PART TWELVE



    “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me,” JC yelled as he walked into the room where Justin and Lance were. They had just dropped Courtney off at her house and had gotten informed by Nikki what had happened.
    “JC it wasn’t our place,” Lance said.
    “You’re my best friends. What do you mean it isn’t your place?”
    “This was between you and Nikki. You don’t know how hard all of this was on her too JC. She really did think that she made the right choice by leaving. She didn’t realize until it was too late what it would mean to you. How it would affect you."
    “It wasn’t that she doubted you in anyway. She was just concerned for your, our, career,” Justin finished off where Lance had started.
    “She honestly thought that us having a child would ruin everything?” JC said surprised.
    “Yes,” they both said in unison.
    “JC, bro, you gotta believe us. She love you, and never meant to hurt you this way,” Justin said as his hand rested on JC’s shoulder.
    “Well she did hurt me. And I guess the way that I handled it all today probably didn’t make her feel any better eh?”
    “She’s a wreck,” Lance filled in. “She couldn’t even hold Courtney. She made us stay there for awhile until Court fell asleep.”
    “Damnit,” JC said and hit himself upside his head. “Damnit.”
    “JC you gotta make things right. Forgive her for the wrong choice she made, with the best intentions. If not for your love for her, but for Courtney.”
    “Dude, you know I love Nikki. And these last few days with Courtney have been great. She is such a beautiful girl,” he said.
    “That’s cause she is a Chasez,” Justin laughed.
    “She has your eyes,” Lance said.
    “She does, doesn’t she,” JC said with a smirk. “I’m gonna call Nikki and apologize for the way I responded to the situation. JC grabbed the phone and dialed up Nikki’s number.
    “Hello,” a stuttering voice said.
    “Nikki,” JC started to say but was interrupted by the loud clank of the phone when Nikki slammed it down after hearing his voice.
    “She hung up on me,” he said. “I thought she wanted me in her life.”
    “Maybe she dropped the phone,” Lance said.
    “Or maybe she accidentally hit the button,” Justin said.
    “She - slammed - the - phone - down - in - my - ear,” he said slowly so that they would understand him better.
    “Try her again.”
    “Okay,” he said and then dialed her number again. “Nikki wait,” he said when she picked up the phone *CLICK* was all that he heard. “What the hell?” he yelled. “She did it again. That’s it man. If she doesn’t want to accept my apology then the hell with it.”
    “JC you got to understand where she is coming from. She trusted you not to run out on her when she told you, and what did you do?” Lance asked.
    “You took off,” Justin answered.
    “I WAS PISSED! Hello! I have had a child for two years and didn’t even know about it. Where is the sympathy for me?”
    “I’m sorry bro, I know I know.”
    “You don’t! You don’t know what this is like for me!”
    “Let us know,” Lance said.
    “No, this is something that I have to deal with on my own. I just need some time,” JC said, and then turned around and wisped out the door.

    The next day Nikki sat in the living room with Courtney watching cartoons. “Courtney, come sit with mommy. I need to talk to you.”
    “Otay,” she said and then ran up to her mom and raised her arms so that Nikki could lift her up.
    “Baby, you might not understand this now, but someday it will all make sense to you. Are you paying attention to me?” she asked Courtney as she watched her keep glancing at the TV.
    “Uh,” she mumbled.
    Nikki reached over for the remote and shut off the TV. “This is important Court. You like JC right?”     “Well... mommy and JC used to be really really good friends before you were born. We loved each other so much. So much that one day we had so much love within us that we made you. Mommy got scared though and she left. So didn’t know why mommy left though.”
    “You leave C all alone?”
    “Yes I did baby.”
    “You loved C?”
    “Very much honey. I still love him.”
    “So what’s a’ matter mommy?”
    “Well sweetie. JC is your daddy.”
    “I no have a daddy. You make me big girl.”
    “Yes, I did raise you, but that is just because your daddy couldn’t be there for it.”
    “C my daddy?”
    “Yes, that is why you don’t call him Uncle.”
    “Uhnkle Wance and Uhnkle Oey, and Uhnkle Kris, and Uhnkle Uztin too.”
    “That’s right Court. Those are all good good friends of mommy and daddy’s.”
    “C no my Unkle, he my daddy?”
    “That’s right baby.”
    “Where’s daddy?”
    “He’s not here right now. He and mommy had a little fight yesterday.”
    “Why you mad at him?”
    “He’s mad at me baby because I did something wrong. And he loves you very much and hasn’t gotten to spend enough time with you as he’d like to have.”
    “I not mad at you and daddy. He be okay. You gonna share and make him nice with you again okay?”
    Nikki couldn’t help but giggle and smile. “You bet baby. Now go watch your cartoons,” she said and then turned on the TV set again.

    A week later Nikki ran down to the mailbox and was surprised to see a small package in it. She took it out and carried it up the walk and went back into her house. She set down the junk mail on the table stand and then sat on the couch with the package. There was no return address on it so she had no clue who it was from. Come to think of it, there wasn’t even her address on it, so that meant that someone had to put it in her mailbox after the mailman had came.
    Nikki unwrapped the package and inside the wrapping was a piece of paper that said...

Nikki, I am so sorry. Please forgive me for my actions. I’m a better man than that, just let me prove it to you.
All yours,
JC

    Nikki felt her eyes begin to water as she opened the box. Inside it was a CD. She stood up and walked over to the other side of the room and put it in the CD player and hit play. Only seconds later she heard that all familiar voice. The voice of JC Chasez singing to her a song by Boyz II Men.

    He spoke the words, “Girl, you know we belong together, I'll have no time for you to be playing, With my heart like this, You'll be mine forever baby, you just see,” and then he sang...

We belong together
And you that I'm right
Why do you play with my heart?
Why do you play with my mind?
Said we'd be forever
Said it'd never die
How could you love me and leave me
And never say goodbye?
When I can't sleep at night without holding you tight
Girl, each time I try I just break down and cry
Pain in my head oh I'd rather be dead
Spinnin' around and around

Although we've come to the end of the road
Still I can't let go
It's unnatural, you belong to me, I belong to you
Come to the end of the road
Still I can't let go
It's unnatural, you belong to me, I belong to you

Girl, I know you really love me
You just don't realize
You've never been there before
It's only your first time
Maybe I'll forgive you
Maybe you'll try
We should be happy together
Forever you and I

Can you love me again like you loved me before
This time I want you to love me much more
This time instead just come to my bed
And baby just don't let me down

Although we've come to the end of the road
Still I can't let go
It's unnatural, you belong to me, I belong to you
Come to the end of the road
Still I can't let go
It's unnatural, you belong to me, I belong to you

    He then said, “Yes baby my heart is lonely, My heart hurts baby, Yes I feel pain too, Baby please,” then sang...

This time instead just come to my bed
And baby just don't let me down

Although we've come to the end of the road
Still I can't let go
It's unnatural, you belong to me, I belong to you
Come to the end of the road
Still I can't let go
It's unnatural, you belong to me, I belong to you

    The CD ended with JC saying, “baby, we both made choices that we might not be proud of, and walking away from you the other day when you needed me most, was one of mine. Please forgive me, as I am forgiving you. I want both you and Courtney in my life, for I love you both.”
    Nikki ran her fingers over her eyes and then sat down on the floor. She could barely move because she was shaking so much and her face was so covered in tears that she couldn’t see. He wanted to be a part of their lives, and wanted them in his. All of her dreams were coming true all at once.
    “Mommy what’s a’ matter?” Courtney said as she ran into the room when she saw her mother sitting on the floor crying.
    “I am just so happy.”
    “Then why cry?”
    “These are tears of happiness my love,” she said as she pulled Courtney in and sat her on her lap.

    Just a brief minute later the doorbell rang. Nikki whipped her eyes and got up to answer the door. She opened it to find a tall man, with two roses in his hand. “I’m sorry Nikki,” he said.
    Nikki threw her arms around him and held on tight. “So am I JC. So am I.”
    Courtney ran over to them and said, “you all share?”
    Nikki laughed and said, “yes, we’re going to share now.”
    JC handed Nikki one rose and then knelt down and handed the other rose to Courtney. “We promise to share now,” he said and then picked her up when she opened her arms for him.
    Courtney looked over at Nikki and said, “I love you mommy,” and then back to JC and said, “I love you daddy.”
    A tear took over JC’s eye and then he said, “I love you too Courtney.”
    Courtney noticed the tear fall from both her mother and father’s eye, and so she said, “those are happy tears by choice.”
    “A choice well made,” JC said and then pulled in both of the women in his life for a hug that would always be remembered.



THE END