Once and Again 1. Chapter 1

No Place Like Home

Fic: (1/6)

Author: Gardenia1786

Rating: Eh, for now PG-13ish – if two girls in a meaningful and physical relationship bothers you, I suggest you go find some other fics to read. If not, then read on:)

Disclaimer: Y'all know it, I don't own any of the characters, they belong to the evil people at ABC who canceled our wonderful show. If it were up to me they would still be on the air, and most likely follow the plot lines of some of my favorite authors on here. :-) No copyright infringement is intended. I'm not making any money off of anything, I'm just a poor college student.

Summery: I suck at summaries, but Jessie is coming back from Australia for a weekend to visit Katie at college.

Feedback: Of course. ConCrit is always welcomed :)

Oh yeah, this is totally un-beta'd, and an English major I am not. So please forgive the misspellings and grammatical errors.

A/N: The first part is in Katie's POV, the second in Jessie's

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I waited anxiously at the airport for her to come out. It had been over two months since I'd seen Jessie last. Two very long months of separation, which was made bearable only by phone conversations once a week, IM conversations (which proved to be difficult due to the time difference), and emails sent back and forth every spare second we had. I circled the airport once again, barely being able to contain my excitement, I was trying so hard to stay calm, but it really wasn't working.

"Singer, keep it together, it's only been two months... damn, what am I saying? Probably the two longest months of my entire life. God, I am so whipped," I said aloud to myself, in a useless attempt to calm my nerves yet again. My only consolation was that in only a few minutes she'd be sitting in the seat next to me, like it should be.

I drove around the terminal for the fifth time, and as I rounded the bend, I saw her. She was so beautiful, even more so than I remember. How I ended up with such an amazing girlfriend is beyond me. Her hair was as golden as ever, falling just below her shoulder blades and curled just a bit, the way that she knows I like it. She was wearing a purple scooped neck sweater, with a matching scarf, and jeans. Jessie truly looked like an angel. That brought a smile to my lips. She was an angel. She was my angel. She had saved my life in more ways than one, she had given me something that I could love more than life itself, and for that I would be eternally grateful to her.

She stood there scanning the cars desperately to find me. I wanted to go to her so badly, I couldn't stand it. Every fiber of my being longed to get out of the car now and run to her, then and there, but I had to wait. The traffic had gotten a whole lot worse, so I couldn't pull up in front as easily as I had the last few times. I mentally cursed. The traffic crept along so slowly and I couldn't take it any longer. I pulled over to where I wouldn't be in anybody's way, turned off the car, got out, and started to run towards Jessie.

"Jessie!" I yelled towards her as I ran. I knew she heard me because she stiffened at the sound of my voice, and was now furiously trying to figure out where I was. All of a sudden she saw me.

"Katie," she breathed as I got closer to her. She dropped her bags and launched herself into my arms. I caught her and she wrapped her legs around my waist. Damn, how I'd missed that feeling. All I could think about was how much I'd missed her, and how much I completely and totally love her.

"Hey there..." I started to get out, but I was silenced by her lips on mine. She kissed me with a passion that I had never experienced before, and I kissed back just as whole heartedly. I could have stayed that way for days, but I decided that it probably wouldn't be a good thing, considering we were in public, and I was illegally parked. Damn, being responsible seriously sucked. I slowed the kiss down, and when we broke away I just stared into her beautiful blue eyes.

"I missed you." She smiled. god how I love her smile.

"I missed you too." She gave me one last quick kiss and I put her down. We grabbed her luggage and not a moment too soon, because as soon as we got back to my car, a very grumpy looking police officer was standing over my car, beginning to write me a ticket. I pulled out the old Singer charm and put on my best smile.

"This is mine, officer," I said in the most flirtatious manner I could muster up. "We were just leaving." He looked at me, then he looked at Jessie. She gave an innocent smile, and it seemed to melt his harsh demeanor, I could tell, he was smitten with her. All I could think was _Keep your paws off my girlfriend, mister._ Yes, I'll admit it, I am a very jealous girlfriend. I walked over to open her door, and I put my arm around her, so he wouldn't get any ideas. He scowled at me, then nodded and walked off.

"Thanks, Billie, what would I ever do without you?" I asked, jokingly. She shrugged.

"Not much." she said, and gave me the most adorable grin ever. I acted hurt, and she reached up and gave me a quick kiss. I can tell you right now, my defenses are no match for her smiles, or her kisses.

We loaded her stuff into the back of my light blue '99 Ford Taurus. She got in on the passenger side and I closed her door like a gentleman... err... woman. You know what I mean. I went around the car and go in the driver's seat, and by then she had already put up the armrest and scooted over so she could be as close to me as physically possible. I grinned at her as I slipped in behind the steering wheel, beside her, and put one arm around her shoulders and used the other to drive. I started the car and we were off. We made small talk for a few minutes, I asked how her flight was, she asked how life back here was, and all was well and good. We exhausted the small talk for then and sat in a comfortable silence, well, it was comfortable until she decided that she wanted to place small kisses on my neck while I drove. Damn, talk about trying to drive me crazy.

"Ummm, Jess?" I somehow managed to say, I was getting hotter by the second. It was so hard to concentrate on driving. She didn't even look up from her task at hand.

"Hmmmmm?"

"Uh, ehm...are you trying to drive me crazy?" I felt her smile as she continued to kiss me.

"Uh-huh." was the only response I got. The rest of the drive was a blur for me...literally. I muttered a silent prayer of thanks when I pulled up to my apartment and into my parking spot. Jessie looked up as I threw the car into park and turned to look at her. I tried to think of something witty to say, like I normally would, but my mind has pretty much posted an "Out-of-Order" sign the second she started kissing my neck. I just stared into her beautiful blue eyes, which were a much darker shade of blue, the lust quite apparent. I was sure they reflected what my eyes were showing at that moment as well. Not being able to think of anything to say, I cupped her face with my hands and drew her close for a kiss, in which she willingly responded. It started out slow and innocent, but grew more passionate by the moment. I felt her tongue run against my lips, seeking permission to enter, which I willingly allowed.

Before I knew it she was on her back, and my full weight was on her. I supported myself by putting my elbows on each side of her head, tangling my fingers in her hair, and she wrapped her arms around my waist to keep my balance. As our kissing became more passionate, I felt her hands move their way under my shirt. This was almost too much for me. I wanted to do to her what she was doing to me, to show her what it felt like, but I realized that if my hands started roaming, we wouldn't be leaving the car anytime soon. Besides, I was enough of a romantic not to want our first time to be in my car. So I kept my hands where they were and continued to focus completely on the kiss.

I left her mouth and went down her to neck, leaving a trail of kisses as I went. I could tell she liked it by all the deep, throaty noises she was making. Her hands left my side (which I immediately missed the feel of) and she pulled me back up to her mouth and hungrily kissed me.

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I had forgotten how wonderful it felt to have Katie's full weight on me. It was so amazing. Just her touch is enough to almost drive me completely insane. I need to feel her. I need it so badly. I want to feel her mouth on mine, our tongues dueling, but most of all, her skin. I need to feel her skin. So I slipped my hands under her shirt and massaged her skin. I wish she would do the same to me, to caress my skin, but I figured that she was being responsible and restraining herself. I hate her having to be responsible, so I broke the kiss, and she looked at me questioningly. She was so beautiful, with her piercing green eyes full of passion and her lips swollen from the kissing.

"What's wrong?" She inquired.

"Nothing," I replied as I sat up and pushed her off of me. We needed to get inside her apartment before we both totally lost it. She sort of caught where I was going with this, and started to get out of the car when I pulled her close to me again and kissed her soundly.

"We need to finish this inside," I said after I broke the kiss. Her eyes lit up, and she nodded, beaming now. We scrambled to get my luggage out of the back of her car, and up to her apartment on the 3rd floor. She opened the door, we entered, and put my stuff down. As soon as she pushed the door closed, I pinned her up against it, kissing her once again. She broke the kiss after the need for air became too great and pressed her forehead against mine. Katie smiled and pecked at my lips once more, starring into my eyes.

"I missed you so much." I smiled, and was still trying to regain my composure, or at least trying to decide if I wanted to regain my composure. Never once did we break eye contact. I love starring into her captivating green eyes, and all I saw was a look of pure love.

"I missed you too." I needed to be close to her, I just needed to feel her, and so I pulled her in for a tight hug, before resting my head on her chest. She got the idea and put her arms around my waist and laid her head on top of mine. Minutes passed, and we just stood there, memorizing the feeling of being so close to the other person. It was like we were being intimate without really being intimate. I'd never felt so comfortable with anyone else before in my entire life. I was completely and totally at ease. Nothing could have made me happier at that moment. Just holding Katie in my arms was enough to make me the happiest person in the entire world.

TBC…


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

For disclaimer see previous part

Rating: PG-13ish

Feedback: Thinking... thinking... thinking... uh, yeah! Heh heh heh, please do! The more feedback, the more motivation for me to work on the story!!

A/N: I wrote this close to 3 years ago… so some of the music references are going to be a little bit out of date. Sorry :)

A/N 2: Same as last time, Katie's POV first, Jessie's second.

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"Umm, Jess?" I broke the silence "As much as I love, and I do mean love holding you, my neck is going to be permanently bent in this position unless..." I grinned, and felt her body move as she started laughing. Oh, it was such a beautiful sound. I could listen to it all day long, heck, I could listen to it for the rest of my life. In fact, if I had it my way, eventually I would listen to it for the rest of my life. But now isn't the time for that, as much as I may want it, we're both still too young. She drew back, and looked up into my eyes.

"So what do you say about a tour?" She wrinkled her nose. I smirked at her, and grabbed her hand.

"Well, I guess my only choice is to follow along, considering I'm now trapped." She quipped with a smile on her face. I laughed at her adorable expression.

"Yep, that's what it seems like. Now, if you'll follow me, I shall give you a tour of my humble abode." I started tugging on her hand, and she willingly followed. The tour was short... what? My apartment isn't very big! I showed her my room, or at least my half... but I guess in the process I showed her my roommate's half too, considering we live in the same room, so I guess technically I showed her our room... um... ok, enough with the babbling. After leaving my shared room, I proceeded to show her the bathroom, living room, and for the last stop - my personal favorite - the kitchen, in which I politely offered her something to eat or drink. Hey, I was trying to be a good hostess. She asked for coke, which I readily got for her.

We sat down on the couch, and just started talking about everything. It was so good to be around her again, I hadn't really realized exactly how much I'd missed her. I mean, sure, I really, really, really missed her (and I do mean _really_) but as much as I did miss her, the pain sorta numbs with time. Kinda like when someone dies, you know you miss them, and you go into a period of mourning where you don't really want to do anything, or really see anyone except that person. But once you get back into the swing of things, get back into your normal routine, then it begins to numb. That's how it was for me when Jessie left. I did a bit of the whole mourning time thing, then began to get used to her being gone a little bit (well, emailing her every day and talking on the phone once a week helped me out a lot too). Yeah, so anyways, enough with that tangent. Sufficient to say, I really missed her.

It was like she'd never left. We were still able to talk about anything and everything with each other. I was still able to share random things that Tad and Russell were doing, and Jessie would laugh. She could still talk about her latest argument with Grace or Zoë, and I was still able to picture looks on Grace's face.

After we talked for awhile, we just kind of stopped, and just looked at each other. I studied her features. She was truly breath taking. She blushed at my intense gaze, and looked down at the seat cushion. In the process, some of her hair fell into her face. I brushed it out of her eyes and behind her ear.

"Sing to me, Billie, please?" I requested. It had been far too long since I've heard her beautiful singing voice. She looked up at me and grinned.

"What do you want to hear?" she asked coyly. I smiled.

"I think you know." A smile crept across her face.

"Hmmm... ok, how 'bout 'Me Against the Music', cause I know how much you love that song." she smirked. I had told her a couple of weeks ago how much I couldn't stand it whenever it came on the radio. Brittany may be hot, but Madonna is old... and hadn't she ever heard of something called braces? I mean really, with all the money she has... ok, sorry, babbling again. Sorry ya'll, I like some of Brittany's stuff... but I cannot stand Madonna. At all.

I tackled her playfully against the couch, and began tickling her. She squealed and tried to retaliate, but she was no match for me. I had always been better at tickle wars than she was. I think it had something to do with having two older brothers. When I finished, she was out of breath and smiling.

"Ok, ok, you win." I smiled triumphantly and gave her a quick kiss on the mouth..., which turned into a much longer kiss. We only broke apart because of the need for air.

"I was thinking more along the lines of Lady Day." I said, and she smiled, her eyes sparkling.

"That could be arranged." She closed her eyes and tilted her head, much like the first time she sang to me in her room.

'God bless the child that's got his own, that's got his own.'

She opened her eyes, and stared at me while continuing to sing. She looked so beautiful. A small smile crept across her face. Right at that moment, I felt nothing but absolute love and adoration for this girl... who was quickly growing into a woman.

'God bless the child that's got his own, that's got his own.'

She finished singing and looked over to me. I put my hand on her cheek, and drew her face over to me, almost so our lips were touching.

"I love you so much, you know that, right?" She looked at me with a serious expression and nodded.

"I love you too." and with that, she closed the distance between our lips. We sat there kissing for awhile, then sort of just stopped, and sat there holding each other. I looked over at the clock, and it read 2:30 in the morning, so I decided that it would probably be wise if we were to head to bed. I wasn't sure exactly how to proceed, if we should sleep in the same bed, or if one of us should sleep on the couch, or if she should sleep in my roommate's bed... I wasn't sure. All I knew was that tonight... right now was too early to do anything. We were still young, and we had all the time in the world. It would be much better if we waited, and I think we both knew that. Besides, neither of us were really ready to take the next step.

"Hey, baby? I think it's about time to head for bed." She looked up and me while rubbing her blue eyes and nodded. She was so cute.

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Katie was so adorable; she was trying to be such a lady and all that. She stumbled over her words, to try to figure out where I should sleep. How cute. I couldn't help but smile. We both know we aren't ready, and I'm ok with that.

"Katie. Katie, it's ok. We can sleep in the same bed. Really. It's ok." I saw as relief washed over her face.

"Oh, ok. Are you sure?" I almost started laughing.

"Yes, I'm sure. Now are we going to bed or are we going to stay up all night discussing where I'm going to sleep?" Now it was her turn to laugh. She grabbed my hand and we took my luggage into her room. I got some pajamas out and... oh wait... this will be a little awkward. Where to change... where to change... eh? Katie was staring at me, waiting for my cue on what to do. I thought it over very quickly, and decided that it couldn't hurt, so I started changing right then and there. Very quickly was the key. In no time at all we had changed and were laying in her bed. I loved staring into her mossy green eyes; it made me feel like I was home. I kissed her goodnight and turned over to try to get some sleep. She wrapped her arms around me and whispered:

"I love you." a grin crept across my face.

"I love you too." and with that she fell asleep, almost immediately. I lay there for awhile, just listening to her breathing, feeling the rise and fall of her chest against my back. I turned over so I could look at her, watch her while she was sleeping. She was such a beautiful sight. She looked so peaceful. I brushed some hair out of her face, and she stirred, but didn't wake. For that, I was thankful. I just wanted to be able to have some time just to study her, to look at her - _really_ look at her - for as long as I wanted. So that's exactly what I did, until the sun came up.

TBC? Let me know!


	3. Chapter 3

Fic: No Place Like Home (3/6)

Rating: PG-13ish, I guess.

Feedback: Uh, yes please:) feedback is always appreciated. Gives me more reason to finish this one up:)

Please see first chapter for disclaimers.

And as always, un-beta'ed

A/N: POV flips back and forth between Katie and Jessie (in that order). POV separated by the long string of ------ lines.

A/N 2: I wrote this 3 years ago, and (obviously) I was much younger. I didn't feel like cutting out the movie date, and I didn't feel like rewriting it, so sorry y'all got stuck with it. I know it's extremely cheesy, but at the time I thought it'd be cute. Lol.

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"Oomph" I said as I rolled over and hit something solid... and there was something touching me... or holding me, to be more precise. Arms wrapped around my waist. What was in my bed at this early hour? Ok, so 11am isn't _that_ early, but it was Saturday, and 11am on a Saturday morning is very much in the realm of being considered early. So what... or more specifically, who was in my bed? I sat up, sleepily rubbing my eyes, and stretched while letting out a long yawn.

I looked around and spotted a pile of curly blond hair beside me, connected to a beautiful body dressed in some of the cutest pjs I'd seen in a long while, and the memories of the night before came rushing back to me.

I brushed the hair out of my beloved's face and just stared at her for a long while. Jessie was so adorable... but even more than that, she was beautiful. I sat, staring at Jessie's face for a long while just taking in her beauty and musing about how lucky I was to be the one who got to hold her, to have her in my arms, to be able to love her and be loved by her.

I smiled down at Jessie and stroked her hair. As I stared at her, I was overcome with feelings of love towards the girl sleeping beside me, and wished for this moment to never end. An invisible force tugged at me to lean down and kiss her, a force that I don't think I could have stopped even if I wanted to. So that was exactly what I did.

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I groaned at the contact, but my eyes remained closed. It took me a second or two for my brain finally to register what exactly was happening, and when it did, I started to kiss back wholeheartedly. It was a long lazy kiss, and I rolled onto my back, pulling Katie onto me and holding on to her tightly.

_Oh, body contact is such a good thing,_ I thought, pulling Katie as close to myself as humanly possible.

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I was enjoying the closeness – the contact – as well; maybe even a bit too much... if that was possible. Jessie pulled away from me.

"Well good morning to you too!" Jessie said, as I tried very hard to regain any notion of coherent thought.

"Ehm, yeah."

_Good one, Singer,_ I thought. _Coherency is a good thing... lips, work!_

"So, um, how did you sleep?" I somehow managed to get out. Jessie smiled and gave me another kiss... a kiss that turned into many long kisses.

_Coherency? What's that?_ I thought... or tried to think. Thoughts weren't coming... well, some were, but they weren't very good thoughts... thoughts I best not be thinking now nor anytime soon.

We laid there for a while just holding each other. Our make-out session ended a bit ago, and we were just enjoying the feel of one against the other. I had my eyes closed, and was just enjoying listening to Jessie breathe. I started to laugh when I heard Jessie's stomach growl and began to get out of bed to get breakfast. Jessie felt my movement and tightened her grip on me, so that I couldn't move.

"No" Jessie stated and I grinned.

"What, you don't want breakfast?" I asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah, I want breakfast, I just don't want you to leave." I laughed. She was just too cute.

"Well babe, I hate to break it to ya, but we don't have room service, so if you want breakfast, one of us will have to go get it. And considering that I live here, and you don't, that eliminates you, and leaves me. So therefore, I will go get breakfast for us." I finished and turned to look at Jessie who was laughing hysterically.

"What?" I asked. I admit, I was confused. I didn't see anything that funny about my last statement. It took Jessie a few seconds to catch her breath before she could respond.

"Heh, it's like you took logic or something. That was great, you combined your logic and babbling together. Priceless, just priceless." Jessie continued to chuckle, and I put on a mock offended face and crossed my arms in a pout.

"It's like your babblings use to be completely random, but now they make some sort of sense, and they have actually become kind of logical! The world must be coming to an end!" Jessie guffawed

"Oh really?" I replied in a less than enthusiastic voice. Jessie noticed the less-than-pleased look on my face.

"Aww, come 'ere." She said, and when I leaned over, she gave me a long kiss.

_Ehm, I guess she knows how to get back onto my good side. Not that I could actually stay mad at her for more than period of 5 minutes... but still._

"You know I love you." Jessie whispered when we finally broke apart. I grinned.

"Yep, and that better be one thing that never changes... even if some of my babbling is a bit more logical," I teased. Jessie grew serious.

"No chance of that, my love. No chance of that."

"Come on Jessie, we're going to be late! I told your mom that we'd meet her at the deli at 12:30, and it's already 12:20!" I yelled towards the bedroom. I love that girl, but some days she can take forever to get ready.

"Hold your horses, I'm almost done." She yelled back. I took a peak in the room, and she was standing in front of my mirror putting the finishing touches on her hair.

_Beautiful as always._

"There," she proclaimed. "Finished." She said, dusting off anything that may have been on her shirt. I grinned at the sight.

"Well it's about time," I said, still smirking. She playfully slapped my arm.

"So are we going?" she asked, tapping her foot. I held my arms out and motioned for her to go first.

"After you, M'lady."

She grinned. "Thank you." And with that we left the apartment... only 10 minutes later than I wanted, which was quite an accomplishment if you ask me.

I was able to speed a bit so we got there only 5 minutes late. I had to park a couple of blocks away, so we got out of the car and I took Jessie's hand and we began walking. We spotted Karen sitting outside the deli in one of her business suits, looking all professional, yet anxious to see her daughter at the same time. As we walked up, her back was to us and I saw her playing with the napkin on the table to keep her hands busy, and to distract her from the excitement. Jessie let go of my hand and ran to meet her mother.

"Mom" she squealed and threw her arms around Karen's neck. Karen was a bit surprised, she obviously hadn't thought that we would be coming from this direction, but pleased to see her daughter none the less. We sat down and chatted about school, life, and generally everything for the next hour or so before Karen had to get back to work.

"So, what do you want to do now?" I asked. She shrugged.

"I donno, a movie or something?" She suggested while scrunching her nose. So cute. I nodded. Sounded good to me, but what movie would be good to go to? I was a big fan of some horror movies, and I especially enjoyed seeing them with Jessie, because she was extremely jumpy and always grabbed onto me for an extended amount of time. 'Hmmm... sounds like a perfect plan.'

"Ummm... I just heard about a new movie that just came out, it's called 'The Missing'. I think it has Tommy Lee Jones and that lady from Lord of the Rings... Cate something... Ya know, the gorgeous blond elf lady?" I teased and Jessie scowled.

"I knew you always had a thing for blonds, but really Katie..." She started, only to be interrupted by my lips on hers.

"I'm just teasing; you know you're the only girl for me." She blushed and looked around to see if anyone was watching us, and when she was satisfied, she grinned at me.

"Same here." She whispered back.

"So what do you say, does that sound like a date, Miss Sammler?" I asked as I offered her my arm.

"I believe it does, Miss Singer." she said as she took it.

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Have I mentioned how much I really love horror flicks? And that blond daughter chick was HOT! She looked a lot like Jessie, and I do mean A LOT. I guess people are right when they say that everyone has a twin somewhere. Unless Jessie really isn't living in Australia, and she lives in Hollywood and is making movies... hmm... maybe I should ask her about that.

Anyhow, it was wonderful. I had her arm around her the entire time, and she snuggled up against me, and basically climbed into my lap during the scary parts. Not that I minded at all, no way... far from it. Every once in awhile I'd lean over and give her a quick kiss to reassure her, and a few times they turned out to be... uhh... not so quick. They actually lasted for a rather long while. Once again, not that I minded.

Over all, the movie was good, a success rather, and I know what to go see whenever I miss Jessie! Ummm... well, ok, I see where that could be a problem, because then I'd be living at the movie theater, and I'd never go to school... or work... which would present the problem of me running out of money, and then I couldn't see the movie, and I'd be homeless or something like that. Well, you get the point.

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The movie was pretty good, but I swear Katie likes to take me to horror movies for the

sole reason that I'm all over her. So what, I'm a wimp when it comes to scary movies, what of it? I normally prefer a classic, or a romance, or a comedy, but nooo... Katie has to take me to the horror movies. Oh well, such is life, eh? I guess I don't mind that much, I mean, I do enjoy being able to crawl all over her in public, and I was pretty much sitting in her lap the entire time, which felt really good. And it was just so sweet how she leaned over and gave me those little kisses. She is so adorable.

And what was up with that blond daughter? Katie could not keep her eyes off of her. Whenever she was on the screen, Katie's eyes were glued to it. I guess she did look a little like me, I donno. I was too busy trying not to be scared out of my wits and concentrating on holding on to Katie.

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TBC? Let me know! Leave me some love... or non-love, but preferably love. Whatever, just give me feedback :-D


	4. Chapter 4

Fic: No Place Like Home (4/6)

Author: Gardenia1786

Rating: PG-13

Songs:"With You" by Jessica Simpson and "Why Can't I" by Liz Phare

Please see part 1 for disclaimers.

Feedback: Of course! Please:)

A/N: Hopefully y'all have figured out my pattern for writing in this fic. Katie's POV first, then Jessie's… flipping back and forth.

A/N 2: Sorry about the cheesy-ness of it all. Once again, I don't have time to re-write this chapter, so y'all are stuck with it. Sorry 'bout that. I'll probably come back and do something with it at a later time... when I have more time. Lol.

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After the movie I decided to take her to one of my favorite coffee places. It was downtown, in the middle of everything, but once you got inside, there was a sense of peace and relaxation about the place. My friends and I come here a lot... especially on Karaoke night, which just happens to be tonight. We ordered our coffee and sat down at a table. I took her hand, and we sat and listened to the people singing. I squeezed her hand and whispered,

"Will you sing for me, Billie?" I asked, hoping with everything in me that she would. She looked at me with a sad puppy dog expression. "Ok, fine, if I get up there and sing after you, will you get up and sing?" I pleaded. She thought about it for a second, then nodded. She began to get up, and I held onto her hand pulling her back. She sat back down, and I leaned in close, whispering,

"It's 2am, the lights are low, and the band begins to play." She grinned up at me and gave me a slight peck on my cheek, before she proceeded to make her way up to the stage. It took a couple of minutes for her to pick out the music, but when she did, she beamed. She got up on stage and began to sing.

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Katie is just so adorable, I can't resist her. It's like when she asks something of me, I'm powerless to deny her anything. When she leaned over and spoke those words to me, the words the used to coax me to sing to her for the first time, I melted. I was actually surprised that she remembered it, for my darling girl has a tendency to forget things very quickly.

No matter how much I sing to people, I still get nervous when I go up on stage. As I approached, I contemplated what song to sing, then it hit me... I knew exactly what I would sing to her. I rummaged around looking for the music, and once I found it, I was thrilled. I went up on stage and settled myself, and the music began to play.

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_You speak and its like a song, and just like that all my walls come down_

_It's like a private joke, just meant for us to know_

_I relate to you naturally, everybody else just fades away_

_Sometimes its hard to breath just knowing you found me_

How did Jessie know I thought about her every time I heard this song on the radio? This girl is good. Not only good, but romantic as well! I couldn't help but melt when she started singing. She stared at me through the entire thing, singing to me and only me. The entire place quieted down and listened to her, which didn't really surprise me, though they hadn't done that for anyone else. Jessie's sweet voice echoed through the coffee house as people looked on in wonder. Some stared at her, some followed her gaze and stared at me, but we didn't care. We were in our own little world.

_Cause I'm still thinking 'bout it, I almost forgot it was like _

_To know what it feels like with you_

_I can let my hair down_

_I can say anything crazy_

_And know you'll catch me right before I hit the ground_

_With nothing but a T-shirt on, I've never felt so beautiful_

_Baby as I do now_

_Now that I'm with you_

_With you _

That really means a lot, coming from her. That she feels comfortable around me. I know that isn't true for her with most people. She always thinks she has to hide from the world, and the fact that she'd get up and sing this song to me... it just really meant a lot.

_Come and take me_

_Love you to save me_

_Like nobody else_

_Now I can be myself_

As the last notes faded away, our eyes stayed locked onto each other, and she mouthed 'I love you'. The entire place was quiet... no one moved as the song ended, then all of a sudden the entire room erupted into applause. Jessie stood up there, very self-consciously, looking around the room and blushing. She smiled and took a single awkward bow, then exited the stage and walked over to take her seat next to me.

"That was wonderful, you sounded so amazing... as always." I said as I leaned over to place a small kiss on her lips. She grinned.

"Thank you, now it's time for you to hold up your end of the bargain. It's _your_ turn," She said, smiling wickedly. I gave her a sad puppy dog look, hoping to make her melt enough and not make me go up there, just because I didn't think I could follow her act. With my luck, I'd get rotten tomatoes thrown at me...

"Nice try, Singer, but you're still going up there. Live up to your name!!" I gave her a fake scowl...

"You aren't the first person to tell me to live up to my name... my 3rd grade music teacher, Ms. Dawson, told me that too... or at least tried to on the night of our spring play. You see, I was the tree, and I had this huge singing part, and right before I went out on stage I remember her pulling me aside and saying 'Kathryn Singer, live up to your name, and sing like the angels.' or something to that extent." I paused and Jessie rolled her eyes. I was talking faster and getting more and more animated as I continued the story, "I mean, really. She should know better than to expect me be able to sing well, after all, she had to listen to me attempt to warble out something for three months during practice. I think she was just trying to inspire me or something."

"So what happened?" She asked and I grinned. "Well, I walked out on stage when I was cued... like I was suppose to... then promptly tripped on a wire and fell over, knocking the other kids down and taking the entire set with me. Yep, fun times." I said with a huge smile on my face. She playfully swatted my arm as she tried to contain her laughter.

"Well, there aren't any wires up there that you have to worry about, so go! Now! Go sing!" She said as she playfully pushed me up towards the stage. "Alright, alright, I'm going, I'm going." I said as I headed in that direction. I already knew what song I was going to sing... er... attempt to sing.

I made my way up to the stage and picked out my song. As the music began to play, Jessie's eyes lit up. I took the microphone out of the holder and thought about saying something.

"This one's for you, babe." I said trying to look on cool and collected as I looked right at Jessie, who blushed, and I began to sing.

------------------------------

_Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you_

_Why can't I speak whenever I talk about you_

_It's inevitable, it's a fact that we're gonna get down to it_

_So tell me_

_Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you_

I started mouthing the words along with Katie's singing, and she smiled. I thought about how true the song was about us... or at least the chorus. Truth is, _I_ can't breath whenever I think about her, and _I_ can't speak whenever I talk about her... well most of the time. Sometimes I can't stop talking about her once I start. It's just so wonderful how that song fits us so perfectly.

_High enough for you to make me wonder_

_Where it's goin'_

_High enough for you to pull me under_

_Somethin's growin'_

_Out of this that we can't control_

_Baby I am dyin'_

She looked so cute up there, totally eating up the attention the crowd was giving her. Katie was like that. A total people person. She loved people, but she especially loved people watching her. She played to the crowd, but she sang to me. The people around us enjoyed her singing, but I can promise you, none did as much as I.

_Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you_

_Why can't I speak whenever I talk about you_

The music faded, the audience clapped, and the coffee house went back to it's normal buzzing self. She followed what I did, and took a single bow before exiting the stage and making her way back over to me.

"See, that wasn't so bad, was it?" I teased, as I smiled up at her. She shrugged and rolled her eyes.

"Naw, I guess not, I just totally sucked." She said, looking around at the crowd. I could feel my eyes grow large.

"No you didn't! You sounded really good!" I encouraged.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"Cool." she said as I smiled and took her hand.

----------------------

TBC... only 2 parts left.


	5. Chapter 5

Fic: No Place Like Home (5/6)

Author: Gardenia1786

Rating: PG-13

Feedback: Yes please!

A/N: Apparently I had an obsession with putting things from movies in my fics... don't exactly know why. Anyways, the clues are pretty obvious, but the movie is A Walk To Remember in case you haven't seen it. Oh yeah, and sorry this is so short.

As always, un-beta'd!

-----------------------------------

After we left the coffee shop, we rode in silence for a while holding hands.

"Jessie?" I squeezed her hand. "Are you ok?"

She nodded absentmindedly, looking out the window.

"It's just… you're really quiet." I said while frowning. She turned and looked at me, with a sad expression on her face.

"I just don't really want to go back to your place yet, after all, I am leaving tomorrow, and I don't really want this day to end yet." I smiled and squeezed her hand.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I really wish you didn't have to go back." She laid her head on my shoulder and nodded.

"Do you have any suggestions?" I thought for a moment.

"Well there is one place... but you might think it's kind of stupid." I never had thought about bringing anyone to my little hideaway, it's my place to get away from everything, and I never before had wanted to bring someone there. But this was different. This was Jessie, and I trust her. With all my heart.

"No, I'm sure it's not," she said earnestly. I turned my head and kissed her forehead.

"Ok, I'll take you there, it's my little getaway." As soon as I said that, she smiled. Don't ask me how I knew, I just did. It was dark, and I wasn't watching her, but I could feel it. I could feel her smile, and that made my heart leap. The fact that even in all our time apart, I could still detect the small things, like feeling a smile, or knowing if something isn't ok.

It took a few more minutes to get there, but when I pulled up she looked surprised.

"A graveyard?" She looked at me quizzically and sorta laughed "Isn't that a bit morbid?" I chuckled.

"Yeah, well, it is one of the darkest and probably one of the safer parts of town. No one goes to graveyards, and besides, I find it peaceful." She looked at me with her clear blue eyes reflecting the moonlight as we got out of the car.

"So what do you do here?" I thought for a moment before I replied.

"Lots of things, actually. One of my favorites is to talk to you. I'll grab my cell and come out here some nights, or on the nights I can't talk to you I'll come here and lay out under the stars and just watch them. I remembered how you like stars and the solar system and everything, and it always helps to know that the same moon and stars I look at, you look at too." I went around to the trunk of the car and opened it, revealing some blankets and a telescope.

"I've also become rather fond of looking at the moon through this baby." I said as I pointed to the telescope. She grinned up at me.

"Did you plan this?" She asked and I smiled.

"Oh I hoped for it." I chuckled. "Actually, no, I didn't. I keep everything in the back of the car so if I need to get away anytime I don't have to constantly load and unload the car." I said as I handed her the telescope and grabbed a bag with some blankets in it. I led her over to a clear area a good distance from the car, and she put it down while I unpacked a blanket and laid it on the cold ground.

"A blanket? Are you trying to seduce me?" She joked, and I threw her my most seductive smile.

"Why? Are you seducible?" I asked enticingly as I raised my eyebrow, and she just laughed and shook her head. I sighed dramatically and grabbed the blanket bag again.

"That's what I thought; therefore it's a good thing that I always carry several blankets around." She laughed again.

"You're so sweet." She said as she came over and gave me a kiss. 'Mmmm... soft lips...' She started to pull away, but I moved with her.

"Not yet" I breathed against her lips, and soon we were caught up in a passionate kiss. Minutes later, we broke apart.

"I love you, you know."

"I love you too."

We enjoyed that time, very much so. I showed her the moon in a way that she had never seen it before, and we took turns pointing out constellations. After a little while, we fell asleep. I woke up about an hour later, and it's a good thing I did, because if I hadn't, we may have been woken up in a way that is much less than desirable. The sky that was once clear and full of stars was now covered in dark storm clouds, and thunder could be heard from far away. I sat there for a few moments, watching the lightning in the distance before I realized that if we didn't move fairly quickly that soon the storm would be upon us and we would be drenched. I turned over on my side and stared at the sleeping girl next to me. _Oh how I hate to wake her up._ I leaned in and gave her a soft kiss. I pulled back, and was amused to see what she did next. Her eyelids fluttered a few times before she opened them, revealing her clear blue eyes, still heavy with sleep. She smiled then yawned and stretched for a moment before asking me why I woke her up. I pointed to the sky.

"Rain is coming soon, we better get packed up." She looked up then back at me before nodding. She gathered the blankets while I broke down the telescope, and we began walking towards the car, but not fast enough. The rain began to fall, first softly, then with more force. By the time we reached my car, we were both sopping wet. We jammed the stuff in the back of my car and ran around to get inside, away from the rain.

"Well... that was fun." I said, looking over hat her. I'm sure we looked like drowned rats, but damn! She was an adorable drowned rat! She smiled over at me, and began to sing.

"A little fall of rain,

Can hardly hurt me now.

You're here, that's all I need to know.

And you will keep me safe,

And you will keep me close,

And rain will make the flowers grow."

I do have to say, that caught me off guard. "That was beautiful," I stated and she blushed.

"It's from the Broadway play, 'Les Miserables'. My dad took me up to New York when I was ten and we went to go see it. It was the most amazing play I've ever seen in my entire life. When I went home that's all I could talk about, so dad got me the cd, and I've listened to it a little ever since then." She turned her head to look through the window at the rain. I leaned over and laid my head on her shoulder, and she twisted her body so she was able to take my hand. We sat there in silence.

_Listen to the rain._ So that's what we did.


	6. Chapter 6

Fic: No Place Like Home (6/6)

Author: Gardenia1786

Rating: PG-13 maybe?

Feedback: Yes please:)

Disclaimer: the song is "I Could Not Ask For More" by Edwin McCain

A/N: Well, this is it for this one, thanks to everyone who read it, and a big, huge thanks to those who sent feedback! It was much appreciated.

A/N2: I actually put Jessie's POV first. Huh. Who would've thought.

As always, un-beta'd

--------------------------------------

Sleep.

Sleep fled from me that night. The prospect of me going back to my current 'home' was the one thing that kept me from it. Home. Australia wasn't home, this was home. Here, with Katie in my arms.

You know that saying that people always talk about? Yeah you do, the one that goes something like 'home is where the heart is'. (See? Told you that you knew it.) Well, that's the truth. Katie has my heart, so I am only really at home with her.

Once, a long time ago, home was where my family was. I would go with my dad, or my mom, anywhere. But what I would have once done willingly, I am now forced to do. Mom had too many obligations here so that she couldn't take care of me, and the decision from them both was mutual. I was to go live with dad and Lily in Australia. I fought it as much as I could. At one point and time, Katie and I had formulated a plan where I could live with her and her family, but when we presented it as an option, it was immediately turned down. I was stuck. Being a minor, I was legally bound to stay with one of my parents. Two more years, and I shall be free. But two years is a long time, and I can't help but wonder will happen in those two years? Will Katie and I still be together? It hurts to even think that a break-up could be possible.

I shiver as if a cold wind had caressed my back. Katie, my sweet Katie, was lying here sleeping next to me, all wrapped up in the blankets, and her legs entwined with mine. Her arm was under my head and it felt so good just to be there, like that, with her. I couldn't help but smile. She was so adorable... no, that wasn't even right. She was beautiful, and I know that I am the luckiest person in the entire world to have her as my girlfriend... but even more than that, she is my soul mate. She knows me inside and out, and even though we may have an ocean in between us most of the time, that fact will always be so.

It's hard not to smile around her, she is just so intoxicating. Everything about her, her scent, smile, touch, taste, everything.

I enjoyed just lying there next to her. Listening to her steady breathing, but also the rain. The rain was wonderful. It reminds me of a song... what was it again? I'm trying to remember. Oh yes. It goes something like:

_Lying here with you_

_Listening to the rain_

_Smiling just to see_

_A smile on your face_

I starting humming, and Katie opened her eyes and sleepily smiled at me. I began to sing the lyrics.

_And these are the moments_

_I thank God that I'm alive_

_And these are the moments_

_I'll remember all my life_

_You're all I've waited for_

_And I could not ask for more_

I could see a tear forming in her eye, she was touched.

_Looking in your eyes_

_Seeing all I need_

_Everything you are_

_Is everything in me_

_These are the moments_

_I know heaven must exist_

_These are the moments _

_I know all I need is this_

_I've found all I've waited for_

_And I could not ask for more_

I closed my eyes, and continued.

_I could not ask for more than this time together_

_Could not ask for more than this love with you_

_Every prayer has been answered_

_Every dream has come true_

_Right here in this moment_

_Is right where I was meant to be_

_Here with you_

_Here with me_

_No, I could not ask for more than this love you gave me_

_Cause it's all I've waited for_

_And I could not ask for more_

I opened my eyes, and stared right into her green ones. She looked so peaceful, so serene, so beautiful. Slowly we moved closer together, till I felt her lips brush up against mine. 'Yes, this is home'

--------------------

"Jess?" I called from my comfortable spot on the living room couch. "Come on! We're going to be late!" I shook my head. This seemed to be an ongoing thing, her being late. I feigned mad, but honestly, it was so cute, because everything about her is cute. I shook my head again and smiled. I am so whipped.

The smile quickly faded when I remembered what she was going to be late for. Her plane ride home.

"Scratch that, Jessie, take all the time in the world." She walked out of my room with her suitcase and frowned at me.

"Why do you say that?" I turned to look at her

"Because if you take more time, then you'll be late. And if you're late, you'll miss your flight. And if you miss your flight, than you have to stay here. With me." A huge grin broke out on her face, and she came over and seated herself in my lap, wrapping her arms around my neck and laying her head on my shoulder. Well. I could sure get used to this.

"I don't want to go either. I want to stay here with you. Forever." I heard her voice break and realized then that I had to be the strong one here. I ran my fingers through her hair.

"I know, I know, I want you to stay here forever too. But you can't right now. I wish you could, you have no idea. But someday soon, you will be. You are still planning to come to college here, right?" She moved her head from it's resting place on my shoulder and stared me straight in the eye.

"Of course I am. No question about it," she said firmly. I smiled and shrugged.

"Well, then when you do, you come and live with me. We'll be roommates." Her eyes lit up, and she hugged me tight.

"We'll get through this, Jess. We'll get through this." I promised, whispering into her ear. She nodded.

"I know we will." A grin crept across my face, and I started to tickle her a little bit. Can't be too serious for too long, you know.

"Come on, let's get you packed so you won't miss your flight home!" I said, hoping to earn a smile from Jessie who was trying to catch her breath. As soon as I said that though, she turned and looked at me with a dead serious expression on her face.

"Baby, don't you know? I am home." She said. I do have to admit, I was a bit confused by that statement... I mean, home is sorta where you live and all. I must have had a confused look on my face because she continued with a sparkle in her eyes.

"I was thinking about it this morning, while you were sleeping, about home and all that stuff. I remembered that old saying 'home is where the heart is', and I realized how true that is. I'm only home with you. And let me tell you, there really is no place like home."

"Jess, I..." I was speechless. I was trying to formulate a sentence when my lips found other things they were useful for. She kissed me, long and passionately. Somewhere along the line I found myself on my back, and I'm not too sure how I got there. Well, I was a little busy in case you didn't notice. Her mouth felt so good on mine... all thoughts were slipping. She put her hands under my shirt. Thoughts? What were they? Her hands massaged my skin, sending shivers up my spine, and worked their way up my stomach... I couldn't help but close my eyes and moan into her mouth. She broke the kiss and we both were breathing heavily.

"I want..." She enunciated each syllable carefully then closed her eyes, trying to gather her thoughts. Is she trying to tell me what I think she is trying to tell me? Does she want to... oh my. Oh how I want to, but the time... OH CRAP! The time! I shot straight up, nearly knocking her over and looked at the clock.

"Damn!"

"What?" She said, looking concerned.

"The time!!"

"What?"

"Airport, plane, you, Australia" The make out session I just participated in was having lasting effects on my brain. Singer! Coherent sentences!

"What? Oh wait... oh no, plane? What time is it?" She looked over at the digital clock on the VCR. 10:25am. She realized what I had just figured out, the fact that her plain was scheduled to leave the airport in less than an hour, and it took a good twenty minutes to get there.

"Crap..." She whined, dropping her head onto my shoulder. I laid back down, and held her close, both of us trying to get some sort of control over our bodies.

"We'll just have to save this for some other time, ok?" I said, trying to make light of the situation. She propped herself up so she could look me in the eye as a smile crossed her face.

"Come back with me, on the plane." I furrowed my brow, not quite understanding... oh... oh that...

"Ha! You want both of our first times to be on a plane?" She grinned at me suggestively.

"What better way than joining the mile-high club on your first time?" Ohhh, so much for getting my body back under control... just thinking about it... wow.

"Please, Jess, don't tempt me. It's going to be hard enough to get out of this apartment, much less leave you at the airport." She nodded, accepting the defeat.

"Ok, ok, yeah, I guess you're right, as usual," she conceded. I grinned.

"Unfortunately, for once," I said, rolling my eyes. She laughed a bit as she sat up and got off me.

"I guess we really should go then, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Bummer."

"You're telling me."

-

I drove up to the curb of the terminal. "I wish I could go inside and see you off." I said as I squeezed her hand. She nodded absentmindedly out the window before turning to look at me. There were tears in her eyes.

"Oh baby, don't cry! You'll be back, before you know it! There's Christmas, and spring break, and summer... all of those things, and who knows, I may actually get out there sometime!" She nodded as a tear fell down her cheek. Right then it felt as if my heart were breaking. I hated to see her cry. I leaned over and enveloped her in a hug. By this point, I was starting to tear up as well.

"I love you, Jessica Elizabeth Sammler." She sniffled and pulled away to face me.

"I love you too, Katherine Anne Singer." I put my hand on her cheek, and she kissed my palm and held it there. I turned to look at the clock. She had 10 minute before her plane would start boarding. I managed to smile amid my tears.

"You better be going, don't want you to be late." She nodded and wiped her eyes. We both got out of the car and went around to the side to get her suitcase out. I pulled it out and set it on the ground, where one of the attendants took care of it. We stood facing each other. I stepped closer to her and leaned down to give her a kiss. She wrapped her arms around my neck, and we both got lost in it. Nothing else existed right then. About a minute later (which was way too soon) we were thrust back into reality by a car horn blaring in the back ground. I offered her a smile.

"I guess that's my cue."

"Yeah, I guess it is."

"Take care of yourself, Jess. Come back soon."

"You too, Katie, and I will. You know I will." I nodded. She meant it, and I knew it.

"I love you."

"I love you too." I held onto her hand as she began to walk away, and our hands barely touched, and then we let go.

"Goodbye!"

"Goodbye."

I watched her walk into the airport, and until she disappeared from my sight before I got back into my car and drove away. I thought about what she said earlier, about home and all that. Jessie did have my heart, so when she left, it sort of felt like I was leaving too in a way, or like home was leaving me.

I smiled.

She was right.

There really was no place like home.

----------------------------------

THE END.


End file.

Once and Again, Romance