Lyn slowly turned away from the insane scene unfolding in front of her. Reagan was being dragged down the hall by the Sheriffs, the press was completely confused as to what to do. They were running in two different directions, some of the reporters followed Reagan down the hall, the others rushed forward trying to get comments from Lyn, Jess, Stasia or anyone in their group that was within shouting distance.
JC’s eyes had not left Lyn since Reagan had approached Jess in Stasia in the courtroom. He knew what was coming, it was inevitable and he knew she wouldn’t want the press watching her, “Jess, Stasia close the doors.” He walked forward, lightly putting his hands on Lyn’s shoulders.
Jess rolled her eyes, “I’m enjoying this view.” She watched the Sheriffs turn the corner, with Reagan struggling the entire way.
Justin caught JC’s eye and realized how serious his friend was, glancing at Lyn, he knew she couldn’t hold it together much longer. He walked forward and closed the doors himself. As soon as Lyn heard the doors latch, her body began to shake violently. JC’s arms wrapped around her and she began to sob, “Shh. It’s ok. You did it. It’s over, it’s all over.” He whispered into her hair. Her entire frame shook and he held her tightly. Burying her face in his shoulder, she cried.
Everyone in the conference room turned away, Stasia walked over to Lance who glanced back at Lyn and JC. He remembered saying the same things to Stasia in the courtroom after John Gross had been convicted, “You think she’s going to be ok?”
Stasia looked down at her hands twisting her engagement ring nervously, “I hope so. Sometimes, getting what you want is just as difficult to deal with as not getting it.”
Lance’s eyes carefully studied her face as he chose his words very carefully, “A settlement....or a verdict doesn’t take away the fact that the person who was the victim still has to deal with that pain. If that person was hurt, in any way....mentally, emotionally or physically it has to be dealt with.”
Stasia sighed, pushed her hair back with both hands and slowly looked up to meet his eyes, “Point taken.”
“Lyn...and you, have people around you that love you more than life itself. We will all get through this together.”
She held out her hand, “We get through everything together....” She looked around the room at her friends and loved ones, “...we always will.”
(11:45am)
Stasia looked over at Lyn, “This should be a fun day.”
“Sarcasm noted.” Lyn let her head flop back against the seat, “We can have them turn this car around. Are you one hundred percent positive you want to do this?”
“Are you?” Stasia’s head rolled against the seat to face Lyn.
“We need to do this. I’m just glad you’re going first.” Lyn looked into Stasia’s eyes.
“Thank you for coming with me. I haven’t been able to make myself come here alone.”
“What does Lance think about this? I mean about me coming with you, rather than him.”
“He just wants me to do whatever I need to to get past all of this crap.”
“Do you think this will help you find some closure?”
“God I hope so. I’m not sure I can live the rest of my life with all of these questions.”
“I hope you get the answers you’re looking for.” Lyn held out her hand, and Stasia took it.
“I couldn’t do this without you.”
Lyn laughed, “Yes you could.”
“Yeah, well...I don’t want to.”
“You don’t have to.”
Ron turned to look at them over his shoulder, “We’re here.” When Stasia nodded the huge man reached back his hand and squeezed Stasia’s knee, “Don and I are right here, we are going to be with you every step of the way. Lyn is here.”
Stasia sighed heavily. “The weather seems to be reflecting our mood.” She looked out the window at the gray skies and slow drizzle of rain. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut, “Let’s go.”
Ron and Don got out of the car, opening huge umbrellas they helped both of the women out of the backseat. They silently walked into the building. Ron walked to the counter and got instructions from the woman sitting there. He handed each of them a pass to attach to their clothes and then held out his hand. Stasia placed her hand in his and let him lead her down a long hallway, “They’re ready for us, Feisty.”
They were directed to a small room, where they were told to wait. After several long minutes, the door buzzed and Lyn felt as if the temperature dropped dramatically but in reality it was just her blood running cold. Stasia reached for Lyn’s hand and Lyn held it tightly.
John Gross was truly a frightening man. He was dressed in the standard issue, orange prison jumpsuit. His hands and feet were shackled to his waist with chains that were jingling as he walked into the room. The thing that Lyn found most frightening was that his eyes were the same color as Stasia’s, but there was something different. While Stasia’s eyes were full of light and life, his were empty and cold.
He sat down across from them and looked Stasia over from head to toe, “You don’t don’t go anywhere alone do you?”
“I wouldn’t come here alone.” Stasia answered coolly.
“Afraid of your own daddy?” He leaned back and crossed his arms the best he could.
“Afraid that I couldn’t control myself.” Lyn looked over at her friend and saw how black her eyes had become.
“Big threat from a little girl.”
“Just the truth.”
“So why are we having this little chat?” He smirked.
“I thought it might be nice for you to sit and look at me for a little while. The way I see it, in your plan, I am the one failure. I’m the one that got away. How does that make you feel?” Stasia leaned forward, “How does it feel to have Elizabeth’s daughter get you convicted? How does it feel to have Noah’s sister crack you over the head with a table? How does it feel to have your daughter make sure you rot in this prison for the rest of your life?”
He laughed, “Sounds like you have a little bit of your father in you.”
Stasia shrugged, “I have your genes, there is nothing I can do about that, but I will live every day of the rest of my life knowing that you are rotting here for what you have done.”
“You don’t even really know WHAT I did.” Lyn felt a chill run down her spine, she suddenly knew that this man was going to try to finish what he had started. He hadn’t killed her, so he was going to try to destroy her. “Don’t you want daddy dearest to tell you why and HOW? Don’t you want to hear about how I used to backhand your bitch of a mother when her mouth used to run like yours is running right now? Don’t you want to know how I used to tie your brat of a brother to the bed for days when he’d try to stop me from disciplining your mother?” He leaned forward resting his elbow on his knees. “Do you want to hear how thrilled I was when I found your brother and that whore he married? I bet you’d love to hear how I drove down the street, without headlights on and slammed into their car, making sure they hit that tree? Do you want to hear how they suffered? Do you want to know that he recognized me before he died in that car? Your mother thought that she could leave. She thought she could tell the police I abused her. She thought she could get away. She was wrong.”
Lyn watched as Stasia slowly nodded her head, “You forgot something.” Lyn noticed the tone of her voice and knew that she was going to be just fine.
“Oh? What is that?”
“Every day I live, there is less of you in me. My mother is alive in me, Noah is alive in me, Nicole is alive in me. Every day I live, they grow stronger in me.” She stood up still holding Lyn’s hand in her own, “Every day I live, I grow stronger and every day I live, you have failed. I have bad news for you, I plan on living a long, healthy life. At the very least, I’ll out live you and you are going to have to die with the knowledge that, through me, they won.”
She smiled down at John as she and Lyn walked toward the door, “Thank you. You’ve helped me realize that I never really lost them.” The guard opened the door and they left him sitting there, alone in a room with nothing but four empty chairs.
Lyn realized that it didn’t matter what John Gross had to say, because Stasia had said what she wanted, she had spoken for her mother, her brother, Nicole. She had found a new voice within herself.
When the door slammed closed behind them, Lyn pulled Stasia into her arm, “I am SO proud of you!”
“Where in the hell did that come from?” Stasia looked at her friend in disbelief.
“I’m just so proud...I wanted to ...”
“No. Not the hug. MY attitude.”
“I’ve missed the little devil.” He kissed the top of her head as he helped her into the car.
Stasia looked Lyn in the eyes, “Ready for Reagan?”
“After two hours on a plane, I’ll be ready to see him.”
(6:30pm)
Lyn sat behind a long metal table, with Don standing right behind her. Reagan was brought in and sat down across from her, “What are you doing here?”
“I just thought it would be good for you and I to actually talk about all of this.”
“All of WHAT Lyn? Are you here to gloat?”
“No. I don’t really feel like I have any reason to gloat.”
“I would think seeing me in jail would make you pretty happy.”
Lyn leaned back in her chair, “Oh yeah, I LOVE it when my ex boyfriends are charged with having sex with a minor.” She rolled her eyes, “Reagan, what happened to you? You represented her, you know she was underage.”
He ran a hand over his unshaved face, “I don’t know. My life started spinning out of control a long time ago. I don’t even know who I am anymore.” He looked down at his hands, “He thought he was helping me.”
“What?” She scanned his face with confused eyes.
“My dad...Alvin...he thought he was helping me.”
“HOW?”
“He thought if I saw you suffer, it would make me happy.” He shook his head, “In the beginning it did. I thought you’d get fired but I swear to you, I didn’t know how bad it had gotten. I didn’t know about Johnny. He just knew that you broke my heart, he was trying to help.”
“I broke YOUR heart? You cheated on me. You used me. You never cared about me.”
“That’s not true. I wasn’t using you. I cared. I loved you. But there was always a part of me that knew. No matter what I said or did, I could never be him. I could never be the one you loved.”
Lyn was quiet for a moment, “I suppose you were right. I didn’t know it.”
He looked around the room, “You did this didn’t you? You set me up.”
“I knew about Amanda, but no, I didn’t turn you in. Amanda went to the police on her own...well, with some input from Jess and Stasia. She felt some sense of responsibility to Stasia, she saw this as a way she could make up for helping John Gross.”
“You know, I believe her. I don’t think she knew what he was going to do. I think he used her, the way he seems to have used everyone he ever came in contact with. She’s a good kid...or at least she was. There’s hope for her if she gets help.” He covered his face with both hands, “Jesus, she’s a kid.”
“I know. We’ll make sure she gets the help she needs.” She leaned forward resting her elbows on the table, “I hope you get the help you need.”
He smirked, “Lyn, I don’t think I have a choice. I have a feeling it’ll be Court Ordered.”
“Use it.”
“You want me to do it for you?”
“No. Don’t do it for me...or anyone other than yourself. Does Powers know he’s probably going to be investigated further...I mean criminally?”
“Yeah. He’s going to resign. I guess it’s safe for you to go back to the school now. Have you decided what you’re going to do?”
She slowly nodded as she stood up to leave, “Yeah.” She turned and walked out of the room.
Stasia was pacing up and down the hall, “How are you? How did it go? I can’t believe they’d only let two of us in there. Don, had to go, what if he would have tried something? Lord! Ok, so how did it go? Are you ok? You’re not talking?”
Lyn laughed, “I was just waiting for you to take a breath.”
“Sorry. I’m a little wound up.”
“I hadn’t noticed.” Lyn smiled as she pushed her curls back, “I’m glad I did this. I’m not as angry. Actually, I feel sorry for him. I don’t think he really knows how he got to this point. I feel bad for him, he knew when he was with me that I was going to be with JC, he knew he couldn’t compete with that. He was right, there has never been anyone else, not really.”
Stasia hugged her, “GOD! I’m proud of you! We are pretty freaking incredible! This has been one heck of a day.”
(9:30pm)
“Where are they?” Justin cracked his knuckles, “They left at like 6:00 this morning. If you figure and hour to the airport. Two hours AT the airport. Two hours in the air. And hour to the prison. An hour to talk to bastard number one. An hour to the airport, two hours at the airport, two hours in the air. Half an hour to county lock up. And hour to talk to bastard number two. It’s an hour and a half here, so they should be here. They should have gotten here half an hour ago. What if one of the freaks tried something...”
Justin stopped talking when Chris’s hand connected with the back of his head, “Shut up. If anything had happened, we would have heard about it by now.”
Lance looked and JC, “Why are they all here?”
“They are being supportive.” JC rolled his eyes.
“Oh yeah, that’s right.” Lance sighed, “I wish they would call.”
“Do you think we should have gone with them?”
“We weren’t invited.”
“That’s never stopped us before.”
“JC, they needed to do this themselves.”
I don’t see what talking to Reagan is going to do for her. I mean, think about it, the guy is a freak.”
“At least he didn’t try to kill her.” He looked a his hands, “I can’t believe she is going to be in a room with him. I swear to God, if he hurt her...or made anything worse...”
“She wouldn’t have done this if she thought it was possible for him to make things worse. Neither of them would have done this if they didn’t think they needed to.”
Justin and Chris were still arguing about what was acceptable conversation, and what should be thought and not said, “I’m just saying what everyone else is thinking.”
Chris rolled his eyes, “That DOESN’T mean you should open your huge mouth. I can’t believe you are so dense some days.”
“Shut up!” Justin punched his arm.
“I wish YOU WOULD.” Chris punched his shoulder.
Joey walked into the room with a six pack, “Sounds like we could all use a beer.”
He held down a bottle for JC, “Thanks.”
Lance smirked, “Who gets the spare?”
“I figure you and JC can arm wrestle for it or something.” Joey smacked his friend on the back.
Justin leaned forward, “So explain again why this ISN’T a bad idea. I mean, wouldn’t it be better to just walk away and never see them again? Seriously...DAMN IT CHRIS! STOP HITTING MY HEAD!”
Lance looked at JC and then at Justin, “If they had felt like they could walk away, never see them and go on with their lives, it would have been better, but neither one of them felt like it was really over. Stasia felt like she had to face the devil head on.”
JC nodded, “We have all noticed that she wasn’t back to one hundred percent, there was still that little piece of herself that she lost when she actually found out who that guy was, and what he had done. Stasia is fighting to get that piece back.”
Chris took a long sip of his beer, “What about Lyn? What was she looking for?” He caught Justin’s wrist right before his hand connected with his head.
JC pinched the bridge of his nose, “The whole thing had built and built and built for months, and it was over in an instant. She didn’t get to hear what Powers was going to say. She really felt like she hadn’t won because there was no big moment where the jury stood up and said she was right.”
“So why not talk to Powers? Why Reagan?” Justin asked cautiously.
“Because she feels that he started all of this. She wants to hear it from HIS mouth, she wanted to hear him admit it.”
“I don’t understand why women can’t just let go of stuff.” Justin finished his beer.
“This is your average, ‘you pissed me off and I’m going to punish you for a week’ girl thing.” Chris pointed out. “They have each had to deal with a lot of stuff, and this is how they think they can get past it.”
“I don’t get chicks.” Justin rolled his eyes.
“Oh WE KNOW!” Chris smacked the back of Justin's head.
“Are they picking on you B.B.?” Lyn smiled from the door.
“YES!” Justin pouted.
“Stop picking on him.” Lyn smirked, “You know how he gets.”
Pulling her down onto his lap, he cupped her cheek, “Hi there. You are a sight for sore eyes.”
She smiled, “It’s very nice to be home.”
“You weren’t even gone a full day.”
“It felt like a lifetime.”
“Did you get the answers you wanted?”
“I got answers....I’m not sure if they were the ones I wanted. I have to think about it.”
He kissed her temple, “Rome wasn’t built in a day...it will take time.”
She craned her neck to look at him, “Rome? OK GrandDa, I’ll remember that.”
“Listen Missy, none of that sass talk from you.”
She smiled and kissed him, “Thank you. Thank you for knowing I needed this.”
He pushed her hair back gently, “You’re just amazing.”
She grinned, “You think I’m amazing, you should have seen Stasia.”
Stasia leaned over, “Did I hear my name?”
“Yes you did. I was just about to tell JC how amazing you were.” Lyn took Lance’s hand, “You would have been so proud.”
Lance squeezed her hand, “I don’t doubt that I would have been proud of both of you.”
Lyn scanned the room slowly, Justin, Chris and Joey were all trying hard not to intrude but it was obvious that they had questions that they wanted to ask. She took a deep breath, “I’m glad everyone is here because I need to have a moment.”
JC’s arms wrapped tightly around her waist, “What kind of moment?”
“I haven’t thanked any of you for all of the support. There is no way that I could have gotten through any of this without you. There are no words to describe how I feel about all of you. I know each of you have been dealing with your own issues this year, but you never let me down. No matter what I needed, you all made sure I got it.”
Chris leaned back in his chair, “That’s what a family does.”
Lyn narrowed her eyes at him, “Yeah well, this family is the best in the world. Thank you.”
Joey glanced around the room, “Fine. If you all are going to be wimps, I’ll ask.”
Lyn laughed, “Ask what Joe?”
“Are you going back to Hazelwood?”
Lyn could feel all of the eyes burning into her, she swallowed and then sighed, “I have never given any decision in my life more thought, I have to do what’s best for me. I decided I wanted to teach when I was six years old. I never even considered anything else.”
Chris leaned forward, “We should have a party.”
“Chris, you didn’t let me finish.”
“You don’t need to finish, we all know teaching is part of you. You are a great teacher, and we would never ask you to take that away from your students.”
Lance’s eyebrows shot up, “SPEAK FOR YOURSELF! Lyn has been amazing for our company. She has been the ‘missing link’ for us. We didn’t even know that we needed help, but she has made life easy for us. Millie and I love having her around and are going to miss her. I mean, we’d never ask you to stay if that’s not what you want. We know how much you love teaching, but the thought of leaving for our honeymoon, without you in the office to hold things together is frightening.”
Stasia nodded, “Would you consider working for us on your breaks. We could plan our honeymoon for when you’re off of school....”
Justin held up his hand, “GUYS! SHUT UP! What L.S. is TRYING to tell you is, she’s staying. Isn’t that right L.S.?”
Lyn opened her mouth to speak, but Joey interrupted, “Jesus J! Just because you want her to stay, doesn’t mean that you should speak for her! I swear, if your momma heard you she’d smack your mouth! Your manners are going to hell lately!”
“Screw you Joe! My momma and my manners are none of your damn business!”
“Dude! I know when you took your last crap! You manners are my business! Who do you think you’re talking to?” Joey was turning red.
JC rolled his eyes, “If you would BOTH shut the hell up, Lyn could finish telling us about her decision. She hasn’t had the chance, because every one of you has made a decision for her. Go ahead Sweetpea. You were saying?”
Lyn took a deep breath, “As I was saying, I decided to teach when I was six years old. I’m not six anymore. I’ve traveled. I’ve been through this whole mess with Powers and Reagan. I’ve fallen in love with my best friend. What I thought was my passion, seems to have turned into my safety net. I don’t want to play it safe anymore. I want to live and do the things I want to do. I want to be with my friends while we’re still young. I want to work for people I know love me and will support me no matter what decisions I might make. I want to be with the man I love and I don’t want to miss more than I already have. When it comes down to it, I want to strike out of what’s expected of me, and find out what I’m all about, when I’m free. I WANT to stay at Free Lance, if the offer still stands.”
Stasia’s eyes lit up, “You’re staying?”
“If you’ll have me.”
“Oh THANK GOD!: Stasia lunged at her friend, “I was so worried! Did we pressure you? We didn’t mean to pressure you! I hope you didn’t feel like you had to? We want you to stay because we love you and we want you to be happy. I’m so excited! We are going to.....” She stopped when Lance’s hand closed over her mouth.
“You’ll have to excuse my Millie, she’s had a rather exciting day and when she gets over excited, she tends to babble.” They all laughed as Stasia nodded her head in agreement.
“So I’m going to officially resign my position, and this time, I will be allowed to TALK to my class and explain. Bethany said she’ll set it up with their new teacher. I didn’t want to leave them confused.”
Lance smiled, “We honestly couldn’t be happier.”
The invitation to stay at the house in Mississippi with Lance and Stasia was a welcome one. The four of them would have a birthday dinner for Stasia before JC and Lyn went home to Orlando for Christmas with the McLachlans and then onto Maryland the day after for a late Christmas with the JC’s family.
The moon was full and the sky was and inky black, dotted with millions of bright stars and as JC sat on the deck overlooking the lake, he was feeling strange. He had been laying in bed with Lyn and could not seem to settle into sleep. He had flopped around for at least an hour before getting out of the bed so he wouldn’t wake Lyn.
He couldn’t quite figure out what his problem was. But laying there, watching Lyn sleep, he couldn’t seem to control his emotions. His heart seemed to be swelling, and he felt as if he was going to cry. He didn’t feel sad, and he wasn’t frightened so why he would be on the verge of tears was completely beyond him.
He smiled as he caught sight of Lance jogging up the lawn from the pool. They all knew how much Lance loved to swim late at night, he actually preferred swimming when it was quiet and he could be alone. Taking the stairs two at a time, he was roughing a towel over his head when he stopped in front of JC, “What are you still doing up?”
“I went to bed with Lyn, but couldn’t sleep, so here I am.” He held up a cup of tea, “Trying to make myself sleepy.”
“What’s keeping you up?” Lance flopped down in a chair.
“I was watching her sleep and I was suddenly....sort of....I don’t know, overwhelmed.”
Lance smirked, “By what?”
“I have no clue. I guess I just don’t want her to be away from me...ever.”
Lance shot JC a very knowing smile, “I know how that feels. So why are we sitting out here talking to each other while there are two amazingly beautiful women upstairs sleeping....without us.”
“Good point.” JC stood up. They walked up the stairs and to their bedroom doors. JC opened the door to his room and smiled, “Hey Lance.” He whispered down the hall.
Lance’s head popped back out into the hall, Yeah?”
“Come here.”
Lance walked over, “What?”
Lyn was laying on her back in the bed, moonlight making her hair a shimmering mass of mahogany curls. The blankets had worked their way down around her waist, and she was dressed in a tank. JC smiled softly, “Have you ever seen anything so sexy?”
Lance chuckled, “That is really sexy, I mean, TRUST ME, the sexiness of your girlfriend is not lost on me, but the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen? Follow me.”
They walked into Lance and Stasia’s room, where Stasia was laying on her side with her hand resting softly on her pillow next to her cheek. She was wearing a white button down shirt, and from the looks of the shapely leg exposed at the edge of the covers, not much else. Lance walked over to the bed and silently pointed to the cuff of the shirt where ‘JLB’ was monogrammed. He whispered, “My shirt...that hair...that amazing leg, and none of that is the sexiest part.” He gently pulled back the cuff and pointed to her engagement ring, “The sexiest part is the fact that this amazing woman is willing to spend the rest of her life with me. How sexy is THAT?”
They both jumped when Stasia’s groggy voice interrupted them, “Now that we have established the fact that I am basically a goddess, can Harry come to bed?”
“I’m on my way.” Lance leaned down and kissed her, “I’m going to hop in the shower.”
“Hurry.”
JC walked into his room and looked down at Lyn. A warm, knowing feeling washed over his entire body, it suddenly hit him why he wasn’t able to sleep when she was near by, why he was feeling so emotional. He crouched next to the bed, “Sweetpea.” He rubbed her shoulder.
“Mgrmhp.” She rolled over onto her side, causing her hair to tumble across her face.
“Sweetpea.” He kissed her shoulder.
“Huh?” She scrunched her face.
“Are you awake?” He pushed her hair back away from her face.
“I don’t know.” Lyn mumbled.
He laughed softly and caresses her cheek, “Maybe you should sit up.”
She slowly forced herself into a sitting position, “What’s wrong? Are you sick?” He honestly thought his heart was about to burst. He had just woken her from a dead sleep, and her first thought was that he wasn’t well.
“No. I’m fine. I need to talk to you. This is important. Are you sure you’re awake?”
“No. I think I am, but I don’t know. I’m confused.” She yawned, and rubbed at her eyes.
He sat down on the edge of the bed and took both of her hands, “What’s the date?”
“December 21st or 22nd, depends on what time it is.” She rubbed her eyes.
“Fair enough.”
“What time is it?”
“It’s 12:30.”
“So it’s the 22nd.” She shook her head a little, Why are we up? This is important? What’s going on?”
“I know we have only been together....you know, as a couple....for like six months or something.” He licked his lips and swallowed.
“Uh huh.” She furrowed her brow and began twisting her ring.
“But the thing is, we’ve known each other forever. I know you better than anyone else in the world, and you know me so well it’s scary and as long as I’ve known you, I’ve loved you.”
She nodded, her curls spilling over her shoulders, “I love you too.” She reached up and cupped his cheek with her hand.
He turned to kiss her palm, “I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
“Good.” Her eyebrows drew together, “I’m not going anywhere.”
“I know we talked about you moving in with me....or us moving in together....or buying a house or whatever, but it just doesn’t feel right.”
“It doesn’t?” She pushed her hair back with both hands and squinted a little, as if trying to understand what was happening, “OK. OK. What do you need?”
“I need to make it official. I want you for the rest of my life. I want to marry you.”
She shook her head slightly, “What?” Her voice was shaky and unsure.
“Allyn, I love you. I love that you can’t control your hair when you want to. I love that you squint when you’re thinking really hard. I love that you twist your ring when you’re nervous. I love that you have a ‘C’ tattooed on your back. I love that you are following your heart and trying something new with your life. I love that you have the biggest heart in the world. I love that you are brave. I love the way you are smarter than anyone I have ever met...too smart for your own good sometimes. I love that you didn’t give up on me, that you didn’t give up on us. I love that you know me better than I know myself and you love me in spite of that fact. I want you to be my wife.” He slipped off of the bed and onto his knee, “Will you marry me?”
She looked into his eyes, looking for some sense that he was not serious, but there was no indication that this was a joke, “Oh my God.” Her hand covered her mouth, “JC? You’re serious.”
He smirked, “Yeah, I know. Will you? Will you marry me?”
A soft smile crept across her face, “Yes.” She nodded and rolled up onto her knees and held out her hands. JC stood up and crushed her to his chest. She kissed him and buried her fingers in his hair, “JC, can we do it now? Like next month. I don’t want to wait forever to be your wife.”
He leaned back a little, “You don’t want a huge production? With five hundred people and an orchestra?”
“Screw the orchestra! I just want you. I want to be married to you, not to have a wedding. We could grab Lance and Stasia and go find a Judge to do it tonight.”
He laughed and pulled her against his chest, “Now Sweetpea, I don’t have a problem doing it soon. But I don’t even have a ring. I’m sorry. God, I asked without a ring! I’m so sorry! I didn’t even think about it, I just had to ask you, now.”
She shrugged, “Ehh, I like it better this way. You followed your heart, to me. Who needs a ring?”
“You do.” He grabbed her hand. He dragged through the door and out into the hall, “LANCE! STASIA! GET UP!”
Instantly there was banging and mumbling coming from Lance and Stasia’s room. They both stumbled out into the hall, “What’s wrong? What’s going on?”
“I need you to wake up half the town for me.” JC smiled.
“Why? What’s going on?” Lance looked from JC to Lyn, “Are you OK?”
“I need a ring. Preferably a diamond.”
Stasia’s jaw dropped and she let out a high pitched squeal, “WHAT?”
“Like a jack ass, I just asked her to marry me without a ring. I didn’t exactly plan this whole thing. I happen to know you went to school with that kid who’s dad owns that jewelry store downtown. I need you to be the bad guy and wake him up.” JC laced his fingers with Lyn’s.
Lance ran a hand through his hair, “Yeah, I can do that.”
Three hours later JC came charging back through the front door with a black velvet box, still clutched in his hand. “LYN! LYN! Where are you Sweetpea?”
He ran up the stairs and stopped short at their bedroom door. In three hours time, the room had been transformed into something out of a romance novel.
There were candles everywhere, apparently Stasia had pulled apart every Christmas decoration in the house to retrieve the candles. The bed had been remade, and then turned down. The room smelled faintly of lavender. When Lyn emerged from the bathroom, JC’s knees nearly buckled.
She had changed into a long, pale blue, silk night gown. It was slit up the left leg to her upper thigh, and as she began walking toward him, he realized that the back was cut dangerously low, exposing all of her smooth skin to his hungry eyes. Her hair was loosely pinned up with a few curls free, just grazing her shoulders. She slowly walked across the room until she was standing toe to toe with him, “Lance and Stasia left.”
He swallowed hard, “They did?”
She nodded slowly, “Lance said something about not letting you make the same mistake he did. He said we have to be alone today, they’ll see us tomorrow at dinner.”
“Where did they go?” He reached up and lightly touched her cheek.
“I don’t know.” She turned her face and kissed his fingers.
His eyes slammed shut and he fought to control himself, “I honestly don’t care.”
“Me neither.” She leaned up on her toes and as soon as her lips grazed his, her world blew apart. Her head began to cloud and her knees grew weak. She had never been more sure that the only place she truly belonged was in JC’s arms.
He picked her up and carried her over to the bed, his lips devouring every exposed inch of skin. He laid her down on her back and leaned over her for a long second, “Thank you.”
She smiled evilly up at him, “I haven’t done anything....yet.”
He threw back his head, and laughed his perfect laugh, “Thank you for loving me.”
She smiled tenderly, “Snapdragon, loving you is the easy part.” JC’s fingers lightly traveled along her arm, followed by his lips. He kissed her shoulder lovingly before moving to her neck. She rolled her head against the soft down comforter, fisting her hands in the fabric as his hot lips traveled along her jaw. Raking her fingernails down his back, she caught the hem of his shirt and pulled up. As soon as his chest was exposed, her lips began exploring. She softly ran her fingertips over his tight stomach, and was amazed when he sucked in his breath and closed his eyes. She was feeling bolder and more courageous when she found the waistband of his jeans. He moaned, his head dipped and he kissed her deeply. She clutched at his back, pulling him down against her chest. His hands lid up her sides, sending chills up and down her spine. She wrapped her leg around his and they lost themselves in the feelings swirling around them.
Hours later, JC was breathing hard when he rolled over to look at the clock on the bedside table he laughed, “We’ve been in bed all day.”
He pulled Lyn against his side and looked concerned when she yelped in pain, “What the heck?” She reached under her side and smiled brightly when she found the offending object, “I forgot about this.” She pulled the small black velvet box out from underneath her ribs.
JC smiled brightly, “Hand that over!”
“I thought you got it for me!”
“I did. But I want to give it to you the right way.” He slid out from under the sheets and onto his knee. Sitting up, Lyn clutched the sheet to her chest, “Allyn McLachlan, will you please marry me?”
As he turned the box to face her, her jaw fell open and she let out a small squeak before nodding and whispering, “Yes.”
He slipped the ring out of the box, and onto her finger, where they both stared at it for a few long seconds. He looked up into her eyes when she began to giggle, “What?”
She smiled brightly, This is SO MUCH better than how I had imagined it.”
“How did you imagine it?” He climbed back into the bed and adjusted his position so he was looking down into her eyes.
“Well first, I thought it would be five years down the road.”
“Why so long?”
“I don’t know. We just seem so busy.” She shrugged.
“What else was different?”
“I thought there would be more clothes.” They both burst out laughing.
He kissed the top of her head and laced his fingers with hers, “I happen to like the way this all happened.”
“So you always thought you would propose in the middle of the night, in the spur of the moment? Or did you always think you would be completely naked, on one knee, with the biggest ring in the state of Mississippi?”
“OK, so maybe I didn’t put enough thought into it.” He smirked.
“I think you did exactly the right thing.” She kissed his neck, and then his collarbone, “This is perfect.”
Lance put his hand on Stasia’s knee, “Millie Darlin’, you are going to bounce right out of that chair if you don’t calm down.” He took a sip of his drink.
“Harry, I have contained my excitement for a day and a half. One of my best friends just got engaged, and I haven’t gotten to talk to her about it. If they don’t get here soon, I am going to actually burst into flames.” She took another sip of her martini.
“Flames?”
“Yes. Flames. I will burst into flames, and then you will be sorry that you didn’t join me in my excitement.” She smirked, “I’m trying to calm down. I swear to you, I’m trying.”
He laughed, “I know Darlin’. So what would happen if I asked you if you’d thought about a date for our wedding? Would that throw you right over the edge?”
“I hate to break it to you, but I’m not one of those brides. You are going to have to have all sorts of input. This is your wedding too.”
“You mean I’m allowed to have an opinion?”
“Harry honey, there is not one opinion that matters more than yours.”
“OK. What months sound good?”
“We’ll have enough time in....” She reached into her purse and pulled out her Palm Pilot, “....May, August, October and November.”
“My votes are October and November.” He reached for her hand.
“Mine too.” She made an entry into her Palm Pilot to select a date in October or November. “What about location? I suppose we have a ton of options. Here....I mean, Mississippi, Michigan, Orlando, New York or even Washington.”
“Michigan or Mississippi.”
Stasia leaned back in her chair and looked at him thoughtfully for a few moments, “Let’s do it here. This is our home together. This is where I want to grow old with you. Your house....” She blushed when he pointed a stern finger at her, “....sorry, our house is where everything seems to have come together for us.”
He looked down at her hand, where it was still held tightly in his, “Let’s do it at the house. We already know it’s perfect for weddings, and we know what to do and what not to do. Why not do it at our home?”
“Are you sure you want to go through all of that insanity again? This time you may be somewhat nervous.” She winked at him.
“Darlin’, the one thing in my life that doesn’t make me nervous is the thought of marrying you.”
She purred, “You get points for that comment!” They leaned in and quickly kissed one another.
JC cleared his throat, “Hi guys.”
Lance and Stasia both jumped to their feet. Stasia hugged Lyn tightly, “Congratulations!”
Lyn hugged her and laughed, “Thanks.”
Lance hugged JC, “And here I thought we were just having a debate about whose woman was sexier.” They shook hands and smacked one another on the back several times.
Stasia took Lyn’s hand and inspected the ring, “Lyn, it’s beautiful! JC! It’s the perfect ring for Lyn, a classic, round cut solitaire set in platinum. This is EXACTLY te ring I would have told you to pick out!”
JC grinned, “Thanks. The minute I saw that one, I knew it was right.”
JC and Lance talked quietly for several minutes while Stasia and Lyn compared rings. JC smirked, “Would you look how happy they are?”
“I know it.”
“Funny thing is, I don’t think either one of them needed a ring.”
“You’re right. We have found two women crazy enough to want to spend the rest of their lives with us.”
JC laughed, “We should get their heads examined.”
Stasia leaned back in her chair and smiled brightly, “So, when is your big day? Is there a month or location you would like to do it?”
JC held out his hand and Lyn laced her fingers with his, “Well we wanted to talk to you guys about that.”
Lance laughed, “Want to do it at our house?”
JC raised an eyebrow, “Nope. We have three questions for you really.”
Stasia smiled and rubbed her hands together, “I bet we have three answers.”
“What are you guys doing the second weekend in January? More specifically on the 12th?” Lyn raised an eyebrow.
Stasia quickly called up the date on her Palm Pilot, “We...have a rare open weekend. Why do you want to go shopping for wedding dresses?”
“No. I want to get married.” Lyn smiled into JC’s eyes.
Lance set his drink down quickly, “You mean three weeks? You’re going to get married in three weeks?”
“Yep. We want to do it soon, and if we wait any longer than that, Dev won’t be allowed to fly. That’s the last possible weekend. Otherwise we’d have to wait until June, and then She would have to travel with a new baby. And why wait? We know you guys will have the big huge wedding, because Mr. Hollywood here can’t offend anyone.”
Lance shot him a dirty look, “We could elope.”
“No you can’t. Your momma would kill both of you.”
Stasia smirked, “He’s right, Momma would kill us.”
Lyn laughed, “OK! So moving on! The date is set. I also wanted to ask you to be my Maid of Honor Stasia.”
JC smiled, “You two have been amazing. The support and the help. Lance, I can’t even count how many conversations we have had about relationships.” He had to laugh when both women looked shocked, “Guys talk too.”
“We know you talk, we just didn’t know you talked about anything important.”Stasia teased.
“Anyway, you’ve always been one of my best friends, but in the last year, you have pulled me through so much. You forgave me when I was a total bastard to Stasia and didn’t deserve to be forgiven. You didn’t kill me, which you had every right to do. You were the only person who came to see me after the whole Brenna disaster, I split your head open, and you forgave me again.”
Lance was flushed, “We’re friends.”
“You go so far above and beyond friendship. You told me over and over that we just needed ‘our own Harry and Millie.’ I though you were talking about old people to show us what we would be in fifty years, what you didn’t mention was that we had our own Millie and Harry, we had you two. I would honestly feel wrong about it if you weren’t standing beside me.”
“Just give me a time and place.”
Lyn smirked, “Funny you should mention that. We need you in Tipperary in the 10th, if it’s possible.”
“I’ll be there if I have to swim.” Lance said with complete sincerity.
Lyn turned to Stasia and pointed at her friend, “And you. I would not have lived through the last year and a half without you in my life. You held my hand through every bump and bruise. You fought for me when I wanted to give up. I would never have made it through that trial without you by my side. You let me cry on your shoulder, you rejoiced with me in every victory and happy moment. You give new meaning to the name ‘best friend’.”
Stasia had huge tears rolling down her cheeks she slowly shook her head and whispered, “Thank you.”
Wednesday, January 9, 2002
Stasia had come through, again. The press had no idea that Lance and Stasia were engaged. They had no clue that JC and Lyn were engaged, let alone getting married in three days in Ireland. As far as the world knew, NSYNC was taking the month of January off to rest, spend time with their families and get ready for the next leg of the tour.
She had book everyone onto different flights, going in different directions so that no one would be tipped off as to what was going on. She was stationed at the airport in Dublin, collecting their friends and family on to the next destination. She had worked hard to make sure Lyn’s only job while in Ireland was to relax and get married.
She was scanning through flight numbers in her Palm Pilot when someone grabbed her around the waist, “Hey there beautiful!”
“Joe! HI! You’re early! You shouldn’t be here until 6:45.”
“A storm was rolling into Jamaica, so Ang and I jumped on an earlier flight to London, and then bounced over here.”
“Thank God you’re smart! I don’t know what I would have done if you were stuck there!”
“Trust me, being stuck there would not have been bad.”
“Lyn would have been very upset.”
“Can’t have an upset bride.” He hugged her again, “So how are you able to spend an entire day in an airport, without the press noticing?”
“First of all, we are in a tiny airport on purpose. Everyone is flying in under false names...the airlines have the right ones, but the passenger logs, if a reporter is looking for us, all have the wrong names. Secondly, I’m in disguise.” She pointed to her hat.
“I spotted you from across the terminal.” She stuck her tongue out and he kissed the top of her head, “Well, since we got in early, can we help?”
“Sure. Things are actually about to get a little hectic. Flights are going to start coming in quicker. Justin will be in at gate 7 in ten minutes. His driver will have a sign that says, ‘Woodpond’. Chris and Dani will be in at gate 4 in twenty minutes, he needs to find the driver with the, ‘Mikejohnny’.”
Joey raised an eyebrow, “I get Woodpond, but Mikejohnny?”
Stasia, “Oh, it’s EASY!”
Angela giggled, “I get it.”
“Care to explain it to me?”
Angela rolled her eyes, “Kirk Cameron played Mike Seaver on Growning Pains. Patrick Swayze played Johnny Castle in Dirty Dancing. Stasia’s right it is easy.”
“Yeah, for a couple of chicks.”
By 11:30, Stasia was exhausted and on her way to the hotel. Flipping her phone open she dialed Lyn’s number, “Lyn McLachlan.”
“Hey. Everyone has arrived safely, and I’m on my way back to the hotel. How are you holding up?”
“I’m fine. JC and I had dinner together. My sisters and I are all locked in my room being girly and giggly.”
“Well enjoy yourselves.” Stasia smiled when she heard Brenna shout something in the background, “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“You can stop by here if you’d like.”
“Thanks but, I have a date.”
Lyn laughed, “Say hi to Lance for me.”
“No problem. Have fun.”
The day was bright and crisp. Lyn and her GrandDa were sitting in his study talking quietly. Lyn was next to GrandDa on the couch, her head on his shoulder and her hand in his, “GrandDa, I wouldn’t be getting married in tomorrow if it weren’t for you.”
“Yes you would.” He turned to kiss her forehead, “Love always finds a way.”
“Does it?” She smirked.
“Of course it does.” He squeezed her hand.
“I wasn’t so sure for a while. There were a few moments I thought we wouldn’t make it.”
“But he was. That is what being in love is all about, when you can’t stand on your own, the person you love will hold you up. You are very lucky to have found this love so young.”
“I know I am.” She smiled as JC walked into the room with Lis on his back.
JC swung Lis around into his arms and sat next to Lyn on the couch, with the little girl on his lap, “Good morning!” He kissed her cheek.
“Hi.” Lyn looked into his eyes and smiled. She was fully aware of how special the man sitting next to her was. She loved the way he interacted with her family, with his friends, and more importantly with her.
“So have you changed your mind yet? You’ve got to back out before tomorrow, otherwise, you’re stuck with me.” He winked at her.
She shrugged, “Well, we came all the way here and I have a pretty dress, so I guess we’ll go ahead with the whole thing.”
GrandDa patted her knee, “You two are too much.” He held out his hand to Lis, “Well little lady, would you like some ice cream with your old GrandDa?”
“Yes please.” Lis slipped off of JC’s lap, “How old are you GrandDa?”
“I’m 74 years old. How old are you?”
JC put his arm around Lyn and pulled her close as they watched the pair leave the room, “Are you sure you don’t want to go with them for ice cream?”
“Positive. You’re better than ice cream any day.”
“That’s a huge compliment my love.”
The little stone chapel GrandDa had found was five hundred years old. The sunlight streaming through the stained glass windows warmed the space and gave it a welcoming glow. The double doors leading into the building each had a large wreath made out of white roses hanging from wide, black watch plaid ribbons. Each pew had a small wreath of the same flowers, tied with black watch bows. The small alter was glowing with candlelight.
JC rubbed his hands together and rocked from one foot to the other. Lance put his hand on his friend’s shoulder, “How are you holding up?”
“Me? I’m fine. Great. Getting married.” He said rapidly, “You’re positive she’s here?”
“I talked to Millie. She arrived with Lyn. I’m positive she’s here.”
“Ok. Yeah, that’s good.” He rubbed his hand together.
They all turned when there was a knock on the door, Joey walked over to see who it was and chuckled as he held it open, “JC, it’s for you.” He stepped out of the way as Lisy walked in, wearing her dress, a pair of whites tights and carrying her black patten leather shoes.
JC squatted down and smiled, “What are you doing here little lady?”
“Will you help me?” She held up her shoes as Chris snapped a picture.
JC sat down and pulled her onto his lap. He buckled the mary janes and hugged her tightly, “You know what Lis?” Chris was still snapping pictures.
“What?” She pushed her curls back with the little hands.
“In an hour, you’re going to be my little sister.”
She looked at him with confused eyes, “In an hour?”
“Yep. One hour.”
“I thought I was before.” She pulled on his tie as Chris snapped away.
“Well you’re right. You have been, but now, it will be official.”
She studied his button for a long moment while thinking, “That’s good. ‘Ficial is good right?”
He hugged her and kissed her forehead, “‘Ficial is very good.”
Joey held out his hands, “I bet there are people looking for you Lis.”
She smiled, “OK. I have to go get my flowers.” She reached up and Joey scooped her up into his arms.
“I’ll be right back guys.”
Justin walked over as he pulled down on his black watch plaid vest, “Almost show time. Do you remember your vows?”
“Yeah, thing about that is, I didn’t actually write vows.”
All of his friends stared at him. Justin shook his head slightly, “What do you mean you didn’t write your vows? Dude, you guys are making up your own. Don’t you think you should have....written them?”
“I want to speak from my heart. I don’t want to repeat what the priest says and I don’t want it to be all rehearsed. Lyn deserves to hear me speak from my heart.”
Chris chuckled, “Bold move man, bold move.”
Lisy came trotting through the door as Dev pulled back on Lyn’s veil, straightening the folds of the airy fabric, “You are amazingly stunning.”
“Thank you.” Lyn straightened her necklace with slightly trembling fingers, “Dev, were you nervous at your wedding?”
“Yep. But not as nervous as I am at your wedding. At my wedding I didn’t look like a house yet.” She ran her hands over her belly.
Stasia walked over, her navy velvet gown made her eyes look almost gray blue. “I happen to think you look amazing.” she put her arm around Dev’s shoulders, “Lance said JC keeps asking if Lance is positive you’re here. I think he’s a little nervous.”
Lyn ran her hands over her soft satin gown. The neckline dropped in a graceful ‘v’, set wide on her shoulders. The back plunged into a much deeper ‘v’. There was a narrow band of simple beading along the neckline. There was a long line of covered buttons running down her back and the skirt fell in soft folds.
All of the bridesmaids were wearing simple off the shoulder, navy, velvet gowns. Lisy was wearing a navy dress with a wide black watch plaid collar, sash and underskirt. All of the groomsmen were wearing classic black tuxedos, with black watch vests.
There was a light tap on the door and Cat opened it for their father. He smiled brightly and winked at Lyn, “Ladies, you look stunning. May I have a moment with Allyn?”
They all smiled, hugged Lyn one last time, picked up their flowers and walked out into the hallway.
Lyn turned to face her father fully, “What do you think Da?”
“I think my first daughter has made me the proudest father in the world. I think I am blessed to have you as my child. I think you look like an angel. I love you Allyn.” He held out his hand.
She placed her hand in his, “You’re going to make me cry Da.”
He cupped her cheek, “No tears. This is the most joyous day of your life. When you were born I knew you were going to take this world by storm, and I was right. I am proud of the beautiful women you have become and the person you are.”
A tear rolled down her cheek, “Thank you.”
He offered his arm and squeezed her hand, “It’s time for you to get married.”
JC took his place with Lance next to him. His brother and friends fell into line next to him. As the music began to play they all smiled as Cat made her way down the aisle, followed by Dev, Bren and Stasia. Lisy walked with a spring in her step toward JC. Bren held out her hand and Lis walked over to stand between Bren and Stasia. As the music changed the doors opened and Lyn came into full view.
JC’s pulse picked up and his eyes began to tear. He suddenly found it hard to believe that the amazingly beautiful woman, with a heart bigger than any he had even known before, was actually willing to become his wife.
She made her way down the aisle, with her father beaming. He looked better than he ever had before. He was wearing his emotions on his face, she could tell that he was overwhelmed with emotions.
Her father placed her hand in his and kissed her cheek, whispering in her ear, “He is the man I would choose for you.”
He took his seat and the Father Fanning began the ceremony. He asked Lyn to state her vows and she looked directly into JC’s eyes and began slowly, “I don’t remember my life without you in it, because you have made every day so much richer. I am a better person because you are in my life. When I am weak, you are strong, when I am happy, you share in that. When I need support, you are my rock. I hope that every day of the rest of my life, I will remember how blessed I feel at this moment, because you are my heart.”
JC laced his fingers with hers and began his vows, “Sweetpea, I have loved you for so long. You make my heart sing. I cherish every day I get to spend with you and I will spend every day of my life, hoping to make you feel half as loved as you make me feel. I will stand by your side and fight every fight with you, celebrate every victory and rejoice in every happiness. You are the reason I wake up in the morning and take every breath. You are my life.
Justin walked over to JC and Lyn where they were talking quietly, “We’re about to give an amazing toast. You’ll need these.” he handed them two glasses of champagne. Walking over and taking the microphone he took a deep breath, “We’re doing this toast a little differently tonight, we are doing it together.” He held Stasia’s left hand, Lance held her right, “I would like to toast two of the best friends anyone could ever ask for. JC is my brother in so many ways. He is one the only people I can punch in the face one moment, and then fight for the next. Lyn is the sister I have never had the honor of having. She gives me the blunt, honest truth even when she knows I might not want to hear it. So please raise your glasses to two of the best people in the world.”
Stasia took the microphone from Justin, “I think the one thing you will hear over and over tonight is how much we all love JC and Lyn. They are two of the most wonderful people I have ever known. JC was one of the first people in this crazy family of ours, to really get to know me. He listens not only with his ears, but with his heart, and for that I am grateful. Lyn has been the kind of friend I have always cherished. She is the kind of person that cares more about her loved ones that she does about herself. She is selfless and loving and I am incredibly honored to call her my friend.”
Lance took over and sighed heavily, “JC has helped me through the most insane times of my life. He is truly a remarkable man. His talent and passion for music is only exceeded by his passion for Lyn. His music is better for knowing her, and his life is richer for loving her. Lyn, in her gentle way has taught me about friendship and caring for your loved ones. Her ability to love JC the way I want to see my best friend loved is truly stunning. So please, raise your glasses with us to JC and Lyn.”
Lyn ran forward and hugged all three of them at the same time. JC placed his hands on her shoulders, and shook his head slowly, “What did we do to deserve you?”
Holding his wife tightly against his chest, JC danced slowly, gazing into the eyes of the woman he would spend the rest of his life with. She smiled brightly and caressed his cheek, “Well Mr. Chasez, you’re stuck with me now.”
“Thank God you didn’t get away from me.”
“I wasn’t really trying.”
“You have never looked so stunning. In my wildest dreams I wouldn’t have dreamt a vision like you at the end of the aisle. My heart was ready to burst.”
“This day has been so overwhelming. My emotions are running high and I have never been so happy. I love you.”
“I love you too.” He kissed her.
~Epilogue~
~Main~
