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"I really need to stop planning dinner parties," Andie joked through tears as she stood in Joe's arms. Policemen were milling about the house, receiving statements from everyone.
She felt a laugh bubble up in Joe's chest as they held tightly to one another, "Maybe we should stick to brunch," He looked down at her tearstained face. The makeup she spent so long in perfecting was smeared, her lipstick somehow getting on her chin and her mascara running. He swiped a tear from her cheek, "How'd you learn to punch like that?" He asked with a quirked brow, trying to use humor to help calm her.
"You can't be a niece of Roger Taylor and not know how to punch a guy," Andie smiled, giggling through her tears.
Joe locked eyes with Jefferson as the cops brought him past in cuffs. Glaring harshly at the man who made Andie's life a living hell. He held her head to his chest, as he didn't want Jefferson to see her face- and more importantly- he didn't want Andrea to get even more upset.
"I want a restraining order against him," Andrea seethed, "I don't ever want to see his stupid fucking face again," her grip tightened on the back of Joe's dress shirt, and she leaned her forehead on his chest.
"Woah, hey," He lifted her chin and saw she was crying again, "it'll be okay."
"These aren't mopey tears," She let go of him to brush back her tears with her hands, "I'm frustrated at myself, and at him, but mostly myself. I was stupid to think he wouldn't try anything."
"You're human, Andie, you're allowed to make mistakes," Joe rubbed her arm with one hand a while the other took her own hand, "my biggest mistake was letting you be alone with him. But, everything that happened here tonight, that was his fault. Not yours, not mine, but his."
Andie embraced the man again, "You're a really good friend, Joe."
"And your a really good friend too," Joe ran his fingers through her hair and let the same hand rest on her back.
As the dinner party guests left, Andie apologized to each of them. Feeling extremely guilty for what had happened, but she had to remember what Joe had told her. It wasn't her fault.
It was Jefferson's fault.
-
"Where are you staying tonight?" Andie asked, everyone had left now besides her and Joe. Andie even insisted that Tiger Lily go home. They all needed a break.
Andie clutched Zeppelin in her arms, the small dog giving her comfort as she sat on the edge of her bed, Joe sitting closely beside her, "I'm at a hotel tonight, then they're sending me back out to LA in two days so we can prep for filming."
Andie looked down to her dog, not wanting to see Joe's reaction when she asked, "Can you stay here tonight? I understand if you don't want to."
"Andie," Joe placed a hand on her own, "I wouldn't mind staying at all, I'd have to go get my luggage."
"Can I come with you?" Andie asked, eyes wide, "I'm sorry if I'm being clingy, I just don't want to be alone right now."
"You're fine," Joe assured her, "Of course you can come with me." After a quick trip to the hotel, Andie seemed to calm down a little, but Joe was definitely still worried about her. He wished he could just peer into her mind and figure out what she was thinking. She must've been scared to death, but hiding it extremely well.
"Would you mind sleeping in here with me tonight?" Andie asked and Joe's heart leapt, "It's just the guest room is on the other side of the house and I-"
"I understand," Joe nodded, swallowing thickly as his mouth went dry, "I'll stay."
Andie smiled softly, muttering a thanks before grabbing some clothes and heading to the en suite bathroom. Joe grabbed his own pajamas and toiletries and went to the bathroom down the hall. He cranked the shower as hot as it would go, hoping the heat would calm his nerves. He hummed to himself as he showed, the Beatles immediately flooding his mind. As he walked back to the bedroom, now donned in a white shirt and black sweatpants, he saw Andie curled up on her bed. Her brown hair was pulled into a messy bun, her bangs almost at her eyebrows- meaning she'd have to get them cut soon.
Her eyes opened as she felt the bed dip down beside her, she straightened out and turned away from him, her body immediately going rigid with anxiety, "Andie it's okay," Joe placed a hand on her shoulder, "I can go into the guest bedroom. Hell, I'll sleep on the floor if you want me too. Or I can just go if that-"
"No!" She exclaimed turning to face him. Joe saw the genuine fear in her eyes, her attempts to hide it had been long forgotten, "Please, stay. I'm sorry, I'm just not used to-"
"It's okay, you don't have to apologize," Joe smiled softly, "I know it's kind of weird," He chuckled.
"No, you being here isn't weird at all," Andie told him as an unreadable look flashed across her face.
"Here," Joe held his arms open and she embraced him tightly, clinging onto him for dear life as Joe laid the both of them down. He chuckled at Zeppelin, he had somehow rooted his way in between them.
He softly hummed the song that seemed to have gotten stuck inside his head and he mumbled the lyrics under his breath. He noticed almost instantaneously that Andie seemed to relax at this. So he began to sing it again, slightly louder so she could properly hear it, "Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away. Now, it looks as though they're here to stay. Oh, I believe in yesterday."
He rubbed small circles into her back as he continued, her head making its way to lay upon his chest. "Suddenly, I'm not half the man I used to be. There's a shadow hanging over me. Oh, yesterday came suddenly."
"Thank you," Andrea whispered softly, "Please keep going."
And Joe continued to sing to her until they were both asleep, holding onto each other as if they were the only two people on earth.
