A/N: songs to set the scenes:

I Feel Good by Thomas Rhett (Morning leading to AJ learning some big news)

Wild by John Legend, Gary Clark Jr. (Sarah & AJ in Sarah's bedroom)

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AJ's POV

I wake up to Axel licking my fingers. I glance at the clock on the nightstand, and it is our usual wake-up time. I kiss Sarah's forehead and gently lift her up to get out of bed. Once I've successfully gotten out of bed, I head to the bathroom to brush my teeth. Axel follows closely at my heels watching my every move. I finish my morning routine and slip back into Sarah's room to grab my phone. Monty has already taken my spot on the bed. "That's just rude, sir," I whisper shout at the French bulldog. I give Sarah one last kiss on the forehead before Axel and I make our way downstairs.

Based on the lack of lights throughout the house, I assume Axel and I are the only two awake. It is only 6:30am, and it's a Saturday. No one in their right mind is awake this early on a weekend. I make my way towards the kitchen and get Axel's breakfast in a bowl. After I set it on the floor, I make him sit and wait until I get his bowl of water filled. I look at him and we have a short staring contest. He starts doing small pitter-patters anticipating when I'll let him dig into his breakfast. "Good boy. Go ahead," I gesture to his bowl.

I start making a pot of coffee and glance at my phone. I shouldn't look at any social media or any emails this weekend. I should talk to Sofia about getting my parents' contact information. I never deleted their numbers from my phone, but they might've changed their numbers for some reason. I told her that I'd focus on that after filming for Descendants 3 is over. I think the best course of action will be to go out to Fort Lauderdale once we've wrapped post-production and spend time with my parents. Maybe even see my brothers. God only knows what's happened these past five years.

The ding of the coffee machine pulls me from my thoughts. I grab a coffee mug from the cabinet and start pouring the warm liquid. I rummage through the fridge and find some simple half and half, "This'll do." I pour a bit of cream and place the carton back in the fridge. I follow Axel to the backdoor and we both step out into the beautiful morning air. He runs around a bit and does his business. I sit on one of the outdoor couches and prop my feet on the table. I sip my coffee and continue watching Axel chase a few birds looking for their breakfast.

I feel my phone vibrate and look down to see what it is. I have several unopened notifications from Instagram, Twitter, and emails. I refuse to open my emails today. I'm sure they're mostly from Kenny updating us about the coming week's filming schedule to make sure we all know the locations we need to be at. I refuse to ruin this weekend with work emails, at least until tomorrow. Having told Sarah yesterday about being let go from the Charmed reboot project felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I'll miss the few friends I've made on the crew, but we hadn't been working long enough on the project for me to feel too attached to it yet. I just wish Will would've talked to me about the possibility before I took on the Descendants project.

I continue sipping on my warm coffee enjoying the subtle hues of orange and blue in the sky. Axel has joined me, chewing on a stick under my legs. I change my thoughts to keep myself in a good mood. I think over how much Sofia and I's demeanor has changed over the course of a few months. We went from not saying a word to each other, or even acknowledging each other's existence, to being best friends again. I still feel those butterflies when she smiles or laughs, which lately has been a lot. I might have been writing a few songs about all of these feelings recently, but they could honestly be about either Sofia or Sarah. My phone vibrating pulls me from my thoughts, and I look at the screen to see Kenny calling me. It's 7:00am on a Saturday, why is this man awake!

"This is AJ," I hesitantly answer the phone.

"Good morning, AJ. I have some good news for you, and I wanted to give it to you as soon as possible," I can hear the happiness in his voice, and my ears perk up.

"Alright. Good news is always welcome," I smile and take another sip of the rest of my coffee.

"A friend of mine, Tim Fedrele, is trying to get a new show up on Disney+ that centers around the high school that High School Musical was filmed. Now he hasn't publicly been announced as a producer or that the project has the greenlight, but I mentioned you to him and he'd love to talk to you once everything goes public," Kenny takes a breath, and my heart is beating out of my chest. "I'm also in the middle of possibly signing a deal with Netflix. Now things won't be moving until next year, but I'd love to consider you to be on my team when the time comes. Like I said I wanted to give you all of this good news to think it over. I gave Tim your information to reach out once him and Disney reach an agreement."

"Kenny, you don't know how much this all means to me. I'll think about both and won't make any rash decisions right now. Have a good weekend, boss. Much deserved," I can't wipe the smile on my face and sound too ecstatic for 7:00am.

"You too, kid. I'll see you both bright and early Monday," Kenny and I say our goodbyes, and I lock my phone.

I take a deep breath and let what he just told me sink in. Two different projects, and both seem to be reliable enough to guarantee longevity. Before I get too lost in thought, I hear the sliding glass door open. I turn and see Lee making his way towards me. Axel meets him near the door and puts his front paws on Lee's thigh, "Morning bud." I sit the empty coffee mug on the table in front of me and wipe both hands over my face.

"Good morning, sir," I greet as he makes his way over to one of the chairs opposite the couch. Axel returns to his spot under my legs and continues chewing on his stick. "Morning. Sleep well?" Lee takes a sip of his coffee focusing his attention on me. "It was good. Honestly felt a bit weird after what happened, but Sarah and I are working through it," he nods and hums at my answer. Probably shouldn't talk about these things with my girlfriend's father.

"I was disappointed Sarah let Nick stay once he arrived earlier that week. I was further disappointed once I found out you did not know. As much as I had given you a hard time, I truly love having you apart of this family and having you in Sarah's life. I don't think I've seen her this happy besides when she's dancing," Lee smiles at me and I return it.

"I only ever want to make Sarah happy," I turn my attention to the hem of my shirt. Lee stays silent for a moment until I hear him sigh, "AJ, I love my girls and only ever want their happiness. I know you two have only been together a year and a half, but I approve."

My eyes go big, and I'm suddenly caught off guard, "Sir, I'm not sure when that'll be but I appreciate the approval." I try hiding the deep breath to calm my sudden nerves. Fortunately, the sound of the sliding glass door catches our attention, and we turn to see who's joining us. Monty's collar jingles as he sprints towards the open yard and Axel quickly jumps from his spot to chase after his friend. Lee and I see all three Jeffery ladies walking out: Nyla, Hannah and Sarah still looking half asleep, and Teresa is last out the door with a steamy cup of coffee.

Sarah gravitates towards the couch I'm on and tries making our bodies become one with how close she cuddles into my side. "Morning baby," I mumble into her hair kissing her head. She shoves her head into the crook of my neck and rests her arm across my stomach, "Morning." Lee, Teresa, and I exchange a quiet laugh. The other two girls flank their mom on the neighboring couch. "Good morning, AJ," Teresa greets me, and I smile at her. "Morning Mrs. Jeffery," she gives me a slightly stern look at how I address her. "AJ, how many times do I have to tell you to call me Teresa," I raise my hands up in surrender and nod in understanding.

I watch Monty and Axel wrestling in the grass, and smile at how mouthy Monty is being at Axel attacking his ankles. My boy is a scrappy fighter. "Babe," Sarah muffles into my neck. "Yes," I kiss her temple. "Can you make me a cup of coffee, please?" I lean back to look down at Sarah. She pulls away from me a bit and I smile down at her sleepy eyes, "Of course, but I gotta get up first." Sarah shifts over for me to get up. I grab my coffee mug and I whistle for Axel and Monty to come with me.

They both rush over to their water bowls and quickly down water from their wrestling match. I rinse my mug out and grab a second one from the cupboard. I split the remaining liquid between our mugs and move to the fridge to grab the soy milk. I add some sugar to Sarah's mug and make my way back towards the back door. Axel and Monty relaxing near Monty's doggy bed.

~~

"That did not happen!" Nyla exclaims. After I brought Sarah's coffee out, we all sat and caught up about the previous week from what we didn't talk about last night. I had just finished talking about how I successfully got Axel here without having to move a muscle. "It did. I bribed Melonie to disguise Axel as a dog actor to get on the plane alone. We even attached a small speaker on his collar so I could talk through it making people believe he was a talking dog," I give Nyla a big grin and Sarah rolls her eyes. "You're clever AJ, but you're not that clever. No way you'd pull that off," Hannah pokes a hole in my antics.

"Okay, okay. Sofia's sister, Paulina, was flying in Thursday night and offered to bring Axel with. I've flown with Axel before, so I knew he'd be okay, but I was worried cause she was bringing a puppy of her own. He was well-behaved though, so I'm a proud dog parent at how well trained he is," I beam towards the door seeing Axel laying there watching all of us.

"Is he always that observant with you?" Teresa asks turning towards me and Sarah. "He always has an eye on AJ. Watches her every move. You've had him how long now, babe?" Sarah looks up at me and I count backwards. "He's turning four this year, so almost four years. It'll be four years in December. I got him around Christmas, and he was born around the beginning of November," I recount and nod my head confirming my math.

"So all he knows is you?" Teresa asks and I nod. "I remember the first time I met Axel. He never left AJ's side when we were at her place. And if I tried sitting next to her or touch her, Axel immediately put his head or paw on her showing that she belonged to him," we collectively share a laugh at Sarah's recollection. "What can I say? My boy is possessive," I shrug as I place my mug on the coffee table. Before I lean back, Sarah hands me hers and I place it next to mine.

"Sis, what do you want to do today?" Nyla directs at Sarah, and she glances up at me. I kiss her forehead and we both look at her sisters, "Something relaxing. I'd be fine just hanging out, especially after the week we had with rehearsals." I nod and drop my head against hers letting the serene feeling engulf me. "Sounds to me Sarah needs a mani/pedi day," Hannah looks at their younger sister. "I agree," Nyla confirms. Teresa looks over at us and smiles, "AJ would you be joining these three on their mini spa day?" I glance between the three sisters and shake my head, "I wouldn't want to intrude on a lovely sister day, especially since I got Sarah to myself on her birthday. I'll hang out here until you get back." I make that last statement towards Sarah and kiss the crease away between her eyebrows. Sarah pouts a bit, but it shifts after I kiss her forehead again, "Alright, nail day sounds great to me."

~~

Once the girls settled on what time they'd head to the nail salon, we all made our way back inside and to our respective rooms. I was a bit bummed about not spending time with Sarah, but I get Sarah every day compared to her sisters and parents. A spa day for the sisters and their mom will be good for all four of them. Also gives me a chance to relax a bit and talk more with Sarah's dad. Lee and I have never really had long conversations before, and he's never really learned much about me.

"You sure you're cool with not going with us to get manis and pedis?" Sarah asks putting on some light make-up. I rub Axel's head, which he has laying on my stomach, "Yeah, I'm good babe. You haven't gotten a day like this since we started filming, and I know you miss your sisters and mom. I see you pretty much all the time. I'll miss you, but I'll be here when you get back." The bathroom light turns off and I see Sarah leaning on the doorframe of the attached room, "I'll miss you too. Thank you for this weekend. I know this week was exhausting for the both of us." I shrug at her and lazily smile, "It was your birthday this week and you couldn't celebrate properly with your family. Who am I to keep that from you? We might be in a relationship, but I don't dictate your life just like you don't dictate mine."

Sarah slowly walks over to the bed and sits on the edge. I put my casted hand on her side and rub the clothed area. We exchange a soft smile, "Speaking of dictating your life, you can hang out with Sofia just the two of you. No more chaperoning needed. I trust you and you need to believe that I do. China and I had a long talk Thursday, and she made me realize some things I shouldn't have been doing towards you and how unfair they were." I quirk up my eyebrow and lightly squeeze her side. I look between her eyes making sure she was being honest.

"I appreciate that, Sarah. I really do. What else did you and China talk about?" I watch her shift a bit and she readjusts on the bed to bring her knees up to her chest. "We talked about us, and my feelings on a lot of things going on right now. I told China that I worry you'll stop looking at me like I'm the only thing on Earth worth living for because Sofia is back in your life. I also told her how I'm worried that us being on two different parts of our journeys will affect our relationship in the coming years," Sarah sniffles and I sit up to bring her into my lap.

"Before I give my two cents on our relationship, what do you think about either of those things. Do you think I'd leave for Sofia?" I hook my finger around her chin to make her look at me. Seeing the tears well up cracks my heart a bit. "You two have history and never really got closure on those years together. AJ, you were engaged to her! I worry that that'll never be me you see in those future plans," Sarah rests her forehead on my shoulder, and I rub her back to calm her erratic breathing.

"Sarah, I'm going to be one-hundred percent honest with you. Has rebuilding my lost friendship with Sofia uncovered feelings I never truly got away from? Yes, but I'm with you and nothing will change that. You're the face I want to see when I fall asleep at night and when I wake up in the mornings. Sofia and I were together for a long time and planned a future together, so I understand your insecurities about that. I'm not leaving you for her, and I plan on loving you until you tell me to stop. I'm with you, Sarah. Nothing is changing," I kiss her hairline and linger a bit.

Sarah leans back and we take in each other's features. Her eyes are a bit red from the silent tears she let fall into my shirt. Her lip is trembling a bit from, I'm assuming, the pent-up emotions of this conversation. "I'm sorry I forced you to stop hanging out with Sofia. You forgave me about Nick so quickly. I shouldn't have treated you any differently, especially since you two have known each other for so long and were friends before you were ever together. My insecurities about our relationship overshadowed all of that," her eyes are full of sorrow.

"Sarah, I forgave you the moment you asked me to. I wouldn't have done it if I expected to be coming from a place of malice. I could tell you were worried, and I wanted to show you that it's you and me against the world, no one's replacing you," I kiss her forehead and lay back on the bed with her on top of me. I fix my gaze on the ceiling and feel Sarah drawing patterns under my chin. We're startled by a knock on the door, "Sarah! We're leaving in ten minutes." I glance down at Sarah and she pecks my lips, "Go enjoy your afternoon with your sisters and mom. Don't worry too much about us, okay? We're good." She nods her head and rolls off of me. I stand up behind her and follow her down to the living room.

We make our way to the kitchen where the rest of her family is hanging out. I lean my back against the counter and Sarah leans back into me. I cross my arms over her body and rest my chin on the top of her head. "Sar, you ready?" Hannah asks noticing that we've joined them in the kitchen. "Yep," Sarah pops the 'p' and turns in my arms. "Don't isolate too much from my dad, okay?" She whispers and I nod, "I won't. Plan on hanging on the couch and going through some emails. I'll interact. I promise." She smiles up at me and pecks my lips. I kiss her forehead before she fully leaves my grasp. "We'll be back in about two hours, and we'll go to dinner afterwards so you two," Teresa points at me and Lee, "better be ready when we get back." We both salute her and say a 'yes ma'am' in unison.

~~

Right after Sarah left with her sisters and her mom, Lee and I went our separate ways for a bit. I hung out on the back porch with Monty and Axel going through my emails and making sure my team knows what we need to do for the week. We'll actually be busier this week than the next two weeks since we're hitting two big numbers. I didn't see any more emails from Will or Jessica in regard to being let go, so I decided to not dwell on it. I did reply letting them know I'd put my keys in the mail and had no other items that belonged to the company.

Amongst all the craziness, I did read over the emails Kenny sent me in regard to the two projects that we talked about this morning. His friend's Disney+ project is going to be called High School Musical: The Musical the Series. Based off the emails between Kenny and Tim, the role would be similar to what I'm doing now for Descendants 3 and what I was doing for Charmed, but I'd be an Assistant Sound Coordinator which I'd be fine with. Answering to someone and learning from them will be much desired after we wrap Descendants 3.

As far as Kenny's project, he didn't have much information except that it will be through Netflix. This one won't be starting until next year, but the Disney+ show is slated to beginning film around September of this year. I'll talk to Sarah about these opportunities and keep an open line of communication about what I think I'll do.

Before I get too deep into thinking about my possible future, Lee comes out to join me. "Shouldn't you be relaxing?" He hands me a glass of water. I nod in thanks and close my laptop, "I just wanted to clear up my inbox from this morning. Lots of emails preparing for the week." Lee nods along to my explanation. We share a moment of silence just enjoying the beautiful weather. "Have any plans after you guys finish filming? I know you'll have post-production responsibilities, but after this project is done," he leans back in his chair and watches me. I finish off the water and sit the glass down, "For me, I'm not sure yet. Unfortunately, the executives working on Charmed didn't think my skills were needed anymore so they released me from the project. I was also released from CW as a whole, so my future is very uncertain right now."

I keep a close eye on Lee and can see the gears turning so I try to cover myself, "I plan on reaching out to my parents and trying to reconnect after we wrap production though. Kenny also gave my name to a friend who's working on getting a project green-lighted by Disney." Once I clarify a bit on my uncertain future being a bit more certain than I originally explained, his demeanor relaxes a bit. "I'm happy to hear about the family reconnection. Family is important, and Sarah explained to us the falling out that happened six years ago. I hope it works out for the best," he takes a pause, and I can tell he's thinking out what he wants to say very carefully.

"AJ, can I be frank?" I nod and sit up a bit straighter to give my full attention. "I know changes within your career can be stressful. I know you want Sarah to be happy and to make her happy, but you've also gotta think about yourself. You're both young and navigating this crazy industry. If an opportunity comes along that is great for you but difficult on your relationship," he pauses and takes a breath, "make sure you take it. Sarah's a smart girl, and a hardheaded one, but she'll be okay. Neither of you need to pause dreams to make each other happy."

I nod, "I understand and appreciate the advice, sir. I haven't talked to Sarah about the two opportunities yet. I just learned about them this morning and wanted to learn more about them myself before I talk to her." "Good," he glances at his watch, "We should start getting ready for when the women return." He heads back inside and sit and reflect on what he told me to do. I appreciate his advice, especially since we didn't start off the right foot.

~~

It wasn't long after me and Lee's talk that the girls all came back from the nail salon. Lee and I did not do what we said we would, and instead hung out in the living room watching ESPN. We agreed that the Cleveland Cavaliers look worthy of a playoff berth, but Lee was a bit biased that he wanted the Toronto Raptors to make it instead. I was most excited for the upcoming World Cup. I grew up playing soccer and remember the first time watching the World Cup with Sofia's family. They made me into a Columbia fan, but I'd always cheer for France since my father grew up in Lyon until his family moved when he was fourteen.

"I thought we told you two to be ready for dinner by the time we got home," Teresa stands behind Lee's chair. I smirk at our defiance as Teresa silently scolds Lee. "Hi," I whisper as Sarah sits next to me. I take her hand to look at her manicured nails, "Wow, very nice." "Thank you, and hi," she responds and pecks my cheek. "Alright, we'll go get ready. We'll leave in thirty minutes," Lee stands from his seat and looks at me. "Yep, I'm moving," I push off the couch and Sarah pulls on my hand. I turn and give her a confused look, "Babe, I gotta go get ready." I pull her up from the couch and lead us up the stairs since she was refusing to let me go.

Once we get up to her room, I shut the door and feel Sarah's eyes following me around the room. "Has anyone told you it's not nice to stare?" I smirk keeping my attention on my bag finding something to wear to dinner. "You and my dad looked to be getting along," Sarah smiles at me. "Yeah, we talked about a lot while y'all were gone. It was nice," I return her smile and hold up a pair of black jeans and a black button up. She nods in approval, and I start stripping down to my sports bra and underwear. "If I knew I'd be getting a show coming up here with you, I would've brought popcorn," I chuckle at Sarah's commentary.

I quickly pull on my jeans and walk over towards the bed. I catch Sarah's eyes scanning over my body. "Like what you see?" I playfully say. I stop next to where Sarah's sitting on the bed. Her eyes don't leave my body and mine don't leave her face. "You should really put your shirt on," Sarah's words are barely above a whisper. "But I'm enjoying this too much," I smirk, and Sarah looks up to meet my eyes. "Such a tease. I can play this game too," my smirk falters as Sarah's hands reach up grazing my stomach. Goosebumps cover my body and I feel myself melt under her touch. I take her wrist stopping it above the button on my jeans, "Your family is waiting for us." We both look at each other and Sarah gets up from the bed keeping her hand on my stomach. She gets up on her tiptoes and kisses my lips. What starts off as a sweet kiss soon becomes a want. Sarah runs her tongue against my bottom lip and I allow her to take control.

Before we get too carried away, Sarah pulls away and I follow after her lips. She moves her hand from my stomach to my chest to hold me back. I give her a confused look and she gives me a smirk, "Like I said, 'I can play this game too'." With that, she walks out of the room, and I stand there stunned. "Wow," I whisper in shock. I walk over and grab my button-down shirt to put it on. Tonight is going to be a long night after that. I let my mind wander and scoff as I walk out of Sarah's room. "Such a tease," I whisper making my way downstairs.