"You really screwed things up," Chris said with a whistle.

"I know," JC answered miserably.

"You should've just said no to Dani, she wasn't worth it," Lance added.

"Thanks for the support guys," JC answered dryly.

"No problem!" Justin quipped, still eyeing the food hungrily. The roar of an engine outside told the guys that the girls were back. Jessica and Gabi came in first, followed by Marielle, and JC noticed she looked really tired.

"Let's eat!" Gabi said enthusiastically, rubbing her hands together in anticipation.

"You guys go on ahead," Marielle said, trying to stifle another yawn as she sat down on the couch. "I'm too tired to eat." She looked at JC, her eyes void of anything that would tell him what she was feeling. "I think I'll just go straight to bed. Night everyone." She said, giving everyone a sleepy smile before heading to her own room at the end of the hallway.

"Does she always work this hard?" Lance asked Gabi after Marielle went into her room.

"Only when she has stuff on her mind," Gabi answered cryptically with a shrug, while JC glanced back at Marielle's closed door.

The alarm clock's shrill ringing the next morning caused Marielle to knock it onto the floor with a clunk as she sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Another full day at work, she thought, walking into the bathroom to have a quick shower. Thirty minutes later, she was ready, and headed to the kitchen to get some coffee and something to eat before she headed to the hospital.

Her eyes widened when she saw JC sitting at the kitchen table, reading the newspaper. "I didn't know you got up this early." She commented, leaning against the doorway to observe him.

He lowered the newspaper, smiling, "I normally don't. I just couldn’t think of any other time I'd get to talk to you alone."

"JC," She started, pouring herself a cup of coffee from the pot JC had fixed up. "I don’t know what to say, I mean, you tell me that you and Dani were through. Now, it's almost as if the things you said to me that night were lies." She said, her eyes the only way that JC could tell she was hurting despite her calm and rational exterior.

"I know," He answered with a sigh, "I couldn't help it, Ari. I don't love her, I swear. I've thought about you," He came closer to her. "I'll fix things, if you give me a chance."

Now it was Marielle's turn to let out a sigh, "I don’t know, JC." She answered, "Right now I've got to head to work. I'm sorry, but it's too late for us, J. You had you're chance, and I was willing to give to you when you got here, but getting back with her changes everything."

"Well, let me give you a ride, just as friends." He offered quickly, "I'll come and pick you up and we can talk."

"Sure." She answered, handing him her car keys.

"I'm sorry." JC said, as he drove her to the hospital.

"Don't be," She assured him, "it just means we weren't meant to be." Her chest hurt as she said this, as if her heart were protesting the words that came out of her mouth.

JC seemed to be struggling hard not to say something. "Shit!" He cursed loudly, swerving the car to the side as the sight of an overturned SUV appeared in view from a blind corner. He pulled the car to a stop, and Marielle was out of the car, running towards the accident.

"Call 9-1-1!" She yelled at JC, who was taking off his seat belt and running towards the scene along with her. Her heart beat quickly, and she let out a gasp of surprise as she heard the wails of an infant coming from the rear seats. JC talked quickly into the cell phone he had, glancing at the street signs as he told the emergency crews where they were.

"Help me!" Marielle told him, and he nodded after he ended the call. "on the count of three, we both pull on the door, okay?" She said, watching his face to see that he understood. They counted off, and were successful in unfastening the jammed car door. "Help them," She said quickly, motioning towards the driver and front passenger, "open the doors!" She spit out orders like a machine, and as JC started to pulled the driver door open, she crawled into the rear, searching for the latch on the baby seat. The baby's wails were coming right into her ear, but she paid them no heed, her only concern was getting the child out of the car. She let out a breath of relief when the belt unfastened, and bundled the baby in her arms and proceeded to crawl backwards out of the car. The driver of the car was lying on the ground staring up, with a dazed expression, as if he didn't realize he had just been in an accident.

JC handed her a thick set of blankets he had gotten from the back of their car, "There's still one more in there!" he shouted to her, motioning repeatedly into the car. "I can't get her out through her door, it's too jammed." Marielle set the baby onto the blankets softly, then turned her attention back to the car.

"Here, we'll both pull her out," Marielle said, "but be careful not to move her head, okay?" They slowly eased the woman out of the car, and brought her a safe distance from the car. JC swiped the gravel furiously with his foot, trying to get rid of the shattered glass as Marielle took one of the blankets and set it down before they put her onto the floor. The woman's face was panicked, her eyes wide with fright.

"My baby," She croaked, her voice hoarse, "my baby!" Marielle placed on the neck brace that she had in her own car on the woman's neck.

"Shh," She said soothingly, stroking the woman's hair, "you're baby's okay." The roar of the ambulance could be heard in the distance. The woman looked enormously relieved, "just relax okay?" She said, shifting away from the woman to have a look at the driver. Except for the large cut on his cheek, he also seemed fine, just a bit confused. She applied pressure to the cut by holding a piece of cloth to his face. She sighed with relief when she heard the sirens of an ambulance approaching from the distance.

JC watched her, admiring her bravery and compassion as she comforted the injured woman. He held the baby in his arms, trying to keep him as warm as possible because of the early morning chill. The baby's wails became louder, and JC sang the first song that came into his mind, an old one that he hadn't sang for years.

I woke up this morning and the sun was gone Turned on some music to start my day I lost myself in a familiar song I closed my eyes and I slipped away

More than a feeling More than a feeling

Well it's more than a feeling When I hear that old song they used to play I begin dreaming 'Til I see Marielle walk away

When I'm tired and I think I'm cold I hide in my music and forget the day And dream of a girl that I used to know Close my eyes and she slipped away

More than a feeling More than a feeling

Close my eyes and slip away

He kept his eyes on Marielle's face, changing some of the words to the song, and her emotions were evident in her face as she helped the paramedics put the injured into the ambulance.

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