"Laura, you know I can't tell you anything."

"I know," Laura said with a sigh. "I'm just worried about her."

"She's fine. We were just going down a road that we hadn't yet visited, and it got to her, but she's doing well, Laura. That much I can say."

"Yeah?"

Leaning over, Abby kissed Laura on the cheek. "Yes, now go back in there and take care of your woman."

Chapter Thirty.

Labeled by the estate agent as a home office, the small room situated under the stairs in Laura's house, just like the drawer in the kitchen, had held nothing but junk until Toni had moved in. Boxes of decorations meant to be stored in the attic had been stacked in one corner, and cartons filled with items not yet deemed to be junk, even though they were, had been piled in another, but once Toni's high-end treadmill was delivered, Laura decided to turn the space into a home gym. It became a place where both could visit to burn off excess energy or work out their frustrations, and since admitting their feelings to one another, the treadmill was getting a workout.

Shutting off the machine, Laura picked up her bottle of water and chugged it down. Wiping the sweat from her face with a nearby towel, she listened by the door for a moment before shutting off the light and heading to the kitchen.

"Have a good run?" Toni asked as Laura entered the room.

"Yep," Laura said, sitting at the table. "Did Abby leave?"

"Yeah, a few minutes ago. Thanks for giving up your Friday night for me."

"I didn't give it up," Laura said, glancing at the clock. "It's still early. I'm just glad Abby could see you tonight. You've been a bit out of sorts since your session on Wednesday."

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry. That's the reason I asked to talk to her tonight. Try to clear the cobwebs."

"And did you?"

"I think so," Toni said quietly.

Thinking for a moment, Laura said, "Toni, if you don't want me asking about your sessions-"

"No, it's fine," Toni said. "I really feel bad that I kept my relationship with Abby a secret for so long, so if you want to know something, just ask. I don't want any more secrets. Okay?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, and speaking of not having any secrets, I also told Abby about us." Hearing no response, Toni looked up and saw Laura staring back at her. "What? Did I do something wrong?

"No, it's just nice to hear you say us."

"Yeah, I kind of liked it, too."

Laura's heart fluttered, and for a moment she became lost as she gazed back at Toni, clueless that seconds were ticking by. Her mind wandered to things not yet known, but when her thoughts caused her body to pulse, Laura jerked upright in her chair. "I-I-I should go...go take a shower," she said, quickly getting to her feet. "You have any...um...any ideas about what you want to eat tonight?"

It was a rare to see Laura rattled. Seemingly always in control and focused, for her to blush and stammer like a teenager caused a smile to form in Toni's heart, and slowly, it found its way to her face. Giving her reply in the form of an arched eyebrow, Toni watched Laura's cheeks darken a few more shades before she finally managed to stumble from the room.

For a few minutes, Toni sat at the table and just smiled. How could she not? Never believing that she'd ever be attracted to another, the reality of love was sinking in, and where once only fear lived, something else had begun to lurk...and she liked it. She enjoyed the banter that now seemed appropriate, the playful looks, the quiet talks, and she found herself wanting to know, wanting to touch, and wanting to love. Wiping her palms on her jeans, Toni let out a sigh and decided she'd best start dinner.

By the time Laura got upstairs, she was grinning like a fool. She had known Toni for months, and during that time, Laura had seen her happy and sad. She had seen her laugh and had seen her cry, but until now, she had never seen the flirtatious, suggestive side of Toni Vaughn.

For the most part, after admitting their feelings, their relationship had returned to that of friends, except for one thing. They both knew they were more, and things were starting to change. Mornings were no longer spent quietly sipping coffee, but instead they'd chat about their plans for the day, the meal they would cook when they got home and who was going to drive. Their evenings were spent on the sofa, each snuggling into their favorite corner with a glass of wine, and while both attempted to read the books they had chosen, more times than not, the pages didn't hold their interest. And when it was time to say good night, to bid farewell until the morning, their eyes would meet and their voices would become whispers.

Quickly stripping out of her clothes, Laura sauntered into the bathroom, her mind awash with all things Toni...totally unaware that she wasn't alone.

Gathering the ingredients for a salad, Toni grabbed a bowl and got to work. Laughing to herself as she remembered Laura's crimson face, Toni reached for a knife, but the blade slipped from her fingers when she heard Laura's ear-piercing shriek.

Running from the kitchen, Toni took the stairs two at a time and burst into Laura's bedroom without giving it a second thought. Finding it empty, she rushed into the bathroom...and then stopped as if she had run into a wall.

For a split-second, Toni's eyes opened wide and then, shutting them tightly, she spun on her heel and yelled, "Laura! What the fuck!"

Mistakenly believing that closed eyelids could somehow erase the sight from her mind, Toni tried her best to forget what she had just seen with less than favorable results. It had been years since she had seen the beautiful feminine form of another in all its glory, and while many a night Toni had been tempted to search the Internet for what she knew existed, she hadn't. Now, she wished she had. Swells of ivory with darkened centers and a dark triangle pointing to ecstasy would have been better viewed if they had belonged to strangers, but the images filling Toni's mind and heating her core belonged to Laura...lock, stock and glorious barrel.

Standing by the shower wearing nothing but skin, Laura quickly reached for a towel. "I saw a spider."

Brought back to reality by Laura's words, with her eyes still clamped shut, Toni shouted, "You saw a spider? You saw a spider! Jesus Christ, Laura, you scared the shit out of me!"

"I'm sorry, but I don't like-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. You don't like spiders or heights. I remember."

"Could you get rid of it for me?"

Still cemented in place by the doorway, Toni asked, "Are you...are you decent?"

"Yes, I have a towel."

Toni opened her eyes and slowly turned around. Laura was indeed wrapped in a towel, but the fact that Toni had just seen what was underneath caused her body to throb...again. Trying to keep her eyes from devouring Laura, Toni asked, "Where is the bloody thing?"

"I don't know. I think it went over there," Laura said, pointing behind the toilet.

"Right," Toni said, snatching a tissue from a box on the vanity. "Let's see if I can find the bastard."

Looking this way and that, and believing the spider to be the size of a double-decker bus by the decibel level of Laura's shriek, when Toni noticed the microscopic, eight-legged creature in the corner, she said, "Laura, you can't be serious. This little thing scared you?"

"I don't like spiders."

"Okay," Toni said as she reached in and squished the bug with the tissue. "There you go. All gone."

"You killed it!"

Stunned, Toni looked at the crumpled tissue in her hand. "Well, what the hell did you want me to do? Invite it to dinner?"

"No, I just wanted you to get rid of it. Put it outside. I didn't want you to kill it!"

Tilting her head to the side, Toni tried to think of something to say. Unfortunately, pausing caused her eyes to wander...right up the gap in the towel that showed more than an ample amount of Laura's thigh and bottom.

Laura wasn't blind, but she was in love. When she realized where Toni was looking, Laura held back her grin and didn't move an inch. She was amazed at how Toni's perusal was affecting her, and under the pale green terrycloth, she felt her nipples harden at the sheer eroticism of the moment. She was being consumed by a look, and she liked it. She liked it a lot.

With a jerk, Toni came to her senses, and when she looked up and saw Laura staring back at her, the room suddenly felt a lot hotter. "Well...um...next time I'll try to save the little bugger, but this one's a goner," she said, tossing the tissue the wastebasket.

"Okay. Thanks," Laura purred, shifting slightly to further widen the gap in the towel.

Toni told herself not to look, but her eyes vehemently refused to listen. Finding the opening in the towel again, they ogled the flesh underneath. After a few moments, she returned to now with a jolt and immediately lowered her gaze. "All right then. The spider's gone, and I was...what I mean to say is that I'll go down and work on...work on making dinner. How's that?"

"That's fine, sweetheart," Laura said, trying to hide her amusement. "So I guess you decided on what you wanted to eat tonight?"

With a groan, Toni threw an annoyed glance in Laura's direction before taking two long strides and exiting the room.

Turning on the taps, Laura allowed the water to come up to temperature, and dropping the towel to the floor, she stepped under the hot spray. As the water heated her skin, Laura remembered the look in Toni's eyes, and the result heated her blood.

"What's wrong?"

"Who says there's anything wrong?" Toni asked, flopping down the sofa. "I'm fine."

"You're anything but, and I don't think I need to repeat-"

"I know. I know. No lies, no covering things up...blah, blah, blah."

"You are definitely wound up about something."

"No, I'm not!"

"Oh, Toni, who do you think you're talking to? You've been my patient for over six weeks, and that has given me more than enough time to study your habits."

"Oh, so now I'm something to be studied, am I?" Toni said, glaring back at Abby.

"Toni, our sessions always start with coffee and biscuits, but today you didn't offer me either."

"Maybe we've run out, or maybe I just wanted to be rude. Did you ever think of that?"

When Abby didn't answer, Toni looked in her direction and watched as the woman settled into the sofa and casually crossed her legs. Picking up her pen and paper, Abby knowingly smiled back.

"Christ, you're a pain in the arse!" Toni barked. Jumping to her feet, she began to pace around the room. "You know what? I don't want to talk today. How's that? Why don't you just get the hell out of-"

"Toni, knock it off."

"Abby-"

"You've come too bloody far to start this shit now! Now stop trying to avoid the subject and tell me what the fuck is wrong!"

As Abby knew it would, her outburst got Toni's full attention. She had never raised her voice in any of their sessions nor had she ever dropped the F-bomb, but she had just done both with the desired effect. Dumbfounded, Toni returned to the sofa.

"Now what's going on? Are you and Laura doing okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine. We're more than fine."

"Then what is it?"

Toni reached for her cigarettes, but then tossed them back onto the table. "Saturday is the anniversary of...of the day I went into Thornbridge."

"I see, and that bothers you?"

"Of course it does! It's the day I stopped being me."

"You mean it's the day when the person you used to be started becoming the one you are now?"

"Yes."

"Why is that so awful?"

"You're kidding, right?" Toni asked, angrily glaring in Abby's direction.

"No, I'm not," Abby said, straightening her posture. "Toni, I know that you think that the woman you once were is gone-"

"She's dead."

"You couldn't be more wrong," Abby said, putting down her pen and paper. "She's not dead, Toni. She's sitting right in front of me. Yes, she has a few more issues than she had years ago, and maybe a few more blemishes inside and out, but she's not dead. She's just evolved."

"Evolved? You call this evolved?" Toni growled back. "Correct me if I'm wrong, Abigail, oh wise doctor, but evolved normally means to improve, to change into something better than you once were, and that sure as hell isn't me!"

"It also means to develop or morph into something new. Sort of like a caterpillar into a butterfly."

"Great, now I'm a bug."

Snickering, Abby said, "Toni, I'll agree that parts of you were lost when you went into Thornbridge and other parts were damaged, but we're working on getting those back. Aren't we?"

"Yeah, I suppose."

"Have you always had problems with this? I mean, the anniversary of entering Thornbridge?"

"Yes. I tried not having a diary, but I had to keep track of my classes somehow."

"Tell me about it. Tell me about that day."

"Do I have to?"

"No, you don't have to, but I'd like you to."