Time had flown by and so had the Grammys, where the guys had performed an acapella tribute to the BeeGees.  JC had been recording furiously, and since Justin’s album had done so well, he had high hopes for himself.  Mollie kept herself busy at the dance studio and their first big recital was quickly approaching.  The local college had rented them their auditorium and the kids had rehearsals this whole week.  They were out of school for winter break so she had them coming in in groups to practice their dances.  It was Friday, the day before the big show and Mollie was seated in the audience with a headset on to help direct the assistants backstage.  The kids were told to wear their costumes for this one and the hope was that they’d be able to do a full run through and be pretty close to perfect.  She’d layered the show by class level, with her beginner tots at the top of the show and her master class closing the show.  Her thought was that this would keep the little ones from growing bored or grumpy and their parents could sneak them out after they performed if they wanted.

So far so good.  The tots were doing as well as could be expected, even with the teacher doing the routine in front of them.  The other kids were adjusting to their costumes and the staff were getting them on and off in good time.  Overall the show was running pretty good, just a little over the time she wanted it to be.  The kids were dismissed and reminded when to arrive.  Mollie scribbled a few more things on her note pad and double checked the emergency kit she’d prepared.  Besides basic first aid things like band-aids, she’d assembled some hairspray, bobby pins, hair bows, her box of spare ballet slippers, a few plain black, white and pink leotards with ribbons and things in case someone had an accident and needed a new costume.  She reviewed her show order once more, nervous about impressing the parents and community members.

“Let it go,” JC’s voice said.  Mollie smiled when she saw him standing in front of her.  “I realized today that you just have to let things go at some point you have to stop worrying.” 

“Everything is set to go with the album,” Mollie said, realizing why he was rambling.  “It’s ready to go?!”

“Yes,” he said, smiling, “But, they also said everything is good to go for the “Blowin’ Me Up” video except that we need a girl to be the featured girl.  So I told them I’d bring one with me to LA.” 

“Jayce! You leave the day after tomorrow!  I have a recital tomorrow!”

“Yes and you’ll need a break after it.  Come on, you know you don’t want another girl dancing all up on me.” 

“Being in your video sounds like work, not a break.”

“But we’ll be together, we’ll go lay on the beach…it’ll be fun.  Besides, once the promo for the record starts, we won’t be able to see each other as much.  I want to spend as much time as we can now,” he said, reaching for her hand as she stood up. 

“Oh alright,” she groaned.  “But you’re cooking dinner tonight.”

“Already done babe,” he said as they headed out.  “I got tacos ready for you at the house.”

            Mollie smiled and was glad to pull up to a hot dinner just a little while later.  She gorged on food, realizing she hadn’t had much to eat all day.  After a steaming hot shower, she was glad to slip into her bed and cuddle up next to her boy. The next morning, however, proved to be just as stressful as the previous afternoon.  She forced down some breakfast and jetted over to the auditorium to set up everything.  The kids were getting checked in and they looked adorable and the auditorium was filling up quickly.  Mollie took her place in the sound booth to watch the show.  When they first opened, Mollie had tried to teach every class and be hands on everywhere, but she had since relinquished control to the capable hands of her assistants and focused most of her energy on her master class and developing a competition team.  Her master class would be performing last.  She had entrusted them with a personal piece, the one she’d created after the baby died.

            By the time intermission came, Mollie was feeling great.  Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves and she snuck backstage to assist with ushering the little ones out to the area they had roped off for the dancers to sit in and watch the second half.  She gave her older kids a pep talk and almost ran right into JC on her way out.  She could her the rumble of whispers and giggles from her students as she ushered him into the hallway.  The kids had seen him at the studio a few times but they were still star struck. 

“I just wanted to tell you that it’s going great and I’m excited to see the rest…we all are.” 

“All?  Who’s here?”

“Everyone.  We convinced the lighting guys to let us up there so we wouldn’t distract or take away from the kids.  There are big windows up there.” 

“Well,” Mollie said, pulling him close, “Sneak down after the last ballet routine and watch my class with me at the sound booth.   I might need a little moral support to watch my kids dance.”

            She was right.  JC had slid up behind her just as her master class was announced.  The opening notes of “Iris” by The Goo Goo Dolls came through the speakers and a chill ran through Mollie’s body.  She’d revealed to her students, who were all teenagers, the story of how the dance came about and they all took their roles very seriously.  They performed with such great passion and emotion, Mollie saw her story come to life.  JC squeezed his arms tight around her shoulders and they both let silent tears fall as the dance brought a hush to the audience. Hannah, her lead dancer, placed a white rose on the stage, front and center, then slowly turned and walked away.  The lights went down and there was a moment of silence in the auditorium that stunned Mollie.  After a moment, the crowd erupted in cheers and applause, and Mollie felt like a huge weight was lifted from her chest.  The curtain lifted once more and her students came out for their final bow.  She sheepishly walked out on stage when they held their hands out for her and took a bow with them.  They handed her a large bouquet of flowers and she waved as the curtain closed.

            She stayed to chat with the parents and make sure everything was cleaned up.  It took a good hour to make sure all was well and she just barely managed to follow JC out to the car and sit.  Her feet were swollen and achy and she just wanted to go home and relax.  When she pulled up to her home, however, she realized that was not going to happen right away.  There were cars parked in front and she could see her friends out back, drinking and laughing.  She put a smile on her face and slid her heels off her feet.  She sighed with relief at the feel of the soft grass between her toes.  Everyone congratulated her on her show and they barbecued.  Mollie escaped to a lounge chair by the fire pit, where Johanna caught up with her.

“Hey,” Mollie said.  “I haven’t seen you in days, where’ve you been?”

“Ha, um,” Johanna said nervously.  “I’ve been around, contemplating my life.” 

“Really?  That sounds serious,” Mollie replied.

“Quite serious and after making a terrible decision, I now think I’ve made a good one.” 

“And the terrible decision was…?”

“Sleeping with Justin.”

“What?!”

            Johanna winced at the shriek.  She was hoping to just glaze over this whole topic but Mollie wouldn’t let her.  She gave a brief overview of what happened and tried not to be too specific.  Johanna still wasn’t sure how she felt about the situation but she knew it probably wasn’t her best decision ever.

“And the good decision?”

“Justin needs a personal assistant and I’m gonna take the job.  I know the studio hasn’t been open that long but I can do my end of things from the road.  I just feel like I’ve been missing something in my life and maybe getting out there and seeing the world and getting out of my comfort zone will help me figure it all out.” 

“Go,” Mollie said without hesitation.  “I’m busy with the studio, Jayce is going on tour in Europe, I’m going to be traveling with him a lot.  I want you to be happy and if that’s not here right now, then I think you should go.  I’m gonna miss you but I want what’s best for you.”

The girls hugged as the tension lifted and they could relax.  The group began to dissipate and Mollie left JC to clean up the mess.  When he climbed into bed a little while later, she was out cold.

Somehow they made it LA the next day and spent some time relaxing.  They had a fitting for the video and headed to the dance studio.  Mollie was happy to learn she wouldn’t be dancing and her part was simply walking through scenes as JC followed.  She watched as he learned the choreography and bobbed her head to the beat.  He hadn’t let her hear all of his new stuff, he wanted her to be surprised by the final package but she liked the two he’d let her hear.  “Mercy” and “Build My World” were great and she was sure the rest of the album was great.  The next day they headed to set and Mollie spent a few hours in the makeup chair getting dolled up.  She loved the final look, they’d added some red extensions and teased it up high. 

JC had already filmed the dance section while she was getting ready and they were just waiting on her.  She just had to follow the path they’d laid out for her in rehearsals yesterday.  It was easy to walk with JC chasing.  She just had to tease him and act like she couldn’t care less.  It was pretty easy and they had no problem shooting.  It started to get nauseous as it got later and she felt like she was going to puke.  They’d shot the various angles over and over again and luckily the director called wrap.  Mollie made it to the bathroom just in time to lose her lunch.

After she cleaned up and changed back into her sweats, she met JC at the car and they headed back to his apartment.  She brushed off JC’s questions about how she was feeling, blaming her sickness on the bright, hot lights.  She actually felt completely not herself but she didn’t want JC to worry.  They were leaving tomorrow to head to Orlando, where Mollie would stay and JC would continue on to England.  Opening for Britney was a big deal and she didn’t want to take that away from him just because she felt off.  She knew he’d want to stay if she didn’t feel well.

The plane ride the next day was hell but she made it through with minimal disruption and had a brief farewell with JC as he ran to catch his connection.  Mollie headed straight for home and dropped off her things.  She was nervous about what she was about to do but she knew it must be done.

She found what she was looking for in the top drawer of her vanity and headed to the bathroom.  The next three minutes of her life were hell as she sat on her bed and waited for news that would throw her life into a tailspin.

The third minute ticked by and Mollie let out a deep breath.  She went back into the bathroom and lifted the little white stick from the counter. 

She was pregnant.