Anika waited nervously, pacing along the rows of chairs as people filed by, exiting the plane. "If you don't sit down," Clara growled as Anika passed her, "he'll find a corpse waiting for him." Anika huffed and sat down.
"You sound like Marissa," she said. "He said he'd be the last one off. Will these people ever stop?"
"You'll have plenty of time with him," Clara grumped. "You can stand a little time now."
Anika hid a smile as she stood up to pace again. "I wish these people would finish...."
The flow of people stopped, and JC appeared and paused in the doorway, peering out comically. "Finally," Anika sighed. "Come on." She grabbed Clara's arm and tried to pull her to her feet.
"I don't want to see the greeting between you two," Clara protested.
Anika rolled her eyes. "You're a spoilsport. Come on!"
Clara groaned and got to her feet. "All right, I'm coming," she muttered.
Anika grinned widely as she walked swiftly toward JC. He caught sight of her and grinned back, nodding slightly. Impossibly, Anika's smile widened, and she hugged him. "I missed you," she whispered.
"I missed you, too," he whispered back, then looked up. "Hey, Clara."
"Hi, JC. Exactly why did your girlfriend find it necessary to drag me over here to meet you? It's not like she doesn't know the way to the airport or anything, and I know she's come out here alone before...."
He held up a hand to stop her. "Because I brought you a gift."
Clara lifted one eyebrow. "Oh, really?"
JC winked, reached behind him, and pulled a grinning Joey into sight. Clara's eyes lit up and she smiled hugely. "Joey!" She launched herself at him.
"Hi, Clara," was all he managed before she hugged him, and that was all he'd planned on, anyway, using her proximity to give her a kiss.
"And she complained about seeing our greeting," Anika grinned. Clara waved her away without breaking her kiss.
"Did she, now?" JC teased, and bent down to kiss her.
The gate attendant broke them up, wanting to close the door so they could prepare for the next group of passengers to board. Flushed slightly, Anika led the way to the main building. "Anyone bring luggage?" she asked once they were past the security gate.
"Short trip," JC said, hefting his carry on. "We didn't check anything."
"Perfect," Anika smiled, and led the way to her car.
Once they were settled in and on their way out of the airport, Joey looked down at the girl sitting next to him. "Do you forgive me?" he asked, thinking of the lies he'd told her to keep her in the dark about this visit.
She looked up at him and smiled. "There's nothing to forgive," she told him softly.
He relaxed, hugging her gently. "Thanks for coming to meet me," he whispered.
"It was a nice surprise," she said contentedly. "Are you staying with me?"
"I left it open," he said hesitantly. "I can get a hotel room if it's too much...."
"No." Her eyes flashed. "There's room at my place."
Joey chuckled. "Okay, okay. I wasn't sure."
Clara nestled closer. "You can be, now."
Anika glanced in her rearview mirror and chuckled. "Well, that was a good idea," she said softly.
"Yeah?" JC asked.
"You should see them. They look incredibly content."
He twisted around to look, and smiled. "If I were cuddled like that, I'd be incredibly content as well."
"You'll have to wait until we get to my house," Anika told him. "How was the flight?"
"Quiet." JC chuckled. "I love Chris and Lance, but flying without them is a treasure."
"Why?"
"Chris is never still. On the bus it's one thing, but on a plane, there's nowhere for anyone to go to escape him. And Lance is a nervous wreck until we land." He chuckled. "And sometimes afterwards, too."
"Joey didn't drive you crazy?"
"No, actually. He seemed rather worried about something, but he kept it to himself."
"Hm. I guess that's good," Anika said, and stopped the car. "Your place!" she announced.
"I'm staying here," Joey said as Clara pulled away from him to get out.
"Good," Anika smiled. Joey retrieved his bag, and she watched them into the apartment. "Our turn," she said.
The drive was quiet, other than the radio playing softly. Anika glanced at JC, and he seemed to be staring out the window vacantly. "Penny for your thoughts?" she asked as she parked in front of her apartment.
"Just... thinking about things," he said, and turned to smile at her. "I want to see where you live."
"Well then, follow me!" She got out of her car and opened the trunk, then led the way in. She glanced at the clock and sighed. "I wish it weren't so late."
"Why? You don't have school tomorrow or anything." JC set his bag down and stretched.
Anika smiled. "You're right. Want something to drink?"
"No, I'm fine," he smiled, reached out, and hugged her. "It's really good to see you again," he said.
Anika grinned up at him. "I kn..."
He interrupted her with a kiss. "I was going to say I know," she told him a while later.
JC smiled. "I know."
Anika chuckled. "Come on. I'll show you where you'll sleep." He grabbed his bag and followed her.
Anika woke to the smell of a warm breakfast. Utterly confused, she stumbled down the hall to the kitchen to smile sleepily at JC. "Morning," she mumbled.
"Good morning." He set the pan carefully on an unlit burner and turned to hug her. "I hope you don't mind. I scrounged a little."
"No," she said, still bewildered. "Did you sleep well?"
"Well enough," he hedged.
Her eyebrows went up in some surprise. "Why not?"
He turned back to breakfast. "Sit down. This is almost ready."
Anika leaned against the counter. "Is something wrong?" she asked.
JC turned to look at her, and smiled. "No. Just had things on my mind. Be patient, Anika. You'll see what they were soon enough."
His wink merely made her more curious, but he wouldn't tell her anything else. Breakfast was lazy and yummy, then they took turns in the shower. Anika was waiting anxiously when he stepped out. "Was there anything you wanted to see today?" she asked as he sank down next to her.
JC shrugged. "You," he answered. "Beyond that, I just don't care."
"Let's check out the Rose Gardens, then," she said, bouncing to her feet. "If they aren't interesting, we can go to the Japanese Garden. Sound good?"
He grinned at her. "Like I said, as long as I'm with you, I don't care." He got to his feet and followed her out the door.
"Okay, but if you don't like it, you only have yourself to blame."
"I'll keep that in mind," he chuckled as she locked the door.
The Rose Gardens were empty, of both people and flowers, except for the occasional blossom on a dying bush, and Anika sighed softly. "I'd actually hoped they'd still be in bloom," she said.
JC smiled. "It's okay. I have the prettiest flower with me."
Anika blushed. "Thank you."
He paused, staring out over the city. "Anika, when do you finish school?"
She glanced at him, brows furrowed in confusion. "Um... December, actually. That picture you gave me is part of my final project. Why?"
He looked down, scuffing his feet in the dead grass. "I wanted to know if you'd like to come down to Orlando," he said softly.
She smiled at him. "I'd love to! For how long?" she asked, excitement lacing her words.
JC chuckled, shaking his head. "No. I mean permanently."
She was quiet for a long time. "Just pack up and move down there?"
"I'd help you find a place, of course," he said quickly. "And a job, if you need help there."
The silence pressed on his nerves, and he wondered if he'd done the wrong thing. Sure, he'd gone out on a limb, but it seemed to be something he was doing with her. Constantly. It was a little strange. Finally, she turned to look at him. "Really?"
He smiled almost hesitantly. "Yeah. Which part?"
"You want me to come to Orlando?"
JC nodded. "If you want. I'm not entirely sure you'd see me more," he said with a grin, "but the opportunity is there."
Anika paused slightly. "I'll look into the possibility," she promised.
He pulled her close and gave her a kiss. "Good enough for me," he said softly. "For now."
"You're seriously doing Brit's "(Can't Get No) Satisfaction"?"Joey asked at breakfast.
Clara grinned. "Yeah! The kids love it!"
Joey chuckled. "And you don't?" he teased.
"Yeah, I do," she admitted. "It's been fun, using steps and ideas from some of her different videos."
He tilted his head to the side. "When do you do this thing?"
"The talent show? Beginning of December. It's sort-of our Christmas program."
"Hm...." he paused again. "Having problems with any of it?"
"Yeah, a couple. Why?"
"Brit's free the next couple weeks. I might be able to talk her into flying up and surprising your students. Want me to ask?"
"Joey!"
"What? With me, of course, but I'd still like to do that. Someday when you're rehearsing or something."
Clara grinned. "How in the world did you get so sweet."
"Hanging around Lance," he teased.
"Lance?" she echoed.
"I know! You'd never guess, under that hard, sarcastic exterior...."
She cut him off with a kiss. "Are you serious?" she asked.
Joey chuckled. "Yes. I mentioned it to her, and she seemed game. I'll ask again when I get home on Sunday night."
With a huge grin, she hugged him tightly. "Thank you! Even if she can't come, thank you!"
He chuckled gently. "So what's the plan for today?" he asked as she sat back down.
"I thought you'd like to see Multnomah Falls," Clara said. "It'll be a little cold, sure, but they are beautiful, and not a lot of people will be there."
Joey nodded. "Sounds fine. Whatever you like."
The day was delightful. They did a little hiking, enjoying each other's company in the near solitude at the collection of falls down the old historical highway. The highlight was crossing the Bridge of the Gods, and catching a glimpse of what a sunset from there would be like, reflecting off the river and down the Gorge.
They met the others at the ‘Brasserie Monmarte', a nice restaurant with live jazz that JC paid more attention to than his food, but less than to Anika - especially when he embarrassed her deeply by asking her to dance when he requested a song and they played it for him.
"What did you guys do today?" Marissa asked when they'd sat down again.
"We saw Multnomah Falls," Clara smiled.
"It was amazing," Joey said, smiling at her. "The view from the Bridge of the Gods was incredible."
"Cold?" JC asked.
Joey shrugged. "A little, yeah, but still really nice."
"The Falls are nice even when it's cold out," Marissa agreed with a short chuckle. "What did you guys do?" She looked pointedly at JC and Anika.
"We saw the Rose Gardens," JC said.
"Were there roses?" Clara asked.
"No," Anika smiled. "We went to the Japanese Gardens, too."
"Never been there," Clara said.
"It's worth it," JC told her.
"Marissa, what did you do?" Anika asked.
"Me? I slept in, looked for a job, cleaned my kitchen, and went to Powell's. I kept busy." She shrugged, neglecting to tell them how jealous she'd been when she'd remembered JC and Joey were there. And about her thoughts that had spun in circles all day as she tried to figure out what she wanted to do about Chris.
Anika smiled slyly, as if she knew that, but opened her menu to decide what to order instead of saying anything.
"We're for the club," Anika announced as they paused outside the doors of the place, comfortably full. "Who's coming?"
"Oh, me, definitely," Marissa said with a grin.
Clara and Joey exchanged glances. "I think we'll pass tonight," Joey said with a soft smile. "See you guys tomorrow?"
"Better believe it," Marissa grinned, winking at Clara, who contrived to give her an innocent glance that Marissa didn't believe for an instant. "Have fun."
"We will," Clara said insolently, took Joey's arm, and they started walking toward the river in a comfortable and comforting silence.
"Today was nice," Joey said softly once they'd reached Waterfront Park. Clara shivered slightly; it had gotten colder with the dark.
"It was," she responded, slowly tucking a piece of flying hair behind her ear.
"I'm glad you didn't mind that I came." He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.
Clara laughed. "Mind? Your must be crazy, Fatone. I mind it when you aren't with me."
Joey laughed. "Yeah, well.... I'll be back in about two weeks, for a very short time."
"I know, Joey," she said with mock frustration. "You told me, remember?"
"Yes, just reminding myself." He laughed again. "I like to do that. Most of the time it's necessary."
Clara looked up at him almost shyly. "I need reminding too, or else I might not think that this was real." She paused. "I'll remind you whenever you want me too."
"Oh?" He turned to look at her, pulling her gently to a stop. "Maybe this will make it more real." He pulled her close and kissed her.
Clara kissed him back, gently, then suddenly broke the kiss, leaning back in his arms and laughing loudly.
Joey was surprised and looked at her, a little perplexed. "That's a new reaction." He seemed almost unsure, a smile twitching at his lips.
"Haven't you ever heard of anyone laughing in joy?" Clara asked, smiling up at him, her eyes sparkling in the streetlight.
"Not just after kissing me, no," he said, still a little perplexed, and chuckled. "That could definitely be taken wrong."
"I'm happy Joey. That's all."
Joey smiled. "Good. That is rather the aim in all of this, you know." He gently touched her face, brushing her hair away from her eyes. "I don't like it when you get that sad note in your voice."
"I don't like it when I get that sad note in my voice either, buddy." She smiled brightly, then her eyes widened and she grabbed his hand, pulling him towards a row of shops on the other side of the street. "I love this store!" Joey laughed, following her, tripping over his feet as he did, but still keeping up, if barely. "Don't you?" she demanded, slowing down slightly so he could keep up with her.
"I don't know! What store are you talking about?" He pulled up next to her and smiled.
"See that?" Clara asked, pointing to a used cd store in the distance. "I love that store!"
"Hm... Having never been inside it, I don't know, but used cd places are usually very cool." He groaned suddenly. "JC's starting to rub off on me."
"Well, duh, used CD places are cool," she mocked him.
"Oh, thanks...." He winked, and held the door open so she could step inside.
"Thank you, and you know that I didn't mean it like that. I love you just the way you are, Fatone."
He chuckled. "Yes, I know. and I love you the way you are, too." He gave her a gentle kiss. "So, what are we here for?"
"To get CDS!" Clara pronounced, as if it should have been obvious.
Joey nodded. "Good. I'd be worried if it was a get broccoli errand or something like that." He winked at her. "What cd's do you want?"
Clara tilted her head. "Now that you mention it, we could pick up a few carrots while were here, can't we?" She laughed at his confused expression. "Anything. Everything. All of them."
"Carrots. No, I don't think so...." His eyebrows went up. "Okay, all of them... but four copies of Emenem?" He paused by one of the racks. "Oh, and that was just turned in today. Kinda scary if you ask me.... but imagine what they would look like in a microwave... Hm...." His eyes sparkled as he continued to survey the racks of CDs.
"Eminem, huh?" Clara asked, browsing through the stack Joey had just left. She casually picked one up before moving on.
"I don't know." He shrugged, trying to see the cd she'd picked up. "It was the one I saw."
"It's Eminem, if you must know..." Clara joked, noticing his craning, before turning and looking at the CDs behind her.
"Okay." He followed behind her, perusing the CDs as she did, quiet. He collected the occasional one as well.
"Whatcha getting?" she asked curiously after a few minutes.
"Just some stuff I haven't seen in a while." He checked the CD's. "Winger, and Mourning Windows."
She shrugged slightly. "Okay."
He kept following her, and she felt him occasionally touch her hair or her shoulder, a feather light touch that was almost as if he wasn't entirely sure she was there.
"Mmmmmm"
"Hm?" he echoed.
Clara smiled, turning to glance at him. "Nothing. Just enjoying the company."
He chuckled. "That makes two of us."
"Glad I could please you.
"Hm, me too."
Clara grinned. "Good."
Joey chuckled again. "How often have you been in here?"
"Often enough," she said casually. "They know me by name."
"Really? Would they get jealous if I kissed you in front of them? Oh, wait... I already did. Too bad."
Her heart warmed at his caressing tone. "They wouldn't care. In fact, it would prove to them that you aren't just a figment of my imagination."
He chuckled. "You talk about me?"
"Do you talk about me?"
"Enough that I have been told to shut up," she admitted.
"They tell me to shut up, too." He wrapped his arms around her. "We are as pathetic as Marissa said we were, aren't we."
She twisted in his arms so she was facing him. "More so, I think."
"Probably. Is that wrong?" His voice had dropped low, and there was a sense of privacy between them.
"How could loving you be wrong?"
"Oh, I can think of reasons, but frankly, I'm not in any of the situations that spring to mind, and neither are you," he teased her, and kissed her again. "I love you, too."
"Let's get out of here," Clara whispered, mischievously.
"Sounds good to me... before or after we buy the CDs?"
"Before. I'll leave them behind the counter... Matt will hold them til tomorrow."
"Works for me." He let her go and followed her up to the counter.
"This must be the guy," Matt said with a smirk as he took the CDs Joey handed him.
Clara blushed faintly. "Matt, hush your tongue or else I won't tell you anything else." Clara stated, handing him her CDs. "I'll pick them up tomorrow, alright?"
Matt chuckled. "Is that a promise?" he asked, with a wink at Joey, who smothered the smile that crossed his lips.
"Or I could conveniently tell Rachel about..." Clara didn't finish.
Matt grinned. "Oh, you think she doesn't know? I'll see you tomorrow, and if I don't, I'll hold them until Monday. Not that any one will try to take off with the Emenem CD, anyway...."
Clara sighed in mock frustration. "It's supposed to be good, Matt."
"Huh. The guy hasn't put anything out in too long... Might be good, but considering how many we get in here, not many people like it. We've had to turn a few away."
"So? Its still supposed to be good."
Matt grinned. "I'll let you decide, girl. Get on out before Dave comes out from the back and lays into you."
"Like how?" Joey asked, a little protective.
"Jokingly," Clara assured Joey before taking his hand and leading him out of the store. She called out bye over her shoulder they left. When she looked back, she could see Matt laughing and shaking his head.
Laughing quietly, Clara stuck her tongue out at him before turning and hugging Joey.
Joey hugged her back. "Quite an interesting place," he said. "We'll definitely have to go back."
"Definitely."
They walked a little longer by the river, but before she was really ready, Clara began to shiver again. "Let's go home, Joe Bear," she whispered. "I'm cold."
"Okay. But I'm completely lost. I will follow you wherever you go." He whispered it as softly as she had.
"I'll take you home," Clara whispered before turning and walking into the night.
Joey followed her.
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