Disclaimer: Sally Wainwright created the characters and is the mother of the 'Last Tango' story-world. My muse borrows a few characters for a bit of a creative fling every now and then. Copyright infringement... go bug someone that thinks endorsing ownership of creativity is a truth. For yours and my enjoyment... do with it what you wish.

The further education of two women in love
or a case of knowing me, knowing you
by Mdme Curie

The taxi flew over the Monteverde Nuovo, straight through a chaos of traffic. The City of Rome flashing past in blurred lines of all colours imaginable.

Kate squeezed Caroline's hand, happy and thrilled that the blonde agreed to go away with her for a week. She had researched and planned a week filled with history, language, science and copious amounts of Italian food, wine and fabulous sex in a five star hotel.

The blonde had not taken to the idea of all but their destination remaining a mystery to her at first but Kate's skills of persuasion were growing stronger and the older woman relented. In secret Caroline was gaining quite the appetite for letting go of the control. She just played the resistance so well, Kate fell for it.

The languages teacher's mind travelled back to the conversation she and Caroline had during a freezing cold Ides of March kind of morning. William and Lawrence got into a rather vicious fight about the latest stupidity of their father. Both of them snapped and Lawrence decked William in retribution of a rather base remark about his friend Angus. It was just as well they were spending most of the summer far apart, each at an opposite end of the UK. The whole sibling rivalry got Caroline talking about her favourite holiday in Rome many years ago. Apparently the boys broke out in a fight in the middle of a tour of the Colosseum. The tour guide threatened to throw them to the mercy of real gladiators if they didn't stop the fisticuffs. They had to put up with Lawrence wanting to become a gladiator when he grew up for a year after that. Every long object became a sword in his clumsy hands. The redhead escaped to his room, bored and a bit embarrassed by the old stories of his mum.

When William had also gone to bed and the wine smoothed over his mother's raw nerves, she opened up a side to herself Kate had not seen before. Dreamy blue eyes giving away the fonder memories of the Eternal City, clearly still on her mind.

"Kate, there's a monument to one of my heroes of the Renaissance on the Campo de F'iori. His name is Giordano Bruno." One eyebrow disappeared behind blond bangs. "John got bored with the classical history so I never got to visit his statue and honour his memory."

"Tell me, who is this Huomo Universalis?" Kate got comfortable, draping her legs over Caroline's lap. Fascinated she leaned back and listened.

Taking a long sip of her Shiraz the head teacher started, "Well, his extensive and brilliant work in philosophy, ethics, geometry, alchemy and physics were the subjects he was most revered for. His volumes on astrotheology were what got me hooked. He had a very poetic voice and could catch abstract concepts in crystal clear imagery." Caroline's face lit up, her hands and voice more animated than usual as she spoke. "He had to encrypt his research at the end. He used allegory because the Church wanted absolute control of what constituted as the truth in his time, even if it was a pack if lies. The inquisition burned him at the stake in sixteen hundred."

"That's horrible!" Kate frowned, visibly apalled at the horific waste of a life.

"There's an intelligent, conscious design at the core of everything in our universe. The beauty of it, to me, says no bloody way it's all just one random big bang with no meaning or purpose to it." Caroline blushed, realising she had shown a very personal and deep running passion for the bigger questions in life to her lover. "Bruno's work taught me that." She whispered shyly.

"So not a waste then, after all." The languages teacher tucked her legs under and sipped her wine, feeling elated Caroline opened up to her like this. She could just picture her strutting around the cobbled roads and lanes of the ancient city. A city she herself had fallen in love with when she and her best friend Shannon Grey decided to do the Grand Tour, Uni budget style.

"I've been invited to write a guest column in the Oxford student science rag... been wracking my brain to come up with a theme. Now I know what the subject will be. The great thinkers and researchers of the Renaissance and how there work inspired me to become a teacher."

Caroline held up her glass in the direction of the second floor. "Thank you Will and Lawrence for the violent but very useful memory jolt."

Kate joined her, chiming in with a giggle, "Boys!"

And so Kate's surprise took shape in her mind. Keeping it a secret from her curious lover all winter and spring was the hardest part but all had come good.

Soft lips kissing the back of her hand as the taxi slowed to a halt at the Via Del Biscione, brought her back to the present moment. The huge grin on Caroline's face made her heart leap. "Ready for a week of you and me, no boys, no work, no phones, nothing but us?" She questioned, knowing the answer full well.

"Get me into the hotel room and I'll show you just how eager I am to be alone with you, beautiful." Caroline threw her a saucy smile and opened the cab door.

Handing the flirtatious cabby a handful of cash, Kate spoke fluently, "Mantenere il cambiamento, molto grazie! Buonanotte."

Impressed, the cabby exchanged the money for his business card, sliding it into the dark beauty's hand, retorting playfully. "Chiamami se hai bisogno di una guida alla città dell'amore."

"Grazie", Kate giggled, jogging up the stairs of the luxurious yet intimately sized hotel.

"What did he say?" Caroline enquired, a tiny speck of green tainting her baby blues. "My Latin is rusty."

"He wants to have babies with me and he reckons you'll do nicely for a cleaning maid." She deadpanned, entering the hotel lobby.

Caroline grabbed the darker woman's hand and tugged her close. Acutely aware they were in the middle of the lobby of a high end hotel at peek hour, she stopped short of kissing Kate. Instead, leaning into fragrant, dark curls she breathed, "You are in such deep trouble, young lady."

"Keep calling me young lady and see if I care." The cheeky reply came, accompanied by a sly grin.

Their luggage and room were being prepared as they enjoyed complementary drinks at the Augustine bar, richly decorated as if it were an emperor's palazzo.

Stifling a yawn, Caroline leaned back on the soft chez lounge, taking in the amazing details and lush fabrics the hotel displayed.

Kate's cheeks ached from all the grinning and smiling. She was glad to be sitting down after a long day travelling. She sipped from her Chianti and sunk deeper into the pillows of the armchair. The flight to Rome had only taken a few hours but actually getting to Manchester airport took the most work. Her muscles relaxed and her mind stopped running though all the plans she'd concocted with the help of Celia and Alan, to make this the best get away ever. Alan knew the city better than she did and Celia knew Caroline. They had actually formed quite the team.

An usher came to invite them up to their suite. He pointed out the way to the second floor, presenting Kate with the key card on a silver tray. Alone in the lift, the raven beauty couldn't resist and pulled at her lover's coat lapels, placing a gentle kiss on warm, willing lips.

The lift bell rang, breaking the lovers apart except for their entwined hands. Leading the blonde down a short hall to room number 11, Kate swiped the key card over the magnet lock and stepped back. "After you, sweetheart."

Awestruck she watched Caroline's eyes go wide and her jaw drop at the lush decadence shining all around them. The huge bed, the flowers everywhere, the lounge area, the candles all over the room, the classical art adorning the walls, all equally overwhelming and beautiful.

Her eyes falling on the view from the large window, a large stone figure, lit from all corners of the square caught her attention. Caroline realised where they were, dropped her hand luggage where she stood, clapping her hands to her face squealing. "You booked us a room with a view of the Campo Del F'iori and Bruno's statue."

Kate could only nod, happy tears threatening to spill, she rushed at Caroline and kissed her deeply.

The head teacher melted into her lover, tasting the slight bitter-sweet tang of wine and salty tears on her tongue. "Let me make love to you, Kate." Her voice raspy with emotion, she tugged at the dark beauties trench coat, spinning them round in the direction of the en suite.

A line of discarded heals, stockings, skirts and lingerie led to the double sized steam shower. Dark skin pressed up against the foggy glass wall, a hand clasping at the water fountain, Kate could barely stand. Caroline didn't let her go until she was utterly sated. She came one last time with a loud cry, sagging into Caroline's strong arms panting heavily, quivering around strong fingers.

Wrapped in a red silk robe, relaxing on the king size bed in her lover's arms, Kate came back to herself, the shaking of her muscles stopped. Digging a hand into the blonde's robe, feeling soft skin ripple under her fingers, she leaned up for a kiss.

"Save that for the morning, darling." Caroline whispered tiredly, pulling a roaming hand from the under black silk clinging to her bosom. Kissing the younger woman passionately, she pulled her on top of her body, dark hair falling around her face. "Tomorrow I surrender to your command, Mistress McKenzie." Caroline promised, breaking away from hungry lips.