"Looks a little different this time of year, doesn't it?" Hannah said as she drove JC and Tyler away from the airport.

JC chuckled. "Yeah, they have roads here. Who would have thought. I thought people just drove around on ice all the time."

"Kind of like Mario Kart," Tyler piped in from the back seat.

"You guys are such losers," Hannah chuckled. "So there has been a change of plans. My mom actually drove up north today to pick up my grandma because my uncle couldn't do it. So, you'll have to wait until tomorrow to meet her along with everyone else. But I still thought we'd go to her house for dinner tonight because I want to show you guys where I grew up. And the Minnesota Orchestra is having a free concert at the bandshell nearby, and we'll just happen to pass my favorite ice cream place."

"Sounds perfect to me," Tyler chirped.

JC reached over and took Hannah's hand into his own and gave her a gentle smile. She glanced at him, her eyes sparkling. JC couldn't get over how happy she looked. "I missed you," he mouthed so Tyler couldn't hear.

Her smile widened, if that was possible, and she lifted his hand to her chest, returning her eyes to the road.

"Hey is that the Mall of America?" Tyler asked.

"Sure is. Don't get too excited. Its not that great. Besides, you live in LA. You can shop at the best places anytime you want."

"Well I've just always thought it looked cool. I always loved the scene in the Mighty Ducks where they skate around it."

Hannah guffawed. "Yeah, that would never happen. Sadly, I don't think we can squeeze it in. Next time, OK." JC noticed Hannah glance up and smile into her rearview mirror and his chest constricted a bit. The relationship Hannah was forming with Tyler was quite touching. Hannah merged onto a new highway and they got a view of the Minneapolis skyline.

"It really is a beautiful city," JC commented.

"I'm surprised its that big actually. I always thought it was a lot smaller," Tyler added.

"Common misconception. People think its all small-town hockey hicks or something, but it really is a very cultural city with a big music and theater scene. Where we're going tomorrow, now that's a little different." Hannah winked. "No, actually the Brainerd area is full of a lot of wealthy people with fancy vacation homes, so its not really like that either. It's quite nice."

"So are we camping? Or staying in a fancy vacation home?" JC asked.

"Well, technically we aren't camping, camping. Like, we're not in tents or anything. Its a cabin, but its nothing fancy. I mean, we'll have a bed to sleep in, but some rooms are like four people to a room." Hannah continued as she exited the highway. "Are you guys cool with pizza for dinner? I haven't had Pizza Luce in awhile, and I hate cooking in other people's kitchens."

"Pizza is cool with us." JC commented before Tyler could chime in.

"Pefect."

It was only a few more minutes before they pulled into the driveway of an arts-and-crafts style, two-story house. The neighborhood was made up of houses very simliar in nature, and they were all surrounded by mature, lush maple trees. Every house had a large yard, many with tire swings hanging from trees out front. Down the street he could see a lake glistening in the sun. It certainly looked like an idyllic place to grow up.

"We'll this is it! Home sweet home! Sure as hell beats my little apartment, doesn't it, Jace?"

"You grew up here? This is amazing," he said as he lifted his suitcase from her Jeep.

"Can't complain. I had plenty of room to run around, the lake is right down the way. There was always something to do. I would buy this house if I could. My mom was going to sell it after dad died - its way too big for just one person - but we just can't bear to part with it. She's actually starting to passively look for a condo or something, but it probably wouldn't be for a year or so. We're all so hesitant to let it go, and she has dreams of throwing Jens a huge welcome home party here when he returns."

"Well you certainly have a great yard for it."

After getting the tour, they gathered around the kitchen island and played Uno until the pizzas were delivered. They fixed their plates and headed to the deck, which overlooked Carole's stunning gardens.

"My mom doesn't work and she's lonely. She spends a lot of time with her plants." Hannah explained after Tyler complimented the flowers. "I try to spend as much time with her as I can, but I can only hang out with my mom so much you, know?"

They ate in relative silence, just enjoying the pleasant May evening. When they were finished they changed into jeans and sweatshirts - it was starting to get a bit chilly - and headed toward the lake.

"First we need to stop at Sebastian Joes. Best ice cream ever!" After ordering their Oreo waffle cones, Hannah had made new fans out of JC and Tyler.

"You need to send me some of this for my birthday." JC groaned as he licked his cone. She chuckled. "You laugh, but I'm completely serious."

"Seriously, Han. It really is the best I've had." Tyler added.

"It is, isn't it? There is a place in St. Paul that comes close, but it can't quite top this."

They reached the end of the road and then turned the corner, and JC finally got a full view of the lake. It wasn't that big - probably only three miles in circumference - but it was beautiful. It was surrounded with homes similar to Hannah's and the jogging and bike paths were filled with runners, famililes, and pets enjoying the evening. From where they stood, you could see the city's skyline, but none of the nearby hustle and and bustle because the lake was surrounded by trees. It was a little oasis right in the middle of the city.

"This is so cool. So we are right in the middle of the city right now, right?" JC asked.

"We are! There is a chain of lakes that runs through the city. So if you go up that way," she pointed west "there is Lake Calhoun, and on the other side of that is Lake of the Ilsles. This is Lake Harriet, but all three are there, right in a row. A few blocks either way and you're in the middle of an urban area. A nice escape from city life, isn't it?"

"I've never seen anything like it." He responded. Tyler responded by checking out a girl jogging past him.

"Yeah, beautiful," he mummbled. "I think I like Minnesota."

Hannah flung a friendly arm around Tyler's shoulders and locked JC's fingers in her other hand. "C'mon boys, let's grab a seat."

They took a seat in the grass behind the bleacher seats of the bandshell, and they listened to the music of the orchestra for about a half an hour, the sounds soothing on the peaceful night. It was getting late, so they walked back to Hannah's childhood home, and headed to Hannah's apartment for the night.

JC practically purred with contentment when he woke up the next morning. Hannah was spooning him (how that had happened he wasn't sure, because he was fairly certain he was spooning her when their night ended) and she had her face buried in his neck, placing tiny kisses along his jaw and ear. He groaned in appreciation.

"Hey sleepyhead, you're finally awake!" Hannah said while scraping his nails over his chest.

"Mmm, why don't I wake up this way everyday?"

"We'll you can for the next three days."

"You said we are sharing rooms?"

"Well we are, but you and I are sharing a bed. We can get all snuggly. We just have to put the kibosh on what happened last night."

"I'm visiting you and we only get to have sex one night? Brutal."

"Well I'm not sure that's true. We can always sneak away. Plus, I may have something planned."

"Something planned? Oh, do tell!"

"Its a surprise." She nipped his ear. "Now go take a shower. We need to hit the road."

-----

In the end, it took about four hours for the three to reach the cabin, as the highways were full of holiday travelers. JC and Tyler found themselves a bit bored by the drive, even though Hannah tried her hardest to entertain them with funny stories of drunken idiots at the bar, or stories of her crazy cousins. They found their attention waning and about an hour and a half in, both of the Chasez boys fell asleep.

"Looks like we're the last ones here," Hannah commented aloud to herself, and JC and Tyler shifted at the sound of her voice. "Wake up guys, we're here. And get ready to be greeted by my crazy family because they are all coming out to meet us."

JC wiped a hand over his tired face and groaned. "I'm never going to remember them all. Why did I agree to an extended family outing?"

Tyler piped up from the backseat. "Woah, is that one of your cousins? She's smokin'."

"Yes, that's Mal. I should have warned you Jace, she was a huge fan of yours back in the day. And she has no idea who I'm dating, so this should be interesting. But she's 25 now, so hopefully she can pull it together."

They exited the Jeep and JC and Tyler went around the back to unload their bags, while Hannah ran up to greet her family. It was probably best if she should greet them first before having to introduce everyone, JC thought. When he and Tyler finally walked around to the front of the truck, the Anderson's were all lined up, waiting to be introduced. Before Hannah could even say anything, the girl he was assuming was Mallory gasped, and brought her hand to her mouth.

"You must be Mallory," JC smiled and reached to shake her hand. This was all a little awkward, but this was Hannah's family, so he was going to suck it up and deal with it the best he could.

"Yes," she gulped, trying her hardest to keep her cool. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name." Hannah let out a hearty guffaw and hugged her cousin.

"Oh Mal, nice cover. Just chill out girl."

"Nana, how could you not tell me this?"

"Because I wanted to see your face when you met him. And trust me, you did not disappoint." The remainder of her family stood looking confused, so Hannah went down the row with introductions. "This is my family - you've met Mal, this is her brother Max, and their parents Joe and Sarah, and this is my Uncle Rob and my aunt Gwen, and their kids RJ and Alicia. And last but not least, this is my lovely mother Carole. Everyone, this is my boyfriend JC, and his brother Tyler. They came from LA to be with us this weekend"

JC waved awkwardly, and wasn't quite sure what to do. Mass introductions were always uncomfortable and he knew he wouldn't remember any names later. But knowing it was best to get into mom's good graces first, he approached Carole with a quick hug.

"I'd a pleasure to meet you. Hannah's told me so much about you," He said as he took in her features. She was very tall and fit, and wouldn't look a day over 45 if it weren't for her silvery hair. It was obvious that Hannah got her athletic build from her mother.

She smiled at him in return, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Its nice to meet you too, JC. I hope you didn't find the drive up too dull."

JC stiffenend at the lack warmth in her welcome. He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but he got the sense that she wasn't all that impressed with him. 'Oh well,' he thought to himself, 'I have a weekend to get her to like me.'

"No, it wasn't bad at all. Hannah regaled us with stories about the cabin, so it was quite fun."

"Whatever, you fell asleep within an hour and I spent most of the drive talking to myself," Hannah giggled and gave him a side hug. JC cursed under his breath. Well so much for that lie...

"Let's go get settled, huh? Mom, is grandma sleeping?"

"She laid down about twenty minutes ago. You'll have to do your introductions later."

"I can't wait for you to meet Grams. She's going to adore you," Hannah whispered.

"That's what you said about your mom and she doesn't seem all that welcoming," He responded tersely.

"Give her a little time, Jace. By the end of this weekend, you'll be one of us."

-----

Hannah was right. It didn't take long before the rest of the Anderson's were joking around with JC and Tyler like they had always been there. They all walked around the back of the house to view the yard and the boat, which was tied up to the dock. Hannah's mom was still acting closed off, but JC figured she just needed some time to warm up to the idea of seeing her daughter with someone new. It wasn't fair to expect her to love him off the bat. After they all headed inside, the adults had settled on room arrangements upstairs as the "kids" were left to figure out room arrangements downstairs. RJ, Max and Tyler took one room, and Alicia and Mallory took the other. JC let out a silent sigh of relief when Hannah announced they would be sharing the pull out bed in the family room. He wanted to spend as much time with her as he could, and he was also afraid of Max and RJ would give him the brotherly "don't hurt my sister" talk if he were left alone with them, seeing as Jens wasn't there to do it.

After they had settled on room arrangements, Hannah and Mallory walked JC and Tyler around the lake, all the while recounting memories from their childhood. JC couldn't help but sense how at home Hannah felt here. He'd never seen her look so relaxed and happy.

"So Mal," Tyler spoke up. "Hannah tells us you were a big fan of my brother a few years back."

A deep blush crept over her cheeks. "Well yeah. Not so much of JC, but of the group as a whole."

JC slapped his hand to his heart. "Ouch Mal, you're killin' me."

"Sorry JC, I was a Lance girl at heart. But looks like that doesn't matter anymore, does it." Mallory chuckled.

"Well no I guess not. But if you still wanted to meet him someday, I could definitely make that happen."

"Aww you're too nice. But yeah, sorry about my reaction earlier. I was just totally surprised. Nana and I don't usually keep secrets from each other so I was caught off guard." Mallory gave Hannah a hearty punch in the arm.

"Mal's kind of like my little sister," Hannah explained. "We are really close and tell each other everything. But for some reason I left a few choice details out of the story of how we met. She just knew I fell for a musician named Josh." Mal shot Hannah an evil look. "It wasn't a lie!" Hannah exclaimed. "I just wanted to surprise you, is all!"

"No, its ok Nana. I know why you did it. Tell you what, never did I think I'd be walking around the lake with Mr. Chasez. Much less two Mr. Chasezs." Mal smiled at Tyler, and Hannah raised her eyebrows to JC.

He leaned over and whispered to her, "Could Ms. Mallory be the reason you invited Tyler along?"

"Maybe." Hannah winked and smiled at him, and took his hand into hers as they continued their trip around the lake.

After a few moments of silence, Mallory spoke up. "That place over there, The Fishin' Hole, they do karaoke on Saturday nights and it is a riot. We should all go tomorrow. Nana, Max, RJ and I have some crazy stories from that place."

"Why do you call her Nana? I always think you're talking about your grandmother." Tyler laughed.

"When I was little I always called her Hannah Banana, and somehow Nana just stuck. So how about it? Can we get the world-famous pop star and his brother to karaoke with us tomorrow night?"

"I'm in." Tyler responded immediately.

"Sounds goo.."

"We can't." Hannah interrupted. "Jace and I have plans."

"You do?" Mal questioned before a knowing look washed over her face. "Ooh, gotcha. Nevermind. Ty and I will go then, right Ty?"

He smiled at her, and JC could tell he was falling for this girl fast. His smart-ass comments had been kept to a minimum, which only happened when he was trying to impress a girl.

"We'd better get back huh? They are going to start grilling soon, and we can't miss out on the smores!"

Hannah and Mallory were walking a few feet ahead of Tyler and JC, so JC took the opportunity to catch up with his brother.

"How's it going man? Having a good time."

"Great time." Ty grinned.

"Now remember, we're only here a few days, don't do anything stupid. And don't forget, you're sharing a room with her brother. Watch yourself."

"I know Josh. I just think she's cute. I'll behave." Tyler paused. "How about you? How are you doing?"

"Feeling a little out of place. But I'll get used to it. This walk was a good idea. Its nice to get to know Mal, but other than that, there are just so many people, you know? Its overwhelming."

"Well hang in there man. You'll win them over. You always do."