March

JC walked into Rachel's office, wanting to surprise her with the exciting news the record company had just given him.  Aubrey smiled at him as he walked past the reception desk and headed down the hall-hands in his pockets-whistling cheerfully.  He slowed as he approached the conference room he'd seen Rachel in a few weeks ago with her boss, Rob.  JC felt his anger start to boil as he remembered the way Rob had put his hand on Rachel's back.  No one was supposed to touch her there, but him!  He had put a ring on her finger and by accepting it Rachel had accepted that he--JC--was the only man allowed to touch her now.

JC quickly did a double take and stopped cold in his tracks--the scene before him making his heart stop and his blood run cold.  Rachel and Rob were once more together in the conference room, only this time Rachel had her arms around Rob and the two of them were locked in a very passionate embrace as their lips moved furiously against each other.

No!  He thought, his hands fisting at his side and his breath coming quickly.  No.  Not again.

"No!" JC yelled out as he sat up in bed, his breath coming hard and fast.  He clutched at his chest as he glanced around the strange room he was in, disoriented.  Where the hell am I? He thought.  He closed his eyes and tried to calm his racing heart and churning emotions.  He had to calm down.  It was just a dream.  He repeated to himself.  It was just a dream.   But the image of Rachel in someone else's arms seemed to be burned in his memory and it made him sick to his stomach.  He took another deep breath and lay back on the pillow, scrubbing his hands over his face as his brain finally began to function again. 

New York. 

He was in New York.  His album was coming out next week and he was here doing some promotion.  He turned on his side and grabbed his cell phone from the bedside table.  Looking at the time he swore.  He was running late.  He was scheduled to be at the MTV studios today, shooting some segments for FNMTV and was going to be hard pressed to make it on time.  Throwing the covers off, he swung his legs over the side of the large bed he'd slept fitfully in the night before.  He shook his head and chuckled to himself as he ran his hand through his hair.  Two months and he'd already become accustomed to having Rachel in the bed next to him.  He'd once prided himself on being able to sleep anywhere--tour buses, random hotels around the world, make--up rooms, the hallway at whatever venue they happened to be at-but now it seemed he'd been spoiled.  It was getting harder and harder to sleep when she wasn't there with him.  He missed her pleasantly warm weight as she lay curled up next to him, the sound of her quietly breathing beside him, her sweet intoxicating scent that now permeated the sheets no matter how often they were washed and clung to her pillow...JC groaned as the alarm he'd set on his phone suddenly went off, the cell phone vibrating in his hand.  Before he stood and made his way to the bathroom however, he dialed his favorite and most frequently called number these days.

"Hey, this is Rachel."  Her familiar pre-recorded voice told him.  "Leave me a message and I'll get back to you."

JC looked at his phone in question.  She always answers.  He thought as he looked at the clock.  It was an unwritten rule between them.  No matter where they were or what they were doing, they answered each other's call--even if it was just to say they couldn't talk.  The only exception was when he was on camera doing an interview.  With the time difference between New York and California he knew she was up getting ready for work.  He tried again and again but just got her voicemail each time.  "Hey it's me." He finally said, leaving a message.  "I uh..." He paused and scratched his head.  "I miss you.  I wanted to talk to you this morning, but I guess you're busy.  Call me when you get this.  I love you."  He ended the call and tossed the phone onto the bed as he stripped his T-shirt off and moved into the bathroom.  It's just a coincidence.  He told himself, brushing off the unsettling feeling descending upon him as he stepped into the shower and let the warm water wash his worry down the drain.  It's just a coincidence.  Why didn't she answer?

He had no reason to think anything was going on, no reason at all.  So why did he?

~~~~~~

"Have a good night." Aubrey offered with her usual smile as Rachel walked towards the front door of the office Tuesday evening. 

"Thanks." Rachel smiled back as Aubrey's eyes went back to the computer screen in front of her.  "You too."  Rachel put her hand on the door then stopped when a thought passed through her head.  "Do you..." she turned back and looked at Aubrey.  "Do you have plans tonight?"

Aubrey looked at her in surprise.  "Not really.  Why?" The younger girl asked.

"JC is out of town right now." Rachel said walking up to the front desk.  "I was going to go get something to eat but it's not really fun eating by yourself.  Do you...do you want to come with me?  I'd love some company." Rachel smiled.

"Really?"  Aubrey asked, her eyebrows rising slightly.  "I mean.  Yeah, I'd love to." She smiled.

"Great." Rachel said.  "Let's go."

Aubrey turned to look at the clock on the wall.  "I can't lock up for another ten minutes." She replied.

"No problem." Rachel said.  "I've got a few things I can still do at my desk.  Come get me when you're ready to leave."

"Okay." Aubrey smiled excitedly and Rachel walked back to her desk.  Her phone began vibrating in her purse as she sat down and she pulled it out, smiling when she read the display. 

"Hey you." She said, leaning back in her chair.

"Hello, Beautiful." JC greeted her.  "You done with work?"

"I am." She smiled.  "You've got excellent timing.  I've missed talking to you today.  How did the show go?"

"Eh." He replied and Rachel could picture him shrugging.

"Ooh, that good, huh?" She teased.

"I'm getting to old for this, Rach." He said. 

"Don't let your fans hear you say that." She replied in mock shock and he chuckled.  "Besides, if Justin's not too old for it then neither are you."

"Is that so?" He asked in amusement.

"Yep." Rachel nodded.  "You should listen to me and trust me."

He laughed.  "Ah, I miss you, Sass." He said. 

"It's only been a day, Jace." She laughed.  "And you'll be home tomorrow."

"So?  I still miss you."

"How in the world did you ever survive before you met me?" She teased him as she rolled her eyes.

"I don't know." He replied honestly.

Rachel leaned forward and placed her elbows on her desk.  "Well if it's any consolation I miss you like crazy."

"Oh yeah?" He asked, sounding intrigued.

"Yeah."

"How crazy?"

"Ridiculously crazy." She replied, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth.  "The house is too big and empty without you there--I don't know how you stood living all by yourself for so long.  Plus...I didn't sleep very well last night." She confessed.

"Neither did I."

"I kept trying to curl up next to you, but you weren't there." She told him.

"I kept having nightmares." He replied.

"About what?" Rachel asked curious.  JC wasn't normally one for bad dreams.

"You." He confessed.

"Me?" She asked, taken back.  "Am I that scary?" She teased.

"Sometimes." He replied.  Rachel gasped then laughed. 

"You better be careful.  I don't--"

"Rachel?"

Rachel turned in her chair at Aubrey's quietly voiced question.  Rachel smiled at her and held up a finger as she stood and grabbed her purse.  "I gotta go." She told JC.

"But I'm not done talking to you."

"Aubrey and I are going to dinner."

"Oh, okay."  He sounded a bit dejected.  "Hey," He said.  "Give me a call later if you can't sleep.  Chances are I won't be able to either.  Maybe we could...help each other out.  You know, find a way to...pass the time."

"You mean talking?" She asked, though she had a sneaking suspicion she knew what he was referring to. 

"Yeah..." he drawled.  "Talking.  That's...that's what I meant."

Rachel giggled as the words from the song he'd written years ago coming to mind.  Digital, digital get down...  "You are shameless." She replied. 

"Guilty as charged." He laughed.

"I gotta go."

"Are you gonna call me later?" He asked.

"I don't know." She replied.  "What's in it for me?  I mean, if all we're going to do is talk..."  Rachel shrugged even though he couldn't see her.  "We're not even on the same network, Jace." She bit back a giggle when JC groaned.

"Come on, Sass.  I promise I'll make it worth your while." He assured her and she felt a rush of goose bumps from the wicked grin she knew was on his face by the tone of his voice.

"You are so dirty." She laughed.  "Alright." She gave in with a sigh.  "I'll call you later."

"I love you." He replied with a chuckle.

"I love you too.  I'll talk to you later."

"Alright.  Have fun."

"Bye." She ended the call.  "Sorry about that." She said to Aubrey, as she put her phone in her purse and slung the bag over her arm.  "Ready?"

"Yeah." Aubrey replied as the two girls walked out towards the lobby. 

"Do you have a craving for anything in particular?" Rachel asked as they exited the building and walked out into the parking lot.

"Nope." Aubrey shook her head.  "I'm really not picky when it comes to food--obviously." She chuckled as she gestured to herself.

"Oh, stop." Rachel shook her head.  "You're gorgeous."  Aubrey was adorable--with her sparkling hazel eyes, short dark brown hair and ready smile.  She may not be the size negative four that was socially acceptable here in the land of movie stars, but she wasn't fat either.  She was pretty normal and, truth be told, Rachel was sometimes a little jealous of the girl.  Aubrey was several inches taller than Rachel and seemed to have the perfect curves that guys went for.  Rachel was sure whoever her significant other was he was more than happy with the way she looked.

"And you're a great liar." Aubrey responded with a smile and a sparkle in her eyes.

"It's a gift." Rachel replied with a shrug and a teasing smile making Aubrey laugh.  "Do you like sushi?" She asked as they approached her Jetta.

"I've never had it." Aubrey responded and Rachel pulled up short, looking at her in shock. 

"What?!" Rachel exclaimed.  "How can you have never had sushi?"

Aubrey shrugged her shoulders.  "I don't know.  I've just never really had a reason to try it." 

"Well, you've got a reason now.  Get in." Rachel said. 

"I can just follow you if you want." Aubrey said pointing to her blue Ford Escape parked a few spaces away. 

"Nah.  Get in." Rachel said.  "Your car'll be fine.  My favorite sushi place isn't that far away."

"Okay." Aubrey said as she got in a buckled her seat belt.

"Okay, seriously." Rachel said, putting the car into reverse.  "You've never had sushi?  You've never lived, till you've had it.  It's like the best thing ever!"

Aubrey chuckled.  "Sorry.  I'm from the country.  Not a whole lot of sushi in the sticks." She replied.

"Where are you from?" Rachel asked suddenly realizing that, although she and Aubrey got along at work and she felt as if she knew the girl the reality was Rachel knew absolutely nothing about her.

"All over." Aubrey replied, tucking her hair behind one ear.

"Like where?" Rachel asked, turning out of the parking lot and onto the main street their office was located on.

"Um..." Aubrey thought for a second.  "Well I was born in Hawaii and then we moved to Washington, then Colorado, North Carolina...um, Germany for three years...and then Virginia.  That's where I tell people I'm from because it's where I went to high school and my parent's still live there." 

"Well look at you, travel maniac."  Rachel looked at her in amazement. 

"Army brat." Aubrey admitted with a shrug.

"Ah." Rachel replied.

"What about you?" Aubrey asked.  "Are you a native?"

"Of Arizona." Rachel said with a smile.  "I grew up in the same house in Phoenix that I was born in and my dad and step-mom still live there."

"You're lucky." Aubrey sighed wistfully.  "What made you decide to come to California?"

"Well, after I graduated I was offered an internship with a company in New York and the one here at A&R."

"I'd have thought you'd have chosen New York." Aubrey said.

"Really? Why?" Rachel asked in curiosity.

"You're always so chic and fashionable.  You just seem like a New York kind of girl to me." Aubrey said.

"Really?" Rachel asked with a smile.  "Wow.  Thanks."

"You're welcome."  Aubrey offered.  "So, why did you choose California?"

"The weather." Rachel replied honestly.  "I don't do winter well." She confided in an exaggerated whisper.  "Plus, JC was here in California."

Aubrey looked at her in surprise.  "You knew him before moving here?"

"Mmmm...sort of." Rachel said pulling her bottom lip between her teeth then chuckling at Aubrey's confused look.  "It's a long story."

"I've got time." Aubrey said as Rachel pulled her car into a particular parking lot.  Rachel laughed. 

"Alright, come on." She said getting out of the car.  The girls walked into the restaurant and were shown to a corner table.  Aubrey left the ordering up to Rachel and as they waited for their food to arrive Rachel began telling Aubrey the complicated story of how she and JC had first met.

"Wait." Aubrey said after taking a sip of her coke and placing the cup back on the table.  "You guys made out at your best friend's wedding then he asked you to go home with him and you said no?!"  Rachel shrugged.  "So what happened?  I mean, obviously you guys stayed in contact, right?  You said he was part of the reason you moved back here."

"No." Rachel shook her head. 

"No, what?" Aubrey asked confused.

"No, we didn't stay in contact.  He didn't know I moved here."

"Then why..."

Rachel sighed.  "Okay, I'm going to let you in on a little secret.  I'm ridiculous."  She stated pointing a finger at herself.  Aubrey laughed.  "No, I mean it." Rachel insisted.  "I moved here on the off-chance that I would somehow, one day run into him again.  But deep down I never thought I'd see him again.  I knew I'd blown my chance.  I mean, hell!  Who says no when a famous musician you've been lusting after for years asks you to go home with him?"  Rachel rolled her eyes and both of the girls laughed.

"You're lucky." Aubrey said and Rachel looked at the girl.  "You got a second chance with the man you love."

"Yeah I did." Rachel smiled.  "But enough about me." She added quickly.  "Tell me more about you."  She straightened as their waitress brought the sushi she'd ordered and grinned.  Picking up her chopsticks and grabbing a piece of the Vegas Roll Rachel continued.  "Tell me about your family."  She placed the sushi in her mouth and chewed, closing her eyes briefly as she savored one of her favorite guilty pleasures.

"Well," Aubrey answered.  Rachel opened her eyes and looked at the girl, trying not to laugh at her hesitant expression as she gingerly picked up a piece of the California Roll on the plate in front of her. 

"The trick is to not think about what you're eating." Rachel confided.  "Just put it in your mouth quickly."  Aubrey looked at her for a moment then bravely placed the piece of sushi in her mouth, chewing carefully. 

"So?" Rachel asked eager to know her reaction to this new experience.

"Not bad." Aubrey replied after swallowing.

"Try one of these." Rachel said, pushing the plate containing the New York Roll she'd ordered towards the girl. 

"I don't know..." Aubrey hesitated.

"Oh, come on." Rachel chuckled.  "It's not going to kill you.  Live a little." She smiled.

Aubrey picked up one of the pieces and put it in her mouth then bobbed her head back and forth as she chewed.  "Alright, those are pretty good.  Don't know that I'll ever love them like you obviously do...but it's alright."

Rachel smiled.  "Which of your parent's is in the military?"

"My Dad." Aubrey said, eating another piece of the California Roll.  "He served in the first Gulf War and now works at the Pentagon." She replied proudly.

"Doing what?" Rachel asked.

"Secret government projects." Aubrey said then chuckled.  "Actually I have no idea what he does there."

"Probably better that way." Rachel said and Aubrey laughed, nodding her head in agreement.  "But that's awesome.  Do you have any siblings?"

"One." Aubrey said, taking a sip of her coke.  "Michael's four years older than I am.  He's actually over in Afghanistan right now."

"Like father like son, huh?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah." Aubrey chuckled.  "It's been like that for generations.  To quote my dad, ‘we're a military family and we always will be.'  What about you?" She asked, turning the conversation back to Rachel.  "Do you have any siblings?"

"No." She replied quickly then paused.  "Well...sort of, I guess."

"Sort of?" Aubrey replied, an amused expression on her face.  "How can you ‘sort of' have siblings."

"They're step-siblings." Rachel said.  "My dad remarried about ten years ago and Sherry's kids are both several years older than I am.  We've never really spent anytime together so...I don't really count them as siblings.  Is that mean?" Rachel asked, with a grimace.

"No." Aubrey chuckled.  "It's not mean.  So did your mom remarry or do you only have step-siblings with your dad?"

"My mom died when I was seventeen." Rachel said.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Aubrey said, sympathy filling her eyes. 

"Thanks." Rachel smiled.

"Can I ask you something?" Aubrey asked.

"Sure." Rachel replied as she ate the last piece of sushi on the plate in front of her.

"It's kind of personal, so you don't have to answer." Aubrey told her.

"I'm pretty much an open book, Aubrey." Rachel said.  "You can ask me anything.  If I don't want to answer I'll tell you."

"Okay, that's fair." Aubrey tucked her hair behind her ears and leaned forward.  "What's it like...dating a guy who at one point in his life had almost the entire world lusting after him?"

Rachel laughed.  "It's...well it's not as easy as I thought it would be" She admitted.  "And I thought about it a lot. After all, I was one of the ones lusting after him back in the day." Aubrey chuckled. "How old are you?" Rachel asked, honestly curious.

"Twenty-one." Aubrey answered.

"So you were...twelve when they were huge?"

"Yeah.  I knew who they were but I wasn't obsessed like a lot of the girls at school were." She laughed.  "I didn't ever have any of their albums or anything.  I remember when I was thirteen--we were living in Germany at the time--it seemed like all the girls on base had N SYNC fever.  They were all excited because the group was in the country and anybody who was anybody had tickets to the concert."

"And were you 'anybody'?" Rachel asked, finishing her water.

"No." Aubrey shook her head.  "No, I was a nobody.  I didn't go."

"What?" Rachel asked, shocked.  "Why not?"

Aubrey shrugged.  "It just wasn't a big deal to me.  Plus, money was always tight.  There are a lot of benefits in working for the government, but money isn't always one of them." She said.  Rachel was quiet for a moment as she watched Aubrey, wondering what it would have felt like being the only girl in her junior high not going to one of the hottest concerts and knowing that everybody else was. 

"Did you have a favorite of the guys?" Rachel asked, curious.

"Justin." Aubrey said without hesitation then ducked her head as her cheeks warmed.  "Oh my gosh, I can't believe I just admitted that out loud!" She laughed nervously.

"You think I'm going to judge you for that comment?" Rachel asked with a laugh.  "Remember who you're talking to." She winked at the younger girl.

"I'm not into him now." Aubrey rushed to assure Rachel.  "In fact I don't even listen to his kind of music anyway."

"What kind of music do you listen to?"

"Country, usually." Aubrey answered, her eyes focused on the plate in front of her. 

"Why was Justin your favorite?" Rachel asked thinking about the famous pop star she'd recently become friends with.

"He was the cutest." Aubrey replied.  "And the closest to my age."  She shrugged.  "I always thought he had a cute smile and...he just seemed like a really nice, normal, down to earth guy even with all his popularity."

"He is." Rachel replied and Aubrey smiled.  The girls talked for a few more minutes.  When it came time to pay Rachel grabbed the check before Aubrey could look at it. 

"Hey!" Aubrey chuckled.  "Wait a minute."

"My treat." Rachel insisted with a smile, sliding her debit card into the holder and handing it to the waitress.  When she returned with Rachel's receipt the girls left.  "This was fun." Rachel said as she drove back into their office parking lot and pulled in next to Aubrey's car.

"Yeah." Aubrey smiled.  "We should do it again."

"Definitely." Rachel nodded.  "With Jace going out of town more often now I'm going to be needing someone to keep me company."

"Well, you know where to find me." Aubrey said, getting out of the car.  "I'll see you tomorrow."

"See ya." Rachel smiled as Aubrey shut the door.  She watched as Aubrey got in her SUV and then followed her out of the parking lot.

   ~~~~~~

"So, question." Megan said as she and Rachel talked on the phone Wednesday evening. 

"Answer." Rachel replied as she sat cross-legged on the bed, magazines and sample books open and spread out around her in a semi-circle on the bedspread. 

"Who's going to be singing with JC on tour?" Megan asked.

"Huh?" Rachel responded absent-mindedly as she made a few notes in the sketchpad resting on one knee.

"Who's going to be singing with JC on tour?" Megan repeated her question.

"You want to know the names of his back-up singers?" Rachel asked, giving up on the project in front of her.  Tossing her sketchbook into the pile of papers and laid back on the pillows.  She looked at her watch.  Where is he? She wondered.  JC's plane should have landed an hour and a half ago and with traffic...she smiled when she heard the kitchen door open and close downstairs.  Right on time.  She thought.

"No." Megan chuckled, bringing Rachel back to the conversation she was currently in the middle of.  "I want to know who's going to be singing the duet with JC when he goes on tour.  Are you going with him?"

"Oh." Rachel's brows drew together in thought.  "I don't know.  I...I hadn't thought of that."

"Are you going to be singing with him?"

"On stage? No!" Rachel exclaimed.  "Are you crazy?  There's no way--"

"Rach?"

Rachel leaned up on one elbow and smiled as JC walked into the bedroom.  "Hey." She greeted him, meeting his lips when he leaned down and kissed her softly.  Rachel sat up and put her hand on his face.

"It's a valid question." Megan continued, unaware her friend's attention was occupied elsewhere at the moment.  "If you're not singing it with him, how's he going to get around the fact?"

"What?" Rachel asked disctractedly.

Megan sighed.  "Is he planning on doing the duet as part of the concert line-up?" She asked.

"I don't know." Rachel answered honestly as JC stepped back from her.  "I'll have to ask him." She said, her eyes watching as the man they were talking about dropped his bag to the floor by the closet and walked into the bathroom.  Rachel lay back on the bed when she heard the shower start.  She twisted a strand of hair between her fingers and bent one leg up, contemplating whether or not to join JC in the shower.   "We're not even sure if he's going to be doing a tour and if he does what kind or even how big it's going to be.  We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

"Is he going to release the song as a single?" Megan asked.

"I don't know." Rachel responded with a chuckle.  "He just got home; do you want to ask him?"

"No." Megan replied with another sigh.  "If he's home now, I'll let you go."

"Are you alright?" Rachel asked concerned at the melancholy she could sense in Megan's voice.  She suddenly felt like a very bad best friend.  Had Megan been down the whole time they were talking and she was just now noticing it?

"I'm fine." Megan replied but Rachel wasn't convinced. 

"What's going on, Megs?"

"Nothing." Megan answered.  "I just..." she sighed again.  "I've been a little down since Scotty was born.  Nothing to worry about just some baby blues.  I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" Rachel asked, again unconvinced.  Megan was always so cheerful and upbeat; to hear her sounding so dejected was something Rachel wasn't used to.  She was usually the one pulling the depression card for one reason or another and Megan was the one that always pulled her back up.    

"Yeah."

"Megs..."

"I'm fine, Rach.  I promise.  Jackson's here and his mom and sister are in town for a few days to help out."

"I wish I could come out and see you and the baby." Rachel told her. 

"Me too.  He looks just like his daddy." Megan replied proudly.

"Okay, well if you're sure you're alright..." Rachel drawled.

"Tell JC I said hi." Megan answered avoiding the question in Rachel's voice.

"‘Kay.  Talk to you later?"

"Yeah."

"Bye." Rachel ended the call, but remained lying down, holding her phone against her lips as she stared at the ceiling in thought.  

"Everything alright?" JC asked, coming back into the room wearing only a pair of blue pajama pants.  Rachel turned her head and looked over at him, watching as he ran his hands through his damp hair.

"Yeah." She smiled rolling to one side and propping herself up on her elbow as he walked towards her barefooted.

"What's all this?" He asked waving his arm over the papers spread around her.  Rachel sat up and swept everything off the bed--all of it landing with a thud on the floor on the opposite side of the bed. 

"What's all what?" She asked, looking up at him innocently.  He grinned and Rachel laughed as JC literally pounced on her.  He rolled her over till she was on her back and he was above her.  His lips found her neck and she shivered.  "Did you survive being all alone in New York for forty-eight hours?" She asked biting her lip as another shiver ran down her spine.

"Barely." He confessed in her ear.  Rachel closed her eyes and moaned as his lips found hers.  She wound her arms around his neck, her fingers sinking into his still drying hair, as she kissed him back with all the intensity she could muster.  Oh, she had missed him!  He pulled at her bottom lip with his as he sought to deepen the kiss and ran his hands down her sides, slipping them beneath the hem of her shirt.  He lifted the fabric slightly and Rachel moaned again when her skin came in contact with his.  She struggled to draw in breath as he finally released her mouth and worked his way down one side of her neck and then the other.

"Jace?" Rachel asked.  He didn't respond, his lips continuing their perusal of her skin.  "Jace?"

"Mmmm." He hummed distractedly.

"Joshua?" She asked using his real name this time--that generally seemed to do the trick in getting his attention.  He groaned as he pulled back from her slightly, his chest rising and falling as his warm breath brushed across her skin.

"Did you have something important to say, woman, or can I get back to ravishing you?" Rachel laughed.  He propped himself up on his forearms as he lay, looking down at her.  Rachel brought her hands up and placed them on either side of his face, smiling as she gently stroked his cheeks. 

"I love you." She said pulling him down and pressing her lips against his.  "Welcome home."