the door. She climbed on her motorcycle, and drove what had to be the longest ten miles of her life, to Jennie's house. As she rode, letting the wind whip through her hair, she got to thinking about what she had to do, and suddenly felt as though she had been punched in the gut.

Oh, God, she thought. Last night... Dear God, I loved her last night. She allowed me to love her, to be her first, and now what am I doing? I took something extremely precious, that she can never get back, and now I have to just throw it away.

She's going to think everything I told her was a lie, when it wasn't. I've never been so fucking honest in all my life! God, I meant everything I told her, and more.

But Joe knows what buttons to push, she sighed. And there's no way I can let what I did go public. She'd turn away from me for sure, if she found out. There is no lesser of two evils in this, is there? Good old Charles Caleb Colton, once again, "Life often presents us with a choice of evils rather than goods."

Well, Charlie, what do you do when it's evil all the way around and you're screwed no matter what you do?

I either lose Jennie now and have her hate me, or I lose her later and have

her hate me. I guess I'm just speeding up the inevitable…

The blonde answered the knock at her door, wondering who it could be at 8:30

at night, and was surprised to find six-feet of Cody Madison standing in her doorway.

"Cody? Come in," she said, her face lighting up at the sight of the woman. "What are you doing here? You said you wouldn't be over tonight," she reminded, although it was obvious she didn't mind the change in plans.

"We need to talk," stated Cody, her face expressionless.

Jennie paused. That didn't sound good. "Okay," she said, leading them to the couch. Cody sat next to her, and the blonde took the larger hand in her own, worried. "What is it?"

Cody withdrew her hand, quickly, and knew it was going to kill her if she had to watch pain keep flickering across the blonde's face all night. She took a deep breath, and said, "It's over."

Jennie didn't do anything for a minute, and then, when she was sure she had heard the tall woman correctly, she blinked. "What?" she asked. "What do you mean?"

"I mean it's over between us, Jennie," she explained, and Jennie noticed that the woman called her "Jennie", not "Jen". That meant she was serious.

"Why?" was the logical question. Jennie's head was spinning; she couldn't understand why the sudden break up was occurring, but knew that once it was over and she had time to think about it, she'd be hurting much more than she was right now. If that was possible, which she was seriously doubting.

Cody shrugged, and tried to remain cold and distant. "It was fun while it lasted, but I need something better," she said, harshly. She had no idea how she was going to do it, when her heart was breaking already, but she had no choice.

No choice, she kept telling herself. I have no choice. I have to do this.

No choice…

"Better?" repeated Jennie, shaking her head as anger overwhelmed her. "What

do you mean, better? Are you saying it was just fun and games, a nice little way to pass the time between the games and the practices? That it was nothing to you? What we had means nothing?" she demanded, tears threatening to overflow.

The tall woman winced inwardly. Oh, Jennie. All I want to do right now is hold you, and tell you everything's going to be all right, but I can't. Damn it all to fucking Hell, I can't! I don't want to be here doing this, I don't want to hurt you. But I know that's what I'm doing and I have no choice.

"Yeah, that pretty much sums it up," she said, casually.

"But... everything you've done... helping with the daycare, and taking care of

Jeffrey…" said Jennie, rather bewildered. "What was all that for?"

"All part of the plan," lied Cody. "I knew when I saw you I wanted to bed you, and everything else I did were just things that had to be taken care of before that could happen. I always get the woman I want, no matter what I have to do, even if it means dealing with a kid," the tall woman said, nonchalantly. "I did what I came for, so now I'm moving on."

"So, everything you said last night, it was just a bunch of lies?" she asked, tears welling up in her eyes. Please, no, Cody. Don't let our love be a lie. "What you said, about making love... you didn't mean it?"

I meant it with all my heart, Jen, she thought.

The woman shrugged. "Just a line," she said. "Works every time."

Cody Madison had never been slapped before in her life, until that night. And her face didn't hurt as much as she'd expected, but her heart was dying.

Just as soon as she did it, Jennie regretted it, and the anger disappeared. She suddenly realized what she'd done, and figured she must have done something that upset Cody, or disappointed her. Maybe she hadn't been satisfying enough for the woman, but she hoped they could talk it out. Slapping her wasn't going to help the situation any.

"I-I'm sorry," she muttered, taking Cody's face in her hands for a brief moment, before the baseball star pulled back, reluctantly.

What is this? Cody thought. I just told her that our relationship meant

nothing, that she was basically nothing more than a notch in my belt, and she's apologizing for slapping me? Shit, Jennie, you're making this harder than it already is.

"Cody, listen, I don't know what I did that's brought you to this, but," she

began, but Cody cut her off. She knew if the woman started apologizing for anything else, or blamed it on herself, she wouldn't be able to go through with it.

"No, I just got tired of you," she said. "I mean, a single mom with baggage doesn't do anything for me, really. Kind of drags me down, and I don't need that. There's a lot more opportunities for something... more stimulating," she stated.

God help me, I can't believe I just said that! But I have to make sure she won't want to come back to me, or Joe will think I was lying.

"So, I'm calling it off."

"Can't we talk about it?" pleaded Jennie, and Cody resisted the strong urge to kiss away the tears that were falling from her green eyes.

Cody scoffed, and rolled her eyes. "Please, not that," she said, cruelly. "It's not enough that I have to put up with your endless drivel when we were together, but you want me to suffer through it after we break up? I don't think so," she said, getting to her feet.

"Look, I can tell you it was pretty good while it lasted, if that makes you feel better," she shrugged, as if to say that really wasn't the truth.

Come on, Jennie. Fight me for it. Yell at me, scream in my face. Do something, damn it! Don't let me make the biggest goddamned mistake of my life, Cody implored, silently.

"I guess, if this is what you really want," said Jennie, defeated, and Cody wanted to scream at her, to tell her "Hell, no, this isn't what I want! I want to tell Joe to go fuck himself in a corner, and I want to hold you in my arms and beg for forgiveness!" but she couldn't.

Cody nodded. "Glad you understand. Tell Jeffrey he needs to get a new baseball buddy," she said, as she walked out the door, and put her helmet on.

As she climbed on her bike, and started the engine, she told herself she wouldn't look back, it was just bad luck. Taking a quick glance in her rearview side mirror, the tall baseball star saw a small blonde standing just outside the door, sliding to the ground as she cried her eyes out, thinking Cody couldn't see her.

Swallowing back her own tears, Cody drove two miles into the hills, before pulling over, and ripping off her helmet. "Damn it!" she screamed into the night, making sure she was far enough away so no one would hear her. "Damn it! Damn it! Goddamn it!"

The woman kicked a rock a few times, before her emotions overcame her, and she slumped to the ground, drawing her knees up to her chest and sobbing.

"I'm sorry, Jennie. God, I'm so sorry…" her tears trailed off as she succumbed to a sorrowful sleep.

And dreamed of the day that had come back to haunt her...

It was the first game of the season, Cody's first with the team, and Cody had made the winning catch, ending the best triple play in the Warriors' history - all three years of it. The star decided to celebrate with a woman in the stands, who had been so gracious as to offer herself to Cody, who took her up on it.

"Wow," was all a breathless young blonde could manage, as Cody rolled off to her own side of the motel room bed. "What are you doing?" she asked, upon seeing the tall woman dig out a lighter.

Cody grinned. "After sex joint," she said. "Want some?" The woman shook her head, and Cody shrugged - all for her, then. She was just putting the smoldering butt out in the ashtray, and turning back to her bedmate, when the door burst open. Now, Cody was used to the situation - a woman in her bed, only she didn't have to pay this one - but being interrupted was something new.

And the woman found she didn't like it.

"Cody, is that what I think it is?" demanded her coach, Joe Henry, pointing to the ashtray.

"Jesus, Joe! What the fuck are you trying to do? Shit, you scared me," she accused, not caring in the slightest that Pat, Polly, whatever the hell her name was - Cody couldn't remember - was using the entire blanket to cover her nakedness.

"Cody, I, uh," stuttered Joe, taking a good look at the nude woman.

Cody sighed. "Put your eyes back in your head, Joe," she said, and then glanced at the man, smirking. "And tell your pants it's not polite to point. I'm getting dressed. You, too," she said to her companion, and the blonde scrambled to find her clothes.

"Can I talk to your little friend here for a minute, Cody?" Joe asked, and Cody shrugged. Joe escorted the woman outside, while Cody fished her underwear out from under the bed.

I don't remember throwing my bra on the ceiling fan, she thought, with a slight frown, as she retrieved it. Oh, wait a minute... that's not mine! She snorted. I don't think it's hers, either. Must be a souvenir from the last occupants. I think I'll leave it here...

A few minutes later, as Cody finished tying her shoes, Joe returned, looking

grim. The young blonde stood behind him, looking scared.

"Cody, you're in some serious trouble here," he said.

Cody waved him off. "Don't worry about it," she said. "I've got some flower-scented shit that'll cover it up, and I'll bury the joint in the dirt later."

Joe shook his head. "No, not that," he protested. "It seems Pauline," Ah,

so that was her name! "lied to you. She's not nineteen years old, Cody."

"So, what? Is she twenty?" laughed the woman.

"She's sixteen, Cody."

Cody's blue eyes widened. "What?" she cried, startling the blonde as she

advanced towards her, Joe's presence the only thing making her turn back around. "She's sixteen? Sixteen fucking years old? Shit!" she cursed, sitting on the bed with her head in her hands. "Fuck, fuck, fuck! She told me she was nineteen."

Pauline spoke up. "You guessed. I just didn't tell you that you were wrong," she pointed out. "You were high, anyway. I don't think it would have mattered what I told you."

"Goddamn lying cunt!" cried Cody, Joe standing between her and Pauline, again.

"Pauline, why don't you go on home." It wasn't a question or a suggestion, it was an order, and Pauline obeyed. "Cody, you're in deep here," the man said, after the woman was gone.

"I know, I know," she mumbled, searching for another joint. Finding none, she cursed, "Fuck! Hey, Joe, you got -?"

"No," he stated, crossing the room to her in three quick strides. "Listen to me, Madison. We're talking statutory rape, here. Jail," he said, forcefully. "Drugs won't help you any."

"Joe," she pleaded, "Joe, you've gotta help me. Please." Her hands were

trembling, and she collapsed onto the bed again.

She didn't see the small grin on Joe's face, contorting his features into more of a sneer. "Listen, Cody. Pauline won't tell anyone, I've made sure of that," he assured her.

"And you?"

"You stay clean, keep playing for me, and playing well, and I won't tell a soul. Just do as I say, and your secret's safe with me. All right?" he offered, and Cody nodded, readily.

"You got it," she said, proving it to him by taking the lighter out of her pocket and throwing it in the trash can on the way out. She'd never picked up a joint, a cigarette, or even a strong drink, again. Quitting everything cold turkey hadn't been all that hard for the woman, since she'd never really enjoyed doing any of it - it was more of just a way to pass the time and dull the painful reality of life.

Well, except the sex. That was hard to give up.

"That's my girl," Joe smiled. "Remember, just do as I say."

Do as I say…

As I say…

Just do as I say…

"Son of a bitch!" Cody cried, waking to the chill of the darkness. No, the

night was warm. Perhaps it was the chill of a lonely, broken heart.

Continued in Part 4.