Meet The Parents

JC shoved his hands in his pockets and shuffled down the hallway toward the living room. Standing in the doorway, he stared at Abby for a long moment before she noticed his presence. "Hey...is he okay now?"

He nodded slowly and continued to stare at her.

Abby frowned and cradled Chance closer. "Are you okay? What's wrong, JC?"

"Don't let this be the end of us," he whispered, moving to sit beside her on the bed. "I know we said last night that we wanted to be together and that we loved each other, but I want you to know that I really mean it this time. I meant it every time before, but this time, it's so much more...real."

She looked confused. "I don't know what you're getting at here-"

He took one of her hands in his own. "I will marry you, Abby. I don't care what you're saying now, but I need you three in my life, and I will marry you. You keep me sane, and I can't afford to go crazy in my life."

She moved to speak, but JC silenced her with a shake of his head. "Braeden is skeptical of my position in his life...and I don't want him to ever have to question that again. I will be there...no lie...I will be in your life."

"What are you saying?" she asked quietly.

"Come back out on tour with us," he whispered back. "Be with me again like we were before. I know things are different now, but I can't not be around you anymore. I promised Braeden I wasn't going to leave him again. He doesn't want any of us to leave him again...this way, I don't have to break that promise to your son."

Abby closed her eyes and ran over his words in her head. "Our son, Joshua. He may be confused right now, but to him, you are his daddy. And yes, I'll go back out on the tour with you again. I know we can work this out."

JC leaned over and gently enveloped her in his arms, careful not to squeeze too tight as she still held their baby in her arms. "I love you," he whispered against her hair.

Abby closed her eyes again and sighed. "I love you too."

He pushed her away gently and stared into her eyes. "And I will be proposing to you again soon, but I have to do one thing first."

"What's that?" she asked, handing Chance over into JC's arms.

JC kissed his son's forehead and looked back up at her again. "I'm going to get your father's blessing."

Her face fell and she looked at him incredulously. "JC, I haven't spoken to my parents since-"

"I know...since you got pregnant, but things have to change eventually. And I'm not going to marry you without your parent's consent...and without your father to walk you down the aisle. It's the least I can do for you."

"It's not going to be easy," she whispered.

"I know...but I'm up for the challenge," he replied.

"Good luck," she muttered.

~*~

Abby gripped JC's hand tighter and looked out the window as Braeden looked through the two seats where his parents were sitting. "Are you sure about this?" she asked, looking over to him.

JC smiled. "This is as much for you as it is for me. You need to be close with your parents...I can't imagine how it would be for me to not be able to talk to my mom and dad." He smiled down at her. "You can do this...I'm going to be right there with you."

She took a deep breath and kissed Braeden's forehead as she unbuckled her seatbelt. "Okay, then. Let's get the boys and get this over with."

~*~

JC readjusted the infant in his arms and nodded in assurance to Abby where she held Braeden's hand. "You can do it, sweetie."

She took a deep breath and knelt down to brush Braeden's hair out of his face, trying to make the little boy look more presentable. "You're too adorable for them not to love you," she whispered, kissing her son on the nose.

Standing up again, she inhaled another deep breath before reaching her hand up to ring the bell. Her hand then fell to her side where it entangled in Braeden's hair.

Foosteps gradually approached the door, and her breath caught in her throat as the door was pulled open.

The man that answered it looked between the two adults on his porch with a slight smile on his face. "Hello, can I help you?"

Abby shook off her initial shock and nervousness and stepped forward slightly. "Hi, Daddy."

Mr. Garner looked at her carefully. "Excuse me?" he asked. "Who are you?"

Of course the man knew who she was. He knew the second he heard her voice. It was his daughter...his baby. The child he thought he'd never see again.

Abby's eyes filled with tears. "Dad...it's me, Abby. You-your daughter."

William Garner shook his head and walked back into the house. "I only have one daughter, and her name is Laura. Abigail Garner has been dead to me for years." Slamming the door in their faces, the man disappeared back into the house.

The tears sprung from her eyes as she turned to look at the man beside her. "I told you...I told you."

JC frowned and moved Chance in his arm so he could pull her against his chest. "Shh...baby...don't give up yet. We'll go find a hotel and try again later. Maybe if he considers it a while, he'll be more open to conversation later."

~*~

Rhonda Garner looked up as her husband came back into the kitchen where she was preparing dinner. "Who was at the door, dear?"

William shook his head as he opened his newspaper again. "No one important. Just a daughter that used to be ours."

His wife's head spun around quickly at his words. "Abby is at the door?" she asked, dropping the spoon in the soup she was stirring.

He nodded and continued to read his paper. "Hopefully not anymore."

"William, how can you still treat our child like this?" she demanded, storming out of the room to the front door.

Just as Abby and JC were escorting their children back down the walk, the door flew open again. "Abby!"

She turned to see her mother standing at the edge of the porch, an apron tied around her slim waist. "Momma?"

Rhonda's eyes filled with tears as she took in the sight of her youngest daughter standing there before her again. "Oh Abby, get up here, darling."

Abby looked over to see JC smile slightly. "But what about Dadd-"

Her mother waved a hand, dismissing the worry. "Don't worry about him...like I ever listen to him anyway. Get in this house right now."

The four made their way back up to the porch and into the foyer of the house. Rhonda smiled as she stared at Abby. "Oh sweetheart, you look so great." She leaned forward and hugged her daughter tightly.

Pulling away, Abby smiled back to her mother. "Mom, I'd like you to meet JC Chasez."

Rhonda shook JC's hand. "It's wonderful to meet you, JC. Now what about these two angels?" she asked, kneeling down to glance at Braeden where he hid behind JC's legs. "Hey, sweetheart."

Abby's smile grew as she watched her son. "Momma, that is Braeden. My son..."

The woman looked up to smile to her daughter. "He's adorable, sweetie."

"And this little guy," Abby continued, reaching out to caress Chance's cheek. "Is JC and my son Chance."

"My baby has two babies?" Rhonda asked, tears filling her eyes. Pulling her into her arms again, she hugged Abby again. "My little girl is all grown up."

Pulling away, Abby nodded. "A lot's happened since you've seen me last, Momma."

"Oh, where are my manners?" Rhonda asked, wiping her hands on her apron. "Come in, kids. I was just finishing dinner, and there's enough for all."

JC smiled to Abby with a wink as they followed her down the hallway to the kitchen.

Abby slowed her steps as she stepped into the kitchen where her father was sitting at the table, reading the paper. "Hello again, Daddy," she commented, pulling Braeden up into her arms.

"I thought we were finished," he replied, not looking up.

"William," Rhonda warned, going back to stirring her soup.

"So is that the brat that ruined your life?" her father asked, looking over the paper long enough to nod at Braeden.

"This is my son, yes," Abby forced out through clenched teeth.

"Well, that's not the punk that knocked you up the first time, and it looks like you've made the mistake again," he added, glancing at JC and Chance.

JC clenched his teeth at the way this man was speaking to his own daughter. His blood was boiling at the names he called these two wonderful children and he tightened a fist at his side.

Abby noticed this and reached out to touch his arm. "No, Dad, this isn't Ben. JC has been there for me when I needed him the most...I really love him."

"Like it matters to me," William replied.

Rhonda took note of the look on JC's face and ushered them out of the room. "Abby, dear...your room is as you left it upstairs, if you'd like to take your things up. And I know we have a crib around here somewhere from when Laura was here with the kids. You two can take the room for the night."

Abby stared into her mother's eyes. "Mom...is there no hope for me and Daddy?"

Rhonda smiled sadly and touched her daughter's cheek. "I hope there is, sweetie. Now you two get cleaned up for dinner."

Abby led JC and Braeden up the stairs to the second floor of the large house she'd grown up in. Entering the third door on the right, she took in the sight of her old room, exactly as her mother had said, just as she'd left it.

JC suppressed a laugh at the room's decor as they lay their bags on the floor.

She spun on her heel to glare at him. "What's so funny, huh?"

He motioned around him to the room. "This...nice decorating."

She smiled at the bright orange bedspread and walls. The New Kids On The Block posters on the walls were the most apparent items, however. "Hey...I was a typical teenage girl."

JC lay the sleeping Chance down in the middle of the queen-sized bed and pulled Abby into his arms. "Are you okay?"

She shrugged and clutched to him. "I don't know."

"Your dad is being really harsh," he whispered against her hair. "And it's really pissing me off."

"Don't pay any attention to him," she replied. "He's going to be hard to crack."

JC pushed her away and looked down into her eyes. "I love you," he whispered.

She smiled back up at him. "That makes this all a little bit better."

"Mommy?"

They turned to see Braeden standing beside Abby's chest of drawers. "What, baby?" she asked.

Braeden held an object up with innocence. "What dis?"

Her face flushed and JC doubled over with laughter as she snatched the object from her son's hand. "Nothing, sweetheart...why don't you go over to the closet and see what kind of stuffed animals are in there?"

JC continued to chuckle as he plucked the offending object from her hand. "Was this really necessary?" he asked, holding up the bra with tissues still stuffed and pinned into the cups.

She ran a hand over her hot face and sighed, looking up at him in embarrassment. "At the age of sixteen, yes, it was."

"I see no evidence of that now," he replied, pulling her to him again, his hands moving to confirm his words.

"Yeah, well...two children will do that to ya," she countered, pulling out of his arms and groaning as he twirled the bra around his finger before stuffing it into the side of his suitcase. "What are you doing with that?" she demanded.

He laughed. "Oh, you better believe the guys are hearing about this one...evidence, my dear...evidence."

"I hate you."

~*~

Dinner that night was awkward, at best. William Garner never said a word to anyone but his wife, while she was more than happy to carry on an ongoing conversation with their daughter and her boyfriend.

"Dinner was delicious," JC mentioned casually as he wiped Braeden's face with a wet cloth. William had left the table moments earlier, and the mood had automatically lightened.

Rhonda smiled as she cleared the dishes from the table. "Oh, it was nothing special. Just some spicy potato soup."

He smiled up at her. "Still...I haven't had a good home cooked meal in what seems like forever. It was nice."

"Thank you, dear," she replied, nudging Abby with her elbow. "Keep him," she whispered in her ear as the young woman rocked the fussy Chance.

Abby smiled and looked at him from across the table. "Thanks, Josh."

He raised and eyebrow and lifted Braeden out of the high chair. "For what, babe?"

She stood up and walked toward him, her holding Chance, he holding Braeden. "For making me come here. Things might not be working out with my dad, but I can't tell you how much it means to be able to talk to my mom again.”

JC smiled and hiked Braeden up on his hip. “I’m doing this for both of us, babe. I knew you needed this. And I wouldn’t feel right not at least meeting your parents.”

She hugged her baby closer. “I just hope things end up better than they’ve started so far.”

~*~

Abby kissed both of her sleeping son’s foreheads and crossed the room to where JC was also sleeping soundly on the bed. Smacking him on the stomach, she giggled as he sat straight up and moaned.

“Hey, sleepy,” she said, sitting down beside him.

“It’s seven-thirty in the morning, Abby…I’m sleeping here,” he muttered, laying back down and pulling the blanket up over his head.

She smiled and pulled it down to look at him. “I know, and Mom and I are going shopping. You’re stuck with the boys and my father.”

“Great,” he mumbled into the pillow. Raising his head, he looked toward the cradle and tried to see Chance. “Are they still asleep?” he asked.

“Yeah, they are,” she replied, leaning down to kiss his forehead gently while brushing his hair from his face.

“Good. Get outta here,” he said with a small smile. “Have fun with your mom.”

”Have fun with my dad,” she retorted, standing up and grabbing her purse before heading for the door.

“Love you,” he added in a sleepy voice as she stepped into the hallway.

“I love you too,” she replied, closing the door with a smile.

JC grinned and rolled back over in the bed, pulling the blankets over his head so he would not only block out the light, but also the sight of Jordan Knight smiling down on him.

~*~

Abby laughed out loud at her mother’s story and fought to contain the Icee she was drinking. “Oh my goodness, that is so funny!”

Rhonda nodded and swished her half melted ice cream around in the little tub. “It was. Your father thought he was going to die laughing.”

"Dad, laughing? I didn’t know that was possible anymore,” Abby commented, suddenly sober.

Rhonda sadly looked at her youngest daughter. “I know it’s hard, honey. And I know that you just want him to be in your life, as well as your boys’.” She smiled. “They’re wonderful little boys, Abby. You’ve done a great job so far.”

“JC has a huge influence on Braeden,” she said with a smile. “He loves him so much.”

Her mother smiled. “Who loves whom?”

“They both do. It’s crazy to tell myself that JC’s not his father because it seems so right, but I know he’s not. He’s his daddy, and that’s all that matters. There’s a difference.”

Her mother nodded. “That there is. It takes a special kind of father to be a daddy. But don’t worry, darling. I think that your father will come around, given some time.”

”We don’t have much time,” Abby replied. “JC has to be back in Orlando at the end of the week.

“Well, let’s hope, then.”

Abby nodded and threw her Icee cup away. “I hope they’re getting along.”

~*~

JC sighed and patted Chance’s back as he wailed into his father’s ear. “Shhhh…calm down, buddy…calm down.”

Braeden tugged on JC’s pant leg again. “Daddy! Wanna play!”

“Not now, Brady…Daddy’s busy,” he said with an uneasy smile, hugging the baby closer.

“Daddy, come on!”

“Not now, buddy.”

“Daddy!”

“BRAEDEN!” JC yelled, cringing at the sound of his own voice. He sat down on the bed and looked at the young boy, watching in agony as his tiny lip trembled and tears began to coarse down his cheeks as he started to wail.

“No, no, no, no, no…”

“Problems in here, boy?”

JC looked up to see Abby’s father standing in the doorway to her room. “Yes, sir. Can you give me a hand?”

William sighed and walked over to the toddler who stared up at his father, wailing his head off. “Hey, you…come here.” He knelt down and lifted Braeden into his arms and took him out of the room.

JC furrowed his brow and continued soothing the child in his arms, all the time wondering where Braeden was with William. As Chance finally calmed down enough to fall asleep, JC gently placed the baby in the cradle and silently left the room.

Wandering down to the kitchen, he glanced into the living room and surrounding rooms he had been in to see where his “son” was. Hearing a voice from a new room, he slowly walked toward the door and placed his head against it, listening through the wood.

Not able to hear much, he lifted his hand and knocked gently.

“Come in.”

JC stepped into the room and smiled at the sight before him. William Garner was lying on the floor with his grandson…playing trucks. He leaned up against the doorframe and cleared his throat.

William looked up suddenly and shoved the small truck to his grandson. Standing up, he brushed off his pants and made his way to the door. "I take it the kid stopped whining," he said in a gruff voice, glancing at the man in the doorway.

JC nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. "You look really comfortable with him," he said casually.

"I have grandkids," William replied. "My daughter Laura, you know. She waited until she was married to have kids, unlike another child we once had."

"What is your problem?" JC asked, his voice rising harshly. "Abby has asked nothing of you but for you and your wife to be there for her! She needs you in her life! She wants you in her sons’ lives!"

Dr. Garner shook his head and shoved the young man slightly. "She didn't need our help getting pregnant at seventeen years old. She didn't need our help starting such a job as she has. She's not getting our help now."

JC grabbed the man's arm before he could walk to the living room. "How can you say that?" he asked. "She is your youngest child. She is leading a respectable life, because she is caring for her children instead of aborting them or leaving them in a dumpster when the outlook was rough."

"You have money," William argued. "Yes, boy, I know who you are. I talk to Laura who still, not in her right mind, talks to that girl all of the time. She's told me all about you and your little band. I know you have the means to take care of Abby and her kids. She doesn't need financial support from me, so what else could she possibly be here for?"

"Love?" JC whispered, tears choking his voice. He couldn't believe a father could feel this much malice toward his child. He knew that in this situation, his father would find some way to forgive Heather, because he loved her unconditionally. "That's all she wants from you, Mr. Garner. Love and forgiveness."

"She's not getting it here," the man replied, storming out of the room.

JC caught the tears that slid down his cheek, wiping them away with the back of his hand. Turning back to look at Braeden, he smiled slightly to the little boy. "You okay, buddy?" he asked, kneeling down in front of him.

Braeden nodded enthusiastically. "Yep! Gampa Willum play with me!"

JC furrowed his brow. Obviously the word 'grandpa' had slipped from the older man's lips at some point during his time with the boy. There was at least a little hope.

~*~

Abby smiled as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. "I don't want to buy anything until I get my figure back," she said, turning slightly to look at the dress.

Her mother watched from a chair with a roll of her eyes. "I never got my figure back after you, Abby. Darling, you must be lucky, because you look wonderful already."

She smiled to her. "Thanks, Mom." She shook her head at her reflection. "I'm not buying it. It'll be too big in two months; it's not worth it."

"Sweetheart, buy it and go out with JC tonight or something. It looks beautiful on you."

"Mom, I don't have this much money," Abby argued.

"I'll pay for it," her mother interrupted. "It's the least I can do for my daughter. I'm just so happy to have you back."

Abby smiled back. "I'm happy to be here too, Momma. If only Dad would get over all of this, this would all be perfect."

Rhonda eyed her daughter carefully. "You are going to marry him, aren't you?"

The young woman looked at her mother as she made her way back to the dressing room. "Actually, that's part of the reason we're here. Josh wanted to get you and Daddy's blessing before he would ask me."

"Well Abby dear, you have mine, completely and totally. I adore that young man already, and I think he will be a good husband for you, and a wonderful father for those two darling boys of yours."

Abby smiled. "Thanks, Momma. Now if only Josh can get through to Daddy."

~*~

Rhonda climbed into bed beside her husband that night and turned off the light on the table. "How was your day, dear?" she asked, lying on her side so she could see him in the dark.

He shrugged his shoulders and closed his eyes again. "Typical. Read the paper, watched the game."

"Did you spend any time with JC or your grandchildren?"

"I don't claim them," he countered, rolling his eyes.

"William!"

"What?" he asked, sitting up in the bed and turning on the light that was on his side. "When Abby got pregnant, we agreed that she would no longer be a part of this family. Why is this an issue now? We have to stand firm, Rhonda, or our 'children' will walk all over us."

"WE agreed? Excuse me, William, but I don't recall having a voice in the matter. I wanted to forgive her and help her through this, but you went ahead and kicked her out of our lives!"

"Why didn't you say that at the time, then?" he asked.

"You never gave me a chance!" she replied. "Those children are wonderful, William. They are so beautiful and so full of life. Abby is in love with that man too. They are here because they want to get married and they want to do it the right way, by asking us first. You have banished her from our lives and they still respect you enough as a father to want your permission to marry. That should mean something to you."

"Well it doesn't," he replied after a long silence. She almost thought she'd had him...but he had once again fallen to his ego.

~*~

Abby continued throwing things into her bag as JC watched from the bed with both boys beside him. "Baby, what are you doing?"

"I'm packing, Josh...what's it look like?" she replied, looking at him with a glare.

"Why are you giving in to him?" he asked quietly. "You can't just let go like this. He owes you so much as a father, and respect is one of those things. Sweetheart, don't just roll over and play dead to the man."

Tears streamed down her face as she looked back at him. "Josh, it hurts too much, okay? I came home tonight and said hello to him, and he left the room. Breaden tried so hard to get his attention at dinner and he ignored him. How am I supposed to let go of this kind of pain? He's my FATHER!"

JC climbed off of the bed and made his way across the room to her. Pulling her into his arms, he let her cry against his bare chest. "I'm sorry, okay? I just hate to see it all end this way."

"I don't want it to," she sniffled.

"I know, babe. I know. Neither do I." He held her close as her tears subsided, then pushed her away gently to look into her eyes. "Don't give in just yet, okay? Your mom is so happy to have us here. Just treasure the time with her if nothing else. She loves the boys."

Abby smiled at that. "She does, doesn't she?" She looked at Braeden as he pulled Chance's pacifier out of his mouth, then put it into his own. He made a face, then removed it and placed it back into his brother's mouth. This warranted a slight giggle from their mother, and Breaden looked up innocently. "What, Mommy?" he asked.

Abby shook her head. "Nothing, babe. Just that I love you...never forget that."

"Nope..." He gave her a big smile and turned his attention back to his little brother.

Abby looked back up at the man before her. "I love you too. I can't believe we went through so much and you're here with me again. I doubted that I'd ever see you again. But you wouldn't let me push you away anymore."

"We both did some pushing away," he corrected, brushing the remaining tears from her face. "But the thing we didn't realize was...our hearts were pushing us back just as hard."

She smiled. "I'm glad they were."

 

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