Let go

"Okay people, show me what you got," Lynette's boss said, as he sauntered in clapping his hands. The boss had offered a challenge to his employees. The person who solved a certain client's visualization problem most efficiently would win a big incentive. Lynette loved challenges and competition, and so she worked on the problem and came up with a solution. As the boss scanned each report, giving subtle cues by raising his eyebrows and nodding his head, Lynette felt nervous. She wanted to win, whatever the prize was. She needed to win to feel validated working with the younger crowd, and to get her foot in the door to show them just what she could do.

The boss suddenly dispelled the meeting. Everyone looked worried, but slowly rose from their seats around the table and left the office. "Lynette, stay here!"

Lynette turned around and looked at her boss. "Great solution, this will work for sure, you win," he said. Relieved, Lynette smiled and asked giddily, "Great! I'm so glad to help. What do I win, exactly?"

The boss looked at her, and smiled, "Well, you don't have to come in to work next week."

"Oh," Lynette was disappointed.

He spoke again excitedly, "…because you are going on an all-expense-paid trip for two to Hawaii next week."

Lynette's eyes widened, "Oh…Wow! Next week?"

"Yep, so work today and tomorrow then take Friday off to pack and we'll see you a week from Monday. I'm really glad you won this one, Lynette- I bet you will really enjoy this trip," her boss winked at her and left the conference room.

A million thoughts ran through Lynette's head. How would she and Tom leave the kids for a week? Who would watch them? Who would ever consent to taking responsibility for them?

That night she sat down with Tom. "Honey, I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is… I won a trip to Hawaii for two, the bad news is that its next week, and we have no one to watch our kids."

Tom looked at Lynette in disbelief, "How? Wow, honey that is great, but there is no way we can find someone to watch the kids," he said dejectedly.

The look of disappointment on Lynette's face crushed Tom. "How about you go, and I'll stay here with the kids?" he offered.

"What? Honey, I can't go to Hawaii alone, and are you ready to handle the kids for that much time?"

"Look, last year I got to go to Hawaii on business, and you didn't get to come. So it's your turn, right? You earned this and you deserve it. So see if any of your friends want to go with you," Tom said. "We'll have to a wait a few years before we take a big family vacation, when the kids can come along and appreciate it."

Lynette thought over Tom's words. She had his blessing to go, but she couldn't take him, so who did she want to take with her? Who could actually just pick up and go? "Well who should I ask to come with me?" Lynette asked.

"You should see if Susan or Bree would want to go. I bet they both have a lot of stuff going on, and could use a nice break," Tom speculated.

Lynette stifled when Tom mentioned Bree. She would love to take her best friend, but she wondered if Bree was up to coming. "Do you think it's too soon to ask Bree since Rex died? It's been over a month, but she may not be ready to have a good time. And what about her kids? They're old enough to take care of themselves, but Bree might not think so," Lynette wondered.

Lynette decided to just go over and ask her. Bree answered the door, and invited Lynette in for tea. Lynette observed Bree was still wearing black, and immediately felt like she was being too forward in asking her to go.

"How are you doing?" Bree asked politely as she served the tea. "It's so nice to see you. I haven't been out of the house in so long."

"I'm good. I actually have something to ask you which involves getting out of the house," Lynette said pointedly.

"Yes?" Bree prompted.

"I won a trip to Hawaii… through my work, and Tom and I decided that he would stay home with the kids while I go on the trip, but I don't want to go to Hawaii alone."

"Oh, Lynette, that is wonderful. Congratulations," Bree said with genuine joy.

"Well, would you want to come with me?" Lynette replied meekly, "its all expenses paid."

Bree felt her heart pound when Lynette asked her if she would come. She would love to spend some time with Lynette. She practically saw her everyday, but they were both so busy, she felt like she never got to spend enough time getting to really know her, but doubts flooded her mind. "What, me? Lynette, I'm hardly in the position to go to Hawaii. Rex just died." Bree paused. "When are you going? Just out of curiosity." Bree's eyes moved from side to side as she contemplated going.

"This weekend," Lynette replied.

"I'm flattered you would invite me, but I couldn't leave the children. Plus, I don't do sun," Bree countered.

"Well, if you don't come with me, I'm going to invite Susan or Gabby, but I'd rather it was you. We'll have so much fun. Your kids are old enough to stay home. You'll know if they are up to anything, or if they throw a party- with the way the neighbors spy you'll hear about it. Someone can check in on them. Don't worry about the sun, Bree. You can get some really strong sunscreen," Lynette unloaded her pleas.

"I'd have to pack, and clean the house, make food for the kids for the week. There is just so much to do," Bree had a wild look in her eye. "I'll come if I can help you pack and make meals for your family. I would feel awful knowing Tom is stuck at home with the children all week without a decent meal."

Lynette smiled as she realized she had just given Bree something to look forward to. "If you insist on making dinners, I'm sure they will be much appreciated."

"Oh my good graces. We have so much to do. I'm going to start packing," Bree shooed Lynette out. "Bye Lynette, I'll be over to help you pack tomorrow."

"Okay then!" Lynette turned around to say goodbye, but Bree had already shut the door.

On Friday morning, Bree stood on the Scavo's porch holding a box containing 21 large, colored-coded Tupperware containers full of food. Tom answered the door holding baby Penny, and before pleasantries were exchanged Bree delved into the lengthy explanation of her color code system. "…The food in this container will spoil faster than the others so you must eat this one and this one tomorrow night," Bree set the box down and began unloading the food into the refrigerator. Tom looked at her dumbfounded as Lynette came in to greet her.

Bree headed upstairs to the bedroom which was in a state of half-packed disarray. "Lynette, are you seriously bringing a bikini?"

"Yeah, the white one and the blue one," Lynette said indignant.

"Okay," Bree put up her hands not wanting to offend Lynette. "I didn't mean anything by that. You have an amazing body, especially for having four kids," Bree added.

"Gee thanks," Lynette said sarcastically. "What kind of swimwear are you bringing? This trip is about letting go, and having fun."

"I don't 'let go,' Lynette. I thought you knew that about me," Bree said pretending to be horrified.

"Well, maybe you can at least loosen your grip. I'm not asking you to freefall into a downward spiral of fun, I just want to see my 'friend Bree', not 'perfect façade Bree'... And you know what I'm talking about," Lynette said sternly. She instantly regretted her words; she didn't know how Bree would react to this statement/accusation, but it she felt it needed to be said.

Bree remained quiet, and said very seriously, "Rex is gone, and I need to get on with my life, and this is a great opportunity to make a fresh start. So I am making a declaration, (and I want you to hold me to it): I am open to all possibilities."

Lynette smiled and extended a warm hug to Bree, "I'm so proud of you, sweetie. We are going to have a blast."

The next morning the two women said goodbye to their respective families, made sure that everything was taken care of, and headed to the airport.  They checked their bags, and after waiting and drinking coffee they boarded the plane.

"I have to warn you. Bree, I get severe motion sickness," Lynette confessed and then popped two Dramamine. "These should kick in, in a little bit, but they make me really drowsy and everything gets fuzzy."

"Well, if you feel sick you can rest your head on me," Bree offered politely. Little did she know, her offer was about to be taken up. As the takeoff occurred, Lynette squeezed Bree's hand so hard she left marks. Lynette pressed her cringing face against Bree's shoulder for comfort. Bree wrapped her arm around Lynette and let her squish in closer. Lynette tried to justify her childish actions and began talking, but her voice was muffled by Bree's armpit, "I'm not scared, this just doesn't feel good," Lynette said.  

"Shh. It's almost over. We're fine," Bree soothed Lynette, and rubbed her back. "You can just stay right here like that if you want."

As the plane leveled out, and reached a stable height Lynette slowly calmed down, and began to feel better. The Dramamine caused her head to loll, but she wanted to talk to Bree. It was a long flight. "Thanks for making me feel better, Bree. I don't know why I get like that. Hopefully, the landing won't be so bad," Lynette felt slightly embarrassed.

Instead of easing her worry, Bree exclaimed, "But we have a layover and a connecting flight from LA, so we have to go through this again… and on the way back. Oh, honey why would you put yourself through this 8 times?"

"It's not so bad, besides I have your shoulder to bite, and your hand to hold so it should be fine. Don't worry about me." Lynette said.

The rest of their flying experience was fine aside from the rather traumatic take-off and landings. Lynette and Bree chatted about what they were going to do in Hawaii, and how relaxed they would feel to just be, and not have to be somewhere or be doing something, or worrying about stuff for a change.

Their hopes for relaxation were put on hold when they discovered one of Bree's bags had been lost. Lynette said, "Don't worry at least you have one bag, so you have some stuff."

"Lynette, all of my clothes were in the other bag, this bag is just sunscreen and hats to match my outfits," Bree opened the bag to show Lynette.

"Jesus, Bree where did you get SPF 80 sunscreen? I didn't even know they made that high an SPF."

"George got it for me from the pharmacy, it's for people who are allergic to sunlight," Bree deadpanned.

After determining that Bree's bag would be delivered to the hotel when it was located, they walked outside to get a taxi. The warm air and soft breeze made them gasp in awe. The weather was beautiful, and everywhere they looked they saw the bright blue sky and tropical scenery. It was surreal. They checked into a hotel that Lynette's agency had for a client, and were handed keys for a suite.

"Lynette, I love your job," Bree said as they entered the immaculate suite; complete with a King size bed, and a Jacuzzi.

"What shall we do first?" Lynette asked excitedly. "I have the company credit card."

Bree lathered sunscreen on her face, and put on a big hat, and the two women went for lunch at the hotel's outdoor restaurant. "I think we should stick around here for the day and go swimming. Maybe have a few drinks at the bar in the pool. Then we can take a nap, and then grab dinner and maybe go out tonight," Lynette said.

"I don't have my swimsuit," Bree said.

"Borrow my blue one," Lynette shrugged.

They went back up to the room and Bree reluctantly put on Lynette's blue bikini while Lynette put on the white one. The bikini fit Bree, but looked rather skimpy due to her taller frame. "I feel so 'on display,'" Bree shuddered.

Lynette found Bree to be stunningly beautiful. She had never seen Bree look so sexy and vulnerable. Lynette swallowed a lump in her throat, and realized Bree was asking her to rub lotion on her.

Bree handed Lynette the bottle, sat down on the bed, and said, "Really get every inch of skin on my back. I am not kidding about this. Get under the straps, the sun always burns worst right on the edge of the straps. I cannot afford to get burned."

Lynette crawled on to the bed behind Bree and ran her hands over Bree's back; she couldn't help but notice how tight Bree's muscles felt. "Oh Bree, you need a massage, I bet we could go get professional ones tomorrow." Lynette began pressing on the knots in Bree's back, and immediately felt the tension subsiding.

"I can not tell you how long it has been since someone has rubbed my back. That feels amazing." Bree leaned into Lynette's touch, and practically moaned. Lynette suddenly felt awkward, she felt so good making Bree feel so good. It seemed sinful, but she pushed her thoughts away and finished applying the lotion.

Lynette applied lotion to herself, and watched Bree cover the rest of her skin. They walked down to the pool area, and Bree pulled an umbrella over to a couple of chairs, while Lynette went to the bar and bought them each a pina colada in a coconut.

When Lynette returned she handed her drink to Bree and sat down. Bree had her lap covered with a towel. Lynette pulled it off of her and swatted her with it. "Don't be so modest, Bree, you are hot. Own it," Lynette teased.

Bree blushed, "You are so confident. I want to try to be more like you."

Lynette saw her friend as she never had before, as they sat together, sipping drinks- Lynette saw Bree's figurative walls being chipped away.

"Okay, your sunscreen has had enough time to kick in, now let's get in the water," Lynette jumped up.

Bree grudgingly got up from her position under the umbrella, and took a few tentative steps toward the pool. Lynette walked up behind her.

"Don't you dare push me in, Lynette. Last time, I got this close to a pool, I fell in."

"We'll jump in together," Lynette promised, and grabbed Bree's hand.

"Okay, when I'm ready," Bree shut her eyes.

"No, now!" Lynette shouted, as she jumped and pulled Bree in with a splash.

When they resurfaced, Bree started to yell at Lynette, but noticed two young guys were staring at them.

"That was hot!" the first guy said enthusiastically.

"Stay away from them, they aren't interested in you," the other guy cautioned as they got out of the pool. The first guy continued to stare at Lynette and Bree as he was walking away. "Whatdya mean by that? You don't think… they're into each other?" He asked his friend and laughed, just loud enough for a fuming Bree to hear.

Bree just stood next to Lynette with her mouth agape. Lynette shrugged, "well, we might as well get used to that kind of ogling and talk. It'll probably just get worse."

"How dare you pull me into the pool!" Bree yelled.

"Let it go, we were getting in anyway, and now we're in," Lynette swam away.

Within ten minutes Bree's skin was starting to turn red, within 20, it was burned. "This is great, Lynette, but I'm tired and burning, so I'm going up to take a nap," Bree said.

"Well, wait for me, I'm tired too," Lynette swam after Bree.

They went back up to their room, and Bree took off the bikini and stepped into the shower to rinse the chlorine out of her hair. She put on a complimentary bathrobe since she had no other clothes and got into the bed. Lynette showered and changed into a t-shirt and shorts, and followed.

"So are you still mad at me?" Lynette questioned.

"No, we don't have time to be mad at each other," Bree gushed.

"Good. I'm sorry I pushed you in the pool. Don't be upset, but I think we both have some control issues," Lynette said.

"Control issues are our strongest bond," Bree joked. They slept for an hour, and then went for dinner. Bree's skin was not bad; the sunscreen had worked for the most part.

After a delicious dinner, they took a walk along the beach. It was such a relaxed magical atmosphere. Both women felt younger, lighter and at peace. They stumbled upon an outdoor, beachfront bar. A sign reading "Free Shots, from 9-10" swung in the breeze. Inside music and shadows beckoned them in. Lynette and Bree looked at each other and giggled, before walking into the bar.

They took seats at the bar and were immediately served shots. The first round went down a little hard, but the second and third round were much better.   Lynette couldn't believe seated beside her was the same uptight woman from their Wisteria lane home. Bree couldn't believe she was wearing Lynette's clothes. The shots they were taking were incredibly strong and soon they were dancing with each other in the middle of the floor. When they both had had enough noise and alcohol, they walked into the cooler air and back down the beach to the hotel.

"That was so much fun! I haven't danced like that since college, when Rex and I would go out…" Bree trailed off for a moment in thought. Lynette comforted her, "Honey, its okay to mention him. It's okay for you to have fun."

Back at the hotel, Bree's mood had fallen at the thought of Rex, and Lynette felt exhausted. They changed back into their robes and crawled into the King size bed. Lynette whispered goodnight to Bree and fell asleep almost instantly. Bree stayed up and began to cry like she had since Rex died, and like she had sometimes before Rex died.

Lynette woke up a little while later to the sound of Bree's muffled sobs. Lynette knew why she was crying, but wasn't sure she wanted to be comforted. Begrudgingly, Lynette saddled up beside her, and pulled Bree close. "You can bite my shoulder, and I'll hold your hand now," Lynette offered referring to herself on the plane. Bree wordlessly turned and searched Lynette's eyes, and then she wrapped herself around her and continued to shake softly. Soon, in Lynette's arms, Bree's cries subsided; she gave a gentle sigh, and fell into a comfortable sleep for the first time in over a month.  

In the predawn light, the women were still clinging to each other. Bree's robe had fallen open and Lynette's hands were rubbing all over her body. Bree quietly moaned her mouth agape and pressed open against Lynette's neck. Lynette slowly came to, not realizing where she was or who she was with. She felt hair on her neck, and looked down at the red waves and bare translucent skin she was rubbing. She drew her hand away, and Bree opened her eyes. She peered up at Lynette who was out of focus and realized where she was. She felt hot, and excited. She sat up quickly and drew her robe closed.

Bree was out of breath, "What are we doing?" she whispered, stunned.

Lynette's throat felt very dry, "I think we were just…." Lynette didn't know how to finish that sentence.

"Lynette, I wouldn't… we didn't… you're not mad, are you?" Bree clutched the blanket up to her chest, as Lynette paced in front of the bed.

"No, I'm not mad… how did we end up like that? We weren't that drunk. The last thing I remember is you crying and then we fell asleep."

"I thought I was only dreaming about you," Bree admitted.

Lynette looked at Bree, and cocked her head, trying to wrap her head around what Bree was implying with her tone.

Lynette looked straight ahead and put it out there, "I'm really turned on right now." She could smell Bree on her hands, and she foggily remembered what her fingers had been doing.

Bree looked at her with a mix of desire and fear, "what do you want me to do about it?" She could barely ask the question, her voice was so husky, let alone think of the possible answer.

"I want you to touch me, like I was touching you," Lynette leaned on the bed.

Bree began breathing heavily. Lynette searched her eyes, and pounced on her. She kissed Bree hard and pulled open her robe. She pressed the full length of her body against Bree. Bree tugged Lynette's shirt over her head, and pressed their breasts together. They both moaned at the contact, which sent vibrations through their bodies.

Lynette began kissing Bree's neck and slid further down her body, to suck on her exposed breasts, and kiss her flat, tight stomach. The day before Lynette admired her friend's body beside the pool, and today she was a first hand participant in it. She loved the way Bree's muscles quivered under her touch, and the left hot trails of sensation wherever Bree touched her.

Bree decided to take control of the situation and rolled Lynette over on the bed. She looked Lynette right in the eye as she straddled her and licked her fingers before sliding them down her stomach and through the tangle of blonde hair at the apex of her thighs. Bree licked her lips as she twisted her fingers into Lynette. She leaned down and spread Lynette's thighs with her other hand. She held her fingers inside Lynette, as she begged her for more contact. Bree kissed the insides of her thighs, and then flicked Lynette's clit with her tongue. She began a steady rhythm with her tongue and fingers. Lynette's thighs clenched around Bree's head, and she came hard and quick. Bree kept the motion up until she felt Lynette go slack under her. She pulled herself up Lynette's body and settled in beside her. Kissing her arm and fingers languidly as Lynette recovered from her orgasm.

Lynette looked at her with wonder, and between shallow breaths said, "Where on earth did you learn to do that, Bree Van De Kamp?"

Bree smiled shyly and teased, "I'm very good with my hands."

"And your tongue," Lynette chimed in, still in disbelief of what had just happened.

"So are you hungry. I say we get dressed and go have some breakfast." Bree's demeanor had changed, but her genuine smile remained.

Lynette was jogged back to reality, "oh, okay. Breakfast."

They spent the day like newlyweds on their honeymoon. They went shopping, spent time on the beach; touching frequently, not concerned about being seen or the consequences that would await them back in suburbia. Bree's luggage was delivered to the hotel that evening, which made her extremely happy. Despite receiving her one piece swimsuit, she wore Lynette's blue bikini that night when they took an after hours dip in the pool, and soon she wore nothing at all with Lynette in the Jacuzzi in their room.

That night there were no tears, when they finally got to sleep after several rounds of lovemaking. Bree felt the empty spot in her heart fill, when Lynette told her how much she wanted to be with her. Bree delighted in how easy and fun it was to make Lynette come, and how easily she, herself had been able to come with Lynette on top of her. It had never been that way with Rex.

Lynette felt pangs of guilt when she phoned Tom to check in. She hadn't trusted him in Hawaii with that woman, and now it was really him who shouldn't have trusted her with her friend. She knew he would never ever suspect she had cheated on him, especially with Bree. She knew this, so it made it easy to lie to him. She sat at the desk listening to Tom talk about the boys, but she was looking at Bree slumbering naked in the tangled sheets.

Bree didn't think about Rex, she was consumed by Lynette. She couldn't bear to equate her dead husband with her new lover. For the first time, Bree was going on her gut instinct and feelings instead of what had been drilled into her head as right and wrong. She felt loved, playful, fulfilled and safe with Lynette. She didn't know where these feelings were headed or how long they would last.

The flight home was melancholy and Bree held Lynette as they took off, but the action had different meaning. Lynette felt less motion sick and more emotionally sick.   On the way home, they talked about what they both wanted, and what level of intimacy was possible to maintain.  They decided to make the most of the time they had together.

"I think I finally understand what 'letting go' means," Bree said as she stroked Lynette's hair.

"Yeah, I think you succeeded in your goal of trying new things," Lynette joked, leaning on Bree's shoulder.

"I did, didn't I?" Bree sighed. Her walls had finally crumbled.