(Author's note: This is fiction. Please keep that in mind if something about him is inaccurate. With that being said - please enjoy, and as always reviews are much appreciated! xo)

As the vehicle James was riding in slowed to a stop, he looked out of the window and saw they were in a quaint little cul de sac, pleasantly surprised by the neighborhood his niece lived in. He had spent the day traveling from New York to Louisiana in an effort to surprise her for her wedding, and he simply hoped she appreciated his gesture because at that moment he was beat.

Tipping the driver, James gathered his things, and made a slow trudge up the driveway to the front door, his legs sore and begging to be stretched out of the sitting position. Reaching the door, he smirked when he heard laughter from inside, and rang the doorbell. "Coming!" a female voice called out, and shortly after the door swung open. The smile on the face of the young girl standing there went away, and was replaced with a look of disbelief. "Uncle Jimmy!" James' niece Annette exclaimed, her eyes wide and her hands covering her mouth. On the verge of tears, she threw her arms around his neck as she added, "I didn't think you were coming! Oh my god, you're really here!"

"I'm really here, Annie," he echoed, hugging her back tightly. It had been years since he had last seen Annette, and he planned on not only enjoying this small vacation, but also spending as much time with his family as possible.

"Did you just get in town?" she asked once she pulled away, pure joy all over her face. When he nodded, she added, "How long will you be in for?"

"I took a week off for your wedding, to help the best I can and get the time to visit with you and everyone else. Honestly, though, I have no rush to get back. I am yours as long as you wish."

With a squeal of happiness, she once more hugged him tightly, before stepping aside. "Come in, come in, I'm sure you've had a long trip," Annette commented, and took his bags before he had the chance to pick them back up.

"I can carry my things in, I'm not that old," James chuckled, following her into the house.

"Well I know that," she laughed, placing his bags on the couch. "Are you hungry? Thirsty?"

"A drink would be nice," he replied, and followed her into the kitchen. "Your home is beautiful," James added as he watched her grab a bottle of water for him.

Annette smiled at this. "Thank you, we just moved in this past month. Would you like a tour of the place? If you were wanting to stay here, I can go ahead and bring you to your room if you would like to get settled as well."

"That sounds wonderful," James replied with a smile once he had taken a long drink of water, and both of them grabbing his things she led him up the stairs and around her brand new home.

The two of them laughed and made small conversation as they came to the last part of the house, which was the basement. Making their way down the stairs, they could hear laughter coming from the living space, and when they reached the bottom of the steps they found two people sitting on the sectional in the room, playing a game on the television.

"And this is our basement, where Phil has basically taken over," Annette commented with a chuckle. "Hey Phil, look who came to visit!"

The young man sitting looked up, and paused the game as he exclaimed, "James, you made it!"

"Hello Phil, it's wonderful to you see you again," James said warmly as he hugged his niece's fiance. "How have you been?"

"Great, just great. How long will you be in town?"

"About a week or so. I told Annie I can stay pretty much as long as you wish to have me here."

Phil smiled at him. "Well we are both glad you're here," he replied, and patted James' shoulder. "Oh, how rude of me, this is our friend Breanne. She's staying with us while her house gets renovated. Bree, come here!"

James glanced over when he saw someone stand up, and watched the young woman in the room with them walk over. "Hi James," she said simply, flashing him the cutest smile. "I've heard about you."

"Oh, have you?" James asked, glancing at Annette and Phil.

Breanne giggled, making James' stomach do a weird flip. She was far from his type. With her arms covered in tattoos, her earlobes stretched, and piercings on her face, she had a very alternative style. However, there was something about her bright aqua eyes, and crooked smile which had him captivated...

"Don't worry, it was nothing bad. It's a pleasure to meet you," she commented, and held her hand out.

"Likewise," he replied with a smile, shaking her small hand. "How do you know Annie and Phil?"

"I grew up with Phil. We've known each other since preschool. He is basically the shithead brother I never asked for."

"I'm standing right here," Philip commented, making them all laugh. Checking his watch, he added, "Are y'all hungry? We would love to take you out to dinner."

"I know the perfect place!" Annette added, practically bouncing with excitement.

"Clearly, I am not one to turn down food," James replied with a chuckle.

"Yeah, I can eat," Breanne added. "I just need to change."

"Okay, if you two want to get settled, change, do whatever you need, we will be in the living room," Philip stated, and they all went their separate ways to get ready to share a meal together.

) ) ) )

It was around one in the morning, and James found himself still unable to fall asleep. He knew his alarm would come sooner than he anticipated, and was silently pleading for slumber to overcome him. When he felt a rumble start up in his stomach, he decided perhaps a midnight snack would help him finally grow sleepy, and slipping out of the bed he quietly padded downstairs to the kitchen. As he searched the pantry and refrigerator, he began to notice a peculiar smell, and frowned as he tried to place what it was. Noticing a light coming from the basement, and a quiet noise of some sort, he silently made his way down the stairs to investigate.

Looking around the corner, he discovered Breanne sitting on the couch Indian style, her eyes closed and a thin haze of smoke surrounding her as music quietly played from the stereo by the stairs. As he watched her exhale, a cloud of smoke exiting her lips, it dawned on him what he was smelling, and despite his mind telling him to leave her be he found himself walking further into the room. When she finally opened her eyes, her gaze grew wide as she quickly hid what she had been holding, and waved the air around her. "I didn't think anyone else was up..." she admitted quietly, a look of embarrassment on her face.

"I haven't smoked in years," James simply commented, walking closer yet to her. "May I join you? I can't sleep."

"Oh...of course," she replied, clearly surprised by this, and he joined her on the couch. Hesitantly, she held out the small glass pipe in her hand to him, and was once more surprised when he accepted her offer, taking the pipe and lighter from her. She watched him as he took a hit, her gaze going to his mouth as he slowly exhaled, the way he puckered his lips making something stir deep within her.

"May I ask a favor of you?" James asked, bringing her from her thoughts.

"Sure, what's that?"

"Could we please keep this between us?" James requested, taking another long drag from the pipe before handing it back to her.

Breanne smiled at him. "I won't give away your dirty little secret," she reassured him, and gave a wink before taking another hit.

He chuckled in response, and the two of them simply sat in silence until the pipe was cleaned out, and they both had fuzzy heads. "I forgot how good ELO is when you're high," James commented, closing his eyes as he listened to the music playing.

"Who are you kidding? They're good anytime. Fire On High is a masterpiece," she replied, humming along to the song.

"That entire album is a work of art. I had the vinyl way back when. I regret ever getting rid of the collection I had," he stated, his mind going back to his younger days. Just then, his stomach growled loudly, making her giggle. "I forgot the whole reason I got out of bed was to get a midnight snack," James added, his hunger only intensified by this point.

"I don't know if it's anything you'd want, but I prepared for the munchies, so help yourself to anything you want," she informed him, motioning to the coffee table in front of them.

"I really shouldn't have any of this..." he commented as he took in the various snacks before him. "But damnit, it all looks so good right now."

Breanne once more laughed. "You're only on this planet once, so enjoy it while you can. I doubt indulging just this once will harm you," she encouraged him, and tossed a snack cake at him.

James laughed at this, catching it and going right into opening it. "I can't remember the last time I had a Twinky," he said between bites, dwelling in how good the small indulgent tasted.

"Aren't they heavenly?" she sighed, surprising him by leaning against him as she ate her own Twinky. When she realized what she was doing, she quickly sat back up. "I'm so sorry. I get really affectionate when I'm high, and...I just wasn't thinking."

With a small chuckle, he responded by wrapping an arm around her shoulders, and boldly pulled her back into his side. "Lucky for you, I'm not shy when it comes to personal space," he informed her, making her smile before leaning into him once more, and closed his eyes as he laid his head back against the couch. "Who is playing now?"

"Have you never heard Tom Waits before?"

James reopened his eyes and lifted his head, listening closely to the song. "THIS is Tom Waits?"

"His early stuff sounds different, doesn't it?"

"I'd say. The man had actually had a quite lovely voice."

"I think it's still lovely, in his own unique way. There's something I find soothing about it," she commented, her fingers tapping along to the beat on James' thigh. After a moment of silence, she added, "Your voice reminds me of his when it gets a little raspy at times. I like it."

"Is that so?" he asked, amused by her confession.

"Mhmm. I'm going to pack another bowl. Would you like some?"

"If you're offering," he replied, and as he watched her add more marijuana to the pipe, he found himself feeling forty years younger. "I feel like I was sucked back into the seventies," he commented as she leaned back, once more putting an arm around her and pulling her close.

"Oh man, that would be incredible. I'm convinced I should have been alive during that era," she replied, giving a small cough as she exhaled smoke.

"It was quite a remarkable decade. Those were some of the best days of my life," James stated as he took a hit from the pipe, purposely blowing the smoke in Breanne's face and making her giggle.

"Tell me more about yourself," Breanne requested, surprising him once more by lying down with her head in his lap. Apparently, it did not take long for her to get past her reservation with him. "You intrigue me."

"Do I, now?" She nodded, her gaze fixed on the ceiling. "I'm not sure why, I'm really not that interesting of a person."

"Well the way you speak makes you sound extremely interesting," she informed him, letting out a puff of smoke as she handed the pipe back to James.

He chuckled at her comment, and took another hit before finally replying, "Well. I never finished high school, so my educational background isn't the greatest. Luckily, I managed to get into the filming industry in my late teens, which is where I have made my money ever since. I wouldn't trade my profession for anything."

"It's pretty impressive that you lucked out like that. I know people who are damn good at acting, but can barely get a commercial spot because they just don't have those connections."

"I must admit, I was definitely in the right place at the right time, which I am forever grateful for, because I truly love my job. Who knows, though? Maybe I'm actually a terrible actor who simply got lucky."

Breanne looked at him and laughed. "I highly doubt you're a terrible actor, you wouldn't still be doing it."

"Or maybe I'm just so bad, people think I'm good," he replied, making her burst into another fit of giggles with the silliness of his comment. Idly running his fingers through her hair, he added, "Tell me more about yourself."

"What do you want to know?"

"Anything. Everything. You intrigue me as well."

She smiled at him, closing her eyes when his warm hand stroked her forehead. "Well. I have my masters in music, conducting to be more specific. My grandparents and parents all are musically gifted, and I guess you could say I inherited that as well. I have yet to actually conduct, which is what I've wanted to do since I was a little girl, but I've been very blessed with other opportunities."

"Such as?"

"I've toured with a number of very well known bands. There's a few I bounced between for nearly ten years, helping with the soundboard or on rare occasions stepping in to perform with them. I've been all over the world thanks to them, so I can't complain about the life I've been given."

"That's incredible, I envy those who were gifted with musical talent. I have a strong appreciation for music, but I don't have a musical bone in my body," he replied with a chuckle.

Breanne smiled at him. "Everyone has it in them. You just need the right teacher. If you ever want lessons, you know where to go."

James smirked at this. "I'll keep that in mind. What do you play?"

"Oh gosh, a number of instruments. Learning to play them was my favorite past time growing up. My personal favorite, however, is the piano."

"I'd love to hear you play sometime."

She gave a shy smile at this. "Perhaps before your trip is up, I'll do that," she replied, and sat her pipe on the coffee table. "I think I'm done, that made me sleepy."

"Same here, thank you for sharing. I needed that."

"My pleasure," she replied, smiling up at him once more. "Are you wanting to go back upstairs now?"

"Not just yet, if that's alright."

"Fine by me," she replied, and closed her eyes, humming once more to the music playing. "Tell me about your home life," Breanne added after a moment of silence.

James hesitated, twirling a strand of her hair around his finger, before finally replying, "I have three boys, two of them adults and one starting kindergarten this year. Two different mothers, neither of which I am with. I recently separated from my most recent ex, but considered myself single for the last two years."

Not saying anything, Breanne took his hand in hers and rested it on her stomach, idly toying with his fingertips. "I'm sorry for bringing it up," she finally said quietly, her gaze fixed on his hand.

"Don't be, you didn't know. What about you? Is there a special someone in your life?"

Breanne looked up at him, and then back down. "No, there's not. I was married, but...well, things happened. I've been by myself for about a year now."

Sensing there was more to her story, James asked, "Would you like to discuss why your husband is no longer with you?"

Breanne remained silent for a long moment, before finally taking a deep breath and replying, "He passed away."

"Oh god, I'm so sorry for prying."

She looked up at him and gave a soft smile. "You didn't know. Can we not talk about it, though? I'd like to keep my high going for a little while, and this is really bringing me down."

James chuckled. "Of course. I think I need another snack," he replied, and Breanne hopped back up into a sitting position.

"I like what you're thinking," she commented, looking through the selection before finally deciding on a bag of chips.

"You read my mind," he added, grabbing a couple of chips and eating one.

"Why are these so damn good when you're high?" she thought aloud, sighing as she ate one.

James chuckled at this. "I am going to regret this in the morning, but I don't care at this point." Breanne smirked at him, and suddenly stifled a yawn. "Tired?"

She nodded. "I think it's about time to call it a night."

"I suppose you're right," he replied, and grabbed a handful of the chips before she closed the bag. "Thank you again, for this. The smoke, and the talk. It was refreshing."

Breanne smiled warmly at him. "You're welcome, but you don't have to thank me. You're very pleasant to talk to."

James simply smiled at this. "Goodnight, Breanne. I'll see you in the morning."

"Night James," she replied and as she watched him walk away she noticed the butterflies in her stomach, and with a smile stuck on her face she made her way into her temporary bedroom to finally succumb to slumber.