By Sheri

Last Updated May 22, 1999 - 4:00 AM

Disclaimers: See Part 1

Special Disclaimer for the end of Part 5: Those of you who have been reading the story know that Destiny is supposed to face 3 trials in her life. At the end of this part she is attacked; rape is attempted which leads to a revelation by Lita. There is nothing graphic but that part is designated by a line of $$$. I think you can skip this section without affecting your understanding of the story.

Life settled into an almost idyllic routine for the two women after the meeting with Des' father. Des and Lita spent as much time together as possible. Des' family seemed to accept them as a couple. Des' mother was happy her daughter had someone to look out for her. She was a bit disappointed at the thought that there wouldn't be any more grandchildren in her future but in this day and age even that wasn't totally out of the realm of possibility. The only members of Des' family that didn't accept their status as a couple were her grandfather-who was unaware of their status-and her father-who hid his feelings in order to rebuild their relationship. Bowling started and Lita did well, their team was off to a good start. The weekend parties at the lake ended so Lita and Des had the lake to themselves on the weekends, a circumstance they happily took advantage off until the weather turned too cold for swimming. They had to content themselves with the hot tub after that. They adjusted to their differing work schedules and resigned themselves to only being able to sleep well on the weekends when they could spend the night in each other's arms. As the holidays approached their thoughts turned towards finding the perfect gift for the other.

They spent Thanksgiving with Des' family at her Uncle's house. It was a beautiful day. The weather was unseasonably warm, warm enough to play touch football after lunch. Lita and Des were put on opposite teams. Lita was very good at football. Her height allowed her to catch balls thrown over most other people's heads and her long legs made catching her once she caught the ball nearly impossible. Des was a different story. She was quick and could run the ball well but getting the ball to her was difficult, especially in a game where all the opposing team had to do was touch you to end the play. Lita was given the task of 'covering' Des and she did so gladly, waiting for the perfect opportunity. On one play Des actually caught a ball and was able to start running with it before Lita caught up with her. As Lita reached out to touch her Des dodged and threw the ball to one of her cousins. Then she stopped in her tracks causing Lita to crash into her with enough force to send them falling to the ground. As they were falling Lita made sure that she hit the ground first and then held Des to her for a moment.

"Nice move." Lita said.

"Thanks. Nice save, are you ok?"

"Perfect."

"Good. Uhm...shouldn't we get up?"

Lita looked around, noticing that the game seemed to have continued without them.

"I don't think they're going to miss us."

"Okaay, but aren't we kind of in their way?"

"I can fix that." Lita said and, holding tightly to Des, rolled until they were well off of the playing field and partially hidden by bushes.

Des smiled down at Lita and ran her fingers lightly down her cheek, brushing away a few loose strands of hair that had fallen into Lita's eyes. "Now what?" She asked?

Lita looked around again. Everyone seemed to be interested in the game and no one seemed to be paying attention to the two of them. "This." She whispered and reached up to capture Des' lips in a kiss. Des basked in the sensation of Lita's lips against hers for a few glorious moments. When she was finally able to pull herself away she looked around quickly trying to see if anyone had noticed.

"We promised not to do that."

"We promised to try not to do that." Lita corrected her. "I couldn't resist."

"Care to sneak off with me and not resist some more?" Des asked wiggling her eyebrows lecherously.

 "I'd love to." Lita said standing up and taking Des with her.

"Li, put me down."

"Don't want to."

"Li."

"Nope."

"What is this fascination you have with carrying me around everywhere?"

"I don't know. I just like the way you feel in my arms I guess. Now tell me which way to go."

"Fine. I was thinking a long walk in the woods would be nice. Are you going to carry me the whole time?"

"Maybe. Which way do we go?"

"How about through the woods alongside the house."

"Ok." Lita shifted Des a bit and then started off. When they had gone a short distance into the woods Lita took pity on Des and set her on her feet, capturing her hand instead. They spent a lovely 10 minutes exploring the woods and an even lovelier half an hour exploring each other. When they finally made it back to the house the aunts were busy getting supper set out. With a group that size, eating was usually done buffet style. Tracy spotted them first and came over.

"You guys almost missed supper."

"Heaven forbid." Des joked.

"Have fun?" Tracy asked reaching up and taking a leaf out of Des' hair.

"Mmhmm." Des answered blushing.

"Good. Now go explain to your grandfather why you were kissing your best friend on the lawn in the middle of a football game."

"I didn't think anyone saw us. Did any of the kids?"

"I wouldn't worry about it Dee. I think most everyone knows the truth about the two of you by now. Rick was telling me earlier that Kimberly was explaining the two of you to him the other day. She thought he didn't get it. Just go explain to your grandfather."

"Thanks." Des walked over to where Lita had wandered, talking with Mary, and grabbed her hand, tugging on it.

"What's up?" Lita asked.

"Excuse us for a minute Mom. We need to have a talk with Grandpa. Seems he saw us on the football field and wants to know why I was kissing my best friend."

"Oh." Lita said as she reluctantly followed Des into the living room. Des' grandpa was sitting on the couch. Des and Lita crossed the room and pulled over two folding chairs to sit on facing him.

"Hi Grandpa." Des said.

"Dee. It sure was nice of you to invite your friend to Thanksgiving. I suppose all of your family is back in California?"

"Yes sir. I was very grateful to Des for inviting me and to the rest of you for making me feel so welcome."

"You looked more than grateful during the football game."

"Yes sir." Lita replied, not sure what more she was expected to say. Not sure there was anything else she could say. Luckily Des jumped in to help her out.

"Grandpa. Lita and I are a couple. We love each other very much. I can't imagine my life without her in it. She completes me. She makes me feel like a whole person instead of just an empty shell. I've never been happier in my life."

Lita just stared during Des' impassioned speech, she had known that Des loved her, it was obvious in so many ways. She had never guessed the depths of Des' feelings for her though. The declaration brought tears to her eyes and she couldn't seem to tear her gaze away from Des' face.

"Well any fool could see that girl. What I want to know is why didn't you tell me sooner? Since your dad's been gone I've felt that it was my responsibility to watch out for you and your sister. Now I want to ask this young lady a few questions. First off, what do you do for a living?"

"I'm a Corrections Officer." Lita replied.

"Do you make good money?"

"Grandpa!" Des protested.

"Hush girl."

"Good enough sir." Lita answered.

"We all know how Destiny feels about you-and if we didn't before we sure as heck do after her little speech. What I want to know is how do you feel about her?"

"I love her."

"That's it?"

"What else is there to say? I'm not good with words like Des is. I love her, that's all."

"Why do you call her Des?"

"When we first met she told me about the reason behind her name and she had lost friends in the past because of it. I call her Des rather than Dee to show her that I'm not scared of the dream."

"I never knew that." Des said. "I always meant to ask you about it and I always forgot to." Lita just looked at her and smiled.

 "I guess it didn't work then huh?"

"I just loved the way you said it. It made me feel special in your eyes, as if you saw me differently than everyone else did."

"That's ok too then."

"What are your intentions towards my granddaughter?" Des' grandfather interrupted them.

"Excuse me?"

"Grandpa?!" Lita and Des spoke together. Des was blushing furiously and Lita looked uncomfortable and little stunned.

"You heard me young lady. What are your future plans for my granddaughter?"

"Any future plans are between Li and I Grandpa. We'll let you know if anything happens that you need to be aware of. Right now we are dating, that's all you need to know."

"I love your granddaughter very much sir. If it were legal I would marry her. Since it's not, I intend to spend the rest of my life loving her and doing everything in my power to keep her happy for the rest of hers." Lita interrupted with quiet conviction. Now it was Des' turn to be rendered speechless. She just sat there and stared at Lita.

"That's all I needed to hear." Des' grandpa said with a nod of his head. "Welcome to the family young lady." He offered her his hand.

"Thank you sir." Lita replied shaking his hand. Des was still staring in shock so Lita gently reached under her elbow and helped her to stand. Lita led her to one of the bedrooms and closed the door behind them.

"Des?"

"Huh." Des said coming out of her trance. "Did you really mean what you said out there?"

"Of course I did or I wouldn't have said it. You are the other half of my soul, I can't imagine my life without you in it either."

"If it were legal I would marry you too." Des said. "I love you."

"I love you too." Lita said as their lips met in a tender kiss. There was a knock on the door and Tracy called out. "Supper's ready."

"All right." Des answered, then to Lita, "I really wish you didn't have to work tonight."

"Me too. At least we can spend all day together tomorrow since you're off." There were no education programs for the inmates on holidays so Des had a long weekend.

"Then there is all day Saturday and Sunday too." Des agreed. "I guess we'll just have to muddle through somehow. I can't wait until you can try for a day shift."

"Only a few more months."

After supper Lita and Des said their good-byes and headed home so Lita could get some sleep before going to work.

"Sleep. Right." Tracy said smiling.

"It's true." Des said, the tell-tale blush already working its way up her neck.

"Oh I believe you, really I do." Tracy continued teasing.

"Well we do have to get tired enough to sleep somehow." Lita said, "What do you and Steve do?"

"Their names are Karina and Kyle, perhaps you've met them?"

"I like our way better." Des said shocking everyone, including herself, then turned and walked toward their car.

"Me too." Lita agreed nuzzling Des' ear as they walked.

Much later the alarm went off and it was time for Lita to get ready for work. She somehow managed to get out of bed without disturbing Des and went into the bathroom to take a shower. When she emerged from the shower 15 minutes later she found an empty bed and the wonderful aroma of fresh brewed coffee was wafting up the stairs. Lita quickly got dressed and went down to join her partner. Des was busy making a lunch for Lita when she arrived in the kitchen.

"How can you even think about food after all we had to eat today?" Lita said putting her arms around Des and kissing the back of her neck.

"It just so happens that somehow I worked up an appetite and besides you are going to need something to eat later."

"The question is did you like working up that appetite?" Lita asked still exploring Des' skin.

"Oh I enjoyed it very much, thank you." Des turned in Lita's embrace allowing her greater access. "I suppose I should go get dressed so we can go."

"Why don't you just stay here tonight. You don't have to work in the morning so you don't need to have a change of clothes right away."

"Are you sure?" This would be the first time they made a conscious decision to spend the night. It would also be the first time Des would sleep in Lita's bed without her there to share it.

"I'm sure. In fact, I think I like the idea of coming home and finding you waiting for me in my bed. Is that bad? Des? ...Des?"

"Hmm? Sorry I was just dreaming there. I don't think that's bad at all. I want to be there waiting for you, for the rest of my life if possible."

"Good, because I want you there. So go back to bed. I'll see you in the morning." Lita kissed her passionately and left before she could change her mind and decide to call in sick. Des went back upstairs and found that she was too awake to sleep. She tried watching TV but there was nothing on. Finally she gave up and went to the computer room. She logged on and checked the pack messages. There were a lot of people home for the holiday so the list was busy. Des spent an enjoyable few hours chatting and was finally tired enough to go back to sleep. Lita found her clutching her pillow when she got home from work in the morning. The inmates had been restless as they usually were during the holidays and Lita was tired. She changed into her sleepwear and climbed into bed. Des immediately moved into her favorite position, sprawled across Lita's body, and soon both women were fast asleep.

A few hours later Lita woke to the scent of food close by. She opened her eyes and saw Des entering the bedroom with a tray full of food. When she saw that Lita was awake Des asked, "Ready for some breakfast?"

"Sounds great. Smells great too." Lita replied, sitting up so Des could place the tray across her lap. As they enjoyed their breakfast Des asked, "How did work go?"

"Terrible. The inmates always get squirrely during the holidays. They are either out to make every one else's holiday as bad as theirs or they are so depressed that we have to worry about them hurting themselves."

"I know. I am lucky I don't have to deal with them on the major holidays but they get restless on the minor ones too."

"I'm just glad I don't have to go back until Monday."

"Monday? You mean Sunday don't you?"

"Actually, no I mean Monday. Someone asked me to switch shifts with them and I am going to work day shift next week."

"All week?"

"All week. Surprise."

"A whole week of working the same shift?"

"A whole week."

"A whole week of good sleep in your arms."

"A whole week."

"Can we start now?"

"Most definitely." It was a good idea but little sleeping was actually accomplished that afternoon.

That night was bowling night. It had become customary for Lita and Des to meet Amy and Steve for supper on Friday nights before bowling. As they were getting ready to leave the phone rang. Lita went over to the phone by the bed and answered it.

"Hello."

There was no one on the other end of the line.

"Hello." Lita said again. Again, there was no response. Then there was a click as the connection was severed and then the dial tone buzzed in Lita's ear. "Strange." Lita murmured.

"What's strange?" Des asked, coming out of the bathroom and putting her arms around Lita's waist.

"No one was there."

"Maybe it was one of those computerized telemarketers."

"Maybe." Lita agreed kissing Des lightly. "Ready?"

"Yep."

"Do you want to swing by your place and change clothes?" Lita asked noticing that Des was still wearing the clothes she had worn the day before.

"I suppose we should. These got a little dirty during the football game yesterday. Not to mention our little 'walk in the woods'." Des finished playfully.

"I was wondering..." Lita's voice trailed off.

"What?"

"Would you like to stay out here next week?" Lita asked shyly.

"I thought we established that already. You know that whole 'sleeping in your arms all week' conversation."

"Well then, it would probably be easier if you brought some clothes here, rather than having to go to your place to change every morning. I could make some room for your stuff in here or you could put a bunch of stuff in the guest room."

"Li, are you asking me to move in?"

"Well, uhm, I was just thinking that we could give it a try. This week of working together would be a good time to see if we could do it without driving each other crazy. Then if it worked we could make it more permanent or if it didn't work out we could... I mean, maybe it's too soon. You wouldn't have to give up your place or anything... Unless you wanted to...I mean, uhm it would be totally up to..." she stopped as Des covered her lips with her fingers.

"Li. I would love to bring some of my stuff out here. I would really like to try living together. I think this week is the perfect opportunity to give it a test run. Ok?"

"Ok."

"No pressure?"

"No pressure."

"Good. Let's go eat."

"Yes ma'am." Lita replied as she picked up her car keys and they walked out to the garage.

They met Amy and Steve at the same Chinese restaurant that Lita and Des had had their first lunch together at. It was a favorite of both couples and they ate there frequently. When supper was over it was time to head to the lanes. As Amy, Steve, and Des went to the locker room to get their gear Lita went up the counter to rent some shoes.

"You know, one thing you never explained to me in all those bowling lessons we had, was why the rental shoes are so dang ugly."

"You know that is a very interesting story."

"Oh really?" Lita looked doubtful.

"Sure. Long, long ago when bowling was first played out on the lawns of England's royal court the king and queen needed special shoes so they wouldn't slip on the wet grass. They went to the royal cobbler and told him to make them the finest shoes in the land that wouldn't slip on the grass. Now the cobbler didn't have any material to make the shoes from that wouldn't slip. The fine leathers that he made all the other royal shoes from were much too good to be worn on the wet grass, the water would destroy them. All he could find was some very poor leather made from the rough hide of a wild boar. The shoes were very good at walking and even running on wet grass but they looked absolutely horrid. The cobbler even tried to dye the shoes a pretty color but the rough hide only made the colors look worse. When the king and queen came to pick up their shoes the cobbler thought he would be executed on the spot. To his amazement, the king and queen took one look at the shoes and proclaimed them the most beautiful things they had ever seen. The king and queen were quite clueless when it came to fashion you see. In any case, once the king and queen announced them the height of fashion and beauty who else in the kingdom would dare oppose? So even though to you and I think the shoes look absolutely ugly, to royalty they are beautiful." Des finished her tale with a flourish.

"You have got to be kidding me." Lita said. "Is that really why?"

"No. But it sounds so much better than saying it is so no one steals them don't you think?"

"Steal them? Why would anyone want to steal bowling shoes?"

"Exactly." Des said. "Actually, if you were to ask Grandpa he would tell you that his bowling shoes are the most comfortable shoes he owns. He used to wear them everywhere. His looked more like tennis shoes but they were really bowling shoes. Of course that could have something to do with the fact that he bowls so much that his bowling shoes were broke in better than any other shoes he wore."

By this time their lanes were free and it was time to get bowling. Des wrote out the score-sheet, filling in their names and averages and figuring out how much handicap they would get. Then she had to enter their names in the computer. She was usually the first bowler, with Lita bowling second, then Tim and Des' Uncle Tom bowling last.

They had been bowling for over two months now and Des was noticing something disturbing about Tim, the friend from work. He seemed to be hitting on Lita. Des couldn't tell for sure if he was trying to get her to go out with him; he had never come right out and asked her, but Des had been bowling with him long enough that she was starting to recognize the signs. He was offering to buy her drinks and he was always complimenting her. Tonight, he made a typical move. He asked Des about her.

"Hey Dee, is Lita seeing anyone?"

"Yes she is."

"Is it serious?"

"I think so."

"Who's she seeing?"

"Maybe you should ask her. It's your turn." Des changed the subject as Lita finished bowling and came over to sit next to Des.

"Nice shot." Des said to Lita, who had just picked up a spare.

"Thanks."

"We've got a problem." Des said as Tim went up to bowl. "Come to the bathroom with me?"

"Ok." Lita said, a little confused. When they got to the bathroom Des checked to see if anyone else was there.

"Tim was asking me about you."

"So?"

"So. He was wondering if you were seeing anyone. I think he's going to ask you out."

"Oh." Lita said. "What did you tell him?"

"I said that you were seeing someone and that I thought it was pretty serious."

"Did you tell him who?" Lita asked wishing she could have seen his face.

"No."

"No! Why not?" Lita was really confused now.

"He works at the prison."

"So?"

"I didn't know if you wanted people at work to know about us. We are always careful in the mornings not to do anything...romantic."

"That isn't because I didn't want anyone to know. I just don't think work is the place for...romantic actions."

"Oh. So we can tell Tim to stop flirting with you then, that you're taken."

"Are you jealous?"

"No! I just don't like being the one he asks for advice on how to woo you."

"Woo me? Des you are priceless! Nobody woos anybody these days."

"Whatever. Can we tell him to stop."

"You are jealous!"

"Ok, ok. I'm jealous. I've been trying not to let it bother me but it does."

"I think it's cute."

"Great." Des grumbled.

"Hey." Lita said, kissing Des lightly on the lips. "I happen to really like cute."

Tom came to the door of the bathroom and knocked on it.

"Dee, you about done in there? You're up."

"Be right there." Des replied. "So can we tell him?"

"Yes Des, we can tell him." They went back out to the lane and finished the game. Des was really bowling well that night and got her first 600 series of the year. As Lita was finishing her last game of the evening Des' family members and other bowlers were congratulating Des on her good series. The opportunity to talk to Tim about them hadn't come up so when Lita came back to the seats she asked Des. "Do you want to show Tim rather than tell him?"

"What do you have in mind?" Des asked.

"Just congratulating you on your good series."

"Well, I'm all for your congratulations." Des said.

"Then stand up so I can congratulate you properly." Lita said pulling Des to her feet and into her arms. "Congratulations." She whispered as their lips met. The noise on the bowling alley faded away as both women lost themselves in the kiss. When Lita pulled away and looked over Des' shoulder she saw Tim looking at them with a stunned look on his face. Then he grinned and walked over to them.

"I guess it is pretty serious, huh." He said to Des.

"Very serious." Lita agreed.

"Ok then, it was worth a shot. Congratulations Dee. Nice series."

"Thanks."

On their way out to the lake they stopped by Des' place again so she could get some clothes together to take to Lita's. They also stopped at the grocery store so they wouldn't have to come back into town all weekend if they didn't want to. By the time they finally made it out to the lake it was well past midnight. Des went upstairs to unpack while Lita put the groceries away. Des put most of her clothes in the guestroom but brought her work outfits in to hang in the closet next to Lita's uniforms. When Lita came upstairs she found Des sitting on the bed staring at the closet.

"Watcha doin'" She asked as she sat down on the bed next to Des.

"Just thinkin'." Des replied, and pointed to the clothes. "They look good together, like they belong next to each other."

Lita looked at the clothes hanging side by side in the closet. "I never really thought about it but now that you mention it, yeah. They do look good next to each other." As she finished speaking she gave a jaw-popping yawn.

"Tired?" Des asked, leaning into Lita's shoulder.

"Yeah. Been a long day."

"Ready to go to bed?"

"Yeah, but I need to take a shower first. All I can smell is the smoke from the bowling alley."

"I know what you mean. I wish we could eliminate it but too many of our bowlers smoke. We try to keep them behind the seats but the smell is all over."

"Care to join me in a shower then?"

"Oh absolutely."

They walked towards the bathroom, removing their smoke-filled clothes as they went. Lita reached in and started the water and they both stepped under the wonderfully warm spray. They were both too tired to do more than share a few tender kisses as they cleaned each other. When they were finished, Lita turned off the water and grabbed a couple of towels from the rack. They dried each other off as they wandered back into the bedroom. Lita handed Des her sleepshirt and pulled her own on and they crawled into bed and into their normal positions.

"We're getting the pillows wet." Des murmured sleepily.

"They'll dry." Lita said, already half asleep. She kissed Des's forehead and whispered, "Goodnight, love."

"G'night." Des said, kissing Lita's collarbone.

They spent the weekend out at the lake, only coming into town once to see a movie on Saturday night. The next week flew by. Lita and Des found it extremely easy to adjust their schedules and go into work at the same time. They figured out a morning routine that gave them each enough time to get ready for work and even allowed them the time to say good morning properly. All too soon it was Friday morning; Des woke up before the alarm could go off and, even more fantastically, before Lita did. Des moved to her side and propped her head up on her hand so she could simply watch the woman next to her. She marveled at the beauty of the woman next to her as she always did whenever she looked at her lover. As she continued to watch, Lita smiled. It was just a tiny smile, but even in sleep it lit up her face. Des stroked Lita’s cheek, happy to see the smile grow as Lita nuzzled Des’ hand. Unable to resist, Des reached over and shut off the alarm and set about waking Lita up in a much more pleasant manner.

Lita had to break a few speed limits in order to get them to work on time that morning. "You are a bad influence on me." Lita said as they pulled up to a stop sign a few blocks from the prison.

"I know, but you love me anyway."

"Yep. Don’t ever stop." Lita agreed as she reached over and patted Des’ thigh.

"I promise." Des said and leaned over to kiss Lita lightly on the lips. A horn honked behind them and Lita hurried through the intersection. They went through Master Control together and then Lita had to leave to go over to another area of the prison while Des walked over to the education building.

The day was almost over when it happened. The education inmates were out on their afternoon break and Des decided to take the opportunity to go for a walk to get some exercise. She had been working with an inmate all afternoon. Sitting and trying to explain how algebra equations work. She needed to stretch her legs before game hour. As she was walking by one of the bathrooms a hand reached out and pulled her into the bathroom and shoved her into a stall. An inmate held her against the wall of the stall and put his hand over her mouth so she couldn’t scream. Des frantically reached for the body alarm she wore clipped to her jeans at the small of her back but she couldn’t reach it. The inmate had grabbed one arm and twisted it and she was being shoved against the stall so forcefully that she couldn’t get her other hand behind her. Des’ mind was racing as she tried to think of something, anything she could do. The hand over her mouth pressed closer, the grubby fingers clasping tighter and tighter. Des opened her mouth and bit down on one finger trying to get him to release her. The inmate howled in pain and removed his hand but grasped her by the throat instead, cutting off her oxygen supply. Her mouth was free but she no longer had the air to scream.

"You’ll pay for that little stunt." The inmate growled into Des’ ear as he pressed his body against Des and forced her harder against the wall of the stall. He eased up his hold on her throat just enough to allow her to take in some much-needed air. She still couldn’t scream but she was able to whisper. "What do you want?" Des thought if she could get him talking she would maybe get a chance to activate the alarm, or at least stall him until someone arrived and saw them. She turned her head slightly trying to see the door. What she saw there squashed the last bit of hope she had. Another inmate was standing in the doorway, guarding it. No one was going to be coming through there that could help her, she was on her own. ‘Think Des, think. Keep him talking, it’s your only chance.’

"We want your friend to pay for what she did in California." The harsh voice whispered. "We figured going after you would be the best way to go about it."

"Who are you talking about?" Des asked. "I don’t even know anyone from California."

"Don’t try to lie to me." The inmate responded shoving Des against the wall again. "We’ve been watching you two perverts for months now. We know all about your little affair. That slut of yours killed one of our boys and we are going to pay her back."

"You’ve got it wrong. I really don’t have any idea who you’re talking about. I’ve lived in this town all my life. I don’t know anyone from California." ‘Keep him talking Des, keep him talking.’ Des flinched as she was shoved against the wall again.

"I told you not to lie to me. Our orders were to just rough you up a bit to show your girlfriend that she couldn’t hide from us. Now I think I will have a little fun of my own. Teach you not to lie."

"I wouldn’t do that if I were you." The inmate standing in the doorway said.

"Why not?"

"The boss wouldn’t like it."

"I don’t care. The boss said to make the slut pay. Think how she’ll pay if we have a little fun with her girlfriend."

"We?"

"Of course we. Do you think I wouldn’t share?"

"You’re right. The slut will hurt a lot more if we mess up her girlfriend."

"I knew you’d see it my way." The inmate holding Des said as he began unbuttoning Des’ blouse. Des knew that she had to get to the alarm soon and while the two inmates had been talking she began reaching for the small alarm. The inmate holding her noticed her movements and pulled her away from the wall of the stall. He reached around her waist and found the alarm. He took it off her jeans and tossed it to his buddy at the door. "Get rid of that."

"What are you going to do now honey?" He asked Des continuing to unbutton her blouse. Des closed her eyes and prayed to whoever was out there listening to send someone to help her.

"The other instructors are going to wonder where I am if I don’t get back to class soon. Break time is almost over and we are all supposed to be in the classroom."

"Oh I’m sure we will have enough time for what I’ve got in mind. They won’t come looking right away." As he was talking his hands were roaming over Des’ exposed skin and he was working towards the buttons on her jeans.

Lita was working across the facility in Health Services. Her job was to make sure that the inmates sent over to Health Services actually got there and to make sure that they behaved themselves while they waited. So far it had been a boring day. The inmates were anticipating the weekend, since the weather promised to be nice again they didn’t want to jeopardize their free time by getting in trouble and locked in Segregation for the weekend. There weren’t any incidents and Lita was counting the hours until she could go home with Des and spend the weekend in her arms. When the bell rang for the first afternoon break Lita decided to take a walk outside and stretch her legs, she had been sitting behind a desk all day long and needed the exercise. She told the other officer behind the desk her plans and headed out into the sunshine. She was halfway around the building when she felt the terror in her chest. She leaned against the building and tried to make sense of the mind-numbing fear she felt. There was no reason for it and she couldn’t figure out what was going on. Suddenly, an image of Destiny’s face popped into her mind and Lita took off running for the gate between the building she was in and the building Des was in. She didn’t know how but she knew Des was in trouble and this fear gripping her chest wouldn’t go away until she was sure Des was ok. Lita raced into the education building and pounded on the door to the security bubble. They opened the door and Lita demanded, "Where’s the camera in general education?"

"Right there." The officer on duty said, pointing to one of the many television monitors. "What’s wrong?"

"Where’s Destiny Miller?" Lita asked frantically. "Have you seen her on them in the last few minutes?"

"No. They all just got back from break. You can see the whole room from there, she should be there."

"She’s not there." Lita said. She scanned all the cameras covering the basement and finally saw the inmate standing in the bathroom doorway. She saw him look around. As she continued to watch another inmate walked up to the bathroom and she saw the inmate standing in the doorway block the door. "Hang on Des I’m coming." She whispered, heading for the door. "Call an A level to the basement she’s in trouble." Lita yelled as she ran out the door.

"How do you know?" The officer yelled after her.

"Just do it!" Lita yelled as she raced down the stairs.

The officer called for the ‘A’ level response and watched as Lita came through the door at the bottom of the stairs and into the view of the cameras. Silently, she approached the inmate standing in the door of the bathroom and with two quick jabs to his neck knocked him out. As she disappeared from the view of the cameras and into the bathroom the other officers arrived and were filled in on what was happening in the basement.

The inmate holding Des had managed to unbutton her jeans and was pressed up against her. Des was doing everything she could think of to keep him away from her. She heard someone come to the bathroom door and tried to call out but the inmate holding her was too quick and grasped her around the throat again. The inmate guarding the door hustled her savior off and she was once again alone. The inmate holding her was busy working on his own jeans when Des thought she heard someone fall. She looked frantically over his shoulder and just about fainted when she saw that there was no longer anyone standing in the doorway. Then Lita was there. She pulled the inmate off of Des and shoved him against the wall of the bathroom. She had him by the throat and he was dangling inches above the floor.

"You scum-sucking piece of shit. What did you think you were doing? I ought to kill you now and make the world a better place for everyone."

"You mean like you killed that guy in California?" The inmate managed to gasp.

Lita’s face paled and she tightened her grip on the guy’s throat. "What are you talking about?"

"We know all about you. You’re gonna pay."

"Not before you do." Lita said and drew back her fist.

"Wait!" Des cried, coming up behind Lita and grabbing her hand. "Don’t do it Li. He’s not worth it."

"How can you say that? He tried to rape you. I can’t let him get away with that."

"I know and he won’t. He’s going to pay for that you know he will. Don’t let them win by getting yourself in trouble. You know if you hurt him he will make you pay for it in court and then he might not have to pay for what he tried to do to me."

"I’m not going to hurt him. I’m going to kill him."

"Li, you can’t. You won’t be able to live with yourself if you do that."

"Yes I will Des. It’s justice."

"Li. I’m fine, really. Let him go. Please."

"He has to pay Des." Lita said, but eased up on the inmate’s throat and let his feet touch the ground again.

"He will Li. I promise he will. Please, let him go."

"You are so lucky you didn’t hurt her." Lita let him go and backed away. He slumped to the floor, his legs unable to hold him up. The three officers that had been standing in the doorway watching hurried in and pulled him off of the floor and put him into restraints. Lita reached for Des and ran her hands all over her checking for damage.

"Are you sure you’re ok?" Lita asked helping Des fix her clothing.

"I’m fine, really. How on earth did you know? I couldn’t reach my alarm, I tried to scream but he covered my mouth. I didn’t think anyone was going to make it in time and then there you were. How did you know?"

"Why don’t we talk about it at home, which is where you’re going right now."

"I’m sorry Lita but she can’t go home yet. She has to write out an incident report so we can get due process started on that creep. He’s on his way to SEG along with his buddy, but we need the incident report. We’ll need your report too."

"Do you think you can handle that?" Lita asked. "If you can’t I’ll try to get them to wait."

"No. I want to get it taken care of. Let’s go into the Education Office and write them there. There are two computers in there."

"Ok." Lita looked over at the other Officer still standing in the doorway. "We’ll bring the reports up in a bit." She motioned to the Officer to leave.

"Fine." The Officer said and left them alone. Lita pulled Des to her, wrapping her arms tightly around Des and kissing the top of her head. Des just absorbed the warmth and love emanating from the arms around her, trying to calm her pounding heart and rattled nerves. They stood there for as long as they dared and then parted to walk into the Education Office and write the report. As soon as they reached the office the other instructors surrounded Des to see for themselves that she was all right. Lita noticed over the next hour that every instructor and aide in the building came down to see that Des was all right. It was no surprise to Lita that everyone who knew Des cared for her but she really wished they would leave her alone to finish the report. All Lita wanted to do was take Des home and personally check every inch of that fine body for the slightest bit of damage. If she found any that guy had better hope that Lita wasn’t placed in charge of Segregation any time soon.

"Lita?"

"Yeah." Lita replied, pulling her mind away from those dark thoughts.

"Should we mention the California connection in these reports?"

"I think we have to. We can’t allow that scumbag any chance of getting off and if we don’t disclose everything and it comes out later it could work that way. As much as I hate to admit it, the gang seems to have found me. This is just the beginning. You need to make your report as accurate as possible. I know it hurts but you need to give as much detail as possible. We don’t want to give that slime any chance of a break."

"You’re right. I hate the thought of everyone in the institution being able to read about what happened though, especially your involvement. The fact that you were connected to this attack could be bad for you."

"Don’t worry about it. Anyone who would take what an inmate says over what I say I don’t want to be involved with anyway. Some people are going to believe I killed that punk in California and that I was responsible for the attack on you. I can’t really blame them can I? I blamed myself for that punk’s death and I am responsible for this attack on you. I will regret that for a long time. I am so sorry I dragged you into this."

"Stop it! We are not going to talk about this here. There is no way on this earth that anyone will get me to regret knowing you and you did not drag me into anything, I went willingly. I can’t prove that to you here at work so we are not going to talk about it here. Wait til we get home, please."

"All right." Lita silently went back to filling out her report. They finally got them finished and turned into the watch commander and then both Des and Lita were free to leave and go home. It was actually Des’ normal quitting time and Lita’s shift ended half an hour earlier so they headed home. The drive out to the lake was silent as each woman thought about what had happened today and what it meant for their future. Des was just grateful that Lita had been working and somehow knew she was in trouble. She had never seen a lovelier sight in her life as the sight of Lita’s face in the doorway to that bathroom. Lita’s thoughts were not as pleasant. Her mind was occupied with thoughts of what could have happened to the woman who meant more to her than her next breath and the fact that she would have never been in that danger if Lita wasn’t in her life.

They finally arrived at the lake house and parked in the garage. The light on Lita’s answering machine was blinking so Des pressed the play button. It was her mother.

"Dee. I tried to call you at home but you weren’t there so I figured you would be with Lita. Please give me a call as soon as you get this and let me know you’re all right. Your sister told me what happened to you at work. Please call me."

"I should call her and let her know I’m ok."

"Absolutely. I think I’ll go upstairs and change, give you some privacy."

"Ok." Des said quietly as she reached for the phone. She spent the next 20 minutes convincing her mother that she really was all right. When her mother was convinced and Des promised to stop over on her way to bowling to show her that she was still in one piece, she hung up and went to find Lita. As she passed through the kitchen the phone rang.

"Hello." Des answered. Silence was her only answer.

"Hello." Des repeated. Nothing, then a click and the line went dead. Des hung up the phone and continued through the house and up to the bedrooms. The phone rang again and Des answered it in the bedroom. "Hello."

"Des. It’s me, Amy. How are you doing? Are you all right?"

"Hi Amy. I’m ok, really. I was shaken up but he didn’t get the chance to hurt me. Lita came in just in time to stop him from doing anything."

"Are you guys coming to bowling tonight?"

"I think so. I just want to get back to doing normal things as soon as possible. I will let you know after I talk to Lita though."

"Where is she?"

"I’m not sure. I was looking for her when you called. Mom called and left a message earlier so I was talking to her and Li went up to change out of her uniform. I’m sure she’s around here somewhere. I’ll call you in a little bit. If you guys need to head out to supper before I call go ahead."

"We can wait a bit. Let me know what you decide to do."

"I will." Des hung up the phone and went over to the doors leading to the deck. The curtains had been drawn but the Des could see Lita standing on the deck looking out at the lake. She opened the door and went out to join her.

"It’s a little chilly to be out here isn’t it?" Des asked.

"I didn’t notice." Lita said. Des walked up to Lita and put her arms around her. Lita’s arms tightened of their own accord.

"Mmmm. Much better." Des said. They stood there, watching the sunset and enjoying the peace around them. Finally Lita sighed and asked, "Who was on the phone?"

Des hesitated and then decided to be honest. "One was Amy wondering about bowling and supper tonight."

"And the other?"

"There wasn’t anyone there." Des said.

"Damn." Lita said softly.

"Hey." Des said. "Let’s not think about that now ok? What about bowling and supper?"

"It’s up to you. If you don’t feel up to it we’ll stay here, if you want to we’ll go."

"I want to go."

"Business as usual huh?"

"Yep. Is that ok?"

"Whatever you want."

"Just remember you said that." Des said trying to lighten the mood.

"Ok." Lita said with a slight smile. Des called her sister back and they made plans to meet for supper. Des went to change her clothes and then it was time to go. The night flew by and surrounded by family and friends Des was able to put the events of the day behind her and actually have a good time. Just like everything though the night came to an end and Lita and Des were once again silently driving home.

Neither of them seemed to have much to say as they walked through the house and up to their bedroom. At the doorway though Des knew she had to say something.

"Lita?" She asked putting her hand on Lita’s arm.

"Hmm."

"You do know we need to talk about this right?"

"I know."

"Would you mind if we didn’t talk about it tonight though?"

"No. I wouldn’t mind." Lita replied with a sigh of relief.

"I would really like to just take a shower and then take a nice long bath and then go to sleep with your arms around me." Des said moving to put her arms around Lita’s waist.

"I think that can be arranged." Lita agreed and bent down to kiss Des tenderly as she led her into the bedroom. Lita went into the bathroom and started the shower while Des got undressed. When Des came into the bathroom Lita asked, "Mind if I join you?"

"Would you hate me if I said yes?"

"Of course not. Can I ask why not?"

"I really need to get clean first. I would love to have you join me for the bath though."

"I can live with that." Lita said with another kiss. Des stepped under the spray and let the water rush over her body, taking the memories of the slimeball’s hands with it. Lita waited in the bedroom until she heard the sobs. She quickly shed her own clothes and opened the shower door to see Des scrubbing her skin raw and crying gut wrenching sobs. She stepped into the shower stall and gathered Des to her. Holding her as tightly as she could. When Des had calmed down a bit Lita turned off the shower and plugged the tub to fill it for their bath. When the tub was full enough, Lita maneuvered them into a sitting position with Des leaning against her and her arms still tightly cuddling Des. Her sobs finally subsided and she calmed enough to speak.

"I’m sorry."

"There’s no reason to be. I am amazed you held out this long. You are without a doubt the strongest person I have ever met. I can’t believe you were able to function at all after what happened to you today, much less able to bowl and have fun. I knew it would hit you sooner or later."

"I’m glad you were here when it did. I just couldn’t get clean enough."

"I know."

"How could you?"

"Because when I was 15 there wasn’t anyone around to save me."

"You mean…"

"I was raped."

"You were…." Des couldn’t make herself say the word, it was still too fresh in her mind.

"Yes." Lita sighed and stood up, grabbing a towel and handing it to Des, then grabbing another one for herself said; "I think we need to continue this conversation somewhere else."

"Yeah." Des agreed as she dried off and quickly got dressed for bed. They went into the bedroom and lay down on the bed and turned out the lights. In the darkness, Lita’s voice was soft and clear as she started her story.

"I wasn’t the greatest kid in the world. Mom had a heck of a time with my brothers and me. She couldn’t be around enough because she had to work too much and we took advantage of the freedom. Troy was always the good kid; got a job after school to help with expenses, got straight A’s, never did anything wrong. Luke and I were the hell raisers. We hung out with a bad crowd and got into a lot of stuff that we shouldn’t have. It always amazed me afterward that it wasn’t one of the so-called ‘bad kids’ that put me through that pain. My brother Troy was a member of the basketball team and one night after a winning game he brought a few of his friends home with him. To make a long, painful story short they all had too much celebrating and when I came home from carousing with my buddies one of them thought he could finish his celebration with me. I told him I wasn’t interested and went up to my room. Half an hour later he came in and forced me to celebrate with him."

"What about your brother? Where was he when this happened?"

"Luke had stayed with our friends and Troy was passed out on the couch. I found him there when his friend passed out on my bed afterwards. I had never seen Troy drunk before and when I woke him up and told him what happened he went nuts. He raced up the stairs and literally tossed his buddy down the stairs and onto the sidewalk. He beat his friend so badly I thought he was going to kill him."

"What happened then?"

"The other team members pulled Troy off of him and took him home. Troy wanted to call the cops but I just wanted to forget it had happened. I begged him to let it drop. I was afraid Troy would get in trouble for beating the kid up and then Mom would get into trouble for not taking care of us. I thought it would be better for everyone if we just pretended that night never happened. I spent two hours in the shower before I finally felt clean again."

"I wish I could’ve been there for you." Des said when Lita fell silent. "How did you get through it?"

"I talked to my mom, talked to my brother. It actually brought me closer to Troy and in a weird way I was always thankful for that. Whatever I couldn’t talk about I pushed deep down until I didn’t think about it. Life went on. Surviving was enough to keep me occupied for a while and then it was in the past and took on the feeling of something that happened to someone else. Whenever I thought about it, it was if it was happening to someone else, not to me. It was almost as if I imagined it, it was so unreal."

"Right now I can’t imagine it not being real for me." Des said.

"You can talk to me whenever you need to." Lita offered.

"I know. I don’t want to bring up bad memories for you though."

"Look at it this way." Lita said. "Helping you come to terms with what almost happened will probably help me come to terms with what happened to me all those years ago. I am sure I have some unresolved issues to deal with and helping you will help me."

"Ok." Des said quietly. She curled up against Lita and began to lightly stroke the smooth skin beneath her.

Lita took possession of the hand and brought it to her lips. "Are you trying to start something here?"

"Do you mind?"

"No I don’t mind. I just want to make sure you know what you’re doing."

"I really want to wipe the feel of him out of my mind. I want to replace that feeling with the feeling of the woman I love." Saying this Des reached up and captured Lita’s lips.

"You have to let me know if you want me to stop at any time then." Lita replied, helpless to resist the woman in her arms. "I couldn’t bear it if I hurt you or you felt you needed to finish something you’re not ready to finish."

"I promise I won’t do anything I don’t want to and I’ll tell you if I need to stop." Des whispered as she started kissing her way from Lita’s ear to her lips. They melted into each other and started to heal the hurts placed on them by things and people beyond their control. Each knew they had things to talk about in the morning and each realized that right at that moment morning was a long way off. There were more important things to take care of first.

Des woke up first the next morning. Her mind was racing and she knew that she wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep. She sat up in bed and Lita shifted her position so her head was pillowed on Des’ lap but she didn’t wake up. Des ran her fingers through the silky black hair and thought about what had happened the day before and when Lita had told her. She reached over to the nightstand and took out her journal. She read through the entries before she had met Lita and then the ones after. It was interesting to read back on those first thoughts about the woman she loved. She took out her pen and started to write about yesterday. Writing had always helped her deal with problems. It was almost as if by putting them on paper they no longer had the power to affect her life. When her father had told her all those years ago that he didn’t want to see her anymore it was writing that helped her survive. It didn’t resolve the issues but it did allow her to distance herself from them somewhat.

Des had been writing for about a half an hour when Lita woke up. She stretched and yawned and then looked sheepishly up at Des.

"Have you been awake long?"

"Not too long."

"How are you doing this morning?"

"As good as can be expected I guess. I was just writing about it in my journal, that usually helps me deal with things."

"I’ve noticed that you like to write. Do you write other stuff too?"

"I used to write all the time. I loved writing stories and poems when I was in school. Since then I haven’t written as much. I haven’t had much time for it I suppose. I must admit that I haven’t really been struck by the muses very much until recently."

"What’s happened recently?"

"You see I met this wonderful person who had changed the way I see life. All of a sudden I see poems in my head whenever I think of her and songs that I hear just seem to remind me of her so I write them down too. Things that I never paid much attention to before now seem to be the most important things in my life."

"What kinds of things?"

"Little things like the way her skin smells in the morning. How safe her arms make me feel. The way my breath catches when I see her walking toward me. The way I can look into her eyes and see my soul staring back at me. And most especially the way my heart beats faster and my knees get weak when I see that she feels the same way about me." Lita was blushing and staring at Des in awe.

"What on earth did I do to deserve someone as beautiful as you?"

"I don’t know but I must have done it too to deserve someone like you." Their lips met and they reaffirmed their love for each other as Des’ journal fell to the floor, forgotten.

Much later they were seated at the kitchen table eating a late breakfast when the phone rang. Lita got up to answer it. "Hello." Once again she was greeted with silence.

"Who is this?" Lita asked angrily.

"Someone who knows what you did."

"Yeah, well if you’ve got a problem with something you think I did then come and get me because I’m sick of hiding from you idiots."

"Lita!" Des whispered frantically.

"Don’t worry, we’re coming to get you."

"Well, let’s have at it and get it over with then shall we? Tell whoever it is you’re working for that I am ready to deal with him if he’s man enough to deal with me one on one he knows where I am." The line went dead at her words and Lita hung up the phone.

"Do you think that was wise?" Des asked.

"I don’t know. All I know is that I am sick of hiding. I want to be able to make a life with you and I can’t do that with these guys breathing down my neck. It’s time to end it one way or the other."

Continued in Part 6

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