DISCLAIMER:
The characters of Xena: Warrior Princess are owned by MCA/Universal/Studios USA and Renaissance Pictures and are used here without permission. Everything else is mine.

Warnings: This story contains same-gender sexual subtext throughout to include at least one rather steamy scene of two women having a very good time. There are the some scenes of violence. This story contains several expletives as well. If you're under the age of consent, leave. If it's illegal where you're currently residing, move. If any of these piss you off, then piss off.

Dedication: This story is dedicated to a certain "middle aged school teacher searching for her Xena." You know who you are.... Enjoy!

You can check out more of Redhawk's stories at Redhawk's Realm.

Comments to redhawk@djordanredhawk.net. No bad mouthin', lippy, attitude stuff. Honest criticism would be appreciated.

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Wyoming
by Redhawk

It was mid evening as the rowdy group of adolescent girls spilled into the school locker room, whooping and hollering. Following along behind were the coach and two assistants, equally as pleased though a bit less exuberant in their display.

The basketball game had gone quite well, putting the Lincoln Junior High Tigers into a decent position for the state championships in Cheyenne a couple of months hence. They had faltered against the Mead Junior High Wildcats in the first half. However, after a great peptalk from the coach, Sorka Brickman, the team had made a monster come-back, kicking some major booty. Final score: 45 to 68.

One of the assistants handed out fresh towels to the girls as they shucked their sweaty uniforms and headed for the showers. The other rolled a table of snacks and drinks out of the coach's office, diverting several youngsters as they made grabs for juices, fruits, and cereal bars. The coach wandered through the adolescents with a smile in her emerald eyes, words of praise on her lips for every team member.

After speaking with all the girls, Sorka moved over to the now decimated table of goodies and picked up an apple. She crunched on it with pleasure.

"Look's good! Can I have one?" a low voice asked with amusement.

Sorka looked up into sky blue eyes of Principal Jennifer Walters. The redheaded coach grinned at the woman next to her. She wondered for the hundredth time if these little innuendoes she constantly picked up from the other woman were real or simply the result of her hormones. "Sure, go ahead," she nodded. It's the hormones, Sork. Keep yer pants on.

Jen's grin widened and she brushed ebony hair back behind her shoulder before selecting an apple for herself. After taking a bite, she glanced around the noisy locker room. "You've outdone yourself, coach. This is the first time in six years our girls have had a shot at State."

"Well, they're the ones who've worked so hard," Sorka responded, waving her half-eaten apple at the girls. She stopped to glare pointedly at a curly blonde who had snapped a second girl with her damp towel. A fair brow arched in warning and the girl blushed with an impish grin before trotting back to her locker to get dressed. Glancing up at the taller principal, she saw the amused glint. With a shrug and a smile, she said, "A coach's work is never done."

There was a chuckle that warmed Sorka to her toes and Jen placed a hand on the redhead's shoulder, squeezing slightly. "Give 'em my best," the dark woman said, her hand staying on the well muscled shoulder for just a hair too long. Another squeeze and she sauntered out of the locker area.

Sorka watched her leave, noting the long legs, gentle sway of the hips, and devastating curves under a simple skirt and blouse. With a sigh she looked back to the team. Get yer mind outta the gutter, Sork. No way, no how is she interested in you. The redhead finished her apple. Woman's a knockout! Probably has a dozen beaus hanging on her every move.

Tossing the apple core into a nearby trash can, she prepared to blow her whistle and get the team's attention before they all bailed for their victory celebration.

The locker room was fairly quiet, the last of the girls heading out to a pizza party being hosted by the team captain's parents. Sorka had been invited, of course, but had declined. She had a mound of paperwork on her desk and a grading deadline to meet with the front office.

"Need anything else, coach?" one of her assistants asked, poking her head in the door.

"What?" Sorka looked up from her attendance book. "Oh! No, thanks, Dani. You go on home."

The blonde woman nodded. "Okey doke. Don't stay here too late. There's been a lotta weird stuff going on in this neighborhood," she advised.

"Okay, Dani, I won't." She smiled at the older woman. "Just lock up as you go out."

"You got it, coach. See ya on Monday." And the woman was gone.

Silence filled the office, the only noises being the rustle of paper and scratch of pen.

After a good while, Sorka straightened from what she was doing, feeling the vertebra in her back settle a bit. She heaved a sigh and glanced at her watch. Good lord, ten thirty already? Thank God tomorrow's Sunday! On a whim, she flipped her desktop calendar to verify she didn't have anything going on and felt a sense of relief. Good thing I can sleep in tomorrow.

Deciding she needed a break, the redhead rose and stretched. Her stomach grumbled and she padded to the table of leftover munchies from the game. Biting into another apple, she moved to the window and gazed out at the school.

The gymnasium was located across the street from the school proper. There was a small parking lot here in front and another behind the school itself. The brick building before her was three stories with several trees surrounding it. Even as she watched, a light went off in a second floor window.

Must be Max, she thought as another classroom lit up. The only other lights on were in the administration office. Guess I'm not the only one burning the midnight oil.

Sorka let her thoughts drift towards the dark principal of the school. Jennifer Walters was new this year, replacing an old fuddy duddy named Baumgartner. She appeared to be very dedicated to the students and faculty, spending large portions of her time roaming the grounds. In a school of nine hundred students and forty-seven staff, she knew everyone's name, something about them, whether they were doing well or not. She'd even been to some of the poorer students' homes, rallying support for them with parents and guardians.

After the incompetence of the previous principal, Jen was a breath of fresh air to the school. It didn't help matters that she was a knock out brunette with a trim body and a brilliant smile. Most of the boys had major crushes on her, following her about like puppy dogs, jumping at her every command. Some of the girls had crushes, as well, this being the awkward time in their young lives as their minds began exploring their choices in the big wide world.

And the kids aren't the only ones with the crushes, Sorka thought ruefully, remembering her first sight of the dark woman.

There was a faculty get together prior to the opening of school. All staff were required to attend. It was usually a simple cocktail party at one or another of the teacher's houses, set up to get reacquainted with each other and meet the new teachers. This year it had been held at a Ms. Walters' place - she being the new principal.

Sorka had rang the bell, hearing some party noises drift towards her from out back. When the door swung open, all she could see were icy blue eyes gazing back at her. After getting over her daze she noticed the smile, the hair, the killer curves.

The redhead could have sworn at the time that a connection had been made between them, right then and there. She had spent the rest of the barbecue sitting in the back yard and keeping a surreptitious eye on the beautiful woman floating among them. The woman was kind, witty, intelligent....

Gorgeous, her mind supplied. The coach shook her head, eyes scanning the skyline from her office window. And very, very dangerous, she reminded herself. Being a lesbian and a teacher was walking an extremely fine line in this day and age. And a phys ed instructor was absolutely the worst - what with all the homophobes assuming she would be conniving ways to get some pre-pubescent girl into her evil little clutches and 'recruit' her to her godless ways.

She sighed, eyes flickering back to the office light across the way. She wondered sometimes if maybe, just maybe she should give it a shot. But the thought of being tossed out of the school on her ear, her teaching license revoked, tended to rear its ugly head and remind her of the precariousness of her situation. Hell, I'd be run outta town on a rail.... Tarred and feathered.....

So, the coach had kept her contact with the principal to a minimum - not wanting to tease herself too much with something she couldn't have. There were the occasional passing in the halls, faculty meetings, and nights like tonight when the games were over and Jen would meander through to show her support for the girls. And always with Jen would be the long look, the slightest touch, the wording of a statement that would throw the redhead into more bouts of doubt.

At first, Sorka had been sure that the dark woman was 'family'. But, as she watched, she realized that it was just the way Jen operated - she did the same to all the other faculty members, regardless of gender. About the worst time she had, though, had been the weekend survival camping trip at the beginning of the school year.

It was an annual thing for Lincoln Junior High. In mid September, all the eighth graders went on a camping trip to Shoshone National Forest. And a large portion of the faculty went, as well, to chaperone. Not being prepared for it, Jen hadn't gotten a tent and ended up staying in Sorka's.

The redhead groaned lightly at the memory. Man, that was tough! Being so close and not able to touch. I'm surprised I got any sleep at all! And modesty didn't appear to be in Jen's vocabulary, either, driving the coach into further distraction when dressing or undressing. At one point, Sorka had to flee the tent on the pretext of a run to the bivvy to escape the visual assault.

But, despite the torture, Sorka was glad for the experience. It was almost like a moth to a flame when it came to the dark principal. And the redhead would rather be near, hoping and dreaming. Even if she did go down in flames.

She glanced at her watch again and sighed heavily. Almost eleven. She glanced over at the paperwork on her desk. A good portion of it had been completed already. The rest was simply recording the demerits. The redhead pursed her lips in thought before coming up with a decision. Yeah, what the hell. I'll take it home and do it tomorrow afternoon.

It only took a few minutes to gather her work and put it in her briefcase. Her jacket on, she snagged a final apple from the nearby table before flicking off the lights and heading for the door.

It was chilly out, her breath fogging the air as she made her way across the parking lot to her jeep. As she neared the vehicle, she juggled the apple in the hand with the briefcase as she fished in her jacket for the keys. Sorka pulled on them and they wouldn't come out, the ring hooked up in an unraveled thread. Grumbling under her breath, she stopped by the jeep, placed the apple and briefcase on the hood and fought with the keyring.

The next thing she knew, she was on the ground, her head ringing from a blow. She blinked the away darkness that threatened her, peering up at someone standing over her.

The figure had grabbed her briefcase and popped it open, tossing her grading book and papers every which way. When nothing of interest was found, the briefcase was tossed aside and the person bent down and grabbed the redhead by the collar of her jacket.

"Where's your fucking money, bitch?!" a man's voice demanded, roughly lifting her up off the pavement.

Sorka nearly laughed, biting the inside of her mouth to stop herself. "I'm a teacher! I don't make any money!" she insisted.

The man's eyes narrowed as he studied her. Then he grinned in a very unpleasant way. "Well, teach, I think you got something better than money." He looked quickly around his surroundings, spotting a dark corner of bushes decoratively planted nearby. He hoisted the smaller woman to her feet and began dragging her in that direction. "Maybe I can teach you something instead," he grated.

Realizing the man's intent, Sorka's humor disappeared and she tried to pull away. Her brain was still a little fuzzy. Her attempt to jab him in the ribs failed and he whirled around with a roundhouse punch that nearly knocked her over again. Within seconds they were to the shadows and he slammed her up against the wall into the darkness.

And then he was gone.

The redhead shook her head, regretting the sudden throb that accompanied the movement. She gingerly felt her face where the last punch had landed, feeling the bruising beginning to swell along her cheekbone. Sorka peered out of the shadows, seeing two people struggling with each other. She squinted, trying to focus.

There was a bit of a scuffle. A yelp of pain. And then one of the fighters broke away, running with an apparent limp. The second fighter stood still for a second before turning back to the woman in the darkness. The person moved into the shadows.

Unsure, the redhead pulled away a bit, sliding along the wall and further into the bushes.

"Sorka?"

Relief flooded through her and she stepped towards the other woman. "Jen? Is that you?" she asked shakily.

"Yeah, it's me." Strong hands grabbed the smaller woman and pulled her out into the light illuminating the lot. "Are you alright?"

With a grin, the coach said, "I am now!" She sighed deeply, enjoying the attention she was receiving from the darker woman, and feeling slightly stupid that she could derive pleasure out of getting mugged and nearly raped. I'd have done this a long time ago if I thought I would have gotten these results, her unruly mind piped up as long fingers traced the bruise on her cheek. So soft. Sorka imagined those hands and fingers elsewhere on her body and shivered.

"C'mon," Jen ordered, steering her back to the gymnasium. "Let's get you inside for right now. The police'll be here any minute to get a report."

"The police?" Sorka felt the warm arm around her waist, inhaled the spicy scent that was the principal's own. Oh, God, I'm in heaven.

"Yeah," the principal answered, using her own keys to unlock the gym and guiding Sorka inside. "I saw that creep sneaking up on you and called 911 before hightailing it out here." She settled the redhead onto a bench. "Where's your first aid kit?"

"In my office."

"I'll be right back."

It had been a long hour with the police, answering questions, signing paperwork, explaining what had happened. Sorka held a now tepid ice pack to her cheek and sipped a cup of coffee. The police were pretty much finished with her statement, and Jen was signing hers, as well. At some point, Max the janitor had gone out to her jeep and picked up her papers, putting them back into her briefcase and returning it to her.

It was well after midnight now. Damn glad I don't have anything tomorrow.... er.... today, the redhead thought tiredly. What a day. Her eyes tracked the graceful woman that had run her attacker off as she escorted the police out of the gymnasium. Yeah, what a day. A slight grin played across her face.

"Well, I think it's high time for all good coaches to go home and get into bed," Jen drawled, returning the smile. "C'mon, I'll drive ya."

Sorka blinked at her for a moment. "Uhh... You don't have to do that. Really, I'm okay." She rose to her feet, swaying for just a second.

The dark woman grabbed an arm to keep Sorka from falling over. "Yeah. Sure ya are." She reached into the redhead's jacket pocket and pulled out the keys. "I'll drive ya anyway."

The coach made a half serious grab for the keys, failing miserably.

"Ah ah ah," Jen tsked, holding the keys out of the smaller woman's reach with a smile. "Don't take away my chance to be chivalrous. I don't often get to rescue damsels in distress."

Sorka seriously considered wrestling the other woman to the ground, but the erotic images that conjured up caused her to blush slightly. She dropped it and grinned. "Well, far be it for me to ruin your opportunity to be a gentleman," she teased, feeling grateful and a little woozy.

"Good. Let's go."

Several minutes later, Sorka's jeep pulled up in front of her apartment complex. The engine shut off and the women got out, the taller one moving around the vehicle to help the redhead.

"Which one's yours?" Jen asked, a hand grasping the smaller woman's upper arm in support.

"Uh... Number 12. Right over there." A part of Sorka wanted to drag this escort thing out as long as possible, to derive as much small pleasure she could get in the short time there was. Another part, however, felt like a heel for letting it go on this way. "Um. It's alright, I can get there okay." Unfortunately.

A dark brow raised. "You trying to get rid of me?" asked a low voice.

"N... no," sputtered the coach. "No, of course not."

"Good," was the answer and the redhead found herself being firmly guided to her door. They stopped before it and with a quick glance at the keys in her hand, Jen unlocked her front door and opened it.

Sorka stepped into the doorway and turned around. She smiled shyly into icy blue eyes that warmed in return. "Thanks for the help, Jen. I really appreciate it."

"No problem, coach. Gotta take care of my people." The hand that had been on the redhead's arm was now holding the other woman's hand. "Are you going to be alright tonight?" Jen asked, a concerned look on her face.

The smaller woman nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I'll be fine." A thought crossed her mind and her brow furrowed. "Do you wanna come in? We could have some tea maybe?" As the principal demurred, another thought came up. "At least let me call you a cab! You're a long way from home and it's cold out there."

With an impish grin, the dark woman nodded. "I think tea would be nice, thanks."

Sorka turned away from the counter in her tiny kitchen, two mugs in her hands. Her visitor was leaning in the kitchen doorway, arms crossed and a smile on her face.

"Nice little place you have here," she said as she accepted one of the mugs.

"Thanks. It's not too bad for a studio."

Jen pushed away from the doorframe and allowed the redhead to pass into the next room, leaving barely enough space for the woman to squeeze by.

Sorka almost felt dizzy from the close proximity of this woman... this goddess. Torture! Pure torture, Sork, you idiot! Why'd you invite her in?! Aloud she said, "Would you like to sit down?" and gestured towards the futon along one wall. As Jen settled down near the center of the couch, the redhead's mouth dried up at the play of well toned muscles in her calves and thighs. She took a mighty sip of her hot tea, burning her mouth in the process in an effort to distract herself. The redhead failed to catch the knowing grin on the other woman's face.

The dark woman patted the futon beside her. "C'mon, you sit, too. You've had a pretty rough night." Brows arched over pale blue eyes.

Since there was nowhere else to sit, the smaller woman perched hesitantly on the edge of her couch. Way too close, girl.... Sorka wondered how long it would be before it was appropriate to call the cab and get this distracting, beautiful woman out of here. And then it's time for a shower.... A loooong cold one.

"Are you feeling alright?" Jen asked, face troubled.

Sorka blinked at her. "Uh... Fine. Just a bit of a headache, but the ibuprofen that they gave me is kicking in." Her emerald eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"Because you look like you're super tense, that's why." The principal set her mug down on the coffee table and turned on the futon to face Sorka. "Sit back! Relax, coach," she urged in a low voice, a warm hand guiding the golden woman's shoulder backwards.

Despite her reservations, Sorka allowed herself to sit back and relax a bit. She noticed that the hand remained on her shoulder. It was a calming weight, comforting.

"So, you've been at Lincoln for, what...? Three years now, isn't it?"

"Yeah. This is officially my fourth school year. My first year as head coach." Sorka sipped at her mug.

"How do you like it?"

The redhead smiled. "Very much. Especially after games like last night's. Where everything sorta comes together and just, you know... Just clicks into place." She closed her eyes and replayed some of the game's high points. "And I like the kids. They're not as obnoxious as high schoolers and not as blissfully ignorant as their younger peers."

"Hmmm. Sounds like you enjoy your work."

Sorka nodded her head. "Oh, yeah. It's very rewarding." It occurred to her that the hand was no longer on her shoulder. Long fingers were brushing through the hair at her temple. Her heart did a flip-flop and she swallowed hard. Keep your eyes closed! Maybe if you do nothing, it'll go away. She mentally shook herself. Wait! I don't want it to go away!

"So, what do you do when you're not teaching phys ed?" the soft voice asked. "What do you do for fun?"

The redhead swallowed again. "Uh... I... Well, I take some classes at the community college," she breathed. "Yoga, tai chi." Fingers traced the outline of her ear and she sighed almost imperceptibly. Sorka shuddered. "What..." she croaked. Clearing her throat, she asked, "What are you doing?"

The futon shifted and a low voice purred into her ear, "Why, coach, don't you know?" Strong hands removed the mug of tea from nerveless fingers. "I'm seducing you."

The fingers were held captive, and Sorka felt moistness on them as they were thoroughly explored by a beautiful mouth. When two of her fingers found their way inside, tickled and sucked on, a moaning sigh escaped her lips. She licked her own lips, heart pounding and the adrenaline of arousal coursing through her.

"Open your eyes."

The redhead forced her eyes open, fiery emeralds boring into hooded sapphires.

"Tell me you don't want this." Sorka's wrist was thoroughly kissed. "Tell me to stop." A hand ran from the side of her knee and up her thigh. "I will stop if it's what you want."

Jen moved forward, nuzzling the smaller woman's neck, licking, nibbling. Sorka tilted her head. Her hands found their way into a dark expanse of hair. Her breathing became ragged as she murmured, "Oh, I do want this. I've wanted it since I first saw you."

There was a chuckle that rippled from Sorka's ear through her body. "And I've wanted you. For a long time." Jen pulled away, gaining back some of her equilibrium. She gazed at the redhead, desire burning in her eyes. Slowly, ever so slowly, she closed the distance between them until their lips met, igniting the smoldering fires within them both.

FINIS