Jack was down on the dance floor, her hands twined above her hands and she closed her eyes. She swayed slowly, ignoring the beat, but listening carefully to the classical jazz underneath it. She smiled as she whirled around, flowing through the crowd, around the gathered groups of bodies. When the song came to a close she heard a voice in her ear. T spoke through the headpiece.

"Ready doll?"

"Always." She replied with a wicked grin.

Lilly stood at her station and poured mixed drinks for a group of partiers with a couple of birthdays to celebrate. She listened to the music and bounced her head to the beat as Jack began to sing.

"This just in, where to begin
grin and bear it, it's bear and grim
adoration, titillation
I'm a victim now…."

"Of course it would be this one." Lilly mused as she poured a shot into a fruity concoction. She'd listened to Jack and T go over the mechanics earlier that morning. It was a fun song, one that their resident crooner loved. A year a go Jack had convinced Sal, the owner of the Unicorn, to hire her on as a perminant fixture. The crowds had only gotten thicker since then.

"because she's figured me out"

Jack laughed as she bounced around the dancers and was lifted to the stage by a couple of bouncers.

"She lights my candle, she has a handle on me
It's going well but I'm scared as hell
That she'll figure me out
She thinks it's sacred to be naked
But I don't care, 'cause she's had me there
You see she's figured me out"

For the past three years she'd been singing at the club, waiting for something else to happen. It was a good midway point, one that kept her happy while she waited for the next stage of her life. But lately…

Terence, in his tower watched as his Jacquline bounced. It seemed a little more manic than it had in the morning. The girl had something on her mind that had nothing to do with music. She'd been nervous before the club opened. She had said it was nothing, but she twined her fingers around a silver medallion that he'd never seen before. When he asked about it, she laughed and dropped it into her tight black shirt. It was a raised indent on her chest under the cloth, but he didn't ask again.

"And I wanna shout at the top of my lungs now
But oh my god, if she hears me she'll come running in...
These are my hands, these are my faults
These are my plans
These are my nasty little thoughts
I wrote 'em down for you to contemplate
at a later date…"

The letter that had appeared in the mail that morning had been brief, like all of Rieders letters. But this one had been cryptic as her others hadn't been. "I'm sorry, I'm coming back." And the medallion that accompanied it had been in the box with the letter inside. All the other times they had appeared separate, and sometimes a couple of days apart. Jack jumped back down onto the floor and danced with a couple of regulars. She knew they came to see her, they made a point of stopping by. Most of the guys at the Unicorn where pretty nice; the bouncers made sure she wasn't disturbed.

"Well the word is out, what's it all about
Doubtless shady, no shadow of doubt
In moderation, this sensation would be fabulous…"

Reider hadn't been to The Unicorn before, but when she stopped by to see Jack at Imam's she'd been informed thatthe girlwas at work. She dropped off her bags and immediately asked for directions. She walked in, surveyed the happy, bouncing people, and automatically went to the bar. As she sat, on the same stool that Riddick had taken, Lilly looked over and smirked.

"We don't see many heavy drinkers here. What'll it be?"

"Anything that's not fruity." Reider scowled at the menu.

"You just killed my entire repertoire! How 'bout coffee?" At the nod Lilly mixed up a coffee drink that wouldn't offend the bounty hunters sensibilities.

"But she's figured me out
She's in my shower for an hour
She's just washin' and wonderin'
And trying to figure me out..."

While Lilly was trying to figure out her mysterious customer Jack decided to climb T's booth. She hung on about halfway up the metal grate and belted out the bridge.

"It's a little bit of something that I feel...
Oh man, I just can't deal...
And other than this distance that has covered me
Can't you see that you have smothered me?"

Reider slammed her drink down on the bar and left a crumbled paper bill behind.

"What is that damn girl doing? She's gonna fall and Riddicks gonna have my head!" Lilly raised her brow as she stalked from her seat onto the dance floor. She'd heard Jack talk about a guy she called Rid, maybe the hard drinker was a mutual friend? In any case she decided to call T in his booth, and give the girl a heads up.

Jack heard T in her headset as she was going over the refrain, but didn't listen to him. She was just about to finish her show up, she was going to have a drink, then she'd hide in the employee lounge until closing. Jack was more wiped out than she had thought.

"Well, you're out there, just stay out there
Just when I was on to something else
That's when she figures me out!"

With the last exclamation she threw her hands out wide and fell into the crowd. Neatly catching her they cheered and bounced her up into the air again.

"Jaquline! Lilly says bogey in aisle three!" she finally heard T's warning, but felt the hand wrap around her bicep too late for it to be much of one. She was swung down to the ground and spun to face an angry pair of eyes before she could respond.

"HOLY SHIT!" Jack screamed, her microphone still on. "You scared the crap out of me!" the speakers echoed and the crowd went still. T flipped off her headset and clicked on his own microphone.

"Old friends are entitled to bump your blood pressure up!" he joked and piped in the next song. Before long the entire floor was once again bumping, and Jack was dragging Reider into the employee lounge.

Ok, i know that some people aren't a big fan of putting music into these things, but i like these songs, and its the only medium that i have to express that. besides, what else is Jack going to do, pine away? If i didn't think my poetry sucked i'd use some of that for new songs. but you guys wouldn't get into it as much because there wouldn't be music playing in your head. any if you've never heard the songs i'm quoting and you become interested in some great new music because i pointed it out to you, then good. my mission is complete.

this song is washin' n wonderin' by stroke 9. check it out!