Author's Note: Hi guys! Yes, I am back and I want to thank everyone for being so patient. I intend to have the next chapter up by the end of the week or the very latest by Monday. Please let me know if you guys are still enjoying this story, because I really hope you are! :) Until next time...!
~JP

True North
By Jaclyn Parker

"The main problem with teenagers is that they're just like their parents were at their age."
~Unknown
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By the time that J.J. had followed his older brother into the house, Parker had managed to throw his baseball equipment on the floor and was already turning the videophone on.

"Dude, calm down. I know it's only one-thirty there but Mom's probably not even home. Knowing her and how she gets when she designs stuff, she's probably at the office." J.J. said, shaking his head as he dropped his own stuff next to Parker's.

Parker paused momentarily before shaking his own head. "No, Mom had her doctor's appointment at eleven, remember? She's probably back at Molly's by now."

J.J. just rolled his eyes and in the time it took for him to grab a couple chocolate chip cookies from the kitchen, Parker had entered the password to enable the video connection. Flopping down and biting into one of the soft cookies, J.J. watched as his brother dialed the phone number.

Not more than thirty seconds later the 15 inch video monitor flickered to life and Carly's face appeared on the screen.

"Parker?" She said upon seeing his face staring back at her. Her voice was soft and curious.

Parker's earlier enthusiasm dimmed as he took in the weariness on his mother's face. Her eyes were slightly red and puffy, the tell-tale signs that she had been crying recently.

"Mom, what's wrong?" Parker asked and J.J. immediately bounded over to peer over his brother's shoulder. "Did something happen at the doctor's?"

"No, I'm okay. Just got a little hormonal over an orange juice commercial." Carly shook her head and forced a smile on her face that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Mom…" J.J. warned, the looks on both of the teenagers' faces telling her that they didn't buy her excuse one bit.

Carly closed her eyes a moment and sighed.

The truth was that while Dr. Nancy Myers had been as kind as Carly remembered back in January, she had been forced to re-iterate the odds that Carly was facing. Now that she was at 20 weeks she had been officially diagnosed with pre-eclampsia and the doctor had told her that the fatality risk was now between 20 and 25 percent. Then Nancy had uttered the words "medically sanctioned abortion" and Carly had sworn ice water had been thrown over her and seeped into her veins. After a few minutes Molly had managed to talk Carly down from her verbal assault on Dr. Myers who, for her part, had seemed to expect the reaction and barely flinched. When Carly was calm again, she repeated her decision from the first time she had been presented with that choice; it wasn't an option.

But as Parker's impatient huff brought her back to the present, Carly knew that she couldn't burden her two beautiful sons with what she had been through that morning. They had been more supportive than she could ever ask for in the month that she had been in L.A. following the decision in Milltown.

Carly hesitated only briefly before shaking her head again. "I'm fine, guys. Just really tired. Molly is making me some tea and then I'm going to lie down before my four o' clock meeting."

Parker frowned at the idea of Carly having a business meeting when she was obviously exhausted. He didn't believe for a minute that she was really okay and he knew that J.J. felt the same way, but pushing their mom wasn't going to solve anything at the moment.

"Mom, take it easy, would you? Tomorrow is Sunday so just…relax. No meetings, no designing. Just rest. Maybe go to the beach with Molly, okay?" Parker said and J.J. nodded his agreement, causing Carly to give them a real smile.

"Yes, sirs!" Carly said, mockingly and giving them a small salute.

Both Parker and J.J. rolled their eyes but they must have been semi-satisfied with her response since Parker's shoulders relaxed and J.J. wandered back to the couch to flip absently through a comic that was lying about.

"So did you call for a reason or just to give your poor mother some grief?" Carly said, her mood already lifted by talking to her kids. She had known that she would miss them but it was still surprising how intensely it hit her sometimes.

"Oh yeah!" Parker said, his eyes lighting up again as he remembered the reason he wanted to talk to her in the first place. He held up a long white envelope and waved it in front of the screen. "It came today!"

Carly's face showed confusion for a split second and Parker forged ahead before she could say anything.

"The internship letter!" Parker said and Carly chuckled.

"Oh, wow." She said and then looked into his excited face with a small frown. "Parker, honey, I know Molly said that she'd put in a good word for you but the decision is up to the heads of the station. She doesn't even know if…"

"I know, Mom. Besides, if I don't get it I can still get a job out there for the summer doing something else. Come on, we already talked about this. Even if Sage still says she wants to go to camp this summer instead of going to L.A., both J.J. and I are coming out there to be with you."

Carly was about to protest but she saw the mulish set of her son's jaw line and sighed. No use arguing with him when he was like this; it would be like arguing with a brick wall. Sometimes his stubborn streak astounded her and she honestly couldn't fathom where he got it from.

"Okay, Sweetie." Carly said and then motioned to the envelope that her son clutched in his hand. "Aren't you going to open it?"

Parker nodded and tapped one end of the envelope to the desk, before shooting her a small look. At her reassuring smile he took a deep breath and tore off the now empty edge.

Pulling out the thin letter his eyes skimmed the words on the page before looking back at the monitor. Carly's encouraging smile was still on her face but her eyes gave away her anxiety for her son.

"I got it." Parker said softly, his voice almost in a whisper. A huge grin split his face as he jumped out of the chair at the same moment the front door opened and Jack entered the house followed by Sage in full dance regalia. Parker charged at his younger sister and picked her up as he yelled again even louder. "I got it!"

"What in the…" Jack said, his eyes wide as he watched his youngest child laugh her head off as her brother swung her around in a wide circle like a lunatic.

"I got the assistant producer internship at Molly's radio station!" Parker said, his blue eyes sparkling as he finally placed Sage back on the ground.

The little girl stumbled a moment, trying to catch her breath before flopping down onto the couch next to J.J. He rolled his eyes as he slung his arm around her, but none the less offered her the non eaten half of his final cookie. Sage grinned and took it, and then they both turned their attention back to their ecstatic sibling and very confused father.

"The internship…Parker, what are you talking about?" Jack asked and Parker paused in his jubilation.

"The one I applied for when Mom went out to L.A. The deadline for them to pick wasn't until next week so I thought that I might not get it, but I just got the letter today. They said that my grades were excellent and my essay was well written and the mock video interview was a great idea. They said that with someone as eager to learn as I was that they can't wait to get me started. They said I have a lot of potential and that even though it's not a paid internship, there might be some days where I get to go to studio sets and help Molly interview the celebrities. I start in the beginning of May."

When Parker finally stopped to catch his own breath, Jack jumped in.

"The beginning of May? Parker, your school term doesn't end until May 25th." Jack said, frowning.

"Dad, come on." Parker's frustration was evident as he glared at Jack. "You and Mom said that if I wanted to even apply I had to get every single one of my teacher's permission to take my finals early. And I did. And I got the internship. And I'm going!"

Jack closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, as he tried to recollect what his son was talking about.

The truth be told, the entire week after Carly told him about her decision to go out to L.A. was a slight blur. He didn't know it was possible for someone to move 2000 miles away in just under a week but somehow Carly had managed to do it. And just as she had predicted, Sage had been upset at first but quickly realized that this was completely different than a couple years ago and before long was eagerly talking about weekend trips to spend on the beach.

It only took a couple more moments before Jack remembered how, around the second day after he had moved into Milltown that Parker had come bounding into the kitchen where Jack had just finished making dinner. He was eagerly babbling about an internship that Molly had told him about on the phone. Since the video phone hadn't been hooked up yet, he and Carly had talked for the first time since her leaving on the regular phone about it and come up with the terms that Parker had just repeated.

Opening his eyes he sighed. "And you've talked to your mom about it already?"

The sound of a throat clearing was very familiar and Jack's eyes went to the video screen where he saw Carly staring back at him from the monitor. She wiggled her fingers in a wave hello as she tried to keep her lips from twitching upward in a smile.

"Hey, Carly." Jack said, slightly sheepishly.

"Hey, Jack." Carly echoed and stealthily shifted closer to ensure that her rounded stomach was hidden from view.

"Hi, Mommy!" Sage called from the couch and Carly's face lit up at the voice.

"Hi, Baby! Come into view so I can see you!"

Sage didn't hesitate and hurried over to obey and catch a glimpse of her mother.

"Is that a new dance outfit? Let me see!" Carly said. Sage grinned as she gave a small spin to show off her brand new lavender leotard and let the short, gauzy, dance skirt swirl around her. She came to a finish and leaned back against Jack, who instinctively wrapped his arms over her torso.

"Do you like it? Aunt Lily got it for me the other day. Natalie has a light green one but I like mine better. See how mine just has sparkles on the sleeves?" Sage said and Carly nodded. "Well, hers has sparkles all over and it really is too much for the outfit. Especially when you add the skirt. It looks a little tacky, but I didn't tell her that since it might hurt her feelings."

Carly had to bite the inside of her cheek at the serious words of her budding mini fashionista.

"I love it. Purple looks fabulous on you and I completely agree about the sparkles." Carly said and Sage giggled, before sending a serious look at her.

"Mommy, you're still gonna make my costume for my dance recital right? Ms. Holmes said that if I work really hard that I'm a shoe in for a solo and you know whoever gets a solo during the summer recital gets a lead in The Nutcracker! Aunt Emma said that if you can't that she'd try her best but that she wouldn't be able to do anything as pretty as you can." Sage said and Carly tried to hide the surprise she felt at the kind words of the Snyder matriarch.

"Baby, your dance recital isn't until the end of August. I'll be home by then." Carly said, pushing the thought that her due date was around the same time.

"Okay, cause I was just…" Sage started to say but Parker cut her off.

"Sage, Mom just said she'd be home. Besides, this isn't about you for once so can we get back to my internship, please?"

"Parker Joe Snyder!"

Even over two thousand miles away and on video monitor, the sharp reprimand in Carly's voice still made Parker stiffen in apprehension.

"Look, I'm sorry. I'm sorry!" Parker said, trying to backpedal as he saw his chances of being able to accept the internship slipping away at the fire in his parent's gazes. "It's just…I really want this."

"Okay, go upstairs and as soon as you guys are all done showering we'll order pizza." Jack said and shooed them all towards the stairs. J.J. and Sage called their goodbyes to Carly, with Sage blowing a kiss for added measure. Parker looked like he was going to protest but at the last minute though better of it and grabbing his baseball stuff like his brother had, said goodbye to Carly as well. Her expression softened a moment and she sent him a small wink behind Jack's back. Parker let out a tiny smile back and then disappeared upstairs like this siblings.

"Well, what do you think?" Jack asked, turning back to settle at the chair in front of the monitor.

Carly sighed and placing an elbow on her own desk, propped her chin in the palm of her hand. A lock of her blonde bangs fell in front of her face, causing Jack's hand to twitch at the urge to brush it behind her ear for her even through a video screen.

"I think it's a huge opportunity for him. I talked to Molly about the internship and she assures me that it's not all fun and games. It's actually a pretty demanding schedule but a majority of the kids who intern there end up with fabulous letters of recommendation to very good schools. And if that's what Parker ends up deciding he wants to do, then that along with his grades could really give him a boost." She said and Jack nodded.

"Which would be great for him. I mean, I know that with his trust fund he could afford to go to any school he wants anyway, but knowing our son I think he'd rather get into college on merit not money." Jack said and Carly gave a wry laugh.

"Well we know he didn't inherit that from my side of the family."

"Hey, come on." Jack said, frowning at her. "You've changed a lot, Carly, and you should be proud of who you've become. I know I am."

"Thank…thank you, Jack." Carly said blinking back her tears of surprise that suddenly filled her eyes.

When it looked like Jack was going to say something else, Carly's brain scrambled to find something to say to cut him off. There was no way she could endure him being the G-man she fell in love with and not tell him her secret…not after the emotional morning she had.

"Um, so we agree then? Parker can accept the internship?"

Whatever Jack was about to say, slipped his mind as he started at Carly's abrupt change in demeanor.

"Uh, yeah. I don't see why not. Like you said, it's an enormous opportunity." Jack said and Carly smiled.

"Well, I know Mattie will be relieved at not being out here alone." She said and Jack cocked his head in confusion.

"Mattie?"

"Oh yeah, didn't Parker tell you? Mattie is going to be interning under me while I create my line. She's going to help run the fashion show and then she and a couple of the interns from MoJo Designs will help with the business prospects of whoever wants to buy the line. If anyone wants to buy the line."

Carly's attempt to distract Jack with a joke failed miserably as his eyes narrowed.

"Are you telling me that Parker and Mattie are both going to be staying with you and Molly over the summer? I mean, I know that they are just friends but still…under the same roof?"

"Yes, Jack, under the same roof. And get this...I'm not even going to dead bolt their bedroom doors!" Carly said, the sarcasm dripping off her tongue. "In fact, I thought I would just put up huge neon signs towards Molly's backyard and hot tub that says 'Teenage Sex Lounge This Way'."

"Carly…" Jack's tone warned that he wasn't amused but she just rolled her eyes.

"Come on, Jack. Do you really think I'm so stupid that I haven't already anticipated this? Look, even though they already spend 90 percent of their time together anyway, Parker will be with Molly at the station all day while Mattie is with me, even most weekends. Parker will be sleeping in the loft bedroom that used to be Molly's office, which as the word 'loft' implies, means that there are no walls. Mattie's bedroom is all the way down the hallway directly next to mine. And if that's not enough, Molly's bedroom is on the other side of Mattie's so in case I don't serve as bodyguard enough, you know Molly will knock some sense into them if it comes down to it."

"And let me guess? Lee is okay with this?" Jack couldn't help but ask even as he saw Carly's eyes narrow at the question.

"Yes, actually. Lee trusts me." Carly bit back and Jack ducked his head a moment.

"I'm sorry. I do trust you, Carly. It's just…" Jack frowned and shrugged. "I guess I just remember what it was like to be a teenaged boy with crazy hormones."

"I bet you were quite the ladies man when you were Parker's age." Carly's eyes sparkled as she teased him and Jack smiled, shrugging.

"Actually, I was pretty awkward until my cousin Seth let Holden and I work out with him in the barn in the mornings when I came out to stay with them during the summers. By the end of our freshman summer I had learned how to stay fit and actually put some muscle on. Then I had to beat the girls away with a stick. Half-heartedly, of course."

Carly's uncontrolled full on belly laugh made Jack's heart swell and he realized just how much he had missed hearing that sound. He remembered a time that even when they were fighting, there was no one who could make him laugh the way that his Carly could, especially at himself. He didn't nearly laugh as much as he used to and he briefly wondered when that had happened.

Carly laughter died down to a quiet giggle and Jack raised his eyes to her face, the beauty of her overwhelming him all over again. He resolved once again to do whatever it took to make her realize that they were meant to be and there was nothing and no one who could come between them.

Before either one could say anything else, a voice called out on Carly's end of the phone.

"Your tea is getting cold, Cuz. And you need to come lie down and rest before your meeting. You know you are supposed to be taking it easy…" Molly trailed off as she wandered into the living room and caught sight of Jack's face on the video screen. "Oh, um, hi, Jack."

"Taking it easy?" Jack frowned and sent a look to Carly's suddenly pale face. "Are you okay, Carly? What's going on?"

"Oh, um, nothing. I've just had a migraine for the past couple of days. Doctor said it's probably just due to my body adjusting to the ocean air climate." Carly covered quickly and before Jack had a chance to remind her that she'd had almost a full month to adjust already, she smiled brilliantly. "But, Molly is right. I do have a meeting later today, so I should probably go. Tell the kids that I love them and I'll talk to them tomorrow, okay?"

"What? Uh, yeah, of course." Jack said, his confusion still evident. But Carly just waved, Molly doing the same in the background, before Carly quickly said goodbye and clicked the video screen off.

Making sure the phone was properly hung up, Carly whirled around to glare at her cousin. Molly held up her hands in an apologetic gesture and backed up an inch.

"Whoa there, Attila! It was an accident, okay? I didn't know you were on the phone with Jack. But nice cover by the way!" Molly said, planting her hands on her hips and tilting her head to look at Carly with an amused smile. "Speaking of covers and excuses, have you given any thought to what you're going to tell Jack when you see him again about…?"

Molly waved her one hand in the direction of Carly's stomach and raised an eyebrow.

Carly didn't answer, just rolled her eyes at her persistent cousin before grabbing onto Molly's outstretched hand to help pull her out of the chair. In silence she made her way towards the kitchen where her tea waited on the counter and then headed to go lay down in her room. But even the closing of her bedroom door wasn't enough to stop Molly from getting her last say in.

"Come on, Carly, think about it. Jack might not be a doctor but even he isn't going to buy the 'ocean climate' story when you pop back into Oakdale in four months either looking like a beached whale or carrying a wiggling infant in your arms!"

The loud exasperated sigh that emanated from Carly's room echoed throughout the open house. It made Molly smile in satisfaction, knowing that her words and the underlying point would now be tumbling over in her cousin's brain for the next few days at least.

"You're not the only one who can be pigheaded, Cuz." Molly muttered as she also turned to go pour herself a cup of tea. As she meandered back out to the back deck to continue reading her novel, Molly made a mental note to turn up the volume on the video phone again.

It was going to be hard to keep "accidentally" walking into conversations if she couldn't hear what was going on.