Chapter Twenty-Eight

Lauren's fingers tightened around Jonathan's much smaller ones as they made their way across the busy line of traffic that was filing into the airport, and she thought about carrying him the rest of the way to the car. Her need to get this whole scene over with was driving her to rush, but she knew that the first movement she made to carry him would start a war. If Jonathan was anything like the other Timberlake men, which she knew he was, then babying him or displaying that he was younger than the rest of the people around him would only cause anger. She had more than her share of anger from one Timberlake; much less one who could throw a tantrum in a public place and could draw the stares of everyone around.

Enough about Justin, she needed to deal with Jonathan now.

"Lauren? Is Justin going to be happy to see me?"

She unlocked the back of her car and threw his bag inside before turning to him. "I think that you're going to make his day. He's going to see you and he's going to smile so bright that we'll have to put sunglasses on."

He giggled at that and the sound of his laughter put a smile on her own face. "Up you go. Do you need me to help you with the seatbelt or…"

He pushed her hands away and pulled at the belt. "I can do it. I can do it."

She closed the door carefully and shook her head when she thought about how much he was like Justin at that age. Stubbornness must be in the genes because this little one had more of it in his little finger than most people had in their entire bodies. It wasn't that he was a brat, because he certainly had every opportunity to be one, it was just the fact that he knew what he wanted and how he wanted it. That was all there was to it.

As they drove through the tollbooth and made their way out of the airport, Lauren couldn't help realizing that Jon was the spitting image of Justin at five years old. They both had cute chubby cheeks, both flushed whenever they were nervous or anxious, both of them had eyes that sparkled enough to put diamonds to shame, and both of them were so adorable that you just couldn't help but stare at them. The other trait that they both shared was talking nonstop once they really got going, but Jon was seemingly quiet for the most part.

"How is school going? You're about to finish kindergarten right?"

His head bobbed up and down as he looked out the window. "I like my school and my teacher says that I am a good boy for sharing. Mommy told me to share things even when I didn't want to because not everybody has what I have."

"Your mommy is right. Any girlfriends yet?"

His face scrunched up and he stuck his tongue out like he was about to throw up. "No way! They don't know how to share and most of them eat glue or the finger-paints. One day, daddy let me bring my shirt from home so I could paint, but I couldn't because Heather the HOG started eating the paint and the teacher got mad. She wouldn't let anyone paint after that and it wasn't even my fault."

Lauren tried not to laugh because she knew he wasn't trying to be funny. "That wasn't very nice of her. Ahem…what color was it?"

"It was yellow and…and…and her teeth looked like the corn that mommy makes me eat before I can leave the table. I was mad. She tried to kiss me but I told her that I don't do that."

She tried her best to concentrate on the road, but her laughter was too much to hold back. "What about that girl Karen you told me about?"

He shrugged and looked down at his hands. "She's fun to play with and she doesn't make the teacher mad. When the teacher gets mad, we have to take a nap and I don't like to take naps. I'm not sleepy but she makes us sleep anyway."

"That doesn't sound like fun but…"

He took a deep breath and interrupted. "I told my teacher that I didn't want to sit by the girls anymore, but she told me that I had to have a little bit of Justin in me somewhere. What did she mean?"

"Maybe she just meant that Justin has a lot of girls who like him so maybe you would like hanging out with the girls too?"

He shrugged again and couldn't get his words out fast enough. "Yeah but…but…but she said…she said that the girls like me. She said that one day they might cry for me too. I don't like it when the girls cry but I don't know why they will cry for me unless I take their crayons away. Mommy spanked me when the teacher wrote a bad note one week and said that I called Heather the Hog a bad name but I didn't!"

Lauren's eyes widened and she thanked God right there for teachers because she didn't know how they could do it every day. "I don't like it when girls cry either. It makes me nervous."

"Mommy cried when I got on the plane today. She said she was so proud of me because I was flying here all by myself. Daddy's eyes rolled back but he didn't get a spanking like I do when I do that to mommy."

"Your daddy is a grownup. Besides, I'm really proud of you too for making this trip all by yourself. I hate to fly alone and sometimes I get scared. You didn't get scared?"

His head shook back and forth and his hair flew out in every direction from the movement. "I want to see Justin. That made me brave."

Lauren pulled the car to a stop at a red light and reached over to push his hair down. "I know he's going to be very proud of you for coming to see him all by yourself. He wasn't allowed to fly all by himself when he was your age."

"Really?"

"Really."

Jonathan was quiet for a bit and it made her wonder what was going on inside of his head because silence wasn't something he was big on. So far he had dominated the conversation since he had put his two feet on the ground and that also reminded her of his outspoken, famous older brother. "What's wrong?"

He picked at the bottom of his T-shirt for a while before answering. "Did Justin tell you I was coming?"

"I haven't really talked to him a lot lately. I've been studying for tests that I have to take this week and he's been practicing for the new tour. We've both been really busy." It pained her to lie to him, but the truth would only shatter a part of his innocence that should remain intact.

"I know what you mean. When he comes to our house during the tour, he doesn't talk much. I asked him if he would take me to school or for ice cream and he said he couldn't. I think it's because of those stupid girls."

"I don't know how to explain this where you can understand, but Justin can't go out and be around people like normal big brothers. I'm sure he wanted more than anything to take you out for ice cream or to take you to school but he's so popular that his fans might have jumped in and made it a bad day. I'm sorry that it hurt your feelings. I don't think he wanted it to, but I know that it probably hurt his feelings too. He loves you very much."

He continued to pick at his shirt and he looked very hesitant and scared. "Lauren?"

"What sweetie?"

"Why do the girls always scream at Justin and cry? Did…did he hurt their feelings?"

This was a question better left for Justin or their father, but from the look on his face she could tell that he had been wondering this for a while. It always seemed like people gave children too much credit for understanding when really they were the lost ones in a lot of cases. "Well…why do YOU think they do that?"

He shrugged and his eyes widened with a thought. "I think they're crazy! They always scream and cry like Steven does when he's hungry. Are they hungry? Maybe…maybe they think that Justin will give them some food if they cry?"

Lauren giggled again and wished that she could have a little brother just like him. "When we're talking Justin, they're not hungry for food, Jon."

"Daddy says that they have whore-phones."

She had just taken a sip of her drink and she almost choked when he said that. "WHAT?"

"Yeah…he says that their whore-phones are racing. Does yours do that too?"

She searched her brain for some understanding of what he was saying, and then it clicked. "I think what your daddy said was that their HORMONES are RAGING."

"That's what I said."

"I have to agree with your daddy though. They are all certainly full of hormones, but I think I like your words better."

He turned to her with innocent eyes. "Is that why they scream and cry when they see Justin? I don't like it when they do that because Justin always holds my hand really tight. One time at a concert, a girl grabbed my arm and pulled on me. I thought she was trying to steal me and I tried not to cry but I was scared that she was going to take me away. Justin got really mad when I told him."

She was still trying to get over the "whore-phone" comment but she understood what he was saying. It was sick, but since Jonathan was special to Justin, was a part of him and his life, a lot of fans saw him as a piece of Justin that they needed. What they didn't realize was that he was a fan just like the rest of them and that he was too young to understand most of it. To him, Justin was his big brother who he idolized, and who just happened to be on TV a lot. That's the main message that his parents pushed and Justin forced that in on him as well. "I'm sorry that they did that to you but in a way they were just really happy to see you."

"Like Justin is going to be?"

"I hope he doesn't pull on your arm like those girls did, but yes. Jon, they cry and they scream because they're really excited to see him. A lot of them think that he's really cute and when they see him…they REALLY like how cute he is."

He shook his head quickly. "Uh uh! That's gross! He slept in my bed last time he came over and in the morning his face scratched me. That's not cute at ALLLLLLLL. It hurt! Do you think he's cute?"

"I um…I think…it doesn't really matter what I think. I'll leave it with the fact that they're excited to see him and that's why they scream and cry. How's that?"

He chewed on his lip and his eyebrows lowered in concentration. "So they are his friends?"

"Um…in a way…yeah I guess you could say that."

"I don't like Justin's friends."

She turned to give him a playful look and smiled. "Hey…watch it."

"Except for you. I love you, Lauren."

Those words meant a lot to her as they would to anyone, but they also managed to heal a still very sore and painful piece of her heart. "I love you too, Jonathan Timberlake."

"I think I want to marry you one day if I don't marry Karen. She gets jealous."

She squeezed his hand before winking at him and turning her attention back to the road. "I don't think I want to fight with Karen because she might beat me up, but I think I'd be honored to share my finger-paints with you. ANY day."

Finally they made it to Johnny's hideaway for the guys while they rehearsed and the sight of everyone's cars parked outside made her heart jump inside her chest. It seemed like only yesterday that she had stood there beside Justin's car and had begged him to listen to her. She could still hear the angry words, the disgusted tone of his voice, and her pleas for him to give her a chance to explain. That day was one that had given her nightmares ever since it had happened.

After parking the car and grabbing Jonathan's bag, she smiled at him and leaned down in front of him. He looked lost and confused about where they were. "This is Johnny Wright's house that the guys use so they can practice for the tour."

"Is Justin really here?"

She pointed to his car and nodded. "There's his car right there."

He took a step back and shook his head. "Justin has a red car. That car is purple and it's too small to be Justin's."

Lauren hugged him before grabbing his hand. "He got a new one for some strange reason. Do you like it?"

"It looks fast! Does he drive fast?"

They started walking towards the front door and she slung his bag over her shoulder. "Fast enough where he got a speeding ticket from a police officer."

His pace picked up and an evil smile crossed his face. "Ooooh…I'm gonna tell daddy!"

"You do that and you make sure that you let him know that Justin had to go to traffic school."

"What's that?"

She giggled and opened the front door. "Nevermind. Hello? Is anyone here?"

They both looked around the empty foyer and she pulled Jonathan along to the living room but that was empty as well. "Hello? I've come bearing gifts and a small child. JC? Miranda? Chris? ANYONE?"

Jon pulled on her hand until she leaned down, and then whispered in her ear. "Maybe they're playing hide-and-go-seek."

"That would be too much fun for this crew, but I wouldn't put it past Chris or Joey." She walked past the staircase and leaned her head into the kitchen. "Is anyone around? The door is open, there's no security around, and I could be a stalker or a sick fan trying to steal underwear!"

Jon's face scrunched up again and he giggled. "Why do you want their underwear?"

"I'm just joking, cutie."

They had both turned to look down the hallway when Jon's hand slipped out of hers and he squealed loudly before giggling. Lauren turned around quickly and smiled when she saw him being held in Mike's beefy arms as he slung him over his shoulder and then started tickling him.

"It's not enough to have the older version running around. Now we have to deal with 'Mini-me'?"

Lauren laughed again when Jonathan kept screaming with glee as Mike tickled him. "You're going to have four fun-filled days with this little one. Why do I get the feeling that you're going to be babysitting a lot?"

"Probably for the same reasons that I'm getting that same feeling. Who are you punching at, little guy? Do you want me to turn you into a pretzel? Hmm?"

Jonathan punched at him again but Mike caught his hands and swung him over his shoulder. "Make me a pretzel! Make me a pretzel!"

"Where is everyone?"

He acted like he was dropping Jon before standing up and holding the boy upside down from his ankles. "Most of them are downstairs but I saw Justin up here a few minutes ago. I think he was going to go out running or he was going swimming. I'm not sure what he decided on."

"You have your hands full so I'll see if I can find him anywhere."

She walked away from them smiling because she could hear Mike's sarcastic words mixed in with Jonathan's laughter and childish antics to push Mike into 'hurting' him. Leave it up to a five year old to try to take down a three hundred pound wall of a man and then laugh while he was doing it. She made her way over to the patio doors and looked out to see if she could see Justin lounging by the pool or talking with anyone. It looked pretty empty so she opened the door and stepped outside.

The sun was setting and it tinted the world in a warm reddish glow that mixed with the clear clean blue of the water. Overall it was such a beautiful night and if she really wanted to go completely corny, it was a romantic night. It reminded her of the night that Justin took her out for her birthday because the light and the softness of it made her take a deep breath and relax even though the circumstances around her didn't call for that.

She turned to look at the empty basketball court and finally to the lake in front of her. If he were going to swim, he wouldn't have gone to the lake over a pool. "Justin? Are you out here?"

A loud splash in the pool caused her to jump and turn around. Justin had just surfaced and he was leisurely swimming to the ladder. Lauren watched his powerful arms flex and cut through the water, his lips part for air and the water lap against them, and she sighed appreciatively when he ran a hand over his wet hair and slicked it back out of his eyes.

But nothing…NOTHING could have prepared her for the sight of him getting out of that water.

He deftly reached for the metal sides of the ladder and those arm muscles flexed even more as he pulled himself from the cool water. Almost as if in slow motion, water ran down his bare shoulders, over his chest, slowly made its way down over his abdomen, over his belly button and flat tummy, and finally soaked into his already dripping wet black shorts. He leaned over to grab his towel off of the lawn chair beside him and she almost flat out drooled when his necklace dangled from his wet neck and finally rested back on his skin as he stood.

While he ran the towel over his face and chest, he turned his back to her and her eyes roamed over the muscles that crisscrossed his back. They rippled with the movement of him drying his chest and she knew that staring at him like this was wrong, but he was just so beautiful. His broad shoulders were tanned a lot more than they were the last time she had seen them, his slim waist was hugged just right by the shorts, and they had slipped a little to show a little bit of white skin that was normally covered by them. Overall he was a dangerous sight and she wanted to walk up to him and put her arms around his waist to flatten her palms against his wet stomach, but that wouldn't go over well at all. Not right now anyway.

She cleared her throat and managed to find her voice. "Um…Justin?"

He didn't turn around or even act like he heard her.

"Justin? I brought something for you."

Finally he turned around and she was shocked to see his eyes twinkling, a smile on his face, and a look of pure joy being directed at her. It was the look that he used to give her when he saw her for the first time after a long break from each other, and it was the look that she had needed to see for so long.

She was just about to smile and walk towards him when the sound of little feet slapping against tile sounded behind her, and she saw Jon run past. He ran as fast as his little legs could carry him towards Justin and Justin hunched down to scoop him up into his arms. "Justin! Justin!"

Justin closed his eyes and hugged his little brother close to him. "Hey you! I thought you were going to be here later! I'm so happy to see you!"

Jon pulled back in his arms and looked down at his shirt. "You're wet! You got my shirt all wet and daddy is going to be mad."

Justin kissed his cheek and hugged him again before letting Jon pull back to give himself some distance from the wetness of his chest. "I think we can wash and dry that shirt before dad sees it. Did you really ride on the plane all by yourself?"

His head bobbed up and down and a warm light touched Justin's eyes as he watched him. "Mommy cried because I'm such a big boy and Steven says hello!"

"Is he singing Tearin' Up My Heart yet?"

"He's just a baby, Justin." Jonathan rolled his eyes dramatically.

"I'm getting you all wet and I need to get changed before we eat dinner. Are you hungry?"

"I'm STARVING! Lauren let me have some crackers though." He leaned in to whisper in Justin's ear. "She told me she thinks you're cute. I think she likes you but not like those girls who scream and cry when they see you."

Justin peered over Jon's head and his angry eyes locked on Lauren. "She did huh? And just what else did she tell you?"

Jon's eyes raised upwards and he chewed on his lip while he thought. "Ummmmm…that's all. She said she liked it when I said that the girls have whore-phones."

Lauren's eyes widened and she wanted to die right there when shock mixed with Justin's already more than angry look. "That's not exactly what I meant."

"Then what DID you mean exactly?"

She took a step forward and ran a hand through her hair nervously. "He…he said that instead of 'raging hormones' and…and you kind of had to be there."

"Seems that way."

Jon squirmed in his arms and he put him down. "Why are you talking funny?"

Justin pulled his eyes from her to look at him. "What do you mean?"

"You're talking mean to Lauren. Why are you doing that?"

"I'm not talking mean to her. I was just worried that she said something that she shouldn't have, but unfortunately that's a BIG habit of hers. Where's mom?"

Jon reached for his hand and they slowly walked towards the house. "Mommy Lynn didn't pick me up. Lauren did. She let me ride in the front and she told me that she wasn't going to eat my finger-paints."

Lauren loved the kid, but he had a true knack for making her sound like an idiot. "You um…"

Justin continued to glare at her as they walked by. "Let me guess, I had to be there. Come on Jon, let's find something to eat."

"Thank you Lauren!"

She was feeling like crap, she more than enough school work to do, she had done this favor for both Lynn and Justin, she had taken time that she didn't have, and now she didn't get even get a thank you. She didn't get a 'thanks for helping out', she didn't get a 'I appreciate your effort, and she sure as hell didn't get a genuine 'thank you Lauren' from anyone. Instead, what she DID get was a few angry glares from Justin that told her in no uncertain terms that he would rather have had a serial killer pick up his little brother than to have her do it.

Watching him interact with Jon had always been a treat for her because it brought out a new side to Justin Timberlake. He was absolutely wonderful with children and there was nothing quite as fascinating or attractive as a man who could make a fool out of himself over a child. However, this display was heart wrenching and she couldn't stop the feeling of jealousy that she had because Jon was "in" with Justin and could draw a smile out of him when all she could do was ignite his hatred. It wasn't fair and it made her want to cry right there under the fading sunlight.

They were almost to the door when Jon pulled on Justin's hand and pointed to Lauren. "Aren't you going to thank her too? Daddy says that it's manners."

Lauren rubbed her burning eyes and turned to smile as best she could at him. "It's ok Jonathan. I know that he's glad you're here no matter how you happened to make the trip."

"Tell her, Justin."

Justin turned to give her a lazy look before taking a deep breath and murmuring the words. "Thank you, Lauren."

"It's ok." She only managed a whisper since she had never been one to beg for apologies or thanks. The words of gratitude that he had just uttered couldn't have been more forced if they tried to be.

"I'm hungry, Justin."

"We're going to have dinner a little bit later."

Jon stopped in the doorway and looked over at Lauren. "Are you going to stay for dinner too?"

She opened her mouth to answer but Justin beat her to it. "No she's not."

"But I want Lauren to stay for…"

Justin held the door open wider and nudged him inside. "She has things she has to do. Lots of plans and schemes to schedule and execute. Right?"

"Justin, your voice is being mean again."

Lauren followed them inside the house and she smiled at Miranda who walked by in a hurry. "Hey Miranda."

"Hey Lauren, Justin, and WOAH. This HAS to be your brother."

Justin chuckled and slung his towel over a shoulder. "Miranda this is my brother Jonathan. Jonathan, this is Miranda Hill. She writes about us and she is also JC's girlfriend."

Jonathan looked her over and smiled. "Did you share your pudding cup with him?"

Miranda gave them a strange look before shaking her head. "I've shared many desserts with JC because that's the…um…NICE thing to do."

Both Lauren and Justin grinned at Miranda's words. They had such double meanings that she basically had a sign pointing to them. "I think she's pretty."

Miranda winked at him when she heard that. "I think I like having him around."

"Does she have whore-ph…?" His words were cut off when Justin put his hand over Jon's mouth.

Miranda raised her hands in defeat before turning to walk away. "I don't even want to know. Have you all seen the armed security guards around here anywhere?"

"Has Joey pushed you to the point where you're looking to pack heat?"

She laughed at Lauren's sarcasm and shook her head. "Oh nothing like that. I just need something that he has so I can get ready for a little chat with JC. If-you-know-what-I-mean."

Justin watched in confusion as the woman ran out the front door and he moved his hand from Jon's mouth. "She's a strange woman."

"Love can make people act in ways that they normally wouldn't."

He turned to give her a cold look. "So can desperation."

Jon hugged Lauren's legs and she could feel how wet he was from holding onto Justin. "Please stay for dinner. Don't go yet!"

Her eyes met Justin's as she hugged his little body and his eyes let her know that there was no way she was welcome at any table he sat at. "I'm so sorry cutie, but I have a lot of studying that I have to do tonight."

"You can study here. I'll be really quiet."

"You can't be as quiet as my empty house is."

That statement grabbed Justin's attention. "Where is Jayce?"

She almost looked around to see if he really talking to her or if he was talking to someone behind her. "He's away on business for the rest of the week. I have the house to myself, which is good because of finals. I won't have anyone bothering me."

He didn't like the idea of her staying there alone at night, but she wasn't his concern anymore. "Jon, let go of her so she can leave."

Miranda came through the door and walked past them. "Don't mind me. I'm still looking for those damn guards. Um…sorry about that. I'm looking for those guards."

Justin gave her a strange look before turning back to Lauren. "You probably should go before you cause him to have a fit."

"If he's mad, he's mad. It's not my fault."

Justin sighed loudly and wrapped the towel around himself to ward off the chill of the house. "The longer you stay here, the harder it will be FOR EVERYONE. Don't you see that you're only making things worse?"

"I didn't come over here to see you, Justin. I came over because your mom needed help and I volunteered to pick YOUR little brother up at the airport and drive WAY out of my way to bring him to you. There were no hidden agendas or schemes because I didn't even know he was coming in today."

Justin's eyes narrowed in anger. "I just bet you didn't. Of course, you probably jumped at the chance to bring him over here. I hate to break it to you, but Tom hasn't been around here today. Too bad you two couldn't get together to come up with more plans but…"

"Oh get off of your high horse Justin and leave him out of this."

He leaned forward and ground out his words through clinched teeth. "I wasn't the one who brought him in to begin with!"

Miranda walked through again and she looked between the steaming pair and the scared little boy between them. "I found them in case anyone was wondering. Uh…forget that I said anything."

Jon watched her walk away and he gave a curious glance before looking up at Justin. "Why does that lady have handcuffs? Is she a police officer too?"

"I don't know Jon but you need to come with me while I change. Say goodbye to Lauren."

She leaned down and touched his soft face before hugging him quickly. "You be good for your brother and make sure to keep everyone straight. Ok?"

"You're coming here to see us, right? Will you come here tomorrow? We can go swimming."

Her eyes raised to meet Justin's furious ones and she shook her head. "No sweetie I don't think I can. I have those…those tests, remember?"

His chin started trembling and it broke her heart to see it. "Don't cry. Please sweetie, don't cry. I'll see you before you leave to go home. I promise."

Justin grabbed his hand and pulled him up the staircase towards his room and Lauren flinched when the door slammed behind them. So it was his plan to not only shut her out of his life, but to also shut her out of his family's life as well. That wasn't fair because Jonathan had nothing to do with what was going on around them. He was young and he was innocent, but he was being hurt in the process. THAT was all Justin's doing and he was dead wrong about that, just like he was dead wrong about a lot of things.

Miranda came walking by again and she had rope in her hands this time. "How are things going?"

Lauren leaned against the wall beside her and groaned. "Not good. What are you doing?"

"Me? Oh I'm just preparing for a war is all. Did Justin talk to you this time?"

"He talked enough for me to know that he's still pissed off and unwilling to listen. This is SO HARD! I don't know how much longer I can take this. I don't know how much fight I have left when all I'm getting are closed doors."

Miranda pulled her outside and closed the doors. "You promised me that you wouldn't give in. There is SOME WAY to reach him. There has to be. Maybe Jon coming is the ace in the hole you need. Maybe he'll make Justin realize that he's being stupid and pigheaded because that boy looks like a very perceptive child. He also has a firm hold of Justin's heartstrings and he's going to catch on that Justin is mad at you, if he hasn't already."

"He knows, but there's nothing that Jonathan can do. I would NEVER try to get him to do something. I'm going to go home, study my butt off, and I'm going to stay away from Justin Timberlake."

"Staying away from him isn't going to solve this problem. It will only help him realize that he means nothing to you. Absence doesn't always make the heart grow fonder."

She growled and fought hard not to cry but the tears were bubbling right at the surface. "I have too much to deal with here. Don't you understand? School is driving me crazy, I'm behind on everything because of all of the traveling I did with the guys, my project is due in two days but it's nowhere near being finished, and I can't keep my thoughts clear long enough to THINK, much less study. He thinks that I want to be with him because of lies, well maybe giving him up will show him that the lies were just that…lies."

Miranda shrugged. "It's possible, but I don't know. I don't know what to tell you other than you can't give up. If you give up…the lies will win."

Lauren threw her hands up and turned to walk away. "I've tried everything and it's all blown up in my face. What's one more mistake, right? Right now, what does it matter?"

Miranda watched her walk away and she took a deep breath to calm her nerves. Things were really getting out of hand and she hoped that Harrison would somehow be able to help Lauren out. She hadn't been able to make that call and join forces with him, but if she knew Lauren as well as she thought she did…the call was made already. Leaving a note with his secretary to expect Lauren's call, writing down his cell phone number in her Rolodex, and placing it where Lauren could easily find it was a coward's way out of a sticky situation, but maybe…just maybe Lauren had taken that huge step alone.

She said a silent prayer for both Lauren and Justin, and looked up at the sky. Her eyes caught a movement above her and she watched as a window was pulled back and silently closed. If she remembered correctly, that window was right where Justin's bedroom should be or at least his bathroom. The pain in Lauren's voice and the helplessness had to have been heard and if he didn't realize what she was going through just to be with him, then he could take his pigheadedness and live with it. If he had overheard them and it meant nothing, then he didn't deserve her.

She looked down at the rope in her hands and decided to handle a few problems of her own. She opened the door and took a deep breath. "OOOOOOHHHHHH JC? Could you come upstairs with me for a minute? There's something I need to talk with you about."