"Sure." Justin said without looking up.

"How did you know Jess was the one you wanted to be with?" JC asked.

Justin looked up at him.  "I don't know." He shrugged.  "It just kind of happened and something just clicked, you know?"

"What do you think of Rachel?" JC asked, getting down to the real reason for his line of questioning.

"Does it matter?" Justin asked.

"Yes." JC replied seriously.

Justin turned and looked at him.  "She's..." he paused as he thought.  "I like her." He nodded.  "A lot." He smiled. 

"Why did you hesitate?" JC asked.

"It's just..." Justin sighed.  "I don't know.  She's...well, she's different than the other girls you've dated in the past that's for sure."

"You mean she's normal?" JC replied sarcastically and Justin laughed.

"Maybe that's it." Justin chuckled.  "But seriously, C.  I like her." He assured him.  "I really do and I can tell she really likes you.  Why do you want to know what I think of her?" Justin asked.  "What do you think of her?"

"I love her." JC replied emphatically and Justin smiled.  "I know I've said that in the past but it's...it's different with Rachel.  It's more." He said.  "A lot more."

"Have you told her?" Justin asked.

"Yeah." JC nodded.

"Then what's the matter?" Justin asked him as he watched JC sitting at the soundboard.

JC sighed heavily.  "I..."

"What?" Justin asked.

"I don't know, J." JC said resting his elbows up on the table and scrubbing his face with his hands.  "I've never felt like this before and I...I've been so blessed in my life.  I've had my fair share of good things happen.  I kind of feel guilty accepting the love she's offering.  Is it really fair for me to keep someone as incredible and wonderful as Rachel is to myself when I've already been given more than most people only dream about?  And why does she want me?  She knows I'm not perfect." He laughed bitterly.  "She's painfully aware of how imperfect I am but for some reason..." He trailed off as he shook his head.

"For some reason she loves you anyway?" Justin asked.

"Yeah." JC nodded.

"Don't question it, Jace." Justin told him.  "Rachel's a smart girl.  She knows what she wants and everyone who's seen you two together know she wants you.  When you two are together she's more interested in you than in whomever else may be around--which really says something in our line of work."  Justin commented.  "She's offering you her heart, Jace.  Take it and don't question it.  As soon as you start questioning it, that's when things start to unravel.  If you push her away, telling her she's better off without you, sooner or later she's going to leave.  Hold onto her and just enjoy the ride."

"How do I know if I'm pushing her too fast?" JC asked.

Justin lifted one brow in curiosity.  "What do you mean?  Have you two still not..."

"No, we have." JC assured him then smiled.  Justin chuckled.  "I just...I want to give her something for Christmas, but I'm not really sure how she'll take it."

"I thought you were taking her to Pairs for Christmas." Justin said.  "Weren't you telling me you were buying a couple plane tickets last week?"

"Yeah, I did and I am but that's only part of what I'm giving her."

"What else do you have?" Justin asked.

JC stood and walked out of the studio.  When he returned a few minutes later he handed Justin the gift he'd bought last night for Rachel.  Justin looked inside the box JC had handed him then quickly looked back up at him.  "Jace..." he looked back down.  "Are you sure about this, man?"

~~~~~~

What do you get a man who has everything? Rachel questioned for the twelfth time Monday afternoon.  She sat at her computer at work, idly drumming her fingers on her desktop as she pursed her lips in thought.  Clicking on the internet icon she went to Google and typed in that exact question.  After surfing through multiple websites telling her to either buy him lingerie for her to wear or saying she should buy some rare toy from his childhood she closed the browser box and pulled out a piece of paper--hoping to brainstorm and come up with a couple ideas.

This is ridiculous! She huffed as she sat, staring at the blank sheet of paper ten minutes later.  Come on, Rachel, think!  If you were JC, what would you want?  He had everything he could possibly want, and if he didn't have it he had the money and connections to get it.  Rachel had been completely blown away when he'd given her the plane tickets to Paris and knew she had to get him something equally as unique and special.  But what?  She tapped the end of her pen against her lips as she thought back over the dates and conversations they'd had--searching for a clue as to what she could get him for Christmas. 

She could get him a telescope...but did he really do all that much stargazing when he wasn't trying to seduce her?  And a really good telescope cost a lot of money.  Even though she was dating a celebrity, Rachel's checkbook still had a limit.

They'd played basketball together.  Maybe she could get him a jersey from his favorite team or something...No.  She thought.  That's not very special.

Did he have a favorite movie?  Maybe she could find him some piece of rare Hollywood memorabilia on e-bay...She thought back to the time he'd shown up at her apartment with Indiana Jones, saying it was his favorite.  Hmmm...she thought as an idea began formulating.  Once again opening up the internet, Rachel began a new search.  She'd just found what she was looking for when her cell phone vibrated next to her scaring her.  She let out a gasp as she minimized the window she had open and picked it up, smiling at who was calling her.

"Hey." She said.

"Hey, yourself." JC answered.  "What're you doing?"

"Oh, just working." Rachel lied.

"What are you doing tonight?" He asked.

"I think my boyfriend and I are going to do something, why?" She answered.

"Hmmm..." he mused.  "So, there's no way we could get together tonight?"

"You could come over after he leaves." Rachel replied.  "We'll need to work out some sort of signal so you know for sure he's left, but I'm sure we can come up with something.  What did you have in mind?"

"Some late night lovin'." He answered and she could almost see the evil glint in his blue eyes and she smirked.

"That's amazing." Rachel replied.  "I was just thinking the same thing."

"Oh yeah?" He asked, sounding intrigued.

"Yeah.  ‘I need you, I want you, oh baby, oh baby.'" She quoted the well-known movie line.

JC laughed.  "You know it's a good thing I know you're so crazy about me, or I'd be tempted to get really suspicious about how casual you're being with this whole exchange.  Have you had a lot of experience with this?"  He asked.  "Should I be worried?"

"Worried about what?" She asked. 

"About you juggling two guys at the same time."

"No." Rachel assured him with a laugh.  "I'm a completely monogamous person, I can assure you.  Calm down.  What do you want to do tonight?" She asked.

"If you're up for it I wanted to go down and work on the song some more."

"Sure." Rachel replied.  "Do you want me to meet you there?"

"No, I'll come pick you up.  Is your car okay if it just sits in the parking lot there for a couple hours?"

"Yeah, it should be." Rachel assured him.

"Were you able to get the time off next week?" He asked in reference to their upcoming trip.

"After begging and pleading on my hands and knees for hours...yes." She assured him.

"Was it a lot of trouble?" He asked sounding concerned.

"No, it was okay." She chuckled.  "Matt wasn't very happy, but after I assured him I wouldn't be taking anymore sudden and unexplained trips for at least six months he relented.  So, no more last minute surprises that involve travel, okay?" She told him.

"What about last minute surprises that don't involve travel?" He asked.

"Those are fine." She assured him.

"Good." He replied with a chuckle.  "When are you going to be done tonight?" He asked.

"Uh..." Rachel looked over the work in front of her and glanced over her calendar.  "Six?" She replied.

"Six?" He whined.  "I don't know if I can wait that long to see you."

"Oh please!" She laughed.  "It's only three more hours, I think you'll survive." She told him.

"Where do you want to go to dinner?" He asked with a chuckle.

"Hmmm...you know what my absolute favorite restaurant is?" Rachel asked.

"No, but now you've got me curious."

"The Cheesecake Factory." She told him.

"It's a date." He replied.  "Be ready at six." He told her.

"Okay." Rachel smiled then said good bye to him.  Three hours.  She had a lot of things she should be working on, but instead she went back to the internet and began searching for the gift she'd finally decided she wanted to get him--hoping and praying it would arrive before they left next week.

~~~~~~

"Aren't you sick of flying around the world?" Rachel asked JC as they sat in LAX a week later.  She was idly flipping through a magazine she'd picked up at one of the many bookshops they'd walked past.

"You'd think so, huh?" He chuckled as he grabbed her hand, lacing his fingers with hers.  "But no.  It doesn't really bother me."  Rachel shifted in her seat and laid her head on his shoulder.  JC's phone rang and her eyes traveled around the waiting area, watching the other travelers around them, while he talked to Sarah for a couple minutes.

"Sorry." He said when he ended the call and gave her fingers a squeeze.

"It's alright." Rachel lifted her head and smiled at him.

"No it's not.  This trip is all about you." He continued as if he hadn't heard her.  "I promise." He made a show of turning his phone off.  "No more calls."

"Jace." Rachel chuckled at his odd behavior.  "It's alright." She assured him as she turned his phone back on and slipped it in his shirt pocket.  He'd been acting a little strange since picking her up a few hours ago--almost like he was agitated, or nervous about something.  "I understand that being with you means I have to share you with other people from time to time.  Stop apologizing.  I know who you are." She put a hand to his face.  "I'm not coming into this relationship blindly."  Rachel leaned forward and kissed him.  He sighed when she pulled back.  "What?" She asked at the look in his eyes. 

"I keep thinking one day you're going to wake up and decide it's not worth it." He confessed.

"What's not worth it?" She questioned, taken back at his statement.

"This." He said, gesturing between them with his hand.  "Me.  Being with me; dealing with everything that comes along with dating someone like me."

Rachel looked at him for a moment in amazement, the vulnerability in his blue eyes calling out to her.  Was he serious?  After everything they'd been through together he was still afraid of her leaving him?  Why was he so insecure about their relationship?  She suddenly wanted to slap whoever it was in his past that had burned him so badly, making him so unsure of himself.   

"I'm not with you because of who you are in here." She told him quietly as she lifted the magazine on her lap.  "I'm with you because of who you are in here." She said, placing her hand on his chest above his heart.  "Yes it's going to be an adjustment--suddenly being in the spotlight.  I'm going to have to get used to a completely different way of life and thinking, but it's worth it." She put a hand to his face again.  "You're worth it.  I love you, Joshua." She kissed him softly.  "I'm not going anywhere."

"Are you sure?" He asked.

"Positive." She turned back to her magazine.  "At least not until after Paris." She smirked and he rolled his eyes as he put his arm around her.  Rachel crossed her legs as she once again put her head on his shoulder.  JC reached his arm out and rested his hand on her knee, his thumb brushing over the skin there.  "What are we going to do to pass the time on this freakishly long flight?" She asked.

"Ever heard of the mile high club?" He asked casually.

"Joshua!" Rachel exclaimed as she sat up.

"What?" He asked innocently.  Rachel folded her arms across her chest as she looked at him.  "Oh come on!" He laughed.  "You can't tell me you haven't thought about it."

"I-I...No, I haven't.  I don't think...I could..." Rachel stuttered, feeling her cheeks warm as he looked at her--his blue eyes sparkling.  "It's illegal.  No." She said, shaking her head.  "No."

"We'll see." He smirked.

"What does that mean?" Rachel scoffed, looking at him in disbelief.  "‘We'll see'?" She quoted him.

"It means, we've got an awfully long flight ahead of us and I'm sure I can come up with a few ways to, uh...change your mind." He winked at her. 

"Wanna bet?" Rachel countered stubbornly.

"Sure." He replied.  They sat looking at each other for a few seconds then he said, "If I can't get you to change your mind I'll do anything you want tomorrow." He pledged.

"Anything?" Rachel questioned.  "Remember the last time you promised me anything I wanted?"

JC leaned closer to her.  "Anything." He promised confidently. 

He thinks he's going to win. She thought as she sat, staring into his eyes.  Well, we'll just see about that. She mused.  JC didn't know just how stubborn she could really be.  Maybe it was time to educate him a little bit.

"And if you do manage to somehow change my mind?" She asked.  "What do you get?"

"Well," he replied with a shrug as he leaned back in his seat.  "I would have already gotten what I wanted, wouldn't I?" He smirked and Rachel laughed.

"Punk." She mumbled under her breath as she went back to the magazine on her lap.   

"Delta flight 8553, is now boarding at gate B6." A feminine voice suddenly came over the intercom system and people around them started standing and gathering their stuff.

"That's us." JC said.  "You brought your passport, right?" He asked Rachel as they both stood.

"Yep." She smiled as she slung her carry-on over her shoulder.  They stepped into line and JC put his arms around her from behind, placing a kiss to her neck.  "Now, wait a minute." Rachel said, stepping out of his arms and turning to face him.  "You can't start trying to seduce me until we get on the plane." 

"Say's who?" He chuckled.  "We never set any ground rules."

"I just did." Rachel informed him.  "Besides," she looked over his shoulder.  "Those girls over there have been giving me the evil eye since we arrived.  I don't think they can take anymore of you and me together without one of them having a complete breakdown." She chuckled.

"What girls?" He asked.

"The two behind you in the red." She told him.  JC looked over his shoulder then turned back to Rachel, his blue eyes flashing.  "What--" He cut her off with his mouth as he kissed her--long and deep--his mouth moving slowly and seductively against her own.  It never failed to amaze her at how it felt to kiss him.  Her stomach quivered and her knees buckled slightly when he pulled away, thankful he'd put his arms around her--they were the only things keeping her upright at the moment.

"People are just going to have to deal with the fact that we're together." He told her.  "You're my girlfriend and if I want to kiss you, then damn it, I'm going to kiss you.  Come on." He took her hand as the line moved.  He handed the gate attendant their boarding passes and Rachel followed along dumbly--still in a daze from the kiss he'd just given her.  She had a sudden, sinking feeling JC was going to come out the victor in the bet they'd just made.  "You okay?" He asked, looking at her questioningly as she trailed behind him.

"Never better." She replied with a grin.  Never better.

~~~~~~

"What do you want to do first?" JC asked as he and Rachel finally stepped off the plane the next morning.  Rachel looked at him in question as she hiked her bag higher on her shoulder. 

"I lost the bet." She told him.  "Remember?"

"I know." He winked at her.  "But you're the one who's never been here before.  I know you've probably got a list of things you want to do."  They slowed as they approached the line at customs.

"Well," Rachel said, reaching into her bag and withdrawing her passport.  "The Eiffel Tower is a must." She told him. 

"Of course." He replied.

"And then there's the Arc de Triumph and the Louvre."

"Alright." He nodded.

"I've always wanted to go to the Palace at Versailles and..." she trailed off as they continued moving in line.

"And?" He questioned.

"I kind of want to go to the Moulin Rouge."

"I think that can be arranged." JC said.

"Oh!  And Notre Dame." Rachel smiled at him as she handed the Customs Official her passport and ID. 

"We're only here for a week." JC chuckled as he did the same.  "How about we check in to the hotel first, then we can decide what we want to do."

"Sounds great!" Rachel said as she took her passport back and tucked in her bag. 

"Yeah?" JC said, smiling down at her.

"Yeah." She replied, hugging his arm.  "Let's go." She said, reaching up and kissing him quickly. 

~~~~~~

"Do you want your Christmas present?" Rachel asked as JC fell back on the bed exhausted the next day.  They'd just gotten back from dinner at the Moulin Rouge and spending the day walking around the city.  She was tired as well, but tonight was Christmas Eve and she wanted to give him his present.  He raised his head and looked at her, one brow raised in interest.

"Present?" He asked.

"Yep." Rachel replied, placing her suitcase on the bed and crawling up on the mattress.  She kneeled beside her bag, the skirt of the little black dress she was wearing covering her knees.  She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and made a show of slowly unzipping her bag. 

"You didn't have to get me anything." He said as he sat up, loosening his tie as he looked at her, his eyes narrowing though they were sparkling with excitement.

"I know." She said.  "I'll have you know I thought a lot about this."  She stopped and put her hands on her hips.  "Do you know how hard you are to shop for?" He chuckled.  "I mean what in the hell am I supposed to get you?  You have everything!  And what you don't have...you can get."

"Rachel..."

She held a finger up, silencing him.  "I was just going to wrap a big bow around myself."

"I'm fine with that." He answered, tossing the black tie he'd been wearing on the ground.  "As long as there's nothing under the bow." He smirked.  "Is that what you have in there?" He reached his hand forward.  "A ribbon?"

"No." Rachel playfully slapped his hand away and shook her head slowly as she looked at him.

"What is it?" He asked, trying to hold in his excitement but looking like a little boy on Christmas morning.  Rachel bit her lip as she pulled out the large, flat rectangle package that had arrived the day before they'd left.  Placing it in his lap she waited as he looked at her for a second then opened the box and pulled out the dark brown leather jacket she'd purchased for him.  "Nice." He smiled up at her. 

"Do you like it?" She asked.

"Yeah." He swung it around and put his arms into the sleeves. 

"At first I figured I'd just get it for you to wear when you ride around on your motorcycle, but then I found this..." Rachel reached into her bag and withdrew the replica Indiana Jones hat she's found online.  He laughed as he took it from her. 

"What do you think?" He asked, running his fingers through his hair and placing the hat on top of his head.

Rachel sighed appreciatively as she looked at him.  "I think it's your turn to fulfill a few of my fantasies." She said as she moved the suitcase off the bed and leaned towards him.

"Yes ma'am." He replied with an evil grin as he took off the hat.  "Use me." He kissed her.  "Abuse me." He kissed her again and leaned over her when she fell back on the bed beside him.  "Tell me what you want and I'll do it."

"Put the hat back on." She commanded.

He sat back and looked down at her, then reached for the hat and put it on again.  Rachel shook her head.  "You, Joshua Scott Chasez, are one dangerously sexy man." She told him. 

"Do I make your heart race?" He asked his blue eyes intense as they held hers.

"Yes." She sighed.

"Do I make your knees weak and your mouth go dry?" He inquired as he brought one hand up and ran his fingertips down her neck and throat.

"Yes." Rachel swallowed as she closed her eyes.

"Do I make your stomach quiver and your hands tremble?" He leaned towards her and placed a series of tiny kisses to her collarbone.  Rachel's heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest.

"Yes."  She breathed. 

"Do I make it hard to breathe?" His lips moved up her neck and across her jaw.

"Yes."

"Do I make rational thought leave your head when I touch you?" He asked, his lips brushing her ear.  Rachel shivered.

"Yes."

He cupped her cheek and kissed her lips softly.  Slowly he pulled back and Rachel looked up at him.  "Then you know exactly how you make me feel." He said and Rachel's heart skipped as she continued staring up into his brilliant blue eyes.  His thumb slowly caressed her cheek.  "I have something for you." He said.

Rachel's brow furrowed.  "But you've already given me so much.  What--"

He placed his index finger over her lips, silencing her then kissed her-his lips lingering on hers for a long moment.  "Here." He said, sitting up and reaching for the bedside table.  Rachel sat up as he placed a small blue box in her hand then sat back and waited.  She hesitantly opened the box and gasped when she saw its contents.  Her eyes flew up to meet his.

"Jace..." She breathed.  "What..." She licked her lips as she struggled to comprehend what her eyes were telling her.  Surely she was dreaming.  This had to be a dream.  There was no way in hell this was really happening.  Sitting inside the box was the most incredibly beautiful and perfect diamond and sapphire ring Rachel had ever seen.  The center stone, a radiant cut diamond, was flanked by three smaller sapphires on either side and all of them were set in a gorgeous filigree cut platinum band.

JC took the box from her and picked up the ring, holding it between his thumb and forefinger.  Placing the box on the bed beside them he reached for and picked up her left hand, sliding the ring onto her ring finger while Rachel fought back her tears. 

"This isn't a proposal." He said, his blue eyes finally looking up and into hers.  "This is just a promise.  I promise to make you laugh every day.  I promise to buy you onion rings when you're sick." Rachel laughed through the tears falling freely down her face.  "I promise to kiss you in the rain." He continued.  "I promise to call and talk to you late at night when I'm out of town." He put a hand to her face and wiped away her tears.  "I promise to dance with you and only you from now on.  I love you, Rachel Olivia Kline, and I promise to love you for the rest of my life."

Rachel was sobbing by the time he finished.  She couldn't talk so she just wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.  "I love you."  She sniffed and wiped at the tears on her face.  "I love you so much, Jace.  I never thought..." She stopped again when her emotions got the better of her.  "In my wildest dreams I never thought that one day I'd be sitting in a hotel room, in Paris, with you!  How did I get so lucky?  How in the world did I end up as the one sitting here with you right now?"

"It's the other way around." He assured her.  "I'm the one lucky enough to be sitting here with you."

Rachel chuckled.  "Are you always this sappy and cheesy when you're trying to be romantic?"

He shrugged as he grinned at her.  "It's a curse I guess." Then he became somber.  "I love you." He said placing both hands on her face.  "I don't want you to ever question it, or have reason to doubt my sincerity.  You're the best thing that's ever happened to me and I thank God every day that I get to hold your hand."

"You have got to stop saying things like that." Rachel exclaimed as she kept wiping the tears from her face.  She looked at the ring he'd just given her then smiled at him-at a loss at to what to say.  "How did you know?" She asked.

"How did I know what?" He questioned.

"That sapphires are my favorite?" She looked up at him in amazement.

"I didn't.  But there's a reason for it." He told her.

"Is it a secret or can you tell me?" She asked.

"I don't know..." He drawled.  "You might think it's sappy and cheesy."

"I like cheese." She told him and he chuckled. 

"Sapphires are the stone for September." He said.  Rachel looked at him, her brows furrowing slightly.  "We first met in September and it was a year later--in September--that you walked back into my life." He reached a hand up and cupped her cheek as she smiled at him.

"You're right." She chuckled.  "That is cheesy.  But I love it!"

"Can I ask you something?" He asked.

"Of course." She replied.

"Just out of curiosity..." He trailed off.

"Yeah?" Rachel questioned, once again looking down at the ring on her hand.

"If this had been a proposal..." Once again he trailed off and Rachel's head shot up, her heart leaping in her chest at the look in his eyes.  "What would your answer have been?"

"Yes." She replied without hesitation.  "Yes."

JC breathed what sounded like a sigh of relief then leaned forward on the bed and placed his lips against hers in a long, slow, passionate kiss. 

~~~~~~

Rachel sighed in contentment as she snuggled closer to JC that night.  His deep, even breathing didn't change as she placed her left hand on his bare chest-resting it above his heart.  She looked at the ring on her finger and smiled, remembering his promises of a few hours ago.  He'd told her it wasn't a proposal but then had gone ahead and more or less proposed to her anyway.  She felt giddy and tingly all over just thinking about it.   

As he stirred in his sleep, turning on his side, Rachel got up.  She grabbed her flannel pajama pants from the floor and tugged them on.  As she went to grab her tank top her fingers stopped-her eyes catching sight of the black T-shirt JC had worn earlier in the day and had thrown over the back of the chair sitting by the bed.  With a quick glance at the man sleeping beside her Rachel slipped his shirt over her head then padded quietly across the room.  Leaning against the wall--her back to the room--she stood looking out at the lights of Paris and the snowflakes that had started falling sometime during the night.  "Je dois rêver. Ceci ne peut pas être vrai."  I must be dreaming.  This cannot be real.

"Rach?"

She heard his sleepy inquiry and turned, looking back towards the bed.  "I'm here." She said, smiling as he came and stood behind her, wrapping his arms around her and nuzzled her neck.  "Mmmm..." She hummed, leaning back against him.

"Come back to bed, Beautiful." He said quietly.

"And miss all this?" Rachel asked, gesturing out the window with her hand.  JC rested his chin on her shoulder as they stood looking out the large window together.  "Thank you." She whispered.

"For what?" He asked, pressing his lips to her neck.

Rachel turned in his arms and wound her arms around his neck.  "For everything." She replied, pushing up on her toes and kissing him.  She soon found herself with her back pressed against the wall as JC's hands came up and framed her face.  "But don't think this lets you off the hook." She said when he pulled back. 

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"I'm still expecting a real proposal." She smiled and he laughed.

"I promise." He said, placing a quick kiss to her lips.  "The next time we're in Paris I'll do it right.  Now," He said, placing his hands on her hips and cocking a brow as he began walking backwards.  "Come back to bed."

Rachel smirked but allowed him to lead her back to the bed.