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(December 13, 2000)
"They're going to hate me," Marie whispered as the plane parked at the gate.
"No, they're not," JC replied.
"Are you sure?"
"Completely."
"Um, Mr. and Mrs. Chasez? You're secure now," a stewardess reported.
"Thank you. Come on, honey," he said, holding out his hand for Marie to take. He helped her out of her seat and the two made their way down the aisle.
"Your parents are going to act like they know me, right? I mean, there's no point in meeting them if they're not going to act like we know each other," Marie said.
"Don't worry. They know what to do. There they are." Marie looked up and saw a small woman and a tall man smiling at the couple.
"Oh, look at you!" JC's mother said, reached up and cupping her son's face in her hands. "You don't look like someone who's on vacation. Have you been sleeping?" JC smiled down at her. "Oh, forget it. It's so good to see you!" She folded him into a hug. Marie turned to JC's father, who bent over and gave her a hug.
"I'm Roy. It's nice to finally meet you," he said.
"Same here. Thanks for handling this so well," she replied.
"This isn't the first time Josh has gotten himself into something sticky. We're used to it." Roy smiled down at her.
"I know this might sound stupid, but, um, what do you want me to call you?"
"Roy is fine. Or Dad if you really want to." She laughed.
"Okay."
"Marie, look at you! You get more beautiful every time I see you!" Karen exclaimed. "Come here and give your mother-in-law a hug." Marie smiled and obliged.
"It's nice to finally meet you," Marie told her.
"Likewise. And I wasn't lying. You're absolutely beautiful. The pictures don't do you justice."
"Thank you."
"She's stunning, Josh," Roy told his oldest son. "And very nice."
"She is, Dad. I'm glad it's her I'm in this situation with."
Roy nodded. "Okay, you two. We can gab more in the car," he said. The two women parted. JC reached out his hand and intertwined his fingers with Marie's. The two followed his parents to bag claim and then out of the airport.
"Heather and Tyler have been anxious to meet you," Karen reported, turning around from the back seat of the family Jeep Cherokee. "They've seen you in the paper, but I think they're a little curious on what kind of a person you are." Marie gave her a tense smiled.
"Mom, I think you're psyching her out," JC said.
"Honey, you know they're harmless."
"Do you remember when Heather met Caitlyn for the first time? She gave her the third degree like no one else." Roy caught a glimpse of the intimidated look in Marie's eyes though the rear view mirror.
"I think both of you are psyching her out," he stated. The two looked at the brunette with wide-eyes in the back seat.
"Don't worry. They'll like you," JC told Marie. She wasn't convinced.
"I guess we'll find out," Marie said as the car pulled into the garage of a large one-story home. The four got out and entered the house.
"We're back!" Karen called. A second later, two pairs of thundering footsteps could be heard. Two forms rounded the corner and the first one stopped short. Marie saw it was a young man probably about Justin's age. His mouth dropped as he spotted her and he gave a low whistle.
"Wow, Josh. She's a looker," he said.
"Tyler," JC admonished. Tyler had the decency to blush.
"Sorry," he muttered. A hand pushed him aside.
"Excuse me, but I'd like to meet our sister-in-law if you don't mind," a woman said. She stepped around him and met eyes with Marie.
"I'm Heather," she said. "I'm assuming you're Marie?"
"Yes. It's nice to meet you," Marie offered. She wasn't going to lie to herself. She was intimidated.
"How about the three of us sit down and have coffee while the boys bring in the luggage?" Karen suggested, shooting Heather a warning look. "Marie, would you like some coffee?"
"That'd be great, Mrs. Chasez."
"Karen, honey. Call me Karen. Come on then." The three women headed to the kitchen.
"She's hot, Josh," Tyler told his brother. JC rolled his eyes and pulled him into a headlock.
"She's also too old for you, TJ," he said, giving Tyler a noogie as he pulled him out the front door.
"So, how are the two of you doing?" Karen asked, sitting three coffee-filled mugs and a tray of iced sugar cookies on the table. "Milk or sugar, hun?"
"No, thank you. We're getting along better, I think. I don't know really though. I thought we were getting better and then JC broke up with Caitlyn. He hasn't really been talking to me that much," Marie answered.
"He'll come around. He's just probably tossing around things in his head," Heather said, taking a sip of her coffee. "Do you have any idea why they broke up?"
Because she was a conniving little...Stop it! Karma, Marie. "I don't know. He hasn't talked about her too much."
"So how are your parents handling this thing?" Karen asked. Marie felt her face get hot. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to press a button."
"Oh, no. Um, my parents aren't, uh, here anymore."
“Did they move?" Heather asked.
"Um, they're not alive anymore." The two women looked at each other and then at their newest addition.
"I'm sorry," Karen said.
"I shouldn't have..." Heather started.
"No, it's okay. It's been awhile."
"How long?" Heather asked.
"Um, my dad was killed when I was seventeen and Mom passed away when I was almost nineteen."
"Don't you have a younger sister? Kat?" Karen questioned. "What happened with her?"
"I became her guardian. She was only thirteen. By that time, I had a job and a trust fund. Please don't look at me like that. It wasn't easy, but Kat's a good kid. She wasn't too much of a handful," Marie said.
"You poor thing," Karen told her, taking one of Marie's hands. "I can't imagine how difficult that must have been. A job, college, and raising a teenager."
"It was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I mean, there were some times that I wanted to give up. I remember there was one day when Kat was freaking out because her sweater wasn't washed and she wanted to wear it on a date with a guy she had liked for a while. I had my Photo 303 final the next day and had to study and I had an angry seventeen-year-old on my hands. We screamed at each other for ten minutes, she flounced away, and I went back to my books. Of course, I couldn't study and she couldn't get over that she had just screamed at me. I heard her throw the sweater in the washing machine and she brought me in a cup of tea. She helped me study. I got an 'A' on my final and she went on her date. But things like not having the perfect outfit are important when you're seventeen and I'd forgotten that. She's my best friend."
Karen and Heather nodded.
"Does Josh know about your parents?" Heather asked.
"I don't think so. He hasn't asked." She nodded. "Please don't tell him. There's no reason for him to know."
"We won't, sweetheart," Karen told her, she reached over and covered Marie's hand with hers. "You can trust us."
"Completely," Heather assured her.
"Thanks, you guys. For not treating me like the irresponsible person I am."
"You stop talking like that right now, young lady," Karen lightly scolded. "It takes two to tango and you're not solely responsible for this situation. Because of that, we're more than willing to bring you into our family, even if it is only for a year."
"And you even out the hormones, too. We used to be outnumbered. Now it's dead even," Heather told her, rubbing her hands together. The three women laughed.
The three men in the living room turned toward the laughter.
"I guess they're getting along," Roy said.
"Yeah, I think so," JC replied.
"Josh, I got a question for you," Tyler said. JC turned toward his younger brother.
"What?"
"Why did you get plastered the night you met Marie?"
JC flushed red. "I don't want to talk about it," he mumbled.
"Oh, come on. Why..."
"Tyler," Roy warned.
"But..."
"Tyler."
"Sorry." The youngest Chasez threw his brother a look and opened his mouth to say something else, but was interrupted by the three females emerging from the kitchen.
"Josh, honey, you should take Marie on a tour of Bowie," Karen said.
"But..."
"Josh."
"Only if she wants to." The five looked at the woman in question.
"I kinda would, if you don't mind," she answered.
"Okay," JC replied. "Let's get our coats and we'll go." They did so and left.
"What was that all about, Mom?" Heather asked. "I was just about to whip out the photo albums."
"I'd like to see this evolve into something," Karen answered, truthfully. "She's a lot better than that Caitlyn."
"Remind me to never let you play matchmaker for me," Tyler said, shaking his head.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"You didn't really need to do this if you didn't want to," Marie told JC.
"Don't worry about it," he told her. "Besides, I wanna show you something."
"What?"
"You'll see." He turned the car down a street and Marie saw a big building. JC pulled the car into a parking space. She looked up at the building as she got out of the car.
"Bowie High School? What are we doing here?" she asked.
"Come with me. I wanna show you something." He held out his hand to her.
"Um, JC? Class is in session. It's only one in the afternoon. I don't think this is a good idea."
"They had a half day of school today, so almost everyone is gone. Come on." JC grabbed her hand and led her into the building.
"Where are we going?" He lead her down the main hallway and stopped in front of locker 1994.
"This is where my friends and I used to meet every day," JC told her. "We thought it was special because it was the same year we would graduate."
"That's cool," Marie said. He smiled at her.
"That's not why this is so special though. I mean, it is special, but that's not the reason why."
"Then why?"
"This is where I decided I wanted to be a singer. This is where I decided that's what I was meant to do."
"Really? Wow." Marie looked down at the tiled floor and could imagine him standing there, dreaming of things that would be.
"How'd you decide that?"
"It was the week after I returned from Orlando. We had just wrapped up the final season and I returned for senior year. I was standing here with my friends just like we had said we were going to do when we were in middle school and how they had been doing for the past three years I was on the MMC. I remembered how much fun I had singing cheesy songs and doing cheesy choreography and I decided that no matter what the cost, I was going to be an entertainer," he told her.
"It was that easy for you to decide?"
"Yeah. It wasn't that easy for you to decide to go for photography?"
"It was, but not really. I mean, I've always loved taking pictures and looking at different styles, but I was eighteen when I got my first job that was related to photography. And after I turned nineteen, I had more responsibilities and I had to seriously consider whether or not I wanted to go for the sure thing or try freelancing. I had to choose the sure thing, but was able to start freelancing later."
"Why did you have more responsibilities?" They started walking toward the car.
"I just did. I was in college and I had other things." She didn't want to reveal too much about her parents. Sure, her and JC were getting closer by the day, but her parents' deaths were something she didn't want him to know yet. That was enough explanation for him and JC didn't press it. He knew there was something she wasn't telling him, but he figured that she would when she felt the time was right.
They got in the car and JC continued the tour of his hometown.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
(December 18, 2001)
"Bye, honey," Karen told Marie. She hugged the young woman. "It was so good to finally meet you. Listen: If you ever need a break from Josh or the tour or you're in the neighborhood, go ahead and stop by. I'll make some cookies and coffee and we'll talk."
"Thanks, Karen. I appreciate it," she replied.
"And you," Karen turned to JC. "You take care of this one. I like her." She said it low enough so Marie wouldn't hear.
"I will. I'll see you in a couple days for Christmas," he responded. She nodded.
"Bye, you two." Karen waved as the couple boarded the plane.
"See? Told you they'd like you," JC told Marie, bumping hips with her. She rolled her eyes and shook her head.
"Leave me alone. I know where you sleep at night," she warned. JC laughed and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close to him.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
(Two Hours Later)
“Let’s grab a taxi and we’ll go to the hotel,” JC said. Marie nodded and the two joined the line of people that were waiting.
“Doesn’t all these people make you nervous?” Marie whispered as families with their children in tow swarmed around them.
“Just act like you’re not doing anything but waiting for a cab and no one will notice. Besides, that’s what the hat and sunglasses are for.” Marie smiled.
“Because I REALLY couldn’t recognize you with them on,” she replied, sarcastically.
“Not funny. Come on.” They got into the cab and were soon on their way to the hotel. A ringing interrupted the silence and JC reached for his cell phone.
“What’s up, Danielle?” he asked. “Huh? Yeah, she’s right here. Hold on.” He handed the phone to Marie. “Danielle wants to talk to you.”
“Who’s Danielle?”
“Take the phone and you’ll find out.” Marie took the phone.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Marie. This is Danielle. I work with Chris,” a pleasant female voice said.
“Hi. Um, what’s up?”
“Well, I was thinking that since these two were going to be wrapped up the rest of the day, that you and I could get together and maybe do some Christmas shopping.”
“Okay. I’d rather shop than be stuck at the hotel all day.”
“Cool. Just come in with Jace once you two get settled and we’ll go do our thing.”
“Okay. Um, bye.”
“Bye.” Marie hung up the phone and handed it back to JC.
“You’ll like Danielle. She’s really nice,” he told her. Marie nodded and stared out the window at downtown Manhattan.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“JC! Marie! Cool. You’re here,” Chris greeted. Him and JC punched each other’s shoulders and he hugged Marie. “You ready to get to work, man?”
“Yeah. I’ve been needing to get back in the studio,” JC replied. Marie saw a blond step around the corner and walk toward them.
“Hi. I’m Danielle,” she said, holding out her hand to Marie. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”
“Hi.”
“You ready to go?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay. Bye, you two. We’ll be back.” Danielle threaded her arm though Marie’s and they were gone.
“Have I told you that Marie’s damn good-looking?” Chris asked. JC rolled his eyes.
“Come on. Let’s get to work,” he said and they headed down the hallway.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“So JC broke up with the spotlighter?” Danielle as the cab navigated it’s way through the streets.
“You heard about it, too?”
“News travels fast. Good news travels even faster.”
“No one liked Caitlyn, did they?”
“JC liked Caitlyn.” Marie laughed. A ringing interrupted them.
“It’s me,” she said. “Hello?”
“Marie?”
“Yes?”
“This is Donnatella Versace.”
“Oh, hello.” Danielle noticed the change in her voice and looked at her questioningly.
It’s Donnatella Versace, she mouthed. Danielle’s eyes widened.
“I heard you would be in the city today and I was wondering if you’d be interested in attending the show tomorrow night.”
“I’d love to.”
“Great. Would you like me to send some things to the hotel for you to try?”
“Sure. That would be great.”
“Good. When will you be back?”
“Um, probably in three hours.”
“Okay. I’ll send my people up at three.”
“Great. Thank you.”
“No problem. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Okay. Bye, Donnatella.”
“Good bye.” The line went dead and Marie hung up the phone.
“That was Donnatella Versace?” Danielle asked. Marie nodded. “Wow. That’s really cool.”
“Yeah.” Marie covered her face and squealed. “I’m going to the Versace show! I’ve wanted to do this forever!” Danielle laughed.
“Come on. Let’s go work off all your new found energy.” The cab stopped and the two climbed out.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
(The Next Day)
Marie adjusted her earrings in the mirror and stepped back. The dress she wore was a dusty green metallic fabric with spaghetti straps and a low cut neck. The back dipped halfway down her spine and it fell to the floor. Her hair was pulled up in a bun with tendrils hanging at her temples and she had a matching shawl that she would pull around her arms against the New York December night. Her cell phone ringing brought her back to reality.
“Hello?” she said.
“It’s me,” JC replied.
“Hey. We’re going to be late,” she told him.
“I’m not going to make it.”
“What?”
“There’s still too much to do. I’m sorry.”
“But…we were supposed to go to this thing together.”
“I can’t. Besides, by the time I get there and get ready, the show will be half over.”
Marie’s eyes narrowed. “Fine. Don’t worry about me. I can do my second red carpet all by myself.” She hung up her cell and turned it off. Grabbing her shawl and purse, she hurried out the door.
JC sighed as he heard the line go dead. He hit redial, but was informed that the phone was off. He ran his hands over his face, tiredly. The door opened and Chris put two bags of food on the table.
“What’s Marie up to tonight?” he asked.
“Not much.”
“Okay. Let’s get back to this song.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Marie made her way to her seat, right on the side of the stage. The red carpet had gone okay, but she was glad to sit down. The shoes she wore were hurting her feet.
“Marie, hi.” She looked up to see Ricky Martin looking down at her.
“Hey, Ricky.” She stood and kissed him on the cheek. “You’re here.”
“Where’s your other half?” he asked as they sat down.
“He’s writing songs with Chris. I guess fashion shows aren’t his cup of tea.”
“Forget him. Is this your first show?”
“Yeah. I’m so excited to be here, too.”
“I can see it in your eyes.” The light started to dim and the two turned their attention to the stage.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
JC opened the door to the hotel room, slowly. He could see the outline of her sleeping form in the bed. He changed into pajama pants and a t-shirt and climbed in beside her.
“What do you think you’re doing?” she asked. It was then that he realized that she hadn’t been sleeping at all.
“I’m getting ready to go to sleep,” he replied, moving away from her.
“You didn’t notice the blanket on the couch?”
“Marie, it’s cold.”
“Then I guess you should have thought about that before you ditched me tonight.”
“You’re serious?”
“The sooner you’re butt is out of this bed, the sooner I can get to sleep.” She snuggled deeper in the covers as JC crawled out of the bed. He stumbled though the darkness to the couch. Grumbling to himself, JC huddled under the blanket. Closing his eyes, he slowly fell asleep.