Part Vingt-trois

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As everyone helped haul the luggage inside, they found Flynn, with Carlos next to her, working on an early dinner. She couldn't help but let out a whistle as she saw the guys, decked out in their new clothes and looking like a blend of '90s and modern.

"Daanngg, boys! Lookin' good!"

"Thanks Flynn!" Reggie was already halfway to the kitchen to ask her what she was making and if he could help.

"Thanks."

"Yeah, it's nice to have a little more variety."

"I'm still wearing a band shirt under this, obviously." Luke winked at her, "Did you have fun yesterday?"

"We did." She took a few steps over to him to quietly say, "Thanks, Luke. It was nice to have some time with Julie, and she said it was kinda your idea."

"You're incredibly important to her. I don't ever want to mess that up." His sincerity was laced with something more that had Flynn nodding smugly, she knew she was right about his feelings for Julie.

"Hey, I've actually got to get home, but I'll see you all soon. I have a meeting with the realtor tomorrow, so don't get too comfortable on your air mattresses, okay guys?" Bobby raised an eyebrow at them from the doorway, sharing a conspiratorial look with Ray and Luke, they hadn't told anyone else yet. Ray had ended up swearing Luke to secrecy after Bobby had stopped by their seats on the way back from the restroom part way through the flight home. Bobby wanted to make the announcement and this was his moment.

"Wait, what?!" Julie didn't look excited, instead she looked a little ill at the thought the guys wouldn't be right out in the studio.

Luke stepped up behind her and snaked his arms around her waist, leaning down to whisper in her ear, "Don't worry. Let him finish."

"Yes, that's right! I have found out the house across the street is about to go on the market, and I figured, the guys need their own rooms, huh?"

"Are you serious, Bobby?!" Alex grabbed him in a tight hug and Reggie abandoned the noodles he was stirring for Flynn to run over and join in.

Julie's eyes had gone wide and she spun around in Luke's embrace, "REALLY?! You'll be right there?!"

Her smile was on his face, and he just nodded as he brushed some hair behind her ear.

It was time. There was no way she could wait any longer. Julie pulled away from him, calling "You are amazing!" to Bobby, and yanked Luke by the arm towards the kitchen door, "We'll be back in a bit!"

Luke was confused, but he'd follow Julie anywhere, so he just shrugged at everyone and went with her.

Ray was barely containing his knowing grin.

"What is that about?" Carlos asked, having been quiet until now.

Flynn caught Ray's eye and, acknowledging each other's understanding, they grinned like fools and chorused, "Nothing!"

Willie murmured in Alex's ear, causing him to smirk.

Reggie just stared after them with a look of satisfaction, he had so called it. CHEMISTRY.

Bobby rolled his eyes, those two were cute, but ridiculous. "I gotta go, I have to have a little talk with my daughter." Reggie turned and they shared a meaningful look, they had talked about a lot of stuff on the plane.

"I'll drive you home. I should be back in about half an hour, that fine for dinner Flynn?"

She gave Ray a thumbs up. "Especially if these guys all help."

"Of course." "We will!"

He smiled at them all, then headed out with Bobby.

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"So, how is Carrie doing? I haven't seen her around much." Ray shot a quick glance at Bobby in the passenger seat.

"She's okay, I think, I haven't been around quite as much as I should have been lately. But I'm going to rectify that starting now." He had a determined look on his face.

"Oh. That's good."

They lapsed into comfortable silence for the rest of the drive, both tired from the long weekend, taking several energetic boys shopping, and two plane flights in less than two days.

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"Carrie, honey? Where are you?" Bobby walked into his house with a specific goal, talk to his daughter about what was going on with her. He had realized on the plane, as he chatted with Reggie more in detail about the boys' adventures as ghosts, and forming the band with Julie, that he had probably spent a bit more quality time with his therapist, rather than his daughter, for the last several months.

Rose had been his friend, the only one who really knew about the guys and their death. So, when she had passed away, he had started to spiral. He felt like the last person left who would remember the guys, as the crazy, fun, ridiculous, amazing people that they were, so his guilt had begun to crush him once more. They had deserved credit for those songs, and it was his fault they didn't have it. So, he had checked out of his life a little, and he hadn't even really noticed that Carrie wasn't hanging out with Julie and Flynn much, or at all anymore. He felt bad he hadn't been better at being there and talking to Carrie.

"Dad?"

"Baby! How are you?"

"Please don't pretend you care about me right now. I know you've been helping Julie and her band. I thought you would be on my side?! I know you said I had to make it on my own, but it's not fair!" Carrie had walked into the living room to meet him with her arms crossed and tears in her eyes. "I told you, I was okay with your lawyers looking over any contract Dirty Candi might get, I said I understood you didn't want to use your connections to give us special treatment! But why is she an exception?! She stopped confiding in me, and only talked to Flynn, and now she has some random band with a hologram gimmick that keeps upstaging me! I've worked for this! I understand that her mom passed away, but mine left and no one cared! Why does she get to check out of music for a year and then have everyone fall all over themselves to help her after that?! Nick broke up with me because he thought I was being mean to her! Why is everything about her?!"

Bobby was floored. There was so much he had missed while he was occupied by his own stuff. Sure, Carrie was a teenager, and it was hard to connect with her sometimes, she had been pushing him away since thirteen, but this was important.

"Carrie. Nothing could change how much I love you. And, honestly, it's not about Julie. Can we sit down and really talk? I always thought that I was protecting you, not telling you about how I really became famous, but I think I was wrong. You deserve to know. You see I had these friends..."

He didn't tell her about the ghost aspect, or a lot of the details, such as the songs not really being his, but hopefully the stuff about how the producer controlled his life was enough.

"Okay, so, Julie's band reminds you of your dead friends and that's why you decided to help them?" Carrie was skeptical, who flew to another country (even if it was just up to Canada) for some strangers?!

"It's complicated, baby." Bobby paused, gathering his thoughts. "It's like I said, managers and producers can take advantage, and I think it's a new thing, a good thing for me to start looking out for younger people coming into the industry so that they're safe. I'm sorry I haven't been there for you in the same way, I thought I was doing the right thing in giving you more freedom, but I never want you to think I don't love you.

Carrie sighed. "I know you love me Daddy, and I know I haven't been the most gracious to Julie. I don't know why I got so mad at her, there was just so much going on. Her mom was always so nice to me, I think it hurt to lose her myself, but also I didn't think I should feel that way.

Carrie had wanted to be there for Julie, but she had been shut out, Julie had shut out everyone but Flynn, and that was only because Flynn would not take 'no' for an answer. Carrie already had experience in being shut out, her Mom had done it for years, so she just... didn't try very hard when Julie stopped talking to her.

She wasn't sure exactly when she, Julie, and Flynn, had started to lose their closeness, it wasn't sudden, instead it had somewhat crept up on them, and it hurt, Carrie felt left out more and more. She's basically positive they didn't mean to, they didn't even seem to notice, but their trio was mostly a duo by the time Julie's mom got sick, and Carrie was the odd one out. Lashing out at Julie and Flynn just happened after that. But Carrie had her dance team friends, and they had formed Dirty Candi, she wanted to make it big and make her dad proud.

"Carrie, I think we should talk about your mom. Not tonight, but soon, okay?" He reached out and pulled her into a hug.

"O-okay Dad. I suppose."

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Meanwhile, back at the Molina's...

Julie had dragged Luke all the way to the studio before stopping and turning, her arms going around his waist in a loose hug.

"Julie, what is it?" He set his hands on her shoulders, searching her face.

"I've been wanting to say it, but then there was this weekend, with the trip, and things were kinda crazy, and I, I just..." She squeezed her eyes shut and sighed in frustration. "I'm sorry, but I ramble when I'm nervous, and I don't know why I'm nervous, because it's you, but I am, and please stop me already, I..."

"Jules." Luke cupped her face, brushing his thumbs over her cheeks gently, and tilted her head up, locking their eyes. "You can tell me anything."

"I- I love you."

He froze, and just blinked at her a few times, his eyes losing focus.

A panicked look fell over her face and she tried to pull away from him, 'I'm so stupid, he doesn't feel the same way! I've ruined everything!'

Luke wouldn't let her go, though. As soon as she had tensed and tried to pull back he had tightened his grip on her shoulders, 'I thought I would be the first to say it, just blurt it out at some random time, and have to tell her it was okay if she didn't feel the same. But, she just...she said she loves me.'

It had only been a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity to Julie, until he shook his head a tiny bit and his eyes refocused on hers.

"Jules, I am crazy about you. Je t'aime." His right hand slid up around the back of her neck, and his left went down as he wrapped his arm around her back. Lowering his lips to hers, he kissed her, slow and deep. She had relaxed a little when he spoke the first sentence, and now her arms involuntarily went up to curl around his neck, sinking into the kiss.

Too soon for him, she broke away to breathe and ask him something she considered very important, "Wait, was that French?!"

He laughed, and just kissed her again, that could wait.

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A/N: I don't know about the thing with Carrie, it was fighting me the whole way, but I wanted to get a chapter up, and I didn't think staring at it any longer would make it better. I just figured that there didn't really have to be a big dramatic fight for them to stop talking? I also figure Carrie puts a lot of pressure on herself, and has some issues related to her mom leaving, the show never mentions her, but if she died I feel like something would have been said, so I think she left, or there was a divorce or something like that.

Hope the ending was nice and fluffy for you! I have an earlier draft that was so SAPPY, I HAD to re-do it.