Upon waking up, Rebecca felt a great irony. For the past two weeks, Rebecca would occasionally find herself dreaming of Agnes. When she woke up, before her eyes opened, she would question who the warm, bare body was lying next to her. Now, waking up in Agnes’s bed, habit had her expecting Nessa to be there by her side. No, this was not a dream; she was waking up next to the wispy form of her ex-girlfriend, Agnes.

Rebecca’s freckled body was hidden beneath the sheets and not much else, playing the big spoon in the first night they shared together since the breakup. Positioning had always been important to them, and for up to a month at a time, Agnes had to be the big spoon so her wings could be free to sleep-flutter without hitting Rebecca in the face. (To a lesser extent, they had similar rules while Agnes had her stingers until she could force a metamorphosis.)

Maybe it was the fault of the rarity, but Rebecca enjoyed being the one to cradle her lover’s body. It was easy to wrap her whole arm around Agnes’s thin midsection to pull her closer, and she could spend the night absentmindedly planting kisses when the mood struck. Being the first to wake up, Rebecca took advantage of the rare opportunity to leave a kiss between Agnes’s shoulder blades. She loved the way Agnes’s wings suited her, but that did not mean she would ignore the little things she could do during the other months of the year.

With the morning sun peeking into the bedroom, Rebecca could get more of a handle on the situation she found herself in. Her entire body still felt relaxed after so much… expending of energy the night before. By the time they chose to get sleep, Rebecca was sure she was out like a light. The sheets were no longer tucked neatly under the mattress, she realized as she felt the air on her feet poking out of the bottom.

Even with Agnes facing away from her, Rebecca could tell when she finally awoke. It was the type of thing she must have never forgotten; the subtle changes she could only detect by being so closely intertwined. They were now both awake, meaning it was officially the morning after, and they had to start bringing reality back into the equation.

Slowly, of course. They had a lot to talk about, but if it was possible, she wanted their conversation not to interrupt their morning cuddling. ”Morn, lovebug,” she whispered close to Agnes’s ear, wondering how long they could delay the inevitable. ”Sleep weel?”

The sleep was deep and it was restful. Agnes couldn’t remember the last time that she had slept so well. Even when she came to New York with River, it took time for her to get used to sleeping in a new environment, especially one that wasn’t rolling around on wheels. She had gotten so used to sleeping on a moving vehicle or in cheap hotel rooms that when it came to having a bed and a home for her to call her own, it took some getting used to. However, eventually, with time, she did manage to get into the swing of things, yet still there was always that little piece of her that took forever to settle in; that is until last night.

This was so decidedly different. There was a moment when the early light of the morning began to slide across her eyes that she winced and almost willed it away. However, as she vaguely wished for the sun’s demise, she began to realize that things felt vastly different than how she normally felt first thing in the morning.

First and foremost she could feel her sheets touching her everywhere. The coolness of the linen was draped across her bare waist, tangled around one of her legs, and brushed over her bare shoulder. Second, and probably the most important, there was the unmistakable warmth of another body spooning her from behind. For a second she thought that maybe it was River but the realization that River was still gone shooed that thought away (as well as the fact that certain “aspects” didn’t feel quite the same). It was another moment before her memory kicked in through the blissful, morning haze; a memory that whispered one thing…Rebecca.

The events of last night began to click into place again. She remembered texting Rebecca, she remembered answering the door and finding Rebecca, and she remembered…everything that followed afterwards. As her memory returned, a blissful smile began to pull at the corners of her lips. She didn’t give a thought to any of the facts that she should think about, such as the fact that Rebecca was with Nessa and that Agnes was an engaged woman (maybe), instead all she felt was the enduring allure of bliss and serenity as it filled her with warmth.

She was happy. For the first time in awhile, Agnes actually felt like herself again.

Lips were pressed between her shoulder blades and Agnes’ back curled pleasurably at the sensation. Her favorite Scot was awake and though there was still the pull to sleep longer in the back of her mind, she wanted to see the redhead cast in the morning light.

>> ”Morn, lovebug…”

Agnes grinned a bit at the feeling of the warm breath against her ear. As much as she didn’t want to remove herself from her ex’s arms, Agnes slowly moved so that she could turn around and face the lovely redhead. In doing so, she found what she was expecting, a vision of the purest loveliness. Rebecca lay behind her on her side, sheets draped across her body. However, underneath, she could feel her arms as they wrapped around her waist to pull her close again – Agnes conceded.

Without a word, Agnes leaned in and pressed her lips to a spot just above Rebecca’s eyebrow that she used to love to kiss whenever the two of them were in bed together. She called it her special spot and made Rebecca promise when they broke up that no one would be allowed to kiss her there. She didn’t ask if the redhead kept that promise because, well, last night there definitely wasn’t the opportunity and right now didn’t feel right either. Instead she just kissed it and fell back into her old patterns. It just felt so…right.

Her arms slipping around Rebecca, she cooed as she nuzzled into Becca’s neck, her fingers tenderly caressing the small of her ex’s back before rest her head on the same pillow.

”Morning.” she said with a tinge of sleepiness still in her voice. She nodded her head when Rebecca asked about her sleeping. ”More than well,” she chuckled a bit tiredly. ”I think you wore me out,” she said with a giggle. However, a wicked smile pulled at her lips as her hand left Rebecca’s lower back and moved around, across her flat stomach and to her pierced bellybutton. ”Hey…when did you get this? I like it.”

Rebecca was certain she had it in her to lay in that bed with Agnes for the rest of time. She could use her power to lock and unlock the door, allowing food to be delivered to them in bed. Rebecca would do her videos from beside Agnes, wrapping the sheets around her body, (likely increasing her viewership.) Agnes could… skype into her performances? Okay, there were kinks to work out in the plan, but it showed promise.

It was tempting to return to sleep, but truthfully, Rebecca was remarkably well-rested. It was like she had been sleeping wrong somehow for so long, and that night everything was right; the position, the mattress, and of course, her sleep partner. There was nothing wrong with waking up with Nessa, but it was hard not to admit now that it was never as “right” as this was.

When Agnes turned over to face her, Rebecca lifted her arm to allow the movement, but as soon as they were face to face, it returned, her hand resting on Agnes’s bare hip. Nothing about this felt out of place, from Agnes’s tousled bedhead, to the warm look in those clear blue eyes. Not even the morning breath felt wrong; it was the kind of inevitability two people learned to accept when they shared a bed long enough. It was like riding a bike; it had been years, but Rebecca never forgot how to share herself with Agnes.

Agnes kissed her spot; the spot above her eyebrow marked by a cluster of freckles she long ago claimed. It was not the typical place for someone to kiss, and while there was nary a spot on Rebecca that had gone unattended by Nessa, it was always easy to move just enough to allow a kiss on her forehead if it felt like her lips were approaching hallowed skin. Subconsciously, Rebecca did not want to concede a spot she did not feel she had the rights to give away.

The morning reply was a warm and welcome assurance that Rebecca was not the only one who had a great sleep. After an evening of getting… reacquainted, Agnes pointed out one of the more recent additions only an intimate partner would have noticed was new. Becca grinned, placing her hand over the hand Agnes had pressed against her stomach. ”Apparently college abroad is when yoo're supposed tae gang wild. Ah coods hae banged th' rugbae team, but piercin' mah bellybutton seemed loch a better lang term decision,” she joked. ”Ah’m glad ye loch it.”

Leaning forward, she gently kissed Agnes’s delicate lips before pressing her forehead against her partner’s. They could have waited longer before breaking the peace of their morning, but Rebecca had questions that had waited too long to delay much longer. ”Wa did ye lit me go?” she asked in a soft whisper. ”Wa didne ye ask me tae stay?”

There was something just so right about the sensation of the redhead in her arms. When Agnes had turned to face her, she found herself looking at the one sight that she had been wanting to see this whole time. Their arms intertwined, Agnes found that her fingers were immediately dancing around those areas of unexplored flesh that she had been away from for far too long. Even after their exhausting escapades, the sensation of touch was still so electric that Agnes knew she needed to reign herself in or they were never going to leave this bed.

Though the last night was a blur of activity, there were several things that managed to make an imprint into her mind. The most striking and vivid that she could currently remember was the added bellybutton piercing that the Scot now sported. Though she was otherwise occupied to note it last right, right now seemed like the perfect opportunity. Her fingers trailed across the redhead’s flat and toned stomach, toying with the little bauble that was there. Curiosity forced her to ask…

>> ”Apparently college abroad is when yoo're supposed tae gang wild. Ah coods hae banged th' rugbae team, but piercin' mah bellybutton seemed loch a better lang term decision…Ah’m glad ye loch it.”

Agnes giggled, smirking and shaking her head at Rebecca’s retelling of the story on how she had received her latest piercing. It was a true, college was supposed to be to be a wild time. Even Agnes, after Rebecca had left, had gotten a little wild and did the unthinkable – she got herself a tattoo. It was at Felicia’s suggestion (a means to help her forget her troubles) but it had become one of those signs of normalcy for the young violinist. Besides, it wasn’t that bad, just a little ladybug on her right hip, something that could easily be hidden and that only those with the most intimate knowledge of her would notice.

That was a list that now included Rebecca Grey again.

”Well for what it’s worth, it sounds like you made the right call,” Agnes said with a sly smile and a nibble of her bottom lip. ”The other sounds exhausting.”

Her sapphire eyes looked deeply into those mismatched shades and she found herself swiftly getting lost again. The warm fuzzies and sensations collecting in her body all just felt right. She never felt like this with River – it was like two puzzle pieces finding home with one another again. Agnes smiled sweet and just sighed in utter bliss. She didn’t want anything to ruin this moment.

However, for as much as Agnes wanted to retain the sanctity of their time together, she could see that there was something that was bubbling up in Rebecca’s mind. As they cuddled, it was hard to not see the wheels churning in her head, but Agnes didn’t say anything outright. Instead she merely waited for the redhead to speak up on her own.

>> ”Wa did ye lit me go? Wa didne ye ask me tae stay?”

The look that crossed Agnes’ face was somewhat perplexing. It wasn’t frustration or disappointment or anything like that, it more a confusing mash-up off sadness, tension, and something almost like relief. Though she would never admit it, this was something that should have been brought up long ago, no matter how much she disliked the idea of confrontation. The question whirled in her mind a bit, her eyes shifting across to look at different parts of the redhead’s face, at her lips, at the eyes, across her hair that partially hung across her face. Quietly she was pulling together her thoughts until she finally managed to find her voice.

”Becca…” she started. Partially she buried her face in her pillow, now only looking at Rebecca with one eye. ”I…I wanted to…” she admitted. Tiny drops of tears collected in the corners of her eye. ”So badly. But…it was such a great opportunity…” she explained. ”How could I ask you to give up your dreams for me?” she chewed on her lip. ”If the situation was reversed…what would have you done?”

Ironically it somewhat already was. Rebecca let Agnes go too when she left for Oxford. She could have asked Agnes to go with her, and she would have, but that would have meant giving up the prestigious advanced music program Julliard offered her after graduation – her own dream. Life, as it seems, could be quite cruel…

It would have been so easy to say nothing. Rebecca could have kept her mouth shut by pressing it against Agnes’s neck in hopes of picking up where they left off before they fell asleep. Her question was going to push them to a different, more tense place, and she worried that place would split them apart. Rebecca’s thumb was drawing a circle around her new ladybug friend inked on Agnes’s hip, because she had to be prepared for the reality that her lover would pull away at any moment.

For now, that moment was staved off. Agnes burrowed her face partially in her pillow, but she did not shy away from Rebecca’s touch. After waiting so long to know why Agnes did not fight harder to keep her around, Rebecca’s heart ached listening to her ex-girlfriend’s voice. She wanted to keep Rebecca from leaving, but she could not put herself in the position to take away an opportunity like Oxford. When the question was turned around, Rebecca could finally understand what held Agnes back.

Asking Rebecca to stay had never been the only option, but it was the only one the Scot ever considered. Looking back now, any of those nights in bed where she wanted to hear Agnes say, “Don’t go,” there was always the option to instead ask Agnes to come with her to London. They could have rented a flat together. They could have walked arm in arm through Piccadilly Circus. They could have been happy and in love in a city where they only had each other.

Except Agnes had been accepted to an advanced program at Julliard, and Rebecca never gave thought to taking her away from that. Why did she expect anything different from her selfless violinist? ”Aggie...” she started, brushing away the tear forming in the corner of her exposed eye. ”Ah wish ye waur mair selfish sometimes… but 'en ye wooldnae be th' woman Ah loove sae much.” She always knew she had a true supporter in Agnes, regardless of how much changed.

The past was the past, and there was no good in wishing one of them had acted out of character. ”Yoo're reit. It was a’ays gonnae happen. Lookin' back, Ah wish Ah coods change it. Ah was a bampot tae lit someain loch ye go...” How could she not see how crazy it was to walk away from Agnes and not expect someone like River to know better?

Oh, River… that was going to be a conversation soon, to be sure…

Oh how Agnes wanted to postpone the real-talk. There was something so sweet and innocent about the way that they woke up in one another’s arms. It was almost like a dream, a dream that Agnes had been willing to come true for quite some time now. The way that the sunlight peered in through her window, illuminating the pair of them as they were draped in nothing more than silky sheets, it was like the most beautiful dream that she had ever had and Agnes didn’t want it to end. She remained closed to the redhead, her hands trekking over the bare skin beneath the sheets, just drinking in the sensations she was experiencing.

Sadly, those came to a halt as something more than just the memories from last night invaded her head. Rebecca had asked the one question that Agnes wasn’t all-together prepared to answer. She wanted to know why she didn’t ask her to stay. Oh that brought up a lot of memories. Of lot of those moments where Agnes secretly cried her eyes out while Rebecca was away at work or just out of the apartment they shared. It was a rough time in her life but she knew that she wasn’t going to be the one to ask her to stay. If anything part of her hoped that Rebecca would have either changed her mind on her own or even have asked her to go with her…

She would have gone. In a heartbeat she would have gone but she knew that the reason that Rebecca never asked was to be equally selfless. Agnes had just been accepted into an advanced music training program for post-graduates and it was a hell of an opportunity for her. It would have been the exact same situation, just in reverse. That was what she had imparted to Rebecca – she wasn’t going to be the reason that she had never achieved her dreams. She loved her too much for that.

For the most part Rebecca seemed to understand what Agnes was saying. They weren’t cringing away from one another, they weren’t raising their voices or shouting, they were simply lying there, still caressing, still talking, they were being adults; because that’s what they were now, adults. After a few moments of silence, Rebecca responded to Agnes’ reasoning…

>> ”Aggie...Ah wish ye waur mair selfish sometimes… but 'en ye wooldnae be th' woman Ah loove sae much.”

Agnes smiled but it was a sad smile. She knew that was something that she should probably work on but it was hard for her. After seeing the selfness of the world, after seeing what people did to one-up or climb over one another while living on the streets, she knew she didn’t want to be that type of person. Maybe that wasn’t the same kind of selfish that Rebecca was talking about but it was a hard lesson that needed to be learned. Agnes sighed, closing her eyues and smiling as she felt Rebecca’s thumb trace across her cheek and wipe away her tear.

”And if you didn’t go on your journey…you wouldn’t be the woman that I love so much.”

>> ”Yoo're reit. It was a’ays gonnae happen. Lookin' back, Ah wish Ah coods change it. Ah was a bampot tae lit someain loch ye go...”

A blush colored her cheeks. There was almost a sense of relief in her now, a thankfulness that she knew Rebecca felt bad about letting her go. But there was also sadness there because so much time was now lost to the two of them. Time that they could have gained if either of them had just been one-hundred percent honest with the other. Agnes nuzzled into Rebecca’s hand, giving off a shaky sigh. Those were dangerous questions, questions that she was always curious if she would ever find the strength to answer. Now that she had, it was almost exhausting.

Pressing closer, Agnes curled up against Rebecca, her head finding a spot under the redhead’s chin. Wrapping her arms around her waist, she held her close to her and just sighed. She felt everything, took in every scent, and just sighed a bit in satisfaction. For the first time in a long time…she felt cautiously safe again; it was a good feeling.

”Ditto…”

There it was; they admitted to the regrets of their past, and they were still in each other’s arms, not shying away. Neither one wanted to be the reason the other did not pursue their dreams, and they both suffered in silence to avoid being the anchor that kept them in the same place. If Rebecca could go back now and trade two years of school for two years of Agnes, the choice felt obvious now. Maybe their time apart was an important step to realizing what was missing in their lives without the other there.

Agnes welcomed Rebecca’s touch, nuzzling into her hand affectionately. If Rebecca had been aimless and struggling to find her place in New York, it was clear why now; her place had been occupied by a buxom harpist. Remembering how natural it was to be with Agnes, of course life felt so wrong without her. She knew thinking like that was unfair to Nessa, but it was her girlfriend who said it: Rebecca liked Nessa and she loved Agnes.

Rebecca had already threatened the mood once, and she was in no rush to do it again, so she kept the thoughts in her head at bay for now, and instead focused on the woman nuzzling her way into place just under her chin. ”This is sae… uncomplicated,” she mused happily. Yes, everything that led to this point and everything that would follow was complicated, but coiling strands of dark brown hair around her fingers absentmindedly was easy.

Everything felt still, until the bed was graced by a surprise new guest, as Lilith reached the top of the mattress with a thump, before using her hind legs to eventually manage her way up the sheet draping over the side. When they entered the room the night before, closing the door never crossed their minds, as they were preoccupied with more important activities. Lilith, having free reign of the house as her established domain, found her way into the bedroom to find her mother snuggling up to another woman.

Luckily, the kitten had a soft spot for Rebecca, much like her owner, and slinked over to the epicenter of affection in the apartment. Finding a spot on top of the sheet and Rebecca’s stomach, Lilith evidently thought the spot ideal as it put her close to both adoring humans.

Smirking, Rebecca used the hand on her non-Agnes side to scratch behind the kitten’s ear. ”Lily, ye wanted some ay th’ loove tay—ah, aaah, aaaaah,” she whispered quietly, trying not to move too much as the kitten kneaded her preferred resting place with her claws. She was not going to cut Rebecca, but the Scot could definitely feel the very tips of the claws poking through the cloth to lightly prick the bare skin underneath.

Once Lily settled down and started purring like a motor, Becca smiled. ”Ye need yer claws trimmed, lassie. Mebbe mama coods tak' ye, ur... woods Ah be loch Lily's stepmom?” she asked, half-joking. She would stepmom the hell out of that kitten. She had plenty of love to give, particularly to felines. Domino was… getting up in age, so Rebecca had been very affectionate of late, and some of that could easily spill to Agnes’s own little ball of fur.

Agnes was totally fine just wrapping herself in this cocoon of bliss and serenity. It felt good, it felt right, and even if happened with the most inappropriate timing of their lives, the young violinist simply wasn’t allowing herself to think of such things. Why make herself feel worse with the fact that she just cheated on her fiancée and caused Rebecca to cheat on her girlfriend? It seemed almost fitting that two other girls would be screwed over because of her considering that the last time this happened it was just her first girlfriend. Still, she should have known better this time, she should have had a better head for making the right decisions.

Sadly, it seemed that despite the fact that she wasn’t in high school anymore, there were just some things that she couldn’t learn. But, again, those were thoughts that she simply was not allowing herself to have right now. They festered in the back of her mind and she knew that eventually she was going to have to tackle them, but right now she wanted to be ignorant and she wanted to only focus on the here and now. The future was scary; the here and now had a gorgeous, nude redhead wrapped up in her bedsheets; it was fairly obvious which of the two options that anyone would have chosen.

Nuzzling under Rebecca’s next, the ex-runaway sighed and just continued to let her hands roam over the young woman’s curves. She could feel that fire beginning to building up in her veins again but before this fire could turn into a flame, it was squelched out and sudden interruption of a small, furry interloper. With the attention now given to Lilith, Agnes was slowly beginning to remember that the little kitten was a hellion, a imp, a devil from the deepest pit of hell sent up solely to make her life a living hell.

>> ”Lily, ye wanted some ay th’ loove tay—ah, aaah, aaaaah,”

Agnes watched as the kitten climbed Mt. Becca and began to stake her claim. Her little claws wouldn’t draw any blood but that didn’t mean that they didn’t hurt. Rebecca winced and sighed at each little dig the kitten delivered to her in order to make her supple body all the more comfortable. Of course in Agnes’ opinion the redhead’s body was already so very comfortable and didn’t need tenderizing but she could hardly impart that knowledge to the kitten in a manner she would understand.

>> ”Ye need yer claws trimmed, lassie. Mebbe mama coods tak' ye, ur... woods Ah be loch Lily's stepmom?”

Agnes smirked a little at Rebecca when she spoke to the kitten, even wondering what her official moniker should be in relation to Agnes. Was she an aunt? Another mother? Rebecca brought up the idea of being the kitten’s stepmother. Initially take made the violinist blush a little but in all earnest it was probably the best title that she could conceive of. Straightening up a little, she sighed as she looked over to Lilith who was curled up on her Rebecca pillow, purring like a diesel engine. Agnes shook her head as she reached over and scratched behind the sleepy kitten’s ear.

”I think that sounds about right,” Agnes admitted. ”I guess technically we got her together.” She took this opportunity to poke Rebecca and give her an impish smile. ”Since she lives with me twenty-four-seven, doesn’t that mean you owe me child support?” She grinned a little and then flopped back onto the bed, turning around so her back was to the redhead. She waved her arm dismissively. ”You can begin paying me back child support by fixing me breakfast. Belgian waffles, sausage, eggs benedict and sourdough toast. All made from scratch, please.” She paused for a second before continuing. ”That will be all, peasant.”

She smiled wickedly to herself before burying herself back into her pillow.

With the heavier question out of the way and plenty of time before they had to give thought to their selfishness, Agnes was ready to satisfy a growing appetite for Becca. The redhead felt curious hands moving over her body, awakening her with each new region graced by the slender fingertips. Had they not been so adorably interrupted, they would have likely picked up where things left off the night before.

However, there was something endearing in its own right about cuddling with Agnes and her kitten. It was a nostalgic callback from the days when they lived in their own, with Domino finding a place of his own to curl up amidst the two content lovers. Now that Agnes had added a new fur baby to their lives, it was only fair for Lilith to christen the new… whatever Rebecca and Agnes were now. Hopefully they would find the time and place for more intimate endeavors soon enough, but for now, they would rest peacefully a moment longer.

The idea of shared parenthood seemed easily accepted by Agnes, which made sense; being a single cat mom was tough. River had not been around, so she had never met the young kitten, so she held no claim on Lilith.

Unlike the apartment that Rebecca stayed in for the night. Or the bed she slept in. Or the fiancée she made love to all night.

And once again, it was still too early to give thought to River! She had a beautiful brunette and a precious kitten resting with her, and if River was willing to take this whole perfect life for granted, why should Rebecca be concerned with her?

She banished moral quandaries from her head and chuckled at Agnes’s claims that she owed “child support.” To add some weight to her otherwise empty accusation, she left Rebecca’s side and turned away from her, demanding a lavish breakfast as payment for taking care of their cat daughter for so long.

Rebecca was not going to take that kind of talk lying down! Quite literally, in fact, as she sat up and let Lily slide from her spot on Rebecca’s stomach. The sheet fell from her body, exposing her freckled chest and stomach, with the cloth draping over Lilith, the happy purrito. ”An’ here Ah thocht we were oan th’ same page!”

Agnes had exposed her back, which gave Rebecca a perfect opening to reach both sides of the woman, using her deft fingers to tickle a spot-on Agnes’s ribcage, below her underarm and just shy of her breast. Some things were still reemerging from Rebecca’s memory, lost in the happy haze, but she never forgot the spots Agnes was weakest to tickling.

As much as Agnes would squirm, her torturer would stay on those spots, laughing wildly to herself as she chastised, ”Here Ah am makin’ amends an’ tryin’ tae make us a cat family again, an’ yer jist gonna be a brat!”

Out of breath, still laughing, she finished her assault on Agnes’s sides, pressing her forehead against the base of her lover’s neck. ”We work best taegether, Aggie,” she reminded her in a happy whisper, before finally sitting up and stepping off the side of the bed. As nice as staying there forever might sound, the two did need food, and Lily was not old enough to answer the door to deliverymen.

”Come oan,” she said, laying a light smack onto Agnes’s bottom before locating her panties on the floor. Agnes’s apartment was not near the ground level, so she was comfortable making that her only clothing reacquisition, having no worries of peeping toms. ”Let’s make breakfast.” Agnes did have a perfect table in the dining room for them to make use of.

For breakfast.

Probably.

The decree had been uttered and thus the Queen of Insects retired to her side of the bed to lie and await the bevy of food that would be brought to her. Of course she was only saying all this in the most joking manner. Agnes was never the time for food to be made for. She had gone without it regularly enough times in her youth that she always made an excuse to make food, whether it was to bring to someone else’s place or to entertain just herself for the evening. Agnes was just the type of person that liked to cook. However, she couldn’t pass up a good joke when the opportunity presented itself.

Lying back in bed, cuddling into her pillow, the violinist sighed and felt herself being pulled back into the warm embrace of her bed. She was only teasing Rebecca but really she could sleep longer if she wanted to. The activities the pair of them had participated in last night were exhausting and numerous, almost as if a pent up reservoir of sexual energy had been compiling since the two of them had parted ways and last night had finally been released. Of course it wasn’t all gone after a single night. The other side of staying in bed was that they could continue where they left off. Sadly, her joke would led to an entirely different matter.

God those fingers. She hated so much that Rebecca had known the exact spots for her to poke, prod, and wriggle. Agnes felt the first touch on her bare side and she immediately jumped. It had been long enough that she had momentarily forgotten what this sensation was, but as the redhead descended upon her, a squeal of laughter and pleaded erupted from her lips.

”OH GOD NOO! BEECCAAA—HAHAHAA!!”

The insect queen had been dethroned, stabbed in the back (or rather tickled on her sides) by her closest friend. Squirming harder, she tried to wriggle herself free from Rebecca’s grasp but the redheaded Scot knew exactly how to pin Agnes in place with just tickling alone. Agnes squirmed more, trying to shake her off, barely listening to the thick accent denounce her actions. She tried to grip Rebecca’s arms but found that she kept recoiled and turning, trying to fend off her attacker but finding no means of escape. It wasn’t until Rebecca fell upon her in a fit of giggling that Agnes knew she had been spared.

>> ”We work best taegether, Aggie,”

Feeling the lips on her neck and the slight nuzzle almost made her forget that little attack that had made her breathless. For a moment she chewed on her bottom lip before she turned to look over her shoulder at Rebecca. The naughty redhead was getting herself up, that wicked smile on her lips. She jumped when she felt the little smack on her rear and turned, giving the redhead a slightly shocked and faux-indignant look. Shaking her head and smirking a bed, she watched as Rebecca confidence dressed as minimally as possible before she moved out of the room and beckoned her to follow so that breakfast could be made.

In the end, she guessed that was the best decision as there was certainly no way that they would be able to get food from their bed otherwise. They could hunt though. Slowly her eyes drifted to the moving lump on her bed, the kitten that was still wrapped up in the sheets and playing happily. She snorted for a second before she reached over and pulled the sheet partially off so that Lilith had an escape route. Reaching in, she stroked the kitten’s head softly before she resigned herself to climbing out of bed.

Feet upon her smooth floors, Agnes reached over for an oversized shirt that hung off her shoulder that she kept around for cold nights. Although she detested having to be clothed right now, unlike the rebel that Rebecca encompassed, there was no way she was going to turn on a hot griddle with her bare chest available for grease splatter. Heeeeck no.

Climbing out of bed and giving herself a full stretched, the quasi-clothed Agnes followed Rebecca out to the kitchen where she seemed to be trying to make herself acquainted with it. Currently Rebecca was bent over, her head in the fridge as she seemed to be deciding which ingredients to pull out. With a smirk Agnes yawned, crept over, and draped herself over Rebecca’s back, putting her full weight on her as she hugged her waist.

”Mmm, this bed is far more comfortable,” she said with dreamy sigh. After a second of struggle, though, she pointed to the milk that was hiding on the bottom shelf, behind take out containers. ”Milk is there, by the way,” she said with a light laugh. Her fridge probably looked like some dense jungle of sorts but surely Rebecca could find her way around.

It did not take long for Agnes to follow Rebecca’s lead, emerging sheepishly from the bedroom to help prepare breakfast. The topless redhead was mildly disappointed to see her paramour wearing a shirt, but her logic was undeniably sound: bacon was going to be necessary. Rebecca knew firsthand the ramifications of shirtless bacon cooking, so she had to accept Agnes was taking one for the team so they could have delicious greasy breakfast treats.

Rebecca was already looking through the fridge for essentials when Agnes joined her. She was not struggling with locating items; the longer she looked through the fridge, the more the layout felt familiar from when they shared a fridge. Her mind was thinking about what she could do with the ingredients at her disposal. Fruit… butter… bacon (of course.) She was just missing…

”Ooh!” she purred in reply to the unexpected greeting of Agnes’s body embracing her from behind. It all felt so right… she felt the back of her body instinctively press against Agnes. Of course, she could not just let the woman drape over her like some object, no matter how sexy and comfortable she was. Rebecca put up a half-hearted fight, squirming while in Agnes’s grasp before she was given some freedom and direction to the item she was looking for: milk.

Her left hand reached over her left shoulder, using the back of Agnes’s head to pull her close enough that Rebecca could leave a kiss on her cheek. ”Ay coorse. Ye a’ays lae th' milk oan th' door.” It was easy to tell who last drank from the milk by whether it was on the door shelf or the fridge proper.

Grabbing an armful of ingredients, she laid the items on the counter so she could return to Agnes. She ran her hands under the oversized shirt, running her fingernails lightly across the back beneath the clothing. It was tempting to remove the shirt, but it had a job to do—a bacon related job. Instead, Rebecca lightly kissed Agnes’s lips and smiled. ”If ye make bacon sae Ah dinnae burn mahself… again… Ah’ll take care ay th…” She leaned in close to Agnes’s ear and spoke in a breathy, sexy whisper, ”banana pancakes.” They were both great cooks, so when there was time to make real meals, they always enjoyed treating each other to delicious meals. When it came to breakfast, banana pancakes were an easy meal that never failed to please.

There was just something so sweet and tender about the morning scene that played out. With Agnes stretched out over her ex-lover (now current?) the insect queen found herself genuinely happy and easily falling back into old habits and mannerisms. How many times had she greeted her lover in this manner when they were living together? How many times had they spent almost their entire morning, simply lounging about in bed, watching each other with hungry gazes before the hunger spread to their actions? It was too many to count. And even though years had passed since the last time the two of them had been together, it was like slipping on a pair of comfortable gloves.

Agnes kept her arms wrapped around the gorgeous redhead, pointing out the one item that she figured that Rebecca was spending her time looking for. She felt the freckled form of her ex push slightly back against her, reveling in the sensation of just how their bodies fit together so perfectly. Why on earth did either of them give this up? How could they? Maybe this was inevitable. Maybe there was a lot of lost time to make up for.

Rebecca seemed to remember her habits as well, such as keeping the milk on the door of the fridge. Quite frankly Agnes didn’t know why she did it. Most would tell her it was wrong because that exposed the milk to too many temperature changes given how much the door is opened. But it was just one of those habits that was hard for the young woman to break. Rebecca, thankfully, never faulted her too much on it. Not like the way she did when she ordered pizza with pineapple on it. Ugh, it was best not to think of such things right now.

Besides, everyone who is awesome knows that pineapple belongs on pizza. End of story.

With all the items gathered, Agnes squeaked when, after Rebecca deposited them on the counter and whipped around to face her. Her back pressed against the now closed refrigerator door, she couldn’t hide her smile when Rebecca closed the gap between them, giving her a peck on the lips, her hands slipping beneath her oversized shirt and causing her skin to electrify. A giggle on her lips, she wrapped her arms around Rebecca’s shoulders, kissing her back, her fingers tracing down the back of Rebecca’s shoulders.

>> ”If ye make bacon sae Ah dinnae burn mahself… again… Ah’ll take care ay th…banana pancakes.”

It was terrible how some people got to know you so well. It gave them special access to a plethora of tools, especially those that would allow them to manipulate you in any way they seem fit. Rebecca knew of the one breakfast food that Agnes would do anything for – and those would be banana pancakes. Of course that knowledge wasn’t used for evil, but more as a treat for when good things happened or as a balm against the bad. Right now…Agnes didn’t know what they would be identified as but she couldn’t help the light that shined in her eyes. Those sounded like the absolute best right now. Well…the second best.

She grinned as she planted another kiss on the sweet redhead. ”Deal.” she whispered back.

With a firm squeeze to retaliate for Rebecca’s earlier smack, Agnes winked as she saunted passed her, picked up the package of bacon and slipped over to her stove. She knew her kitchen well and easily found the pan she needed, as well as pulling out the mixing bowl and griddle for Rebecca to utilize. There was something so homely and sweet about the moment that Agnes could scarcely think about anything outside of it. However, the thoughts would slowly begin to penetrate every second that she wasn’t distracted by Rebecca’s touch. Thoughts of other lovers that the two of them had that, frankly couldn’t be ignored forever.

However, thinking about them, and possibly risking the rest of their happy morning, Agnes couldn’t help but wonder what it was that brought Rebecca to her doorstep to begin with. She wanted to ask but, of course, that was opening a big can of reality she wasn’t sure if either of them were willing to open just yet. Still…maybe there was a tactful way of asking…

Setting a pad of butter on her quickly heating pan, Agnes casually began to rolled the pan, allowing the sizzling butter to spread across the cooking surface until it had coated it entirely. With that done, Agnes began to lay out slices of bacon for the two of them; as she did so, she cleared her throat not really looking at Rebecca as she began spoke.

”I have to say,” she started. ”Last night was…amazing,” she said with a slight chuckle. ”Had I known you were coming over, I might have cleaned up a bit.” Of course Agnes kept her home fairly well cleaned to begin with. ”Did you…you know…plan on coming by?” she cautioned to ask. ”Or…was it spur of the moment?”

Basically she was asking what happened that brought the redhead to her doorstep. Dangerous waters, of course, but now that they had already engaged in the most basic manner possible, questions had to be answered…

After being with someone long enough, you learn things they like and things they love, and those preferences never really leave you. Agnes loved many things, and Rebecca’s banana pancakes were always on that list.

As Rebecca took the mixing bowl handed to her and started mashing bananas and cracking eggs, she had to remind herself they were not still in 2014, living together and making breakfast for a lazy morning in. She was happy, but her happiness felt like it was coming from a place of nostalgia, because it felt like she was living through a slice of her past.

Was this just her past, though? After the night before, could she assume this was the morning where their past and future could just meet? Their old traditions could meet new traditions, and they could finally progress after years of waiting and stalling.

It was Agnes who thought back to the night before first. Though she initially introduced it as a joke, the way she asked her question was more hesitant. She was curious about what motivated Rebecca to cross a line they had been toeing, seemingly for months. ”First ay aw, yoo've seen hoo mah place can gie. Nae cleanin' necessary.” she said lightheartedly, trying to figure out how to nonchalantly address Agnes’s question.

Honesty. Honesty was the right way to answer it; what was she doing even considering something else? ”It wasnae really a plan. Ah was jist walkin' an' afair Ah knew it, Ah ended up haur. Ah mean, lest nicht was... it was everythin'. But... Ah didne plan 'at at aw.”

Rebecca added milk to the mixture in her bowl along with a shake of cinnamon, wondering how honesty might sound out loud. ”Ah was walkin' up haur tae talk tae ye. Sae we coods gab abit hoo we waur feelin', an'... hoo tae handle it th' reit way… fer everyain…” And how well did that go? Did they make a choice that was right for everyone? They did not even consider Nessa and River the moment Agnes opened that door.

The whisking of ingredients slowed until it came to a stop, and her tone felt less light. ”Ah got tae yer duir ready tae talk, but... when Ah saw ye, Ah stopped thinkin'.” That moment where their eyes locked was like returning to an old addiction, and she was unsure how she felt when that comparison popped in her head.

She finally turned her head to look at Agnes, not wanting to ask the question that was on her mind. ”Did we... did we rush in tae this?” Rebecca prayed Agnes would say the right thing and ease her concerns so they could focus on breakfast and rebuilding their relationship. That was what came next… right?

It was a touchy subject. In hindsight, it was probably something that should have been brought up sooner but clearly in the timeframe that Rebecca appeared on her doorstep and the morning after, there were other things occupying her time and energy. Last night had been electric, explosive, the kind of thing that can only be read about in books or seen in R-rated movies (with a few XXX-rated moments as well), but during all of it there was still that nagging this nagging question in the back of her mind. Agnes wanted to hold onto the good and sweet times but wasn’t that just living a lie? Ignoring something that was clearly there was a lie too, wasn’t it?

Agnes could feel her apprehension for the coming conversation tightening up her chest. She didn’t want to go there, she didn’t want to threaten this happy little bubble that the two of them had crafted for themselves, but it couldn’t be ignored forever. So she tried to be tasteful about it. She tried to mask it in lightheartedness but Rebecca wasn’t stupid. Even with the joke about cleaning her apartment before Rebecca arrived, the redhead knew what she was asking: why did she come over?

>> ”First ay aw, yoo've seen hoo mah place can gie. Nae cleanin' necessary.”

She snerked at that commened. ”True. I’m still waiting for you to find my watch.”

It was one of those odd, fun little memories that Agnes had tucked away in her head. It had started simply enough. When the two were living together Agnes had lost a watch that Rebecca had given her for her birthday. Just a cheap, simple little thing but it was still one of her favorite possessions. Then the day came where she couldn’t find it. The two girls went on a hunt throughout the entire apartment but to no avail. While it was sad, it wasn’t exactly tragic. Afterwards, Agnes would drop comments whenever something was misplaced or lost in the apartment that “Oh, guess it ran away with my watch” or something along those lines. It had become somewhat of an inside joke between the two, one that Agnes could still remember to this day.

But for as fun as the nostalgic thought was, it was not a place she could stay. Agnes had to push on because Rebecca was finally addressing her reasons for being at her apartment. She had remembered that they were just chatting through text messages when the conversation got very real. Rebecca had gone quiet, leading the violinist to think that maybe she had scared her ex-girlfriend off – how wrong she was. Rebecca reiterated that she had just been out for a walk and hadn’t planned to really come over; then she did…because she wanted to walk.

>> ”Ah got tae yer duir ready tae talk, but... when Ah saw ye, Ah stopped thinkin'.”

The color on her cheeks turned from snow white to crimson red. The blush was fierce and it caused a small smile to tug on the corners of her lips. She nodded her head in agreement that she too had stopped thinking. She tried to think back, to remember what was going through her head, but all she could recall was falling into the churning waters of passion as the fires she thought had died away suddenly burst into life. Conscious thought didn’t exist that night – only animalistic passion.

”Yeah…” she said, keeping her eyes on the sizzling bacon in the pan. Idly she poked at the slices with her fork, turning them over so that they didn’t burn. ”Pretty sure my brain shut off the second I saw you too…”

She turned to look at Rebecca at this point. Her sapphire eyes watching her as she bit her bottom lip in thought. Just thinking back, she could feel her sense of affection growing further for the young redhead. The silence wouldn’t last, though as Rebecca had to ask the most important question that needed to be asked: ”Did we... did we rush in tae this?”

Agnes stood there, staring at the redhead. Did they rush into this? The reality of what they had done was leaning harder against her. While there may be some leeway for Agnes considering how on-the-rocks her relationship was, Rebecca was still supposedly happy Nessa. She had just met her yesterday and it had been a pretty okay outing. They seemed to get along and now, all of a sudden, she is stealing the brunettes girlfriend away! Agnes couldn’t have felt more like a whore….again. However, she tried to stave off that feeling. She didn’t want to blame herself yet again…

Her eyes locked onto Rebecca, Agnes looked to be in deep, pensive thought. With a sigh she opened her mouth to say…anything…but the sound of an obnoxiously ringing tore through the apartment. She blinked a few times, trying to recall what that sound was, before she realized that it was her phone. Her eyes widened.

”Oh jeez. I’m sorry. I think that’s my conductor,” she said as she handed the fork to Rebecca to eye the bacon. ”I’m sorry, hun. He told me to be on call. Um…be…be right back? Okay. Promise.”

She stepped close. She wanted to kiss Rebecca on the lips, her cheek, her brow, anything really, but was it appropriate? Kind of an odd question considering their activities last night but now that a healthy dose of reality was being slapped upon them, the comfortable bubble of bliss was slipping away. Would a kiss be too intimate now? Steeling herself up, Agnes just leaned in and pecked Rebecca on the corner of her lips, before she blushed and slipped away.

Heading into her bedroom, Agnes sighed, trying to push down all these strange feelings. It was happening all at once and she needed to breath. Plucking her cellphone up without looking, she tapped the “Answer” button and put it to her year as she started to head back out to the kitchen.

”I’m so sorry, Phil. I’m getting my stuff rig—“ She stopped. Her posture loosened and she had to lean against the wall. She didn’t look at Rebecca as the familiar voice rang through her phone’s earpiece. ”Oh…River…h-hi…”

Rebecca appreciated the reminder of the watch. It was one of those little jokes you have with someone when you live with them and share the mundane, everyday life experiences like misplacing a watch. Rebecca had been the first of them to move out of the apartment, and before she did, she made one last effort to find it in the belongings she was packing up. She had wondered if, when Agnes finally left the home they built together, she might have finally found the lost time piece. Evidently not; it would forever be a sacrifice to the place they left behind, as an offering and a reminder that time keeps moving forward anyway.

It was also nice to know she was not alone in the way she felt when she made it to Agnes’s door. She worried it was her forwardness and thoughtlessness that might have spurred Agnes to reciprocate, but it sounded like they were both just finally at the point where they could not overthink things any longer. They were thinking now though, and Agnes was giving a fair amount of thought to what Rebecca asked. It was a fair concern; when it came to “Agnes and Rebecca,” the two girls could become impulsive and emotional, and there was an argument to be made that maybe this time, that was the wrong choice.

Their conversation was interrupted by a phone ringing in the bedroom, and Rebecca cursed the fact that Agnes had reception and that her conductor did not understand the gravity of their situation. She watched as her ex-girlfriend slipped away to answer her phone. Rebecca tried to focus her attention on stirring pancake ingredients again, but her hand stopped when she heard Agnes’s voice speak the last name she wanted to hear: River.

She felt sick. She felt her heart sink and she felt a pit in her stomach and she felt a heavy fog overtaking her mind. Rebecca snuck into the bedroom, not because she wanted to listen, but because she was now painfully aware that she was almost naked in another woman’s apartment. With how distant the harpist had been, it had been easy to see her as some fictional entity she did not really have to respect when making a move on the girl of her dreams. Now, she was suddenly far too real, and it was a reminder that Rebecca’s actions had consequences.

Rebecca grabbed her shirt from the ground and tossed it over her head hastily. The bra would be grabbed on the way out, but she suddenly needed that shirt on. She grabbed her pants from the ground as well, feeling the heft of the firearm holstered on the hip as she pulled it on one leg after the other. Once it was buttoned, she recognized that her cell phone was still in her pocket from the night before. She pulled it out, and it was clinging to less than five percent of its battery life. She had enough time to finally check the last text she received the night before, when she was too preoccupied with rediscovering Agnes to check messages.

I’m tired. I think I’m going to bed. I hope we can talk this out soon. I’d really like to not give up on this.

Agnes was not the only one with a significant other to answer to; Rebecca and Nessa were not broken up. They had an argument, but that was no excuse to throw herself into the arms and bed of an old flame. Nessa cared about her, and Rebecca was ready to cast her aside without paying her the respect to end things first. Was this the type of woman Rebecca had let herself become? So in her own emotions, she put them before someone else’s? Not just someone else; her damn girlfriend.

All the good feelings and joy she was feeling after a night with Agnes were gone, and she now just anxiously watched the woman she loved talking to her fiancée, wondering what would come of their first conversation since River left.