A/N Hi, big thanks to everyone who is reading and commenting. I hope I'm doing the characters justice for you.

I don't think Jodie has been given a back story on the show yet? Could be my super bad memory though, so will hopefully try to invent something fitting. Again if anybody has any ideas on this or anything else they think important to the story would love to hear it :)


Texas was standing alone at the end of the bar, using a wall for support. She was watching Jodie and Leanne chat with a large gaggle of men in the centre of the room, all laughs and jokes and smiles. Texas had, almost unintentionally, retreated increasingly from the group until she found herself in the solitude of this deserted corner. She felt tired. She could not remember the last time she had had a proper good night's sleep and the effort of making mindless small talk with a bunch of random guys had just become more than she could bare. Her head was pounding, and every time that Jodie looked over at her and Texas felt herself force a reassuring smile it felt like her head might actually split open from the endeavour.

Texas was vaguely aware that she had let her head fall back against the cool sticky wall she was leaning against. She closed her eyes trying to cease the thumping in her head for a moment. As she stood there trying to block the world out Texas became aware of an arm snaking tenderly around her waist, she opened her eyes to see Jodie standing next to her in dimly lit space looking intently at her.

"What?" Texas asked. Jodie manoeuvred herself even closer to Texas, and rested her chin on Texas' shoulder, so that Texas could not escape Jodie's scrutiny.

"You ok?" Jodie almost whispered into Texas' ear given her current position of propping herself up against Texas' body.

As was her ingrained habit Texas suppressed how she was feeling, what she had been feeling for the past months, "yes," she plastered the rigid smile firmly back in place. Jodie continued to study Texas for another moment before straightening back up, so that she removed herself from Texas. Jodie grabbed Texas' hand in hers giving it a small squeeze. Texas was not sure of the meaning of this simple gesture, but found she was grateful for it none-the-less. Still holding Texas' hand Jodie guided her over to a secluded booth at the back of the room.

They both slid onto the leather seat, and with no words Jodie pulled Texas' head down into her lap, and began stroking Texas' hair soothingly. They sat like this in the dark corner of the bar for a few minutes. It was almost their own private little sanctuary for that moment, shielded slightly by the table and high sides to the booth in which they were seated. The beat of music and everybody else present in the bar seemed to melt away as Jodie continued to run her hand gently through Texas' hair. The calming action seemed to cause a kind of peace to flood through Texas' body. She hadn't felt this at ease for such a long time. Texas allowed her eyes to close again just enjoying the relaxing sensation. She felt the stress of the past year fade into tingles that ran all over her skin, breathing suddenly felt so much more effortless.

The noise of somebody scrambling into the booth on the other side of the table jolted Texas out of her peaceful revere. She pulled herself up from where she was lying, back to sitting up straight. Leanne was now sitting opposite them, beaming widely.

"All those cute men, I just can't make my mind up!" Leanne giggled, "didn't you two like any of them?" she asked wondering why Texas and Jodie were hidden away in this gloomy spot. Then, like there literally was a lightbulb going off over her head, Leanne's face lit up with an idea, "Texas we should set Jodie and Doug up, they'd be perfect for each other!"

Texas nodded along with this suggestion, but internally she was not so sure it was as good an idea as Leanne seemed to think. As much as she liked Jodie - and in a lot of ways Texas really admired her attitude towards life; how ambitious she was, how she didn't seem to worry about what anybody thought of her, her ability to be able to close down and not become emotionally tied to anyone or anything - Jodie had always struck her as being a bit flighty when it came to men. Doug always seemed much more serious about his relationships. Texas couldn't really see Doug and Jodie being that good of a match. It was true though that Doug deserved some happiness in his life, and what if Jodie were the one who could provide that? As Leanne continued to rabbit on about what a brilliant idea this was Texas momentarily found herself considering what did she really knew about Jodie?

They had only known Jodie for a couple of months. Her and Leanne had met her in a club one night. She had been surrounded by a group of guys, something Texas had come to understand to be the norm for Jodie. She really seemed to have a knack for attracting men like bees to honey. Leanne had made a beeline straight for the large cluster of men and befriended Jodie. She was a second year dance student, and said she had started a couple of years ago, but had taken the previous year as a gap year. Texas realised that Jodie had never really spoken much about what she had done on her gap year though. In fact she could not remember Jodie ever really talking about it, not seriously. Yes crazy suggestions and jokes were made about where she might have been and what she might have got up to, but Texas didn't think anybody knew the truth. Whatever she had done in that year out Jodie was clearly super-driven now. She was the kind of person who once they knew what they wanted would let nothing stand in their way or derail them from their course. Texas briefly wondered if Jodie had always been that way. She herself often felt so lost, so directionless, that she was a little in awe of Jodie's steadfast determination.

"Hey don't you like the idea of me and Doug?" Jodie was teasing her. Texas realised she had been frowning as she had tried to consider what she knew about Jodie. She quickly rearranged her features into a smile, "sorry I must of been in a world of mine own, what did I miss?"