Shorts Series: A Bad Dream - Part 2 - 2033 (but dream is set in 2029)
Flashback? Memory? Dream? Who the hell knows…
“I love you so much,” Jess whispered. She was laying on top of him, the man she loved more than anything else in her life, her arms wrapped around his neck as she leaned into her husband’s touch. Her husband… that’s what he was. The person she would spend the rest of her life with. The father of her child… and in the future, children. She couldn’t help the grin that met her lips as she watched as his hand, moved on top of her own - playing with the wedding ring on her finger. “Do you now? Really? I wasn’t positive until now but damn, now that you’ve finally said it, maybe you’re telling the truth. You know… I was thinking maybe when Shay was born… or mayyybeee when we got married maybe that you telling me you loved me but it was all touch and go until this moment…” he responded in a cheeky voice and she sighed, playfully pinching him and hitting him with a pillow, though soon found his lips on hers. She was intoxicated by every touch, every kiss and god, she knew she never wanted it to end. Jessica loved him too damn much to imagine a life without him. “I love you too Jessica DeLoughrey,” he muttered after a few seconds, pulling away from her lips only to moved them to her neck. “You’re stuck with me now,” she heard him whispered, in between soft kisses that she loved.
End of Flashback? Memory? Dream? Who the hell knows…
Her eyes opened, a sigh meeting her lips. Once again, she found herself in an unfamiliar room. A room that wasn’t…familiar… a life that wasn’t familiar. If this was her life - why did she have such vivid memories of another life? For the life of her, she didn’t know this life. She didn’t remember not going to C High. Everything Daniel had told her made no sense… at all. After… the incident at the bookstore… Daniel had come out, finding her… or what was left of a broken piece of her.
She could recall the tears streaming down her eyes as she stuffed her head in her arms. She didn’t even hear Dan exiting the store, however, soon he came outside, first a joking tone on his voice as he laughed - likely not seeing what was happening in front of him. “So where’s this passionate love between you and Dorian? Don’t tell me I missed it… damn… well… I’d say I told you so but… nah hell I’ll still say it. I tooooollldddd youuuuu soooooo.” There was a soft laugh that met his lips, but after a few seconds, he became eerily quiet, likely hearing a sob leave Jess’ lips. “I… you weren’t joking… were you? Jess… I thought… I just…I thought this was just one of your little jokes but… why… are you crying… what did he do? Did he do soemthing to you… I swear I’ll kill him,”
The cold air took the breath out of Jess’ lungs, but none of that mattered as she finally looked up to meet her cousin’s eyes. " No it’s not… he didn’t… I know you don’t believe me Dan… but this isn’t my life… This… this sh!t we’re in isn’t… it. I had something… I had a family and I want it back. They’re my everything and… god Dan… Val and VC, they’re your everything. I just… god what the fck happened?" Jess was just… ranting. She didn’t know if it made sense but she could see the worry in Dan’s eyes.
“Jess… look… I know with the work you do… PTSD is… a real thing… and then Anna also had some mental issues… I just… if you need help, I can help you get it… I just… want to make sure you’re okay”
“Stop Dan. I’m not crazy… I’m not… I don’t… at least, I don’t think I am.” A soft sigh left her lips as she tried to get a hold of herself. Maybe she was crazy… maybe she had made the whole thing up in her mind. But… why was it so real. Why did her life with Dorain feel… normal then? “Look… dan you’re either with me or you’re against me. I don’t know what happened but I’m going to get my life back and I’d like you by my side because I don’t know if I can do it without you… but god, I’m going to fcking try.”
Perhaps it was Daniel’s fear of losing her… but he didn’t leave her there alone. In this world, Dan truly didn’t have anyone else besides her. Jezebel… Val… everyone that mattered so much to him had disappeared and all that was left was the two of them looking out for each other. Since that day, the next few days were filled with research. Figuring out exactly what happened with the help of Daniel Parker filling in the blanks. For the most part, Jess stayed with Dan at his house. She hadn’t talked to that… naked Derek man. The one who told her he was her boyfriend. Well… actually… she had talked to him for a few seconds after he wouldn’t stop calling her, just to have a quick “We’re over… please take your things out of my place” before hanging up. It had been… 3 days since the incident… since Dorian hurt her and now Jessica was just trying to piece together what happened. Honestly, she didn’t know if Daniel believed her… but that didn’t matter. He still helped her.
Her mind was currently racing with thoughts as she laid in bed, thinking about everything. The memory of Dorian that she held so dear to her heart… the reminder of what happened the moment Dorian hurt her… and now. Now she just laid alone thinking about all of it. Three days… three days Jess had been trying to put the pieces back together. After a few seconds more of thinking, Jessica got up off the bed to pick up the various files she had gotten together with the help of Daniel… updates on what had happened over the past 10 years… 10 years she apparently didn’t remember. And what were those updates? Well… why don’t you see for yourself.
Jessica Pierce
Ahh yes… Jessica… aka her… but not her… what a life huh?
Name (Previous Names): Just… Jessica Pierce. No changes.
Age: 27 (as of 2029)
Current Status: Alive… dead inside now…
Current Relationship Status: Single
Past Notable Relationships:
- Derek Tyler (2029 for 6 months): Apparently Jess met Derek while she was visiting the set of a movie where he was the director. The two hit it off and have been exclusively dating… well until she broke up with him over a phone call. Ironically, Daniel said he didn’t hate the man and actually liked the two together… well… so much for that as Jess soon broke up with the man. Either way, supposedly the two were happy together the issue simply was that it wasn’t… her life.
- A few other men over the years, but nothing lasted long…
- Simon Jean Page (2016 - 2028): On and Off Relationship. Seemingly… Simon never died that night all those years ago. A few years after the death of her sister, the man finally convinced her to date him for real and it didn’t go terribly… though Jess never felt right about dating the man her sister loved, hence the “on and off” again over the years as she broke up with him and then got back together with him.
- Mikel Lucas (2016 - Lost her virginity when she was 15): Same as her… real?.. timeline
Notable Moments In the Past 10 Years:
- In Jessica’s life, a few things changed. For one… she never went back to Cerulean High… never fell in love with Malachi or… Dorian and the reason for it all? Well… the only thing Jessica could trace it back to was the fact that Simon never died. As Daniel explains it, Simon was shot that night, however, the killers missed, and instead, she survived. Perhaps it was fondness towards someone who tried to save her, but Jess ended up sleeping with the man that night, knowing it was a mistake, and then Simon broke up with Anna Pierce. This event soon caused a cascade in which Anna never was released from the mental institute, and Jess had to continue to be her well until after high school. A few years later, Anna committed suicide and Jess found herself pushed even further away from those she loved - never returning to fix her relationship with Andy or Dorian because everything just… hurt… too damn much.
- After high school, Jess went to Oxford with Daniel and Elodie, though the two were never close, and soon went to North Korea getting her first Pulitzer.
- She continued down this road, writing, working, getting awards much like her… first life. The only difference was Dorian was never a part of her life… nor was Andy or Val or anyone else she cared about.
- In 2024, Jess did try to visit Dorian at Davina DeLoughrey’s funeral, however, she was kicked out and never invited in - despite arguments from Dylan to let her. It seemed neither Andy nor Dorian wanted her there, and Elodie was too distraught to say anything - severing any possible ties between her and the two boys.
- Presently, she worked for the London Post - and according to Dan, she was… happy? Though she could never understand why. Her family was what made her happy… Dorian… Andy… Shay… and baby Zoe. She didn’t understand being truly happy without them… which is exactly why she needed to get it back… get it all back…
Anna Pierce
Dear sis… I’m sorry…
Age: Died at the age of 19…
Current Status: Deceased
Past Relationships:
- Simon Jean Page: Ex-Boyfriend (2017-2018): After the party, once Jessica and Simon slept together, the man visited Anna and broke up with her. Jessica didn’t know about this until months after, however, this incident kept Anna in the mental institute longer - causing higher mental instability which is why she was never cleared to leave. For this reason, Jess continued to act as her sister.
Notable Moments In the Past 10 Years:
- In 2020, Anna Pierce committed suicide in her mental hospital. The event devastated Jessica to the point where she became a recluse. She immediately lost touch with any relationships she had kept up, including not checking up on Andy who seemingly was in juvie without her knowledge, and broke any chance at a relationship. Due to this, Malachi was also never threatened, hence, never meeting Jessica Pierce.
Daniel Parker
Oh dan… this isn’t happy… no matter what you say
Age: 27 until I finish making something for immortality so I can always be a handsome beast (as of 2029)
Current Status: I’m unkillable let’s be honest
Current Relationship Status: HAPPILY SINGLE BABBYYYY
Past Relationships: TOOooooo many to mention Jess
- Randos: Well dan wasn’t wrong, there are A LOTTT of girls in between dating Delilah. Not worth mentioning.
- Delilah Hawthrone ( Age 19 = 2021; 2 years… on and off (presently)); Supposedly, Daniel Parker and Delilah Hawthorne started dating during college after running into each other one night in New York. Daniel, being Daniel, made a pass at her and the two ended up hooking up that night and since then, they have continued to do so every now and again. To this day, they still get together to this day, however, currently, they are off "I like to have fun okay? She’s a cool girl… sometimes when she doesn’t get on my nerves.:
- Yara Keller (Age 16 = 2018): Daniel Parker still dated Yara, and had his heart broken by her. After the incident, when Yara was in a serious relationship with one “Riker Taylor,” Daniel messed up the relationship as one final revenge against her which caused the two to break up. Yara has not spoken to Daniel since that moment, however, Daniel states he does not give a sh!t “I don’t”
NOTE: If you can’t tell… Dan wrote his own file
Notable Moments In the Past 10 Years:
- DAN LEGITAMITLY WOULDN’T TELL JESS… but here’s what she found out: “My life, my business cousin,”
- sigh Dan didn’t have Jess there… or Jordan to talk him out of his angry phase with Jezebel, so the two never became friends or… family, for that fact. It seems, after the dinner where he hurt Jezebel, the two simply never spoke again. Daniel apparently threatened his father to remove all contact and put a brick wall in between him and Jezebel.
- For some reason, Dan put Andy back into Juvie the moment he got out, just to play with him… Due to Jessica’s own heartbreak and Dan’s “magic” so she never saw newspapers, Jess never knew about the incident and wasn’t there to yell at Dan… well… no wonder Andy hasn’t talked to her in years… And after the incident with Davina’s funeral, Jess didn’t want to talk to him either.
- Daniel Parker came to Oxford with Jess, and afterward, did what he did in… Jess’ timeline. Except he did so as one of the winners of Blue Royalty, later regretting the win as he realized who Malachi was and what winning actually meant. Furthermore, he simply continued his life, joined the CIA to do much of the work he did before, and never fell in love. The biggest difference between the timelines was that… Daniel seemed… lonelier. He may never admit it… but he did.
Jezebel Lucas
God Damn… Jez needed her brother…and he needed her
Name (Previous Names): Jezebel Slone… she never did become Jezebel Parker
Age: 28 (As of 2029)
Current Status: Living
Current Relationship Status: Married to Mikel Lucas
Past Relationships:
- Mikel Lucas (2020-2029) For the past (almost) decade, Jezebel has been married to Mikel. However, it seemed both parties were having… well… affairs to put in the nicest of terms. Mikel had been sleeping around earlier than Jezebel, cheating on her since the moment they got married, and then, in the last few years, Jez had been seen sleeping around with others as well. Despite this, both seemingly stayed together for their three kids and still lived in Beryl.
- Jordan Williams (2016-2018): As the tale goes, the two still dated in high school before Jordan disappeared off the face of the earth. Since that moment, the two hadn’t spoken and seemingly their friendship stopped. The distance seemed to do that to people…
Notable Moments In the Past 10 Years:
- Daniel spiraled and took every angry action he could on Jezebel Sloane - leading to a friendship that was forever severed. Though Justin Parker wanted to know his daughter, Daniel kept his father in check with threats and in a way, rendered Jezebel Sloane all alone. Due to this, Jezebel latched onto the only person she could after her mother threw her out - Mikel Lucas - which soon put a strain on both of their relationships. Despite being together for years, it is speculated that both Mikel and Jezebel have cheated on one another and are truly unhappy in the arrangement. Though with both of their younger years passing them by, neither have left one another. Jezebel currently works as a nanny as she never attained a college degree. And Mikel Lucas works at a local photography studio helping students take “senior pics” and other local photo opportunities. Neither individual ever left Beryl.
Valerie Wood
Oh Val…
Age: 27 (as of 2029)
Current Status: Living
Current Relationship Status: It’s VERY Complicated
Past Relationships:
- Who… hasn’t Val dated? From what Jessica could narrow down, Valerie had continued her old ways and slept with most anyone who was interested in her… and even those who weren’t. Since high school, she dated celebrities and was known in Hollywood as a heartbreaker. A few names on her list include: Joe and Nick Jonas… at the same time, Ryan Renolds, Andy McAllister, Most of the Famous Chris’ (Hemsworth, Pratt, etc).
Notable Moments In the Past 10 Years:
- After Highschool, Valerie Wood attended the New York Academy Of Arts and quickly became famous. Seemingly not having a baby allowed her opportunities… Fifty Shades of Gray type opportunities that she instantly took and skyrocketed her career. She is currently a household name from being on TV shows to various movies.
- There was a small incident with Jessica, herself, in which the two ran into each other and… as the video shows… Jessica ignored her as Val screamed, seemingly drunk or… high? Either way… it wasn’t pretty. Jess couldn’t figure out the context behind what happened, but the video did go viral…
- The Jimmy Kimmel Incident: Daniel and Valerie only ran into each other once since high school, and that was when both parties were invited on Jimmy’s show. Daniel and Valerie immediately got into an argument and it resulted in both parties blowing off the interview.
- Despite her fame, Valerie simply doesn’t seem… happy. Seemingly even her relationship with Andy was broken and the girl didn’t seem to have many friends left.
Malachi Azure
Hello… love… In this life, we never met
Name (Previous Names): Malachi Azure
Age: 27 (as of 2029)
Current Status: Living
Current Relationship Status: Royalty by Marriage
Notable Past Relationships:
- Princess of Listeria (Presently)… yeah… he still married her…
- Elodie DeLoughrey ( 2019-2020): It seems that since Jess never came back, Elo and Kai had a year-long thing like Jess once had. And as he had to Jess, Kai soon broke her heart and became married to the princess.
Notable Moments In the Past 10 Years:
- Overall, Malachi’s life was pretty much the same as the original timeline except for the fact that he never met Jessica Pierce. Was that a good thing… or not… well… Jess wasn’t sure. But perhaps a mistake or not, Jess did, at one point in her life, need Kai. Needed that love. And perhaps she wanted to fool herself into thinking maybe he needed it too.
- Malachi did win Blue Royalty… congrats?
- Jess did see Kai once, during the interview she did for Listeria however the two never met after as she did in her… memory… and Jess wrote the story for her school with no issues. Since that moment, she had never seen him again.
Andy McAllister
I miss you nug
Age: 28 (As of 2029)
Current Status: Living
Current Relationship Status: Single
Notable Past Relationships:
- Tala [insert last name] - 2017-2019; As the original timeline, Andy’s longest relationship was with Tala, his first love. However, after that, all relationships have been less than a few months and nothing has truly lasted. Like Valerie, there are notable famous names on his list since earning the title of American’s Bad Boy however nothing substantial. Names include Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, HER, and more.
Notable Moments In the Past 10 Years:
- Andy McAllister was in Juvie for most of senior year, and never ended up graduating due to Daniel’s handiwork. He, instead, immediately went back to music but his bad boy rep made him infamous in the world of music and his real actions soon followed what people thought about him (meaning girls, random fcking, and more). It seemed without the support of Jessica or Ziah, Andy McAllister Spiraled into a hole.
- Over the years, he has made repeat visits to the jail cell, though is always bailed out by his PR team. He has often been seen drugged out of his mind at clubs and even skips concerts and other gigs giving his team a difficult time. Despite this, his fan base is still large meaning he’s still a very popular musician in the world today.
- Jessica and Andy haven’t spoken to each other in the last 10 years, supposedly, and the last time they saw each other was when she attempted to attend Davina’s funeral. Their relationship has been strained for years with neither attempting to fix it.
Ketziah Drake
Rest in peace beautiful
Age: Died at the age of 24
Current Status: Deceased
Notable Past Relationships:
- Dorian DeLoughrey (2020 - 2022) - It seemed, that with Andy and Jess not in the picture, Ziah and Dorian dated for 2 years and they were “In love” as various magazines quote. From what Jessica could tell, it seems to have been an awful break-up, as after the incident Dorian was seen sleeping with “anything with legs” and Ziah was avoiding taking to the press.
- Jordan Williams (2019) - The two still dated for a few months on and off when Ziah was alive
Notable Moments In the Past 10 Years:
- For Ziah, it seemed her life was similar to her previous one. The only difference, Andy and her didn’t happen meaning… Kaya never happened. Instead, Dorian and Ziah dated and she later broke up with him. From what Jess got from Daniel, it seems that Dorian was heartbroken and Ziah never told Dorian she was dying. After breaking up with the man, Ziah spent the next year alone before dying of her kidney failure - which further put Dorian into a spiral (by that Jess means there’s a video of someone trying to ask Dorian about Ziah after the death and him punching the interviewer).
Jordan Williams
Good… for Jordan…
Age: 27 (as of 2019)
Current Status: Living
Current Relationship Status: Married with 3 kids (Khaleesi, A’alia, and Justin)
Past Relationships:
- Ally Steel (Now Ally Williams) (2026 - Present): Married. Jordan WIlliams married up and coming pop star, Ally Steel, in 2026 and the two have been together ever since. From what Jess can tell, the two are really really damn happy together and in love.
- Ketziah Drake (2019): Ziah and Jordan dated in the past before either of them returned to Cerulean… at least in the original timeline.
Notable Moments In the Past 10 Years:
- It seems, during the time Jess didn’t come back, neither did Jordan. Jess wasn’t sure why, but it seems that she did visit the man before he was originally supposed to go back so perhaps something with that. In any case, for this reason, he never impacted Sadie or Jezebel’s lives again, and rather, lived his own. Over the next few years, he released more music and fell in love with a rising pop star name Ally Steel. The two got married when he was 24 and have had 3 kids since that moment. Seemingly, him and Jess and Daniel are still close friends, but he hasn’t kept in touch with many others (besides Elodie).
Sadie Taylor
Woah… married to Riker?
Name (Previous Names): Sadie Monroe
Age: 27 (As of 2029)
Current Status: Living
Current Relationship Status: Married to Riker Taylor (2 kids; Amelia Taylor, and Kyra Taylor)
Past Relationships:
- Riker Taylor (2022) - Sadie Monroe met Riker Taylor on one of his many travels. The man supposedly flirted with the girl (it is Riker after all) and the two soon started dating and got married in 2023. Since then, the two have had two kids - Amelia Taylor and Kyra Taylor.
- Dorian DeLoughrey (2020) - Sadie Monroe and Dorian DeLoughrey had a brief relationship in high school, however, the two soon broke up after realizing the distance with schools likely wouldn’t work. Despite this, from what Daniel Parker said, the two were happy with one another.
Notable Moments In the Past 10 Years:
- After marrying Riker, Sadie pursued her music career and with the help of Riker’s friend, Jordan Williams, she soon achieved her dreams. She is currently a fairly famous singer - releasing many love song hits. Despite rumors about a fling with her and Jordan Williams (after doing a movie together called “Work It”, Sadie Monroe is happy with her husband and they have been together for the past 4 years.
- Riker Taylor has allowed Sadie to go out of her comfort zone and pursue singing as a career.
.
Riker Taylor
Guessing he never met Elo
Age: 28 (as of 2029)
Current Status: Living
Current Relationship Status: Married to Sadie Taylor
Past Relationships:
- Sadie Taylor (2022): While traveling, Riker ran into one Sadie Monroe and in a very Riker fashion, seemed to have flirted with her. From that moment, the two begin dating and soon got married in 2023. The two are currently still together with two little kids; Amelia Taylor and Kyra Taylor.
- Yara Keller (2020): Yara Keller and Riker Taylor dated for a few months after she graduated high school. During this time, Yara became pregnant with Riker’s child. However, due to an incident with… Daniel Parker who wanted to mess things up for revenge about how she cheated on him, the two decided it would be better if they raised the child as friends instead of being together. They currently have a beautiful little boy named Ashton together who loves both his parents.
Notable Moments In the Past 10 Years:
- Since Jordan Williams never came to Cerulean, neither did Riker meaning he seemingly never met Elodie. For that reason, his life changed drastically… well mostly. It seemed him and Jess were still on good terms, however, he wasn’t exactly a fan of Dan after what happened with Yara. As he did with Elo, Riker currently owns a home near the beach and strives to teach his kids that they are mermaids/merman and show them how to surf.
Elodie Cooper
At Least Elo’s happy too…
Name (Previous Names): Elodie DeLoughrey
Age: 27 (As of 2029)
Current Status: Living
Current Relationship Status: Married
Past Relationships:
- Mark Cooper (2021 - Present): At Oxford, Mark Cooper was a man that immediately begin flirting with Elodie (in both timelines, as Jess recalls). However, as there was no Riker, Elodie begin dating Mark and the two soon (very soon) got married in 2022. They currently have 2 kids together; Phoebe Cooper and Charlie Cooper.
- Malachi Azure (2019 - 2020): From what Jess could learn from Daniel, Elodie and Malachi were a big thing in the few months that he came to Cerulean High. From what Daniel said, the two “couldn’t take their hands off one another,” though, seemingly Elo was more serious about Kai than Malachi was about her. When the year came to an end, Malachi broke up with her and did as he did in the original timeline - married a princess.
Notable Moments In the Past 10 Years:
- Elodie… Cooper had a few differences in her life, however, the biggest being her relationship with Malachi and Mark. For Elo, it seemed what Malachi did truly hurt. Dan explained how he hated Kai for what he did. It wasn’t until the end of the game until everyone realized Malachi’s true position in the game. After 8 months of dating, Elodie DeLoughrey lost her virginity to the man and… well… found herself heartbroken. Perhaps Elodie always needed someone, because as Daniel tells the story, when Mark flirted with her she enjoyed it. After a year of telling him she needed time from her last relationship, Elodie finally gave the man a chance. Ever since, the two have been together for years and now have 2 children together.
- Elo still pursued the same career, taking over her father’s company, however, took a small break when Davina died in a car accident… which apparently happened during a day that Jess had taken Davina out shopping. Seemingly without Jess, she was at the wrong place at the wrong time and was killed. Due to this, Elo suffered a small case of depression for a few years and Dorian further pushed away from his sister and family. Elo, on the other end, became closer to Dylan - supporting each other through this endeavor.
Dorian DeLoughrey
My love…
Age: 27 (as of 2029)
Current Status: Living?
Current Relationship Status: It’s… very complicated.
Past Relationships:
- Delilah Hawthorne ( 2025 - 2026); Delilah dated Dorian for a few months here and there, however, seemingly nothing much came out of it as Dorian isn’t the type to have “long term” relationships anymore.
- Ketziah Drake (2020-2022): “His Forever” that’s what Dorian DeLougrhey said in an interview with People Magazine at the end of 2022, right before Ketziah broke up with him. Dorian seemed to be invested in this relationship before Ketziah broke his heart - though Daniel states it’s likely because Ziah knew she was dying that she broke up with him. In any case, the breakup and later her death hurt Dorian alongside the death of his own mother which occurred a few weeks after Ketziah died. Daniel notes that Jess attempted to go to Davina’s funeral, but being an “only family” event, Dorian made sure to keep her out which strained any chance at a relationship between the two.
- Sadie Monroe (2020): Sadie and Dorian had a brief relationship that didn’t last too long during senior year when Sadie arrived in town.
- Aline Ribero (2019-2020): Aline and Dorian dated at the beginning of Senior year, however, Daniel reveals that due to an incident involving an old boyfriend, Aline broke up with Dorian which hurt the man.
- Kara Melbourne (2016): As in the original timeline, Dorian still dated Kara when Jess was his friend - soon breaking up after cheating on her with Delilah Hawthorne. From then to senior year, Dorian mostly screwed around - not staying in one relationship for too long.
Notable Moments In the Past 10 Years:
- What is there to say? Dorian became what he always wanted to become. Rich… famous. A soccer player to the stars. Only, he was broken. Jessica never returned, Aline hurt him, Ziah died, his mom died. In other words, he’s no longer the man he used to be. Since the moment Davina died, Dorian has been known as a player among athletes with many fans raving about having the chance to sleep with the famed star.
- Jessica or… at least… “This” Jessica hasn’t seen or attempted to see Dorian since the night of his mother’s funeral… and… well… a few days ago where he told her to leave and never see him again… fcking great.
So, as you may be able to see for yourself… things… changed. Drastically. Jess wouldn’t lie and say that Dorian’s life story didn’t… hurt. That his mother dying didn’t destroy her. That…him… falling in love with someone else didn’t… kill her inside. Her friends…most of them… seemed to be suffering and she just… wished she could show them all there was another way. But even Daniel believed she was likely losing her mind and she knew all of them would probably feel the exact same way if she told them about this other life she knew about. For the last two days, she had been reading these files. Reading what she missed… news articles about Andy getting put into a jail cell after punching a bouncer. Or, Val, sleeping with yet another castmate. Suffice to say, all of it hurt… especially the fact that she wasn’t connected to any of them.
She wanted to make it up to them… all of them… but trust Jess, it was nearly impossible. Her attempts to see Andy were telling of that. A day earlier, Jess had gone to the man’s house - only to get thrown out the moment she stepped on the property with a simple “Mr. McAllister does not want to see you, so please leave before we call the cops” from Andy’s bodyguard and trust Jess, she tried to get in. SHE TRIED THE FLASHING THING. It didn’t work on this bodyguard. Jessica had even attempted to get a second of Val’s time, and that didn’t seem to work either and ended up with quite an awkward moment where she went on set of a movie that her ex-boyfriend was filling where Val was the lead. Suffice to say, it truly felt hopeless.
Every single day that passed, Jessica’s heart broke a little more. All she wanted was to wrap her arms around her husband and kiss him like there was no tomorrow. The problem was, in this life, that didn’t exist. Daniel was waiting for her to give up, she knew that. She knew nothing she could do could change his mind but god did she miss Dorian. So… on day number 5, she couldn’t help herself. Jess took Daniel’s private and flew to Miami. It wasn’t hard to find where he lived, and Jess had done enough research to know that the man was having a party meaning it wouldn’t be impossible to sneak in.
As she walked to the pool party in a bikini and cover-up, Jess went to the bouncer - lines of girls waiting for a chance to get in and simply walked in after saying she was Beyonce’s cousin, making a little argument in an American accent, and then simply walking in as the Bouncer didn’t want to deal with another entitled rich girl. Easy… though in her years of investigative journalism, many things became easy - like sneaking into a party.
Walking into the house where Dorian lived…one thing was readily apparent… it wasn’t anything like their house. This was Miami, but this house just… felt empty. It didn’t matter how expensive or large it was, or how many people filled each room, it wasn’t homey… it wasn’t… Dorian. The screams of girls partying filled her ears and Jess found various soccer players making out with said girls. Jess had a feeling it was one of those parties men didn’t tell their girlfriends and wives simply so they could do… well… this. In one corner a man was basically screwing one of the cheerleaders and in another, someone was doing belly shots off a naked girl. This was likely a party that the press was supposed to be kept out of, but none of it really mattered. All she wanted was to see him… just one more time if that’s all she was going to get.
It wasn’t hard to find Dorian… it was his party, after all, and for some reason, Jess simply felt drawn to him. Going out into the back yard - Jess saw people running in his private beach, people drinking, people screwing in one of the three pools. But she also saw Dorian… her eyes found him sitting in a hot tub surrounded by girls. Every now and again, soccer players would come down to say something to him but for the most part, he was left to himself - flirting. Was Jessica a little jealous? Maybe. But was there something so wrong with that? In her mind… her life… old life… dream… god whatever that was… she had been married to him. And seeing a girl… literally straddling him in front of her just… god it hurt.
She needed a drink. God whatever reason she came here for… she didn’t even know anymore. Clearly, Jessica meant nothing to the man… not like what he meant to her. She found herself gravitating towards one of the naked waitresses and grabbed the tray out of her hand before swinging back the 5 shots of vodka that was on there. And soon enough… Jessica didn’t care. Whether this washer life or not… she just found herself dancing…trying to forget. She was on the dance floor, her arms around another man. She felt awful but at this point, she was also too numb to care.
Part of her didn’t know how long she was dancing… drinking… all she knew is she soon found her arm being pulled by a very angry blonde. “Heyyyy no fairrr you grump” Jess wined, though she was too drunk to fight the pull as the man lead her inside, and then, upstairs. There was a guard blocking the upstairs area - likely to keep from people messing up Dorian’s bedroom, but the moment Dori arrived, the man moved to allow access.
Jess stumbled up the stairs, his hand tightly on her arm as he pulled her into a quiet room. “For the love of god, are you stalking me now? Really? I thought we had this conversation already, sweetheart, I’m not attracted to you. So please, don’t show up at my house half way around the world.”
A soft hiccup left Jess’ lips as she looked at him, her head moving sideways. “Ohhh is this yourrr houseeeee?” Jess laughed softly. “It’s very hiccup pretty. I really likeeeed that brunette who was dancccing with meee… what was his name?”
Maybe she was drunk. Maybe she was playing dumb, but she didn’t care. She simply pulled her hand away from his touch and went to sit on his bed, a soft mmm leaving her lips as she laid down in comfort. “Why the hell are you here? Really? Not that bullsh!t about dancing with Conner, because we both know, that wasn’t it,”
Jessica’s eyes met his, before slowly drifting down. He was shirtless… not surprising since he was previously in the pool, but she just noticed that he was still dripping wet. She couldn’t help biting her lip, watching him as he looked at her. What? He was hot. Could you blame her? "Conner? Wasss thattt his name?
“God, with all the idiots I have to deal with today, you just had to come. For fcks sake, Jessica, tell me why the fck you’re here.”
After a second of silence, she met his eyes again “I missed you, love. I missed my husband. I missed waking up next to you every morning. I missed our kids… and godddddd I missed having sex with you,” Jess mumbled, drunkenly and soon found him rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Great. She’s drunk and crazy…”
“No no you don’t get it Doriannn,” getting frustrated with the man before standing up and walking towards him. She placed her hand on his cheeks as looked at him again. “Thisss isn’tt my lifeeee love. This isn’t your life. We were… married hiccup. I came back to Cerulean High senior year and I fell in love with you. Well… I was already in love with you I just… finally told you and then we got together. And then we dated, had a loooooot of sex. And then we broke up which was sad and made me sad because I didn’t want to break up with you but your mean coach made me. But then we got back together and then we got married. Actually I’m skipping a step, we had a beautiiffffulll baby girl named Shay and then we got married. And then we had more sex and then had a girl named Zoe and we were happy Dorian. God I was so happy.” a frown met her face as she looked at the man who was looking at her like she was, absolutely, bonkers. “You don’t remember… of course you don’t. I’m the only one who does… I just… want it back… I want you back…” Jess muttered, wrapping her arms around him.
“Maybe I was wrong. Maybe you’re not drunk, you’re just fcking crazy,” Jessica sighed as the man pushed him off, and grumpily she sat on the bed. “What can I do to prove it?” she pouted. Jess was tired… exhausted of all of this. Though all she heard in return was a laugh. “Just… god… get out of my life Jessica. No one wants you here… you know what… you want to prove to me that we were married?” she watched as he walked towards her, pulling her so close that she could feel his breath against hers. She closed her eyes as she felt him place a strand of her hair behind her ear before leaning in and whispering darkly, “Then kiss me. I mean… you say we were married right? Then you know exactly what I like. Go ahead ‘love’.” he whispered mockingly.
Jess opened her eyes, meeting his with hesitance, surprised by the request. Kiss him? Really? It’s clear that Dorian didn’t think she was going to do it, but after a second, she found herself wrapping her arms around him and with no hesitation, doing something she had wanted to do for days. Pulling him closer until he she was on top of him, Jess placed her lips on his and kissed him like she needed to do for the past few days… though it felt like years. It was clear he was shocked. For a moment he did nothing, but after a few seconds, she found his arms pulling her tighter against his and he soon started kissing her back… but it was… rough. He was bruising her lips with the force she had never felt before - to the point where she had to gasp for breath and pull away.
Jess no longer felt drunk - instead, her mind was clear and it was clearly telling her that this wasn’t… her Dorian. His eyes were dark as he looked at her, something forming behind his mind and honestly, Jess didn’t like where this was going. “Sorry… ‘love’ I’m not exactly convinced yet. Though if we were married like you said and had all that sex you were talking about… you wouldn’t mind doing a demonstration then? After all. What’s sex between two people who were… ‘married.’”
That’s when her heart dropped. Jess closed her eyes, wishing she could just…do it. Just forget that this wasn’t her Dorian for a moment just to… be with him. God she loved him. But at the same time, this Dorian wasn’t the man she fell in love with and his words at this moment made that… very clear… and that, in itself, broke her heart. Jess looked at him sadly one last time before bringing her lips and placing one last, chaste kiss on his before pulling away letting the tears fall down her eyes.
She turned away, not wanting him to see… her like that. “You’re right…” Jess started, wiping her eyes. “I don’t… mean anything to you…” she finished…looking at him completely broken one last time before walking away. The last thing she heard was him muttering “Jess” as she walked away.
“Jess”
his voice grew louder and she walked faster down the stairs that… never seemed to end.
“Jess”
Jessica’s eyes snapped open and tears filled her eyes as she found herself in a familiar room… her room. Looking beside her, Dorian had wrapped his arms around her body, looking at her with a worried expression. “Do…Dorian?” Jess muttered as he wiped the tears from her eyes. “Are you okay? I’m sorry for waking you up Jess, you were just… crying in your sleep,” though before he could say anything else, Jess quickly wrapped her arms tightly around the man… her… man. Her Dorian. Pulling away for a second, Jess soon brought her lips on his and smiled when he kissed her back softly. “I love you…god I love you,” Jess got out as she pulled away, looking at the ring on her finger. This was her life… thank god it was real… “I love you too,”
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