Before the Storm (A Jonas Brothers Fanfic)

Chapter 23

Joe - December 19th

For the past couple days, we've been in nonstop wedding mode - from rehearsal dinners to name plates, Kevin and Danielle were going crazy. Now, it was finally here. Nick and I sat sipping some drinks in Kevin's "bachelor suite" as he got ready.

"Don't tell mom there's alcohol in that, or she'll kill me," Kevin eyed us both with a grin as the hair stylist was gelling his hair. Nick and I laughed and clunked our cups together, continuing to drink.

"Your secret's safe with us," I promised Kevin and he chuckled. "You should probably drink a little, too, by the way. For your nerves," I winked and Kevin laughed.

"I've already thought about it. How the hell am I going to do this? I can stand in front of thousands of fans every night but I'm so nervous to get married?" He shook his head at Nick and I and we both shrugged.

"It's normal, Kev. Or at least that's what I hear," Nick responded, trying to calm our older brother. He sighed.

"I know, but just, I don't know, distract me. How, uh, how are Aubrey and Ronnie?" He turned to Nick and I as the stylist finished on his hair.

"They're good," I responded. "They're having a great time here, Kev," and he smiled.

"I'm glad," he sighed of relief. "I'm really glad they're here. It calms my nerves a little."

"How come?" Nick asked before I could.

"Because," he said. "It just reminds me of old times, I guess. Like we're all just kids again, you know?" And Nick and I nodded at him. I did know what he meant.

"Excuse me," I said as I got up and headed out of the room. As I walked, I could feel my head getting dizzy from the drinks. Before I knew it, I was standing in front of Aubrey and Ronnie's room. I lifted my fist to knock, but for some reason I couldn't.

"It reminds me of old times. Like we're all just kids again"

But we weren't. To Aubrey, I was just a celebrity who befriended her. Not the Joe she knew for so long.

I sighed and my knuckles met the door before I even knew what I was doing. After about a second or two of panic, Aubrey opened the door.

"Joe!" She smiled at me in her robe, hair all pinned up, makeup all done. Then she frowned at me. "You haven't covered up your bruise?" She asked, cocking her head to take a better look at it. Shit. I knew I was forgetting something. I shook my head at her and opened my mouth to speak, but she cut me off. "Come!" She said, grabbing me by the arm and leading me to her room, sitting me on her bed.

"Where's Ronnie?" I looked around the room and noticed her younger sister missing. Aubrey was distracted as she carried a small black box and kneeled in front of me.

"Downstairs. She went to get us food," she responded as she opened the box and revealed her makeup.

"What are you doing?" I asked her nervously. She laughed.

"Just trust me," she said as she grabbed my face and turned it to the side. All of a sudden, I felt a brush on my face, but I let her do whatever it was she was doing. Once she was finished, she stood up and looked at me with a smile. "Look," she said and handed me a mirror to look at myself. It was like magic. The bruise had disappeared and I laughed, embracing her tightly in my arms.

"Thank you, Aub," I grinned widely at her and she looked at me proudly. "You just saved me from ruining all of Kev's wedding pictures," and she began to giggle.

"Anytime, Joseph," and just as she called me by my full name, my heart skipped a beat and I forced a smile at her. "As much fun as it would have been to see Kevin kill you later, I figured I should probably help if I wanted my money from our bets," she winked and I smirked.

"You're mischievous, Aubrey Jason," I said proudly and she curtsied with a smirk.

"It's a proud trait I possess," she responded with a giggle as Ronnie walked through the door with a cart of food. Ronnie froze and looked back and forth between us.

"What's going on here?" She asked and Aubrey squealed as she turned my no-longer bruised-looking face to her sister.

"Look! It's like he never got punched in the face!" And Ronnie finally understood as she stepped closer.

"Oh my god, it looks great!" She praised her sister as she brought in the food. "Now, who's hungry?" She asked as she began taking off the covers for the food and I heard my stomach grumble.

"I am," Aubrey and I said and unison and we looked at each other and laughed. We spent a little while eating the food when Ronnie's phone went off. She took the phone out from her pocket and looked at us with a smile.

"It's Nick, hold on," she said as she answered the phone and put it on speaker. "Hello?"

"Ronnie, please tell me my brother is with you," he said breathlessly.

"Shit," I mumbled to myself. I left my brothers and didn't tell anyone where I went.

"He isn't answering any of my phone calls and we-"

"Nick, calm down, I'm right here," I said, taking the phone from Ronnie. "I got a little, uh, distracted. I'll be right up, okay?"

"Jeez, thank you. And hurry!" He hung up and I handed Ronnie her phone back.

"I, uh, I guess I'll see you guys later then," I said as I scurried out of their hotel room and waved goodbye to the two girls. Aubrey smiled at me and I held on to that look for the rest of the day.

-----

"Do you, Danielle Deleasa, take Kevin Jonas to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love and cherish, through sickness and health?" The preacher asked Danielle and she nodded, tears forming in her eyes.

"I do," she said with a light smile. I couldn't help but smile myself.

"And do you," the priest began and I could hear Nick sniff in front of me and I grinned. "Paul Kevin Jonas, take Danielle Deleasa to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love and cherish, through sickness and health?" I watched Nick pat his eye and I looked over at Aubrey to see her shaking her head at my joy.

"Fuck you," I saw her mouth and I bit my lower lip to contain my laughter.

"I do," Kevin responded.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride," the priest finished as Kevin and Danielle kissed. I smiled and clapped along with everyone in the room. As I looked at Aubrey, and back at my brother, I, for the first time, felt a pang of jealousy inside. Don't get me wrong, I was happy for Kevin, more than anything, but I watched him get to be happily married to the love of his life while mine, sat happily in the audience, oblivious to the times we shared together.