Disclaimer: Janet Evanovich created the Plumverse... we're only playing in it.
A/N: Sorry this took so long. This chapter is a Tal POV only. Jocelyn's will get here eventually.
Ok I know this is not the idea place to put up a notice, but I have some fic ideas that just hopping around in my head waiting to be written and since I don't have time to actually write I'm willing to hand them off to anyone who is interested in writing them out. Contact me if you're interested.
Now enjoy!
Chapter 4: Meetings
Tal's POV
Ah! It's him, it's him. It's the hot Italian cop from the motel!
"Oy, Joz."
"Hunh?" She was staring at him too.
"Its only a coincidence right?"
"Right"
"He's not Morelli right?"
"Right."
"This is not Pino's from the books right?"
"Right…"
We both knew this was exactly like the Pino's from the book, filled with cops and others. But I've looked it up online before. I've googled Pino's, it doesn't exist.
"That's not Steph's car outside right?"
"Ri-" She never got to finish her word because a woman with curly brown hair, fair skin, and a nice body walked over to the Italian cop and took a seat next to him. He draped his arm over her shoulder and that's right they even kissed.
"No…" I moaned. "This is disgusting."
I couldn't believe Steph and Morelli were together again.
"What are you talking about." Joz snapped at me. "We don't even know if that's Steph and Morelli over there." This told me that she agreed with me secretly.
"You want me to go and ask?"
"NO!" Joz snapped her attention back to me, knowing very well that I would do it. Damn!
Our pizza's arrived and they were quite large. I knew I wasn't going to finish mine, but it's going to carry me through the rest of the day.
I took my first piece and began eating.
"What are we going to do?" I asked Joz.
"Eat, call our moms, find a place to stay and transportation."
"Right." So we were going to ignore the Italian and Curly.
The talk died after that, we were too hungry. Only a few words were exchanged.
After four slices I was getting a little twitchy. There they were… Steph and Morelli. I mean no! They aren't but that's the closest we're going to get. I have to take a picture.
"What?" Joz asked suspiciously.
"Nothing." I answered quickly and shoved more pizza into my mouth so I couldn't say anything more.
"I know that look Tal." Shit.
"Whaloo." I said through my mouthful of pizza.
"Taliya!" She gave me one of those stern looks.
I gave my bag at my feet a quick look. I had my sister's Nikon FM2, a new 50-mm lens and a new flash! Along with a dozen rolls of film!
Must resist taking a picture.
She caught my look to my bag and sighed. "You have a camera in there don't you?"
I gave her my best innocent look, which comes across as devious if you know me.
"Fine. Go. Take a god damn picture." She gave me permission. "But, after I leave."
"You're going to leave me here?"
"I'll wait outside for you. Do whatever your crazy head tell you to do." Wow… she never lets me do what my crazy head tells me to do.
I narrowed my eyes at her. "You're going to run away aren't you?"
She mock gasped. "Who me?"
I shook my head. "Too Stephanie Plum."
"You think so?"
--
Joz grabbed all her stuff and the pizzas and walked outside. I quickly dug in my own bag, pulled out my camera equipment put it together and got up. I pulled my backpack onto my shoulders, placed the camera around my neck, and picked up my duffel bag. I walked straight to the potential Cupcake couple and dropped my bag by my feet.
"Excuse me." I interrupted their conversation. Italian gave me a look that read what now? "Can I take y'alls picture, please? You two look exactly like two of my favorite fictional characters." The woman gave me a look that said you're crazy and the cop gave me a smile and a nod that you would give a child. And I didn't hesitate. I focused, snapped and repeated. Two pictures to make sure and thanked them. I put the lens cap back on and then picked up my bag to leave but Morelli-like spoke up.
"So, who are these fictional characters?" he asked.
I laughed a little. He's going to think I'm crazy. "Stephanie Plum and Joe Morelli." I turned again to leave when she spoke up.
"What do you mean fictional?"
I turned around gave her a weird look. "What do you mean what do I mean fictional?"
We all stared at each other for a little.
"Y'all aren't them are you?" God what's wrong with me? I should have had my mouth wired shut! I shook my head. "I'm sorry-"
"We are." She answered.
"Y'all… are…?" I gave her a quizzical look.
"Stephanie Plum and Joe Morelli." She said.
I stare at them for a little, realize they're being serious and I run out of the place to tell Joz what I found and drag her back to meet them.
"Hey!" I heard someone yell after me. There was some scrambling, but I was already out the door facing Joz's what did you do look.
Trying to catch my breath (so okay I'm a little out of shape but I was also carrying my stuff), I try to tell her. "Not." Breath, "fictional…" more heavy breathing.
"Taliya, catch your breath and tell me what you're trying to say."
"Hey you!" I turned to see Joe walk out of Pino's and towards us.
"Taliya?" Joz gave me that very adult what did you do look which I shriveled under. She can read me like a gorram book.
I back off to stand behind her and then explained quickly in a whisper. "I asked if I could take a picture of them cuz they looked like two of my favorite fictional characters. I took a picture," Steph walked out as well, "and they asked who the fictional characters I thought they looked like."
"Shit Taliya!"
"They're them Joz! I ran out to get you, but now he seems a little angry and we all know about the Morelli temper."
"Tal he's a cop," he was now face to face with Joz. "Hi!" She said it so cheerily. "What ever it was she didn't mean it. She's a little slow."
"Wha?" My mouth again!
"Shh Tal."
"Humph."
"What did she mean by fictional?" He asked.
"I didn't think y'all were real." I spoke up. "I've heard about a bombshell bounty hunter called Stephanie Plum and a hot cop named Joe Morelli from a net friend. "I couldn't tell them I read about them in a series of books right? "I thought she made them… y'all up. Heh heh heh… she told me you blew up a funeral home." I said pointing to Steph.
"It wasn't my fault!" Steph was on the defensive, this is good.
"Where are you two from?" Joe asked.
"Texas." Joz answered.
"Omigod! Texas! They know about me in Texas?"
"No, of course not." Joz said. "Just this crazy one," pointing to me.
"Why did you run out?" Joe asked suspiciously.
I gave him a big smile. "I wanted to get Joz, I got a little excited."
"Right." Joe gave me a last look that I couldn't read. "I'm going back in." Steph nodded. "I have to get back to the office."
"Hey Tal what times is it?" Joz asked me.
"One-thirty."
"We better find a place to stay."
"Do you need a ride?" Steph offered. I just noticed she was in all black.
"That would be nice."
"That's my car." She pointed at Big Blue.
"Shot gun!" I called.
Our stuff was in the back seat along with Joz. I was up front with Steph.
"So, um… Miss. Plum," (that felt odd) "does this mean you blew up a car recently?"
She sighed. "Last night, how did you know?"
"You're driving a 53 Buick that's powder blue." I said it like that was the obvious reason.
She shook her head. "Where to?" She asked.
Joz leaned up between the seats. "A hotel would be good."
"Lafayette, Marriott." I said.
--
"Thank you again." We thanked Steph for dropping us off and wondered if she's going to be late.
"Lets get a room, we're going to be here for a while." Joz said and if she's going to be late.
"The car is going to take at least a week I guess… probably more."
We got a room for a week for an outrageous amount of money. I put it on my card. I had enough in my bank account for this. I'm so glad I'm not a spender. We got a key and lugged ourselves and our stuff up to a suite on the 4th floor.
I let go of my stuff soon as we cleared the down and I flopped on to the nearest bed. Joz took the other bed. I was faced down immobile, Joz was more collected, she was faced up, hands folded over her chest, serene.
"Let's call our moms." Joz said fishing out her phone from her pocket.
I sat up and did the same. I dialed and waited for the ring. The annoying beeping that told me I got the wrong number came up and I hung up immediately. Sometimes that happens to me so I redialed. But I got the same thing again… the number you have dialed is no longer in use….
I look at Joz wondering if she got through to her mom, but she was staring at her phone; then she looked up at me. I guess she was getting the same thing I was.
"No connection?" I ask.
She shakes her head. "What about you?"
I shake my head and then fall back into bed.
"Have you thought of any explanations?" I ask her. We both knew that what's happening is impossible. We are in the Plumverse and that was simply impossible… or not considering we are here.
"We're both delusional?" She offered.
"And delusioning about the same thing?" I ask her sarcastically. I turn to the side and face her. She gives me the middle finger. Neither of us commented on the fact that delusioning isn't a word.
"I have some theories, wanna hear?"
She gave a big sigh, "let's hear it."
It isn't that she didn't want to hear my ideas it's just that she hated pointing out that my ideas were crazy, because I'll never let it go.
"One: Janet wrote about real people."
She gave me one of those looks that clearly said that it was impossible.
"Right. Two: this is a gigantic joke courtesy of Trenton."
"I don't think so." Joz wasn't a paranoid schizophrenic, so naturally she didn't think it was possible for a whole city to get together and play a joke like this on unsuspecting innocent Plumverse fans.
"Fine, fine. Then there's only one explanations left." This was the most ridiculous one I had. "When we got hit by lightening, we went through some kind of time dimensional warp. The lightening could have been because of the warp or because it created the warp. And because we were in a car we weren't dispersed… you know, like in Angel when they went to Pylea."