"Yes." He nodded.

Aubrey looked at him in stunned surprise.  "T-two weeks?" She finally exclaimed.  "You want to get married?  In two weeks?!"

"Why not?" He asked.

"Why not?" Aubrey echoed then shook her head in dazed confusion as she pushed him away from her.  "Why not...Justin, I can't even believe we're having this conversation." She told him as she sat up.  "I can't marry you in two weeks!" She continued as she stood and began pacing in front of the bed. 

"Why not?" Justin asked again and she stopped moving as she looked over at him. 

"Because nothing is planned, Justin!" She reminded him.  "You just asked me to marry you a month ago!"

"Rachel can help you." He replied as he stood and took hold of her upper arms.  "That's what she does, right?"

"Rachel is in the middle of planning her own wedding right now." Aubrey reminded him.  "And starting her own business!"

Justin rolled his eyes.  "If I know anything about Rachel, she's had that wedding planned since she was sixteen and first decided she was going to marry JC. Was else is left for her to plan?"

Aubrey laughed in spite of herself at Justin's response and the absolute ridiculousness of the situation she was currently in.  "This is crazy!" She told him, shaking her head as she folded her arms across her chest and looked at him.  "We can't--"

"Marry me, Aubrey." Justin said pulling her close and pressing his lips against hers insistently.  "Marry me." He breathed as he rested his forehead against hers.

"Justin..." Aubrey hesitated and closed her eyes as the opposing sides of her personality warred against each other internally.  The spontaneous and fun-loving side that Justin was slowly but surely bringing out in her was jumping in excitement at the idea, while the practical and cautious side was screaming at her that she was crazy for even considering this and was going to regret it.  "It's too fast." She told him.  "I don't--"

"Listen to me, Aubrey Janae." Justin said, interrupting her.  "I love you." He stated firmly, the fire in his blue eyes causing her heart to skip.  "You love me.  We know we're going to get married one day, so why not in two weeks?  What's the difference?  What are we waiting for?"

Aubrey looked at him for a moment, her eyes searching his.  As crazy as it was, he had a point.  What were they waiting for?  To have extra time to worry and stress out about everything?  All they really needed was a church somewhere that would hold their families and a few close friends and someone to marry them. Aubrey had never wanted a huge wedding and she knew, the longer they waited, the more hype the media was going to put out about them getting married.  This would be the perfect way to bypass all the frenzy.  Nobody in their right mind would be expecting them to get married six weeks after getting engaged! 

"What do you say?" Justin asked interrupting her thoughts, a hopeful expression on his handsome face. 

Aubrey remained quiet as she continued looking at him.  Was she seriously considering this?  Was she ready to marry Justin?  To become Mrs. SexyBack?  An excited thrill went through her and before she could stop it the answer to both his question and her own came out. 

"Yes." She told him. 

"Yes?" Justin asked in surprise and she nodded.  "Yes!" Justin exclaimed.  A huge smile lit up his face and Aubrey let out a surprised squeal as he suddenly picked her up and spun her around.  "I love you!  You're beautiful!" He exclaimed as he let her down and smothered her with kisses.

"You're crazy!" She laughed. 

Justin placed his hands on either side of her face.  "Absolutely, certifiably, and one hundred percent crazy about you." He replied as he kissed her lips, his arms going around her as he held her tightly. Aubrey's arms wound around his neck and she prayed that they were making the right decision; that this wouldn't come back to bite them in the butt. 

Her worries and concerns soon left however, as Justin once more picked her up and carried her over to the bed--his lips never leaving hers.  Aubrey pushed aside the questions and the nagging voice in the back of her mind, focusing all of her attention on this man who--in a few short weeks--would be her husband and she smiled.  This was by far the craziest and most impulsive thing she'd ever done, and she knew her mother was going to have a fit when she found out, but she'd never seen Justin so happy.  It was like she had granted him his life-long wish when she told him "yes" a moment ago and Aubrey knew, if she had it to do all over again, she would give him the same answer. 

They were getting married!

~~~~~~

"You have cute feet."

Megan giggled as she twisted slightly where she lay on the bed in their hotel room and looked at Jackson. 

"What?" He asked innocently as he looked at her from where he lay across the foot of the bed.  His head was propped up with one hand and he reached out, taking a hold of her left foot with his other hand.  His eyes sparkled and a mischievous grin lit his face. 

"You're delusional." Megan replied with a smile as she relaxed back against the pillows, her arms spread out on either side of her. They'd only been in Hawaii for a day but already she felt happier than she had in a long time.  Jackson was trying-they were both trying--and things were slowly getting better between them at home but Megan was counting on the next nine days giving their relationship the final boost it needed to get back on track.  

"It must be all this tropical sun," Jackson responded as he lifted her foot higher. "It's all going to my head." He finished, his lips pressing against the inside of her ankle.

"If you're like this after only one day..." Megan shook her head as she looked down at him again, a smile on her face.  "I'm a little worried about what you're going to be like when we leave." She continued with a laugh. 

"It's good to hear you laugh." Jackson commented quietly.  "I've missed it." 

An odd mix of nervousness and excitement filled her as Megan watched him press another kiss to her ankle.  It had been a long time since Jackson had made her nervous and her stomach quivered as his blue eyes met hers.  She swallowed as he lowered her foot back down, the intense look in his eyes making her heart begin to race. 

"Come here." She beckoned softly.  Jackson put his hands on either side of her on the bed as he crawled above her.  Megan reached her hands up-her fingers combing through his dark hair as she looked up at him.  One hand came to rest at the back of his head, while she pressed the other to his face-her thumb brushing over his cheek.  "If I tell you something, will you promise not to freak out?" She asked him after another few moments of continued silence.

"That depends on what you're going to tell me." Jackson responded as he looked down at her.

Megan took a deep breath.  "I want to move to California." She told him then waited for his reaction.

"California?" Jackson asked, his blue eyes registering his shock.  "Why?  I thought...I thought you loved living in Arizona."

"I do." Megan nodded.

"Then why do you want to move to California?" Jackson asked.

"Rachel is starting up her own business." Megan explained.  "And she's asked me to help her with it."  Jackson let out a heavy sigh as he rolled off of her.  He sat on the bed, his arms resting on his raised knees.  Megan sat up as well, crossing her legs as she sat looking at him from the side.  "Tell me what you're thinking." She said as she reached out, placing her hand on his arm.  He looked at where her hand rested on his arm then finally turned to look at her. 

"I'm thinking..." he paused then shook his head.  "I moved away from California for a reason, Megan." He told her.

"I know." Megan nodded as she tucked her hair behind her ears and scooted closer to him.  She knew why he had moved away five years ago.

"I moved away with every intention of never going back there." He continued.

"I know." She repeated.  "But things are different now." She reminded him.     

"What about your mom?" Jackson asked.

"We'll come back to visit." Megan replied.  "And I'm not saying this is going to be a permanent move.  I just...I really want to do this, Jackson.  I've been thinking about it for a long time and I feel like..." she paused, hesitant to voice her feelings. "I feel like I'm stuck," he looked at her sharply.  "Like we're stuck." She finally quickly amended.  Jackson lowered his knees as he turned to face her.  "It's like we've gone as far as we can go where we are and if something doesn't change then I'm afraid..." She trailed off, not wanting to voice her fears.  She looked down, unable to meet his intense stare any longer. 

Jackson reached out, his fingers lifting her chin--forcing her to look at him.  "You're afraid of what?" He asked, his blue eyes delving into hers but she remained silent, the answer was on the tip of her tongue but she kept quiet--hoping that by not actually saying the words she could prevent them from ever coming true. 

Megan looked away from him again--closing her eyes against the guilt she felt and the tears beginning to prickle.  Jackson leaned forward slightly, resting his forehead against her temple.  He let out a heavy sigh.

"You really want to do this?" He asked her.  "You really want to pack up everything, leave our friends and your family, and move to California?"

"Yes." Megan replied. She turned to look at him.  "I really want to." 

Jackson remained silent-his eyes holding hers as he sat, deep in thought.  "Okay." He finally breathed. 

"Really?" She asked, hope and excitement flaring in her chest. 

"If this is what you want." He nodded and she threw her arms around his neck. 

"Thank you!"  Megan exclaimed.  "Thank you!"

~~~~~~

Later that night as Megan slept Jackson lay awake--unable to sleep. 

California.  He blew out a breath.  Could he do it?  Could he move back there?  He'd moved away not only to escape from the mess he'd made of his life and the memories of his ex-wife, but also because he had gotten tired of all the pettiness and hypocrisy that abounded in the state.  He couldn't stand it anymore.  He knew there had to be more to life than constantly searching for what was bigger and better and he'd moved away in search of a different way of life and to protect his sanity.  But...

He turned to look at his wife, resting his head in his hand as he lay on his side, watching her sleep.  If this was what she wanted, then he would do it.

As he continued to watch her, the question Megan hadn't answered earlier continued to haunt him.  What was she afraid of?  The answer he'd seen in her eyes troubled him and twisted his heart painfully.  Did she really think he would leave her?  That he could leave her? He reached out, brushing the hair away from her face--his fingertips trailing over her skin.  She let out a soft sigh.  Didn't she know how much he loved her?  How much he depended on her?  She was his wife, his lover, his best friend and the mother of his child.  How could she think that he could live without her?  He leaned closer to her, his lips pressing against hers gently. 

Megan's eyes fluttered open at the contact, focusing on him in question.  "I love you." He told her, suddenly needing to reassure her of the fact and make sure she knew with absolute certainty that it was true.

She blinked once then pulled her arm out from under the covers and placed her hand against his cheek.  Urging him closer she kissed him with a level of passion that he hadn't felt from her in a while.  His hand found her hip and he pulled her towards him, his body reacting to the feel of her against him.  She finally pulled away, the sound of their labored breathing filling the quiet room, and he watched as her tongue darted out--licking her lips.  He groaned as the action made his body cry out for hers.  A seductive smile slowly spread across her face and Jackson didn't know how much longer he could hold on to his restraint as she lowered the hand that had been on his face.  Slowly her fingers slid down his chest and stomach as she scooted even closer to him.  Jackson's eyes closed reflexively and he swallowed hard as her lips found his ear.    

"Love me." She breathed and he was powerless to deny her.  As he captured her mouth with his and rolled her onto her back, Jackson prayed for time to stand still.  He didn't want this vacation to ever end.  He just wanted to stay like this, with her, forever.  No worries.  No stress.  No questions.  No doubts or insecurities.  Just the two of them and the love they shared.  That was all he wanted.

That was all he needed.

~~~~~~

"Are you insane?"

Aubrey sighed as her brother, Michael, began lecturing her over the phone Saturday morning.  She slumped down in her seat as she pulled her car to a stop at a red light.  "Michael--" she began but he cut her off.

"No, Aubrey, this is crazy!  What are you thinking?" Michael asked.

"I don't have to explain my decision to you." Aubrey replied stubbornly as traffic began moving again. 

"Well, you're going to have to explain it to Mom and Dad, so why don't you practice with me?" Michael countered and Aubrey was starting to regret the decision to tell her family about her wedding.  We should just elope.  She thought.  But even as she thought it she knew she couldn't do that.  Her mother was going to throw a fit when she found out about the hurried wedding, yes, but if Aubrey were to get married without telling her she knew her mother would never speak to her again.

"You and Justin got engaged a month ago!" Michael continued, bringing Aubrey out of her thoughts.  "What in the world makes you think getting married in two weeks is a good idea?"

"Because, I don't want my wedding to be the topic of every news cast across the country for the next three weeks." Aubrey told him.

"Well, you should have thought about that before you went and got involved with Justin Timberlake!" Michael reminded her.

"You're right." Aubrey agreed.  "But I can't change that now." She told him.  "I love Justin and I'm going to marry him and I would like for my family to be happy about it."

Michael remained silent on the other end of the line but Aubrey could hear his labored breathing as he fought to keep his temper in check.  "Two weeks?" He asked.

"Yes." Aubrey nodded though he couldn't see her.  "Two weeks.  On Valentine's Day."

"Why?"

"Because nobody will be expecting it." Aubrey told him.  "And we can do it without a million photographers and journalists making a huge deal about it.  This way we can do it with just our families and really close friends there--instead of the entire world." She paused and Michael remained quiet.  "Will you come?" She asked him.

"Yes, of course." Michael sighed.  "I'll be there."

"Thank you." Aubrey smiled.

"But I still think you're making a huge mistake." He continued.  "I hope you know what you're doing, Freckles." He added.

Me too. Aubrey thought as she pulled up into Rachel's driveway.  Me too.

~~~~~~

"Oh my goodness!" Rachel exclaimed as she opened her front door.  "I am so glad you're here!" She opened the door and stepped back.

"What's the emergency?" Aubrey asked with a laugh as she walked inside.

"I am going crazy here!" Rachel replied as she shut the door.  "Come with me." She told Aubrey. "I'll show you." She led Aubrey downstairs.  "This," she said, stopping and spreading her arms wide.  "Is the emergency."

"What is all of this?" Aubrey asked with a chuckle as she surveyed the boxes of what looked like cards and envelopes spread out on the floor and coffee table.

"Our wedding invitations and announcements." Rachel sighed in exasperation.  "I'm not sending them out for about a month, but with the tour starting in a few weeks, and everything else going on right now, I wanted to get them done today so all I have to do is drop them in the mail when the time comes." 

"And you have to get them all done today?" Aubrey asked as she sat down on the couch and picked up one of the envelopes Rachel had addressed earlier from the coffee table. Rachel nodded.  "How many of them do you have?"

"Five hundred." Rachel replied as she knelt down next to the table.

Aubrey about chocked.  "Five hundred?" She replied.

"Don't look so surprised." Rachel chuckled.  "Remember who I'm marrying." She smiled.  "Your list is probably going to be twice as long." She teased.  "I hope you're ready."

Aubrey's heart fluttered nervously in her chest at the mention of her wedding.  She wondered what the media backlash would be to her and Justin getting married without telling anyone as she looked down at the invitation in her hand.  She ran her thumb over the words printed on the cream paper--a pang of disappointment hitting her.  She wasn't going to have wedding invitations.  There wouldn't be anything printed and sent out, announcing that she was getting married and to whom.  Until a few months ago she had believed that marriage was a long ways off for her and she hadn't thought anything about all of the preparations that went into planning a wedding.  But now, as she sat there, holding one of Rachel and JC's invitations in her hands, Aubrey suddenly felt cheated. By agreeing to marry Justin so quickly, she was missing out on the normal preparations that went into planning a wedding and she didn't want to.  She wanted to spend weeks looking at dresses and picking out flowers.  She wanted to argue with Justin over what type of cake to get or where to have the ceremony and reception.  She wanted--

"Are you okay?" Rachel asked, startling Aubrey from her thoughts.

"I'm fine." Aubrey replied automatically as she tucked her hair behind her ear and returned the invitation to the stack on the coffee table.  She looked over at Rachel who sat, looking at her in question.  Aubrey smiled, hoping to reassure Rachel and keep her from asking any questions.  "You still haven't told me why all of these have to be done today." Aubrey reminded Rachel.    

"Because this is the only day I have to do them." Rachel replied as if the answer were obvious.

"Okay." Aubrey said with a smile.  "Well...what do you want me to do?"

The girls spent the next several hours assembling Rachel's wedding invitations and stuffing them into envelopes, talking and laughing, until Rachel decided to turn on the TV and find a movie to watch.   After flipping through a few channels, she let out an excited gasp--startling Aubrey.

"What?" Aubrey asked, looking at the screen in question. 

"Have you ever seen this movie?" Rachel asked, pointing at the screen, an excited smile on her face. 

"I don't think so." Aubrey shook her head, not recognizing the opening credits scene.  "It doesn't look familiar.  Why?"

"It's Model Behavior." Rachel stated.

"Okay..." Aubrey drawled, wondering if the name of the movie should mean something to her. 

"Your fiancée is in this." Rachel giggled.

"Justin?" Aubrey asked.

"Do you have another fiancée?" Rachel teased.

"No." Aubrey laughed and Rachel smiled as she turned back to face the TV.

"When did he do this movie?" Aubrey asked as she continued to watch the beginning of the movie. 

"Mmmm...ten years ago?" Rachel guessed.  "I think it came out in like 2000 or 2001, something like that.  I love this movie!" She giggled again.  "Reminds me of my first year of college.  Every once in a while Disney re-runs it and it makes me smile.  Justin is so adorable in it!"

Aubrey continued to assemble the stack of announcements in front of her on the coffee table as she watched the movie.  She couldn't help rolling her eyes at the ridiculous and cheesy movie. "This is really bad, Rachel." She commented.

"I know." Rachel conceded.  "But see!" She exclaimed as Justin finally made his appearance on screen.  "Isn't he adorable?"

Aubrey laughed at Rachel's giddy behavior.  "Do you want me to leave you alone in here?" She teased.

"No." Rachel replied, reaching back to slap Aubrey's leg playfully.  "Just admit that he's adorable."

"He's adorable." Aubrey laughed.  Rachel was right-Justin was adorable in the movie.  Ridiculous and horribly cheesy, but adorable.  "Grad school?!" Aubrey exclaimed as his character explained that he was only in modeling to save money.  "Oh brother!" Aubrey rolled her eyes again.

"I know, I know." Rachel replied with a laugh.  "Not very believable, huh?"

"No." Aubrey shook her head.  "And especially not for astronomy!  They couldn't come up with something better than that?"  She asked.  The girls both giggled as they continued to watch the movie-Rachel's wedding announcements forgotten for the moment. 

"You know what I love about Justin?" Rachel asked as the movie continued. 

"What's that?" Aubrey asked.

"That he's really like that." She said, pointing at the screen.  "He's not acting.  He really is that sweet and charming in person."

"Yeah, he is." Aubrey smiled as she watched the younger version of her fiancée on screen.  "But thankfully it doesn't come off as that cheesy all the time!"  She laughed.  Justin flashed his trademark grin and she felt her heart flutter in her chest.  He was sweet and charming and romantic and funny and everything else she could have ever asked for in a guy and suddenly, she didn't care that she wasn't going to be able to send out her own wedding announcements.  In two weeks she was going to be married to him and an excited thrill went through her.  "We're getting married." Aubrey voiced the thought out loud before she could stop herself.  She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and her eyes widened slightly as she looked over at Rachel--wondering what the girl's reaction would be to that statement.   

"Duh." Rachel replied with a smile as she turned to look at Aubrey over her shoulder.  "I know that, silly."

"No." Aubrey shook her head.  "We're getting married, Rachel."  She took a deep breath.  "In two weeks."       

~~~~~~ 

Rachel sat, looking at the television in stunned silence for a moment.  Finally, she turned off the TV and slowly turned to look at Aubrey--one eyebrow raised in question.  "You're joking, right?" She asked.  "Please tell me you're joking."

Aubrey shook her head, her hazel eyes watching Rachel closely.

"What in the hell do you mean, you're getting married in two weeks?!" Rachel exclaimed.  "Are you out of your mind?  I can't plan a wedding in two weeks!"

"Rachel--"

"No." Rachel shook her head, cutting Aubrey off.  "This is insane, Aubrey!"  Rachel's head was spinning.  I don't have time for this!  She thought.  "I don't...wha..." She stopped, unable to spit the words out.  She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm her suddenly racing heart and thoughts.  Not only was she stressing out about getting her business started and all of her own wedding plans but now she was going to have to help Aubrey plan her wedding in fourteen days?!  How was she going to do it?  When was she going to find the time?  Her thoughts suddenly jumped to the conversation she'd had with JC Thursday night at Justin's party and Rachel groaned.  Covering her face with her hands she closed her eyes.  JC wasn't going to take this news very well.  Rachel knew how he was going to react and she wasn't looking forward to having to calm him down.  Again. 

Rachel looked up at Aubrey again and felt a slight pang of regret for reacting so harshly to her news.  Rachel watched as Aubrey sat on the couch with her head lowered-her eyes focused on her clasped hands.  Rachel took a deep breath.  It'll be okay.  She told herself.  Everything will be okay.

"When did you guys decide this?" Rachel asked, trying to keep her anger in check.  Maybe there was a good explanation.  Maybe they'd been planning this all along and had just decided to let people in on it...

"Last night." Aubrey answered softly.

"Last night?!" Rachel exclaimed-all attempts at controlling her emotions going right out the window.

"I'm not expecting you to help with anything." Aubrey continued.  "I just thought you would want to know about it." She said, lifting her head to look at Rachel.  "You and JC are invited, of course."

"JC is going to kill Justin over this." Rachel told her, voicing her earlier thoughts on the matter.  "You realize this, right?  Are you prepared to be a widow so soon?"

Aubrey looked at her in confusion.  "I figured this would solve everybody's problems." She admitted.

"How?" Rachel asked.

"It'll be done and over with.  The media isn't going to find out until afterwards so it's not going to be the big new story." Aubrey sighed.  "I know Justin and JC are working out some issues right now and this way...it'll be your wedding that everyone is talking about.  Not mine."

Rachel sat, watching Aubrey for a moment.  "The media is still going to find out about it." She replied.  "They always find out about things like this."

"We're only telling our parents and siblings and a few close friends." Aubrey told her.  "All of which we trust and know will keep quiet about it, so if it leaks it won't be until after it's over and even then, we're not planning on telling anyone right away."

"And what do you think is going to happen when Justin is suddenly spotted around town wearing a wedding ring?" Rachel asked.

"Then we'll say something about it then." Aubrey replied.  "Rachel," she sighed.  "I don't want my wedding to be plastered all over every magazine and new channel around the world.  I want to marry Justin and have it actually mean something, you know?  I don't want it to be public.  This is private and personal and the longer we wait the more fuss everyone is going to make about it.  If we do it now, no one is going to find out about it until we're ready to tell them."

Rachel sighed as she looked down at the floor.  "Where are you guys planning on doing this?" She asked, looking back up at Aubrey.

"Probably in Tennessee-away from everyone here." Aubrey answered.  "We're going to talk to his family about it when we're there next week."

Rachel blew out a sigh of resignation.  "That doesn't give us much time, now does it?" she asked, and a tentative smile spread across Aubrey's face.  

This was all a huge mistake.  Rachel could sense it.  She didn't doubt that Aubrey and Justin really loved each other--she'd been observing them from day one and knew that their feelings for each other were genuine.  What she did doubt, was that Aubrey was really ready for this.  Did she fully understand what being married to Justin was going to entail?  Was she ready to live the life of a celebrity wife?  Rachel sighed.  There's no way in hell she's ready for this. She thought as she looked at Aubrey.  She has no idea what she's getting herself into. 

"You don't have to do anything." Aubrey began, pulling Rachel from her thoughts.   

"Of course I do!"  Rachel insisted forcing a smile and pushing aside her doubts about this whole situation.  If this was what they wanted, then who was she to stand in their way?  "You think I'm going to pass up the opportunity to help plan Justin Timberlake's wedding?" She teased and Aubrey laughed.

"I don't want anything fancy." Aubrey told her.

"In two weeks you ain't gettin' anything fancy, girlfriend." Rachel shook her head as she put a hand on her hip.  "But I think we can still pull together something beautiful." She smiled.  "The most important thing is the dress." She continued.  "How much are you looking to spend..."  

~~~~~~

"I can't believe this!" JC growled angrily.  Rachel stood by the bed, watching him anxiously.  She'd just spilled the beans to him about Justin and Aubrey's Valentine's Day wedding and she had been right.  JC looked like he wanted to kill a certain blue-eyed pop music icon.

"Once!"  He told Rachel, holding up one finger.  "Just once, why can't I have something without Justin coming in to steal the spotlight away?"

"Jace..."

"Why?!" He yelled suddenly throwing the water bottle in his hand across the room.  Rachel watched as it hit the bedside table, knocking the lamp over and breaking it.  She looked at him in shock, stunned at his sudden outburst. 

"Joshua!" She scolded.  She understood his anger--she'd been expecting it--but he didn't need to get so violent about it.

"I'm done." He continued as if he hadn't heard her.  He leaned against the dresser, his fingers gripping the edge tightly as he hung his head, his chest rising and falling deeply.  "I'm done.  I knew this was going to happen." He muttered to himself.

"Josh." Rachel stepped up to him and placed her hand on his back in a comforting gesture.  She'd never seen him this angry before.  He was so upset he was shaking!

"I'm done, Rachel."  He told her and she wondered what exactly he was done with.  She wanted to ask, but feared another outburst like the one he'd just had-she didn't want to have to replace anymore furniture than she had to.  Instead she simply wrapped her arms around him and laid her head against his back. 

"They're doing this for you." Rachel stated quietly, alluding to what Aubrey had told her earlier.

"They're doing what for me, Rachel?" He yelled at her as he turned in her arms suddenly.  "Ruining my life?"

"Don't yell at me, Joshua!" Rachel told him firmly, folding her arms across her chest.  "Or I'm going to walk right out that door." She turned and pointed behind her.  He clenched his jaw tightly as he glared at her--his blue eyes blazing. "Now," she said taking a deep breath.  "You need to calm down.  You're acting a bit irrational here.  Are you even listening to yourself?" She asked, throwing her arms out to the side.  "Ruining your life?  How the hell is Justin getting married, ruining your life?"

"He's doing it again." He told her.  "Every time I have something good, Justin comes in and takes it over." 

"He's not taking me over." She replied with a smile, hoping to lighten the mood.

"You know what I mean." JC replied angrily, with a roll of his eyes.  Rachel lifted one brow at that.  Normally she would have called him out on that blatant show of disrespect, but decided to bite her tongue instead.  That really wasn't a fight she wanted to pick with him right now.  She watched as he jammed his hands into his hair and walked over to the bed--sitting down with a heavy sigh.  "I can't do it anymore." He said, shaking his head.

"You can't do what anymore?" Rachel asked walking over to him.  She took his hand as she sat down beside him.  JC remained silent.  "You can't do what?" She asked him again, this time nudging him with her shoulder. 

JC finally looked over at her.  "The reunion." He stated simply, his voice reflecting the sudden weariness she could see on his face.  "I'm out."