Ever the Same: **IMPORTANT UPDATE!!** 10/3

[socrbritney]

It’s the sequel you have all been waiting for! For those of you who are new to this series, please read “Look After You” before this story.

To my loyal readers, please keep commenting and leaving your feedback!

To my new readers, welcome! And I hope you enjoy the word I created.

Enough is enough, here is “Ever the Same”.

Prologue

Jenna was running.

She wasn’t sure where she was going or where she would end up, but she was running. She heard footsteps pounding the pavement, running after her. She urged her legs to move faster. Years of playing soccer had paid off, as her strong legs carried her farther and farther away from what she had witnessed.

She knew he was chasing after her. Maybe he was even screaming her name. Yelling he was sorry. Yelling that he loved her. She didn’t care. She ran faster. Soon, the footsteps weren’t following her anymore.

What she had just seen had ripped her heart in half. Shook her to her very core. Crippled her spirit.

Hot tears slid down her cheeks as she rounded the corner of an unfamiliar street. She was in a city she didn’t know, alone. Her lungs were burning, and she was finally feeling the strain on her leg muscles. While she was running, she couldn’t feel the pain.

Her body finally gave up, and she slowed down. She started walking, and then finally collapsed on a bus stop bench. As soon as her mind caught up with the fact that she wasn’t gasping for air, she felt the pain rip through her chest.

The pain of betrayal.

The tears kept coming. But she didn’t sob or even utter a cry. They just leaked from her eyes and slid silently down her face. She stared blankly ahead, feeling the ache in her chest continue to throb.

Maybe I’m dreaming, she thought. Jenna slowly raised a hand to her face and felt the wetness from her tears.

Nope, definitely real.

With that realization, Jenna brought her legs to her chest. She sat on the bench, slowly rocking back and forth. Her mind buzzed with confusion, refusing to grasp onto a single thought.

The roaring engine of a motorcycle made Jenna’s head snap up. The motorcycle came to a screeching stop next to the curb just as the city bus pulled up. She rose to her feet as the figure got off the bike and took his helmet off. Long, dark locks spilled out from underneath the helmet. Worried brown eyes filled with…something- guilt, maybe- peered at her with urgency. He started to walk over to her.

Jenna watched him approach her. A lighting bolt of hurt and anger flashed throughout her body. On instinct to flee, she took two long steps to the curb and quickly boarded the bus. He ran after the shutting doors, and she yelled at the bus driver to drive. Without a word he pulled away.

She stared at him as they drove down the dark road. He was standing in the middle of the street, arms slumped at his side. She watched him until he was just a speck in the distance. Then she threw herself into a seat and leaned her head against the window.

She watched the unfamiliar city pass her by.

[michelle]

already in suspense...can't wait for more!

[socrbritney]

Chapter One: Bliss

'Cause when it all comes down
and I'm feeling like I'll never last
I just lean on you 'cause baby
You’re my better half

-“Better Half”, Keith Urban[/center][/i]


Present Day…


“Welcome back to E News! I’m Jason Kennedy, and let’s dive right into today’s top celebrity news with Couple Watch. Over the weekend, photos emerged of the Jonas Brothers on vacation in the Bahamas. The trio played around on the beach, attempted surfing, and even found some time for a little romance. Well, Joe found time that is.”

Jenna watched as a photo came up on the screen of herself on Joe’s back, laughing. Joe was in mid-sprint, his board shorts riding low on his hips. Another photo popped up next to that one as Jason Kennedy continued the story. The second photo was Joe wrapping his arms around Jenna in a hug. Her face was completely buried under his arms, only her long blonde hair made her recognizable. Joe was staring off into the distance, a light smile on his face.

“Jenna Freeman, the love bug of middle brother Joe, joined the family for some fun in the sun. Freeman was taking a vacation from her duties as one of the writers for the hit TV show “Blankest Years” on NBC. The Jonas Brothers had just wrapped up filming their much-anticipated television series, and are about to embark on a sold-out US tour, starting next month. The cute couple frolicked in the waves, took in some naps on the beach, and had intimate dinners at the hotel’s restaurants. The couple first went public in September of 2008, and after 7 months, Joe Jonas says the couple is still “very much in love.”

Jenna smiled and flipped off the television. She glanced at the clock on the wall. Almost 10 at night. She sighed. She knew that she just got back from a week long vacation with Joe, but she had missed him all day. And waiting for him to get done with rehearsals for the tour was turning into a depressing activity.

Might as well get some work done, she thought to herself. She got up and stretched, smoothing out her sweatpants and t-shirt. Her apartment was small, but cozy. The walls were covered with black and white photos of her friends and family. An entire wall was made up of photos from the tour she went on with the Jonas Brothers the summer before. Pictures of her and the boys, the entire crew, and scenery shot in different states. In the center of it all, was a picture of her and Joe. It was taken right after they had gotten off the stage, after Joe had taken her back. It was dark in the parking lot, and you could only see two dark figures. But you could tell from his shaggy hair that it was him, and from the way Jenna was standing on her tip toes, the shadows appeared to be kissing. The background was lit up with the lights from the parking lot, and the tour bus loomed in the distance.

Jenna slowly ran her fingers over the picture and sighed heavily again. Dating a pop star had not been her plan, but here she was. Crazy and sloppy in love with a guy five years younger and wanted by millions of girls across the world. Sometimes she found herself staring at him in awe, wondering why he chose her. But then he would turn and smile at her with such adoration, she would remember.

“Because you see the real me. And because you make me laugh. And because I am nothing but genuine when I’m around you. It’s like a breath of fresh air,” Joe had told her once when she asked him why he stuck with her.

They were effortless together. Their hands always found each other when walking down the street. Joe’s arm rested comfortably around her shoulders while they perused bookstores or took in a concert at a nightclub. They always walked in step, when Joe wasn’t tripping over his own two feet that is. They never ran out of things to talk about, and they were always discovering new things about each other. Brand new things. Last week, she had told Joe she only ate the marshmallows out of Lucky Charms boxes, and he later presented her with an entire box of just the marshmallows. She didn’t eat it of course; it was another souvenir of their relationship.

They didn’t need to try. They didn’t need to make an effort. They were just together, and it was so easy. While no one in their right mind would think an older woman with a master’s degree and a career would ever want a teenager who spent his nights performing in front of thousands, in Joe and Jenna’s minds….it fit. They didn’t care about labels the public put on them. He would always just be Joe, and to him she would always just be Jenna.

The media had a field day with them. Every time they went out, even to do mindless things like grocery shopping, they were followed. The pictures would take up the front page of every gossip website and magazine. They finally just got used to it. They just smiled and tried to ignore the crowd of ever-present paparazzi. Jenna understood the fascination. Well, with Joe at least. And she was with him, so she knew it came with the territory.

But in every picture - driving through Los Angeles, leaving their apartment together, Jenna visiting his set – they looked so happy. Laughing together, goofing around, sneaking kisses. To the public, it must look staged. But Jenna didn’t care, she was insanely happy every moment she was with him. She knew it. He knew it. That’s all that mattered.

A knock on the door jolted Jenna out of her thoughts.

“Joe…” she said aloud. She raced across the hardwood floors to the front door. She checked the peephole and laughed. All she could see was a huge bouquet of yellow roses being smooshed against the door.

“Let me in pretty girl…” she heard from somewhere behind the flowers. She unbolted the door and threw it open. Joe’s head peeked shyly from behind the bouquet.

“These are for you my dear,” he said, holding them out to her. She took them and inhaled the scent of the roses.

“My favorite,” she breathed out. She took Joe’s hand and led him in to her apartment. She put the flowers down on the kitchen counter.

“Sorry I’m late Jbomb. This tour is turning into a circus, I tell ya,” Joe said as he gave her hand a squeeze.

“No worries. I just want to spend as much time as possible with you before you leave in a couple weeks. I am not going to be a happy camper,” Jenna said with a frown. She went to get a vase from above her fridge, but Joe yanked her back by the hand.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” he whispered as he brought her close. She smiled a little and rested her lips on his. After a thousand kisses, her heart still tingled whenever she felt his lips on hers.

He kissed her back sweetly, and the worry of him leaving floated from her mind.

---

Hours later, after Jenna had heated up dinner for Joe and they had talked about their day, he was sprawled on her queen sized bed, watching her sleep. The long days and nights of getting her scripts done had taken its toll on Jenna. As soon as her head had hit the pillow and Joe’s lips had touched her forehead, she was out. She hadn’t even bothered changing, she just crashed. Joe was always touched at how she managed to stay awake to spend time with him, even though he knew she must be exhausted. Thinking about sleep made Joe yawn. But he wanted to watch her sleep, just a little bit longer.

She breathed in and out evenly, and with every breath out, she blew a strand of her blonde hair off her forehead. Joe smiled and reached over to tuck the strand behind her ear. Jenna stirred, but didn’t wake up.

For the hundredth time, Joe asked himself how he got so lucky. Sure, he could probably have any girl he wanted in the world. The biggest celebrities, the hottest actress or something. But there was only one he felt like he needed. Ever since he first ran into her, literally, he felt like he was the one who got knocked off his feet. She never once freaked out over him, or laughed just to please him. In fact, she was a pain in the butt most days. She kept him on his toes, and he needed that. Jenna was a calming presence on even the most frantic days, even if she only had time to text him that she loved him and was proud of him.

On the days they could be together, Joe finally felt normal. He hadn’t felt normal since he was growing up in New Jersey. Every moment of his waking life revolved around being in the Jonas Brothers. When he was with Jenna, he was just Joe. Her boyfriend. If it weren’t for the cameras always following them, they would just be any other couple in the world. Hanging out despite their busy lives, making plans for the future.

“You are my future”, Jenna had told him one night over the phone. He felt light headed when she had said that. It made him feel calm and amped up all at the same time.

Joe finally felt his eye lids start to get heavy, begging him to sleep. He reached over Jenna’s sleeping form and shut off the lamp on the bedside table. He carefully moved her under the blanket, still managing to not wake her up. He pulled his shirt off and curled up next to her, bringing the blanket over both of them. Tomorrow, he had the day off. And Jenna said she would be able to get out of work early so they could spend the afternoon and evening together.

Jenna rolled over and laid her head on Joe’s chest. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and buried his face in her hair, taking a deep breath. With the scent of her shampoo invading his senses and the warmth of her body pressed to his bare chest, Joe soon fell into a deep and peaceful sleep.

---

“Stronger…than yesterday. Now it’s nothing but my way…” Jenna sang to no one as she swiveled back and forth in her office chair. The cursor on the blank computer screen was winking at her, mocking her. Writers block.

It was almost noon, and she had told Joe that she would be back by 12:30 at that latest. Unfortunately she still had about three more scenes to write, and she was drawing a blank. The writers meeting had gone longer than usual, with the season finale coming up. On her fourth cup of coffee, Jenna was struggling.

She closed her eyes, thinking back to when she woke up in Joe’s arms this morning. She had tried to peel herself off of him without any resistance, but Joe, as usual, woke up and refused to let go. She laughed, and smacked him lightly on the head. He pouted, but finally let go. She jumped in the shower, and came out to the kitchen, briskly drying her hair with a fluffy pink towel. What she saw in the kitchen was her #2983 reason why she loved him.

Joe was standing over a frying pan, whisking eggs in a pan. A cup of hot coffee was on the table, fixed just the way she liked it. Three splendas and a splash of non fat milk. Next to the coffee cup was the Daily Variety, opened up to the television section. Jenna smiled at the thoughtfulness and care Joe had for her.

She came behind him and wrapped her arms around him, feeling his lean muscles react to her touch.

“You rock, Joe,” she whispered in his ear. Joe turned and smiled, giving her a quick peck on the lips.

“Of course I do. Please, sit. I have made your favorite. Scrambled eggs with ham, and toast with a strawberry jelly smiley face. Also known as, Chef Joe special,” he said, leading her to the table and setting a hot plate of breakfast in front of her.

“I could not think of a better way to start a day. I hate mornings,” Jenna grumbled. Her crankiness melted when she shot a glance at Joe, who was leaning against the stove with a smug grin on his face.

“What? What are you smiling at?” she asked, digging into her breakfast.

“I’ve seen you in the morning too many times to count, but I cannot get over how crazy your hair gets. On average, how long does it take to tame that beast?” Joe asked her, laughing. She glared at him and kept eating.

Now, Jenna wondered why she even left her apartment to go into work.

I wish I could wake up him every morning, she thought to herself.

Her telephone ringing in her office made Jenna nearly jump out of her chair.

“This is Jenna,” she answered after nearly dropping the phone.

“Why hello, Jenna. This is Joe Jonas. Just calling to let you know that I am downstairs ready to take my girl to lunch,” a smooth voice said over the line. Jenna smiled to herself.

“Joe Jonas? Yes, I think I’ve heard of you. Are you a swimmer?” she said in a teasing voice.

“Yes, that is exactly it. So, can you come get some eats with me or what?” Joe asked.

Jenna sighed. She looked at her blank computer screen.

Oh, well. There is no way I’ll get anything done knowing Joe has the day off today, she thought to herself.

“You know what? I’m done for the day. So I’ll be downstairs in a few. We can go get something to eat and spend the rest of the afternoon together,” Jenna told him.

“Yes! That’s awesome. I just have one more question. What are you wearing?” Joe asked her in a seductive voice.

“God, I hate you,” she answered, quickly hanging up. She scribbled down some notes she had for story lines on a post-it next to her computer. She stuffed her laptop in her bag, threw it over her shoulder and headed out the door.

---

Joe was waiting for her in a black SUV, driven by Big Rob.

“Hey, Rob. Long time no see,” Jenna said as she climbed in next to Joe.

“What’s up, beautiful? How’s the writing of the season finale coming? Can you give us any spoilers?” he asked her, grinning into the review mirror. Big Rob had watched her show from the beginning, and was always bugging her for information.

“Now, now Rob. You know I can’t give any plot points away. Guess you’re just gonna have to find out, won’t you?” Jenna shot back, buckling her seatbelt.

“I know what’s gonna happen!” Joe chimed in. Jenna gave him a confused look.

“No, you don’t. Shut up and stop lying,” she said, poking him in the ribs.

“Yes, I do. I know what’s going to happen, I swear,” he claimed again. Jenna sighed and turned her body towards him.

“You’re going to get your liscence so Rob doesn’t have to drive us around everywhere?” she asked. Rob chuckled.

“Sorry, hon. As long as these boys keep selling records, I have to go everywhere they do,” he said.

“Yeah plus, I am getting my license. Well, for my motorcycle. I’ve had it for months and I still haven’t driven it,” Joe complained. Rob cleared his throat loudly.

“Well, except for that one time,” Joe said meekly.

“You mean the time Nick convinved you to take it for a spin around the studio parking lot and you fell off going 2 miles an hour?” Jenna asked. Joe reached over quickly and put her in a headlock.

“Oh, you’re soooo funny, aren’t you? I still looked like a ‘G’ on that thing,” he said, while trying to muffle Jenna’s cries to let her go.

“Alright, you two. I’m gonna drop you off at the front of the restaurant because I didn’t have time to make arrangements to drop you off in back. I have to go pick up the other two idiots from the movies, and then I’ll swing by and come get you guys in like an hour. Sound good?” Rob asked, eyeing the crowd of paparazzi at the front of the restaurant. It was a known hot spot for celebrities, but it was also Jenna’s favorite place to get soup and salad.

“Thanks, Rob. We’ll see ya,” Joe said as he threw open the door of the SUV. As soon as got out, flashbulbs started popping in his face. Jenna peered through the tinted windows and groaned. Joe reached his hand back into the car for Jenna to take so he could help her out. When the cameras saw that Jenna was with him, they worked up into a frenzy.

“How are you two doing today?”

“Hey, lovebirds! When’s the wedding?”

“Jenna! We hear you’re pregnant!”

“Joe! Given up on the purity thing yet?”

Joe and Jenna linked hands, smiled from underneath their sunglasses, and quickly breezed through the crowd. They said nothing, but Joe stopped right before the door to sign a couple autographs and take some pictures with fans. He thanked the fans, and then put his hand on Jenna’s lower back to guide her into the restaurant.

They were shown to their usual table, way in the back away from prying eyes. They were usually left alone when they were eating, but they played it safe nonetheless.

After ordering food and settling in, Joe took his sunglasses off and smiled and Jenna.

“So, we’re leaving next week,” he said. Jenna’s jaw dropped.

“I thought you weren’t leaving for another two weeks, Joe!” she exclaimed. Joe furrowed his eyebrows in guilt.

“I know I said that. And until this morning that’s what I thought. But I guess we’re leaving early for New York to hit TRL and Good Morning America,” he said.

“I thought you guys were kicking off the tour here, after talking to Ryan Seacrest,” Jenna said as the waiter plopped their food down. She didn’t even look at it.

“We’ll be coming back for that. But we’re leaving for New York on Tuesday, and then we’ll be back on Friday for the first night of the tour,” Joe said. He put pepper on his salad, keeping his eyes on Jenna.

Jenna bit her lip and pouted. Today is Friday. So I only have the weekend and Monday to say goodbye, she thought bitterly.

“What’s on your mind, babe?” Joe asked, his mouth full. She smiled in spite of the situation. No manners.

“I just thought I would have more time to prepare for you guys to leave,” Jenna said in a tired voice.

“Well, we’re having a send off party on Monday night. And plus, I’ll be back in town on Friday for the first show. And you’ll be at that one, right?” he asked, trying to sound upbeat. “We just have to make the most of the next couple days, that’s all,” he said, reaching over the table to squeeze her fingers.

Jenna loved how he was so confident in their relationship. Jenna found herself freaking out about them being apart often, and it was always Joe who calmed her down, reassuring that they can make it through anything.

“You’re right. I mean, I get to see the very first show from the front row. And we do have the next couple days to hang out. Well, in between your rehearsal and my writers meetings. I just wanted a little, um, private time with you before you left. I had a whole evening planned for us a couple weeks from today. And now, I have to share you. You know how I hate that, Joey Joe,” she said in a mocking tone. Joe laughed and took a sip of his water.

“I hate sharing you too. Tell you what, I’ll quit the band and we can run off to Canada together,” he offered. Jenna threw her head back and laughed. A couple sitting a table over stopped eating and stared.

“Horrible idea,” she said when she finally regained composure. Joe wiped his mouth and leaned back in his chair, linking his hands behind his head.

“Private time, eh? Joe likes the sound of that. I promise that I will find a couple hours where it will just be me and you. I don’t care if I have to come over at 3am or fly back early from New York, I’ll find the time,” Joe said with resolve.

“Wow, I promise you a little action and you reschedule your whole life. I’m honored to call you my boyfriend,” Jenna said, reaching over to muss up his hair. Joe reached up to swat her hands away, but instead grabbed them and kissed both her palms.

“It’s all gonna be ok, Jenna. I just know it,” he said, smiling his sideways grin she loved so much. She felt a wave of confidence wash over her.

“I know. I believe in us,” she replied. She leaned over the table and kissed him full on the mouth.

“I love you,” she whispered as she pulled away. Joe winked at her.

“Right back at ya.”

[michelle]

aww!!
i loved it! especially the part where he made he breakfast....that was just too cute. i could totally see that happening...great job and i can't wait for more!

[socrbritney]

Chapter Two: Like a Rock

I can’t explain what's the glue
that holds us in
I can’t refrain if I had
a chance to do it over again

-“Put Your Arms Around Me”, Natasha Bedingfield[/center][/i]



“Tell me again why we have to go to this meeting when I can be spending time with my hot girlfriend before leaving her for four months?” Joe asked in a whiny voice. Nick gave him a punch in the shoulder while his Dad shot him a disapproving glance from the front seat.

“Joe, you haven’t even met your opening act yet. She’s been touring for the past month and a half in Europe and she just got back last week,” his dad said, turning back around to flip through some papers.

The Jonas Brothers were loaded up in the SUV, driving slowly through L.A. traffic to make it on time to a meeting before their “Farwell Party” that evening. The Disney channel was filming their last minute preparations of their tour before leaving for New York, and at the end of the night there was going to be a party for them. But frankly, Joe just wanted to see Jenna as much as he could before he left.

“Chill out, Joe. Jenna’s coming to the party tonight, isn’t she?” Kevin chimed in from the back seat. He was furiously texting on his phone, not even lifting his head up. Nick was squished next to Joe, mumbling into his blackberry to one of their band mates about a new melody he had in his head.

Joe was itching to call Jenna, but he knew she was in meetings all day. She said she was meeting him later that night at the party, but Joe had barely even talked to her since he took her out to lunch and spent the day together on Friday. They were both extremely busy over the weekend, they barely found time to breathe. And for Joe, being with Jenna was just as important as breathing.

As if on cue, Joe’s cell phone buzzed harshly. He checked the caller ID.

J-Bomb.

Joe smiled and tapped ANSWER.

“Hello, beautiful,” he said in a low voice. He would never hear the end of it from his brothers if he knew just how mushy he could be with Jenna.

“Hi, hon. How’s it going?” Jenna’s bright voice poured into his ear, and Joe immediately forgot how cranky he was.

“Meh, it’s going. We have a meeting with our new opening act. Some hot shot new Disney star. The next Miley Cyrus or something. Then I guess we’re filming something for the Disney Channel and then, finally, it’s time for the send off party. And you know what that means…” Joe trailed off, waiting for Jenna’s response.

“Um, Nick J is going to attempt a rap and Kevin will try out some new and embarrassing dance moves?” she guessed. Joe laughed lightly.

“Well, yeah that’s gonna happen. But it also means that I get to see you,” he replied.

“Oh, yeah about that…” Jenna started. Joe’s face dropped.

“What? You can’t come, can you?” he said, already getting upset.

“No! I’ll be there. I just might be late. I know I said I would meet you to go with you, but I think you should just go to the party without me and I’ll text you when I’m on my way over. No worries, boyfriend. I’ll be there,” she assured.

“Alright, I know you’re busy so make it as soon as you can. I can’t wait to see you. I’ll be the one with the awesome head of hair next to the two losers who can’t control their curls,” Joe said, talking louder so his brothers could hear him. They shot him a dirty look.

“That’s my man. See you later. Love you.”

“Love you more. Bye, Jenna,” Joe said, ending the call. He leaned his head against the window and sighed loudly, getting another disapproving look from his dad. Finally, they pulled into the underground parking garage and parked.

Joe stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked with his head down. Thinking about four months away from Jenna was making him a little edgy.

It wasn’t like he thought they couldn’t do it, he just wanted to keep building their relationship without any bumps. They had gone through so much to be together, and it was a blessing to finally be in love with her out in the open. But with the tour coming up and their busy schedules, something told Joe that these next four months were going put quite a strain on their relationship. And every moment he spent with her made him sure that he wanted to keep building a future with her. He didn’t want anything to interrupt it.

Kevin looked over at Joe, noticing his tight frown.

“Hey, man. You two are gonna be fine. You’ve done long distance before, right?” he asked, giving Joe a little pat on the back. Joe scoffed.

“Yeah, both ending in break ups. Thanks for the support, Kev,” he shot back bitterly.

“Well, those don’t count. They weren’t Jenna. You guys are solid as a rock, dude,” Kevin said, motioning for Nick to slow up so they could both talk to Joe.

“Yeah, I’m not worried about making it long distance. I just don’t want anything to change between us. Our relationship is great, but I want to continue making it better. And I can’t do that if we’re miles apart, ya know?” Joe said in a quiet voice. Nick thought for a moment.

“Sure you can. You guys know you are great together living in the same city. But now you have a chance to find out if you’re good together far apart. And after all you guys went through to be together, something tells me this will be a piece of cake. And when you guys can be in the same place again, you’ll have even more foundation to build on, know what I’m saying? It’s gonna be awesome,” Nick said. Joe looked over at his brothers appreciatively.

“You guys are right. I’m just bummed about missing her,” he said, kicking a rock as they walked. His two brothers nodded. Before they knew it, they were entering the building and riding the elevators to the meeting room.

“I hope this chick is cool. I don’t wanna spend four months with a lame-o,” Kevin said, leading the way to the double glass doors.

“Maybe you’re the lame-o for saying the word, ‘lame-o’,” Nick replied. All three brothers laughed and headed into the meeting room.

---

Rachel Hill sat twirling her long blonde hair on her finger, obviously bored. She impatiently swept a hand through her side bangs to get them out of her light blue eyes.

“Seriously? The most important band in the world right now can’t be on time?” she said aloud to no one in particular. Her manager, Sam, stood in the corner. He frowned at Rachel.

“Their coming from rehearsals, which was across town. Don’t have an attitude. You happen to be very lucky to be going on tour with the most important band in the world, ok? Not another nasty comment from you, ya hear?” Sam scolded. Just then the double doors of the meeting room opened, and the Jonas Brothers walked in, followed by their security team and their dad.

“So sorry we’re late, Sam. Traffic was awful,” Mr. Jonas said, shaking Sam’s hand. Rachel resisted the urge to roll her eyes and stood up, plastering on a fake smile.

“You must be Rachel Hill! We’ve heard so much about you. Your new single is doing well. Congratulations,” Mr. Jonas said, shaking her hand.

“Thank you very much, Mr. Jonas. I’m excited to be on the tour with you guys,” she said, letting her eyes wander over to the three boys.

“Well, we’re excited to have you. You’ve already accomplished so much, and you just turned 18! It’s very impressive,” Mr. Jonas continued. He turned toward the boys, waving them over.

“Guys, meet your new opening act. Rachel, meet my sons, the Jonas Brothers,” he said. Rachel studied each boy closely, admiring their good looks and fashionable outfits. Her eyes rested on the brother standing in the middle with his glasses on. A stocking hat was pulled over his long way hair, and he gave her a little smile.

“Hi, I’m Kevin. This is Nick, and that’s Joe,” Kevin said, pointing out each brother. Rachel shook their hands, letting her grasp linger on Joe’s.

What a fox, she thought with a grin. I wonder if he’s still dating that older skank.

Rachel looked at his hand, noticing a thick band on the middle finger of his right hand. She read the tabloids; she knew it was the ring he and Jenna both had. Rachel did not like the sight of it.

“Well, it’s so nice to meet the three of you. I’m a huge fan! And I can’t wait to get started!” Rachel gushed, putting her hands in her back pockets. The three boys smiled at her.

“How was Europe?” Nick asked.

“Amazing. I can’t wait to go back! Are you guys going to the party tonight?” she asked, looking at Joe for a response. He just nodded his head, and then turned his attention to his cell phone, which he was texting on. Rachel narrowed her eyes, wanting more of a reaction from him. She was used to guys falling all over her, even if they were in relationships.

Oh well, just another challenge for me, she thought, grinning evilly to herself.

“Well, we gotta get some last minute things out of the way before the party. Let’s go boys. Rachel, it was nice to meet you,” Mr. Jonas said, shaking her hand one more time.

“And it was very nice to meet all of you,” Rachel replied, going to shake the boys’ hands again. She held on to Joe’s for a moment longer. He didn’t notice. He was gazing at his cell phone screen that was in his other hand.

Rachel watched them go. They were talking animatedly, obviously excited about going on tour. She watched Joe through the glass doors as he walked down the hallway. He was listening to something Big Rob was saying, smiling as he pushed his wavy bangs out of his face. She smirked.

Joe won’t know what hit him after I get through with him.

---

“I am so late!” Jenna shouted as she finally shut her computer off and grabbed her purse. Her co-worker, Brandi, wheeled herself out of her office and appeared in her doorway. Her shoulder length brown hair framed her pretty face, and her brown eyes peered at Jenna with curiosity.

“Late for what?” Brandi asked. She stood up and stretched and Jenna once again marveled at her short frame. At 5’7’’, Jenna was almost the same height as her own boyfriend.

“Oh, this thing with Joe. The Disney Channel is hosting a farewell party for them before they go on tour, and he wants me to go with him. He’s leaving tomorrow for New York for a couple days, so it’s my last night with him until Friday,” she explained as she hurriedly gathered her things.

“And you’re late?” Brandi asked, sitting back down and spinning in her wheelie chair. As she spun, the subtle red highlights in her hair caught the light.

“Utterly late. I texted him that I was leaving the office 45 minutes ago, but then I had that idea for the opening scene and I got to writing and….now I’m just LATE!” Jenna screamed again. She glanced down at her outfit. She wouldn’t have time to change. Dark skinny jeans, faded yellow tshirt, silver flats.

This will have to do. I think I have some nicer heels in my car, Jenna thought. Brandi stopped spinning and smiled at her.

“Well, have fun. I know how bummed you’ve been lately talking about Joe leaving. But it’ll be ok. You’re too hot for him to stray, right?” she said to Jenna.

Jenna laughed and grabbed her keys off the desk. She and Brandi had become fast friends, bonding over the fact that they were both dating people in the music business. Brandi had been seeing the lead singer of Boys Like Girls, Martin Johnson for almost a year now. Jenna felt grateful for the advice Brandi gave her on dating musicians, and they always had a blast hanging out together.

“Yeah, I don’t worry about him being faithful it’s just…”

“Just what? You’re going to hop into bed with Streeter?” Brandi said in a teasing voice. Streeter Cole was the lead man in their TV series, and even Jenna had to admit he was a total hottie. Unfortunately, Streeter knew how great-looking he was, and his ego showed it.

“Absolutely not. Streeter and his cocky grin make me want to vomit most days. Well, I’m outta here. I’ll see you tomorrow. You’re taking me out to lunch,” Jenna breezed out the door before Brandi could protest. She half ran half walked to her car and quickly hopped in. She turned it on, jumping when she realized that “Love Bug” was playing full blast from her morning commute. She loved that song. Especially when Joe admitted he had written it very soon after kissing her for the first time.

Jenna whipped through traffic, trying to text Joe at the same time and not get in an accident. She could just see Joe yelling at her while she was in a coma from blunt force trauma. Finally, she whipped her Nissan Murano into the parking lot of the hotel and cut the engine. She checked her reflection in the review mirror. Yikes, she thought. Most of her hair had fallen out of the ponytail and the pieces were now sticking out everywhere from the car ride over. She had no make up on, and when she dug through her purse to find some, all she could up with was a tube of Carmex.

Better than nothing, Jenna thought as she smeared it on. She took her flats off and put some strappy heels on, and searched the backseat to throw something over her ratty t-shirt. She only found her black leather jacket. Jenna hopped out of the car and put it on while jogging to the entrance.

The party was packed with all the Disney Channel stars and their friends. Jenna immediately felt out of place, seeing as she was probably the oldest person there that wasn’t a parent or manager. She quickly searched the dance floor and surrounding areas for Joe. She felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around and came face to face with a pair of deep, navy blue eyes. The girl grinned from underneath her wavy dark hair.

“Kate!” Jenna exclaimed, pulling the girl into a hug. Kate laughed and squeezed her back.

“I’m so glad you’re finally here. If Joe asks me one more time if I’ve seen you, I’m gonna cut off all his hair while he sleeps on the bus,” Kate said, rolling her eyes. Jenna laughed.

“Oh that’s right! Joe told me you’re going on the road with the boys. That’s awesome,” she said. Kate was a long-time childhood friend of the Jonas’s, but closest with Kevin since they were the same age. Jenna had met her when she visited their hometown a while back, and she immediately fell for Kate’s warm smile and generous personality. It was impossible not to like her.

“Yeah, pray for me. I may kill them before this tour is done. But you can’t say no to Kev when he gives you those puppy dog eyes,” Kate said, gesturing to where Kevin was standing. Jenna threw him a wave, and Kevin eagerly waved back. Jenna looked back at Kate, grinning knowingly.

“So, what’s going on with you and dear Kevin?” she asked Kate. Kate blushed, looking down.

“Shut up. We’re just friends,” she said, running a hand through her long hair. Jenna just nodded.

“That’s how me and Joe started out. Speaking of, where is the apple of my eye?” she asked sarcastically, searching the crowd for him.

“Um, I think I saw him speaking to Rachel, the opening singer. There, I see him,” Kate said, pointing him out.

“Thanks. I’ll see you later, yeah?” Jenna shouted as she walked away. Kate nodded and gave her a thumbs up.

Jenna approached Joe, feeling her heart pick up speed at the sight of him. Jenna once again thanked the Lord for inventing skinny jeans. She watched him talk with a blonde girl next to him. A young blonde girl. A pretty, young blonde girl.

Hm, she’s cute, Jenna thought. She bit her lip, feeling a light tug in her chest. Jealousy?

Joe turned toward her and broke into a huge smile when he saw her. All feelings of jealously quickly disappeared when Jenna saw the way he looked at her. He bounded over to her, leaving the blonde girl in mid-conversation.

“There you are! I was just going to call you,” he said, giving her a light peck on the lips. Jenna pulled him into a hug, watching the blonde girl stare at them over his shoulder.

“I know. I’m so sorry I’m late, I got this idea and…” Joe held his hand up to stop her.

“I know how you get when you get inspired. I’m the same way with my music. You never have to apologize for that. You’re my little genius,” he said lovingly, poking her on the nose. She wrinkled it in response and laughed.

“Come on, I want you to meet our opening act. She’s nice,” Joe said, taking her hand. Jenna groaned inwardly, but reminded herself that just because a hot blonde was talking to her boyfriend; it didn’t mean she was after him. Still, she was cautious as they approached Rachel.

“Rachel, this is my girlfriend I was telling you about,” Joe said proudly, wrapping his arm around her waist. Jenna held out her hand and smiled. Rachel looked at it for a moment, and then reached out to shake it slowly.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Jenna,” she said. Rachel gave her a small smile and pushed her bangs out of her face.

“I’m Rachel. I gotta say, it’s hard to get Joe to shut up about you,” she said, reaching over to give Joe a poke in the stomach.

“Well, I’m real proud of her,” Joe said, beaming. Suddenly, two arms wrapped themselves around Jenna and lifted her up. She squealed out in surprise.

“Kevin love Jenna!” she heard a voice say in a Tarzan-like voice. Jenna spun around and gave Kevin’s curls a light tug.

“Hey you! I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever,” she said, throwing her arms around him.

“It’s been about a week. You’re a mess without us, aren’t you?” Nick said, appearing next to her. Jenna let go of Kevin and took Nick’s face in her hands, smooshing it so his lips puckered out.

“Oh, Nicholas. I’ll miss you so much when you go,” she said, moving his head back and forth between her hands. Nick winced.

“You’re hurting me, woman. But you know I’ll miss you too,” he said through pursed lips. She finally let him go. The three of them starting talking animatedly, catching up on their lives. Mid-way through listening to Kevin talk about when he and Kate almost got ran over while walking downtown; Jenna looked over at Joe next to her. She smiled and reached over to take his hand, lacing her fingers through his. He lifted her hand up to kiss the top of it.

As the chatter went on, Jenna gazed around the circle, realizing that not only would she not see Joe for awhile, she was going to have to go a long time without seeing any of the boys. That meant a long time without Kevin’s corny jokes, or Nick’s quiet mannerisms that she adored so much. A long time without her best friends.

I’m going to miss them so much, she thought sadly.

Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Rachel slink back a couple steps. She seemed nice enough, and Jenna put all troubled thoughts about her to rest.

Tonight, she would only focus on soaking up the last bit of time she had left with her boys.

---

Rachel watched Jenna interact with the boys. If she wasn’t after Joe, she would have thought it was sweet. They all seemed really close.

At first she had been surprised that Joe came over and struck up a conversation with her at the beginning of the party. But she soon became irritated because every other word out of his mouth was about his girlfriend. She had heard their entire history in the span of five minutes, and frankly, she was sick of hearing how in love Joe was with her.

This was going to be harder than I thought, Rachel thought as she watched Joe and Jenna argue over who was taller. Jenna lifted up her leg and pointed to her heels and said something, and Joe threw his head back and laughed. While Jenna teetered on one foot, Joe gave her a light push that sent her stumbling off balance into Kevin. Nick was laughing too hard to catch her, and she went crashing to the ground, taking Kevin with her. Joe immediately swooped down to see if she was ok, but Jenna just laughed and let Joe help her up. She hopped up, wrapping a hand around the back of Joe’s neck to kiss him. Rachel could tell that they were crazy about each other.

Well, I’ll just have to get creative. All’s fair in love and war, after all, she said to herself.

Rachel watched them for a moment longer, than turned on her heels and walked away.

---

]

Who thinks Rachel is going to be trouble? I do.

Leave me some love, joner heads. I wanna know what YOU guys think of Ever the Same so far.

[michelle]

YOU LEAVE THEM ALONE RACHEL!!!!!
gggggrrrrrrrrrrr........

lol
that was my exact thought though....i LOVED it and can not wait for more!

[socrbritney]

Chapter Three: Headlock

And only you could do them things
That got me coming back
It's gotta be the realest thing
That I have ever felt
And I'll do what I gotta do
To keep you to myself

-“Only You”, Ashanti[/CENTER][/I][/SIZE]


Jenna could not remember a single thing more depressing then driving her boyfriend to the airport. Even if he was coming right back in a couple days, it was just a foreshadowing of goodbyes that were to come.

She looked at the man sitting in the seat next to her. The window was cracked, and the wind lightly ruffled his wavy hair. He was looking out the window, with a small smile on his face. The California sunshine streamed in, making him almost glow. Jenna smiled to herself. She knew he was happy to be touring again, and she wouldn’t ruin that for him.

“It’s really nice of your parents to let you catch a later flight so I could see you before you left,” she said. Joe turned to her and pushed his sunglasses farther up his nose.

“Well, they know you’re important to me, obviously,” he said simply. He gave her a smile and reached down to flip through her CD case.

“What are you doing in New York again? You told me before, but sometimes I don’t listen to you,” Jenna said in a teasing voice. Joe laughed before finally deciding on a CD and sliding it in the CD player.

“Well, I must have had my shirt off. I know you lust for my body, hon. It’s ok, you have a problem. We’ll get through it together,” he joked, leaning over to give her mock reassuring pat on the hand.

“Yeah, I got a problem alright. He’s sitting next to me,” she shot back. They both laughed, enjoying their last few minutes together.

“We are going to TRL today, then Good Morning America the next day, and an acoustic performance after that, and a bunch of interviews and whatnot in between. So, you’ll be watching them, right?” Joe asked. Jenna gave him a shocked look. Like he even had to ask.

“Every one of them. You know that. And please, this time when asked how I’m doing, don’t say that I’m really stressed and cranky. That makes me sound like a horrid girlfriend,” she pleaded with a strained voice. Joe laughed again, and Jenna relished the sound of his laughter echoing in her head.

“Oh come on, I had just got off the phone with you and you were talking a mile a minute about a deadline, then you told me to stop distracting you. Which was weird, because you called me that time,” he explained gently. She sighed and shot him an apologetic look.

“I know I was being short with you. Just don’t…broadcast it to millions of people that I am not a sweet little angel 24 hours a day, ok?”

“Aw, you’re my sweet little angel. When you’re not yelling at me, that is,” Joe said. She smiled at him, and wondered how she would last four months without his presence.

The airport was approaching quickly, and Jenna cursed under her breath as she weaved between all the taxis dropping people off.

“Where are the police escort meeting you?” Jenna asked, peering at the signs. No way could Jenna drop off a Jonas Brother just randomly at the airport. Joe was instructed to meet a police escort to walk them to a private jet arranged for him.

“Um, I think at the number eleven entrance. There it is, up ahead,” he said, pointing it out for her. Of course there was a crowd of paparazzi waiting. They always hung around the private airplane entrance, hoping to get a shot of someone coming or going.

Jenna slowly rolled up to the curb and leaned over Joe’s lap to look at the crowd.

”Vultures. I can’t even kiss my boyfriend goodbye in privacy,” she complained with disgust. Joe grabbed his carry on and grabbed the door handle.

“Well, we’ll just have to make up for it when we’re in private won’t we?” he said in a seductive voice. With that, he leaned over and kissed her on the lips. The cameras flashed through her windshield, but Jenna forgot about everything but Joe’s kiss.

He rested a hand on her cheek and gave her a reassuring smile.

“I’ll call you when I land. Then when I’m in the car. Then when I’m walking to the hotel. Then when I’m in the hotel. Then…”

“I get it. You’ll call me. Have a safe flight. I’ll miss you, Joseph,” Jenna whispered, kissing him one more time.

“Ditto. Love you, babe.” Joe opened the door and jumped out, walking quickly to the sliding doors where the police we’re trying to clear a path. Jenna heard the yelling of the paparazzi, but she couldn’t hear what they were asking. Joe turned back one more time and waved to her. She waved back, then watched him disappear between the escorts.

..........................................

“Where’s Joe?” Rachel asked, trying to appear nonchalant. They had been waiting in the green room of MTV studios for almost an hour, waiting for their cue to walk out to be interviewed by Damien. Rachel was excited to finally get Joe away from his girlfriend, but she lost all hope when she walked into the green room to only see Kevin, Nick and their friend Kate.

“Um, he should be here soon. Jenna dropped him off for a later flight so they could say goodbye,” Nick said, mindlessly drumming his fingertips against the couch arm.

Of course, the girlfriend gets in the way again, she thought bitterly. Rachel sighed and looked around the room, wondering how the other guys felt about their brother dating an older non-celebrity.

“So, do you guys like her?” Rachel asked, hoping they despised her. Kevin turned towards her from fixing his bow tie in the mirror.

“She’s my best friend. We were all close friends before they started dating, actually,” he explained. Nick nodded in agreement.

“Definitely one of the coolest girls I’ve ever met,” Nick said. Rachel tried to hide her look of disappointment.

“Wait, she’s like, 24 right? How come you’re not dating her Kevin?” she asked. Kevin shrugged.

“I dunno. She met Joe first, for one thing. Well, they didn’t so much as meet as they did run into each other. Typical, Joe. And there is no way that those two could be more perfect for each other. Sure, she’s beautiful and fun to hang out with. But when I saw the way Joe looked at her the day they met, I knew he was smitten. I do love her, but not in that way, ya know?” he said.

“And I’m not dating her because it would be illegal, in case you’re wondering,” Nick said sarcastically from the couch. Rachel cracked a smile and plopped herself down next to him.

“So, who are you dating Nick?” she wanted to know.

“No one right now. Don’t have the time,” Nick said simply.

“Are you dating anyone, Rachel?” Kevin asked while he looked at her in the mirror. Rachel smiled.

“Hopefully soon,” she said back. Kevin nodded, obviously not realizing her evil motives.

Rachel looked over at Kate, who was eyeing her suspiously from her spot on the couch across the room. Rachel stared right back at her, not looking away until Kate turned her gaze back towards Kevin.

The door opened and Big Rob sauntered in, with Joe trailing behind him.

“Hey, man. How was the flight?” Kevin asked, giving him a clap on the shoulder.

“Brutal. I couldn’t sleep at all, the turbulence was so bad,” he said, rubbing his eyes. Nick got up from the couch and handed Joe a Red Bull.

“The flight was brutal or saying goodbye to Jenna was brutal?” Nick asked knowingly. Joe took three big gulps from the Red Bull can and wiped his mouth. He let out a manly belch. The three boys laughed and Rachel groaned. Joe gave her an apologetic smile and she immediately perked up.

“Both were brutal, dude. But ya know, we’ll get through it. The hardest part is yet to come. We’re leaving right after the show on Friday, and that’s gonna be the hard goodbye,” Joe said, frowning a bit. Then he broke into a smile and clapped his hands together.

“Let’s do this thing! Are we almost ready to go on or is Kevin re-tying his bow tie for the millionth time?” Joe asked, eyeing Kevin standing in front of the mirror.

“Shut up, this is only the third time,” he shot back with an annoyed voice. Kate laughed and got up to help Kevin. Rachel watched them smile at each other, and wondered if something was going on between them.

Nick went to talk to Big Rob, and Rachel saw an opportunity to speak with Joe alone for once.

“I’m sorry you had to say goodbye to Jenna,” she said as she grabbed his shoulder sympathetically. Joe shrugged a little back at her.

“Thanks,” he said, turning to go sit on the couch. She followed him and sat down as close as she could to him. Joe didn’t react to their thighs touching, which angered Rachel.

“You know, if I was your girlfriend, I would just go on tour with you,” she said in a low voice. Joe chuckled.

“Well, Jenna loves her job. I kinda like that she has her own life and isn’t just set on following me wherever I go. She’s independent and understanding. Can’t really ask for much more,” he said to her. Rachel smiled, pretending to care about listening to him talk about Jenna.

“Still, it would be hard for me to let someone as gorgeous as you out of my sight for too long,” Rachel cooed, patting his knee before standing up. She hoped he was watching her in awe. She slowly spun back around, looking for a reaction.

Joe was bent over his cell phone, texting with a smile on his face. Probably talking to Jenna.

Rachel wanted to scream. What was wrong with this kid? She had worn her tightest dress that showed off her rocking body, and she didn’t even get a single second glance out of him.

I need a different approach. He’s obviously not gonna leave her on his own. Perhaps if I helped things along…

With that thought, Rachel suddenly felt much better.

........................

Jenna shook her leg impatiently as she waited for her computer to load the TRL interview the boys had. She wasn’t able to catch it on TV and she missed talking to Joe before he went to another interview, so she wasn’t sure how it went.

“Come on, you stupid slow piece of crap!” she shouted at the screen. She heard footsteps behind her. She slowly spun in her wheelie chair to see Brandi coming up cautiously to her desk.

“Easy, killer. It’s just a machine. It does not have feelings,” she said to Jenna. “What are you waiting to watch anyways? The YouTube video of Joe in the hot dog suit again?” Brandi peered over her shoulder, and Jenna pushed her away.

“No, they were on TRL and I missed it. And I wasn’t able to talk to Joe to see how it went so…here I am. Finally!” she yelled as the video finished loading. She pressed play.

She watched Damien introduce the boys and laughed with Brandi at the fans reaction when the boys walked out.

“Aw, look how cute Joe looks in his little blazer,” Brandi gushed. Jenna glared at her, and turned her attention back to the computer screen.

“Whoa, who’s the blonde tart?” Brandi asked. Jenna saw Rachel skipping in behind the boys, looking fabulous in a tight red dress with her impossibly perfect blonde hair spilling down her shoulders. Jenna self consciously ran a hand through her own blonde hair, mentally noting to herself to get it colored before Joe got home.

“Oh, that’s Rachel Hill, their new opening act. I didn’t know she was going to be on to,” Jenna grumbled.

“Wow, she’s beautiful. Have you met her? Meaning, have you met her and told her if she flirts with Joe you’ll punch her in her perfect teeth?” Brandi asked. Jenna let out a sigh.

“Yeah, I met her. She was pretty nice. I don’t think she’ll try anything, she knows about me and Joe. Everyone does, so it would be dumb to try anything. Besides, I trust him,” she told Brandi.

They watched the interview, laughing when the boys were being silly and cringing when Kevin embarrassed Nick with a story from last summer. Jenna kept her eyes on Rachel almost the whole time, looking for any flirtation between her and any of the boys. But mostly between her and Joe. Nothing so far.

I don’t know why I’m freaking out. She seemed perfectly nice, Jenna thought to herself with a little guilt.

“So, boys. We all know that Joe is taken. How is your lady friend by the way?” Damien asked. Joe smiled and lifted his microphone to his lips.

“She’s good. Thanks for asking. She’s in Los Angeles right now, working on her TV show,” he answered, giving a little smile to the camera. Jenna swooned, feeling like a teenage girl under his gaze, knowing he was thinking about her.

“Is she coming with you on tour?” Damien wondered. Joe shook his head.

“No, actually. She really loves what she does and I’m real proud of her. And ya know, we’re gonna take it one day at a time and hopefully get to see each other over the next four months,” he said. Jenna smiled, leaning closer to the screen. Brandi threw her hands up in exasperation.

“Move your fat head Jenna. I can’t see!” she demanded. Jenna shot her head back, grumbling an apology.

“You should see the smile on your face, Jenna. It’s too cute. The most I get out of Martin is a head nod to the camera,” Brandi joked with sigh.

“Are the rest of you dating?” Damien asked Kevin and Nick. They gave the usual response.

“Not right now. We do love to go on dates and everything, but there really isn’t much time. Joe and Jenna are amazing at making it work, I tell ya,” Kevin said while Nick nodded along with him.

“That’s cool. Rachel? How about you? Dating anyone?” Damien said as he turned his attention to her.

Jenna watched as Rachel flashed a brilliant smile and flung an arm around Joe.

“Not yet, but I am looking forward to getting to know these guys better. Aren’t they hotties?” She asked the crowed while giving Joe a squeeze. They clapped and cheered in response as Joe just stood there rigidly with Rachel’s arm around him. Jenna narrowed her eyes at the screen.

“Oh snap. That was a little over friendly, don’t you think?” Brandi asked Jenna.

Jenna swallowed and tried to calm her breathing.

“Well, maybe she’s like that. I’m not gonna fly into a jealous rage just because their beautiful and charming new opening act seems to be overly fond of my equally beautiful and charming boyfriend. That would be crazy…right?” Jenna rambled, looking at Brandi with worried eyes. She shrugged in response.

“Meh, if it were me, I’d hit the little beauty queen if she even looked at my boyfriend the wrong way,” Brandi said as they both turned back to the interview.

The rest of TRL was uneventful. They boys talked about the tour, the new album, and Rachel as their opening act. Rachel smiled and flipped her hair around, looking like a mini Britney Spears. With each minute, Jenna was feeling more and more anxious about her. Especially, when she kept nudging Joe with every other comment about touring with them.

“Thanks for coming on here, boys. I know you got a busy schedule ahead, and we appreciate you taking time to stop by TRL. The fans love you! Good luck with your tour, and Rachel good luck with the new career,” Damien said, shaking all of their hands. Joe looked at the camera and gave his collar two tugs. His secret sign for Jenna. It was his way of saying “I love you” while on television.

Jenna Xed out of the MTV.com and leaned back in her chair. Brandi watched her for a moment.

“What do you think of Rachel now, Jenna? Because personally, I’ll fly to New York and put her in a headlock for you if you want,” she offered. Jenna threw her head back and laughed at the thought of tiny little Brandi grabbing Rachel by the hair and putting her in a headlock. The boys would probably drool at the sight of it.

“No, it’s fine. She might just be a flirty person. I’m sure she’s touchy feely like that with all the boys. I mean, Joe is very handsome so, I understand if she flirts with him a little bit. Joe will tell me if she comes on to him in a serious way. And then, well, me and you can have that talk about headlocks,” Jenna said. Brandi smiled at her.

“Just say the word,” she said before walking out of the office.

................................

Joe sat with his brothers in the SUV, which was taking them to the acoustic performance at a club uptown. He was deep in thought, thinking about Rachel. Finally, he spoke up.

“Hey, do you guys think that Rachel is, um, a bit forward?” Joe asked tentatively. Kevin turned around from the front seat and looked curiously at Joe.

“I dunno. Is she flirting with you?” he asked. Nick leaned forward from his spot in the backseat, anxious to be apart of the conversation.

“Um, I think so. It might just be me. I haven’t even looked at another girl since meeting Jenna, so I’m not used to how they act around me. Well, besides the fans. What do you guys think?” Joe wondered. Nick looked at Kevin and shrugged.

“Maybe that’s just the kind of person she is. Kevin’s the same way, really touchy feely and overly nice, ya know? I didn’t see anything too out of the ordinary, did you Kev?” Nick asked his older brother. Kevin thought for a moment and then shook his head.

“Nah, not really. And I believe you called me overly nice, Nick. Can we go back to that?” he said as both he and Nick launched into a dumb argument. Joe tuned them out and stared out the window.

They’re right. She was just being nice. Jenna was never like that when we first met, so I’m not really used to it. That’s all, Joe reassured himself. With his thoughts on Jenna, he felt at ease.

The SUV pulled into the parking lot and the boys hopped out. They were meeting their parents backstage before performing, and then had a bunch of website interviews to do. Joe suddenly felt very tired, just wanting to go back home to Jenna.

When they walked into the backstage area, they saw their Dad with a slightly tall red-head. Her curls border lined on out of control, and they spilled all around her pale complexion. Her green eyes sparkled as she broke into a big smile upon seeing the boys. She said something to Mr. Jonas and walked forward, holding out her hand for the boys to shake.

“Hi, I’m Haven! I’m Rachel’s new backup singer. Sorry I haven’t been around for rehearsals, I had to wait to get excused to get out of school. It was tough convincing my parents to let their 16 year old daughter out on the road for months at a time,” she laughed, gesturing with her hands. Joe smiled at her, already warming up to her bubbly personality. Kevin immediately pulled her into a hug.

“Welcome to the Jonas family, Haven. I’m Kevin, that’s Joe, and…”

“And I’m Nick!” Kevin jumped as Nick suddenly interrupted and stepped towards Haven. Joe and Kevin shared a grin with each other. Haven and Nick were already enthusiastically talking about music, so Joe stepped back to call Jenna while he had some time.

She picked up on the fourth ring. “Hi!” Jenna answered brightly. Joe could practically hear her smile through the phone.

“Hey, babe. How’s it going? Did you see TRL?” he asked, watching Haven laugh at something Nick said.

“I did. You were adorable, as always. I watched it with Brandi actually, right here at work on the computer,” she said.

“And what did you think? How embarrassed was Nick when Kevin told that story about spilling water on his pants?” Joe asked. Jenna’s laugh in his ear made his heart skip.

“That was too funny. Poor Nick, though. Is he pissed?” Jenna said in a concerned voice. Just like Jenna to be worried about my brothers, Joe thought with affection.

“Just the opposite actually. We just met Rachel’s backup singer and I think Nick is a smitten kitten,” he said in a low voice, careful not to let Nick overhear.

“Really? Good for him! I can’t wait to meet her. Speaking of Rachel, she seemed a little, um, friendly towards you, huh?” Jenna said cautiously.

“Yeah, she’s definitely friendly,” Joe said absentmindedly. There was a pause on Jenna’s end.

“I mean, she wasn’t hitting on me or anything. If that’s what you mean,” he said quickly. He heard Jenna take a deep breath and let out a sigh.

“I know, I’m not accusing you of anything, Joe. I just, well, I hope she knows how crazy I am about you. It’s hard not to feel insecure when your boyfriend is hanging around someone that looks like that, ya know?” Jenna said. Joe shut his eyes, feeling upset.

“Jenna, you can’t possibly think that I would even look at another girl. I have you. Of course she knows how crazy you are about me. And more importantly, she knows how crazy I am about you. I love you, you know that,” he explained in a soothing voice.

“I know you do. I love you too. Sorry to act jealous. I trust you, I just want you to remember that I am waiting anxiously for you to come home. I have a surprise for you,” Jenna said in a husky voice.

Joe’s heart rate picked up. “A surprise? What is it?”

“Now, if I told you it wouldn’t be a surprise now would it?” she said in a scolding tone. Kevin started waving his arms at Joe, signaling that it was time to go on.

“Shoot. I gotta go, Jenna. But I’ll call you right after the show, ok?” he said as he walked towards the stage. The crowd had already started to get worked up, and Joe could barely hear Jenna over the screams.

“Alright. Have a great show! Love you!” she said before hanging up. Joe tossed his phone to his stage hand and joined his brothers before running out on stage.

.......................................


Jenna stared down at her phone, watching the CALL TIME 2:56 flash until the screen went dark. Talking about beautiful Rachel had put Jenna in a cranky mood. She thought for a moment and then hurriedly gathered her stuff.

Brandi poked her head in, hearing the commotion.

“Where are you going? I thought you had a couple more pages to write,” she asked Jenna as she breezed past her. Jenna stopped and turned back to Brandi.

“If my boyfriend is hanging out with a hot blonde girl, then I just have to make sure that I’m a hotter blonde girl when he gets home, won’t I?” she said with a devilish grin. Brandi laughed and gave her an approving thumbs up.

“Gotcha. Go buy something that will make your man trip over himself when he sees you,” she told Jenna.

“Please, Joe does that on his own,” Jenna said as she pushed open the door and walked out.

..........................

There was a mix up with audtions guys! User name: raconteur is my childhood friend! I had so many notes and auditions, I got things switched around. Sorry about that!

Arem, you are the back up singer for Rachel Hill! Congrats!

Thanks for all the reviews/comments guys! Keep ‘em coming. They make me SMILE and want to post FASTER!!!

XoXo

[/FONT]

[michelle]

WOW! you go jenna!
sorry it took me so long to get reading that....it's been crazy where i'm at. anyways, can't wait to read more soon!!

[socrbritney]

Chapter Four: Goodbye

Every time you touch me
Touch me like this is the last time
Promise that you'll love me
Love me like you'll never see me again

-“Like You’ll Never See Me Again”, Alicia Keys



“That’ll be $87.98,” the saleslady said. Jenna immediately slapped down her credit card without giving a second thought. Today, money was not the issue. It was the outcome.

Jenna had just got done with her impromptu “make-over”, which included dying her hair a rich honey blonde, adding extensions, and purchasing a whole new wardrobe for the evening. Now, she was standing in Victoria Secret, waiting as the saleslady wrapped up her purchase.

Jenna didn’t plan on seducing Joe into bed tonight. Though she wasn’t a virgin, she would never dream of forcing him into that situation. In fact, his stance on sex made her all the more in love with him, and if he was the last guy she would ever sleep with, well, nothing would make her happier.

Still, Jenna wanted to remind Joe who would be at home waiting for him each night. So she had snapped up some classy lingerie that would ultimately stop any impure thoughts he may have for Rachel dead in their tracks. The only impure thoughts he should be having would be about her, and no one else.

After about 20 minutes of browsing, she settled on a bright blue laced baby doll nightgown. It covered enough to keep her from looking skanky, but it was enough to let Joe’s imagination run wild. She had also bought a pair of lounge pants and a long sleeved t-shirt for when Joe left for tour, because she was in desperate need of comfortable clothes.

Moments later, Jenna was walking down the street, swinging her Victoria Secrets bag and grinning like a mad woman. Then she realized that if the paps snapped a photo of her doing that, she would never hear the end of it from anyone. She quickly grabbed the clothes out of the bag and stuffed them in her oversized purse and threw the pink incriminating bag into a nearby trash can. She looked around, hoping no one saw that.

In the clear, she thought with relief. She still had the candle store and the grocery store to stop at. She was going to make Joe one of his favorite dinners, teriyaki chicken stir-fry. A nice way to say goodbye before their concert tomorrow.

Jenna glanced down at her watch. Joe wasn’t due home until 7, but he said he wasn’t coming over until 8 since they had to go to a quick meeting right after landing. Which means she had three hours to shower, cook, and get all done up for him.

Not much time, she thought with panic. She picked up her pace, quickly throwing herself through the grocery store sliding doors. Ironically enough, it was the same grocery store where she first saw the picture of her and Joe at the airport, which ultimately led to their break-up. Remembering that, Jenna’s stomach twisted into knots.

She thought about the pain, the emptiness she felt when she was without him. She wandered down the aisles, lost in thought.

If I ever have to go through that again, if I ever have to experience that type of loss, I don’t think I’ll be able to survive, Jenna thought. She took a deep breath, trying to calm down. She had confidence in themselves as a couple, but the fear of her heart breaking like that again was enough to shake her up a bit.

Jenna whipped out her cell phone. She knew Joe was in the air or at least on the plane, but she could still leave him a message. Just as she thought, her call when right to voicemail.

“You’ve reached Joe, AKA DJ Danger. It’s dangerous not to leave a message, so here comes the beep.”

*BEEP*

“Hey, it’s me. Um, just wanted to tell you how lucky I am to have you and how happy you make me. I know we can get through anything, and I love you more and more every day. I can’t wait for you to come home. So, come home soon, ok? I will always look after you, you know that? Ok, I love you,” she said as she started to choke up. She whispered bye and hung up.

Then, with new resolve, she went ahead planning her romantic evening with the boy she loved.


“I will always look after you, you know that? Ok, I love you…”

Joe listened to the end of Jenna’s voicemail, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Jenna was never shy about her feelings for him, but something about that message, the way her voice cracked and the urgency in her tone made him worry.

Kevin noticed Joe’s face and slowed down so Joe was walking next to him.

“Hey, man. What’s wrong? You look like you’ve just seen a ghost,” he asked Joe in a low voice. Joe looked over at him, chewing his bottom lip.

“I dunno. Jenna left me a weird voicemail. I mean, it was really sweet but she sounded upset. I can’t explain it. Like afraid, almost,” he whispered back.

“Wow, really? You think something bad happened?” Kevin asked. Joe shook his head, not saying anything. Finally he looked up at his older brother with wide eyes.

“Something in my gut tells me she needs me,” Joe finally said.

Kevin watched Joe’s face fall, and he rushed forward to tap Nick on the shoulder, who was walking shoulder to shoulder with Haven.

“Nick, something is wrong with Jenna. Will you tell Dad that it was an emergency and Joe will have to miss the meeting?” Kevin asked him. Nick and Haven looked at him, then back at Joe, who still looked a little dazed.

“Sure we will, won’t we Nick?” Haven answered when Nick seemed at a loss for words over concern for his brother. Kevin nodded silently and turned back to Joe.

“Hey, why don’t you grab a taxi and head over there? Dad won’t be mad, and we’ll cover for you,” he said, putting a comforting hand on Joe’s shoulder. Joe gave him a grateful smile.

“She’s not expecting me for another hour, though. Oh, well. I’ll just surprise her,” he said, hitching his carry on bag higher up on his shoulder. He quickly slipped away from the group, hoping he’d be able to catch a taxi without a fan noticing.

I should be fine. The fans are waiting on the other end of the terminal for the other two, he thought to himself. He was right, when he walked out the door, there were only a few people in the taxi line, all older men in business suits. He didn’t even get a second glance.

“Taxi!” Joe shouted as he neared the front of the line. One immediately pulled to the curb, and Joe hopped in.

“West Broadway Avenue in Culver City, please,” Joe said, settling into the backset. The driver nodded and pulled out.

“As fast as you can,” Joe told him. He smiled as the cab lurched forward when the driver stomped on the gas.


Rachel, Haven, and Kate were scrunched together in the backseat of a town car, following the SUV in front of them.

Rachel was fuming. She saw Joe slip away at the airport, and she could probably guess who he was going to see.

“I can’t believe Joe is blowing off this meeting to go suck face with his girlfriend,” she said aloud to no one in particular. Actually, she didn’t care if he was there for the meeting. She was just pissed that he was so loyal to Jenna, which left Rachel with not much wiggle room to seduce him,

“Why do you care, Rachel? The other two will be there,” Kate snapped at her in a suspicious voice.

“I dunno. Just because…” she snapped back in an irritated voice.

“Um, I think something was going on between him and Jenna. At least, that’s what Nick was saying,” Haven offered. Rachel looked at her.

“Why? Are they breaking up?” she demanded. Kate loudly scoffed.

“Are you kidding me? Joe would rather be Miley Cyrus’s backup dancer on a non-stop tour for penguins in Antarctica then break up with Jenna. I think you need to back up, Rachel. I see what you’re trying to pull, and there is no way Joe would ever leave Jenna. Especially not for you!” she said in a stern voice. Rachel shot daggers at her, but Kate just stared right back. Haven, in between them, looked nervously back and forth between them.

“Ok, guys. Let’s just calm down. We have to be on tour together, so stop fighting, ok?” Haven said, trying to make peace. Rachel and Kate just turned toward their respective windows, completely ignoring her.

Rachel watched Los Angeles pass by her. Kate’s words had just made her more determined to break up Joe and Jenna. Before it was just because she wanted Joe. But now? Now it was a challenge. A game, even. Many people have gone up against Rachel in the past.

And Rachel always won.


Joe fumbled with the keys to Jenna’s apartment that she had given him in case of emergencies. And after listening to her voicemail, this was definitely an emergency.

He quietly unlocked the door and peeked his head in the door.

“Jenna?” he called out, taking a step in. Suddenly the door slammed shut, almost into his face.

“What are you doing home so early?” Jenna yelled from behind the closed door.

“I got your voicemail and I was worried. I skipped the meeting to come see you. Is everything ok? Why did you just slam the door? Is…is someone in there?” Joe asked, assuming the worse.

“Joseph Adam Jonas! If by “someone” you mean “no one”, then yes. I can’t believe you would even think that!” Jenna screamed in a high pitched voice. Joe winced and rested his forehead against the door.

“I’m sorry, honey. I didn’t mean it like that. Will…will you just let me in, please?” Joe asked in a pleading voice. He just wanted to get in there and make sure everything was ok.

“Well, I had this whole romantic evening planned and I am nowhere near ready for you. I thought you were going to be here later,” Jenna said. Joe sighed.

“I don’t need a romantic evening, I just need you. I’m sure you look beautiful and I took a taxi all the way here and I’m tired and worried and I just want to give you hug,” he rambled through the door. He listened as Jenna sighed. He could almost picture her blowing her bangs out of her face.

“Fine, you can come in. But let me remind you that I had a whole romantic, sexy evening planned for you. So don’t blame me if you are less than impressed,” she said in an irritated voice. Joe laughed quietly under his breath and raised his eyebrows.

“Romantic and sexy, huh? This I cannot wait to see,” he said as he opened the door.

When he walked in, the first thing he noticed were the candles. They were everywhere, except only half of them were lit. It seems Joe had come over and interrupted Jenna’s marathon candle lighting. The soft glow still provided enough light for him to see Jenna standing in front of him. He drew in a deep breath.

She wore no make up. Her face was freshly scrubbed and slightly pink from the shower she must have just stepped out of. Her blonde hair hung in wet ringlets around her shoulders, dampening the shoulders of her long sleeved, white thermal shirt. Her bright pink sweatpants hugged her hips and gathered in a pool at her ankles. She always bought her sweatpants two sizes two big because of her long legs. Jenna was starting at Joe with her arms crossed in annoyance, her pink lips parted in exasperation.

Joe had never seen a sexier or more beautiful woman in his life.

He dropped his carry on bag and crossed the room in two quick strides, taking Jenna into his arms. She gave him a look of surprise.

“Joe, what-“ she stared, but was cut off by Joe’s mouth on hers.

Jenna clinged to him eagerly as his mouth moved over hers. Joe wrapped his fingers into her wet hair, letting the smell of her shampoo surround him. She pressed her body tighter to his, and Joe let out a low moan. Jenna’s hands trail up and down his rib cage. He shivered, and he felt her smile against his lips.

Joe teased her lips with the tip of his tongue, and then slowly brought her bottom lip in between his mouth, sucking gently. Jenna sighed into his mouth, and that just urged him on. Joe kissed her until her felt his lungs begging for air, wanting to remember every contour of her mouth, every freckle on her face, every noise she made.

Finally the both broke apart, gasping for air. They looked at each other, and immediately broke into light laughter. Jenna’s hair was a mess of tangles, and her face was bright red. Joe realized her must have looked the same, which made him laugh harder. Finally, Jenna spoke.

“Wow,” was all she could manage. She rubbed her arms, as if she was trying to warm herself up from all the shivers his kiss brought her. That thought made his heart race, and he reached for her again. She put her hand to his chest.

“Maybe we should close the door first,” she said, pointing her head to the open doorway. Joe spun around, realizing that in his passion for Jenna he had left it wide open. He was surprised there wasn’t a small crowd gathering to watch them. He turned back toward her and wrapped her in a hug.

“How come you said you weren’t going to be sexy for me? Because the way you’re looking right now is enough to get me to quit the band and go into hiding with you,” he murmured in her hear. Jenna hugged him tighter and nibbled gently on his earlobe. His weak spot. He felt goose bumps take over his body.

“Well, I got my hair done for one thing. But you can’t see it because it’s wet and well, now it’s a mess. And I bought an, um, outfit,” she said somewhat sheepishly. Joe pulled her out of the hug and looked at her with amusement.

“An outfit?” he asked with one eyebrow raised. Jenna nodded and went to the couch, where she pulled a bright blue nightgown out her purse. She held it up to her body with both hands, and looked at Joe for approval.

Joe felt his knees buckle at the thought of Jenna walking around the apartment in that, waiting for him. He grabbed onto a nearby chair for support.

“Um, yeah. That’s…nice. Well, I mean…um, it’s definitely...uhh,” Joe couldn’t seem to form a complete sentence. Jenna smiled at him, looking pleased.

“I thought you might like it. But judging from that kiss, I guess I didn’t need it. So I’ll just return it tomorrow…” she said, folding it and putting it over the back of the couch. Joe leapt forward, snatching it from her hands.

“No! I mean, um, don’t return it. I didn’t even get to see you try it on. We gotta make sure it fits, right?” he asked, holding it out for Jenna to take. She held it in her hands, looking at Joe from underneath her eyelids.

“Yeah, you’re right. I’ll be right back,” she said, turning to walk to the bedroom. Joe grabbed her hand and dragged her back. He threw his arm around her shoulder, and then quickly bent down to scoop her up in his arms. She squealed with surprise as Joe swung her around to slam the door shut with his foot.

“If you’re going to change into that thing, I’m coming with you Jbomb,” he said evilly. She threw her head back and laughed.

“Then by all means, take me away, my prince,” Jenna demanded. He quickly carried her down the hallway, and it would have all been so smooth had he not tripped on the carpet right outside her doorframe. They both laughed, and Joe silently wished that the night would never end.


“That’s the last of it,” Kevin said as he slammed the big doors on the side of the bus shut. The three boys had finished shoving their suitcases into the bottom of the bus. Which meant only one thing…it was time for goodbyes.

Jenna and Joe had spent the entire evening before just being together. They had finally gotten around to dinner, and their loud conversations and uncontrollable laughter went on until early morning. They were too wired to go to bed, so at 2am they had went to the nearby park. After the race through the monkey bars, and the competition to see who could go down the slide the fastest, they finally both settled at the top of the jungle gym, wrapped up in each other’s arms.

“I don’t want you to go,” Jenna admitted as Joe placed a soft kiss on he temple. He rested his cheek on top of her head, softly singing their song.

“If I don’t say this now, I will surely break…” he started as Jenna looked up and smiled at him. They both sat there silently, watching the dawn chase the moon away.

“The one word I never wanted to say to you was goodbye, Joe,” she whispered.

“Then don’t say it,” Joe said simply.

“Oh, so if I don’t say it you’ll just stay with me?” she asked, wrapping her arms tighter around him.

“Hm, I think their might be a couple hundred thousand angry people if I don’t go on tour. I mean Nick and Kevin left on their own? One word, train wreck,” Joe said with a smirk.

“That might be two words, babe.”

“Well, I’m definitely not going to miss you correcting me all the time, that’s for sure,” he said with a sigh. She gave him a light pinch on the arm.

“Ok, what are you going to miss, then?” she asked Joe. He thought for a moment as he played with the strings on her hooded sweatshirt.

“I’m going to miss how you bounce around when you think of a new idea for your show. And how you add weird things to your meals, but it somehow tastes amazing. And definitely the random contests we come up with that entertain us for hours. Especially the “who can eat more marshmallows in 60 seconds.” That was legendary,” Joe said, running his hands through her hair. When Jenna had finally dried her hair and styled it, Joe pouted that he liked her original hair color and length better, but that didn’t stop him from playing with her new long locks.

“What about you? What are you going to miss about me, besides my amazing muscles and killer make-out styles,” he said with a flex of his arm. Jenna laughed and rolled her eyes.

“I’m going to miss the way you come behind me with sneak hugs. And how your eyes light up when you talk about your family. Or how anal you are about your performance. I swear, you practice your microphone tricks so much that I could probably do them in my sleep,” she told him. She crawled out from his lap to sit face to face with him.

“I’m just gonna miss you, Joe. So much,” she said as tears started to form at the corner of her eyes. Joe pressed his forehead to hers and let out a breath.

“I’m going to miss you too, Jenna. But I know that every day away from you also brings me one day closer to being back here, with you again,” he said before kissing her gently. She held his face in her hands, tracing his jaw with her fingertips. Joe then kissed her forehead, her nose, and then her mouth. She settled back into his lap, and let out a yawn.

“We should get some sleep, we got a big day tomorrow,” Joe murmured into her hair. She nodded and let Joe help her to her feet. She tugged at his hand until they were both at the top of the slide. She sat down, motioning for him to join her. With a smile, Joe sat down and scooted toward her until his legs were wrapped around her waist. He put his arms on her stomach and kissed her cheek. She smiled and turned back to him.

“Hold on, Joe,” she said as she pushed them forward to slide down together.

And now, she was standing out in the almost deserted parking lot, waiting to say goodbye to her boys.

Nick came to her first, his head ducked down in sadness. She hugged him tight and ruffled his curls.

“You watch your blood sugar the first couple shows, alright? You know how shocking it is too your body to start touring again,” Jenna said with a pointing finger. Then she lowered her voice and smiled.

“And make sure you tell Haven how pretty she is after a show,” Jenna said, pointing to where Rachel and Haven were, standing by their own bus. Nick blushed and gave Jenna a little push. She pushed him back, and then grabbed him to kiss him on the cheek.

Kevin came next, brushing the dust from his sleeves. She held her arms out for a hug, and Kevin wasted no time in squeezing her tight until she was gasping for air. Finally, he let go and put both hands on her shoulders.

“Come see us soon, ok Jenna? It won’t be the same without you there,” Kevin told her. Jenna looked at Rachel and Haven, who were packing up their bus, then back at Kevin.

“Um, something about Rachel doesn’t sit well with me. Don’t tell Joe, but, could you keep an eye on her? I trust him, it’s her I’m worried about,” she whispered. Kevin gave her a surprised look, but nodded. She pressed her hand to his cheek and gave him one last smile.

“Oh, Joe is on the other side of the bus waiting for you,” he said over his shoulder as he walked to the bus.

Jenna walked slowly around the bus, thinking of how every step was taking her closer to her goodbye to Joe. When she saw him, her heart thudded against her chest. He was standing with his back to her, looking up at the stars. She approached him and gave him a tap on the shoulder. He turned around, giving her his sideways smile.

“Hey,” he whispered, wrapping her into a hug. As soon as his arms circled around her body, she let out a sob. She hadn’t expected to react so strongly. She knew she would be emotional, but this was harder than she imagined.

“I’m sorry. I don’t want to make this harder than it is, I just…I don’t know how to say goodbye to you,” she said through her tears. Joe wiped them away with his thumbs and gave her a small smile.

“What did I say last night? Don’t say goodbye. How about we just say, “see you soon”? Would that make this easier?” he asked in a teasing voice. She laughed, despite her pain.

“Alright. See you soon, Joe,” Jenna said, hugging him tighter. Joe buried his face into her neck, breathing in her perfume that he knew he would be without for a long time.

“I will call you every chance I get. And remember, there won’t be a second of the day where I won’t be missing you,” he whispered into her ear. He pulled back to kiss her gently, then he took her hand and pressed it against his heart.

“In here. Always,” he told her.
The tears were falling faster now, and Jenna made no effort to wipe them away. Finally, she composed herself enough to speak.

“What were you doing back here, anyways?” she asked him. Joe grinned and pointed up.

“Well, first I was looking for our star. Do you remember that night?” he asked. She nodded, thinking of their night on top of the bus looking at the sky.

“And the second reason?”

Joe pulled Jenna to him, until their faces were just inches away.

“This is where you first admitted how you felt about me. Behind the bus, in the rain,” he told her. Jenna closed her eyes, remembering how the relief had flooded through her body when she stopped fighting her feelings for Joe. It was the best decision she ever made.

“Joe! We gotta get on the road!” a voice came from the other side of the bus. Jenna’s breath hitched in her throat as she realized this was it.

Joe shut his eyes, obviously struggling to tear himself away from her. He kissed her forehead, her nose, and then her mouth. Jenna kissed him back hard, trying to savor every last moment.

He took her hand and walked with her to the front of the bus. He started up the stairs, and then turned back to her, hanging out by the handrail. She reached up to put her hands in his hair, and kissed him again, not caring who was watching.

“I’ll be seeing you,” she told him. Just as he had said to her the very first day they met. Joe grinned and gave her one last lingering look. Then he hopped up the stairs as the bus doors slid shut.

Jenna backed away from the bus, holding one hand over her mouth to keep the sobs from escaping. She heard a knock coming from above, and she looked up as Joe slid the window open and stuck his head out.

“I love you, Jbomb!” he yelled as they pulled away.

“I love you too, Joey Joe!” she screamed back, waving to him. He kept his head out the window, looking at her and waving until they turned the corner and the bus drove out of sight.

The second bus followed them, carrying Rachel and Haven. Jenna didn’t know if Rachel could see her, but she stared down the windows anyways as it passed by her.

The silence that was left after the busses were gone was deafening. Without another sound, Jenna turned and walked away.

---

Ugh, goodbyes suck.

I LOVED writing this chapter! And I hoped you guys loved reading it. BTW, below is the little outfit Jenna bought for Joe…I think it’s cute

www2.victoriassecret.com/commerce/application/prodDisplay/?namespace=productDisplay&origin=onlineProductDisplay.jsp&event=display&prnbr=9D-207698&page=5&cgname=OSSLPLGEZZZ&rfnbr=5366

Reviews and comments PLEASE! That would make Joe and Jenna happy, after all!

[socrbritney]

Chapter Four: Goodbye

Every time you touch me
Touch me like this is the last time
Promise that you'll love me
Love me like you'll never see me again

-“Like You’ll Never See Me Again”, Alicia Keys[/center][/i]



“That’ll be $87.98,” the saleslady said. Jenna immediately slapped down her credit card without giving a second thought. Today, money was not the issue. It was the outcome.

Jenna had just got done with her impromptu “make-over”, which included dying her hair a rich honey blonde, adding extensions, and purchasing a whole new wardrobe for the evening. Now, she was standing in Victoria Secret, waiting as the saleslady wrapped up her purchase.

Jenna didn’t plan on seducing Joe into bed tonight. Though she wasn’t a virgin, she would never dream of forcing him into that situation. In fact, his stance on sex made her all the more in love with him, and if he was the last guy she would ever sleep with, well, nothing would make her happier.

Still, Jenna wanted to remind Joe who would be at home waiting for him each night. So she had snapped up some classy lingerie that would ultimately stop any impure thoughts he may have for Rachel dead in their tracks. The only impure thoughts he should be having would be about her, and no one else.

After about 20 minutes of browsing, she settled on a bright blue laced baby doll nightgown. It covered enough to keep her from looking skanky, but it was enough to let Joe’s imagination run wild. She had also bought a pair of lounge pants and a long sleeved t-shirt for when Joe left for tour, because she was in desperate need of comfortable clothes.

Moments later, Jenna was walking down the street, swinging her Victoria Secrets bag and grinning like a mad woman. Then she realized that if the paps snapped a photo of her doing that, she would never hear the end of it from anyone. She quickly grabbed the clothes out of the bag and stuffed them in her oversized purse and threw the pink incriminating bag into a nearby trash can. She looked around, hoping no one saw that.

In the clear, she thought with relief. She still had the candle store and the grocery store to stop at. She was going to make Joe one of his favorite dinners, teriyaki chicken stir-fry. A nice way to say goodbye before their concert tomorrow.

Jenna glanced down at her watch. Joe wasn’t due home until 7, but he said he wasn’t coming over until 8 since they had to go to a quick meeting right after landing. Which means she had three hours to shower, cook, and get all done up for him.

Not much time, she thought with panic. She picked up her pace, quickly throwing herself through the grocery store sliding doors. Ironically enough, it was the same grocery store where she first saw the picture of her and Joe at the airport, which ultimately led to their break-up. Remembering that, Jenna’s stomach twisted into knots.

She thought about the pain, the emptiness she felt when she was without him. She wandered down the aisles, lost in thought.

If I ever have to go through that again, if I ever have to experience that type of loss, I don’t think I’ll be able to survive, Jenna thought. She took a deep breath, trying to calm down. She had confidence in themselves as a couple, but the fear of her heart breaking like that again was enough to shake her up a bit.

Jenna whipped out her cell phone. She knew Joe was in the air or at least on the plane, but she could still leave him a message. Just as she thought, her call when right to voicemail.

“You’ve reached Joe, AKA DJ Danger. It’s dangerous not to leave a message, so here comes the beep.”

*BEEP*

“Hey, it’s me. Um, just wanted to tell you how lucky I am to have you and how happy you make me. I know we can get through anything, and I love you more and more every day. I can’t wait for you to come home. So, come home soon, ok? I will always look after you, you know that? Ok, I love you,” she said as she started to choke up. She whispered bye and hung up.

Then, with new resolve, she went ahead planning her romantic evening with the boy she loved.

---

“I will always look after you, you know that? Ok, I love you…”

Joe listened to the end of Jenna’s voicemail, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Jenna was never shy about her feelings for him, but something about that message, the way her voice cracked and the urgency in her tone made him worry.

Kevin noticed Joe’s face and slowed down so Joe was walking next to him.

“Hey, man. What’s wrong? You look like you’ve just seen a ghost,” he asked Joe in a low voice. Joe looked over at him, chewing his bottom lip.

“I dunno. Jenna left me a weird voicemail. I mean, it was really sweet but she sounded upset. I can’t explain it. Like afraid, almost,” he whispered back.

“Wow, really? You think something bad happened?” Kevin asked. Joe shook his head, not saying anything. Finally he looked up at his older brother with wide eyes.

“Something in my gut tells me she needs me,” Joe finally said.

Kevin watched Joe’s face fall, and he rushed forward to tap Nick on the shoulder, who was walking shoulder to shoulder with Haven.

“Nick, something is wrong with Jenna. Will you tell Dad that it was an emergency and Joe will have to miss the meeting?” Kevin asked him. Nick and Haven looked at him, then back at Joe, who still looked a little dazed.

“Sure we will, won’t we Nick?” Haven answered when Nick seemed at a loss for words over concern for his brother. Kevin nodded silently and turned back to Joe.

“Hey, why don’t you grab a taxi and head over there? Dad won’t be mad, and we’ll cover for you,” he said, putting a comforting hand on Joe’s shoulder. Joe gave him a grateful smile.

“She’s not expecting me for another hour, though. Oh, well. I’ll just surprise her,” he said, hitching his carry on bag higher up on his shoulder. He quickly slipped away from the group, hoping he’d be able to catch a taxi without a fan noticing.

I should be fine. The fans are waiting on the other end of the terminal for the other two, he thought to himself. He was right, when he walked out the door, there were only a few people in the taxi line, all older men in business suits. He didn’t even get a second glance.

“Taxi!” Joe shouted as he neared the front of the line. One immediately pulled to the curb, and Joe hopped in.

“West Broadway Avenue in Culver City, please,” Joe said, settling into the backset. The driver nodded and pulled out.

“As fast as you can,” Joe told him. He smiled as the cab lurched forward when the driver stomped on the gas.

---

Rachel, Haven, and Kate were scrunched together in the backseat of a town car, following the SUV in front of them.

Rachel was fuming. She saw Joe slip away at the airport, and she could probably guess who he was going to see.

“I can’t believe Joe is blowing off this meeting to go suck face with his girlfriend,” she said aloud to no one in particular. Actually, she didn’t care if he was there for the meeting. She was just pissed that he was so loyal to Jenna, which left Rachel with not much wiggle room to seduce him,

“Why do you care, Rachel? The other two will be there,” Kate snapped at her in a suspicious voice.

“I dunno. Just because…” she snapped back in an irritated voice.

“Um, I think something was going on between him and Jenna. At least, that’s what Nick was saying,” Haven offered. Rachel looked at her.

“Why? Are they breaking up?” she demanded. Kate loudly scoffed.

“Are you kidding me? Joe would rather be Miley Cyrus’s backup dancer on a non-stop tour for penguins in Antarctica then break up with Jenna. I think you need to back up, Rachel. I see what you’re trying to pull, and there is no way Joe would ever leave Jenna. Especially not for you!” she said in a stern voice. Rachel shot daggers at her, but Kate just stared right back. Haven, in between them, looked nervously back and forth between them.

“Ok, guys. Let’s just calm down. We have to be on tour together, so stop fighting, ok?” Haven said, trying to make peace. Rachel and Kate just turned toward their respective windows, completely ignoring her.

Rachel watched Los Angeles pass by her. Kate’s words had just made her more determined to break up Joe and Jenna. Before it was just because she wanted Joe. But now? Now it was a challenge. A game, even. Many people have gone up against Rachel in the past.

And Rachel always won.

---

Joe fumbled with the keys to Jenna’s apartment that she had given him in case of emergencies. And after listening to her voicemail, this was definitely an emergency.

He quietly unlocked the door and peeked his head in the door.

“Jenna?” he called out, taking a step in. Suddenly the door slammed shut, almost into his face.

“What are you doing home so early?” Jenna yelled from behind the closed door.

“I got your voicemail and I was worried. I skipped the meeting to come see you. Is everything ok? Why did you just slam the door? Is…is someone in there?” Joe asked, assuming the worse.

“Joseph Adam Jonas! If by “someone” you mean “no one”, then yes. I can’t believe you would even think that!” Jenna screamed in a high pitched voice. Joe winced and rested his forehead against the door.

“I’m sorry, honey. I didn’t mean it like that. Will…will you just let me in, please?” Joe asked in a pleading voice. He just wanted to get in there and make sure everything was ok.

“Well, I had this whole romantic evening planned and I am nowhere near ready for you. I thought you were going to be here later,” Jenna said. Joe sighed.

“I don’t need a romantic evening, I just need you. I’m sure you look beautiful and I took a taxi all the way here and I’m tired and worried and I just want to give you hug,” he rambled through the door. He listened as Jenna sighed. He could almost picture her blowing her bangs out of her face.

“Fine, you can come in. But let me remind you that I had a whole romantic, sexy evening planned for you. So don’t blame me if you are less than impressed,” she said in an irritated voice. Joe laughed quietly under his breath and raised his eyebrows.

“Romantic and sexy, huh? This I cannot wait to see,” he said as he opened the door.

When he walked in, the first thing he noticed were the candles. They were everywhere, except only half of them were lit. It seems Joe had come over and interrupted Jenna’s marathon candle lighting. The soft glow still provided enough light for him to see Jenna standing in front of him. He drew in a deep breath.

She wore no make up. Her face was freshly scrubbed and slightly pink from the shower she must have just stepped out of. Her blonde hair hung in wet ringlets around her shoulders, dampening the shoulders of her long sleeved, white thermal shirt. Her bright pink sweatpants hugged her hips and gathered in a pool at her ankles. She always bought her sweatpants two sizes two big because of her long legs. Jenna was starting at Joe with her arms crossed in annoyance, her pink lips parted in exasperation.

Joe had never seen a sexier or more beautiful woman in his life.

He dropped his carry on bag and crossed the room in two quick strides, taking Jenna into his arms. She gave him a look of surprise.

“Joe, what-“ she stared, but was cut off by Joe’s mouth on hers.

Jenna clinged to him eagerly as his mouth moved over hers. Joe wrapped his fingers into her wet hair, letting the smell of her shampoo surround him. She pressed her body tighter to his, and Joe let out a low moan. Jenna’s hands trail up and down his rib cage. He shivered, and he felt her smile against his lips.

Joe teased her lips with the tip of his tongue, and then slowly brought her bottom lip in between his mouth, sucking gently. Jenna sighed into his mouth, and that just urged him on. Joe kissed her until her felt his lungs begging for air, wanting to remember every contour of her mouth, every freckle on her face, every noise she made.

Finally the both broke apart, gasping for air. They looked at each other, and immediately broke into light laughter. Jenna’s hair was a mess of tangles, and her face was bright red. Joe realized her must have looked the same, which made him laugh harder. Finally, Jenna spoke.

“Wow,” was all she could manage. She rubbed her arms, as if she was trying to warm herself up from all the shivers his kiss brought her. That thought made his heart race, and he reached for her again. She put her hand to his chest.

“Maybe we should close the door first,” she said, pointing her head to the open doorway. Joe spun around, realizing that in his passion for Jenna he had left it wide open. He was surprised there wasn’t a small crowd gathering to watch them. He turned back toward her and wrapped her in a hug.

“How come you said you weren’t going to be sexy for me? Because the way you’re looking right now is enough to get me to quit the band and go into hiding with you,” he murmured in her hear. Jenna hugged him tighter and nibbled gently on his earlobe. His weak spot. He felt goose bumps take over his body.

“Well, I got my hair done for one thing. But you can’t see it because it’s wet and well, now it’s a mess. And I bought an, um, outfit,” she said somewhat sheepishly. Joe pulled her out of the hug and looked at her with amusement.

“An outfit?” he asked with one eyebrow raised. Jenna nodded and went to the couch, where she pulled a bright blue nightgown out her purse. She held it up to her body with both hands, and looked at Joe for approval.

Joe felt his knees buckle at the thought of Jenna walking around the apartment in that, waiting for him. He grabbed onto a nearby chair for support.

“Um, yeah. That’s…nice. Well, I mean…um, it’s definitely...uhh,” Joe couldn’t seem to form a complete sentence. Jenna smiled at him, looking pleased.

“I thought you might like it. But judging from that kiss, I guess I didn’t need it. So I’ll just return it tomorrow…” she said, folding it and putting it over the back of the couch. Joe leapt forward, snatching it from her hands.

“No! I mean, um, don’t return it. I didn’t even get to see you try it on. We gotta make sure it fits, right?” he asked, holding it out for Jenna to take. She held it in her hands, looking at Joe from underneath her eyelids.

“Yeah, you’re right. I’ll be right back,” she said, turning to walk to the bedroom. Joe grabbed her hand and dragged her back. He threw his arm around her shoulder, and then quickly bent down to scoop her up in his arms. She squealed with surprise as Joe swung her around to slam the door shut with his foot.

“If you’re going to change into that thing, I’m coming with you Jbomb,” he said evilly. She threw her head back and laughed.

“Then by all means, take me away, my prince,” Jenna demanded. He quickly carried her down the hallway, and it would have all been so smooth had he not tripped on the carpet right outside her doorframe. They both laughed, and Joe silently wished that the night would never end.

---

“That’s the last of it,” Kevin said as he slammed the big doors on the side of the bus shut. The three boys had finished shoving their suitcases into the bottom of the bus. Which meant only one thing…it was time for goodbyes.

Jenna and Joe had spent the entire evening before just being together. They had finally gotten around to dinner, and their loud conversations and uncontrollable laughter went on until early morning. They were too wired to go to bed, so at 2am they had went to the nearby park. After the race through the monkey bars, and the competition to see who could go down the slide the fastest, they finally both settled at the top of the jungle gym, wrapped up in each other’s arms.

“I don’t want you to go,” Jenna admitted as Joe placed a soft kiss on he temple. He rested his cheek on top of her head, softly singing their song.

“If I don’t say this now, I will surely break…” he started as Jenna looked up and smiled at him. They both sat there silently, watching the dawn chase the moon away.

“The one word I never wanted to say to you was goodbye, Joe,” she whispered.

“Then don’t say it,” Joe said simply.

“Oh, so if I don’t say it you’ll just stay with me?” she asked, wrapping her arms tighter around him.

“Hm, I think their might be a couple hundred thousand angry people if I don’t go on tour. I mean Nick and Kevin left on their own? One word, train wreck,” Joe said with a smirk.

“That might be two words, babe.”

“Well, I’m definitely not going to miss you correcting me all the time, that’s for sure,” he said with a sigh. She gave him a light pinch on the arm.

“Ok, what are you going to miss, then?” she asked Joe. He thought for a moment as he played with the strings on her hooded sweatshirt.

“I’m going to miss how you bounce around when you think of a new idea for your show. And how you add weird things to your meals, but it somehow tastes amazing. And definitely the random contests we come up with that entertain us for hours. Especially the “who can eat more marshmallows in 60 seconds.” That was legendary,” Joe said, running his hands through her hair. When Jenna had finally dried her hair and styled it, Joe pouted that he liked her original hair color and length better, but that didn’t stop him from playing with her new long locks.

“What about you? What are you going to miss about me, besides my amazing muscles and killer make-out styles,” he said with a flex of his arm. Jenna laughed and rolled her eyes.

“I’m going to miss the way you come behind me with sneak hugs. And how your eyes light up when you talk about your family. Or how anal you are about your performance. I swear, you practice your microphone tricks so much that I could probably do them in my sleep,” she told him. She crawled out from his lap to sit face to face with him.

“I’m just gonna miss you, Joe. So much,” she said as tears started to form at the corner of her eyes. Joe pressed his forehead to hers and let out a breath.

“I’m going to miss you too, Jenna. But I know that every day away from you also brings me one day closer to being back here, with you again,” he said before kissing her gently. She held his face in her hands, tracing his jaw with her fingertips. Joe then kissed her forehead, her nose, and then her mouth. She settled back into his lap, and let out a yawn.

“We should get some sleep, we got a big day tomorrow,” Joe murmured into her hair. She nodded and let Joe help her to her feet. She tugged at his hand until they were both at the top of the slide. She sat down, motioning for him to join her. With a smile, Joe sat down and scooted toward her until his legs were wrapped around her waist. He put his arms on her stomach and kissed her cheek. She smiled and turned back to him.

“Hold on, Joe,” she said as she pushed them forward to slide down together.

And now, she was standing out in the almost deserted parking lot, waiting to say goodbye to her boys.

Nick came to her first, his head ducked down in sadness. She hugged him tight and ruffled his curls.

“You watch your blood sugar the first couple shows, alright? You know how shocking it is too your body to start touring again,” Jenna said with a pointing finger. Then she lowered her voice and smiled.

“And make sure you tell Haven how pretty she is after a show,” Jenna said, pointing to where Rachel and Haven were, standing by their own bus. Nick blushed and gave Jenna a little push. She pushed him back, and then grabbed him to kiss him on the cheek.

Kevin came next, brushing the dust from his sleeves. She held her arms out for a hug, and Kevin wasted no time in squeezing her tight until she was gasping for air. Finally, he let go and put both hands on her shoulders.

“Come see us soon, ok Jenna? It won’t be the same without you there,” Kevin told her. Jenna looked at Rachel and Haven, who were packing up their bus, then back at Kevin.

“Um, something about Rachel doesn’t sit well with me. Don’t tell Joe, but, could you keep an eye on her? I trust him, it’s her I’m worried about,” she whispered. Kevin gave her a surprised look, but nodded. She pressed her hand to his cheek and gave him one last smile.

“Oh, Joe is on the other side of the bus waiting for you,” he said over his shoulder as he walked to the bus.

Jenna walked slowly around the bus, thinking of how every step was taking her closer to her goodbye to Joe. When she saw him, her heart thudded against her chest. He was standing with his back to her, looking up at the stars. She approached him and gave him a tap on the shoulder. He turned around, giving her his sideways smile.

“Hey,” he whispered, wrapping her into a hug. As soon as his arms circled around her body, she let out a sob. She hadn’t expected to react so strongly. She knew she would be emotional, but this was harder than she imagined.

“I’m sorry. I don’t want to make this harder than it is, I just…I don’t know how to say goodbye to you,” she said through her tears. Joe wiped them away with his thumbs and gave her a small smile.

“What did I say last night? Don’t say goodbye. How about we just say, “see you soon”? Would that make this easier?” he asked in a teasing voice. She laughed, despite her pain.

“Alright. See you soon, Joe,” Jenna said, hugging him tighter. Joe buried his face into her neck, breathing in her perfume that he knew he would be without for a long time.

“I will call you every chance I get. And remember, there won’t be a second of the day where I won’t be missing you,” he whispered into her ear. He pulled back to kiss her gently, then he took her hand and pressed it against his heart.

“In here. Always,” he told her.

The tears were falling faster now, and Jenna made no effort to wipe them away. Finally, she composed herself enough to speak.

“What were you doing back here, anyways?” she asked him. Joe grinned and pointed up.

“Well, first I was looking for our star. Do you remember that night?” he asked. She nodded, thinking of their night on top of the bus looking at the sky.

“And the second reason?”

Joe pulled Jenna to him, until their faces were just inches away.

“This is where you first admitted how you felt about me. Behind the bus, in the rain,” he told her. Jenna closed her eyes, remembering how the relief had flooded through her body when she stopped fighting her feelings for Joe. It was the best decision she ever made.

“Joe! We gotta get on the road!” a voice came from the other side of the bus. Jenna’s breath hitched in her throat as she realized this was it.

Joe shut his eyes, obviously struggling to tear himself away from her. He kissed her forehead, her nose, and then her mouth. Jenna kissed him back hard, trying to savor every last moment.

He took her hand and walked with her to the front of the bus. He started up the stairs, and then turned back to her, hanging out by the handrail. She reached up to put her hands in his hair, and kissed him again, not caring who was watching.

“I’ll be seeing you,” she told him. Just as he had said to her the very first day they met. Joe grinned and gave her one last lingering look. Then he hopped up the stairs as the bus doors slid shut.

Jenna backed away from the bus, holding one hand over her mouth to keep the sobs from escaping. She heard a knock coming from above, and she looked up as Joe slid the window open and stuck his head out.

“I love you, Jbomb!” he yelled as they pulled away.

“I love you too, Joey Joe!” she screamed back, waving to him. He kept his head out the window, looking at her and waving until they turned the corner and the bus drove out of sight.

The second bus followed them, carrying Rachel and Haven. Jenna didn’t know if Rachel could see her, but she stared down the windows anyways as it passed by her.

The silence that was left after the busses were gone was deafening. Without another sound, Jenna turned and walked away.

---

Ugh, goodbyes suck.

I LOVED writing this chapter! And I hoped you guys loved reading it. BTW, below is the little outfit Jenna bought for Joe…I think it’s cute

www2.victoriassecret.com/commerce/application/prodDisplay/?namespace=productDisplay&origin=onlineProductDisplay.jsp&event=display&prnbr=9D-207698&page=5&cgname=OSSLPLGEZZZ&rfnbr=5366

Reviews and comments PLEASE! That would make Joe and Jenna happy, after all!