Always Too Far Away
by Lizzy

Disclaimer: I own all the characters except for the ones that I don't.  So at last count that's none.  I own no characters.
Rating: R-ish. Some sexiness.
Feedback:  Yes please, dizzy198333@hotmail.com
Summary: This is a semi-open-ended one-parter. It's set a couple of years after the end of O+A and I'm hoping the rest is pretty self explanatory.

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It was an unusual day for London in winter. Crisp and cold with clear skies. Beautiful.
She loved this feeling - warm arms wrapped around her, the combined heat of their bodied fending off the cold air that surrounded them.
She could feel Katie's breath on her neck, and she smiled as she dozed in the first light that streamed through the cracks in the curtains.

"Shit!" Jessie was jolted into full consciousness, taking a sharp intake of breath as she sat upright, feeling her lungs sting from the cold air that filled them, "What time is it?"

Katie stirred beside her and frowned, "It's early, go back to sleep," she mumbled, tightening her grip on Jessie's waist, pulling her back under the covers.

Jessie glanced at the clock, "Jesus Katie, it's seven thirty," she said, struggling against Katie's grip as she tried to sit back up again. When Katie wouldn't yield, Jessie became more forceful, "Katie, let me go! I have to go get ready."

"No," Katie protested like a child, burying her head in her pillow, still not releasing her grip on Jessie, "You don't have to go," she continued more soberly.

Jessie's face softened, and she ceased her struggle against Katie's arms, turning to her and gently touching her face, "Yes, I do. You know I do," she told her sadly.

"Then I'll come with you," Katie declared stubbornly.

"Katie!" Jessie's expression was pained, "Please don't do this. Don't make this harder."

Katie frowned, "I'm not. It's easy, if you're so determined to leave, I'll come with you."

"I'm not determined to leave...I have to leave," Jessie explained the facts as she saw them, "It's that simple. My flight is in two hours, I have classes on Monday..." she trailed off hoping that these would be sufficient reasons, but Katie just continued to look at her expectantly. "Katie, I have to leave!" Jessie declared, quite exasperated.

"Fine, I'll go pack," Katie nodded and began to rise.

This time it was Jessie's turn to hold her in place, "Don't do this. You know you can't come with me."

Katie blinked at her, "Why not?"

Jessie threw her hands up, "You're being unreasonable, it's not like you can come with me right now anyway...because you'll never get a flight, because I know you can't afford it, because you'll screw up this whole semester," Jessie counted off on her fingers, "Because you live *here*," she told her, once more becoming exasperated.

"It's not like it's my home," Katie told her plainly, "I'm only living here for another six months."

"Exactly," Jessie agreed, "We can make another six months."

Katie remained petulant, "I can't. I want to go home," she looked at Jessie meaningfully, "With you."

Jessie understood where Katie was coming from, she could think of nothing more painful than getting on that plane at ten o'clock, but she knew objectively that she had to and that Katie had to stay, "Katie, this is the opportunity of a lifetime for you," Jessie told her tenderly, extending a hand out to stroke her girlfriend's cheek.

Katie leaned her face into Jessie's hand, "It's not like I can never come back."

Jessie spoke softly, "That's not what I mean. You worked so hard for this scholarship, don't be stupid and throw it away on a whim."

"I'm not," Katie looked Jessie directly in the eye, "I miss you. I don't want to be apart from you."

"It's only another six months," Jessie almost pleaded, desperately trying to convince herself that she could bear to be away from Katie for that long too.

"Exactly, I’ll only miss out on six months here," Katie subverted Jessie's logic again.

"Katie, stop it," Jessie snapped, "This is what you always dreamed of. Your loft in London..."

Katie cut her off, "I live in the attic of a share-house, it's hardly a loft."

Jessie had to smile, "Hey, there's nothing wrong with attics!"

Katie pouted playfully, "I'd rather be at home in yours."

Jessie smiled at her fond memories of her attic, "Katie," she said gently, "I don't live there any more, I live in a rat-infested dorm and you live here, that's just how it is for the next little while."

"Little while?" Katie questioned, "Jessie! It's like forever!" she exclaimed dramatically.

Jessie smiled, and looked at Katie tenderly, "Katie, I love you, and we both know that I'm not going to stay, and you're not going to come with me, so lets just make this easy on ourselves, okay?"

Katie resigned herself to that reality, "Okay," she nodded.

"Okay."

Katie wrapped Jessie in her arms again, "But just sleep for another ten minutes, I'm not ready to let you go just yet."

"Okay," Jessie agreed, lightly pecking Katie on the lips and tightening her embrace. Katie's lips lingered on hers after their light brush, and Katie gently deepened the contact into a passionate embrace.

Jessie was the first to pull back, "We'd better stop or we'll never get up," she said with a deep sigh.

"What's wrong with that?" Katie asked teasingly, beginning to lavish attention on Jessie's neck. Jessie moaned into Katie's touch, trying very hard to maintain her composure.

When Katie's hands pushed Jessie's t-shirt up and she moved her head down to start kissing her stomach, Jessie snapped to attention, realising that if they kept going in this direction, she would definitely miss her plane.

"Katie, no, don't," Jessie protested as Katie ventured ever lower. She received no response, and realised why when she took a sharp intake of breath as Katie's lips reached their zeal.

"Katie," Jessie managed only an urgent whisper, "We don't have time."

"Just five minutes," Katie said, looking up, before her tongue continued to caress Jessie's most sensitive parts.

Jessie let out a low moan as one hand reached up to grab her pillow, and the other reached down to tangle in Katie's hair. She closed her eyes and let her head fall back, "Katie?" she managed between increasingly erratic breaths. Katie didn't answer, but Jessie knew she was listening, "Take as long as you need."