The people were out in droves on the hot and humid August afternoon, enjoying the sounds of Billy Joel, who was onstage rocking the crowd with a kick ass version of 'Scenes from an Italian Restaurant.' The smell of hamburgers and hotdogs barbecuing permeated the air, and traffic on the two-lane Montauk Highway was backed up for miles with latecomers trying to get into the sold out show featuring five different performers, all scheduled to play throughout the day, Plenty of Nothing being one of them.

Although scheduled to play at the annual summer concert well in advance, the band figured they would use the show as a chance to introduce the Long Island audience to Linda's replacement, Stephanie, and to showcase some of their new material.

Rebecca sat on a lawn chair, with her daughter in her lap, in the fenced in area designated for the concert's featured performers and their families. Intently watching the action going on around her, she spotted Jordanna standing near the stairs on the side of the stage, talking with Rachel and the concert's organizer, Paul Simon. "Mommy, I can't see anything," Cindy complained, unable to see past some of the other artists and their family members hanging around.

The reporter reluctantly withdrew her gaze from the backside of the tall, muscled form of her dark-haired lover. "I really can't see either, sweetie," she answered lazily, and was surprised to feel the young girl being lifted out of her lap from behind.

"Up you go, kiddo."

Rebecca's heart rate calmed considerably when she recognized the rich, low tone of her partner's voice. She looked up and saw the drummer, now standing in front of her, with Cindy perched up on her shoulders, both sporting matching smiles. "Hey, what about me?" Rebecca teased. "I can't see either."

Jordanna's blue eyes twinkled. "I'll be sure to take care of you later, baby."

"That best be a promise, Jordanna Fox," Rebecca said, continuing on with the little game.

A dark brow lifted. "That it is, baby… that it is."

"Good," Rebecca said, and tugged on the bottom of Jordanna's cutoff jean shorts. "Can I get you to wear that sexy black outfit for me again?"

"Rebecca…" Jordanna lifted her eyes to remind her partner that Cindy was within earshot, but continued on anyway. "Mmm, I dunno. What's in it for me?"

"Whatever you want, my love," Rebecca answered softly, and ran her hand along the drummer's muscled thigh.

Jordanna smiled wickedly, silently picturing Rebecca in furry wrist cuffs in her mind. Cindy snapped her out of her thoughts, as the young girl pointed out that a stray beach ball that some members of the audience were playing with came over the fence and landed near where they were standing. The drummer walked over to it, inched her foot underneath the ball, gave it a gentle lift with her ankle, and watched as it spun into the air and into her waiting hands. "Here, kiddo. Why don't you throw the ball back over the fence," the drummer said as she walked closer to the fence, and gave the ball to Cindy, who tossed it back into the audience.

When she saw that the ball was safely back in it's owner's possession she made her way back over to where Rebecca was sitting. She helped Cindy down off of her shoulders, and sat down in an empty lawn chair next to the reporter. "Hey, baby."

The small blonde put her hand on Jordanna's bare knee. "Hey yourself," she said, and watched as her lover's eyes followed Stephanie, the newest member of the band, as she walked by. She felt a quick surge of jealousy, but relaxed when her eyes caught sight of the sun's reflection that was glaring off of the gold band that Jordanna wore on her left hand, one that matched her own.

The drummer shifted in her seat and leaned in close to Rebecca. "Can you figure out what that tattoo on the back of Stephanie's leg is?" she whispered. "I've been trying to figure out what it is all day."

'That's what she's been looking at? Don't I feel like shit!!??!!' Rebecca thought to herself, and had to admit that she was surprised. She accepted the fact that her partner is a well-known flirt and would probably never change, even with all of the therapy in the world. "Her tattoo? That's what you've been looking at?"

"Yeah, why?" Jordanna said, lifting a dark brow. "What did you think I was looking at?"

"Well, uh…" The reporter stumbled for the right words, realizing that there aren't any. "I thought you were… well, checking her assets out, to be perfectly honest."

Jordanna burst out laughing. "Ouch… and from my own partner, too." She leaned to the side and gently bumped heads with Rebecca. "I guess I'll never lose my playgirl status, huh?"

Rebecca turned red with embarrassment. "God, insert foot in mouth, Rebecca. I didn't mean to sound like I don't trust you, Jor," she apologized. "I should think before I open my mouth sometimes."

The dark-haired woman lifted Rebecca's chin up with her finger and kissed her. "No apology needed, baby. I worked very hard for that title. It's only fitting that I should work twice as hard to lose it."

"But…" Rebecca started to argue, but the drummer quickly cut her off with another kiss, this one much more passionate. They broke apart at the sound of Cindy's voice. "Ewww, not again," the young girl said, and made a face at them.

Jordanna ruffled the top of Cindy's hair. "None of that from you, young lady," she said to her lover's daughter. "You know that your mommy and I love each other very much, right?" she asked, and quickly looked at Rebecca for approval.

"Yeah," the young girl answered, and then nodded.

"We kiss to show each other how we feel, sweetie," Jordanna continued.

Cindy made another face. "But you guys are always kissing!"

"That's because we are very lucky to share a love like we do, pipsqueak," Rebecca said, chiming in on the conversation. "Some people go through life without ever having that."

The young girl sat quietly for a moment, and then looked up at both women. "That's sad."

"Mmm, yeah it is, sweetheart," Rebecca agreed.

Totally immersed in the conversation between her lover and Cindy, Jordanna sat up quickly at the sound of someone calling her name, her body stiffening in reflex.

"What's the matter, love?" Rebecca asked, immediately sensing something was up with her partner.

"Did you just hear someone calling my name?" Jordanna asked, as her eyes scanned the crowd hanging around by the fence, looking to catch a glimpse of all of the band members hanging around the area.

"People have been calling your name and taking pictures of you, or should I say us, through the fence all afternoon, Jor."

The drummer shook her head. "No, it's an older man's voice. Somehow I doubt he's a fan wanting a few pictures of me." She scanned the crowd by the fence again, and did a double take when she saw the owner of the voice, who called out her name again. "Oh, my God," she said, and was instantly up on her feet.

"What?" Rebecca asked, surprised at Jordanna's quick actions. "Who is it?"

The drummer looked down at her lover and spoke very quietly. "My father."

"Your father?" Rebecca stood up quickly, and was by Jordanna's side looking into the crowd. "Which one?"

"Over there," Jordanna answered, and pointed to a sparsely crowded area by the fence. "The tall man in the blue shirt," she said, explaining further as she started to walk towards the fence.

"Hold up, love," Rebecca said loudly, and took her daughter by the hand, meeting up with Jordanna as she walked. As they approached the fence, she got a good look at the man, and could see whom Jordanna got all of her attractive features from. "You look just like him," Rebecca said, appraising the tall, good looking man with short, salt and pepper hair and sparkling blue eyes.

"I know," Jordanna responded quietly.

The drummer approached the fence and looked directly into her father's eyes, eyes that she hadn't seen for over fifteen years. "What do you want?" she asked coldly.

"I came to see you, Julia. To explain."

Jordanna didn't know what to feel. Part of her wanted to jump into her father's strong arms and the other part of her, the part that remembered the hurt, the pain, and the feeling of rejection… that part wanted to run the other way and never look back. "What's to explain, Dad?" she said sarcastically. "You went away one day and never came back. You found a new partner and had more children, and never once tried to get in contact with your firstborn daughter. End of story." Jordanna turned around with every intention of walking away from her father, just like he did to her years ago.

"That's not true, Julia," she heard him call out as she walked away. "I wrote you letters and I called you right after I left, but your mother told me that you ran away."

The drummer stopped in her tracks and turned around. "That's bullshit," she said, her temper beginning to flare. "I ran away a year after you left us." She felt Rebecca's hand rubbing her back and instantly calmed down. "Why would she lie like that?" she asked, her voice softening. "I don't understand."

"Your mother is a very sick woman, Julia," her father answered, not telling Jordanna anything she didn't already know. The drummer snorted at his answer, but said nothing.

"Let me explain it to you so that you will understand," he said, now that he had his daughter's attention. "Please, Julia?" he asked, his blue eyes sincere.

The dark-haired woman let out a deep sigh. "This isn't the place to talk," she said, looking around at the large crowd that was beginning to build around the fence, all trying to get a closer view of the famous drummer.

Her father pleaded at her with his eyes. "Then maybe we could get something to eat somewhere and talk, whatever you want."

Jordanna stood in silent contemplation, ignoring the pens and paper being shoved through the fence at her for autographs. "We can talk at my house… after the show." She scratched the top of her head. "It will be pretty late, though, because I have to stay for the whole show. There's a big jam session at the end."

"That's fine, Julia," he agreed, nodding his head. "You know I always loved watching you play."

The drummer blinked. "I know," she said quietly. "I remember." She shifted nervously from foot to foot. "And please… call me Jordanna. I haven't been called Julia for over fifteen years now."

Not sure if her timing was at all appropriate, Rebecca cleared her throat anyway.

"Oh, God, baby. I'm sorry," the dark-haired woman said, putting her arm around her lover's shoulder. "Rebecca, this is my father, Thomas Smith." She turned slightly to speak to her father. "This is my partner, Rebecca," she said, and then pulled the quiet young girl closer. "And this is her daughter, Cindy. My family."

Jordanna's father offered Rebecca his hand through a broken slat in the wooden fence. "Call me Tom, please," he said as Rebecca took his offered hand. He then crouched down so that he was eye level with Rebecca's young daughter. "Hello, Cindy," he spoke softly, and smiled at the young girl. Cindy grabbed on to her mother's leg for protection, and said hello with hesitance to the tall stranger.

Jordanna spun around quickly when she heard someone calling her name from behind, and saw Gary, her drum tech, walking towards them. "It's time, J, let's go," he summoned in a very gruff tone of voice, and then walked away from them, obviously expecting her to follow right behind him.

The drummer rolled her eyes. "I gotta speak to him about that attitude of his lately," she said to no one in particular, and then turned to face her father. "I gotta go. I'll see if I can get you a pass so that you can watch the show from the side of the stage, but if not, I'll meet you right here after the show, okay?"

He nodded his head and took her hand through the fence. "Thank you, Jul… um… Jordanna, for giving me a chance."

She blinked and nodded her head, before she pulled her hand away, turned around and headed towards the stage. Rebecca and Cindy caught up with her quickly, and Rebecca took her hand in her own, slowing the tall woman's stride up a bit. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah."

"Are you sure?" Rebecca asked, pulling them all to a stop.

"I said I'm fine," the drummer snapped angrily. Taking a few moments to gaze into caring green eyes, she apologized once she calmed down. "I'm sorry. This is just… I don't know what to think about this, baby. I mean, do I trust him and let him into my life again?" She felt the sting of tears coming to her eyes. "You know he hurt me very badly, Rebecca. I was just a kid and he left me alone with my wacko of a mother, for Christ's sake."

Rebecca wrapped her arms around Jordanna's waist and gave her a big hug. "You know that I will support you, Jor, no matter what you decide. Why don't you just listen to what he has to say tonight and then take it from there?"

"Yeah, that's what I am going to do," Jordanna said, returning the hug. "Do you know how much I love you, Rebecca?" She leaned down and kissed the small blonde tenderly. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"The feeling is mutual, love." Rebecca put her hand on her lover's back and gave her a shove towards the stage. "Now get up there and kick some musical ass!"

"Yes, ma'am," the drummer chuckled, and answered Rebecca with a military salute. "I'm off to kick some ass."

Rebecca watched her as she climbed up the stairs on the side of the stage, and stood in place with Stephanie and Rachel as they waited to take the stage. The reporter jumped when Kelly grabbed her arm from behind, and spun around defensively, ready to attack whoever was coming at her. The lead guitarist threw her hands in the air. "Whoa, whoa… it's just me, Rebecca."

Rebecca put her hand over her rapidly beating heart in reflex, and realized that she apparently still wasn't over the whole Linda shooting incident. "You scared me half to death, Kelly."

"Sorry, I wasn't thinking," Kelly said, her face turning red from embarrassment. "I um… was that Jordanna's father I saw you two talking to before?"

Rebecca nodded. "Yes, it was."

"Shit, I knew it! I knew he looked familiar." Remembering the way Jordanna felt about her father, she asked, "How is she?"

"Um…" Rebecca hesitated. "She's okay, I guess. Why?"

Kelly ran a hand through her long, curly hair and then spoke. "When Jordanna found out a couple years ago that he remarried and had more children, she lost it. And Rebecca, I mean she really lost it. She went on a binge like you can't believe. I've never seen her so self destructive."

Rebecca blinked, and definitely wanted to hear more. "What kind of a binge?"

"Well…" Kelly turned and looked at the stage, as if trying to get approval to tell Rebecca what she was going to say from the drummer. "She started partying… drugs, drinking heavily. She's always partied in moderation, but she never drank like that before. And the women, Rebecca… God, she would go through at least 4 or 5 a day."

The reporter's stomach started to churn.

"That's when she started getting into kinky sex," Kelly continued, unsure whether the young woman knew about all of Jordanna's dark sexual habits. When Rebecca showed no surprise at her revelation, she continued on. "We actually had to cancel a few shows because nobody knew where she was. She went out on her own to a bunch of fetish bars, met up with some women, and never bothered showing up for the shows. That's where she met Susan, in a fetish bar in California."

"Really?" Rebecca asked curiously. Jordanna had never given her the details as to where she met her destructive ex-girlfriend. "I didn't know that."

Kelly nodded. "It got so bad that we had to tell her to get her act together or we would be forced to go out and find another drummer," the guitarist revealed sadly.

"Oh, God," Rebecca gasped. "That must have been such a hard thing to do. You've known her since childhood."

Kelly thought about the experience and agreed. "It was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do, Rebecca. The five of us got together in her hotel room one night, the four of us standing on one side of the room, while Jordanna sat in a chair on the other side. Jerry laid it on the line to her. She didn't say a word but her eyes told us everything, she looked so sad. When he was done she just got up and walked out of the room."

Rebecca scanned the area by the fence to see if her partner's father was still standing there. "That fucking son of a bitch. He better not even think about hurting her again, Kel, or I'll break his fucking legs!" Realizing what she said, Rebecca put her hand over her mouth. "Sorry… that just makes me so angry."

"Wow," Kelly teased. "I didn't know what a little spitfire you really are. You really love her, don't you?"

"Yeah," the reporter answered, and looked at her wedding band. "She's my life."

Kelly put her hand on Rebecca's shoulder. "I'm very glad she found you, Rebecca. You are just what she needed in her life," Kelly said, and watched as a smile grew big and bright on the young blonde's face. Hearing someone calling out Kelly's name, both women turned at looked at the stage. "Yeah, yeah… hold your horses, Jordanna," Kelly chuckled, when they saw the tall drummer standing on the edge of the stage, with her hands out to the sides.

"Stop hitting on my woman, Savage, and get your ass up on the stage," the drummer yelled. "We've got a show to do!"

Rebecca shook her head and laughed at the 'my woman' comment, realizing that she liked being called that by Jordanna, in a caveman sort of way. "Thank you, Kelly," she said to the guitarist, as she was just about to walk away. "Thank you for telling me all of this about her, I really appreciate it."

The drummer screamed for Kelly again, and the guitarist turned to look at Rebecca. "How in the hell do you put up with her?" she asked, and then bolted for the stage.

Rebecca smiled and said one word. "Love." She stood there, knowing that she had a really goofy smile on her face when Gary approached her and slipped a backstage pass into her hand. "Jordanna says that you know who this is for," the drum tech said, and then walked away.

She glanced down at the pass in her hand and then looked toward the fence, spotting her lover's tall father immediately. Sighing heavily, she went over to make sure Cindy, who was busy playing near Kelly's husband and sons, would be okay if she left her with them for a little while. She slowly made her way through the crowd backstage over to the fence, and noticed that Thomas cracked a smile when he saw her walking his way, the same crooked smile that her lover had a habit of doing. "I have that backstage pass for you from Jordanna," she said, and handed him the silk day-pass through the fence. "Peel the backing off and put it on your shirt." He followed her instructions, and smiled once again. Pointing to the well-guarded area near the stage, she said, "You have to come through that gate over there. I'll meet you there, okay?"

Jordanna's father nodded his understanding and she watched him make his way through the crowds of people, who quickly rushed the area when Plenty of Nothing took the stage. She looked down when she felt a gentle tug on her hand, and saw her daughter standing there. "Mommy?"

Rebecca crouched down so that she was eye level with Cindy. "Yeah, sweetie?"

"Who is that man?"

The reporter ruffled the dark curls on her daughter's head, and then smiled. "That's Jor's father, sweetheart. She hasn't seen him in a very long time."

"Really?"

"Mmhmm," Rebecca said, and took Cindy's hand. "Let's go bring him back here."

The guards let the tall man through the gate and he silently followed Rebecca and her daughter through the off-limits area. She motioned for him to sit down on the lawn chair that Jordanna was previously using, and he did. Uncomfortable with the situation, Rebecca really didn't know what to say. "Would you like something to drink?"

He shook his head. "No thanks, I'm fine." She walked over to the large ice filled cooler, and pulled out a Michelob for herself and soda for Cindy before returning to her seat next to him. He looked up at the stage and watched his daughter for a few minutes. "She looks good," he said, trying to break the awkward silence between them. "She grew up to be a beautiful woman."

'No thanks to you or her mother,' Rebecca thought to herself. "That she is," she finally answered and took an extra long pull on her beer, deciding that she better be nice rather than say what she really thought.

"How long have you and Julia been together?"

Rebecca looked up at the stage at her lover gracefully seated behind her drums, and then smiled at him. "Jordanna and I met seven months ago, but we've known each other forever."

His blue eyes narrowed, much like his daughter's always did when they took on a look of wonderment. "I assume you live together?" He shook his head slightly. "I've kept on her career from the start, Rebecca, so obviously I know about her sexual preference."

Rebecca bore her green eyes into his. "So then you know that Jordanna and I are married, and live together as a family."

"I don't have a problem with it," he added. "As long as my daughter is happy." He looked at her wedding band, and remembered that he saw one on Jordanna's hand when she was leaning against the fence. "Did you, um, have a what do you call it?"

Rebecca took another long pull from her beer, hoping that the alcohol would kick in and relax her. Hating when people question her about her private life with her famous lover, she wished Jordanna were there with her. "A commitment ceremony you mean?" She stretched out, crossed her legs and shifted in her chair. "You know we did. It was all over the rags."

"I don't read that trash, Rebecca," he said with a touch of anger in his voice. "Especially if there is anything about my daughter in them."

Rebecca took a sip of her beer and just looked at the man who looks so much like her lover.

"You don't trust me, do you?" Jordanna's father asked rather bluntly, cutting to the chase. "I'm sorry if I make you uncomfortable."

Rebecca sat up and leaned forward in her chair. "You want the truth?"

He nodded.

Looking him straight in his bright blue eyes, she said, "The truth is, I don't know you. The only thing I know about you is that my lover idolized you as a child, and you hurt her in more ways then you can possibly imagine by abandoning her. It still affects her today, in certain ways."

"But I didn't abandon her. Her mother kick…" he tried to explain, but Rebecca cut him off.

"She didn't know that, so whether you did or didn't abandon her is not the point," she said, her voice loud and angry enough that the people around them turned their focus on them. "I am not going to stand by and let you hurt her like that again."

"Fair enough," he said quietly, as he slid his foot along a dirt patch in the middle of the grass. "Thank you for being honest with me. I can see why my daughter loves you, and how much you love her."

Changing the subject, Rebecca said, "I think you might be interested in this song. Jordanna goes into her drum solo during this one." She took a final pull on her bottle of beer and stood up. "Do you want to get a closer look? We can go up on the side of the stage to watch, if you want."

"Yeah, I'd like that," he answered, slapping his hands on his knees before he got up. He followed the small, spunky woman through the crowd and stood to the side while Rebecca spoke to a member of the road crew, who found them a place to stand on the side of the stage, right next to Jordanna's drum set. The roadie lifted Cindy up, and she sat on top of the mid-sized speaker that Rebecca and Thomas stood behind.

Noticing them standing by the speakers, the drummer smiled and winked when she saw Cindy waving to her, never missing a beat. Jordanna closed her eyes and the rest of the music slowly faded, until it was just her alone with her thoughts and her drums. She very rarely used her double bass during the band's set, but utilized it during her solo, giving her the chance to show off her strong footwork. She played echo patterns, playing different drum roll patterns on her kit, and copying the patterns with her double bass right afterward. After a ten-minute solo, each member of the band came back onto the stage one at a time, finally finishing off the song.

Rebecca stood there silently watching her lover entertain the crowd. She took a quick glimpse at Jordanna’s father and thought that she saw a small tear in the corner of his eye. Hmmm…maybe he is sincere. He better be, if he knows what’s good for him. He glanced up at her, and when he noticed she was looking at him, he wiped his eyes, and quickly looked away.

Due to festival time restraints, the band took a quick break and then came back out on to the stage for their one song final encore. Jordanna slipped her cordless microphone on her head, and made her way to the front of the stage. She stood waiting for her drum tech, Gary, to kick into the drum intro of their much more modern version of The Brady Bunch's groovy, summer tune, "Sunshine Day," the sing-along song they always close the annual festival with. She caught a glimpse of Gary standing on the side of the stage sporting a no good grin on his bearded face, and turned around quickly to find one of the other members of the road crew behind her drum set.

'What the fuck are you up to, Gary?' Jordanna thought idly but put on a happy face as she began to sing the beginning vocals on the song, bringing the already crazy crowd alive as she walked along the edge of the stage, making direct eye contact with the fans in front.

Sharing vocal duties with Stephanie for the female members of the Brady clan, Jordanna looked around at the faces in the crowd as she sang and recognized a few familiar ones standing along the side of the stage, just waiting for the end of the song. 'You fuck,' she thought, as she looked over at Gary again, who smiled back at her when he realized that she must have forgotten how they traditionally ended this song each year. 'Rebecca's gonna kill me!'

Rachel and Kelly took on the challenge of singing the Brady boy vocals as Jordanna jumped off of the stage and down into the camera pit for the sing-along part of the song. Gary ran out onto the stage and handed her an extra microphone, laughing in her face when she pleaded with him not to do what he was about to do. "Please don't, Gary."

Jordanna held out the microphone to the screaming crowd, who happily joined in on the vocals.

She watched as Gary walked to the side of the stage, picked up the hose, and she distractedly joined in late on the band's part of the sing-along.

Gary smiled wickedly as he walked closer and closer to the camera pit, hose in one hand. He leaned down and held out his free hand to help Jordanna climb back up onto the stage.

She took the offered hose in her hand, knowing that she couldn't find a way out of the mess she got herself into years ago. She prayed that the women would keep their shirts on this year, caring, for the first time in her life, that there was young children in the audience that didn't need to see her libido in action. She walked to the side of the stage where the group of screaming women stood. She looked over at Rebecca and mouthed the word sorry to her, and turned the hose on, dousing them and their sheer white t-shirts until everyone could plainly see perky nipples peeking through, like some frat-boy, college bar, wet t-shirt contest.

The band wound down on the song, and wet shirts were lifted to reveal bare flesh to her, flesh that she realized, still had a hold on her as she felt the heat between her legs rising. She sprayed herself off with the hose and left the stage quickly, throwing the hose at Gary with force, nearly knocking him down on the ground. "You’re a fucking asshole, Gary," she spat, and walked away.

**

The drummer snuck up on Rebecca from behind, squeezed the reporter’s shoulders and nuzzled her neck. "I'm so sorry, baby."

The small blonde put her hand on her hip and tapped her foot on the ground. "What in the hell just happened?"

Jordanna shook her head and rubbed her eyes, annoyed at herself for being so forgetful. "You've heard of musicians having members of their road crew going into the audience to pick out fans for after-show activities?"

"Yeah, I have," Rebecca responded hesitantly.

"Gary used to do that for me."

"And the wet t-shirt contest is his doing?" the reporter asked, already knowing the answer to her question.

"No, it was my idea," Jordanna answered bluntly. "Started doing it the first year we played at the show, and have done it every year since. Problem is, I forgot about it until I saw that Gary was not playing the drums. I would've told him to forget it, not that I think he would listen, anyway."

"Obviously," Rebecca said sarcastically. "I wouldn't have brought Cindy here had I known that was going to happen. I hope to God you wouldn't have brought her knowing it, either, Jordanna."

The drummer looked down at the ground, closed her eyes and then answered. "No, I wouldn't have brought her," she said softly. "Did she say anything?"

Rebecca enjoyed watching her lover squirm. 'Serves her right,' she thought. "She didn't see it, Jordanna."

The dark-haired woman took a deep breath. "Oh, thank God."

Deciding to let her lover off the hook, Rebecca took her hand and walked with her over to where Thomas and Cindy were sitting.

Thomas smiled at his daughter, and opted to forget to say anything to her about the end of the show. "You were fantastic, Jordanna. I see you still play with your eyes closed most of the time."

"Some habits never die," the drummer coldly responded, still embarrassed from the lecture from Rebecca. She sat down on the grass in front of the chair Rebecca sat down on, and turned around to face the small blonde. "Do me a favor, baby. Could you braid my hair?"

Rebecca slid off the chair and sat behind Jordanna, her fingers instinctively tracing the outline of the tattoo on the drummer’s shoulder. Jordanna felt Rebecca's finger as she traced the heart outlined in all roses first, and then she felt her trace the letters J and R that were tattooed inside the heart, entwined together as one. "You’re all wet," Rebecca said once she finished tracing, and ran her hands through the back of Jordanna’s soaking wet hair.

"I had to hose myself off, Rebecca. It's hot up there on the stage."

"Yeah, yeah. You weren't hot from the heat," Rebecca said, continuing to torture the drummer for the little show up on the stage. Instead of braiding Jordanna’s wet hair, she decided to put it up in a ponytail. "This’ll have to do for now," she said, and handed Jordanna her baseball hat, which she quickly put on her head.

Jordanna turned and gave Rebecca a quick kiss on the cheek, and then she pushed herself up off of the ground. "Thanks, sweetheart," she said, and held her hand out to pull Rebecca up from her sitting position.

"You still a fan?" the drummer asked her father, talking about the team on her hat, the Mets.

Thomas nodded immediately. "Yep, you?"

"I still watch when I get the chance," she answered quietly, her mind taking her back to when she was a child.

"We used to practically live at Shea Stadium when you were a kid, remember?" Thomas asked reflectively, apparently reliving the same memories as the dark-haired woman.

She smiled briefly at the memory of the two of them together, enjoying each other’s company at the ball field, back in the days when the price of a beer and a hotdog wasn’t the same amount as a mortgage payment. "I remember."

"Have you gone lately?"

Jordanna walked over to the cooler and pulled out an icy, cold bottle of Budweiser. "You want one?" she asked her father, and pulled another one out when he nodded. "Baby?" she asked, looking over at her lover. She pulled a third bottle out when Rebecca said yes, and handed them both their bottles. She didn’t even bother to ask Cindy if she wanted soda, and pulled out a can of cola for her anyway.

She sat down on a chair, and took a long pull on her bottle, immensely enjoying the cold beer on such a hot and humid day. "I went to Shea last month, for my bachelorette party, believe it or not," Jordanna finally said, answering her father’s question from earlier. "It’s kind of hard for me to go out in public, otherwise we would go more often. I usually end up signing autographs for most of the game if I go."

"You used to run around, chasing the ballplayers for their autographs, and now you’re signing them," he said, and smiled brightly. "I remember when you nearly knocked some little boy right to the ground to get Lee Mazzilli’s autograph. You were so excited to meet him."

Jordanna laughed at the memory. "Yeah, I used to think he was so gorgeous."

Rebecca chuckled. "You thought Lee Mazzilli was cute? I figured you would have been chasing all the ball girls around."

"Nah." The drummer shook her head. "I wasn’t enlightened about things at that point of my life, and they only had bat boys back then, anyway."

"I guess they were pretty safe from the young Jordanna Fox, seducer of women, then."

"Hey!" Jordanna gave Rebecca a playful slap in the stomach and laughed. She pulled her small partner close to her and then wrapped her arms around her for a huge hug. "However, I definitely would have chased the ball girls around last month during my bachelorette party, but there were too many witnesses around that would report back to my partner. She wouldn't have been very happy about that."

"You bet your backside she wouldn't have been too happy about that," Rebecca confirmed Jordanna's statement. "You would have been alternating your therapy days. Regular therapy with Dr. Rosen and physical therapy, too."

Jordanna quickly looked at Rebecca, trying to stop her from what she was saying. The comment didn't fall on deaf ears, though, and Thomas quickly asked, "You go to therapy, Jordanna?"

The drummer didn’t know what to say, and she looked down at the ground in embarrassment. "Yeah, I do," she finally answered, after looking up and meeting her father's blue eyes.

"For what?"

Jordanna shook her head. "Now is not the time to talk about it."

The reporter was horrified that she let Jordanna's secret out of the bag. "I'm sorry, Jor, it just came out." The drummer quickly pulled her into her arms, and whispered in her ear. "It's okay, baby. People are going to start finding out sooner or later."

Hours passed since the sky changed from its orange-yellowish gray summer dusk color to the dark black of night. Overhead spotlights twinkled down on the stage as the crew set up the equipment for the all-star jam. The tired crowd came alive as several of the day's musicians took their places on the stage.

"Jordanna requested we do this song," one of the headlining musicians of the day announced to the crowd. "It happens to be her wedding song. That's right ladies, gentlemen, and ladies… Jordanna Fox is officially off of the market now!"

The dark-haired drummer stood behind the microphone on the edge of the stage, hoping that nobody could tell her face couldn't possibly get any redder. "I think they succeeded in their attempt to embarrass me," she spoke shyly into the microphone. Turning to look at Rebecca on the side of the stage, she said, "This one is for you, sweetheart."

The group of musicians broke into their rendition of 'Can't take my eyes off of you,' with Jordanna on lead vocals. She kept her eyes open as she sang, but was focused on one person only, her partner, who was sitting on a speaker on the side of the stage, with Cindy in her lap.

When the song ended, Jordanna politely thanked the jazzed crowd, and then quietly left the front of the stage as another group of musicians came out. She eased herself behind her lover on the speaker, and ran her hands down Rebecca's thighs. "I love you so much, baby," she whispered into the young woman's ear, and then nibbled lightly on her neck.

Rebecca turned her head slightly and ran her hand across Jordanna's cheek. "I love you, too, Jor. Thank you for doing that song. You know it means so much to me."

"It means a lot to me, too, Rebecca," Jordanna answered, leaning her chin on Rebecca's shoulder and closing her eyes for a moment. "I have one more song to do and then we are out of here, okay?" The drummer opened her eyes and looked at Cindy, peacefully sleeping in her mother's arms. "Busy day for her, huh?"

"Yeah," Rebecca nodded her answer. "She's exhausted." She rubbed her lover's arm, which was planted firmly on her thigh. "Are you singing or drumming the last song?"

"Both."

Rebecca smirked. "Both, huh? No surprises, right?"

The drummer shook her head. "I don't think so. We are doing a Simon & Garfunkel song." The dark-woman couldn't control a smirk and broke out in song. "Here's to you, Mrs. Robinson…" Rebecca felt her lover's body moving against hers as she sang the old tune. "I'm just playing percussion and singing background vocals."

"Hey!" Rebecca yelped and smacked her lover on the leg. "I happen to like Simon & Garfunkel, so don't make fun of them."

"I'm not making fun of them, Rebecca." The dark-haired woman let out a hearty laugh. "If you look hard enough in my collection, you'll see that I have all of their CDs. It's not all rap, you know."

"I know that. I happen to like your tastes."

Jordanna lifted a dark brow. "You do, huh?"

"Your musical tastes, you pervert. Although, thank God for me for your taste in women, also."

"You should tell my partner that," the drummer teased. "I think she'd be very pleased to hear you think I have exceptional taste in women." She leaned down and kissed Rebecca on the top of her head. "Very pleased, indeed."

"I didn't say exceptional, Jordanna."

Hugging her partner tight, the drummer whispered, "I did," and then slipped out from behind Rebecca to close out the show.

**

Jordanna opened the doors of the 3000GT, and Rebecca and Cindy climbed into the tiny back seat, giving Jordanna's tall father the front seat to sit in as they drove him to his truck, which was parked about a mile away from the concert site. The drummer waited for him to pull behind her, and then slipped into the long line of cars trying to pull out on the busy road. Once they were on Montauk Highway, Jordanna checked her rear-view mirror to make sure Thomas was behind her. "Baby?"

The tired reporter opened her eyes and lifted her head off of the back of the seat. "Hmm?"

"What do you think about my father?" she asked and paused. "Do you think he's sincere?"

"For your sake, I hope he is, love. It's very apparent how much you still love him."

Jordanna sighed heavily, and eased on her brake as the traffic in front of her slowed to a stop. "I… I can't let him hurt me like he did when I was younger. I don't think that I can go through that kind of pain and rejection again, Rebecca."

The reporter sat quietly for some time, immersed in her thoughts. "You are worth a lot of money, Jordanna," she stated hesitantly.

The drummer looked at her lover quickly before turning her focus back on the road. "That thought has occurred to me already."

"I'm sorry," the reporter whispered sadly. She couldn't imagine ever having a conversation like this about her own family, who were always there for her when she was growing up, even if they weren't always there for her in her adulthood.

"Not your fault I can't trust my own family," the drummer said with a snort, as if reading Rebecca's mind. "Did I ever tell you about the time my long lost cousin named, get this, Jordan Fox, came out of nowhere to visit me?"

"Jordan Fox?" Rebecca repeated, shaking her head. "No, I don't recall you ever telling me about him. Or is it a her?" she asked, knowing her lover far too well.

"It was a him, Rebecca," the drummer confirmed.

"So, what did he want?"

The drummer laughed at the thought. "He gave me some song and dance about how I neglected my duty as a member of the Fox family, and that the least I could do for them is fork over some money. I mean, if you were trying to blackmail someone, you would at least do a little homework first, right?"

"Yeah, I would," Rebecca chuckled. "How did he react when he found out your real last name isn't Fox?"

"Dunno," Jordanna shrugged. "I was too busy kicking him out on his ass at the time." The drummer made a left onto the private drive and pulled up to the gates in front of their home. "I really hate that I had to do this," she said angrily, punching in the security code on the keypad so that the gates would open. "All the years I've lived here in Amagansett, I was only bothered a couple times, and believe it or not, I never even thought about having to fence in my own home." The gates opened, and she pulled the red sports car in the driveway, coming to a stop behind Rebecca's Eclipse.

Thomas pulled his truck into the spot next to Rebecca's car, and stood waiting as Jordanna unbuckled the seatbelt in the back seat and lifted Cindy out of the car, pulling the sleeping child into her arms. "Can you get the front door for me, baby?"

They slipped into the cool house, and Jordanna took Cindy straight to her bedroom, taking the time to help her put her pajamas on and tuck her into bed. "Sweet dreams, kiddo," she whispered, and placed a kiss on the young girl's forehead. The child's green eyes fluttered slightly. "Night, Jor," Cindy murmured sleepily, and was sound asleep and snoring lightly by the time the smiling drummer turned the light off, and left the room.

Thomas stood in the foyer, looking at the framed photos on a table there. He picked one up and a smile grew on his face. It was a picture, he assumed, taken of Rebecca and Jordanna on their wedding day, saying their vows in the white gazebo behind their oceanfront home. "When was your ceremony?" Thomas asked, hearing light footsteps come up behind him.

"Fourth of July weekend." Jordanna watched her father's shoulders slump, when he realized he just missed their wedding by a little over a month. "I always have a big Independence Day party here if we are not on tour, so we just sort of combined the two."

"Was Rebecca's family here for it?"

"Yes," came the quiet answer. "They were."

"And did her father walk her down the aisle?"

"Yes, he did."

"Um…" He cleared his throat. "Who walked you down the aisle?"

"No one."

"You walked by yourself?"

"No," she sighed. "I stood at the altar like a groom would do in a conventional wedding." She shifted her feet. "I got to watch as the most beautiful woman in the world walked down the aisle to commit herself to me."

Thomas stood silent for a while, staring at the photo of his daughter and her partner. "Had things been different, if I never left you with your mother all those years ago, would you have asked me to walk you down the aisle, Jordanna?"

"Uh…" The drummer blinked a tear out of her eye. "I'm sure I would have wanted my father to walk me down the aisle on my wedding day, yes."

The tall man let out a breath, put that photo down and lifted another, one of Rebecca and his daughter, sitting on a blanket together, drinking champagne as the sun set behind them on the beach. "Honeymoon?"

"Nope," Jordanna answered, and stood beside him. She lifted a photo up of her and Rebecca leaning on a railing together in front of the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. "We honeymooned in Arizona, believe it or not. I've been to Arizona dozens of times on tour, but never got the chance to go to the canyon. I'm just glad I got to share the experience with Rebecca. You want to see my partner turn red? Ask her what happened when we took the helicopter tour of the canyon," Jordanna mischievously added.

Listening to her speak, Thomas' eyes caught a glimpse of another small photo, and his breath caught.

"Rebecca framed that and put it there," Jordanna explained, as she put her hand on his arm to turn him towards her. She noticed his eyes were damp, also. "That's the only one I have of our family."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Jordanna blinked back more tears. "I took care of myself."

"You shouldn't have had to, though."

"Then why did I?" she said slowly, and with a growl.

Thomas looked directly into his daughter's moist, yet still ice blue eyes. "Can we at least sit down somewhere and talk about this?"

Rebecca heard their whole conversation from the kitchen, and popped her head out the door, hoping to break some of the tension between father and daughter. "Coffee is ready. Why don't you guys come in the kitchen and talk?"

They followed Rebecca into the kitchen and the drummer pulled three mugs out of the cabinet, besides getting the milk and sugar for them, too. Placing it all down on the table, she pulled out a chair for him. "Have a seat." She sat in the chair across from him and leaned forward on the table. "You can start explaining now," she said, her voice colder than most of the North Pole.

The reporter flinched at the tone of her lover's voice, and grabbed her coffee to take with her into the den. "I think I'll leave you two alone now to talk."

"No," the drummer said immediately, grabbing on to Rebecca's arm when she went to leave. "Please stay. You're my partner, you should hear this, too." She looked into green eyes, pleading with her own. "Please?"

Rebecca nodded as she quietly sat down at the table and waited for the fireworks to start.

Thomas spooned some sugar into his cup of coffee and stirred it. "Jordanna," he started. "I didn't want to leave. She threw me out."

The drummer burst out laughing. "She threw you out?" she repeated incredulously. "You've got to be fucking kidding me here. Threw you out? You're a goddamned grown man, for Christ's sake!"

Rebecca put her hand on her lover's knee under the table. "Calm down please, Jor," she whispered. "Give him a chance to explain."

"No, Rebecca," the drummer answered, and got up and started pacing around the kitchen. "This whole thing is fucking bullshit," she murmured, trying to decide whether she should stay and listen to her father's excuses or throw him out of the house.

The reporter glared at her from across the room, taking a chance by confronting her angry lover. "You promised you would hear him out, Jordanna, now sit down and listen to what he is trying to say to you."

Stunned, but knowing that what Rebecca said was right, the drummer sighed and sat back down again. "I'm sorry. Go on, please."

Thomas took a deep breath and continued, preparing himself for another outburst from his agitated daughter. "The day I left started out like every other day did, Jordanna. I came home during lunch that day, like I used to do sometimes, and she had all of my things packed and waiting for me by the front door. She told me she wanted me to leave."

Jordanna shook her head in doubt. "Why in the hell would she do that?" She got up and poured herself another cup of coffee, really wishing that it were something stronger and stood there, leaning against the kitchen sink. "She acted so distraught when I got home from school that day. She blamed the whole thing on me, that I smothered you and that it was completely my fault you left."

"No way." Thomas shook his head in disagreement. "It had nothing to do with you, Julia. Nothing. You meant the world to me. You mean the world to me," he said, correcting his words.

"Leaving me alone with that sick bitch is a real funny way of showing that, don't you think?" she asked sarcastically.

"She was having an affair," he finally blurted out, and took a bite of one of the cookies Rebecca set out on the table.

"You were having an affair," Jordanna corrected him.

"We both," he said quietly, confirming his daughter's accusations. "Were having an affair."

The drummer stood up to her full height and approached her father. "And I had to be the one to pay for both of your indiscretions?"

"No." Thomas looked down in shame. "You shouldn't have been in the middle of it. Sad to say, I think that your mother was so jealous of the bond we shared, Jul… Jordanna, that she just couldn't think straight."

"So, she went out and had an affair?" the drummer threw back, and sat back down at the kitchen table. "What was that, her cry for attention?"

"Yes," Thomas answered quietly. "Nothing catches your attention more than coming home and finding your wife in bed with the next door neighbor."

Jordanna's head shot up. "Next door neighbor? Anyone I know?"

"You could say that." He cleared his throat. "I caught her… well, I shouldn't say caught because it was obvious she wanted to be found, but I found her in bed with Kevin Erickson."

The drummer's jaw practically dropped to the table. "Kevin Erickson? Well, I'll be fucking damned! This is gooood," she drawled. "She kicked you out because she was having an affair with my best friend's daddy? That self righteous, hypocritical bitch!"

Thomas shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I'm glad that you are finding this whole thing so amusing, Jordanna."

The drummer snorted. "You have absolutely no idea why I left home, do you? I mean, she never told you what happened right before I left I guess?"

"She just told me that you ran away and that the police couldn't find you."

"Well, I'm surprised she didn't tell you the real truth. That she came home one day, and how shall I say this?" The drummer broke out into a wicked smile. "She found me in an uncompromising position on the couch in the living room with her lover's oldest daughter, Laura. Needless to say, she went ape shit and tried to beat the living crap out of me." She put her finger against her lip and paused. "Now, isn't that interesting? Mom was fucking Laura's Dad and I was fucking Laura. It's a family affair, huh? Were you and Laura's mother…"

"Jordanna, please don't," Thomas interrupted.

"But don't you just see the irony in this?" She put out her hands questioningly and ran her tongue across her teeth. "Well, at least I know where I got my raging libido from. Like mother, like daughter."

"So," he said with much hesitation. "What I've heard about you is true then?"

Jordanna raised an eyebrow. "I don't quite know what you've heard about me, but in all likelihood, the answer to your question is probably yes. There isn't much that I haven't done, and my reputation as being a womanizer is definitely not an over-exaggeration."

This time it was Rebecca's turn to snort. "That's an understatement, Jordanna."

"Hey." The drummer gave her partner a friendly slap on the arm. "Who asked you?" she joked, and then turned her attention back to her father. "You asked what I am going to therapy for earlier. I am a recovering sex addict," she said point blank. "I go to a therapist for one on one counseling once a week and I go to weekly group meetings with other addicts. They recently paired me up with a sponsor named Mark, who is there to support me when I'm struggling, and vice versa."

Thomas cocked his head to the side as if it would make him understand better. "Sex addict?"

"Yeah," Jordanna smirked. "The English translation for that would be that I really like to fuck."

Rebecca stood up quickly, took Jordanna's hand and pulled her up, too. "Would you please excuse us, Thomas?" she asked, and dragged the drummer into the living room to talk to her. "Jesus Christ, Jordanna! Why are you acting like this?" Rebecca asked in a forceful whisper. "You can be so damn crude sometimes, do you know that? It's almost like you are proud of what you are saying! Either that, or you get off from the shock value of it all."

The reporter watched her partner's face take on the look of a scolded child. "C'mon, Jor, you know I love it when you talk like that when we are in bed, but we are not in bed right now and that does happen to be your father in there." She rubbed Jordanna's arm. "Show him some respect, but if you can't manage to do that, then please, show me some respect."

The drummer looked down at the ground and closed her eyes. "I'm sorry that I'm acting so childish, Rebecca. I don't know what's come over me."

Rebecca ran her hand across Jordanna's cheek. "Seeing him today is a big, unexpected shock to your system, Jordanna. The way you feel right now is understandable, you know." She wrapped her arms around the drummer's waist, and laid her head against the tall woman's chest, taking the time to listen to her steady heartbeat. "This has me a little worked up, too, so I can just imagine how you feel. Please try and fight your dark side on this one, love, and be civil to him."

Jordanna felt the comfort and complete love Rebecca was offering and held on to it tightly. "I love you so much, baby. Don't ever forget that."

After placing a light kiss on the drummer's chin, Rebecca took her partner's hand and said, "I love you, too, sweetheart. Now go in there, apologize to your father and behave."

"Yes, ma'am," the drummer teased, and then followed the small woman back into the kitchen. Sliding back into her seat, the drummer said to her father, "I want to apologize for what I said before. It was totally distasteful and I was completely out of line."

Her father nodded slightly, accepting her apology earnestly, knowing that his eldest daughter was hurt by his actions years ago and basically grew up without any parental guidance in her teen years. Her childish display was proof enough of that for him, and it broke his heart to know that he was basically the cause of most of her pain.

He watched as Rebecca sat down in the chair next to the tall woman, and wondered, just what it was the reporter said to calm his intense daughter down. It was obvious to him that this young blonde woman had captured Jordanna's wild heart, and had her wrapped around her finger. Completely.

Rebecca was the perfect balance for his rebellious little girl, who, he realized, wasn't so little anymore. The reporter put her hand on his and snapped him out of his thoughts. "Would you like a tour of our house, Thomas?"

"Sure," he answered and stood up. "I'd love that."

**

"This is a beautiful home, ladies." Thomas sat down on a chair in the living room facing Jordanna and Rebecca, who were sitting next to each other on the couch.

"Thank you," the reporter responded when her lover didn't. "You have to see it during the day. It's magnificent."

"It wasn't a home until Rebecca moved into it, though," Jordanna absentmindedly said. She linked her fingers with her partner's and brought the back of Rebecca's hand up to her lips and kissed it. Rebecca blushed and wondered where the comment and the sudden show of affection came from.

Jordanna leaned forward. "Tell me about your family."

"Jordanna, you are a part of my family," Thomas responded quickly.

With a sigh, Jordanna rephrased her question. "Tell me about your wife and other children."

The drummer's father took a moment to think about the surprising question, and then ran his hand through his salt and pepper hair. "If you knew that I remarried and had more children, why didn't you try to contact me, Jordanna?"

Jordanna tensed up and looked Thomas directly in his bright blue eyes. "Would you try to contact someone that just up and walked out of your life with no explanation?" she asked, shaking her head. "It's bad enough I felt totally rejected, but when I found out I felt as if you replaced me with your other children. Grown up or not, I didn't take hearing that news very well."

Thomas couldn't think of anything to say. "God, I'm so sorry, Jordanna."

"STOP apologizing and just tell me about them, please," she said, her voice emotional with the memories of the not so long lost hurt from years ago.

"I, uh… I met Heather on the job about a year before I left home. She just started working as Human Resources Director in the Accounting Department, and I used to have to work with her regarding the employees that worked under me. We went out for drinks a couple of times after work and…" He paused, suddenly feeling awkward about telling his firstborn about his relationship with his wife. "I think you can both figure out the rest of the story."

Jordanna's eyebrow rose. Heather? She must be a blonde. "So, tell me, did you get Heather pregnant before or after you left home?"

Thomas snorted at the direct question, but answered it anyway. "After. Kathleen will be 15 in a few weeks."

"Do you have any pictures with you?" the drummer asked curiously.

"Yeah, I do." He stood up and pulled his wallet out of his back pocket before he walked over and sat down on the couch next to his daughter. He showed the two women some of his pictures, and Rebecca noticed when he pulled out an old photo he had tucked away of someone very familiar to her, posed seated behind a small drum set, a smile so bright that even her blue eyes sparkled in the fading picture. "I don't think I need to tell you who that is," he said, and handed Rebecca the photo to take a better look at. She heard Jordanna take in a deep intake of breath, and noticed her mouth twitch slightly as she glanced quickly at the photo of herself as a kid.

"This one is from last year," he said and smiled, pulling out a photo of the whole family. In the photo, Thomas has his arm around his wife whom, just as Jordanna predicted, was blonde, beautiful, and very, very young.

Shit… the old me probably would have tried to bed her before I met Rebecca, the drummer thought with sadness.

She looked at the photo again.

Oh, yeah. I know I would have bedded her. "She's very beautiful," the dark haired woman admitted. "So, um… just how old is she?"

Thomas smiled knowingly, immediately sensing that his daughter would notice his younger wife's age right away. "She's 35."

"Thirty five? Holy shit… you cradle robber," Jordanna joked. "Jeez, she's not even 5 full years older than me!"

"Yeah, don't remind me." Thomas blushed deeply and changed the subject by pointing out his children. "This is Kathleen and as you can see, she is going through those crazy teenage years," he said, pointing to the oldest child in the photo. "The one in the middle is Margaret, she's 12. She'd have a shit fit if she knew I told you her real name. She only answers to Maggie."

"I'll try not to make that mistake when I meet her then," Jordanna said, and gave Rebecca's hand a little squeeze.

Thomas looked up at his daughter and smiled, and she returned the gesture. "She's a huge fan of yours. She's taking drum lessons, too." He paused. "Had to get the same red Tama set for her just like you have. She's got posters up all over the walls of her room. It's actually kind of weird."

"Do they know about me?"

"Yes," he answered quietly. "When I decided to try and get in contact with you, Heather and I sat down and told them that they have an older sister. A famous older sister."

"And?" Jordanna asked, curious to know what their reaction was.

"They all freaked out… especially Maggie. We practically had to scrape her up off of the floor, she was so excited."

Jordanna felt the warm blush that was slowly creeping up her neck, and turned her focus back to the photo. "Who is the little guy?"

"This one is my little hellion, Timothy. He and his eldest sister are a lot alike," he answered, looking up and smiling at Jordanna, hoping to see a reaction of some sort. "He's a complete ham and a flirt, a real hit with the ladies, believe it or not."

"Just like his older sister," Rebecca added, noticing that Timmy was the only child that resembled Jordanna and her father, with a dark head of hair, and those big, inquisitive blue eyes. "How old is he, Thomas?"

"He's 11."

"And how old are you now?" Jordanna asked with a laugh, already knowing the answer. "Around fifty five, right?"

Thomas smiled. "Fifty four, actually."

"You know," Jordanna said and paused in thought. "I wasn't a flirt when I was younger. I was quite quiet back then, if I remember correctly. I only started flirting with the ladies once I got older." She shook her head. "You better watch Timmy carefully, he's got a bit of a head start on me."

Her father's face suddenly turned serious as a thought flashed in his mind. "I don't want to ask this, Jordanna, but I have to know. How did you support yourself when you left home? You were so young then."

The drummer stood up, walked over to the window, and looked out at the dark, star-filled sky. She stood quietly for quite some time, and then turned around. "Do you want me to sugar coat the answer to that, or do you want the real truth?"

Thomas looked over at Rebecca knowingly with eyes filled with sadness, then finally focused on Jordanna and cleared his throat. "The truth, please."

Jordanna leaned up against the wall, her posture showing her slightly defeated stance. "Lets just say that I did things that no fifteen year old should even have to think about, let alone do."

Her father looked down at the carpet. "You didn't…" He hesitated and wanted to choke on the words about to come out of his mouth. "You didn't have to sell yourself, did you?"

"No," she answered, snorting softly. She walked back to the couch and sat down next to her partner.

Relieved, Thomas let out the breath he was holding in. "Was it something illegal?"

"Illegal?" The drummer nodded, and began to list off all of the illegal things she did after she ran away. "I ran drugs and did other things that I'd rather not discuss, for a small time dealer in Brentwood. I was his personal whore, and I basically sold my soul to him," she said and paused. "But no, not to worry, I didn't have to sell my body to strangers on the streets."

Her father blinked a few times, and digested the information she just told him. He felt like he wanted to throw up. "How did you get out of that situation?"

Jordanna thought about how much of her past she should reveal to her father. "Dre, the dealer I worked for, owned a, um… club and got me a job there." 'Before I killed him,' she looked over at her partner and thought briefly to herself, but didn't say it out loud. "At that point, I made enough money there to support myself. That's when I met back up with Kelly and Rachel, and got the band back together again."

"What kind of a club did you work at, Jordanna?"

The tense drummer felt Rebecca take her hand, and give it a squeeze for comfort. "A strip club," she answered with a sigh.

"God." Thomas stood up and walked to the window, wanting to get far away from the hard truth that his daughter was telling about herself. "I am so sorry," he said, drawing out each of the words. "You shouldn't have had to go through that. I should have been there for you."

Jordanna tensed up again at his words. "Yes, you should have." Her eyes went blank and she stayed silent for a while. "But you weren't, so I did what I had to do to survive."

The tall man walked to the couch, crouched down in front of Jordanna, and looked her sincerely in her blue eyes. "Does it matter to you at all that I am here now?"

Moments of silence seemed like an eternity for Thomas, waiting for his daughter's answer. "Yes," Jordanna finally said softly, and looked away, unable to return his gaze any longer. "Yes, it does."

A large smile spread across Thomas' face, and he sat back down in his chair. "Glad to hear that."

"But," Jordanna spoke again, her voice no longer soft. "Since we are playing 20 questions, it's now my turn."

"That's only fair," Thomas murmured, nodding his consent.

The drummer glanced at Rebecca quickly, and turned her focus back on her father. "Why are you here now?"

"I, um…" he began, and cleared his throat. "I came because I wanted to see you."

Jordanna lifted a dark brow, not completely satisfied with that answer. "That's your only reason?"

The tall man stood up again, and went back to look out the window. "What are you insinuating, Jordanna? Do you think that I want something from you?" He whispered and then turned around to face the two women. "Do you think that I am here looking to get my hands on some of your millions?"

"Thought's crossed my mind," Jordanna answered honestly. "You certainly wouldn't be the first, and you won't be the last." The drummer laced her fingers with her partner's and lifted both of their hands up. "With the exception of Rebecca, everyone that has been in my life so far has always wanted something in return. I'm not a very easy person to be around."

"I admit," Thomas turned once again to look at the dark ocean scenery out the window. "I did come here looking for something."

The drummer looked at Rebecca and rolled her eyes. I knew it.

"What I came here for was to ask for your forgiveness." He sat back down in the chair across from the couple and spoke again. "I wanted to tell you that not a day has gone by in the fifteen years we haven't seen each other that I haven't thought about you, Jul… Jordanna. I want to be a part of your life again, to be your father. I want you to get to know your sisters and brother because I know that they want to get to know you."

Jordanna closed her eyes and leaned her head, which was starting to hurt from the brain overload, back against the back of the couch. "That's another thing, Dad. Why in the hell would you tell your children that I was related to them if you didn't know how receptive I'd be to the idea? What if I were to say that I really don't care, nor do I want to get to know them?"

Hurt, her father hesitated for a few seconds. "I thought about that," he finally answered. "I thought that if you weren't receptive then I would try and reason with your soft side and ask you not to punish three innocent children for a BIG mistake I made years ago." He looked at Rebecca and smiled. "If that didn't work, I thought that maybe I could get your beautiful partner here to talk to you about it."

Rebecca smiled back at him, letting him know that he already won her over.

"I know that this is going to sound ridiculous, but when I heard you got shot and were hospitalized," he continued, "I was so worried that I'd lose you. You are a big part of me, whether you like it or not." Looking up, he noticed Jordanna's eyes were icy, blank, and definitely unreadable, but he continued confessing his feelings to her anyway, even if they weren't received. "I went to the hospital to see you, but they didn't believe that I was your father and they wouldn't let me in. They wouldn't tell me your condition, either. When I heard on the news that you were okay, I knew that I couldn't go on without seeing you and telling you how sorry I really am."

Minutes passed in intense silence, until the drummer finally spoke. "I'm glad," the drummer said quietly, so quiet you could barely hear her.

"What?"

A tear streamed down the drummer's cheek and she cleared the emotion out of her voice before speaking again. "I'm glad you did," she repeated. "That was just a hypothetical question before. I would love to meet my siblings."

"You would?" a surprised Thomas said, and blinked the tears out of his eyes. "I really thought you were going to refuse before."

"I thought she was, too," Rebecca agreed, pleased that she was wrong. She gave her lover a gentle punch on the arm. "She even had me going there for a while."

The dark-haired woman smiled and pulled her lover close to her. "Sorry about that," she said, and gave Rebecca a kiss on the top of her head. Thomas cleared his throat, looked at his watch and stood up. "Wow, it's almost 4:30 in the morning. I'd better let you two get some sleep."

The two women got up and walked him to the front door. "Where do we go from here?" he asked his daughter hesitantly, unsure on how to proceed in getting reacquainted with the drummer.

Just as unsure, Jordanna laughed. "I think that this would be the point of the conversation where you invite my family and I over to meet everyone, don't you think?"

"Yeah?"

The drummer nodded. "Absolutely."

Jumping at the chance, Thomas asked, "How does next Saturday sound?"

Jordanna turned and looked at her partner, questioning her silently with her eyes. "Jordanna doesn't go back in the studio for a few weeks and I don't have any plans for next Saturday," Rebecca answered. "We'd be happy to come."

Thomas wondered if his multi-millionaire rock star of a daughter was a spoiled brat, used to attending lavish parties, eating caviar and drinking champagne. He suddenly felt very out of place. "Is, um… well… a barbecue okay?"

Jordanna cracked one of her crooked smiles. "A barbecue sounds great. What can we bring?"

The tall man answered her smile with one of his own. "Just bring your family with you."

She turned her gaze to the floor as a thought occurred to her. "Is that… um, my family, you know, me being in a same-sex relationship and all. Is the fact that I'm gay going to be a problem with anyone?" she asked, stumbling on her words. "I know that we make some people uncomfortable when we are around them." She looked directly into her father's eyes. "Rebecca is my partner and I love her. I am NOT willing to hide my feelings for her just to please others. I can't do that, and frankly, I won't do that."

"Jordanna." He took her hands in his own, realizing that she felt just as nervous as he felt. "Anyone that matters in my life knows your sexual orientation. Heather and I have talked to the kids about it. Maggie and Kathleen knew already, and Timmy understands as best as someone his age can." He smiled at her and then let go of her hands. "If anyone else happens to be around and they have something to say about it, well, then they can just leave."

Satisfied with that answer, Jordanna asked, "Where do you live now, Dad?"

"Bayport. I'll call and give you directions tomorrow, if that's okay with you. I just need your phone number."

"Oh." The dark-haired woman walked back into the kitchen, grabbed a pen and a piece of paper, scribbled her name and phone number on it and gave it to him when she went back into the hallway. "Well, I guess I'll be talking to you tomorrow then," she said, as he opened the door and started to step out. "Um, Dad?" Thomas turned to face his daughter. "I really am glad that you came," she said quietly, feeling awkward in the moment.

The tall man stepped forward and held his arms open for her, and breathed a sigh of relief when she accepted the open invitation for a hug. "I am too," he whispered emotionally in her ear as he wrapped his arms tightly around her. "I love you, Jordanna. I never stopped loving you."

The drummer stepped out of his embrace, and he noticed the tear that was slowly making it's way down her cheek. "Goodnight, Rebecca," he said, and gave his new daughter-in-law, who also had tears in her eyes, a hug, too. "It was very nice meeting you and Cindy. See you next Saturday."

"It was very nice meeting you, too, Thomas. I look forward to next week." She watched her tall lover follow him out the front door and saw that the sun was just starting to make it's way across the horizon. She yawned in reflex, just then realizing how tired she really felt.

Jordanna closed the gates after her father pulled his truck through them, and walked back into the house. Exhausted, she wrapped her arm around her lover's waist, intending on heading to the stairs to go to their bedroom. "Ready for bed?"

Rebecca stayed in place. "What are you thinking, Jordanna?"

The drummer closed her eyes and suppressed a yawn. "I'm too tired for that tonight, baby, believe it or not."

Rebecca burst out laughing. "Honestly, Jordanna! Is sex all you ever think about?" The reporter bumped her hip into her lover's. "I meant what do you think about the situation with your father?"

"Oh," Jordanna said with a little embarrassed grin. "I guess I just need to forgive him and move on, don't I?"

Rebecca nodded her agreement. "He loves you, Jor. I think he sincerely regrets that he left you all those years ago."

"I think so, too," Jordanna said, and they climbed the stairs, took a quick shower together, and then settled into bed for what was left of the night.

Rebecca sat on the couch in the sunroom with a thick book in her hands, enjoying the warm summer breeze that was blowing through the open windows. She shifted just slightly she could see her lover and her daughter sitting outside on the deck, playing with Cindy's Barbie dolls. Looking out at a sight that would have to be seen to believe, Rebecca smiled and thought about how to approach something that was nagging at her since the day she married Jordanna.

The revelation of the paternity of her daughter.

"Cindy is MY biological daughter, not David's, and belongs here with Jordanna and I," she said out loud, confirming the validity of her decision in her mind. The scene outside on the deck proved all that to her.

"I'll be Barbie and you'll be Ken," the young girl said to the drummer, handing the tall woman the blond plastic doll.

Jordanna took the doll from the young girl and pouted. "Why do I always have to be Ken? Can't I be her good looking friend over there, I forget what her name is?"

Cindy shook her head adamantly. "No. You know Barbie always needs her boyfriend with her, Jor!"

"Barbie doesn't know what a good time she's missing out on then," the drummer mumbled.

The child looked up at her. "Huh?"

"Nothing, sweetie. I was just talking to myself." The reporter smiled as she watched her partner take orders from her 5-year-old.

Jordanna walked the blond doll over to his expensive, black sports car and put him in it. She drove the car around the deck like a madwoman, and skidded to a stop in front of Barbie's dream house to pick the equally as blonde Barbie up for their date. "Like you know, like how about you and me go and get something like totally rad to eat, Barbie?" Jordanna spoke for the doll.

Cindy giggled. "Awesome, Ken, honey," Barbie replied. "I'll be right out."

Rebecca shook her head as she listened to her two favorite girls banter back and forth in pathetic valley girl as they took their dolls out on their date. She ran into the kitchen when she heard the phone ring, forgetting to bring the cordless phone in the sunroom with her.

"Jor?" Rebecca opened the back door and called out to her lover, who looked up from her place on the deck and flashed her a bright, slightly embarrassed, smile. "Phone for you."

The drummer put Ken down, got up and walked into the house, and took the phone from Rebecca's hand. "Who is it?" she mouthed to her lover.

"Ellen."

The drummer narrowed her eyes. "Ellen?"

"Mark's wife. She sounds upset."

"Oh," she said. "Hello?"

Rebecca stood there as Jordanna spoke with her new therapy partner's wife, and could tell something was very wrong by the drummer's stance. Rebecca, unfortunately, could only hear Jordanna's side of the conversation. She knew it didn't sound good.

"Where?" the drummer asked, twirling the phone cord in her fingers nervously. "Yeah, I know where that is, Ellen. I'll start there. If he's not there, I'll check the park, okay?" She looked at Rebecca and shrugged. "Ellen, everything will be alright. Just know he doesn't do it to hurt you. He loves you." The drummer took a deep breath. "It's just that he, um… well, sometimes we can't control ourselves."

Rebecca wrapped her arms around Jordanna's waist while Ellen spoke. "I'll bring him back safe, I promise you. Just try to relax. You don't want to upset the kids. I'll see you later. Bye." Jordanna hung the phone up and looked at her partner. "Mark had a little setback last night."

"That's what I figured."

"They had a fight and he took off and hasn't come back." She went into the hallway, grabbed the keys to the GT and her cell phone. "I'm gonna go look for him. She said he usually goes and sits by the cliffs near the lighthouse when he needs to think." She shrugged. "He could be anywhere, though."

Rebecca let go of her and gave her a kiss. "Are you up to this?"

"Not really," Jordanna said and shook her head. "But I guess I'll have to be, baby. I have no choice. He needs me." She kissed Rebecca back and walked to the front door. "If either of them calls, call me on the cell, okay?" She turned around before walking out the door and smiled at Rebecca. "I love you, baby."

"Love you, too, sweetheart. Good luck."

After she watched her partner pull the red sports car out of the driveway, Rebecca went outside to sit with her daughter on the deck.

"Mommy, where did Jor go?"

The reporter ran her hand through her daughter's dark hair. "She had to go help out a friend in need, sweetie. She'll be back soon."

"Okay," the child said, and then told Barbie that Ken had to leave so he could go help a friend.

Rebecca leaned her head against the back of the chair and closed her eyes. She prayed that Jordanna would be able to handle the difficult task that was ahead of her, and that she herself would be equipped enough to handle the outcome if Jordanna couldn't handle it.

**

Rebecca paced around the kitchen after she finished cleaning up the dinner plates. She left 5 hours ago. Where in the hell is she? And why isn't she answering her cell phone?

Her thoughts were interrupted when Cindy ran in the kitchen. "Can I watch the Teletubbies video again, Mommy?"

"Sure, sweetie." The reporter put the last plate away and walked into the living room with her daughter, and sat down next to Cindy on the couch once she put the video in the VCR. Glad that Cindy was already past her Barney stage, Rebecca sat for a little while watching the four colorful characters, but found that her mind was completely elsewhere. Moments later, she looked out the window and out of the corner of her eye, she saw the outline of a lone figure sitting on the sand at the edge of the ocean, the wind whipping her dark hair to the side.

"Cindy, I have to go outside for a little while. I'll be right out there," she said, pointing out the back sliding glass doors. "I'm gonna take the keys and lock the door behind me, sweetie. Will you be okay by yourself for a little while?"

The child nodded and went back to the video she was watching.

Rebecca ran and grabbed her keys and slipped out the door, locking it before she made her way down the boardwalk that led from their house to the ocean. The sun was just starting to set as her feet hit the sand, and she slowly approached her lover from behind. She picked up the half-empty bottle of Jack Daniels that was sitting in the sand next to Jordanna and sat down next to her. "Wanna talk about it?"

Jordanna turned to look at Rebecca and the first thing the reporter noticed was that her eyes were bloodshot from the alcohol, and puffy and red as if the drummer had been crying for some time. "I'm sorry, I should have called you," the drummer said with the slightest of slurs. "I didn't mean to make you worry."

Rebecca put her hand on her cheek. "I'm just glad you're okay." She took a quick slug from the bottle in her hand, enjoying the warmth of the liquid sliding down her throat.

The drummer rubbed her forehead. "I found him."

"I figured as much," Rebecca said and nodded. "Where was he?"

"By the lighthouse."

Rebecca took another sip from the bottle and then handed it to Jordanna, who did the same. "How is he?"

"Not good, Rebecca. He really fucked up."

Rebecca sat silently looking at the ocean and waited, knowing that if her partner wanted to talk about it, she would. After a few minutes of just silence and the soothing sounds of the ocean, Jordanna cleared her throat and spoke. "He's a salesman, you know? He, um, had a sales call in the city yesterday. His contact with the company he's looking to hook up with insisted they go to a strip club to work on the deal. He hasn't been inside the walls of that type of club in 9 years, and the sexual atmosphere must have gotten the best of him. Once he was done with his meeting he went and picked up a prostitute, Rebecca. That's always been his weakness." She took another sip from the bottle. "Nine fucking years, Rebecca. He did so damn good… and then this!" she said angrily, passed the bottle back to Rebecca and looked out into the waves.

"He hit Ellen when they fought. She asked him where he had been the night before and he said he was just so pissed at himself that he hit her when she asked, right in front of the kids," she continued. "When I took him home I saw the shiner he gave her. It was pretty nasty."

The reporter moved a little closer to the drummer, wrapped her arm around her waist and put her head on her shoulder. "I'm sure he didn't mean it."

The drummer sat quietly a few minutes, fresh tears beginning to stream down her cheeks. "What if I fall, Rebecca?"

Rebecca crawled through the sand and kneeled down directly in front of Jordanna. "Then," she said, moving forward to give her lover a gentle kiss on the lips. "Then you will pick yourself up, brush yourself off, and get back on that horse again."

"But that would mean I would have…"

"Cheated on me, yes," the reporter finished for her. Unable to deal with that thought, the drummer looked away. "Jordanna, look at me please," Rebecca pleaded softly.

Jordanna turned back and looked at Rebecca. The reporter ran her fingertips along the drummer's cheek before she spoke. "I married you knowing who you were, who you are, and also knowing full well that it's possible that scenario may happen. I'm not going to lie; yes, I will be hurt if you fall, but more for you than for me."

"If you could have seen the look Ellen had on her face; the look of extreme disappointment and hurt. I don't ever want to see that look on your face, Rebecca, much less know that I am the cause of it." Jordanna sighed and spoke again. "I've already hurt you enough for one lifetime. Just knowing that I am capable of doing that again pains me more than I can tell you."

Rebecca wrapped her arms around her lover. "The joy you have brought into my life far outweighs the hurt, Jordanna. I think I'll take my chances on you, pretty lady."

The drummer smiled for the first time that afternoon. "You really do understand, don't you?" she asked, and wiped some new tears off of her cheeks.

"I'd like to think I do," Rebecca replied, only knowing that she felt Jordanna's pain deep down inside.

Jordanna nodded, pushed herself up off of the sand and brushed off her jeans. She held her hand out to Rebecca. "C'mon, let's go back in the house."

Continued in Part 9