Within the next few days, life seemed to return to normal.  Caroline's mother was released from the hospital and returned home.  Brandon got back from his trip up north, and things between them went more smoothly than they had in awhile.  Maybe he felt guilty for being gone during such a trying time,  Caroline wasn't sure.  But she wasn't complaining.

At work, things were average, at best.  JC got into a fair amount of shit for missing the pre-season ABDC auditions in New York, but he seemed to shrug it off.  Caroline doubted he would get into any serious trouble - even she had to admit that he was a key component for the show.  Not that she made a habit of watching or anything, but MTV played reruns of everything all the time...she couldn't help catching a glance here and there.  It seemed fairly clear to her that JC was the most valuable judge out of the three  - he was the only one that ever offered any serious suggestions or advice to the dancers, anyway.  Not that she cared.

By the middle of the week, Caroline had begun to remember how easy life was for her before she'd taken the job as JC's assistant.  The thought almost made her want to quit, but her check had just cleared on direct deposit.  She stared wistfully at her online bank statement on the computer screen and thought about simpler times.

"Are you daydreaming?"

JC certainly had a knack for startling her back into reality.  She signed out of her bank's website and turned to appraise him in the doorway of the office.  He was dressed even more ridiculously than usual today, in a houndstooth patterned oxford shirt and a bright yellow tie.  Caroline winced.

"At least I didn't get dressed in the dark."

JC rested his hands on his hips and sneered at her.  "Har-dee-har-har."

"Can I help you with something?" Caroline asked sweetly as she perused a new email from Kevin.  The subject line said something about JC's upcoming trip at the end of the month, and she frowned.  "You're going on a trip?"

"That's what I came to talk to you about." JC moved around the room, straightening a picture frame on the wall and poking at the leaves of the plant that Caroline had set on the windowsill, in an attempt to brighten up the dull space.  "When was the last time you watered this?"

Caroline ignored him as she read over Kevin's short email.  She picked up his schedule and scanned the last week of the month, which was suspiciously clear.  "How did I miss this?"

"Beats me."  JC picked up the bottle of water that was sitting on her desk and poured its contents into the plant.  "Anyway, my plans changed a little bit.  I'm going for seven days instead of five, and you have to come."

Too flustered to be indignant about the news, Caroline set the schedule down with a frown.  "Why?  The trip isn't even on here.  How did Kevin know about this and not me?"

"Maybe he's better at his job," JC joked.  "Look, I know I told you about this.  It was supposed to just be a visit home but now there's some Memorial Day benefit in DC that I have to go to.  Kevin thinks I should have you with me.  It was his idea, I swear it."

Caroline was too busy flipping through her notes  to respond.  It wasn't like her to just misplace important dates like that.  Thank God nothing else had been scheduled during that slot, or she would be so screwed.  She could have lost her job even, and the thought alone made her panic slightly.  Convincing herself it was because of the monetary loss she would suffer, Caroline continued to scatter papers and scan through old emails at the same time.  She was really off her game if -

"Caroline."  JC's firm voice broke into her thoughts and she glanced up to see him frowning down at her.

"I'm sorry."  She shrugged helplessly, staring at the mess around her.  "I...I really dropped the ball here."

"What do you mean?"

"None of this is planned," she admitted.  "I didn't book a flight, or schedule the car service, or find a hotel.  It's a mess."  She rested her head in her hands, frustrated.  If JC had to fly coach, he was going to be in a bad mood for a month.

"Would you chill?" JC suggested.  "It's been planned for awhile.  I just called the airline this morning to add you to the reservation."

She looked up cautiously.  "What?"

"Yep."  JC poked his finger into the damp soil of the plant with a thoughtful gaze.  "What kind of plant is this?"

"It's a bamboo palm," Caroline replied quickly.  "JC, are you telling me that you actually made all these arrangements yourself?"

"Yes," he said.  "I told you, I can function without an assistant when I want to."

Caroline was suspicious.  "Where's the paperwork?  The itinerary?  The flight confirmation?"

JC sighed and left the room, returning a few minutes later with a plain file folder.  He waited while Caroline leafed through it carefully. 

"Satisfied?" he asked when she was finished.

"There's no info on hotel reservations in here," she pointed out, feeling slightly triumphant.  JC's smug look didn't dissipate.

"There is no hotel," he replied.  "We're staying with my parents, in Maryland."

Caroline's jaw dropped.  "We are staying with your parents in Maryland?"

"Don't worry, they have plenty of room."  JC waved away her shocked expression.  "You can have the guest room.  My mom's stoked to meet you in person, by the way."

The thought of meeting JC's family and staying in their house was just a little too much for Caroline.  She leaned back in her chair with a heavy sigh.  JC either didn't notice her discomfort or ignored it.

"Do you think I should let this grow out?" he asked, motioning to his face.  At Caroline's blank stare, he huffed.  "The beard.  I haven't shaved in a few days."

Caroline just shrugged and JC scowled.  "You're no help."

Once Caroline had more time to process in the information, she realized that the actual hard part was going to be telling Brandon.  Not only would she be gone for a full week, but she was staying with JC's family?  Maybe there was a way to get around sharing that information without feeling like she was lying expressly.  Caroline thought it over while she drove home that night, and she was still worrying about it when she walked into the apartment.

It was Wednesday, so Brandon was home already, but the living room was oddly quiet.  Normally, he would have started some kind of dinner at that point, but the kitchen looked deserted. 

"Hello?" Caroline called out, setting her keys down on the console table with a yawn.  "Brandon?"

He appeared in the bedroom doorway then, looking oddly solemn. 

"Hey," Caroline greeted, shrugging out of her jacket.  "What's up?"

Brandon didn't say anything for a few seconds, and Caroline began to realize that something was wrong.

"Is everything okay?" she asked, stopping behind the couch as she kicked her shoes off.  Brandon sighed.

"No, I really don't think it is."  Caroline frowned, but before she could question him, Brandon motioned to the coffee table.  A glossy copy of Us magazine surprised her, and she half-smiled.

"What's this?" she asked, rounding the couch to pick it up.  Brandon still didn't respond, and he wasn't sharing in her smile.  Caroline glanced down at the cover, scanning it carefully.  She didn't make a habit of reading this crap, ever, and she wouldn't have known that the busty girl on the front was Kim Kardashian if the bright yellow headline hadn't told her so.  Several unrelated pictures down the side of the cover featured other celebrities, and the last one was JC.

Caroline was about to ask Brandon what the hell he'd brought this home for when she read the small caption.

JC Chasez's hot night out! Page 74.

She frowned but flipped to the indicated page, only half-surprised to see pictures of herself staring back at her.  It wasn't a big mention, just one page worth, but it was enough.  There were grainy pictures of she and JC outside of the movie theater, walking down the street, and eating frozen yogurt.  None of the photos were incredibly clear, which made sense because Caroline was sure she would have noticed a photographer if they had been up close.  She swallowed hard as she fingered the slick pages of the magazine. 

"Yeah, funny story, actually."  Brandon's voice broke into her thoughts and she glanced at up at him as he walked further into the room, not looking amused in the slightest.  "Mike called earlier today.  I guess his girlfriend is really into those gossip magazines, and she left this one sitting out."

Caroline set the magazine down and lowered herself to the couch carefully.  Brandon remained standing, arms crossed over his chest. 

"I went down the street and bought a copy," Brandon continued.  "Just to see for myself.  I thought maybe it was a misunderstanding, maybe it was just a girl who looked kinda like you.  But I'm pretty sure that's you, unless you'd like to tell me I'm wrong."

Caroline sighed.  "Brandon..."

"Is it you?" he repeated, his voice a little bit harder.  "Is it you, Caroline?" 

Caroline had never been big into lying.  Sure, she told little fibs here and there, mostly to make someone feel better about something or shut JC up at work.  But real lies made her hands tremble and her heart race.  She would always remember the first time she'd been caught in a lie, about her mid-quarter progress report when she was in 6th grade.  She'd gotten a D in her science class, and, knowing that her dad would freak about it, she'd rushed home from school in time to intercept the mail and hide the report at the bottom of her backpack.  Of course, it was only a matter of time before the school had called her house to ask why the progress report hadn't been signed and returned.  Her dad had sent her to her room without dinner, and later, after she'd cried her eyes out, he came in to sit on the edge of her bed.

"Liars never prosper, Caroline," he'd told her gently.  "The outcome of the truth is always better than the outcome of the lie.  Remember that."

Now, she knew that denying the photos was out of the question.  As bad of quality as they were, the pictures were obviously of her.  Plus, she'd had witnesses - she knew that if she lied about it, old Julia would turn up at some point and spill the beans to Brandon.  It was just the law of the universe, and her dad would agree.

"It's me," she said softly, and Brandon nodded slowly.  Caroline had never seen someone look so hurt in her life.  "But, Brandon...it wasn't anything."

"It wasn't anything," he repeated flatly.  "It looks like something.  It looks like you went to a movie and got some dessert afterwards.  Am I seeing it wrong?"

Caroline looked down at her lap.  "No."

Brandon sat down on the coffee table, elbows on his knees.  For a long time, they sat in silence.  The only noise in the apartment was the clock ticking in the kitchen and Moo purring on the armchair nearby.  Caroline ached to say something, to break the unbearable quiet, but she didn't feel that she had the right to speak.

"I don't think I can do this anymore," Brandon said finally, and Caroline looked up at him.

"What?" she whispered, afraid that he would repeat his words.

Brandon shook his head, staring down at the carpet.  "I feel like...I feel like an asshole, Caroline."

She kept her mouth shut, working hard to remind herself to hear him out. 

"I feel like an asshole because I'm jealous of..." Brandon picked up the magazine and hit page 74.  "I'm jealous of this guy.  I feel like an asshole because I had to hear about this from one of my friends instead of my girlfriend.  And most of all, I feel like an asshole because I'm not even a part of your life anymore."

Caroline opened her mouth to speak, but Brandon cut her off.  "Don't say that it's not true, because it is."

He tossed the magazine aside again and Caroline stared at its glossy pages down on the floor. 

"I don't want to hear any excuses," Brandon said quietly.  "You know I hate excuses.  I would ask you why, but you know what?  I don't even think you know the answer."  He stood up then, but Caroline kept her gaze downward.

"I'm crashing with Dave for a few days," Brandon said.  "Then...I don't know.  Maybe I'll go home for a little bit.  I just need to leave.  I can't be here, not right now."

Caroline forced herself to hold her head up and not cry.  "Are we breaking up?"

Brandon didn't answer right away.  "I don't know.  Do you want to break up?"

A few stray tears snuck out, and Caroline brushed them away before they could fall too far. 

"No," she said.  "But I understand if you...if you want to."

She wrapped her arms around herself and prayed that he would go to her, that he would change his mind, but Brandon didn't move an inch.  "I'm not sure yet.  I just need some time away."

Caroline nodded and stayed on the couch while Brandon went back into the bedroom and returned with a bag, already packed.  All he could have fit in there were some clothes and other essentials - the    apartment was just as filled with his stuff as it was with hers, after all. 

"I'll see you later," he said, stopping to scratch Moo behind the ears before heading to the door.  He never touched her or looked in her eyes, and Caroline wasn't sure if it was better or worse that way.  She stayed where she was, listened to the door click shut, and sat in the dark, alone.

Caroline didn't move, even when Moo began mewing for her dinner and pawing at the hems of her pants.  She stared straight ahead, afraid that if she stood, the world would come crashing down around her.  Her life had become fragile, like a snow globe that she could look in on.  If she moved, if she breathed, the whole thing could come apart. 

Eventually, exhausted and heartbroken, Caroline closed her eyes and laid down on the couch.  Only then, when she was certain no one would hear or care, she cried.