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Life settled back into a semblance of normality, or at least what passed for normal in the Parr household. Karen's health, energy, and even her powers improved dramatically once she was home.
It might have had something to do with Violet's constant and highly insistent assistance with even the slightest chore. Violet saw to Karen's every need, took over taking care of Jack-jack, managed the house when her parents were away, and all while simultaneously being the best girlfriend Karen had ever even heard of, much less hope for. She brought Karen cups of tea, just how Karen liked them, without Karen even asking. She knew which shows Karen wanted to watch, or where to find the book Karen was reading and was constantly misplacing. She gave Karen quick little chaste kisses that left Karen’s heart full of warmth, whenever she could, especially if her parents were around, but much longer, more passionate kisses that left Karen breathless and dizzy and her heart pounding whenever Helen and Bob and the boys were out of the house.
All of which left Karen wanting to spoil Violet, and she soon thought of a way to do it.
"Knock knock," Karen said from Violet's doorway.
Violet looked up from the book she'd been reading. "Hey baby," she said, grinning.
Violet hopped off her bed and sauntered over to her girlfriend, looking past her out into the hallway, making sure no one was watching. Then, seeing the coast was clear, she grabbed Karen by the lapels of her cardigan, pulling her into her room and against the wall. Karen eyes went wide as Violet leaned into her, kissing her bruisingly hard, then fluttered shut as she sank into Violet's embrace, mouth opening to meet Violet's own, but planting her hands on Violet's tiny waist, determined to keep from getting ahead of themselves. When Violet kissed her like this it was hard to think, hard to do anything but surrender to their growing desire and the fire Violet ignited deep in her belly. Breathless, nearly panting, Karen broke off the kiss after a few minutes.
"Wow," she said, breathing hard, once she could form a coherent thought. "I think... you're getting... better at this."
"Practice makes perfect," Violet said, her voice deeper, huskier, leaning forward to continue where they'd left off.
"Wait, wait!" Karen said, leaning back away from the kiss... which left her throat vulnerable. Violet took that as an invitation to kiss along the tendons in Karen's neck, and Karen had to snap her lips shut to keep from moaning, eyes squeezed closed, knees almost buckling.
"Wait... Violet. Just. Oh. Oh god."
The way Violet was pressing herself against Karen made thought nearly impossible. The things she was doing with her lips and teeth and tongue only added to the difficulty. Karen's mind swirled, lost, dazed, her thoughts gone in the flood of sensations and the roar of the raging fire she felt under her skin.
Violet kissed her way up Karen's throat to nibble on her earlobe. "You want me to stop?" she whispered, breath hot against Karen's skin.
"No. Yes! Wait." Karen pushed her away, slowly, as though it was the hardest thing she'd ever done. Violet willingly complied, taking a small step back, but reaching her hands up around Karen's neck and interlocking her fingers there, as if to say, You're not getting rid of me that easily.
"I wanted to ask you something," Karen said quickly, the words tumbling out to keep from being distracted by the look in Violet's beautiful purple eyes, the small, self-satisfied smile on her amazing lips, the way her finger was twirling in the small hairs on the back of Karen’s neck.
Violet reached up and slid her finger along Karen's teal hair, scooping an errant lock behind Karen's ear. The touch of Violet’s finger lighting caressing along Karen's face and edge of her ear and then back down her neck gave Karen shivers.
"Mm-hmm?" Violet asked, looking up at her through long dark lashes.
"Would you like to go out? With me?" Karen all but blurted, nearing desperation to get the words out before surrendering to her need to be kissing Violet again.
Violet’s playful smirk turned into an amused smile and she raised an eyebrow. "We are going out, remember? Girlfriend-girlfriend?"
"Like, an official date," Karen explained. "We haven't been on one, not yet, not really. I mean, a date where we both know it's a date, and both act like it's a date, and... um. Get out of the house."
As if on cue, the sounds of something crashing to the floor from somewhere downstairs, followed quickly by a "Wasn't me!" from Dash, forestalled any further making out.
"I'd love to go out with you, Karen," Violet said with a smile that just melted Karen's heart.
More than slightly dazed, Karen headed downstairs to see what had been destroyed, Violet following right behind. As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Violet’s hands landed on Karen’s shoulders, reaching around to hug her from behind.
“When? Where? What should I wear?” she breathed into Karen’s ear, giving her shivers.
“Friday night,” Karen decided on the spot. “Dinner and a movie, on me. Something nice.”
“‘Nice girl’ nice, or ‘looking ‘nice’ for my girlfriend’ nice?”
Karen’s mind effectively short-circuited at this point, trying to imagine Violet in something ‘nice’ that was entirely designed to impress her while simultaneously deliberately not thinking about Violet wearing something like that at all. “Um,” she managed to say without embarrassing herself.
“I’ll surprise you.”
“Okay.”
Karen very nearly whimpered as Violet’s arms withdrew and Violet stepped past her to grab the broom and dustpan from the kitchen.
“Coming?” Violet asked when she saw Karen still standing by the stairs.
Karen nodded, and together they cleaned up the mess one of the boys had made.
“Brothers,” Violet complained, sounding more like a big sister and less like a groovy fox on the make, to Karen’s relief. Sort of. Probably.
“It’s okay, I have some choice chores for them to do,” Karen laughed.
Friday took an eternity to arrive, and when it did, it seemed to fly by. Karen barely had time to slip on the green dress she’d worn to Violet’s sweet sixteen party and apply some makeup before she had to portal outside and run across the lawn to the front door, where she straightened her shoulders and rang the doorbell. She heard Dash yell “I’ll get it!” from his room and the thunder of his footsteps down the steps. He opened the door a second later, frowning at Karen in confusion.
“Karen?” he asked, face scrunched up quizzically.
“Hi Dash, is Violet home?”
“Huh? You know she is.”
Karen leaned down to face Dash eye-to-eye, a less distant trip than it once was. “I’m here to pick her up for our date,” Karen explained slowly.
“Oh!” Dash rolled his eyes. “Yeah, hold on,” he added sarcastically, as though he were reading badly from a script. “I’ll get her for you. VI! YOUR DATE’S HERE!”
Karen stepped into the entry foyer and grinned. “Thanks, Dash.”
“Whatever.”
Helen and Bob arrived at the foyer as Dash zipped back to his room. “Wow, Karen, you look great,” Helen said, hugging her.
“You really do,” Bob agreed. “Feeling better?”
“Much better, thanks,” Karen answered with a smile.
Bob’s massive hand settled on Karen’s shoulder. “Now, once upon a time, I might have pulled you aside and given you ‘the talk’.”
Karen’s smile faltered into nervousness. “The talk?”
“The Dad-Daughter’s Date talk,” Bob explained. “But, I’m told, that attitude isn’t helping Women’s Lib, and I’m all for Women’s Lib.”
“Helen told you not to?”
“Helen told me not to,” Bob agreed with a chuckle. “But also, Violet is a grown woman now and able to make responsible decisions about herself and her… uh… “ Bob suddenly blushed, something Karen had never seen.
Helen rescued him. “Decisions about her... behaviour. With her girlfriend.”
Karen suddenly entered a blushing competition with Bob. “Oh! I. Um. Oh.”
And then, super that she was, Violet appeared and saved them all. “Thanks for waiting, Karen.”
Karen wanted to make some groovy compliment, something about how Violet was worth waiting for, but her mouth wasn’t answering any calls from her brain. Actually her brain wasn’t working then, either, because her eyes were using all of Karen’s brainpower. Violet in a polka-dot mini-skirt dress had that ability, apparently. Violet in a miniskirt and four-inch heel go-go boots, making her legs look amazing, making her look amazing. Not that she wouldn’t look amazing barefoot in a pair of old gym shorts. Karen realized that she was babbling, and she wasn’t even speaking.
“Wow,” she managed, and Violet’s smile set Karen’s heart aglow. She wanted to spend the rest of her life making Violet smile that smile.
“You like it?” Violet asked, turning to show off every curve and angle.
“You look amazing, sweetie,” Helen said, hugging her.
“Like a million bucks,” Bob said, looking as though he’d been hit with a steel I-beam. “Well, have fun!” he added, heading for the bar in the living room.
“Make mine a double,” Helen called after him, then turned to the girls. “You two have fun.” She looked Violet in the eyes. “You remember what I told you.” Then she looked at Karen, giving her the most loving look, a look of pride and happiness, that Karen almost felt like crying. “You have her back by midnight?”
“Okay,” Karen agreed.
“I’m so happy for you two,” Helen said, hugging Karen.
“So am I,” Violet said as she took Karen’s arm and led her out the front door.
Karen opened the car door for her girlfriend, then hopped in the driver’s seat.
“Angel, you look…” Karen stalled out, at a loss for words.
“Nice?” Violet prompted playfully.
Karen let out a laugh. “Very nice. Very, very nice,” she agreed, her voice almost husky, deepening with disbelief and not a little bit of barely-controlled desire. “Very, very, very nice.”
“I’m glad you like it,” Violet said, leaning over to kiss Karen’s cheek.
They settled into a companionable silence as Karen drove into Metroville.
Finally Karen broke the silence. “Stop it.”
Violet turned and faced her, eyes wide and face innocent. “Stop what?”
Karen laughed. “You know exactly what.”
“I don’t,” Violet said, her words dripping mock innocence. “Please, tell me what I’m doing wrong.”
“You’re just being so… so you!”
Violet shrugged. “I can’t help that.”
“You know what I mean,” Karen said, blushing. “You’re looking at me all… happy.”
“I’m just happy to be spending time with my girlfriend,” Violet replied. “Is that wrong?”
“…no”.
“When we’re together, I’m happy. No matter the reason.”
Karen smiled. “Okay, well, I am too.”
Violet grinned at her, resting her arm along the car seat to play with the hairs on the back of Karen’s neck.
“Violet, if you turn me on while I’m driving, I’m going to crash the car,” Karen said, feeling dizzy at her touch.
“Oh,” Violet said, pulling her hand away reluctantly. “Do I turn you on?”
Karen shoulders slumped a little. “You know you do.”
Violet smiled wickedly at her. “Good. Turnabout’s fair play.”
“You mean I… You…”
“Yes baby, you turn me right on.”
“Oh boy.”
“Woman, actually,” Violet joked, smoothing her dress. “All woman. All yours.”
“Oh look, the restaurant,” Karen declared, simultaneously relieved and disappointed.
Violet gave a wicked little laugh. “Aww.”
Dinner passed in a blur. Afterwards, Karen couldn’t remember what she’d ordered or what they’d talked about, so powerful was the sense of disbelief that she was on a date with the most beautiful, intelligent, wonderful, charming, amazing, incredible woman she’d ever met. She’d laughed and grinned and made Violet laugh and grin and they’d even held hands across the table from each other. Being out in public with Violet made it seem more real, more actually like they were girlfriends, than any of the kisses or caresses they’d shared at home. The movie, the latest James Bond adventure, also blurred by, except for the scenes with Honor Blackman, who Violet declared “totally foxy”. Karen didn’t disagree, exactly, but she also developed an intense jealousy of the blonde on the screen, and resorted to making out with Violet whenever ‘Pussy Galore’ appeared.
On the ride home, Violet checked her watch. “We still have an hour until midnight,” she suggested hesitantly, “did you want to go park?”
Karen shivered, instantly and intensely turned on. “Yes,” she whispered. “But Violet… I’m… we should talk.”
“Okay.”
“You are an amazing woman,” Karen said.
“Thank you, baby,” Violet answered. “You are too.”
“Um, thanks.” Karen took a deep breath, pulling the car over to the side of the road. “But there’s something you should know.”
It came out slowly, in fits and starts, in unfinished sentences and incomplete thoughts, but it came out. Karen told her about her first adult relationship, about how her ex-girlfriend had manipulated her, had abused her, had discarded her.
“Oh baby,” Violet said, holding Karen’s hand, sympathy filling her voice. “That’s terrible.”
Karen nodded. “That’s… Yeah. So, all that to say… I’m not ready to go all the way. I don’t know when or if I’ll ever be ready.”
Violet kissed her hand. “Baby… if it takes forever, if it nevers happens, I don’t care. I only want to be with you, only you, forever and ever. The physical stuff is fun, and yeah, I dig it, I dig you, but… I want to be with you.” She kissed her hand again, unbuckling her seat belt. “Only you.” Violet scootched over along the seat toward Karen. “I will only ever, ever want to be with you. I love you.” She kissed Karen, sweetly, chastely. “I love everything about you.” Another kiss, longer, but no less chaste. “And I love everything you give me, every way you love me. That’s all that matters.”
“I love you too,” Karen replied, and her kiss was much less chaste and much more passionate than Violet’s had been.
They spent some time in the car, then, parked, and Karen got Violet home only a little bit late.