"Daddy, why don't you and Momma go out tonight?"

"Because I have to clean up." Came his immediate reply. His tone assuring him it was the most obvious answer in the world.

"I'll do everything. You deserve a fun night out." Going over to her father, the petite brunette took the rag and bottle of cleaner he held and gave him a stern look.

The tall, older man raised a questioning eyebrow. "You sure?"

"Yeah." she waved a hand dismissively in front of her. "Besides, it's not the first time I'll have closed up on my own."

"No, but..."

"Daddy, just go. Maybe get Momma drunk." She gave him a wink and in return received a warm appreciative smile. Neither of them could remember the last time her mother had loosened up enough to get sloshing drunk.

"All right. A night out actually sounds good." Moving forward a few steps, he leaned forward and planted a kiss on his beloved daughter's forehead. "Thank you, Raleigh Jean." After grabbing his jacket and slipping his arms into it, Keith headed for the front door. Then, as an afterthought, he turned back to look at her once more. "Don't stay too late, huh?"

"I won't. Have fun." She waved to her father before going back into the kitchen to finish the dishes.

When she was done cleaning the dishes and the counter tops, the girl-turned-woman moved back out into the dining area. After turning on the radio disguised as a jukebox, she moved about, thoroughly cleaning the tabletops and putting the chairs up.

So many people had asked her how she could be so comfortable being there alone that late at night. She'd always just smiled and say, "It's my home. How could I be afraid of anything there?" And it still held true today. Even after everything she'd been through nearly a month ago.

After mopping the floor, Raleigh stopped and looked longingly at the piano sitting on the stage where it had been for the past six years now. As she slowly walked around its edge, she dropped her hand down and ran her fingers over its smooth surface. Positioning herself on the bench, she smiled as her hands rested atop the familiar keys she hadn't played in four months.

Before she could comprehend another thought as it sailed through her mind, her fingers began to move, playing out a gentle melody. As her fingers continued to glide along the white keys gracefully, lyrics to an unfinished song began to stream from her lips.

I'm dying to catch my breath
Oh why don't I ever learn?
I've lost all my trust,
though I've surely tried to turn it around

Can you still see the heart of me?
All my agony fades away
when you hold me in your embrace

Don't tear me down for all I need
Make my heart a better place
Give me something I can believe
Don't tear me down
You've opened the door now, don't let it close

I'm here on the edge again
I wish I could let it go
I know that I'm only one step away
from turning it around

I tried many times but nothing was real
Make it fade away, don't break me down
I want to believe that this is for real
Save me from my fear
Don't tear me down

Give me something I can believe
Don't tear it down, what's left of me
Make my heart a better place

When she finally stopped her fingers, Raleigh found herself unable to move. She could only sit there, thinking about the reason she'd been able to sing the words that had been so hard to think of at first. The reason why she couldn't seem to write a happy song if her life depended on it. Could she even remember the last time she'd smiled instead of cried?

Yes, it was because of him. It had been him to last make her smile and it had been he who had last made her break down. She rather liked it when he could make her smile. He could make her laugh as no one else could. He had made her happy. He had been hers.

But now...

Now he was gone and so was her happiness. But she couldn't blame him for that. No, it had been she who had ended their relationship. She had been the one to leave. And she'd be the one regretting for as long as she lived.

Why hadn't she stayed when he asked her to? Why hadn't she said, "I love you too" when he'd said the words?

Why hadn't he come after her?

She could feel all the questions she'd had for herself and him threatening to swallow her, to she decided to try to shake them, thinking of lighter things. Like the fact that Janie had finally managed to get a decent boyfriend.

No, definitely not a good topic to think about.

Sighing, Raleigh made her way behind the counter and began putting mugs away. Shaking her head, Raleigh began muttering to herself while being a little more rough with the glass mugs than she needed to be. Hearing the sound of the bell above the Café's front door begin to ring, Raleigh quickly glanced over her shoulder, not really taking in the late customer.

"We're closed." she should have locked the door after he father had left.

"How about just one for the road?" At the sound of the man's voice hitting her ears, Raleigh nearly dropped the mug she held in her hands. Her heart felt as though it would pound through her chest and suddenly there were a million tiny razor blades lacing her tongue as she tried to swallow. Setting down the mug before she broke it in her suddenly tight grasp, Raleigh slowly turned around, meeting the pools of deep emerald she hadn't seen in nearly four weeks.

Finding her voice that had seemed to escape her, she asked, "What are you doing here, Dan?"

Her lilac eyes never left him as he shrugged and began making his way towards the counter she remained firmly planted behind. "I heard this was the place to get a cup of coffee around. I had to see if it lives up to its reputation."

"I assure you, it will." Raleigh turned around and began starting the coffee maker she had just thoroughly cleaned. She had no idea what to say to him. What did he expect her to say to him? What did she expect him to say to her? Was there anything to say at all? He'd come there of his own accord and if he was expecting her to believe it was for a cup of coffee she'd never even tasted, he was completely insane.

"So, this is the family business, huh?" Raleigh found herself only nodding as her eyes watched him. She would play along with his little game for now. There were so many things she wanted to do, but for now, he'd have it his way.

Raleigh continued to watch as his curious eyes continued to roam over the place she'd thought of as her second home. When they landed on the mantle above the fireplace, Raleigh suddenly wished she could spontaneously combust so she didn't have to face the embarrassing photographs.

Dan stood and walked over to stand in front of said mantle and whistled. "Your family seems to be really proud of you." The snapshots were of random moments of her singing at The Landing. The first taken when she was ten, dressed in an overall jean skirt and bright yellow tank top with wild and crazy braids in her hair. The last from the night Josh had returned to Shelby for the summer.

What Dan noticed most in every single one of the pictures, was not how much she'd changed physically, but how happy she'd seemed to be then. Where had her passion for performing gone? Had it stayed here in Shelby County with her friends and family while she'd ventured out for a future in busy Los Angeles?

"The coffee is done." Raleigh announced, breaking him away from his running mind.

Sitting back at the stool he'd occupied the minute before, Dan took a slow cautious sip or the steaming liquid. He reveled in the taste of it as it rolled over his tongue. Two sugars, just the way he liked it. She knew him well.

"Well, I'd say it's better than people let on."

Raleigh only turned around and shut off the machine before taking the pot and dumping it into the sink. When she returned, she stood in front of him with her arms crossed. She'd played along long enough.

"I know you didn't come all the way to Millington for a stupid cup of coffee." She watched as Dan's eye lashes swept over his cheeks as he looked down with a sigh. When he brought his gaze back up to meet hers, the only thing she saw written in his eyes was sincerity.

"I wanted to see you."

"Why?"

His mouth fell open, gaping unattractively at her as if she'd lost her mind. "Are you seriously asking me that question right now?"

"No, why now? It's been a month, Dan. You have had an entire month to come after me. Why now?" She hated the whine that inevitably came out with her forced words, but it couldn't be helped. She was a girl on the edge.

"I came now because, like a typical asshole, it took me this long to realize that I should have gone after you. A part of me was still believing that you didn't mean what you said. That you were coming back to LA for the second semester. That you were coming back to me. But you never did."

Shaking her head, Raleigh tried to steady her voice. "I told you, Dan. I had to get away. I had to find myself again."

"And have you?"

He watched as she bit her bottom lip and diverted her eyes away from him. She didn't know.

Raleigh grabbed her rag again and made quick work of walking back out onto the floor and to the remaining tables that needed to be wiped down. "You should go home, Dan. There was no reason for you to come all the way here."

"Don't do that." Dan was at her side with remarkable speed. "Don't you dare do that! You've pushed me away and asked me to let you go once already, Don't ask me to do it again." Raleigh threw down her rag and turned on him.

"What do you want from me, Dan?"

"I want you to be honest with me! I want you to tell me that you left me because you don't love me."

Diverting her eyes, Raleigh tried to control herself. She didn't want to cry anymore. She didn't want to feel so confused all the time.

Dan grabbed her hands and coaxed her to look at him again.

"Ray, please...I need to know. If you don't love me I'll go back to LA and you'll never have to see me again."

"It's not that simple."

"Yes it is! But you won't let it be." Dan kicked at the leg of the nearest table in frustration. Why did she always do that? Why was it always easier for her to run and hide than to confront the truth?

After taking a minute to regain some semblance of control over himself, and running even more tracks through his unruly hair, Dan turned back to face Raleigh again.

She took notice for the first time since he'd arrived just how haggard and run down he looked. He looked as though he hadn't slept well in weeks, nor had he shaved in the past few days. Dark circles took stance beneath each eye that had seemed to lose their luster. His normally well put together appearance seemed to have just left him around the same time she had.

Raleigh could hardly stand the crushing guilt she felt upon coming to the realization.

Did she love him?

She knew whatever it was that she'd begun feeling for Dan was much different than what she'd felt for Josh all these years, but was it love? Was it only a mere fling she'd wanted and pursued with him, carrying out her lustful fantasies? No, she couldn't believe that to be true. What she felt for this man was so much stronger than a mere infatuation. Maybe what she had told Josh when she'd first gotten home was the truth after all.

She was completely, madly in love with Daniel Cooper. But unfortunately, it wasn't as simple as that, as so many things aren't.

Pulling her from her conflicting thoughts, Dan took Raleigh's hands back into his larger ones.

"Ray," His voice carried a softness it hadn't held just moments earlier. "Just tell me, what is it that you want?"

Unable to meet his eyes, Raleigh looked to the floor, gently shaking her head. After taking a few moments to try and sort through her severely jumbled mind, she gave him her barely audible response.

"I don't know." turning away from him, Raleigh went back behind the counter, her back staring intently at him. "Go home, Dan. You shouldn't have come here."

Running his hands over his tired face, Dan admitted defeat. "Maybe you're right. Maybe this was just a waste of my time and effort."

Turning back around, Raleigh finally locked her eyes onto him just in time to see him close the café door behind himself as he walked away.

Was that it? Was that the last time she would ever see him? She didn't want it to be, she suddenly realized. Everything that she'd been afraid to tell him washed over her like a tidal wave and she was caught without a life preserver.

It took the slamming of the door for her to wake up and realize she didn't want to lose him.

Regaining full control of her body, Raleigh jumped over the counter and ran out of her family's business. Bursting out into the parking lot, she didn't stop until she saw Dan about to set foot into his car.

"Why?" Hearing Raleigh call out to him, Dan turned around and looked at her with questioning eyes.

"What?"

"I want to know why you love me."

Allowing a small smile to curl his lips upward, Dan slowly began walking towards her. "I love you because you're you. I love how incredibly talented you are and how passionate you are for music. I love how when I look into those amazing purple eyes of yours I can see everything you're thinking. But most of all..." Reaching up, Dan brushed her bangs away from her eyes and allowed his hand to linger at her moist cheek. "I love you for the person you allow yourself to be when you're with me."

Letting out the breath she hadn't known she'd been holding, Raleigh closed her eyes and leaned up, meeting his lips with her own.

The kiss they shared wasn't fast, hot or rushed. But slow, meaningful, and passionate. Raleigh knew it said everything she needed to say, but still, she had to get out the words. So she pulled away and rested her forehead on his shoulder. As she felt his arms come around her, she finally allowed the truth to pour from her lips. She was tired of running from it. From him, just because she was afraid to love someone other than Josh.

"I love you, too."

Hearing those four soft words was like heaven to Dan's ears. He'd been waiting to hear her say it for over a month and he couldn't imagine anything sweeter. As he tightened his arms around her waist, he turned his face into Raleigh's neck, finally allowing his emotions to wash over him.

She was his and he'd never let her go again.

"Miss Coons?" Feeling someone nudge her on the shoulder, Raleigh began to stir from her peaceful sleep. How long had she been out?

Opening her eyes, Raleigh looked up into the young face of the flight attendant.

"I'm sorry to wake you, Ma'am, but we've landed."

"Thank you." Raleigh managed a smile and peered out her window. Indeed they had landed and she never felt happier to be home. Her tour was finally over and she could spend some time with the man who had been the object of her dream. As she departed the plane and walked out into the lobby of LAX, Raleigh looked around the crowd for the one person she couldn't wait to see. He hadn't been able to be with her during her final three weeks touring the US and all she wanted was to go home and lay in bed, relaxing in the arms of the man she loved more than anything in the world.

Suddenly she saw an arm shoot out from behind one very tall man in a business suit and sunglasses, though what he needed them for in an airport at night she had no idea, and slowly he came into view. Biting her lip to keep from smiling too big, Raleigh ran into his waiting arms, planting a sloppy kiss on his lips.

"Welcome home." He muttered, holding his fiancé as though he'd never let go.

"It is now."

"Raleigh, please, don't be difficult." Jeremy Stewart raked his hands through his unruly blonde hair for what seemed like the millionth time since Raleigh had been in his presence.

"I'm not being difficult, Jerry. I simply know what I do and do not want to do right now. And another concert just one week after my long, grueling, three-month tour ended is definitely something I do NOT want to do." Raleigh turned to walk out of the office, but Jerry was out of his seat and in front of her in an instant.

"Raleigh, it's not a concert, its an appearance!" He tried to reason with her. "You only need to perform like, one song, say a few encouraging words to the problematic teens of America, and then you're off for the entire summer to do what please!" With the way he held his hands together as if praying, and the way his large blue eyes seemed to become even wider as he pleaded for her to do this "one last favor" for him, Raleigh felt herself slowly slipping. She was going to give in and she knew it. She always did.

Rolling her eyes, she let out an over-exaggerated sigh. "Fine. But you are the one talking to the band, Jerry!" She nearly fell back onto the hardwood floor when he surprised her with an attack hug.

"Thank you so much, Raleigh! I'll make it up to you, I promise!"

"You better." Raleigh pulled her hands away from his grasp and quickly left her manager's office and headed out to the parking lot. She wanted to relax and enjoy what was left of her afternoon.

As Raleigh drove home she blared the radio and tried to calm down. Why was he always doing this to her? He knew how she felt when she ended a tour. All she wanted was some time off for herself and he couldn't give her that even once? Why couldn't she say no to him? She knew she had the option, but she also knew she'd never want to cancel on her fans once a show was booked. Although this wasn't her typical show, she still knew that she could touch someone else's life with just a few short, encouraging words. So she'd do it. But she'd make sure that Jerry knew fully well this was not for him.

She'd been with his record label for four years now and for some reason she still felt like she owed something to him for taking his chances with her. Jerry had just been getting his company off the ground when Daniel told him about Raleigh. She decided she'd give him a chance as well and he never stopped telling her she was the best investment he'd ever made. But lately it felt as though he was beginning to take her for granted. Maybe she should find a new manager?

No, she knew she never would. Jerry was a friend and no matter what, she knew he'd always have her best interests at heart.

After stopping the engine, Raleigh grabbed her purse and stepped out of the car and into the warm spring air. She allowed the sun to spread its warmth on her face for a moment before she turned to head into the house.

"I'm home." Raleigh called out, slipping out of her flip-flops and setting her purse on the table beside the door. She suddenly had a comical vision of herself in a 1960's television show where the husband always announced when he was home from work. Turning her attention to the very, unusually quiet house, Raleigh called out again. "Dan? Are you home?" When silence answered her she moved towards the kitchen to see if he was in there. As soon as she came to the doorway, she heard a splash followed immediately by a loud giggle. A smile graced her features and she headed out the back door into the large backyard.

Coming to the pool's edge, Raleigh stopped and watched in adoration as her fiancé picked up the small boy and threw him in the water once again. Coming back up to the surface, the boy smiled and laughed as he swam his way back to Dan.

"You're getting good, Matty." The boy's brown eyes snapped over to where Raleigh stood and his entire face lit up.

"Auntie Ray!" Matthew swam to the pool's ladder and climbed out, running full force at her. Not minding at all that he was soaking wet, Raleigh held out her arms and scooped him up, hugging him to her chest. "I missed you."

"Oh, I've missed you too. How was school?"

"Good. I'm happy it's over."

"I'm sure you are." Raleigh placed a kiss on Matthew's forehead, returning the squeeze he gave her.

"You know I've missed you too. Where's my hug?" Dan pouted his lips out at her, standing off to her right side.

"You see me more than he does." Raleigh smiled and set Matthew down before turning into Dan's embrace, kissing him lightly on the lips. "Hello, my love."

"Hello." Dan gave her one more quick peck before moving away. "So what did Jerry want?"

"To give me more premature gray hairs. Did you two eat lunch yet?" Raleigh moved to grab Dan's towel to spot-dry herself off.

"Nope."

"Hey, Matty! What do you want for lunch?" Raleigh asked the boy who was now playing on the swing set Dan had built for him.

"Hot dogs and macaroni and cheese and pickles and chips and pop."

"That's a big lunch for a small boy. You gonna eat all that?" Matthew nodded his head fiercely so Raleigh just laughed and turned to go back into the house and get his food of choice.

"I'll be right back, don't go near the pool, ok, Matt?"

"Ok, Uncle Dan." Dan followed Raleigh into the kitchen and helped her with the food and plates.

"So what did Jerry really want?" The way Raleigh sighed and rubbed her forehead with her fingers, Dan knew whatever it was had annoyed her thoroughly.

"Some people holding a concert got a hold of him and asked if I would be interested in making an appearance and he of course told them I would just love to."

"And let me guess, you of course told him you would do it?" Looking at Dan's smirk, Raleigh couldn't decide what she wanted to do more, smack him or grab him and kiss him.

"He did that stupid pout of his." Raleigh defended herself, crossing her arms.

"You need to learn to say no to the pout." Dan laughed, avoiding the punch Raleigh tried to send his way. "When is this concert?"

"Tomorrow night." Stopping in a halfway turn to the cupboards, Dan looked at Raleigh as though she had two heads.

"Tomorrow is Friday."

"Your wit astounds me, my love. Today is Thursday which means, yes, tomorrow is in fact Friday." Raleigh couldn't help the laugh that escaped her lips as she put a pot of water on the stove to boil.

"Which means you're going to be gone all day tomorrow when we have tons of packing left to do for our trip that we leave for at six AM Saturday morning." Dan informed her, then couldn't help but to add, "You know, the day after Friday."

"Relax, honey. I won't be gone all day tomorrow and we still have all tonight to pack. Besides, I think you're exaggerating on the "tons of packing left to do" thing."

"Says the girl who waits until the last second to do everything and always packs way more than she needs." Dan moved to stand directly in front of Raleigh and leaned his hands on the counter top on both sides of her. "I bet you anything you're freaking out by noon tomorrow that you're not ready." Leaning slightly forward, Raleigh pressed her hands on his chest and looked up into his seriously teasing green eyes.

"Anything?"

"Anything."

"That's one bet I just might have to take you up on." Standing on her tippy-toes, Raleigh held her mouth so close to Dan's, she could feel his breath on her lips. "And when I win, I will be sitting there with all of my friends, watching you make a fool of yourself performing "I Will Survive" at the stag." Lowering back down so the bottoms of her feet were planted firmly on the floor, Raleigh grabbed Dan's arm and moved it so she could escape the close contact. Grabbing the plate with their frozen hot dogs on it, she turned back towards him and held it up.

"And when I win, I get that private strip-o-gram I've been waiting for." Dan smiled at her as he took the plate of hot dogs out of her hands and headed outside.

Shaking her head, Raleigh moved to grab a bag of salt-and-vinegar potato chips from the cupboard. When she turned back to set the bag on the counter beside the stove, she couldn't help but to glance out the window in front of her. She couldn't help the smile that passed along her face as she watched Dan play with the small boy. Her heart warmed at the sight and she knew, without a doubt, that Dan would make an amazing father one day.

Slowly, Raleigh's smile began to fade away as the disappointment weighed in on her once again. Nearly a year had passed and it still hurt just as badly as when they'd first found out. She could remember the day so clearly. It had been just after Dan had proposed to her. She hadn't thought anything of it at first, but as the third week came around, and still no period, Raleigh began thinking that maybe she was pregnant. Immediately she'd told Dan and was completely surprised with how he'd reacted. She'd been so scared telling him, afraid that he would push her away or say there was no way it was his. But now, looking back on it, she realized how incredibly ridiculous she'd been. He was with her the entire time, trying to hide his hope as best as he could as, together, they waited for the results of the test he'd gone out himself to buy.

Raleigh stood still as the worries she'd felt washed over her once again. Could she really have children after aborting her and Josh's baby? Was she ready to have a child? She had been at the top of her career, still was. What if she miscarried? She didn't know if she would be able to lose another baby. She remembered clearly that the thoughts had completely enveloped her, keeping her trapped in her mind until Dan had placed his hand on her shoulder to let her know the three long minutes had passed.

Raleigh had stood up and picked up the test off the sink. She'd taken a deep breath then looked down at the digital reader looking up at her. As soon as her mind could process what the single word staring at her meant, all doubts and fears she'd had fled and all she was left with was pure joy. Her lips had pulled back in a euphoric grin as she jumped into Dan's arms, letting him know it was positive. Immediately she'd called her OB-GYN to make an appointment to confirm the exciting news.

As the days passed until her appointment, Dan hardly let her do anything on her own. He treated her like a queen, pampering her, doing every little thing he possibly could to make sure she was comfortable and relaxed. Needless to say it annoyed the freakin' hell out of her. But still, she couldn't have been happier. Neither of them could have been.

Unfortunately, their hopes and happiness had been crushed when Dr. Fuller told them that she wasn't pregnant. That she must have gotten a bad test - it wasn't all that uncommon after all. She'd asked him why she was so late then and he simply told her the truth. She was a very active young woman with a demanding career. He suggested she take a few days to just relax and if she didn't start bleeding within the week then he'd run some blood tests. She of course told him that if she relaxed any more she might explode, but regardless they'd thanked him and left the office, neither not knowing what they could possibly say to the other. Dan tried to comfort her the best that he possibly could, but Raleigh just wanted to be alone. She knew that he was hurting just as badly about finding out that a baby was not in their near future, but she'd needed to deal with some things on her own. Maybe she had done more damage to her body than she'd realized.

As the days passed and she slowly came out of her mild depression, Dan suggested that they could try to get pregnant, but Raleigh just shook her head. She decided it would be better to wait until after the wedding. He supported her decision and that was that.

Now, they were a mere five months away from the pending nuptuals and Raleigh realized that she couldn't wait to have that baby.

Refocusing on her task at hand, Raleigh realized the water was now boiling so she turned down the heat and poured in the noodles. When the macaroni and cheese was finally done, she took that, as well as the bag of chips, a few paper plates and plastic forks, and headed slowly out to the patio table.

As they ate their lunch, Dan and Raleigh listened and responded enthusiastically as Matthew spoke animatedly about his weekend with his father.

"And then on Sunday we went to the zoo and then we went to get ice cream. Daddy bought me chocolate AND ‘nilla cause he knows they my favorites."

"Wow. I wish I had someone who bought me both."

"I woulda shared with you Auntie Ray, but you weren't there."

"Well thank you anyway, Matty." Raleigh mussed up his hair and laughed as he tried to fix it. "So where is Mommy today?"

"She went to see Gramma. Said it was grown-up time so I couldn't go. But you wanna know a secret?" He didn't give either of them a chance to respond. "I'd rather be here anyways. Gramma and Grampa are mean."

Dan and Raleigh could only share a knowing look between one another. They'd invited Mr. and Mrs. Anderson over for dinner once and it had been the most horrendous experience of their lives. The Andersons were the most rude and wretched people they could have ever hoped to meet.

After they'd finished lunch, they all decided to go for a walk and ended up at a nearby park, allowing Matthew to run wild through the jungle gym and down the slides with other kids his age. Eventually they'd made it back to the house and together, the three of them settled down to watch Spongebob Squarepants on Nickelodeon. Raleigh was personally impressed with how well Matthew battled his exhaustion. When five o'clock rolled around, Dan ordered a pizza for all of them before returning to Matthew's side on the couch.

When the pizza arrived a half hour later, so had Matthew's mother. Dan waited at the door for her before taking the pizza inside to be eaten.

"Hey stranger."

"Hey Dan. I'm sorry. If I had known I'd be gone so long I would have taken him with me."

"Autumn," Dan interrupted her apology. "It's fine. But I'm glad you're back. A man can only take so much Spongebob."

Autumn smiled as a blush creeped over her face. "Yeah, he's been enjoying that a little too much since he came back from his father's. Sorry, I forgot to warn you."

Dan just let out a laugh as he moved to the living room, Autumn following behind. "Look who I found." Matthew looked up over the couch's back and immediately jumped off, running around to hug his mother.

"Mommy!"

"Hey there little guy! How was your day?"

"Great! Me and Uncle Dan went swimming and then Auntie Ray came home and we ate lunch and then we all went for a walk and then we came back and watched Spongebob Squarepants, now pizza is here and so are you!" came his rushed, excited reply.

"Wow. Sounds like you had a really busy day. Are you tired?"

"Nope!" Matthew shook his head fiercely, denying his exhaustion.

"Oh? Who was it about to fall asleep on the couch a minute ago?" Raleigh crossed her arms, smiling at the small boy in his mother's arms.

"Auntie Ray!" He whined at her. "You weren't supposed to tell." He stuck out his bottom lip at her and Raleigh busted out laughing.

"I'm sorry, Matty. Can you ever forgive me?"

"I guess so."

"Thank you." Raleigh mussed up his hair and they all laughed as he tried to fix it, grunting at Raleigh.

"Hey Matty, wanna come help me set up in the kitchen?"

"Yeah!" Matthew leapt out of Autumn's arms and ran after Dan in excitement.

Turning towards Raleigh, Autumn immediately wrapped her arms around her neck. "I am so glad you're back. How was the rest of the tour?"

"It was good. Not nearly as good as being home though." Pulling away from the embrace, Raleigh looked into Autumn's overly emotional eyes.

"What did your mother want?" Autumn's immediate reply was to snort and roll her eyes as she turned to walk towards the table that sat in front of her.

"To piss me off. Is there ever another reason behind her wanting to see me? She had to get her fix for the month." Raleigh watched as Autumn chewed on her bottom lip, something she only did when she was insanely agitated.

"What did she say to you." Raleigh demanded, not liking how upset Autumn truly was.

"Well," She sighed before continuing. "It started off nice enough. I asked how the cat is, she asked about my job. She wanted to know if I was successful. As we ate lunch she asked how Matthew has been doing and if I was ever going to let her see him again. From there the fake pleasantries stopped." Raleigh remained quiet as she waited for Autumn to continue, debating whether or not she should remove the glass object from her hand before she broke it in her vice grip. "The old bastard's dying and she told me not to expect anything from her. Can you believe that?" Raleigh's eyes widened as Autumn snarled the words her mother had said to her. She looked as if she were about to throw the glass rabbit Dan had bought for her two years ago at the window so Raleigh stepped up and removed it from her trembling hands. Setting a hand on Autumn's shoulder, Raleigh turned her to look at her.

"Please tell me you told her to go to hell."

"I said, ‘I haven't expected anything from either of you since I was twelve, why should I start now?' and I stormed out, making sure to pay my portion of the bill first."

"I'm proud of you. You've always backed down to her."

"Thanks Ray. It felt really good."

"I bet." Raleigh gave her a big smile before putting her arm through Autumn's. "Come on, let's go eat some pizza.

After devouring the large pizza, Dan and Raleigh said goodbye to Autumn and Matthew. It was seven-thirty before they finished cleaning up the kitchen and were able to go upstairs and pack for their week-long trip to Tennessee. All the while, Dan's eyes were firmly planted on his fiancé as she moved about, searching for any sign of the freak-out he'd learned to expect from her.

Much to his horror, it never came. She was completely calm as she spoke to him, pulling random shoes and pieces of clothing from her closet. He noticed how she slowly and carefully folded each article of clothing perfectly before setting it into her suitcase, never once glancing in his direction.

When they'd settled into bed for the night, he knew she wasn't done packing, but he was amazed that she didn't even mention it. It drove him absolutely nuts.

The next morning, when it was quarter to the deadline, Dan sat on the bed, watching as she searched through her jewelry box for the necklace she said "completed" her maid of honor look. But still, she was not flipping out like she normally did. Finally, he couldn't stand it any longer. He had to say something.

"I know what you're doing, you know."

"Really? And I was trying so hard to hide the fact that I'm looking for my grandmother's necklace." She threw a smile his way and he scooted to the edge of the bed.

"No, I meant I know that you're waiting until after noon to freak out so I'd be stuck making a fool of myself in front of the entire wedding party. That's cheating."

"Actually, I do think that I'll be ready by the time we have to leave for the airport tomorrow, but I'll have to remember that for the next bet." Again she smiled and immediately after, she let out a delighted squeal when she finally found the familiar white gold chain.

After fishing out one last sun dress and putting it into her suitcase, Raleigh straightened her back and put her hands on her hips before blowing her bangs out of her eyes. "Okay, I'm done." Dan's eyes shifted to the clock on the nightstand and he fell back onto his back, groaning in dismay. She finished packing - without freaking even a little - and she had four minutes to spare. Why did she have to choose now to prove him wrong?

Dan suddenly felt the mattress shift beneath him so he peeked through one eye to see just what Raleigh thought she was doing.

"Go away, cheater."

"Oh, now don't be like that, baby." Raleigh smiled at him coyly as she hovered over his body on the bed. "After all, I'm sure you'll survive."

Grabbing Raleigh arms so she couldn't move, Dan flipped them over so he was pinning her to the mattress.

"You think you're just so funny don't you?"

"I think I'm adorable." She tilted her face up in a smug smile. Dan narrowed his eyes at her before letting out a grunt of annoyance. "Oh come on! If I lost you'd be gloating too." He pretended to sulk as he rolled over on his back and Raleigh took the opportunity to take stance over him again. As she straddled his pelvis, she leaned forward so her chest rested on top of her forearms which sat atop his chest. "You know it's true." When he remained silent she moved forward and placed her lips over his, very slightly rocking her hips back and forth. She knew he could take the contact only so much before giving into temptation. He wrapped his arms around her and deepened the kiss. As soon as she felt his fingers sliding up underneath her tank top, Raleigh pulled away and jumped off the bed.

"I have to get ready to go."

Laying there for a moment, Dan tried to get his mind to wrap around the fact that just two seconds ago he'd been in the throws of one insanely hot make-out session, and now he was alone on the bed with a very big problem between his legs. Running his hands over his face, he growled at Raleigh as she seemed to bounce into the bathroom. "You are the cruelest person alive, I swear it!"

He knew the only real payback would be to join her in the shower, but he also knew she had to get going.

Fucking Jerry. Next time he saw him, he was going to kill him.

Finally he heard her heels clicking against the tile of the foyer. "I'm coming, you can untwist your panties now."

"You're the one who threatened my manhood if I made us late but you're allowed to? That's so not fair."

"Thus is the world of women." She gave him a smile as she lightly tapped his cheek with her hand as she walked by him and out into the sunny Los
Angeles weather.

Letting out a light chuckle, Dan could only shake his head as he closed the door behind him and locked it. When they finally arrived at the airport,
they tried to rush to get their boarding passes but then realized there really was no reason. The line for security was ridiculously long. As they
stood there, debating on whether or not to use Raleigh's guard services to their full advantage, he took the liberty of deciding for them. Crowded
places made him nervous.

"Follow me please, Miss Coons, Mr. Cooper." Michael said curtly before weaving them back out of the line and around to a private entrance. Raleigh watched as he flashed something to the security guards and they quickly let them through.

She hated using her status for personal gain, but she had been the one to make them late so she had to be the one to make sure they got on their
flight.

But really, how many people needed their flight at six a.m.? On a Saturday no less.

Mechanically, Raleigh and Dan slipped off their shoes and any jewelry and metal that adorned them before stepping through the detector. Raleigh had taken our her navel and tongue rings a couple years prior, so she didn't have to worry about forgetting those anymore. It was bad enough with
earrings, let alone other body piercings.

Finally they boarded their first class non-stop flight to Nashville, Tennessee, and it wasn't until after they'd taken off that Raleigh fully began feeling the sadness and excitement as it weighed down on her. She was so excited that two of her best friends in the entire world were finally getting married, but she also couldn't help but to feel sad at the thought of how much they'd all grown up. They weren't kids anymore that snuck away
from home to have parties at the field or to go swimming at the hole.

She was sure that no matter how much time passes, they would all remain the best of friends that would do anything for one another, but they were
adults now, with responsibilities. Soon they would all be parents and they couldn't stay out late, just hanging out. But as sad as she was, she knew
that once she retired from her career - she wasn't going to be singing and doing huge tours forever, she wasn't even sure if she wanted to keep going after she and Dan were married - she and Dan would settle down in little Shelby Forest with any kids they might have by then and they would grow up with their friends' children and learn the strong bond their parents shared. Nothing would come between them.

Unless of course two of them decided they were destined to be together and the son of one of their friends got the daughter of another pregnant then decided to dump the poor girl and move far, far way. But now wasn't the time to think of such things.

"Hey, you all right?" Dan's soft voice broke through Raleigh's mental rant and she turned her head to look into his beautiful emerald eyes.

"I'm fine." She gave him a warm smile as he took her hand in his. "I just can't help but to think of how the first wedding of our small-knit group of
friends kind of feels like an ending."

"I know what you mean. But just remember, an ending is really only the beginning of something much greater." A large smile broke out onto his face and he tried to hold back a laugh. "That was good, I'm going to have to write that one down."

"You are just dripping with cheese." But ironically she felt herself laugh along with him.

"Hey, you know you like my cheese."

"Maybe I do like it. Much more than I should." She winked at him and leaned in close so only he could hear what she had to say. "And maybe I want some of that right here, right now." When she pressed a hot kiss at the hollow of his neck, she smiled as she heard, and felt, him groan.

"You really are the cruelest person alive, Raleigh Jean."

Sitting back in her seat, she feigned innocence. "I don't know what you mean."

"I bet."

"Do you really want to go there?" Raleigh raised an eyebrow at him in question and he immediately began shaking his head.

"Hell, no. You're brother is never going to let me live this one down as it is." She could only laugh as she turned back to look out the window,
watching as the clouds passed them by.

Four and a half hours later, the pilot turned on the "fasten seatbelt" sign and announced in a few short minutes they would be landing at Nashville
International Airport. When it finally came into view from her window, Raleigh could hardly stand the excitement she felt at finally being home
again.

When they were finally able to leave the plane, Raleigh had to fight the urge to run and find her friends that were picking them up. As they came
closer to terminal, the urge became stronger. Finally it came into view and an enormous smile plastered itself on her face when she spotted Carly,
Justin, and Bobbie standing directly in front of her, searching for her and Dan. Without another thought, she bolted towards them and right into the arms of Carly.

Dan laughed as he watched her nearly squeeze the life out of her friends and brother. When he got to her side he gave Bobbie and Justin a man hug
before giving Carly a real hug. He stood back and spoke with Justin and Bobbie as Carly and Raleigh spoke in high-pitched excited terms none of
them could understand. It was a girl language only they understood.

Eventually Raleigh calmed down long enough to turn to them and say, "Let's go get our bags."

When she turned to walk away, still holding onto Carly's hand, Carly hesitated and glanced at Justin before stopping Raleigh.

"Uh, actually we have one more person to pick up. His flight lands in about ten minutes."

"Oh? Someone coming in for the wedding?" Raleigh had a feeling she knew exactly who that person was and tried not to let it bother her. She'd seen and spoken to him only when absolutely necessary for some detail or other about the wedding party they were throwing for the bride and groom and that was all. She would have rather have been able to wait to see him until said party, but she had to be civil and courteous. Their best friends' wedding was not a time for them to fight.

"The best man." Carly shrugged, trying to soften the blow with her soft voice before quickly adding, "His flight arrived nearly the same time as yours so we figured it would be better to just pick ya'll up at once."

"Of course." Raleigh waved away the ridiculousness of having someone else pick Josh up separately just because of their history, but she had to swallow back nearly hysterical laughter.

It's been five years. When would she get over the distaste of having to see him at big functions like this?

Bobbie suggested they sit at Starbucks and they all got some much needed coffee while they waited. Knowing that caffeine would only worsen her anxiety, Raleigh ordered a decaf latte.

"So, Bobbie, how is Kat?"

"I wouldn't know. I dumped the skank's ass a month ago when she slept with Adam."

Raleigh felt her jaw drop and eyes widen at the news. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"You've been busy." He shrugged before taking a careful sip of his still hot coffee.

"Bobbie, you know I'm never too busy for you."

"It doesn't matter. It's over and done with." Raleigh wanted to say, ‘yes it does matter' but knew there was no point in starting a fight. She had been busy and felt incredibly guilty for having neglected her twin at a time when he might have needed her most.

Shaking it off, Raleigh and Carly lost themselves in another onslaught of Carly-Ray only topics as Justin, Bobbie, and Dan spoke business, sports, and cars. Typical guy stuff.

Before they knew it, the flight from New York was being announced as landed and Raleigh swallowed back her anxiety once again as she stood to wait with the rest of the group. She felt Dan take her hand and give it a squeeze and she looked up into his beautiful smile. He was probably the most understanding man she'd ever known. If she ever lost him - again - she didn't know what she'd do. Probably nothing anywhere near as extreme as the last time - nearly killing herself with sex, drugs and alcohol - but she knew she'd still be an insane mess.

Hearing Carly's excited squeal, Raleigh tore herself away from her thoughts and looked up just in time to see her hugging Josh, and only one thought passed through her mind.

Oh-my-god!

The boy looked so good Raleigh could hardly stand it. Last time she'd seen him - was it on TV or in person? - his hair had grown out a bit, but now it was cut and spiked the way she'd always liked it when they'd been dating. His face was clean shaven and his dark jeans and black button-down shirt ensemble made his blue eyes look as though they were shining. When he got closer and hugged his best friend hello, she got a whiff of his cologne and discreetly took in a larger breath of the intoxicating smell. He looked amazing and smelled even better.

What the hell is wrong with you?

Raleigh composed herself so when Josh finally looked at her and gave her that crooked smile he always did, the fact that her heart did a slight flip-flop inside her chest didn't show.

"Hello Raleigh." His voice, smooth as velvet, went straight through her and she suppressed a shiver.

"Hey Josh." She couldn't help it. She returned his smile and stepped forward to hug him. It was very brief, her fiancé was standing at her side
after all. When he turned to Dan, his smile never faltered as he greeted him warmly and shook his hand firmly. When did the scrawny boy she used to know and love grow up into such a...man?

After getting all their luggage off the conveyer belts, the group of six crammed into Justin's SUV and headed into town. They first dropped off Josh at his parents' house before heading to the Coons' where Raleigh and Dan were staying for the week and a half they'd be in town.

Justin and Carly got out of the car and said goodbye to them.

"What time do we have to go?" Raleigh asked Carly, setting her suitcase down on the ground.

"We'll be back here at two. The boys have to go pick up their tuxes at two-thirty and our appointment isn't until three. That should give you guys enough time to get settled and what-not."

"Oh, yeah." Hugging Carly once more and giving Justin a kiss on the cheek, Raleigh and Dan thanked them for picking them up from the airport before picking up their bags and turning to head into the house. As soon as they entered the front door the family swarmed she and Dan, offering tight hugs and words of welcome home. Raleigh hadn't been expecting her two older brothers to be there but she was happy that they were. And Alan had even brought his girlfriend and two kids. Raleigh had missed them so much she'd spared extra long hugs and kisses for them.

"We have presents for you two!" Raleigh said excitedly as she set down her carry-on and dug through it.

"Ray, you spoil them rotten." Alan had said it seriously but his smile said he didn't really care.

"They deserve it." Dan pitched in, watching as Morgan and Lucas tore into their neatly wrapped presents. When Morgan had hers open she let out a delighted squeal.

"Thank you so much! It's just like yours, Auntie Ray!" Morgan lunged herself at Raleigh and she picked her up.

"I know. It was your Uncle Dan's idea. He thought you were old enough for a bracelet with a real meaning." Letting go of Raleigh, Morgan jumped into her Uncle Dan's arms. Everyone could tell he was her hero at that moment.

"Thank you so much, Uncle Dan. I love it."

"I'm glad. You take good care of that, Morgan."

"Oh I will. I'll guard it with my life."

"Okay." Dan laughed and gave her one more squeeze before setting her down and helping her clasp the chain on her tiny wrist. It was a simple white-gold chain that dawned a single music note charm that held a diamond at each end.

Lucas had had more trouble opening his present but when he finally saw what it was, his reaction was not the same. He'd been really into trains lately so they'd gotten him a certificate to buy one of the largest train sets he's ever seen. Once they explained to him what it exactly was, he was ecstatic. Dan promised him he'd take him to get the train set of his choice sometime during the week.

Finally the chaos ebbed and Raleigh's mother, Deborah, told her that her bedroom was all set for them. "It's just as you left it."

Biting her lip, Raleigh curled her nose up a bit. "Not exactly how I left it though, right?" Deb let out a laugh and shook her head.

"Oh no, it's clean. Just everything else is how you left it."

"Okay, good." She sighed in relief that her mother had picked up the dirty clothes and dusted and changed the sheets so the first time Dan saw her bedroom, it wouldn't be in complete disarray.

Sure, they'd been together for five years now, and yes, they'd gone to Shelby on occasion for holidays, but Deb had always had one very strict rule. Dan was not allowed in Raleigh's room with her, so they'd always gotten a hotel room at the only motel in town. She never approved of this but didn't say a word. If she wanted to continue to be a bitch to her about something so trivial, then she'd be one right back. Dan and Keith, Raleigh's father, just always stood back and watched as they fought. Sometimes they'd make an excuse to leave.

But, finally, Deb came around and realized, if she wanted her daughter to stay with them while she was home, then she'd have to adjust to the fact that she was engaged to an older man and they did in fact have intercourse. Hell, she'd known they were sleeping together back when he was teaching and she was merely a student of his. Why did she suddenly mind so much now?

Telling her parents that they were going to go up and get settled in, Raleigh headed up the stairs but completely froze when she came to her white bedroom door. Good lord she'd completely forgotten.

This was going to be mortifying.

"Why don't you go downstairs and relax with everyone while I unpack?" She gave him a big smile that he saw right through.

"What don't you want me to see?"

"Nothing, nothing. I just thought it might be nice if you spent some time with my family alone, that's all." She rushed out, trying not to play with her earring. She'd finally broken the nervous habit after so many interviews, she'd be damned if she started again.

"Ray, I have all week to spend time with your family. Let's go unpack." He pushed around her and flung open the door. What he saw was most definitely the last thing he'd have ever expected. Dark walls, angry chick band posters, maybe even torn up pictures of Josh - these he'd been expecting. But when his eyes landed on the floral pink wallpaper, light pink and green bedding, and white furniture, he'd been shocked into not moving. His eyes wandered over all the trophies that adorned her wall over her desk and curiosity got the best of him. He dropped his bags by the dresser and went to stand in front of the shelves, his eyes widening as he read the words on each.

"Oh my God...you were a cheerleader?" Dan couldn't help but to laugh at Raleigh's mortified face as she turned ten different shades of red.

"Yes, I was. For six years. Carly was too, if you can believe it."

"I don't." Dan continued to go along her shelves, reading what everything was for. "Cheerleading, dance, talent shows...how many times were you homecoming queen?" His eyes nearly bulged out of his skull when he came to the tiaras and ribbons.

"Dan, there's only four homecoming dances, so how many do you think given the amount of tacky tiaras that sit there?" Raleigh tried to hide her embarrassment as she busied herself with unpacking their bags and finding room in her dresser and closet. Why hadn't her mom thrown away all her old clothes?

"Ok, so you won Homecoming Queen all four years, no prom queen?" He said it teasingly, but Raleigh felt the hurt rise up in her again.

"I didn't go to my prom." She muttered, clearing out a drawer in her dresser.

"Why not?" The way Dan looked at her, with his eyebrows pulled together in a frown, told Raleigh he honestly didn't understand why she wouldn't go to her own prom. She decided to tell him the truth rather than make up an excuse.

"Because the love of my life had broken my heart three months prior and then Grams died, so I didn't feel like I deserved to go out and have a good time. I wanted to be miserable so Carly came over and we pigged out on ice cream and popcorn and watched corny movies all night." She gave him a smile before turning back to the clothes in front of her.

"I'm sorry, Ray. I should have known." Dan shook his head and turned to the giant message board that sat on the wall next to the mirror of her dresser. "You five were inseparable, huh?" He asked as he looked over all the pictures of Raleigh, Bobbie, Justin, Josh, and Carly. The pictures started at what looked like the age of five and going up to graduation, minus one of the group.

Raleigh leaned into Dan's side and smiled at the years of unforgettable memories captured forever on film. Still, sometimes, she found herself
missing being a kid, being able to just hang out and do nothing with her friends. But then she knew she wouldn't have Dan in her life, and that she wasn't willing to give up for anything in the world.

"We were the best of friends who shared some of the greatest and some of
the worst times together." Letting out a sigh, Raleigh pulled away from Dan and turned back to her bags. He gave the photographs one last once-over before doing the same.

When they'd finished unpacking, Raleigh and Dan headed back downstairs and found that their parents, Alan, Nick, and the kids had left to go to the café.

Raleigh couldn't help the disappointed look as it passed across her face. Bobbie picked up on it right away. "Ray, you didn't think they could stay away for long did you?"

With a sigh, Raleigh plopped down on the couch beside her brother and leaned her head on his shoulder, truly happy to be home with her twin
again. "I guess not. Did Janie go too?"

Bobbie shook his head, swallowing a mouthful of water. "No. She went to meet her new boyfriend in town for lunch." The way he'd said boyfriend,
Raleigh could tell just how much he truly detested Brendon.

"Bobbie, give Brendon a break. It's not easy to make a good impression on our family. You, Al, and Nick scare the crap out of the best of them." Raleigh winked at Dan and he gave her a smile.

"It is true."

"Oh come on, Dan! You're older than two of us!"

"So? You don't mess with a girl who has three overprotective brothers. We all know that." Bobbie seemed to think about it for a moment before
agreeing with them.

As they all sat in the living in comfortable silence, Raleigh resting her head on her brother's shoulder, Dan's stomach let out a ferocious growl that made them all laugh as though they were children. Raleigh stood and grabbed his hand, pulling him toward the kitchen.

"Come on, let's go tame the beast." Raleigh dug through the refrigerator calling out random foods, waiting for Dan to stop her when something
sounded good. When he didn't she turned around to give him an aggravated look, but he wasn't watching her. In fact, he wasn't paying attention at
all to what she'd been saying. He was slowly walking around the kitchen, taking everything in. The orange of the walls, the pale-yellow alder wood cabinets and cupboards, the random pictures that adorned the walls. He was taking it all in as though he'd never seen it before. "Dan? Are you all right?" When he turned to look back at her, she hadn't been expecting the smile that lit his face.

"I'm great."

Narrowing her eyes at him in wonder, she closed the door of the fridge and took a step closer to him. "What's going on?"

He shook his head slightly. "Nothing. I just love this house." Raleigh's eyes popped open wide in shock. He'd been here before, why now was he
acting this way?

"Why?" He shrugged, the smile never leaving his lips.

"I don't know. It's just everything about it. The colors, the smells..."

"Well I can tell you now, the smells are Alan after he's had one too many helpings of beans." She tried to make him laugh and it worked, just not as much as she'd hoped for.

He looked away from her and ran his hand across the top of the counter. "Maybe I'm being silly, but I can't help but to think these things when I'm here."

"What things?" All teasing left her voice as she crossed her arms across her chest, trying not to fidget.

"Nothing, forget I said anything." Going over to Dan, Raleigh touched his arm with her feather-like touch.

"Hey, tell me. Where's this coming from?" Dan met her wide lilac eyes and held her gaze for a moment before looking back down to the invisible
pattern he'd been tracing on the countertop with his index finger.

"I've just been thinking for a while now about some things, and I haven't wanted to bring them up because you're at the height of your career, of your life." Suddenly, a wave of dread washed over her and she wished she hadn't been so curious to know what was bothering him. Still she made her voice even when she told him to go on. His eyes, that seemed to somehow be a darker shade of emerald, locked with hers once again as he continued to speak. "Raleigh, I've lived in LA all of my life. And while I love it there, there's a part of me, a big part, that wants to leave it behind."

"So what are you saying?"

"I know you love LA, and I'd never make you do anything you don't fully want to do, but when we're married, before or after the wedding, I don't
care, but when we're married I'd like to get away from the city. I want to move to a small town like this, in a house like this, and raise our family. It's all I've ever wanted." Raleigh felt such immense relief at his confession she couldn't help the half-laugh, half-sob that escaped her throat as she leaned into him. She felt him slightly stiffen as he wrapped his arms around her and she knew he was taking her reaction the wrong way. "It was just an idea, we don't have to." He mumbled the words into her hair and she knew he didn't mean it. She couldn't help it as her body shook, with tears or laughter she wasn't quite sure.

Finally, when she'd composed herself enough, she looked up into his torn, beautiful face. She reached a hand up and traced the contours of his face. "Daniel Cooper, never before this moment have I been more sure that we're meant to be together." She watched as the confusion passed over his face and she let out another small laugh. "It's kind of ironic actually. On the plane here, I was thinking that I'd love the same thing. While, yes, I am in love with LA, I know that being this big famous performer is not what I'm going to be doing for the rest of my life."

"Ray, that's what you've been dreaming of and working for for most of your life."

"Yes, it is, and I love it, I truly do. But I also loved it when I was able to write whenever I wanted to and perform for the people I've known all my life at The Landing. I loved being close to my family and friends." Her eyes wandered and for the first time, Dan saw just how hard being away from them had been on her.

"So...are you saying what I think you are?" The hint of a smile he was trying to hold back lifted the corner of his mouth and Raleigh smiled brilliantly at him.

"I want to move back here, Dan."

"I am so glad you said that." The relief he felt at having her want the same thing as him was so great, Dan couldn't help but to wrap his arms
around her and crush his lips to hers. Raleigh reached her arms up and wrapped them around his neck, running her fingers through his thick curls, pulling him ever closer.

"Ahem." A fake cough interrupted their brief make-out session, and Raleigh could feel her face turning pink as she self-consciously rubbed her bottom lip with her thumb.

"Hey Bobbie."

"You guys are alone for two minutes and you're already going at it. What the hell must your house in LA look like if you're just humping like
rabbits all damn day."

"Robert!" Raleigh snapped, completely mortified at how her brother acted with Dan around, although she should be used to it by now. Dan laughed as he rubbed her back.

"I can't help the fact that your baby sister drives me insane every time she so much as walks by. And, man, don‘t even get me started on when she touches me!"

"Oh my God, ew!" Bobbie's face was absolutely repulsed. "I do not need to hear these things about my baby sister!"

Raleigh couldn't help but to burst out laughing. "Just remember who started it, Bobbie."

"That is so not right." He turned away from them, shaking his head as he opened one of the cabinets revealing his stash of junk food. He pulled out a bag of salt and vinegar chips and opened it noisily before shoving some in his mouth. Holding the bag out to Raleigh and Dan, he asked if they wanted some, with his mouth still full.

Raleigh could only shake her head. "How you pig out on that stuff and continue to be in such great shape is beyond me."

"Hey, good things come in moderation!" Bobbie said before shoving more chips into his mouth.

"Moderation my ass. You're always eating that shit. One of these days its going to catch up to you."

"You've been saying that for years and it has yet to prove itself true." Bobbie gave her his boyish grin as he patted his flat tummy before
shrugging. "Besides, Justin and I go running every morning."

"Oh, should Carly be jealous?" Raleigh winked at him before going to pull the ham out of the refrigerator. She was suddenly very hungry. "Ham or turkey, Dan?" She called over her shoulder.

"Ham. Got any mustard?" Raleigh shut the door and waved it at her fiancé.

"Dude, ham and mustard? That's freaking gross." Bobbie crinkled his nose up in disgust.

"You guys like grits. Enough said." Dan shrugged, taking sandwich duty away from Raleigh.

"What's wrong with grits?" The innocence on Bobbie's face was enough for Raleigh to bust out laughing. She remembered the first conversation well that she'd had with Dan about what he thought was wrong with liking them.

"He thinks they're gruel."

"Well, in that case, gruel is delicious." Bobbie took another handful of chips and shoved them into his mouth before rolling the bag closed and
tossing it back where he got it from. When he turned back to his sister, he eyed up the contents on the counter. "Hey Ray, how about you make your big brother that you just love so much a nice turkey sandwich?" He gave her the grin he thought was irresistible, his eyes wide with hope.

Raleigh rolled her eyes as she continued to put together her lunch. "Six minutes Bobbie." She reminded him as she always did. "And just what is wrong with your hands? They seemed to be just fine when you were shoveling chips into your mouth."

"It hurts that you don't want to take care of me, Raleigh." He feigned a wounded expression and put his hand over his heart. As he jutted out his bottom lip and made it tremble, Raleigh shook her head.

"Come on, Bobbie! That's so not fair! Dan, do something." She pleaded with him, he could only laugh in response.

"Hey, its not me who can't say no to the pout." Dan smiled at her before picking up his sandwich and taking a big bite.

"You're getting too damn good at that, Bobbie." Raleigh muttered as she grabbed the turkey out of the fridge and went to work.

"Thanks, Ray! You're a doll." Bobbie bounced over to her and ruffled her hair before turning to Dan. "I think there's a game on, wanna watch with me?"

Dan shrugged as he grabbed his plate and he followed Bobbie into the living room. Raleigh rolled her eyes and shook her head as she placed a few pieces of lettuce on her brother's turkey sandwich. When she was done putting everything away, she grabbed both plates and went to join her fiancé and brother in the living room. She stayed and endured the sport watching until she'd finished her lunch before she went upstairs, grabbed her purse and decided to go for a walk.

She didn't have a set place in mind that she wanted to go, so she kept walking, just thinking about some things. As she passed the familiar scenery through town, she couldn't help but to smile at herself as the conversation she'd just had with Dan ran through her mind once again. They were going to move back here. Raleigh knew she still had another album and tour left to put out with her contract with Jerry, but once that was up, what was she going to do? Renew it? Continue to put out albums and tour the world?

No, she knew she wouldn't. She wanted to settle down and start her family with Dan. She wanted to work at the Landing with her family again. She wanted to be with her friends again. She loved touring, she truly did, but for some reason it wasn't everything she'd expected when she realized her dream had finally come true. She barely had time to spend with Dan as it was that she'd had no idea how he'd put up with her through all of this. How he could want to marry her she had no idea. But he did. And she was never going to let him go.

Looking at her surroundings, Raleigh was surprised when she realized how far she'd gone, especially in her heels. She stood at the mouth of the
trail that wound through the woods endlessly. She and Carly had made several attempts to finish the trail when they were children, but after
following it for a few hours they'd always given up and turned around. The corners of her mouth turned up as she wondered if she'd be able to do it now. But that would have to wait until a different day. She wasn't wearing the right shoes, or clothes, and she had to be back at the house by two.

Sighing, Raleigh promised herself she'd be back to try it again and turned to head back to her parents' house. Dan would probably start to get antsy if she didn't return soon. If he'd even bothered to rip his attention away from the television set to notice she'd left.

As she wandered back to the house, Raleigh felt the memories wash over her of times past. She could clearly see herself and her friends running down the streets as they'd been growing up, laughing and shouting at one another, as if it were yesterday. They'd gotten in so much trouble time
and time again for being out too late or making too much noise around an elder's house but still they never learned. They did what they wanted when they wanted and they'd had the times of their lives.

Eventually though, they had to grow up, a sad truth that came crashing down on them senior year. Everything had changed for all of them. Some for the better, some for the worse, but still they'd always been there for one another.

There wasn't one thing in her past that Raleigh would change for anything. Never before this moment would she have agreed that everything happens for a reason.

When she'd finally made it back to the house and sat down, she fully felt the effects of walking around for hours in her one-inch high heeled shoes. What had she been thinking?

"Dan, honey, give me a foot massage." Raleigh swung her legs up to rest on his lap and, never breaking his conversation with Bobbie, he set to rubbing her feet gently the way she'd always liked.

Raleigh sighed, completely content, as she leaned her head back against the couch's armrest and closed her eyes. The next thing she knew, Dan was hovering over her, shaking her awake.

"Welcome back to the land of the living." Dan gave her a smile and Raleigh sat up, slightly disoriented as she looked around the room.

"Did I fall asleep?" she asked through a yawn.

"Oh man, did you ever. I don't think I've ever heard you, or anyone for that matter, snore like that."

"Shut up, Bobbie! Like you never snore!" Raleigh grabbed the first thing her hand found and whipped it at her brother. He quickly dodged the stereo remote and let out a laugh.

"You still throw like a girl."

"I am a girl!"

"Okay, children, enough!" Justin broke up the banter before it could go any farther. "As much as I'd love to watch this little squabble play out and turn into a fight, which Ray would ultimately win, again, we have to get going."

"The only reason she won was because she sat on me!"

"Give me a break, Bobbie!" Raleigh rolled her eyes. "You went down from the first punch like a box of rocks and I pinned you, fair and square! Besides, even in my chubbiest days I still weighed less than you."

"So give it up, Bobbie. You're just a sissy." Carly rested her arm on Raleigh's shoulder and smirked at Bobbie.

"And you're just a bitch." Bobbie grinned back at her, batting his eyelashes.

"Well, I can't disagree with you there."

Bobbie just shook his head at her before looking back at Justin. "We going or what?"

"Yeah. Come on guys." Raleigh turned to Dan and gave him a quick kiss goodbye. "Don't worry, I'll bring him back to you."

"You better." The smile on Raleigh's face faltered as she watched Justin and Dan leave the house, followed by Josh. Had he been there the whole time? When her eyes first caught glimpse of him, he'd been leaning against the doorframe that led into the kitchen, his eyes firmly planted on her. Or had she imagined it? When she looked back at him he was joking with Bobbie, a foreign smile on his face, showing no signs that he'd been watching her at all.

Giving herself a mental shake, Raleigh turned back to Carly only to find her gone. Hearing the ice machine in the kitchen, Raleigh went in there and found her busying herself with getting a glass of lemonade.

"So what time do we have to go?"

"Our appointment is at three. Mandy's gonna drive us all since she's got the van. Plus too it's already got Emmalee's car seat in it." Raleigh
nodded along with her but her eyes lit up as soon as she mentioned Emmalee's name.

"How is she doing? She's gotta be getting big by now."

"Oh yeah. She is the most adorable little girl! Looks absolutely nothing like Chris with her little blond ringlets."

"Aw, I can't wait to see her. It's been too long. She probably won't even remember me."

"Of course she will! It's only been a year since you've seen her. And she knows her Ray-Ray when she sees her on the TV." Carly reasoned with her, making Raleigh smile. She'd missed so much while away on tour. She couldn't wait to move back to Shelby Forest.

"What?" She said, still startled and disoriented.

Dan let out a chuckle as he removed his hand from her shoulder. "We have to go."

Raleigh looked at him in confusion for a moment before it finally clicked in her brain. They had a dinner to go to. "Oh!" She jumped up off the bench and went inside to find her shoes and slip them on, buckling the straps around her ankles. After grabbing her bag, she brushed the hair out of her face and smiled sheepishly at Dan, awaiting her patiently by the doorway.

"You ready now?"

"I think so." Raleigh gave him a smile before passing him through the doorway. "Oh! Where's Bobbie?"

"Right here." Raleigh turned her head just in time to see Bobbie bounce off the last step.

"Mom and Dad are meeting us there right?"

"Yep."

"All right. Let's go."

Once they were all seated in Bobbie's red 2004 Aston Martin Vanquish, Raleigh comfortably in the backseat, Bobbie and Dan began a discussion about some sport or another, Raleigh couldn't be sure. As she watched the trees pass her by, Raleigh tried to clear her mind. She tried to think of anything other than what had had her in such a trance earlier. How long had Dan been trying to get her attention anyway?

She knew Dan. She knew as soon as he had the chance he was going to ask her what'd had her so deep in thought, and what would she tell him? The truth? Not a chance. She didn't want to lie to him outright, but she didn't want to see the look in his eyes again if she told him what had been the object of her focus. That look that defied the calmness on his face.

How could she possibly admit to thinking about Josh after spending the afternoon helping Carly make sure her wedding gown was perfect? What would he think?

She hadn't wanted to think about him. He'd been the farthest thing from her mind. But when she was helping Carly into the beautiful gown, a smile had turned up her lips as she began daydreaming about the day when the roles would be reversed. When she would be the one picking up her gown and her friends would be helping her into it. When she would be feeling the butterflies of excitement fluttering around in her stomach. When she would finally walk down that aisle to say "I do" to the man she loved.

The only problem with her little fantasy had been when she'd tried to imagine how her soon-to-be-husband would be looking at her, waiting at the alter. It hadn't been Dan's breathtaking smile she'd seen. It was Josh's.

She'd tried to explain it away as best as she could, because not even she knew the real reason why his face had been the one she'd seen. All she could come up with was the fact that she and Josh had a lot of history together and he was suddenly back in her life, for the time being, after nearly five years in complete silence. There was no reason for her to worry over something so trivial - was there?

Shaking away the dangerous thoughts, Raleigh's eyes focused back on the present. She realized they were already in the heart of Memphis and felt her teeth gnawing on her bottom lip. She made herself stop.

They would be at the restaurant in less than five minutes so she had to calm herself down. Josh was back in her life for less than eight hours and already she was a nervous wreck.

What the hell was wrong with her?

Finally, they pulled up in front of the restaurant and they all got out of the car. Dan and Raleigh waited patiently for Bobbie as he told the valet exactly what would happen to him if anything happened to his brand new baby. After stifling her laugh for the third time, Bobbie joined them and they walked in to find their party.

***

He couldn't help it. He hadn't meant to ignore Joey as he continued to speak to him about Carly's cousin from Delaware, but as soon as Raleigh had walked into the restaurant, of course followed by her other half and fiancé, Josh's eyes immediately sought her out. She was like this huge magnet and his eyes just random pieces of scrap metal, drawn to her every time she entered the same room.

He knew seeing her in person again - because lets face it, who could possibly miss her on TV? - would be hard, but he truly had underestimated exactly how difficult it would be on him. Five years ago she'd ripped out his heart and never looked back. And he'd moved on with a career he'd never thought he'd enjoy so much and a life he didn't enjoy at all. But when he'd unexpectedly seen her at the airport when he'd landed, Josh certainly had not been ready for that. She'd looked all rumpled from her flights and as though she hadn't slept at all that night. And yet, somehow, she was still as gorgeous as he remembered her being.

The years have treated her well.

Now, she looked well-rested and even more beautiful in her knee-length black dress, her long hair flowing around her face and over her shoulders in soft curls. The light amount of make-up she wore on her face made her look almost natural, with her smoky-eye shadow accentuating her lilac eyes.

He knew he'd missed her being in his life, you'd have to be dead not to, but he really hadn't known just how much until he saw her smile again, heard her loud laugh again.

Good lord he was a glutton for punishment when it came to Raleigh Jean Coons. It had been five years of nearly complete silence, would he never be over her?

Feeling a nudge in his side, Josh broke out of his thoughts and looked at Joey.

"What?"

"Dude, you better put your tongue back in your mouth before Dan sees you looking at his woman like that. We all know she looks amazing, but you don't have to let it show like that."

Joey laughed at the blank look on Josh's face. Had he really been staring at her like a hormonal teenager? Certainly his tongue hadn't been hanging out, he would have known that. But still, he couldn't hide the fact that whenever Raleigh was back into his life, no matter how short a time, he always felt himself slipping back into the person he used to be.

But he also couldn't hide the fact that the person he used to be, the man he was when he still had Raleigh, was so much better than the empty shell he was today. What he wouldn't give to have that life again.

He had to stop dwelling on the past. Just let it go, man, he kept telling himself. One of these days it might actually work. Really, what was the point of living in a past that could never be the future? Sure, it was good for a momentary laugh or spot of happiness, but the pain that followed was usually so strong he wished he hadn't allowed himself the moment of gluttonous pleasure in relishing old memories. Why did he have to be stuck on her still? Why couldn't he just meet someone new who would be it for him? Would he ever find the woman who would make him feel whole again?

He knew the answer to be no. He would never find her, because he wasn't looking for her. He met a new woman every night, occasionally more than one if he were being honest, and yet it was never satisfying enough. Okay, well, it was satisfying, but only momentarily. He never stayed the night with any of the random no-names, never made an empty promise to call them, never even attempted to pretend any interest other than a few hours of forgotten pain. After a while they stopped asking him for more than what he was willing to give.

Had he turned into a cold-hearted bastard who only used women for sex? No, he couldn't say that was him, but he couldn't find it in himself to deny it either. What would his mother say? What would Raleigh say?

Damn it. Why must every thought go back to her? Why couldn't those women be enough? Why couldn't he forget about her? Would he ever be able to stop hoping she would leave Dan - he forced himself to swallow down the bitterness that came with thinking the name - and return to him? Why must she forever remain the one who could make him feel?

Life was utterly unfair.

Well, for some of us, anyway. He thought icily to himself.

Josh watched through narrowed eyes as she made her way around the table, hugging, smiling, laughing with everyone she hadn't seen in so long. She was only a few feet away from him now, speaking animatedly with Lynn, Justin's mother. He could hear every word she said as she told her about the last tour she just finished and how happy she was to finally be home. When Lynn asked her how her fiancé was, he tuned out the conversation and swallowed back the bile that rose in his throat. Really, he didn't have anything against the guy. It wasn't as though he'd tried to steal Raleigh away from him five years ago, truth be told she hadn't been his to steal from. He knew he sounded incredibly bitter, but that wasn't it at all.

He just missed Raleigh and the person she made him. How selfish could I be? He thought bitterly to himself. When had it become all about him?

"Raleigh Jean. Your beauty never ceases to amaze me."

"Joseph Anthony. Your inability to not flirt astounds me." The voices that seemed to be right beside him made Josh escape from his thoughts and become aware of what was happening around him. Raleigh was smiling and hugging Joey, telling him how much she'd missed him. Finally, she turned to look at him, slightly reluctantly Josh noticed. She forced a smile and said a faint hello. Good Lord, would the awkwardness of their past never end?

Probably not. All Josh could think was that if there was some sense of awkwardness between them, perhaps the flame was not entirely out.

"Well, I should get back to my seat. Dinner will be served soon." Raleigh turned curtly and hastily walked back to her seat between the bride and her fiancé.

The three-course dinner had gone faster than Josh had expected. He found himself laughing and genuinely having a great time with the friends he hadn't seen in a long time. When everyone was saying their goodbyes, Josh found himself not wanting the night to end. He was having far too much fun and he just didn't want to go back to his mother's house yet. Ever since he'd gotten there his sister hounded him relentlessly. She somehow thought she knew everything he'd been up to in the past few years so she felt as though she were in the right preaching to him. As far as he was concerned, if God wanted him to be like everyone else, He wouldn't have made him so different.

No, he definitely wasn't ready to go home yet. Luckily, Carly gave him the open he'd been looking for.

"This has been fun, do we really have to say good night?" Carly was whining at Raleigh.

"Carly, they've been up all day traveling. They're probably exhausted with some major jet-lag. We'll get together tomorrow for a barbecue or something."

"Why don't we do both?" Josh had made his way over to the group as they exited the restaurant. When a few questioning eyes pointed on him, he shrugged and explained. "We could go out, have a few drinks or something. Personally, I'm not in a hurry to go back to my parents' house either."

"We could go to the Plush Club." Carly said eagerly. Her eyes were lit up like a kid in a candy store. "Please? Come on, Ray? Dan?"

Dan and Raleigh looked at each other before shrugging. "Sure. I haven't been to Plush in years. I may be tired but I could use some more fun with friends."

Carly let out a delighted little squeal before grabbing Justin's hand and pulling him toward their family to say goodbye for the night. Josh couldn't help but to allow his eyes to take another sweep over Raleigh as she watched on with a grin plastered on her face.

"I've never seen her so happy." She mused aloud before, surprisingly, she turned to Josh. "You came with them, right?"

"Yes, why?"

"Let them know we'll meet ya'll there." Josh nodded his compliance before turning and walking towards Justin and Carly.

"So where is this Club Plush?" Dan asked, lazily draping an arm over her shoulders.

"Plush Club." She corrected him. "It's just a few blocks away. If it's still anything like it used to be you'll love it. There's two floors, each complete with it's own bar, lounge area, and dancing platforms and stage."

"And how many times have you snuck in this place?"

"A few." She shrugged nonchalantly. "I think it was sometime around the eleventh time we snuck in that the owner stopped kicking us out."

Dan couldn't help but to let out a laugh as he got into Bobbie's Aston Martin that the valet had finally brought back. "Somehow I don't doubt that. Have you always been able to get your way so easily?"

"No." Now it was Bobbie's turn to laugh.

"Yeah. The only person you couldn't get your way with was Mom. And even her grounding you couldn't stop you. It ended up just making you that much more determined to do whatever the hell you pleased. Especially with sneaking out to meet up with Josh."

"I can't help that telling me ‘no' just made me want to defy her that much more. And you know very well I was not the only one who liked to get under her skin, Robert James."

"No, we all did. But you're the only one who did it every chance you got." Raleigh just gave a shrug as she glanced out the window just in time to see her brother drive right by the club.

"Uh, Bobbie, you just passed it."

"Thank you very much for that obvious observation, Sister."

"Sarcasm not appreciated, Brother." She rolled her eyes. "Where are you going?"

"Right here." He told her as he pulled into a nearly empty parking lot.

"And just what was wrong with the club's parking lot?"

"If you noticed, Ray, which obviously you did not because you are incredibly unobservant, the ‘parking lot full' sign was out."

"Oh." Was all Raleigh said as she tried to get out of the tiny car as lady-like as possible in her dress. They walked down to the club and arrived at the door just as Justin, Carly and Josh drove past. They decided to wait for them to park and meet them at the door before going in.

"Are you guys ready to party?" Carly asked as she ran up to them, grabbed Raleigh's hand and drug to her to the security guard at the entrance. The group made their way up to the bar on the second floor, and while waiting for their first round of drinks Cory Lee's "Naughty Song" begun playing. Raleigh immediately grabbed Dan's hand and pulled him out onto the dance floor.

Josh watched from the bar, drinking a beer, as Carly danced with Justin, Raleigh grinded with Dan, and Bobbie basically dry-humped some random blond over in the corner. Josh fought a smile as he shook his head. That boy would never change.

"Well hey there handsome." Hearing the seductive voice in his ear, Josh turned his head and smiled at the tall redhead. He allowed his eyes to roam over her curvy body, loving the amount of leg showing and the high stilettos.

"Hey to you."

"I'm Aurora." Was that her real name? Josh would bet his entire bank account it wasn't - unless her mother had a fixation with Disney princesses - but he couldn't say he really gave a damn. It's not like he'd remember it anyway.

"I'm..."

"Dancing with me." Aurora grabbed his hand and pulled him out to the dance floor just as Buckcherry's Crazy Bitch began to play. Josh couldn't help but to think of how fitting the song was.

When it came to an end Josh noticed his friends making their way to a table near the back of the club so he politely removed himself from Aurora's grasp.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I came here with friends I haven't scene in a long time. It's about time I get back to them. Thanks for the dance." With that, Josh abruptly turned and headed to the back of the club to join the group once again. As he sat down he didn't miss the change in Raleigh's eyes. It passed over so quickly he wasn't sure what it had been to show. He swallowed down the hope that that emotion had been jealousy.

He couldn't help to feel a bit smug by the first words she spoke to him.
"So, JC. I don't think Erin would take kindly to another woman being all
over her man."

"Well, Erin will get over it. She learned a long time ago she'll never be the only woman in my life just as I don't expect to be the only man in hers."

Reaching for her glass, Raleigh took a large gulp of the cool liquid, allowing it to wash away her annoyance. He had changed so much since she last saw him. How could he possibly justify sleeping with a different woman every night? She forced herself to ignore the tiny voice in the back of her mind screaming hypocrite. If she allowed herself to think about it, she'd be forced to admit that she had nearly done the same once upon a time.

Draining the rest of her rum and coke, Raleigh waved their waitress over and ordered another. After finishing off that one, she got up and pulled Dan back onto the dance floor.

"That girl will never change." Josh muttered to himself as he watched Raleigh dance in sensual circles with Dan.

"And neither will you." He heard Carly mutter under her breath.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you remain completely oblivious to the rules."

"And what rules might those be, Bobbie?" Bobbie shook his head trying not to laugh.

"The rules of attraction." Justin offered.

"Oh God, here we go."

"Look Josh, its blatantly obvious you want Raleigh, and even more obvious you can't have her. You guys haven't been together in six years, when are you going to get over her and move on? She obviously has."

"Okay, I'm not gonna lie 'cause it'd be a wasted effort, but yes, I am still attracted to her. I mean, look at her. I'd have to be dead not to. But I do know she's with Dan and she's marrying him and she's completely
happy. Happier than she's been in a long time. I wouldn't purposely sabotage that." He didn't miss the look exchange between Carly and Justin. "Oh come on, give me a little credit. As everyone seems so keen on reminding me, it has been five years. She's over it, I'm over it. No use dwelling on the past." Josh finished off his beer and stood to get another, offering to get more for his friends.

As he stood at the bar waiting for the drinks, he had to swallow the laugh that bubbled to his lips. He had just blatantly lied to his oldest friends. People who were closer and dearer to him than his own family. While he did not intend to sabotage Raleigh's engagement, he definitely was not "over it." Some people go throughout their entire lifetime without ever finding that one person who is their other half. Who absolutely completes them. Unfortunately, Josh did find that person. And he'd had to let her go.

He tried, he really tried to forget about the time they spent together. The time they first danced, when they first kissed, their very first 'I love you's'. He even tried to forget about the first time they'd ever made love. But his attempts were futile. How could you possibly forget someone who was famous and so ingrained into your life? Everywhere he turned he'd see a picture of her, hear her name, hear one of her songs on the radio.

How incredibly foolish he'd been, trying to forget someone like Raleigh.

Finally, he'd come to terms with the fact that she was always going to be a part of him. He'd slowly begun to move on, or at least, that's what he liked to call it. His sister would rather say he lived in denial.

"Here ya go, Sugar." The bartender, Keri, set down the last drink order in front him. Josh flashed her a grin and paid her, being sure to leave her a large tip.

When he finally got back to the table he noticed that Bobbie was up dancing with a different girl. This one a petite redhead. "Doesn't he have a girlfriend?"

"He did. Dumped her a few weeks ago. Caught her cheating on him with her ex-boyfriend."

Josh chuckled to himself. Irony came in many forms. He'd never been a big fan of irony.

As Dan and Raleigh made their way back to the table to join them, Justin flagged down their waitress and ordered them both a drink. Dan, the same beer he'd been drinking, but Carly noticed how he'd ordered Raleigh a completely different drink. She hadn't seen Raleigh drink a Slow Comfortable Screw since they were teenagers. She couldn't remember exactly when or why she stopped, but it had always been her favorite. So she couldn't help but wonder why exactly Justin was ordering one for her now.

When the waitress set the drink down in front of her, Raleigh raised an eyebrow in question. "A slow comfortable screw? God, I haven't had one of these since..." She briefly looked at Justin before looking back to the drink. "Well, I just haven't had one in a long time."

"That's an interesting name. Can't say I've heard of that one before. Let me try it."

"Are you sure? You're not one to hold liquor very well and this is very strong."

"Oh please. Like one sip's gonna hurt." He picked up the glass and took a tentative sip before coughing. "Holy shit."

"I told you." Raleigh smirked at him before taking a large gulp of the potent liquid. "Ugh, this is so good. Why the hell did I ever stop drinking these?" Carly again didn't miss the brief eye contact made between her fiancé and best friend. What the hell was that about?

While they were all on their third or fourth drinks, just starting to get a buzz, Raleigh was ordering her third SCS, making that her eight drink. She was well passed buzzing and rushing up to inebriation.

"Ray, honey maybe you should slow down."

"You know, after this week I don't know when I'll be able to do this with you all again. So I am making the best out of now." Just then, Dirrty by Christina Aguilera blasted through the speakers so Raleigh jumped up and pulled Carly to the dance floor.

As they watched the girls dance together, Dan asked, "When's the last time she's had one of these drinks you got her, Justin?"

"When she was seventeen. A couple weeks after Josh here broke up with her."

"Dude, how do you remember that? That's like giving an exact time that she drank it."

"Do you want that? Cause I could probably give it to you. Its not exactly a night I can forget." He mumbled the last part and Josh had to strain to hear him over the music.

"What do you mean, you can't forget?"

"Know what? We're supposed to be out having a good time. Let's not spoil that, huh?" Justin immediately stood and went to join his fiancé and Raleigh out on the floor. Dan followed and left Josh sitting at the table alone with his thoughts.

What the hell did Justin mean exactly by that last comment? He knew she'd been a mess after he broke up with her, but how bad could she have really been? Certainly not as bad as he was. But then again, he did find out when he'd gone back for the summer that she'd hidden an aborted pregnancy from him. That's not something he was ever going to be likely to forget. He could still remember everything about that night. How it had gone from amazing to horribly wrong and hateful in just a few short minutes.

"He's gonna hear about the abortion eventually. It's just better if he hears it from your mouth and not somebody else's."

"You think I don't know that? God, I was pregnant with his fuckin' child for Christ's sake! Why the hell should I want to tell him I killed it? How would I even go about telling him something like that? It'll kill him." Raleigh had yelled when Carly wouldn't drop the subject. He never thought he'd ever heard something more hurtful than that throughout the remainder of his life.

"Don't worry about it. You just did."

Raleigh and Carly looked next to them and saw a ghostly white Josh standing there with tears in his eyes. Raleigh never felt worse about herself as she did at that one moment. Now she saw what it was like to put a knife to someone's back.

"Josh." She started but he began to back up and cut her off.

"Don't! Just...Don't." James chose that exact moment to intervene.

"What's going on?" He asked, then he saw the tears in Josh's eyes and the frightened look on Raleigh's face. Turning to Carly, he asked, "What, did he just find out?"

"Shut up, James. You're not helping." Carly snapped at him.

"I'm not trying to. If Josh can't accept the fact that his sweetheart is a lying slut that‘s his problem."

"Don't you talk about her like that." Josh snapped at James. All of his anger was beginning to channel and if James didn't shut his mouth anytime soon, he'd be the one it would be taken out on.

"Or what? You'll beat me up? I'm so scared." His eyes got wide and he pretended to quiver with fear.

"James, shut the hell up!" Raleigh said, yelling at him. She saw out of the corner of her eye that Josh was getting closer so she stepped between them. "Don't touch him, Josh. It's not worth it."

"Raleigh, you know I'd never hit a girl, but I swear to God that if you don't get out of my way I will move you myself."

"Only because sorry sacks of shit feel the need to hurt women to get what they want." James egged him on, and that was all it took for Josh to make good on his promise and pick Raleigh up and move her to the side before charging forward and punching James square in the eye. James fell to the ground into the fetal position and Josh got in a couple good kicks before the guys were able to pull him back.

Josh couldn't remember hitting anyone a day in his life before that moment. He'd been so completely enraged by Raleigh that James saying those awful things just made him lose his head. And not once did he ever regret it. The only thing he did regret was breaking up with her after Christmas.

He was so afraid nothing would ever be the same. Maybe they couldn't go back to what they were, but he wouldn't let himself believe they couldn't move on as something new and even better.

He wasn't going to give up Raleigh so easily. He may have lost her once to Daniel Cooper already, but there was no way he knew her like Josh did. They had history and nothing could ever outweigh the love they shared.

She knew she heard him calling after her. She knew she should stop and talk to him but she just couldn't make herself slow down and wait for him to catch up to her. She couldn't find it in herself to want to listen to him, to want to listen to anybody. All she could think of was how hurt and betrayed she now felt. How, for the first time in her life, Carly slapped Raleigh, her best friend. She just kept going, not looking back, not thinking about what tomorrow was, just that she had to get away. She needed time to think. Did she really have the right to be so angry at them?

Yes, she decided, she did. She had every right in the world.

"Damn it, Carly, slow the hell down!"

"Go away, Josh!" She snapped at him through her tears. She hadn't even realized she was crying, but she couldn't say she was surprised. She suddenly felt his hand firm on her arm and he jerked her to a stop, turning her to look at him.

"No! I'm not leaving you alone." His eyes were so clear, so calm. How was it that he wasn't just as mad and hurt as she was?

"How the hell are you not screaming at him? Punching his face into the ground? You can't tell me that it doesn't hurt like hell to know what they did."

"Carly," He said in his eerily calm voice. "I broke up with her. I left her here broken, pregnant and alone. How can I blame her for finding comfort in another man's arms?"

Carly felt the tears prickling her throat once again, the sadness and hurt outweighing the anger. "But why him?" She whispered, her voice breaking.

"I'm not the one to answer that." His voice was just as soft as he stood there, watching one of his oldest friends fight with herself. And he knew exactly what that inner battle sounded like because he too was having it with himself. Sure, part of him wanted nothing more than to go back to the house and scream at his "best friend" for sleeping with Raleigh. But on what grounds? Like he'd just told Carly, it was after they'd broken up. He didn't have the right. And the smarter, more practical side of him knew that.

Giving into her sobs, Carly allowed the tears to fall and she clutched at Josh for support. He quickly wrapped his arms around her, encouraging her to get it all out. His last girlfriend had cheated on him, and even though Justin hadn't cheated on Carly, he knew it felt like that to her. It wasn't something that ever stopped hurting.

Finally, the trembling in Carly's body subsided and he knew she was beginning to calm down. "I think you need to talk to her, Carly. Let her explain things."

"What is there to explain? She slept with my fiancé. I think that is explanation enough."

"Now I know you don't believe that." He whispered into her hair, still not letting her go.

Eventually he heard her sigh and she pulled away, wiping away the trails of tears. "I'll talk to her, but I just need a little time to think. Okay?"

"Alright." He tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear, giving her a small comforting smile. "I'm gonna head back to the house, let them know what's going."

"Okay." Carly nodded at him before turning away. She crossed her arms as she began walking, still not sure she shouldn't be fuming at her best friend.

The part of it that got to her the most was the fact that, sure, they hadn't been together back then, but Raleigh knew how she'd felt about him. How could she deliberately sleep with a man her best friend was completely infatuated with? How could she not tell her about it? How could Carly possibly forgive her for that?

She knew the blame wasn't all on Raleigh. It was shared just as equally with Justin for having given in to her. If she'd been the one to come on to him, that is. She'd always thought Justin was the one guy in their class who never wanted Raleigh. He was totally content with just having her as a friend, that was enough. Oh how wrong she'd been.

And what about the other night? Had that meant anything when he'd ordered Raleigh a drink? A drink Carly now knew she hadn't had since that night?

Maybe she was reading too much into it. Maybe it, like so many others, had just been a mistake. A mistake they'd wanted to forget had ever happened.

Carly kept walking along the road, replaying in her head over and over what had happened. Everyone's reactions. Her reactions to Raleigh. I can't believe I hit her.

"Okay, we have mushu pork, orange chicken, sweet and sour chicken, egg rolls, white rice, chow mein, and a whole mess of fried rice." As soon as Carly looked up from the bags she held to the faces of her friends around her, she knew something was off. Everyone - Josh, Joey, Dan, Bobbie - was looking at her, obviously having internal debates with themselves about something. But two of the group, the two most important people in her life, seemed to refuse to meet her gaze. "What's wrong?" Instead of anyone answering her, she noticed how they all visibly stiffened, averting their eyes from her curious stare.

Looking at the two people the tension seemed to roil around, Carly took a step closer. "Ray? Justin? What's wrong?" She didn't miss the split-second eye contact between the two and she certainly did not miss how incredibly uncomfortable they looked. Especially Raleigh. She looked as though she was about two seconds from bolting from the room, busting out into tears, or getting sick. Or and unfortunate combination of the three.

What the hell is going on? It was quite obvious it had to do with her or they wouldn't be acting this way. It had to be bad - really bad - if her fiancé and best friend wouldn't even look at her. Had she done something wrong that they'd all found out about in that last ten minutes she'd been gone? Carly wracked her brain trying to think of something, anything that would have them all acting this way but she came up empty.

Shifting her gaze around once again, Carly noticed the way Josh was glaring at Justin. The way his fists would curl up tightly, then loosen a bit before being clenched into fists again. He straight looked like he was ready to punch him. Oh yes, this had to be bad. Was she certain she even wanted to know? Maybe ignorance was bliss as the old saying went.

No. Taking another look at the faces around her, taking in their expressions - hurt, anger, surprise, mortification, guilt, more surprise - Carly decided she needed to know, no matter what it turned out to be.

Going over to the table in the center of the room, Carly set down the bags of food before she threw them at her friends, demanding to know what was going on.

"Please, will someone tell me what the hell is going on before I go mad?"

She watched as Justin carefully looked at Raleigh with guarded eyes. Raleigh's own eyes closed, tears slowly seeping between where her eyelids met.

"Ray...she deserves to know." Her eyes opened and she returned his gaze, silently pleading with him to not say anything.

"Justin, what..." Her sentence lingered in the air unfinished, the truth of what had happened finally dawning on her.

Something Raleigh didn't want her to know.

Something her fiancé didn't want to keep from her.

She'd seen the look that now adorned Raleigh's face once before. Five years ago at the carnival. Carly had inadvertently told Josh about Raleigh getting an abortion. Carly was sure the look on her own face perfectly mirrored the one that had been on his face at that moment.

"Oh, God no...please, no..."

"Baby," Justin took a careful step toward her only to have her take one back.

"Don't." Carly raised her eyes to look at Raleigh, noticing how she was finally looking at her.

"Carly, I am so..."

"I swear if you tell me you're sorry I'm going to smack that pretty little face of yours."

"Carly," Came the strangled word followed by more tears. Carly wasn't so
sure she wouldn't hit her. She certainly wanted to.

"Don't you have enough?"

"This was years ago, Carly. Way before you and I began dating." Justin tried reasoning with her, but that just made it more painful.

Carly looked away for a moment, letting out a harsh laugh.

"Homecoming queen every year, head cheerleader, most popular, had the perfect boyfriend, the perfect family...you had the most perfect fucking life and it wasn't enough!" She spit the words at Raleigh, liking how she flinched at them. "No, you had to have Justin too. The one thing I wanted! Every single guy in school wanted you, why him? Did you have to fuck everyone we grew up with? Josh, Justin, James..."

"I never slept with James and you know that!"

"No but you sure as hell did everything else with him, didn't you?"

"Carly, I know I hurt you but I don't know why you're so mad. You weren't dating and you even said you thought it was a wasted effort because you thought he didn't even like you!" Raleigh had barely gotten the words out before she felt Carly slap her across the cheek. Her hand immediately went up to cover the stinging area.

"Don't you dare. Don't you dare twist my words around to make yourself feel like you're not a backstabbing, two-face bitch, Raleigh because you are! And you know it."

Carly had run out of there so fast she had no idea what went on after. She hadn't cared what her reaction to Raleigh had made her feel, but suddenly she found herself wondering. Now that she'd calmed down some she allowed herself to admit that Raleigh was right. She supposed she didn't really have reason enough to be this angry. Angry, yes, but this angry? Raleigh had known how Carly'd felt about Justin when she'd slept with him. Justin had had no idea at the time.

She knew how difficult it was to fight the urge to comfort Raleigh any way you possibly could when she was upset, and Carly knew just how upset she'd been back then. She truly could not find it in herself to blame Justin for his choice.

But still she could blame Raleigh.

Letting out a sigh, Carly turned around and headed back to the house. She needed to talk to Raleigh.

---

Raleigh watched as Josh went after Carly, the rest of the group dispersing around different parts of the house. Her legs didn't seem to want to hold her up anymore so she slid down the wall behind her until she hit the floor. She was vaguely aware of Dan crouching down beside her, but she didn't look at him. All she could see was that night she'd so blatantly betrayed her best friend in the worst way imaginable. She'd slept with the man Carly was in love with. She couldn't even pretend she hadn't known Carly's feelings for him at the time. Even when she'd been with Barry, Carly always wished Justin would see her as more. He was crazy about her, she'd say. If only he'd let himself see it.

Raleigh didn't know the real reason as to why she'd slept with Justin. She'd never been very attracted to him. She never thought of him that way. He was always just her friend, never anything more. It had always been Josh for her. Is that why she'd done it? She was hurt and angry at Josh for leaving her so she'd tried to get back at him by sleeping with his best friend?

A small, harsh laugh escaped her throat as she realized how horrible of a person she was. "My God, I am such a whore."

"No, Raleigh, no you're not." Dan was quick to try and dissuade her from the conclusion.

"Were you here a minute ago? Did you witness what just happened? I slept with a man who was off-limits. I betrayed my best friend, and for what? Because I didn't have enough in high school!"

"I know you don't believe that. Neither do I."

"Why not? It's what Carly believes. Probably all my friends too. I'm the most selfish person on the planet."

"Now I sincerely doubt that. You've met Autumn's parents." Dan tried to get Raleigh to crack a smile but it didn't work. All she could think of was that she was a miserable excuse of a human being. Why had Carly remained her friend all these years? Why did Dan continue to be with her?

When Raleigh didn't respond to Dan's lame attempt at humor, he let out a sigh and sat down next to her. His legs had begun to fall asleep from squatting there.

"Ray, you had it rough that year. The first man you were ever in love with completely broke you. He left you here with all of these reminders of your time together. Not only were you alone, you were pregnant and forced to make a difficult decision. The best one for you. All of that stress would make anybody snap. It's normal to make mistakes."

"It's not something I can just explain away, Dan. ‘I'm sorry I slept with your boyfriend, Carly. I'm sorry I slept with your best friend Josh, but you know what? I just had a really bad couple of weeks so I think I was entitled to a few mistakes!'" An incredulous laugh escaped her throat as she violently wiped away her tears. "All I do is hurt the people I love. How can you possibly want to marry me?"

"Honey," Dan reached up and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into him. "That was all before I knew you."

"What about everything I did when I first came to LA? Don't forget, I'm the reason you were fired."

"Well, that may be true but you've always let me see the real you. All the drugs and alcohol and sex...that was all a desperate attempt to hide your pain. It wasn't who you were and it certainly is not who you are now."

Raleigh laid her head on his shoulder and just thought about everything. Nothing he could say to her would make her feel any better about what she'd done. Whether Carly and Justin had been together at the time was irrelevant. Raleigh should not have slept with him and that was that. She wouldn't blame Carly if she never spoke to her again.

"I love you, Dan." Raleigh whispered, noticing how tired her voice sounded.

"I love you too, Raleigh." Dan gently kissed her forehead before resting his cheek on top of her head, allowing her some time to think.

She didn't know how long they sat there like that, but eventually Josh came in and she quickly asked how Carly was.

"Well, saying she's pissed would be an understatement, borderline lie."

"Where is she?"

"She said she just needed some time to think so I left her to it. I just wanted to let you know."

"Ugh." Raleigh dropped her head into her hands. "This is such a disaster. I can't even begin to imagine what you must think of me."

Josh let out one short humorless laugh as he shook his head. "At first I was pissed, ready to punch Justin for ever even touching you." Raleigh didn't miss the way his eyes quickly flickered to Dan and she wondered if that was what he'd wanted to do all this time to her fiancé as well. "But what it comes down to is both of you were single, and you were hurting and unstable. I can't blame you for finding comfort in someone else's arms. Besides, this was six years ago. There's no reason for all of this drama."

"You know damn well there's a reason! I may not have betrayed you but I sure as hell betrayed my best friend, if I can still call her that."

"Yeah, well you can thank Joey for dropping that bombshell."

Raleigh slightly smiled at him in agreement. She hadn't even asked Joey how he'd found out, how long he'd known. She'd been too preoccupied by the slip of tongue to really worry about anything else.

"Knock knock." Everyone's gazes moved the entrance leading from the dining room into the living room where they sat. Justin stood at the threshold, carefully eyeing Josh. Raleigh almost laughed out loud at the look on his face. She could almost hear the question ringing through his mind before he spoke. "Is it safe to enter?"

Raleigh and Dan both looked at Josh. It was his call. Sighing, Josh walked over to him and held out his closed fist for Justin to hit with his own.

"Yeah man, we're cool." Justin visibly relaxed as he knuckled up with his best friend.

"Thanks." Raleigh couldn't help the smile that formed on her face when Josh hugged him. At least one friendship wasn't broken because of her mistakes and Joey's big mouth. Speaking of Joey...

"Hey Justin, how exactly did Joey find out anyway?"

"Uh," She watched as he reached up and scratched the back of his head, letting out an uncomfortable laugh. "Well..."

"Justin! You told him?" The secret was already out so there was no point in getting mad at him. But still, of all the people he could have told, he chose Joey?

"No! Well, ok yeah I did. But I really didn't have a choice."

"Hmm, keep the secret to yourself like you promised, or go and tell the biggest loud mouth friend you have..." Raleigh weighed the options on her hands. "I'm pretty sure those are two different choices."

"Oh come on Ray. You know just how hard it is to hide something that has to do with sex from him. He's the biggest horn dog of us all." She had to admit he had a point. "Besides I ran into him that morning on my way home. He knew something was up but I didn't say it was you that I'd been with. But that night when we all went out he accused me and you know just how well I can lie." Which was not well at all.

Raleigh couldn't help but to laugh. "I am utterly shocked it's taken six years for this to come out." Joey was worse than a little girl. He couldn't keep a secret to save his life. Especially not if it has to do with one of his friends hooking up with another of his friends.

The friendly laughter was cut short when Carly walked in, a very unhappy look across her face. Justin looked like he wanted to run to her and hold onto her and never let go, but she never looked at him. Her brown eyes stayed fixated on Raleigh.

"Can I speak with you, Raleigh?" Carly's voice was clipped, her body rigid. Raleigh didn't like seeing her act this way toward her, she was too used to warm smiles and friendly eyes.

"Of course." Carly turned around and went back outside, Raleigh quickly followed her out the door and around the house to the patio. Carly sat down and Raleigh did the same, trying not to look too nervous. This wasn't right, she shouldn't have to feel nervous around her best friend.

She is still my best friend, right?

Raleigh sat in the chair, trying not to fidget under Carly's fierce gaze. Making eye contact with her was much harder than it should have been. She suddenly felt like she was thirteen years old again just having been caught by her mother sneaking back into the house at three AM after being with Josh all night.

Clearing the old memory from her mind, Raleigh forced herself to look Carly in the eye. Good Lord if looks could kill...

"When?" Carly's hard voice cut off her thought short.

"February. When you were in Delaware visiting your aunt and uncle." She answered immediately. She watched as Carly nodded, remembering that weekend she spent getting into trouble with her cousin, Paige.

"Why him, Ray?" Carly's voice was so soft, so full of emotion, betrayal. Raleigh had to swallow her tears down. "Every boy wanted you. Why him?" Her eyes glistened with tears as she looked at Raleigh, begging her to explain herself.

"I don't know." She whispered honestly. "I didn't plan for it to happen. Please believe that. The only explanation I have makes me sound like a completely self-absorbed bitch. But I guess we all know that that's exactly what I am so it shouldn't matter." Carly remained silent so Raleigh went on to explain the awful truth about that night.

"Like I said, it was in February, the four day weekend you spent in Delaware. I had just decided I was going to just abort the pregnancy instead of telling Josh about it, and instead of calling my best friend to have her help me through it I turned to the bottle. Seems like I always do that when times get rough." She said the last more to herself than Carly, trying not to think too hard about that one semester spent at Hollywood Academy of Music. "Anyway, I raided my parents' bar and called Justin and we met out at the field." Swallowing the large lump that suddenly formed in her throat, Raleigh prayed for the courage to get through this. She could still hear their drunken laughter, their slurred words. She could easily see herself falling down on top of him, laughing like a giddy seventeen year old who didn't have a care in the world.

The seemingly carefree teens giggled wildly as they fell to the ground, Raleigh on top of Justin.

"I'm sorry." She laughed. "Did I hurt you?"

"It takes more than a little girl falling on me to cause me pain."

"Little?" She said in mock horror before attempting to get to her feet and standing over him. "I'll have you know that I am a tall five foot six and am damn proud of it! It's not my fault you're a giant."

"Oh please." He busted out laughing. "Six-one hardly calls for me being named a giant. You're just short."

Raleigh did a very unladylike gesture before lightly kicking him in his side.

"Oh don't be mad. Come on Raleigh Jean, I'm cold. Cuddle with me and look at the stars. They're really pretty tonight."

"How could you possibly be cold with that fire?" Letting out a sigh, Raleigh laid down beside Justin on the cold ground, her head on his shoulder as his arm wrapped around her. "They're really pretty when they're out."

They both laid there for a while in silence, just watching the twinkling stars. Raleigh would have been prefectly content staying there with him, reveling in the feel of his fingers combing through her hair, forgetting the world, forgetting their problems. But there was one problem she had that, no matter how much she tried not to think about, it was always there in the front of her mind. She suddenly felt as if she would burst. She needed to tell someone. She needed someone to comfort her and her best friend was four states away.

"I'm pregnant." She'd whispered, not thinking about how her voice caught on her unshed tears. Justin's hand stilled in her hair.

"What did you say?"

"I said I'm pregnant." She said a little more loudly. "I found out a couple weeks ago." To her relief his hand began moving again, but she could feel how rigid he was beneath her.

"Does Josh know?" Biting her lip, Raleigh shook her head, blinking the tears away that stung her eyes. "Are you going to tell him?" She shook her head ‘no' once more. "Why not?"

"I've picked up the phone so many times to call him but every time I heard that first ring I just hung up. I can't face him. I can't deal with what he would say to me if I told him. I don't want him to come back here because of a baby that he probably doesn't even want with a girl he doesn't want. We both know he would sacrifice his own happiness to do the honorable thing and I just can't do that to him. He'd end up resenting me."

"No he wouldn't, Ray. And you don't know that he doesn't still want you, or a baby with you." A harsh laugh escaped her throat.

"I think that letter said it all, Justin."

"So you're just going to raise the baby alone? He's coming home for the summer. He may not be the brightest tool in the shed but he's not dense enough to miss the belly you'll have."

"He'll never know." Her voice was so soft Justin strained to hear the words she spoke, but when he did he couldn't believe he'd really heard them.

"How so?" Taking a deep breath Raleigh tried to make her voice steady but she failed miserably as the tears finally spilled over, trailing down to pool at her temples.

"I made an appointment to get an abortion."

"Raleigh..."

"Please don't Justin. You'll only make it harder." She sobbed softly, still staring up at the sky. Justin knew how hard this was on her and although he didn't want her to do something she might later regret, it wasn't his place to talk her out of it. If that's what she truly wanted to do then he wouldn't stand in her way. They laid together for a while longer before another word was spoken. And when the words left Raleigh's mouth, he couldn't believe his ears.

"Am I unattractive, Justin? Fat?"

Justin furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Where had this come from? "No, Ray. You're gorgeous as ever. Even when you cry."

"Then why would he break up with me unless he fell out of love with me like he said? And to fall out of love would mean he no longer wants me which means I'm just...undesirable."

"Aw Ray, that's not true. You are very desirable." Raleigh sat up and turned to look at him.

"Do you desire me?" She asked in a quiet whisper.

Looking into Raleigh big sad eyes that were red from crying, he could only think that he wanted to comfort her in any way possible. He didn't like seeing her hurting like this. He sat up and pushed her hair behind her ear, a small smile twitching at his lips. "More than I should."

"Kiss me?" Before Justin decided, his lips were on hers, gently kissing her trembling lips. He had found himself wondering once what it would be like to kiss her, but she'd always been with his best friend. He never thought he'd get his chance. He never thought it would be like this.

Raleigh grabbed a handful of Justin's blonde curls, pulling him in closer, merging her mouth with his, trying to steal his warmth. When his arms circled around her, pushing her flush up against his chest, she began to feel herself getting lost in his kiss, his heat, his scent. He wasn't Josh. He didn't feel the same, kiss the same, or smell the same. But it was nice. It felt....good. Really good.

When they finally broke apart gasping for air, Raleigh found herself reaching for the buckle of his belt, but his hand stopped her movements.

"I don't think this is a good idea, Ray." How he could possibly be sensible right now he had no idea. All he wanted was her.

"But I thought you wanted me?" Her lilac eyes burned with hurt and confusion as she stared at him, biting her bottom lip again.

Justin leaned his head against Raleigh's. "Raleigh Jean," He sighed her name. "I do, I really do. But he's my best friend. And you're pregnant."

"And he broke up with me didn't he?" She snapped at him. "And I'm not going be pregnant for much longer." Softening her tone, Raleigh tried not to make herself sound desperate. She was beginning to sober up and the aching pain in her heart was returning. She needed him to help her get rid of it, to forget, if only for this one night. "Please Justin. Make me feel beautiful again."

Justin looked into her eyes, glistening in the night, soft wisps of wind blowing pieces of her hair around. The soft crackle of the fire was soothing.

"Oh Raleigh." He sighed before kissing her again, succumbing to her pleas. How could he have ever said no?

That morning when Raleigh woke up wrapped in his arms beneath a bunch of blankets, the fire almost out, she'd felt worse than she could remember feeling the night before. Not just because of the alcohol, but because, while the sex with Justin had been amazing in its own, he just wasn't Josh, and that's all she ached for. She never thought she'd be whole again.

They'd gathered their things in silence and before leaving the clearing Raleigh made him promise not to tell anyone what had happened. He agreed that forgetting it was best and that was the end of it.

Now, six years later, Raleigh had to face another mistake she'd made as a child. Carly deserved to know the truth, no matter how terrible.

"I called Justin that night because I knew he'd never looked at me the way the other boys did. And I knew he wouldn't judge me if I told him about the baby and my plans for it." Trying not to gnaw on her bottom lip like she always did when she was upset, Raleigh took a breath and went on. "Josh's letter left me feeling ugly and undesirable, like no man could ever want me. I guess you could say Justin was a test. A subconscious act." Raleigh laughed at how completely ridiculous she sounded in her own ears. "I just wanted to feel wanted again and he made me feel it. But the next morning I just felt worse. All I wanted was Josh. So we agreed it would be best if we just buried it and forgot it ever happened." After a few moments of silence she shook her head in disbelief. "Why you stayed friends with me in high school is beyond me. I was a horrible person. A horrible friend."

"Ray," She was entirely surprised by the smile on Carly's face, the coldness completely absent from her voice. "You stayed mine. And I never understood it. We were so different and yet you were always there, right by my side. I was the quiet girl who loved tattoos and piercing and heavy metal and you were the popular prep. But no matter how popular you got you never made me feel like I didn't belong." She let out one loud laugh. "You even made me join the cheerleading squad once you were made captain."

Raleigh found herself laughing along with Carly, loving the way it felt. "You were so mad at me. You hated it the whole time."

"Nah, I didn't mind it that much. I got to spend time with you. And you were always desirable, Ray. Just in a different way. It wasn't always about sex."

"And I know that now. Carly, I truly am sorry. I never meant to hurt you."

"And I believe that."

"You do?"

"I do." Raleigh leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Carly, holding on tight.

"Thanks, Carly."

"Of course." She closed her eyes, squeezing back tightly before letting go. "Now can we please forget about the past and focus on my wedding that is less than twenty-four hours away?" Raleigh laughed with her best friend - she was so happy she could still refer to her as such - and together they ran into the house to eat the Chinese food Carly had brought back with her that had since grown cold. But they didn't care. They were together and happy and nothing else in the world mattered.

"Momma, I'm right here. What's going on?"

"Oh. Carly just asked for you. And honey, she looks really upset. Try to make her feel better. It's the biggest day of her life."

"Yeah, I'll try Mom." Turning away from her mother, Raleigh knocked twice on the door to where her best friend waited and entered.

Carly was standing in front the floor-length mirror but Raleigh knew she wasn't seeing herself. She wasn't looking at the beautiful satin gown she wore, with the beaded lace and a-line skirt. Raleigh basked in how gorgeous her best friend was. The halter top of the gown showed off her slim shoulders, the pink sash showing off her slim waist - perfectly matched to the color of Raleigh dress - as it wrapped around, meeting at her laced-up back and falling to the floor with her chapel train. Her hair was swept back, gentle curls cascading down her back beneath the veil which was outlined in the same pink as the sash.

"Carly," Raleigh sighed. "You are so beautiful." A hint of a smile hit Carly's lips and right away Raleigh knew something was terribly wrong. She'd hoped her mother hadn't been right. "Ok, what's up?"

"Nothing."

"Yeah, and I'm Cleopatra. Carly, you know you can't lie to me."

"I just..." Carly let out the breath that had been collecting in her lungs and shook her head. "I don't know if I can do this." Her voice was so low that Raleigh almost missed the ridiculous words that had just come out of her mouth. Almost.

"What? What do you mean you don't think you can do this? You've been waiting to marry Justin for almost ten years, Carly. What on earth would make you change your mind so suddenly?"

"No, Ray that isn't what I meant. I still want to marry Justin, that's all I want."

"Ok, rewind, you're completely contradicting yourself here. You just said you can't do this, so what do you....oh. Oh." Raleigh cut her sentence off, finally understanding what was going through her best friend's head. How could she not have known? "He's not coming, is he?"

Carly's somber eyes never met Raleigh's as she shook her head, trying to hold back the tears she knew would eventually fall. Stepping up beside her, Raleigh wrapped her arms around Carly and pulled her head to her shoulder, comforting her the only way she knew how. It was only a matter of seconds before Carly failed and the tears flowed freely down her face, wetting Raleigh's shoulder.

Raleigh was never so thankful for her family as she was at that moment. She had a sister and 3 older brothers she knew would do anything for her, a mother who - even though they had their differences and fought a lot - loved her, and a father who loved her unconditionally and who was so very proud of her. She had a father who was going to walk her down the aisle and give her away in six short months. Carly had never had any of that.

I could just hit him for putting her through this, on this day of any! Raleigh thought angrily to herself. How could you not be at your own daughter's wedding to walk her down the aisle? To be there for her and to support her on the most important day of her life?

"I'm sorry, Carly, but you know how I feel about the man. He doesn't deserve you as a daughter and I don't think he really deserves to share this day with you either."

"But he's my father, Ray."

"Biologically, yes." Realizing she wasn't helping the situation with her hate towards her best friend's father, Raleigh sighed and tried a different tactic. "My dad has been more of a father to you than he has. He loves you like his own daughter, you know that right?"

"Yes, I know." Carly pulled away from Raleigh's embrace and wiped at the streaks staining her cheeks. As Raleigh watched Carly dab at her cheeks, all she wanted was to make her happy. To cheer her up and make her excited that today was her wedding day - with or without her father present. Realizing that one of those fathers was present, Raleigh decided she knew just how to cheer Carly up.

Grabbing her make-up bag, Raleigh handed it over to Carly and told her to try and fix her face as she turned to leave.

"Wait, where are you going?"

"I'll be right back, I promise." Raleigh left the Bride's room and began the search for her family. She spotted Alan sitting with his kids so she went to him first. "Hey Al, have you seen Dad?"

"Last I saw him he and Mom were out front with Justin and Bobbie."

"Thanks." Just as her oldest brother had said Raleigh found the man she was looking for outside the church. She didn't mean to be rude and interrupt her mother speaking, but she felt that her little crisis was much more important than her mother's slightly too loose dress. God forbid something ever not be skin-tight on her.

"Daddy, I need to talk to you."

"Raleigh, can't you see..." her mother began to berate before she cut her off again.

"I know and I'm sorry but its really important."

"Is everything all right?" Keith's brow furrowed just as it always did when he was worried.

"Uh, no not really." Raleigh led him back inside the church where Justin wouldn't overhear that his fiance didn't think she could walk down the aisle to marry him.

"Raleigh, what is going on?"

"Paul isn't coming." She didn't bother to try and work up to it. She knew it was best to say it right out and that he would understand the meaning of her words immediately.

"Oh. I see. How upset is she?"

"Very. She doesn't think she can do this alone." Keith just nodded. He didn't need to ask Raleigh if there was anything he could do to help. He already knew.

"Is she in room one or two?"

"Two." Keith gave Raleigh a kiss on the forehead just before turning away to head back where Carly was nervously waiting.

Raleigh followed her father inside and leaned against the wall in the back hallway. She closed her eyes trying to stop the headache that was quickly forming at her temples. She sincerely hoped her wedding was less stressful.

After a minute or so of rubbing her temples, Raleigh felt someone come up beside her. She knew who it was even before he spoke. She'd spent a majority of her life feeling him beside her. Some things you didn't forget.

"You are possibly the best and worst maid of honor ever."

"Thank you so much for that wonderful insight, will you go away now?" Raleigh replied, never opening her eyes, but Josh went on as though she hadn't spoken.

"I mean, you will do whatever it takes to make this the best day Carly has ever had, including lending your own father to her. But on the downside, you slept with her fiancé. Not very honorable of you, Ms. Coons."

Raleigh let out a loud sigh before asking, "Are you trying to annoy me, Josh?"

"No. If I were trying to annoy you I'd say something like you look like a giant bottle of pepto bismol in that dress."

"And I'd say you look like a raging homosexual in that hot pink vest."

"Ouch. There's the feisty Raleigh."

"Leave me alone."

"I'm just saying she's been gone a long time. It's nice to see her once in a while."

Raleigh rolled her eyes and pushed herself away from the wall. "Okay I'm going now." Just then, Raleigh's father came out of Carly's dressing room and headed straight for her.

"Is she all right?"

"She's fine. She wants to see you." Nodding her head, Raleigh immediately left he and Josh in the hallway and headed back to where her best friend was. She slightly opened the door and peered inside.

"Knock knock." Carly pulled her inside and wrapped her arms around her, hugging her tightly.

"Thank you so much, Ray."

"Does this mean the wedding can go on?"

"Yes. Just help me fix my eyes." Raleigh noticed they were still wet and she grabbed a paper towel and dabbed them dry, trying to get the mascara making her look like a raccoon off her skin. When she was smudge-free Raleigh reapplied Carly's eye liner first.

"Did you hear about that storm that's supposed to come through town later on?" Carly asked as she sat perfectly still for Raleigh. "The weather man was saying it's supposed to be tornado weather, minus the tornado."

"Yeah I heard that this morning when we were getting ready at Tully's. I guess it's supposed to hit here about four."

"I was looking out the window and I'm not so sure it's going to hold off that long. It's already wicked windy out and its getting darker. I just hope we make it to the reception hall before it down pours."

"I'm sure we will." The girls continued to talk about random things while Raleigh put the finishing touches on her best friend's make up. As soon as she was done she said, "There. Beautiful." and began putting away everything she'd used.

Carly turned to look at herself in the mirror and smiled. The splotches that had been covering her face just minutes before were now perfectly concealed and her normally plain brown eyes seemed to pop with the natural tones Raleigh had chosen. Her lips were painted a soft pink that glistened from the gloss that had been applied, and for once Carly allowed herself to believe she truly looked beautiful. She could hardly recognize the face smiling back at her.

There was a sharp knock on the door and Deb, Raleigh's mother, poked her head in. "Is the bride ready?" Carly turned to Deb and gave her a big smile and nod. She'd been ready for this day for a long time. "Ok well everyone is seated and waiting, so lets go." Raleigh and Carly followed Deb down the short hallway and into the church's lobby where the rest of the bridal party was waiting. Everyone took formation as the music began playing. First Daniel and Paige, then Joey and Tully followed by Bobbie with Alicia then finally Raleigh and Josh. Once they made it down the aisle and took their stances to the left and right of the alter the guests all stood and everyone's attention was turned to watch as Carly entered on the arm of Keith.

Raleigh felt a stinging in her throat as she watched the two come down the aisle. Her father had Carly by the hand and it was obvious just how grateful she was to have him by her side. She looked as though she were shaking and her hand was white from clutching him so tightly, but the smiles never wavered from their faces.

Once they made it to the alter, Keith turned to Carly, lifted her veil and kissed her on the forehead before hugging her tightly. He placed her hand in Justin's then turned to sit down with his wife. As he took his seat Raleigh could have sworn she saw his eyes glistening with tears. The sight made her own eyes well up.

When it came time for Raleigh's two best friends to exchange vows and rings she couldn't hold back any longer. The tears flowed freely down her cheeks and she gave no mind that she was going to have black tracks down her cheeks. From the corner of her eyes Raleigh caught sight of Josh watching her. He should have been watching his best friend get married, nearly as emotional as Raleigh was. But instead he had the full intensity of his crystal blue eyes fixated on her, his beautiful face void of any emotion and yet somehow Raleigh knew exactly how he was feeling, exactly what he was thinking. The thought seemed to go from his mind to hers through their met gaze.

"That should be us" it seemed to whisper to her. Raleigh ripped her eyes away from him and back to the now married couple just in time to see Justin dramatically dip Carly and kiss her so that they may be man and wife. Applause and hollers broke out throughout the guests as they stood to watch Mr. and Mrs. Timberlake descend the alter and head out into the lobby. Raleigh couldn't help but to laugh when she saw how red Carly's face was from the attention.

Raleigh reluctantly took Josh's offered arm as they followed their friends out. The wedding party formed a line just inside the church's double doors so the guests could hug and congratulate the couple before heading out to their cars.

Raleigh stood beside Dan and waited while everyone filed by trying to get to Justin and Carly.

Once they were safely inside their limo after all the hugs and kisses Raleigh asked Dan what time it was. She had to yell to be heard over the howling of the ever growing wind. She suddenly wasn't so sure they wouldn't have a tornado.

"It's two-twenty-five. Why?" He shouted back to her. That meant they had just under three hours until the reception. That was more than enough time.

"I have to go do something. Can you stay with the rest of the group for a while?"

"What? Ray, we have to go with them to get pictures taken."

"Look at it out here, Dan. This is a photographer's nightmare. We're not doing them. Carly didn't want to risk having to replace his equipment because of this weather."

"Fine, then where are you going?"

"That's not important. I promise to be back in time for the reception, ok?" Raleigh could tell he wanted to fight her on this and she didn't try to hide her relief when he didn't. He just nodded to her in agreement.

"Thank you. I'll see you in a little bit."

"Raleigh, please be careful. This storm is turning ugly fast." Raleigh saw the worry in his eyes and kissed him quickly on the cheek.

"I promise." Raleigh ran back into the church and grabbed her purse. Not wanting to run into anybody, especially not her mother, she exited through the back exit and straight into the parking lot. Only when she got there did she remember one small problem. She hadn't driven there.

"Shit." She was about to go back and ask her father to borrow the truck when someone called out behind her.

"Need a ride?" Raleigh spun around, unable to hide the fact that she'd been startled.

"Jesus." She mumbled, placing a hand to her chest. Her heart was hammering against her chest.

"No, Josh. But I can see how you can get us confused." He gave her his lop-sided grin and she narrowed her eyes at him in annoyance.

"What do you want?"

"It's obvious you need to get somewhere but that can be a bit difficult when you don't have a car."

Raleigh squared her shoulders before saying, "I can borrow my father's truck, thank you."

"Ah, but you want to avoid getting questioned which is why you ran out the back way. "

"Is that so? Well isn't there a certain question you would need to ask me anyway if I allow you to give me a ride?"

"No." He answered simply, throwing her off."

"No?"

"I already know where you need to get Raleigh, and quite frankly we better start heading out. The storms coming in fast and we have a little bit of a drive ahead of us." Sighing, defeated, Raleigh gave in. Of course Josh would know where she needed to go and just exactly why it was pertinent she do this now. Besides, the guests were beginning to head to the parking lot and he'd been right, she wanted to avoid their questions.

"Fine, where is your car?"

"I have Tyler's. It's the red cruiser over there." Raleigh followed his lead and got into the passenger seat. As they drove away she didn't speak to or look at him. His eyes were glued to the sky so he didn't bother speaking to her either. With each passing second it seemed to turn a darker shade of gray. By the time they drove through Memphis it was practically black and Raleigh was holding onto her "oh shit" handle for dear life, as though it would save her if a tornado decided to spout down and pick up the small car right then.

Raleigh fiddled with the radio knobs until she found one talking about the storm. According to the broadcaster, the wind had reached seventy miles-per-hour and were steadily increasing, expected to not slow for hours. She was suddenly worried this may not have been the best plan when she realized Josh was really straining to not put them in a ditch.

Trying to take her mind off the dangers of nature, Raleigh turned the knobs again and settled for the first station playing music. It was a soft melody she'd never heard before but she found it incredibly relaxing, even with the uncomfortable factor quickly approaching a ten inside the small car. Deciding to ignore that, Raleigh leaned her head back against the head rest and moved her eyes to watch the ever darkening scenery as it passed them by. They sat like that for a few minutes, neither one speaking, just listening to the soft music, but finally Josh couldn't take the silence between them anymore.

"So how's life in LA?"

"Great." She answered automatically. "How's life in New York?"

"Great." He answered in the same monotone Raleigh had used. "Why haven't you been back home before now?"

"Why haven't you?" Raleigh shot back at him, wishing he hadn't spoken. She'd preferred the uncomfortable silence to uncomfortable questions.

"Because I was avoiding you." He answered easily, honestly.

Raleigh blinked in surprise at his blunt honesty. He'd caught her off guard for the second time since leaving the church. If she'd allowed herself to be honest she'd admit that was her reasoning for staying away from Shelby also. But it wasn't that often she allowed herself to be that honest.

"Oh." Came the stupid reply. She turned her eyes back outside and wasn't at all surprised to see lightning lighting up the sky.

"Its getting nasty out. I really hope we make it back before the tornado hits."

"Tornado? There's not supposed to be a tornado."

"Oh no? Listen." Josh reached for the volume knob and turned up the radio so they could hear the broadcaster prattle on about the weather.

"...the winds have reached a whopping 100 miles per hour and it looks like it could begin to rain anytime. We expect the tornado to touch down in Memphis within the hour and we urge you to remain indoors. There hasn't been one this strong since May of ‘95! Experts are for an F3, possibly an F4..."

Raleigh focused her wide eyes on Josh. "We need to get there now. It could form any time."

"I know." Josh gritted his teeth and pressed down harder on the gas pedal. They were on a very dangerous race against mother nature and the odds weren't in their favor.

Out of the corner of his eye, Josh noticed Raleigh's fist clenching and unclenching, saw the way the vein popped from her neck, and knew she was about to explode. She didn't disappoint. Not even two minutes later did she smack her hand on the dashboard are let her anger out.

"What the fuck is wrong with him? If he's going to bail on his only daughter on her wedding day why the hell doesn't he just man-up and admit that he doesn't want to go instead of finding all these lame-ass excuses that are complete bullshit? I mean really, I don't deserve to be there. No shit you fucking asshole but that doesn't make her want you there any less! God, for once could he just not think of himself and do something for Carly? I wish I had punched him in his fat face. Why didn't you let me hit him?" Raleigh's angry eyes stared at Josh, waiting for his answer.

"Because you don't need to be arrested for assaulting him. And he's not worth it." He responded coolly.

"Yeah I guess you're right. But I still would have loved giving him a black eye." The corner of Josh's mouth curled up in a grin as he imagined Raleigh punching Paul Hayes in the face. He had to admit it would have been satisfying to watch but also knew it wouldn't have accomplished anything.

He saw Raleigh begin to bop her head to beat of the music playing and knew the worst of her anger was over. He allowed himself to relax a bit and enjoyed the music as they continued to drive. They had just made it to Millington when an especially strong gust of wind decided to blow and he nearly lost control of the car. A small scream escaped Raleigh's lips as Josh swore under his breath, just barely keeping them out of a ditch.

"We're too far away from the hall. We're not going to make it."

"Well what do you suggest? Just pulling over and hoping the tornado doesn't touch down on top of us?"

"No, my parents' house is less than a mile away. We can hang out there while we wait it out."

"It's only twenty more minutes. We can make it."

"Dammit Raleigh, no we can't! Are you that desperate to be rid of me that you'd rather risk your life?" Raleigh stared at Josh's face for a moment, realizing for the first time that this wasn't easy for him either. Still, he was making an effort to get past everything. She knew she should do the same.

"Fine."

"Fine." He snapped back at her as he turned onto his old street. When he pulled into the driveway, he told Raleigh to stay in the car until he came around to her side. He had to keep his arm around her and pull her to the door, both of them fighting the strong wind as the rain pelted their faces.

Finally they made it into the house, dripping wet and Raleigh's hair was everywhere. Josh quickly ran into the bathroom and grabbed two towels and a brush for Raleigh before telling her to follow him into the basement. He turned the light on before heading over to one side of the large room and he began taking off his sopping wet tuxedo.

"What are you doing?" Raleigh asked incredulously as she watched him peel off his shirt.

"Undressing. I don't know about you but I would rather not sit here in soaking wet clothes. Don't worry. I'll be over here by myself the whole time. I won't come anywhere near you. Not that you haven't seen it all before anyway."

"That doesn't make a difference." Josh just nodded his head as he neatly hung up the tux, remaining in only his boxers and t-shirt. When he turned around to grab his towel he noticed Raleigh now had her back to him and was taking out the bobby-pins in her hair. He sighed to himself as he ran the towel through his wet hair. This was going to be a long wait.

---

The howling of the wind became even louder as it whipped around outside,
the lights finally beginning to flicker before going completely out.
Raleigh let out a slight yelp of horror as they were immersed in the pitch blackness of the basement they sat in.

"Are you okay, Raleigh?" Josh asked from across the room. He didn't like
being in the dark during a tornado any better than she did.

"I'm fine. It just surprised me is all." Raleigh stood from her seat and
maneuvered to the nearest tiny window so she could see outside. She stood on top of a chest that sat below it and looked out. It was so dark out she could barely make out the small objects as they flew by, hitting trees, fences, houses and cars. The rain continued to pound down outside and she was wondering how long it would be before the golf ball sized hail came. It was bad enough that the storm had trapped her inside with Josh, but now she was going to miss her best friend's wedding reception. Or be seriously late for it. "Carly is going to kill us."

"It doesn't start for another half hour. It could be gone by then. These
things usually end quickly."

"No Josh. They usually come on quickly and end just as abruptly. This one has been building for hours. I don't think its gonna be a quick touch down and disappear." Raleigh jumped down from the chest and tried to find her way back to the chair she'd been sitting in. She went a little carelessly and her shin hit something hard on the floor. "Ow!" Raleigh reached down to rub her now throbbing leg. "Dammit ow! Don't you believe in flashlights?"

"They're up in the kitchen." Josh tried to hide the laugh in his voice by clearing his throat. "Would you like me to go up and get them?"

"Why didn't you get them when we got here? It would have saved a lot of
trouble." She snapped at him only causing him to laugh again. "I'm glad you find my misery so funny."

"I'm sorry, but I could have sworn you just hinted that you're miserable
because you're stuck in my basement with me. I know that's not true."

"How can you be so sure?" She grumbled, still rubbing her shin. "I'm gonna have a huge bruise."

"Oh stop whining. A bruise never killed anyone. I'll be right back." She
heard Josh make his way up the stairs and couldn't help but to smile. In a horror movie, which she presently felt like she were in, the person to say "I'll be right back" and left on their own usually ended up dying.

Raleigh sighed and shook her head, leaning back in her chair. That wasn't right. She would never wish anything bad upon him, but laughing at her was just uncalled for. She suddenly heard a loud thud above her followed by a muttered curse and let out a laugh of her own. Sounded like she wasn't the only one who couldn't see in the dark.

Raleigh waited silently in the basement for Josh to return but after a few minutes had passed and she no longer heard him moving around upstairs she began to worry. The idiot wouldn't have gone outside would he? Raleigh bit her lip, trying to decide if she should just wait for him to return or go up and try to find him. She would have much rather have stayed where she was but after another few minutes she decided she should go up and look. Just as she was nearing the stairs she heard a very loud crash that made her jump. She stayed frozen where she stood for a moment or two, waiting to hear another curse from Josh but there was nothing but silence in the house.

Her heart began pounding, her palms started sweating. She suddenly felt
like she was in a very real, very scary horror film. She searched her mind trying to figure out if she'd seen anything on her way down here that she could use as a weapon. She remembered seeing Josh's old baseball stuff on her right as she went to sit down so she quickly and silently turned to her left to try and find the bag. As soon as she found it she bent over and pulled out a baseball bat - aluminum by the feel. Clutching it in one hand she turned back to the stairs and slowly began going up to the first floor. She paused by the open door, just listening for any slight movement, any ruffle of clothing. When she was satisfied that she heard nothing she took the final step that set her into the hallway.

She decided to go to the right first, toward the kitchen where he was
supposed to be. When she got there she found it completely void of any
person. She hadn't been sure, but she was almost positive this was where
she'd heard the crash earlier but it was spotless. Everything in its place, no mess the floor.

"Josh." She whispered into the darkness. Nothing but the howling of the
wind responded. She waited a moment before calling out again, a little
louder. This time she heard the creek of a floor board back down the hall the way she came. Her heart began to pound even harder as she tried not to get scared. "You have got to be kidding me!" She said to herself, hearing the fear in her own voice. Clutching the bat in her hands she turned to head back to the hallway, afraid the sound of her heart pounding would give her away. Once she reached the end of the hallway and found herself at the front of the house she could have sworn she saw movement in the living room.

"Josh?" She called out, hoping it was him. "Come on Josh, this isn't
funny!" Her voice cracked under the pressure of her fear and she vowed to herself that if this was Josh messing with her she was going to give him a black eye. Taking a breath, Raleigh followed where she thought she saw someone disappear. As soon as she passed through the doorway a dark figure jumped out from behind her and grabbed her around the waist. She let out a loud scream and began swinging her bat. Finally after a minute of fighting him he let her go and she fully planned on turning around and hitting him as hard as she could with the bat. But then she heard the laugh. The laugh she'd heard all her life. The laugh that told her she'd just been thoroughly scared for the hell of it.

Raleigh dropped the bat and tried to make good on her silent vow and began to punch any spot she could find in the dark. "You stupid son of a bitch! What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I'm sorry but it was too good of an opportunity to pass up." He said
between fits of laughter and trying to dodge Raleigh's flying fists.

"You are such a jackass! Were you trying to give me a heart attack?" She kept punching and slapping him trying to get all her fury out.

"I'd never intentionally give you a heart attack, Ray. OW stop hitting me!"

"No!" She hit him a few more times before picking up her bat and walking
away. "I hate you."

"Oh come on, Ray! You can't tell me this doesn't bring back memories."

"Memories? Yes. Good ones? No. Stupid ass." She kept muttering insults
under her breath as she made her way back to the kitchen and began
rummaging through the drawers.

"What are you doing?"

"Looking for the flashlights you were supposed to be up here getting.
Instead you were plotting the best way to scare the hell out of me. What
did you destroy anyway?"

"I dropped my mom's silver platter. It never breaks and makes a huge
crashing noise."

"Oh just wait until Karen hears what you use that platter for."

"You wouldn't tell her." Josh said confidently as he leaned against the
counter, smirking at Raleigh.

"I wouldn't be too sure of that." She slammed yet another drawer shut.
"Dammit! Where do you keep your damn flashlights?"

"In the last drawer you abused." He told her before admitting that he had the flashlights all along and shined it into her face.

Slamming the drawer shut that she just opened, Raleigh walked over to Josh, grabbed the light out of his hand and punched him on the arm before turning to go back down to the basement.

"Hey, you might be mad at me but it just goes to show you." Josh called
after her.

"Goes to show you what?" Raleigh asked, turning around to face him once
again.

"That as much as you swore you've hated me these past five years, you still care about me."

"And why do you think that?"

"Because you thought I was attacked up here and you braved that to find me and make sure I was ok." Raleigh blinked once, responding just a few seconds too late.

"No, it just means I'd rather kill an attacker before he killed me."

Josh smirked and grabbed the baseball bat out of her hand. "With an aluminum bat?"

"It was all I could find." Raleigh snatched it back and headed down the stairs hoping Josh would just drop it. But of course he never would.

"Thank you, Ray."

"For?"

"For worrying that much about my safety."

"Oh just drop it." He snickered behind her back as he imagined her rolling her eyes. He absolutely loved annoying her.

"Fine, fine. Consider the subject dropped."

"Thank you." Raleigh sighed as she sat back down and leaned her head back. She could feel the headache from earlier coming on once again. She needed this storm to end soon. If Josh remained acting this way the entire time they were stuck together, she was likely to go nuts. She couldn't remember a single time since they were kids that he'd acted this way. The last few times she'd seen him he'd been cowering in a corner away from any other semi-human being drowning himself in alcohol. When he'd acted that way could he really blame her for having been avoiding him?

"So what, are you just going to ignore me now? Not speak to me at all?"

"I'm not ignoring you I just having nothing to say to you." Raleigh said, keeping her eyes closed and trying to clear her mind.

"Oh sure you do. You could ask me how I've been, what I've been up to. It has been five years since we've seen each other you know." His voice was light with how he spoke the words, but she knew the real meaning behind them and would rather have ignored him.

"Actually it's only been a few months since we've seen each other. We were both at the VMA's. Or were you in too much of a drunken stupor to
remember?"

"I'm not a drunk, Raleigh." All humor fled from his face and voice as he
looked at her.

"I didn't say you were a drunk. Its just that every time I saw you at a
public function..."

"That's the only time you've seen me." Josh interrupted.

"You were drowning yourself in alcohol." She finished.

"Like you have room to talk. Excuse me, but I'm pretty sure the sun doesn't shine out of your ass. You don't exactly have a clean track record either."

"Don't try to talk to me like you know anything about that. You have no idea what I went through back then."

"I would have if you'd thought to talk to me. I was there for over a week Raleigh! Right in the middle of everything that was going on and you never once thought to tell me about it, to ask me for help. Instead you just let it get to the point of overdosing and almost dying."

Raleigh's nostrils flared in anger as she glared at Josh. This was the last thing she'd ever wanted to discuss with him. Why did the past always come back up when he was near? Why couldn't he just let it all go? Did he honestly think that was a time she liked to think about?

"You don't know what you're talking about." She said through her teeth.

"So why don't you clue me in?"

"Why so you can rub it in my face, just like my mother, how bad of a screw up I was? Well sorry to disappoint you but no thank you." Josh stood abruptly from his seat and went over to Raleigh, kneeling down in front of her.

"Look at me, Ray." All the hardness was erased from his voice so she
couldn't help but to look down at him. His face was calm, his eyes
understanding. "Have I ever rubbed your nose in your mistakes?"

She so badly wanted to say yes, to say anything to get him to leave it
alone, to leave her alone, but she couldn't lie. "No."

"So why would I this time?"

Josh watched every tiny movement Raleigh's face made, heard every breath
she took, noticed how many times she swallowed. She never once met his gaze and he knew she was fighting an inner battle. One that she would most likely ultimately lose.

"It doesn't matter." She said to him when she finally got herself under
control. "It was over five years ago. What happened then doesn't matter
anymore."

"Why?"

"What?" Her eyes finally met his.

"Why doesn't it matter anymore?"

"I guess because it was so long ago. I got over it. It doesn't even enter my mind unless someone brings it up." She answered automatically as though she'd been saying it every time someone asked her this.

"You can't get over something you avoid, Ray." After he'd said it he
realized that worked with him as well. He'd avoided Raleigh for five and a half years and now all those old feelings seemed to rush over him like a tidal wave, sucking him back down to the black lifeless hole he'd been in since he broke up with her. Fate seemed to hate him, finding pleasure in his misery.

"I do not avoid it. Its just stupid to dwell on things you can't change." Raleigh stood and walked away from him, shining her flashlight on objects as she passed them.

"What are you doing?"

"Looking for something to do." Looking for something to throw at you, she thought to herself.

"I've got something for you to do. Tell me what happened in LA."

"You know everything, Josh! I told you when I got back." She said,
exasperated.

"No, you told me part of it. Besides, didn't you just tell me I didn't know what I was talking about? Quite obviously there's more to the story so don't back step now."

"Why? Why do you want to know?" She was yelling at him now. Nothing had
ever infuriated her more.

"Because you need to talk about it! When's the last time you talked about it with someone? When was the last time someone asked you how you were handling it?"

"Oh don't act like you're the only one who cares now, Josh. You've been gone for years."

"Yeah, well I'm here now. And I may not have shown it then but I've always wondered, always worried."

"Don't be. I'm fine. I've been fine and I will be fine." She spit the words at him, turning her back on him once again.

"Just say it, you need to, I can tell."

"You don't know what I need." She ground her teeth together, forcing herself not to lose control.

"I know you better than anyone. Let it out!"

"Fine!" Raleigh turned back around and advanced on him. "You want to know what happened to me in LA? I got caught up in all the drugs, alcohol, sex, and I was having the time of my life, snorting and drinking away my pain, my misery. I'd never felt more alone in my life and the only thing that helped were the drugs. I felt like I was on top of the world, like nothing could touch me. The night I ended up in the hospital was the night it all came crashing down. I had a fight with Dan, I missed you, I missed my family, Effron was being a dick and I just wanted to forget it all for one night. For one night I wanted to feel nothing, I wanted it all to just go away. The cocaine gave me that. I'd snorted more that one night than I ever had. And later on, I still wanted more. I was high off my ass and completely drunk when I accepted a drink from Effron, a drink I knew I shouldn't have taken but I did anyway because I needed more. After that I went upstairs to find a bathroom and that was about the time I knew something wasn't right. I went into the first bedroom I could find and laid down and the next thing I knew Effron was there on top of me, holding me down, touching me, blaming me for his psychotic break! And when I said something do you know what he did? He hit me, over and over until I thought I was going to black out from the pain. And you know what he did next? He raped me. He told me I deserved it for being such a tease." Raleigh felt the tears rolling down her face but she didn't bother to wipe them away, more would follow. "I still wake up screaming in the middle of the night sometimes. Always from the same nightmare. I'm still terrified that he's going to come back, that I'm going to wake up one night and he's there, watching me, waiting to finish what he started. And no matter what I do I can't get away from it, from him." She watched as Josh tried to process it all. His eyes were fixed on hers, his face stark white. "You wanted to know the truth, well there it is. Now tell me, what could possibly say to make that all right?"

She stood there, staring at Josh, waiting for him to say something, anything. Finally, he opened his mouth and the two words he said were nearly inaudible, but Raleigh heard them.

"I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?" She let out a humorless laugh. "I don't want your pity, Josh. I don't pity myself and I don't want anyone else to either. You can't change the past. You can only work to get over it. And I have."

Josh looked at Raleigh, studying her. He knew what she was saying was a lie. It was so obvious to him that no matter how many times she said it, she wasn't over the attack. The nightmares were proof of that. Hadn't she ever thought to talk to someone about it? He knew the answer to be no. She was so masochistic. She would rather suffer in silence than admit even the slightest weakness, no matter how understandable that weakness might be.

"It's getting lighter outside. Maybe it's almost over." Raleigh's voice broke through Josh's thoughts and he noticed her gaze was fixated on the tiny window. Indeed it was beginning to lighten out but he could still hear the wind and rain.

He watched as Raleigh went over to a shelf resting against the wall. It was full of boxes and he wasn't sure what those boxes were filled with. Apparently she had no reservations against going through other people's possessions for she opened the top box and peered inside, smiling slightly. He wondered what was in there so he made his way over to her, watching as she reached in then pulling out a pile of photos. Photos of the group of them as kids.

"Oh look at us." She cooed, her eyes roaming the smiling faces staring up at her. On the left it began Chris, Mandy, Joey, Josh, Raleigh, Bobbie, Carly, then finally, Justin. He wished he could go back to the time when he was ten. Life was so much easier then, so much better.

Raleigh sat on the floor and Josh grabbed the box, setting it down in front them before joining her on the floor so they could go through the memories.

For a long time - Josh didn't know how long exactly - they sat there, side by side looking at hundreds of pictures, laughing together like nothing had happened between them. Acting as though they were still the best of friends until finally, they came to the last picture. A picture that had been taken seven months prior. A picture Raleigh'd had no idea included him.

"You were there?" She asked quietly, staring at the photo.

"Yes." He replied simply, watching her face to try and get an inkling of what she was thinking.

"I didn't know this was you."

"I knew it was you." He remembered that night so vividly. It was Halloween, a mutual friend of theirs had thrown a big party, calling it The Halloween Mask. The theme was the late eighteenth century and Raleigh had worn an exquisite dark green gown with black lace outlining the thin straps and bodice and sewn intricately through the full skirt. She had on black silk gloves and a black lace choker with an emerald charm. Her mask had gone around her eyes and matched perfectly to her dress. Her hair had been pulled back on top and spilled down her back in tight curls, a black feather there for decoration. She'd look positively amazing and Josh just had to dance with her. When he'd approached her he could have sworn she recognized him, but of course she would deny it now.

"We danced. And I remember this picture being taken. You never said a word."

"Because you would have recognized my voice and I wouldn't have gotten the chance to dance with you." She nodded, not knowing what else to say. They sat there in silence for a few moments before Josh cleared his throat and began putting the old pictures away. "It sounds like the storm has died down. We should head back."

"All right." Raleigh helped him put them away quickly, the feeling of being uncomfortable with him so near coming back full swing. Once they were put away neatly, Josh put his tuxedo back on while Raleigh returned her black heels to her feet and brushed through her hair once more, afraid of what she must look like.

Once they were ready they left the house and headed back to the reception hall, Raleigh praying Dan and Carly weren't completely pissed off at her.

---

Raleigh stayed by Josh's side as they stood at the entrance to the hall, searching through the crowd for Justin and Carly. Just as Josh pointed them out to Raleigh and they began heading over to them, he heard someone call out to him, someone he would have much rather avoided at that moment.

"JC!" She called out again and he could picture her running up to him, her fake assets nearly bouncing out of her low-cut dress.

"For fuck's sake, you have got to be kidding me." He murmured under his breath. When Raleigh turned to him with questioning eyes, he knew any semblance of friendship they may have rekindled in the last few hours was about to be destroyed once again.

"JC!" She called out once more and he and Raleigh stopped and turned to face her.

"Erin." Ah, this is what Erin looked like these days, Raleigh thought to herself. She looked like she were half silicone. "What are you doing here?" She noted there was no hint of friendliness or pleasant surprise in Josh's voice or face. Interesting.

"What do you mean what am I doing here? You invited me silly."

"No, I didn't. I told you about it. There's a big difference."

"Oh whatever." Erin noticed Raleigh at his side for the first time. Noting the way they both looked incredibly disheveled and Raleigh's hair was a big mess atop her head she could only come to one conclusion. "Who are you and why do you look like you just got done screwing my boyfriend?" Raleigh knew Erin had never been the sharpest tool in the shed but she at least thought she'd realize they'd just come in from a storm. Apparently there was no need to give her the benefit of the doubt.

"I am not your boyfriend , Erin." Josh said, exasperated.

Unable to resist the chance to piss of Erin further, Raleigh ignored Josh‘s comment and looked at Erin‘s angry face. "Well, maybe if you did your duty as his girlfriend and satisfied him he wouldn't have to find it elsewhere." Raleigh placed her hand on Josh's arm and leaned in like she was going to kiss him, praying Dan wasn't watching. "I'll see you later, JC." She placed a lingering kiss on his cheek before giving Erin a smirk and walking over to where Dan stood with Carly and Justin.

As soon as she came within hearing distance she heard Carly's worried voice. "Raleigh where the hell have you been? And what was that..." Her words were cut short when Raleigh grabbed her by the hand and dragged her toward the bathroom. Only when they were safely behind closed doors did Raleigh attempt to explain.

"Josh and I had an errand to run and we got stuck in his basement to wait out the tornado. I'm sorry we're late but we really couldn't keep driving through it."

"I don't care that you're late, Ray. Dan said you had to go do something and then we noticed that Josh was nowhere to be found and neither of you were answering your phones so we got worried. I mean it wasn't the best of conditions out there to run errands in."

"I know Carly. And it was just a waste of time anyway." Raleigh turned toward the mirror and grimaced. She looked like hell. Her make-up was completely smudged and her hair looked like she'd just rolled out of bed, just like Erin said. Her dress was still damp too. "Ugh, do you have any makeup with you and anything I can use to tame my hair?" She grabbed a paper towel and ran it under warm water, attempting to clear the black smudges from beneath her eyes.

"Yeah, I'll be right back." She returned to the bathroom in record time and Raleigh immediately began making herself more presentable.

"So." Carly said when she realized Raleigh wasn't going to offer up anymore information on her time spent alone with Josh.

"So."

"Were did you two go that was such a waste of time?" Raleigh paused, mascara halfway to her eye. Should she tell her the truth? "You went to see Paul, didn't you?" Raleigh shifted her eyes away from Carly and she took that as a confirmation. "You didn't have to do that, you know. If he wanted to be here he would have been."

"I know that. I guess I thought I could knock some sense into him."

"Not literally I hope." She raised an eye brow at her and Raleigh bit back a laugh.

"Almost. Josh had to drag me out of the house." A smile lit up Carly's face.

"Wish I could have seen that." She shook her head, waiting a moment before changing the subject. "Anything interesting happen between you and Josh?"

"Depends on what you mean by interesting. The power went out and I thought he'd been attacked on his adventure to get flashlights out of the kitchen and I almost had a heart attack when he attempted to scare me." Carly laughed as she imagined the sight. "Also I told him what happened in LA five years ago."

"That was a big step for you." Carly noted. She'd asked a few times over the years about how she'd been dealing with it and she'd always refused to talk about it. It seemed appropriate somehow that Josh was the one to get her to crack.

"Yeah. But that's a discussion for another time. Today is the happiest day of your life and I'm not going to ruin it. You go back out there with your new husband and I'll be out in a few minutes."

"Ok." Carly nodded to her, moving to the door. "Just so you know, I don't think Dan's too happy about the fact that you were alone with Josh that whole time."

"Well he needs to understand that there is nothing to worry about there."

"Right." Carly agreed, more for Raleigh's sake than believing it to be the truth. While she was alone, Raleigh quickly finished cleaning up and took a deep breath, trying to calm the nerves she suddenly felt at facing Dan's intense gaze.

"This is stupid. You're being ridiculous." She told herself before opening the door and stepping into the hallway.

"You were gone a lot longer than you said." Dan's voice came from her left and Raleigh nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Dan, you scared me."

"I'm sorry." He waited until her breathing went back to normal. "I thought you were going alone."

"Yeah, I had planned on it but Josh came after me and offered to give me a ride. He wanted to go for the same reason I did."

"And what was that?" His usually clear green eyes were hard and his mouth was set in an angry line.

"Oh please do not pull this overprotective crap on me now. This is neither the time nor the place. We can talk about it later." Raleigh turned and walked away from him, heading back to the room where all her friends were. She couldn't believe he was acting like this. Of all the things he could have been worried about, he was afraid she was cheating on him with Josh. Josh of all people! Like that would ever happen. She shook her head, wondering if he'd gotten into the liquor early.

Her mind taking a different path suddenly, Raleigh changed course and headed to the bar that was going to be open for another ten minutes or so, and then until midnight after dinner. She ordered a rum and coke and fully planned on ordering many more if she was going to get through Erin's ridiculous stares and Dan's over protectiveness. Two of her best friends just got married, she deserved to celebrate and have some fun and she'd be damned if she let them take that away from her.

After giving the bartender a tip, Raleigh headed over to where the wedding party would be sitting for dinner and took her seat beside Carly. She noticed her eyes were directed towards the restrooms and realized she was watching Dan.

"He looks pissed." She commented.

"He'll get over it." Raleigh replied easily, taking a sip of her drink.

It was only a few minutes later when a majority of the guests began showing up so the wedding party was told to go to the back room and wait to be introduced by the DJ. Once they were all seated and the applause and cheers had died down, the waiters began coming around, serving their dinner table by table, course by course. Once they had finished their final course of the meal - the dessert - Josh stood from his seat and claimed the attention of the guests.

"To my friends - old and new. It's an honor for me to be here... to celebrate this very special day for Justin and Carly. Dale Carnegie once said: "Don't ask a man what is important to him. Watch how he spends his time." I've watched Justin spend his time, and I can see what's important to him. Carly. She has made Justin a happy man... a man with a new focus... a man with a new appreciation for love and life." Raleigh watched him easily as he spoke in his smooth voice. His eyes sparkled at the crowd and he unleashed his easy-going smiles on them. They were all captivated by his words of warm affection for both Justin and Carly, and Raleigh was no exception. No matter their past, it was always so obvious the compassion Josh held for their life-long friends. He loved them entirely and she knew he wished the best for them whole-heartedly. "I've known Justin and Carly my entire life and I can honestly say that they are perfect for one another. I remember how, when we were kids, Carly would say how one day Justin would open his eyes and see that she was all he'd ever wanted. She would say one day they would be man and wife. I am happy to say that day has finally arrived and I am honored to have been a part of it." Josh turned to Carly and Justin and raised his glass to toast them. " To Carly and Justin, the best people I have ever known who deserve all the happiness in the world." He bowed his head forward slightly before taking a drink of his champagne, followed immediately by the guests.

When Josh sat back down beside Justin, Carly leaned over and gave him a hug, her eyes filled with tears from his speech. While he still had his arms around her his eyes met Raleigh's and held them for an instant, seemingly trying to communicate something silently to her. She couldn't for the life of her imagine what that would be so she turned back to face the guests, taking another gulp of her champagne.

"And now I would like to ask the bride and groom to the center of the dance floor to share their first dance as man and wife." The Dj's voice announced and Carly and Justin stood and made their way to the center of the dance floor just as Lifehouse's You and Me began playing. Raleigh watched, her eyes glistening with tears, as her two best friends danced, smiled, and kissed. She found herself wondering if she and Dan would make it there. To that point of utmost happiness, being so in love that nothing could come between them.

Raleigh was so absorbed in watching the dance she nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt someone's hand placed on her arm. She looked to the owner and nearly ripped Josh a new one until she realized he wasn't even looking at her. His eyes were fixed on the entrance, a look of shock on his face. Her eyes followed his and she felt her mouth gape open unattractively. Without looking back at Josh to see if he'd follow or not - she knew he would - Raleigh stood and made her way around the tables of guests and to the hall entrance.

"I thought you weren't coming." Raleigh could hear the hate and disgust in her own voice and tried to calm herself down.

"I wasn't."

"Then why did you?" Josh's voice sounded almost as hateful as Raleigh's.

"Look, I know I've been a shitty father. You two made that perfectly clear earlier today. But you were right. Today is about her and she wants me here. You may not believe me after all that I've done, but I do love my daughter." Raleigh stared into Paul's eyes. Not believing him, but finding nothing but sincerity in his eyes.

"You're right, I don't believe you. But she loves you for some reason and she does want you here. Just don't upset her."

"I won't."

"Ray." Josh's voice made her look at him, question in her eyes. But once again he was looking away from her. In fact he was looking behind her where Carly stood in the middle of the dance floor, staring back at them. Raleigh stepped out of the way and allowed Carly to see whom they were speaking to.

Paul stepped around Josh and Raleigh and made his way to where Carly stood. She remained motionless where she was, unable to process the fact that her father was actually there, at her wedding reception, in a suit and tie. He looked slightly uncomfortable and completely sorry for everything he'd done in the past. In this one moment he hoped to correct a lifetime of letdowns. And Carly was going to let him. Because this one time, he was there for her.

"Care bear..."

"Don't." Tears were glistening in her eyes as she stopped whatever apology he'd been about to make. "I don't care." And just like that she was in his arms, crying like she were still a little girl whose father had just returned home from a long trip.

Raleigh looked to the Dj and nodded her head, cueing him this would be the father-daughter dance, then made her way back to the head table. As soon as she sat down, Dan was next to her, whispering into her ear.

"What was that all about?"

"That's Carly's father. The reason Josh and I were late." Raleigh watched them dance, a smile lighting up Carly's face as they spoke. "I really didn't think he'd come."

"You're a great friend, you know that, Raleigh?" Turning her head to look at Dan, Raleigh finally felt like the fight was over. She smiled, said ‘thank you' and kissed him.

The rest of the night went amazingly well. There were no more surprises (good or otherwise), Carly's father stayed the entire night and seemed to genuinely enjoy himself, and for as many drunk people as there were in attendance, nobody made a complete fool of themselves and everyone had a great time. The reception came to a close and all too soon they had to say goodbye, everyone wishing the newlyweds a great time on their honeymoon.

Raleigh hugged everyone goodbye, including Josh, and chose to ignore the eyes Dan was burning into her skull as he watched them embrace. She laughed as Erin made a grunting noise and pulled him away and towards the front doors. She hadn't bothered her all night, surprisingly, and she wouldn't let her bother her now. She hadn't wanted him back in her life, but as much as she denied it, she knew she'd missed him much more than she ever thought possible.

He'd told her he was staying in town for another week and was going to be helping her parents out at the café. The next few days were going to be interesting.

Raleigh raced around the cafe trying to get to as many tables as fast as
she could. It was six PM, the beginning of the busiest time of the day. She hadn't worked at the cafe in almost five years and having only been there for a week, she was surprised how quickly everything came back to her. It was like riding a bike, something you never forgot. Unfortunately, she couldn't say the same for Dan. He'd never worked in a restaurant before so he struggled along just like any new employee. He mixed up tables, orders, and even bills. But she had to say he was a trooper. He got through each day and got a little better with each passing hour. Josh was even there every day helping out. Raleigh would say he seemed to be showing off a bit, a little smug that he could do something better than Daniel Cooper. He didn't waste any opportunity to laugh at the man. She thought it was childish of him, but she had to admit that even she gave in to the urge to laugh a time or two.

Raleigh went behind the bar to find some more clean glasses, where Josh had also gone to find some clean mugs. "I'm mobbed and a family of five just sat at table eight, can you take it for me?"

"Yeah because I'm any less busy. Have butter fingers over there take it."

"Stop it, Josh. He's trying."

"Doesn't mean he's really helping. He's broken more plates than he's
served. We're gonna run out before the nights through." Raleigh rolled her eyes at Josh as he rushed back to the bar to grab an elderly couple their coffees.

"Ray! Table eight!" Her brother, Nick, yelled to her from the kitchen. She rolled her eyes again. As if she didn't realize the table was yet again occupied.

"Yeah yeah." She mumbled as she rushed to get her last table their drinks before finally rushing to the aforementioned table.

"Sorry about the wait, you guys. I'm Raleigh and I'll be your server. Can I start ya'll off with something to drink?" She rattled off her normal greeting.

"Holy crap! I knew it was you! Mom you said it wasn't but I totally knew it was! You're Raleigh from the Crimson Doves!" The, what looked to be, oldest daughter of the three girls spoke in a high pitched voice that Raleigh had grown so accustomed to over the years.

"Yeah, I am. I'm guessing you're a fan?"

"Oh my god am I ever! You're my favorite band of all time! There is not one song that you sing that I don't love. Can I get your autograph and maybe a picture?"

"Alison, the woman is working and its very busy. I'm sure she would love to but I don't think she has the time."

"Oh, but please?" The girl began to pout and Raleigh hated to say no to a fan.

"Actually, it's no problem. Alison is it? Do you have something you'd like me to sign?"

"Yes! I keep the book from your last album, which was just amazing by the way, in my purse at all times!" The girl dug out the little book and
Raleigh picked it up and scrawled across the top while Alison threw a
camera at her father. Raleigh bent down and smiled at the camera, knowing the girl's face was beaming with excitement.

"Here you go, Alison."

"Thank you so much!"

"My pleasure. So do ya'll know what you'd like to order or should I give
you a few minutes?" Raleigh grabbed their orders and rushed away from the table. She loved her fans but sometimes they didn't really come into her life at the most convenient of times.

As the night progressed things didn't slow down much. Fortunately, Dan seemed to be doing much better and had managed to make it through the rest of the night without dropping another order. It was only another two hours until the place closed and somehow they'd run out of certain supplies. Raleigh was behind the bar refilling some drinks when she heard her father talking to someone.

"I told Jenni to order more of these two weeks ago! I swear since Raleigh left I haven't been able to get anyone competent in here to replace her. I should just do all the inventory and ordering myself."

"That's not fair to you. If Jenni can't keep up with the pace of her job then you should let her go." Raleigh recognized her oldest brother's voice.

"It's not that simple." Raleigh felt herself flinching at her father's words. She hadn't felt guilty about leaving in a long time and she knew who it was they were talking about. Jenni Balors was the granddaughter of someone her mother respected and owed a lot of favors to. No wonder it wasn't just as easy as saying "you're fired." Still, she didn't like seeing her dad so aggravated.

"I can go on a supply run, Dad." Keith looked over his shoulder, surprise on his face that someone had heard their conversation.

"No you don't, Raleigh. Get Dan for me. I'll send him." Raleigh looked at him for a moment, knowing he was choosing to send Dan because he was the weakest waiter on at the moment. Nodding, she grabbed the drinks she had just refilled and after dropping them off at the correct table she interrupted Dan as he waited on a couple that he'd just been seating.

"Hi, I'm sorry to interrupt." She smiled at the customers then turned to Dan. "Dad wants to talk to you. He's in back. I'll cover your tables."

"Ok." He gave his pad of paper that he'd been writing the order on and went to speak to Keith.

The cafe was beginning to die down a little and all of Raleigh's tables
were doing fine or were empty, so she busied herself with cleaning the counter top. She was concentrating especially hard on trying to get a stubborn grease stain up when someone flicked her in the ear. Her immediate reaction was to punch the culprit so she swung blindly as she turned, unable to hide her smugness when her fist collided with Josh's arm.

"Ow. That hurt."

"Good. Take your childish games elsewhere." Raleigh noted how bored her
voice sounded as she turned back to the stain.

"I just needed to get your attention." He laughed in his delight at how
easy it was to aggravate her.

"Because calling my name is just too simple, right?"

"Indeed. Mrs. Riley asked me to get you for her." Raleigh swallowed a groan as she fought not to roll her eyes.

"What does the old bag want now?" She mumbled under her breath as she
handed her rag over to him. Mrs. Riley really was a sweet old lady but she insisted upon walking down memory lane every time Raleigh came home. While it was great to reminisce in certain memories, others were completely off-limits, and it was the off-limits memories she liked to bring up. No doubt this wouldn't be any different.

"Hi Mrs. Riley. Is there something I can do for you?" She smiled at the
woman, making her face a perfect mask of happiness.

"Oh Raleigh, dear, sit down with me."

"Uh, all right, but only for a minute. I have tables I need to wait on."
Raleigh reluctantly sat down beside Mrs. Riley who took one of her hands in between her own aged ones. She leaned in close as if she were about to tell her a secret.

"So tell me, how is Los Angeles?" Really? This is what she wanted to talk about? Raleigh thought to herself.

"Um, it's really nice...in parts. I haven't been there as much as I would like but I love living there."

"Do you think you're ever going to move back?"

"Yes. Pretty soon actually." She allowed herself to be honest.

"Oh good! We miss you around here. I remember coming here to hear you sing every Saturday and Sunday. It would be nice to be able to do that again."

"It would be. I do miss this cafe and the people who frequent it most of
all." Here it comes, she thought. The forbidden topic.

"Do you remember those time that you and Josh would sing duets on that
stage? And now both of you, touring the world. You have everything you ever wanted." Raleigh just smiled. What could she say? "I wonder, since both of you are here tonight..." Oh Lord here it comes..."Would you do this old woman the honor of performing again?"

"Oh I don't think so, Mrs. Riley. I really need to get back to work." She began to pull her hand away and stand up when she tightened her grip.

"Oh please, Raleigh? I'm really getting up there in years you know. Who
knows when you'll both be home next? Who knows if I'll still be around next time..." She let her voice fade. Raleigh looked into the woman's huge blue eyes that were slightly teared up. How was she supposed to tell her no when she guilted her like that? It wasn't even remotely fair. How was she supposed to go up on that stage and sing a duet with Josh like they did when they were nothing but kids? Was she supposed to pretend like nothing had ever happened?

Raleigh tore her gaze away from Mrs. Riley's and met Josh's blue eyes
across the room. He had a knowing look on his face and a slight smirk
turned up a corner of his mouth. He'd put the old woman up to this. Either that, or he knew what she'd wanted when she asked him to fetch Raleigh.

He had her right where he wanted her. That son of a bitch.

"I'm really sorry Mrs. Riley, but..."

"Oh come now. People won't mind that their food may take a little extra
time coming out. They'll be glad to see you up on that stage again. And I know Josh won't mind. He's still such a sweet boy." I'll just bet he
wouldn't mind.

"He already agreed, hasn't he?"

"Yes." She smiled up at Raleigh, knowing fully well that she couldn't say no to her.

Raleigh sighed, defeated, and looked back at Josh. "Fine. Just give me a
couple minutes, ok?"

"Sure." Raleigh stalked away from the old woman right up to Josh. She
grabbed him by the arm and pulled him into the back hallway where they
wouldn't have an audience.

"What the hell are you playing at?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about! What, you think getting me up on that stage with you will bring back all these memories and make me realize that it's really you I want to be with? Well, I've got news for you. I am marrying Dan in October and there's nothing, NOTHING you can do to change it. I'm going to go up there and sing with you because I don't want to upset Mrs. Riley. But make no mistake, this won't be happening again." She turned away from him, just missing the grim determination as it passed over his face. This wasn't over for him, not by a long shot. He wasn't one to give up so easily. If she was that bothered by him getting her to sing with him again then that meant there was still something there. He still had hope.

Josh went up on stage and tested the karaoke equipment, unsure of the last time it was used. With relief it turned on without difficulty and he was able to quickly gain the attention of the customers.

"Hello everyone. As most of you know, my name is JC, or as to those I grew up with, Josh. And I received a request from the very lovely Mrs. Riley that Raleigh and I perform a duet." There were a few hollers from the crowd and Raleigh recognized them as the regulars. She suddenly felt a slight twinge of stage-fright for the first time since...well she couldn't remember when as she joined him on stage.

Josh handed her a microphone and asked her if she was all right as he began the music.

"Not even close." She growled at him, to which he just laughed.

As the begging chords of the song floated through the air, Raleigh rolled her eyes. It would just figure he'd pick this song for them to sing. Taking a breath, Raleigh began to sing their favorite song as children.

I hear the ticking of the clock
I'm lying here the room's pitch dark
I wonder where you are tonight
No answer on the telephone
And the night goes by so very slow
Oh I hope it won't end all
Alone

As Josh joined in as back up for the chorus, Raleigh began to get into the song, losing herself in the familiar beat.

Till now I always got by on my own
I never really cared until I met you
And now it chills me to the bone
How do I get you alone
How do I get you alone

Raleigh couldn't help it. As Josh stepped forward and began singing his lines, her eyes were glued to his every move. The way he'd move his head back and forth as he sang the words, the way he'd lean slightly forward, leaning his weight onto his foot that stood in front of him. It was like watching him deliver his best man speech all over again. He was absolutely captivating. He reached for her hand and she automatically felt hers move to take his in return.

You don't know how long I have wanted
to touch your lips and hold you tight, yeah
You don't know how long I have waited
and I was gonna tell you tonight
But the secret is still my own
and my love for you is still unknown
Alone

She joined him in the last chorus and Josh knew he was smiling a bit smugly. She could deny it all she wanted, blame the music, her passion for performing, but he knew the truth just as completely as it was planted on her face. It wasn't over between them. They had too much history, too much chemistry, as cheesy as that sounded. But it was true. He'd encountered many women over the years, but not one of them had captivated him even for a single moment like Raleigh did. She was hypnotizing as she moved. Her lilac eyes would lock on his and he couldn't make himself look away, though why he would want to he had no clue.

When she'd taken his hand as he offered it, he couldn't lie and say her touch hadn't affected him. Sure they'd touched since they'd been thrust back into each other's lives, but this was different. More intimate somehow. The way their fingers intertwined, the feel of her smooth hand upon his own, the heat between their skin...it was almost too much to bear. And if Dan hadn't chosen that exact moment to walk back into the café and look up at them in pure shock, he probably would have kissed her, not giving a damn what she did in reaction.

Till now I always got by on my own
I never really cared until I met you
And now it chills me to the bone
How do I get you alone
How do I get you alone

How do I get you alone
How do I get you alone

Alone, alone

As they finished the song, hands still entwined, Josh returned Raleigh's large smile before they turned to the crowd and bowed. Josh could tell Raleigh hadn't noticed Dan return from his supply run when the smile dropped from her face and she yanked her hand away from his. He hid his disappointment as best as he could. So that's how it was? She would enjoy herself with him until the fiancé returned? He knew that meant she would be friends with him, but not closely.

That just wasn't good enough for him.

He smiled at the customers once more before quickly moving off the stage and grabbing his waiter's apron. He'd been having the time of his life on that stage and Dan had to come back and ruin it, yet again.

"Always in the way." He grumbled to himself. Shaking the foul mood away for now, Josh went back to waiting on his tables as Raleigh did the same.

"So? How was it, Mrs. Riley?" Josh smiled tenderly at the older woman. He'd always had a soft spot for her. She reached up and patted him gently on the cheek.

"It was wonderful. Thank you honey. You and Raleigh were made to sing together."

He let out a slight laugh. "You should tell her that." He hadn't meant for the words to sound so sad as he'd said them. Mrs. Riley just smiled knowingly.

"I'm sure she knows that too. She's just a little lost right now. Give her some time. You just came back into her life." Josh leaned forward and gave her a gentle hug.

"Thank you, Mrs. Riley."

"Nonsense." Was all she said as she stood to leave. "You come visit me again before you go back to New York."

"I will. I promise."

The night quickly came to a close as Raleigh dreaded what was to come. She'd felt Dan's eyes on her ever since he'd come back to see her up on stage with Josh. She understood why it bothered him so much, but that tiny voice was subdued by the much louder voice yelling at her that he was trying to be controlling, and that was pissing her off. She'd never seen him jealous until they'd come home for the wedding. After everything that had happened with her and Josh getting stuck together during the storm that day, she'd admitted to herself that it wouldn't be so bad having him back in her life - as a friend and nothing more - but was this what it would be like with her fiancé? Would her friendship with her ex-boyfriend put such a strain on the relationship with Dan that he would be constantly scowling in the background? Picking apart every little thing that went on between them? She couldn't deal with that. She loved Dan and didn't want to risk losing him to his jealousy. But she also wanted Josh's friendship back. She'd missed him more than she would ever admit aloud.

The last of the customers had left, along with Raleigh's parents and most of the employees leaving only Raleigh, Dan, Josh, Nick and Bobbie there cleaning. All of which were on the floor, so Raleigh turned and headed to her father's office, knowing Dan wasn't far behind. She wasn't disappointed. Not even a minute later Dan appeared in the doorway. She stood there, body rigid, arms crossed, hip sticking out as she leaned her weight onto her left foot. She didn't speak, waiting for what he wanted to say.

He seemed to pick his words carefully. "You looked like you were having fun up there when I walked in."

"I was." He nodded at her simple answer, as if reading more into it than there was. Finally he sighed, giving into what he really wanted to say.

"Ray..."

"Don't. I don't want to hear it. I know you don't like the idea of me hanging out with him again, but it's just as a friend. That's it. We're leaving to go back to the city in two days so why are you so worried?"

"I'm not."

"Don't lie to me." Dan stood there in the doorway, just looking at her. She could tell there was so much he wanted to say on the subject but he wouldn't. He knew he'd already pissed her off and didn't want to go much farther. A few moments passed in silence. It was finally broken by a shout from Bobbie.

"Yo! Dan! Al's here. You coming?"

"Be right there!" Dan called back, his eyes still staring into Raleigh's, as if asking permission to go.

"Go. I've closed up alone before, I'll be fine." The tone in her voice told Dan not to argue with her. She didn't really want to be near him right now and that hurt. But he also knew if he gave her some time she'd get over it, so he relented.

"I'll see you later."

"Have fun." She gave him a slight smile and he knew the worst of the non-fight was over.

Raleigh watched Dan leave the office and she let out an audible sigh. What the hell was wrong with her? She'd seen the hurt on his face when she basically dismissed him, yet she didn't care. Nothing got under her skin worse than a controlling man and no matter who she'd been with, that part of them always seemed to come out when Josh was nearby. What was it about him that made guys uneasy? Yes, obviously they had a long, complicated past, but that was then. Why couldn't everyone just let it go? She had.

Shaking her head, Raleigh pulled her iPod out of her purse and plugged in her headphones. She turned on some angry metal and turned the volume up so she could tune everything out - including her own thoughts.

~*~


Josh had just said goodbye to Raleigh's brothers and fiancé, not allowing himself to be bothered by the look Dan had cast at him over his shoulder as he walked out. He'd been invited along by Bobbie, and as much as Dan disliked him, he knew he would have rathered he come along than be alone with Raleigh. Which was precisely the reason he hadn't agreed to go. This was too good of an opportunity to get Raleigh alone to pass up. She was always on guard when he tried to speak with her, always watching her words because she was afraid someone would hear. Now, with no one around to hear what was said, he hoped Raleigh would speak openly with him again. After the cussing out he was sure she was going to give him, of course.

Josh put away his mop and grabbed two beers out of the refrigerator before setting out to find Raleigh. He found her in the employee bathroom, mopping the floor. Madly dancing around and singing along to her iPod. He recognized the song as Coheed and Cambria's Welcome Home. It was a favorite of hers.

He knew he probably should have made his presence known but he was having too much fun watching her sing into her mop handle in between head bangs.

Leaning against the wall, Josh looked over her profile, appreciating the tight jeans and tank top that had ridden up while she danced, exposing the tight skin of her waist. He could see the top of her tattoo on her lower back, remembering the first time he'd seen it. Allowing his eyes to roam further north, he noticed her hair had been twisted up, away from her neck which now bore a single Chinese symbol. He wondered how long she'd had that tattoo and what it meant. Did she regret any of them? Did she still have her piercings? He found himself suddenly wondering about these little trivial facts about her and the fact that he didn't know the answers bothered him, much more than he thought possible. There was a time that he'd known every tiny detail about her. Now it seemed suddenly more real than ever that she wasn't a part of his life anymore, nor was he a part of hers.

He was going to be in her life again, he vowed to himself. He needed her to be in his. Now that he'd allowed her back in, he couldn't imagine going back to life in New York and acting as though nothing had changed. As though he didn't hate the life he'd created for himself. She'd always been the very best part of him, and as selfish as it was, he needed her to realize it too.

Pushing off the wall, Josh held both beers with one hand, and extended the other to lightly touched the back of Raleigh's neck. He found himself laughing, yet again, as she let out a yelp of surprise and turned around. She rolled her eyes and pulled her headphones out of her ears.

"Jesus, Josh. Would you stop doing that? One of these times I'm gonna have a heart attack."

"I'm sorry." He held up the beer as a peace offering. "Here, come have a drink with me." He motioned back to the restaurant area with a jerk of his head. Raleigh plopped her mop back into the bucket and took the offered drink, following Josh back up front.

"I thought you were going out with my brothers?" She asked wearily as she took a sip of her beer followed quickly by a larger gulp.

"Ray, think about what you just asked. There was only one person in that group that can stand me."

"I guess you're right. Still, you didn't have to stay here to clean."

"I didn't stay here to clean. I stayed here so I could get you alone." He told her honestly, looking into her eyes.

"Josh," she sighed his name, looking away from him uncomfortably.

"Ray. We can't be friends?"

"We can be friends. I just don't want you to delude yourself into believing there's anything more than that."

"You don't have to worry about that." For now, he finished silently in his mind. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, he knew there was more there than just friendship. Much, much more. Reaching for the deck of cards Josh had stashed in his pocket before searching out Raleigh, Josh held them in front of her face. Arching an eyebrow he asked, "So, gin or crazy eights?"

"Like you have to ask." she laughed, taking another drink of her beer.

"War it is." He shook his head as he dealt out the entire deck between them.


Raleigh didn't know how long they'd sat there talking, drinking, and playing cards. Or when exactly she'd decided to turn on a local radio station that played only classic rock - their favorite genre - but she did know that she was having a lot of fun. She found herself laughing at Josh's lame jokes, sharing a smile with him at old memories, and getting excited every time he let her win the current game they were playing. They were both a few beers in and she was feeling giddy, so much so that she began snorting when she laughed - something she was pretty sure she hadn't done since she was seventeen years old.

There were so many times she would swear up and down that he would bring out the worst in her, a person she hated, and it was true. Nobody could get her as angry as he could. But he also brought out the best in her. Try as she might, she couldn't hide the fact that she enjoyed hanging out with him tonight. Though she could easily blame it on the alcohol she'd consumed, but that would be a lie. The truth was he was still so much like the Josh she remembered being so close to for the vast majority of her life, she felt like she had a hole in her gut when she forced herself to ignore or avoid him. As corny as it sounded, she felt like a part of her was missing for the past five years, a part that had just come, unexpectedly, back into her life.

She'd originally thought it would be easy going home for this trip. She knew she'd have to face Josh - he was the best man, she was the maid of honor, how could she not? - but never did she expect to miss him so completely. As selfish as it was, she found herself secretly enjoying the fact that he'd been so miserable without her. She knew how horrible of a person that made her, enjoying someone's misery, but it wasn't so much his misery as it was the fact that she was it for him.

She wasn't completely immune to him as she'd made Dan and everyone else believe over the years. She would occasionally hear a radio interview with him in her car, one of his songs, catch glimpses of him on the TV and every time they mentioned some rumor or another about a girlfriend or a fling, she found herself slightly jealous. It wasn't like she wanted to be with him again, because she didn't. She was engaged to Daniel and she was madly in love with him. But for some reason she didn't want Josh to forget her and his being with someone else made her feel like he had.

How hypocritical. She could enjoy being with another man but he could never be with another woman?

She tried telling herself it was just the types of women he socialized with. The Erin types. The unintelligent, scantily clad women that wanted nothing more than his money and his name attached to theirs. He deserved better than those girls, much better, she'd tell herself. But then that would lead back to her feeling sickeningly satisfied that he hadn‘t found someone better.

God, how she hated herself for that.

She would be his friend from here on out, she'd decided. She would be there for him when he needed her, she would listen to him like she used to, and they would hang out occasionally when they had nothing else to do. But that was all. She felt the slight pang of possessiveness towards him, but she noticed the romantic link between them was gone. Perhaps she was ignoring it, denying its existence, but she could finally allow herself the friendship she'd shied away from for so long for fear of falling back into the trap he unknowingly sets for her.

"Yes! Victory is mine yet again. What is that? Seven to two?" Raleigh knew he was letting her win but she would never admit that to him.

"Your poker skills have gotten better." She flashed him a giddy smile and took a sip of beer as a familiar song came over the speakers. She made a sound of happy surprise and jumped up from her chair.

"Do you remember this song?" She asked, excited.

"Of course I remember this song, it's a classic." Josh laughed as she turned the volume up.

"No not because it's a classic, idiot." She rolled her eyes.

He paused for a moment, taking in her appearance as she danced and jumped around. How could he ever forget this song's meaning? "Summer of ‘95."

"That's right! The summer of the best road trip ever!" Josh couldn't watch her dance around anymore so he stood up and joined her.

Josh had just turned sixteen, the first in their group, and he'd already been driving for months with his dad so he was able to get his license immediately. They were all excited so they'd decided to take a little road trip to Charlotte for a concert. They thought it would be the adventure of a lifetime, a trip to remember all their lives. And it had been, but for a different reason. A trip that was supposed to have taken about nine hours ended up taking much longer. They'd made it as far as Atlanta when the car they'd borrowed from Josh's cousin decided to die. They found themselves stranded in a city none of them had ever been to before, with not nearly enough money to get the car fixed. The only option they had was to miss the concert and call one of their parents to pick them up - something none of them wanted to do.

They'd walked around the city for a few hours, deciding on what course of action to take, laughing at how their plans for an amazing trip had turned sour in a matter of minutes. They somehow had managed to make their own fun, nonetheless, in stores and at parks, documenting everything with Raleigh's camera. She remembered saying to Carly that she had never laughed as hard as she did that day. When they made their way back towards the shop where the car was sitting, they passed the bar district where business was beginning to pick up. It was only nine-thirty, but one of the local bars - Dwyer's Pub - was already packed. They'd planned on just walking by, not giving it a second thought, they were underage after all, but a sign in the window had caught Carly's eye and she stopped them. The sign read "Karaoke Tonight: Keep all tips made." Given how many people were inside, Justin thought, if Josh and Raleigh sang, they could get enough money to fix the car and still make it to the concert the following night. Josh protested, they weren't old enough to even go inside. But somehow Justin bargained with the bouncer, getting him to let them all in.

They'd planned on singing two separate songs and pooling their tips, but Carly said she thought they'd be able to get more if they sang together. So they did. In honor of the concert they were headed to, Josh and Raleigh did a duet to Journey's Don't Stop Believing and had somehow managed to make more than enough money for the car. It felt like something straight out of a corny movie but they'd had the time of their lives that night.

When they'd gone home the day after the concert, Raleigh was terrified. Her mother had told her not go, that if she left not to even think about coming back. She'd disliked her and Josh's relationship from day one for some reason and never forgave her for going on that trip with him when she was only fourteen years old. It was reckless and stupid and God only knew what she'd do in a hotel room with "that boy." She spoke of him as if he were a juvenile delinquent, and never mind that two other people would be there as well.

Raleigh had never been able to remember when it was that her mother had lost trust in her, but thinking back on it now, she realized it was that weekend that had done it. She'd defied her mother before that many times, but their relationship had never recovered after that trip. But Raleigh couldn't bring herself to care much. It was one of her greatest memories.

When the song ended and Raleigh found herself in Josh's arms, faces inches apart, all thought stopped.

He knew he could have kissed her then. Maybe he probably should have. He didn't think she would have protested, but that's not how he'd wanted it to be. So he let her go. She stepped out of his hold and averted her eyes, running her hand through her hair. He knew she was about to say something that would end their night and he wasn't ready for that to happen yet, so he blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"Come for a walk with me." She looked at him for a few moments, all the time the war inside her head showing on her face. Should she or shouldn't she? Eventually she smiled and nodded.

"Okay."

**Song used - Alone by Kristen Chenoweth and Matthew Morrison

Her feet dangled off the edge, resting on the ground and she slowly started moving the merry-go-round. She felt it shift slightly as her companion lied down on the opposite side, their heads side by side. She listened to him as he tried to catch his breath.

"I don't know how you never got sick on this thing." He said to her, his breathing returning to normal.

"I love it. It makes me feel free."

He let out a laugh. "You've been saying that since you were six."

"Well, it still holds true today."

They lay like that for a while, just staring up at the stars, rotating on the wheel. Raleigh hadn't felt so peaceful in a long time.

She didn't know what had made them come here, but she was glad she had. They had been walking for a while, exactly how long she wasn't sure, when they passed the playground and she felt this bubble of excitement build inside of her. She'd grabbed Josh's hand and dragged him along as she ran towards the merry-go-round she'd grown up on. Maybe it was the thrill of spinning in circles until you got so dizzy you couldn't stand anymore, or maybe it was the fact that she'd been feeling so much like a grown-up lately that she just needed something to make her feel like a kid again, even if for just a few minutes. Riding the merry-go-round gave her that. Feeling the familiar sensation of wind through her hair, Raleigh could remember being a child and if she closed her eyes, it would feel like she was flying. A sensation she'd only ever felt one other time. But that was a time she didn't allow herself to think about.

Opening her eyes, Raleigh looked up to the stars once again. A single cloud passed by, covering the moon and washing she and Josh in darkness for an instant that felt much longer. She didn't know why, but for some reason the moment of darkness brought up old memories of a darker time in her life. Something, she realized, that came up whenever she had been drinking. Swallowing old emotions from that time of her life, Raleigh took a deep breath.

"I miss this." Her voice was just a whisper on the wind, but she knew Josh hear it as clear as if she'd yelled it.

"I miss it too." The sentence ended sounding as though he wanted to say something else but he didn't continue.

"I've been thinking about leaving LA and moving back here. Buying my own home."

"Why? You have a gigantic house in LA."

"I know, and I love it. But it's Daniel's, not mine. I mean, it is gorgeous and all, but it's not exactly the type of house I imagined myself in." There was a slight pause followed by Josh laughing. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing." Josh groaned as he sat up and got off the merry-go-round. Raleigh sat up and turned to look at him. "Come on. I want to show you something." Raleigh raised an eyebrow at him in question but went along with it. His surprises were usually good.

"So what's on the agenda for you next? Another album? Another tour?"

"No, actually we decided to take some time off for a few months."

"Oh? Why? Life as a superstar not all it's cracked up to be?" Josh snickered.

"You tell me." She said to him, her voice flat. "Is stardom everything you thought it would be? Not that you ever actually dreamed about being the big popstar that you are."

"You sound resentful." He observed.

"No, not at all. I just mean that I worked at it my entire life and then one day, here comes JC Chasez. The next big thing." All he did was nod, what that meant she had no clue so she remained silent, unsure of what to say.

"So," Josh started, breaking the silence. "Your band is fine with taking a break and you moving back here?"

"The plan was for us to move back here before the wedding but I've been thinking about it and I think it would be better if we just waited until my contract was up. Then we wouldn't have to worry about going back to LA for the final record."

"Wait, what?"

"What?" Raleigh's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she went over what she'd just said. She didn't find anything wrong in her words.

"Just like that? You've been working at this career your entire life and after having it for only four years you're going to quit? Kick your bandmates, who have been there with you through everything, to the curb?" Raleigh finally understood why he was suddenly so angry with her so she tried to diffuse the situation.

"I'm not quitting I'm just not renewing my contract right away. After the wedding we'll go back into the studio and record our final album for this contract, prepare our final tour and when that's over we'll take a year or two off. I'm not leading them into this blindly. We've been talking about it."

"And Dan knows about your plans no doubt?"

"I don't need Dan's permission. Its my life." Her prior irritation at her fiancé bubbled to the surface.

"Well, soon its going be plural. I doubt that I'm the only thing he gets angry about in your life."

"Oh, are you in my life?"

"I'd like to think so.

"Mm." Was all she said. Indeed he was back in her life but she wasn't about to inform him just how much he was back in her life. She was working hard to make him think she was indifferent to his presence and would be thoroughly upset if all that hard work was for nothing.

"So where are you taking me now?"

Josh just turned to her, gave her his devilish half-grin and said, "You'll see."

They continued to walk for another half hour or so, Raleigh completely oblivious to where they were or where they were headed. She found herself lost in the conversation, being drawn into his words. She felt herself laughing and feeling carefree, not giving the time a second thought.

Eventually they came to a stop and Raleigh made herself look at her surroundings. "Where are we?" She asked. Then she noticed the large, foreboding black gate only mere feet in front of them and she knew exactly where Josh had taken her. Her heart began pounding in excitement she hadn't felt since she was sixteen years old. Could she go through with it this time?

"The Wate Plantation?" Raleigh looked at him and knew exactly what he saw in her eyes. The thrilling excitement of adventure, an adventure she'd never had the nerve to take before. She had dragged Carly and Josh to the plantation so many times only to wuss out the moment they got to the gate.

"I thought you could use an adventure." Josh said to her, as if reading her thoughts. He grabbed her hand and began leading her to the gate. He only made it a few inches before she firmly planted her feet on the ground, pulling him to a stop.

"Josh, wait!" She whispered.

"Oh no, Ray. You are not wimping out this time. Come on, I'll give you a boost over the wall." He began pulling her towards the wall to the left, meeting little resistance from her. He knew she was scared of the plantation because of all the stories they'd grown up hearing, but he also knew she wanted to do this just as much as he did. All she needed was that extra push to go through with it.

"It's dark out Josh! We don't even have any flashlights. With how old that house is we could fall through the floor and break our necks!" She hissed at him to which he only laughed.

"Its a full moon, Ray and there are a lot of windows. It won't be as dark as you think." Once he got to the wall, Josh let go of Raleigh's hand and crouched down, putting his hands together to give her a boost. "Come on." He watched Raleigh bite her lip in thought. Should she or shouldn't she? For a moment he was afraid logic would win out once again, but just as he was about to give up, a mischievous grin lit up her face and she stepped on his hands, pulling herself over the wall. She waited as Josh ran and jumped
at the wall, pulling himself over and landing with a thud. Raleigh laughed and helped him off the ground before really looking around her. She'd never been on this side of the gate before. There were trees everywhere and Raleigh could just see the top of the plantation over them.

"It's still empty, right?"

"You know nobody has lived in it since the war." Josh grabbed her hand again and led the way through the trees to the dark house.

"That's because its haunted. Nobody wants to live with a vengeful spirit!"

"You watch too many horror movies." Josh chuckled, continuing to lead the
way.

The pull the Wate Plantation had on everyone was simply the fact that it was so old and hadn't been lived in since the civil war era. The story was that old man Wate was the descendant of a long line of Wates and he died in the plantation with no children of his own to take care of it. Since it was during the war, people were fleeing the south so the house had never been put up for sale. Ever since stories of people seeing old man Wate's ghost at the plantation scared off potential buyers. They would say he remained behind, protecting the house, preserving its memory and he would chase off anyone who stepped on his property. This alone made Raleigh want to go to the plantation and poke around when they were kids, but as soon as they got close she would lose her nerve. But now that Josh had made her cross the threshold, she wasn't leaving until she finally got to see inside. He no longer had to pull her along, she was ready to move on her own.

Once they made it to the front porch, they hesitated. Could the old wood hold their weight? Josh stepped forward and lightly placed his foot on the bottom step and slowly added weight to it. The wood creaked but didn't give out so he slowly went up the stairs and across the porch to the door. When he made it safely, Raleigh joined him by the door.

"So...what? You plan on just turning the handle and it being unlocked?"

"No, actually I planned on knocking and having Old man Wate let us in."

"That's not funny!" Josh laughed and turned towards a window to the right of the door."

"This window is open a little. I can try to push it the rest of the way up."

"Breaking and entering is a crime, Josh. Maybe we should go back." He stopped trying to push up the window without breaking the fragile glass and looked at her.

"You wanna go back? Fine. This was never my idea growing up anyway." He stepped away from the window and walked past her. "Where did the fun Raleigh go?" He was down the stairs before she gave in and called him back.

"Okay. Okay! Fine. Just open the window." Josh turned around and gave her a wicked grin and she knew. She'd just been played.

"Jackass." She muttered, watching as he jimmied the window open.

When it was finally high enough for them to squeeze through, Josh went in and helped Raleigh through.

Looking around the room they were in, Raleigh couldn't tell exactly what it was. It looked like a sitting room or a bar but she wasn't sure. She was amazed that all of the old furniture was still there, covered by sheets that were layered in dust and cobwebs.

"Wow." She whispered to the still air around her. She was afraid to speak any louder or to even move. Not for fear of falling through the floor but of disturbing this piece of history. Raleigh took a few steps into the room when she heard a low clicking noise and saw a beam of light come from behind her. Turning around she saw that Josh had pulled a tiny black flashlight out of his pocket and was now shining it around the room. "Nice of you to hold out on me."

"What?" He shrugged innocently as he began moving about the room with her in tow. "I think this would be considered the saloon." He said when they came upon an old fashioned bar, still fully stocked with empty bottles. They assumed the liquor had all evaporated from how long they had sat there unused.

"Could you imagine living here? This place is amazing." Raleigh said in wonder as they wandered from room to room. All the furniture and little knick-knacks remained completely untouched throughout the house.

When they made it to the ballroom, Raleigh left Josh's side and stood in the middle of the large dance floor, looking around wondrously.

"This room is amazing. Can you imagine the parties they must have thrown here? The balls this house must have seen."

Josh smiled, watching as she spun around, dancing in the middle of the room, swaying to a beat only she could hear. Her eyes were closed and he was sure she was picturing this house in its prime. Women dressed in elegant ball gowns on the arms of the most respected men. Stories about the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries were like fairytales to her.

Stepping away from the doorway, Josh put the flashlight in his pocket and slowly walked up to Raleigh. His hand behind his back, with a bow he asked for a dance.

"Miss Raleigh, may I have this dance." Smiling, Raleigh placed her hand delicately in his, giving him a curtsey.

"You may."

John spun her around before placing his other hand on her waist as she placed hers on his shoulder. And together they began swaying to the beat Josh began to hum aloud.

They danced for only a minute or two before they heard a loud crashing noise, halting their movements.

"What was that?" Raleigh whispered frantically.

"I think we woke up Old Man Wate." Josh laughed.

"That's not funny." Raleigh tried to run away but Josh grabbed her around the waist, pulling her back into him.

"Shh." They stood there in each others' arms for a moment, just listening to the silence, when suddenly another crash sounded, closer. Raleigh's grip on his arms tightened, nails digging into his skin, and he could swear he could feel her pounding heart.

"Josh, let's go!" Her whisper was barely audible through her fear. They waited another few moments when a loud meow cut the silence and they saw a cat run through the doorway. It stopped to looked at them before continuing on its merry way. Raleigh was finally able to relax and let out a laugh at how scared she had been. "Just a cat."

"Ray?"

"Yeah?"

"You can retract your claws now." She looked down at his arm and noticed she was still clutching at him. Yanking her arm back, she took a few small steps away from him.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay." She could hear the laughter in his voice.

"I'd swear you take delight in me being scared out of my mind."

"Nah, that would make me a freak."

"You are a freak."

"And what does that make you for having been with me for so long?"

"Shut up." Despite herself, Raleigh laughed as she shoved him playfully before heading out of the ballroom and back to the grand staircase. She was dying to see the upstairs. "Do you think it'll hold?"

"Only one way to find out." Josh shrugged then ran up the stairs, turning once he reached the top. "Guess so!" He said before turning to the left and running up those stairs, disappearing behind a wall.

"The boy is definitely a freak." Raleigh muttered to herself as she climbed the staircase. Taking the same left turn at the top, Raleigh wove in and out of rooms trying to find where he went. She called out his name but there was no answer. If he tried to scare her again she swore she was going to kill him.

She eventually gave up the search and continued to look around the old house, enjoying imagining it as it must have looked when it was new. She could picture women dressed in the gowns of the mid eighteen-hundreds walking up and down the hallways, speaking in old English, addressing each other as sir or madam. She wished she could turn the hands of time back and be a part of it all.

She turned into another bedroom that was more than double the size of hers and went to the window. She had a perfect view of the town washed completely in moonlight. For the first time since they'd left the café, Raleigh wondered what time it was. It had to be getting late and yet she didn't care. She was having too much fun to really care about anything.

Looking down to where the Plantation's lawn met the sidewalk on the other side of the wall, Raleigh could picture her sixteen year-old self so easily standing there, looking up at the towering house. She remembered the last time she'd stood there and the promise that Josh had made her. Did he remember it too?

"Ray, wait up!"

"Come on, Josh!"

"I don't know why you're in such a hurry to see a house you've seen hundreds of times." Josh muttered under his breath, catching up with her at the gate.

"You know why." She replied, hands clutching at the bars on the gate, large violet eyes taking in the enormous house she'd loved all her life. Josh wrapped his arms around her waist and nestled his face in the crook of her neck, breathing in her scent.

"One day Ray. One day I'm going to buy this house and fix it all up for you. It'll have everything you've ever wanted. A dance studio, a recording studio...everything."

Raleigh let go of the gate and leaned into Josh's embrace. "Promise?"

"I promise." Raleigh was quiet for a moment and Josh knew something was bothering her. He was sure he knew what that something was, but he asked anyway. "You ok?"

"I'm scared." She admitted finally.

"It's just a house, Ray." He tried to joke.

"Not of the house. I'm afraid of the end of summer and what its going to mean."

Josh wrapped his arms around her tighter, wishing he could pull her into himself and protect her from the hurt he knew the end of summer would bring. "Ray, there's nothing to be afraid of. Me going away to school isn't going to change anything. The way I feel about you...it's not something space and time can erase. I'll love you forever." He placed a kiss at her temple and felt her lean into it.

"Promise?" She asked once more. The despair in her voice made Josh look her in the eye as he once again said,

"I promise." Raleigh reached up and kissed him, wishing the end of summer didn't have to come. But she chose to trust him that nothing was going to change between them. She truly believed from that day on that they would be together forever.

She only wished she hadn't been so wrong.

Raleigh felt herself start out of her memories when she felt two arms wrap around her waist. Knowing they could only belong to Josh, she relaxed, wrapping her own around his rather than removing them from her waist - something she knew she should have done.

"There you are. I've been looking for you." She felt his chin rest on her shoulder as he gazed out the window, trying to see what she saw still.

"I gave up looking for you a while ago and decided to give myself a tour."

"I'm impressed." They stood like that for a moment before Josh asked, "What were you thinking about just now? You seemed like you were concentrating very hard."

"I was thinking about the last time we stood on that sidewalk." She blurted out before she could even think to stop herself, but she didn't care. She felt carefree tonight and she didn't want to ruin that.

"Oh." He let out a slight chuckle. "So much for promises, huh?" Apparently he did remember.

"It was an impossible promise to keep." Raleigh turned her head slightly to look at him and was met with his face right in front of her own. She couldn't help it, her eyes immediately drifted downward and found his lips, and for the tiniest second she wondered what it would be like to kiss him again.

She felt as though she were in a daze. Like everything was happening in slow motion. She saw him leaning towards her and for a moment she wanted to let him, to allow herself to fill her curiosity. But at the last second she turned her head away and stepped out of his arms.

"It's getting late. I should get going."

"All right. I'll walk you home." Raleigh nodded and headed back into the hallway to find her way out of the large house, all the while noticing that Josh was keeping a safe distance behind her.

She knew she was going to pretend that nothing had happened, which technically it hadn't. But at the same time, she knew everything happened. Everything changed in the few hours they'd spent together tonight and there was no way she was going to be able to deny it.

Maybe it was best if she and Dan went back to LA early. Perhaps the decision she'd made 5 years ago was right. She should avoid him at all costs. If she didn't she knew she'd get herself into trouble once again. She wasn't ready to ruin her relationship eith Dan over him. She loved and respected him too much to hurt him like that.

Slowly coming to a state of consciousness, Raleigh remained unmoving for as long as she could, entirely too comfortable as she lay in her bed. She listened to the sound of the morning birds chirping outside her window, smelled the scent of Daniel's coffee as it finished brewing. But then the realization finally hit her that she was no longer at her home in Tennessee and her eyes slowly opened, a feeling of homesickness washing over her. She'd known it was going to be hard going home for the wedding, but she never expected it to be so difficult to leave. The week and a half they'd spent in her home town suddenly seemed unreal, as if she'd dreamt everything that had happened. A dream that was slowly beginning to fade away. She didn't want to lose those memories. In fact, if she were honest, she wanted to keep making those memories.

She truth was, she didn't want to be back in LA. She didn't want to be waking up in this bed surrounded by the extravagance of their home. She wanted to be waking up in her frilly pink bed surrounded by her awful floral wallpaper and her gaudy cheerleading trophies. She wanted to be home. When had this stopped feeling like home to her?

Sighing, Raleigh slowly rolled out of bed and walked over to her window, overlooking the large backyard. The view she had of the land from the back of their house was amazing. She could first see the patio, then the pool and hot tub, followed by a large yard. The guest house sat at the edge of the property where the gate stood, which opened up to a large expanse of trees. It was all so exquisite and yet all she could do was compare it to the view she had from her own bedroom back in Shelby.

It had only been a week, but she wanted to go home.

Letting out another sigh, Raleigh turned away from the window and the view it offered and grabbed her robe, slipping it on she headed downstairs to make herself something to eat.

Upon entering the kitchen, Raleigh noticed only one thing. Dan was getting ready to leave for the office again. The first day they were home he'd gone straight to the office, leaving her there alone, which if she were honest she really didn't mind. He'd explained to her that they were working on some big production that he needed to get on top of right away, but she had a feeling it was more than that. He'd been acting weird towards her ever since they left Tennessee. Actually, he'd been acting this way even before they left there. She was hoping it was due to the ex's presence and that as soon as they were back in LA he'd be fine, that he'd go back to his normal, loving self but he was acting just as coldly as he'd been during their trip. It was getting old really fast.

Planting a smile on her face like nothing was wrong, Raleigh walked over to her fiancé and put her arms around his waist from behind. "Good morning."

"Good morning." To her surprise he turned around in her arms and hugged her back, kissing her full on the lips. Perhaps his moodiness was over and things would be going back to normal. Finally.

"You're in a better mood." She commented.

"Yeah, I know I've been kind of impossible all week. I'm sorry. I talked to Leslie this morning and she made me realize how much of an idiot I was being about...everything."

"Oh yeah? And how did she do that?"

"She said 'Danny, you're being an idiot.'" Raleigh laughed along with Dan and leaned up to kiss him again. She was so happy to have him back.

"I knew I made the right choice in loving that girl." He just laughed as he kissed her on the forehead.

"Unfortunately I have to go to work, but I'll be home around 6, so try and be ready by then so I can hop into the shower."

"Be ready?" She looked at him, confused. Did she forget about plans they may have had?

"Yeah. I'm taking you out to dinner. So be ready." Grabbing his bag, he stopped to give her another quick kiss before heading out of the kitchen.

"Ok." Raleigh muttered, stunned. She was amazed at how quickly his sour mood had turned. She absolutely loved Leslie. Nobody had the ability to make him realize how big of a jerk he could be like she did.

After making herself some breakfast, Raleigh decided that she didn't really have much to do today so she would clean as much of the house as she could, so she went upstairs to throw on a pair of shorts and a tank top. When she got back downstairs she immediately went for the stereo and filled the house with the music of a small local radio station that she absolutely loved. She didn't know why, but she found that she could not clean unless there was music blasting, giving her energy and motivation to get moving. Once the music of a rock song hit her ears, she found herself bopping her head to the beat and she set to cleaning the downstairs.

She was vacuuming, dusting, and windexing everything in sight for over two hours, taking tiny breaks to dance or sing along to a song she got really into. When it came close to noon, she had just decided to take a break to eat something for lunch when the doorbell rang. Setting down her cleaning supplies, Raleigh wiped her hand on her shorts as she went to answer the front door. Peering through the window, Raleigh smiled seeing who stood there. Unlocking the door she threw it open and immediately threw her arms around him.

"Wow, I missed you too." He laughed, hugging her back tightly.

“Of course I missed you, Kevin. I haven‘t been apart from you for more than three days for over a year.”

“Right so you’d think you’d be sick of me.”

“Never. Come on, get your ass in here. I was about to make myself some lunch, you want anything?” She shut the door behind him then started walking towards the kitchen, knowing he would follow her.

“Is that a serious question?” He laughed as he followed her to the kitchen.

“Right. So, what would you like? We have ham, turkey, cheese, bologna…” She stopped counting off the makings of a sandwich that she could offer and looked at his facial expression. “Peanut butter and jelly?”

“Uh, yeah!”

“I don’t know why I bothered.” Raleigh grabbed the jelly out of the fridge then turned to grab the jar of peanut butter out of the pantry, smooth, just the way she knew he liked it. “So what’s up?” She asked as she set to work on making his PB&J.

“Not much. Just want to catch up. How was the wedding?”

“Amazing. Carly looked so beautiful. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her look so happy.”

“Awesome. No drama? Everything went perfect?” Raleigh couldn’t help but snort at the idea of everything going smoothly.

“I wish.”

“Uh-oh. What happened? They break up the day before the wedding?” Raleigh suppressed a laugh. Kevin was her favorite band mate for the fact that he was a borderline woman. He liked gossip more than anyone she knew.

“Actually, yeah.”

“What?! You’ve gotta be kidding.”

“I wish I was.” Raleigh turned and handed Kevin his sandwich. “You know where the chips are if you want them.” Turning back around she set to work on her own lunch.

“Yeah. So why’d they break up?”

“Well, you see it turns out I was a slut and slept with the groom when I was 17 and Carly found out about it right then.” Kevin just looked at Raleigh for a moment before bursting into laughter.

“Wow, Ray. You are like the worst maid of honor ever!”

“Shut up!” Raleigh threw a chip at him before sitting down to eat her lunch. “I was all upset and drunk and Justin was there. It honestly wasn’t even about the sex.”

“Oh wait, this is the guy you slept with after deciding to get the big A, isn‘t it?”

“Yeah.” This was another reason Kevin was her favorite. It was so easy to talk to him about her dirtiest secrets and she knew he would never tell a soul.

“Damn.” He just shook his head, taking a bite of his sandwich. “How’s JC?”

“Josh. I hate that stupid nickname. He’s good…better. Wasn’t drowning himself in alcohol so that’s a plus.” Kevin could tell she wanted to add something so he remained silent, quietly eating. “I told him. Everything that happened at school five years ago.”

“Really?” Raleigh just nodded, picking at her food now more than eating it. “How’d that go?”

“As expected. Yelling, crying, pitying, and then understanding.”

“I’m proud of you, Ray. You’ve been fighting with that for a long time.” He put his hand on hers for a moment before asking the inevitable, causing her to subconsciously pull away from him. “How are the nightmares?”

“Uh, I haven’t had any since being home.”

“Good.”

"So what about you? Have you talked to your parents since you've been back?"

"I talk to them everyday." Kevin looked away from her and pretended to pick something off his jeans.

"Kev, you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." He sighed, running his hand through his multi-colored hair. She knew this was a touchey subject but she also knew he wouldn't ever talk to them without her coaxing him to do so. "It's just so..."

"Scary?" She offered. She remembered how frightened she'd been when she had to tell her parents something unpleasant. What she'd had to tell them and what Kevin had to tell his parents were similar in the fact that they were both life changing. She wished she could give him a guarantee that they wouldn't kick him out, but unfortunately she couldn't.

"Yeah. Every time we're all sitting there just watching TV or something and I have the opportunity to tell them I hesitate long enough to talk myself out of it." Leaning forward, Raleigh placed her hand over his, knowing all she could do was be there for him.

"Do you think it might be easier to tell them if you had someone there for support?"

"You would go with me?" Raleigh couldn't help but to smile at the hopeful look in his eyes.

"If you wanted me to, of course I would." Kevin stood up and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly to him.

"You don't know what that would mean to me."

"That's what friends are for." Was all she said, hugging him back. She held on to him for a moment before backing away. "So. You want to tell me why you really stopped by?"

He laughed lightly as he grabbed their now empty plates and walked over to put them in the sink. "I was hoping you weren't completely into your vacation and that you might help me with something."

"I'm assuming this something would be a song."

"You would assume correct." He didn't miss the look on her face and instantly felt bad for asking. This hiatus was mainly for her benefit so he knew she didn't want to think about working so soon after the tour had ended, but he couldn't deny the fact that when it came to writing lyrics she was pretty much a goddess. Holding his breath, he watched as she debated with herself. Should she or shouldn't she? Finally, she sighed and he knew the decision to help had been made.

"All right. Let me see what you have so far." Kevin handed her some folded up pieces of paper out of his pocket and followed her upstairs to the bedroom she had turned into a studio. "What is this meant to be played on? It doesn't look like it should be played on bass."

"Nah, I started on guitar. But I'm not sure if that sounds right either." Raleigh set the papers on her soundboard and went to grab her guitar. Handing it to Kevin, she asked him to play what he had written so far for her. When he was finished playing the notes he'd written, Raleigh said she agreed with him, guitar didn't sound right either.

"I love the beat you have going here but let's try it out on the piano." They stayed up in the studio, playing out what Kevin had written on different instruments and slowly working to finish the song. Once they felt they had a good base to work off, they began adding in harmonizing pieces to help it flow. Raleigh had a program on her computer that allowed her to take a recorded rhythm and change it between instruments to see how it would sound. They played around with different tempos, adding in those they thought sounded right until they felt the tune was complete. After a few hours of hard work they had an instrumental piece that was semi-upbeat and entirely too haunting. Raleigh absolutely loved it. She wasn't sure she even wanted to add lyrics for fear of it taking away from the music.

Hearing the large Grandfather clock in the study go off, Raleigh realized it was now five o'clock and she needed to get ready.

"You have to go. I need to get ready for dinner. Dan's taking me out."

"Sweet. Do you know where he's taking you?" Kevin helped Raleigh put instruments away and picked up the loose papers.

"Nope. It’s a surprise."

"Awesome. Hope you have fun. Thanks so much for helping me with this. I had a blast."

"Anytime, Kev. I mean it." Raleigh gave him a hug and watched as he left before shutting and locking the front door and running upstairs to get in the shower. She had less than an hour to get ready now and knew she'd need just as long to get ready.

Once in the shower, Raleigh tried to rush through it, shaving her legs and washing every inch of herself as fast as she possibly could. When she was done with that task she set to work on blow drying her hair then wrapping it in curlers. By the time she was done with all this she had only ten minutes before Dan would be home so she wasted no time putting on her make-up. She'd just finished up when she heard the front door open and close, followed by footsteps up the stairs. Raleigh was putting her make-up bag back into its drawer when Dan poked his head in the doorway.

"Hey, you're not ready."

"I know, I'm sorry. I just have to get dressed and finish my hair. I'll be done by the time you are."

"Ok." He kissed her lightly before turning and starting the shower and Raleigh went back into the bedroom to find something to wear. She decided on a fitted dark purple dress that fell just above the knee and had thin straps. Lying it on the bed, Raleigh turned to the large mirror hanging above her dresser and began taking the curlers out of her hair. Once they were all out she brushed through the curls, slipped on her dress and heels and looked at her appearance in the mirror. She thought she looked pretty good given that she'd gotten ready in only an hour.

Daniel walked out of the bathroom and Raleigh had to take a moment to truly appreciate the way her fiance looked. He'd just shaven, his face looking nice and smooth, every curl was in its place, and the tight black button down shirt he wore, with the sleeves rolled to his elbows, and the black slacks just made his green eyes stand out so much more. The scent of his body wash, shampoo, and after shave wafted over her, causing her to inhale deeply. He smelled nearly as amazing as he looked.

"What's wrong?" He asked, adjusting his sleeve.

"I feel like I'm not worthy to walk on your arm." A small smile curved up the corner of his mouth as he stepped closer to her.

"On the contrary," He placed a hand on her waist, pulling her towards him. "It is I that is not worthy of your beauty." He leaned down and gently placed his lips on hers. Raleigh wrapped her arms around his neck and felt herself move up on her tip-toes, slowly deepening the kiss.

Pulling away, Dan slowly kissed along her jaw line and up to her ear. "We should go or you're not going to get me out of this house."

"A tempting predicament." Raleigh leaned into his kiss before backing away. "But I am starving. Let's go." Grabbing his hand, she pulled him from the room.

"You, my dear, are positively evil." Raleigh just laughed. She loved knowing how she affected her fiance. It was one thing she hoped never died between them.

*~*

The bell dinged as the elevator doors opened, alerting Josh that he had arrived on the twenty-second floor at last. He never thought he'd make it. It seemed like his elevator had to stop on nearly every floor to pick up or drop off a rider. Stepping out of the confining area, he made his way down the long hallway, stopping at the sixth door on his right-hand side.

"Good morning, Mr Chasez. Darryl's been waiting for you."

"Morning, Becky." Josh mumbled with a weak smile before opening his manager's office door. The first thing he noticed was that the man was on the phone, as usual, so Josh shut the door behind him and plopped down in one of the chairs opposite the large desk. Letting his head lull back, he stared up at the ceiling, imagining being anywhere else. It's not that he didn't like his career. He loved it, and despite how annoying Darryl could be, he loved him as well. But ever since he'd returned to New York only one thing had been on his mind, and it wasn't his work. It was Raleigh. No matter how much time had passed, no matter how much animosity was exchanged between them, no matter how many times she'd tell him that her feelings for him had vanished, he couldn't get her off his mind. She was like the flu. Try as you might to fight it, it eventually seeps in and you're screwed. He wanted to be friends with her, he truly did, but how could she expect him to turn off his feelings like she did? He'd loved her from the first moment he spoke to her when he was six and he knew that no matter what they endured, he was always going to love her. He was always going to want to be with her. Why couldn't she see that?

He never should have broken up with her. It had been the most difficult decision he'd ever had to make, and it was also the biggest mistake of his life. If he'd never broken up with her, where would they be today? They’d probably be married by now. She probably never would have gotten the abortion, they'd probably still be living in Tennessee, and they'd probably be happy.

What was the use in dwelling on the what if's of their past? It wouldn't change anything. She was so far in denial that she was in love with Dan - maybe she was, he could never know for sure - that she would never allow herself to see how perfect she and Josh were together. How perfectly they fit one another. Did she just not think of him? Is that how she got through the past five years? By imagining he, along with their shared past, didn't exist?

It seemed like she was beginning to accept him, allowing him back into her life with all the time they'd spent together in Tennessee. But then she'd dropped the bomb on him that she didn't think that they'd see each other again. He wondered if she'd said that it wasn't a good idea simply because she was scared. Because she did still feel something for him that was
getting harder and harder to ignore. That idea lifted his spirits immensely. Perhaps all he needed to do was to keep trying. To continue being a part of her life whether she wanted him to or not.

Hearing Darryl finally say goodbye to whomever he was speaking with, Josh lifted his head and looked at his manager.

"Thanks for coming in so quickly, JC."

"No problem." Darryl's voice was laced with thick sarcasm. Josh found it easy to respond with a smile. He'd called him in over an hour ago but Josh didn't feel like getting there in a hurry. He hadn't really felt motivated to go in.

"You look like shit. What've you been doing to yourself?"

Josh let out a slight chuckle and reached up to run fingers across his scruffy face. He hadn't shaved since he'd gotten home and he knew very well how crappy he looked. "Thanks, man. Appreciate it."

"Seriously. You ok? You look like you haven't slept in days."

"I'm fine. Now what'd you call me in here for so early?" The truth was he hadn't had a full night's rest since Raleigh went back to LA. What the hell was wrong with him?

Noting that he really didn't want to discuss his sleep habits - or lack thereof - Darryl moved onto business. "I have your next project in mind."

"A project, huh? Not just another album and tour like my contract says?"

"Your contract says four albums, five tours, multiple appearances and side projects. You know that."

Sighing, Josh lifted his baseball cap and ran an aggravated hand through his unruly hair. Maybe he'd go get it cut one of these days. "All right. What is it?"

"Writing a few songs for a soundtrack. That's all." Darryl leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands over his large belly, acting as though it was the easiest thing in the world.

"That's not all. I'd have to promote the songs, and in doing so, promote the movie."

"Well, of course." Good lord, the man was aggravating.

"What's the movie? Some teen drama?" Darryl let out a laugh and leaned toward Josh, hands planted on his desk.

"You know it is. The vast majority of your fans are teens. But I've read the script already, and honestly, it’s not that bad. The producer knows your sound, knows how great at ballads you are and they want you on this thing. I made no promises other than to talk to you about it, but I think it'd be a good move."

Of course he thought it was a good move. If Josh signed on for this it would probably make Darryl some damn good money. Staring at his manager, Josh made up his mind.

"All right, I'll read the script. But if I don't feel any inspiration what-so-ever, I'm not doing it."

"That's all I ask." Darryl handed over the script and Josh wasted no time in getting the hell out of there. He stopped at a small cafe on the way back to his apartment so he could grab something to eat and decided to start reading the script as he ate. As promised he would give it a try, but if it was awful he refused to go any further.

As soon as he sat down at a table, pretty far away from everyone else in the tiny restaurant, he opened the script to the first page and read the summary, immediately wishing he hadn't.

Why must everything lead back to Raleigh?

Never My Forever - A story about the pressures of life and how far one might go for the one they love.

Jen and Billy have been together their entire lives. They don't know anything, or anyone else until Jen is forced to move away, opening their eyes to a world of infinite possibilities. Pressures become too much, bonds become broken, and their forever may turn into their never.

"What the fuck." Josh muttered, apparently a little too loudly when he got a strange look from a waitress. Closing the script, Josh grabbed his sandwich and decided to take it to go, his appetite suddenly gone.

Once he got home, Josh threw the script on his couch with no intention of even trying to read it now, and went directly to his bar to pour himself a very strong drink. It may be early, but he didn't care. He needed something to calm him down.

Sitting in one of the chairs opposite his couch, Josh found himself staring at the script, as if it were mocking him. Gulping down the potent liquid, he stood to pour himself another. After drinking that with one swallow he poured yet another. After that was gone he allowed his eyes to wander back to the script.

How did it end? He kept wondering.

Pouring himself one more glass of vodka, Josh put the bottle away and sat down. Grabbing the chunk of papers, he leaned back on his couch, opened up to page one and began reading, becoming engrossed in the story almost instantly.

He sat there and read the script in its entirety, and once he was finished he even went back to certain parts he felt hit way too close to home and read them again. When he decided he knew it well, he closed it, set it next to him on the couch, and then he just sat there, thinking. Thinking about the tragic story about this Jen and Billy, about how close it had been to his and Raleigh's story. He thought about all those emotions resurfacing and feeling them right along with the characters. Above all else, he thought about the ending to their story. Would theirs be the same? Would it be different? Would he be able to deal with it if he and Raleigh never got their forever? He wasn't so sure, but what he did know what that he wasn't going to sit back and let her marry Cooper unless he knew he did everything
he could to win her back.

Grabbing his cell phone, Josh dialed his manager’s number and waited for him to answer. “Yo, Darryl, its JC…Yeah about the project, I’ll do it but I have one condition…”

When Raleigh woke up the next morning it was after ten and Dan had been at work for just over two hours already. Rolling over, Raleigh looked out the window, a smile planted firmly on her face. She'd had an amazing night, a delicious three-course dinner - that she was sure Dan had paid way too much for - dancing, spectacular music, and amazing people. It had all been so elegant and it was just a great time. Even with the life she now lead, she still was so used to shopping at the local grocery store, eating at her parents' cafe, dancing at a small club downtown. At heart she was a small town girl with a simple life, so it surprised her that, with how awkward last night could have been, she'd actually had fun. And even if she'd had a horrible time, afterwards would have most definitely made up for it.

Rolling out of bed, Raleigh went into the bathroom to do her morning rituals then ventured out into the bedroom to pick up their strewn about clothes and shoes. She would have to make a trip to the dry cleaners later for her dress. Draping the wrinkled mess over a chair, Raleigh took the rest of the dirty clothes downstairs to the laundry room and put them in the wash. Once that task was done, she stood there, not knowing what to do. She cleaned nearly the entire downstairs yesterday so she supposed she could do the upstairs today, but she didn't feel like it. She wasn't in the mood to stay cooped up in the house all day.

Maybe she'd go to the beach.

Deciding that's what she'd do with the day, Raleigh reached for the phone hanging from the wall and dialed Autumn's number. She knew Autumn had taken off and Matthew would be at school until three.

"Hello, my life sucks." Autumn answered almost immediately.

"Your life does not suck. And even if it does, all the more reason to go to the beach with me!"

"That sounds like a fabulous idea. I need to get out of the house." Raleigh could hear the sadness in her friend's voice and she wondered what was wrong. They'd have a few hours to talk about it.

"Great! I'll be there in like a half hour!" Raleigh hung up with her friend and ran upstairs to throw on her bikini and a pair of shorts and a tank-top over it, threw some suntan lotion, her brush, and a towel into a beach bag then ran back downstairs. Once donning her flipflops and sunglasses, she grabbed her wallet and keys and headed out of the house, locking the door behind her. She was so excited to spend a day with a friend; she hadn’t realized how boring her life had become.

"So what happened today to make you hate your life?" Raleigh asked Autumn as they lied side-by-side on the beach. She heard Autumn sigh before looking at her.

"For some stupid reason it hit me this morning that my father is dying and I got all upset. I mean, there is no rational reason for me to get all teary-eyed when I think about him not being around ever again. He was never around anyway. And when he was around he either ignored me or stopped ignoring me long enough to make me feel like shit. Like my mother didn't do enough of that."

"Autumn, you care because they're your parents. They can treat you like shit and a part of you will still always love them anyway."

"What kind of logic is that? I mean seriously, who came up with it? They're my blood so I have to love them? Fuck that. I mean, sure, I had a kid out of wedlock, I drink, I've done drugs, I like sex. But I also made something out of my life and I take care of my son. I'm not a deadbeat living off wellfare refusing to get a job. I'm not a bad person and they treat me like I'm the fucking plague or something."

"I know. It’s not fair. It sucks but we can't do anything to change it."

"Maybe if I were more like them they'd like me better."

"I like you just the way you are. Remember, you would have nobody, just like them, if you were as cold as they are. They are the ones missing out on how amazing their daughter and grandson are." Turning her head to the side, Autumn squeezed Raleigh's hand and gave her a smile. She was lucky to have such a great friend like her.

They stayed at the beach, sunbathing and occasionally taking a quick dip in the frigid water of the ocean until quarter-to-three. The packed up their belongings, got into the car and headed to pick up Matthew.

Raleigh noticed Autumn was still really quiet so she asked if she was feeling any better about her parental situation.

“Yeah. I mean, I accepted a long time ago that they never loved me and I shouldn’t expect anything from them, but a part of you still craves a simple “I love you” from at least one of them, you know?”

“Yeah, I know. It’s sad to say, but accepting them for who they are, though it might be really hard, is the best thing. You’ll stop expecting even though you don’t mean to.”

“Thanks, Ray. I’m really glad you turned out to be my roommate at school. Even though you slept with the teacher and got him fired and almost died and went back home after only one semester.” Raleigh laughed along with Autumn, agreeing with her, even though it made unpleasant thoughts rush to the foremost part of her mind. Pushing the past back into its tiny closet in the back of her mind, Raleigh changed the subject.

“What do you have planned for dinner? We should have a barbecue. I’ve been craving some good barbecue chicken.”

“That sounds wonderful. Do you think Dan will mind?”

“Of course not, he loves having you two over.”

Pulling up to the elementary school, Raleigh put the car into park and turned off the ignition. Getting out with Autumn, they walked to the end of the sidewalk that led to the school's entrance and waited for the school to be let out.

"He's going to be so excited we're going over for dinner. He's been talking about nothing but going over to Uncle Dan's house. I'm pretty sure he's his hero."

"We love having you guys over, you know that. You don't have to wait for an invitation."

"I know, but I never know if you guys have plans."

"Autumn, we never have plans." Raleigh let out a laugh just as the school's bell rang and all the kids began walking out, running to their parents. Raleigh noticed Matthew walk out and look around, trying to find one of his parents. As soon as he found his mommy his entire face lit up and he ran full force at her. Raleigh couldn't help but to smile. She'd never seen a kid who loved their mother more than he did.

"Wow, I missed you too." Autumn laughed, hugging her son tightly. "How was school?"

"Good."

"Good. Look who's here." Matthew let go of his mother and turned, smiling when he saw Raleigh standing there. He immediately jumped into her arms, giving her a big sloppy kiss on the cheek.

"Auntie Ray! What are you doing here?"

"I've been with your mama so I drove her here to pick you up. And guess what?"

"What?"

"You're eating over my house tonight."

"Yes! I drew a picture for Uncle Dan in class today. I think he'll love it!"

"I'm sure he will." Raleigh laughed as she watched the overly excited child bounce up and down and jump into the car, waiting for his mother to buckle him in, chattering their ears off all the while with tales of what he did in class. Not once did she have to pretend to be interested in what he was saying, she loved hearing him talk.

Upon their return to the house, Raleigh noticed a package on the front porch. Scooping it up, she unlocked the door and laughed as Matt pushed passed them and ran into the house, heading straight for the room they reserved for the days they watched him. It was full of toys just for him to do with whatever he pleased.

"What's that?" Autumn asked, motioning towards the package Raleigh held as she set down her beach bag.

"I don't know, it’s not marked. Do you think its anthrax?" Raleigh smiled as she tore into the side of the large envelope.

"If it is I'm sending it to my mother. Do you want a drink?"

"Sure." Pulling out what was inside, Raleigh became confused when she realized it was a script entitled "Never My Forever." Turning to the first page, her confused expression turned to one of anger when she saw the note scribbled there. Closing the script, she slammed it onto the table beside her and stormed into the kitchen where Autumn had disappeared.

"So? What was it?" Autumn asked as she handed Raleigh a glass of juice.

"I might need something stronger than grape juice. It was a script with a note on it. "Please don't say no until you've at least read it. Call me when you're done - Jerry.""

"He does know you're trying to plan your wedding that's in a few months, right?"

"He knows. I just don't think he cares."

"You gonna read it? What's it about?"

"I don't know. It's called Never My Forever. I didn't read the summary. Didn't care to either, Jerry's really pissing me off. I've been working non-stop for four years straight, do you think he can give me six months off? No, of course not." As Raleigh lifted her juice towards her mouth, Autumn snatched it out of her hand.

"You're right, you need something stronger." Going over to the liquor cabinet, she located some vodka and poured some in her glass before handing it back to her. "Cheers." Raleigh laughed before taking a big gulp of the liquid.

"I feel better already." The two women laughed together for a moment before heading back into the living room. Autumn picked up the script and sat down with it on the couch. Curling her feet beneath her, she opened up to the summary. As soon as she read it she wanted to know more, so she went on reading as Raleigh checked on Matthew to make sure everything was all right, he was strangely quiet.

"No wonder he's so quiet. He passed out on that big teddy bear in there." Raleigh laughed as she shook her head at the sight she'd seen. Looking at her friend she noticed how intense her face looked. "What are you...you're seriously reading that?" Raleigh rolled her eyes as she grabbed her glass and plopped down on the couch next to Autumn. "Is it any good?"

"Yeah, it actually is. I thought it was going to be just another stupid cheesy teen movie, but its actually well written and thought-out." Raleigh noticed how she bit her lip, almost as though she were debating on saying something. Finally she held the script out to Raleigh and met her questioning gaze. "Read the summary at least. I think I know how you got this."

"Um, okay. Autumn, I got this because Jerry is a money-hungry workaholic and he wants me to be the same." Taking the script from her friend, Raleigh read the summary anyway, immediately feeling reality crash down on her. Clearing her throat, Raleigh closed the script and threw it on the coffee table in front of her. "It's just a stupid movie. Dan will be home soon, I should start dinner."

Autumn watched Raleigh walk away and disappear beyond the hallway that led to the kitchen, knowing exactly what she was thinking. Reading what that movie was about had immediately made her think of Josh, she didn't doubt that she was cussing him out her mind either. Try as she might to keep him at arm’s length, it seemed as though the universe kept throwing him back into her life. Knowing it was the last thing she would want Daniel to see, Autumn put the script back into the envelope it came in and placed it inside Raleigh's purse. Ever since the wedding Autumn had noticed how on edge he'd been and she had no doubt it had something to do with Josh, although neither of them would tell her what, if anything, had happened.

Making her way to the kitchen, Autumn asked her friend if she needed help preparing anything and together they set to work, acting as though the script didn't exist.

Daniel walked through the front door just as Autumn and Raleigh were setting the table with the barbecue chicken, baked potatoes and salads - and corn for Matthew. After taking off his shoes and putting them in the coat closet and setting his briefcase on the end table, he headed into the kitchen to see what Raleigh had made for dinner.

"Hi honey, I'm home." He said as he kissed her on the cheek. "Hello Autumn. I didn't expect you."

"Well Ray and I went to the beach earlier then she invited Matty and I over for dinner. I hope that's okay."

"Of course it is, you know you don't need an invitation." Raleigh gave Autumn a pointed look, as if to say 'I told you so.' "Where is Matty?"

"He passed out while playing in the toy room. Would you mind going and waking him up? Dinner's done."

"No problem. Nice job ladies, it smells wonderful." He gave them a wink as he walked off, heading towards the play room.

"Who would have thought how smooth Mr. Cooper could be back when he was just our teacher?" Autumn laughed as she set knives by everyone's plate, except of course her son's.

"I always knew."

"Of course you did." They heard excited chattering coming from the hallway accompanied by rushed footsteps and the girls know Daniel had been successful in waking the child up, and now said child was extremely excited to be with his Uncle Dan. When they came into the kitchen, Dan was holding the picture Matthew had made him and was smiling while he continued to talk his ear off.

"Alright, chatterbox. Time to fill that mouth with dinner." Autumn helped him into his chair and then began fixing his plate, all the while he didn't stop talking to his hero.

Matthew ate nearly an entire piece of chicken, a baked potato and two scoops of corn and still managed to finish before everyone so he went back into the play room with all the toys while the adults cleaned up.

"So you didn't have to work today, Autumn?"

"No, I decided to take off today."

"Thanks to your mother." Raleigh muttered, a little too loudly she realized when Daniel asked what she meant by that comment.

Autumn sighed as she put some dishes into the dishwasher. "It just hit me today that my Dad is dying, that’s all. I got stupidly upset and started dwelling on the fact of how little my mother cares about anything but herself. She doesn't even give a shit that her husband of 28 years is about to die, what she cares about is whether or not I plan on taking any of his money from her when he does."

"I'm really sorry you have to deal with that, Autumn. You know we’re here if you ever need us."

"Thanks, Dan." She smiled at him, truly appreciating his friendship.

They continued to clean up the kitchen together and when they were done Autumn grabbed Matthew and they headed home, Matthew pouting the whole way. After seeing them off, Dan went to grab his briefcase off the end table he'd set it on earlier so he could go over some casting issues when he noticed the large enveloped sitting there beneath it.

"Hey, Ray? What's this?"

"What's what?" She poked her head out into the hallway and saw that he was holding the script Jerry had asked her to read. For some reason she didn't want him to look at it so she quickly walked over to him to take it out of his hands. "Oh it's just something Jerry sent me today. Asked me to read it over and give him a call when I'm done. I've gathered that it’s some new project he wants me on but I won't know anything more until I speak with him."

"That man," Dan gave an aggravated shake of his head. "I swear he doesn't understand what a break is. Do you think you'll do it?"

"I don't know. Depends on what it is I guess."

"Well you get to reading and find out and I will go do my own homework, okay?"

"Sure." Raleigh smiled, reached up on her toes to give him a kiss then watched as he went into his study, closing the door behind himself. When she heard soft music begin to play from his stereo she knew he was going to be in there for while, so she grabbed a bottle of wine out of the kitchen and curled up on the sofa. After taking a couple large sips of the sweet liquid, Raleigh opened up the script and began reading. It wasn't long before she found herself engrossed in the story of the two lead characters, comparing what they were going through with what she and Josh had gone through not so long ago. It was uncannily similar. At certain points she found herself having tears pooling in her eyes, or goosebumps rippling across her flesh. With every turn of the page she became more and more enraptured, wanting to know how it ended, and yet terrified for it to get to that point. She didn't want their story to end.

If she were honest with herself, she didn't want it to end because she was afraid it would end the same way her own story had. With how much love there was between these two she couldn't imagine them not winding up together - but she also knew from personal experience, not everything turns out the way you may want.

But then what was the point of a movie? Wasn't its purpose to take you out of the real world and throw you into a fantasy world where everything works out in the end?

After reading a few more pages, Raleigh was so engrossed in the story before her that she'd had no idea Daniel had snuck up behind her. When he was directly behind her, staring down at what she was reading, he asked, "Any good?" Feeling her heart leap out of her chest at the sudden noise, Raleigh jumped slightly in her seat.

"Can you make some noise next time or something? It's not polite to sneak up on people." Turning back to her script that had fallen to the floor, she reached to pick it up. "And actually yes, it is good."

"What is it?" He asked through a snicker.

"It's a script to an upcoming movie. I'm assuming Jerry wants me on the soundtrack but like I said before, I won't know for sure until I call him. Are you done already?" She asked, trying to get the conversation away from the movie. Luckily it worked.

"No, I just came out for a drink. Are there any beers left?" He called over his shoulder as he walked to the kitchen.

"I'm not sure. Write it on the list, I'll pick some up when I go shopping tomorrow." Raleigh called to him distractedly, getting back into the story. She hadn't realized just how much she'd already read. There were only maybe fifteen pages left. She felt a rush of sadness wash over her as she realized the end was coming. She debated for a moment on leaving it for the morning, extending the amount of time she got to spend with the characters, but ultimately she started right back up, finishing the rest of the story in less than ten minutes. She sat there for a few minutes when she was done, just reflecting on the story she had just read, wondering if she regretted it.

No, she decided, she didn't regret reading it. It was raw and emotional, it brought tears to her eyes and a smile to her face, it caused feelings to stir in her that she hadn't felt towards a film in a long time. If it was a few songs for the movie’s soundtrack that Jerry wanted from her, she knew he was going to get it.

Feeling sticky from the day's trip to the beach, Raleigh put her empty bottle of wine and the glass she'd used in the kitchen and went upstairs to shower, taking the script and its envelope with her. Sliding it back into the envelope, Raleigh then placed it safely into her bedside drawer, unsure as to why she was hiding it from her fiancé. No, she thought. She wasn't hiding it, she was just keeping it safe for the night.

About a half hour later, when she was done in the shower, she grabbed her cell phone and dialed her manager's number, unsurprised when he answered on the second ring.

"Raleigh, babe, did you get my little present?"

"Present, huh? And here I was thinking it was a job offer."

"Oh it is, but only if you want it." She heard him chuckle on the other end and found herself smiling. As much as he could drive her crazy, she loved him to death.

"So what are the details?" There was a slight pause on his end before she heard a slight murmuring, as if he were talking to someone near him and covering up the phone with his hand so she wouldn’t overhear. "Jer?"

"Yeah, sorry. Hey why don't you swing by the office tomorrow, say around ten-ish? There are a lot of details we should go over and there'll be someone here I want you to meet, as well."

"Uh, yeah sure. Sounds good. I'll see you tomorrow then."

"All right. Good night, Ray!"

"Good night."

"Was that Jerry?" Again, Dan had snuck up on her, but this time he didn't scare her, she was too distracted by the details Jerry had to go over with her tomorrow and just who it was he wanted her to meet.

"Yeah, it was." She set her phone on the night stand by her side of the bed and picked up her brush to go through her wet hair again.

"So? What's the job?"

"He didn't say. He wants me to stop by the office tomorrow morning so I guess I'll find out then."

"Classic Jerry, keeps you waiting. I'm gonna hop in the shower." He kissed her quickly before going into the bathroom. When Raleigh heard the water turn on she pulled the covers back and crawled into bed, wondering when she'd turned so old that she went to bed before eleven. She remembered only a few years ago when she'd be out all night, partying until three or four in the morning, having to be carried into her house by her closest friends. Sometimes, she missed being just a kid.

She wasn't sure when, but before Daniel crawled into bed beside her she'd fallen into a restless sleep filled with vivid dreams, dreams with a blurred line between the treacherous love story of Jen and Billy and her own reality of her past with Josh. Dreams that were filled with love, happiness, and laughter. But it wasn’t long before those smiling faces turned into ones of sadness and anger. Sparkling, happy eyes turned into tear-filled ones, smiling mouths turned into hard lines, loving words turned into hate-filled shouts. She dreamed of the night she’d gone to Josh’s senior prom with him, she remembered in perfect detail how everything looked, felt, smelled. Unfortunately she also remembered how upset and angry she’d been, venomous words spewing from her mouth as she screamed at him outside the school’s door. She remembered beating her clenched fists against his chest, crying, wanting him to yell at her back. But she also remembered his reaction to her. Not once did he raise his voice, not once did he give up and walk away. Instead, when she started hitting him, he took it for a moment before gently and firmly wrapping his long fingers around her wrists, holding her fists there until she crumpled against him in a sobbing mess. She remembered how loving and tender he’d been as he held her, telling her everything was going to be just fine as he held her in his warm embrace. She remembered the exotic smell of his sweet cologne and she felt herself missing that scent as she breathed it in, listening to the sound of Bon Jovi’s Never Say Goodbye blast from the gym’s speakers, a song that would later be considered theirs.

As soon as she’d fallen into this dream, she’d been thrust back into the world of Jennifer and Billy, seeing again how close their fictional story was to her real one, at least how it used to be. It wasn’t long after that that she’d finally awaken from her restless sleep, her brain deciding she’d finally had enough of the onslaught of painful memories.

Rolling over, Raleigh sat on the edge of the bed attempting to dislodge the fogginess of sleep from her brain. Eventually she’d made it downstairs and started the coffee. She didn’t make it a habit to drink it every morning, but today was an exception if she wanted to get through her meeting in a few hours without passing out on her manager.

As she waited for the coffee to finish brewing, Raleigh stared out the back window as the beginning rays of the sunrise broke through the clouds, her mind a jumbled mess of memories of a past life. She fought the urge to sing Never Say Goodbye as she stood there, a song she hadn’t heard in about six years.

Realizing the coffee was done, she poured herself a cup and headed up to her studio, there was an old, untouched song she wanted to work on.

It was a couple hours later when Dan walked into the studio, seeing Raleigh strumming on an acoustic guitar and humming along, it was a sight he loved seeing. She looked so peaceful and at ease when she was working on her music.

“Good morning.” He said, sitting on the stool beside her.

“Hey.” She said, setting down her guitar. “How did you sleep?”

“Woke up a few times during the night, but overall pretty well. Better than you did I’m sure.”

“What do you mean by that?” She asked, confused.

“You were tossing and turning all night, moaning…and talking.” The way he told her she’d been talking made her face flush red with mortification.

“What did I say?” She wasn’t so sure she even wanted to know.

“A lot of it was just gibberish, but you did say a name a couple times.” Oh God, she thought. “Billy.”

“Billy?” She asked followed immediately by laughter. “That’s the name of one of the main characters in the script I read last night.”

“Oh.” She could hear the relief in his voice. “For a minute there I thought I was going to have to smash in someone’s kneecaps.”

“Please, you don’t have a violent bone in your body. You better go, you’re going to be late for your big meeting.” She told him through her laughter.

“Yeah. Call me after you meet with Jerry, let me know what he wants.” He said, standing up and kissing Raleigh goodbye.

“Will do. Good luck at your meeting.”

“Thanks.” She nodded at him as he left the room, closing the door behind him. It wasn’t until then that Raleigh exhaled in relief, running a hand through her disheveled hair. She was glad it had been a fictional characters name she had muttered in her sleep and not a very real one that would have gotten a bad reaction from him for sure. She didn’t know why, but ever since they’d come back from Tennessee the subject of Josh was a tender one when brought up around Daniel.

Picking up her guitar, Raleigh continued the work he had interrupted. It was just after nine when she put it away and headed back to her bedroom to get ready to leave.

About twenty minutes later donning a pair of plaid flats, dark wash denim Capri pants, a short-sleeve plaid button-down shirt worn open over a white tank-top, and oversized sunglasses on her face, Raleigh left her house and headed into town, making a quick stop at a nearby Starbucks.

Stepping out of the elevator, Raleigh headed down the hallway and turned left, going through a door where Jerry’s secretary sat.

“Good morning, Kathy.” Raleigh said happily, holding out the small Starbuck’s bag.

“Hey, Raleigh. You are a life saver!” she exclaimed, taking the bag from her and pulling out the large double fudge caramel brownie. “I know it’s still morning but you have no idea how bad the chocolate craving is right now.” Kathy was a naturally petite girl of twenty-six who was just starting her third trimester in her first pregnancy. She didn’t allow herself to indulge in sweets too often, but today was an obvious exception. “Jerry’s in his office, you can head right in.”

“Thanks. Enjoy that brownie!”

“Believe me I will.” Kathy said, taking a large bite out of with an audible moan of pleasure. She’d explained it to Raleigh once before, that fulfilling a craving was like an orgasm in the mouth. She’d never thought eating could provide such pleasure until she’d gotten pregnant.

Opening the door to Jerry’s office, Raleigh noticed that for once he was sitting in silence, just staring out his window. There was no cell phone plastered to his ear, no TV shouting the latest celebrity gossip out into the large space, no radio playing. It was just silence.

“Hey, Jer. Everything all right?” He swiveled around in his seat with a large smile on his face.

“Of course, why wouldn’t it be?”

“I don’t know.” Raleigh shrugged. “I’ve just never been in here without there being some sort of noise.”

“I just wanted some peace and quiet today, some time to gather my thoughts. Please, have a seat.” Obliging, although suspiciously, Raleigh sat on one of the chairs facing his desk. He remembered his manners today, this must be one large project that he desperately wanted her on.

“Ok, I’m here, I’m sitting, please don’t keep a girl waiting.”

“Well, I assume you figured out already that you’re wanted on that movie’s soundtrack.” Raleigh nodded in response so he went on. “You read the script in its entirety I assume.” Another nod. “Is it something you think you would want to do?” Jerry allowed her a couple minutes to think it through thoroughly.

“I felt some definite inspiration after reading it, but before I say yes I’d need to know all of the details. I don’t want even one thing left out.”

“I assumed you’d say that. The biggest part of this project is the fact that it’s a collaboration. The producer wanted someone else’s name on the movie and that artist wanted to work with you. He won’t do it unless you agree to work on it with him.” He allowed that bit of information to sink in before moving on. “Now, the details are five to six songs, a minimum of two must be duets, and multiple appearances. At least one performance of the chosen duet, a music video, and at least six appearances on talk shows. You can do these separate or together, but if you do them separate they’re six appearances each, plus the one performance. They’ve already begun filming so the songs need to be done by July fifth. That’s the estimated date the director gave us to begin editing.”

Raleigh sat there across from Jerry, allowing all the details to sink in. This was a big project. If she signed on, would she still have enough time to prepare all the necessary wedding details? The songs had to be done by July, that gave them just over two months to write and record at least five songs, two of which had to be duets. It wasn’t a question as to could she get them done in the allotted amount of time, but rather could they? Then another thought passed over her mind, Jerry hadn’t mentioned who the other artist was and she suddenly had a slight fear that she knew exactly who it was.

“It all sounds great and well laid-out. Who is the other artist that wants me on this project so badly?” Just as she asked, Jerry’s phone rang. He held up a finger to her and picked up the receiver.

“Yes, Kathy? Great, send him in.” He hung up the receiver and stood, looking at Raleigh with a smile on his face. “You get to see for yourself. He’s just arrived.” Jerry walked around the desk just as Raleigh heard the office door open behind her. Turning to see who this man was, Raleigh’s heart nearly stopped in her chest and she felt her stomach do a slight flip-flop in her gut.

“Mr. Chasez, I’m glad you made it.” Jerry walked over to Josh and shook his hand.

“Me too, and I thought New York drivers were bad.” He let out a familiar laugh and finally turned, eyes landing on Raleigh’s still form. “Good morning, Raleigh.” He said pleasantly, not offering his hand to her.

Raleigh didn’t know what to do and after a moment of just staring at him she exploded. “What are you doing here? Jerry, what is he doing here? Is this a sick joke?” She could feel her face flushing a brilliant shade of ruby as her anger at being cornered by Josh bubbled up within her.

“Raleigh, don’t be rude. This is the man who has requested to work with you on the project, I know you know who he is.”

“Yes, I know exactly who he is.” Standing up, Raleigh hiked her purse up onto her should and headed for the door. “I’m sorry Jerry, but my answer is no. I have a wedding to plan.” Not looking at Josh, she strode past him and out of the office. She’d barely just made it to the door to the hallway when she felt Josh grab her arm.

“Ray, wait.” His voice pleaded with her as she ripped her arm out of his grasp.

“Don’t you call me that!” She hissed at him, furious that he had come here.

“Why are you so angry?”

“How dare you come here! Who do you think you are, invading my life like this?”

“Ray, calm down.” He said in a low, gentle voice, placing his hand on her arm again, only for her to snatch it away again.

“Don’t touch me, and don’t tell me to calm down. This is my city, Josh! This is my life and you need to stay out of it! Go back to New York.” She turned from him and walked through the door and into the hallway, marching down towards the elevators.

“Damn it, Raleigh, stop!” Josh called after her, jogging the few feet to stop her again. “You’re being ridiculous.” Maybe she was, but at that moment she didn’t care. He could have warned her that he’d be there in her manager’s office, he didn’t have to ambush her like this. There were so many better ways to have gone about getting her to sign onto this project, why did he have to be so theatrical? “Darryl should be here in a minute, can you please just come back to Jerry’s office and listen to the proposal?”

“I’ve already heard the details and I’m not interested.” She growled the words at him through clenched teeth.

Lowering his voice, Josh got closer to her ear, ignoring it when she tried to back away. “Do you really want to do this out here, where there are people everywhere listening to every word you say? It would be a shame if one of them went to a tabloid and started spreading rumors about us.”

Stepping back, Raleigh looked into his crystal blue eyes, noting the sincerity of the threat there. “You are such an asshole.” She said to him as she began to walk back to Jerry’s office, her voice full of animosity.

“So you keep telling me.” He muttered, smiling at her as he followed her back to the office.

As promised, Darryl arrived shortly after Raleigh had tried to walk out and she sat there in silence with her arms and legs crossed, listening to what was said between the three men. She stared out the window, attempting to keep her mind void of any thought as she watched birds fly around the buildings and airplanes ascend into the sky, destinations unknown. Occasionally Josh would say something that would cause an unladylike snort to come from Raleigh, other than these little noises she didn’t talk at all. She was too angry and annoyed by Josh’s audacity.

After a few minutes, Raleigh realized things had turned quiet so she turned to look at the men and noticed three pairs of eyes staring at her expectantly. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Raleigh,” Jerry said disapprovingly, “please pay attention. This is important.”

“I’m sorry Jerry. Darryl, it sounds like a great opportunity but I’m afraid it isn’t for me. It was a pleasure meeting you and I’m sorry for having wasted your time.” Raleigh stood, grabbed her purse and exited the office, not once looking in Josh’s direction. She said goodbye to Kathy before exiting. She’d made it all the way to the parking garage before she heard Josh calling out to her.

“Go home, Josh.” She called over her shoulder, not slowing her stride.

“Not until you hear me out.”

“There’s nothing to say.”

Grabbing her elbow, Josh brought her to a stop speaking in a hard voice when she turned abruptly to rip her arm from his grasp. “There are tons to say.”

“Let go.” She nearly growled at him between clenched teeth.

“No.”

“You’re being childish!” At that Josh allowed himself to laugh in her face.

“I’m being childish? You’re the one who crossed her arms and pouted in the corner because you didn’t like something! If either one of us is being the child here, it’s you.”

“Why are you even here? You hate LA.” She rolled her eyes, the venom not lessening in her voice.

Finally, feeling as though Raleigh were going to hear him out, he released her arm. “You know why I’m here; for a chance to work with you.”

“The director isn’t even the one who wants me on the project.”

“After Darryl presented the idea to him he agreed it would be a good move, publicity wise, to have both you and me on this.” He watched Raleigh as she crossed her arms and looked around at anything but him. “Please, Ray. Work with me on this.” His voice turned pleading, borderline desperate.

Sighing, Raleigh pinched the bridge of her nose. “I’ll think about it.” Just as a smile broke out on his face, Raleigh pointed a finger in his face. “I’m not promising anything so don’t get any ideas. I’ll think about it.”

“That’s all I ask.” He started to back toward the exit he’d followed her out of. “I’ll see you around.” Then he disappeared into the door, leaving Raleigh in the parking garage alone.

Raleigh sat in the backyard, sipping her third glass of wine by the pool, watching the sun’s decent into the sky. She stared at the changing colors of the sky, watched as the blues turned to yellows, oranges, and pinks without truly seeing any of its beauty. Ever since she’d gotten home she hadn’t been able to focus on anything. Josh had managed to successfully weasel his way into being forefront in her mind. She’d been so agitated with him that she’d stopped at a gas station on her way home and bought a pack of cigarettes, something she’d given up for Daniel. She’d only ever smoked when she was feeling stressed, but still she knew it was a bad habit, one she shouldn’t give into doing again. She’d at first tried just putting the end in her mouth and not lighting it like she’s seen many people who quit do, but the temptation was too great and she ended up smoking two on the way home and one more since she’d been sitting in the backyard. She’d have to remember to hide them before Dan got home, she didn’t feel like fighting with him tonight. Between her poor sleep the night before and her day dealing with Josh’s forwardness, she was exhausted.

Just as she’d had the thought, she heard a car pull into the driveway and knew Dan was home. Immediately she ran to the hose and rinsed the ash out of the ashtray and put it back on the table where it’d been for months then snatched up the pack of cigarettes and shoved them into her pocket. She’d resumed her position on the lounge just as she heard her name being called, followed by Dan coming through the back door.

Looking behind her, Raleigh smiled at her fiancée.

“There you are. What are you doing out here?” He asked, walking over to sit on the lounge beside her.

“Just relaxing, having a glass of wine. How was work?”

“It was good.” He answered after a slight hesitation she’d almost missed. Almost.

“Yeah? How’d your meeting go?”

“Good.” He’d answered a little more quickly. “You didn’t call me after yours. What happened?”

“Oh right, I’m sorry. I did a little running around today and was on the phone with different banquet halls for the reception, it completely escaped my mind to call you.” She tried evading, taking a large sip of her wine that was nearing empty now.

“Any luck?”

“Not so far. All the halls I wanted are booked until the end of next year.”

“You’ll find something, I’m sure of it.” He said, taking her glass and gulping down the rest of the bitter liquid.

“I hope so. Otherwise it’s our backyard.” She laughed easily.

Dan handed her back the wine glass and she filled it back up. “So? What was the job?”

Damn. She knew he had to ask. “It was writing a few songs for the soundtrack. Two of which needed to be duets.”

“And let me guess, promoting the movie as well? Multiple appearances and performances?”

“I think you know him just as well as I do.”

“Well I should, I’ve known him longer.” He laughed. “So what’d you tell him?”

“I told him no. That it wasn’t a good time.”

He nodded, pursing his lips, appearing as though he were deep in thought. “Who was the artist they wanted you to work with?”

“I don’t know.” She lied convincingly, being sure not to do any of her nervous habits under his scrutinizing gaze. “He didn’t offer the name and I didn’t bother to ask.” He seemed to accept that answer, nodding his head as he drank more of her wine.

“When is the deadline?”

“July fifth.”

“Ray, you have more than enough time to do this and plan the wedding. Its only April.”

“Which gives me just over two months to do the songs with whomever this artist is, that’s no problem. It’s the appearances that I’d have to make that I’m afraid will take up most of my time afterward.”

Leaning forward, Dan rested his elbows on his knees, staring at her seriously. “Raleigh, do you want to work on this project?”

Raleigh stared at Dan for a moment before sighing. “I don’t know.”

“You should do it.”

“Why are you pushing me to work on this? What aren’t you telling me?” She eyed him suspiciously, wondering why he wanted her to go back to work so badly. The way he reached up and ran his fingers through his hair told Raleigh she’d been right. There was something he was keeping from her.

“I have to go to New York for a couple of weeks.” Dread welled up in her stomach at his words.

“For what?”

“Well you know we’ve been working on a new show and that’s what the meeting was about today.  Rick wants us to meet with our partners out there and possibly collaborate. If we decide not to I’ll only be gone for a few days, but if we do, which I’m about 99% sure we will, it’ll be a few weeks. Exactly how long I’m not sure.”

“So this collaboration, was does it involve that’s going to take a few weeks? You’re not doing the show out there are you?”

“No. We’re going to write up the story and work on the music as a team. Then we want to see what talent they have and try to cast some New Yorkers that would be willing to come out here for the show.”

Unsure how she felt about having Dan on the other side of the country, where Josh was supposed to be, for so long, all she did was nod and say, “Okay.”

“Okay?”

“What else is there to say? Okay.” Raleigh finished her wine off and stood, walking toward the house. “Do you want Chinese for dinner? I could really use an egg roll.” And another smoke, she thought to herself.

Josh sat in his hotel room, staring out the window watching the sunset as he listened to his favorite band blast from his ipod’s speakers. This was the first time he’d come to LA just of his own free will, and he was surprised that he didn’t know what to do. He didn’t have any friends in town other Raleigh and Darryl – if he could even call them his friends.

He supposed he could go to a bar or a night club, but he didn’t feel like partying, let alone going by himself. He used to go to bars by himself all the time in New York, so frequently in fact that most of the staff at at least four in his neighborhood knew him personally now. That’s why it’d hurt so bad when Raleigh had called him an alcoholic when they’d been trapped in his parent’s house. He knew he wasn’t an alcoholic, but he also knew very well that’s what it looked like to people. In his off time he’d go to a bar nearly every night, not always getting drunk, but at least having a few beers, and he would get a random girl to go home with him. Sometimes he’d even use the same girl multiple nights. Those eventually learned not to expect anything from him other than one night of not having to care about a thing.

His newly-religious sister was very vocal in her opinions on his pastimes, but he never found it in himself to care. Now, with Raleigh thrown back into his life thanks to the storm during the wedding, he found himself caring again. He didn’t want this to be Raleigh’s permanent opinion on him now, he knew he was better than the person he’d allowed himself to become and he planned on proving that to her. If she let him.

Why had she been so furious with him earlier? He didn’t understand at all. When they’d parted ways he thought they’d at least been on good terms. They’d spent the entire day together having fun like old times. They’d laughed and played, she allowed herself to be with him again like when they were kids, as if nothing else had mattered. So what had changed? He didn’t forget what she’d said during lunch that last day though, how could he? He’d gotten his hopes up that they could at least be friends again just to have them shattered by her harsh words. No, she hadn’t said them harshly, but it still hurt knowing she didn’t want to see him again after that. Is that why she’d felt bombarded?

Sure, he supposed he could have warned her, possibly asked her over the phone. But he was the type of guy who liked doing things face-to-face, unless of course it involves breaking up with a lifetime girlfriend. He was the biggest kind of asshole back then and he knew it, and so did everyone else. Plus too, he felt as though it would make it harder for her to say no to him if she had to do it to his face, something he believed himself to be right about. Sure she’d yelled and gotten angry at him at first, but she hadn’t been expecting him to show up. Besides, what mattered was the fact that she promised to think about it. He was halfway there.

Just has the current song on his ipod changed, he heard his phone chime, telling him he had a new text message. Grabbing his phone he found himself smiling almost immediately. It was from Raleigh, asking if he could meet her. He was about to ask her where when she sent another, listing a restaurant that wasn’t far from his hotel. He sent a response, telling her he could be there in ten minutes and went into the bathroom to clean himself up.

 It wasn’t long after that Josh walked into the restaurant, searching the busy place for Raleigh’s familiar face. It only took a moment for the hostess to ask him if she could help him find someone. When he looked at her he could see the recognition in her eyes, but he could tell she was a professional and wasn’t going to make a scene, begging for his autograph, which he was glad for. He told the young woman who he was meeting and immediately she responded that she hadn’t arrived yet but she’d seat him if he liked. Taking her up on the offer, Josh followed her to a table in a semi-quiet area, ordered he and Raleigh both a drink and then just waited. The waitress had just brought the drinks to him when he noticed Raleigh walk in and search for him just as he had for her. He noticed the hostess tell her where she could find Josh and Raleigh headed over.

“Thanks for meeting me.” She said as she sat across from him.

“Did you think I wouldn’t?”

“After the way I acted earlier, yes. And I wouldn’t have blamed you if you’d hopped on the first flight back to New York. Is this for me?” She grabbed the beverage that sat in front of her and took a long drink without waiting for a reply.

“It is now.” He couldn’t help his smile. “I wouldn’t have left without getting a straight answer from you. You said you’d think about the project.”

“Yes, I did say that.” He waited and after taking a few more sips of her drink, she told him. “I was talking to Dan about it and it turns out he has to go to New York for a few weeks on business. He told me there’s really no reason why I can’t sign on for this, and if he’s off doing what he loves, I should be doing the same.”

“So…is that a yes?” He tried not getting his hopes up yet again.

“Yes. I already called Jerry on my way here and he wants us to meet him and Darryl at the office tomorrow morning to sign the paperwork.”

“Great. What time?”

“Nine. I just have one condition.” He looked at her and waited for her to tell him what that was. He honestly didn’t even care, he was just so happy to have the chance to work with her. “We use my studio. With Dan being gone I don’t see any reason as to why we should spend money on studio time when we can just use mine for free.”

“Sounds like a plan then. When do we start?”

“Dan’s flight leaves Saturday morning so later that day, I guess. I don’t want to get in his way when he only has two days to pack. Besides, I’m sure I’ll need to help him. He’s not that great when it comes to folding clothes.”

“Kind of like you. And you always wait until the last possible second and you’re freaking out trying to make sure you got everything.” He teased, sipping on his captain and coke.

“Hey, I don’t do that anymore! I was done packing the day before we left to fly to Tennessee for the wedding, thank you very much.” Raleigh found herself laughing at the teasing conversation, wondering why she’d gotten so mad at him earlier. As if reading her mind, Josh sobered and asked her.

“So, why did you get so mad earlier when you saw me?” Immediately, Raleigh’s laughter ebbed and she stared into her empty glass, wondering where their waitress was.

“I don’t really know.” She answered honestly. “I just saw you walk in and something inside me snapped. I felt angry that you had blind-sighted me and went behind my back to my manager about a job. You could have just called me, you should have.”

“I know that, but I felt like I had a better chance of you saying yes if I were here in person. And I didn’t know if you’d even hear me out if you did answer my call what with the way things ended last time we saw each other.” He was still confused about that as well, but he wasn’t going to push her. He’d been on the receiving end of Raleigh’s fury enough for one day.

Finally their waitress came over to them and asked if they were ready to order. They both requested a refill on their drinks and ordered something light to eat. Raleigh hadn’t eaten much of her Chinese food, so she was feeling hungry.

“I guess I see your point. But a little warning would have been nice. Did you tell Darryl we knew each other?” Josh knew what she was really asking, was there any chance it was going to get out that they had a complicated, shared past.

“No, he thinks I just respected your work. Well, at least he did until you acted the way you did. But then again, maybe he just thinks you’re an egotistical diva.”

“You’re hilarious.” She rolled her eyes at him but cracking a smile despite herself.

The rest of the time they spent together at the restaurant went like that. Teasing one another, laughing, talking about nothing and yet talking about everything. It was just like the last day they’d spent together back home, Raleigh was truly enjoying herself. She found herself not wanting to say goodbye yet she knew she had to. They’d be driving each other crazy soon enough, she told herself. Working with someone wasn’t usually an easy task. So they hugged goodbye outside of the restaurant and parted ways.

Upon entering her house, Raleigh was sure she was going to get bombarded by questions of where she’d been, but the house was dark and silent. Creeping upstairs and into the bedroom, Raleigh saw Dan’s sleeping form on the bed and she backed out, closing the door quietly. She wasn’t ready for bed so she went down the hallway to her studio to continue working on the song from earlier, hoping she’d finally be able to finish at least the music.

The next few days were a blur of packing for Dan. He was in meetings constantly with his seniors and was beginning to freak out about not having time to pack everything he needed. This left Raleigh with a lot of free time to think as packing was a job that pretty much only occupied the hands, so she tried to find different things to occupy her mind and to keep her from thinking. She’d spoken with her brother, Bobbie, Carly, Justin, and Autumn. She tried blasting music on the stereo, she tried listening to movies. None of it helped for long and before she knew it she was taking another smoke break in the backyard. She was shocked Dan never smelled it on her, but she was pretty good about changing before he got home. He’d suddenly gotten into the habit of calling when he was about to leave the office to ask Raleigh what she wanted to do for dinner so she was able to freshen up before he got home. She didn’t like being so deceitful but she knew how he felt about her smoking. She also knew it wasn’t good for her, but sometimes she just needed the stress relief it brought her.

Before she knew it, Saturday was upon them and she was driving Dan to the airport. She could tell he was nervous about the big meeting in New York but she also knew he would do amazingly well. She’d never seen anyone able to work a group of uptight businessmen the way he could. She knew he’d have no trouble at all getting their partners to collaborate on the show with them. Knowing this, Raleigh was unsure how she felt about him being gone for weeks without knowing for sure exactly how long he’d be gone although she couldn’t put her finger on exactly why it unnerved her so.

You know why… the thought floated around her mind but she pushed it away, refusing to think anymore on the subject.

She’d been barely registering what Daniel was talking about with her – she was vaguely aware that he was prattling on nervously about the upcoming meeting – when suddenly he’d asked what she’d been dreading.

“Hey, I just realized you never told me who the artist is you’re working with.” She felt her heart thud in her chest and it suddenly felt as though her stomach were in her throat.

“Oh, yeah well I didn’t really want to bother you with my work when you’ve been so busy getting ready for this meeting in New York.” She felt his eyes on her for a moment and she knew he saw right through her façade. She fought the urge to glance at him out of the corner of her eye or swallow nervously.

“You’re evading, that’s never a good thing.”

Sighing, Raleigh asked, “Does it matter?”

“I don’t know, you tell me.” From the corner of her eye she saw him watching her with concern, a worry line marking his forehead. She didn’t want to lie to him but she didn’t want to deal with the fight that was sure to come either. He needed to think about the partners he was going to meet with. The last thing she wanted him worrying about was whether or not she was being faithful to him while working with Josh, something she never thought he’d question so fiercely.

“It’s Josh.” She admitted quietly. She waited for the outburst from Dan, but it was silent for a few moments before he asked calmly, “Excuse me?”

Sighing, she finally allowed her eyes to meet his piercing gaze. “I’m working with Josh on the soundtrack.”

“And you didn’t think that was worth mentioning?”

“Honestly? Not really, no.”

“Raleigh,” he started. She hated the way he spoke her name when he was angry. It made her feel so guilty when she knew she had nothing to feel guilty about.

“Please just don’t, Dan. There’s nothing for you to be so angry or worried about. We’re working on a few tracks for a CD and that’s it.”

“That’s it?”

“Yes, that’s it.” She told him defiantly.

“Then why did you feel the need to keep it from me?” Her words caught in her throat from her anger. Why did he always do this?

“I didn’t keep this from you! And even if I did is it any wonder why? You make such a big deal out of anything that concerns him and it’s ridiculous!” Neither of them said another word until Raleigh pulled the car up to the entrance of the airport. Without a word, Dan got out of the car and retrieved his bags from the trunk, not noticing Raleigh following him.

“Dan, come on. Don’t get on that plane angry. I don’t want to leave it like this.”

“I’m not leaving it like anything.” He told her, not meeting her gaze as he pulled the strap of his carryon over his shoulder. “I hope you have fun working with him again.” He then turned around and headed towards the revolving door.

“Dan!”

“Goodbye, Raleigh.” He waved her off as he entered the airport, leaving her standing there tearing up like an idiot.

Refusing to cry over Dan being a complete jerk, Raleigh took a deep breath and got back into the car to head home. Josh would be over soon and she had to make sure her mind was on their work and not on her fiancé.

As soon as she pulled past the gate and up the driveway, Raleigh burst out into tears. She didn’t understand. When had Dan stopped trusting her? Did he truly think that she would lose control around Josh? She’d hung out with hours on end when they were back home and nothing had happened, and she was determined that nothing would ever happen. She had distanced herself from him for Dan, didn’t he see that? What had he done to make Dan hate him so badly? Was he just jealous because they had history together?

Raleigh’s sobs had subsided by the time she got out of her car, but silent tears continued running down her cheeks as she walked toward the front door.

“Wow, you look like hell.” Startled, Raleigh’s head whipped up to see who had spoken to her. “Hey, are you ok?” Josh’s teasing tone had turned serious when he noticed how badly she’d been crying. It was a sight he’d known all too well. He stood up front the front steps and went to her.

“I’m fine.” She mumbled, wiping away tears that continued to stain her cheeks. “How did you get past the gate?”

“You gave me the code, remember?”

“Oh. Right.” Lord, she felt stupid at that moment. Walking past Josh, Raleigh made her way up the stairs and unlocked the front door, not waiting for Josh to follow, she knew he would. She threw her purse down on the table in the hallway and went straight for the kitchen. “Would you like a drink or anything before we start working?” She called over her shoulder.

“Just a water, thanks.” He told her distractedly as his eyes wandered the foyer. He’d thought his condo was extravagant, but apparently he’d had no idea what that truly meant until now. He was curious to see the rest of the house so being the devious bastard that he was, he took a few steps to the right and opened the sliding door. Peering his head inside, his mouth gaped open at the huge study that held a magnificent grand piano. His fingers itched to play those shiny keys. Sliding the door closed again, Josh turned and poked his head into the room across from the study. He allowed his eyes to wander over every feature of the large living room. When he saw the door in the far corner he was curious as to what that room could be. Before he could walk towards it, Raleigh’s voice caught his attention.

“What are you doing?”

“Being caught red-handed.” He smiled easily at her, coming out of the living room.

“If you wanted to see the house, all you had to do was ask. No need to snoop around.” She told him, handing him a bottle of water.

“Sorry.” He continued smiling, taking the water from her.

“The studio is upstairs.” She turned and went to the stairs, Josh obediently at her heels.

Once inside the studio, Josh let out a long whistle. “Wow, this is nice.” He immediately went over to the control panels and played around with them.

“Thanks. This used to be a bedroom but I convinced Dan we didn’t need seven of them.” Josh noticed how her voice had caught on the fiancé’s name and again found himself wondering why she’d been crying. Was it simply because he’d left for New York? Somehow, he didn’t think that was it.

“Nobody needs that many bedrooms, except for your family of course.” Josh noticed the corner of her mouth twitch almost into a smile, but fell short. He knew he’d get her out of this funk she was in before he left for the night.

“So, where do you want to start?” She asked, sitting on the stool in front of the control panels.

“Well I was playing around with a few different melodies. Do you want to give them a listen and go from there?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

So they got started, Josh played the melodies he’d written for Raleigh and she responded, either humming along or offering her input. They worked together on the same melody for hours, unable to let themselves stop for even a bathroom break. Eventually, their hunger won the battle of whether they should stop to eat dinner or continue working so they decided to go to a small café just outside of town.

They continued to talk passionately about the project throughout dinner, both incredibly excited that they had decided to sign on for it. Raleigh may have been sick of touring and needed a break, but she’d missed it. She forgot how great it felt to work with Josh; she forgot how talented he truly was. Both were so lost in the music of their conversation, neither of them noticed the photographer across the street, quickly snapping as many pictures of the old friends as possible.

Once they were done eating they got into Raleigh’s car and headed back to the house. When she was walking to the front door she noticed Josh hesitating behind her.

“What’s wrong?”

“Just wondering if we should call it a night and start fresh in the morning.”

“Oh.” She said, feeling her excitement over the song begin to fade. Suddenly, an idea that would benefit them both popped into her head, she just wondered if it was the smartest thing she could do. She knew it wasn’t, and she also knew if Dan got wind of this arrangement it would piss him off more, but she didn’t care. “Why don’t you just stay here?”

“What?” It wasn’t the most brilliant thing he’d ever said, especially considering she’d just asked him to stay in her house, but he wasn’t sure he’d truly heard her correctly.

“You’re going to be here for a few weeks so there’s no sense in making you pay for a hotel the entire time when I have five extra bedrooms. Besides, this house kind of creeps me out when I’m here alone so you’d really be doing me a favor.” She tried to play it off logically, but even as she spoke the words she felt her heart speed up and her stomach do a slight flip-flop in her abdomen. What was she getting herself into?

“Well, I wouldn’t want to make you stay in a creepy house all by yourself. What kind of man would that make me?” She didn’t miss the way his lips spread into smirk and the way he sort of sauntered over to her.

“I just have one rule.” She held her palm out towards him, stopping his movements. “No scaring me like you did back home!” At her serious tone Josh couldn’t help but to let out a guttural laugh. She’d been so mad at him for making her think he’d been attack during the blackout back in Tennessee when they were supposed to be at Justin and Carly’s wedding reception. The morning after her assault on him, he’d been shocked to see how pronounced the bruises were she’d left on his skin.

“Don’t worry, I don’t feel like having you take a baseball bat to my knees anytime soon.”

“I should have done that in the first place! I probably would have hurt you more than hitting you with just my fists. Which you deserved completely by the way!” She crossed her arms over her chest and tried to pout at him, but he saw through her façade. She wasn’t really mad at him for scaring her. He was sure she probably laughed about the whole thing when telling people about it.

“Okay, okay I admit I was a jerk for doing that. But it was funny.” He pulled the rental keys out of his pocket and turned to head to the car he’d be using for the duration of his stay in LA.

“Where are you going?”

“To get my stuff and check out of the hotel. Or are you retracting your offer of a spare bedroom?”

“Oh, no.” She shook her head, feeling silly.

“Do you want to come with me?” He watched as she bit her lip, indecision clearly playing out in her mind. “Maybe we could stop for ice cream on our way back? If there are any good places out here, anyway. I’m sure everyone is much too worried about their porn-star figures to bother having an ice cream parlor in LA.”

At that Raleigh did laugh and walked down the stairs back to where he stood. “Please, I know the best little place to get ice cream. Let’s go. But you’re buying!”

“Fine. You buy breakfast.” He smiled at her back, watching as she walked to his car.

He couldn’t possibly describe his happiness at that moment. He was ecstatic she’d decided to sign on for the project and even more-so that she’d asked him to stay with her. He knew she truly had asked only because the house freaked her out, but it still gave him a much better opportunity to get close to her again, something he craved more than his chocolate-vanilla twist ice cream cone.

As far as he was concerned, Daniel Cooper was out of the picture and they were going to have on hell of a time.

Over the course of the next two weeks, things went pretty much the same they had that first day with Raleigh and Josh. They worked constantly on their music, trying to find the right tempo, instrument, or lyric, stopping only to eat, sleep, or use the bathroom, however briefly. However, it didn't take long for something to get in the way of Raleigh's creative process, something she couldn't identify. As easily as they had written the first song together, she thought it'd be a piece of cake doing this with Josh. However every time she tried to write lyrics, she came up either empty handed or with a bunch of fluffy crap. Nothing was ever good enough. She told Josh she didn't know what was wrong with her. She couldn't understand what was holding her creative juices hostage, but secretly she knew exactly what the problem was.

Daniel had finally given in and called her, apologizing for how he'd reacted. But, he'd also told her, she shouldn't have kept it from him and instead of denying having kept anything from him, she just apologized and told him she loved him and they'd spoken every day since. That was four days after he'd left and ever since it was like her creativity was just stopped up. Nothing would come out that was remotely good.

So now, there she sat in bed, three in the morning and unable to sleep, watching The Phantom of the Opera for the umpteenth time, able to quote it perfectly beginning to end. She was staring intently at the screen, sucked entirely into the film as the phantom sang "you will curse the day you did not do, all that the phantom asked of you" when she suddenly heard Josh's voice, startling her out of her focus.

"Josh." She said breathless, hand on her chest as she waited for her heartbeat to return to normal.

"I'm sorry, I didn't meant to scare you."

"It's alright. What are you doing up?" She ran her hand through her disheveled hair, suddenly conscious of how messy she must have looked.

"I was actually going to ask you that." He chuckled softly, coming fully into her room. "I went down to get a bottle of water and noticed your light on so I came to investigate. Phantom huh?"

She smiled sheepishly. "I couldn't sleep."

"I figured. Well, I'll let you get back to Gerard Butler's terrible singing." He nodded toward the television before turning on his heel as if to leave when Raleigh's soft voice stopped him.

"Josh?" She hesitated briefly. "Would you mind staying? Watch the rest of the movie with me?"

Looking at her fully for the first time since entering the bedroom, Josh noticed the remnants of a nightmare in her eyes. She looked terrified. "What's wrong, Ray?"

"Nothing, I just...it's always more fun to watch this with someone who loves the show as much as I do." He knew that wasn't what she'd wanted to say but he conceded and climbed into bed next to her, pushing away thoughts that this was the bed she shared with him.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, watching the beginning of Masquerade play out when Josh opened his mouth. "I don't understand something. On Broadway, this is three months later. Why didn't they say so in the movie? It makes it seem like it's the next day or something."

Raleigh couldn't hold back her snort of laughter. "Well I'd thought you loved the show as much as I do. It's in the lyrics. You have to listen."

"Oh." He replied brilliantly, feeling rather sheepish for not realizing that sooner.

It wasn't long before Josh felt Raleigh's head fall to his shoulder and heard her soft sigh as she snuggled closer. It was then that he knew she was closer to sleep than she had been all night. It was only a few minutes later that he began to hear her soft snoring in his ear, a sound he'd missed dearly. Very slowly and gently, he moved her so that they could lie side by side on the bed facing one another. As he lay on his side, listening to the final chords of Down Once More play out in the background, he stared at her face, peaceful with sleep, memorizing once more everything about it, every line and every freckle. It'd been a long time since he was able to do so, and though he was exhausted, he couldn't make himself close his eyes. He was too afraid he wouldn't get another chance like this. He also knew he should probably turn off the movie and go back down the hall to his own room, but just as he was afraid to close his eyes, he couldn't make himself leave her side, telling himself it was because she might have another nightmare and would want him there to protect her from the darkness.

Slowly reaching a hand out, Josh gently pushed back a few strands of stray hair while tracing the side of her face with his fingers, relishing in the feel of her smooth skin. He wished he could muster the courage to touch her this way while she was awake, but he also knew she'd never let him this close to her. Not while Daniel Cooper was still in her life anyway.

He wasn't sure when exactly he'd fallen asleep, but the sun streaming in through the window in front of him woke him up later that morning. He was aware of two things instantly; he wasn't in his bedroom, and Raleigh wasn't beside him anymore. Rolling over into a sitting position, Josh rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked at the bedside clock, realizing he slept much later than he'd anticipated. Leaving the torturous bedroom, Josh went downstairs in search of his hostess and found her dancing around the kitchen to Meatloaf with a spatula in her hand. Leaning against the doorframe, Josh watched in amusement, a grin playing on his lips as she acted more like herself in this moment than he'd seen the entire time he'd been in LA. He hadn't realized how easy it was to catch her off guard, dancing and singing like a maniac until he'd caught her twice back home doing the exact same thing.

The only difference was this time she'd caught him off guard.

"I know you know this song Joshua!" She was turned toward him, pointing the spatula in his direction. "Will you love me forever?"

Running to her side, Josh grabbed a spoon of his own and sang into it just in time for his favorite part of the song. "I couldn't take it any longer, God I was crazed and then this feeling came upon me like a tidal wave, I started swearing to my God and on my mother's grave that I would love you ‘til the end of time. I swore I would love you ‘til the end of time!" Joining with Josh for the final verse of the song, Raleigh couldn't help the smile as it splayed across her lips, enjoying every moment of the song.

They used to do this all the time, randomly breaking out into song and dancing together, making a microphone out of whatever was closest to them, and it never grew old. She'd thought that maybe one day when they were older it wouldn't be as fun, that acting like the child she always wished she could be would become boring to her. But it never did and she was thankful for that.

"I swear you like the most random music." Josh laughed as he set down the wooden spoon.

"Don't act like you don't too." She joined his laughter, flipping the eggs in the frying pan, hoping they hadn't overcooked as she sang with Josh.

"I never said it was a bad thing." He defended, dropping a couple pieces of bread into the toaster.

Together they finished breakfast, talking about the song they had left off working on the night before. As they sat down to eat they continued their conversation, once again bringing Raleigh to apologize that she couldn't come up with anything good enough for the soundtrack. This lead to Josh asking something he hadn't been sure he'd even wanted to ask.

"If I asked you to go somewhere with me, would you?" There was something in Josh's voice, the intensity in his crystal eyes that made Raleigh realize he wasn't joking. Swallowing the sarcastic remark she'd been about to make, she answered seriously.

"That depends on where you want to take me." She said carefully.

A sad smile began to turn up the corner of his mouth. "You know, once upon a time you let me surprise you."

"Once upon a time you were the only one I had to think about." She blurted without thinking, immediately feeling guilty. Although, why should she? She loved Dan and she wasn't sorry for having found him.

"That may be true," he seemed to hesitate slightly. "But it doesn't change the fact that you always love my surprises." He watched for a minute as Raleigh visibly thought about it, raging a war against right or wrong. "Look, we could both use a break from writing. A distraction might be exactly what you need to get those creative juices flowing again."

She hated when he made sense. She hated it even more when he made her seriously consider actually going with him without a second thought.

"Come on, Ray. You know you're dying to know what I have planned. I promise to have you back within three days." She was about to give in, to tell him yes when she realized what he said.

"Three days?" she asked, her eyebrows furrowing in question. "Where could you possibly want to take me that will take three days?" She watched as his face morphed into one of guilt and she knew he hadn't meant to let that tiny detail slip. With a sigh he gave up.

"London."

"As in England?" She laughed incredulously. "You want me to just leave the country with you?"

"Come on, Ray." She noticed he became repetitive when he was desperate. "It would serve as the perfect distraction. Get your mind off of everything. We have plenty of time to work on the songs, and like I said, it's just three days."

Sighing, Raleigh pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'll think about it, okay?"

"That's all I needed to hear." Josh stood up and grabbed their plates and went to the sink. "I'll do the dishes."

"Josh, I said I'd think about it. That's not a yes."

"It's close enough." She would have argued with him further, told him no just to spite him, and she would have had her phone not rang at that exact moment. Shaking her head she went into the hallway to grab the cordless.

"Finally! I swear you are the hardest person to get a hold of. I've been calling your cell all morning." Raleigh couldn't help but to laugh at Autumn's rushed voice.

"I'm sorry, it's upstairs and I'm pretty sure still on silent. What's up?"

"Meet me for lunch!"

"Is that a request or a command?"

"Both! Twelve-thirty at Jay's. Don't keep me waiting!" She hung up on a giggle and Raleigh couldn't help but to roll her eyes. Something had Autumn in an unusually good mood. She'd be there just to find out what was going on.

It was just before twelve-thirty when Raleigh pulled up outside the small restaurant. Raleigh could see Autumn from where she parked so she walked into the place and went right to sit across from her at the table.

"Good, you came."

"You didn't exactly give me a choice." Raleigh laughed, accepting the menu the waitress had immediately brought her. Already knowing what she wanted to eat, they placed their orders and were left alone. "So what was so important you needed to get me here?"

"I wanted to show you some sketches I drew up this morning." Raleigh couldn't help the snort that escaped her.

"That's what you brought me here for? To show me some new designs?"

"Yes!" Autumn's excitement far outweighed the capacity to detect sarcasm. "I wanted to get your take on them before I had them made."

"Why?" Raleigh asked as she took the portfolio from Autumn.

"Because I was hoping you could use these for your and Josh's appearances for this project you're working on."

Not saying anything, Raleigh opened to the first sketch and was struck speechless, although why she was surprised she didn't know. Autumn's designs were always nothing short of amazing. The first was a black dress she had managed to make elegant and simple. It had a sweetheart neckline, a fitted bodice and skirt that fell to just above the knee, and one strap crossing from the left to the right. She muttered her approval as she moved on to the following sketches. While some were more conservative where others were more formal, every single one of them managed to wow her.

"These are amazing, Autumn. I would love to wear these." She said with completely sincerity.

"I'm so glad." Her excitement was palpable as she took back her portfolio and Raleigh suddenly knew why she was so happy. She had worn Autumn's designs before, but never to anything she'd been promoting so this would really get her name out there in a positive way. Raleigh would truly be doing her a favor in an intense way and she thought about asking her to draw up something for Josh to wear as well. However, as it usually did, at the first thought of her former lover Raleigh found her mind flooded with thoughts of him. What he was doing at the house without her, was he thinking of her, was he working on the music they had created alone? At the thought of music Raleigh found herself instantly irritable. What was wrong with her lately? Why couldn't she write any lyrics that were deep and meaningful? Why was it suddenly as though she were a child again, completely inexperienced at writing songs?

It wasn't until Autumn was snapping her fingers in Raleigh's face that she realized she had dazed, completely ignoring her friend and the fact that her cheeseburger was suddenly right in front of her.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Raleigh watched Autumn's eyes as they slightly squinted at her as she chewed a french fry.

"Where did you go just now?"

"Nowhere." She shrugged.

"Liar." Was all she said as she stabbed a piece of grilled chicken of her salad and popped it into her mouth. "You look like something's bothering you and with Daniel having forgiven you I can only assume it's not him."

"Your ability to detect the obvious amazes me." Raleigh gave her a halfhearted smile as she nibbled on another fry.

Not one to be deterred, Autumn pushed on. "So? What's wrong? Is it Josh?"

Sighing, Raleigh decided to ask her for her opinion on the matter. "No, it's me." Autumn raised an eyebrow in question. "I suddenly can't seem to write anything of good quality. Every single lyric I write down is pure fluffy crap and I just can't understand why. I've never had this problem before. You give me a subject and a beat and I can come up with anything, so what the hell is my problem?" She asked, her agitation with herself clear on her face and in her voice.

Biting her lip, Autumn deliberated on whether or not she should speak completely honestly with Raleigh. Deciding honesty was best, she went for it. "Ray, the movie you're writing this soundtrack for is basically your and Josh's life story, right?" Slowly, Raleigh nodded. "You can't figure out what the problem is because you've cut yourself off from that world. That part of you that lived and breathed for Josh. If you want to write something that isn't complete garbage, you're going to have to go back there. To who you used to be."

Immediately Raleigh was shaking her head. "I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"You don't know, Autumn. You don't know what it did to me, what I went through when Josh broke up with me. You don't know how hard it was to keep living without him."

Leaning forward, Autumn refused to give up. This is what Raleigh needed whether she wanted to admit it to herself or not. "Use it. All that emotion you're hiding right now and have been hiding for the last five years, use it. You're not going to be able to write a damn thing good enough for this movie if you don't, and you know it. Josh was your biggest inspiration and he's right in front of you. Use it."

Unable to meet Autumn's gaze, Raleigh watched as she absent-mindedly picked away at her roll. "I'm scared."

"Of what?"

"Of remembering it all, letting it all back in. Letting him in."

"I know. Believe me, I know. But you signed on for this because I know you wanted to do this. To finally be able to accept everything back into your life."

Raleigh was silent for a few moments, just thinking over everything Autumn was being so blunt about when she suddenly blurted, "Josh asked me to go away to London with him." Raleigh saw the surprise written clearly on Autumn's face and felt the sudden urge to laugh. "For three days."

"And what did you say?"

"No at first, but then I told him I'd think about it. As much as I hate to admit it his reasoning, although complete horse-shit, made sense."

"Which was?" She asked around a mouthful of salad.

"That I'm overworked and fried and what I need is to just get away for a couple days. Doing something fun and getting my mind off the project might be good for me."

Autumn's silence as she weighed what she'd said nearly killed Raleigh. She wanted to shout at her to tell her what she should do.

"Ray," she noticed the hesitance in her voice and waited for her to say it wasn't a good idea. However her actual response was entirely different. "I think you should go."

"You do?" She could hear the astonishment in her own voice.

"Yes." She said adamantly. "For three reasons. One: Josh is right, it would be good for you to get away. Two: Being alone with him in a foreign city where you know no one will help break down that wall in your brain you're so stubbornly keeping up. And three: You want to go with him."

It wasn't until Raleigh was driving home that she thought of the reason that probably should have been the first one to tell her why she shouldn't go. Dan had just started talking to her again, had just forgiven her. How would he react to her leaving the country with the object of his contempt? But even that didn't keep her from telling Josh yes the second she was in front of him. She hadn't realized it until Autumn had said it aloud, but she wanted to go with him.

It wasn't until Raleigh was on the plane, halfway to London that the weight of her decision truly struck her. She tried not thinking of her fiancé back in New York but her conscience wouldn't allow it. She felt guilty as hell that she was going on this trip with her ex-boyfriend and didn't even have the decency to tell her current boyfriend about it. And as if that weren't bad enough, she was excited about it. She wanted to be here with him and was looking forward to spending some time with him that didn't have to involve work.

When had she become this person? This person who lied and hid things from the man she was going to marry? Someone had once told her "to love another is to be completely honest with them about the good and bad." Back then she had agreed completely, but now she wasn't so sure. She wasn't exactly lying to Daniel; she was just omitting pieces of the truth. Then again, was that any better? Although Raleigh knew the answer to be no she still tried to defend her actions. This was a harmless trip, she'd tell herself. It was just two old friends going away for a long weekend to have some harmless fun and get their minds off work.

Part of her mind screamed at her, if it's so harmless, then why must she hide it? Fighting with herself, she'd say it had to be this way. She had to hide it from Daniel because she knew how he would react. He would go completely silent as he normally did when he became angry, something that frightened her more than when he screamed at her. Then he would say in an eerily calm voice that he didn't want her to go, which roughly translated to "you're not going." She didn't respond well to someone trying to control her and she knew she would then defy him and go anyway, causing irreparable damage to their relationship.

Now, at twenty-two years old, she knew this was the problem between her and her mother. Her mother had been trying to control her every move from the moment she and Josh started dating to the day she permanently moved to Los Angeles. That control she so desperately sought over her youngest child only served to force her farther away, feeling nothing but contempt for the woman as she continuously found different ways to defy her every command.

Was this what was beginning to happen with Daniel? Obviously he didn't like Josh; she knew that from the beginning. It was almost impossible for the new boyfriend and the old boyfriend to like one another. But Daniel had never been openly hostile with her where Josh was concerned. He'd never gotten outwardly upset or angry, never raised his voice at her, never tried to tell her what she could and couldn't do. Not until they went to Tennessee for Carly and Justin's wedding and she'd hung out with Josh for the first time in five years. Now it seemed as though they were fighting more often than they were happy with one another.

Was this how things would be between them as long as Josh was in her life? She feared the answer was yes, that as long as she kept him near her things would never return to normal between she and her fiancé.

But when the contract was up and the job was over and done, would she be able to just say goodbye to him? Would she be able to turn her back on the man that once meant more to her than her own life for a second time?

Two weeks ago she would have easily been able to say yes, she could. But now? Now she wasn't so sure, and that fact scared her more than anything.

Shaking herself away from her troubled thoughts, Raleigh vowed not to worry about that until the time came. She could decide what she wanted to do then.

Breaking away from her troubled thoughts, Raleigh noticed Josh's snoring had stopped. Glancing over her shoulder to where he'd been sleeping, she saw him staring at her from his seat, looking as though he were in deep thought. Their eyes met for a few moments before he seemed to mentally shake himself and left his seat, walking over to where she sat.

"How are you?" He asked lightly, taking a seat next to her.

"Fine." She answered simply. "How long have you been awake?"

"Maybe ten minutes." He shrugged one shoulder.

"And you've been staring at me the whole time like a creeper?" She said it lightly but only received another half-hearted shrug in return.

 "You seemed very deep in thought; I didn't want to disturb intense journal time. Although you didn't write one thing the entire time I was watching you." He moved as though to grab the journal out of her hands but she moved more quickly, immediately shutting the book and binding it closed.

"I was trying to write some lyrics but...there's just nothing there."

"Need I remind you this weekend is to get your mind off of work?" Finally he cracked a smile at her. "Even when you're supposed to be on vacation your wheels are turning. Tsk tsk."

"Well, need I remind you that I was on vacation and the only reason my mind is now on work is because of you. You're like a cockroach, you know. Not easy to kill. You always come back, not taking no for an answer."

"I'm going to assume there was a compliment in there somewhere."

"Assume away." She smiled sweetly at him, leaning her head back against her headrest.

"You look tired." He observed.

"You have an uncanny ability to detect the obvious, Josh. Anyone ever tell you that?"

"Yes, you in fact. On multiple occasions." Grabbing the pillow on the seat beside him, Josh threw it at her. "We still have a ways to go, try to get some sleep."

"Maybe if my mind would shut off for five minutes I could." She muttered to herself as she tried to get comfortable.

She listened as Josh prattled on about nothing important and the next thing she knew she was being shaken awake. She didn't even know when she'd fallen asleep.

"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty."

"We're here?" She could hear the grogginess in her own voice as she looked out the window then back to Josh.

"Welcome back to London." He smiled at her.

~*~

It took them nearly two hours to make it to their hotel and to get checked in. Once they were finally inside their suite and alone, Raleigh realized how exhausted she actually was. The small amount of sleep she'd managed to get on the flight wasn't nearly enough. Announcing that she'd take the room to the right, she grabbed her suitcase and went to unpack, not realizing Josh had followed her.

"What are you doing?" He asked curiously as he plopped himself down on the edge of her king-size bed.

"Unpacking then I was planning on taking a long hot bubble bath." She looked at him suddenly. "You didn't have anything planned for us tonight, did you?" She was only half-concerned with ruining his plans.

"No, I left tonight open because I figured we'd be tired. But tomorrow we have a full day." She sighed in relief and continued to put things away where she'd need them in the morning. "While you take your bath do you want me to order you dinner? I'm starving."

"Yes please." Raleigh grabbed the menu off her nightstand and was going to look at its contents when Josh snatched it away from her.

"Don't insult me, I know what you like."

Too tired to argue she simply rolled her eyes at him and went into the bathroom to draw her bath. She heard Josh close her bedroom door behind him as he left her alone.

When she emerged from her bedroom with wet hair and in her pajamas, she was pleasantly surprised to see their dinner already in their room. "That was fast." She commented, receiving a laugh in response.

"No it wasn't. You were in there for nearly an hour."

"I was? Oh, sorry." He just shrugged in response as he sat down to eat. They ate together in near silence until Raleigh asked what time it was.

"Almost nine I think."

"That's it? God, I'm tired."

"So go to bed. I'm just gonna relax on the couch and watch a movie, and possibly pass out to it in five minutes or less."

"What movie?"

"I don't know yet. Was going to see what was on demand. Why, do you want to watch something with me?"

"Why not? It's still early." So they decided on a cheesy ‘80's flick they both grew up loving and, as promised, it wasn't long before the space on the couch between them was closed and they curled up together, falling asleep to the sounds of the ‘80's in one another's arms.

It was just after eight when Raleigh woke up, snuggled deeply in Josh's arms. It took a few moments for the disorientation to wear off before Raleigh fully realized she was in fact nestled safely in her ex's embrace. Debating for a moment what she should do, she finally tried worming her way out of his limbs without disturbing him. Just as she thought she was almost free, she noticed too late her foot was still caught between his legs and she took a tumble to the floor with a loud thunk. She had managed to free her foot, however she also managed to wake Josh as well.

"Did you try to roll over?" Looking up from the floor, Raleigh saw Josh's sleepy smirk staring down at her.

"No, actually, I was trying so hard to get away from you that I just fell flat on my ass." She grumbled, hoisting herself up from the floor with the help of the coffee table. "I'm going to get ready for our day." She announced, walking to her bedroom, her head held high to hide her embarrassment as she heard Josh snickering behind her.

It wasn't long before they set out into the heart of London, and even less time before Raleigh figured out what Josh had planned for their morning. She'd looked at him incredulously, asking, "Sightseeing? Really?" She couldn't fathom why he'd want to take her on a tour of London when they'd both been there on multiple occasions. However, when he quickly asked her, "Sure you've been to the city before, but did you really see it?" Raleigh couldn't think of a valid argument. Each time she'd come to the city it was for some appearance or a tour stop, she'd never had time to actually go out and enjoy the sights.

They toured art and photography museums, took a tour of Buckingham Palace, saw the London Tower. They even delved into the darker history of the city and made a visit to the London Dungeon, as well as Shakespeare's Globe. By the time they made it to a small, privately owned Italian restaurant Josh had picked for dinner, they were nearly exhausted.

"Next time you have the brilliant idea to run around a large city, please remind me to wear more comfortable shoes." Raleigh complained as she greedily drank her ice water. Josh could only chuckle as he eyed up her chucks. He knew she loved them, but he also knew they didn't offer much comfort when it came to standing all day.

"Don't act like you didn't enjoy yourself."

"I'm not saying I didn't." She sighed as she finally picked up her menu. "I'm so hungry I could eat a whole cow."

"Sorry to disappoint you Ray, but I don't think you'll find any cow on this menu."

"What a shame. I guess I'll just have to settle for some fatty pasta of deliciousness that's going to clog my arteries by the end of the night." She said through a yawn.

"That a girl."

They filled their wait with retellings of their day, entertaining one another as they remembered something embarrassing they had done or had witnessed another person do. It wasn't until after their dinner had arrived that Raleigh finally asked what else Josh had in mind for them to do that night.

"Surely that wasn't all you'd had planned for me?" She said just before popping a piece of Italian sausage into her mouth.

"Don't worry, I have one surprise left. And I guarantee it's the best surprise you're ever going to get."

"I sincerely doubt that." She raised her eyebrow in challenge.

"We'll see." He shrugged nonchalantly as he leaned back in his chair, sipping his wine. "How's you pasta? This is one of my favorite places to eat at when I'm here."

"It's fantastic." She muttered around the bite of food in her mouth. Before she could say anything else, she heard someone call her name out from behind her. Setting down her fork, Raleigh turned just in time to see the last person she'd expected to see in London walking over to their table.

"I knew it was you!" The older woman exclaimed as she came closer. Raleigh was incredibly glad it was still early and the restaurant was nowhere near full yet.

"Jaqlyn, this is a surprise!" Raleigh said as she stood to return the woman's embrace.

"You're telling me. What are you doing in London?" Josh noticed how this Jaqlyn actually seemed to be sincere in her happy surprise at running into Raleigh.

"I'm working on a new project with a friend. Oh, I'm sorry, how rude of me. Jaqlyn, this is my friend, Josh. Although I'm sure you know him as JC."

"I sure do." She said in a husky tone as she shook his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine."

"You wouldn't believe how many times I've tried to weasel my way into doing your videos. Your manager is a very adamant man, however I am a very persistent woman." Raleigh noticed the puzzled look on Josh's face so she offered to explain how she came to know Jaqlyn.

"Jaqlyn has produced, directed, and edited nearly all of my music videos. Once I found her I knew I'd never trust anyone else with them."

"I see. And you've contacted Darryl about doing mine as well?

"Of course, having my name plastered on the videos of both of the hottest stars in the music industry today would make me a very famous woman. Darryl seems to think you're happy with who you're already using though." Raleigh could tell this didn't make the woman happy. However, now she seemed to have an in with the artist himself. She wasn't disappointed by what Josh said next.

"Well, as Ray said, we're working on a new project together. Perhaps we can use some persuasion to get you hired as well."

"That would be fabulous." She stared down the younger man and Raleigh almost felt the need to step between them, a human knife to cut the sexual tension building off her friend. Fortunately, she broke the eye contact before it was necessary. "I'm sorry, I didn't come over here to get a job. Raleigh, I'm hosting a birthday party for Genny tonight at LG down on Richmond. You both should come! I know she'd love to see you."

"I'm sure she would." Something in Raleigh demeaning tone told Josh she'd rather cut out her own eyeballs than to see this girl. "Unfortunately, Josh and I already have plans tonight."

Josh could see the woman was about to protest so he spoke up. "Actually, we should be free by ten-thirty. We could probably swing by about eleven?" He ignored the death look Raleigh shot his way and kept his eyes pinned on his new acquaintance.

"That would be fabulous!" She exclaimed as Josh began thinking this was her favorite word. "I'll see you then."

Raleigh shook her head as she watched Jaqlyn wink at Josh and saunter away. She actually sauntered! Turning back to Josh she shot him another glare. "I officially hate you."

"Why, what'd I do?" He asked in feigned innocence.

"I can't stand that little bitch and now I have no choice but to show up at her birthday party."

"Who is she?"

 "Guinevere Taylor. Jaqlyn's daughter and the biggest spoiled brat I've ever met."

"That seems kind of harsh." He mused, finishing off his wine.

"Not when it's the truth. Did you ever notice that the same female model is in a number of my videos? That's her. She's gorgeous and absolutely talented, but she's a brat and a total pain in my ass and now I have no choice but to see her tonight because of your traitorous ass!"

"Whatever. The LG is a large place, you probably won't even have to see her."

"You better be right." She lightly threatened as they finished their meal. Once the check was paid the pair went back to the hotel so they could shower and get ready for the night's festivities.

Raleigh easily picked out a dress and a pair of shoes for the club; however she had no idea how to dress for what Josh had planned. Entirely agitated by her lack of knowledge, Raleigh stormed into Josh's room and collapsed onto his bed. "How am I supposed to dress appropriately if I have no idea where you're taking me?" She heard him chuckle and swore she was going to punch him in his throat. He'd see who was laughing then.

"Don't worry about that. Why don't you go get in the shower and I'll pick something out for you."

"Whatever." She said as she stood up from the soft bed. "But I swear, if I come out of that bathroom and you're trying on my bras or sniffing my panties I'm going to kick you in the nuts."

"Hey, I tried on your bra one time only because Bobby dared me to when I was twelve!" He defended himself as a red flush creeped over his face. It was so difficult to get him to blush but when it did happen she couldn't help but to find it completely adorable.

"Hey, what you do in your personal time is your business, just keep your weird shenanigans out of my underwear drawer." Raleigh saw the pillow just before he threw it at her so she was able to dodge it. "Missed me." She told him as she childishly stuck her tongue out and ran back to her room to get in the shower. She missed joking around with him and making fun of things she knew he'd rather forget.

As promised, when she departed the shower there was a dress and a pair of shoes lying on her bed, a note sat on top of the dress.

"I figured I'd let you pick out your own underwear this time. Don't want to be accused of something I didn't do. ;)"

Laughing, Raleigh threw down the note and picked up the dress. It was a simple black, sleeveless dress that would fall just below the knee. She absolutely loved it, except it wasn't hers. Making sure her towel was wrapped firmly around her body, she took the dress back to Josh's room. She'd entered just in time to see him come out of the bathroom, towel barely wrapped around his hips. Trying not to ogle the nakedness of his lean, muscular chest, she held up the dress in her hands.

"This isn't mine."

"I know." He said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world and he didn't understand her problem.

"Where did it come from?"

"I brought it for you. I figured that way where I'm taking you would be more of a surprise than if I let you pick out your own outfit."

"You're quite the sneaky bastard, you know that?"

"Just wait. It gets better." Shaking her head, Raleigh left his room without another word. She gently laid the dress back on her bed before going into the bathroom to do her hair and make-up.

About a half hour later, Raleigh emerged from her bedroom fully dressed and ready to go, and Josh couldn't take his eyes off her. The dress was simple, yet clung to her in all the right places. She was on the shorter side, but the heels he'd chosen gave her an extra three inches and accentuated the amazing legs she already had, what he could see of them anyway. Her hair was pulled back tightly and neatly with a bit of a pouf on the top, leaving her beautiful face clear of stray hairs, allowing him full access to her beauty. He could have stared at her all night if she'd let him.

"You look....amazing." He told her, a little breathlessly.

"Thank you." Was that a slight blush he saw creeping up her neck and cheeks? "You do as well. This is probably my favorite look on you." She motioned to him as she looked him up and down. He wore a simple pair of black slacks and a black button down shirt, neatly tucked into his waist. He had the sleeves rolled to the elbow and the top button was undone, showing a teasing bit of that amazing chest she'd seen earlier. He'd gelled his hair into neat waves and curls and yet managed to make it look somehow messy, but nicely so. Her fingers were itching to run through the silky hair.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes." She quickly grabbed her purse and change of clothes and they were out the door, heading to the newest surprise Josh knew would be the best yet. He couldn't wait to watch her reaction when she finally realized where it was he was taking her.

The limo ride to their location was strangely tense between the ex-lovers. Both were trying to relax, to continue their easy conversation from earlier. However it fell flat and quickly died as they both fought the urge to stare at the other's appearance. It took just under a half hour to get there, and once the limo rolled to a stop and their driver got out, both sighed in relief.

After helping Raleigh out of the backseat of the limo, Josh watched as she took in her surroundings, a growing sense of excitement filling her eyes. "We're in the West End?"  He wasn't sure if it was a statement or a question, but he answered affirmatively anyway. She was so excited at seeing a London production that it didn't seem to matter what it was he was taking her to see. He knew that would change soon.

Josh quickly maneuvered her through the doors, careful not to let her see the poster hanging to her left. Telling her to wait by the stairs, he went off somewhere, presumably to get their tickets. When he returned, Raleigh noticed a bag in his hand that hadn't been there before, but shrugged it off as the curiosity of what they were seeing was beginning to take its toll on her. What were they seeing?

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, they made it to their seats, front and center balcony of course, Josh relented and told her what they were seeing.

"Love Never Dies, the story continues..." Raleigh read off the cover of the playbill. Josh had assumed she knew the story already, however at her confused look, he had to think back. They'd watched the original back in her home in LA and she'd never uttered a word of this continuation. Could it be true that she really didn't know? Smiling to himself, he suddenly felt untouchable, this surprise being the best one he'd ever managed to pull off.

When she'd finally opened to the cast listing, he heard her gasp in surprise. "There's a sequel?" She squealed in delight. "How did I not know this! Why didn't you tell me?"

"I thought you'd already know about it, knowing your obsession with Phantom and all."

"I had no idea." She said in wonder as she continued looking over the playbill. "Oh my God. Oh my God!" she exclaimed excitedly. "Ramin is the phantom? And Sierra is Christine? This could possibly be the best thing I have ever seen or listened to." He knew she was only thinking aloud so he didn't bother to respond, he just sat there silently, taking in her excited appearance, gaining intense pleasure knowing he'd put that there. It was only a few more minutes before the lights began to dim and the beginning chords to the opening number began. The excitement radiating off Raleigh's body was enough to make Josh want to hold her.

At first, Josh hadn't really been interested in the musical. He found his eyes wandering more to the woman sitting beside him and her reactions to the music and the words spoken or sung. However, at about the seventh number, when the audience finally saw the phantom for the first time, he felt himself getting lost in the music and the story of their tragic love. He couldn't help but to compare Erik's predicament to his own. He loved this woman, completely, passionately, and yet she denied him. When she finally did submit to him and her feelings, he left her, afraid she would leave him again when the sun rose. Now, ten years later he's trying to win her back, desperately needing her in his life to tear him away from the darkness his life has become.

It was in the final song of the act though, that the story truly hit home and Josh began feeling tears well in his eyes. He wondered if Raleigh had the same reaction to the scene, but he couldn't dare to look at her to find out for fear of losing the little composure he managed.

"Do you have something to confess? I want the truth right now if so." The phantom's anguished and angry words bellowed throughout the theater, an echo of a distant memory Josh was never quite able to forget.

"Once upon another time, you loved me, yet left me alone. But that's not all you did. You left me with a son." Came Christine's reply, nearly as anguished as Erik's voice had been.

When intermission came, neither Raleigh nor Josh could bring themselves to speak. Eventually, Raleigh muttered she was going to use the restroom, but Josh stayed seated, barely acknowledging her words as the past echoed through his mind. He could hear the anger in his voice as he yelled at Raleigh, just barely masking the pain he felt at her betrayal.

"Why didn't you tell me? Did you want me to find out from someone else? Was that your plan?"

"I thought it would be better if you didn't know."

Josh was mentally punching himself in the face for not researching what this show was about more. He'd merely seen that the sequel to Raleigh's favorite Broadway production had opened two months prior and he knew she would love to see it. Nothing else had mattered at the time.

Ironically enough, Raleigh came back just before the lights dimmed, allowing act II to begin. Although the show had managed to trudge up memories better left buried, Josh was immediately drawn in, dying to know how their story would end this time around. Would she remain with Raoul, or would she finally follow her heart and sing for the phantom?

It was during the final scene; when Erik and Christine were begging Meg to spare their child, that Raleigh's hand suddenly found its way into Josh's. He could feel the tension rolling off her in waves and he quickly glanced over, noticing how she gripped the rail in front of her in anticipation for what could happen. When the shot finally rang out, the hand in his grasp clenched tighter, her free hand releasing the rail and flying to her mouth in shock. It wasn't long before tears began rolling down her cheeks and Josh had to fight the urge to wipe them away.

Forcing himself to turn away from Raleigh's tormented face, Josh turned his attention back to the saddest ending Andrew Lloyd Weber could have ever come up with.

When it was over and they found themselves back in the limo, the silence was almost deafening. "Thank you." The quiet words shattered the silence that grew between them, and Josh looked her fully in the eyes.

"You're welcome."

"I had no idea he made a sequel. It was so beautiful...so tragic." Wanting to wipe the sadness from her face, Josh reached for the bag he'd had with him throughout the entire performance and handed it to her.

"I bought this for you. I was going to wait to give it to you until we got back to LA, but why not give it to you now?"

Taking the bag from him, Raleigh slowing looked inside. Seeing a black box, she took it out and opened it, gasping as what she saw inside. "I've always wanted one of these." Inside the box was a Phantom of the Opera themed charm bracelet.

"I know. I should have gotten it for you the first time we saw it in New York."

"That's ok. You got it for me now." She moved to the seat beside him and gave him a tight hug. "Thank you for a wonderful day." She whispered in his ear before pulling away. "Too bad it's going to be ruined now." She laughed, going back to her original seat and reaching for the dress she needed to change into.

"Don't let one person ruin the fun we could have tonight. LG holds serious potential." He winked at her, eliciting a laugh from between her lips. The mood seemed to lift significantly and he was glad for that. He closed his eyes as she changed her outfit in the limo and they listened to some local radio station. After putting on her dress, she managed to touch up her make-up despite the many bumps and potholes on the street. Before they knew it, they were in front of the club, the driver helping them out of the back.

"Deep breaths, Ray. It'll be fine."

"I hope you're right."

"Of course I am." He smiled smugly at her as she looped her arm through his and together they entered the nightclub.

Upon their entry, Raleigh immediately found herself scanning the crowd for that familiar face, hoping she could put off the obligatory birthday wishes a little longer. When Raleigh didn't spot Genny or Jaqlyn, she breathed a sigh of relief and motioned to the bar. "Drink?"

"Please."

It was there at the bar, sipping her rum and coke that Jaqlyn found her. "There you are! I was beginning to think you wouldn't show."

"I told you we would." Raleigh returned her kiss on the cheek with hidden annoyance. There was no hiding from the brat now.

"You look positively fabulous." Josh raised an eyebrow in amusement, acknowledging the woman's favorite word once again. "And you as well, JC."

"Thank you, Ma'am."

"Have you seen Genny yet? She will be so happy you're here!" The older woman gushed.

I sincerely doubt that. Raleigh thought. "No, I wasn't able to find her when we got here."

"She's up in VIP at the bar. Come, I'll show you." Without giving Raleigh time to protest, she grabbed her hand and began dragging her toward the stairs that led to the VIP lounge. Without thinking twice, Raleigh immediately grabbed Josh's hand and pulled him along with her. If she had to suffer through this, so would he.

"Genny!" Raleigh swallowed back the bile that began rising in her throat as the girl came into view. How did she let Jaqlyn talk her into this? "Look who I found!"

Raleigh watched as the girl turned with a sincere smile on her face that quickly turned to forced as she laid eyes on her. "Raleigh." Her surprise was evident in her voice. "I can't say I expected to see you tonight."

"I ran into your mother earlier today and she suggested I come. Happy eighteenth."

"I see. Thank you. Are you here with Daniel?" Raleigh didn't miss the small note of hope in her voice and felt herself begin to glare at her.

"No, he's working in New York. I'm here with a friend." Raleigh turned and grabbed Josh's arm who very nondiscreetly was trying to stay hidden from the girl. "Genny, this is my friend...."

"JC." Genny cut her off, purring Josh's ridiculous nickname. She could tell the girl was very happy to see this new guest.

"Hello, Genny is it? Wow, eighteen. Congratulations." The harsh steel tone of his voice was obvious, however Raleigh was very confused as to the cause. She could tell they obviously knew one another, however she had a feeling she didn't want to know how.

"Well, happy birthday Genny, hope you have a fabulous night. I am going to get drunk." She quickly turned away from Josh's glare and Genny's sickeningly sweet smile and batty eyelashes and found the nearest opening to the bar. She ordered two shots, which she quickly threw back, followed by another rum and coke. Curious to know just how Josh knew the little brat, Raleigh watched as they argued with each other. Unfortunately, she couldn't hear a thing they yelled back and forth over the loud beat of the music. It wasn't until she was downing her third drink that Josh finally made his way back to her, very obviously agitated. He ordered himself another beer and kept his gaze away from Raleigh.

Looking down into her glass, Raleigh allowed the lazy smile passage on her lips as she said, "I don't know the law here, but sleeping with a minor in the states is a crime you could go to jail for." Out of the corner of her eye Raleigh noticed every muscle in Josh's body tighten at her words. Glancing over, she found the pulsing in the vein at his throat that always became pronounced when he was angry.

"I didn't fucking know she was seventeen, Raleigh. Do you think I would have touched her if I did?" The cold in his blue eyes was enough to wipe the smile from her face. He was in no mood for teasing. "She didn't even tell me her real name." He let out a humorless laugh and ran a hand through his unruly hair. Raleigh motioned to the bartender and he brought over two more shots of tequila.

"You know what? It doesn't matter. We're here to have fun, and I don't know about you but I fully intend to take your advice and not let one little bitch ruin my entire night. It's been a fantastic dream of a day and it's not about to end." She handed one of the shots to Josh then held hers up. "To an amazing man who knows how to show a girl one hell of a time." Josh's lips twitched with a hint of a smile just before he took the given shot.

"You're right. I think it's time to get drunk and dance. Although you seem to be halfway there already." He cocked an eyebrow at her empty glass.

"You better catch up then."

"Gladly."

It wasn't long before both were pretty well inebriated and were burning up the dance floor. Once Genny had even challenged them to a dance-off. Even completely intoxicated, Raleigh wasn't one to be out danced. It was about two in the morning when they finally stumbled their way through the hotel and into their suite, laughing and singing the whole way.

"Oh God, that's heaven." Raleigh moaned when she finally took her heels off and threw them on her floor. Josh stood at the foot of her bed, watching her after helping her get there. He was drunk, there was no denying it, but she was completely obliterated. Opening her eyes, Raleigh looked up at Josh, slowly raking her eyes from feet to head, a lazy smile turning up her lips. "You're so sexy, standing there with your messy hair, dressed all in black. I always loved you in black."

"You look sexy in anything, even the sweaty hot mess you are right now." His voice was husky as he stared down at her, the want clear in his eyes. But he refused to make any sort of move toward her when they were both so drunk. He wanted her, but not like this. Clearing his throat, he forced himself to look away. "Do you need help changing?" At that Raleigh burst into a fit of uncontrolled laughter. He reveled in the sound, yet was confused at the cause. Had he said something funny?

"You are just trying to get me out of my clothes, Mr. Chasez. Your games are not unknown to me." She said through her giggles. He knew he probably should have been offended, but he couldn't help but to reciprocate her infectious giggling.

Shaking his head he went to her dresser and took out an oversized t-shirt he knew she loved sleeping in. "It's late. I just want to get you to sleep." Slowly, Raleigh raised herself so she was on her knees. Gracefully she raised her arms above her head and waited. She cocked an eyebrow at him in a silent dare.

"Come on, Mr. Chasez. You've seen me naked plenty of times." Her voice was pitched low, seductively ringing in his ears.

Not wanting to show his weakness for her, Josh quickly removed her dress and replaced it with the worn shirt, fighting to keep his eyes away from her naked chest. When her head came through the hole, their faces were close, merely inches apart. He watched as her eyes slowly left his gaze and trailed down his nose, stopping at his lips. He watched as her tongue darted out, licking away the dryness on her own lips. The urge to kiss her was so strong he nearly gave in. But he didn't. He swallowed the lump in his throat and turned away, reminding himself this wasn't how he wanted her. She was drunk and wasn't in her right mind. Hell, how often had he done some stupid shit when he was wasted off his ass? Guinevere Taylor was a perfect example of that.

"Where are you going?" Her voice was low and breathless, and disappointed.

"To bed. You should do the same. Goodnight, Raleigh." With that he left her room, shutting the door quietly behind him as he quickly moved to the other side of the suite, shutting himself safely in his own room. Trying to get a hold of his breath, he collapsed onto his bed and ran a shaky hand through his hair. Where the hell had that come from? Once he had the strength, Josh stripped down to his boxers and climbed into bed beneath the covers. He quickly sank into a Raleigh dream filled sleep.

Startling awake, Josh glanced around the room. What time was is? He was incased in pitch blackness so he knew it was much earlier than he'd like to be awake. He felt disoriented and couldn't understand what had woken him. He'd been dreaming, but it had been pleasant, nothing to make him sit up so quickly in fear. So what happened? A light sweat had broken out on his forehead and his heart was pounding in his chest. Suddenly, a piercing scream broke the silence of the night and he knew that's what had woken him moments before.

Scrambling out of bed, Josh flew across the suite, ripped open Raleigh's door, and ran inside. What he saw on the bed nearly froze him in his tracks. She was tangled in the sheets, visibly struggling to get free. Her hair was matted with sweat, lines creasing her forehead, her lips parted as another heart wrenching scream tore from her throat. Jumping onto the bed, Josh grabbed her arms so she wouldn't hit him in her flailing as he tried to wake her from her nightmare. Is this what she'd been enduring for the last five years?

"Ray, wake up. Ray, it's just a nightmare, wake up!" He called to her, fighting to get through the alcohol coma he knew she was in. Finally, she started awake and flew up into a sitting position. Her breathing was harsh, her chest rising and falling quicker than it should have been. Her face was contorted into a look of helpless fear and agony and he felt his heart break a thousand times over for this woman. He knew he could never understand what she'd gone through. "Ray?" He asked gently, afraid to touch her, and she finally looked at him.

She sat there unmoving, trying to catch her breath, just staring at Josh. Finally after a few moments, a loud sob escaped her throat and she completely broke down, her body heaving with her cries. Going to her side, Josh protectively wrapped his arms around her, cradling her like a scared child as she cried. He ran his fingers through her hair as he gently rocked her in his lap. "Shh, it's ok, it's ok. He's not here, you're safe." He told her over and over again, until finally she began to calm down. He didn't know if it had been minutes or hours, but finally she spoke in a small broken voice.

"Will you stay with me?"

"Yes, of course I will." He lay down on his back and Raleigh curled up on his chest, just as she used to when they were teenagers and she and her mother had a particularly bad fight. He didn't know how long it took, but eventually the tremors stopped wracking her body and her breathing evened out, and he knew she'd finally fallen back asleep. It was with this knowledge that he finally felt himself relax and fall into a comfortable sleep as well.

He wasn't sure what time it was when he woke up, but he knew it was rather early with the way the sun shone through the window to his right. He was also very aware of the fact that Raleigh was no longer on the bed beside him. Getting out of the bed, he made his way into the main room of the suite, inhaling the heavenly scent of pancakes, bacon, and eggs. He found Raleigh curled up on the couch with a plate of food, munching on a piece of bacon. At his entry she turned at looked at him, a slight blush creeping over her face.

"Good morning, Josh."

"Good morning, Ray. How long have you been up?"

"Just a half hour or so." She shrugged and turned back to the TV. "I ordered us breakfast and they sent us a lot, so I hope you're hungry."

"Starving." He muttered, making himself a plate. He sat down on the couch beside Raleigh and began eating, not paying attention to whatever horror film she was entertaining herself with.

It was quiet for a while, both eating their food and watching the horrible movie on the TV. Finally, when Raleigh was finished with her food, she set the empty plate on the coffee table and turned to look at Josh. "Thank you." She said, her words soft and almost scared.

"For?"

"Last night. For taking care of me and helping me change when I obviously couldn't do it myself. But mostly for calming me down and staying with me." He watched as she gazed down at her hands which seemed to be trying to strangle one another. "I haven't had a nightmare that bad in a long time."

"You don't need to thank me, Ray. Any of your friends would have done it." He watched as she nodded in agreement. "The sound of your scream...I can't remember a time I've ever been so scared. I can't even begin to understand what you went through, what you're still going through. But please know that if you need to talk about it, or you just need a shoulder to cry on, I'm here. I'm always going to be here."

"I know." She finally looked up at met his eyes, a single tear rolling down her cheek. "I know. And that's why I'm thanking you." Josh set down his plate and quickly pulled her into his arms, hugging her close to his chest. He hated seeing her in so much pain, so sad and desolate.

Releasing her from his hold, Josh patted her back. "Come on, we should get our things together and shower. We have to be at the airport at ten."

"Ok." She sniffled and stood, taking her plate back over to the room service table. She deposited it there before going into her bathroom and starting the shower. Josh quickly finished his breakfast and did the same.

It was when they were finally on the airplane heading back to the states that Josh let himself think about everything that had happened while they'd been in London. It was there in his seat, as he watched Raleigh who was watching her window, that Josh realized something had changed between them. What that was, he couldn't be sure, but he knew things were a lot different leaving than when they'd come. And he felt it in his gut that this change was for the better.