A Ghost of a Chance

"Okay," Annie said.

"Okay. Merry Christmas, Belle."

"Have a good night, Callan."

Cal's face was split into a wide grin. Torrey gave her a hug. "I'm crashing on your couch tonight -- the subway to Brooklyn is going to be chock full of drunken hipsters right now. Can I grab a spare blanket?"

"Closet. Top shelf." Cal stared at the phone, tingling with joy.

"Got it."

"Torrey?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks." Cal went and gave him a hug, "I'm sorry I wrecked your plans for tonight."

"I'm not sorry. I'm glad you called me."

"Me too."

That night, Cal fell asleep thinking about Annie, newly free from fear of betraying Becca.

--Chapter 10: The Breakfast Visit (Several Days Later: Friday Morning)--

"These are stunning, Jess," Annie clicked through Jess's collection of photographs from their week in Arizona.

"It's hard to screw up photos of the Grand Canyon. It was cold as fuck, but the setting kind of speaks for itself," Jess's eyes wandered over the thumbnails, "Oh -- remember this little chap?" Jess double-clicked on a photo of a squirrel perched on a rock.

Annie smiled and nodded, "Yeah -- wow, that zoom lens of yours is something else. Look at the detail in that photo -- you can see his whiskers!"

"Provides good fodder for the city, too!" Jess disconnected the USB wire and handed her camera to Annie, "Take a look -- you can read the prices on the fruit stand across the street."

Annie grinned and picked up the camera. Adjusting the heft of the lens in her hand, she brought the camera up to her eye and looked through. "Jesus, I feel like a stalker. You really can see everything!"

Annie swept the camera up and down her street and then angled the camera out towards the avenue. "Oh, holy mother of god."

Jess jumped up, "What?"

Annie kept Jess's camera trained on a spot below them, "It's Cal. She just rounded the corner two blocks down."

"Where?" Jess grabbed the camera and tried to locate the spot Annie had aimed the lens at.

"She should be right by the deli..." Annie squinted out the window, "There, with the backpack. She's walking towards us."

"The only person I see walking towards us is someone in a black hat, grey coat and jeans. And a scarf covering half of his or her face. How the hell can you tell it's Cal?"

"The black hat has a 'C' on it, it's Cal's favorite hat from law school. That scarf -- grey with blue stripes -- was knitted by Becca's grandmother years and years ago. It's Cal. She's favors her right side when she walks. Probably due for a PT session, come to think of it."

Jess kept her camera trained on Cal, "Oh, wait, she's stopped walking. She's pulled out her phone."

"Maybe someone's calling her?"

"No, she typed something and she's just staring at the phone."

Annie's phone beeped. {Cal} How was flight back?

Jess looked up from her camera, "That was Cal texting you?"

Annie nodded.

Jess looked back into the viewfinder, "Quick, text her back, she's just standing there."

"Oh, right," Annie muttered. {Annie} Smooth sailing. Just had breakfast. What are you up to?

Jess watched as Cal read Annie's reply. Cal's fingers tapped back a response.

{Cal} Freezing my ass off outside.

Annie chuckled. {Annie} Did your ass agree to being frozen off?

"Uh oh," Jess handed her camera to Annie, "She put the phone in her pocket and is walking away."

"Give it here," Annie took a look, "I thought it was funny... where's your sense of humor, Cal?"

Cal was, indeed, walking away. At the end of the block, Cal abruptly turned and retraced her steps.

"Hmm... She's coming back... " Annie reported.

"What did you text her?" Jess asked.

"I asked her what she was doing... and then I made a dumb joke about her butt." Annie handed the camera back to Jess, "What do I do if she walks away? She calls me on Christmas to tell me she misses me... And that she wants to see me... All I want is for her to come running in here to tell me she wants to be with me. I don't think I can deal with it if she cuts out right now..."

Jess kept her camera lens on Cal, "You are in luck. She's walking closer now. Wow. You're right, she does favour her right side. Good news, the phone is back out."

{Cal} Are you at your place?

{Annie} Yes. Just finished breakfast. Why?

Annie lowered her phone, "What's she doing now?"

Jess lowered the camera and stared at the street directly below, "Methinks gimpy is on her way up. She just walked into the lobby of this building."

"Oh holy mother of god," Annie repeated.

"You love her?" Jess asked.

Annie nodded.

"Make her work for it."

"Huh?" Annie looked at Jess, puzzled; the words sounded vaguely familiar.

"You need to go into Rottweiler mode. Like when you told Alex to make me work for it after I screwed up." Jess grinned.

Annie blushed, "Jess... I wasn't... I didn't mean to..."

Jess laughed, "Annie, it's fine. Actually it led to some amazing s--" Jess turned beet red, "It all worked out in the end."

Annie rolled her eyes, "You can say it. 'It led to amazing sex.' Alex told me about it... wait! Don't freak out, she didn't tell me all of it." Annie shook her head as Jess hid her face in her hands, "Really, Alex was discreet. She just said it was... um, yeah, let's just go with what you said: it all worked out in the end."

Both women laughed.

The doorbell rang. Jess looked at Annie, "What I meant was: don't just jump into her arms. Make sure you are both going into this with eyes wide open, okay?"

"Okay."

Jess gave Annie a squeeze, "I'm going to pop into the loo, and then we'll make ourselves scarce."

Annie nodded. She walked, as if in a trance, towards the front door. Cal had visited the apartment enough times for the doormen downstairs to let her up without calling first. Annie wished they had given her some warning.

She opened the door, "Cal! Where are the kids?"

Cal smiled wryly, "Of course that's what you'd ask first."

Annie felt herself start shaking. Cal was standing at the threshold of the apartment's entrance, looking like she'd just stepped out of a Calvin Klein photo shoot. How does she manage to do that after trudging around in sub-zero temperatures?

Cal cleared her throat; Annie's silence was jarring. "Uh," Cal's eyes darted around, not daring to look Annie in the eye, "The kids are home with both sets of grandparents."

"Wow. Four on two. That's well covered."

"Eh. David kind of observes from a distance and my father's half deaf, so it's the May-and-Kathy show." Cal heard the muffled sound of a toilet flushing. It definitely came from the bathroom attached to Annie's room. Her stomach dropped, "Am I interrupting...?"

Annie smiled, and knew what Cal was thinking. She was going to have a little fun. She shrugged, "We just finished breakfast. I'd love to introduce you!"

Cal peered into the room and saw a striking brunette emerge from Annie's bedroom. Cal was stunned. Oh god, I'm too late. I let this languish for too long. Someone else got there first. Cal took a breath, "Uh, it's okay -- I don't want to hold you guys up."

Annie saw Cal's dejected face and felt bad immediately. "No, not at all. Come on in."

Cal stared at the floor feeling completely numb with stupidity. Why did you wait this long, you fucking moron? She dropped her stuff by the entrance and stepped into the apartment.

"Cal, this is Jess. Jess, this is Cal," Annie said casually.

"Lovely to meet you, Cal. Annie has told me so much about you," Jess's green eyes were friendly.

"Nice to meet you," Cal shook Jess's hand, "I didn't mean to crash your breakfast plans."

"Oh, you didn't crash anything. I was just about to go see if Alex has managed to roll out of bed yet."

"Alex?" Cal was confused, "Alex?"

Jess smiled, "Yes. She's not a morning person. Happily, Annie is, so we just had breakfast."

Cal felt like dancing. She looked at Annie's bemused face as it started to click into place, "Alex as in your best friend from college, Alex... and this is Jess... her Jess!"

"Yes. Who did you think she was?" Annie asked innocently.

Jess knew it was time to make a quick exit, "I'll leave you guys to talk. It's really nice to meet you, Cal. Annie, I'll see you later, alright?"

Annie nodded.

Jess headed into the other bedroom. Once that door closed, Annie turned to Cal, "So, what brings you to the neighborhood?"

Cal cleared her throat, the speech she'd put together in her brain on her way downtown shriveled up into an uncomfortable silence. "Um, I wanted to see how your trip to the Grand Canyon was... "

Annie raised her eyebrows, "You trekked down here, in the cold, to ask me about the Grand Canyon?"

Cal scrambled for a rejoinder, "Yeah, you know, I wanted to know if you found any rabbits to smuggle out of there?"

Annie shook her head, "Na-uh. Kind of not in a mood to joke around, Cal. I told you how I feel. You let me know it wasn't what you wanted. So I need you to tell me why you are here."

Cal took a deep breath. "That's fair. No games, I promise."

Cal took a step towards Annie, who now had the faintest hint of a smile on her face. Annie crossed her arms and tilted her head expectantly.

Cal's heart rate doubled. Annie looked so sexy standing there, Cal just wanted to sweep her into an embrace. Cal shoved her shaking hands into her jeans pockets, "The truth is..."

Annie held her breath, desperately waiting for Cal to finish the sentence.

Cal took another step, "The truth is... I've thought about that question you asked... at the bus stop... and I've had some time to think about it. Actually, I got some sense knocked into me..."

"That's good to hear," Annie said, almost in a whisper, "And?"

"And..." Cal looked up as the door to Jess and Alex's bedroom opened. A sleepy-looking Alex came out fully dressed with Jess right behind her, a duffle bag slung over her shoulder.

"Alex's boss invited us to stay at their place on Long Island!" Jess explained brightly, "They actually need us to drive their car out there for them so we have to go meet them now."

"Oh, hi Cal," Alex yawned, "Morning, Annie."

Jess handed Alex her coat.

"Do you guys want to come?" Alex asked, looking between Annie and Cal.

Annie shook her head incredulously. Alex was always a little fuzzy in the mornings, but this was almost comical.

Jess rolled her eyes, "Come on my love, let's go. We'll probably be back the day after tomorrow, so don't worry about us, okay?"

Alex rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as she shoved her feet into her shoes, "Why would they be worried?"

"I'll explain on the way. See you later!" Jess blew Cal and Annie a kiss and pushed Alex out the door.

"Wait, I need to brush my teeth!" Alex turned back towards the apartment.

Jess pulled Alex back and dug around in her coat pocket, "Here's some gum darling; it'll do for now."

As soon as the door closed, Cal and Annie looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"Are they really headed to a house on Long Island?" Cal asked.

Annie nodded, "Probably. It's where they got married actually. Mona, Alex's boss, has kind of adopted Alex into her family. She doesn't need an invitation to go out there. Jess probably came up with it when you showed up."

Cal chuckled, "Alex seemed... confused."

"Alex has a heart of gold and I love her to death, but non-verbal cues are a total blind spot for her. She just can't pick up on them. It's quite endearing... most of the time."

"That was nice of Jess to give us some space."

Annie nodded, "Yeah, she's a keeper."

"So are you."

Annie stared at Cal.

In for a penny, in for a pound. Cal shifted on her feet a little, "I owe you an apology. I shouldn't have pushed you away. You've been so amazing, and I had this crazy monologue going on in my head that I was just imagining it or that you would tire of me."

"I don't think that's going to happen," Annie said as she shook her head.

"Right, but my head hasn't been in the best place -- which is why I need to apologize. I'm sorry about what happened at the bus stop. I freaked out... when I should have..." Cal wiped a tear from her eye, "When I should have run after you and told you that you were right."

Annie moved towards the blonde and looked up into Cal's eyes, "Right about what?"

"About having feelings for you. I mean, I have feelings for you, but other things kept telling me to put those feelings aside. But I realized over Christmas that I owed you the truth, because I couldn't imagine ever having to spend another Christmas without you."

Annie couldn't speak. Cal forged ahead, "And when I really allowed myself to think about it, I also realized that you have never made it feel like you were crowding out Becca. Or the kids. Or my relationship with the Chens. I felt broken in so many ways, but I never feel like that when I was with you. And that was scary too."

Cals words were setting off about a zillion pops of exhilaration all over Annie's body. If she was shaking before, she was positively trembling now.

"And I haven't done this in a really long time," Cal stammered, "I mean, Becca and I started dating in college, which was almost twenty years ago... and I haven't been with anyone since, you know... I mean, I need to take this slow... I don't know what you are expecting, but, I --"

Annie was past caring now, she'd heard enough. There'd be time for more talking later. She grabbed Cal's sweater and pulled Cal towards her.

Cal half fell and half stepped into Annie's arms. Their noses bumped for a fraction of a second before their lips met. Cal felt like she had just stepped off a cliff and was freefalling; the only sensation her body was able to process with that of Annie's mouth, pressed against hers. Annie sensed Cal's brain-freeze and gently adjusted, nipping Cal's bottom lip reassuringly. Annie bumped her nose against Cal's lightly, and then kissed Cal's top lip. She slid her hands into Cal's jeans' back pockets and pressed their bodies closer. Annie smiled as she felt Cal's arms envelope her.

At long last, Cal's brain, heart, and libido synched -- perfectly -- into a single adrenaline-thumping roar. Cal leaned in to kiss Annie again, this time with renewed fervor. Annie opened her mouth and welcomed Cal's tongue's enthusiastic entry. Annie's hands immediately snaked up inside Cal's shirt, roaming across Cal's skin, not willing to wait any longer.

Annie groaned with need. Cal's mouth was everything she had been fantasizing about -- and more: she couldn't have imagined just how those soft but supple lips could engage so perfectly with her own. She wanted more.

"Come here," Annie grabbed a fistful of Cal's sweater and backed into her room.

"Why did you stop..." Cal objected.

"I'm not stopping," Annie grinned, genuinely happy. "Relocating. By the way, since you asked, this is exactly what I was expecting..."

Annie knelt on the bed and took her sweatshirt off. Cal liked what she saw: Annie was wearing what must be a favorite old t-shirt. It was threadbare and faded, and left nothing to the imagination. Cal joined Annie on the bed and nuzzled into Annie's neck. Her skin's scent was an intoxicating mix that Cal had caught whiffs of before, but Cal never got close enough until now. Cal kissed her way up to Annie's jawline.

Annie grabbed Cal's hand and guided it under her t-shirt. Cal broke off the kiss and stared at Annie. Annie gazed back at Cal, her eyes hooded with desire. Cal felt for the clasp of Annie's bra.

"Front... it's in front," Annie breathed, she was amazed she didn't scream as she anticipated Cal's touch.

Cal pushed Annie's t-shirt up and undid the bra. Annie moaned when she first felt Cal's hands on her breasts. Cal was driven purely by desire now. Annie moaned again when Cal's tongue made contact with a nipple. Annie fell backwards onto the bed and pulled Cal on top of her. "Still want to take it slow?"

"No." Cal pulled off Annie's shirt, If I wasn't a boob-girl before, I certainly am one now...

Annie started tugging at Cal's shirt and sweater, "You -- I want to see you..."

Cal had been so focused on Annie she forgot she was still fully clothed, "Sorry, a little out of practice..."

Annie arched an eyebrow, "You're doing pretty well so far... now, clothes... off!"

Cal gave Annie a gentle kiss on the lips and sat up. Cal took off her tops, and undid her bra. Annie unbuttoned Cal's pants and started wiggling out of her own sweats, her eyes roaming over Cal's body as it was revealed to her. Cal's heart was thumping rapidly into long uncharted territory; sex had been so out of the question for so long that her arousal was a hair's breadth from climax. The feel of the sheets against her skin, the electric thrill of Annie's touch, and the hungry gaze from the beautiful woman beneath her were pushing her towards the edge.

Annie's fingers slid slowly between Cal's legs. Both gasped. "Are you wet for me, Cal?" Annie asked, her eyes on the beautiful woman who was straddling her hips.

"Mmm-hmm," Cal nodded, which was about all she could manage at this point. Her body was screaming for release.

Annie sensed Cal's need and slowly entered Cal. Cal lifted herself up slightly and thrust downwards. "Oh!"

Annie sat up, holding Cal close. She took one of Cal's nipples in her mouth. Cal kept saying "oh," at a faster pace and at a higher register as Annie's fingers worked themselves in and out of her. When Annie flicked her thumb across Cal's clit, Cal shouted, "Oh, Belle!" as she fell backwards. Annie needed no further encouragement and repositioned herself until her tongue made contact with Cal's sex. Cal's mouth opened as she tried to absorb the sensations Annie was creating, but no sound came out. Annie watched with awe as Cal's orgasm made its way through her body.

When Cal managed to open her eyes, she felt tears sliding down her cheeks. The moment Annie saw the tears she started freaking out, wondering if she'd moved too quickly. Cal's eyes were bright with moisture, a glistening kaleidoscope of the deepest blue. But Cal wasn't sad. She had expected an avalanche of guilt to hit, but felt instead a strange combination of joy, relief, sadness, and hope. She sensed Becca's presence in the chambers of her heart, but it wasn't an intrusive presence... it was as if Becca was helping Cal's heart absorb the syncopation of her feelings for Annie.

Cal slowly rolled over and pulled Annie towards her, "Hmmmm," she placed her nose against Annie's neck and inhaled.

Annie tingled with arousal as she felt Cal nuzzling her, but she didn't want to ignore the tears, "Cal, honey, if you don't want to... if it's too much," Annie breathed out as Cal started kissing her.

"Just let me love you, Belle. I want to."

Annie's heart jumped. She thought she must have misheard it. She leaned backwards and looked at Cal, "Sorry... what did you say?"

"I said to 'let me love you' because I want to." Cal repeated and wiped the tears from her eyes before she broke into a joyous grin.

Annie stared at Cal for a fraction of a second before grabbing Cal's face and kissing her hard.

Cal felt like a teenager again, newly in the throes of attraction, of discovering just how amazing it is to be desired, to be wanted. She kissed Annie back.

Annie tilted her head slightly and whispered in Cal's ear, "Say it again, Cal."

"Let me love you," Cal said between kisses. She nipped Annie's ear and felt a shiver run through Annie's body.

Annie threw her arms above her head and opened her legs, "Take me..."

--Chapter 10: The Aftermath (Later That Day)--