JC stiffened at her slightly husky voice, mouth opening to automatically deny that he'd been staring, but using the excuse of going to the kitchen for something to drink died on his lips. Somehow, he didn't think she'd buy the story.

"Sorry. I didn't want to disturb you." he mumbled, flushing slightly.

"You're not disturbing me. I'd actually like some company." she turned to him and gave him a smile. Warmth slid down his spine and he groaned inwardly when he realized he was returning the smile.

"What are you reading?" he arched an eyebrow, stepping further into the room. She laughed, caressing the book in her lap as if it were a long time friend.

"Poetry. Nothing anyone likes these days." she sighed wistfully, resting her head back against the cushions as she gazed over at him. He took a seat on the opposite end of the couch, swallowing tightly. She was beautiful. He couldn't help but readily admit her beauty, which was almost surreal.

"I haven't had the time to read poetry lately. I wish I did, though." he laughed nervously, glancing over at her before he turned his eyes down to his hands.

"Gather ye rosebuds while ye may." she smiled, closing the book in her lap, still unwilling to set it aside.

"Would you read one to me?" the question came from nowhere, but if he was honest with himself, he would admit he just wanted to hear how her voice would caress the words of a long forgotten romantic poem.

"What would you like me to read?" Jasper questioned softly, arching an eyebrow.

"Anything you'd care to read." he sighed, closing his eyes. The gentle sound of the pages turning soothed his wary mind.

"Okay. I think I can handle that." she nodded, turning to a well-worn, dog-eared page. He took a deep breath, sighing it out.

"To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time.
Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old time is still a-flying;
And this same flower that smiles today,
Tomorrow will be dying.

The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun,
The higher he's a-getting,
The sooner will his race be run,
And nearer he's to setting.

That age is best which is the first,
When youth and blood are warmer;
But being spent, the worse, and worst
Time still succeed the former.

Then be no coy, but use your time,
And while ye may, go marry;
For having lost but once your prime,
You may forever tarry." Jasper spoke the poem in a soft, low voice that he almost had to strain to hear her. Her voice slid over his nerves like rough velvet, soothing yet exciting. He reluctantly opened his eyes to find her gazing down at the book she held with a slight smile. He remained silent, his breath hitching in his throat. When he looked at her, he felt he could write poetry himself. Heat suffused his cheeks at the absurdity of the thought.

"That was beautiful. Who wrote it?" JC mumbled, making himself more comfortable, his back resting against the arm of the couch so he could face her.

"Robert Herrick." she answered, glancing over at him for a moment before returning her eyes to the pages. JC grunted, closing his eyes once again.

"Who is your favorite?" Jasper inquired, slowly leafing through the pages leisurely.

"I loved Beowulf. Chaucer, Mallory, Spenser, Donne, Shakespeare, Poe, Frost. Dozens." he shrugged a shoulder, folding his arms across his chest.

"Ah, the man likes dark romantics." Jasper chuckled softly.

"I like the playful stuff, too. There's just not a whole lot of it out there." JC explained with a sheepish smile. A smile curved her lips as they fell into an easy, comfortable silence. Jasper took a deep breath, steeling her nerves. Unwillingly and unknowingly, she had developed feelings for him along the way. She shook her head with a sigh. She glanced up, startled, when large male hands plucked the book from her lap and set it aside.

"You like poetry, music and conversation. Is there nothing else you like?" he mumbled, arching an eyebrow as his thumb stroked the inner curve of her wrist.

"What do you mean?" she tilted her head to the side.

"What do you do-for a living, I mean." he shrugged a shoulder, settling back against the arm of the couch once again.

"I guess you could say I help people through their troubles." Jasper answered, shifting uneasily. He was getting too close to the truth. If he found out she was an angel, all hell would break loose, figuratively speaking.

"So, you're a counselor? For who? High school kids?" JC nodded, interested.

"For everyone, I guess. Age doesn't really determine how much trouble people have." Jasper shrugged, fingers closing around the pillow beside her.

"You're nervous, why?" he commented, arching an eyebrow.

"New place, people I don't know. Tends to be a little rough on the nerves." she shrugged, forcing a smile.

"Why do I get the feeling we've met before?" he mumbled, brow furrowed slightly in concentration.

"I just have one of those faces I guess." she shrugged once again.

"No. You don't have one of those faces. You're far too beautiful to have one of those faces." JC stopped abruptly, flushing.

"Thank you." she smiled.

The pair glanced up, startled, when the phone on the end table rang shrilly. JC sighed, reaching for the phone, reluctant to end the conversation where it was, but it was late and he didn't want the entire household up when he couldn't sleep.

"Hello?"

"Jace?"

"Rebecca, what do you want?"

"Why do you sound so nasty?"

"Because I'm at my parents house and your phone call this late has no doubt woken everyone up."

"I'm sorry. I just needed to hear your voice."

"Yeah."

"You really do hate me."

"I don't hate you, Rebecca. I'm confused. I'm upset. I'm angry. I do not, however, hate you."

"I don't believe you."

"I didn't say you had to."

"Jace, please…,"

"Please what?"

"Don't be this way."

"What way?"

"The way you're being."

"I wasn't aware I was being any way."

"You are. You're acting like you want nothing to do with me."

"I'm sorry you feel that way."

"Jace, I'm sorry I ended up pregnant, but these things happen."

"Not to everyone."

"No, I suppose not."

"Other than that, I don't know what you want me to say. I've already said we would get married. Maybe it will end up being a loveless relationship, but at least I'll have a say in my child's life. But other than that, you are nothing more to me than the mother of our child. That's it. You knew as well as I did our relationship ended long ago, and I don't know if this is your last ditch attempt at trying to save what relationship we do have or if it was just an accident, but either way, don't expect me to be overly happy with this new addition to my life."

"Well…,"

"Goodnight, Rebecca." JC mumbled firmly, hanging up the phone, glancing warily over at the woman sitting on the other end of the couch.

"Trouble in paradise?" Jasper arched an eyebrow.

"Something like that." JC nodded, shrugging a shoulder.

"I wouldn't worry. Everything will work out just fine. It always does in the long run." Jasper reassured him with a smile.

"Somehow, I doubt that." He shook his head, grimacing slightly. It wasn't that he didn't love Rebecca, because in his own way, he did. He just didn't want to spend the rest of his life with her. And the baby. The baby wasn't exactly a pleasant surprise, but he couldn't hold it against the unborn child. He glanced up when Jasper slowly climbed to her feet. Without thought, he caught her hand within his own.

"Please - stay." JC mumbled, nodding toward the end of the couch she had just vacated.

"That look upon your face is clearly telling me you need some time to work through some things in your mind, and I wouldn't be of any help." Jasper flushed slightly, glancing down at where his hand engulfed her own.

"You mentioned you helped people through problems. I have my fair share." He pointed out softly. She sighed, and against her better judgment, sank back down onto the couch once again.

"What's the problem?" Jasper finally inquired, hugging a small sofa pillow to her chest, shifting to face the young man beside her.

"I have to marry a woman I'm not in love with. I thought I was in love with her for a long time, then all the fights occurred and things changed. Every time I called her, she would pick a fight or make some sort of snide remark about me being gone all the time, and things would get worse, then better. I don't think I can do this for the rest of my life." JC sighed, raking a hand through his hair.

"Why do you have to marry her at all?" she arched an eyebrow, gritting her teeth. She had always hated to play dumb.

"Because she's pregnant."

"Are you sure she is? It's been my experience that some women are conniving enough to lie to keep a man around." she shrugged a shoulder.

"She says she is." he sighed, rubbing his eyes.

"Sounds like you have some serious thinking to do." Jasper commented softly. JC grunted, rolling his eyes.

"What do you want?" she questioned suddenly.

"What?" he arched an eyebrow, startled.

"What do you want out of life?"

"I want to be happy. Just like everyone else." He shrugged helplessly.

"What makes you happy, Josh?" Jasper pressed further, folding her arms across her chest.

"Singing. Traveling. Doing the things I've been doing for the past few years." JC mumbled, sighing.

"What doesn't help make you happy?" she arched an eyebrow.

"This whole pregnancy thing. It's not that I don't want children, because I do. Just, not right now. I have too much going on in my life to even consider being a father. And it's not that I don't love Rebecca. I know she's a hard person to get along with most of the time, but, I still love her." He raked a hand through his hair, closing his eyes tightly.

"You can love someone and still know they aren't the right person for you." She reminded gently.

"I'm not the type of person who can easily hurt someone like that." He shook his head.

"I'm not saying you have to be. I'm just saying, think about this carefully and what marrying Rebecca will bring you. Make sure it's what you want. Make sure that it'll make you happy." Jasper climbed to her feet, giving him a soft smile before wandering from the room. JC watched her back disappear out into the hallway, sighing heavily. She was right. He did have a lot of thinking to do.

Lance wandered into the small coffee shop, glancing down at his watch as he heaved a sigh. He didn't understand why his mother just couldn't let this performer go. If she didn't want to be represented by Free Lance Entertainment, there wasn't a whole lot he could do about it. Some people just didn't want to become famous and were rather happy with their local stardom. Either way, his mother had convinced him to go to Utah to check out this young woman on the only weekend off he'd been given off in over three months. He gritted his teeth, glancing around the small coffee shop, looking for a place to sit as he pulled his baseball cap a little lower over his eyes. He doubted the people milling about would be fans of 'N Sync, but he could never tell and he didn't really want to be ambushed, especially when he needed to keep a low profile. He took a seat at a small table near the back of the small room and slipped the sunglasses from his eyes. He took out a small notebook and a pen, then glanced up when someone stopped in front of him.

"What can I get you today, sugar?" a husky female voice inquired. A small young woman stood in front of him, pen poised over a small order pad.

"What's the house special?" Lance inquired, glancing at the small tabletop menu.

"Toady's special is Hazelnut Cream." she dully rattled off, looking rather bored with her position as a waitress.

"Large, please." Lance settled back into his chair, folding his arms across his chest as he gazed around the room. The coffee shop itself was decorated in vintage furniture and tables, various overstuffed chairs sat in corners with a few couches, lending to the relaxed atmosphere, fringed lamps sat on each table. The stage stood no more than twenty feet away from his table, and though it was small, it commanded everyone's attention even when it was empty, which it was at the moment. He glanced down at his watch once again, sighing. If this woman didn't get the show on the road soon, he'd have to forego seeing here and attempt to return to Mississippi where he could sleep the rest of the weekend without hassle. Minutes later, the waitress set a large glass coffee mug in front of him with a spoon.

"Thanks." he mumbled, immediately reaching for the milk and sugar. He rolled his eyes when his cellular phone rang. He reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out his phone and after pressing a button, he held it to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Is she on, yet?"

"No, mom. For some reason I'm getting the feeling you've just send me out on a wild goose chase."

"I didn't. James, she's a little rough around the edges and she needs to be trained, but other than that, she's exceptional."

"Mom, you think everyone is exceptional."

"Well, she really is. And don't argue with your mother."

"I wasn't arguing, but, I also could have done this when the tour hits Utah again. This is just nuts. I should be home, sleeping."

"Why put off tomorrow what you could do today?"

"Must you get philosophical?"

"I'm your mother. And stop slouching."

"I'm not slouching."

"Yes you are. I can tell just by the way you sound."

"Mom."

"Listen, you're never too old or too cool to do what your mother says. Now, sit up straight."

"Fine, mom."

"Thank you."

"Welcome. Listen, honey, call me as soon as her set starts."

"Why?"

"Because I'm your mother. And you're never too--,"

"Too old or too cool to do what your mother says."

"That's right."

"Alright, I'll call you after her set."

"James, I said when it started."

"Right, mom. After. I love you. Talk to you later." he quickly hung up the phone, thrusting it back into his pocket, groaning inwardly. Leave it to his mother to make him feel like he was five years old all over again. Lance rolled his eyes, folding his arms across his chest. Utah. What the hell is in Utah? He glanced up when someone stepped onto the stage.

"Good evening, everyone. I know this person needs no introduction, but, please give a hand to Chantile." the young woman smiled into the microphone.

"Finally." Lance muttered, sitting up a little straighter in his seat as a petite woman took the stage and sat in front of a piano that nearly tripled her in size. Long, curly brown hair fell over her shoulders from a half ponytail atop her head. Without glancing out toward the people filling the coffee shop, she began to play the opening notes of a song as a young man with a guitar joined her on stage, taking a seat on a chair beside the piano bench.

"This is a song I wrote for my sister and her boyfriend." she murmured into the microphone as the young man started strumming slowly. Lance closed his eyes for a moment, praying nothing would go wrong. He wanted to see the set, possibly talk to this young woman then go back to his hotel to sleep.

Lance sat back for a moment, pen in hand, as he gazed at the young woman on the stage. She almost looked like a scared child, refusing to look at the audience, instead preferring to close her eyes so she could see her own little movie playing out in her mind as she sang the lyrics to the song. She would need training, which was of no question. Rough around the edges as she was, all she really needed was some polishing. He shook his head, quickly writing out notes on how she could possibly improve her skill. He listened to the rest of her set with half an ear, writing furiously in his notebook.

Justin yawned, pulling on a pair of baggy blue jeans and reached for a baby blue name brand shirt that filled his closet. Today would be the day he would venture outside his mother's house. After two days of relaxation and nothing but the television for entertainment, and occasionally the phone for company, he was ready to face the world in disguise. He snickered softly, gazing at his reflection. A baseball hat and some sunglasses could hide a lot. But it had also gotten to the point that people recognized him even if this small disguise.

"I gotta think of something else. Something better." Justin mumbled to himself, pulling the brim of the baseball hat low over his eyes. He reached for the keys to his Mercedes Benz and wandered out into the living room.

"Honey, since you're going out, do you mind picking up some groceries?" his mother called to him from the kitchen.

"But, mom, I was planning on going to play some ball." Justin complained loudly, lips twitching with amusement. She glanced up, giving him a look of reproach.

"Give me the list, then." he heaved a put-upon sigh, holding out his hand impatiently.

"Thank you." His mother smiled distractedly, handing him a piece of paper. He scanned down the list, mouth falling open.

"You never said anything about buying the whole store, mom." He grumbled, stuffing the note into one of the many pockets of his jeans.

"Eat less and I won't have to make you get all that stuff." His mother snorted, waving a hand in the air.

"Hey," Justin protested. "I'm a growing boy."

"I know, now scat." His mother shooed him from the room with a wave of her hand. Justin rolled his eyes, wandering out the front door to his car. His little brother had gone on a weeklong adventure with his best friend and their family, so the house would be more than quiet. He was sorry to see the little monster run off so soon after his return, but he didn't expect the kid to say no to his best friend. There would be other times he would be able to spend some time with his brother. He climbed into the car and made his way to the super market. He pulled into a parking space, almost recklessly, and twisted the key in the ignition, turning the car off before climbing out and pushing the button to activate the car alarm system. Idly, he wandered into the super market, gazing down at the list he had pulled out of his pocket with growing dismay. His mother really expected him to buy the entire store. With a roll of his eyes, he grabbed a shopping cart and started wheeling down the first isle, gazing at all the products that boasted better this and new and improved that.

"Macaroni and cheese. Hell, I don't know where to find half of this stuff. Mental note to self, get a map before trying to shop." Justin muttered to himself as he wandered down the first isle, dropping sugar and flour into the cart before moving on to the second isle as he crossed off those two items on the list.

"You'd think she never shopped until I come home." Justin kept mumbled under his breath to himself as he tossed more items into the cart: vanilla extract, baking power, baking soda, oregano, basil, and powdered milk. He crossed off each of the items and sighed. With a triumphant yelp, he tossed five boxes of Velveeta Shells and Cheese into the cart, content that he had finally found the macaroni and cheese. He passed by the magazine, book and candle isle in favor for the chips, soda and cookie isle.

"Why is it they put all the horribly, disgustingly bad things all in one area?" Justin mumbled the question with a shake of his head.

"So suckers like us, who have a real weakness for carbonation, sugar and preservatives can spend more money because we just can't say no." an amused female voice answered his question. He glanced up, startled, to meet a pair of laughing blue eyes.

"You could be right." he nodded thoughtfully, folding his arms across his chest. "Have you proven your theory yet?"

"Not yet, but, I'm sure if I hang around this isle for at least ten minutes, my theory will be proven more than once." She waved a hand in the air with a laugh, reaching for a bag of sour cream and onion flavored potato chips.

"I'm Justin." he finally thought to introduce himself.

"I know who you are. The disguise is lacking." She snorted, biting her lip. She had almost forgotten how cute he was.

"And you are?" he prompted.

"Oh, right. Quinn." she rolled her eyes at herself, especially since the butterflies had begun attacking her stomach.

"Nice to meet you, Quinn." Justin gave her his most killer smile, pulling the sunglasses from his face and stuffing them in the pocket of his jeans. She eyed his shopping cart with a grin.

"Like to eat, do you?" she teased gently, arching an eyebrow.

"Actually, mom sent me out for all of this stuff. Says having two sons at home makes food disappear rather quickly, especially when her oldest has four other friends who eat as much as her sons and are over at the house more often than not." Justin shrugged a shoulder, reaching for a bag of Bar-B-Que flavored ships and tossing it into the cart. Without thinking, he grabbed a bottle of Coke and a bag of chocolate chip cookies, tossing each into his shopping cart. He arched an eyebrow when Quinn snickered softly, biting her lower lip between her teeth.

"What?" he demanded curiously.

"You've just proven my theory." she pointed out, gesturing to his cart. He glanced down then smiled sheepishly, combing his fingers through his curls.

"No one can stand in this isle for long without thinking they need something." he shrugged dismissively, his smile widening when Quinn dropped a two liter bottle of Pepsi into her own cart. He lifted both his eyebrows at her.

"Caffeine is a staple of my diet." she exclaimed through a laugh, holding up her hands as if to ward off a blow. Justin made a noncommittal sound.

"At least I don't have cookies, chips and soda." Quinn snorted, folding her arms across her chest.

"Hey, completely off the wall question but, you want to get some lunch or something?" Justin eyed the rest of the list in his hand, taking note that nothing needed to be refrigerated right away. She glanced down at her watch.

"Um, yeah, okay. I don't need to be at work for another couple of hours." she agreed with a nod.

"Where do you work?" he inquired as the two began pushing their carts down the isle.

"Barnes and Noble. Nice place to work. Discount on all sorts of books." Quinn smiled, reaching for a loaf of bread to place in her cart.

"Doesn't that book store have sofas all over the place with coffee and stuff?" Justin continued his line of questioning.

"Yeah, we do. Have you been there?" Quinn nodded.

"A couple of times. Though, I have to admit I've never seen you there." he commented, tossing a few apples into a plastic bag before setting the apples in the cart.

"I blend well." Quinn waved an airy hand.

"I find that hard to believe." Justin gave her a sideways glance, a smile twitching at the corner of his lips. Quinn snorted, rolling her eyes heavenward.

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