"Well hello my little peanuts," Lance said into the microphone as the music to ‘It's Gonna Be Me' faded in his ears. "Happy Monday."

"Monday's are never happy." Drew said.

"I am happy today DrewBoo."

"Why is that Lance?"

 It's been what? Three weeks since my birthday and I finally received my birthday present from my sister."

"She had a good reason for being late, Lance," Lisa spoke up.

"It's really not my birthday without Rachel being late on the gift. Last year I didn't get my gift until June. That's right. June. An entire month later."

"Keep it up and next year you won't get one at all."

Lance grinned at the voice in his ear and he met his sister's gaze across the table. She had an exasperated look on her face. There had been plenty of teasing earlier when she arrived at his house with his present in tow. He'd been rendered speechless though when he tore the wrapping paper off and saw the drawing.

"I'm hoping for a niece or nephew next year," Lance laughed and dodged the pen Rachel threw at him.

"I'll be sure to tell Stacy. I bet Mama is already on the phone.... ‘Do you know what your brother just said?'" Rachel made a perfect imitation of her mom.

"You know Mama can't wait for another grandchild." He grinned.

"What are you waiting on?" Rachel asked Lance.

Lance laughed and his gaze slid to JC, sitting next to Rachel. "Anything to add JC?"

JC laughed and shook his head. "Oh no... I'm not getting in the middle of this. I have to ride home with her."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Alright," Drew broke in before JC could answer Rachel's question. "Before we start down this rabbit hole and lose the show. Introduce our peanuts Lance."

"I have DrewBoo..."

"What up everybody?"

"Giggles Delcampo."

"Hi!" Lisa sounded as a baby laugh sound effect played in her ear.

"My sister, Rachel."

"Hello!"

"And the man of the hour," Lance grinned as he spun side to side in his desk chair. "JC Chasez."

"Hey," JC chuckled. "Man of the hour?"

"Well all these people listening didn't tune in to hear us babble." Drew said. "They're here for you. So tell us how you are?"

"I'm doing good," JC spoke into the microphone in front of it. "I just had a check up this morning. Everything's good. I can't wait to get my strength back. Everything tires me out. I spend most of the day laying on the couch. The worst part is forgetting about the incision and I'll bend over or twist."

Lance nodded. "I hear ya. I had to get my appendix taken out last summer. They did a laparoscopic..."

"I can't believe you pronounced that correctly." Drew cut in.

"Don't ask me to pronounce it again," Lance laughed. "In this procedure, they had to make three incisions. One of those they put a video camera in. The other incision was the one where the doctor went in to remove my appendix. I couldn't lift anything afterward. It hurt to laugh. Even sneeze. I laid on the couch..."

"Totally milking it." Rachel laughed. "You had Michael waiting on you hand and foot."

"What I'm getting at," Lance spoke over his sister, not bothering to negate her statement. "Is I know what JC's is going through. Obviously my ordeal wasn't as serious as his... but abdominal surgery takes a lot out of you. You forget how often you actually use those muscles until they hurt."

"Definitely man," JC nodded. "I feel a sneeze coming on and I'm begging every Deity to make it go away. Holding it in makes it hurt even worse. I have this throw pillow I'm supposed to use. You hold it against your stomach and it's supposed to offer support. I don't know who came up with that but it doesn't work at all."

"How did the doctor's visit go this morning?" Lisa asked. She had been so happy when he came through the door of Lance's house earlier. It had been the first time she had seen him since the shooting.

"Good. Good." JC answered. "Got all the stiches removed. Everything is healing as it should. It's just a matter of time now. Letting everything heal."

"That's usually the worst part," Drew said. "Waiting."

"It really is. I'm ready to go and think I am, but my body is quick to tell me nope. Not yet."

"Unfortunately for JC, losing his spleen means he's at a greater risk for infections. So that means vaccinations."

"Oh man," Lance groaned even as he chuckled. "Poor C."

"So today we started the first round."

"For those of you who don't know," Drew said. "JC has a fear of needles."

"So how'd you do today? Did you feint? Cry? My sister have to hold your hand and take you out for ice cream afterward?" Lance teased.

"Very funny." JC gave a small laugh. He'd been subjected to teasing over his fear of needles for many years.

"We gotta take a break right here. Stick around, we'll be back with more from JC after this."

*~*

When Lance's radio show was over, the four of them - JC, Rachel, Lance, and Michael - went out for an early dinner. They picked a Mexican restaurant near Lance's place off the 101. JC hadn't been dressed for dining out. He'd thrown on sweat pants, a t-shirt and a zip-up hoodie for his trip to the doctors. It was the kind of clothing he had been living in since he'd gotten out of the hospital. He didn't let the clothing bother him. It had been nice to just be out of the house.

Dinner had been fun. Even though he laughed too much and was hurting. He tried to not let that put a damper on the night. He'd been cooped up in the house too long. He hadn't been embellishing on Lance's show about being tired. The most mundane tasks wore him out. The one attempt he made at grocery shopping with Rachel had ended with him going back to the car while Rachel finished. He couldn't wait to get back to normal.

Normal.

JC wasn't even sure what that was. A couple months ago he had been gearing up to spend part of the summer on the road touring. He had a girl group he was working with trying to get them jump started. He had his best friend, Matt. He had his everything - Rachel. Whom he'd been about to spill his feelings to.

The musical was no longer. Not only did his shooting end his participation, funding had fallen through and the whole thing had been scrapped. Girl Radical was starting to split at the seams. It had gotten worse since his shooting. JC wasn't sure it was going to last much longer. He wasn't even sure he wanted it to.

Matt.

He hadn't talked to Matt since the day of the shooting. Since the day his best friend had informed him about the role he played in him almost losing Rachel before he ever even had her. It still pained him to think about. Pained him to think Matt decided to take the risk on his and Rachel's relationship instead of coming to him. JC hadn't been sure what he could have done to help Matt, other than get him to confess to Renee. The indiscretion on Matt's part wouldn't have hurt their friendship. He wasn't one to judge. What he did to Rachel, though, JC wasn't sure he could get over. If Lance hadn't been able to convince Rachel to come back to LA for their birthday party. If Lance had been the one to come over to pick up Rachel's outfit. He probably wouldn't have gotten shot yes. But Rachel probably wouldn't be in his house at the moment.

He lifted his eyes toward the ceiling from his spot on the piano bench on the first floor of his house. Every so often he would hear her soft footfalls as she moved about the house. He wasn't sure what she was doing. She had been sitting at the bar in the kitchen with her laptop and a notebook going through e-mails. She had joked with him how it would be easier to delete them all and start over. He'd seen the number in the red notification bubble on her phone and he didn't envy her at all. Every time she made a dent in the e-mail count, more would be delivered burying her once more. He was certain most of them weren't important. People looking for a quote from him. Looking to book him on their show. At this point, he had no interest in doing either. He was close to telling her just to select all and delete.

His parents had left at the beginning of the week. It had made him both sad and relieved. He had enjoyed having them here. He was grateful for them while he was in the hospital. They had been able to make sure Rachel took care of herself and when she didn't, they took care of her like she had been one of their children. When he had been released, his parents took care of other tasks allowing him to rest and recover. It also allowed Rachel to rest. He knew she didn't get enough rest while he was in the hospital. She couldn't have. She had been there constantly. Refusing to leave his side even when he told her it was okay. On the inside he was thankful. He wanted here there, by his side.

With his parents still at his house, it had been hard for them to settle into their new relationship. It felt like there was a constant chaperone. His parents didn't care about their change in status. They had been after him for years to make a move. It made it hard to have conversations outside the privacy of his - their bedroom. By the time he retired to the room, he was so worn out to truly talk.

Now his parents were gone and it was just him and Rachel in the house. Conversations happened more freely. He was certain when they would settle into the type of relationship where it wouldn't matter who they were around. They were well on their way. Even now it felt like they had been in a relationship for years instead of weeks. He supposed they had been in a relationship for years. They were just adding another level.

He wondered what it would have been like if he had been able to wake up on Rachel's birthday and give her the day he had planned out. Taking her out to brunch, followed by the movies. When they returned from the movie, he was gonna give her the envelope containing the trip. He wondered how she would have reacted when she realized what he gift was. For months he thought about her reaction. Would she be speechless? Would she cry? Would she throw her arms around his neck in excitement?

The trip was in jeopardy of not happening. At least for him. He hadn't even brought the subject up with his doctor yet. He was certain he would be healed by the time the trip came up in October. It was still four months away. What concerned him was the fact that he was more susceptible to infection. When he first planned the trip, he hadn't been concerned how close the nearest hospital was to their location. Now he needed to revisit the itinerary. If he wasn't cleared to travel overseas, would Rachel still go on the trip without him? Who would she go with? Melissa? Lance? Maybe he could put the trip off until the following year.  Give him more time to fully heal. Give him time to be fully vaccinated. Once he got a better handle on his new health issues, he would be better prepared for the trip. It was something he needed to talk to Rachel about. And his doctor.

JC looked around the room. His domain. All of his music items were stored in this room. This was where he spent hours working out a hook on a song he was working on. Working out the kinks in lyrics that weren't quite where he wanted them to be. The piano he sat at had been through a lot. He'd written many songs on it. Had played even more. There were notebooks filled with many songs he had written. Some completely finished. Some only half. Others only had a line or two that he couldn't get out of his head. Papers with melodies written out. A computer sat on a desk housing all the software he needed. The computer itself was filled with many of his songs he had recorded. Songs for himself. Demos he had intended for others to use. It still had songs that were supposed to be on his sophomore album that never came to fruition.

JC lifted his hands to the piano keys. He paused before he started pressing the keys. The melody flowed from his finger tips. He played it over and over. Just a little snippet because it was all he remembered. The song was supposed to have been on The Story of Kate.

"My God," Rachel said as she walked into the room. "I haven't heard that song in forever. What made you start playing that one?"

JC dropped his arms from the keys and shifted on the bench to look at Rachel. He watched as she walked into the room and took a seat on the couch. "No idea," he shrugged. "What have you been up to?"

"Making room for my things in your closet."

"What?" JC asked staring at her. "What do you mean ‘making room'?" He narrowed his eyes. "What did you do?"

Rachel laughed. "Tossed the clothes I don't like."

"You didn't."

Rachel's laughter grew at JC's look. She watched as he got up from the piano bench and stalked toward her. She tried swallowing her laughter, but she couldn't. Her lips quivered in amusement.

"Why does my stuff have to get tossed to make room for your stuff?"

"Because it's my stuff. And I didn't like it."

"I don't think I like this." JC took a seat on the couch next to her. The tenderness was still there. The doctor told him to continue expecting the twinge for a week or two yet.

Rachel grinned. "Get used to it." She shifted on the couch to snuggle against him, laying her head on his shoulder. She felt his head rest against hers. "All your clothes are right where you left them. I got most of my stuff moved into the closet. What I didn't move over, I'm going to get rid of. I need a dresser. There is no way we can share."

JC had figured that was going to be the case. His closest was a huge walk-in big enough for two. A lot of his clothes and shoes had spilled on either side of the closet. Mostly because he hated seeing it half empty. He tried to go through some of the clothes hanging, but the lifting and reaching above his head still caused him pain. He'd been able to do a little over the weekend. He didn't need to downsize, everything would fit back to his side and allow room for Rachel's clothes. It was the best time to weed through his clothes and get rid of items he no longer wore. Even if he downsized the clothes in his dresser, there still wouldn't have been enough room to fit Rachel's entire dresser into his.

"I figure we can just leave the furniture in that room and maybe find a couple pieces that match what you have already."

"We can get all new if you want." It was a minor adjustment for him. They had lived together for so long he looked at everything in the house as theirs. Everything but his bedroom. His bedroom was his. Just like her bedroom was hers. Everything else was theirs. They picked out the sectional couch in the living room together. Just like they decided on the patio furniture together. The backsplash in the kitchen.

Rachel shook her head. "Why would we do that?"

"If you don't like it..."

"I like it fine. We just need to add another dresser. And a vanity table." She hadn't looked up the pieces she wanted yet, but spent a little bit of time in the bedroom imaging the furniture being rearranged. It would work out perfectly. JC's bedroom was spacious.

"We can start looking tomorrow," JC promised. He couldn't explain the rush. He wanted her fully moved in to his room. It didn't matter than she slept in there and had been since he had gotten home from the hospital. Her room still held most of her treasured items and it didn't feel real. It felt like staying in his room was only temporary that she would move back across the hall at any moment.

"Once we get those, I can really move my things." Rachel explained. "Right now I'd just be piling them on the floor while we wait. They'd just get in the way." She had moved quite a bit over since they'd been home. Her room was looking emptier with each passing day. The bathroom had been completely cleaned out. All her items were now in the bathroom she shared with JC. She'd already listened to him complaining about the numerous bottles in the shower, not to mention the ones now on the sink counter. She had laid in bed trying to hold back her laughter the other morning when she heard the bottles on the counter clang together and bounce on the countertop when he fumbled with something but ended up knocking them all over. When the curse had flown from his lips the laughter escaped causing him to peek around the door jam and send her a glare. The effect was lost with the toothbrush hanging out of his mouth. She just laughed harder.

"So what were you down here doing?" Rachel asked after a few moments of comfortable silence. Once she cleaned up the mess she had made in the bedroom, she had went off to find him, hoping she could talk him in to going to bed. It was still relatively early but she wanted to crawl beneath the covers and snuggle together. Watch a movie on TV.

"Thinking."

"About?" Rachel pressed.

"A bunch of different things," JC shrugged. "How I can't wait to not feel tired all of the time. You. Our trip to Europe. Us. Matt. Music."

Rachel frowned as she listened to the list. There was so much to unravel. Since getting out of the hospital, JC had kept quiet about a lot of topics. Rachel let it go, hoping he just needed to time to work through some things. "What about us?" She asked hesitantly. "Are you having second thoughts?"

"What?" JC lifted his head to look at her. "I was thinking about how we're settling in now that my parents are gone...What did I tell you about jumping to conclusions?"

She felt the blush cross her cheeks. "Well Rome wasn't built in a day."

JC lifted his arm and wrapped it around her shoulders, pressing a kiss to her head. "I am not having second thoughts about us. Never. I love you."

Rachel lifted her head and kissed him. The kiss continued and she lifted her hand to cup his cheek. Her mouth opened beneath his and his tongue entered her mouth, seeking, exploring.

JC broke the kiss and stood up from the couch. He took her hand and pulled her up. He threaded his free hand through her hair and kissed her again before he led her from the room and up the stairs. He held her hand as he made sure the doors were locked and all the lights were shut off. Then he led her upstairs and into their bedroom. The room no longer smelled like him. It was a combined mixture of them both. Standing in the middle of their room he kissed her again.

"JC..." She whispered against his lips. Her hands gripped his upper arms as she clung to him. His hands pressed into her back holding her to him. It haven't moved passed kissing for them. She hadn't even tried. Partially because she knew JC was still recovering. Partially because she wasn't exactly sure how to move their relationship to that level. It was slightly terrifying.

Cupping her face with his hands, he stared into her eyes as they blinked open. "I love you."

Rachel's features soften at JC's words. Her hands moved from his upper arms and slid around his neck. When his forehead rested upon hers, her eyes slipped close again. They stood in the middle of their bedroom in an embrace. The quiet of the night around them.  "I love you JC. There's no place I'd rather be than right here with you." The next kiss left her breathless. "JC..."

"I got the all clear today," he whispered against her lips. His hands dipped beneath the hem of her t-shirt to the warm skin of her back.

"I don't want to hurt you..." Her hands slid from around his neck to his chest just above the bullet wound.

"You won't. You can't." He whispered then kissed her again.

"We'll stop if..."

JC silenced her words with a kiss. "I'm okay."

"Promise?"

"Promise," JC said and there were no more words.