Solace

Then a pair of soft arms wrapped around her. She heard a Southern voice say "Shhhhhhhhhhhh, its alright." She resisted not at all as those arms pulled her over onto her other side and gentle hands pulled her into a warm embrace. Nora rocked her back and forth, touching her short hair and making wordless soothing noises.

Finally the tears stopped. Nora helped Vic stretch out on the bed. Vic felt her boots being unlaced and taken off. Her jeans followed, along with the strapon harness. Then Nora laid down with her again and pulled the sheet over them both.

Vic slowly relaxed and dozed off and on for about an hour. She heard the shower running and roused herself when she felt the bed give way. Opening her eyes, she saw Nora kneeling on the bed beside her. Her hair was still wet and she was wearing one of Vic's old t-shirts.

"You look a lot better," smiled Nora.

Vic stifled an urge to roll away from Nora and hide her face. Instead, she sat up and took the other woman's hands.

"Nora," Vic hesitated, unsure of how to say what she felt. "I'm so sorry." She faltered. That sounded so damn trite. She tried to find other words. "I can't believe I did what I did."

"Its okay, Vicky."

"Its NOT okay. Damn it Nora, I hurt you. I called you names. I used you like, like," Vic trailed off, completely at a loss.

"Like I was Marissa," Nora replied. She looked at the shocked expression on Vic's face. "I knew it was probably going to be rough," she said thoughtfully, "But I must say that I didn't expect it to get quite as rough as it did. Still," she looked at Vic, "It did work."

"What are you talking about? What worked? The sex?"

"No, you goose," Nora looked at Vic with an expression that mixed equal parts of affection and exasperation. "The sex was actually my last resort. Not that there weren't parts of it I really enjoyed," Nora added as an afterthought. "But the whole purpose of this was to break down that damn wall you hide behind.

Vic stared at Nora like she had lost her mind. The other woman plowed on.

"Its funny about online friends. All you have to go on are their words. there are no facial expressions, no voice inflections, no body language. None of the clues you use in real life to determine a person's feelings. At the same time, there's nothing to distract you from their words. Vicky, you are one tough butch, and you show your feelings about as much as the average Southern redneck I know." She grinned and then turned serious again.

"When you started seeing Marissa, a side of you that I knew was there burst out. You were open and laughing and so damn excited, and in love. I was happy for you, you're a sweet person. Yes, you are, don't look at me like I have two heads. Then I got news of the breakup. Davia told me you acted like it didn't bother you at all. I got worried because I was sure you were swallowing your emotions up and knowing you, you'd let them eat you alive before you shared them. You were back in your shell and I knew I'd have to do something to break it and let the hurt out."

"So I broke my number one rule and came up here. And you really scared me. You were so damn quiet and relaxed and well, shit Vicky, butch. So I took a drastic step and put on that teddy. And it worked. You smashed that shell to pieces. I confess, I didn't expect you to get that carried away. But I'm glad you did because you finally fell over the edge and let your anger and grief out. There's only one thing..."

"What?" Vic held her breath. Nora's face had turned grim and Vic thought "Oh GOD, I did something that really injured her."

"I think you have permanently put your hand prints on my ankles when you tried to split me in half. One more thrust Vicky, and I think you would have had to make a wish.

They both exploded in laughter and hugged each other. When they calmed down, Nora smiled at Vic.

"I have some bumps and bruises but nothing serious. Really. In fact, you were in a world of your own, but I came twice during that little therapy session." She giggled. "However I think any curiosity I've ever had about being a sub has been answered forever."

She touched Vic's face with her fingertips. "Now then, you go to sleep."

"Will you be here when I wake up?" Vic asked curiously.

"Probably not," Nora replied. "I have to get home and its a long drive. I'll catch a nap and get on the road." She leaned over and kissed Vic on the cheek. "Sleep."

When Vic woke, the sun was brightly shinning. She was alone in the bed. She listened. The apartment was silent. She took a shower and wandered downstairs. There were two items on the kitchen counter, one a piece of paper. She picked them up and read the letter.

"Hey sexy." It started and Vic smiled as she recalled Nora's greeting in the chat room. "You'll be okay Vicky. And yes, you'll still be Vic, because that's who you are. Someone will come into your life who will be a keeper. It's not me, you've always known that I have someone in my life. Just this once I stepped away from that person to help a friend. I know that you understand that I will never be back, and when I get home I will throw away your phone number. If we see each other in the chat room, or anywhere else for that matter, we'll smile and say hello and walk away. You WILL have a good life, Vicky. I promise."

The letter was simply signed "Nora".

Apparently Nora had come back to write the P.S., as it showed signs of having been hastily added on. "By the way, here's a souvenir for you. Kisses."

Vic grinned, her heart lighter. She held up the black lace teddy and laughed.

(The End)