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Characters: Mine. However they are based on characters from Xena: Warrior Princess who do not belong to me no matter how much I wish they did.

Location: The towns and state are real. However I made up all the information regarding the towns and their surroundings and California is real no matter what other people say.

Love: This is an alt story based on two women in love. If this offends you please do not go any further.

This is my first attempt at Fanfic. Please go easy on me. However I do want to hear from you. Send me mail at wolfie1@home.com Thanks.

Nation

By Wolfie

My life started to fall apart today.  Why you ask?  Well it seems that my parents are coming from Maine to see me here in California.  My kid sister Kelly sent me an email to warn me about their impending arrival. However the part I am most frustrated about stems from the fact that she knew about it for at least the last two months.  Shaking my head I just continue to stare at the email and wonder why.  My life had just finally started to come together and life was good.  What more can a woman ask for.  I have a dog, a house, a well paying job and a girlfriend. 

But that won't matter on Friday, which is when the evil ones are supposed to arrive.  I decided to go to school at the University of California, Los Angeles. That was point one against me.  They figured I would come back to Maine after I was done and settle down.  My parents where wrong.  Not only did I don't go back to Maine, but I moved to Northern California and fell in love.  That is point two against me.  As far as my parents are concerned I am a normal heterosexual female, and they have been trying to get me to come home and get married since I graduated.  I have a feeling that point three will happen when I tell me that not only am I not coming home, but I am in love, with a woman.  I can just picture my father's face when I introduce him to Morgan. I wonder if it's three strikes and I'm out.  With the way my family is, I wouldn't mind being kicked out of it.  I would miss my mother and my sister, but at least I will be able to live my own life.

Okay, here is a little back ground information about my family, after which I'm sure you will agree that my father is a creep.  My father's name is James Eaton, Esq.  He is a small minded man that owns a small law firm in a small town called Kittery, which is located in the northeastern part of Maine.  My parents married right out of high school, because my mother was pregnant with me.  However, I am not certain that James Eaton is my father.

You see, my father is about six feet tall, with black hair and brown eyes.  My mother is about 5'8" and has black hair and gray eyes.  Even my younger sister, Kelley is 5'7" tall and has black hair and brown eyes.  Everyone on either side of the family is over 5'6" and has black hair with either brown or gray eyes.  Now keeping this in mind, I am only 5'4" and I have blonde hair with reddish highlights.  I also have sea green eyes.  The fact that I look like no one in the rest of the family has been talked about at every family gathering for as long as I can remember.  Only my parents know the truth and they aren't talking.

For as long as I can remember my father has been controlling me and my sister's lives.  Currently I am 25 and my sister just turned 18.  If you go by the teenage years as shown on TV then I had what would be considered an abnormal childhood.  I was more interested in books and stories than I was going to the mall with my friends.  Hell, I didn't have any friends.  If given a choice of going somewhere or just staring at the ceiling while laying on my bed, I would never leave my room.  Because, if I leave my room then I would have to say something to him and it just wasn't worth it.

Kelley on the other hand is different.  Up until she was 13 she was the apple of his eye.  After that it was like someone flipped a switch. Before, he couldn't do nothing wrong in her eyes, but after her birthday she started to see how controlling of me he was.  So in her one way she decided to help me out. No one could understand it, especially me.  I would need more than two hands to count the number of times she has been brought home by the police.  I'm just thankful that once she turned 18 she started out with a clean record.  In my opinion she could have found a different way to take his attention off of me.

He blames my mother for me.  Every time he would get drunk I would hear them fight and my name was brought up a lot. As a child he had never shown me any love and even now as an adult I am more of a possession to him than a daughter. The "father's love" was reserved for my sister, at least until she started all the trouble. My mother tried to make up for his harshness but it was never enough. He always had to have strict control over us. As a child I used to think that Hitler would have made a better father, then I took a history class and decided that it was not true, but it came close.

As you can probably guess, based on the fact that I never left the house I was what everyone called a "loner". The only time I dated in high school was the prom, and even then it was only because my mother wanted pictures of me in a dress and she knew that it was the only way to get me into one.

Richard was my prom date and, at that time, he almost topped 6 feet, had dark blond hair, and brown eyes. Richard’s father is a friend of my fathers and they got us together. The night went ok, but nothing happened. We went, we danced, and then he took me home. End of story. He never got into my pants and never really tried to. Thankfully he didn't even try to kiss me. Unfortunately, he thought that the 6 hours we spent together made him my boyfriend and until the end of the year he kept trying to get me to go out with him again. 

After high school he went to Harvard Law School, and I moved out to L.A. to go to UCLA. I got my MS in computer programming in less than 4 years and then got a job with Tigger Software as a highly paid programmer working from home. I then moved to a small town (in California terms) in northern California that has about 45,000 people. The town of Oroville is interesting. It has all the stuff a normal small town has, but it also has the only lesbian bar in the surrounding area. The next-closest lesbian bar is approximately a five-hour drive to the south in San Francisco. The bar in Oroville is called The Nation, and is owned and operated by Morgan Gray.

Okay, Ares.  Besides being a god of war he is also my dog.  Ares is a wolf pup that I almost hit on the way down a mountain.  I was about 2 hours out of Oroville when it got dark.  All I saw was the light reflected in a pair of eyes.  I slammed on my breaks and grabbed a flash light.  I did a quick check around the truck, but didn't see anything.  As I was getting back into the truck I heard a whimper.  Looking under the truck I found the puppy.  He was under right in between the two tires right under the front axel.  If he had moved to either side I probably would have killed him.  After I got him out from under the truck I saw his collar.  It was a leather collar with the name Ares burned into it.  He seemed okay and the vet later confirmed that he was. Ares decided that I was his new owner and I ended up with a wonderful friend.

I had been in town for about three days when Ares first tested me.  He had escaped out the front door and took off.  I finally found him at the neighbors house and she pulled up just as I grabbed the little imp.  He started to growl and I thought it was at me.  I turned around and almost walked into a chest.  I looked up and into the most startling blue eyes I have ever seen.  The woman standing in front of me had this little quirk of a smile.  I would later find out that she is 6'4 and 186 lbs.  She also had long black hair that I just love to run my fingers through. 

It took going to college to figure out I am a lesbian.  I tried to date men in college but they didn't do anything for me.  A colleague of mine was gay and suggested I try going out with a few woman.  Since men didn't work, I figured why not.  I didn't think anything would come of it and figured I was just dead inside as far a love was concerned. So I did and had the most startling revelation. I liked women. They are so soft and gentle compared to men.  I dated a few of them during the four years I was in college but I still felt something was missing.

Well when I looked up at this woman I found what was missing.  She was.  Can we say instant attraction?  Sure we can.  Now don't get it in your mind that I'm was this experience 22 year old, because back then I wasn't.  I was still a virgin and thinking about doing anything more than a little heavy petting scared the shit out of me.  Good old Ares brought back to the present with another growl as another woman walked up.  Seeing my nervousness Steph introduced Morgan and herself and told me that they were the owner and manager of The Nation. I was still silent and staring up at Morgan when she tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. Apologizing I told them both who I was and why I was there. 

I had been in Oroville about six weeks when Eph’s mother died. Eph was devastated, since she had been very close to her mother. It was at the funeral that I met Morgan…actually Eph (she is a matchmaker, no matter what is going on at the time) introduced me to her. Morgan and I never left Eph’s side during the funeral or the reception afterwards. Before we left I gave Morgan my phone number and told her that if she felt like it she could give me a call. I took Eph home and then went home to work on a program I was currently working on before going to bed. That idea flew right out the window when I saw Morgan sitting on my doorstep. She had wanted to make sure that Eph and I got home okay, and wanted to see if we could talk. We spent the rest of the night talking and six months later she moved in with Ares and me. That was three years ago and we are still very happily together.

Now I was starting to get mad. My happiness was being threatened and it was time to see what’s going on. I grabbed the phone next to the computer and hit the speed dial for my sister.

"What’s up with not warning me?" I yelled into the receiver as I got up and started pacing back and forth.

"Now, Jessie, calm down. It’s not my fault. They’ve been watching me like a hawk. Dad even learned e-mail and has some type of program on the computer that makes a copy of every e-mail that we send!" my sister answered back in worried tone.

That stopped me cold. My father is a 50-year-old man who swore up and down that he would never touch a computer. Now, not only has he touched one, he is once again controlling our lives with it.

"Damn, now what are they up to?"

"I don’t know, Jes," Kelly answered in a defeated tone. "All I know is that Richard got out of school and went to work for Dad. Then about 6 months ago Richard started coming over to the house a lot. One day he would be over for dinner then the next Sunday he would be over watching the football games with Daddy. Jes, something is going on. I would walk into the room and they would quit talking. I think Richard has asked Daddy for your hand."

"This is not good. How can they do this to me? I’m happy here and I have someone I plan on spending my life with. They can’t do this to me!"

"Whoa! Slow down, Jes! What do you mean you have someone? Who is he and why didn’t you tell me?"

"Umm…you see…umm…."

"C’mon, Jes. You know you can tell me. I mean its not like it’s a woman or anything, right?"

With a large sigh I sat down on the couch as Ares came over and laid his head in my lap. "My lover’s name is Morgan, and yes, she’s a woman." After a few minutes of silence I start to get worried. "Kelly, are you there?"

"Huh? Oh, yes, I’m here. So what are you saying?" Kelly asked in a small voice.

"I’m saying I'm gay. I've known for as long as I can remember." I closed my eyes and brought forth an image of my lover of 3 years. Morgan is tall, dark and absolutely gorgeous. She’s 6’2", about 180 lbs. and has not a hint of fat on her entire body. She also has long, dark, silky hair and the most beautiful sky blue eyes. But, most importantly, Morgan is all woman. "Listen, I have to go. I need to talk to Morgan. Can I call you tomorrow?"

"Sure, Jes. I guess I’ll talk to you tomorrow."

"I promise I’ll call you. I have to go if I plan on catching Morgan before the bar opens."

"Okay. Please be careful." Kelly always has to get the last word in. It’s been that way since before she could even talk.

For the first time in my life I plan on fighting for something that is important to me. I plan on saying no to my parents if they are coming to bring me home. That’s the one thing I had never been able to do in the past. If they wanted it, then they got it. I mean, after all, I did go to the prom, right? This time I plan to fight. I may lose my family for this, but I don’t care. I don’t plan on giving up Morgan or my way of life just to, as my sister says, try and make them happy. After all I’ve been trying to make them happy all my life and it hasn’t worked yet.

 I checked the clock and saw it was 4:30 in the afternoon. The Nation opens at six and I really needed to talk to Morgan. I grabbed the keys, called for Ares, and headed for the bar. The drive normally took twenty minutes, since I always managed to hit every light. This time luck was with me, and it only took fifteen. The front door to The Nation was locked when we get there, so Ares promptly walked around to the back and I followed. Ares always has to go first. The first and only time I tried, he kindly knocked me down and gave me a look that basically said, "Are you stupid? This what I’m here for!" I’ve let him go first ever since. Ares and I entered through the back door and, after a quick look around to make sure there was no danger, Ares went to lie down in the office.

The Nation is larger than the outside of the building would suggest. The bar, office and storeroom are along the left wall and take up about quarter of the space. The only way to get to the office and storeroom is to go behind the bar and through Morgan. The back entrance is about 3 feet from the left wall. The rest of the back wall has booths for people to sit in. The front wall is lined with more booths, with the front door directly opposite from the back door. Against the right wall is the jukebox and five pool tables. Some small tables that only seat two or three people are next to them. They come out about a third of the way from the right. The rest of the room is a dance floor.

There is minimal light in the bar, as Morgan likes to keep it dark so people can have fun. I can really attest to the fun part. The Nation is very crowded on the weekends as people from the surrounding area come to have fun. The rest of the time it has the locals. From Sunday to Thursday there might be 50 people, Friday and Saturday it becomes more like 200 people and the regulars help out. I have seen a line wrapped twice around the building a few times. Those are always the fun nights. We end up telling people at 9:00 p.m. that there is no more room and to go home.

I saw Morgan and Eph at one of the pool tables and headed over. Morgan was looking gorgeous in black leather pants, a long-sleeve silk shirt and black cowboy boots. The shirt is a little darker than her eyes and l love seeing it on her. Eph had on a black pair of jeans and her favorite white tee-shirt and tennis shoes. The tee-shirt is about two sizes too small and no matter how many other shirts you give her she always wears it.

Morgan’s back was to me and Eph was taking a shot. As I walked up to them, Morgan straightened up and turned to greet me with a smile of love and welcome. The smile promptly faded when she saw the look on my face.

"What’s wrong?" Morgan demanded as she set down her pool stick, gathered me into her arms, and held me tight. I returned the embrace and molded my body to hers. After a few seconds, I pulled back and looked into her eyes. She gave me one of those half-smile she knows I love so much and then lowered her lips to mine.

After a few minutes of complete bliss we heard a throat clear. We both turned at the sound to look at Eph. She had turned bright red and was refusing to look at us. "Umm…sorry guys…umm…I’ll just go and…."

Morgan and I both started laughing. "Don’t worry about it, Eph, sorry to make you feel uncomfortable. Please don’t leave. I need both of you to help me with a problem," I told her as I started walking over to the bar. I took a seat at the bar and Eph joined me. Morgan walked around to the other side to pour our drinks. She had a coke, I had an iced tea with no lemon and a ton of equal, and Eph had a root beer since they would have to go to work in about an hour.

"Ok, Jessie, what’s wrong? You look like you want to kill someone," Morgan asked as she set down my drink.

For the next half hour I proceed to tell the cliff notes version of my life for Eph’s benefit since Morgan knows me better than I know myself. After I finished Eph looked at me like I had grown horns or something.

"What? Not everyone was as close to her parents as you were, Eph," I said looking down at the top of the bar. I was forced to look up as two fingers raised my head.

"Jessie, I want you to know that I love you very much, but if this is going to cause you…." That was about as far as Morgan got before I exploded.

"No!" I yelled, jumping up I starting to pace back and forth. "I am not going to let them win over this. Hell, I don’t even know why they’re coming. But, Morgan, if you think that I am going to give us up you are sadly mistaken. I love you more than life itself and I would rather die than let you be taken from me. I am not going to throw away the last three years of my life just to satisfy my parents." By that time I was close to tears and Morgan jumped over the bar to pull me into a powerful embrace.

"I love you, Jes. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for it to sound that way. Look, we have all week to work something out, right? I mean, it doesn't have to be solved right this minute, right?" I shook my head to tell her it could wait for a little while. I felt Morgan look over at Eph. "Eph, can you take over here tonight? It’s just the small crowd."

"Sure, guys, get on out of here. Jessie, I’m sorry, I had no idea how bad you had it as a kid. I grew up in a very loving environment and I tend to forget that not everyone has that."

As Morgan went to get her stuff I walked over to Eph and gave her a hug. "It’s ok. I know you forget. This is just hitting me a lot harder than I thought it would. It’s all your fault, you know?"

"Huh? How is it my fault?"

I pulled back out of the hug and looked her in the eyes. "It’s simple. You’re the one that introduced us. If you hadn’t done that then I wouldn’t be so scared to lose her and I would just end up doing what they want me to do. But you know what? I wouldn't give up these last three years for anything, and I don’t plan on giving up my future years by her side either."

Shortly after that Morgan came out of the office and we left. She followed me in her 4X4 and in about twenty minutes we were home. We live in a small track of houses that sit right up against the forest. Ours is the last house on the street and the house itself is set deeper into the forest than any of the others. It has a separate three-car garage set off to the right. Both the house and the garage are surrounded on three sides by giant trees. There is a small path on the left that, if you follow it for about ten minutes, will lead you to a large lake. The fishing there is great and very relaxing.

The house itself is a single story three-bedroom house. The programming work that I do allows me to pay the house payments. With the added income from Morgan and the bar, the house is almost paid off. As you walk in the front door you see the large hallway that leads to the kitchen. This is the only thing wrong with the house; you have to go through the kitchen to get to the rest of the house. Morgan keeps saying she is going to get it fixed but the only way to fix it would make everyone walk through our bedroom and I refuse to allow that. The kitchen is very large and open and, other than the bedroom, this is my favorite room. I love to cook and Morgan hates to cook so it works out really well. As you exit the kitchen you end up in what is supposed to be the dinning room. However, Morgan decided to make the living room larger and had the wall that separated the two removed.

The living room has an 81" big screen television, the latest in stereo, VCR, CD, DVD equipment, and about 15 different speakers. Morgan is in charge of this room like I am in the kitchen. Along the back wall is an 8’ couch that is wide enough for us both to sleep comfortably side by side, which happens more often than not. To the left is a sliding glass door that leads to the deck and barbecue out back. On the right wall there is a smaller guest couch, and the hallway to the three bedrooms and the guest bathrooms. About 3 feet into the hallway is the first bathroom, which is only a half bath. About 6 feet later the hallway opens into a "T" form. If you go left, you’ll find the guest bedroom, my office, and the other full bathroom. If you go right, you’ll be in our bedroom. Our bedroom is very large. Along one wall there's a bookcase full of books that we love to read before going to bed. The bed is an 8’X8’ captain’s bed made out of oak. The bed, mattress, sheets and everything else concerning the bed are custom-made. It was a present that Morgan bought me and had delivered while the crew was combining the dining room and the living room. During the remodel we stayed at a motel, so it was really easy to hide the surprise. There are two full walk-in closets and then the master bathroom. The master bath has a large sunken Jacuzzi tub and a large glass shower.

After we entered the house Morgan led me to the bedroom. Ares started to follow us inside but Morgan told him to go find something to do. "Hon, you’re way too tense for my liking. Why don’t you take off your clothes and I’ll give you a massage?" Those words have been the start of wonderful hours of lovemaking.

"Morgan, you’re so full of it! I thought you came home to help me," I protested even as I undressed.

"Lover, I am helping. How well do you think we will be able to think this through if you’re as tight as a bowstring? I promise that I will only give you a message. Or, if you want, I can run a bath and you can soak for a while."

"Hmm…that’s a tuff choice, your hands or water? I think I’ll take your hands. I love the way they feel on my body."

I laid down on my stomach and could feel Morgan get on the bed and straddle me. She started at the top of my back and slowly began to loosen the muscles that are too tight for her liking. I knew that the only reason she was doing this was because she wanted me, but…I wanted her, too.

Okay, enough of this. "Hey, Morgan?"

"Hmmm…."

"Why don’t you take off your clothes and come to bed?" I rolled over to watch the most beautiful woman in the world undress. She started with her pants. She slowly stripped them off, knowing how it drives me crazy. Next she unbuttoned her shirt and slowly dropped it to the floor. I started to breathe harder as she removed her bra and underwear. Her voice grew husky as the passion began to take over. "You do realize that you just set a new record. You actually lasted twenty minutes before requesting me to come to bed."

Morgan walked over to the bed and climbed up on to it. Her eyes caught me and refused to let me go, as they grew a darker shade of blue. I reached out my arms for her and pulled her to me. She knelt over me, supporting her body with her arms and legs. She slowly lowered her lips to mine and I forgot my problems for the rest of the night.

The next morning I awoke to find Morgan still asleep with her hands tucked under her chin. A smile reached my face as I remembered just how talented those hands of hers are. However, this did not help my situation any. I quietly got out of bed and changed into a pair of sweat pants and one of her shirts. What can I say, I love the spicy scent of the cologne that she uses. I walked into the living room and put a Tom Aragon CD in the CD player and pressed play. I stood there for a few minutes with my eyes closed and let his music calm my nervous soul. I sensed her behind me seconds before she wrapped her arms around my body and pulled me toward her. Her arms tightened as she buried her face in my hair. "I love you, Jess." She whispered softly into my hair. "Now, please, relax. I won’t let them take you away."

I turned in her arms and could see that no matter what happens in the future, she will be there for me, even when I face my parents…she won’t let me go. I reached up and stroked the side of her face. "I love you, Morgan, and I’m not going anywhere. I’m staying right here with you…forever," I whispered gently as I brought her face down and kissed her deeply.

Minutes later we pulled apart and she wrapped me in her arms. "Are you hungry?" I asked as she loosened her grip.

"Hmmm…depends."

"Oh? And just what does it depend on?" I asked with a wide grin on my face. I knew where she was headed with this conversation and this time I wouldn’t let her distract me.

"Are you on the menu?" Morgan asked as she started to nibble on my neck.

"No, I’m not." I answered as I got moved out of her reach. "However, you can take me to breakfast and I won’t complain."

"Oh, I can, can I?" Morgan laughed. "Ok, I think I can do that. Are you busy today? If not, we could go for a walk down by the lake afterwards?"

There was a hopeful look in her eyes as she asked this and I knew I would not, and could not, deny her anything. "Well, all I planned on doing today was calling my sister back. I’m actually ahead on the project I’m working on so I have some free time."

Just as we headed back into the bedroom to shower and change the phone rang. I looked at Morgan and she shrugged her shoulders, giving me a puzzled look. Everyone who has our phone number knows not to call before 10 a.m. In fact, the only reason we were up now was because we went to bed early last night. I happened to be closer to the phone so I answered it. "Hello?"

"Jess? It’s Kelly."

My sister sounded upset. Her calling wasn’t a good sign, especially since I had already told her I would call her back. "Hey, Kelly. What’s up? I said I would call you back and I was planning to after breakfast."

"You have big problems, sis. I just found out that Richard is going to meet Mom and Dad in San Francisco and he’ll be driving with them to see you."

"Son of a.…" I muttered in complete shock. "Well, I guess that answers the question as to why they are coming here. How did you find this out?"

"Richard called here about a half hour ago bragging about how he was going to marry you. I can’t believe Dad is doing this. I also don’t think Mom knows about it. I mean she knows Richard is going to meet them, but I don’t think she knows Dad is planning on you marrying Richard."

"How did you find out that Mom knew Richard was going to meet them in San Fran?" I asked quietly.

"She called right after I got off the phone with him. I didn’t tell her what he had said. I figured I would call you first and see if you wanted me to inform her or not."

"No, don’t worry about it. We can deal with it when they get here," I said as an idea started to form in my mind. "Listen I gotta go. We were going out for breakfast when you called. I’ll call you back later tonight."

"Ok. I’ll talk to you later. Have fun."

"Oh trust me…I plan to." I said with an evil grin.

I hung up the phone as Morgan walked back into the room. Gods, she is so beautiful. She was wearing skin tight, black leather pants with a white button up men’s shirt. She looked up at me with a smirk. "You planning on looking all day or are we going to get some breakfast?"

I grabbed her arm and pulled her into the bedroom so we could talk as I got ready. I told her about my conversation with my sister and about how she doesn’t think my mother is in on the plan. After a few minutes I realized she was too quiet. I came out of the bathroom and saw her standing in the middle of the bedroom. To say she was angry would be an understatement. She was stiff as a board, her hands were clenched in fists of rage, and her eyes where a very dark stormy blue. I was, for the first time since I had met her, scared of her. I took a step backwards and I know my fear showed on my face, because as soon as she looked at me she calmed down. She walked up to me and wrapped me in her arms. "I’m so sorry, baby. I didn’t mean to scare you like that. I love you and I would never hurt you." She pulled back and kissed me tenderly.

I wrapped my arms around her and noticed she was shaking. I pulled back and now I saw fear in her eyes. I then realized that she was scared she had pushed me away. I reached up and stroked her face. "Hey. I’m here and it will take a lot more than a little bit of anger to send me away. I was just surprised, that’s all. No one has ever gotten that mad on my behalf before. Thank you."

"No. You have a right to be scared. One thing I haven’t told you about me is that I have a very bad temper. You just saw a little bit of it. I had a younger brother once. We were coming back from a football game and a drunk hit us. My brother was driving and we were going through an intersection, when the drunk hit us on the driver’s side. My brother was killed instantly. The next time I saw the guy was at the courthouse. By the time the guards were able to pull me off him, he had 3 broken ribs, a broken jaw, and a broken nose. But I want you to know that I would never hurt you. Please, if you believe nothing else, believe that."

"Honey, I do believe it. I also believe in us," I said as I dropped the towel I was wearing and led her to bed.

About an hour later, I was awoken by kisses lightly being applied to my neck. I opened my eyes and saw Morgan with a smirk covering her face. "So I see you were for breakfast after all."

"Mmm…I guess I was. Now can we go and eat…." I looked at the clock. "…lunch? You’re buying!"

As we got ready to go, I asked her if she was going to be able to hold her temper when I confronted my parents. "Yeah, I will be able to. But the moment one of them tries to force you against your will all bets are off."

I took her face between my hands kissed her deeply. "Hon, if it comes to that then I will gladly turn you and Ares loose on them, because I plan on having you both present. Now let’s go eat." 

While we ate I told Morgan my plan. I figured I would hide at The Nation, let them come and find me. I would leave them a note explaining that I knew they were in town and where they could find me. That weekend is June 26^th and 27^th, the weekend of the Gay Pride Parade in San Francisco. Morgan could close The Nation if she wanted to, but she feels that if someone needs a safe haven then she should be open; not that I blame her. She does however, close at 11 p.m., or at least she locks the front door. It’s amazing what can be done with a cue stick.

I’m hoping that there will be more people than just Morgan and I, but you can never tell. I finally shut up and ate so she could think it over. Finally Morgan looked me in the eyes and smiled. "I like it. That way if I want them thrown out I can call the cops and I won’t have to worry about it being your house. Yes, I think I like this idea very much. Especially if I can arrange it so Mike's there. With him being a cop it won’t take long to kick them out."

It felt good to know she was behind me on this. I love her so much sometimes that it hurts and I know she loves me, but to know she stood behind me on something this important made me feel very loved.

After lunch we had to skip the walk by the lake because she needed to get to work. After she dropped me off at home I decided to call my sister. "Hey, Kelly. It’s Jess."

"Hi, Jess. How are ya doing?"

"I’m doing a lot better. We figured out what to do." I then proceeded to tell her everything we were going to do. "That’s about it. I figure if they can’t get the hint, then there’s no hope for them."

"Not a bad plan, Jess. Now let’s talk about you being gay."

The question took me by surprise. With everything else that was going on I didn't think I could handle a heart-to-heart with her so soon. "Can we talk about this after all this crap blows over? Like a month or two?"

"Only if you promise to do it. Really, Jess. I won't judge you but I do want to know."

I wasn't really sure what to say to that. "Yeah, I promise." I just hoped that when the time came I could answer her questions.

The rest of the week seemed to drag by for both of us. Apparently on Wednesday night there were a bunch of straight men going through town and thought they could "fix the problem with the women in the area." Needless to say they were wrong and, as soon as this was pointed out to them, they quickly left. There was little damage to the bar itself, however three of the nine men needed medical attention. My sister finally called me about noon on Friday to tell me that our mother had called letting her know they were leaving San Francisco. Our mother expected to be in Oroville by no later than 6 p.m.

To say I was not looking forward to this visit would be a huge understatement. I was nervous as hell and Morgan knew it. Unfortunately when I become nervous, I also become impossible to live with. I think Morgan may end up killing my parents because of the way I had been acting. I was going to really owe her big time after this was over.

Morgan left at about 2 p.m. to go to the bar while I decided to stay home for a little bit longer and torture myself. Even though the Nation is a lesbian bar, we sometimes get gay men who come for drinks. Morgan does not have a problem with this. Which is really a good thing as the head sergeant of the local police force is gay. His name is Mike and he loves to come into the bar and "harass" the women. Everyone knows this is all in fun and everyone has a good time with it. Mike is on duty this weekend and wouldn’t be going to the parade, so he agreed to be there tonight in case we needed him. It was 4:45, so I decided to head on over to the Nation, after leaving note for my parents telling them where I would be.

I arrived at the Nation after stopping at McDonald's to pick up dinner for Morgan, Ares, and myself. When I got there, there were five cars in the parking lot including Morgan's 4x4. The front door was open and we went inside. I fed Ares and he went into the office to lay down. I found Morgan at the pool tables playing a game with Mike. I set our food down on one of the tables, walked up to her and wrapped my arms around her just as she took her shot. Which, of course, messed her up and she missed, thus losing the game.

Mike stood there with a shocked look on his face. No one had ever beaten Morgan at pool before. I quickly got the feeling that I may be in a little bit of trouble. I released Morgan and started backing up. Morgan slowly turned around and stared at me. Unfortunately I couldn't tell if she was really upset or not. Morgan started moving towards me and I turned to run. Before I could even get one more step away she had me pinned against her. I tried to get away but it didn't work. Next thing I knew she was tickling me unmercifully. When she got me to the point where I couldn't breathe, she relented and held me as I calmed down. I turned around in her arms and she kissed me. That was a mistake for as soon as she started kissing me, my parents walked in.

We continued to kiss for a while before Mike cleared his throat. We broke the kiss and I buried my head in her neck. Suddenly I felt her stiffen. "Oh shit, baby, I'm sorry." I looked up at her and saw she was looking past me towards the door. I turned around to see my parents and Richard standing there.

My mother was nodding to herself as if saying, "I thought so"; both my father and Richard looked like they didn't know whether to kill Morgan or me. I stiffened and started to panic as old memories started to surface. Before they could get the better of me, I felt Morgan press against me and place both hands on my shoulders, reminding me that she was there and as a sign of possession.

"WHAT IN GODS NAME IN HELL IS GOING ON HERE!!" my father screamed.

Morgan looked him straight in the eyes as she answered, "I thought it was obvious. I was kissing my life partner."

My father started walking to Morgan. You could tell he was very angry. I don't think I have ever seen him this angry. Richard moved forward and stopped him and whispered something in his ear. My father agreed to whatever Richard said, and then turned back to us. "Why don't we sit down and talk about this?"

Morgan turned the full force of her personality on Richard and my father. If it weren't so serious, it would have been funny when they both got this scared look in their eyes and took a step back. With a slight squeeze of my shoulders, she stepped around in front of me to face my parents and Richard. I felt a glimmer of hope rise in my chest as she quickly took charge and led the trio to the bar, all the while asking what drinks they’d like, how their trip was, and whatever else popped into her head. Mike patted me reassuringly on the shoulder as he strode by to take his place by the bar, conveniently close by should Richard get too bold or aggressive. I suppressed a smile at Dad and Richard’s shell-shocked expressions. I had almost forgotten how commanding and intimidating Morgan could be when she chose.

Gathering my burgeoning courage around me, I made my way to the bar as well. Two sets of eyes narrowed as I stepped behind it to stand next to Morgan, but the twinkle in her blue eyes as she glanced at me let me ignore them. I felt her lay a comforting hand on the small of my back. I cleared my throat, "So, how was your drive out?"

My mother saved me and described what they saw. As I looked her in the eyes I could see that she was aware something was happening, but she didn't know what it was. I also could tell that she was going to help out any way she could. Having recovered, both Richard and my father were starting to get angry. My father cleared his throat, an old sign that meant whoever was talking was supposed to stop right away. My mother stopped and we all turned to look at him. He looked down at his hands and then raised his eyes to mine. The look in his made me shiver. I can't remember the last time I saw him this angry. I felt Morgan stiffen and I heard Ares come out of the office and sit next to me. I could feel the blood drain from my face. In a barely contained voice, "We will go back to your house and you will get some of your things. Tomorrow we will make arrangements for the rest of your stuff. Then after that is finished we will be leaving and you're coming home. After you get settled in at home, you will be married to Richard."

I just stood there stunned. I knew what he wanted. I mean my sister did warn me, but to actually hear it come out of his mouth…let's just say I was nowhere near as prepared as I should have been. Ares nudged my hand and that broke me out of the trance I had fallen into. I looked around the room; Mike looked totally and completely shocked; Richard looked satisfied; my mother looked as equally shocked as Mike; and Morgan looked ready to kill. My eyes finally reached back to my father, who had this look on his face that, if looks could talk, would say, 'check and mate.' Looking him straight in the eye, I gave him my answer. "No."

It took a few seconds but what I said finally registered. "What do you mean no. You forget, young lady, that I'm your father," my father replied with an angry look on his face.

My heart was pounding a mile a minute as I considered my answer. My eyes never left his. Finally I spoke. "Well, Daddy, the way I see it, you were the man who lived at the house and ruled over us. You were never a father. At one point you may have been to Kelly, but you never were my father. You're nothing but a selfish pigheaded bastard who provided the bare necessities. You were never there for me and I will be damned before I go back to your home. It stopped being home for me about seven years ago. Answer me this. Am I even your daughter? I know about all the talk. I know about all the speculation. Now I want an answer. Am-I-Your-Daughter?" By this point I was furious and pressing up against the bar.

My father looked like someone has slapped him with a fish and he didn't know what to do. Richard, however, did not have that handicap. Faster than anyone would have given him credit for, he punched me and I went flying back against the back wall. Morgan was at my side in an instant checking to see if I was okay. A fully enraged Ares leapt over the bar and knocked Richard down. However, he somehow knew not to kill Richard. He pinned him down to the floor, but instead of ripping his throat out, he just keep snarling and snapping in his face. Mike had his handcuffs out and ready, but was leery about approaching Ares.

Morgan helped me up and I went around the bar. I walked up to Ares, grabbed him by his collar, and pulled him off Richard. Mike then grabbed Richard and handcuffed him. It was after Mike had Richard standing that I noticed that he had wet his pants. I looked at my parents. My mother was very pale and my "father" looked shocked. I walked over to the nearest booth and sat down. Morgan walked over with some ice, aspirin, and some water. She put the stuff down and examined my head and lip. Richard had split my lip when he hit me and I had hit my head when I hit the back wall.

"So what's the verdict? Will I live?"

Morgan knelt down by my side and caressed the side of my face. "Other than your lip and a headache, is there any thing else wrong? Are you dizzy at all?"

"No, just the headache and the lip," I said quietly.

"Then, yeah, you'll live." She forced me to meet her eyes. "I'm sorry, Jess. I should have been able to stop him. I mean I was looking right at him when he moved, but I didn't see any warning that he was going to hit you."

"Morgan it's not your fault…."

Anything else that was going to be said stopped as a shadow fell over us. I looked up and saw my mother standing there looking apprehensive. I scooted over and pulled Morgan up beside me, and motioned my mother to have a seat on the other side.

After a few minutes of me looking at my mother and my mother staring at her hands, she spoke. "You're right," she whispered.

I almost didn't hear her she was so quiet. I looked over at Morgan to see if she had any idea of what she was talking about. By the bewildered look on her face I guessed she didn't. I covered my mother's hand with my own and squeezed it gently. "Mother, what do you mean that I'm right?"

"He's not your father." I started to speak but she stopped me first. "I don't know much about your real father. He was a man I met when I was 17 and in high school. I only knew his first name, which was Drake. Like I said I met him while I was in high school and I fell in love with him. However, I was just another girl in another town for him. Drake was a gentle lover. He was very attentive and met all my needs. However, soon the road called and he left one night with out saying goodbye. The two weeks we were together were the best two weeks of my life.

A month after he left, I found out that I was pregnant with you. My father was furious. My father arranged a wedding quickly. Within a week I was married to James. When you were born you were so small. It was perfect. As far as everyone was concerned you were born six weeks early. However, only my parents and me knew that you were born exactly on time. Everything went great for a while. James was the proud new papa. You were born with black hair and you had your green eyes. But that was ok as I had a great grandmother with green eyes. Then as you got older your hair turned lighter and by the time you were two you had blonde hair. It was then that James changed. He's not a stupid man and quickly figured out that you weren't his. Then I got pregnant with Kelly and everything settled down for a while. He ignored you and loved Kelly. I know that it hurt you but it was better than him beating you. You don't know how many times I had to threaten him, when he got drunk and wanted to take his anger out on you. You see, part of my marriage deal was that as long as my parents were alive then they would support the law firm.

However, two months ago they were in that car wreak and now there is no more money. The law firm can't hold its' own. I didn't know about Richard and James' plan. You see one of the conditions of my parents' will was that if at the time of their death I wanted to leave this marriage then I could. James won't be able to get any of the money they left me. I have already filed for divorce and it should be final by the time we get back. When we get back I plan on packing Kelly's and my stuff up and moving out of the state. That's why we drove out here. I used the excuse of wanted to see the sites to check out some of the different states. I really like it here though. That is if you can stand having me around. I won't blame you if you don't want me here and I won't move here if you don't want me to."

I just stared at my mother. I was totally lost. After all these years my childhood finally made since. We heard a noise behind us and turned to look. My father was trying to make his way over to us and Mike was trying to stop him. Morgan and Ares got up to go and take care of the problem. I turned back around and looked at my mother. "Based on what you just said and what a remember, a lot of my childhood makes so much more sense now." Looking into my mother's eyes, I gave her the answer we both needed. "Mama, I would love for you to come here. Or, if not here, at least somewhere nearby. I think Morgan would like it too. Her mother died about ten years ago and with her death Morgan is the last of her family. We have made our own family together and I hope that's okay with you because you won't just get me, you will get both of us. Morgan is my love and my life. I don't plan on living without her in it. This is our home. This is also where we plan on growing old together. I can't and I won't let anyone take that from us."

My mother looked at me and smiled. "Yes, I can see that. She is a very special woman. I would love to take her into our family. After we get back home I will call you with details. But now I do believe you have some decisions to make. So let's go join Morgan and that lovely officer."

I looked up at my mother and smiled. I got out of the booth and waited for her to join me, giving her a hug as she did so. We walked back over to the bar and Mike looked at me. "Well, lass, what do you want to do with this creep. Do ya want me to take him to jail or not?"

I looked at everyone and then made my decision. I looked first at the man that I will no longer call my father and then at Richard. "No, Mike, he's not going to jail. However, if I ever see the two of you again then you will. I want you off this property and out of my life for good. Don't come back, because next time Ares won't just snap and growl. Next time I will let him go for the kill. Richard, you're really lucky he didn't kill you to begin with. I think next time you think about hitting a woman you should think about this and how close you came to dying. Because I can guarantee you that you came within a hair's breathe of it. Now leave and don't come back."

Morgan nodded in agreement and Mike took the cuffs off Richard. My mother gave me a hug and whispered that she would see me soon. Then my mother, James, and Richard left the bar. Mike left soon afterwards and then it was only Morgan and me there. Morgan moved around and closed up the bar. She came back and took me into her arms and gave me a long hug. Because of my lip she couldn't kiss me, but I could tell she wanted to. I looked up into her eyes and smiled. "What do you say we go home?" I asked softly.

Morgan leaned her forehead against mine and answered just as softly, "I'd love to."

The End

This is the end of my first story. For all of you who have read it please drop me a note and let me know what you think. I would also like to thank Barb (PatsBard) for being my editor and helping me through some of the parts. If it weren't for her this would not be done yet. Once again thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed it.

Wolfie