Chapter Thirteen

Her eyes moved from the ring to his face. "Are you..." she started to say, but her voice gave out on her. "Are...you...serious?" The hand that he held started to shake, despite his firm grip. His head nodded slowly, a hint of nervousness entering his eyes. "Oh my God, I never expected this." Her eyes filled with tears, and they threatened to fall. "Yes, of course. Yes, yes!" She laughed as he smiled and pushed the ring onto her finger, the diamond picking up the light around the room.

He leaned forward and kissed her more passionately than ever, while the tears finally started to fall, despite the fact that her eyes were closed. "Happy New Year, Brooklyn," he whispered when they broke away.

"Happy New Year."

She pulled off to the side of the road and dropped her head in her hands. "I probably should have stayed longer," she chastised herself. "Austin is bound to have a hang over, and when he sees that I'm engaged, he's going to go ballistic." Just speaking about the ring made her lift her head and look at the sparkling ring that encased her finger. "I can't believe it. I can't FREAKING BELIEVE IT!" she squealed, stomping her feet on the ground. One hit the gas pedal, causing the engine to roar.

"Now, I'm waking up the neighbors, who also have hang overs. God, my day is just...who cares? I'm engaged!" She pulled the truck out of park, and headed back down the road, to her house. A few cars were still parked around the property, from people that didn't want to drive home, but her space was free. She pulled into it, and stopped the truck, throwing her purse over her shoulder. "I can just imagine what's going to happen when Austin finds out," she said under her breath.

Her boots had never sounded quite as loud as when she walked up to the front door. It was almost like she had snuck out the night before, and didn't want her parents to catch her coming in. The door opened loudly, and she walked in, trying to be as quiet as possible. She knew that Austin would be sleeping off whatever he drank the night before, and the last thing she wanted was to make him mad somehow.

Bending down, she pulled off her boots as quickly and quietly as possible, putting them down gently. Her purse landed beside them, and she hung up her coat on the rack before she put her keys and gloves on the small table. Her head turned and she caught sight of the mirror, and remembered everything that JC had told her. Lifting her hand, her fingers trailed over the frame of it before she headed up to her room in her socks. "Brooke? Are you home?" a pained voice came from the kitchen.

She bit her lip and looked down at her hand. Somehow, she managed to walk in the kitchen and look at her brother, and the mess that surrounded them. "Oh, man, you know that I'm not going to help clean this one up. Judging by the mess, I'd say that you had a good party," she said with a smile, crossing her arms.

He nodded slowly and reached for the cup of coffee in front of him. "It was a good party, all right. That guy on the corner tried to slide down on the banister. However, he was facing forward and slammed into the knob thing there. Let's just say that with the amount of alcohol he had consumed, he didn't feel a thing."

With a laugh, she came further into the kitchen and reached for the last clean glass in the house, pouring herself some water. "I hope you got that one on video tape."

"To be honest, I don't know what I have on video tape. If you think the kitchen is bad, you should see the living room." His head shook, and he groaned in pain. "Never mind, DON'T look in the living room. It looks pretty nasty, and there's something that really stinks in there."

As she walked by, she caught a smell of her brother and almost gagged. "Actually, Austin, and I mean this in the nicest way possible, it's you that stinks. I think you may have puked on yourself last night or something, but you smell nasty." She stopped and sipped her water before turning away. "I'll be in my room, trying to sleep. I am so tired." Brooklyn was going to kiss the top of his head as she walked by, but she thought twice about it, and patted him on the head instead.

He remained in the kitchen, sipping his coffee when he remembered something. When Brooklyn had taken the sip of water beside him, something had caught his eyes. A diamond ring. "Brooke doesn't wear any diamond rings. Hers are all gems, but not diamonds." He shook his head briefly. "She only wears her sapphire, if that. It's not even her birthstone." His brow furrowed and he looked ahead. "Wait, she was with Tim last night. She said that he had a surprise for her. She's now wearing a... Holy shit!"

Austin stood up so fast that his chair knocked over with a loud crash, but it wasn't even effecting him. He pounded through the house and up the stairs, skidding to a stop in front of her bedroom door. He knocked once, and listened for her. "Brooklyn, open the door." When nothing happened, he pounded, instead of knocked. "Brooklyn, open the damned door."

He could hear something or someone moving in the room, but she still didn't answer. He tried turning the knob, but the door was locked. The door was never locked when he was around, so she obviously had something to hide. He knew exactly what it was. "Brooklyn Arizona Turner, if you don't open this door, I swear to God, on everything holy, and on everything that I hold dear and cherish, I will beat it down, and you don't want to know what will happen after that. Open the...damned...door."

"Okay, just give me a second," she said from behind the door. The sound of the lock snapping open came over the sound of his harsh breathing. As soon as he heard it, he turned the knob and threw the door open. Brooklyn jumped out of the way before it had the chance to hit her. She started to back up when she saw the look in his eyes. "Um...Austin, what's the matter?" she asked, brushing back her hair with both hands.

She caught a glance of her ring out of the corner of her eye and hurried to drop her hands and hide them behind her back. He shook his head with a smirk and pulled on her wrist, looking at the ring. "What's the matter? What's the matter, she asks. I don't know. Could it be that yesterday, my baby sister walked out of the house as a single woman. Albeit you are dating someone, but you were still single. Today? She walks in with an engagement ring on her finger. Now, who could be the one that gave it to you?"

Her eyes rolled. "Austin, come on. You're making a big deal out of this. Calm yourself."

"CALM myself? You're...you're going to marry that rat bastard and you expect me to calm down? Brooklyn, there must be a screw loose up there somewhere, because your head is not on straight. Engaged? How long did you think you were going to be able to keep it from me, huh? Did you think I wouldn't notice that you were going to get married? Do you think that I wouldn't notice the fact that you have a platinum and diamond engagement ring on your finger? Oh, excuse me, I forgot to mention the gold accents on it. My apologies."

Her arms crossed under her breasts, and she slumped considerably. "I know that you don't approve-"

"Damn right I don't."

Her head raised and she looked him straight in the eye. "I know that you don't approve, but you have to understand something. You know that I love Tim, with all my heart, and I want to marry him. I want to spend my life with him. You can't keep the image of little Brooklyn in your head forever. I grew up, I fell in love, and I'm engaged." Her eyes filled with tears, and she looked at him carefully, her bottom lip trembling ever so slightly.

Austin took a deep breath and walked over to sit on her bed. His head bowed slightly, and he ran his finger through his hair before he looked up at her. "There's something that you don't understand. I don't like Tim, yes, that much is obvious. I never liked him. I...I don't think that he's good enough for you. Damn, I can't believe I'm going to say this." She leaned against the wall and waited to hear what he was going to say. "I thought that maybe, your feelings would change over the two years. I mean, I thought that some other guy would come in your life, and you would forget all about Tim. I thought that when you met JC, that was going to happen. You deserve a guy like that. Someone who actually cares about you. Not...not that bastard."

"Don't you dare talk about him like that," she said hotly, pushing herself away from the wall. She walked closer to him, and he looked in her eyes. They were burning steadily, anger radiating out of them. It looked as if there were two small candles hidden behind them, shining brightly. Needless to say, Brooklyn was pissed off. "You may not like him, but you couldn't stop me from falling for him, you couldn't stop me from loving him, and you sure as hell can't stop me from marrying him. I refuse to live my life the way that you want. I don't care what you think about other men. I don't care what you think about JC. Hell, I don't care what you think about yourself, but I will not have you call down my fiancé." The tears in her eyes spilled over and fell down her cheeks in a steady stream.

Austin's voice was hoarse when he started to speak. "Do you remember that day, when we were driving back from Nashville? When you said that if I asked you to leave Tim, you would? Do you remember that day, because I do." He took a deep breath. "I want you to. I don't want you with him. I don't like how you've changed, I don't like the way that you've been acting, and I don't want you to marry him. I want you to leave him."

She smirked. She couldn't help it, but she did. "No." The one word hung in the air heavily. "I won't leave him. Not anymore. I know that I said that I would do anything that you asked me, but forget it. I've had time to rethink what I was saying, I've had time to rethink what I told you, and I think it was wrong. I have my own life to lead, and I will live it the way that I want. I won't ask you about every single little thing that concerns my life. I won't go running to you with every single little problem that I encounter. Damn it, Austin. There are so many times that I could have, so many times that I needed you, but I didn't. Do you know why? I've grown up. I've started to live. I've become independent. You've noticed. Don't tell me that you haven't, because you have. I just...I can't do everything that you say. I won't leave the man that I love."

One tear trickled down his cheek, but she didn't look. She didn't want to look. It would cause her to break down, and do whatever he wanted, but she wasn't about to give him the satisfaction. "You do know what's going to happen if you go through with this, don't you?" He sniffled and looked at her back. He could tell that she was upset; her shoulders were more than tense. "Brooklyn, I don't want to lose you."

"You're not going to lose me. This won't do anything to us. We'll be fine. I'll...um...most likely leave the house for you. I mean, Tim's apartment is bigger, but I would want you to have the house. I mean, I'll come and see you whenever I can..."

Standing up, he watched her turn towards him. There was no way to describe her expression. She was hurt, she was sad, angry, happy, and confused. He turned away from her and started to walk to the door. "No, Brooklyn, this changes everything. Think about it." He opened the door and walked out, leaving her alone.

As soon as the door was shut, she hurried over to it to lock it, before sliding down against it. She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. A strangled sob sounded from her, and she dropped her head to her knees. "I thought that you were supposed to be happy when you get engaged. Then why do I feel like crap?" she whispered to herself. Her ears picked up the sound of the front door slamming, and Austin's car pulling out of the driveway. Finally, she let everything out.

She sobbed, she cried, she pulled at her hair. Her foot hurt from kicking the wall. Her arms were burning from punching her pillow, and the top of her desk was demolished and she pushed everything to the floor in a rage. Brooklyn calmed down enough to sit on her bed and take a deep breath, trying to slow her pounding heart. Her hand shot out before she could stop it and she picked up the telephone handset, dialing a familiar number. She held it up to her ear and listened closely as it started to ring. "JC, answer already. Come on, I need to talk to you." Her foot tapped impatiently on the floor, but she gave up when it came to ten rings. "Damn it. He said that he was going to be gone for awhile."

She flopped on the bed and closed her eyes. "This wasn't supposed to happen. I thought that Austin was going to support whatever I did." Rolling over, she stared out the window. Rain started to fall, matching her attitude perfectly. "I thought that things could only get better. I guess I was wrong."

The fourth of January couldn't come quick enough for Brooklyn. She had done the usual, picking up the bridal magazines and books, meeting with Tim to discuss their plans, even if the wedding would have to be miles away. It wouldn't be until she finished her tour, she knew that for sure, but he kept pressing her to set a date. His excuse being that he couldn't wait to be her husband. Only he knew the truth.

Brooklyn and Austin weren't getting along at all. Nowhere near it. They gave each other their space, but they didn't talk, other than when they had to. Normally, only one of them were in the house at once, but today, both of them had stayed. She had holed herself up in her room because of it, and looked at the clock every now and then, waiting for JC to make his appearance. As soon as she heard the door open, and his familiar voice, she was out of her room and down the stairs in record time. "JC!" she squealed, jumping up to him. He swung her around with a laugh before her feet went back on the ground. "You're late, you idiot. Oh, we have so much to talk about, you won't believe it," she said with a giddy laugh.

His eyebrows raised in question and looked towards Austin. Her older brother just shrugged and moved away, his arms crossing on his chest. He could tell, instantly, that there was something wrong with the house, something wrong with the two of them, but he didn't want to bring it up with both of them at once. He knew that it would start a fight, and that wasn't what he wanted. "Okay, just take me to my room, and I'll be more than happy to listen to all of it. New York, there's something different about you. I can't tell what it is."

She just smiled and took his backpack, throwing it over one shoulder. "I don't think I look any different, but...damn, I have to talk to you. I am so excited."

"I can tell," he said with a nod as they made their way up the stairs. She led him to his room and put his bag down on the ground before she closed the door. She moved to sit on the bed, and looked at him. His eyes scoured over her, trying to see what was so different about her. His eyes lit up, and he couldn't help smiling when he saw the necklace around her neck, the letters catching the light in the room. "Did you get a hair cut?"

She shook her head. "I haven't changed my hair style in three years. That's not it."

His finger went under his chin, and he continued to look. "Could it be the necklace?"

Her right hand came up and felt it. "These piece of crap? I don't remember who gave it to me," she added with a teasing smile. "It's a beautiful necklace, and I haven't taken it off since it was first put on, but no. That's not it. You suck at this game."

"I'm trying, I'm trying. New outfit?" Her head shook slowly, and she purposely laid both her hands on her lap. The ring sparkled in the light. "What is it, new socks? New underwear? I can't...New York, since when do you where rings? I've only seen a sapphire one of you before, not a diamond." His eyes narrowed. "That's on your ring finger. The only time that you wear a diamond ring on your ring finger, that means that you...oh my God, you're engaged? When did this happen? How come I didn't know?"

She laughed and twisted the ring. "New Years. About a minute before 2001, Tim proposed. I accepted...obviously." She was taken by surprise when she was lifted off the bed and picked up. She started to laugh into his shoulder, holding on tight. She was turned, she was bounced, and she was forced to dance. JC dipped her low and brought her back up, a large smile on her face. "So, what do you think?"

"What do I think? You're getting married! I can't believe it." He pulled away and picked up her hand, looking at the ring from all angles. "Wow, now that's a rock," he added with a laugh. "I can't believe it. Little New York is getting married. Have you done the scream yet?"

She frowned, looking at him. "The scream? What do you mean, the scream?"

Laughing as they both sat down on the bed, he turned to her. "Remember when I made you scream over the ACMA nominations? That scream, only this one should be louder, longer, and jumpier. So, have you done the scream?" Her head shook slowly, and she continued to look at him like he was crazy. "Come on, just a little one? You're engaged to be married. You're supposed to do the girly 'Oh my God, I can't believe it', jump as high as you can, clap your hands like a maniac, shake the house, shriek and kill your friend's ear drum scream."

"I don't think so. The last scream took a lot out of me, and Joe was a little upset because my throat was raw for two days."

He groaned and pulled her back up. "You want to scream. You want to jump. You want to dance around the room. Not only do you want to, you need to. So, let me see it. Do a cheerleader 'like, oh my gosh, we got a touchdown, like totally' impression."

"Fine! I can see that I'm not getting out of this." She reached for him, and took hold of his hands when she started to jump. One loud, long shriek sounded from her, and she started to giggle, her eyes shining. "I'm getting married. My God, I'm getting married. I can't believe it, and I have so much to do, and...damn, I feel faint." She started to laugh when JC pushed her down on the bed. "I'm getting married. I'm engaged. This is incredible. I never thought that this would happen. I mean, it was so unexpected, and are you even listening to me?"

"What? I'm sorry, there's something wrong with my ears. I can't hear very well." She laughed and pulled him down on the bed, her eyes closing as she fell backwards. Her chest rose and fell with a sigh. He caught the dejected tone, and laid down beside her on his side, his head propped in his hand. "What's the matter?"

Her eyes turned to look at him. "You couldn't tell? Austin's not exactly the happiest person right now. He thinks I'm making a mistake, and he told me that...oh, you don't need to hear all the dirty details, but he's definitely not happy. Over protective older brother turned into Extreme rat bastard brother. Maybe it's a good thing that he's going to France after all and the fact that my tour starts soon...damn, he wanted to come for the beginning. I bet that isn't going to happen." She rolled onto her side, in the same position as him and looked at him closely. "I never thought that he would be so cruel about it. I knew that he wouldn't be happy, but we're not even talking. It's like a bad game of hide and seek."

A piece of hair fell over her shoulder, and he moved to brush to back. "I thought that something was wrong. I could tell as soon as I walked in the house. Is it really that bad?" She nodded slowly, sighing again. "Why is he so pissed, though. I don't understand."

"He doesn't like Tim, plain and simple. He thinks that he's not good enough for me. He thinks that there's something wrong about him. I don't really know. They've hated each other since the day that they met, and there's nothing that I can do to make them think differently. I thought that he would be a little happy for me, but no. At least I have an escape coming up."

His eyebrows slowly raised, and he regarded her face closely. "New York, you know that having an escape isn't the way to go."

Her eyes slid down to her ring, and she kept moving it, looking at the light reflecting off of it. "I know, but a girl can dream, can't she?" A smile went across her face, slight but there. "This isn't what your vacation is all about, though. Is there anything that you want to do that we haven't yet? I'll be sure to keep you away from the roller rink."

With a laugh, he rolled onto his back to look up at the ceiling while he thought. "I don't really care what we do." He broke off long enough to yawn.

She laughed, covering her mouth with her hand. The engagement ring sparkled back at him. "Yeah, I'm mean. Get some sleep, and I'll wake you up before dinner. I made reservations for out in Nashville, because there is no way that a dinner with me and Austin would be very civil." She stood up and stretched, heading for the door. She opened it and slipped out, leaving him on the bed.

He moved so that his head was against the pillows, and he stared up at the ceiling for a little while. There was no way in the world that he thought this could ever happen. Brooklyn and Austin, to him, were the perfect brother and sister. They rarely fought and seemed to be happy. There was obviously a lot that he didn't know about them, but even hearing and noticing a little bit made him think.

A marriage proposal couldn't rip them apart, he thought. They were too close for that. He knew that Austin didn't like Tim, and it worked the other way...he sat up and looked towards the window. That didn't sound right to him. The fact that Tim would propose, knowing that it would start a big fight between his now fiancee, and her brother. He KNEW that it was going to happen, so why would he propose?

"Love, you idiot. He loves her." His mind was still working over time on this. If he loved her, wouldn't he have waited until the two got along, or Brooklyn could have brought it up with Austin? Wouldn't he had waited until it was a better time, or did he really not care that much about Brooklyn's life outside of him. JC knew that he didn't like to go to her concerts, he didn't like to go to the awards shows...he didn't care for much about the music industry.

He had stressed it time and time again to Brooklyn. Music was part of her life, and she agreed. Music was their lovers, in a way. Something that they were always with, something that they could lose themselves in. Music was their lives. Didn't Tim understand that? Couldn't he understand that?

A flash of anger spread through JC quickly, but slowly disappeared as he continued to stare out the window. He knew that there was something going on with the two of them. He could almost bet that those bruises he had found on her arms before were put there by Tim, but if she wouldn't tell him, he couldn't do anything. In fact, he wasn't just thinking that they were put there by him, he was sure of it. He had picked up things that other people hadn't from the couple. He had noticed that Brooklyn had been tense, he had noticed the anger that entered Tim's eyes whenever he was around. He saw all of it, but never brought it up. She would be sure to fly off the handle, and the last thing that he wanted to was make her angry at him.

Those bruises were what kept haunting him. Just the thought of someone putting their hands on her...he didn't want to think about what he would do. It was sick to think that it would happen, but he couldn't do anything. Not one thing. With a groan, he fell back on the pillows and closed his eyes. He wanted to help, more than he knew, but there was no way that he could. That was what had been bothering him for the past little while. That was why, some nights, he had lain awake, trying not to wonder if Brooklyn had gone to see him, if she was alone with him.

He supposed that he could be wrong, but it was that feeling in his gut that told him he wasn't. It was that feeling that he constantly relied on. This was the first time that he couldn't do anything about that feeling. Instead, he had to let it grow more and more urgent, and try to ignore it. That was one of the hardest things for him to do. To sit down and not allow himself to jump up, fly down to Tennessee and beat Tim's face in.

What really had him worried was that the marriage wouldn't just rip Brooklyn and Austin apart, but it would rip Brooklyn and himself apart, even if she didn't realize it. That was what Tim was betting on, he was sure. In a way, JC figured out that out as soon as she had mentioned the proposal. Tim wasn't happy with either one of the men, but it was JC that he usually worried about. It was him that gave him the most trouble, even if the relationship was just friendly.

Or was it? He shook his head like it was the stupidest thought he could ever have, but it was stuck in his head. Was their relationship just friendly? Granted, the two flirted constantly, but it came so naturally when he was around her. She dished it right back to him, so there couldn't be anything wrong with that. Besides, when did flirting hurt anyone? No, there was no way that he could be interested in Brooklyn.

Yes, she was a beautiful woman. Her eyes were what seemed to capture everyone. Dark green, almost the color of jade, that could change to a lighter or even darker shade with the snap of her fingers. Gold flecks were hidden within them, almost like little flames of a candle. The sparkle in her eyes, that almost always was there, was pure laughter, slightly mischievous. They seemed to follow you wherever you turned, and when you look at them, it seemed like there were only two people on the face of the Earth; Brooklyn and you. Aside from the physical features, she was an even more beautiful person inside. That was what mattered to him.

"I can't be. This is ridiculous. She's just a friend." And he was going to keep telling himself that, if he had to. He wasn't going to allow himself to think something that wasn't the truth, and ruin whatever friendship they had. Even if Tim was trying to do that himself.

"Aren't you ready yet, New York?" he asked, leaning against the wall beside her door. She had woken him up on time, and went to her room to get dressed for dinner. Not surprisingly, she wasn't ready. He slid down against the wall and leaned his head against it once he was sitting on the ground.

The sound of something being dropped on something hard sounded, and Brooklyn's muffled curse. "Yeah, just give me a second." He rolled his eyes, waiting for the door to open. Finally, it did, and she stepped through, smiling. "Sorry, it took me awhile to find something. Are you ready?'

He nodded and stood up, looking her over. The dress she was wearing, white with incredibly light pink swirls throughout it, fell to mid thigh, the color making her tan look even darker. She had pulled up her hair in a mess of pins in the back, creating a slightly messy look. "Yeah, yeah, put your eyes back in your head. I know that I'm wearing a dress. It doesn't happen very often." She swept past him and started down the stairs. "Are you coming or not?"

"Right behind you. You're not going to drive in those, are you?" he asked, talking about the sandals she was wearing.

Her head shook from ahead of him, and she stopped long enough in the foyer to pick up the dark jean jacket hanging on the coat rack. Without even thinking, he helped her put it on and took the keys from her hand. "Thanks. I was going to ask you to drive, anyway. I'm hungry and I want to live to have dinner." They walked outside and towards the truck in the driveway. He unlocked her door first and opened it, extending his hand to her.

"Mademoiselle," he said in a teasing tone, helping her hop in.

She smiled before he shut the door. "Merci." Giggling, she pulled the seat belt over her shoulder as he got in the driver's side. Once he was sitting, he turned the key in the ignition, and the engine started its usual soft rumble. "Do you know where we're headed, or do you need directions?" she asked, putting her bag down beside her on the seat.

He turned to look at her before backing out of the driveway. "It almost sounds like I live here on a permanent basis. I think I know where it is, but I'll most likely need some directions." She smiled to herself as he started down the road, Brooklyn watching the cars and people go by. The truck was quiet, almost too quiet, and she reached to turn up the radio, humming to herself.

Both parties were lost in their own thoughts the entire way, and when JC pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant, he couldn't help thinking that it wasn't too smart to drive all the way to Nashville without even seeing the road. He kept wondering if this was going to be the last chance he had to be with Brooklyn, like they normally were. He kept wondering what he was going to do when they couldn't be with each other any longer. They hadn't known each other that long, but they had grown incredibly close ever since she had let him know the secret of her parents. Even if he had some unexplained doubts about what she had told him, it had brought them closer, and he wasn't ready to let her go just yet. Not without a fight.

"Should I bother asking about that look on your face again, or do you plan on ignoring me all night?" Brooklyn's voice cut into his thoughts, causing him to turn around. He hadn't even noticed that he had taken her hand and was walking towards the entrance of the restaurant.

Quickly, he dropped her hand and sighed, running one hand over his face. "I'm sorry, did you ask me something before?" he asked. He turned to look at her, and noted the genuine confusion in her face.

Her head nodded up and down slowly. "Yes, actually I did. I tried to ask you the same question four times, and you finally snapped out of whatever you were thinking. So, are you finished, are you going to tell me what it's about, and are we going to go inside, because it's not all that warm out here for a thin jacket." She grinned brightly, raising her eyebrows slowly.

"Stop the look, New York." He forced himself to smile, and just forget about what he had been thinking. "I don't know what I was thinking of. It must have been pretty important if I zoned out like that, but I can't remember." It was a lie, but he didn't want her to know the truth. If she had known that the tables had been turned on her, that she wasn't the one that had to lie anymore, she would have jumped for joy, but she didn't know that. "Let's just go in, have dinner, and enjoy ourselves tonight." His lower lip stuck out slightly, making her laugh at the pout.

"Great idea, I just wish that I thought of it first," she said sarcastically, walking forward. He watched her walk for a moment, and couldn't help smiling. Even her walk showed the fiery attitude that she carried with her all the time. Running to catch up with her, he made it just before she walked in the door. "I was wondering when you were going to hurry up." She smiled again as he opened the door for her, and allowed her to walk in before him. "Reservations for two, under Turner," she said to the hostess, watching as she flipped through the book.

The two were seated in the center of the restaurant, at what the hostess claimed was the best table in the place. She practically gushed over the two once she realized who they were, causing Brooklyn to once more raise her eyebrows in question to JC. He just shrugged after sitting in his own chair. They fought not to laugh aloud before she walked away, and when she finally did, they let loose, trying to hide it. "My God, now I know why I don't like to be famous. That was wild."

JC couldn't help watching as she delicately removed the napkin from her unfilled wine glass, and placed it carefully in her lap. His eyes caught her every movement, every smile. He couldn't help paying attention and trying to memorize every single detail about her. "Have you been here before?" he asked her suddenly, hoping to break the silence.

Her eyes looked around the room, and landed on the bar in the back. "Um...I...it looks familiar." She smiled nervously, and kept her eyes on the bar. She could almost see the ghost of her father sitting there, laughing with one of his friends. How he had kissed her for the first time in years, and the last time of her life before she walked away, and never saw him again. The table that they had sat at was beside them, and her eyes almost filled with tears when she saw that there was a happy family sitting there. It was too familiar. "Yeah, I've been here before."

He didn't pick up on any of it, and opened the menu in front of him, scanning the pages quickly. "Oh. I was just wondering because the hostess seemed like she had never seen you in here before." Words were hard to come by right now, and she cleared her throat, smiling when someone stopped to fill their water glasses. She sipped it eagerly, wondering why she couldn't talk.

"Yeah, she wasn't working here back then. It's been...years since I was ever inside here, but I remembered that the food was good, and thought that we could give it a try." And for her, it was to see if she could come here, sit here and talk with someone, to see if she was letting all of the bad memories of her earlier days fade away. She replaced the glass and looked around again. "I never thought that I would be able to come back here," she mumbled to herself.

He raised his head and looked at her curiously for a moment. "What do you mean? Did you have a bad experience here or something?" There was a teasing smile on his face, waiting for her to break out with some sort of joke, like she normally would, but when she looked over at him, he noticed that there was something different with her. Something that wasn't right.

Her head shook, and she pushed a piece of hair away from where it had been. It didn't need to be moved, but she did it to stop herself from getting up from the table and never looking back. "I'll tell you later, once we're gone." He nodded, but watched her for a moment, while she opened up the menu and looked at it. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that it wasn't the same as the one that the restaurant had used the first time that she had gone there. The last time that she had gone there. "The one thing that I do remember is that it takes the waiter forever to come to your table. It's a nice place if you don't mind having a leisurely dinner."

"I can tell," he said with a smile, looking around. His eyes fell on someone sitting at the bar that looked towards them. More specifically, towards Brooklyn. She didn't seem to notice, since she was busy reading the menu. "New York, do you know that guy over there?" he asked, gesturing with his head.

She looked up, curious, before looking at the bar. She looked at the man sitting there, who had looked back down. "No...not that I know of. He looks slightly familiar but...I don't think so." A smile graced her face. "Why, worried that you're going to have to stop someone from hitting on me? He's a little too old for my taste." There was something suspiciously familiar about him, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

When JC looked back at the man, his head was raised, and watching the country singer. She seemed to be oblivious to it, and if she wasn't, she wasn't letting it bother her. Granted, he could have just been a fan, but for some reason, he didn't think that the man was. The way that he looked at her was with a remembering gaze, like he was remembering something from the past. "So, have you started planning the wedding yet, or are you doing that after you come back from the tour?"

A bright smile lit her face, and he couldn't help smiling back. "I haven't planned anything yet. I've only been engaged for four days." The giggle that escaped her was giddy, very happy. She had forgotten about Austin for the moment. "Most of it will be planned during the tour, I suppose. I mean, it's all the bride's show. The groom has to do barely anything, other than showing up. I know a few things that have to happen. Alyssa is definitely a bridesmaid, and my publicist will be my maid of honor. We're incredibly close." A shadow passed over her face for a moment, before she brightened again. He caught it. "The only thing I'm not sure about is who is going to escort me down the aisle. I have a few choices, but you know me, I always have another card up my sleeve."

"What I want to know is if you've picked out a dress. I'm sure that you have some sort of idea about it." Her face flushed and she looked down at the table. "I knew it. You've had your dress picked out in your mind ever since you were six years old. I could tell, I could just tell."

She laughed softly. "Shut up, you make me sound like a sappy, mushy person. I'm not." He shook his head incredulously. "Don't give me that, I'm not, but yes, there are a few ideas that I have. Nothing more than that." She laughed louder, catching the attention of a few people in the restaurant. One of them caught sight of the engagement ring on Brooklyn's finger, and smiled towards the couple. She had the wrong assumption of what they were to each other, but she couldn't help thinking that they looked perfect together. "Are you still insinuating that I'm a mushy person?"

JC smiled innocently and blinked twice. "Me? Insinuate? Never. I just know that you're lying. Case in point: after we had just met, and I was leaving." Her face colored more this time, and she chuckled under her breath. She couldn't help herself. "Do you think I didn't notice how fast you ran out of there? You may think that I just walked onto the plane, but I turned to watch you. I saw, New York. You can't hide much from me, and I saw that."

Her head shook slowly. "If you're going to say that I was emotional, you are so wrong, JC. I wasn't crying."

"Did I say that you were crying? No, I don't believe so. I just said that I saw everything that day, but I never said that you were crying. Gotcha." She groaned and dropped her head. "Don't get me wrong, I'm very flattered, but I never said that. You backed yourself into a corner."

"So you've said, and so I've understood. I was an idiot, okay? I admitted to something that you never brought up. My apologies, your honor." She bowed her head and giggled to herself. "It's hard to explain. You've touched me in a way that no one else has before. You were special...wait, let me rephrase that. You ARE special. Happy now?"

His head shook. "Nope. Only because you are truly the special one, and that guy over there is really starting to weird me out."

"You have to look over your shoulder to see him. Just stop it." She ventured a look and sighed. "Besides, he's not even looking over here. He's looking at his drink. Stirring it with that stupid little red plastic stick thing. Just leave the poor guy alone. He's probably just wondering if he should come over here and tell me that he once met me at an autograph signing or something. Nothing special, nothing important." Her attention was diverted and she smiled. "Oh, look, it's the evasive waiter. I wonder if he got lost on his way or something."

JC tried not to laugh as the guy came up to the table, and he coughed twice to stop himself. They ordered and the man left quickly, walking towards the kitchen. "It's not that I can see him. I can feel the fact that he's watching us. Watching you. Whatever, he's still looking over here and it's annoying."

She looked again and started to laugh. "He's not looking, Speedy Gonzales. In fact, he's heading towards the bathroom, which means he has to go past us. If you say one word to him, I swear, this sandal is going to be permanently imbedded in your shin, got it, hot shot?"

He sent her another incredulous look. "Speedy Gonzales? Just where did you come up with that one."

The grin on her face was pure evil. She had found a way to keep him from stopping the man, which she had a feeling that he would have, and a way to annoy him, all at once. "In case you didn't notice, while you were driving, you rarely kept it under the limit. Besides, you should feel privileged. Speedy was my favorite on the Saturday morning cartoons, and he was so adorable. That has to say something for you."

"Only you could find some sort of twisted reason to call me that. Whatever you do, don't make it stick."

She smiled brightly, bright enough to light the room. "I wasn't planning on it. Believe me, it's already forgotten. What's the point of giving you a nickname when everyone refers to you by a nickname, Joshua?" she asked with a teasing smile. "I get it, I get it," she mumbled when she saw the look on his face. "So, I have an important question for you. You are going to come to the wedding, aren't you? I'll want you there for me."

There it was again, the constant reminder of the fact that Tim would pull them away with the marriage. "Of course I'll be there. Even if I wasn't invited, I was going to crash it. You didn't even have to ask that, New York." She nodded, her hands dropping down to play with the napkin. "There's something else bothering you. I can tell."

Her head shook quickly. "No, nothing is bothering me. I don't know why, but...oh, never mind. It's nothing." His eyebrows raised and he looked at her. "JC, how many times have I told you that I have that expression copyrighted, trademarked and the such. You just don't listen."

"I'm partially deaf when you say stuff like that. It's called selective hearing. I picked it up from my grandfather. It works pretty good sometimes, especially when you're talking." She laughed, her head bowed. This was how he wanted to remember her.

"You can't be serious," she exclaimed with a laugh. She looked around the parking lot, at all the people going in and out of the restaurant. "We're not going to dance in the middle of the parking lot, JC. That's just ridiculous." His arms crossed and he pouted down at her. "The pout doesn't work with me, buddy. Never has, never will. You're preaching to the wrong crowd. I am the master of the pout."

She took his arm and started to pull him away from where they were standing. "Oh, come on, New York. Live a little, would you? It's just one little dance. It's not like anyone would care."

"I would. It would be embarrassing. I've been known to do some pretty embarrassing things, but this is a little beyond me. I will not dance in the parking lot, period." She sighed and stopped for a moment, looking around. Her eyes landed on the truck, and a shadowed figure standing near it. Brooklyn barely stopped herself from gasping when she recognized him. The same man that JC had sworn was looking at her. "Come on, I want to go for a walk. You don't mind, do you?" she asked sweetly, escorting him away from the truck. She looked over her shoulder quickly and sent the man a bad look.

Halfway through dinner, she had figured out who he was, but didn't want to bring it up. It was a little too painful to do so, and she just kept quiet. As the two walked down the street together, she let go of him long enough to button up the jean jacket she was wearing. "If you're cold, why don't we head back."

A bad look his way, she pointed to a dark area. "There's something that I have to do first and you're along for the ride, baby. Besides, it's not that cold out here, and I'm sure that I'll be warm in just a moment or so." She skipped a few steps and then stopped, walking beside him. "Not a good thing to do in sandals."

"Those aren't good for much of anything, other than...okay, I'll shut up now. I guess you're a little partial to them." She smiled brightly and pulled him across the street. His eyes adjusted to the darkness from the street lights, and he groaned. "We came all this way to go to a park? There's one right by your place."

"But this one is a little different. This is where Austin and I spent most of our time as kids. I would be out here from the moment I woke up to the moment I went to bed. This place rocks. Now, are you going to come with me, or are you going to stand there like an idiot, watching me have fun. I'll give you three seconds to decide." She bent down and took off the sandals, holding them in her hand. "One...two...hey, wait for me!" she called when he took off without her. Her laugh rang out through the slightly chilly air, and she ran after him to the plastic structure in the center of the park. She watched him for a moment before following quickly, holding onto a bar and swinging her feet onto the platform and chasing him to the twisted slide. He stopped for a moment and looked over at her. His eyes moved and up down her, before landing on the bottom of her dress.

She waited in silence for him to talk, the only sound was the two of them breathing slightly heavier than before. She tossed her shoes onto the grass below and waited for him to talk. "Are you sure that you should go down in your dress?" he asked her.

With a laugh, she lifted the bottom of the dress slowly, revealing a pair of bicycle shorts underneath. "I've never been comfortable wearing short dresses, so I always wear shorts underneath. Now, are you going down or do I have to push past you and go down myself?" she asked him, her hands on her hips in mock frustration.

He grinned and grabbed onto the top of the slide, swinging out before he hit it, sliding down to the bottom. He stood up, and watched as took off her jacket, tying it around her waist. She ran and jumped onto the slide, zooming around the corners before she made it to the bottom. He grabbed her before she fell off the edge and put her back on her feet. "Oh, and I suppose that you thought what you did was pretty good, huh?" She nodded, the pins in her hair loosening as she did so. He turned her around and started to pick them out, her hair falling onto her shoulders. Her hand was out to take the pins and put them in her pocket. "Only you would think of going to a park when you're hair's up in that fancy thing, and when you're wearing a dress."

She turned long enough to stick out her tongue at him. "So not true. My hair isn't in anything fancy, just eighty bobby pins to keep it in place. Besides, I am wearing shorts, aren't I? Hurry up, I want to go to the swings." He laughed and finished picking out the pins. He slipped his hands through her hair a few times to make sure that they were all out before he let her turn back around. "Thank you," she said with a smile, pushing the pins into her jacket pocket, and walking over to the swing set. She took her jacket off from around her waist and sat down on one of the swings, pushing herself off with her feet.

A smile broke out on his face before he walked over and took the one beside her. "Can't you just see the headlines now? Pop star and country star seen playing on swing set together. Page 12 of the Enquirer." She laughed softly, pushing herself even higher. "Are you sure that you should go that high?" he asked, listening to the creaking of the old set.

"Relax, I'm just going to bump you a few times," she called to him. When she went back, she saw him face. "Well, you have to get higher for me to do it. We used to have competitions out here to see who could bump the best. It's not like I'm going to make you fly off or anything, just hold onto the chain tight."

Once he was up to the right height, and she was at the top, she lifted herself off the swing and slammed back into it, causing JC to jump a little in his. "I take it that was a bump?" She nodded as she went back, and then came up. She did it again, making him laugh. "This is what you spent your childhood doing? You have some serious problems, sweetie."

She just laughed, swinging her feet off to the side. She started to twirl on the swing, JC keeping a close eye on her to make sure that she didn't slam into anything or fall off. She let herself untwist and continued it until she slowed down to a stop. "Wow, that makes me dizzy now. I used to be so good at that." She started to swing slowly, her feet trailing over the soft grass. "See, this is how us superstars relax," she said with a smile, holding loosely to the chains beside her.

"I have to admit, it is relaxing, but I would hate to see what would happen if some photographer caught us here."

She made a face. "JC, you're too obsessed with that. No photographer is going to see us here. Believe me, I've lived out here all my life, I know where you can go and where you can't. This place is one of the few that I've never been caught. I don't think they even know about it. Just relax and have some fun. That's all I ask of you. Just relax and have some fun. This is so much more fun that photo shoots and being stuck in a studio for weeks."

He watched her for a little while, a soft smile on his face. His eyes took in the way that her hair flew out behind her when she was swinging, and the delicate way that the skirt of her dress would lift slightly, blowing in the wind that she created. The way her thin fingers twisted around the chain. The way that her feet moved back and forth over the grass. "This is really you, isn't it?" he asked suddenly, when he saw the serene smile on her face.

"What do you mean? Are you going senile on me or something. We've been together for the past few hours, and you ask me if it's me? Of course it is."

His head shook slowly. "That wasn't what I meant. What I really meant was that this, right now, is you." She still looked confused, so he hurried to clarify. "New York, I mean this very moment, on the swing, that smile on your face. A simple pleasure, that's you, isn't it? This would keep you happy. You don't need anything else, do you?"

Finally, she understood, and with understanding, came that sweet smile. "I see, said that blind man to the deaf man as he picked up his hammer. Yeah, you could say that. It doesn't take a lot to make me happy. I'm content, just staying like this. I'd be content if life stopped and I just got it live in this moment forever." Her shoulders moved in a shrug. "Why, does it surprise you?" she asked him.

"Not really. It's just...I've never really seen you like this before. It's something new, all right." His head shook, his eyes ahead on the plastic structure. "I don't know, I'm not making much sense lately. I think the holidays really screwed me over." She laughed, nodding along with that assessment. "I swear, I don't think that I've ever seen that much food in my life," he added with a laugh.

"I know what you mean. For two people, we had enough to feed three quarters of Tennessee. Of course, that didn't stop us from eating it all," she said with another laugh. Was your holiday as quiet as mine?" she asked, her voice low.

He chuckled under his breath and stopped the swing that he was sitting in from moving. "Not particularly. Quiet and Christmas in my family don't go together. It was loud, noisy, and wonderful. From having cousins and aunts and uncles in the house, I don't think I got a moment of peace, but I loved it. That's the way all of our Christmases are like." He looked over at her and half winced. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." he trailed off, uncertain of how to finish.

A smile appeared on her face and she looked over at him. "Don't worry, JC. Just because I don't have much of a family left doesn't mean that I can't listen to other people talk about their families. I don't have much to compare it to, that's all. Really, it doesn't bother me." She stood up and stretched her arms, reaching for her jacket. "It's getting a little colder. Are you ready to go?"

Nodding, he stood up and walked beside her, both of them quiet again. Brooklyn stopped long enough to pick up her sandals and put them on, smoothing out her skirt when she stood back up. They seemed quite content to just walk in silence, not needing to speak at all. Most importantly, they were just content with each other.

Wrapped in a heavy comforter, Brooklyn rested her head against the arm of the couch and sighed. "Screaming fan that will jump Bob Barker if you get on the stage, come on down," she mumbled, turning up the volume as the first item up for bids came out on The Price Is Right.

JC rounded the corner and looked down at her, coffee mug in hand. His eyes widened when he saw her glaring at the television screen before he walked in and sat down by her feet, lifting them with one hand and resting them in his lap. "Did I just hear you say that you were going to jump Bob Barker if you got up on that stage?" he asked in a sleep heavy voice, sipping his coffee slowly.

She shushed him and watched the screen carefully. "You have to be kidding me. Six thousand for something that ugly? I would see it the first chance that I got." She buried deeper in the comforter and moved her feet for a little while before she was completely comfortable. "No, I didn't say that I wanted to jump Bob Barker. He's a little old for my taste, but I was saying that the person that gets up there will, and I was so right. Look at that." She made a face and groaned, reaching for the mug of tea beside her.

"Well, aren't we in a good mood this morning," he said to her, watching as the host explained the game that an older man was about to play. "Why do they play the check game if so many people say they know the rules, and they end up lying?"

Her eyes rolled and she replaced the mug of tea. "It's such a classic game. If I were ever on the show, I would either want to play Plinko or the check game." He made a face, pure confusion. "Plinko, where they drop those discs down on the board and hope to hell that they end up with five thousand or however much the middle spot is worth."

His head nodded and he took a sip of coffee. "Right, I remember that one." They both watched as the man won the living room furniture and then walked off with a bright smile. "Why are you watching this, anyway? I thought that you would still be upstairs sleeping."

Her shoulder moved in a quick shrug. "For some reason, I couldn't sleep all that well last night." That was because she knew who the man was, and why he kept looking over at her, wondering if he should interrupt their dinner to talk to her. He knew that she didn't want to talk to him. He was the last person that had seen her father, the one that bought him the last drink before he started to drive home and never made it all the way. "I got up a few hours ago and just watched television. There's nothing good on this early in the morning. This sucks. Even the cartoons aren't that good."

She started to struggle with the blanket, and he reached over, pulling it higher up on her shoulders with his free hand. "There you go." She thanked him and closed her eyes for a moment before looking back at the television. "So, what did you..." he quieted himself, and she looked towards the window before turning down the volume on the set.

He helped her get out of the blanket and they walked over to the window, looking at what was causing the noise. Brooklyn's mouth dropped open, and she gasped before running for the door. Austin and Tim were face to face in the driveway, neither one of them very happy.

JC followed on her heels, just in case something needed to be stopped. What that something would be, he didn't know, but he knew that there was going to be something big happen. He also knew that Brooklyn wasn't going to be very happy that day.

Chapter Fourteen
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