"Alex, I have something to tell you and I want you to think about it," Justin began. It was the night before they left for California. "We'll only be a few hours away from Las Vegas. We both love each other. I want us to elope."
Alex suspected he was going to propose when he first started talking. And then when he brought up Vegas, she suspected he'd ask her to do something like that.
"I know you've always said you don't want to get married, but I don't want to lose you," Justin continued. "I wasn't so sure about marriage and everything. But I know I love you and want nothing more than to be your husband. Eloping will be the best for us. We don't have to deal with all of the headache and planning involved in a big wedding, nor would we have to deal with the press. Just me and you, the official where ever we go, and a witness. Plain and simply, baby. We can have a big reception later on, if you want. And we'll dress up for it no matter what; I don't want to get married in jeans and tee-shirt. Please say yes, baby. Hell, even agree to marry-"
"Justin, if you'll shut up for a minute, I can give you my answer." Alex brushed her lips over his. "I love you more than anything. Yes, I'll elope with you."
"Thank you, Alexandria. You've just made my day."
"You made mine by asking." Alex cuddled closer to him. "I love you, and I'm so happy you want to get married." She giggled. "I never thought I'd be saying something like that."
"I understand." Justin wrapped his arms around her, and rested his chin on her head. "I felt the same way."***
"God, I can't believe how much we have to do," Ashley commented, as she stared at the list in front of her. "Dress, bridesmaid dresses, tuxedoes, invitations, the reception...." She laid her head down on her arms and groaned. "Oh god, I'm gonna go insane."
"Don't worry, girl," Jasmine began. "You'll be ok. You've got us." She looked around at the other women in the living room: Ashley's mom, Lois, and Ashley's maid of honor and other bridesmaids: Alex, Jessalyn Rogers, Rose Braden, and Sarah Jensen. "And we'll do as much as possible."
"But since we need your input," Alex began, "we're gonna spend as much time as possible now planning."
The seven women spent the next eight hours getting in as much planning as possible.
"We don't have that much more," Ashley commented, looking at her list. They'd decided on the wedding dress, maid of honor and bridesmaids dress, flowers, cake, invitations, where the reception was going to be held, the dinner they'd serve, and lots of other things. They wouldn't have to work so hard on the next few days.
"God, I'm tired," Alex said. "I never thought planning a wedding could be so much work. Thank God I'm never gonna have to do it."
"Don't say that yet," Ashley warned her. "Justin might propose."
"He might." He already has, I'm just not gonna tell anyone just yet. I'll wait until we come back married.
"And then we'd have another wedding to plan," Jasmine joked. "God forbid."
They all laughed.***
The days flew by, and they got nearly everything taken care of. Ashley didn't worry as much as she had been, but she was still nervous about everything. And she found it hard to believe that she was actually getting married. Things were getting overwhelming. And she missed Nate.
Any free time she had, she would talk to him. She couldn't wait until she went to visit him.
Alex told Ashley she and Justin were leaving a day later so they could visit a friend Alex had in Vegas. Ashley, lost in her own world, didn't think to question the excuse.
Alex and Justin eloped the night they had been planning on flying back to Florida, and flew home the next day.
JC was waiting at the airport for them. He didn't notice the white gold rings that each of them wore. Justin's was a plain white gold band, and Alex's was a diamond solitaire. Neither did the guys, who they saw that night at dinner.
No one noticed for three months.
Alex was starting school at USF, and Justin and the guys were recording their next album. One of the friends Alex had made in school noticed her ring, and questioned her about it.
"Is that an engagement ring?" Nicole Scott asked.
"No."
"Wedding?" Nicole asked, eyebrow arched.
"Yeah. But no one knows, so don't mention it."
"So I'm the first to know?"
"Yep."
Nicole laughed. "How cool. Who's the guy?"
"A guy I met last year. We fell in love and eloped in June."
"Wow. Congratulations."
"Thanks."
"When are you going to tell everyone?" Nicole looked at her. They were sitting under a tree, eating lunch. "I mean, the news that Justin Timberlake's married will be shocking to everyone."
"Excuse me?" Alex choked on the chip she was eating, and barely managed to get the words out.
"You his girlfriend; everyone- well, all *NSync fans know that."
"Are you a fan."
"A little. But I do watch MTV."
"In answer to your question, we're not sure. We're not sure about anything. We went to California to help a friend plan her wedding, and I introduced him to my family. He asked me the night before we left for California to elope with him. We did it a week later."
"Not very romantic, was it?"
"Not in the sense of flowers and candlelight and things like that. But I loved it."
Nicole laughed.***
The Backstreet tour ended in the beginning of November. Ashley's wedding was in December. The month before wedding was hectic for Ashley. All of the last minute planning had to be finished. But by November 30, ten days from the wedding, everything had been taken care of. The only things Ashley had to worry about were the rehearsal and the wedding itself.
"Oh God," Ashley moaned, two days before the wedding. "I can't believe this. I'm getting married in two days. I can't believe it. It's gonna be so different."
Alex looked at her. "Calm down, Ashley, everything will be ok."
"Ashley," Jasmine told her. "Stop worrying. You're going to make yourself sick. And you'll look terrible for your wedding, with shadows under your eyes, stress lines on your face, lord knows what else."
"I don't look like yet, do I?" Ashley flew to the nearest mirror and began examining her face.
Alex and Jasmine looked at each other and laughed.***
The day of the wedding was perfect. So was the wedding. AJ, Nick, Howie, Brian, and Kevin were there, along with Justin, JC, Lance, Chris, and Joey. And other friends Ashley had made in the music business. All of her old friends were there, as were Nate's friends.
They left that night for their honeymoon, in Australia. They arrived back in New York, where they decided to live while Ashley wasn't busy with Backstreet things, two and a half weeks later.***
"When should we announce our wedding?" Alex asked Justin the night before New Year's Eve.
"When do you want to?"
"I don't care."
"You're going to leave the decision up to me, aren't you?"
"I'm not gonna be the affected so much by it. The press is going to have a hey-day once they find out you eloped, and then kept it from everyone for the past six months."
"They'll get over it."
"Will your fans?"
"I hope they will. If they truly care, and want me to be happy, then they will."
"I hope that's how it works out."
"Same here, babe." Justin changed the subject. "Is Ashley gonna be at the party tomorrow night?"
Alex nodded her head. "Her and Nate both will be."
"Good."
"Why?" Alex looked at him suspiciously.
"I was just curious."
"What do you have planned?"
"Nothing, baby. I was just wondering." He had a 'too innocent to be innocent' expression on his face. "It'll be good to see Ashley again."
"I don't trust that expression, Justin. Things always happen when you have that expression on your face."
"What expression?"
"That 'too innocent to be innocent' expression."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"You know perfectly well what I'm talking about."
"I'm just gonna have to make you forget what you're talking about, aren't I?" Justin straddled her hips.
"Don't you dare, Justin," Alex warned, as Justin pressed his lips to her neck. "We're talking right now." the words left her mouth on a sigh.
"Not anymore."
"I hate you. I can never stay mad at you or anything." She moaned. "Oh God, do I ever hate you."
"Tell me you love me," Justin said thirty minutes later, Alex writhing beneath him.
"I love you, I love you, I love you...."***
Justin walked up to the DJ booth and asked if he could borrow the microphone. It was five minutes till midnight.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he began. "I have an important announcement. On June 21, all of my dreams came true...."The End!!!