The sunlight had barely risen to meet the morning sky as Deb Tyler lay awake in bed admiring the sleeping form of her lover Mitchell Blake. Her hand gently moved the blonde hair that partially covered the beautiful face that snoozed beside her. A small smile came to Mitchell's lips as she lay dreaming. Deb watched Mitchell's eye movements and held back a laugh as Mitchell's nose twitched at the movement of her hair. Since the first night they had made love Mitchell had insisted that Deb start sharing her bed. The months had passed quickly for both of them and now Deb couldn't imagine life without Mitchell, and cringed at the thoughts of what her life had been before. Deb's own blonde hair had grown, the painfully thin body had put on enough weight to fit her height, and she had a job, a home and a lover. Tears pooled in her eyes as she kissed Mitchell's cheek, snuggled closer in her arms and went back to sleep.

Detective Amanda Ellis awoke before Sandra did. She shut off the alarm, gave her lover a kiss and headed downstairs to start the coffee. It was one of those early mornings that Amanda occasionally had to herself. She sat on her bar stool at the breakfast nook and watched the sun peek over the ocean. As the first rays of light broke the morning's darkness, she toasted the Sun God Apollo. Laughing to herself she thought too many Xena:Warrior Princess episodes. She heard the footsteps of her small son coming down the stairs and she greeted Kevin with a smile and a hug.

"Hey big guy, a little early for you, isn't it?" She released Kevin from his hug.

"No, I smelled the coffee and thought I'd have some juice with you. How come you sit here and stare out the door?" He asked.

"Ah, caught me did you? Amanda laughed. Honestly, I don't know why. It's just something I do every now and then. I guess it soothes my beat up soul."

Kevin looked at his adopted mother as if she had three heads. "How could someone beat up your soul?"

Amanda pondered that question and didn't have an answer. She gave Kevin a kiss on the cheek and replied. "That's why you're our son, Kevin, to help protect me."

Dr. Sandra Wilson had heard Kevin getting up out of bed. Knowing that Amanda would be talking with her Sun God this morning, she thought she'd convince Kevin to come back to bed with her and give Amanda some peace and quiet. She stood at the entrance to the kitchen overhearing their conversation and realized she herself should thank the Sun God as well.
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It was a Friday morning and today Amanda and Mitchell would only be working until noon. Amanda and her family were leaving later on to visit with Amanda's parents and her younger sister. It was a family reunion of sorts. Amanda hadn't seen her family in almost two years. They hadn't approved of her lifestyle and always gave her a hard time about it. Even back in college, they had practically disowned her when they had found out about her relationship with Sandy, and now since the two of them were back together, it hadn't helped. But the times have changed and with the threat of terrorism in everyone's back door, Amanda's parents began to realize that it was time to change their minds and hearts. They had heard about the hospital attack and how Amanda and her partner Mitchell had rescued people from the wreckage and realized their daughter just wasn't a lesbian, she was a hero. They also wanted to meet Kevin. Sandy had sent them pictures of the little boy. Amanda's mother got out some old pictures of Amanda at that age and couldn't believe the similarities. It was as if he was Amanda's child.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So Mitch, you think you and Deb can survive a weekend without us?" Amanda smirked at her partner as they drove home.

"I can think of a couple of things Deb and I could do." Mitchell polished her fingernails on her shirt and then admired them. Dinner, dancing, sex, a trip to the zoo, sex, a movie, more sex."

"Ok stud-lee, the air is getting a little ripe in here." Amanda gave Mitch a swat and dropped her off. You got my parent's phone number, right?"

"Yup, on the speed dial, as she held up her cell phone. You're sure about going up there this weekend?" Mitchell wondered about Amanda's change of heart on the visit.

Amanda sighed and collected her thoughts. "A lot has changed, maybe it's time to forget the past and concentrate on today."

Mitchell bumped her partner's shoulder and then got out of the car. "See you Monday morning."

By 2pm Amanda, Sandy, Kevin and Whiskey were loaded up and on their way for the two-hour drive to Amanda's parents. The drive was a pleasant one; traffic was lighter than Amanda had figured on. Kevin was in the back playing with his game boy and finally fell asleep. The two women chatted quietly until they arrived at their destination. As they pulled into the driveway, Amanda's father was outside doing some gardening. He stopped and called for his wife. While Sandy was attempting to wake up Kevin, Whiskey jumped out and headed for the first available spot to relieve herself. Amanda turned to her father and laughed. "I guess it was a long trip."

Amanda's mother walked up to her daughter and carefully wrapped her arms around her. "It's so good to see you Amanda. We've missed you." Amanda's father joined his wife and hugged his daughter as well. "That was either the craziest or bravest thing you've ever done, Amanda. Then he looked over at Sandy with a still sleeping Kevin in her arms. But I see what motivated you and I think you did the right thing."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mitchell had spent most of the afternoon cleaning the apartment, doing laundry and making her famous lasagne. She made a big enough pan of it to feed them all weekend. A lustful grin crept over her face as she realized it was time to hit the shower and change. Deb would be home in an hour and she wanted the evening to be perfect. The table was already set with candles and flowers. Dinner smelled wonderful and she hoped Deb would be hungry and not just for lasagne.

When Deb arrived home and opened the door she could smell something delicious cooking. She took note of the table setting. Flowers, wine, the good china, she thought? A soft cough brought her attention towards the hall that led down to the bedrooms. There standing before her was Mitchell. She was wearing dress pants and a tuxedo shirt, a navy blue bow tie with a patterned vest to match. She had curled her hair, just enough to give it bounce and she looked absolutely gorgeous.

Deb stood there, shell-shocked. "You did all this for me?"

Like a lioness approaching her prey, Mitchell took Deb into her arms and lowered her lips to match that of her lover's. Deb was helpless and just melted into a puddle with that kiss. It took her breath away and she held on to Mitchell's arms for fear of falling.

"Go change, dinner is ready and I will pour us a glass of wine." Mitchell sent her in the direction of the bedroom to change her clothes.

As Deb made her way down the hall, she was hit with a thought that almost made her sick. Please don't let her dress me up like some whore. I don't want her to ever think of me like that again. As she entered the bedroom and looked at the outfit that Mitchell had chosen for her, she started to laugh. It was an outfit almost identical to Mitchell's. Except her bow tie was a peach colour with the matching vest to go with it. As Deb was changing into her outfit, Mitchell came in with a glass of Zinfandel wine. "You like the choice of colour?" She asked.

Deb thanked her for the wine and took a sip. It was nice and cold and felt delightful as it travelled down her throat. "It was an excellent choice, thank you Mitchell."

Mitchell helped her with her tie and then escorted her from the bedroom and into the dinning room for dinner. She served her a helping of the lasagne, while Deb put salad into each of their bowls. The dinner rolls were hot and the butter melted into them as each woman took a bite and moaned. "How can bread taste this good?" Deb asked.

"Wait until you taste the lasagne. Mitchell countered. It's my grandmother's secret recipe that even my mother doesn't have."

Deb took a bite and the flavour exploded into her mouth. The cheeses were rich, the meat had just the right amount of spice and the noodles melted on her tongue. The sauce had no bitter aftertaste to it. It was almost sweet and Deb was in love with it.

"Mitchell, this is to die for. Thank you for all of this." Deb smiled at her lover's blushing face and continued on eating her dinner.

When they finished their dinner and coffee, Mitchell turned up the music on the stereo a little louder and held out her arms. "Would you care to dance with me?"

Deb smiled at this woman who had turned into such a romantic. "Of course I will, but first you have to answer me a question."

"Ask away." Mitchell replied.

"Where is that shy and quiet Detective Mitchell Blake that I know, and what have you done with her?" Deb laughed as she was gathered up into Mitchell's arms and was dancing.

"She's on vacation tonight and her evil twin has taken over. Sort of like a pod person." Mitchell lowered her hand to Deb's butt and pulled her closer to her.

"You like her?" Mitchell asked.

"I love both of them." Deb replied.

"They both love you too." Mitchell wrapped her arms around Deb and continued with their dance.

The couple danced to the soft music that Mitchell had burned all week. Each love song had been specially selected and when Mitchell finally heard the beautiful voice of Judy Garland singing "Somewhere over the Rainbow" she knew it was time. She stopped dancing and reached into her pocket, pulling out her secret that was carefully wrapped in tissue paper. Mitchell looked into Deb's eyes and knew this woman was everything and more in her life and wanted to share eternity with her. "This is a very special song for me." Mitchell unwrapped the small diamond ring and held up Deb's hand. "I could feel myself starting to fall in love with you that night we watched the Wizard of Oz and you enjoyed it as well. You didn't think the movie was silly or that I was goofy." Mitchell placed the ring on Deb's finger and went to speak again when Deb placed her finger on Mitchell's lips.

"It's beautiful Mitchell, thank you." Deb smiled seductively as she removed her finger from Mitchell's lips and hooked it under her bow tie. She lowered Mitchell's lips to hers and kissed her with all the love and passion she could find in her heart. When the two women broke off the kiss and looked into each other's eyes, something happened that neither one expected. Two lost souls became one and found their way back home in each other's arms. Mitchell bent down and picked Deb up into her strong arms and carried her down to the bedroom. Slowly each woman undressed the other until they both stood there naked. For months they had been sleeping together and saw each other naked every day, but something this night had changed and they were seeing each other for the first time in a different light, through different eyes.

Mitchell and Deb both lay on the bed, kissing and touching each other. Mitchell lowered her head and began to nibble on a delicate nipple that belonged to Deb's breast. Deb ran her finger's through Mitchell's long, blonde hair and guided her lover over to her other breast. "Keep them both happy." Deb had moaned. Mitchell did what was requested of her and made sure each nipple was properly loved and kept hard. Gently she moved her knee in between Deb's legs and pushed them open. Mitchell had never just taken Deb before and wasn't about to start. This beautiful creature that had given Mitchell her heart was someone to be loved and respected. "I want to be inside of you." Mitchell asked her and was rewarded with a smile and a guiding hand placing her two fingers inside of Deb. Mitchell was welcomed with warmth and wetness. Each gentle stroke awoke the tigress inside its owner and when Deb was ready, the dance between the two lovers took on a new beat. When Mitchell felt Deb's back arch and her vaginal walls tighten, she pumped harder until Deb's orgasm reached its peak and she felt her lover shudder. As Deb gasped for her breath to calm down, Mitchell held her tight and whispered words of love that came from somewhere deep in her soul.

When Deb had finally caught her breath she was not as gentle with Mitchell. She wanted her. Every inch of Mitchell's body was either being kissed or touched. Deb pinched roughly on Mitchell's breasts and Mitchell responded with a bite on Deb's shoulder. Mitchell raised her knee between Deb's legs and she rode hard down on it. Taking her fingers, Deb checked for Mitchell's wetness and found her lover was more than ready for her. She entered Mitchell with two fingers and quickly added a third. The two lover's rode out each other's demands until both screamed out in triumph at their victory. They held on to each other tightly as the shaking stopped. As Deb lay on top of Mitchell kissing her lover she stopped, gave her a devilish smile, flipped around and opened her with her tongue as Mitchell did the same to her. It was going to be a long night and this was just the beginning.
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The Ellis' were out in the backyard when Amanda's younger sister Chris arrived with her family. Her husband, Bill, and two daughters, Candice and Emily, were happy to meet everyone.
The two sisters hugged and kissed each other hello as did Sandy and Chris. It had been a long time since the three women had been together and talked.

"Just like old times. Chris remarked. Only with different responsibilities." as she pointed to the three children.

Amanda and her father, David, were taking turns supervising the barbecuing. The small talk between the two of them was getting annoying for both of them and Amanda laid her cards on the table. "What is it you want to know, Dad?"

David Ellis stood just over six feet in height and weighed about 250 lbs. He only looked down slightly at his oldest child and it was like looking at a mirror of him self. He chuckled at Amanda's forwardness and knew the acorn didn't fall short from the Oak tree. "Your mother and I owe you an apology, Amanda. We've missed you these past few years, and it was our own ignorance and stupidity that kept you out of our lives."

Both father and daughter took a drink from their beers and shuffled their feet.

"It had to take a disaster to open my eyes to see you for more than just who I thought you were. You and Mitchell were heroes that day."

Amanda looked at her father and shook her head, a half snort sounded from her mouth.

"I'm not a hero Dad, I only went in there to save Sandy. I didn't even think of those other people. She looked at her father with dark eyes. I'm also a cold-blooded killer. I shot that guy without a word of warning when Mitchell was hit."

Amanda's father never even flinched at his daughter's words. "Am I supposed to think less of you? He asked. Your motives for endangering your own life are immaterial Amanda. The results made you and Mitchell heroes. As for the shooting, do you think any other cop wouldn't have done the same? Mitchell is your partner. The bond between two people on the police force is strong. You are responsible for each other's back side." David Ellis looked his daughter square in the eye and told her. "I'd think less of you if you hadn't shot him." With that comment the subject was closed and father and daughter went back to barbecuing.

Sandy, Chris and June Ellis sat chatting and watching the conversation between Amanda and her father.

"You think the screaming match will start soon?" Chris asked her mother.

"No, not this time. I can tell by the body language." June smiled at her husband as he had taken a quick peek for moral support from his wife. "They'll be fine."

Sandy had caught Amanda's eye and sent her a smile as well. She could tell by the shuffling of feet by both father and daughter, that in fact, June's observations were correct. They would be fine.

In fact the weekend did indeed go well as parents and siblings got along well with everyone. Old wounds had healed and new relationships were formed. Sandy, this time, was welcomed into the family instead of scorned. Kevin enjoyed playing with his two cousins and Uncle Bill. When Candice had asked him about not having a daddy, he simply replied. I don't need one. I have two great moms.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mitchell and Deb had spent most of Friday night making love and slept in until late Saturday morning. After a shower and breakfast, the two lovers had decided to take a trip to the zoo and enjoy their day there.

The day had been hotter then usual and both women were glad to be wearing their light coloured cotton shorts and baby t-shirts. They had also worn ball caps that read SDPF. They walked hand in hand throughout all the exhibits and had enjoyed bottles of cold water and popcorn. They had taken delight in feeding the smaller animals in the petting zoo and then Mitchell spotted an older woman who has having problems with a wheel on her walker.
She walked over to the woman and asked if she could help her. The woman seemed a bit concerned with this stranger until Mitchell took out her police I.D. The woman then seemed to calm down and let Mitchell help. She had the wheel fixed in moments; the woman thanked her and was on her way.

Mitchell sat down on a large rock down by one of the trails. She couldn't help the emotions that filled her and the tears fell freely from her eyes. When Deb came over to her with another bottle of water, she sat with her. "What's wrong hon?"

Mitchell took the water, opened it up and took a long drink. It felt cold and refreshing on her throat and she was able to talk.

"I never told you or Amanda what happened the day of the disaster at the hospital." Mitchell clutched the plastic bottle tighter and looked at her lover.

"When the rescue crews came for the survivors, Sandy and Joan were sent down first. I sent Amanda with them and I stayed to help the rescuers. We went from room to room, finding people, getting them strapped into stretchers, and slowly each person was sent down into ambulances. The last room we were able to get to, Mitchell choked back the tears. There was a lot of debris and it took us awhile to get into the room. I made it in first and there was an elderly woman in there by herself. I don't know how she lived through the blast but she did. I could tell she wasn't going to live much longer and then she opened her eyes and smiled at me. I took her hand and told her to hang on that she was safe, but she just shook her head. She smiled at me and told me how proud she was of me and that my grandmother was too. Then she died. I was still holding her hand when the rest of the rescue crew broke through, but it was too late."

Deb wiped Mitchell's tears away from her eyes and gently hugged her lover and rocked her. "She could see into your heart Mitchell and knew you were someone special, just like I know."

The two lovers sat on that rock and talked for the rest of the afternoon until the sun started to set. Apollo rode his golden chariot across the sky in a blaze of reds and yellows, turning the warmth of the day into the hands of the Moon God.

On this day, Amanda and Sandy, Mitchell and Deb, could feel the wounds of broken hearts healing. Tomorrow took on a special meaning and life, however short, is precious for those who cherish its wonders.
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Later on during the week, Amanda and Mitchell had been talking about their weekend, and each woman was surprised to hear her partner's confession and realized that another bond in their relationship had been found. That bond would be called upon many times in their partnership and friendship over the years to come.

Sandy and Deb are having lunch together on their breaks from work. The hospital that Sandy has been working from, since the disaster, is a block away from the car dealership that Deb works for . Once a week they try to get away for lunch and today just happened to be the day when they, and three Arab men were eating in the same restaurant, just behind each other's table. As their conversation became quite vocal, Sandy leaned back and asked them to quiet it down. The three men became quite rude, calling her an American whore and proceeded to hurl more insults. If there was one thing Deb did not tolerate anymore it was men being rude to women. She stood up and walked around to their table and, again, asked them to have some manners. She almost saw the punch coming too late, but managed to turn before the fist connected to her face. From the corner of her eye she saw all hell breaking loose before her as Sandy got up and so did the other two men. A flash of light caught her attention as she knew one of the men had a knife in his hand. He never got a chance to use it as two other women who had just entered the restaurant drew their police revolvers and aimed them at the heads of the three men.

"Hands over your heads gentlemen, and don't even think about breathing." Amanda and Mitchell had both of their guns aimed and ready to fire at the three men. Mitchell radioed for back up as Amanda took the knife away from the one man. He spit at her and swore in a language that Amanda didn't need to understand. The implication was quite clear.
The uniformed officers responded to Mitchell's call. Both of the detectives' were taking witness' statements as well as Sandy's and Deb's.

This time Amanda and Mitchell were able to tease their lovers. "We can't even let you two have lunch and you're in trouble." Mitchell laughed.

"Yea, Amanda poked her partner, and they talk about us getting into trouble."

The four women left the restaurant not realizing that in less than 24 hours time, it was discovered from the FBI that they had, indeed, captured the men responsible for the bombing of the La Jolla Hospital. These three men had been wanted in different countries for suspicion of terrorist activities and with the worlds' police organizations looking for them, it only took one pissed off blonde and a red head with very protective lovers to find them.

That weekend Amanda and Mitchell decided to teach their lover's some self-defence moves. One move in particular was to never try and take on terrorists.
Of course that night in each of their own homes and beds, tired and sore muscles were being treated to warm oil and then a massage.

When the massage was over, Deb drew Mitchell into her arms, kissed her and fell asleep. Arms and legs wrapped around each other kept the night demons away as each lover protected the other. Morning would find them embraced in each other's passion, ignoring the world around them.

Amanda and Sandy had other ideas during Sandy's massage.

Sandy lay naked on her stomach. She groaned as Amanda was working on a stubborn knot in her back. The fun that the four women had during the day caused a few bruises and some sore muscles, but the loving attention she was receiving was worth every moment. Amanda's larger hands worked competently at making sure the warm, scented oil was properly rubbed into Sandy's back and not left to run down into the sheets. By the time Amanda had finished Sandy's back, legs and butt, Sandy was a puddle of ooze, totally relaxed. Amanda on the other hand was a raging inferno of lust with her sights set on Sandy's beautiful bottom staring at her.

Amanda bent down to place soft kisses on Sandy's butt as she continued to lightly stroke Sandy's hips. Taking one hand she raised Sandy's knee up to open her legs. Gently Amanda began to massage Sandy's anal opening with her thumb and felt her lover tense.

"Relax Sandy, I won't." Amanda whispered.

The two lovers pleased each other in many ways, but Sandy was too uncomfortable with anal sex and Amanda respected her wishes.

Amanda fingers began to work their magic and Sandy's passion flowed in no time.
As Sandy spread her legs open further, Amanda entered her lover and began to gently pump in and out. Amanda lifted Sandy's backside higher as she took her from behind until Sandy's orgasm ripped through her and sent her lover's screams into the pillow.

Sandy rolled onto her back and smiled at her lover. She could have teased and played with her until Amanda begged for release, but Sandy was impatient at the moment and wanted her now. The lovemaking could wait. This was sex and she wanted her share. Amanda was still straddling Sandy's stomach. Sandy reached up, cupping Amanda's butt and made her move up. Sandy licked her lips at the sight above her face and breathed in the scent that was Amanda's. Slowly she moved Amanda down to her mouth and feasted. This was hers and she never let go until she heard Amanda cry out her name and beg for her to stop.

In the dark of the night the two women made love until exhaustion overcame them and they fell asleep.

As the early morning light began to appear the rays of the Sun God danced with, and teased Amanda awake. Slowly she opened one eye to greet him, but Sandy had other ideas. She was not ready to release Amanda from her grip, and give her up to Apollo. He would have to wait. Amanda smiled and said a prayer for Apollo to be patient, she was still needed here in bed.

The end for now.

Continued...