Katrina casually pursed her lips as she ran her fingers along the side of a satin, red dress  that was shown off by a mannequin from on the inside of the store. She took note of the way the gown hugged at the lifeless woman's small waist but still comfortably flowed over the hips down to the ankles.

She took a step forward to admire the open back design before curiously turning over the price tag so that she could see the number through her oversized sunglasses.

"Sixty two hundred dollars- what the," she gaped at the four figure digit staring back at her. Katrina could safely say that the number was significantly higher than over half of all the clothes in her closet's worth. She let the dangling piece of paper fall from her fingertips and turned around for the fifth time to see JC finally giving what she hoped were goodbye hugs to three women with besotted eyes and flirty grins near the entrance of the store.

Katrina lurked patiently nearby, questioning whether she should be more surprised by the costs she was seeing or by the fact that people actually purchased such clothing without even taking so much as a glance at the fee.

"Sorry ‘bout that," JC said, walking up behind her a few moments later.

"It's cool," Katrina told him. She carefully rested a hanger that supported a little black dress back on the rack and lifted her sunglasses to sit atop her head. She looked at him expectantly.

"Well," JC said before clearing his throat. "Did you see anything you like?"

"Are we really going to shop here?"

JC frowned. "Yeah, what'd you mean?" he asked as he stuffed his palms into the front pockets of the black denim jeans he wore. Katrina had personally found them to be a bit too tight but the view from the back made up for it. "You don't like it here?" he asked.

She bit down on her lip momentarily as she allowed her eyes to roam the part of the store she could see from standing in front of him. Her worried green eyes met his shiny blues. The rain of light from one of the glass chandeliers that hung from the ceiling above cast the spotlight on them.

"When you said we were going shopping, I thought you meant one of the local malls," she told him. "Not," Katrina quickly let her eyes roam the store. "...Beverly Hills."

"Kat, we're not even ten minutes away from West Hollywood. This is local."

"But it's not like I can afford anything here," she practically whined. "A single belt in this store probably costs more than this sundress, handbag and wedges combined."

JC smiled as he finally took the opportunity to appreciate her outfit. "You look cute."

"Are you even listening to what I'm saying here?" she wondered out loud to him but his response was a mere chuckle as he put an arm around her. "What am I supposed to do here, Jace? Window shop?"

"You need to relax, alright? You're not broke."

"But I will be if I walk out of here with so much as a shoelace."

JC led her over to the same mannequin she had come across just a minute or two before.

"I saw you looking at this," he said, pointing to the red material. "Did you like it?"

"I think you'd want me to tell you the price first."

"Three grand?" he guessed, scratching at the back of his neck.

"Try six thousand," she informed him with a grin as he gave a low whistle.

"Red isn't your colour anyway," he assured her and Katrina couldn't help but laugh.

"I feel like we're in the wrong store, JC," she stated.

JC turned his attention to another mannequin that modelled a turquoise gown and took a hold of Katrina's hand as he moved them along. "I know it looks like really high end stuff," he started but she cut him off.

"There's a Louis Vuitton opposite us and a Vera Wang four stores down!"

"Would it kill you to act like a normal woman and have some fun looking around?"

"It wouldn't kill me," Katrina admitted. She looked over at the gown JC had spotted and studied it. "This is nice. I like the length."

"So try it on," he encouraged. "You've got to try on something while we're here. We may as well start with this."

Before Katrina could open her mouth once more, JC was already signalling to one of the more than eager shopping assistants that were available. A short, tiny woman in a suit immediately made her way over to the pair.

"How may I help you?" she asked politely.

"Do you have any more dresses in this design?" JC asked, looking from the gown to the woman.

"We do. We only offer the dress in this colour, however."

"I don't know how I feel about plain turquoise," Katrina said out loud.

JC raised his eyebrows. "No?"

Katrina shook her head.

"Is there something in particular that you're looking for?" the woman asked. "A particular occasion or dress code so that I know what you're working with?"

"It's for a vow renewal," Katrina replied to her. "It's formal. I'm not against anything, except I'd like for it to be long."

"What dress size are you? A six?" she suggested, much to Katrina's dismay.

"No, I'm a four," Katrina corrected calmly. "Barely a four, actually."

"Wow, really?" the assistant questioned, visibly taken aback.

Katrina took the chance to squeeze JC's hand that was holding onto hers as she kept a smile.

"Oh, yeah," he began, flinching in her grip. "She's a four. Believe me. I would know."

"I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to be presumptuous," she covered up quickly. "You have a lovely figure and I'm sure that, um, you'll find something you like over on that side."

She guided them to the opposite end of the store and before JC took over. "We've got it from here, thanks."

"Let me know if you need anything."

"Will do," he nodded with a smile before the assistant quickly moved away.

"Not every woman living in Hollywood wears a size two, God," Katrina mumbled, almost to herself. She carelessly rummaged through the rack of colourful material before pulling out a hanger. "And I do not look like a size six!"

JC chuckled as he himself looked through some of what the store had to offer. "I know that, I'm glad you know that, and so anyone else here is pretty irrelevant."

"It's rude," she muttered.

"I know but we're not here to get feisty with the employees, SmartieKat," JC reminded her. "Leave that for the bedroom."

No more than two minutes had gone by before JC heard an exasperated sigh from behind him. He whipped his head around just in time to see Katrina walking away.

"Where are you going?" he exclaimed.

She paused abruptly to turn around to him and shrug her shoulders. "I'm going to look at shoes."

"In what style? Invisible? To match the invisible dress you picked out?"

"Acting like a diva is a woman's job, JC."

"Come over here," he commanded after looking down at the studded silver gown in his grip. He didn't even bother to think of whether or not she'd like it or why he even took it off the rack. Instead, he gently shoved it into her chest. "Go try this on."

"You're so bossy," she muttered. "You should leave that for the bedroom."

"Next time," he promised. Katrina had to chuckle.

"Are you going to stay out here or are you coming with me?" she asked.

"I want to find a couple more options for you to try before we go look somewhere else."

"Whatever you say, boss."

JC used the time to briefly explore the aisles of the high priced boutique, ever so often looking up to bashfully wave at the duo of women holding Victoria's Secret shopping bags near to him. They were both size two, from what his eyes could tell.

No wonder Katrina so occasionally became self conscious of what she wore and where. He was about to start looking through a different selection that rotated on a circular rack when his phone vibrated in his pocket, signalling a text message.

I don't like this one L

"Of course she doesn't like it," JC murmured to himself. He made a quick count of the gowns he had draped over his left arm and found his way over to the dressing rooms. "Kat?" he called out, eyeing the eight different rooms. Three of which, the doors were closed.

The second door to the left creaked open and her familiar face poked through. "I don't like this one, Jace," she frowned.

"What's wrong with it?" he asked sincerely. "Is it too flashy?"

"It's too revealing," she emphasized before closing the door all the way in. He moved over to stand just to the side of the knob.

"Can I see what you don't like about it?"

"No," she echoed from on the inside. "It shows too much."

JC rolled his eyes. "Katrina, there is not one part of your body that I haven't already seen or had my tongue on."

She widened the already open door space so that he could step halfway in. She turned around to bare the silver gown that covered the better half of her breasts that were unsupported by any bra but had the cleavage line cut straight down the middle. The slit from the left side of her hip down her leg was an added feature.

"The only thing about it is that the back isn't open," she told him. "It's sheer though."

A grin took over JC's face. "Baby, you look hot!"

Katrina cringed, brushing her open hair off her shoulders and smoothing and letting her hands fall to rest on her waist. "Baby," she mocked. "I can't wear something like this! I want Grammy party formal; not Hugh Hefner skimpy New Year's party' formal."

JC lifted his eyebrows as he stared down at the open gap between her breasts that finally cut just above the navel. "It's something like what J-Lo wore to the Grammy's that one year. She looked hot."

"What're all those?" Katrina asked when she finally took note of the colour of material that adorned his bare arm.

"More options," he happily replied.

"Are they a little more conservative?"

"Probably," he replied as he hung them all on a hook. "Or probably not. The only place we could find something sexier than what you're already wearing is at a lingerie store anyway."

Katrina had ultimately settled on a satin, one strap gown that JC had advised to get in blue so that it would match the colour of the tie he had already picked out at home. It was, however, the shoes she had picked out that startled JC more than the cash total had startled his credit card.

"Are you sure you can walk in these?" he asked her uncertainly as he placed the bags on the leather interior of the backseat of his car. "They're pretty high. You're almost as tall as I am when you put them on."

"I can't let my mother see Sean overshadow me in everything," Katrina explained. "If I can use something even as insignificant as height to my advantage, I'm using something even as insignificant as height to my advantage!"

JC chuckled as he and Katrina slid into the driver and passenger's seat, respectively. They marvelled in the cool air for a few moments before buckling their seatbelts.

"And then she's going to want to take photos to send out to our relatives and in the caption she always makes sure to mention, ‘The Smart Doctors,' pun intended," Katrina went on. "And then it's just ‘Katrina.' No prestigious title and no husband."

Katrina let out a huff that involuntarily sounded like that of a teenager unfairly being sent to their room for punishment.

"Kat," JC smiled. He took a hold of her hand. "I like Katrina. The unmarried Katrina who has a Masters degree in English Literature, I might add."

"Knowing what iambic pentameter is doesn't matter when Sean know how to perform a root canal, Jace," she sighed.

"Hey," he began. "Katrina is awesome, and she's the best friend I've ever had. And anyone who says otherwise is a drunk."

"My mom does drink a lot of wine before five o' clock," she murmured.

JC smiled as he leaned over into her seat and pressed his lips to her forehead. "I love Just Katrina."

"Promise you won't leave me alone for more than ten minutes when the renewal starts."

"I promise," he vowed.

"Thank you," she smiled, pecking his cheek.

"Out of curiosity, am I gonna get laid that weekend?" JC asked as he began to reverse out of their parking space.

"It depends."

"On what?"

"On how long you can go without playing this stupid mix C.D.," Katrina groaned, immediately ejecting the disk. "Seriously Jace, I thought at least one of your girlfriends would have made you throw this out by now."

"Hey, jazz music is the most hybrid form of music in the world and if you can't appreciate that, you're the one with the problem."

*

Sea breeze whisked through the salty air as JC cruised the streets of San Diego with the top down on his car and Katrina and Pixel in tow. She felt the kitten curl tightly into her palms as JC accelerated after bending a corner.

"No L.A. traffic!" he grinned, his eyes beaming like the sun through his aviators. "Don't you love it?"

Katrina squinted under her own pair of sunglasses. "Your driving is scaring my cat," she said, closing her eyes for a brief moment. "And I told you that I wanted to enjoy the quiet while I could."

She rested her head against the leather seat and felt the warm sunshine on her cheeks. She always dreaded coming home, but the carefree drive was usually a good way to calm her mood. The white sand that she didn't often see in L.A. practically felt like it was at her fingertips when she stretched her arm out.

"Thanks for reminding me to pack bathing suits," she told him a few minutes later. "A nap on the beach would really soothe me right now."

JC scoffed as he kept his eyes on the road. "You can sleep at the house. We're almost there."

"Like my mom is gonna let me sleep during the day when she's there," Katrina laughed. "When she comes over tomorrow you won't be able to get more than five minutes to yourself with the bedroom door closed before she starts knocking."

"She just wants to talk, Kat," he said. "Plus, she won't be too critical when I'm there. She loves me."

Katrina remained quiet as JC turned onto the street and found herself subconsciously holding her breath as he pulled up in front of her brother's house. JC confusedly looked into the driveway as he turned off the ignition. He removed the aviators from his face and nodded toward the white Audi that was parked.

"Did Sean and Linds get a new car?" he asked.

"Probably."

"It's nice. I bet Lindsey looks hot driving it."

She laughed as she unbuckled her seat belt. "Try to say stuff like that out of my brother's ear shot, please."

The two had begun approaching the front door when it flew open. JC and Katrina had almost fallen back from the sudden impact of one little body each grabbing them below the knees. Cody and Cindy stared up at the two adults who were caught off guard as their parents strolled outside with smiles.

"You made it safe," Lindsey waved as JC and Katrina bent down at eye level to greet the kids.

"I think they're more excited to see Pixel than they are to see us though," JC chuckled as Katrina's niece pried the kitten out of her aunt's hand. 

"JC," Sean acknowledged as he leaned over his kids to exchange a handshake. "It's good to see you again."

"You guys too."

"Come inside!" Lindsey encouraged. "We'll get the bags later."

Cody and Cindy had already dashed off by the time their aunt and JC were stable on their feet again.

"I love the new car, Linds," Katrina smiled as Lindsey linked arms with her.

"Oh, that's not ours," she responded in a whisper as they entered the house. "We kind of have company."

White tiles, high ceilings, and a spacious, airy living area greeted them as Sean closed the door behind him. Katrina smiled as she stopped to inhale the way her brother and sister in law's home always smelled of a mix of minty dental floss and fresh flowers that were on almost every table in every room.

"Are you guys dentists or florists?" JC joked as he looked around.

Katrina chuckled as she turned back to Lindsey. "You said you had company?"

Sean hesitated before answering. "Don't overreact," he said.

"What'd you mean?" she asked before a body practically came bouncing out of the kitchen area.

"She got here!" the woman practically squealed.

Melissa Shephered was a familiar face among the Smarts. Her chin length, layered brown hair had stayed the exact same way as Katrina had always remembered, and framed her excited brown eyes well. She was fit, and it showed, not only in the way there was barely any jiggle in her thirty year old arms when she pushed back her hair, but in the way her nude capris clung to the curve under her-

"Ass," JC breathed into Katrina's ear, just loud enough for only her to hear. "Holy, ass."

"Kat!" the woman grinned.

"Melissa," Katrina said, taking a moment to say each syllable. "Melissa Shepherd."

"You remember me," the brunette announced happily, quickly embracing Katrina in a hug. "It's been so long."

"Yeah," Katrina nodded slowly. "So long. Like, over a decade, actually."

"I know," Melissa replied, shaking her head in amazement. "It's so funny how we're all together again."

Katrina folded her arms and subtly glanced at her sister in law who was now on the other side of the room. Lindsey wore an almost pained look on her face and pointed to her husband standing beside her. She shrug her shoulders.

"I'm sure it is," Katrina smiled back to Melissa. "But I should introduce you to my escort for the weekend, Mr. JC Chasez."

JC put out his hand to the woman who admiringly met his grip.

"JC Chasez in the flesh," she said, shaking her head. "Wow. Katrina has certainly done well for herself."

JC chuckled. "What can I say? She's the best."

"Jace, this is Melissa," Katrina said. "Sean's ex-girlfriend."

He didn't even have a chance to respond before Sean's voice intervened. "But that was years ago. Light years, actually."

"Absolutely," Melissa agreed. "It's all history." She turned her attention back to the blue eyed singer in front of her. "I'm talking back when *NSYNC was in their prime, history. I'm Lindsey's physiotherapist now."

"Physiotherapist?" Katrina asked. "Ten years ago you were a dietician."

"I know," she nodded. "It's just that I started encountering a lot of people who depended solely on nutrition to maintain weight since injuries prevented them from exercising. So, I decided to give physiotherapy a shot."

"You could totally help me out with these old ankles then," JC stated. "I haven't seen anyone about them in years."

"Yeah, no problem," Melissa nodded.

More than three seconds of almost awkward silence hadn't passed before Sean had cleared his throat a little too loudly.

"Mel," he started. "Would you take JC in the backyard so he could make sure the cat hasn't scratched the either of the kids?"

Katrina could tell that Lindsey faked the grin she had beamed when Melissa walked by. She and JC were hardly behind the sliding glass door leading out into the open back yard when Katrina threw her hands into the air.

"I can explain," Seam said calmly.

Lindsey crossed her arms across the chest of her turquoise shirt and smiled at her sister in law. "I had a similar reaction."

"Your ex-girlfriend is in your house for the weekend of your ten year wedding anniversary with your wife?" Katrina sighed to her brother. "And she's her physiotherapist? Why didn't anyone tell me this?"

"Lindsey hurt her shoulder pretty bad playing tennis a couple months back," he explained. "A guy we know put us onto a woman, M. Shepherd, and he said she was pretty good. I hadn't heard the name in such a long time, it didn't even ring a bell until we saw her."

"Plus," Lindsey added. "By that time, I couldn't just switch therapists. I was the one who got the man, after all."

Katrina frowned, taking a seat on one of the couches. "Why is she here?" she asked.

"When Lydia found out that-"

"Of course mom invited her," Katrina groaned, briefly burying her face in her hands. "You know, she never understood how much Melissa despised me for not being able to go anywhere without Sean driving me. It's like I reminded Mel of the kids she never wanted."

"She only came by to drop off some exercise stuff, Kat," her brother assured her. "You won't see her again until the party."

"I need a drink," Katrina mumbled. "Tell JC we need to go get our stuff from the car. His whole reason for coming here is to help me keep my sanity."

"And, well," Lindsey started. "Walk around in his towel before the kids wake up on a morning, right?" She turned to her scowling husband as Katrina laughed. "I'm already taking physiotherapy from a woman you used to have sex with. You can't win this one."

*

JC laughed as he threw his white t shirt at Katrina as she lay flat on the bed in their guestroom. He sat down on the queen sized bed and nudged her before changing into a vest instead.

"You cannot still be upset that a woman who your brother hasn't even been affiliated with in years is coming to his vow renewal," he said.

Katrina glared up at him. "She hated me, and she hated Sean after they broke up."

JC smiled. "She actually cleared that up with me."

"You were with her for ten minutes!" Katrina scoffed as she sat up. "How much could she have possibly cleared up in ten minutes?" she asked. "That she had a good reason for treating her boyfriend's little sister like crap? Or for leading Sean on for their entire relationship and then ending it with him in a doctor's office when he couldn't go through with the vasectomy that she was forcing on him?"

Katrina continued to stare at JC, plastering the fakest smile she could muster across her face. "The woman sucks," she concluded.

"And she told me that," he replied. "But that stuff is such old news now. Sean doesn't seem to let that stuff bother him anymore."

Katrina heaved a heavy sigh as JC pulled the comforter down on his side of the bed and got under.

"Why does her being back in their life bother you so much, SmartieKat?" JC asked.

"I just think some people are better off in the past where we've left them," she answered. "Like there's no need to be in this house anymore. Sean's married, and he has the kids she never wanted to give him."

"She's not a bad person, Kat," JC stated, pulling Katrina's shoulder down so she could lay back down. "She's not here to make a mess. She's helping Lindsey."

"The bitch gets under my skin sometimes."

JC chuckled for a bit before a few minutes of silence had passed.

"Don't worry," he said, rolling over onto his side to kiss Katrina's cheek. "I'll let you know if she's any good at the physiotherapy thing tomorrow. That way, I can recommend to Lindsey if she needs to keep her husband's ex-girlfriend around or not."

Katrina frowned. "What'd you mean you'll let me know?"

"She told me to come by her place tomorrow so she can take a look at my ankles."

"JC," Katrina whined. "You're gonna end up showing her a lot more than your ankles and I cannot deal with you and her and that image in my head."

"Relax," he insisted. "There's no image in my head so there shouldn't be any in yours."

"You're supposed to be here with me when I mom gets here anyway, remember?"

"I remember," he nodded, closing his eyes. "I'll go see Melissa at noon."

"JC," Katrina said warningly. "Promise me that the only parts of your body this woman will be seeing tomorrow are those geriatric ankles of yours."

"I promise," he smiled.

"Fine," she murmured. "Because the day you add Melissa Shepherd to your list is the day that all sexual contact between my body and yours is done with. And that's a promise."