Let's try normal?

It had been a few weeks since the attack and Bill was still quiet about the Texas incident. They still hadn't had a chance to talk, and with the new assistant/Victoria secret model running around, how could Bill focus? She didn't like her and even the guards had nicknamed her foxy Roxy. Jessica secretly hoped when Kiara returned, she would rip the girls eyes out. Something about her seemed off anyway. She had still beaten around the bush and had not talked to her donor girl, she was sweet and quiet...but she wasn't ready for a heart to heart. Not with danger still lurking. But tonight...she would not think about that. Any of it. She just wanted her life to go back to how it was before all this madness descended upon Bon Temp. Where was normal? What WAS normal anymore? At least James made her feel normal.

She danced around to the music playing in her ears. Bobbing her head as she sang loudly, she was alone after all.

It feels like a perfect night to dress up like hipsters
And make fun of our exes, uh uh, uh uh.
It feels like a perfect night for breakfast at midnight
To fall in love with strangers, uh uh, uh uh.

Yeah,
We're happy, free, confused, and lonely at the same time
It's miserable and magical.
Oh, yeah
Tonight's the night when we forget about the deadlines
It's time

Uh oh!
I don't know about you
But I'm feeling 22
Everything will be alright
If you keep me next to you
You don't know about me
But I'll bet you want to
Everything will be alright
If we just keep dancing like we're
22, ooh-ooh
22, ooh-ooh

Pointing her finger at her mirror as she danced, closing her eyes she sang more.

James heard the music as he was walking down the hall. Was that Jessica? He had never heard her sing before. Well now. Wasn't this a surprise. He walked toward her rooms with his surprise hidden behind his back. As he walked into the doorway, he stopped and leaned against the door, watching her dance. He smiled at how happy she looked. He simply waited for her to notice him.

She held up her two fingers to indicate "22" and finished the song. The mix she had made started the next song and she continued to sing her heart out in just her tank top and boy shorts.

Cause I knew you were trouble when you walked in
So shame on me now
Flew me to places I'd never been
Till you put me down oh
I knew you were trouble when you walked in
So shame on me now
Flew me to places I'd never been
Now I'm lying on the cold hard ground
Oh, oh, trouble, trouble, trouble
Oh, oh, trouble, trouble, trouble

"Trou....ble....." She had turned to face the door and noticed him standing in the doorway with a grin on his face. She swallowed nervously and pulled the headphones out her ears, clearing her throat and scratching her head with a lopsided "oops I'm busted" grin. She shrugged her shoulders sheepishly and if she could blush she might have combusted by now. "Uh...hi. How...long were you there?"

He grinned and laughed a bit.

"Somewhere around '22, ooh-ooh' or so. You never told me you liked to sing."

He shifted the package behind him, slipping the corner into his back pocket and freeing his hands. He clapped softly, grinning.

"Very nice moves..."

She lowered her head and smiled, embarrassed that she had been caught. Running her hands over her face, she dropped them and giggled. "Well..." She shrugged and giggled again. "Thanks. I was cooped up in here for quite some time while you were building the garden I didn't know about. I picked up a thing or two...well...three. But that's for later." She had her own thing she had been working on for a few weeks now, perfecting it before she showed him.

Clearing her throat, she looked down and noticed her lack of clothing. Grabbing her gym shorts, she pulled them on and looked back at him. "So, what are you up to?"

"Well, one of the guys in the band found an old LP my friends and I put out. He...well...he had a CD made of it for you."

He pulled the CD from behind his back and showed it to her.



"He knew I would never admit to there being a record, so he kind of blackmailed me. He had invested the money to convert it to CD."

He laughed nervously as he held it out to her.

She looked down and took the CD from his hands, her smile brightening. She looked from him back to the CD. Now she could listen to him sing anytime she wanted. She squealed a little and rushed to him, hugging him tightly. "Ohmygosh, I love it! It's got all the songs I like on it! Now I can listen to you anytime." Her eyes widened when she said that out loud. It sounded a bit stalker fan girlish. She smiled and stepped back. "Thank you James. I always love your surprises." She bit her bottom lip as she thought. "I uh...actually have one for you...."

He laughed at her squeal and listened as she spoke excitedly.

"Something for me? You didn't have to, Jessica."

She smiled and nodded, taking his hand and leading him over to sit at the foot of her bed. Once he was seated, she walked towards the closet across the room and looked over her shoulder at him. "Well, I know I'm not...real good or anything but...one of the guards knew how and he taught me some things on those long nights." Realizing that sounded bad, she shook her head and faced him. "I mean he taught me how to play." She smiled and pulled his guitar she had stashed there and looked down at it, running her thumb along the chords.

"I've spent weeks tryin' to get it right, but well...I guess it's as good as it'll get." She looked up and walked over to the seat across from him, crossing her leg over the other and placing his guitar on her lap.



"I was listening to music one night and I heard this song and...it just reminded me of you. I couldn't stop thinking of you. I had it on repeat all night and I just...it says a lot. Kole, one of the guards, heard me trying to learn how to do this and he offered help. He's real nice too. Helps me sneak out sometimes." She was rambling...and stalling. Clearing her throat she got to the point. "So, I just thought I'd play you...something."

She began to play the chords and messed up a few of them, smiling a bit embarrassed she continued.


She played the last chord and opened her eyes, smiling. Nervously she bit her bottom lip in suspense of his thoughts.

As she played,he felt a tear form and fall. He let it. She had done this wonderful thing for him. It was amazing. He listened to every word silently smiling. When she was done, he walked over quietly and kissed her.

She realized he had been crying and went to wipe his tear when he began to walk towards her. He knelt before her and reached up to kiss her. She moved the guitar from her lap as she kissed him back, her hands going back to hold his face. She smiled against his lips and pulled back to look into his eyes. "It's true, everything has changed. And I couldn't ask for any better than you...than this...than..." She shook her head, unable to form words of how she felt. Instead she just pressed her lips back to his and slightly opened her mouth to allow the kiss to deepen. She loved kissed him, she loved him.