Disclaimer: The characters in the story belong to NBC Television, and whoever else has a vested interest in The Facts of Life. No money is being made from this and no copyright infringement is intended.

Author’s Notes: This is based on the characters from The Facts of Life because I really like the set-up it offered me, but there is very little that qualifies as canon here. So if you are looking for something that fits strictly with show canon, you’re gonna want to keep looking. This is a follow-up to my first Fact of Life story, Friend in Need.

The Storyteller’s Cardinal Rule is in effect.

You Can't Stop Love

By D

Prologue

Jo unlocked the door to the home she shared with Blair, dropping keys, wallet and badge on the table put there for expressly that purpose. Though she and Blair had been a couple for quite a while now, the thought that this was *their* home still brought a smile to her face. She and Rick had loved each other after a fashion and had a beautiful daughter together, but it was nothing compared to the love she and Blair felt for one another.

They had sold the brownstone and Blair's penthouse apartment before their wedding to purchase something together that could be theirs – making their marriage the new start for both of them it was supposed to be. She looked around, taking in the individual pieces of their lives that had been brought together to make a new whole picture and noting all the new things that were part of both of them.

The living room had a casual elegance to it with things they had both agreed on, much to their mutual surprise. They still had very different tastes and ideas, but somehow they had brought it all together to make it work comfortably. There was a tile mural over the fireplace done by a local artist friend of Jo's and it went well with the old masters' paintings Blair had placed on either side.

One wall and half of another held books and the few trinkets they had picked up on their rare trips together, each of them bringing back a fond memory and a wide smile to Jo's face. Then Jo's attention wandered over to one wall and her smile faded. It was full of pictures - her and Blair at Eastland and Langley with Natalie, Tootie, Mrs. G, Beverly Anne and even George and Andy, showing how much of a family they had been once upon a time. She crossed her arms over her chest, wondering why they had allowed life and circumstances to drive them all so far apart.

The Story

When Jo and Blair had finally confessed their feelings for one another, they kept things between them at first. Not so much because they were in the closet, but more because they were learning to be a couple together. And after thirteen years of separation, there was so much learning to be done. A lot had changed for both of them since their college days and it took effort and hard work on both their parts to make their relationship successful.

They accepted that once their life together became more widely known they would lose a number of friends and associates... anticipated that some of those same people would become nasty and in some cases, even downright hateful. But they had hoped... had expected... that their nearest and dearest friends... the ones they had grown up with at Eastland Academy and into Langley College would be happy for them; would be glad they had finally been honest about their true feelings for one another.

They couldn't have been more wrong. And that discovery hurt them... a lot.

************

Mrs. G welcomed them warmly into her home, rushing around to put the kettle on for tea and plating cookies before she took a seat with them at the table. It wasn’t their first visit with her since Jo’s return to their lives, but it was the first time that they were going to show Mrs. G they were a couple.

“So, what brings you girls by to visit an old woman on such a lovely spring day? Surely there are more interesting things you could be doing. Blair, isn’t there a sale on somewhere?” she asked with a hint of teasing. “Jo, don’t you have something that needs tinkering on?”

The two younger women chuckled and exchanged glances. During their few prior visits, she had always taken a moment to tease and remind them of themselves from years ago. They only hoped she would remember that when they shared their news with her.

“Actually, we have something we’d like to tell you, Mrs. G,” Jo said as she took Blair’s hands in hers. Mrs. G’s eyes widened and she stood up from the table, crossing over to the stove to fiddle with the kettle that was still heating.

“You know,” she said with her back still turned, “I always wondered what made you disappear from our lives for so long, Jo. Now I think it’s probably a good thing I never really understood. Some things are meant to stay private. They’re really no one else’s business.” Blair and Jo looked at each other sadly. Obviously Mrs. G knew what they were going to share and she didn’t want to hear it. “So... who’s ready for some tea?”

Jo stood and shook her head, holding her hand out and helping Blair from her seat. “We need to be going, Mrs. G,” she said without preface. “We really just stopped by to make sure you were still doing okay, but we can’t stay. Like you pointed out, there is shopping to do and bikes to tune up.”

“If that’s what you feel you need to do,” Mrs. G said with slumped shoulders.

“Until you remember what you taught me about having an open heart and mind regardless of differences I didn’t understand or appreciate... until you can accept Jo and me for what we are to each other, I think it’s for the best.” Blair patted Mrs. G’s shoulder. “You know how to reach me if you change your mind.”

They had almost arrived at the door before her voice stopped them. “Why?” she asked, finally turning to face them. “Why the two of you? Why now? You were both happily married. What changed?”

“Nothing,” Jo said tersely. “Nothing changed except that I was finally honest with Blair. And for the record, contentment doesn’t always equal happiness.”

“Jo....”

“No, Princess. I don’t mean any disrespect, Mrs. G. You were always good to me, always fair. But you’re not being fair about this and I’m not going to apologize to you or anyone else for loving Blair like I do. My only regret is that you can’t see past your prejudice to see us as the women we grew into from the girls you remember.”

“That was very eloquent, Joey,” Blair said after Henry pulled into traffic headed back to the city.

“Yeah. Damn shame it didn’t make a difference,” Jo answered softly, looking out the window. Her heart hurt. Given the way she had raised them all to be, she had expected Mrs. G to be more tolerant of them as a couple. Blair curled up around her and cupped a hand over her cheek, gently urging Jo to look at her until she gave in. Tears hovered on the edges of her lashes and Blair leaned forward and kissed Jo tenderly, causing the tears to fall.

“I love you.”

“Always, Princess.”

“She’ll come around, Jo.”

“I hope so.” She paused. “I hope you never regret what us is costing you.”

Blair sat up until she could slide onto Jo’s lap and cradle her face in both hands. “As long as I have you, Joey... no regrets.”

Jo leaned forward and caught Blair’s lips in a fiery, passionate embrace, pouring all the love she felt for her princess into the kiss. Only when Henry opened the door indicating they were home did they separate, disheveled and breathing heavily.

“Feel better?” Blair asked when she was able to speak normally.

“I think I may need continuous therapy, Dr. Warner,” Jo replied with a slight twinkle in her eyes.

They emerged from the back of the car and Blair took Jo’s hand. “That can be arranged, Detective,” she assured Jo with a smile. Then she turned to Henry. “That’s all for tonight, Henry. I will be staying with Detective Polniaczek.”

Henry nodded discretely and took the car to the garage. Blair and Jo went up the stairs and into the brownstone together.

************

Tootie – Dorothy as she was now – had been another crushing blow. She and her husband had come to New York for a limited run of a musical revival in which she had a big supporting role. Naturally Blair had made arrangements for her and Jo to attend the opening night, and afterwards they were invited into the chaos that was backstage before being ushered into the relative peace of Tootie's dressing room. She would forever be Tootie to them, no matter her real name.

She took each of them into her arms for a solid hug, holding onto Jo for an especially long time. "I never thought we'd see you again, Jo," she said with tears in her eyes. "I missed you... we all did... when you left without a word. Why did you?"

"It's a long story, Too... I mean, Dorothy."

"You can call me Tootie, Jo. It's all you ever knew me as. Why should that change just because we're adults now?" She smiled at them and noted their nervousness. "So what is the story here, you two? Where did you disappear to, Jo and why have you suddenly popped back up? Wait," she added before Jo could take a breath to speak. "Why don't we go somewhere for a late supper?"

"Don't you have an opening night party to attend?"

"Yes, but I can...."

Blair held up her hand. "Why don't you and Richard come by the penthouse in the morning for brunch? Jo is on call, but I'll be there for sure and we'll have time and space to talk."

Tootie nodded. "All right. I'll be there at say... eleven?" Blair nodded and Tootie grinned and opened her arms for another hug. "I can't tell you how excited I am," she said as the embrace ended. "I think this is better than being on stage again."

Jo took Blair's hand without conscious thought and led them back out the dressing room door. Tootie saw it and a frown crossed her face, then she shrugged it off. The two of them had always been very close before Jo had up and disappeared from their lives. Maybe it was just Jo's way of reassuring Blair that she wasn't going anywhere; or maybe it was just so they wouldn't get separated in the melee that existed in the backstage area outside her door. Tootie shrugged and put the thought aside. Whatever the reason, it was wonderful to have Jo back in their lives again. She made a mental note to call Natalie in the morning before brunch. She figured her reporter friend would be thrilled to hear the news. It might even bring her home from overseas.

************

Blair was sitting in the same chair Jo had been when she'd confessed her feelings for Blair months before looking out the penthouse window when Jo arrived home from a particularly nasty call. The phone had rung at four forty-five that morning and here it was, nearly twelve hours later that she was finally getting home. She hated that she'd had to leave Blair alone to explain things to Tootie, but when duty called, she had to go and they both accepted that as part of their lives together.

Jo hung up her coat and crossed to Blair's side, wondering what could have put her into such deep thought that she didn't even acknowledge Jo's arrival home. Then she saw the tears slowly rolling down Blair's beautiful face and knelt down beside her, instantly taking Blair's hand in her own and waiting for the brown eyes to track to her green ones.

As soon as Blair realized Jo was home, she fell into her arms and the tears started in earnest.

"Princess, what's wrong?" she whispered in the ear closest to her lips. "What happened with Tootie?"

Blair sobbed for a moment longer, then visibly, physically pulled herself together, though she refused to let go of Jo's neck. Jo shifted herself on the floor until she was a little more comfortably situated and then gently rocked them back and forth. Blair took a deep shuddering breath and started to tell Jo about what had happened earlier that day.

"Tootie and Richard came by at eleven, just like we'd planned. I explained to them why you weren't here, and though they were disappointed, they both understood." She took another breath. "Brunch went well enough – we traded stories and gossip... you know, just catching up. Then we came in here so I could tell them your story."

"What happened?" Jo asked again softly, knowing instinctively that this was the cause of Blair's distress and hating herself for being the reason behind it.

At the bitter tone in Jo's voice, Blair looked up. "Oh no," she said fiercely. "You don't get to take the blame for what happened. That belongs strictly to Tootie and her close-mindedness. I'm not sure I understand how she has survived in the acting business all these years." Blair stopped speaking and closed her eyes, breathing slowly for a moment before returning her gaze to Jo's. "She told me she was sorry, but she couldn't accept that from us. That it changed everything between us.”

Jo was silent for a long time, not wanting to release the anger she felt over Tootie’s bigotry at Blair; she’d dealt with enough today. Instead she freed herself from Blair’s grip and stood, extending her hand down and pulling Blair to her feet when she accepted Jo’s hand.

“C’mon, Princess. I’m gonna take you out dancing tonight.” Jo covered Blair’s lips before they could form a protest. “We’re not gonna change our lives because Tootie suddenly has issues with us. They’re *her* issues, Blair... not ours.” She smiled gently as she watched Blair make the decision to put the hurt Tootie had caused behind them.

“You’re right, sweetheart. As much as I’d hoped... had expected... acceptance from her, there’s nothing I can do to change it. It does make me wonder though,” she said as she allowed Jo to lead her down the hall to the master suite.

“What’s that, Princess?”

“Why it bothers her... and Mrs. G so badly. Have we really changed that much?”

Jo guided Blair into the bathroom, started a bath and tossing in a handful of bath salts before turning to undress Blair. “I dunno,” she said honestly as she slowly unbuttoned the oxford Blair was wearing. “I don’t think so... not fundamentally.” She pushed the shirt off Blair’s body, letting her fingertips trail over soft skin and watching the goosebumps form in the wake of her touch. Jo popped the catch at the front of Blair’s bra, noting that her chest stilled when Jo’s fingers traced lightly around still full breasts. Jo tweaked the pebbled nipples, drawing a sharp gasp from Blair right before Blair twined her hands in the dark hair and pulled Jo’s lips to her.

“You know what?” she whispered when they parted. “I don’t care what Tootie thinks. She has no idea what we share,” claiming Jo’s lips again and not even realizing when she was finally naked... until bare skin was rubbing against Jo’s still clad body. She pulled away just slightly. “Aren’t you a little overdressed?” Jo shook her head.

“This is for you to rel... Shit!!” Jo exclaimed as the tub started to overflow. “Sorry, Blair,” she muttered. She shut off the flow and rolled up her sleeves to pull the plug. Then Blair stepped in front of her and it was Jo’s turn to stop breathing.

“You want me to relax, sweetheart?” she asked breathily, bending over and carefully removing Jo’s gun and shield. “Plug the tub, Joey. We need to have a little water left.”

“We do? Oh... yeah – we do.” Jo re-plugged the tub while Blair cautiously placed Jo’s badge and revolver on the counter. Then she stepped back in front of Jo and began removing her clothing; Jo stood still, readily accepting the attention she knew Blair needed to lavish on her. Then they were climbing into the tub and all thoughts of Tootie and bigotry and hatred were lost in the warmth of the love they shared.

Jo would take care of Tootie later.

************

Her badge got her backstage with a minimum of fuss and Tootie was smart enough not to make a scene in public. The show was getting good reviews; she did not want to bring bad publicity in by fighting with a distinguished member of the NYPD. So she ushered Jo into her dressing room and shut the door firmly behind them. Then she turned to Jo angrily, but her words died on her lips when she met the hurt and ire that shined back at her from sparking green eyes.

“I didn’t come to argue with you, Tootie. I’m gonna say my piece and then I’m gonna leave and as far as I am concerned we never have to cross paths again.” Jo paused and took a deep breath. “You hurt Blair, Tootie – for no reason at all except for your narrow-mindedness and bigotry. She didn’t *have* to share with you what we are to each other, but she did because we thought you’d be happy for us. Except for what happens in our bedroom, which is actually none of your business, we are the same people you grew up with. Maybe you should sit down and figure out why our finally coming to terms with the truth of what was between us bothers you so badly.”

Without giving Tootie the opportunity to respond, Jo walked out the door. Tootie sat stunned at the vehemence Jo had just directed at her. Surely she hadn’t been so hateful to Blair. Then she put it out of her mind – no matter what Jo said, Tootie felt she’d been honest and fair to them. After all - they’d spent years lying to her... hadn’t they?

************

In the months since they had started dating, Blair had already been snubbed by several of her old money crowd and Jo had been harassed more than once in her workplace. She considered herself extremely lucky that her partner and immediate squad hadn’t turned on her. They hadn’t been all-encompassing in their acceptance, but most of them gave her a ‘who the hell cares’ shrug and went on with their work and for that, Jo was grateful. After being exposed to Tootie’s intolerance of them, Jo and Blair were much more hesitant to share with any of their other once-close friends from their growing up years.

However, they didn’t want to have to hide what they were to each other to those who had known them best once upon a time. So, after much discussion and a few shared tears, Blair and Jo decided to bite the bullet and take the truth to the rest of the old gang from Eastland Academy and Langley College.

************

Beverly Ann had been first. She had listened to them, then shook her head. “Well,” she had said. “It’s not that I didn’t expect something like this – I’m actually surprised it took the two of you this long to figure it out. I’m not sure how to respond, actually. How is Jamie handling all this?”

“If by ‘all this’ you mean Blair and me as a couple, she’s doing just fine. She and Blair were friends before Blair and I were part of one another’s lives again.”

“Well, as long as everyone is happy, I guess this is a good thing.” A beat. “It is a good thing, right?”

Blair couldn’t stop the chuckle at Beverly Ann’s uncertainty. “It’s a wonderful thing, Beverly Ann. We’re very happy together.”

Beverly Ann cocked her head and raised an eyebrow in their direction. “No more fighting then?”

Blair leaned forward conspiratorially and whispered in the older woman’s ear. “Better making up.”

Beverly Ann blushed beet red and fanned her face before clearing her throat to speak. “All right, then. A little more information than I needed, but it’s good to know you are happy together. May I ask what precipitated this new development?”

“Honesty,” Jo said, but she didn’t add anything else, and Beverly Ann nodded, satisfied with the answer. She could tell they were both, but especially Jo, uncomfortable enough sharing something so personal, despite Blair’s earlier teasing. She wondered if it was simply because they were coming out for the first time or if there was more to it. Surely they had talked to Edna first; Beverly Ann decided to call her sister later.

“I’m glad things worked out for you kids. You deserve to be happy.”

“We are Beverly Ann... thanks.” Then the conversation turned to other things and they visited for another hour or so before Jo and Blair took their leave. They left feeling better about their old friends than they had in a while. And if Beverly Ann had accepted them so easily, they had hope that maybe one day, Mrs. G would come around as well.

Their research found that George had moved to Chicago and Andy was in Seattle, and secretly, Jo was glad. She didn't think George would care so much – he had always been pretty easy going. But Andy was a minister and despite the acceptance Blair's own pastor had offered them, she was well aware that most men of the cloth were almost vitriolic in their hatred of homosexuals. They had enough of that from people who didn't know them, and Mrs. G's and Tootie's attitudes had only reinforced their defenses in that regard.

That only left Natalie of the old 'family' they had all once been. Unfortunately, Natalie was all over and they didn’t want to deliver their news to her over the phone. So they decided to wait until she was back in the States.

Then came a surprise – the kind of surprise they never would have anticipated.

It was a rare day in the City – bright, sunny and cold as a witch's tit. Even rarer was the fact that Jo had the day off and had agreed to go shopping with Blair. To say she'd been surprised when Jo had agreed would have been an understatement, but Blair was bright enough to know better than to look a gift horse in the mouth. So she'd accepted Jo's answer with a squeal and a hug that had taken them both to the ground in her enthusiasm.

What she didn't know was that Jo was worried about her – Jo knew how social Blair had always been and being snubbed by those she had always considered at least friendly acquaintances had hurt, no matter what she said. So Jo made sure to pay as much extra attention to Blair as her princess could stand without calling her on it.

But Blair wasn't stupid – she knew what Jo was doing and why. But she let her, knowing it was something they both needed. And it was worth it – having Jo in her life again was more than worth the few so-called friends she had lost. Surprisingly, it had not adversely affected enrollment at Eastland; it seemed that parents were more concerned with giving their children a quality education in a stable environment than worrying about who Blair chose to spend her life with. It had been a refreshing change.

However, on this particular day, Blair and Jo were out shopping – or rather, Blair was shopping and Jo was patiently carrying the numerous packages Blair was accumulating. Blair was in her element and she was finding as many things for Jo as she was herself and took great delight in that little fact.

After a while, Jo grew a little restless. She took advantage of the fact that they were completely alone in the section of the store and set the bags at her feet before snaking her arm around Blair's waist and leaning in to whisper in her ear. "Princess? How much longer?"

"What's the matter, Joey?" Blair teased as she half-turned to look into the green eyes so close to her. "Is my baby getting tired?"

"And hungry," Jo added, nipping her ear and causing Blair to emit a squeal.

"Jo!"

"Well, well, well," an acerbic voice drawled before Jo could respond. "I'd heard the rumors, of course, but I never expected to see such blatant proof with my own eyes." Both of them stiffened at the sound, but they refused to pull completely away from one another. Instead, Blair clutched Jo's hand and they turned to face one of their oldest nemeses – Muffy.

"Blair... Jo...."

"Muffy," Blair greeted neutrally and waited.

"Congratulations," she finally offered quietly. "I think it's wonderful that you finally found each other."

Blair and Jo blinked and looked at each other in amazement. Of all the people they had known at Eastland, Muffy was the last one they would have expected acceptance from. It had always been her goal in life to torment them, so why this now? She smiled sadly.

"I guess that's a little surprising coming from me, huh?" They nodded and she nodded her acceptance. "What can I say? I grew up and I learned a lot of things the hard way... like what's important and what really matters in life. And what you have together is important – a lot of people never get a first chance to find the kind of love you have... much less a second one." She teared up. "Please don't waste it."

Jo squeezed Blair's hand and they exchanged a glance. Then Blair turned to Muffy. "We were just going to lunch. Would you like to join us?"

"Seriously?" her eyes widening. "Yes, absolutely."

And in opening their hearts to allow one who had been an enemy in, they found a new friend.

************

After their run-in with Muffy, things seemed to settle down for them mostly and their status as a couple became a non-issue – expected, accepted but not really talked about either. Business partners didn't care as long as they were making money and the cops Jo worked with realized it didn't change the way she did her job. Even most of Blair's society friends now tended to shrug as if it was no longer of any consequence – Jo was simply included as part of Blair's family though they both knew there was a bit of morbid fascination with them and their supposed lifestyle. To them, it wasn't a lifestyle; it was their life – and they were glad when everyone else finally accepted that.

Finally, though, after all the ups and down with everyone else, they were finally able to catch up with Natalie and the meeting was almost anti-climactic.

When the phone rang in the penthouse, Blair's heart sped up. Only a very few people who had this number called anymore. Mostly it was for emergencies – if something happened to Jo or Jamie. She picked up the phone with shaking hands, not recognizing the calling number.

"Hello?"

"Blair? It's Nat. I got all your messages and I thought I should call you as soon as possible."

"Natalie? Um... wow!" blowing out a nervous breath. "You um... you gave me a scare. No one really calls this number anymore unless there is some kind of emergency."

Natalie frowned. Something was up – she would have recognized that from Blair's tone even without Tootie's bizarre behavior when Natalie mentioned needing to call Blair. "So what's going on Blair? You could have called my cell or sent an email, but you left messages instead. What gives?"

Blair sighed. "I need to talk to you, Nat, but I prefer to do it face to face. Can you make some time for me?"

"Sure, Blair; I've got a bit of vacation time coming to me after the last year or so. When?"

"Come into town tomorrow; we can get together for lunch. If you're still talking to me afterwards, you're welcome to stay with me for a few days."

Blair could almost hear Natalie's eyebrows fly into her hairline and it made her smile wistfully. She was pretty sure, given the way everyone else had reacted that this would be the final tie to their past that she and Jo would be severing and it made her sad. Natalie, Tootie and Mrs. G had been an important, integral part of their past, but them together was the future, and Blair wouldn't change that and neither would Jo.

"All right, Blair," Nat's voice brought her back to the present. "Say one-thirty at the Plaza?"

"I'll reserve a table for us. Thanks, Natalie."

"See you tomorrow, Blair."

The following morning, she and Jo sat at the table eating breakfast together. Jo took a sip of her coffee before looking at Blair and asking, "Do you want me to meet you at the Plaza, Princess or you want me to pick you up at work?"

"Joey, you don't have to...." stopping when two callused fingers covered her lips. She puckered up and kissed them, smiling when Jo shivered in reaction. Jo cleared her throat before speaking.

"Yeah, I do, Princess. I'm not gonna let you go through what you did with Tootie, and given the track record of our old friends, I'm not willing for you to do this with Natalie alone. Now, do you want me to meet you at the Plaza or the Warner building?"

Blair smiled, taking Jo's hand in hers and kissing the knuckles again. "I love you, you know?"

"Yeah... I love you too. Now, answer my question or I'll bring you to work with me."

"Do I get to be handcuffed to you?"

Jo spewed coffee she had just sipped across the table. "Blair!!"

Blair laughed. "What? It's not like I haven't asked for that before."

Jo blushed. "I know, but we're usually not going out to work either. I'm gonna have that running through my mind all day long."

"Good... that means you'll come home on time."

"God, I hope so. And I'll pick you up at work at one o'clock."

"Can you?"

"I'll let the cap know. I think she'll be all right with it. It's not like I don't have tons of overtime built up. An extra hour at lunch shouldn't be a problem, though with my luck, I'll end up working through dinner to make up for it."

"I hope not; I've got plans for us tonight."

"Keep it up, Warner – we'll both call in sick today."

"And that would be a bad thing how?"

Jo picked up her cell phone and made two very brief calls. Then she picked up Blair and carried her back to their bed. They were glad for a later lunch, and still they were very nearly late meeting Natalie.

She jumped up when Blair approached the table, exchanging a brief, intense hug before Natalie started to reseat herself. A hand on her arm made her hesitate and look into Blair's brown eyes, noting her nervousness. Natalie arched a brow in question.

"You might want to wait a minute; I think there is someone else you might want to hug." Blair gestured and Natalie turned her attention in the direction she motioned. Natalie just stood still, her jaw dropping open. Jo hesitantly opened her arms for a hug and Natalie almost lifted her off the ground in her exuberance.

"Oh my God, Jo! Where have you been? What are you doing here? How is Jamie? Where's Rick?"

Jo reached out and took Blair's hand. "That is kinda why we invited you to lunch, Nat. There's a lot we need to catch up on, but the most important thing is Blair and I are together." She didn't say anything else, wanting Natalie's reaction to be honest.

"Finally?! God, what took you two so long? Guess that means I can finally write a happy ending to that part of my great American novel."

"Excuse me?"

"Oh come on, Jo. I was fat, not stupid. You and Blair always had a thing for each other. Your arguing was just strange, rather intense foreplay. Didn't you notice when it changed and became something only the two of you could share – when you became protective of each other to the exclusion of everyone and everything else? Should I tell you my theory on what happened?" not giving them a chance to answer before she continued speaking.

"I figure Jo went with Rick because he was a nice guy that she had a lot in common with and he took her mind off the fact that she was in love with her best friend – a woman she was sure would never return that feeling. When she found out she was pregnant, it gave her the perfect excuse to run. Blair, in the meantime, married a playboy with a name and fortune of his own to satisfy her parents' need for a society pairing. And while she was never unhappy until she found out Tad was cheating on her, she was never happy in her marriage either, dissatisfied with almost every facet of it. Even his cheating didn't touch her heart as much as it stung her pride."

"I don't know what happened to finally bring you two together, but if you're happy, I'm glad it did."

Jo pulled out a chair for Blair, knowing if her knees were shaking, Blair's would be too. Blair took the unspoken hint and slipped into the seat before she fell into it. Jo went to provide the same courtesy for Natalie but she just shook her head.

"Already done, Jo," she said, resuming the seat she'd been sitting in when Blair arrived. "Now sit, please. I want to hear everything."

"Why?"

Natalie's brows creased. "Um... because I haven't seen you guys in forever?"

Jo shook her head. "No... why are you so accepting? It's taken most of the guys I work with a long time to get a grip on this, and a lot of them still haven't managed – they've just learned to ignore it. A lot Blair's society friends are the same way although most of them finally get that this isn't some phase for us and include both our names when inviting her to some do or other. Tootie and Mrs. G don't speak to us anymore. So why are you so okay with us?"

Natalie smiled. "Maybe because it wasn't a surprise for me – I never felt like you were lying to me about things... only yourselves. And traveling the world broadened horizons that were already broad to begin with."

"So Tootie thinks we were lying to her when we were in school together?"

"I dunno," Nat responded honestly. "Probably; she certainly didn't expect it like I did. Actually, it would explain her pique at me as well. She thinks I knew and didn't tell her, although we talked about it more than once back in the day. She didn't believe me then and has conveniently forgotten those late-night conversations now."

"We never lied to either of you then and we only wanted you to know the truth about us now. We thought at least you guys would be happy for us."

"Has it been hard?"

"It hasn't been easy," Blair replied, "But it has been worth it. I just wish...."

"They'll come around, Blair. It may take a little while, but eventually they will realize that all you and Jo did was finally be true to yourselves and each other. Everything will fall into place – you'll see."

************

Natalie's words to them then came back to Jo now as she looked around the family room of their home. It hadn't been true... at least not as far as Tootie and Mrs. G were concerned. Though they had been invited, Jo and Blair had been married without them; they celebrated birthdays and anniversaries without them. They had finally come to the conclusion that nothing they could say or do would ever influence their old friends' thinking, and with sadness, they put thoughts of them aside and got on with the business of living their lives together.

There had been more good than bad and the most important person to both of them – Jamie – was their greatest champion. Through her came acceptance from her friends and then their parents and after a while, no one even raised an eyebrow in their direction. And for that, they were both thankful... but it didn't alleviate the hurt they felt at the rejection of their closest friends.

Natalie made it a point to keep in touch with them as often as she could, and whenever she was in town, she stayed with them. Muffy also stayed in contact with them, having found them to be good friends when she gave them a chance to be. So their lives were full to overflowing and Jo smiled when one of her biggest blessings crossed the threshold.

"Mom? Blair?"

"In the living room, Jamie." Jamie entered the room to find her mom standing in front of the Rogue's Gallery wall and she sighed. Sometimes she wanted nothing more than to take the pictures down, knowing at least some of them were painful reminders of what would never be again. Instead she walked up behind her mother and wrapped her arms around Jo's waist.

"How did you manage to beat Blair home?" she asked, allowing Jo to turn and return the embrace. "That never happens."

"Rarely," Jo agreed, "but it does happen. She had a late client meeting. I promised her I'd come home and meet you and we'd pick her up for dinner later. So how are things at school? You still enjoying pre-med or...?" leaving the question open-ended.

They headed to the foyer to pick up Jamie's luggage and Jo led the way upstairs. Jamie shrugged although Jo couldn't see it. "I like it well enough... I really do. I think I would be a great doctor." A pause. "But sometimes I wonder if it was the right choice."

"Still feel the need to draw?"

Jo opened the door to her room and Jamie nodded as she passed her mother to enter. "Constantly," she finally admitted.

"Is it interfering with your studies?"

"Not like you think. I'm maintaining my grades." They laid the luggage on the bed and Jamie went to work putting things away while Jo retreated to lean against the doorjamb.

"But...?" Jo asked after a long silence.

"But my focus isn't as sharp as it was." Jamie sighed. "Sometimes, I just want to pack it all in and go somewhere far away and sit and draw until it's out of my system."

"Maybe you should, Jamie. Maybe you should take some time off school and pursue your art for a while... see where it takes you."

"But I thought...."

Jo took Jamie's hands in hers and led her to a clear space on the bed. "Jamie, I know things have never been easy between us – we're too much alike. But I never wanted you to study medicine or become a police officer or business mogul because you thought I wanted it. All I've ever wanted is for you to be happy in whatever it is you're doing."

Jamie nodded again. "I know what you're saying; I promise I'll think about it."