2 Alliance Square

"I uh, yeah, good bye; good luck," Ashley stammered.

When she and Penny had lived together, their affections were limited to the bedroom, and only when they were both sure that Mealy and Mandy were sound asleep. Even hand holding seemed to bring out Penny's insecurities, so, outside of the bedroom, there was little hand holding, few displays of affection.

Penny certainly never kissed Ashley, out in front of the condominium, where anyone could see.

"Love you," Tiffany smiled, climbing into her car.

Penny never called Ashley 'Sweetheart' out in public, never said 'love you' in public. Ashley felt the sting of tears, tears of happiness at her eyes.

"Love you too, Sweetheart," Ashley called out as the Nissan backed out.

Arriving home, after having to fire Jason Kern for falsifying a client's records, Ashley felt the first smile of the evening crease her face. Tiffany's car was already there.

"There she is, there's Miss Ashley," Tiffany said when Ashley entered the condo. "Tell her you want a treat."

"Oh, is Mommy abusing you?" Ashley cooed, fishing out a few treats for Lady.

Over dinner, Ashley listened as Tiffany described her day. She furrowed her brow as Tiffany talked about the employee benefits.

"Tiffany, I studied that in college," Ashley interrupted Tiffany. "But half of what you're saying isn't making a bit of sense to me.

"Okay, on the first tier, good God, why would anyone even go for that plan? You are covered for basic, but catastrophic? Oh well, too bad so sad," Tiffany again tried to break it all down.

"Wait right here," Ashley interrupted, getting to her feet.

Ashley found her own insurance plan and carried it to the table. Tiffany flipped through the booklet, then pointed out where Ashley had been overpaying.

"This tier three plan? Ashley, when's the last time you went out of the network?" Tiffany asked. "God, whoever sold this plan to you, twenty three dollars and eighty four cents? Oh my God; you're putting, hmm, Janice Greene's kids through college, you hear? In November? You need to drop down to the level two."

"Told you, diabetes runs in my family," Ashley weakly defended.

"And tier two covers that, even covers experimental drugs," Tiffany said.

She continued to read the thick pamphlet while Ashley sat, chewing her meal. Tiffany then flipped backward through the book. After a moment, she flipped to the appendix and read quickly.

"However, tier three? It covers one hundred percent of in vitro fertilization, minus your co-pay," Tiffany said. "And if you have a spouse and she wants to get pregnant? Co-pay plus deductible and..."

"What?" Ashley screeched.

"Oh think about it," Tiffany said, getting to her feet.

She stepped behind Ashley's chair. With a soft kiss to Ashley's neck, Tiffany reached around and cupped Ashley's breasts.

"Tummy getting all big?" Tiffany cooed into Ashley's ear. "Titties getting all big with milk?"

"Oh, shut up," Ashley demanded.

"And my little Ash would have a baby to love, a baby to nurture," Tiffany whispered.

"Tiffany, I'm not playing this game with you," Ashley demanded, trying to push Tiffany's groping hands away from her heavy breasts.

"You been paying all that money all this time," Tiffany reminded Ashley, giving Ashley's cheek a soft kiss. "About time you got your money's worth.

"You're being ridiculous," Ashley snapped.

That night, while Tiffany was slipping on a cute, soft baby doll nightie to sleep in, Ashley jerked open her bottom drawer. She saw the light green tee shirt at the bottom of the drawer and pulled it out.

A fund raiser for children with birth defects had sponsored a twenty mile bicycle race to raise money. Ashley had given one thousand dollars of her own money, plus had coerced Brad Prescott into donating another thousand dollars, should she come in first place at the race. She did come in first, beating the next cyclist by fifteen seconds. She then turned around and also donated the five hundred dollars first place prize to the charity.

For all of that, they gave her a lime green tee shirt with the name of the charity and the date of the bicycle race emblazoned on the front. But the organizers had only purchased adult male size extra-large. Ashley pulled the tee shirt out and slipped it on over her nude form.

Tiffany watched from the bed as her lover approached the bed, wearing a lime green tent. Her eyebrows went up as Ashley grabbed a pillow from the bed and walked toward the free standing full length mirror.

"Oh my fucking God," Ashley murmured as she wadded up the pillow and put it under the large tee shirt.

A pregnant Ashley was the sexiest thing she'd ever seen in that mirror. Ashley turned and looked at her profile in the mirror, then turned and looked at herself from the front again.

"You bitch," Ashley then said to Tiffany, throwing her pillow at Tiffany. "You unbelievable little bitch."

"Uh huh," Tiffany said, neatly arranging Ashley's pillow.

Ashley slipped into her favorite tap pants and camisole top before turning out the light. She slipped under the covers and found Tiffany's warm body.

"Ask you something?" Tiffany asked.

"Uh huh," Ashley agreed.

"How long, when, Ashley, when did you know you were gay?" Tiffany asked.

"Good God, probably, Jesus, think I was about nine or ten," Ashley mused aloud. "Becky? My best friend? She had this older sister Rhonda and Rhonda and her girlfriend, anyway, Becky and me, Becky and I, we walked in on Rhonda and Kimmie and they were kissing and touching each other and it was like I'd been punched in the stomach."

They lay in the dark bedroom. Ashley reached out and brushed Tiffany's face with her fingertips.

"All my other friends? 'Oh isn't Greg cute?' 'I want to marry Brian' and 'Becky let John-John touch her boobs' and I'm sitting there thinking that Greg and Brian and John-John are disgusting and gross, I mean, shit, Brian picked his nose for God's sakes," Ashley murmured. "I never could get that image of Rhonda and Kimmie out of my head, how sweet it looked, how simple and beautiful and natural it looked."

"Oh," Tiffany said quietly.

"You?" Ashley asked.

"Me what?" Tiffany asked.

"When did you realize that you're gay?" Ashley asked.

"I'm not," Tiffany said. "I mean, oh fuck it, and know what? I am. I am gay."

She touched Ashley's face softly. Then she scooted closer and gently kissed Ashley's lips.

"I listened to my friends; they said Earl liked me, so I let Earl fuck me," Tiffany whispered. "And I'm lying there, thinking, Jesus, this stinks. I mean, I got nothing out of it, at all. And of course, Earl tells everyone I'm easy, I put out and I've got this guy and that guy after me."

Tiffany lay quietly for a moment. Ashley listened to Tiffany's breathing.

"I mean, I know I'm supposed to like this guy and that guy, all my friends do, and I'm just wondering what's wrong with me?" Tiffany said. "And then, you brushed my hair."

"Well, had to get all the star fish and sea shells and..." Ashley smiled.

"And it felt right," Tiffany whispered. "It felt right, you touching me. Like you said, it felt beautiful and natural and right."

*.*

"God, I just love looking at the Christmas lights," Tiffany sighed as they followed the throng of cars that travelled slowly along Crestview Drive.

"Uh huh," Ashley said, staring intently at an elaborate Nativity scene in front of a beautiful home.

"Oh, now that's pretty," Tiffany said, also looking at the Nativity scene.

"Uh huh, always surprised the shit out of me that he didn't burst into flames as he put it out," Ashley said, now looking at the home itself.

"You know them?" Tiffany asked.

"Mm hmm," Ashley agreed.

Before Tiffany could ask, Ashley pointed at the house and said, "Mom and Dad. And you'd be shocked at what goes on behind those stained glass doors."

"Is that, so that's where it all started?" Tiffany asked.

A car horn honked and Tiffany eased forward. She gave one last look at the house, then looked over at an animated Elves' Village.

"Dad tells you be nice to his friend so he can get their account and Mom just says learn to like it; someone needs to pay for those swimming lessons," Ashley said bitterly.

"Oh, Ashley," Tiffany said, clutching Ashley's hand tightly.

"I survived, Ashley shrugged.

Then Ashley gasped, ice blue eyes open wide. Tiffany looked away from the elaborate display and saw a few beads of sweat pop out on Ashley's forehead.

"Ashley?" Tiffany asked.

"Oh! God, I don't know what that was, but whew!" Ashley grunted, hand resting on her belly.

A few minutes later, Ashley let out another gasp. Tiffany immediately lowered her window and waved frantically at a police officer.

"Yes ma'am?" the man asked politely.

"Officer, my wife, I think she's in labor," Tiffany shrilled.

The officer blew a whistle and made motions with his arm. Twenty feet ahead, two more officers moved a barricade. Ashley gasped again, then let out a groan.

"Move it, sir," the officer barked at the car ahead of Tiffany's Lexus.

"Thank you, Officer," Tiffany called out.

"Uh huh, name it after me," the man smiled and waved them through the narrow opening.

Tiffany sped toward Alliance Square Health Facility, even though they were only a few miles away from the Lowridge Hospital.

"Oh, Tiffany, I hate you," Ashley groaned through a contraction. "You hear? Why'd I let you talk me into this?"

"Because we wanted kids," Tiffany said calmly, negotiating through evening traffic.

Nine hours, seventeen minutes later, Ashley forgot about her hatred of Tiffany as she cradled Jonathon Andrew Dunn in her arms. She looked up at Tiffany and smiled.

"It's a boy," Ashley whispered.

"It's a boy," Tiffany agreed.

The two women kissed, then looked at the tiny child in Ashley's arms. Suddenly, Tiffany gasped, hazel eyes opened wide. Her hand went to her belly.

"Oh no! Now you?" Ashley asked as Tiffany gasped for air.

"I God, I think so," Tiffany wheezed, hand over her belly.

It was a false alarm. Danielle Nicole Dunn waited another thirty three hours and five minutes before letting out her first lusty cry.

*.*

Ashley watched from the door of the second bedroom, their nursery. Tiffany sat in the rocker, gently rocking as Johnny suckled from Tiffany's breast.

Sensing Ashley's eyes on them, Tiffany looked up and smiled, a loving, beatific smile.

"I'd just finished Danielle and he started crying," Tiffany tried to explain.

When Tiffany had found that section in her insurance packet, inflaming within Ashley the desire to bear and have a child, Ashley had relinquished the last bit of stoic determination and control of her life. The first thing she had done was find a therapist within her network, to exorcize the demons of her childhood.

The first therapist had spewed fortune cookie advice at Ashley.

"Oh, it's not your fault; you didn't bring this on yourself," Dr. Fletcher cooed.

"I know that, you ignorant bitch," Ashley said. "No one ever asks to have their parents use them as a fuck toy. I'm asking you, how the fuck do I move on?"

Dr. Maureen Sandberg was a rotund grandmotherly woman that cut right to the chase. She had Ashley relive the feelings, had Ashley confront the feelings of powerlessness, the lack of control. Then she had Ashley move toward empowering herself, first her child, then her teenager, and finally, her adult self.

"It is quite common among those that suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder to build walls around themselves. If you can't come in, you can't hurt me," Dr. Sandberg said. "But Ashley, if you could let one person in, just one person, who would that person be?"

"That little blonde snot made me start coming to see you," Ashley smiled, then laughed out loud.

"And why is she a 'snot' Ashley?" Dr. Sandberg asked, smiling at her patient's laughter.

"She is everything I absolutely hate," Ashley said. "She's blonde, she's beautiful, she's perky and bubbly and cute and happy; she just bounces through life, has no direction whatsoever, just goes wherever the wind blows her."

"Yeah, I'd be jealous of her too," Dr. Sandberg agreed.

Tiffany was a little curious, but excited when Ashley said she had the night off; they were going out to eat. She was elated when Ashley drove them to Geno's Italian restaurant.

"My lasagna's better," Tiffany whispered. "But their ravioli? There's no way I can get mine like theirs."

Over dinner, Ashley talked a little about her walls. Tiffany listened, all too familiar with the walls that Ashley had put around herself. Ashley's cold, impersonal façade at 2 Alliance Square, down to firing Tiffany, even if Tiffany had deserved to be fired.

"And my therapist asked me today, if I could let one person, just one person to come in, to peek behind my walls, who would that be?" Ashley said as the waitress cleared away their dinner plates.

"Y'all thinking 'bout desserts? We got a chocolate cake to die for," the girl said.

"Two cakes, and two coffees," Ashley said, in a tone of voice that let the waitress know she was interrupting an important discussion.

"And what'd you tell Dr. Sandberg?" Tiffany asked, hazel eyes looking deeply into Ashley's eyes.

"Told her I'd let you in," Ashley smiled.

Her smile widened. Tiffany watched Ashley's smile and waited.

"I told my therapist that I love you, that I'm in love with you, and I'm terrified you might leave me, you might hurt me, but I can't keep letting fear run my life for me," Ashley said.

"I'm not ever going to leave you," Tiffany whispered.

"Here we go," the waitress said, placing the desserts down. "Coffee's brewing right now."

"Tiffany, I, you, I, God, this is hard," Ashley said, ignoring the waitress.

"Before you go any further," Tiffany said, reaching out and taking Ashley's hand. "I been sitting here the whole night, listening, letting you do all the talking."

"I uh, I needed to..." Ashley said.

"Well, now it's my turn. I get to talk now," Tiffany said, reaching into her purse with her other hand.

She looked deeply into Ashley's eyes for a long moment. Then, taking a deep breath to steady herself, Tiffany squeezed Ashley's hand.

"I, Ashley, I, will you marry me?" Tiffany asked, placing a small box onto the table.

Now, standing in the doorway of the nursery, Ashley watched as Tiffany lay a sleeping Johnny into his crib. Still bare-chested, her wife approached, arms open.

"Uh huh, mommy's all drained, but what am I supposed to do with all my milk?" Ashley asked, hefting one of her milk-filled breasts.

"Oh, I can think of something," Tiffany cooed.

They kissed softly. Tiffany took Ashley's hand and pulled her into the small hallway.

Just as she turned off the light in the nursery, Ashley saw the clown figurine. She had painted that clown figurine when she was younger, before the nightmare started.

A cold shiver went through her and Ashley vowed she would throw that damned thing away. She would throw that clown away and paint a new one. She would paint a new one for her son, and one for her daughter.

THE END

**Author's Note: I write these stories for my pleasure; I post them here for your enjoyment. I thank you sincerely for reading my stories.

I especially thank those that take the time to leave comments, good and bad. I do read all comments.

I also thank those that take the time it takes to rate my stories, and those that 'Favorite' my stories.

I do not read emails. So, if you've anything to say about this story, please leave it here so that we may all enjoy your words of wit and wisdom.

Nina Crowder is a character from the 'Tequila' series. In that series, she is a collection agent. Having been a collection agent myself, I do know what a difficult job it is and had actually thought to make Nina Crowder the primary character of this story, but, damn it, the keyboard just would not cooperate.

Vince and Monica Davis are characters from 'Each Day' in the Loving Wives category. In that story, Monica is pregnant with Vinnie Davis.

Have a swell day. And some of you? Have a swollen day.