The blonde stabbed the tee into the short cut grass and gently placed the golf ball on top. Rising again, she faced down the fairway scouting the landing area and decided there was no reason not to just let the ball fly. Gripping her driver gracefully, the blonde addressed the ball. A little waggle of the driver head matched the slight wiggle of her butt. The golfer's hands started the motion that began her backswing and soon she was coiled like a viper ready to strike. Uncoiling her swing, the head of the driver smacked the ball squarely and sent it screaming down the center of the fairway.

The follow through of her swing allowed her to watch the drive as it bounced between the two bunkers that framed the landing area and rolled a good 15 yards by them. A slight upturn of her lips displayed her pleasure as she bent to grab the tee. She walked over to where her caddy waited, handing the driver to the raven-haired woman holding her bag.

The caddy, a picture perfect definition of stoicism, gently replaced the cover over the head of the driver and placed the club back in to its proper place in the bag. Both women waited quietly as a tall Asian woman walked on to the tee pad to put her ball in to play.

Half a minute later, the blonde and her caddy were walking down the fairway behind the Asian woman and her male caddy. Knowing that the other woman would have to hit first, the blonde slowed her pace slightly and looked up at her tall raven-haired caddy.

"I'm glad this is the last hole. I am ready to get on the plane and head back home. Do you think we can make the plane?"

The tall woman leaned over as she walked and said, "That shouldn't be too much of a problem?" The slight pause signaled the blonde that she was about to be teased. "?Cinna Buns."

Ryan watched as red tinged the face of the woman she loved, always enjoying a chance to tease her partner. She watched as Jamie ducked her head a bit to cover her blush, the visor of her cap darkening her face as the sun brought out the golden shine to her hair, which was now long enough to be tied in a ponytail. The back handed slap to her stomach was unexpected however, the weight of the golf bag across her shoulders and back making it impossible for her to dodge even if she had wanted to.

"You're very, very bad." Jamie said as she glanced back at her caddy.

"And you like it when I'm bad, don't you?" Ryan asked with one eyebrow arched.

"Ask me that later." The blonde teased, although it sounded more like some kind of an agreement.

The pair slowed to a halt about 20 yards behind Jamie's opponent and her caddy as they waited for the tall Asian to hit her next shot. After her opponents swing, Jamie said, "Nice shot Kim."

Ryan and Jamie then walked forward to where Jamie's ball was sitting. Jamie studied the lie carefully and decided it was almost perfect. She returned to where Ryan was standing, grabbing the three wood from the bag. She pulled the cover off the head and handed it to Ryan.

"Be right back, Sweetie." She said with a wink.

Ryan watched as Jamie walked back to the ball with a confident stride. The blonde bent and grabbed a few blades of grass, holding them up and letting them fall. Ryan loved the way her lover could be teasing one moment, then 'in the zone' the next. As Jamie addressed the ball, Ryan kept an eye out for her favorite butt wiggle and was not disappointed. The well practiced swing and solid click as the ball was struck signaled another good shot from Jamie.

They both watched as the ball bounced about 20 yards from the green. Unfortunately the ball took off at an odd angle and eventually rolled in to the rough just short and left of the green. Nevertheless, the blonde had a smile on her face when she turned back to Ryan to hand her the club.

From the other side of the fairway, Kim said, "I was sure you were going to get home in two there Jamie, bad luck on that bounce."

"Thanks Kim. Just goes to show that even good shots can be punished in this game."

Everyone started to walk down the fairway once more. Kim and her caddy discussing options on her upcoming chip shot to the par five green, while Jamie and Ryan lagged behind once more since Kim was still away.

"Hey." Ryan said.

"Yes?" Jamie asked with a fairly accurate impersonation of Ryan's arched eyebrow.

"Stop that. I wanted to let you know that when our flight gets in, Conor will be picking us up."

"Really? Why?"

"Well, Brendan and Maggie are staying another day in Chicago. I understand the celebrations have been endless."

"Good for them." Jamie said with a smile.

"Da and Meave are still in Ireland of course."

"Of course! I'm sure they will bring back some messages for you from Aisling and Cait."

"Me too. Rory is still home, but I think Conor traded with him so he could be the one to pick us up."

"Again, I ask, why?"

Ryan smirked. It wasn't often she got to play the gabby one, but for some reason she enjoyed every interaction with the small blonde walking beside her. "I think he's going to introduce us to the new woman in his life."

"It's about time." Jamie said with a bit of exasperation. She remembered back to a conversation she and Conor had at the reception after she and Ryan had committed to each other in front of just about everyone they knew four years previously. "So, is this one a four for four?" Jamie asked, while making quotation marks with her hands.

Ryan blinked in surprise. "You know about his list?

"Yep." Jamie replied with another smirk for her lovely caddy.

"Wow." Ryan said, slightly stunned. "Umm? Oh, yeah. He told me she meets all of his requirements."

The pair halted and turned their attention to Kim as she approached her ball. Using her wedge, the other golfer placed her long pitch shot about 12 feet from the cup. Jamie and Ryan started walking to the spot where her ball had come to rest.

"So I guess we're the litmus test for Conor's new girl?" Jamie asked.

"Looks that way, and by the way, thanks for sneaking in that science reference."

"Only for you, babe."

The pair halted once more. Jamie walked over to her ball and noted the true danger she was in. The ball had snuggled down in the thick rough and would be tough to get out with any control. Worse than that was the sand trap right where she would normally stand for the shot.

Ryan watched as Jamie once again went from flirty to competitive. The concentration Jamie displayed was incredible, and Ryan was always amazed at how she could so easily slip in and out of 'the zone'. Jamie came back to the bag Ryan was holding and retrieved her pitching wedge before returning to study her shot.

Although golf was not even on Ryan's list of favorite things to do, she did thoroughly enjoy watching her lover play the game. She watched as Jamie walked up to the green to get an idea of the slope from her ball to the cup, a lazy grin sliding across her face as she noted Jamie's well defined calf muscles. Ryan's eyes followed as Jamie walked to the side of the green to take a different angled look at the slope. Finally Jamie walked back to Ryan with a slight frown on her face.

"This should be fun." The blonde said with a touch of sarcasm.

Ryan knew no response was wanted or needed. Jamie turned once more and hopped down in to the greenside bunker next to her ball. The trap placement made it so that the ball was a good eight inches higher than her feet. Ryan smiled as she watched Jamie wiggle her feet into the sand and choke up on the club. Jamie's sand wiggle was another favorite part of watching Jamie play.

Ryan knew that Jamie was about 70 feet away from the cup, and that it was a quick downhill slope to the cup. She was surprised though when Jamie took almost a full backswing. Ryan's eyes followed Jamie's club head as she began her down swing. The wedge sliced through the grass and Ryan was sure it had passed under the ball, yet the ball came out of the rough in a high arc with lots of spin. The ball hit the green, and the backspin slowed the ball down quickly, but just as the ball was almost stopped, the slope of the green took over and it rolled ever closer to the cup. Unfortunately, the ball was also picking up speed.

Luckily the line was almost perfect, but not quite. The ball zipped around the edge of the cup which almost killed the speed, but popped the ball off to the left and it rolled to a stop about 6 feet from the cup. Ryan picked up the sand rake as Jamie came out of the trap, hopping in herself to rake the sand clear of her partner's depressions.

When Ryan was finished, she rejoined Jamie and they walked to the side of the green furthest away from Kim as the tall Asian woman studied her opportunity at a birdie. Kim lined up her putt from behind her ball and then walked around to look at her line from behind the cup. She then paced back to her ball and assumed her putting stance. A couple of quick practice strokes and then she lined her putter up behind the ball.

Kim pulled her putter back and through. The ball started well left of the cup, but slowly made its way back to the hole before it slid by slowly. Kim flexed her knees and groaned at the miss. She started walking towards her ball and glanced over to where Jamie and Ryan stood. Jamie gave her a nod, and the tall Asian stepped up to her ball, making sure she didn't step in Jamie's line. A quick tap and Kim grabbed her ball from the cup and walked back over to where her caddy was standing.

Ryan heard Jamie take a deep breath to calm her self down. They turned to face each other, Ryan holding out a putter for Jamie. Jamie took the putter confidently and then gave Ryan a saucy little wink before she turned and walked over to her ball. Another lazy smile spread across the raven-haired woman's face as she watched her lover begin the process of trying to make her birdie putt.

<><><>

Jamie stood behind the ball, studying the line for her putt. It was a tricky six footer with a right to left swing, which is harder for a right-handed golfer to make. Jamie figured she needed to start the ball about 2 inches outside the cup with a firm stroke, but something about the area right around the cup caught her eye. She walked around her line and stood behind the cup. The line looked right, but still something about the area around the cup didn't quite look right.

As she walked back towards her ball she spotted it. The path her ball would take would hit an ever so slightly flatter area just before the cup. She grinned and continued walking back to her ball, standing behind it once more. Jamie decided if she started the ball just over an inch outside the cup, the ball wouldn't slide past on the high side as it would have if she had hit the original line. Jamie approached the ball and prepared to putt.

<><><>

Ryan loved to watch Jamie in her concentration mode. Chuckling silently, she realized she just loved watching Jamie in any mode. Ryan saw Jamie study the line from behind her ball as well as from behind the cup. While Jamie was walking back towards her ball, Ryan noticed the slight pause as she passed the cup, then the grin that graced her lovers face. Ryan knew that was the same grin Jamie displayed every time she got Ryan right where she wanted her.

Glancing over at Kim and the hopeful expression on her face, Ryan chuckled. Just under her breath she mumbled, "Not today Kim."

Turning her attention back to Jamie, she watched closely as she approached her ball, ready to putt.

<><><>

Jamie stood over the ball, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves. She swung the putter in a stroke similar to the one she would use for the putt, and then repeated it once more. Stepping a bit closer she lined her self and her putter up behind the ball on the line she intended to hit the ball. She pulled the putter back about 2 inches before stroking through the ball. As the ball hit her line, she knew it would drop in. For the first time that day, she allowed the sound of the crowd to penetrate her consciousness. As the ball neared the cup, she took one step forward. When the ball dropped in the cup, she thrust both arms in the air in absolute joy as the crowd surrounding the 18th green burst in to a loud cheer.

She took a few more steps to the cup before retrieving her ball. Kim and her caddy approached and Jamie shook both their hands before turning back to Ryan who was approaching from behind. A short two step run and she jumped up into the arms of her the woman she loved wrapping her legs around her partners waist, one arm around Ryan's neck and the other thrust in the air.

Ryan had to take one step back when she acquired her new, lover sized appendage but managed to secure Jamie with her left arm as she held out her right to Kim and her caddy.
After shaking both their hands she turned her attention back to Jamie.

"Come on babe, let's go make this official."

Ryan placed Jamie back on the ground and they followed Kim and her caddy into a small trailer just past the grandstand. A few minutes later, the trailer door opened and Jamie and Ryan descended the stairs to head back to the green. The crowd was cheering as they turned the corner around the grandstand and Jamie saw her parents, along with Mia and Jordan. She gave them all a quick hug and told them to come along with her. Once they were back on the green, they walked over to the presentation table that had been set up.

Jamie stood next to the television announcer, with Ryan just behind her shoulder. Beyond the two lovers stood a very proud Jim Evans who looked very much like the cat who ate the canary. Next to him were Mia and Jordan, both of whom seemed to have dined on the same feast Jim had. Finally the line ended with Catherine and Jamie's new step-dad who both smiled fondly upon Jamie.

The television announcer quieted the crowd and began to speak. "Ladies and gentleman, we have just witnessed one of the great battles in golf. Thirty Six match-play holes that came down to a single putt on the final hole, now that is golf at it's finest!"

The crowd let out a cheer for both competitors before the announcer continued. "Our runner-up this year hails from Battle Creek, Michigan. Let's hear it for Kim Huggins!"

Kim stepped up, accepting her trophy from the tournament director while waving to the crowd. The announcer stepped over to Kim and spoke, "That was a hard fought battle Kim. Do you think you could have done anything different to have changed the outcome?"

"To be honest, I don't think so. Jamie and I both capitalized on every chance either of us had. It really did come down to the last hole. Jamie's flop shot was almost perfection and gave her the chance to win. My putt here on eighteen hit the line I wanted so I can't complain about that. This was a great experience. The USGA and The Kahkwa Club did an incredible job with this course. Today was Jamie's day, and she earned her victory."

The announcer thanked Kim and spoke to the crowd once more. "The USGA, The Kahkwa Club, and ESPN now proudly present to you the 2004 U.S. Woman's Amateur Champion. All the way from San Francisco, California, let's give it up for Jamie Evans!"

Jamie stepped forward to receive the enormous trophy from the tournament director. She raised it over her head turning to display it for the crowd who roared their approval. Placing it back on the table she turned to face the announcer.

"Congratulations Jamie, so how does it feel to be the U.S. Amateur Champion?"

Jamie smiled widely before answering. "It feels pretty darn good, Bill. Kim was a great opponent and I feel very lucky to have emerged victorious."

"So, tell us about that last putt. That area of the green has proven tricky all Championship weekend, and many golfers have misread it."

"It was very tricky; in fact I almost misread it myself. I was fairly confident of a line, but as I was walking back to my ball I saw a small flat spot right by the cup and changed my line because of it. I would have missed if I went with the way I originally read the putt, but I was lucky enough to spot that area. Just goes to show you that golfers always need to be aware, even when they are just walking back to their ball."

"Thanks Jamie, and with your win here today we'll see us at the U.S. Woman's Open in just a few weeks. Congratulations Jamie!"

The crowd cheered once more as Jamie waved to them. She turned to Ryan, an impish smile on her face as she approached her lover.

"Jamie, what are you?" Ryan tried to ask as Jamie wrapped her arms around Ryan's neck and muffled the rest of her sentence when she pressed her coral tinted lips against Ryan's.

All thought rapidly escaped from Ryan's mind while other areas of her body ignited in warmth. Just before Ryan's knees were about to betray her, Jamie pulled back a bit while still gazing in to Ryan's eyes.

"It's not like they don't know babe. Besides, you're much to tempting to resist." Jamie placed another quick kiss on Ryan's lips. "Now let's get the gang together and head back home."

Ryan smiled. "What's the hurry?"

"Like I said earlier, I like it when you're bad and I have a feeling you are going to be a bad girl this evening. I'm just the woman to take advantage of your badness."

Ryan quickly glanced at their friends and family standing a few yards away and then turned back to the emerald green eyes that were as precious to her as the air she breathed. "Hmm. Good thing I have a woman like you to appreciate my badness." She whispered in to Jamie's ear.

Jamie giggled. "You've got my motor running now sweetie, it's going to be a long flight back."

Ryan arched one eyebrow as they started to part and walk over to their family. "Maybe not, we're members of the mile-high club. Perhaps it's time to renew our membership."

"What? And fight for space with Mia and Jordan? I think not!

Both women were laughing as they joined their family.

<><><>

Jamie snuggled up to Ryan as their heart beats began to calm. She raised her head slightly and kissed Ryan once more. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, Champ." Ryan said with a smirk.

"Let's get to sleep, tomorrow is an important day."

"I have the alarm set so we can get over to Tommy and Annie's early."

"I can't wait! Imagine, Caitlin's first day of school! I'm so excited!"

Ryan ran her fingers softly through the blonde hair of the woman she loved. "Sleep now Jamie, plenty of time for excitement tomorrow."

Impossibly, Jamie snuggled even closer as their hearts began to beat slowly as one and they drifted off in to a loving yet peaceful sleep.

<><><>

Dawn was still an hour away, and the neighborhood was quiet. Jamie and Ryan's house, just a few blocks from where Ryan had grown up was dark and silent. Both women slept in a lovers embrace while a small box on the nightstand began to emit low muffled sounds. Down the hall in the next bedroom, where the low muffled sounds were originating, a young child began to break the bonds of her slumber.

The girl turned on to her back, tossing the blanket off. Two small hands began to rub sand from sleepy eyes. A sudden gasp of excitement and the girl hopped out of her bed. Running her hands through her dark, sleep flattened hair, the small girl smiled. Her best friend Caitlin started school later that morning and she was excited for her. In just another year, she would join her friend at school. She looked at it as a milestone in her life that was finally within reach.

Looking out the window, she noticed it was still dark and knew neither of her mommies would be awake yet. She went over to her book case and pulled out a new book she had just gotten from her Uncle Rory. Moving over to the desk she turned on the lamp and sat down to read. The dictionary her Mommy had given her was nearby as she began to read a story of Ireland and Faeries.

Every now and then she would pause to look up a new word in the dictionary. She would pronounce it slowly a few times while studying the definition. The small girl loved stories almost as much as she loved figuring out the number problems she got from her Mama. She loved to learn about new things and had wished she could have gone to school with Caitlin, but she also knew that she and her parents would be heading back to Ireland in just over a month and that was exciting too.

As she finished the first chapter in her new book, she heard muffled sounds coming from her Mommies room, and figured they were getting up. The girl marked her place in the book before closing it and the dictionary. She placed them both together so she would be able to continue the story later and walked back to her bed. Grabbing the small teddy bear that shared her bed she leaned over to her nightstand where the child monitor box was.

In a sing-song voice she announced "Ready or not, here I come!" The small raven-haired child then took off running. Moving fast she bounded in to the hall making a left turn while bouncing lightly off the wall across from her bedroom door. Small legs powered small feet down the hallway towards the door to where her Mommies slept.

The girl flew through the double doors of her parent's room, grasping the small teddy bear in a tight hug with her left hand. With a wild smile on her face, she approached the bed in an arc before planting one foot and launching herself straight up and over her Mom and landed on her back smack dab between her parents. Her Mom and Mama both engulfed her in a hug as she exploded in a loud giggle.

"I love you," she said kissing her Mom on the cheek. Turning she kissed her Mama and said, "I love you too!"

Both women hugged and tickled their daughter and spoke together in an obvious ritual. "And we love you Fi!"

THE END