Title: One Year Anniversary

Author: Stress

First written: April 18, 2002-May 12, 2002

Edited and replaced: August 9, 2005

Summary: Part III of the Soul Mates Series; When Jack and Stress reach their first year anniversary, Stress tells a friend the story about how they almost didn't get together at all.

Running to the Jacobs's Apartment

Though she tripped and stumbled in the heeled shoes she had borrowed from Wish, Stress ran faster than she ever had before. She was even running faster than she had the last time the bulls were chasing after her and Jack. It was as though the faster she ran, the faster she got away from Jack and his new "friend".

Stress tried to hold back the tears of anguish as she continued running. "It ain't gonna do me no good to cry," she scolded herself as the tears spilled down her cheeks. She roughly wiped them away as she tried to figure out where she should go. She knew that the Jacobs's apartment was closer than the Bottle Alley Lodging House, so she headed towards there. Besides, no matter what had happened between them, David was a good person and an even better shoulder to cry on.

Upon reaching the apartment she walked up to his door, shaking, and knocked. As she waited for someone to answer the door, she prayed that it would be David. She didn't think she could handle it if Jack's ex-girlfriend answered the door.

When David opened the door, Stress let out a sigh of relief while David let out an audible gasp. Standing at his door was Stress, but she was a wreck. Here hair was a mess, her dress was disheveled, the little bit of mascara she had let Blaze apply to her eyelashes had ran down her cheeks and there were tears in her eyes.

"May I come in?" she croaked out.

Getting over his initial shock of seeing her in this state, David stepped to the side to let her into the apartment. "Stress, what happened?"

She shook her head, choosing not to answer his question. "Are you the only one home?"

He nodded. "Yeah, Mama and Papa took Sarah and Les out to see a flicker. I'm waiting for Grace to come over."

Stress opened her mouth to tell David what had happened when the tears she had been trying to hold back came flooding out once more. Once they had started to flow, David could see the emotion of whatever had just happened as her shoulders heaved with every sob. Knowing something awful must have happened to get her to react in this manner, David threw his arms around her to show that he cared.

Grace chose that exact moment to walk through the door to the Jacobs's apartment, which Stress had neglected to close when she had entered. "Um...guys? Do ya mind telling me what's going on here?" Grace asked in an unnaturally high-pitched voice as she clenched her fists. "I thought you two split up. Whatsamattah Stress? Jack don't want you so you decided to come crawling back to me guy?"

David began to tell Grace exactly what she had walked in on and exactly what he thought of her attitude but paused when Stress laid her hand on his chest. Turning to face Grace, she began to tell the two of them what had happened at Irving Hall.

"Ya know what Grace? Say what you want cause I can't be hurt any more tonight. Ya see, I went down to meet you girls down at Irving Hall like I promised and ya know what I saw? No sooner then I walk in the door, I spy Jack and this other girl I ain't never seen before all wrapped up in each other's arms. She was even calling him Francis! Francis, can ya believe that!" she stopped and sank down onto the sofa in David's living room.

Grace looked sideways at her. "Erm-- Francis?"

Stress looked up. "Yeah, Francis. That's his real name, ya know. Well, actually, that's the point. No one knows his real name, but that girl did. Anyways, I looked up at him and I know he saw me but ya know what? He stayed right there with her, so I ran. I needed someone to talk to that I trust so I came here since it's pretty close to Irving Hall. I thought that Jack and me might have had something special but I see now that he was just using me 'til the next dress came his way," she added bitterly as she eyed the borrowed red dress she was wearing. It wasn't her and she knew it. She wanted more than anything to go back to her lodging house and change back into her comfortable grey slacks, but her legs didn't seem to be able to move.

Grace approached her guiltily, as she leaned over the sofa to give Stress a hug. "I'm sorry Stress. Me relationship with Dave is so new and I know how much he still loves ya. I was afraid that he'd leave me and I got jealous. Don't worry, I'm gonna help ya through this. Friends?" she asked as pulled away, then spitting in her hand and offering it to Stress.

"Friends!" Stress agreed, spitting into her own hand. Though there were still tears in her eyes, she was smiling. At least she had a few good friends that didn't want to play games.

As Stress and Grace shook hands they all heard a loud knock at the door. "I wonder who that could be?" David asked nervously. Apart from Grace and Stress, Jack was the only other friend of his who ever visited his home. But the girls didn't know that, so he wasn't going to tell them now. There was always the chance that someone else had decided to drop by for the first time.

No one is that lucky.