Title: Anytime
Author: Courtney
Email: courtneystovall@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Rating: R
Category: Jake/Hamilton; future-fic
Spoilers: A few little ones for the season finale that I've heard about so far. Mostly Bella/Scout stuff.
Summary: A letter from an old friend makes Jacqueline Pratt think about the past . . . and yearn for what she's lost.
Author's Notes: The lyrics belong to Brian McKnight. My roommate downloaded the song to my computer and the more I listened to it, the more a story started to tell itself in my head.
Thanks: Brian McKnight for the lovely, sad lyrics; Candice for downloading unwanted things to my computer (haha), and my wondrous beta readers for services rendered. Oh, and the gals at the Hamilton_Jake list for all the fanfic that inspires the hell out of me! ;-)
Feedback: Please!!! I'm pretty sure where I'm going with this but it would still be helpful to get some opinions. And, of course, if it sucks too badly then you should all let me know so I can stop torturing you, lol.
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Part 1
I can't remember why we fell apart
It's something that was so meant to be
Forever was the promise in our hearts
Now more and more I wonder where you are
Do I ever cross your mind . . . anytime?
Do you ever wake up reaching out for me?
Do I ever cross your mind . . . anytime?
I miss you . . .
Jacqueline Pratt stared down at the letter she held in her hands and smiled. 'You are cordially invited . . .' the invitation announced. She flipped back to the hand-written letter from her old friend, Bella Banks. In the letter, Bella told her about her upcoming wedding and how, even though she knew they hadn't seen each other in a few years, it would be really great if she were to come. All of the old Rawley gang will be there, her neat penmanship assured her.
She chewed her lip thoughtfully, wondering if 'all the old Rawley gang' included *him* as well. She hadn't seen him in forever . . . not since she'd left school halfway through their senior year. He'd tried to call her, but she'd never called back. She felt that the best thing was not to have any contact with him. It was the only way.
Now, she wondered if her decision had really been the best one. Maybe she owed him more . . .
She walked quickly to the telephone in her tiny New York apartment before she could change her mind. Dialing the number on the RSVP, she waited.
"Hello, Banks residence," said a familiar voice.
"Bella, hey! It's Jake, I just opened your letter."
"Jake . . . oh my goodness! It's been, what, almost two years now?" the other girl said.
"Yeah, about that," Jacqueline agreed.
"I'm so glad that you called!" Bella gushed. "You have no idea how much I've missed you, girl!" Jake and Bella had managed to become friends during Jake's first year at Rawley. It hadn't taken long for Bella to learn Jake's secret and after that they had grown especially close. Bella was the only girl that Jake could really talk to in Rawley. And she had needed that . . . especially near the end.
"So, you're getting hitched finally, huh?" Jake said to her old friend.
"Yeah, we're finally gonna bite the bullet."
"Well, it's about damn time. Scout sure does take his time about things," Jake said.
"Oh, I can't really blame it on Scout. It's pretty much my fault that we've waited so long. I just . . . I wanted it to be perfect. Now I finally feel like it is." Jake could hear the smile in the other girl's voice. Bella was very happy with Scout Calhoun. She'd loved him from the first moment she'd laid eyes on him . . . but the realization that they shared the same blood had quickly squelched their budding romance. However, at the end of that first summer, they had discovered that Bella was not, in fact, the daughter of Senator Calhoun. Ever since then, she and Scout had been inseparable.
"I'm really happy for you, Bell," Jake told her with a smile.
"So, you're coming, right? It wouldn't be the same without you, Jake. Please say you'll be here!"
"I . . . I dunno. Things are a little hectic right now . . . I might not be able to get away . . ."
"Oh Jake! No, you have to come!" Bella insisted.
"You're up to something," Jake stated dryly, knowing her old friend too well.
"J . . . he's coming all the way from Los Angeles," she said. "He still misses you . . ."
"No Bella, I can't see him," she stated firmly.
"But why not? It's been so long ago now. Hell, we've all been out of high school for ten years . . . and it was before then when you saw him last."
"Old wounds, Bella. You know the story," she said.
"Promise me that you'll think about it at least," Bella prodded. "It's my *wedding*, Jake. And you're my best friend in the world. You *have* to be here!"
"We haven't talked in almost two years," Jake reminded her.
"But you still know me better than anyone," Bella assured her. "Promise you'll give it some thought."
Jake sighed into the phone. She knew it was a mistake, but she found herself saying it anyway. "Fine Bell, I'll give it some thought."
"Great!" she squealed back, already knowing that Jake would cave in and come to Boston for the wedding. "Look J, I've gotta go. I have so much planning left to do and no time left to do it in. But we'll talk later, okay?"
"Sure thing. Say hi to Scout for me," Jake told her.
"I will. Take care. Bye!"
"Bye," Jake said and she cradled the receiver. She knew that she'd be going to that wedding. She had to.
Now the only thing left to decide was what she would say to him.
* * * * *
Author: Courtney
Email: courtneystovall@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Rating: R
Category: Jake/Hamilton; future-fic
Spoilers: A few little ones for the season finale that I've heard about so far. Mostly Bella/Scout stuff.
Summary: A letter from an old friend makes Jacqueline Pratt think about the past . . . and yearn for what she's lost.
Author's Notes: The lyrics belong to Brian McKnight. My roommate downloaded the song to my computer and the more I listened to it, the more a story started to tell itself in my head.
Thanks: Brian McKnight for the lovely, sad lyrics; Candice for downloading unwanted things to my computer (haha), and my wondrous beta readers for services rendered. Oh, and the gals at the Hamilton_Jake list for all the fanfic that inspires the hell out of me! ;-)
Feedback: Please!!! I'm pretty sure where I'm going with this but it would still be helpful to get some opinions. And, of course, if it sucks too badly then you should all let me know so I can stop torturing you, lol.
----------------------------------
Part 1
I can't remember why we fell apart
It's something that was so meant to be
Forever was the promise in our hearts
Now more and more I wonder where you are
Do I ever cross your mind . . . anytime?
Do you ever wake up reaching out for me?
Do I ever cross your mind . . . anytime?
I miss you . . .
Jacqueline Pratt stared down at the letter she held in her hands and smiled. 'You are cordially invited . . .' the invitation announced. She flipped back to the hand-written letter from her old friend, Bella Banks. In the letter, Bella told her about her upcoming wedding and how, even though she knew they hadn't seen each other in a few years, it would be really great if she were to come. All of the old Rawley gang will be there, her neat penmanship assured her.
She chewed her lip thoughtfully, wondering if 'all the old Rawley gang' included *him* as well. She hadn't seen him in forever . . . not since she'd left school halfway through their senior year. He'd tried to call her, but she'd never called back. She felt that the best thing was not to have any contact with him. It was the only way.
Now, she wondered if her decision had really been the best one. Maybe she owed him more . . .
She walked quickly to the telephone in her tiny New York apartment before she could change her mind. Dialing the number on the RSVP, she waited.
"Hello, Banks residence," said a familiar voice.
"Bella, hey! It's Jake, I just opened your letter."
"Jake . . . oh my goodness! It's been, what, almost two years now?" the other girl said.
"Yeah, about that," Jacqueline agreed.
"I'm so glad that you called!" Bella gushed. "You have no idea how much I've missed you, girl!" Jake and Bella had managed to become friends during Jake's first year at Rawley. It hadn't taken long for Bella to learn Jake's secret and after that they had grown especially close. Bella was the only girl that Jake could really talk to in Rawley. And she had needed that . . . especially near the end.
"So, you're getting hitched finally, huh?" Jake said to her old friend.
"Yeah, we're finally gonna bite the bullet."
"Well, it's about damn time. Scout sure does take his time about things," Jake said.
"Oh, I can't really blame it on Scout. It's pretty much my fault that we've waited so long. I just . . . I wanted it to be perfect. Now I finally feel like it is." Jake could hear the smile in the other girl's voice. Bella was very happy with Scout Calhoun. She'd loved him from the first moment she'd laid eyes on him . . . but the realization that they shared the same blood had quickly squelched their budding romance. However, at the end of that first summer, they had discovered that Bella was not, in fact, the daughter of Senator Calhoun. Ever since then, she and Scout had been inseparable.
"I'm really happy for you, Bell," Jake told her with a smile.
"So, you're coming, right? It wouldn't be the same without you, Jake. Please say you'll be here!"
"I . . . I dunno. Things are a little hectic right now . . . I might not be able to get away . . ."
"Oh Jake! No, you have to come!" Bella insisted.
"You're up to something," Jake stated dryly, knowing her old friend too well.
"J . . . he's coming all the way from Los Angeles," she said. "He still misses you . . ."
"No Bella, I can't see him," she stated firmly.
"But why not? It's been so long ago now. Hell, we've all been out of high school for ten years . . . and it was before then when you saw him last."
"Old wounds, Bella. You know the story," she said.
"Promise me that you'll think about it at least," Bella prodded. "It's my *wedding*, Jake. And you're my best friend in the world. You *have* to be here!"
"We haven't talked in almost two years," Jake reminded her.
"But you still know me better than anyone," Bella assured her. "Promise you'll give it some thought."
Jake sighed into the phone. She knew it was a mistake, but she found herself saying it anyway. "Fine Bell, I'll give it some thought."
"Great!" she squealed back, already knowing that Jake would cave in and come to Boston for the wedding. "Look J, I've gotta go. I have so much planning left to do and no time left to do it in. But we'll talk later, okay?"
"Sure thing. Say hi to Scout for me," Jake told her.
"I will. Take care. Bye!"
"Bye," Jake said and she cradled the receiver. She knew that she'd be going to that wedding. She had to.
Now the only thing left to decide was what she would say to him.
* * * * *
