Songs From The Wood

Sitting up Jade looked around franticly in the pre-dawn light, "What is it? Bear?" she asked as her heart thudded.

Sally laughed, "No, just it's your turn for a watch. Wake me in an hour or so."

Jade looked around again, the fire was still burning and the wood pile was severely diminished. Glancing at her watch she saw it was right at five am. "You stood more than your fair share."

Sally yawned, "You looked like you needed it more." She closed her eyes and let herself drift to the sounds of the fire and early morning birds. She woke suddenly feeling Jade's hands stroking her hair while her lips planted kisses on her neck.

In a voice filled with raw need Jade said, "I need you..."

Sally tried to sit up as the woman's hands stroked her body though her clothes. "Jade, what's wrong?" she asked still groggy and confused. Before she could speak again, Jade's mouth plastered its self against hers in a passionate kiss. As she struggled to comprehend what was going on, Jade managed to get her flannel shirt open and had moved her mouth to suckle on her breast.

Sally's body exploded in a thrill of passion. She had been celibate for longer then she cared to remember and Jade's strange behavior was igniting her body. "No Jade, this isn't you," she said as she struggled halfheartedly.

Jade looked up from Sally's breast and said, "I need to... I need you... please..." Her face lowered to Sally's breasts and she started sucking and biting at the other woman's nipples. Meanwhile her hands were working franticly to undo the woman's jeans. What she needed was down there and she was going to get it no matter what.

Sally felt her jeans being pulled off and struggled to stop Jade. It was not the other woman; it had to be the programming that was affecting her. Finally, she was able to capture Jade's arms and stop her. "Jade listen to me... This isn't you, snap out of it... I know you're in there... Fight it..."

Jade looked at Sally, "Please Sally... I need you; I need to make you happy... It's not the programming, it's me." Tears broke out as she added, "I love you..."

Sally closed her eyes, "Oh god..." she whispered. She released Jade and helped the woman pull her pants off. She opened her legs and closed her eyes. She liked Jade, perhaps even loved her like a sister. But this was wrong, she was not into women. At least that was what she kept telling herself as Jade drove her crazy with her fingers and mouth.

Once Sally had been worn out from pleasure, Jade moved up to cuddle tight against her. In a tender voice she said, "I am yours now..." She kissed Sally's neck and added, "I love you so much."

In a voice filled with exhaustion and tenderness Sally said softly, "I love you too baby." She drifted off to sleep with Jade's head on her chest and a sense of renewed peace in her heart.

"Wake up Sally."

Sally yawned and blinked as she woke up. She looked up at Jade standing with the .30-30 cradled in her arms. Sitting up she realized her flannel shirt was still open and her jeans were sitting off to one side. As she buttoned her blouse she saw Jade blush and turn away. Getting dressed she said, "How long did you let me sleep?"

"Just an hour like you said."

Sally glanced at the afternoon sun and then the fire pit. The fire was out and reduced to ashes. "Thank you. That was really special baby."

Not turning to face Sally Jade said, "What was?"

"You don't remember?" Sally asked shocked. Her first impression was right after all. Jade was following someone's unseen program. She looked at the ground feeling hurt and sad, "Fuck me..." When she looked up she saw confusion in Jade's face. "Fuck me twice..."

"What's wrong Sally?"

Sally shook her head, "I would say nothing but it was much more than that to me." She looked at Jade for a long moment and then looked down, "We made love, tender passionate love. Don't you remember?" When Jade didn't answer she looked up and saw the woman biting her lip and holding back tears.

"I'm sorry," she said as she shook her head slightly.

Sally looked away, "So am I." Not speaking she finished getting dressed and shouldered her pack. Without trusting herself to speak she started out in the direction of town. She wanted to get to the outskirts before nightfall.

They had been hiking about an hour when Jade finally said, "Sally... Please don't hate me."

Sally stopped and looked at Jade and saw her tear streaked face and red eyes looking back at her. "I don't hate you Jade. God no, you gave me joy and peace in my heart." She paused and looked at the leaf covered ground, "Even if you don't remember it, you made me realize I could love and be loved." She turned to start walking again; she didn't want Jade to see her tears or the hurt she was feeling.

They stopped just outside of town on the west side. Dinner was quiet and once they had eaten, Sally said simply, "I'll take first watch again." She watched Jade as the woman curled up in the blanket and closed her eyes. Sitting down across the fire from her Sally tried to rid the memories from her heart. Jade had even said, "It's not the programming it's me." That's what killed her most of all and not the words of love.

About thirty minutes after Jade had lain down she sat up and looked at Sally, "I can't sleep." She bit her lip and added, "Sally we need to talk." She paused a moment, "I wish to god I remembered it. You have no idea how much." She stood and walked over to Sally and sat in front of her. Resting her hand on Sally's leg she said, "Don't you know why I came back?" She looked at Sally's impassive face and cried, "I came back because I love you. I love you..." As she watched Sally's face melted and became that of a man. He grinned at her and then started laughing. She screamed and woke up.

Sally was beside her in an instant holding on to her, "Shhh, it was just a bad dream..."

Jade clung to her as she recounted her dream. She looked up and touched Sally's face tenderly, "I love you. From the moment I saw that bear about to rip your face off, I knew I would do anything to be yours forever." She lifted her face and kissed Sally. At first Sally's kiss was wooden but the walls came crumbling down and it became filled with love, passion, and mutual need. They made love, more tender then the time before. Both women exploring each other's bodies and souls as their minds and hearts became one.

Sally sat with Jade's head in her lap as the other woman slept. She tenderly stroked her lover's hair as she listened to the night sounds. It was near midnight when she felt Jade move and sit up. In the firelight she saw Jade stand and say, "I am called."

Sally stood and looked around franticly. As Jade started walking away, Sally shouldered both rifles and followed. She was hoping something like this would happen. If it all worked out Jade would lead her right to the source of the trouble. All she had to do was keep from falling into the same trap everyone else did.

Sally followed Jade as the woman walked through the darkened forest. Frankly she could have followed Jade blindfolded with the amount of noise the woman was making. But true to her training, Sally moved as quietly as possible. As she trailed Jade, she became aware of others walking loudly in the forest around her.

Sally suddenly stopped as a thought occurred to her. What if the other times people had followed had done like she was doing now? What if someone was watching for a person walking differently with night vision? She dropped down behind a tree and thought. Setting the rifles down Sally stood and walked loudly in the same direction as the others. She was careful not to look left or right as she shuffled along.

After about fifteen minutes Sally saw a pale blue light up ahead and continued the maddening slow pace towards it. As she got closer she noticed people dropping their clothes at the source of the light. It was as she thought when she had heard of people disappearing, a trap door! Disrobing she let her clothes fall to the ground and could see Jade walking a few people ahead of her down into the blue glowing hole. Keeping her face neutral, Sally descended into the ground. She saw that the source of the illumination was a series of small blue lights mounted on the stairs leading down.

At the base of the stairs was a room with two open boxes. The people split into two groups, males went to one box while females went to the other. As she moved forward, Sally watched as each person would reach into the box and pull out a black shiny latex rubber body suit. They would then step away and pull the suit on. When it was her turn she picked one up and stepped off to the side. Like the others she stretched the neck and stepped into it. Once she had the suit up over her hips, she thrust her arms into the sleeves and pulled it fully on. Suddenly it felt as if a thousand fingers were caressing her body, teasing it into pleasure. Sally had to bite the side of her tongue to keep from moaning in pleasure. Whatever the suit was made of, it was worth marketing on its own she thought to herself.

Sally saw Jade walking through a doorway and followed her slowly. On the other side she was surprised at what she saw. She had been expecting rows of seats with people sitting at attention watching a screen or stage. Failing that she expected a series of computers and mindless people sitting in front of them or even a hallway with rooms filled with beds. What she found was a small room devoid of furniture and Jade standing alone facing her.

"I knew you would follow me."

"Well you needed to stand your watch," Sally said nonchalantly. In reality she was kicking herself. "So now what happens? I lose time while I am reprogrammed to give you all my money?"

From behind her Sally heard a man's voice, "I don't want your money."

She turned slowly and saw her attorney, John, standing behind her. Tilting her head, she said, "I thought you were in Calgary." She looked at Jade, "And you are in this with him." With all her force she slapped the woman, "Damn it I loved you!" When Jade did not react in any way, Sally turned back to John. "Let her go John. I'll give you anything you want."

John shook his head, "I don't want anything Sally." He leaned up against the wall and crossed his arms, "How long have we known each other now Sal?"

Sally tilted her head, she didn't know where John was headed, but she could play along. "Let's see, it was so long ago." She paused and then looked right at him, "I remember now, we met at the backstabbing friends meeting."

"That's weak, even for you," John said. "Want to try again?"

"You know damn well we met in college. You, me and Steve, the three musketeers they called us." Not able to face him any longer Sally turned to Jade who was still standing still, "Three freshmen at Harvard with overbearing parents and too damn much money for their own good." Jerking a thumb over her shoulder she added, "We met in an econ class." Suddenly she turned, "Why am I even bothering, she can't hear me or if she did would never remember it."

"Are you sure you want her awake and aware?"

Sally nodded, "You know damn well I do."

John smirked, "Then do like Prince Charming did to Snow White."

Sally looked at him as if he had lost his mind. When he gestured towards Jade she turned towards the other woman. Taking Jades face in her hands, she tenderly kissed the other woman and said softly, "I love you." As she watched, Jade's body shifted a bit and her eyes cleared. Then the other woman returned the kiss and whispered the same words back to her.

Jade caught sight of John standing behind Sally and gasped, "It's the same man from the dream!" She then noticed what she and Sally were wearing and looked at Sally confused, "What's going on?"

Sally looked at John and then back to Jade, "This is John Chapman, my former lawyer." She looked at John once more, "By the way, you're fired." Taking Jade's hands in hers she said, "John is the one behind all that has been happening."

John shook his head, "Sorry to disappoint you Sal. I am not the one behind it, I'm just the messenger. But back to our story," He looked at Jade, "Sal was talking about how the four musketeers met."

Sally shook her head, "Three, three musketeers. You, me, and Steve." She glanced at Jade, "I thought we were best friends all through college and beyond." She looked around the blank room, where is Steve anyways? This has his handy work written all over it."

"Steve's dead. He died six months ago." John said softly. He started to move forward but a cold look from Jade stopped him in his tracks.

Jade pulled Sally into a hug and stroked her back, "I'm sorry love."

Sally clung to Jade and tried to hold back the flood of emotion that threatened to overwhelm her. When she got herself under control she looked at John, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Steve didn't want you to know. He didn't think that you could take it after Jane."

"Jane?"

"Yes Jane, our fourth musketeer." John looked sadly at Sally, "You weren't the only one who lost her Sally, Steve and I loved her too."

"Oh god...Jane..." Sally said and crumpled to the floor. She held her head in her hands and sobbed, "How could I have forgotten you!" The flood of tears finally burst through and she cried out all the hurt.

Jade knelt down beside Sally and pulled her into her arms. She looked up at John and asked, "Who was Jane?"

John came over and stroked Sally's back as he talked, "Jane was her lover all the way back to college, two gay men and two gay women becoming fast friends against a world of hate." He wiped a tear from his cheek. "When Jane died apart of all of us died. I had Steve and he I to share our grief and get through it together." He stroked Sally's hair, "But our little Sal didn't have anyone. She shut down mentally and retreated to the middle of nowhere to forget."

Jade lifted Sally's head and looked her in the eyes, "You're not alone anymore baby. You have me."

"And you have me Sal," John said softly.

Her voice choked with tears Sally asked, "But why this?"

"Because you asked for it."

"What?" Jade and Sally both said at the same time.

"Do you remember when Steve and I visited Sally?" John looked at Jade, "Sally had just finished building her complex and we decided to visit and give her a house warming present." He looked at Sally, "In reality we were worried about you but could not say so."

Sally nodded, "Yea you two gave me a little green tractor to remind me who I was." She looked up to Jade, "You remember it?"

Jade nodded and then looked at John. "But I don't understand how this place came about. I can't, I won't believe that Sally is behind this."

John sighed, "Sally did nothing but complain how everyone here hated her. Because she had money, because she was a lesbian, and because she bought more land than the state of Rhode Island and built a huge underground complex on it." He sighed, "It was so bad that we thought she was going to kill herself."

"Why don't I remember any of this John? I thought we had a good time."

"Because Steve edited your memories," John said softly. He was expecting Sally to explode but instead she surprised him by nodding. "Steve was working with how music affects the brain and stumbled onto the mind altering aspect." He bit his lip and softly added, "We talked and agreed that you needed help no matter the cost."

John stood and walked to the door. "It took every penny we had to make it work." He turned and gestured around, "And worked it did, everyone here loves and protects you from the outside world." He slid down the wall by the door until he was seated. "But you were still broken, and we had to do more." He sighed and looked away, "Steve died in my arms in this room, still trying to find a fix for you."

Sally knew what was coming and dreaded to hear it, more than that she dreaded Jade to hear it. "You found the fix..."

Jade looked at Sally and then John, "Me, you found me didn't you."

John nodded, "Steve's death opened a new door for me. I knew what you needed Sally, you needed someone to love, someone who loved you back." He looked at Jade, "But who to find, one of the locals?"

Jade shook her head, "No, they are too back woods. Sally needed someone who was well educated and intelligent."

John nodded, "Yes someone like you."

Sally knew it was coming, even so she was shocked, "You brain washed Jade to love me?"

Jade took Sally's head in hers, "No... he didn't, I love you... ME, not some mind altered person!"

Sally stroked Jade's face and said softly, "How can you be sure? You yourself said you lost three hours of your past."

John looked at the pair, "I was going to Sal, but I couldn't. Steve would have never forgiven me had he lived. Instead I researched and found someone who was compatible with you. Someone who would fall in love with you and you her once you met. After that it was simple to make sure she was assigned to a case of mind control up here and partnered with the biggest asshole I could find."

"What about the time Jade lost?"

"I had to make sure she would be worthy of you Sally."

"What happens now," Jade asked looking at him.

John looked at them a long moment, "I give you the keys to Steve's computer and machinery and you two live happily ever after."

Jade shook her head, "I can't do that." She looked at Sally, "I represent the government. I can't just walk away." She looked at John, "Or let you walk."

John smiled sadly, "You didn't ask what killed Steve."

"Aids?" Sally asked a sinking feeling in her heart.

John nodded, "The docs give me at most a couple months to live." He looked at Jade, "So even if you took me in, I would be dead before the trial."

Sally looked at John and then Jade. She was crossed; John was closer to her then anyone in her family. However, Jade was her soul mate. Who did she betray for the other? She was saved by Jade's response.

"Then we will just have to keep you under house arrest." She looked at Sally, "If that would be okay with you love. Do you think John can stay with us?"

Before Sally could reply John said, "If that means using that god awful outhouse again, I would rather go to jail."

Sally laughed, "I think I can find you a tree or something better to use John." She looked at Jade and hugged her, "Thank you." Turning to John she got up and walked over to him, "I'm so sorry John for everything." She reached her hand out helped him up. Hugging him hard she said, "I'll make it up to you somehow."

Jade joined in the hug and added, "We will make it up." She looked at Sally, "There is one thing love I have to do first before we go."

"What's that?" Sally asked.

In way of reply, Jade slapped her. She put her hands on her hips and said, "There, we're even. Furthermore, don't ever accuse me of anything again. That's twice you have done it... One more time and I am going to tickle you until you cry uncle."

Sally rubbed her cheek and nodded, "Yes love." They were walking up the steps when the penny dropped. Stopping Sally said, "I have only one question, well two questions." She looked at Jade, "How did you know I slapped you, and why did you say that you knew I would follow."

Jade smiled and wrapped her arms around Sally's waist. In a soft voice she said, "Because I was awake the whole time." As Sally's face clouded up she added quickly, "Now before you get mad, please listen to me love."

Sally calmed down as she saw the earnest look in Jade's face. "It doesn't matter; you don't have to explain anything to me." She stroked Jade's face tenderly, "I love you no matter what, and nothing you could ever say will change that."

Jade looked at John, "Could we have a few minutes alone?" When John nodded she sat down on the steps and patted the ground beside her. Without waiting for Sally to sit she said softly, "While it's true I work for the NSA, I am not normally a field agent. I am an electrical engineer." She looked down the stairs not meeting her lover's eyes as she continued, "My brother came to me about a hair brained idea he had to help his best friend. While Steve was..." She broke off with a sob.