Sex: Yes, by popular demand, there will be sex between two women in this story.  It will be a little graphic, but don't expect a
porn story here.

Violence: Yup. It's an integral part of the story, sorry.  I don't plan to make it too graphic, but there are a few scenes of torture
and gunplay.

Language: Shit, yeah.  It's part of the characters' personalities.

Thanks: Many thanks to my bud Xenalicious for introducing me to the wonderful world of fan fiction.  Without her prodding I
might never have sat down to write this little tale. When you're done with this story, jet over to her page and check out her
fiction. Also, thanks to Redxena, my excellent beta reader. Her input is most welcome.

I'd also like to thank the following bards, whose fiction inspires and awes me: T Novan, Tonya Muir, XWPFanatic, Nene
Adams, Frost, Sword N' Quill,  BL Miller, and of course Missy Good.

Also, thanks to the love of my life, who is my most brutal critic.  Her feedback keeps my writing honest.

Comments: I love to get email.  Feedback on my story would be most appreciated.  Nasty comments will be sent to that great
electronic wastebasket in the sky.   EMAIL ME!

Chapter 2

“Hey, Cam, what’s up?” Gabe asked, sauntering into the station locker room.

Riley glanced over at her partner, who was already rummaging through his messy locker for his uniform.  “Not much.  You’re ten minutes late,” she said glancing at her watch. “Again.”  It was a conversation that they had every morning.  After five years, it had become almost a ritual for her to pester him about being late.

He smirked.  “I figure since you’re ten minutes early every day that we sort of cancel each other out.”

Riley turned and gave him a playful whack on the arm.  “Smart ass,” she laughed.  She was feeling in good spirits today.  Last night’s workout had been just what she needed after the disastrous date with David.  Now that’s what I call a good stress reliever, she smiled to herself.  Lisa had made off with one of Riley’s favorite silk shirts as payment for the one that got ruined, but the evening was well worth it.  Even if Riley was feeling emotionally unfulfilled, at least she was sated physically.  She hummed to herself as she changed into her uniform.

“Had another roller coaster ride last night, eh partner?” Gabe nudged Riley.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Riley evaded the question carefully, giving a little nudge back.  “I told you, I had a date with David last night.”

“Oh really,” he countered, clearly unconvinced. “Gee, David doesn’t seem like the type to leave scratch marks on your back.”  He snickered as his partner blushed, turning an unnatural shade of red and hastily pulling her shirt on.

“Alright,” she sighed melodramatically. “I can’t keep any secrets from you.  Lisa came over last night,” she admitted.

“I thought that shirt Hudson was wearing today looked familiar,” he said. “Jeez, don’t you two know that once you start sleeping together, it is mandatory to keep spare clothes at the other person’s place?”

Riley reached over and absently adjusted a strap on Gabe’s armor. “She didn’t spend the night.  I gave her the shirt because I ripped hers.”

“Oh,” he grinned knowingly. “You know, that’s why I love you, partner. There’s never a dull moment in your life.  I live vicariously through your exploits.”

“Well, my life isn’t that interesting, so we must be a pretty sad pair,” she responded.  She shook her head. “My problem is that I’m too weak willed.  That must be it.  She’s totally not my type.  I mean, our relationship is completely physical, there’s no romance whatsoever.  It’s just a one-night stand that gets repeated over and over again.”

“Gee, a commitment-free relationship based wholly on sex.  I feel so sorry for you,” Gabe drawled sarcastically.  “Of course, I don’t exactly get the whole Hudson attraction.  I’ve always thought you’d be into a different kind of person.”

“And what kind of person might that be?” Riley asked curiously.

“I don’t know…tall, dark and handsome, maybe.”

She snorted, “Ha.  Well, you’re the only tall, dark and handsome guy I know, and you’re already taken, so I guess I’m out of luck.”

“Well,” he said, shouldering his weapon, “if you can pull yourself away from your busy social life, I’m having some buddies over to play cards tonight.  I’d love it if you came.”

“I don’t know,” she said. “I was planning on staying home and dwelling on my non-existent romantic life.”

“Come on, it’ll be a good time.  Hey, I’ll even set you up with one of them, if you want.”

Riley looked at him doubtfully.  Gabe’s friends were all nice, he had known them since childhood and she trusted his judgment, but they seemed a little rough for her tastes.  Then again, David is one of the more eloquent, refined people I know, and he’s a gigantic ass.  Who says rough and tumble men can’t be romantic? God know - I could use some real romance in my life to complement the sex.

 She considered his proposition for a minute, but before she could respond to Gabe, Laura Mills, one of the dispatchers, came running up to the pair.  Her face was flushed with excitement and happiness, and she looked disheveled, as though she had just rolled out of bed.  She threw her arms around the big man, forcing the breath out of his lungs.

“Thank you,” she babbled, “Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you…” she went on and on.  “Last night was…well…it was just…um…” she stumbled for the words, before giving up with a wistful sigh and settling for, “Wow.”  She reached up and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before waltzing away.

Riley arched one eyebrow questioningly at Gabe. “What the fuck was that?” she asked, confused.  If I didn’t know Gabe so well, I’d swear something fishy was going on.  “Gabe, is there something I should know?”  Of course, the question was a silly one – no one was more dedicated to his marriage than Gabe, and she felt a little guilty even asking it.

Riley’s fear was quickly quelled when Gabe replied quickly, “It’s not like that!”  Then he winked at her, saying, “I set Laura up with one of my friends last night.  I guess the date went well.”

“Oh.”  Riley breathed a sigh of relief.  Then the implication of what he said sank in and she looked at him with a silly grin.  “Ohhhh. Well, I guess I will be coming to your little party after all.  Far be it for me to ignore a sign like that, eh?”

Gabe flashed a happy grin.  “Great, my place at 7.  See, Riley, I knew you weren’t stupid, no matter what anyone else says.”  With that, he laughed and bolted out of the locker room, his indignant partner hot on his heels.

*  *  *  *  *

So far Quinn had accomplished her goal of spending her time off in completely frivolous pursuits.  She had spent the morning and afternoon happily working on her shuttle, making some much-needed repairs and modifications.  The engineer in her loved this kind of stuff.  It was dirty and sometimes physically demanding, but at the same time it required careful thought and precision, aligning bolts and rods and calibrating sensors with a practiced hand.  She could lose herself in the activity, letting the world fall away, taking her problems with it.

After she finished, she gave her ship a good bath and then treated herself to one as well.  Feeling clean and refreshed, she briefly considered what she would do next.  Smiling, she decided to indulge herself and hopped into the shuttle for a test run.  Flying clunky transport ships all week had left her craving the feel of the light and responsive shuttle.

The result of her hard work was obvious from the minute she lifted off.  The shuttle handled like a dream, responding to her touch almost like it were reading her mind.  She flew to the shuttle practice area outside of the city - where the local hotshots came to show off their acrobatic skills.  It was really just a big flexing match, with each pilot trying to outdo the others, invading their flying space, like a big game of Chicken.  Quinn noted the other shuttles already moving in her direction as she entered the area.  After a quick warm-up lap, she opened up the throttle and quickly began a series of maneuvers that put the other pilots to shame. Here comes Quinn Windsor, respectable transport pilot by day, resistance agent and shuttle pilot extraordinaire by night, she grinned to herself. Other pilots beware.

Quinn passed two hours in this fashion, diving and spinning with abandon.  The other pilots soon backed off and gave her room, recognizing the superior flying ability before them.  She smiled and amused herself for a while by chasing some of the slower ships around, but eventually she contented herself with solo maneuvers.  She flew with a casual style, displaying the same nerves of steel and piloting ability that had allowed her to easily penetrate the Nexus defenses seven months ago.  She had looked almost casual then, evading Tabon sentries, darting through the complex maze of buildings until she was at the greenhouse they were there to sabotage.  Stephanie had gotten the job done quickly and they were well on their way home before anyone even knew there was a problem.  Quinn sighed; that had been a good mission.

Stop that, she chastised herself.  No more thinking about work.  A quick glance at her watch told her it was time to head back.  After completing another elaborate diving spin, just for show, she sped off towards home.  She wouldn’t have much time to change before her friends from work would be there to pick her up.  Well, I guess I have no choice but to open the throttle all the way… She chuckled and slammed the throttle to full, flinging the shuttle forward at breakneck speed back to Capital City.

 *  *  *  *  *

Riley knocked on the door of the apartment.  A second later, Gabe answered, “Hey, Cam, come on in.”  She followed him into the apartment, sliding off her coat and hanging it on a chair.  “6:50 exactly,” he said, glancing at his watch.  “What a surprise.”

Riley gave him a sheepish grin and shrugged.  “I can’t help it.  It’s in my nature.”  She strolled into the kitchen and smiled at the assortment of snacks that Gabe had secured for the evening.  “Can I help you with anything?”

“Nah, you’re my guest, let me take care of it.  Grab a beer and kick back.  The other guys will be here any minute.”  Gabe shooed her out of the kitchen after pushing a bottle of Golden Ale – her favorite -  into her hand.  She smiled her thanks and headed out to the living room.  She had time, so she decided to get a breath of fresh air.

Riley went outside and leaned against the railing of the balcony, looking out over the city from her vantage point twelve stories up.  The lights of the buildings glittered and the air hummed with the sounds of the city.  The clouds above the city were a dark gunmetal gray, swirling and churning.  It was a familiar sight to Riley, who had spent her entire life in the sprawling metropolis.  She took a sip of her beer as she stared off, waiting for the other guests to arrive.

She wasn’t sure how long she stood like that, but she was so engrossed in her thoughts that the voice behind her caused her to jump with surprise.  “Excuse me, you’re Riley, right?”

Riley turned to face the person who had spoken.  She was promptly stunned into silence by the vision before her.  Long black hair fell freely down to her shoulders, seeming to dance in the breeze.  Her oval face was flawless; it could have been carved from marble for all Riley knew.  Standing there in the doorway, surrounded by a halo of light, she looked like an apparition.

“Uh, yeah,” she stammered, instantly captured by the pair of insanely blue eyes that looked back at her.  Holy tall, dark, and handsome…

“I’m Quinn.”  Riley looked at the proffered hand dumbly for a second, before snapping back to reality.

“Oh, hi,” she took the other woman’s hand, noting the strong grip.  Quinn was tall - Riley barely came up to her shoulder.  Riley took in the shapely body, clad in a white t-shirt and snug jeans, with one appreciative glance.  Genetics are so unfair, she sighed to herself.

Quinn smiled at her.  “Gabe sent me to come get you.  He said, and I quote: ‘Tell that anti-social partner of mine to get her ass in here so she can meet everyone.’”

Riley nodded mutely and walked back into the apartment, praying silently that she didn’t look as stupid and awkward as she felt.  Nice…I practically swooned into her arms when she looked at me.  You’d think I’d never seen an attractive woman before.  She made a beeline for Gabe, trying to compose herself.

Quinn followed the little blonde woman into the living room.  So that’s the famous Riley, she thought.  Quinn had only known Gabe Jackson for about a month – they had been introduced one night while drinking with friends – but in that time she had heard countless stories about his partner.  She had been curious to meet the woman he was clearly so fond of.

She’s cute, Quinn observed, as she sat down at the card table, even though she’s a little skittish.  Riley had a sweet face, complete with a button nose that Quinn personally thought was adorable.  She certainly looked too nice to be a cop.  Then again, there was something in the way that she moved, in the way that her hand drifted unconsciously to rest at her hip, that suggested she was used to wearing a gun strapped to her side.  Quinn’s musings were interrupted as Gabe pulled his partner over to the table to meet everyone.

“Everyone, this is Riley,” he said, patting her on the back.  He pointed to the large man with a bushy beard on Quinn’s left, “The grizzly lumberjack there is Peter.  We grew up next door to each other.”  Peter gave a friendly wave that Riley returned.  “Next to him is Quinn.”

“We’ve already met,” Riley said.  This time Riley was ready, managing to make eye contact with those intense blue eyes without looking like a fool.  She saw the corner of Quinn’s mouth curl into a tiny smile.

Gabe continued, moving on to the stocky blond man to Quinn’s right.  “That’s Jeff.  You already know Alex and Maria.  And last, but not least, is Brian.”  Mutual greetings were exchanged, as everyone settled into their spot at the table.

“Looks like I’m stealing your partner for tonight, Gabe,” Quinn told him, as Riley took the seat across from her.

Gabe grinned, as he pulled out a large deck of playing cards, “Good. She can’t bluff to save her life.”  Riley shot him an evil look and stuck her tongue out at him, prompting a burst of laughter from the table.

Quinn winked at Riley and flashed a quick smile.  “I’m sure she’ll do fine.”  Riley smiled back, trying not to look too goofy.

Gabe dealt the cards rapidly as he explained the rules.  “The game is Devil’s Ruse.  Minimum bet is five, food rations will be accepted if you want to make things interesting, black 3’s are wild, cheaters will be summarily executed.  Any questions?  Good, then Peter can start us off.”

Riley and Quinn turned out to be a dynamic team, and soon they began amassing a healthy stack of chips and food rations.  Jeff muttered something about mental telepathy after they won their fifth hand in a row.  Quinn was tempted to agree with him.  All she had to do was look across the table into those green eyes and she knew exactly what her partner wanted.  It worked the other direction too, apparently, because Riley would return her look and then play the exact card Quinn had wanted, as though the little blond woman could read her mind.  Quinn certainly hoped that wasn’t the case, because she’d have a hard time explaining why half of her thoughts involved her and Riley having excessively familiar relations.

The game started seriously enough, but after two hours of steady drinking it soon degraded into a “who can tell the most embarrassing story about someone else” contest.  Much to Riley’s chagrin, Gabe proved to be the master at that particular contest.  People were practically falling out of their chairs with laughter, much of it at Riley’s expense.

“…So we finally figure out Riley’s been locked in the meat locker with the suspect the whole time.  Meanwhile, she’s been holding this guy off with a frozen leg of lamb for the last hour.”  Gabe narrated his tale with glee, while Riley did her best to crawl under the table and die with embarrassment.  “So we burst in and I scream ‘Freeze!’  Riley just looks at me with this really pissed off expression and screams back, ‘I already am freezing, you asshole!’”  Laughter erupted all around the table.

Peter clapped one meaty hand on Riley’s shoulder, as he wiped away tears of laughter from his face.  “Lord, girl, I didn’t know it was possible for someone to blush that color of red,” he said.

Quinn teased, “You know, Riley, for someone as reckless as your partner makes you out to be, you sure play conservatively.”

“A fact which you're more than happy to compensate for,” Riley teased back.  She was rewarded with a smile so dazzling that she was suddenly glad she was sitting down already.  Wow, they ought to make that smile illegal.  It could cause a traffic accident or something.  Who am I kidding?  I’d be the first person to volunteer to cuff her and bring her in.   She smiled wickedly at the thought.

Maria chimed in, breaking the spell, “Riley, is that story really true?  Did you really beat that guy back with the leg of lamb?”

Riley gave a secretive smile and said, “Well…let’s just say that I swore off lamb chops for a long time after that.”  She paused thoughtfully, before looking at Gabe slyly.  She pulled out her secret weapon.  “Speaking of cute little sheep…have you guys heard the story about how Gabe met and seduced his lovely wife?”

Gabe froze in mid-laugh and looked at Riley with panic.  “You wouldn’t….” he said with mock horror.

Riley’s eyes twinkled, “Oh yes I would.”  She launched into her story, touching upon every little embarrassing detail.  Take that, partner, she grinned to herself.  Gabe groaned as everyone burst into laughter yet again, silently wishing he had had the good sense to keep his mouth shut.

 *  *  *  *  *

The party ended a few hours later, when Gabe’s wife Cindy came home.  The partygoers had wisely interpreted Gabe’s adoring looks in her direction as their cue to leave.  They all staggered home happy and drunk, commenting on how great the party had been.

Riley walked down the stairs behind Quinn, silently trying to work up the nerve to speak.  She knew that she would never forgive herself if she just walked away without saying anything to the captivating woman.  They arrived at Quinn’s car outside, where they hesitated, glancing at each other awkwardly.  Finally after a moment of silence, Quinn turned to get into her car.  Riley knew this was her last chance.  She reached out and tapped the other woman on the shoulder.

“Do you want to go get some coffee with me?”  Riley said, avoiding her gaze.  She mentally braced herself for the rejection she was sure was inevitable.

“I’d love to.”  The confident reply came almost before Riley was finished speaking.

Riley looked up at her with barely concealed surprise.  “Really?”

Quinn flashed that killer smile at her again.  “Really.  Come on, hop in.  I know a great place not far from here.”  She started up the car, as Riley jumped in the passenger seat.  Quinn looked at the other woman for a second before driving off, thinking with some amazement, I guess she really can read my mind.

In almost no time at all they were comfortably nestled in two large comfy chairs in the back of a little coffee shop.  Riley looked around at the place.  The food shortage had not affected business at all.  Even at that late hour, the shop was full of people softly chatting in the various booths and little nooks with couches.  Thank god for synthetic coffee, Riley thought.  It’s available in abundance and packs twice the kick of natural coffee.

Quinn interrupted her thoughts.  “Arenaball fan?”

“Excuse me?” Riley asked with confusion.

“You’re wearing a Spartans t-shirt,” Quinn explained.  “I was wondering if you were an arenaball fan.”

Riley smiled broadly.  “Oh God, yes.  I love the sport.  I think Chris Wilson is a god,” she said, referring to the Spartans star offensive center.  “Do you watch?”

“I catch the games when I can.  Sometimes work interferes.”

“I didn’t know that transport pilots flew at night,” Riley commented.

Quinn shrugged.  “Usually we don’t.  But sometimes the cloud refinery runs out of something and they need an emergency shipment or whatever.  I’m the one that always gets called in to take care of it.”

“Why you?”

“Because I’m the best qualified to navigate the cloud bank in the dark,” Quinn replied.  She took a sip of her coffee, falling silent as something in the background caught her attention.

Riley turned around to see what Quinn was looking at.  They were running the local news brief on the television screen that was mounted on the far wall.  The newscaster was interviewing a Tabon man about something, though with the volume down, Riley couldn’t tell what they were discussing.  The Tabon was strikingly handsome, with short-cropped blond hair and strong features.  He looked human, save for the large pair of wings, the same color as his hair, which sprouted from his back.

“They look like angels,” Riley said dreamily.

Quinn’s attention snapped back to her companion.  She grimaced and shook her head.  “Yeah, well, Lucifer was an angel too.  Don’t be fooled by their appearance.”

 “They’re so lucky, though.  Can you imagine spending your whole life up there, where the air isn’t polluted and you can actually see the sun?”  Riley’s face fell, as she sighed,  “I can’t even begin to imagine what sunlight would feel like.”

Quinn took in her companion’s sad expression.  She thought about it for a minute before saying, “It’s warm and soft.  It feels like the sun is reaching down and caressing you on the cheek.”  She closed her eyes, remembering the sensation fondly.

Riley looked at her with shock.  “You’ve been above the clouds?  How is that possible?”

“Oh, I’ve been known to evade border patrol now and then to sneak up there,” Quinn replied vaguely.  She omitted the fact that lately a good number of those times she had been up there doing work for the resistance. Not exactly the sort of thing you let slip to a cop.

“It must be wonderful,” Riley said.  Quinn nodded her agreement, before steering the conversation away from the sensitive topic and back to a discussion on arenaball tactics.

They sat and made small talk for a while, just enjoying the coffee and being in each other’s presence.  Quinn, normally uncomfortable talking to new people, found herself at ease speaking with the blond woman, as though she had known her for years.  Riley was genuinely interesting, and Quinn felt herself being drawn in by the other woman’s bright personality.  The painful thoughts that normally lurked in the back of her mind were strangely silent tonight.  Quinn wasn’t sure how or why that was happening, but she was happy for the distraction.

“Anyway, my mom and dad are your typical pestering parents,” Riley was saying.  “You know, Dad doesn’t approve of the whole cop thing – he thinks it’s too dangerous – and Mom just wants to know when I’m going to get married and give her grandkids.  Every time I talk to her, it’s always ‘Do you have a boyfriend?’”

“Do you?” Quinn interrupted suddenly.  “I mean, you must have someone, right?”  Please say no, please say no…

Riley wondered for a minute if Quinn was not somehow related to Gabe.  “Uh, no, I’m not really seeing anyone right now,” she said slowly. Unless you count going on dates with David and fucking Lisa, she mentally added, not that she was about to admit that out loud.  “How about you?”

“Nah,” Quinn replied.  “I had a date with this woman the other night, but I don’t really think I’m going to see her again.”

“Anyone I know?”

“Actually, maybe you do know her.  She’s a dispatcher at your precinct, I think.  Gabe set me up with her.  Her name’s Laura.”

“Oh - ” Riley said neutrally.  “Yeah I’ve seen her around.”  The scene from the locker room earlier that day replayed in her mind.  Well, that answered one question she had been thinking all night. There’s no real tactful way to ask someone if they’re good in bed.  Not that I can’t think of alternate ways to find that out…

“She was nice,” Quinn said, “just not my type.  You know how that is.”

“Oh, believe me, I know how that is,” Riley replied with a groan.  “It’s been the story of my life.  When I was thirteen I met this boy who I thought was perfect…”

Quinn smiled – she suspected that by the time the night was done, she would be well acquainted with every person Riley had ever dated. Fortunately, I am definitely in no hurry to go home, she admitted to herself.  She settled back in her chair, letting Riley’s voice wash over her, the vivid details transporting her to another time and place.

 *  *  *  *  *

Stephanie was perched on the edge of her seat, watching her roommate pace back and forth.  Quinn had been distracted all day, to the point where Stephanie was so annoyed that she finally grabbed her roommate and forced the story out of her.  Quinn had reluctantly filled her in on the details of the night before, including going out for coffee with Riley.  “So what happened after you left the coffee shop?”

“Nothing,” Quinn replied, continuing to pace.  “I drove her home, we said goodnight, and then I left.”

“That’s it?” Stephanie asked incredulously.  “Did you ask her out again? Did you give her your phone number?  Did you at least kiss her?”

“No, no, and no,” Quinn groaned.  She smacked herself on the forehead. “I should have though.  I mean this girl was… well, at first she was a little weird, but once we got talking – I mean really talking – we just…I don’t know…”

“Connected?” Stephanie supplied helpfully.

“Yeah. Connected.  That’s it exactly.  I felt really comfortable with her, like I’ve known her all my life.  I think I talked as much as she did.  Well…maybe not quite as much, but it was still a lot of talking.  Isn’t that weird?”

Stephanie agreed.  She had always thought Quinn was the definition of uncommunicative.  “I just don’t get you, Quinn.  I mean, usually you go out with someone once, take them to bed, and then never see them again.  Now you meet someone who you actually want to see again, and you can’t bring yourself to even kiss her?”

“Look, I liked her,” Quinn tried to explain, “which is why I didn’t kiss her.”  Stephanie looked confused, so she continued, “If I kissed her, then she might have kissed me back, and then one thing would have led to another.  I just didn’t want to screw things up by sleeping with her right away.  I want to get to know her first.”

“And then what?” her friend challenged.  “You’re never going to kiss her?  You’ll just keep sleeping with strangers; the lights always out, never taking your shirt off?  How long do you think you can keep that up?”

“Steph…” the warning in Quinn’s voice was obvious.

“Don’t you ‘Steph’ me, missy,” Stephanie ignored her friend’s tone.  “Sooner or later you’re going to have to trust someone enough to tell them the whole truth about you.  I don’t know if it’s this cop, but if it’s not, it’ll happen with someone else.”

“What’s your point?”

“My point is, give it a chance.  Take a risk.  Try a shot at intimacy with another person for once.  Or, just sit around and kick yourself for not doing anything about it.  Either way, you need to work this out, because in five days you’re leading the raid on the Tabon weapons convoy.  Now, six kids are putting their lives in your hands - because they trust you to lead this mission with a clear and level head.  This is not something you can mess up because you’ve got some blonde cop on the brain.”

Quinn nodded.  “You’re right.”  That was the Stephanie she knew and respected.  Goals were always clear for her, the sacrifices made without question.  It was why Stephanie was the perfect leader for the resistance – she gave without being asked, always putting the needs of the mission before her own.

“I know I am,” Stephanie replied, rising and placing a hand on her friend’s shoulder.  “Now, I’m going to get your address book.  You’ve got some calls to make.”

 *  *  *  *  *

Riley felt like she had been sleepwalking through her day at work.  She had thwarted a couple robberies and helped contain a building fire, and yet she scarcely felt interested.  It had been two days since she had had coffee with the dark-haired transport pilot, and every minute since then had been spent chastising herself for not acting on her attraction.

Why didn’t I at least ask for her phone number? Riley lamented, as she entered her apartment, tossing her keys carelessly on the table near the door.  She dropped her assorted bags in the living room.  She had decided to try and shop some of her cares away, going directly to the mega-mall after work.  Unfortunately, it did little to calm her nerves.  She only half-heartedly tried on different outfits, and she was sure she’d end up taking half of the stuff back.

Riley walked over to the phone to check her messages.  She perked up, as she saw the red 3 flashing at her.  Maybe she called, she thought hopefully.  The first one was David – ugh, skip that – as was the next one.  Skip that one too.  The voice on the third message was Lisa.

“Shit.”  It was not until she spoke that Riley realized that she’d been holding her breath.  “Well, so much for tall, dark and handsome.”  She looked around for Lisa’s phone card, but she did not see it by the vid-phone.  She went into the kitchen; after a few minutes of rooting around, she found it tossed in the fork drawer.

She hesitated by the vid-phone.  What am I doing?  She looked again at the card, debating what to do.  Glancing up, she said, “If anyone up there is listening, I could use a little help here.  Give me a sign or something if I’m not supposed to do this.”  She waited for a second, waiting for the lightning bolt to strike her phone, before sighing, “God, I must be going crazy.  Okay, Lisa, time to return your call…”

Just as she was about to stick the card into the vid-phone, it rang, causing her to jump in surprise.  She hit the receive button and turned to toss the phone card on the counter.  When she turned back to the screen she was confronted with the blue eyes that had haunted her the past two days.

“Wow, you read my mind,” Riley said, before she could stop herself.

“That’s one more thing we have in common,” Quinn replied softly.

“What?”

“Nevermind.”  Quinn smiled at her.   Riley couldn’t help but smile back.  “Uh, how have you been?”

“Oh, fine.  I’ve been busy with work and all,” Riley said, lying through her teeth.  Actually, I’ve just been thinking about you for the last two days nonstop…

“That’s good.”  Quinn paused, taking a deep breath.  “Look, are you doing anything tomorrow night?”

Score!  Riley did a few imaginary cartwheels in her head.  “I don’t have any plans,” she said, doing her best to sound casual.  “Why do you ask?”

Quinn held up two tickets in front of the screen.  “I thought maybe you’d want to go to the Spartans game.  They’re pretty good seats.”

Riley’s jaw dropped.  “You’re kidding.  I thought that game’s been sold out for weeks.  How did you manage to get tickets?”

“I have my ways,” Quinn winked.  “So, are you interested?”

“Definitely!”

Quinn smiled at Riley’s expression.  “Great.  I’ll pick you up at 7.  See you then.”

“Bye.”  Riley cut the connection.  Oh yeah!  She broke into a little jig, spinning and dropping down on the couch, feeling rather pleased about this new turn of events.  Something suddenly occurred to her.  Oh damn, I have nothing to wear.  She gathered up her bags and ran out the door.  Gotta get to the mega-mall before it closes in half an hour…

TBC...