A/N: Apologies that it took so long for me to update. I have not given up on my story. It's just that life has happened and cut in to my writing time. I do not own these characters, though sometimes I wish I did.
Chap 8
After Natalie left the room, Blair remained sitting on the edge of the bed, lost in her thoughts. After a while, she walked over to the sliding glass door, opened it, and stepped out onto the roof top deck. As she looked out over the city, Blair wrapped her arms around herself, more from the sadness she felt, than the chill in the air. "Oh, Jo – what happened to us?" she muttered sadly, shaking her head, as thoughts of what 'should have been' ran through her mind.
After a few moments, Blair wiped away the tears that had formed in her eyes, and went back inside. She walked over to the bed, and, with just the slightest hesitation, grabbed the sweats Jo had given her, then headed into the bathroom. As she looked through the cabinets, Blair found - amazingly - every bath product she had in her own cupboards at home. Right down to the lotion she used after showering. Granted, they were all the same items Blair had used back when the Four Musketeers roomed together; if it wasn't broke, she wasn't going to fix it. Even so, Blair still choked up when she realized Jo had actually stocked the spare bath with items that she would use. Blair thought back to how the brunette used to tease her. 'You're the only person I know that uses all that fancy stuff, blondie'. The memory, coupled with the fact that Jo remembered exactly what she used, had Blair, once again, wiping away the tears that threatened to fall.
What the hell am I doing? Blair asked herself, as she shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts, and then started to get undressed.
"Jo?! Are you okay?" the woman asked excitedly when she heard the brunette's voice; not even attempting to hide her anxiousness. "Be honest now."
The obvious concern Jo heard brought a soft smile to her lips. "Yea, I'm fine, Lisa," she answered. "I just got...nicked...a bit," Jo added, trying to sound nonchalant, but her tone and vague answer earned her a skeptical, "Mmm-hmm."
"That means stitches in 'Jo-speak'," Lisa said accusingly, before her tone softened. "How many?" she asked gently.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Jo rubbed the back of her neck with her free hand as she paused slightly. "Ehh..it was only a few, maybe six or so," she finally admitted. "Look, Lisa," she went on, before the other woman could comment. "I-I'm sorry I wasn't there today," she offered, remorse evident in her voice. Jo was sure she heard a sigh on the other end.
"It's okay, Jo. I understand," Lisa answered, attempting to sound light.
"No, it's not okay," Jo responded, a bit harsher than she'd intended. She'd heard the disappointment in the other woman's tone, and became angry with herself for having allowed the Warners to interfere in her life.
"You put in a lot of time and effort for that meeting," she went on, her voice more tempered than before. "I feel really terrible," Jo added sincerely.
Lisa couldn't help but smile a bit at Jo's tone. She knew that the brunette was a stickler for keeping to her commitments, and Lisa could picture Jo mentally berating herself for having ditched the meeting without giving her any kind of a 'heads up'. "Well, good," Lisa replied. "That means you owe me then, doesn't it?" she asked a bit playfully.
Jo couldn't help but smile herself. "Yea, I guess it does," she agreed. "And, I bet it's really gonna cost me, isn't it?" Jo asked gruffly, but there was a lightness to her tone as well.
"Oh yea...big time," Lisa answered in mock seriousness, before she began to laugh lightly, which caused Jo to laugh in return. Lisa sighed lightly. She loved the sound of the brunette's laugh, and, in her mind, it didn't happen often enough.
At the brief lull in the conversation, Jo felt the mood between them shift, and it caused a slight blush to run up her neck. Jo self-consciously cleared her throat before going on. "So Lisa, if we could reschedule – I'd really appreciate it?" Jo asked, stumbling a bit over her words.
"Sure Jo," Lisa answered, after a small hesitation. "I guess I could see what I can do for tomorrow."
Jo winced a bit at the disappointment she heard over the line. "Yea, uhm...that's not gonna work either," she replied.
Lisa did not miss the guilty tone in Jo's voice. "She's there – isn't she? Blair Worthington?"
Jo immediately became defensive at the hint of accusation in Lisa's tone. "What if she is?" she fired back in a challenging tone.
The harshness in Jo's tone made Lisa quiet for a moment. "Then it's your business," she finally answered in a controlled voice. "I'll see what I can do about re-scheduling the meeting."
Jo let out a heavy sigh and rubbed her free hand across her forehead. "Lisa, I'm sorry," she said softly. "I shouldn't have bitten your head off. You already know the day I've had, plus people were questioning my actions and decisions the whole time," Jo offered in explanation.
The regret was obvious in Jo's voice and Lisa had a feeling that more was going on than Jo was telling her. "Okay, Jo," she said softly. "You tell me when a good time is then."
With a small smile on her face, Jo shook her head at the caring tone now directed her way. "To be honest, I don't know yet when that might be. I've – I've taken on the job of Blair's bodyguard," she admitted. "I'm not sure right now how long it'll be for." Jo was anxious at the silence that followed her confession.
"Oh, I see, "Lisa said a bit haltingly. "Alright then," she went on. "When you figure out when you have the time, you let me know. Okay?"
Jo sighed. Other than acceptance, there was no undertone in Lisa's request. Jo could visualize the other woman in her head; she knew there would be an understanding look on the shorthaired blonde's face. The image reminded Jo think of a recent conversation she'd had with Natalie, where her friend tried to convince the Bronx native to give Lisa a chance. Jo knew that she was being foolish. Lisa would be good for her, but Jo just couldn't seem to let herself go - to move on from the past. In that instant, another woman's image filled her mind; a certain long-haired blonde that Jo just couldn't seem to escape.
"Jo?"
Jo shook her head. "Yea - sorry, Lisa. Okay, I will. Thanks," she said sincerely. Lisa responded with a hesitant, 'No problem' and a quick 'Goodbye' before hanging up with Jo. Sighing heavily, the brunette fell back onto her bed. What the hell am I doing? she asked herself, as she stared up at the ceiling.
Blair shook the excess water from her hair before she stepped out of the shower and reached for one of the thick, luxurious towels she'd already set aside. After carefully blotting her blonde locks dry, Blair used the towel to dry herself off, and then slipped into the clothes she'd gotten from Jo. She combed – then fluffed – her still-damp hair. When she was done, the heiress checked out her reflection in the mirror and started to smile. Just some old sweats my ass! Blair thought to herself. First, the outfit was definitely not the brunette's style, and secondly, they fit her own curves way too well for them ever to have been Jo's. Blair chose to ignore the possibility that the clothes belonged to the owner of the apartment, and most likely, the woman Jo was seeing.
After closing her eyes and, literally, shaking off any thoughts of the clothes' owner, she looked at her reflection once more. Satisfied with how she looked, Blair went out to the bedroom, and climbed up on the bed. Blair checked the clock on the night table before she reached for the phone. Although she hadn't taken quite as long in the shower as she would have had she taken a bath, Blair felt sure her parents would be at David's place by now. As she waited for her call to be answered, Blair made herself comfortable by snuggling into the pillows on the bed.
"Mother?" Blair asked confused, when Monica picked up the phone. "Why are you?...I see...Yes - yes, I'm okay," she replied easily - rolling her eyes slightly - to the question posed. "In fact, I'm better than ok," Blair added as a smile started to form on her face.
As Jo lay on her bed, she wondered how the hell she'd let herself get wrapped up – again – in the drama that was Blair Warner. The brunette had a bad feeling that she was going to regret having agreed to the whole thing, even more than she already did. When Jo reached up to cover her face with her hands, images of the day's events filled her head. Using a technique she'd learned in a class offered by the FBI, Jo kept her eyes closed, dropped her hands to her sides, then took a deep relaxing breath and slowly let it out. Once relaxed, she let her mind focus on what had happened outside the precinct.
Jo 'saw' Karen and Tori, the girls from Records off to the side as she and Rafe walked out of the building. The two limos were parked at the curb; one driver was outside of the car, while the other wasn't. Must be why Monica's driver was hit, Jo thought. As she continued through the scene, she could now see the perp's car parked down the street, but Jo still couldn't make out its occupants. What Jo now remembered was that, even though she and Rafe were out in the open, the car didn't make its move until after the Warners had exited the building. David had gone to stand by Monica near her car; with Steve following him, but Blair was met half-way by Bailey. Jo's eyes shot open and she bolted upright, as the realization hit her. She was out in the open! They weren't aiming for me or David. Blair was the target all along! "Shit!" Jo said out loud. If she was right, and Jo had a sinking feeling she was, this revelation would complicate things. In Jo's mind it meant one of two things; either whoever had threatened David was willing to hurt him anyway possible, even by going after his family, or – what Jo thought was more likely - Blair was a target all on her own. "Shit!" the brunette muttered again.
"Better than okay? Where exactly has Jo hidden you away to, darling?" Monica asked with a hint of skepticism in her voice; though her curiosity was piqued. It had been much too long since she'd heard such brightness in her daughter's voice but, she also didn't want to see Blair hurt. Before Blair could answer, David motioned that he was joining the call on another line. "Hold on a moment, Blair. You're father is picking up as well."
"Blair? How are you pumpkin? Are you all right? Is Jo taking care of you?" David asked rapidly. The brunette hadn't said, and David didn't like not knowing, where Jo had taken Blair.
Blair couldn't help but smile at the nickname her father had used for her and the concerned tone in his voice. These were the things that comforted her when she was little and helped her know that her father was there to protect her. "Yes, daddy, I'm okay. Actually, as I just told mother, I'm better than okay," she answered brightly.
"Is that right?" David asked, with more than a hint of displeasure in his tone. Although he was grateful that Jo had agreed to protect his precious daughter, David was still suspect of the brunette's sudden change of heart. Jo's 'dismissal' of him, still irritated the wealthy man. "Perhaps now, you can tell us where you are?"
Blair bristled a bit at her father's tone. True, she hadn't protested too hard, but it had been his idea to approach Jo to protect her. For him to now adopt an attitude about Jo - after she put her life on the line - annoyed Blair and she felt it only right to defend the Bronx native. "Yes, that's right," she responded curtly. "I'm more than okay. As to where I am? I think you'll be quite surprised to find out where that is," she added a bit smugly.
"Where is that, Blair? I for one, am just dy-ing to know," Monica spoke up quickly, as she saw and heard the tension in both her ex-husband's posture and her daughter's voice. She hoped to diffuse the situation.
Understanding what Monica was doing, Blair closed her eyes and sighed softly. Ok, mother, she thought as she took a calming breath before opening her eyes. As she glanced around the room, Blair started to smile. "Right now, I'm sitting on a very comfortable bed, in the most spacious bedroom I've ever seen," she said a bit wistfully.
"Bedroom?!" David and Monica asked in unison.
"Yes," Blair went on, amused by their dual – yet entirely different toned – responses. "Well…it's more like a master bedroom," She hesitated just a few seconds for effect, then added. "Even though it's only a guestroom," Blair smiled at the imagined expressions on her parents' faces.
"And, just where - exactly- is this bedroom located?" David asked tightly, as his grip on the phone increased.
"What?" Blair asked sweetly. "Haven't I said?" she added innocently.
"No – you didn't," David replied tightly.
Monica heard the lilt in her in her daughter's voice, and thought it likely Blair might be purposely antagonizing her father. From the shade of red his face had become, it seemed to be working.
"Oh, well…Jo's brought me to the penthouse of the Y&D building, daddy," Blair explained almost nonchalantly, but with a biting tone.
Stunned by his daughter's revelation, and completely missing the inflection in her voice, David's voice faltered. "The Y&D p-pent..?"
"Penthouse, dear," Monica supplied, amused, not only by Blair's tone, but by how the color had drained from her ex-husband's face. "It seems Jo certainly has – moved up – in the world, hasn't she?" she added, emphasizing the words. Monica had to admit, she was impressed. An uneasy thought flashed through her head Monica's head as she remembered what she'd heard about Y&D. "I've heard it's one of the most secure buildings in the city," she offered.
"One of the most secure?!" David asked incredulously, as he found his voice again. "That's putting it mildly! People who work for other companies in the building have restricted access, and no one outside of Y&D employees can get to the corporate officers without clearance and a security escort,"he stated with admiration.
"My-my, that is impressive," Monica replied, nodding her head. "Makes you wonder just who Jo knows for her to get you into the penthouse, Blair," she added, giving voice to the earlier thought that had crossed her mind. Monica may act like the 'airy' socialite, but she was more informed than she let on. She'd heard the rumors that the person behind the growing company might be a woman, and, if Jo knew them well enough to have access to the penthouse, then Monica hoped both David and, especially Blair, realized that the Police Detective wasn't the same girl they knew ten years ago.
Both David and Blair were quiet - lost in their own thoughts. David wondered how he hadn't known about Jo's connection to the owner of Y&D. He'd heard rumors about the mysterious owner, even before Blair had broached the subject of it possibly being a woman; he had brushed that idea aside then. Maybe that wasn't such a good idea, since he had no idea who it was. It was clear that whoever it was, they wanted their identity to remain a secret. All David knew, was that Angelo – Gino - Capozzi was the face of the company and, if Jo did have ties to the company, it would explain why the Bronx native had no need for her job as a cop or anything else David could offer.
For her part, Blair, had begun to pick listlessly at the bedspread on which she sat. Unfortunately, her mother had brought up what she had been trying hard to ignore. The revelation that Jo didn't need to work, and the fact that the brunette had relegated Blair to the opposite side of the luxury apartment, were reminder enough for the blonde that the Bronx girl had not only 'moved up', but also moved on with her life.
Monica heard the sad sigh that Blair had let out but, glancing in David's direction, she knew he hadn't. At that moment, Bailey came bounding into the room, followed by David's assistant.
"Is that Blair?" Bailey asked excitedly. "Can I talk to her? Please?"
Monica's eyes were still on David and she noted that despite his interest in Blair's current location, he had already 'disengaged' from the conversation and was focused on his assistant.
"Of course, dear," Monica answered, smiling at her daughter. "Blair? Bailey is very anxious to talk to you," she said lightly, before she handed the phone to the younger girl. Monica couldn't help but smile at the way Bailey cheerfully greeted her big sister, before firing off questions to Blair one after the other, without pausing to give the older girl a chance to respond. Monica shook her head slightly, a bemused grin on her face, when Bailey suddenly stopped her interrogation, and stood with a small penitent look on her face. She knew Blair must have chastised her sister for going on without taking a breath. Monica loved her daughters more than anything,but she wasn't always the best parental figure for them and, although she'd done better with Bailey, even she could admit that sometimes Blair acted more like a mother to the young girl than she did.
Monica looked over and noticed that David was about to hang up with Blair to deal with whatever 'crisis' had come up. Before he could do so, she motioned for him to give her the line. She knew that Blair was fairly open with her sister and, with all the questions Bailey had asked, Monica hoped to glean more information by 'eavesdropping' on their conversation.
Meanwhile, Jo had risen from her bed and begun to pace as she, once again, ran the events leading up to the shooting through her mind. Jo was now sure that she'd never been the intended target. She'd been suspended for a while now, and there was no way anyone could have known she'd be at the precinct that day. No, it definitely was the Warners the shooters were after. The question was, whether the same person was targeting both David and Blair or, was someone else after Blair? Jo considered calling Rachel or Rafe with her theory but, but she was sure they would both say that's all she had - a theory. She needed more information – proof – to back up her conclusion. In their line of work, evidence was key, not only to be able to get an arrest but, also for a conviction. Finding out if David had enemies wouldn't be hard. She imagined that the FBI already had a list of people who had a beef with the CEO and would have motive to go after him. The hard part, Jo believed, would be narrowing down the list to those suspects who would actually try to physically harm David or his family. With the 'connections' Jo had, she might be able to help the feds with that but, she was told to stay out of it. No, she thought. I need to figure out if Blair has her own enemies. Jo stopped her pacing. The thought of someone actually targeting Blair - of trying to hurt or kill the blonde – sent a terrible chill down her spine.
After a moment, Jo shook herself to throw off the feeling. She needed more information. The brunette had purposely kept herself 'out of the loop' as much as she could regarding Blair's life, in the hopes it would make it easier to move on with her own life. Sadly, it hadn't. Jo let out a sigh as she thought about her next move and what that could bring. She could already hear Natalie's voice in her head. 'The Fates...the Fates, Jo, they got it in for you'