JC scratched his head and yawned as he pulled open his front door. He was surprised to see Chris standing on the doorstep and he eyed him warily, “Here to hit me again?”

“If I thought it would do some good, then I definitely would.” Chris sighed.

“So, are you still pissed off at me then?” JC asked, stepping back and allowing him to come in.

“I’m not happy with you, but I’m not pissed.”

“How is she?”

"Why don’t you phone her and find out?" Chris asked him.
 
"She won't answer."
 
"She has to, she can't ignore a call from any of us remember?" Chris said, thrusting the cell into JC's face. "Call her."
 
"Why are you suddenly on my side?"
 
"I'm not, but she's miserable and you're miserable and the tour is coming up soon and I'm not playing monkey in the middle with you two and neither is anyone else."
 
JC sighed and took the phone from Chris's hand, punching in Darcie's number.
 
"Hello?"
 
The sound of her voice made his heartache, "Hey Darc, its JC."
 
"I'm well aware of that, what do you need?"
 
"To talk to you."
 
"Well I'm busy so it'll have to wait."
 
JC stared at his phone as the call disconnected and he looked at Chris, "Told you."
 
"Call her back."
 
"Chris, this is only going to piss her off."
 
Chris smiled, "And if you piss her off she'll start talking."
 
JC's eyes widened as he realized that Chris was right. Darcie could ignore some one all she wanted until her temper got in the way, then she'd spend a good twenty minutes yelling until she was calmed down enough to actually talk it out. He had seen her do it with Chris and Joey thousands of times. 
 
"What JC?" She sighed as she picked up.
 
"We really need to talk."
 
"Can't it wait? I'm stuck in some high end department store with bitchy sales associates all cause Justin needed 100% satin boxers and Ami couldn't do this one since she's on some God forsaken errand for Joey and -" Darcie trailed off, "Could I please get some help already!"
 
"Go easy on the sales girls." JC laughed.
 
"If only I could prove these were for Timberflick, I could probably get them for free or just reach into the damn counter. Oh wait it's locked, who the hell locks up underwear?" JC could just see her pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration, "I've only been standing here for twenty minutes staring at the same pair and it -"
 
"I love you."
 
He could hear the sound of something hitting the glass counter that she was standing in front of, "What did you just say?"

JC could feel Chris's eyes boring into the back of his skull, "I said that I love you."
 
JC stared at his phone as the call disconnected, "Not quite the route I would have gone." Chris told him.
 
"I figured I should get that out at least once."

Chris frowned at him, “Yeah, but over the phone?”

JC shrugged, “If I’m not going to get another chance then it was worth it.”

Chris rolled his eyes, “You’ll get another chance JC, and she’s too crazy about you not to give you another chance.”

“So is this all you came for?”

“No, I wanted to make sure that you’re still doing the barbeque tonight, it’s your turn.”

JC nodded, “Yeah, Justin’s picking up a bunch of stuff to bring over.”

“Alright, I’ll see you tonight then.”

“Hey Chris?” JC called after him, brown eyes connected with blue and the two men stared at each other for a long while. “Thanks.”

“Just don’t screw up again.”  

~ * ~

JC didn't move from the couch as the sound of his doorbell rang through the empty house. He figured it was probably one of the guys or Ami and didn't really feel like having to entertain one of them. He muttered a curse as the sound of a key sliding into the lock echoed loudly, and he briefly wondered what had possessed him to give everyone an extra key.
 
"Josh?"
 
JC shot into a sitting position as Darcie's voice sounded from the front hallway. He stood on his couch and was about to leap over it when she walked into the room. JC's foot got caught on the blanket he had pulled over himself and he ended up tumbling over the back of the couch to the floor. He could have sworn he heard Darcie's giggle, and he almost sighed aloud when her hand touched the back of his head.
 
"Are you okay?" The quiver in her voice told him that she had indeed been laughing at him.
 
"I think I broke my pride."
 
"I don't think you can break your pride." She muttered as she unhooked his foot from the blanket.
 
JC sat up with a shrug, "So how come you're here?"
 
Darcie held up an envelope, "The finalized tour schedule came in and since I was at the office anyway I offered to deliver them to you guys."
 
"You were at the office?"
 
"Had to deliver Lord Ego his panties."
 
JC's eyebrow arched, "Why do I have the feeling you mean that literally?"
 
"Well, he got satin underwear." Darcie said innocently as she pulled JC to his feet, "They just happen to be the biggest plus size women's that I could find."
 
"Oh lord."
 
"Oh yes, and Ami and I have a supply of different styles and sizes to throw at him on stage."
 
JC laughed, "You guys are evil."
 
"Just wait till you see those suckers come flying up on stage." Darcie giggled, "Well I've done what I came to do, I guess I should get going."
 
"Have you dropped off everyone else’s?"
 
"Yeah, and Chris mentioned something about dinner so I should go home and change." Darcie said reluctantly.

"It's going to be here, so there's no need to, you can just hang out here until the others show up."
 
Darcie chewed on her bottom lip and JC was sure she was going to refuse. He was slightly shocked when she nodded slowly, "Look about what you said on the phone earlier -"
 
"I meant it." He insisted.
 
"I know I just wanted to say, me too."

Ami walked into JC's house with Justin behind her. "I don't care what you thought, what if you get sued?"
 
"I won't get sued, and if I do I can just settle out of court."
 
"What did he do now?" Darcie asked as they walked into the room.
 
"The idiot punched out some guy in the parking lot of the grocery store." Ami told her, sitting down on the couch between Darcie and JC, glaring at Justin the whole time.
 
"I did not punch him."
 
"What you shoved him with your fist then?" Ami snapped.
 
"Why did you punch someone?"
 
"He grabbed Ami's ass!"
 
Darcie burst out laughing, "Some random guy grabbed your ass?"
 
"No, he brushed against it, and he apologized." Ami told her.
 
"Then he came up to her in the parking lot and asked if he could take her out for a drink." Justin blurted out, "While I was standing next to her!"
 
"Maybe he thought you were brother and sister." JC said, laughing.
 
"Hello!" Justin cried, motioning to Ami and then himself, "Do we look like siblings!"
 
"Well you're both tall and lanky." Darcie pointed out, earning her a punch in the arm from Ami.
 
"Are you at least going to come out and help me bring all that shit in?" Justin asked.
 

"And what if some poor bee flies by and happens to hit my butt, are you going to punch it too?"
 
Justin glared at Ami, "Oh look out Aim's, it's the Timberglare." Darcie laughed.
 
"Glare at me all you want, you can go bring the damn groceries in."
 
JC rolled his eyes and stood up, "Come on J, I'll help you with them."
 
As soon as they were gone Darcie grabbed Ami's arm and hauled her to her feet, "You and me, girl talk - now."

Ami stumbled slightly as Darcie shoved her into the bathroom and turned on the fan and the faucet. “You do realise we’ll never hear the end of the comments if the guys figure out we’re in here.”

“JC and Justin wouldn’t dare say anything.” Darcie told her.

“So are you going to tell me what’s going on?” Ami asked, hopping up onto the counter as Darcie sat on the floor against the door, “I wasn’t expecting to see you and JC here alone.”

“Yeah he phoned earlier while I was picking up Justin’s new underwear.”

“Thank you for that by the way. He’s been bitching about it since you dropped them off.”

“Did you see them?” Darcie giggled.

“Oh lord yes; I’m almost afraid to see the ones that you bought for us to throw on stage.”

“Variety is the spice of life.” Darcie smirked.

“Okay, back to the topic at hand.” Ami said clapping her hands, “What’s going on between you guys?”

“He told me he loved me.”

“About damn time!” Ami muttered.

“What was that?”

“It’s not important.” Ami said quickly, “When did he tell you?”

“While I was shopping.”

“Did he run into you there or something?”

“No, he phoned me.”

“He told you he loved you for the first time over the phone?” Darcie nodded, “That pansy.”

Darcie giggled, “Yeah, but that’s why I love him.”

“Did you tell him back?”

“Essentially.”

Before Ami could ask what she meant Darcie’s head was smacked with the door. Darcie scowled and rubbed the back of her head as she turned to look at Justin.

“Why are you on the floor?” Justin asked.

“We were having a girl talk.”

“Plotting to buy some more giant panties?”

Darcie grinned, “Please, like I would do the same thing twice.”

Ami giggled, “What’s up loser?”

“I love the pet names you give me.” Justin sighed as he was finally able to step into the bathroom, “Who needs to be called honey or sweetheart when you can be called loser.”

“Stop being such a queen and tell me why you’re interrupting girl talk when I know that you recognized all the signs.”

“Two things.” Justin said, “First, are you and JC back together?”

“Pretty much.” Darcie said.

“And two, Joey’s here and he wants to hear your side of the story because he doesn’t believe that I didn’t hit the guy.”

“Because he knows you did.”

Darcie rolled her eyes and watched the two of them leave the bathroom arguing. She turned off the faucet and the fan. She gasped as JC suddenly pushed her back into the bathroom, his arms wrapping around her waist and his lips planting firmly against hers.

Her fingers slid into the hair at the base of his skull as he kicked the bathroom door closed and pushed her against the counter top. “Hi.” She said softly when he finally pulled back.

“Sorry, making up for lost time.”

Darcie smiled at him and continued to play with the hair on his neck, “Can’t say that I’m complaining.”

“Do me a favour and stay here tonight?”

Darcie smiled and nodded, “Come on, we better get out there before they think we’re doing something naughty.”