"That, my friend, is what the experts like to call 'love.'" Denton
replied.
Jack crossed the floor, then looking out the window to the streets below. It had been a week since he found out Pip's little 'secret,' and he eventually found himself at Denton's apartment, going over his latest girl problems.
"Love?" Jack asked, bewildered. "I mean, maybe I like'er, but I neva t'ought about love befoah."
"It's all there, Jack. The chill that runs through your spine when you see her, how you can't help but smile when she smiles. Trust me, Jack. I've been through my share of love before."
"So what am I supposed ta do about it, Denton? I mean, she ain't gonna stick around foreva, and she don't belong wid streetrats like us. Like me." Jack replied. "I don't even know if I wanna be in love."
"You can't stop it from coming, Kelly." Denton replied. He looked at his pocketwatch. "Oh, no. I'd better see you out, Jack. I have a meeting to get to."
Jack wandered the streets all day contemplating his next move.
"And I can see your face, your kiss I still can taste." Jack shook his head. The second he seemed to have directed his thoughts to something other than Pip, he was singing that song, the duet she had been teaching him-her favorite song. How did she do it? She seemed to haunt him; she always seemed to be in the back of his mind; singing, smiling; anything. She was just.there.
There in the back of his mind; there in his dreams; there in everything he saw.
"Oomph!"
"Sorry," Jack mumbled as he accidentaly ran into someone on his way up the stairs to the bunkroom. He matched his gaze with the person. Suddenly he couldn't see past the eyes; past those lips turning upwards into a beautiful smile; past her beautiful face. "Pip!"
"Happy to see me, Kelly?" Pip joked, her eyes lighting up with laughter.
"As always, Miss." Jack smiled back.
"What were you thinking about so diligently?" She asked curiously.
Jack shrugged.
"Oh, come on. It's not like you don't tell me everything else anyway. You've been practically my brother since a week and a half ago." She crossed her arms as she followed Jack up to the bunkroom. She sat on his bunk, awaiting an answer. "Tell me!" She playfully whined.
"Okay, okay. Jis' don't say nothin' about it, okay? I gotta talk ta ya about somethin' anyway." Jack plopped himself next to her on his bunk.
"I'm ready when you are." She replied, smiling. Piper closed her eyes, savoring the look he had just given her. A smile spread across her face as she saw that cute sideways smile Jack always gave her when he was nervous. "What is it, Jack?"
"Well, I been doin' some thinkin, and.and.I kinda started t'inkin dat I'm in love."
Piper looked at him through wide eyes. She couldn't help but feel the pang of jealousy bolt through her body. "And who is the lucky girl?" She asked, almost not wanting to know. Not unless it was her. "God, I can't lose this, not now." She pleaded silently as Jack looked at her.
"It's.um.it's."
"Jack!" Race yelled, busting through the doorway at an incredible speed. "Jack, ya gotta git down heah! Ya gotta." He panted. "Ya gotta get down heah, deah's some guy, says he wants ta talk to ya.I would go Jack, I really would."
"Alright, I'm comin'." Jack replied, hopping off the bunk. "I'll talk to ya later, okay?" He yelled to Piper as he ran out the door.
"Sure." Piper whispered as she lay down on his bunk, suddenly sleepy.
When Piper woke up, she wasn't in Jack's bunk. She turned over. She wasn't in any bunk at all. Her eyes popped open. She was sleeping in her own bed, in her room. Her suitcases were lying askew on the floor next to her bed. She sat up in a panic.
"How the.?" Piper wondered aloud. Instantly her head began to throb. "This couldn't have been a dream." Her heart sank. "No." She cried as she buried her face into the fluffy pillow. "Let me go back!"
Weeks later, Piper walked the quiet, empty streets of her Beverly Hills neighborhood. She closed her eyes, longing for the quiet, empty streets of Manhattan, where she had felt so at home; she had felt so wanted. She found herself humming a soft, low tune, then adding the lyrics to the melody: "There are times I swear I know you're here / When I forget about my fears, feeling you my dear / Watching over me, my heart sees / What the future will bring when you wrap me in your wings / And take me /
Where you are, / Where you and I will breathe together once again / We'll be dancing in the moonlight just like we used to do / And you'll be smiling back at me / Only then will I be free-when I can be / Where you are."
"And I can see your face, your kiss I still can taste, not a memory of age." Piper wanted Jack with her so badly she could hear his voice, rising above the time barrier. She could picture him there with her, smiling and singing along with her as they walked. She closed her eyes, joining in with his part.
"I see your star shining down on me, and I'll do anything if I could just be-" Pip stopped short as she heard Jack singing so clearly now that it startled her. Then she felt the hand take hers. She opened her eyes, suddenly unable to look past the sharp, hazel eyes; the lips turning upwards into a sweet sideways smile. "Jack?" She managed to whisper.
"Ya happy ta see me Pip?" He laughed. She collided with him in a hug, so content to be in his arms that she couldn't find words.
"Why-" She choked out.
"I told ya I'd talk to ya later, didn't I?" He smiled. "Besides, I never got ta tell ya dat I love you."
Pip hugged him tighter. She couldn't find words to express the emotion bubbling up in her heart. She had waited a month and a half-and a hundred years-for him to say that to her.
"I love you," She whispered, "God I love you."
Jack held her tight and kissed her forehead. "Glad ta hear it."
"How did you know-?"
"I known eva since I saw ya outside dat one night, talkin' ta God, den your friends came.I jis' figured it out from deah.I just ain't neva said nothin'."
"But how did you get here-"
Jack smiled and put a finger to her lips, shushing her.
"I hoid from a good friend'a mine once: It's betta left unsaid."
Jack crossed the floor, then looking out the window to the streets below. It had been a week since he found out Pip's little 'secret,' and he eventually found himself at Denton's apartment, going over his latest girl problems.
"Love?" Jack asked, bewildered. "I mean, maybe I like'er, but I neva t'ought about love befoah."
"It's all there, Jack. The chill that runs through your spine when you see her, how you can't help but smile when she smiles. Trust me, Jack. I've been through my share of love before."
"So what am I supposed ta do about it, Denton? I mean, she ain't gonna stick around foreva, and she don't belong wid streetrats like us. Like me." Jack replied. "I don't even know if I wanna be in love."
"You can't stop it from coming, Kelly." Denton replied. He looked at his pocketwatch. "Oh, no. I'd better see you out, Jack. I have a meeting to get to."
Jack wandered the streets all day contemplating his next move.
"And I can see your face, your kiss I still can taste." Jack shook his head. The second he seemed to have directed his thoughts to something other than Pip, he was singing that song, the duet she had been teaching him-her favorite song. How did she do it? She seemed to haunt him; she always seemed to be in the back of his mind; singing, smiling; anything. She was just.there.
There in the back of his mind; there in his dreams; there in everything he saw.
"Oomph!"
"Sorry," Jack mumbled as he accidentaly ran into someone on his way up the stairs to the bunkroom. He matched his gaze with the person. Suddenly he couldn't see past the eyes; past those lips turning upwards into a beautiful smile; past her beautiful face. "Pip!"
"Happy to see me, Kelly?" Pip joked, her eyes lighting up with laughter.
"As always, Miss." Jack smiled back.
"What were you thinking about so diligently?" She asked curiously.
Jack shrugged.
"Oh, come on. It's not like you don't tell me everything else anyway. You've been practically my brother since a week and a half ago." She crossed her arms as she followed Jack up to the bunkroom. She sat on his bunk, awaiting an answer. "Tell me!" She playfully whined.
"Okay, okay. Jis' don't say nothin' about it, okay? I gotta talk ta ya about somethin' anyway." Jack plopped himself next to her on his bunk.
"I'm ready when you are." She replied, smiling. Piper closed her eyes, savoring the look he had just given her. A smile spread across her face as she saw that cute sideways smile Jack always gave her when he was nervous. "What is it, Jack?"
"Well, I been doin' some thinkin, and.and.I kinda started t'inkin dat I'm in love."
Piper looked at him through wide eyes. She couldn't help but feel the pang of jealousy bolt through her body. "And who is the lucky girl?" She asked, almost not wanting to know. Not unless it was her. "God, I can't lose this, not now." She pleaded silently as Jack looked at her.
"It's.um.it's."
"Jack!" Race yelled, busting through the doorway at an incredible speed. "Jack, ya gotta git down heah! Ya gotta." He panted. "Ya gotta get down heah, deah's some guy, says he wants ta talk to ya.I would go Jack, I really would."
"Alright, I'm comin'." Jack replied, hopping off the bunk. "I'll talk to ya later, okay?" He yelled to Piper as he ran out the door.
"Sure." Piper whispered as she lay down on his bunk, suddenly sleepy.
When Piper woke up, she wasn't in Jack's bunk. She turned over. She wasn't in any bunk at all. Her eyes popped open. She was sleeping in her own bed, in her room. Her suitcases were lying askew on the floor next to her bed. She sat up in a panic.
"How the.?" Piper wondered aloud. Instantly her head began to throb. "This couldn't have been a dream." Her heart sank. "No." She cried as she buried her face into the fluffy pillow. "Let me go back!"
Weeks later, Piper walked the quiet, empty streets of her Beverly Hills neighborhood. She closed her eyes, longing for the quiet, empty streets of Manhattan, where she had felt so at home; she had felt so wanted. She found herself humming a soft, low tune, then adding the lyrics to the melody: "There are times I swear I know you're here / When I forget about my fears, feeling you my dear / Watching over me, my heart sees / What the future will bring when you wrap me in your wings / And take me /
Where you are, / Where you and I will breathe together once again / We'll be dancing in the moonlight just like we used to do / And you'll be smiling back at me / Only then will I be free-when I can be / Where you are."
"And I can see your face, your kiss I still can taste, not a memory of age." Piper wanted Jack with her so badly she could hear his voice, rising above the time barrier. She could picture him there with her, smiling and singing along with her as they walked. She closed her eyes, joining in with his part.
"I see your star shining down on me, and I'll do anything if I could just be-" Pip stopped short as she heard Jack singing so clearly now that it startled her. Then she felt the hand take hers. She opened her eyes, suddenly unable to look past the sharp, hazel eyes; the lips turning upwards into a sweet sideways smile. "Jack?" She managed to whisper.
"Ya happy ta see me Pip?" He laughed. She collided with him in a hug, so content to be in his arms that she couldn't find words.
"Why-" She choked out.
"I told ya I'd talk to ya later, didn't I?" He smiled. "Besides, I never got ta tell ya dat I love you."
Pip hugged him tighter. She couldn't find words to express the emotion bubbling up in her heart. She had waited a month and a half-and a hundred years-for him to say that to her.
"I love you," She whispered, "God I love you."
Jack held her tight and kissed her forehead. "Glad ta hear it."
"How did you know-?"
"I known eva since I saw ya outside dat one night, talkin' ta God, den your friends came.I jis' figured it out from deah.I just ain't neva said nothin'."
"But how did you get here-"
Jack smiled and put a finger to her lips, shushing her.
"I hoid from a good friend'a mine once: It's betta left unsaid."