Epilogue
She laughed softly, to herself, as the burly men ahead of them tried to clear a path to the hotel. Her fingers unconsciously tightened on JC's, and he looked at her the moment that he heard her laugh. There was no mistaking it, and he had trained his ears, a year ago, to catch even the faintest sound of it. "What?" he asked, bending his head down beside her ear. That only made the photographers hit the shutter button on their cameras even faster.
Blinking a few times when a flash appeared right in her eyes, she laughed again. "Did you ever think that this was going to turn into such a big story? I swear, we've made front page news all over the world, and they always seem to get a bad picture of me. Like I'm in the middle of a sneeze or something, yet every single picture of you looks so disgustingly perfect, it's not even funny," she added.
He looked back down at her, and rubbed his thumb over her knuckles softly. "Yeah, well, people have been waiting for this for a long time. I still remember when they were just beginning to speculate on us. We've known each other for little over a year, and that's about how long this has been going on. Just think, Mia will never complain about anything ever again to you. She won four hundred dollars on us."
Her eyes rolled at that, and the reporters picked up on it. "Brooklyn, are you two fighting again? Is the honeymoon over?"
"It never began," she muttered under her breath, but JC caught the words anyway, and tapped on the shoulder of the bodyguard in front of him. "Hey, do you think we can get in the hotel before the sun goes down? I'm getting a little hungry."
The man stopped suddenly, and Brooklyn almost ran into his back. She would have, if it wasn't for JC pulling her back. "JC, are you the jealous type? Do you mind if Brooklyn looks at other guys? What about you, Brooklyn?"
She flashed a sweet smile over her shoulder. "No, I don't mind if JC looks at other guys. Perfectly fine with me," she added, laughing when he pulled her back close to him. "What, you don't want me talking to the press? But they want to know, JC, and they have deadlines, anyway."
"Shut up, New York."
The bodyguard cleared his throat. "Would you rather that I just left you guys here to fend for yourselves and try and make it through this mess?" he asked.
They looked at each other for a split second before answering at the same time. "Walk," they said in unison, laughing when they heard it. The guard rolled his eyes and started forward again, politely asking the reporters and photographers to get out of the way. If they wouldn't, he gently pushed them aside so that the two could get towards the hotel. They had already been out there for five minutes and had barely made it from where Brooklyn had parked to where they were now. It was a complete madhouse.
"Brooklyn, what do you think about the fact that your boyfriend has been linked to..." The name, whoever it was, was drowned out by the crowd, and she shook her head, trying not to laugh aloud. She found the whole situation hilarious, while JC was beginning to get a little annoyed.
"Are you guys really dating, or are you just saying this to boost record sales?" Both of their heads turned towards each other, and they both raised their eyebrows in question, silently asking each other if they wanted to deal with that reporter. Finally, Brooklyn wrinkled her nose and shook her head. "Come on, guys, give us a little bit of something here."
She stopped, putting her hand on the guard's shoulder that was ahead of her so that he wouldn't move. The guards behind them stopped as well. She turned with a smile, her fingers still laced through his. "Sir, and you can quote me on this. It took a longer time than everyone anticipated for us to get to this point, but we're both completely happy with each other and the relationship that we have going. We've made it through a lot, and I don't think that anyone or anything could pull me away from him for a very long time."
With a laugh, he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, knowing that the photographers were going to go crazy over that move. She snickered when she realized what he was doing. "You can quote me, too. Ditto."
"Ditto?" she asked once they started moving again. "You could have come up with something better than that, couldn't you? I mean, you write the most fantastic songs...well, some songs that inspire great dance moves, but...okay, let's start again. You write some kick-ass songs, you have the heart and soul of a poet...and that best you can come up with is 'ditto'? That's it, I'm leaving you," she said with a laugh, pretending to pull away from him.
He took her hand again, as they started through the crowd. "So, your tour's over, and ours is ending in two months. What are you going to do?"
Her lips pursed as she thought about it. "Well, I was thinking about giving you an invite to stay with me at the new cabin. I haven't had a chance to go there yet, and it seems like the perfect place to relax. The nearest town is an hour away," she added with a longing in her voice. "What do you think?"
"New York, you are the absolute best. Just think. You and me in Colorado all by ourselves."
A gleam entered her eye as she pulled herself up to kiss his cheek quickly. Again, flashes went off in her eyes, and she had to blink a few times to make sure that she could actually see. The gesture came so easily to her that she didn't think twice about doing it, but now that there were people that seemed to be following their every step, it was a little different. She had never had to deal with this sort of thing before, but he seemed to take it in stride like nothing was out of the ordinary. "Well, you and me...and your four best friends." Her shoulders moved in a shrug. "When Joey found out about the cabin, he made me promise that he could come along, and then Justin found out, and then Lance, and then Chris...so basically, they invited themselves, and I invited you. Go figure."
He nodded slowly. "Great. Think that we can ditch them long enough to get one night to ourselves?"
Brooklyn smiled brightly. "I'm sure we could think of something. Even if we have to drive to town and stay in a hotel, we're going to manage to get a night away from the four little dwarves. Don't worry. Of course, I could always use my powers of persuasion on them."
"Yeah, right. Powers of persuasion. Whatever, New York." Her hip hit his, and she pushed him a little to the side, laughing. "Hey, no fair beating up your boyfriend."
"Hey, no fair calling down your girlfriend." With a smirk, she shaded her eyes. "I think that might be a mirage, but we might be getting closer to the hotel. Oh, no way," she said in mock disbelief.
It seemed that was they neared the hotel, questions were called out more frantically than before. It probably hadn't been smart to stop and talk to one person, though everyone heard them and was sure to publish the same thing over and over. Now, they were all desperate to get a quote of their own. "Are you two ever going to collaborate again?"
"Does this mean the end of NSYNC?"
"Are you still going to be performing, Brooklyn?"
"Are you having a joint tour?"
"JC, what do you think about how close your girlfriend is to Chris?"
"Do you think he's going to take her away from you?"
"How, exactly, did he ask you out?"
Both of them rolled their eyes as they came closer to the entrance, and the doorman ahead of them opened up the doors in anticipation. "Do you think the relationship is going to last?"
"Brooklyn, is it true that you're pregnant with JC's child?"
She burst out laughing at that one, and practically had to be carried up the steps to the hotel, tears rolling down her face. "Did he...he...he just asked if I was pregnant? My Lord, you move fast. I hope it was as good for you as it was for me, but to tell the truth, I can't remember anything. Was their chocolate syrup involved?"
With a sigh, he wrapped one arm around her thin waist and walked her towards the elevator, as she tried to get control of herself. Inside the quiet of the lobby, they couldn't hear the reporters outside and were thankful for that. "My ears are ringing. That was worse than a concert," he complained half heartedly, rubbing his right ear. "So, anyway, do you think you can be ready by seven o'clock tonight?" he asked with a mischievous smile.
She matched it with one of her own. "Depends. What are we doing, and do I have to dress up?"
He nodded slowly. "Uh huh, dressing up is a good idea. I thought that you and I could go out for dinner. We haven't done that in a little while."
With sparkling eyes, she looked back up at him. "Good plan, but how are we going to get away from all the reporters in the United States and Canada. More importantly, how are we going to get away without them noticing? You know that they would follow us."
"Don't worry, I've got it covered. But do you think you can do it?"
Her head bobbed up and down quickly. "Oh, don't worry about me. I'll be ready and waiting." The elevator doors opened at their floor, and he quickly kissed her before they walked out. It wasn't anything spectacular, or memorable, but it made her tingle, nonetheless. "I'll see you in a few hours, then," she said, letting herself into her room with a smile. When she closed the door, she was left with the sight of his sparkling eyes and bright smile, watching her as she turned back to him for a fraction of a second before the door was actually shut.
With a happy sigh, she walked over to the bed and laid down, staring at the ceiling with a faint smile. Whenever she looked up to any ceiling, she always thought about how JC had decorated the ceiling of his bedroom apartment with what seemed like thousands of tiny glow in the dark stars, and just that thought reminded her of him. This time, though, her mind raced back to the first day that they had ever spent together. She had never thought of it that much, but for some reason, it bounced back at her.
She sat down on the bench beside him, and sipped slowly at her drink. "I'm...not exactly sure that I follow you. Explain yourself, please."
He turned to look at her with a smile that could melt the coldest heart in the world. If she didn't know better, she would think that he was flirting with her, but there was no chance that it could ever happen. Besides, she liked that smile since the moment that she saw it. She knew that they probably wouldn't stay in contact after they recorded the track together, but she would never forget that smile. "Well, haven't you ever thought of it before?"
Her head shook slowly, her hair falling off of her shoulder. "I don't think I ever have. I sing songs about love all the time, but what's to 'ponder' about them. They're all basically the same. Nothing new, there."
"Yeah, but how can you really sing those songs without really knowing what love is? Experiencing it as strong as all those songs say. Music can be very descriptive and deep. How can you pull up all the emotions that are needed for the song, if you've never felt them before."
Wasn't the question simple enough? Then, why couldn't she come up with a good answer. "I don't know about you, but I'm very in love with my boyfriend right now, thank you very much."
Again came that smile. There was a hint of shyness to it, but she could tell by the way that his eyes crinkled that it was genuine. "I don't think that anyone can be as in love as all those songs say. Have you ever sat down and listened to a Mariah Carey song?" She nodded. She wasn't too crazy about her, but for a little while, her brother would only play that CD. "Listen to those lyrics. That's what true love is all about, and I'm betting that it isn't the same kind of love that you feel towards your boyfriend. No offense or anything. I just think that no one can feel that kind of emotion."
She should have been offended, but she wasn't for some reason. In fact, she didn't even think twice about what he had said. "I think that maybe, those emotions are somewhere inside of us, but if you want to use the same theory that you just came up with, then maybe we never truly experience the full force of those emotions. It's in there somewhere, but you have to find your soulmate to bring all those feelings to the surface. Of course, the planets probably have to be in perfect alignment, and all has to be right with the world, and the pope has to be standing on his left foot while flapping his arms and doing a chicken impression. Not to mention that there would have to be a thunderstorm in Tulsa, Oklahoma at that very exact moment, and the most stubborn parrot has to say, exactly, 'bite me'. It'll never happen."
"So, you don't think that we'll ever know what those love songs are about?" he asked after he finished laughing. There was something about her sense of humor that got to him. It was so real, but so hard to explain.
Her eyes rolled. "We'll never know, JC, but thanks for asking."
"No problem, Brooklyn."
The gentle smile on her face became wider. "No, I think I know what those love songs are all about now," she said with a sigh, touching her lips with her fingertips before standing up to look through her closet.
Her hands smoothed down the skirt of her dress slowly as she looked in the mirror and sighed. She could never get her hair to do what she wanted it to, and she was positive that her makeup wasn't right. Then again, it could be that her jewelry wasn't right, but she was only wearing the necklace that JC had given her, as well as the silver bracelet that he had given her on their one year anniversary of knowing each other. A sigh escaped her when she thought about when she actually had the jewelry off of her. That was probably the hardest point of her entire life.
"I'm sorry that we lied to get you out here, JC, but would you have come out here if they had told you that I was out here?" she asked softly, looking down at the ground before back at him. He shook his head, and she sighed under her breath. "I'm sorry, but I...I just have to put an end to all of this. It has to end sometime, why can't it end now?"
There was a slight pause before he began to talk. "Are you telling me that you...you're apologizing? After all that time I spent talking with you, NOW you've decided to give me another chance?" Chuckling, he turned away and wiped at his eyes. They had already overflowed once, and he wasn't going to let that happen again. "I can't believe this."
"I...oh shit," she said under her breath. "I knew that my luck wasn't going to last much longer. JC, I just...I'm sorry. It's all I can tell Chris, and it's all that I can tell you. I'm sorry." Her head moved from side to side as she tried to decide what to do. "I guess I'll just leave. Can't say that I didn't try," she whispered, turning to leave. She had tried every single trick in the book, and nothing worked.
He cleared his throat, and she listened to him breathe for a moment. "What gets me is that you just expect me to take you back after all of this. You didn't do the same thing for me," he said, turning away from her. She paused and turned her head, watching his back move up and down with his breathing. "And the strange thing is...I can't think of letting you go again. I can't just let you walk away. So, what does that say for me?"
She smiled softly. "That means that you and I are going to leave this party, and go back to my hotel." Her smile turned into a devilish grin. "Oh, don't get the wrong idea in your head. I'm just saying that we have to go back because...I brought the bracelet and necklace with me. Austin put the necklace on me the first time, but there's no one other than you that I want to put it on me now. Would you mind?"
"One more...one last shot at this?" he asked.
She nodded. "One last shot. If it doesn't work out, we walk away as friends. If it does work out...you're going to have a hell of a time chasing me off."
Her fingers went down to touch it, and she turned it to read the inscription on it. 'Do more than touch-feel. JSC/BAT. Aug. 17.' Her eyes closed and she stood there for a moment, letting the cool metal be warmed by her touch. It was another thing that she didn't take off anymore. It seemed that whenever he gave her something, she read it endlessly, wouldn't let go of it, never stopped looking at it, or never took it off. It was almost as if all those things could bring her closer to him, even if they were across the world from each other, it would bring them closer.
"Give it up, Brooklyn Arizona. You've fallen, and you've fallen hard." A giddy laugh escaped her quickly, before she could stop it. "Oh, you knew that the moment that you met him. You just didn't want to admit it, because you were in a relationship, and you figured that he could never love a girl like you, so you held onto that relationship and convinced yourself that it was true love. Thank God you saw the light," she finished in a whisper, looking at herself once more in the mirror.
For some reason, she looked completely perfect now. There were still a few minutes before he was going to come and knock on her door, so she sat down and put on her shoes, grumbling in frustration at the buckle before it finally closed, and she stood up, reaching for her jacket. When she stood near the door, she could hear JC talking, and another person, but she couldn't tell exactly who it was.
Brooklyn opened up her door and looked out in the hall, a soft smile playing on her lips. He was amazing and somehow, he kept amazing her more and more. Just the way that he leaned against the wall, taking to Chris, seemed to take her breath away. Hair slicked back and still damp, she swore that she could smell his cologne and feel the warmth radiating from him.
His eyes turned towards her and sparkled. She could lose herself in those blue eyes for the rest of her life, she thought with a flush coming to her cheeks. He studied her while nodding to Chris, giving off the impression that he was actually listening.
Chris noticed and followed JC's eyes down the hall towards Brooklyn. "Oh, I get it. Have fun tonight," he told his friend before opening the door to his hotel room. He looked back at the two of them quickly. "Thank God it all worked out," he muttered before finally closing his door. The couple deserved their privacy.
Still, neither of them moved. They stood on opposite sides of the hall, staring at each other while smiling. Brooklyn finally turned to close her door, chuckling to herself. "Now I'm positive I know what all those love songs we both sing are all about," she whispered to herself.
"What was that?" JC asked, his voice coming from beside her.
She shook her head, smiling to herself. "Nothing. I was just talking to myself. Bad habit, I know." When she shook her head, a lock of honey brown hair fell in her face and he lifted his hand to push it out of the way. It had been blocking her eye, and there was nothing that he loved more in the world than staring into her green eyes.
"Are you ready?" he asked her.
"Yeah. I'm...uh...ready." Funny that her phrase meant so much for three simple words. She was ready for their date. She was ready for their next week together. She was ready for their month of vacation in Colorado. She was ready for their relationship together. She was ready for love. Most of all, she was ready for him.
As they started down the hall towards the elevator, without bodyguards for once, JC took her hand, lacing his fingers through hers. Brooklyn had to try hard not to sigh when he looked towards her with a smile. Almost silently, but picking up volume, she started to sing.
It's a long way down,
But it's too late.
If I fall, you're going down with me.
Going down with me, baby,
If I fall.
You can't take back every little chill you give me.
You're going down with me baby,
Heart and all.
He looked back at her with a small grin on his face. "Why are you singing that song? It was on your last album, right?"
She nodded slowly. Just the look in his eyes captivated her, but the grin was deadly. It was deadly when it was small, and it was downright illegal when it was a full fledged grin. "Oh, I definitely know what all those songs are about now. No doubt about it." She laughed when she saw his look. "Just nod and go with it, sweetie."
The doors to the elevator opened, and they stepped in before he bent his head down near hers. "New York, you already took me down with you, and my heart was the first thing that went with you."
With a whisper, the doors shut, to the two of them sharing what would be one of a long string of kisses that night.
The song section used in this epilogue, and the title of the story, is from the Dixie Chick's song, "If I Fall You're Going Down With Me" (shortened to If I Fall..., since it was too long of a title). The song is track two on their second album "Fly". Sorry I'm not too creative with story titles.
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