BETA READ by Lady Anemone

In the same universe as my series POSITIVE/NEGATIVE.

The lyrics used in this piece of fan-fiction, are from I Don't Need A Man. I don't own anything; it belongs to the Pussycat Dolls.

Another tear rolled down Natalia's cheek. She trembled in emotional pain as she saw the wooden coffin sinking further into the ground and disappearing. She felt a hand on her shoulder and the warm feeling this gesture brought, made her a little less upset. Calleigh and Horatio had been there earlier, but had already left gently smiling, because Emily and Ilias were still at home with Yelina and the couple had promised her to be home before seven. Yelina had offered to watch the children, and she had repeatedly told them they didn't have to hurry at all, but Raymond Junior had to be picked up from soccer practice as well. So it ended up that Yelina watched the little toddlers, and Horatio and Calleigh picked up a very tired Ray on their way home.

Detective Salas had sent the young CSI a little card before the funeral, even though Natalia and she had never been really close. She couldn't even remember having worked with her once, but it was the gesture that counted, and it had felt natural to at least send a card.

Alexx had left soon after the other parents, because unlike her, her husband did have to work on Saturdays, and there would be no one home for their son and daughter, who had already become young teenagers. So she had to get home before her husband left for work, and maybe she could watch a DVD with them.

Eric had left with Alexx, hugging Natalia tight before doing so. Natalia had appreciated the gesture very much and had hugged him back, but then Eric had pulled back gently and had walked to the car in Alexx's wake.

Frank gave her a meaningful handshake and disappeared as well, while Ryan moved to her to say something before heading home. He too gave her a meaningful handshake and pulled her into his embrace.

The more you try
The less I buy it
And I don't have to think it through
You know if I'm feeling you

And then Ryan was heading home like the others, and there was only Maxine left.

As the coffin reached the bottom of the cavity, a soft thud could be heard and Natalia's sobs increased a little. Her breath was ragged, but then she felt a soft, reassuring and welcome squeeze. She turned around to face the other woman and pushed her head against her shoulder, feeling her arms reassuringly wrapped around her trembling figure.

Anya had been such a strong and headstrong woman, and now she had died in a dumb car accident... She had died almost instantly. Why did she always have to drink too many martinis? She knew she couldn't handle it, and she could never stop drinking once she had started. And now it had literally been her death. She had ended up crashing the car in the Everglades. What was she doing in the Everglades anyway?

DNA-analyst Maxine Valera didn't really know how to respond to the movement, but she had to admit it felt nice. "I'll drive you home if you want to? I think it would be safer if you didn't drive in this state."

Natalia nodded. The female DNA analyst was more than right. She would likely end up like Anya if she drove in such an upset state... "Thank you," she whispered, hoarsely, her voice weakened from crying.

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Maxine had driven her old Mustang into Natalia's driveway. She parked, and accepted the offer of a cup of coffee instead of going home. Natalia's tears had dried and she seemed to gradually get herself under control again. "Maxine–" she exclaimed, it was the only thing she could utter before her voice broke. Valera looked up to see a face full of pain and loss. Natalia took the other woman's hand to stroke it against her pale cheek. "I need it. I need you."

Valera's eyes closed as her fingers stroked the other woman's soft skin. And then she blamed herself for enjoying it and fantasizing about making love to someone who had just lost a beloved sister, but Natalia's next words, "I need to feel alive," made her go beyond that.

And suddenly they were kissing. First cautiously, but as the kiss lengthened, it grew gradually more and more passionate.

Natalia's arms went around Valera's neck, as she allowed her to explore her mouth, and their tongues tangled in pure anticipation, wanting so much more.

When they silently broke apart, hungry chocolate brown eyes looked in doubting dark green ones. Until the younger of the two leaned in again, to capture the other's lips in a hot and needy kiss. Natalia's hands sought the hem of her light brown shirt, and when they found it, they grabbed it roughly and pulled it over the DNA analyst's head. A few of the buttons snapped off and landed somewhere in the kitchen.

It felt good, and both of them suddenly realized why it had never worked out with men before. With men like Nick Townsend, Natalia's ex husband. He had been murdered the day he and Maxine had their first date, and both women had been under suspicion for the crime. Neither of them had been the killer, though. And up till now, neither of them had ever really enjoyed sex, but maybe it would be different this time. It would be so much more than sex; it would be making love.

I don't need a man to make it happen
I get off being free
I don't need a man to make me feel good
I get off doing my thing

I don't need a ring around my finger
To make me feel complete
So let me break it down
I can get off when you ain't around

Valera's eyes showed some kind of shock at the Hispanic woman's quickness. Natalia noticed, and began to kiss the soft skin of her neck, meanwhile sucking the blood to the surface and leaving small love marks.

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Natalia pushed Maxine backwards on the bed and landed between her legs. They hadn't stopped kissing yet, and now they didn't either. Panting with effort, Valera rolled them both over and sat on Natalia's pelvic bone. She leaned in to steal another long and passionate kiss, while Natalia's eager fingers went for the clasp of her lilac bra. Without trouble, she undid the silky material and reached for the front with her mouth. When her teeth grabbed the lilac silk, she pulled it off Maxine's body, exposing two small breasts, which were soon teased by Natalia's eager tongue, as the pair rolled over again.

Valera moaned. Finally someone who was able to undo the clasp of her bra without any problem. She had never been with someone who could this before. She just had never been with a woman intimately before, unlike Natalia, who had experimented a little in her college years and had shared her bed with two female colleague students.

As she lay on her back in the nice pillows, her taut and pink nipples being teased tormentingly and slow, she took a very long time unbuttoning Natalia's greenish blue satin shirt. She smiled when she slid it off the Hispanic woman's shoulders and threw it on the maroon Persian carpet. Natalia knelt between the younger woman's legs and undid her black lace bra herself, showing her bed partner two larger breasts.

She pulled Maxine's body towards her and began unbuttoning and unzipping her pants. When she was finished unfastening, Valera lifted her pelvic bone, so she could pull off the pants easily. Then, Valera leaned in and pulled the other woman towards her, kissing passionately. One of her hands went around Natalia's neck, while the other reached between their excited bodies and found the button and the zipper of her pants, which were unfastened within eager seconds.

Both of her hands pushed Natalia's pants down now, though their lips never left each other. When Natalia's pants fell on top of hers, Maxine gasped. She propped herself up on her elbows to watch Natalia sliding down her body, kissing her trembling body on her way. Valera was quivering with anticipation and her fingers snared in the other brunette's hair, roughly pulling her up to entangle their tongues before pushing her down between her legs.

Natalia's fingers grabbed the band of the other woman's matching flashy lilac panties and pulled them down, off a moaning Maxine's ankles, leaving them at the end of the bed before throwing her legs over Valera one by one to sit on her knees beside her on the bed, her hands sensually sliding down her own body to dispose of her own panties, turning Maxine even more on. Maxine pushed her body up in a sitting position, sitting on her knees as well.

First, their hands just roamed over each other's bodies, while their tongues explored each other's mouth. Until one of Natalia's hands reached further down and entered Maxine's wetness from behind with her middle finger. This made Valera moan and lightly lift her leg up, but Natalia had so much more to give and would only be satisfied when the younger woman moaned her name in ecstasy.

She pushed her back on the pillows with the weight of her own body, receiving soft sounds of protest. When Maxine's body lay perpendicular to hers, Natalia let her tongue roam over her navel, until the other brunette grabbed her hair with eager fingers and pushed her head down further with closed eyes, as she had done before.

The older and more experienced of them chuckled. It was already the second time Valera did this. She needed it as much as Natalia did. The CSI lifted one of the other woman's legs, kissing, sucking, and licking that thigh, teasingly avoiding the right spot still. Maxine groaned. As she became more aroused, Natalia let go of her leg and slid two fingers inside her, while her tongue still danced around her nub, driving Valera nuts.

As Natalia felt the other woman's walls tense up in anticipation, she finally allowed her tongue to meet Maxine's spot, which made her arch her back and moan in pleasure. She continued cunnilungus until Maxine's orgasm hit her hard and she trembled in release.

When Valera came, she tightly grasped the headboard of the bed and moaned as hard as her voice allowed. Natalia was sure the neighbors knew exactly what the two women were doing there as she slid out of Maxine, her fingers moving up and continuing to apply pressure on her nub, which was very sensitive after the cunnilungus, causing her to come for a second time right after her first orgasm. "TALIA!"

When Maxine's breathing was a steady rhythm again, Natalia swung her leg over her sexy lover's body, sitting on her crotch. She moved Valera's hands from her hips to her breasts and showed her how she liked it best. Natalia touched her own body hungrily, turning Valera on, rocking her pelvic bone hard and grinding wetness against wetness.

She reached for the drawer of her nightstand, pulling it open and producing a bright red vibrator. She stroked it along her own body, causing Valera to nearly explode with desire to have it inside her lover. She rolled them both over, taking the vibrator from Natalia, searching between their two heated bodies and entering her with it.

Natalia cried in pleasure as Maxine maneuvered the shaft inside her. In between cries, she demanded that her bed partner suck her nipples. Valera did as she was asked, moving her head up and grasping one of Natalia's brown nipples with her lips. Natalia's hands grasped the sheets in near orgasm and a soft bite from Maxine caused her to fly over the edge. Maxine pulled the vibrator out of her and put it in her mouth, tasting the juices of Natalia, who seized her wrist and threw the vibrator on the nightstand.

She pushed Maxine on her side again and kissed her, their tongues passionately entangling, while their hands wanted to feel every inch of the each other's bodies.

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When Natalia woke up that next morning, she immediately noticed Maxine was missing. She had woken in the middle of the night and had left, leaving only a note on the coffee table, saying: Thank you. More wasn't necessary.