A/N: This is a sequel to Sailing in the previous chapter, because I can't not have a happy ending.

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“Did Taengoo die?” Sooyoung asks when Sunkyu returns to the living room, still lying on top of a sleeping Hyoyeon.

“No,” Sunkyu says, but the grim set of her face doesn’t ease. She looks more like she’s at a funeral than an anniversary celebration.

“Then why do you look like someone did?”

“She was on the phone,” Sunkyu says tersely, “and now she’s crying.”

Sooyoung sits up so sharply that it makes Hyoyeon stir, although she doesn’t wake up. “She’s crying? Taeyeon?”

Sunkyu takes a seat beside her. “Yeah.”

“Why was she—” Sooyoung’s mouth snaps shut in realization. “She was talking to Jessica?”

“Who else,” Sunkyu says wryly. “It seems that her phone ran out of battery and cut off the call but I doubt Jessica knows that. Now Taeyeon’s crying and asking for her. ‘Sica, where’s Sica. I want Sica.’ That’s all she’ll say. Fany’s trying to calm her down.”

Sooyoung swallows. “Where is she, I wonder,” she says, very quietly, like it’s an escaped thought rather than an actual sentence.

“She’s at the front door, apparently,” Yuri says, having returned from the bathroom without either of them noticing. She looks 50% less drunk and 150% more sombre. “She says she took a cab here and now she can’t get in because she doesn’t know the code.”

They all stare blankly at each other for a moment, like they have no idea what to do with that information.

“Well,” Sunkyu finally says. “I guess someone should go get her.”

 

Jessica doesn’t know whether she’s surprised or unsurprised when she sees the tall figures of the two maknaes coming through the front door.

“Unnie,” Juhyun greets, sounding remarkably sober. Yoona just hiccups, swaying slightly on her feet. Juhyun puts an arm around her to steady her.

Jessica manages a smile. “Hi,” she ventures.

“I’m not drunk,” Yoona suddenly proclaims.

“I’m sure you’re not,” Jessica says, amused.

Yoona squints at her. “Sica unnie,” she says slowly, like she’s testing the weight of those foreign words on her tongue. “Are you here to stay?”

Jessica’s throat closes up on her. She wonders for the umpteenth time whether she shouldn’t have come here.

“Let’s get unnie inside,” Juhyun says. “We shouldn’t be having a conversation like this in the lobby.”

“Are you sure you drank?” Jessica has to check. “You sound stone cold sober to me.”

“I have better alcohol tolerance now,” Juhyun says. “It’s been a while since we had a drink together.”

Jessica can’t tell if that’s an accusation or not. “It has been,” she says evenly.

“Well, we can have plenty of drinks tonight,” Yoona says with that broad grin of hers. “Unnie, did you bring food?”

This, at least, is familiar, and Jessica gives a fond, genuine smile. “I’m afraid I didn’t, Yoong.”

Yoona groans and almost falls over, and Juhyun and Jessica each take one of her arms as they make the short yet endless trek back to the place she once called home.

 

“Is she here yet?” Taeyeon asks for either the tenth or eleventh time. Tiffany has lost count, but she can’t hold it against Taeyeon. Oh, how she wishes she could tell her yes.

“I don’t think she’s coming,” Tiffany says carefully.

“But she should be here,” Taeyeon insists. “It’s our tenth anniversary. I made a wish.”

“I know,” Tiffany says softly. “I want her to be here too.”

It’s either the sixth or seventh time she’s said this, but she doesn’t mean it any less. She had drunk the least out of the eight of them and she regrets it now. She wonders if there’s any tequila left. Sooyoung had taken the bottle hostage, but when Tiffany last saw her she was dead to the world so Tiffany can probably get it away from her now…

“Sorry?” she asks, when she realizes Taeyeon had mumbled something, probably another “is she here yet,” or “where is she,” or “I miss her.”

“I’m going to take a nap,” Taeyeon announces. “Wake me up when Sica comes home.”

Tiffany bites her inner cheek. “Sure,” she says, after a beat. “Sleep well, TaeTae.”

It’s not like she can say I don’t think she’s coming home. Taeyeon rolls over and falls asleep almost instantly, the insomnia that has plagued her lately having vanished like her many defences. Tiffany can’t remember the last time Taeyeon even mentioned Jessica, but whether it’s the date or the alcohol or a combination of the two, something in Taeyeon has finally cracked and given way.

Tiffany just hopes it isn’t her heart.

 

“Should we wake Hyo up?” Sooyoung asks conversationally.

They all glance at Hyoyeon, who has a tuft of hair over her eye and is snoring with wide open.

“Nah,” they say simultaneously.

“Should we really have let Yoona go get Jessica?” Yuri asks. “She could barely walk in a straight line.”

Sunkyu raises her eyebrow. “Do you really want to stop Yoona when she has her mind set on something?”

Well, Yuri values her life so that’s a definite no.

“What if she passes out or like, throws up?”

“She already did both of those so I’m sure she’s fine,” Sooyoung says with a wave of her hand. To Yuri’s intoxicated brain, that makes perfect sense. “Is there any cake left?”

“You want more?” Sunkyu asks, vaguely horrified. “You’re going to go into a diabetic coma.”

“Not for me,” Sooyoung says, like she thinks Sunkyu’s stupid. “For Jessica. It’s her anniversary too.”

That throws them into a heavy silence that’s only broken by the front door opening and three figures stepping in, one of them they haven’t seen in—well, far too long.

“I brought Sica unnie back,” Yoona says brightly, like she dragged her here from the gates of hell. Juhyun just gives a wry smile and doesn’t dispute her, even though Yoona looks like she would have fallen over without Juhyun’s support. Jessica is standing behind them, almost hidden, looking smaller than ever with the way she’s slightly hunched in on herself.

Sunkyu holds out a can of beer in one hand and a bottle of soju in the other. “Do you want a drink?” she asks, casual and conversational, like it’s any other day and not their tenth anniversary, a they that doesn’t include Jessica.

“I’ll cut you a slice of cake,” Yuri says, leaping up and almost running toward the kitchen.

Hyoyeon keeps snoring, completely undisturbed by everything that’s happening.

Yoona’s face scrunches up. “I think I’m going to throw up,” she says to everyone and no one.

Juhyun looks resigned. “I’ll help you to the bathroom.”

“Hold her hair back,” Sooyoung advises.

“I’m happy to see you back, unnie,” Juhyun says to Jessica with a small but genuine smile. “Let’s catch up when nobody is in danger of throwing up.”

Jessica returns the smile. “Let’s.”

“My arms are getting sore,” Sunkyu complains. “Do you want the beer or the soju?”

“We finished the vodka,” Sooyoung says. “There’s tequila here though.” She pats the bottle tucked under her legs.

“I’m good, thanks,” Jessica says. “I had a lot to drink already.”

“Is that why you’re here?” Sunkyu asks bluntly.

Jessica bites her lip. “I want to be here,” she says in a small voice.

“We want you to be here too,” Yuri says, returning with a plate with a misshapen slice of cake on it. “Sorry about how ugly this is, Sooyoung started just digging into the cake before we even sliced it.”

“It was a good cake,” Sooyoung sniffs.

“Thank you,” Jessica says thickly, accepting the plate. Yuri gives her a soft, tired smile. “It’s – it’s not ugly at all.”

Yuri chuckles. “I’ve missed you, Sica,” she says, warm and candid in that Yuri way of hers.

Jessica swallows. “I’ve missed you too. All of you.” She trains her eyes on the plate in her lap rather than them.

“I’m happy you’re here, Jessica,” Sunkyu says, slow and sincere. “That’s not why I… It’s just that, you and Taeyeon are so similar, you know? I’m sure she’s wanted to call you for ages, but she could only do it drunk.”

A teardrop lands on Jessica’s cake. “She’s, uh, she’s not really going to get alcohol poisoning, is she?”

“I don’t think so.” Sunkyu chuckles. “Her liver is stronger than she thinks.”

“You’re the one who’s probably going to have liver failure,” Sooyoung tells her. “Hey Jessica, do you want to share that slice of cake?”

“You already ate like, half of it on your own,” Yuri says incredulously.

“And your point is?” Sooyoung looks at Jessica with big, hopeful eyes, and Jessica hands over her plate with a sigh and smile. She forgets about the fork, which slips and lands on Hyoyeon, right on her nose.

“Ugh, get that bee away from me,” Hyoyeon groans, running a hand over her face and blinking blearily. “Did a truck run over me or is that the tequila?”

“Pretty sure it’s the tequila,” Sooyoung says helpfully. “But it could also be the vodka. Or the soju.”

“Is there any sangria left?” Hyoyeon finally sees Jessica and fixes her with a blank stare. “Damn, did I really drink so much I’m hallucinating now?”

“No, you’re not hallucinating,” Yuri says with a smothered laugh.

“Hi,” Jessica says with a cough. “Um, Happy Tenth Anniversary?” The words are strangely painless to say, although she didn’t expect to say them first to a smashed Hyoyeon.

Hyoyeon grabs the bottle of tequila from an unresisting Sooyoung. “I’m not drunk enough for this,” she grunts, lifting it to her lips.

They all burst into laughter. Sooyoung almost slips off the couch; Sunkyu laughs so hard she chokes; Yuri falls against Jessica, who thinks it’s good to be home.

 

“You should go see Taeyeon,” Sunkyu says. “She’s been asking for you all night, and she cried when she couldn’t find you.”

“She cried?” Jessica whispers.

“She misses you a lot. I mean, we do too of course, but—”

“But we’re not in love with you,” Sooyoung says. “No offence but you’re not my type.”

“Well, you do already have a Jung in your life,” Yuri says, while Jessica is frozen at the first part of Sooyoung’s sentence.

Between them, Hyoyeon lets out another snore.

“You okay?” Sunkyu asks quietly.

“Just fine,” Jessica says, feeling entirely too sober for this. Maybe she should have taken the soju after all.

“Taeyeon will be happy to see you, you know,” Sunkyu says, like she’s reading Jessica’s mind. She’s always been uncannily perceptive, but Jessica hasn’t had that perception her in a while. It should make her squirm, but it’s almost—nice. Comforting. To be known when she feels like she doesn’t know herself.

“I’m surprised you’re not like, running for her room,” Sooyoung adds.

“Are you nervous, Sica?” Yuri teases with a broad grin.

Why did she come back here again? She forgot how her members – ex-members, a corner of her mind corrects – could be absolute asses. (She, of course, ignores the number of times she teased them about their boyfriends.)

“Where’s Tiffany?” Jessica asks, partly as a distraction, mostly because she actually kind of wants to see that obnoxious loudmouth.

“She’s with Taeyeon,” Sunkyu replies.

Jessica isn’t surprised. She’s glad that Taeyeon isn’t alone, which she had feared when Taeyeon called her. Taeyeon has always liked being alone, has always turned to herself all the times that they wanted her to turn to them. Jessica has had a lot of practice being alone lately, and in a way she enjoys it and in another she misses them so much she aches with it.

“Sica?”

She opens her eyes, which she hadn’t realized she closed. “I want to see Taeyeon.”

“Well,” Sunkyu says. “You don’t need our permission.”

 

Taeyeon is asleep. Well, it’s either that or passed out, but her curled up position suggests sleep. Tiffany is asleep too, on the other end of the bed, sprawled so that she’s almost hanging off it.

“They look pretty cute,” Sooyoung says. “Let’s take a picture and post it on Instagram.”

Yuri rolls her eyes. “What’s with you and Instagram?”

“At least I have more on it than pictures of my dogs—”

“What’s wrong with posting pictures of my dogs?”

“Has it really been ten years,” Sunkyu interrupts. “You two still bicker like teenagers.”

“She started it,” they say at the same time.

Sunkyu makes a grand show of rolling her eyes and then reaches forward and pokes Tiffany in the stomach. Does it again, harder, until Tiffany groans and cracks open an eye. “Taeyeon, I swear, if you’re feeling me up—”

“Sorry to disappoint your fantasies,” Sunkyu says dryly. “Is this what you dream about? Maybe Taeyeon should lock her door at night.”

“Maybe you should lock your do—Jessica?” Tiffany’s eyes widen when she catches sight of her. “Am I dreaming?”

“You dream about Taeyeon feeling you up and then Jessica showing up?” Sooyoung whistles. “Fany, do you have something you want to tell us?”

“Jessi?” Tiffany says, hesitantly, like she’s unsure if she’s allowed to use the nickname. Jessica feels the ache return. “Is that really you?”

“It’s really me,” Jessica says quietly. “Happy Tenth Anniversary.” This time, the words do hurt to say, a little, and she remembers the airport again.

Tiffany’s face is almost swallowed in her smile. “Happy Tenth Anniversary!” Ah, and there’s the volume.

And then Jessica’s being pulled into a bone-crushing hug, and her ribs are screaming at her to pull away but she couldn’t have.

“Thank god you’re here,” Tiffany says. “Taeyeon has been asking for you all night. She told me not to wake her up until you came h—until you got here.”

“Well,” Jessica says weakly. “Here I am.”

Tiffany stares at her for a moment, before grabbing Sooyoung’s and Yuri’s wrists and pulling them toward the door. “Okay, everyone out. Jessica and Taeyeon need to…talk.” Sunkyu follows her, the corners of quirked up.

“Good luck, Jessi!” Tiffany chirps as she closes the door behind her. “Remember the walls are thin!”

Why did Jessica even miss her?

“Tae,” she says quietly, eyes flickering from the walls to the furniture to the floor, anywhere but Taeyeon. “I’m here. I came h-home. Like you asked. I don’t know if you wished for it, but I did. I wished to see you all again. Happy Tenth Anniversary.”

“Happy Tenth Anniversary,” comes Taeyeon’s voice, and Jessica almost jumps. When her eyes jerk to Taeyeon, she finds mussed hair and a dimpled smile. “You didn’t think I would sleep through all that, did you? I’m not Hyoyeon.”

“You…were awake? The whole time?”

“Well, not the whole time. Probably since—does it matter?” Taeyeon is staring at her the way Sooyoung was eyeing her cake earlier, along with an edge of wondrous disbelief like she isn’t really sure Jessica is here.

No. “Yes. You heard everything?”

Taeyeon sits up and slides off the bed. “Was there something you didn’t want me to hear?”

“I—” Was there? What did she say again?

“To be honest, I don’t even remember what I told you over the phone.” Taeyeon scratches the back of her head. “I don’t know if I want to remember.”

“You confessed your undying love for me,” Jessica says with a straight face.

“Did I?” Taeyeon doesn’t look surprised. “I can see that happening.”

“Well, no you didn’t. You—” Jessica closes her eyes as the memory presses against her temples with that familiar ache. “You said…things.”

“Things,” Taeyeon repeats.

“You asked where I was, and you asked me to come h-here.”

“To come home,” Taeyeon says softly. “I remember that part. And I remember asking Tiffany where you were. She never had an answer for me.”

“I’m here,” Jessica says quietly. “I’m right here.”

“Like I wished for,” Taeyeon says, voice so low that Jessica almost misses it. “Are you…” She swallows. “Are you going to be here in the morning?”

Jessica tries for a smile. “Are you asking me to spend the night?”

“Yes,” Taeyeon says, so bluntly that Jessica wonders how much alcohol is still in her system.

“If…if you want me here, I’ll stay.” Jessica isn’t just talking about the night, and she hopes Taeyeon knows that.

“Of course I want you here.” Taeyeon looks at her like she’s crazy. “Do you think I used up my tenth anniversary wish for nothing? After all that stuff about wishes in our music, my wish had better come true.”

“Taeyeon,” Jessica laughs. “Are you sure you’re not still drunk?”

“No.” Taeyeon cups her cheek, touch gentle but firm, anchoring her there. Her lips taste of vodka and her kiss burns like it. Jessica only presses herself closer, presses herself against Taeyeon and wishes she could erase the space between them.

“Tae,” Jessica gasps as they fall onto the bed, mouths and bodies crashing together like waves meeting the shore. “Remember the walls are thin.”

 

The next morning, Jessica pointedly ignores the smirks and knowing looks from her girls – and this time there is no argument from any corner of her mind, because they may not be her members anymore but they’ll always be her girls – when she leaves Taeyeon’s room in a borrowed shirt with a collar too low to hide the marks along her neck.

Juhyun has left her a cup of her special hangover tea because she’s the best.

“You know you’re the best, right Juhyunnie?”

“Thanks, unnie.” Juhyun isn’t drinking any because she didn’t drink enough to get hungover. She’s always been smarter than them.

Jessica takes a gulp of tea and almost chokes.

“It tastes awful, doesn’t it?” Hyoyeon says sympathetically, a gigantic mug of it in front of her.

“Did you get attacked by a vampire or something?” Sooyoung asks.

Jessica shoots her a glare. “You know you’re the worst, right?”

Sooyoung just blows her a kiss back.

“Does anyone want eggs?” Yuri asks, her head in the fridge.

“Me!” Jessica, Sooyoung and Hyoyeon say in unison.

“Do you want help, Yul?” Tiffany asks.

“No!” all of them, except Juhyun, yell, remembering the numerous inedible dishes that Tiffany had put in front of them.

“I’m good, Fany, thanks,” Yuri says, tactfully ignoring Tiffany’s pout.

“Where are Yoona and Sunkyu?” Jessica asks, wincing as she takes another sip of tea.

“Sleeping,” Sooyoung says. “Well, Yoona is. I’m not sure about the midget.”

“The midget can hear you,” comes Sunkyu’s voice.

Sooyoung gives her a wide smile. “It’s good to know the midget’s ears can reach this high.”

“It’s good to know the giant has functioning vocal chords.”

“Did you have a good night’s sleep, Jessi?” Tiffany asks. “I’m surprised you’re up this early.”

“It’s not that early.” They all stare at her like she just grew another head. “I slept really well. Alcohol knocks you out.”

“I’m sure it does,” Hyoyeon says. “I’m sure it was the alcohol that knocked you out.”

Jessica glares at her, and then slowly turns so she can subject all of them to the glare.

“What’s for breakfast?” Yoona asks cheerfully. “Sica unnie, you’re up?”

“That’s what I said,” Tiffany says. “Isn’t it a miracle she’s here?”

“Quite the miracle,” comes a low voice, and then a hand is at the small of Jessica’s back. “Good morning,” Taeyeon says, with a small smile.

“Morning,” Jessica replies, sliding her chair over so there’s room for her.

Yuri starts whisking the eggs. “I can’t remember the last time the nine of us ate together.”

Strangely, it doesn’t weigh down the air between them. Or if it does, it doesn’t last long.

“You’d better not wait until our twentieth anniversary to come over again,” Sooyoung says threateningly. Or well, she tries, but the piece of fruit clinging to the corner of rather ruins the effect.

“Don’t worry,” Jessica says. “I’m going to be here a lot.”

“Good,” Taeyeon says, squeezing her hand under the table.

Yes, Jessica thinks, it is good. Good to be home.

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A/N: This wasn't supposed to be this fluffy or this long, but I take it as a good sign when a story takes a life of its own. Also, OT9 is forever my greatest weakness and it was simultaneously joyful and painful to write those scenes. Double also, I had to google whether joyful was a word so I really think I need to sleep haha.

Deleted scene:

“I have to tell you,” Taeyeon clears . “I think I’ve slept off my alcoholic stupor.”

“That’s too bad,” Jessica says. “You’re cute when you’re drunk.”

Taeyeon grins. “I’m not cute when I’m sober?”

Jessica rolls her eyes. “You’re cute even when you’re sleeping. How’s that?”

Taeyeon kisses her. “Perfect.”