"Alright, Kristen, what happened in celebrity gossip over the weekend?"

"You know, surprisingly, it was a pretty quiet weekend, Rob."

"No DUIs or starlets entering rehab?" Rob asked, sounding shocked.

"Nope." Kristen laughed.  "The only thing I've got is a picture of Chase Crawford and JC Chasez at The Vortex Friday night."

"Oh, here we go again." Paul joked.  "We all know they're together.  Why don't they just come out and let us get on with our lives?"

"They weren't alone though." Kristen interjected.  "They had a couple girls with them and JC was photographed leaving soon after they got there with one of them.  Seems they had a great time together and wanted to finish the night with a party for two, if you know what I mean."

"Oh, I think we all know what--"

Rachel rolled her eyes as she reached over and turned the radio in her car off as she turned onto JC's street Monday morning.  She looked at her watch.  8:15.  She'd told Tony she'd meet him at eight, but traffic had been insane this morning.  After almost rear ending a little orange pickup truck, swerving to avoid being hit by a large black SUV, and having to listen to the latest celebrity gossip, Rachel had a feeling it was going to be one of those days.  She found herself wishing she could just go back to bed and start it over.  Actually, she thought.  Let's just fast forward to Friday.  Can we do that instead?

As she pulled into JC's driveway, the large wrought iron gate was open and she could see a couple of big black trucks parked in the driveway.  Pulling to a stop beside one of the trucks Rachel got out of her car.  She felt conflicted as she made her way to the front door.  After watching JC leave the club Friday night with the girl he'd been dancing with, Rachel had found herself dreading Monday morning.  She didn't want to deal with the potential awkwardness of seeing him again after running into him at the club.

She was confused.

She was confused and she was frustrated. 

After having to deal with the fact that she was now working for JC Chasez-the boy she'd lusted after and dreamed about since she was fifteen-she had had to deal with crushing disappointment that he didn't know who she was or remember what they had shared.  She had had to pretend that the fact that he had been staring at her the entire time he was with her at the club didn't bother her.  Then there was the whole alpha-male ‘this-is-my-woman-so-back-off' stance he'd taken when David had asked her to dance.  And the fact that she knew-she knew-he was going to ask her something and then he had chickened out...

She was confused. 

She didn't know what was going on and she wasn't sure how she was supposed to act around him anymore.  It was getting easier-spending time with him.  She still found herself in awe over being in his presence, and every now and then she would get a rush of butterflies when she thought about the fact that she was actually getting paid to spend time with him.  But she had glimpsed a different side of him as she'd been reading Tuesdays with Morrie and Rachel found herself intrigued.  There had been several passages that had been underlined in the book-each one giving Rachel a further insight into the guy.  She had thoroughly enjoyed the book, had cried at the end when Morrie finally died, and had made a resolution to herself to take some of the advise given and apply it into her own life. 

Find the perfection in an average day. 

That had been the theme of the book and one that Rachel found herself wanting to adopt.  She had spent years of her life partying and having fun, living for today.  She'd gotten in trouble because of that lifestyle a few times and life had taken some sudden detours.  At almost twenty-seven, Rachel was finally realizing now was the time to make what she wanted out of her life.  She didn't want to look back with anymore regrets than she already had. 

Rachel knocked on the door and raised the dark glasses she'd been wearing, setting them atop her head.  Butterflies fluttered in her stomach as she heard someone approach the door and she wondered what he would be wearing today.  She smiled as the door opened, but her spirits quickly dropped and Rachel had to force her shoulders not to visibly slump as Sarah stood in the doorway, a friendly smile on her beautiful face.

"Good morning." She said, stepping back.  "Come on in."

"Thanks." Rachel said, stepping into the house. 

"The contractor and his guys just got here." Sarah said closing the door and walking towards the front room. 

"Thanks." Rachel said again, feeling like a broken record.  But what else was there to say?  Where's JC? Sure she wanted to ask, but she didn't.  After all, she was here to work on his house, not to spend her time with him.  Rachel smiled at Sarah as she walked into the front room.  Tony had two of his guys pushing the couches into the center of the room and covering all the furniture with drop clothes.  Plastic has been laid out on the carpet to try and protect it as much as possible.  "I don't see JC, so..." Rachel pulled a couple cards from her purse.  "Can you give these to him?" 

"Sure." Sarah said, taking the paint samples from Rachel.  "Oh, by the way." She said.  Rachel turned to look at her.  "MTV called me the other day.  They found out Jace was doing this remodel and they want to feature him on Cribs when it's done." 

Rachel's eyebrows shot up.  Oh good.  She thought sarcastically.  No pressure.

"Isn't that great?" Sarah asked excitedly.

"Yeah." Rachel responded with a smile.  "Yeah, that's great." And it was.  That kind of exposure for her firm was fantastic.  But this was the first real job Rachel had had since graduating.  Sure, she'd worked with a few of the senior designers on a couple other projects since being hired, but this was the first one she was doing solo.  What if it didn't turn out the way she was imagining?  What if JC hated everything she'd done?  What if...

"Jace was excited." Sarah said with a smile as she watched Rachel closely.

And where is Mr. Excitement? Rachel wondered again as she forced a smile to her face. 

"They want to come the beginning of the year."  She informed Rachel.  "It's going to be done, right?" She asked.

"Uh..." Rachel hedged.  She watched as one of the guys on Tony's crew picked up a sledgehammer and began knocking a hole in the wall.

"Is he supposed to be doing that?" Sarah asked as he swung the hammer again.

"Yeah." Rachel drawled as she looked over at the girl.  How else do you knock down a wall? She wanted to ask, but bit her tongue.  Sarah had been nothing but friendly to her.  She'd done nothing to deserve Rachel's attitude.

"Hmmm." Sarah hummed as she watched the guy swing again, then she turned back to Rachel.  "So, how long do you think this whole thing is going to take?" Sarah asked.

"Well, that depends on JC." Rachel answered. 

"What do you mean?" Sarah asked.  "You're the designer, aren't you?" She looked at Rachel in confusion.

"Yeah," Rachel drawled.  This girl is kind of dense.  She thought.  How is she the ‘most organized assistant' he's ever had?  "I'm the designer, but JC is the homeowner and he's the one who told me he wanted to do this project room by room instead of all at once. That's going to make it take longer than it normally would.  If MTV's in a time crunch, you're going to have to talk to him about that." Rachel said.  "I explained to him that doing it this way was going to drag it out but he was very insistent on doing it this way."

"Okay," Sarah said.  "I'll see if I can talk to him.  Maybe he'll--" The phone on her hip rang and she held a finger up at Rachel.  "Hello?" She answered the call.  "Hello!" She exclaimed excitedly.  "Oh, I know!" She giggled and Rachel fought the irritation she felt rising as Sarah turned. 

Why am I here?  Rachel watched Sarah walk down the hall, still talking on the phone, then turned back to watch the guys busy tearing down the wall.  There was absolutely no reason for her to be here.  This is ridiculous.  She rolled her eyes.  The only reason she'd come was because JC had told her he wanted her to be here and where was he?  No frickin' idea!

"Tony?" Rachel called out above the noise of the demolition going on.

"Yeah?" Tony turned around.

"You guys alright here?"

"Yeah, we're good."

"If you need me, you got my number, right?" She asked, running her fingers through her hair.

"Yeah, I got it." He smiled and waved at her as he went back to work.

"Okay." Rachel turned.  "I'll talk to you later then."  Rachel turned and walked back to the front door.  Looking over her shoulder once more-hoping for a glimpse of JC-Rachel blew out a frustrated breath and angrily jerked the door open.  Shutting it she stalked to her car and got in. 

"Aargh!" She gripped the steering wheel as she released some of her irritation.  She picked up her phone and pressed the speed dial for Megan.  She put in her ear piece and waited for Megan to pick up as she backed up and pulled out of JC's driveway.

"Hey." Megan answered cheerfully, which just irritated Rachel more.

"Why are boys so dumb?" Rachel growled.  "I mean honestly!  He has got to be the most irritatingly, frustrating man I have ever met!  I don't know what to think.  One minute he's staring at me like I'm the most beautiful thing he's ever seen and making my heart skip, and the next he's off dancing with some other girl.  One minute he's acting the part of the protective boyfriend and the next he's taking some slut home.  And does he even remember the fact that we've made out?" She chuckled bitterly.  "No!  Of course not!  Why would he?  After all, he was drunk and I'm no one special.  Just another girl.  And then," Rachel was fuming.  "Then, when he's asked me to come over to his house-even when there's no reason for me to be there-is he there?  No!  He's not even there!  Aargh!  I...Oohh!!" Rachel gripped the steering wheel tightly.  "Why?" She asked.  "Why, why, why?"

"Why, what?" Megan asked quietly on the other end of the line.

"Why did I drive all the way over here this morning and why did he ask me to come over if he knew he wasn't going to be there?  Does he just expect me to sit there and be at his beck and call all day long?  I have other things to do, you know.  My professional life does not revolve around him."

"Maybe something came up." Megan said calmly.

Rachel snorted and rolled her eyes.  "‘Something came up.'  Likely excuse."

"Well--" Megan started.

"I'm just so frustrated!" Rachel interrupted her.

"What are you frustrated about?" Megan asked.  "Nothing happened."

"Exactly!" Rachel shouted.  "Nothing's happened!"  She was quiet for a minute as she pulled to a stop at a red light.  "Why doesn't he remember me, Megan?" Rachel asked quietly, her anger diminishing some. 

"I don't know, sweetie." 

"I just..." Rachel fought back the tears she felt coming.  She refused to cry.  It was pointless-crying over a guy, especially one who didn't know who she was.  She hadn't cried over a guy in almost four years and she wasn't about to start now.  "I just don't understand why he doesn't remember me.  Was I reading him completely wrong?"  She asked.  "I thought he was really in to me that night.  We seemed to have this connection going on and then...nothing.  Not a call, not a text, not anything."

"Boys are dumb." Megan supplied quietly.

"You can say that again." Rachel grumbled.

"Boys are dumb." Megan repeated.  Rachel chuckled.  "Listen," Megan said.  "I can tell you're PMSing right now-which always makes the things guys do seem all the more frustrating-but you just need to remember that he's a boy.  Therefore he's going to be an idiot some of the time.  It's something that's hardwired into them I think.  Even Jackson can be a royal pain in the ass sometimes and I find myself wondering why I ever married him." Megan sighed.  "But then, he'll go and do something that totally blows me away and I remember why I love him and why I'm willing to put up with him.  It's the little things you have to watch for.  The way he looks at you from across the room, the way he smiles whenever you're around, the way he remembers your favorite flower or when he lets you listen to your favorite music in the car even though it drives him crazy."

"I don't think listening to my favorite music with JC in the car would go over so well." Rachel replied dryly. 

Megan laughed.  "Yeah, probably not.  But do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yeah.  The little things."

"The little things." Megan repeated.  "He may not remember you from before, but from what you've told me I think he's finding it hard to get you out of his head now.  Maybe he's scared."

"JC Chasez, scared?" Rachel asked in disbelief as she pulled into the parking lot of her office building.  "Of me?"

"Yes of you." Megan replied. 

"Why would he be scared of me?" Rachel asked. 

"Why is any guy scared of a woman?" Megan asked.  "Sometimes they're scared of the commitment that comes along with a relationship.  Sometimes they're scared of getting hurt-and we both know JC's been hurt in the past.  How many songs has he written about a girl cheating on him or someone just using him for his fame?  You don't write songs like that without some kind of personal experience with those types of situations."

"He's playing with me." Rachel said, still feeling frustrated at the whole situation.   "He's throwing all these conflicting signals and I'm just so damn confused I don't know what to think anymore.  One minute he's flirting and looking at me like he wants to jump me, and the next he's completely ignoring me.  I just don't know how much more I can take."

"I think you're worrying about this whole thing way too much." Megan said.  "It's not like you guys are dating or anything.  Just...go with the flow."

"Remember how I am not the kind of person who just goes with the flow?"
  

"Well..." Megan answered with a laugh, "Things can change."

"I am not a jelly fish, Megan." Rachel replied.  "I do not ‘go with the flow.'  I overanalyze situations until I'm so confused I'm not sure which way is up.  I stress out about things to the point where I want to throw up.  I--"

"I know what you do." Megan interrupted, laughing again.  "Believe me." Rachel could hear Megan roll her eyes.  "I know.  Take a deep breath, then put on your big girl panties and get over it!  So he's playing you?  Do I need to remind you that you're a pretty good player yourself?  If he wants to play show him what he's up against.  Don't just stand there, dish it back to him."

"But he's JC Chasez!" Rachel put her head back on her seat. 

"So?" Megan replied.  "Just because he's a celebrity you're going to roll over and play dead?  Like I said, show him what he's up against.  You play him and before he knows it he'll be caught and he won't want to get out."

Rachel laughed.  "I like the sound of that."

"I thought you might." Megan chuckled.

"You're right." Rachel said.

"Of course I am." Megan responded quickly.  "So what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to show him what he's up against."

"Right!"

Rachel sighed as she finally got out of her car.  "So guess what I found out while I was over at his house this morning?"

"What?"

"MTV wants to do a Cribs episode of the house once it's done."

"No way!" Megan responded excitedly.  "Really?!"

"Yep." Rachel smiled. 

"Ray, that's awesome!"

"Yeah, no pressure or anything." Rachel chuckled as she voiced the thoughts she'd had earlier.  As she walked into the lobby of her building and past the reception desk Aubrey held a note out towards her.  "I don't know Megan." Rachel said as she took the note, smiling at Aubrey as she continued walking towards her desk.  "What if things turn out horribly?"

"With JC or the house?" Megan asked.

"With the house." Rachel clarified.   "And with JC." She added under her breath, making Megan chuckle.  "What if he doesn't like what I've done when it's all finished?" Rachel asked.

"What if?" Megan asked.  Rachel looked at the note Aubrey had handed her and groaned.  "What is it?" Megan asked.

"I've gotta go." Rachel answered as she sat down in her chair and set her purse on the floor at her feet.  "This day is just...Do you ever wish sometimes you could just go back in time and start a day over?"

"All the time." Megan answered.  "But usually I don't want to go back in time.  If given the choice I would opt to just skip ahead."

"That would be nice." Rachel replied.  "Bridezilla has already called four times this morning and it's not even ten yet.  I've got to call her back before she really starts freaking out."

"Ooh, good luck with that." Megan supplied.

"Thanks." Rachel rolled her eyes.  "This girl is driving me insane.  She's almost as irritating and frustrating as...he is." Rachel had stopped herself from saying his name out loud, not sure who may be listening.

Megan chuckled.  "I'll talk to you later." She said.

"Yeah.  Have a good day."

"Yeah, right." Rachel replied sarcastically.

"Bye." Megan hung up with a laugh.

Rachel flipped her phone closed and rolled her shoulders a few times before picking up her desk phone.  "I hate Mondays." She grumbled as she dialed.

Twenty minutes later Rachel felt like she was going to either collapse and burst into a flood of frustrated tears or pull out her hair as she ran screaming from the building.  She had been successful in convincing Lucy (a.k.a. Bridezilla) that having live swans at the wedding wasn't a good idea, but she'd had no luck in keeping her from changing her colors for the third time.  Rachel felt like screaming as she wadded up the designs she'd drawn up last week.  With the colors being changed, everything had to be redone.  Again.  I'm an interior designer. Rachel thought.  Not a damn wedding planner!  I'm not getting paid enough to deal with this chick. Just because she's Mr. Richard's granddaughter doesn't give her the right to be such a bitch.  Rachel leaned her elbows up on her desk and put her head in her hands. If I have to redo this backyard one more time I'm going to...

The ringing of her phone cut her off.  Closing her eyes Rachel took a deep breath and reached for the receiver.  "Adams & Richards Designs, Rachel Kline speaking." She answered, forcing a smile.

"Hey, Rachel, this is JC."

Rachel's heart thumped and she almost dropped the phone.  So that's what it sounds like.  She thought.  After all these years she now knew what his voice sounded like over the phone...and it was just as sexy as she'd always imagined.  She shook her head.  Stop it!  She scolded herself.  You are not going to get all sappy about this.  He's an idiot, remember?

"Rachel?" He asked as she remained quiet.  "Hello?"

"Y-yeah." She cleared her throat.  "Yeah I'm here.  Sorry."  She tried to slip back into professional mode.  If she could remain cool and levelheaded while Lucy went on and on about how green was "so last season" and gush about how her future mother-in-law had given her an antique turquoise necklace to wear-thus making it absolutely necessary to change all the decorations to match-Rachel could certainly pull it together enough to talk to JC over the phone.

"What can I do for you?" She asked.

"Where are you?"

"I'm sorry?" Rachel asked, confused.  Why does he suddenly care where I am? 

"I was just wondering where you were."

"I'm at work, JC."  Obviously.  "That's why I'm talking to you right now on the phone."

"I realize you're at work." He replied.  "I'm just wondering why you're not over here.  At my house.  Like you said you would be."

"I was there." Rachel said.  "I came over first thing this morning.  Tony and the guys had things under control, so I left.  Until they're done there's no reason for me to be over there."

"Oh." He was quiet for a few seconds.

Oh? Rachel thought, completely disregarding the slightly disappointed tone of his voice.  Oh? That's all you've got to say? She could feel her irritation rising again.  She needed to get him off the phone before she said something to him that she might regret.  She closed her eyes and counted to five.  "Tony and his guys should be done by the end of the week.  I left some paint samples with Sarah for you to look at.  As soon as you decide what color you want I can get the painters out there, at which point you and I can get together and talk about furniture."

"Alright." He said. "Sorry to bother you."

"You're not a bother." She told him honestly.  She was about to apologize for giving him that impression when a call came through on her second line.  Please don't be Lucy.  She prayed.  "Listen, I've got another call coming through, so..."

"Alright.  Um...I'll look at the samples and give you a call." He said.

"Okay." Rachel replied.  "Have a good day." She offered, trying to cover the fact that she'd been kind of a bitch to him over the phone and was suddenly felt guilty about it.  So he hadn't been at the house this morning?  He was a busy guy.  He had his own life.  Megan was probably right.  Something had come up and he had ended up having to leave.   

"You too." He said.

"Thanks.  If you have any questions about the colors I left give me a call.  Otherwise I'll talk to you later." Rachel said then hung up with JC and answered her other line.  As Lucy's voice came over the line Rachel put her head down on her desk and wished she'd just let the call go to her voicemail.  She glanced up at the clock sitting on her desk and groaned when she realized it was only ten-thirty.  This is going to be the longest day of my life.  She said as her eye started twitching.  Please, kill me know.

~~~~~

JC flipped his cell phone closed and sat on the couch looking at the small device.  The silence of the house was almost deafening since Tony and his guys had gone to lunch a while ago.  He furrowed his brows as he thought back over the conversation he'd just had.  Rachel was mad for some reason.  She hadn't come out and said anything, but the tone of her voice and the clipped way she'd been speaking to him gave her away.  Why was she mad?  Was she mad at him?  What had he done?  Sarah walked past him on her way to the kitchen and he called out to her.

"What do you need?" She asked, stopping and facing him.

"Did you talk to Rachel this morning?" He asked.

"Yeah, she came by earlier, but she didn't stick around for very long.  She left these for you." She held out a few paint sample cards.

"Was she upset over something when she left?" JC asked, taking the cards from Sarah, trying to figure out where Rachel's irritation could have come from.

"No." Sarah shook her head.  "But I only talked to her for a few seconds.  I told her about MTV wanting to come and then I got a phone call and went into the other room.  When I came back, she was gone.  Why?" She asked, noting his concerned expression.

"Just curious." He replied, his brows furrowing in thought.  "Thanks."

"Sure."  She turned and started to leave, but turned when she remembered something.  "Oh, about MTV." Sarah said.  JC looked up at her, watching as she pulled something up on the PDA in her hand.  "They want to come in January."

"Okay." JC shrugged his shoulders.  "Whatever."

"I asked Rachel when she thought the house was going to be done and she said it was up to you.  She said you were the one that decided to drag it out longer than necessary."

"I don't want my entire house torn apart and out of commission for who knows how long." He answered.  "That would drive me crazy and you know it.  I'd like to retain some of what sanity I have left.  Sue me."

"No need to get snippy." Sarah replied.  "I'm just saying: If we want to do this show you can't do anything that's going to drag this out any longer than it already is."

"I'll try." He replied noncommittally as he put his head back on the couch and closed his eyes.

"It's days like this I don't know why I put up with you." Sarah grumbled good naturedly as she turned and left the room.

"It's because you love me!" JC yelled out as she disappeared down the hall.  He heard her chuckle and couldn't help smiling. 

He had hired Sarah four years ago when his previous assistant, Natalie, had decided to get married and move across the country.  She was smart and efficient and one of the few that put up with his attitude.  He'd been worried when Natalie left, that he'd have to go through several others before finding another good one, but Sarah had been great from day one.  A year ago, she had told him she was getting married but, since she'd married one of the guys that were one of his regular bodyguards, JC wasn't worried about her leaving anytime soon.

The sounds of Tony and his guys continuing the demolition of his front room drew JC's mind back to his original thoughts: Rachel and her apparent irritation with him.  He couldn't figure her out.  After seeing her at the club on Friday night, remembering who she was (finally) and the connection he had with her, he had found it hard to leave her and going back to his table.  He watched her dancing with the guy who'd asked her for as long as he could before getting up and leaving-kicking himself for not asking her first.  Chase didn't seem to care, too preoccupied with his date, but unfortunately, Ronnie had taken it upon herself to leave with him.  She had draped herself on his arm and smiled for the photographers that had planted themselves outside the club.  She couldn't keep her hands off him and had made sure the paparazzi got a shot of her kissing him.  JC had put her in a cab as quickly as he could and prayed Chase hadn't given the girl his number, and had gone home with the intent of doing nothing but sleeping for the next twelve hours.  If there was something he couldn't get enough of, besides music, it was sleep. 

Life, however, had different plans.

~~~~~~

Too early on Saturday morning his phone had rung and JC had been woken up.  He groaned and rubbed his eyes as he reached for the handset on the bedside table.

"Yeah?" He'd answered, his voice low and rough from still being half asleep.

"I thought you'd sworn off red-heads after Bobbi." Joey's laughter made JC smile.

"Man, why are you calling me so early?" He rolled over onto his back as he rubbed his eyes.

"It's almost noon, C!  Time to get up."

"Why should I?"

"Cuz I'm in town for the next forty-eight hours and we're gonna par-tay, that's why!"

JC laughed.  "Why are you in town?" He asked, bending one arm behind his head as he stared up at his ceiling.

"Does it matter?" Joey asked.

"Are Kelly and Bri with you?" JC asked in reference to Joey's family.

"If they were, would we be going out?" Joey responded with a laugh.

"I don't think Kelly really knew what she was getting into when she hooked up with you."

"Ah," Joey replied and JC could picture the guy shrugging.  "She knows I love her.  What does it matter where I play as long as I go home to her?"

"Where you at?" JC asked.

"Some lame ass photo shoot.  Come save me."

JC laughed.  "Alright.  What studio?" He pushed the blankets away as he sat up and swung his legs over the edge of his bed.  He got direction and promised to be there in an hour.

"An hour!?" Joey laughed.  "It's just me, C!  No need to primp that pretty ass of yours for that long."

"Shut up." JC laughed.  "I just woke up and it's going to take me a few minutes to get across town.  I'll see you in an hour."

"Alright.  Later, man."

"See ya." JC answered, hanging up the phone.  He yawned as he stretched his arms above his head then, peeling off the black T-shirt he'd slept in, he tossed it across the room as he made his way to the bathroom.  An hour later, as promised, he pulled his Mercedes to a stop outside the photo studio where Joey was and went inside, trying to ignore the paparazzi that were milling around. 

Sometimes he hated his life.  Most days he didn't even think twice about it, but every once in a while he found himself wishing he wasn't who he was.  It would be nice to be able to go to the grocery store without the entire contents of his shopping cart being broadcast to the entire world, or to be able to meet up with an old friend without everyone and their dog coming along for the ride.

As the two guys left the studio together the cameras followed them as they got into JC's car and drove off.  They spent the rest of the day trying to avoid the paparazzi as they caught up and hung out.  After a few hours they gave up and just went back to JC's house.  Joey called home late that afternoon and JC was surprised, but happy when Joey had handed him the phone, telling him Brianna wanted to talk to "Uncle C."

"Hey, Bri." JC said, smiling.  He had a soft spot for the little girl.  Neither of his siblings had kids yet and Joey was the only guy in the group to have a family, so by default Brianna had become, to him and the other guys in the group, like a niece.  Chris and Justin adored the munchkin and Joey had asked Lance to be Brianna's godfather when she'd been born.  JC laughed as Brianna chattered on and on about her teachers, what she was learning at school, and her friends.

"I think you've talked enough, baby." Kelly said, taking the phone away from her daughter.  "Go get ready for bed."

"Hey, Kelly." JC smiled.

"Hi, Jace.  How are you?" She asked, as smile in her voice.

"I'm doing okay.  How are you?  Long time no see."

"I know.  We're doing good.  Bri and I would have come out there with Joe this weekend, but my brother and his wife just had another baby and my grandparents are staying here at the house with us right now."

"Well, hopefully I'll be able to get back to Orlando soon." JC said.

"You better.  Bri misses you."

"Give her a hug for me."

"I will." Kelly assured him.  "Is Joey around?"

"Yeah, he's right here.  I'll talk to you later."

"Bye, Jace." Kelly said.  JC handed the phone to Joey, who had walked back into the room, then got up and went into the kitchen to give him some privacy.  Pulling a couple beers from the fridge JC popped the caps off the bottles and walked back into the great room.  He handed one to Joey then pointed outside, letting his friend know he'd be out on the deck.  Joey nodded as he continued talking to his wife.

As he walked outside and sat down on one of the deck chairs, JC found himself wishing he had someone like Kelly he could call at the end of the day.  Someone he knew would always be there to listen to him, and didn't want anything from him other than the love he was willing to give her.  He took a swig of his beer as he looked out at the city lights, contemplating his life and some of the recent events that had taken place.  He lost track of the time until Joey came and sat down beside him.

"Did Johnny call you?" Joey asked.

"Yeah." JC nodded, raising his beer to his lips.  "Last week."

"And?" Joey asked, stretching his legs out in front of him.

JC sighed.  "I don't know, Joe."  He said as he began picking at the label on his beer bottle.  "It's not going to be like it was."

"Do you really want it to be?" Joey asked looking over at him with a curious brow raised.

"No." JC shook his head.  "No.  But I don't want it to be a disappointment either.  For us or the fans."

"Kelly doesn't think it'll fly right now."

"Why not?" JC asked, honestly interested in what her opinion was.  Kelly had been there for most of the hysteria that had surrounded Joey, JC and the rest of the guys.  She knew them all.  She knew what they had been before and what they'd become.

"Justin." Joey chuckled.

JC rolled his eyes as he nodded.  "Yeah, Justin." He repeated. 

"You still bitter, C?" Joey asked, finishing off his beer.

"No." JC smiled as he shook his head.  "I love the guy.  I'm proud of his success.  I'll admit I'm a bit jealous, but I'm not bitter."

"How's Kate coming?" Joey asked.

"It's not." JC answered.  "I don't know what the problem is, but it's just not working for me right now." Both men were quiet for a few minutes.

"I heard you talking to Kelly." Joey said.  "When do you think you're coming out to Orlando?"

"I don't know." JC answered.  "I'm going home next month for a couple days.  Maybe I can make it out there for Halloween."

"That'd be awesome!" Joey smiled.  "Chris always has that huge Halloween party and Lance said he was going to come this year."

JC chuckled.  "If we can talk Justin into making an appearance that'd almost be the reunion Johnny wants."

"Yeah, almost." Joey laughed.  "It'd sure get the press talking, that's for sure.  ‘N SYNC, are they back together?'" He lowered his voice to imitate a radio announcer.   

JC laughed.  "I think Justin would come just for that reason-to start a few rumors."

"Too bad it's not April." Joey said.  "That'd be one hell of an April Fool's joke."

"I don't think the fans would ever forgive us." JC continued laughing.

"Maybe.  Maybe not." Joey shrugged.  "But it'd be damn funny!"

~~~~~~

"Jace?" Sarah called out, bringing him back to reality. 

"Yeah?" JC watched as she walked towards him.

"I'm going to go get something for lunch.  Do you want anything?"

"Nah.  I ate with Joey before he left." He answered. 

"Alright.  I'll be back in a little while."

"Alright, see ya." He answered.  He watched as she turned and left then looked down at the sample cards still in his hands.  Koi Pond? Willow Tree? Peaceful Leaf? Tropical Foliage?  He read the names of the colors he was looking at and wanted to laugh.  How in the world was he supposed to choose?  They all looked the same to him.  He closed his eyes and groaned.  Here comes the part where I start pulling my hair out. He thought.  It's only the first day and I'm wishing it were over.  Well...not really.  If it were over that would mean he wouldn't be able to see Rachel anymore.  Thinking of Rachel again, JC wondered once more about what she had been upset over.  She's a girl.  He finally concluded, standing up and making his way into the kitchen.  They're always upset about something silly.  He left the sample cards on the counter as he grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and made his way downstairs.  He hadn't been able to work on his music this weekend, with Joey in town and spending a couple hours in the studio would help him get his mind off the mess going on upstairs and hopefully a certain blond haired, brown eyed interior designer that he couldn't seem to get out of his head.