"If I may be so nosy, JC. What are you working on over there? You seem obsessed."
"Oh, it's just some music. I can't get this song out of my head for some reason. I woke up with a sudden burst of energy to work on it."
"Have a title for it yet?"
"Yeah...How Do You Keep The Music Playing..."
"Sounds nice. Good luck with that." the woman said before turning her attention back to her computer screen.
"Thanks, Gina."
JC went back to working on the song. He went over to the copy machine and made copies of the original sheet music before going back to the couch and continuing to scribble down lyrics. Gina sat and watched him as he hummed the melody and mumbled a few lyrics here and there. She watched JC trying to write with the paper against his thighs. She then started giggling as he changed positions on the couch 5 times before finally sitting on the floor and placing the sheet music on the table and frantically writing. About 10 minutes later Gina was interrupted from her game of solitaire with the ringing of the telephone.
"Jc...Jerry's ready for you now." she called over to him.
"Thanks Gina." he said as he got up and walked into Jerry's office.
JC noticed Jerry looking through files in a nearby drawer. "Have a seat, JC." Jerry said as he continued to search through the files. Jerry smiled when he found the folder he was looking for before sliding his chair back to his desk.
"How's Nikky?"
"He's good. Still a little temperamental, but hopefully he will be ok in time. The offer is still open if you want to come see him, Jerry."
"I don't think that would be the best thing for him. I don't want to add to his confusion right now."
JC dug down into his wallet and pulled out three photographs and handed them to Jerry. "Here you go."
Jerry's eyes immediately lit up when he saw the little boy staring back at him with the deepest smile across his face. "He got so big!" Jerry laughed.
JC gave him a quick update on the baby before they got into business. "I signed the consent forms that you needed." JC said as he handed him the stack of folders.
"Good...Good. When do you think we can get you to do some more tapings for us?"
"Ummm...Anytime this week. Next week I have to go to Chicago. But I'll be able to do whatever it is that you need when I get back."
"Ok." Jerry said as he starting writing the info down on his calendar.
"Is Laura going to be doing any taping with us?" JC curiously asked.
Jerry didn't look up from his writing, "No. Unfortunately she declined."
"So you've spoken to her?"
Jerry stopped writing when he noticed the curious tone in JC's voice. He smirked slightly before looking up at him. "Why are you so curious?"
"I'm not." JC lied.
He could feel the questions coming on and got off-topic as quickly as he could. He went over his schedule once more with Jerry and signed a few more papers before finally leaving. Jerry sat at his desk and checked the forms to make sure that JC had singed each page. He stumbled across three sheets of paper that were stuck to the bottom. He sat back and started reading the pages carefully before smiling and picking up the phone.
"Gina. Get me Rick Danley on the line please."
Jerry sat and waiting for Gina to connect him to one of the downstairs offices. "Yo, Rick. I need to come down there and have you play something for me. It's extremely important."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cheryl Lynn's ''Got To Be Real" blared throughout the backyard as the large crowd of people mingled amongst themselves. Rachel grabbed a wine glass from a server's tray and continued to smile and talk to JC's aunt as she showed her the rather large engagement ring. JC was in the house trying to calm Nikky down, while Laticia rushed to get his baby food.
The house was packed with friends, family, friends of friends, of other various people that JC didn't know. He was relieved when he saw Justin walking through the front door with his parents. Lynn walked over and hugged JC before taking the baby from his arms and bouncing the boy up and down to quiet his cries. Justin looked around at all the people in the house and looked over at JC with one eyebrow raised, "You know any of these people?"
JC laughed, "Naw, but they apparently know me well enough to come in here and eat up all my food."
"Speaking of food...Where is it?"
JC pointed towards the backyard and asked him to get him a soda while he was out there.
"Hi JC." a tiny voice called out from behind him.
JC turned around and smiled slightly. "Cassandra, right?"
"Yep."
"Nice to see you again."
"Congratulations." she said softly. JC pointed her towards the food and Rachel before mingling with a few more guests.
"Any fine ladies here?" Justin asked as he sat down next to JC on the patio.
"There are a few. Rachel's friend, Cassandra, isn't too bad looking. They met a few weeks ago on the set of that Lifetime thing she did."
"Which one?" Justin asked as he looked around.
"You see the one over there sitting on the edge of the pool talking to Lance? That's her." JC pointed out.
Justin immediately recognized the girl and found himself very confused. "Are you sure Rachel met her just a few weeks ago?"
"Yeah. Cause I know most of Rachel's friends and she showed up at our door unexpected. I thought she was a crazed fan or something when I saw her. Why do you ask?"
"You must be mistaken with that, cause me and Hallie saw the two of them together months ago."
JC looked over towards Cassandra and then back over at Rachel who was laughing with a few of her friends.
"Hallie spotted Rachel and was being nosey as usual...This was way back before Laura moved." Justin reiterated.
"Maybe I am mistaken." JC said before taking a sip of his soda.
~~~~~~~~~~
"What the hell are you doing here?" Rachel hissed as she grabbed Cassandra's arm and pulled her off to the side where no one was looking.
"I came to celebrate your engagement."
"Excuse me?"
"Well I assumed my invitation must have gotten lost in the mail. I know you would never pass up your best buddy like that."
"Let's get one thing straight. We are not buddies." Rachel stopped talking and plastered a fake smile on her face as JC walked over towards the two women.
"Hey, baby. My mom needs you to come over and take a few pictures."
"I'll be there in a second, Hun."
"Okay. You're more than welcome to join in Cassandra." JC noted.
Cassandra put down her wine glass, "Oh that would be great. Come on, Rachel." she said as she grabbed her arm and pulled her away.
JC watched as they joined the rest of the women for pictures. Curiosity was looming in his brain as he wondered why Rachel would have told him she only met Cassandra recently. JC didn't have much time to concentrate on it during the party. He was too busy trying to entertain all him guest and please his mother with a million pictures.
Rachel and Cassandra dipped off into the house. Justin noticed the two of them and decided to say hello. Rachel introduced Cassandra to him and they spoke briefly before Rachel interrupted and told Justin she needed Cassandra's help with something. He found it odd that she was so short with him before pulling to woman into the back bedroom, but brushed it off as chaos from the party.
"I want you out of here...Now."
"Wow, Rachel. Why are we so uptight today? pre-wedding jitters?"
"You don't belong here. You weren't invited."
"Well that hurts. I come to wish my friend the best of luck in her new marriage and I get slapped in the face with the insults." Cassandra acted hurt.
"We aren't friends...Get it straight."
"Well I would have thought we were. Since we have saved each other's asses time and time again."
"A favor for a favor...That's all it was. I've helped you more than enough. So grab your jacket and get moving out my front door pronto."
"Okay...I'll just go and say a few words to JC and I'll be on my way."
Rachel grabbed Cassandra's arm. "You won't say a thing to JC."
"Who's gonna stop me? You?" Cassandra laughed.
"What do you want from me?"
"A few grand and a few encouraging words for this part I am auditioning for."
"I just gave you four thousand dollars a few weeks ago."
"Well I need more...Maybe I can go out there and ask JC for the money. Small amount to pay for all the information I hold up here." Cassandra said as she tapped the side of her head.
"You're the one that screwed up here...Not me. I saved your ass when you got my son's blood type wrong. Jerry was trying to have you fired and if given the chance he would have definitely found some way to sue you if it wasn't for me."
"Messing with paternity test results is a much bigger favor than my little screw up with blood types in a lab...And we both know your heart isn't that big. You had motives of your own when you stepped in and 'helped' me. You owe me way more than I owe you, Rachel...And your going to pay. Cough it up, or I'll be changing my career from aspiring actress to stool pigeon."
