"I'm glad she finally decided to take my advice," Kelli stood looking outside the den's window. She was watching Lacey and Morgan roll around in the snow-covered ground. They were acting like two kids who were finally told they could play together again.

"What advice was that?" Tamera asked from behind her friend.

"To swallow her own pride."

"Technically," Tamera moved next to Kelli and joined in watching the two women outside, "I came to her. At least that's the way I think she'll tell it."

"Well she may tell it differently but she'll not remember it that way."

"She stood outside the clinic for at least three hours in the cold. The receptionist told me someone was standing out there, but I didn't even think to go and look. I thought it was someone waiting for a patient or something."

"Yeah." Kelli nodded. "I've never seen either one of them like this," she commented after silently watching her girlfriend and friend in the snow a while longer.

"Morgan will get this way occasionally. I think it's hard for her to let go sometimes."

"And you're one to talk about letting go?"

Tamera turned away from the window. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"You've been coiled so tightly lately that I'm not even sure where my friend went."

Tamera opened her mouth to respond but snapped it shut when she couldn't even think of how to deny Kelli's claim. "It's been a hard time," she opted to say instead. "We told Nathan about us and he's not that enthused by the idea. It hurt him."

"We always knew it would."

"Doesn't make it any easier."

"Didn't say it should."

"Morgan's been?kind of mopey too."

"Because she thought she lost a friend."

"She didn't have to not see Lacey because of me."

"She wanted to respect how you felt, and I'm sure it made you feel good."

"What?"

"That she chose you over Lacey." Tamera's cheeks reddened and she dipped her head. "Don't feel too ashamed by it. I wonder myself if Lacey would do the same thing for me."

"I'm sure she would."

Kelli shrugged. "I'm not too sure. She feels she owes Morgan a lot. She feels her own happiness should be sacrificed. There are just different circumstances."

"I'm still sure she would choose you. She loves you. She loved you enough to take your advice."

They both chuckled.

"What's going on in here?" Morgan called as she entered the house, snow falling from her hair and clothes. "I'd say by the looks of things that you were talking about me."

"Is there anything or anyone else to talk about?" Kelli winked.

"Well you could be talking about me," Lacey feigned hurt. "I am just as important if not more important than her."

"Of course you are darlin'." Kelli smiled.

Lacey shook her head. "I don't believe you."

"Awe baby are you feeling left out? If it makes you feel any better then we talked about you too." Kelli gave a mischievous smile that dared Lacey to respond.

"I'm smarter than that so I'll just say that whatever you talked about, I don't want to know."

"Smart girl." Morgan said from beside her friend. "I see that you've finally learned something from Kelli."

Lacey's eyes narrowed. "And because I'm in such a benevolent mood I won't respond to that and will pretend like you said nothing."

"You're afraid. I can understand that." Morgan replied with a fixed look of understanding on her face.

"Afraid of what? You?" Lacey snorted. "You're about as scary as a baby kitten."

"Kitten my ass" Morgan said before she pounced unexpectedly onto Lacey's back. Not ready to take on the extra weight Lacey's legs buckled and both women fell to the floor. Kelli and Tamera sat back and watched in awe. Neither had seen either of their partners so playful.

"Damn you," Lacey gasped out. She was pinned to the floor by Morgan's weight. "Get the hell off my back."

"Take back the kitten comment." Morgan ordered.

"Get the hell off my back." Lacey said more forcefully.

"Take back the kitten comment." Morgan ordered once more.

"Get the hell off my back." Lacey responded again.

"Children. Children" Tamera stepped in before Morgan could make her childish plea once more. "Please behave yourselves."

"I will when she does." Lacey called out as she tried futilely to remove Morgan from her back.

"Hey!" Morgan snapped. "You take that back."

"Get off me." Lacey demanded. "Then I'll take it back."

Tamera opened her mouth to try and break up the fight on the floor but Kelli stopped her with a hand on her arm. "Don't," she whispered, "I think Lacey's going to win this."

"I don't think so," Tamera snorted. "She can't even remove Morgan from her back."

"No. No. Lacey is going to win this." Kelli insisted.

Tamera looked to floor where Lacey was still trying to buck Morgan off of her back with no success. "Wanna bet?"

"How much?"

"Fifty bucks that Morgan gets Lacey to take back the comment before Lacey can get her off."

Kelli stuck out her hand for Tamera to take. "Okay."

They both turned their attention back to the women on the floor. Unexpectedly Lacey had achieved removing Morgan from her back and was rolling onto her back. Morgan was sprawled out on the floor her feet sticking up in the air. In making the bet both women had missed the action.

"Damn it Morgan, I think you broke my back." Lacey said as she slowly stood up.

"If you're moving you're not broken," Morgan mumbled. "And I think you broke my butt."

"I win." Kelli said as she moved over to her girlfriend. "You just won me fifty bucks honey." She reported proudly.

"I won you nothing. I won myself fifty bucks."

Kelli narrowed her eyes and was going to say something but was forestalled by Lacey's forefinger gently pressing against her lips. "Not one word. You didn't have to break your back."

Tamera helped Morgan off of the ground and brushed of her partner's butt thoroughly checking for any real injury. When she noticed Kelli and Lacey were watching her avidly she stopped and stepped away. Morgan only kept an amused expression on her face. "Honey you owe Kelli fifty bucks." She mentioned casually as she walked to the kitchen.

Morgan rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"You'll get the bill in the mail," Kelli patted her on the arm as she glided past and followed Tamera into the kitchen, effectively leaving Morgan and Lacey alone.

Morgan turned to Lacey. Her expression serious and her mood shifted from the playful one moments before. Before she could speak Lacey took one step closer to her.

"I don't want anymore drama in my life Morgan. I don't want to hurt again. I don't want to fight. I don't want lengthy platitudes about how we've overcome and how sorry we both are. Things have changed and they've been good changes. Let's say that things are fine now."

Morgan nodded. "Things have changed. But a lot of things are still the same."

"Hey are you two ready to eat or are you not done playing yet?" Kelli asked sticking her head out of the doorway to the kitchen. "Some of us are hungry."

"We're coming." Lacey called back then turned to face Morgan again. "Come on. We can't stay like this forever."

Morgan sighed. "No, I guess we can't." She watched her friend walk to the kitchen and muttered under her breath, "We never could before either."

The end. For real this time.