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Message-ID: <31799asstr$996876603@assm.asstr-mirror.org>
From: "Nikolai Mirovich" <nikolai@nergal.org>
Subject: {ASSM} Cerulean Dreams (15-17/20) (Pokemon Fanfiction, Ff, Rom, Solo, Lt.Bond)
Date: Fri,  3 Aug 2001 18:10:03 -0400
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<1st attachment, "CD 15-17.txt" begin>


Cerulean Dreams (Chapters 15-17)

By 

Nikolai Mirovich


Author's Note: This is the second story in my series of Pokemon 
based fanfics. It continues the plot from "The Courier", but for 
the record, I'm not completely happy with it. But that happens; 
all I can do is make the third story even better! Anyway, there's 
many people I'd like to thank, but mentioning their names could 
get me killed, so I won't. Oh! And I'm preparing an FAQ for this 
series which should be at my ASSTR page 
("http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/Nikolai_Mirovich") some time soon, 
so hopefully this ride will be less confusing to some of you.

Legal Stuff: If for some reason legal reasons keep you from 
reading this story (Ie: Your age is too young in your country to 
be reading such filth), I'm obligated to tell you to go away. Not 
that I think that'll stop you. And certainly not that I care who 
reads my stories, so long as somebody does! So, with out anymore 
of my ranting, on with the show!


Chapter XV

Frank pulled Officer Jenny's squad car up in front of 'Irene's 
Textile and Coffee Shop' less than ten minutes later, thankful 
that Jenny was in no condition to complain about his driving.

"Here ya go," he said brightly, unlocking the back doors so his 
niece and her partner could leave the car, "That'll be twelve 
ninety five!"

"Oh, ha, ha," laughed Miranda sarcastically, making her Uncle 
smile and thankful to be out of the cramped back seat, "Thanks, 
though."

Frank shrugged, his infectious grin never leaving his face. "No 
problem, lady," he assured, "Just have a good time, that's all I 
ask."

Miranda nodded, putting her arm around Misty as Frank rolled up 
his window and drove away. "Thanks again!" called Misty, only half 
believing that they were finally free of the stifling, life-
draining presence of her sisters, before glancing up at Miranda 
with a happy smile. "So? Shall we...?"

***

There were two other couples in Irene's quiet little shop, which 
barely took notice as they entered, and neither could blame them. 
The establishment was in full 'coffee shop' mode, with the lights 
dimmed so that small candles on the tables were necessary, soft, 
unobtrusive music filling the air, and the smell of freshly ground 
coffee kept everyone awake whether they liked it or not. 

"Hello again," said Irene in a friendly, yet subdued tone, meeting 
them almost magically at the door as they entered, "Table for 
two?"

"Yes, please," laughed Miranda, the irony of the question 
improving her mood.

"I hope the food wasn't too bad at Troy's," the woman commented 
sullenly, leading them both to a pair of comfortable looking 
chairs with a low table between them, "I can fix you something if 
you'd like?"

"No, actually it was really good," assured Miranda, "It was just 
the company and the service we could have done without."

"Well..." said Misty, bowing her head and looking up at Irene a 
little guiltily through her bangs, "We didn't stay for desert, and 
I always have room for ice-cream. If you have it...?"

"Of course!" the woman laughed in the "think nothing of it" tone 
only a mother could muster, "All I have left, though, is 
butterscotch ripple. Is that okay?"

"Oh, fine. Just great!" laughed Misty, sitting carefully down in 
the chair that would allow her to see the entire room as Miranda 
found her way awkwardly into the one opposite.

"Stupid dress," the woman muttered, much to Misty and Irene's 
amusement.

"Gee," teased Misty, crossing her legs as Miranda finally sat down 
and smoothed out the frustrating garment, "You're even more of a 
tomboy than I am!"

Miranda finally got comfortable with her hands on the arms of the 
mauve coloured chair she sat in and smiled. "My mom's worse," she 
confessed as Irene hurried off, "She's worn a dress twice in her 
life. And both of those were wedding dresses."

Misty glanced out the window looking thoughtfully out at the dark 
street for a moment. "Miranda?" she asked quietly without turning 
to face her.

"Yes?" 

Misty took in a long slow breath, noticing the way their 
reflections eyes met on the surface of the window. "When, when 
things calm down in our lives," she began, finding it difficult to 
find the right words, "When Kathy is behind bars, and I've gone up 
against the League and maybe if you're willing to become a city 
bound courier... Would you? I mean, I know that such a thing is 
possible but..."

"Yes," repeated Miranda, leaning across the table and taking 
Misty's hand in her own, causing her beloved to turn to face her, 
"But not until we're both ready. Some things shouldn't be rushed." 

For a long moment, the two simple sat, quietly staring into each 
other's eyes until Misty realized she was shaking, and Miranda 
felt as though her heart were about to burst. "But," she said, 
bringing her lover's fingers to her lips, kissing them gently, 
"You're wearing the dress."

Misty snickered, bowing her head as she blushed. "That's 
negotiable," she promised, glancing over as Irene glided towards 
them and put down a tray between them before moving on without 
saying a word, "But thank you for the sentiment. It's good to know 
you're serious... About us I mean."

"Absolutely," promised Miranda, shaking her head at the thought of 
being anything but, "Fifty or sixty years from now I intend to be 
sitting across from you, looking into your eyes and feeling the 
same love I feel now. Only stronger."

Misty nodded, a smile that wouldn't leave set upon her face as she 
sat unable to look away for several long moments as the quiet 
sounds of the other patrons filled the void of silence that 
neither of them seemed to notice. After a while, though, the 
teapot stopped steaming, and their ice cream began to melt. The 
candles burned lower, and the ticking of a clock somewhere in the 
shop became apparent.

"Miri, I-" she began finally, at last finding the words to express 
the feelings that were overwhelming her, only to be cut off by the 
sound of the door being thrown violently open.

The noise startled nearly everyone in the restaurant, and Miranda 
lost her glasses in an attempt to turn towards the source of the 
sound that had so rudely interrupted their moment.

The doorway was now filled by a short, thin woman who looked to be 
about Irene's actual age under the fourteen layers of makeup she 
wore. The woman's wary pale blue eyes scanned the room with more 
than a hint of annoyance as the breeze blew at the long, spindly 
strands of her darkly dyed reddish hair.

"Irene!" she called out drunkenly, waving the wine glass she held 
in her hand about, slopping her drink across the hardwood floor 
and seeming not to care, "Irene, I can't take it any more!"

After leaning against the doorframe for a moment, the woman 
staggered into the room like she owned the place, and tossed her 
long, tacky looking Winter coat off her shoulders, onto the floor. 
She then proceeded to walk over to the serving counter and hit the 
little bell repeatedly, assuring the end of any special ambiance 
in the room.

"Oh, hello, Rose," said Irene in a civil tone as she came out of 
the back room knitting a long scarf that consisted of large 
alternating, varying in sized squares of light brown, purplish-
red, orange beige, off white and a rather dull shade of yellow, 
"What's wrong THIS time?"

The inebriated woman's unsteady gaze fixed on the concerned 
looking woman's face with a look of complete contempt, which Irene 
returned with a gentle smile. "What's wrong?" muttered Rose 
drunkenly, turning to Irene's patrons with an awful laugh, "What's 
wrong she says! Ha! What's wrong is that you're putting me out of 
business! That's what's wrong!"

Irene sighed sympathetically. "It happened again, didn't it?" she 
asked in her most kindly tone, but it was obvious that she was on 
the verge of laughing.

"Yes! Yes it happened again!" exclaimed Rose in an accusing tone, 
turning back to Irene and finishing her wine, "And this time there 
wasn't just one of them! This time there were a dozen! A dozen 
women standing outside my shop in wedding dresses, all laughing, 
mocking and scorning me! Me! A world-class designer, while you! 
You! Somebody's freakin' mom sits here in your little shop of 
horrors churning out several thousand-credit dresses for a few 
hundred! It's just not fair I tell you! It's not fair, Irene! It's 
not fair at all!"

"I believe that'll be quite enough, Rose," Irene said in a warning 
tone as she stepped forward, causing her uninvited guest to slowly 
back away, "Unless you want me to call Officer Frank to boot you 
out again!"

"Fine! I'll go," replied Rose, her words becoming more slurred as 
Irene ushered her outside, "But just tell me. How do you do it 
Irene? How do you do it? Just tell me!"

Irene smiled sweetly as she gave Rose a gentle shove. "It's quite 
simple, really," she said in her most sympathetic and endearing 
tone, "As you said. I'm a mom. I simply make my products with 
love!"

With that, Irene slammed the door in her competitor's face before 
turning towards her suddenly applauding patrons. "Thank you," she 
said with a wide, embarrassed smile, bowing her head as she moved 
back behind the counter where she'd left her knitting, "But I'm 
sorry you all had to see that."

Everyone seemed to agree that it was fine, but something she said 
had caught Miranda's attention. "Um, excuse me," she inquired as 
Misty chuckled while trying to eat some of her ice-cream before it 
melted, "But did you say 'Officer Frank'?"

"Why yes, dear," said Irene with a smile as her hands moved at an 
incredible rate, churning out the long scarf as though it were 
nothing, "Very nice boy. Comes in every morning, brings me a free 
newspaper and has an Irish coffee. I just wish he'd finally patch 
things up with that Laurna girl. It's all he talks about some 
days. Why? Do you know him?"

Miranda smiled, amusement shining in her eyes as she retrieved her 
glasses from the floor thankfully undamaged. "Actually, I'll be 
his niece if he ever does patch things up with her."

"Oh, I see!" chuckled Irene, "Well, be sure to point him in the 
right direction if you can. I hate to see good people so sad. Oh, 
please excuse me, duty calls..."

Miranda turned back to Misty as Irene shuffled over to one of the 
other tables, trailing her multi-coloured scarf behind her. "Small 
world, I guess," she mused, finally pouring herself some tea 
before it got too cold.

"Definitely," commented Misty watching as Irene said goodbye to 
one of the other couples, still amazed at how well the woman 
handled her offensively belligerent competitor, "But, there's 
something I'm a little concerned about."

Miranda looked up, a worried look crossing her face as she felt 
her heart sink a little. "Do tell," she encouraged, setting down 
her tea, "I'm here to listen."

Misty nodded, looking a little embarrassed. "Well, it's about 
earlier," she explained, "You know, when I found out that my 
sisters were going to be at the restaurant, and when I saw that we 
had to share a table... And once when you were on the phone, too. 
I just kinda lost my temper, and I just wanted to apologize for 
that."

Her lover's face went from baring a look of concern, to relieved 
amusement almost instantly. "You're apologizing for being 
yourself, dear?" she inquired, smiling broadly and taking Misty's 
hand, "Trust me, I went into this relationship with my eyes open. 
And you know that I don't mind that side of you. Heck, if you were 
completely shy and passive I very much doubt that you'd have even 
sparked my interest."

Misty looked thoughtful for a second and inquired mirthfully, "Are 
you saying that you only love me for my personality?" 

"Um, well I think you're really cute too!" stammered Miranda in 
mock fear as Misty laughed.

"That's better!" she replied, wagging her ice-cream laden spoon at 
the courier in a non-seriously scolding manner, causing Miranda 
laugh as well.

"But you know," said Misty finally, scooping out more ice-cream 
and swallowing it down greedily before continuing, "Violet did say 
something rather odd while you were away."

"Odd?" inquired Miranda, looking a little nervous.

"Yes," her lover continued in a half serious tone, leaning forward 
meaningfully and catching Miranda's eye, "She said that you were 
'using me'."

Miranda tried to contain a laugh, but failed. "Using you?" she 
snickered, covering her mouth as she swallowed her mouthful of 
tea.

"Misty nodded. "Pretty crazy, eh?"

The courier nodded slowly, the look in her eye an unmistakable 
sign that she'd thought of something and would burst if she didn't 
let it out. "Actually," she said conversationally, setting down 
her tea cup and poking at her mostly liquefied ice-cream, "I am."

"Really?" relied Misty, leaning back in her chair and crossing her 
arms, a slight smile crossing her face. Half-sensing what was to 
come.

Miranda nodded. "Yes," she confessed, watching as she twirled her 
spoon around the goopy mess her bowl of ice cream had become, "I 
am using you, my dear. I'm using you to have someone to talk to. 
I'm using you to have a shoulder to cry on. I'm using you as a 
source of inspiration. I'm using you to fulfill my purely selfish 
need to 'be there for someone'. But above all else-" Miranda 
glanced up at her beloved, her heart swelling as she saw the way 
Misty's sea-green eyes sparkled in the candlelight- "I'm using you 
so that I'll have someone to love. I hope you understand."

"Completely," whispered Misty, reaching out and taking Miranda's 
hand, squeezing it meaningfully as she spoke, "I love you, 
Miri..."


Chapter XVI
 
An hour slipped by without either of them noticing, and only the 
sound of Irene locking the door as the last couple exited the shop 
snapped them both back into reality.

"Oh, sorry!" exclaimed Miranda, struggling awkwardly to her feet, 
"I wasn't keeping track of the time."

"That's okay," Irene assured them with a motherly smile, "Can I 
offer you a ride home?"

"You- you really don't have to," stammered Miranda, amazed by the 
offer even as Irene put on her Fall jacket and looked at them both 
expectantly, obviously unwilling to take 'no' for an answer.

"Well I guess we can't really say no," replied Misty, getting to 
her feet without a problem.

"That's right," assured Irene with an amused look as she threw on 
the scarf she had long since finished knitting and quickly moved 
about the room blowing out the candles.

"Oh yeah, how much do we owe you?" inquired Miranda.

"Don't worry about it," said Irene with a dismissive wave of her 
hand as she came back, unlocked the door and shut out the few dim 
lights, "You had to endure that pompous jerk, Troy's posturing for 
an evening, not to mention his so called food. So it's on me. So, 
where are you guys staying?"

"The Gym actually," explained Misty as they ventured into the 
parking lot which was empty except for one of the small, box-like 
electrically driven cars most people were forced to drive.

"Really?" commented Irene in amazement, pointing her key chain at 
the vehicle and disengaging the alarm, "Are you related to the 
owners?"

Misty smiled, trying not to laugh. "I'm their sister."

Irene did a double take and laughed. "Sorry," she apologized, 
opening her door, "But you're... Oh, sorry. Never mind."

"No, no," assured Misty with amusement as she and Miranda got into 
the back seat, "Please, speak your mind."

Irene nodded as she adjusted the mirror. "I was just going to say, 
you're far too polite. Not to mention, nice. I had your sisters in 
my store once, but they took one look at the place and left. 
There's no pleasing some people, I guess."

"Especially not them!" agreed Misty with a laugh, moving closer to 
Miranda and taking her hand as the car sped almost silently out of 
the parking lot. 

On impulse, Misty put her head on her lover's shoulder, thinking 
about the hard, narrow bed they'd have to share once they got 
home. 'Oh well,' she thought ruefully, 'it may be little more than 
an overgrown cot, but at least I'm the one sharing it with 
Miranda...' 


Chapter XVII

The Gym was dark when they arrived, and as they entered the living 
quarters it was obvious that Misty's sisters had yet to arrive. 
Feeling strangely guilty, Miranda followed her lover down the dark 
hallway. Their fingers linked as they hurried quietly past several 
closed doors and darkened doorways, a strange aura of mischief 
permeating the scene. 

At the end of the hall, Misty turned and embraced Miranda. With a 
giggle as they pressed their lips together, she turned her lover 
around and stepped forward until Miranda's back pressed against 
the nearest door.

As both their hands roamed freely, gliding across the rustling 
fabric of their dresses and their lips pressed firmly, almost 
desperately together, Miranda felt a mildly uncomfortable pressure 
upon her back. Panting, she tilted her head up, only to find Misty 
hungrily kissing along her neck, giggling as she sought out her 
lover's lips.

"Hold on a sec," whispered, realizing what the pressure at her 
back was caused by. It was the flat wooden carving of a five-
pointed staryu. The name "Misty" stenciled across it, marking the 
room as hers. Miranda turned her head to one side, listening 
carefully at the door and laughing as Misty stood on her toes to 
playfully nibble Miranda's earlobe.

"Hey, no fair!" she chided in a silly tone, reaching down to take 
two firm handfuls of Misty's bottom and chuckling quietly as her 
lover gasped a little.

"Hm, what can be in my room," pondered Misty in a playful tone as 
she reached up and idly coiled Miranda's long dark hair around 
several of her fingers, "that's so much more interesting than 
what's out here? Perhaps I should take a look-"

"No!" 

Misty paused, about to laugh at Miranda's reaction. The woman's 
eyes looking huge behind her glasses as she gave her a look of 
bemused concern. "No?" teased Misty, untwining her fingers and 
sliding both hands up either side of Miranda's face, drawing her 
closer, "Would you prefer to make love in the hall then? Perhaps 
shock my sisters into leaving town?"

Miranda laughed nervously. "Um, I kinda have a surprise for you," 
she explained nervously, her heart beating so loudly, she was 
certain it was audible, "Just hold on, one little second..."

"Time's up," Misty chuckled, stepping back and crossing her arms 
half warily as Miranda turned and clutched the door handle with an 
unsteady hand.

The courier gave a small giggle at the comment, hating the 
necessity of halting their moment of spontaneous fun as she slowly 
turned the door handle and pushed it open just enough to see in.

From within the darkened room, Miranda could hear a strange, 
quiet, nearly rhythmic sound. Though the silvery beams of 
moonlight that shined through the window gave her partial 
visibility, all that Miranda could make out of the dark shape that 
sat upon the bed were sharply pointed ears and a long tail.

"Hey!" whispered Miranda into the room, pushing the door open 
slightly as Misty peered over her shoulder, her curiosity aroused 
by both her lover's odd behavior as well as the quiet snoring 
sound that emanated from her bedroom. "Yo! Wake up!" Miranda 
hissed, stomping her foot loudly and waving her hand expressively, 
"Come on! Go home!"

As Misty gripped Miranda's shoulders and tried to peer around her, 
a sound like some animal being startled awake filled the room. The 
annoyed snort was cut short by a frightened, high toned and 
vaguely female sounding shout of "Abra!" before terminating with a 
gentle -POP!-.

"Sp-sparkles?" stammered Misty, laughing as Miranda let out a long 
sigh of relief.

"I hope she didn't leave a mess," the woman commented, standing up 
straighter and turning to face Misty before taking her hands in 
her own. "Okay," she explained a little melodramatically, "I 
wanted to make this more of a surprise... But I think the mystery 
may have been unveiled early..."

"Nope!" promised Misty with a laugh, her eyes finally adjusting to 
the gloom of the hallway, "I'll close my eyes!" 

"Alright then," said the courier with a smile, giving Misty a 
gentle kiss, causing her sea green eyes, so full of love and 
laughter to open once again, "Just give me a second."

Misty nodded as her lover stepped backwards and sideways into her 
room. "Don't start without me!" she teased through the door as it 
closed, soliciting a muffled laugh from Miranda, before pressing 
her ear against the door in curiosity.

From within, she heard the quiet sound of pokeballs opening, and 
the sounds of Wraith and Nezumi's happy greetings followed by 
Miranda's loud "Shh!" A moment later, Misty heard muffled voices 
as well as Wraith's quiet cackling as her small, narrow bedroom 
window slid open. There were a few more muffled voices, and then 
the door handle turned.

Misty leaped back, and both she and Miranda let out a short laugh 
as their eyes met. Just behind her, Misty could see her room 
illuminated by golden candlelight and hear the sound of the cool 
night breeze filtering through the open window.

"I, I think we're ready," said Miranda a little nervously, taking 
both of Misty's hands and leading her into the bedroom.

As Misty glanced around, she let out a short gasp of surprise as 
she realized several mysteriously floating candles supplied the 
candlelight that slowly orbited the interior of her room. 

"Those are just Wraith's illusions," explained Miranda, looking 
down to be careful where they stepped as she lead Misty further 
into the room before motioning to the bed, "But this, however, is 
not."

Misty glanced in the direction that her lover had indicated and 
had to do a double take. In the place where the small, hard cot 
that passed for her bed since childhood had been, there was a now 
a large, comfortable looking one. One large enough for at least 
three or four people to lie shoulder to shoulder across it. In 
that moment, it didn't matter that most of her belongings had had 
to be moved to the other side of the room, carefully piled and 
stacked against one wall. It didn't matter that Wraith was 
hovering outside her window like some kind of darkly grinning 
spectre, waving heartily as Nezumi sat in his other hand laughing 
at her expression. 

"Oh, Miri..." Misty breathed, throwing her arms around the woman 
and resting her head against her shoulder with happy tears in her 
eyes, "My dearest, sweet, beautiful Miranda. I love you..."

"That's all that I ask," assured Miranda, returning the embrace 
and slowly running her hands up and down Misty's back 
affectionately.

"But- but how-?" her beloved stammered, suddenly looking up at her 
with eyes full of concern, "And how much did, did this cost-?"

"Shh," soothed Miranda, placing a finger upon Misty's lips and 
trying to ignore the quietly muttered comments her rattata made 
about her 'looking like a girl', "The cost is meaningless. And as 
for how... Well, just promise me you won't be mad."

"How- how could I be?!" laughed Misty, stepping back and shaking 
her head in disbelief at her wonderful new bed, complete with a 
brand new warm-looking comforter, silken sheets and down filled 
pillows so full and fluffy that they could stop a bullet, "I- I 
almost wish we were staying here longer so I could use it more!"

Miranda laughed, ignoring the lewd comments both her watching 
pokemon made. "Well, we have tonight," she promised, tilting her 
head to one side thoughtfully, "And the festival runs until the 
end of the week, so if Nezumi and Wraith don't turn up anything I 
wouldn't mind staying a few more days. I can call Bob first thing 
tomorrow and tell him I'm taking some time off."

"You're spoiling me again," sighed Misty, smiling in amusement as 
she realized that she actually caught most of what Nezumi had 
muttered, and blushing as she partially agreed with the rattata's 
sentiment.

"I like to think of that as my second job," her lover replied 
glancing out the window at her floating pokemon, smiling 
reassuringly before nodding for them to leave, "Heck, it even pays 
better."

Misty laughed turning in time to see Wraith and Nezumi wave 
goodbye before the haunter faded to invisibility and wove a simple 
illusion around the rattata to make him vanish as well.

"They're off to check out 'Ces Batards De L'autre Cote De La Rue', 
aren't they?"

Miranda nodded, noticing that the illusionary candles had already 
began to fade. "Yeah, I know," she said warily, glancing out the 
window at the still, quiet night, "It's a bit cliche, but I trust 
their abilities. Nezumi is stealthy, and good at finding things. 
And Wraith can make them both invisible, check any computer 
records they might have, as well as being able to show us exactly 
what they found with his illusions."

"You think they'll really find anything?" asked Misty, leaning 
against Miranda, enjoying the feel her dress against her skin.

Miranda shrugged. "I'll admit it's a long shot," she agreed, 
kissing Misty lightly, "but I'd rather be sure about this before I 
ask my Uncle to raid place looking for her. Besides, I still think 
that alakazam looked a bit familiar. It could have been the one 
we-"

"No more," said Misty, interrupting her with a finger pressed 
against Miranda's lips, a stern tone, and a serious look that 
softened as the candles faded further, "Once again we have the gym 
to ourselves, and this time we have a nice big, brand new bed to 
break-in. Not to mention the fact that I'm so wound up I could 
explode at any moment, and the fact that I can tell being hit on 
all night by three lovely ladies did more for you than your 
letting on."

Miranda blushed, looking embarrassed for a moment as she reached 
up and took her glasses off, setting them carefully on the 
nightstand. "Four, actually," she corrected in an amused tone, 
causing Misty to give her a curious look. "But one was so 
beautiful that it was painful to look upon her."

"Really?" inquired Misty, unable to keep a smile from forming, 
"And which one would that be?"

"Oh, you!" Miranda exclaimed, grabbing hold of her lover and 
throwing herself onto the bed as they both laughed.

"But you're right," she agreed after rolling onto her back and 
letting Misty lie atop her, "This is no time for talk of vile 
villainy, or all consuming vengeance, or even the bitter sting of 
sibling rivalry. For how could I sit down to dinner with one who 
caused my heart to ache so badly and not want to hold her? How 
could I ignore someone so wonderful? How could I think of anything 
else in the entire world other than how to make her take me home 
and let her take advantage of me?"

Misty, whose eyes had sparkled with intensity right up until the 
end, wound up laughing at the last comment. "Point taken," she 
replied, kissing Miranda softly and running her fingers through 
her lover's hair. "You know," she commented as Miranda lifted her 
head up to allow her hair to be fanned out across the turned back 
covers, "It's really not that bad."

"My hair?" inquired Miranda, looking up to where a bit of her 
bangs still stubbornly tried to obscure her eyes.

Misty nodded, brushing the dark locks off her lover's forehead. 
"It may be a bit unmanageable, and it seems to have a mind of its 
own, but your hair is still beautiful in its own way," Misty 
paused, leaning her elbow on the bed as she combed Miranda's dark 
locks with her fingers, "It tangles a bit, but its soft and 
silky..."

"You sound envious," Miranda commented, searching her lover's 
eyes. Noting to herself that Misty's hair didn't quite reach her 
shoulders even with it worn undone as it was now. Yet her lover's 
orangish locks, thinner and more manageable that her own, still 
gave Misty a certain tomboyish look that stirred something inside 
her. 

Misty shrugged, sliding off of her to stand in the silvery 
moonlight that was now the cluttered room's only light source. "I 
suppose in my need to be the opposite of my siblings, I neglected 
my own femininity to a degree," she commented as Miranda sat up 
and held out her arms.

"Hardly," the courier assured as Misty glided forward into her 
embrace, "I'll bet no one in your family even thinks twice about 
you in that dress. But if I went home in this get up, the whole 
town would be like 'Oh my goodness! You mean Miranda's a girl!?'"

Misty laughed, returning the embrace and once more taking handfuls 
of Miranda's hair, this time bunching it up, exposing her lover's 
neck and shoulders before tilting the woman's head to one side. "I 
know," she whispered quietly, trying not to let her musings break 
the mood and kissing her way up Miranda's neck.

"And, and your hair," Miranda breathed, feeling her pulse race as 
Misty gently nibbled her ear in just the right way, "don't- don't 
worry about it."

"Think I should let it grow out?" Misty inquired in a whisper, 
letting Miranda's midnight locks fall to one side as her hands 
reached back to slowly unzip her lover's dress.

"I- I really can't make that decision for you, dearest," Miranda 
sighed, letting her arms fall to her sides, smiling contentedly as 
Misty's nimble fingers slowly undressed her, "Especially since the 
way that you wear it makes that lovely neck of yours so 
vulnerable-"

"No, no," teased Misty with a laugh, playfully pushing back 
against Miranda's shoulders as the woman came forward to kiss her, 
"I still need to repay you for the other night. This time, you're 
not getting away without letting me please you."

Miranda smiled in the twilight, laughing as she obediently fell 
backwards onto the bed, her arms splayed to either side, her dress 
still half undone. "Please be gentle," she replied coyly, making 
Misty laugh as she fell forward, laughing as she kissed every inch 
of her lover's neck and chin before finding her lips.

"Somehow," mused Misty, her elbows on either side of Miranda, 
supporting herself, "I can't see you like that."

"Oh? What do you mean?" Miranda inquired, her tone becoming a 
little more serious.

Misty looked thoughtful for a moment, searching for the right 
words as Miranda put her hands behind her head, looking up at her 
lover in bemused adoration. "I, I suppose I just have trouble 
seeing you as... As inexperienced," she said tactfully after a 
time, "I just can't see you not knowing what to do. I just have 
difficulty seeing you in that roll, 'tis all."

"As I've said," assured Miranda, reaching up to touch Misty's face 
fondly, "I've had two more experienced 'instructors' in my time. 
But they both failed to teach me the one thing I've only just 
learned with you."

"And that would be?" said Misty softly, her voice sounding so 
vulnerable that Miranda tensed, feeling the need to wrap her arms 
around the girl and tell her that all was well.

"You... You taught me what it's like to love someone, and be loved 
in return," she managed, finding it hard to speak as her heart 
leapt in her chest, "No one else has ever given me that gift. But 
really, I don't want to think about them. Only you. You're the 
only one that matters to me."

"Three times lucky, then?" asked Misty rhetorically, her moment of 
insecurity vanishing as she laid her head down upon Miranda's 
chest, smiling as her lover's fingers brushed her hair back.

"Luck isn't a strong enough word."

Misty smiled, suppressing a small, happy laugh, only to have the 
moment stolen by a suddenly loud -thump!- from somewhere 
downstairs. "They're home," she said idly, closing her eyes and 
trying to block out the noise her sisters made as they argued 
about who forgot to set the alarm.

"I know," sighed Miranda wearily, staring at the ceiling as her 
fingers wove their way idly through her lover's hair and listening 
to the loud stomping sound as three people came up the stairs to 
the living area outside.

"Any chance they'll just go to bed?" inquired Miranda, wincing at 
the sound of a slamming door and realizing that Lily had had far 
too much to drink as she argued with Violet about something their 
waiter had said.

"I hope so," commented Misty sitting up and reluctantly leaving 
the safety of Miranda's arms, "This is one of the reasons I left-" 
They both gave a sudden shiver as something glass hit a floor 
somewhere and shattered, followed by the sound Lily's laughter and 
Daisy's pleas for her to just go to bed. "Sometimes it amazes me," 
continued Misty, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed as 
Miranda sat up as well, "How everyone thinks they're so perfect. 
That they never do anything wrong, and never act 'unladylike,' 
when really my sisters are totally different people when they're 
alone."

"Most people are different when they're not in public," Miranda 
replied, her arms sliding around Misty's waist, her chin upon her 
lover's shoulder as they both stared out the seemingly distant 
window.

"I know," she sighed, covering Miranda's arms with her own and 
giving in to the warm, contented feeling her lover's touch often 
brought, "I just wish people in this town didn't idolize them so 
much. As you said, Miri, they're not all that 'sensational'."

"Is that a hint of envy I hear creeping into your voice, love?" 
teased Miranda, her tone bringing a smile to Misty's lips.

"Perhaps a little," she confessed, leaning her head back against 
Miranda's shoulder, "I'm part of this family too, but most people 
don't even know that there is a fourth sister. Which is my own 
fault I suppose, but it would be nice to be recognized once in a 
while."

"You were certainly recognized outside the restaurant tonight," 
Miranda commented as their fingers intertwined and Misty moved her 
head forward again to listen to the sudden quiet from outside her 
small bedroom.

"Yes, that was kinda fun," she admitted with a smile, watching the 
light under the door suddenly go out, "But being recognized by 
some tabloid reporter hardly counts. Infact I think your Uncle put 
her up to it."

Miranda gave a false shocked look, and stammered as Misty laughed. 
"Come on, admit it," the girl teased, poking Miranda playfully in 
the ribs, "You try to make my happy so much sometimes it's almost 
like a conspiracy!"

Miranda shook her head in dismay, chuckling at the thought. "You 
certainly didn't complain about 'this' conspiracy," she commented, 
bouncing lightly on the new bed, which refused to make a sound in 
response.

"Well..." said Misty with a touch of worry in her tone, "I would 
prefer it if you didn't spend every last credit in your account on 
me. You needn't try to buy my love."

"It's no big deal," Miranda replied with a shrug, "Although I hope 
that such a thing isn't possible."

"Buying my love? Never. I'm not any of my sisters."

"And they're not you."

"Good thing too!" laughed Misty, not caring if she kept her 
siblings up, "'Cause then I'd have some real competition!"

Miranda grinned before giving Misty a puzzled look as the girl got 
to her feet and searched around in the darkness for a few moments 
before finding where their pack backs had been moved. "Here we 
go," she muttered mostly to herself as she quickly unpacked a few 
old clothes in her search.

"Candle?" her lover inquired as Misty stood up and lit a match, 
lighting the simple white candlestick she'd found before searching 
her now cluttered dresser for a place to put it.

"Yes," Misty said simply, sliding over a small picture of her 
parents before carefully setting the candle down and searching for 
something better to put it on.

Miranda gave a quiet chuckle, leaning back on her hands, and 
crossing her legs as she watched Misty move uncertainly about the 
room. She supposed it wasn't the best idea in the whole world to 
ask Zack to use Sparkles to teleport in a new bed for Misty. 
Especially considering the newly formed clutter the arrangement 
had caused, but it seemed likely that privacy had been an 
unaffordable luxury with her sisters about. And judging by the 
slight smile she saw upon Misty's lips as she moved about in the 
flickering candlelight, finally finding a candleholder in the top 
drawer, Miranda didn't think that it was worth bringing up.

Finally, once she'd made certain that the candle wasn't going to 
burn down the whole gym, Misty stepped into a relatively clear 
spot in the middle of the room, and held her hands out to Miranda. 
A somewhat shy smile crossing her lips as her eyes reflected her 
lover's curious gaze.

"I wanted to see you," she explained as Miranda got to her feet 
and stepped forward into Misty's embrace.

"Now who's plotting?" chuckled the courier as they held each 
other, their lips moving closer as they spoke.

"I just wanted to end this evening right," Misty explained, 
tilting her head slightly, brushing her lips over Miranda's 
teasingly before pulling back.

"How so?" the courier inquired coyly, standing a little straighter 
and trying to suppress a smile.

"By making love with you," Misty replied, feeling sudden warmth in 
her cheeks, but not caring if Miranda saw her blush.

"You know," warned Miranda with mock hesitation as she leaned 
back, glancing at the all too thin walls, "They WILL hear us."

"Let them," Misty's determined tone broaching no argument. "I want 
them to know just how much we love each other."

"I see," said Miranda thoughtfully as Misty took a step back, her 
fingers running down the sleeves of Miranda's dress until she 
found her lover's hands.

"Let them hear it!" continued Misty, an unmistakably mischievous 
grin forming as she spoke before throwing her head back and 
shouting out for all to hear, "Oh! Oh my dearest, Miri! Yes! Oh 
goodness yes!"

"Don't!" hissed Miranda, trying not to laugh as her hand sought to 
cover Misty's mouth.

"Oh! Oh yes! Right there!" shouted Misty in a passionate tone, 
suppressing her laughter as she stepped away, her eyes full of 
amusement as they both circumnavigated the floor bound clutter 
with Misty always staying out of Miranda's reach, "Yes, my love! 
That's it! Ooh, you're sooo much better than Gary!"

"Careful!" exclaimed Miranda lunging as Misty fell backwards into 
an old chair where a handful old stuffed animals that had once 
belonged to her siblings sat in a pile.

"No worries," replied Misty breathlessly as Miranda all but fell 
upon her, with arms that embraced her protectively.

Miranda sighed, shaking her head in mock dismay. "Okay, I 
concede," she said with amusement, "Just two small problems."

Misty gave a concerned look, running her fingers down the side of 
Miranda's face affectionately as she asked in a concerned whisper, 
"What is, my love?"

"Well," commented Miranda, thinking her thoughts through before 
speaking them, "What if 'they' come back-?"

"Don't be silly," interrupted Misty with a teasing chuckle, 
placing a finger over Miranda's lips to silence her, "Your boys 
know better than to annoy both of us at once. And besides, if 
they're bringing us bad news, I'd rather wait until morning to 
hear it. This evening's going fairly well, all things considered, 
and I don't want anything else spoiling it."

Miranda nodded slowly, glancing to one side and looking pensive as 
she formulated just the right words to use. "Okay," she replied as 
Misty gave her an amused look, "just one more thing. There's 
something I've been meaning to ask since earlier this evening, and 
it's kinda embarrassing but..."

"Just say it, my dearest Miri," Misty assured, taking a moment to 
dislodge a plushy starmie that had been threatening her with life-
long lower back problems, before tossing it across the room.

As her eyes met her Misty's, Miranda blushed. "I- I have NO idea 
how to get out of this thing," she admitted helplessly as she 
tugged at the front of her dress, and causing Misty to burst out 
laughing once more.

"Oh you!" the girl teased, reaching around to slide Miranda's arms 
free of the garment, "And here I thought I was a tomboy."

Miranda smiled, quietly chuckling as she struggled to her feet 
before sliding carefully out of the garment, pushing it down her 
body in an unhurried fashion. "Oh, it's not that," she replied, 
her voice sounding thoughtfully seductive in the near darkness, 
"It's just that I haven't had much practice with these things. 
See? I need your help yet again."

Misty leaned back in her seat, idly thrumming her fingernails 
against the arms of her chair as she looked up at her now half 
naked lover. Miranda had managed to slide the dress down to her 
waist, but had stopped just above her hips, and now stood with her 
hands held out towards Misty. A look of mock helplessness crossing 
her face as her lover finally gave in, reaching out her hands in 
return.

Miranda's fingers slid across Misty's before taking a firm hold of 
her lover's wrists and bringing her slightly shorter lover to her 
feet. "Now, where about's are you stuck again?" Misty inquired, 
her arms going about Miranda's waist as she teasingly kissed her 
lover.

"Oh, right about here. Just let me show you," Miranda replied, her 
fingers moving up Misty's back before unfastening her dress at the 
back and slowly bringing the short, well concealed zipper down.

Misty watched intently as Miranda's hands moved to her shoulders, 
taking gentle hold of them before sliding the straps of the 
Misty's sleeveless dress off her shoulders and slowly pulling the 
dress down.
 
"Careful, dear," Misty warned as it bunched up and Miranda a bit 
in the front had to wait for Misty to adjust it on her own.

"See," said Miranda with a wary sigh, her forearms placed lazily 
upon her lover's shoulders as Misty somehow slipped free of the 
shoulder straps, "You're much better at this than I am."

"Well then I still have things to teach you then, now don't I?" 
Misty commented in reply, her hands moving to rest upon Miranda's 
hips as the woman stepped carefully backwards, away from the 
cluttered chair.

"And perhaps I you," her lover agreed as they reached a clear spot 
on the floor, both of them swaying gently as if to quiet music 
that only they could hear.

"Perhaps," agreed Misty slyly, pausing in her movements as her 
hands moved to bring Miranda's dress down further.

"Taking advantage of me again?" Miranda teased.

"Hey, if you can't undress yourself, then I'll just have to do it 
for you," chided Misty in a silly tone, laughing as Miranda made 
an exaggerated show of finally stepping out of her dress and 
stretching her limbs.

"Ah, that's better!" she whispered loudly, leaning back and 
running her fingers through her hair several times to let it fall 
more freely, "Freedom at last-! Ow-!"

Miranda grimaced as her fingers caught several of her more 
perseverant tangles before simply giving up and turning her 
attention back to Misty who smiled approvingly as Miranda went 
about undressing her as well. 

Misty's dress was a bit more complicated than Miranda's, but the 
courier found that it slid off easily as she simply held her 
hand's flat against Misty's hips and moved them downwards. The 
thin, silky feeling material was a poor substitute for the soft 
feel of Misty's skin beneath her fingers, but Miranda could still 
feel the firmness of her leg muscles through the fabric and 
caressed the gentle rises lovingly as she descended.

Her lover made a small quiet exclamation as she stood in her 
undergarments, the beautifully crafted gown, a silvery-gray mass 
pooled at her feet. "Something wrong?" whispered Miranda half 
teasingly as her hands slid up and down the backs of Misty's legs, 
never growing tired of the feel of her taught muscles.

Misty shook her head, whispering a soft negative reply as her 
fingers entwined through Miranda's hair, effectively trapping her 
as the feel of Misty's nails across her scalp sent chills through 
Miranda. 

"Is there something you'd like then?" she inquired, her voice so 
soft that the sounds of crickets outside and the distant sound of 
the gym's enormous fish tank switching on its heater nearly 
drowned out the sound.

Misty's reply was a gentle, embarrassed laugh. "Just a place to 
sit down first of all," she said, gasping and curling her fingers 
as Miranda kissed her just above the knee before following the 
gesture up with a second kiss slightly higher, "Cause you know I 
can't stand when you do that..."

Miranda chuckled. "I know," she said simply, her hands running up 
the backs of Misty's legs, squeezing them in gentle appraisal as 
the tip of her tongue ran up her inner thigh before coming back 
down the other.

"Oh you..." Misty breathed, leaning forwards as her fingers pulled 
gently at Miranda's hair, urging her on. 

Miranda paused only to chuckle teasingly, actually enjoying the 
gentle tug of Misty's fingers pulling unconsciously at her hair as 
her lover leaned forward for support and bent her quaking knees. 
Then, taking advantage of the new position, Miranda began to 
stand, teasingly running the tip of her tongue up across one of 
Misty's breasts. 

Her lover gasped at the unexpected sensation, for a moment cursing 
the fabric that separated her from Miranda's touch. "Please," she 
whispered, feeling Miranda's hands slowly caressing ever higher, 
yet suddenly wishing for little more than the feel of the 
courier's hands upon her breasts, the wonderful sensation of her 
nipples being squeezed between Miranda's nimble fingers as their 
lips touched once again.

"Don't be so shy," came Miranda's breathy whisper, as she 
teasingly kissing the exposed skin just above Misty's bra, "Just 
tell me what you want..."

Misty blushed, hating the feeling of embarrassment that flooded 
her at the thought of simply blurting out her desires. "You- you 
know what I like, Miri," she stammered, her breathing unsteady as 
Miranda kissed her way higher.

"But I don't want to miss anything, my love." Misty let her head 
fall back as Miranda's kisses became gentle nibbles along her 
neck.

"It- it's embarrassing," she confessed, moving her head to once 
side and gasping as Miranda's teeth moved playfully across her 
ear.

"I understand," assured Miranda, her quietly whispered voice full 
of love, as Misty suddenly realized she was in danger of tearing 
the woman's hair out, "It's alright. You don't have to do anything 
you don't want to."

"I know," Misty sighed, letting go of her hair and leaning against 
Miranda as they both stood and just held each other, "And that 
goes for you too."

Miranda suppressed a bit of a laugh. "I can't imagine you asking 
me to do something I wouldn't want to do," she replied, holding 
Misty ever closer, "But then, I can't imagine there being 
something I wouldn't do for you."

"I..." stammered Misty, her voice suddenly sounding sad as she 
clung more tightly to her lover, "Sometimes I can't believe 
there's someone in the world who loves me this much."

Miranda hugged her back, feeling suddenly guilty as she felt 
Misty's tears upon her shoulder. "Misty, I-" she began, only to be 
interrupted by her lover's quiet, musical laughter.

"No, Miri," she said sincerely, shaking her head and moving to 
face Miranda, "I'm not sad. I'm happy. More happy then I've ever 
been at home in a long time."

Miranda searched Misty's sea green eyes for a moment, trying to 
understand the small number of tears that filled them as they 
moved to sit down upon the thinly carpeted floor, surrounded by 
nearly two decades of hand-me-down's that Zack and Sparkles had 
hastily rearranged to make room for the new bed.

"Misty," she said carefully, sifting through her words carefully 
before speaking them, "This may seem selfish, but I hope you can 
return that favor."

"I will," Misty promised, her eyes gleaming with a sudden 
intensity, "I know you go back home once a year on Halloween, and 
I want this year to be no different. But when we go there, I want 
to take away all the bad memories that that place holds for you. 
Just like you're doing for me here. I want that place to be a home 
for you again, dearest. Because I don't know if this place will 
ever be a home to me again, even with your intervention."

Miranda smiled sadly. "Anywhere is home when I'm with you, Misty," 
her sincere words were followed up my a slow, lingering kiss 
before the two resumed holding each other until the cool breeze 
from the open window began to get the better of them.

"I should close that," Misty commented, glancing at the billowing 
curtains in annoyance.

"That's probably a good idea," Miranda replied, not yet 
relinquishing her lover as she glanced over at the new bed that 
they hadn't so much as slept in yet. "You know," she added 
thoughtfully, "It seems odd that after all the trouble I went 
through to get you that bed, that we're sitting here on the 
floor."

Misty snickered, trying not to laugh but not succeeding. "You're 
right," she giggled, reluctantly pulling away from Miranda and 
finding her feet again, "I'll meet you there."

Miranda nodded, watching Misty's suddenly blurred silhouette as 
she headed for the open window. "You're beautiful, you know," 
Miranda commented from the floor.

Misty paused, standing before the window and feeling suddenly warm 
despite the cool breeze her body was in full contact with. "It's 
funny," she replied, resting her hands on the windowsill and 
looking down at the empty street below, "So few people in my life 
have ever said that to me. And for a while there, I was beginning 
to question their honesty. But since you've started saying that, 
I've begun believing it's true again. I suppose that's something 
else I owe you."

"You'd be beautiful even without me, dearest," Miranda commented, 
her chin resting on her hands as she sat cross-legged, seeing only 
a dark blur at this distance.

"No, silly," Misty laughed, inhaling the scent of the water off 
the lake, "What I mean to say is, is that since I've met you, 
you've been giving me back my self-esteem. I know I tease you, and 
say you're making me conceited, but do I appreciate it."

"Just remember that what I say is true," Miranda added in a 
serious tone as she got up and shuffled backwards towards the bed, 
"I don't give away my compliments easily. Just ask my mom some 
time. Before I met you, I seemed to have a bad habit of not giving 
the ones I loved the encouragement they deserved. So I suppose in 
that way we're even."

Misty yanked down hard on the window, and quickly covered her 
mouth to drown out her sudden exclamation as the window slammed 
noisily shut. "Ooops!" came her muffled voice as she turned to 
around and listened carefully for a moment, half expecting some 
kind of banging on the wall when the noise woke up at least one of 
her sisters. To Misty's surprise, however, no such sound came, and 
she was able to return her attention to Miranda.

"You know," she said thoughtfully, making her way carefully 
towards the bed, "It's odd, but this is the first time that I 
haven't felt like a stranger here in longer than I care to 
remember."

"That's because you're your own person now," Miranda replied, 
having at last found the bed, "You're here because 'you' want to 
be, not because you have to be. And you're not taking anymore crap 
from your siblings."

"Will I be able to return the favor, dearest?" came Misty's quiet 
tone as she glided through the darkness, a familiar shadow in an 
unfamiliar place.

"What do you mean?"

Misty was upon Miranda before she realized it, the courier's depth 
perception not being as accurate as it usually was, but the hands 
suddenly grasping her own were welcome ones. 

"Every year you visit Lavender," her lover explained, crouching 
down and moving closer until Miranda could feel Misty's breath 
upon her lips, "And every year you hide behind your job, and you 
say 'oh, it's just because Wraith likes it here.' It hurts you to 
spend time there, and it hurts you to spend time with your mom. 
Doesn't it?"

Miranda nodded slowly, looking past Misty, lost in her own 
thoughts. "Well, it used to hurt me to be here," she continued, 
"But now it doesn't. Now I don't care what my sisters have done to 
our parent's dreams. Now I don't care what they think of me, 
because I have you. You've giving me the strength to move on. Now 
I want I want to do that for you, Miri."

Their eyes met, and Miranda felt herself smile. "I must admit, my 
dear. You've set a good example for me."

Misty nodded and sat next to Miranda, her arm going about her 
lover's shoulders protectively. "Well, I just hope that your mom 
can get used to seeing you happy for once when we get there," she 
said in an amused tone, "Assuming she approves of me."

"And if she doesn't, I'll be too happy to care," Miranda promised, 
giving her beloved a small kiss to seal it, "But you're right. 
Lavender holds a lot of bad memories, but a lot of good ones as 
well. Just like I'm sure this place holds a few fond moments for 
you."

"Well, maybe one or two," admitted Misty thoughtfully before 
giving Miranda a knowing look, "But one in particular comes to 
mind."

"And which one would that be?"

"The one we're having right now." 

Miranda smiled, biting her lip as she saw the mischief brewing in 
her lover's eyes and quickly suppressed the urged to rush things. 
"Searching for perfect moments, are we?" she inquired coyly, 
suddenly very aware of Misty's nearly naked body pressed against 
her own and how easy it would be to ignore her own inhibitions. 
But Miranda sensed Misty's intentions, noting the slight 
disappointment in her lover's tone.

"Something like that," Misty replied with a dismissive wave her 
hand, "unless you'd rather just talk about our mutually depressing 
pasts until Nezumi and Wraith get back..."

"I'd rather look ahead-" Miranda began, suddenly gasping in 
surprise as she felt her bra come undone.

"I'd rather live for the moment."

Miranda sighed contentedly, her eyes sliding closed, her body 
feeling as though it were melting pleasantly as Misty leaned 
forward, kissing her until they had both fallen back onto the soft 
mattress. 

"A perfect one?" Miranda teased, laughing a little and arching her 
back as Misty kissed her way hungrily down the courier's neck, 
occasionally giving her a playful nibble.

"I'm sure we'll find one of those before too long," Misty promise, 
as she rolled off Miranda so that they could realign themselves 
properly upon the bed that seemed enormous in her small, cramped 
room.

"So, how will we know when we find it?" whispered Miranda, 
propping her head up upon the new pillows, watching as Misty 
crawled up the length her body with eyes that gleamed with an 
almost predatory hunger before bringing up her knees and sitting 
upon them where Miranda's legs had obligingly parted.

"I'll show you," Misty purred as she teased Miranda with gentle 
kisses before pushing aside her lover's bra with her nose and 
laying a second gentle kiss on the exposed skin she found.

Miranda smiled, stretching out her limbs and letting the 
contentment spread through her. "I love you," she whispered 
quietly and inwardly made note of the fact that her lover's 
shyness was abating at a steady pace.

For a single selfish second, Miranda questioned herself whether or 
not that was a good thing. But as Miranda felt Misty's light touch 
upon her breasts as her lover's tongue gently caressed her nipples 
to full hardness, she knew that it was. 

'Silly me,' Miranda chided herself, her finger's going through 
Misty's hair gently holding her head in place as Miranda's legs 
moved to hold her as well, 'I'd forgotten the thrill of an 
aggressive lover...'

Misty laughed lightly as Miranda gave in to her touch, squirming 
slowly beneath her, catching her breath at every kiss, and biting 
her lip to keep from calling out every time Misty's teeth 
teasingly nibbled at her skin. But even if Miranda had given no 
outward sign as to her condition, her body would have told the 
whole story.  

As Misty continued the slow path of her tongue across Miranda's 
breasts, her hand slid its way farther down, causing the courier's 
fingers in her hair to clench for a half a second before letting 
go.

"S-sorry!" Miranda stammered, her voice going up an octave and 
making Misty laugh as she tried to suckle her lover's breast.

"I'm tougher than that, dear," assured Misty, testing Miranda's 
level of excitement by casually brushing the backs of her fingers 
across Miranda's womanhood through the comfortable fitting panties 
that her lover still wore, and smiling at the warmth she found.

"Almost there," she teased as Miranda shivered at the sensation, 
and finding a strange feeling of satisfaction spreading through 
her as she realized that Miranda was blushing.

"Something wrong, Miri?" Misty teased, bringing her hand back 
before sliding across Miranda's cheek and holding it there as she 
leaned down to kiss her.

"It's nothing, my love," assured Miranda with an amused smile, her 
stormy gray eyes gleaming with some small, withheld secret.

"Am I embarrassing you?" Misty inquired, smiling and arching her 
back as the tips of Miranda's fingers traced parallel lines down 
either side of her spine.

"No, not at all," her lover lied so blatantly that they both had 
to laugh, "But it's okay. I need to be reminded how to blush now 
and then."

"That's true," agreed Misty, giving Miranda a long slow kiss 
before shuffling backwards, maintaining eye contact the whole way, 
"But I can think of better ways to give you that flushed 
appearance."

Miranda didn't respond. Instead, she looked on expectantly as 
Misty crawled backwards on her hands and knees a short distance 
before smiling mischievously and dropping her head down.

For a moment a moment a part of Miranda's mind thought it amusing 
that her lover's bottom still remained in the air, an almost 
blatantly teasing gesture, before having the thought completely 
derailed.

'Oh both curse and bless you, my love!' she laughed inwardly, 
feeling Misty's fingers move along her legs as gentle kisses 
caressed her inner thighs. 'She wants me to loose control,' 
Miranda mused, arching her back and gripping the blankets beneath 
her with both hands, 'Then let her try!'

Miranda's legs bent at the knees at Misty's coaxing, soon resting 
upon her shoulders as her tongue traced a path up one inner thigh 
and then the other; both times stopping just before reaching 
Miranda's womanhood. 

All the while, her now free hands reached out blindly until they 
found Miranda's. Almost instantly their fingers entwined, and 
Misty found herself having to match the suddenly firm grip 
Miranda's fingers gave. 'Sensitive spot, I guess,' she chuckled to 
herself as her tongue made a sharp turn, moving upwards just 
before touching Miranda's undergarments.

"Oh-! You-!" came Miranda's halting tone as she seemed to be torn 
between quietly panting and trying not scream.

"Hey," replied Misty in an innocently teasing tone, "You like my 
legs so much, I thought I'd return the favor."

Miranda let out a bit of a laugh, throwing her head back and 
moaning quietly at the thought, only half noticing as Misty's 
fingers slipped away, her hands cupping the courier's breasts. 

"No fair-" Miranda giggled, feeling her resolve failing as her 
hands covered Misty's showing her lover just how to fondle the 
firm softness of her own bosom.

Although she needed no instruction, Misty sighed contentedly, 
enjoying the feeling of Miranda's strong fingers atop her own, 
guiding her movements. For a moment, she merely waited, sliding 
into a more comfortable position and barely noticing as her legs 
dangled off the end of the bed. 

Without need for prompting, Miranda pushed at Misty's fingers, 
coaxing her lover to squeeze her gently before pushing Misty's 
fingers together to squeeze her nipples.

"Right there?" her lover inquired, smiling coyly as Miranda opened 
her eyes and smiled.

"You're much to gentle," Miranda assured her, pushing Misty's 
fingers closer together, only to find her lover noncompliant, a 
mischievous smile crossing the water-trainer's face.

"Is there something you want?" teased Misty, her heart pounding so 
loudly in her chest that she could hear her pulse racing in her 
ears. 

Miranda gave her an amused, yet flustered look before letting out 
a slow chuckle and dropping her head back against the pillow. 
"Well?" came Misty's insistent inquiry, causing Miranda to almost 
taste the irony in the air, "Is there something you'd like, my 
love?"

"Yes!" the woman exclaimed in a harsh whisper, sitting up so 
quickly, with such an intense look of need upon her face that 
Misty could only laugh, "Squeeze them harder-" as she spoke, 
Miranda pushed her lover's fingers closer together, "And while 
you're at it, I don't care if you have to tear my underwear off, 
just please stop teasing me!"

Misty laughed, more than willingly dropping her head back down as 
her fingers tightened about Miranda's captured nipples, causing 
her lover to let out sudden sound that seemed to cross a grunt 
with a gasp, the courier's body shuddering for a moment before 
relaxing.

It wasn't long before Misty realized why. Even in the dim, silvery 
moonlight that her eyes had barely become accustomed to, Misty's 
could easily make out the not so subtle changes in Miranda's 
expression. Experimentally, she drew her tongue across Miranda's 
labia, still protected by the thin, comfortable cotton panties she 
wore.

'Thought so,' she mused, both feeling and tasting the dampness 
upon her tongue before teasingly poking at Miranda through the 
garment, causing the courier to squirm a bit, her fingers suddenly 
coiling through Misty's hair.

She felt a familiar shiver run through her in response to 
Miranda's gesture, a wondrous feeling of suddenly being very much 
in control. Of knowing that every gasp, every moan that issued 
from her lover's lips was her doing. That the hardening of 
Miranda's nipples, the flushed expression upon her face and the 
growing moisture inside her was both because of, and for Misty. It 
was an invitation of sorts, and a declaration of Miranda's desire 
to do the same for her.

'This is just for me,' Misty mused hungrily, yanking down 
Miranda's undergarment so quickly that her lover expected an 
immediate follow up, but Misty chuckled to herself, smiling at 
Miranda's soft, almost pained exclamation as her tongue touched 
her softly in comparison to the abrupt disrobing.

"You, you, you..." Miranda murmured happily as she let go of Misty 
to reach out and grip the edges of the mattress.

"Hmm?" her lover inquired coyly, not pausing from the slow trail 
she was tracing with her tongue, exploring every curve, every 
angle, every dip she encountered.

Miranda let out a small laugh, and Misty felt the tension in her 
body relax somewhat. "That's- that's not fair," the courier 
panted, leaning up on her elbows and smiling down at her lover who 
seemed more than content to take her time.

"Something wrong dear?" Misty inquired, pausing only to brush her 
sweaty bangs out of her eyes before repeatedly running her tongue 
along the length of Miranda's womanhood, each time stopping just 
before hitting her clit.

The courier shook her head in dismay, falling back laughing as her 
body let out an inadvertent shiver that had nothing to do with 
being cold. A moment later, Miranda's thoughts all became fleeting 
as all her concentration became taken up by the sensations that 
suddenly flooded her, and the peculiar ache she felt whenever 
Misty's tongue came closer to her clit, only to withdraw.

'Th- there-!' she wanted to scream, feeling the ache almost 
becoming a burning feeling as Misty's tongue arched around it, as 
she experimented with new ways to just barely avoid the area. But 
every time Miranda opened her mouth to try to speak, all she heard 
was her own gasps turning into something incomprehensible, 
something spoken so loudly, that she was certain her lover's 
siblings would awaken at the sound of.

'Not again!' Miranda laughed to herself, for a moment recalling 
Violet walking in on her. 'How long had she been outside that thin 
door?' the woman mused for a moment, getting a odd thrill from the 
thought, even though the sensation was now lost, mixed in with 
everything else.

Miranda soon became dimly aware of a change. The feeling, the 
constant lapping and teasing of her womanhood had changed somehow. 
With effort, she calmed herself down enough to open her eyes.  

Both of Misty's hands were now upon her breasts, as her lover's 
tongue had finally slid so far between her labia so that Misty's 
lips were now pressed against them, suckling gently.

Miranda bent her legs at the knees, shuffling downwards in a 
futile attempt to have more of Misty's tongue inside her. Already, 
her lover was making several gentle motions that would tease 
Miranda to the brink had she not already been there, and for a 
moment Miranda wished for something more. Something to fill her, 
to take care of her aching need so that she could hold Misty 
tight, kissing her, desperately in the vain hope of expressing the 
depth of her love, nearly trying to become one with her lover as 
the orgasm crashed through her.

For a moment, the need sparked a memory of a previous lover. Had 
Miranda been more in control of her thoughts, she would have 
laughed and chastised herself for not recalling the woman's name, 
but in her present state, it didn't matter. All she could recall 
was the woman's soft dark blue hair falling about her, cutting 
them both off from reality. Her lips pressing against Miranda's, 
laughing at the expression upon her face as somewhere, something, 
someone else was-

"Miranda!" came Misty's voice, her whispered tone sounding out of 
breath, but full of mischief. The sound of it was more than enough 
to break Miranda's concentration, to end her reverie, although 
Miranda was quite certain that Misty could have whispered 
"lamppost" and it would have gotten her attention.

"Yes?" she replied, feeling a little guilty, but as she watched, 
Miranda's mind lost the thought, her eyes going wide in 
anticipation.

Misty gave her lover a wide smile before glancing down at 
Miranda's womanhood almost appraisingly. She then glanced up to 
catch the courier's expression. Miranda's eyes were wide, 
unblinking orbs of beautiful gray and Misty made a special note 
not to blink as she leaned down, moving in closer.

Even though her nearsightedness often made things a bit blurry 
around the edges, even at this distance, Miranda's vision felt 
strangely clear. As though her mind were filling in all the 
blanks. Even her hearing became more acute in that second, that 
seemed to last almost forever. She could faintly hear the sound of 
the giant fish tank's air filter bubbling, the quiet sounds of 
night creatures going about their business outside the window and 
even the quiet noise of one of Misty's sisters stirring in her 
sleep.

But one sound soon blotted out all others. As Miranda then 
realized, sight and sound weren't the only senses seemingly 
heightened by the experience, her sense of touch was as well.

With a quiet giggle, Misty drew the full length of her soft tongue 
across Miranda's clit, barely touching it. But even with so slight 
a contact, Miranda could feel every bump across its surface, every 
slight flex, and every curve of Misty's tongue as it dragged its 
way across her deeply needful clit. 

For the longest of moments, Miranda felt herself want to both 
laugh and cry, but the joyous feeling was overcome by the sudden 
rushing sound in her ears as the full force of the pent-up orgasm 
hit her. The overwhelming feeling of euphoria then blinded Miranda 
to the world around her, deafening her to the sound of her own 
voice for a split second that seemed to last forever.

When at last some semblance of sanity began to seep in around the 
edges, Miranda found herself sitting up, her legs bent and held as 
far apart as possible. Her fingers were full of Misty's hair, and 
her lungs burned for air, making Miranda wonder how long she'd 
screaming out her ecstasy. 

But Misty hadn't stopped. Her tongue still lapped hungrily at 
Miranda's womanhood, dragging her mind back into the sweet 
oblivion of ecstasy. 'Fine then!' Miranda laughed, barely noticing 
the odd sounds she made as her body convulsed around her, 
selfishly not caring that her knees held Misty tightly in place, 
or that her suddenly loud exclamations were probably giving her 
lover's siblings quite an earful.

'Oh, let them listen!' Miranda shouted in her mind, only vaguely 
aware of the almost laughing grunts she seemed to be making in her 
attempt to speak, only dimly conscious of Misty's lips surrounding 
her clit as it was suckled and licked at the same time, 'Serves 
them right! Lets Violet hear what she can never have-!'

Misty pulled back for a moment to catch her breath, caught up in 
the swirl of energy that seemed to have gripped Miranda in 
response to her relentless attention. 

'Wow,' Misty thought inwardly with an appreciative smile, 
experimentally sliding a finger between Miranda's labia and 
feeling the sudden clenching of her internal muscles, 'I never 
knew Miri could get this way-'

But her musing was cut short as Miranda yanked herself away. 
Without wasted movement, the courier somehow got her legs under 
herself and leaned down to kiss Misty.

For a confused moment, Misty wasn't certain what her lover was 
trying to do, but didn't struggle as Miranda's hands slid under 
her arms and tried to pull her up. "Oh, I see," she replied, 
struggling against the sudden numbness in her legs as Miranda 
smothered her with impatient kisses that made her laugh and fall 
backwards.

The relentless onslaught of affection failed to cease, however, as 
Misty fell back laughing. "You okay?" she teased, suddenly finding 
her head balanced precariously over the bottom end of the bed with 
Miranda suddenly looking a bit confused, stuck in mid-kiss.

Her lover's response was a wide smile, a hungry, almost predatory 
gleam in her eye as she took careful hold of Misty's calves and 
slid her back from the brink across the bed to a more comfortable 
position.

"If, if you want me to stop," Miranda panted as she leaned over 
Misty, her long dark hair falling about her in a way that gave the 
courier an almost feral appearance, "P-please... Say it now."

"No," Misty replied with a loving smile, a feeling of serene trust 
filling her as she looked on in amused anticipation, "I want to 
see what you're capable of."

Miranda withdrew her hands for a moment, her fingers clenching as 
she closed her eyes and smiled. "I see," she sighed all to calmly, 
before slowly opening her eyes and lunging forward.

Once again, Misty found herself laughing, finding it a strange 
reaction, but Misty supposed it was just all the laughter she'd 
lost as a child coming back to her. With one quick motion, Miranda 
rolled her over onto her stomach, and slid her fingers along her 
lover's hips, hoisting Misty onto her knees before pulling down 
her undergarments.

"Oh-!" Misty exclaimed, not quite expecting the sudden feeling of 
Miranda's mouth upon her womanhood, suckling hungrily against her.

For her part, Misty was surprised the warm sensation she'd been 
ignoring in herself but now could not. 'I must have been too 
distracted to notice...' she mused, arching her back as Miranda's 
hands slid up her thighs and gave her bottom an appraising 
squeeze, 'Oh well!'

After a moment, though, Miranda's lips pulled away. "G-goodness," 
she panted, her hot breath sending chills down Misty's spin as it 
touched her sensitive skin, "This is too much..."

"In a good way, I hope?" Misty inquired, lowering her head and 
glancing upside down at Miranda, her voice sounding a touch more 
pleading than she'd intended.

"Definitely," assured Miranda with hungry sound as she moved her 
tongue more skillfully now that she was more in control of 
herself.

"Hm, good," her lover sighed, relaxing and closing her eyes as the 
gentle feeling spread through her, only half missing the frantic 
suckling Miranda had exhibited earlier. 'So long as it feels good, 
and so long as its just you, Miri,' she thought wistfully, 'I 
don't care what you do to me right now...'

For a time, Misty simply stood still, finding the unaccustomedly 
vulnerable position curiously enjoyable as Miranda's slow kisses 
moved down her legs and her fingers caressed her. But as she 
gripped the edge of the bed, shuddering as pleasant sensation 
passed fleetingly through her, a thought struggled to the surface.

'What if they walk in?' it said in Misty's voice, but it only made 
her smile. 'So be it!' Misty told herself, chuckling at the 
thought of being walked in on in such a precarious position. On 
her knees, with Miranda behind her, and with her lover's wetness 
still upon her lips. 'Oh ,let them see! Let them know! Let the 
whole freaking world know!' Misty shouted defiantly at the 
thought, finding herself somehow intrigued by the possibility, 
'Let everyone in the whole entire universe know that I love 
Miranda Lydia Lilcamp!'

As she thought the words, Misty's body gave in again. The orgasm 
wasn't mind blowing, but it was enough to make her cry out, and as 
Misty came down, the thoughts she'd had stayed in her mind, 
coalescing into an image that set her upon the path to another...

In her mind, Misty imagined herself and Miranda. Still upon her 
new bed, still with Miranda behind her, still with wonderful 
feeling of not knowing what her lover might do next. Only now, the 
bed was not in Misty's now even more cramped and crowded little 
bedroom. Instead, the large, comfortable, wonderful surprise gift 
that that Miranda had bestowed upon her was set upon the raised 
wooden platform that passed for a stage at the fairgrounds. The 
same stage that Miranda had once stood upon, reciting a poem to 
the crowd, professing her undying love and affection for the woman 
she'd love all her life to the exclusion of all others.

Above them, the warm sun shined down its approval from the 
brilliantly blue sky, as before them, a by far innumerable crowd 
of onlookers stared up at them with rapt fascination. Some stood 
quietly smiling, while others held up lit lighters, and still 
others broke down in tears at the sight of the beautiful, perfect 
love, but all the spectators looked on with the deepest, most 
sincere approval possible.

Misty closed her eyes for a moment, her body shivering as her 
embarrassment caused a wide smile to cross her lips. "Yes," she 
told them, "Watch. Listen. Learn. See how far this so-called 
worthless extra sister has come!"

Misty's thoughts were interrupted for a moment, though, as Miranda 
shuffled onto her back and pulled her body closer. "It's easier 
this way," the courier muttered rather quickly with a slight 
nervous laugh.

"It's okay," Misty assured her, clinging to her fantasy and the 
feelings both it and her lover invoked.

The crowd of onlookers took a half step back as Misty rose to 
stand upon her knees, straddling her lover who continued about her 
task with the greatest of eagerness. For a time Misty tried to 
relax, letting the feelings come in slow waves that spread up 
through her body before subsiding and coming again as all around 
her she felt the imagined cool breeze off the lake, the intense 
warmth of the sun upon her back, and the gazes of a legion of 
fans, all deeply moved by what they were witnessing.

Soon, however, Misty noticed a peculiar tension. A feeling of odd 
confinement that seemed unwelcome in her current situation. She 
opened her eyes and gave the imagined crowd a mysterious grin as 
she glanced down and perceived the problem. Her bra was still on.

"Silly me," she muttered as her mind wove yet another aspect to 
her fantasy.

With a sultry glance at the spectators, Misty moved her hand 
towards the front clasp that held the garment together. 'They all 
want to see,' she mused, sending a strange chill down her spine 
and almost feeling the effect upon her own ego, 'these people 
aren't going to laugh. They aren't going to ridicule. They aren't 
going to shrug and walk away so they can move on to some fake 
looking half-baked bimbo! No. They're going to stay. They'll see 
something they can never have, yet all desperately long for 
something that will haunt their memories for their entire lives!'

With almost painful slowness, both Misty's hands moved to undo the 
small clasp. The gentle 'click' was almost audible as the entire 
crowd held its collective breath, and Misty glanced up at them, 
smiling coyly at their stares of rapt fascination.

"Patience is half a virtue," she told them, slowly sliding the 
garment apart, gradually revealing herself to them as their 
curious expressions became enraptured by the mere thought of 
seeing Misty completely naked. 

As her nipples came into view, though, most of the onlookers let 
out gasps of surprised delight as many others fell to their knees. 
Still others stood quite still, except for the curious quaking of 
their bodies until their faces contorted in expressions of intense 
joy and they collapsed upon the ground, unconscious but still 
convulsing.

Finally, though, as Misty slid the bra off her shoulders and 
raised it above her head, those who could, rushed forward to the 
edge of the stage, their eyes filled with both wonder and elated 
tears as they held their hands out to her. So, with a wide grin, 
and a bit of a laugh, Misty swung the garment once before tossing 
it into the crowd. Once again, the spectators held their 
collective breath as all eyes moved across the clear blue sky, 
tracking the flailing white object until it descended among them. 

The man who caught it let out an amazed cry of amazed ecstasy as 
the soft material touched his fingers immediately falling to his 
knees in reverence, crying as he laughed almost hysterically at 
his good fortune. Those around him, though, were so awestruck, 
that they fell in a wide circle around him, each of their bodies 
shivering and convulsing as deeply satisfied moans passed their 
lips.

From the stage, though, the scene began to loose cohesiveness. As 
Misty arched her back and suddenly found Miranda's hands 
thankfully clinging to her own, it was all that she could do to 
not cry out. 

It felt as though Misty were somehow drowning in her own passion 
as her need for release became the single driving force in her 
existence at that moment. Somewhere, distantly, Misty could hear 
Miranda's voice, panting, possibly saying something, but it hardly 
mattered. All that Misty could sense of the outside world were 
Miranda's fingers through her own, clinging in near desperation as 
her lover's tongue lapped urgently at her womanhood.

"I- I must-!" Misty tried to say, but her voice seemed somehow 
harsh to her own ears as her mind forgot how to form the words, 
and then forgot why they mattered.

As the overwhelming feeling struck her, Misty felt herself loose 
control of her limbs. Somewhere in her mind, she was vaguely aware 
of them moving of their own volition as somewhere else her own 
voice repeated a word over and over again. 

It seemed like forever before she recognized it. As the peculiar 
floating, almost disembodied feeling slowly subsided, Misty found 
herself muttering, "Miri, Miri, Miri..." 

She was then equally surprised to find herself in her lover's 
arms, the both of them still shaking, covered in sweat, but both 
feeling extremely happy. "I-!" stammered Misty, quickly cutting 
herself off before yelling in Miranda's ear. "Um, how...?" she 
whimpered, happily exhausted.

"You said something about not being able to hold me close enough," 
came Miranda's quiet, contented sounding reply as her fingers ran 
idly down Misty's back, "It's a feeling I know all too well."

Misty smiled, and let out an equally contented sigh as she 
snuggled closer. "I'm sorry that I don't really remember that," 
she replied, blushing as she pondered what other words may have 
escaped her lips.

"That's okay, dear," assured Miranda, her mind clinging to the 
moment as much as possible, concentrating more upon the fulfilling 
feeling she got every time she hugged her lover a little closer 
than anything else.
 
"So I suppose you're going to be up all night now," pondered 
Misty, sliding her body lower so she could see Miranda's face.

"It's okay," the courier replied with a shrug, her hand reaching 
out to brush Misty's sweaty hair back, "I want to hold you for as 
long as I can anyway."

"The rest of your life's a long time, dear."

Miranda leaned forward, answering Misty's suddenly wry smile with 
a kiss. "Now you're just being silly," she chuckled, taking a 
moment to both flip the pillow over.

"Only partially," Misty assured her with a yawn, watching as 
Miranda lifted the dark tangled mess her hair had become before 
laying her head back down, letting it fan out across the pillow, 
"But seriously, it's not fair of me to simply fall asleep on you."

Miranda gave a mirthful chuckle as her arms went about her lover 
once again. "Don't worry," she told Misty with a shrug, "It's only 
my mind that wanders. My body, however, is quite content to remain 
perfectly still. Besides, this is when my inspiration is at its 
peak. 'Clear your mind, and let inspiration fill it,' or something 
like that anyway..."

"All right then," Misty replied, stretching out her muscles one 
last time before putting her head down upon Miranda's chest and 
closing her eyes contentedly, "Just wake me up if Nezumi and 
Wraith have anything interesting to say."

"Oh yeah, them..." pondered Miranda, glancing over at the fuzzy 
image of the window at the other side of the room. Just beyond it, 
she could make out the brilliantly glowing shape of the moon in 
its gibbous phase. "I hope they're all right out there..."


Copywrite
Nikolai Mirovich (Nikolai@Nergal.Org)
"http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/Nikolai_Mirovich"
June 9, 2001




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