A/N: So, I posted this a year ago and to this day it is still my favorite fic. But, being my first fic, I posted it all at once! I finally decided to actually break it apart in chapters so it is easier to read. Also, I'm taking the time to fix little mistakes that drive me crazy every time I read it. Hope you like it - even if it isn't your first time reading it!

Oh, and a warning - this Corrine/Vaughn pairing isn't the most popular. What makes it worse is that Marshall is the bad guy. So, for all you Carshall fans, please don't hate me! I love Marshall and was just going for something a little different here.

One - Catching Up

Corrine scanned the crowded coffee shop until she caught a glimpse of the all too familiar flaming red hair. Ducking between tables, she silently approached her friend and covered her eyes with her hands, smiling from ear to ear.

"Guess who?"

Josie jumped up and squealed, wrapping her arms around Corrine. "Ahh! I can't believe you're here!" she exclaimed. After more hugs and excited chatter, Josie followed Corrine to the counter where they both ordered grande lattes – Josie's vanilla and Corrine's hazelnut. Then they made their way to a table in the back.

"Wow!" Corrine said, looking at Josie with a smile. "It feels like it's been forever."

"Don't blame me," Josie said with a smirk, talking a sip of her coffee. "You're the one who had to go gallivanting off in Europe after I'd been gone for a year."

Corrine rolled her eyes. "Here we go again. This is where I remind you that it's not my fault you got stuck in another dimension."

"I'm just giving you a hard time. Seriously, though, thanks for all the e-mails. Living vicariously through your travels was the highlight of my summer."

"Summer school that bad?"

"Well, I made up an entire year in three months. You tell me."

Corrine just laughed as she took a drink of her coffee. "How is it being back with your mom?"

This time it was Josie who rolled her eyes. "It was great at first. She'd been so worried about me, it was like she didn't want to let me out of her sight. Then, well, she started dating someone…" Josie trailed off, her eyes fixed on her paper cup.

Corrine leaned forward. "And? Do you like him? Are they serious?"

Josie shook her head. "You aren't going to believe me when I tell you. I still have a hard time believing it and they've been together since July." Josie took a deep breath, then shook her head again.

"What? Come on, tell me! They must be serious if you're having such a hard time. Do you not like him?"

Josie mumbled something under her breath.

"What?" Corrine asked. "Did you say 'sore knees'?"

"It's Z," Josie grimaced.

Corrine couldn't hide her shock. "Z? As in Professor Z? Your mom is dating Professor Z?"

Josie nodded her head with a frown. "It's so weird! He's like my friend. And she's, like, ten years older than him."

"How did it happen?" Corrine asked, her brown eyes still wide.

"She kept coming to check on my at school, you know, making sure I didn't disappear again. They started talking. Then they talked more. Then they started hanging out when I wasn't there…" Josie trailed off again as she just shrugged her shoulders.

"Wow. That's…" but Corrine didn't know what to say. Her favorite teacher? Dating her mom? That was just weird.

"Let's talk about something else," Josie quickly said, straightening up and smiling. "You just spent the last three months traveling around one of the most romantic places in the world with Marshall! How are things with you two?"

Corrine smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Great! Things are great! Everything is great!" she said with forced enthusiasm.

"Uh-oh."

"Uh-oh what?"

"You said great three times. That means you're lying."

Corrine opened her mouth to protest, but the knowing look in Josie's eyes told her it was no use. "Not so great," she sighed. "It's just…I don't know. I've known Marshall for so long and I really like him. And I think he likes me."

"What do you mean think? He went to Europe with you!"

"I know," Corrine nodded, looking down and fidgeting with the plastic lid on her coffee cup. "When he came back for graduation – I wish you could have seen how he looked at me. It just made me feel so wonderful! And then he said he was going to come with me. It was like a dream come true. But then things just got -."

"What? Intense? Romantic?"

"No. They just got…normal. It's like Marshall can't decide if he wants me to be his friend or his girlfriend. Sometimes I think he just wants all the perks of having of having a girlfriend without having to make a commitment. I'm just so sick of waiting for him to make up his mind." Josie reached over and patted her friend's hand, Corrine finally looking up and smiling again. "But enough about me and Marshall. What about you and Vaughn? Did you guys pick up where you left off?"

Josie chuckled. "Not exactly. Vaughn and I are just going to be friends."

"What happened?"

"Well, it was like the mystery of figuring out what was happening at school drew us together. Now that there's no mystery, well, there isn't really any chemistry between us."

"Wait – so nothing weird has been happening at school anymore?"

Josie shook her head. "Nothing. Lucas gave up looking for my clone. It's like everything is just so – regular. And that feels strange." They both laughed at that, then Josie gave Corrine a sly smile. "That's me and Vaughn. What about you and Vaughn?"

Corrine's didn't see that one coming, her breath catching in her throat. "What do you mean?" she asked, a nervous smile crossing her lips.

"I may have been in another dimension, but I don't live on another planet. Everyone told me about how you two were inseparable last year. What's going on with the two of you?"

"Nothing, Josie." The look in her friend's eyes told Corrine she didn't believe her. And, if she was totally honest, she didn't entirely believe herself.

End Note: I'd love reviews!