Grace Slick x Janis Joplin

The Photoshoot

San Francisco, California | 1967

Grace Slick paced back and forth in her living room, waiting for Jim Marshall to arrive. He was a photographer, and he was going to do a photoshoot with her and Janis Joplin. Jim had gone to pick Janis up almost thirty minutes ago, and he still wasn't back. Grace glanced out her front window one more time, to see if they were just waiting outside for some reason. Still nobody. Sighing, she sat down on the well-worn couch, listening to the sound of Bob Dylan's Blonde on Blonde playing on the turntable.

Finally, when forty-five minutes had gone by, and Grace was about to give up, she heard a knock at the door. She got up and opened it, and Jim Marshall walked in, with Janis following close behind.
"Sorry that took so long," said Jim. "Janis wasn't really in the mood to do any pictures, so it took a little bit of convincing."
"That's alright," Grace replied, although, to be perfectly honest, she was quite annoyed.

The three of them stood there, not totally sure what to do next. It was pretty awkward, but Jim finally broke the tension.
"Let's start the photos," he suggested. "Why don't we do some against the wall over there?"
Both women nodded, and so he began setting up his camera.

The first part of the photo session was rather stilted. Grace and Janis sat next to each other, a little stiffly, and looked at the camera without smiling. Jim picked up on that energy, and asked them to "please act a little more natural, it's not the fucking Victorian era." This got a bit of a laugh from them, and things eased up a tiny bit. However, it still seemed as if they were afraid to get too close to each other.

After about thirty minutes, Janis suggested that they take a break. It was the first thing she'd said the entire time, and Grace was struck by how nice and comforting her speaking voice sounded, since it was slightly at odds with how she sang. She wondered what it would be like to really know Janis, and talk to her a little more intimately...maybe even in a slightly romantic way. Her train of thought was interrupted when Janis said "Well? Are we gonna take a break or not?"
Blushing, Grace muttered a brief word of agreement, and stammered out a quick excuse about how she was a little bit tired and not totally all there.
"Oh, have you been up all night with that man of yours?" Janis asked, laughing.
That only made Grace blush deeper, but she replied all the same. "Maybe, but I can't see why that would matter to you. Unless you've got some sort of thing for me..."
Even though Grace was joking, Janis looked a bit guilty, like it was the truth. Grace, sensing that, quickly got up and busied herself getting something to drink for both of them, while Janis helped Jim Marshall organize his gear. Although it wasn't even noon yet, Grace poured herself a glass of wine, just to steady her nerves. Janis had the same, and soon enough the two of them started talking.

Somehow, in a way that wasn't totally clear to either of them, the topic of conversation had moved on to romance.
"I wish I had someone good," Grace said. "I could probably get almost any man I want, but only because they want a musician chick, or at least someone sort of well-known."

"Tell me about it," Janis replied. "All the men I've had are either only looking for a good time, or they're too desperate for a woman."

"What about...not men?" Grace asked. "It's not that I'm saying you have, but I've heard things and I-"

She was cut off by Janis admitting, "Yeah, I've been with a girl or two. None of it lasted though."

"Oh. That's too bad. Must be pretty hard to find other girls who want girls."

"Not really...sometimes it's just a matter of knowing people. And besides, some normal girls are willing to try it at least once. Actually, come to think of it, you almost seem like that type."

Grace just said "Well, I guess you never know," but inside her mind was whirling. Maybe she would be willing to, if it was with the right person. Someone like Janis, perhaps.

The conversation had more or less come to an end, so Grace told Jim Marshall that they were ready to do more photographs. At that point Grace and Janis had both loosened up a bit, and they were even having a little bit of fun with it. In each successive picture, they were messing around a more, no doubt fueled in part by the wine both had drunk.

Somehow, the two of them ended up lying next to each other on Grace's paisley-print living room rug. They'd almost forgotten about the photographer, and so Grace (who was maybe a bit drunk) moved over a little to whisper in Janis's ear.
"You wanna hear something?" she said playfully. "I think I love you."

Even though it was just a little thing to say, her heart was pounding from that declaration. Sure, she'd said it to lots of people before, but never another woman. And she'd never been so sure of it either.

Janis looked at Grace, and smiled.
"I love you too," she said.

Then, as if both women shared the same mind, they pressed closer together and kissed each other. It was the most passionate kiss either of them had ever experienced, and each wanted it to last forever.
Grace felt herself coming into contact with Janis, and it was the best thing that had ever happened to her. Right there, lying on the floor next to Janis, with a slightly shocked photographer watching both of them, she was happier than she'd ever been. It was like she was the queen of the world, and not even the strongest drugs could give that same feeling.
Janis felt more or less the same. She opened her eyes for just a second, and saw the expression on Grace's face. The other woman looked incredibly excited and calm and nervous and eager all at the same time, and Janis could believe it was because of her. She wanted to stay that way for all eternity, with a woman she loved and nothing to distract her.
Sadly, though, it couldn't last.

Janis and Grace broke apart, and it felt almost like they were coming back from another world. Everything had fallen away while they kissed, but now it was all back--including the photographer. Grace was the first to speak.
"D- did you take pictures of that? Please say no! No one can hear about this."

Jim Marshall laughed. "No," he said, "I only got one when you were whispering something to Janis and another one right before you kissed her."

"Good," Grace said, obviously relieved.

They took a few more pictures, just goofing around. In one, Janis was pretending to choke Grace, and Grace couldn't help but relish the feeling of Janis's long, slim fingers on her neck. That was about it, however, and even though Grace thought that there might be more to come, none of it would be able to equal that electrifying first kiss.

Once the photo session was over, Jim Marshall, who had driven Janis there, offered to stay a little longer, so that Janis and Grace could have more time together. But as much as she wanted to say yes, Grace declined.
"Goodbye," she said to Janis. "I'll see you again soon!"

"Bye," Janis replied, and she left with Jim.

Grace watched them go, and as they walked towards the car, she couldn't help but say one last thing to Janis.
"I love you!" She said, although not too loudly. Janis didn't seem to acknowledge it, but Grace knew she'd heard, and she knew the feeling was mutual. For the first time, Grace was truly in love, and it was the best thing she'd ever felt.