Into the Dark

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 3

Chapter 7

Jordanna was getting impatient with all of the police's questions. "I told you that three times already. Susan has lived with me for 2 years now. Yes, she was my lover and yes, I kicked her out yesterday. Anything else?"

"Do you know she was arrested the other night for possession of narcotics?" the detective asked her.

"YES! I thought we went over this," she said, rubbing her head. "That is why I asked her to leave. It was not the first time she was arrested. Shit, this is outrageous."

The detective shook his head and continued. "Can you tell me about the death threats you have been receiving? Do you think she may have anything to do with them?"

The dark woman shrugged her shoulders. She didn't want to talk about the threats, especially with the idiot detective. "It's possible that she sent them… I really don't know."

The detective questioning Jordanna had just about had it with her lippy attitude. 'Gorgeous woman, but what an attitude,' he thought to himself. "Just a few more questions, Ms. Fox, and you will be free to go."

Jordanna was really getting pissed. "What the hell more do you need to know? My fucking underwear size?" she said, getting up out of her chair to leave. The detective was at her side guiding her back to her chair. "You'll leave when we tell you we are finished. Sit down."

Two hours later, Jordanna walked over to Rebecca, who was sitting in a chair in the waiting room. When the drummer got close to her, she realized that the young reporter had dozed off. "Rebecca, wake up," she said quietly, shaking the young woman gently. "Time to get the hell out of here."

Green eyes fluttered open. "Oh, I fell asleep. You under arrest?" she teased. Jordanna shook her head and smiled. "You would think that, wouldn't you? They certainly grilled me enough."

"So what is the final outcome? Are they going to arrest Susan?"

The drummer scratched her head. "If they prove it was her, yeah. Looks like her friend Diane was involved too. She's got a record a mile long."

The reporter didn't remember Jordanna ever mentioning anyone named Diane before. "Who is Diane?"

"Oh, that's right. I never did get to tell you about the phone conversation I had with Susan. Seems that Susan has a girlfriend and they both were living in my house. Remember how I told you I was angry yesterday?"

How could I forget? Rebecca shuddered at the thought. "Yeah," she said hesitantly.

"She told me that they had just finished…uh, well, you know in my bed. MY BED!" The drummer sighed. "Don't get me wrong, I don't give a shit that she has a girlfriend. I just don't like being played for a fool."

"I can see why you were angry. I would be, too," the reporter admitted, looking Jordanna directly in the eyes.

Jordanna suddenly felt very guilty. "Listen, Rebecca, I told you I was sorry about what you saw and I really do mean that. I never meant to hurt you. I just don't think about other people's feelings sometimes."

That's good, Beck, you're falling for someone so sensitive to other people's feelings... Rebecca sighed. "C'mon, lets go."

Jordanna and Rebecca walked into the hotel lounge and found the rest of the band having a few drinks. Gary walked up to Jordanna when she walked in. "Someone told me there's a new place downtown, J. One that you will definitely like, if you know what I mean. I think we need to check it out tonight."

Jordanna glared at him, making it known that she didn't want him saying this in front of Rebecca, who was standing next to her. "I have plans for tonight Gary… with Rebecca."

"Oh, so where are you two going?" he asked, sarcasm oozing in his voice. He hadn't seen much of his friend since the reporter came along.

"Sea World," she said quietly.

"You are going where?" Rachel asked, wanting to make the uncomfortable drummer squirm a little more.

Jordanna blushed. "Sea World. Rebecca and I are going to Sea World. You guys are welcome to come, if you want."

"What is happening to you killer?" Kelly teased, taking a sip of her Budweiser.

Jordanna flinched at the name Kelly called her. "What? What's wrong with wanting to go out and have a good time?"

Linda decided to join in on the fun. "Since when is going to Sea World considered a good time for Jordanna Fox? I know, you want to be alone so you and Rebecca can make out during the Shamu show," she teased.

"What the hell are you talking about Linda? Make out during the Shamu show? You make us sound like a bunch of adolescent children," the drummer said, shaking her head.

"Maybe you could buy her some cotton candy."

Jordanna had had enough of their teasing. "ALL RIGHT ALREADY! Don't say I didn't ask. See you later." The dark woman could still hear her bandmates' teasing as they were walking out of the lounge. "Don't forget to be back by midnight, Jordanna."

"They are a hard bunch when they want to be, aren't they?" Rebecca asked with a chuckle.

Jordanna stopped walking and faced the young woman. "I usually don't take women out to theme parks, Rebecca."

"I know that." Rebecca blushed. "We don't have to go if you're uncomfortable with it."

"No," Jordanna answered quickly. "I want to go… they are just busting my chops." They got on the elevator and headed to their rooms. "Why don't we get changed and then meet in the lobby, okay?"

Rebecca was sitting on a couch in the lobby, waiting for the drummer to show up and barely recognized her when she did. She had changed into a pair of blue jeans, and had put a plain black tee shirt on. She had her hair in a ponytail and a pair of mirrored sunglasses on. "You ready?"

"Yeah. I'm ready. Aren't you going to bring a sweatshirt or something? Doesn't it get cool here at night?"

The drummer shook her head. "Nah, I'm pretty warm blooded. I'll be fine."

Rebecca tried not to but looked Jordanna up and down. "You look so different with your hair like that. Your eyes?" Rebecca wondered if Jordanna had put in the brown contacts or not.

The drummer took her sunglasses off and showed Rebecca her baby blues. "Didn't want to wear the contacts." She grinned. "If you want to see me with brown eyes, I'll put them in for you when we get back."

The two women walked into the park and stood in front of the large, sand like sculpture of two children petting a dolphin that greeted all who entered the park. They looked at their map and show schedule to decide what they wanted to do first. "Well, the Seymour show starts in 20 minutes. That's the one with the seals and otters. It's cute," Jordanna said, pointing to the direction that the show was being held.

Rebecca looked at the drummer and laughed. "This is way too funny."

"What? Not you too. Are you going to tease me now, also?" Jordanna pouted and started to walk ahead of the reporter.

"No, no… I won't tease you," Rebecca said as she ran to catch up, still laughing at the drummer as they looked at the various water mammals that lived at the park.

Rebecca noticed a large tank of water with a crowd of people standing around it. "Look," she pointed towards the tank. "Let's go pet the dolphins!" She grabbed the drummer by the hand and quickly maneuvered them through the crowd, finding a tight spot for both of them to stand in front of the tank. "There's one over there," Rebecca pointed out. "It's coming this way."

Jordanna looked down at their still entwined hands and felt her heart race. "Huh?"

"Aren't they just so cute?" the reporter asked, finally letting go of the drummer's hand. She climbed up on the small ledge and leaned her body over the top of the tank, trying to touch the dolphins that would come close to the clear glass walls that they were leaning on. All she managed to do was get wet.

Jordanna's fingers, in the meantime, still tingled from the reporter's innocent touch. She decided that Rebecca's small hand felt more than perfect in her larger one. She was already feeling a loss of contact, something that was totally unfamiliar to her. Oh God, what is happening to me?

"Jordanna? You okay?"

The drummer snapped out of the haze she was in. "Uh, yeah, I'm fine." She felt the reporter grab her hand again and pull her up onto the ledge with her. At Rebecca's urging she leaned over and stuck her longer arm out as a small bottlenose dolphin swam by. The animal teased the crowd, coming close to them but not close enough for anyone to touch. Jordanna kept her eye on the small dolphin as it made its way around the tank one more time, and stuck her hand out once again as she saw the porpoise coming their way. The dolphin popped his snout out of the water, and nudged the drummer's hand. Jordanna pet the porpoise quickly, but when the rest of the crowd ran towards them to see, the dolphin swam away.

"Oh my God, did you see that? That was amazing!" Rebecca said with the excitement of a child. "He came right to you."

Jordanna smiled, enjoying the younger woman's excitement. "Yeah, that was pretty cool."

"What did it feel like?"

Jordanna lifted a brow. "Cold and smooth, kinda like human skin a bit. Not what I expected, though."

"I always kinda wondered what it felt like."

Jordanna stepped off of the ledge and told the reporter to stand where she was just standing.

"Why?" Rebecca questioned.

Jordanna smiled at her. "Trust me."

Rebecca stepped over slightly and stood where the drummer asked her to go. Jordanna then stepped up on the ledge behind her. She took the reporter's hand and linked her fingers with Rebecca's, sticking both of their hands out over the water. A larger dolphin swam by them, splashing water all over them as he did. "Shit! Thanks, Jor!" the soaked reporter screamed.

Rebecca felt tingles go up and down her spine as the drummer's body moved against hers, laughing at the wet woman. "That wasn't my idea, blame him," the drummer whispered, her breath warm against the reporter's ear.

Jordanna spotted another dolphin heading their way and stuck their hands out again. This time, Rebecca knew enough to get out of the way. As the dolphin started to splash them, she ducked as much as she could, and let the drummer take the brunt of the soaking. "Ha ha! Gotcha this time!" the reporter teased, throwing her fists in the air.

Jordanna jumped off of the ledge from her position behind the reporter. She got back on the ledge, standing in the spot next to Rebecca. She grabbed Rebecca by the waist, lifting her up off of her feet. Rebecca looked into mischievous blue eyes then looked back at the water that she was dangling up above. "You wouldn't."

Jordanna wiggled her eyebrows at her. "I would."

"Please don't…"

The drummer smiled. "You gotta beg me better than that, Rebecca."

"Pretty please with sugar on top?"

Jordanna lifted her a little higher.

"I'll sleep with you."

Jordanna's breath caught and she nearly dropped the reporter into the water right then and there. "You're going to sleep with the fishies first, though."

"Hey! Get her down from there!"

Rebecca looked down to see a park security guard standing there looking at them and then felt Jordanna gently ease her down until her feet were planted firmly on the ledge again. They both stepped off the ledge and listened as the guard scolded them like children, threatening to kick them out of the park if they didn't behave. When the guard walked away they both looked at each other and burst out laughing, feeling like a couple of giggling schoolgirls.

The blonde woman still had a smile on her face as she absentmindedly took the drummer's hand in her own again and started to make their way through the crowd. She turned around to address the drummer. "You wouldn't have really thrown me in there, would you?"

"Would you really sleep with me if I didn't?"

The reporter blushed and turned around, resuming her way through the crowd until they found the location of the dolphin show, having missed the first Seymour show. They slipped through the gate, and Jordanna followed Rebecca as she climbed all the way to the top of the metal bleachers and sat down. Jordanna looked around the audience for a few minutes. "I'll be right back, okay?"

"Where you going?"

"To get some popcorn, you want anything?"

"A soda would hit the spot."

The drummer smiled at her before she turned around and made her way back down the bleachers, jumping the last four rows of them to the ground below.

Rebecca was deep in thought when Jordanna sat back down next to her, placing the huge bucket of popcorn down between the two of them. She handed Rebecca her soda. "I hope you don't mind, I took a little sip of it, I didn't realize I was so thirsty- sorry."

Rebecca shook her head and took a sip for herself. "No, I don't mind at all. We can share it."

"Have some popcorn."

Rebecca smiled shyly and took a handful of popcorn, feeling like a teenager out on her first date. She watched as Jordanna did the same, smiling back at her.

Half way through the bucket of popcorn, as the dolphins were jumping and splashing in the water for all of the crowd to see, Rebecca noticed, out of the corner of her eye, that the drummer threw a piece of popcorn into the audience below. It bounced off of a woman's ridiculous looking straw hat, and landed in a man's lap.

She leaned over and whispered in the drummer's ear. "What are you doing?"

"I just wanted to see if my aim was still good. We used to do this as kids when we were at the movies." Jordanna grinned and pointed at a bald man's head 5 or 6 rows below them. "See Kojak down there, he's my next target."

Rebecca chuckled. "You are bad."

"Yeah, I'm bad," the drummer replied, just as the piece of popcorn bounced off of her unsuspecting target's head.

Rebecca picked out a piece of popcorn from the bucket and pointed below, calling out her first victim. "Man in the ugly Hawaiian print shirt."

Bounce.

"Girl with big ears and Metallica tee shirt."

Bounce.

"The kid with the bright orange mohawk."

Whoops, he's got popcorn stuck in his hair. Oh well…

"Girl in the Plenty of Nothing tee shirt 3 rows down, two seats over," Rebecca called out next.

"Oooh, a fan?" Jordanna grabbed a handful of popcorn and smiled wickedly. "Let's really nail her!"

Bounce bounce bounce bounce bounce bounce…

They couldn't control their laughter as the people down below started to notice that it was raining popcorn from the sky above. They both turned their heads as eyes went their way.

"We're going to get ourselves kicked out before the night is over with, you know that, right?" Rebecca pointed out as they stood up with their empty bucket and made their way back down the bleachers after the show ended. "You're a real troublemaker, aren't you?"

Jordanna wiggled her eyebrows at the reporter. "Oh, yeah."

Rebecca blushed. "So, where to next?"

Jordanna opened up the map and time schedule of events. "The next Seymour show starts in 5 minutes. Are you up for a little seal action?"

I'm up for any kind of action with you, Jordanna. "Sure, seal action sounds great."

They spent the next 40 minutes laughing with the rest of the crowd as the seal, the otter and the walrus searched for, and finally found the hidden coin that they were looking for.

As they were walking out of the area, they noticed a food vendor, packed with sweet goodies, parked right where you walk into the show. The drummer saw Rebecca's eyes light up. "Do you want some cotton candy or something? I think I'm gonna have some." Jordanna blushed immediately, realizing what she had just said.

Next thing you know, we will be making out at the Shamu show.

Rebecca smiled and chuckled softly, pushing a few strands of windblown gold hair out of her eyes. "I like seeing the lighthearted side of you, Jordanna. It's really, really nice." Her smile never left her face. "And cotton candy sounds great."

Jordanna gave the reporter her best don't go there look as she walked over to the counter. "Yeah, well, just don't put any of this in your article, okay? Don't want to ruin my image."

"Your image, uh huh… I won't, don't worry," the reporter said, taking the cotton candy from the vendor and ripping off a piece before handing the rest over to Jordanna. "If only the staff photographer were here… a cover shot of you eating cotton candy would be nice."

The drummer leaned in close and whispered in the reporter's ear. "I could think of something far better I'd like them to photograph me eating, Rebecca."

'Yeah, me too, ' the reporter thought and smirked. "Like what, Jordanna?"

"Like um… hey, check that out." Jordanna pointed to a small kiosk, in a sad attempt to change the subject, never expecting Rebecca to call her on her comment. "It says that there's a pearl in every oyster." She walked into the kiosk, looked around, and laid some money out on the counter. "Why don't you pick one out, Rebecca."

The vendor placed a medium sized barrel of oysters in front of the two women. Rebecca looked at Jordanna hesitantly and picked one out. The woman opened the shell up, and in it was a large black pearl. If you looked at it from certain angles, it had a pinkish tint to it. The woman that ran the kiosk made a big fuss over the pearl, because it was rare to find one of that shape and color, and so large in size.

"You want I could put this on chain for you," the woman said in broken English. "It too pretty not to."

Jordanna nodded and looked at Rebecca. "Yeah, put it on a chain, whichever one this beautiful woman here picks out."

A blushing Rebecca shook her head. "No, Jordanna… I couldn't."

"Please don't argue with me, Rebecca. I want to do this, okay?"

"No, really, I couldn't…"

Jordanna lifted a brow at her. Rebecca gave in and picked out the cheapest gold chain she saw.

"Are you sure that's the chain you really want, Rebecca?" Jordanna asked her, noticing the price of the one she picked. "I think I can afford it," she teased, and a hint of a smile crossed her lips.

"I like that one- it's simple, yet elegant."

"Okay, if you are sure."

They stood and watched as the woman set the pearl on the chain the reporter had picked out. "You no wear this for 24 hours. Glue need to dry." The woman put the necklace in a small, plastic ziplock bag and handed it to Rebecca.

The reporter took the small package in her hand as the drummer paid for it. They walked out of the kiosk and Rebecca bumped into Jordanna. "Thank you. You really didn't have to do that. It is a beautiful pearl, though," the reporter said with a smile.

That smile… Jordanna smiled back at her. I love her smile. "I know I didn't have to but I wanted to… and you're welcome."

They walked together through the restaurant area of the park and the smells of all the different types of foods they had cooking made the drummer realize she was hungry. "Let's go get a bite to eat… that cotton candy didn't quite stick to my ribs."

As the day turned into night, the two decided they would catch the last Shamu show and then leave. The wind off the bay had picked up some and the evening had a chill to it. Sitting on the metal bleachers watching the show, Jordanna noticed the reporter shivering. "Cold?"

"Yeah."

"Here." Jordanna moved closer to the reporter and put her arm around her for warmth. "How's that?"

Rebecca smiled. "Much better."

Jordanna rubbed her hand up and down Rebecca's arm. "Good."

"Jordanna?"

"Hmm?" she said, as she continued her rubbing.

"Thanks for doing this for me. I had a really nice time."

The drummer stopped her movement and looked into green eyes for quite some time. "So did I," she finally said, and looked around to see if anyone was watching them. Seeing that everyone around them was paying total attention to the large, black and white fish swimming in the tank in front of them, she slowly leaned down to claim Rebecca's lips with a very gentle kiss.

Rebecca's heart began to pound rapidly as she gave in to the kiss. She didn't know where this was heading, but she couldn't help but feel that it was right. It didn't make sense to her, but she knew somewhere, somehow, that Jordanna's lips had kissed hers before. Even the water Shamu was busy splashing on them couldn't put out the growing fire that was beginning to burn between the two women.

On their way out of the park, they stopped and watched the closing time firework display that the park does each night. Jordanna looked up at the brilliant colors painting the night sky and then looked at Rebecca, who was looking back at her.

I'm falling for her.

Hard.

This isn't good. I don't do things like that.

Shit…

Jordanna looked in the windows of all the little shops that they were passing on the way out. Something black and white caught her eye. "Rebecca, I'm going to run in that shop quick and pick up a sweatshirt, okay? I am kinda cold." She started to head for the door and turned around. "You want anything?"

"No thank you, I'm fine. I'll go call the taxi and then wait for you right over there by that bench, okay?" Rebecca walked over to a concrete bench that she saw and sat down. She closed her eyes after she watched the dark-haired woman walk into the shop and out of her view. It was plainly obvious to her that she had already started to have feelings for Jordanna before, but seeing this rarely seen, playful side of the drummer made her like the woman even more. She sighed.

Twenty minutes later Jordanna emerged from the shop wearing a white sweatshirt with Sea World scrawled across the front in rainbow colors, and San Diego written the same way under it but in smaller letters. The drummer smiled when she saw Rebecca.

And Rebecca smiled when she saw the drummer. She got up and started walking toward her companion. "What took you so long?"

"Lots to choose from, couldn't decide." Jordanna smirked. "Plus, I had to sign a few autographs. The clerk recognized me."

"I guess your eyes do give you away, huh?" I could just gaze into them forever…

"Yeah, I guess they do."

Jordanna walked Rebecca back to her hotel room and they stopped in front of the door. "I had a really nice time, Jor. Thank you."

"Yeah, um…" The drummer shifted her feet nervously and smiled. "Maybe we could do it again sometime?"

Rebecca smiled. "I'd really like that."

The drummer looked down and blushed. "Cool."

Rebecca put the key card in the door, waited for the green light to go on and opened it when it did. "I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Yeah."

They stood there looking into each other's eyes, neither one making a move. Finally, driven by her thundering heart, Jordanna leaned down and kissed Rebecca on the lips. When they broke apart, she smiled shyly. "Goodnight, Rebecca."

Rebecca ran her hand along the drummer's cheek. "Goodnight." She walked in her hotel room, turned around and looked at the drummer just one more time. Jordanna had just turned to walk back to her room. Rebecca closed the door behind her. Still slightly dazed, she ran her fingers along the still-tingling lips that the drummer just kissed and sighed.

Oh God.

Chapter 8

The final shows of the tour were in the band's hometown of New York. They were scheduled to play 4 sold out shows at Madison Square Garden and 3 at the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island.

The flight from San Diego to New York's Kennedy International Airport was a quiet one, with some of the plane's occupants opting to sleep, and others opting to watch a movie. Rebecca was sitting in a window seat, looking out at the clouds, realizing that she had to pee so badly, she was willing to use an airline bathroom. "Jordanna?"

"Hmmm?"

"Can you let me out, I have to use the ladies room."

The drummer stood up and moved out into the aisle to let Rebecca through. She sat back down and quickly rummaged through her flight bag, smiling when she found what she was looking for. She put it on Rebecca's seat.

Kelly watched her from her seat across the aisle and grinned at her. "Well, isn't that cute, Jordanna."

Jordanna glared at her. "Forget you ever saw it, Kelly."

The guitarist rolled her eyes. "You big mushball, you."

"Shut up, Kelly," she said just as Rebecca was returning to her seat. Jordanna stood again to let the reporter back to her seat but didn't move into the aisle, forcing their bodies to brush against the other. Rebecca shivered from the contact and then squealed as she saw what was on her seat. "Oh, that is so cute, Jordanna! Is that… for me?"

The drummer nodded and her face turned fire engine red.

Rebecca picked up the tiny stuffed Shamu and examined it closely. "Thank you, I love it." She kissed the blushing drummer on the cheek.

Kelly burst out laughing. Jordanna glared at her again. "I'm warning you, Kelly."

"My lips…" she snorted. "Are sealed, Jordanna. I won't let on that bad girl Jordanna Fox is really a big romantic mush."

Rebecca clung on to the small stuffed whale and was deep in thought when the drummer asked her if she had any problems with the upcoming arrangements in New York. The drummer touched the reporter's arm. "Rebecca?"

"Hmm? Did you say something? I'm sorry, I guess I was daydreaming again. I'm sure you noticed that I do that a lot," the reporter said, slightly embarrassed.

Jordanna laughed and smiled. "I hope it was about something good at least."

Rebecca felt herself blushing. "It was," she said. She had been reliving their day spent at Sea World and was thinking about the kisses that they had shared. Jordanna thought she knew what Rebecca had been daydreaming about when she saw the reporter's face turn red. "I was just asking if you had any problems with staying at my house when we get to New York."

This was news to the reporter. "Your house?" she repeated, surprised. Since they would be playing in their hometown, only the members of the road crew that were from out of town would stay in hotels while the band would enjoy their time at home. Rebecca just assumed that she would stay back at the hotel like the crew, or even better, head to her apartment in the city. She missed her daughter terribly and was looking forward to seeing her.

The drummer tried to sound innocent. "You didn't know that?" She had personally made the suggestion to Jerry, who wasn't at all pleased with the idea, that Rebecca stay with her during their stay in New York. She used the excuse that the reporter would be able to get the article for the magazine done at her house. She asked him to keep it a secret for fear that the reporter would reject her offer. After all, they hadn't discussed what happened between them in Los Angeles and San Diego and she wasn't completely sure how the reporter felt about her, although she knew she had feelings of some sort.

"Nobody t… told me that, no…" the reporter stuttered. "I know you live on Long Island, but where exactly on the Island do you live?" she asked. Inside she was doing a mental happy dance. She couldn't be more thrilled with this turn of events.

"I live in Eastern Suffolk County… basically on the end of Long Island. Are you familiar at all with the area?"

Rebecca shook her head. "Not really. I have a few friends from there, but they usually visit me in the city." She smiled. "But I have been to Jones Beach."

"Oh yeah, the beach itself or the theater?"

"Just the theater. It's an awesome place to see a show. There was a full moon out when we went and it's light just danced and sparkled across the rippling water. It was kind of romantic." She paused and blushed slightly. "Even Melissa was admiring it."

Jordanna cocked a brow. "Melissa?"

Rebecca laughed. "Oh… yeah, Etheridge. That's who I saw there."

"Oh… that Melissa." Jordanna let out the breath she was holding in. "Well Jones Beach is almost a 3 hour drive from where I live… that's if you drive the speed limit, of course."

"I'm looking forward to seeing where you live, Jordanna. If your house is anything like the one in Coronado, it must be beautiful."

"It's nicer than the one in Coronado." She shrugged. "At least I think it is." Jordanna wasn't sure, but she thought that Rebecca seemed pretty pleased about the arrangements. "It's on the ocean in Amagansett, which is one town west of Montauk Point, or 'the end' as they say. Montauk is big with the tourists mostly because of the shops and the lighthouse, plus the beaches there are public. Amagansett is private so I don't get bothered much. I think you'll like it there. I just wish it were summer though so we could enjoy the beach. If you like the beach, that is."

Rebecca thought of the drummer in that thong bikini she wore in the pool when she first met her and sighed. "I love the beach. I've heard so much about the area. It sounds real nice. Does the rest of the band live near you?"

"Kelly and Rach don't live far. They are both in East Hampton. Linda lives in Manhasset, so she can stay closer to her Bronx roots," the drummer explained.

After they had landed and got off the plane, Jordanna tugged on Rebecca's arm. "C'mon, the limo is waiting for us over there. I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted and could use a little sleep."

When they were on the south shore of Long Island and closer to her home, Jordanna spent time detailing points of interest to the reporter. To her dismay, most of the attractions were still closed for the winter. It was a beautiful early March day and a light snow must have fallen- coating the ground and the trees. They could see the sun's glistening rays on the long stretch of the Atlantic Ocean.

Rebecca turned and looked at the drummer. "It's beautiful here. I love the ocean. I didn't get to see much of it when I was growing up living on a farm, but we did vacation in the Bahamas because my family owns a timeshare there. I can see why you love it so much."

Jordanna closed her eyes and smiled. "There's nowhere else that I would rather live. I grew up on the Island; it's my home. Although my childhood memories are not really good ones." She sighed. "But I didn't live out here, so..."

The reporter took the drummer's hand in hers and gave it a quick squeeze. She looked directly into the blue eyes that she had somehow begun to love. "I'm here to listen if you ever feel like talking about it."

Jordanna squeezed back and returned her gaze. "Thanks."

Rebecca noticed that the farther out on the Island they drove, the cars that passed by became more and more luxurious. Mercedes, Lexus, BMW, Jaguar, Porsche… "Jordanna?"

The drummer looked over at Rebecca. "Mm?"

"What kind of a car do you drive?"

Jordanna raised a brow. "I have a Mitsubishi 3000GT, a Nissan Pathfinder and a Harley, why?"

Rebecca shook her head. "Just curious, that's all. I figured you'd own at least one luxury car- I'm very surprised."

The dark-haired woman shrugged. "You'll find that I don't quite fit the rock star mold, Rebecca. Money really doesn't impress me very much. As long as I'm comfortable enough to live and am able to feed myself, then I'm happy."

The limo made a quick right down a private drive and pulled up in the driveway on the side of Jordanna's house, which was off-white in color and looked more like a country home than an oceanfront house. "This is it," she said and looked down, realizing that they were still holding hands. She let go right as the limo driver opened the door to help the reporter out of the back of the car. Jordanna jumped out behind her.

Rebecca looked at the house and thought about how out of place it looked in the area. "Wow. It's gorgeous… but it doesn't quite… fit in here."

"That's why I bought it," the dark woman responded quickly. She walked them to the deck in the back of her house and pointed to the next house, which was about a half mile down the beach from her house. The house was dark gray in color, hidden partially by the dunes, and looked as if its visitors needed to be checked by security to get in. "That looks like an FBI building, or a library… not a home. I didn't want that."

"I don't blame you. Do you know the owners?"

Jordanna made a face. "Yeah… the husband owns an investment firm in the city. The wife spends her day sitting at home eating bon bons, getting her nails done, entertaining the socialites with her witty personality. Ugh."

"Guess you don't like them much, huh?"

The drummer laughed. "Is it that obvious? Lets put it this way, they don't think very much of me, either. A lesbian rock star living one house over… how appalling." Her eyes lit up and she smirked. "I just might lose control and hit on the wifey one day, you know?" she said with a wink. "See how good those bon bons really do taste."

Rebecca laughed and pushed her lightly with her elbow. "You're bad."

"Well, that's what they think, Rebecca."

After all of their luggage was safely inside Jordanna offered to show the reporter around the house. "You want the tour now or are you too tired? I noticed you yawning quite a bit on the ride, was I that boring?" she chuckled.

Rebecca shook her head profusely. "Oh nonono, you are definitely anything but boring. I'm a little tired but, I'd love to see your house, thanks."

"Do you want something to drink first?" Jordanna asked, checking her cabinets and refrigerator to see if her service had been in to stock them recently, which apparently they had. "I have soda, iced tea, milk, juice…." She moved the milk carton out of the way to see if there was anything else. "And beer, lots and lots of beer," she said with a grin.

"I'll have a soda if you don't mind," Rebecca called out to Jordanna. She was in the living room, looking around at all of the walls of compact discs the drummer had. "Damn, Tupac Shakur, Mase, LL Cool J, Nas, Queen Latifah, Snoop, Naughty by Nature, Missy Elliott, Busta Rhymes…I guess you are into rap music, huh?"

Jordanna walked in the room and handed her a glass and a can of coke. She had grabbed a bottle of Michelob for herself, and took a pull on it before speaking. "I love all kinds of music, but yeah, rap is definitely one of my favorites. It's so full of expression. Most of it has such a sensual feeling to it, good to uh…dance to."

Rebecca laughed and purposely bumped into the drummer for effect. "Dance to, huh? I've never really liked rap music much. I just don't understand it." She smiled when she saw Jordanna's collection of Led Zeppelin CD's, pulling out her favorite, Physical Graffiti. "Now this is more my style," she said, waving it in front of the drummer's face.

"Don't knock rap until you've really tried it. Who knows, it just might grow on you," the drummer teased and looked Rebecca in the eyes. "Sometimes, if you're around things that you think you don't like long enough, they somehow start to grow on you," she added.

The reporter's breath caught. "Um, yeah, I guess you're right."

Feeling the growing connection between them, Jordanna really felt she wanted to get to know the reporter better. "Can I ask you something personal?"

Rebecca wanted nothing more than to be able to trust the drummer, but after the way Jordanna had treated her in the beginning she was apprehensive about answering anything personal she might ask. "Sure. I can't guarantee I'll answer though."

Jordanna felt slightly hurt by Rebecca's apprehension. I guess I deserve it though. "Well, it's not that personal actually, and, um… you don't have to answer anything I ask you if you don't want to. I just wanted to ask you about your daughter. What is she like? Do you have a picture of her?"

A huge smile made its way onto the reporter's face. "Oh…yeah," she said, getting up to find her backpack and her wallet. Pulling out the photo, she handed it to the drummer. It was a family shot taken just before David had handed her the divorce papers. "That photo was taken when Dave and I were still together."

Jordanna looked at the photo of the young family with a bit of sadness, knowing that she would probably never have a picture like that to show to people. 'Maybe I should have taken photos of all the women I've screwed so I could show them' she thought, berating herself and her lifestyle.

"She's adorable," she said to the reporter with complete sincerity. "She does have your gorgeous green eyes." She paused. "Do you still love him?" She pointed to the couch. "Why don't you sit down and get comfortable. We have plenty of time to tour the house."

Rebecca walked to the couch and sat down. Jordanna followed behind her and sat on the chair opposite of her. "This is a beautiful house, seems very relaxing here," the reporter admitted. She was in awe of the view from the living room, which faced the ocean.

Aside from the house having a country look to it, this room sold Jordanna on the house. "That's why I bought this house. It has so many windows to make sure that you can truly admire the beauty that God has granted us with. Just wait until the sun sets, it's spectacular."

Rebecca was surprised at what the drummer had just said. "You believe in God?"

Jordanna hadn't been asked that question before. "Yes, why?"

Rebecca blushed and laughed. "It's just that…well, you know… you don't quite live the holy lifestyle, that's all."

Jordanna nearly spit out her beer. "Yeah, well I'm certainly no saint by a long shot, but that doesn't mean I can't love God."

"No… no it doesn't. You said I amaze you, well, Ms. Fox, I think that you are far more amazing than I could ever be."

Jordanna liked the fact that the reporter was starting to feel at ease with her. Rebecca certainly was easy to get along with, especially when she herself wasn't being difficult. Easy to start to fall for. "Hey, you never answered my question."

"Which question was that?" Rebecca found herself truly taken by this woman. Focusing on that sinfully sexy voice and her stunning blue eyes, she had forgotten what the question was. She now knew why the rest of the country was so obsessed with this woman. Even with her bitchy, bad girl rock star attitude, it was very hard not to be. Just one look into those blue eyes and whammo… God, Rebecca, you're so pathetic.

"You are far too young for Alzheimer's, kiddo," Jordanna teased. "I asked you if you still had feelings for your ex-husband."

"Oh yeah, that question… No, I don't think that I ever really loved him to be honest." She wondered why Jordanna had asked that. "Why?"

"I was just curious, that's all," she said with an inquisitive smile. "And… you don't drink because the last time you did, you got pregnant? Do you think that you'd get yourself into that situation again?"

Not if you and I were together, Jordanna.

"Well…. I don't like to let myself get in a situation where I am not in control anymore. I don't like to rely on other people to keep me safe." She winced at the memory. As much as she loved Cindy, she knew that the circumstances around her birth and marrying David had been a BIG mistake. Why all the questions?

Jordanna got up and grabbed the cordless phone. "You know, you can use the phone anytime you want to. Why don't you call your daughter? I can see you really miss her."

Rebecca took the phone from the drummer and smiled. "Thanks, I really appreciate it."

Jordanna started to go into the kitchen so the reporter could make her phone call in private. Rebecca called out to her. "You don't have to go, Jordanna. This is your house."

The drummer shrugged and sat back down in the chair while Rebecca spoke with her family. She didn't want to, but she found it very difficult not to listen to the conversation going on. Rebecca loved her daughter. That was obvious to her. She felt sad that the reporter felt like a bit of failure when it came to her family.

"Thanks, it was so good to hear her voice again. I really do miss the little pipsqueak," Rebecca said after she finished her phone call.

Jordanna had an idea. "How far do they live from where Madison Square Garden is?"

"A couple of blocks, why?"

Unsure of herself, she cleared her throat. "We could always stop and see them when we are in the city for one of the shows. Or we could just go there on an off day. Manhattan is not that far from here."

We? "I wouldn't want to put you out or anything," the reporter said, hoping that what Jordanna had suggested was sincere.

"You couldn't possibly put me out, Rebecca. Think about it, okay? You want the tour now?"

"Sure."

The drummer took Rebecca through the lower level of her house, which was basically 3 very large rooms, the kitchen, two bathrooms, a closed in room with an Olympic sized, heated swimming pool in it and an octagon shaped sunroom that was in the back of the house. She had already seen the living room, so they bypassed that room.

The first room they walked into was Jordanna's den, which also had an excellent view of the Atlantic Ocean. The room came complete with a second fireplace, the other one in the living room, plus a pool table, pinball machine and a bar. Surround Sound speakers hung throughout the room, paying homage to the drummer's large CD collection. "You should try and keep up your pool skills," the drummer teased, giving the pool table a little pat.

Rebecca smiled in remembrance of what it was like to feel the drummer's body so close to hers when she was teaching her how to play. "Yeah…" she sighed heavily.

"C'mon, let me show you the sunroom," the drummer said, jolting Rebecca out of her memories. Jordanna opened the sliding glass door that connected the den and the sunroom. Rebecca looked around the octagon shaped room, noticing it was done in all cream colors and browns. "Now this I like," the reporter commented as she sat in one of the chairs. "I'd kill for a room like this."

The drummer laughed. "I do a lot of my writing in here. I seem to get inspired when I come and relax in this room." She pointed to the couch, which looked as if it had been used a lot. "I also get a lot of sleep in here. The warmth of the sun beating on me and the sound of the ocean puts me right to sleep, especially when I bring a book in here."

"Do you think I could use this room to do my work?"

"Sure, use whatever room you'd like, Rebecca."

They walked through the sliding glass doors on the other side of the sunroom into the room with the indoor swimming pool.

"Ooh," the reporter swooned. "I like this, too."

Jordanna walked along the side of the pool and into a room. Rebecca followed behind slowly, thinking about all of the laps that she needed to catch up on and how perfect the pool was going to be. When she walked into the room, she saw the dark-haired woman leaning against a table that was near a hot tub. "Oh, yeah," Rebecca leaned down near the edge of the tub. "This is nice."

Jordanna smiled. "Anytime you feel like using either one, be my guest. Anything in the house is yours, okay?"

Rebecca nodded. "I'm definitely going to take you up on these."

They walked back through the sunroom and went into the main part of the house. Jordanna took the reporter to the back room on the bottom floor of the house. "This is my home studio." There were 2 different drum sets in the back of the room, one the reporter recognized as an electronic set and the other a regular set. There were also guitars and basses of all shapes and sizes scattered throughout, only to be over-shadowed by a piano, keyboards and recording equipment that took up the rest of the space. Picking up a guitar, Rebecca turned to the drummer. "Can you play all of these instruments?"

"Pretty much. I can hold my own on all of them."

The reporter thought that was pretty amazing. "Are you self taught on the drums or did you take lessons?"

"I was in the band in school and took lessons at the Long Island Drum Center when I was a teenager. The L.I.D.C. had a lot of well-known teachers at the time. I had quite a few teachers, but my main one was from a local band. They are a good band and had a few albums out on Atlantic Records, but they never really went very far. They still play around now and then. He was a great teacher. I kind of had a little crush on him. He even gave me some keyboard lessons. He moved to New Orleans a few years ago though."

Rebecca began strumming the chords of a song on the acoustic guitar she had picked up. Jordanna looked at her and smiled. "Hey, I'm impressed. Melissa Etheridge fan, huh? You really sorta need a 12-string to get her real feel. Maybe we can jam one day if you want to."

Rebecca put the guitar down and blushed. "Thanks, I don't know if I am in your league though… but I would like to if you want."

"I want."

She took Rebecca's hand in hers and walked out of the room, heading towards the stairs. "C'mon, let me show you around upstairs." Following the drummer up the stairs, Rebecca had to work hard to keep pace with the woman's long strides. Jordanna stopped at the third room. "I have five guest bedrooms, I think this one is the nicest. You can use whichever one you want. It's up to you." Or you could stay in my bedroom… that would also be fine with me.

"This is nice," Rebecca said, looking around the room.

She took the reporter to the next room, which was the master bedroom. Done in all shades of blue, with an ocean scene border going around the ceiling, the room complemented the view of the ocean. "This is my room. It doesn't look very lived in, huh?"

Rebecca shook her head. "Not really, no."

The drummer smiled. "That's because most of the time I've fallen asleep in the sunroom."

Jordanna walked her quickly through her personal gym filled with every machine that anyone could ever want. "I know… this room doesn't look very used either. I run on the beach in the morning when I am home, but I do workout a couple times a week. Not as much as I used to, though."

Rebecca laughed. "That's a couple times more than I ever do... I don't really have the time anymore."

"You've got to be kidding?" The drummer looked at Rebecca from head to toe. "You can't tell by looking at you. How do you keep that beautiful body in such good shape then?" She realized what she had just said. "Uh… sorry." She quickly ushered Rebecca out of the gym, hoping that the young woman wouldn't notice the blush she was sporting. They walked out through a door in the back of the gym.

"This is my computer room," she said, taking the reporter into the only room she hadn't seen. The room was filled with all the gold records and awards that the band had won. There were framed Broadway posters hanging, and other entertainment type memorabilia scattered throughout.

"You like Broadway?" the reporter questioned.

"Yep. I always try to catch a play or two when I am home. I love the whole theater experience. It's so different from the madness that I am used to, being in a rock and roll band, you know? And I love just walking around New York City. There's so much to see… the stores, the people…" she paused and chuckled. "There are adult shops that have peep shows on the second floor but then if you go up one more floor, there are kids videos and pool tables. Only in New York I tell ya," she said, doing the famous New Yawk accent, and shaking her head.

Rebecca laughed. "You frequent adult shops, Jordanna?"

"Um, well… I..." the dark woman smiled wickedly. "I went in with a pack of friends the last time. They uh, dragged me there. We stood in the middle of the store and discussed erotic stories…"

Erotic Stories?

"Okaaay…" Rebecca shook her head at the comment. "Uh huh. They dragged you there… What did you buy?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing… I didn't buy a thing." Maybe one day, you'll let me show you what I bought Rebecca… I hope.

After waking from their naps and hearing the reporter's stomach make it's presence known Jordanna realized that they hadn't eaten since early in the morning. "Do you want to go out for dinner tonight? I've been craving good pasta for weeks now. I know a great Italian restaurant on the pier. What do you think?"

A smile made it's way onto the reporter's face. "Pasta sounds great to me. I'm starved."

"The only thing is Rebecca, this restaurant sort of has a couples setting. You know… small table, candlelight and all. Is that a problem for you? We haven't really discussed some of the things that have happened between us so I want to be sure you feel comfortable being seen with me."

"I have no problem with that at all," Rebecca responded. Not at all… "Uh…unless it would bother you."

"No. I just wanted to warn you. I guess what I am saying is expect to get some funny looks because I'm sure at least a few of the people will think that we are a couple," she said in a serious tone. "Sometimes people can be really ignorant and make nasty comments. I must admit, I don't react well to being called a fag."

Rebecca was stunned. "You've been called a fag?"

Even by my own mother. "More than once. That's why I just want you to make sure you understand what you will be dealing with, okay?"

Grabbing her suitcase to look for something to wear, she reassured the drummer that she had no problem being seen with her in that type of setting. "Don't worry, I can handle it, Jordanna. Now, what do I wear to this place? I don't really have anything fancy to wear."

Jordanna put her hand on her shoulder. "What you are wearing is fine." The reporter had on a pair of black jeans and a form fitting red V-neck sweater. "You look good in red. It looks nice with your hair. I do, however, have to change out of this," she said, pointing to her ripped blue jeans and South Park Cartman "Respect my Authority" sweatshirt. Running up the stairs to head to her bedroom, she called over her shoulder to the reporter. "I'll be right down."

After a quick shower, the drummer went to her closet. Rejecting each piece of clothing she pulled out of her closet, she started to get angry. What am I gonna wear? Black leather mini skirt and lacy black shirt? No. Well, not today at least. I wonder if she'd like me in that?

Flipping through all the jeans in her closet, she spotted one of her favorite pairs. "Ah ha, yeah that's it," she said as she pulled out the winning outfit. She slipped on a pair of tight cream colored jeans and a chocolate brown sweater. Round out the outfit with a brown belt and pair of boots and she was ready to go.

Rebecca caught sight of the drummer as she was coming down the stairs. Her heart started to pound slightly and her palms started to sweat. Oh God, she is magnificent. "You look wonderful, Jordanna."

"Thanks." She held her hand out to the reporter and led her to the door. "You ready to go?"

They walked to the garage and waited for the door to open. When it did, Rebecca followed Jordanna to the bright red Mitsubishi 3000GT parked in the far corner. Opening the door for Rebecca, the drummer waited for her to get in and buckled before heading to the driver's side.

Jordanna got in and adjusted the seat and mirrors to her liking. She hadn't driven the car since the last break the band had from the tour around Christmas time. She always made sure that she had someone take her vehicles for a drive at least once a week when she was away so they would be in good shape when she did get home.

Rebecca ran her hand along the stick shift. "This is a really nice car. I'm still surprised you don't have a luxury car though."

Jordanna shrugged. "I honestly am not much for flaunting status, Rebecca- although you may find that hard to believe. I did have a Mercedes SL500 convertible and Susan decided to take it on a joyride with her girlfriend one afternoon when I was on tour and wrapped it around a tree… so I never bought another car in California for her to drive again. I was hardly ever there, anyway." She sighed. "Now that I'm home, I'm going to look into replacing it. I loved that car."

"I've always liked this car, though," she continued. "So when I like something I buy it, even if it doesn't quite fit the 'image' people have of me. Personally, the Harley is my fave. I love riding it around here in the summer, wind blowing through my hair and the vibration of the engine between my legs. I feel so free. Do you ride?"

"I've always wanted to, but didn't know anyone who had one. I don't know if I could ride one myself. They seem pretty heavy."

The drummer chuckled at the thought of the small woman trying to ride her Harley alone. "Well, we will just have to take her out for a spin one day. It's a little cold, but we can bundle up."

Rebecca turned and looked at the drummer. "I'd like that a lot."

As soon as they walked in the restaurant, a small man who looked like he fell straight off the boat from Italy greeted the drummer with a big hug and a kiss. "Jordanna? Is that you?"

"Hello Mario. Good to see you. You look as handsome as ever," she said returning the hug.

Mario waved her off. "You always were a good BS artist, my dear Jordanna," he said with a laugh. Bumping his elbow into her arm he looked at Rebecca. "Are you going to introduce me to this beautiful young woman, or do I have to do it myself?"

She took Rebecca by the hand and introduced her. "Mario, this is Rebecca, a…uh… friend of mine." Mario took Rebecca's hand and kissed it. "I'm Mario. Very pleased to meet you."

"Mario owns this place, Rebecca. You have to watch out for him, he's not as innocent as he looks," she said, winking at the man. "He's a real heartbreaker."

"Flattery will get you everywhere, Jordanna. I'll have your old table set up for you," he said smiling. His face turned serious. "Did you break up with Susan?"

Jordanna cleared her throat. "Yes, I did break up with her recently, as a matter of fact."

He looked pleased. "Good, good. That woman was… how do I say this nicely… creepy. The looks that she would sometimes give. Like she could kill you with just one look of her eyes. I'm glad you got rid of her. She seemed like trouble."

"She was trouble," Rebecca chimed in.

"Ah, now this woman…" he said, taking Rebecca's hand again. "Make sure you take care of her, Jordanna." He grabbed two menus and led them into the dining area. "Your table is ready."

It was Jordanna's turn to blush with that comment. She looked at the reporter and saw nothing but a smile on her face. Smiling back at the reporter, she answered him. "I intend to Mario, thank you." He held out the chairs for both of them. "I bring you a bottle of our finest wine, on the house, okay? Roberta will be over to take your order when you are ready."

The table that they were sitting at was in the back of the room, right next to the window. They had a perfect view of the Atlantic Ocean. In the distance you could see the Montauk Lighthouse keeping its watch over the people and animals of the sea. "Pretty here, isn't it?" Jordanna said as she noticed the reporter taking in the scenery.

Rebecca turned and looked at her companion. "Yes, it is. I could get lost just watching the ocean. The water is kind of choppy though. I wonder if there is a storm coming?"

"I did hear something about a Nor'Easter coming but they never get the forecast right. The weathermen don't seem to want to commit to anything anymore. We will probably just get rain, like usual," the drummer commented.

Their waitress brought the wine to the table and poured a glass for each of them. Jordanna gave Rebecca a questioning look. "Would you like something different? I know you don't drink much."

The reporter shook her head. "No, this is fine. If we could get a pitcher of water too, that would be great."

"Sure. I'll take your order when I bring the water," the waitress said, turning to go back into the kitchen.

Jordanna flipped through the menu. "I already know what I'm ordering. Do you know what you want?"

"How is the fish here?" the reporter asked.

Jordanna laughed. "I hear it's good. I wouldn't know- I hate fish. Yeah, I'm from a big fishing community like Long Island and I hate fish. I'm weird, what can I say? I feel like I ate far too much of it in a past life or something, if that makes sense."

Lifting her wineglass up, Rebecca made a toast. "To a new friendship," she said, looking directly into the drummer's blue eyes and then tapped her glass against Jordanna's.

"Yeah… a new friendship," the drummer repeated and then smiled.

An hour and a half later, Rebecca was pouring the last of the wine in her glass. "All gone," she said like a child, turning the bottle upside down to get the last drop out. "I hope you didn't want anymore," she burped.

Jordanna chuckled. "No, no. I've had enough for the night. Besides, I have to drive. Rebecca, what are you doing?" she said to the reporter as she watched her unbutton her jeans.

"I'm so stuffed. I don't think I should have had that second dessert," the reporter babbled.

"Don't forget you ate most of my dessert, too," the drummer teased.

"I ate you as dessert?" the reporter asked in her slightly tipsy state. Surprised by the reporter's verbal slip, Jordanna shifted in her seat and smiled. "I wish. Let's get you home before you get us into trouble." Motioning for the waitress to bring the check, she helped Rebecca out of her chair. "Can you walk?" Rebecca nearly fell into a heap when Jordanna let go of her. "No, I guess not." The drummer wrapped her arm around Rebecca's waist, hoping that the reporter would grab on to her. "Here, put your arm around my shoulder. Hang on to me," she said to the reporter as she handed the waitress her credit card.

"Is she going to be all right?" the waitress asked, concerned.

Adding the tip onto the bill, she signed the receipt. "She'll be fine." Jordanna didn't notice that an old couple that had been sitting at a table near them were watching them, but the reporter did.

"WHAT IN THE HELL ARE YOU LOOKING AT?" Rebecca screamed. "Haven't you ever seen two women together before?" she said, grabbing the drummer by the chin and kissing her soundly on the mouth. Stunned, the drummer broke away from the kiss. Jordanna looked at the couple and apologized. "I'm sorry, she's had a few too many tonight."

Feeling slightly weak herself, Jordanna wrapped her arms around Rebecca. "C'mon, you gotta help me here. Hang on to me," she said as she led the reporter out the door and into the parking lot.

When they finally made it to the car, Rebecca managed to pin Jordanna up against the passenger side door. "You didn't respond to my kiss," the reporter said, disappointed.

"Rebecca, you are piss ass drunk," the drummer pointed out. "Please don't read me wrong, I do want to kiss you," she said, still pinned under the reporter. "More than anything," she whispered in Rebecca's ear. "Just let me get you home, okay."

"Okay," Rebecca chirped, happily moving away from the drummer. "Whoa. Why are you spinning like that?"

When they got back to the house, Jordanna helped Rebecca to her room, gently easing her onto the bed. She had no idea what Rebecca would sleep in so she ran into her bedroom and grabbed one of her own tee shirts for Rebecca to wear to bed. "This should be okay for you tonight," she said to the barely conscious woman she was trying to undress. "Just wanna sleep…" Rebecca mumbled.

Jordanna ran her hand across the young woman's cheek. "Almost finished," she said, returning to her task of trying to get the reporter's arms into the sleeves of the tee shirt. "Okay, all done." She pulled the covers over the reporter and kissed her on the cheek. "Goodnight beautiful," she whispered as she turned the light off and shut the door.

Jordanna wasn't tired enough to go to bed herself. Her mind was racing and she was still reeling from Rebecca's unexpected kiss. She made a stop in her bedroom to change into sweats and pick out a book to read. "It's been a while since I've read a John Grisham novel," she said out loud as she grabbed 'The Runaway Jury.'

She walked down the stairs and plopped down on the couch. She turned on the light next to the couch, put her glasses on and then opened the book. She read the first sentence and her mind flipped back to the reporter. She was still very surprised that Rebecca kissed her, not that she minded. She figured the conversation that they had before they went to dinner must have been on her mind.

Trying to push away her thoughts she picked up the remote turned the television on and started flipping the channels. Damn, nothing on. She shut off the television, got up from the couch and walked to the window. "Well, what do you know," she said, noticing that a light snow was falling.

Jordanna always loved when it was snowing. She could sit for hours just watching it fall, flake by flake, immersed in her thoughts. Tonight there was only one thing on her mind and that was Rebecca. She made her way to the fireplace and built a fire. On her way back to the couch, she picked up the Grisham book and decided to sit in the chair that was directly across from the window so she could look at the snow falling down and at the angry waves that crashed on the beach in the night.

Chapter 9

Rebecca opened her eyes. The room was spinning. And bright. "Owwww!" Rubbing her eyes, she took a few seconds to look around the room. Where am I? And what truck fell on me? "Jordanna," she muttered out loud when she remembered where she was.

"Oh God, I'm gonna be sick!" she said, running into the bathroom and throwing herself on the floor. Lucky for her, the guestroom that she was in had an adjoining bathroom.

Hauling herself off the floor, she went to the sink, ran the water and splashed it on her face. "This sucks," she said to herself. "I always make fun of my friends when they have hangovers. I'm such an idiot." She noticed that Jordanna had left out a toothbrush, toothpaste and mouthwash in the bathroom for her. "Is she trying to tell me something? I wish I could remember what happened last night. I don't even remember getting undressed and getting into bed."

She looked in the mirror and saw the long, black tee shirt she was wearing that said I'LL TAKE A LITTLE PAIN WITH MY PLEASURE. It had a picture of a leather-clad woman with a whip on the front, and the name of some fetish club in San Diego on the back. She shook her throbbing head. "She's too much," she said to her reflection. "Pain with my pleasure…" she snorted. "She knew how I was going to feel this morning, huh?"

Getting as much of the horrid taste she had out of her mouth, she left the room in search of the drummer. Upon inspection she noticed that Jordanna's room had not been touched except that the clothing that she had worn to the restaurant was hung on the back of chair next to the bed. She had not slept there.

The house was quiet. Holding onto the rail as she went down the stairs, Rebecca cursed herself silently for drinking so much. She made her way into the den and smiled when she saw Jordanna asleep on a chair. A book was draped over one of her thighs and a pair of eyeglasses was on the floor.

She walked over to the drummer and picked the book and the glasses up, setting them on the end table. "Holy shit," she said as her eyes caught sight of the scenery out the window. The light snow that Jordanna had noticed was falling before she fell asleep had turned into blizzard-like conditions during the night.

Blue eyes opened. "How are you feeling this morning?" the drummer asked sleepily.

Rebecca put her hand on her head. "Not so good," she muttered and then pointed out the window. "Check it out."

Jordanna got up to see what Rebecca was looking at. "Holy shit! That's got to be about two feet of snow." Jordanna yawned and stretched her body to get the kinks out. "Guess the weatherman was actually right this time. I'm sure tonight's show will be postponed."

Rebecca sat down on the couch and put her head in her hands. Noticing her discomfort, Jordanna knelt down in front of her and began messaging the reporter's temple. "I guess you are paying for last night, huh?" she said, sympathetically. "Let me make some coffee and get you something to eat."

Rebecca shook her head violently. "Ugh...no food."

"You have to get something in your stomach, Rebecca," the drummer replied. "Why don't you lay down on the couch while I get you something to eat. Just some dry toast, okay? It should help with the nausea."

The reporter refused. "Ugh. I can't eat."

"Please, just try…. for me. I don't cook well, but I can make toast and my coffee isn't too bad," the drummer admitted.

Rebecca lifted her head and cracked the best smile she could for the drummer. "Okay…only for you, though."

"Good. Thank you. At least I know I will feel a lot better. I shouldn't have let you drink like that last night." Jordanna stood up and walked into the kitchen.

"Did you just say 'you shouldn't have let me' Jordanna?" Rebecca yelled as she got up and followed the drummer into the kitchen, regretting it instantly when her legs threatened to give out.

"Easy, Rebecca." Grabbing on to the reporter to steady her, Jordanna tried to talk herself out of the situation. "No, I didn't… well, yes I did, but I didn't mean it the way you think. I knew that you would probably get a hangover because you don't drink and I didn't really say anything to you last night. That's what I meant."

"Oh." Rebecca put her hand on the drummer's cheek. "I'm sorry. I just don't like being told to do things."

Jordanna put her hand over Rebecca's to accept the peace offering and then went to work on the coffee. "Besides, you were just so damn cute last night," she teased.

Rebecca looked into her eyes. "That's what I wanted to ask you, what exactly did I do last night? I don't really remember much except eating and drinking a lot…. and you."

Jordanna looked perplexed. "Me?" she said, pointing to herself.

Rebecca laughed quietly. "Yeah, you. I remember that I was thinking how lucky I was to be out with you. I saw the way some of the people in there were looking at you. The waitress couldn't take her eyes off of you. The man at the table behind you was staring, too. He must have thought that maybe he would be the one to straighten you out."

Jordanna felt a deep blush building. "Straighten me out?" She paused and laughed. "If um…" she cleared her throat. "If he was sitting behind me then he was looking at you, Rebecca, not me," she continued, while pulling out the toaster. "And I…um…I was thinking the same thing about you."

"You were thinking that he would straighten me out?" the reporter asked, with a look of mischief in her bloodshot eyes.

"No, silly," she said, putting her hand on the reporter's cheek. "I was thinking that I was out with the most beautiful woman that I have ever laid my eyes on. Rebecca, I'm the lucky one."

"Oh."

"Yeah, oh…. Now how do you like your toast?"

The two spent the afternoon in the den watching television. Jordanna had turned on News 12 to see what the latest was on the storm. "I can't stand Snooze 12," the drummer complained, referring to the local Long Island News channel. "They have to be the dullest newscasters I have ever watched in my life."

"Why are we watching it then?" the sleepy reporter asked.

"They have the most accurate forecast for this area cause they are local. You just have to fight to stay awake until the weather comes on." Jordanna said, jumping up to answer the phone that was ringing. "But don't worry, if you miss anything you will catch it again next hour cause most of their stories are taped and they play them over and over every hour."

While she was on the phone, the weather came on. "You missed the weather," Rebecca teased when Jordanna returned to her spot on the couch.

"Figures," the drummer said with a laugh. "That was Jerry. The show, of course, has been postponed. They are going to try to reschedule it for sometime next month. Let's hope we can dig our way out of here by then." Although, I wouldn't complain if we couldn't.

Rebecca was sprawled out on the couch, with her feet up on the coffee table. "Jordanna?"

Jordanna saw her lying comfortably like that and smiled. "Hmmm?"

"You never did tell me what I did last night," the reporter said, embarrassed.

The drummer laughed. "Do you really want to know?"

Rebecca sat up straight, eyes wide open. "Why, did I really do something that bad? Tell me, please."

"Welllll…" the drummer spoke slowly to prolong Rebecca's agony. "You yelled at an elderly couple that were looking at us when we were leaving."

"What??? I yelled at an elderly couple?" she said. "I did not!"

"You most certainly did, Rebecca." Jordanna questioned whether she should tell her the rest. "So, do you want to know what you said to them?"

"Yeah… I think," Rebecca said reluctantly, not knowing what to expect. People always seem to speak exactly what is on their minds when they are drunk.

The drummer chuckled. "You demanded to know what they were looking at."

"Oh, that's not that bad." Rebecca sighed with relief. She thought that she had made a complete fool of herself.

"Well, it wasn't too bad until you asked them 'Haven't you ever seen two women together before?' and proceeded to scandalize the whole room by kissing me on the mouth!" Jordanna winked at Rebecca.

"I did what?"

"You kissed me on the mouth," the drummer repeated, a wicked grin slowly building on her face.

Silence.

"Are you all right? C'mon Rebecca, talk to me."

Rebecca apologized. "I'm sorry."

Jordanna looked directly in her eyes. "Sorry for what?"

"I…I can't believe I did that. I don't know what I was thinking." Rebecca got up and walked away from the drummer. She couldn't look at her anymore.

"Rebecca…" Jordanna said, crossing the room to be near the reporter. "We've kissed before."

"Stay away from me!" the embarrassed reporter hissed. Tears were forming in her eyes.

The drummer grabbed her by the arms and shook her. "Rebecca, please! Why are you doing this?"

Rebecca freed herself from the drummer's vice like grip. "No, I feel like an idiot now. I'm such a fool to think that someone like you could possibly like me!"

"Hold it right there, Rebecca." Jordanna was floored. "What do you mean someone like me couldn't like someone like you? If anything, it's the other way around."

"Why do you say that?"

Jordanna shook her head and laughed. "Rebecca, I am that woman that everyone's mother warns them about. It's no secret I'm a womanizer, I admit it. Why on earth would you even want to like someone like me?"

The reporter looked into Jordanna's blue eyes. "If you are trying to scare me off, Jordanna… it's not going to work."

The dark-haired woman walked over to the window. "Rebecca… I…"

"How do you really feel about me, Jordanna? Don't try to spare my feelings, I can take it."

Jordanna closed her eyes.

I can't do this.

She knew that these new feelings would get her into trouble. She wanted to let the walls that she had worked so hard to build down and let someone in, but with love came pain and rejection.

There goes that nasty 'L' word again. Tell her how you feel.

"Rebecca… I want you. I've wanted you since the moment I laid eyes on you."

It's all about sex with her, isn't it? Rebecca sighed. That wasn't quite what she wanted to hear from the dark woman. "As just another one of your playthings, I take it?" she said, not afraid to let the hurt show in her voice. "I don't want to be just another notch on your bed post, Jordanna. That's not my style."

"No," the dark woman replied, her eyes following the heavy snow that was still falling from the sky. "You see, that's just the thing. I get these feelings when I am near you that I have never experienced before." She turned around to face Rebecca. "These feelings, well… they confuse the hell out of me."

"What kind of feelings?" the reporter asked.

Oh God, this is so hard. Jordanna swallowed a few times before answering. "It's hard to explain. I have a feeling like I've found something that was lost, except I didn't know I was searching for it. I know that sounds stupid, but…"

Rebecca didn't let her finish. "It doesn't sound stupid. I feel the same way."

"You do?" Is it possible? The drummer locked eyes with the smaller woman. "I uh, I also feel like I found feelings again… I haven't felt anything for anyone or anything for a damn long time. That's why I've never really had a real relationship and just fucked around, it was easier that way. I can tell you this; I want to have a real relationship now… with you."

Rebecca didn't know what to say. Jordanna felt extremely awkward about revealing any of her inner feelings to someone else and wasn't sure she liked the fact that Rebecca hadn't said anything. She walked over to the couch and sat down next to the reporter. "Are… are you okay?"

Rebecca looked up at the drummer and Jordanna noticed that her eyes had tears forming in them. "Yeah… I'm better than okay," she said, her face breaking out into a huge smile. "I want that too, Jordanna."

Jordanna sat silent for a minute, relishing what Rebecca had said. "You do realize that you will be entering into a whole new world by getting involved with me, right? Things might not always be that pleasant for us," the drummer said, laying the cards out on the table for the young reporter.

Rebecca nodded. "I understand that. Not everyone will be that accepting of our relationship," she said, pausing to put emphasis on what she was going to say to the dark woman. "But you know something, I really don't give a flying fuck what people think, as long as I'm with you. I just… well, I don't know if I can compare to the other women you've been with, Jordanna."

"You can't compare to them."

Rebecca closed her eyes and sighed quietly. She was afraid that the drummer was going to say that. "I…"

"Shhh… listen to me." Jordanna put her fingers over the reporter's lips. "My heart doesn't skip a beat when I see any of those women from across a room. My breath doesn't catch when I feel the slightest of their touches. Those things only happen when I see or touch you, Rebecca. None of them have ever made me feel like you do. So no, I cannot compare you to any of them. There's no contest. You win, hand's down."

Jordanna closed her eyes and a tear escaped. "I've never made love to anyone before, Rebecca," she continued, admitting something that sounded very stupid even to her.

The reporter laughed. "You've got to be kidding me, I've seen you…"

"What you've seen and what I've done has never been done with love, Rebecca."

"What about Linda?"

"Linda was a big mistake. I didn't love her. I thought she knew that."

"Susan?"

"Rebecca, Susan was…" the drummer sighed. She loved Rebecca enough to know that she deserved to know about her fetishes, and needed to give her the opportunity to back out before it was too late. "Susan was my slave."

The reporter looked up at her with confusion. "Your slave?"

"Yes, she was my slave… sexually."

Rebecca looked at the shirt she was wearing. She thought back to the conversation where Jordanna said that Susan was willing to take anything Jordanna gave her sexually… and knew enough to thank her for it afterward. Now it all made sense. "Your slave… as in whips and chains slave?"

"Yes."

Rebecca swallowed hard. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I think you deserve to know the real person that you want to get to know better before jumping into things." Jordanna took her hands in her own. "Rebecca, you need to think about this carefully. I honestly don't know if I will be able to let go once I give you my heart." The drummer let another tear fall. "I've never felt this way- I've never wanted to give my heart to someone before. I don't know how to handle it."

Rebecca wiped the tear off of the drummer's face. "You want to give me your heart?"

"Yes, I do."

The reporter cleared her throat and smiled. "I want so much to take it, Jordanna."

"That's why you need to know all of this. Just as you don't want to be one of my playthings, I don't want to be just an experiment for you." She got up off of the couch and kissed Rebecca on the cheek. "Take the time to rest and think about this, okay?" She ran her hand through the reporter's messy hair, then went to the linen closet, pulled out a blanket and tucked it around the reporter. She walked across the room and picked up her book and reading glasses. "I'll be in the sunroom reading if you need me."

"Thanks, Jordanna." Rebecca sat back on the couch and closed her eyes. She didn't know if she was still nauseous from drinking so much, or if it was from fear of jumping into the unknown. She had done that too many times in her life since she graduated from high school, and didn't want to get hurt or hurt anyone else.

She was thankful for the glimpse Jordanna gave her of her heart, and that she cared enough to tell her exactly what she was about. This confirmed what she knew all along, that Jordanna was not the selfish, uncaring person that everyone believed her to be. That person would have just jumped in bed with Rebecca, taken what she wanted, and worried about the consequences afterward, or sent her packing. Instead Jordanna opted to give her time to think.

She didn't have to think. Her mind was made up the moment she looked into the drummer's blue eyes for the first time.

Jordanna walked into the sunroom and opened up a few of the vertical blinds. She shielded her eyes from the snow's immense brightness, and closed all but one. She sat for a while watching the steadily falling snow, giving her time to think. Her mind threw question after question at her, some she knew the answers to, and some she knew she would have to search the darkest depths of her soul for.

She picked up her glasses and put them on, opening the Grisham book up to the first page. She knew that she didn't absorb a word that she read the previous night, so she started to read it over. Unable to grasp what she was reading again, she sighed, then closed the book and put it down.

After getting up from the couch, she walked into the living room and checked on Rebecca. She could tell the reporter was sleeping soundly by the light snoring she heard. With a content smile on her face, Jordanna walked into the kitchen and started to make herself a cup of tea. While she was waiting for the water to boil, she quickly went into the den and rummaged through her bookshelf, remembering a brand new book by a new author a fan had given her that she just set aside and stored away for the day hell froze over. "What was the book called again?" she asked herself quietly. She ran her hand over a few the books that she had read looking for the one the fan gave her, coming across the likes of Ayn Rand, Hemingway, a few by William Shakespeare, the whole Jean Auel series, some older Grisham's, and some mysteries. Her hand stopped on the book that had a dark sky and lightning bolts on the cover. She pulled it out, looked at it and laughed. "Yep, this is the one."

Jordanna ran like a banshee when she heard the kettle start to whistle, not wanting to wake the sleeping reporter up. She slid into the kitchen with her socked feet, dropping the book on the table. Picking the kettle up off of the stove quickly, she poured herself a cup of tea, picked the book up and made her way back into the sunroom.

She took a sip of her tea and sat the cup down, put her glasses back on and looked at the book. Am I really going to try to read a so-called love story? It is snowing, so I guess hell must be freezing over.

A hour and a half later, just as the two characters in the book were admitting their love for each other on a beach in Florida, a shadow made its way across the pages. Jordanna looked up and saw the reporter standing in front of her.

"I've made up my mind."

The drummer's heart began to pound wildly and she started to speak. Rebecca put her fingers over her lips. "Shhh, let me tell you what I've decided."

Jordanna looked up at the reporter, waiting patiently for Rebecca's decision. I will not be upset if she doesn't want to get involved with me.

Rebecca ran her hand along the drummer's cheek and then took her glasses off. She set them down on the table next to her and held out her hand to the drummer. "Make love to me, Jordanna."

Oh God…

Jordanna's heart lurched and a grin formed on her face. She took Rebecca's hand and let the reporter lead her to the couch in the living room. After they sat down, Jordanna turned to the reporter. "Um… is it," she hesitated, "Is it all right if I kiss you now?"

"More than all right."

Jordanna leaned in and captured Rebecca's mouth with her own. It was gentle at first, but as both their desires grew the kiss intensified. The drummer sought entrance into the reporter's mouth with her tongue, and Rebecca willingly let her in. "Mmm..." she moaned, enjoying the feel of Jordanna's tongue dancing with hers. She sucked in her breath when she felt the drummer's tongue rub along the roof of her mouth near her teeth. When they broke the kiss, the reporter looked at the drummer through hooded green eyes filled with desire. "Take me to your bed," she said quietly.

The dark-haired woman's heart started working double time. She leaned in close and began nibbling on Rebecca's ear. "Are you sure you want to do this?" she whispered in the ear she had just nibbled on.

"Yes, I'm very sure," the reporter confirmed.

Jordanna stood up and offered her hand to Rebecca. The reporter took it, allowing Jordanna to lead her up the stairs to her bedroom. The drummer opened the door, and followed the reporter into the room, closing the door behind her. Rebecca stood near the bed and waited for the drummer to join her. Jordanna could see that Rebecca was nervous by the way she was shifting from foot to foot as she stood, and realized that there were butterflies forming in her own stomach.

'Why am I so nervous? ' the drummer thought as she was walking across the room. Let's face it, you've fucked hundreds… maybe thousands of women over the years but you've never once made love before, and you want to make love with Rebecca.

She approached the reporter slowly, not wanting to scare her and also to give herself time to calm down. When she reached her destination, she wrapped her arms around the smaller woman's waist and pulled her closer to her. She ran her hands across Rebecca's cheeks and leaned in for a kiss. "Are you really sure that this is… that I am… what you want, Rebecca?"

"Very sure," the reporter answered once again.

The drummer smiled at Rebecca, a smile that went all the way up to her eyes. She pushed Rebecca's hair to the side and began placing light kisses on the smaller woman's neck. Rebecca jumped at the sensual feeling, and Jordanna pulled away, her heart beating faster than she'd ever felt before. "Are you all right?" Because I don't know if I am.

Rebecca shook her head. "I'm just a little nervous… I, I've never… with a woman…" she tried to explain.

Jordanna ran her hand along the smaller woman's cheek. "I know you haven't. We'll take it slow, okay?"

The reporter nodded, unsure if her voice would fail her at this point or not. The drummer took Rebecca's hands in hers and eased them both down on the bed, where they lie on their sides facing one another. The dark woman brushed a strand of golden hair away from Rebecca's face and then leaned in to place a gentle kiss on the reporter's lips. She saw that the small woman's hands were shaking and took them in her own. "We can wait if you don't feel you are ready for this, Rebecca."

"No, I'll be fine… I just don't really know what to do."

"Were you this nervous when you made love with David for the first time?" the drummer asked and then a thought occurred to her. "Was David your first time?"

Rebecca squirmed unconsciously at the question. "Uh…"

Jordanna put her hand on Rebecca's shoulder and gave her an apologetic look. "Oh geez… I was totally out of line with that question, Rebecca, I'm sorry," the drummer said. "That's none of my business."

Rebecca pushed the drummer's hair away from her face. "No, that's okay. It's just that with anyone I've slept with I have never been um… I was never really satis…"

Jordanna nodded in full understanding. "I understand, Rebecca." She leaned forward and whispered in Rebecca's ear. "This time an orgasm will be a reality and not a fantasy."

Rebecca's eyes opened wide and she started to laugh. "My my… we are the confident one, aren't we?"

Jordanna laughed and pulled her closer. "Well, I've never heard any complaints."

The reporter looked directly into the drummer's blue eyes. "I'm scared, Jordanna."

In all truth, Jordanna was scared too. Scared of the real feelings she was having, afraid of chancing having her heart broken, scared of breaking Rebecca's heart, and terrified that she would be unable to make gentle love to the woman. To sum it all up, she was afraid of herself. "I know you are scared, Rebecca, I won't hurt you… I promise."

"I know you won't."

Okay, Jordanna… stay in control of yourself. You want this to work.

Trying to figure out how to help the young woman get over her fear of intimacy with another woman, she thought of a way to relax the reporter and took Rebecca's hand in her own. "Rebecca, I want you to familiarize yourself with my body," she said with a little smile.

Rebecca looked at the drummer as if her hair had just turned purple.

"No, I'm serious, Rebecca… this will help you relax. Start with feeling the curve of my hip," the drummer said, laying Rebecca's hand on her hip area. With the drummer's hand still on top of her own, Rebecca began to slowly feel the powerful body under the layer of sweatpants that Jordanna was wearing.

"Now my arms, feel the muscles in them… think of the way they will feel wrapped around your body," the drummer continued. Rebecca ran her hands along the length of the drummer's arms, imagining how it would feel to be tucked securely in them. "Mmm, it will feel wonderful…"

"Good. Now, my hands, Rebecca."

Rebecca traced the outline of Jordanna's hand with her own, dipping into the webbing between the drummer's fingers as she went along, never losing eye contact with the dark-haired woman. "You have such long, elegant fingers."

"And you have such beautiful lips," the drummer whispered softly, tracing the outline of Rebecca's lips with the long fingers that Rebecca had just traced with her own. Feeling slightly more relaxed, Rebecca opened her mouth and bit down gently on the drummer's index finger and took it into her mouth, sucking lightly on the tip of it. Jordanna sighed as the warmth of Rebecca's mouth embraced her senses, making her feel light headed and dizzy.

Jordanna pulled her finger out of Rebecca's mouth and replaced it with her lips, brushing them gently over the reporter's. After they broke the tender kiss, Rebecca resumed her slow exploration of Jordanna's body, running her hands along the drummer's tight abdomen. She lifted the dark-haired woman's sweatshirt up slowly and traced the same path that she had done just seconds before. She caressed the dark-haired woman's silk covered breasts, letting out a brief sigh while doing so. She pushed the sweatshirt up and over Jordanna's head and threw it into a heap on the floor.

Jordanna shuddered slightly as warm skin hit cold air, and she locked eyes with the reporter's green ones. Breaking away from the drummer's sensual gaze, Rebecca tried to speak, but the words wouldn't come out.

Jordanna lifted a brow. "You all right?"

Rebecca nodded and found her voice again, and asked the dark woman if she could remove her bra for her.

"Mmmm… be my guest," the dark-haired woman purred.

Rebecca maneuvered herself in front of Jordanna and traced the outline of Jordanna's silk covered nipple with her finger. She watched with satisfaction as the drummer sighed and closed her eyes at the touch, and then slowly undid the three hooks in the front of her bra. She held her breath as she watched the dark woman's breasts fall out of the cups and her nipples harden as soon as they hit the cold air. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the silver hoop that adorned the drummer's left nipple, and her fingers soon followed wanting to feel the hoop and the perfect nipples for herself.

The hoop felt cold against her warm fingertips, and she watched as Jordanna's breathing began to get heavier from the sensation. She gave the hoop a little tug, and then let go, running the tip of her finger around Jordanna's areola, making the dark-haired woman shiver.

Rebecca pulled her fingers back as the drummer began to respond to her touch.

"Don't be afraid," Jordanna crooned in a low, soothing voice. She placed her hands on top of Rebecca's and loosely linked them together, guiding them to her. She felt Rebecca jump slightly as their linked hands came to a stop cupping the dark-haired woman's breasts.

"So soft," Rebecca whispered as she caressed a woman's bare skin for the first time in her life, and decided that she liked the feeling very much. "So good." She looked at Jordanna and her breath caught at the sight. The drummer had her eyes closed and her head tipped back slightly, and her long, dark hair was flowing loosely down her back. At that moment Rebecca realized that she was about to make love with the most beautiful woman in the world.

Jordanna opened her eyes to see Rebecca sitting there just staring at her. The reporter was mesmerized by the power of the drummer's gaze, and realized that Jordanna could make love to her with her eyes alone, not needing to use the sense of touch or taste to do so. She shivered as the blue gaze caressed her body like a gentle lover, making her feel things she had never felt before for anyone.

"Are you okay?" the drummer asked the silent woman.

Rebecca leaned forward and placed a kiss on the drummer's lips. "You are breathtaking."

Jordanna looked down and blushed, followed by a light snort of a laugh. She looked up and smiled shyly at the reporter, who began to tug on the drummer's sweatpants.

"Um… I guess you want these off?" the drummer teased, and nibbled gently on an available earlobe.

"Yes," Rebecca mumbled breathlessly.

Jordanna lifted a brow at her and slid off of the bed. She turned around and pulled Rebecca with up her, pulling her in close for a hug. Rebecca wrapped her hands around Jordanna's bare back and ran her hands up and down it, feeling the silky smooth skin against her fingers.

Jordanna moved back and Rebecca slowly ran her hands down the dark-haired woman's hips, pulling the sweatpants down as she went along, smiling as she realized that the woman had no panties on.

"Oh God," Rebecca sighed loudly, seeing the dark-haired woman's whole body in it's total naked splendor. "You are beyond beautiful, Jordanna. Words can't describe what I am feeling right now."

The drummer blushed. "Thank you," she said, "I think I know exactly how you are feeling." She leaned in for another hungry kiss. "You know, I'd like to see you too."

Rebecca moaned slightly. "Oh, yeah," she said as looked down at the long tee shirt she was wearing.

Jordanna pulled the tee shirt over Rebecca's head and took a deep breath at the sight of the reporter's bare breasts. Rebecca blushed when she saw the dark-haired woman smiling at the sight of her hardened nipples.

"You… are… so… beautiful," the drummer said slowly as she moved toward the reporter and left a trail of kisses down her neck. She stopped and looked directly in Rebecca's eyes for the young woman's blessings before continuing. The reporter nodded and closed her eyes before she felt a moist mouth brushing against the outline of her breast. "Ohhh… mmm… yeah… I like that…" the reporter said, as the mouth made its way to a nipple, licking, nibbling and teasing it. Jordanna worked her way to the reporter's other breast, feasting on it like a kid in a candy store.

"Does this please Madam Jorcula?" the reporter teased, remembering one of their first civil conversations to each other.

Jordanna raised her head and looked into Rebecca's eyes. "Yes, Jorcula is more than pleased. She does love to suck, you know," the drummer added before stood up and kissed Rebecca on the mouth quickly, and then nibbled and licked her way back down Rebecca's neck and breasts.

Rebecca felt waves of desire shooting right to her groin as Jordanna's mouth took in as much of her breast as she could, and she pulled on the dark woman's ebony hair slightly to let her know where she wanted her next.

"Ooh, a woman that knows what she wants." Jordanna looked up at her and saw the desire in her eyes and smiled. "Are you sure?" she asked, waiting for Rebecca's answer. When the reporter shook her head, Jordanna slid her hands under Rebecca's body, scooped her up and eased her down the bed. With a smile, she eased herself down between the reporter's legs, caressing them with her hands, and following the caresses up with kisses. When she reached her final destination, she tugged Rebecca's panties off and threw them onto the clothes pile on the floor. She looked at Rebecca's body and sighed at the beauty right before her eyes. Rebecca heard the sigh and then parted her legs without instruction, and the drummer began placing butterfly kisses on the area just above her patch. Rebecca's body shook slightly from the new sensations she was feeling. No one had ever made her feel as excited and alive as Jordanna was making her feel now. "Jordanna, please… I need you," she said, her voice filled with desire.

The drummer picked Rebecca's legs up and put them over her shoulders. She kissed the inside of her thighs, taking the time to enjoy the scent of the reporter's arousal. She looked up and smiled at the reporter who looked back at her with a carnal need that she had never seen before, and then she brought her mouth to Rebecca's center. Rebecca's hips jumped as she felt the dark woman begin to caress her sensually with her tongue, exploring areas that the reporter never knew existed and feeling sensations that she had never felt before. "Mmmm God…so goooood…" she moaned, hoping that the drummer would never stop with her ministrations. Jordanna tasted every inch of the reporter. The sounds of pleasure Rebecca made were like music to her ears and only fueled her fire tenfold. "I want to feel you… inside me," the reporter said, feeling her impending release was going to come much sooner than she had hoped.

"Patience, Rebecca…"

"Nooo… now," the young woman pleaded.

Jordanna shrugged and lay her body next to the reporter's. "It would be my pleasure," she said moments before she slid a finger inside of her new lover.

"More…"

Jordanna lifted a dark brow. "All right," the dark woman purred and slipped a second finger in, letting the reporter set the pace. "How's that?"

"One more."

The drummer slipped a third finger in. "That good?"

Rebecca began riding on Jordanna's hand and a smile came to her face. "You're perfect."

Jordanna smiled at what she figured was a verbal slip and felt Rebecca's walls begin to tense around her, so she began to bite gently on the reporter's neck before moving to a nipple, sending new jolts of desire to her already sensitive center. "Let it go Rebecca, I've got you," the drummer purred, remaining inside the smaller woman until the final tremors rocked her body.

Jordanna pulled the reporter into her arms and held on tight, whispering words of love and comfort in Rebecca's ear.

The reporter's eyes were still filled with desire as she looked at the woman in bed with her. She sat up and pulled the drummer with her, wrapping her legs around Jordanna's mid section and her arms around the dark woman's neck. She leaned forward and captured the drummer's mouth with a kiss, and this time she ran her tongue along the drummer's lips, pleading for entry. Jordanna let her take control, and moaned into the reporter's mouth as she started her exploration. They parted when oxygen ran low, and Rebecca pushed the drummer onto her back. She lay her body down on top of her brand new lover's body, enjoying the feeling when her nipples brushed against Jordanna's and the delightful feel of Jordanna's slick, warm skin rubbing against her own. She began sucking on the drummer's pulse point. Feeling her pulse increase, she kissed her way down the drummer's upper body and hesitated momentarily when she reached her breasts. Waiting no longer, she traced her tongue around the dark-haired woman's nipple, feeling Jordanna's breath catch and seeing the way she responded to her touch.

Rebecca could feel her own heart pounding uncontrollably, and apparently Jordanna did, too, because the dark woman lifted the reporter's chin up so she could look into her eyes. "You're doing fine, Rebecca." The reporter smiled at her and brought her head back down to the drummer's nipple, this time taking it in her mouth. She sucked and bit on it gently before she turned her attention on Jordanna's other nipple, and began tugging on the silver ring with her tongue. "Oh God…" the drummer's body arched off the bed and she moaned softly, opening her eyes and then closing them again.

Rebecca worked her way down, licking and kissing the curve of the drummer's hip. She felt the dark-haired woman's hands caressing her back and buttocks as she made her way further down the drummer's body. A vision came into her head as her kisses led her down to the patch of dark hair and she stopped what she was doing. The vision was of Jordanna and the woman in the bathroom.

"You don't have to, Rebecca," the drummer whispered, noticing the reporter's hesitation when she reached her groin area. "Do whatever your comfortable with. No pressure, okay?"

"But… I want to taste you, Jordanna. I… I just… what if I can never do it?"

"That will come with time, Rebecca, and we have plenty of that. And if you can't, that's okay, too." She smiled and ran her hand down Rebecca's cheek.

Rebecca grabbed her hands. "No, I really want to taste you, Jordanna."

"Um…" Jordanna muttered and thought of a compromise. She ran her fingers down the length of her sex, and locked eyes with Rebecca as she slowly brought her hand to her own mouth, rubbing the moisture on her lips. "C'mere."

Rebecca climbed up the length of the drummer's body and Jordanna pulled her close. "Taste me," she whispered in a throaty, desire filled growl, and leaned in for a passionate kiss. She felt Rebecca's tongue run across her lips before it slipped into her mouth and they both let out a moan. "Mmm… heaven," the reporter managed to say between kisses. "Not enough, Jordanna… more."

Jordanna took Rebecca's hand in hers, and guided the timid blonde woman's hand down to her womanhood. "You can touch me, Rebecca. I want you to feel what you do to me."

Rebecca closed her eyes and stroked Jordanna's center gently, enjoying the warm, silky texture against her fingers. It felt exquisite to her. She looked up into the drummer's hooded eyes and wanted nothing more than to please the dark-haired beauty.

She quickly slipped her finger past Jordanna's folds, and the drummer jumped forward slightly before she closed her eyes and moaned. "Mmm… yeah… so good, Rebecca. More… please."

Rebecca slipped another finger inside the dark woman and felt her jump again. "All of them…" the breathless drummer pleaded.

"All of them?"

"Use… all of your fingers, Rebecca. I need you to fill me completely. I need you…"

Rebecca did as she was asked, sliding all of her fingers into Jordanna's wet center, and began rubbing her thumb against the drummer's clit.

"Oh yes… that's it, Rebecca," she said in between moans. Rebecca began thrusting her fingers in and out keeping up with the rhythm Jordanna set as she rocked back and forth. "Oh love… RebeccaRebeccaRebecca," the dark-haired woman cried out as spasms ripped through her body, sending her over the edge.

She fell weakly to the bed and pulled Rebecca down with her, Rebecca's fingers still inside her. She felt a few tremors as Rebecca slowly extracted her fingers from her center, touching the still sensitive area.

"Rebecca, I really need to hold you." Jordanna held her arms open for Rebecca to climb into. "Thank you," she said, feeling tears begin to well up in her eyes, knowing that she had just made love for the first time.

Rebecca looked up at the woman whose arms she was cradled in. "You're crying." The reporter placed a kiss on the dark woman's cheek and wiped the tear off with her finger.

"Yeah…" The drummer smiled at her, her emotions running wild. "You don't know what this means to me… you just gave me more than I could ever ask for, Rebecca. I love you," she whispered, the words coming out of her mouth before she could stop them.

"Oh God…" Rebecca didn't expect to hear that declaration from the drummer. "I… I love you too, Jordanna."

The snow was still falling when the drummer woke up. 'This feels wonderful' she thought to herself, looking down at the still sleeping reporter tucked in the crook of her arm. She feels wonderful.

"Jordanna?" the reporter mumbled sleepily.

The drummer moved an errant strand of hair out of Rebecca's eyes. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

Rebecca sighed contently as she realized she was in the drummer's arms in her big, warm bed. Her finger soon found it's way into the hoop of Jordanna's nipple ring. "How come only one?" Rebecca asked. Jordanna shuddered at the instant jolt from the contact.

"You shuddered. I guess it is true that it enhances…"

"YES," the drummer said, shuddering again, as Rebecca kept playing with the ring. "Yes it does. I guess you like it, huh?"

Rebecca smiled. "Yeah, I think it's sexy. Why only one, though?"

"I wanted to make sure I liked it before getting the second one done," the drummer teased.

"Rebecca quickly flicked her tongue over the dark woman's pierced nipple, enjoying the instant shudders that rocked the drummer's body. "Did it hurt?"

"Yes, it was pretty painful. Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad if I would have had it done professionally, but I had Susan do it. She's not very gentle," she said, remembering the wicked smile on Susan's face as she jabbed the needle through her flesh. Even the bottle of Jack Daniels she had consumed before having it done did nothing for the pain.

"Yeah, I know. I saw what she did to your house, remember? She wasn't very gentle there, if I do say so myself." The reporter poked at her other nipple. "Get the other one done." She winked at Jordanna. "By a professional, of course."

The drummer's eyebrows shot up. "I'll do it if you get one."

Rebecca laughed.

Jordanna raised a brow. "What's so funny, Rebecca?"

"Me, have a nipple ring?! I'm a farm girl, Jordanna," Rebecca said, incredulously.

"You live in New York City now, not on a farm. Even so, farm girls do have nipples, don't they?" She laughed and pinched the body part being discussed. "Unless I'm dreaming about this…" Jordanna got on top of Rebecca and straddled her legs. She bent down and took one of Rebecca's pink nipples in her teeth and tugged gently. "Get one for me, please?"

Rebecca shuddered and held up the white flag. "Okay, okay… only one for me, though."

"Oh yeah…" Jordanna said triumphantly. "I know a piercing place that we can go to. It's not near here, but we could stop there on the way to the Garden. You're gonna look so sexy with one, not that you don't without it. No backing out on me, okay?"

"Deal."

They both stayed quiet for a few minutes, content just to lie there in each other's arms. "Me," Rebecca snorted, "…have a nipple ring. What will my family think?"

Jordanna smiled and kissed her on the forehead. "Does your family have to know? It's not something you usually share with Mom and Dad, you know?"

Rebecca laughed. She thought about going home for the holidays and showing off her future jewelry. Look what I got, Dad. Her eyes twinkled at the thought. Oh, and Dad, meet my lover, too. Even better.

"Besides…" Jordanna half joked, "…I'll be the only one that will see it."

Did she just say that?

The two laid there quietly for some time, enjoying the cozy feeling they got in the warm bed while outside a blizzard roared on.

"Jordanna, can I ask you a question?" Rebecca asked lazily.

"Mmm, what's that?" the drummer purred, running her fingers gently across Rebecca's lips.

Rebecca hesitated. "Is…is Jordanna your real name?"

The drummer's movement stilled and her eyes took on a dazed look. A few minutes passed and Jordanna hadn't said anything.

"Hey," the reporter said, putting her hand on Jordanna's cheek. "You don't have to answer that if you don't want to."

"No," the drummer replied quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.

Rebecca ran her fingers through Jordanna's ebony hair, enjoying the silky texture against her skin. "Okay," she said, letting the drummer know that she wouldn't question her about it any further.

Jordanna's eyes welled with tears. "I mean no, Jordanna is not my real name, why?"

Rebecca smiled at the drummer and took her hands in hers. "I just wanted to know the real name of the woman that I just made love with, that's all."

One lone tear ran down Jordanna's face, which Rebecca caught with her finger before placing a kiss on the wet streak it left in its wake. Both stayed quiet for a while, just basking in the warmth and solace that they found in each other.

"Julia," the drummer finally said, pulling the young woman into her arms.

Rebecca looked at the ebony haired woman with a questioning look. "Julia?"

Jordanna chuckled. "Julia is the woman you just made love with. Jordanna is my name legally now, but my birth name is Julia Smith."

"Smith huh?" Rebecca said laughing. "Am I supposed to believe that is really your last name?"

Jordanna rolled her eyes. "Just don't ask me if it's my motel name, okay? That's one of the many curses of having the last name Smith."

"Thank you for sharing that with me, Jordanna." She kissed the drummer on the cheek. "Thank you for opening your heart up to me."

Jordanna smiled. "Thank you for making me want to open my heart." She leaned down and kissed the reporter on the forehead.

Rebecca blinked as tears filled her eyes. "Jordanna?"

"Hmm?"

"Can I tell you something very, very personal?"

"Of course you can, you can tell me anything."

Rebecca lay there quietly for a few seconds, weighing her decision to tell the drummer her biggest secret. She always wanted to tell someone, and for some reason she felt safe with the dark-haired woman.

Jordanna pulled her closer. "Honey?"

Honey? I've never used that word in my life.

"You are not the first musician I've slept with."

Jordanna sat up abruptly, pulling the reporter up with her. "What? Why are you telling me this?"

"David is not Cindy's father."

"Not her father?" Jordanna looked at her and blinked. "Who is, Rebecca?"

"Evan Carlisle."

"Evan Carlisle?"

"Stop repeating what I say, Jordanna! You know, Evan Carlisle, the singer. Overdosed on heroin last year…"

"I know who he is, Rebecca. I just… well, I'm kind of shocked, that's all." She laughed nervously. "Does anyone else know- David?"

"No, he doesn't know."

"Wow." the drummer clucked. "So Evan never knew he had a child?"

"Not mine, no. I think he had a few with some other women, though."

"Yeah," the drummer snorted. "I'm sure he did. He was the male version of me."

"Did you know him?"

The drummer nodded. "I met him once, yeah... at the Grammy's I think. Some awards show." She didn't tell Rebecca he spent the whole night at the after-show party begging her to sleep with him, something that she can proudly say she turned down.

"Jordanna?"

"Hmm?"

"I trust that you will not tell anyone this information."

"It stays between you and me, okay?" The drummer lowered her head and kissed Rebecca soundly. "Thank you for sharing this with me, Rebecca," the drummer said, taking Rebecca's hand in hers and squeezing it tight. "I feel privileged to know you trust me with it. I'll guard it, and you and Cindy, with my life."

Continued in Part 4.