Carly slowly cracked her eyes open, little by little, feeling as though she was being watched. It didn't take her long to figure out exactly who's eyes were boring into her. She could feel his weight against one side of her body, his chest bare and his skin warm against her own. She couldn't prevent the smile that crept on to her lips as she stretched, becoming more awake.

"Are you trying to cook me with your eyes or something, Chasez?"

She heard him chuckle softly. "Maybe. Just watching you while you sleep."

Her eyes finally open and awake, she took in the sight before her. His hair was slightly mused showing evidence of sleep. His blue eyes were heavy and glossy from sleep but he looked well rested. "You're such a sap."

"Yeah I am. So what's it to ya?" He asked, his voice full of mock sass as he propped his hands up on his chin, resting it eye level with her.

She couldn't help but laugh, noting he was dishing out her usual attitude right back.

"Nothing Jace. But seriously, why are you up so early? You're suppose to be taking advantage of this."

He sighed. "I told you Carly, I feel like I got my first fill of sleep the first night I was home and on the plane right home. We don't get time off like this. I'm savoring it."

She smiled a lazy slumberous smile as her hand came up to his face, feeling the rough texture of his cheek. "I know what you mean. It's nice to wake up with you and not have to send you off somewhere or leave and send myself off."

"It is. I love every second of it." He said, coming down to brush his lips against hers."And I'm still trying to get it to sink in that you said you'd move in with me."

"You still want me to?"

He nodded quickly. "Of course I do baby. You know I want you here."

"I've practically lived here off an on for the last few months Jace."

"I know but it's different now. It's like you admitted that you wanted to be here. It's not just because of work. It's kind of like the next level for us in a way."

She smiled, taking in what he was trying to get at but something didn't quite measure up behind his smile. He looked lost in his thoughts.

"I do want to be here." Leaning forward, she once again captured his lips. "You sure you're okay? You've got this look..."

"What kind of look?" he asked, his brows creasing.

Carly shrugged. "I don't know. Kinda like a far off look or something."

JC looked away quickly. "I'm fine. I just.. had a dream, that's all."

She looked back at him, question all over his face. "I take it wasn't the best?"

He still hadn't looked back at her yet. "No it just.. got me thinking."

Her thumb traced over his cheek bone. "Are you gonna share Jace? If it upset you--,"

"I'm fine." He lied, changing the subject. "I thought maybe we could go to the beach today?"

Shaking her head, Carly dropped her hand from his face, sitting up a little as the sheet fell from her pajama clad form. Something was up and he wasn't sharing it. The thought crossed her mind to seduce it out of him but it wouldn't be nice to change her own rules now just to find something out. Still, it bothered her that he still looked lost about something, almost far off in thought.

"The beach? That could be fun." She smiled, moving to sit on her knees as he sat up against the headboard. "You sure you're okay, babe?" she questioned, while moving up to straddle is waist. His hands went right to her hips, fingers slowly skimming up her sides that were exposed by where her tank top had ridden up.

"I said I was fine, Carly." He said, his eyes looking anywhere but hers.

"Okay well you better be." She grinned, running her hands up his chest, catching his attention fully. Her hands slid around his neck before she began to rub his tense muscles. His head instantly fell forward, dropping heavily against her chest as rush of relaxed air escaped from his lips. "Feel good?" she asked, even though she knew the answer.

"Mmmm. Not moving." He groaned out.

"You're really tense for someone who claims they're over done on sleep."

"Must have slept wrong or something."

"Yeah.." She agreed, as her hands came to a halt, nails running down his back a few times softly. She pulled back a little, hands coming up to cup his face. "You know I love you right?"

His eyes crinkled in the corners as a smile met his lips. "Yes. And I love you too."

"Good." She leaned forward and kissed him softly, loving the feeling as his body sank against hers. "I just wanted you to know that."

Hands hands came into contact with the tops of her thighs, caressing the skin he found there, as he leaned his forehead against hers. "I know."

Time ticked by and neither of them said anything as JC leaned against hers. It wasn't unusual for them to be close and not speak but something was off. Carly could feel it. She knew he was feeling stress from a million different directions but she hadn't expected him to hold back. It was going to get them no where. Instead of prying, she held on to him tighter, trying to absorb whatever he was feeling that he felt he couldn't share. Something deep down told her that whatever his 'dream' was about had put his mind in a turmoil and messed with his thoughts. She'd give him time. If that's what he needed before he shared, then that was the only thing she could do.

***

JC looked next to him through his black designer sunglasses, at his girlfriend, taking in the way the sun came across her face, her wavy hair blowing in the ocean breeze. Dressed in a pair of jean shorts, and pink tank top, her halter bikini top tied around her neck, she held her flip flops in one hand as they walked along the surf. Her other hand was laced loosely with his. JC quickly decided that this was what complete contentment felt like. They'd spent the morning having breakfast at a local cafe, overlooking the Santa Monica pier. After, they'd took their time, checking out little shops here and there, admiring the scattered displays of art. Then finally, she'd easily dragged him down to the water where they walked, taking in the sites. Carly had once claimed that she was a city girl at heart but JC noted that he hadn't seen the smile leave her face since they'd arrived that morning. Still in all his calmness, he was once again brought back to the dream he'd had earlier that morning, wishing it'd would just leave the back of his mind.

"What do you mean your leaving?" JC asked, his throat choked up, his eyes red with hurt and anger.

"They want me overseas again. It's work, JC."

"They who? Please don't tell me your working with him again."

Her green eyes shot open and JC could see her blood boiling. He'd already pressed a sore spot.

"WHO I work with, is none of your business JC. Don't you dare use this against me. I thought we were over that."

"Well is it my fault that I'm just a LITTLE jealous that this guy gets to see my girlfriend more than I do?"

Carly rolled her eyes, refusing to meet his eyes. "You're being ridiculous."

JC let out a frustrated sigh. "I just got home from the tour, Carly. I thought you had some time off we could spend together."

"I have to do this. It's business."

"Business huh? Am I not worth putting work off a little bit? You can't give me a couple days?"

She laughed back bitterly. "Oh that's funny. I'm pretty sure I never stood in your way when you wanted to tour around the entire world."

His face dropped, as he walked towards her, reaching out for her hands but she pulled away."I never thought it was a problem. We both knew it would be hard to make us work, Carly."

"Yeah well it seems like all of the work is falling on my part."

He shook his head, taken aback and suddenly feeling tired and defeated. "What's happening between us Carly? You've been like this for over two months now. Always short with me. Treating me like I did something horrible."

She stood there, her hands in the pockets of her jeans, head hung low, staring at the ground. When she finally looked up, tears finally spilled over her cheeks. Immediately, JC closed the space between them, reaching out for her but her hand came up and once again tried to stop him. "I don't know if I can keep doing this."

He swallowed thickly, finally grasping her hands softly in his. "Doing what? Aren't we worth fighting for Carly? You know I love the hell outta you."

He could feel the quiver in her voice. "I just--I think we need some time apart. I can't keep doing this." She said, pulling away from him and quickly leaving the room.

JC stood their numb, wanting to go after her but he felt as though the breath had just been knocked from his lungs. He somehow made it into the bathroom and stood in front of the sink, turning it on and splashing cold water against his face, praying that it'd bring him back to life. His heart ached and his mind was full of questions, not having a clue how he had got to this point. He was tired, mentally, physically and now emotionally. Grabbing a towel from the wall, he groaned as he bumped the toothpaste sending it sailing to the floor. Leaning down, he blinked, thinking his eyes were indeed deceiving him as he settled on empty pregnancy test box.
~
"You awake up there, Jace?"

JC quickly snapped out of his reverie, startled by her voice all of the sudden. "Yeah. I'm fine."

Carly nodded, knowing he wasn't telling her the truth. "I can tell you've got something on your mind and I can't help you if you don't tell me."

He shook his head, dropping his hand. "It's stupid."

Reaching out for his hand once again, she stopped him from going any further. "Joshua Scott, look at me."

He turned, now facing her as the surf washed up over their toes, splashing against their ankles. He looked down at her, guilt written all over him, knowing that she wouldn't let this pass.

Extending her arms, Carly carefully took the dark sunglasses that hid his blue eyes and place them on top of his head. "Now, why don't we try this again babe. I know somethings bugging you and I know it probably has to do with that dream you had this morning so spill it."

Bitting his lip, JC tried to look anywhere but into her eyes. Still, it touched him that she cared enough to look at far. "I told you Carly, it's dumb."

"Not if it's bothering you like this. It's written all over you."

He took a deep breath, lacing his fingers once again with hers. "I just.. I had a dream you left. Just when I thought everything was going well with us, our jobs got in the way. The distance, the lack of time we spent together. You turned into this person and it was almost like.. " He stopped, his head coming down, and focusing on his toes.

Her warm hand against his cheek urged him on. "Like what?"

"It was almost like you hated me for it. For all of it. Because I couldn't be there for you."

"Hey....," She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pulling him against her, taking in how good he looked in his black polo and plaid shorts. "You know I don't hate you. And 'this'," she said tossing her hands in the air as they lay around his neck, "Is our job, our life. We pick and choose what we do and we'll get through it together but just so you know, I don't blame you. I'm sorry if my insecurities put those thoughts in your head."

"I'm not blaming you." He said softly.

"I know Jace. But it's probably my fault."

He shook his head, his forehead coming to rest on her shoulder while his arms crossed at the small of her back. "I'm not placing blame honey. I just couldn't get it out of my mind. I still can't. No matter how many times I try to forget about it, it's always there. And this time we're spending together, I just feel like it's all temporary. Like it's on loan and things will never be this relaxed and amazing for us. I know I've said it before but it still just feels like one big ticking clock."

Carly frowned.

"Jace, you've gotta stop thinking like that. I know things are all so up in the air right now but we'll work through them. You've got to stop thinking of life on a clock. Look at it like we have all the time in the world together, okay? And like I said, I'm not going anywhere." She reached up and placed a slow kiss to his lips and let them linger. "I'm kinda in love with my boyfriend and I think it'd be pretty hard to replace him."

When they finally pulled apart, JC's labored breath fanned against her face, a smile creeping on his own. "Oh yeah? Just kinda?"

She decided to play along with him, her nose bumping against his. "Yeah. Kinda, totally, one hundred and fifty percent.. same difference."

He smiled, this time it reached the corners of his eyes. "That's better." His lips came down to place tiny kisses around her ear. "I'm kinda totally in love with my girlfriend too."

She shivered against him, forgetting nearly everything. "Good. So was that--," her breathing hitched as he added his tongue, moving easily across the skin of her neck. "Was that the end of the dream?"

He pulled his lips away, giving him just enough room to talk. "No it wasn't but I'm kinda busy here." He mumbled quickly before bringing his lips back to her skin.

Carly melted against him, her flip flops quickly tossed up on the sand, away from the surf. "What--what was the rest of it?"

JC stopped, groaning in frustration, knowing she wasn't going to let it go. "You left me standing there, confused, on the verge of breaking down. Everything around me was foggy and fuzzy and the next thing I know, I'm standing in front of the mirror in my bathroom, splashing water all over my face. So I go to reach for a towel and drop the toothpaste and when I lean down to get it, I see a pregnancy test box in the trash can."

Carly gasped in surprise. "Jace..." She was at lost for words. "Then what?"

He pulled away slightly and she already missed the heat of his body. "I woke up. Confused out of my mind. I really hate dreams with no endings."

She shook her head. "That's exactly what it was. A dream. I hate that stuff like this is bothering you."

"Trust me babe, so do I."

Reaching up on her tip toes, her arms came tightly around his neck, drawing his face against hers. "You've gotta stop worrying Jace. I have a feeling we'll be fine. Things haven't always been that clear for us and yeah, our relationship sometimes represents a serious roller coaster ride but you've got to talk to me about this. Don't shut me out. And I know I'm no one to talk okay? But I'm learning and we can learn together. That's the only way we'll ever make this work. We've both gotta be on the same page."

He nodded, smiling against her lips right before they meshed together. "Okay." He breathed softly. "No secrets though right? I just-I woke up thinking, wondering..."

She pulled away looking in directly in the eyes. "No secrets. I promise that if I was ever pregnant, you'd be the first to know."

His breath hitched just hearing her talk about the notion of being pregnant. They'd discussed it before but never really discussed it like they were not. She was hearing his fears, knowing his insecurities and for once, he didn't feel as though he was going to pass out. Leaning forward, his forehead rested against hers, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and taking several deep breaths.

"You mean that, Carly?"

Her hands came up to rest against his face, her thumbs caressing his contoured cheek bones."Of course I do, Jace. We're in this together."

He let out a soft sigh of relief. "That's exactly what I needed to hear. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Try to not to overthink things, Jace. Just know I love you."

"I do. And know that I love you back."

She smiled up at him. "I do."

His grin quickly matched hers until a serious look overtook it. Blue eyes bore in to green as they held each other in the surf, the water splashing between them as neither of them spoke. It seemed that the declarations had easily got the wheels in both of their heads turning. Neither of them dared to speak, to broach the subject or to question it any further.

Several minutes ticked by as Carly slowly pulled away, turning to take a few steps and walking further into the water until it reached her calves. She stood there, arms at her sides, head tipped back in the sun taking everything in.

"You love it here, don't you?" JC asked, his soothing voice meeting her ears.

"Mmm yes. I could stay here all day."

"We can do that." He reasoned.

"Good." She said, turning abruptly, mischievous written all over her face.

"What are you cooking up in your pretty little head now?"

Carly batted her eyelashes prettily before laughing. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Uh huh. I'm not stupid." He declared, placing his hands on his hips, just in time to see Carly kick her leg up, intentionally splashing water all over him.

"Oh thats it!" He laughed, quickly chasing after her as she took off from the water.

He chased after her, smiling as her laughter met his ears. Finally catching up, he grabbed her around the waist, pulling her back against him as he swung her around in circles. Once he stopped, he lost his balance, sending them sailing into the sand in a heap of bodies.

JC lay back, defeated and laughing as Carly turned, resting against his chest, her eyes gleaming.

"I knew you were up to no good."

"Yeah yeah." Carly breathed out before laying down against him, a sigh of contentment coming over her as he wrapped his arms around her and did the same.

"Just remember, paybacks a bitch." He warned.

"Mmm. I look forward to it, Jace." She said softly, as they laid there, at peace for the moment.

***
Later that day, when the sun was softly setting in the distance, brining on the night, JC and Carly had finally retired to his balcony overlooking his pool that sat in front of the breathtaking views. They had spend most of their day the beach, soaking up the silence and the sun, just savoring being alone together. After that, they had ventured home, lingering around for a while before made dinner together. It was an odd sense of comfort, to be together in the same room, sharing a meal and not on a time clock.

JC decided he was already hooked on having Carly in his home as his girlfriend actually living there. Not much had changed besides the fact she had finally admitted and agreed and wanted to be there with him. He didn't ever want to let her go. And as much as he tried to stop the nagging ticking clock in his head, it just wouldn't go away. He told himself that night though, as he held Carly as they lay in a lounge chair sipping wine, that he would try to think about anything but that at the moment. He tried to picture the future and though he had no idea how it would pan out, he was comfortable with the now.

Carly shifted ever so slightly and JC tightened his arms around her, leaning down to buss the top of her head. "You okay?"

She smiled, nodding. "I'm great, Jace."

"That you are, babe."

"I swear I could sit out here for the rest of my life and not get sick of the view."

JC nodded. "I know what you mean. I don't know if I'd ever have the heart to sell this house. It'd be one of the hardest things to give up the view."

"Amen to that. So do you ever use this pool out here or is it more for decoration?" She laughed, lacing her fingers through his.

He chucked at that. "Um, that'd be quite the big decoration. But yeah, it's usually used when I have barbeque's and stuff. I've been known to come out here and do a couple laps here and there though I haven't been in it for a while." JC declared, taking a sip from his wine glass.

"Ever go skinny dipping?"

JC nearly choked on his drink. "Carly!"

She looked back at him, an evil sparkle in her eyes. "What? It's just a question."

He shook his head, as his cheeks warmed. "I'm not answering this."

Pulling away from the grasp he had on her, she turned around, sitting up on her knees in between his legs. "You have to and you have guilt written all over your face."

He grinned back at her, one that she couldn't read. "Have you ever went skinny dipping?"

Her smile match his. "I'm not answering until you do."

"Brat."

Carly laughed, deciding to throw him off a bit, she leaned forward, softly kissing his lips before she pulled back just slightly. "Have you ever wanted to, like recently?"

JC gasped, as Carly easily secured herself in his lap. "Recently as in now?"

She nodded casually. "Sure." He swallowed thickly.

"I um, maybe."

She leaned in a little closer, her warm breath fanning his face. "Maybe huh? That doesn't seem so sure."

"What about you?" He questioned, his hands coming to rest against her hips.

"I might have had a few thoughts, musings, whatever you wanna call them."

"Hmm..I'm always one for satisfying a curiosity." He grinned, leaning forward, his lips moving over her neck. "Wanna go for a late night swim?"

Carly shivered against him, quickly becoming lost in the feel of his kisses. "Ye-yes. But only if your coming in with me."

"I am babe, don't worry." He said as he tapped her hip, indicating that he was about to get up.

When she followed his request, JC stood against her, reaching for her hand as he looked back, his eyes dark with a touch of question in them. Carly suddenly became shy as he pulled her along with him until they reached the pool, lit up by internal lights, leaving it a glowing blue color in the dark night. He easily reached for the hem of his shirt, quickly pulling it off and tossing it to the lounge chair they had both just left. He closed his eyes as he felt her warm hands smooth up and down his chest.

"You're not going to back out on me, are you baby?"

Shaking her head, Carly looked around nervously for a second but knew she wasn't about to back down, especially since she had broached the subject.

"Nope. Just waiting on you."

He laughed as his hands slid up her t-shirt, feeling the smooth skin of her back. "It's your turn. I lose an article, then you do." He brushed his lips against hers quickly to unnerve her. "Arms up."

Carly did as she was told, watching as JC pulled her shirt from her body, exposing her to the night air. Her first instinct was to cross her arms over her chest but JC's big hands were already there. "You're so beautiful, Carly. I swear, every time I look at you, it still takes my breath away."

She smiled, getting lost in his eyes. "Same goes for you."

He stepped back as he went to reach for the waistband of his shorts but Carly's hands were already there, tugging them, along with his boxer briefs to the floor. She looked up at him, her eyes heavy, lust and love clearly written all over her face. She looked down, noting that his hands were already on the waistband of her shorts and realized quickly they were standing their in the dark completely naked. Carly tried to think back to a time where she had done something quite this extreme and couldn't put a finger on one. All she knew was that she wanted this moment, right here and now with him.

JC pulled her against him, letting them feel each other, skin to skin and decided it had been too damn long. He hated to put a number of days on when he'd last held Carly like this but it didn't matter. One day was too much. "Come on honey. Let's go test out the water."

She followed him slowly down the built in steps, her body shivering slightly at the coolness of the water. The day had been warm, but once the sun went down, some of the warmth had faded. Still, she didn't want to chicken out now, knowing this was her challenge. Once the water was at waist length, she felt JC behind her, his arms coming easily around her waist. Turning abruptly, smiled up at him, question in her eyes.

"It's freezing." She said, as goosebumps moved up her arms.

"You just need to warm up." He winked, pulling away and going under, as he swam to the deep end of the pool. When he came to the surface again, he quickly wiped the water from his face, and grinned back at her. "Go under. I promise it will feel better."

Carly looked back at him like he was crazy but quickly followed suit diving under the surface of the water. When she emerged, she brushed her hair from her face, as a smile met her lips.

"Feels good."

"It does. Come here." He told her, an evil grin meeting his features.

"Nope. You gotta catch me."

"Oh yeah?" He asked, moving towards her, and watching as she swam away.

Carly laughed, taking in a deep breath before diving under the surface of the water swimming to the opposite end. When she came up, wiping the water from her face, she turned around leaning against the back wall of the pool, not seeing JC anywhere. Panic was the first thing that ran through her mind but not a second later, he appeared in front of her. Breathing out a sigh of relief, she laughed, trying to move as quickly as she could knowing he was right behind her.

"Oh no ya don't." He said, through his own laughter as he caught her in the corner, neatly trapping her against it.

"Not fair. You came outta nowhere."

"I'm slick like that." JC grinned, moving closer against her, his body bumping into hers under water. He watched as Carly wrapped her arms around his shoulders, holding onto him for leverage.

"Hmm.. look's like it." She winked.

"So is this what you had in mind?"

Carly tucked her hair behind her ears and quickly placed her hands back onto him. "For the most part. How bout' you?"

"Something like this." He said, his head coming forward where his lips met her bare shoulder, softly kissing, lips moving slickly across the wet skin, before he pulled away. "My thoughts were a little more.. uh, explicit."

Carly raised a brow. "Oh yeah? What'd you have in mind?" She questioned smoothly as her legs slid around his waist, causing him to groan.

"I think you're reading my mind, babe." He spoke, his breathing thick as he trailed his lips up her neck and finally to her lips. He didn't hesitate, taking control of the kiss as her tongue slid easily against his. It seemed that he gave and Carly took it willingly, letting go of all the excuses she'd been giving him for the past two days. JC moved his hands down under the water, going to her hips and caressing the skin he found their. He slowly backed up so that her back was flush against the pool, doing it's part in holding her up.

Carly's hands dove into his thick wet hair, feeling it easily slide through her fingers, as her lips moved against his. One hand dipped down to his chest, feeling the light dusting that covered his thin upper body. He might have been a thin man but she'd never get over how muscular his body was. His strength and stamina fell into a category of their own.

JC pulled his lips away for a second, only to replace them right below her ear, the one place he knew he'd get the best reaction. Just like he predicted, Carly nearly melted against him.

"Jace..."

"I've got you. Don't worry."

She pulled his face away, her fingers splayed across his cheeks. "I'm not."

JC swallowed thickly, her voice deep and sure. Her green eyes a solid deep color, full of love and lust as they read into each other souls. She quickly brought her lips against his, bathing them both with her tongue as she felt pressure in the water as his hands came into contact with her breasts. She gasped into his mouth as his hands covered them, palms brushing over the peaks. Her hand traveled down his chest, under the water until she found what she sought. His moan matched her gasp as he regretfully pulled away from from her lips for a second, his breathing labored and his body on fire.

"Carly, babe, please..."

She readjusted her legs as best as she could his his hands moving against her body, driving her into a heated state in the cool pool. She moved up just slightly adjusting her body to where it needed to be, so close to where they both needed to be connected. Leaning up, Carly snaked her tongue out against his ear, feeling him shiver. "Take us there Jace. It's been too damn long."

"Yes." He hissed as he positioned himself between her legs, hands coming to the sides of her thighs where he caressed them throughly before joining them completely. "Oh god, babe. I've needed this, you."

"I'm here Jace. All of me."

He shifted slightly so their bodies were flush against one another, his hands wrapped around the small of her back while hers were crossed around his neck as the water splashed around them.

"I love you so much Carly. Every part of you. All of you."

She brushed her nose against his before joining their lips once again. "Then show me how much." She whispered, pulling away a little.

JC began moving, their gasps and moans filling the silence of the night. Their hands and lips moved in the same pace as their bodies, looking for any part of skin they could find. JC kept the pace slow, wanting to savor every little sensation, letting them feel. When it became not enough, he quickened his pace, as much as he could in the water but never letting go. The wonderful tension coiled between them, the tingle crawling up their skin and settling in the pit of their stomachs when Carly took it upon herself and tightened her thighs around him. Carly tasted his groan of pleasure before she heard it, pulling his lips from his in search for oxygen. Her soft sigh of completion echoed with his ragged pants that rang through her ears.

Silence ticked on for several minutes before any of them dared to speak, JC's face falling weakly against her shoulder. Her hands calmed his trembling body as JC felt her legs weakly fall from around his waist, but his arms were right there to catch her.

"Wow." He finally breathed.

Carly smiled sleepily, pressing a kiss to his ear. "A definite wow."

He brought his head up, smiling down at her. "So did this come close to your 'thought's' you had?"

"Oh yeah. Even better. More explicit as you say. How about you?"

JC chuckled. "Exactly."

"So.." Carly drawled, hanging on as JC began moving towards the shallower end of the pool. "You never told me or not. Have you ever went skinny dipping in here?"

Nearing the steps, JC splashed down on one, placing Carly easily on his lap. "Yes I have went skinny dipping before. Not in this pool though."

"Oh." She said, her voice on the verge of more questions. Wondering who was with him, what he did. He'd have plenty of other girlfriends.

"Yeah." His hands came up, caressing the sides of her face as she turned, her legs falling to either side of his lap, straddling him. He kissed her slowly, long enough to taste all of her. "And none of those times even come close to what we just did so stop wondering. No one even compares to anything close to what I have now."

Carly grinned against his lips, letting out a silent breath she didn't know she was holding. "I love you too, Jace."