Grateful to be hidden behind the large stage curtains, Annie paced the floor. In her mind, she rehearsed what she was going to say to Jimmy. But nothing seemed right. How was she supposed to tell the man that she loved that he was about to lose the job he'd waited for his entire life? If it were anyone else…

"Annie, thank God!"

She turned in surprise to find him rushing toward her and he scooped her into his arms. He'd showered and changed his blonde hair damp and shiny. But it was his wardrobe that made her heart skip a beat. He was wearing the black sweatshirt with the Cats logo emblazoned in white letters on the front; the one he'd been wearing for his infamous "audition" with Del and Charlie. But it was the musky scent of his cologne that made her knees weak. "J-Jimmy, what are you doing here?"

He drew her close, resting his cheek against hers. "I was so worried about you?"

"A-about me? Why?"

He turned his head, bringing their faces just inches apart. "Because…I love you, Annie."

Tears sprang to her eyes and her heart ached in anticipation of hurting him. "You're so sweet."

She was rewarded when his fingertips gently lifted her chin and he kissed her softly. "And you're beautiful."

"Jimmy…"

He cradled her face in his hands, making her heart beat faster. "You were gone a long time. Are you all right? Did they hurt you?"

"What? Wh-who? Mr. Nunn? No. He never-."

"Annie, no matter what anyone says or what anyone thinks, you're extremely talented. Your singing and your dancing are phenomenal."

"Thanks Jimmy, but that's not-."

"Why did they take you away? I was so worried! I was afraid that I'd never see you again!"

She sighed deeply. Perhaps telling Mr. Nunn that Jimmy was sensitive was an understatement. He was so much more. But she couldn't wait any longer. She had to tell him the truth, no matter how much it hurt. "Actually they wanted to talk about you."

His mouth fell open in disbelief. "Me? But why?"

Her eyes filled with tears and she could barely stand to look at him. Silently she prayed for strength and the courage to get her through this. The act seemed weird to her, since she was definitely not religious and the only time she'd ever uttered the words Oh God were during a night of passion with a man she'd only known for a few hours. But now she needed the strength, even if it came from a divine being. His hand went to her shoulder, massaging it gently. "Hey, what's going on?"

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, allowing herself to look into his eyes. But doing so proved to be a mistake. With the gentlest touch, he brushed away a tear that slid down her cheek. "Don't cry hon. I'm here for you always. What's wrong?"

More tears fell then. "God, Jimmy I really don't know how to tell you this!"

"Sweetheart, you can tell me anything."
Oh God, he'd just called her Sweetheart. She swallowed hard, not having a clue how to answer.

"Oh… Okay, well Jimmy, the thing is… Th-the show hasn't been doing very well. Um, in fact, Mr. Nunn says that it's on the verge of closing if you can believe that. And he's not very happy about it, so when he pulled me into his office, he...um..."

Jimmy moved closer and took her hand. "He what?"

Just say it, Annie….

She squeezed his hand, sniffling. "I'm so sorry, Jimmy."

"Sorry? What are you talking about?"

"Jimmy, as of this moment you are no longer a member of the cast of the Broadway production of Cats. Y-you're fired."