"You go over there and pretend to be fishes." Eight-year old Scott Taylor said to his sister Emily and his best friend Claire Chasez as he pointed to the far side of the kiddie pool.  "I'm the shark and I'm going to come get you."

"I don't want to be a fish." Six-year old Claire told him, placing her hands on her tiny hips over the red and white polka dot material of her bathing suit.  "I want to be the shark."

            "You can't be the shark." Scott replied.

            "Why not?"

            "Because you're a girl.  Only boys can be sharks." He informed her authoritatively as he folded his arms across his chest.

            "Nu-uh!" Claire insisted with a shake of her head, blonde pigtails bouncing.  "Girls can be sharks too."

            "Yeah." Emily piped up.  "How come you always get to be the shark, Scotty?"

            "Cuz girls can't be sharks." Scott replied authoritatively.

            "Yes, huh!" Claire responded.  She narrowed her eyes at him as she folded her arms across her chest. 

            "No they can't."

            "Why not?"

            "Cuz I said so."

            "Daddy!" Claire called, turning her head and searching for her father.

            "I'm right here." JC said from where he sat at the pool's edge, Claire's two-year old brother Kyle splashing in the water around his feet.  He lifted the sunglasses he was wearing to look at her.

            "Tell Scott that girls can be sharks, too." She said pointing her finger at the boy standing next to her in the knee deep water.  JC smiled as he lowered his sunglasses.

            "Girls can be sharks, Scotty." JC informed the kids.

            "See!" Claire smirked triumphantly while Scott scowled at her.  "Told ya!"

            "Why don't you two take turns being the shark?" JC suggested. 

            "Okay." Claire said happily, ecstatic at having gotten her way.

            "But I--" Scott began.

            "Scott." Jackson cut him off from where he sat next to JC.  "You guys need to take turns.  Understand?"

            "Yeah." Scott mumbled as he folded his arms, sulking at having been proven wrong.  

            Hard feelings were soon forgotten though as the three began splashing and chasing each other around the pool-their squeals and lighthearted giggles made JC and Jackson smile as they watched their children playing. 

            "Remind me again, how we got suckered into kid duty today?" Jackson asked.

            JC chuckled.  "I don't know but I've found its best not to argue.  Things tend to work out better for me that way." He said.  Jackson laughed and shook his head.  Megan and Rachel had gotten it into their heads a few months ago that they wanted to go on a cruise since they'd never been on one before.  They had thought it would be a great idea for the yearly summer vacation that their families took but Justin, Aubrey and Randy hadn't been able to come because of Aubrey's family reunion happening the same week.  They were missed but everyone was planning on meeting up with the "Tennessee Three-some" in a couple weeks.  Justin was coming into town for the release party for an album he had helped produce and Aubrey and Randy were coming with him. 

            "Fiss." Kyle exclaimed coming to JC's side, drawing him from his thoughts and pointing his fingers at the older kids, laughing at them.

            "Are the fish being funny, Ky?" He asked, tousling his son's dark hair.

            "Yeah." The toddler smiled up at him, the brown eyes he'd inherited from his mother sparkling.  "Momma?"

            "Let's go find Momma.  What do you say?" JC asked, standing.

            "Yeah!" Kyle said, stepping out of the pool.

            "Alright.  Come on, little man." JC said, wrapping a towel around Kyle and picking up the toddler.  He rubbed one corner of the towel over his son's head, making his dark hair stand up all over the place as JC placed him on his hip.  "You alright if I leave you for a minute?" He asked looking at Jackson.

            "Yeah, I'm fine." Jackson replied with a wave of his hand.

            JC turned and lifted his shades-scanning all the people sitting by the pool, searching for his wife.  When he spotted her and Megan sitting at the far end of the deck area he bounced Kyle on his hip.  "Do you see Momma?" He asked the little boy as they walked.  Kyle shook his head.  "She's right there." JC said, pointing his finger.  Kyle looked in the direction he was pointing.  When he spotted his mother he began squirming to get down.  JC chuckled as he let Kyle down, following after him as the toddler took off.  He laughed when Kyle startled Rachel as he jumped excitedly onto her lap.

            "Momma!" He exclaimed happily.

            "Hi." Rachel laughed giving the little boy a hug.  "Are you having fun?"

            "Huh." He nodded excitedly.  "I bin simmin'.  Cwair bin fiss." He said, explaining about his sister pretending to be a fish.

            "Really?" Rachel asked smiling at JC as he sat down next to her, tossing the towel he'd had Kyle wrapped in over the back of Rachel's lounge chair.

            "Huh." Kyle nodded again.

            "Are the kids okay?" She asked JC.

            "Yeah, they're fine." He assured her, combing his fingers through his hair.  "Claire and Scott got into an argument over whether or not girls can pretend to be a shark, but we finally got it figured out."

            "Oh good." Rachel said as Megan laughed beside her.

            "I swear, those two..." Megan shook her head.  "One of these days they're going kill each other."

            "Or end up married." Rachel replied.

            "Now there's a scary thought." Megan said.

            "Why is that scary?" Rachel asked with a laugh.  "I don't think--"

            "Momma?" Kyle asked, interrupting her as he placed his hands on her face and turned her to look at him.

            "What, baby?" She asked as she smiled and placed her hands over his-giving him her undivided attention.

            "I-keem?" He asked.

            "Ice cream?" Rachel asked dramatically and he nodded, his big brown eyes pleading with her.  "I don't know." She pursed her lips as if in thought.  "What do you think, Dad?" She looked over at JC. 

            "Hmmm..." JC hummed, acting as if he were giving the question a lot of thought.

            "Peas?" Kyle begged, looking back and forth between his parents.  "I good." He nodded and Rachel laughed as she hugged him.

            "Yes you are." She told him.  "Okay." She relented, kissing his cheek.  "You can have some ice cream."

            "Yeah!" He exclaimed then climbed down off her lap and began tugging on JC's hand.  "Come." He said. 

            JC leaned over and kissed Rachel.  "I'm going to get you for this." He said, lifting his sunglasses and looking at her. 

            "Promise?" She asked as she smiled up at him.  She brought her hand up and ran it over his cheek and kissed him again.

            "Come!" Kyle insisted, continuing to pull on his father's arm.  JC pulled back from Rachel and looked down at his son.  He growled as he scooped the little boy up in his arms and slung him over his shoulder.  Kyle giggled uncontrollably when JC began tickling him as they walked away.  Rachel chuckled as she watched the two men who held equal claim to her heart disappear in their quest for ice cream.  JC turned just then as if sensing her watching him.  He lifted his sunglasses, propped Kyle up higher on his hip and pointed towards her.  Kyle waved and gave her a huge grin.  Rachel smiled and waved back at her son-who was the spitting image of his father.  He was going to be a heartbreaker when he grew up.  JC winked and blew her a kiss from across the deck and Rachel's smile grew.  She sighed as she watched him turn again and continue walking away from her.  Two babies and almost nine years later and she was still ridiculously in love with him.

            "Do you think you two will ever get over the honeymoon stage?" Megan asked from where she sat beside Rachel, flipping through the magazine she was looking at.

            "I hope not." Rachel sighed as she turned to look at her best friend, a silly smile on her face.  Megan laughed as she rolled her eyes.  "I hope not."     

~*~

            "When I grow up I'm gonna be a architect." Scott informed Claire as they sat together-a large beach towel wrapped around both their shoulders as they shared some ice cream.

            "What's a articheck?" She asked him, her little brows furrowed in confusion as she took a bite.

            "Someone who makes houses." He replied.

            "Oh yeah?  I'm gonna be a dancer like my mom and dad." Claire replied proudly.

            "Dad's aren't dancers." Scott said, taking a bite.

            "Yes, huh." Claire nodded.  "Girls can be sharks and dad's can be dancers, Scott." She told him firmly.

            "Dancing's for girls though." Scott laughed. 

            "No, dancing gets you girls." JC replied, jumping into their conversation.  Scott and Claire looked over at him where he sat next to them trying to put sun block on a very wiggly Kyle.  Jackson had taken a sleepy Emily back to their cabin a few minutes ago-leaving JC alone watching the kids.

            "You were a dancer, Uncle Jace?" Scott asked in disbelief.

            "Yep." JC nodded.

            "Why?"

            "Because dancing gets you girls." JC repeated with a wink.

            Scott scrunched up his nose.  "I don't want to get girls." He replied.

            "You will." JC chuckled, finally letting Kyle down off his lap.  "You will."

            "Girls are gross." Scott insisted.

            "Hey!" Claire exclaimed.  "I'm a girl!"

            "No you're not.  You're Claire."

            "Careful, Scott." JC warned the eight-year old as he turned his attention back to watching Kyle.

            "I'm done." Claire said, pushing the towel off of her and standing.  "Come on, Scott.  Let's go play."

~*~

            "Don't look now," Megan said, lowering her sunglasses and raising her head from the white plastic lounge chair she sat in by the pool.  "But I think that's JC Chasez over there and he is totally checking you out."

            "What?" Rachel began lifting her head to look in the direction her best friend had been looking.

            "I said don't look!" Megan said, swatting Rachel with the magazine she'd been looking at.

            "Sorry." Rachel giggled, laying back down and closing her eyes.  "Are you serious?  JC Chasez is here?" She asked with a grin, fighting the urge to look around and find the object of their conversation.  "Remember when we both used to have huge crushes on him?"

            "Used to?" Megan asked with a chuckle.

            "Where is he?"

            "Sitting in a chair over by the kiddie pool." Megan informed her.

            "Is he alone?"

            "Yep." Megan said with a smile.

            "What do you think I should do?  Should I go talk to him?"

            "Work it girl."

            Rachel stood and pulled on her red bikini top.  "How do I look?"

            "Fabulous." Megan grinned up at her.

            JC watched appreciatively as Rachel approached him-the red bikini she wore far too tempting for her own good.  Almost nine years of being together and she still made him hot-along with more than one guy on deck with them.  He watched as several pairs of male eyes followed his wife as she came to sit next to him in an empty chair and he fought the desire to punch each and every one of them.  The only thing that kept in his chair was the fact that it was their children he had been watching over and his ring that sparkled on her finger.

            "Hi." She said, smiling coyly at him as she slowly brushed her hair back over her shoulder and crossed one long leg over the other.

            "Hey." He replied casually.

            "Are those your kids?" She asked, gesturing towards the pool.  JC wanted nothing more than to lean over and kiss her tempting mouth but held back.  He could see the sparkle of mischief in her brown eyes and was curious to see what exactly she was up to. 

            "Yep." He replied.  "Those two are mine." He said proudly pointing out Claire and Kyle.

            "I thought so." Rachel said with a smile, gathering her hair in her hands and, leaning back in her chair, letting the long blond tresses fall behind her as she closed her eyes and sighed deeply.  JC swallowed as his eyes moved hungrily over her incredible body-the body he knew as well as his own.  Except for some added fullness to her hips, looking at her you'd never know she was the mother of two.  "I saw you earlier and thought you were really cute." She said interrupting his thoughts.  She looked over at him.  "Your son looks just like you."

            "Thanks." He replied with a grin.  "They are pretty cute kids, but they're also a handful.  They get that from their mother." He informed her.  "She can be pretty feisty."

            "Is that so?" Rachel replied and he could tell she was fighting back a smile.  "You know, I've always been attracted to guys who were good with kids." She told him.  "Is your wife here?" She asked and he wondered what she wanted him to say to that. 

            "Yeah." He said and her lips twitched up slightly.  Feeling satisfied that he'd given the correct answer he continued.  "She's around her somewhere." He removed his sunglasses-propping them atop his head and stared intently into her beautiful eyes.

            "What a shame." She replied.  She sat up and moved to stand but he reached out and put a hand on her arm, stopping her.

"Room 614." He said.  "Five minutes.  Be there."  With that he stood and walked away.

Rachel smiled as she watched JC walk away from her, her eyes traveling admiringly over his retreating form.  She sighed appreciatively.  JC was like a bottle of fine wine-he just kept getting better with age and she giggled as she thought about the exchange they'd just had.  She stood and quickly walked back to where Megan lay sunbathing.

            "Can you watch the kids for the next little while?" She asked, looking down at her best friend.

            "Sure." Megan replied, placing a hand over her eyes as she looked up at Rachel.  "Why?"

            "I've got a hot date." Rachel smirked.

            "Get out of here." Megan replied with a laugh as she stood and gathered up her stuff.  "You had the kids last night.  We'll just keep Claire and Kyle with us tonight."

            "Thanks!" Rachel said, gathering up her stuff as well.  "I owe you."

            "No, that's why we decided to take this cruise together, remember?  So we'd both be able to have a vacation."

            "You know where we are if the kids need anything." Rachel said, slinging her red beach bag over her shoulder.  "See you tomorrow." She smirked and Megan laughed.