When he walked in, she was laying on the couch and sobbing, likely not having moved since Max deposited her, but he couldn't be sure.

She looked up, her big dark eyes showing her irritation at being bothered, clearly showing that she had been expecting him to have been Max coming to cater to her again. The irritation drained from her eyes instantly, leaving pain that she attempted to hide with anger.

"Go away!" she cried, her voice thick with the tears she was still shedding.

He was angry, angry she'd dared to hurt herself. And, he supposed, scared. He really did care for her even if it wasn't in the way she'd expressed. He was scared for both of them. After all, what if she had been able to do more before Max had found her?

Of the two emotions, he chose anger, barking at her as she cried on the couch, all curled up.

"What kind of a stupid thing was that to do?" he demanded, crossing close to her before thinking better of it and turning away, pacing.

"I'll do it again!" she threatened, as though she, too, were angry. Angry that he dared to care now. Angry that he dared question her. After all, no one tells Norma Desmond what to do. "I'll do it again! I'll do it again!"

Joe continued pacing, still choosing to voice his anger and irritation. "That's an attractive headline: 'Great Star kills herself for Unknown Writer.'"

She looked up at him, removing her face from it's hiding place as her eyes flashed dangerously, "Great stars have great pride." The anger again drained from her face, the pain she was feeling overriding any anger she felt. She bit back her tears, choking out a sarcastic reply, "You must have some girl, why don't you go to her?"

He sighed, finally seeing all her pain. "I never meant to hurt you, Norma. You've been good to me," he apologized. "You're the only person in this stinking town that's ever been good to me."

She was determined to continue at least trying to act as though she wasn't in pain, refusing to surrender to the emotions running rampant throughout her system. She blinked furiously, forcing her tears away while he was so close to her, "Then why don't you say thank you and go? Go, go! Go!"

She stared at him fearfully as he stared back at her intently and she was suddenly afraid he was going to strike her. He kneeled in front of her, one hand resting on her knee as he leaned forward. She tensed, snapping her eyes closed, as he raised his other hand. And then his lips were brushing softly against hers as he wrapped an arm around her. She froze, her eyes opening in shock and leaving her stunned. By the time she recovered, he'd pulled back and was sitting on his knees.

"Happy New Year," he whispered, smiling.

It took everything she had not to melt. "Happy New Year, darling," she choked over the lump in her throat.

He leaned forward, again capturing her lips in a soft kiss and this time she wasn't in shock. She eagerly returned the kiss, her arms settling on his shoulders before she raised one hand idly and threaded her fingers through his light brown tresses and pulling his mouth harder against her own. His hand was still on her knee and she could feel her whole body burning for him as he slid his hand slowly up her thigh, the fabric bunching and exposing her pale skin.

She wanted him, all of him, and she wanted to give her whole self to him. She felt like her heart was racing madly and trying to stop all at once and her head felt light, was spinning, as his hand continued gliding up her thigh, caressing lightly with his thumb as he traced the plump swell of her lower lip with his tongue. She eagerly parted her lips, her tongue hungrily searching for his as she pressed her chest against his. Her breaths were coming out in erratic, short pants when he broke the kiss and slid the hand that had been caressing her thigh under both her knees and lifted her bridal-style to carry her up the steps to her room.

Her breath caught, the fear that he would leave again gripping her as he laid her gently on her bed and took a step back. She looked up at him, her eyes wide and pleading. "J-Joe?"

He didn't answer, just walked around to the other side of Norma's large bed and sat down next to her, one of his hands supporting his weight as he gently caressed her cheek and covered her full, painted lips with his pale, thin ones.

She eagerly returned the kiss, leaning up to press her lips more forcefully against his as she ran her hands down his hard chest, desperately wanting to feel his hot skin against her own, wanting to feel his smooth skin against her palms. The angle of her wrists sent a sharp pain through her, an after-effect of slicing open her wrists she supposed, but she ignored it, her hands trailing lower so she could rub him though his pants.

He broke the fierce connection of their lips to kiss the corner of her mouth before kissing her cheek and down her neck, making her moan lightly as her back arched ever-so-slightly. His hand left her cheek to run across her curves before taking her hand in his own and leading it to his belt.

That was all the permission she required. She impatiently pulled at his belt as his tongue glided over the racing vein in her neck. "Joe, pl- Please," she croaked, clumsily working his belt with both shaking hands as her arousal throbbed between her thighs. She wanted him, needed him, so much she could barely stand it.

At her plea, he pulled away from her and removed his belt, tossing it behind himself before working the button and zipper of his pants. She ran her hands back up his chest to start with the top button as he pushed his pants down his legs and leaned forward to kiss her neck again. She made a small whimpering noise, her fingers momentarily ceasing their movement and heat pounding between her thighs, as he sucked on a particularly sensitive spot. She began pulling eagerly at his shirt, sending buttons flying in her desperate need to feel his hard chest. The fabric fell away, exposing his skin to her and she ran her palms excitedly across the smooth, taut skin of his chest. She felt his hand again on her thigh, making its slow way to where she wanted him most as he exposed her skin to himself. She arched her back, sitting up slightly so he could pull her dress over her head, before replacing her hands on his chest.

She looked into his eyes and she could swear that she read the same longing, the same desire, that was in her own. Was it there? Was it just reflected from her own? Was he lying?

And then he pressed his lips firmly to hers and all she could focus on was the feel of his hot skin against her palms and his fingers as the pushed her bra straps from her shoulders and the cups from her breasts, exposing her plump flesh to himself. He kissed the corner of her mouth again, kissing down her neck to her breasts and eliciting a soft moan.

"Joe," she breathed, running her hands up his chest to his neck and threading her fingers through his hair and pulling his mouth harder against the rosy bud his tongue was circling. "D-Darling, I love you. Pl-Please. Just t-take me. Please!"

He ran a hand down her stomach, goosebumps rising in the wake of his touch as he hooked his fingers around the elastic of her panties. He pulled them over her hips and from her legs, trailing hot kisses down her stomach as he ran his fingers along her slit, her juices collecting on his fingers. She gasped, whimpering, as he slid two fingers into her.

"Da-Darling!" she whimpered, her back arching as she spread her legs for him. All she wanted was for him to take her, to feel him inside her.

He started moving his fingers faster inside her, pushing them into her deeply as he kissed her breasts and added a third finger. She squealed as his fingertips hit her g-spot and he pushed the heel of his hand against her clit.

"J-Joe! Please!"

She didn't know when he had removed his boxers, but suddenly it wasn't his fingers pushing into her. She felt his length slide into her, stretching her, and she threw her head back as a wave of pleasure rolled over her, making her cry out.

He covered her full, painted lips with his own, swallowing her moans as he took up a steady pace, each powerful thrust bruisingly delicious. He was hitting everyone of her pleasure points, every point that she had forgotten existed whenever she had tried to pleasure herself.

"Oh, God! Joe!" she moaned, breaking their kiss as she writhed beneath him. "Please, darling! More! Ha-Harder!" She dug her nails into his skin, pushing his shirt from his shoulders as she clawed at his flesh in her feverish attempt to steady herself. She whimpered as he obeyed, thrusting harder into her, pushing deeper into her tight heat and making her squeal. Her eyes snapped closed, his pace too fast for her to see straight anymore as her ceiling swam above her. She felt like her whole body was on fire, a fire that begged to be extinguished, but it felt so good to be burning this way again, felt so good to have a man moving inside her.

She tried to remember the last time she had made love to a man. She wondered idly, as pleasure assaulted her senses, if it had been Max. He catered to every other whim and desire she had, why not her sexual ones as well? The thought was pushed from her mind as Joe pushed into her again, brushing roughly against her clit and making her cry out again. "JOE!"

She climaxed, cumming hard, as he continued thrusting into her and drawing out her already powerful orgasm. She screamed, a ragged, breathy wail of ecstasy escaping her painted lips as she arched beneath him, her muscles contracting around his length as he pushed into her repeatedly.

"Joe! Oh, GOD! Da-Darling!" she cried out breathlessly, pleasure overriding her senses as he swelled inside of her. She squeezed him between her thighs, her back arching off the mattress, trying to meet him thrust for thrust. She whimpered, non-intelligible phrases slipping from between her parted lips as her nails bit into his sweat-glistening skin.

"Norma," he breathed in her ear, feeling himself getting so close to his own peak. He kissed below her ear, sucking roughly as his pace escalated.

She was shaking, trembling as a second orgasm rolled over her, a high-pitched squeal escaping her as her body rocked in time with his. Her body was burning again, or still, as she clung to him, her head thrown back as the pleasure she was feeling dominated her senses. She couldn't feel the pain in her wrists anymore, the cuts into her skin that had hurt so much as she made them.

"Please," he breathed, sucking at her pulse point as he continued thrusting into her.

Her head was swimming. She couldn't concentrate, couldn't think, couldn't see, could barely breathe. "Wh-What, darling?" she forced out, drawing one of her legs around his waist. He paused, his breath catching. She wrapped her other leg around his waist, forcing him deeper into her. The action sent her over the edge again, panting and moaning. This time, though, he went with her, cumming deep inside her with a feral growl as he thrusted one final time. He collapsed on top of her, his body flush against hers as his weight crushed her smaller frame. He rolled off of her, her tight grip on his body keeping him from going very far and forcing him to settle himself next to her as she snuggled against him, pillowing her head against his hard chest.

"Happy New Year, darling," she repeated, kissing his chest softly, her breathing still erratic.

"Happy New Year, Norma," he answered, wrapping his arms around her and allowing her to entwine their bodies, his New Years gift to her.