Ch. 05 - The Cheese Factory 2

WARNING. There is an incident involving violence with a weapon in this chapter. Nobody is seriously hurt, but please be aware.

Carys had done her best to tidy the hotel room a little, showered, and went home soon after Alice had left. She had something to eat, found a pair of cut-off denim shorts and a T-shirt to replace the red bikini, and pottered around the house, killing time.

At lunchtime, Alice texted Carys:

Lover - Go to the clothes shop called Lady's Business on Gould Street in Bondi straight away, just across Hall Street from my hotel. Buy a business suit, and don't worry about paying. Tell the manager you work with Morgaine Conglomerates and quote the code MOR-566. She is expecting you. Then get a cab to Grosvenor Place, 255 George Street, The Rocks, by three. I want you to meet someone with me. Trust me, I love you xxx

Carys's heart fluttered excitedly as she read Alice's message, and a radiant smile spread across her face. Without a moment's hesitation, she gathered her belongings and rushed out the door to catch a bus back to the hotel.

Dropping her few bits and pieces in the room, she raced across the road, looking for the shop Alice had mentioned in her text. At the clothes shop, she told the manager what she needed and gave her the code Alice had given her. Quickly and efficiently, the manager checked her measurements. "Regrettably, Miss, we are a little limited in style choice. Yours is not a particularly common size!"

"Mmm. I can imagine!" said Carys, her eyes twinkling. "I'll bet that most of your customers are a tad smaller and more petite than me, hmm?"

The manager allowed her professional face to slip and grinned broadly as she looked up at the tall brunette: "That's a bit of an understatement if I can be so bold, Miss! We have a few styles available, and as I understand that cost is not a major issue, it does open a few more avenues. Perhaps you might consider this one?" Showing Carys a beautiful powder blue trouser suit, she continued: "I would not recommend a skirt and jacket combination -- with your length of leg, it would be considerably shorter on you than would be ideal! Might I also suggest this to go underneath?" She handed Carys a pale peach, open-collared blouse.

Carys nodded, went into the fitting room to try on the suit, and gasped with shock as she saw the price tag on the blouse: "My god! What the hell? This blouse alone costs more than I make in a couple of weeks at work!" She checked the tag on the suit and sat down hard. For a moment, she wondered what on earth she was getting into. "Where is all this money coming from?"

She sat for a moment, staring at the suit hanging on the back of the fitting room door, and slowly pulled out her phone and re-read Alice's text message, pausing on the last few words: ... Trust me, I love you xxx

Her heart lurched, and she whispered: "Yes, Alice, I do trust you, and I love you too!"

She stood up again, quickly stripped off her shorts and T-shirt and tried on the blouse and suit. The fabric caressed her skin like a second layer, and she couldn't help but admire how it accentuated her statuesque figure as she turned this way and that, admiring her reflection in the big mirror. She nodded to herself in the mirror and stepped out of the fitting room.

The manager eyed her critically for a second or two, then nodded. "Very nice, Miss... but you might care to do something about that...", pointing at Carys' flip-flops, with a huge grin. Carys blushed scarlet and nodded. The other woman pointed to a large display of shoes and said, "I would suggest flat heels, Miss, your suit is cut with that in mind, and probably a pair of slip-on court shoes, like these...?" Carys nodded, getting more and more out of her depth, "... and this clutch bag for your phone and the... um... items you were wearing earlier?" The smile on the woman's face told Carys that she wasn't being patronised, just teased a little!

"Can you tell I'm completely out of my comfort zone, here?" said Carys ruefully.

"Only a little, Miss," grinned the other woman, "but don't worry, you will soon get used to it! Now, are we ready?"

Carys nodded, rather self-consciously, "In which case, Miss, if I could ask for your signature just here," the manager pointed to a sales slip on the counter and handed Carys a pen, "I will call you a taxi."

The taxi whisked her across town and dropped her outside one of the office blocks. Her pulse rate climbed, and her heart was in her mouth as she walked through the revolving glass doors and scanned the entrance hall for Alice.

She spotted the tiny redhead sitting at a low table with five men, all impeccably dressed in dark business suits, talking animatedly and smiling at each other. Alice spotted her and waved. She said something to the men she was with, jumped up and rocketed across the foyer! She hugged Carys, her eyes shining with affection.

"Ohhh... Carys... I have missed you! Wonderful news, and I'll explain as we go... follow my lead and don't be surprised!"

Carys stole a quick glance at the five men who were watching the exchange between Carys and Alice with great interest. Her brow furrowed slightly in curiosity as she bent to whisper in Alice's ear: "Are these the people you want me to meet?"

"Indeed, I do," said Alice, lecherously eyeing the statuesque beauty and wishing they were alone! She bit her lip to stop herself from giggling and whispered, "Shush! Stop tickling my ear, I'm already horny enough seeing you in that stunning suit! Now just play it by ear, and all will come clear soon enough"

Carys' cheeks flushed at Alice's whisper, her azure eyes sparkling with mischief. Alice gently squeezed Carys' arm; her touch electric, even through the sleeve's fabric.

"As you wish, mistress," Carys murmured with a grin, her voice low and sultry. "I'm yours to command." Alice gasped as Carys' deep contralto seemed to vibrate through her body: "Oooh... don't do that!" and giggled.

Hand in hand, they walked slowly across to the five men who stood as the two approached, carefully appraising the tall brunette. One of the men extended his hand, and Carys shook it as Alice said, "Gentlemen, I'd like to introduce my new business partner, Miss Carys McDonald, who also happens to be my fiancée."

Carys' eyes almost widened in surprise as Alice introduced her to each of the men, naming each one. She quickly recovered, offering them each a warm smile as she shook hands with them in turn: "It's a pleasure to meet you all," she said smoothly, her other hand tightening around Alice's in a silent show of affection, desperately wondering what the hell was going on. Being out of her depth in the clothes shop was nothing like this!

The man Alice had introduced as the Chief Executive, Colin Humbert, said, "On behalf of Brighstone Holdings, welcome, Miss McDonald." Turning to Alice, he said, "Shall we go back upstairs, Miss Morgaine, and we can start to finalise the arrangements?"

Alice ignored Carys' sharp intake of breath when Humbert used her surname but squeezed her hand gently, telling her to trust her. "Thank you, Mr Humbert, but I would be grateful if you would give Carys and me a few minutes to sort a few things out. A transcontinental relocation is no small matter, and I will need to start getting the wheels in motion."

"Oh, absolutely, Miss Morgaine. Please take all the time you require. Let Jo, our receptionist, know when you wish to continue, and we can show you to your new offices."

As the men walked towards the lifts, Alice turned to the towering beauty next to her and gently placed her hands on Carys' hips. "That solves the problem of me finding a job here so we can be together, but I think I have some serious explaining and apologising to do to you. I'm sorry I didn't tell you everything; there hasn't been time... we've been a bit... um... preoccupied. I'm really sorry, honey, please forgive me and trust me; we will sail through this, I promise!" She fixed her eyes on the sparkling azure eyes of her lover and blew her a tiny kiss.

"To bring you up to speed with developments... as you know, I was here to close a contract for my company in Europe. Unfortunately, the international courts declared the contract null and void yesterday, and the company has been put on notice for having broken European Fiscal Law.

"However, as I was not a party to the various offences, I have been exonerated from all involvement. As the contract involved a hostile takeover of Brighstone Holdings, whose offices we will go to in a minute, I was left in quite an awkward position. However, after a few phone calls, I was able to secure funding to bolster up Brighstone, allowing them to repurpose their holdings. To cut an already long story short, Brighstone has offered me, us, a position as a legal consulting agency to the firm. Hence my rather cryptic message at lunchtime!"

"Legal consulting agency, Alice? I don't know anything about the law!" said Carys, almost in shock.

"No, but I do... I'm a lawyer, and I specialise in Corporate Law!" She reached up and gently closed Carys' open mouth as the tall girl stared at her, dumbfounded. "Stop catching flies, love!" Standing on tiptoes, she dragged Carys' head down to hers and kissed her soundly!

A few metres away, a lift started to ascend, carrying the five men from Brighstone Enterprises. "Well," said Colin Humbert, "That caught me on the hop, I must say. In this day and age, I shouldn't automatically assume anything, but I was sort of expecting a man, and a Scot to boot, not an Australian girl!"

"Yes," said Jack Pitman slowly, "and quite a looker at that!"

"You dirty old man, Jack," laughed one of the others, "Certainly not," protested Pitman, with a grin. "I just like to admire beautiful things, and they are both worthy of a great deal of admiring! Plus... I think things will get very interesting around here, now the Duke has his fingers in our pie..."

Alice eased back down, breaking off the kiss which was threatening to get very interesting and sighed: "Ohhh... that'll have to do until later, I suppose!"

Alice went on: "Yes, my uncle is Duke Alex Morgaine of Morgaine Conglomerates and probably one of the richest men in the world, but he has made me work for every penny that I have earned, and I have worked bloody hard. I was on secondment to Gruber in Frankfurt, and it was I who uncovered their financial double-dealing. I'm known in Morgaine Conglomerates as The Terminator; it was my job to infiltrate firms and find out what was going on... an industrial spy, if you like. I guess you can see why I was so wound up emotionally and why all the tears when you finally broke through my steel armour!"

She giggled and continued: "I'm far too emotional now, thanks to you, to ever do that job efficiently again... and I don't think I'd want to... and have I told you recently that I love you? No? Then... I love you... dearly and absolutely." Her voice dropped to a whisper and she said "And I am so horny right now, I'm almost tempted to call a cab and go back to the hotel now!" She sighed. "But we need to make our future rock solid before we can do that." She stood on her tiptoes and kissed Carys full on the lips again: "Thank you for trusting me."

Carys stared at her, still trying to process all the new information: "Um... so you're not a contracts manager?" Alice shook her head.

"Your Uncle is a Duke?" Alice nodded.

"You're the heiress to a massive fortune?" Alice nodded.

"You're an industrial spy?" Alice nodded.

"You're my girlfriend?" Alice's head nearly fell off, she nodded so hard: "Oh god... yes... yes... YES! I love you so much, I think my chest is about to explode!"

For the second time in as many hours, Carys sat down hard, so confused, so far out of her comfort zone that she didn't know whether she was coming or going! Alice plonked herself down on her knee and wrapped her arms around the big brunette's neck. "Sweetheart, I know it's a hell of a lot to take in all at once, and I am so sorry to put you through it... but please... trust me... please!" Her voice cracked, and a tear welled up in the corner of her eye as she saw the utter confusion on the tall girl's face.

Carys took a deep, shuddering breath. "Bloody hell..." she whispered, taking Alice's hands in her own and squeezing them gently, "Oh... bloody hell!"

Bright blue eyes stared unblinking into sea-green eyes for a long time, and Alice's heart sank. She had gambled and lost -- her one true love, her heart's desire... everything...

Then she saw those beautiful blue eyes crinkle at the corners, those gorgeous full lips start to curve upwards, and her heart sang! She hugged Carys in a huge bear hug: "Oh thankyouthankyouthankyou!" she blurted. "I'll explain everything soon; please forgive me... please!"

"My darling Alice," Carys murmured, her voice thick with emotion. "There is nothing to forgive!"

She gently pulled the tiny redhead into her arms. "I am yours, now and forever," she whispered, her lips brushing against Alice's forehead. "Whatever challenges we face, we will face them together."

Alice cupped Carys' face tenderly, her thumb tracing the contours of her beloved's face. With a soft, adoring smile, she leaned in, capturing Carys' lips in a searing, ardent kiss.

"I love you," Carys' murmured against Alice's trembling lips. "Nothing else matters to me but you."

With a mischievous grin, she pulled Alice even closer, her muscular frame enveloping the other woman in a bubble of safety and passion. "And as for being 'horny'," she purred, her lips grazing Alice's neck, "I can assure you the feeling is very much mutual!"

She nuzzled Alice's hair, inhaling the intoxicating scent that was uniquely hers. "But you're right," she sighed reluctantly. "We should focus on solidifying our future first. Though I can't promise I'll be able to keep my hands off you for long!"

The relief on Alice's face was so obvious that Carys laughed gently, poking Alice in the nose the way she had done to her a few hours ago. "Come on, you! We need to go and sort things out with those guys... and you'll have to tell me their names again... brain overload, I think, I've forgotten them all, except the boss man, Colin Humbert, you said?

Hand in hand, they walked to the lift and headed up to the Brighstone offices. As the doors slid back, the receptionist greeted them with a smile: "Welcome back, Ms Morgan... and...?"

"Hi, Jo!" said Alice, "This is my partner, Carys McDonald... and, please, call me Alice..." she dropped her voice conspiratorially and winked, "... unless that goes against company policy? In which case, I'll need to give you some tuition on how to pronounce my name!"

The poor receptionist looked shocked and stammered: "Oh, I'm so sorry... I didn't realise..."

Quickly, Alice grinned and said: "I'm just teasing, Jo, but I'm a Miss, not a Ms, that much I do insist on, and so is Carys!"

The relief on the girl's face was clear, and she said, "Of course, Miss... er... Alice! But how do you pronounce your name? When you arrived this morning, I thought you said 'Alexandra Morgan'?"

"Scottish accent, Jo!" smiled Alice. She spelled her name and explained the pronunciation, "Roll the 'R' a bit more and clip the last syllable as short as you can, 'Morrrg'n'... and 'Alice', well I was raised by my Uncle Alex and he didn't want two Alexes in the house, so I became Alice!"

Jo grinned and said, "Alice and Carys, it shall be then! Would you like to come down and take a look at your new office? Follow me, please."

They followed her a short distance from the reception area, and she opened a glass door and showed them in. There were three desks, and the floor-to-ceiling glass gave the room a light, airy feel.

"Not the best view in Sydney," Jo said, "But you can just see the Opera House from that corner." The two girls laughed as she pointed into a far corner and mimed standing on tiptoes to peer at something unseen.

"Well, you'll be all right, Carys, but I'll probably have to sit on your shoulders!" the diminutive redhead giggled.

Jo laughed and said, "I'll leave you ladies alone now. If you need anything, dial zero on the internal phone. I'll be there until 5.30 when the building closes to the public, but if you need to stay longer, it won't be a problem." As she went out, Alice cast a smouldering look at Carys...

"Well, my little tiny bundle of fun," Carys chuckled at Alice's indignant glare, her azure eyes sparkling with mirth as she surveyed the room. "I suppose we'll just have to use your minuscule stature. I can think of a few ways I might help you reach the best vantage point."

"Do they involve using the desks in a way that desks aren't normally used?" breathed Alice.

Carys gazed at Alice thoughtfully and murmured, "I must admit, the view from here is already quite spectacular...!"

She pulled Alice close, her strong arms encircling her lover's waist, and tucked a stray lock of dark auburn behind Alice's ear, gently stroking her earlobe as she did so. Alice shivered and grinned at her: "You'd be on the floor right now if it wasn't for that glass between us and the corridor outside... you do know that, don't you?"

Her arms snaked around Carys' waist, and she snuggled in. "Ooh! I could stay here forever!"

Carys muttered, "If you did, we'd never get to bed tonight!"

"Wow! Talk about an incentive!" giggled Alice, disentangling herself from Carys' arms and stepping back a pace. "I suppose we had better have a look round."

It was getting close to six o'clock before the girls were satisfied that the offices were in good order and ready for them to start getting their new business off the ground in the New Year. "I'm going to need some stuff sent over from Scotland," said Alice, "just stuff that I couldn't get or replace anywhere, maybe some personal stuff from London, but the rest, computers, software and such, we can get here. Uncle Alex has given me a budget, but I am so reluctant to spend too much because part of the deal is that I have to pay him back every penny.

"It's what I expected, but what was unexpected is that he doesn't want interest on the loan. He must be getting soft in his old age!" She giggled, the little girl's giggle that enthralled Carys and made her heart do a double somersault every time!

"Your Uncle must be an amazing man," said Carys, "Just to be able to call on him and get his unwavering support... wow! That's something else!"

"Yes and no, Carys. My uncle is a very, very astute businessman, and as soon as he heard about the European Court situation, he was already planning to turn it to his advantage. He told me about it just as I was going into my meeting with Colin Humbert earlier this morning. I had no idea that the ruling had been given, and he had already set things up back in Scotland to move in.

"He has been wanting to expand his Australian holdings for some time, and this was the ideal opportunity. The Brighstone board likes it because they don't get swallowed up in a faceless European company, and they get the support of a huge Scottish company but retain their own corporate identity."

Carys pulled Alice close, enveloping the other woman in a warm, protective embrace. She pressed a tender kiss to Alice's forehead and rested her chin atop the other woman's head as a contented sigh escaped her lips. "All that matters to me is that we're together. The rest will fall into place, I'm sure of it."

Reluctantly, Alice unwound her arms from around Carys and sighed gently. "I hope so... but... I'm starving, and if I'm to satisfy your Amazonian appetites, I need some food. Come on!"

Surprisingly, they found the blonde receptionist still in the reception area, and she grinned wryly at them: "No rest for the wicked!" she said and waved a stack of letters at them, "Though why these can't wait a few more days, I'll never know. It's not as if they will go into the mail system for another few days anyway!" She shrugged and said, "Do you need anything from me?"

"Just somewhere to eat nearby, please, Jo," said Alice.

Back on the ground floor, they walked out into the warm, sunlit evening. All around, the buildings and storefronts were lit up with fairy lights and Christmas decorations. Alice stopped suddenly and cast a woebegone look at her lover: "Carys, it's Christmas Eve and I haven't got you a Christmas present!"

Carys' face lit up. "My darling Alice," she chuckled, her voice laced with affection. "You have already given me the most precious gift of all -- your love."

"Aww! You great, soppy thing!" said Alice, tears of happiness not far away. "I love you, and I don't think I'm ever going to get tired of saying that!"

Carys pulled her into a warm, loving embrace, her muscular arms enveloping the other woman. "Being here with you is the only present I could ever need." She pressed a tender kiss to Alice's forehead, "Although," she added with a mischievous grin, "I certainly wouldn't object to you spoiling me a bit!"

Lacing their fingers together, Carys gave Alice's hand a gentle squeeze. "Now, let's go find you some sustenance. I have every intention of keeping you well-fed and satisfied tonight!"

"Oohh... grrr!" giggled Alice

They arrived at the restaurant Jo had recommended, and Carys stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes wide in astonishment. "Alice! I can't afford to eat here... it's way out of my league!"

"But I can," said Alice, smiling adoringly at her, "and when you start working for our consultancy, you will too! The treat is on me right now, but I will make you work for every cent you earn... I'm not Alex Morgaine's niece for nothing, you know!" She laughed and put on a phoney Schwarzenegger voice, "I am the Terminator and I'll be back!

"Oh, and you're catching flies again, sweetie!" She laughed and reached up to close Carys' open mouth with a delicate prod of her finger.

"My pocket-sized Terminator," Carys laughed, her azure eyes twinkling. "I should have known better than to underestimate a Morgaine!"

She pulled Alice close, kissing her forehead gently. "Very well, I submit to your ruthless efficiency," she murmured affectionately. "Lead the way, and I'll be sure to earn every cent you deem me worthy of."

With a flirty wink, she offered Alice her arm. "Shall we?" she said, her tone playful but with undertones of seduction. "I'm positively famished, and I can think of no better company to share a meal with than my ravenous Terminator."

As they ate, Alice discovered more about her companion, as she used every skill she had learned over the years to extract information from even the most reluctant of people. Carys was far from reluctant and was overjoyed to be able to share things about herself with someone she trusted so completely, things that in many cases she had rarely disclosed to anyone before... her unhappy, almost parent-less childhood on the poor side of town, the series of failed love affairs that had gone cold almost before they had started, her discovery of the surfer lifestyle, although she didn't embrace it fully, preferring to work rather than, as she put it, "doss about, freeloading".

Never wealthy, frequently struggling to make ends meet, but not once giving up on her cheery outlook on life. As she listened, Alice was struck by how different Carys was to her, and she thanked her lucky stars for the chance meeting only a couple of days ago, which had turned her own life so upside down. She had never believed in love at first sight until now, and here she was, less than a week after meeting someone, making plans to settle down forever with them. Her heart lurched yet again, and her breath caught in her throat as she looked into the startling blue eyes of her soulmate.

She found herself uncharacteristically opening up to Carys and inwardly marvelled at how this wonderful woman had steamrolled her way into her heart and breached her defences in a way nobody had ever managed to do. She explained how her education had accelerated at a phenomenal rate, how she had achieved her Law degree at an age when most people were only thinking about going to university.

She talked about how her beloved Uncles Alex and Jason had raised her after her parents had been killed, how they had pushed and cajoled and encouraged her to drive herself, to excel at everything she tried and how they had supported her unwaveringly through all her mistakes and all her triumphs.

Carys listened, enthralled, as Alice told her the intimate details of her early life. She smiled in admiration at how this tiny, tough woman had battled through her short life, supported all the way by her uncles, overcoming every obstacle that life put in her way. She wondered what it must be like to have such love and support and wished that she could, someday, meet these two men that Alice so clearly adored!

A lump came to Alice's throat as she talked about her two uncles, and as she paused to swallow, Carys reached across the table and gently took her hands. "So... what you're telling me is that you're a bloody genius... with an amazing family?"

So caught up in her tale, it took a moment for Alice to realise what Carys had said, and then a slow grin spread over her face as she blushed! "No, love, I'm no genius, but I do have two amazing guardian angels!"

Carys' fingers gently traced the delicate contours of Alice's hands, and she lifted them to her lips and lovingly kissed the tip of each one. Alice's eyes opened wide, and she gasped, a shiver running down her spine: "Ohmygod! Oooh! Don't do that, Carys!" she giggled, her train of thought completely disrupted!

"Whyyyyy?" drawled Carys, her eyes flashing and her voice deepening with desire. "Is it unsettling my tiny Terminator?"

Alice snatched her hands away, giggling. "Yes, it bloody is, you great big horny Amazon! We haven't finished dinner, and I want some ice cream for dessert... at this rate, I'm going to be calling a taxi instead!"

Laughing, the two resumed their meal, both girls conscious that the last few barriers between them had come tumbling down, and Carys began to talk about her love of surfing.

While Carys talked, Alice quietly slipped off her shoe and inched her foot across towards Carys' feet. They had been playing footsie off and on throughout the meal, when they hadn't been too serious, trying to make the other jump, but Alice had a different plan this time. Finding Carys' foot, she pressed it briefly, eliciting a little twinkle from those blue eyes, but this time, she quickly moved her foot up Carys' calf and along her thigh so that her toes were wriggling in Carys' crotch. She gazed at Carys with her face set to complete innocence as Carys' eyes widened in shock and surprise! Her breath caught in her throat as Alice's teasing touch ignited a burning desire deep within her.

"My naughty little temptress," Carys husked, her voice deep and needy. "Whatever am I to do with you?" Her eyes were smouldering as she looked at Alice's innocent façade. Her hand drifted beneath the table; her fingertips trailed a featherlight path up the inside of Alice's thigh.

"If you insist on torturing me," Carys purred, "then I'm afraid I have no choice but to retaliate in kind." With a deft flick of her wrist, Carys' fingers found Alice's most sensitive spot, caressing her through the thin fabric of her clothing. A smile curved her lips as she watched the other woman's reaction. "Tell me, you naughty girl," she whispered, her voice full of wicked promise! "How shall I repay you for this delicious agony?"

Alice's sea-green eyes opened wide as she breathed deeply and exhaled slowly to calm her furiously racing heart. It didn't work as expected, and she gasped: "Whooh! Touché, Amazon... shall I call for the bill?"

Carys' gaze smouldered with undisguised desire as she watched Alice's flustered reaction. She reluctantly withdrew her caressing touch, a throaty chuckle rumbling in her chest.

"As tempting as that offer is," Carys purred, her voice dripping with wicked promise, "I'm rather enjoying this little game of ours." Her eyes sparkling with mischief, she leaned across the table and whispered, "Besides, didn't you want some ice cream?"

With a playful wink, Carys settled back in her seat, her blue eyes locked with Alice's green ones. The air between them was electric, and Carys could hardly wait to see where this would go!

Alice's shoulders began to shake with laughter as she lowered her head to the table and gently banged her forehead. "Oh... you big tease, Carys! You catch me at my most vulnerable, torn between wanting ice cream and you! Forcing me to make a decision like that!"

Neither girl spoke, invisible sparks filling the air between them, two pairs of shining eyes full of lust as they gazed at each other. "No ice cream!" breathed Alice.

"So, tell me, my flame-haired temptress," rumbled Carys, "What delicious torment do you have in store for me next?"

Beckoning Carys forward, Alice whispered: "I'm going to take you back to my hotel room and I'm going to slowly undo every button on that gorgeous suit, just to see whether you are actually wearing any underwear, and although I don't think you are, it fits far too well, but if you are, then I might slowly take it off with my teeth. Will that do for starters?"

Carys' eyes blazed as she leaned in, her breath hot against Alice's ear. "For starters? Yes, but only barely! I can hardly wait to see what else you have planned for me!"

Alice paid the bill with her credit card and asked about taxis, to be told that there was a rank further along the street. She indicated to Carys that she was going to the ladies' room, and as she came out, she noticed that Carys had gone outside into the warm night air. She swiftly followed, thanking the staff and wishing them a Merry Christmas. As she opened the door, she noticed a tall, thickset man who had clearly had too much to drink making a beeline towards Carys, who was unaware of his approach. Alice quickened her step just as the drunk put a hand on Carys' arm and made some sort of remark. Carys recoiled from the alcohol on his breath, and he gripped her more firmly, starting to become aggressive. The two were similar in height, but the man had a distinct advantage in weight.

In a voice almost guaranteed to freeze water, Alice said loudly, "Leave. Her. Alone!" The man swung round, stumbling a little, and began to laugh when he saw the diminutive redhead standing behind him, hands held loosely and slightly in front of her. "Hahaha! The girl's got a puppy dog that growls, has she?"

Letting go of Carys, he lurched towards Alice, who flexed her knees and dropped into a slight crouch, her hands coming up in front of her. Seeing this, the man snarled, "The puppy dog thinks it's got teeth, does it?" and swung a ham-like fist towards Alice's head, which suddenly wasn't there, as she pirouetted on one foot, the other one lancing out towards the man's oncoming fist. The kick connected, and the man howled and seemed to go berserk; yelling incoherently, he dragged a knife out from somewhere and lurched towards Alice, who caught the drunk's wrist in both hands and deftly twisted, forcing the knife out of his hand and pushing his arm high up behind his back. Almost dancing, she thrust him forward until his face slammed into a nearby wall, and he collapsed in a boneless heap.

Carys' eyes widened in shock when the drunken man grabbed her, his grip on her arm tightening painfully, but before she could react, Alice's commanding voice cut through the night air. She watched in awe as Alice sprang into action, her diminutive frame belying the incredible power and skill of her movements. The man's mocking laughter was cut short as Alice effortlessly evaded his clumsy swing.

As he had drawn the knife, Carys felt a surge of primal fear, her heart racing, but Alice's reflexes devastated the threat, and as the attacker crumpled to the ground, Carys rushed to Alice's side, and pulled her into a fierce, protective embrace, her strong arms trying to shield her beloved from any further harm.

"Are you alright?" she wailed, her voice thick with emotion. "I should have been more aware of my surroundings. I'm so sorry...!"

Barely breathing quickly, Alice grinned wolfishly, eyes blazing and pulled out her phone. She called the Police, giving them a crisp, concise account of what had happened. As she finished the call, she suddenly started to shake and clung to Carys as the adrenaline in her system took over.

"Oh god, oh god, sweetheart, are you hurt? Are you all right? He didn't hurt you, did he? I'll kill him if he did!" She was sobbing by the end, and in the distance, the two girls could hear the police sirens.

Carys' heart raced as she held Alice close, the other woman's shaking frame "Shh, Alice, I'm alright," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "You were incredible back there!"

As the distant sirens grew louder, Carys turned her attention back to Alice, "But you, sweetie -- are you injured? I couldn't bear it if you were hurt on my account!"

Alice continued to cry with relief as the Police spilled out of their patrol cars, quickly assessing the scene. Two went to the drunk who was starting to regain consciousness, handcuffed him and began to lead him towards one of the patrol cars. As he came alongside the two girls, he pulled against the handcuffs: "I wanna press charges of assault... against the little one with the red hair!" he snarled.

The two officers restraining him looked Alice up and down, and one said to the drunk, "Now mate, she might have given you a good hammering, which you probably deserved, but you bring charges against her, and you'll be the laughing stock of Sydney! Who's going to believe a big bloke like you got laid out by a delicate little scrap like her? (Begging your pardon, of course, Miss!)" He grinned and winked at Alice, who grinned back at him through the drying tears.

Carys exhaled a shaky breath, her arms tightening protectively around Alice as the officers restrained the drunken man. Her eyes were filled with a mix of relief and lingering fear, but softened as she observed the exchange between Alice and the officers.

"My fierce, remarkable love," Carys murmured, her voice laced with awe and adoration. "That was astounding! I'm so thankful that you're okay!"

She turned back to the officers, offering them a grateful nod. "Thanks for your help, guys. I'm just relieved no one was seriously hurt."

Returning her attention to Alice, Carys brushed a stray lock of hair from the other girl's face, "Sweetheart, you must be shaken. Let's get back to the hotel, where I can give you a bit of TLC, hmm?" She took Alice's hand and laced their fingers together, giving Alice's hand a gentle, reassuring squeeze. "I'm all right. We're safe now."

As the patrol car took the drunk away, Alice paid more attention to the other Police officers who had remained. One was a young woman about their age with blonde hair cut in an unruly, curly bob and with a sports enthusiast's well-muscled, toned look. However, her most striking feature was a full tattoo "sleeve" on her left arm depicting an exquisitely rendered oriental dragon with the tail on her wrist and the head somewhere under her short-sleeved uniform shirt. She grinned when she saw Carys and Alice staring at it and walked towards them: "We're going to need a statement from both of you at some point, and I'm not going to ruin what's left of your Christmas by making you come down to the Station now."

Her voice had a distinct lilt to it which Alice immediately recognised as Welsh: "You're from Wales," she blurted, still not fully in control of her emotions. "Was, miss, South Wales, now I'm an Australian from NEW South Wales! Emigrated with my girlfriend five or six years ago to escape small-town prejudice." She smiled gently at Alice's dumbfounded look and handed her a card. "Give me a call in a few days, and we'll arrange a meeting in more comfortable surroundings. Oh, and please do it before you go back to Frankfurt, Miss Morgaine. We want to prosecute this one; we don't take kindly to knife crimes... and by the way, your passport photo really doesn't do you justice!" Turning to her colleague, she said, "Hey, Pete, can we give these ladies a lift back to their hotel? It's getting a bit late, and our shift finished an hour ago."

Utterly speechless, Alice clutched at Carys' hand, looking up into her lover's bluer-than-blue eyes "How... how...?" Carys laughingly gathered her into a great bear hug, which lifted her tiny soulmate off her feet and kissed her hard.

"Because the niece of Alex Morgaine is probably someone that our wonderful Police Force feels they need to keep an eye on... and have you heard of Immigration? They'll have made a note of everyone who comes across our borders!"

The other officer had finished checking the area and had retrieved the knife, which he'd carefully sealed in a plastic evidence bag. Walking back to the patrol car, he placed the bag in a metal box in the back of the vehicle and nodded to his colleague. "Sure, Gwynne, no reason why not. Let me notify the dispatcher that we're off duty and escorting a couple of crime victims to their home. That'll get the detour authorised, no worries."

The two officers were grinning from ear to ear as they opened the back doors of the squad car and ushered the two girls inside. Alice was very quiet during the journey back to Bondi, but Carys chatted away with the two officers like long-lost friends, especially with the blonde girl, who, she discovered, was named Gwynedd Williams but preferred Gwynne. "It's a double 'D' at the end, but as it's Welsh, it's pronounced 'TH'. I got fed up with trying to explain this to all and sundry," she laughed, "especially this big oaf driving!" She thumped the man affectionately on the arm.

"Nah!" laughed Pete, the senior constable, "Could never get my tongue round it! And it was even worse trying to pronounce Milly's proper name!"

"Milly's my wife," explained Gwynne, "and her name is Jamila, and she's from Algeria. When we first got together, I couldn't get it into my head that the 'I' is pronounced like a long 'E', so I just called her Milly, and it stuck!" It emerged that the two officers were neighbours from adjacent streets in one of the suburbs of Sydney, and the two women were regarded as unofficial aunts to Pete's two children.

At one point, Carys glanced at Alice, who had contributed nothing to the conversation, and saw that her tiny redhead was lost in thought, miles away, and had hugged her. Alice jumped and looked at Carys bemusedly, smiled lovingly, snuggled her head against the tall girl's arm, and lapsed back into her thoughts.

Carys looked puzzled, wondering whether the recent incident was playing on her Alice's mind, but she realised they were almost back at the hotel. She left it for the moment, making a mental note to ask Alice about her thoughts later as the patrol car pulled up outside the hotel.

Thanking the officers for the lift and promising to contact Gwynne after Christmas, the two girls stood on the pavement outside the hotel. Alice hadn't let go of Carys' hand all through the ride and wasn't going to do so now. "Carys?" she said in a very small voice, "Can we go for a walk along the beach and just look at the stars for a while?"

With a loving smile, Carys led Alice toward the beach, the soft sand crunching beneath their feet. Alice snuggled into her, nestling her head in the hollow of the tall girl's shoulder as they walked quietly through the warm summer night. Finally, Alice took a deep breath and stopped. Carys looked down at her petite, beautiful companion in surprise, wondering what the matter was... "Stop a moment, sweetheart, I want to say something important... to me anyway," said Alice.

Confused, Carys halted, gazing down at Alice, her eyes glimmering in the moonlight. She tenderly swept a loose strand of hair from Alice's face, her touch gentle and affectionate. "Of course, love," she whispered, her voice soft and inviting. "I'm here listening, always ..."

Alice gazed up at her blue eyes, which sparkled in the night. "Carys, it's after midnight, it's Christmas Day, and I've been trying to figure out a way to say this without you running a mile, but I can't. So, I'll just say it.

"I have only known you for two days... you have utterly wrecked my life... and put it back together so wonderfully... I don't know how I will ever cope without you now... will you marry me?"

Carys' breath caught in her throat, her eyes widening in stunned disbelief as Alice's proposal sank in. She could only stare at the woman before her for a long, breathless moment, her heart pounding with a dizzying mix of joy, sheer adoration and terror!

"Alice..." she breathed, her voice trembling with emotion. "I... I don't know what to say!"

She rested her forehead gently against Alice's as her eyes slipped shut, a big tear oozing from each one. "Oh god... my wife! Oh wow! Oh, bloody hell!" Carys said, her words almost a whispered prayer.

"Yes, my fierce, amazing lover! A thousand times, yes! You have stolen my heart, Alice. And I give it to you, freely and without reservation. I am yours, now and always."

Carys reached out, fingers caressing Alice's cheek with the utmost tenderness. "You're not the only one whose life has been dismantled and rebuilt, you know! These past two days with you have been the most phenomenal of my life!"

Alice's lip began to tremble, and tears of joy and relief began to roll down her face. "Oh god, oh my god, I am so happy, I want to cry, but I'm already crying!" Her voice cracked with emotion. "And now you've also wrecked my makeup, you big, beautiful Amazon! Oh god, oh god, I love you, I love you so much... thank you, thank you, thank you!" She stood on tiptoe and pulled Carys' head down so their lips met. Yet again, she felt the searing, electric charge that seemed to flow between them whenever they touched.

Carys' heart swelled with overwhelming happiness. "I love you too, Alice," she murmured against the other girl's lips, her eyes shimmering with tears of pure joy. "More than I ever thought possible. You are my everything."

Alice clutched the tall girl tightly, and when Carys' arms tightened around her reflexively, she said: "Carys, my soulmate, don't say anything, just hold me. I want to see what you are seeing so that we can remember this moment forever." Still in the circle of the bigger girl's arms, she wiggled until they were both facing out to sea, where they stood silent for long minutes, the silence only punctuated by the occasional sniff or happy sob from Alice.

Together, they gazed out at the vast expanse of the dark ocean, the steady rhythm of the waves a soothing backdrop to their intimate embrace. Carys felt Alice's body relax against hers, and she couldn't resist the urge to kiss the top of Alice's head. Eventually, Alice writhed out of Carys' arms and said, "Thank you, sweetie, now let's go home, I've got some buttons to undo with my teeth!" She laughed throatily, the lust evident in her low, throbbing voice.

As Alice finally pulled away, Carys stared at her greedily, her eyes shining. "Home, my fierce, remarkable one? Of course!" she whispered, her voice low and rich with desire. "We can't do what we want out here... even if it is dark!" Alice giggled, sending shivers down Carys' spine again, and shook her head.

"No... we can't," she whispered, gently taking Carys' hand and lacing their fingers together as she led the way with light, quick steps. Anticipation almost hummed between them, creating a current that made Carys' heart race.

"Oh, my lord," gasped Carys, "I can't wait to show you how completely you've snared my heart," she murmured, increasing her speed, her gaze almost smoking with longing. "Every touch, every kiss -- it will be a testament to my love for you, and I know how corny that sounds... but it's true!"

Alice struggled to keep up with Carys' long strides, but they dashed through the open doors of the hotel and headed for the elevator. Alice blew a kiss to the tired-looking girl sitting at the main desk, then stopped and spoke to her: "Thank you so much for working on Christmas Day! I do hope you get some time off to enjoy it!" The girl's face lit up at Alice's thoughtful words, and the obvious joy on the two lovers' faces as the lift doors slid shut.

Alice playfully fended Carys off until the doors opened on their floor, and they raced for the room. As the door clicked shut behind them, Alice growled playfully: "You stand very still now; a deal is a deal!" She put her hands gently on Carys' waist and walked around the tall girl, gently tugging the shirt out of her waistband. Alice deftly undid the jacket buttons with her teeth and giggled as it fell to the floor. Suddenly, she stopped, paused... then wailed in mock sorrow: "You're too tall, I can't reach!"

A mischievous grin spread across Carys' face as Alice paused. "Allow me," she rumbled, bending down to sweep Alice into her arms once more. "I wouldn't want you to strain yourself."

Carys lowered her head, capturing Alice's lips in a searing kiss as she guided them towards the bed, their bodies a tangle of desperate, intoxicating desire. Gently placing Alice on the bed, she lowered herself, keeping most of her weight off Alice and on her arms.

Alice wriggled out from under the delicious weight of her lover and scrambled astride her, tugging at the shirt with a lustful urgency, all thoughts of undoing it with her teeth forgotten, as Carys rolled to her back. "No underwear," she gasped breathlessly. "I was... right", she panted as the shirt came off, and she fastened her lips onto Carys' nipple with a desperate urgency. The adoration, the lust, was palpable, making it hard for her to breathe, and she could feel the heat rapidly building to her climax. "Oh god, now Carys, now, I want you, I want you!"

Carys' breath caught in her throat as Alice straddled her, the petite woman's urgent touches igniting a blaze of desire within her. She gazed up at Alice, her azure eyes smouldering with a mixture of love and yearning.

"Oh god... I adore you, Alice!" she breathed, her voice heavy with desire. "I need you so much!" Her hands eagerly explored Alice's curves, each touch intensifying the white heat of passion. She arched towards Alice, claiming her lips in an intense, urgent kiss, casting aside any thoughts of restraint.

"I want you, Alice," Carys growled against the other woman's lips, her hips rocking up to meet Alice's. "Every inch of you, every breath you take. I want all of you so much!"

She trailed frantic, open-mouthed kisses along Alice's jaw, down the elegant column of her neck. Her hands gripped Alice's hips, guiding her into a steady, undulating rhythm. "Now!" She pleaded, her words a desperate, trembling whisper. "I need you, Alice. I need you so desperately!"

"Oh no, no, not yet, not yet!" wailed Alice "I haven't started... CARYS!" she screamed, "COME WITH ME!!" Her body shuddered with pent-up love, longing and lust in equal measure. "Ahhh... ahhh", she moaned, grinding down on Carys' body.

"I am yours!" Carys growled against Alice's lips. "Always and forever. Let go -- I am here, I am with you."

Alice's breath rasped in her throat as she flung her head back and wailed: "NOW!" as her climax began to ripple up from the very ends of her toes, a buzzing, painful, glorious feeling, as her body seemed to turn inside out, throbbing and throbbing, more spreading out to her entire body as she bucked and tossed like a fish on a hook.

Carys gasped as Alice's orgasm claimed her; the petite woman's cries of pleasure sent shockwaves of blissful ecstasy through her own body. She clutched Alice close, her eyes screwed tightly shut.

Wrapped in Carys' arms, Alice continued to shudder, gradually subsiding to a shiver interspersed with an occasional little jerk. After a while, her panting gasps subsided, and in a small, breathy voice, she sang gently: "We don't have to take our clothes off to have a good time, oh, no! We could dance and party all night" and gave one of her low giggles.

Carys chuckled warmly, the sound rumbling deep in her chest. She reached out and gently kissed Alice and nuzzled the redhead's neck gently: "My little songbird...!

"No, we don't need to be naked to have a good time, but sometimes, it really helps! I do so enjoy peeling away the layers to reveal your gorgeous body!"

Alice suddenly sat up in mock horror! "Oh! Oh! I am soaked, you lustful beast. I need to get these knickers off now, and knowing you, you aren't much better... and when you are deliciously naked, I am going to torture you unmercifully... all night, if necessary, until you experience what I just have!" Carys' heart missed a beat as she giggled throatily again.

Carys' breath caught in her throat as Alice's words washed over her, the petite woman's teasing threat sending a delicious shiver down her spine. Her azure eyes blazed with raging desire as she deftly rolled them over, pinning Alice, giggling, beneath her.

"Is that so, my insatiable minx?" Carys rumbled, her voice low and rich with longing. "Then, by all means, let us get rid of these things..." She leaned down, capturing Alice's lips in a passionate kiss as her nimble fingers made quick work of the other woman's clothing. Alice wriggled and moaned as her few remaining items of clothing came off and as she desperately tried to strip her lover, despite being pinned down!

Carys trailed a path of kisses along Alice's jaw, stopping to nibble her earlobe to the accompaniment of gasps and moans and down the slender column of her neck. Her hands roamed over the other woman's curves, stroking, kneading, every caress igniting a blaze of desire within them both.

"Oh god... I am yours," she moaned, her hips rocking against her lover's in a steady, undulating rhythm. "Do what you want to me... I am powerless to resist you...!"

"Powerless to resist?" grumbled Alice, giggling and panting. "Feels more like you are trying to take over again..." She reached around Carys' taut, fit body, feeling for the big muscles on either side of her spine, and ran her fingernails gently up and down, delighting in the shivering responses from the tall girl, who let out a low, rumbling moan.

"Then take me, my fierce, remarkable one," Carys murmured. "Do what you want to me. I am at your mercy..." Her words were a breathless plea as she arched into Alice's touch, shivering with anticipation. Her eyes were squeezed tight shut, her entire being focused on the exquisite sensation of her lover's intimate caresses.

"Make me tremble," she panted, her hips rolling in a steady, undulating rhythm.

Alice gently forced her onto her back and straddled her again. Dropping her head forward, she kissed Carys fiercely and longingly, and her long auburn locks trailed all over the big brunette. Breaking the embrace, Alice sat up and, grabbing a lock of her gorgeous mane, began to tease the firm pink-brown nipples topping Carys' breasts, laughing in mock evil delight as the girl trapped beneath her began to laugh and squirm, the nipples hardening even more. Her eyes flew open and flashed as she grabbed Alice's hips, fighting the urge to flip her tiny lover onto her back again and take control.

Alice fixed her with a smouldering look and licked her lips so provocatively that the tall girl shivered and gasped in anticipation. As the little redhead slid down her body, the great wash of auburn hair struck sparks from every nerve ending in her already highly stimulated skin. Alice eased her face between Carys' already parted thighs and gently reached up to part the sensitive folds to allow her searching tongue to find what she sought.

When Alice's burrowing tongue found its target, Carys let out a guttural moan, her hips bucking instinctively. She wove her fingers into the auburn tresses, holding the other woman close as a rapturous sensation washed over her. "Alice! Ohh," Carys gasped, her voice thick with need. "Oh yes! There, just there... oh my god, oh god... ungh!"

Gently flicking her tongue, Alice lowered her fingers through the ample moistness of Carys' excitement and gently stroked the outside flesh before allowing her finger to slide slowly in, relishing the feeling of Carys' involuntary spasm clamping down on her finger. With her other hand, she gently extended one finger and with a feather-like touch circled the lower opening to Carys' body, feeling her lover's hips buck at the unexpected touch, then relax again with a breathy moan. With a voice made husky by love, lust and desire, Alice murmured: "I told you that I'm going to torture you, all night, if necessary, to make you squeal the way you made ME squeal... and this is just the start..." as she increased the tempo of her caresses.

As Alice's fingers and tongue probed and caressed, Carys writhed beneath her, every touch igniting blinding sparks of ecstasy. She arched into the feather-light caresses, a choked cry of pure bliss tearing from her lips.

"Yes, YES," Carys keened, her azure eyes smouldering with uninhibited desire. "Make me scream!" She clutched Alice close, pulling the petite woman into her as her body shook with a primal need, her every nerve ending alight with the promise of exquisite, unrelenting torment.

Alice needed no urging and quickened her tongue and finger movements, wondering what the chemistry between them was that allowed her desire to be building quite so soon after that earth-shattering orgasm so recently. Even as she tantalised the bigger girl unmercifully, she found it difficult to stop her own hips from moving and to quieten her ragged breathing. She could feel Carys' finely toned, muscular legs tightening and heard her whimpers as she worked and worked to give her lover the joy that she had just experienced.

Carys writhed beneath Alice's delicate touches, her body coiling tighter and tighter with exquisite sensation. She fought the overwhelming urge to take control, to flip them over and claim the tiny redhead as her own. "Alice," she rasped, her voice cracking with emotion. "I can't go on much longer... oooh... god... Oh! I love you! I'm nearly... ohmygod... oh... ooh!"

Carys' hips rolled in a steady, undulating rhythm, her thighs trembling as Alice's darting tongue and nimble fingers brought her ever closer to the precipice of bliss. "Ungh, yes," she moaned, her eyes on fire with lust. "Don't stop! I'm so close, make me come, pleeeease!" Carys seized the bedsheets, her knuckles turning white as she fought to lie still beneath Alice's torturous caresses -- the pressure built, coiling tighter and tighter until she could no longer contain it.

"Alllliiiice!" she screamed, her entire body shuddering with the force of her climax. She arched up, all her muscles straining as she surrendered to the blissful waves of rapture washing over her.

It was all Alice needed, as she felt Carys shuddering underneath her; her own orgasm pierced her body like a knife. With little plaintive cries, she crawled up Carys' bucking body, her lips still covered in her lover's moisture, to kiss those lips of desire so that she could taste her own release.

Carys trembled and shook beneath Alice, their mutual climax rolling over them in tidal waves of pleasure. She pulled the tiny redhead close, revelling in her own taste upon her lips.

Carys felt a delightful shiver run through her as Alice's lips met hers, making her entire body tremble excitedly. She mirrored the intensity of the kiss, pouring her heart into it, her sapphire eyes glowing with adoration.

"Oh, dear god," Carys panted, her voice shaking with shock. "Shit! I can't breathe!"

She gathered Alice close, cradling the other woman tenderly against her as the aftershocks of their shared orgasm coursed through them. She pressed tiny kisses to Alice's forehead, between her gasping breaths, her fingertips tracing gentle patterns along her beloved's spine.

"That was... unbelievable!" Carys murmured, her eyes sparkling with wonder as she stared into the sea-green ones so close to her own. "I've never felt anything like that before...!" Mutely, Alice shook her head, a tear forming in the corner of each eye as she grinned like a Cheshire cat!

Slowly, reverently, Carys rolled them onto their sides, their limbs tangling together as she drank in the sight of her lover. Her heart swelled with profound, all-consuming love -- a love that had consumed her very being.

"I am yours, Alice," she breathed, her words a trembling, heartfelt promise. "Now and forevermore!"

"Oh... oooohhh... Carys," the tiny redhead breathed raggedly, "Oh God, I love you so much... you are so good for me." She nestled her head in between the big woman's firm breasts, breathing in a faint trace of a floral perfume mingled with sun cream, and said: "I could just lie here like this forever, and pass away straight to heaven!" She snaked her arms under Carys' armpits and up her shoulder blades to clutch gently at the collarbone on each side, she rubbed her head gently back and forward purring almost like a cat as she pulled her knees up to her stomach and curled into the body of her lover, "but I won't, not only because there is so much more I have to give you... but also..." and her voice went cross "I need to pee!" Batting aside Carys' searching hands, she hopped off the bed and scampered to the bathroom, giggling...

Carys watched with amusement as Alice scurried off, her heart swelling with pure joy. She chuckled warmly, shaking her head gently in disbelief. She felt utterly, hopelessly captivated by Alice's infectious energy, boundless passion, and sheer, unadulterated zest for life. She shivered as she realised that she already missed the tiny redhead so much that it felt as if something had been torn from her body, leaving an aching void! Astoundingly, she could feel tears pricking her eyes...

When Alice finally emerged, Carys extended her arms in a silent invitation, her eyes bright with unshed tears. "Welcome back," she murmured, her voice thick with affection. "I've missed your warmth already."

Alice didn't get straight back into bed. Instead, she leaned forward over Carys' face, puckering for a gentle kiss as the big brunette lifted her head in response. Artfully dodging Carys' reaching hands, she hopped back on the bed and knelt there, gazing with love into Carys' bluer-than-blue eyes, lost in a momentary reverie.

Then, her eyes twinkled mischievously. "You know what people say, don't you?" she asked, continuing without waiting for any answer. "They say that you are truly in love when you don't care if the other person hears you going to the toilet!" Her body shaking with laughter, she flung herself into Carys' arms, nestling her head back between her breasts and said, "Now go to sleep, Amazon, we've got a lot to do tomorrow... today!"

Carys chuckled, her eyes twinkling with delight as she pulled Alice close. She kissed her tiny lover's forehead, a radiant smile lighting up her face. Gently, she stroked her fingers through Alice's hair, the soothing motion lulling them both into a contented, drowsy haze.

She gazed lovingly at the woman in her arms, her heart swelling with overwhelming joy. "Sleep," Carys whispered gently. I will be right here. I'll be your dream-catcher."

As Alice drifted off, Carys gently nuzzled her, wrapping her in a warm, protective embrace. She allowed her eyes to close, letting the soothing rhythm of Alice's breathing lull her into a blissful, peaceful slumber.