That made Dar smile. She blinked a few times and closed her eyes again, glad at least that her head seemed to be fairly clear, and there were no obvious aftereffects of their fun evening. She'd had a hangover once or twice in her life and hadn't enjoyed it, but she also didn't regret spending the night letting her hair down with Kerry either.
Sometimes, you just had to do that. Dar exhaled and let her body relax, but halfway through that she stopped as she got the uncanny sense that something was watching her, a prickling of the shoulder blades that made her nape hairs lift.
Imagination? Dar lifted her head back up and turned it, looking back over her shoulder at the window, fully expecting to find nothing and shocked breathless when what she did see was a shadowy figure on the balcony looking in.
For a long moment, she froze. Then some instinct took over and she slid out from under the covers, getting her feet under her and standing up to put herself between the window and Kerry.
She straighted up to her full height and squared her shoulders, flexing her hands a little as she took a deep breath and a step forwards towards the window. The figure was dark, and tall, and indistinct, and though she couldn't see the features, she knew the head was looking right at her.
It occurred to her, somewhat belatedly that facing an unknown intruder stark naked wasn't the smartest thing she could do, but she had no intention of taking the time to put clothes on when that same intruder could burst in the doors and...
Well, it would have to go through her to get to Kerry. Expecting fear, but finding only fierce determination instead, she flexed her hands again and took another step forward, spreading her arms out to present as threatening a defense as she could, blood rushing to her skin and sending a warm flush through her muscles.
The figure moved as she did and she drew in a breath to let out a yell when thunder interrupted her, and lightning followed, a sudden and startling crack, making her jump. It bathed her in silver over flash and she blinked from it, and when it faded, the figure was gone.
Gone.
Dar walked to the double French doors and put her hands against them, looking out onto the long balcony beyond. She could see the length of it, and the emptiness echoed in her senses as her heart rate started to slow back down.
“Dar?”
She stifled a yelp, sucking in air abruptly before she turned around to see Kerry sitting up in bed, her bare upper torso visible in the faint light outside. “Ah.”
“What's wrong?” Kerry cleared her throat of it's huskiness. “You okay?”
Dar came back over and sat down on the bed. “Yeah, I'm fine. Storm out there. Woke me up.” She ran a slightly shaking hand through her hair. “Whew.”
Kerry touched her arm, closing her fingers around it. “That last blast woke me up too.” She said. “You sure you're okay? You look a little freaked out.”
Dar turned and pulled one knee up, resting her hands on it as she studied her partner's face. “I thought I saw someone out on the balcony.”
Kerry jerked in surprise. “What?” She looked in reflex at the window. “I don't see anything out there.”
“No, not now.” Dar responded. “When I woke up.. I looked over there and saw someone standing outside. Then after that big flash, it was gone.”
“It.” Kerry repeated, after a pensive moment of mutual silence. “What did it look like?”
Dar lay back down and pulled the covers up, the cool air of the room giving her goosebumps. “Couldn't really see detail. Just something tall and dark, and maybe in an overcoat or something.” She responded. “But it might have just been a shadow, Ker, because it wasn't there when I went to the window.”
Kerry studied the glass. “Or maybe whatever it was got scared when they saw a six foot plus tall buff naked woman lunging at them.” She gave her soul mate a fond look. “That'd be enough to scare off a robber, don't you think?”
Dar's dark eyebrow hiked.
“But you know.” The blond woman continued quietly. “I think I saw something like that in the garden we walked in.” She said. “Just really tall, and all shadowy.”
They regarded each other in silence again. “You mean, not a real thing?” Dar said, hesitantly. “As in, a ghost?”
Kerry shrugged. “It was there, then it wasn't.” She said. “I don't know. I don't know what you saw, but it sounds like what I saw, and it was full of creepitude.” She paused. “So what's creepier? A ghost, or some guy following us around and climbing up on our balcony?”
“Hmph.” Dar grunted softly. “That puts it in perspective doesn't it?” She gave Kerry a wry look. “I don't know, Ker. Maybe it was neither. Could have just been my imagination.”
“Mm. That's what I thought in the garden too.”
Dar pondered the idea quietly. What had she really seen? Had it been shadows? Her imagination? Nothing? A real intruder trying to get in their hotel room? Should she call the front desk, the cops, or a psychiatrist? “I dunno.” She finally concluded. “And I don't really want to get dressed and go out in the rain to see if whatever it was left footprints.”
Kerry settled back down next to her and put her head down on Dar's shoulder. “What exactly were you planning to do running out like that in your altogether, sweetie?” She asked, consciously trying to lighten the conversation. “I mean, what if it actually had been a burglar?”
“Damned if I know.” Dar admitted, with a faint smile. “All I was thinking about was staying between whatever it was and you.”
“You're such a super hero.” Kerry tickled her navel, feeling the motion as Dar chuckled silently. “I'm going to get you those Superman panties I saw on the Internet the other day.” She looked over to find herself being watched by those pale eyes almost glowing with affection. “And besides all that, you sure are my hero.”
Dar stuck her tongue out.
“Anyway, we'll check out the floor out there when we have coffee tomorrow.” Kerry concluded. “Hopefully this headache I've got'll be gone by then.” She muttered. “Teach me to mix bourbon and beer.”
Dar tucked the covers around the both of them, and firmly shut her eyes, letting the rumble of thunder slowly lull her back into some level of relaxation, while she even more slowly allowed her mind to ponder what had happened. She could feel the warmth of Kerry's breath against the side of her neck, and the gentle motion of the edge of her thumb making idle patterns against her bare skin and she knew a moment of deep echo, a wash of familiarity that seemed ancient and new all at the same time.
Weird.
What, really had she intended on doing? Rushing out onto the balcony and drop kicking the damn thing? Dar had to smile at herself, if only in self deprecation. What if it had been a ghost? Should she have been afraid of it? She hadn't been. Or maybe it had all just happened so fast she hadn't had time to be scared either way.
Oh well.
New Orleans was known for odd things. They'd gone out looking for ghosts, half jokingly, and she was now ready to internally accept that maybe they'd seen something unexplained.
Or maybe they both just had good imaginations. Dar dismissed the events, and snuggled up tighter with Kerry, content to leave any other analysis until the morning, when sunlight and coffee might put a completely different slant on things.
One eye opened and she regarded Kerry. Unless she had to go find an egg cream. Her eye closed again and now the silence returned, broken only by two sets of quiet breathing.
**
As it happened, no egg cream was needed. Kerry picked up her cup of coffee and sipped from it, watching benignly as the early morning strollers cruised by on the street below. She was dressed in a pair of ragged old jeans and a royal blue sweatshirt with the sleeves pushed up to her elbows, enjoying the cool air and the completely ghost free balcony.