By Sheri

Disclaimers: These characters are mine. They are loosely based on the characters from Xena: Warrior Princess.

Violence: The characters work in a prison so there may be some violence ahead. I don't think there will be anything too graphic because I am the type to close my eyes when I hear bones breaking in a movie.

Subtext: I haven't decided where these characters are going to go in this area but it is a possibility so be warned if you are underage. There will be nothing above a PG-13 level in any case.

Author's Note: This is my first attempt at fan fiction on a grand scale and I welcome any constructive criticism. Please don't flame me, if you don't like something let me know but please try not to crush my youthful enthusiasm. The ego is a fragile thing you know. This is a work in progress and I will try to update frequently.

A big Thank You and Aroo: To Deb for helping (really doing all the work:) me have this place to showcase my stories. I hope there will be more to come. Note from Deb - I have an ulterior motive, I get to read the updates first <VBG>

The building was like millions of others across the country; smaller than some and larger than others. From the outside the rumble of pins and machines sounded like distant thunder; inside it was like being in the middle of the storm, on a good night anyway. This, however, was not a good night. In fact there were more quiet nights than not at this time of the year. It was August in Minnesota and most of the bowlers were still on the softball diamonds and sand volleyball pits. The seasons were starting to change and no matter how hard they fought it winter was coming. The hardiest of souls would play in the fall softball and volleyball leagues, playing in weather so cold the bat would ring in their hands and occasionally there would be nights when you could see your breath freeze as you ran the bases. Dee was one of these people. She was also very ready for the bowling season to begin. Which is why she was spending this Saturday afternoon at the lanes. As president of her league it was her job to set up the fall meeting and get the teams lined up. She had to find out how much it was going to cost, how many weeks they were going to bowl, which weeks were going to be skipped, and how many people she needed to find that were willing to bowl for 30 Friday nights between September and April.

"Hey Dave, got a lane free for some practice?"

"Sure Dee, take your pick."

"Thanks. Hey I need to set up our meeting too. Last spring we said August 20th at 7pm. Is that OK or do we need to change it?"

"That should be fine. I'm going to put the list of meetings in the paper next week."

"Great. I'll call my teams and let them know. By the way do you know if there are any couples or singles out there looking for teams to bowl with? I know we are going to need a few to fill out the league but I won't know for sure how many until the meeting. I do know that my team is going to need one woman to finish it out."

"One person is bad enough but it has to be a woman too?"

"Yeah our rules are no more than two guys and with my Uncle Andy and Joe both coming back that leaves finding one woman."

"Well, I'll let you know but I wouldn't hold your breath." Dave had worked at the bowling alley forever. He ran the pro shop and worked the counter. If there was anything you needed to know about the lanes Dave was the person to ask. See went to the locker room and got her gear and started throwing some practice games. A half and hour and two games later the door opened and she walked in. Dee looked up as she caught the reflection from the sun on the opening door. The second look was truly unavoidable and more than one person in the room stopped and stared. She was nearly 6 feet tall with hair darker than midnight and olive toned skin. Dave, standing thunderstruck at the counter, seemed to shake himself out of a trance enough to ask "Can I help you?" Slowly, the woman removed her sunglasses and with a voice as smooth as silk asked "I was wondering in you knew of any teams that were looking for bowlers or if there was a list I could put my name on?" She paused then exasperated said "Hello, did you hear me?" Dave had been snared once again by the woman's eyes. He jumped guiltily and said "Sorry, we have a list. Would it be just you or you and your husband?"

"Just me."

"Well, here's the list. Wait a minute, " Dave looked around the room and spotted Dee just finishing her third game. " Hey Dee, can you come here for a minute!"

"What's up Dave?" Dee asked.

"Dee this is..." looking at the list the woman had filled out, "Ms. Anders. Ms. Anders this is Dee Moore. Dee is the president of the league on Friday night at 9pm."

"Hi!" Dee said brightly.

"Hello." The woman replied.

"Hi!" Dee said brightly

"Hello." the woman replied, "I was interested in joining a league and with my work schedule late Friday night would be the best."

"Your timing is perfect. My team needs a woman so if you are just looking for yourself it would be ideal."

"What kind of league are we talking about? Why do you need a woman?"

"It's a mixed league which generally means two men and two women per team. In the past we have had teams with three women and one man and it is possible to have four women on a team. We call ourselves 'Mixed up Friday Night' because the only rule is that you can't have more than two guys on a team. Right now my team already has two guys; my Uncle Tom and a friend from work named Tim Schmidt."

"Actually, I was more concerned about the intensity of the league. I haven't bowled for quite awhile and I really don't want to get into something cutthroat. I'm looking for a way to have some fun and meet some people. I recently moved here for my job and I thought participating in a sport would be a good way to meet others. I am looking for a league that is fun and not too concerned with winning."

"In this town bowling is definately the winter sport of choice. There are also quite a few volleyball leagues."

"I played volleyball in college so maybe I'll look into that."

A panicked look leaped into Dee's eyes and she said, "Wait a minute, I don't want to scare you off of bowling!" Visions of losing the one person who would be perfect for her...team caused her to whisper "Couldn't you do both?"

"Actually that was my thought too. I still want to bowl." It's one of the few good memories I have of my childhood she thought.

"Look, it's almost time for lunch. Why don't we go somewhere and grab a bite to eat. I can tell you more about the league and then you can decide whether you want to join us or not?"

"Sounds like a plan to me. Do you like Chinese?"

"Doesn't everyone?" Dee replied with a grin. "You do realize that you are talking to someone who lives in a city with three chinese restaurants, more than any other type of restaurant. Have you had a chance to try them yet? Do you have a favorite? Hey, I just realized that I don't even know your first name! I don't want to call you Ms. Anders all through lunch. Unless that's what you'd prefer." Dee finished hesitantly suddenly afraid that she'd been too forward.

"Yes, no, no, two of them, no, and I should have said earlier. It's Lita."

Dee stared blankly at her for what seemed an eternity as she tried to make sense of Lita's answer. After a minute she realized that Lita had answered all of her questions at once and she chuckled as she continued. "Lita, that's beautiful and it sounds like there has to be a story behind it. Which restaurants have you tried?"

"I've been to the one downtown and the one at the mall."

"Then why don't we go to the one you haven't tried yet. I think that's the best one and it's pretty close."

"Dee, everything in this town is pretty close." Lita said with a grin, "The town is not that big."

"I know," Dee returned the grin with an all out smile "My Aunt lives is St. Louis and she is always saying that she can't get over how we can leave for an appointment ten minutes before we're supposed to be there and still be on time. Even if it's all the way across town. In St. Louis it can take her 30 minutes to drive a mile."

"I moved here from Los Angeles I know what she's talking about. In the month that I've been here I have been arriving everywhere early. It took me three days to figure out what time to leave the apartment in order to make it to work on time instead of showing up 20 minutes early."

"I have my morning timed out to the minute so that I can get work on time and still get as much sleep as possible. I used to hate it when I was subbing and I would get called at 6:00 in the morning to come in to work by 7:30. Luckily I usually kept the alarm set so I could flip it on and hit the snooze a few times even with those calls. I have to laugh when I think about waking up enough to reset the alarm and then going back to sleep for nine minute increments until couldn't out it off any longer. It was even worse when they would call and want me to come in at a weird time. For some reason I had the hardest time moving as quickly when they said "get here when you can" instead of "be here at ..." Now that I work every day I can hit the snooze, get ready, eat breakfast, drive to work, get through Master Control, walk across the yard to Rogers building and be in the basement in time to do 7:35 count."

"Do you work at the prison?" Lita asked.

"Yes. I started as a substitute teacher and then I got hired as an aide in the general education department. How could you tell?"

"That's where I just started working."

"Wow! Small world." Dee suddenly realized they were standing in the parking lot of the bowling alley. " would really like to continue this conversation with food in front of me. shall we go?" As she finished speaking her stomach growled its agreement. Embarrassed, Dee tried to mask the noise by saying "Do you want to follow me there?"

"Sure." Lita politely pretended not to here the grumbling and tried not to notice how the slight reddish tinge to Dee's face made her look very cute. They went to their vehicles and drove to the restaurant. During the short drive Lita thought about the woman she had just met. She was kind of short; then again most people were compared to her own towering height, but there was an aura of hidden strength in the small frame. It was obvious that she did something to maintain her trim figure, something more than just bowling. Lita may not remember much about her childhood bowling career but she did remember that it wasn't too strenuous a sport. That was one of the reasons she chose it as a sport to participate in. Her regular workout routine of running, weight lifting and kickboxing didn't really lend itself to any sports in the small town she now called home. She hoped she would be able to bowl well enough to not disgrace herself and she figured that she would improve the more she bowled. As she pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant and parked her blue Jeep Cherokee next to Dee's red Toyota Camry she thought about what had prompted her move to this town so far from LA but not far enough to outrun her memories. The flash of pain was quickly erased from her expression but Dee caught a glimpse of it as she got out of her car. She walked over to Lita's car and patiently waited for her to join her.

 Lita got out of her car and they walked into the restaurant. They were seated at a booth in the back and told that they could go through the buffet line whenever they were ready. The first order of business was to fill their plates. When they were both seated again Dee launched into the conversation started in the parking lot.

"So, how did you get from Los Angeles to this small town in Minnesota?"

"It's really not that interesting. I was working at a prison in LA and I felt I needed a change of pace. I read that they were hiring officers in Minnesota, sent in my application, had an interview over the phone and was hired. I moved here and started working the night shift a month ago."

"That would explain why I've never seen you. You must be one of the guards driving out when I am driving in. I have to get there about 7:15 to find a parking spot. If I time it right I can get one of the prime spots near the door when you guys leave. What do you think of that shift? Do you like it?"

"I wouldn't go so far as to say I like it. You get used to it. There are worse shifts to work. The people working til midnight have it worse in my opinion. They don't have any free time that allows them to do anything. They sleep when most other people do but then they are awake when most people are at work and when most people are playing they have to be at work. I would like to get on the day shift but it is hard, especially for someone just starting out in the Minnesota system. My experience and rank in the California system is the only reason I got the shift I did. When the bids open up again I will try for a day shift but that isn't until January so I'll have to work nights until then."

"Ok then tell me about your name. It's very unusual."

"Lita is short for Gilita and it really isn't that unusual. Haven't you ever heard of Lita Ford?"

"The singer? Didn't she have that one hit 'Kiss me deadly'?"

"Right. She also sang with Joan Jett in the group The Runaways briefly."

"Do you like Joan Jett? I got to see her in concert twice when I was in college at Mankato State University. She has some really cool songs."

"Yeah I really like the cover she did called 'Celluloid Heroes'."

"You're kidding?! That is my favorite song of hers. So is there some neat story about why you got that name?"

"Not really, my mom heard it somewhere and thought it sounded interesting and hoped that someday she would have a baby girl she could give it too. Why do you ask?"

"No reason." Dee said quickly, maybe a little too quickly, "Does that mean you are the only girl in your family or just the first?"

"I have an older brother, Troy, and I had a younger brother, Luke." This last was said so quietly Dee almost didn't hear her.

"Had?" Dee asked gently, "What happened to him?" There it is again, that look of pain, I didn't just imagine it in the parking lot. What could cause that much pain in one person? Lita masked the pain in her eyes as quickly now as she had in the car and if Dee hadn't been staring at Lita's face she would have missed it. The pain was so intense that Dee was sure she felt it in her own soul. She rushed to apologize. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to pry. You don't have to tell me if it hurts to much. I mean who am I? You just met me."

"No, it's all right. It is hard to talk about but I get the strangest feeling that I should tell you. Luke and I were very close, he was only a year behind me and we did everything together. We played with each others toys, went to the same schools, hung out with the same friends, played on the same little league team, we even worked at the same store after school. When I graduated from High School I started working as a guard at the prison and Luke decided to go to the Police Academy. He became a cop in East LA. He loved it and really cared about the people he was supposed "to protect and serve". One night he was doing a routine patrol and made a traffic stop. The guy he pulled over wanted to join a gang and thought killing a cop would really boost his rep. My brother walked up to the window and before he could even ask for registration the punk shot him in the chest. He was able to call for help but it was too late. The bullet pierced his heart and he died at the scene. He was one of the first Officers to have a video camera in his car so the murder and the murderer was caught on tape. The punk was arrested in less than two hours. If the bullet had been an inch in either direction Luke might have survived."

"What happened to the guy who shot him?"

"He went to prison." Lita said quickly, "Aren't you glad you asked?" She tried to lighten the mood but Dee would have none of it.

"Yes I am." I can tell there is more to this story, I can just feel it. Maybe someday she'll tell me the rest. "I sometimes forget how idyllic life here can be. We rarely have any violent crime and it is so easy to forget that there are people out there who have so little regard for life. Even working at a prison and seeing the inmates everyday it is easy to forget. They don't act like killers and criminals when they are in prison. At least not when they are in classes. Most of the ones I've dealt with act more like kindergartners than criminals."

Lita smiled at that, "That is a pretty accurate description."

"Just the other day I had to bench some guys because they thought it would be cool to throw toilet paper across the room like a football. There are even times you start to feel sorry for them. They never seem to know when to let something drop. When I benched those two guys they tried to argue with me. Then they couldn't just leave the room and take their punishment they had to draw the attention of everyone else in the room. I had to put that into the report too. So they each got an extra day for not reporting without incident. Other guys in the room then felt they had to be disruptive on principle and started to make animal noises. I finally caught one of them and benched him too. It made for a very quiet afternoon though let me tell you."

"I have to warn you Dee, don't ever feel sorry for these guys. They will take advantage of it."

"Oh I know that. Whenever I catch myself feeling sorry or sympathetic to one of them I just go look at the reason they were put here. I have yet to see an inmate in our prison on his first offense. I know it takes either more than one offense or a violent crime in order to be sent to prison in Minnesota. Then again, the guys themselves usually seem to do something to erase that sympathy. I do have to admit that even on their worst day the inmates are usually better behaved than your average High School classroom. We just have a better discipline system than is available in the schools. When I was teaching in High School I would have loved to be able to send some students to the bench for even an hour or two. I have been at the prison for almost three years now and I think that in that time I have experienced my best day of teaching and my absolute worst day. Sometimes the only way to remeber that these guys are criminals is too look at why they were put here or to hear stories like yours."

"Yeah, well as a guard in the living units I get to see a little bit more of that 'criminal' part of them. It does seem like they save their worst stunts for the units. Luke always believed that there was some good in everyone and worked hard to keep the kids in his precinct from following so many of their family members into the prison system. If he had survived he probably would have tried to turn that punk around. I was never that compassionate I guess. I don't have any trouble believing that most of these guys are where they belong."

"On that note, I think that is enough about my family and my feelings about the prison system. What did you do, slip something into my pop? I don't think I have ever felt comfortable enough with a person to talk this much. I haven't told anyone here about my brother and I have never talked about my job this way to anyone, even my mother when we were still talking."

"Why don't you and your mother talk? Or is that being too nosy again?"

"Basically she blames me for Luke's death."

"How? You weren't even there. "

"When Luke decided to be a police officer mom freaked and tried to guilt him into fdoing something else. I told him he had to do what would make him happy, not what would make mom happy."

"He still made his own decision to follow his dream. What do you think would have happened to him if he hadn't followed his heart? He probably would have found a job at a desk somewhere and eventually he would have turned into a bitter, unhappy man. I believe that everyone should find some way to do what makes them happy."

"Yeah but Luke always did what I told him to. What if I did convince him when he should have been something else. If he had had another job he would still be alive today."

"I hate to say this but you don't know that for sure. How do you know that he wouldn't have been killed some other way? I took a trip to Spain when I was in High School and about a month before we were supposed to leave there were a bunch of terrorist bombing in airports and Americans traveling abroad were being targeted in particular. There was this big meeting at school and some students dropped out of the trip. My folks and I talked about it and decided that I couldn't pass up the trip of a lifetime because of something that might happen. My personal feeling was that the same time I would die in Spain because of a terrorist would be the same time I would be walking across the street here in town and I would get hit by a bus. If I was going to die during that time I would rather have it be in Spain on the trip of my life."

"It obviously worked out for the best. You are still here."

"Actually there was an explosion in the Madrid airport a few days before we were supposed to fly home from there. I have never regreted taking that trip though and I am sure that your brother never regretted doing the job he obviously loved."

"Amazing. In the span of one afternoon you have made me feel better about my brother than I have since he died. You're right he never regretted his life and he would have wanted to die protecting others like he did."

"And now that is absolutely enough of that topic. Let's talk about this bowling league of yours."

"And now that is absolutely enough of that topic. Let's talk about that bowling league of yours" "I guess the best way to describe the league is to describe my family. The league is basically made up of family members. My grandpa had 12 kids and only two of them live out of state. Of the 10 teams in the league 6 are made up of family members. My mom, sister, three uncles, two aunts, a cousin, and my grandpa all have teams in the league. I mentioned already that my Uncle Tom was part of my team. My sister is the secretary and my mom is the vice president. We have always said that if anyone plans a Moore family event on a Friday we might as well call off bowling because there will be so few teams left to bowl. Luckily that doesn't happen very often. One of the best things about the league is that we get the chance to visit while we participate in a sport that has always been important to our family. My grandpa's first job was as a pinsetter. When he was young they didn't have machines to set up the pins so they would have boys that would be at the back of the lane and they would set up the pins. The person would bowl there first ball and the boys would clean off the lane and then reset the ten pins for the next bowler. If they did a good job the bowlers would throw a quarter down the gutter to the boy in the back. My grandpa is 73 years old and still has a 190+ average and bowls in five leagues each week and tournaments almost every weekend. Bowling was always inexpensive so the whole family could go out and have a good time together without breaking their farmer's budget. The tradition continues now. There used to be another bowling alley in town and we were ablt to bowl an hour earlier there. Afterwards we would all go over to Grandpa's and play cards and visit some more. Now that we bowl at 9 we usually just hang around afterwards for a little bit and then head home.

"Sounds like fun. Don't get mad or anything but it also sounds really weird. I've never heard of a family that spends so much time together."

"Believe me you haven't heard the worst of it yet. This family actually gets together at least once a month. During the summer its even more often. They will get together on the weekend to shingle a house, build a garage, or even put an addition on one of the family's houses. The 12 children all own a lake lot together on a small lake near the old family farm. There are many summer get togethers on the lot playing volleyball and letting the kids swim. Every major holiday (and some of the minor ones) are celebrated together. If I hadn't been born into the madness I would be scared to death! I always feel sorry for the significant others that are brought to meet the family. Gosh that sounds like we're in the mob or something. I guess we could be considered a mob but honestly we are rather harmless. I have an uncle whose wife is from a family that is the complete opposite of ours. They never get together. If there are ever more than three of them in the same place a fight usually breaks out and someone leaves mad. When she started dating my uncle I thought she was going to bolt after the first holiday. She stuck it out though and they have been married for six years now. I have talked to her quite a bit- she's only a few years older than I am- and she told me once that she was scared to talk for the first three months. I can relate to that. As you can see the Moore family has no trouble carrying on a conversation all by themselves and believe me they are also very good at giving each other a hard time. When I had braces as a kid I was called everything from metal mouth to railroad tracks. The first time I got a perm they kept asking me if I stuck my finger in a light socket and I was called brillo pad for months!! You can just imagine what happened when my cousin wore guess jeans with the leather patch on the fly around them! They can be the worst teasers in the world but heaven help anyone who tries to hurt a member of the family. It is quite an interesting dynamic."

"I would have to agree with your aunt. Luke and I were close but the rest of my family hardly speaks. Since Luke was killed it has gotten worse. My father took off when I was 8 and for some reason I always felt like Mom blamed me for him leaving."

"Why do you say that?" Dee asked gently.

"Little things mostly, she never talked about dad after he left and she just seemed, I don't know, distant when I was growing up. I know she had to work hard to support us and really there were not too many times when the four of us would be able to just sit around the kitchen table talking, playing games, or even watching TV together. Even when Mom would have a night off she was usually too tired to do much."

"Believe it or not I can relate to that. My Dad left when I was 4 to marry another woman. My sister and I were luckier than most though. My mom had a good job with the state so she didn't have to work more than one job and she had a lot of time for us. Of course the family was always there to help out too. I also have a great stepfather who came into our lives when I was 6 or 7. He married mom when I was 10 and has been more of a father than my own ever was. I have a memory of the morning my father left. I am not sure if it really happened or if I just made it up but I have always seemed to have the memory. My dad came in and sat down on my bed and told me that he was leaving and that it was my job to take care of Mom and my sister from now on. I have always felt like I was older than my years because of it."

"I don't really have any memories of my father. I do remember him giving me horsey rides around the living room. Troy and I weren't close at all. He was five years ahead of me and we didn't have anything in common. I think he even resented me for making him loose his place as the only child in the family. I was pretty much a tomboy which drove mom crazy. She used to say that the only time anyone could tell I was a girl was before I learned to walk and talk."

"When she dressed you and gave you dolls to play with?"

"Right. Even that didn't last long because I just played with Luke's toys. We would pretend to have my dolls get kidnapped just so GI Joe could rescue them."

"The best times I remember as a kid was when we would get to stay out at Grandpa's farm. Feeding the animals, riding in the tractors, and playing with my cousins and even some of my aunts and uncles in the barn hay loft. We used to build forts, play hide and seek, and pretend to ride the milk cows when they were locked in their milking stations. Of course the lake was always nearby too."

"You used to play with your aunts and uncles? Weren't they a little old?"

"Actually, my mom is the oldest in the family so I have an aunt who is only four years older than I am."

"That must make for some interesting introductions."

"You don't know the half of it. I have a cousin whose daughter has an uncle 1 year younger than she is."

"How is that possible?"

"One of my uncles got a girl pregnant when he was 17. Then he married someone else when he was 32. He now has three children with her. After his second boy was born his oldest son (now 17) told him that he had gotten a girl pregnant and he was going to be a Grandpa. He was 34. A few months after his grandaughter was born his wife told him that she was going to have their third child. He was born an uncle."

"I had heard of big families where that was possible but I have never actually known anyone in a family like that. I can tell from the way you talk about them that you really care about them. Lita said wistfully.

"Yeah, I really can't imagine not having them in my life. I have never really had many friends. In fact I can't really say that I have ever known anyone that I would consider as a best friend." I thought I did once she thought. "I have always had family though so I don't really feel alone. There are times thought when I really wish that there was someone to share things with, do things with." Dee fell silent, lost in thought. After a moment she shook off the depressing thoughts and looked across the table at Lita. "So anyway, back to the bowling. I don't want to intimidate you but I do have to tell you that my team has won the league for the last two years running. That doesn't mean we are only out to win but it also doesn't meant we have just been lucky either. We have high averages, from 167 to 180, but I think that what has allowed us to win has been the fact that if one of us isn't bowling well the other three have been. It is a handicapped league so it really doesn't matter what your average is as long as you can maintain it most of the time. Then again, if you don't maintain it it goes down and the team gets more handicap. One other advantage to bowling on my team is that I used to be a bowling instructor for the youth program at the other bowling alley so I can help you improve your game."

"That could be good. Are you sure you don't want to get a better bowler though?"

Lita found it hard to believe that a team with averages like that, with two winning seasons would want just anyone for their team.

"I am going to be brutally honest with you. When I found out that our fourth bowler wasn't coming back this year I just about panicked. The truth is it is not that easy to find one person to bowl, much less one woman. The membership in the women's bowling association has been dropping rapidly over the last few years. Then there is the problem of most women being part of a couple or unwilling to bowl with people they don't know. I don't even know if I would be able to do it. As good as I am at talking I am usually very shy around people I don't know. I have lived here all my life and if I didn't have my family to play sports with I don't know if I would have the guts to go out and look for a team in any sport. I play volleyball with my mom, sister, and the aunt I was talking about earlier. I play softball with my mom and my sister. Then there is the bowling. I really admire your guts. So, what do you think. Feel like joining a bunch of crazies on Friday nights?"

"I think it sounds good but I would like to think about it a little more. Why don't you give me your phone number and I will let you know if it will work out with my work schedule and everything."

"Ok." Dee wrote down her number feeling just a bit disappointed that Lita didn't agree right away. Lita took the number and then glanced around the restaurant noticing that it was much quieter than when they had arrived. she looked down at her watch and in disbelief said to Dee, "Do you realize we have been here for almost two hours?!"

"No way!" She looked at her own watch. "Wow. I told you I talk too much."

"Actually, I was just thinking the same thing."

"Hey!" Dee exclaimed.

"I was also thinking that I can't remember the last time I enjoyed listening to someone as much as I've enjoyed listening and talking to you."

"Well, with that voice I could listen to you talk for hours." Dee looked surprised and then said, "Did I just say that out loud?"

"Yes. Thanks for the compliment although I really don't usually talk this much."

This time it was Lita's face that started to fill with color. It was also the first time she was thankful for her darker skin tone which hid most of her embarrassment.

As they moved toward the cash register to pay for their lunch Dee asked, "Do you usually work Sunday through Thursday nights?"

"Yeah, I get Friday and Saturday nights off."

They walked to their cars and Dee realized that she couldn't just let this woman leave without the possibility of seeing her or talking to her again. "Do you like movies?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Would you like to go to one sometime. My stepdad and I usually go once a week but there are some movies that I would like to see that he isn't too interested in."

"That would be fun. Why don't I give you my number too. Give me a call tomorrow and we can see what our weeks are like and make a plan."

"Great! Well then..." Dee trailed off not sure how to say goodbye to her new friend.

"Yeah I guess..." Lita seemed to have the same problem and looked down at the paper with Dee's number on it. It said D. Moore. Surprised Lita asked "Isn't Dee your full name?"

"Actually no. My mom had something in mind for her first daughter's name too."

"So what does the D stand for then?"

"It's kind of embarrassing and there is a really long story attached." Dee stalled.

"Come on. You don't have to be embarrassed with me, I heard your stomach growl and I just watched you put away three plates full of chinese food. Nothing could shock me that much. Besides, if there's a long story attached then you will have something to talk about when we go to the movie. I am sure you will want to eat first, right and I can guarantee you that I am not going to be the one talking like today."

"Sure. I'd like to go out to eat too. There are some good Mexican restaurants around here too. If you wanted to try one of them. I'll call you tomorrow then." Dee started to get into her car.

"Wait, you didn't tell me your name." Lita called after her.

Dee hesitated for another moment and then she took a deep breath and said, "It's Destiny."

"Destiny." Lita repeated. "That's beautiful." she whispered but Dee had taken the opportunity to duck into her car and with a wave left the restaurant parking lot.

As Lita watched her drive away with a grin on her face she felt as if a piece of the puzzle she hadn't even noticed was missing had finally fallen into place. Then she realized that she was standing by herself in a parking lot with a silly grin on her face.

Nobody who knows me would ever believe this, she thought as she got into her car and drove home.

As Lita pulled into the garage of her rented house she thought back on when she had first moved to Minnesota. She had been forced to live in a motel when she first moved from California. She wanted to find a nice place to live in her price range. One thing she forgot about was that what she paid for rent in California would get her much more in Minnesota. When she started looking for apartments and saw some of the prices she realized she had enough money to rent a house rather than just a small apartment. One day at work the perfect place had fallen, literally, into her lap. One of the officers had tossed a copy of "The Rap Sheet" onto her desk. "The Rap Sheet" was the staff newsletter and there was an ad in there for a house for rent outside of town. She had immediately called and set up an appointment to see the place. It had only been a week but she already knew that motel living was not for her. In a word it 'sucked'. This house was in her price range and according to the ad there would be more than enough space for her. When she first saw the place there were no questions in her mind that this was where she was going to live. The two story house had three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, living/dining room, and a semi-furnished basement. According to the Officers at work a basement was a very good thing in this area of tornadoes. Lita wasn't quite sure she liked the idea of tornadoes but she supposed they weren't any worse than the earthquakes she had had to put up with in California. The best selling points of the house were the location and the view. 100 feet from the french doors of the livng room was a small, peaceful lake. There were pine trees lining either side of the house extending almost all the way to the shoreline. Her backyard was completely isolated from the neighboring lots allowing her to have her privacy. While the openess of the front yard, though small, kept her from looking like a hermit to the neighbors. She had even met the people who owned the lot next door. They had been camping out the weekend she moved in. There wasn't much on the lot, and the lot on the other side of the house was very heavily wooded.

Lita valued her privacy, coming from a city where you hardly saw your neighbors much less became friendly with them. She had always liked to keep her home life separate from the rest of her life. She had a few friends from work in California, even a few that she would probably e-mail when she got her computer hooked up. They weren't the type of friends that would go beyond that and the occasional Christmas card though. She had even met a few people here at work that she had thought she would spend time with, go out for a drink some Friday night or out to dinner sometime. She never thought she would meet someone that she would go out to lunch with and end up talking with her for two hours or that she would talk about her brother within hours of meeting someone! Funny how things can change.

She walked through the house and up the stairs to the master bedroom. She slipped off her shoes and padded barefoot out onto the deck. Here was the other thing she liked best about her house, the four person hot tub she had installed after she watched the sun set from the deck her first night in the house. One of her favorite ways to unwind after a hard night at work was to take a glass of Michelob Golden Draft Light out and sit in the hot tub while she watched the morning begin. She loved to watch the world wake up. Then she would go in and sleep until 2 or 3pm (if she was lucky and could stay asleep that long.) She stood at the railing of the deck debating whether she should fire up the jets on the tub or get off her lazy duff and start doing her laundry. The house had come partially furnished with all the major appliances including a washer and dryer in the basement so she didn't have to go all the way into town to do her laundry at the laundromat. This was especially convenient because she usually waited until the only clean clothes she had left to wear were not suitable for the public to see. It was also an all day job so it was much nicer to be able to stay at home and get some other things done in between loads. She decided to go ahead and start a load of clothes and then fire up the tub in an hour or so. When the third load of clothes was in the washer and the second load in the dryer she felt her conscience was clear enough to indulge herself in a good long soak, while she waited for the loads to finish. She went back to the bedroom and changed into her swimming suit, put on a robe and walked out onto the deck. The silence of earlier in the day had been shattered. The sound of music, laughter, and too many conversations to try and keep track of drifted over from the lot next door. The neighbors must be having another get together Lita thought, not that she was surprised. In the three weeks that she had been living here there had been a party next door every weekend. Personally, she couldn't quite see the fascination. There was nothing on the lot next door except for a firepit, a volleyball net, and a porta-potty. Every Friday night like clockwork tents would be set up and the party would start. The kids would start swimming, a volleyball game would get started, and the conversations would start. The trees muffled most of the noise but she had overheard some talk of harvesting hay and other crops so she figured that at least some of them were farmers. Sometimes the women would be there during the day and the men would show up later. Other times there would be so many people there all day that Lita couldn't count them all. She was glad she had a garage because parking was often at a premium during these get togethers. These parties didn't really bother her too much because the noise didn't seem to get into the house and they were usually really considerate and quieted down around 12:00 or so. The kids quit running around then and the adults talked around the campfire. If she really thought about it Lita supposed it had something to do with summer ending. Another example of Minnesotans trying to get as much summer as possible in before fall arrived. She couldn't believe that they were like this all summer (little did she know). That first weekend when she was moving in two of the women came over and introduced themselves. They wanted Lita to know that she should come over and let them know if they ever got too rowdy or too loud. They knew that sometimes they didn't realize how loud they were getting or how many people were actually around. She appreciated their honesty and told them not to worry. From the sound of things next door there was a pretty intense volleyball game going on. Lita decided to wait for a few moments before hitting the hot tub because she knew that if this game were anything like the hundreds that had been played over the preceeding month it wouldn't be long before she had a visitor in her yard chasing down a stry volleyball that somehow managed to get through the trees.

Lita stood on the deck enjoying the view and listening to the music from next door. At least they have good taste in music she thought as she listened to the latest single from The Dixie Chicks. Before they could finish telling about leaving home and going out into the big world a ball came sailing over the trees and into her yard. 'That's new' she thought as she heard a familiar voice call out "I'll get it". 'This is not possible' she thought as she leaned over the railing and waited for the person she was pretty sure would be coming through the trees. Impossible or not, soon the slim form of Dee Moore came through the break in the trees after the ball. With a small smile Lita called down with a voice that was cold as ice, "Mind telling me who gave you permission to come onto my property?"

Dee froze as she reached for the ball. She could've sworn that she felt the hair on her arms stand on end. She hadn't met the new neighbor yet; she had been playing in softball tournaments the past couple of weekends and hadn't been out to the lake lot. Her aunts had said that she seemed rather nice even though she kept to herself most of the time. Her uncles had said that she was gorgeous and the lone bachelor in the bunch had even asked her out a few times. She had turned him down and he still couldn't understand why. Of course her Uncle Eddie had piped in and said that Uncle Rick would have had a better chance if he hadn't been drinking when he asked. She fearfully looked up at the deck and at the woman leaning over the railing. When she realized who was standing there her shoulders slumped in relief and she started breathing again. "Wow! Where did you learn to do that with your voice? I was scared to move until I looked up and saw it was you." The voice that had shot down had been cold, harsh, and totally at odds with the velvety rumble that Dee had so enjoyed at lunch.

"Practice. It comes in handy when the inmates get a little out of hand."

"I'll bet. I sure wouldn't want to cross you."

"Hey Dee, did you get lost over there? A voice shouted over from the other side.

"Hang on. I"ll be right back." Dee said to Lita as she grabbed the ball and darted back through the trees. Lita smiled and went inside to meet Dee at the back door.

Dee came through the trees and tossed the ball to her cousin who was back to serve and then she turned to head back next door.

"Where you going Dee?" her Uncle Eddie called after her.

"I'm going to talk to the neighbor."

Her Aunt Tracy came up to her and asked, "She invited you over?"

"Remember the woman I was telling you about? The one I met at the bowling alley and had lunch with. Believe it or not she is our new neighbor."

"You're kidding. I suppose it fits though, she did just move in a month ago. Lisa and I went over and warned her about us but I don't think she took us seriously. Make sure she knows that she's welcome to join us anytime and that she can tell us to settle down whenever we get too rowdy over here."

"I will." Dee turned to go again.

"You know," Tracy stalled her again "It's really weird that you two had never met and now you have seen each other twice in one day. It must be fate."

"Yeah, it must be. Well, I'll be back later, see ya."

"Have fun." Tracy whispered as she watched Dee slip back through the trees. She walked back towards the fire pit and the grills where some of the other women were getting ready to start supper. As she neared the group Lisa asked her; "Where did Dee run off to?"

"The woman she met today happens to be our new neighbor so she went over to visit."

"Didn't she talk enough for one day?"

"Remember who you're talking about here. You know Dee can talk for hours once you get her started. This woman hasn't even heard a smidgen of what Dee can talk about. I just hope our new neighbor doesn't get tired of her and throw her back over here bodily. She sure looks strong enough to pick her up and throw her back. Don't you think so?"

"Yeah but I'm sure she won't. She'll probably just yell for one of us to come and drag Dee away." Tracy looked back at the trees as the other women started placing bets on how long it would take their nieghbor to send Dee back. 'I hope this woman turns out to be a better friend that those last two losers. I don't think Dee could survive another friendship like that.'

As Dee reappeared from the trees Lita opened the back door and walked out to meet her.

"So I guess that lake lot you were talking about is pretty close to here huh?"

"You know, if I wasn't already convinced that you and I were meant to meet I would have to say that this is just too freaky for words. You have been living here for a month, working in the same place I do, renting a house 50 feet from where I spend most of my weekends during the summer and we don't meet until you walk in looking for a bowling team three weeks after I find out I am going to need another bowler. If it wasn't happening to me I would never believe it."

"Well, even though I had met the neighbors I didn't really take notice of them. I have been busy moving in, getting my furniture here from California, and buying the things I need to finish off the house. I've got it pretty much done now, would you like a tour?"

"Sure, why not. My aunts wanted me to make sure that they weren't bothering you too much with noise and all the activity that goes on when they get together."

"Like I said, I haven't really noticed. The trees muffle a lot of the noise and when I am inside the house I can barely hear them." Lita held the door open for Dee to precede her into the house. She showed her the downstairs rooms and then they looked at the bedroom she had turned into an office. Dee was practically drooling when she saw the state of the art computer system Lita had set up. It was outfitted with a DVD drive, zip drive, 450mhz, and 19" flat screen monitor.

"Wow, are you on the internet yet?" Dee asked.

"The system is all set up for it but I haven't had time to really look into a good local provider yet. Do you have a computer?"

"Not nearly as nice as this one but yes. I'll give you the name and number of my ISP. I haven't had any problems with them. The only thing I have noticed is that sometimes the connection is a little slow but nothing too major."

"Great. I am on a mailing list and I have really missed talking to the people on it. They are really wild."

"I know what you mean. I am on a list too. It started when a woman who wrote stories based on my favorite TV show put a message board on her web site."

"The message board was getting so many hits that someone decided to start a mailing list."

"Soon the message board crashed all together and the mailing list branched off into four different lists with people from all over the world on them. The original list now has"

"More than 700 people on it. Don't tell me you are a pup too?"

"Almost since the beginning of the list."

"You're Destiny's choice aren't you?"

"Right the first time. I'm sorry but I don't know what your name is online."

"That's ok. I go by the name guardian."

"I guess that makes sense, considering what you do for a living."

"Do you want to see the best part of the house?"

"You bet."

They walked out of the computer room and passed the guest bedroom and stopped at the door to the master bedroom. "It's through here." Lita said. They walked out on to the deck and stopped next to the hot tub. "Look out there." Lita said pointing towards the lake.

"What a beautiful sunset." Dee gazed at the view in wonder. "I can see why you would consider this the best part of the house." They stood watching the sunset in silence for a few moments.

"Thank you." Lita said quietly.

"What did I do?" Dee looked at Lita confused.

"I used to love watching the sunset over the ocean with my brother. After he died, I couldn't stand to look at them anymore. When I moved here and found this house I put in the hot tub and watched the sunrise but I couldn't bring myself to be out here when the sun was setting. I had forgotten how beautiful a sunset could be. So thank you."

"Oh. Um...you're welcome." Dee seemed to notice what Lita was wearing for the first time. "You must have been going to take a hot tub. Would you like me to go back?"

"No, that's ok." She thought for a minute looking out at the lake again. "Would you like to join me? After bowling and playing volleyball you could probably use a good soak."

"You're right I could but I don't have a suit with me. I don't usually swim." Dee said regretfully.

"Well, you could go in in your shorts and t-shirt. I have a dryer and a robe you could borrow while we dry your clothes afterwards."

"Ok you talked me into it. Have you had anything for supper yet?"

"No, I hadn't really thought about eating I was still full from lunch." There was a grumbling from Dee's stomach as Lita finished speaking. "I guess you need to eat again though huh?"

"I guess so. Why don't I run next door and grab some of the food that I can tell they've got cooking. I'll bring it back here and we can eat while we soak."

"All right but only if you let me provide the beverages and dessert. What do you want to drink?"

"Do you have any Michelob Golden Draft Light?"

"Yep, it's my favorite brand."

"Ok. I'll take one. Be back in a minute."

"Are you sure your relatives won't mind you feeding the nieghbor?"

"Have you ever looked at how much food is set out on those tables? I don't think they will even notice I've taken some. Unless you are worried that they will think it is like feeding a stray puppy and they will never get rid of you?"

"No, where did you get that image from?"

"I don't know. There is just something about you that reminds me of a stray puppy that has been kicked one too many times and needs someone to care about it."

Lita wasn't sure how to respond to that so she just let it drop. "Go get the food."

"Be back in a flash." Dee went back through the bedroom and out of the house. Lita watched her disappear and then went inside to get the drinks. As she went into the house she thought about what she had in the fridge that would be good for dessert.

Lita walked into the kitchen, went over to the refrigerator and took out two beers. She set them on the counter and then took inventory of the contents of the refrigerator, there wasn't much. She was searching for something suitable for desert. Nothing she had seemed good enough so she went to the freezer. Yep, there it was- the pecan pie that she had bought at Perkins last week. It was one of her few indulgences. Once a month she would buy a pecan pie, slice it up and freeze the slices so she could eat one or two pieces rather than having to eat the whole pie in a week. This way she could savor each piece and make it a special treat, without the guilt of eating a whole pie. "Perfect" she said as she took two pieces out to thaw. She double checked the freezer to make sure she had enough ice cream left, then took the two beers back out onto the deck to wait for Dee.

Dee, meanwhile, had arrived on her family's side of the trees. Lisa spotted her first, looked at her watch and said "Hour and a half. Who had an hour and a half?"

"Lisa," Dee said "What are you talking about?"

Dee's Aunt Jackie walked over to Dee and explained. "Lisa and some of the others were betting on how long it would take the neighbor to kick you out."

"Oh really." Dee shot Lisa a mock glare, "And why did you think she would kick me out?"

"Come on Dee, we all know how much you like to talk." Lisa backed away playfully.

"It's a family trait if I remember correctly." Dee said advancing on Lisa.

"Yeah. So anyway, I just got the impression that our new neighbor wasn't much for visiting. I mean, we've hardly even seen her much less talked to her and she's been living here for almost a month. You know we've spent every weekend here while she's lived here and aside from turning Jason down when he was trying to ask her out she hasn't said more than 10 words to any of us. We thought she would send you back before long." Lisa finished in a rush proving that she was more than capable of talking a blue streak like the rest of the Moore clan.

"Lisa?" Jackie interrupted "No one had an hour and a half."

"Who was closest?" Lisa asked.

"Well, uhm..." Jackie stammered as if she didn't really want to say. "I guess that would be Joey. Although he only said 45 minutes."

"Didn't anyone say any longer than that?" Dee asked incredulous.

"Well, Tracy said 2 1/2 hours but you weren't over there that long so her vote doesn't count."

"That's where you're wrong Jackie. You see: 1. I wasn't kicked out and 2. I am going back. I just came over here for some food to take back with me for supper."

"Oh." Lisa and Jackie said quietly.

"In fact, I was feeling just a little bit guilty about leaving you guys for so long and then only coming back for food, now I think I would like to get in on this bet of yours."

"You can't place a bet. You would just hide over there somewhere until you win." Lisa protested.

"I hadn't thought of that." Dee said surprised. "I'll tell you what though, we'll count this time as a pause and continue timing when I go back. If nothing else I can promise you that Tracy will win the bet since she seemed to be the only one of you who had faith in my ability."

"Ability for what."

"For not getting kicked out on my rear by a new friend and yet knowing when I've overstayed my welcome." Dee left the two standing there and walked over to Tracy and the picnic table full of food.

"Thanks." Dee said to Tracy as she picked up a tray from the table and started to fill it with food.

"What for?"

"2 1/2 hours." Dee said simply.

"You found out about the bet?" Tracy asked. "I told them it was a silly idea but you know how these guys are."

"Yep. That's ok I know how to get revenge. You are going to win it by the way."

"How? You were only gone an hour and a half. Why is that? Why are you back so soon?" Then Tracy seemed to notice how much food Dee was putting on the tray. "Why are you taking so much food? Even you can't eat all of that."

"I know, and you are going to win the bet because technically I'm not back. I just came over to get some supper for Lita and myself. I figured since I was intruding on her I should at least provide the meal."

"So why are you only taking food you can eat with your fingers?"

Dee looked around to make sure no one was listening to them. "We're going to eat while soaking in her hot tub." she paused, then, "Do you think that's strange? I mean I can see the appeal. The hot tub is on the deck looking out across the lake." She hesitated again. "Do you think it's weird for two women, barely friends, to be eating supper in a hot tub together?"

"I guess that depends." Tracy replied.

"On what."

"Let's go sit down for a minute." Tracy said, leading Dee over to some lawn chairs away from the rest of the group. Tracy had been Dee's friend ever since she had started dating her Uncle Rick. She had also been figuring that this conversation would have to take place some time.

Now that the time was here though, she wasn't sure how to start. So she took a deep breath and asked straight out, "Are you gay?"

Dee's first instinct was to shout "No way!" She knew that she had to be honest with herself and she knew that she could be honest with Tracy so she said, "I don't know."

"That's what I thought." Tracy said. "Look. Now is not the time or the place to talk about this. Why don't we meet at your place tomorrow and we can talk about this some more. In the mean time, Do I think it's weird for two women to share a hot tub while they relax at the end of the day?

"No. There have been a lot of times when my girlfriends and I have shared a hot tub and just chatted the night away. Truthfully I would be more concerned about it being a romantic situation if it was some guy you had just met. I do, however, have a suggestion for you. Take notice of your reactions to her and what she does."

"What do you mean what she does? Do you think Lita's gay? Do you think she's going to try something? Do you think she sees this as a romantic situation? What if she does? What should I do?" Dee was starting to panic. All of a sudden the pleasant evening getting to know her new friend had become a situation that she wasn't expecting or prepared for.

"Whoa, whoa, settle down Dee. I don't think anything of the sort. I have no idea if Lita is gay or not, this is about helping you figure out whether you are or not. I just meant that you should take notice of your reactions. If she comes near to you to hand you something how do you feel? If you sit without talking for a while is it a comfortable silence or do you feel the need to say anything just to fill it? When you go to leave how do you feel? Things like that. Then when I come over tomorrow we will talk about your reactions and everything else. Ok?"

"Ok." Dee looked around, "I'd better get back before Lita thinks I've deserted her." She stood up, grabbed her tray and started to leave.

She still looked concerned so Tracy added, "Dee, don't worry. I think she just wants to be your friend, really."

"Thanks Tracy."

"Anytime. I'll see you later." 'Oh man,' she thought 'how do I get myself into these things?'

Dee came back through the trees carrying the tray of food. Lita was still standing at the railing, although she had gone in to replace the beers with cold ones when she realized Dee was going to be gone awhile.

"I was beginning to wonder if you were coming back. I thought maybe you were having second thoughts. Come on up I left the door open."

"Ok." Dee called up. As she made her way through the house she worked on getting her nerves under control. 'She's just a friend, that's it, nothing else is going on.' When she made it to the deck she was ready to face her friend again.

"I thought some more about it and decided that maybe it would be better to see if I had some clothes that would fit you so you didn't have to get yours all wet. I found a dark t-shirt and some bicycle shorts that should work. I left them in the guestroom if you want to try them on and see if that would be more comfortable for you." She had put a t-shirt on over her own swimsuit and Dee was grateful for the gesture.

"Thanks", she put the tray of food down near the hot tub and went into the guestroom. The t-shirt was huge on her small frame and the shorts were a little big but well hidden by the shirt. Dee instantly felt more comfortable about the whole experience.

Dee came back out onto the deck and saw that Lita was already in the hot tub. She had placed the tray of food on the ledge and Dee's beer can on the opposite end of the tub. Dee carefully stepped into the warm water and sat down on the bench-style seat. A moan of pleasure escaped from her lips as the warm jets of water massaged her aching muscles

"I didn't realize how sore I was until I sat down. This feels great. Thanks." Dee's eyes were closed in pleasure.

"You're welcome. This is my favorite way to relax when I get home from work in the morning. I hope I'll be able to continue once winter gets here."

"I would think if you can stand the walk from the bedroom you should be all right. You'll need some kind of cover though. The best thing would probably be some kind of roof to keep the snow off and also a cover over the water itself. It may be too much work after all even though this is bliss."

"Then I'll definately have to check into it." Lita replied. "So what did you bring for supper?"

"There's ham from the pig my uncle roasted, a couple of hamburgers, deviled eggs, some vegetables, fruit, and some tortilla chips and salsa."

"Who else are you excepting to join us?"

"No one. If we don't eat it all I'll just take it back with me. Believe me it will not go to waste."

"Make sure you save some room for dessert."

"What did you find?"

"Pecan pie and ice cream."

"I've never had pecan pie before. Is it good?"

"It's like taking a slice of heaven and putting it on your tongue to let it melt away all your troubles."

"Wow! Forget about supper let's just have dessert." Dee exclaimed and started to climb out of the tub as if to hunt down the delicacy herself.

Lita put a hand on her arm to stop her. Dee froze as tingles shot up her arm followed by a wave of warmth that spread throughout her body. She sat back down as Lita's velvety voice rumbled over her skin causing her to shiver even in the warmth of the water. "Anticipation is half of the pleasure. Eat your supper first, trust me, the pie will taste better if you have to wait for it."

"I suppose you're right." Dee said crestfallen.

Lita had to laugh at the expression on Dee's face. "Besides, I'm not sure how it will taste with the beer so finish that with your supper. Then we can have milk with the pie and ice cream."

"Milk?!"

"Don't you like milk?"

"Yeah, I love milk. My grandpa used to have milk cows on his farm. When we stayed with them we had all the milk we could drink. It was great. After most of his kids had moved out or moved on with their lives and jobs he decided to get out of the dairy business. His knees were getting so sore that he was having trouble bowling, not a good situation for a man who bowls five nights a week. He was lucky because the government actually paid him to not have milk cows. The only drawback was that he couldn't have any milk cows on the farm at all, even for his own family use. I just didn't picture you as a milk drinker, much less someone who would actually like it."

"Well you remember the ad campaign Milk It does a body good. It certainly does this body good. It's one of the ways I stay in good shape."

"It seems to be working." Dee said, 'In spades' she added to herself.

"Thanks." They fell silent as they ate the food on the tray. Soon there wasn't much left on the tray and both women were stuffed. "I think we're going to have to wait a little while before we eat that pie. I really couldn't eat another bite right now." Lita said.

"How about taking a walk or something to get your appetite back?" Dee asked. "My grandpa's farm is just up the hill. My Uncle Joey owns it now."

"Ok. I guess if we spend too much time in here we'll wind up looking like prunes anyway. A walk sounds like a good idea." They got out of the hot tub and dried off with the towels Lita had hung over the railing of the deck. Dee went into the guestroom to change and after a few minutes met Lita in the hallway.

"Ready to go?" Dee asked.

"Yep, all set." Lita handed Dee the tray. All that remained was two hamburgers. "Do you want to drop this off on our way?"

"Might as well." They walked back through the house and out the back door. Dee went through the trees first, Lita following close behind her. They walked over to the picnic table and deposited the tray. Tracy was standing nearby. Lisa and some of the other relatives were sitting around the campfire.

"Thanks for supper guys." Dee said.

"No problem. Where you off to?" Tracy asked.

"We're going for a walk to counteract all that good food. I thought we would go up to the farm and back."

"As long as you're headed that way; some of the kids went up to watch a movie. Would you check up on them?" Lisa asked. She had been shamelessly eavesdropping from her spot near the campfire.

"Sure. I wondered why it seemed so quiet around here." Dee replied. She waved to the rest of her relatives and they headed off down the road. "I think we'd better stick to the road this trip. It's too dark to take the shortcut through the woods."

"Fine by me, you're the guide on this jaunt."

As they started up the hill Dee asked. "I know you haven't really had much time on your own today to think, but have you decided what you're going to do about bowling yet?"

"Actually, I have decided." Lita paused.

Dee broke in and began pleading "Well, what's the verdict? Don't keep me in suspenders!"

Lita stopped walking and stared at Dee. "Suspenders?! What does that mean?"

"It's something me Aunt Sam does. She likes to change the words in a common saying. Instead of suspense she says suspenders. Instead of 'I resent that remark' she would say 'I resemble that remark'--things like that. She likes to make people stop and think."

"Well it worked. Just for that I think I will wait to give you my decision." Lita continued walking.

"Wait! How long?"

"Oh I don't know."

"Come on, please tell me now. Please, please." Dee was walking backwards facing Lita with her hands together in a pleading gesture.

Lita knew she wouldn't be able to resist those eyes for much linger so she smiled and played her trump card. "I'll tell you my decision after you tell me about your name."

Now it was Dee's turn to stop walking. She had forgotten her promise to tell Lita the story. Lita noticed the look of trepidation that came over Dee's face as she slowly started walking again. It was almost enough to make her retract her condition, almost. It did, however, prompt her to ask. "Why are you so hesitant to tell me the story behind your name?"

"There have been a lot of people who have thought my mom was crazy because of it, not the name itself. Most people think the name is beautiful and they like it. When they hear why she chose it they tend to freak out. When I was young, in elementary school, I told some of my friends the story and they got scared by it and didn't want to be my friends anymore. The story followed me through High School and because of it I never really had any friends. When I got to college I thought I had finally gotten past it. My roommate freshman year and I became great friends. We decided to stay roommates our sophomore year as well. Then spring quarter of our sophomore year we were out at a bar one night, having a few drinks, getting a little drunk. When we got back to the dorm room we were talking, sharing secrets, you know how it goes. Anyway, I told her the story behind my name. One week later she decided to move off campus for the next year and I hardly saw her for the rest of the year. It seems like everyone who hears the story undergoes a radical shift in how they feel about me. I finally decided to stop telling people. It was easier that way."

Lita wasn't sure what to say. She wasn't very good with words in the best of circumstances. All she knew was that she had to reassure Dee somehow. She had to make her see that there was nothing she could say that would ruin the friendship that seemed stronger after only one day than any bond she had ever felt before; even the one she had with her brother. They had reached the driveway leading up to the farmhouse so Lita stopped and turned Dee to face her.

"I'm not sure how to tell you this and make you believe me." Dee had developed an intense interest in her feet so Lita placed two fingers under her chin and gently forced her to look into her eyes. "I swear to you that there is nothing you could tell me that would make me want to stop being your friend."

"You say that now but..."

"No!" Lita interrupted forcefully, "I mean it. I am more scared that you will find out some of the things that I have done in the past and run away screaming."

"That is not a possibility." Dee said with complete conviction.

"Yeah, well the same goes for me." Lita assured her.

"All right. I'll tell you the story. Let's check on the kids first and I'll tell you on the walk back."

"All right."

 They went into the farmhouse, saw that the kids were camped in front of a Disney movie, took a quick tour of the house, and went back outside. As they started back towards Lita's house and the lake lot Lita heard Dee take a deep breath.

"I'm not really sure what about the story scares people away. It's not really a scary story, it's really more mystical. When my mom was in her late teens she started having this reoccurring dream, a vision. In the vision she gave birth to a baby girl with blond hair and green eyes. As the vision progressed the child would grow up in front of her eyes. As the child was getting older a dark shadow would move across the landscape drawing ever closer to the child. When the girl reached adulthood the shadow would overtake her, engulf her, cover her, and bring her to her knees. All the while, out of the depths of the shadow a phrase was repeated, "It is Destiny."

"Why would your mother name you after such a horrifying image? Was she trying to outwit the vision somehow?" Lita interrupted.

"That's one of the strange things about the dream, even as the shadow engulfed her child my mother felt no fear, no terror. There is more to the vision as well. After the woman was brought to her knees by the shadow my mom could see her fighting to regain her footing and stand up. She would rise a little and then get knocked back down. After a while mom started to count how many times the woman was knocked back to her knees. Almost every time she had the dream the woman would be knocked down three times. It was always after the third time that the strangest part of the dream would occur." she paused, "I know what you're thinking 'stranger, what could be stranger' right?" Dee looked at Lita who gave a little half-smile in acknowledgement and nodded for her to continue the tale.

"After knocking the woman down three times the shadow would start to change, instead of engulfing the woman it suddenly seemed to embrace her. Then it actually seemed to be helping the woman to stand. When the woman was finally back on her feet the shadow would change again. This time the shadow seemed to mold itself into the mirror image of the woman herself. Now there were two women in the dream exactly the same except for one detail. One woman had light hair and green eyes and the other had black hair and blue eyes. It was always after seeing the two women standing together that my mother would feel herself waking up. Unlike most nightmares, or even vivid dreams, she always woke up gradually, with a sense of overwhelming peace and with one phrase running through her thoughts. "It is Destiny." " Dee's voice trailed off and they walked on in silence for a minute or two.

"So your mom named you Destiny because of your light hair?" Lita asked.

"Yeah. She always tells me that she was never scared of the vision for three reasons: 1. The woman, her daughter, always ended up on her own two feet. 2. It always ended with her standing with someone perfect for her, and 3. She always woke up peaceful and happy. She knew that whatever the trials of her daughter's life, in the end, everything would work out for the best."

"Do you think that most of your other so-called 'friends' were afraid that they were the dark shadow in your life?" Lita asked.

"That's possible I suppose but I always thought that it was the pressure they were afraid of. The idea that you may be expected to lift someone from the depths of some trauma. I mean, as a friend, most people intend to be there if the other person needs them. If you know, without a doubt, that you will be expected to help someone out you may be a bit more reluctant to take on the challenge, don't you think?"

"It wouldn't, doesn't, scare me off."

"Why not?"

"Probably for the same reason it didn't scare your mom and it doesn't seem to scare you. Everything works out in the end. No matter what happens to you, you know that it will work out ok. At least it will up to the point that you and your other half are standing together facing the future. It's what comes next that I would be worried about."

"What do you mean? The trouble's over."

"How do you know? The only trouble that is over is the one that you know about. Unless the woman in the vision is an old lady when she meets her other half she still has a lot of living left to do. A lot could happen that you won't even know about."

"You are forgetting one very important fact."

"What's that?"

"At the end of the vision I'm no longer alone. I can't imagine any problem that will be too much to handle once I have my 'other half' standing next to me."

"You definitely have a good point there Des." They had arrived back at Lita's front door. "Are you ready for that pie now?" Lita asked.

"You bet. Let me just run over and tell those guys that their kids are fine and I'll be right back."

"I think I'll come with you. The last time you went over by yourself I didn't think you were ever coming back."

"Ok." They went down to the campfire and told Tracy and Lisa that the kids were happily ensconced in front of a kid friendly Disney movie.

Then they headed back through the trees and into the house. As they walked towards the kitchen Dee noticed something she had missed during the tour.

"You have a pool table?"

"Yeah, do you play?"

"I used to play all the time when I was a kid. When my stepdad married my mom and moved in he brought a pool table, fooseball table, and a pinball machine with him."

"One of my favorite hangouts was the local pool hall. I used to go there right after school before it got too busy. Sometimes I couldn't afford to do more than watch, most of the time actually. After hanging out there for a few months the old guy who owned the place made me a deal. If I would do some cleaning and waitressing he would let me play whenever there was an open table. He also let me keep any tips I made. On a good day I could play pool for a few hours and even make $10-$20 in tips." As she was explaining Lita took out the ice cream and dished up the pie and two glasses of milk. "It was the only allowance I got as a kid."

"That kind of reminds me of when I was a kid and I would keep score for bowling tournaments to earn extra spending money. The other bowling alley didn't have automatic scoring so when they had a tournament they needed people to keep score for the bowlers. It was hectic keeping track of the scores for 10 people you didn't know, encouraging them to bowl well, and keeping the adding correct. It was profitable though. You got free pop, $2 or $3 from the tournament and if you were a good scorekeeper a dollar from each bowler. On a good weekend I could earn $50 to $60."

They sat down at Lita's kitchen table to eat the pie. Lita waited and watched Dee take her first bite. At first she just seemed to hold the bite on her tongue as the flavor exploded on her tastebuds. Her eyes fluttered shut as she concentrated totally on the incredible sensation of flavor. "Oh my Lita you were right. This is like a slice of heaven."

"I'm glad you like it."

"Like it! I'm going to have to exert all the will power I have to not stop at Perkins on the way home and buy one for myself."

Lita looked at Dee covertly and confessed. "That's what I do. I cheat though. I cut up the pie into slices and freeze them so I can eat one at a time instead of the whole pie."

"That's a good idea." Regretfully Dee finished the last bite, savoring it for as long as possible before reaching for her glass of milk to wash it down. "You were right about the milk too. I can't imagine a better compliment. Well, except maybe for the ice cream."

"That is about the extent of my culinary skills though. I am very good at putting tastes together but I need someone else to provide the tastes in the first place. I am the world's worst cook."

"I can cook pretty well but I don't get the opportunity to very often. It's not much fun to cook for one person." Dee glanced at the clock on the opposite wall. "Cool clock. That can't possibly be the right time though, is it?"

"Unfortunately, it is. Do you watch the show?"

"Of course. How do you think I found the mailing list? I found the fan fiction based on the show, the awesome alpha wolf's stories, and I have been hooked ever since."

"What do you think of the saying?" Lita asked. The clock on the wall had two characters from a popular TV show sitting in a hot tub. One character was asking the other 'Tell me again, why do I need a man?'

"After listening to my relatives talk about their husbands I am inclined to agree with it. I mean, is sex that great that it is worth putting up with all the hassles they put you through? Even basically good, decent, caring guys seem to be insensitive, lazy, and unable to help with the simplest chores once you marry them. I'm pretty content with my life the way on the whole. There are times when I miss having a special person to do things with but I guess I haven't met the person worth disrupting my life for..." she happened to look up at this point and was snared by Lita's beautiful blue eyes once again "...yet." she finished softly. She looked at the clock and sighed. "I really should get going. It's getting late." She stood up.

"I guess you're right." Lita stood up as well and they walked towards the door. When they reached it Dee turned to face Lita and said, "You didn't tell me your decision about bowling."

"I would be very happy to bowl with you."

"Great. I'll give you a call soon and we can go out and practice some or go to a movie like we talked about earlier today." Dee's expression turned to one of surprise and she said "I just realized something."

"What?"

"I just met you this morning."

"I know I was there remember."

"It's just not possible."

"What's not possible?"

"That I could meet someone I've known all my life less than 24 hours ago."

"Oh." Once again Lita was at a loss for words and Dee could sense it. She smiled and said, "I'll talk to you soon. After all, we have to get you back on the net soon and let the pack know you're back."

"Right. I'll talk to you later Des." Dee glanced quizzically at her but decided not to question her about the new nickname she had acquired. She knew, without a doubt, that there would be plenty of time later. As she walked away towards the trees she glanced back and saw Lita watching her from the doorway, she waved and ducked through the gap in the trees. 'I'd better start alternating which trees I go through or pretty soon there won't be anything left to stop the ball from getting through here.' She stopped by the campfire to say goodbye to the gang and Tracy said "See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I'll give you a call. Truthfully though, I'm not really worried about it anymore."

"I'm glad, but I'll talk to you anyway."

"Goodnight all."

"Goodnight Dee." The family members still awake called to her as she left them and walked to her car. As she drove towards town she looked up at the clear summer night sky, the stars twinkling happily and whispered a quiet "thank you" to whomever might be listening. As she pulled up to a stopsign there was a rustling in the trees that sounded almost like "you're welcome". She shook her head at the fanciful thought and drove the rest of the way home.

 Continued in Part 2

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