&fic;

 

Spring Summer Feeling

by sugargroupie

R, 1483 words

Summary: the remembered words make her blush even now; she wants to hear them again.

Disclaimer: This portrayal is entirely fictional.

Notes: written for llaras in Pretty Lights Fic 2007, who requested Rachel/Torri, a first time and Torri leaving the show. Many thanks to Shannon for a speedy beta.

.   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .

"Ladies and gentlemen, Torri Higginson has filmed her last scene of Stargate Atlantis."

Applause breaks out at the director's announcement, and Torri is besieged by hugs and warm wishes. She wipes away the dampness at the corner of her eyes as the clapping continues, her eyes jumping from one co-star to the next. She's enjoyed working with them all, but as she lets her eyes linger on Joe and Rachel, Torri realizes she's going to miss them the most.

Still, Torri feels ... relief tinged with fear; and above all else, contentment. She's leaving this show and these people that she's called home for three years, of her own volition.

When she'd first come to the decision to say goodbye to Dr. Elizabeth Weir, there was a moment where she second-guessed herself; wondered if she should try to be more grateful that her character got any lines at all some episodes. That doubt was thankfully fleeting. The character Torri found herself playing was not the character she'd signed up to play, and while that was a huge disappointment, staying and allowing that disappointment to fester would've been more damaging.

Torri grins wide enough for her cheeks to hurt when Jason gathers her in a bear hug, garnering laughter from everyone around them.

I'm going to miss these people, Torri thinks. She knows the memory of saying goodbye is going to hurt more later on, so she tucks the melancholy away and puts on a brave face.

But when Torri meets Rachel's shining gaze again, a half-smile on her trembling lips, the rush of sadness comes flooding back.

* * *

It begins with a latte.

(And by it, Torri decides resolutely, she means the sex. The moment they crossed over from being girlfriends to friends with girlfriend-like behavior. Neither she nor Rachel is in any hurry to put a label on this new element to their relationship. It's just something that happened... and continues to happen, over and over again.)

Gingerbread mocha latte, to be specific. During filming, Torri and Rachel take turns bringing each other beverages. Rachel visits a different cafe than their regular haunts, and offers the brew with a wide grin on her face. "Torri, you have to try this," Rachel claims, and she has yet to steer Torri wrong.

Torri removes the lid and drinks the coffee slowly, nodding her head effusively once the burst of flavor soaks her tongue. "Yes, that's delicious."

Rachel gets this wicked gleam in her eyes then as she plucks the cup from Torri's fingers. She turns it in her hands, placing her mouth on the exact same spot from which Torri has just drank, and licks the rim.

Torri's eyes never leave Rachel's.

Rachel takes a small sip. "Mmm," she says softly, "they make very good gingerbread mocha." She licks her lips and turns the cup back around so the drinking spot is facing Torri once again.

When Torri takes another gulp she shivers, even as a warm spring breeze ruffles her hair. She swallows down the rich coffee and taste of Rachel, and knows she is in trouble.

*

That blatant shift leads them here. Torri takes in her surroundings through heavy-lidded eyes. The rush from her orgasm has edged back enough for her to recognize the bedroom as her own. The heavy curtains block out the early morning light, leaving the room tinted blue. Torri likes the effect.

Exhaling slowly, she watches in faint amusement as goose bumps rise on Rachel's still warm skin. The air is rapidly cooling their sweat-dampened bodies from their earlier activities, and Torri sighs softly at the memory.

Rachel runs her fingers through Torri's hair, and Torri hums in approval, turning her head to kiss the curve of Rachel's hip. Torri flicks her tongue out, barely touching Rachel's skin, and kisses a slow path up the other woman's flat belly, lingering at the underside of her breast.

"Good morning," Rachel murmurs, still dragging her fingers through Torri's hair. It's amazing, Torri thinks, how innocent Rachel sounds, like she hadn't been whispering dirty sweet nothings in Torri's ear as they fucked each others fingers hours before. The remembered words make Torri blush even now. She wants to hear them again.

"Morning," Torri replies, before slipping her lips over Rachel's nipple, pulling gently with her teeth and soothing the pressure with her tongue.

Rachel releases a shaky moan, clenching her fingers at the back of Torri's neck. Torri continues the motion and slides her hand down between Rachel's thighs, coaxing gently against sensitive skin with her fingers as Rachel rocks her hips back.

"Torri," Rachel breathes. She sighs loudly when the pad of Torri's finger touches her clit. "Should we talk about this?" Rachel continues, swallowing visibly.

Torri pulls her mouth away, her lips wet and eyes glazed and hair wild; wanting so very much to fuck Rachel again for the next few hours. "No," she murmurs, rising up to kiss Rachel's soft mouth. They both moan as the kiss deepens but slows into languid strokes of their tongues.

"Just let it be," Torri whispers against Rachel's mouth.

Rachel nods and cups one of Torri's breasts in agreement.

* * *

Torri steps into the guest star trailer for the last time and slowly undresses, exchanging the Atlantis personnel uniform for her own comfortable jeans and t-shirt. She agreed to meet the cast for a late dinner, but for now she wants to veg out for a few hours, maybe take Sedge for a walk.

Before she can make up her mind about what to do next, there's a knock on the door. She hesitates until a second knock prompts her into motion and she opens the door, unsurprised to see Rachel on the other side.

Torri motions her forward. "Come in," she says needlessly, attempting to smile as Rachel silently crosses her path.

Rachel stands in the middle of the trailer, looking as beautiful as always. She's done with filming for the day, and her naturally curly hair looks soft hanging on her shoulders. Torri remembers sighing into the dark mass of curls once, in Rachel's trailer just after Torri had announced she was leaving. The sex was quick and a little rough, and Torri had spent hours afterwards smelling her fingers, chasing the lingering scent of Rachel's hair and body.

Bringing her attention back to the present, Torri clears her throat and opts for a safe topic. "Will you be at the dinner later?"

"Of course," Rachel smiles. "I wouldn't want to miss another opportunity at seeing you drink the boys under the table."

Torri giggles, "Still reigning champ."

Silence, then: "I've missed you, Torri. It's been a while."

Leaning against the counter behind her, Torri nods, admitting gravely: "I?e missed you too."

Rachel licks her lips, her mouth turning up in a small smile. Torri feels her skin redden and looks away, realizing she's been caught staring at the other woman's mouth.

Rachel shifts on her feet and sighs. "Sometimes I still expect to see you on set, you know. Like last week, when Jason came out for a scene with Amanda with his pants around his knees." Torri laughs aloud; she can very well imagine the expression on Amanda's face. "Like he normally does," Rachel adds with a smile at Torri's reaction. "And my first instinct was to seek you out, to make sure you didn't miss it."

"I can't stop thinking about that night," Torri confesses with a whisper. That night, meaning the first time. Torri was the one to dismiss it when Rachel offered to discuss what happened, and even now she has no urge to go into detail about it. It happened (more than once) and it was wonderful, but it also made a fundamental change in their friendship. Torri doesn't regret it, and she's certain Rachel doesn't either, but there'll always be the question of what if; what if they'd decided to pursue a relationship, or what if they'd never crossed that line to begin with.

Rachel moves forward until she's standing in front of Torri, takes another step so that there's very little space between them. "Nor can I," Rachel murmurs, reaching up to frame Torri's face with her hands.

Torri circles her fingers around Rachel's wrists in a loose grip and allows Rachel to pull her face down until their mouths crush against each other. Torri moans at the softness of Rachel's tongue sliding against hers, her breath hitching when Rachel bites her bottom lip.

They break away slowly, panting breaths the only sound filling the trailer. Torri touches her forehead to Rachel's, whispers brokenly, "Shouldn't we talk about this?"

Rachel is already shaking her head before Torri finishes the sentence. "Just let it be, Torri," she says, brushing Torri's lips in a soft kiss. "Let us have this moment."

Torri nods and squeezes Rachel's hand in agreement.

*

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