DISCLAIMER: Dick Clair and Jenna McMahon created "The Facts of Life" fictional characters borrowed for this fan fiction. The author of this fan fiction does not profit, in any way, from the story. All creative rights to the characters belong to their original creator(s).
AUTHOR'S NOTES: This chapter is dedicated to my beloved who passed away much too soon.
Mirror, Mirror
A Life with No Regrets
"Wha…wha…wha…," Blair sputtered.
"I figured you were doing it with my counterpart," Jo flatly stated, trying to keep her hypocritical jealousy out of her voice.
Two clicks later, Jo realized she failed.
Blair's anger replaced her confusion and she flared, "It no longer matters who I fuck! The divorce papers in our safe made that loud and clear!"
Before Jo could apologize, Blair stormed out of the master bedroom and slammed the door behind her. She could feel hot tears streaming down her face as she rushed to her bedroom.
In Los Angeles, Charlie and Blair witnessed their Jo return to her body.
"Pop? Blair?" Jo rubbed her eyes, not wanting to believe what she was seeing.
"Jo, you're back," Blair hugged her friend.
In her confusion, Jo allowed the hug to continue longer than usual. She finally grew annoyed and wriggled out of Blair's arms.
She faced her father and asked, "What the hell happened?"
"You were telling us how your life in Boston is going," Charlie answered.
Jo was utterly shocked. As realization dawned, sadness replaced shock and she put her face in her hands.
Charlie hugged her and said, "I'm glad you're home."
A now distraught Jo sobbed into her father's shirt.
Charlie chuckled and quipped, "Between you and…you, I need to buy some quick-drying shirts."
Jo, confused by her father's comment, looked up at him.
"Your Boston counterpart cried a lot when she met your parents," Blair answered Jo's unasked question.
"Yeah…she lost Ma and Pop in a car wreck," Jo sadly stated, then happily added, "But Mrs. G is still alive."
"And we are married," Blair added to gauge Jo's reaction.
Jo looked at Blair to respond, but the memory of what she was doing before her timeline shift, caused the now extremely embarrassed brunette to blush to her hairline.
"Jo? Are you feeling okay? Your face is bright red," Blair fussed.
The annoyed brunette brusquely answered, "Yeah, yeah."
Choosing to ignore Jo's dismissiveness, Blair asked, "What is the other Blair like?"
Jo internally debated whether to answer Blair or not, since she knew her actions could alter future events in both her and the other Jo's timelines.
Before she could explain why she could not answer, Charlie piped in, "Blair, she can't answer that question. Just from what the other Jo told us, we already know too much and it might change everyone's future."
The stunned, but proud brunette stared at her father.
"Pop? What did that other Jo tell ya?" Jo asked.
Charlie told Jo everything her Boston counterpart told them. When he confirmed Boston Jo told them she was married to Blair, Jo sheepishly glanced at the smiling blonde and turned fifty shades of red.
"Pop, don't ya think she told ya too much?" Jo asked.
"Maybe…but since no one has ever gone public with being able to shift through timelines, we can't be sure," Charlie scratched his head.
Back in Boston, Blair's heart-wrenching sobs coming from her closed bedroom door broke Jo's heart. She knew she needed to say something, but at this point in their lives, she had no idea what.
Jo knocked on Blair's closed bedroom door, "Blair? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."
A soft thud hit the door and Blair yelled, "GO AWAY!"
The frustrated brunette clenched her right hand into a fist and took a deep breath. After slowly letting out a deep breath, she sat down next to the bedroom door to think.
"How do I get Blair to talk to me?" Jo thought.
As she thought, her memories drifted back to their happier days together. Before the nasty arguments, cheating, and pending divorce.
Jo put her head in her hands and muttered, "How did we go from so much happiness to here?"
"We stopped talking to each other," Blair softly answered.
Jo's head spun around so fast, that she almost gave herself whiplash, "Blair?!"
The sight of a sad, disheveled Blair standing in the open bedroom doorway devastated Jo and tears ran down her cheeks as she stared up at Blair. Through all their years together, the one sure thing that broke through the blonde lawyer's steely defenses was Jo's tears because only Blair was privy to them. Blair knelt and cupped Jo's tear-stained cheek.
"Welcome home," Blair weakly smiled.
"Babe?" Jo sniffled.
"Jo, even though you and I have problems in our marriage, I refuse to give up on us without a fight," Blair leaned in and lightly kissed Jo's lips.
In a Los Angeles hospital room, Blair was working Jo's last good nerve with her seemingly endless questions.
Before his volatile daughter exploded, Charlie spoke up, "Blair, I think Jo needs some rest now. After all, she just got home. Jo, you let us know if you need anything."
Jo silently thanked her father as he led Blair out of the room. Once she was alone, Jo began to internally break down her last timeline shift, desperate to find a way back, if possible.
In Boston, Jo stared at her wife's sleeping face and silently berated herself for being a stubborn idiot. She knew she should have gone to the expensive counseling sessions Mrs. G generously funded, but her anger and pride, mostly her pride, kept her from getting the professional help she desperately needed after she was raped by Harrison and his country club gang.
She snuggled close to Blair and softly said, "Babe, I'm extremely sorry for being such a stubborn ass. I should've gone to those counseling sessions. Maybe if I would've put my damn pride aside, I wouldn't be losing the only woman I have ever loved and will ever love." She gently kissed Blair's cheek and closed her eyes.
Blair wrapped her arm around Jo, kissed the top of her head, and whispered, "I love you too."
Bright and early the next morning, Jo immediately called her lawyer and informed her she received the divorce paperwork, however, she tossed them in the fireplace and made s'mores for breakfast. The amused brunette wryly smiled as she remembered Blair's reaction to her s'mores breakfast.
"Jo? Why are you toasting marshmallows in our fireplace?"
"I wanted something sweet from this bittersweet fire."
Blair noticed the empty envelope on the floor and realized Jo was burning the divorce papers.
"Jo? Why are you burning your divorce papers?"
Jo finished making the second of two s'mores, turned around, handed one to Blair, answered, "I felt like s'mores this morning," and brightly smiled before biting into the sweet treat in her hand.
In her Los Angeles hospital room, an extremely agitated Jo poked at the food on her hospital tray and grumbled, "This slop is inedible. I wish I were back in Boston."
"Is she a good cook?"
Jo's head swiftly turned toward the familiar voice and saw Blair standing in the open doorway, "When did you…?"
"A few minutes ago. Is my counterpart a good cook?"
Jo paused and internally debated whether to answer or not, before nodding her head and hoping Blair would not ask any more questions about Boston Blair.
"How good is she?"
"Blair? You know I can't tell ya." Jo answered, hoping this would end any further questions.
Blair walked over to the chair next to the bed, sat down, met Jo's eyes, and nodded. They spent several minutes in companionable silence, as Jo continued to poke at the dishes on her hospital breakfast tray.
"Jo? You should just get it over with and eat it."
The resigned brunette put a spoonful of something gray into her mouth, tasted it, and immediately spit it back into the bowl.
"That's fucking disgusting! How can they even call that food?" Jo yelled.
Blair murmured, "She must be a first-class chef."
"What?" Jo glared at Blair.
"I said the other Blair must be a first-class chef because what you just called "fucking disgusting" is the oatmeal your mother made for you."
Jo sputtered like an airplane with engine trouble.
"I won't tell her, but you'd better finish it before your parents arrive."
Blair watched Jo's shoulders slump in defeat. Jo reluctantly put another spoonful of her mother's gray oatmeal in her mouth and swallowed, not bothering to chew, hoping she would not be able to taste it.
"She trained at Le Cordon Bleu," Jo softly mumbled through her mouthful of oatmeal, hoping Blair could not hear her.
Jo looked at Blair for a reaction, but the businesswoman was busy scrolling through her mobile phone. Several agonizing minutes later, Jo finished the last of her mother's gray oatmeal.
"Done!" Jo triumphantly called out to no one in particular.
Blair looked at Jo and smiled, "It wasn't Le Cordon Bleu, but at least it wasn't hospital food."
Jo sighed, "Dammit Blair."
The businesswoman looked at her watch and then asked, "Your parents should arrive in about twenty minutes, so before they get here, could you tell me something?"
"What," Jo scrutinized Blair.
"Are you in love with the other Blair?"
