Into the Dark

by Sharon Smith

 


Disclaimers:

This is an alternative uber story. The characters are my own. They just look and sometimes act like characters that belong to RenPics and USA Studios.

General Disclaimer:

This fiction is about professional musicians, so yes, there will be sex, drugs and maybe even some rock & roll every once in a while. I really don't think I need to say much more than that, but I will, just in case…

Adult Subject Matter:

One of the main characters deals with an addiction, one that causes her to hit rock bottom and do things that may make some people uncomfortable.

Love/Sex Disclaimer:

This story features consensual sexual relationships between adult women, some implied m/f relations, and a bit of BDSM. (Not a whole heck of a lot, but just enough to warrant the disclaimer). There's nothing extremely explicit. If this bothers you, is illegal in the state you live or you are under the age of 18, find something else to read. There are loads of general stories out there in the Xenaverse.

Language:

Again, these characters are in the music business so, yes, there is some bad language. UberX seems to want to have a foul mouth for some reason. I don't know where it's coming from cause I really don't curse often, except when I'm at work. Actually, I did happen to write some (okay, most) of this there.

Violence:

Yep, there be a bit of violence in this fiction. Nothing gory though.

Hurt/Comfort:

Got me some of that here too.

Music Business Knowledge:

I can't claim I know very much about the business, so if any of this seems terribly out there to you, it probably is. I do know how to play the drums though, so I can tell you about that.

Many thanks to kas, Yolanda, Peace, Rainne, Denise, Kevin and the pups for beta reading this baby for me. Thank you to Peggy for supplying me with the name of the band, and to Missy Good for giving me permission to use Tropical Storm- the book, in a small part of the story.

Any comments can be sent to: Sasmithhalestorm@gmail.com


Part 4

Chapter 10

The rest of the day was spent in relative quietness. Rebecca told Jordanna about the circumstances that lead to Cindy's conception. She was on a two day assignment for the magazine, and the popular singer sweet talked her into going out to a bar on an off night, where he fed her tequila after tequila. He took a very drunk Rebecca back to his hotel room, and they spent the night having wild sex. She found out a month later that she was pregnant. David never suspected a thing.

After a relieved Rebecca finished spilling her guts to the drummer about Evan, they made love again in the early afternoon; this time the glowing reporter was much less inhibited. Afterward, they lay in each other's arms cuddling and talking more, until they both fell asleep for a little catnap. When they awoke, the snow had tapered off, leaving a 29" mess in its wake.

Jordanna went outside to try to shovel a bit of the driveway- at least enough to allow access to and from the house until the snow removal service could get there. Rebecca offered to help but Jordanna promptly refused, suggesting that the reporter use the time to rest and work on her article.

Rebecca placed a call to John to fill him in on the progress she was making, telling him that she was at Jordanna's house and they were indeed bonding, like he had joked when he first told her of the assignment. Of course, she didn't quite tell him how much they had bonded. She made herself a cup of tea while Jordanna was outside and set out to work on her trusty laptop. Except the words didn't come. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see her new lover shoveling snow in her tight jeans, sweater, construction boots, hat, and big, bulky jacket. "Well this just ain't happening," she said to herself, closing out her file and putting her laptop away. "I think she needs some help." Running up the stairs, you never would have been able to tell the perky woman had a serious hangover when she woke that morning. She headed for her room to change into something warm. She realized she was not properly prepared for a snowstorm, so she decided to raid the drummer's closet for a sweatshirt to wear.

As she grabbed a sweatshirt out of Jordanna's closet, she accidentally knocked over a metal box that was on a shelf above the drummer's clothes. The loud thunk caught her by surprise. "You're such a freaking klutz, Rebecca," she said out loud. "Look at the mess you made." Looking down she noticed various photos all over the floor. Bending down to pick everything up, she got a better look at the photos. One shot was of a very young Jordanna at Christmas time, all smiles, with a man and women, who the reporter assumed, were her parents. She turned the photo over to see if there was anything written on it. There was. It said Thomas, Patricia & Julia- Christmas 1979. Flipping through the rest of them, she noticed that that was the only one she had with her family. The next few ones were of a teenage Jordanna, standing in the arms of an African American man. "Who could that be?" She flipped the photo over to see if there was an inscription on it but there was none. She also picked up a folded old flyer, yellow from age, from a club called the Dollhouse featuring a stripper named 'Blue' that danced there. The final thing she picked up off the floor was a ripped newspaper clipping, also yellow from age, from the late 1980's. BRENTWOOD MAN KILLED IN DRUG RELATED GANG HIT. "Why would she save all this stuff?" Shrugging her shoulders when nobody answered her question, she put all the items back in the box and put it where she found it.

She quietly slipped outside without the drummer noticing her. 'Brrrr, it's cold' she thought. Ooh, heavy, wet snow… perfect for snowballs. Picking up a handful of snow, she formed it into a nice sized snowball and nailed the drummer in the back with it.

"What in the hell?" the drummer screamed, turning around to see her lover's innocent smile. "Oh, you'll pay for that one," she said, as she dove her hands into the snow and took off after Rebecca. Catching up to her with no problem at all, she grabbed the back of the reporter's shirt and dumped the snow down her back. "Aaaahhhh," Rebecca screamed, pulling the sweatshirt away from her body to let the snow fall to the ground. "You… you are gonna get it for that one."

"What did I do?" Jordanna laughed. "You started it. So, come on, Rebecca… let's get wet," she said with a wink.

"Okay," the reporter said, running and jumping on top of the drummer, knocking them both into the snow. "I've got you right where I wanted you," she purred into the dark-haired woman's ear. Jordanna used her body weight to flip them over so she was now on top. She leaned down and captured the reporter's cold, yet very warm lips with her own. "Whew, I think we melted quite a bit of snow here," the drummer said after breaking off the kiss.

"Hey, you wanna build a snowman?" the reporter asked jokingly.

The question brought back memories of the drummer's youth. Building a snowman was a ritual for the Smith household whenever it snowed. A young Julia and her father would go outside and build a snowman and have snowball fights. Everybody's 'Leave it to Beaver' fantasy childhood.

Rebecca walked over to the drummer and put her cold hand on Jordanna's arm. "Jordanna? Are you okay? You look about a million miles away. Talk to me, Jordanna… please. Don't shut me out."

"Just thinking back to my childhood, something I haven't thought about it an long time." Jordanna shook her head and pulled the reporter's ungloved hands into her own, rubbing them with her own for warmth. "You must be freezing, let's go inside."

**

Jordanna built a fire in the den after they both changed out of their wet clothing. She had never enjoyed being snowed in as much as she did now, with Rebecca at the house with her. The endless options of things to do made the dark woman smile wickedly. But it was just the reporter's presence that soothed her hard soul. Being around Rebecca made her heart sing, made her feel more alive than she had felt in years. She realized that this is exactly how she wanted to live. To do that meant letting down her guard and telling Rebecca the truth about her past, something she wasn't sure if she could do. She didn't know if she could handle the pain of someone else's rejection. Especially from the woman that she had grown to love.

Deal with that later, just enjoy your time with Rebecca while you can.

"You want to go a round of pool?" Jordanna asked, remembering what it felt like to 'teach' the young woman how to play the night at the bar in Cleveland. This would be a lot more fun with just the two of them.

A smile played across the reporter's lips. "Sure, I don't know if I remember how to play, but I'll try. You can always show me again, can't you?" she said suggestively.

Handing a pool stick to the reporter, Jordanna stood behind her and whispered "I'd be delighted to teach you anything. You are a mighty fine student," she said giving the reporter a quick smack on the butt. "Now let's see if we can make this interesting, hmm? How about each ball we sink the other removes a piece of clothing."

Rebecca slapped her on the arm. "Hey, do you think that is fair? I'll be completely naked and you'll be fully clothed in that case!"

Jordanna laughed and raised a mischievous brow. "And that would be a bad thing? Listen, I'll go easy on you."

Rebecca looked the drummer up and down. "Plus, you've got more clothing on than me," she said, grabbing hold of the drummer's black leather vest. Jordanna began to take the vest off but Rebecca stopped her. "No don't yet, I like the vest. Just…um, the shirt goes with it when it's time to take it off, okay? Fair is fair."

"Okay, you got it. I lose the vest and shirt at the same time." She likes me in vests? I'll have to wear them more often from now on.

"Oh and Jordanna?" Rebecca made the stakes higher. "Not only should we remove a piece of clothing but we should do a shot of something hard, too."

The drummer blinked in response. Even after yesterday? "Do you think that is wise after yesterday?" she asked her, a bit concerned. "You did spend most of the morning on your knees in the bathroom in case you forgot."

"Don't most drunks not get hangovers cause they just keep drinking?" Rebecca joked and then walked over to the bar. She looked at her choices and grabbed an unopened bottle of Jack Daniels. "Believe me, I couldn't forget that if I wanted to," she said with a smile. "Where do you keep the shot glasses?"

"Rebecca, I don't think this is a very good idea."

Rebecca rolled her eyes at her lover. She held out her hands. "Shot glasses?"

"Oh, all right." Jordanna walked to the bar, grabbed two shot glasses that were on the top shelf and washed them. "They're a little dusty," she admitted. "Jack Daniels is pretty nasty stuff, you may want to pick something different. Wine and whiskey are not quite the same."

"Do you drink Jack Daniels?" the reporter questioned.

"Yeah, sometimes."

Rebecca smiled and gave the drummer a quick kiss. "Then that's what I'm drinking, okay?"

Jordanna shrugged her shoulders, giving in to the reporter. "I think that you just want to get me drunk and take advantage of me," she said with a grin.

"And what if I do?"

Jordanna wrapped her arms around Rebecca's waist. "Then I consider myself a very lucky woman. Now let's play." The raven-haired woman racked the balls. "You want to break?"

Running her fingers through her strawberry blonde hair, Rebecca smiled nervously. "Nah, why don't you do it." Noticing that she seemed nervous, Jordanna walked over to her and put her hand on her shoulder. "There's nothing to be nervous about. It's just a game of pool… if you don't want to play we don't have to. Or we could forget about the terms of the game if it makes you uncomfortable."

Blushing slightly, Rebecca turned and looked into Jordanna's eyes with desire. "I do want to play…with you, so break them balls blue eyes. Oh, and try not to move the table, okay?"

The drummer loved the way Rebecca looked when she blushed. "I'll try, but I can't promise anything of the sort," she said as she made the break. "You're up first."

As usual, Rebecca scratched the ball. It landed on the floor next to one of the four stereo systems Jordanna had in the house. "Uh, sorry…I'm a little rusty."

The drummer walked over to her, took her by the hand and escorted her to the table. "Here, try again." She wrapped herself around the reporter's body, and guided her shot, which she sank. "See, you just needed a little coaching." She walked over and grabbed her stick to make her shot.

Rebecca cleared her throat. "Excuse me… aren't you forgetting something?" the reporter said, handing her a shot glass and bending down to remove one of Jordanna's boots. The drummer's eyes twinkled. This is going to be fun.

A while later, Jordanna was down to her undergarments and her black jeans. Rebecca was in her denim shirt and undergarments. "Thissss isss sssoo much fun Jordanna. You look ssssooo goodff like that," she said as she nibbled on the drummer's neck.

With a pleased sigh, Jordanna brought Rebecca's hand to her mouth and kissed her fingers. "I think you've had enough to drink lover, you're slurring."

"I am not ssslurring," Rebecca pouted. "Besssides, you are here to take care of me. I trusst you."

You trust me, but I don't. "Rebecca, I don't want to do anything that we might regret tomorrow."

"I guesss you fforgot about thisss morning already then?" the reporter teased, pretending to be hurt.

Jordanna's eyes widened. She didn't quite catch the humor in her lover's voice and she thought that she had made it clear how she felt about Rebecca when she told her that she loved her. "NO! I could never forget that, it was the most beautiful thing ever to happen to me. I thought that you knew that I felt that way?"

The reporter placed wet kisses on Jordanna's collarbone. "I'm jussst kidding with you, gorgeous. I know it was hard for you to tell me you loved me. It means sso much to me. You mean sso much to me."

Jordanna couldn't resist the onslaught of passion the reporter was torturing her with. She bent down and slowly brought her lips to the young woman's. In no time, Rebecca had worked her tongue inside the drummer's mouth. Their tongues danced until they couldn't breathe any longer. Jordanna broke the kiss. "Your turn. Let's finish this game," she said, her voice filled with desire. Her eyes were blazing, and she was breathing heavily.

"I ttthink that you are letting me win this game, my big bad drummer," the reporter said, unbuttoning the drummer's jeans and slowly sliding them down her long legs. She kissed the insides of Jordanna's thighs. "So beautiful."

Jordanna closed her eyes as she felt the kisses. Her legs were getting weak. "In this game, it's a win-win situation for both of us, don't you think?" Stepping out of her jeans, she walked over to the table. With extreme incentive, she had no problem sinking the shot.

"Come over here," she demanded. Rebecca was by her side in no time. Slowly, she began to unbutton the reporter's denim shirt. Losing her patience when it took too long, she ripped it open, buttons flying everywhere. "I'll buy you a new one," she said with a shrug- breathless at the sight of the reporter in her forest green silk bra and panties. Her hands went straight for Rebecca's breasts and she pinched her nipples through the silk. Rebecca's breath caught. "Mmm. Oh, yeah." Jordanna kissed the bare skin between the reporter's breasts. "You taste so damn good, Rebecca."

Rebecca turned suddenly and walked to the table, making each stride more seductive than the last. "My turn," she said, as she stuck her tongue out at the drummer.

Right as she was going to make the shot the drummer jumped up on the table and eased herself down by the pocket that Rebecca needed to sink the ball. "Focus on your target," she purred. Jordanna had black lace panties and a form fitting, see through black camisole on, complete with spaghetti straps. It showed off every curve of her body. Her long black hair hung down and clung to her skin in strands due to the light sheen of sweat that had already formed on her body. Rebecca couldn't take her eyes off of her. All she wanted to do was touch and taste every inch of the drummer.

Rebecca propped the stick on the ground, leaning on it. The sight before her eyes sobered her up quickly. "Why are you making this so damn hard, Jordanna? How the hell am I supposed to make the shot with you distracting me like that?"

Jordanna got up onto her knees and straddled the pocket. "C'mon, all you have to do is get the little ballie through my legs and in the hole."

"That's all I have to do, huh?" Rebecca said as she climbed on the table and lay down on her stomach. She inched herself as close to the drummer as she could, strategically placing herself between Jordanna's legs. Intentionally running the stick lightly between the dark woman's legs, she made the shot. Aroused by the sound of the drummer's moans, she pulled Jordanna to her and slid her hands slowly up the drummer's stomach, stopping just short of her camisole. She smiled and wiggled her eyebrows before she let the tall woman's breasts free of their confinement. "Come to mama," she said before she took one into her mouth.

The drummer burst out laughing. "Come to mama? You're drunk, Rebecca."

Rebecca ignored the outburst and kept at her task, only stopping for a moment to look Jordanna in the eye. "You want me to stop?"

The dark-haired woman thrust her breasts back at Rebecca immediately. "No, no, don't want that …go back to mama!"

With the two of them still on the table, it was Jordanna's turn. "C'mon mama, my turn." She held out her hand and helped the young woman off the table. Rebecca began tickling the drummer. "I'm winning!"

Jordanna wriggled herself free from the young woman's grasp. "You haven't won just yet," she responded as she made her shot. The ball made its way down the table slowly and went in its intended pocket.

She vaulted over to the reporter and pointed to her bra. "Off!" Rebecca took the hint and unhooked it slowly while Jordanna watched. The dark woman's eyes closed when she caught sight of Rebecca's supple breasts, feeling an instant jolt of desire shoot right to her center. "Oh God, Rebecca, you make me so hot. I want you so bad."

"Patience is a virtue, my drummer," Rebecca said, moving out of the reach of Jordanna's playful hands. Looking out the window Rebecca noticed a couple half covered in snow, trying to walk their dog. They were looking directly into the house. "Oh...my…god."

"Wha.. What's the matter?" Jordanna quickly moved across the room to see what had upset the reporter. A wicked grin eased its way onto her face when she saw what had startled Rebecca.

"Let 'em watch. Maybe they will learn something." She eased herself behind the reporter making it a point to rub her hardened nipples against Rebecca's back, and began nibbling on her neck and caressing her breasts. "C'mon, let the exhibitionist in you shine."

"Buh..."

Jordanna laughed. "But what? Let's finish this game and give the nice little family a little thrill in the process." She escorted her very embarrassed lover to the window with her and began placing wet kisses on her breasts. "You know you want to."

"You are an animal, Jordanna Fox!" Rebecca squealed. The drummer got on her knees and began pulling Rebecca's panties down with her teeth. "Arrghrrooo!" she said with a growl.

Rebecca was silent for a moment. "Hey wait, I thought we were going to finish the game. You cheated."

Grabbing the reporter by the hand, Jordanna led her back to the pool table. "If you insist that we must finish this..." She grabbed her stick and sank the last three balls left on the table with one shot. "We won. Now let's give them that show."

A few hours later, the tired couple woke up in each other's arms in Jordanna's bed. Hazy green eyes looked into clear blue ones. "Hey beautiful, how are you feeling?" the drummer said, placing a kiss on the reporter's forehead.

Rebecca closed her eyes and moaned. "Other than this throbbing headache, I feel great. You?" The dark-haired woman pulled her into her arms and smiled brilliantly, thinking about their all night adventure that took them from in front of the window, to the pool table, the kitchen for a quick snack and finally ending the night in Jordanna's bed. "I've never felt better." Jordanna started to untangle herself from Rebecca to get up. "Let me get you some coffee."

The reporter draped her arm across Jordanna's stomach and stopped her. "No, don't move. I'm very comfortable in this position." Lying there in her lover's arms, Rebecca remembered what they had done in front of the window. "I can't believe you made me do that."

"Do what, love?" Jordanna asked, unsure of what Rebecca was talking about.

Rebecca blushed. "You know. The window, us, bare skin, tongues and hands everywhere, those people watching."

"Oh…that." Jordanna chuckled and contemplated whether she should let her lover off the hook so quickly. Running her hands through Rebecca's mussed hair, she decided that she would. "You know, Rebecca."

"Hmmm?" the reporter purred, relaxing into Jordanna's soothing touch.

"First of all, I didn't MAKE you do that. And the second thing is that we can see out of the windows of this house, but you can't see into the house," she said with a laugh. "So I don't know what they were looking at, but it wasn't us."

Rebecca sat up. "What?!! You're telling me that they didn't see us?"

"Don't sound so disappointed, my little exhibitionist. I think that you got into the idea of someone watching us. Admit it oh modest one," the drummer teased. "The show at Madison Square Garden might be an option. We could always make love on the stage in front of twenty thousand people. Just think, the spotlight shining down on us, our sweat soaked bodies sliding against each other… I certainly wouldn't object."

That got her a hard slap on the arm. "You are so bad, Jordanna. I think that's why I love you so much." Jordanna pulled her up for a kiss. "Mmmm…. If you keep kissing me like that, I just might take you up on your idea," the reporter happily admitted.

Chapter 11

'… Skandalouz, she's so skandalouz…'

The drummer was singing to the tune of Tupac Shakur, nervously banging and tapping on the steering wheel of the 3000GT as they headed West on the Long Island Expressway.

'…She got a body make a motherfucker fantasize…' the drummer continued singing the tune.

Rebecca noticed the drummer's nervousness. "Jordanna, calm down. She'll love you."

"I'm not nervous," Jordanna said, tapping away.

Rebecca laughed. "Yes, yes you are… stop tapping like that. You're making me nervous."

'…I don't know where we're going but she's makin' me come…' the drummer sang, turning her head to wiggle her eyebrows at the reporter.

"That's disgusting, Jordanna," the reporter said, although she had to admit she enjoyed hearing her lover sing such provocative lyrics.

Jordanna pleaded her innocence. "Hey, I didn't write the song."

Rebecca laughed. "You know, listening to these lyrics, it's no wonder you think rap is good to…'uh… dance' to. You're such a pervert."

"You wouldn't have me any other way though, would you?" the drummer replied suggestively.

"Nope, I wouldn't," Rebecca chuckled. "You are so full of yourself. You are nervous though, don't try to change the subject."

"Why? Because I'm singing and drumming on the steering wheel? Rebecca, I think that you forget that I'm a drummer. I've written some of my best songs this way." She turned to glance quickly at the reporter. "Do you really think she'll like me?"

Smiling, Rebecca tried to comfort the drummer. "Her mother does, why shouldn't she?"

Being an only child, Jordanna had never been around many young children in her life, and wasn't sure if she would be comfortable around Rebecca's daughter. She never thought about having children of her own. In her mind, it was never really an option. Why was it so important for her to be able to win over the heart of a child she didn't know? She's Rebecca's, that's why.

The drummer took Rebecca's hand in her own and kissed it. "You always know what to say to me to make me feel better. Okay, you are going to have to navigate from here," she said as they emerged from the Queens/Midtown Tunnel and headed into New York City.

"Okay, it's not that far from here. Just take this straight to 5th." Watching the streets go by, Rebecca told the drummer that she would have to make a right at the next block, which is where her ex-husband lived. "There's a spot over there," Rebecca said, pointing to a parking spot a Mercedes had just vacated seconds before. The drummer backed the 3000GT in with little room to spare. "Now you know why I like Long Island, you don't really have to worry about parallel parking there," she said with a flash of her crooked smile.

After getting out of the car and putting some change in the parking meter, Jordanna felt her stomach start acting up. Why am I so nervous? "Did you tell David that I was coming?" the drummer asked.

"I told him I was bringing a guest, yes…. I just didn't tell him it was you. Beware, they are both fans of the band so they may get all star struck on you." Rebecca warned. "Although, I guess you must be used to that by now," she added.

Jordanna had been thinking about something she thought would be important to discuss before they actually went into the apartment. "Rebecca?"

Rebecca stopped, turned around and caught sight of her tall, dark lover. God, she is beautiful. "Hmm?"

"Have you decided what you want to tell them about us?" she asked. Not sure she really wanted to hear the answer to her question, she looked away and began to absent-mindedly play with a button on her leather jacket.

The reporter cleared her throat. "What do you want to tell them?"

Jordanna looked into Rebecca's soul searching green eyes. "I…I want you to tell them the truth." Taking the reporter's hand in hers, she told her exactly what it was she wanted. "I want you to tell them that we are together, Rebecca. That we… love… each other," she said, looking at the reporter expectantly.

Rebecca was more than surprised. "You do?"

Jordanna brushed her lips over the top of Rebecca's head. "Yeah, I do."

Rebecca was silent for quite a while, trying to digest what the drummer had just said.

Jordanna didn't know how to feel about the reporter's silence. "Rebecca… I'd, well, I'd understand if you want to back out of this."

The reporter was confused about what Jordanna had said. Is this her way of getting out of the relationship? She looked away from the drummer to keep her from seeing the tears that were forming in her eyes.

Jordanna put her hand on the reporter's face, turning it so she could look at her. She couldn't help but notice the tears. "Rebecca? What's wrong?"

Rebecca looked up at her. "Do you want out of this relationship, Jordanna? Please, tell me the truth."

"NO!" the drummer immediately said.

Rebecca looked down at the ground. "It's just, well… what you said about backing out of the relationship before."

Jordanna broke out into a smile. "I only said that cause I thought maybe that's what you wanted. It's not what I want at all."

The reporter let out the breath that she was holding in. Forgetting that they were in the hall in front of her ex-husband's apartment, she threw herself around the drummer. Before she knew it, they were engaged in a tongue clashing, passionate kiss.

An older man started to walk out of the apartment across the hall, but he saw them, and he turned around and went back into the apartment. The sound of the door slamming brought them both out of the sensual haze they were in. "Did somebody see us?" the reporter asked, laughing.

A wicked smile grew on the drummer's face. "I think so. I told you that you were into the exhibitionist thing."

Knocking on the door of her ex's apartment, Rebecca decided to dispute the statement. "I am not."

"You are…." The door opened and David stood there, mouth open upon seeing the unknown guest his ex had mentioned she was bringing.

"…too." Jordanna finished.

Rebecca and Jordanna walked through the door and into the apartment. "Dave, you can close your mouth now, it's very unattractive," the reporter teased.

"But, that's…"

The drummer interrupted him by holding out her hand for him to shake. "Jordanna Fox. Nice to meet you, David."

"Mom-my!" Cindy shrieked as she ran through the room and jumped into her mother's open arms. "I missed you mommy."

Rebecca spun her daughter around and gave her a bunch of little kisses. "I missed you too, pipsqueak."

Cindy looked at Jordanna for a few seconds. "I just saw you on MTV. You're in a video on a horse." Rebecca let her daughter down on the floor. "Mommy, she's on MTV," the little girl said, pointing to the drummer.

Rebecca explained the situation to Cindy. "That's right honey, she's a drummer in a rock band. Mommy is touring with the band so I can write an article on her. I'm staying at her house right now." Turning to Jordanna, she introduced her young daughter to her lover. "Cindy, this is Jordanna Fox."

"Hi J…Jor," Cindy said, unable to pronounce the drummer's name.

Jordanna smiled. "You can call me J or Jor."

Cindy walked up to the drummer. "Okay J..Jor. Can you come color with me?" Rebecca was about to protest when Jordanna picked Cindy up. "I'd love to color with you. Lead the way," she said. Rebecca caught her eye and smiled as Cindy was telling her which room to go into.

David joined the reporter in the living room taking a seat next to her on the couch, anxious to ask Rebecca about her guest. "What are you doing hanging out with her, Beck? She's not at all like the press makes her out to be. Did I hear you say you were staying with her right now? I wish Anna were home to meet her. She's working nights this week."

"David… slow down, you're making my head spin."

He kept babbling. "I mean, it's just, how often do you have someone as famous as Jordanna Fox in your house, you know?" He shook his head. "Wow."

Rebecca smiled. "Yeah wow… and don't worry about Anna, she will get the chance to meet her…" she slipped. "And believe me, as far as her personality goes, Jordanna wasn't the easiest person to get along with when I first met her. In fact, we didn't get along very well at all."

"What do you mean by that?" David turned and looked at her. "What changed things?"

Uh oh. "I don't know. We just realized we had more in common than we originally thought." Much more in common… "I'm staying with her so I can finish my article on her for the magazine, so Anna will probably have the chance to meet her."

They could hear giggling coming from Cindy's room. "I see Cindy already put a claim on her," David said, laughing.

"She was pretty nervous about meeting her," Rebecca told her ex husband.

He seemed stunned by that. "Why would she be nervous about that?" he inquired.

Should I tell him? Not yet. "She's not used to being around kids, David."

Cindy and her pet horsie came riding into the living room. The little girl jumped off of Jordanna's back and ran up to her mother. "Can you and Jor stay for dinner tonight? Pleeeeease?"

Rebecca looked at Jordanna to see her reaction. "How about we all go out and get something to eat, my treat," the drummer suggested.

"Can we Daddy?" the little girl asked her father.

David wasn't about to disappoint his daughter, or say no to have dinner with Jordanna Fox, for that matter. "Let me get our coats."

They all climbed into the GT, with Jordanna in the driver's seat and David in the front passenger seat. Cindy and Rebecca sat in the back, because they were the smallest of the group, and would fit more comfortably in the tight space there. "Sorry, we should've brought the Pathfinder… I wasn't thinking," the drummer apologized. "You two okay back there?"

Rebecca looked into the rear view mirror into Jordanna's eyes. "We're just fine."

"So," the drummer said before she backed out of the spot. "Where do we want to go?"

Cindy voiced her opinion. "Jekyll and Hyde's!"

"Okay, Jekyll and Hyde's it is. You just have to tell me where it is."

"Have you ever been there, Jordanna?" the reporter asked with a smirk. "It's um… interesting to say the least."

"Nope… how interesting could it be?"

"You'll see."

The four of them had a peaceful dinner at Jekyll and Hyde's, if you could call eating there peaceful. Cindy was having a ball with all the special effects that they had at the theme restaurant, and found it especially funny when one of the ghoul waiters came up behind the drummer and was pretending to be picking bugs out of her hair and eating them. Even Rebecca got a good laugh at that, but more from the look of embarrassment on the drummer's face than from what was actually going on. Jordanna fought the uncontrollable urge to break the ghoul's arm, not doing so only after seeing of the look of sheer delight in the child's eyes.

Having their fill of talking gargoyles, tacky "B' horror movie skits and screaming masks hanging on the wall behind them, they piled in the 3000GT for the ride back to David's apartment. Sitting in the front with the drummer, David couldn't stop questioning her about music and her life on the road. Answering his questions as politely and as best as she could, Jordanna shot Rebecca a look in the rearview mirror. David couldn't help but notice the looks that were exchanged by the two women throughout the meal.

Sitting in Rebecca's arms in the back of the car, Cindy was talking non-stop about all the crazy things that they saw at the restaurant, making it known how funny she thought the ghoul was. "Mommy, I like Jor a lot. It was funny when that person was picking bugs out of her hair. Can she come color with me again?" the child asked.

Rebecca looked at the drummer to see if she had heard the comment. When she saw the huge smile break out on the ebony-haired woman's face, she knew she had. "I'm glad you like her honey, so do I. You have to ask her if she would like to color with you again," the reporter said, while twirling her daughter's dark curls around her finger.

Cindy climbed forward and maneuvered herself in between the front seats. "Mommy said she likes you, Jor. So do I. I asked her if you would color with me again and she said to ask you. Will you?"

Blushing slightly at the child's innocent comment, Jordanna turned her head quickly and ruffled Cindy's hair. "I would love to color again with you anytime, honey."

"Good, I'm glad," Cindy exclaimed.

"How would you guys feel about coming to the show at the Garden Wednesday night, backstage passes, the works? You think it would be okay for Cindy to see the band live?" the drummer asked, glancing in the mirror to look at her lover.

"YEAH! Can I Mommy?" the child asked, giving her the puppy dog eyed look.

Rebecca smiled directly into the blue eyes looking at her in the mirror. "I don't see why not baby, what do you think, Dave?"

David was wondering if that invite would include Anna. "That would be great. Would it be a problem to bring Anna, too?" he asked the drummer hesitantly.

"Not at all," the drummer replied, glancing quickly at her lover's ex husband. She realized he was pleasant looking and seemed like an okay guy, but couldn't picture the reporter being married to the man. "Rebecca told me about her. She was included in the invite."

"Cool, thanks. She will be upset when I tell her about tonight but that should make her happy."

"You can pick up the tickets and passes at the 'will call' booth about an hour before the show. They will be waiting for you," she said, while she was backing the car into a parking spot not far from the apartment.

Rebecca hugged and kissed her daughter goodnight in the doorway, and smiled when Cindy jumped into Jordanna's arms and kissed her too. "Night, Jor. Night, Mommy."

**

The two women made popcorn and picked out a movie to watch when they got home. "I told you she'd love you, Jordanna," Rebecca said as she fed her lover popcorn. The reporter was sitting on the floor, her back leaning against the couch. Jordanna was slouched between the reporter's legs, propped up against Rebecca's chest.

Jordanna finished chewing her popcorn before answering. "Yeah, I'm glad, too, Rebecca. I was a little nervous for a while there, but I think you noticed that, huh?"

Rebecca laughed. "Just a bit."

"She really is a sweetheart, Rebecca. You done good with her," she said, accepting more popcorn from the reporter. Jordanna turned around when Rebecca didn't say anything. The reporter had tears streaming down her face. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?"

"You mean David's done good with her, Jordanna, not me."

Jordanna wiped a tear from Rebecca's cheek. "No, I mean you've done good with her, not David."

Rebecca got up quickly, and Jordanna nearly landed on her back on the floor. "How can you say that, Jordanna? Don't you see? I chose my career over my own daughter. I couldn't take care of her on my own because I'm not home often, so I left her with a man who is not her real father!"

"You did what you thought was right, baby."

"That doesn't mean it was right, Jor. I could have quit my job and gotten a 9-5 job… but I chose not to. World's Greatest Mom of the year award I will never win."

The drummer stood up and pulled Rebecca into her arms. "Stop beating yourself up, baby. What's important is the fact that you love your daughter, and she is living in a loving home with people who care deeply about her. That's more than a lot of people have."

"It's all a lie though…" Rebecca managed to get out through the tears.

If anyone knew anything about lies and deception, it was Jordanna. She kissed the reporter on the top of her head and put her arm around her shoulder, walking her back over to the couch. "Shhh, baby… let it out, okay? I'm here for you."

After Rebecca calmed down, they sat comfortably watching "Fried Green Tomatoes," a movie in which each of the two women had seen more than once. They relaxed as the questionably romantic tale of Idgie & Ruth played out across the television screen, and Jordanna felt Rebecca hold on to her tight as the young reporter cried… again… after the death of one of the characters.

"I know that's going to happen, but I still cry anyway every time I watch the movie," the reporter admitted.

"Mmm, I know what you mean." Unshed tears glistened in Jordanna's eyes, as she thought about the movie, the woman that had her arms wrapped tightly around her waist and losing someone you love more than life itself.

She would want to die right along with that person.

**

Jordanna woke up, her body screaming at her. She realized that they must have fallen asleep watching the movie. She turned around and looked at Rebecca, surprised to see green eyes looking at her. "Good morning," the drummer said, brushing a quick kiss on the reporter's cheek. "Why didn't you wake me?"

Rebecca ruffled the top of Jordanna's hair before kissing it. "You looked so peaceful like that, I didn't have the heart to."

"Mmmm," the drummer sighed, content to be in Rebecca's arms. "The soundcheck starts at 2:00 today."

"I know. That means we have to get up, don't we?"

"Yeah, as much as I don't want to, it does." The dark woman lifted her lover's arm off of her stomach and tried to untangle herself from their haven. Rebecca held her in place.

Jordanna turned and looked at her. "You know, we really should get up."

Rebecca rolled over and yawned. "I don't wanna, though."

The drummer pushed herself off the floor and went into the bathroom. "Neither do I, but I've got a show to do… and you, my farm girl, have a date with a needle today."

"You have a date too, don't forget our deal," the reporter said, following Jordanna into the bathroom and circling her arms around the tall woman's waist. The drummer pulled Rebecca closer and leaned down to kiss her. "Mmm… how could I forget something like that? Now we better get moving."

**

Rebecca walked up to the tattoo/piercing building hesitantly, frowning at the sight of the painting of a huge skull on the front. Jordanna put her hand on the reporter's back and gently guided her through the door. "Get your butt in there. You're not backing out on me now."

"Can I help you?" The owner of the store greeted them in all of his colorful splendor.

"Yikes," Rebecca whispered to the drummer, after observing that there wasn't an inch of his real skin color showing, not even on his face. The man had piercings in every visible crevice of his body, and the reporter didn't even want to think about what could be hidden under his clothing. She turned and looked at her smirking lover, who was enjoying Rebecca's changing facial expressions as she noticed each different thing about the man.

Jordanna waited for her lover to answer and spoke up when she didn't. "She's here to get her nipple pierced."

Rebecca spoke up. "We are both here to get our nipples pierced."

The man looked at the two of them and a pleased look came over his face, thinking that this must be his lucky day. Tattoo man squinted at the drummer, who was dressed in her sunglasses/hair in a braid down the back/going out in public combination. A faint look of recognition crossed his face. "Do I know you? Didn't you used to work at Utopia?"

Jordanna let out the breath that she was holding. Whew. "Uh… nope, never worked there."

Looking at her again, he shook his head. "You just look so familiar to me… so, who wants to go first?" They both answered him at the same time. "She does." Jordanna shoved the smaller woman forward. "I already have one, you go first."

Rebecca shot the drummer a pained look. "Come with me, please?" The drummer chuckled and grinned. "Okay, not a problem." The two women followed tattoo man into a room in the back and he instructed the reporter to sit in the dentist-like chair there. She didn't notice the expectant look on the man's face.

Jordanna burst out laughing. "I think you're gonna have to bare your breasts for this, baby."

Rebecca blushed. "Oh… oh yeah. I don't know where my head is," she said, slowly lifting her shirt up over her head and undoing the snaps on her bra. She noticed the way tattoo man's lip twitched in anticipation, waiting for the moment she was finished with her bra. She also noticed her lover telling the guy to get his thoughts out of the gutter with just a quick look of her ice blue eyes, having removed her sunglasses only minutes before. He quickly looked away from the tall woman's intense stare and fumbled with the utensil he was going to use for the piercings. "Are you ready?" he asked.

"As I'll ever be." Her eyes widened and her body tensed up as he walked toward her. Jordanna walked over and held her hand. "You all right?"

"Um… yeah, I think so." Within moments, the man was done. "Oww… oww… oww." A small tear rolled down her face and the drummer wiped it off with her finger. It was more from her body's reaction to the piercing than the pain. Jordanna tilted the reporter's chin up to her with her finger so she could look in Rebecca's eyes. "It's done. You okay?"

Rebecca looked down at her now pierced body part and laughed. "Yeah… wow." Jordanna did the same but smiled instead of laughing. "It looks really… nice," the dark woman said, leaning down and placing a kiss on the reporter's lips before whispering in her ear. " …and sexy. I like it a lot."

Tattoo man approached Jordanna hesitantly, wanting nothing more than to avoid another run in with the steely gaze of the drummer. He was wondering if these women were together, and seeing them kiss proved he was right. "Your turn. Why don't you sit in the chair now."

The drummer sat down in the still warm chair and Rebecca started to leave the room. Jordanna called out to her. "Hey, where are you going, baby?" Rebecca paused at the door and turned around. "I'm giving you your privacy."

"Who said I wanted privacy? I need a little support for this too, you know." Rebecca was by her side instantly, entwining her hand in the drummer's. She watched as Jordanna got hers pierced, only turning her head at the last moment, not wanting to see the excess skin and tissue come out the other side of her nipple. When it was over, Rebecca wiggled her eyebrows at her lover. "Sexy."

"That wasn't too bad, huh? Do you think you'll get your other one done?" the dark woman asked Rebecca.

"Only if you get your cl…"

"REBECCA!" Jordanna cupped her hand over Rebecca's mouth. "No way. I draw the line here. Nothing below the belt. Not for me."

"What about a tattoo?"

"Rebecca!"

"Why not?"

"I promised myself a long time ago I would only mark myself for a really special reason, so that's why you won't find a tattoo on my body right now," she explained. "I can always let my piercings close up, but tattoos are so forever, you know?"

"That's true." Rebecca was intrigued by her lover's answer. "I'm just surprised, though. You seem like a tattoo type of girl."

"It's the bad girl image." Jordanna smiled and shook her head. "Hey… am I going to be accused of being a bad influence on you? Since you've met me you've become a pool hustling exhibitionist that didn't drink but now does sporting a sexy new nipple ring. Let's not talk about having a relationship with a woman. I'll be expecting more than one toaster for this one."

"Toaster? What are you talking about?"

Jordanna chuckled. "It's a lesbian recruiting joke. Long story, forget I said it."

"Maybe you could get a toaster tattoo."

"You're a nut Rebecca, you know that?"

"Yep." She smiled. "Certifiable."

Chapter 12

Jordanna maneuvered the GT through the city streets on the way to the band's soundcheck for their first show at the Garden. As they stopped for red lights, she watched all the people that worked in the city with interest. Women walking in power suits and sneakers, men with loosened ties… all on a break from their normal 9-5 workday. Each one with lives so different than she had ever had. People with lives more like her lover's. She looked up at a large building on the corner of 6th and 47th and questioned the reporter. "Is that where you work?"

Rebecca was staring blankly out the window. "Hmm? Oh, yeah… that's my office."

"Are you okay? Is the new jewelry bothering you?"

"It throbs a bit. Actually, it throbs a lot… but it's not that bad. You?"

The drummer pulled the car into a parking garage as close to the Garden as she could find. "Same as you. It takes a few days and then you kinda forget it's there, until something… or someone touches it," she said, her eyes twinkling.

Rebecca wondered why Jordanna insisted on driving to the Garden herself when the rest of the band were all coming in limos. She chalked it up to one of the drummer's strange quirks that she probably would never understand. Her answer was 'quick getaway' when the reporter had asked. Getaway from what?

The two threw their passes on and walked past the guards posted at the door, walking down the long corridor that lead to the backstage area. The first person they ran into was Jerry, whose eyes were immediately drawn to the women's entwined hands. He didn't say anything, but at first opportunity he gave the drummer a look of warning regarding her relationship with the reporter. She tilted her head at him and narrowed her eyes, daring him to say something to her. He didn't.

Jordanna made it a point to stay away from the usual ensemble of groupies that somehow manage to sleaze their way backstage, not wanting to tempt the old Jordanna back to life. That was no longer an option.

When the opening act took the stage for their soundcheck, Jordanna grabbed a bottle of wine from the backstage area. Taking a surprised Rebecca's hand in hers, she led the young reporter to the back of the arena where they climbed up to the last row. They spent time together drinking, laughing, talking and kissing- not necessarily in that order. The drummer grinned wickedly when she felt Rebecca's hands straying up and under her shirt, making the dark woman's stomach muscles quiver slightly as she gently brushed her fingertips over them. "Mmm… that feels so good, Rebecca. I'm gonna be a pile of mush on stage if you keep that up."

"Shut up and kiss me, drummer."

Jordanna grabbed the reporter by the hand, pulling her into her lap. The two leaned slowly into each other, and even though the position was an uncomfortable one for them both, they didn't seem to notice… or care. The kiss was a slow, passionate one as their tongues danced with each other and hands roamed all over the other's body.

They didn't notice the spotlight shining on them or hear Kelly's voice over the P.A. system screaming for the drummer to get her ass on the stage for the soundcheck. Taking a moment's break from their passion, Jordanna squinted into the bright light that was shining directly on them. "What in the hell?"

Rebecca jumped up quickly and rubbed the aches out of her protesting legs. "Damn pins and needles. I would say that they are looking for you, Jordanna, huh?"

The drummer got up right after her, experiencing the same aches as her lover. "Ya think?"

The two growled as they heard Kelly's voice over the P.A. again. "I hate to break up the major love fest, but you are needed on the stage, Jordanna."

The dark woman cursed and muttered under her breath. "You don't hate it as much as I do."

The adventure of trying to climb back down the stairs wasn't an easy one. They were both feeling the effects of the wine and sore limbs as they stumbled down each step. "Whoa," the reporter said, as her very tipsy body nearly sent her tumbling, taking Jordanna down in the process. "Sorry… are you all right?" She held her hand out to the laughing drummer, helping her up. "Uh… I'm fine, Rebecca."

"I've never seen you like this, though."

"Yeah, usually I can hold my liquor. Must be the steps and the lack or circulation in my legs… and your kisses. I told you I'd be a pile of mush."

A round of laughter erupted from the stage. "Told you Jordanna's fallen head over heels for Rebecca… literally," the voice over the P.A. said. The drummer knew that her bandmates couldn't see her rapidly growing blush, but the reporter could see it. "It's true, you know," the dark woman shyly admitted.

Time for Rebecca to blush. "Right back at ya, drummer."

**

Rebecca took her place at the side of the stage to watch Plenty of Nothing's soundcheck, which she had done numerous times since taking on this assignment. This time it was different. She wasn't watching Jordanna Fox, the sex-crazed egomaniac. She was watching Jordanna Fox, her lover. Wow. She thought about how things had changed between the two of them in such a short time. When she first met her, she found the woman to be the most frustrating, arrogant and beautiful woman she had ever met. Now she was all that and then some. Even when the drummer had treated her like complete shit when they first met, she still felt a sense of being at home when she was around the woman. She couldn't explain it… it was just something she felt, and it felt very right.

She hoped, and was pretty sure that Jordanna felt the same way. She hadn't quite said as much, but the way the dark woman's face lit up or her eyes sparkled when they looked at each other told her more than words could ever say.

She had learned that another one of Jordanna's strange quirks was to do the drum tech part of the soundcheck herself, rather than have Gary do it. Apparently Jordanna was a perfectionist when it came to things like that. She'd rather do it herself.

She enjoyed watching the dark woman go through the tedious ritual.

The sound guy's voice came over the P.A. "RIGHT BASS."

Jordanna nodded her head and went about her task. Thunk, thunk, thunk, thunk.

'LEFT BASS."

Thunk, thunk, thunk, thunk.

'FLOOR TOM."

Thunk, thunk, thunk, thunk.

She did the same thing for each drum and cymbal. She did a few drum rolls and fills around the set, rocking the house with a quick drum solo before she put her sticks down.

The sound guy called out again. "SOUNDS GOOD, JORDANNA." Another nod of the dark woman's head and she slid out from behind the wall of drums and was by Rebecca's side instantly. "Hi."

"Hi yourself."

Not long after, they heard the sound of guitars and her name being called yet again. "That was quick. I guess they need me now," she said with a childlike smile. She leaned down and kissed the reporter quickly before she went back to her drums.

Jordanna Fox in love, who would have thunk it? Kelly laughed and shook her head after watching the affectionate display. "Knock it off you two, we have a soundcheck to do."

Rebecca saw Kelly walking toward her. The guitarist swung her instrument over her back and pushed a strand of her curly blonde hair out of her face before she spoke. "You like her, huh?"

Rebecca nodded. "Yes… yes, I do."

Kelly leaned against the reporter. "I've never seen her like this. Love looks good on her. You two make a cute couple."

Rebecca laughed. Cute couple? Jordanna would love to hear that. Goes against that reputation thingy she's got going. "Well thanks, I think so, too."

The band kicked into 'Fight or Take Refuge' when Kelly finished talking with the reporter. Since the release of the video, the song had steadily climbed up the charts. They decided to open the shows with it. The fast tempo and catchy lyrics got the crowd going every show.

Their soundcheck always consisted of stupid chitchat in between the partial songs that they did. The band followed along when Jordanna spontaneously began the opening drum part to Led Zeppelin's 'Rock & Roll.' The drummer looked over to the side of the stage and saw her lover smiling at her and singing along to the lyrics. Rebecca got a kick out of listening to Jordanna singing Robert Plant's falsetto, something that was not an easy task.

Rebecca thought the best part of the soundcheck was when Jordanna came out from behind the drums and Gary took over the drumming duties. She yanked her jeans down slightly and pulled her Hanes Her Way's up enough so the name showed over her jeans. She smiled and spoke into the microphone. "Since I don't own any BVD's, Hanes Her Way will have to do." She then launched into and rapped her way through Tupac Shakur's 'The Old School,' which was on the set list for that night's show.

When they finished with the soundcheck, Kelly had to tease the drummer. "You're in an extremely good mood tonight. Any particular reason?"

Jordanna played dumb. "I don't know what you are talking about, Kelly."

"I think it's got to do with a certain strawberry blonde that happens to be standing on the side of the stage right now waiting for you," she said, pointing to Rebecca. "I was telling her before that I thought that you two made a cute couple."

"Oh, please…" Jordanna gagged. "Cute couple, my ass!"

"So are you trying to tell me that you guys are not a couple?"

The dark woman was getting frustrated with her friend's teasing. "No, that's not what I am saying at all, Kelly, and you know it."

Rebecca walked up to the two of them. She turned to Jordanna and pointed to her visible undergarments. "So… are you going to pull your jeans back up, or do I have to do that for you?"

Jordanna pulled the reporter into her arms. "I prefer when you pull them down, Rebecca."

"Well, I've heard enough of this conversation…" Kelly put her hands in the air. "I'm outta here, guys."

**

The band exited the stage after their third and last encore, the fans still looking for more. Jordanna and her bodyguard pushed their way through the crowd of fans who happened to be lucky enough to score backstage passes. The drummer spotted Rebecca standing in the corner of the room, a sleepy Cindy snuggled up in her arms with her head resting against the reporter's shoulder. David was standing next to her with his arm around a tall, brown-haired woman.

Anna was the first to notice Jordanna walking toward them. She tapped David on the arm to let him know that the drummer was heading their way. "Wow, she's really tall." David laughed at the comment and then watched the eye contact that went on between Jordanna and Rebecca. What is up with that?

"Hi," the drummer said, smiling first at her lover and then her family. Cindy stirred and looked up at Jordanna. "Hi, Jor," she said, leaning forward to give the tall woman a kiss on the cheek. "Hey kiddo. How did you enjoy the show?" The child broke out into a big smile. "It was really, really cool, Jor." The drummer smiled back and ruffled Cindy's hair. "I'm glad you liked it, sweetie."

Rebecca and Jordanna turned to face David and his girlfriend. Rebecca made the introductions. "Anna, this is Jordanna Fox." The brown-haired woman didn't quite know what to say to the intimidating drummer. Jordanna stuck her hand out for the woman to shake. "Nice to meet you Anna." The woman nodded, suddenly struck mute. Jordanna looked at Rebecca with eyes that pleaded for help. Rebecca took the hint and led her family over to where Kelly was. "C'mon guys, let me introduce you to the rest of the band before Cindy falls asleep."

The drummer winked and mouthed the word 'thanks' to her. "I'm gonna go take a quick shower and then I'll be back out."

"Okay, don't take too long, though, please…"

A half an hour later the drummer reappeared, showered but still in the same leather pants that she wore for the show. She had on a large Plenty of Nothing tee shirt that she managed to grab from a vending area. She leaned down and whispered in her lover's ear. "Can you believe I forgot to bring a change of clothes?"

Rebecca laughed and teasingly sniffed into the air. "Is that what that smell is?"

"Very funny, Rebecca." Jordanna absentmindedly ran her hand through Rebecca's hair. "Did everyone meet the rest of the band? Cindy looks totally beat." She caught the look her lover was giving her as she realized what she had been doing. Oh shit. Busted. "They saw?" Rebecca nodded her answer as David came up behind the drummer.

He took Rebecca by the arm. "I need to talk to you, Rebecca," he said keeping his gaze on Jordanna. "…privately."

Rebecca shrugged out of his grip and crossed her arms in indignation. "Anything you need to say to me, David, you can say in front of Jordanna." Silence fell upon them. Rebecca could feel her temper beginning to rise. "Well? What did you want to say?"

Oh my God, my ex-wife is a lesbian. David frowned and sighed. "Shit, Becky. You answered my question without me even having to ask it."

The reporter started tapping her foot on the floor in annoyance, only to feel the comforting hand belonging to her lover begin to rub her on the back. "Humor me, Dave. What exactly was your question?"

David looked down at the ground. "I've noticed how the two of you look at each other, and I know I just saw her run her hands through your hair, Rebecca."

And your point is? Rebecca relaxed into the feel of the drummer's hand rubbing her back. Well, you gotta tell him sometime. Just do it. "Yes David, Jordanna and I are lovers, if that is what you were wondering."

The reporter thought that David's eyes were going to pop right out of his head after she said that. She could see the veins in his neck begin to bulge. "Great. Just fucking great, Rebecca. Were you always into chicks?"

Men! She turned and looked at the drummer. "No," she sighed. "Not that it is any of your business, but… Jordanna is my first."

David rubbed his chin. "How in the hell do you expect me to explain this to Cindy?"

'You're not the father, you're not the father' ran through the dark-haired woman's mind. Jordanna cleared her throat and spoke for the first time. "Don't," she said, her voice deep. "Let Rebecca and I handle that task, David. This way, if she has any questions, she can ask us."

Rebecca looked surprised. Us, as in us… you and I us?

Jordanna spoke again. "Would it be a problem if she spent the weekend at my house with us? "

Rebecca was speechless. She's serious about wanting me in her life, isn't she? "Uh… yeah, that's a great idea. David?"

He looked away. "Well, I dunno."

The reporter didn't wait a second to react. "What don't you know about it, David? Remember she is my daughter, too. Or do you have a problem with my relationship with Jordanna? You went on and found someone else. Did you expect me not to?"

"No."

Rebecca was face-to-face with her ex-husband now. "Just not with a woman, right? That's the problem isn't it, right?"

The dark woman put her hands on Rebecca's shoulders. "C'mon, baby, calm down. This is not the easiest thing to lay on someone. Give him a chance to get over the shock."

"Cindy will be staying with us this weekend, David," the reporter demanded, "Whether you freaking like it or not."

He shook his head. There's no winning with his ex-wife when she had her mind set on something. "Okay."

Rebecca let out a deep sigh, turned and looked at her lover before finally focusing on David. "Good. I'll call and let you know when we will be there to pick her up. I'm gonna go say goodnight to her."

After she finished saying goodnight to David, Anna and Cindy, Jordanna excused herself to join the band while they posed for photos and signed autographs. Rebecca watched as the drummer did her best to avoid having to deal with the forward groupies that were vying for her attention. "You know, you are going to have to deal with them some time, Jordanna," the voice from behind her said. The drummer turned to face the loving green eyes of the woman that spoke to her.

Jordanna looked at her and smiled. "I know I will," she said, quickly putting her arm around a fan that wanted his picture taken with her. "You see that one redhead over there?" The one that just touched me, or should I say tried to touch me, in places that I only want you to touch now…

She pointed to a group of women huddled in the corner in the room. Rebecca nodded.

"She follows us just about everywhere we play."

Rebecca blinked. She wasn't sure if she was going to like this story. "And… go on…" she said hesitantly.

"She's spent the night with me quite a few times… she's pretty wild. I remember waking up dead drunk one time with her, and a friend of hers sprawled across my bed."

"I don't know if I really want to hear about this, Jordanna." Rebecca admitted.

Jordanna blushed. "Sorry."

"How does she get backstage all the time?" Rebecca turned to get a better look at the woman they were speaking about. Tramp… she's nothing but a hussy slut groupie. Nothing special to look at either.

Jordanna's lips twitched. She's gonna love this. "I put her on our perpetual guest list."

"Ahhh… I see. One of your special friends, huh?" the reporter chuckled, not really understanding why she was finding it funny. Maybe because she would rather laugh than cry. "But still, they are always going to be around, Jordanna. I understand that it's part of the lifestyle of a musician."

Jordanna pulled Rebecca in for a hug, ignoring all the people that were standing around them watching the scene. "But I don't want to live that lifestyle anymore, Rebecca. I can't live that lifestyle anymore." She put her arm around the reporter's shoulder and started walking. "C'mon, lets go home."

Continued in Part 5.


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