Jo and Blair clutched each other desperately in the back seat of a car. They were terrified. They couldn't see out the windows, as their own breath had fogged them.

"Do you think?" Blair began in a whisper before Jo threw her hand over her mouth.

""Shhh!" Jo's eyes were frightened. "Be quiet," she mouthed.

They both watched, petrified, as a front door handle of the car door was tried.

"Oh God!" Blair squeaked out before Jo silenced her again.

Her eyes peered down up at her imploringly, just be quiet!

They could hear footsteps cross over to the other side of the car.

This was the worst! Blair thought. How did all this happen?

Just a few weeks earlier…

Blair had become a couple with Jo, in her eyes. She and Jo had finally expressed their love for each other the previous summer. They had become physically intimate over a weekend in the Poconos. Beyond that, Jo had visited her in Manhattan over the summer, where they had continued their physical relationship.

They were lovers.

Yet, somehow, when they got back to Peekskill, things became incredibly complicated. They returned early from summer vacation so that they could have a few days in the bedroom by themselves. The first obstacle they encountered was how to conceal their relationship from Mrs. Garrett. They spent so much time upstairs with the door closed, that Mrs. G. questioned them as to their health!

"Are you two girls feeling alright?" she queried as she leaned against the kitchen counter one day.

"Yeah, sure Mrs. G.," Jo replied. "Why?"

"It's just that it isn't like either of you to spend so much time at home ensconced in the bedroom. You're usually out and about."

"We're taking a television journalism class together this term, Mrs. Garrett. We have big plans for that! We're brainstorming, you know? Collaborating together," Blair quickly dissembled.

"Yeah. We're collaborating," Jo chimed in with an almost imperceptible smile.

"You know," Blair continued as she bumped Jo with her hip and smiled broadly, "challenging each other, inspiring each other…"

"It's definitely been inspirational," Jo nudged her as she grinned.

"Well, I'm always happy to see you girls taking your studies seriously," Mrs. Garrett eyed them dubiously. Her demeanor turned bright as she smiled at them. "Keep up the good work!"

"We will," Blair exhaled as she discreetly linked her little finger with Jo's.

As Mrs. Garrett hummed her way out of the kitchen, Blair and Jo quickly retreated to the bedroom to continue their "studies." As they shut the door behind them, Jo wasted no time, as she kissed Blair passionately and backed her to the bed. She jerked Blair's shirt from her skirt waistband.

"Careful, Jo," Blair warned. "Don't rip another shirt!"

"Aw, you got thousands of 'em," Jo pointed out.

"Well, not thousands," Blair tilted her head adorably. "Hundreds, for sure."

"Blair?" Jo eyed her.

"Right!" Blair rapidly assisted Jo with the buttons. Jo pushed the shirt off her shoulders, immediately placed both hands under her bra, cupping her bare breasts, and pushed her down on the bed.

"Oh God, Jo," Blair moaned. "I love this."

"Me too, Babe," Jo caressed her neck. She quickly moved to relieve Blair of her bra. She pulled at her skirt and moved it down her bare legs. Blair responded by roughly lifting Jo's shirt over her head and expertly unfastening her bra.

"You've gotten good at that," Jo noticed.

"I'm a quick study," Blair smiled.

They kissed. As their lips parted, their eyes met. They became lost in each other's gaze and their need for each other. The moment of shared of intimacy was thrilling; its intensity almost overwhelming. There were no more words: only kissing, touching, pleasuring.

Blair's hands slowly moved to fondle her breasts. Jo gasped as Blair's fingers stroked her nipples. She shut her eyes and reveled in the sensation of having her breasts touched by the woman she loved. Jo leaned forward and kissed her, pushing her back down onto the bed. Their chests touched as Jo reclined into her. Blair arched up at the sensation. She reached down to unzip Jo's jeans and then yanked them down her thighs. Jo quickly kicked her way out of her Levi's as Blair wrapped her hands around her back, stroking soft flesh as she pulled her close, so that their nipples touched again. Jo placed her mouth against Blair's. Their lips danced momentarily before Blair opened just enough for Jo to slide her tongue inside. There was something about how Blair did this that just drove Jo crazy. She didn't open her mouth wide and envelop her in a tongue bath, as the boys she had kissed had done. She parted her lips with just enough room for Jo to initiate contact. Then she drew Jo's tongue in, sucking lightly. It was somehow demure, yet erotic, all at once. But it was never long before Blair engaged her mouth fully: demanding that she continue the tango that had begun on their lips with their tongues.

Jo felt herself becoming wildly aroused as she lifted herself up and slid her hand between them so that she could cup one of Blair's breasts. She squeezed the soft flesh and looked down at her lovingly, as she rubbed her thumb over one nipple, then another.

She looked into Blair's eyes and then slowly moved down so that she could place her lips around a thoroughly hard nipple.

As she felt Jo's wet mouth engulf her breast, Blair let out a sigh.

Jo moaned as she alternately sucked lightly and flicked with her tongue. As her own desire grew, she sucked harder. She inserted her leg between Blair's and began pressing against her crotch. She could feel Blair's wetness through her panties. Her leg rubbed against Blair as she bit lightly on a nipple.

"I can't stand it, Jo!" Blair exhaled breathlessly as she reached for Jo's underpants and slid her hands inside. Jo gasped as Blair's fingers reached her center. "Take them off!"

Jo dispensed of her underwear quickly. She reached down and gently slid Blair's panties down her body, revealing the light brown triangle between her legs.

"You're so beautiful," she stated honestly. They had made love whenever they were together, since last summer. But she was still always amazed at the sight of Blair's sex exposed before her. She spread her legs and just looked. "You're so beautiful," she repeated.

"Jo," Blair breathed huskily as she placed her hand on her cheek. "I love you so much."

Her body writhed upwards as Jo began to touch her drenched pussy.

"I love you too, Blair," Jo parted her warm, slippery folds, running her fingers up and down. "So much."

Her head traveled downwards, as if by a will of its own, until her tongue made contact with the object of her desire. She sucked and licked fervently, feeling her own center pulsate as she made Blair moan.

With Jo's tongue on her most private parts, Blair could feel pleasure coursing through her body until her passion overwhelmed her and she was released in a form of ecstasy reserved only for those who are young and in love.

Jo's arousal heightened as she felt a multitude of explosions on her tongue. She felt her own orgasm coming as she positioned herself so that her wet, pulsating center rubbed against Blair's leg. She cried out into Blair's sex as she was overcome.

"Blair, Blair, Blair…"

As both women relaxed from their moment of climax, Blair looked down at Jo. She stroked her hair.

"Did you just come going down on me?"

"Yeah," Jo moved up to hold her in a tight embrace. "Don't rub it in."

"I only meant that it was amazing that you could become so aroused that you came all by yourself!"

"So?"

"It's just a first for us!" Blair was excited.

"Okay, okay… let's not make too big of a deal," Jo kissed her head.

"But it is a big deal, Jo! Do you know what this means?"

"I have a feeling I'm about to find out."

"I feel like we've reached a whole new level in our sexuality. I just love this stuff!" Blair hesitated for a moment. "I never knew if I would like sex or if I'd be any good at it."

"You're plenty good at it, Blair," Jo sighed, satisfied.

Blair continued as if she hadn't heard her. "But, of course, I was always dating boys before."

This was something that had bothered Blair greatly. She had wondered if there was something wrong with her when she made out with guys. She had known that she was supposed to be feeling something more. She had gotten pretty good at faking it so that know one would guess that she really didn't care for it. She had certainly honed her boy-crazy act to a fine art, she guessed. She had the world fooled, but not herself. Even if she really liked a guy, or thought she could possibly love him, the passion she expected to feel just wasn't there. She had thought about Cliff often. Why was the spark never really ignited? She had worried about this, pondering the possibility that maybe she just wasn't a sexual person.

She had been aware for some time that she had an attraction to other women. Yet, the possibility of actually being with another woman had seemed distant to her… until Jo showed up. Her emotions and desires awoke and swept her away with a will of their own. If she was honest, Jo was the reason none of her relationships had worked out. She crashed into her life like a freight train and, hard as she had tried, she was helpless to resist. She was so happy when she had finally made love to Jo. It was everything that everybody said it should be. Jo was the key that fit perfectly into her lock and released her caged sexuality.

"It's different with you," she snuggled in closer. "There are so many things to explore! Female sexuality is so fascinating, don't you think?"

"Apparently."

"Jo, Jo, Jo… my little minimalist."

"Okay, so no now you're just ruining the moment," Jo complained.

"Oh, no," Blair informed as she glided down to Jo's breasts. "I'm about to extend" she took a nipple into her mouth and sucked hard, alternately biting and licking "and explore" she ran her hand down Jo's torso to right above the dark triangle of hair between her legs "the moment."

As she reached down and slid her fingers over Jo's drenched opening, she bit the other nipple. "This will be better than anything you've felt before," she kissed her way down Jo's body.

"Um… okay," Jo could barely breath out as she felt the first touch of Blair's tongue on her center. She spread her legs wide as Blair continued to lick and suck her. She was already beyond aroused. Her head was throbbing as she felt Blair's final assault on her sex. As she gave way to Blair, she felt a new sensation, as Blair inserted a finger inside her. This sent her over the edge as she cascaded in orgasm, calling Blair's name loudly. This was better than anything she had felt before! Why did Blair always have to be right? She cried out loudly as she was bought to the heights of ecstasy.

At long last, they lay satiated in each other's arms.

"Jesus, Blair," Jo exhaled huskily as the blonde took her place beside her. "What you do to me. I hope Mrs. Garrett didn't hear that," Jo worried.

"Sweetheart," Blair looked at her adoringly, "I'm pretty sure they heard that back in the Bronx!"

They smiled at each other momentarily before both broke out in laughter.

"I'm serious, Blair," Jo finally recovered herself. "What are we going to do?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Nat and Tootie will be home soon, it's not like we have a private room. They're going to know something's up."

"Now who's ruining the moment?" Blair complained.

"But we have to think about it," Jo continued. "We don't have a plan or anything."

"Let's just come out, Jo!" Blair brightened. "Let's come out to them and the whole world! I want everyone to know how happy we are!"

Jo hesitated before releasing a long, drawn-out sigh.

"I just don't feel ready for that," she finally managed. Her words hung in the air. She knew full well she had crushed Blair. The last thing in the world she wanted to do was hurt her, but it was the truth. She wasn't ready for the judgment of the world to come crashing down on their heads. She waited forlornly for Blair's reply. She just knew she'd be angry… and rightfully so! She braced herself in anticipation of what was to come.

Blair bit her lower lip and gazed at her.

"All right, then," she shrugged. "We'll work it out."

Jo's eyes filled with tears as she looked at her. She didn't think it was possible to love her more but, once again, Blair proved her wrong. Who was this woman lying next to her? She kept proving herself, over and over, to be a person, not only of quality and principle, but just a great girl! She didn't deserve her, Jo told herself.

"You're the best, Blair," she whispered hoarsely, her voice breaking with emotion.

Just then, a light tap came on the bedroom door.

"Girls? Girls?" Mrs. Garrett's high-pitched voice filtered in from the hallway.

"Shit!" Jo and Blair looked at each other wide-eyed.

"Whadda' we do?" Jo whispered desperately.

"I'll handle this," Blair jumped up confidently. She grabbed a shirt and pants and quickly dressed, smoothing her hair expertly.

"Coming!" she called out blithely to Mrs. Garrett. Jo could not locate her clothes. She stood completely naked as she gave Blair a desperate look. Blair glanced at her and jerked her head towards the closet. "Go!" she mouthed.

Jo raced from the bed to the closet as Blair opened the door.

"Is everything alright in here?" Mrs. G. looked around the room. "I thought I heard Jo screaming."

"Oh, you did, Mrs. Garrett," Blair replied with a pleasant smile. "We're preparing for really dramatic stories in our journalism class. I had Jo role-play for me."

"Well, okay then," Mrs. G. looked at her skeptically. "Um, Blair," she eyed her up and down. "Why are you wearing Jo's clothes, dear?"

Blair looked down and realized she had, indeed, grabbed Jo's tee shirt and jeans.

"Role-playing, Mrs. Garrett," she quickly covered. "We both have to be prepared to encounter any eventuality as television journalists! I mean, we could be interviewing criminals, people in handcuffs… the whole gamut!"

"Hmm. I never knew that college classes could be so dangerous and… all encompassing," Mrs. G. nodded her head thoughtfully. "Especially one that hasn't started yet. Be that as it may," she shrugged nonchalantly, "I did want to let you two girls know that I heard from Natalie and Tootie. They're coming back early, as well. They'll be here tonight!"

"What?!" Blair's shout was echoed by Jo's coming from the closet.

"I know! Isn't it wonderful?" Mrs. Garrett gushed. "We'll all be together again so soon! Um," she looked around the room. "Where is Jo? I know I just heard her voice."

"Oh, she's in the closet, Mrs. Garrett," Blair bit her lip unconsciously, "changing clothes for our next scenario."

"My, you two do take your preparation seriously!" Mrs. Garrett looked at her incredulously. "I hope Natalie and Tootie coming home won't interfere with your project!"

"It will be super to have them back," Blair managed a weak grin. "Thanks for warning, um, I mean, letting us know!"

"Of course, Blair," Mrs. Garrett patted her hand. "Now, you two girls can get back to your, um… studies." She gave her a reassuring smile before heading back down stairs.

"Jesus, Blair," Jo exited the closet irritated. "That's just fucked up."

Blair began to giggle.

"What's so funny?" Jo asked.

"You are!" Blair pointed at her. Jo had snatched one of Blair's pink frilly nightdresses from the closet and covered herself with it. She did look pretty silly she had to admit.

"Oh, it's you, Jo!" Blair teased.

"Hey… it was dark in there! I just grabbed the first thing I could," she smiled sheepishly.

"It's kind of sexy, Jo," Blair fingered the lacy gown.

"You are a maniac," Jo pushed her hand away.

"C'mon, Jo," Blair chided. "I'm dressed like you, you're dressed like me… I'm digging it!"

"Knock it off, Blair. We need to talk."

"You're right," Blair sighed.

They sat on the bed together. Blair reached over and brushed Jo's hair back onto her shoulder before joining hands with her.

"How do you want to handle this?" she asked.

"I don't know. Tootie and Natalie are going to be here. We can't do this anymore, obviously," Jo pointed out.

"Not like we've been doing it," Blair agreed. "We'll pick our moments, be discreet. It'll be dangerous, but fun."

"Listen, Blair, we've got to keep this between us for now. Okay?

"Okay. But it won't be easy," Blair kissed her neck.

"It's for the best," Jo exhaled as she leaned into her lover.

"You're probably right," Blair continued to nibble. "There would be a lot of explaining and complications and nosy busy-bodies wanting to know our business," she loosened the nighty Jo was wearing as she reached inside.

"This does seem intensely personal," Jo allowed herself to be pushed back onto the bed.

"Intensely," Blair ran her hands over Jo's hot flesh.

"You're an animal, Blair," Jo sighed in surrender.

Tootie and Natalie arrived before dinner. Blair and Jo had managed to tidy themselves and pick up the room.

"So… what have you guys been up to since we saw you last summer?" Natalie asked over supper.

"Oh, this and that," Blair offered.

"I worked," Jo informed.

"Did you get a chance to see each other again?" Tootie inquired.

"Um, yeah," Jo nodded. "We may have bumped into each other a few times."

"You bumped into each other?" Natalie nudged Tootie under the table.

"We hooked up on Jo's days off. We went to my family's beach house once," Blair informed.

"Blair took you to her beach house?" Tootie questioned enviously.

"Once," Jo shot Blair an annoyed look.

"While we were slaving away in a hot restaurant?" Tootie eyed Natalie.

"Hey, I worked every week," Jo defended herself. "Waitressing, like you guys."

"C'mon, Tootie, it wasn't that bad!" Natalie protested.

"I'm so happy you girls had a productive summer," Mrs. Garrett said. "But Jo and Blair have been back to their studies already. They've been busy on a project for a class this term," she added pleasantly. "I've hardly seen them at all!"

"Yeah? Which class?" Natalie asked.

"Television journalism, wasn't it girls?" Mr. Garrett smiled.

"What? Television journalism isn't even offered 'til next semester," Tootie blurted.

Blair and Jo glanced at each other nervously.

"You memorized the schedule?" Blair managed after a few awkward moments.

"Everyone knows you have to take the fall prerequisite first," Tootie shrugged.

"Well we, uh, just want to be prepared," Jo moved her peas around her plate idly.

"Not like you to study when you don't have to, Blair," Natalie mentioned.

"I'm very dedicated to this course of study," Blair glared at Natalie.

"Why?" Natalie grinned at her. "Television journalism is in your future?"

"It might be," Blair was becoming angry. "You never know!"

"Yeah, lay off, Nat," Jo chimed in.

"Whatever," Natalie rolled her eyes.

"I think it's admirable that Jo and Blair are taking their classes so seriously," Mrs. Garrett restored the peace. "You'll all have to buckle down soon enough."

After they had cleared the table, Blair and Jo headed upstairs and found they had a moment to themselves.

"I told you the working on a class project excuse was lame," Jo grumbled.

"It was still better than your excuse for our spending so much time alone which was, oh, let me remember… nothing!" Blair shot back.

"This is going to be harder than I thought," Jo complained.

"I already miss being alone with you," Blair agreed.

"Hey, guys," Tootie interrupted as she entered the bedroom with Natalie. "What ya' talking about?"

"Nothing," Blair and Jo answered together.

"It's great being all together again, isn't it?" Tootie enthused.

"It is nice to see you guys," Jo answered.

"Yeah," Natalie plopped down on her bed. "Now I want the real scoop!"

"What real scoop?" Jo asked.

"Like where you got that hickey on your neck?"

"I do not have a hickey!" Jo threw her hand up to cover her neck.

"You do so," Natalie insisted. "So dish!"

"Really, Natalie, I don't see how that's any of your business," Blair scolded.

"Since when do you two hold back? C'mon, give me the blow-by-blow!"

"Excuse me?" Blair was offended. "We have always held back, as you put it. I have never discussed a sexual encounter with you two or anyone else. It would be unseemly to do so!"

"Whoa! Hold the phone and pass the ammunition!" Natalie shouted.

"You're mixing your metaphors, Nat," Tootie pointed out.

"Forget that!" Natalie stared at her friend incredulously. "Blair just admitted she's had sex!"

Tootie's mouth dropped open as her eyes went wide. "Blair?!"

"I want to hear all the juicy parts and don't skip over the details," Natalie continued.

Blair and Jo quickly exchanged glances. Jo shook her head slowly, a look of consternation crossing her features. Blair's face flushed as she tried to regain her composure.

"Now wait a minute," she attempted damage control. "I didn't say I had sex. I said if I had sex, I wouldn't discuss it with others."

"Nope. That's not what you said, Blair," Tootie, always the stickler for details, informed. "You said that you have never discussed a sexual encounter with anyone, as if you had sexual encounters to discuss!"

"I did not," Blair was becoming flustered. "That's not what I meant."

"Why do I think you two are all-of-a-sudden holding out on us?" Natalie frowned.

"You two?" Jo protested. "How did I get dragged into this?"

"You've got a hickey, Blair's talking about sexual encounters… what's going on with you guys and why are we not in the loop?" Nat questioned.

"Just let it go, the both of you!" Blair threw a pillow across the room.

"No way, Blair!" Natalie crossed her arms over her chest defiantly. "Something's going on and I want to know what it is!"

Blair stood up and made her way to the bedroom door. She turned dramatically on her heel. "I'm going to say this one time, so listen up. There is nothing going on. I never said I had sex and Jo's business is her own. That's the end of this discussion!" She slammed the door on her way out for good measure.

Natalie and Tootie's eyes popped as she exited.

"Guess we hit a nerve," Tootie commented.

"You guys go too far sometimes," Jo admonished them as she followed Blair out of the room. "You shouldn't have teased her like that."

As she closed the door behind her, Natalie and Tootie looked at each other.

"We weren't just teasing Blair," Tootie said to the door as she bobbed her head.

They both began to laugh.

"I notice Blair never actually denied that she had sex," Nat grinned.

"Yep. She did the lawyer thing. She denied that she said she had sex," Tootie observed.

"That girl's going to be a good lawyer someday," Natalie declared.

"Uh, no. Television journalist, remember?"

"Oh my God, Tootie! They are so obvious!"

"Uh-huh," Tootie nodded.

The following weeks were problematic for Blair and Jo. Between their classes, their shifts at the store and sharing a room with two other girls, they rarely had a moment alone. The nights were the worst. It was sheer torture to lie so close to each other in separate beds and not be able to touch. Sometimes, they would reach out for each other in the dark and hold hands before they fell asleep. Other times, they just couldn't stand it and one would sneak into the other's bed until daylight. They were caught sharing a bed on a couple of occasions. But, they felt, they covered well with excuses like: "We were studying together and fell asleep," or "There was a spider in my bed."

There were rare opportunities to actually be together. On one such afternoon, the store was closed, Mrs. Garrett had gone shopping and Natalie and Tootie were at the movies, they held each other after making love and listened to the rainfall.

"I miss this, Jo," Blair sighed.

"Me too, Blair."

"I don't know how long I can keep this up," Blair uttered a little sadly.

"What do you mean?"

"We catch a few precious moments alone, here or there, always vigilant, hyper-aware, so that if a door closes downstairs we can jump out of bed and not get caught."

"I know. It sucks, Blair."

"I'm starved for affection, for your touch, Jo! It's like being at an exquisite banquet and not being able to touch or taste the food!"

"It's not easy. But, I don't know what we can do about it."

"Are you sure you just don't want to tell our friends about us?"

"Eh, I don't think I'm ready for that."

"Remember last summer, when we were at the beach house? We couldn't keep our hands off each other. You didn't seem to care who saw us then."

"But that was different. It was a bunch of strangers on the beach. What do I care what they think? This is where we live our lives. It's different. Besides, what good would it do? We'd still be in a bedroom with Natalie and Tootie, only now they'd know we're hot for each other. I just don't think I'd like that."

"I want to tell them, Jo. I'm tired of sneaking around and hiding."

"What happened to it will be dangerous and fun?"

"C'mon, we hardly get any private time," Blair whined. "I just can't live this way."

"So what are you saying, Blair? Are you giving me some sort of ultimatum?"

"Um, no…" Blair was confused by this.

"Then what's your point?"

"We could move out, Jo. Get our own place."

"You know I can't afford that."

"And you know I can pay for both of us."

"I ain't taking charity, Blair!"

Blair exhaled loudly as she rolled over and stared at the ceiling. It was then, that she had one of her brilliant ideas! She would make Jo jealous! So jealous that she'd beg to move out with her!

"You know, Jo, it does seem suspicious to everyone that I haven't been dating."

"That's no one's business but your own."

"But, to keep us truly closeted…"

"Don't say it like that, Blair!"

"To keep us truly closeted," Blair continued in sweet defiance, "I should be dating boys, you know, just to throw suspicion off us."

"What? No way Blair!"

"Think about it, Jo. It looks weird, you and I spending every free moment together and neither of us dating."

"Uh-uh. It's out of the question."

"Just for appearances sake, Jo," Blair reassured.

"Oh… so you'd go out with them, but not have sex, is that it? Is that supposed to make me feel better? What about the poor saps you'd be leading on? That doesn't bother you?"

"Not in the least. I've thought about this, Jo. I would be doing them a favor: their desirability would immediately go up if they were seen with me plus they would get to spend an evening enjoying my company! Besides, I never put-out anyway, so I don't see how it's any different from what I did before I was together with you!"

"So, you thought this out, huh? You're really something, Blair."

"I'm not the one who wants to stay hidden away, Jo!"

"You have the luxury of taking chances, I don't. Anything bad happens to you, Daddy's there to throw money at it and make it go away. It must feel incredibly secure knowing that. I don't have that luxury. I fuck up, I've got to live with it."

Blair made a face as if she had tasted something bitter. "This isn't about money, Jo. You won't come out because of your church and family. They won't approve."

"Leave my family and the Church out of this!"

"Why? It's true! They've taught you to be ashamed. Your devotion to a fictional deity is more important to you than me."

"What are you talking about? That's crazy."

"God doesn't exist, Jo. Get over it."

"Not this again, Blair!"

"What has God ever done for you? I have never had a prayer answered."

"You've had every advantage! You were raised in the lap of luxury!"

"Exactly my point! Why should I have all those advantages and not you? What kind of God rolls the dice and one person has it all and another nothing? God does not exist!"

"God does exist, Blair!"

"Yeah, he comes down the chimney with Santa Claus, right? Talk about crazy."

"Ya' know, I forgot what an incredible asshole you can be," Jo glared at her.

"Look, I'm just trying to do what you want," Blair stated airily.

"Uh, no your not. You're doing what you want."

"If I go out on dates with guys, no one will question us, Jo," Blair returned to her plan.

"Knock it off, Blair. If you start going out on dates again, you can forget having sex with me!"

"Now who's giving ultimatums?" Blair was suddenly upset.

"I am!" Jo snapped. "You're not going to do this! I forbid it!"

"You what?" Blair was outraged. She jumped out of bed and yelled at Jo. "Who do you think you are?"

"Your girlfriend, you obstinate, pampered, selfish, spoiled brat! But not for long if you start dating guys!"

"Oh, I'm obstinate? I'm obstinate?!"

"I notice you didn't deny the selfish, spoiled brat part!"

"No one forbids me to do anything, especially not a backwards, repressed person like you!"

"Oh, I'm backwards and repressed, am I?"

"The truth hurts, doesn't it?"

"You wouldn't know truth if it hit you in the face, Blair!"

"That's it, Jo! Get out of my room!"

"It's my room, too, Blair!"

"Right!" Blair grimaced. "Well, um, get out of my bed!"

"With pleasure!" Jo crossed over to her own bed and clutched a pillow.

This had not gone the way Blair had planned. But she couldn't back down now. Jo looked so hurt, lying there holding a pillow. She struggled to resist Jo when she wore her sad face. She appeared vulnerable and wounded. It was all Blair could do not to run to her and hold her and tell her how sorry she was. But, no way! Jo was out of line and she would just have to apologize. She was not giving in.

Jo glanced up at Blair. She was standing stark naked in the middle of the room. Her skin was flushed with anger, her hair wild and free, her fists clenched defiantly at her sides, her lips puckered in an adorable pout. She looked hot. It was all she could do not to run to her, throw her on the bed and kiss every inch of that voluptuous body, telling her how sorry she was. But, no way! Blair was wrong and she would just have to apologize. That's all there was to it! She was not giving in.

No one apologized.

The next few days were difficult, to say the least. Blair and Jo were definitely not speaking to each other. This development did not go unnoticed.

"There's like a chill when they're in a room together," Natalie mentioned to Tootie as they were sitting on the couch.

"Trouble in paradise, I guess," her friend conjectured.

"We've got to help them patch it up," Natalie put forth.

"How are we supposed to do that when we're not even supposed to know they're together?" Tootie questioned.

"I dunno'. Maybe create situations in a peaceful atmosphere," she emphasized the word peaceful, "where they could just chill and be together."

"Chill is not what they need to do, Nat," Tootie eyed her. "They need to thaw!"

"That's it!" Natalie yelled as she jumped up. "Tootie, you're a genius!"

"I am?" her friend was thoroughly confused.

"Yes!" Natalie walked over to the fireplace and gestured dramatically.

"Uh, still not following," Tootie shook her head.

"We'll start a fire. Have a nice relaxing time in front of the fire, all of us, so it's non-threatening. Then we'll, one-by-one, make an excuse to leave the room so that they're left in front of a romantic fire together!"

"I don't know, Nat. How are we going to get them to agree to be in the same room?"

"Leave that to me!"

The following evening, Natalie managed to convince Jo and Blair to sit in front of the fire with her, Tootie and Mrs. G. to discuss the business. The interaction was civil, if not friendly, between Jo and Blair. Everything was going according to plan! Natalie was about to make her exit, when Blair noticed that the fire had grown low.

"Throw another log on," she yawned as she took a sip of her hot chocolate.

"No, Blair," Jo protested.

"I want a flame, Jo," Blair eyed her unwaveringly.

"The embers," Jo eyed her back. "The embers smolder. They're the glowing heart and soul of the fire!"

"Flames burns bright, create an immediate heat, and are the fire!" Blair argued.

"Embers, Blair!"

"Flames, Jo!"

"Girls, girls, girls!" Mrs. Garrett intervened. "Certainly, we can compromise! Jo, put another log on. Blair, after that, we enjoy the embers!"

Jo and Blair glared at each other, before nodding in agreement. Jo placed another log on the fire as Blair smirked at her.

"Don't think you've won anything, Blair," Jo frowned.

"Oh, but I did win, Jo," Blair offered smugly. "I'm finishing my hot chocolate by a bright, flaming fire and then I'm off to bed… to read. You can smolder by the embers, as usual."

Oh snap! Natalie thought. This is not working out like I planned.

Jo rose from her position at the fire and took a couple of menacing steps towards Blair. Mrs. Garrett suddenly stood up and put her arm around the young woman.

"That reminds me, Jo. I've been meaning to ask you to take a look at the books with me," she stated pleasantly.

"Um, sure, Mrs. G." Jo's anger was diffused by her calming presence.

As Jo left with Mrs. Garrett and Blair, eventually, made her way upstairs. Natalie and Tootie were left sitting on the couch together, staring at Jo's embers.

"Well, that didn't go as planned," Tootie lamented.

"I know, right?" Natalie shook her head. "We'll think of something else. This can't go on."

"But what if it does?" Tootie was concerned. "It was bad enough living with them when they loved-hated each other. But living with them when they hate-hate each other? Uh-uh, Nat."

"We'll think of something," Natalie reassured.

Blair had, in the face of Jo's denial of their relationship, started to see men again. She went out with guys, but always with the knowledge that she had made love to another woman. Her dates didn't mean anything to her. It was actually drearier than she thought it would be. Why did she like this before? Did she? The whole dating ritual felt completely pedestrian, if not downright juvenile, at this point. She was a woman. She felt like a woman. She wanted to be free to live a grown woman's life. She was still desperately in love with Jo. She wanted only to be with her. They were both adults at this point. She longed to start living as one… away from her prep school roommates and housemother. She was ready to move out with Jo and live with her, as lovers should. Why was this so hard to achieve? Was Jo really not ready yet? Or was it that she didn't feel the same way? The thought was too terrifying to entertain. She was so desperately in love with her. It seemed that every encounter she had with a hopeful young man, just drove that jagged edge deeper into her heart.

As days passed into weeks, she tried to make Jo jealous, hoping that the other woman would see the error of her ways and beg for her back! She would make a point of kissing her dates goodnight in front of Jo, hoping to trigger her jealousy.

But it was to no avail.

The hardest time was at night: sleeping so close and not being able to touch her, to hold her, to be held by her, to tell her how much she loved her. She ached for Jo. It was torture.

For Jo's part, she felt sickened by Blair's constant dating. How could she just go back to her old ways so easily? She wasn't buying it, she told herself. Blair was trying to get her to come running back by making her jealous and she wasn't about to fall for it! There was only one little problem: she was jealous! It drove her crazy when Blair would go out on dates. She particularly hated it when she would kiss them goodnight in front her.

It was on a Saturday night when she finally lost it. She came home to find Blair sitting in her Porsche on the driveway with a date. Her motorcycle was loud. Blair had to hear her coming! Yet, she reached over, pulled this guy close, and French kissed him… right in front of her! Jo knew how this kiss felt. It was tattooed on her memory: Blair's tongue dancing with hers! She felt completely out of control as she allowed her beloved bike to tap, rather forcefully, the back of Blair's Porsche. The car lurched forward and struck the garage door.

"What the hell?" Blair jumped out to survey the damage.

Jo dismounted her bike. She walked to the front of the car. "It's just a scratch," she shook her head dismissively.

"Just a scratch?" Blair was livid. "There's a huge dent on the front fender!"

"Sorry," Jo shrugged. "Why didn't you have it in gear? It wouldn't have moved then."

"Why didn't I have it in gear?" Blair reiterated angrily. "I was saying goodnight to a date!"

"Yeah," Jo smirked. "I noticed that."

"You've got no right to judge me, Jo Polniaczek, and you know why!"

"Back off," Blair's date attempted to defend her as he approached Jo.

"Shut up!" they yelled at him simultaneously.

"Just stay out of this, Tad!" Blair advised in a calmer tone.

"Yeah, stay out of this, Cad!" Jo intentionally mispronounced his name.

"Tad!"

"Nad?" Jo smirked.

"Stay out of it, Nad," Blair yelled.

"Tad!" he eyed her incredulously.

"Whatever," Blair shook her head in confusion. "Just go!"

As her date shuffled away, thoroughly confused, Blair turned her anger on Jo.

"You did that on purpose!"

"Why would I risk damaging my own bike on purpose, Blair? I just came up on you guys too fast."

"Liar!" Blair hurled back at her. "You love me and you won't admit it and this is how you deal with it!"

"Jeez, Blair, it was just an accident," Jo covered.

"Yeah, well it's an accident that's going to put my car in the shop!"

"I've got insurance," Jo shrugged.

"I don't want your cheap-ass insurance money! I'll pay for this myself, so it's done right! God forbid I drive you more into the poorhouse than you already are!"

"That's harsh, Blair!"

Blair approached her aggressively, so that she was mere inches away from her face.

"If you don't love me enough to be with me, let me go," she breathed.

"You can't date boys and expect sex from me."

"I only date boys because I can't get sex from you," Blair exhaled.

"No, Blair, wrong… again!" Jo grimaced. "I never withheld anything from you. But that wasn't good enough. You had to have your cake and eat it, too. I'm just not okay with that. I have to be true to myself by, by…" she couldn't quite verbalize her next thought.

"Oh, spit it out already! By what?" Blair hurled at her angrily.

"By letting you go!" Jo returned her ire.

"Letting me go?" the words stabbed at Blair's heart. "Letting me go," she repeated again in disbelief.

"Yeah. Letting you go, Blair."

"What?"

Jo's eyes filled with tears as she bolted towards the back door.

"Letting me go includes hitting my car because you're jealous?" Blair shouted after her in disbelief.

"What is going on out here?" Mrs. Garrett came rushing from the house.

Blair pointed to her car. Mrs. Garrett walked around and checked the damage.

"Oh. It's just a little dent, Blair. Not bad at all."

Mrs. Garrett looked over to the garage door.

"There is a little damage here," she fretted.

"Jo rear-ended me. I'll pay for it, Mrs. Garrett," Blair offered.

"That's not it, Blair. It's just that Jo's usually so careful on her motorcycle. I don't understand how this could've happened."

"She did it on purpose!" Blair insisted.

"Sweetheart," she placed her arm around her. "It's not that bad."

"That's not it," Blair contended. "Jo's trying to hurt me!"

"Oh, honey," she patted Blair's back. "No. She loves you. It was just an accident."

"She did it on purpose," Blair reiterated vehemently as she gazed at Mrs. Garrett with tears filling her eyes.

"Of course she didn't," Mrs. Garrett assured.

"You don't even know," Blair walked quickly back to the house.

She dried her eyes as she entered the bedroom. She changed quietly into her pajamas, crossed by Jo's bed and slipped into her own.

"I hate you, Jo," she whispered into her pillow.

Jo heard her, but did not respond.

"I love you," she mouthed silently.

David Warner had Blair's car picked up so that it was worked on by the best Porsche mechanics in the city. He sent up a temporary replacement car for her. Blair did not like it at all. It was huge and ugly. It was an old person's car in Blair's estimation. But it was from her Father. It was his way of showing concern and caring. So she accepted it as a temporary replacement for her own car.

"God," she thought every time she got behind the wheel. "I hate driving this thing! Damn, Jo!"

Natalie and Tootie loved it! As a matter of fact, it hatched a new plan on just how they would get their two best friends back together after their obvious falling out.

"That car's big enough for all of us, Tootie," Natalie mentioned.

"Whadda' thinking, Nat?"

"What if we could convince them to take us out? Then they'd have to spend time together!"

"I'm not sure it's such a good idea to force them into a such a cramped environment, Natalie. They might kill each other… or us!"

"No, I have the perfect idea!"

"That's what you said last time and look how that turned out."

"Just listen, Tootie. We'll ask Blair to take us cruising."

"Ha! There's no way Blair would go cruising," Tootie scoffed.

"Right? So we'll ask her to let Jo drive us in her car."

"And because she won't let Jo drive her car, um… I'm not following this plan."

"We'll lay it on thick, Tootie! How much we really want to go. How it's like fulfilling a life-long dream!"

"That is laying it on thick," Tootie rolled her eyes.

"You know Blair can't say no when we really want something. She's a softy, down deep," Natalie observed.

"Yeah. Down real deep," Tootie looked at her skeptically.

"She'll give in, trust me. But she won't want to drive. That's where Jo comes in," Natalie beamed.

"It's worth a shot, I guess," Tootie shrugged.

"Yeah, and then we'll start talking about how cruising is the new American mating ritual and how romantic it is and one thing will need to another and they'll see how much they miss each other!"

"Like I said," Tootie shook her head, "it's worth a shot. I can't take much more of their arguing and sulking."

"It's the silent treatment that drives me crazy! You could cut the tension with a knife! It's negatively affecting my natural joie de vivre!"

"Oh," Tootie gazed at her dramatically. "And we simply cannot have that!"

While they waited for the perfect moment to spring their plan, they insisted that, because Blair's car was so big, she no longer had an excuse to not give them rides to wherever it was they wanted to go. To Blair's chagrin, not only was she driving an old person's car, she had become a chauffeur!

"This sucks," Blair complained to herself one day after returning home from a driving trip to the grocery store with Natalie and Tootie. She pulled out some chicken salad from the refrigerator. As she shut the door, Jo was in her face.

"We need to talk," she complained.

"Why should I talk to you?" Blair retorted. "We've got nothing to talk about."

"Quit being a baby, Blair."

"You let me go, remember? I don't even know why you're standing here."

"Because we need to talk."

"You ran into my car, Jo!" Blair spit out bitterly. "I could've got whiplash!"

Jo rolled her eyes. "I tapped your damn car to get your attention. I was jealous. I admit it, all right?"

"Then why did you say you were letting me go?"

"You're dating boys, Blair!"

"I'm only dating boys to make you jealous!"

"Well, it worked, okay?!"

"So wait a minute," Blair set the chicken salad on the counter. "You're saying you don't want to let me go?"

"Of course I don't," Jo placed her hands on her hips and shook her head. She exhaled loudly. "I don't always have the words I want to say to you, but…"

"But you can rear-end my car so that I don't kiss a boy?" Blair cut her off.

"Your right, Blair. That wasn't okay."

"Wasn't okay?" Blair looked at her in disbelief.

"I already said I was jealous, okay?" Jo exploded. "I hate seeing you with Chad or Tad or Biff or whatever you decide to date next!"

"You can stop that in a heartbeat!" Blair glared at her.

"Everything's been such a blur since last summer. It's been so much, so fast. My head is spinning. Just tell me what you want, Blair," Jo's voice broke with emotion. Tears suddenly filled her eyes.

Blair hated to admit it, but Jo's tears got to her, even if she was mad at her. She couldn't stand to see her cry.

"Jo?"

Jo had turned her face away. She did not respond. Blair walked over to her and placed her hands on her shoulders.

"Look at me."

"What?" Jo could barely make eye contact.

"You know I'm in love with you. You know I would do anything to get you back like we were. Don't you?"

"You would?" Jo mumbled.

"Yes. It's just that you don't want to be out and you don't want to move out and I'm just at a loss sometimes," Blair sighed. "You know I'm tired of hiding, but if that's what it takes to get you back, then that's what we'll do."

"I don't know what to say to that, Blair."

"Say you'll stop pushing me away like some dirty little secret."

"I don't think of you that way," Jo met her glance.

"So quit denying me," Blair insisted.

"Quit dating boys."

"Has it ever occurred to you that maybe boys aren't who you should be worried about? Chad and Tad and Biff aren't really your competition. But Tiffany or Heather?"

"Tiffany or Heather, huh?" Jo couldn't help but grin. "That's the best you could come up with?"

"Yeah. Tiffany or Heather."

"Not unless Tiffany and Heather can do this," Jo wrapped her arm around her and pulled her close. She kissed her. Blair immediately melted into her embrace and returned the kiss.

Jo buried her face into Blair's neck. Blair held her tight. She kissed her head. Jo gazed up at her. They looked into each other's eyes. Their lips met again slowly.

"Me too. Let's go out tonight," Blair suggested. "Just me and you."

"Ride in your big-ass car? Get dinner?"

"Park on a dark bluff and make out?"

"Sounds good," Jo admitted.

Their heads inclined towards each other again as they engaged in another kiss.

"Hey guys!" Natalie burst into the room with Tootie following.

Jo and Blair quickly parted, both wiping their lips and turning away from each other.

"Um, what?" Blair smiled at them nervously.

"We want to go cruising!" Tootie blurted out.

"Go what?" Jo eyed them skeptically. She hadn't quite recovered from the kiss she had just shared with Blair.

"Cruising!" Natalie's eyes grew wide. "You know, drive up and down the street looking for guys?"

"I know what cruising is, Nat," Jo frowned. "You don't have to define it for me."

"Seriously?" Blair questioned.

"Blair, you've got that big, ole' car! It would just be wrong not to take advantage of that!" Tootie pressed the issue.

"I don't think so," Blair shook her head disdainfully. "The image of me in a car trolling the streets for men? Uh-uh."

"What's the worst that could happen?" Natalie chided.

"I could be seen by people!" Blair was resolute.

"Please, Blair," Natalie pleaded.

"Please," Tootie folded her hands in front of herself in a prayerful manner.

"Please, Blair, please!" Natalie implored.

Jo watched with interest as her two younger friends pleaded with Blair. It was easy to feel like her old self again around Natalie and Tootie; the person she used to be… before Blair had completely stolen her heart. She could allow herself to fall into a pattern of relaxed banter that had become so familiar over the years. Yet, as comforting as it was, it was just not the same. It was tainted with a disingenuous air somehow, knowing how she really felt about Blair: wanting to hold her, to comfort her, to kiss and make love to her. The intensity of her interactions with Blair actually scared her. Hell, she wasn't afraid of anything. But, Blair…? She could see right into her soul it seemed. Their intimacy was more than merely physical. They had become scary close, in a world of their own sometimes, to the exclusion of all others. Even when they were apart, they were impossibly connected.

This couldn't have been easy for those around them, she reflected. Especially when she and Blair had one of their epic blow-ups. The last couple of weeks had to have been hard for Natalie and Tootie seeing how they all shared a room and she and Blair had been hurling mental daggers at each other. She felt sorry for them, being in the middle of their drama, yet not being privy to their tender moments.

"Blair?" she shrugged and smiled at her girlfriend tenderly. "What do you think?"

Blair glared at Jo. It was hard to deny her when she looked so sweet, but what was she doing? They were going out! How could she give that up?

"Jo?" she tossed her name back angrily.

"It's been a rough couple of weeks. It might be nice to all go out together," Jo speculated.

Blair hadn't anticipated Jo's willingness to give up their long awaited reunion so easily. She was upset and more than a little offended.

"I am going upstairs to enjoy a hot bath," she pronounced in her haughtiest tone as she tried to hide her hurt.

As Blair stomped away, Natalie and Tootie stared at Jo.

"Whadda' want me to do?" Jo shrugged.

"Talk to her!" the called out together.

"Like I could change Blair's mind," Jo shook her head.

"Of course you can!" Natalie insisted.

"You always do!" Tootie chimed in.

"Ah, not this time. We're barely speaking, in case you hadn't noticed," Jo declined.

"We've been wanting to go cruising forever, right Tootie?" Natalie insisted.

"Right!" Tootie agreed vehemently.

"So why does Blair have to make your dreams come true?" Jo asked.

"Because she can, duh, Jo!" Natalie answered.

"Please, Jo!" Tootie begged.

"Oh, all right," Jo relented. "But it's not going to do any good. She'll probably just throw something at me."

As Jo trudged up the stairs after Blair, Natalie and Tootie gazed at each other.

"Wow! It's working already, Tootie. Jo's going to talk to her!"

"Better get ready for some fireworks, just in case," Tootie warned.

Jo was surprised to find Blair reclined on her bed flipping through the pages of a book instead of running a bath.

"Thought you were going to be in the tub," she mentioned. She quickly ducked as Blair hurled the book at her, bouncing it off the wall.

"Oh? You've been thinking? Don't hurt yourself!" Blair replied angrily.

"You know," Jo picked up the book casually, "I'm going to have to tell Mr. Parker over in the library to restrict your check-out privileges."

"You're so funny," Blair smirked at her.

"C'mon, Blair. Don't you care about your friends?" Jo replied.

"I do care about my friends. That doesn't make me their slave!"

"It's just for a couple hours… to mend fences. We have been a little hard to be around, lately. They're so excited. What's the harm?"

"You are seriously going to ask me that?"

"C'mon, don't be an ass, Blair."

"Oh! I'm the ass?" she gave Jo a furious look.

"Right now you are… yeah!"

"This was going to be our night, Jo!"

"We can go out later."

"You want to go cruising?"

"Not particularly. But listen, I'll drive, okay? I'll be the driver. All you have to do is sit there."

"Sitting passively is not what I had in mind for the evening."

"I know, but, c'mon, play ball, will ya'?"

"I do not play ball!" Blair was livid. "It doesn't bother you to put me off for them? That I'm obviously upset?"

"You are so high-maintenance, sometimes," Jo complained.

Blair turned on her bed dramatically and buried her face in her pillow.

"Look, Blair," Jo was becoming irritated. "I told them I'd come up here and talk to you. Try to change your mind. I've done that. I'll just go back downstairs and let them know that you are too inhibited and terrified of what others might think to be seen out cruising."

Blair did not respond.

"Probably just scared that no one will give you a second look," Jo mumbled as she turned to leave.

"You know what?" Blair suddenly sat up. "If I did go out cruising, I would score twenty guys for each one who even looked at the rest of you!"

"You can never go wrong appealing to her vanity," Jo chuckled to herself. "Works every time."

"Only if Biff or Tad are on the cruise strip!" she mocked her.

"Oooh, that's it, Jo Polniaczek! It's on!" Blair jumped up from the bed. "I can score a Biff, Tad and have enough left for Tiffany and Heather!"

"What did you say?" Jo began to chase her down the stairs.

"I said I'm going to get Tad and Tiffany!" Blair called over her shoulder.

"Does that mean we're going cruising?" Natalie's eyes grew wide as Blair rushed towards the door with Jo following.

"Get your jacket," was Blair's hasty reply.

"Cool!" Tootie grinned as she rushed after her older friends.

As Blair unlocked the driver's side door, Jo approached her.

"Are you sure you want to drive? Up and down the streets of Peekskill? Cruising?"

"Of course not! How uncouth! You drive!" Blair tossed her the keys.

"You trust me with Daddy's car? I am so honored!"

"After you wrecked mine?" Blair eyed her.

"Hey! It was just a dent," Jo protested. "I could've knocked that out with a blow torch and a hammer!"

"Whatever."

"Well, I'm glad you still trust me, all the same," Jo gave her a crooked grin.

"Hardly," Blair rolled her eyes. "It's not a matter of trust, it's a matter of form. I cannot be seen to be the facilitator of this idiotic undertaking! Besides, I may have to hide and I can't very well do that if I'm driving!"

Blair was actually happy that Jo was driving. For all her protestations, she did trust her. She really couldn't understand this whole process at all. It was extremely irritating. She was regretting her decision to come along more and more with each passing moment. Tootie was so excited that she was practically bouncing in the back seat. Natalie was seriously looking for college guys, as if they would be caught dead out cruising. And she was? Thinking about Jo. How had she let Jo get under skin so easily that she had agreed to this absurd "cruising" adventure just to prove her attractiveness? She didn't want to find a Heather, let alone a Tad. There was no one else; nothing else she desired, but Jo. Yet, her she was: along on an adolescent, fantasy field-trip cruising for romance with Natalie and Tootie.

She didn't want Jo to know what she was truly feeling. She was still upset with her about… well, everything, including the Porsche! She sat with her head resting on her fist with a surly attitude. Jo periodically glanced over at her, as if to check on her mood. Finally, Blair couldn't take it anymore.

"This is so juvenile. We should just turn around and go home," she carped.

Natalie immediately explained to her that she had promised herself, since she was twelve, no less, that one day she would go cruising. What an absurd ambition! To have "cruising" as one's life goal! Blair was more than irritated: she was incredulous. Meanwhile, Jo was ignoring her. This will never do! She moved the rearview mirror to check her hair.

"Do you mind?" Jo spoke to her in an irritated fashion.

Blair glared at her. She moved the mirror back towards herself: to annoy Jo, if nothing else.

"Blair," Jo complained.

"Just keep your eyes on the road. Daddy was nice enough to lend this car to me while my Porsche is in the shop," she sniped at her. "I don't want to give it back to him with a cow on the fender."

"Don't worry. I never hit anything I don't want to hit," Jo gave her a chastising look as she readjusted the mirror.

What was that supposed to mean? Was that a crack about the Porsche? Blair's anger was reignited as she wanted to let her have it: right then and there. But, she found her inner reserve as she took a deep breath.

"Why can't we just go to a movie? This whole thing is pointless," she complained.

Tootie began to explain something that didn't make any sense to Blair about cruising being a new American mating ritual. Mating? Mating… after meeting on the street? Was she serious? Ridiculous! She moved the mirror back to herself to get Jo's attention.

"Blair, I need the mirror," Jo complained again. "I am the driver. I am responsible for people's lives here."

"We each have responsibilities," Blair replied haughtily. "Mine is to always look my best."

Jo glanced at her. You want to play, Blair? She intentionally jerked the wheel so that Blair's lipstick crossed her cheek. It was all she could do not to laugh.

"There was a squirrel on the road," she stated innocently.

"Very convenient, wouldn't you say?" Blair replied.

"Yeah, Blair, we planned it that way," Jo was sardonic. "Me and the squirrel. It took weeks to figure out the timing."

Blair glared at her. Very funny. They wouldn't even be in this situation if Jo hadn't dented her fender and cancelled their date. Maybe she would meet someone tonight, she thought. But not college guys like Natalie hoped for. No. She might meet a girl, the prospect of which Jo dreaded: someone tough, but not too tough. I guess that rules out the names Tiffany and Heather. Someone cool, but not full of herself. Of course, she would be beautiful and fun to be with and smart and talented. Someone special to make Jo see how absurd she was acting. Blair continued to fantasize about her dream girl, until the realization hit her: her perfect girl to make Jo jealous… was Jo! Jesus, I'm a hopeless case!

She turned on the radio as she wiped the makeup from her cheek. Great. A "Christian" station. The last thing she needed was reinforcement for Jo's religious beliefs! She quickly went through the dial until she found a music station that pleased both Natalie and Tootie. She repositioned the mirror once more, both to defy Jo and clean her face.

"I love this!" Natalie enthused from the back seat. "This is so great! Where are all the men?"

"Perhaps there's a tractor pull tonight," Blair deadpanned. "Let's face it, we don't know anything about cruising. It's part of the seamier part of life. Only hicks and street people do it. Jo?"

"You girls are on your own. I'm just here to drive."

Blair rolled her eyes and looked out the window. I know she wants to keep our relationship secret, but she doesn't have to be such a jerk about it. Why do I even bother?

"Hunk at two o'clock!" Natalie suddenly shouted. "I love your car, Blair. It's like sitting in a submarine back here. All anyone can see is the tops of my ears," Natalie groused.

What? Blair was growing even more annoyed. It was them who wanted to embark on this bizarre adventure in the first place… because Blair had this car. And now she's bitching about it? This deserved one of her more caustic comebacks.

"Let me give you a little advice. The best way to attract a man is to seem totally disinterested. It's difficult to pull off with one's tongue dragging along the curb."

"Wow! Look at that body," Jo was suddenly engaged. Blair felt a pang of jealousy as she looked in the same direction.

"Where? Where?" Natalie asked anxiously.

"A '56 Corvette ragtop."

Blair gazed out the window again… with relief. It was only a car, thank God. A thought suddenly occurred to her. Was there a girl driving that car? She quickly looked around for another view, but the car was gone.

"Jo, that's a car. Let's try to get into the spirit of the occasion," Natalie advised.

"Oh my gosh!" Blair blurted out suddenly.

"A car full of girls!" Tootie enthused.

"I can see we're a little confused here," Natalie was confounded.

"It's Kathy McKegny from Phi Delta. She has the biggest mouth. She'll tell everyone she saw me cruising!" Blair was mortified as she threw her purse in front of her face. Damn! This was her worst fear about the entire evening come true! Strange as it was, she didn't care if anyone knew she was gay, but if she was caught participating in the plebeian act of cruising? Unthinkable!

Jo glanced at the car in question to get a look at Kathy McKegny.

Blair looked stealthily out the window from behind her handbag before turning back to Jo. "Do you think she recognized me?"

"Noooo! You cleverly disguised your face with that purse."

Jo was actually highly amused by this. Here was Blair, so confident in her belief that they should be out to the world as gay, cowering behind her handbag at the prospect of someone actually recognizing her on the cruise strip! It seems we all have our closets, huh, Blair?

Yet, something about this bothered her. Why was Blair so desperate that this girl not see her? Was it really about cruising? Or was there another reason Blair didn't want to be recognized? Kathy McKegny did have a Tiffany kind of look… or was it a Heather look? Jo couldn't decide. Was this someone Blair was secretly crushing on? Had Blair already lined up a replacement for her in case things had not worked out? Nah. Blair wouldn't do that… would she?

Jo turned up the radio. Tootie suddenly became excited at the prospect of winning ABBA tickets in a radio contest. She insisted on calling the station. As Jo pulled over, Tootie pushed the seat forward, propelling Blair into the dashboard as she practically jumped from the car to reach a payphone.

Blair was exasperated. Could this night get any worse? I'm actually cruising, whatever that means; I've been spotted by a member of Phi Delta, Jo's pulling her Bronx, tough-girl routine and now I have my face practically shoved into the glove compartment of an old lady car!

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm having the time of my life." Blair mentioned acerbically as Tootie returned. "To think I've been in Peekskill all these years and this is the first time I've driven up and down the main street twenty-three times."

"Hey! Did you know this seat adjusts six different ways?" Jo noticed enthusiastically as she ignored her girlfriend.

"And then there's the stimulating conversation," Blair eyed her ironically.

"Will you look at that, Tootie? Look at that!" Natalie exclaimed as she noticed a biker on their right.

"He's got a helmet on, I can't see his face," Tootie replied.

"I'm a sucker for a man in leather," Natalie said.

Blair glanced over to Jo. She pictured her in a biker jacket. It suddenly occurred to her that maybe it was a girl on the bike. Who could tell behind all that leather? Maybe it was a large woman, Blair speculated. It could be a woman. Was that why Jo was staring? She looked harder, trying to determine the gender of the biker.

"Hmm. 450 cc's, fuel injected, dual exhausts," Jo smiled admiringly as she gazed at the bike.

Blair sighed in relief. It was merely Jo's fascination with chrome and loud engines that had caught her fancy. Not that she would admit it, but Jo talking about bikes turned her on. She couldn't help it. It was so butch.

"I think we can take him!" Jo added.

"I hope so," Natalie was excited.

"Natalie, he has zippers all over his body," Blair pointed out, masking her carnal thoughts about Jo in leather with an outward display of disgust for the biker. As Natalie babbled on in the back seat about losing sight of the biker, Blair drifted away into a fantasy. Jo on her bike: her toned thighs wrapped around a vibrating engine, her own arms wrapped around Jo, holding tight, as she pressed herself into her back and they roared down open highway. Free!

She gathered herself. What was she thinking? She hated Jo's bike, right? Meanwhile, had anyone noticed her lack of interest in guys? She had kind of promised Jo that she would keep her preference hidden. She needed to cover…

"No one look now, but there are some really classy guys beside us," she ran her hand through her hair as she inclined her head towards the window and smiled.

"Where, where?" Tootie pushed the seat forward.

Could they be more uncouth?

"I am never going out with you two again. Quit staring. You'll scare them away."

"Not a chance. We've hooked them with our aloofness," Natalie joked. She and Tootie suddenly gawked at each other as their mouths dropped open. Blair was busy arranging hair in the mirror again, hoping to further irritate Jo.

"Oh my. Blair, I really think you should see this," Tootie informed her.

"You're acting as if you've never seen…" she turned to look. "Oh my goodness!"

"Blair's classy guys are mooning us!" Natalie was simultaneously amused and fascinated.

"This is hideous!" Blair put her back to window, horrified. If she wasn't totally gay before...

"Jo, will you drive, please? Just drive anywhere! Down the street, over a cliff, whatever's handy!" Blair pleaded.

"Blair, it's a red light." Jo was secretly gratified at Blair's disgust at hairy male butts being pressed up against a window.

"I don't care," Blair was adamant.

"That's all I wanted to hear." Jo peeled out, displaying her driving prowess by flipping a U-turn in the middle of traffic. She was rewarded with flashing red lights behind her. Blair placed her head in her hand, exasperated.

"You said you wanted to meet a guy," Jo lifted her eyebrows as she shrugged.

What? Blair was infuriated. The nerve of Jo to insinuate that I came out cruising for men! I only wanted to be with you… you stubborn, obstinate fool!

"Way to go, Jo," Blair complained. "Getting a ticket in my Father's car. Stellar!"

"Hey! You're the one who wanted to get away from hairy window ass!"

"The view was disturbing," Blair acknowledged.

Jo rolled down the window as the cop approached.

"Let me handle this," Blair commanded.

"No way, Blair!" Jo protested. "You don't handle cops!"

"Just be quiet," Blair shushed her. She put on her best fake smile and flipped her hair as she leaned across Jo to talk to the policeman.

"I'm sorry, Officer," she pressed her breasts into Jo's shoulder. "Our friend back here has a medical emergency. We have to get her to the hospital." She gave him her most seductive look as she gestured towards Natalie and batted her eyes.

"What's the nature of the emergency?" he queried.

"Oh, um," Blair hesitated. "She's in labor."

"No, I'm not!" Natalie protested loudly.

The cop shined his flashlight on Natalie in the back seat. He shook his head.

"License and registration," he demanded of Jo.

"Damn," Blair muttered under her breath as she reached into the glove box for the registration.

Jo handed the ticket to Blair.

"Thanks," the blonde gave her a sarcastic smirk.

"I'm going to pay it!" Jo stated defensively.

"Yeah, you are!" Blair folded her arms across her chest.

"Why are you mad? It's my ticket!" Jo protested.

"Because you got us pulled over by a cop!"

"Life's full of little aggravations, eh Blair?"

"My life is full of one big aggravation!" Blair shot back. "You were showing off. Why do you always have to be showing off?"

"Yeah, Jo," Tootie chimed in. "Why were you showing off? Was there someone you wanted to impress?" She nudged Natalie.

"I was just doing what Blair asked," Jo responded.

"You wanted to impress Blair?" Natalie teased.

"Yeah. I mean, no. I mean… nevermind," Jo stammered. "Is anyone hungry?"

"I could eat," Natalie shrugged.

"Me, too," Tootie added.

Blair did not answer. They sat in uncomfortable silence until they pulled into Phil's drive-in and Jo shut off the engine.

"To run a red light right in front of a policemen. How could you be so dumb?" she finally could not contain herself any longer.

"Me? You're the one who came up with the medical emergency story… Natalie in labor?" she rolled her eyes. Jo turned the key so that the power was back on and they could listen to the radio.

"Isn't that going to hurt the engine?" Blair inquired of Jo.

"Battery," Natalie mumbled to her.

"Battery," Blair corrected.

"Blair, this baby has a battery with computer designed grids, super efficient separators that give out over 650 cold cranks."

"It worries me that you know that," Blair replied sardonically. Quit trying to turn me on with your mechanical talk you grease monkey vixen!

After ordering their food, Jo decided this was a good opportunity to use the restroom. As she rounded the corner, something caught her eye.

"The '56 Corvette ragtop," she gasped out loud.

The driver was nowhere in sight, so Jo walked over for a better view. It was in cherry condition, obviously refurbished. She reverently ran a finger over the shiny red surface before peering through the window at the interior. Everything from the steering wheel, to the gauges, to the seats had been restored to factory condition.

"Beautiful," she sighed.

"You like vintage cars?" a voice surprised her from behind. Jo quickly turned to see who was speaking. What she saw surprised her even more! Standing before her was a beautiful young woman. She had luxurious light brown hair, large brown eyes and an engaging smile. Her manner of dress suggested that she was a person of means. She had an air that exuded confidence, yet her bearing was friendly and relaxed. Jo was immediately drawn to her.

"I, um, yeah," she stuttered her reply. "Is this your car?"

"One of them," the woman smiled broadly.

"It's a beauty," Jo looked back to the corvette admiringly.

"I appreciate beautiful things," the woman eyed her up and down. As Jo turned her glance back to her, the woman quickly held out her hand.

"Olivia Van Buren," she introduced herself.

"Jo Polniaczek," she shook her hand.

"I'm gratified someone likes my car as much as I do," Olivia said.

"Who wouldn't love a car like this? It's a classic. It was the '56 Vette that was first considered a sports car. This is the genesis of what was to come. There's a lot of history right here," Jo once again gazed down lovingly at the car.

"Would you care to sit behind the wheel?" Olivia asked.

"Are you serious?!" Jo couldn't hide her excitement.

"But of course!" Olivia opened the driver's side door for her. As Jo sank into the driver's seat, the other woman joined her on the passenger side.

"I'll bet this baby has two four-barrel carbs and a 4.3 liter V-8," Jo ventured. "Am I right?"

"You are!" Olivia smiled, obviously proud and pleased. "I never expected to meet someone with such a keen appreciation for classic automobiles out here tonight."

"I never expected to come across a car like this out here cruising tonight!" Jo replied. She looked quizzically over to Olivia. "What are you doing out here on the cruise strip?"

"It's a 1956 corvette, Jo. I thought it should make an appearance, just once, on a cruise strip. I mean, wasn't cruising invented in the 1950's?"

"Jeez, I don't know, Olivia. You'd have to ask my friends about that. They're the cruising experts," Jo offered as she ran her hands slowly over the steering wheel.

"Oh," Olivia's demeanor turned pensive. "You're here with friends?"

"Yeah. A couple of girls I went to school with. We're all roommates. They're crazy for cruising. Insisted we had to try it once," Jo smiled pleasantly at her. "Plus, this pain-in-the-ass friend of mine had access to a big car, so here we are!"

"So, you're not here with a boyfriend or anything?" Olivia brightened.

"Well, um, no," Jo focused her gaze on the dashboard, "not a boyfriend."

"Interesting," Olivia shifted her body so that she was slightly closer to Jo.

"Boy! I sure would love to drive a car like this one day," Jo tried to redirect the conversation as she reached down and fondled the gearshift.

"Why not now?" Olivia offered.

Jo looked at her excitedly. "You cannot be serious!"

"Oh, but I am," Olivia moved her hand over Jo's.

Jo froze. She had to admit; the feel of Olivia's hand on hers while she fondled the gearshift, was turning her on. Her thoughts immediately turned to Blair. This girl was so much like Blair. Did she have a type? For all her loathing of the upper class and what they stood for: was she actually, deep down, attracted to them? Nah! She didn't love Blair because she was rich. She loved Blair because she was kind and generous and loving in spite of the fact that she was rich! This demonstrated great strength of character, in Jo's estimation. Blair was different. She was confident like Olivia, sure. But her confidence was surface. Underneath, was a girl who had been emotionally wounded by her upbringing. Blair was incredibly vulnerable. Jo had realized this very early on in their relationship; when they were still just friends. Yet, Blair always fought through it to exhibit strength and self-assurance to the world. She reflected upon just how much she really did admire Blair's tenacity and drive.

Drive? She was sitting very close to a beautiful woman who was obviously making a play for her and had just offered her the opportunity to drive a 1956 Corvette!

"Um, I'm, um, here with my friends," Jo finally muttered.

"But no one like me, I'll venture," Olivia persisted as she moved even closer to her.

"As a matter of fact," Jo looked into her eyes.

"Let me guess," Olivia returned her glance. "The pain-in-the-ass friend with the big car."

"Yep," Jo shrugged.

"If she's such a pain-in-the-ass, maybe she's not right for you! The night is young. There are so many places we could go, things we could do," Olivia persisted. She moved in to kiss her.

"Whoa!" Jo panicked and jerked back. She accidentally hit the horn… just as Blair passed in front of the car.

"Jo?" Blair glared at her as she peered through the windshield.

"Blair!" Jo jumped out of the car. "What are you doing here?"

"I had to go to the bathroom, too. What are you doing?"

"Blair Warner?" Olivia had exited the car as well.

"Olivia Van Buren?" Blair registered recognition.

"Oh my God, Blair! How many years has it been?" Olivia hugged her.

Blair returned the hug, but quickly separated, as she glared at the both of them.

"What's going on here?" she asked as she eyed Jo.

"Do you know Jo?" Olivia was confused.

"Slightly," Blair frowned at them.

"Uh-oh," Olivia looked back and forth between the two of them as they stared at each other intensely. She gazed over to Jo. "The pain-in-the-ass?"

"You called me a pain-in-the-ass, Jo?" Blair was incredulous.

"Thanks so much!" Jo raised her eyebrows at Olivia as she shook her head slowly.

"I'm sorry!" Olivia apologized. "I had no idea that Jo was…"

"My girlfriend?" Blair finished her sentence.

"Blair, I didn't… really!" she pleaded her case.

"Don't fret on my account," Blair became haughty. "If you two want alone time, far be it from me to stand in your way! After all, you have a '56 Corvette ragtop. All I've got is my Daddy's Cadillac!"

"Blair?" Jo looked at her amazed. "You remembered what kind of car this is just from me mentioning it on the cruise strip?"

"I remember everything you say, you big dummy! I'm in love with you, remember? Yeah, that's right, I'm the pain-in-the-ass who loves you!"

"Blair, you are so wrong about everything," Jo complained. "I just admired the car, that's all!"

"Not from where I'm standing," Blair eyed them both.

"What's with you anyway?" Jo continued to deflect Blair's accurate suspicions. "You're all upset about Kathy McKegny seeing you out here, but you have no problem with telling Olivia that I'm your girlfriend?"

"That's because Kathy is an asshole and Olivia is not!"

"Are you sure that's all it is, Blair? Or do you just not want Kathy to see me with you?"

"Whatever are you talking about, Jo?"

"I'm just thinking maybe there's a little more to the Kathy McKegny story than you're telling me."

"Don't try to make this about me when I caught you in flagrante with another woman!"

"Blair, believe me, there was nothing going on here," Olivia attempted to diffuse the situation. "I mean, nothing happened."

"But you wanted it too!" Blair accused.

"I'm not going to lie," Olivia conceded. "I did hit on Jo. But I never would have if I had known she was with you. Nothing happened here. Okay?"

Blair sighed and looked down. She crossed her arms over her chest. Jo knew this look. It was the one she had when her father or mother had disappointed her. She couldn't stand that she was now the source of this pain.

"Blair?" she spoke gently. "Olivia's right. Nothing happened. Nothing was going to happen. I love you and only you."

"You're a lucky woman, Blair," Olivia added as she eyed Jo up and down once again.

A small smile began at the corners of Blair's mouth.

"I know that!" she looked up at them with a defiant gleam in her eyes.

"That's my girl!" Jo thought.

"I'm very surprised to run into you tonight," Blair met Olivia's gaze. "Why, on earth, would you be out cruising?"

"I don't know," now it was Olivia's turn to be downcast. "I guess I thought that I might meet someone special, as absurd of a notion as that is. I have everything, right? But, I get lonely. I was hoping that there would be someone out here for me, a chance encounter," she looked at Jo.

"There was," Blair replied as she slipped her hand into Jo's. "Only… she's mine."

"Jeez, Blair," Jo nudged her, "don't be an asshole."

"It's okay, Jo," Olivia smiled. "I did get something out of tonight."

"Yeah? What's that?" Jo asked kindly.

"That someone could be out here for me."

"Here?" Blair looked around. "Highly unlikely, Olivia. But, in general, yes. There is someone out there for you. Just not Jo, okay?"

"Okay, Blair," Olivia squeezed her hand before glancing back at Jo. "But, if you two hadn't already been together, who knows what could have happened?"

Jo looked down as she blushed.

"Now you're pushing it," Blair placed her hand on the small of her girlfriend's back in a possessive manner.

"Right," Olivia nodded as she rested on the hood of her car.

Blair and Jo started in on each other as if she wasn't even there.

"So what's with you and Kathy McKegny, anyway?" Jo looked over to Blair.

"Nothing. I already told you that. Don't try to deflect your near infidelity by casting aspersions upon me!"

"Then why make such a big production out of not wanting to see her?"

"She's a gossip. I'm just glad we won't have to run into her again tonight, that's all."

"If that's all there is to it, why make such a big deal?"

"That's what a pain-in-the-ass girlfriend does, Jo!"

"What? Irritate me until I want to want to…"

"What, Jo?" Blair interrupted her. "Pound me into submission? Kill me?"

"Of course not, Blair! That's crazy talk. Quit putting words in my mouth!"

"You're jealous, Jo. Admit it."

"I'm jealous? You're the one accusing me of being unfaithful with Olivia!"

"I can see you two have issues to discuss," Olivia made her way to the driver's side door of her car.

"It was lovely to see you again," Blair stopped arguing with Jo long enough to flash Olivia a saccharine smile, as if she was being photographed for a magazine cover.

Olivia could hear them arguing as they walked towards the bathroom.

"You're the pain-in-the-ass, Jo."

"Anything I know about being a pain-in-the-ass, I learned from you."

"Shut up."

"You shut up!"

Blair spent time in front of the bathroom mirror adjusting her hair and make-up.

"Getting ready for Kathy?" Jo teased her.

"Some people always like to look their best," Blair retorted. "Not that you would know anything about that!"

"What I know is that our food is probably getting cold while you obsess in front of a mirror!"

"That would be a tragedy of epic proportions! Fried grease on soggy buns not served piping hot? E-gads!" she smiled at Jo. They both laughed.

As they returned to the car, Jo was upset that their food had not already been delivered. She slipped into the driver's side and shook her head as Blair sat beside her on the opposite end of the front seat.

"Where's our food?" she honked the horn.

"How convenient," Blair mocked. "In most restaurants one can't just honk if they want the maître de."

Jo had to smile at this. Blair was funny. She didn't have to rely on her looks, which she could easily have done. But, she was actually very witty. She could match her barb for barb. Jo loved this about her. It wasn't until she had truly gotten to know her that she appreciated just how sharp and quick her wit was. Blair cracked her up. It was not that she was merely cuttingly quick with her comments, but sometimes, Blair's humor could be down right silly! This beautiful woman, from a rich family, could be absolutely self-effacing and inane. Beyond that, she was sweet, by nature. How many society girls would have allowed themselves to be in this position: driving around the streets of Peekskill with a bunch of nobodies in their Daddy's car? Not many, Jo guessed. Perhaps, this was what she had missed the most over the last few weeks: the sweet, goofy moments she shared with Blair… the ones that had disappeared since she had distanced herself from her.

All of a sudden, Blair was panicked.

"Oh no! It's them! Get down!" she shouted as she dove across the seat. "It's Kathy McKegny! Right beside us! Get down or she'll see us!"

"What's the big deal?" Jo smiled down ironically at the woman whose head was resting in her lap.

"If she sees us it will be all over campus that I was out cruising!"

"Oh gosh, oh golly… does this mean Biff won't ask you to the hop?" she teased.

Blair looked up to her and stuck out her tongue. She mouthed a silent kiss, then another, as Jo smiled down at her until their food arrived.

"Blair, would you mind passing the food?" Jo interrupted her pantomime.

As she passed back a burger, Blair ran her tongue over her lips and mouthed, "Olivia," to Jo. She passed another burger back. "Olivia," she puckered her lips and kissed the air. Jo rolled her eyes and looked out the window in exasperation. As she looked back down at her, Blair ran her tongue over lips again. Jo quickly averted her eyes as she exchanged burgers with Natalie.

"Oh, I can't eat like this. I have Phil's famous sauce running down my sleeve!" Natalie complained.

"Just don't get it on the seats!" Blair warned as she popped up.

As the radio DJ announced another contest question, Tootie pushed Blair into Jo's lap again as she hurried frantically from the backseat of the car. Blair tried to grab the car door to shut it, but fell out onto the ground and found herself in the awkward position of having to make small talk with Kathy McKegny from the pavement of Phil's Diner.

"She so deserves that for taunting and accusing me," Jo thought as she silently delighted in Blair's humiliation. "Fell on her ass in front of a Tiffany, or a Heather. Jo still couldn't decide which moniker Kathy McKegny more resembled. She hated both names at this point.

"I'm going to die," Blair remarked as she crawled back into the passenger seat. "Can we just go home?"

Jo took pity on her and decided it was time to leave. After trying to settle up the bill, they quickly realized they didn't have enough cash. Blair offered her Diner's Club card to Jo.

"Blair, this is a dive. Dives don't take Diner's Club."

"Well, that's all I have."

"What are we going to do?" Natalie panicked.

"We'll just explain to Phil that we can't pay, that's all." Blair offered.

"College girls driving around in a Cadillac can't scrape together $9.75?" Jo looked at her incredulously.

"Phil will understand," Blair stated hopefully.

"Do you see that person over there with the biceps, tattoo and mustache?" Jo leaned into Blair as she pointed. "That's Mrs. Phil."

"Well, then, what are we going to do?"

"Alright, alright. As soon as Tootie gets back we'll bolt," Jo stated calmly.

"We can't do that!" Blair was horrified.

"Look. We'll pay tomorrow," Jo assured.

"We can't do this!" Blair was still appalled at the suggestion.

"We'll come back first thing tomorrow before it opens. You want to mess with Phil?" Jo questioned her.

It was bad enough these people had no concept of money and that they had dragged her to a dive, as Jo put it, that wouldn't accept Diner's Club, but now they were going to dine and dash? How had she ever allowed herself to be talked into this cruising thing in the first place? There had not been one worthwhile moment in this whole evening, Blair thought as she stuck her head out the window and began calling sweetly for Tootie to return. Natalie interrupted her, shouting Tootie's name brusquely as she roughly pushed the seat forward knocking Blair into the dash once again. As Tootie entered the car, Jo immediately peeled out without paying.

They pulled into a closed gas station and killed the engine to "lay low," as Jo put it.

"Why isn't the radio on?" Tootie complained.

Jo turned on the radio.

"You've lost that loving feeling, whoa oh, that loving feeling…" the Righteous Brothers sang.

"You've lost that loving feeling, now it's gone whoa oh…" Jo began to sing. Blair gazed into the back seat at Natalie and Tootie. They all began to smile as they looked at Jo.

"Baby, baby, I'd get down on my knees for you." Jo continued, undeterred, as she thought about Blair and glanced over to her.

"If you would only love me like you used to do," Blair sang as she smiled sweetly at Jo. They moved towards each other unconsciously. "We had a love, a love, a love you don't find everyday," their voices blended as they sang to each other. They had almost completely forgotten that they were not alone, even as Tootie and Natalie sang back-up in the seat behind them. They only had eyes for each other.

"So don't" Jo bobbed her head.

"Don't," Blair sang back to her.

"Don't," they sang together.

"Don't throw it away."

"Baby," Blair sang to Jo.

"Baby," Jo sang to Blair.

They were in a world of their own, singing what they could not say. It was a cathartic release for them both. They couldn't help but smile as they sang.

"I need your love," Blair sang as she eyed Jo.

"I need your love," Jo eyed her back.

"Bring back that loving feeling, whoa that loving feeling," they sang to each other as their heads moved closer together. "Bring back that loving feeling."

"Now it's gone, gone, gone, whoa-oh-oh," Jo looked tenderly at Blair as the song finished up. They leaned into each other as the song ended. "And I can't go on..."

A pause, that was but a moment, seemed to last forever.

"Let's get out of here," Jo finally broke the spell as she cranked the engine. Nothing happened. She looked over to Blair.

"You did it. You killed my Daddy's battery," Blair looked at her with dismay.

"It wasn't my idea to leave the radio on," Jo defended herself.

"What happened to this baby has computer gizmos that give 52 million kickoffs," Blair mocked.

"Well, I was wrong. It's actually a piece of…"

"Is there a problem here?" Nat interrupted politely trying to avoid another Blair/Jo blow-up, not realizing that arguing was like foreplay to them.

"Now, the important thing is not to panic," Jo tried to take control of the situation. "We'll just wait here," she didn't seem exactly confident. "Somebody's bound to come along."

Blair looked over at the steering column. "Jo. Don't you have to be in park to start the car?"

"Oops," Jo smiled sheepishly. She put the car in park. Blair released an exasperated sigh as the engine started.

"Look… I know I gave you guys a hard time about doing this tonight," Blair began as they drove off.

"No," all three responded sarcastically.

"No, I did," Blair replied oblivious to their sarcasm. "Well, I hate to admit it, but I was kinda' hoping that I might meet someone special," she tilted her head adorably towards Jo as the other woman glanced over at her. Good. I've got her attention again!

"Yeah," Jo turned her eyes back to the road and smiled.

Blair gazed over at her. "What do you mean, yeah?" she questioned coquettishly.

"Well, the last time I went cruising, it was in the Bronx. And there was this guy…"

"A guy?" Natalie asked incredulously.

"A guy?" Blair thought incredulously!

"Well, I never got his name, but, uh, he drove a Trans Am. We circled each other for three hours. He'd smile. I'd smile. Then I got behind a Winnebago and I lost him."

"Oh, Jo. That's so… bittersweet," Tootie elbowed Natalie in the back seat.

"Well, I guess I thought there might be somebody out there like him," Jo continued.

"Maybe there was," Blair replied with a too sweet smile. Is she referring to Olivia? She better not be!

Jo gave her an endearing look. The kind of look that she knew always worked on Blair's insecurities. Take that, Heather and Tiffany!

"Maybe," she acknowledged whimsically before turning her eyes back to the road.

"All I want to do is go home," Blair uttered. She was tired. She was tired of this absurd evening; she was tired of the game playing with Jo. But, most of all, she was tired of not being with Jo in that special way that was all their own. She sighed as she unconsciously allowed her hand to drift across the front seat towards her girlfriend. It was a gesture that didn't go unnoticed as Jo removed a hand from steering wheel and gave her a discreet squeeze. Maybe it wasn't such a bad night after all.

"Gotta' love power steering," Jo thought as her thumb caressed Blair's.

"So that was fun, right guys?" Natalie chirped from the back seat.

Jo quickly replaced her hand on the wheel.

"I mean, you two weren't even talking and now you're singing together? That's progress. Don't you think that's progress, Tootie?"

"It's definitely progress," Tootie agreed. "I mean, y'all have had some doozies in the past, but this time was bad!"

"I'm just glad we can all agree to get along in the spirit of friendship," Natalie continued.

"Companionship," Tootie added.

"Love," Natalie nodded emphatically.

Jo and Blair gave each other sideways, perplexed glances in the front seat.

"The love that dare not…" Tootie was silenced by sharp elbow to the side from Natalie.

"You just better hope I don't find any of Phil's famous sauce on the back seat," Blair warned.

Jo parked the car in the garage, at Blair's insistence, next to Mr. Garrett's VW.

The other girls jumped out as Blair checked the backseat for damage.

"Are you coming?" Jo stopped at the garage door and looked back to her.

"Dammit, Jo, there's chili on the back seat."

"Seriously?"

"Hand me something to clean it off," Blair insisted.

Jo looked around the garage. She picked up a rag and dampened it in the sink.

"Let me see it," she pushed by Blair and climbed into the back seat. She began rubbing the offending stain.

"You're making it worse," Blair complained as she joined her. She bumped her aside and began scrubbing. "Dammit!" she frowned.

"Let me do it, Blair. I can get it!"

As they began to wrestle over the rag, Jo found herself on top of Blair. She pinned her to the back seat.

"Give me that damn rag, Blair!"

"Make me, Jo!"

"You're asking for it, Warner!"

"I am," Blair sighed heavily as she unconsciously licked her lips.

Jo instinctively moved in for a kiss. They began to make out passionately.

"Wait!" Blair suddenly pushed her away.

"Oh, Blair, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have," Jo began.

"Shut the door, stupid!" Blair stared at her incredulously.

"Oh," Jo gave her a sheepish grin as she reached over to shut the passenger side door. She locked it, just for good measure.

"Okay, you can't tell anyone this," Blair began breathlessly as she reengaged with Jo. "But, secretly, I've always wanted to do it in the back seat of a car!"

"That's my girl," Jo began kissing her again. It was only a matter of moments before they were desperately tearing at each other's clothes. Jo slid her hand up underneath Blair's shirt and nimbly lifted it over her head. Blair tugged furiously at Jo's pants, managing to slide them down her legs, along with her underwear. Jo couldn't believe she was doing this with Blair in the back seat of a car! But, she just couldn't help herself. She had watched her all night. When that song had come on, and they had sung to each other… they did have a love you don't find everyday. It was all she could do not to kiss her right then and there, right in front of Nat and Tootie. She almost didn't care. She kissed her now with abandon as she reached around and unsnapped her bra. She squeezed the luscious breasts beneath her hands before sucking on her nipples.

"Bring back that loving feeling," Blair began to sing softly.

Jo gazed down at her and smiled as she slid her hands up beneath her skirt and pulled down her panties.

"I'm about to."

Blair suddenly let out a gasp as her girlfriend reached between her legs. Jo caressed her lovely neck as she fingered her, bringing her quickly to ecstasy. Blair moaned as her passion overcame her. She exhaled deeply as she began to finger Jo in return.

Jo would never get over the thrill of Blair's fingers touching her there. It sent her to places that she had never even dreamt about. It wasn't long until she was writhing in the throes of her own blissful release and collapsing on top of her lover's naked breasts.

"Blair," was all she could mutter.

Blair wrapped her in a tight embrace. "We haven't lost that loving feeling, Jo."

"We haven't," Jo smiled into her neck.

"That was so fast," Blair marveled.

"We, uh, have been denying ourselves for awhile now," Jo ventured.

"Pent-up passion, released at last," Blair sighed whimsically.

"But, what are we going to do now? I mean, we're kind of back to square one, right?"

"Wrong, Jo," Blair offered. "We're never going to let our own stubbornness get in the way of being together again. Agreed?"

"Less stubbornness. Agreed," Jo smiled.

"I suppose I do take things for granted because of my advantaged upbringing," Blair conceded.

"And I guess I am allowing myself to be influenced by the Church and family expectations," Jo admitted.

"Listen, I get it that you don't want to be out," Blair began.

"That's not it," Jo kissed her neck, her cheek. "I do want to be out. It's just that it's, it's… moving a little too fast maybe?"

"Our relationship?"

"No," Jo assured. "Not our relationship. But, our relationship being out, ya' know? That's what's moving too fast for me. That's the part I'm not comfortable with. It doesn't make any sense, I know."

"Are you ashamed of us, Jo?"

"I'm not ashamed of you," she kissed her lips sweetly. "I love you, Blair. I would die for you. Don't you know that?"

"I haven't been feeling that lately."

"It's never been that I don't love you, Blair. Believe that."

"I do," Blair kissed her cheek.

"So, when you said you wanted to meet someone special tonight… were you talking about a Tiffany or a Heather?"

"Of course not, Silly," Blair swatted her arm playfully.

"That's a relief," Jo let out an audible sigh.

"I was talking about Kathy McKegny!"

"Blair?" Jo gave her a chastising look.

"I'm just kidding," Blair smiled sweetly. "I was talking about a Tiffany or Heather, only I've decided to change their names. Tiffany and Heather simply won't do. More like Frankie and Marge, I'm thinking."

"Blair…" Jo glared at her again.

"I prefer girls named Jo, however."

"Good answer," Jo gave her a smirk. "And when you said that maybe there was someone special out there for me tonight, did you mean yourself?"

"No. I meant Olivia."

"Seriously?"

"Do I have to even answer that?"

"Nah. I guess not."

"It's so good to be with you again," Blair squeezed her tighter. "You simply cannot deny me sex anymore!" she stated adamantly.

"But what are we supposed to do? We live in a room with two other girls. We can't keep sneaking out to make love in the back seat of a car. Especially seeing as when you get your Porsche back… there is no back seat."

"We'll have to consciously make time for each other. Put a little more effort into it. Make plans to be together, not leave it up to chance. We'll figure things out, Jo. Okay?"

"I like that, Blair. Putting conscious effort into our relationship."

"I thought that might appeal to your intellectual nature."

"Eh, flattery will get you everywhere," Jo smiled. "But, seriously, Blair. We've got to keep the lines of communication open. No more pouting, door slamming and not talking to each other. It's childish."

"You're right, of course. But, I think it's kind of hard not to fall back into old patterns of behavior sometimes. I mean, we don't exactly have a history of mature interactions."

"True enough," Jo agreed. "You can be a brat."

"Ha! At least I was grown-up enough to want to get our own place! You're still being a baby, not ready for a truly adult life."

"See, there you go again… being bratty."

Blair narrowed her eyes as she gazed at her. She punched her lightly in the arm.

"Ow!" Jo complained. "See what I mean?"

"Alright, so maybe I'm not always as mature as I'd like to be. But, we have a highly contentious relationship, Jo. I don't see that ever changing. Do you?"

Jo looked at her thoughtfully. "No. I don't think that's going to change. That's just us. But I think we can change how we deal with it. Let's agree to always talk it out once the dust has settled."

"Not go to bed angry?"

"Yeah."

"Promise me something tonight."

"What's that?"

"When we're sure Natalie and Tootie are asleep, you'll come and hold me, in my bed."

"I promise," Jo gave her an endearing grin.

Just then, the garage door opened.

"Shit!" they said together.

"Oh… where did I leave that silly thing," Mrs. Garrett fretted to herself as she opened her car door. "There you are! Right where I left you!" She picked up her scarf and started back towards the house. Suddenly, she stopped, turned around, and gazed at the Cadillac. "Why are the windows fogged? How odd!"

As Blair and Jo heard her approaching the car, Jo rolled over onto the floor, pulling Blair with her. They tried to become as hidden as it was possible to be on the floor of the backseat of a Cadillac.

"Do you think?" Blair began in a whisper before Jo threw her hand over her mouth.

""Shhh! Be quiet!" she mouthed to her lover.

They both watched as Mrs. G. tried the passenger side door.

"Oh God!" Blair squeaked out before Jo silenced her again.

Her eyes peered up at her imploringly, just be quiet!

They could hear her footsteps cross over to the other side of the car.

"Locked?" Blair mouthed silently to Jo.

Jo gave her a helpless look accompanied by a shrug.

Mrs. Garrett pulled on the driver's side door. It didn't open. Blair went limp on top of Jo in relief.

"Oh, well," they could hear Mrs. Garrett talking to herself. "I guess everything is alright." She began to hum as she turned out the garage lights and shut the door behind her.

"Damn, that was close!" Jo whispered as Blair got up off her and sat on the back seat.

"Too close," Blair agreed.

"I dunno'," Jo teased. "I thought you might have liked that."

"What?" Blair was confused.

"You want to be out to everyone. Getting caught together half naked by Mr. G. would certainly be an icebreaker in that regard," Jo kidded.

"Getting caught naked with someone in the backseat of a car by Mrs. Garrett is not on my top ten list of things to do before I die… even if it is you!"

"I thought it might be part of your fantasy," Jo continued to josh, undeterred. "Backseat of your Daddy's car, getting busted by an authority figure…"

"My fantasies do not include Mrs. Garrett, I can assure you!" Blair huffed.

"What are we going to do now?" Jo wondered out loud.

"I say give her fifteen minutes to quit puttering around and get upstairs."

"Meanwhile?" Jo switched on the dome light and stared at Blair's bare breasts.

"You've got an idea?" Blair smiled at her knowingly.

"Yeah. Take off your skirt, Blair."

Blair shimmied out of her skirt. She was about to remove her boots, when Jo stopped her.

"What is it, Jo?"

"Now this," Jo eyed her up and down. "This is a fantasy: you, totally naked, but still wearing your boots. It's so sexy."

"I love it when you talk all sick-fuck to me," Blair teased.

"I love it when the f-word comes out of that gorgeous mouth," Jo countered.

"I save all my cuss words for you, Jo."

"You better!"

She pushed Blair back onto the seat and spread her legs.

"I just like looking at you," her eyes went to Blair's exposed sex.

"It's kind of dark, Jo. Can you see me?"

"Oh yeah," Jo breathed heavily. "I can see you."

Blair reached up under Jo's shirt and began fondling her breasts.

"Do you want me naked, Blair?"

"No. I like it this way: your pants pulled halfway down, it's sexy. I can see you, too, you know? Let's just lose the bra," she said as she unhooked Jo's bra and began massaging her bare breasts underneath her shirt.

"Jesus, Blair, what you do to me," Jo's head fell back as she exhaled deeply. She loved the feel of Blair's hands on her breasts: possessing her, owning her. She looked back down to her lover's naked body. "I need you to move."

"What?"

"Move up against the window."

Blair did as she was told. Jo parted her legs and dove in with her mouth.

"Oh God, Jo," Blair writhed against her tongue. The feel of Jo's mouth on her sex was beyond belief. She had missed this so much! Just when she thought she was going to explode, Jo's tongue darted inside her. There was nothing better than this: being completely exposed before her lover with her tongue inside her! Jo replaced her tongue with a finger, then two, as her mouth traveled back to her center.

"Do it," Blair's voice was barely audible.

Jo wasn't quite sure what this meant. Blair attempted to pull her hand inside her. Jo placed her tongue against Blair's center and thrust up inside her with two, then three, then four fingers. Blair cried out loudly as she bucked up against her. Jo could feel her inner walls close in on her digits as she continued her thrusts. It was as if her fingers were being embraced by a warm, wet, soft grip that tightened as she plunged harder. She felt her hand being coated with silky moisture as small explosions greeted her tongue.

"Jo, Jo, Jo…" Blair called out. Jo felt her hand being clutched by Blair's desire. Finally, Blair unclenched, as Jo felt her entire body relax in waves of undulation. She looked up, amazed, from between her legs. She didn't dare move. She remained transfixed, gazing at Blair's beautiful face in the full throes of passion with her hand still inserted between her legs. Slowly, she began to withdraw. Blair flinched.

"Go slow," she called out. Jo did as Blair requested, removing her hand gently.

"Blair, I, uh…" she began, but had no words.

"Hold me," Blair demanded.

Jo moved up Blair's body and held her tight.

"That was…" Jo couldn't find words to express what she was feeling. She kissed her head. "I hope I didn't hurt you."

"No. That was..." Blair's voice drifted off.

"It was," Jo agreed inarticulately.

They both laughed.

"What do we do now?" she questioned.

"Go inside?" Blair suggested.

"We got a car, Blair," Jo kissed her head. "We could go anywhere!"

"No. I just want to be home… with you."

"So, upstairs? With Natalie and Tootie?" Jo was doubtful.

"They'll be asleep, by now," Blair argued. "You can hold me all night."

"Um, okay… if that's what you want," Jo agreed. "I would do anything for you. You know that, Babe."

They gathered their clothes, dressed, and made their way upstairs stealthily. They snuck into the bathroom and turned on the shower. Jo washed Blair's body tenderly. She kissed her and held her as the warm water ran over them. She shampooed her luscious hair and massaged her aching neck. Finally, they toweled off, dried their hair and made their way back into the bedroom and over to Blair's bed. Jo snuggled in behind, as Blair pulled her arm around her.

"I'm in love with you," Jo whispered as she placed a silent kiss upon her cheek.

"I know," Blair yawned.

They shared one last giggle before they fell into an exhausted sleep.

In her room, Mrs. Garrett had heard the two younger women come upstairs.

"I thought they'd never get out of the backseat of that car," she sighed as she talked to her stuffed-toy kitty. "Thank God." She shook her head. "It was so much easier for them before Natalie and Tootie came back and they could just make love in their room. Poor girls."

Natalie and Tootie awoke in the morning to the vision of Jo and Blair in bed together.

"Looks like our plan worked," Natalie beamed at Tootie.

"Good work, Nat," Tootie high-fived her. She gazed at her two sleeping friends. "It's so romantic... in a way," she swooned.

"What?" Natalie eyed her.

"Forbidden, secret love and all that," Tootie grinned.

"It's only secret 'cause they want to keep it like that," Natalie rolled her eyes.

"But, I've got to wonder…"

"What?" Natalie asked.

"What excuse they'll have this time for being in the same bed," Tootie raised her eyebrows.

"Five bucks says it was because Jo was cold," Natalie challenged her friend.

"Five bucks says it was because Blair had a bad dream," Tootie countered.

"God, did you see them last night?" Natalie shook her head.

"I thought they were going to kiss right in front of us when they were singing that song to each other," Tootie observed.

"I know, right? And then Jo tried to impress us with her cruising stories from the Bronx!"

"Geez, Nat, you almost blew it when you were so shocked she was talking about a guy!"

"I know, but, c'mon!"

"Hey…" Jo raised her head drowsily. "Can you guys keep it down?"

"Did you get up on the wrong side of the bed or just in the wrong bed, Jo?" Natalie joked.

"Oh, uh…" Jo looked down at Blair who was still fast asleep. "Blair had a bad dream. She was scared."

"Five bucks," Tootie held out her hand to Natalie.

"All right, all right," Natalie pushed her out of the room. "Time for breakfast."

"They are so gay," Tootie said as she closed the bedroom door.

"So gay," Natalie nodded in agreement.