Part Two

19: Birdie

She came here often for lunch. It was a little restaurant across from the hospital where she worked. She knew the place well, and she knew Valerie's face like the back of her hand, so Jennifer spotted her right away in the window. Biting her lip, she knocked on the glass. Valerie turned, startled, and then her face lit up and she waved. As soon as Jennifer walked in the door, before she could even think about calling her name, Valerie pushed her chair back, stood up, and grinned. Jennifer couldn't help but smile back as she weaved through tables, and Valerie nearly met her halfway she was so excited.

"Birdie! God, I feel like I haven't seen you in years!" Valerie moved forward and wrapped her in a tight, warm hug as soon as she got close enough. Jennifer just laughed into her shoulder. Val was always the dramatic one. Though she kind of missed her flair for the theatrical, and she definitely missed being called Birdie.

. . .

They'd met during Jennifer's sophomore year of undergrad at a tattoo parlor. She'd only been 19, she'd been getting her finch tattoo at the time, and Val had been there with a pretty brunette that Jennifer never saw again. She remembered Val catching Jennifer's eye and sauntering over to her, eyeing the tattoo critically. She acted as if she had nothing better to do, as if there wasn't a girl waiting for her just across the room. It had been one of Jennifer's first tattoos, and tears were welling in her eyes from the pain. Val was older than her. Jennifer had been able to tell just by the way she held herself, so cocky and confident. She wasn't new to everything like Jennifer was. Though, just getting out of the foster system the year before, she supposed she'd gotten off to a bit of a late start. Either way, the amused smile that curved at the corner of Val's lips told Jennifer that she could tell how inexperienced she was.

"Hey, Birdie," she'd said, her voice musing and high, "you look like you're in pain." Jennifer sniffled and gasped out a laugh.

"How could you tell?"

And the name had just kind of stuck all these years.

. . .

"We saw each other four months ago, Val," Jennifer reminded her, unamused. Val was wearing a long, black overcoat and her ridiculously red hair was down to her elbows now. Last time she'd seen Val, she'd been going through a curly hair faze and had gotten a perm. Now it was back to its naturally straight self (with bangs this time). She wore ruby red lipstick and blush on her high, delicate cheekbones. Val had a rather fragile looking face, easily shatterable, but she was a lot tougher than she looked, and she could flip her expression on a dime and then laugh like she wasn't as fickle as the weather. And she was absolutely crazy. Maybe that's why they got along so well all these years. Jennifer kept her sane, and Val kept her life a little bit exciting.

"Then it's been a hell of a four months, and I'm tired of not seeing your face every week," Val said pointedly, purposefully distracted by her napkin as they sat down across from each other. Val had a way of taking everything remotely emotional and detaching herself from it. She wasn't emotionless, she just didn't like the vulnerability that came with, well, life. In all honesty, Jennifer didn't think that Val couldn't handle it.

"What? Tired of Paris already?" Jennifer teased. She had known this woman for the last ten years of her life, so she knew that if Val didn't move to the opposite end of the earth every single damn year she would drive herself insane.

"I wouldn't be so tired of it if you'd let me sweep you off your feet and actually take you there!" Val protested.

"You know I don't have time to take a vacation."

"Right, not now! Not after your emergency leave in Maine," Val drawled, but she wasn't actually annoyed. Despite rarely seeing each other, they communicated often. "Tell me about your adventures. What happened?" she encouraged, calm and attentive as she leaned back in her chair. Jennifer sighed and glanced up, thinking.

"Do you remember me telling you about Emma?" she said hesitantly, cautiously.

"Emma...Swan?" Jennifer nodded, and Val sat forward, laughing, a wide, open mouthed grin on her face. "Your sister? Good god, woman. She was in Maine? How did you find her?"

"I didn't!" Jennifer exclaimed, sitting forward. "She just happened to be there! And she has a son now."

"You're kidding me."

"No, I'm not. It's an absolutely ridiculous coincidence. I don't understand it. But, you know, at the time, it didn't matter because I was so happy, at least at first. Then we just fought the entire time I was there, and I just…" She curled her lip. "You know what, I don't want to talk about Emma right now," she dismissed, glancing down, and Val knew not to push her too hard because then she'd shut down or, god forbid, start crying. Val knew when Jennifer was about to cry. She'd seen enough of it over the years.

"Then who do you want to talk about?" Val asked delicately because there was definitely something that Jennifer wasn't telling her. "Birdie, look at me. I know you. You have got something on your mind."

She glanced down, shaking her head, dismissive, downplaying. "There was this...woman there."

And Val's eyes immediately lit up. She gasped loudly and scrunched her nose and leaned forward, fighting a grin. "Jennifer Irene Alexander." It was a surprised exclamation, wonderment and joy sparkling in her eyes. "There is always a woman." Her voice was breathy, and Jennifer chuckled, shoving her back into her seat lightly. Val laughed openly as she eyed Jennifer up and down and watched as she folded her arms shyly. "Tell me all about her."

"Well, she's the mayor of this...little town. She's uninterested, and she's also Emma's son's~Henry's~adoptive mother."

Val raised her brow, her head jerking up slightly. "Oh."

"Yeah." Jennifer sighed, a painful little smile on her lips. Val watched her carefully, her eyes narrowed critically. She was using her appraiser's eye on her Birdie.

"How do you know she's uninterested?" she prodded.

"Because she's straight. I don't know I just know," Jennifer dismissed, trying to sound flippant.

Val shook her head, her face contorted. "Oh, don't give me that bullshit. You just don't think it'll happen so you're making it impossible," she leaned forward again. "I mean, for goodness sake, it's like you're 19 all over again. Paralyzed in the back of the closet or~!" she exclaimed, looking Jennifer over then stopped and sighed. "Look, honey, you just have to give her something to work with."

"So you think I just wasn't, what, flirting enough? Do I not look gay enough for you?" Jennifer laughed.

"All I'm saying is you can't be afraid to put yourself out there. She might not make a move if she doesn't think you want it."

"Have you ever thought that I might do the same?" Jennifer protested. Val groaned.

"Oh mon dieu! Si jeunesse savait, si vieillesse pouvait!" she protested right back in frustration.

"Your French is good. Your accent needs work," Jennifer drawled, arms folded, leaning far back in her chair. "Et tu as seulement trois ans de plus que moi, chérie. Besides," she sighed, "she's Henry's mom. He's eleven so it's not like I can escape her for, what, at least another seven years? And if we didn't, you know, work out it would just be...miserable. For everyone."

Val hummed, "Well, you know what I would do."

"Don't you mean who?" Jennifer intoned, and Val just smirked.

"What can I say? La vie est courte. Et tu es stupide, chérie." She mocked, an amused smile tugging at her lips as she searched Jennifer's expression for a hint of that spontaneity Val knew Jennifer seriously lacked in her life. Yes, she knew how to have fun, and she knew how to let go once and awhile, but she had no idea what it meant to take a damn risk. She always played it safe, and sometimes it drove Val to the brink of insanity. Seeing nothing but stubbornness on Jennifer's face, Val sighed and glanced calmingly out into the brisk autumn air before meeting her eyes again. "Regina is an interesting name. Tell me why it would work. What's she like?"

Jennifer laughed once, her brow furrowed. Really? And when she realized that Val was dead serious she scoffed and sighed, shaking her head. "This is ridiculous. You are ridiculous. Every time we get together…"

"Jennifer, for once in your life would you just indulge yourself?" Val pleaded, and she watched as Jennifer sighed, thinking, before grabbing her hair and roping it into a ponytail.

"Fine." She shifted in her seat and took a sip of her drink. "She is...very beautiful." The statement was said like a grocery list, almost reluctant, almost cookie cutter, but Val stayed silent because Jennifer was quickly drifting someplace...else, her brow furrowed momentarily, an amused, wonderful little half laugh escaping her lips. "See, she's got this hair...it's…" She searched for something to compare it to. "Do you remember when you took me to Santa Monica and we swam in the ocean right after sundown? It was deep and dark and silky and you could...lose yourself." Jennifer's gaze met hers quickly and stayed there for a delirious moment before looking away. "She has this jawline and gorgeous cheekbones and a scar on her lip and her eyes are...heavy. They're incredibly expressive. They just weigh on you, they ensnare you, and it's like the entire world just...falls away. I don't know. She's just so beautiful," she shook her head. "And, jesus, she is ridiculously polite. More like regal, really. Pin straight. I honestly don't know how she does it, but I admire her discipline. I certainly don't have as much."

"More disciplined than you?" Val laughed. "I didn't think it was possible!" Jennifer smiled.

"It's more like a front she puts up. She's not always like that. She's very sensitive, I think," Jennifer admitted then shook her head. "But she's also snarky as hell and funny, and it's like Chanel crafted her perfume specifically for her skin. And when she laughs I feel like I've just done something so exceptional and perfect I just~I mean she's so...she doesn't seem...real."

Jennifer's voice hung in the air even after she stopped talking, a fascinating picture of Regina forming in Val's mind. And Jennifer seemed a little flustered, a blush forming in her freckled cheeks, like all these details were only now being articulated into something concrete. Val saw it in her eyes. She didn't blame her. Jennifer liked all that emotional crap. Val didn't.

"She sounds...like everything good," Val told her. "And if that's not motive enough then I'd like to remind you that scars are sexy." Val sighed, laughing. And Jennifer rolled her eyes, her cheeks turning even darker. "Besides, I'm sure she'd enjoy yours as much as you enjoy hers. And your tattoos, for that matter," she pointed out, leaning forward. Her gaze softened, and she bit her lip. "I know I enjoyed them, at least."

"That was a long time ago, Val," Jennifer reminded her.

"And you didn't have as many tattoos then."

"No," Jennifer drawled, leaning forward, an answer to a silent question. And Val just pursed her lips, fighting a smile.

When they finished lunch Val walked her to her car. They'd mostly talked about Paris after that, all her adventures and women and art deals. Jennifer had never been to the city of love despite French being a second language for her. Val had always threatened to take her but every time she insisted Jennifer declined. Val was never exactly sure why.

"I'll be in town for the next few weeks. We should meet up again soon," Val suggested. Being an art dealer took Val all over the world, and though she was based in New York, most of her business took place elsewhere.

"It's a date," Jennifer smiled. Val smiled too, but she had an odd look in her eyes, thoughtful, almost curious. Jennifer parted her lips to ask but before she could get a word out Val's lips covered hers. Surprised, Jennifer raised her brow, and her eyes slid closed as Val cupped her jaw with solid hands. And she kissed her back. For a while. Soft and slow, the beginning of something fast and heavy if she let it go that far. Val tasted like cherry lip balm, and she smelled like something foreign and exciting. She always did. But it wasn't the same this time. It was flatter, emptier. "Hmm." She wrenched her eyes open as Val's tongue ran along the underside of her upper lip. "Val…" She grabbed her arms and pushed her away. Gently. She licked her lips as Val smiled, her lipstick smudged.

"Not too long ago you would have pushed me up against this car and shoved your hand between my legs," Val breathed. Jennifer refused to react, and Val gasped out a laugh in response. "You are really stuck on this woman, aren't you?" Jennifer swallowed, a flush rising to her cheeks again. "You need to go after her, or you are going to be this miserable for the next seven years at least," Val mocked then smiled as Jennifer clenched her jaw.

"Why did we stay friends again?" Jennifer wondered, blinking, but not actually mad, not really.

"Because I'm the only one who can tell you when you're being stupid." Val smirked before leaning forward and kissing her on the forehead. "You're being stupid, Birdie."


a/n: Here are the French translations if you need them.

"Oh mon dieu! Si jeunesse savait, si vieillesse pouvait!" ~ This directly translates to "Oh my god! If youth knew, if old age could!" which is just the French expression for "youth is wasted on the young."

"Et tu as seulement trois ans de plus que moi, chérie." ~ "And you are only three years older than me, darling."

"La vie est courte. Et tu es stupide, chérie." ~ Life is short. And you're stupid, darling."

Let me know what you think of Val!