Dance with the Devil
Summary: Set after series finale. As the girls head to New York City for a 2-year reunion trip, Jo Polniaczek-Bonner finds herself wrapped up in the gang she abruptly left upon being accept into Eastland and moving to Peekskill. While trying to keep her friends safe and out of harm's way, Jo is stretched to the limit -her marriage following suit- as she finds herself dancing with her inner demons.
.: V :.
Jo's hands shook as she pulled a key out of her pocket. She quickly stuck it into the lock and twisted it to the right. The keys slipped from her fingers and fell to the ground. She groaned, before plucking them up off the ground and storming into the apartment.
Blair looked up from the magazine she was reading and watched as Jo closed the apartment door with her foot. Her left arm was lined with plastic bags. Jo tossed her keys onto a nearby table before shuffling towards the kitchen. "Do you need help?" Blair asked.
"Nah, I got it." Jo dropped the bags onto the table before pulling her arms out of the bag handles. She began to pull various grocery items out of the bags. She stopped when she removed a pint of vanilla ice cream. She lifted her head and looked around the small apartment. "Where's Nat and Tootie?" she asked.
"They went to the hotel." Blair closed the magazine and tossed it onto the coffee table before getting up and walking over to the kitchen. She crossed her arms over her chest, watching as Jo moved around to put the groceries away. "Tootie was getting tired of waiting for her ice cream."
"Well, it'll be here when she wants it." Jo placed the ice cream into the freezer and then wiped her hands on her jeans to rid of the stickiness on her fingers. Some of the ice cream had melted on her way home and spilled onto the side of the carton. "Why didn't you go with them?"
Blair raised an eyebrow, giving her a look of disbelief. She uncrossed her arms before grabbing hold of the back of a chair placed at the kitchen table. "Because I was waiting for you," she answered.
Jo looked at her before shrugging. She gathered up all but one of the plastic bags and crushed them into a ball. She then placed it into the last plastic bag and hung it off the door handle leading to the pantry. "Okay, so I took a bit longer than planned, and now her ice cream is soup. She won't notice after it freezes overnight."
Jo moved to walk around the table, but stopped when Blair reached out and grabbed her by the arm. Jo rolled her eyes before looking at Blair face on. The two stared at each other in silence. Blair narrowed her eyes, and clenched her jaw. Jo sighed hard, rolling her eyes once more, before pulling Blair's hand off her arm. She walked over to the couch before collapsing onto it. Blair perched herself next to Jo, sitting at the edge of her seat.
Blair only gave that hard look when she wanted something to go her way. Ironically, Jo noticed that she was the only person to be on the receiving end. Normally, when Blair wanted something she'd just have to giggle and toss her hair around, or purse her lips into a pout. Whenever Jo was on the receiving end of the look, she found herself cracking underneath the hard stare. Though, it would on average take five or six minutes of stubbornness before Jo gave in.
"I wanted to make sure you were okay." Blair clasped her hands together and rested them in her lap. Jo grunted, shaking her head. She stared at her reflection in the blank tv screen. "What's wrong?" she pressed.
"Nothing." Jo turned in her seat. She rested her arm along the back of the couch before resting her head on her bicep. "I'm fine," she insisted.
"Jo!"
"What?" she asked.
"You've been…off, ever since you arrived in town." Blair slipped off her shoes and leaned back on the couch. She pulled her knees up, saying a quick apology as she bumped into Jo. "What's going on?"
"Nothing."
"Jo, how long have we been friends?"
"Hmmm." Jo tapped a finger against her chin in thought. "About eight years."
Blair's jaw dropped. She quickly shook her head, her blond ringlets gently striking the sides of her face. "No, it's ten."
"No, it's eight," she insisted. "I couldn't stand you the first two years I was at Eastland." Blair closed her mouth into a front, which quickly turned into a pout. Jo laughed through her nose. She pulled the pillow out from behind her back and swatted Blair's side with it. Blair quickly wrenched it from her hand and threw it back at her.
The two paused when they heard faint gunshots from outside. Blair moved to get up off the couch, but Jo quickly pulled her back down. A baby then began to cry from upstairs. A loud argument filtered from the apartment next door.
"It sure is lively here," Blair commented.
"My mom won't be home till late, so I should lock the door," Jo pointed out. She ran a hand over her face. It was then Blair noticed how tired and worn out Jo looked. Someone who is normally lively and full of fire, just seemed to be wilting right in front of her eyes. "You staying?" Jo asked.
"You didn't have much to say about it earlier today," Blair suddenly said. Jo looked at her in confusion until Blair pointed to the diamond ring on her finger. Jo looked at the piece of jewelry before making a sound of discomfort.
"So?"
"So, you're a newlywed," Blair pointed out. "Most would be over the moon, constantly wanting to be by their partners side."
"Well, I'm different."
"Yeah, I figured that out when we first met." Blair stuck her tongue out. Jo let out a loud laugh. "Why are you dodging the question?" Jo stopped laughing.
"I'm not," Jo said, a bit of an edge to her voice. "There's just not a lot to talk about." She gave Blair a hard look, silently indicating that she didn't want the topic to be pressed. Blair sighed, before raising a shoulder. She then nodded once in confirmation. "So, what's your answer? You staying or going?"
"I'll stay, if I can ask one more question?"
"I won't promise an answer," Jo warned her.
"Yeah, I'm used to that," Blair commented. She licked her lips before leaning forward a bit. She gently placed her hand on top of Jo's. "I-I can't explain it, but ever since we met that Brittany girl…" she trailed off. Jo waved her hand in the air, motioning for Blair to continue. "Jo, are you in trouble?"
"No, Blair. I'm not in trouble," Jo answered, her voice suddenly soft. She smiled, albeit a bit hesitantly at first. "I'm sorry for worrying you. I promise, everything will be okay."
Blair's right eyebrow twitched. "If you need to talk about anything-"
"I know," Jo interrupted. "Thanks, Blair," she whispered. Blair nodded once, pulling her hand away. Jo held her arm out and leaned forward, initiating a hug. Blair wrapped her arms around Jo's lower back before burying her face into her neck, inhaling deeply.
Blair tensed when her fingers brushed against something hard along the back waistband of Jo's pants. Jo, feeling her hesitation, pulled away. She jumped up from the couch before checking her watch. "What's that?" Blair asked.
Jo walked over and made quick work of the three locks on the door. After making sure they were fastened, she grabbed the doorknob, twisted it, and pulled hard, double checking that the door was locked. "My wallet," Jo muttered. "These jeans don't have back pockets."
Blair cleared her throat before getting up to her feet. She dropped the pillow onto the couch before fluffing up her hair. "I'm going to take a shower. Do you have clothes I can borrow?" she asked.
"Sure, follow me." Jo quickly made her way down a small hallway to one of the two doors tucked in the back corner of the apartment. She flicked on the light and smiled happily upon entering her bedroom. A small pile of folded clothes was placed on the edge of her bed, along with a few boxes of candies. "I'll have to thank my mom when she gets back." Jo picked up a box of candy, ripped open the top, and poured a small amount into her mouth.
Blair continued to stand by the door as Jo made her way over to the dresser. Jo placed the box on top of her dresser and began to pull open a few drawers. Blair was quiet as she looked around the small room. She smiled at the numerous photos her Jo and her mother, herself, Natalie, Tootie, , and a few of their other friends from Eastland and Langley. Blair's smile quickly faded when she looked down at the bed. The small twin sized bed. "Um…Jo…"
"I was going to take the couch," Jo said over her shoulder. She pulled out a large t-shirt, a pair of leggings, and a pair of underwear from various drawers before balling them up and tossing them over to Blair.
"Oh…right." Blair nodded. "Thanks." She tucked the bundle of clothing underneath her arm, and ducked her head. Jo blinked and did a double take as Blair brushed some of her long hair out of her face. A moment ago, she could have sworn she saw her friend's cheekbones start to turn a light shade of pink.
"Unfortunately, I don't have a bra for you that'd fit. So, if you're fine with…"
"Oh, yeah." Blair shrugged. "That's okay." She smiled brightly and said quick words of thank you before heading towards the bathroom. A few moments later the shower kicked on.
Jo pushed her bedroom door with her foot as she crossed her arms over her front, grabbed the bottom of her shirt before pulling it up and over her head. She tossed the article of clothing onto her bed and readjusted one of the straps on the sports bra she was wearing. Jo then carefully moved the piles of clothing and candy from her bed on to her desk.
Reaching behind her, Jo plucked the gun from the back waistband of her jeans. She looked at the weapon in her hand, quadruple checking the safety. She pressed a button on the side and caught the magazine in her hand. No bullets were in the case. She snapped the magazine back into place and was about to move the slide to check the barrel but stopped when she heard movement outside of her door.
"Hey, Jo…" The door creaked open. Jo quickly slipped the gun underneath her pillow before straightening. Blair stopped short and gasped loudly before turning around. Jo looked at the pillow, making sure the gun was adequately hidden, before facing the doorway.
"What?" she asked. Jo tried to keep the irritation out of her voice. She reached up and pulled her long hair into a ponytail before sweeping it over her left shoulder. Anything, to keep her hands busy to stop from shaking.
"I'm so sorry," Blair apologized, her words rushed. She still refused to turn around. She dropped the pair of leggings and bent down to pick them up. While standing back up, the t-shirt spilled out of her hands.
"Sorry for what?" Jo pressed. She quickly unbuttoned her jeans and slipped them down past her hips. Blair had begun to turn at that moment. She made a sound of surprise before facing forward once more. Jo snickered, stepping out of her jeans. She grabbed a pair of boxers from a drawer and slipped them on over her underwear.
"I should have knocked."
"We shared a room for years. It's not like you haven't seen me change clothes before," Jo reminded her. She couldn't help but chuckle when she noticed she was still talking to Blair's back. Jo walked over and placed a hand on Blair's shoulder, gently pulling. "You can turn around."
"This is different," Blair insisted. Her eyes quickly flickered down to Jo's stomach. Due to police training, and just being interested in sports and the outdoors, Jo's abs were on full display. Blair's eyes traced every line, stopping as she reached the waistband of Jo's boxers.
"How?" Jo asked. She gathered up her dirty clothes before tossing them into a nearby hamper. She then pulled another t-shirt out of a drawer before slipping it on over her head. "What's changed?"
"…We've changed. You're entitled to your privacy. We all are." Blair shyly looked down at her hands. "I was just going to ask for some soap." She cleared her throat. "I couldn't find any in the bathroom."
"Right." Jo brushed past Blair and entered the bathroom. She stopped by the doorway and pulled at the bottom of the mirror hanging on the wall. The glass swung forward and Jo grabbed a box from the hidden medicine cabinet. "Here you go. You just didn't know where to look." Jo wiped some condensation off her forehead while stepping out of the bathroom. "I'll be out of the room in a few minutes."
As she passed Blair, Jo tossed the box of soap into the air. She smiled brightly when it landed on top of the pile of clothing in Blair's arms. "Thanks. Sweet dreams, Jo," Blair called over her shoulder. After the bathroom door closed, Jo sighed hard, glancing at her open bedroom door. She stared at her bed, noticing the very end of the gun from beneath a pillow.
"I don't dream anymore," Jo muttered.