Chapter Twenty-Five

**I just wanted to put a little warning on this chapter. It's got some more mature content in it than some of my other chapters and if you have a problem with that sort of thing…skim or don't read. -Lyn (FictionLyn@aol.com)**

(Friday April 7, 2000)

Lauren popped open her umbrella and slid out of her car to look out at the rain that blew sideways across the parking lot of Jive studios. It had been a miserable day and there was nothing more miserable on a rainy day than to have to walk around a huge college campus in that rain. No matter how hard she tried, she got wet every time and the cooler temperatures only added to her misery. She was wet, she was cold, she was tired, she was confused, and she was terrified of what was going to happen this time tomorrow when her "grace period" was over with Tom.

That's the main reason why she had driven all the way across town in mid afternoon traffic, to talk to Miranda and to somehow schmooze her way into having Tom give her another week. Justin still believed that they had another week before Tom would force her to sign a contract, so if Tom suddenly went public with their relationship, Justin would know and he would be far from happy about that fact.

There hadn't been a day that went by that she didn't curse herself for not just telling Justin about the contract and about signing it. She had done the right thing. In her mind and in her heart she had done the right thing by signing it. He was safe from Shai being forced on him, he was safe from being humiliated by it, he was safe from hating, and he was being kept in the dark about it so that he could hold on to whatever sense of happiness he could get. The album should be rocking his world and it should be making him happier than anything ever had in his life without the worry of evilness being around him, but unfortunately through all her good intentions…it had still seeped through. It had managed to overtake them and draw them into a deep pit of despair and possible heartache.

She wasn't going to give up hope that Miranda had found something or would find something. Tom was very smart and he was clever, but he wasn't perfect. There had to be mistakes somewhere and Miranda would find them.

She closed her umbrella and shook it off before walking inside the main lobby and walking up to the front desk. "Helllllloooooo Krista."

The bright smiling woman behind the desk lit up when she saw her. "Hey there Lauren! I didn't know the guys were in the studio today."

"Oh they're not. In fact, Lance is off filming that Millionaire show and Chris is Hollywood Squaring it this weekend."

She looked around at the people in the lobby and then leaned forward to whisper. "Is Justin here today?"

Lauren leaned back with a grin. "Not that I'm aware of. I think he's off relaxing on this beautiful day full of rain and clouds. If I had to guess…he's sleeping. Who I'm really here to see is Miranda. Please tell me she's here today."

Krista flipped through a few papers before looking back up. "Ms. Hill is scheduled to be here for another three or four hours and she should be out of her meeting with Mr. Stephens by now. Would you like me to tell her you're on your way up?"

She waved a hand as she walked to the elevator. "No thank you. She'll know it's me when I arrive. Oh wait…is JC here?"

"I haven't seen him today."

Lauren stepped onto the elevator and pulled her jacket tighter against the coolness of the building. "I wouldn't want to…INTERRUPT anything. Actually…"

When the elevator doors opened, she wandered down the long corridor that led to the main offices and a chill went over her when she passed by Tom's office. There was no way she would allow herself to leave the building without talking to him about the contract, but talking to him was the very last thing she wanted to do. From the grin that was always on his face, to the arrogant way he stood there, to the evil gleam in his eyes…he made her sick to her stomach and he also made her want to forget about the consequences and just push him out of the nearest window.

As she walked by she could hear him talking to someone and when she heard his gleeful laughter it made her pick up her pace towards Miranda's office. There was no telling what was going on in his office, who he was talking to, or what he was so excited about. "He's probably making plans now to destroy someone else's life."

The door to Miranda's office was open when she walked up and she leaned against the doorframe while she watched Miranda talk on the phone. To think of this woman as the country bumpkin she had been when she had first come to Orlando was about as far from the truth at that moment as anything else could be. She literally dominated the room with her expertise and her passion for her work. A lot of that "passion for work" also included the fact that her "passion" was someone she was also able to work with, but it still made Lauren smile to think of how far she had come and how many obstacles she had overcome.

"Are you absolutely sure that the website designers can't widen that space a little bit? Yes I'm being serious here and I don't really see why they can't give me just a little more room there. Ok I'm not talking brain surgery here, I'm talking about giving me a few centimeters on a webpage."

Lauren got more comfortable against the doorframe and looked down at the floor while she listened to her ramble.

Miranda pulled her hair back with one hand and let it fall around her shoulders when she didn't hear what she wanted to hear out of the man on the phone. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't this person go to college for this? Is he not getting a hell of a lot of money for playing around with computers all day? I know the answer is 'yes' and what I really want to hear is that you're going to give me more space so I can do MY job effectively. The fans having to basically scroll down the entire time they read something isn't the way the section should look. Yes I'm SO glad I'm back in Orlando too. Would you like to know the sure-fire way to make me shut up? Make this happen and I'll stop bothering you." She slammed the receiver down and growled. "STUPID people!"

"Stupid people around here? Noooooo! Say it ain't so!"

Miranda jerked around at her voice but then smiled when she recognized her. "Would you like to run a very famous website?"

Lauren rolled off of the door and walked over to sit down on the couch across the room. "I'm sorry but I don't think there's enough money in the world to make me work for this company. Plus, from the way it sounds…I'm too smart to run the website."

Miranda picked up her coffee and plopped down beside her. "You just might be right about that. So what are you doing here? I didn't know you were going to stop by or I would have cleared out my schedule more."

"I was kind of hoping to talk to you about Tom."

Miranda's eyes widened and she got up to close and lock the door before sitting back down. "The walls have eyes so you can never be too careful. Oh by the way, I want to thank you for what you did in New York before you left."

"What did I do?"

"You had the fans talk to Tom and Mr. Stephens about how much they love my section of the website. You also had them brag about how much they love the fact that I'm on the road with the guys."

"I didn't tell the fans anything. They mentioned the website to me, I told them that you love what you do, and they ran with it. Tom and Mr. Stephens just happened to be at the right place and at the right time with the right fans walking by. That's all."

Miranda gave her a disbelieving look before shaking her head. "I'm not buying that story for one minute because it's better fiction than anything I could possibly write. I just wanted to say that I appreciated it. It made me feel good to know that the fans really love the service I'm providing for them."

"Service you're providing for them? Keeping that beaming grin on JC's face along with his newfound high pro glow?"

"Sooooo what did you say brings you here today besides taking jabs at my JC?"

Lauren laughed at the abrupt change of subject and she had to love Miranda for her way of making even the unusual…usual. "Stake your claim on that boy! Anyway, I was here for the Tom thing remember? You were right with me until JC was mentioned and then your brain went straight for the gutter. Although now that I think about it, Tom's palace is in the sewer so you might have passed him on that little trip."

"Ah yes…any information that I might have found on Tom. Are you still going to keep me in the dark about why you want this information or have you decided to let me in? Things would go a lot faster and easier if you just told me."

There was nothing she wanted more than to just lean over and cry on Miranda's shoulder at that moment, but she couldn't. She couldn't risk losing Justin or losing her best friends because she couldn't keep her mouth shut. "I can't. I wish I could, but I can't."

Miranda's perceptive eyes roamed over her speculatively and she didn't like the pain she saw on the young girl's face, but until she decided to open up there was nothing that could be done. "I have been calling all my contacts, they have been calling theirs, and the search is still on for any information out there about Tom and his dastardly plans to bring Jive down. Figuratively speaking of course. The radio station I told you about before is now refusing to take my calls so I've called a few of my old colleagues in South Carolina to help me out. They're hitting the news database hoping they can find a new link to Tom's past and then we will have a whole new road to take and explore."

"So you're saying that you haven't found anything? You're saying that you're at a dead end? How is that POSSIBLE?"

"Lauren, I didn't say I was at a dead end. I said that I was working on finding new roads and new paths." She shifted on the couch to get more comfortable. "People who hate and who are blinded by either jealousy or greed, make mistakes. They're usually so blinded by their own self-centered needs or demands that they don't realize what they're really doing is leaving a breadcrumb trail to their biggest weaknesses. In Tom's case I think a lot of rain has dissolved most of his breadcrumbs, but they're out there and I WILL find them. I've never NOT found them."

She chewed on a finger while she stared down at the floor. "I trust you, but I also trust the fact that Tom has covered his tracks well. Have you found out ANYTHING interesting? Even if it's small I would love to know. I just have to know that you haven't given up on finding out something useful."

Miranda closed her eyes while she thought about it. "I wasn't going to tell you this because I don't know if it means anything or if it is even going to be useful, but Tom has been married before."

"I didn't know it was legal to marry a fungus."

"I guess in some states it is. I haven't been able to get my hands on the name of the woman he was married to or any hints as to if he has children, but he was married."

Lauren's hand slapped against her thigh before she whined. "I'm not hearing any scary music here. I guess I just thought that this would be easier and that you would find out that he's been a child molester or something. I pity the woman who actually married him and I think that she's been beat in the head too many times, but this isn't anything that's useful at all."

Miranda's eyes narrowed. "How about knowing that he married a girl much younger than he was? Does that help you any?"

"Are we talking years here or can I hope for decades?"

She took a deep breath and her eyes widened at the thought. "It looked pretty bad from what I saw. He was in his mid twenties at the time, in college, and her records showed that she was still in high school."

Lauren's jaw dropped. "Did you get the name of the high school? Because it could have been a listing of college classes and…"

"I've never seen a college class listed as PE or beginning band. That's high school and THAT my dear spells trouble."

Lauren could feel her excitement building and she could also feel horns growing on top of her head as the information sunk in. This was not good and it would be even worse for Tom if the information was put to good use. Just as soon as she got all the information. "That makes me sick to my stomach. Not only because someone actually married him and completed the marital…ugh…DUTIES, but that he would marry someone so much younger than he was. She was a CHILD!"

"Not necessarily. I'm not trying to burst your bubble on this one but it's also possible that she was eighteen and very legal."

Lauren pushed up off of the couch and walked over to the window. "PE? Beginning band? Miranda that is stuff that freshmen or sophomores take."

"Maybe she was a late bloomer?"

"Ok I know that you don't want me to get all hopeful or excited over information that might be nothing, but I just have to. It's all I have left here and the deadline…um…well I need to know."

Miranda's attention had been grabbed at Lauren's slip but she let it pass. "I'm going to say this again…have a plan B to whatever you're doing because Tom isn't one you can predict. He's not one you can get comfortable thinking you can control."

"What are you going to do next?"

"I'm going to try to call a few people I know who handle private records and who can get information that legally I'm not supposed to have. There are only a few people I know who can do that and do it without getting caught, and one of them I don't want to call unless I'm absolutely stuck with no other options. Do you realize what a risk this is? I seriously can't believe I'm doing this without knowing what it's for."

Lauren couldn't believe that she was doing it either and her selflessness made her love the woman even more. "You're saving my life and you're saving my heart. Is that good enough for you? Will that do for now?"

Miranda saw her serious expression and that look made her even more scared. "I guess it will have to."

"Who is the person you wouldn't call unless you were forced to?"

Miranda paled a little and swallowed hard before speaking softly. "Harrison. God, I haven't said that name in so long and it still gives me the chills. He's the absolute best at manipulating and getting whatever information he needs. He has always been able to flash that smile, turn on the charm, and get whatever he needed whether it's legal or not. I became a pro at making connections and researching the legal way because I watched how he did it the illegal way. Lauren, you have no idea what that man can get his hands on when he's determined or driven enough to do so."

"It's a lot to ask but…"

Miranda held a hand up and walked over towards her desk. "Oh no don't. You know I love you like a sister and you're my best friend but I have to draw the line there."

"But if he could find you a new path to take then…"

"Lauren, you seem to be forgetting the stalker-like behavior that Harrison is famous for. Do you know how long it took me to get past him and to have him forget about me? I do NOT want his attention brought back to me or even to raise his 'Miranda curiosity level' one level. You know I love you but I…I just can't."

She knew it was a lot to ask, but at the same time she was desperate enough to push Miranda to face her fears even if it was only to succeed in helping her out. "You can't hide from Harrison forever. He's going to be around and he's going to be around even more as the guys get more popular and more popular. You can either work with him, or you can't hide. If you hide…he'll know you're scared."

"Staying away from him and joining his team are two TOTALLY different things, Lauren. Are you forgetting that Harrison has teamed up with Tom BEFORE? What makes you think that his loyalty would be with me over Tom?"

Lauren sat down in one of the chairs at Miranda's desk and sighed. "Well…um…he loves you and has always loved you. Ok so his version of love was a very sick thing, but he still loved you. Through everything he did, through all the manipulation, he was still trying to hang onto you. Now you can either feed that ego of his a little and have him join your side for this favor, or you can leave him alone and have him possibly join Tom's side again. You know as well as I do that Tom is going to need reinforcements when I finally do grab a hold of him and he's going to be reaching for every source he has. Harrison is on that list of sources."

Miranda sat down across from her and she chewed at her lip nervously. "I pity Tom when you finally do figure out what to do because I can tell that you're on a mission of destruction, but Harrison is just…it's just a resource I don't know I can afford to use."

"Does he accept that you're with JC? Didn't he push you to come back to Orlando to be with JC?"

"Yes he did but…"

Lauren met her eyes and pleaded while she prayed for understanding. "You're all I have, Miranda. PLEASE help me."

The pencil between her fingers tapped against the wood surface of her desk. "If I risk this much to get you information that you might not be able to use…what are you going to offer me?"

"Oh so now we're trading huh? I see your game. What do you want?"

Miranda smiled slightly. "Hmmm, what…do…I…want?"

"I don't like the look you have. In fact, it's kind of scaring me."

"Don't be scared. If I'm going to go to these lengths to get you information, then you need to give up some information of your own."

"I already told you that I can't say why I need to know this stuff about Tom. I have to be secretive and quiet because that's the way it is. When I get more things to build on and I have him cornered then you'll be the first person I tell. But until then I…"

Miranda tossed her pencil aside and grinned even brighter. "I wasn't talking about information on Tom."

"Then what are you…I don't understand."

She turned her computer monitor where Lauren could see it. "Do you see what I see?"

Lauren looked at the screen and scanned it quickly. Her eyes widened when she saw that it was Miranda's notes for the biography. "Oh you are pure evil. I don't have any secrets on the guys that is publishable. The kind of dirt that you're wanting would be too humiliating, too vague, or too stupid to put into a fan book."

"How about I say that it wouldn't be published, but would satisfy my curiosity? In fact, it has been bugging me for a REALLY long time and now it could be put to rest."

Lauren leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest. "So what you're saying is that you're being nosey."

"Bingo! So what do you say? I'll go to Harrison and ask him to help me, just as soon as you give me the answer I'm looking for."

"One question and one answer?"

"How about two? Sound good? I don't think that's all that painful."

Lauren watched as Miranda held her hand out over the desk and after staring at it for a few seconds, she hesitantly leaned forward to shake it. "What do you want to know?"

Miranda smiled so evilly and so gleefully that Lauren was beginning to get a little scared. "Why does Justin call you 'Val' all the time?"

"I have no idea."

"You're breaking your deal."

Her hands went up in defense and she laughed. "I am so serious. I have no idea why he calls me that. He's been calling me that since we were in kindergarten and I just became numb to it. Whenever I used to ask him, he would just say that it was a secret between himself and God. Who am I to butt my nose into God's business?"

"Ok I'll buy that for now. Next one."

"I'm all ears."

She leaned forward and her grin grew larger. "Explain to me why you call him 'Minnie' sometimes."

Lauren's jaw dropped and she actually blushed. "You can't be serious! He would KILL ME if you ever published that or if he knew that I told you."

"I'm totally serious and this is WAY off the record. I won't publish it or even write it down anywhere. It's just to satisfy my sick curiosity."

"JC really knows how to pick NOSEY girlfriends."

"What can I say? The guy's got taste. So tell me and I'll make that phone call to Harrison tonight."

She was getting a full understanding just how Miranda was able to make so many contacts and the childlike meddling of her questions only made her love and appreciate her more. She certainly knew how to keep people on their toes.

"Ahem…well…I swear to God if you tell ANYONE that I told you this I'm going to kill you. You can't tell ANYONE what I'm about to say."

She held three fingers up and smiled. "Girl Scout honor."

Lauren chewed on a finger furiously while she looked around the room and tried to figure out if she should say this or not. "Oh my God he's going to kill me. Ok, well you know that Justin and I moved here when we were about twelve years old. You knew that right?"

"I knew that."

"Um…well Justin had just joined the Mickey Mouse Club and was adjusting to living here in Orlando, having private tutors, being around happy mouse loving people all the time, and so he was being blasted by so many images all at once that they kind of got stuck in his head after a while. They became a part of his thoughts and his dreams because it was being pushed down his throat all at once. I had a similar thing happen to me when I moved here."

Miranda laughed and nodded. "So did I. After a week I swore that if I saw Mickey's face one more time I was going to climb up on a billboard and paint a huge trap on it. Continue."

She took another deep breath and laughed nervously. "Well those things were working in his head and he was hitting puberty. Um…I guess the best way to say this is that he was REALLY hitting puberty. When guys hit puberty their bodies start changing and they start having very vivid dreams."

"You're not saying that he…"

"He was staying at our house for the weekend and it just so happens that he…um…he had a very…uh…VIVID dream about Minnie Mouse. Now that wasn't so bad, but with his growing and maturing body he kind of…well…let's just say that the dream became wet."

Miranda's jaw dropped open while her eyes gradually widened. "You're saying that his first wet dream was…"

Lauren covered her face with a hand. "Was because of Minnie Mouse."

Miranda burst out laughing and it took several minutes before she was calmed down enough to speak. "You know those things are very natural and it has nothing to do with what he was dreaming about."

"Yeah but he didn't know that. All he knew was that it was 'broken' and that he had been dreaming about Minnie Mouse right before it happened. You should have seen him!" She thought about it and fought not to laugh but it was too much. "He came into my bedroom crying because he was so upset and embarrassed, and he actually thought I would know the answer. Since when do I have problems like that?"

Miranda wiped tears from her eyes and got her breath back. "Now I understand why he blushes when you say that word. I can't believe he told you that but I guess he was lost in the moment and ran to you for help. Lauren, that right there shows how much he loves and cares about you. It shows how much he needs you because he didn't think twice before running to you even at THAT age and with that kind of problem."

She watched as Miranda started laughing again. "It kind of shocked me too but when he trusts someone…he believes wholeheartedly in that trust and in that person. Thank you for everything you've done. I'll leave you alone now and get home before the Friday traffic jam hits. If you publish that or tell anyone…I will break out my JC file and go public. Oh yes I will."

She pulled on her lips and then smiled. "My lips are zipped. I'll call you this weekend when I hear from…Harrison."

Lauren could still hear her giggling as she walked out into the hallway and closed the door. "I can't believe I told her that. I seriously can't believe it."

Walking down the hall towards the elevator she had to smile when she thought about that memory and what Miranda had said. It was true that for Justin to come to her with that kind of problem was indeed amazing. That wasn't something like a broken finger or a boo-boo, that was something extremely embarrassing and he had run to her because he knew that she would somehow make him feel better. That sounded dirty even to her, but she knew what she meant. She knew that to have that level of trust with such a beautiful man…was a blessing all in itself.

She walked right past Tom's office and she was going to keep going, but she just couldn't leave the building without talking to him about that stupid contract. He was going to test every bit of a hold she had on her temper, but that was worth the risk. "I can do this. I can bite my tongue for a few minutes. Come on Lauren, think about Justin and do this."

She didn't knock, but opened the door wide and strolled in. Tom looked up from the papers he was reading and pulled off his glasses to glare at her. "Hello Lauren."

"Hello you rotten maggot infested piece of camel dung." So much for holding her tongue, she thought.

He twisted his glasses between his fingers and raised an eyebrow at her words. "If you came here for a fight, let me save you some of the suspense…I'll win."

"Actually I came by here to talk to you about something."

He grinned and rocked back in his chair. "So you're just trying to get 'in' with me since starting tomorrow night I'll officially be your employer. I like your style."

"You will never be anything to me other than a sad sad man who has no balls. But pushing that all aside, I wanted to ask you for another week."

"Another week for what?"

She knew he wasn't stupid, and the gleam in his eyes showed that he was toying with her. "I need another week before you decide whether or not to go public with me and Justin."

"But I thought you two were getting along beautifully. You certainly seem like THE couple and you should have seen the way that boy moped and pushed Shai aside when you weren't there. Of course there were a few times when I think she was really working him a new one but hey…he's human right?"

She gritted her teeth and spoke softly. "I didn't come here to talk about Shai. My relationship with Justin is more than you wanted but I need another week."

"Why?"

That was a wonderful question and she couldn't tell him that she needed another week so she could break the news to him or that he thought that they had another week, that would tell Tom that she broke her contract and she would be so far away from them that they would be just another image on the computer screen or TV. "I don't feel comfortable with where we are. I think the fans would see right through us and we're not really a COUPLE. We're close and our feelings are getting there but…"

He held up a hand and sat forward. "I couldn't give a DAMN about your feelings towards one another. All I want to hear is that you two can kiss, can cuddle, can smile and coo at one another when you're out at functions, concerts, and any other public assembly. Can you do THAT, Lauren?"

"The fans aren't going to buy this and you know it. They're going to see straight through us and…"

"They're going to see a couple who is so together, through thick and thin, through complete happiness, and through troubles and heartache. They're going to see the couple that sticks together through it all."

"We'd be together through all that because we're being forced to be."

He laughed and shook his head. "Are you trying to say that you don't have feelings for the guy? Are you saying that you're only doing this because of a contract?"

"I'm doing this because I care about him and because I want to protect him from shameless SLUTS like Shai. Where did you find her anyway? Local high schools?" She watched for his reaction but if he showed any, she missed it.

"I heard about your little…ahem…conversation with Shai the other night. She was going to call the cops on you until I stopped her. How's that for helping you out?"

Watching him grin at her with that conceited look was about all she could take. She stood up and straightened her clothes while he watched her closely. "You tell her to stay away from me and from Justin or she'll be Daddy Warbucks by the time I'm finished. Thanks SO MUCH for your time."

He gave her an appreciative look while he watched her walk to the door and slam it behind her. "Tomorrow night…tomorrow night and that little hellcat is all mine."

(Later that night)

Lauren dumped popcorn into a big bowl and grabbed two Cokes before walking into the living room and handing them to Justin. His eyes were fixed on the television in front of him as he dumbly reached up to grab the bowl and a can out of her hands.

"Oh that's ok Justin. I didn't need any help."

"Uh huh. Yeah…thanks."

She stood in front of him and smiled when he tried to look around her. "How many times have you seen this movie?"

His neck craned around her but every time he moved, she moved. "I would be seeing it one more time if you'd move out of the way. You're not made out of glass, Val."

Her hips shook back and forth a few times playfully. "Can I just say that you're so romantic? I mean, inviting you over here to spend some time has been more than worth it because…"

He put the bowl and the can down before reaching up and putting his hands on her waist. Her eyes widened when he looked up into her eyes. "Val…you have my attention. In fact, you have my undivided attention right now because…because…"

She saw the look in his eyes that she had grown to love and it caused her breath to catch. "Yes?"

He gently lifted her and put her aside. "Because you're in the way. Move!"

She plopped down on the couch beside him and pouted. "As I said, you're SO romantic."

After popping a few kernels into his mouth he chewed and grinned at her frustrated movements. "It IS impressive huh?"

What she really found impressive was how good he looked and how much she really wanted to be a piece of popcorn at that very moment. "Care to share that? I made it."

He turned and handed her the bowl. "Yes I know you made it and the really shocking thing is that it's actually edible. Go Val."

They sat there in silence for a few minutes while they watched The Blair Witch Project for the hundredth time and she realized that it wasn't any better than it had been the first time that she saw it. In fact, it stunk even more because not only was it a horrible movie, it was captivating Justin.

"What are you doing tomorrow?"

"Studio junk for promotions. I'll be busy all day."

Her spirits sunk with those words. "I'll be working on my project all day. I guess that day is a bomb. When are you leaving to go to New York?"

He chewed on some more popcorn before he answered quietly. "Really early Sunday morning."

"Do you want me to come to the airport?"

His head moved slowly back and forth while his eyes remained on the TV. "No need for that. We'll be home Tuesday and I think we can live without one another for a few days."

"Justin?"

"Mmmhmm?"

She leaned over to put a hand on his shoulder and then whispered in his ear. "If I go outside, build a pile of rocks, and put some ketchup on them…would you pay attention to me?"

His head swung towards her and he looked at her eyes which were only inches from his own. "Depends on whether or not you're going to make me stand in a corner."

Her lips parted in a slow smile. "Have you been bad?"

He inhaled deeply and gave her an evil grin. "I could be VERY bad."

She looked back and forth between his eyes and lips before turning to sit a few feet away. "I think I want to watch the movie."

"What movie are you talking about? You are such a little tease. I like it. I like it a lot."

"Yeah well I learned from the best. Quit hogging the popcorn."

When she reached for the bowl, he held it out of her reach and slid down into the couch to give her a playful look. "If you want it, come and get it."

She reached out to grab it, but he rested his head against the armrest beside him and held the bowl higher over his head. "Now who is teasing?"

"I'm being very serious here. Come and get it if you want it."

From the look in his eyes to the soft huskiness of his voice, she wanted to get it all right but that popcorn was the last thing on her mind. Very slowly she pushed up to her knees on the couch and crawled over his body towards the bowl. She felt his eyes on her as she moved and he surprised her by swinging his legs back onto the couch and stretching out underneath her.

"I'm going to get that bowl."

"I'm counting on it."

She was chest level when she looked down and saw the way his eyes were roaming over her body. It embarrassed her for a second, but then she felt warm and tingly all over when she realized that he was looking at her like she was a grown woman. He was looking at her like she always wished he would.

She reached out even further but he jabbed her leg and she fell flat on top of him. They would have hit heads but he dropped the bowl on the table and caught her shoulders. "I never knew you were so clumsy."

She pushed her hair behind her ears with a free hand and looked into his eyes. "I never knew you were so evil."

When he took a deep breath, she felt the strength of his muscles against her chest. "Yes you did."

Before he could do it, she lowered her head and touched her lips to his. Justin's eyebrows went up in shock because he hadn't expected the movement. He had wanted it, but he didn't think she would actually do it. Every time they had kissed in the past, he had been the one who had initiated it. Now here she was on top of him and nudging his shocked lips apart with her own.

She had come a long way in a very short time.

He let go of her shoulders and his hands moved around her waist to slide up and down her back. She was wearing a thin T-shirt and when he felt the strap of her bra through it, his hands slid even quicker over the span of her small frame.

Lauren felt his hands but they were nothing compared to the feel of his lips as he laid there and allowed her to set the pace. She could tell that he was struggling with his control because his hands were moving recklessly, but his lips were tender and he didn't push her in any way.

She inhaled sharply in shock and kissed him more forcefully when she felt cool air on her back and his warm hands came in contact with her bare back. She pushed at his lips and very cautiously touched his tongue with the tip of hers. That movement and that caress pushed him over the edge. He turned them on the cushions until she was laying on the couch beside him and then crushed her against his strong chest.

This time he took charge of the kiss and when he forced her to open her mouth wider, she put her hand on his cheek and leaned into him as much as she could. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get close enough. His hands were still on her back underneath her shirt, and very cautiously her hand that was at his cheek moved down over his shoulder, over his arm, down his side, and stopped at his waist. She wasn't sure she should do this and she wasn't sure if she could do it, but she knew that she had to.

Her fingers fumbled with the fabric at the hem of his T-shirt until there was enough space for her to feel his skin, and she slipped her hand underneath the cloth. Justin pulled her closer and his lips slid along her jaw until he buried his face in her neck. She shifted until she could bury her hand in his hair, while her other hand moved over his bare back and pulled him even closer to her.

He kissed up and down the column of her neck before pulling his lips back and whispering in the hollow of her throat. "Pace yourself, Val."

Her hand moved over his back and his T-shirt rode up as her arm pushed underneath it on his chest. "Oh I am. I'm pacing quite nicely…thank you."

He chuckled against her and his lips started teasing the skin on her neck once more. One of his hands moved from her back and ran over her leg to pull it over his waist. She tightened the muscles in her thigh and pulled him closer that way because it was the only way she had left to draw him closer.

Justin pulled his head up and he pushed back to look down at her. "No…no we need to stop."

Her eyes widened and she tightened her arm around him. "No we sure as hell don't."

"This is going to lead to things that we don't want right now. This is going to lead to A LOT more than we need to deal with."

She leaned forward to kiss his neck and she smiled when she felt his arms tighten around her. A second later he shook his head and pulled her back again. "We're in your living room, Jayce is going to come home any minute because…well…that's our luck, and I can't push you this way."

She took another deep breath and sighed. "Ok don't push me…PULL."

He fought to sit up on the couch and they awkwardly pushed and pulled at one another until they were both seated side by side. "Like I said before, I can't do this to you. I can't…I just can't do this ok?"

She didn't want to do it, but she trusted him. She trusted his feeling that this was not a road they were ready to cross together yet. As quickly as they had both lost their heads and as quickly as she had responded, she wondered what the hell was going on. Maybe she was nothing better than Shai because a few minutes ago she wouldn't have cared if her parents would have walked in. She was after one thing and one thing only, and that was the man sitting there still breathing heavily beside her.

"That was…interesting."

He laughed and turned to look at her flushed face. "What that was, was hot."

"The Blair Witch Project is quickly becoming my favorite movie." They stared at each other for a second before laughing loudly.

The garage door opened and Jayce came in with his hands full of bags. He put them down on the counter behind them and looked at the back of their heads curiously. "What's so funny?"

Justin's eyes widened and he motioned to the kitchen. "What did I tell you?"

She laughed again and turned on the couch to smile at Jayce. "We're laughing at the movie. What did you bring home?"

"Snacks and the basic essentials. Since when is the Blair Witch Project a funny movie? Oh wait a minute, that movie was so bad it was funny. Are you two being good?"

Justin reached over to pull the back of her shirt down. "We're being very good. Right Val?"

"Very good."

Jayce finished putting the stuff away and then walked over to sit down in his chair. "What have you two been up to? And why is there popcorn everywhere?"

They looked at each other before laughing again. "I'm sorry about the popcorn but she kind of went crazy on me." He thought about what he said and hurried to finish. "With the popcorn! She went crazy with the popcorn."

He looked between the two young people sitting in front of him and sighed. "It's been a long week."

"Yessss it has. I bet you're tired too."

He gave Justin a strange look before looking at Lauren. "What is up with him?"

Lauren choked on a piece of popcorn and Justin started hitting her back while she coughed. "I'm ok. I'm ok. That just went down the wrong tube."

Jayce pushed up off of the chair and stretched. "I'm going to butt out like I promised I would and go take a shower. I have the feeling that I don't want to know what's going on here. Later Justin."

Justin waved and nudged Lauren with his elbow. "Goodnight Jayce."

When the door closed behind him, Justin stood up and helped her up. "I think it's time that I leave too. Tomorrow is going to be a long day. Walk me out?"

"Thought you'd never ask."

They walked hand in hand to the garage and Lauren watched him as he unlocked the door and threw his jacket inside. "I guess I'll see you Tuesday."

He reached for both of her hands and kissed the back of them. "We'll be over at Johnny's place because we start tour rehearsals. You're going to stop by after class right?"

"I'll be there with bells on."

He kissed her quickly on the lips before pushing her hair over her shoulders and smiling warmly. "Till Tuesday."

When he sat down in the seat, she winked and leaned against the door. "Be good and stay away from you-know-who."

"I'll be as far away from them as I can possibly get. My thoughts will be even farther."

She closed the door and waited until the window lowered. "Oh really? Where will your thoughts be?"

He buckled his seatbelt and turned to grin. "All the way back in Orlando. Goodnight Val."

Her fingers slipped from his as the car started to back away and when his car disappeared from sight, she put her fingers to her lips and jumped up and down giggling. "Speaking of staking a claim on someone…that guy can wrap himself up in my flag ANY day."