Safe Harbor

Reese shook her head, smiling softly. "Dont be. Until now the only words that ever applied to me for certain were "recruit" and "soldier". I never gave anything else a thought."

Tory laughed. She congratulated herself on steering their relationship onto safer ground. She steadfastly ignored the way her pulse raced everytime she looked up to find Reeses disconcertingly appraising eyes upon her.

Chapter Thirteen

"So, tell me whats going on with you and our good doctor," Marge said as she lined up her shot. She stroked lightly through the cue ball and slid the nine ball into the side pocket.

"Nice shot," Reese commented as she balanced two fresh beers on the thin shelf that ran along the wall. "What do you mean, whats going on?"

Marge glanced at her briefly as she slowly circled the table, planning her next salvo. The slightly perplexed look on her young friends face told her the Deputy Sheriff really didnt know what the rumor mill had been churning out. "Word has it that the two of you are an item."

"Because we had dinner together?" Reese inquired as she carefully chalked the end of her custom cue.

" Romantic dinners. More than once, Im told," Marge added as she banked in her next shot. "And because she seems to spend a lot of time at your place. And because the two of you have been seen together at the Lavender Lounge the last two Saturday nights."

Reese was impressed with the accuracy of the local reporting.

"Sounds like youre information central," she commented dryly.

"Its the tea dance. Everybody trades news there. I keep trying to tell you what youre missing. And dont avoid the issue!"

Reese approached the table as Marge narrowly missed a tricky combination. Stretching her long form low to get the proper sight along her stick, she neatly deposited the three ball in the corner pocket.

"Were not an item. Were friends."

Marge waited. When nothing further seemed to be forthcoming, she sighed with exaggerated impatience.

"And? Do you have any intentions?" she asked as she watched Reese move gracefully around the table. It was looking like theyd need to go four out of seven for a fair match.

"She isnt interested," Reese said flatly. She gently tapped the cue ball the length of the table, angling the seven into the corner.

Marge raised a questioning eyebrow at the vague answer. "I was asking after your plans."

Reese leaned her stick against the edge of the pooltable, regarding her companion seriously as she reached for her beer.

"I cant answer that."

Marge looked peeved. "Well, if you dont want to tell me-"

"Thats not what I meant. I dont know how to answer your question."

"You like her, right?"

"Of course, shes terrific."

"And shes great looking, right?"

"Shes beautiful."

"So, at the risk of sounding like the crude old dyke that I am, have you given any thought to taking her to bed?"

Reese studied the foam on her beer. "Arent there a few steps you left out? Like - well, like courting?"

Marge coughed on the mouthful of beer she was swallowing. "God, you are priceless! Courting! If the girls in this town only knew what you were really like, youd have to beat them off with a stick!"

Reese asked cautiously, "What do they think Im like?"

"I think Carol from the Cheese Shop put it best. She said you were an impossibly good-looking, unapproachable butch who probably does the asking. And there's a fair number of women waiting for you to ask. Only I know that youre an old-fashioned romantic."

Reese smiled ruefully. "No, Marge -Im not that either. What I am is someone whos always been happy with my life just the way it is. I never thought to look for anything more. It never occurred to me there was anything more."

Marge started to protest, then grew quiet. At length she voiced what she initially had found inconceivable. "Youve never been with a woman, have you?"

"No."

"Oh, boy," Marge whistled. She looked at her suspiciously. "Youre not straight are you? Therell be hearts breaking all over town."

Reese looked away with a shrug.

"Tell me you dont know," Marge said in disbelief.

"Its not that simple," Reese stated. "Ive spent my life with men, many of whom I commanded. The rules are very clear, and very strict. I never had that kind of relationship with anyone. It never seemed to matter to me."

"What about- you know, sex -" Marge persisted.

"Ive had feelings -" Reese said, remembering with absolute clarity the way Tory had felt in her arms when she had innocently carried Tory into her house. She remembered the warmth of Torys fingers in hers at dinner, and the rightness of it. "The opportunity just never arose."

Marge simply shook her head. "Unbelievable. But you still havent answered my question about the doc. Do you have feelings , as you so delicately put it, for her?"

Reese picked up her stick and focused her attention back on her game. "It doesnt matter. Shes been hurt, she shouldnt be hurt again. Im the last thing she needs."

"Why?"

"Because she doesnt trust me not to hurt her."

Marge was well aware that Reese had avoided discussing her own feelings, and respected the unspoken barrier. But she still wasnt ready to let her completely off the hook. Left to her own devices, Reesed never figure out what she was about - or that sometimes women just needed you to keep trying. She didnt doubt that Tory King was cautious. Marge hadnt known her to date anyone the entire three years shed lived there. She also knew that sometimes rumors started because those on the outside looking in saw more than the people who were in the thick of it.

"So how about coming to the tea dance tomorrow? Its the fourth of July weekend. Youve never seen anything like it," she pressed.

Reese sighed. "You know Im working -"

"Right - and I know damn well youre still working splits with Smith. You can come to the tea and have plenty of time to sleep before the late shift.

Reese had refused thus far to accompany Marge to the popular afternoon event, somehow worried that it would conflict with her official position. To go dancing amidst the people she was supposed to be protecting seemed like the taboo of an officer fraternizing with the enlisted troops. She had to admit that excuse was getting a little thin. She lived in Provincetown - attending the dance wasnt likely to cause any greater stir than simply going out to dinner seemed to. And she did want to be personally familiar with as much of the unique communitys life as possible.

"Okay," she finally relented, "for a little while."

"Excellent," Marge enthused. "And Reese? Lose the uniform or youll have every woman in the place hanging on you."

**********

Marge looked her over with satisfaction when Reese met her at the gym at four-thirty the next afternoon. The white tank top displayed her impressive shoulders nicely; the tight faded jeans hung low on her slim hips. Not for the first time she felt the stirring of desire. Her new friend was all the more attractive because she obviously didnt know it. Marge was certain that Reese never noticed the open stares she received - in uniform or out. For her part, Marge simply enjoyed looking at her, knowing she would never act on it.

Reese regarded her quizzically. "What? Am I late?"

"Youre never late," Marge asserted dryly. "Come on, Sheriff. Lets go to the dance."

They could hear the music from two blocks away, and already the small dance floor was crowded. For two hours at the end of the day, after the beach and before the nights activities began, most of the towns inhabitants would make the pilgrimage to the Boatslip for the tea dance. There was a huge outdoor deck with tables overlooking the harbor, several bars, and a dance floor that never seemed big enough but somehow always managed to accommodate the crowds. The ratio was probably four to one men to women, and unlike in many other bars, everyone got along. The atmosphere was usually one of unrestrained enthusiasm.

"Whatre you drinking?" Marge asked as they threaded their way through the throngs to the outside bar.

"Just a diet coke," Reese said, heading toward the end of the deck that overlooked the beach while Marge joined the long line at the bar. She leaned against the rail, one booted foot up on the lower rung. She watched the couples strolling along the water's edge, some of them running playfully in and out of the froth. Two women stopped to share a kiss. The sight stirred her unexpectedly, and she had to look away. She was unsettled enough that she wasnt aware of the woman beside her until she spoke.

"I thought I saw you come in," Tory said, one hand shielding her eyes in the sun. Reese had a strangely distant look in her eyes. "You all right?"

Reese shook her head, smiling. "Just daydreaming."

Tory smiled back. "Glad to hear it. Listen - theres someone here I want you to meet. Have you got a second?"

Reese looked around and saw Marge deep in conversation with someone in the bar line. "Sure."

"Great - Catherine just got here and _"

Reese recoiled with an involuntary gasp, stepping back a pace in surprise. "No, I - I dont want to intrude," she managed to say as an unfamiliar tightening in her throat threatened her voice. Whatever was causing the icy ache in her chest was enough to force her to turn away, searching frantically for Marges familiar back and the offer of escape.

Tory reached for the tanned forearm, shocked at Reeses reaction. She had never before seen Reese lose her composure. Her entire body was stiff with tension.

"Reese!" Tory cried in alarm. "Whats the matter?"

Reese couldnt explain to Tory what she didnt have words for herself. She only knew that if Tory was here with her former lover, she didnt want to see them together. She struggled for an excuse. "Its late - I should go-"

Tory continued to study her intently. There was no mistaking the turmoil in those deep blue eyes. What she didnt understand was the fleeting look of something close to pain that had marred Reeses usually implacable features. And she wasnt about to let her away before she did understand it.

"Reese! Damn it! Tell me whats wrong!"

"Nothing -really," Reese responded evenly, her feelings now firmly in hand. "Im sorry - it isnt you. I really cant stay."

Tory didnt believe her, but she knew by now how stubborn Reese was. She wouldnt talk until she was ready. "At least stop and meet my sister?" Tory asked.

"Your sister?!" Reese couldnt keep the confusion from her voice. "But I thought-"

"Yes," Tory replied, just as surprised. "Who did you -" She stopped in midsentence, staring, trying not to blush. "You thought I meant Kathrine - my lover, Kathrine."

It was Reeses turn to blush. "Yes," was finally all that she said.

They stared at each other as the air around them grew dense with feelings neither of them dared put words to. Tory finally broke the silence, her hand still grasping Reeses arm.

"It wouldnt be her," she said softly, "for a number of reasons. We havent kept in touch, and I dont want to see her. There is nothing between us now." As she spoke, her fingers slid slowly down to lightly clasp Reeses. It was important that Reese understand that Kathrine held no claim on her.

"You dont need to explain," Reese responded quietly.

"No?" Tory queried just as gently, feeling Reeses fingers intertwine with hers, trying to ignore the quick thrill of excitement that small closeness produced. "Perhaps not, but I wanted to."

Reese smiled slowly, giving Torys hand a tug, breaking the tension. "Come on then. Introduce me to your sister!"

Marge joined them eventually at the small table they had commandeered. Torys younger sister was as extroverted and gregarious as Tory was solitary, and in no time she had talked Marge into taking her off to the dance floor.

"Thats the last well see of them for a while," Tory remarked as she glanced after her sister fondly. "Cath loves to party."

Reese stretched her long legs out to the side of the table and settled back with a sigh. "At least shes in good company. Marge has enough energy for two or three people!"

"Besides that, Marge is a great dancer, and Cath could dance all night," Tory added. "Its so great to have her here. Shes got two kids, a demanding job - even with a husband whos willing to help, its hard for her to take time away. Shes between jobs now, so Ive finally got her to myself. I was worried about showing her a good time."

Reese saw Tory glance down at the brace protruding below the cuff of her white cotton slacks. In some part of her mind, Reese was always aware of it, too. When she and Tory worked out without it, Reese was careful to temper the force of her throws and takedowns. She would never risk further injury to someone who had already suffered so much. Even when they walked through town in the evenings after a dinner out, Reese was aware of their pace, the surface of the pavement, the surge of the crowds around them. Although she never thought of Tory as disabled, or less than totally capable in any way, she felt an instinctive protectiveness she would never admit to her. Knowing that Tory felt inhibited by her injury made her long to change it.

"You know something," Reese said. "Ive never learned to dance. I always managed to avoid those insufferable military affairs by volunteering to take the duty."

Tory stared at her. How could it be that someone so accomplished could have missed so many of the simple pleasures of life? And why did it not seem to bother her? Could she really be so self-sufficient that she didnt need what most people spent their lives seeking - some connection with another human being? That thought saddened Tory unaccountably.

"Well that has to change." Tory stated emphatically. "As soon as Cath gets back Im assigning her the task of teaching you."

"If I have to learn, Id rather it be with you."

Reeses tone was so gentle, Tory found herself struggling with tears. "Id love to," she managed finally. "But I dont think I can."

Reese pushed back her chair and held out her hand. "Lets find out."

There was something about the compassionate insistence in her voice, and the comfort of that outstretched hand, that Tory couldnt resist. Without wanting to think what it might mean, she stood, grasping the strong fingers.

"All right - but we have to at least wait for a slow song."

Reese nodded and led the way through the crowd to the edge of the dance floor. When the pulsing music slowed, they stepped to a corner of the small space and faced one another.

Tory looked up into Reeses smile and stepped into her arms. "You lead," she said quietly.

"As long as you keep me on track," Reese rejoined as she slipped one arm around Torys waist. Tory fit effortlessly against her, and despite the frequent physical contact they had on nearly a daily basis in the dojo, this felt vastly different. Reese was aware of the press of Tory's breasts against her chest, and the length of firm thigh just touching her own. Torys head rested lightly on her shoulder, her hair rich with the scent of sunshine and sea. For a second Reese was breathless from the assault of sensation.

"Youre shaking," Tory whispered, hoping that Reese couldnt feel the trembling in her own body.

"Nervous," Reese murmured, closing her eyes, unconsciously tightening her hold as they moved together, tentatively at first, then with a growing confidence as each sensed the others rhythm.

Tory couldnt remember the last time anyone had held her, and she could no more control her response than she could stop her heartbeat. It was as if her skin was opening, allowing the heat from Reeses body to penetrate to her core, and the fire that flared within had a life all its own. Unconsciously she pressed closer, cleaving to the strong frame, her fingers on Reeses back tightening as waves of heat threatened to eclipse her senses. When Reeses hips shifted naturally forward into her, she couldnt prevent a soft moan.

"Okay?" Reese questioned softly, her breath warm against Torys cheek.

Tory tried to steady her voice as she replied, "Just out of practice. Dont let go, I may topple over." She fervently hoped Reese couldnt feel just how true her words were.

"Dont worry about that," Reese answered. She scarcely recognized her own body. It seemed to have developed new senses in just a few scant moments. Her skin was tingling, her pulse pounded in her ears, and she swore she could feel Torys heart beat in time with her own. Whatever was happening, she had no desire for it to stop. In fact, when the music changed to a faster beat she didnt even notice. The heady mixture of physical stimulation and emotional confusion muted her awareness of anything beyond Tory and herself.

"I have to sit this one out, Reese - its going to get very fast in a minute," Tory said as she leaned back to look up into her taller partners face. Reese was staring at her in the strangest way, her grip about Torys waist tightening instinctively as the contact between them lessened. Tory tilted her head questioningly as she relaxed against Reeses body. "What is it?" she asked. She had to raise her voice as the music pounded and more people crowded onto the floor.

Reese looked around, fully cognizant of her surroundings for the first time in what seemed like hours. Her loss of connection with external events was enough to frighten her; that coupled with the apparent mutiny of her senses left her totally baffled. She leaned close, her lips against Torys ear.

"Im ready to sit down, too, but my legs seem to have acquired a mind of their own. And theyre saying stay."

Tory laughed, slipping her hand down Reeses arm and grasping her hand.

"Come on! Ill lead the way."

As she turned to guide them through the crowd, she was acutely aware of Reese pressed against her. She told herself it was because of the throng of people close around them, and not due to any intent on Reeses part. Regardless of the reason, she couldnt deny the surge of pleasure the contact provoked.

Marge and Catherine, sandwiched against the narrow rail enclosing the dance floor watched them go. Marge had just replenished their drinks and they were catching their breath before the next round on the dance floor.

"I cant believe my eyes," Catherine muttered. "I havent seen her on a dance floor in ten years. That friend of yours must be a magician."

Marge grunted. "The likes of her Ive not seen before."

Catherine looked alarmed. "Dont tell me shes some kind of playboy - playgirl rather, - or something worse! My sister had her heart broken once already by someone like that!"

"Thats not what I meant," Marge soothed. "Shes about as honorable as they come - maybe too honorable. Shell protect your sister to the point of holding back what the doc might like offered."

"Shes not straight is she?"

"Havent seen any signs of it," Marge said with a grin. "But then you dont exactly shriek married mother of two."

"Yes, well, I dont look like a combination of k.d.Lang and Gregory Peck either!"

"True enough -" Marge conceded. "Ive known Doc King for three years, and I know damn well she can take of herself. Reese Conlon is a tough one to figure, but I get nothing but good feelings from her. And I can tell she thinks a lot of your sister. And Id bet my last dime that shes gay. I know youre going to worry, but it wont change anything."

"I know. Its just that Tory's had so many lousy breaks. She deserves so much more."

Marge nodded. "Whatever happens between them, you dont have to worry about Reese Conlon. She believes that Marine Corp stuff - including the semper fi ."

God, I hope so, Cath thought. She had seen the way her sister looked at the woman.

"I cant believe how crowded this place has gotten!" Reese exclaimed as she maneuvered the Cape Codder in its tall frosted glass onto the small table in front of Tory. She slid into the seat beside her, nearly draining her own seltzer and lime in one deep draft. "Dancing is quite the experience," she commented. "Thank you for the lesson."

Tory searched for a hint of sarcasm, but found none. "My pleasure," she said, knowing only too well how dangerously true those words were. "Youre a natural. I didnt do anything except follow your lead. Youll have to ask my sister to fast dance with you - shes great."

"No thanks," Reese said emphatically. "Youre more than enough for me. Let her wear Marge out if she can."

Tory couldnt help but blush, even though she knew perfectly well that Reese wasnt flirting. She wouldnt know how to flirt if she wanted to, Tory thought to herself with disgust. You have got to get over yourself with this woman!

"How would you like to have an early dinner?" Reese asked.

Tory hesitated, still searching for calm after the way she had felt dancing. Reese looked so damn handsome with the sun highlighting her blue-black hair and her tanned, golden skin. The fact that she was watching Tory intently didnt help. If she didnt know better, shed swear the woman was asking her out. Her body refused to behave. Her pulse skipped, her stomach fluttered, and there was no denying the wet warmth that pounded insistently between her thighs. Reese excited her, and that was impossible. That way lay disaster. She saw Marge and her sister approaching with relief.

"I cant," she said, beckoning her head toward the women. "I need to spend some time with my sister."

Reese felt a quick stab of rejection, which made no sense at all! Of course Tory needed to see her sister. Her acute disappointment was embarrassing. She stood abruptly, needing suddenly the comfortable familiarity of her work.

"Of course - I should be going anyway." She looked about to say more, but she simply turned and disappeared into the crowd.

Marge looked after her retreating back in surprise. "Wheres she off to?"

Tory sighed. "To work, would be my guess. Where else?"

Now Marge stared at her in astonishment. What was it with these two? They both looked as if they had lost their last friend.

"Your sister and I were just discussing dinner. You ready for that?"

Tory pushed herself up, reaching for her cane from the back of the chair. "Im not really hungry. Why dont you two go? Ill be at the clinic. You can pick me up later."

She didnt wait for their reply. She was too preoccupied with the memory of Reese Conlons face when she walked away. Despite an attempt to hide it, Reese had looked hurt, and that upset Tory more than she wanted to admit.

Chapter Fourteen

It was close to two a.m. Reese was parked on the pier, facing Commercial Street, watching the last of the visitors straggle out of town. She was looking for anyone who wasnt fit to drive.

"Reese? You copy?" the disembodied voice of the night dispatcher called over the car radio.

"Im here," Reese responded. "Go ahead."

"We just got a request for you to call the East End Health Clinic..."

Reese gunned the engine, flipping on her lights with one hand as she wheeled out into the street. "Whats the situation?" she questioned, her voice tight. "Is it another break-in?" She was two minutes away, and it seemed like an eternity.

"Unknown. Handle as routine."

A call from the clinic at this hour could hardly be routine, and Reese knew it. No one should even be there. It had to be Tory. Reese slammed into the lot, half-way out the door before she even had the car in park. Torys Jeep was the only vehicle in sight. She scanned the entire area as she raced toward the door, looking for signs of an intruder. The front door swung open just as she reached the porch. Suddenly Tory was there.

"Reese -" she began.

Reese grasped her shoulders, searching her face intently. "Are you all right?" she questioned hoarsely. She pulled Tory out of the backlit doorway as she peered into the interior of the building, automatically shielding her with her own body.

Tory was momentarily off balance and pressed both hands against Reeses chest to steady herself. Reeses body was tightly coiled, shimmering with tension. "Whoa! Slow down," Tory gasped. "Im fine." There was a fierceness in Reeses eyes she had never seen before - a feral intensity that should have been frightening, it looked so dangerous. What Tory felt instead was closer to excitement. The powerful force of Reeses emotional fervor was stirring.

"Reese," Tory began again, "Im fine." As she spoke, she grasped Reeses arms, shaking her lightly to get her attention. "I called you about a patient. Everything is all right."

Reese looked at her then, not yet accepting that she was safe. What she had felt in those few minutes when she thought Tory was in danger was completely foreign to her. Her entire life had been spent preparing for defense - in the military, in the police force, in the dojo. She was trained to confront any threat with the cold calm of a soldier. The gut wrenching near-panic she had just experienced rocked her to the core. For the first time in her life she had felt the iron grip of fear. Without conscious thought she pulled Tory to her. "Jesus," she whispered, "I thought something had happened to you."

The intensity of her embrace was more than Tory could resist, and she yielded to it. She pressed into Reese, her arms slipping around Reeses waist.

"Im sorry," Tory murmured, holding Reese tightly. "I only asked that they have you call me." She couldnt seem to manage any other explanation. It was all she could do to control her own trembling. And it wasnt from fear, but from shear overwhelming desire. With a soft moan she pressed her lips against Reeses neck, aching with need. She clung to her while her senses raged, her mind clouded with the escalating physical arousal she couldn't contain. Oh, god, I want you so much . Her nipples stiffened, aching to be touched, and her clit expanded, screaming for contact. Her hips rocked against Reese's hard thigh, desperatelyseeking release.

"Hey, hey," Reese soothed, stroking her back gently. "I didnt mean to scare you - ." Her own sense of relief was so intense she was shaking.

God almighty, Tory, you can't do this now!! Tory struggled for composure. With more restraint than she thought possible, she pushed away from Reese, breaking the exquisitely agonizing contact .

"Let me catch my breath," Tory said as lightly as she could manage, turning away with effort. She was on fire, and she was seconds away from touching Reese in a way that could leave no doubt about her desire. She was going to make a fool of herself.

"Tory?" Reese questioned, confused by Tory's abrupt withdrawal. She stared after her as Tory moved resolutely down the hall, putting distance between them. Reese felt the separation as more than physical. As close as they had been an instant before, a chasm stretched between them now. The pain of an old wound flickered to the surface for a searing instant, the deeply buried agony of loss. Reese automatically pushed it away. That stoicism had protected her for years and it was second nature to her now. Whatever vulnerable place Tory had unwittingly touched was safely defended once again. By the time Reese followed Tory into her office she felt nothing.

"What happened?" Reese asked.

Tory sat behind her desk, needing to get as far away as possible. She prayed she would be able to look at Reese without revealing her turmoil. Even now she was trembling with the urge to touch her. She took a deep, slightly shaky breath and pulled forth her own defenses. She had called Reese as a doctor, and thats how she would deal with her. On that level she was safe.

"I just finished suturing a young boys forehead," she began, her voice sounding flat to her own ears. "He and his boyfriend were walking back to town along Route six, out near Herring Cove. Apparently they had been up in the dunes -"

"Damn," Reese muttered, intent on Torys story. She gave no sign of her own lingering agitation.

"They said a group of men in a truck tried to run them off the road. Someone threw a bottle at them. It struck one boy in the head. He had a nasty scalp laceration. I didnt think I should wait until morning to tell you, in case the men in the truck are still cruising around looking for trouble." She was finally calm enough to look at Reese, and she caught her breath at the undisguised fury in Reeses face.

"Where are the boys now?" Reese questioned in a voice taut with anger.

Tory shook her head apologetically. "I couldnt get them to wait, Reese. I tried. Theyre local kids, and theyre scared. They dont want their parents to know about them."

"God damn it! How am I supposed to protect these kids? They wont let me!"

Tory had a feeling that some of Reeses frustration was motivated by her increasing concern for Brianna Parker. She knew that Reese was fond of her, and that their bond was growing as a result of their nearly daily contact in the dojo. And she also had a feeling that the outwardly tough, inwardly sensitive young girl reminded Reese of herself at that age.

"Reese, I know how hard it is for you. Im sorry. Its not that they dont trust you -"

"I know you tried, Tory. You did exactly right in calling me now. Did they give you any details?" She knew better than to ask for their names. She knew Tory couldnt breach her bond of confidentiality, and she wouldnt put her in that position. But she felt so powerless!

"It was a pickup truck - dark blue or black. They didnt get the make. There were at least a couple of men inside. One boy thought the truck had Massachusetts plates. Its not much to go on."

Reese smiled thinly. "Its a start. At least I can keep an eye out for similar vehicles, drive through that area a little more often. Maybe my presence will be a deterrent." She sighed. "Its more than I knew an hour ago. I just hope this isnt related to the other incidents up the Cape."

Reese studied Torys face in the dim light of the desktop reading light. The doctor looked drawn in a way that seemed more than simply fatigue. There was stress lines etched into the fine skin around her mouth and eyes. Her hands were shaking. Reese was aware of the long clinic hours Tory had been keeping since the summer began, but she had never seen her look quite so strained.

"What were you doing here at two oclock in the morning?" Reese asked.

"I wasnt here. They called the number I leave posted on the door for emergencies."

Reese stood. "You look worn out. Let me drive you home."

"Ive got my Jeep. Im fine."

"Id feel better if youd let me drive you - please," Reese said softly. She couldnt explain it any better to herself. She simply wanted the peace of mind of knowing that Tory was safe at home.

Tory inclined her head in agreement, too exhausted emotionally and physically to argue. "Catherine can drive me to work in the morning," she conceded.

They were silent on the short ride to Torys home. Reese pulled up the drive beside the darkened house, flicking off her lights and killing the engine. She turned to face Tory where she sat framed in moonlight. Reese found her both beautiful and unusually vulnerable. Something instinctual stirred in her, a response at once protective and possessive.

"Something happened to me tonight when I thought you were in danger. I wasafraid," Reese confessed quietly. "All I could think was that I had to get to you. Nothing ever mattered so much-" She reached a hand tentatively to touch Torys hair.

Tory flinched. "Dont Reese," she choked. "Dont touch me right now."

Reese moved closer, her voice husky with concern. "Why? What is it?"

Tory tried unsuccessfully to contain a sob, her own conflicting feelings overpowering her defenses. "Because I want you so much it hurts, and I wont be able to stand it if you touch me," she said in a strangled whisper. She tried to focus out the window into the darkness, searching for the familiar, anything to keep her from coming apart.

"And you think I dont want you?" Reese rasped, her breath constricting in her chest. She was leaning so close her words ruffled Torys hair. Her stomach churned with emotions so powerful she ached.

"God, Reese, dont play games with me!" Tory cried, turning to face her at last.

Reese cupped her face gently with both hands, her eyes burning into Torys. "I have never been more serious in my life," she breathed softly as her lips found Torys.

It was a kiss like none Tory had ever experienced. Questioning at first, tentatively seeking, then bolder as Reese pulled her deep into a swirling vortex of sensation, finally ending in something as tender as a prayer. Tory didnt feel as if she had been simply kissed; she felt as if she had been worshipped. When Reese lifted her lips away, Tory cried out at the loss. Her hands were twisted in Reeses shirtfront, and Tory clung to her, gasping.

"Whered you learn to kiss like that?" Tory said unevenly when she could draw breath again.

Reese laughed shakily, pulling Tory against her chest, burying her face in her hair. "I have no idea where that came from. But I can tell you this. I want to do it again, and I dont ever want to stop."

"God, youre beautiful," Tory whispered. "And youre scaring me to death."

"Why?" Reese questioned gently, pressing her lips to Torys forehead. She wrapped her arms around her, wanting to feel all of her near. Reese groaned softly, closing her eyes.

Tory trembled. "I want you to make love to me, Reese - so much I feel as if Ill come apart if you dont. And Im terrified of wanting you so much. You dont know how you make me feel-"

"I know how you make me feel," Reese said hoarsely, her hands stroking Tory's neck, her collar bones, moving closer to the full curve of her breasts with each caress. "And I know with absolute certainty that I want you."

Tory pushed away from her, although it took every ounce of her will power to do it. She was shaking with the effort of not touching her. Her lips felt bruised, and she was swollen to the point of pain with desire. But for the sake of what little sanity she had left, she needed time. She knew instinctively that if this woman made love to her, her life would never be the same. "Reese Conlon," she whispered softly, "I do not intend to sleep with you in your patrol car."

Reese laughed unsteadily, grasping Torys hands to keep her near, but accepting her unspoken request for time. Every instinct in her body urged her to kiss her again, every cell cried out to touch her, but she would not unless welcomed. She brushed a kiss against Torys palm.

"Tell me when I can see you again," she asked frantically.

Tory tenderly brushed the dark locks back off Reese's brow, loath to let her go. "Ill see you in the dojo, just like always," she said softly as she slipped from the car. "Now go back to work."

She watched until the red taillights disappeared around the bend toward town, fearing that Reese had just left with a piece of her heart.

Chapter Fifteen

"Are you just getting up, or havent you been to bed yet?" Catherine asked as she walked out onto the rear deck. Tory was hunched over in a canvas deck chair, her feet curled up under her. Jed lay beside her, asleep. The dawn was moments old; the tentative shafts of sunlight had yet to dispel the clouds that hung over the harbor. Catherine placed a cup of coffee in her sisters hand and pulled a chair up beside her. She stretched her legs up to the rail and waited.

Tory sipped the hot brew gratefully, shifting from her cramped position. She must have been there for hours, but she couldnt recall now what she had been thinking. "What time is it?" Tory asked at length.

"A little after five."

Tory groaned. "So soon?"

"I take it youve been out here all night?"

"Not all of it. I had a call about one."

Catherine studied her in silence. The dark circles under her eyes werent just from a few hours lost sleep. She had sensed something amiss with her sister since the moment she arrived.

"Whats going on, Tor?" she asked gently.

Torys instinctive reaction was to deny any problem. She was horrified to feel her eyes brim with tears. She was just so damn tired - of sleeping alone, of waking alone, of being alone! She passed a trembling hand across her face, desperately searching for composure.

"Talk to me, Tory. Please!" Catherine implored.

"I dont know where to start," Tory managed.

"Is it work? You know you could use some help here -"

Tory shook her head. "No. I wish it were. That I know how to handle."

"Youre starting to scare me, Sis," Catherine said softly. "Youre not sick, are you?"

"No! No, Im fine." She laughed a little shakily. "Actually, Im a mess, but Im not sick. Its -oh, God- how can I explain this? Its a woman. I mean, Ive met this woman, and -and I have absolutely no idea what Im going to do!"

Catherine regarded her intently. "How long has it been, Tor? Since theres been someone?"

Tory fought back tears again. She fixed her gaze on the harbor, willing away the memories. "Four years - since K.T. left me."

"I still want to kill her!" Catherine muttered.

"God, I dont want to do this again!" Tory cried.

"How serious is it?"

"I dont know! I dont know anything! Im not even positive shes gay!"

Catherine blew out a breath. "That tall, gorgeous cop."

Tory looked at her in surprise. "How did you know?"

Her sister shrugged. "Because for a minute there she made me wish I were gay. Shes charming, and sexy as hell. And because I saw the two of you dancing. She held you like you meant something to her. She held you like she cared."

"Oh, Jesus," Tory sobbed, "now you have made me cry!"

Catherine got up to search for tissues, and returned with the entire pot of coffee. "Here," she said, handing Tory the box of Kleenex. She poured them both more coffee, letting Tory shed the tears she needed to.

"Have you slept with her?" Catherine asked when Tory regained her composure.

"No," Tory admitted softly.

"Want to?"

"I hurt, I want her so badly."

"Jesus, god, Tor - does she know?"

Tory shrugged. "Not exactly. I didnt want to admit it to myself, and then last night -" Her voice faltered as the memory of Reeses touch stirred her like a caress.

"What!? Last night what?"

"She kissed me. I mean, we kissed - "

Catherine expelled another long sigh. "That ought to be some indications shes gay, dont you think?" she queried with just a hint of laughter in her voice. Her laughter died as a haunted look flickered across her sisters face.

"Tory," she said gently, "tell me whats really happening here."

Torys hands clenched around the clay mug while she struggled for words. Haltingly she gave voice to her fears.

"I havent wanted anyone in so long. I dont mean sex." She looked away, blushing. "Although come to think of it, I havent wanted that either. Ive made a good life for myself here. Ive been happy. Now all I can think about is her. I cant look at her without wanting to touch her. Its like Im another person. I dont even recognize myself! Then, when she kissed me! Its as if I was suddenly living someone elses life! All Ive been able to think about was how she made me feel, how her breath brushed against my neck, how her hands seemed to reach inside of me. Im losing my mind!"

She stared at her sister, her expression agonized. "What if it doesnt mean anything to her, Cath? What if its all a mistake? How will I bury all these feelings again?"

Catherine slid her chair closer, removing the cup from her sisters unconscious grasp. She took Torys hands in hers.

"Tory - honey, youve been sleep walking the last four years. You think youve been happy, but its more like youve been numb. Those of us who love you know that. I dont know a thing about this woman, but for her to move you like this - there has got to be something there. I dont know if she deserves someone as wonderful as you, or even if she has the good sense to know how lucky she is that you want her. But I could kiss her myself for making you feel this way. God knows, I never want to see you hurt again, but Tory! Youre not in someone elses life. Youve just come back to your own!"

"I dont know if I want these feelings, Cath," Tory whispered. "Im afraid to trust her, afraid that Ill be wrong again. I trusted K.T. completely, and I was so wrong!"

Catherine smiled sadly. "Some things we cant chose,Tory. Sometimes our life just finds us."

Tory was silent a long time. At last she gave her sister a tremulous smile. "I sound like a lunatic, dont I?"

Catherine laughed. "You sound like a woman mad with lust! What are you going to do?"

Tory grimaced. "I wish I knew. Im almost afraid to see her again. Im afraid I might have imagined last night. And Im just as terrified that I didnt!"

Catherine chose her next words carefully. "Are you in love with her?"

"I cant think about that, Cath, I really cant."

"You might want to before you sleep with her."

"I know," Tory whispered softly.

**********

"Brianna! Wait a minute after class, will you," Reese asked when she and the teenager finished their training.

Brianna looked uneasy, but nodded her assent. She followed Reese through the breeze way to the house.

"Sit down," Reese said, gesturing to the stool by the counter. She poured them both orange juice and took a seat next to her student.

"Bri," she began, "has anyone been hassling you, or any of your friends?"

"What do you mean?" Bri mumbled, uncertain of the conversation, still uncertain of any adult. And as fair as Reese had been, she still worked with her father!

"Is anybody giving you a hard time about being gay?"

Bri snorted in disgust. "Shouldnt you be asking who hasnt hassled us?"

"How? What are they doing?"

She wasnt yet ready to believe that Reese was really on her side, as much as she wanted her to be. She tried so hard to be strong, especially when Caroline was with her. She had to be able to stand up for them, didnt she? Deep inside she feared that if Caroline saw her uncertainty, and her vulnerability, she would leave her. Bri looked at Reese directly for the first time. Reese just looked back at her with eyes filled with concern. Bri took a deep breath, and took a chance. Sometimes it was just too hard to be alone.

"Most of the kids at school who know about us just avoid us. All of a sudden we dont get invited any where any more. Some of them make noises when we walk by, or call us names under their breath. Nothing you can really call them on. They just make it real clear that we dont belong. Theres not that many of us - at least not that I know about. Some of the guys are pretty obvious. You know, kind of faggoty. A couple of them have been beat up."

"Who beat them up?" Reese asked, her voice like flint.

Bri shrugged. "Some of the jocks. They were mostly showing off, I think."

"Has anyone bothered you?"

Bri looked away, shaking her head noncommittally.

"Bri?" Reese persisted gently.

"Not exactly. Theres a guy who had the hots for my girlfriend. He tried to push me around once."

Reese forced down the surge of anger. "What happened?"

"I kicked him in the balls."

Reese would have smiled if the situation werent so serious, and so intolerable.

"And that was that?"

Bri shrugged again, her expression nonchalant. "So far."

"Have you heard of anyone being followed, or threatened by a bunch of guys in a truck?"

"No." Bri stared at her suspiciously. "Whats going on?"

"Im not sure anything is going on," Reese admitted. "Two boys were bothered last night by some men in a drive by thing. Im not sure it was because the kids were gay. But it worries me. Ask around among your friends. If theres gay bashing going on, I want to know."

"Why?" Bri asked bitterly.

"Because I wont have it in my town," Reese said darkly.

"Yeah, wells, youre the only one then."

"I dont think so, Bri. There are plenty of people who wouldnt tolerate it, your father included."

"Hes said the only reason the gays and lesbians are welcome here is because its so good for business!" Brianna exclaimed.

"Maybe he did say that, Bri, but that doesnt mean he feels that way himself!"

Reese could tell the young woman remained unconvinced, but she needed to get her message across. "Bri, I want you and your friends to be careful. And I need you all to help me out. If you see or hear of anything happening, please tell me. And youve all got to stay out of the dunes at night."

Briannas face set in defiance. "Right."

"Bri -"

The teenager stood suddenly, her dark eyes flashing. "You dont get it, do you? You act like you do, but you dont. I want to be able to kiss my girlfriend, okay? Thats what its about -out there in the dunes - its about making love with the person you love. Do you think my father would understand that? What I want to do with my girlfriend ? Do you understand?" She turned away, a cry escaping. "If I cant make a place for us, I dont deserve to have her!"

Reese laid her hand on the young womans shoulder, meaning only to offer some comfort. She was shocked when Brianna turned to her, burying her face against Reeses chest. Bri was sobbing like a child, but Reese knew she wasnt. She didnt need to have experienced it herself to believe that Bri and Caroline were in love. And she had an idea what that meant for a girl like Bri. Bri would need to feel that she deserved Carolines devotion, and she would need to feel that she could protect her. Reese hesitated for only a second, then she gently folded the trembling youth in her arms.

"I do understand, Bri," she whispered, rocking her softly. "I understand exactly how you feel." She had only to think of Tory to know how true her words were. Would she do anything differently were she in Bris place? "Just give me a chance to keep you safe - please. Just give me a little time."

Bri drew a shaky breath, then stepped away self-consciously. "Ill talk to my friends. Tell them what you said. Okay?"

Reese nodded, "Its a start. I appreciate it, Bri. Thanks."

Bri studied her shyly. "I guess you wont tell me if youre gay, huh? Some kind of teacher thing."

Reese recalled Marge asking her the same thing, and her inability to give an honest answer. She thought she had a clearer answer now.

"Think of it as a cop thing," she responded lightly. "But you can believe me when I tell you I know what youre feeling about Caroline, okay?"

Bri grinned. "I guess thats answer enough."

Reese grinned back. "Get out of here. Ive got to go to work."

Bri glanced at the clock as she headed for the door. "I guess Torys not coming today, huh?"

Reese knew without looking that it was well past the time for Tory to have arrived. She had known for some time now, she just didnt know what it meant.

Chapter Sixteen

Tory came fully awake at the first ring of her bedside phone.

"Tory King," she said tersely, her pulse racing. No matter how many hundreds of times she had received these middle of the night calls, she never became immune to the sudden surge of adrenalin, wondering what challenge awaited her.

"Tory, its Nelson Parker. Ive got a situation out here at Race Point, and I need you."

She was already strapping the velcro binders on her leg brace, the phone tucked between her shoulder and her ear.

"What is it?" she asked, reaching for the pair of sweats she had dropped near the bed earlier.

"Cant say on this line," he replied in a voice taut with strain. "Just get here fast."

The line went dead as Tory tossed the receiver down.

In the middle of the night it took her less than five minutes to reach a barricade of cars crowding the parking lot below the rangers station at Race Point. It took her a few minutes longer to convince an unfamiliar officer that she belonged there. Officers, many of them from neighboring townships, were milling about, walkie talkies blaring. There was also an impressive array of weapons on display. The air crackled with tension. Someone finally directed her toward a clump of people crouched behind a large dune at the crest of a hill. The roar of the Atlantic just beyond was unmuted by the noises of the crowd.

She found Nelson peering down toward the beach below with night binoculars.

"Nelson!" she called, shouldering her way toward him. "Whats going on?"

He turned to her, handing the glasses to the man next to him. His face was grim.

"A Coast Guard cutter tried to board a craft running without lights a mile off shore. They were fired upon, and ended up in pursuit. They radiod us for back-up on the beach. Before we knew what was happening, the suspect ship ran aground and began firing on my people. Ive got an officer down out there on the beach."

Tory fought to draw a breath against the crushing fear that gripped her.

"Is it Reese?" she asked in a voice that sounded foreign to her own ears. The shouts, the crowds, the occasional crack of what must be gunfire receded from her consciousness. All of her awareness fixed on his face, awaiting the words that would change her life.

"Its Smith," he answered tightly. "Conlons right over there."

She looked where he pointed, almost afraid to believe him. When she recognized Reeses unmistakable form, the rush of relief was so intense her legs threatened to desert her. Thank you God, she thought as she struggled for calm. Reese turned abruptly from the men she had been talking with, crossing the sand toward them with powerful strides.

"Nelson," Reese snapped, her face rigid with anger, "youre going to have to back me on this. You have jurisdiction here, not the Coast Guard. Were wasting time Smith may not have." As she spoke she pulled her jacket off and began unbuckling her gunbelt.

Tory looked from one to the other in confusion. Nelsons face was set as he watched Reese, clearly unhappy. As if she sensed his uncertainty, Reese locked eyes with him.

In a surprisingly gentle voice, she said, "You know its the right thing to do. Even by helicopter, the SWAT team is twenty minutes away. I am a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Marine Corp. This is what Im trained for. Theres no one here more fit for this action than me."

He stared at her, then nodded his assent. "At least get a vest," he rasped.

"Right," she said as she stripped off her uniform shirt. The tee shirt she was wearing underneath was stretched taut across her chest as she restrapped her revolver into a shoulder holster.

"What the hell is going on?" Tory demanded. She was staring at Reese with the sinking feeling that she wasnt going to like the answer. Nelson looked at her as if he had forgotten he had requested her.

"We need to get Smith off the beach," Reese answered in his stead.

"And youre going to go?" Tory asked, deathly cold gripping her.

"Yes."

Tory looked into the face of a stranger. What she saw there was something ferocious, something dangerous - an invincible conviction she knew men would follow into battle. Everything about Reese, from the set of her shoulders to the piercing focus in her eyes, radiated a sense of certainty and purpose. Torys words of protest died on her lips. As much as her mind recoiled from the fear of seeing Reese lying bloodied on that beach, she could not deny the rightness of her going.

"Do not die out there, Conlon," she whispered fiercely to her, stepping close enough that she could have touched her. She didnt; she was too afraid she might not let go. "Dont you dare let that happen."

Reeses face softened for the briefest moment. "I wont." Looking at Nelson then, her eyes were like ice, her tone unrelenting. "Give me five minutes to circle around behind that line of scrubbrush, then have the Coast Guard lay down a steady barrage of fire on that boat - and dont quit til I have him under cover of the dunes."

As Nelson brought the radio to his lips, Reese melted into the night. Tory watched her shape fade into shadow while a part of her prepared for the pain she feared was coming. The simple fact that life as she knew it hung in the balance was as clear to her as any truth she had ever known.

"Give me those glasses, Nelson," she demanded.

Wordlessly he handed them to her, motioning to a man next to him to relinquish his. Together they cautiously crept to the top of the last dune and looked down into a nightmare. A large vessel wallowed in the wake just off shore, illuminated by the lights of half a dozen Coast Guard ships ringing the grounded craft. A body lay in the sand twenty yards from the board stairs that led up from the beach. With the night glasses Tory could make out Smiths features, but she couldnt tell if he was alive. She could also see the officers crouched in the scant shelter of the stairs. Suddenly the night was ablaze with flashes of light as gunfire erupted across the water. Tory flinched involuntarily, but her eyes never stopped scanning the eerie tableau below. From out of the darkness a shadow raced along the sand, crouched low but clearly vulnerable in the merciless light of the moon. Reese dove and rolled, coming to rest beside the body in the sand. In the next instant she was up, Smith balanced across her shoulders as she sprinted toward the protection of the dunes. Tory saw the flickers of fire from the guns on the outlaw ship, she saw Reese falling, she heard Nelsons groan beside her.

A scream of protest at the unthinkable exploded from her. Something deep inside of her was shattering, bleeding her soul into the darkness. She hadnt realized she had started to rise until a firm hand pulled her down. "Let me go!" she raged, blindly clawing at his arm. "Goddamn it, let me go!"

"Tory!" Nelson shouted, shaking her hard. "Tory! Shes up!"

Tory stared back down the slope, unbelieving. Reese crawled toward the cover of the scrubs, dragging Smith with an arm around his waist. Suddenly shapes emerged from the night, surrounding them, shepherding them to safety.

Tory sank to her knees, sobbing softly. The hand on her shoulder shook her again, softly this time. "We need you now, Doctor King."

"Yes," Tory gasped, struggling to stand. "Yes." Squaring her shoulders, she pointed to the emergency vehicles pulled up beside the patrol cars. "Have them brought to me there. Ill need their equipment."

Smith was the first to arrive, carried on a stretcher by three men and a woman, all in body armor, bristling with weapons Tory scarcely recognized.

"Put him down gently," she cautioned. Looking past them for the other stretcher, she saw no one. "Wheres Conlon?" she asked, her throat painfully tight, her stomach clenching.

"Debriefing the Chief," one of the men grunted.

"Get her over here - no excuses," Tory ordered as she knelt by Smiths side. She didnt look up again until she had two IVs inserted in the large veins just under his collar bones, blood running through both of them, and a compression bandage on the sucking wound in his chest.

"Somebody hand me a number thirty chest tube, on the double," she called. An EMT opened a sterile cut down tray so that Tory could make a one inch incision between Smith's ribs, passing the firm plastic tube into the space around his deflated lung. "Hook this up to a suction pump now," she instructed the woman assisting her. She continued to monitor his pulse and blood pressure as the blood was evacuated through the chest tube. Finally she was satisfied that he was as stable as she could get him.

"Okay, lets transport. Advise them that they have a GSW to the chest, hemopneumothorax, probable lung injury. Hell need an open thoracotomy ASAP!"

"Right, Doc," the male EMT replied. "Were rolling. You want us to send a second squad back for the other one?"

"Whats her condition?"

"Looks like just a flesh wound. She was walking and talking."

"Have her transported to my clinic. Ill handle her there."

"Im not sure shell leave," he called as he climbed into his vehicle. "It was a struggle just to get a look at her."

"Get going," Tory shouted, fire in her eyes. "Ill deal with her."

She found them hunkered down behind the dune where she had left Nelson what seemed like another lifetime ago. They were sketching out some kind of map in the sand. The left side of Reeses shirt was stained dark with blood. Her face was beaded with sweat.

Tory forced herself between them, taking them both by surprise. "Youre done here, Reese. You need medical attention, and you need it now."

As Reese started to protest Tory calmly turned her back.

"Nelson, Ill have your job for reckless endangerment if you dont order her to come with me," she informed her good friend.

Nelsons eyes widened in shock, then he nodded. "Of course, youre right. Conlon- get your butt out of here."

"Yes, sir," she conceded. She turned to accompany Tory, wincing involuntarily as she became aware of the pain in her side for the first time. She found she couldnt straighten up, and her legs were a little rubbery. Tory steadied her with an arm around her waist, carefully avoiding the wounded area.

"Thanks," Reese managed.

"Dont thank me," Tory informed her remotely. She steeled herself against the awareness of Reeses pain. For now she was only a doctor, and Reese just a patient in need.

**********

"Can you get up on the examining table?" Tory asked as she led Reese slowly into the procedure room.

"Yes."

"Get your shirt off then. I need to get the instruments out of the sterilizer."

When she returned Reese was trying hard to sit up straight, but she was obviously in pain. An eight inch gash just below her ribs leaked a steady ribbon of blood down her left side. Tory had never seen her without clothes before, and she noted with clinical detachment the prominent pectoral muscles and etched abdominals of a superbly developed body. Despite her tone and muscle mass, Reese's breasts retained a soft fullness. She embodied the image of a female warrior. Unfortunately, at the moment, she was a wounded warrior.

"Lie down, Reese," Tory murmured as she set up the instrument tray and pulled on sterile gloves. At a glance she could tell the bullet track was tangential to the abdominal cavity, and she automatically relaxed. Although the wound was deep, Reese was not in any serious danger as long as the wound was treated properly and she didnt get infected.

"How did the bullet get through that vest?" Tory questioned as she began to inject the area around the wound with lidocaine.

"I wasnt wearing it," Reese replied, breathing deeply as the burning pain began to subside.

"You took it off?" Tory asked, trying to keep the anger from her voice.

"It was slowing me down."

"And the bullet didnt?" Tory responded acerbically.

"It was a judgement call," Reese answered calmly.

"I see," Tory said, not wanting to admit to herself just how frightened she was by Reeses willingness to risk her life. She irrigated the wound with Betadiene and saline, cleansing it of clots and debris from Reeses shirt. The tissues had been separated down into the muscles of her flank, but thankfully there was no deeper penetration. She began to approximate the subcutaneous layers and fascia with absorbable sutures. She concentrated on her work to keep the terrible knowledge of how close Reese had come to death from her mind. If she let that realization sink in, it would incapacitate her.

"Are you angry?" Reese asked quietly into the expressionless green eyes that stared down at her.

"I cant talk about that now, Reese. Just let me do this."

"Tory-" Reese began, disturbed by Torys distant manner. The last time they were together she had held Tory breathless in her arms. Now Tory wouldnt even meet her eyes. Reese was afraid for the first time that evening.

Silently, ignoring the urgency in Reeses voice, Tory started on the skin sutures, placing them far enough apart so that the inevitable swelling would not tear them through.

"Please tell me why youre angry," Reese asked again.

Tory gently taped a compression bandage in place and stripped off her gloves. She threw them at the wastebasket, not caring that she missed. She spun back toward Reese so quickly that Reese jumped. Leaning down, Tory grasped Reeses shoulders, just managing not to shake her. Her eyes burned into Reeses, inches away.

"I am angry because you nearly got yourself killed, and willingly at that! Im angry because it doesnt seem to occur to you that that would have ruined my life. Im angry, Reese, because -because-" Her fury evaporated as she saw the confusion in Reeses face. She was so damn beautiful! "Oh, hell," Tory muttered, doing what she had been wanting to do forever. She kissed her, hard, not caring what it meant, because she had to. Because she wanted to more than anything else in the world.

Reese stiffened in shock, then she was lost. She yielded to the pressure against her mouth, closing her eyes, surrendering to the waves of heat that coursed through her. She felt no pain, except an ache that tore at her more than any bullet ever could. She tried to pull Tory closer, knowing that only her touch could satisfy the longing.

"Ah, Jesus -" she gasped as Tory wrenched away. "Tory, please dont stop. I need you to- "

Tory pressed trembling fingers to Reeses lips, drawing a tremulous breath. "This is insane! God, I want you so much!" She took a step back, groping for Reeses shirt. "Put this on before I totally lose my mind!"

Reese groaned in frustration. "This is killing me! Id rather be shot!"

Tory laughed grimly. "Dont tempt me, Conlon! I swear to God Im not responsible for my actions! Now get dressed. Were going to my place. You need to rest."

Reese slowly rose to a sitting position, fixing Tory with an icy glare. "What I need, Doctor King, is for you not to run from me every time we kiss!"

Tory slumped against the wall, struggling for words as she watched Reese fumble into her bloody shirt. "I dont want to. Its just - Ive never felt quite like this! And now is certainly not the time for sex! You may not think anything of it, but youve just been shot!"

Reese grinned despite herself. "Actually I think quite a lot about it. It hurts like hell. But just now, when you kissed me, all I felt was you." She tried standing, then crossed the distance between them, resting her hands lightly on Torys waist. "Ive missed you. You havent been to the dojo all week. I wanted to call, but I didnt know if you wanted me to. When you touch me - I- it rips holes in my soul."

Tory couldnt look at her any longer. There was too much wanting in Reese's face. She sidestepped out of her grasp, catching her hand as she did. "Come on. Let me get you out of here. Youre going to crash any minute."

Reese relented, allowing Tory to lead her to the Jeep. As they drove through the night exhaustion finally claimed her. She was asleep by the time Tory pulled into her drive.

**********

"Is she asleep?"

"Closer to unconscious," Tory sighed as she leaned against the deck rail. "Let me have one of your cigarettes."

Catherine raised an eyebrow but handed the pack to her sister while they both waited for another imminent sunrise.

"Is she going to be alright?"

"Yes," Tory murmured as she blew out a soft stream of smoke.

"Are you?"

Tory laughed shakily. "I dont think so."

She took another deep drag on her cigarette, enjoying the acrid bite of the harsh fumes. It suited her disquieting unrest. "I dont know what Im going to do about her."

"You know, Tor, theres something really spooky about her."

Tory looked at her sister in surprise. "What do you mean?"

Catherine stared out over the harbor, her voice pensive. "I had the strangest experience just now - when I was helping you put her to bed. I have never seen anyone quite so beautiful. I mean, it was like looking at a painting of some ancient goddess-warrior queen or something. I was standing there, staring at this naked woman like an idiot, when she opens her eyes and looks right at me. Thank you" was all she said, and I thought my heart would break. She seemed so innocent. She reminded me of my children. Not their helplessness, but their untarnished goodness. But that cant be, can it? There arent any adults like that! Tell me, Tor, what do you see?"

Tory smiled softly as she reflected on the woman asleep upstairs in her bed. "She is the most infuriatingly noble person I have ever met. She believes in doing the right thing," her voice caught and she brushed impatiently at the tears clinging to her lashes, "even if it kills her."

She stubbed the cigarette out carefully, continuing in a quiet tone, "And that is as near to innocence as you can get."

"It would be hell to be in love with her," Catherine ventured.

"Yes."

"Its hard not to fall in love with her," Catherine laughed.

"Impossible."

"This place cant always be so dangerous, can it? I mean, whats the chance shell ever get shot again?"

Tory shuddered at the thought. "Cath, she is going to ride out on her white charger every day of her life, and if it isnt her body in danger, it will be her heart. She has layers of armor, but one kid in trouble tears her apart."

"Anybody with half a brain would stay away from her," Catherine concluded.

"Yes."

"You know what the real problem is with people like her? The heroes - well, heroines, I guess."

"What?" Tory asked.

"Theyre so single-minded. Everything is either black or white. Like with love - it has to be this grand passion, you know? Nothing halfway. Mate for life, die in the name of it..."

"Dont, Cath," Tory warned.

"Why not, big sister? Are you scared that you might love her?"

"Yes," Tory shouted, the terror and strain of the last six hours finally erupting. "Yes Im scared! Because Ive known her three months, and Ive kissed her exactly twice, and shes claimed some essential place in me. I cannot imagine what life would be like without her. The last four years - even the time with K.T.- seem like pale imitations compared to what she stirs in me! Now tell me I havent lost my mind!!"

Catherine slipped an arm around Torys shoulders, hugging her in the chill morning air. "You have lost your mind. Thats what happens when you fall in love."

"Ive been in love - I loved K.T. with all my heart. But this! This is too much. She is too goddamned much! This isnt my heart were talking about, this is my soul! I could lose myself here, Cath. When I saw her go down tonight, I thought she was dead. I felt something inside of me begin to die, too. That terrifies me, Cath. I cant let this happen."

"Yes, I know," Catherine rejoined softly. "But whats your alternative?"

"I dont know."

As a brilliant sun broke through the cloud cover, the two sisters stood in silence, wearily awaiting the new day.

Chapter Seventeen

Reese lay with her eyes closed, listening to Tory breathe. She took cautious stock of her body. Her side throbbed, but when she carefully stretched, it didnt feel any worse. She continued to ease her long limbs out until she turned onto her side. She opened her eyes, and studied the woman beside her. Tory was wearing a light tee shirt and loose green scrub pants. The tanned flesh of her smooth abdomen was exposed where the shirt had rolled up. One hand rested on her thigh, the other on the bed between them. Her breasts stretched the front of the thin cotton, rising gently with each breath. Her wavy hair was spread out over the pillow, a few wisps clinging to her cheek. Reese caught the loose strands with one finger, lightly brushing Torys cheek as she did. Tory smiled slightly in her sleep. Reese couldnt remember ever being this close to another human being. She laid her hand against the bare skin of Torys abdomen, rewarded by a flicker of muscle and a soft sigh from the sleeping woman. Warmth spread up her arm, and she tightened deep within. Leaning on her uninjured side, she watched Torys face in wonder as she gently stroked the curve of her rib. Torys lips parted as Reese reached the swell of her breast, and when Reeses hand closed around the sensitive mound, Tory gasped. Her delicate lids fluttered, then opened as insistent fingers caught her nipple in a teasing caress.

"Oh!" Tory moaned, searching the face so near hers. Hazy blue eyes swallowed her whole. "Reese," she murmured brokenly as the hand slid to her other breast. Her back arched in response to this new sensation. "Oh god, wait -"

"No," Reese stated, her breath quickening with Torys, "I wont." She lowered her lips to the taut nipple her exploring hand exposed, catching it lightly in her teeth. Torys hands came into Reese's hair, holding her there, as the breath fled from Torys chest.

Reeses fingers stroked the quivering flesh of Torys abdomen as her mouth moved from one breast to the other. Blood rushed in her head, and the inner tension coiled tighter with each groan from Torys throat.

"Oh please, Reese - stop," Tory moaned, knowing she could no more push her away than she could stop breathing. Her control was shattered, and her need so powerful! Her legs twisted against the sheets, wetness soaking through the light cotton of her scrub pants.

"Never," Reese rasped, raising her head, capturing Torys emerald gaze with her own. "Not this time. Not ever."

Tory stared back into eyes full of fire and promise, unable to look away as her body became not hers, but something Reese commanded with the slightest of caresses. Her vision grew cloudy as a long-fingered hand stole beneath the ties of her pants. She whimpered, aching, when fingers brushed over the fine hair at the base of her belly. For a second she couldnt breathe at all. She clenched her jaws to keep from crying out. Her hips rose of their own accord, seeking that elusive stroke.

Gasping, she turned her face away. "Reese, if you touch me Ill explode-" oh god, you're going to make me come

"Look at me, Tory," Reese demanded softly, her fingers caressing the velvet inner thighs, allowing her fingertips to stray into the heat. She parted the soft folds, teasing the delicate moist lips surrounding the distended clit.

"Oh, god," Tory sobbed, surrendering to those eyes. Her pelvis lifted, the muscles in her thighs tightening. When finally Reese stroked the length of her clitoris, pressing the stiff shaft, she came instantly. She could no more stop the scream than she could halt the eruption that rocketed through her. Her last conscious sensation was of Reeses mouth claiming hers as her body convulsed.

**********

An insistent tapping at the door roused her. Tory reached for a sheet to cover Reeses nakedness. She was still in her clothes, although the scrub pants pushed down on her hips reminded her guiltily of her earlier abandon. Reese slept soundly beside her, one arm encircling her waist possessively. Tory quickly scanned the gauze taped to Reeses side, noting with relief that there was no sign of fresh bleeding

"Tory?" Catherine called softly.

"Come in, Cath," Tory answered, straightening her clothes hastily.

If Catherine was surprised by the sight of her sister holding the woman she had only hours before claimed was "too much" for her, she didnt show it. She simply crossed the room to stand by the bed, whispering urgently, "Theres a horde of people downstairs threatening to come up here if they dont get a progress report on your, uh, patient'." She couldnt hide her grin. "This might strike them as unorthodox treatment."

"It strikes me that way, too," Tory said with real concern.

"Well, ease your conscience, Doctor," Reese said, opening her eyes. "It wasnt your idea." She flashed Catherine a smile, who grinned back. "Who are they?"

"Your boss, two kids who look like punk rockers, and your family."

"My family?" Reese repeated uncertainly.

"Your mother and her lover."

Reese started to rise. "I better get down there."

"Not so fast," Tory ordered, swinging out from under the sheets. "I need to check you over first." She tossed her sister a stern look. "Tell them Ill be with them in a minute."

Reese started to protest, then thought better of it when she saw the look on Torys face. She lay back quietly with a sigh. Catherine decided her sister was not in the mood for levity and made a hasty retreat.

"This looks fine," Tory said as she inspected the wound. "How do you feel?"

"Like a million bucks," Reese responded, unable to contain a grin. Tory glared at her. "Okay, it stings like hell, but I dont feel too bad." She grasped Torys hand, suddenly serious, "Tory-"

Tory extracted her hand to reach for new bandages, determinedly avoiding eye contact. "You ambushed me this morning, Conlon." She bent her head to work on the dressings.

Reese slipped a hand into Torys hair, stroking it back from her face, running her palm along the edge of her jaw. "I didnt mean to," Reese whispered, tracing one finger down the side of Torys neck. "You are so beautiful. I had to touch you, and then nothing could have stopped me."

"Youre doing it again," Tory choked, finally looking at Reese. Her eyes were hazy, almost wounded with desire.

"Cant help myself," Reese murmured, her hand behind Torys neck, pulling her near for a kiss.

Tory placed both arms straight against the bed on either side of Reese, stopping her forward descent. "Neither can I, it seems," she groaned, "but one of us has to. Please stop."

"I cant look at you without wanting you," Reese confessed, not loosening her hold. Every fiber of her body was taut with nearly unbearable tension.

Tory laughed shakily, "God, Im glad. But if you dont take your hands off me this minute I will not be responsible for my actions, and youre in no condition for what I want to do to you. Besides that, were likely to have an audience if were not downstairs soon."

"Tory," Reese implored, her breath constricting in her chest, "just kiss meplease."

Tory couldnt have resisted the plea in her eyes if twenty men trooped into the room. She took Reese's mouth with bruising authority, shocked by her own possessiveness. Reese opened to her, her whole body pressing urgently upward. When Torys hand claimed her breast, fingers squeezing hard on the erect nipple, Reese groaned, shuddering convulsively. Unbelievingly, Tory felt a rolling tide of tremors rage through the woman in her arms. She raised her head, stunned, as Reese clung to her, shaking.

"Ah, god-" Reese gasped, collapsing against the pillows. "One kiss and Im wasted."

"Did what I think just happened really happen?" Tory asked in wonder.

Reese smiled shyly. "It seems to be happening every time we touch."

Torys mouth was dry, her head pounding. "Every time?"

"This morning, with you- "

"Oh my god," Tory said, shocked. "Youre incredible - in fact, youre dangerous. You are definitely not safe on the streets of Provincetown." She brushed her fingertips over Reeses face in awe, amazed by the feelings just looking at her inspired. "Im getting up, because if I dont Im going to make love to you for the rest of the day."

"Dont think Im going to let you forget that!" Reese warned.

**********

Conversation stopped, every eye in the room on Reese when she walked out onto the deck. She was wearing a pair of Torys jeans and a frayed cotton shirt, both of which were a little snug. Tory hoped no one was looking her way, because she was afraid what she was feeling might show on her face. Reese had to be the most captivating woman she had ever seen, and the most desirable. The urge to touch her was physically painful. To her great consternation, when Reese smiled at her, she blushed.

"Are you all right, darling?" Kate asked anxiously.

"I am, Mother. Just fine."

Kate looked to Tory, uncertain whether to believe her daughter. She was in time to catch the look that passed between the two of them. She was first surprised, then immensely pleased. She relaxed perceptibly, as she added, "Jean and I just had to be sure."

"Doctor King is taking very good care of me."

Tory blushed a deeper crimson as Reese grinned rakishly at her. Im going to kill her for this! Tory thought.

Mercifully, Nelson spoke, dispelling the silence and drawing Reeses eyes from her. "The doctors say Smith is going to be okay, too. Thanks to the both of you. You sure youre okay?"

"Yes, sir. Im fine."

"Theres been a lot of calls from reporters. This is big news. Theyre camping out over at your place. Id stay clear of there for a few days."

"She can stay here," Tory responded.

"Good," Nelson rejoined. "So Ill see you in five or six days."

"Excuse me?" Reese asked in confusion.

"The Doc said youd be okay for desk duty next week."

"Desk duty?" She turned to Tory in astonishment. "Desk duty!!"

"What I actually said was that you might be ready for desk duty next week," Tory replied stonily. Her expression suggested any further discussion from either of them would be extremely unwise.

"Right," Reese conceded, deciding to fight this particular battle another day. Nelson seemed satisfied that his irreplaceable second in command was in good hands. "You coming, Bri?" he asked as he turned to leave.

"I want to talk to Reese. Ive got my motorbike."

"Well, be careful with that damn thing if youre carrying a passenger," he admonished with a nod toward Caroline.

Bri gave her father a look which suggested he had just insulted her. The stiffening of her shoulders and the tilt of her chin reminded Tory of Reese. Oh Lord, not another bull-headed baby butch!

"Im always careful, especially when Im carrying Caroline," Bri replied as if her father should know better than to suggest otherwise.

It was his turn to look confused. He was rescued by Torys suggestion that they all go inside and have some lunch. Nelson declined, but Reeses mother and Jean offered to lend a hand. They followed Tory inside.

"Ill be right there," Reese said. Turning to the two young women she asked, "Whats up?"

The instant her father started down the path to his car, Bri clasped Carolines hand. Her eyes were smoldering with anger. "Someones been bothering Caroline," she seethed.

Reese nodded seriously. "Sit down. Start at the beginning."

"At first I didnt pay much attention," Caroline informed her. "There were some notes pushed into my locker - the usual stupid stuff."

"What did they say?" Reese asked.

Caroline glanced at Bri, uncomfortable. Reese waited. With a sigh, Caroline recounted, "They just called me names. You know, like dyke and queer. Then last week" She hesitated again, and Bri stared at her suspiciously.

"What? Is there something you didnt tell me?" Bri asked.

Caroline nodded, looking miserable. "Someone wrote if I knew what was good for me Id get rid of Brianna and find a man. Otherwise theyd show me what I was missing. And now I think someone is following me."

"Motherfuckers," Bri swore, dropping Carolines hand as she stormed across the deck. She grasped the railing with all her strength to hide the trembling. Caroline started to follow, close to tears. Reese motioned for her to wait.

"Your anger is just," Reese said when she joined Bri at the rail. "But if you let it, it will make you weak. If you don't control it, it will strike anyone in its path. You will hurt those who love you."

"I want to kill them!" Bri choked, struggling for air.

"I know," Reese said.

"When I think about someone hurting her," Bri said, "I cant stand it! I think Ill go crazy!"

"Yes," Reese agreed. "But you cant. You cannot afford to be defeated by words, or threats, or your own undisciplined emotions. You are being tested, Brianna. Its not fair, and its not just, but that is beside the point. Im going to need your help, but more importantly, Caroline needs you."

Bri glanced over at her girlfriend, who was watching them anxiously. Just the sight of her made her heart catch, the joy almost like pain. She wanted so much to deserve Caroline's love. Bri straightened her shoulders, drew a deep breath, and crossed the deck to her.

"Im sorry," Bri whispered, as she sat beside Caroline, slipping an arm about her waist. Caroline kissed her neck, murmuring reassurances against her skin.

"Okay, lets have the rest of it," Reese directed.

As Caroline was finishing her story, Tory reappeared from the house. She looked at the two young women, both of whom were looking scared. At first glance they looked tough enough in their leather pants, silver arm bracelets, ear cuffs, and punk hair cuts. She thought that Bri had a tattoo on her upper arm that hadnt been there before as well. But she could tell from the way Caroline pressed against Bris side and the cold set to Reeses features that something was wrong.

"Whats going on?" Tory asked.

Reese said a few more words that Tory couldnt hear as Bri and Caroline rose to leave. Tory waited until they were out of ear shot before she asked again, "Trouble?"

Reese nodded as she joined Tory. "I think so. Ill tell you when were alone."

Tory noted Reeses uncharacteristically slow approach. "Youre in pain, arent you?"

"Some," Reese admitted reluctantly. "Is my mother still here?"

"Theyre in the kitchen. I really think she just wanted to see that you were all right, but come have something to eat. Then youre going back to bed."

Reese followed her, wondering how she was going to tell her that she needed to go to work. Just as they entered the dining area, Catherine turned to them with the phone in her outstretched hand.

"Somebody wants to talk to Colonel Conlon --- wont take no for an answer," she announced with an edge to her voice.

Reese took the phone. "This is Colonel Conlon." She straightened unconsciously as she listened, her face unreadable. "Yes, sir - thats correct sir. ... In my opinion it was the best course of action, yes sir.... Hes going to live, sir. ... Im fine, sir, just a scratch."

She looked over at her mother, who was watching her intently. "Shes here, yes sir. ... No sir, Im staying at the doctors.... Victoria King, yes sir."

Her fingers tightened on the phone, her blue eyes darkening. "Are you sure you want me to answer that, General? It seems to me its specifically against regulations to ask questions of that nature." Her eyes met Torys, and held them fiercely. "I wont deny it. I wont deny her , sir."

After a moment, she slowly replaced the receiver. Every face looked at her questionly. She spoke into the silent room.

"That was my father. Apparently he has very good intelligence sources." She looked at her mother sympathetically. "I appreciate what you must have gone through. He just threatened to have me court-martialled if I admitted to a relationship with Victoria."

"Can he do that?" Catherine exclaimed, clearly shocked.

Reese shrugged. "If he wants a very messy, very public trial. Im an attorney, and he knows me well enough to know I would never give up my commission without a fight. I think he was just testing."

Despite her calm tone, Tory could see the conversation had taken a toll. Reese was pale and her forehead was dotted with perspiration. There was a fine tremor visible in her hands. Tory went to her, taking Reese's hand. "You need to be in bed. I never should have let you up as it is. Come upstairs."

"Im afraid Tory is going to have her work cut out for her," Kate observed as she watched her daughter reluctantly follow Tory upstairs. "Reese has very few of her fathers bad qualities, but she does get her stubbornness from him." She pointedly ignored the snort of disbelief from her lover.

"My sister can handle her, Im sure," Catherine stated as she accompanied Reeses mother and her lover out to their car. "Im glad Im going to be here to see it. My kids will be with their grandparents until school starts, and my husband is on retreat at Kripalu."

"It should help that Reese appears to be in love with her. Is Tory aware of that?" Kate asked.

Catherine hesitated, not sure just how to discuss this with Reeses mother.

"Oh, I dont want you to betray any confidences," Kate assured her. "I couldnt be happier."

"I think cautious would be the word to describe my sister at the moment," Catherine responded, hoping fervently that Kate was right about Reeses feelings. Because it was painfully clear that Tory was hopelessly in love with the handsome, hardheaded cop, regardless of how she tried to deny it.

"I have no doubt that given time Reese will prove herself to her."

"Will her father really make trouble for Reese?" Catherine asked in concern.

"I doubt it, not after Reese made it clear she would fight it. Roger was always too ready to use his power for personal gain, unlike Reese, who is inherently valiant. She does what she does because she believes service is the highest form of honor. He would not want his own reputation tarnished. He could pass off a lesbian wife as some acquired perversion on my part, but a daughter?" She laughed, "How fate has conspired against the man!"

"Obviously, Reese got her good parts from you."

For a moment Kate looked pained. "I wish I could take the credit, but I believe Reese has simply taken what was once commendable about the military to heart. She is proud to be a soldier." She looked away for a moment, then smiled faintly. "And Im proud she is, too."

"Call me if you need us for anything," Kate called as she pulled away.

Catherine hoped that they had had all the excitement they were going to see for one summer, but a nagging voice told her that August was going to be a long month.

Chapter Eighteen

"Are they all gone?" Tory asked cautiously as she ventured out onto the deck. She found Catherine stirring a pitcher of margaritas and nearly wept at the sight. "God, am I ready for one of those!"

"We are alone at last," Cath informed her, handing her a drink. "And how is the famous patient?"

Tory blushed. "Out like a light. I cant get her to take any narcotics, and I think the pain is wearing her out." She sank into the canvas deck chair with a sigh. "Im wondering if I shouldnt send her to Boston for follow-up."

Catherine looked at her in surprise. "I thought you said she was going to be fine?"

"She is - but Im sleeping with her for Gods sake!"

"I was meaning to ask you about that," Catherine said teasingly. "Just how did that come about? I got the sense this morning - or was it last night - that you werent quite ready for that."

"Who says Im ready? It just happened. Well, actually she seduced me. Oh, hell. Ive been wanting her for weeks."

"Is she as good as she looks like shed be?"

"Jesus, Cath!"

"Well, you said shed never been with a woman. Naturally Im curious!"

" Naturally. " Tory remarked sarcastically. "She is far better than she looks, if you can imagine that! Its got nothing to do with how she makes love-" She stopped, blushing as she remembered their brief interlude just an hour before. "Well, of course, theres that-"

"Of course."

"I just meant theres so much more to it than that. Oh, I cant explain it! She just has to look at me and Im ready. So you can obviously see my judgement is impaired. Now you can see why I shouldnt be treating her."

Catherine laughed. "Tor, your brain is still functioning, even if the rest of your circuitry is shorted out. Dont worry about it - youre not doing anything wrong. If you two had been together for years and this had happened, youd feel perfectly comfortable looking after her."

"Its not the medical issue Im worried about," Tory confessed. "Im afraid to send her back to work. Im afraid of her work. Last night I saw her get shot. I thought I had seen her killed. I didnt realize until that moment how much she means to me. Now weve made love, Cath. Shes opened the door to places Im not even sure I wanted to know about. God, I dont even know if she loves me, and Im terrified of losing her!"

"Tor," Catherine said gently, "I cant imagine how horrible last night was for you. The woman youre crazy over almost got herself killed. Everything must seem shaky right now. Youre exhausted. Go upstairs, lie down beside her, and try to sleep. I just want to remind you of one thing. Ten years ago when you were lying in a hospital bed, none of us ever wanted to see you in a scull again - because we had almost lost you. Now every day I pray that you will someday row again, because you love it and you need it. If Reese werent the woman she is- the cop, the soldier - you wouldnt love her. I dont imagine loving her will be easy, but I can see that you do. You cant change that, any more than you can change her."

Tory brushed tears of fatigue and fear from her face, offering her sister a tremulous smile. "Ill admit shes captivated my attention, but Im going to try to look at this as a momentary loss of reason. Im not ready for love, especially with someone as dangerous as Reese Conlon! If she doesnt get herself killed, shes bound to have every woman on the Cape chasing her after this!" she proclaimed.

"Go!" Catherine ordered, thinking that the woman upstairs was just what her sister needed. She knew instinctively what her sister fought to accept. They were already inextricably involved.

**********

"Im awake," Reese said as she lay watching Tory undress in the late afternoon sunlight. A cool ocean breeze wafted through the thin blinds on the open window, streaming across her own nakedness.

"Youre not supposed to be," Tory commented as she reached for a tee shirt, her back to the bed.

"You dont need that," Reese called softly. Her voice was husky, and unmistakably seductive.

Tory hesitated for a second as heat rushed into her belly, making her legs weak. Then, resolutely, she pulled the thin cotton over her head as she crossed to the bed. This was ridiculous! Reese needed to rest, not get twenty years of sexual experience in a single day!

"Im beat, and I have no idea why youre still able to form sentences. So, please, just - meditate or something, but for Gods sake get some sleep."

She lay down and purposefully faced away from Reese.

"I will," Reese assured her, turning so the length of her body pressed against Torys back. She slipped her hand under the tee shirt to clasp the soft swell of breast. She slowly pressed her lips along the bare skin from Torys shoulder up the side of her neck. "In just a minute," she whispered into Torys ear. With one hand she raised Torys head enough to catch the corner of her mouth with an exploring tongue. Tory hadnt moved but she couldnt resist opening her lips to admit Reeses tongue. Reese groaned, cleaving harder to Tory as she tried to get even deeper into the woman whose very presence kindled a twisting fire in her.

Tory felt Reese surge against her, even as her own body began to pound in response. She didnt have the strength to resist her, but this time she would set the tempo. Reese was already moving on the razors edge of excitement. Oh, no - you're not coming yet. You need to learn a little patience. She pushed away, turning until she was facing Reese, who stared at her in innocent confusion.

"Whats wrong?" Reese managed. She had been soaring, her entire body sensitized by Tory's nearness.

"Dont think youre getting off that easy this time, Conlon," Tory warned. She pushed Reese gently but commandingly onto her back. "Dont move, dont talk, dont do anything. This time Im in charge."

As she spoke she rose to her knees, pulling the tee shirt over her head, tossing it into the corner. Reeses eyes widened as she surveyed the woman above her, following the soft curves fusing into firm muscle, the sweeping planes and angles, the interplay of strength and grace that she had sensed these many weeks. Seeing Tory now, Reese could not have imagined the beauty.

"Oh, god, Tory- let me touch you," she whispered, her throat dry.

"Quiet," Tory said softly, smiling at Reeses response. She had never felt so powerful, or quite so sensual. Reeses obvious desire fueled her own. She wanted to take her time, she wanted to explore every fiber of Reeses being. She wanted Reese to feel her in every inch of her body. Tory leaned to touch her, her breasts just out of reach of Reeses lips. Her fingers lingered on the full brows, tracing each bold arch. She followed the sharp ridge of cheekbone and strong angle of jaw with her hands. She lowered herself until her hardened nipples, achingly taut, brushed across Reeses lips, then pulled back just as Reese touched them with her tongue. She gasped at the swift shiver of arousal, smiling as Reese groaned in frustration at her withdrawal.

"Youre killing me," Reese pleaded.

"Youll live," she answered throatily.

Bending once again, Tory licked the sweet sheen of sweat in the hollow of Reeses throat, and tasted the mist of moisture that ran down the center of her elegantly muscled chest. With the flat of her hand she stroked the hard planes of Reeses abdomen, exulting in the quivering response to her touch. She brought her face close to the damp hair between Reese's thighs, breathing her scent, feeling the heat rising from her. As Tory indulged her senses, Reese moaned, lifting her pelvis, her leg muscles straining, urging Tory wordlessly to touch her. Tory held her there, feeling her tremble with urgency, as she breathed a kiss across her clitoris, barely touching the reddened tip. Reese whimpered at the fleeting contact. Tory kissed it again - then drew away.

"Oh, lick me, please - oh god, please Tory," Reese begged.

Her own answering surge of excitement nearly pushed her to orgasm. She had to fight to keep from pressing her aching clit against Reeses tight thigh. "Not yet, baby, not yet," she whispered, ignoring the warning twitches from her distended clit, running her tongue over the soft skin of Reeses inner thigh.

Only when Reese sobbed her name again, almost incoherent, did she take Reese into her mouth. She sucked her lips, her stiff clit. Tory expected it to be fast, but she wasnt prepared for the force of the contractions that exploded under her tongue. She grasped Reeses hips, clinging to her as she accepted each forceful thrust like a gift, absorbing the essence of Reese's passion with all of her senses. For long moments she knew nothing but the strangled cries, the taste of love, the quivering flesh. Only when she felt the tension ebb did the awareness of anything other than the pounding of her own heart penetrate her consciousness. She hadn't even been aware of her own orgasm until she felt the lingering spasms in her clit.

"Reese?" she questioned gently as she moved along side her. Reese was so still, one arm flung over her face, that Tory was frightened. "What is it?"

The breath caught in her throat when Reese turned to her, her expression so wounded Tory thought she had hurt her. She gathered her into her arms, cradling Reese's face against her breasts. "Oh god, sweetheart, whats wrong?"

"I never imagined this," Reese murmured, her voice breaking. "I never imagined anyone touching me this way. Now I cant imagine you not touching me." She turned away, afraid of what need might show in her face. For the first time in her life, she felt exposed and uncertain.

Tory pressed her face against Reeses hair, holding her firmly. She could feel her tremble and it nearly broke her heart. This warrior woman who would face death without a qualm was suddenly so vulnerable that Tory was overwhelmed with the terrible power of their passion. It frightened her more than anything she had ever known. "Its all right, Reese," she whispered, stroking her softly. "I wont hurt you."

Reese lay silent, knowing that Tory was the one person on earth with the power to destroy her. All she need do was send Reese away, and she would be lost. Tory had given life to needs that could never be met by another. As clearly as she knew this, Reese knew that she wanted her, regardless of the cost. Placing her fate in Torys hands, she slept.

Chapter Nineteen

Two nights later, Tory returned from the clinic close to eleven p.m. Reeses Bronco was parked in the drive. Tory stared at it, a mixture of fury and fear warring in her mind. She knew Reese had been fretting with boredom for days, but she still had sutures in, and Tory had told her specifically that she was not ready to drive.

Cath heard the front door slam and steeled herself.

"Wheres Reese?" Tory asked by way of greeting, her voice like flint.

"Uh, upstairs I think," Cath uttered. This is going to be worse than I thought

"Did you get her truck for her?"

"No, Marge did," Reese replied as she walked into the kitchen. She had her badge pinned to the pocket of her denim workshirt, and wore a pair of blue jeans. She was easing into the shoulder strap of her holster as she spoke. She smiled softly at Tory in welcome. "Hi."

Tory ignored the greeting, too angry to acknowledge how much she had missed Reese during the day. "Are you seeing a physician I dont know about?"

"Of course not!" Reese responded in surprise.

"Then who cleared you to work?"

"Im not working. Im just going to drive around the dunes for a few hours, unofficially."

"With a gun, in the middle of the night?" Torys hands were clenched, and she fought down the urge to throw things. Reese just stared at her, clearly astounded by her reaction.

"Did Nelson approve this?" Tory asked harshly.

"No, Im doing it on my time."

"The hell you are," Tory responded curtly, walking toward the phone. "If you wont follow my orders as your physician, Ill have Nelson suspend you. You can see another doctor tomorrow."

"Tory," Reese said gently, halting her with a hand on her arm. "Just hear me out, and then if you dont want me to, I wont go out."

Tory turned from the phone reluctantly, her jaw clenched. She nodded her head sharply for Reese to go ahead.

"Someone is after kids, Tory - our kids. Bri told me there have been other incidents of gay boys and lesbians being verbally hassled on their way to or from the dunes. Caroline has seen a black pick-up cruising out there, and she thinks once or twice its followed her home after shes been with Bri. The kids are in danger, Tory. I just want to be seen out there, and let whoevers doing this know that I know. Maybe that will be enough to put an end to this before someone gets hurt."

"It doesnt have to be you, Reese," Tory argued, "not now, not when youre not even healed. Call Nelson. Tell him whats going on. He can have someone else patrol the dunes."

"I cant, not for a few more days. Bri promised me she would tell Nelson about her and Caroline. I told her Id give her a week. Even if Nelson knows, without me and Smith, he doesnt have enough personnel to cover the town and step up patrol in the dunes. Since we dont even have an official complaint, theres no way hes going to pull someone off the streets now. Neither would I. Theres no one else to do it. Ill only be out a few hours." It was so clear to Reese what needed to be done. Surely Tory would see that.

"Damn it, Reese," Tory cried, "youre not fit for duty. If youre out there, anything could happen!" She turned away abruptly, not wanting Reese to see the fear in her face. Wordlessly, she walked out onto the deck, leaving Reese staring after her.

Catherine spoke quietly from the corner of the room. "My sister isnt used to talking about her fears. Shes gotten used to dealing with her terror and her pain alone. First she lost her Olympic career, and she nearly lost her leg. Then she lost the woman she had believed she would spend her life with. She cant take any more loss in her life, Reese. She was watching you through the night glasses the other night. She saw you get shot, she thought you had been killed. Shes terrified. Shes terrified of loving you, and shes terrified of losing you."

"I dont want to hurt her - she doesnt just matter to me, she means more to me than I thought possible." Reese swallowed, forcing herself to say the next words. "Ill leave her alone if you think I should." Catherine could never know what anguish those words cost her.

Catherine shook her head, laughing softly. "You dont know much about women, do you, Reese?

"I dont know anything about any of this," Reese responded quite seriously. "I only know what I feel for her. And its everything that I have."

"I can see how much you care. She needs you, Reese. Just go to her. Follow your instincts. Theyve been right so far."

Reese smiled her thanks, turning toward the woman highlighted in moonlight on the deck. "Tory," she said, slipping her arms around the still figure from behind, cradling Torys body gently against her. "Im sorry I didnt talk to you first. I need a little practice at this. Forgive me?"

Tory grasped the hands that circled her waist, stroking the tender flesh of Reeses palms. "This is so damn typical of you. I know you believe you have to do this. I keep trying to tell myself youre right -"

"But?" Reese questioned, pressing her cheek to Torys hair, sliding a kiss against the soft skin at her temple.

Tory shivered at the touch. "But my heart keeps saying it doesnt have to be you. Let someone else do it. Let someone elses lover be the one in danger. Let someone else get hurt." Her voice trailed off in a nearly inaudible sob.

Reese tightened her hold until there was nothing between them but the night. "It has to be me because thats what I do - thats who I am," she whispered with absolute certainty.

Tory nodded imperceptibly, not wanting to disturb their union. "I know that - its one of the reasons I -" She stopped before she gave voice to feelings whose consequences she wasnt ready to accept. "I dont think Im strong enough for this, Reese," she finished miserably, starting to move away. Reese tightened her hold.

"I cant promise you I wont get hurt, Tory," Reese continued, unwilling to let Tory withdraw from her. "But I can promise you that I will never put myself in a situation Im not trained for, and I can promise you that every day of my life, Ill be here for you, if you let me."

Tory turned in Reeses arms, reaching behind her to clasp her close. She pressed her forehead into Reeses hard chest, clamping down on the desire that flooded her as she felt Reese along the length of her.

"God, I could get used to that idea," she admitted reluctantly.

"Good," Reese said, lifting Torys face to kiss her.

**********

"Cant sleep?" Cath asked when she joined Tory on the deck. It was two in the morning.

"Not while shes out there," Tory responded, tipping the glass to finish her drink.

"Youll have to learn to, you know," Cath said, lighting a cigarette, offering the pack to Tory.

Tory accepted wordlessly, smoking in silence as the stars revolved overhead. "I know Im overreacting," she said at length.

"Probably," Cath agreed. "But its been a hellacious few days, and youve been through as much as she has, maybe more. Give yourself some time."

"Im not used to being so emotional," Tory confided. "Im not proud of myself."

"Oh, god, Tor!" Cath exclaimed. "If it were me, thered be more screaming than you can imagine. Sometimes I think I might scream for you! Ive never met anyone quite like her - shes so goddamned logical, and right , that its hard to argue with her. If I didnt know her I wouldnt believe it. But she loves you, Tor - I can see it when she looks at you."

"God, I hope so," Tory whispered fervently. "Because shes inside of me now."

Reese found them both dozing in deck chairs when she returned a little after three a.m. She bent to kiss Tory softly on the cheek, murmuring her name. Tory reached for her sleepily, circling her arms around Reeses neck.

"Anything?" Tory asked.

"No," Reese replied, lifting Tory up into an embrace. She kissed her again, more thoroughly, until she had her gasping, then held her wordlessly, simply enjoying the feel of her. Tory rested against her, relishing the slow swell of desire.

"I think Ill just toddle off to bed," Cath remarked, casting a glance at the two figures outlined in the dim light of the stars. She brushed her hand fondly across her sisters back as she passed.

"Shes a good woman," Reese remarked.

"Yes," Tory agreed dreamily. "Are you ready to take me to bed?"

Reese laughed. "More than ready, although I had something in mind other than sleep."

"Thats what I was hoping."

**********

Reese led her upstairs, urging her gently toward the bed. With infinite care she removed each article of clothing, stopping to explore the enticing landscape of Torys body with her lips and hands, captivated by her delicate strength.

Tory quivered as insistent fingers traced her skin from her breasts down her legs and back up. Reese's teasing lips pressed fleeting kisses everywhere, coaxing Tory's body to ever higher peaks of sensation. As her muscles clenched with the effort of containing her desire, she moaned Reeses name. She grasped Reeses shoulders, her legs tightening around Reeses thigh.

"Im close," Tory whispered raggedly. "Touch me, Reese, please. I need to come so much."

Reese groaned, inflamed by the wet heat of Torys need against her skin. She wanted her so much she didnt think. When she found Tory, swollen with urgency, open and ready, she was driven by some deeply primal instinct to claim her. As if she had been born knowing how, she pushed into her - hard. In a single motion Reese's fingers entered her fully, igniting a chain reaction. Immediately the velvet muscles spasmed around her hand. Reese's thumb rode against Tory's clit at the same time.

"Oh, god!" Tory screamed, her body heaving, her mind melting with the instant orgasm.

Reese pressed deeper as the cataclysmic spasms gave way to small internal contractions. Reese was so consumed by the wonder of it, she was barely breathing. Slowly she became aware of sobs.

"Tory!" Reese gasped in panic, slipping from her, her withdrawal eliciting another sob. "Oh Jesus, did I hurt you?"

"No," Tory whispered, her face pressed against Reeses shoulder, her body still shuddering.

"Are you sure?" Reese persisted fearfully. "I didnt mean to be so rough - god, I dont know what happened! I just wanted you so much!"

She tilted Torys chin, searching her face anxiously. Tory shook her head no, but her cheeks were streaked with tears. Something twisted in Reeses chest, catching at her heart.

"Tory," she choked. "Tory - I swear to you I never meant to hurt you -"

"You didn't hurt me, Reese," Tory managed, drawing a shaky breath. She had never been possessed like that before. She felt like she had been devoured. But what frightened her was not Reeses passion, but how much she had wanted Reese to take her. If Reese hadnt claimed her when she did, Tory knew she would have begged her. What Reese was capable of stirring in her made her a stranger to herself. "You make me so damn helpless, I want you so bad. What you do to me - " What it will do to me now if you leave me -

Reese held her as Tory gentled in her arms, hearing in the silence what Tory had not said. She remembered Catherine speaking of what Tory had lost, understanding the enormity of that pain as she contemplated a life without Tory.

"Tory," she said, her voice soft but crystal clear.

"Yes," Tory questioned as she lay listening to the strong, steady heartbeat beneath her cheek.

"I love you."

Tory was silent a long moment, hearing the words, wondering if she dared allow them inside her. Reese had never held another woman, never made love to another woman - how could she be sure now?

Reese had not expected an answer. Instinctively she knew that it wouldnt be her words, but her constancy, that would eventually convince Tory of the truth of her love. She had spoken because she needed to, and as she said the words, something shifted inside of her. She felt peaceful in a way she never had before. She settled Tory even closer into the curves of her body, her hands gliding the length of Torys back to her buttocks.

"Reese, youre not going to get any sleep tonight if you keep touching me like that," Tory murmured, wanting nothing more at that moment than their closeness.

"Thats okay," Reese laughed contentedly, continuing her caresses. "I dont have to work tomorrow."

Chapter Twenty

Tory reconciled herself to Reeses nightly sojourns through the dunes. She even managed some restless sleep waiting for her to slip into bed beside her in the dark. Reese wasnt due to return to work for a few more days, so she had simply stayed on at Torys. Neither of them discussed exactly what that meant.

Reese had only been back an hour one night when they were awakened by the phone. Tory reached for it with a sigh, thinking how much harder it was going to be to leave her bed with Reese asleep beside her. She didnt want to think about what it would be like when Reese returned to her own home. Reese had fast become a part of her life.

"Dr. King," she answered.

"Doctor," an unfamiliar male voice said apologetically, "this is Officer Jeff Lyons. Sorry to bother you, maam, but Im trying to locate Sheriff Conlon. Ive got a girl on the other line - shes hysterical, and she says she wont talk to anyone except Reese."

"Of course," Tory replied with concern, "shes right here."

"Conlon," Reese said tersely. As she listened to the call patched through to her, her body tensed. "Where are you now? .....Where were you supposed to meet?.....Go home. Ill call you as soon as I find her. I will - I promise you."

Reese replaced the receiver as she climbed out of bed. It was two in the morning.

"What is it?" Tory asked anxiously as Reese began to pull on her uniform, her face tight.

"Briannas missing," Reese said as she checked her revolver. "She and Caroline had a date to meet in the dunes. Brianna didnt show. That was two hours ago. ...What are you doing?"

As Reese spoke, Tory had started hastily dressing. "Im going with you. Well find her faster with two of us looking. And if shes hurt, youre going to need me."

"Right," Reese replied, formulating plans. "Get your Jeep, your medical equipment, and your portable phone. Well keep in touch that way. If we havent found her in an hour, Im going to have to call Nelson. Im hoping it doesnt come to that."

"Where should I look?"

"Im going out to Herring Cove where they were supposed to meet. Why dont you drive down Commercial, then out 6A and circle back to the beach on 6. Look for her motorbike. Maybe she was just late, missed Caroline, and shes hanging out somewhere in town."

Tory could tell by the set of her jaw that Reese did not believe that. "Reese, promise me if theres trouble that youll call for back-up. Your wound isnt healed yet. Your reaction time will be slowed. I cant worry about both of you."

To Torys relief, Reese nodded agreement. "I will. Call me every five minutes with your location." Then, unexpectedly, Reese grasped her shoulders and kissed her with bruising intensity. "Be careful. I dont want you hurt."

As Tory followed Reese downstairs, she knew from the rigid set of her lover's back and the tight expression on her face that Reese was more than a little worried. Reese's attention was already elsewhere as she focused completely on her mission. Tory knew with utter certainty that this single-minded determination was the essence of the woman she loved. To love Reese Conlon meant she must accept what that dedication demanded of Reese, emotionally and physically. Tory doubted she would ever grow accustomed to the danger, but she knew she would have to live with it - because she knew it was no longer possible to stop loving Reese.

Tory drove the length of Commercial Street, slowly canvassing the narrow lanes and alleys intersecting it. Several times she stopped to glance into the few bars and late night hangouts still open. Bri was no where to be found. She circled around past the jetty to Long Point, remembering her own perilous journey out onto the rocks, and the way Reese had suddenly appeared at her side- offering assistance and security as only Reese could. She remembered how great her pain was that night, and the sight of Reese bending over her, administering to her bruised and swollen leg. That was the night she had fallen in love with Reese Conlon.

She was nearing the Provincetown limits when her portable phone rang. "King," she responded tersely.

"Its Reese. Take six west toward Herring Cove. Look for my cruiser on the side of the road. Im about a hundred yards in along the dune trail."

"Have you got her?" Tory asked, thinking that Reeses voice seemed strangely hollow.

"Yes - on the double, Tory."

Reese was waiting at the roadside, hastily stringing yellow tape across the mouth of a narrow path in the sand. Briannas motorbike lay on its side in the scrub by the side of the road. The front was twisted and dented. Torys stomach clenched when she saw it, and what Reese was doing.

"My god, Reese - is she alive?" Tory called as she approached.

"Yes, for now," Reese replied grimly, as she helped Tory slide the portable stretcher from the back of her Jeep. "Follow me - keep to the trail. I dont want to contaminate the scene any more than we have to."

Tory stared at her in astonishment. This is Bri for Gods sake! Doesnt she have any feelings!

Reese saw the question in her eyes, and read the silent criticism. It hurt, but she didnt have the time or the inclination to explain. "You tend to her body, Doctor, thats your job. Mine is to catch the bastard that did this to her," Reese stated flatly, a dangerous fire in her eyes.

Tory nodded, "Of course - lead the way."

Brianna was lying unconscious in a shallow cleft between two brush covered dunes. When Tory lifted the blanket Reese had laid over her, she recoiled from the sight of the torn shirt and the jeans yanked down around Bri's ankles. For an agonizing moment, all she could imagine was Bri's terror. A soft touch on Tory's shoulder jerked her back to the present, and her responsibility.

"Tory - we need to move her. Is her spine secure?" Reese asked evenly.

Tory knelt, making a quick assessment of Bri's vital signs. Her airway was clear, and her pulse strong and steady. Her face was badly battered, both eyes discolored. There was a stream of blood from her left nostril, and a hematoma forming over the right side of her jaw. Even in the dim light from Reeses flashlight she could make out bruises on her throat. Blood crusted in patches over her neck and chest.

"She fought hard," Tory murmured, barely aware of speaking aloud as she continued her assessment of the battered girl.

"Yes. She would."

Tory glanced up at Reese, who stood staring down at Briannas violated body, her eyes so cold that Tory shivered. Tory slipped a soft restraining collar behind Bri's neck, immobilizing her cervical spine. She ran her hands over Bris extremities, noting no obvious deformities. The rest of the exam would have to wait until they moved her.

"Shes okay to transport. Just get your forearms behind her neck and under her shoulders when we lift. Keep her head midline and dont flex it," Tory ordered, her mind already busy planning what else needed to be done.

"Have you notified Nelson?" Tory asked as they maneuvered slowly through the sand.

"Lyons is on his way here to secure the scene," Reese replied. "Ill radio the Chief on route to your place. I didnt want him to see her like this."

Tory nodded, wondering how she could have questioned Reeses sensitivity, regretting her initial reaction. Reese was only doing what she was trained and sworn to do. "Reese, Im sorry about earlier. I didnt think about what you needed to do out there-"

"Its okay - why should you," Reese responded evenly.

"No, its not okay." Because I know you better than that, and because I love you

Tory needed to tell her that, but now was not the time. Instead, she followed the flashing lights of Reeses patrol car as they led her through the dark.

**********

"What the hell is going on, Conlon?" Nelson Parker demanded as he shoved through the door of Torys clinic. "I heard on the scanner that you ordered Lyons and Jameson to block off a section of six. Youre not even on duty!" He got a good look at his Deputy Chiefs face and he stopped short, his stomach churning. There was something deadly in her eyes, and something so gentle in her hand on his arm that he was suddenly afraid. Hed seen that look in cops eyes before, when it was something bad. He steeled himself to hear it.

"Tell me," he said softly.

"Its Bri - shes alive, but shes seriously hurt. Tory is with her now."

Nelson steadied himself with a hand against the wall. There seemed to be something wrong with his vision - he could hardly see her face. He heard his words, but didn't feel himself speak. "Did she crash her motorbike?"

"Someone beat her, Nelson."

He felt like he was gut shot. "I dont understand - why? How did you find her?"

"Caroline Clark called me. She told me Bri was missing and I went to look for her. I found her in the dunes."

Nelson looked at her in confusion. "Caroline? Why did she call you? Whats going on?"

Reese returned his questioning gaze steadily. "Bri and Caroline are lovers. Theyve been trysting in the dunes. My guess is that someone followed Bri, forced her off the road, and dragged her up into the scrub."

Nelson rocked back as if she had struck him. Then he leveled angry eyes on her. "You knew about them? Thats why Caroline called you?"

"Yes. Bri told me she was going to tell -"

All of his terror was transformed into anger. This was Reeses fault! If she had told him, he would have put a stop to this nonsense before Brianna got hurt! Nelson moved so unexpectedly Reese didnt have time to counter, had she been inclined to. He grabbed her with both hands and slammed her into the wall. "You son of a bitch! You knew my daughter was fooling around with some girl and you didnt tell me?!!" he roared. He punctuated his fury by pounding his forearm into her body. "You let it go on?!!"

Fire tore through her side. Reese never lifted a hand, though she was well equipped to defend herself. "Nelson--" she gasped.

When Tory came around the corner, she saw the pain in Reeses face. Nelson stood, one fist poised to strike, the other hand twisted in Reeses shirt front, pinning her to the wall. He was momentarily stunned as Torys cane cracked down on his forearm, the curved handle catching around his wrist, preventing him from swinging into Reeses unprotected face.

"Let go of her, Nelson," Tory said in a deadly tone. "Now."

Reese sagged slightly in Nelson's grasp as he turned to Tory in confusion. Reese coughed, one hand pressed to her side, trying to catch her breath. Every inhalation felt like a knife stab.

Torys eyes never left Nelsons face as she shifted her weight, ready for the next strike. "Do it Nelson, or Ill break your arm."

"Its okay, Tory," Reese gasped.

"Hed better pray to God he didnt hurt you," was all Tory said. When Nelson finally dropped his hands to his sides, Tory relaxed slightly, but she kept her eyes on him. "The evac team is on their way. Shes stable, and intermittently conscious. Shes asking for you, Reese."

"You stay away from her," Nelson seethed. "If you werent queer yourself this never would have happened."

"I need a statement from her," Reese stated. And I need to see that shes all right

"Forget about a statement - youre fired."

Reese shrugged. "You can fire me tomorrow. Tonight Im going to catch whoever has been terrorizing the kids in this town. Tory - call Caroline, will you? I promised her -"

"Go ahead, Reese, Ill take care of it. Then I need to look at you." Tory said these last words with a glare toward the Chief.

Reese, smiling gently, brushed her fingers over the hand Tory clenched around the head of her cane. She drew as deep a breath as she could, determined not to reveal how much it hurt.

"Im really okay."

**********

Reese pushed open the door to the procedure room. Nelson followed, halting just inside the door. He was paralyzed by the sight of his daughter. She lay naked under a thin sheet, nearly unrecognizable from her bruises, hooked up to two iv bags. He saw a clear plastic evidence bag filled with bloodied clothes on the counter, with an open rape kit beside it. He fought the sudden urge to vomit. He looked again at the stretcher, expecting to see his little girl, and he saw a battered woman, someone he didnt know. He was afraid to go near her.

Reese pulled up a stool, taking Briannas hand in hers. She pressed the torn and bloodied fingers to her cheek. She was aware of Nelson coming to stand behind her.

"Its Reese, Bri," she said gently. "Youre all right now. Youre safe."

Bris eyelids fluttered, then opened. She tried to focus on Reeses face. Her throat was so dry, it was hard to form words. She found the blue eyes, and let herself be held by the tenderness in them. "Caroline?" she managed at last. "Is she -?"

"Shes fine, Bri. Shes on her way."

"Dont let her see me like this -please," Bri said with a struggle.

Reese smiled in understanding, brushing a lock of hair out of Bris eyes. "Shell need to see you, Bri. Shell be more scared if she doesnt." She waited for a second, then continued with what she knew must be done. "Can you tell me who did this, Bri?"

Bri tried to turn away as tears leaked from the corner of her eyes. Reese caught them on the backs of her fingers.

"Did he rape me?" Bri asked.

Nelson choked back a groan.

Tory moved from where she had been standing in the doorway. "I dont think so, honey," she said softly. "I still have a few tests to run."

Bri closed her eyes with a sigh. Reese waited patiently, her entire being focused on the young woman before her. She gently stroked her hair. Tory watched her lover, knowing that at this moment, Bri was the most important thing in Reeses life. How had she ever been nave enough to think this was just a job for Reese?

"Help me, Bri," Reese whispered.

"It was the black truck thats been following us. I dont know him, but I - I think I broke his nose. I punched him, when he was on top of me -" Bri lapsed into silence, shaking, overcome by the events too fresh yet to be memories.

"Oh, Jesus -" Nelson moaned.

"Give me something more, Bri -" Reese pushed. Bri gasped for breath as she tried to put words to her terror.

"Reese," Tory warned.

Reese ignored her. "Tell me, Bri. Help me get him."

Tory bit her lip, vowing she would stop this if Reese didnt.

"He hit my bike - I think it smashed his headlight," Bri said with a struggle.

"Good girl," Reese said.

Bri, fighting to remain conscious, looked up at her father. "Im sorry, dad. I wanted to tell you. I was scared. " Her voice trailed off as exhaustion claimed her.

Reese moved aside so Nelson could sit with her. She needed to get back to the field. She needed to check the motorbike for evidence, and start looking for the perpetrator. Very likely he would be seeking medical attention himself if Bri had really broken his nose. As she pulled the door closed, she saw Tory forcefully interrupt Carolines headlong dash down the hall.

"Wait a minute," Tory soothed, holding the struggling young woman. "It might be better if you see her tomorrow, Caroline. Itll be hard to see her like this -"

Caroline fixed Tory with a contemptuous glare. "Youre just like all the rest. You think just because were young that our feelings dont matter. Last night right about now she was making love to me. Do you think that doesnt matter either?"

"Thats not what I meant, Caroline. I know you care about her."

"_Care_ about her?" she said coldly. "What if it were Reese in there, Tory? Just how long would you wait out here?"

Tory stared at her, knowing that it could easily be Reese under other circumstances. Just the thought made her ill.

"Youre right. Im sorry," Tory said softly. "Nothing on earth would keep me away."

She watched the pretty young blond, who now seemed so much older than her years, resolutely push through the doors to her lover. She turned to her own lover, who was issuing orders into the phone.

"Call me with anything," Reese said. "Im heading out now."

"Not until I take a look at you," Tory said as Reese hung up the phone.

"Five minutes," Reese conceded.

"In here," Tory said, motioning to an empty exam room. "And Ill take as long as I need. Take off your shirt."

Reese complied with a sigh, trying to hide the pain that pierced her side as she shrugged out of her clothes. Tory bent to examine the stitches.

"Why didnt you stop him?" Tory asked as she cleaned the healing incision with peroxide. "You could have."

"He didnt know what he was doing," Reese grunted as Tory probed a tender spot along her rib cage. "Besides, hes my commanding officer."

"Im going to pretend I didnt hear that, Reese. Because as much as I respect and admire your pigheaded dedication to your job, I cannot believe you would let him do that to you." There was a faint sensation of movement under her fingertips, and she felt Reese withdraw from the pressure.

"He would have come to his senses in a minute. If he had really endangered me, I would have stopped him."

Tory stepped back, her face furious. "Well, he broke your rib. Now give me your goddamned gun. Youre not working tonight."

Reese took Tory by surprise when she caught both her hands, pulling Tory against her body. Im going to frighten her again, Reese thought. How many times can I do this to her before its too much?

"Tory, I love you with everything in me! But I cant do what you want. Please dont ask me to."

Reeses embrace was so tight it was almost painful. Tory pushed back in her grasp, searching the blue eyes that searched her own. There was honesty there, and shockingly, fear. Shes afraid Ill leave her!

"Youll need them taped," Tory stated, feeling the tension in Reeses body ease. "And I want your word of honor that you wont take any chances. Not one. If you love me, you owe me that, Reese."

Reese kissed her softly, "I promise - and thank you."

Chapter Twentyone

Nelson stood back against the wall watching Caroline Clark tenderly stroke his daughters swollen cheek. With her free hand Caroline brushed tears from her own face. The look she had given him when she entered the room had warned him he would have to forcibly keep her away. The steel in her gaze rendered him speechless.

"Its me, Bri. I love you," she whispered over and over. At first Nelson was embarrassed to hear her say such things to his daughter, but after a while he found himself praying that the love of this slight blond girl would be enough to keep his only child holding on. God knows, he hadnt offered her much reason.

Finally Bri opened her eyes as much as she could, trying to smile when she heard Caroline whisper her name.

"Hi, babe," she said through cracked lips.

"Hi, sweetheart," Caroline replied softly. "Tory says youll be okay."

"You?" Bri croaked.

"Dont worry about me," she said tremulously "Just get well."

Bri squeezed her hand weakly. "I knew he was following me. Thats why I didnt meet you. I went the other way so he wouldnt find you-"

Caroline was crying in earnest now. "I love you so much, Bri. I just want us to be together."

"Soon, I promise," Bri whispered as her strength began to fade. "Be careful. I love you..."

Nelson cleared his throat.

"Ill look after her, Bri," he said, thinking he had finally found something he could do for his daughter. Tentatively, he placed a hand on Carolines shoulder. As Bris eyes closed, Caroline turned unexpectedly into Nelsons arms.

"Im so scared," she cried, clinging to him like the child she would never be again. "I dont know what Ill do if something happens to her!"

"Shell be okay, girl. Shes got her mothers grit." He led her around the table to a stool. "You sit here with her in case she wakes up. Shell need you then."

He looked back from the door at the stranger who was his daughter, thinking what a fine, brave thing she had done. He didnt know her, but he swore that that would change.

Tory was standing in the hall, giving a report to the team of paramedics who were there to transport Bri to the trauma center. When she finished, she looked at him coldly.

"Wheres Conlon?" he asked, his voice gruffer than he intended.

"Out looking for the man who assaulted your daughter."

He nodded, intending to step past her. She moved purposely into his path.

"I have several messages for you, Nelson. The first one is from Reese. She wants you to stay with Brianna. She said, and I quote - Thats where youre needed. Youll taint the case if youre involved in any way. She promises she wont rest until she gets him. I have no doubt she means that." She paused until she was satisfied that he agreed. "The next message is from me, and you can be sure I mean it. You broke her ribs tonight, Nelson. If you ever lay a hand on her again, youll never wear a badge in this or any other place as long as you live. Now get out of my clinic - and stay out of my sight."

"Ill resign tomorrow," Nelson said, his face gray.

"Reese wouldnt want you to do that," Tory said as she turned away. "Id rather you face her every day knowing that."

He stared at her retreating back, feeling smaller than he ever had. In the last hour he had seen what love between women was made of, and he knew that he would never discount it again. He only hoped it was in him to love so well. He walked out to the ambulance holding his daughter's hand, praying she would forgive him.

**********

What happened that night was the thing legends were made of, and as this story was told and retold by every cop on the Cape, and every person in Provincetown, the story grew. Only the two young officers who answered Reeses call for back-up could really say for sure, and even they couldnt agree on what really transpired.

Certain facts were indisputable. Reese waited in the dark, in her patrol car, on the edge of Route six, watching the few vehicles leaving Provincetown in the middle of the night. When a black pickup truck with a single headlight passed her, going five miles over the speed limit, she flicked on her lights and siren and chased him to the outskirts of Truro. He finally pulled over and Reese pulled her car in front of him, angling onto the shoulder so that he could not drive off. She sat in her car, looking at the fresh dent in the right front fender of his truck. She remembered her promise to Tory, and she radiod her position and requested back up. They were five minutes away. She did everything by the book, as she believed they should be done. Then she made a mistake.

She thought about Brianna - of her brave young spirit and her beautiful face, unrecognizable now. She thought about the finger marks on Bri's neck and her breasts, the gouges on her inner thighs. She thought about Bri's terror with him battering for entrance to the places only her lover had ever touched. She thought about Bri out there alone, bleeding into the sand, because some man did not like whom she chose to love.

She stepped from the car and unsnapped the strap that secured her gun.

Chapter Twentytwo

Hospitals in the dark hours of the night were places like no other. Hushed with unnatural silence, punctuated by the moans and murmurs of the ill and dying, they were places to pass through, not to linger. Lives were changed forever here, for the dead as well as the living. Tory walked down the dim hallway toward the ICU carrying her third cup of coffee of a long night that promised to be a longer day. It was just after five a.m., and she welcomed the activity she knew the morning shift would bring. Shed had too much time to think the last few hours, sitting with Caroline, waiting for word from Reese.

At the end of the hall, Caroline stared at the closed doors of the intensive care unit, automatically wiping the tears that overflowed her eyes, waiting until seven AM when she could see Bri. Watching her, Tory reflected on the clear and simple passion between the young women. Untainted by disappointments, untarnished by the accumulated experiences of loves gone wrong, their devotion was unrestricted, their commitment complete. They were brave and fearless and so pure in their loving. They trusted in tomorrow, believing nothing could come between them. They were glorious in their innocence.

Sadly, Tory knew there had been a time when she had loved like that. She knew too, as did all those whose first loves withered with change, that she could never love that way again. Some part of her would always be afraid. She wondered if she could ever truly give herself to love again. She wasnt sure she could, or even that she wanted to.

She glanced into a small dark waiting room just down the hall from the harshly lit main sitting area. Reese was standing at the window, her back to the room. She was still in her uniform. The sky beyond was just beginning to lighten with the dawn. The tense stillness in Reese's figure signaled to Tory that something was wrong. She went to her, slipping her arms around Reese's waist from behind, laying her cheek against Reeses strong back.

"Im glad youre here," Tory murmured against her.

"How is she?" Reese asked, folding her arms over Torys.

"Theyre still running tests. Her head CT was clear, thank god, so shes just got a bad concussion. We should know the rest of the results within the hour."

Reese nodded, not turning.

"Did you get him?" Tory asked quietly.

"Yes."

"Are you all right?"

"I dont know," Reese answered hollowly. She took a shaky breath. "I kept thinking about her- lying alone out there in the night, what he had done to her for no other reason than she loved another woman. Jesus! Shes just a girl!"

Reese pulled away abruptly, sinking into a nearby chair. She stared at her hands, dangling between her knees. Tory went to her, standing between her legs, placing her hands lightly on Reese's shoulders. Reese was trembling.

"Tell me," Tory said gently.

"I got out of my car intending to kill him," Reese admitted in a low voice. "I knew it when I walked up to the vehicle. If it was him, I was going to kill him."

Torys chest constricted in fear, but her voice was steady. "What happened?"

"It was him," Reese laughed grimly. "His nose was halfway over to his ear, and he had cuts from pulling her through the brush on his face and hands. I asked him to step out of the truck. I could hear my backup coming, and so could he. He didnt put up a fight. As soon as he was out, I spun him down onto the hood. When the other patrol car pulled in I had my gun against the back of his head."

Tory nearly stopped breathing, but she tightened her grip on Reeses shoulders. She would not leave her alone with this. "Keep talking, sweetheart," she whispered. "Its all right."

"They just watched me. I knew theyd never say what happened. This was the Chiefs daughter. I thought about him ripping at her clothes, on top of her - oh, Jesus -" she gasped, her voice breaking. "I could hardly see him any longer. My arm ached from not pulling the trigger. Finally I holstered my weapon, and as I reached for the cuffs, he made his move. He came at me fast, but this wasnt Nelson. I broke his arm. But God, all I wanted was to kill him! I came so close, Tory, so close! What does that say about me?!!"

Without thinking, she reached out in her pain for Tory, wrapping her arms around Torys waist, burying her face against her. Clutching her, she wept.

"Oh, my darling," Tory whispered, pierced by Reeses pain. She stroked her hair, ran her hands tenderly over her quivering shoulders, held her fast. Reeses need was so clear, her emotions so raw. In her own way, Reese was as innocent and vulnerable as those two girls down the hall. If ever there had been a barrier to Tory loving this woman, it was gone now. This was Torys chance at love again, the simple, fresh, untarnished love of the young. She had likened her frighteningly valiant, frustratingly honorable lover to an innocent, and in the uncompromising way she loved, she was.

"Oh, Reese," she murmured, her throat aching with emotion. "I love you. I love you so much."

She looked over Reeses bowed head to see Nelson standing in the shadows of the door, watching them. She wondered how much he had heard. She motioned him away, not caring what he thought. Reese would not have wanted him to see her this way.

He turned away from the image of Tory cradling the sobbing woman. He had foolishly thought once that Reese had no more needs than a man. Now he understood what bravery it took to let the woman who loved you offer comfort. He walked back to join the young woman who loved his daughter, wondering if he had the guts to love like that.

"Im sorry," Reese mumbled at last, her cheek against Torys breast.

Tory laughed shakily, lifting Reeses face, gently brushing away the tears. "Dont you dare say that. I so needed for you to need me."

Reese looked perplexed. "Didnt you know that I do?"

Tory softly kissed her forehead, shaking her head. "You do give the impression of self-sufficiency, my love."

"Tory," Reese said, anxiously, "I seem like I dont need any help because I never had anyone to ask! How I feel about you - what I feel since weve been together-" She stood, pulling Tory close. "God, how I need you. You mean everything to me!"

Tory ached with feeling. "I love you, Reese. I love your strength, and your integrity, and your beautiful sense of certainty. I need that - it scares me how much I need that. But you dont have to be strong all the time - especially not for me. When you share yourself with me, I only love you more, although god knows how thats possible." She kissed her soundly, then stepped back, running her hands down Reeses arms. "I want to get you home. Im not even going to ask about your ribs."

Reese smiled, slipping an arm around her. "They hurt like hell, and Im beat. I just want to check on the kids."

"I know. Me, too."

**********

After a few hours sleep, Tory got up to go the clinic. Reese stirred as Tory slipped from the bed. Reese grabbed her hand, pulling Tory down beside her.

"Ill miss you," Reese said softly.

"I dont want to go, but there are a few patients who cant wait. I wont be long." She kissed Reese, all too aware of her nakedness. "Besides, since you always seem to be recovering from some injury or another, its just as well I stay away from you. I cant trust myself to have any restraint."

Reese guided Torys hand down over her taut stomach to the spot that ached to be touched. "Too late," Reese whispered unevenly as Tory's fingers brushed over her clit.

Tory groaned, ambushed by the wet warmth of Reeses desire. "You cant know what you do to me or you wouldnt torture me this way- " Helpless to stop, Tory caressed her, gently sliding her fingers up and down the distended shaft.

Reese rose against her hand, gasping. "Just for a minute-" she pleaded, feeling the pressure mushrooming in her belly.

Tory stared into Reeses eyes as she milked the length of her rhythmically, watching the eclipse of color reflect her touch. Reeses blue gaze grew hazy, her lips parting with a groan, as she blossomed into ripe fruition under Torys fingers.

"Tory," Reese sighed as release rippled through her. Eyelids fluttering, then closing, her neck arched with the final spasm. She smiled softly as the tension slowly subsided. "Ahh - god. Thank you."

Tory buried her face in Reeses neck, still holding her fast. "You break my heart, youre so beautiful," Tory murmured brokenly.

Reese languidly slipped her fingers into Torys hair, turning her face to breath a kiss against her cheek.

"May you always think so," she said drowsily.

Tory laughed shakily with the aftermath of passion still gripping her. "Dont worry about that. Now unhand me or Ill never leave."

Reese smiled contentedly. "Hurry home."

**********

When next Reese awoke most of the day had passed. Tory was moving quietly around the room as she undressed. Reese watched her in silence, her pleasure so acute it was almost pain.

"I always want to wake up and see you," Reese said into the still room.

Tory halted, catching her breath. "And I always want to be there when you do."

"Come here," Reese commanded gently, sitting up against the pillows, reaching out to her. When Tory neared, Reese placed both hands on her waist, guiding Tory up over her, one leg on either side of her body. With Tory gazing down at her, lips parted in anticipation, Reese lifted her head to lick her. She held Tory firmly to her mouth, dimly aware of the soft whimpers that grew to a crescendo of throaty cries. She took her time, despite the insistent rhythm of Torys pulsing hips. She lifted her lips away far enough to alternate light kisses on the tip of Tory's clit with circling caresses of her tongue under it. As Tory's movements became more frantic, Reese pushed her tongue into her, fucking her, until Tory dug her fingers into Reeses forearms with a cry.

"Oh god! Reese - make me come, please, please do it now!"

With a knowing brush of her lips, sucking the length of Tory's clit into her mouth, Reese ended the sweet torture. Even as Tory bucked against her, Reese held fast, slowing her strokes until Tory curled down around her, exhausted. Reese settled Tory beside her, then pressed her face to Torys breasts. She rested surrounded by the softness of her, listening to her soft murmurs of satisfaction.

After long moments, Tory said brokenly, "If you ever leave me, Ill be lost."

Reese lifted her head, still faintly flushed from their passion. "Not as long as I live." She wrapped her arms tighter around her love, and they slept.

Chapter Twentythree

It was a clear Provincetown morning in August, a bright blue sky punctuated by scattered wisps of clouds. The waves on the bay broke gently against the sands at Herring Cove. Reese sat in her patrol car sipping her coffee, waiting. She smiled as a flicker of color far off to her left caught her eye. Her heart stirred as she followed the course of the red kayak, cutting swiftly through the early morning sea. Torys rhythm was so steady the craft seemed barely to touch the water as she paddled toward the lighthouse at Race Point. When she could no longer imagine she saw her, Reese drove away, filled with peace.

Nelson glanced up when Reese entered the station, then shied his glance away uncomfortably.

"Morning Chief," Reese said, tossing her cap on her desk and heading for the coffeepot. She grimaced in disgust, emptying the contents into the sink.

"Good to have you back," Parker said gruffly. "Did the Doc clear you for duty?"

"You think Id be here if she didnt?" Reese laughed.

Just a few hours ago, Tory had inspected Reese's side, and poked and probed her rib cage before reluctantly approving Reeses return to work. Tory watched her get dressed, loving her precision and the care with which she assembled each part of her uniform. Standing in front of Reese, Tory had straightened a tie that was already perfectly knotted. Running her hands over the razor-edge creases in Reeses shirtsleeves, she smoothed down the collar of her shirt. With her hands pressed lightly against Reeses chest, she had whispered, "I love the way you look in this uniform. You wont do anything to get any holes in it, will you?" Reese had pulled her close, promising her that she wouldnt.

Nelson Parker watched Reeses face turn inward to some thought he couldnt fathom, but he knew it held her powerfully. Something about her had changed in the two weeks she had been gone, and he figured he knew who had been the cause of it. Remembering the night he wished with all his being he could have to do over, he remembered too the look on Tory Kings face as she stared him down. He knew damn well that if he had struck Reese, Tory would have taken him apart. He cleared his throat, ready to say what he had been preparing himself to say since that night.

"Elections are coming up in the fall, Conlon. I think you should run for Sheriff."

Reese poured two cups of fresh coffee, placing one on his desk as she passed.

"We already have a Sheriff," she said with finality, reaching for the stacks of paperwork that had accumulated during her absence.

"Youre qualified, the people of this town already think youre a hero, and every law man in the state respects you for how you handled Briannas - assault. Youre a shoe-in."

He swiveled in his chair to stare out the front window, but he forced himself to look at her when he spoke again. "You handled the police part of it as well as anybody could, and you handled the personal part better than I could. If it hadnt been for Bri and Caroline trusting you, Brianna would have died out there. I failed her, and I repaid you by busting you up. I dont deserve my own daughters trust and I certainly dont deserve to be Sheriff. Take the damn job, Conlon, you deserve it."

"Im not interested," Reese stated again. "Theres too much paperwork and too much politics. I like patrol, I like being out on the streets, I like community interaction. I plan on teaching more martial arts classes in the fall. Im too busy."

When she had stopped to check on Brianna the previous night, she had found her polishing the new dirtbike Nelson had gotten her to replace the one destroyed in the accident. Caroline, who had barely left Bri's side since her release from the hospital, was there with several of their friends. Bri was chaffing at the bit to resume her martial arts classes, but her doctors had declared no contact sports for six weeks due to her concussion. Two other young women and a boy had expressed interest in taking self-defense classes. She knew it was a reaction to Bris assault, and after talking with them, she had agreed to teach several evening classes a week. Tory endorsed the idea, and planned to teach as well. This was the kind of cop Reese wanted to be - one who was part of the community, responding to the needs of the community in a personal way.

"You didnt fail Bri either," Reese continued. "Sure, she was afraid to talk to you, but some of that fear came from what others had done to her or her friends. As it turns out, her fear was unwarranted. Jesus, Caroline is practically living at your place since her father threatened her."

Nelson looked pained as he remembered Caroline calling Bri in tears when her father swore he would beat this queer bullshit' out of her. "Yeah, well that might have been me saying something as stupid as that if Bri hadnt almost been killed. It took almost losing her to put things into perspective. Im dont know that Id be trying as hard as I am to understand it. Still, I look at those two girls and all I see is a hard road ahead."

Reese nodded. "That may be, but having you on their side will go a long way toward making their life easier. And believe me, Nelson, you couldnt keep them apart without hurting them more than any prejudice ever could."

He grinned self-consciously. "The reason Caroline spends most of her time with us is because that hard-headed kid of mine tried to get up out of her sickbed to go after Carolines old man. Jesus, shes tough to handle. Kinda reminds me of you."

"Thank you. Ill take that as a compliment," Reese grinned back.

"You and Tory give them something to look up to," he said to Reeses surprise.

"We both care about them, Nelson, but its you they need."

"I dont know how to ask you to forgive me for that night. What I said about it being your fault, that was bad enough. But what I did, theres no way to make that right," he said quietly.

"Theres nothing to forgive, Chief. If anything ever happened to Tory, Id" her voice cracked and she looked away for a second. "Id be no different than you. Forget it."

He shook his head, disbelieving. "I appreciate your saying that, but I know better. I know Tory King wont forget it."

"She was worried about Bri, and scared for me-"

"She was protecting you, Conlon. I can see what you mean to her. Youre a lucky woman to have that."

"Yes, I know."

"Well, I guess Ill just have to prove to her that I know what youre worth, too." He cleared his throat, busying himself with the papers on his desk. "So why dont you get out of here. Tonights Carnival night, so expect it to be crazy."

Reese sighed with relief, more than ready to get back out on the streets. "Yes, sir! You want anything while Im out?"

"Donuts."

Reese smiled happily. "Roger that."

**********

An hour later she pulled into the crowded parking lot of the East End Health Clinic. Randy as usual looked on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

"Please, please dont tell me you want to see her!!" he exclaimed.

Reese smiled. "No good, huh?"

"If she agrees to see one more walk-in without an appointment, Ill have to cancel the hottest date of my life," he wailed.

"Tell her I stopped by," Reese laughed. Then, she lowered her voice, "and Randy - try to get her to take a break once in a while."

Randys face softened for an instant, then he said in a martyred tone, "Like she wouldnt kill me if I sent you away! Go on back!!"

As Reese passed he inquired seriously, "Are you all mended?"

"Good as new," Reese responded.

"Thats good, Captain Marvel - a lot of people around here need you." He touched her shoulder lightly, then fixed her with a frown. "If it takes more than five minutes I cant guarantee your safety."

Reese waited as she always did, studying the pictures of Torys Olympic days, warmed by the images. Tory stood in the doorway, chart in hand, watching Reese. The very sight of her stirred her, causing her breath to catch for an instant.

"Hello, darling," Tory said, her voice husky, as she pulled her office door closed behind her.

Reese turned with a smile, "Hi, love." She went to her, sweeping off her cap as she leaned to pull Tory close. "I just stopped for a second. I missed you. Randy says its a rough day."

Tory slipped her arms around Reeses waist, loving her solid strength. "Not any more," she sighed. "Youre just the kind of interruption I needed." Tory indulged herself with the feel of her for an instant longer, then stepped back to straighten Reeses tie and brush a stray lock of dark hair from her forehead. "Happy to be back at work?"

"Just happy," Reese said softly, smiling tenderly. She settled her hat low over her brows, kissed her swiftly on the lips, and stepped toward the door. "See you at home, Doctor King."

Tory called after her, the kiss still tingling on her lips. "You can count on it, Sheriff!"

The End

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