I know you're all expecting an update. I hope it's coming soon, because I've actually decided where the chapter is going, but meanwhile I'm doing this.

What is this? Well, while recycling bits of the old draft for the rewrite I reached a cringe scene which shows how Jimmy and Jessie kicked the majority of the crowd out through the power of cheese and music. That's definitely getting scraped, but one of my closest friends here insisted that I do the cheese as a bonus.

So prepared to be amazed as I try writing the cheesiest most pathetic scene ever.

Aria (StormyTheZebra) this one's for you.

❄

Jimmy and Jessie headed through the castle in search of the biggest group of tourists yet. She hoped their brilliant disguises would work and that people would believe they were staff. It would have been much easier to pretend if it were Halloween instead of Christmas.

"I don't think I've ever worn this kind of boots in my life," Jimmy mumbled.

"I did wear a corset dress once for a play," she answered. "Though I'm not sure it counts since it wasn't the real deal."

He threw her a sideways glance and she was pretty sure he was checking out her cleavage since there was a lot of that showing. Day of firsts as far as that was concerned.

"It looks amazing on you either way," he said, focusing on finding people again.

"So do you," she replied. "Maybe we were born in the wrong time period."

He smirked. "Maybe. In a France far far away, you would've been the queen and I but a young lesser noble wishing for your affection. Or maybe I could've been a stable boy. With my luck, that's more probable."

"Of course, and I would've bestowed secrets gifts upon you and meet you for a romp in the hay." The thought was meant to be funny, but it only had her yearning for said romp in poor unsuspecting animal food.

"I could totally arrange for that. I know there is no fortune to my name," he said theatrically, "but alas, your majesty, I know romping tricks the king does not and I am more than happy to demonstrate."

Jessie bit the inside of her cheeks to keep her laughter silent. "Oh, I am convinced. With your pleasing looks and rock hard abs, you must have the young servant girls lining up in front of the stables."

He quirked an eyebrow. "Rock hard abs? Seriously?"

She shrugged. "What? It's true. It would be enough for you to take your shirt off while shoveling horse crap and all the ladies would be over you. You're unfairly attractive. How else would you have caught the attention of the queen? Do you think she's not watching you from the window of her chambers, drooling all over you?"

Jimmy laughed, though it was obvious he was trying to keep a straight face.

"You know what her favorite part is?" Jessie insisted. "When you help her on her horse and you slip your hands under her skirt. Trés naughty."

"Yeah, I like that part true. I bet the king doesn't even bother with foreplay."

She huffed. "Of course not. The king is a brute and all he cares about it a male heir." A sense of sadness engulfed her at the last sentence because it hit a little too close to home.

Jimmy tensed too, as if he'd found the underlaying truth in her words as well. She couldn't let him go there again, so she put on her most cheerful face.

"But why do I have to be the queen? Maybe you were the king and I was but a young, pretty lady in waiting from a small insignificant family, here to earn your favor."

He studied her with a pensive air and fortunately seemed back in the game. "I know this is France, but I'd totally build another church for you. Only so I could marry you and have you bear my children."

The seriousness in his tone was a bit unnerving. "You know I could totally do that without you marrying me."

He stopped in the middle of the hallway. "I'd never do something like that. I'd do anything for you."

She had a feeling he meant that outside of their game and she had to keep in a swoon. Jimmy wasn't exactly the romantic type, showering her with compliments and declarations, but when he did say something like that, he sounded so convinced it melted her into goo.

He rubbed his chin and looked at her as if analyzing all possibilities for their role play. "Not sure your scenario works. You could never be a servant."

"Why not?" she asked surprised.

"You're all poise and class. You could never be anything less than a queen."

Heat rose to her cheeks even if she didn't believe him. Why exactly he thought she was so high class, she had no idea. Yes, she'd been born into money and she was slightly famous, but she was new money whereas his family was nesting over centuries of inheritances. Though, to be honest, he'd had none of that while working there jobs to feed himself and Tom.

"You're not exactly stable boy material yourself," she countered.

"I'd totally pull it off though. All that manual labor..."

"I'd totally watch you doing all that manual labor. Just the thought of you lifting heavy objects..." She gave a dramatic shudder.

He just smirked as if he knew he'd look totally delicious without a shirt on, lifting stuff. "That's why I'm the stable boy." And he was off again, exiting their medieval fantasy.

Which wasn't so bad since she got to look at his butt. Why had pants that tight on guys gone out of fashion? Though she didn't believe everyone could pull them off so marvelously. Even if she was aware they belonged to someone else, she fleetingly wondered about slipping them into her luggage.

Jimmy stopped abruptly and she bumped into his back. "Tourists," he whispered as if he were warning her against wild animals.

Oh, right, reality. The reason they were dressed.

There was a large rowdy crowd in the next room, all of them gathered around an ancient looking piano. The rest of the furniture in the room was propped against the wall as if to make way for the instrument. Or maybe it was a concert hall of sorts.

"Crap, now what?" Jimmy whispered to her.

"We ask them to leave politely," she whispered back then raised her voice. "Excuse me. Sorry to interrupt your... um, tour, but due to the incoming snow storm, we have been instructed to evacuate the castle."

Unsatisfied grumbling filled the air, and the crowd did not move.

"We are sorry for the inconvenience, but if you'd just step this way..." Jimmy indicated towards the door they'd come through.

The crowd refused to move some more.

"We paid good money for this tour." A female voice with a heavy drawl rose from the crowd. "First you take our tour guide and now you want to kick us out? You French thieves!"

"I've never been called a French thief before," Jimmy whispered to her.

"We know it's inconvenient--" Jessie started.

"We're seeing this castle!" someone else insisted. "We flew thousands of miles to see France and we're gonna see it."

"Wow, this people are set on culture," Jimmy mumbled.

His commentary wasn't helping because it only made Jessie want to laugh and now was not the time.

"Would you rather be snowed in?" she tried.

"That would justify our money. Sleeping in a castle." And the crowd mumbled in approval.

"Ah, hell no," Jimmy muttered. "This castle is ours." So he put on his most charming smile and walked to the piano.

He pressed a random key and the sound filled the room and quieted the rumble. "Now that I have your attention--"

"Oh, are you putting on a show?" a short Asian woman asked.

"I don't know. Would that satisfy you enough to leave?" he asked.

A sound of approval rose from the crowd. Jimmy heaved a sigh and sat in front of the piano. "Okay then, folks. If it's a show you want, a show you will get." He started playing a random tune Jessie had heard before but couldn't identify.

Everyone settled down, the music acting like silencing magic. Jessie walked over to the piano too and leaned on it. She'd always loved to hear him play because he always put heart into it, even when he was fooling around.

He raised his eyes to hers and a mischievous smile lit his face. He transitioned into an entirely different melody, one she knew very well. Because she'd written it.

"Sing for me," he whispered.

Her palms were sweaty and her knees weakened, but she complied, letting out the verses that soothed her heart. There was a sound of surprise from the crowd, as if they didn't expect her to reach high notes and accompany the piano music.

Jimmy changed the song again, to another one she'd written and Jessie couldn't believe he knew her songs by heart. She also couldn't believe he'd picked this particular one, the song she'd written after she met him and one which was meant as a duet. With him.

So there was a slight tremor in her voice as she sang the first verse.

Sunday. It's just another Sunday
When your soul's in the ground and not meant to be found
You're alone

She hesitated because this was the part he was supposed to take over. And even if he'd heard her singing this before, she wasn't sure he knew the lyrics or that this part was meant for him.

Just as she opened her mouth to continue, he cut in, singing and playing on with the most serene expression on his face.

Lately, ever so gently
You can tell from my face that I've found a new place
Oh, I've grown

She couldn't hold in her smile. His voice had always been so good, but now, with the cold, it sounded even better somehow. She picked up the song.

Thank you, how can I ever thank you?
For just setting me free, now I'm finally me
Did you notice?

And this was it. The part she'd imagined when she'd written the song. The part where the two of them sang together in perfect harmony. As expected, he didn't disappoint and joined her for the chorus.

From a life drenched in pain
To a love that would carry them
Now they don't fear for anything
While they dance in the rain

And a new wind has changed
It swept them from yesterday
To a room found in fantasy
Missing windows and doors
They're hollow no more

Tears filled Jessie's eyes as he continued playing, that calm smile still on his face. And she couldn't believe how good he was, how powerful his voice. Even with a cold he gave her a run for her money.

"One last time?" he asked casually and once she nodded, they repeated the chorus, their eyes trained on each other.

And Jessie couldn't remember ever being happier in her life. Because the song had come true. They'd found each other and now they were free to be happy, to escape their pasts and all the pain they'd left behind.

With a flourish, Jimmy concluded the piano playing to general applause and grinned at her. At tha moment, she couldn't help it. She strode to him, took his face in her hands and kissed him, audience be damned.

He stood from his chair, wrapped an arm around her waist and dipped her, kissing her back to a chorus of uuuhs and awwwws.

They broke apart, both of them smiling.

"Can we get another song?" someone from the crowd asked.

Can you leave us the hell alone? was all Jessie could think. But she just nodded and extracted the promise that, should their desire be satisfied, the crowd would finally let them be.

And there was a bright side to their request. She would hear Jimmy singing again.

❄❄❄

So. Much. Cheese. Bleah. You can probably now tell why this never made it to the final draft 😅 I'm no longer ten (is totally ashamed that I wrote this when I was 20). Right, moving on.

I hope you had fun with it. Just so you know, the lyrics above were not written by me. The song is called Hollow no more and is performed by Bryan McFadden and Delta Goodrem. You may find it attached to the chapter.

Here you go, Aria. Hope you had fun with this.

Now to get to some actual plot progressing writing 😅