Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Journey's End ❯ Chapter 9

Journey's End... Part Nine

"You're not staying here tonight?" Nicole sounded disappointed as the redhead walked with Rachel out to her car.

Rachel grinned, her black hair a bit wild in the breeze. "I think you two need some time alone," she said impishly.

"Rach," Nicole groaned.

Rachel looked over at Nicole thoughtfully a moment before saying, "There's something else that I noticed, buddy."

Nicole prompted her impatiently, "Yes?"

"You seem awfully concerned for Laura," Rachel said quietly, "I haven't seen you like this since things were going well with the Wicked Bitch of the West." She smiled, "Maybe you should be wondering how you feel about Laura, too."

"What?" Nicole blinked at her in surprise.

Rachel didn't answer, she just hugged Nicole and climbed into the front seat of her little sports car. With a cheery wave of her hand the other woman was gone, bumping down the long driveway towards the little town beyond.

'Me... and Laura?' Nicole thought, her cheeks coloring. She turned to walk back to the house, her coat swirling in the breeze as she was lost to her thoughts. The house was quiet as Nicole went inside, pulling her coat off and leaving it hung up by the door. She avoided the living room and stepping into the kitchen, setting up the coffee pot for the morning.

"I'm sorry," Laura murmured as Nicole walked the short way from the kitchen into the living room, not flicking the light switch on. The ghost gazed out a window, the setting sun bringing a lovely glow to the girl's nearly translucent form, gently lighting the whole room. "I hope I didn't frighten your friend away," she added, looking back at Nicole with a shy smile.

"Rachel said she wanted to give us some time alone," Nicole offered, slipping her hands into the shorts she had changed to earlier in the day.

Laura's reddened slightly and the blonde haired spirit's voice was soft as she said, "I didn't intend to do what I did in the hallway...."

Nicole shivered slightly, leaving the girl some distance. Something that Rachel had said set Laura off, the hallway that they had all been standing in darkening, the temperature plunging as something like static electricity jumped in the air. Laura had regained her composure and fled, but it had badly unnerved poor Rachel.

'And me, too,' Nicole admitted. "What was that?" she quietly asked.

Laura's voice dropped a bit lower as she explained, "I can effect things in the physical world if I focus my will..."

"Like turning on my coffee pot or opening up a door for me," Nicole noted, giving the ghostly woman a reassuring smile.

"Yes," Laura flashed a smile before becoming serious once again, "but if I get upset, or lose control of my emotions, the world around me is affected."

Nicole chose that moment to move forward, standing beside Laura to look out at the sunset. "I'm sorry Rachel upset you," she said quietly, giving Laura a gentle smile.

Laura looked unusually solid as she gazed at Nicole, the fiery light giving her a vibrant color. "I realized something, from Rachel coming to visit you," Laura said.

"What was that?" Nicole asked, meeting the other woman's eyes.

Laura looked away nervously, seemingly frightened to meet Nicole's eyes. "I was jealous of the closeness between you," she admitted.

Nicole felt her stomach drop, looking over at the pretty woman's silhouette beside her. "We've been friends a long time," she answered, "but there's nothing more between us now...."

Laura surprised her when she reached out, a gentle touch of her hand on Nicole's. "I know that now," she answered, "but it upset me so much...." she trailed off. Laura took a deep breath, "I realized I wanted it to be me."

The first thought that ran through Nicole's head was, 'I'll be damned, Rachel was right.' She opened her mouth to say something, but Laura reached out to put her finger on Nicole's lips.

"I know it's impossible," Laura rose up into the air, her voice coming out a gentle whisper, "you don't have to say anything."

Laura was beginning to fade away as Nicole finally got her mouth working to say, "I think I may be falling in love with you."

Laura gazed down at her in surprise, her ghostlike form glittering as the light swiftly faded outside. "You..." she breathed out, then shook her head. "I can't do something like this to someone like you, you deserve so much more than I can offer," she said, sounding like she was trying to convince herself as much as Nicole.

"I thought I was in love a few times," Nicole said softly, "regretted it a few times, too." She smiled wryly, thinking of the woman she now called the Wicked Bitch of the West, "But I don't think I could regret loving someone like you."

Laura hovered up there, thin wisps of white material flowing around her ghostly form. Her eyes were dark, conflicted, almost as if she were wrestling with her thoughts then she descended to stand by Nicole's side. A hand reached out to rest on Nicole's cheek, a spark jumping between the two of them almost like electricity.

"This is madness, you know," Laura finally said, her gaze warmly caring.

Nicole flashed a smile, "Well, they always say writers are a little crazy."

Suddenly what little light that was coming in from the window was stopped as Laura seemed to firm up, her clothes simply disappearing. She pressed her now surprisingly solid body to the startled Nicole's, kissing her firmly with lips that were only a little colder than her own.

"If you are crazy," Laura murmured softly once she drew back slightly, "then so am I."

Nicole found her hands resting on the girl's pale shoulders, her own breath coming a bit faster. "You can become solid?" she asked, Laura's own hands resting on her hips, stroking gently.

"Not easily," Laura murmured, "and not for very long." She flashed a surprisingly sultry smile as she murmured, "So what are you waiting for?"

Nicole laughed softly, "Let's go upstairs."

Laura shook her head as she purred, "The couch is closer."

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The morning light woke Nicole, that and the scent of coffee perking. She stirred on the couch, stretching as she felt the breeze on her bare skin. 'What am I doing sleeping on the couch?' she wondered, sitting up and rubbing at her eyes. She suddenly stopped, memories rushing back of everything that had happened last night.

"You're awake," Laura sounded pleased as she entered the room from the kitchen, her typical dress swirling around her legs, "I made coffee."

Nicole realized that she was nude and blushed fiercely even as Laura looked on in gentle amusement. "Do you mind...?" Nicole asked eve as she reached for her clothes.

Laura turned her back even as she said, "You weren't so shy last night." She sounded a bit worried as she asked, "Are you all right?"

Nicole pulled her panties and shorts up all in one go, then pulled on her T-shirt without worrying about a bra. She straightened up her hair, smiling slightly as she said, "I don't regret last night, if that's what you mean."

Laura turned back, smiling happily as Nicole walked over to her side. She puffed out a breath, "I don't know what I would do if you leave."

Nicole reached out to rest her hand on Laura's shoulder only to have her hand pass right through, the slightly chill mist clinging to her skin. "I'm not planing on going anywhere," she answered, shyly drawing her hand back.

"I'm sorry," Laura said regretfully, "becoming solid isn't easy for me, I can't do it very often."

"I'll manage," Nicole said reassuringly.

"None of this is going to be easy," Laura murmured, meeting her eyes.

Nicole was about to answer when.... the doorbell rang. "Damn it," she cursed as she looked at Laura, "I'll get rid of them, then we'll talk."

"I look forward to it," Laura smiled then softly and silently faded away.

With a fierce look on her face Nicole strode to the front door, already running through the best ways to get someone to go away. In the middle of another ring she pulled the door open. "Yes...?" she started only to trail off in surprise.

Glossy brown hair flowed over her shoulders, a gentle smile on a beautiful face. "It's good to see you," Lynn said, the woman who Nicole called the Wicked Bitch of the West, her ex-girlfriend, who was standing there large as life on her doorstep.

To be continued....