Title: Two Sides of the Same Coin -- Chapter 6

Author: StuckHereWithNoTV

Author's Email: stuckherewithnotvyahoo.com

Rating: PG-13

Spoilers: None

Disclaimer: Jake 2.0 and all related elements, characters and indicia copyright Roundtable Entertainment and Viacom Productions, Inc., 2003. All Rights Reserved. All characters and situations-save those created by the authors for use solely on this website-are copyright Roundtable Entertainment and Viacom Productions, Inc.

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As soon as the two entered his apartment, Jess unpinned her hair and sauntered up to Jake. Her face was an inch away from his when random thoughts came cycling through his mind. He gazed down into her dark brown eyes that seemed familiar but was missing... something. Running a hand through her hair, Jake was disappointed to find that it lacked a certain volume he had hoped to experience. His senses told him she felt wonderful in his arms, but the only word he could use to truthfully describe it was "different." And the jasmine scent that permeated from her skin was pleasant especially since it reminded him of...

"What's wrong?" Jess murmured moving a hand up to the back of his neck.

"N-Nothing. Just thinking," Jake answered trying to focus back on Jess, but all he could concentrate on was the absence of small metal objects that he had expected to feel when she stroked her fingers against his skin.

Pulling them both into the bedroom, she smiled roguishly as her lips barely brushed against his. "Well, let's just see if we can take you're mind off things, shall we?"

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Diane sat on the couch reading the same sentence for the last half hour. Throwing the book aside, she let her eyes wander around the room and was eventually drawn to the purse that sat beside her on the couch. Diane chewed her lip as she became mesmerized by the JMD that was slightly poking out of it.

"No," shaking her head and waving her hands. "No, I'm not going to do that. I don't care. It means nothing to me. Absolutely none of my business."

She picked the novel back up and buried her nose into it, determined to read. It took her less than a minute, however, to find herself glancing sideways at the small gadget again.

Diane jumped from her seat and paced back and forth in front of the couch, each time with her hand swinging very close to her purse. Finally, on one of the passes her hand made contact and sent the bag tumbling to the floor.

"Oops, geez how clumsy of me," Diane acted surprised as she knelt down. "Guess now I have to pick it up." 

She stuffed her keys and other items back into her bag reaching for the JMD last. Initially, she meant to take only a quick peek but ended up making a full analysis.

"Oh God, don't tell me they're..." she breathed out with a mixture of disgust and disappointment. She watched the vitals continue to surge violently for a moment longer before letting the device slip to the floor with a dull thud. Diane stood silent, a resigned expression on her face when a knock came from the door.

Wondering if it could be who she thought it was, she answered it to find a smiling, brown-haired male standing in front of her.

"Tony's Pizzeria," the teenager piped, holding out a pizza box to her.

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Feeling her lips graze his, Jake suddenly backed away causing him to trip over one of Jess's bags sending him to the floor.

"Jake are you okay?" she asked shocked.

He rubbed the back of his head and turned to glare at the chest drawers that he had hit. "Yeah I'm fine, Diane. Just bumped my head on--"

"What did you say?"

"Huh?"

"Did you just-- Oh my God."

"What?"

"I don't believe this."

Jake continued to sit on the floor watching in confusion as Jess started to pack her bags. "Wha-What did I say? I don't understand."

She shook her head with a fusion of amusement and rage blatantly written across her face. "Jake, do you really like me?"

"Yeah," Jake blinked. "Of course I do, why--"

"Or do you really like the fact that I look a lot like my sister?"

He froze. "I-I don't know what you're talking about."

"I think you do," she paused with her eyes penetrating into his. When he ducked his head, she sighed and resumed her packing. "Maybe you can tell me this. Why were you willing to accept something that only resembles what you really want when you could've had the real deal all this time?"

His breath caught in his chest, "I'm not following."

"I really like you, Jake. I think you're the nicest, most genuine guy I've ever met. And I don't think I've ever envied Diane more than I do now." Zipping up the luggage and slinging it over her shoulder, she walked over to Jake and asked solemnly, "Are you going to answer my question?"

Still in a daze, he stared upwards at the young woman who towered above him. Something in her present demeanor demanded that he be honest with her and with himself. "Diane doesn't like me in that way. She sees me only as a friend." 

"Oh really. You just keep telling yourself that and eventually it will be true," she warned, raising an eyebrow. Before Jake could retaliate she explained, "Since we're talking about Diane here, I wouldn't call threatening physical injury on your own sister even if you can't stand her guts as something you would do for a friend." Jess folded her arms, "And considering that I could easily kick her ass if she attempted to do such a thing, Diane putting herself in bodily harm for you pretty much cements the issue for me."

Jake racked his brain trying to absorb all the information being thrown at him. Was that what he had been doing? Substituting Diane with her sister because he... Jake smacked his forehead with his hand as the truth dawned on him. All the signs he had missed or read wrong started to become clearer. "I'm an idiot," he muttered reflecting on the argument he had at work two days ago.

Jess smiled wryly and walked to the doorway. "Goodbye, Jake. I'll see you at the Hughes' family gatherings if I ever drag myself to one."

He blushed at her presumption and then grew serious. "You should work things out at home. Your family really loves you, Jess. And so does Diane."

"I know," she admitted soberly. "And she really loves you, too." Nodding farewell, Jess left the room leaving him to listen to her fading footsteps echo in his ears.

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She sighed and went to get her purse. After Diane paid the delivery guy and dropped the box on the table, she was shutting the door when a hand shot out from the other side and halted its progress.  

"Listen buddy, I don't think you were that quick enough to deserve a bigger tip," she complained before looking up to see a brown-haired male again. Moving forward to put an arm around his shoulder, she bent down to peruse his face. "What's wrong Jake?"

Doubled over and leaning his arms on his knees, Jake skimmed over her worry-stricken expression and panted, "Can I... have some... water?"

"Yeah sure. Come inside."

Jake straightened and clutched his side while letting Diane urge him forward, her hand on his back. With his eyes following her into the kitchen, he guzzled down the glass of water she brought back to him.

"What's wrong? I-I mean, why are you here? I thought you were--"she reddened and glanced briefly at the JMD on the floor.

"My car wouldn't start again. I think it has a vendetta out for me," he smiled feebly trying to make light of the situation. "So I ended up having to run all the way down here. Y-You know I think I did enough running to cover for tomorrow's morning tests so I'm thinking maybe we could probably skip--"

"Jake," her brow furrowed letting him know she wouldn't be sidetracked that easily, "why did you run over here in the first place?"

"Uh, because I forgot there was an invention called the phone?"

She stared at him, not amused. "I thought you were with Jessica."

Jess's words came back to his mind making him blush, which was misinterpreted by Diane. He saw her shift away slightly, almost shrinking into herself. Alarmed, he stepped closer to her, "Not much happened. Not much could happen. I kept getting distracted and so she just left."

"Left? Is she okay?" Diane asked, concern suddenly overriding all the other sentiments coursing through her at the moment.

"Yeah, she'll be fine. She seemed like she's really going to consider patching up things between her and your folks; she just needs time."

"Good. That's good," she let out a breath while rubbing her forehead. Stopping in mid-action, she frowned, "What'd you mean by distracted?"

"Well, she didn't... feel right."

Diane crossed her arms starting to feel sick to her stomach, "Feel right?"

"Yeah. N-No," Jake quickly contradicted himself when he saw the look that had spread across her face. "No, not feel as in feel but feel as in... feel."

She blinked. "Are you speaking English right now 'cause I'm not understanding."

Starting to pace across the room, he tapped his fingertips together in front of his mouth trying to search for the right words. "It's like... when I'd look at her or get close to her... You know, I'd-I'd see... you."

"So you're saying you couldn't get 'close' to her because I look like her," Diane surmised, feeling relieved they hadn't been what she thought they'd been doing but also extremely insulted that he found the concept of getting intimate with Jess ruined by the thought of getting intimate with his curly-haired doctor.

"Yes, exactly," he concurred, not aware she was misunderstanding his meaning.

She adjusted her glasses, "Well, I'm sorry Jake but my sister and I do share the same genes, so if it bothers or sickens you that much to imagine getting 'close' to me while you're in the middle of trying to get 'close' to her... well I-I dunno what to tell ya." Attempting to cover the hurt that was piercing her at that moment, she laughed jokingly,  "I know we're friends and all and I'd do anything to make you happy but plastic surgery? Yeah sorry, kinda pushing it there. And I mean, on my salary? I think by the time I can afford it I'll be so old and wrinkly you won't have to worry about seeing me when you're, uh... kissing Jessica or whatever."

Two semi trucks couldn't knock the wind out of him as much as her words had. Viewing the brave smile Diane had put on as she self-deprecated herself almost tore his heart out. "No, no, no. You-You got it all wrong," he insisted walking back up to her. "It's not that you look like her but that she looks like you."

"Uh, Jake? Not speaking English again."

"I... it's-it's like... ugh," Jake clenched his fists frustrated at his lack of being able to articulate his feelings in the way he wanted to. Spying the pizza box on the table, Kevin's analogy from their phone conversation popped into his head. "It's... it's like you're a pizza. I mean, I've always cared about the kinds of toppings you have but it's more than that now. I-I really care about your toppings, Diane."

A long pause followed as her whole face scrunched up in total mystification, "What?"

He covered his eyes in humiliation as he realized what he had just said. "You know, I'm actually starting to believe that English isn't my first language," he uttered causing both of them to chuckle.

Diane smiled, shaking her head at the absurdity of the current situation, "What are we doing? We usually tell each other everything with no problems. So, Jake, just tell me whatever you're trying not to tell me."

Jake nodded, willing the tension that tugged at him to slip away. She was right; this doesn't have to be awkward between them, it shouldn't be. Moving closer, he noticed the brown eyes that were looking up at him contained what he felt was missing from the other pair he had gazed into earlier that evening. He still wasn't sure what that something was but whatever it might be, it was in these warm depths and was causing his insides to melt a bit. Reaching out a hand, he tentatively ran his fingers through her hair and was pleased to find that that, too, remedied the disappointment he had felt when he was with Jess.

"I guess what I was trying to say was that I couldn't get close to Jess not because she looked like you but because she wasn't you," Jake professed in a low voice. "You know, while Jess and I were on our date she had her hair up and was wearing this pretty black dress and it was just so easy..."

Diane was having a hard time processing all the sensations ranging from his words to his fingers that were tangled in her hair, tingling her scalp. "Easy to what?"

"It... It was just so easy for me to pretend it was you," he said amazed at his revelation. "Like it was me and you on one of those dinners you kept turning down a couple days ago. And so when Jess and I went back to my apartment and she pulled me towards her like I've dreamt you wou-- uh," his eyes widened, suddenly becoming aware that he was thinking out loud. "Wha-What I'm trying to say is that that's when I started to realize that she wasn't you."

Blood rushing to her cheeks, Diane's own eyes widened in response. She blinked rapidly, fighting to calm down the jolt of pleasure that twisted in the pit of her stomach.  "It took you that long to tell us apart? Be-Because that's pretty sad considering the height differential, for one thing. If it helps, just remember: Diane equals bespectacled and vertically challenged older sister," she tried chuckling unperturbed, but only to have her voice waver up an octave at mid-laugh.

Jake didn't even bother to notice her smart-aleck remarks as he leaned in closer and caught the scent of jasmine that had been resurfacing in his mind lately. "I used her," he confessed, ashamed. "I used her because deep down I really wanted..." Jake's eyes roamed over Diane's face, "I wanted this. Am I making any sense now?"

"Yeah, I think that was comprehensible," she squeaked. Resting both her hands on the back of his neck, Diane trembled self-consciously when he started to laugh. "What?! I swear I didn't have any of that pizza and I had just brushed my teeth before you showed up," she assured seriously.

Jake felt another chuckle bubble its way up his throat. Her sudden concern over bad breath during what he feared was going to be an awkward romantic moment between friends put him at ease. "No, it's not that. It's just..." he smiled, slightly moving his neck so that he intensified the touch of metal and human warmth on his skin, "that is just one big-ass, funky ring you always wear."

She snorted, "Well it's my--" Diane's sentence froze when her lips became preoccupied with more important matters.

Jake watched Diane's eyes grow wide behind her glasses and then flutter shut as he captured her mouth with his. Moving his lips slowly upon hers, a low groan of pleasure rumbled in Jake's chest when she pulled herself against him to deepen the kiss.

Never in his life had he imagined he would experience one of those mind-blowing, fireworks-exploding type kisses writers always described in those sickeningly sappy romance novels. He was even pretty sure that that kind of thing never existed in the first place. If it did, then he had assumed he would have felt those feelings when Sarah kissed him. But he hadn't. A girl he had spent years of his life fantasizing about kissing but when it finally happened, the anticipated mind-blowing turned out to be nothing but a small puff.

So, here, as he stood tightly enveloped in Diane's hold with her feather-light breath tickling against his cheek, Jake's heart nearly burst at the realization that the mind-blowing experience had been standing in front of him all this time. An experience that had been hiding behind an ever-present lab coat and JMD while waiting patiently for him to figure out the puzzle.

Wrapping his arms around his new discovery, Jake started a deeper exploration into the depths of Diane's mouth. However, having Diane abruptly shove him away caused Jake to end his journey and return to reality.

"Wha?" he whined softly, hating the new space of air between them.

"I...We can't do this," Shaking her head, Diane let her hands slip away. "Jake, you're--"

"No. No, don't say anything. I knew something had to go wrong," he groaned, wondering why this rejection out of the literally thousands of rejections he had experienced was completely shattering him. "I know the line already. I understand. 'Jake, you're a great guy but I don't want to mess up our friendship.' Don't worry, Diane, I really do understand. I'm just hoping we can forget this whole incident ever happened, okay?" Forcing a smile, he started towards the door. "So, I'll see you tomorrow. Really hoping we can skip the treadmill thing 'cause, you know, any more running and I think I'll wear out these new shoes. And on my salary? Yeah, shoes are just as bad as plastic surgery."

Seeing Jake walk away, she scuttled past him to block the door, "No. No, no, no. I'm not going to let you do this."

"But these are really nice shoes."

"Not that. The line you said; that wasn't what I was going to say at all."

"No?"

"No." She said in a rush, "Jake, you're important to me. Really important. And I do want this. You don't know how much I really, really want this. But this isn't like the movies; it's not like we kiss and as the credits roll everything's hunky-dory."

He questioned, amused at the corny phrase, "Hunky-dory?"

"You know what I mean," Diane scowled good-naturedly. "What I'm saying is that I've been thinking a lot these past few days. And if we were to take it to the next level, we'd have to deal with the workplace thing and then the friendship thing, but most importantly..." her voice slightly cracked, "if-if something was to happen to you... if I tried to save you but it didn't work... I just don't know how I'd handle that. I don't know if I want to put myself in a situation where I'd have to handle that."

"So... are you saying you want to go back to how things were before?"

She shook her head, "I don't want to lose what happened tonight, Jake. I'm not going to back away from this... But I think we need to take it slow and figure out how we're going to cope with all these things before taking the next step."

"Okay, I can do that... We can do that." Jake declared. The two sighed, relieved and exhilarated at their new relationship and plan of action. "This whole nanite thing kinda sucks sometimes, huh," he commented.

Diane just stood beaming. "Yeah, it does. So, uh, you wanna stay and have some pizza in a not-dating-but-more-than-a-friendship kind of way?"

"Um, I know I said I really care about your toppings but these two I think I could do without." Flipping open the cardboard box, Jake sneered at the sight of anchovies and artichokes. "I saw while on my little jog over here, a cafe nearby that's open. How 'bout we go there considering we've got work in a couple hours and it's kinda too early to go to sleep."

She giggled looking at the clock that read 12:05 AM. "Yeah, it is pretty early. Coffee sounds good." Shrugging on her jacket, she followed Jake out into the hallway.

"Heh. I guess the smart, dependable types suit me better, don't you think?" he mused, looking down at the woman walking beside him.

Even though she knew what he said was meant to be complement, the label of always being the ever-timid sister overwhelmingly enraged her at that very moment. Feeling the emotional roller-coaster ride she'd been on the whole week unexpectedly snap inside, Diane grabbed Jake's shirtfront and roughly jerked him towards her. 

Bewildered, his heart raced in amazement at the brazen treatment that his doctor was giving him. The warm breath that fanned his face was even more magnified by the nanites and sent surges threatening to override his system. Jake licked his lips in anticipation only to be disappointed to watch the scorching light in her eyes that had appeared without warning just as quickly fade away.

"Um, I-I guess it runs in the family," Diane apologized, letting go of his shirt as her whole face flushed. Lowering her head with a shy smile, she resumed walking down the hall, "Are you coming?"

Unable to keep from grinning at his newfound knowledge, he realized she was waiting for him. "You bet," Jake replied, running to catch up.

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