"Is she now?" Charlie asked. "Think she'd give me one, too?"

He glanced at Dar. "You in a rush out of here?"

"Nah," Dar replied easily. "We're just planning on b.u.mming around, doing some diving. Kerry and I needed some time off."

"Great." Charlie seemed to have recovered his spirits completely. "Bud's due back tomorrow; I know he'd love to see you," he said. "You need a bunk for the night?"

Dar shook her head. "We're fine on the boat. You'll have to let me know what dock power costs. No BS, Charlie. I can afford it."

He chuckled. "So you said the last time." He stood up. "Great.

We'll see ya tomorrow, then. I gotta get this place cleaned up, and get this little pup to bed."

"Bye." Rufus waved at Kerry. "Nice t'meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, Rufus," Kerry replied. "See you tomorrow."

"Bye, Dar."

"Night, Rufus," Dar said, watching as the two disappeared into the kitchen, leaving her and Kerry alone in the room. With a sigh, Dar leaned her head against Kerry's. "I'm trashed."

"Me too," Kerry murmured. She decided to put off discussing the odd evening until after a good night's sleep. "You interested in a nice, soft bed?"

"That means I have to get up and walk, huh?"

"I could try carrying you."

Dar stood and pulled Kerry up with her. They left the tiny restaurant and walked down the path, now lit only by the moonlight that poured up from the beach. It was incredibly quiet, only the surf sounds breaking the night, and the faint whispers of the leaves around them rustling in the breeze.

Kerry put her arm around Dar's waist and leaned her head against her shoulder as they walked. She tried to think about what she'd heard, but the two tankards of very good beer thwarted her best efforts, and she finally had to be content to simply concentrate 48*

on getting back to the boat. "Urmph." She stifled a yawn as they stepped off the dock and onto their deck.

Dar opened the door to the cabin and they went inside. Kerry was already shucking her overalls as she trudged into the bedroom.

She pulled off her cutoff sweatshirt and stood for a moment, swaying gently. Dar took her by the shoulders, guided her to the bed, and pulled down the light blankets. Kerry crawled gratefully into its soft confines and waited until Dar slid in behind her, the warmth of her bare skin brushing against Kerry's in a very pleasant way.

Thoughts buzzed like bees through her mind, but she shooed them away as she tangled her arms and legs with Dar's and snuggled close to her, leaving the problems for another day.

Chapter.

Six.

DAR LET HER eyes drift open as the sunlight poked its way inside the hatch, dusting the bed with a square of b.u.t.tery warmth.

She remained still for a while, watching Kerry sleep curled up against her, the blonde woman's arm wrapped around Dar's waist.

Kerry has always been that way, Dar reflected idly. Even when they'd barely known each other, she'd noticed Kerry's almost unconscious instinct for close contact-a hand on the back or the shoulder, making a connection with her that seemed as natural to her as breathing.

Dar had at first been bemused at that. She never could stand anyone putting their paws on her. Then she'd suddenly realized one day, after Kerry had put both hands on her shoulders as she'd stepped around behind her in a meeting, that far from objecting to it, her body was craving the touch.

Dar gazed wryly at the roof of the cabin. Shoulda been your first clue, bucket head.

Kerry shifted, rolling onto her other side and releasing Dar for the moment. Since she was awake anyway, Dar decided to get up and shake out the cobwebs, and maybe surprise her lover with breakfast. She carefully slid out of bed and tucked the covers in around the blonde's sleeping body, then ambled into the corridor and down to the head.

A quick scrub of her face with cold water and an experiment with Kerry's new sparkly toothpaste later, Dar emerged from the bathroom in her swimsuit, pulling her hair back and fastening it with a bit of elastic as she walked.

The boat was moving gently and she rocked with it, making her way out onto the back deck and into the sun. It was very quiet on the dock, and they were still the only boat there. The beach was empty of everything except for a few gulls, and the water around her was still, with only a few ripples and pops to indicate the presence of the marine life below the surface.

Beautiful morning. Dar hitched herself up on the stern railing and hooked her feet under the bottom rung. She leaned back and 50*

stretched her body out over the water, holding the position until she felt her spine pop gently into place. Then she extended her arms out and did a few slow rotations, giving her entire body a good warm up.

Satisfied, she pulled herself upright, then just for fun did a couple of sets of sit ups before she unhooked her legs and hopped off the railing. Cautiously, she extended her arms and checked her range of motion, pleased when her injured shoulder responded with only a mild grumpiness, allowing her to swing her arm in almost a complete circle.

Ah. Dar chuckled happily to herself. The diving and relaxing seemed to be doing the trick. With a contented grunt, she checked the boat's lines and rigging, then went back inside and made her way to the galley. She filled the water pot and put it on the burner, then examined her choices for breakfast. Ah. She plucked a box from the cabinet and set it down, then turned to get a bowl.

Halfway around, she stopped, feeling a sudden p.r.i.c.kle up her spine. A hoa.r.s.e cry sent her bolting for the bedroom. She shouldered the door open to find Kerry thrashing, apparently caught in a nightmare, her hands clenching into fists in the sheets.

"Ker!" Dar quickly caught hold of her and shook her gently.

"Kerry!"

"N...no! No! No!" Kerry woke up abruptly with a gasp, her eyes snapping open wide. She looked around wildly, stopping when her eyes met Dar's. "Oh," she exhaled, still breathing hard. "Dar."

Dar rubbed her shoulder. "Easy."

Kerry lifted a shaking hand to her head. "s.h.i.t."

"You okay?" Dar asked quietly.

"Yeah. I'm fine," Kerry replied, trying to collect herself. "I'm okay."

Kerry was, Dar had long ago decided, really good at a lot of things. Lying wasn't one of them. She slid under the covers and folded Kerry into her arms, pulling her close in an attempt to comfort her. For a moment, she thought the effort was going to fail, then Kerry's body relaxed and slumped against hers as Kerry buried her face in Dar's shoulder. "Shh." Dar stroked her disordered hair. "It's okay. I've got you."

"I hate nightmares," Kerry whispered.

"I don't think anyone likes them, sweetheart," Dar said. "I know I don't." She rocked Kerry a little, unsettled by the spate of bad dreams her partner had suffered from ever since they'd gotten back from Michigan. The worst of the recurrent nightmares was of Kerry watching her father die in the hospital, and Dar found herself wondering how long it would take for that horror to fade. "Was it the same dream?"

"Yeah." Kerry lifted her head and rested her cheek against*51 Dar's arm. "Bah." Her voice had lost its hoa.r.s.eness, though, and seemed more normal in tone. "What a way to wake up."

Dar stroked her cheek. She could see the sparkling remains of tears caught in Kerry's lashes, but her expression had relaxed and she appeared much calmer. "And here I thought I'd let you get a little extra sleep. Shoulda woke you up and made you go do calisthenics with me."

"Mm. Yeah," Kerry agreed with a wry smile. "Or at least let me watch." She poked Dar in the belly, a rea.s.suringly playful action.

"I don't wake up like this when we wake up together."

No, Dar realized. That's true. "I'll keep it in mind next time."

She gave Kerry a hug. "Interest you in some breakfast?"

A green eyeball peeked up at her. "You cooking?"

"Yep," Dar said. "Unless you think that might seem like too much of another nightmare."

Kerry smiled wanly. "As long as it comes with some aspirin.

I've got a headache that would knock down an AS400 at a hundred paces."

Dar slid her hands up to clasp the back of Kerry's neck, kneading it gently. Kerry slumped against her again and her eyes closed as Dar carefully probed the tense muscles she found under her fingertips. "Hang on." She eased a knot at the base of her lover's skull and felt her vertebra shift. "Hm."

"What's the verdict, Dr. Dar?" Kerry asked.

Dar kissed her on the head. "Dr. Dar says you get to spend the entire day lazing around with me and relaxing."

"Ooh." Kerry exhaled. "That sounds like great medicine."

Dar gave her a last rub and then got up from the bed. "I've got some water on. C'mon."

Kerry willingly scrambled out from under the covers and followed her like a puppy, one finger hooked in the back of Dar's swimsuit. She released her partner as they came even with the bathroom. "Let me just put something on, and wash the sleep out of my eyes."

Dar kept going, ducking behind the counter and reaching for the rattling water pot. "Hush." She scowled at it as she picked it up and poured the boiling water into the cups she had ready. She left the grounds to steep while she got out two bowls, then filled one from the box she'd gotten down earlier. She then removed some strawberries from the small refrigerator and set to work cutting them into slices, which she let fall on top of the cereal. She had finished several when Kerry appeared, her hair damp and her body clad in a T-shirt.

Kerry went over and leaned on the counter, resting her cheek against Dar's upper arm. "Thank you for cooking my Wheaties, honey."

52*

Dar laughed silently.

"You made them just the way I like them." Kerry plucked a flake from the bowl and put it into her mouth, chewing it. "Just right."

"You're welcome," Dar drawled. "Want to go outside?"

"Sure." Kerry turned and opened the refrigerator, removing a yogurt and adding it to the tray Dar had sitting on the counter. She put the two cups of coffee and some milk on it as well, then stepped back as Dar finished pouring her own breakfast into a bowl and picked up the tray.

She followed Dar onto the back deck, smiling a bit as the cool sea air blew against her. She waited for Dar to put the tray down on the little table, then she took her usual left hand seat and reached for her coffee. A few sips of the brew seemed to ease her headache, and she leaned back, propping one bare foot up against the footrest and gazing off toward the horizon.

The nightmare had shaken her. Kerry put down her cup and picked up her bowl, pouring some milk over the flakes and patting them down with her spoon. She took a mouthful and chewed, one ear c.o.c.ked to catch the louder crunching as Dar munched on her favorite Frosted Flakes.

Watching her father die had been bad enough. But in her dream, after she relived that again, and again, and again, her father's stiffened figure would be replaced with Dar's, and the feeling of utter helplessness and the shock of loss drove her to wake screaming every time.

Kerry forced herself to swallow past the sudden lump in her throat.

"Ker?"

How does she know? Kerry glanced to her right. "Hm?"

Dar was watching her with an expression of concern. "You okay?"

C'mon, Kerrison, get yourself together and let it go. It's just a d.a.m.n dream. "Yeah." She smiled at Dar, trying to convey her grat.i.tude without saying it.

Apparently receiving the message, Dar's face relaxed and her eyes gentled.

"So." Kerry firmly shifted her focus. "Tell me more about Charlie and Bud." She dug into her cereal again. "And Dad."

"Mmph." Dar swallowed a mouthful of flakes. "Long story."

"My favorite kind," Kerry said.

"They were in a special training cla.s.s together," Dar said between bites. "Dad says from the very start, Bud was always confronting him, challenging him, while Charlie was just the opposite."

"Uh huh."*53 "So, after they graduated, the three of them plus about six other guys were a.s.signed to a special ops unit, and they shipped out for six months," Dar went on. "Dad said Charlie was a great guy, real friendly, all right to hang out with, but Bud was your typical antisocial, military harda.s.s."

"I see."

"They were...somewhere...and ended up under fire," Dar said.

"I don't really know what happened, and I'm not sure I want to ask Dad, but they walked into a mine, I guess. They lost two guys and Dad ended up carrying Charlie out."

"Oh."

"After that, Charlie got discharged, and a month later, Bud didn't re-up. They hung out around the guys at the base, though, and it came out that they were lovers."

"Ah." Kerry finished her cereal and started on her yogurt.

"So then, Bud accused my Dad of chasing after his partner. He somehow was convinced that the only reason Dad got Charlie out of that firefight was because he wanted to impress him and get between the two of them." She shook her head. "Bud's a couple chips short of a motherboard, if you ask me."

"No." Kerry disagreed mildly. "He's just not facing the real picture." She swallowed a mouthful of the plain dairy and pointed the spoon at her partner. "He doesn't want to think about the fact that the guy he's in love with is head over heels in love with your father."

Dar stopped eating, the spoon still in her mouth. She turned round, almost comical eyes on her partner.

"Don't tell me you didn't know that," Kerry spluttered.

"C'mon, Dar!"

Dar removed the spoon. "Kerry, it took a medical exam for me to figure out I had a crush on you. Gimme a break, okay?"

Suppressing a smile, Kerry went back to her cereal as she watched Dar process out of the corner of her eye.