When Crystal returned several minutes later, her eyes were definitely slitted. Laura took one look at her and shook her head. "Should have known you'd find the pot smokers," she said. "So are you completely stoned now?"

"No, just got a good buzz going," Crystal said. "Does it bother you?"

Laura hesitated before answering. "It bothers me when you use it to hide from reality but just to relax with some friends, no, that doesn't bother me." Despite everyone else being out of earshot, she lowered her voice before adding "I care about you, you know. I don't like seeing you hurt yourself." "I know," Crystal said, putting her hand on Laura's shoulder. "I don't like it when you kill yourself staying up all night writing just to meet that deadline either so we're even. Come on, you feel up to kicking some ass in volleyball now?"

"Are you sure you can play? I mean, being buzzed and all."

"Sure, maybe it'll make the ball seem to be moving slow enough so I can catch up with it," Crystal said, giving Laura's shoulder a quick squeeze before releasing it.

"We won't be playing much longer anyway," Laura said as they headed for the volleyball area. "The sun's going down. It won't be much longer before Carmen starts the bonfire."

Laura's prediction proved to be true as less than hour later the bonfire was started and everyone claimed their space around the fire. Crystal took a seat on one side of the writer while Jenny sat on the other side. Alex plopped down on the blonde's right, passing out beers from the cooler she had dragged over while others refilled their plastic cups from the keg on the porch.

"What's that, number five?" Crystal asked as Laura brought the plastic cup to her lips.

"I think so," the writer replied. "I don't think we're going anywhere tonight."

"Well you have the tent in the Jeep just in case," Crystal said. "Is it big enough for both of us?"

"It's a two man tent and the sleeping bag is double sized so there should be enough room," Laura said. "You're not one of those that tosses and turns all night, are you? Because if you are, you're sleeping on the grass instead."

"I'll be good, I promise," Crystal said, pulling her cigarettes out of her pocket and lighting one. "Besides, I'll probably be so toasted from the beer and pot that I'll just close my eyes and pass right out."

"Just make sure you wait until you help me get that tent up," Laura warned, her nose wrinkling as the wind blew the smoke at her. "Jenny can tell you from experience that tent is a bear to get set up."

"It'll be easier for you to put the back seat down and sleep in the Jeep," Jenny piped in, having heard her name mentioned. "It takes the better part of an hour to get that monster put together. I haven't had that much to drink if you want me give you two a ride," she offered. "In that death trap you drive?" Laura asked. "Not a chance. It's one thing to get bounced around all over the place sober but it's something else entirely to do it with a belly full of beer."

"That's true," Jenny said. "I certainly wouldn't want you to ruin the seats by throwing up or anything."

"It'd probably be an improvement, Doc," Crystal joked. "When are you going to break down and buy a decent car?"

"The day our dear Laura can walk past a mess without stopping to clean it up."

"I guess that means you'll have that Thing until it falls apart then."

"Hey," Laura said, doing her best to look wounded. "How did I get in the middle of this?"

"You're in the middle, that's why," Crystal said, nudging the writer with her elbow.

"So Laura," Alex said. "Tell us about the story you're working on. Is it another one with Bobbie the detective?"

Laura finished taking a sip of her beer before nodding. "Yes, it'll be the third in the Bobbie series."

"Are you going to finally let her have a girlfriend this time?"

"I think so. At least I have her having a strong attraction. Whether it turns into love or not I haven't decided yet."

"Oh you have to," Crystal piped in. "With lots of romance and passion."

"Yeah, especially the passion," Alex said. "I want at least three good sex scenes."

"Love scenes," Laura corrected. "And I haven't decided about that either. I'll see how it develops. I heard you were involved in that high speed chase last week."

"Oh yeah," the cop said. "It was the weirdest thing. I pulled the twit over for a broken taillight but when I ran the plate it came back to a different car. Turned out the guy worked for a chop shop and was in the middle of transporting the car there when I came up behind him." Alex carried the discussion for a while before the subject changed yet again and someone else picked up the conversational ball.

Crystal was not sure how it happened but at some point during the evening she had moved closer to Laura, their knees now touching. She debated about moving but decided against it, not wanting to draw attention to the contact. Instead she tried to concentrate on the discussion going on around them. Laura was talking to Jenny, allowing Crystal the opportunity to study her friend's features in the firelight. Orange light flickered over Laura's face, casting a warm soft glow on the writer's face. Crystal took a swallow of beer and looked around, noting that Carmen had apparently found herself a companion for the night if the way the two women were kissing was any indication. Crystal noted that Carmen's newest apparent conquest was Wendy, who at the moment was trying to see how far her tongue could get down the hostess' throat. Unable to take her eyes off the spectacle before her, Crystal watched the two women continue their intense kiss. How the hell are they breathing? Unbidden, an image of being kissed with all the passion and desire so evident only a few feet away came to her but what shocked Crystal more than anything else was the face of her imaginary partner.

As if sensing Crystal's thoughts, Laura turned and looked at her, giving the blonde a gentle smile. "Are you all right?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes," she said, certain all the heat suffusing her face was not coming from the bonfire. "I guess I just wandered off for a minute there." "Looks like Wendy's not sleeping in a tent tonight," Laura said, jerking her chin in the direction of the kissing women.

"If they make it inside," Crystal replied, reaching behind Alex for the cooler and acquiring another beer. "They certainly don't need the fire for heat."

"So I see," Laura said, resting her hand on Crystal's knee. "Does it bother you?" she asked in a low voice that would not carry to those around them.

Shaking her head, Crystal tried to put the image of being kissed passionately by the woman sitting next to her out of her mind. "No. I've seen your friends kissing before. They do it all the time at the ball field." Of course, I've never thought about being kissed by you before, she thought, giving Laura a quick glance before looking at the fire. It's got to be because I'm around them all the time. I just thought about being kissed by Laura because she's my friend and I'm closest to her, that's all. Yet even as she thought it, Crystal found herself looking at the hand resting so familiarly on her knee and fought the urge to cover it with her own to keep it there.

The volleyball area served as a makeshift campsite for the dozen or so women pitching tents for the night. Unfortunately it was far enough from the bonfire that seeing what they were doing was a problem and Crystal ended up having to hold a flashlight while Laura struggled with the domed tent. Others had the same problem so once Laura was done setting up the tent, Crystal used the flashlight to help others see in order to get their tents set up. In the end there were seven tents arranged in a haphazard circle. She helped Laura get the sleeping bag laid out on the floor of the tent before going into the house to use the facilities. It took longer than she had expected since apparently everyone else had the same idea. Of course the vast amount of beer consumed by the group was guaranteed to keep Carmen's bathroom busy for most of the night if the women sleeping in the tents did not decide to visit the bushes instead.

After taking off her sneakers, Crystal crawled into the tent. It was dark inside but Crystal was able to feel her way around, locating the zipper and opening the sleeping bag. She quickly removed her jeans, then reached under her shirt to unhook her bra, pulling it free and rolling it up with her pants to make a pillow. She debated about going topless but decided against it, not feeling the safety that she did at home not to mention she was sharing a sleeping bag with Laura. Rubbing her hands on her bare thighs, Crystal wondered if she should put her jeans back on but the sound of the tent flap being unzipped ended that idea. "Laura?"

"Yes. Which side are you on?"

"The right unless you want it."

"No, the left side is fine with me. It's probably better if you're on the side with the zipper anyway just in case you need to get up to go to the bathroom. You've had more to drink than I have."

"Yeah, I'm sure I'll have to get up at least once during the night." Crystal felt the sleeping bag being opened and goosebumps formed on her legs before Laura climbed in and the comforting warmth of the flannel lining covered her body again.

"Do you have enough room?" Laura asked.

Crystal, who was so close to thee.g.of the sleeping bag that she could feel the cool steel of the zipper, nodded before remembering that she could not be seen in the dark. "Yeah, you?"

"Plenty. You can move back if you want, there's room."

"I don't want to crowd you," Crystal said.

"You won't be and even if you did, it wouldn't be a problem." Laura gave a long yawn. "Come on, settle down so you're comfortable so we can both get some sleep."