Song : You won't be mine - Matchbox 20

Baloon: Thanks once again, hopefully you'll like what i have in store for the rest of the story :)

Panda: Thankyou! it means heaps to me when people think that I am being true to the show. Glad to bring a smile to your face!

Take your head around the world
See what you get
From your mind
Write your soul down word for word
See who's your friend
Who is kind
It's almost like a disease
I know soon you will be

The music stopped, and the lights in the hall came up. Everyone froze, knowing that this was the moment the whole leads up to: The countdown - the ending of one time in your life, and the beginning of another.

Will dropped his dancing embrace with Jack and held his hand. Grace, Karen, Rosario and Elliot joined him.

The singer of the band began to count the longest ten seconds of every year into the microphone.

"10!"

The group grinned excitedly, besides the fact that Grace was practically leaning on Will for stability.

"9!"

Karen looked over to Josephine, standing near the bar, her young face watching her. As a sudden surprising burst of niceness, she motioned for her to come over.

"8!"

Jack placed his non-held hand on Elliot's shoulder.

"7!"

A scared Josephine joined and lingered shyly behind Karen.

"6!"

Grace drunkenly stumbled as Will pulled her in tighter, wrapping his arm around her waist to prop her up.

"5!"

Jack and Will grinned at each other nervously…waiting.

"4!"

Will tightened his grip on Jacks hand.

"3!"

Everyone jittered, making brief eye contact with each other.

"2!"

Silence. "You ready?" Grace slurred to Will.

He nodded.

"1!"

Over the lies, you'll be strong
You'll be rich in love and you will carry on.

Music. Whistles. Hugs. Tears. Laughter. Falling streamers and balloons.

The atmosphere was surreal, time meant nothing.

Jack turned to Will. He picked up a pink streamer and put it around Wills neck, causing him to laugh.

"Just remember old man, I had the last dance of the year." Jack grinned.

"And you can have the first." Will replied, surprising Jack by grabbing him and dipping him, forcing him to cling onto Will in fear of being dropped.

Take your straight line for a curve
Make it stretch, the same old line
Try to find if it was worth what you spent

Grace stumbled over to the bar to order another drink. Why the hell did I think inviting Leo wouldn't mean anything? She was kicking herself. She scanned the party over, trying to find him. She saw Dr. Morty talking to her mother and laughing. Oh what I would give for that strap at the back of her dress to 'magically' snap. Grace giggled at the idea of Dr. Morty's dress falling apart.

"I have two crazy suggestions for you tonight" A familiar voice boomed behind her.

"Don't want 'em Leo" She slurred, sloppily throwing her hands up.

He took her hand and spun her around to face him.

"Well you're getting them. Number 1. No more drinking tonight. You'll regret this tomorrow."

Grace stared at him icily. "There's a lot of things I regret."

Leo just ignored her. "Number two, I suggest that you come and dance with me."

"What? Why? Do you think I need you or something, because that is crazy. I am an independent woman now and…and… will you leave me alone if I dance with you?"

"Just like old times." He smiled. He had left Dani talking to Bobbi Adler…that should occupy her for some time.

Grace put her arms around his neck and let him support her.

Why you're guilty for the way
You're feeling now
It's almost like being free
And I know soon you will be

"You know, apart from the fact that you have been stepping on my feet all night, you haven't really been your domineering, anally retentive, angry old self tonight" Jack said to Will.

"That's because everything for once, has gone right tonight." Will thought aloud.

Jack looked up. "That is strange. Usually things you organize fail miserably"

"Thanks for the support" Will responded sarcastically.

"Support? Since when did I start giving meaningless crap like that out?"

"Happy New year"

"Ditto." Jack replied.

Jack craned his neck forward a little to kiss his friend on the cheek. Not quite knowing why, but feeling strangely compelled to, Will blocked Jack's kiss by leaning forward to brush lips with him. This caused Jacks eyes to snap open. Did he just…Kiss me? Pulling back, Jack looked inquisitively at Will, who anxiously looked around and started tugging on his shirt sleeve to distract his attention from what he just did.

"Will?"

"I don't know" He blurted out quickly.

Before they had a chance to discuss the occurrence, Karen walked up to them.

"Hey, there is a time and a place for things like that! Now unless you are ripping each others clothes off in public, I need you to come into the back room."

"Ooh Back room? I have had many a man lure me into the back room." Jack giggled.

"Ok, I want to introduce you to someone." Karen said, looking around the tiny room. Josephine stood next to her, taking in the appearances and strange mannerisms of her mother and her friends. Grace was sitting on a chair, with Leo propping her up and forcing her to drink water.

"Since when did this room exist…and how did I get here?" Grace asked.

"I…carried you in here to stop you from embarrassing yourself…and then Karen decided to set a little meeting up in here for…I dunno, the apocalypse or whatever she is planning." Leo replied. "Keep drinking the water."

"Hey! Mr. Faithful. Scoot. I can handle her!" Jack said, looking at Leo.

"Jack, you can't handle the O.C being moved to a different timeslot." Will inserted. "Now as much as we don't like Leo right now, he is doing a good job of handling Grace."

Jack crossed his arms. "But I had the slanted eyebrows and everything. Do you know how many weeks it took me to get that look?"

Screwing up his nose, Will rubbed Jack's back. "I think that is the sort of thing you shouldn't really share with anybody."

Jack shrugged Will's hand away from him.

"I love you guys!" Karen yelled, causing everyone to be silent. That always works. She smiled to herself.

"Well…not really…I just needed your attention. Now, this may come as a teeny tiny surprise to you, but well 17 years ago…"

"What? When you were 80?" Will snickered.

"You get one of those a year Wilma, and unfortunately for you, you just wasted it 20 minutes into this year." She replied sweetly.

"Kare, the suspense is killing me!" Jack pleaded.

"Everyone, this is Josephine, my daughter."

There was a collective silence in the room. Even the breathing of the 6 members in it could not be heard.

"I'm gonna be sick" Grace slurred. Leo quickly snatched her up in his arms.

"I have a crazy feeling that hurling in here is not a very swell idea" He said as he ran of the door, his ex-wife in his arms.

"Wow. That's pure class there. Next thing we know, she's roommates with Courtney Love and Paris Hilton is their land lord." Will said, shaking his head. "Hope she's alright."

Jack stared at Josephine, before his eyes rolled back and he fainted, luckily with Will to catch his fall.

Karen looked around. "The night didn't have enough pizzazz or usual 'Will Truman' drama in it."

"I think that went well" Josephine asked.

"This deserves a drink." Karen said, as she and Josephine left the room. "Hell, everything deserves a drink!"

Will struggled to stand with Jack's limp body in his arms. Jack began to moan as he slowly came to. Thank God! A relieved Will thought. He tried to prop Jack up against the wall.

"C'mon Jack, snap out of it." Will urged.

Jacks back slid down the wall, leading him into a sitting position. Will kneeled down so he was face to face with Jack, and supported his friend's chin with his hand.

Jack's blue eyes slowly began to open. Will breathed a sigh of relief as he began to take off his jacket.

Unknown to the two, Joe and Larry, their friends, had just approached the door way.

"You're hard work you know that Jack? Trying to hold you up against the wall like that? And your eyes were closed the whole time. At least you got to enjoy yourself peacefully for a few minutes while I worked my ass off!" Will said, managing to finally pull his jacket off. Jack just groaned.

"I told you it was gonna happen Larry! I knew it would!" Joebragged excitedly.

"I can't believe you guys did it...here! Thank God we found you after" Larry said.

Will and Jack looked up at them, surprised that they had an audience. Before they could both get their heads around what their friends were assuming in order to justify themselves, the two had walked off, bickering.

"Karen, I'm sorry for just…showing up like this but I really had to meet you." Josephine said.

They stood on the sidewalk outside the function hall, the icy breeze nipping at their faces.

"Look honey, you wouldn't be the first person dying to meet me."

"So I guess it's goodbye, huh?" Josephine asked.

"Usually its hello at this time for me, but I know weaklings like you need your sleep."

"I'll be back from Colorado in three weeks…maybe we can catch up…or something?"

"Remind me then. I won't remember."

The girl nodded, and before she realized it, she threw her arms around Karen. Karen's eyes popped open widely as she came to terms with the outburst of affection. For a split second, and for the first time in the duration of the night, the two seemed to really be mother and daughter.

Josephine began to hail for a cab as Karen and Rosario jumped into the limo. A quick pang of guilt sliced through Karen. Feelings are such an inconvenience! She wound the window down.

"Hey small fry, get in. We're driving you home."

Over the lies, you'll be strong
You'll be rich in love and you will carry on