don't touch me i'm expensive

rebecca was the first person he saw when he woke briefly. a moment of her crying and him barely managing to muster up a groggy 'i lived bitch' to lighten the mood and make her laugh through her tears. he hated seeing her cry. he never wanted to be the cause of that. she filled him in on the gaps in his memory after he was hit and explained what hellish move they had witnessed in the stands, and if he was honest, none of it was really seeping into his brain. if it weren't for the fact his broken body was in a hospital bed, he wouldn't have quite believed any of it unless he had witnessed it himself. doctors and nurses came to check his stats and vitals while rebecca babbled on to fill the silence in her own way of processing and roman listened until eyes drifted closed again.

"what are you, the hall monitor?" jamie found the quip came easy to her even if her voice was far hoarser than usual. she didn't want to cry anymore, not in front of him at the very least. roman didn't need her tears. no, he would need her courage and his own. he would need to fight. but all that was for the light of day and right now, she just needed him to know that he wasn't alone. "i don't know if you've noticed but i'm actually a pretty big fucking deal. jamie park comma thee. i can go wherever i want."

he could tell he was still in the bad books with jamie. his own sister had given him verbal lashings for missing the premiere of the show. he said he was going to be there and he wasn't, and that was just one of the many times that he didn't show up to brat pack events. in his defence, he didn't always say he was going to attend things, most of the time he didn't even respond, this one was on him. he would admit, that but ms stubborn standing in front of him was too busy tending to her pet grudge to want to listen.

"i do have a certain je ne sais quoi, don't i? well, some guests are more enthusiastic than others and ingrid has eagle eyes. i doubt anyone will get past her tonight." jamie couldn't help laughing at his comment about what they used to say. pft! 'used to'. "as long as no one gets banned from the venue tonight, i'll call it a win," she smirked right back. jamie had a sense that roman had accepted her invitation with the intention to... what? smooth things over? that would be good for the show, at least.

Dawson smiled at her. He still wasn't sure what karmatic good he had done to earn this, but he was thanking whoever was looking out for him. He felt like the universe was giving him this gift and intended to take full advantage of it. "I have felt very inspired lately. A new city always helps, new people, new life, new things to experience."

"Amazing. There's nothing like that feeling, isn't there? When you first arrive in a new place, surrounded by strangers, not knowing where the next step is going to take you. Have you traveled much? Sometimes I want to take a year off and explore every corner of this earth." Jamie grinned brightly as he agreed, watching as he took off his jacket. "Oh, thank you! I love 'Moulin Rouge', I must have seen it a thousand times and on stage? Oh my goodness. Blown away!"

"Exactly, there is nothing worse for your art than not letting it all show. You can't keep yourself restrained if you want your audience to connect with your art." Dawson nodded as he listened to her. He had missed this, having someone with whom he could talk about art. They had been doing this since they met, trying not to get her noticed when they went out. "Lead the way. How is the show going? I watched last week's episode last night. I definitely need more scenes with you and Sienna."

"I couldn't agree more," Jamie smiled, a hand over her heart as she listened to him. That was one of the main reasons she loved acting, connecting with her audience. Exposing her very soul for the chance of touching someone else's. They turned the next corner, arm in arm, and she waited for something to catch her eye. "I must say I love this space. What do we think the chances are of Peter Vanderbilt letting me rent the place out for an evening? Oh, the show is fabulous. I'm having so much fun! I'm more or less used to the fangs now. Sienna is incredible to watch, isn't she? Such a talent and an excellent scene partner. I'll have to let out writers know it's what the people want."

she had come to terms with the idea of sitting herself but the sun had shone upon her when she spotted her oh so fabulous aunt slash godmother. with a beaming smile on her face, she gave jamie a hug "aunt jamie! i couldn't have better luck than you being here." there was a reason jamie was her favourite family member other than her brother "you look astounding as always. i put the outfit together but not the event" she clarified and offered jamie the seat next to her "how is friday night bites? are you finally going to tell me some juicy spoilers?"

"i'm so glad i could be of service," jamie laughed as she took serena's hands in hers, beaming brightly at her compliments. "oh, sweetheart. you're always far too kind, thank you. i'm trying a few new looks this week to see what feels right. well, it is a dazzling outfit. very you." at serena's offer, she took the seat beside her favourite goddaughter. "it's so much fun, i'm having such a wonderful time on set. it's so reminiscent of 'sunset bay'... minus the supernatural, of course. well, mostly! don't twist my arm, now," jamie whispered, leaning closer to her. "i can't say much, they'll have my head. but i will tell you... there are some very exciting flashback episodes coming up for scottie and frankie. and they may even cast my love interest one of these days."

the restraint they were both holding was award winning. he watched as she fought the urge to grab at the bait he was leaving out, amused that she was still as stubborn as ever after all these years. it didn't matter if they were in their twenties or their fifties, they'd never change. he knew her just like she knew him - entirely, nothing hidden. "you do know that i don't need your permission. the contract is signed"

"you're so lucky this show isn't about us-," she huffed, narrowing her eyes at him as she used every ounce of her willpower not to slap the smug look off his face. jamie was sure of her worth and she was sure of her clout. but she wouldn't cause a scene over this. she couldn't. at least, for the sake of sienna, scottie and frankie... if she was being honest, though, she knew the network would never pass on the opportunity to have the full set. all of the 'brat pack'. that iconic chemistry back on their prime time slot. they both knew that, but she didn't have to be happy about it.

Sienna had been excited to get the invite. She knew that Jamie cared about her and had been watching out for her. But this felt like they had actually become friends. Just a few of the cast and other artists were here tonight.

"Oh, hush!" Jamie tutted, squeezing her tight as they hugged. "I do look gorgeous, the rumours are true but never for a second sell yourself short. Ah, wonderful. You must be absolutely thrilled for summer. Do you have anything on the books yet?"

Dawson had managed to get together a vintage ensemble for tonight. He knew he had to impress, so he had left his Nightwing suit in the closet for the night. He found himself thrown right into Jamie's life after Valentine's Day. She had been so fun that night. And it would have been enough to exist in that one moment, but after the last few months, he wanted to stay in her life.

"Oh, stop! You're perfect-," she beamed, smoothing down the front of his shirt. In the few short months that she'd known Dawson, she'd been completely enamoured with his spirit. "Did you pull this together? I love it. My wonderful friend, Lian, designed this for me. You would love her, she's such a character."

"Take your time, sweetie! Breathe it in... Oh! Actually breathe in, okay? And back out again, that's very important. I'll be here when you're ready."

"within reason considering i'm on the clock." she smiled and took a sip of her drink. "i did, the event organiser tried to argue about them but i shut it down. this is an art event, not a medieval banquet. vanderbilt would have a fit about them never mind yourself. personally i think they didn't want to bring out the crystal glasses but that's a them problem, and the glasses are being unpacked as we speak" ingrid confirmed and gestured over to the bar where they were working swiftly to change out the glasses "anyone with an ugly glass will have it changed out for a new drink to keep with the aesthetic, and cheese and horderves are on constant rotation - cheese staring from the left of the event and horderves starting from the right, they'll cross over in the middle and restock at the other end" it was all going to her military precision plan.

"oh, of course! i mean, i won't tell the boss either way-," jamie winked. when she was in her twenties, there was very little that would have stopped her from breaking the rules. those were the moments that were forever immortalized on google images. she listened intently, nodding as ingrid explained the situation at hand. she was relieved to see the crystal was being unpacked and by the sounds of it, ingrid have every last, tiny, detail covered. she had so much passion- so much fire!- jamie could hardly look away. "you are my lifeline, my darling. i would certainly think twice about standing toe-to-toe with you. i'm so glad to hear you have everyone else whipped into shape. it is perfect, ingrid."

he watched her command the room with her aura. the stage and screen was where she really shined but at these kind of events, jamie was as charming as they come.

jamie had noticed when roman had arrived at the event but she refused to come running. after he'd missed the premiere, she had held a grudge. nourished a grudge. she might have ignored him for the rest of time had the showrunners not decided to pull the antique rug out from under her. with all that said, she was sure now as they stood in this fabulous space, surrounded by light and laughter, that she could be civil. why not, right? why not, indeed.

december 1996, the world was at roman's feet. while his sister and her friends had found their success on screen with the launch of 'sunset bay', roman found his on the football field. a gifted athlete throughout his life, the dream of going pro was near becoming a reality. it was right there for the taking once the season was over.

everything seemed to be moving in slow motion around jamie as she waited in that damn hospital. she tried to keep moving but it felt like trying to swim through jello. holding onto becca's hand helped, it made her feel real and solid. here. the doctors were doing all they could do, she knew that but it didn't helped. rebecca was already threatening to have the place shut down if her brother didn't get the best of the best. jamie had postponed their flight to st moritz already - it suddenly seemed like the least important thing in the world.

when your boss is hosting a get together at a vanderbilt art gallery, you make sure that you make an effort to dress up. especially if said boss is fashionable jamie park. ingrid breezed though the gallery, phone in hand while she made sure that all details were to exactly what jamie had expressed in her vision.

"not at all, darling! you should take all the wine you'd like. it's the least that i can do when there's no rest for the wicked," jamie winked, taking a glass for herself. "oh, you did handle the thin stem situation? i don't know what about the aesthetic in here tonight screamed 'medieval feast' to the caterers but we all make mistakes." she punctuated it with a long sip of wine before smiling brightly at her superstar of an assistant. having ingrid with her had been life saving.