"JC, you got a package," Justin said, sticking his head in JC’s room.

"Who’s it from?" JC asked looking at the small package in Justin’s hands.

Justin shrugged. "Doesn’t say. Johnny gave it to me when I ran into him on my way back from breakfast."

"Okay," JC replied taking it from him.

"Who’s it from?" Justin asked, looking at the jewel case in JC’s hand.

"No note except a typed one saying to listen to track 13," JC answered, searching for his disc man.

"What song is that?"

"There isn’t a track listing," JC replied slipping the CD.

"My friends say you’re so into me/ And that you need me desperately," filled JC’s ears after he’d pushed play.

"Well? What is it?!" Justin exclaimed, noticing the confused look on JC’s face.

JC didn’t reply but handed Justin the disc man. "This is Brit," Justin said after a moment. "You know who this is from don’t you?" he said smiling after listening to the song a bit more.

"No, do you?"

"Seriously, C, you know, right?"

"Seriously, Justin, no I don’t."

"God you’re an idiot," Justin shook his head. "And here we’d thought you’d finally gotten a clue," he sighed. "Mind if I go inform the others about what an idiot you are?"

"Go to hell for all I care. You aren’t helping me any," JC replied.

=

"God you’re an idiot," Joey said when JC joined them on stage for sound check.

"Am I the only person who doesn’t know?" JC asked.

"Yes," answered the other members of *NSYNC and Wade.

"Anyone wanna tell me, maybe?"

"Nope, figure it out on your own," Justin answered.

"What’s he need to figure out?" Johnny asked.

"Who sent him a CD with orders to play ‘Don’t Let Me Be the Last to Know’," Chris told him.

"That’s a no brainer," Johnny said. "Kid you gotta stop being so clueless."

"Can we start the sound check? I promised Micah I’d call him before the concert," JC replied, ignoring the comment.

"Good idea," Johnny agreed. "Lets get to work."

After the concert and a shower JC lay in his bunk listening to the song on repeat trying to figure out who it was from. He didn’t understand how it was so obvious to everyone but him. Rolling over onto his stomach he looked at the pictures of him with Micah and Julia and his family with Micah he’d taped up. His favorite was one of the three of them that his mother had taken. They were sitting together in the living room playing with building blocks. He wasn’t sure why he liked it so much, maybe because they looked like a real family in it instead of what they really were, two friends who had a child together.

"JC, we’re at the hotel," Justin said, touching his back to get his attention.

Pulling the head phones off JC flipped over, startled, to look at Justin. "What?"

"We’re at the hotel," Justin repeated. "That’s a good picture of you three," he commented, pointing at the one JC’d been staring at.

"It’s one of my favorites," JC answered. "I’ll be out in a second."

"Okay."

JC pulled the headphones back on as he packed his stuff to take into the hotel.

"Don’t let me be the last to know," Britney sang the finally notes of the song.

"Julia," JC mumbled. "What time is it in Orlando?" he asked Justin stepping into the front of the bus.

"About three, why?"

"Shit," he swore. "Do you think it’s too late to call Julia?"

"Why?"

"I figured it out."

"It’s too late but we’re heading back to the US in two days," Justin reminded him.

"Yah.. shit I gotta think of a way to tell her!"

"We’ll help," Justin promised.

=

"Mommy, come on," Micah whined tugging on her hand. "I wanna go to circus and if we’re late..."

"Mommy’s hurrying," Julia replied, grabbing her briefcase. "Don’t worry, we won’t be late."

"Okay," Micah nodded, trusting his mother.

"You promise Mommy you’ll behave?" Julia asked Micah after getting him into his car seat.

"I promise," he nodded.

"Don’t forget to thank Grandma and Grandpa."

"I know."

"And be nice to your cousins."

"Even Kevy?" Micah questioned making a face.

"Even Kevy," Julia nodded.

"Fine," he pouted.

"No pouting or you’re go sit at Mommy’s office all day," Julia threatened.

"I’ll be good," Micah promised.

"Wow you’re actually on time," her sister, Caitlin, commented when she opened the door.

"Nice to see you too, Cait," Julia replied. "Where’s Mama and Papa?"

"In the kitchen," she answered. "Hello, Micah," she added squatting down to hug him.

"Hi, Aunt Caitlin," Micah smiled following the sisters to the kitchen.

"Ju, Micah," Pepper Cobb exclaimed when they walked into the kitchen.

"Mama/Grandma," they answered giving her hugs.

"I wish I had more time to visit," Julia said after hugging her father and nieces and nephews.

"We understand," Maxwell replied. "You have a good day at work, don’t worry one second about Micah."

"All right, you have a good day too," Julia said. "Thank you again."

"It’s not a problem," Pepper replied. "We’ll bring Micah back sometime tonight, okay?"

"All right," Julia nodded. "Bye, baby," she said hugging Micah.

"Bye, Mommy."

-

"Julia, hey, you know music, don’t you?" Angie asked when got to work that morning.

"Like how?"

"Well we got a new shipment of singers who want to be managed by Johnny and we could use all the people we can get listening to demos, if you’d like to help...?"

"All right, sure. It’ll give me something to listen to while I work."

"All right, thanks," Angie said giving her a pile of tapes and CD’s. "Enjoy."

"Don’t these people know any songs that aren’t by *NSYNC, Britney, or BSB?" Julia muttered aloud after listening to yet another Britney Spears melody.

"Nope, that’s all they know," Angie joked. "You finished?"

"I’ve got one more to listen to," Julia answered.

"I’ll take these and bring you more if you’d like...?"

"All right sure," Julia nodded slipping in the last demo. "This one doesn’t have a name," she said to Angie.

"Listen to it anyway. We’ll track it down to a name if it’s any good."

"All right."

"Hey, Julia," Alex greeted when Julia returned from lunch.

"Hey, Alex," Julia smiled. "How’s it going?"

"Pretty good. Got a message here for ya," she said handing her a piece of paper. "It came while you were at lunch."

"Thank you," Julia smiled taking the note with her to her office.

‘Julia,

"Staff meeting," Angie informed Julia, sticking her head into Julia’s office. "We’ll move as quickly as possible, I know you need to go pick Micah up."

Julia shook her head. "My parents took all the grandchildren to the circus today so no need to speed through it."

"All right," Angie nodded leading Julia to the boardroom.

"Hello ladies," Johnny greeted the pair when they entered the room. "Since we’re all here, let’s get started."

The others nodded and Johnny began. "All right well we’ve got two orders of business. First we need to line up tour managers for Britney’s tour and *NSYNC’s spring tour. Any volunteers?"

"I’ll take Britney’s," Angie offered.

"You want the *NSYNC tour, Julia?" Johnny asked.

"I can take it if you need me to," Julia answered.

"Yah we’ll go a head and put you on them. They might actually listen to you," he said, nodding as he jutted it down.

The rest of the meeting was spent assigning people to go check out acts Johnny thought had promise and was interested in managing.

"Hey, you busy tonight?" Jackie asked Julia when the meeting was over. "Some of the other girls and I were gonna go out for a while."

"That sounds great, but JC gets back in town tonight," Julia answered apologetically. "Some other time though."

"Definitely," Jackie nodded. "Later."

"Bye," Julia smiled going into her office to gather her stuff.

"Hey, Julia," Johnny said coming into her office.

"Hi, Johnny," she replied.

"I didn’t put you on the spot, did I, asking you to take the guys’ spring tour?"

"Oh no! It’s fine," Julia replied.

"All right, good," Johnny said. "I didn’t want to, but I figured C would enjoy you and Micah being there."

"That was kind of you," Julia smiled.

"Not a problem. You’re good at what you do and those guys, for the most part, listen to what you say so it should work."

"I’ll do my best," Julia promised.

"I’m sure you will," he nodded. "Well I need to go home to wife, have a good weekend."

"You too," Julia answered.

When Julia arrived at her house she noticed JC’s Escalade was parked in the driveway.

"Josh?" she called walking into the dark house. "Sorry I’m late! We had a staff meeting and it took longer than I thought, or I would’ve call..." she said trailing off when she walked into the dining room.

"Hi, Julia," JC offered.

"This is pretty," she commented looking at the room, lit by candlelight. "What do I owe the surprise?"

"I know it’s probably cheesy and-- Never mind. I got your package," JC said.

"Yeh?"

"And I love you and I need you and I-- I wanna marry you," he said producing a small leather box.

"Marry me?" Julia exclaimed.

"I know we haven’t even gone out on a date yet, but I love you and we’ve known each other for so long and I know if we just give it a try we can make it work, you, me, Micah, one big happy family."

"Josh, you’re rambling."

"Sorry but you gotta understand how I feel, Ju! I love you so much, and I wanna be with you for the rest of my life," he said. "I understand what Justin and Joey and my parents talk about when they talk about love and wanting to be with just one person for the rest of their lives. I want that, with you."

"JC, wow. Um wow. I didn’t expect this," Julia said after a moment. "Marriage? That’s a big step."

"I know but it’s one I want to make with you," he replied.

"Wow um can you give me a little time to think about it?" she questioned.

"Of course," he nodded. "Lets have dinner," he suggested, gesturing toward the table.

"All right," she agreed. "Thank you," she grinned when he pulled her seat out for her.

"My pleasure."

"Micah should be home some time, my parents took him and the other grandchildren out today," she said after they’d begun to eat.

"Actually, he’s staying with them."

"He is?"

"I talked to them after I got your package... They offered to take him for the night to give us time to talk," he explained.

"That was nice of them," she replied.

"Yah it was," JC agreed.

When they finished eating Julia and JC went into the living room to talk.

"Marriage?" Julia questioned, looking at JC.

"We don’t have to get married if you don’t want to," JC replied. "But yah I’d like to marry you."

"Why?"

"Because I love you," JC shrugged. "When I see myself in the future, it’s with you, raising our children, being a family."

"Really?"

JC nodded.

"Even if we didn’t have Micah together?"

"Yes, I would still want to marry you even if we didn’t have Micah," JC answered, grabbing her hand. "I love you, Julia."

"I love you too," Julia answered.

"Then marry me," he whispered, bringing her hand to his lips.

"Okay," she nodded.

"Really?"

"Yes," she replied.

JC smiled and slipped the ring onto her finger then leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips. The rest of the evening was spent catching up on what had gone in their lives since they’d seen each other last and about the future. Julia woke up the next morning in JC’s arms on the couch where they’d fallen asleep, to the ringing of a phone.

"Hello?" she yawned.

"Good morning, sweetheart," came her mother’s voice.

"Morning, Mama," she replied. "Thank you."

"No reason to thank me," Pepper replied, understanding what Julia meant. "I’m just calling to make sure you were up before I brought Micah home."

"I’m up and ready whenever you wanna bring him."

"So, how did things go last night?"

"Wonderful."

"Should I tell Caitlin and Kaia there’s a third person in the running for the next grandchild?"

"Naw, you know I always like to surprise," Julia joked. "It didn’t go that well."

"No?"

"You know I promised you I wouldn’t until I was married."

"Honey, I wouldn’t hold you to that, especially with JC. Boy’s--"

"Mama, stop! I really don’t wanna hear this," Julia interjected.

"Fine then," Pepper giggled. "Well your sister just showed up so your father and I will be there soon with Micah."

"All right, I’ll be here."

"Love you, dear."

"Love you too, Mama," Julia answered. "Tell everyone else I love ‘em too, ‘cept Cait."

"I will. Bye."

"Good-bye," Julia laughed before hanging up.

"Your mother?" JC questioned.

"Didn’t know you were awake," Julia replied. "But yes that was my mom. Callin to make sure we were up and ready for Micah."

"How soon she going to bring him?"

"Well Cait just showed up so I’d give ‘em at least two hours," Julia answered.

"So then I’ve got time to run to my house and change and call my parents?"

"Depends, do your parents know anything at all? Cause when Will told Mama and Papa, they were on the phone for like six hours."

"That’s because he never told them about Kaia in the first place," JC pointed out. "My parents know though, because my mother picked up the ring for me."

"Who else knows?"

"The guys, Johnny, and I’ll assume Brit and Kel."

"And there’s either Justin or Brit now," Julia laughed, looking at the caller ID on her ringing phone. "Hello?"

"So, what’d you say?" Britney asked.

‘Brit,’ she mouthed to JC. "To what?"

"Don’t start that game! We both know C was supposed to ask you last night," Justin said.

‘Justin too,’ she mouthed again. "Ask me what? What were you supposed to ask me, Josh?" she asked, pushing the speaker button.

Hiding his laughter JC said, "Thanks you two! I chickened out!"

"You what?!" exclaimed the pair.

"Chickened out on what?" Julia questioned.

"Oh god, we’re sorry, JC!" Justin said.

"Yah we just figured you’d do it, ya know?" Britney put in.

"You two are such dorks," JC laughed.

"Excuse me?"

"Do you think I would’ve let Julia answered the phone if I hadn’t asked her?"

"Why wouldn’t you?"

"Because you would’ve done just what you did," JC replied.

"Wouldn’t’ve either," denied both of them.

"Yes you would’ve," Julia replied.

"Yah right. We so totally knew you were playing," Justin said.

"Yah totally," Britney agreed.

"Wherever," Julia giggled.

"So anyway what’d you say? Details," Britney exclaimed.

"You’ll just hafta wait until later to find out," Julia replied.

"No way! You so can’t do that! That’s not fair," Britney exclaimed.

"Since when do I have to be fair?" Julia replied.

"Please?!"

"Fine, I said yes."

"Yes!!" exclaimed Britney.

"Congratulations," Justin put in.

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