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Disclaimer: The characters Miss Parker, Sydney, Jarod, Broots etc. and the fictional Centre, are all property of MTM and NBC Productions and used without permission. I'm not making any money out of this and no infringement is intended. The copyright to the song alluded to is located on the bottom of the page.

Author’s Note: I wrote this as I listened to Dave Brubeck and Paul Desmond’s instrumental rendition of “Georgia On My Mind.” The tonality and tempo of the music beckoned me to write a dance scene with Jarod and Parker. I let him say “Angel” in the latter stages as a “name,” any suggestions for that would be welcome. If you have the song I used as inspiration, listen to it as you read. If you would like me to .zip and link the .mp3 file of the song, I can offer it via my own private HTML server, feel free to contact me. And please, feel free to give me feedback.



“They Just Danced”

By JDF


He held her close as the musicians played their sultry discourse in the background. He loved the way she felt in his arms, strong and steady, yet a little vulnerable…just a little. Swaying back and forth with the soft, methodical tune, they danced their cares away. No one could touch them in this moment. It was theirs, it belonged to them, and no one else could intrude. They were locked away from all that went on in the world for one blessed instant…one moment in time. And they just danced…

The words to the song were softly sung in a deep raspy tone…they brought them together. Their hearts beat as one. They looked into each other’s eyes, noticing their identical nature…not in physical appearance, but in tonality, in emotion. He couldn’t help but go weak at the knees at the sight of her bright blue eyes, penetrating and deep, relaying every last detail of her emotional status to him. He could read her like a clock. He knew the look in her eyes when she was angry, hurt, and even when she was happy. But seeing that look was few and far between, indeed. None of that mattered now, though. She was with him here, and the look in her eyes told him all he needed to know. She was happy; she was with him.

Looking deeply into his big brown eyes, she eagerly noted the sentimentality that passed through them when he looked at her. She knew what she did to him, how she drove him crazy with passion. She knew by looking at him how he felt. Once she thought him naive and boyish, but now he was all man, and he was all hers, and she reveled in the feeling. But, there was a nagging feeling inside of her, it ran throughout, and it bothered her endlessly. It wasn’t that he had been her torment; it was something deeper. In her mind, she knew what it was, and it drove her crazy. Those same feelings she could see in his eyes, love, obsession, tenderness, caring, and unending dedication…those feelings…she shared them all. And he could see it in her eyes. She knew that look, satisfied, yet affectionate. God how she did love him, but he couldn’t know…

His hand around her waist, her arms around his neck, they swayed more and more in tempo with the driving music the band was playing. It was infectious, this tempo, this song. They stayed lost in each other’s eyes as the music played, driving them together…pushing them together. He slid closer to her, watching her eyes grow big as he pressed his chest against hers. He could feel her heart beat; it was strong and steady. With deliberate warmth, he raised his hand to her cheek, and gently stroked it. Her head tilted into it, announcing her acceptance of the gesture. He could see how much she loved him…it was written in those big blue eyes…those penetrating, humbling, sincere eyes. His heart flooded with adoration as he gazed lovingly at her. He worshipped her. She was like some super-human object of lust, of desire, of total appreciation. He knew he should tell her, but he couldn’t. He knew what she might do. And the thought of losing this moment, this perfect moment, it overshadowed all of his concern, his dedication to the truth. The truth of the matter was he just wanted this dance to last forever.

Feeling his hand upon her cheek, she stared into his eyes, transmitting her feeling of reception. For what seemed like an eternity, she fixed his eyes on his, and didn’t dare to move, to break the mesmeric state that was upon her now. She felt the tears well up inside her. She wanted to cry, to break down, and to let herself fall into his arms. But she couldn’t let him see her vulnerable like that, not now. She just wanted to feel him, and she could, he had taught her that well. She didn’t even have to be touching him; near him anymore…she could feel his presence. It was always there, hovering protectively around her. Beseeching her to seek him out, to find him and meet him halfway. That she made it here tonight was a sign to her that all of his concerned insistence was finally breaking through to her. After all he had done for her it ought to have. As she listened to the gentle, soothing music, she closed her eyes, and lifted her hand to his, grasping the back of it as it gently stroked her cheek. She forced her fingers between his, and removed his hand from her cheek as they swayed in unison to the slow, hypnotically jazzy tune. Letting go of his hand, and taking it in full, she moved their arms to their sides, and moved more closely into him.

Feeling her close was like magic to him, like sweet, fulfilling enchantment. He gripped her hand tightly, and moved his hand left hand onto her shoulder. He let it slide, softly down, until it was resting against the small of her back. He pulled her into him as much as he could. He felt and heard her sigh heavily into his ear as she rested her head on his shoulder.

“Let me take your pain away,” he whispered. “Let me be everything you ever wanted.”

“You already have,” she tenderly replied, as they moved in sync to the music. “You already are.”

He closed his eyes as he heard the words. It was her way of telling him…of telling him what he wanted to hear. But that’s not was she was doing. Her heart was racing. She meant it, and he knew it. A single tear formed in his eye, and he let it slide down his cheek. His emotions were, as it seemed, connected, conjoined to the tear. As it slid gracefully downward, he could feel a release. Was it time? “No,” he told himself. “Not yet.”

“Did I do the right thing?” She thought worriedly to herself as she heard the words escape her mouth. She smiled when she felt him grip her tightly, his hands flexing in hers. It was an inescapable fate they now faced, together. She knew it was over, he knew now. All that was left was to say it, to tell him, to let her feelings tumble from her lips like they had wanted to for so long. His breathing became more rapid, and belabored, and she felt something cold on her shoulder. It was a teardrop, she knew it because it was running down her arm…and she let it. She couldn’t stop them now, his vulnerability released hers, and she felt them rush to her eyes, from her toes up, like a rolling tidal wave. She bit the right corner of her lip, and exhaled softly as they came…rolling, streaming like a wild torrent down her face. She took her left arm, which had been hung about his neck, and moved it upwards. She took the back of his head in her hand, and stroked his hair gently. Then it happened.

They knew it, in an instant, in a startling, wonderfully beautiful moment…they had changed. It had taken five years for it to happen. But in one simple, and yet so complex dance, they had managed the one feat they had been unable to achieve. It wasn’t the sweet, vulnerable, innocent Pretender, or the high-strung, biting, temperamental, tough-as-nails Miss Parker that danced on this floor; it was Jarod and Parker. This dance floor had become their sanctuary. For one night, they were offered the world, and they grasped it desperately as they held each other. It didn’t matter to them what would happen tomorrow, or even after the music stopped playing. The time had come; they were ready…

She took a deep breath, and prepared herself. She knew it had to be her that said it first. Even if the words hadn’t been spoken, he had said it in so many different ways, so many different times…it had to be her who offered them, and he who returned them. She closed her eyes, and let her mouth fall open. The words just seemed to pour from within her; and in a soft, true voice she let them come.

“I love you, Jarod,” she smiled, tears in her tender eyes. “I so love you.”

Nothing could have prepared him for those words, the words he had longed to hear from no one but her. She meant the world to him; she was his world. Not even his family could fill the place he had in his heart for her. At a point in time, he was willing to let go of her forever…because he trusted Thomas, and he knew she could never tell him. But, little by little, she let him know how she felt, let him know that she trusted him. And now he would never let her go again. This was their moment of truth, the one he had read about in so many books…heard in so many tales…seen in the eyes of so many star-crossed lovers and spouses. And it was time for him to tell her now. Gathering all of his strength into a whisper, he too let the words come…

“And I love you, Angel,” he whispered as he pulled his hands away from her and cupped her face with them. He stared into her eyes, letting his passion, his dedication, his commitment, and his all-encompassing, world-shattering love for her pass through his eyes into hers. He could see her lips tremble, the tears stream down her beautiful face. Gently, he brushed a tear away from her eye with his finger. He could see it now, it was there, and she was there. That little girl was still in there, and God how he loved her…how she loved him. This was a love found in rare quantities, seen by so few, experienced by even fewer. And they were the lucky ones. All they had been through, all the things they had shared…the trauma of it all, and even the recovery…slow and deliberate, it had brought them here. No one could ever take their love away, change the way he felt for her…she was the air to him, required in order to breathe.

He smiled at her, a tear rolling down his cheek, which she brushed away with her finger. “I so love you,” he sighed.

They stood there for a moment as the music wound into it’s soft conclusion. They were forever changed. The future was theirs to have, theirs to make, and not even the Centre would stand in their way. They belonged to each other, and no one else. Their love clearly shining, catching the attention and awe of those around them, they allowed themselves to be set free of all their apprehension, all of their doubts and fears crumbled at their feet as they gazed love-long into each other’s eyes. Moving closer, and steadily closer, they could feel their hearts begin to race…it was the moment they had been waiting for.

Gently, he brushed her cheek with the back of his hand, and she returned the gesture. He put his arms around her, and pulled her close. She loved it that he took control of her for once…and it surprised her greatly. She felt her chest swell with excitement and anticipation as he moved her closer to him. She could feel the warmth in his eyes…and she could feel it within her. She could see her mother’s smile, like she was there, watching…like she, too, had been waiting for this moment and was sharing in her daughter’s joy. She let her eyes close as he moved his face closer and closer. And as he pressed his lips against hers, she accepted them warmly, returning his kiss with her own.

The feel of her lips was something he did not quite expect. He always thought she would be aggressive, but she wasn’t. It was as if…they were miraculously in tune with each other. Kisses had always been hard for him to manage, but everything came naturally with her. His mind raced, his heart pounded against his chest…he had never felt so strongly before, and never so complete. She was the missing part of him…and now he was back together again, whole, in total absolution. After a while, he let the kiss end, and he stepped back slightly from her, staring into her eyes…lost in them, overwhelmed, taken off guard, by surprise. He could tell she felt the same, but she smiled at him lovingly and took his hand in hers.

Pulling him close again, she noticed for the first time that the music had stopped, but they were still moving to its tempo. She let him rest his head on her shoulder, and she let herself sink totally into the moment. They were finally together, it had finally happened. And it was more perfect than she could have ever imagined.

For another five minutes, they danced to the music of the song playing in their heads. The song that would be forever linked to the love they shared. The band, urged on by the other dancers, started the music again. And for hours upon hours, they danced…entwined, linked, one a part of the other, as the crowd watched them, only wishing they could share an inkling of the passion and love they shared. Into the night they let themselves be sucked into the music, into each other, and they just danced…



Georgia, Georgia,
The whole day through,
Just an old sweet song,
Keeps Georgia on my mind.

I said, Georgia, Georgia,
A song of you
Comes as sweet and clear
As moonlight through the pines.

Other arms reach out to me,
Other eyes smile tenderly.
Still in peaceful dreams I see
The road leads back to you

I said Georgia,
Oh, Georgia,
No peace I find.
Just an old sweet song
Keeps Georgia on my mind

Other arms reach out to me,
Other eyes smile tenderly.
Still in peaceful dreams I see
The road leads back to you.

Oh, Oh, Georgia, Georgia,
No peace, no peace I find.
Just this old, sweet song
Keeps Georgia on my mind.

I said just an old sweet song,
Keeps Georgia on my mind.


"Georgia On My Mind" by Hoagy Carmichael & Stuart Gorrell
Copyright ©1930 by Peermusic Ltd. Copyright Renewed.
International Copyright Secured









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