THE MUSIC NEVER ENDS

CHAPTER 4

JC laid across the bed as he watched Nikolas sleep. There were pillows on all four sides of the baby to keep him from rolling off onto the floor.

"What cha doin'?" Rachel asked as she leaned over the bed and kissed him gently on the cheek.

"Just spending a little more time with him before I head out of here to go to Chicago."

"You'll only be gone a few days...Right?"

"Yeah, but I just feel bad that I have to go." he said as he laid on his stomach and buried his head into the mattress.

Rachel climbed onto his back and started to give him a massage. She slowly leaned down towards his ear and whispered, "Why don't we use the quiet to our advantage?" Letting her tongue glide along his outer ear, Rachel said, "Let me give you something to want to rush home to."

With a grin on his face, JC reached back and ran his hands up Rachel's thighs. "I wish I could, but Justin should be here any second." he said as he tried to scoot out from under her. Rachel sat on her knees on the bed as she watched JC finish zipping up his bag. "Is it because you are going to see her?"

"See who?"

"You know who I'm talking about."

"No." JC shook his head. A car horn startled the both of them. "I told you earlier he would be here any minute." he said as he pointed out the window.

Rachel pouted out her lips at him. All JC could do was smile at her before picking up his bag and walking towards the bed where she and the baby were. He leaned down and placed his hand under her chin as he kissed her gently on the lips. "You have all my numbers right?"

"Yeah."

"He walked to the other side of the bed and brushed Nikolas hair back with his hand. He watched how peaceful he looked. Buddy was curled up in a ball close by. "Daddy loves you."

JC leaned down and kissed the baby on his forehead. "You take good care of Nikky now, Buddy. You're in charge while I am gone."

Buddy wagged his tail when JC pet him. JC went and opened the front door where Justin was waiting. He handed him his bag and turned around and looked towards Rachel once more. "You sure you are going to be okay."

"We'll be fine. Call us when you get into town."

JC hugged her tightly before kissing her once more on the cheek. "Okay." As they were pulling out of the driveway, JC noticed Rachel lingering in the doorway watching them and smiling. He grinned to himself as they drove off towards the airport.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You and Rachel seem to be back to normal." Justin commented.

"Eh...Almost. Still a few things that need to be worked on, but other than that I would have to agree with you."

"So nothing is going to change once you see Laura then, huh?"

"No." JC replied never looking up from his magazine. Justin studied JC's face for some type of emotion. The stewardess walked by with bags of peanuts for them. He then looked down and started to leaf through the Sports Illustrated. "Hallie says she isn't doing too well these days."

"When did you talk to Hallie?"

"I didn't. Joey did."

"Oh..." JC paused momentarily before closing his magazine and looking towards Justin. "Did Hallie tell him what was wrong with Laura?"

"No. But it's not like you care or anything."

"I never said I didn't care."

"You're surely acting like it."

"How am I suppose to act? Especially since I'm finding out more and more each day about everything she was hiding from me for all that time."

Justin rolled his eyes and looked towards his friend. "And who is giving you this information? Rachel?"

JC nodded. "Rachel wanted to clear the air about everything so we could make a fresh start."

"I see." Justin said. "I can't believe my best friend is such a gullible prick."

"A what?"

Justin could see JC was angered by his last statement. "Look, I ain't got nothin but love for you, bro, but you really need to sit back and look at the big picture here."

"I see the big picture fine."

Justin couldn't help but laugh to himself. "Yeah...Okay. I hope you get your head out of your ass soon."

JC let out a long sigh as he shook his head and went back to reading his magazine.

~~~~~~~~~~~

"She's not here yet?" JC asked one of the studio workers.

"No, sir."

"She's usually early." JC said to himself.

Justin walked over and sat down next to him. "Something wrong?"

"No. Laura just isn't here yet. I guess she is on her way." he said as he grabbed a small box that was about the same size as a cigarette case and pressed the button and began to speak. "Hey Michael. You might as well go ahead and start your vocal warm-ups. We're going to give Laura about 5 more minutes until we go ahead without her."

Michael nodded and proceeded to warm-up. JC started to go over things with another producer when he heard Justin yell, "Hey girl!" JC turned his head and noticed Laura walking in. She had on a slightly oversized black velour outfit and pair of dark sunglasses. Her hair was covered with a large silk scarf and a hat. "Hey." she said lowly as she went to place down her bag.

"You've been hanging out with Christina too much." Justin commented as he leaned down to hug her. He lifted her off the ground slightly and started to twirl around. "Justin, please put me down." Laura begged. Justin noticed the color had left her face. "Are you okay?"

Laura looked towards JC and could see him watching. "Yeah...I'm fine. I just have a stomach flu or something."

Justin backed away from her quickly to ensure he wouldn't be caught her in crossfire if she did decide to blow chunks. She walked passed JC who was leaning against the edge of the sound board with his arms folded. "I'm sorry I'm late. I haven't been feeling very well lately."

JC nodded and waited for her to get settled so they could start work. During the studio session JC noticed that Laura was very frustrated and seemed uncomfortable. Even Justin noticed that something was wrong. She was snapping at Michael Stewart anytime he made the simplest of mistakes. JC decided to try and put an end to it. "Hey Mike? Why don't you take a break." he said over the intercom. Michael nodded and took off his headphones and disappeared out of the room and down the hall.

"Could you guys excuse us please?" JC asked Justin and the other producer. Laura let her head fall into her hands knowing an argument was about to insue. He walked over and leaned back onto the sound board before leaning towards her and asking, "Do you need to go back to the hotel?"

"No...I'm fine."

"No...You're not." he mocked. "You've been lashing out at every little thing since you got her. I've never seen you act like this before."

"I was up all night and this morning sick. I'm just a bit cranky today."

"You should have called me. We could have rescheduled this for a later date."

"No. Jerry is on my case enough as it is about getting this recorded. I didn't want to delay it any longer...I have a slue of other projects I need to concentrate on after this is all over."

Laura grabbed her stomach and started to take short quick breaths as she winced in pain.

JC could tell there was something wrong. "You need something?"

Laura put her index finger up for him to wait. She continued to take shorts breaths and swallowed back her saliva a few times. "No, I'm okay" she said, giving a sigh of relief.

JC was about to say something when Laura got up and walked out of the studio down the hall towards the lounge to get a bottle of water. He sat down in the swivel chair and spun around slowly thinking to himself as he ran his fingers through his hair. A few moments later Justin, Michael and Laura walked back in together talking amongst themselves. He smiled to himself when he heard Laura apologizing a million times to Michael for her earlier behavior. After that, things seemed to be back to normal. Laura and JC worked together to get as much as they could done within the allotted studio time for the day, and they seemed to be flowing together creatively like they used to.

The next day was even better than the first. JC and Justin showed up to find Laura already hard at work. Justin wasn't with them much that day because he was working on his own material in nearby studio B, but they would all pop in on one another throughout. When Justin was done he went back to join JC. He found himself back in familiar territory when he heard JC hysterically laughing at something Laura had said. He sat back and smiled as he watched his best friend. He hadn't seen JC laugh like that in a long time

CHAPTER 5

On the third and final day of recording, Justin decided to take matters into his own hands. Right before they were about to leave Justin invited Laura out to dinner with him and JC that evening. She reluctantly agreed before hopping into a limo and disappearing down the highway.

Reporters were somehow tipped off that JC and Laura were in the studio with Michael Stewart and had been camped outside all day waiting for an interview.

Rumors had been flying around about the two of them ever since JC jumped Rick at the night club. There were tons of bogus stories about them in the tabloids. There were even reports that Rick and JC were having a affair and that Rachel found out and sent Laura in to seduce Rick away from him. JC was used to the frenzy of lies, but Laura was not accustomed to having her personal business put out in the street and all over newspapers...Even if most of it was false.

JC was mysteriously quiet during dinner. Justin and Laura were deep in conversation while JC sat back an watched them.

"Are you saying I look fat?" she asked as she punched Justin in the arm.

"Hell nah. I was saying that the outfit you have on makes you look like you actually have skin on these bones." Justin joked as he lightly pinched her arm.

"Well at the rate I am puking up everything I eat or drink, I'm sure I will be back to my old self in no time." Laura smiled.

"Did you see a doctor about it yet?"

"Yeah." she said as she looked towards JC. He was not looking towards them, but was intently listening to every word as he tried to make it seem like he was very interested in the dessert cart that had just been wheeled by. Before taking a sip of her water, Laura muttered, "...It's been taken care of."

Justin rushed through the dessert and apologized to the both of them stating that he promised a few friends he would see them before he left town. He told JC and Laura to enjoy the rest of their dessert and said he would make sure to see her before they left town. Without Justin there, Laura and JC felt very uncomfortable being alone with one another again.

After 5 minutes of silence, she decided to break the ice once and for all. "So how have you been?"

"Pretty good. Yourself?"

"I'm okay...How's the baby?"

JC smiled as he thought of Nikolas. "He's really good. He's starting to talk more. He and Buddy are inseparable."

Laura sat and played with her napkin as she nodded her head, "That's good. How's Rachel?"

"She's been pretty busy with filming a few shows. But other than that, things seem to be back to normal."

Laura looked away towards a couple at a nearby table. She didn't want to look at JC. She knew that if she did, he would see right through her act. JC sat up and took a small bite of his cake before asking, "So where are you living these days?"

"Why does it matter now?" she snapped at him. She hadn't meant to but he had a way of pulling at her true emotions.

"I was just curious. You just left out of the blue...Without a trace."

"You didn't get my letter?"

JC looked down and started fiddling with the butter knife. "Yeah I got it...I just wouldn't have expected you to leave like you did."

"I didn't want to move...I loved that house. But the way things were, I just couldn't see an alternative. The apartment I have now is nothing compared to that house."

"Apartment?"

"Yeah. It's just temporary until I decide on a house."

"Are you..."

"Am I what?" she asked.

JC looked down at his cake and softly asked, "Are you happy?"

Laura looked up towards the ceiling and shook her head, "Hmmm...Am I happy?" She wiped a single tear away from the corner of her eye before looking directly at him. "You were happiness to me. I experienced so many things with you that just the simple thought of you brought me joy..Bliss...heaven...And any other word you can think of...So you ask me if I am happy?" Laura leaned forward so that he could hear her clearly. "No, JC. I'm not happy." She paused and asked the waiter for another glass of water before looking back over at him. "Are you happy?"

"AlmostDay by day." he lied.

"When are the two of you getting married?"

"I still haven't given her a ring yet. We have been taking our time. I'm finding out a great deal of things that I didn't know before though."

"Oh yeah? That's good."

"Yeah, she's opened my eyes to a lot of things about both you and her." he said.

"About me?"

"Yeah. Certain plans you helped her come up with. Things of that nature."

Laura could hear the sarcasm in his voice and couldn't help but laugh to herself. "Yeah, one can never be too careful around me."

"I don't want to fight tonight. I haven't seen you in a long time. I don't want it to turn out to be this way."

"Trust me...I won't let it get to that point." She motioned for the waiter to bring the check. "So how are the guys?"

"Joey is busy playing daddy to his baby. Lance is busy studying for the space thing. And Chris has been taking it easy lately. He had hurt his back a while ago and now he isn't as active as he used to be. Playing a little golf here and there. What about you?"

"Busy working on this album with Christina. Then there are about 4 other projects that I just got...One of them is for a soundtrack to a movie that is coming out soon. Hmm...Let's see...Ducking and dodging reporters left and right. I'm surprised they haven't found out where I live yet. And lastly, I'm house hunting almost everyday when I'm not puking up a lung."

JC laughed lightly. The waiter came back around and placed the check down on the table. "It's all been taken care of. Mr. Timberlake had me bill it to his room before he left. He asked that I give the receipt to you Mr. Chasez." JC looked up at him and said thank you. The waiter nodded and left.

"I'll have to thank him later for that." Laura said as she took her napkin from her lap and placed it on the table. "Are you leaving?" JC asked disappointedly.

"Yeah. You can stay and eat the rest of your cake. I'm not feeling very well and I have a long ride back to my hotel." Laura was feeling a bit dizzy and the smells of the food around her were making her queasy.

"Come on. You can come upstairs for a little while till you feel better." he said as he stood up to leave.

"No. I don't think so."

He placed his napkin down on the plate and said, "Well then just for a minute. I have something of yours that I need to give back to you."

"What is it?"

"One of your photo albums. It's the smaller one with the picture of your grandmother on the front?"

Laura was hesitant to follow him up to his room. They were both quiet the entire trip up the elevator. When they reached his room, Laura stayed close to the door. JC was looking through his messages when he noticed her nervously looking around. "I'm not going to bite." he smiled.

Laura smiled back and walked over and sat down at the desk. They both talked briefly as JC dug into his bag to find her photo album. Judging by their laughter, the two of them seemed to be having a good time. JC finally retrieved her book and walked over to where she was sitting and handed it to her. Laura's eyes lit up as she leafed through the book. "I thought I had lost this. I had no idea where I'd left it."

As she reached the back of the book she came across a picture of her and JC. They were both sitting on the couch facing one another with their mouths wide open in laughter. They were starring at one another and seemed incredibly happy in that moment. The next picture was from the same day, but this time JC had Laura's head locked underneath his arm and Joey and Lance leaning over to save her, while Chris took advantage of the moment to tickle her. Laura couldn't remember when they took those pictures. "It was when the guys came over to watch the football game...After we came back from Vegas." He muttered.

"Oh" she paused remembering back. "Do you want any of these?"

"They're yours. I'm sure I have the doubles somewhere." he said as he went and sat down on the edge of the bed across from her.

Laura could feel her stomach doing somersaults. She placed the book down on the table and rushed to the bathroom. JC ran in after her and found her leaning over the toilet. He grabbed her hair and held it up behind her head. Laura flushed the toilet and knelt down beside it. JC took a damp rag and placed it over the back of her neck before sitting next to her on the floor. "I'm sorry." she apologized.

"Sorry for what? You're sick. There's nothing to be sorry about." JC's cell phone began to ring. He pulled it out of his pocket and checked the caller ID before finally answering. "Hello...Hey...How's the baby?"

Laura quietly got up and walked over to the sink to wash out her mouth. A hand soon reached past her. She looked in the mirror and saw JC standing behind her. He reached into the cabinet and grabbed a brand new toothbrush and handed it to her. She mouthed a thank you before watching him leave the bathroom and closing the door. As she was brushing her teeth she could hear JC's voice getting louder and louder. She walked over and leaned towards the door to hear him more clearly. "...All I'm saying is that I am not you. Don't accuse me of some shit that only you would do. There was no date. We had dinner with Justin. So calm down!"

Laura went back over and finished cleaning herself up before she opened to door. JC was standing by the window starring out into the city. "Everything okay?" she asked.

JC spun around and looked towards her. "Yeah. Everything's cool. She is just a bit nervous because we are working together again. She'll get over it."

Laura smiled as she walked over to the desk and grabbed her photo album. "Well I better get going." she said as she headed for the door.

Laura struggled with the lock and couldn't seem to get the door open. JC walked up close behind her and took a deep breath in of her shampoo. Laura could feel him close to her and could smell the light scent of his cologne and closed her eyes and breathed in the air around her. She could feel his warm breath on her ear and knew his head was next to hers. "Let me get that." he said.

Laura was still struggling with the lock when JC placed his hand over hers and turned the latch all the way to the right. A jolt of electricity passed through both their bodies when their hands touched. JC hadn't touched her in so long that he had almost forgotten how soft her skin was. He had almost forgotten how incredible she smelled. The door was unlocked but neither of them was making a move to open it. JC slowly slid his hand up her arm. Laura quickly backed away. JC was startled by her sudden movement. "Something wrong?"

"Nothing. I just really need to get going." she said nervously.

Laura turned the knob and opened the door. They both stood in the doorway not knowing what to say to one another. "So I guess I will see you around then?" he asked as he went to give her a hug.

Laura backed away and put out her hand. "Yeah. Cya round." she mumbled.

JC looked down at her hand. "I can't even give you a hug good-bye?"

"As much as I want to be in your arms right now...I can't."

"It's just a hug."

"To you maybe." Laura looked away from him down the hall. Tears started to fall down her face as she sobbed, "I just can't stand here and pretend that you choosing her over me doesn't matter. I can't act like I am not hurting. I can't put on a show and say that things are great now that you are not in my life anymore...I know damn well that half the reason I am going through what I'm going through right now is because of you...Things you'll never know."

JC was confused. "What are you going through?"

Laura wanted to tell him everything that had happened since she left town, but decided it was best if she didn't. "I had a nice evening considering the fact that I 'm sick. I don't want to ruin it. Let's just leave on good terms." she said as she outstretched her hand to his.

JC reluctantly started to shake her hand. Laura patted the side of JC's arm and told him she would see him soon. He watched her as she walked towards the elevator. Something was bothering him. He didn't know what, but he ran down the hallway after Laura who was about to step into the empty elevator. "Laura!" he called after her.

He stood in front of her trying to catch his breath as he placed his hand on the doors to keep them from closing. "Is there something that you need to tell me...Something I should know?"

Laura starred into JC's eyes debating whether or not she should tell him. She thought of Rachel and the baby and what JC had said at dinner and looked up at him. The doors started to close when she said, "No...There's nothing you need to know about anymore."

He starred at his reflection on the elevator doors and said to himself, "But there is indeed something."

CHAPTER 6

"So how was working with him again?" Hallie asked.

Laura stood over the stove as she mixed the soup that was warming. "Both incredible and horrible at the same time. Justin thought he was clever by leaving us alone together. I, of course, ended up getting sick in front of him."

"You should have puked on him. I'm sure that would have made you feel a hell of a lot better!" Hallie laughed.

Laura smiled. "Yeah, I may have."

"Are you ever going to tell him?"

"I almost did after I left. I called the house and his answering machine...Oh excuse me...Their answering machine picked up. I got scared and hung up when I heard Rachel's voice on the recording...I know I have to tell him. I just don't know how."

Hallie was silent. Laura listened hard into the phone, "You still there, Hal?"

"Yeah...Maybe you shouldn't tell him, Laura."

"Why not?"

"Well I was going to tell you this as soon as I found out, but you had enough to worry about."

"Tell me what?" Laura asked as she sat down at the table and began to dip her spoon into the creamy soup.

"I talked to Joey the other day"

"Yeah?"

"He went ring shopping with JC."

Laura sat there frozen with the spoon at her mouth. She placed it down lightly and got up from the table, walking towards the balcony. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

She leaned across the railing and watched how the moonlight hit the water in the river. She took a deep sigh and said, "Well no matter what the circumstance, I have to tell him. I don't want to be guilty of the same crime twice."

"Well I know you are going to tell him...Question is, when?"

"Probably when I hang up with you. I'll give him a call and see where he is going to be next week or something. I want to tell him in person, but if it doesn't come to that, then I'll have to settle for the phone."

Laura and Hallie talked for another hour before they hung up. Laura sat back on her chair and watched the boats sailing by in the water as she thought of what she would say when she called. She finally grabbed the phone and started to dial JC's number.

"Hello?" a female voice answered.

"Hey. Is JC home?"

"No. May I take a message?"

"It's Laura, Rach."

"Oh...Hi. What do you need?"

"I needed to speak with JC about something."

"Well he's not here. I'll tell him you called though."

Laura tried to say thanks, but Rachel had already hung up the phone. Almost the same thing happened for nearly 2 more weeks. Laura would call and leave a message on the machine or with Laticia. She even sent him a letter asking that he contact her. It was sent back "Return To Sender."

"Did you try calling Justin to get in touch with him?" Hallie asked.

"No. I don't want him involved...And I don't want you telling Joey either." Laura demanded.

"You don't have to tell him anything...Just that you need to talk to JC." She suggested.

"Well obviously he has gotten my messages and my letters. He just doesn't care. Asking Justin would only make me look like more of an idiot than I already am...Plus I just want to keep this between JC and I. I don't want Justin being my messenger to get in touch with him. If I can't on my own, then I will just take as he doesn't want to speak to me."

Hallie kept brainstorming, "What about his cell phone? Did you try that one?"

"It's been disconnected."

"Well, what if I could get you the number."

"If it has to do with you asking one of four people, the answer is absolutely not." Laura knew her friend had the best of intentions, but she wanted to do this on her own for once. "Look, Hallie, I know you mean well and all, but I just need to deal with this in my own way. If he doesn't want to deal with me, then he won't have to."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"God, I love you." Rachel whispered as she kissed the side of JC's neck. He smiled at her and went back to reading his book.

"Did you want to have a small engagement party back at your old house in Philly while we are there?"

"Well I was thinking about it, but we don't have to. I can just invite everyone down when you're up to entertaining people."

"I don't mind...We can have two if you would like. A small one in you home town and then a bigger one back at the house with all our friends and family."

"That sounds nice too." she smiled deeply gazing down at the large diamond ring on her left ring finger.

When they reached the Philadelphia airport, Rachel used JC's cell phone to call her brother to get a ride to the house. As they waited in a nearby lounge JC found himself sitting at the bar watching Entertainment Tonight, while Rachel went to the ladies room.

"Well it seems that Christina Aguilera is going to be in for an incredible ride when her new album titled, Stripped, is released. One song in particular is receiving rave reviews from critics. It seems that working with the talented of Laura Charles is going to pay off yet again. Maria Menounos has our story..."

JC asked the bartender to turn the volume up just a tad so he could hear.

"The song is entitled 'Fighter' and it is set to be the women's anthem of the year as far as critics are concerned. Christina has teamed up once again with the talented, not to mention sexy songwriter and producer, Laura Charles."

JC smiled when he recognized the clips of Laura when she did the Pussycat Dolls show at the fundraiser. Christina then appeared on the screen sitting in a chair across from the camera's and spoke. "Well I actually had talked to her one day about wanting to do an empowering song, but when she came back with this...I was just floored. I almost didn't want to record it. Laura took me into the studio to check it out, and I was like 'wow' when she started belting it out. She has the whole package."

JC could hear the Maria Menounos' voice again talking about Laura. "Yes, not only is she absolutely cute as a button, can she write the most amazing songs, play the most soulful music you have ever heard, but she can also sing like an angel...So why doesn't this musician, songwriter and producer want to try her hand at performing?

"To tell you the truth, I've never really thought about it till recently. Writing and playing is what I've loved to do ever since I was a little girl....."

Rachel came out of the bathroom and slid onto the barstool next to JC. She noticed his gaze was pointed at the television. When she looked up to see what he was so interested in, she immediately recognized Laura's face. She called over to the bartender for a drink. JC looked over and saw her smiling at him. He leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. "What are they talking about?" she asked as she nodded towards the television.

"Nothing really. Just that song that we heard them playing in the studio a while back." he answered nonchalantly.

"Oh."

JC could feel the atmosphere beginning to become tense and he didn't want to ruin their time together. "I'm going to run and see what the gift shop has. I wanted to get Nikky a little something before we went back home."

"Something more besides the whole two big boxes of toys we had to ship out when we were in Hawaii these last few days?"

"Yeah." he cut back. They both laughed lightly before JC headed out of the lounge.

Rachel sat there and finished watching the segment.

".....To know that the words I write down on a piece of paper could help someone going through a bad time in their life, make her day a little brighter, or give him a reason to keep pushing on, or even be the cause of why a couple conceives their first baby...That's what I want to be remembered for...My words..my melodies. Not because that guy thought I was hot to look at onstage." she joked.

The scene changed back at the ET studios and Rachel looked at the large tv screen behind Maria Menounos of Laura hiding from the cameras and running into her hotel. "And speaking of babies...Rumor has it that Ms. Charles may be having a baby of her own soon enough. Insiders say they have noticed that Ms. Charles seems to have all the signs of a soon to be mother. Morning sickness, weight gain, and many say that they have noticed a small bulging out in her stomach. Every time we caught up with Ms. Charles she was running inside or wearing baggy clothing where no one could really tell for sure. Could this rumor be true? We'll be working on that story on more in the coming weeks."

"So that's why you keep calling..." Rachel mumbled to herself as she looked at Laura's photo on the tv screen.

CHAPTER 7-9