Author's Note: As I mentioned in my only other Bend It Like Beckham fic, I respect and recognize the movie as canon. However, I'm also very much aware that the original script included a romance between Jules and Jess instead of Jess and Joe. I feel that the chemistry between the two friends remains, despite the alteration of the script. As such, Jules and Jess will forever live on in my imagination as a delightful couple. This particular piece takes place shortly after my other BILB fic, but you don't really need to have read one to enjoy the other. I also admit that this one doesn't have much of a plot. Oops. My bad.

Warning: The following work of fiction contains adult content. Thankfully, it has a plot as well. But if lesbian relationships and/or adult material offends you, I suggest that you hit the back button on your browser.

Disclaimer: The characters and story associated with the film Bend It Like Beckham are not of my creation. I'm just taking them out for a little play date.

Holidays

by L.Freyja

Two months. They'd only been together for two months and now they were heading back to England for the Christmas and New Year holidays. The two of them hadn't discussed what they would do during the holidays; in fact, they avoided the topic all together, which may or may not have been a good thing. Jess had briefly mentioned meeting up as often as possible for lunch or to do some shopping, but Jules was no idiot. If Jess was still a little uncomfortable with the idea of their status as a couple when they were in California, how were things supposed to work out under the watchful eyes of their families?

Jules sighed and ran a tired hand through her short hair, tracing her shadow with her eyes. Their flight had gone on for what felt like days. The only pleasant part of the trip was when Jess had failed in her struggle to stay awake and fell asleep leaning heavily on Jules' shoulder. The denied anxiety hadn't really hit them until the plane landed and they walked down the crowded terminal to greet their loud and excited families. They'd grabbed their luggage and then parted ways. Jess' parents and very pregnant sister closed in around her to usher her out to the parking lot and she'd just barely managed to look back over her shoulder and promise to call Jules as soon as possible.

After that, Jules had been left with her own parents. The trip from the airport to the house was an uncomfortable one. She sat in the backseat of her parents' car, trying to keep up with their questions when all she really wanted to do was get out and stretch her legs. Her father, she'd noticed, had lost a bit of weight and was quite proudly wearing a new Santa Clara sweatshirt she'd mailed to him. Still, there wasn't much change and by the time the car was parked in front of their house, Jules felt as if she hadn't left home at all. It was almost comforting to lug her suitcase up the familiar flight of carpeted stairs and flop down on her bed. If it hadn't been for the fact that the bed was neatly made, the sheets tucked into tight hospital corners and the comforter pulled up and smoothed out, Jules might have suspected that no one had set foot in her room since she'd last visited.

With a heavy sigh, Jules had rolled over and stretched out on her stomach. Seeing her parents was nice and it felt good to be someplace that held so many memories, but something just didn't feel quite right. She felt stiff and something was missing. She then caught the scent of the lavender fabric softener her mother used when doing laundry, and it suddenly hit her.

She may call this "home", but it wasn't the home she'd grown accustomed to. That wasn't what her sheets usually smelled like and the room felt oddly empty. She was used to smelling Jess on her sheets- an oddly intoxicating blend of fruity shampoo and spice. She was used to laying like this and feeling Jess' small, strong fingers working out the tension in her shoulders.

"You've got to be kidding me."

The room's silence had been the only response Jules received and she covered her face with her hand.

That had been almost two days ago and she was already feeling the separation from Jess bearing down on her. It was the fact that the separation was a forced one, she knew. She was uneasy because things had changed, even if they hadn't appeared to, and they had to pretend to be something they weren't until they were safely back at school.

Jules stood in her room, toweling off her wet hair. A hot shower had made her feel a bit better after sleeping in so late, but steam and water could only do so much. It was almost noon and she could still feel the effects of jet lag. She briefly wondered if Jess was having any of the same problems.

"Juliette!" her mother called up the stairs. "Come down for a little snack, dear."

"In a moment, mum."

Lunch with her parents would come first, but she'd be on the phone with Jess as soon as it was over. Jules groaned and reached for the pile of clean laundry that sat in a messy stack on her chair. She pulled on a charcoal grey sweater and a faded pair of jeans, ran her hands through her uncombed hair, and tossed her towel into her hamper before leaving her room, bouncing down the stairs two at a time. The small meal passed by in a haze, mostly spent with Jules staring out the window at her old football goal while her mother chatted about the evening's plans.

"Jules?"

Jules pulled her eyes from the window and on to her mother. "Yeah?"

"I was asking you if you'd like to join me and your father for a little family night out," she said, looking at her daughter with a critical eye. Paula Paxton was many things, but blind she was not. She may have had a tendency to jump to conclusions and she may dress with enough bold flair to impress a peacock, but she was also observant. And thanks to her mighty powers of observation, she'd picked up on her daughter's lack of inattentiveness. "Are you alright, dear?"

"I'm fine, mum. I'm just feeling a little antsy is all," she said. Seeing her mother wait for an explanation, Jules sighed and added, "I know I've only been home for two days, but I feel totally out of whack. It's not that I don't love you and dad, of course. But I haven't done much of anything and I feel like I'm wasting time."

Her mother smiled. "It sounds like you just need to get out and away from us boring adults, eh? Why don't you call up some of your friends and visit them today? Your father and I can manage to entertain ourselves. We'll catch a movie or something."

Jules looked at her mom, not bothering to hide her surprise that her mother had, for once, managed to guess what she was thinking. She stood, hugged her mother, and ran up the stairs to the phone in her room. An hour later, she sat at a square table in a bar with two of her old teammates, an eye on the door waiting for Jess' arrival.

Her friends were happy to see her and they swapped stories over their drinks. Mel was in the middle of describing an amazing save she'd seen an opposing team's goalie make when Jess finally arrived. She materialized out of the thick crowd with a smile, appearing at the side of the table bundled in a heavy coat and scarf that made her almost double in size. Jess greeted their friends with a laugh and a hug, then turned to Jules and treated her much the same way, although she allowed her hand to linger on Jules' arm for a moment after they pulled apart.

Jules understood. They were in too public a place and too close to home. There was always the chance that they'd be seen by someone who would spread the word until it reached their parents. Still, even with that threat hanging over them, Jules found it difficult to avoid watching the way Jess flipped her ponytail back over her shoulder or the smaller girl's delicate hands as she waved off an offer for a beer and tugged at the collar of her white Oxford shirt. All she wanted to do was pull Jess into her lap, wrap her hands in that thick black hair, and guide Jess down for a kiss.

Instead, Jules settled for enjoying the company of her friends. Her parents would be out of the house for the evening. She'd told Jess as much over the phone when she'd called earlier. And that was a good thing because if she understood the unspoken message in Jess' eyes, she'd be making it up to her tonight. Jules glanced down at Jess' side where she'd set down her bag; a grin took over her face when she saw the clean shirt peeking out through the top.

It was already dark by the time the friends decided to part ways. Mel had suggested that they meet up again the next day and track down some of the other girls from the team. Jules agreed and led the way out of the pub. Once they were out on the street, Jules and Jess headed for the nearest bus stop. They were the only people waiting at the stop, standing together under the yellowed light of the street lamp.

"So," Jules began, nudging Jess' bag, "I see you came prepared to spend the night. Did you tell your parents you were staying with your cousin again?"

Jess laughed. "No. God, no. That one has backfired on me too many times. I just told them that I was going to spend the night with some friends and reminded them that I was a good girl while I was gone and there's no reason I'd act any differently now that I'm home."

"A good girl, huh? I beg to differ," said Jules. She almost gave in to the urge to reach out and pull Jess against her, but the bus chose that inopportune moment to arrive.

The pair of them climbed aboard for the short ride to Jules' home and within half an hour, Jules was searching her pockets for her house key. The windows were all dark, confirming that her parents were out, which was perfect. She sensed more than felt Jess standing behind her, shifting her weight from foot to foot as the taller blonde fought to contain her eagerness and unlocked the door. It swung open and Jules allowed Jess to enter first, then followed her and heard the door close with a click.

"Ugh. I've got to get rid of this coat," Jess complained, shrugging it off to reveal her bright red scarf and slightly wrinkled shirt.

Jules grabbed took the coat from her and hung it up on the rack by the door. Then, smiling in the darkness, she grabbed Jess and turned the both of them so that she had Jess pinned to the door with her hips. She slanted her mouth over Jess' and wasted no time in sliding her tongue past her lips. "I've been waiting to do that since you showed up at the pub," she confessed when they broke apart.

Jess laughed, pressing her chest into the warm body before her. "I know. You're not exactly good at keeping your thoughts to yourself, you know."

Jules waved a dismissive hand and tried to remain focused as Jess ran a hand along the waistband of Jules' jeans. "Before we get too carried away, maybe we should take this somewhere else," she said. She took Jess' hand in her own and led her through the darkness and up the stairs to her bedroom.

The door to her bedroom swung open and Jess strolled through, dropping her bag by the dresser. Jules made her way across the room to turn on the tiny lamp that sat in the corner. She looked up and watched the shadows play across Jess' form as she turned and bent down to remove her shoes. Wordlessly, Jules kicked off her own shoes and sat down on her bed.

"Come on," she said with a teasing grin. "You're taking way too long."

Jess rolled her eyes. "Says the slow turtle who spends a good fifteen minutes trying to get out of bed in the morning." Finished with her socks and shoes, she climbed onto the bed and scooted next to Jules. She leaned forward and graced Jules with a chaste kiss.

Jules grunted, trying her best to feign grumpiness. "You'd be hesitant to get up in the morning, too, if you learned to really appreciate a good night's sleep." She returned Jess' kiss with a deeper one. "Besides," she murmured, her lips still against Jess', "when I'm through with you, you'll be so tired it'll take you more than a few hours of sleep to recover."

Jess blushed at the comment, but didn't pull away. She let Jules pull her down and hold her in a possessive embrace. Jules felt elated. This was better. This was how it was supposed to be. She was surrounded by the smell and taste of Jess, the feel of her dark skin under her hands and the weight of her on her chest. She began to roll onto her side and smiled when Jess instinctively wrapped her legs around her waist.

They lay there for a short while, intertwined and exchanging heated kisses. It wasn't long before Jules decided there was simply far too much clothing involved and she removed her own sweater and unbuttoned Jess' shirt. The shimmer of a gold chain of a necklace caught her eye and Jules watched the plain piece of jewelry rise and fall with Jess' breathing. Jess watched Jules' expectant eyes and sat up to remove her pants. She unfastened them and Jules blatantly stared as they slid down to reveal dark, powerful thighs. Jess kicked them off and sat up on her knees to toss them towards her bag.

Jules moved behind her before she had a chance to turn around. She pressed herself against Jess' back and placed her hands on her waist, tilting her head to kiss the side of Jess' neck. Jess gasped and tried to turn, but Jules held her tightly against her own chest and sent her hands on an exploration of the Indian girl's torso. One hand made its way up to her breasts, sneaking past the open shirt and under the lace bra she was so fond of. The other slowly slid down and brushed against the damp spot of her cotton panties.

A stifled whimper of pleasure escaped Jess and the sound of it shot through Jules like a sudden burst of heat. She nipped at Jess' neck and ears before slipping her hand into her panties and into those wet folds. Jess reached back to grab a fistful of Jules' hair and held her head against her neck as her hips moved forward to meet Jules' long fingers. Jules teased and stroked Jess as her breathing came in shorter and faster pants. Suddenly, she found the need for even more skin to taste. She removed the hand that had been circling the hardened nipple of one breast and tugged at Jess' shirt, baring one shapely shoulder as Jess continued to rock against her hand and body. Jules playfully bit Jess' shoulder and the smaller girl shuddered and came with a cry.

Jess fell back against Jules, gasping for breath. Jules buried her face in her neck and smiled at the feel of Jess' pounding heart against her chest. "That," Jess managed to gasp between breaths, "was a dirty trick. Trapping me like that and all."

"You love it."

Jess squirmed in her grasp and turned to look at Jules with a smile. "Well if that's the way it's going to be, I'd have to say that turn about's fair play."

Before Jules could utter a witty comeback, Jess was nibbling her ear and urging her to lay back on the mattress. Her pants and panties soon joined her sweater on the floor and she closed her eyes and arched her back as Jess kissed a path from her collarbone to her thighs and then in between them. Being out of control wasn't something she was entirely used to, but she relaxed and gasped at Jess' ministrations.

She really couldn't argue with Jess. Turn about was fair play, after all, and she wasn't about to complain. Perhaps the holidays wouldn't be as unpleasant a time as she'd expected.