FANtasies Fanfiction

To Fall In Love Again

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A JC short story

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The wedding would be in three months. Neither of them could believe it. It seemed just yesterday that they'd begun dating, the night before that they had said the three magic words, and that morning that he had proposed to her under the light of the full July moon. Becca and JC had gotten engaged exactly one week before Lance had dumped (then taken back) Britni. They had been together for two years and six-and-a-half months when JC had proposed to Becca, and two months had passed since then.

Things were already being set into place for the wedding; the flowers (red and white roses), the gown (a spaghetti-strapped number with small lace ruffles), the veil (made completely of lace), and the bridesmaid dresses (made like the gown, but pale blue). The rings needed to be picked out and engraved, and JC was searching for a church and clergyman to perform the ceremony.

It all seemed to be happening so fast, as Becca discussed with Britni one afternoon.

"You've been together two-and-a-half years, Becca." Britni shook her head. "You got with him when you were a month short of nineteen. You met him around Christmas two months before he asked you out." Britni laughed. "And you were in love with him since a little before your 16th birthday, before you even met him! How can it seem to be going so fast?"

"Well, I never knew that this would actually happen. That I'd actually get to be with him. And... and marry him." Becca sighed.

Britni smiled. "I know what you're saying."

"He's my every dream come true." Becca whispered.

*So faithfully

Holding tight to every dream

I thought our love could ever be*

"Well, I gotta go. I'm having lunch with the best man." Becca said, standing to leave.

"Justin?" Britni's eyebrows raised. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Yeah. Why?" Becca asked, picking up her purse.

"Well, Justin... He was once your every dream, remember?" Britni asked.

Between the ages of thirteen and fifteen-and-a-half, Becca had been in love with Justin. When she found out that he'd been dating Britney Spears the entire time she'd been in love with him, and lying about it, it crushed her, and somehow, JC, who she'd always seen as a best friend, began comforting her in her dreams. One thing had led to another, and two months before her sixteenth birthday, she realized that she was in love with the soft-spoken man. And the rest was history.

Becca smiled. "That was so long ago. Once upon a time. A distant memory. Back in the day. Ancient."

"Okay. I get the picture." Britni said. "Now get out of me and Lance's hotel room."

"Why? You fixin' to do something with him?" Becca raised her nicely arched eyebrows teasingly, flipping her layered brown hair over her shoulder.

"Get out, pervert." Britni said. "You know he's out with JC. Now, go meet up with your ex-dreamlover."

Becca rolled her eyes and reached for the doorknob.

Becca arrived at the NYC restaurant within twenty minutes.

She spotted Justin's curly brown head immediately, and walked over to his table.

"Hey, Justin." She smiled.

He smiled faintly, then frowned again.

"Justin, what's wrong?" She asked. "You've seemed so sad for months now. Is it Britney?"

He nodded. "Um, she broke up with me four months ago."

"What?" She questioned. "Have you told anybody?"

He shook his head. "I've just been saying that she's busy."

"Oh, you poor thing." She reached out and grabbed his hands. "I'm so sorry to hear that. You'll find somebody. I'm sure of it."

"I'm gettin' too old." he murmured.

"Justin, you're only 25. Besides, look at JC. He's 30 and he found me." She smiled just saying her fiancé's name.

"But I was engaged to Britney for five years. I dated her for seven. I thought we would finally get married. I guess I was just dreaming." He shook his head.

"Maybe she wasn't the one. You'll find someone you love." She assured him.

He looked up at her and smiled at her, and she saw something in his eyes that she'd never seen before. "Thank you."

"I wonder how Becca's lunch with Justin is?" JC wondered as he and Lance walked around Tiffany's looking for a ring for Becca.

"Was that your idea?" Lance asked, adjusting his sunglasses.

"Yeah. They don't get along well, and he's the best man, so I figured it'd be a good idea." JC shrugged.

"You do know that she used to be in love with him?" Lance asked.

"Yeah." JC said. "She told me when we got engaged." He leaned down and looked into a case. "It's in the past. It doesn't matter now." He smiled. "This is it."

"Have you spent much time with her lately?" Lance suddenly asked.

"Uh, duh. We live together, Lance." JC said, signaling for the jeweler to remove the ring from the glass case.

"I know that. But do you spend alone-time together?" Lance wondered.

"We have so much to do in planning our wedding. I guess not." JC replied.

"I figured as much." Lance shook his head. " 'C, if you don't start spending time with her, you're gonna lose her."

*As the scent of hope slips through my fingers

Plain for me to see

I can feel now in your eyes

The changing way you look at me

Where's the love we knew would last us eternally?*

A month passed, and Becca and Justin had been spending a lot of time together. She felt sorry for him, him having lost what he thought was the love of his life, and knew she had to do something to keep his mind off his sadness. They went to the movies together, went shopping together, even picked out the shoes she'd wear with her wedding gown together.

It worried JC a little. He knew that she had good intentions, but at that point, he should've drawn the line. She had stayed out past eleven with Justin several times, and when she had crept into their bedroom, she had often woke him up. He didn't know how to draw the line. He loved her too much. He had never loved another woman the way he loved her.

As JC sat in his favorite armchair, staring at the fire in the fireplace, he recalled the first of many times that he and his fiancée had almost made love. They were both very determined to wait until marriage, but sometimes temptation tried to lead them astray.

It had happened the night he'd purposed to her. They had lived together for over four months before then. They sat in front of the fireplace, kissing passionately as the hand he'd just placed the engagement ring on locked in his hair. An overwhelming awareness churned deep in his soul as his fingers slid down the straps of her tankdress. Her body went stiff as she realized what was happening, and he pulled away to look into her eyes.

"I'm sorry, babe."

"I know."

"I just... I love you. I've never felt this way about anyone. And... I wanna show you." he murmured, placing his hand on her cheek.

"You'll get your chance. We'll get our chance." She smiled seductively. "I wanna show you, too."

*It's hard for you

When your heart has opened up to feelings that you never knew

Never thinking that you'd doubt our love

You don't know what to do

I'd give my heart, my soul

If I could pull you through

Just to find again my love we hold so true*

"Hey, baby." Becca said, breaking JC's thoughts. She sat on his lap and put her arms around his neck. "Whatcha lookin' so serious for, hotshot?"

"No reason." he murmured. "Just thinkin' about us."

"Whatcha thinkin'?" She whispered into his ear, then quickly kissed it.

"Baby, do you love me?"

"Of course, baby. That's a silly question."

"Then how come you spend all your time with my best friend?" he wondered.

"Baby, I told you, he's lonely." She replied, kissing up the side of his rugged face.

"Please don't leave me tonight. I need you. I need you in my arms so badly, babe." he murmured. "I haven't held you in what feels like forever."

*And will your arms still hold me?

And your eyes console me?

Baby, please, don't turn your back and just pretend

That your heart still needs me

And your soul completes me

Can we find a way to fall in love again?*

"I'm sorry, baby. I can't." she whispered, squeezing him to her tightly. "I promised Justin we'd go to that party one of his other buddies is throwing." She paused. "Are you sure you don't wanna go?"

"Positive." he murmured.

"Okay. Your loss, baby." She kissed his cheek tenderly and stood. "I gotta go."

"Baby..." He paused, then shook his head. "Nevermind. Go on."

"I'll try to get home early." she murmured, placing a tender kiss on his lips. "I love you, Jace."

"I love you, too, Becca." he murmured as she opened the door.

Becca met up with Justin at the party fifteen minutes later.

"Becca, I need to tell you something." he said.

"Sure. What is it, sweetie?" she asked.

"I... this is hard to say." he replied, redness crawling up his cheeks. "I've always been physically attracted to you. Even when I was with Britney. I thought you were really hot. But... I like you. I care about you... a lot. I know you're engaged to JC, but... I had to tell you."

A forgotten feeling began to edge its way into her heart. There was no denying it: she still had feelings for him. After burying them over six years before, there they were again, suddenly at the surface.

Before she knew what was happening, Justin was kissing her. Her body froze and she couldn't move.

"I have to tell her how much this is hurting me." JC told Lance and Britni as the three of them entered the party. "Thanks for coming. I needed some support."

Britni smiled, but something that caught her eye made it drop. "You really need that... now."

JC looked in the same direction to see his fiancée kissing his best friend.

Before a word could be spoken, a tear fell from JC's eye and he ran from the building.

"Justin..." she murmured as she found the strength to pull away. "I have to go." She quickly left as she had came.

When Becca arrived back at she and JC's apartment, she found him in his chair crying.

"What's wrong, Jace?" she questioned.

"I saw you... I saw you with him." he stuttered. "You were kissing him."

Becca looked down. "He told me that... he has feelings for me. And... I realized that I... I have some unresolved feelings for him."

"Do you love him?"

"What?"

"You heard me. Do you love him?"

"No. No. I love you."

"Look, here's the deal, babe." JC bit his lip. "Two weeks. I'll give you two weeks. You can do whatever you want. Date Justin, see if you like it, whatever. On our two-year, ten-month anniversary, I want you to come and tell me who you want. You have two weeks to decide." He stood, walked over, and pressed some money into her hand. "There's some money for a hotel." He softly caressed her cheek, her tears covering his fingers. "I love you. Don't ever forget that. Or this." he murmured, placing an incredibly gentle kiss on her lips. "Two weeks."

*And as every night goes by

With every lonely tear I cry

It's so clear to me

I need you by my side*

Two weeks passed sadly.

Becca dated Justin the entire time, never once letting him kiss her. The night of she and JC's two-year, ten-month anniversary, she broke the news to Justin that she couldn't be with him; she loved JC too much. She went immediately to Britni and Lance's hotel. The two were still in NYC.

Becca explained her unfortunate situation to Britni.

"You know it's possible to fall in love again, right?" Britni asked, an impish smile on her face.

"Yeah, but with the same person?" Becca wanted to know.

"Yeah. I fall in love with Lance again every time he comes back from touring." Britni beamed. "Go to him, Becca. And hurry, 'cause Lance is in the shower, and I plan on surprising the heck out of him."

Becca smiled. "That explains the robe." She hugged her friend. "Thanks, Britni. I'm gonna go fall in love again."

*And will your arms still hold me?

And your eyes console me?

Baby, please

Don't turn your back and just pretend

That your heart still needs me

And your soul completes me

Can we find a way to fall in love again?*

As JC sat on the floor in front of the fireplace, he heard the front door open, and he jerked his head up... only to see Becca standing there.

*Can we find a way to fall in love again?*

She slammed the door shut, dropped to the floor on her knees beside him, grabbed his face, and begin to kiss him deeply.

He pulled away and looked into her eyes. "Babe?"

As she looked up into his eyes, she whispered exactly what he wanted to hear...

*...Oh, baby

I need you to love me

For the rest of my life...*

...With those few words, tears came to his eyes, and he pulled her tightly into his arms, his muscular chest pressing against hers.

*If we fall in love again

Would you love me for the rest of my life?

If we fall in love again...*

Her arms wound around his neck as the both of them seemed to lose their balance and fell over onto the floor, her back smacking against the carpet.

"I love you." he murmured.

"I love you, Jace." she answered.

Having got the answer he wanted, he began kissing her again, the kisses more desperate.

*If we fall in love again

Would you love me for the rest of my life?

If we fall in love again...*

It seemed hours later that they lay in their bed together, basking in the afterglow of their first intimate moment together.

"Oh... I never dreamed it would be like that." JC murmured, breathless as she cuddled against him. "I've waited 30 years for that. And it was beautiful."

"It sure was." She sighed. "I'm in love all over again."

*If we fall in love again

Oh, baby

Would you love me?

If we fall in love again...*

"You wanna... try that again?" An innocent smile upturned his lips. "Or do you wanna wait until we're actually married?"

She smiled. "It feels like we already are."

*If we fall in love again*

"Well, in that case, one more time wouldn't hurt, cowgirl." He grinned happily.

"Once." She held up her finger. "One time. Then we'll wait, cowboy." She licked her lips. "Which one of us is gonna be the bull?" She teased.

His blue eyes laughed. "You FREAK." he murmured, rolling over.

"But you love me anyway, don't you?" she asked, her matching eyes staring up at him.

He sighed. "The crazy thing is... I do."

She giggled. "That's what I like to hear. 'I do'."

                                    *If we fall in love again...*

 
 
 
To Fall In Love Again written By: Nick Lachey and Walter Afanasieff
As Performed By: Jessica Simpson