Kalinda glides along the wall, oddly surprised that she was able to see the lightning flash outside even through five layers of glass. She rounds the corner, then another, then another. She's equally surprised at her own surefootedness, but she has trod this route so frequently she could probably do it in her sleep.

She slips in the door, hovers for a second in the doorway; she can only see the shadow of the square office chair, turned to face out the window.

"I told you," says Alicia's voice.

Kalinda starts, accustomed to being the tracker, the one ahead of the game. She tries to keep silent for long enough that Alicia will think she's made a mistake, but it's not in her nature to keep the woman waiting. "Told me what?"

Alicia swivels the chair around—Kalinda knows that by the sound of it, she thinks—and her grainy form is very, very slightly visible, differentiated from its background. "I've learned something about you," she says. Kalinda can hear the smile playing at her lips. "You did not grow up in the Midwest. You haven't even lived here very long."

Kalinda swallows, even though Alicia's tone is playful. "How did you learn this?"

"The sky was green, Kalinda." It still is, a little, an undertone in the dense smoky grayness. "Anyone who knows the Midwest would know that meant tornado. Probably it just made landfall in the western suburbs." Alicia pauses. "Or wherever our power comes from."

"You don't know where our power comes from?"

"Do you?"

"No, but I know how to find out." Kalinda closes the door and enters the office fully, noticing that she's still moving as if for an audience, and leans against Alicia's desk. "And you don't. So you don't know everything about me."

"Who said 'everything'? And how are you doing that?"

"What?"

"Moving. I've been scared even to get up. You haven't run into anything?"

"Well, I was hoping to run into you," Kalinda says. She edges around so she's standing next to Alicia, looks out the window. Lightning flashes and thunder cracks before Kalinda can even count to two. Alicia whirls her chair around, almost hitting Kalinda's hip, and another bolt of lightning is followed by shattering thunder in rapid succession; Kalinda swears she can hear the windowpane tremble. Alicia reaches for Kalinda's hand.

"Scared?" Kalinda says, not sure why she's whispering.

"Come here," Alicia says.

Kalinda doesn't say anything. Rain sluices down the window, distorting the hulking shadows of the city.

"No one can see us. No one will know." Alicia lowers her voice even more. "It's kind of exciting."

She pulls forcefully on Kalinda's arm. Kalinda stumbles against the arm of the chair and lands in an ungainly manner on Alicia's lap. Alicia's hands guide her. Kalinda's pulse speeds up as she puts up her own hands to find Alicia's face, kisses her until neither of them can quite breathe.

Alicia's right, it is kind of exciting. Anyone—Julius, Will, Diane, Cary, Eli for god's sake—could walk in at any moment, but really, they could be walking by right now, and they wouldn't know. Kalinda chuckles softly.

"What?" Alicia says.

"This is ridiculous."

"Maybe." Alicia holds Kalinda's knee, slides her hand up her thigh. Kalinda inhales. "But it's our ridiculous."

"What … the hell …" Kalinda pants, kissing urgently along Alicia's throat, "does … that … mean?"

"Mmpfh!" Alicia practically squeals as Kalinda squeezes her nipple. Kalinda's relieved she judged its position accurately. "I don't know. You can't do that. We have to be quiet."

"Oh, we have to, do we?" The challenge makes Kalinda feel lighter. She twists Alicia's nipple again, and this time Alicia muffles her noise. Kalinda pictures how Alicia's face must look, her lips pressed together, her eyes rolled back, her throat exposed. Lightning flashes then and for a split second it illuminates her lover's face—exactly as Kalinda was imagining it.

She likes this. It's like fantasizing about Alicia and having her at the same time.

"Yes," Alicia says. "We have to." She steers her hand along Kalinda's inner thigh. Kalinda's breath comes out in a sharp gasp. "Quieter than that," Alicia says.

"Oh, shut up," Kalinda whispers as Alicia whisks her fingers back and forth, maddeningly gentle.

"Gladly," Alicia murmurs. She stills, and for a second all Kalinda can hear is the pounding of rain against the building, the rumble of thunder, and the pounding of her blood in her own ears.

Then Alicia rubs a finger against Kalinda's clit, and for a second Kalinda can't hear anything at all. She chokes back the moan that's threatening to rise.

"Quieter," Alicia whispers, pressing a kiss to Kalinda's collarbone. Her fingers circle, maddeningly slow.

Lightning flashes again, but Kalinda's eyes are tightly closed; it's just a little lighter behind her eyelids.