Loving a Shadow Original

Once again, thank you to all of those who gave me there support in reading my story. Some people have no idea how much that means to us, but you all do. The comments and suggestions, positive or negative, are always a help. I am glad to see that I have yet to recieve anything negative, other than constructive critisism, but everything is welcomed. If someone has an opinion about what he/she would like to see in the up coming episodes, then by all means tell me. Your enjoyment is was it's all about because without you, us writers wouldn't exsist.

I hoped you enjoyed the last segment of "Loving A Shadow". Some of you have asked if we will ever get to meet Anne's uncle, but as many of you know me...I'm not going to say here. lol ;-) I apologise for the abundance amount of spelling and grammatical errors throughout this series, but trust me I try to find them all only to find more after they've been posted already lol. Enjoy the fourth part of "Loving A Shadow".

Chapter Nine: Unexpected Encounters

Anne felt Misty's embrace grow tighter around her waist. She was happy knowing that Misty was going to college on a full ride scholarship for four years. Anne felt her own pride wash over her knowing that she has the best contract any seventeen year old could ask for. Misty laid her head against the nape of Anne's neck, kissing her fake shoulder. She felt the tears come to her face when reality sank in. Sooner or later someone Anne doesn't want to find out will discover her arm isn't real and will use that against her in some way. Needless to say, Anne didn't really care who found out about her arm, or her whole past for that matter, as long as she got to walk down the aisle in a white dress. This paradise was Anne's whole world now. Anything and everything outside of that was insignificant. Anne turned around and kissed her fiancee "good morning". The gesture was very much appreciated by the dark haired girl in front of her. Anne hugged her once more and left the room without saying some thing. Misty didn't think much of it, Anne did this routinely whenever they didn't have school; she prepared a small surprise for her lover.

Anne came back into the bedroom after making the two of them some breakfast to find that Misty was the one looking out the window this morning. Anne felt her heart rise in her chest when she saw Misty standing there, almost in the buff, looking peacefully out into the horizon. Anne quietly set the tray on the bed and went over to her lover. She wrapped her arms around Misty's mid-section and embraced her tightly. Misty felt a soft moan escape her lips when she felt her fiance's embrace, one hand of warm, soft skin, the other of cotton from the glove on her hand. Anne rested her head on her shoulder and watched the day slowly go by.

"I've made you some breakfast, love," Anne whispered into her ear. "Why don't you go eat something before we leave?"

"I love you, Anne," Misty responded as she turned to face her. Their lips immediately found each other's. Their passion rising to new level, especially with Misty's nipples brushing against Anne's coat. "That was nice," Misty mewed when they finally parted.

"I love you too, Misty," Anne said hugging onto her Misty. "Your breakfast is getting cold sweety, you might want to eat something before you have to go."

"You know what, Anne?" Misty asked playfully, "You worry too much."

"You know me better than that," Anne joked back.

They each sat on either end of the tray table. Misty always loved Anne's cooking and was going to miss it for the four years they'll be separated. They ate everything that was in front of them. Anne suggested that Misty better get dressed, which she did under protest. She loved walking around almost naked in front of her Anne; this would be the last time she'll have the pleasure of doing so for a long time. It took nearly a half-hour for Misty to finally get dressed into something she liked and would be comfortable for the long drive ahead of her. Anne retrieved her part of the luggage set from the closet and set to work packing Misty's things.

John stopped by the room a short time later to see how his girls were doing. He and Cindy were up all night worrying about their girls traveling so far away from home, but had to remind themselves that they are more grown up than most adults. He took the liberty of volunteering to follow Misty to the school to make sure she got registered and settled in okay; Anne would be on her own, as she was no stranger to being so.

"How you girls doing in here?" John asked from outside the door.

"Come on in dad," Misty called out giggling a bit. "We're almost done packing."

John abliged his little girl. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the room was practically empty. All of Misty's trophies, pictures and the few posters she has were packed away, ready to go. He should have known that his little girl never travels light.

"You could have asked me to send some of this stuff to you later you know!" John said still standing in the doorway. There were about five full-sized siutcases packed to the brim, some looked like they would explode with the slightest pressure.

"Dad, you know I have to have my things with me all the time," Misty retorted with great sarcasm. She thought about that, but wanted to get everything done in one trip. The girls got up off the floor and hugged the poor old man. He liked the gesture, but was thrown off his balance when Anne's right arm hit in the back.

"Anne! Careful with that thing," he said recomposing himself after the brief bonding moment. "You know that thing hurts old people like me."

"Sorry, I just wanted to be part of the moment," Anne winked at him.

The four of them spent the rest of the morning packing what they could into the truck. Cindy was of course taking pictures the whole time whenever she could. As if they were waiting for the tailgate to close, Anne's ride appeared to pick her up. The band's van came into the driveway. All six of the passengers got out and exchanged pleasentries with the Thomases. Anne and Misty gave each other one last kiss good bye after all of her stuff, which to say was not much, was loaded up. Misty watched the van shrink as it drove down the street. The only thing that Misty could think about to get distarcted from the depression was her own long journey.

Misty and John made good time in getting to Columbus. Traffic wasn't that bad and the place was easy to find: "If you're on High Street, you're infront of the campus" as they were told by the office reps. The trip was just exhausting due to it's length, but for an eager cheerleader ready to move up in the world it was worth it. They had to stay at a close-by hotel for the night since they didn't get there until after the office closed, not to anyone's surprise. The two of them spent the time bonding before the new day came. John didn't get much time with his little girl anymore and missed that dearly. When night fall came, the two of them were fast asleep in the room with the TV still on.

Misty was hell-bent on being the first person into the freshman administrations office. Her morning was spend doing the usual b.s. paperwork and interviews. She met with the dean of students, the head of the science department and of course the cheerleading coach. Misty happened to glance at the clock to see that it was already one in the afternoon. She was escorted to the freshman dorms and assigned her room, 714. 'That's Anne's birthday!' she thought to herself.

John made good of his fatherly duties and made sure Anne settled in okay. He went over the usual checks any father would make and kissed his baby girl good bye. "Just pick up the damn phone if you ever need anything, okay sweety?" he said with a tear of joy coming to his eye.

"Dad, you haven't stopped saying that since we got here," Misty said sarcastically, "I think I get the idea." John just hugged his little girl and left.

The main room was actually quite big, seeing as it was one of the older dorms on campus. In the middle of the room was a complete furniture setup of not-so-bad design. Against the back wall was an entertainment canter with a fairly large TV already hooked up for cable. There was a small kitchette off to the east side of the room as well with a bar, presumably to serve as a dining table. In the adjacent room there stood two beds with computer tables, complete with computers nonetheless, underneath to save on space. A matching dresser and full walk-in closet were off the head of each. The only down side: one bathroom. Misty just hoped her roommate was cool enough to live with that.

Misty had just finished her unpacking and turned on the TV when her roommate came in. With her back to the door, she just said her hellos over her shoulder as she got used to the channel setup around here. She heard a loud thud come from behind her as she said that.

"Oh my God, is that you Misty?" a familiar voice called out. Misty knew this person already, her voice just now registering in her head. Her eyes lit up with joy when she realised who she was rooming with.

"Oh, shit! Tabby is that you?!" Misty jumped off the sofa and ran to her old friend. Tabitha's arms reached out for her ex-grilfriend as she ran into her. The were celebrating their reunion a little too loudly as other people were starting to bitch at them. They walked fully into the room and closed the door. "How the hell have you been? I haven't seen you in so long!"

"It's been pretty good," Tabby said when they finally got seated. "I didn't expect you to be my roommate! What were the odds of that happening?" The girls chatted away about how they've been over these last couple of years since they broke up. Fortunately for them, it was a mutual falling out and they remained friends until Misty moved away. Tabby was somewhat broken up that Misty never called her, which she joked about in their conversation, but was all the more happy to see her.

"Are you seeing anyone right now?" Tabby asked after a while of dancing around the subject; Misty did learn from Anne about how to do that well.

"I'm engaged actually!" Misty said proudly showing her friend the ring on her finger, which she kept out of Tabby's sight until then.

"Don't tell, me......it's that Annebell girl you were so hung up about isn't it?" Misty gave her a knowing smile and blushed at the sound of her Anne's name. "Holy shit Misty! I'm so happy for you. How are the two of you doing as an item?"

Misty told Tabby the story of how things went, but left out the part when she went crazy. She kept bragging about how Anne was elected Valedictorian and her Cinderella career at the high school. Misty also neglected to Tabitha about Anne's "handicap" and troubles with her mother. She did mention how fluent Anne is in foreign languages and customs. Tabby found herself to be quite intregued by Misty's fiancee. Of course Misty had to throw in her success at the nationals and Anne's success with her band. The time just flew by as these two caught up with each other.

The clock on the stove read about six; Misty had to remind herself that she has to set her watch ahead by an hour now. They decided to go down High Street to the Wendy's at the corner. After they seated with their meals, Tabby asked, "So what are you majoring in?"

"Aeronautical and Astrological Physics," Misty announced proudly. "I'm going for a minor in Calculus to help back me up if I need it."

"Hard classes for someone who's wanting to be a professional cheerleader," Tabby said lacing her words with sarcasm. "What made you chose that to be your major, anyway?"

"Anne did pretty much," Misty said thinking back to one of their conversations. "She always had this way of challenging me to do better. Hell it was because of her I graduated with the GPA I had. So how about you?"

"Microbiology and Chemistry," Tabby said equally proud. "I'm going for several minors of other sciences. You know that was always my strong suit."

They kept up their little chat for about another hour. Misty happened to look up when the door opened. Again, she was in for another surprise. She shot out of her seat and rushed the door. The mindless screetching of cheerleaders meeting filled the room instantly. Sarah, Jennica and Tammy were also attending college here, much to Misty's joy. Tabby watched with some degree of intregue as her former girlfriend met up with her buddies she didn't know.

The five of them retreated back to the dorms some time later. The three of them had the one triple-room down the hall in room 727. Tabby wasn't much for cheerleaders, but she felt happy for Misty to have some of her old friends living here. Tabby and Misty went to their respective beds after some more catching up. The next day the freshmen were scheduled to tour the campus and had to be at the main university building by seven sharp. Tabby still had some unpacking to do, but she was dead tired from her ride across the county. She sprawled out over her mattress and fell into a deep sleep instantly.

Misty was the first to wake up the next morning. Tabby didn't even move when Misty's alarm clock went off at six, like it always does. Misty had a smirk come across her face as she looked over at her ex. She jumped out of bed, hitting the floor with an audible landing, and lunged over at Tabby's bed. She hit the redwood paneling shouting "Dibs on the shower". Tabby never was one for the morning hours. She rubbed her eyes and listened to her energetic roommate get into the shower. Eyeing the room for something familiar to look at, she noticed that her bags were still more than half-packed. "I thought I forgot to that yesturday," she said when she was finished stretching.

Misty came out of the bathroom completely ready for the day, her rommie was much to the otherwise . Tabby was still in her clothes from the day before and wasn't looking like she wanted to change that. She moped around the room, studying her surroundings for a little while before she found her way into the shower herself. Misty walked over to her desk and just gazed at the one picture she had of just Anne. She was standing by the tree in the backyard with an expression on her face that could kill. She knew how much Anne hated having her picture taken, but she always did what she could to appease her Misty.

The two roommates were the first ones to arrive at the meeting. This had a lot to do with Misty's attitude in the mornings; Tabby would much rather be in bed right now. They waited for the rest to show up, which fortunately wasn't that long. The guy giving the tour was the last to show up, much to the freshmens' humor. As they toured the campus, they kept at the poor guy, trying to find a good excuse for his tardiness. The answer came a little hard on some of them, but fair for the mood they put him in: "So I wouldn't have to look at you freshmen for that long." Misty's skin was much thicker than when Tabitha knew her. She instantly knew this because she would have started to lose some of her enthusiasm after Scott's comment, like the rest of them did. Misty kept her spirits high enough for everyone else to follow.

The tour ended just before lunch time so after a little waiting, everyone scattered into their various groups to eat. After the tour, Misty's little group had grown. Some of the girls were also trying out for the squad, while others, mostly the guys, just took a liking to her; Misty was quick to pick up on that fact.

The rest of the day was their's to do as they wished. Most of them wanted to meet their teachers. Some wanted to go back to sleep, Tabby brought up that idea, and the rest just wanted to hang out for a bit. Misty joined the first of the groups. Tabby hugged her good bye then retired herself back to the room.

Tabby was still sleeping when Misty came bouncing throught the door some four hours later; she quickly toned it down some when she realised this. Misty went onto her computer to do some online chatting with Diane before she went to dinner. They talked for about three hours about nothing in particular. As they entered into their next line of conversaton, Misty suddenly told Diane that she's getting off for the night. Confused, but having a feeling, she said their usual parting words and got off line.

"I've missed you so much sweety!" Misty shouted when she brought her cell back to her ear. "How was your flight? Did you guys get in okay? Where are you all staying?..." Misty just bombarded her Anne with the whole line of questions.

"I love you too, baby," Anne said when it was finally her turn to speak. "Yeah we got in okay. The flight sucked ass as usual, but we survived it. We're staying at a place called The Sound's Apartments. It's actually bigger than what I thought it would be. I mean it's not as big as home, but it's bigger than Kathrine's house. Sorry I didn't call you earlier, but we've been working all day. Robert had us going from the moment we got off the damn plane."

"At least you made it there okay," Misty said happy to hear the good news. "It's been pretty slow around here. We just had our campus tour a few hours ago and since then Diane and I have been chatting online."

"That's good, baby......Damn it all! Misty I've gotta go. I'll call you tomarrow, okay sweetheart?"

"I love you..." before Anne could respond she had to hang up the phone. Misty sat in her chair a little saddened that she didn't get to hear her Anne return the words, but knew she felt it.

Misty went to the store to buy some food for dinner. By the time she got back, Tabby was already up and watching TV. Misty made them a quick dinner. They ate it quietly while a TV movie played. Her thoughts kept going in and out conscienceness. She was happy to hear from Anne, but hated her work schedule already. "I don't know how she puts up with it," Misty said to herself. Tabby kept a close eye on her ex, knowing that saddened look. She kept it to herself that she wanted her and Misty to get back together. She's been wanting to ever since she left, but knew Misty was a good friend to have and didn't want to upset that. After dinner, Tabby cleaned up everything while Misty showered and went to bed, even though it was only nine-thrity.

The next few weeks passed by nicely for the roommates. They always seemed to get along with the schedules they had for classes and for the chores around the room. John and Cindy gave Misty a new vacuum cleaner and a few other things that no one thinks about until they need them. Misty and Tabby were good at keping to their parts of their deal. Anne always made good of her promises to email her Misty when and where she could. Everytime Anne had a break in work, she would send Misty a small, yet descriptive, email of what was going on; Misty was always eager to check her inbox for Anne's next message.

Another month passed and Misty could only be happier if Anne was with her. She kept her grades up at Dean's List level and she made the squad--if she hadn't she would have been taken off scholarship. Anne kept dancing around it, but never came out with the good news Bob told them during prom night. They had been separated for more than six weeks, but didn't feel like they missed a day, minus the sex.

Misty woke up to go class that Tuesday, three days before her birthday and four before Anne's. She did her usual routine in the morning and hugged Tabby good bye for the day. While driving across campus, she heard a familiar song come on the radio. She started to tear up when she recognised the guitar, and accompanying music, playing. "Holy shit!" she said in a louder tone than she intended. It was confirmed when Kevin's voice started singing the words to "...Something Like Human". It was obvious that they fine tuned the song in the studio since it sounded better than the live version. Misty sat in the car in front of the science building until the song ended and the DJ's voice came on the air.

"Alright, that was the title song from a new band called The String Metal Septet, try saying that one five times fast, off of their debut album by the same name '...Something Like Human'..." Misty let the rest fall on deaf ears. They already made it on the biggest rock station in the country. This left Misty baffelled beyond all belief. She had Bob pegged as a self-absorbed ass, 'but he does know what he's doing' Misty thought to herself.

All day she couldn't get her head out of the clouds. Nothing the teachers said could enter into her brain. After all of her classes let out, she hurried back to her room to call her Anne, thinking she might have the day off or at least be on a break by now.

Tabby was sitting on the sofa doing her usual routine. All of the daytime shows were just ending and she had nothing better to do. Misty came running through the door and was on her computer before Tabby could even tell her "Hi".

Misty was typing furiously as she made her appearance in the bedroom. "Ugh, Misty? You got some mail from Anne today. I tried to tell you before you left for your afternoon classes but you seemed rushed about something."

"I heard her song on the radio this morning, Tabby!" Misty said as she attacked her small package. "Please tell me you heard it! It was on 101 'The Buzzard'!" Misty stopped dead when she realized that Anne sent her the first copy, completely autographed, of the album. Tabby, too, looked at the gift with awe. The creepy cover of a living, but fully mutalated person walking through the pits of hell. When Misty flipped it over, she noticed there were three more songs that weren't recorded at the prom event.

"Holy shit, Misty!" Tabby said when she realized exactly what it meant. "You mean to tell me that your Anne plays for THAT band?..." Tabby couldn't believe it either. She saw the band play once at a festival some years back, when Jason still played the guitar, and knew from there they would be big.

While Tabby tried to think back to that day, Misty was busy putting the disc to good use. She uploaded it to her computer and turned the volume up as far as it would go. Everyone on the floor immediately came to their room to bitch about the music, but found themselves getting lost as well. Out of her own kindness, Misty did turn the volume down somewhat, but no one wanted to leave. Some people even asked where she got the CD from. When she told them, they couldn't believe it. Some people did hear the song from that morning, thought it was cool or what-not, but had no idea the fiancee to the guitarist was sitting right in front of them.

They listened until the CD ran out of songs to play. Some of the guys went to the nearest Wal-Mart or music store to get their own copy only to find out that they were still on order. Then they realized Misty was telling the truth. Unbenounced to everyone, the band went ahead and autographed the first one hundred copies of the one thousand first-prints.

For the next couple of days, Misty listened to the radio intently for them to play any more of Anne's songs. "The Buzzard" didn't play anything when she was tuned in, but a couple of the soft rock stations played "Love in the Mist" a few times, as Misty found out from some of her friends.

As the hours passed by, she felt this strange feeling brewing deep within her heart. Anne had been tip-toeing around the idea of a birthday present for the last couple of weeks that Misty "would not want to miss", as Anne put it. 'Of course I wouldn't miss it...doesn't she know that?' She thought to herself every time Anne brought it up.

Her cheer squad kept her with an arduous schedule to follow, since the first game of the football season kicked off on Saturday at home. They have been training relentlessly to be prepared for it, which made it hard for her to keep her promise to Anne. Tabby was always there to talk to, but it wasn't the same in Misty's mind. She noticed how Tabby felt like everytime they spoke was coming onto her, even though they were both seeing other people. Misty was starting to get more and more uncomfortable talking to her roommate about her love-life. Tabby would hug her longer than necessary whenever they parted for the time being, a fact not missed by the cheerleader. Tabitha also had this tendency to watch her whenever she thought she could get away with it.

Misty woke up that Friday morning to find someone else in her bed. Though the room was dark from the curtains being drawn and her eyes still half asleep, she noticed how the body was that of a woman.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE DOING IN MY BED???" Misty screamed at the unconscience girl. She stirred at the sound of her voice, scared to death.

"I thought you'd be happy I was here on your birthday...damn!" a familiar voice called back, angry as she normally was in the morning. Misty about jumped out of her skin when she finally recognised that morning tone.

"I'm so sorry Anne, I didn't know it was you," Misty said as she lungged on top of her. She felt around the mattress for the distinct factor that made Anne Anne. Her joy quickly followed her discovery. "When did you get in?"

"About two this morning," Anne said as she sat up, Misty rising up with her still holding onto her neck. "You know, your roommate is kind of a bitch. She wouldn't let me in until I showed her a picture ID."

"Tabitha always was like that," Misty said as-a-matter-of-factly.

"So this is your ex?" Anne inquired. "Hhmph, she looks different from when you described her to me. I guess manners don't always follow maturity." Anne was definately her old self. Misty just gave her a look that Anne interpreted to mean "shut up". "Misty, why did you say it like that? When you first woke up?"

"I don't know," Misty lied knowing full well Tabby had been tryng to move in on her. "Why do you ask?"

"I ask because I want to know," Anne said sounding like when they first met. "She's been trying to make a move on you for some time now, hasn't she? Be honest."

"Yeah, she has," she confessed sighing. "I don't think she ever really did get over us breaking up. After all, she is the one who took my cherry and taught me how to be a lesbian."

"I see," Anne said evenly. "In that case then, I guess I don't have to kick her ass. Just let her know that you're taken," Anne said with a cold, wicked smile.

"She knows, but I don't think she wants to know. You know what I mean?"

The girls got dressed and headed around the campus for a bit. They had a quick breakfast since Misty had to get to class. Anne walked around for a bit on her own, letting the atmosphere sink in. She always wanted to get to know her surroundings before she does a show. Anne went to several of Misty's classes with her, even though that was highly discouraged by the teachers. Anne being Anne didn't care, after all she was behaving herself and staying out of the way. They went to lunch at the school so Misty wouldn't be late for her afternoon classes. While Misty was in class, Anne took it upon herself to visit the "Horseshoe". She walked casually around the field, no one even giving her a second look. She stopped at the fifty yard line and sat in a meditative state. The sound of the mowers and painters didn't seem to have an effect on her, not they even noticed her sitting there. Anne came back to earth after she heard the all too familiar sound of cheerleaders coming out of the tunnel. She flinched to herself and went into the stands.

Misty and her friends went through their usual warm up stretches, which Anne found to be a little arousing when Misty bent over in front of her. Though she always have had a low opinion of these people, she always supported her fiancee in her endevour. Misty never stopped talking about her dream of being on a professional squad and Anne wanted to do everything in her power to help make that happen. Through out the practice, no one noticed the lone girl in the bleechers watching them. As they broke their fromation after their three hour practice session, Anne started to clap her hands...finally getting their attention. Misty ran up to the bleechers and jumped into the front row. The rest of the team figured this was the Annebell that Misty couldn't shut up about.

Under protest, Anne humored her Misty and met everyone. Three of them she recognised from high school. There was something about the rest of them that Anne didn't like. Perhaps her disdain for cheerleaders always got the better of her in this type of situation, or that they knew of her plans tomarrow and didn't like the fact she would steal their prescous attention. However, Anne kept her end of the bargain and stayed polite with everyone, though she would have like nothing more than to beat the hell out of them.

"So Annebell," Bailey, the co-captain said after the "pleasantries" were exchanged, "Misty tells us you play guitar for a band. How good are you?" Anne was all too familiar with this tone...as was Misty.

"I'm better at playing guitar than you are at cheerleading," Anne said in her usual voice staring into her eyes, despite being six inches shorter. "Either way, it's of no consequence, Bailey Anderson. You'll find out soon enough. Now would be so kind as to shut your mouth and rid us of your imputence? Your voice really is quite an ear-sore." Anne held her ground firm even though she was grossly outnumbered.

"Sarah was right," Bailey responded clearly taken down a notch, "you really are a bitch. I don't see why someone like Misty would ever fall for someone like you."

"Now listen here, Bailey..." Misty started to say, but Anne raised her right hand to her mouth. Everyone else was gathering around to see how far these two would go before it got physical.

"Misty's reasoning for loving me goes far beyond your ability to comprehend so I won't waste everyone's time in explaining it to you, Bailey Anderson." Anne said with eyes growing black. Bailey picked up on this and felt her gut starting to tremble. "To be honest, I really don't know where you dared to get this idea you can condescend to me, Bailey. It surprises me that someone with that much bleach in her hair could even possibly formulate a train of thought long enough to even put the sentence together. I'll ask you nicely again, but this time in a language even you can understand: shut your damn mouth and never think you can talk to me intellagently. Was that simple enough for you to understand?"

By now most everyone was siding with Anne and Misty. Misty's long-time friends were already on their side, especially knowing what Anne could do to a person. Most of the college friends, whose names had not been forgotten by Anne, had to agree that she was a bitch, but someone you don't want to be on the bad side of.

"It was nice to meet you Anne," Janice, the team's captain, said trying to loosen the tension and get rid of the "problem".

"Don't think of me a fool, Janice Henres," Anne said glaring into her eyes with her irises remaining as black as the night sky. "You found no pleasure in meeting me today otherwise you would not have allowed this oxygen thief to address me as it did. For the sake of arguing even further, I'll take my leave now." Anne turned to her Misty and gave her a kiss then left without saying anything else. As she walked back through the tunnel she could hear the girls talking about her, with Misty as their prime target.

The girls hit the showers shortly there-after. They tried to talk about something other than how Bailey, the biggest bitch on the team, got owned by someone they didn't know. She directed her anger at Misty whenever she had a chance to speak, but Anne taught her how to ear out such nonsense.

As they were leaving the locker room, Bailey was surprised to see Anne standing in front of them. The mood of group changed dramatically. Misty natural bounced over to her fiancee and tried to give her a kiss hello, not to mention sway her from the inevitable, but the look in Anne's eyes told her to stay away. Her eyes glowed with evil seeping out from deep within her mind. Walking casually to the group, she brought her right hand to Bailey's throat and lifted her off the ground. Anne threw her into the concreate wall, letting her slide down to the floor. Everyone else did their best to fend for their friend, but to no avail. Sarah, Jennica and Tammy knew better than to interfere with these matters, a point they tried to convey to their fellow teammates. Those who insisted were greeted by Anne's right arm into their gut, without her so much as looking back at them. She kept her gaze fixed on the beaten girl on the floor.

"Don't take your anger out on her just because you're weak, Bailey," Anne said after she knelt down and grabbed her chin. "She is my woman and I will defend her honor to my last breath so don't even think of trying another stunt like that. Understand?"

Anne came over to her Misty and took her away by the hand. She let those who crossed her fend for themselves, as did those who knew her. Bailey was alright by comparision to other people Anne had to set straight, but had never had that happen to her before. When they got back to the dorm, Anne knew to expect what was coming.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Misty shouted at her. "Everytime after you tell off someone you always beat the hell of them. I can stand up for myself you know?"

"Misty you know I can't stand idlely by while those people say those kinds of things," Anne said evenly, but Misty could hear her subdued side coming out. "I'm sorry that I pissed you off so, but you whenever something like that happens my instincts will take over to protect you."

"I know the 'why' to your doing it," Misty calmed down somewhat, "but what I'm trying to tell you is that you don't always have to do be so extreme about it, okay honey?"

"I owe you my life, Misty," Anne said on the verge of crying, "and because of that I can never ablige your request. You rescued me from hell and showed me what love is, and now I am obigated to defend that notion 'til my death." Misty didn't say anything further. She knew Anne was sincere in her motives and would never do anything like without provocation, but still wished she didn't have to. The girls embraced each other for a moment until a thought came into Misty's head.

"You know Anne," she said happily, "for as long as I've known you this is the first time I've seen you cry."

"Don't remind me," Anne joked back feeling better about the whole situation. "For the longest time I thought I forgot how. I have you to thank for showing me once again."

Tabby walked in just as Anne finished speaking. Her arms were loaded with books, as was her backpack. As she stumbled into the room, Anne could here her say "son of a bitch" throught the pencil she had in her mouth when her arms finally gave way and everything she was holding hit the floor. This brought a smile to her roommate's face for sure, but Anne remained her usual self. "Oh, hi Anne," Tabby said when she looked up after flipping off the shit on the floor.

"Good day to you too, Tabitha," Anne said, "do you need any help with that?"

"Hell yes!" she said a little louder than she intended to. "Do you think you could help me out here, please?" she asked a little more politely after taking a deep breath.

"Yeah sure, quit your bitchen," Anne said sarcasticly. Misty knew all too well why Anne decided to be so generous. It was the same reason she never got angry about sitting at her table at lunch. It was the one trait about her that anyone could hardly pick up on. She put everything on Tabby's desk and headed back out to her waiting fiancee. The three of them chatted for a couple more hours before Misty's cell phone rang. She passed it off to Anne saying that it was Steven wanting her. As she was leaving and giving Misty her kiss goodbye she apologized for not having anything for her on her birthday. Misty, always the modest one, assured her not to worry about it. Seeing her there today was a present enough.

Tabby took Misty out for her birthday for a small night on the town.They hit a couple of bars and clubs, then a small restaurant. Misty could feel Tabby waiting, waiting patiently to make a move on her. While they were dancing at the last club they went to, Misty felt Tabby's hands on her in places she felt a little uncomfortable with. Misty decided to have that talk with her that Anne suggested this morning.

"Tabby, you still have a thing for me, don't you?" Misty asked politely sitting in the car. She wanted this to be as smooth as possible. She liked Tabby as a friend, but wanted to set her straight that she was taken without hurting her too much.

"I think you know the answer to that already, Misty," Tabby said a little down. "You can't tell me you didn't feel my hands or my advances for the past month. I know you better than that, girl."

"Yes you do, Tabitha," Misty said playing with the ring on her finger. "Tabby, you are one of the most beautiful people I've ever had the pleasure of knowing, but I'm not for the taking anymore. I'm engaged to be married to Anne. As much as I need the release, I can't go back on that promise." Misty could feel Anne's influence taking over her voice.

"I know, baby," Tabby said trying to be happy for her friend. "I still love you like I always have. We were so close for so long that I can't just forget about it like that. I am happy for you that you are getting married, truely I am. I'm just sad that it's not to me is all."

"Don't be," Misty said feeling her tone changing a bit. "Don't be sad about that. I know there is someone out there that will take you in just as I did once and I think you probably met her tonight," Misty said with a wink. Tabby knew of the person she was referring to, but didn't feel anything between them at the club. She was very attractive and smart, but nothing that sent off any sparks. "Here's her number," Misty said handing her a piece of torn paper. "She was too shy to give it to you herself, so I said I'd do it."

Tabby put the note in her pocket and started the car. As luck would have it, as they were driving home one of Anne's songs came on the radio. This made the girls laugh for a bit, making Tabby feel a little better about the rejection. When they got home, Tabby went ahead and called Veronica. Misty took a shower, but could hear Tabby talking up a storm through the door. This brought a smile to her face knowing her ex-lover would soon be having a grilfriend anew; that's how they initially hooked up after all.

Chapter Ten: Birthday Surprise

The day that Misty and the others have been practicing for this whole time finally came. Saturday and it was early. The sun wasn't even up yet. Misty had to get to the Horseshoe before the football team got there so they could get at least one more practice in before the game kicked off. As she was getting ready to go, she gave no thought to the fact that Anne never did give her a present for her birthday. She had a feeling that Anne was saving something big for her to have missed it.

By the time she got to the stadium, everyone else on the team was already changed and ready to go. Misty made quick work of getting ready herself. She couldn't help but overhear everyone whispering. They spoke just low enough she couldn't make out what they were saying. Whenever she asked what the deal was, they always told her it was nothing.

They got in some practice before they were hauled away by the coaches to go get something to eat before the game started. When they got back, they went immediately to work. Misty saw Anne sitting in the stands as the team was introduced for the new season. ABC sent their best production crew to televise the game and had their cameras all over the field and in the stands. One focused on Anne and that made Misty wonder what was up. Not that she minded the attention her fiancee was getting, she just didn't understand why.

The game passed by pretty well. The Buckeyes took an early lead and held onto it, until time ran out in the half, when the Longhorns made a nearly impossible field goal of sixty yards tying the game at thirteen all.

Right after the half-time whistle blew, the half-time show team sprang to work. As the teams were leaving the field, the stage was being built and the bands were marching out to the field. It was in this moment when Misty realised exactly why Anne was there. In a deal worked out the school, The String Metal Septet was to play along side the marching bands. This was an honor only ever given out once before, and that band was already in the big time before they got to play.

Misty saw Anne talking to the other six right before they started playing. She went ballistic when she saw her standing there, with the strap around her neck talking to everyone. The marching band started things off with the band's music fading into the tune. All hundred thousand people in the stands were on their feet going crazier than when the team was on the same field. ABC's broadcasting crew captured every minute of the half-time show. Both bands lived up to their expectations and then some. Unknown to everyone else, during the show at ABC's home office, the phones were ringing off the hook with the information on how to schedule the band on stage. Right about that time, Bob was wishing he had more staff people with him to handle the flood of calls.

The show ended all too soon for the fans. Anne wished the team good luck with the rest of the game then helped everyone tear down the stage to get the second half underway. All during the performance, the cheer squad was on Misty's side with her support. Right as the bands were off the field, a message came up on the Jumbo-Tron from Anne, much to the admiration of everyone watching. Misty was brought to tears when she saw the message of love and a happy birthday.

The second half kicked off about five minutes later. Anne and the band retook their seats back in the bleechers on the fifty yard line. They watched the rest of the game, getting into it when the team did well or just needed some fan support. The game ended on a high note of 33 to 16 in favor of the home team. A good start to the season, but what this day did for Anne far exceeded anything anyone ever expected.

After everyone got changed and headed out to the various parties going on all along High Street, Misty called Bob's cell phone to find out where they went. He said the name of a club a few minute's drive from the school, one Misty and Tabby went to last night. Misty arrived to find Anne sitting at the booth in the corner with the rest of her bandmates. Anne jumped over the table to get to her Misty just as she walked over to them.

"Baby, you were awsome! Happy birthday!" Misty shouted afer their kiss broke.

"I thought that new outfit looked pretty hot on you," Anne retorted. Seeing her woman in that tight little cheerleader uniform was always a turn on for her. Perhaps that was why she never minded her doing that so much.

"I thought so too," Misty said giggling a little, giving Anne a sly wink. "Hey guys!"

The guys answered and the two of them sat down for a good time. Misty got to know more about the guys as the night went on. Mostly they talked about how they struggled to get noticed without a good guitar player. Then Anne just happened to run into Kevin at the store and asked him the favor those many months ago. Now, all of a sudden, they keep getting more lucky breaks than anyone could have hoped for. Bob got a call during the party about how the record company has just released another run of the album, this time in the tens of thousands of copies. They were on the verge of going gold in their debut week. James kept asking Misty for her background, but everytime Anne would interfere with the questioning knowing that was how he got the chicks to sleep with him. Anne knew he was drunk out of his mind, so she let it slide...to a point. A couple times she did have to set him straight before he got the idea.

Anne and Misty returned back to the dorm room completely worn out. Anne was literally carrying her lover into bed. Anne noticed that Tabby got lucky tonight. She had a very busty red-head lying beside her completely in the buff and not caring. She even waved at her when Anne looked around the room. Anne just politely waved back, trying to be nice and quiet since the roommates were sleeping. She retired herself to the living room. She sat on the couch knowing that her brain was trying to shut down for bed, but her adrenaline kept flowing too much life through her. Anne sat there and watched a couple of movies.

The sun was coming up and Anne hadn't slept a wink. She was exhausted and sore, but couldn't find the strength to sleep at all. Despite her zombie-like state, she made breakfast for everyone, which is to say she made everyone a bowl of Cheerio's and woke everyone up. The three others rolled out of bed and dragged themselves into the kitchen for their bowl. The new addition introduced herself as Veronica, Tabby's new girlfriend, to everyone. Misty aleady knew who she was but was surprised by the bold declaration of her title. Anne and Misty did the polite thing and congradulated them both. Misty noticed that Tabby seemed pretty happy to have finally found someone else to lust after, and what a piece of eye candy she had! The three of them said their happy birthdays to Anne, even though they were a day late she accepted them with glee.

Misty took Anne out for a day together. They went window shopping for wedding dresses, invitations, the whole nine yards. While they were at the book store looking at wedding magazines, Kevin and Kurt walked in. The four of them went to the nearby Wendy's for lunch afer they all made their purchases. The guys told Anne what time she needed to be back at the airport aa they were leaving.

This gave the girls only a couple more hours together, which they spent in the bed fucking like newly-weds. Sarah and Jennica, from down the hall, thought Misty was being raped by how loud she was screaming. Anne knew just how to please her woman and used every bit of her knowledge to work. They were completely saturated in sweat by the time they were finished.

While they were redressing, Tabby walked in. She looked into the bedroom and saw Anne standing there without her coat on. She stood there not wanting to believe what eyes saw just three feet in front of her. Anne had the coldest of look in her eyes when Tabby realised she was not tricked by her senses. She didn't scream, but did start to hyperventalate. She felt her heart racing and her face turn white as her blood ran cold. Misty didn't know what to say, but knew Tabby was going to find out eventually. Her attention went to Anne, who had enough experience with this already to explain it to her without much difficulty.

Anne went over to her and stroked her cheek with her right hand. Tabby's face didn't regain any color, but her heart rate did slow down. Tabby could notice that Anne was slowly pushing her back to the chair at her computer. She tripped and fell right into the cushion. Anne knelt down to her eye level and her eyes rolled over to their original color. "Tabitha, now you know," Anne said in a deep, but caring voice. "Don't be affraid of this. I would never think about hurting Misty with this arm. No one but myself is responsible for me having it. This is my punishment for whatever sins I commited as a child. At least that's what I tell myself to get by without guilt. Go ahead. Ask me anything."

Tabby was speechless. The Misty that she loved fell for someone with a fake limb, but somehow Tabby knew she would. Misty always was the type that is nice to everyone she met. The fact that Anne had this metal arm clarified every hazy thought she had as to her strange personality. Rather than speak, Tabby got up and hugged Anne. She whispered, "Take care of her, Anne."

With that, Anne happened to look at the clock and realized she needed to go...now. She quickly put her coat back on, passionately kissed her fiancee and was out the door; the guys were going to pick her up at the main building on campus. Misty was left to answer the interrogation that was soon to follow her departure, which she was more than happy to.

Chapter Eleven: Sweet Smell of Success

Anne and Misty never got the chance to meet like that again for the next four years. Misty spent what little bit of time she did have off from school traveling with Anne when she went on tour. During Misty's tenure at college, The String Metal Septet released two more albums, each going gold in their first week. They sold out within a week of going on sale and earned the band a new article in Rolling Stone magazine. "...Something Like Human" reached platnum status within the year of it's release and still kept selling out whenever it hit the shelves. The band thought their success couldn't get any bigger...but they were wrong. "Fading Into You" and "...Something Like Human", song and record, earned the band three Grammies that year: for best new record and each in their individual genres for best song of the year, and two number one slots on the billboards......each for twenty weeks at a time. Their new album "Freedom At Last", which was still being recorded was already making headlines in music magazines across the country. Most of the songs going into this one had been the band's favorites for a while. This was the first time they actually got to record them onto disc.

With all of this success came the time to earn it. Steven went through a rough time with his new wife and James was going through a divorce. Kurt, Kevin and Tony didn't understand their problems and soon found themselves feeling like outsiders. Tyler was practically the only one who didn't have any relationshipp problems, mostly because his girl was one of their roadies. Anne felt the fatigue catching up to her and the strain her career was putting on her engagement to Misty. She was in her senior year, one month from graduation, and they still were not married. This did not affect her feelings for her Anne though. She knew when they graduated high school Anne's chosen career was going to be tough on them and she accepted that. Anne always did live up to her promises of atleast calling her every time she got the chance. The down side, for the girls anyway, was how many birthdays, Christmases and anniverseries were missed due to Anne's hectic schedule. Anne, and everyone else for that matter, had to force herself to sleep every night just to get the rest she desperately needed. Just like Anne, always trying to stay one step ahead of the game if only for a short while.

The new album was just about to be completed when Misty called Bob screaming about something he couldn't understand. From across the room, Anne heard her on the phone. Bob, while covering his ear from the pain, handed the phone over to Anne as quickly as he could.

"What's wrong, honey? Something happen?" Anne asked scared somewhat.

"Nothing's wrong, everything's right!" Misty said obviously happy about the reason she called.

"Well sit down and tell me what it is........Steven shut up!"

"Remember me telling you about the letters I recieved for those training camps? Well, I just got back from one with a four year contract in hand! I got the one spot on the Dallas Cheer Squad!!!!!"

Anne had to move the phone away from her ear to avoid going deaf. "Holy shit, Misty! That's great!!!!" She said finally getting into the mood of her fiancee. "Tell me the details."

"They're going to pay me twenty-five thousand dollars for every home game I attend and I get free season tickets for the duration of my contract, playoffs and all!! The training and conditioning is going to be tough, but I've been doing this all my life practically so I shouldn't have a problem. I get full medical and dental, and all the usual benefits. All I got to do basicly is show up and do what I do best!!!"

"Sweetheart that's outstanding!" Anne said loudly, smiling at Bob. "But if I may be pestamistic for a moment, how are your grades doing? You know I worry about that."

"Baby, how many times do I have to tell you? I'm graduating in the top five perecent of my class...if not higher."

"Do mom and dad know about this?" Anne asked, still relaxed from the earlier display of joy.

"Not yet, I called you first thing. You need to get back to work or something?"

"Yeah, but we're getting off in a couple of hours. Then Robert told us to take the weekend off....for once," Anne said flipping off her manager. Bob just laughed it off knowing Anne was just fucking around with that. "I was going to surprise you at the school, but now I have a new reason for coming down. Got to go sweetheart. Love you!"

"Love you too, baby."

The only thing that needed to be done was choose the next album cover and send the recordings off to be mixed in the proper order, two things that the band knew would take them only another few hours to do. They and Bob looked over dozens of drawings and paintings for the next cover before they came to one all could agree on. It took on the point of view of someone looking out from prison bars to see someone with white hair and long beard walking away with what look like bullet wounds entering his back.

Anne booked the first flight to Columbus. She went back to the apartment that everyone still lived in, when they were in New York that is, and packed furiously. In no time flat she was out the door and on her way to the airport. During these last couple years, she finally learned how to drive and bought herself a new car, a tricked out import that was originally designed for racing, but she made a few modifications to have the band stuff all over it. It was a good car for the price she paid and never once had a problem with it.

In less than three hours of booking the flight, she was landing...finally. All her life, she never liked to fly for reasons not even she knew. Something about getting off the ground in a tube full of flammable liquid was never a comfort to her. Misty was standing at her gate waiting for her with Tabby and Veronica in tow. Anne gave the other two their due hugs, but was all over Misty. They were practically making out while standing in the terminal. It had been a year since they last saw each other, in person at least. Misty would get an occtional look of her Anne on the news or music video. Tabby and Veronica made a small coughing noise, but that didn't even register into their brains.

"Hey you two!" Tabby called out drawing even more attention to them. Some people, males to be exact, were standing there gawking at the lovebirds while mothers and paretns were busy hurrying their children away.

"What?" Misty asked with a happy yet sly grin on her face. "It's not like we've never fucked in public before."

"Just don't do it in front of us okay?" Veronica retorted. "I don't need this little vixen getting any ideas..." she was cut off by Tabby's elbow in her rib-cage.

"Okay, ruin our fun..." Anne complained. The four of them headed down to the lougage claim and waited...and waited...until finally the alarm went off of Anne's flight. After another ten minutes of waiting they gathered all of Anne's things and headed for Tabby's truck in the garage.

The first thing Misty showed her Anne when they got home was the copy of her contract. Anne was overjoyed for her. For the first time, Anne actually sounded like one of them, to which she made the gib remark of how Misty converted her. She answered by jumping on top of her and made out even more, with Tabby and Veronica still watching. Those two decided to leave and give the lovebirds their due privacy.

"I've missed you so much, Anne," Misty mewed between breaths. Her hands were roaming all over Anne's body. From the strands of her soft hair to the dampening gap between her thighs. Along the way, Anne's nipples were ever stiffening.

"I missed you too, sweetheart," Anne managed to say whenever Misty didn't have her tongue in her mouth. "I haven't had sex in a year, I saved it all for you!"

"Me too...oh, shit! Just fuck me Anne!!"

She did just that. Anne ripped open the blouse Misty was wearing and attacked her tits with her mouth. Anne tore open the lace push-up bra she was wearing just to get to her target. Anne's free left hand traveled under her skirt to find Misty was being very naughty. No panties to speak of. Anne's fingers instantly slipped inside her gushing cunt, making her first orgasm hit immediately. Anne could feel her fingers going numb from her lover's muscles clamping down. Misty's girlcum flowed out of her like a waterfall, making a puddle on the carpet. Tabby and Veronica were on the stairs down the hall and they heard Misty's screams of ecstacy clearly. This forced those two to find their own room.

Anne was busy finger fucking her fiancee and sucking on her breasts that she hardly noticed that her own orgasm was quickly approaching. Misty's hand went instinctively to Anne's love hole. Through the waves of her second orgasm, she managed to open the front of Anne's pants and slide her hand down the front of her panties. She started masturbating her Anne as soon as she felt her wettness leaking out of her, which caused a huge stain on the front of her jeans. Anne was soon cumming with her Misty as her fingers went to work inside of her pussy. Misty knew exactly where to go to find the right buttons to push to turn the fountains on, and just how to play with them to make it last. Even though her own sexual satisfaction surpassed the last boundry, she still felt incomplete with Anne cumming with her. Anne tried to widthdraw her hand to take her top off, but Misty grabbed her wrist and forced her hand back inside her. Anne nearly had her entire hand inside of her, a new record for her, and was still wanting more! Misty's expert fingers made marvelous work of Anne's G-spot making her squirt her hot girlcum all over Misty's wrist, not to mention her own panties and jeans. Anne felt her juices flowing out of her at a rate beyond imagination. With Misty's magic fingers working her from the inside, her flow never stopped for two minutes straight. She was literally sitting in a puddle of her own cum.

Misty wasn't far behind. With Anne's hand deep inside her, filling her passed anything before she too was cumming in gallons. Her's only lasted a few seconds though, but felt like a never ending journey through heaven. It wasn't soon afterward that they both collapsed onthe floor. Anne felt Misty's fingers come out of her, as Misty felt Anne's hand plop outside of her. They were on the verge of passing out when they heard a knock on the door.

"You two okay in there," Sarah called through the door.

"We're fine, Sarah," Anne said back with just enough force to be heard. Sarah said something they couldn't make out and left. Anne soon felt her ass getting cold from the puddle she was sitting in, forcing her to get to her feet. She started walking off to the bathroom to clean up what she could.

"Where do you think you're going?" Misty asked in an exhausted, but sexy tone.

"To clean up," Anne said sheepishly. "We made quite a mess you know!"

"That's my job, now get over here!"

Anne obeyed. Misty already had her left hand between her legs and her right fingers in her mouth. She continued to finger herself while Anne put of a little strip show for her. Misty was really getting into too. While she rubbed her clit and pussy furiously, she rubbed and squeezed her over-sized tits moaning the whole time. By the time Anne was fully naked and ready for the taking, Misty already brought hrself to two more orgasms with no sign of slowing down.

"Lay on the floor," Misty commanded. Anne rather liked the idea of Misty's newly found aggression. Anne did as she was told and waited. "I haven't been able to taste you for a year, baby. And you haven't tasted me either." Misty walked over to her submissive Anne, swaying her hips and making her breasts bounce. She stood over her with a foot on either side of her head and proceed ed to lower herself into a 69. Anne wasted no time in diving into her lover's honey pot. Misty was screaming instantly when Anne's experienced tongue darted into her Misty. Her screams were muffled by Anne's cunt, but the vibrations of her screaming sent her over the edge within seconds. Anne was sucking on her lover's clit as her own pussy started flowing once again. Anne was soon rewarded for her year-long patience when Misty came all over her face and chest. Misty recieved the exact same reward at the same time. Anne felt the hardness of her lover's nipples against her skin, making her cum even harder.

Both girls were spent by this point, but Misty wasn't finished yet. As shaken as she was, she lifted herself off of Anne's tongue and turned to face her. Withiut saying anything, she stuck her tongue out and cleaned her won juices off of her fiancee's face. Anne reciprocated the gesture and cleaned Misty as well. Both of them were covered in saliva and girlcum from the top of their noses running down their stomachs. Misty had to laugh at the thought of cleaning the carpet, as did Anne when she noticed the standing puddle still there. Anne got up and retrieved her clothes. Misty took her into her room and gave her a fresh thong to put on. Anne headed for the shower to wash up before redressing while Misty waited for her on her bed, thinking of how much she longed for that. Nearly four years of almost no release all coming out in less than one hour.

Anne came out a few minutes later. She, too, waited patiently for a release like that for more than a year. Just the thought of what they just did had her juices flowing again. Not only did she just have the best orgasm of her life, she needed more! Not even bothering to wrap herself in a towel, she walked out into the bedroom where she found Misty was rubbing her pussy again. She watched as her fiancee brought herself to yet another orgasm while calling out her name. This had her rubbing her breasts unconsciencely. Misty was still only wearing her torn garmets and rolled up skirt. This told Anne that she'd been going at it the entire time she was in the shower. Misty openned her eyes, smiling at Anne while licking her fingers clean. Anne's right arm was shining brightly in the evening sun. Before the two of them could start the third round, Tabby and Veronica came back with their hair and makeup disshevelled to hell. To prevent anything from breaking up the good moods of everyone, Anne threw her towel around herself and covered up her right arm.

"Misty! You descent?" Tabby called out. She was too busy making out with her lover to notice the HUGE puddle right in front of them.......until she stepped in it.

"For just getting my brains fucked out, yes!" Misty called back still lying on the bed.

"No shit!" Tabby said looking at what she just stepped in. Walking into the bedroom Tabby asked "Who did that out there?"

"I did," Anne said proudly, "but she made me do it."

"I didn't hear you complain!" Misty said closing her shirt as she sat up.

"I'm not complaining now either."

"Who's going to clean that up out there?" Tabby asked half annoyed, half baffelled. She never even heard of anyone cumming like that.

"I must say Anne," Veronica started to say with surprise in her voice, "I'm very impressed. How did you do that?"

"Ask Misty," she responded heading back into the bathroom with her bag. "Like I said, she's the one who made me do it."

Anne could hear the small interrogation going on outside the door. She had to laugh to herself at the questions she was being asked. Misty was even giving advice! Anne had to let a few questions like "Can you teach us that?" slip out of her head. That was the last thing she wanted to visualize, but it did confirm Misty's faithfulness to her.

Anne came out wearing her usual stuff; coat, gloves and all. Her shirt, however, was that of her band and their first album cover. Misty somehow found the time to make herself descent enough to please any nosey neighbors, but still didn't leave much to the imagination. Her halter top and tight jeans did little to cover anything, not that Anne cared much. She always loved seeing her Misty as naked as possible.

The three college girls had a surprise for Anne. Misty took her seat at her computer and told Anne to close her eyes. Tabitha and Veronica led her over and she took a seat in Misty's lap. She heard her typing on the keyboard, but still didn't understand what was going on.

"Open," Misty said moving her hands away from Anne's face. What she saw on the monitor knocked the wind right out her. She new her band was growing in fame but never imagined to this scale. Tabby and Veronica, with Misty's and Bob's help, set up a fan club website for The String Metal Septet. According to the counter on the bottom of the home page, there have been more than two thousand hits that day and it was still rising. Along the top banner was a list of all the members and their biographies. Along the side bar was a running list of lyrics, tour and record dates, and the band's history as written by Steven. There were photo and video links everywhere. Anne noticed how none of them showed her bared right arm, not even in the concert footage. She clicked on her bio link and read what Misty wrote about her. It was very accurate, except she omitted any word of her fake limb...something Anne thought should be included. The more Anne looked at the side bar, she kept seeing different things emerging from the background. She soon found a link to the band's online store that they recently estabished. They've already sold tens of thousands of dollars worth of merchandise on this store including two guitars, a bass and bass guitar and even Steven's prized electric violin. Under that link was one that led to the fan club forum which was home to nearly a quarter of a million fans.

"Wow!" was all she could say. "When did you all build this?"

"About two years ago," Veronica said awed by Anne's reaction. She didn't know Anne as everyone else did, but she's heard stories. "Bob called Misty one day out of the blue and asked us to build this for you guys. I'm going for my Master's in Web Design and thought it would be a good jump start on that career. So far we've had over a million hits. My teachers have even taken a liking to your band."

"Why didn't Robert say anything about this?" Anne inquired of everyone in the room.

"It was his idea that I show you," Misty said leaning her head on Anne's shoulder. "The rest all knew about it, but kept it a secret from you just for that reason."

"Misty," Anne said quietly, "why didn't you include that part of this?" Anne started to rub her right arm. Veronica had a puzzled look on her face, but Tabby caught onto the gesture.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay with it first, baby," she answered with a great amount of glee in her voice. "Do you want me to add it?"

"Yes I do, honey," Anne said smiling from ear to ear. "Just make sure it's as accurate as the rest." Anne leaned in and kissed her woman deeply.

"Okay, sweetheart."

Anne went ahead and got her own listing on the forum. She was immediately attacked with questions from the fans that were currently online. Even Kevin joined in on the fun, something Anne wished he'd help her with instead. About tow hours later, she finished typing to all of her adoring fans and read the one hundred plus emails she recieved. It was already gettting late into the night. Anne was slapped in the face with a sudden fatigue of a long, but eventful, day. She crawled into bed with her Misty who was already asleep. As she laid there trying to fall asleep, it occurred to her that she never did clean up the mess she made, nor did she tell Misty of the good news her uncle told her about.

Saturday passed by as expected. Misty had some classes in the morning, but had the rest of the day to spend with Anne who wasted the morning away in bed not even realizing she was alone in the room. Misty had to wake her up at twelve thirty that afternoon when she got back. Anne rolled out of bed, almost literally, to the sound of her fiancee's voice.

"Hurry up, honey! We're going to be late!"

"For what exactly?" Anne retorted still half asleep.

"I have to get ready for the game tonight and you're going to be there to watch us win." Misty said rather harshly.

"Alright officer, I'll move along..." Anne said sarcasticly as she was changing. She couldn't help but keep her eyes focused on the raven haired angel stripping before her. Misty was moving a mile a minute to get ready, not that Anne minded but it was a bit of a distraction. "Sexy!"

"What?" Misty asked as if that was her name.

"Nothing much, sexy," Anne said as she threw her coat over shoulders, "just saying that was pretty damn sexy seeing you change like that."

The girls hurried to the arena. The event doesn't start for another four hours, but Misty's squad had to be there anyway to get the warm-up bull shit and rehersal out of the way. When they got there, Misty was greeted with a very warm reception. She was the only one who applied to the pros that got a spot on the roster. Anne smiled to herself proudly knowing these women wanted nothing to do with her. It may have been four years and some of them have graduated, but those left still didn't like her much and she would be damned to let Misty suffer because of it.

Anne sat in the bleechers and waited for their break to come. She watched with her typical grimace as they ran through their shit of stretching and rehersing. She had to force herself to stay awake a couple of times. Anne would never tell Misty that this bored the hell out of, but knew that Misty was smart enough to pick up on that. Despite so, she did what was needed to keep her lover happy...even if she was bored stiff.

Finally, they got an hour for a break before they had to be back for the game. Anne never was one for basketball, but went because this was the only time she would get to see her fiancee. Besides, Misty travelled all over the counrty just to be with her all these years; this was nothing by comparison. They spent the break discussing wedding plans, as they usually did in their time together. Anne made a pass at the talk of children, but Misty didn't understand what she was saying. In her head she thought 'We're gay, how can we have our own kids?' Before they got too into their conversation, Sarah and Tammy took her away for their meeting before the game.

Outside, Anne could hear people starting to enter the arena. She could hear talk of the team and how well they were expected to win tonight. She got a few stares from people as they filled the stands, but she didn't say anything. She figured if they wanted to talk, they would initiate the conversation themselves.

Throughout the game, Anne was getting a full education from Misty's roommate. Tabby would do her best to explain the goings on and Veronica would chime in every now and again, but all Anne cared about was Misty doing her part right. The three of them heard voices behind them talking of Anne's band. This prompted hre to keep an ear out, but pretended to follow the game. She heard these guys talking of how "cool and sexy it was for a young chick to play lead for a heavy metal band". This made her crack up, as well as the other two beside her. It wasn't until one of them asked her if she knew about the band that they finally got Anne's attention.

"I've heard of them, yes," Anne said not turning around. She wanted to see how far she could stretch this out. "I heard they reached number one a few times. That's not bad for a new band I guess."

"NOT BAD?!" one of them shouted. "They fucking rock!! Who would have thought a band like that could ever get that to sound so perfect? I mean I've been to all their concerts, I have all of their CDs, and I'm one of the top ten fan club members!" Now he was clearly bragging, not knowing exactly to whom he was speaking.

"That a fact now?" Anne said as she turned to face him. He nearly fell over when he recognised her face. Tabby and Veronica also turned around to see what was his reaction was since they were laughing their asses off inside. Everyone that could see her went into shock. Misty noticed this change in the mood of the crowd. She smiled brightly when she found out what was happening. She herself recieved a bombardment of questions from her teammates about it.

"Holy shit!" the guys around Anne said when they caught their breaths. "We've been talking to the Anne Amera this whole time?! Please, can we have your autograph?"

"Sure, why not," Anne teased as Tabby gave her a pen. The guys all gave her their programs from the ticket counter to sign. "Who do I make it out to?"

In sequence down the row they said their names and what they wanted written. Anne was more than happy to ablige her hardcore fans. Right then, Veronica noticed they were on the big screen at center court. Misty was rushed with hugs and admiration from her team and a few other who knew her. Anne, finally aware of it herself, blew a kiss intended for Misty; and everyone ahhed to it.

This seemed to give the Buckeyes the confidence they needed. They came back from a twenty-five point defecit at halftime to win the game 104-86, putting them in the playoffs. This made Anne feel great for once. Her very appearance gave people hope and desire, something that she never thought possible growing up.

That night, High Street was loaded to the brim; almost more-so than when the football team was crowned with the national title. This was the basketball team's first appearance in the post-season in twenty years. Misty decided to go back to the dorm with Anne to have that talk she told her about during her break before the game.

"Misty, remember when I told you about having kids of our own?" Anne asked when they got home and plopped down on the couch.

"Sure I do," Misty said with an obvious questioning tone. "But we're lesbians. How can we have kids of our own?"

"My uncle called me about a month ago and told me about this new break through in medicine. I got lost in all the hi-tech stuff, but the jist of it is that an egg from each of us gets put into this incubator of sorts and they join like how sprem and eggs do normally. The rest of the process is a carbon copy of artifical insemination. The only stipulation is, since the rape all those years ago i can't physically bear children, but as far as I know you can."

Misty was flabbergasted by what her ears just heard. If given the chance, she would love to have Anne's kids, but she was sceptical about this new process. "Sweetheart, we're not even married yet and not to sound like a bitch, but I can't have kids for another four years. I have a contract to fulfill and you're gone most of the time because of work. I love the idea of having your children, but I don't think we're ready for that yet."

"I know," Anne said a little saddened by Misty's words. Even though it hurt, it was the truth. With what they have going for them, children wouldn't be possible. She leaned over and hugged her Misty deeply. "Atleast we know now we can have children of our own," she said looking at the floor after they parted. "My uncle has it set up to where all we have to do is show our faces and we're in."

"When will I get to meet his uncle of your's anyway?" Misty asked trying to cheer her up with her tone. "He's been your benefactor all you life it seems. How's about me meeting him?"

"That's up to him," Anne said seriously, looking into her eyes, "but I doubt it. With his line of work, the only way I know him is because I'm blood and my mother all but abondoned me. I think you understand."

"You're right, honey," she answered a little down. She's been waiting since they day they met to meet the one true family her Anne has, but knew all along she never will.

Chapter Twelve: All Good Things To Those Who Wait

Graduation Day. Misty was ecstatic beyond belief. She waited four long years for this day to come and it finally arrived. She knew Anne would be there, as well as her parents who she has hardly seen during her time in college. Only an occational road trip during the spring and summer breaks.

Anne arrived at the arena wearing something a little much for a semi-formal event. The band members and John wore a nice polo shirt and khakies while Cindy wore a nice skirt and blouse, but Anne was in a full blown cocktail dress much like the one she wore to prom. Her right arm was covered by a sleev, of coarse. She wanted to surprise Misty today so she made no effort to see her before the ceremony. Everyone that was around the band kept trying to start a conversation of some kind or another, but she just wanted to watch her fiancee graduate. This was made clear by Bob, who was doing a damn good job of keeping the questions at bay.

Misty came walking out from behind the doors standing out like a sore thumb. Some of the students opted for a grey gown and hat while some wore the colors of their fraternaties and/or soroities, but Misty was wearing one of scarlet red. Anne felt her eyes start to water for her lover. It wasn't long before Misty started to wave at her, since Bob and Cindy told her earlier where they would be sitting. The ceremony went off without a hitch. Anne shouted and cheered for Misty when she went to recieve her degree and her honors letter. She graduated in the top ten of the class, hense she was given a letter of recognition from the Director of Deans and the dean panel. Anne was too busy going ballistic to take any pictures, but fortunately Steven and John had her back.

Anne waited impatiently for Misty to come out of the arena after the ceremony ended. She was pacing, tapping her toes and humming. The rest of her crew were too busy laughing at her to try to help at all. She planned to take her college graduate out to wherever she wanted; no expense was to be spared tonight. Bob and the rest agreed to give them their "alone time", as Anne put it, and have their own party.

Misty came running out of the doorway and down the walk to her Anne's open arms. To Anne, the ten minute interlude from then and now was more than an hour. She planted kisses all over her fiancee's face while telling her how proud of she was. The parents finally got to get their own word of apraisal with their own love for their daughter. The rest of the group finally got the chance to give Misty her congradulatory hugs only after the Thomases ran out of things to say. After everything was said and done, all pitures taken of Misty and her friends and of her and Anne, Bob told Anne when to be back and said his goodbyes. John and Cindy let the two of them have their own time, but told Misty to be back at their house sometime this weekend. Anne watched them leave and go their separate ways.

"I'm so proud of you sweetheart!" Anne said taking Misty into her arms once again. She noticed that Misty changed shampooes this morning.

"I'm glad you made it at all," Misty answered not wanting to let go. "How long do you have this time?"

"Don't worry about that right now, baby!" Anne said not wanting to ruin the good day. "I'll tell you later okay?"

"Deal, but promise me that I get to have you tonight!" Misty said with a sly wink.

"It's a date then. Speaking of which, where do you want to go tonight? It's your day so it's up to you."

"First let's go back to the dorm so I can change. It was hot as hell in there...mostly because you were there."

"I doubt that, but since you insist."

The girls went back to the dorm so Misty could change. Anne watched her Misty strip down to practically nothing, just lacy tight fitting panties and bra. She felt herself getting wet by the site of her lover teasing her like this, but had to control herself so they would have the energy to get something to eat. Misty teased her Anne as much as she could; wiggleing her ass or her breasts whenever she know where Anne was looking, Feeling herself up through the thin material she was wearing. Just like Anne, though, she had to control herself.

Misty finally decided on a simle yet revealing outfit for tonight. Apparantly they weren't going anywhere fancy like Anne had hoped. She strutted around the room for a minute so Anne could admire her some more. "Like what you see, sexy?"

"Hell yes I do!" Anne could feel her nipples harden under her gown. She knew they had to be poking through in full view for everyone to see.

"Would you like another show?" Misty kept her sexy voice on full blast. "I mean I can't go around a restaurant like this..." Misty silenced herself by rubbing her breasts in Anne's face. She felt Anne's tongue snake between them. She loved every second of it.

"I've got something a little more approprite for tonight." With that Misty went back into her bedroom and closed the door. Anne could feel her juices running down her legs. Her panties were completely saturated with her necter and she needed sex now! Thinking of her lover getting undressed in the next room, she started masturbating herself just to relieve some of the pressure biult up deep inside. Her fingers did their job perfectly. In no time at all she was screaming in orgasm, letting Misty know how well she could tease.

She came out of the room dressed in a beautiful evening gown. Once Anne finally realised she came out, she was more than stunned. Her mouth hit the floor, with her hand still up her dress. Misty saw this and smiled broadly.

"Someone had some fun out here," she said knowing damn well what just happened.

"You made me do it," Anne answered taking her fingers out of her panties. Misty reached forward and grabbed the soaked hand. She expertly licked them clean of anything she had to offer. Anne felt her insides stirring yet again. Misty finished cleaning her lover's fingers and moaned in delight to her taste.

"God, I missed that," Misty said feling her own pussy leaking. She, however, had enough strength to fight off her urges.

The pair spent all night out neck deep in sexual tension. They went to the fanciest restaurant in town where Anne used her foot to tickle Misty's pussy under the table cloth, bringing her to orgasm several times. She had to control hereself and not let too many people know what was happening. After dinner they went for a walk through the park just outside of town. There they made love under the trees feeling the unseasonal chill in the air flow over their sweat covered skin. They were glad no one stopped them from having their fun. As they dressed and headed back to the dorm, they started talking once again about the wedding. They went over every little detail they could think of. Everything from the colors to the reception to the decorations...everything. It was when they got back to the dormatory that Anne said when she had to leave: tonight. As heart broken as she was, Misty swallowed hard and accepted it. They kissed for one last time tonight, tasting their own juices, and said their "I love you's and good byes".

The next morning, Misty was packing up the rest of her things to drive back to her parent's house. She was due in Dallas by next Friday, so she had a little bit of time to spend with her family. She still hadn't told them what the plan was, she wanted to surprise them with the visit and the news. Tabby already had everything packed away and ready to go so she helped her ex finish the rest of the work. They talked about how much they were going to miss each other and so on. Despite their past relationship they never once acted on any impulse--ever, a fact not unnoticed by Tabby. They never got too drunk or anything like that. Misty was true to her word to Anne, as she was to Misty. Before they left to leave, Misty gave Tabby a personal invitation to the wedding, which she gratefully accepted.

Since it was still rather early, Misty decided to start the trip back home. Along the way, she listened to her satalite radio tuned to the genre that typically played Anne's band. She heard one of their new songs from their newest album come on.

The song played for about two minutes of good, heavy metal from Anne and Kevin with James playing a damn good beat in the background. Kevin's voice came in with his trademark growl that everyone has come to like.

"Tell me now what do you see? It's the darkest side of me. Tell me now, speak the truth! What do I need to do?"

The same guitar rifs and bass line played for twenty seconds before the chorus came in, only this time the rifs were played on the next octive up with Kevin's voice in tow.

"But with this insatiable hate... But with this insatiable rage I no longer care"

Anne played a seventeen second solo during the after-chorus intermission.

"Crying your tears is nothing for me Sadness in your soul is because of me! It all is nothing to me now...! All this hate, got use to it somehow"

The guitar rifs and bass lines played again before the chorus.

"But with this insaitiable hate... But with this insatiable rage... I no longer care!

But with this insatiable hate... But with this insatiable rage... I no longer care."

Tyler played a thirty-five second solo on his cello. The song took on a newer sound by this time. From anger and aggresion to sad and meloncoly.

"Suffering of humanity Drains me of my sanity. Where do I put all this rage? Open up to the last page!"

Anne and Kevin played half of the original rif while James picked up the angry tempo, going strong.

"No cure for all this hate Suffering with insatiable rage. I can't ever care...!"

The song ended with Tyler's solo. As the song was fading into the radio station's preset music, the DJ came on to announce the song.

"Kickin' ass with The String Metal Septet and their new song "Insatiable Rage" from their new release of "Freedom At Last..." Misty let the rest fall upon deaf ears. She could always recognise Anne's guitar and Kevin's vocals. She was just happy to hear that her music was spreading so fast across the country and admired by her fans. With all the work she put into it, Misty felt Anne was more than deserving of something good to come out of it.

Misty went straight to work immediately following her brief stay with her folks. John and Cindy did well preparing a welcome home party for their daughter. Misty got to see some of her relatives she hasn't seen since childhood. Everyone was brought up to speed on the latest news around the family. Needless to say everyone was shocked to hear Misty was engaged to not only a woman, but a woman celebrity. They've all heard about the band on the news or radio, but never thought that she'd become one of their own, let alone by marrying Misty.

Misty only stayed one night then left early the next morning. It was still a twelve hour drive to Texas and she was doing it alone. John tried to convince her to let him help, but she kept saying that she was grown up enough to handle it by herself. The trip was a bitch, but successful. She arrived without a moment to spare.

Misty introduced herself to the team captain who generously shook her hand. Misty knew this degree of pleasantness wasn't going to last long. The physical demands and training regiment was going to try every one of her nerves. The new season wasn't going to start for another four months, but everyone, players and coaches, were training harder than they would for the Super Bowl.

Every night when Misty went back to her apartment just outside of the stadium, where practically everyone on the lower salaries lived, and would listen to Anne's music. It was a shame that, since she lived in Texas, most of her friends listened to country and western and weren't at all intersested in hearing Anne's band. They would give their almost manditory congradulations and what not, but Misty knew they were just being nice.

On a Tuesday night, right after everyone got off from doing nothing but physical training, Misty went home immediately following her shower, and changing of course. She had a feeling that someone was following hr back to her house, but avoided looking over her shoulder at all costs. The last thing she wanted to do was waste time. This feeling intensified when she put her key in the lock; her heart could be heard pounding from across the hall. She spun around with her fist balled. Victoria ducked out of the way just in time to avoid getting punched in the face. Misty was mortified that she was just about ready to beat the hell out of her best friend. Fortunately, Victoria understood her friend's anxiety and brushed it off as a misunderstanding.

"What the hell, girl?" Misty said recomposing herself.

"Sorry, honey, but you kept speeding up so I had to run to follow you." Her reply was not the most spirited she had ever sounded.

"Why didn't you just call out instead of scaring me half to death? I would have stopped you know."

"Again, I'm sorry. I didn't want to wake your neighbors just so I can ask you if I can borrow your phone. I can't find mine anywhere." Now this was the Victoria Misty had grown to like. She was always misplacing her phone or forgetting her make-up. As much of a moocher she was, she just had that personality that grew on you--you couldn't get mad at her for it, you just laughed.

"You could have asked me that back in the locker room, but I guess you can come in for a moment." Misty reply was about where Victoria suspected it would be, sarcasm and cinisism, but she loved her like a little sister so it bother her too much to hear it.

They entered the apartment and turned the lights on. Victoria was amazed at how clean the place was. Not a speck of dirt or dust to be found anywhere, even on top of the ceiling fan. She, herself, always had been kind of a slob and never really cleaned up her place much so she expected Misty's place to be about the same. "The phones over by the TV, Victoria," Misty said from her bedroom.

Victoria could hear Misty openning her CD player, but didn't think much of it. Part of her "when I get home" routine was to do the pretty much the same thing. She had the phone in her hand and was dialing the numbers when the sounds of Anne's and Kevin's guitars filled the house. Misty remembered to lower the volume after she saw her friend drop the phone and cover her ears. Victoria gave her a very inquisitive look, still anger was written all over her face. "Sorry bout that honey. I forgot I had the volume all the way up," she said after turning it down a few dozen notches.

"Yeah, no shit," she replied sarcastically. "What the hell, or who the hell, was that anyways?"

"That was Anne's band, The String Metal Septet." Misty gave her the look of "I tried to tell you".

"Turn that up a little, I like if it's not making me go deaf." She picked up the phone and redialed the number. Misty abliged her guest, but wanted to hear their thrash metal blaring her brains out. Misty was too lost in her lover's music to know what her friend even wanted to use the phone for in the first place.

"Goddamnit to hell!" she yelled slamming the phone down. "Misty, I need to talk to you."

"What's up babe?" she said coming out of her room, turning the music down a bit. "Something wrong?"

"Yeah, they haven't finished fumigating my house yet," Victoria started. Misty could hear the angry frustration in her voice rising with each word. "They fucking told me they would be done over two hours ago, but they are still there." Misty had a feeling about the next obvious question on her mind, "Can I stay here tonight, if that's cool with you?"

Smiling at her triumphant guess, she replied, "Of course you can, but I only have one bed so I hope you can sleep on the sofa comfortably."

"No problem sweety," she said throwing her arms around Misty's neck. "Thanks. So that was Anne's band, huh? Tell me about it."

Misty spent the next three hours going on and on about Anne and the rest of the guys. She brought up that they are on tour right now, so she wouldn't be hearing from her Anne for a few more days. Misty had Victoria turn on the computer while she got them a drink. Her desktop wallpaper was a group shot of the band, a picture from their second album "Seven Years", which was the tilte track she was playng when they got into the house. Misty brought up her homepage on the internet which was naturally the band's website. Misty noticed how her friend was growing evermore intrigued. The song that was playing on the site was, of course, "Love in the Mist". Victoria knew of this song from the music she listens to, but never would have dreamed that it was this band who played it; not to mention the fact that it was written for the woman standing by her shoulder. Misty let her friend explore around the site for a little while. She decided to text Bob her usual message for Anne, which she trusted always got to her.

"Holy shit!" Victoria yelled.

"What's up hun?" Misty said worried.

"You never said Anne had a fake arm," she said still looking at the computer screen. "That's freaking awesome! Tell me this story about your girl is true....this is stuff movies are made from...." she couldn't seem to shut up long enough for her friend to answer any of her questions.

"Yes it is," Misty said calmly. The part of Anne that lived inside of her was starting to come out as she spoke of her. "Everything you see on the site is the truth. All the biographies were written by those truely and I had a few friends check the stories to make sure they were as accurate as possible. Anne's is no different. She actually had to force me to put in the part of her metal arm, just to get the story right. As I said earlier, she is a woman of principle and pride. Not even I am immune from it. She has this condition that forces her to not think when she acts, but go by what her heart tells her is right. When she read her bio, she almost had a fit about it because it wasn't the whole truth. So trust me, what you see on that screen will be accurate."

Her friend couldn't say anything, just stare at her. The tone of her voice and the way she talked of her fiancee said more than enough to answer all of her questions. She looked at the forums and fan-club link to find that in the three years this site had been up, there have been over three million unique hits and the fan club has grown to nearly a million people. Victoria was quick on the draw to fill out the application to subscribe.

Soon after they turned off the computer and went to dinner. They ate at one of their favorite places in town, but kept the orders small. The talked about the wedding that was still to come and how well Misty's been handling the situation. They went back to the apartment and went to bed early. They had to be at the stadium at four-thirty the next morning, so they needed all the sleep they could get.

All throughout practice, Misty couldn'y help but feel something amiss. Not that the team didn't already feel like her second family, but they seemed to be a little off today. At every waking opportunity they would make idle conversation in the past, but every time someone started talking is was to Victoria or about Anne. Misty long had this feeling that they didn't like the kind of music her Anne played, but she was slowly getting proved wrong. Even the team captain, who was all business during practice hours, was getting into the mix. At around the end of practice when everyone was heading to the gym to swim and cool off from the blistering Texas sun, Misty found the courage to seriously ask what was up.

"Why didn't you tell us your Anne was 'the Anne," Michelle asked, her voice tinted with worried curiosity. "Did you think we wouldn't like you anymore or something? Hell girl, you're pretty much the life of this team."

"I just never thought you all listened to her music, so I didn't think it necessary to bring up the subject," Misty answer feeling Anne's influence taking over her; her voice sounded more defensive than informative.

"No need to be angry, we were just trying to figure out why you never said anything about it, that's all."

"Sorry. I don't know why I said it like that."

Just as they were entering the gym, Misty felt her cell phone ringing. She happily looked at the caller I.D. "What's up, babe?"

"Not much," Diane answered equally happy. "I'm just wondering if you're ever going to still get married or not. It's only been about five years." Misty could hear the sarcasm taking over.

"Actually I was going to call you tonight," Misty said matching her cousin's tone. "Anne and I have already set a date and made all the preparations. Exactly two months from today we're going to be walking down the aisle." Diane could hear Misty's friends in the background clearly celebrating the news. "She gets back from her tour in about a week and Bob already gave the band the time off."

"Jeez, it's about time honey," Diane said trying not act to impressed by her baby cousin's newly found pride. "You said two months from today? To tell you the truth, Daniel and I are getting married right after you two."

"You mean he finally popped the question? That only took him four years..." Misty was laughing inwardly at the sudden change in her cousin's tone; she definately had her foot in her mouth. "Let me guess: you want me to be your maid of honor?"

"That's exactly what I was calling you for, hun," Diane said triumphantly. "By the way, when is your next day off?"

"Actually, we have the rest of the week off. Why?"

"Cuz we both need to know what dresses we're going to wear. So what do you say about a little shopping date this weekend up here. I've already called Anne about it so she'll be here probably before you get here."

"Sure thing babe! See ya then. Bye."

When Misty got home later that night, she had even more emails than she normally recieved. They were usually about the website from fans or fan club requests, but the number that came up were even more staggering. She ran her usual checks and sent her usual replies and then got to several Bob sent out. "Why the hell would he email me rather than calling me about it?" Misty was getting more worried as she highlighted the first one to open. Bob only ever emailed anything to her unless it was some kind of an emergancy. It had been years since Bob last emailed her, so this was definately out of the blue.

Not having anything in the subject line, Misty apprehensively openned the first one. She was more than relieved to find out it was from Anne, just three hours ago, telling her that Bob's phone was dead......that was the entire message. Misty just laughed it off as Anne usually doesn't usually say much in her emails anyway.

The next one was from Anne yet again. This time she was telling her of a new deal they just signed with the record company. They renewed their contracts and are putting this tour on a "live" album and labelling it "Tour of Metal" since they were playing all of their heavy stuff at the events. Misty felt herself getting happier by the second. Anne's entire life was nothing but agony and shadow, but now her patience was being rewarded with interest. All of the success Anne was having was unbelieveable.

The third message she openned had more to do with the wedding; this one sent only ten minutes after the last one. She told her about Diane calling her up with the plan and if she had heard from her yet. Anne included the part of Diane announcing her engagement to Daniel and they were going to be married shortly after them. Misty just laughed to herself already knowing this.

The next few were from Bob himself going on and on about their success and the new album coming out. He mentioned that the band was to recieve a huge siging bonus for this next string of records. Each one of the band members was to get two million dollars just signing their names on the line. This bit of news hit Misty like a freight train. Two million dollars......Misty was beside herself as her eyes were surely deceiving her. She grabbed for her phone to call Bob only to remember the reason why she recieved so many emails in the first place.

Chapter Thirteen: "Loving A Shadow"

Misty woke up Saturday morning in high spirits. She hadn't seen her cousin since graduation more than four years ago. She knew what she wanted her bride's maids to be dressed in and had a feeling Diane was going with a similar scheme, so the modeling and tryouts of the gowns wasn't going to be that hard. Besides, misty knew the main reason why Diane called her up anyway: to spend some time with her baby cousin before the big day.

Misty already made the arrangements to fly up to Chicago later on in the day. The best news of all though was she would get to see her Anne for the first time in a month! Anne had been virtually out of touch for the longest time and know she gets to see her again. She quickly showered and packed then headed out to the airport. Though it was still early in the day, traffic was a bitch. For her destination being only ten miles away, it took her nearly and hour just to get there. Then there was the problem of the planes falling behind schedule. Frustrated to say the least, Misty sat in one of the small cafes waiting for her flight to be announced. Two hours later, she finally heard what she wanted. When she got on board, the plane was delayed due to lack of fuel. Everyone on board waited for yet another fourty minutes while they topped off the plane and then they were finally off.

The flight itself wasn't bad. No turbulance or crashes, everything went by alright once they were finally in the air. Despite all the hassels and delays she faced in Dallas, the plane landed at O'hera only twenty minutes behind schedule. Misty just thought to herself "How does that happen?"

Misty was greeted to a sight she could only dream of. Her parents, Diane, Daniel, Anne and the band members were all there waiting for her to come through the security gate. Anne tackled her on sight in a barrage of kisses all over her face. Everyone else watching let them have their fun. After about five minutes, Steven and Kevin had to pull Anne off of her lover; a feet even they had trouble accomplishing.

"Thank you for letting me breathe," Misty joked with the guys. Anne just laughed it off knowing how much she enjoyed it too. Everyone said their helloes and picked up Misty's bags. Being two in the afternoon, Misty suggested they get some lunch.

After finally arriving at Diane's house everyone sat around just shooting the breeze. Daniel was making it pretty well as a professional comedian and Diane was still going to school for her Master's in Architecture. Misty told everyone of her success on the squad and brought everyone up to speed on how Anne was doing. Anne, yet again, found a new way to shock everyone. Every jaw in the room was on the floor when they heard how much the band recieved for this new contract. John and Cindy could do nothing but get up and hug their "other" little girl.

It wasn't until two in the morning when everyone decided to call it a night and go to bed. Anne and Misty naturally found their own hotel while everyone else car pooled elsewhere. Neither of the girls wuld get any sleep tonight, needless to say. The only thing that brought them out of their sapphic Utopia was Diane calling them to ask when to meet them at her house.

The three women spent the next two days going in and out of almost every fashion boutique and bridal store in the Greater Chicago area. Misty and Anne quickly found the dresses and tuxes everyone was supposed to wear, it was Diane who had all the problems. Either the dress didn't flow right or it was too "poofy", as she called it, or the necklines couldn't be tailored and pretty much every other excuse in the book. With only three stores left on the list, Diane finally found the dress of her dreams. The sleeves were just the right length, it formed to her curves nicely and the train flowed garcefully behind her. Although the thousand dollar price tag was more than she could afford, Anne gave her a look that said "Buy it, damn it!". Daniel went out with his group to find the tuxes they would wear, which took them all of twenty minutes and one store.

As they were driving back to Diane's house, a strange thing hit Misty that she never thought of before. Turning back in her seat to face her, Misty asked, "Who's going to give you away at the wedding?"

"Steven is," Anne said without thinking much of it. He and Anne had talked it out for a long time before they reached that conclusion. "He's always wanted a baby sister and he's treated me thusly. He and I talked and talked about it for a long time over the past couple of months and he agreed to give me away to you. The only thing that bothered him about it was he felt a little uneasy since I'm not his little sister. So it took me a little while to get him to do it, but when he did that was the first time I've seen him cry."

Diane looked in the rear-view mirror back at her. "So are we finally going to meet this uncle of yours I've heard so much about?"

"I doubt it," Anne said coldly, sighing a bit. "As much as he's wanting to be there, his job forbids him from anyone knowing his face. I told him a while ago that I'd send him a tape of the ceremony and the reception. I could tell by the change in his voice that he was sobbing knowing that wasn't good enough, but that's his job and national security comes first." By now Anne herself felt like crying. Even though she's only actually seen her uncle a few times since she moved back with her mother, he was the one who raised her and taught her everything about how the world works. He was more of a father to her than an uncle.

Over the next two months, Misty and Anne were given the time off from work to plan and set-up for the wedding and reception. The heads of the recording studio agrred to the time off without hesitation. Anne had become one of their favorites over that past couple of years, compliments of her continuous eighteen/twenty hour days in the studio and her passion for making everything perfect. Misty managed to get the time off by simply inviting everyone to come, everyone from the cheer squad to the onwer of the team. She hoped and prayed that not everyone was going to be there, partly because the site where they were having the ceremony and reception wasn't big enough and there wouldn't be enough food for everyone.

The site they chose for the wedding was the old church that the Thomases attended after Misty left, back in Kennview. The preacher was an old family friend who agreed to do the ceremony before John could finish the question. The church was big enough to hold less than half of how many people were ultimately invited. Anne made damn sure that the people recording the event did their job perfectly and had the best view possible. The church organ player naturally agreed to do the music for the ceremony. The pews and walls all had the decorations put up the the girls themselves while John and Steven went to work on the reception hall down the street. The band pre-recorded a new song for Anne and Misty to dance to for their first dance as a married couple.

Anne's bridal party didn't consist of that many people since she wasn't very close to many females as she was growing up. After talking it over with Misty and thinking long and hard about it, Anne decided to ask Tabitha and Veronica to be her bridal party; they agreed without a second thought. Since they lived so far away and weren't as lucky with thier bosses, they sent Misty their sizes that they had measured from their local bridal shop.

Wedding Day Eve. Sticking to tradition, Anne and Misty spent their last night as unmarrieds in separate houses and wuoldn't see each other until the ceremony began. Even though they've already seen each other's dresses, they still had yet to see each other in them. Anne spent the night at Steven's parents' house that night, while Misty naturally stayed with her parents. Neither of the girls could find any salice being in seperate beds that night. Misty laid on her back just staring up at the ceiling for hours; Anne's case wasn't any more exciting. All throughout the day, John was giving Anne some shit saying things like "It's your last night to escape," or something to that effect. All of which Anne was wishing she could just knock the shit out of him for it.

Day of deliverance. This day has been long looked forward to by pretty much everyone. The way they practiced at rehersal was that Anne was to walk down the aisle first with Steven on her arm. Misty would follow close behind with her father on her arm. During practice though, Anne could feel Steven shaking the whole time. She could feel his nervousness when he would speak to the preacher about anything, not just when he asked him to give Anne away to Misty.

Steven was already dressed and ready to go by the time Anne decided to get out of bed. She didn't sleep a wink all night and it showed on her face. Anne took a quick shower and went downstairs for breakfast and the next round. Mary, Steven's mom, did her best to comfort the poor girl while doing her hair and make up. She was no stylist but did a wonderful job getting Anne to look presentable for her bride-to-be, as well as everyone watching. Anne carried her gown out to the car shortly after everything was said and done. She wore her usual clothes while going to the church since she did want to get her beautiful wedding dress wrinkled from sitting in the car.

Meanwhile at the Thomas residence, Misty was a nervous wreck. Diane took on the role as Mary did across town, but Misty was much more uncooperative than Anne had been. Diane couldn't keep up with what her cousin was saying, but didn't understand why Misty was freaking out so badly. Misty managed to talk her way out of breakfast saying that she would have thrown up if there was anything in her stomach. Diane, always the bigger of the two, made her atleast drink an energy drink to kep her blood sugar level, even if everything else in her body wasn't. Just like Anne, Misty carried her gown to the church and rode there in her usual street clothes.

Once there, Misty noticed that Steven's car was parked out front just as planned. Anne was already getting dressed and readied in her little room with the help of Mary and Tabby. Misty was escorted to her room by Veronica and Cindy. They set to work getting her ready to go while all he guys invovled kept telling the usual "growing up" stories. John was almost inconsolable. It finally hit him that his little, baby girl was getting married. It took the efforts of everyone present to calm him down and get ready.

Although most church-goers and other men of the cloth are opposed to same-sex marriages, Brother Douglas, the preacher, could care less of the couple's orientation as long as they lived by the vows they took before him. The Brother went room-to-room to tell everyone things were about to get started. Every seat was filled and there was a line of people standing against the wall. More people had shown up than the girls had hoped, but they knew there was nothing to ruin this day. Anne could finally be seen crying when Brother Douglas left her room. Tabby and Mary took her into their arms for the final time as a single woman. Misty was much worse. Her mascara was on the verge of running when the Brother entered her room. With the grace of a father-figure, or man of the cloth, he reached for Misty's hands and kissed them gently. He gave her an assuring smile and left. Cindy could do nothing to console her baby girl. Veronica decided to take some notes since her turn was approaching quickly.

Misty's heart skipped a beat when Mrs. Hesch started playing the organ. The traditional "Bridal March" suddenly meant more to her than just a nice wedding song. It was the song of the angels telling the world how great this day is. She knew Anne was waiting out there at the alter to take her for her wife. John was waiting like a true gentleman just outside the door to take his girl's arm into his and escort her down the aisle. Every memory of the past five years came flooding back into her mind. All the good times and the bad times she and Anne shared. Cindy snaped her out of her dream by pulling on her arm and leading her to the door.

Stepping out from her sancuary, she looked up and smiled at her father and gave him her arm. John about lost it then, but somehow managed to keep his composure to continue. Rounding the corner, Misty could see just how many people arrived for her big day. Through the copius faces and smiles, she could see clearly her Anne standing before her with Steven still holding her arm. Misty heard the appraisal of the people in attendance of how she looked and how luck she was to be marrying Anne. In her heart she had greatly waited for this day to come, but now that it has she wished it to be over soon.

True to her word, Anne never looked back at her until she reached her side. Misty felt Anne's eyes pierce her heart like Cupid's arrow. Anne mumbled something to the effect of how gorgous she looked, but Misty could quite hear exactly what she said. Finally the music stopped and everyone was invited to take their seats. This was when the girls' nerves were shot to hell. Steven and John started to shake because of the ladies on their sides. Brother Douglas began the service with most beautiful words. Misty happened to look over to see Diane crying and Tabby about to. Veronica and Victoria were no better. Occastionally the sound of a purse openning for a tissue could be heard echoing through the room.

"John Xavier Thomas, do you give this young woman to the trusting, nurturing, loving care of this woman?" The sound of the preacher's voice hit John like a freight train. Even though he and Brother Douglas had gone over this many times before, today it actually meant something.

"Yes I do," John said with a great amount of effort. The people in the back could hear him taking a deep breath after saying those three words.

"Steven Franklin Hayes, do you give this young woman to the trusting, nurturing and loving care of this woman?"

"Yes I do," Steven said feeling his own tears flooding his eyes.

The two men stepped aside and let Misty and Anne hold hands as the service continued. Anne and Misty suddenly felt free from every pent-up emotion that kept them on edge, sll they could do was smile and giggle knowing the best part was yet to come.

The Brother asked Misty to present the ring and place it on Anne's finger. "Misty Grace Thomas, will you take Annebell Amelia Amera to be your lawfully wedded wife? Will you love her, honor her in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live? WIll you nurture her, care for her till death do you part?"

"Yes I will," Misty felt the releif wash over her upon saying those three little words. She could hear veryone in the audience starting to tear up evermore quickly.

Brother Douglas asked Anne to present the ring and place it Misty's finger. "Annebell Amelia Amera, will you take Misty Grace Thomas to be your lawfully wedded wife? Will you love her, honor her in sickness and in health, for as long as both shall live? Will you nurture her, care for her till death do you part?"

"Yes I will." With that the Brother stepped back to let the ladies remove the vails from each other's faces.

"You may kiss your bride."

Anne and Misty felt their love for each other flow over their hearts like the grace of a river. When their lips met they heard the applause fill the room, to that they both smilled and giggle into each other's mouths. They turned to face their friends and family after parting their lips.

"I give you Annebell and Misty Thomas!" Brother Douglas was lost in his tears as he said his last part. He watched from a distance as the two beautiful young ladies walked back down the aisle arm-in-arm through the fog of rice. Steven, Kurt, James and Tyler took their prespective bride's maid in their arm and escorted them behind the pair of brides.

Slowly the recieving line gave way to just the photographers. After what seemed like hours of having their picture taken, Anne and Misty finally arrived at the reception hall. They were greated with even more enthusiasm now that all of the emotional parts were over. Now was the time to enjoy the company of the newly weds and the rest of the party.

The dinner that was served was fit for royalty. John and Cindy spared no expense with their only daughter's wedding day. The filet mingon and lobster bisk was extremely well prepared. The wine was only the top quality of chardinay and cabernet. John, Steven and a few others gave their typical loving, but embarrasing, stories of the couple. By the time everything was said and every plate cleaned off, it was already starting to get dark outside. Anne nodded over to Kevin, who volunteered to be the DJ for tonight, to start playing the song that Anne pre-recorded for today. Anne stood up and took Misty by the hand to the dance floor. Misty knew that they were to share the first dance, but had no idea of Anne's prep work. When they took center stage, Kevin hit the play button.

The music that came out of the speakers was the most beautiful, happy tune the band has ever recorded. It was truely fit for a day like today. This tune lasted for a good minute before Anne's singng voice could be heard.

"Gone insane from the pain I know. Not knowing the life of this shadow The cruel angel cut away your wings. Reach for the goal we cannot win. I can see we want it to be so. Go ahead and love this shadow!"

Anne's well played guitar too kthe forefront of the song with the harmonic tunes of Steven and Tony matching the tranquil emotion. This lasted for fourty-five seconds when Anne began to sing again.

"Nothing for me, what do you see? This cannot last because of my past I'm not what you hold,

don't know what you've been told. You're only loving a shadow..."

"Don't know why you hold my heart. Don't know why you want to start. Break me down with you hopeful love I want to fly away with the doves I still see you want me for you I know too what I put you through!"

The same harmony bellowed out from the speakers, but this time the notes carried more energy over the hearts of everyone listening.

"There's nothing in me for you to see We cannot last because of my past. I'm not what you hold

Don't know what you've been told. You're only loving a shadow..."

Anne's guitar picked up the sound of a true metal ballad. James's drums seemed to come out of nowhere to lead everyone into this chorus. This melody went on for nearly four minutes before Anne's voice entered the room once again.

"I want to see what you see in me. I want you to make me believe. I no longer want to cry and grieve. I want you to show me what you know I no longer want to be just a shadow!"

The song ended with the band's tune fading into what would have been the next song, but Kevin stopped the music all together. Anne and Misty just stood in the middle of the room hearing everyone cheering for them and the song Anne made just for them.

The rest of the night went by nicely. Everyone had a good time and enjoyed themselves. For Anne and Misty, it was truely a night to remember, especially when they got to their hotel room!.

Two months later, Misty and Anne watched Diane Prideaux become Mrs. Diane Stour. Anne volunteered to write them a song as well, which was met with great reviews at their reception, as well as across the country. The one true friend Anne had going to high school had become more than just a professional comedian, he become almost like another brother to her. Diane grown on her like the big sister Diane tended to be.

Another two months passed and they witnessed Misty's ex get married to her college sweetheart. Tabby and Veronica requested that Anne's band play live for them at their reception, which Anne decided to do pro bono.

One year later, Anne recieved a call from Daniel that Diane was going into labor. Anne had no idea what to do but yell at him for not being with his wife. This he took to be an order and hurried into the changing room to put on his scrubs. The day after, Anne got another call, this one from Misty saying they had a baby niece named Annebell. Bob and the rest of the band heard the news and shouted their congradulations through the speaker phone Misty was on, much to her surprise.

Three years after being blessed with the news of a niece, Misty came up to New York to spend the weekend with Anne. By now, Misty's contract was up for negotiation by her agent, who decided to wait until she got back to Dallas to start working on. Anne was in a meeting when Misty arrived at the studio door. The receptionist knew all-too-well who this beauty was and her business here, but had to tell her she had to wait for Ane's meeting to over with before she was allowed up. Misty took the news well and offered to get the middle-aged lady a drink, which she happily accepted.

Almost three hours later, Anne appeared in the elevator with a huge smile on her face. Misty ran into her wife's open arms and kissed her deeply. The rest of the band, being their perverted selves, snickered and cat called to them. That is until Anne laid an elbow into Steven's gut.

"I've got some great news honey," Anne said as they walked out to Misty's car.

"Me too, but you go first," she replied.

They sat down in their respective seats and Misty started the car. Anne had the happiest expression on her face that Misty hasn't seen since their wedding day.

"In accordance with the new contract we just signed, I pretty much have the rest of the year off! All I've got to do is show up at this one press conference ina week and talk to the magazine people about what we're releasing. Then Robert is giving us a break for the rest of the fiscal year and I'm getting paid to do it! Damn that felt good when that asshole executive finally gave us that good news. He's been riding our asses for the past four months to get our last album done, but he doesn't know how much shit you've got to go through to do that. Well, now that I'm basicly on a years paid vacation, let's hear your good news."

"Well, Allen is back in Dallas waiting my return to negotiate my contract with the team. What we're planning to do is make me the corrioghrapher. That's what I came up here to talk to you about, Anne." Misty's voice trailed off from being excited and happy to being nervous and unsteady.

After along silence, Anne asked putting her hand on her wife's leg, "What's that baby?"

"Remember when you told me about that scientific break through when I was back in collage?" Misty didn't even look at Anne. She kept her focus on the road.

"Yes, but it's not so new anymore. Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"Yes I am, honey. I think we're ready to a have a baby of our own." Misty's smile spoke volumes for what her words could not. She finally got off her chest what she has been wanting to ask for years. "Anne, I want to have you baby."

"You mean our baby," Anne said softly gripping Misty's hand tighter. "Make a left right here." Anne pointed to the road ahead. "There's someone who wants to meet you." Anne smiled a knowing smile at her wife.

"You've got to be kidding me..." she replied knowing who her Anne was referring to.

The only other words spoken were those of Anne giving directions to the place where her uncle was waiting. When Misty stopped the car, she noticed they were parked in front of the new hospital that just openned up a week ago.

The women walked hand-in-hand inside and right passed the reception desk. Misty had a puzzled look on her face as Anne took over and led them through a maze of hallways and corridors. Coming to room 714, Anne turned around and kissed her wife passionately. She openned the door and sitting patiently in the leather chair was man in his sixties. He wore a black suit and tie with dark sunglasses and black fadora, he almost looked like he was there to assassinate someone.

"Good day, Misty Thomas," he said pleasantly. Getting up, he extended his hand to Anne's wife, who took it shaking. Anne watched eagerly the whole time. Misty finall got what she wanted the entire time they've been together. "It's an honor to finally meet you, my dear. You can call me William, or Uncle Bill if you prefer. Or do you not speak at all?"

"I'm sorry Uncle Bill, I'm just in shock," Misty said feeling her blood rush to her face. "I've waited so long to meet you and never thought I ever would, but here you are."

"Please take a seat young lady," he said patting the bed next to him. "Anne told me while back that you've been wanting your own child. I am here to help you live that dream. Unfortunately I will never know that joy, but my dear Anne has been wanting to be a mother for as long as I can remember. Forgive me if I seem forward and for not removing my sunglasses, but my eyes have a certain condition and I will go blind if they are removed." Misty could only sit there and listen, completely stunned by just being in the same room as this man. The man who raised her Anne so well and was her benefactor all her life.

"Do you know what sex you want your baby to be?" he asked point blank.

"We've always wanted a little girl," Misty siad without thinking. Her words just escaped from her mouth, letting her heart speak for her mind. "We've talked about raising a little girl for a while now, but I just couldn't bear a child until my contract was up. Yes, that tore me up inside." Anne was holding her hand by this point. She too wanted Misty to have their baby for so long, but she couldn't push the issue until her contract with the team was up.

"Well, Anne has already given us a dose of her eggs, so we're just waiting for yours," William said proudly. misty could definately feel the change is the atmosphere. It was as if Uncle Bill was putting the pressure on her to make the final decision, especially since Anne never said a word about this.

"What do I have to do?" Misty said with a gleam in her eye.

"Doctor Halpin will escort you to your room," William said happy for his neices.

The doctor came in a few minutes after Anne pressed the "call" button. She was a well built lady who gave everyone that feeling that she's done this many times before. William introduced her to everyone and Misty and Charlene, as she preferred to be called by her patients, left for the operating room. After several tense moments of getting Misty prepared, Charlene gave her that look that said "Here we go,".

The operation took less than ten minutes. It took more time for the drugs to take effect than it did for them to extract then re-insert the genetic materiel. Misty thought to herself over and over how happy she was finally able to call herself a mommy. Uncle Bill was sitting outside of the room with his neice in complete happiness. He could feel the wetness of her tears soaking through his suit jacket. Anne leaned in towards him and gave him a kiss on his old cheek, whispering "Thank you,".

Anne didn't leave her wife's side for more than a minute when she got her home. Everything from tying her shoes to cooking dinner Anne felt was her responsibility. Misty could only laugh at this thinking how over-protective Anne truely is of her, especially now that she was carrying their baby. Anne made sure to be extra gentle with her woman whenever she even hugged her, despite the fact she wasn't more than a day pregnant. Anne went with her back to Dallas and settled her back into her apartment.

Allen recieved the call from Anne that her wife was pregnant with their baby and he came by the apartment that night. As soon as he walked in the door, he was greeted to a warm welcome of hugs and coffee. After a long while of just chatting away like he normally does, Allen broke the news to Misty that he and Anne talked this whole thing over about a month before and he would have had he visit Anne if only to go through with the operation. To this, Misty just playfully punched her wife in her right arm, but of coursed winced at the contact. He and Misty discussed what to do with her contract now that she wouldn't be able to go through another season n the squad nor could she possibly be the corriographer for the season either.

"Misty my dear," Allen said with a huge smile on his face, "you know I would never allow you to leave the team. I talked it over with Mr. Jarry and he has agreed to put you in charge of scouting for the next two years. You will be responsible for finding the right people for the right job at every level of the organization, from towel boys to vice presidents. You'll have your own office and your own staff. Plus a generous increase in pay, of course. I had intended to save this until tomarrow when Mr. Jarry will make it official, but I just can't hide any secrets from you." Misty sprang up and tackled the poor old man saying a million thank yous.

The next morning, Mr. Jarry made announced her official promotion to the team, all of whom were happy to hear she got the job. The past couple of years of her input to the coaching staff and office executives have helped the franchise more than she ever thought possible. All of those years of math and science really paid off, especially when the architects fucked up the plans for the new stadium.

Anne moved in with her wife over the following week and took on the role of stay at home "future" mom. She did all the cleaning and cooking and paid the bills, everything that she practiced doing while going to high school. Misty, of course, never once complained, that is unless she felt Anne's over-protective nature getting the best of her as it usually does. Anne watched her Misty get bigger and bigger as their baby grew inside her. She only felt more love and compassion now that there is two of them to share it.

Two months later, Misty gave birth to their daughter. Charlene was on hand for the delivery, as she normally is for her patients. This was only the second time Anne has ever been seen crying in public. Their own baby daughter, who already was growing hair, was more beautiful than she could have ever imagined. after talking about it for a whole month before the delivery, they decided to name her Alyshia Tabitha Thomas.

Misty fell asleep easily that night and Anne slept in the chair by the bed. The morning proved to be a bit more depressing than they were hoping for. Alyshia was scheduled for the usual checks and tests at seven in the morning, which came much too quickly for either three of them. When the doctor checked the baby's throat he noticed something amiss. He called on another doctor to double check, but again something was wrong. after doing some simple x-rays, they discovered that Alyshia was born without the ability to speak. The doctor explained to Misty and Anne that as she was developing, Alyshia never grew any vocal chords. Misty felt her life drainng away, but Anne sat back and thought it through. She had Misty and Alyshia in hr embrace when she realized that she was overwhelmed with her own joy to notice that Alyshia never was heard crying, but she was breathing okay so Anne didn't think twice. The doctor gave them a few pamphlets of how to raise a child with this condition and the basics of sign language, for when the time came. Misty was far too gone in worry for her baby to even hear him, but Anne accepted them and thanked him.

Despite her short comings as a child, Alyshia grew up to be normal, healthy young lady. Mommy Anne taught her sign language, another gift from the great uncle she would never know. She excelled in school and was accepted to The Ohio State University on a full ride academic scholarship. Anne had long since retired from music, but her legacy still lives on in that world. Her dedication and perfection of her art has become the backbone to all of the music industry. Misty still works for Dallas Cowboys franchise, but on a more limited basis. She's now the personal finacial consultant to the team's owner and half of the board of directors.

The End

I hope you enjoyed reading my first published story. I know this episode is much longer than the previous ones, but I promised a friend that she would be included in it. I would like to thank Alyshia, who's name and condition is the basis of Anne and Misty's baby, for allowing me to put her in the story. Another thanks goes out to everyone who's taken the time out of their lives to read my series and give me their input on what they wanted to see as the story progressed. Last but not least, thanks to Nifty for posting this on their site.