DISCLAIMER: NCIS and its characters are the property of CBS, no infringement intended.
SEQUEL/SERIES: Fourth part of the Baby Steps series, following Filters are for Coffee, Elevator Conference and Holy Water.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Title from Leonard Cohen's "Closing Time."
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
Johnnie Walker Wisdom
By Geonn
It wasn't a bar she'd ever have gone to on her own, not the sort of place a good Catholic girl finds herself on a Saturday night. Not a good Catholic girl with a guilt center that took up half her brain. The entire time they were waiting in line, she was making a mental list of the things she'd have to admit in the confessional. Drinking, first and foremost. She had broken her own two-drink limit rule. Who knows what other rules she'd be breaking before the night was done?
Abby was wearing a white-orange-and-black bowling shirt that was two or three sizes too big for her. Her black lipstick stood stark against her pale skin, her eyes and mouth seemingly hovering a few inches in front of her face thanks to the lighting in the bar. Kate had tried to dress appropriately, but her black blouse and leather pants just made her feel like a little girl playing dress-up.
She followed Abby to the bar, clinging to the other woman's hand like a life preserver to keep from drowning in the sea of bodies. Red, white and green lights pulsed, illuminating snapshots of faceless people occupying the dance floor. When they found themselves in an island of solitude, Kate turned to Abby and leaned in to be heard over the din. "So this is how you spend your Saturdays?"
"Yeah!" Abby shouted back, giving her two thumbs up. "Why, what do you do?"
"Crossword!"
Abby's eyes widened and she leaned in. "Crossword? The club on Lexington? Because we can..."
"No!" Kate said, her mind alternating between horror and curiosity. "No! Crossword!" She mimicked writing on her palm and said, "New York Times! The actual... crossword!"
"Oh!" Abby said. "For a second there, I was, like, whoa, Kate's a freak!" She laughed, a throaty sound that Kate felt as much as heard. She put her hands on Abby's shoulders, their bodies pressed together by the crush of everyone else in the crowd. "Is it always this crowded?"
"No!" Abby said. "Sometimes it sucks, but tonight is perfect!" She swayed her hips, slipped her arms around Kate and holding her tight. "Make sure no one tries to cut in," Abby warned. "Most people follow, you know, dance floor etiquette, but then there're people who are just plain horny."
"Horny?" Kate asked, sure she'd heard wrong.
"Yeah. They'll dry hump you right on the dance floor if you're not careful."
Kate shivered and Abby smiled again. "Dry hump..."
"Yeah," Abby said. She split her legs and straddled Kate's thigh. She thrust her body against Kate a few times, biting her lip and holding onto Kate's hips as she demonstrated. "Dry humping, frotteurism, same thing," Abby said against Kate's neck. "Through the clothes, in public... very hot."
The humping wasn't the only dry thing... Kate's mouth was arid, her tongue sticking to the roof of her mouth as she tried to formulate her thought into words. Abby stopped moving against her and Kate exhaled, brushing a wave of hair out of her face. "Frotteurism."
"It's like tribadism," Abby said, as if that made things clearer.
"What's tribadism?"
Abby chuckled and buried her fingers in Kate's hair. "Oh, we're going to learn some stuff before I'm through with you, Caitlin Todd..."
Kate blushed.
Abby leaned Kate against the wall, holding her up with one hand and using her hip to keep the other woman from sliding into a puddle on the floor. "You are so wasted," Abby muttered with a smile, searching through Kate's purse for her keys. "You should've told me when you were starting to feel lightheaded."
"But the night was just getting started," Kate slurred, using both hands to push her hair out of her face. She blinked, her left eyelid lagging slightly behind the right and licked her lips, putting a hand on Abby's shoulder. "You should come inside my apartment with me. I got a... queen-sized bed."
"And you should probably sleep in it alone," Abby said, finding the key and unlocking the door. She ushered Kate inside, stumbling through the dark entry and finding a light switch. Three lamps came on, giving the room a soft orange-yellow glow. "Come on, Kate, let's get you onto the couch..."
"You gonna put me to bed and leave?" Kate asked, letting Abby lay her on the couch.
"Yep," Abby said, lifting Kate's feet and placing them on the cushion. "Probably best."
"Pfft," Kate scoffed, staring at the ceiling. "Best. Can I get some... water?"
"And some Alka-Seltzer?" Abby added. "Sure. In the kitchen?"
"Alka... Soupster... is in the cabinet. By the frid-ja-dator."
Abby snickered and said, "God, you're a sloppy drunk." She headed into the kitchen and turned on another light, looking at the tidy counters as she searched for a glass. "My God. Even her dirty dishes are neat." She found a glass and run it under the tap, finding the Alka-Seltzer right where Kate said it would be.
Movement at the kitchen door caused her to turn. Kate stood there, her shirt gone to reveal her brown bra. She had her leather pants down around her knees and was trying to pull them off around her shoes. "Kate, hold it," Abby said, moving over to her. She took Kate's hands away, gripping the leather pants and tried to pull them back on.
"No, no, no, no," Kate said, gripping one of Abby's ponytails.
"You're drunk," Abby said, looking up and realizing the position she was in.
"No, Abby," Kate said, brushing Abby's hair. "Well... yeah, I'm drunk. But I'm not nervous. And I'm not... hung-up. And I'm not thinking. And all that's left after that is that I want you. No... conscience, no overanalyzing, no blah, blah, blah. I just want you."
"You want me?" Abby asked, still on her knees, still trying to ignore Kate's thighs.
"Mm-hmm," Kate nodded, biting her bottom lip. She stroked the top of Abby's head, like a priest comforting a supplicant.
"And if you freak out in the morning..."
"I won't."
Abby leaned in and kissed Kate's thigh, just below the thin strap of her panties. Kate backed up a step, leaning against the fridge and closing her eyes. "Oh, Abby." The long, dark hair felt like silk in Kate's palm. She pulled the ponytail free, gripping the freed strands and letting them fall through her fingers like water. As she undid the other ponytail, Abby pressed a soft kiss against the material of Kate's panties. "There," Kate breathed.
Abby pulled back, licking her lips as she stood. "Kate." She leaned in, hands on Kate's stomach, her mouth just a thought away from touching Kate's mouth, her tongue fluttering out to moisten her lips again. They kissed, lips together and parted, tongues meeting tentatively in the middle. Kate put her hand on Abby's breast, squeezing it through her polyester blouse. Abby arched her back and slid her hand down, turnabout being fair play, and plucked at the waistband of her underwear.
Kate moaned into Abby's mouth. Abby opened her eyes, watching Kate's face as her fingers slid lower, through the mat of hair, feeling the wetness between Kate's legs. Kate reached down and pulled Abby's hand free, putting it on her breast. "Not there, not yet," Kate said.
"But you said..."
"Tonight," Kate said, opening her eyes. "Definitely, tonight. But not right now."
Abby smiled. "What's right now?"
Kate leaned forward, putting her head against Abby's shoulder as she reached behind herself. She unhooked her bra and let it slither down her arms, baring her breasts. "Ah," Abby said, eyes widening at the sight of Kate's bare chest. "Yes, right now is very good in its own right."
Kate kissed the corner of Abby's eyelid before easing her head down. Abby took the hint, circling her mouth with her tongue before she latched onto the nipple. Her wet lips pressed into the skin, tasting sweat, her tongue rolling back and forth across the nipple like a paintbrush. It hardened against her tongue and she nipped it with her teeth, teasing its twin with her fingers. Kate's shoulders rocked back and forth against the fridge, knocking magnets to the floor as she petted Abby's hair.
Abby kissed the other nipple, pursing her lips around it and flicking her tongue against the captive nub. Kate groaned loudly and pulled Abby up, kissing her lips again. They melted into each other, four hands going to the buttons of Abby's shirt. They got the material opened and Kate dove, kissing and licking the exposed flesh. Abby tossed the shirt aside, cradling Kate's head as she got down onto one knee.
Pink nipples, larger than Kate expected, rose to greet her in the cool air. Kate flicked her tongue across them both, moving her head back and forth to taste one and then the other. They moved back, Abby's back now pressed against the dishwasher. As Kate nursed on her breasts, Abby undid her belt and slid a hand inside her jeans, touching herself as she turned her eyes to the ceiling.
She curled her free hand in Kate's hair, holding her close, rocking her hips against her fingers. Kate looked down and wrenched the hand out of Abby's jeans. "No cheating," Kate said sternly, kissing each fingertip in turn. The flavor hinted on two of the fingers made her mouth water, made her knees go weak. "What was that word you said?"
"Humina, humina, humina," Abby smiled.
"No," Kate smiled. "In the bar. That word... Tri..."
"Tribadism."
"Show me."
Abby shivered and helped Kate to her feet. She took the other woman's hand and led her out of the kitchen, Kate pausing to hitch up her leather pants so she could walk without waddling.
"Bedroom?" Abby asked without looking back.
"Through there," Kate said, pointing at a door. It was starting to hit her, filtering through the haze of her sobriety, what she was about to do. The shocking thing was how it didn't scare the hell out of her, didn't make her want to pull her hand from Abby's and run for the door.
Abby led the way into the bedroom. It was spartan, a yellow quilt atop a simple queen-sized bed. There were photographs on the wall - Kate and the President, Kate and her parents - a bookshelf in the corner, a small stereo and some CDs stacked neatly in front of it. Abby walked to the bed, kneeling on the edge of the mattress before turning to look at Kate. "Well?"
Kate leaned against the doorframe, keeping her eyes on Abby as she finally pushed her leather pants off. Abby slid back on the bed, spreading her legs and putting the toes of her boots together as she watched, taking in the sight of Kate's swaying, bare breasts, the way her stomach wrinkled when she bent down to take off her shoes and socks, the way her bare toes curled in the carpet as she hooked her thumbs into her panties.
"Mm, Kate," Abby said, eyes twinkling at the sight of Kate's naked body. "You don't shave?"
Kate swallowed nervously. "I-I usually..."
"It's all right," Abby interrupted. "I like it. Too many women try to look like freaking porn stars." She readjusted herself, moving until she was on her knees. She took off her shirt, twirling it over her head and tossing it aside. Kate swallowed at the effect the move had on Abby's breasts.
"Come over here," Abby said, undoing her belt and laying down to squirm from her jeans. "Help me." Kate untied the boots and eased them from Abby's feet, then took hold of both legs and yanked, helping Abby extricate herself. Abby stretched both arms out, bending her legs at the knee as she spread them apart. Kate hesitated at the edge of the bed, staring down at Abby's naked body. There was a tattoo on the inside of her thigh, a dove taking flight. Kate crawled onto the bed, bowing her head and lightly kissing the bird's image. She felt Abby's muscles tremble beneath her kiss and looked up, locking eyes with the younger woman. "Okay," she said. "How do we..."
"Lay back," Abby said. Kate did as instructed. Abby moved next to her and eased her legs apart. Abby bent down and kissed Kate's shoulder as she touched the slick folds between her legs. "Okay," Abby whispered. "Keep them like that... just like that."
She bit her lip and laid back herself, spreading her legs in a mirror image to Kate. She scooted forward, scissoring her legs around Kate's until their hips were touching, their vulvas pressing together and sending shockwaves through both bodies. Abby reached out and cupped her hand against Kate's side, drawing the other woman close.
"Now," she whispered, "we just..." She rocked her hips and Kate whimpered, her eyelids fluttering as they brushed against each other. "Mm, yeah, lift your hips to me, Kate..."
"I can't," Kate said, but then complied with the move. Her hands clapped down on Abby's shoulders, using her as an anchor and bowing her head. Her hair fell like a curtain and she felt Abby's cheek against the top of her head. "Abby," she breathed, toes curling. "Abby..."
"Say... Abigail," Abby whispered, kissing the shell of Kate's ear.
"Abigail."
"Yes, Caitlin."
"Oh, God, Ab-Abigail!"
Abby held tightly as Kate came, her body jerking, her thighs tightening around Abby's midsection. She lifted her head and found Abby holding two fingers out, the tips glistening. Without thinking, she opened her mouth and accepted them, sucking them clean. Abby whispered, "How do you taste?"
Kate tensed slightly, realizing she'd just tasted her own come, her tongue freezing against the pad of Abby's fingers. After a moment, she closed her eyes and sucked once more. "I taste wonderful," Kate whispered when Abby's hand fell away. "How do you taste?"
Abby smiled brightly and leaned back. "Well... I'm sure as hell not going to tell you."
Kate licked her lips, ran her thumb over her bottom lip and scooted back, freeing herself from Abby's legs. Smacking her lips together, she stretched out and proceeded to see for herself.
Kate woke slowly, focusing on the frail back just in front of her face. The hunched shoulders, the tight muscles, the intricate cross inked into the flesh. She traced the lines of the cross with her fingers, remembering it was Sunday, remembering that she had to be at church in a few hours. She flattened her palm against Abby's shoulder and sat up, letting the sheet fall away from her chest and admitting to the world - and herself - that she was naked and with another woman.
She kissed Abby's shoulder, leaned down to breath in her hair, and looked at the slumbering woman. She was so peaceful. So still. So opposite the Abby Sciuto she usually saw. She kissed Abby's cheek and slid from under the covers, padding barefoot into the bathroom to take a shower.
She stood under the spray, letting it plaster her hair against her skull, letting the water cascade over her breasts and down her thighs as she remembered Abby tracing the same trail the night before. She shivered, holding the sponge to her throat and squeezing another wave down her torso.
The shower curtain was suddenly pushed aside and she jumped, covering her breasts with one hand. Abby was standing there, naked, looking more vulnerable than Kate had ever seen her. "Do you hate me?"
Kate smiled and reached out, pulling the younger woman into the stall with her. "I have a killer headache, but I'm not drunk anymore," she said. She leaned in and kissed Abby's lips, her hands trailing down to cup Abby's firm buttocks.
Abby moaned into Kate's mouth and said, "So this means you don't regret last night?"
"Not a bit. And I won't regret this morning, either."
By the time they got out of the shower, the water had turned cold and their fingertips and toes had become prunes. Regrets swirled the drain with the remnants of their shower.
The End