DISCLAIMER: Marc Cherry (and his self-titled Marc Cherry Productions), along with ABC Studios own Desperate Housewives, while of course the usual gang of Amy Sherman-Palladino, Hofflund-Polone, and Warner Bros. Television have control of Gilmore Girls. The recipes described below are completely made up and only used for plot device purposes. All other trademarks and services are the property of their respective owners.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Admit it, you thought this story was over, right? That Bree would never get to lick Lorelai's batter, right? Oh, it's hardly over. There's still two more chapters percolating in my head, and as usual I apologize that it took so long to get the second chapter out for this, but I wanted it to just be perfect and not rushed out. Despite that, this story is unbetaed, though since I looked it over about 500 times in the last three years, I think it's about as perfect as can get. Although I wanted this out on Christmas, New Year's Day isn't a half-bad day either. It's also meant as a Christmas present for Danielle, who I know has been waiting for a new chapter of this forever. Hopefully you enjoy this, D, along with everybody else who reads. As always, apologies in advance for any errors with the DH timeline as I was only a casual fan of that show, though darn it, I want Marcia Cross back on my TV already (I wanted those Marcia/Lauren RP rumors to be true too way back when, but that's what imaginations are for ;)).
SPOILERS: As mentioned before, this is an alternate view of Gilmore Girls in the fifth season where Luke and Lorelai were still just friends and Rory's still virginal and unattached to any guy. Desperate Housewives is unspoiled with the ten-year time jump used to place Bree in Stars Hollow in late 2005, a widow of Rex, and Orson's ex-wife (he will not appear in the story), moving on from Fairview completely outside of contact with Lynette.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.

Better Than Ice Cream
By Nate

Chapter Two
Seductive, Sweet, Savory, and Sexy

Upon further review.

Lorelai heard those words when she happened to be at Luke's often on Sunday afternoons, especially during football season. With the radio on to WCCC or Luke's dependable black and white tuned to either channel 3 or 61, she heard that phrase often, not really knowing what it meant. She would ask Luke, who would talk about instant replay and challenges and how pausing a game for three minutes to make sure someone was still in bounds was a waste of time, including a couple of rare profane tirades about 'those idiot smart-ass fantasy football players who treat the defensive line in the same way they handle their godforsaken baseball cards and get annoyed if you try to touch them outside the plastic. It's all 'cause of them that true fans like us have to sit through blather from Greg Gumbel about what the naked eye can clearly see...'

Usually she was lost right there. "More waffles please?" she would ask to distract him.

"Gladly." He'd take the plate and she could be relieved to no longer hear rants about technology and second chances in the NFL.

But the phrase was in the back of her mind the last four hours, haunting her through the evening as she showered and sat down to watch Seinfeld reruns. She heard the echo of a referee saying those three words and explaining why the result called before was wrong.

Her palms were clammy, while her demeanor was very nervous. Looking towards the door occasionally even though it was nowhere near eight o'clock she was determined to make the experience as stress-free as possible.

"I can still screw it up though," she chastised herself. "This is my further review. Where I have to make sure it's right. Because if it was just silly flirting I have to work around that." Shaking her head, she was thankful she cleaned the kitchen hopefully well enough for the persnickety woman to find acceptable.  After getting right home and taking Windex and 409 to the various surfaces around her kitchen, she was exhausted from the effort it took to clean everything beyond her usual spare regimen which was meant more for carry-out food than home cooking.

She had taken a shower after that and felt a flutter in her body as she recalled the slim touch of the redhead's fingers upon her. It took her to another level that she had never known, something she had never seemed to get right with Max or Jason.

Jason. She remembered back to that awful relationship, and how months after she made it clear she was done with him he had come back to the Dragonfly in order to win her back. However it just happened that day she was buried in her office while Michel had to coordinate a large group's arrangements elsewhere in the building. As Tobin had been on vacation Bree had volunteered to take over the front desk in Michel's absence to allow Lorelai to go over her books...

"Is Lorelai here?" Jason asked as he directed a Tribbianiesque 'How you doin'?' gaze at the cultured woman.

"I'm afraid that she is already indisposed for this afternoon." Hearing her voice from the door, Lorelai already felt the fight or flight response in her gut, and flight was winning by a 4-1 margin. "I can leave her a message and she will be sure to return it at her earliest convenience."

"Well, I'm sure she'll want to see me. I'm Jason, her ex-boyfriend." Lorelai shuddered through the door, thinking the last thing she wanted was to be reminded she shared a relationship with the lout. "If you could get her for me, Miss. I'd appreciate it."

The proud woman was unmoved. "It was made clear to me that she would not like to be interrupted. I'm sorry..." She paused disapprovingly, making it clear the conversation would not go further without proper etiquette.

"Excuse me?" He couldn't believe the stiff woman's audacity to deny him the simple request.

"Sir, I was told not to disturb her. I will abide by her wishes."

"What are you, a reject from 'The Stepford Wives'?" Groaning loudly he was audibly annoyed. "Go get Lorelai, right now!"

Out of view from the front desk Lorelai peeked a slit through the door, watching the woman's posture stiffen against the challenge of her loutish former lover. She had a smirk and an attitude that suggested the man's attempts to woo the woman anew would prove to be futile.

She wrapped her arms around her chest and stared daggers into Jason. "You know, I think I know you from my conversations with Lorelai. Were you the man who rudely suggested many years ago that my supervisor's breasts resembled typography, but did so in an incorrect reference? You see, Mr. Stiles, an umlauted letter features two dots positioned close together atop a vowel. Hardly the way her décolletage seems in my view."

"Would you just get her?" Jason gritted out in frustration. "I really would like to see her."

"And I have already told you she does not want to be disturbed." She clacked a heel against the ground, showing her impatience. "Give me a note and I will relay it to her."

"What are you, her cock-blocker?" Lorelai audibly gasped, but was thankfully unheard. "You have no authority to deny me access--"

"I am the entertainment director for this establishment and I am tiring of your incredibly imbecilic inquiries as to where my boss is. If you have no business here, I will have to ask you to leave."

"Fine." A pause. "If she doesn't want to see me, I will live with that." He smiled and then did something neither woman would have ever expected. "However, you're new around here. So if you'd like," he reached into the inner pocket of his jacket, "I would like it if you gave me a call back and I could see you again sometime. You seem like the kind of woman who is--"

Before Lorelai could even stop her, she saw Bree cringe in horror at the man's behavior. Without one thought regarding proper etiquette, she raised her hand and as Lorelai felt a quickening of her heartbeat, Bree did what Lorelai wished she could have done months and months before.

SMACK!

Bree's left hand knocked Jason's business card out of his hand and left a nice red mark upon his face. She scoffed and without much of any thought, showed Jason what he could do.

"I would like you to leave before the authorities get involved," she said in a deep and menacing tone. "I will pass along that you wanted to see her. However I'm also going to let you know she was intelligent in deciding you were an unsuitable man for her."

Then, one final and evil pause. "Did I mention if you dare near her again you'll be finding yourself facing my well cared-for Beretta 8000? I haven't been able to fire it lately thanks to the winter shutting down the nearest firing range and there being a lack of indoor ones nearby, but I should be able to keep my aim quite well if I were to direct a shot right at your keister." Wrapping her arms around her chest, she remained ever kind, yet evil to him. "I would suggest taking the hint to catch another fish in the sea and realize Lorelai has gotten away. And with good reason."

With a final harrumph and deep fear, Jason eyed her up with a dirty look, too stunned to retort, and left the Inn as Bree's intense green stare surely became the most haunting sight of his entire life. Bree was only too glad to see him leave and when Lorelai finally found it safe to come out, Bree had expected to be disciplined.

Instead, the brunette took her aside with a smile, amazed at how cool and collected she had been.

"I have to apologize. It's just that man was aggravating. All of what you relayed about him to me was correct." She took a deep breath, relieved the woman wasn't angry at her for being so stubborn.

Lorelai just smiled, brushing her hand against Bree's. "No need to say sorry. Personally I would've booted him with the shoe rather than the slap. Your heels would be awfully cute in his backside."

Bree softly laughed. "You really want to see these lovely pumps stuck up that man's keister?" With a mischievous glint she drew Lorelai to look down at her feet and the black shoes with the pointed toes which wrapped around her ankle in a seductive manner. "They deserve better treatment than that, Lorelai."

"Oh, you're right." She took her time moving her gaze back up, thoughts of Bree slipping her heels off to tempt her into a foot massage filling her mind. Her face flushed from the chivalrous defending of her honor by the cultured woman. "Although you really didn't have to relay you knew about the umlaut story. The things we say during the dead times of mid-September; we were that bored?"

"Better that we have so much in common as far as conversation. It makes it less likely that you'll force me out just because you feel I'm distant, right?" Bree sat back down on the high-back stool and looked at the book. "I'm glad that we understand each other on such a deep level. That I can trust you with some things."

"Like your family?" Lorelai enjoyed how much of a friend she had in Bree. There were times when Sookie would drive her batty, especially when she went on about the kids. Sometimes she just needed conversation with an unattached adult, and Bree provided it in droves. "You do know that if any of your exes ever showed up here I'd do the same thing for you?"

"How would you know though? I have not told them my whereabouts. I just left when you gave me the job and only left a forwarding address with my friend in Fairview."

"I'm saying if they did found out, you're safe." She brought Bree's hand into hers, squeezing it lightly. "You have been a godsend, Vandy. I'm not about to lose you and if you ever have one doubt, you come to me. I will fight for you."

"That means a lot," Bree admitted, shaking her head, trying to understand how such a silly woman could be so benevolent to her. "Now that my eyes have been besmirched by the vision of... Digger the Dermaphrodite, I see why you remain single for the time being."

"Oh, I love you," Lorelai said dreamily. "Why I never came up with that name myself is such a tragedy." A laugh. "But it's not that I want to be single. I had my daughter I had to provide for until she went to Yale. Now that I'm free I'm looking. But I've been disappointed."

Bree let her finger circle in Lorelai's palm. "That will change one day, and you will love it when it happens." Bree let Lorelai go reluctantly to go back to her work, but the tone of voice and the actions of her entertainment director would stay with Lorelai all through the ensuing night and beyond.

"Oh, Bree." Lorelai was besotted with her employee and after what occurred in the kitchen, began to find it hard to not have her in her life. "She is so going to get that Christmas bonus." Straightening her clothes, she was startled by the ring of the doorbell suddenly. Her head turned towards the foyer and she felt that jump in her belly.

"But first, we need to get through this night." Determining all was (relatively) well, she prepared herself for anything, even a cool Bree who just wanted to bake her cupcakes and leave without conversation.

Truthfully she knew that was not how the conversation would end up, but if it did she would leave Bree to her devices. As she yelled "Coming!" towards the glass door she hoped the evening would go well.

"And that's how that date went! I was roundly mocked. So the kid wore a South Park shirt and made me feel as if I was robbing the cradle. He was well over age and I had no problem with him!"

"The question is, did he make you happy?"

"Well, how would I answer that question? Do I tell you I got to second base with him in the car or do I say it would have worked in better circumstances?"

"So you did get him off?"

"I...may have." A blush colored Lorelai's face as she described the date with the student her shared her class. "I have been told I am a queen at the handjob."

"Hmm." Bree regarded her employer a bit, smirking at the carnal knowledge she had just learned. "Longtime dream of his?"

"I had a feeling, he came pretty hard. But I guess it was between both of us just plain curiosity and that date was our first and last. No regrets."

"And anyone in this town ever learn about this?"

"None at all," Lorelai confessed with a smirk. "You're the first to know of it. And hopefully the last."

"I see." Bree nodded as her and Lorelai made small talk while the third batch of cupcakes rose in the oven, four pans of twelve. The first 72 had already been iced and decorated with little interference from Lorelai.

Although really 68 cupcakes were currently done. Bree had relaxed just enough to allow Lorelai and herself the opportunity after finishing the first batch to test if everything had been mixed properly, judging from her earlier forgetfulness of the recipe. Thankfully in the time she got home Bree had remembered the recipe well enough, wrote it down and gathered the materials she would need for the divine dessert.

She found herself enjoying the company of the woman she called her employer through the evening instead of being stuck reading a book and hearing only the irritating tick of her trusty Lux timer echoing through her home. Explaining the intricacies of her cooking instead to a woman who had found most of her sustenance via take-out boxes was indeed very interesting to her as Lorelai rattled off statistics about every take-out place she knew within a 30-mile radius of her home. Instead of reviled and shocked, Bree found she was intrigued about her boss, who had no time in her day but still managed to keep sane.

Lorelai was restricted from the kitchen while Bree prepared the cupcakes to prevent a repeat of what happened earlier. However the flame that had been lit between them showed no signs of fading.

Throughout the three hours of busy activity the regal woman kept busy, only pausing to eat a couple slices of pizza and to chat about Lorelai's holiday décor, which she found although not very organized in the view of a perfectionist, still warm and cozy. Lorelai enjoyed watching her lurk around the tree and felt a connection as the woman gazed at all the various ornaments which had made up the tall spruce sitting in the space next to the staircase.

"Your daughter is amazing," she complimented. "You mean to tell me at least 70% of this tree is made of ornaments made at home or in school?"

"When I got to Stars Hollow, I had nothing," Lorelai explained. "Literally the clothes off my back, Rory's diaper bag and just a few of my own personal odds and ends. A hot pink Conair boom box, for instance. Dear God, what was I thinking on that?"

"And since you had little money, you had to make do with what you had."

"Our first Christmas, it was a miracle we even had a small tree. Six years later when we finally moved to an apartment was when we could get one that could sit on a tabletop and overwhelm it. Those were Rory's creative years. This gingerbread man, for instance." She held the fragile brown and white ornament carefully. "I remember how I wept when she brought it home. It's beautiful, from the heart. We'd always make plenty of ornaments. When we moved here and were finally able to have a full-sized tree. That was when it hit me that I had managed to do right, finally. We began to blend heirloom ornaments on at that time too, but they still remain a rare sight."

"It's a beautiful tree," Bree said, admiring how the woman had made a large something out of the smallest nothing. "I wish I had a tree this fulfilling sometimes. When I was back in Fairview I decorated more to please the Festival of Trees coordinators. I'd put on the personal ornaments only on Christmas Eve and Day because I was scared of the children breaking them and because the Festival strictly banned personal ornaments."

"A lot of things seem to be strict in Fairview," Lorelai commented. "How could you ever live in that town? The way you describe it I wouldn't want to live there. You make it sound like Taylor's wet dream of a community."

"It is a nice town, to be sure. But everything was always so competitive. I had to make sure everything was the best, no matter what. It made for a good, but tiring living and brought out my competitive fervor. But I think the move to Stars Hollow has been good for my health. Rather than personal glory I serve you and it helps me relax a little because you're not all 'win or be fired.' I feel sometimes like I disappoint, but you seem to enjoy me well enough."

Both women stood in front of the lit tree, admiring all the details of it. "I think we can leave all the competition to Kirk and Taylor. I enjoy being rather relaxed, don't you?"

"I do." A smile. "I am still competitive. I will always want to win. But I don't want to overextend myself. You told me as much."

"Your competiveness is a turn-on."

Lorelai didn't realize for a moment what she had just said, looking at the tree without a thought of the flow of the conversation. But Bree caught on.

A little lurch in her stomach, she felt that lilt from earlier once again and her thoughts went back to that kiss. Oh dear. I think she has no idea what she just said. She wanted clarification on what was said and couldn't help but feel those inappropriate thoughts reenter her mind.

In her hometown Bree may have felt the statement was inappropriate. Her devilish side was out for a cue however and decided to bite onto it. Gazing at her superior she sucked in her lips and smiled at the brunette.

"A turn-on? In what manner are we speaking?"

"Umm..." Lorelai struggled for a response. "I...I mean in the way you handle your business. It's...direct and to-the-point, but there's still a warmth within your interactions. I...I certainly, you know, don't mean in the way that I'm listing your attributes in Playboy and... " A pause. "This...is really weird, isn't it?"

"How is it weird?"

"I mean I meant to say that you compete well. Not that it was a turn-on."

"But you did say it, Lorelai," Bree reminded her, as they turned and faced each other. "I know you probably meant to say something else. How you phrased it does not matter. It was a positive statement and I thank you for the assessment."

"Still I could have phrased it better. I keep forgetting you're not the type to talk so casually."

Surprised, Bree tried to understand. "And what makes you think that?"

"Well you're always so formal and brusque. I don't mean it as an insult. You're like Michel, sort of."

"I am not male or French...or is he French-Canadian? I've never figured that out."

Lorelai shook her head. One step forward... "I meant you never seem to wind down, that's all."

"I relax in my own way, I assure you. Sure, I can't join you at the bar for after-work drinks obviously--"

The admission hurt the innkeeper. Even if it was small and off-handed, she was once again reminded that despite her friend's success, she was one weak moment away from al losing control of her life. Lorelai sat down on the couch and patted the seat across from her, offering it to Bree. She took in a couple of deep breaths, cursing herself for her unknown exclusion of her friend for the simple reason of her sobriety. She felt serious, her blue eyes reflecting sadness as she looked at her friend and co-worker, feeling apologetic.

"I have never intended to exclude you, Bree," she explained. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry. It's just been a remnant from the days of the Independence, where the staff would get drinks after work. We carried it over. I...I apologize if you've ever felt left out." Feeling down, she expected Bree to think she was a bad boss. But the fire-haired woman across from her could only acknowledged that even with her sudden closeness to the woman, for all intents and purposes she was still an outsider to the Hollow.

"I never have, to be honest." She smiled at Lorelai, hoping to reassure her. "If you ever want to invite me to the bar I will accept your invitation. They do serve diet cola, you know."

"Right, but--"

Bree stopped her with a pat upon her knee. "I mean it. I would go there for entertainment, not drinking." She directed a serious look at Lorelai as she rolled up her right sleeve just high enough to bare her wrist. She directed her friend's attention towards it, brave as she described the marking.

"Before I came here, this was the only reminder of why I need to keep my sobriety. My friends, as good as they are, thought I never would take the program seriously. It was hell getting through my treatment and then to stand in front of a group of anonymous persons and declare my condition without aversion, that was the toughest moment of my life I ever had to face. I had to learn how to cope, to deal. To push those triggers deep within my brain and find a better activity to replace it. To this day the temptation remains. When I examine the wine cellar at the Inn I always grasp by this hand, look at my wrist and then think about the consequences. I just always think about how I would put you at risk if I ever placed a sip to my mouth. The disappointment, the shame and hate. Before you came into my life, this was all I had tethering me to sobriety. That's all. Not my children, the memory of my husband, my family. Just this. That is all."

Bree's lip quivered as she tried to describe the symbolism of the famous mark of the triangle within the circle which was colored in a light violet ink beneath her wrist. Usually hidden by a bracelet or watch it was the only tattoo she ever received. She had an aversion to body art for the reasoning that a body is a temple, but knew that if a constant reminder never followed her, she would fall back into her old intense self who drank to forget. The small mark was barely visible to anyone else and Lorelai never knew about it.

Her eyes watered as she felt the respect for her entertainment director grow even further. It takes someone real to admit they've been knocked down, she thought as her fingertip took in the symbol.

"So you remind yourself through this."

Bree nodded. "I do."

"I know it's not the intended meaning, but I think it's beautiful. Fitting of you. Simple, strong, always there."

The red-haired beauty blushed, the touch of the woman pushing down her defensive posture. Her blush was deep and she felt a connection with her employer she could have never predicted. "Your friendship has helped me, Lorelai. You respect me for who I am and you just let me be me. But you hold my hand and reassure me that even not at my best, I work hard for you. I...I just look at how you've taken this experience with your life and have turned it into a positive thing that I in awe of. Something I'd like to emulate. Yet I'm happy just being a humble assistant to your dream."

"Bree..." Lorelai's voice was a whisper as she soothed the woman's nerves. "I trust you with my very life. We've only known each other a few short months but I know you'd put everything on the line to keep this business running strong. I remember how you first came here so quiet and reserved. There were a few times you seemed to fear me when you made an executive decision and overruled me, when it was clear whatever you were planning was much better than I came up with. I have watched you grow in your job. You respect my authority, but at the same time you're not afraid to show you know your stuff. I guess I'm just finally glad to have someone to work with who shares my passion for the job."

Lorelai knew she was complimenting the woman a bit too eagerly, but all that she said was true. Feeling the closeness of the woman to her, of her palm making circles around her knee, and the light grasp of Bree's wrist, the woman knew she was finding herself attracted to the enigmatic homemaker. She just stared at Bree, enchanted that she was lucky enough to have the woman in her life.

Bree also was stunned, never feeling this kind of intimacy with Rex in their entire marriage. I don't know how to feel, she thought as her eyelashes fluttered from the simple bare touch of Lorelai's thin fingers. I wanted to start my life over. But I never expected to have such a wonderful boss in Lorelai. The way she looks at me, it gives me that same thrill I did when I would feel a little frisky and indulge in Lynette's flirting when we were alone. I know it was forbidden but I know she was attracted to me. She always loved to linger when I wore a thin dress and take me in. And I loved just talking with her for limitless hours, going on and on as I tried to puzzle about how she managed to look so hot after three kids...

The thoughts of her old life brought up her courage. Lynn would tell me to go for it. But my morals would say that I shouldn't. Yet, I've held back for so long. And let's not forget Lorelai is my boss. What if things get awkward? Maybe I find a man here and she lets me go? Plus unlike Danielle her daughter is still on the best of terms. I don't want to be a homewrecker.

She felt choices filling her mind. Bree internally debated in that moment of calm what to do next. She had so much going through it, of impure thoughts and actions. The way Lorelai wore that stretch sweater top, for instance. The v-neck defined her small curves in a delicious manner to her, the freckled skin beneath a temptation to the conservative woman. She kept thinking about how after Lorelai stole a taste of her, she could partake in turn. She couldn't help but mentally undress the woman, noticing how alluring she was in simple aged low-rise jeans she was sure had been worn and cared well for over the years.

Her mouth watered. She wanted Lorelai in a manner unbecoming her usual guise. Bree was beginning to build up the courage to take Lorelai's last statement and lead it into deep flirting. She wanted to continue to spice up the night and as she was about to move in closer to heat things up...

DING!

The loud clatter of the singular bell of the timer broke her concentration completely. In a matter of moments, she went back to her usual role as goddess of the kitchen, cursing internally as her game had been broken up by an errant timer. She jumped in her seat, the distraction overwhelming her as Lorelai released her, a force of habit and a hope by the brunette that she wouldn't get into the same trouble she did earlier in the kitchen.

"Speaking of passion for the job." Lorelai smiled, although melancholy that their moment was broken. "Don't want those to burn."

"Yes. Certainly not." Bree found her voice to be shaky as she rose from the sofa, straightening her fitted skirt and finding her steadiness anew in her three-inch heels. "Almost finished. They just need to be iced."

"You want me to wish you good luck with the icing?" A giggle. "Because your stare, it's as cold as...icing." A pause. "Um...please forget I made that pun? It's obvious that it's late, isn't it?"

Despite the uneasy statement, Bree still tittered a bit. "Not the best joke. Certainly, not your worst." She got up and headed to into the kitchen to take the cupcakes out of the oven, relieved that she would have at least a little time to herself.

Lorelai kept herself on the couch, though wishing she could get up from her seat, staring at the tall woman as she left her company so abruptly. Her face flushed as she kept her eyes to the woman from behind, taking in her slim form and amazed that a woman of her age could be so beautiful. From the simple purple cardigan she wore over a cotton button-up shirt to the way she walked in her heels, Lorelai knew she was gawking at Bree without shame.

"Down, girl." Her hormones were flared up from the hours of conversation shared between them. The house had the wonderful scent of bakery and cinnamon, tickling her nose and giving her that warm little thrill of having a houseguest warm her house in a way that involved more than carry-out.

And then there was the visual stimuli. Bree wearing her undershirt with a couple of buttons undone, hinting at alluring cleavage, and those beguiling green eyes, regarding her as intelligent rather than just a receptacle of pop culture references. Her body was flush and heated with stimuli, a craving building within her to head into the kitchen.

But she feared the lecture the homemaker would give her for disturbing her anew. Her body hummed as she remembered taking in the slit within the back of Bree's skirt. At first she was able to look at the woman's backside neutrally, until she came upon a glance of the slit. Her attention seemed to be stuck completely on her employee as her heart raced from the slight glance of stocking top bared by the small break in the fabric.

As Bree turned the corner Lorelai turned on the TV to distract herself, but was unable to find anything on that she would enjoy. Throwing the remote onto the coffee table in frustration after turning the set off she grabbed a magazine off the table to page through, hoping to find something she could read and bury herself in while Bree worked with the final batch of cupcakes.

But it was for naught. Her fingers grasped the pages with a shaky grip and she shifted in her seat several times, continuing to realize over the last few months that what she thought was the chemistry of friends was much more than that. Her mind still lingered on the soft kiss of earlier and the promise from Bree that she would be able to 'lick more than the bowl.'

For a religious woman she's pretty loose about what she interprets these days. She couldn't figure out why Bree was so easy to flirt with and how she enjoyed conversation.

But she also remembered she once shared the same kind of friendship with Rachel. Recalling how the warm photographer was receptive to her and how even if she was Luke's boyfriend, she didn't care about how it seemed for the town residents to think she was 'talking with the enemy.' All she knew was that Rachel was fun, happy, a free spirit...

And from one conversation she did have during the Dragonfly photo tour, that she enjoyed more than Luke's company. The recall of the curly-haired woman telling her that 'when you're on the road, you sate yourself with whoever enjoys your company,' that was something that got to her. She never asked what the meaning was behind the wording, but it was obvious from the coded wording that there was much more to Rachel Larkin than met the eye.

Lorelai sighed to herself, whispering under her breath. "Just because she's a great friend to you and a great kisser, doesn't mean she wants to take it any further than that. She is a family woman. She wants to settle down one day. And you can't put yourself in the way of that." Biting her lip she returned her attention to the magazine, bound to return her focus to a fun night of friendship.

Five minutes later, she had once again tired of the inane focus of her favorite magazines on certain women named Jen and Angelina and was ready to get out one of her industry magazines...

"Lorelai!" Her name was called aloud.

At first, Lorelai thought a question was just being asked and responded in kind. "If you're looking for washrags I have them in the third drawer down left of the sink."

"Actually, I need you to come in here."

A pause. No, she doesn't. Can't...I'm clumsy around her. I will spill milk from across the room for sure. "Why?"

"Please, I just need your help with something."

"But you frosted all the cupcakes. You told me--"

"Lorelai, please." Her voice sounded desperate. "It won't take more than a minute or so."

"Fine." Although she was relieved she could dump the magazine, she felt uneasy about sharing time with Bree in her private domain, especially after the moment of the afternoon. Getting up she was glad to be barefoot so her feet would have plenty of grip on the floor, but still uneasy about disrupting her entertainment director's rituals. Even with Bree's openness of how she thought of her boss, she felt nervous taking it further than they had. What if Rory's doesn't approve? Or I come into work one day and she's realizing she made a huge mistake? I can't do that, lose her because I'm such a desperate housewi--er, needy woman I look at her like I do.

Composing herself that she would take things very slow, Lorelai got up and walked into the kitchen, expecting Bree to only ask her to try the final batch of cupcakes and nothing more.

However, she came upon a completely different scene that made her heart flutter.

"Bree." She smiled as she found herself in her own kitchen with Bree. Rather than the 'take control' attitude Sookie had when she would cook in Lorelai's kitchen, Bree was a little more relaxed and easy about her demeanor. Although she was organized with the finished cupcakes sitting on the table within the muffin pans in a spiral, the work area of the counter was somewhat messy, the surface topped with flour, brown sugar and chocolate powder. The pits of the cherries Lorelai promised to her earlier sat in a bowl off to the side.

But what got her right in the gut was Bree in what had been a crisp white apron earlier, now stained with chocolate, cherry juice and frosting. It made her seem human, and approachable.

"Lorelai." Her voice was throaty as she turned around, placing the tube of icing on the counter. "I had some extra ingredients so I thought I'd make you a little something. Sort of a late St. Nicholas day gift." Bending down and opening the oven door she reached for the pot holders and grasped at the rack to pull out a lengthy bread pan. The scent of the room which had spread through the entire house then became clear to Lorelai, something she hadn't been able to place as part of the cupcakes. It was a deeper aroma, less sweet, yet still so tempting.

As Bree smiled towards her Lorelai made a slow walk towards the stove area, where she was pulling out two fragrant loaves of perfectly browned and delicious bread. The woman smiled nervously as she presented the reasoning.

"If I figure you, you would eat a dozen cupcakes before I would leave tonight if I left you one as a thank you for allowing me to prepare in your kitchen, thus resulting in a week-long stomachache. However, I can just imagine you squealing in delight every morning as instead of burning seven dollars an unhealthy meal at Luke's, I'd rather you just have a bowl of...good Lord, you are thirty-five, may I remind you...Cocoa Puffs and this on the side with a generous spreading of either butter, margarine, or those raspberry preserves which you seemed to have taken to have me import jar by jar from my home state every few weeks. "

Lorelai could only be heartened as Bree set the bread pan on the stove top and moved in closer to take in the spreading scent. "I figured I still have so much chocolate and cherries left, so why let them go to waste? I'm going to experiment and see if this works out." She took a knife from the seldom-used butcher's block off to the side and cut into the loaf at the tip to make a small slice. Breaking off the slice she spread butter on the surface, obvious nerves reflected in the look she gave the woman.

"I am not one to usually go off-book or try something new like this. But I thought to myself it might be worth it this time. Get a little crazy, in a good way, right?"

"Mm-hmm." Lorelai prepared to take the bread.

"Now close your eyes."

She wasn't expecting that. "Umm, what?" She didn't understand the question.

"I am asking you to close your eyes," Bree explained simply. "The point of a blind taste test is to go into it as if you were blind."

"But a taste test?" A nervous frown crossed her mouth.

"Well if I am actually going to serve this one day, I want it to taste as wonderful as what I put into it, wouldn't you say?" A smirk. "If I have you actually viewing the food as you place it in your mouth then your mind will communicate the flavors and prejudice you into saying it was delicious without the full experience. You have never had chocolate bread, correct?"

"I've had Sookie's."

Bree scoffed. "She uses a sprinkle of chocolate, just enough to make it seem like it sort of tastes like chocolate. This is full bore flavor."

"But you want me to try it blind?" Bree nodded, a devious little smirk hiding the mischief of the moment. "If you're sure."

"I am."

"This better be worth closing my eyes, Bree." Nervously she considered that Bree was brushing off one of her lower recipes and using her as a guinea pig. She was still guilty about tasting food without her permission and as she rested her hands behind her back on the top of the kitchen chair behind her she could sense even through the sweet scent of dark chocolate permeating the room, the note of Bree's fragrance was still quite detectable as her other four senses made up for her blocked vision.

I hope this is where I can face down those fears. All night Bree had been looking to find that intimate moment beyond their occasional brushed touches and glances. Her body hummed with energy as she felt like a teenager confronting new emotions she had never known before.

Approaching Lorelai she lifted the piece to mouth level. "I'm approaching. Open your mouth." Lorelai did as she was told, her jaw opening a small bit to welcome the morsel of bread within her mouth. Carefully Bree held the piece at one end and then fed it to the woman.

But she had something else in mind. Instead of dropping the bread upon her tongue as if offering Communion, she held it fully in her hand, moving it into Lorelai's mouth so that it wouldn't touch her tongue immediately.

"OK, you can close your mouth." Smiling, she prepared for the plan to go into effect. Lorelai closed her mouth and bit into the bread at the end.

But between her lips she felt something else entirely. Not her own lips. That's odd, I...

Lorelai shuddered  as she tasted the bread, the sweetness filling her mouth. But her tongue flittered within it as she opened her teeth to find the extra obstruction with the tip of it. She heard an exhalation from the copper-maned woman standing in front of her. Her teeth scraping against something hard and finished she began to open herself to a thought that there was much more going on than a taste test.

"Bree? What are you doing?" Her eyes remained closed, but the soft flesh upon her rather than the additional spongy consistency of the bread was now against her lips.

"Try it," she dared. "I hope that it does melt in your mouth." She kept the finger in a little longer, feeling Lorelai lick the tip. A cold shudder went through her system as she felt the rough service of her boss's tongue against her fingers. She held back a small moan to herself before sliding her finger out along the edge of Lorelai's teeth, then the ridge of her upper lip, closing her eyes at what she could interpret as quite sinful..

She put on a little smile as Lorelai let out a soft moan while concentrating on the taste of the breakfast bread, quaking slightly in her shoes at her boldness. Never had she used food as a type of lure, nor a kitchen process. For her, the kitchen and bedroom were to always be broken up by one floor. Though she did share some kitchen sex in her years past, it was never on her end beyond any need for revenge.

Lorelai took in the flaky consistency of the bread. Though it did have that usual sponginess to it...it was also very, very sweet. A nice deep hint of cinnamon, not too overwhelming, along with the cherries diced into the dough rather than in large chunks, small slivers that didn't make her shudder like pimento loaf did. She chewed the piece, taking in the entire flavor with every region of her tongue.

Bree grew nervous about the reaction until she heard a deep-throated reaction emanate from the other woman's throat upon swallowing, the swell of her neck lumping up for a moment upon muscle retraction and somehow sexual in the homemaker's view. She had her own involuntary reaction to the tasting, unconsciously drawing the finger from Lorelai's mouth, and into hers to 'lick off' the impurities, as her mind told her.

Never mind the visceral reaction to seeing another woman enjoy her desserts. Her mind, usually so puritan she knew her passionate dreams in the past sometimes ended up with actual self-pixelization, was guiding her towards a conclusion that Lorelai Gilmore was indeed a sexually alluring woman. Even with only the barest of saliva on the tip of her finger, it was still enough.

It was a sexual rush for the conflicted woman to know she had just shared such a moment, and she felt not only a satisfied smile on her lips, but an unexpected clenching of her legs together at the feel of Lorelai's tongue against her fingertip. The kiss was beautiful, she thought to herself.

However, discovering the sensuality, it only makes me want more. I feel...flustered. Nervous. Hot. She glanced at the satisfied brunette, knowing her little gift would be taken as intended.

"Oh dear God, Vandyyy..." Another sigh. Slowly, Lorelai opened her eyes and a smile slid across her mouth, deeply satisfied. "That..." A small pause. "I refuse to let you share with anyone else. At all."

Bree chuckled as she could tell Lorelai was very impressed. "Delicious, was I right?"

Lorelai nodded softly. "Beyond. It was...well, I think that is ambrosia, the food of the gods right there. It cannot be shared with anyone." A small smirk on her lips. "If you make this bread for anyone else, I shall terminate you."

"You shall?" Bree laughed as Lorelai put on her 'serious face'. "What if Rory wants some?"

"Well, she can. Eventually. For now though...this is our little secret." She wagged her eyebrows and took in a deep breath. "Delicious. You put all of your passion into that."

With a nod, the longtime housewife took in a deep breath and felt a blush rise up along her cheek. The surface of Lorelai's tongue seemed to now be a permanent part of her memory. "Then I shall slice up those loaves and bag them for you, one of them going in the freezer for preservation into the holiday."

"I'd love that." Lorelai looked around the room, a rush of excitement that her friendship with Bree was deep enough that she was now sharing baked goods made in her vey own kitchen. "Well, uh..." Still flustered from her tasting, she was trying to figure  out what to do next. "I should leave you to cleaning up. It is getting late. Too late." A glance at the clock, above the sink, one of those 'bird chirping on the hour' models she had bought off a late-night ad. "Crap, it's 11:15. You--"

"Have the day off?" Bree reminded her. "And you do too. You forgot your own schedule? You planned a shopping day for tomorrow out at Westfarms, while I have holiday preparations at the house." With a chuckle, Bree was in awe at how Lorelai could lose her mind. "You have been planning your shopping path with the mall directory for days."

"Oh, yeah, I have. That Macy's one-day sale with the preview day that makes it a two-day sale isn't gonna shop itself." With a nervous laugh she tried to remember. "Nor is Suncoast ever prepared for my yearly DVD shopping binge. Finally I shall be able to dispose of seasons two and three of The Facts of Life taped off TV and onto fragile VHS tapes. Wait, I do have the day off?"

Bree shook her head, wondering if her fingers had also sucked out Lorelai's brain somehow. "You do. That's why I'm here, late and I will drop the cupcakes off at the Inn tomorrow before going back home to get the holiday layout planned."

"That...that's cool." Lorelai lamely pumped her fist. "Yay. I'm my own boss. I can play hooky whenever I want." She felt odd as she watched Bree open her knife drawer and take out her bread knife, eyeing up the loaf with the sample piece cut off so she could cut it into sixteen perfect slices. She quieted suddenly as she just watched in fascination how practiced the woman was at everything, even the simple act of slicing bread. The aromatic scent of cupcakes and chocolate filled the air.

To Lorelai, it was the perfect scent to seduction. The only thing that would've clinched it further was the flavor and kick of coffee in a loaf of bread, but she was happy enough with the chocolate bread. She peered over Bree's shoulder, moving within space that was usually off-limits and personal for the older woman.

After the bowl incident earlier in the day however, Bree was different. She could sense that Lorelai was behind her, and welcomed the woman's presence, which somehow calmed her now rather than the rattling she felt earlier in the day. She knew things were off from their flrting, but had found it problematic to find an opening to continue further as she baked. Her kitchen time had been filled with thoughts of the brunette, her playful manner.

The way she is wearing her jeans, she thought, taking unnoticed peeks occasionally during her baking to glance at Lorelai in her clothes. She was also pleased to see Lorelai in her glasses and reading, finding the subtle librarian look to be somewhat of a turn-on for her. And she smells beautiful. Just soft enough to comfort me, yet I know her pheromones are raging full force.

Finishing the slicing she gathered the loaf into a spare plastic bag, tying it closed with the plastic clip of a discarded English muffin bag before moving onto the next and doing the same. Lorelai stayed behind her, hovering and curious. Her hands shook with each new slicing motion, her body tightening with anticipation.

The nervous energy of the room was building up. Bree knew once the loaf was placed in the freezer, all of the walls of the 'baking date' would be gone. She felt her chest clench at the mere brush of fingers against her waist. An asexual move meant to assure Bree that Lorelai was still there watching was putting her on edge.

I wonder how we'll break, she thought to herself, a grimace on her lips. For the last few months her body had been content to deal with impure thoughts just by purely planting her own guilt and doubt in her mind, or failing that just denying that she ever needed a mid-sleep change of underwear.

The kiss was still fresh in her frontal lobe. Her promise to Lorelai of licking more than the batter. Despite decrying the lack of hygiene in a cold shower, indeed shucking off the chef's jacket along with the rest of her clothes and heading right into her bathroom, unable to shove off her thoughts of Lorelai.

Thank God for this apron, she thought to herself. If she saw my front at this moment she might know how turned on I am. Wincing she felt her breasts stiffen in need, everything about her body betraying the morals she had held unyielding for so long, but with a mere change of scenery was willing to be more fliexible with. Her fingers tied twisted the tie around the end of the bag as she felt confident the bag would hold the loaf firm...

"Thank you for coming over, Vandy." The whispered voice of her boss surprised her, causing the tall woman to shriek in response as she felt that comforting hand at her waist soothe her nerves. "We need to have more evenings like this more often where we can shoot the breeze and just be silly."

Lorelai chuckled, her eyes trained upon the lustrous red mane of her older employee. She knew she was playing with fire, testing the limits of where they could go. But she knew it was all fun. That Bree enjoyed this evening. The woman's soft scent kept her drawn in against her.

Let's she if she draws up her walls, Lorelai thought to herself. Her index finger wiggled slightly at the left side of Bree's stomach, testing things. The bread bagged, Bree put the first loaf above the microwave in the breadbox, and then slowly drew away from her to put the other in the freezer for preservation. Bree turned around, with a small smile as she found herself caught by blue eyes enchanted with her.

"Any time, Lorelai," she answered back, a sigh leaving her throat in regret of losing the contact with Lorelai that seemed neutral otherwise. She opened the freezer, a blast of cold pushing right against her and sorted out just enough space for the bread between multiple frozen dinners and ice cream containers, both pint and single-serving size, the latter almost tumbling down having been sorted in a manner that reminded her of a Jenga tower. She quickly closed the fridge, OK, Bree. Now is the part of the evening where you mention you should get home and rest. Where you leave and you refuse to acknowledge your attraction to Lorelai. Head towards the hall, past Lorelai, and offer pleasantries to her, hopeful she forgets this mention of emotion. Her body betraying her, along with her soul, she turned around, about to leave.

"Well, I should make my leave," the entertainer director said, putting on a façade well honed over the years. "It has been a fun night--"

WHACK!!

Both women jumped back as they heard the screen door in the back suddenly make a loud sound as it whipped off from its hinges and back into the frame, hard. Lorelai felt her heart leap from her chest in surprise.

"What the hell?!" She scurried towards the back door. "God, if that's CatKirk trying to break in, that guy is gonna get a piece of my mind! Kirk lets him out and he tries to attract Apricot's attention, even though she's both an indoor cat and scared of him and--"

"Lorelai?" Bree's ears caught the weather report. "I think it is not Kirk's cat. Listen to the weather update on TV." Bree ran into the living room and turned up the report, the women so involved with each other all day they hadn't even checked what it would be outside. On Newschannel 8, the meteorologist ran down the details of a nor'easter that had caught everyone, even their weather department, by surprise.

"Winds up to 40 mph right now in Hartford, 30 up in Springfield, then closer to the Sound up to 65 mph, we had a reading at the station here of 61 an hour back. It looks like Litchfield County is taking the worst, especially near Stars Hollow in the valley with a gust of 71, highest they've ever had out there. It's also brought in a slushy mess of a storm which we apologize that we didn't predict. Looks to be 2-5" of snow coming down overnight north of New Haven because of the front collision, but it's that heavy kind where you don't want the seniors out and may ice up overnight on the minor roads. My advice, stay home, keep it tuned to Newschannel 8 and expect plenty of closings in the morning."

Lorelai opened up the door with a frown and found a drift building in the space between the screen door and main door, and had to clear it out before she could close the screen properly. After asking Bree for her shovel out from the porch because she still had her shoes on, Lorelai had to spend five minutes clearing out the snow before being able to close it. By the time she finished she was both fatigued and shocked.

"That..." The exhausted innkeeper huffed and puffed from her sudden snow clearance. "That was exhausting. And unexpected. Seriously, that did not look like just 5 inches of snow out there!" She tossed the shovel against the door, her hair filled with white snow. "And damn it, I'm usually prepared for the first snow of the season. Usually it's all pretty and fluffy and I get to play with putting on my cute winter stuff and doing my 'flakage has fallen' thing. Instead...it's that!" The woman pouted and sighed, mad her usual first snow tradition was nulled for at least this year because of the heavy wind and blizzard-like conditions. "I don't like snow."

"You say that now, but if Sookie has told me right you'll be making your snowman out front when it's all gone," Bree observed. "It will be fine, Lorelai."

"No it won't!" Lorelai acted very much like a small child. "The first snow is usually pretty, and I know about it. This is like...it's like a grey rainstorm nobody wanted!" She threw herself on the couch and blew a raspberry at the meteorologist running down his forecast before Nightline started. "You suck, mister. Usually you're good, but you're terrible this year at your first snow thing!"

"Lorelai! That is rude..." She remembered who the woman was talking to. "And that's also a man on television! He cannot hear you."

"Well it's true! He said clear for the next two days, and that weather certainly isn't clear outside!"

Bree shook her head, clapping her left foot on the ground and thinking reasoning wasn't in the cards for the woman that night. "Maybe I should get going now." She began to head towards the hall. "I should get home and shovel, I suppose." Knowing Lorelai was in a sour mood suddenly had seemed to break their mood. Expecting Lorelai to let her leave she turned around...

...only to find Lorelai's hand taking hers before she could take a step further. She turned to find piercing sapphire eyes giving her a pleading glimpse.

"Bree," she whispered softly, "you cannot go out there. It's terrible outside."

"I have two blocks and--"

"Still two blocks too many. I'm nearly soaked from being at the door! You'd add on thirty pounds just walking out there, and who knows how cold it is in that horrid wind?" Her heart pounded against her chest, knowing the implications, but also her employee could not leave at her own peril. "You really expect to leave this house tonight? With seven dozen cupcakes?"

"Well, I saw Gypsy and she placed good tires on my car." Lorelai sighed, wondering how her stubborn friend was so exactly that. "It may take awhile, but I can get home with the cupcakes."

"Bree..." she shook her head. "Let's be real. You freaked out at me licking the batter earlier today or even being in the kitchen. Putting those poor cupcakes out in sub-freezing cold with all that wind? It isn't going to happen without it getting messy."

Smiling, she patted her couch cushion. "Bree Van de Kamp, I'm afraid I must act as your boss and order you not to leave my house this evening. If you do leave I may have to terminate you for insubordination, not to mention there's a blizzard outside and I'm not letting you leave. Especially in those killer Blahniks you're wearing. No employee of mine is walking out in the snow wearing $700 shoes. I would actually weep if you did so."

Bree took in the words of her boss and sighed, looking out the window at the blowing snow and howling winds which had covered her cherry red Sonata in multiple layers of the white stuff. She also knew there was no way to get several boxes of cupcakes in and out of the car twice without possible damage unless she packed them in Styrofoam.

Still, being along with Lorelai meant her mind was running overtime. There was now no way to avoid the inevitable. The tension between both women was thick.

God, the tricks you play on me, she thought to herself, amused at how her fate was played with by the man upstairs. I swear to you if you planned out this snowstorm just to keep me here...well I am not about to renounce you, but you are darned lucky my circumstances prevent my departure!

She turned around, amused by Lorelai threatening her firing if she left. "So you are keeping me here just to save my shoes? You wound me, Gilly," she teased, turning around the last name nickname on Lorelai. "I could leave in a pair of boots that I would borrow from you."

The brunette groaned in response. "My shoes don't fit you, so you have to stay unless you go barefoot and have a brain aneurism in the next three minutes outside." She winked, grinning in excitement. "You're stuck with me tonight, Vandy!"

"I am, aren't I?"

"You still want a job?"

"You drive a hard bargain, Lorelai." Bree was amused as she settled on the couch. "How on earth did we miss the details of a snowstorm? I usually check the weather near-hourly."

"When was the last time you checked?"

Bree thought, then realized her usual check on the front desk computer of the corner icon displaying the current temperature and upcoming conditions at 3pm never happened. "Uhh..." She brushed her fingers through her hair nervously. "The noon news. Where I just remembered the system coming up along the Chesapeake and drifting northeast towards the Sound and growing." She wanted to curse, but couldn't. "I totally missed this blizzard coming our way."

"We were off anyways, so it didn't matter to our schedule."

"Except I will have to keep my cupcakes here overnight and--" Her eyes darted out towards the kitchen. "Oh gosh, in my haste I forgot to clean the kitchen."  She ran into the kitchen to find it still a mess with the boxed cupcakes on the table, with the work surfaces still full of flour and stray ingredients. "Lorelai, I must apologize for leaving you with a mess!"

Both women realized silently how their feelings were throwing each other off. Lorelai had forgotten to remind Bree of her cleanup, much less bringing the cupcakes to her car, and cursed herself for being so buried in flirting with the woman that she forgot in the aftermath in the hurried snow cleanup. The brunette shrugged off Bree's panic with a light laugh.

"Don't think anything of it; it's been a weird night." She got up from the sofa and offered her hand to guide Bree into the kitchen. "Let's get things spic and span then."

"I still feel--"

"It's OK, Bree, really." The two women made their way in, Bree realizing that the more time she spent in the Gilmore home, the more it seemed like she had lost her mind for the kindly innkeeper. "You're OK." She prepared a sink of dish water, putting a generous dollop of soap in the sink and turning the water to the hot level Bree preferred for dishes to fully sanitize them. She stirred up the water and helped her by organizing the dishes the way Bree wanted them, utensils, followed by dishes and pans. Feeling warm, Bree took off her cardigan and rolled up the sleeves of her blouse, getting ready to get down to cleaning up.

Bree was surprised as Lorelai jumped right into doing the dishes, a little flitter in her heart as the woman described how she would build them up for a few days so she had something fun to do when she had to clean. Laughing she told Lorelai jokingly that she was a woman after her own heart and went back to wiping down the counters, then found plenty to do as she noticed that Lorelai's cereal cupboard needed a little organizing, especially after finding a three year-old box of corn flakes long expired.

Soon Lorelai had turned on some music, putting on a Christmas CD and pleased as their midnight chores were bonding the two women even closer together. As Lorelai hummed to "Last Christmas", Bree realized something she had put aside, always glorifying her life in Fairview beyond most anything to keep herself centered. There was always the chance that her employment could end early, that she would relapse and cause Lorelai to fire her.

But looking at her boss in that moment, barefoot and very casual, she knew she was home. Smiling as she wondered how anyone could still enjoy Lucky Charms in their mid-30s, Bree knew there was no place she'd rather be in that moment than in Stars Hollow with Lorelai Gilmore.

Still, she wondered how exactly to act on her feelings. On edge, Bree knew that they were pushing some things aside, that the banter of the evening was bringing them to an inevitable conclusion. But scared to push it along, she had pushed it aside for work, and excuses. Hopeful to get out of the situation, she was instead pondering how to spend the night with Lorelai.

Everything about the kitchen screamed how intimate they were. Close together. Only a table and five feet kept them apart in their corners, Lorelai at the sink, Bree at the counter. The older woman was flushed with the need to express herself somehow but the frustrations of widowhood and failed romance had built up deeply inside of her.

Not since a few years ago had she felt the need to be so blatantly sexual. She remembered back to Lorelai's shocked amusement about licking the batter from her mouth. How beguiling those full and kissable lips were to her and how even her small amount of cleavage was sumptuous enough to have Lorelai flirt with her and lick that off from her mouth.

Just the recall sent her into unexpected arousal, her nipples hardening from the recall of the situation. She gasped lightly, hiding it behind a grunt of effort as she threw a couple boxes into the recycling bin. Looking at Lorelai, her shapely butt taunting her, the bra lurking beneath her top helping her mind wander with just a slight peek of crème at her shoulders.

She wanted Lorelai. But wanting and having were two different things.

I must back off this train of thought, she scolded herself, annoyed at her behavior internally. Lorelai is my superior. My boss. Not just another friend. She is not Lynette--

Her mind came to a halt in that moment, remembering how it was easy to push off her feelings for Lynette because of her marriage. No matter how strained it might get or how their lives would go, she could never pursue the harried blonde, no matter what. Despite some of her weaknesses, respect for the vows was paramount to her, and every bit of her spirit made sure to keep her in line in regards to Lynette.

That same restraint was not present with Lorelai Gilmore.

Never married, her inner vixen reminded her. She refused marriage to the father of her child. She never got to the altar with that teacher. Come on, Bree! What is stopping you? Please, consider this is a beautiful woman who refuses to have any conflict for you. Who has proven she will fight for your sobriety. And you threatened to kill her ex for being a sleaze! You threatened his life for going for your best friend here in the Hollow!

Another glance at Lorelai. Her humming, though off-tune, was somehow still melodic. Her hands shook in a need to release the itch building anew that had made itself known between her legs. She cursed herself for dressing 'sexy', going with more formal cooking dress than she would have in usual circumstances.

Lorelai hid her own building feelings for Bree. Her body was wound up, her eyes glazed with need. Wondering how a blizzard sealed them in for the night, she was counting the minutes until Bree had to undress for bed.

If she did, Lorelai thought. She probably has a nightgown on under her outfit, that's how prepared she is for everything. With a smile, she got back to the dishes and finished them up, beginning to put away the plates as Bree finished her tasks and took a dish from her hand as she was about to grab it.

"Here, let me help, Lorelai. You handle the plates, and I will help with the pans."

Sucking in a breath she felt a mirthful laugh and her eyes wrinkled as she took in the woman with her sleeves rolled up. "Shouldn't be the other way around? I am a whole inch taller than you," she quipped, with Bree shaking her head.

"Right now I am two inches taller in these heels," Bree reminded her haughtily as Lorelai handed the dishes over. "I look darned great with them too."

"That you do." Lorelai admitted she did, not a bit of irony in her words, her voice hanging with a flirt she was barely hiding. "Then you're justified in helping with the dishes."

With a nod Bree turned to organize the plates, bowls and cups in the right order, as Lorelai looked back to monitor her and get in a glance as Bree stretched herself out to put the bowls on the higher shelf of the cupboard. With a happy hum she noticed the curve of Bree's back, and how the split in the back of the dress opened slightly to expose her legs further, along with her stocking tops. Her breath stilled at the idea of romancing her entertainment director, how beautiful she looked working to clean up after herself. Even with her hair a little mussed from the evening, Lorelai couldn't deny the beauty of the woman in any way, pressing her lips together and then turning to her own cleanup of putting the pots and pans away, organizing them together in stacks and then opening up the cupboard beneath to put them in.

Finishing with the cups, Bree turned to find Lorelai's backside front and center, the jeans and sweater top defining the coffee addict's slim curves. She rubbed the inside of her palm with her fingers as she felt a clench at the way Lorelai was flexing, a little hidden whimper at the peek of flesh between her sweater and jeans and...

Lorelai, why must you have the best ass I have ever seen in my life? Seriously, Gaby would loathe you just for that alone! She bit her lip as Lorelai kept reaching up for pots and pans, gravity and friction giving Bree the slightest hint of the underwear color and pattern her employer wore.

She could observe that Lorelai was as she called it, wanting to 'come and get it', rather than the home dress she usually described featuring Hello Kitty underwear and panties with the days of the week, a concept which Bree was horrified to find out Lorelai did have.

At the time at least. Her dream world with Lorelai had somehow found the idea of Hump Day being made really interesting as Lorelai came onto her wearing her Wednesday underwear, and days before Christmas the redhead could no longer find herself shocked by Lorelai's sexual demeanor, only bemused.

Standing in place, Bree was so stunned by the feelings she was building up for her new best friend, that she didn't notice Lorelai getting up, finished with putting away the pots and pans and asking what to do next.

"So I think I can get the silverware and--" Lorelai turned around expecting Bree on the other side of the room, only to bump right into her. "Bree?" She began to feel her balance shift. "Whoa!"

The other woman was stunned and involuntarily wrapped her open arms around Lorelai to catch her, the reflex showing how she cared for the woman and seeing that she might bump her head at the edge of the counter. Her hand moved to grasp Lorelai at the small of her back, her mind having not caught up that she was saving Lorelai from a nasty injury. The floor wet from the dishes Lorelai lost her grip on the floor and Bree brought her other hand behind Lorelai to catch her before she slipped, every movement done before she realized it.

Before she could realize what she had done, Lorelai was at a sweeping angle against Bree, caught in time and her stomach having dropped down from the fear of injury. Her breath came out in sharp spurts, Lorelai knowing she had been caught by Bree's green-eyed gaze of her and lost her senses in just that one glance, not remembering that she got on a part of her lower foot that slipped against the vinyl tile of the kitchen floor.

"Shit!" she cursed out, both at herself and having to have Bree catch her, then realizing she swore. "I...I mean, darn it!" Furious with herself she winced at the feeling of fingers against her back. "I didn't know you were there!"

"I was distracted," Bree said honestly. "Just looking at you and wondering when the silverware would start."

"And you were there." Lorelai sighed, feeling a sense of protection being against Bree, if just for a little bit. "Sorry."

Bree shook her head. "No apologies needed, I am just glad you did not gash your head in." A smile. "Or fall on your butt like you did today."

"Or damage the cupcakes." Lorelai let out a breath of relief. "Just me being a klutz. Are you sure I should just stay out of your kitchen from now on?" Feeling guilty, she thought Bree would answer in the affirmative.

"Lorelai, on the contrary." She kept a hold of her as she let her rest her feet on the ground again. "I don't think baking is as interesting without you around."

"But I'm in the way. I almost fell doing dishes. How is that possible? It's not even baking anything!" she cried.

Bree just smiled in response. "You are not in the way. Not at all. In fact, I'm glad you're in my way." Her eyes looking into Lorelai's she felt a connection with the woman that she couldn't explain. "In fact, I think I will enshrine you as my tester of baked goods from now on. Somehow, I don't think the guys in the kitchen would turn a bite of chocolate bread into an orgasmic experience like you did." She knew the wording was very open to interpretation, and expected a follow-up entendre. She was not disappointed.

"Just one orgasm? Hardly." A soft giggle. "So, we're good?"

"More than good." Bree took in deep breaths, ready to let Lorelai go, but her muscles were failing to cooperate. With only the silverware to put away she knew there wasn't that much able to stop them any longer. She was not a fan of late night talk shows, and with the snow outside, there wasn't any possibility of interruption of the night.

It was a near perfect situation. Although the woman had unease about her flirting, she knew Lorelai was going along with it. Both of them stared at each other for a minute, Lorelai wondering what was going on.

"Bree," she said, "are you going to let me go?" A smile. Bree nodded.

"I could. Sorry about that." Apologizing, Bree began to slide her fingers away from her boss slowly, only to find Lorelai wasn't pulling away. The scent of baking was still strong on her, appealing fully to the brunette's heated hormones.

"You...could let me go," she gasped in response.

"Then I will--"

"But..." Lorelai lowered her lashes. "I'm feeling fine." She heard an unsteady breath from her employee and knew she was hitting the right trigger points.

Internally, she thought of what to do next. I'm moving closer, she thought. Get into her space and give her opportunity to move things further. If she has interest, we'll see how it goes.

Standing on her feet, Lorelai moved her arms, neutrally at Bree's sides, and made it so her hands rested at her waist, just slightly.

"You could let me go..." she whispered. "Or we could continue where we left off in the kitchen, Vandy."

And there is was. The dance around the feelings all night brought them back full circle to the sudden kiss they had shared. Bree was flustered at the husky wording Lorelai used to describe the situation, along with the flirting of the evening.

Here Bree Van de Kamp was, months outside of the disaster that was the end of her life in Fairview, of forced celibacy to shield her heart from the hurt it experienced over the last five years. Of the longing never consummated with Lynette, and of the deep religious guilt which had kept her from regarding the fairer sex beyond the manner of friendship. She had not expected Lorelai Gilmore, her employer and new best friend, to be the recipient of these feelings.

Her heart pounded hard, her nervous energy seeming to be calmed just by the kind stare of the young-at-heart innkeeper. A known glance down her blouse, that Lorelai was looking at her in a more than friendly manner. Bree's mind went over again the dreams that haunted her, had her contemplating an order with certain suppliers for an attachment for the back massager she knew most women never placed anywhere near their back, but she did use for its intended purpose, at least publicly.

"What happened in the kitchen?" she returned, being casually unaware about it, her eyes taking in her employer giving her attention that would have human resources usually involved in other circumstances. "I forgot."

"Well, you promised earlier I would lick more than the batter," the woman of the house teased. "And I've been craving that licking all night." With her little laugh, Lorelai stunned Bree's morality.

Usually this would be where she pulled away, chalked it up to having too much to drink. Bree would have let religion come in and spilled out long Bible verses that what she was doing was contrary to what the tome told her to believe. There was also that small voice telling her that her future in politics would die by admitting how she felt for a woman, the strong Republican beliefs she had overwhelming her individuality.

I am drier than the Sahara though, she thought to herself. Too many nights spent in bed, thinking this is how I feel for this woman. This...funny, bright woman who would not let anything stop her. Who owns an inn even after her mother disowned her for not following her big plan, and raised a daughter who has so much respect for her and everybody. If this was a man...even if he was married, I would have bedded him long ago because he would be perfect.

Except...she smiled to herself. Lorelai is not a perfect woman. She is awe-inspiring. Beautiful, witty, darned good at her job. Anywhere else, I would have long just come in because it was a living. But working for her, being her friend, sharing so much with her over these months I've known her...she is my living. She keeps me sane. On the straight and narrow. She has opened up my world, protected me, given me so much freedom and latitude that would have earned me a beating from any man in Fairview. Even arguing politics with her, taking in her rants about our President. It gets me wound up and keeps me entertained and happy.

Bree thought about how far she had come since leaving Wisteria Lane. How she was happy. That she lost her interest in betrayal and backstabbing, of not finding any interest in going home with someone for just a night. How on the one night she accidently fell off the wagon because she didn't know about Miss Patty's punch, how Lorelai had warned the dance instructor for the next time about her employee's sobriety and that she didn't appreciate having Bree drunk.

"Why you didn't tell her, I'll never know," she spat in rare anger towards Miss Patty, who reeled back and was deeply apologetic for not telling her about that tradition. "This woman is a good worker and her need to stay on the straight and narrow, that's important to her. And me. Next time, you set aside a couple cups for her, unspiked! She has to go to her meeting next week and make amends. Give back her key ring telling everyone she is 90 days sober. God damn it, Patty, I usually love these parties, but you have to know. You have to know!" Though her blood alcohol level barely registered at a .06, even that was too much for Bree, and as she sat in a corner feeling like a failure after her half-hour of being silly, she still remembered how the woman was her advocate in this public event, even despite the accidental circumstances.

"Lorelai, I am sorry--"

"I don't care. When Bree gets drunk, she told me she's not a small-town Otis like drunk. At all. Not endearing, not cute, but someone who pities themselves and gets into fights just because her defenses are down. This will not repeat. If it does, I won't look the other way next time." She pointed her finger at the large woman, who now knew a pissed-off Lorelai defending her 'new girl' was not to be tangled with. "I love her too much to ever see her at where she had been before she came here. She is the linchpin of my business, a great friend, and I love her like we shared a sandbox at preschool.

"Tomorrow, you will apologize to her once she sobers up. Nobody will mention how amusing she is drinking before she finds her dark side. This isn't going to be Fairview all over again." With a turn of her heel she ignored the glares and shock registered on the faces of her fellow townies and comforted the tearful woman who apologized for not realizing what was in her drink and thinking she made a fool of herself, which Lorelai nulled immediately by telling her the only fools forgot she was on the straight and narrow. She stayed at Bree's home that evening to ward off any further negative thoughts Bree might have about herself.

Bree brought herself back to the present, Lorelai in front of her, resting herself lightly against the back of the counter. She thought of pulling back, her conscience scared of the consequences of making a move on Lorelai without knowing her side completely, a small chance that she was just being teased. But she had never seen the woman so casual and giving her a look which suggested more of a relationship than employer and employee, or of friends.

Her heart went ahead of her mind and brought out the next words from her mouth.

"It should have continued. In the kitchen," she said, bringing rationality into the discussion, moving closer, her eyes narrowed. "My concerns at the time within my thoughts were of the cleanliness of the kitchen, of someone taking the opportunity to walk in on us. However, truthfully, and carnally, I did want to further the kiss.'

Lorelai nodded. "You did." A whispered observation. "It was clear in your eyes." She edged her hands against the counter, leaning out against it to give Bree the opportunity to wrap around her.  "I've been holding back doing anything more than observing your baking tonight."

"Or observing my body." Bree raised her eyebrow up. "I know you've been looking at the back of my skirt all night." The brunette sucked in a breath at being caught. "Of course, it was planned on purpose." Her thin lips perked in a smile. "Lorelai, when have you not known me not to wear full undergarments besides during that heat wave a few months back?"

"Oh God..."

"You know with this skirt I usually pair it up with a slip, because showing the back of my legs and the fringe of my stocking is indecent. It is proper dress, what an entertainment director must wear to keep their client's focus completely on their work, and not sexual urges." Her voice creaked with a huskiness barely known by the younger woman. "However, I had to make an exception for this evening." A smile. "You enjoy my legs, don't you, Lorelai?"

Caught, Lorelai could only not in response as the woman approached, tossing a towel she wiped her hands on to the back of a chair. "I see you on a day when I wear trousers to work. There is an obvious disappointment that I sense when you see me clock in and then you pout, knowing you have a long day at work ahead of you without being able to take in my gams." She could see Lorelai's hands  shake against the counter. "It is a dance between us. Both of us avoiding the factors that keep us from consummation. You have your mother, your daughter, the pride of this town, so many things. While I have Fairview, my past, my widowhood, and how religion regards my conflicted views."

She was within inches of Lorelai, her pulse unsteady as she knew she was approaching the chasm where she could no longer turn back. So much had been expressed throughout the one day between them, and to Lorelai, she had been undone. Her face was flush.

A flash of flesh is all it took, she thought to herself. We had the situation this afternoon. But she forewent the slip. She never forgoes it when she wears a dress or skirt, because she sleeps in a slip always. Remembering visiting the house and seeing her before breakfast, her body was wound up. She is wooing me just like women did in the early part of the last century. Through baked goods, wonderful conversation, and bare glances at her legs. The slit in her skirt is always covered up. But not tonight.

The sweet torture of the baking of earlier, and the tasting of the chocolate bread was becoming more carnal. When Bree took off her blouse in the kitchen, it was the absolute first time she had seen her in her bra. The image seared in her mind, of the woman's slim stomach and her pert breasts.

The thought caught her by surprise. She had to voice out her theory.

"Bree." She pushed off the counter, moving into Bree's personal space, a small smirk hiding the facts that were being brought to light. Her hands lightly landed upon Bree's sides, and standing on her tip toes, she moved eye to eye with the woman.

"This entire choconillacherry cupcake thing...this was not just an excuse to lure me in, was it?" Her lips moved closer to Bree's, her words becoming softer. "The lack of a slip today, getting me all alone in the kitchen, being all argumentative about a little lick of batter..." A blatant pause. "Somebody's been wanting a little holiday cheer, have they?"

Bree took in a deep intake of her breath, realizing that all she did to hide her feelings for Lorelai over the last few months were being undone by the woman noticing the most subtle things about her routine.

"I...I..." Her lips trembled as she began to see her carefully plotted details revealed. She tried to speak, but found herself numbed by the heated stare Lorelai was giving her. Instead, she clammed up, not wanting to open up right away despite hands moving up from the waist of her skirt towards her blouse.

Lorelai blushed as she took in her employee, completely speechless, while she hoped her theory was correct.

"You're so traditional, so stuck to routine, and you have these views that I disagree with, but certainly they're not enough for me to think of you as someone I don't want to know off the clock." Her smile widened. "In fact, the whole 'organized and recovering housewife' thing is...sort of a turn on." Her voice creaked slightly, the woman completely alluring to her with the kitchen lighting bringing out a shine in her bronzed hair. "If I'm wrong, I can just back off right now, but I'm getting the feeling that you knew the way to my heart was for sure through my stomach."

Bree sucked in her lips, stiffened at what was arousing within her. She could feel herself heating up considerably, the blouse even feeling too warm despite its thinness and the apron feeling like it was the type filled with lead. Keeping her mouth closed her breath came out in short pants as she felt Lorelai's fingers along the side of her shirt, fumbling with the apron string and circling it in her knuckle.

I've never felt tension this much, she thought. Even in her most blatant attempts at flirting sessions with men, it had never been hours and hours of it keeping her on a tether. Usually it had been expelled within minutes. This is not going to be done in minutes, she ascertained. And I cannot go anywhere. No walking out that door or pushing it aside. This can of worms that has been taunting me for weeks, it must be opened tonight. Now.

She quivered, unsteady in her heels, drawn to Lorelai. Every moral, every verse and lecture by her stepmother to avoid this fate, had fallen silent. She had looked at her employer as forbidden fruit for the longest time, not to be picked or even glanced at in a sexual manner.

Bree couldn't deny it any longer; to her Lorelai was not forbidden, but foregone. She was attracted to the innkeeper from their first meeting, and knew the move to Stars Hollow would have never occurred without the wonderful woman coming into her life.

Finally, she could speak. Thinking only for herself, not others, for what was probably the first time since she was a teenager, she came to a decision for herself, the consequences be damned.

But first, just a little more teasing...

"Lorelai, where can I sleep tonight?" A small smile. Lorelai was thrown off by the sudden normal tone given off by the older woman.

Damn it, she cursed, feeling like she misread the signals entirely. Having to go into the couch spiel disappointed her terribly.

"Well, you could sleep on the couch, if you don't mind having to wear a ThermaCare all day tomorrow." Bree nodded as Lorelai went along. "Or Rory's room. Though her bed is kinda small and all of those stuffed animals in there. Finally, there's the sewing room, but right now it's stuffed with Christmas crap so I'd have to clear off the little sofa in there." A pause. "So, yeah, plenty of places to sleep."

A hum. "Really, that's it?" Hooded green eyes regarded Lorelai as the woman felt irritated her signals were misread. So much for having your game strong, Lorelai.

"I have an AeroBed in the cellar, but that would mean having to go outside, shovel the door out--"

Suddenly, Lorelai was surprised as a finger slipped in, completely outside of her peripheral vision, and landed upon the middle of her mouth, completely straight, brushing against her chin in a surprisingly erotic manner and tipping it back. The homemaker in front of her shook her head and moved closer, using her free hand to grasp a surprised Lorelai at her rear.

"I should be offended, Lorelai. You did not offer me your bed." A small giggle as the brunette was taken by surprise.

"M...m...my bed?" She stumbled slightly. "Bree, I...um...I..."

"Maybe you forgot," she excused. "Or you did not think of it as a possibility in the moment. I'm sure it is a warm and comfortable bed. Probably roomy too. Because...you were right. This was partially a plan to introduce a new tradition to the Dragonfly. But mostly..." Lorelai yelped as Bree pulled her flush. "It was all about trying to find a way to acknowledge our heated sexual tension. Thankfully, the batter spill turned out to be a happy accident."

Lorelai thought she would have some kind of heart ailment in that moment. Bree pressed against her. Bree's hand on her ass, extending to the small of her back. Bree so confident, she was sure the evening would end in her bed. So much table turning had occurred through the entire day she didn't think it would end in this.

Bree ended on one last thought, deciding to slide out of character for a slight moment to stir things up. "And yes, this blizzard...it is shitty. But it is the first snow, no matter how you slice it. And what happens during the first snow, in your opinion?" She let Lorelai answer, though the mile-a-minute woman could only manage a snail-like pace to her next words.

"Mag-ic-al...things?" Good job, Lorelai. Way to sound like a Saturday detention regular.

Bree simply nodded and moved in against Lorelai, her lips touching against her employer's in a way that was hardly indicative of the sparks between them. The simple kiss was lingering and slow, innocent as if the two women were lifelong friends in high school coming to a realization.

Lorelai was about to say something else but the words muffled up by thin lips upon hers. She sucked in a breath at the sudden surge of adrenaline sent through her at the sweetness of the gesture.

She remembered the first kiss as being surprisingly strong. This one was different, Bree unconcerned with anyone walking in on them, both of them just in her kitchen. Her lip trembled at the smoothness of Bree's skin against hers. Confidently Bree instigated the kiss further, her nose and forehead touching Lorelai's as she slid her hands up, confident Lorelai would not withdraw from her grasp.

Bree could sense the flavor of the chocolate bread, making her happy that the recipe would manage to keep whoever she served it to salivating for a long time. She felt soft fingers along the back of her neck, playing with her hair. She released for a moment to take a breath, only to draw right back in as Lorelai's other arms was at the middle of her back, keeping her close.

Both women closed their eyes and let themselves get lost in the emotions and needs of the budding romance between them, Lorelai beginning to work her own emotions in, her heart hammering hard and a rumble going through her body as all the need built up over the weeks came out in a torrent of passion.

Both of them remained stationary against the counter, Bree finding herself trapped in, both physically and within the want for her boss. Everything had been leading to this, and the reality was overwhelming the reality despite the only undress so far coming in her rolled up sleeves. The cold shower before she came over was all forgotten, and she knew she'd need water chilled to the usual December temperature up in Saskatoon before her arousal would fade, but even that was probably not enough. The want of her friend was overwhelming and she kept her eyes closed, a slight whimper from Lorelai as her upper lip brushed the barely perceptible hair within her philtrum, making her sigh.

Lorelai's arms prickled with goose bumps beneath her sweater, her entire body flaring with a need for more of Bree's touch. She wanted to turn her around and gain the leverage against the counter, but found it impossible. Bree needed her and she felt a need to comply to her underling. She buried herself against her entertainment director, completely enchanted.

Softly exhaling, Lorelai instigated the kiss further, wondering how she could make Bree weak in the knees from her touch. Her hands slid up to brace the woman's back as she pushed her further against the counter while hearing the slight clatter of the utensils in the drawers.

Bree drew from her strength, ending up in a sitting position on the counter. Taking fistfuls of Lorelai's sweater in her hands, she felt her sexual instincts flare up and instinctively wrapped her thighs around Lorelai's waist, which caused the other woman to push the kiss further, losing her self-restraint and giving into the need.

Her tongue slid out slightly, meeting Bree's in a need to turn the dominance back her way. She pushed up Bree's blouse at the back, desperate to feel flesh against her fingers and keeping Bree distracted with focused and hot open-mouthed kissing, feeling perspiration drip down her forehead. The two women could not and did not want to separate, finding their own bedroom politics meant a fun little power struggle within their foreplay.

Finally Lorelai felt Bree's smooth skin against hers, the blouse tail spun into the tie of her apron. The cool air against her back shocked Bree slightly as she felt her stiffened housewife demeanor crumble through her passion. She needed Lorelai, her legs wrapped tightly around the innkeeper, only the bottom of the apron covering the bottom of her skirt and shielding her modesty. Her eyes wide, she brought her gaze towards Lorelai and found a need within her friend's pupils, fully dilated and needing to have more of Lorelai Gilmore than just a simple kiss.

She knew her lipcolor was beyond smudged and her hair, likely a mess. The unexpected makeout session was unlike any she ever had. In that moment though, Bree Van de Kamp felt more of a need for a woman than she had a man her entire life. Reluctantly, she broke apart, with Lorelai doing the same, a look of recognition shared between them that this could not continue, at least in this circumstance.

"I...I..." A pause, as Bree sucked in her lips to look at Lorelai. Her tugging at the sweater had stretched it out against Lorelai to expose her shoulder on her right side, a flirty thin bra strap peeking through as Lorelai's gaze suggested she wanted more dirty things to occur between them, along with a little smile proving Lorelai was pleased with how the night was going.

Lorelai snuck in a quick little kiss to surprise Bree before pulling apart again, a little laugh, followed by a snort from a flaring of her nose.

"Well, I guess you were right," Lorelai whispered, before making a happy little moan. "That was, indeed..." Another snuck kiss, "very, very..."

After one last buss square on the mouth, she finished her statement.

"Magical." She could see the blush rising up Bree's usually pale cheeks and internally pumped her fist at arising such an emotion in the buttoned-up beauty. "So then I do apologize for saying this snowstorm sucked."

Recovering her bearings, Bree let out a soft, but completely natural laugh, flattered at the way Lorelai was looking at her and still holding her. She found herself pulling away from the counter, nearly falling on her heels but assured Lorelai would catch her fall.

"I am sure we are stuck here for the remainder of the evening," Bree said. "Though if the power goes out--"

"Which it won't; if there's one thing I'm glad for, it's that this neighborhood was electrified with buried power lines. Makes things look prettier." Bree raised an eyebrow, impressed about Lorelai's knowledge of her utilities. "Also if it does go out, it just means we'll need to use candles."

"Candles are dangerous if left unattended."

"Candles...are moody. They set a sensual atmosphere and are safe if monitored carefully." She kept the woman close. "Plus I've seen you in candlelight, when you set up the Baedekers for their little dinner on the back porch a couple months back." Lorelai sighed softly at the memory she held to herself. "Your face has a beautiful complexion in the light of a flame."

Bree shook her head, denying what Lorelai thought of as a fact. "That is untrue."

"It is, Vandy." She let herself go with another moderate kiss as she hooked her fingers around the apron strings. "Damn, I could just touch you all night. You're so soft."

Nodding, Bree acknowledged she had filled out without the pressure to conform to the ideals of the Lane. "I have gained a few pounds. Flattering pounds."

"Very flattering." Lorelai felt her heart being stolen by the redhead with each exchange in their conversation. Her hands drifted towards Bree's stomach, a probing of permission to begin to undo her friend. "Hey...um, this, what's going on with us tonight. You're...you're okay with this, right? The flirting, tasting things, having to be stuck here with me all night."

Bree shook her head with her playful smirk in full force, backing Lorelai towards the kitchen door as they acknowledged the clean-up was over for the evening. "Why, Gilly? Are you afraid I will report you, the owner of the Inn and my superior, to human resources for sexual harassment? As far as I remember from your rather thin employee handbook, you do not oppose fraternization between employees. Of course the usual sexual harassment rules must apply, but..."

With only a blind idea of where to go guiding her, Bree opened up the kitchen door to guide her and Lorelai out, and then with a gentle shove, pushed the innkeeper towards the sofa, where a surprised Lorelai yelped as the arm hit the back of her legs and she went tumbling onto the cushions. Coming to quickly, she found Bree hovering above her, three buttons on her blouse undone and giving her a glance of the pale woman's pink lace-encased breasts down the shirt, dark brown moles dotting her chest. Lorelai knew she was in her own state of nearly undone dress, her jeans sagging slightly and exposing the knot of her stomach, with her bra still well exposed.

Bree glanced her upwards and downwards, as if examining a glazed ham the moment it came out of the over to prepare it further for presentation. Heaving in her chest to flatter her goods, the refined homemaker went in for the goods, her voice husking with desire.

"Whatever they are, let us throw them out. I give you verbal permission to harass me all you want tonight sexually, Lorelai Gilmore, and shall accept the inevitability of us ending the night within your bedroom, probably nude and exhausted from a continuous and very imaginative sexual congress with each other." Lorelai's eyes caught on Bree finishing the untuck of her blouse, still smoothing it out beneath her apron. "And since there is little in your house right now to eat..."

With a hanging pause and a dirty little smirk, Bree completed her refined proposal with something designed to soak Lorelai's panties.

"...I may allow you to eat my cupcake."

The brunette came back quickly with her own words. "If your choconillacherry wonders are good..." She got up as Bree sat next to her, a hand immediately on Bree's thigh. "I can't wait to get a taste of the real goods." Bree groaned and brushed the hand away.

"Patience, Ms. Gilmore. They have to be warmed up to an optimal temperature before consumption. You would be sorely disappointed if you ate them well before they were ready to be sampled." She placed a kiss on Lorelai's lip as her hands moved to the hem of her sweater. "Say, about two hours?"

Lorelai yelped, amazed at how full of herself Bree was about her sexual standards. Then again, I remembered her description of some of her bed activities with her late husband...yeah, someone needs her webs well swept up. She's damned good.

But she felt cocky about herself. "Are you prepared for...multiple servings? I'm a very hungry girl, and I may want seconds."

"I think I can handle multiple servings." Bree continued, moving the sweater up Lorelai's midsection. "But can you handle a little extra icing?"

"Dammmmmn! Keep talking dirty to me like this." Lorelai chuckled. "I'm ready to lick up whatever you wanna give me, because I can over-ice myself." She raised her arms up, ready to rid herself of the hot sweater. "You want to lick it right out of the piping bag?"

Bree's tone changed to deeply impressed. "Good girl, Lor, you know your dessert terms! And actually I prefer more than the tip of the bag. I might not even get there," she declared. "I just might lick it from the bowl." She lifted the shirt above Lorelai's head, spending a few seconds memorizing her employer's amazing form. She sucked in a breath at how full Lorelai looked when aroused, and how even through the slight padding of her basic dark blue bra, her nipples were fully erect. This is a bit farther than I would usually go for bedroom talk, she thought deeply to herself, surprised by how she was playing with the food metaphors, but darn it, I am at that point. All day, all month, all year. These heart-to-heart talks, the way she understands me, how she just cares about me. And she's just so cute, and funny. Compared to everyone after Rex, I need a lover like this.

Lorelai tossed the shirt to the floor, her hair going askew from static as she found Bree eyeing her up like she was a sinful wedding cake. Not since Max had she been looked at like this, and to know it was someone who cared about her deeply like the stuffy redhead made her feel even more wanted. She gulped down, knowing that Max had never seen her bedroom. As far as the upstairs portion of her home knew, Lorelai was a lover of the ladies, a feeling that to her was surprisingly wonderful, almost virginal in how she regarded the Gilmore rules she held for many years.

For a minute or two, things were at a standstill as Bree just sat looking at Lorelai, wondering where to go next, a smile turning into pondering, then plotting, and then figuring out her actions. She looked around the room, making sure she had done everything right in her sudden seduction of Lorelai, but still needed a few things cleared up, taking the woman's hand back into hers.

"Okay, so, before we go forward, I should--" Before she could spell out things though, Lorelai stopped Bree, seemingly reading her mind despite her state of half-undress and a need to yank her blouse off in two pieces.

"Hon, the doors are locked. The shades are drawn. I have no damned idea where the phone is but it's probably under a cushion here not to disturb us. Nobody has ever been able to see into my room, the door is lockable, there is a bathroom up there, the house has excellent soundproofing so the neighbors cannot hear us, and yes, I have my own small toy drawer." A wrinkle of her nose. "Any other inquiries before we eventually flirt our way upstairs?"

Taken aback, Bree could only shake her head, despite needing to clear up one thing. "We...do not have to use the toys, do we? I prefer digital stimulation to that of a device, especially on a first night of sexual exploration. Also, you expect this evening to end in that manner?"

Lorelai knew straight off that Bree was surely teasing her. "Both of us have functioning fingers that will do more than an awesome job. And if tonight doesn't end in a sweaty mess I'd be shocked. Besides, I only use toys when I really need to work off stress, which is rare."

Bree nodded in understanding. "I don't usually give myself pleasure, so I would be lost completely. Though Lynette did gift me a vibrating studded phallus a while back as a gift of understanding-slash-inside joke after my husband's passing. I have seen no need to use it, however. I know how to orgasm if I must in sleep or when I feel terribly irritated."

"Hey, that's good though," Lorelai's fingers intertwined with her employee in understanding. "Sex should be a special thing. Something you shouldn't just go into without thinking about things and--"

"It is not as fun though when you plan it out, I can admit that." Blushing, she shyly regarded Lorelai softly, a need for her to invite her upstairs building. "I did not plan this. There was that one time with my husband--"

"And the lingerie and...mmm, I still remember how you described yourself in it when we were talking about our best sex ever." Lorelai shuddered at the recall. "Can I admit, I use that to keep me warm at night? Thinking of you being like that with me?"

Bree nodded lightly as she felt her skin prickle at the idea of Lorelai in bed, thinking of her in that manner, her hand becoming clammy with sweat. "I still actually have that somewhere, packed up. Maybe I should get it out for you someday."

"Mmm, are you saying there might be more than one night?" Lorelai thought Bree hadn't realized what she said, but the older woman surprisingly nodded back.

"Usually I would say to see where the night leads us. But..." She stretched over slightly, taking in a soft breath as she slid her free hand to cradle Lorelai's cheek and brought her in for a soft and lustful kiss that made the innkeeper tingle as a soothing tongue slid against hers, taking in shuddering breaths as she slid her hand out to hold Lorelai near her side, her thumb brushing the band of the other woman's bra, feeling warmed by how Lorelai tasted, of cinnamon, chocolate and a peppermint disc she had dissolved in her mouth earlier. She kept up the kiss for a little while longer before breaking apart, the intoxicating mix of sinful sweets so much harder to resist.

"Wow. I think I finally found the perfect wine substitute," she rushed out. "And to complete things, this night obviously leads into tomorrow, together." Lorelai smiled back, still winded from the tingles against the tip of her tongue.

"Yeah, tomorrow for sure." Bree looked down to see the rise and fall of Lorelai's abdomen, grinning as Lorelai noticed her stare, and the brunette narrowed her eyes slightly. "Hey, eyes up here, Vandy." Bree happily ignored her, the teasing in Lorelai's voice very obvious. "Or, keep them there."

"I intend to glance every inch of you tonight," Bree lightly threatened, Lorelai pushing out her front teeth as she made her own dare.

"Well, I'm hopeful to get you to use the Lord's name in vain and get downright profane in bed." She pushed in for another quick kiss. "I'm gonna make you swear, Vandy."

"No you aren't," Bree sing-songed. "Profanity is intended for rare emphasis and should be used very lightly."

"Like in bed when I have you wrapped against my leg, rubbing your wet and needy pussy against it, ready and willing to cum?" Lorelai's hand moved against the hem of Bree's skirt. "Going down on you and licking and sucking on your clit until--"

"Lorelai, oh, stop, please!" she pleaded, her demeanor quickly thrown off by more dirty talk. "Not that I do enjoy those things, but I'm a little unsettled as it is!"

"That's the entire point." Lorelai took Bree's hands and lifted her up, while grabbing her sweater in the very, very odd event that Rory, who was so buried in finals her cell phone was turned off, would want to come home. "And I will, indeed bring you off. Guaranteed."

"I am not doubting that. I just am a bit...sensitive," she confessed. "I would not like to be a man and be brought off prematurely before we even do anything,"

Lorelai, nodding hurriedly, understood as she brought the standing woman close to her once again. "OK, well, let's bring it back down a little. We did plenty of teasing down here, so when we get upstairs, we kind of start over. Lighter on the flirting, more on the cuteness and the fact you are still a vital and beautiful woman who had seduced me through her wonderful cupcakes and baked goods, and hours and hours of conversation over the last few months."

"Sure, remind me of our age chasm. Never mind that I'm amazed that a woman who had a child at sixteen ended up having a valedictorian and owning an inn without the help of her parents." Lorelai's lip quivered at the deep compliment. "She's also a terrible cook, but a fine taste tester, too."

"Geeze..." Lorelai smiled, looking down at her feet. "You really know how to make a girl blush."

"It is an improvement then. The women on my old block made me feel like insults and being catty were the only ways to treat other women. I'm glad I don't have to be that way here." She tipped Lorelai's chin up to have her look at her again. "You really are amazing, Lorelai."

Lorelai shook her head and demurred. "Hardly. I had plenty of time to get my life together. You've had a few months. That you've survived, kicked alcohol and depression and managed to be an amazing hostess, I'm very proud of you. I just can't get over how beautiful and driven you are."

The compliment left Bree speechless, and she stood there for a moment, just soaking it all in. Everything about her life was good, and just by some loose planning and a bunch of good luck, she was about to be taken to bed by her wonderful boss. The pale woman looked back up at Lorelai, sighing in deep contentment about how she felt for the hotelier.

Stumbling in her heels, she opened up her arm and released her hand from Lorelai. "I...I think this is the time we stop talking downstairs and take it up the stairs, to your bedroom." The brunette nodded, taking a quick few moments to get the remote to turn off the television before heading up.

"I think it is. Everything is fine down here and you did a fine job with the baking this evening." A smile.

"Well, not everything. Just a couple of other things to do before I come up," Bree whispered. "You head on up, I will catch up in a couple minutes. Using the facilities and such, which I'm sure you will do yourself upstairs." Both women laughed.

"Yeah, peeing isn't sexy." With a wrinkled smile, Lorelai shared one last quick kiss before heading up. "But...I am going to do one thing. Change into something more comfortable. Mainly because these jeans are tight when I'm turned on."

"Don't tell me anymore." Bree stared daggers at the other woman. "Head on up, Gilly."

"Come up and see me in a bit, Vandy." With a sexually-tinged laugh, Lorelai sauntered up the stairs, leaving Bree to her business quickly. A quick bathroom trip and handwashing, and Bree was in the kitchen, looking over things. She looked over the table, where the cupcakes were perfectly stacked in boxes, along with her baking supplies.

Suddenly, an idea was developing in her head. Looking in the fridge, she found an unused tub of Cool Whip, along with a basket of organic strawberries Jackson had given Lorelai to enjoy. Her lips pursing together, she also saw her baking chocolate bars and sugar on the table.

The idea quickly built up. Melting chocolate quickly in the microwave and taking it out before the timer went off, she stirred the melted chocolate into the Cool Whip. Despite her loathing for processed topping, at this point she knew there was no way to make up fresh whipped cream with what she had on hand. She then went through Lorelai's cupboards, finding a barely used porcelain serving plate and a plastic bowl perfect for placing the mixed topping in, hurriedly arranging the strawberries in the middle around the bowl.

"And for the pièce de résistance..." She opened up one of the boxes and along the curve of the ovals on each side of the plate, placed three cupcakes on each side, perfectly placed around the strawberries and cream. She finished and then ran into the bathroom quick after tossing her apron onto a chair, to straighten herself up and lift up her stockings.

She looked herself over one last time, all of the beauty Lorelai saw in her suddenly visible in the mirror of the medicine cabinet. She smiled at herself, becoming suddenly proud of the little wrinkles along the sides of her eyes and of how much she had confessed this evening to the coffee-addicted innkeeper. Through her skirt she felt up her legs, confident she was perfectly sexy enough for Lorelai to pour over all night.

"I am not going to mind if frosting, cream and juice sticks to me," she told herself, shooing off her perfectionist side for the remainder of the evening. She looked down at her wrist, the sobriety tattoo reminding her how far she had come in the last year, then sucked in a breath as she noticed she had not removed the gold cross necklace which was a regular part of her jewelry.

It also usually was a reminder of how she stuck strictly to the doctrines of her religion. Taking it into her fingers, she felt the bottom of the cross, remembering it as a gift from Lynette years ago before the twins came into the world. For many years, it was solely a reminder of her faith.

Now, however, it was worn mainly to remind herself of her friendship with the stern woman and of their escapes and the past wishes she would have done anything, even violate a commandment, to express her love for Lynette. It would never happen now, for she felt her heart quickly finding its place not only forever in Stars Hollow, but Lorelai.

She held it in front of her eyes and looked at it, looking up and making a determination.

"My faith is strong," she said to herself, as if speaking with God. "My love is strong, and it is not defined by what it should be in a book, by teaching or stories passed down through the years. Lorelai is who I want to love, and after so long, I can no longer believe that my God wanted me to shun how I feel for her. It is not wrong, and I am content in my decision."

She closed her eyes, letting the necklace drop down, and clasped her hands in prayer. "I know you will forgive me, God, if there even is forgiveness to muster. Please give me the strength to grow to love this woman, and show her she will not face disappointment from me. Her friendship with me is now my true addiction, and that shall not waver." A pause, composing herself.

"Amen."

She left the bathroom and took the tray as she could hear Lorelai awaiting her.

"I'm prepared!" she said, yelling down from the bedroom. "Come on up, Vandy, before I fall asleep."

Like that will happen, you coffee nut! she thought to herself with a smile, heading into the living room.

She yelled up to the bedroom. "Coming!" She began to climb the stairs, her entire being shaking with anticipation at what would occur between her and Lorelai in the remainder of a cool and stormy nor'easter night that would keep them warm well beyond its end.

To Be Continued

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