Wade Bennett looked around the bare apartment that she had called home for the past three months. This was becoming a routine. Without fail, she would awaken from a nightmare, not be able to go back to sleep and have to come out and sit in her livingroom until it was time for her to go to work.

Scanning the area, she noticed that most of the cardboard boxes stacked against the walls were still untouched. Her bedroom didn't look any better, and she still lived out of her suitcase and wardrobe boxes that the movers used to hang her clothes in when they packed her up and relocated her from Iowa to Denver.

The tall brunette had decided after five years of being a member of the Peakson County Sheriff's Department that she'd had enough.

While she was trying to investigate the brutal beating of a local man that had also resulted in her own injury, her fellow deputies didn't raise a hand to help her find the answers that she needed. Their indifference and eventual betrayal left her confused and guarded.

The day of the attack was still foggy in her brain, because of the injuries that she sustained when she tried to assist the poor man.

After she was released from the hospital and started her own investigation, she was faced with road blocks at every turn, most of them put in place by her fellow officers.

She finally had to face the hard truth that none of her co-workers really gave a shit about her, except for Hank that is. When she really accepted that fact, she knew that she couldn't stay.

That had been six months ago and now her she was in Denver, working the night shift as a security guard at Johnson trucking.

It wasn't the greatest job in the world, but she was left alone and there was zero action going on. Her biggest worry was making sure her flashlight had fresh batteries.

She checked the time and stood-up from one of the two wooden chairs that she used as seating, and headed for the bathroom to shower before her shift started.

The chairs a television set and a folding TV table was the only pieces of furniture in her livingroom. After three months, she still couldn't come-up with a good enough reason to buy anything to put in the place.

*******

Laura Mills was sitting in the dispatcher's office at Johnson Trucking waiting to begin her fist shift working solo as the night dispatcher. The small blonde had been training on the day shift for three weeks before she was allowed to work the night shift alone.

She was happy that her daytime training was over. There was too much activity going on for her liking. Laura preferred the peace and quiet that the night shift offered. She had always been a friendly and out going person, until the night that she and three of her friends were gay bashed. It had been nine months since it happened and she still found it hard to trust people.

*******

Laura was walking to the parking lot with her friends Donna, Tommy and Glen, on the night of the attack.

Tommy and Glen had been together for a little more than six years and she and Donna had been friends since meeting at the same club they were now leaving, three years earlier.

The small blonde and the slightly taller redhead became best friends immediately. They had never wondered why they weren't sexually attracted to each other, they just felt more like siblings than lovers.

The night of the attack the group had left the club around one a.m. and headed for Glen's old Cutlass Supreme. Before they could reach the car in the dark parking lot, a pick-up filled with drunk red-necks descended on the small group.

The drunken men jumped out of the flatbed and surrounded the four friends. They started with the typical name calling, then the shoving and finally they worked themselves into a frenzy and started beating the defenseless group with fists and boards that they retrieved from the truck.

They were lucky that someone leaving the club saw what was happening and used their cell phone to call 911.

When the attackers heard the sirens, they piled back into the truck and took off. The women had suffered a couple of broken bones, but the two men were left unconscious, battered, bruised and broken.

*******

Although it had been nine months since the attack, Laura sat at her desk rubbing her arm remembering the night that it had been broken.

The little blonde inhaled deeply and then exhaled, releasing her bad memories, along with a warm breath. She looked at her watch and was surprised to see that she had been lost in her thoughts for an hour. She stood and decided that one a.m. was as good a time as any to go and get a cup of coffee.

*******

Wade entered the break room with the intention of getting a hot cup of coffee. Even though it was May, the nights still could be chilly.

The last thing she had expected when entering the room, was to see someone else. She hesitated for only a second before continuing to the coffee maker.

The little blonde woman was standing at the counter with her back turned, and stirring her hot beverage when Wade came up beside her.

"Uhmm . . . excuse me, but I can't get to the cups."

Laura jumped, not having realized that someone had entered the break room. When she turned to see who had spoken to her, she found herself staring at a pair of full breast covered by a dark gray uniform shirt.

She couldn't seem to look away. The shirt was unbuttoned enough for her to see an upper chest covered with smooth bronze skin and just a hint of cleavage.

When she heard soft laughter coming from the chest that her eyes were glued to she got her wits about her and stepped back out of the woman's way. When she raised her head to apologize, she was greeted by twinkling clear blue eyes.

Wade couldn't help herself. She had to tease the green-eyed blonde, if for no other reason, just to give herself time to slow down her suddenly rapid heart beat.

"See something ya like?" The dark beauty said.

Laura felt her skin start to heat up right away. But there was no way that she was going to let the tall woman get the better of her. "I've seen better."

Wade raised a dark brow and laughed out loud. "Oh really?"

Laura was already headed out of the door when she turned back around. "Of course, I would have to have an up close and personal inspection before I could give you a definite opinion."

As she headed down the hallway, she could have sworn she heard that deep voice say, "That can be arranged."

*******

The dispatcher sat in front of the equipment that kept her in touch will all of the drivers, not really seeing anything. She was tapping a pen on the top of the desk deep in thought. 'I can't believe I said those things. That is so not my style.

Granted, she has got to be the most beautiful woman that I've ever seen, but I have seen attractive women before and I have never been that brazen.'

Before her thoughts could go any deeper, a call came in over the radio, and she had to put mind back into the job.

*******

Wade sat in one of the guard booths with her feet up on the desk, leaning back in her chair, sipping her coffee. She looked at the clock on the wall and noted that she had ten minutes before she had to make rounds again.

It had been five hours since she had run into the small blonde woman with the beautiful green eyes. As she leaned back in her chair, she closed her eyes and imagined running her fingers through the long golden hair that looked like it was as soft as silk. She could taste the sweetness that she knew the full pink lips held. The T-shirt she wore outlined a pair of breast that she knew would fit into her hands perfectly.

Just as she was starting to imagine herself weighing them, she sat-up with a start. 'I was flirting with her, I never let on about my sexuality to anyone that I've just met.'

She ran her fingers through her midnight hair and then rubbed her face. 'Hell when I lived in Iowa, I never tried to date anyone locally. I drove an hour out of town, just to make sure that no one accidently found me out.'

She stood and walked out of the booth. 'That was only because the town was so homophobic that I wasn't about to take a chance.'

The corner of her mouth turned up with disgust. 'I guess my opinion of Baily's Junction was validated the night that poor man was beaten.'

As she turned on her flashlight to check under the parked trucks, her thoughts went back to the blonde woman. 'Oh well, I've never seen her before, chances are I won't see her again, she's probably filling in for someone.'

*******

The next morning Laura was walking back and forth in front of her car. "I hate this piece of shit! It's always a guessing game . . . will it start . . . wont it start?"

She stopped and kicked the front bumper with her cloth-covered foot. The pain that followed had her jumping around on one leg, spewing more expletives than any twenty-four-year-old should know.

*******

Wade sat behind the wheel of her Jeep Grand Cherokee and observed the small woman's antics. After the blonde hurt herself, the security guard got out and approached her. "Do you need some help?"

Although she had heard the voice only briefly, she knew who it was. She looked up at the tall woman through fair eye lashes. "It seems that my piece of crap 1995 Honda Civic, has once again found a parking spot that it likes better than the one at home."

The brunette thought that the pissed-off little blonde was the most adorable thing she had ever seen. "If you pop the hood, I'll give it a look see."

The beautiful smile that creased the blonde's face, made Wade's breath quicken. She stuck out a small hand and introduced herself. "I guess it's time for me to tell you my name. I'm Laura."

The larger hand almost swallowed the smaller one, but it still felt like a perfect fit to the guard. "I'm Wade."

*******

After checking a few of the basics, Wade found the problem. She straightened and gave the dispatcher the news. "Well Laura, it looks like you need a distributor cap."

Green eyes went wide. "Is that very expensive? I don't know if I want to put a lot of money into a car that's almost twelve years old."

Wade rubbed the back of her neck. "Nah . . . it'll cost about fifteen bucks and I can put it on for free."

"You work on cars?"

"Yeah, I grew-up in Iowa and you learn really early how to fix things cause there isn't always money to buy something new or pay someone to fix it."

"If you really don't mind, I would appreciate the help."

The women decided that they should go to the automotive store and pick-up the part then Wade would install it at work later that night.

*******

After they left the parts store, Laura gave the guard directions to her apartment, where they were now sitting out in front of in Wade's truck.

"Look Wade, if you're not gonna let me pay you to fix my rust-buck and giving me a ride into work tonight, at least let me make you a home cooked meal."

The ex-cop knew that she wanted to spend more time with the dispatcher, but she was afraid that the demons that haunted her would make themselves known at the wrong time. "That's really not necessary Laura. I'm happy to do it for you."

The blonde reached across the seat and touched the tall woman on her thigh. "Please, let me do this, It will stop me from feeling like I'm using you."

When Wade looked into those beautiful green eyes, she was lost, there was no way she could deny this woman anything. "Okay, when and where?"

Laura was bouncing in her seat. "Let's see. We get off of our last shift Saturday morning, so how about you come over at seven Saturday night. That way we will have enough time to get some rest."

Wade stuck her hand out. "It's a date."

Laura couldn't understand why she was blushing and nervous all of a sudden. She accepted the offered hand and shook it "Okay, Uhmm . . . I guess I'll see you tonight then . . . when you pick me up I mean."

Wade smiled, showing a set of white even teeth. "Until tonight."

Laura pulled the door handle and opened the truck door. She looked back at Wade and waved before she headed up the stairs to her apartment.

*******

Laura was a nervous wreck. She had been unable to sleep for very long, so now she was up cleaning. First she vacuumed then she dusted, she knew that it was time to get a hold of herself when she filled a buck to start washing the windows.

It was six-thirty and Wade would be there in thirty minutes. She had decided to go with the standard first meal . . . some type of pasta.

The salad was ready, the bread was warm, the clam sauce was simmering and the linguini was on a platter waiting to be added to the water once it started boiling, all that was left now was for her guest to arrive.

*******

Wade stood in the bathroom, looking into the only mirror in her home. She was trying to decide if she should leave her hair loose, braid it or put it in a pony tail.

She was still coming to terms with the fact that she had accepted the dinner invitation. She really liked the dispatcher but she couldn't help but realize that her connection to this place was so detached that she hadn't even unpacked her belongings........ how could she be thinking about dating.

She breathed deeply, decided to leave her hair loose and told herself that she was just having a meal with a new friend, nothing more. As she switched off the light, she spoke out loud. "Yeah, Wade . . . just keep telling yourself that."

*******

When Laura heard the knock at the door, she rubbed her palms down her jean-covered thighs and left the kitchen to answer it.

When she opened the door, Wade was holding up the items that she brought over, the first thing she saw was a six pack of Amber Bock in one hand and two bottles of wine, one red and one white in the other.

Laura stepped back so that Wade could enter the apartment. "Wow, are you trying to get me drunk?"

The dark woman looked a little sheepish. Nah . . . I just didn't know what you wanted with dinner, so I brought a variety."

Laura relieved Wade of part of her burden. "Follow me into the kitchen so that I can put this stuff in the fridge."

After placing the drinks in the refrigerator Laura pulled out one of the beers. "Do you want one?"

"Yes . . . to be honest, I prefer the beer to the wine."

The blonde let out a relieved breath. "Me too, I've never been a wine kinda girl."

She took a sip of the Amber Bock and held the bottle up to read the label. "I've never had this before, it's really good."


A slow smile started at the corners of the brunette's mouth. "It is tasty. I just started drinking it myself."

Before the smaller woman could say anything, the water started to boil over. She put the beer down and grabbed a couple of potholders to pull the pot off of the burner.

"Do you need any help with that?"

"No, I've got it." She poured the pasta in a colander to drain. "Go have a seat at the table and I'll bring the plates in."

Wade grabbed the blonde woman's beer and went to sit at the table in the small dinning area.

*******

Laura was in the middle of telling Wade about her family ski trips from childhood, when the phone rang. "Excuse me a second while I get that." She walked to the coffee table to answer the cordless phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey Laura, I was wondering if you wanted to catch a movie later."

The blonde cupped the mouth piece of the phone and whispered. "Donna, did you forget that I'm having dinner with a friend tonight?"

"Is that tonight? I thought it was tomorrow night."

"You are such a horrible liar, you know tonight is the night."

There was a wicked laugh on the other end. "Oh really, what exactly do you have planned?"

"Shut-up freak, we're just having dinner. Look, I need to go, I'll call you later."

*******
After the meal the two women sat on the sofa talking, getting to know each other. "You know Wade, I've lived here my whole life and I've never been to Benson's."

The security guard stretched out her long legs and relaxed. "What is Benson's?"

Laura pulled her legs up and tucked them under her. They weren't even aware of it, but the two of them were the picture of domestic bliss.

"It's this really great place that makes art glass. They have glass blowers and the works."

"Sounds like an interesting place to visit."

The small woman bit the corner of her bottom lip. "I.... I .... I was wondering if you would uhmmm . . . like to maybe go next weekend."

Wade turned her blue gaze on the green-eyed woman. "Laura . . . are you trying to snag me for another weekend?"

The blush was so deep that her fair brows stood out like a beacon. "Sssorry, I was......."

Wade leaned over and placed her large hand on the blonde woman's shoulder to silence her. "No Laura . . . I'm sorry. I was just joking with you. I would love to hang out with you next weekend."

Laura dropped her head and exhaled in relief. "Oookay . . . I think I need to loosen-up a little."

Wade sat back against the sofa and laughed. "Yeah, just a little. It's strange, I'm usually the one that's uptight."

The blonde head jerked up. "You think I'm uptight!?"

Wade put her hands up, palms facing out. "Hold on QuickDraw, I didn't mean it that way, all I'm saying is humor isn't always the first place I go."

"Oh so, that little 'taking-up your weekend' joke was out of the norm?"

It was the dark woman's turn to blush. "Well . . . yeah . . . I don't have a sense of humor with everyone."

Laura's insides were jumping from excitement. "So, does that make me special?" The dispatcher couldn't believe her own ears.

She had been good the whole week. Every time she saw the tall security guard at work, they shared their coffee breaks and engaged in good conversation.

She hadn't done any flirting. Now she felt like she was going backwards.'What the hell am I doing. This is like a replay of the first time we met.'

When Wade saw the green eyes widen in horror, she couldn't let the opportunity pass. She dropped her voice an octave lower and leaned in. "Do you want to be special?"

Laura's eyes closed on their own, in reaction to the sultry sound, then her mouth opened and she answered on a whispered breath before her brain could stop it. "Yes."

Both women were wrapped in a thinly veiled gauze of seduction, one, that neither was aware had been woven.

Wade leaned in closer to the small woman, whose eyes were still closed. Just before she made contact with the soft lips that were only a hairs breathe away, she spoke in a tone so low that the blonde almost didn't hear it. "Then special, you will be."

The contact was so intense that the jolt spread from the top of their heads to the tips of their toes. When small hands entwined themselves in black silk, then the blonde woman moaned, both women opened their eyes in shock.

They pulled apart immediately and retreated to their own corners of the sofa. Wade spoke first. "Laura . . . I am so sorry, I . . . I . . . didn't mean to do that, I mean your eyes were closed and you didn't even know I was going to . . . "

Laura held-up her hand. "Stop, it's okay . . . no, I didn't know that it was going to happen." She smiled at her companion brightly. "But I was hoping."

The dark head laid on the back on the couch in relief. "I am soooo glad to hear that, there is no way that I want you to think that I am some kind of predator."

"I would never think that."

The sudden awakening of her libido made Wade know that she should leave, so she stood and stretched. "Laura it's getting late and I think I should be heading home."

The shorter woman got up and grabbed a large hand as she pulled Wade up. She continued to hold the other woman's hand until they reached the front door.

Before she released Wade's hand to let her leave, Laura looked into the bluest blue that she had ever seen.

"I had a really good time Wade . . . I uhmmm . . . I guess I'll see you Monday night at work."

"Thanks for dinner Laura, it was delicious, yeah, I'll see you Monday, can I call you tomorrow sometime . . . you know, just to say hi?"

The smaller woman smiled warmly at her dinner companion. "You never have to ask if you can call me Wade, the invitation is open, you can call me anytime, day or night."

Wade smiled her appreciation.

They stood at the front door in an awkward silence until Wade bit the bullet and made the first move. She dropped her dark head and kissed the small blonde goodnight. After they broke apart Wade opened the door to leave, as she stepped out she smiled at Laura. "I'll talk to you later."

After Laura closed the door, she leaned against it and rubbed her fingers across her mouth. "I am in so much trouble."

Wade took a few steps down the hallway and stopped before exiting the building. She leaned against the concrete wall and ran her tongue over her top lip, then closed her eyes. "I think I'm in a lot of trouble here."

*******

The women had been dating for three weeks when Laura decided to have a small get together so that she could introduce her friends to her girlfriend.

Laura fell back on her pillow and spoke out loud in the sun dappled room that she slept in. "Wow . . . I have a girlfriend, and what a gorgeous girl she is."

She laughed to herself when she thought about the possibility of having the gathering at Wade's place. "Yeah we could take turns sitting in the two chairs, If I didn't know any better I would swear she doesn't unpack or buy any furniture because it's a challenge to her now."

Thinking about the tall blue-eyed woman made her smile. She stretched out her small muscular body before she snuggled down deeper into her bed. "Yeah, Ms. Bennett, I could very easily fall in love with you."

*******

Wade's long body was sprawled out across her bed, she was remembering the goodby kiss that she and Laura had shared before they parted that morning. The little blonde was breaking down the walls that she had built-up after the incident in Iowa. Her mind drifted back to the night that she lost her trust in her fellow man.

**

Deputy Bennett was driving around the small town of Baily's Junction doing her nighty rounds. The town was a pretty quit place. She had joined the Peakson County Sheriff's Department five years ago right after her twenty-first birthday.

She had grown-up in Chatham, a town that was about forty-five miles away from Baily's Junction and was considered by most to be "the big city."

Her parents and older brother still lived there, her dad was a local prosecutor and her mother was the town librarian.

Wade had wanted to go into law enforcement every since she was twelve years old and got hooked on reruns of Hill Street Blues. That was also the same year that she developed a crush on the show's attorney, Veronica Hamil.

Wade was the middle child of three, but being the only girl, her parents usually gave in to whatever request their daughter made. Even with all of the attention, Wade wasn't a spoiled child.

The work ethic that her parents taught her by example always made her want to work for something instead of having it given to her.

That was the main reason she looked for a job in law enforcement out of town. She knew that her father's reputation word guarantee her a position on the local force . . . that . . . was not what she wanted.

She had one good friend in the department, Hank Dawson, they had started with the Sheriff's Department at the same time and had always had each others back.

Unfortunately, the night that she answered a disturbance call on one of the seeder sides of town, was Hank's day off.

The call came over the radio that an anonymous caller had reported hearing someone being beaten in an abandoned building.

When she arrived she quietly made her way around to the back and snuck in through a busted out window. The sounds that she heard turned her stomach.

It sounded like a man with a very feminine sounding voice was begging someone to please stop and let him go. The cruel laughter that followed sent chills down her spine. It was then that she realized that there was more than one person torturing the victim. That's when she called for back-up

Then she steeled her nerves and let her training and experience take over. The tall woman slowly drew her weapon and moved without a sound toward the scene.

This was the point where she always became frustrated, because that is where her memory of that night ends, the only thing that she remembered after approaching the room where the man was being held is waking-up in the hospital with an incredible headache.

Her parents explained to her that her fellow deputies found her unconscious on the floor of the abandoned building and called for an ambulance.

When asked how long she had been out, they told her twenty-four hours. When Hank came to visit, he asked her what she remembered. When she told him, he filled in as much as he could from what he had been told by the other guys.

It seems that the group had grabbed a transvestite, pulled him into the run down building and was beating him unmercifully.

Hank told her that the men had someone guarding the room where they had the man and when she crossed the threshold. He hit her in the head with something.

Her frustration showed on her face. She couldn't remember a thing. "Hank, what happened to the victim?"

The big man hung his blonde head and then looked back up at her with sorrowful brown eyes. "He didn't make it Wade, when the guys got there they found you at the entrance to the room and found him further in."

When the tall deputy got out of the hospital she started investigating what had happened, the problem was that every time she tried to get information it seemed like her fellow deputies stood in her way.

When she was finally told that she didn't need to look into the death of a freak, she became angry, but didn't stop.

What made her give-up was when she received phone calls threatening her life. What made her leave Iowa, was when she realized that the threats were coming from her co-workers.

*******
Wade came back to the present and shook off the painful memories. It had only been a little over six months, and the feelings were still too raw.

What she wanted now, was to concentrate on a certain little blonde green-eyed dispatcher. "Ahhh . . . Laura Mills, if you only knew how hard I'm falling for you."

The security guard pulled her blanket up and turned on her side. "Yeah Laura . . . I could easily fall deeply in love with you."

*******

Two days before the get together, Donna called Laura and asked if they could meet for lunch at the coffee shop around the corner from the office building she worked in.

The friends were sitting in a booth sipping on their coffee while waiting for their order. "So, are ya ready for this weekend?"

Green eyes looked into brown. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is, are you ready for us to meet Wade, you know that Tommy and Glen are going to give her the third degree."

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Tell me about it." Then she smiled around the edge of her cup. "But I think Wade can handle herself. Did I tell you that she was a deputy Sheriff in Iowa for five years before she came here?"

Donna leaned back in the booth and stretched her arms across the top of the booth. "I think I remember hearing something like that maybe......... a million times!"

"Okay, okay so maybe I talk about her sometimes."

"Are you serious, that woman is the only topic of conversation that you know lately."

The blonde woman blushed to the top of her head. "What can I say, I like her a lot."

Donna studied her friend. "You just like her?"

Laura propped her elbows on the table top and rested her chin on the back of her laced fingers. "I don't know Donna, I think it might be more than that, I mean we haven't gone any further than kissing, but the things that I feel just doing that, is more than I've ever felt with anyone else."

Donna reached across and held her friend's hands. "We have been very worried about you since we were attacked last year, you kinda disappeared into yourself and then you quit your accounting job and took a night dispatcher position, saying you didn't feel safe around a lot of people. But lately, you seem like your getting back to being your old self, and I'm thinking Wade is the cause."

She then squeezed her friend's hand and pulled her a little closer. "What I want to know Laura, is....does she make you feel safe?"

The blonde wasn't sure where all of the emotions that she was feeling were coming from, but she found herself choking back a sob. "Donna, she makes me feel safer than I've ever felt in my life."

The red head released her friend's hand and smiled. "That's all I need to know."

*******

When Laura heard the knock at her door, the knots in her stomach tightened, she realized that it was from being excited about Wade's arrival. She gave herself one last look in the livingroom mirror and went to open the door.

She smiled and opened the door. There stood her three friends. Tommy spoke first. "Are we too early or too late?"

Laura turned away from the door and walked away, leaving it open "Oh . . . it's only y`all."

The three friends entered the blonde woman's apartment. "Well, we're glad to see you too." Glen said while trying to pout.

Laura told them to close the door and ignored the man's attempt at guilt. "Why are you guys here so early?"

The three of them stood there, looking like deers stuck in headlights. Tommy elbowed Donna in the side. "You tell her."

The red head looked at him with a smirk on her face. "You tell her. It was your boyfriend's idea."

Glen's eyes went wide and he covered his mouth with one hand and pointed to her with the other. "I can't believe you just threw me under the bus!"

Donna took a seat on the couch and gave both men a bored look. "Get over it, after taking one look into those green eyes there was no way that I was going to take responsibility."

Both men turned at the same time and then stepped back a little. Laura was standing there with her hands on her hips, tapping one small foot and her nostrils flaring. "So, Pam and Tommy Lee, why are you here early?"

The men looked at each other and spoke at the same time and pointing a finger at each other. "You're Tommy Lee!"

The blonde stood there patiently. "I'm waiting."

Tommy cleared his throat. "We just wanted to already be here when this mystery woman showed up, that way could present a united front when she walked in."

Before Laura could say anything, there was a knock at the door. She went to open it, and just before she did, she looked back over her shoulder. "The three of you had better behave."

They all looked at her with wide-eyed innocence and crossed their hearts. Laura rolled her eyes and turned her back on them to answer the door.

The green-eyed woman opened the door and was immediately embraced by long strong arms and soft lips.

Wade picked the smaller woman up and walked into the room with Laura hanging in front of her. Without breaking contact, she kicked the door closed with her foot.

Small arms were wrapped around her neck and the kiss was being returned with equal need. The only thing that broke them apart, was the sound of someone clearing their throat.

Wade didn't put the other down or stop kissing her, she just cracked opened one eye to see who was making the sound.

When she saw the three people sitting on the sofa, she spoke around Laura's lips. "I see I wasn't the first to arrive."

Laura continued to hold on and answered with her lips still pressed against Wades. "They wanted to be nosey."

Still not releasing the smaller woman, Wade spoke again. "Oh . . . I guess I should put you down and meet them."

Laura tightened her hold on Wade's neck. "Don't feel obligated."

Donna couldn't take it any more. "We can hear you, you know."

Laura finally let go of Wade's neck and slid to the floor, then she turned around and leaned back into the solid body behind her. "Wade, this is them, them, this is Wade."

All three adults stood at the same time. Glen stepped forward and extended his hand. "Hi Wade, I'm Glen, this is my lover Tommy and the red head is Donna."

Wade extended her long arm around the small body that was leaning into her and shook each person's hand, telling them that she was glad to meet them.

Tommy looked at the tall blue-eyed woman and smiled his approval, Glen on the other hand, spoke his. "If I had a few more estrogen hormones, I would have to give blondie here a run for her money."

Donna slapped him in the back of the head and rolled her eyes before she spoke to the tall woman. "Ignore Hillary Swank, sometimes his mouth doesn't know that his brain exists."

Glen rubbed the back of his head and glared at Donna. "That's two-time Oscar winner Hillary Swank, thank you very much."

They all laughed and took seats around the livingroom. Tommy and Glen claimed the couch, Donna sat in a chair opposite them and Wade sat in the recliner with Laura sitting in her lap.

The red head started the conversation. "Wade, do you like working the night shift?"

The tall woman looked into green eyes and then tightened her hold on the small woman's waist. "Most definitely....... the hours have certain perks."

Laura giggled. "Oh yeah . . . like what?"

Blue eyes twinkled and a smile tugged at the corner of Wade's lips. "Ahhh, I don't know . . . let's see . . . there's the fact that I don't have someone looking over my shoulder, there's all the free coffee that I can drink and . . . "

She pretended to stop and think. "Oh right . . . there's all the sweet kisses I get all night long from a certain blonde dispatcher."

Laura leaned in and kissed the tall woman gently. "That's right, you can have all the kisses that you want."

Tommy couldn't take it any longer. "Laura, can we eat or drink or listen to music, anything that's not watching the two of you make kissy-face . . . please."

The small blonde removed herself from the security guard's lap. "Fine spoil all of my fun."

She made her way into the kitchen and then yelled. "Dinner will be served in five minutes."

*******

The two women stood at the door saying their goodbyes to the guest. After Laura closed the door, she fell face first into the tall woman's strong chest. "I'm glad that's over."

Long arms circled the small body and Wade rubbed her cheek in the soft blonde hair that was under her chin. "I like your friends. They're really cool."

Laura pulled back and smiled up at the taller woman. "They liked you too."

"They do huh . . . how do you know?"

Soft lips kissed the base of Wade's throat. "Because if they didn't, you would have been ignored all evening instead of being brought into every conversation we had."

Wade felt the sweet mouth move from one side of her neck to the other. "Uhmmm . . . Laura, I think it's time for me to leave."

The blonde never stopped her oral assault. "Suppose." kiss. "I want." kiss. "You." kiss. "To stay?"

Wade felt her legs get weak at the implication. Then she spoke with a shaky voice. "Then I would have to grant your requested."

Laura stepped out of Wade's embrace and took her hand, leading her into the bedroom.

*******

They slowly undressed each other. They didn't feel the need to rush this first interlude. Large hands brushed gently over soft skin, while small hands massaged strong bands of muscle everywhere they touched.

They stood in the middle of the room pressed tightly together, skin against skin. Wade's hands wandered up and down Laura's sides enjoying the feel of the smooth skin she found there, while the blonde woman rested her head on a broad shoulder and let her hands knead the muscles in the strong back they were mapping.

The tall woman whispered, not wanting to break the connection by speaking too loudly. "You feel so good Laura."

The blonde whispered back. "So do you." She exhaled softly. "Even though you're what . . . six feet and have me by a good seven inches, we seem to fit together."

Wade started slowly swaying them from side to side. "Yeah . . . just perfect." She dropped her head and started kissing the smaller woman with a purpose.

Laura opened her mouth and invited Wade's tongue in, deepening the kiss. The dark woman backed them up in the direction of the bed, never breaking contact.

When Laura felt the backs of her knees make contact with the bed, she sat down on the edge. The tall woman was bent over, refusing to relinquish the sweet tasting mouth.

Laura placed the palms of her hands on the bed and started a backwards crab crawl to the center. Wade followed.

When the two bodies reached the middle they adjusted themselves so that their feet didn't hang over the sides, when they were pointed in the right direction, the long body slowly descended to rest lightly on the smaller one.

They sighed simultaneously. Laura loved the feel of the larger woman's weight on her. "Oh God Wade . . . you feel so good.

Wade was busy trying to taste every inch of the blonde woman, from her ear to her collarbone. "So do you, you're so soft Laura."

Wade trailed her kisses across Laura's neck and made a detour down between two perfect breast. Her large hands came up and cupped both at the same time, while strong thumbs rubbed back and forth over the rapidly hardening pink nipples.

When one hand was replace with a warm mouth the small woman arched into the dark woman, wanting her to take in more of the sensitive mounds. "Yeeessss Wade, more."

Red lips opened wider and pulled in more of the breast, while her tongue danced over the nipple. She released the breast and then moved over to the other, giving it the same attention.

By this time, the small blonde was writhing with need. "Please baby, touch me or I'm gonna explode."

Wade smiled around the breast that was in her mouth and slowly moved her hand down the blonde's softly muscled body.

When she reached the wet curls below the blonde woman's cute little bell button, she used one finger to slide down between the swollen flesh she found.

Just that small amount of relief made Laura raise her arms up and wrap them around the tall woman's broad back.

All the smaller woman could do was moan out her pleasure. Wade raised her head and captured the pink lips that were slightly parted.

When Laura felt Wade's tongue enter her mouth, she automatically opened her legs wider. Wade took the invitation and gently entered one then two long fingers into the blonde woman's wet center.

Laura's eyes opened wide and then they rolled back in pure pleasure. She raised her knees and sat her feet flat on the bed and let her legs fall wider apart, opening herself even more. She wanted to give Wade everything.

She ripped her mouth away from the kiss and panted out her request. "Oh God . . . take me Wade . . . take all of me."

The words the woman spoke made the tall woman's need become more urgent, she readjusted and straddled the smaller woman's upper thigh, painting it with thick fluid that was flowing from her.

Her face was buried in the blonde's neck and she started rocking her hips to the same motion she had sat with her fingers as they moved in and out of Laura's warm center.

Both women felt themselves rising and knew that it was just a matter of seconds. When Wade felt the muscles surrounding her fingers start to clench and a new flood of wetness drenched the soft curls, she knew what was coming.

She just didn't know how loud it was going to be. "OH SHIT! ...... YES, YES, YES!" It seemed like with each scream the small dispatcher rocked faster and faster.

She could only repeat over and over, like a mantra. "So good, so good, so good." When Wade felt the blonde woman's movements start to slow down, her own orgasm took over.

She rocked hard and fast against the small woman's thigh and spoke her name during her release. "Laura, Laura, Laura."
When the orgasm ended and the after shocks stopped the large woman rolled off of her smaller mate and laid on her back trying to catch her breath.

Laura's chest would rise and fall while she tried to get air into her lungs. "That was . . . the most . . . incredible thing I have . . . ever experienced. It's never been that way before."

One large hand reached over and caressed a strong thigh. "Me either, that was . . . mind blowing."

Laura turned on her side so that she could face her lover, delicate fingers made a trail down the center of the dark woman's chest. "I've never wanted to open myself to someone like that before."

Wade mirrored the other woman's position. "I've never made a sound with anyone before."

A blonde brow rose, and the caress moved from the tan chest, to the smooth plains of her high cheekbone. "Why?"

"The town I lived in was very homophobic, there weren't that many openly gay people, and the ones that were, had to fight at every turn. So, there I was, not only gay, but I was in law enforcement.

Anytime I . . . ahh . . . went out with anyone, they lived at least fifty miles away, and even then my mind couldn't seem to accept that I wasn't in Baily's Junction, because of that block, I was never able to have a verbal release. I guess I subconsciously thought that someone would hear me, and my career would be over."

The blonde woman positioned herself on top of her tall lover. "How do your parents feel about you being gay?"

Wade rubbed her hands up and down the small woman's soft back. "Mom and dad are great, you see, I wasn't raised in Baily's Junction, I just live there now, or at least I used to.

She kissed the tip of the blonde's nose. "You see. I was born in a fairly large area named Chatham."

My dad is a successful popular prosecutor there, and I didn't what to get on the force locally just in case I might have been shown a little favoritism."

Laura started nibbling the long neck that was so close to her mouth. "I think I'm gonna show you a little favoritism myself."

The tall woman slid her hands down and grabbed two handfuls of the blonde's firm bottom. "Is that so?"

Just before Laura took a dark nipple into her mouth she said. "Yeah . . . I'm gonna show you all my favorite parts of your body."

Wade closed her blue eyes. "Go for it baby."

The two women continued pleasing each other for the rest of the night, not falling asleep until the sun started to rise.

*******
Laura was awakened by the sound of constant moaning. When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was the inky blackness of Wade's hair.

The tall woman's head was resting on Laura's and she was obviously having a bad dream. Laura gently shook Wade's shoulder trying to wake her up.

"Come on sweetheart, wake-up." She shook her again. "Wade, honey, open your eyes."

To her relief the dark head raised and two very blue eyes were looking at her. "What's wrong?"

Small hands smoothed back dark bangs. "You were having a nightmare" Then she looked at the closed curtains that kept most of the sunlight out. "Or I guess in this case, a daymare."

Wade sat-up and stretched her arms above her head. The action mesmerized the small Blonde. When the dark woman realized she was being watched a slow sexy smile graced her face.

"I know that I've asked you this before, but I'll ask you again. You see something you like?"

A small hand reached up and caressed an exposed breast. "Oh yeah . . . and now I can truthfully tell you from up close and personal experience that I haven't seem any that are more beautiful than these."

Wade pulled Laura up into her arms and kissed her good morning. When the kiss broke, Laura's green eyes showed concern. "What had you moaning in your sleep?"

Wade leaned against the headboard and exhaled. "I guess I never told you why I left Iowa huh?"

Just from the look on the beautiful woman's face, Laura knew that this was not going to be easy. "No, you haven't, but you don't have to. I can see from the look on your face that it isn't a pleasant story."

Wade pulled Laura close and kissed the top of her head. "I have nightmares a lot, and if we are gonna make it a habit to spend the night together, you will need to know why I'm disturbing your sleep."

Laura squeezed Wade around her slim waist. "In that case, you need to start talking cause I want you with me as often as I can have you."

The security guard looked down at her smaller mate and smiled. "It all started the night that I got a call reporting that someone was being beaten............"

Over the next two hours, Wade told her story and answered Laura's questions. "Let me get this straight, non of the other deputies would help you try and find out what happened in that building?"

"Only Hank, but we could never come up with anything. No finger prints no DNA, nothing."

Blazing green eyes looked at the raven-haired woman. "How do you know that it was your fellow officers that were making the threatening phone calls?"

Wade smiled a little. The small blonde's anger was heart warming. "Because some of the things that were said could only be known by the law enforcement agents that were involved with the case."

The dispatcher absentmindedly tucked a few strands of blonde hair behind her small ear. "Is the case still open?"

"Nah . . . I talk to Hank at least twice a month, and he said that the case was closed and filed as unsolved. He also said that another man was found dead about a month ago."

"Was that guy a transvestite too?"

"No, but he was openly gay. Hank said that he had been beaten and raped."

Laura gasped. "Was the guy you found raped?"

Wade paused in thought. Something was gnawing at the back of her brain. "Yeah, but I found that information out from the coroner's report.

"Are there any leads on this latest homicide?"

Wade laughed out loud. "Look at you and your law enforcement terminology."

Laura felt her face heat-up. Then she rubbed her finger back and forth under her nose. "I guess that comes from watching too much television."

"I think it's cute. No, they don't have any leads and doubt that they will. Hank says that they're treating it like the other one."

"That's amazing, can another sheriff's Department investigate?"

"They all have the same mentality around there, somehow it's the victim's fault for being different and not ashamed to be themselves in public."

"It's just so unfair that no one with any authority will step in."

Wade jumped out of the bed and started pacing back and forth, totally unaware of her nudity. "That's it, I can call the FBI, I mean they've found another body, for all we know, this could be a serial killer."

"Wont they want some kind of evidence?"

"Yeah, I'll call Hank and see if he can get his hands on the files and maybe fax them to me or FedEx, or something."

Laura could see how excited Wade was becoming. "You miss it don't you?"

The tall woman stopped pacing and blue locked with green. "More than I realized, it's what I've always wanted to do. Being away from it for the past four months has been hard."

The dispatcher patted the side of the bed, signaling the other woman to have a seat. "You know what I did before I took this job?"

Wade shook her head no.

"I'm a CPA."

"What! You have an accounting degree and you're dispatching trucks in the middle of the night?"

Laura understood her lover's shock. "It's time for me to tell you a little story of my own."

When Laura finished telling Wade about the attack that left her and her friends in the hospital, she found herself facing a dark menace.

It took all of Wade's will power to stop her voice from shaking with rage. "How long were you in the hospital?"

"Just long enough to get checked-out and have a cast put on. The boys were injured more than Donna or myself. They stayed in the hospital for a week."

Wade gently picked-up the arm that had been broken and slowly ran her long fingers all over the small limb, just feeling how delicate it was in her large hands made her see red again, how could anyone hurt something this precious.

When the pad of her index finger felt a slight indentation on Laura's forearm, she leaned down and kissed it, then she looked deep into emerald eyes. "I'll never let anyone hurt you again."

The feelings that came with the admission shocked Wade, but she knew that it was true. She admitted to herself that she wanted the small blonde to be with her always.

Laura reached-up and cupped Wade's cheek with her hand and ran her thumb across soft lips. "I know."

Wade leaned into the caress and closed her eyes. She whispered softly. "I love you Laura."

The admission didn't shock the smaller woman at all, after having coffee with Donna a couple days before, she had already come to terms with how she felt about the security guard.

She leaned forward and kissed Wade's moist lips. "And I love you too Wade Bennett."

*******

A month had gone by since Wade and Laura confessed their love for each other. Hank had faxed Wade everything that he could on the two murders and the ex-cop spent a few hours every morning after getting off of work going over them, looking for any connecting thread that she could find.

The tall woman still didn't see the need to buy furniture, so all of the files were kept at Laura's. It was ten o'clock in the morning and Wade was still sitting at the diningroom table reading and rereading all of the paperwork in front of her.

She was talking to herself. "There isn't much to go on here. You would think there would be more paperwork since a deputy was injured during the crime."

She felt small arms embrace her from behind, and a soft kiss on top of her head. "Sweetheart, put that stuff away and come to bed."

Wade reached up and held both of Laura's hands in one of hers. "I'm coming baby, there is just something about all of this that is bothering me in a way that I can't figure out."

"I'll give you ten more minutes, then I'm knocking you out and dragging you to bed."

Blue eyes had gone back to scanning the files in front of her. "Okay, but I have to throw in a load of clothes first, I didn't bring a clean uniform with me."

As Laura drug her feet heading back to the bedroom between yawns, she said. "You might as well move in, you're over here most of the time anyway and that poor apartment is as bare as a stripper on fifty dollar tip night."

Wade answered absently. "You're right baby. I'll get started as soon as we wake-up."

Both women stopped all movement and turned to look at each other. Laura spoke first. "Did you just agree to move in here?"

Wade's blue eyes were opened wide. "Uhmmm . . . yeah?"

Laura walked back over and stood in front of her lover. "Are you asking me or telling me?"

Wade rested her large hands on Laura's shapely hips and looked-up into the green eyes that she loved. "I'm telling you."

The small blonde bent down and kissed her lover. "Good, that's all I need to know."

She turned and went back into the bedroom. Wade ran her long fingers through her dark hair. "Next thing you know, I'll be asking her to marry me."

Her head snapped-up with that thought and she stood to started gathering her and Laura's clothes to wash them. "I need to do busy work and stop thinking crazy thoughts."

As she stood in the kitchen pouring the liquid into the washer, she realized what she was doing and all she could do was shake her head back and forth.

"There is no need to freak out because I thought about marrying Laura, I mean look at me, I'm already domesticated"

Wade inhaled deeply, closed her eyes and then opened them slowly before speaking out loud. "Oh well, it's not like I don't already plan on being with here forever anyway and as the Borg would say, 'resistance is futile'."

She finished loading the washer and headed off to bed to join the love of her life.

*******

What's this I hear about that Bennett woman starting to look into that closed murder case again? The man sat on his front porch and looked at each man that sat across from him before spitting brown liquid into a small can.

"I thought you said she wasn't a problem anymore, now that has moved out of state."

One of the men rubbed his neck. "I don't understand. Maybe she's starting to remember."

The third man on the porch spoke. "She could be feeling safer now that she's so far away, and she thinks that she's unreachable."

The man with the spittoon hummed in thought. "Could be. Send her a little reminder. Let her know that she's never too far away."

*******

Donna had the day off and invited Laura and Wade over for breakfast when they got off of work. She didn't get to see much of her friend since she took the job working nights. It surprised her how much she missed hanging-out with the blonde woman.

That's why she invited them over for breakfast, she figured getting up early on her day off was a small price to pay to see her friend. She was turning an omelet when she heard a knock on the front door. When she looked out of the peak hole and saw the couple she opened the door.

Without fail, whenever she saw the two women together, she couldn't help but think how perfect they looked together.

She stepped back and invited them in. "Go ahead to the kitchen, that's where we're going to eat. The red head followed the two women then went to the stove to finish preparing the food.

After the omelets were done, the coffee was poured and the orange juice served, they women settled in to enjoy the food and the company.

The blonde had told Donna a couple of weeks ago that she and the tall security guard were now living together and wondered how that was going.

"So, how do you guys like living the domestic life?"

Before anyone answered both women's faces lit-up with a smile. Donna thought to herself. 'I guess that answers that question.'

Laura spoke for both of them. "It's wonderful." Then she looked at her partner. "Right baby?"

Wade swallowed the bite she had just taken. "Absolutely, it's the smartest thing I've ever done."
Donna took a sip of her coffee and looked at the dispatcher. "You know Laura it's been a long time since we've all been out together, what do you say we all meet at the club Saturday night?"

The red head braced herself for her friend's reaction, She along with Tommy and Glen had been trying to get the small blonde to go back to the club for quite a while, but she wouldn't give in.

The three of them had been back to the club a few times since they were bashed, but they could never get Laura to join them.

When Donna asked the question, Wade felt her small partner go stiff beside her, she wrapped her arm across the blonde woman's shoulders and asked her what was wrong.

The dispatcher was trembling a little, she raised her head and Wade could see unshed tears in her beautiful green eyes. "I.... I haven't been back there since......." She unconsciously started rubbing her arm.

Wade leaned in, kissed her cheek and spoke softly to the smaller woman. "It scares you to think about going back there?"

The blonde head nodded yes. Wade slid her chair back and pulled Laura into her lap, they stared deep into each others eyes, ignoring their hostess.

"Do you believe that I'll never let anyone hurt you ever again?"

One tear slowly made its way down the small woman's cheek. She nodded her head yes."

Wade gently wiped away the tear with one of her long thumbs. "Then if you want to go out dancing with your friends, do it."

She kissed her partner sweetly. "Don't let the actions of a few drunken bigots stop you from living your life my love, don't give them that kind of power."

Laura wrapped her arms around Wade's neck and rested her head on her shoulder. "Okay . . . I'll go."

She pulled back and looked into eyes as blue as the sky. "You won't leave me alone will you?"

A smile started on the beautiful face. "Not for a second, I'll handcuff us together if you want."

Laura hugged her partner closer and whispered in her ear, "Maybe later."

Donna didn't know what her friend whispered into the tall woman's ear, but seeing the deep shade of red the woman turned, she could only imagine. "So are we on for Saturday?"

Laura looked into her lover's blue eyes again and saw the truth, she never had to be afraid again, Wade would never let anything happen to her."

She turned and looked at her friend. "Yes, we're on. We'll meet you guys there, okay?"

The red head couldn't wait to call Glen and Tommy. They were afraid that one night in the parking lot was going to rule their friends life.

She turned her brown eyes to look at Laura's dark partner and thought to herself. 'Then her own personal knight in shining armor showed up and promised to fight off all of the dragons.

She propped her chin on her hand and started singing in her head. 'Someday my prince will come . . . '

*******

Wade and Laura were sitting in the livingroom going through the mail and watching television. This had become their routine since they started living together.

They got home, went to bed, woke-up at around four o'clock, showered, ate got the mail out of the box and watched television while they sorted through it.

Wade say a letter addressed to her that was postmarked Baily's Junction. When she opened it, she cursed out loud. When Laura asked her what was wrong, she gave the letter to her.

All the letter said was. "Stop looking into those faggot's deaths, or else."

The tall woman was fuming. "If those ass-holes think that they can stop me again, they're in for a rude awaking."
Laura was nervous. "Do you think those threats are serious?"

Wade thought about the question before she answered. "No, I don't. The last time that this happened, it was so soon after the attack that I still wasn't thinking straight. Now, I know what I have to do, I'm calling the FBI and I'm gonna get this ball rolling."

Wade picked-up the phone. "Who are you calling Sweetheart?"

Wade looked at her partner. "I'm calling Hank to see if he's heard anything. She held the phone to her ear and waited, finally Hank answered his cell.

"Hello?"

"Hank, it's Wade, look, have you heard anything about me investigating those two murders?"

The big man told her no. "Why, is something wrong?"

"Yes, I just received a threatening letter, telling me to stop looking into the situation."

"Mmmmm. , let me do some investigating, Dave Burke and his crew of miscreants have been skulking around acting very secretively lately. Maybe this is the reason why. By the way, how do they know your new address? "

"They don't, the mail was forwarded, you know you might be right about Dave Burke, it was him and Arthur Jordan that was the most vocal about caring about that poor man being beaten to death."

"That's true and when this last murder happened, they are just as unconcerned. I'll do some spying and get back to you buddy."

"Thanks a lot partner. I owe you one."

The deputy laughed before he hung-up. "At least get it right Wade. You owe me about ten."

*******

Wade stood in front of the club with Laura wrapped around her. "Are you okay baby?"

Feeling the heat coming off of her lover's body comforted the small blonde somehow. "I'm fine sweetheart. I'm not going to let fear ruin tonight."

She looked-up and smiled at the blue-eyed ex-cop. "After all, I'm out with my best girl so I know that it's going to be a good time,"

When they entered, the bass was so loud that it made their teeth rattle. They looked around, searching for their friend. When their eyes drifted upstairs, they saw Glen standing by the rail waving, trying to get their attention.

Laura waved back to let him know that they had seen him. She stood behind Wade and wrapped her arms around her waist so that the taller woman could maneuver them through the tight crowed.

The top of the club was mostly a large sitting area with a bar. It was a lot quieter up there it was where the group usually spent their time when they weren't dancing.

The women sat in the chairs that had been saved for them and Wade immediately put her arm around Laura and pulled her close. She bent and whispered in her partner's ear. "You still okay my love?"

Laura patted the hand that was hanging over her shoulder and smiled. "So far, so good."

Tommy stood-up. "All right, I'm headed to the bar, who's thirsty?"

Everyone tried to order at once so the frustrated man announced that he was getting a pitcher of beer with five glasses.

Donna looked around the table. "I guess we should have spoken one at a time."

Glen rolled his eyes. "Yeah, and raise our hands when we want to be excused to the restroom."

Laura cocked a fair brow in question. "Is he alright?"

Glen ran his fingers through his thick curly brown hair. "Yeah, he's fine. It's just been a busy week at the shop. There seems to an unusual amount of functions requiring flowers this month. We haven't been this busy since we opened the shop."

When he looked-up his blue eyes were greeted by the gray eyes of his blonde lover, he could n't stop the smile that appeared on his face. "My poor sweety has been working hard making arrangements and doing deliveries."

As Tommy put the pitcher down on the table, he looked at everyone sheepishly. "I'm sorry guys. I've been a little uptight lately. Next round, I'll get whatever you guys order."

Laura didn't see the equity in that and said as much. "That's not fair Tommy. Wade and I will buy the next round." She turned to her partner for confirmation.

She got her answer when her partner smiled and nodded.

*******

The evening was going good, there was no tension in the air and they had each been down stairs a few times to dance. They were all sitting at the table waiting for Wade to return with the drinks when Glen gasped.

When Tommy saw where his lover was looking, he looked too. "Oh my, this isn't going to be good."

While Wade was waiting her turn at the bar, a medium height brunette was standing beside her, practically rubbing her breast on the tall woman's upper arm.

It was obvious that Wade was trying to ignore the woman, but she was getting more aggressive in an effort to get the dark woman's attention.

When Donna and Laura looked to see what had the boys so nervous, they were both frozen in place. Standing at the bar was Laura's ex, Wendy.

They had dated for about two months a year ago, and Laura broke it off because the woman was a terminal cheater.

When the little blonde saw Wendy flirting with Wade, she saw red. As she was standing to go and intervene, Donna held her back.

"Don't do anything. Wade can handle herself." Then she looked at her friend. "Unless you think Wendy has a chance with her."

Laura's green eyes narrowed. "There isn't a chance in hell that Wade would touch her." Then she paused before she spoke again. "Or any other woman."

Donna looked at the two men across from her and realized that the three of them had the same silly grin on their faces.

*******

"Come on pretty lady, let me buy you drink."

Wade slowly released a breath, trying not to lose her patience with the irritating woman. She just wouldn't go away, no matter what she said.

"Look, I'm here with my partner and our friends, I have no interest in letting you buy me a drink."

Wendy decided that a gentler type of persuasion was necessary, so she stepped into wade's personal space and brushed her fingers across her cheek, she had no idea of the chain reaction that one move was going start.

At that moment, two things happened, Wade stepped back and smacked the woman's hand away and Laura jumped out of her seat and rapidly approached both women.

When the blonde reached the bar, she grabbed Wendy by the arm and spun her around. "If you touch her again, I'll rip your arm off."

Wendy looked down at the hand that was squeezing her arm and then she looked at its owner. "Well, well, well, if it isn't sweet little Laura, my virtuous ex."

Wade looked back and forth between the two women, very interested in the exchange.

"Call me what ever you like, you over sexed whore, but keep your hands off of my partner."

"Wendy smiled humorlessly. "Is that what the problem was Laura, you thought that I was a whore, was I too much for you, you couldn't keep-up?"

Laura turned red with anger and embarrassment. "Keeping-up with you wasn't the problem Wendy, all the other women that you had keeping-up with you was."

Wendy turned back around to face Wade. "Is she still a cold fish in bed?"

Wade looked at the furious little blonde and knew that she had to make a quick decision, either embarrass the woman with some insulting comeback, or stop Laura from smacking the shit out of her. She chose the latter.

Before Laura's hand could connect with the brunette's face, Wade quickly stepped around the arrogant woman and wrapped herself around her partner.

The other woman started to laugh. "Ooooh look who grew claws." She spoke again in a voice filled with sarcasm. "I wish you'd of had them when we were together, that could have been fun, it coulda' made you a little more exciting"

Wade turned around still holding Laura's back tight against her chest. The small blonde was fuming.

"Fuck you Wendy! Just because you liked to screw around, didn't mean that you were any good at it! You have the bedroom skills of an adolescent boy, no finesse, all pump and go!"

The people that were in hearing rang laughed, making the insulted woman very angry. Wade was about to laugh out loud herself, when she noticed the other woman's movement.

Wendy took a step toward the smaller woman, with every intention of making her eat her words. The only problem was, she couldn't move, something that felt like a brick wall had stopped her dead in her tracks.

That's when she realized that Laura's companion had moved faster than she thought was possible, the tall woman had released Laura with one hand and now had the other pressed firmly in her chest, preventing her from moving forward.

When she followed the length of the long thickly muscled arm up to the beautiful face, her gaze was locked with blue eyes that were burning with a flame that was frightening in its intensity. That's when she almost lost control of her bladder.

The smile on the woman's face was of a dangerous predator about to play with its food before it killed it, not a victim that was going to try and reason her way out of the situation.

The brunette found herself wishing that she had never tried to make the tall woman a conquest.

Wade spoke in a dangerously low voice that vibrated through her lover's back. "You are about to make a very bad mistake. You see, if you harm my wife, I'll have to harm you."

Then she moved closer to the frightened woman. "And if I harm you, the memory will be long lasting."

Wendy and Laura both shivered, but for two entirely different reasons.

Wendy tried to swallow past the lump in her throat as she backed away from the hand that was still pushing into her chest. She knew that the threat was very real, it was plainly seen.

Without a word, she turned and headed downstairs, having lost all interest in anything going on upstairs.

Laura was confused by her emotions. Between the deep voice rumbling out of Wade's chest and flowing into her back and the dangerous energy that was pouring off of her partner, she found herself very aroused and had to fight with herself to stop from doing something very inappropriate in the open room. When she gained back her control, her brain kicked-in and she turned in her lover's arms.

"Did you just call me your wife?"

Wade wrapped her arms around the blonde's waist and pulled her close. "Yeah I did, Ya gotta problem with that?"

Laura laced her fingers behind a strong neck. "None what so ever." She raised up on her toes and kissed her mate with all of the passion that she felt.

When they broke apart, both women were panting for air. Wade put her arm around Laura's shoulders as they made their way back to the table.

"So . . . you dated her?"

Laura rolled her eyes. "And what a mistake it was. One day I'll tell you all about the longest sixty days of my life."
*******

Wade was giving it her best shot, but every time she tried to get the key in the door, small hands reach around and squeeze her breast, causing her to miss the slot.

"Baby, if you want to get inside, you're gonna have to let me get the key in."

The blonde woman stepped back and shoved her hands in her pockets. "Okay, I'll be good."

Wade didn't know why, but her partner had been acting....... for lack of a better word . . . horny. She couldn't get the small woman out of the club fast enough

After the confrontation with Wendy, Laura had been all hands, mouth and teeth. When she whispered in her tall lover's ear that she was soaking wet, Wade knew that it was time to leave.

When the door finally opened, Laura was like a wild woman, she was removing both of their clothes at the same time, leaving a trail of garments leading to the bedroom.

She practically tackled the tall naked women onto the bed. When she had Wade pinned to the bed, she kissed her hard and let her small hands wander over the strong body beneath her.

She was being driven by a primal need, she wanted to be consumed by the power that lived in the taller woman.
The strength that came from her lover was like a living being.

It had full possession of the blonde and she had every intension of giving all that it required of her. When she moved down and took a dark nipple into her mouth, her lover moaned.

Wade could feel the difference in her partner's touch. It was very elemental, like a storm passing over the land. When she raised her head and locked eyes with the dispatcher . . . she saw it.

It wasn't something that she had seen before, but it was something that she had felt, and here it was, manifesting itself in the eyes of her love.

The way that she feels when her power is singing in her blood and coursing through her veins is what she saw in the deep penetrating green of Laura's eyes. There she saw a hunger that was not going to be denied.

The realization that her mate could feel her power that way made it start to rise in the dark woman and when it did, the energy that flowed between them was all consuming.

She reached down and pulled the smaller woman up to eye level and kissed her deeply, when they broke apart Laura saw the same desire that she felt, reflected back to her.

The last thing the blonde woman did before capturing her lover's lips again was whisper a soul penetrating. "Yes."

*******

While Wade and Laura were sharing themselves, mind, body and soul. Back in Iowa, bad people, were planning bad things.

Four men sat in a circle trying to think of a way to stop Wade Bennett from going any further in her efforts to find out what happened in that abandoned building.

"If you hadn't hit her over the head with the but of your gun, maybe she wouldn't still be looking into this."

Art Jordan wasn't going to take all of the blame for this mess. "What was I supposed to do, let her walk-in us? I did the first thing that I could do to stop her. If you had turned your radio on, we would have heard her call for back-up Dave!"

Martin Tanner told them both to shut-up. "None of that matters now. She knows about the other murder and is more determined than ever to get to the bottom of this."

The fourth man spit his tobacco juice into a can before he spoke. "That big mouth Hank Dawson keeps her updated. We need to do something about that idiot."

He looked at his companions before he spoke again. "I have plans for Hank, hell, we might be able to kill two birds with one stone if my plan works. First we need to feed him some new information and then put it into his head that he needs to deliver it in person"

The men leaned in and listened as the man with the spittoon explained how he intended get rid of both of the annoying people.

*******

As Wade slowly awakened she realized that her face was resting on her lover's softly muscled stomach. She kissed the warm skin that her cheek rested on and smiled.

Last night had been life changing, they did everything they could think of to each other and then did it again. Wade decided that she was going to try and gently disengaged herself from the smaller so that she could go to the bathroom.

When she raised her head and started to roll over, she stopped and returned to her previous position. The movement let her know that she was suffering from the three S's. Smelly, sticky and sore.

She laughed and tried to move again, this time a little slower. Laura felt the movement of the taller body and the laugh that came from her chest.

When she spoke, her voice was horse. "Where do you think you're going?"

Tired blue eyes looked up at her sleep-rumpled partner and smiled. "I'm trying to get to the bathroom."

"In that case . . . you can go. "Laura tried to stretch, but pulled-up short. "Ow . . . why am I so sore?"

Wade had made it off of the bed and was slowly making her way out of the room. Are you seriously asking that question?"

A sexy smile creased the blonde's face. Some of the things that they did flashed in her mind and she blushed. "I guess we should be sore after all of that . . . huh?"

Wade saw how flushed her lover's face was and stopped again. "After everything that you did to me last night, I know that in the light of day you don't have the nerve to blush."

This only made the blonde woman's color go a shade deeper. Wade took pity on her and held out her hand. "Come on baby, let's see what we can do about smelly, sticky and sore."

Laura made her way over to the tall woman. "What is smelly, sticky and sore?"

Blue eyes twinkled and the tall woman inhaled deeply. "Think about it for a second."

After a few seconds Laura laughed deep in her belly. You are so right."

She rose up on her toes to kiss her lover. "You know. This has never happened to me before. I think you have worked some kind of spell on me sweetheart. You have ruined me for anyone else."

Wade wrapped the smaller woman in her arms and lifted her up to eye level. "And do you think that I am any less ruined my love?"

The tall woman slowly walked them both to the bathroom, for a much needed shower.

*******

Hank Dawson was on a plane on its way to Denver. He had called his friend with some new information and wanted to bring it to her.

When he called her, she told him that if he was coming, she wanted him to be there when she talked to the FBI, so that he could fill in the parts that she didn't know about, especially about the latest victim.

When they landed the big man collected his luggage from baggage claims and went out front to wait for Wade.

He had only been waiting about ten minutes when a very familiar looking red Jeep pulled up to the curb. When the driver's door opened and he saw the tall body exit the vehicle, he smiled.

Wade rounded the car and hugged her friend. How was your flight you big hayseed?"

Hank clamped a big hand on his friend's shoulder. "This, coming from a hayseed once removed. I tell ya, let a girl leave home for six months and she forgets everything."

Wade reached up and ruffled the man's blonde hair. "Come on, I want you to meet someone."

Wade opened the passenger door of the Jeep and pulled Laura out. "Hank I'd like you to meet my partner, Laura, Laura this big lug is Hank Dawson."

Hank looked at the small blonde and his stomach clenched, he thought she looked like an angel. Her clear green eyes made him want to tell her anything that she asked. When he heard someone clear their throat he blushed.

He extended his hand."Please, forgive me, I guess I drifted for a moment, it's a pleasure to meet you Laura."

He looked over at his friend and then back at the small woman. "She hasn't been too much of a handful, has she?"

Laura pulled her partner closer and rubbed her flat stomach before she spoke. "Nah . . . she's just a big ole sweety."

Hank was shocked, the Wade that he knew would never allow a woman to touch her so intimately in public, or let proclaim her to be sweet. The small blonde must be something special.

Laura had a mischievous twinkle in her eye when she spoke to Hank. "So . . . I guess your official title is, Deputy Dawson?"

Hank looked at her curiously. "Yeah . . . that's right."

Wade knew what was coming and rolled her eyes.

"Has anyone ever accidently called you Deputy Dawg?" The dispatcher couldn't stop herself from laughing before the man could answer.

He turned back to Wade and rubbed his chin. "I take it, this is your influence on her."

Wade picked-up one of his bags and put it in the back. "Nope, she comes up with them all on her own."

*******

The three adults sat at the diningroom table in Laura and Wades apartment as they sorted through the paper work that Wade already had the new items that Hank brought with him.

Wade was reading the report on where the last victim was found. "So the alley that the man was found in, was actually the third location that he had been taken to?"

"Yep, according to forensics there were soil samples for three different areas, the only thing that links them is that although the locations are different, it was still from the same side of town."

"Has anyone come-up with a motive?"

"The officers that were working on it just figured that they propositioned the wrong guy."

Laura's temper flared and she spoke before she could sensor herself. "That's bullshit! Just because a gay man propositions you doesn't give you the right to kill him. If that's the case, then I have the right to off every man that ever made a lurid remark to me. I mean how dare him think that I'm straight!"

Laura's outburst shocked Hank. The intensity that her words were delivered with, washed over him and made him think. "I never thought about that. I guess because heterosexuals are in the majority, we never think about someone not wanting our advances because they're gay."

Wade stood to go and get another cup of coffee. "I can't tell you how many times I've had to come up with a hundred different excuses to not go out with a guy because he just wouldn't take no for an answer."

Laura followed her partner to the kitchen to find some cookies to go with the coffee. "How long do you think it would have taken the jury to sentence you to the electric chair if your defense had been, I killed him because it disgusted me that a straight man wouldn't stop trying to get into my pants?"

Wade poured creamer into her cup. "Less than a day."

Hank yelled out a request. "Do you guys have any pop?"

Laura opened the refrigerator. "We have Pepsi and Dr. Pepper."

"I'll take a Dr. Pepper."

When the two women settled back down at the table Wade suggested that they work for another hour and then call it quits.

*******

After they dropped Hank off at his motel, the two women fell into bed as soon as they got back home. They laid wrapped around each other waiting for sleep to find them.

Laura snuggled closer to Wade's long body. "This is going to be a long week. Between working the night shift and getting your file together for the FBI, we're not gonna get much sleep."

Wade yawned and kissed the side of Laura's head. "By the end of the week, this whole thing will be in someone else's hands."

Laura started drifting off. "The end of the week can't come soon enough.

*******

Hank was sitting in his motel room channel surfing. He knew that the information that he had given Wade wouldn't be much help, but he brought her what he could.

When she turned everything over to the Feds, he didn't think there would be enough information to do anything, but it made Wade feel like she was doing something, and if that made her happy, then it made him happy.

His friend had left Iowa lost in her disillusionment and moved to Denver, where she found salvation, in the form of a small green-eyed blonde.

The time he had spent with the couple made him hopeful, maybe he could move here and find someone for himself.

He sat on the bed watching television and sipping on a soda when there was a knock at his door. He got up and crossed the room to answer the knock.

When he opened the door, he was shocked. "What are you doing here?"

The unexpected guest didn't answer the question, instead he asked one. "Aren't cha gonna invite me in?"

The big man remembered his manners and stepped back allowing the man to enter his room.

The other man sat in a chair close to the door and reached down into the bag that he brought with him. When his hand came out it held a can with a lid on it.

He sat back removed the lid and immediately spit a stream of tobacco juice in it.

*******

Wade was talking to Laura on her cell while she made her two a.m. rounds. "Do you feel like stopping for some breakfast before we go home?"

The dispatcher had one ear on the radio and the other on her cell phone. "Uhmmm, that sounds good, I could go for some french toast, it's been awhile since I've had them."

Wade laughed softly over the line. "You just had a plate of waffles with whipped cream, strawberries and a side of syrup."

Laura twirled a pen between her fingers. "And your point is?"

"My point is . . . hold on a second baby, I think I hear something."

Laura sat-up straight and her heart started pounding. In the months that she had been working for the trucking company, Wade had never told her about anything out of the ordinary happening.

She whispered into the phone. "Wade, what's going on, do you see anything?"

The security guard was shining her light under the last truck in the row and was about to go down another row.

"I don't see a thing, I think it must have been a stray or something because there's nothing........"

Laura heard a grunt and then a thud. "Wade! Wade! Can you hear me!? Are you there?!"

Still holding the phone in her hand, the dispatcher stood and ran for the door. She had a pretty good idea where Wade had been looking and headed for the back of the storage yard.

The more that she looked without finding her lover, the more afraid she became. When she heard a sound off to her left, that's where she redirected her steps.

When she rounded the corner, she saw Wade laying on the ground and a shadowed figure standing over her about to strike.
The small blonde started running toward them. "Don't you touch her!"

The large person looked-up, shocked that someone had found them before he could finish the pesky woman off. He had no choice. He had to run. As he jumped the fence, all could do was hope that his earlier meeting would fix a lot of their problems.

*******

Hank offered his guest a drink, but the man declined. "What are you doing here?"

"It has come to my attention that you plan on talking to the Feds."

Hank was getting nervous. "Who told you that?"

The man cut off a fresh piece of tobacco in stuck it in his mouth. "Come on now Hank, you know we have our ways of finding things out. We think you've been helping Ms. Bennett just a little too much."

Hank searched his brain, trying to think of a way out of this. "I don't think that anything I've given her is of much use."

"That's not a decision that you can make. Your actions have put me in jeopardy and I can't allow that." The man put the lid back on his portable spittoon and stood-up. Before he reached the door, he stopped in front of the blonde man.

He stepped close to him and whispered in his ear. "You should have stayed away from her Hank. You would have had a longer life."

Without hesitation a gun was pushed into Hanks ribs and the trigger was pulled. Brown eyes went wide in shock, because of the silencer, the gun only made a whisper of a sound.

The tobacco chewer stepped back before the injured man could grab him for support. Before he opened the door to leave, he looked at the dying man on last time. "It's really a shame that you were too stupid to stay out of this. You were really a damn decent officer."

After the shooter left Hank called-up his last bit of reserve, crawled to the phone and dialed 911.

*******

Laura was waiting for the ambulance to arrive. She had Wade's head resting in her lap, she slowly ran her hands through the thick black hair, careful to avoid the large lump and deep gash in her head.

"What's taking them so long?"

She kissed Wade's forehead. "Hang-in there baby. They'll be here soon."

The tall woman wasn't responding at all. If it wasn't for the steady rise and fall of her chest, Laura would be sure that she was breathing.

When she finally heard the sirens in the distance, she breathed a sigh of relief. It won't be long now sweetheart. I can hear them coming."

*******

Laura was pacing in the waiting room. Donna, Glen and Tommy were waiting with her. She told them that they didn't need to get out of bed to come and wait, but they insisted.

She pulled out her phone to try and call Hank one more time. There wasn't an answer the past few times. When the phone was picked-up on the second ring, she was relieved. "Hello, Hank, is that you."

"No ma'am, this is officer Davis of the DCPD."

"I'm sorry, I must have the wrong room, I'm trying to call Hank Dawson."

"This is Mr. Dawson's room. Do you know him well?"

Laura had to sit down. "I know him pretty well. Is...is he okay?"

"I'm sorry ma'am, but I can't go into a lot of details. I can tell you that Mr. Dawson was attacked and taken to City General."

Laura couldn't believe her ears. "That's where I am now. Thank you officer." She hung-up the phone and went to the nurses station to see if she could find their friend.

*******

Wade was in a deep all consuming darkness that she couldn't seem to pull herself out of. She was about to give up trying when she saw a light in the distance. She started walking towards it.

Her mind replayed that line from that movie. 'Go into the light' she wasn't afraid, because this didn't feel like THAT kind of light.

As she got closer, she heard muffled voices. She couldn't make-out what was being said, so she continued forward.

When she reached the entrance to the light, she was thrown into a nightmare. This was the room where the transvestite had been killed. And to her horror the scene was playing itself out again.

There in front of her was the battered and beaten face of the doomed man. When she looked around the room, she saw everything that she had forgotten.

Three men were standing in a half circle with their pants partially open. It was obvious that they had already had a turn with the pitiful man.

When she looked to her right, she saw that there was another man standing beside the entranceway. He was so caught-up in looking at what was going on in front of him, that he didn't notice her right away.

She immediately recognized the man. It was Art Jordan. When turned back to the other men, she recognized them too. Dave Burke, Martin Tanner and oh my God, Sheriff Henley, with his ever-present portable spittoon at his feet.

But what broke her heart was when she looked into the man's pleading eyes. She knew she had to help him. When her gaze left that of the tortured soul, she looked at his current abuser.

She gasped out loud when she saw Hank Dawson taking his turn.

The sound she made broke Art out of his trance. When saw her, he did the first thing that came to mind he pulled out his revolver and knocked out.

The disturbance got the attention of the other men. When Hank saw Wade laying on the dirty floor, he stopped what he was doing and ran to her.

He yelled at Art. "What did you do!?"

Art looked at the man like he was crazy. "I did what I had to do. She saw us."

The others gathered around the unconscious woman, the Sheriff spoke first. "Dawson, you know her best, will she keep this quiet, of will she report it?"

Hank knew that his answer would either save Wade's life, or end it. "I'm sure she'll keep this to herself."

Sheriff Henley looked at him, trying to see the lie. When it didn't show itself, he nodded his head.

The five men worked together to clean up the scene and Dave Burke got rid of the victim. When they were satisfied that everything was in order, they called the EMTs.

Laura was sitting beside Wade's bed. Her lover started to moan and thrash around. It was the first sign of consciousness that she had showed in the past ten hours.

Small hands pushed the tall woman back onto the pillow. Then she brushed the sweat soaked bangs. "Come on baby, wake-up for me, open your eyes."

She kissed the damp forehead. "Wade, wake-up Wade."

She could hear someone, the voice sounded like music, she recognized this voice and it made her smile, it was the sound of sunshine and lazy days, it was her savior the only one that could lead her out of the darkness. It was her Laura. She had come for her.

She struggled to open her eyes, but it was like swimming in mud. When she finally did get them open, she closed them again, the pain in her head was unrelenting.

When Laura caught a glimpse of those blue eyes, she nearly wept in relief. "Sweetheart, can you hear me?"

Wade's throat felt like sandpaper, but she managed to whisper a yes.

Laura poured some water into a plastic cup and put a straw in it. "Here baby, drink this."

After the tall woman had her fill, she rested her head back on the pillow. "How long have I been out?"

Before Laura could answer, Wade rubbed her head. "Damn, this feels like de`ja vu."

Then she looked at her partner. "Except last time I didn't have an angel to wake-up to."

Laura started crying tears of relief. "I didn't know if you were going to wake-up. You were so still that it scared me."

Wade raised her hand and caressed her lover's face. Then she frowned. "I remember Laura, While I was out of it I saw everything."

Laura covered the hand on her face with her own. "What do you mean?" She removed the large hand and kissed the palm.

"When I was unconscious, I saw it all happen right in front of me. I saw all the men plainly and I know what happened."

Understanding dawned on the blonde woman. "You know what happened that night?"

Wade looked at her with a lost look in her eyes. "Yes."

Laura was debating with herself, she didn't know if it was the right time to tell her lover about Hank, but she felt like she needed to. She leaned forward and softly kissed Wade's slightly dry lips. When she pulled back, blue eyes were staring at her.

"You have something to tell me, don't you?"

The blonde nodded her head. "You've be out for about ten hours. While I was waiting to hear something about your condition, I called Hank to let him know, when the phone was answered in his room, it was a police officer. It seems that someone shot Hank."

Wade closed her eyes. "He was there."

Laura was confused. "No I told you. A police officer answered the phone."

Pained blue eyes looked into confused green. "No Laura, he was there, Hank was one of the men that attacked that man."

Laura covered her mouth with her hand. "God above."

"They all there, Art, Dave, Marty, even Sheriff Henley, they were . . . they were taking turns abusing that poor man."

She couldn't believe her ears. "Hank too?"

A lone tear made its way down Wade's cheek. "He was . . . I . . . I guess it was his turn when I walked in."

Laura put the bed rail down and climbed in beside her tall mate. She gently laid the dark head on her chest, and held her close, whispering soft words of love.

*******

Wade woke early the next morning and saw Laura curled-up in a large chair. She slowly moved her head from side to side, testing it for pain.

When she finished, she decided that the dull ache was manageable. She wanted to go and see Hank. She thought about sneaking out, and not wake Laura up, but that thought lasted all of a second.

When she looked at the small blonde, she knew that she never wanted to keep anything from her. "Pssst . . . Laura, hey . . . Laura."

Tired green eyes slowly opened. "What are you doing awake?" Laura stood and stretched her body.

Wade swung her long legs over the side of the bed and slowly stood in front of her partner. She pulled the shorter woman into an embrace.

They stood that way for several minutes before the tall woman spoke. "Do you have any idea how much I love you?"

"If it is anything like I love you, then yes . . . I do."

Wade pulled back and then dipped her head so that she could kiss the sweetest lips that she had ever tasted.

When she released the smaller woman's mouth, she told her what she wanted. "I want to go to Hank's room and I was wondering if you would come with me."

Laura peppered her partner's throat with small kisses. "Just try and leave this room with me."

Wade pulled the woman close again. "That's what I thought."

*******

The women were shocked to see that Hank already a couple of early morning visitors when they arrived. As they got closer to the bed, the two men turned in their direction.

"You ladies can't be in here right now."

Wade moved closer. "You don't understand. This is my fellow deputy."

"You work with him?"

Wade decided that it was just a tiny white lie. "Yes, we're deputies for the Peakson County Sheriffs Department in Iowa."

The two detectives looked at the woman in a hospital gown."What happened to you?"

"Last night, somebody snuck up behind me and hit me in the head."

The detective moved closer to the injured woman. "Don't you think that it's a little strange that two deputies from a town in Iowa, both get hurt on the same night in the same town two states away?"

Wade's head was starting to hurt so Laura sat her down in a chair. "Well fellas, I guess I'd better start from the beginning."

*******

When Wade finished with her unbelievable story, the two detectives started things in motion. Phone calls were made warrants were granted and travel plans were made.

Not only had state lines been crossed to commit a crime, but another law enforcement agency was involved in committing the crime.

The captain got involved as soon as he was informed, he knew that this was going to be a media circus, and he wanted to be right in the middle of it.

*******

Laura and Wade were back in the injured woman's room. "Well, they couldn't wait to get that ball rolling could they?"

Laura noticed that wade's breakfast tray had been delivered and removed the lid. "Isn't that a good thing?"

Wade slid her legs under the sheet and adjusted the pillow so that she could lean into the headboard. "Yes, it's a very good thing. I just was surprised at how fast everyone got involved."

Laura spread jelly on her lover's toast and opened her container of orange juice. "I'm just happy that you aren't trying to do this alone anymore."

Wade bit a piece of bacon and then wrapped the rest with her jelly-covered toast. "You can say that again."

The tall woman scooted over and told her lover to join her. They took turns feed each other until the dish was empty.

A long arm settled around small shoulders. Wade turned the televison on so that they could watch the news. She wasn't surprised when the shooting was mentioned, but nothing was said about her attack.

They both knew that when the shit really hit the fan, the media come knocking. "Baby, what do you say, that after all of this over, we take a trip to Chatham so you can meet the in-laws?"

A blonde brow rose up high. "Let's see, you've called me your wife, now you say that I have in-laws, but I don't recall ever being asked to marry anyone."

The tall woman started to get out of the bed. Laura placed her hand on the broad chest and stopped her. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I need to get my pants."

Laura started to rise. "I'll get them for you." She retrieved the garment and returned to the bed.

Wade unzipped one of the hidden inside pockets and pulled out a small velvet bag. "I had everything all planned out. I was going to wait until we met in the break room for coffee and then I was going to ask you in the first place that I ever laid eyes on you."

Laura couldn't believe her ears. Wade was really going to ask her to marry her. Her green eyes started to shed tears when her partner pulled a very simple three-quarter caret diamond mounted on a highly polished gold band from the small bag.

Wade took the woman's small hand in her own."I know this isn't the most romantic place or under the most romantic circumstances, but Laura Mills, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

Laura was finally hearing the words that she thought no one would ever say to her. She didn't make her lover wait long for her answer. "Yes Wade, yes, I'd be honored to be your wife."

The women shared a kiss that spoke of their commitment. They didn't separate until the need for air forced them apart.

*******
Wade was released from the hospital the following day and was given the rest of the week off. That wasn't the case for Laura, they expected her back that night.

The small woman stomped around the livingroom cursing a blue streak. It reminded Wade of that first morning in the parking lot.

The tall woman was laying on the sofa watching a rerun of Will and Grace on the Oxygen channel. "Come here baby."

The green-eyed woman walked over to the sofa. Wade patted her chest and the blonde laid on top of her. "Why are you so upset?"

Laura stuck out her bottom lip and used her pouty voice. "Cause. I don't wanna leave you here alone."

"Baby, it's already ten after eleven, I'll be asleep in an hour."

Laura raised up and looked into blue eyes that always made her think that was shade God had in mind when he created the color. "Suppose you need something in the muddle of the night, what if you have a bad dream?"

Wade kissed the tip of the cute little nose. If I need something, I can get it, If I have a bad dream, I'll call you on your cell."

Laura looked at the clock on the wall and knew that she had to go. She kissed Wade's lips got-up, clipped her phone on the side of her jeans and headed for the door. "I swear I think about going back to accounting more and more everyday. I'll see you in the morning sweetheart."

After Laura closed the door, Wade smiled. "Uhmmm, I've been thinking about getting back into something myself."

*******

Two weeks after their attack Hank succumbed to his injuries, never regaining consciousness. All the men involved in the death of the two men in Iowa had been arrested.

At first the Sheriff denied everything until his DNA showed-up in the small amount of tobacco juice they collected off of the rug in Hank's motel room.

And after traces of Wade's blood was found on Art's poorly cleaned gun he confessed everything. It seems that Dave and the Sheriff wanted to teach the fags a lesson.

No one understood why the lesson involved having sex with the men. Art and Marty went along with idea, and Hank got talked into it just that one time.

It came out that the four men had been abducting men and abusing them for several months. The others were not killed, because they had no intention of reporting the incident.

The last two were killed because Wade walked in on one and they didn't want a victim around to testify and other one kept screaming that he was going to file charges.

All of that had happened over a month ago and now Wade and Laura were getting dressed so that they could head for the airport.

Laura was going to meet Wade's parents. A week prior the two women had gone to their favorite park at midnight and committed themselves to each other under a full moon, a sky full of stars and Tommy, Donna and Glen.

Although they told their friends not to bring anything, Glen made a crown out of wide flowers for Laura to wear on her head.

After the ceremony they all went to the local diner and enjoyed a late night meal to celebrate their union.

Laura admitted that she was a little nervous, she spoke to the Bennetts on the phone and they seemed genuinely pleased about her relationship with Wade.

She looked at her spouse and remembered how nervous she was when had to Meet Laura's family. "Oh well, suck it up and be a big girl, they are your family now too.

Wade picked-up the suitcases and headed out of the door. Laura checked everything one last time and followed Wade to the jeep.
When she was buckled in Wade, looked at her. "Are you ready baby?"

Laura's smiled reached all the way to her bright green eyes. "Yes . . . let's get this show on the road."

*******

Eight months later

The tall woman looked at her watch and decided that it was time to see if her wife was ready for lunch. She dialed the number that had now become memorized.

The phone was answered on the third ring. Laura Bennett speaking, may I help you?"

Wade still smiled every time she heard Laura answer her phone. "How goes it in the world of accounting baby?"

The small blonde leaned back in her chair and smiled. "It goes just fine. I guess you're calling looking for a lunch date huh?"

Wade laughed. "Wow, I can't anything past you, can I?"

"You are such a smart ass."

"But you love me anyway."

"I don't have much of a choice, I told you a long time ago that I was ruined for anyone else."

Wade leaned against a wall and smiled. You know the feeling is still mutual. How do you feel about a big chef salad for lunch?"

"That sounds great. Where do you want to meet?"

"Why don't you come here, I'll be waiting out front."

"You got it. I'll be there at twelve-thirty."

"Okay baby. I'll see you then. Bye Mrs. Bennett."

"I'll see you soon Detective Bennett."

A deep laugh came across the line. "You couldn't resist could ya?"

"Why should I, I'm very proud of you. You're a twenty-seven-year-old police detective."

"You know the captain only did that because it made good press."

"I don't care what his reasons were. You have proven yourself."

Laura couldn't see her wife blush through the phone. "I gotta go baby. I'll see you when you get here."

"Okay love, bye."

The accountant started putting things in piles for when she returned from lunch, She stood-up grabbed her purse and headed out of her office.

Her last thought as she left was. "I wonder what she'll say when I tell her I think I want to have a baby?"






THE END