Chapter 3 - Jingle Blue

He couldn't help it one bit. As he sat in his hotel room later that night, staring at the thick book that sat in front of him, the thought of Halle being upset with him drove JC nuts, and he had to apologize. Being on good terms with someone wasn't necessarily getting close to someone, was it? Besides, JC wanted to spend more time with little Josh. The boy was a lot like himself, JC saw, energetic and curious.

With that in mind, JC picked up the phone.

-*-*-*-

"So I was a little late tonight." Halle was talking to Kel on the phone.

"A little late. Halle, you call an hour and a half a little late? I almost missed my night class because I didn't want to leave Josh alone!"

"Sorry, sorry, sorry," came her apologies. "I won't do it again."

"You better not Hal. It's too important that I get to these classes on time! I'll strangle you with my bare hands next time."

"Oh gee thanks Kel. I feel the love," Halle said dryly. Despite harsh words, they knew it wasn't an argument they were having. If they did have arguments, it was over more important things and even then, they were few.

Kel just laughed. "I know you do and I love you too, but I gotta go now, ok chica?"

"Ok, ciao," she laughed and hung up the phone

No sooner than she had put the phone back in its cradle, it rang again. "Hello?" she answered.

"Hey, it's Kel again. I put the juice mix for Josh in the top left cabinet."

"Hi, Kel, ok, bye," she said and hung up the phone.

Ring! The phone called her again. She picked up the receiver. "Hello," she answered yet again.

"I forgot to tell you that Josh and I went to the market today and we picked up those jelly beans he likes. Didn't want him to eat to much, so I left them in the fridge, alrighty?"

"Alright," Halle sighed. "Now get off the phone!" she barked at Kel. She knew Kel had other things to do. Because Kel helped take care of Josh, Kel had been a little bit negligent of the many rolls of film that still sat in her apartment next to her red room. They still needed to be developed. Kel was getting ready to do precisely that and try to finish as much as possible.

As soon as she put the phone down it rang yet again. Grr, she thought. She didn't want Kel to worry about Josh so much, though she was grateful for that. Kel had Kel to worry about and Halle worried about Kel. She knew Kel had to work a little harder because of her commitment to Josh. "Pizza Hut, " she answered. "May I take your order?" she asked sweetly.

"Umm, I think I have the wrong number, sorry." But this wasn't Kel's voice. Instantly, a wave washed over her and she knew who it was.

"JC!" she exclaimed quickly, not wanting him to hang up.

"Halle?" he asked.

"Sorry!" she said. "I thought it was Kel."

"Oh, ok," he said. "So how's my little man?" he asked a bit hesitantly.

"Josh? Josh is fine. I put him down to sleep already. Wait, how did you get this number?" she asked suspiciously.

He laughed out loud. "Ever heard of a phone book? They're those big yellow things that look like encyclopedias..."

"JC, I know what a phone book is!"

His laugh rumbled along the phone lines. She liked his laugh. "I know you do. Listen, I was calling to apologize about this evening."

"Apologize?"

"Yeah, when you left."

"Oh..." The truth was, she hadn't forgotten about it, she just didn't want to think about it. She sighed. "No problem, no apology needed. I wasn't mad." She said it as brightly as she could, careful not to let him see that she dwelled on it.

"Well, you seemed a little..."

"Look, JC, I wasn't mad, ok?" She interrupted him, not waiting for him to finish. She said it quickly, maybe a little too quickly.

"But-"

"JC," she said warningly.

"Ok, you weren't mad." She was glad that he didn't try her. She didn't think he wanted to see the wrath of Halle Lin.

Silence dominated the conversation now. "So is that all you called for?" she asked when they had say in silence for five minutes.

"Yes, No. I mean no."

"Ok, what else did you call for?" she inquired.

"A favor."

"A favor?" Already, she thought. A little early, but she was all ears.

"You know we're having a recording session tomorrow, right?" Of course she did, she was the one who proposed it. Starbucks was coming to a station near you with 'N Sync singing their jingle! They hadn't exactly set a jingle in stone yet, but she planned to come up with one by tomorrow.

Halle nodded her head. "Of course," she answered.

"Well, can you bring my little man along?"

She was dumbfounded. "Josh?" she said as she recalled her son. "You want me to bring Josh along? Why?"

"Why not?" he countered.

"He.." She couldn't think of a reason why not. She hadn't told JC, but Josh had asked about JC the other day. He'd called JC what sounded like "blue" maybe in honor of his eyes. At any rate, she froze when Josh said that. She didn't think he would have recalled. "I don't know." Her voice seeped with the disappointment, coming out before she had a chance to hide it.

He wasn't stupid, he sensed her disappointment quickly. "Is there a reason why you don't want him to come?"

Slowly she shook her head, but realized he could not see her. "No," she said quickly. "No, not at all. I didn't say I didn't want him to come. What made you think that?" She was trying to cover herself though she knew she was lying through her teeth.

"It's just..."

"What?"

"Nothing," he said quickly. "So he can come?"

She laughed now, trying to lighten the mood. "Yes, your little man will be there."

"See?" exclaimed JC. "I told you he was my little man."

"Oh God, I did say it, didn't I?"

"Yes, yes you did!" he pronounced gaily.

She had to laugh at his antics. "Well, it's been nice chatting with you JC, but I've had a long day and I still have things to do. Would you mind?"

"What?!" he exclaimed. "You mean there are things you would rather do more than talk to me?!"

"JC..." she answered getting a little testy. Somehow choosing between him and her 'priorities' didn't seem all that appealing.

He giggled like a kid. "You're excused. As long as you bring Josh tomorrow."

"Didn't I say he'd be there?" Halle asked, a little exasperated.

"Yes, you did."

"And I keep my promises too, so don't worry, he'll be there."

"Great, Halle," he said, sounding a little calmer than he had the last few minutes. "Good night, sweet dreams." His voice reverberated the 'S', making a small hissing sound, soothing to her.

"Good night," she returned his greetings as she tried to recompose herself.

"Kiss Josh for me, ok?"

She smiled at his words. "I'll be sure to. See ya tomorrow, alright?"

"Till tomorrow," he said heartily.

She sighed heavily as she put the phone down for the last time. She had been on the dang thing for over an hour now and it was warm to her touch, her body heat tangled with the shiny plastic. Why did he want to see Josh again? Had he really had that big an impact on JC? It had been a long time since she had let anyone get her as worked up as JC had. Why had she let him get to her? Yet so quickly he had made her smile and warmed her heart. She didn't know what to think of this new Josh in her life. Wait, she screamed at herself. He's in your life now? She truly didn't think she was ready for even one Josh, her Josh, and now there were two.

-*-*-*-

Jingles just hadn't been her thing last night. That accounted for the rolled up wads of paper scattered around her room, the ones she threw away from her, crumpling them up in disgust. She had heard the lock turn that morning. It was Kel, she had her own key and came in early in the morning to look after Josh. As she looked in the room, she found Halle frantically getting dressed. "Gee, who broke in here?" she asked, grimacing at the mess. "The masked paper bandit?"

Halle looked up at Kel as she straightened her blouse. "I overslept today. I cannot believe I forgot to set my alarm. I woke up five minutes ago! I have to be at work in less than seven minutes!"

"I guess you feel asleep writing, huh?"

She looked at Kel more closely. "How'd you know?"

Kel put a hand on Halle's shoulder and drew her closer as if telling her a secret. "The big pencil indent on your cheek says it all."

"Oh my God! I haven't even bothered to look in the mirror yet! Do I look that terrible?"

Kel laughed. "Besides the fact that your hair resembles Albert Einstein's? Nah, I'd say not." Halle ran for the bathroom. "Hun! You're beautiful and you know it! Besides, the mark is fading!" Kel called after her, laughing and walking into the medium-sized bathroom after Halle. She giggled. "Here, I'll brush your hair and you put on your mascara."

"Oh," Halle stopped.

"What?" Kel said, stopping too.

"Can you bring Josh by in an hour?" Halle again began applying her make-up.

"What for?" asked Kel, tugging the plastic bristled flat brush through her thick straight hair.

"Someone asked me to bring him along."

"Who is this 'someone'?" she asked pointedly.

"Just someone..." Kel stopped brushing her hair. Halle looked up into the mirror at Kel. Oh yes, Kel was giving her that Look. The one that threatened your silence combined with I'm-your-best-friend and serial-killer-on-the-loose-next-target-is-you. "Oh alright already. His name is..."

"His?" Kel questioned as her eyes widened. "Does he work with you?"

"As in Starbucks?" Halle asked. "Nope."

"Is he married?" she asked quickly.

"Not that I know of."

"Hal!" she screeched.

"Kel!" She looked at her. "What?"

"Hal, you don't have single friends!"

"What about you?"

"I'm your best friend and I'm female. Doesn't count."

"Ok... How about Albert at work?"

"He works with you, no dice."

She tried to think of any other possible candidates, but her mind came up a blank. Kel was right: all of Halle's friend were either female or male and married or male and single and worked with her. She couldn't think of a single exception. "Ugh, I give up. It doesn't mean anything."

"My foot it doesn't."

"Kel..."

"What'd you say his name was again?"

"JC and I do work with him."

"Of 'N Sync?" she asked excitedly.

"Yes..."

"Scratch that. He's cute and single. Hehe," said Kel, giving her a sly smile. "The plot thickens, doesn't it?"

Halle just rolled her eyes.

-*-*-*-

Halle had absolutely nothing for them to sing, so they spent the next hour deliberating. JC thought that he had pushed her out of his mind, for the time being anyway. But when they arrived at the radio station studio, his mind went blank and once again turned to Halle. He didn't want to think about her, but when she appeared at the studio, he couldn't think of anything else. "I still say 'Starbucks shmucks get your coffee here.' sounds good." argued Chris.

Joey gave it some thought. "Well, it sounds better than fu..." No sooner than he spoke were three hands clamped over his mouth: JC's, Justin's, and Lance's.

"Don't even," warned Lance in his deep voice. Meanwhile, Chris was laughing his head off in his own corner. They all knew what Joey had been about to say.

"We need something like Folders. You know ' Folders, Folders, nothing comes closer to home'," sang out Justin.

"That's Stouffers you dumbbutt!"

"Hey!" exclaimed Justin. "It was an honest mistake!"

Chris heehawed. "For all the TV you watch Justin, you still suck!"

"Like I'd be talking Mr. Boob Tube!"

This was how it had been for the past hour. They squabbled like brothers, but they also made up like brothers. Halle realized they must be together for most of the time and she realized how close they must be for this bond between them to have fused. One had to admire each of their commitments to the group. They had gotten this far, why screw it up now?

They were sitting at a table sort of cramped because they had tried to fit more than four people around it. They had ended hooking three tables together, but still it didn't seem like enough for all the sound men and bodyguards there, not to mention the actual workers. JC turned to her. "They're such children."

"And you aren't?" she laughed.

"Actually, not most of the time, although I seem to digress every time I talk to you. But speaking of which...where's Josh?"

Halle didn't have time to blush at his digression. She looked at her watch. Holy, an hour had passed already. "He should be here at any minute. Kel's bringing him..."

"Who's Kel?"

But no sooner than either she or him had spoken, there was a knock at the door. Right now they sat on the second floor of the office building n the banquet hall. That had to be Kel and Josh, she thought to herself. She walked over quickly and opened the door.

She wasn't wrong. Kel breezed in with Josh in her arms. "Hiya, chica," she greeted Halle.

"Hey," Halle said in return, slightly smiling. Halle turned around to see the sea of faces all staring at her. "Everyone, this is my best friend, Kel, and this," She reached over to Kel and took Josh in her arms. "Is my son, Josh, like JC over there. Say hi, Josh."

"Hi," Josh mumbled, a little unaccustomed to the large crowd.

"Hey, JC, he has your name!"

"We've already established that fact Chris." He got up from where he had been seated beside me and walked towards us.

"Blue!" shouted Josh, much to her humiliation. But she had nothing to be humiliated about. No one knew what he was talking about except...

"So that's Blue," intoned Kel, looking at JC with sparkling interest.

"Hey," JC said softly as he got to them.

"Blue!" Josh shouted again and looked straight at JC. Josh, much to JC's delight, immediately recognized JC and ran over to him, throwing his tiny arms around JC's legs and clung tightly. Amused, JC turned his gaze from Halle to Josh.

"Hey, Little Man," JC greeted the boy. "Blue?" asked JC to Halle.

"I think he means your eyes, JC," she told him.

"Oh, my eyes? Oh yeah, they are blue." She had to laugh as JC picked up the boy. "How's my little man?" he asked, smiling at Josh. Josh smiled at him, seeming to take a liking to this man faster than he had to anyone.

"Good!" Josh shouted.

For an unwed mother, Halle never seemed to resent Josh, never acted like he was a mistake. JC admired that. He admired how she battled to beat the conventionalized idea and how she was so darn successful. He like the little boy, too. Not only was Josh energetic, but JC was also partial to the innocence and curiosity of the boy who shared his name.

"Josh," Halle sighed, following the young boy. "Leave the nice man alone."

"Nah, it's OK," JC insisted. "This is my little buddy from the park."

Halle, ignoring JC, pried Josh away from his post, but he was reluctant. JC rumpled Josh's hair playfully and gave him back to Halle.

JC turned to Kel. "Hi Kel," he said, not wanting to be impolite.

"Hey," she answered. "So you're the infamous JC."

"Kel!" Halle hissed, horrified. Kel just laughed and snickered.

JC seemed lost. He didn't seem to have a clue what they were talking about. "Yes," he admitted cordially. "I'm JC."

"Well, I hear..."

Halle quickly pushed Kel away before she could finish her sentence. "So JC?" she asked. "What about the jingles?"

"What jingles?" He looked perplexed. "I thought we didn't have any yet."

Truly, Halle was as perplexed as he. They had nothing down pat yet. She shifted Josh in her arms as he played with her hair. She had to seem like she had some iota of credibility. "How about the one that went: 'Do wop do wee. It's gotta be Star-bucks!'" She sang it softly to JC.

"Hey!" he exclaimed. "That sounded good, but I don't remember hearing that one. We thought that up before?"

In truth, they hadn't, she'd just made it up, but if it worked, it worked. "C'mon," she said, ignoring his question.. "Let's go tell the others." She hurried over, JC and Kel following her.

"Hey!" JC called. His scream had been so loud, it echoed on the tile. That got their attention.

"What?!" asked Justin.

Halle laughed. "Thank you, JC. Okay, listen up." Her voice was booming, not quite as loud as JC's had been, but loud nonetheless. "You want a jingle? I got a jingle. JC?"

She looked to him to sing it and he didn't fail her. "Do wop, do wee- It's gotta be Star-bucks." As he finished, everyone applauded, everyone but her. Even Josh seemed to be applauding, smacking his little palms together in glee. Everyone was applauding... except her.

She was struck, stuck on the same darn chord that she had been a minute ago: silence. She hadn't known he sounded so... She wasn't sure if there was just one word to describe his voice, the little strands of it that made her quiver. It was so... sincere... serene... and sensual.

She shivered at just the thought but couldn't decide if she really disliked it...or that she was secretly applauding too.

-*-*-*-

She is amazing, JC thought at they recorded the jingle. Halle was something else to be able to raise a child of her own and have a successful job as well. He knew where Josh got his energy; Halle seemed to keep going no matter what happened.

"Yo Daddy," Justin shook his head.

"Huh?" JC blurted out.

"You missed your cue," Justin sounded slightly annoyed. "What gives?"

"Yeah, you're usually so focused on the music, especially when we're in studio," Lance laughed. "You turn into the General. Why so preoccupied?"

"Nothing," JC muttered. "Let's just take it again."

"Nevermind. I was wrong. He's back on track now," Justin corrected himself.

JC made a mental note to not drift off again. He couldn't let the guys know what he was thinking, especially lately. They wouldn't buy into it. Oh, sure, they wouldn't mind him going on a date, but having a relationship...

Who said you were gonna have a relationship with her, buddy? he thought. She doesn't even need you around. JC sighed and turned his attention back to the task at hand. He had to stop thinking before it got him into trouble.

-*-*-*-