~ Two Part Harmony ~
by Colleen
This is an alternate uber story. The physical descriptions of the two lead characters may remind you of two others we all know and love, but all characters in the story are from my own imagination. This story is an original work and is copyrighted by the author. It cannot be sold or used for profit in any way. Copyright 2007-2008.
This story depicts a loving relationship between two consenting, adult women and contains scenes of intimacy, but nothing too explicit. If you are under 18 years of age or if this type of story is illegal in the state or country in which you live, please do not read it. If depictions of this nature disturb you, you may wish to read something else.
There are a few bad words and some violence.
Feedback will be welcomed at coleen30@webtv.net
I have also created a group for discussions of this, past and future stories. Join us at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/colleens_corner
Chapter 16
Almost two weeks had gone by since the confrontation with Bo. Life was settling down into something nearly normal. Their guests, Jackie, her partner Lily and there daughter Ashley were still visiting, but do to her limited mobility, Skylar feared she was not being as good a host as she had wanted. She offered free passes, tickets and transportation, but was often unable to join her friends as they toured L.A.'s best attractions.
Dr. Lily Battman had examined Kyra and ordered a series of new x-rays. After studying the results, she did recommend surgery after all, but a minimally invasive arthroscopic procedure, with a much easier healing period. And with a new therapy plan, she assured Kyra of a much better chance to regain normal use of her injured limb. This new information made Kyra very happy.
* * *
With Jackie and her family at Disneyland for the weekend, Skylar and Kyra were enjoying a beautiful, warm day alone. They were relaxing outside on the patio, overlooking the calm California hills, although Sky still claimed they couldn't compare to her cherished Rockies. Makana played around in the yard as they watched and laughed. While they always tried to push it to the back of their minds, the ordeal with Bo was far from over. There was still to be a trial, where their names and images were sure to be plastered on TV and computer screen across the world.
In the middle of making plans for dinner, a call came in. Sky picked up her cell. "Hello." Within seconds her face tightened in anger, frustration…fear. Kyra couldn't really tell. The singer spoke very few words, the caller carrying the bulk of the conversation. Sky finally closed both eyes and shook her head broodingly. "I'll think about it," she finally mumbled. Tossing the phone aside, Sky flopped back into her chair.
"Who was that Honey?" Kyra asked.
Skylar blew out a slightly painful breath and slowly removed her sunglasses. "My lawyer," she answered, then looked her lover in the eye. "There won't be a trial for Bo."
"Why?" Kyra asked, alarmed.
"He plea bargained. He pleaded guilty to the lesser charges and they dropped the attempted murder."
"But how can they do that!? After what he did to you, he needs to be in prison!" Hearing her human's raised voice, Makana came trotting over. Kyra scooped her up, a task that getting harder by the day, cuddling her close, hoping to calm them both down.
Skylar reached over and rubbed the pup's head. "Sweetheart," she said to Kyra, "he hurt both of us and we do deserve justice. And we will get some at least. He is going to prison for five years…but he could be out on parole in two and a half."
"Five years! A measly five years after what he did to you."
Sky smiled inwardly at how her unselfish partner always removed herself from the situation. "Honey, please calm down. Let's not devote any more unpleasant energy to him. If he tries anything in the future, we will deal with it then." Her face then slid into a loving grin and her hand drifted up to caress Kyra's cheek.
The grin was infectious. "I guess you're right." Kyra inhaled a deep, calming breath. "It's over then." The smile suddenly faded from the brunette's face and her gaze dropped away. "What is it?" Kyra asked.
"He wants to see me."
"Who…you mean Bo?"
"Yeah."
"That's ridiculous. He just wants to torment you. Wait, that's what you meant when you said you'd think about it."
Sky nodded, but she couldn't meet the questioning green eyes.
Kyra could see that the possibility was weighing heavily on her lover's mind. And yelling at her certainly wasn't going to help either one of them. "Why would you want put yourself through that again Honey?" she asked quietly.
"He might want to tell me something about my career. Who knows what he may have done."
"And you think whatever he wants to say to you would be the truth."
"I don't know." Sky raised her eyes. "But at least I could…investigate."
Kyra linked their fingers. "Whatever you want Sky. I'm here for you all the way."
* * *
Skylar walked into the small room at the county jail. She had left her cane behind and did her best to hide the reaming limp. Her facial expression stayed neutral as her eyes met his and she eased herself into the hard chair. Bo's eyes dropped to the scarred table top and Sky spared a quick glance around the depressing room. A solitary armed officer stood in the corner, seemingly minding his own business. But Sky knew he would react in an instant if Bo made any threatening moves. Even though she didn't expect that, Bo was more into mental torture, unless he was desperate. It still gave her a sense of safety.
With just a table's width between them, Skylar imagined that she could almost hear his heart beating. Was it beating faster in fear of where he would be spending the next years of his life? Was it perfectly normal because he still believed, after everything, that he was innocent? She momentarily pushed aside the anger she felt toward him and studied his body language. His shoulders were slumped. Defeated? There was no smirk beneath his whiskers. Frustrated? His usual air of over confidence was certainly missing.
That gave her another bit of satisfaction.
Or maybe he was just a fantastic actor.
Their gazes met yet again. She was the first to speak. "Why? What I want to know is why you did all this? Was it just greed?"
"Plain and simple," he answered. They stared each other down for several more tense seconds before Bo sat back in his chair. "Let me tell you a story…my autobiography. When I was six months old, I was given up for adoption. Apparently, my father couldn't handle things after my mother died. Now I'm not going to tell you horror stories about moving from foster home to foster home, where I was neglected and abused. On the contrary I was adopted right away. I was the fifth, and thankfully the last of their children. They were a nice and attentive middle class family. But certainly not able to easily support five kids. Everything I ever had was used, second hand or handed down. Even birthday and Christmas presents came from thrift stores or garage sales. All of my clothes and toys were handed down…patched up pants, scratched up trucks…my oldest sister's pink bicycle. I got beaten up on the school playground for that one. When I turned eighteen, I had to work three jobs just so I could go to college part time. Just about then I swore that nothing used or old would ever come into my hands again. I decided that the only one I could count on was me, and I was going to have nothing, but the newest, biggest and best of everything."
"What a sad, sad story Mr. Bowers. I almost shed a tear…whoops I was wrong…must be the pain in my hip."
"Oh, I'm not finished yet," he said with a twitch. "I dated this girl whose father was a lawyer. He offered to try and find my biological father, and even though he had given me away, I wanted to know about him. I wanted to find out if I had any…other brothers or sisters somewhere. It turned out my father was dead, but I did have one older brother. But wouldn't you know, by then he was dead too. A little more digging and I discovered where he had lived. It was a nice little neighborhood…in Colorado." Sky trembled internally at the mention of her home state. And Bo knew it. He continued. "I talked to some of the neighbors to see if they could at least tell me about him. I found this gabby old lady on the corner, and over tea and cookies she told me how he had been married and had one daughter, apparently a very talented little girl. Unfortunately, he was murdered in a nasty…domestic…dispute." He pinned her cobalt eyes with his nearly black gaze. "You see, I was born with the last name of Anderson. I think you know the rest of the story."
Skylar's right hand unconsciously curled into a fist. For a second she feared the guard may have to restrain her from leaping over the table and punching his ugly face. But then it relaxed as the full meaning hit her in the gut, making her nearly sick. Her expression never wavered as she struggled to push away the intense feeling. She took in a staggered breath. "You're even more pathetic than I thought."
He shrugged. "I knew being long lost Uncle Bo wasn't going to get me anything."
"It could have gotten you another family."
Bo leaned forward, resting his cuffed hands on the table between them. "Look where having a family got my brother."
Skylar decided not to waste her breath on the truth about her…father…Bo's brother. She just wanted to leave and go home to the one person in her world who could once and for all sooth her pains. Sky stood, but didn't say a thing. She wasn't sure what words would matter. She just adopted a miserable expression.
Bo studied her for a few heartbeats and then he took a breath and repeated. "The newest, biggest and best."
There was almost a sad undertone in his voice this time. She sure didn't know what to make of that. If she had even truly heard it. Maybe it was wishful thinking. Once again, Skylar looked around the small sterile room that would be about the size of Bo's future home. She spared another glance at the big, armed guard standing in the corner before returning to the prisoner's eyes. "And look where it got you." She flicked the heavy chain between his bound wrists. "Have a nice prison life…Uncle Bo."
* * *
After leaving the jail, Skylar took a long drive up the coast. She had called and left a message for Kyra, glad that her partner hadn't answered the phone. Skylar wasn't ready to talk about her visit with Bo just yet. The rock in her stomach grew into a boulder, the more she thought about her newly discovered relationship with Bo Bowers. She had left the building telling herself it didn't matter; she hated him before she walked in there and heard his story, and she still hated him.
But somehow it was different.
Bloodlines.
Two men, two brothers, raised apart. But both became fiends. And Skylar had been the chosen victim of each monster.
Skylar pulled her car into a lot and into a space facing the western horizon. Pulling off her sunglasses, she leaned against the steering wheel, staring out over the water. It was mid-afternoon and the sun was high, beaming onto the ocean water like a beacon from the heavens. It was the perfect place to do some soul searching.
"What is it about me?" she asked out loud. "My father. My uncle. How could these people I'm supposed to love, who are supposed to love me, do the things they did?" A sail boat, off in the distance, caught her attention as she pondered more thoughts. "My flesh and blood. My blood." She spoke the word once more, but as a haunted whisper. My blood." Skylar looked up and caught her reflection in the rear view mirror. A look of terror suddenly transformed her gaze. "What if it runs in the family?" she asked shakily. "What if I turn on someone I love?" Her heart started pounding against her ribs. An ache throbbed behind her temples, almost obscuring her vision. Her lungs nearly stopped taking in air as the panic and terror flooded her brain.
Kyra.
Kyra would undoubtedly become her…victim…if the disease that may lay dormant within her was to come alive. Skylar knew she couldn't let that happen. "No!" she told herself. "Stop it. No, I would never do that. I'm not like them." Skylar sat back and concentrated on slowing her erratic breathing and easing her heartbeat. After several minutes, she met her eyes again and spoke fiercely. "I am like my mother."
Determined to hold to that idea, Skylar got out of the car and removed her sandals. She trotted down the small dune, between the swaying grasses, and onto the beach. Her pace increased to a run across the warm sand until the strong surf slowed her progression. But she finally met the soothing ocean waters, walking out until it was hip deep. She scooped up the cool liquid and splashed her face, letting the waves wash away her guilt, her confusion, her fear and even her hate…for good.
Skylar finally moved back to the sand and sat down, letting the sun dry her clothes and skin. Down the beach, some children were playing and she watched their carefree actions with a smile. For a long moment her mind pictured Kyra, wearing a beautiful bathing suit, mindless of her scars, playing and laughing with other children…theirs. Skylar reached up and rubbed the ruby stone attached to her left ear. "Love. Devotion. Commitment. This is what I am." Only the sea air and the surf heard her pledge, but it was firmly implanted in her heart.
Skylar stood and started the journey home.
* * *
She walked into the house and dropped her keys onto the side table. She raised a determined smile across her face as Kyra stepped into the room. Just one look and the small singer ran into her lover's arms. "I was so worried about you; are you okay?"
Sky continued the hug. "Didn't you get my message?"
Kyra pulled back, but not away. "Yes, but you didn't say much. Was there trouble with Bo; did he say something to upset you?" She paused as they started to walk toward the sofa. "Of course he did, look who we're talking about." She felt Skylar tense, but decided to let her lover talk in her own time.
"Oh, he had something to say alright." Sky said, as she sat Kyra down and pulled a chair up so she could face her partner. "He told me a story about his life."
Skylar recounted the dreadful tale as Kyra listened. Her reactions ranged from disgust to shock to finally pity for such a misguided human being. She took Sky's hand when the story was done. "I know this may be a silly question," she said, "but how do you feel about this; do you even believe him?"
"That's why I took the drive. And after a lot of thinking, I decided I don't care about it anymore. Like I told you before, I won't waste anymore time and energy on him…no matter who he is."
Kyra took a deep, relieved breath. "It's over then."
Skylar smiled. "Only the bad stuff." She leaned over and kissed her lover passionately. "The best has just begun."
Epilogue
It was a gorgeous, early summer day in Colorado. Skylar's cabin and the surrounding grounds were bustling with activity. Tents had been erected for eating and dancing. Flowers covered nearly every flat surface and wall. It couldn't have been more beautiful. Skylar pushed the wheelchair down the aisle between two sections of seats. She positioned the chair in the honored, front row position and set the brake. Pulling another chair around, Skylar sat down and took a limp hand into hers. "I'm not sure if you understand what's going to happen here today Mom," she said gently. "I think you will…in some way. This day would never have happened without you, so I had to make sure you were a part of it. In just a little while, I'm going to marry the woman I love. Kyra has made me happier than I ever thought I could be, and I'm going to have a long and fulfilling life with her." Sky smiled. "In a few years you might even be a grandmother." There was no reaction from the silent woman. Skylar leaned forward and kissed her mother's cheek. "I love you Mom." Someone called Skylar away. "I'll be back in a minute," she told her. Skylar walked across the yard, never seeing the single tear that rolled down her mother's cheek. It was definitely a voiceless shout of happiness and pride.
The ceremony soon began, and as the music started, the small gathering of family and friends rose to their feet. Neither lady had a father to walk them down the traditional aisle, so Skylar and Kyra agreed to walk in from each side and meet at the alter. Both women wore an off white, silk ensemble of simple elegance, Kyra's in the form of a long, closely fitted dress and Skylar's a flowing pantsuit. Makana watched her mommies, sitting quietly on the end of her leash, thanks to her recent obedience training. Her head was often patted by the young woman holding her lead. Jillian was very excited to be given the responsibility and had promised to do a good job for her sister.
Skylar and Kyra arrived before the minister and came to stand in front of a small table with three empty vases, and under an arch of a variety of colored roses. Each woman carried a bouquet of roses of corresponding colors. Sky and Kyra handed each other a single red rose, an 'I Love You', which they placed in their respective containers. The audience looked on as the minister read a combination of traditional and original vows, and as Skylar and Kyra pronounced their intentions, the roses they carried came into play.
Skylar removed a lavender colored flower from her bunch. "I give this to you because I fell in love with you at first sight. And when I heard you sing, you took hold of my heart and I knew you would be there forever." She placed the flower in Kyra's crystal vase.
Kyra selected the yellow and red one from her hand. "This is for my best friend. Your friendship has helped me step out from under some insecurities and you have shown me life."
A deep burgundy bloom found its way into the blonde's glass vessel. Skylar said simply, but wonderfully, "This represents, but cannot match your incredible beauty."
"Thank you for the wondrous journey we are about to begin," Kyra said of the dark pink rose she next presented.
Skylar kissed the soft, pale pink petal, before placing it in her lover's vase. "Your gentleness and compassion continue to remind me of the best of humanity when the rest of the world gets a little crazy."
"To our perfect happiness." Kyra tucked a pink and white rose into the small cluster beside Skylar.
They each had only two flowers left. "Since we both chose an orange one," Skylar said, "and we both know what it signifies, I think it will be our little secret for now."
Skylar winked.
Kyra blushed.
The audience giggled.
Kyra placed her final flower, of snow white into the center vase. Instantly, it was joined by a fiery red one. Sklyar said, "The red…"
"And the white," Kyra added.
They spoke the last part together. "Come together in unity…forever."
Beneath the rainbow of roses, Kyra and Skylar sang to each other and then they were pronounced married. A kiss signified their beginning as a committed and loving couple.
They spent the rest of the day surrounded by family, smiling, laughing and wondering what the future would bring.
Five years later
Skylar sat on a small stool in the bathroom of her house, her fairly new house.
After the wedding, Skylar had taken almost a year off from the business. Partly to spend time with her new wife and partly to let the situation with Bo slip into the background. She had decided not to make a grand coming out statement to the world, but she definitely did not hide her relationship with Kyra either. When people found out, it just happened and they were left to their own reactions.
When Skylar did return to the recording studio and to touring, she was met with as much enthusiasm as ever. More awards and accolades came her way, but so did the exhaustion and frustration over the time away from her family. She soon came to realize that her career was not going to keep her from the most important things in her life. So just a few years after her first appearance in the music world, Skylar Ramsey went into semi-retirement. On her property in Colorado, she built a much larger house with an attached recording studio. There she continued to make music with Kyra, but she also worked with new talent, under her own music label. As with everything else, Skylar made a huge success of this new venture.
Skylar contemplated some new song lyrics, sitting on that stool, waiting for the allotted time to elapse.
"Look at this Mama," a small voice said from beneath a mound of bubbles.
Skylar glanced that way and laughed at her three and a half year old son. "It's Cody the snowman," she said, still smiling. "You've got five more minutes to play pal," she informed the soapy, young man.
He took full advantage of the time until his mom drained the tub and rinsed him off with the removable shower head hanging on the wall, in his own personal bathroom. It had made him feel very important to know that it belonged to him and him alone…for the time being anyway. Skylar wrapped a big, thick towel around his slight body and lifted him from the tub and onto the spongy bathmat, where she gently dried his skin. Putting on his robe and slippers, Cody stepped up on the little stool in front of the sink, where he, just a bit awkwardly, brushed his teeth. Skylar watched with a smile. She was very proud of her son and how far he had come since his traumatic birth and the troubled first few months of his life. But Cody was doing great now, and Skylar was determined that he would continue to have a happy, safe and healthy life. When the little boy was finished, he quickly shuffled, he knew he wasn't allowed to run indoors, to his very own bedroom and over to his dresser. His room was decorated with cowboys, horses and western teddy bears. He waited patiently until his mom pulled out a pair of heavy pajamas from the top drawer. Coincidentally, they were covered with images of rocking horses. Once dressed, she helped him climb into his small bed. "More story?" he asked hopefully.
Skylar smiled. She couldn't resist his big brown eyes. "A short one," she said. "Since you already conned me into letting you stay up half an hour passed your bedtime. And you need your sleep, because your friend Morgan is coming to visit tomorrow." Morgan Roberts was the four year old daughter of Gable and Josh Roberts. They now lived in a nearby town and visited often. The children had become fast friends.
"Is she gonna stay all day?" Cody asked excitedly.
"You bet," Sky said. Ruffling his blonde hair, Sky picked up the thick book of adventure tales and sat next to him on the bed. Cody followed along, listening to her melodic voice with rapt attention. Skylar herself got involved in the story, not noticing her sleeping son until she spoke the words, "The end." She put the book back on the shelf, where it was surrounded by more books and toys. After flipping on the nightlight, Skylar tucked the blanket around his shoulders, kissed his head and whispered, "Sweet dreams son." On her way out the door, Sky stopped to praise Makana. The big lab, always gentle with her small playmate, had taken it on herself to be night guardian as she slept in her bed, in the corner of Cody's room.
Skylar loved being a mother and everything it entailed, even cleaning up the bathroom after bath time. Although she was sure that particular elation would wear off in time.
After that enjoyable task was complete, she checked on her son one last time, again thinking, I love being a mom. Walking back down the hall, she stopped at the window and glanced at the original cabin out in back. The light in the small house went off and Sky nodded and smiled. "Night Mom," she said, even though the house's lone occupant wouldn't hear her.
Seeing her mother and her son settled in for the night, Skylar went in search of her wife. Bypassing the master bedroom, she stopped at the room just beyond. The door was slightly ajar and she stood there soaking in the love as she watched the scene inside. Kyra was in a chair by the window, rocking back and forth, speaking to the bundle in her arms. Skylar couldn't hear the words, but it didn't matter what was being said; the look on Kyra's face spoke volumes. Skylar stepped inside and her wife beamed a smile in her direction. Noticing the wiggling babe in her arms, Skylar observed, "Do we have a little night owl on our hands tonight?"
Cooper Ramsey turned his head to see his other mommy. But the chunky six-month old didn't relinquish the nipple that was firmly planted in his mouth. "I think we do," Kyra said, kissing her son's sparsely haired head. "Is Cody asleep?" she asked of her other son.
"Yep, one short story and he was out." Skylar cupped the baby's dark head as he continued eating.
Only after he had sucked down all of the formula, did the baby spit out the rubber nipple. Kyra sat the bottle aside and lifted him to her shoulder. "He's been kinda restless for the last few days," she said as she rubbed his back. "Do you think he's getting sick?" The worry in her voice was genuine.
Sky sat down beside the pair, feeling the baby's forehead. "I don't think he has a fever," she said. "And he hasn't really been cranky."
"Yeah," Kyra agreed. "He just hasn't slept much. He's probably just about to get a tooth coming in. Is his teething ring in the freezer?" Kyra didn't get an answer and she turned to find her wife just grinning at her. "What?"
"You are just an incredible mother. And I love you so much." Sky leaned over and kissed her soundly. The kiss only came to an end when she was smacked in the head by a small fist. "Now listen here little man," Sky said, kissing the hand that had hit her. "I get first dibs on your mommy."
His reply was a loud burp and a gummy grin.
Both women laughed and Skylar took her son into her arms, giving him a big hug. "I think our little Cooper here wants to be in the spotlight."
Kyra agreed. "A star in the making." They were only half joking. They intended to support their children in whatever they chose to pursue, but at the same time they would never push them into anything.
Skylar gently bounced the baby in her arms as she walked around the room and sang to him. After a few minutes, his dark eyes finally began to droop. After a few more minutes she settled him into his crib and placed the blanket around him. Kyra came to her side and they finished the last chorus of the song together. He snuggled in and finally fell asleep, soon to be dreaming about bottles and doggie kisses.
Skylar wrapped her arm around Kyra as they watched their baby sleep. "This is about as perfect as it gets," she whispered.
"Yeah," Kyra agreed, "but I have a feeling that it's only gonna get better."
The End.