A/N: Okay, both me and my 19 month old are sick as dogs, but somehow I managed to write this. Personally, I think it sucks, but I had to get the setup going for the next chapter...which will be great.

Jack didn't say anything to Rose to indicate that he had heard the conversation about the wedding. He trusted that she would do as she said, talk to him within the next couple of days about it. And Jack simply didn't want to comprehend that Rose would be married that soon, so not acknowledging it helped dull the ache in his heart.

Rose had fully intended to tell Jack; she just never had time to. Between gown fittings, bridesmaid gown fittings, and rushing in general to ensure the wedding would go off without a hitch, Rose was fully exhausted by seven in the evening every day.

Other than Rose running into Helga at the park, she hadn't seen any of her friends. Rose asked Helga to be her maid of honor, to which Helga excitedly agreed. Rose smiled a real smile for the first time in a week when Helga vowed to get her away from Ruth and Cal, claiming they were discussing the wedding.

So Helga picked up Rose two weeks after graduation. The first thing Rose was doing, even though she didn't want to, was tell Jack about the wedding. But Rose noticed immediately that Helga was sullen, and asked why.

"Fabrizio," Helga replied simply.

"What happened? You guys didn't break up did you," Rose asked her. Helga looked like she was on the verge of tears.

She shook her head. "He got a draft notice in the mail this morning."

With finals and graduation, and an impending wedding, the war in Vietnam had seemed far away, almost non existent. Rose hadn't paid attention to the news on the war since she found out her wedding was in August. The last thing she had read on it was in early May, when a hundreds of students marched in demonstration against the war through New York City's Time Square.

"Oh God Helga! Is he going?" Rose had heard of draftees fleeing to Canada, or suddenly enrolling in college to avoid going to war.

"He doesn't know what he's going to do yet." She sighed heavily. "I don't know what to think."

Rose echoed Helga's sigh. She pulled a cigarette from her purse. "I don't either." Rose was finally distracted from planning her wedding, but it wasn't how she had pictured it.

...

Jack tossed his car keys on the kitchen table. He had grabbed the mail on the way in, and began to look through it. So far he hadn't heard from the arts program at NYU. Not that it really matters, he thought. He had known Rose wasn't going to NYU because of Cal, and he knew the wedding was in August. But Rose still hadn't told him about the latter. Jack was beginning to wonder if she ever would.

Jack flipped back the last piece of mail to reveal something he knew Fabrizio had received today as well: a draft card. He sighed heavily. He knew he didn't have to go. He could always enroll in school, or head north to Canada. Looking at the notice, he saw that everything read the same as it had on Fabrizio's. Jack knew immediately that if Fabri went, he'd go with him.

His thoughts flipped back to Rose. How would she react to him leaving? Jack realized though, that if he did go, he wouldn't have to stand by and watch the woman he loved marry a man he didn't care about enough to hate. Just then he heard a car door slam and looked out the kitchen window. Rose waved good-bye to Helga before turning to walk into Molly's house. Jack shoved the draft notice in the back pocket of his jeans as he opened the door for her.

"Hey Jack," she greeted. Though she smiled, he saw a darkness in her eyes. "How are you?"

"I'm okay," he lied. He had a feeling she had come to finally tell him about the wedding, and he felt his stomach drop. He walked over to the fridge, and grabbed a couple of beers from it. Automatically, he handed one to Rose before leaning against the counter.

"Thanks." She looked down at it, tracing her finger along the label of it. "Have you talked to Fabri today?"

Jack nodded simply, taking a drink from the bottle. "Helga told you?"

"Yeah." Rose popped the top from the bottle and took a sip. "He hasn't decided yet, has he?"

"No," Jack responded with a shake of his head. He moved away from where he was leaning, not noticing that the draft notice slipped from his back pocket. Rose probably wouldn't have noticed it if it hadn't landed on her foot.

Rose bent down to pick it up. "Here Jack, you dropped..." She noticed what she was holding. "No." Before Rose could look at it closer, Jack snatched it from her hands and tucked it back in his pocket. "What the hell was that Jack," she asked in surprise and denial.

"That was me putting a piece of mail in my pocket," he replied. What is up your ass Jack? You don't have to be such a prick to her.

"It was a draft notice wasn't it? God Jack, please tell me you're not going." Rose placed her beer on the table and reached out to touch his arm. He tensed at her touch, but didn't shrug her off.

"I don't know yet," he told her honestly. "But if Fabri goes, I'm going." Rose ignored a tear that slid down her cheek.

"You guys can dodge it," Rose protested. "America doesn't belong in that damned war, and you know it as much as I do!"

"Yeah I know. But I kind of have a responsibility here Rose." His eyes glanced to her engagement ring; she didn't notice. "You should know what that's like," he said, a little colder than he intended.

"Just what the hell is that supposed to mean," she shrieked. Jack turned and looked at her. His eyes were a mess of emotions; love, fear, anger, pain.

"Rosebud. When were you planning to tell me that you're marrying Cal in eight weeks?"

Rose felt her face fall and her body go numb. "Who told you," she asked in a whisper.

"You did Rose. On graduation night. You told everyone else, and asked them not to tell me, that you would tell me in a couple days. It's been two weeks!" The smile on Jack's face was only there to keep the tears from breaking free from his eyes.

"You heard me?"

Jack nodded. "I was right on the ladder. You said you'd tell me in a couple of days, so I let it drop for the evening."

"Jack, I'm sorry. I had every single intention of telling you. But mother and Cal have just been ridiculous with wedding plans." Rose didn't even notice that she was crying. "By the time I'd get home, I'd fall asleep. I simply never got a chance. That's why I had Helga bring me here today."

He looked at her, believing what she said, but it still hurt. "Didn't we promise each other that nothing would change with our friendship? You used to damn it all and come over whenever you wanted! Hell, you've slept on my aunt's couch more times than I can count, even in the tree house with me, and you never cared!"

"What has gotten into you Jack?" Rose was completely taken aback by his behavior. She had thought he'd be understanding about the situation, but clearly she was wrong.

"Rose, you're a spoiled little brat. But in spite of that, you're the most caring, astounding, passionate person I have ever known. You've been my best friend since I can remember. But you're marrying a man who does not, has not, and will never come close to deserving you." Rose closed her eyes and bit her lower lip to keep from crying. When she opened her eyes, she saw Jack was again holding his draft card and looking at it.

"Jack...no," she said with a shake of her head.

"I'll be damned if I'm going to stand by and watch it happen Rose."