Valkyries & Vixens

"We should probably go." Paige moaned as she kissed Courtney's neck

"Need to get back to the shop?" Courtney asked, leaning back on the blanket.

"No. But I think the church group that just wandered by is probably going to call the police." Paige said nervously. Courtney bolted upright. She'd gotten so lost in her fuck that she'd forgotten they were outside. Her eyes scanned the wooded grove for the group but only saw the exact same empty, secluded space they'd been in.

"You little brat." Courtney said, slapping Paige's shoulder.

"God you're just entirely too easy" Paige laughed wildly

"If I didn't love you...." Courtney started but just slapped Paige again.

Chapter 7.

It was the laziest of Sundays. Not a single customer in the store. Courtney was waiting around for Paige to be ready for their date, Damian was drawing and Paige was scribbling notes into an accounts ledger.

"How's the new issue coming?" Courtney asked. Damian frowned and erased something before getting back to it.

"It's coming I suppose." Damian shrugged

"Because I have some good news for you." Courtney continued, looking proud of herself.

"You're planning on murdering Paige and then fleeing to Mexico so I can work in peace?" Damian kept looking down, furiously re-drawing whatever it was that he'd been unhappy with. "I applaud the spirit of it but at the end of the day it'd mean I'd be responsible for paying the bills and everything."

"No." Courtney had long learned to ignore the things Damian actually said. "But you know how I work for the University publisher?"

"If I did I've long since consigned that piece of trivia to a box in the dustiest attic of my brain."

"Well, we had to work out this joint deal with this bigger publisher in town by the name of Harris and Sons. And they have a graphic novel division. So I showed them issue #24 of Damo and PJ, which I still love the best, and they've agreed to publish it wide scale" Courtney announced happily.

"They have?" Damo looked up from his drawing. Paige rolled her eyes.

"They have." Courtney nodded.

"That's funny because I have a great piece of news for you too Courtney." Damian said excitedly "I spoke to this neighbourhood pimp by the name of Big Daddy Chocolate right? And he's agreed to let you stand on the street corner for him and sell your self-respect and integrity too!"

Courtney just looked at him for a second, shaking her head sadly.

"Oooh, we'll be just like sisters!" Damian said with a mock squeal. Paige leaned over and kicked him in the shins.

"Translated into human, baby, what Damian means to say is that while he thanks you for your caring about him and for your interest in his work, he's had several offers to publish but he remains committed to keeping this an independent work because of his distrust of the artistic limitations involved in working for a major publisher as well as his deep love of eating Ramen noodles three meals a day."

"Breakfast, lunch and dinner of champions." Damian agreed before going back to drawing. Courtney looked at him with amazement.

"And some lucky girl hasn't snapped him up. Boggles the mind it does." Courtney said with a shake of her head before looking at her watch. "Movie starts in 20 minutes, angel."

Paige nodded. She closed the books and walked to the back of the store to put them away. It was then that Paige began to hear the familiar chirping of her phone. She reached into her pocket but it was on the counter. Paige caught a lump in her throat.

Paige had been speaking to her ex, Shannon, for a few weeks now. It'd started off as just a few conversations in an attempt to stay in touch, maybe see if they could work the friend thing out. It had turned into both of them revealing that they were not terribly happy in their current relationships. Shannon had grown to re-discover what had annoyed her about her ex-boyfriend as well as missing being with another woman sexually. Paige, well, Paige was complicated.

She loved Courtney. Loved everything about her. But there was an unease that had settled in. A growing sense of dread that there was never going to be another new relationship in her life. That she was going to grow old and settle down with Courtney and never feel that rush of new sex or new discovery with someone else. It was like Paige couldn't picture her life without Courtney in a way she'd never had with Shannon. Something that terrified her.

And so she'd flirted with Shannon a little. It had started off with reminiscing about things they'd done and then led to talking about things they'd still like to do. Nothing had happened, in Paige's mind, but they'd had cyber sex. Sent some dirty text messages. It made Paige feel tremendously guilty but she was getting a little bit of the thrill from that very limited betrayal that she'd feared would be gone from her life forever. So when she saw Courtney pick up her phone, Paige felt almost as if her world was shattering. She desperately prayed that it was just some random call and not what she knew it most likely was. Shannon had gotten a new tattoo in a risque place and Paige had remarked that she wouldn't mind seeing it. Paige just got back to the counter in time to see Courtney's eyes fill up with tears and throw the phone at her. Courtney had grown up playing soccer, however, and her throw went wide, cracking into Damian's ear.

"Fuck. I use that ear for hearing!" Damian exclaimed in pain as he clutched his head. Courtney just looked at Paige, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Why? Why? All you ever do is bitch about how awful she was." Courtney finally got out. Paige felt, well, there were no words for it. Ashamed and embarrassed and regretful and like the worst woman in the world didn't get the job done combined. Damian bent down to pick up the phone, looked at it a second, then dropped it again.

"I hate it when Mom and Dad fight." He muttered before quicky making his way to the stair case that lead to his apartment.

It all came out. Courtney yelled and swore some more and demanded an explanation. Paige completely confessed to the whole thing. All of Paige's insecurities and confusion and fear for the future. All of her feeling like this was the last relationship she'd ever be in and while it was a lovely thought on the surface it also terrified her.

"That's what fucking adults do!" Courtney yelled, apparently not very satisfied with the explanation "They find someone who makes them happy and they stop fucking around."

"I know, I know!" Paige said "But it's scary. And I freaked and I did something stupid and I'm sorry."

"You panicked? And did something secretly over the course of a few weeks? That's not what panic is." Courtney yelling before adding with incredulity "And with that fucking bitch"

"That 'bitch' used to be a big part of my life." Paige shot back, feeling mildly protective of Shannon. "It's hard to just turn off those feelings when they bubble back up again."

"I can't even fucking look at you right now." Courtney said, shaking her head with a tear streaming down her face and throwing her purse over her shoulder. "I thought I was in a relationship with a grown-up, Bat-man pyjamas aside, but you sound like an absolute idiot."

"Cor, for fuck's sakes hold up a second..." Paige pleaded but Courtney kept storming towards the door, turning back to look angrily at Paige again.

"Don't follow me." She said harshly. "And lose my number for a while."

"Cor..."

"And grow the fuck up!" Courtney yelled as she slammed the door shut, shaking the entire frame of the shop. She stood on the other side of the glass for a second and opened the door. Paige smiled a little, thinking she may want to talk some more but she just slammed the door again.

Chapter 8.

The next three weeks were brutal for Paige. She tried giving Courtney some space and did, in fact, lose her number for a while. But when she tried calling a few days later, after having cried for nearly two days straight, Courtney still wouldn't take her calls. Not a week after that, either. She tried going to Courtney's apartment but Courtney wouldn't even come to the door. Paige sent flowers and chocolates. Courtney either didn't get them or didn't care. Eventually, Paige simply decided that if it could be fixed, it would be after more time. She left Courtney alone.

Paige kicked herself every day, all day, for the entirety of the three weeks. Her days used to be full with the woman she loved like nobody she'd ever loved before. Now it was her empty house and a few hours a day in her store. The only person she could even talk to about it was Damian and he was not the most sympathetic of ears. Not that Paige felt she deserved much sympathy. So she lamented at work and cried at home. She stopped the thing with Shannon the day after the incident at the store. Even as she did it Paige couldn't believe she'd jeopardized her relationship with Courtney for more of crazy Shannon. Paige was alone and depressed and she felt she deserved to be. She was miserable every day, all day.

So it was no different on the Friday the 8th of June. It was her and Damian, him scribbling away and her standing glumly by the register listening to his music. She'd wigged out because she thought life with a gorgeous, funny, adventurous girlfriend would be all there was. Now she looked at what her life was like because of what she'd done, thought that might be the rest of her life, and the thought made her want to jump in front of a bus.

"What's the song?" She said, glumly, falling back into her routine.

"The Weepies. Gotta Have You."

"Because you're trying to get me to slit my wrists?" Paige sighed

"Playlist is on random. I can put on Britney Spears if you like." Damian said, his tone the same as it ever was.

Paige just sighed again. She went back to unpacking a few boxes when she heard the door open. She stood up and there, looking as tired and worn out as Paige knew she did, was Courtney. Wearing an oversized rugby shirt and jeans instead of her usual smart attire. She looked harshly at Paige but some of the anger in her eyes had definitely faded. Paige was just happy to see those eyes again. Courtney threw something at her. Paige flinched but it was only a bundle of papers.

"Ok, you wrote it. Now say it." Courtney demanded, her soft Scottish accent sounding guarded but hopeful. Courtney picked up the papers and saw that, to her surprise, it was a copy of the Mildly Interesting Adventures of Damo & PJ #30. The one they'd only sold out of a few days ago. It detailed Damian's entirely half-hearted effort to cheer Paige up with his theory about how the Star Wars prequels were a gigantic cry for help from George Lucas.

"Damian's stupid theory?" Paige said, entirely confused. "I didn't write it but he figures that Anakin Skywalker is a proxy for George Lucas. Anakin is supposed to be the Chosen One and George Lucas had to make these ridiculously anticipated movies that couldn't possibly please people who'd waited 20 years. So just like Anakin buckled under the pressure of being the chosen one and not being able to save Natalie Portman, George Lucas buckled under the pressure of not being able to satisfy his fan base and they both turned evil and succumbed to the temptations of the dark side which represents overly commercial film-making."

Courtney looked angrily at Paige.

"If you're not even going to take this seriously I can leave for good." Courtney said, throwing her hands up in frustration.

"No, no, don't." Paige pleaded and picked up the book. She began flipping through the pages. It was an entirely different book than the one they'd sold. It was Damo and PJ in the store with Paige crying big cartoon-y tears and wailing while Damo looked annoyed. Paige began reading it outloud.

"Dear Cor. I'm sorry I was such an unbelievable idiot. I don't know why I have a tendency to sabotage my own happiness but I did it in the worst possible way here. I betrayed your trust and hurt the one person in the world who I'd never want to hurt. It was a childish reaction to pressures that I wasn't ready to deal with but, now that I've seen the consequences of fucking things up with you I've gained some perspective and desperately want you to give me another chance to prove that I only ever want to be with you which I do with all of my heart. If you can find it in your heart to forgive me, I'm terribly sad and lonely without the one person I love most in the world. You're the smartest, funniest, sexiest girl I've ever met and you smell like strawberries. Please come back."

Paige kept reading the entire way. Not stopping for a second and getting choked up as she read the words that she did, in fact, recognize as her own over the course of her month confiding in Damian. She turned to him for a second. He remained impassive, continuing to draw.

"I fucking hate second printings." He said, already drawing Courtney in the doorway for the next issue. "Always lose the punch of the original."

"You mean it?" Courtney asked, a tiny smile on her face.

"Totally." Paige nodded.

"And you realize this doesn't totally get you off the hook but it's a step?"

"Yeah, yeah, absolutely." Paige nodded enthusiastically.

"Then I could really use a bit of a kiss right now." Courtney said, smiling her gorgeous smile at Paige for the first time in what felt like ages. Paige didn't need to be told twice, practically jumping over the counter to grasp Courtney's waist and lean in for a soft kiss. Courtney returned it for a second before the two embraced.

"God, I missed you much." Paige said, tears streaming down her face as she kissed the back of Courtney's head. It still smelled like strawberries.

"I missed you too, you dork." Courtney said, also through tears.

"How'd you get this?" Paige said looking at the book again as she clutched Courtney's head to her shoulder.

"Messengered to my office. It wasn't from you?" Courtney said, sounding a little disturbed.

"I sent flowers and chocolates."

"I know. I sent them back here." Courtney nodded, her tears staining Paige's shirt.

"You did?"

"The flowers are upstairs." Damian interjected "The chocolates were a little chewy."

"I don't get it. It has your signature and everything." Courtney said, blowing her nose on Paige's shirt sleeve.

"I sign for things here all the time." Damian offered. Paige had already figured it out. She'd have thanked Damian but she was too busy gripping onto Courtney as tightly as she could.

"So you?" Courtney continued

"I just draw the pictures. Everything PJ says is taken right from the source."

"Damian..."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, the caustic cynic is actually revealed to be something of a romantic." Damian said with annoyance "It's bad enough being a cliche, there's really no need for us all to dwell on it."

"I think you should give Damian a raise." Courtney said, kissing Paige's neck. Paige kissed back, still lost for words. She was flipping through the book and came to a page that she hadn't read before.

"Oh and Damo says something too. On the back cover." Paige said, smiling as she read it herself.

"I didn't read the back cover." Courtney said

"He says you should say you're sorry for hitting him with the phone and that he would like you to come back as well." Paige read

"I'm sorry I hit you with the phone Damo." Courtney laughed "And thank you."

"Yeah, well," Damian said, his pencil as busy as ever. "With you around she bothers me less."

Paige and Courtney held each other for a few seconds, staring into each others eyes.

"Di lub you." Courtney giggled through her tears.

"Di lub you too." Paige said. She couldn't stop crying or smiling or holding Courtney as tightly as she could to make sure that she was real.

"Ugh, I'd really stop that if I were you." Damian advised, sounding thoroughly disgusted "My projectile vomiting will probably ruin the moment."

"You'll close up?" Paige said, looking back to him with tears in her eyes and a wide, thankful smile on her face. Damian did not look up to see it.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Go have your filthy, deviant make-up sex."

Which, after walking out of Valkyries and Vixens hand in hand, is precisely what they did.

The End