[chapter fifteen]

Caitlin pushed back her chair in frustration, and stood up. She'd been sitting in front of the computer screen for ages, but hadn't written a single word for her story. Instead, she kept thinking about events of the last few weeks...
She, of course, had noticed JC's bloodied and bruised hands right away the day she had told him about Ray's phone call, but never said anything. She knew he had a quick temper, and had actually been surprised by how calm he was when she told him about the phone call. Soon after her arrival at the Compound, Wade had called off practice and the guys had gone their separate ways. Chris had insisted that Caitlin call him soon so they could talk, and then she and JC had left together, returning to his house for the evening.

They had talked long into the night...about Ray, about JC's imminent departure to go on tour, and about their future together. After that long conversation, Caitlin found herself feeling more and more secure with JC. He expressed his anger at Ray, she vented about how she didn't want him to go on tour, and they talked about how they felt about each other. It had been one of the deepest conversations of their relationship, and one of the most binding.

She loved him so much. And he loved her. And yet...

They still had issues that cropped up in the backs of their minds. Caitlin could still sense JC's jealousy of the friendship she had formed with Chris. JC knew that Caitlin would always wonder about his comment about being faithful while on tour. And then the fame, the fortune, the lack of privacy...

But they had talked through everything, and then some. And that night, when Caitlin curled up in JC's arms and closed her eyes, she slept--without worry about Ray, touring or anything else. The next day, the tour crunch time had begun, and JC had told Caitlin that their chances to see each other between now and the beginning of the tour would be few and far between. So, she had thrown herself into her work, into her story, into her roommates. But she couldn't help but feel on edge about Ray...and now with JC leaving, who would protect her?

Shaking her head, she banished those thoughts. She didn't need protection, because Ray wasn't going to do anything. His bark was worse than his bite, and she knew it. A knock on the door caught her attention, and she turned around.

"Come in." She said.

"Hey." Alex's face peeked around the doorframe. "The Prime Minister's Questions are on. Feel like watching it with us?"

"That's the best offer I've had all day." Caitlin said with a smile. She followed her older brother downstairs, and bickered with him over who got to sit where on the couch. Jon and Scout were already sacked out on the chairs, and the television was showing views of the inside of the British Parliament.

"I swear, all these guys do is heckle each other." Scout said.

"That's half the fun." Caitlin replied. "Stomping the feet and yelling boo is the other half."

"Gee, you English are just so civilized." Jon quipped, faking an English accent--badly.

"Oh, give it up." Alex pleaded, rolling his eyes teasingly.

"How's the story going?" Scout asked Caitlin. "Any progress?"

"None." Caitlin sighed. "Can't seem to focus on anything. I guess I keep thinking of JC leaving soon."

"But you'll visit him, right?" Jon asked.

"Yeah, but that's not the same as going over to his place three times a week, or having dinner together whenever we want, or him coming over here to hang out. It just won't be like that." Caitlin said. "I guess I've just gotten spoiled having them all here. Even these last couple of weeks have been tough, and he's been in the same town!"

"He'll be home before you know it." Alex said supportively. "Maybe you can ditch that couch while he's gone." He winked at her.

Caitlin's face lit up. "Good idea! I have to go feed Baron anyway, so I'll be over there all the time. Maybe some 'horrible accident' will come to the couch." She laughed, and her roommates joined in. They turned their attention back to the television, and voiced their own opinions on all the questions Tony Blair was fielding from his colleagues--everything from mad cow disease to national health.

"Oh, you English are sooooo superior." Jon said, quoting A Fish Called Wanda.

"A pound says you won't kill her." Alex quoted another line.

"I love to watch your ass when you walk...is that beautiful or what? Don't go near him, he's mine!" Caitlin contributed.

"Apes don't read philosophy." Scout concluded, as they all laughed at their quotes. A sudden knock on the door interrupted the next quote, and Caitlin got up to answer it. The door opened to reveal JC, smiling and proffering some tulips. Caitlin smiled and kissed JC tenderly in greeting.

"Hi sweetie." He said huskily.

"Hi baby." She answered, closing the door behind him. "I figured you'd be asleep by now, after all the rehearsals you had today."

"Couldn't sleep. You weren't there." JC said, smiling softly.

"Oh gag." Scout announced from the couch, where the three roommates had been listening intently. "Get a room."

JC and Caitlin laughed in unison, then joined the guys in the family room. Caitlin went to the kitchen to put the tulips in water, and when she returned, she found Alex explaining the television show to JC, who was paying close attention.

"So then both sides get to ask questions, but some are supportive, some are really negative. It's pretty fun, actually. Much better than Congress." Alex concluded.

"You guys watch this every week?" JC asked, putting his arm around Caitlin as she joined him on the couch.

"We try to." Alex said. "Reminds us of where we come from."

"How was work?" Caitlin asked with a grin. "You guys kill each other yet?"

"Close to it, a couple of times. I'm just exhausted, but we're hanging in there. A few more days, then we're outta here." JC said. "I can't decide if touring will be easier or harder than this. They way Wade has been going, I think touring will be easier." He added with a grin.

"I figured you were worn out. We haven't seen you much lately." Jon said sympathetically.

"I'm sorry about that." JC apologized. "I wish I could be around more, but..."

"No apologies necessary. We understand." Jon said. "Well, actually, we don't have the faintest clue what you are going through, but we can pretend." He teased with a grin.

"Oh thanks." JC said sarcastically, but with a smile. Suddenly the front door banged open and Chris' voice came from the porch.

"It's not a matter of where he grips it!" He exclaimed in an English accent.

"It's a matter of weight ratio!" Caitlin and her roommates responded immediately.

"A four ounce bird cannot carry a one pound coconut!" Chris and the Love Shackers said, perfectly in tune, before dissolving into laughter. Chris closed the door behind him and came into the family room, highfiving Scout on the way. Caitlin noticed JC's slightly confused expression and rushed to explain.

"It's from Monty Python's Holy Grail." She said. "We all watched it the other night when Chris was over." JC nodded his head.

"I thought I recognized it. It just took me a second." He said slowly. "Hey man." He said, turning to Chris.

"C! Hey!" Chris said, flopping down on the floor. "I thought you would be wiped after practice."

"Well, since we leave in a few days, I thought I would spend some time with my girl, here." JC said, putting his arm back around Caitlin. "We've hardly seen each other lately."

"Good thing you didn't see her the other night." Chris said, a grin breaking across his face. "Her face-down in a ditch is never pretty."

Caitlin burst into laughter and slapped Chris on the shoulder. "Way to go, jackass. Now everyone's going to know what a klutz I am." Caitlin turned to JC. "You trip and fall into one little ditch, and you never live it down."

"The falling into the ditch you can live down, it's the running from a garden snake that has no glory." Chris returned, sticking his tongue out at Caitlin.

"It was not a garden snake!" Caitlin defended. "I swear, this thing was some Amazonian python or something."

"It was a garden snake." Chris said with a theatrical whisper.

"I hate you." Caitlin said, sticking her tongue out at Chris. "Keep this up, and I'm going to stop letting you hang out here. My roomies will back me up."

"Nah. We like Chris better than you." Jon said seriously. "We voted you off the Shack last night."

Caitlin pretended to pout and Chris burst into laughter. "So, what are you guys up to tonight?"

"Watching the Prime Minister's Questions." Alex said. "Hanging out. What have you been up to?"

"Oh God. Wade put me up in that freakin' harness again today." Chris said with a shudder. "That part of the concert is going to suck."

"I thought it was fun." JC said from his spot on the couch. "I love that part."

"I'm terrified of that part." Chris returned.

"I can't wait to see that part!" Caitlin exclaimed. "Even though you guys leave in a few days, and I'm sad about that, I can't wait to see the concert all put together!"

"It's going to be incredible." JC admitted. "Exhausting, but incredible."

"You can say that again." Chris agreed. "Speaking of exhausted, I saw the weirdest thing on TV the other night. It started with…"

***

Two hours later, Caitlin closed the front door after waving goodnight to Chris. She and the guys had called it a night a few minutes previously, so Chris had taken off, and her roommates had gone to bed. JC was the only visitor to remain, and Caitlin walked back into the family room where he was sitting, staring out into the dark evening.

"Hey you." She said, sitting down next to him, and snuggling against him.

"Hey." JC responded. "I finally get you to myself." He added, wrapping his arms around her and kissing the top of her head tenderly.

"Sorry about that…just a typical evening around here, you know." Caitlin said lightly. "Not too heavy on the romance or private time, unfortunately."

"Typical evening." JC mused, half to himself. "I didn't realize Chris spent so much time over here." JC said, his voice rising, as though asking a question.

"The last few weeks, he's been over quite a bit. You two are so different…after practices, you are totally wiped out and want to do nothing but sleep-which is what I would do if I were you!" Caitlin said, turning to look into his eyes. "But Chris gets keyed up and hyper, and since he can't hang out with you guys, he hangs out with us."

"I had no idea." JC said. "I mean, I don't mind but…" He rushed to add.

"Well, I would hope not." Caitlin said, smiling. "He's your friend, after all. I just pretend to like him for your sake." Caitlin teased.

"Yeah, right." JC said sarcastically. "I know I shouldn't, but…"

"Shouldn't what?" Caitlin asked.

"I'm just a little...jealous." JC said. "Chris gets to spend time with my girl, and I don't."

"Well, honey, you have to sleep sometime, and practice for the tour comes first. I accept that. Chris just has a different schedule than you. It's not that I want to hang out with him more than you, or anything." Caitlin said logically.

"I know. But…" JC began.

"But?" Caitlin asked.

"But he's more fun than me, and you're going to want to hang out with him more than me from now on." JC said, sounding much like a petulant child.

Caitlin burst into laughter. "Do you really think that, silly boy?"

"No. Yes. Sometimes." JC said. "I'm boring."

"I don't date boring people. It's a rule of mine." Caitlin said seriously.

JC laughed slightly. "That's comforting." He said. "I just…I just can't believe how much I'll miss you. Even though I haven't seen you much these last few weeks, I know you are only across town. Soon you'll be across the country."

"Don't remind me." Caitlin said. "But you can't get rid of me that easily, you know. Now even with a garden snake." She added, smiling.

"Thank god." JC whispered, pulling her close. "Any more calls from 'you know who'?" He asked gently.

"None." Caitlin said. "Thank god. I think he might have called the other night, but Chris answered the phone, so I think that scared him off."

"Any more letters?" JC asked.

"Not yet." Caitlin said.

"Keep me posted." JC requested.

"I will." She said softly. "But I don't want to talk about that. Or about Chris, or your seeming lack of fun."

"What do you want to talk about?" JC asked.

"Who said we have to talk?" Caitlin said coyly, pulling his head down to meet hers. "You leave in a few days. Why waste time talking?" She said flirtatiously.

"Sold me." JC said, dropping his lips onto hers.

chapter sixteen