Intrusion

The next few days were a flurry of activity of a different kind. They had to clean up the mess as best they could, and treat those who had been affected. Most of the staff at Jodrell Bank remembered nothing, which at least made the excuse of a gas leak vaguely plausible. For those who did remember, they had to rely in explanations of hallucinations and fugue states. The fact that nobody had actually seen anything obviously alien helped, and they were able to successfully keep the press away from those who might have led them to put two and two together.

In the end, Denzel had been the only casualty, a sad reminder of how much worse it might have been. "The only one to get killed is the black guy," Richard had muttered to Rebecca at one point, "how's that for old-style sci-fi?"

Liam, Emma, and Lucy had attended the funeral, of course, which Room 42 knew because they were still keeping a discrete eye on Emma. The other two were apparently an item now, seemingly with no clue as to how close they had come to being victims themselves. Emma, fortunately, seemed to be recovering as well as might be expected, although she'd probably take the longest to heal.

The technician who had attacked them outside the control room recovered quickly, perhaps because he had been under control for such a short time. He seemed to remember very little, and soon returned to his work. Raina, after a short time convalescing, left the country, and became the responsibility of the Polish authorities, although there was little for them to do, and she seemed disinclined to talk anyway.

Georgina, once she had woken up and been told the little that she could be, insisted on going to see Marcus, and spent a lot of time by his bed. They seemed to bond over their shared experience, and, once they were both better, went back to London where they spent a lot of time in each others' rooms at the University. So perhaps they had got something good out of the experience.

Rebecca kept her nose down, burying herself in the scientific reports about the incident. Which, for her, was easy, letting her forget about the outside world as she became engrossed in the data and speculation. At the same time, of course, she was conscious that she was avoiding the more personal side of what had happened, and putting off that talk with Kate. Personal stuff, emotional stuff -- she had to admit that she'd always been bad at that.

Bloody stereotypical scientist. Marcus Freeman didn't seem to have a problem, so why should she?

But it wasn't a conversation that she could put off forever.

***

In the end, Rebecca made the first move, finally summoning up the courage to ring Kate and ask her to come round to her flat in the evening. She spent much of the afternoon trying to decide what to wear, how to look. Should she dress up? She did have a few dresses, after all, even if she rarely wore them. But if so, which one? Classy? Casual?

She gave in, and didn't change out of her usual clothes. And then, when the doorbell rang, she panicked, and realised it was too late to change her mind. She looked in the mirror, hoping that she looked acceptable, touching up her hair, although, honestly, it wasn't going to make any difference at this point. Yeah, a lanky geek in jeans and an open check shirt over a T-shirt with a TARDIS on it. She'd blown that one.

"Hi," she said, opening the door, and really trying too hard to appear casual, "come on in."

"Thanks, Rebecca," said Kate, smiling. God, that was a nice smile. No makeup, either, just a pure, natural look, which made her feel better about not using any herself. And those eyes... that pure blue! "I hope you don't mind," the officer went on, removing her coat to reveal a uniform underneath, "but I came straight from the Ministry."

It wasn't the same uniform as she had been wearing when they had first met, but a more formal one, with khaki jacket over shirt and tie, a knee-length skirt and one of those military belts supported by an extra strap running diagonally over the right shoulder. A shoulder that also had a dark blue strip of braided cloth running around it, for no particular reason that Rebecca could see other than that was the sort of thing army officers wore.

Kate looked so smart and formal! And there was she, in jeans and a Doctor Who T-shirt...

"So..." she said once they were in the front room, and then trailed off, "um, did you...?"

"You first."

"Right. I thought we should... um... Oh, look, I really don't know how to do this... how to say this... whatever... it's all new, and, and... uh..."

"We kissed."

"Yes, yes, we did."

"Did you like it?"

"Yes...?" she said, a little uncertainly, and then, seeing no negative response from Kate, repeated herself with greater confidence, "yes, I did."

"So did I. It was unexpected, I'll give you that, but it was nice."

"Yes, well... but you're..." she waved her hands, not sure of the words to use.

"A lesbian. It's an acceptable word, these days."

"Right."

"Whereas you're straight."

"Yes... I mean, I've always thought so. Mostly thought so. Well, yes, maybe in University, there were a couple of... but I've never done anything. Sometimes... thoughts... but I've only been with men, that's all I've actually done."

"Oh, God," she went on, "I'm really not very good at this, am I? It's all so new. I've never felt this way, and it's weird... I mean, good weird, but it's different. And I'm really not sure what to do, or even whether... my life is pretty strange already. Am I making any sense?"

"I'd say that being unsure is perfectly normal. Look, Rebecca, I like you. You don't seem to think you're pretty, but you are. And you're true to yourself, which is what really matters. You just have to take that a little further. If you really like me, I'd be willing to take this further. Just so you know. If that's what you want."

"Uh... I think I do..." she let out a short laugh of relief. She'd run through a number of scenarios in her mind, through the afternoon, and while the actuality didn't really meet any of them, it was very far from being the worst way she had imagined it going. Kate did like her! She'd thought so, but being proved wrong under this situation was just about the most embarrassing thing she could think of.

"So," said Kate, taking a step closer so that they were now only a few inches apart, "how about trying another kiss?"

Rebecca leaned in and gave Kate a peck on the lips, nothing like her previous effort when she had been running high on adrenaline. Not that her heart wasn't beating fast now, but it was a different kind of pressure, an entirely different feeling.

Gingerly, she put her arms around Kate's waist and pulled her in until their bodies were touching, and kissed her again, longer this time.

"That's more like it," whispered the officer, and putting her own arms around Rebecca's shoulders, responded in kind.

It was wonderful, Rebecca thought, Kate's lips so soft against her own. It felt so different from kissing a boy, although she didn't know whether or not that was just her imagination, something borne of her knowledge that this was a woman... that this was Kate, who was so beautiful and so controlled, calm and confident where she was not. At least not right now.

They broke apart, eyes wide, panting, and Rebecca realised that that latest kiss had gone on longer than she had intended. She was just losing herself in the experience, feeling the different curves of the body pressed against hers, even through the thick khaki jacket. She didn't want to ruffle that carefully coiffed hair or crumple the neatly pressed uniform, to disturb that reassuring stability.

But, on the other hand, she did.

They kissed again, Rebecca gripping tightly onto her partner, lips and tongues entwining. She was surprised by own passion and desire, wanting to experience it all, right now, with this woman that she had met only recently. New vistas were opening up, and she wanted to immerse herself in them fully.

Gasping, Rebecca manoeuvred Kate over towards the sofa, and then pulled her down so that she was underneath, the officer lying partly over her, looking down as they kissed again, hands roving over each other's bodies.

"Steady..." said Kate, after a moment, "how far do you want to take this?"

"All the way," breathed Rebecca, truly sure of herself for the first time that day, "if you do?"

"Oh, yes..."

Kate undid the buttons on the khaki jacket one by one, unhooking the belt so that Rebecca could slide her hands underneath, feeling the other woman's firm body through the fabric of the shirt as they continued kissing. The officer's hands were roaming, too, running over her hips, fondling her bum, stroking her flanks. She placed her free hand in Kate's hair, gently holding her steady so that she didn't pull away from her lips. God, she could kiss like this for ever...

She felt Kate pull the base of her T-shirt loose from the band of her jeans, lifting it up, and then running her hands over the bare skin of her trim stomach and waist. Her touch felt electric, and Rebecca let out a mumble of appreciation in response. Intellectually, she knew that it was probably little different from anything she had experienced before, and Kate's hands weren't even particularly soft, as she might expect a woman's to be. They were, admittedly, smaller than a man's, but really, it was who they belonged to that excited her. That, and the fact that Kate was taking her own sweet time, not getting straight into the act, as the few men she had been with had done.

Kate hitched the T-shirt up further, still kissing. Rebecca managed to get her hand down to the middle of the other woman's back, tugging her shirt free, but it all seemed a little awkward in their current position, and neither of them wanted to break the kiss for more than a few seconds at a time. The officer seemed to be finding it easier, pulling Rebecca's T-shirt up under her armpits.

Those wonderful, stimulating, hands ran the full length of her flanks, before one of them reached up to cup a breast through her bra. Rebecca wondered if she should have at least found a lacy one of those to put on, but Kate was only touching, not looking, so perhaps it made little difference.

The hand moved away from her breast, and accompanied the other round her back. With what seemed like practiced ease, Kate unhooked Rebecca's bra... well, that was a lot less fumbling than usual! She shifted her position, pushing the scientist down further into the sofa, practically kneeling over her, and finally managed to lift herself up on her arms and break the kiss. Rebecca was panting, face flushed, eyes wide, chest rising and falling in a slow rhythm.

Kate's eyes left hers for the first time since they had started, darting down to look over Rebecca's exposed body. She slowly ran her hands up it, her touch still as electric as ever, and lifted the scientist's bra up, beneath the hunched material of the T-shirt. She gazed at the naked breasts for a while, eventually pulling her eyes up to lock with Rebecca's again and flashing her an encouraging grin.

The officer caressed the soft sides of Rebecca's breasts, closely watching her partner's expression as she did so. The scientist let out a little whimper, and arched her back ever so slightly. Kate did not need further encouragement, but she still didn't hurry, stroking gently, at times softly tracing a finger along the curve of the base. Slowly she moved in, until she ran finger and thumb over the nipples on both sides at the same time.

Rebecca whimpered again, parting her lips in invitation. The sensation on her breasts was incredible, feeling even more of an erogenous zone than usual, but she wanted more of that kissing. Kate evidently got the message, and once again they pressed up close against one another, Rebecca now acutely aware of the shape of the other woman's curves and the feel of the smooth shirt fabric against her naked upper body.

She had her own hands under Kate's shirt by now, and managed to undo a few buttons near the base, feeling the other woman's trim stomach -- not quite a six-pack, but she obviously spent a lot of time in the gym. Or on military exercises, whatever it was that they did in the Signal's Corps.

But then she was distracted as Kate's kisses moved down over her chin and then along her neck. She closed her eyes and just revelled in the feel of the soft lips against her skin as the officer manoeuvred around the fabric bunched up around and underneath her shoulders to reach her chest.

Kate was still taking it slowly, eking out the pleasure and anticipation, raining kisses first on her upper ribs at the side, then her cleavage and then over the curve of her breasts, one at a time. After what seemed an eternity, she reached Rebecca's nipples, gently kissing each in turn, making the other woman sigh with pleasure. Hearing the positive response, she didn't stop there, kissing the pert peaks with increasing urgency, tongue running around the swollen buds.

Rebecca opened her eyes again, craning to look down, locking her gaze onto Kate's blue orbs as the other woman sucked first on one breast and then on the other, her hands caressing the opposite side as she did so. The young scientist could hardly contain her pleasure -- this really shouldn't be so good as it was!

For a moment, she felt bereft as Kate turned her attention to her belly, raining kisses down her lanky frame. But only for a moment, because, of course, she realised where her partner was headed. Briefly, she actually shivered in anticipation, receiving another flash of a smile in response, before Kate returned to her objective.

The officer moved off the sofa, kneeling on the floor between Rebecca's legs, and undid the buttons and zip on her jeans. It took a little struggling to pull them down, especially since the scientist felt frozen, locked in place, almost unable to believe this was really happening, and so overwhelmed at how good it had already been.

Eventually, however, they got there, and Kate moved her attention to Rebecca's long legs, stroking and kissing them, moving up this time, from her calves to her knees and thighs. Occasionally she glanced up, as if for confirmation, but only ever saw the other woman staring down at her, hardly even daring to blink lest she miss an expression on Kate's face.

She ran her kisses along the inside of Rebecca's thighs, and then suddenly moved up to her hips, just above the hem of her knickers. The scientist bit her lip, breathing hard, and was glad to see Kate watching her, glancing down appreciatively at the movement of her bare breasts, before pausing to undo her tie and cast it aside, rapidly undoing the remaining buttons on her uniform shirt. From her angle, Rebecca could just about see a plain white bra and a flash of cleavage; Kate was more buxom than she was, although not by much.

Kate planted a kiss on Rebecca's belly just above her groin, and then hooked her fingers into either side of the elastic band on her knickers before inching them down. Almost gingerly, she eased the scientist's legs apart, and it seemed a long while before she glanced up to watch her wide-eyed expression.

Receiving affirmation, she leant in. Rebecca didn't really know what to expect next, but knew it was going to be good. Every touch of the other woman on her body was stimulating, delightful, and now it was surely about to be better still.

Kate blew on her, and she felt the slight coolness on her damp folds. She sighed, and Kate repeated the action, before planting a feather-light kiss on her vulva. The next kiss was stronger, but her lips were as soft as ever, an intoxicating feel that had Rebecca clenching her hands on the sofa fabric.

The next kiss was longer, and Rebecca felt Kate's tongue flicking along her length. Her eyes were wider than ever now, and she knew her face must be flushed. Her mouth opened involuntarily, but no sound came out, her breath caught by the ecstatic sensations sweeping her body. Kate probed deeper and the scientist's hands clenched again as her hips bucked into her partner's face.

That seemed all the signal Kate needed. She placed one hand around Rebecca's bum, holding her in place, and pressed herself deeper in, her tongue probing between the folds, licking in a rhythmic pattern. Every now and then she pursed her lips and sucked gently on other woman's clit, bringing her to heights of pleasure she had only ever dreamt of.

Rebecca gazed down in wonder as Kate feasted on her, lost in those deep blue eyes, one hand now holding the back of her head as her own hips bucked and squirmed, the sensation almost unbearably good. Sounds still refused to come out of her throat, despite her mouth being wide, gasping for air. Her body arched against the sofa, her long legs flexing into the air.

It was incredible, like nothing she'd ever felt before. People always said that sex was good, but, at least for her, it had never been anything like this. Until now. Until a beautiful woman had begun to worship her body. And, my God, but Kate was beautiful... those eyes, that face... she couldn't stop looking at them, perhaps even enhanced by the formality of the uniform jacket that she still hadn't taken off, captain's pips now pressed against the back of her thighs.

A finger joined the tongue, pushing in as Kate moved her attention more consistently to Rebecca's clit. She couldn't last much longer... it was all too much, and Kate evidently knew it, sucking, licking, and probing for all she was worth.

Rebecca's body convulsed, her legs shaking as she came, shuddering, finally finding her voice as she cried out, wordlessly at first, and then calling Kate's name over and over again. Her hips were pressed firmly into the officer's face, the finger popping out, and still she still didn't let up the suckling, not until she had rung every last drop from the willing, stunningly overwhelmed body of her partner.

Eventually, she was released, and still gasping, Rebecca moved around to lie lengthways on the sofa, eyes fixed on the ceiling as she tried to come to terms with what had just happened, and what it meant for her. So that was what it was like. Wow.

She was only vaguely aware of Kate stripping down to her underwear, until the other woman joined her on the sofa, lying on top of her, stroking her hair. She was still felt a little stunned when they started kissing again, and took a moment to properly respond in kind.

"No need to ask if you enjoyed that," whispered Kate as they cuddled, Rebecca's fingers now tracing lines down her bare back.

"That was... I don't even... yeah..." Kate giggled, and they kissed again. "That was so much better than it ever was with a man," she added.

"I wouldn't know."

"Trust me, you're not missing anything."

"So... not straight?" Kate was grinning, obviously teasing.

"Absolutely not. Not if I can be with you."

"Well, I'm sure we can do something about that. Here," she said, lifting herself up, "let me help you with that..."

Sensing her intention, Rebecca lifted her arms, and let Kate begin to pull her T-shirt off. They had to stop for a moment while she removed her glasses to make it easier, but soon she was entirely naked. Kate lay back over her again, and then, after a moment's thought, reached across to the side table for the discarded glasses, handing them back to her. "There you go. Keep them on; they're so you."

They snuggled up together, arms about each other, legs entwined, just relaxing in the sensation of being next to one another, their bodies warm and comforting.

"So... what now?" asked Rebecca, after a long silence.

"I'm sure we can think of something."

"Mmm..." she mumbled, and kissed her lover.

Kate's hands began to caress her again, and she moved her own hands up, feeling the soft, yet firm, body against hers. She undid the clasp on the officer's bra, with, she thought, almost as much alacrity as Kate had managed herself earlier on. Less fumbling; that was good.