That Last Little Spark

"Do you really have to go back tomorrow?" Bam asked as he and Jess walked back from the car. They were slightly dizzy, not just from the drinks they'd had at the restaurant or from the romantic moment catching up to them. In true Bam-and-Jess fashion, they had gone from a slow dancing kiss to riding the carousel until they lost count, pretending to be everything from bank robbing outlaws in the west to Woody and Jessie from Toy story. But after that, they had walked back to the restaurant for a few more drinks.

"You know I do. And besides, I'll see you next month at the wedding. And you better be there or I'll never speak to you again." she waved her finger at him.

"Why do I doubt that?" he teased her.

"What are you saying?" she asked, a smirk playing slightly on her lips.

"That you can't resist me and my devilish charms." he smiled.

"There's something devilish about you, but it's not your charms!" she pushed him away from her with a giggle before her chocolate brown eyes opened wide.

"What?" he asked, alarmed and alert as he looked around.

"Holy shit! I was right earlier! A night of dancing and moonlit walks on the beach!" she burst out, letting go of his hand as she laughed so hard she had to sit down on a nearby bench.

"Are you drunk? What the hell are you talking about?" he asked, confused as he knelt in front of her.

"Remember earlier when we were talking about what I like to drink, and then I gave you a bunch of smartass answers about how I don't get drunk or tipsy or hammered...and so on before you even finished the question? Then you asked me what else you were thinking? And I said 'you like a night of dancing and moonlit walks on the beach'?" she asked excitedly. The conversation finally lodged itself in Bam's memory.

"Oh, oh yeah!" he laughed with her.

"So I was right! My little Bam has some romance in him." she pinched his cheek before resting her forehead against his. He could smell the red wine on her breath while they looked into each other's eyes.

"I wish my eyes were blue like yours." she whispered slowly.

"You're drunk." Bam raised his eyebrows, a knowing smile on his face.

"Maybe a little." Jess breathed a laugh and her eyes fluttered closed.

"Come on, you've got a day of driving tomorrow, and I don't think you want to do it hungover, do you?" he asked, pulling her to her feet.

"I don't wanna move." she wrinkled her nose in an adorable scowl. He laughed at her and wrapped his arm around her back before bending down and wrapping his other one under her knees. He carried her bridal-style across the sand to the car.

"I think you're drunker than me, babe." he observed, setting her back on her feet by the car while he opened the door. He moved their food to the back before helping her in.

"I don't drink red wine all that much." she explained as best she could.

"So you thought three glasses in six hours would be a good thing?" he couldn't help but chuckle.

"Why not? Celebrating!" she shrugged while she looked out the window at the passing trees, black on either side of the road they were driving on, and the old fashioned streetlamps on the sidewalk. The day's events finally closed in on her, and she closed her eyes, letting sleep take her away.

*

Jess was out cold by the time Bam pulled in the driveway. He left the food in the back while he opened her door, carried her to the front door, and rang the doorbell repeatedly.

Ape opened it, Dunn and Novak right behind her.

"Is she okay?" Ape asked, her eyes opening wide.

"She's just sleeping." Bam assured her.

"Or passed out." Novak added.

"A little of both. She went a little overboard on the red wine, which apparently is something she doesn't drink often. But we also walked up and down the beach and rode the merry go round about 100 times." he explained, walking over to the stairs. She was still asleep when he opened the door to her room and set her down on her bed.

Very carefully, he took off her earrings and necklace and put them on the table next to her bed before he pulled the blankets up around her.

She only woke up temporarily as he leaned over brush the hair our of her face. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

"Night." she whispered before falling back asleep, leaving him sitting there, slightly confused. He watched her for a few minutes before he smiled.

"Night." he laughed and shut her light off on his way out the door.