Jessie couldn't believe this. Of all the fucking weeks for them to have to go to Hawaii on business. Her family was there, which meant Jessie would honestly prefer to be ANYWHERE else. Not to mention the five and a half hour flight. Jessie was fine with one or two hours, but since her time in the tomb on Shang's island Jessie hated enclosed spaces. She had trouble being in enclosed spaces for too long, she began to have panic attacks. With Elphaba on her right, Josey and her mom in front, Marcus right across the aisle, and Mike and Rich behind her, she couldn't have been surrounded by more friends. However, that didn't help her mindset in the least.
"Can I get you something to drink, ma'am?" The stewardess asked, bringing Jessie back from her thoughts.
"Um, yeah, a double screwdriver, please." Jessie said, shakily.
"Are you OK, Jess?" Elphaba said, taking her hand. It was then she noticed that Jessie was shaking, and her palms were sweating. The woman left the ingredients for the drink with two bottles of vodka.
"I'm OK." Jessie said. The stewardess looked at Elphaba.
"For you, ma'am?"
"Root beer, please." The stewardess nodded, before handing Elphaba a can and glass of ice. When the stewardess moved on, Elphaba looked at Jessie, "Now, what's really wrong?"
"I…I don't like long flights. I feel….trapped sometimes." Jessie said, her voice trembling. Josey looked back.
"You OK, sis?" She asked, worriedly. Jessie put on a bright smile.
"I'm fine. How about you? How are you liking first class?"
Josey smiled brightly, "I'm great! I can't believe I'm going to Hawaii. Jessie, please thank the IWMMA for this."
"I will. But you can thank them more by being in a couple of pictures with me." Jessie said with a grin.
"I was gonna do that anyway." She said, grinning broadly, before turning back around. Jessie looked at Elphaba, finding a soft smile on her face.
"You are wonderful." She whispered into Jessie's ear.
"Aww, it wasn't nothing, ma'am." Jessie said, cracking Elphaba up, but she still had fear in her eyes.
"Here, take this." Marcus said, passing her a pill.
"I hate meds. What does it do?" Jessie asked.
"It's your anti anxiety medication." Marcus explained.
"Take it, Jessie. It couldn't hurt." Elphaba encouraged. Jessie rolled her eyes, but popped the pill, washing it down with the double screwdriver Elphaba had poured as they talked.
"Happy now?" Jessie said, rolling her eyes again.
"Very, baby." Elphie said, squeezing her hand.
"Well, I'm not. Mmmmmm, but fuck it, as long as you are." Jessie said, no hostility to her voice, although it was kinda slurred.
"Jessie…." Before she could answer Elphaba, Jessie closed her eyes, sitting back in the seat.
"That should calm her down." Marcus said, smirking.
"What was that?" Elphaba asked, worry in her voice.
"Her nerve pills. She never takes them, so when they hit her stomach, they knock her out." He said casually.
"So, she's OK?" Elphaba asked, a hint of anger creeping into her voice.
"She's fine, Elphie. It usually knocks her out for six hours. By the time we get there, she'll be coming through." Marcus said.
"She ever taken it with Vodka before?" Elphie asked.
Marcus shrugged, "She usually washes it down with whatever she's drinking. I let it dissolve in it. Less fuss that way."
"Marcus, you are NOT doing that again." Elphaba said, emphatically glaring at him.
"Relax. Sometimes Jessie has to be pushed into doing what she needs. If we didn't give her the pill, she'd freak out after two hours in a panic attack. Just trust me, Elphaba. She's like a daughter to me, I wouldn't do anything to hurt her." Marcus explained, ignoring the glare from Elphaba. Elphaba rolled her eyes at Marcus, but sat back next to Jessie, holding her motionless hand. The flight was uneventful to Honolulu, and Jessie slept completely through it. When the plane landed, she was still unconscious. It took the four of them to get Jessie in the aquaplane to take her to the resort. It wasn't until they were in the limo that Jessie began to come around.
"Are we there yet?" Jessie mumbled, stirring. The laughs got her to open her eyes.
"Yeah, the flights are over." Marcus said. Jessie raised an eyebrow.
"Flights? As in plural?" Jessie asked, getting a nod. She looked at Elphaba, questioningly.
"Well, the hotel we wanted was completely booked, so we had to adjust." Elphaba said, getting a nod from Jessie, as the limo stopped. Jessie got out and looking at the resort? She read the sign carefully three times before she looked back at Marcus and Elphaba growling.
"What in the FUCK are we doing here?" Jessie asked, furious.
"Jessie, this was the only thing available." Elphaba said, lying through her teeth.
"Bullshit. You booked our rooms at the same time you booked the family's, didn't you?" She asked, glaring at Elphaba. Elphaba gave up on the lie, but stood her ground to Jessie.
"Jessie, if you're going to spend a hundred and fifty thousand dollars, you should get something out of this."
"Damn it, Elphie, you have no fucking idea what you've done." Jessie said, watching another limo pull up. Seeing Josey get out, Jessie tried to get herself under control. Elphaba sighed, wondering if she had made a mistake.
"JESS! The limo ride was AWESOME! I can't believe the IWMMA did all of this!" Josey said, excitedly.
"Neither can I! It is really cool, though." Jessie said, looking hard at Elphaba,
"This is soo cool!" Josey said, excitedly.
"Come on, sweety, let's get you and your mom checked in." Marcus said, leading her and her mom inside. One look at Jessie's face, and Mike and Rick followed.
"Jessie…." Elphaba began.
"Elphaba, those people are toxic. I wouldn't want my worst enemy exposed to them, much less my best friend." Jessie said, matter of factly.
"Jessie, how long has it been since you've seen them?" Elphaba asked softly.
"Four years ago." Jessie said, actually having to think back.
"Maybe things are different now." Elphaba suggested, getting a laugh.
"I doubt it. You know what? Why argue, you'll see." Jessie said, walking towards the entrance. When she got inside, she looked around. Jessie actually breathed a sigh of relief when she didn't see anyone she recognized. With her luck, they were in all still in their rooms.
"Here's your room key, Jess." Marcus said, handing it to her.
"You have anything to do with this?" Jessie asked, getting a head shake.
"Nope, this was all Elphie's idea. I did know we were coming, though." Marcus said. Jessie glared at him.
"Then why didn't you warn me?" Honestly, Elphaba she understood a little better about this deception. However, Marcus KNEW her family. He should have at least cleared it with her first.
Marcus smiled gently, "Jessie, you're not that same kid that they threw out. You're not the same girl that was out of shape and broke last time they saw you. You are the IWMMA heavyweight champion of the world. You are a two time humanitarian of the year award winner. They deserve to see what you've made of yourself."
"So you agree with Elphaba?" Jessie asked.
"Whole heartedly." Marcus said.
"Are you ready, Jess?" Elphaba asked, putting her arm around Jessie's waist. Jessie's arm slipped around her shoulder.
"Very." Jessie said, letting Elphie lead her to the elevator.
"Jess, can we go wave running later?" Josey asked, as she and her mom caught up with them.
"Absolutly, Josey." Jessie said, smiling as her free arm went around Josey. Josey's smile brightened,
"And then maybe surfing?"
"That should be a blast, Josey." Jessie said with a smile.
"You're coming too, right Elphaba?" Josey asked, getting a smile and a nod, as they stepped onto the elevator.
()
Jessie hadn't said much since they got to the room, making Elphaba nervous. She truly didn't expect Jessie to react like this. Jessie sat on the sofa, notebook computer in hand. Hoping to make it up to her, or at least get her to talk, Elphaba brought two cups of tea and sat down. "What are you doing?" Elphaba asked, curiously.
Jessie looked up from the computer, granting her a large smile. "I'm just checking my fanmail," Jessie closed the notebook, setting it on the table, "So, now that you and Marcus have dragged me to Hawaii on false pretenses, what did you want to do first?" Unlike earlier, there was no anger in her voice. Elphaba breathed a small sigh of relief when she heard the calmness in Jessie's voice.
"I was thinking you and I could go down to the beach, maybe go swimming."
"Maybe tomorrow. I'm still kinda spaced with those meds." Jessie said, getting a nod, as Elphaba stood up, "Sit in my arms, please." Jessie asked, getting a smile. Elphaba slipped into her arms easily.
"So I'm forgiven?" Elphaba asked, snuggling back into Jessie.
"Of course. Besides, if I have to be here with those snakes, at least I'm doing it with the most beautiful girl in the world on my arm." Jessie said, kissing the back of her head. Elphaba blushed brightly at that. "And you'll get to show me off to all of them tonight. It's the gathering dinner." Elphaba said.
Jessie groaned, "Are you sure you want to do that, love? I'd be just as happy to occasionally bump into and otherwise avoid these people for the week."
"Of course I do. I'm the girlfriend of the IWMMA champion. I want to show her off." Elphaba said, getting a small smile from Jessie.
"I'm afraid you're going to be very disappointed at the reaction you get. Last time I went to one of these things, everyone paid their own way, and I had to stay at my sister's place. I hadn't eaten on the bus ride down, and I got my head bitten off for getting a soda and making myself a sandwich. My fat ass wasn't buying any food for her house, so why should I be allowed to eat." Jessie said, shaking her head at the memory.
Elphaba bristled when she heard that. "It's different now. You're different now."
"I guess." Jessie said, with a shrug. She had already started to brace herself for the real impact. It was what those words could do to Elphaba that really scared and worried her. Elphaba calmed down before gently kissing Jessie on the cheek.
"I know. Go take a shower, I'll pick you out a nice outfit to wear."
"Thank you." Jessie said, kissing Elphie's head, before heading for the shower.
()
Jessie was nervous enough she was fidgeting in the basic black button up shirt and black pants Elphaba had selected for her. She was dreading this, but with Elphie on her arm and dressed in a knee length blue dress with black heels she had to smile. Elphaba looked amazing and confident. Elphaba held Jessie's sweaty palm as they stood just outside the dining room.
"Are you ready?"
"Yeah, I'm ready." Jessie said, kissing her cheek, before Elphaba opened the door to the private dining room. The loud room moments before fell quiet as Elphaba and Jessie walked in. They could feel all the eyes on them, as they walked to Jessie's parents, "Happy Anniversary!" Jessie said, hugging her mother, who pushed her off a bit.
"Thank you. Who's that?" Her mother asked, as Jessie hugged her more receptive father.
"Mom, dad, this is Elphaba. Elphaba, this is my mother, Sandy, and my dad Paul." Jessie said, stepping back, as people began talking and laughing again.
"Elphaba, yes. It's a pleasure to meet you, dear." Sandy said, not at all meaning it. How could she show up with that…woman on her arm. Sandy thought to herself, angrily.
"The pleasure is all mine, Mrs. Reynolds." Elphaba said, extending her hand.
"That's what you think! What's going on, Two Ton?" Jessie turned around, to see Lucas.
"Don't call me that." Jessie said, rolling her eyes.
"What's the matter, you don't want your girlfriend to know you're a fat pig. Has she seen you naked yet? Trust me, you could do much better, Elphaba." Jessie looked at Luke, her face and neck turning red, as those close enough to hear the comment laughed.
"I doubt it, but thank you for your concern. Who are you, again?" Elphaba asked, her mud wrestling smile plastered on her face.
"I'm her brother, Lucas. We spoke on the phone." He said with a sneer.
"Ah, yes. The one with no manners at all. It's nice to put a face to the name." Elphaba said, sweetly.
"Yeah, I'm sure it is. Well, grab a seat two ton. Try not to eat all the food this time." Lucas said, getting another round of laughs out of her family. Jessie took Elphie's arm, leading her to the table.
"Baby, can we please go home?" Jessie whispered, her voice cracking a little as she sat next to Elphie.
"Jessie, escort me to the buffet." Elphaba said, leading her off.
"Leave some for the rest of us, two ton." Lucas said, as they left. Jessie looked at Elphie, tears in her eyes.
"Please, baby, can I go home?" Jessie said, her voice cracking. Elphaba reached up, and wiped her eyes gently.
"Jess, this is like Las Vegas. If you don't go back in there, then they win."
"All they're going to do is keep making me the butts of all the jokes for the evening." Jessie said pitifully.
"Trust me." Elphaba said, kissing her cheek, as they began fixing their plates.
()
"Lucas, why did you pay for her and her girlfriend? This is supposed to be for family only. Even your friends aren't here for this dinner." Sandy said, rolling her eyes.
"I didn't, mom. The girlfriend must've paid for her own plane ticket." Lucas said, annoyed that Jessie had even shown up. He and Jan hadn't planned on this.
"Well, she's here now. I'm glad to see her." Paul said.
"I'm glad to see her, too, dad. Just not with that embarassment." Jan said, rolling her eyes, as Jessie and Elphaba headed back with their plates.
"Remember, we are Reynolds first. Be polite." Sandy reminded them, smiling at Jessie and Elphaba, as Jessie put her plate down and pulled out Elphaba's chair.
"Thank you, Jessie." Elphaba said, sitting down.
"Good to see you haven't forgotten all of your manners, two ton." Lucas said, as Jessie sat down.
"Didn't I tell you! Two Ton would hit the prime rib first." Jan said, smirking, as Jessie sat down.
"Yeah, really. I mean, Jess, would a salad kill you?" Lucas said, a smirk plastered firmly on his face.
"I eat salad all the time, but I'm on vacation." Jessie said, matter of factly.
"Yeah, sure you do two ton. Since two ton forgot most of her manners, I'm Jan, her sister." Jan offered.
"Nice to meet you. Jessie's told me a lot of wonderful things about all of you." Elphaba lied.
"Don't believe any of them." Lucas said, laughing.
"I'm afraid she hasn't told us much about you, Elphaba. Where are you from, dear?" Sandy asked.
"Topeka, Kansas, originally." Elphaba answered, before beginning to eat.
"You must be a saint, putting up with Jessie." Jan said, rolling her eyes.
"Or into pro bono work. You used to be a stripper, didn't you? I thought I saw something about that on the news." Lucas said, smirking at how much that was pissing Jessie off.
"She wasn't a stripper, she was a mud wrestler, asshole." Jessie said, rolling her eyes.
"Jessie, why are you so vulgar. Apologize to Lucas this instant." Sandy said, "He was kind enough to pay your way here, you have no business being so rude." Elphaba shot a glare at Lucas, who smirked even more.
"Pay her way…." Jessie raised her hand to stop Elphaba, before shaking her head.
"I'm sorry, Lucas." Jessie said, concentrating on her food.
"It's OK. We're all used to your rude behavior, but perhaps you should apologize to Elphaba. I mean, just being seen with you must be quite embarrassing for her. Unless, of course, you're into humilation." Lucas said, looking at Elphaba. Jessie threw down her napkin, and went to stand up. Elphaba grabbed her arm.
"Ignore him." She whispered.
"What's the matter, two ton, truth hurt?" Jan said, laughing. Most of the family joined in, as Jessie sat back down, red faced.
"Come on, Two Ton, it's just a joke." Lucas said.
"You're a fucking joke." Jessie mumbled under her breath.
"What was that? We couldn't hear you, Jessie." Jan said.
"Mumbling really is rude, Jessie. And sit up straight." Jessie sat up straighter, "Much better." Sandy said, sipping her water and looking at Elphaba, "So Jessie met you in Las Vegas?"
Jessie drifted farther into her head, as the meal and insults continued. She really didn't want to be here. This was the exact reason she avoided this entire thing like the plague. It was the same since she was a kid. She was almost grateful when desert was served, although she hadn't touched it. Much like the prime rib.
"….What do you think, two ton?" Lucas asked.
"About what?" Jessie asked Lucas, not really hearing him.
"About me setting up Elphaba with Joe. He's in town, you know." Lucas said with a smirk.
"She's my girlfriend. I think that idea sucks." Jessie said, matter of factly.
"Oh, come on, two ton! You scared your girlfriend's gonna dump you for a real man?" He said, laughing. Elphaba glared at Lucas, but had a sweet smile on her face.
"You actually know a real man? That is quite impressive. I didn't know uncouth boys knew how to act around real men." Everyone around the table actually fell silent for a few moments, they weren't used to someone actually standing up for Jessie. Jessie smiled inwardly at Elphie's comment, but the atmosphere of the room was absolutely unbearable.
"Elphaba, I'm going back to the room. I'm feeling sick."
Recovering first, Jessie's mother spoke. "You can't leave yet! We're going to start the slideshow soon."
"Sorry, mom, I'm not in the mood." Jessie said, getting up.
"Sit down this instant. You're embarrassing me." Sandy said, her voice raising.
"They've been embarrassing me all night." Jessie said, walking off.
"JESSICA BRENDA REYNOLDS SIT DOWN THIS INSTANT!" Her mother yelled after her. Jessie threw up her hands, continuing to walk.
"Good riddance, if you ask me, mom." Lucas said, scoffing.
"After the way you people have treated her all night, do you really blame her?" Elphaba asked.
Jan sneered at Elphaba,"Oh, it's just a joke, Elphaba. Besides, Jessie's tough, she can take it."
"She doesn't deserve to get treated like that." Elphaba said, angrily.
"If you don't like it, you're welcome to leave. It's not like you were invited anyway." Jan said, matter of factly. Elphaba's eyes harden, but she puts on a 'pleasant' smile.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize that my girlfriend didn't invite me when she paid for this vacation. Right now I am almost regretting talking her INTO paying for all of you to come out here. I am amazed that you asked her to pay your way out here and then treat her like she is nothing. You should all be ashamed of yourselves for how you are acting. I believe I have seen five year olds treat their pet goldfish better than you treat her." Elphaba got up and slowly began making her way out of the room. When she got to the door, Elphaba turned to give one last comment. "I believe prisoners of war were treated with more dignity and respect than you treat Jessie." Elphaba shook her head sadly before walking out of the room. Everyone was so shocked my her words that for the third time that evening, the room was absolutely silent for a few moments.
"What did that mean, Lucas?" Sandy asked, once the shock of Elphaba's speech wore off.
"Nothing, mom. She must be on drugs like Jessie. You heard about that nervous breakdown Jessie had, didn't you?" Lucas said quickly. He looked over at Jan, they would need to figure out how to get Jessie to put a muzzle on that green bitch before she ruined this vacation even more.
Elphaba walked back to the elevator. She thought her family was bad, but this was ridiculous. When she got back to the room, she found it empty. Elphaba walked down to Marcus' room but didn't find Jessie there either. She began to panic, where was Jessie?
()
Jessie found herself a quiet spot on the beach, and sat down looking over the water. This was why she hadn't wanted Elphaba exposed to these people. Every thing was fine, as long as it was at her expense. Any time she spoke up for herself, it turned into a screaming match because she was so rude and uncouth. Of course, anything they said about her was fine. Jessie shook her head.
After not seeing them for four years, she somehow expected it to be different. She wasn't working a minimum wage job and living in a shelter anymore. She was the heavyweight champion of the world, and known worldwide for her charity work. Still, these people saw her as cannon fodder. A way to entertain themselves and each other. It was still all her fault when conflict started. She took another swig of the coconut rum in her hand. There was no way Elphie would want to be with her after that. She laid down, taking another swig and looking at the stars.
()
Elphaba was truly terrified. It was three in the morning, and Jessie still hadn't made it back to the room. Marcus and Mike were out looking for her, and Rick took the job of asking her family. Elphaba wanted to choke most of them, so it seemed like the safer option.
"Get off me…I'm fine. Fuck it…It don't matter….fuck it." Elphaba breathed a sigh of relief, hearing Jessie's extremely slurred voice echoing down the hall. The door flew open, and Jessie staggered in, covered in sand. She fell over the two half steps, falling flat on her face.
"She was on the beach, shitfaced drunk." Marcus said, walking in behind Jessie.
"Shhhh, that was supposed to be a secaret. Lousy fink." Jessie said, trying to sit up and falling back down immediately.
"Help me out, Marcus." Elphaba said, trying to pick Jessie up.
"I'm fine. Leave me alone!" Jessie protested, trying to shake them off. Marcus and Elphie got her to the couch after a miniature struggle. "Where's my rum?" Jessie asked, her eyes almost rolling back in her head.
"You don't need anymore rum." Elphaba said, helping Marcus lay her down. Her eyes fluttered closed.
"I've never seen Jessie drink like this." Marcus said, worry etched on his face.
"Me, either. Let her sleep. I'll keep an eye on her." Elphaba said softly.
"Are you sure?" Marcus looked over Jessie worriedly. He knew there were issues with her family. Honestly, he didn't expect it to be this bad though.
"Positive." Elphaba said, sitting on the sofa next to Jessie.
"OK, I'll be in the other room if you need me." Marcus said, leaving Jessie in Elphaba's capable hands. Elphaba cleaned all of the sand off of Jessie and made sure she was wearing clean pajamas. She then put a blanket over Jessie's body.
Watching her sleep, Elphaba prepped a bowl with water and a fresh towel on the coffee table. She also had a few glasses of water prepared for Jessie should she wake up and need some. Elphaba then settled onto the couch and gently laid Jessie's head in her lap. She gently ran her hand through Jessie's hair and hummed softly. Elphaba felt partially responsible for Jessie drinking herself into oblivion tonight. Maybe it was a mistake to bring her here.