Chapter 7 (Revised Version)

Agent Cross narrowed his eyes yet again at the agent in front of him as Harrison took one slow step after another, grunting with effort each time.

They'd been hiking for over three hours and according to his GPS, they'd hardly gone a mile.

"This is ridiculous," Cross muttered under his breath.

He'd started at the back of the line, pulling one of the sleds along with several of his agents while the trail guide took the lead. Half an hour later, Scott had moved to the back of the line, taking over Cross's sled and letting the man behind him take the lead, while Scott shouted instructions on where to go that left Cross's ears ringing. They'd switched out every half hour, which Cross felt was excessive and only slowed them down more.

It had only been twenty minutes since Harrison had moved up to the front of the line, but Cross had had enough.

"Out of the way, Harrison. We need to pick up the pace if we want to get there by nightfall."

Cross pushed around the exhausted agent and bulldozed ahead.

It didn't take him long to realize his mistake. Breaking trail, as the guide had put it, was a lot harder than walking on snow already trampled by a dozen people and half a dozen sleds. The snow was at least two feet deep and less than ten minutes in, his thighs were screaming at him to stop and take a break.

But Scott was right behind him and there was no way in hell he was going to slow down or show how much effort it was taking out of him to do what everyone else had done.

"Pick your shoes up so they clear the snow."

Cross turned his head at the mumbled advice. He lifted his knee high, feeling the stretch in his hamstring. The snowshoe just grazed the top of the powder and then crushed through the ice crystals as he stepped his foot down. He did the same on his next step and the next. He felt a little silly lifting his legs so high, like an exaggerated military march, but the technique worked. Instead of lifting the snow on top of his boot or trying to push his way through it, he simply let his weight compress it and pack it down for those following behind him.

He gave a curt nod and carried on.

Twenty minutes later, they stopped for snacks and a piss break.

Cross checked his GPS. They were still at least four miles out from the crash site. He walked over to where Scott was feeding his dogs.

"So, how much longer do you think it'll take us to get there?"

Scott shook his head.

"No way to know for sure. If the weather holds, we could be there by morning if we hike through the night."

"Isn't that a little dangerous?" Harrison asked from where he was perched on his sled, a bag of trail mix in one hand and a bottle of water in the other.

"Nah, not in clear enough weather with a nearly full moon. You'd be surprised how bright it gets out here with all the light reflecting off the snow."

"Your water, Sir," Barlow said and offered Cross a bottle from his pack, which he'd grabbed on his way back from the trees.

"I'm fine," Cross said as he waved the other man away.

"Drink," Scott ordered and Cross bristled.

"I said I'm fine. I'm not even thirsty."

"Which is why you should be drinking all the more." Scott took the bottle from Barlow's hand and shoved it at Cross. "You think you're dragging fifty pounds of water around for the exercise? Those six gallons are a six-day supply, meaning you're supposed to polish off one every day." Scott narrowed his eyes. "I didn't see you take a trip to the trees either. If you get dehydrated, you're just asking for hypothermia, and I ain't carrying your ass back down the mountain. So drink."

Cross glared at him, but raised the bottle to his mouth anyway.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Jess sorted through her various invoices, bills, bank statements, and financial reports and got to work organizing everything in preparation for filing her quarterly taxes. At least she had the computer's banking program and her personally designed spreadsheets to help her out. It wasn't that she had a hard time with math—she was actually quite fluent in the language—but keeping track of so many different areas of income and expenses made her head spin.

Once she finalized the tax report, she set it aside. She always liked giving it a few days so she could double-check it with fresh eyes before sending it off. But now that she was looking at all the numbers, she couldn't help messing around with her budget for the rest of the year. With the software loaded on her computer, she was able to look at pie charts and bar graphs, turning dry numbers into visual representations of where her money was coming from and going to. According to her calculations, the farm was doing okay, but not great.

They needed to find more ways to generate income to cover the upcoming expenses she'd added with the lease of the Winston farmland and the purchase of the new horses. She had a few ideas, but she knew Jason had already put a lot of thought into it. She just needed to go through his notes to figure out which were actually feasible.

Jess picked up the folder Jason had left for her on the corner of her desk and flipped it open. Some of the pages were handwritten drawings for reorganizing the barns and stables, but most were cleanly typed up printouts her son had created as part of a series of proposals to improve the Winston Farms and Horse Boarding Stables and possibly expand the operation.

Jess remembered how disappointed Jason had been when the old man had turned him down flat, dismissing him without even really looking at the boy's ideas. She'd thought at the time it had more to do with Jason's age than the merit of his ideas, but that hadn't been much consolation for Jason. Of course, then the old man had passed and they'd found out he'd been in the terminal stages of stomach cancer and shifting all his work to his employees. Even if he'd been interested, he simply didn't have the energy to try to implement the changes Jason was suggesting.

But now the farm and stables were at least partly in Jess's care, though Barbara had agreed to continue to cover the costs of employing the stable hands as part of the lease agreement, since Barbara would also be continuing to receive the rental fees from all the current horses stabled there.

Jess stopped on the last stapled set of papers titled 'The Future of Farming' and skimmed through the bullet points and bar graphs. It outlined a plan to use the same kind of geodesic greenhouses they had on their farm and build 171 domes on 3 acres of the Winston land. The costs were a little out of date, but Jason had researched where to source the materials at about $5,000 for each dome.

Jess had to laugh when she saw the total costs at $855,000. Not only was that insanely beyond their reach, it was also missing the key expenses of time and labor. Even if they did the work themselves, which was clearly what Jason had intended, those costs still had to be factored in. Though she had to admit, the potential yearly profit of almost $800,000 per year made her giddy for a whole other reason. To have that kind of money...

Jess shook her head and came back down to Earth. Again, her son had neglected to factor in the costs of employees, since there was no way she could look after nearly 200 domes by herself, not even with part-time help. Still, the thought of expanding Taylor Farms was enticing and had been in the back of her mind ever since she'd taken over the place after her parents had died almost twelve years ago.

It was a lot to think about. Maybe they could start smaller somehow, but she still didn't know where the money was going to come from. All she knew was that she didn't have to figure it all out right now. She did want to make some notes of her own though, so she picked up the papers and tapped them together until they were neat and orderly again and shoved them back in the folder to take it upstairs with her. She shut down the computer in case they lost power and then stood up.

Her back cracked loudly as she stretched to realign her spine and she groaned. Taking care of the farm was hard work, but it was nothing compared to sitting at the computer for a couple hours. She just wasn't built for deskwork.

Jess went upstairs to her bedroom, dropping Jason's folder onto her nightstand, and headed into the en suite bathroom. The room was small, but it was still large enough to hold an oversized clawfoot tub and Jess immediately started running a bath. She chose a small jar of sandalwood scented crystals from a basket filled with bath salts and lotions that sat on a raised shelf above the tub. She slowly added the crystals to the water, letting the torrent from the faucet churn and dissolve them for her.

She put her hair up and undressed while the tub finished filling, and then carefully eased herself down into the hot water. She let out a soft groan of appreciation as the soothing heat engulfed her body. She leaned back against the angled end of the tub, resting her head against the bath pillow affixed there. She couldn't help smiling a little to herself at how indulgent this was, but she had promised.

The spa gift basket had been a Winter Solstice/Christmas present from Alice and had included a range of bath salts, lotions, soaps, the softest washcloth Jess had ever used, and two plush white terry-cloth bath robes, monogrammed 'Hers' and 'Hers.'

When Jess had raised an eyebrow at the second one, Alice had simply shrugged and said that's how the gift basket had come. Jess didn't have to share it with anyone, though Alice didn't think that would hurt with the whole relaxation thing either. Jess had protested that she wasn't going to bring some random woman home, but Alice had just said the only promise she wanted from Jess was that she'd use the gift to pamper herself at least one night a week to de-stress. Jess had never been a bath person, but much to her surprise she'd come to love taking baths and now she took one almost every day.

Of course, then there'd been the other half of the gift, which had been the real reason Alice had taken her aside into Jess's office to open her presents away from the rest of the small get together. Jess had torn off the wrapping to find a generic e-reader. Alice had said she knew Jess already had several, but this one was special because it came with dozens of lesbian romance books already loaded on it.

The next thing Jess had known, Alice had taken the tablet from her hands, run it through setup, and plugged it into the power bar behind Jess's desk to charge it.

Jess had hardly had a chance to be shocked, when she'd heard Jason clomping down the hall to tell her more of their guests had arrived for their Christmas party. She'd hastily shoved the small tablet back behind several binders filled with business printouts her son never looked at, since he preferred looking at the files on the computer. The damn thing was still there, too, the only thing alluding to its presence the small cord running along the side of the shelf. She kept meaning to move the reader into her bedroom, but every time she thought about it, she was doing something else, like taking a bath, and then forgot about it again.

She still hadn't looked at any of the stories and Alice hadn't asked her about it. She did wonder if they were any good. She indulged in reading a few stories online now and then, but it was rare when she found a keeper. Those stories she made sure she saved to a hidden folder out of the shared areas of her drive and definitely off the cloud. The last thing she needed was for her son to find out she liked to read lesbian erotica.

She spent a few minutes simply drifting, thinking about some of her favorite stories, until she realized she was staring at the two robes hanging on the back of the door.

After all her protests, how had she ended up bringing some random woman into her home? She knew Alice believed in fate and the power of intention, but Jess had always been a lot more practical about those kinds of things and she knew she hadn't been sending out any mysterious vibes requesting a romantic partner. In fact, she'd done quite the opposite the past few years, instantly shutting down even the slightest perceived interest as soon as she recognized it. She'd gotten used to being alone and preferred to take care of those particular needs by herself. No one got hurt that way.

Jess rolled her eyes at herself, annoyed that she'd let what was supposed to be her relaxation time turn into a depressing little brooding session. She gave a short harrumph as she resituated herself a little lower until the water came up to just under her chin. She concentrated on settling in for a nice hot soak, using a series of slow deep breathing exercises she'd learned while she was pregnant to clear her mind.

As her eyes half closed, her gaze wandered to the robes again and she suddenly imagined Kaylee opening the bathroom door, undressing, and climbing into the tub with her. She felt her sex swell at the thought of holding the woman's naked body against her own, Kaylee's weight on top of her as the blonde rubbed one of those muscled thighs between her legs.

Jess moved her hand down to her pussy to ease the sudden ache there even as she wrestled with herself about the propriety of indulging in a sexual fantasy about a stranger who was also her house guest. Lust easily won out as she remembered all the glimpses of Kaylee's naked body she'd tried to forget and that sunshine bright smile that had taken her breath away every time it had been aimed at her.

She closed her eyes as she thought about Kaylee lifting her breasts out of the water to kiss and suck on her tits. Her nipples immediately tightened and she pinched one of them herself as her other hand began rubbing her clit. She imagined Kaylee moving up to her neck to continue the sucking kisses, trailing along her jawline until their lips met.

Jess could practically taste Kaylee's tongue as she opened her mouth and panted. Her hips were rocking, sloshing the water dangerously close to the rim of the tub, but she didn't care as she imagined Kaylee moving one of her hands down to deftly enter Jess with two fingers.

Jess made it a reality with her own hand and couldn't stifle her groan as she pushed her own fingers inside herself, her entrance already slick with her need. She started thrusting in and out, angling her hand so she could still use her thumb to rub over her clit as she felt her arousal suddenly increase. In her mind, she was holding on to Kaylee, pulling the smaller woman against her body and kissing her hard as her hips jerked up to take Kaylee's pistoning fingers again and again.

Jess added a third finger, a little surprised at herself for feeling so needy so quickly. Then her fingers curled and she hit her G-spot, her thumb still rubbing over her clit while her other fingers pinched and pulled at her nipple, and she forgot to be embarrassed as she came in a mind-blowing rush that had her gasping for air as her back arched.

"Kayleeya!" Jess gasped out in a strangled whisper.

She bit her lip to try to stifle any further cries of ecstasy, but she still let out several whimpers as her vaginal walls clamped down on the invading fingers and she was unable to move them anymore, though her pelvis kept rocking up in an attempt to gain deeper penetration.

Finally, her muscles relaxed and her back settled against the tub again. She removed her fingers and rubbed them against each other in the water to clean them. She released a satisfied sigh, though she couldn't help wondering about herself. She hadn't had that intense a reaction to a fantasy in a long while.

Jess blushed just thinking about it, but then quickly pushed the embarrassment aside. It was just a little harmless fantasizing. What Kaylee didn't know wouldn't hurt her.

Jess pushed herself up and out of the water, letting it sluice off her body, and then pulled the plug out of the drain. She dried off and got dressed again in clean clothes, since she'd sweat so much in the ones she'd been wearing that morning. She let her hair back down and brushed it out before putting it in a ponytail. Then she sat on her bed and decided to spend a few minutes adding some of her own notes to Jason's.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Kaylee was bored out of her mind and more than a little frustrated that she wasn't doing that well with the simplistic scenarios Jason kept loading for them to play. The boy seemed to be able to achieve the straightforward objectives with hardly any effort at all, but every time she tried to do the same, the controller took her movements and exaggerated them to the point of absurdity, making her avatar look like it was having some kind of fit on the screen. She huffed in irritation as her latest attempt sent the character to fall over a cliff. A string of notes announcing her utter defeat played from the speakers. It was a sound she was coming to despise.

As the screen declared Jason the winner with much fanfare, Kaylee suddenly felt a wave of sexual pleasure wash over her. She looked at Jason in surprise, though she'd sensed his adolescent interest earlier, but the boy was concentrating on scrolling down the list on the screen.

"Um, we can play something else. Wanna try golf?"

Kaylee nodded absently as her lower belly tightened with acute arousal. It wasn't coming from the boy, that much was certain. Then she looked up at the ceiling in realization.

Jess was pleasuring herself.

Kaylee blushed and tried to ignore the sensations as Jason activated a new screen, but she was only able to partially follow his directions. Every nerve in her body seemed to be pointing towards Jess's location a couple dozen feet above her.

Kaylee gritted her teeth and forced herself to see the screen in front of her rather than picturing the woman above her. Kaylee's first swing missed and the second sent the ball wild. She watched Jason take his turn, trying to focus on his movements so she could attempt to recreate them, but then her nipples tightened and she closed her eyes as she self-consciously crossed her arms. Why couldn't she block this out?

"Uh, it's your turn," Jason prompted.

Kaylee opened her eyes as she felt prickles of sweat pop out on her forehead and she shook her head in defeat. She carefully set the controller down on the arm of the couch and headed for the stairs.

"Hey, are you okay?" Jason asked her retreating back.

"I need to use the... place," Kaylee replied over her shoulder as she gestured vaguely up the stairs.

"Oh... Oh! Yeah, there's a bathroom down here," Jason called after her.

Kaylee didn't respond as she practically ran up the rest of the stairs to the bathroom on the ground floor. She closed the door behind her and sat on the toilet seat lid, putting her head in her hands as she breathed deeply in an effort to calm herself.

It wasn't working. Even without the distraction of the boy, she couldn't seem to focus well enough to block out the sensations. It felt like someone was physically touching her, caressing her body, sucking on her lips, her tongue, brushing a hand across her nipples, flicking over her clit...

Kaylee moaned and arched her back.

Not someone.

Jess...

The thought of Jess touching her so intimately made her whimper. She wanted Jess to touch her. She wanted to kiss her, feel her tongue in her mouth, push her fingers inside the woman. She needed to complete the connection.

"Jess..." Kaylee whispered, unable to stop herself from mentally reaching out.

In an instant, she felt Jess's arousal slam into her full force and there was no conscious thought as she slid her hand beneath the waistband of her pants and started rubbing herself in tight little circles. The pleasure built faster than she'd been expecting and she didn't stop to think as she slipped her other hand down to enter herself with two fingers.

It only took a few pumps and then she was coming, her vaginal walls clenching hard around her fingers as her orgasm swept through her. She clamped her jaw shut, trying to muffle her cries, but she knew she was being loud and she could only hope Jason had stayed downstairs and that the sounds wouldn't carry upstairs.

Finally, the spasms eased off and her muscles released their tense hold on her fingers. She gently withdrew them and then spent several minutes washing her hands. She hoped the perfume of the soap would cover her own strong scent. Then she decided to wipe up, since she was a bit of a mess, and washed her hands again afterwards. She leaned back against the wall and looked up at the ceiling in trepidation.

Had she sent her feelings to Jess or only received?

It was clear neither Jess nor Jason had any clue she was telepathic and she'd done her best to be careful. She'd really only slipped up once when she'd said she could feel what Jess was feeling, but Jess had seemed to take her comments as a translation problem rather than at face value. Given the bits of their conversation she'd picked up earlier about their planet's lack of verified alien contact, she'd decided discretion was probably her best course of action until she could learn more and figure out what had happened to her.

But if she'd blown it just now by reaching into Jess's mind without permission...

Kaylee shook her head and tried to think logically. She hadn't been able to send her thoughts the night before, but she'd been injured then. Since she'd woken up that morning, she'd felt completely restored. She'd been able to consistently sense both Jess and Jason rather than the odd cutting in and out she'd experienced the night before. She was still a little concerned that she only seemed to be able to sense the animals when she was touching them, but she thought that probably had more to do with their rudimentary minds than her own continued deficiency. And even though she still couldn't remember who she was beyond the odd fragment and her name, she was pretty sure that particular problem was psychological rather than physical, since her other injuries had healed normally and it seemed to be specific thoughts that caused her pain.

All of which meant she'd very likely touched the woman's mind at the height of her passion. On the other hand, Jess had been in the midst of her own passionate climax, so maybe she hadn't noticed?

Kaylee tentatively reached out, trying to sense Jess's feelings. She didn't want to invade the woman's privacy, but she needed to know. Kaylee didn't have to concentrate very hard to pick up Jess's emotions, though she didn't seem to be feeling anything particularly strongly and she definitely wasn't broadcasting anything negative.

Kaylee sighed in relief and tried to relax. She would just be extra careful from now on. And if she sensed Jess was... If Jess needed some alone time, Kaylee would find a way to block it out. Somehow.

Kaylee pushed off from the wall and checked herself in the mirror. She didn't know what she was looking for. It wasn't like there was some physical indicator she'd just had mental sex with someone. She straightened her shoulders and headed back downstairs.

As soon as Jason saw her, he paused his game and stood up.

"Are you okay? You were gone a while."

"I'm fine."

"Was it lunch?"

Kaylee frowned in confusion.

"Was what lunch?"

"Whatever it was that upset your stomach," Jason explained.

Kaylee suddenly realized he thought her urgency for the restroom had been because she'd gotten sick. She decided it was a good excuse, so she nodded.

"Maybe, but it's okay. I'm fine now."

He still looked concerned, so she picked up her discarded controller and pointed at the screen to distract him.

"What's next?"

He gave her one last look, then went to the menu so he could start over.

"All right, let's work on your swing..."