"You better not force me to stay home and take care of the kids." Quinn warned him softly, shifting so she could gaze up at him.

"I'd never dream of it." he shook his head with a laugh.

"Good." she nodded in satisfaction.

"I don't want you to see me off in the morning." Jonathan stated suddenly and her heart shuddered within her chest.

"Why?" she demanded, struggling to sit upright.

"It'll make my leaving to hard to deal with. If you're there, I'll be tempted to grab you and run." he admitted, unable to meet her gaze.

"Then grab me and run now. We can make it to the Canadian border in no time." she pleaded, almost desperately.

"You know I can't, Quinn." he shook his head with a sad smile.

"Why not?" she exclaimed loudly, surging to her feet. She began pacing the room, tension stiffening the muscles in her back.

"Desertion is the worst charge for a man in the military. Back in the day, the used to put deserters to death." he pointed out, eyes following her every move.

"This isn't fair." she shook her head, walking over to stand in front of the window.

"I know it's not, Quinn. But we all have to do things we don't want to do, and we both know life isn't fair sometimes." he sighed climbing to his feet. He walked over to stand behind her, an arm snaking around her waist to bring her back against his chest.

"We all have to do things we don't want to do." she echoed numbly, closing her eyes. "That doesn't include war."

"Yes, sweetheart, it does. Especially when you're a man." he sighed, resting his forehead against her shoulder.

"Oh, good. Because you all feel the need to thump your chest at the world, the rest of us have to suffer in agony, wondering if the men we love with come back to us healthy and alive. That's just wonderful." Quinn snorted, jerking away from him before she lost her train of thought.

"Who says I'm thumping my chest? I'm just doing what I have to do." he lifted an eyebrow, folding his arms across his chest with a sigh.

"You are thumping your chest. You're playing Tarzan and you're trying to protect your jungle. The only thing is, it's not our jungle." Quinn muttered, hugging herself more for warmth than comfort.

"Would you rather we stay here and let innocent people die?" Jonathan inquired softly.

"No!" the word exploded from her lips.

"Then I have to go." he murmured, coming over to rest his hands on her shoulders.

"I know." she sighed, shoulders slumping dejectedly. Jonathan reached for her hand, bringing her knuckles to his lips for a moment before sliding a silver band over her right index finger. She glanced down, eyes widening when she saw his favorite ring residing on her hand.

"When I come back, I'm going to collect that, and it will be my wedding ring." he informed her, pressing a soft kiss to the side of her neck.

"All right." she whispered hoarsely, eyes filling with tears.

"I love you, Quinn."

"I love you, too."

"I was so in love with him." Quinn whispered hoarsely, blinking back bittersweet tears as she took a tremulous breath.

"He sounds as if he were a wonderful man." Jasper commented softly.

"He was, Jasper. He really was. All he ever cared about was making me happy. He said as long as I was happy, the rest of the world was a cakewalk." Quinn's lips twisted in a smile as she brushed the backs of her fingers across her cheeks where the tears dotted her cheeks.

"Hey, guys! Get up! We're here!" a loud voice startled Joe from the wonderful dream he was having. He grumbled something incoherent under his breath, shifting until he lay on his stomach, desperately clinging to the dream images as he hugged his pillow to his cheek. A slow smiles turned the corners of his lips upwards, sleep slowly reclaiming him.

"Joe! Get a move on!" JC's voice broke through his lethargy like ice water.

"No! Joe's not home right now, but if you leave your name, number and a brief message, he'll get back to you. Beep!" Joe yelped through a yawn, pulling the blankets over his head. The curtain rustled then whipped open.

"Get your ass in gear or I get the ice." JC stated with finality, arms folded across his chest, an amused smile twitching at the corners of his lips.

"Slave driver." Joe muttered, rubbing a hand over his face. "And I was having a good dream, too."

"I'm sure she'll wait until tonight." JC commented dryly as he wandered from the bunk area. Joe surreptitiously reached for the curtain.

"Don't even think about it, Joseph!" JC called from the front lounge. Joe froze in the act of pulling the curtain shut and groaned.

"You suck!" Joe yelped, struggling out of the bunk and to his feet. He raked a hand through his hair, yawning hugely as he reached for his duffle bag for a change of clothing, silently grateful they were stopping at the hotel first so they could all shower and get ready for the day. He mentally reviewed the list of things he had to accomplish that day. He had to call the person he was writing an acting tutorial book with and see how things were going with that; they all had to look over a new script for the movie they wanted to participate in; he had to call home and see how the family was doing and if they needed anything; then sound check and rehearsal with the band; meet and greet with the winners from the local radio station contest; concert; and possible after concert party if things went according to plan. He sighed and took a deep breath, stumbling to the front lounge of the tour bus.

"Morning, sunshine." Chris chirped from his seat in front of his laptop, playing one of the numerous DVDs the group had on the bus.

"I shoot cheerful people in the morning." Joe advised pleasantly, shoving his hands into the front pockets of his jeans.

"All cower in fear. Mighty Joe has spoken." Jasper rolled her eyes, snickering softly.

"Stop that!" Quinn scolded, her voice laced with amusement, wagging a finger at the other angel.

"Wait --," Chris held up a hand, glancing down at his feet. "Justin, remind me to shake the next time I'm wearing boots."

"All right." Justin nodded agreeably, shoveling a spoonful of cereal into his mouth.

"Thanks, man." Chris smiled brightly, returning his attention to his laptop. Joe rolled his eyes, pulling open the mini refrigerator in search for something to drink. He pulled out a small bottle of orange juice and leaned back against the counter.

"Hey Chris?" Justin inquired, tossing the empty plastic bowl and spoon into the trash barrel.

"What?" Chris lifted an eyebrow distractedly.

"Start shaking the next time you wear boots." Justin reminded the older man with an impish grin.

"I asked for that one, didn't I?" Chris shook his head.

"Yup." JC nodded, grinning.

"Thanks, Justin." Chris snorted, rolling his eyes. Joe ignored the easy banter of his friends, arms folded across his chest as he awaited the signal from security so he could get into his hotel room and take a well needed shower. The vague thought of a vacation tantalized his mind. He shook his head. There were another few weeks left to the tour before they could return to Orlando to just relax.

"All right. Let's go." Lonnie, a member of the group's security team, nodded to them from the bus' doorway. Joe shouldered his duffle bag, grimacing with the weight and made his way to the door.

"Now, everyone remember to smile!" Chris practically bounced down the stairs.

"Someone remember to buy duct tape." Joe muttered as he followed Justin down the stairs.

"What for?" JC questioned from behind him.

"So I can cover Chris's mouth with it." Joe tossed a grin over his shoulder. The group of young men smiled and waved to the fans waiting outside the hotel to greet them, some holding up signs while others held posters, all of them screaming their names to catch their attention. Joe gritted his teeth in a tired smile, signing a poster a fan thrust into his hands, handing it back to the gushing fan as he made his way down the line. Joe stopped short when he felt a gentle tug on his pant leg, glancing down curiously. A young boy not more than five or six years old stood at his side, fingers shoved into his mouth, an impish smile crossing the little boy's face. Joe glanced around quickly, wondering if his mother was nearby.

"Hi there." Joe gave the little boy a smile. The little boy curled his fingers in a child wave.

"I'm lost." the little boy announced proudly, thrusting his chest out.

"Uh-oh." Joe shook his head, bending over to pick the little boy up.

"I'm Joe, what's your name?" Joe inquired distractedly as he scanned the crowd for a distraught and frantic mother. He frowned when he didn't see a woman fitting the description.

"Randy." the little boy answered, squirming in the older man's arms. Joe grimaced, trying to keep a hold on the boy long enough so they could both make it to the hotel lobby.

"Do you have a last name?" Joe brought his gaze back to the rambunctious little boy filling his arms.

"Johnson." Randy latched his little fist around the Superman medallion hanging from Joe's neck, giving it an experimental tug. Joe winced slightly, the chain biting into the back of his neck as he stepped into the lobby of the hotel.

"What's going on, Joe?" Lance lifted an eyebrow, gazing pointedly at the little boy.

"And the first little Joe makes his appearance." Justin snickered, reaching for the credit card looking key the man at the desk held out to him.

"This is Randy Johnson. He's lost." Joe shrugged a shoulder, shifting Randy so he was propped against Joe's hip.

"Not good." Lance shook his head, glancing down at his watch.

"Do you know where your mother is, Randy?" Joe inquired, wandering over to the front desk.

"Obviously not very attentive to her son if she let him wander off like this." Lance mumbled under his breath, following Joe.

"You don't know that, Lance." Joe tossed a mildly withering look over his shoulder at the younger man.

"Neither do you. What kind of mother would let her kid out of her site? Especially a kid that small?" Lance lifted an eyebrow, folding his arms across his chest.

"What do you mean you lost my son?" a female voice demanded incredulously from a few feet away at the elevators, catching the attention of both Lance and Joe. A young woman, a slightly panicked expression on her face, stood in front of another young woman who had her head bowed.

"He has a tendency to wander off. I know that! He's my son! I, of all people, know that! Which is why I hired you. To help me out for a few months while my work schedule increases." The young woman's voice escalated with anger. The other woman mumbled something, shaking her head slowly.

"You're sorry? You're sorry?! Sorry doesn't bring my son back safe and sound. Get out of my sight! Now! You're fired." the mother pointed to the elevators and strode briskly away from the other woman before she had a chance to defend herself.

"Well, Lance. Obviously she's a single mother with an inept nanny." Joe smirked, turning around to face the harried looking mother.

"Mommy!" Randy squealed loudly, holding his arms out to the young woman. Lance's eyes narrowed, giving the young woman a long gaze. Raven black hair was propped atop her head in a loose bun, curls falling to rest along her face and startling green eyes filled with joyous relief upon hearing her son's voice.

"Randy! You little devil. What have I told you about wandering off?" she demanded softly, hugging the little boy tightly to her chest, closing her eyes.

"Not ta do it cause mommy worries." Randy thrust his lower lip out in a pout, folding chubby little arms across his chest.

"That's right, sweetheart." The young woman sighed, pressing a kiss to a chubby little cheek. She glanced up at Joe, an apologetic smile caressing her face.

"I'm sorry if the little monster caused you any trouble." she began, sighing softly.

"It was no trouble. I'm glad we didn't have to put out a news bulletin to try and find you. By the way, I'm Joe and this is Lance." Joe gave her a reassuring smile, using the charm he had become legendary for.

"Down, boy." Lance muttered under his breath, giving the young woman a hard gaze before turning his back to them and reaching for the key to his room.

"Melody. Melody Johnson." she sighed, thrusting her hand out. Joe grinned, taking her hand in his own and bringing it to his lips for a brief kiss. She flushed, rolling her eyes.

"Let me guess, you're the charmer of your friends." Melody commented dryly.

"Some people might agree with you." Joe nodded slowly, folding his arms across his chest.

"Randy's father was a charmer." Melody snorted derisively, shaking her head. "It was nice meeting you. I'm sorry it couldn't have happened under better circumstances, but, such is life."

"The pleasure was all mine." Joe flashed her a grin as she strode briskly away.

"JC's right." Lance mused thoughtfully.

"What's that?" Joe arched an eyebrow.

"It's impossible for you to not flirt with every woman you meet." Lance snorted, shouldering his bag as he made his way to the elevators.

"Contrary to what you believe, Poofoo, I don't flirt with every woman I meet." Joe rolled his eyes, following his friend.

"Oh no?" Lance laughed incredulously.

"No." Joe shook his head.

"Name one." Lance challenged, leveling his friend with an amused gaze.

"Jace's sister, Heather." Joe countered promptly.

"Only after she told you there was no chance on Hades cause she already had a boyfriend. Try again." Lance grinned, stepping onto the elevator when the doors slid open.

"Fine. Your sister." Joe smirked.

"Only after I told you to stay the hell away from her. Would you like to try another?" Lance snorted, arching his brows.

"Hold on. I'm thinking." Joe's brow furrowed in concentration as he thought.

"I didn't think so." Lance chuckled, pushing the button for their floor.

"Shut up, Lance." Joe advised.

"You couldn't come up with a name, could you, Joe?" Lance continued his teasing.

"Shut up, Lance." Joe advised again.

"What's the matter Joe? The entire female race just too much for you to control yourself around?" Lance inquired innocently, yelping when Joe's arm immediately wrapped around his neck, bringing him down into a headlock.

"Couldn't listen to me when I told you to shut up, could you?" Joe laughed, rubbing his knuckles over Lance's scalp.

"Superdork, stop! You're messing up my hair!" Lance laughed, struggling to escape the torture Joe was delivering. Both stopped dead in their tracks when a pair of female feet and a pair of child-size feet entered the elevator. Joe glanced up, chuckling softly upon seeing Melody and Randy. Lance sighed, eyes unable to gaze anywhere but the floor.

"Uh, Joe? You can let me go now. Honest." Lance commented dryly.

"Looks like there's no hope." Melody assessed the scene before her with a small smile.

"No hope for what?" Joe countered, tightening his arm around Lance's neck.

"No matter how badly I wish for my son to grow up to be a normal man, I'm faced with the realization that normal men do not exist." Melody ushered her son to the corner of the elevator, pushing the button to the floor above theirs.

"Joe, I can't breathe." Lance muttered.

"Hey, I can be as serious as the next guy." Joe pouted slightly.

"But you're not the next guy." Melody shook her head, her lips twitching with suppressed amusement.

"This is true. As Popeye once said, 'I am what I am'." Joe shrugged a shoulder.

"You're cutting off the circulation to my brain, Joe." Lance sighed, tapping his foot impatiently.

"A man of true intelligence." Melody laughed softly.

"I try." Joe grinned.

"My brain needs oxygen, Joseph!" Lance finally yelped, startling Joe enough to make him drop his arm, in turn, letting Lance go. Lance stood, taking a deep breath as he brushed off his clothes.

"Moron." Lance muttered, slapping Joe in the back of the head.

"What?" Joe questioned innocently.

"Oh nothing. Care to return to our earlier debate?" Lance folded his arms across his chest.

"Which debate would that be?" Joe made a face, shaking his head slowly as Melody watched on in amusement.

"How you can never leave women alone." Lance stated with finality, reaching for his bag as the doors slid open. Joe opened his mouth, flushing slightly.

"At least women like me." he called after his friend, giving Melody a sheepish smile before stepping from the elevator himself.

"Great. We have to deal with God's gift to women? Someone aught to tell him he's sorely mistaken. God didn't put him on this earth as a gift to women." Quinn snorted, shaking her head.

"Quinn, I do believe you're blushing." Jasper giggled, folding her arms across her chest.

"Me? Blushing?" Quinn squeaked incredulously. "Far from it. If I could eat anything, I'd be looking for the nearest toilet."

"Uh-huh. Sure." Jasper nodded, a knowing smile caressing her face.

"Oh - just - shut up, Jasper." Quinn tossed her hands into the air.

JC raked a hand through his hair, the tentative script resting opened on his lap as he scanned the dialogue and plot line. It wasn't a half bad script. There would have to be some rewrites for various reasons, but for someone who didn't know them personally, the author had delivered a beautiful story of five best friends stumbling through life the best way they knew how.

"Who wrote this?" JC glanced up.

"Someone named M. B. Johnson." Chris answered with a shrug.

"It's good. What do y'all think?" JC sat back, folding his arms behind his head.

"I don't know if I like the fact that I don't get the woman at the end." Justin commented, rolling his eyes.

"Let the world screech to a halt. Justin Timberlake didn't get the girl." Lance snorted.

"What? I'm not used to being Joe Average. I mean, what experience do I have with being normal?" Justin arched an eyebrow, closing the script he held and tossing it onto the table beside him.

"Kid has a point." Joe nodded understandingly. All members groaned when JC's cell phone rang. JC sighed, reaching into his bag for the phone, hitting the send button, he held it to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Jace?"

"What Rebecca?" JC sighed, climbing to his feet. He walked out of the sitting room in the hotel suite and into the bedroom he had claimed as his own.

"We need to talk."

"About?" he questioned, flopping down onto the bed.

"Everything."

"I only have a few minutes. Things are hectic here."

"You know how I had company over here last night?"

"Yeah."

"It was my best friend. She was here for moral support."

"Okay. What does this have to do with anything?"

"It has to do with a lot."

"Why don't you just tell me instead of playing games?"

"I'm trying to gather the courage, Jace."

"It can't be all that bad."

"I'm late."

"What?"

"I'm late, Jace."

"What are you trying to say Rebecca?"

"I'm pregnant, Jace."

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