It's here! It is finally here...the seventh chapter. Only took me a few months. *cough* Sorry about that, I got caught up in my real life instead of my story's life. Sue me. But nonetheless, I plan to make it up to ya'll with some good ol' fashioned full-on Bree/Kendra time...and there's even more to come of that in the next chapter too. Just to say I'm sorry. Enjoy!

~Keri
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Chapter 7


I felt like one of those teenyboppers that stands outside next to the exit door in hopes of getting an autograph from their favorite boy band member. Granted, I’d never admit I actually did that once (or twice or okay, maybe three times) in my wayward youth, but that’s beside the point. A-hem.

I’d come full circle though because here I was kicking the ground outside, waiting for Bree to exit. Something about approaching her with everyone around made me anxious. Especially since she’d made it clear she had family in the audience. I didn’t want to run into them and have to explain why I was looking at their sister or daughter’s breasts. Because oooh, was that ever so tempting in that shirt of hers! Must. Resist. Temptation. At least in front of others. Hence, the standing and the waiting and the regression to my teenybopper days.

The door opened and I stood up straight to find Bree walking out with a couple of girls, all of them laughing together. I bit my lower lip awkwardly and played with my hands behind my back. “Hey Bree.”

Bree stopped laughing to glance over my way. A big smile rose on her face, “Hey! I thought you’d run off, I couldn’t find you anywhere.”

I shrugged a little as I felt a blush rising on my cheeks. Those girls were studying me and I didn’t quite like the feeling of it. “Y’know...I was just waiting out here. Too stuffy in there for me. All that coffee.” I blushed more as I realized how stupid that sounded.

A slight twinkle entered Bree’s eyes and I could have sworn she was about to make one of her flirty comments, but she paused as she realized she still had company around her. “Oh, uh... Kendra, this is Lara, my sister that you heard screaming in the back,” she motioned toward her left to a girl smiling rather large beside her. She had the same striking green eyes and reddish hair. Nope, no resemblance at all. Bree then motioned to her right, although she kind of paused before speaking, “And this... this uh... this is Josephine. You may have seen her play on the piano earlier.”

I smiled slightly at Josephine as recognition set in. “Oh yeah, that was a nice song – the last one. It’s the only one I got to hear.”

Josephine allowed a small smile to creep onto her face, but otherwise she appeared she wanted to be anywhere but standing where she was. “Um, thank you. Kendra.”

Bree glanced at Josephine and then back at me and forced a laugh, “Well, it was great seeing you, Kendra! Maybe see you at school on Monday?”

I’m sure I looked bewildered as I nodded, “Uh, yeah. Sure. Monday.”

“Bye!” Bree flashed me a forced smile, linked her arm with her sister and then yanked on Josephine’s to begin to drag them both away from me. She only glanced back once at me with an uneasy expression before disappearing around the corner.

I suddenly realized my jaw was dropped. I closed it quickly and glanced around to make sure nobody had seen that embarrassing moment. Whew, good, only me. And Lara. And Josephine. And God. Well, shit.

I leaned back against the wall and let myself slide down to the floor. What had I done wrong? Why did Bree seem so happy to see me but then felt compelled to run off like that? Was it because I was incredibly stupid with the coffee comment? Was it because she was ashamed of me, her quasi-straight who-knows-what kinda-sorta-friend-but-not?

That must be it. She must be ashamed of me. I couldn’t say I was straight ‘cause I had the hots for her. I couldn’t say I was gay ‘cause I was still technically with Tyler. Oh yeah...Tyler. When was the last time I’d talked to him? Too long ago, I suppose. He must be peeing in his pants. Or maybe he didn’t care, much like Bree didn’t seem to care. Maybe I was just fooling myself.

I sighed heavily as I looked up into the night sky. Well... I might as well actually have some coffee while I’m here. Maybe a croissant too. Those butterflies have obviously left, so I can actually eat something now. Stupid butterflies, didn’t even have a reason to swarm after all, I thought to myself. I sighed again, pulled myself up from off the ground, and re-entered the coffee shop to drown in a cup of black.


* * *


I sat there studying that cup of coffee, listening to the happy chatter around me. Why in the world I’d thought I’d be one of those girls chattering away tonight was beyond me. I’d never been one of those chattering girls anyway – why start now? Not like Bree was going to change me or--

“Hey...” I felt a hand upon my shoulder.

I turned in alarm to look up at the person who dared to touch me when I was in this state. I blinked. “Hey.”

Bree’s green eyes looked down at me with obvious concern. She paused for a moment before squatting down next to my booth, her hand sliding from my shoulder down the length of my arm. It stopped when it reached my hand and gently took it into hers. “I’m...sorry for running off like that. Here I invited you and everything. My own personal guest. You didn’t deserve that.”

I shrugged a little bit, not meeting her eyes. Instead I focused on the delicate but strong hand that continued to hold mine. It was an interesting sight – her hand...my hand...our hands. It intrigued me. And honestly, it excited me too deep down. “I guess it’s fair. You have to share me. Why shouldn’t I have to share you?”

I felt Bree’s body tense up a bit beside me at the reminder that Tyler was still in the picture. She took a deep breath before speaking. “Tyler still...?”

I nodded very slightly and raised my eyes to look off at the wall. “Tyler’s still.”

My body tensed up as well when I felt her hand release mine. It was only at this moment that I allowed myself to glance her way. I was afraid she was leaving me, but instead she stood up and slid into the opposite side of the booth. She folded her hands in front of her and began to play with her ring again. She must be nervous.

“I’ve done this before, y’know.” Bree’s eyes were intently focused on her ring, studying as she played with it.

I shifted in my seat. “Done what?”

“Chased the girl who’s still with her boyfriend.” Her green eyes slowly raised to look at mine. She held that stare and I felt myself swallow kind of loudly.

“What do you mean?”

Bree nodded off towards the door. “Josephine? She’s the girl I was singing about. The heartbreak. Heartache. Whatever you want to call it. She just... couldn’t handle being ‘out.’ So she chose to stay in, stay with her boyfriend. She decided comfort was more worthwhile than love.” She shrugged a little bit, and I could sense her defenses falling into place. “That’s her choice though. Some people just can’t handle it – being gay, being out, being public about a relationship. She couldn’t.” She paused and looked at me meaningfully, “I sometimes wonder if maybe... you can’t either. If I’m just wasting my time. If you’re going to choose Tyler, choose the easy life. I mean, I’m not dumb, Kendra. I know I’m not worth what you’d lose. I know--”

“No, stop it,” I said forcefully. I reached out to take her hand into mine, not caring if anyone saw me doing it. This was more important than my reputation, than anything getting back to Tyler. It was more important that Bree knew – she was worth anything or anyone. “You are. You’re so worth it. Josephine...apparently didn’t know what she was missing. Or chose not to see it.” I laughed a little bit as I squeezed her hand, “You amaze me sometimes, Bree. You really do. I usually view myself as a pretty confident person, but you? You surpass any iota of confidence I have. You just radiate something, I can’t put my finger on it, but you radiate it. You draw people in. Even scared girls like me.”

I saw a certain hope in her eyes. Hope that I wasn’t lying, that it was all true. Bree held onto my hand tightly. “Do you mean that? You think I’m worth it?”

For the first time in my life, I gave someone a special smile. A smile only reserved for that someone special – that someone special I’d never met before... before... her. “I know you’re worth it.”

A warm smile rose up Bree’s full lips. A chill ran down my spine as she intertwined her fingers with mine, changing the feel, changing the meaning of our hand holding. From friendship. To more. “You’re worth it too, Kendra.”

I found myself staring at our hands. Her thumb was gently running along mine in a caressing motion. I’d never noticed before that she wore a silver thumb ring, but for some reason, it seemed to suit her quite well. But it was more than just the caress that held my fascination – it was the fact that our hands simply...fit. It was like we were the perfect size for one another, and every space between our fingers became filled with one another.

“Kendra?”

I looked up into curious green eyes and smiled sheepishly upon realizing I’d become caught up in studying that one image. “Sorry, I...” Shit. I looked for anything with which I could distract Bree. Since I was still drawn to our hands, my eyes wandered onto that ring she always played with. It was such an interesting pattern. “I... I was wondering if that ring meant anything. Y’know... the pattern to it and everything.” I cleared my throat a bit and hesitantly removed my hand from hers in case anyone was watching. I’d suddenly grown self-conscious now that Bree’s confidence seemed to be back to normal.

Bree held her hand out, looking at her own ring. “It is kinda cool, isn’t it? The heart stands for love, the hands holding the heart stand for friendship, and the crown stands for loyalty and fidelity. I love the meaning behind it especially. It’s called a Claddagh ring. It’s Irish.”

I perked up. “Irish? Are you Irish?”

A playful smile danced on her lips and she waved her hand near my face. Her voice went into a full-on Irish accent as she spoke, “Why, whatever gave you that idea, malady?”

“Oh, shut up,” I laughed as I lightly slapped her hand away. “I’m taking that as a yes?”

“Mmm hmm,” Bree grinned mischievously. She shrugged a bit as she wiggled her eyebrows. “What can I say? Girls just love the accent.”

I snorted. “Ohh, I see! Girls just fawn all over you! I see how it is.” I smirked and pretended to pick up my purse and slide out of the booth. “By all means, don’t let me stop you from working the accent on some of these unsuspecting ladies in here. I’ll just be on my way then.”

Suddenly, I felt a leg shoot up to stop me from sliding any further out of the booth. I looked up to find Bree winking at me.

“You’re not going anywhere.” She paused for a moment as if she were thinking about something, and then her eyes lit up. “Actually, you are. You’re coming with me.”

I smirked again and crossed my arms over my chest. “What makes you think I’m going anywhere with you? Maybe I have a life. Maybe I have to work. Maybe my best friend’s waiting for me. You never know. Don’t just assume I’m available to be at your beck and call.” This time I gave her a mischievous grin and it was nice to see the tables turned for once.

Bree almost looked a bit off-kilter, but she quickly re-asserted herself. She leaned forward onto the table, resting her chin in her hand, and proceeded to look right through me. “No. You don’t.”

“Excuse me?” I raised an eyebrow. No one challenged Kendra Lachen. She must be suicidal.

A slow smile formed on her face, and she leaned back against the booth. “You don’t have work. If I’m correct, you don’t work Saturday nights. You don’t have a best friend waiting for you, because if that were true, you would have told her about my concert and she would have insisted upon coming with you. Now, you may have a life, but tonight? I am your life.”

I felt a sudden wave of heat in my pants, which quite frankly, alarmed me more than the fact that someone had just challenged me....and won. She’d just t--...turn--... oh my God, I couldn’t even fathom the idea. She’s a girl, I’m-- I’m-- I’m-- a... GIRL! I took in a deep, slow breath to try to calm my body down, and then looked her square in the eyes because I was never one to turn down a challenge. “Then show me.”

Bree smiled wider than I’d ever seen her smile, and she slid out of the booth before I had a chance to react. Standing up, she held out her hand to me.

I raised an eyebrow and looked at her hand. Standing up was really not a smart option right now. Sitting, yes. Sitting would keep me from walking weird. Yes, I liked to sit. If she thought I was going to stand up, let alone walk, she was crazy.

“C’mon,” she wiggled her fingers while continuing to hold out her hand to me.

I glanced around and fidgeted a bit in my seat. “Um, how about we just stay here and talk? That um... that sounds good. Yes. Talk. Right.” I cleared my throat as I felt my blush making its presence known once again.

I could tell she wanted to say something about my blush, but she resisted for once. Instead she emphasized her hand once again with a slight motion. “Hey...” she said ever so softly.

“Hmm?” I couldn’t help but look up at her, and immediately, those eyes.... those beckoning eyes melted me right on the spot.

“Trust me?” Bree’s look was one of complete meaning, hope, and trust of her own. She made me realize it was a two-way street. I wasn’t the only one who would have to let her guard down and trust the other; Bree needed to as well. And she was. If I’d just meet her half-way.

I sighed softly in complete surrender. I placed my hand into hers and looked up at her with my big, blue eyes, hoping I could convey the same emotion with mine. “I trust you.”

“I won’t let you fall,” Bree replied with a very soft smile. She never explained what she meant to me. She just simply pulled me up from my spot, kept hold of my hand, and walked out of the coffee shop with me.

Where she was taking me, I did not know. But one thing was for certain: I trusted her.

Edited yet again, because Kendra has BLUE eyes not BROWN...I was obviously picturing someone else when I wrote that. *COUGH* Don't mind me, right right.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Gabber,

Totally cool.

I had a chilling OMG moment back there when Kendra met Josephine...I thought...oh shit i hope that's not Bree's current girlfriend that she's about to break up with, eegs a love triangle...i mean at that moment Bree seemed to be enjoying her company and then Josephine looked all uncomfortable at meeting Kendra...but then she explained the situation and i'm like PHEW!

I love that scene in the coffee shop...and then Kendra is all, "i like to sit, sitting is good. Right." Cute, very cute. ANd then Bree says "trust me I won't let you fall." I had a moment of remembering Titanic..."I won't let go! I promise!" Loved it, it rocked!

No worries for takin so long, good things are worth waiting for! I've been neglecting Harry myself lately...hopefully I'll get this book finished before Half Blood Prince comes out!

Anyway rock on, keep writing, I'll look forward to the next one.

Kate,

I'm glad you're enjoying it still. I broke away from my normal formula and devoted the whole thing to Bree/Kendra, hehe.

Oh no! LOL, that'd be horrible. That'd make it what...a um... love square? lol 'Cause Tyler's in there too. But Josephine is from Bree's past (not too distant past) as you can see, yet still around as a friend. It's something that's hard for Bree 'cause she doesn't necessarily wanna be friends with her but she's trying to do the right thing. And most likely it will be hard for Kendra too. But no no, Josephine won't be causing a love square, lol.

*laughs* I like that scene with Kendra too. The girl does NOT want to be standing at that moment, much better to sit. It's so hard trying to describe being turned on but still make it young adult-ish. LOL, one of my best friends was traumatized yesterday when I told her it was young adult because her dreams of a hot lesbian sex scene between Bree/Kendra was shattered, LOL. I told her it doesn't mean there won't be any of that going on between them, I'll just have to be discreet is all. It was still pretty funny. Oh and as for the "won't let you fall"...it's one of my favorite moments from this chapter. Although I love the intertwining of the hands too. This story reminds me of all the little things you notice when you're falling in love...makes me all the more appreciative of them now.

Thanks, I think I just got caught up in life. I had a good reason of course, my girl can be very distracting in that way. I'm almost finished with school and I have more days off than I used to with being a seller, so hopefully you'll see more updates soon. lol, now that I'm almost finished with HP 5, I need to pre-order 6 'cause I wanna know what's happened. And dangit, Harry and Hermione better get together soon!

Thanks babe, you too. Hopefully the next one will be written much sooner than this one!

~Keri

Hey there
rotfl you're a Harry and Hermione fan? I saw great chemistry in the 3rd movie...hmmm i wonder how that would work, that'd be cool altho i kind of have my money on Hermione and Ron. Jsut somethign about them. And Ron, well, he's so much more than he says, he can complain about something or someone but totally be upset when it's taken away.

Ve shall see tho!

Anyway yeah lookin forward to the next chappie. Take it easy and hope to chat with you again soon.

And i hope your mom is doing better.

(I tried to put this whole thing up early last night but the Scrolls were a down, so here we go finally. )

Hey everyone. My best friend Julie got on my case last night about writing more in my book, and well, she did so rightfully. lol, it'd been awhile since I'd written in it. Especially considering it stopped at a crucial point in the story. Well... lol, let's hope I write the next part sooner than last time, 'cause this time it also stops at a crucial point in the story! YAY! LOL I'm a dork, hi. I hope you enjoy it... it's what you'd been waiting for...and you know I love drawing things out.

~Gabber
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Chapter 8


I looked up at Bree with utter dismay and shook my head. “No.”

Bree looked down at me with slight exasperation and motioned toward me once again, “C’mon, Kendra. It’ll be fun, just give it a shot.”

As I surveyed the sights once again, I realized she must be crazy. The thick bark, the height way beyond any means of survival if I were to fall, and oh! Lachens were meant to fall! We do clumsy quite well when it comes to heights and climbing. I shook my head again and folded my arms over my chest. “No. I don’t do trees.”

Although a smirk played upon her lips, Bree did that soulful stare of hers that tended to melt my defenses. I think she was beginning to catch onto the effect it had on me. Pssh. Cheater. “I thought you said you trusted me.”

I rolled my eyes and huffed a bit, “Of course you would bring that up at a moment like this!”

She grinned and shrugged a bit, her legs swinging from the branch she sat upon. “I like to use all the resources available at my disposal. I’m sure you understand, darlin’.”

I began to grumble under my breath, looking around at the grass because land was much safer than branches. “Pssh, darlin’, understand, pssh, yeah, whatever.”

I tried my best to ignore the giggles from up above until she finally spoke again, “Oh Kendra?”

Sighing, I looked up once more, still unconvinced. “What?”

Bree’s eyebrow raised ever so slightly as she stared directly into my eyes. “I...dare you.”

My eyes narrowed as I stared back at her for a very long moment. Finally, I spoke. “I hate you.”

Her smile showed that she knew she’d won, but she kept quiet, waiting to see what I was going to do. There, of course, was only one thing to do. She’d dared me. Lachens may be clumsy as hell, but Lachens never backed out of a dare.

Grumbling all the way, I walked over to the tree of doom and began the ascent to my death. I held onto that bark for dear life as I placed my feet around it and began to climb... and fell. Bree apparently valued her life enough not to laugh. Grumbling even more, I tried a second time and got a better grip. Ever so slowly, I began to climb the tree, holding onto branches for dear life when I’d reach them and taking a slight break to breathe and make sure I wasn’t losing my balance.

Surprisingly, Bree remained quiet most of the time, not egging me on, nothing. Until I got closer to her branch. Then I heard a soft voice, “C’mon darlin’... you can do it. Take my hand.”

I grumbled a bit, but as I looked at her soft face and that steady hand, I couldn’t grumble anymore. I took hold of her arm and she helped pull me up so I could slide out onto her branch. Gingerly, I allowed my legs to hang off the branch and took a deep breath......

And made a huge mistake. I looked down. “Oh shit!”

My arms flailed out to grab for anything around them, but I felt two strong hands grab hold of my body and steady me.

“Breathe, Kendra. Just breathe.” Her voice was softer than I could ever remember hearing it, and it was calming me, making me feel safe although I felt so vulnerable in not being strong myself. I was always the strong, in-control one - to show anything other than that was difficult for me. Yet... I was safe. “Look at me. Just focus on my eyes, not on the ground.”

I took a deep breath and looked up into her eyes as asked. The ground slipped away and my focus was on a different kind of green. I began to notice other things too as I calmed down... like the way she was still holding onto me, one arm around my waist holding me close to her, the other hand gripping onto my left forearm. She was so strong yet so soft.

A soft smile played upon her lips as she surveyed my calm expression. “See? I told you I wouldn’t let you fall.”

I studied her smile before smiling softly myself. “Yes, you did. Thank you.”

She released her grip from my forearm and brought her fingertips up to gently graze my chin before smiling. “You’ll thank me once you actually look out instead of down .”

Hesitantly, I turned my gaze away from hers and looked straight out at the skyline.

It was absolutely gorgeous. Stars twinkled in the sky and seemed only within arms’ reach up high in that tree. I could see the forest of trees around us. When Bree led me into this area at night, I thought she was either crazy or, well, stalker-crazy and wanted to kill me. But now I could see why she brought me here at night. The lights of the city were off in the distance, but it was amazing how the stars lit up the treetops. Off in the distance, I could even see the stars’ reflection glimmering off of a lake. It was worth it. Surprisingly worth it.

In the midst of staring, I realized Bree still hadn’t removed her arm from around my waist. She also hadn’t relaxed her hold on me either. She must be making sure I don’t fulfill the Lachen curse. Smart woman.

“This is my special place. My hideaway of sorts.”

I turned my eyes toward her reddish hair. I could only faintly see her eyes past it, since she was still looking out at the sky. “I can see why.”

Bree smiled softly as she continued to look out toward the stars and nodded, “Not only is it a beautiful place, it’s a quiet place. I always seem to be able to find my center here when the world gets crazy.” She finally turned her eyes toward mine, “I have a feeling yours might be a little crazy lately.”

I felt a blush rising upon my cheeks and coughed sheepishly, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Fingertips found my chin again, turning it back toward her ever so gently. Her emerald eyes were just as gentle. “I think you do.”

I swallowed heavily. In this silence, there was no hiding from her. I couldn’t look down into my coffee mug. I couldn’t walk away down the hall at school. I couldn’t turn around and talk to my fellow classmate. There was nowhere to run. Maybe that’s why she’d brought me here in the first place - she knew I liked to run. A girl who’s scared of heights sitting on a branch in a very tall tree. Oh yeah, definitely nowhere to run. I swallowed again and found my voice, “I... well... yes, it has kind of been crazy. You uh... make life more intense, that’s for sure.”

Her eyes began to focus on my chin as her fingertips gently stroked it over and over again. “How do I do that?”

“Um... you know...” That simple touch was really proving to be distracting. “Just by uh... being you. You uh... make me want more. Out of life, of course. Because that’s the thing that makes the most sense. Life is good and more of life is good, and if we have more of life, we must be happy, right? That makes sense, right?” Oh dear GOD, somebody stop me! Where’s the frickin’ coffee mug?!

Her eyes began to focus on my neck as her fingertips began to slide up and down it. “And what do you want, Kendra?”

My heart was really about ready to burst out of my chest. This can’t be good for someone my age, I really would prefer to live till I was 80, really. A heart attack was not in the cards at the tender age of eighteen. Nope, nope.

Bree’s voice grew to a whisper as her hand began to slide back to play with the hair behind my neck. “What do you want?”

I swallowed and closed my eyes for a few seconds as her caress sent chills up and down my spine. “I... I...”

“Yes?”

I felt my heart pounding as I opened my eyes. Emerald eyes were now focused upon mine. I took a deep breath and uttered ever so quietly, “I want... I want... you to kiss me.”

It looked like Bree’s eyes lit up as bright as the sky. Her arm was still around my waist and she pulled me in closer to her. Every hair on my body was standing up at that moment. Her other hand gently caressed each of my cheeks, and her eyes seemed to be memorizing every little line or freckle upon my face.

Her hand slid to the back of my neck once again, massaging gently. As my heart threatened suicide, I watched in both fear and anticipation as she lightly wet her lips, closed her eyes, and leaned in toward me.

Wet lips met mine. One kiss turning into one more. Gentle. Loving. Strong. Passionate. Everything collided into one.

As Bree slowly kissed me one last time before pulling back, her face inches from mine, without thought I felt my head fall to her shoulder and rest there. I needed her safety, her warmth, her strength.

Because after that kiss, I knew one thing: life was about to get crazier.