by Alex Tryst

Disclaimers: See Part 1

Feedback: Feel free to drop me a line at alextryst@e-scribblers.com.

Copyright © January, 2005 by Alex Tryst. All Rights Reserved.

---

With just a few minutes to spare, the redhead was standing on the sidewalk in front of the firehouse with a backpack strung over one shoulder anxiously waiting. When she saw Anna walking up the street, she couldn't help but smile at the small woman. However, she resisted the urge to come to her, instead staying where she was until the woman reached her.

"Glad to see you're ready to go. I'm starving," Anna said with a smile and peck on the firefighter's cheek.

"So am I. My bike is in the garage. Just hold my backpack for me a minute while I get it."

When Dylan got the bike out onto the sidewalk, she got on and then helped Anna do the same. Then the duo took off uptown toward the firefighter's place. They arrived in the Theater District 20 minutes later at a scraggy five-story building. The bottom floor consisted of a loud Irish pub called Flannery's. As they started to slowly turn the corner, one of the servers waved to them from the window of the bar, and Dylan responded with a mock salute. Alongside the building was a garage, and the brunette was asked to slip off the bike at that point. She did, waiting patiently as the redhead opened the garage door. Dylan put the bike away and then pulled the door shut once more, securing it.

"Well, I have to admit I don't have much food at my place. There is a grocery on the next block, or we can grab some food at the pub. I'm a regular there."

Anna laughed. "I couldn't tell. Let's go to the grocery. I promised to make you something."

"All right. It's this way," she said, taking Anna's hand. Together they walked the short block.

"So, what do you want for dinner? I was thinking something sort of simple. Maybe pasta and salad."

"Only if it's alfredo sauce. I'm not a fan of red sauces."

"All right. I think I can manage that. Do you want some bread?"

"Of course and Guinness."

Anna shook her head. "No Guinness. Wine tonight."

"But it's good for a growing girl like me. It gives me strong bones and muscles," she teased.

Cracking a smile Anna just patted the redhead on the forearm. "I don't think so. Just for once play it my way."

"All right. Fine. I suppose I can sneak down to the pub for a Guinness while you're cooking," she joked.

"Only if you want to be wearing your dinner instead of eating it."

Dylan shook her head. "I wouldn't do that to you, Anna. The boys can survive without me for a night."

"I'm glad to hear that. Now the sooner we get this stuff, the sooner we can get back, and you can get cleaned up a little."

"You mean you don't like the dried sweat look on me?"

Anna smiled. "Oh, I don't mind it. You still look good to me. I just figured you would want to shower."

"Well, a hot shower would be nice after the day I've had."

Half an hour later the two women returned to Dylan's building. As soon as they entered the small foyer with stairs leading up to the next floor, the sound of the pub overwhelmed them. Dylan motioned for her guest to follow up to the third floor. Anna noticed that it appeared to be the only apartment on that floor and curiously wondered what the redhead's place would be like. Following her inside, she waited until the lights were turned on.

"Sorry it's a little messy. I haven't been here in a few days. I've been sleeping at the firehouse."

"No. It's fine. It's nice," she said, looking around at the small living room. There was a loveseat and a coffee table littered with mail. Along the longest wall there was a bookshelf and TV cabinet containing tons of video and audio equipment. She then trailed behind the firefighter into the kitchen area. It was also small but efficient. A bistro table with two chairs was up against the far wall. Anna put the bags she was carrying down onto the counter as Dylan did the same.

"Um, there's more. Do you want the official tour?" the taller woman asked nervously.

Feeling the anxiousness coming from her hostess, she wondered why Dylan was so uncomfortable "Sure. I'd like to see it."

Nodding her head, Dylan took her hand and headed back toward the living room. Moving into the bedroom, she flipped on the lights. "This is it."

Anna looked around the room. The queen-sized bed was neatly made and the room tidy. Eyes traveling toward the bookcase, she saw an electric guitar but then her gaze was drawn to a makeshift shrine on top of the dresser. Lured to it, she moved further into the room, taking in the photographs of a man around Dylan's age in a firefighter's uniform as well as a few of Dylan with three men of various ages. Picking up that one, she asked, "Is this your family?"

"Yeah. That's my Da Keane, my oldest brother Davin, and my Irish twin Danny in our firefighter's uniforms."

"Davin, Danny, and Dylan," Anna repeated. "Your parents were fond of the D names, huh?" The redhead shrugged. "What's an Irish twin?"

"That means we were both born within a year of each other. We're only ten months apart."

Putting the photo back in its place, she leaned down to get a better look. Pinned next to the largest picture was a newspaper obituary. Anna felt her throat starting to close as she read it, reading of Dylan's brother's heroism and death in the Towers of 9-11. She didn't even know what to say. Looking back at Dylan, she went to embrace her, but the firefighter held her at bay. "I'm so sorry," she offered.

"He was supposed to be off that day," the younger woman whispered with controlled emotion.

"And you were there too. That must be difficult."

"We were all there that day." Voice cracking with feeling, she mumbled, "It's hard to talk about."

"We don't have to talk about it if you don't want. I'll tell you what. Why don't I start on our meal? You can take a nice long shower."

The firefighter nodded in agreement. "Thank you."

Anna leaned up and kissed her on the face tenderly. "Come back to the kitchen when you're ready." Leaving the bedroom, the brunette went to start dinner. She heard the water go on in the bathroom. She could tell Dylan was feeling somewhat fragile after revealing something so intimate to her, and she wondered what she could do to help the firefighter. Opening the refrigerator, she found her answer. With a grin, she popped open a can of Guinness and poured it into a glass for the redhead. Then she headed back to the bathroom and knocked before cracking open the door. "Dylan, I have a surprise for you."

"What's that?" she inquired, pulling back the shower curtain just enough to stick her head out and meet the shorter woman's eyes. Seeing what Anna had in her hand, she smiled brightly. "God bless you as a saint, woman!" she exclaimed.

"I'll just leave this here for you. Take your time."

Once Dylan was alone again, she stepped out of the shower to grab her beer. She took several long sips of it, letting the dark liquid swirl in her mouth before swallowing to get the full experience. She would have taken more time to enjoy it except she knew she had a gorgeous woman waiting on her in the other room, which motivated her to complete her shower as quickly as possible.

Heading into her bedroom, she pulled on a pair of jeans and a plain white t-shirt. Leaving her feet bare, she returned to the bathroom to comb her wet hair and get her beer. Then she moved into the kitchen to see what Anna was doing. However, the brunette was not in the kitchen but the living room, thumbing through the CD collection. Going up behind her, Dylan slipped her arms around her waist and rested her head on the smaller woman's shoulder. She felt Anna tense in her embrace when her lips brushed over the side of her neck. "What's wrong?" the redhead asked softly, curious as to the response she received.

The other woman shrugged as she managed to free herself from Dylan's arms. She wouldn't quite meet green eyes. "I guess I... I'm not sure what I'm doing here," she admitted.

Unsure of what response to give to that, Dylan tried humor to ease the tension. "Well, I seem to recall you inviting yourself over to make me dinner."

"That's not what I meant."

"Then tell me what you do mean."

Turning so they were facing each other, the brunette's eyes roamed over the firefighter's body. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before exhaling slowly. "All day I've been thinking about this moment, dreading it and yet knowing I have to say this."

"Okay. Go on then. Say whatever it is you feel you need to."

She nodded and then forced herself to look into green eyes. She knew it wasn't going to be easy, but it had been bothering her since she found Dylan's phone number that morning. "I guess I just don't want you to have the wrong impression about me. I don't typically sleep with women I just met. I'm not like that. Last night was sort of a rare moment for me."

Nodding her head Dylan just said, "All right. I understand."

"But I have to know if you sleep with women you've just met. Was last night new for you, or have you done that before?"

"Yes, I've done that before, Anna. I haven't done it a lot, but I have done it."

"Did you leave your number with them?"

"No. You're the only one that got a phone number."

"Why did you give it to me?"

Dylan shrugged. "Because I like you, I guess."

"You like me or you thought I'd sleep with you again?"

Uncomfortable with the question, Dylan shoved her hands into her jean pockets and shrugged. "What's this about, Anna? Why are you grilling me about this?"

"I don't know. I just feel awkward after last night. I mean, I do like you, Dylan, but I don't necessarily think sleeping with you was the right thing to do."

"So, are you saying you regret what happened?"

Anna shrugged, pausing to find her courage. "Yes and no, I guess. Yes, because I don't know anything about you really. No, because last night was almost surreal."

Sensing emotional frailty from her guest, Dylan embraced her, pulling Anna's body to her own. The brunette willingly allowed herself to be drawn into the hug. "Anna, it's okay. I think I understand what you are trying to say. You don't want me to think of you as a pretty girl who's a convenient lay. You don't want me to think of you as a slut. Am I right?"

She nodded shyly. "I'm sorry, Dylan. I just feel weird. Last night I acted so unlike myself, and when you kissed me this afternoon I thought maybe you expected me to act that way tonight."

"Just be yourself, Anna. I saw the real you last night at your father's house. I know the woman at the club wasn't really you. If it was, we would've done our business in the alley and never seen each other again. Just relax. I wouldn't hurt you."

The smaller woman smiled up at her hostess. "Thank you. I'm sorry for bringing this up now."

"It's fine. I'm glad you did, so we can enjoy ourselves. Let's go in the kitchen. I'm famished."

"Okay. I'll go check on dinner. Put some music on for us, will you?"

"Sure. What do you like?"

"Whatever you want. I don't recognize half of your collection."

"That's because it's all Irish folk music," she explained to the retreating form. Flipping through her CDs, she thought about what she might be able to do to make her guest feel more at ease. Finding one of her favorite New York singers, she placed the CD in its player. Suddenly the sound of Billy Joel filled the small apartment. She picked the song that she wanted and then walked to the kitchen as she started singing "For the Longest Time."

Immediately she got the reaction she wanted from the brunette. Anna blushed lightly and smiled. "You sing?" she inquired. However, her question was ignored as Dylan came up to her and continued to bellow the lyrical tune.

When she finally stopped singing, she smiled at the petite woman. "I've been known to sing on occasion. That song just seemed appropriate. Billy Joel is my favorite singer. When I was a kid, I wanted to be just like him. I begged my parents to let me take piano lessons."

Anna laughed. "Most kids beg not to take piano lessons. Did they let you?"

Dylan shook her head. "Nah. They couldn't afford it. With three kids it was hard to keep us all fed much less entertained. However, there is a piano in the bar downstairs, and I finally learned to play on that. Now when I have a few too many Guinnesses and want to pretend to be Billy, I can amuse my faithful fans."

"I bet that is funny to see."

"Well, maybe sometime you'll have to come down to the pub with me. It's another world down there."

"Well, dinner is ready. If we could just have some plates, I can feed you," Anna mentioned. Dylan grabbed plates for the two of them and then set the table while Anna served their meal. "What about wine glasses?" she questioned.

"I don't have any of those, because I never drink wine. I only have pint glasses."

"All right. Well, how about a corkscrew?"

The redhead shook her head as she reached for the bottle of white wine. "Actually, I might have one on my pocket knife. Hold on." She disappeared into the bedroom and returned moments later with a triumphant grin. Opening the bottle for them, she poured two glasses of wine into her drinking glasses.

Anna chuckled as she took a sip from her glass. "I haven't had wine from a cup like this since college," she said as they sat to their simple meal.

"Oh. Where did you go to school?"

"Smith College."

"Never heard of it. Where is it?"

"It's in Massachusetts. It's a women's college. My mother went there, and her mother went there. It's sort of tradition."

"Did you like it?"

"It was okay. There were a lot of girls to choose from," she said with a sly smile.

"I bet. I bet it's like heaven on earth. All those girls, especially if you're hot like you are. I bet you had everyone you wanted."

Anna blushed and shook her head. "It's not quite like that. Even at Smith that has a bit of a reputation for that, there is still certain decorum you have to follow. It's not quite a free for all. It's not a party all the time. My parents expected me to act a certain way with my suitors. My father was especially particular with whom I spent my time."

"So, they know about you being into women?"

"Yes, which was fine as along as I chose appropriately."

"What does that mean?"

"They were always in my business about who I was dating. If she wasn't exactly the right girl from the right background and family, they rode me pretty hard about it. I finally got them off my back when I met my now ex."

"Why's that?"

"My parents thought she was perfect. I met her when I was in my Masters program. She's the daughter of one of my father's colleagues, and she was a young hotshot attorney just out of law school. Back then she was the best and brightest, and she knew it. She was full of confidence, and I was attracted from the beginning. Both of our parents were thrilled at the match."

"So, may I ask what happened?"

"I caught her cheating on me."

"Damn. What a bitch. How is that possible? You're the prettiest girl I've ever met."

Anna shook her head as she fought back tears. She didn't want to cry about her ex-girlfriend in front of Dylan for fear it might seem like she was not over her. In fact, she was over the hurtful woman, but not over the pain of being treated so horribly. "I was just young and stupid. Looking back I realize she was cheating the whole time with this other attorney who worked at her firm. The two of them were always working late together, but she would come home smelling like dried sweat and sex. I guess I just wanted to pretend everything was okay for my parents' sake, but I couldn't when I went to surprise her at work one day and found them together. To make it worse, everyone at that office knew, but no one bothered to tell me."

"That sucks. She didn't deserve you, Anna."

"That wasn't the worst part. When I asked why she had done it, she said that I was frigid. She said that I was a terrible lover."

"She didn't?" the firefighter inquired with complete shock. "That's an awful thing to say to someone."

"When I saw her at the bar last night, those words came to mind. I guess I just wanted to prove her wrong. I wanted her to see what she'd lost. That's when I saw you sitting alone at the end of the bar, and then I decided to act like the bitch she was. I can't believe I actually stooped to her level."

"You were upset. It's understandable. But may I ask why me?"

Anna shrugged. "You looked like you weren't attached to anyone there, and I thought you were cute. Truthfully you looked like an easy target," she admitted.

Dylan nodded. "Well, I guess I was."

"Tell me why you allowed me to be that way."

"Are you kidding? It's a dream to have a hot girl come on to you at a club. Even better when she's acting like she wants to jump you. I was intrigued the moment I met your eyes. I could clearly see you were on the make, but I wasn't going to let the opportunity pass. After all, I have no prior relationship commitment. You just happened to pick a free agent. If I were attached, I wouldn't have allowed it, but I'm not. Besides it was nice to get some attention. Not a lot of women are into redheads. I get turned down quite a bit."

"That's shallow. I don't believe it."

"It's a fact. That's why I try to dress a little more revealing. I might as well take advantage of the assets I do have. The fire department has given me this great physique. I might as well use it."

"You're cute, Dylan. Surely you get dates."

"Exactly, Anna. I'm cute, not pretty, sexy, or even handsome. I just have a cute face or at least I used to. Now I think I just look old. The stress of fighting fires has done a number on me. I feel like I've aged a decade in the last few years," she said, breaking their gaze.

Sensing the conversation was heading into an area that Dylan didn't want it to go, Anna changed it, requesting, "Tell me about your family."

"Not much to tell. There's Da, Keane Flannery. He's a retired firefighter who now owns a bar. He's the best man I've ever known. He was always there for us as kids even though he worked all the time. He always had a way of making us feel special. Then there's Davin and his wife Stacie. They have two kids. My nephew Davin, Jr. is eight, and my niece Ainsley is four. Davin and I work in the same company. That's about it."

"What about your mother?"

The redhead sighed sadly, thinking on her mother. "Her name is Patricia. She died when I was fifteen. I get my green eyes and red hair from her. She's a saint. She would work the opposite schedule as Da, but she always had a smile on her face, and she always hugged and kissed us goodbye whether she was going to work or going to the store on the corner. As a kid there was no better place than to sit on her lap with your head on her chest. She would rock you when you were scared and sing Irish lullabies. There was no safer place than in her arms."

"How did she die?"

"She was hit by a drunk driver walking home from work one night. They blew through a red light. I guess they didn't see her crossing the street. At least that was their story. They are thinking about that now in prison, but it doesn't change the fact that she's gone. The police said she was killed instantly, but it doesn't make me feel any better. I find no solace in that. The only thing that keeps me going is knowing she and Danny are watching over me now from heaven."

"Danny. Will you tell me anything about him?"

"Not only was he my brother, he was my best friend in the entire world. We really acted just like twins. We would get into so much mischief together. He also worked in the same company with Davin and me. The Flannery trio is what they called us, a bunch of rambunctious hellions into pranks and good times. It's all gone now though. We don't prank and joke the way we used to."

When Dylan abruptly stopped speaking about her brother, Anna knew that course of conversation was closed, even though she could tell there was so much still left unsaid. Retreating into her own quiet for a little while, she ate the rest of her meal and watched as the younger woman did the same. It was only after Dylan finished off multiple plates of pasta that she said, "You certainly do eat a lot."

"I'm a growing girl. Actually I can out-eat Davin and Da, but I burn it off quickly. I work out every day at the station, and I just have a fast metabolism. Get used to it because I'm always hungry."

"Well, I will remember for next time. I thought you would have leftovers. Guess I was wrong about that."

"It's great though. You make some good food."

"It's just pasta and salad."

"But it's always better when someone else makes it." Seeing that they were finished, Dylan picked up the bottle of wine and her glass. "Come on. I want to take you somewhere. Get your glass."

"Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise. Come on."

Doing as she was told, Anna picked up her glass and followed the taller woman out of her apartment and up two flights of stairs until Dylan opened the door to the roof. Stepping out onto it, Anna saw a large rooftop garden. "Wow. This is beautiful."

"This is Ma's garden. I've been taking care of it for her since she died," the redhead mentioned. "Come sit with me under the arbor."

"This is a like a small piece of heaven in this busy city."

"Yeah. We like to have parties up here for our friends sometimes. In fact, we're having one next month. Maybe you'd like to come."

"I'd love to. I would like to meet your friends. Will Davin and your father be there?"

"They should be."

Sitting for a moment in silence, Anna gazed around at the beautiful roses that covered the arbor. She felt at peace for a few moments in a city of chaos. Looking back at her hostess, she asked, "Will you sing me another song?"

"Sure. What do you want to hear?"

"I don't know. Sing me an Irish song."

"Okay but be forewarned most Irish songs are about drinking, loving a woman, or losing a woman, sometimes all three."

"All right."

"Do you know 'When Irish Eyes are Smiling' by chance?" The brunette shook her head. "Well, I'll sing that one, because it doesn't make you want to cry in your beer or wine as the case may be." Singing the short old Irish favorite, Dylan smiled down at the other woman.

"You really do have a wonderful voice," Anna complimented.

"Thank you. Da says I have Ma's voice. The voice of God he calls it. I remember sitting in the pews of St. Patrick's on Sundays and listening to her voice as she sang with the choir. She was always so beautiful."

"Do you still go to St. Patrick's?"

Dylan shook her head. "I stopped. It got too hard after she died. Da still went up until Danny died. Then he sort of just lost his faith. I know we all should probably go, but I just don't agree with the Catholic Church's message. I refuse to believe I'm going to hell for loving another woman, and I told the priest as much the last time I was at confession. Needless to say, he and I aren't on the best of terms. What about you? Do you practice a religion?"

"Not really. I guess I believe there is a God, but I haven't really seen any religion that fits my thinking. I don't really know what to make of religion anyway. It's like the concept of the chicken and the egg. Which came first? Was there a God that made humans or did humans make God? If there is a God, then why did he make humankind and why does he allow suffering? Or did people make him just as a way of dealing with the unexplainable events in their life?"

"That's an interesting point, Anna. I think we all wonder why God allows suffering sometimes. I wish I could answer that one." Both of them sat quietly pondering the statement as Dylan gently pushed the arbor swing back and forth with her feet. Looking over at the brunette, she sighed. She hadn't had much in the way of a relationship in years, so she wasn't confident in what she was doing. However, she knew she liked being with the little woman. Wanting to get a little closer, she slowly curved her arm around Anna's shoulders. Instantly blue eyes met hers in question. Bringing her left hand up to Anna's face, she cupped the soft cheek in her hand. "You really are the most beautiful woman I've ever met," she confessed.

The woman flushed under the adoration. "Thank you, Dylan," she whispered as she copied the redhead's action. Her hand slid into the damp chin-length red hair, taking in the texture and weight of it. She knew she was about to be kissed and leaned in as soon as Dylan made a move to do so, capturing the firefighter's mouth in a soft kiss. However, as she felt arms bring her closer, the kiss grew in intensity. Even though Anna had kissed Dylan with more feeling the night before, she felt shy this time as the younger woman tried to escalate their intimacy and slowly pulled back.

"What is it?" Dylan quietly questioned, moving her mouth to Anna's cheek and then jaw.

The brunette sighed as the feelings of the previous night came back to her. Dylan's gentle attention felt so good, just as it did right then. Even though she wanted to take things more slowly, the feeling of the firefighter's lips working over the side of her neck was too good to ignore. Instead she indulged in it, cradling the redhead closer. "Dylan," she whispered.

"That sounds so good like that," the taller woman murmured, meeting soft lips again.

Anna kissed her back with equal emotion. They carried on that way for several minutes, but when Anna felt Dylan's hand move from around her back to her breast, she gently pushed the redhead away. "Dylan, remember that conversation we had earlier about moving too fast?"

"Yeah but there's nothing wrong with touching you, is there?" she asked. "You're just so beautiful, Anna. I have to touch you."

The older woman shook her head slowly and sighed. "You know, maybe I should go. It's starting to get late anyway."

Knowing she was being rebuffed, Dylan just nodded. "I'll take you home."

"Actually, I'll just take a cab."

"Well, let me ride with you, so I know you got home safely," she offered.

Anna shook her head as she stood. "I'll be fine. I got around this city just fine before I met you, you know."

Dylan rose as well, grabbing the glasses and wine. "I know. It would just make me feel better."

"I'll call you when I get there then."

Knowing she was not going to win, Dylan surrendered with, "All right. That would be nice." Both of them walked down to the firefighter's apartment quietly. Dylan put on a pair of shoes and then escorted the brunette down to the street to hail a cab. "Call my cell phone when you get there," she said.

"Okay. Hold on. Let me put it in my phone, so I won't forget it," Anna said, digging into her purse. She punched in the number that Dylan gave her. "What's your home number while we're at it?" When she was finished, the firefighter wanted to do the same with her cell phone. Anna hailed a cab after that. When one finally pulled up to the curb, she opened the door before turning to the taller woman. "Well, thank you for having me over."

"Thanks for making me dinner," she said, leaning toward her. However instead of kissing her mouth like she wanted, Dylan settled for kissing Anna's cheek tenderly.

"I'll call you," promised Anna. Dylan just nodded. "Good night, Dylan."

"Night, Anna."

As the cab started to pull away from the curb, Anna looked back over her shoulder to see Dylan disappearing into the door of the pub. She sighed as her mind thought over the night. Dylan was more than she expected. After the night before, she knew that the redhead had an incredible kindness about her, but at the same time there was a lot of pain behind those green eyes. She couldn't even imagine losing her family the way Dylan had. She could tell the younger woman had a great deal of unresolved issues over her mother and brother, but she just didn't how she would react if she were in the same position.

Continued in Part 3

Feed the Scribbler: alextryst@e-scribblers.com.