Disclaimers

Copyright: Although the main characters in the following do bear a strong resemblance to a cute couple with whom we are all familiar, all the characters in this work of fiction are the product of my own imagination and are therefore copyright to me.

For the rest of the disclaimers, please see the first chapter

Hunting Season

by Helen Smith, (continuum@sprint.ca) September, 2000

Chapter 10

"It makes no sense." Quinn paced back toward Hank, who was seated in the large comfortable chair he always seemed to choose.

"Ariel has been out of the house but you're always with her. Maybe he or they just didn't think they could get through you to her before."

"Nah, I don't buy it. I can't be on all sides of her in a store and we've been to two stores since I last saw you. We've even been to a park, for Goddess' sake. But does this guy do something? No! Instead he takes a shot from a moving vehicle. Not only that but because the step is raised, he's got to aim up at an angle. There's something I'm missing."

"He's got a job. Can't follow her all the time. So on his day off he sits outside her house. When he saw her come out he decided to take a chance."

Quinn shook her head, but said "Maybe, but it still bothers me. It doesn't fit with the note."

Hank tapped his pen against his teeth. "Ok, but you won't like this."

Quinn glanced at him. "What?"

"What if this is somebody new? Somebody not connected to the note at all?"

"Make my day, why don'tcha," Quinn snarled. She was about to add more when Ariel walked in from the kitchen. Hank did his usual and jumped to his feet.

"No, please Detective. Sit down. I was just wondering if you needed Scott for anything else. The paramedics are ready to take him to the hospital for stitches.

"Nope. I've got his address if I need to talk to him again. How are you?"

"I'm ok. Quinn kept me safe. Do you think you can track down whoever this is?"

"From this? Doubtful. Without a plate it will be next to impossible. Even then, the car was likely stolen. We've got a bulletin out to all repair shops about the back window but, truthfully, I don't think it will yield much. Of course, I've been wrong before." Nodding to them both he added, "I'll be in touch."

Quinn showed him out and when she didn't find her lover in the living room on her return, went to the kitchen. Right into a heated discussion.

"Aunt Ariel I'll be fine. I don't want to put you in more danger."

"Scott, I'm not going to argue. We're coming to the hospital too. Whoever did this didn't hang around. When the hospital staff have got you fixed up we'll drop you at home. And don't you start," she said to Quinn, who was about to side with Scott.

Quinn shelved what she was going to say and turned to the young man, whom the paramedics were helping out the door. "We're outvoted. See you at the hospital."

Quinn stared at the ceiling. Why the hell didn't she get that plate. Shit! Ok, Ok, it might have been stolen. But what if it hadn't been. Damn it! Grumpily, she rolled onto her side to face Ariel, who appeared to be asleep.

The clock had been chiming 9:00pm when they had finally returned home after dropping off Scott. Neither had been hungry but they'd forced themselves to eat some soup. Then, because it was still early, they'd watched one of Quinn's old movies - a comedy she couldn't even remember the name of now - and gone to bed. But not to sleep. At least, not Quinn.

Green eyes opened. "Stop beating yourself up."

"You awake? I thought you were asleep. And what makes you think I'm beating myself up?"

Ariel shifted closer so that she could lay her head on Quinn's shoulder, within the circle of the dark-haired woman's arm. She slid her hand onto Quinn's stomach, caressing the bronze skin in slow circles. "Because I know you. You have to be perfect. You're probably thinking that you should have batted away the bullets, flipped onto the car roof, grabbed the gun and wrapped it around the bad guy's neck. All before the car reached the corner."

Quinn chuckled. "Damn straight. But the wrapping around the neck part sounds too strenuous. I'd just go for stuffing it down his throat. Gotta save my strength to fight another day."

"My mistake," Ariel murmured, as she gently kissed Quinn's cheek.

"I like that."

"I thought you might," Ariel said, as she moved slightly and caught Quinn's lips. The kiss was wet, warm, deep and long. By the end of it, Quinn was breathless, and again on her back, with Ariel lying on her.

"If I woke you up, I'm glad I did."

Ariel smiled, and traced Quinn's lips with one finger. "Perhaps a little...therapy, will help you sleep."

"Therapy, yeah." The dark haired woman lifted her head to bring her mouth up to meet Ariel's, but the writer pulled her head back.

"Nuh uh," she said. "I'm in charge. Understood?"

"Oh. alright."

The honey blonde grinned then shifted her body to slide her thigh between the dark-haired woman's legs. Quinn's body was soon rocking rhythmically. The writer's hand, which had returned to making slow circles on the taller woman's belly, shifted up to stroke her breast.

"Ooh, I like that too."

"Um. If you liked that, how's this."

An intake of breath. "A nine, a definite nine on a scale of ten."

A chuckle. "Just a nine?" I must be losing my touch. Let's try that again.

"Oh Goddess! A ten! A ten!"

The honey blonde smiled against her lover's skin, and moved lower, her lips leaving a trail of fire wherever they touched. Overcome by sensation, the dark-haired woman ran her hands feverishly through the writer's hair and down to her shoulders.

Ariel stopped and lifted her head. "No. I'm doing the driving. Hands at your sides or on the headboard."

"Aw..."

"You want some?"

"Oh, Goddess yes!"

Ariel grinned lasciviously, then ran her tongue slowly up the valley between Quinn's breasts. She could feel the other woman's heart pounding as she took a shuddering breath. "Then?"

"Yes Ma'am." Quinn said reluctantly, and shifted her hands up to grip the headboard. Ariel rewarded her by running her tongue slowly over her breasts, circling each nipple before lightly biting and sucking on them. Quinn moaned incoherently.

"Oh Babe. You're torturing me," she gasped.

"Yup," the writer admitted cheerfully. "And there's more where that came from."

Quinn's response was a groan, followed by the headboard squeaking in protest as fingers gripped it harder.

Shifting lower, Ariel replaced her thigh with her hand, sliding it past damp black curls into a warm wet space of its own, where she used her fingers to escalate the delicious sensations already aroused. Then, with her tongue, she took her own sweet time to paint Quinn's abdominal muscles, and then kiss her way back up to the taller woman's breasts where she nibbled and sucked again on painfully erect nipples. By now, Quinn was moaning deep in her throat, as her body sought its elusive goal. And then, finally, hips pumping, heart pounding, muscles clenching, she reached ecstasy.

Quinn lay gasping, and waited for her heart rate to drop below 200. "I swear, sex is the gateway to religious insight."

Ariel lifted her head and smiled quizzically. "It is?"

"At the end there, I swear I saw the entire pantheon."

"Well, I'm not sure, but I think you were on a first name basis with at least some of them."

Quinn grinned and slid her arms around her lover, then slipped her hands slowly down over Ariel's hips to give her buttocks a firm squeeze. "Your turn," she murmured.

"Um." A soft kiss was dropped on the skin over her collarbone. "I'm going to hold you to that, but tomorrow."

"You're sure?"

"Positive. I'm nicely settled here." As if to emphasize the point, Ariel fitted herself more closely to Quinn's long body, wrapping her arm just under the dark-haired woman's breasts, and throwing her leg negligently over Quinn's thighs.

"Ok. tomorrow." Soft lips brushed the honey blonde hair. "I love you."

"Love you too" murmured Ariel, sleepily.

Silence, broken only by gentle sighs. "Thanks, Love," Quinn breathed. But there was no answer. Ariel was already fast asleep.