Chap 9
Jo walked out into the main living area and saw Natalie sitting in the middle of the couch, her eyes fixated on the screen above the fireplace; a look of disappointment and anger on her face. Jo watched her roommate for a moment and wondered, for the umpteenth time, if the 'arrangement' they'd made when the journalist moved in was fair to Nat. Although it had been six years and the younger woman had never complained, Jo knew Nat had 'missed' some opportunities for advancement. Jo shook her head, let out a deep sigh, and then moved to sit down on the end of the couch closest to where she stood.
Natalie became visibly nervous when Jo had settled onto the couch without a word. She'd meant it when she told the brunette that Mr. Capozzi scared her. The last thing Nat wanted was for the man to be mad at her, especially since Jo had once cryptically admitted that 'Uncle Gino knew people.' Natalie was no whiz at math, but even she could put two and two together to know what Jo meant. "So..." Nat's voice cracked slightly when she finally got up the nerve to speak. She cleared her throat, then turned to look at Jo. "How did your calls go?" She was relieved that the question came out a bit more normal sounding than she thought.
"They went okay," Jo answered flatly, as she looked up at the screen. Although the sound was muted, the images she saw there - of herself, Blair and her parents - had her distracted and a bit worried.
Nat waited, but when Jo didn't go on, she reached over and swatted the brunette on the knee. "Hey!" Jo cried, glaring at Nat, but the younger woman just ignored her. "That's it? They went 'okay'?" Nat asked, in her uniquely sarcastic way, while returning Jo's glare.
Jo tried to stare her roommate down, but the red-head refused to give in. "Oh, all right," Jo finally gave in grumpily. "Uncle Sal said 'Hi'. Happy?" she added with a small sneer.
Natalie continued to look at her with a small knowing smile on her face. "Is that allll he said?" she asked cheekily.
"No," Jo answered frowning at her, before she let out a sigh. "Like you, he's not 'crazy' about the situation I've gotten myself into," she admitted begrudgingly. "I told him how you'd already read me the riot act. Of course, he agreed with you," Jo looked down, before she added. "He said you were a good friend."
Natalie smiled brightly. "I knew I liked Sal. He's a smart man," she said smugly. Ever since that scary day ten years ago, she and Sal had developed a bond of mutual respect. A slight shiver passed through her body as images flashed through Nat's head.
Jo looked up. "Yea….well...don't let it go ta yer head," she said scowling, but her eyes had a glint in them. Deep down, Jo was glad that she had these two people in her life whom cared so much about her.
"Yea...yea," Nat waved off her friend's poor attitude with a smile. She paused for a moment then asked a bit tentatively. "What about your other calls?"
Jo decided to tease Nat a bit after her self-satisfied posturing. "Ya mean the one I had with Gino?" she asked with an arched brow, while deliberately emphasizing the man's name. Jo almost lost it at the panicked look on her friend's face as Natalie swallowed hard. "Relax, Nat," she said smiling slightly, as she patted the younger woman's leg. "Your name never came up," she assured her, then waited a beat as Nat let out the breath she'd been holding, before continuing. "Well….not in so many words anyway," Jo continued with a slight grin on her face. "He did ask about 'the young woman who he left a message with.' " Jo tried, but couldn't stop herself from laughing at the stricken look that filled the red-head's face. "I'm just kiddin, Nat. I'm kiddin."
It took only seconds for Nat's expression to change from shock to anger. "Ohhhh….you!" she growled. Grabbing the pillow next to her, Natalie swung it and hit the brunette. "That's not funny!" she said, hitting her again, as Jo continued to laugh.
"Ow! Ok. Okay," Jo laughed, holding her hands up to defend herself. "I give! I give! I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she said as she slowly stopped laughing.
Natalie stopped swinging the pillow and waited; warily eyeing her friend to see if she'd start to laugh again.
Jo snickered slightly but, seeing that Nat was poised to strike again, quickly spoke up. "Honest Nat," Jo began, then took a deep breath to further calm herself. "I am sorry," she said seriously, looking her friend in the eye.
Although there was a twinkle in the brunette's eyes, Nat also saw sincerity there; so she lowered the pillow to her lap. She still chastised Jo, however. "That wasn't funny! You know how I feel about him."
Jo smiled. "It was a little funny," she replied, holding up her index finger and thumb less than an inch apart. "I mean...your face..." Jo giggled a bit, but quickly backtracked when Natalie raised the pillow again. "Ok...ok….not funny," she amended but still grinning.
Natalie stared hard at Jo for a long moment, then relented and finally set the pillow down on the couch. "Okay," Nat said with a sigh. "It was a little funny," she agreed. "Very little," she added quickly. "But, it would have been funnier if it was someone else. So...don't do it again," she warned the brunette with a scowl.
Jo nodded, still smiling. "I won't…. I promise. We good?" she asked giving her friend a nudge.
Nat nodded her head and started smiling. She found it hard to resist the Bronx native's infectious smile. "Yea, we're good," she answered, nudging her back.
After a brief moment of silence, Jo let out a heavy sigh. "Sorry Nat. I guess… I guess, after the day I had, I just needed a laugh," she admitted with a shrug as she looked down.
Natalie noted the change in Jo's demeanor and became concerned. "Hey, is everything okay?" she asked with a frown.
"When I talked to Gino..." Jo started without looking up but she sensed her friend shudder slightly. "Honest Nat," she said as a small, rueful smile flashed across her face. "He likes you," Jo reassured her. It was a true statement. Although Jo loved to 'bust Nat's chops' over her fear of Mr. Capozzi, she knew that Gino was well aware - from what both Jo and Uncle Sal had told him – of all that Natalie had done for her. When she got a confident nod from her friend, Jo went on. "I asked him about….contracts," she said in a low voice. "Ya know – that might be out on me," Jo elaborated at the questioning expression on Natalie's face.
It took a few seconds for Jo's words to register, but when they did, Nat's eyes practically bulged out of her head. "OH – MY – GOD!" she exclaimed loudly, then quickly covered her mouth with her hand. Nat dropped her hand then slowly shrank back. "You think...you think someone might have…?" she stopped, darted her eyes around the room then leaned towards Jo. "I...I thought you were….you know...protected?" she asked with a stunned, meaningful look.
Jo grinned a bit at her friend's scared hushed tone. There was no one they needed to hide their discussion from. She shook her head. "Yea, well….all ya need is one schmuck decidin' he wants to make a name for himself," Jo answered with a shrug. "Don't worry though, Nat. Gino said he'd look into it," she added with a small smile, attempting to sound positive.
Natalie nodded, but she could tell Jo wasn't totally at ease. There wasn't the confidence in her tone that Nat was used to hearing from the brunette. Nat shifted her eyes back to the screen - not really focusing on what was there - her mind was on other things. If Jo's worried – that's not good, she thought.
The frown that had formed on her friend's face had Jo feeling guilty again. She let out a sigh. "Nat, I'm sorry. I know how much you wished that was you up there," Jo apologized.
Brought out of her thoughts, Nat turned to Jo. "W-what?" she asked confused. Realizing what the brunette was thinking when Jo pointed to the screen, Natalie waved off her friend's concern. "Please! You and I made a deal Jo, and I've more than benefited from it. You always come through as my 'Source in the Police Department', providing me details other reporters aren't privy to. My editor loves me because of you," she said sincerely. "Not to mention this 'dump' I get to call home," Nat added sarcastically with a big smile, motioning at the lavish room.
Jo laughed. "You goof," she said nudging her friend, then, after a moment's pause, she asked. "What's eatin at ya then?"
"Wellll… I was thinking," Nat began as she shifted to face Jo. "It's one thing for someone to try and take you out..."
"Some schmuck!" Jo emphasized with disgust.
"Right...schmuck," Nat nodded absently, her mind already shifting into reporter mode. "But, who would have ordered the hit? I mean, I know you've made some enemies, well a lot of enemies, but….to go against Mr. Capozzi?! They'd either have to be crazy or have no idea who he is," Nat finished shaking her head in disbelief.
"Or...they're powerful enough not to care," Jo muttered.
The certainty in Jo's voice both surprised and scared the red-head. "Jo? Do you know who might be behind it?" she asked nervously.
Jo shook her head. "No, but I can think of one person who would have no problem giving it a try," Jo said angrily. "Reynolds," she replied with contempt at the baffled expression on Natalie's face.
"Franklin Reynolds?!" Nat exclaimed, her eyes wide. "No way! You can't be serious? He wouldn't… I mean, I can't believe he would..."
"Why not?" Jo asked, her anger rising as she cut off her friend. "He's got nothin to lose. Besides, the S*O*B as much as threatened it." Seeing the fear return to her friend's face, Jo took a breath to calm herself. "Think about it Nat," she went on in an even tone. "Who's going to testify against him? Maria? Maria she can't...she hasn't..." Jo's voice faltered. She closed her eyes tightly at the images that filled her mind.
Natalie nodded sadly. 'That poor little girl' she thought. Nat knew that Maria still hadn't recovered from the trauma that she'd been through and from the little - thankfully - that Jo had told her about the case; Nat wondered if the girl ever would be the same as before she'd crossed paths with Reynolds. Franklin Reynolds was an evil man. Nat saw the pain and sadness on the brunette's face as Jo was obviously thinking about the innocent girl, and it broke her heart. All the strength and brashness Jo had dealing with perps twice her size easily fell away when it came to child victims. "Jo?" Nat said softly, placing a hand on her friend's knee.
As Jo slowly opened her eyes, hardness spread over her features, but the anguish she still felt inside was evident to Nat in the deep green orbs. Her voice was cold when she spoke. "I'm sure Reynolds knows what state Maria is in. That leaves me as the DA's key witness. If I'm outta the picture, he could not just only get a lighter sentence, but the bastard might walk."
Natalie let out a low whistle. "Holy crap!" she muttered, shaking her head. She perked up slightly as a thought came to mind. "But, there's got to be other witnesses, right? What about Rafe? He'll testify, right?" Nat asked hopefully.
Jo shook her head. "I went after Reynolds - more or less - on my own, remember? Rafe wasn't in on it at the start, he didn't see half of what I did. Reynolds attorneys could say I made all of it up. That I was on a 'witch hunt'. As for 'other witnesses'? You can be damn sure they won't testify against him if he has the ability to get rid of a New York City Detective," The dread she saw in her friend's face made Jo feel guilty. The last thing she wanted to do was scare Natalie. "Hey, relax okay?" Jo said patting the other girl's knee. "I don't have any proof that he's behind this. It's just...speculation on my part right now," she offered, hoping to reassure Natalie.
"Maybe so, Jo," Nat answered. "But, I put more faith in your speculations or 'gut feelings' over anyone else's facts," she added with a definite certainty in her tone.
"Thanks Nat… I think," Jo said with a small smile, before she turned serious again. "Honestly, I just don't like the idea that Blair, her family or anyone else," Jo emphasized the word, as she squeezed Nat's knee. "Might be put in danger cuz of me," Her voice tinged with guilt. "If anyone I cared about got hurt…I don't think…." her voice trailed off.
"Jo..." Nat began to argue. She knew what Jo was thinking about and what happened then hadn't been Jo's fault. It had nothing to do with her.
"No, Nat," Jo stopped her. "I signed up for this kinda stuff when I became a cop," Jo shook her head. "Like ya said, I got enemies and some of em would have no problem going after someone close to me. They'd actually prefer to make me suffer by targeting people close to me, knowing the pain it would cause me would be torturous. Not to mention, it'd be an easier way to convince me not to testify."
Natalie wanted to argue with her friend, but knew Jo was right. Jo had put away more than her fair share of very dangerous and very scary criminals in her time on the force. Anyone of them could have it out for her. Even if Mr. Capozzi was looking out for her, he couldn't control everyone. Mentally, Nat shook her head. How does she deal with it all? She thought to herself. Not just being a cop but also… the red-head's train of thought stopped as she remembered the other call Jo was supposed to have made. A sly smile formed on her face. "You know Jo, you haven't told me how your other call went," she said expectantly. "You know...with Lisa?"
Jo stared for a moment at her friend. The tone of her voice and the shit-eating grin on Nat's face had the brunette shaking her head. She was amazed – once again – by her friend's ability to not only change topics, but her whole demeanor, in a matter of seconds. Rolling her eyes, Jo blushed slightly as she answered grumpily. "It went fine."
"Just fine?" Natalie asked wiggling her eyebrows, a glint in her eyes.
"Yes, Natalie. Fine," Jo answered snarkily. But, she couldn't hide the smile that touched her lips at the memory of the caring tone in Lisa's voice earlier.
Natalie, though, hadn't missed the grin and smiled mischievously. "Jo… Jo… Jo," she started. Her voice was light with a hint of sarcastic motherly frustration, which made Jo sigh heavily. "When are you going to stop this nonsense and settle down? If you'd just open your eyes, you'd see that Lisa is just perfect….."
"Stop right there, Nat," Jo said firmly, cutting her off. She loved her friend, but now was not the time for Nat to be butting into her life. "First of all, ya ain't Mrs. G.," she said scowling. Natalie started to protest, but Jo went on. "Secondly, I don't need ya waxin poetic on Lisa's attributes, or anyone else's for that matter. Thirdly, how can ya just ignore what we just talked about? I have other concerns right now. So drop it. Okay?"
With the brunette's menacing tone and tense body language, Natalie knew enough to let the subject drop, but it was definitely not forgotten.
Satisfied, Jo relaxed back into the sofa. "So Blair?" she called out without turning her head. "You planning on joining us or are you just going to stay hiding back there, eavesdropping?" she finished with a hint of irritation in her voice.
Stunned, Natalie jerked her head around and stared toward the hallway she'd come from earlier.
Blair gasped, her mouth hung agape, at having been caught. How had Jo known she was there? She'd kept so still and quiet, making sure to keep out of sight. She had heard most, but not all, of the conversation between the two women and it had Blair wondering who Mr Capozzi was that Nat would speak in such awe of him and why he had such an interest in Jo. Blair had also let out a small squeak of alarm when Jo mentioned that the gunfire may have actually been intended for herself, instead of the socialite or her family. Blair had never even considered that possibility. Despite her sound of alarm, she had felt that Nat's reaction had masked it well enough. The possibility of Franklin Reynolds involvement worried Blair deeply. She knew who he was; knew that he was cold and calculating and had heard the rumors about him. She'd met him once or twice when she was younger and the way he had looked at her then had given her the creeps. Blair remembered it being one of the few times her father kept his arm protectively around her.
"Blair?"
Pulled from her thoughts as Jo called to her again, Blair hung her head. She'd definitely been caught. There was no use denying it. Dropping her shoulders, she meekly moved into the room.
Natalie was just about to call Jo out on being paranoid - or crazy - when the blonde stepped out of the hallway looking like a guilty child. Nat turned to Jo. "How did you…?" she started to ask, but the 'Are ya serious?'expression on the brunette's face stopped her. Maybe Nat shouldn't be surprised, but she still didn't get how Jo knew.
"I-I'm sorry," Blair started, stammering a bit. "I know I shouldn't have…." Blair froze as she caught sight of the screen above the fireplace. "THAT'S A TV!" she suddenly exclaimed pointing at the device. "Where did the painting go?" she asked dumbfounded.
Nat turned to Jo, a scowl on her face. "And you always claimed the blonde hair was a 'dye-job'," she accused, using finger quotes and shaking her head. "Guess the apology is out the window," she added sarcastically.
Jo shrugged. "It is a dye-job. Maybe it just finally seeped into her brain. Besides, ya know apologies never were Blair's strong suit." she offered.
"I can't believe that's a TV. It's huge! Where…" Blair had continued on, ignoring the other two, but suddenly stopped as she realized that they were mocking her. A less than pleased look formed on her face. "Really? Blonde jokes? Coming from a girl whose hair I don't recall being that red back in school," she challenged, with heavy skepticism, as she stared hard at Nat. "Or..." she turned her glare on Jo. "from someone who looks like they comb their hair with a football. And, I can to apologize you barbarian! When I'm wrong," she finished angrily.
Unfazed by Blair's comment, Natalie spoke up her brow furrowed in mock confusion. "Sooooo let me get this straight….what you're saying..." Nat paused while she shifted her position a little. "Lurking in the hallway of the apartment - that you're a guest in might I add..." she emphasized the word. "listening to a private conversation between Jo and I," she pointed at Jo then herself. "Isn't your fault?" she asked in a sarcasm laced tone.
Blair glared at Natalie. "Hmmphh...that's rich coming from one half of the 'snoop sisters'. Who – as I recall – had no problem at all eavesdropping on conversations between Jo and I."
"Hey, there were four of us sharing a room! How could we help but hear?" Natalie asked incredulously.
"Yes, especially when your ear was pressed up tightly against a closed door," Blair countered, with a raised brow.
Natalie sputtered momentarily before she answered. "You guys were older, leading exciting lives and leaving Tootie and I out of it all. Of course we listened!" she exclaimed. "We lived vicariously through you and wanted to know what we were missing," Nat hated that her tone sounded like a whiny, frustrated teenager and Blair's smug 'See I was right' expression didn't help. She wasn't about to let Blair get the better of her. Collecting herself, Nat started more calmly. "The point is, that was over ten years ago. We were kids then. It was…youthful indiscretion," she explained with a wave of her hand. "I'm talking today, here and now. We're adults. So what excuse could you have?" Nat paused as she eyed Blair. "Cuz I hate to tell you, the 'young' thing isn't gonna work anymore," sarcasm evident in her voice. Natalie then sat back and smiled as she watched Blair, her cheeks tinged in red, struggle to respond.
Blair fumed inside. She knew she was wrong for listening, but Natalie's snide remark and accompanying smirk were out of line. Granted, she may not look as good as Jo - And damn she looked good. Blair thought as she stole a glance at the brunette – but she was proud of how her body looked and the work she'd put in to stay in shape. Squaring her shoulders, the heiress glared at the red-head. "Natalie? TURN BLUE." she said through gritted teeth and a cold smile.
Stunned, not only by the comment, but the intensity of Blair's gaze, Natalie's mouth flapped open like a fish out of water. "Turn blue? Turn blue?" she finally managed to get out. "What does that even mean?" Nat asked defensively, only to get a satisfied smile from the blonde. Frustrated, Nat turned to Jo. "Ok you, of all people, must know what that means," she said expectantly. When her roommate didn't respond, Natalie nudged her. "Jo?!" she demanded.
Torn from her thoughts, Jo blushed slightly when she realized both women were staring at her. "What?" she asked grumpily. Jo hadn't been listening. She'd known the instant Blair was near by. It wasn't until Jo had caught sight of the blonde as she stood wearing the football jersey and sweats Jo had lent her, that the brunette's brain had shut down. The clothes that were a bit baggy on Jo's lean frame, hugged Blair's fuller figure in all the right places. Jo thought that the blonde never looked better.
Jo had hoped her gruff response covered her inattention, but she could tell by the gleam in deep brown eyes, that Blair had a damn good idea of the effect she'd had on the brunette. Blair, for her part, was glad that the Bronx native hadn't noticed that she'd given her a quick once over.
"Turn blue? What the hell does that mean?" Nat asked again, the annoyance evident in her voice. She was more frustrated than angry at Jo and the way she'd spaced out. Her real ire was reserved for Blair. The blonde had an innate ability to captivate, not only men, but pretty much anyone she turned her charms on and Jo was no exception.
Having regained her senses, Jo answered crossly. "Basically, it's the hoity-toity way of sayin 'eat shit and die'" Although her response was for Nat, her glare was directed at Blair. Jo was upset with herself for letting the blonde get to her.
Blair frowned inwardly at the crass language of the brunette but said nothing. Instead, she found herself shuddering and her confident stance faltering a bit, under the cold gaze of Jo.
"Really? Well I'll be damned!" Natalie muttered, a hint of amusement in her tone, as she turned back to Blair. "Who knew you had such a 'potty mouth'?" she asked grinning. Nat's irritation with the blonde had faded when she realized Jo was in control of her emotions again and the withering gaze the brunette was sending Blair's way had toned down her defiant attitude. Nat was, however, going to keep an eye on them both to make sure Jo stayed in control.
In the next moment Natalie felt a grumbling in her stomach and, taking a quick look at her watch, frowned. "So, Jo," she started, as she returned her attention to her roommate. "What are you fixing for dinner tonight?" she asked with an expectant smile on her face.
At Natalie's mention of food, Blair too realized she was feeling hungry.
"Me?" Jo shot back angrily. "The kitchen's right there. You know how it all works," she said loudly pointing to the area in the apartment. Natalie's constant one-eighties were starting to grate on her nerves.
"Yea….but you know you're the better cook," Nat answered, waving her off. "Besides...you have a guest," she added with flair while pointing at the blonde.
"WE have a guest," the brunette grumbled through gritted teeth, but neither of the other girls were fazed by her protest. Giving up, she sighed heavily. "There's one of Uncle Sal's lasagnas in the freezer and salad fixin's in the fridge," she told them as she stood up. "I'm goin to the garage," Jo added gruffly and headed for the door.
"Jo!" Natalie called after her, but the brunette only slammed the door on the way out.
The garage? She's going all the way back down there? Blair thought to herself. Damn it. She let out a heavy sigh.
"Don't worry. She'll be back," Nat told Bair as she stood up from the couch and patted her on the arm as she passed to the kitchen. "Come on...let's see what you remember from working at Eastland's cafeteria," Nat said with a smile in her voice. "Yummm...Uncle Sal's lasagna," she added happily, rubbing her hands together.
Blair shook her head. She'd forgotten how Natalie's mood could change on a dime. Blair took another look at the closed apartment door and shook her head. Damn it. Letting out a heavy sigh, she moved to join Nat.