Chapter One

(Wednesday, October 9th, 11 a.m.)


Shannon McFadden entered the administration building at the University of Central Florida, trying desperately to balance her messenger bag, portfolio, sketchbooks, and textbooks without dropping anything, and at the same time look for the Registration Desk. She paused for a moment to pull out her schedule and get her bearings, when everything went flying as she was bumped from behind by a large, beefy man with an oversized backpack who kept going, not bothering to help clean up the havoc he had created.

"Great … this is just perfect," Shannon muttered to herself, stooping down to gather up her belongings.

"Here, let me help you with that," A masculine voice with a hint of New York accent commented. Shannon looked up into a pair of sunglasses. "Are you all right?"

"What?" She shook herself, realizing that she had been staring into the face of a handsome young man who was wearing a baseball hat, dark sunglasses, and who now held most of her possessions in his hands.

"Are you alright?" He repeated, extending her books towards her.

"Oh … yeah, thanks. Thank you." Shannon smiled, attempting to rebalance everything. Noticing her struggle, he took a few of her textbooks from her, lightening her load.

"Here, why don't I help you get where you need to go?" he smiled back at her.

"Thanks," she grinned. "I need to find the Registration desk, they messed up my schedule and I need to find out if they put me in the class I need. You don't happen to know where that is, do you?"

"Yeah, it's down this hall." He led the way. "So, what's your major?"

"I'm finishing up my bachelor's degree in Theatrical Costume Design.  I only need three more classes and I'm done. What about you?" She felt relieved when they found the desk, with a short line.

"I'm just taking a few classes - for fun, really. I've got a break in my tour - I mean, work schedule, and I thought I'd take some classes." He replied. Shannon studied him as they made small talk, puzzled over a few things that were unusual about him.

"Why are you wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap, inside?" She blurted out.

"I have my reasons," He grinned, sliding off the sunglasses. Now that she could see his eyes, Shannon noticed they were a deep hazel brown, and full of laughter. "Is that better?"

"Much," Shannon sighed, blushing when she realized what she'd said.

He smiled at her unintended compliment. It had been so long since he'd been able to enjoy someone's company like this, no interruptions, no hassles. He had been afraid to remove his sunglasses, afraid she'd know who he was. But it seemed like she didn't recognize him at all … a feeling he had missed - anonymity. She made her way to the registrar who quickly processed her schedule, and he was pleased to realize she was in his Musical Theatre class, and took note of her other two classes, Stage Craft and Design IV and Shakespearean Theatre.

"All set?" He smiled down at her, and she nodded.

 "I just thought of something … I'm not making you late for your class or anything, am I?" Shannon asked, sounding worried.

"Nope. In fact, we have the same class today." He maneuvered easily through the throng of students, creating a path that was easy for her to follow.

"You're taking Musical Theatre, too?" Shannon was amazed. Most guys she knew would never take a theater class, let alone a musical theater class, for fun. "Do you sing?"

"A little," he smiled, thinking to himself if only she knew … "Do you?"

"I've taken voice lessons for almost ten years now, I love to sing." Shannon explained, bumping into him when he stopped suddenly in front of a classroom.

"Here we are," he opened the door for her and set her books down on a table. Noticing one of her sketchbooks, he picked it up. "Are these some of your designs?"

"Yeah, do you want to see them?" Shannon asked shyly. His face broke out into a huge grin. "I'd love to see them." He sat down at the table, and she pulled up next to him, opening the first sketchbook. She explained most of the costumes in this book were from Camelot, one of the first productions she'd designed on her own. They sat in silence for a few moments while he looked the designs over, his amazement growing with each passing page.

"Wow … these are really amazing … I'm sorry, I just realized I haven't even introduced myself. I'm Joey."

"I'm Shannon McFadden," she laughed. "I'm glad you liked my designs."

"Like isn't a strong enough word, they're great. You've got a lot of talent." He smiled when her eyes lit up, and he noticed they were a bright green, which set off the copper color of her hair. What am I doing, he thought to himself. This girl was pretty, he knew that. He also knew that if he wasn't careful he'd find himself in trouble. "So, do you live around here?"

"I just transferred down here, so I'm still not quite sure where everything is." Shannon replied.

"Really? I've lived here for years," he smiled. Maybe I could show you around sometime?" Before Shannon could answer him, the professor entered the classroom and began outlining the course requirements.

"Everyone needs to pick a partner for this course, as every assignment will be a partner piece. When I come around to you, please have your partner picked out …" The professor began making his way around the room and Joey looked at Shannon. "Do you want to be my partner?" He asked her.

"Sure, you're the only person I know in here," she grinned.

After the class was over, Joey walked with Shannon towards the Administration building, where she was due to meet her best friend. They talked excitedly about their first assignment, which was to prepare a song to be performed the next week.

"I was wondering if maybe you want to get together tonight, we could start working on it and practice," Joey suggested.

"Okay, sounds great! My place or yours?" Shannon tried to hide her excitement, she really liked this guy.

"Why don't we do my place? I can come pick you up around seven, is that all right?" He quickly wrote his cell phone number down and handed it to her.

"Sounds like a plan. Oh, here comes my best friend," Shannon waved at a girl who was walking across the square towards them.

"Well, I guess I'll talk to you tonight, see you later." Joey hastily made his exit, sliding on his sunglasses as he went. Shannon looked after him, slightly puzzled, but shrugged it off when her best friend walked up to her.

"Hey, what have you been up to?" Meaghan Fraser grinned, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Nothing much," Shannon replied, smiling back.

"I wouldn't call talking to Joey Fatone 'nothing much', Shan." Meaghan teased.

"Joey Fatone? What do you mean?" Shannon questioned as they headed towards her car.

"That's who you were talking to, duh." Meaghan laughed.
Shannon's eyes grew large as she put it all together - the sunglasses, the hat, his quick exit … "Oh my god …" she was dumbstruck.

"You mean to tell me … you didn't know?" Meaghan was baffled. "You really didn't know that it was Joey Fatone you were talking to?"

"No, I didn't. I mean, I thought he was cute … I had no idea." Shannon insisted as she steered the car onto the freeway. "He's in my Musical Theatre class, we're partners."

"Lucky you," Meaghan replied, smiling. "Any other members of *N SYNC in any of your classes I should know about?"

"Very funny, Meg." Shannon rolled her eyes. "Oh my god!"

"What?" Meaghan jumped at the outburst.

"Joey's picking me up at our place at seven! What am I going to wear?" Shannon groaned.

"Calm down, Shan. We'll figure something out." Meaghan reassured her. "Do you think he'll be bringing Justin with him?" Meaghan dodged a swing from Shannon, laughing.

Chapter Two

(Wednesday, October 9th, 3 p.m.)

Joey pulled into his driveway, groaning when he saw his best friend's car sitting there. He had hoped to have the house to himself so he could get ready for his date with Shannon, and now he’d have to answer a million questions. At least it's just Chris, he thought, some relief flooding over him. He walked into the house, sighing when he heard voices coming from the living room.

“Hey man!” a male voice called out.

“Hi guys, what are you doing here?” Joey asked, somewhat annoyed. His eyes surveyed the living room where his best friend, Chris Kirkpatrick, and their bandmate, Justin Timberlake, sat playing video games.

“You’ve got the better system,” Justin explained, concentrating on the screen.

“Guys, don’t you have your own place to live? Why do you always have to come over here? What if I had brought someone home with me?” Joey questioned, throwing his backpack on the couch.

“Like you could get a date,” Chris teased.

"I have a date, and I have to pick her up at seven, so if you don’t mind - get out.” Joey said, straightening up the living room. Chris jumped up from the couch, amusement sparkling in his brown eyes.

“Oooh, Joey has a date! Who with?”

“Nobody you know.” Joey was vague on purpose, hoping Chris would get the message.  

“Seriously, Joe, who do you have a date with?” Justin was curious. He knew Joey wouldn’t be so nervous if it wasn’t someone special.

“It’s just someone I met at the college today. It’s not really a date, more like a study date. We’re partners for a project.” Joey looked at his best friends, pleading. “Now will you guys please go?”

“What’s her name?” Chris asked, bouncing up and down on the couch.

“If you must know, her name is Shannon. Now please, leave?” Joey looked at the clock, which read 5:30. If they left now, he’d have time to straighten the house a little, get a shower, and -

“Joey and Shannon, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!” Chris shouted, dancing around the living room.

Justin just looked at Joey and rolled his eyes. “Come on, Chris. Let’s go over to JC’s, you can wreak havoc at his place for awhile.” Justin grabbed hold of Chris’s arm and pulled the older man out of the room. “See you later, Joey. Have fun tonight.”

“Thanks, Justin.”


************

Shannon ran into Meaghan’s room and stood before her expectantly. “Okay, what do you think of this one?”

“Perfect. You sure are going to a lot of trouble for a study date,” Meaghan teased.

“I know, but I just wanted to look nice.” Shannon twirled in front of the mirror, looking carefully over her reflection. She was wearing denim capris with a white peasant blouse, not wanting to look too dressed up for a study date. She had curled her dark auburn hair, which now fell in soft waves down her back. “Do you think I look all right?”

“You look gorgeous.” Meaghan looked up from her book. “Now stop worrying so much.”

The doorbell rang, and Shannon rushed to answer it. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, she opened the door, revealing Joey who was dressed in jeans and a blue polo shirt.  He smiled at her, and held out his hand. “Ready to go?”

“Yeah, let me just grab my stuff.” Shannon gathered up her things, smiling brightly at Meaghan.

“See you later, behave yourself,” Meaghan teased, waving her out the door.

*************

“Well, we’ve narrowed it down to these four shows at least,” Shannon sighed a few hours later. “Now all we’ve got to do is pick one of the twenty songs we both like.”

Joey laughed. “God, I hate making decisions like this! I like them all, you pick.”

“Oh no you don’t,” Shannon laughed. “No fair making me do this all on my own. You’d better help me.” They began leafing through the CD cases scattered on the table before them.

“We’ve got Rent, The Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, and The Secret Garden. I vote to eliminate The Secret Garden - I like the other shows better. What about you?” Joey asked, picking up the CD.

“Why don’t we go through song by song, I can’t pick any other way.” Shannon suggested.  "I guess we could just try singing them all through and see what sounds best?”

“Sounds good. Let's start with this one,” Joey suggested, handing her the sheet music.

“Thanks,” Shannon replied. She took a few deep breaths while Joey placed the CD’s in the stereo, trying to calm the butterflies that were slamdancing in her stomach.  Here she was, sitting in Joey Fatone’s house, preparing to sing with him - an experience that both thrilled and terrified her.

"Hey, are you okay?” Joey’s concerned voice tore Shannon from her thoughts.

“I’m just a little nervous, I mean … this is what you do for a living. It’s just a little daunting.” Shannon smiled nervously.

“So, you figured out who I am?” Joey sighed, wondering if this was such a good idea. He had wondered how long it would take her to figure things out, and now that she knew who he was, he worried that it would change things between them.

"Yeah, my best friend, Meaghan pointed out who you were. I truthfully had no idea. I mean, I know your music and your group, but I didn’t really recognize you when I met you today.” Shannon admitted. She noticed the change that had come over Joey’s features, and hurriedly  reassured him. “I hope you don’t think that just because I know who you are now I’m going to go all teeny bopper on you.”

Joey chuckled, shaking his head. “No, I wasn’t thinking that.”

“Don’t lie,” Shannon smiled, shaking a finger at him. “Admit it - for a minute there you were thinking I was going to try and steal stuff from your house and sell it on eBay.” Joey burst out laughing, falling back on the couch. It took him a few moments to compose himself before he could respond.

“Okay, okay, you’re right. I was thinking the worst. I hope you don’t think I’m horrible for thinking like that, but …”

"It’s okay, really.” Shannon smiled at him brightly, her eyes shining with laughter.

Joey smiled back, and their eyes locked, their laughter quieted into soft smiles. Very gently, Joey touched Shannon’s cheek, running his fingers along her jawbone, and tracing a path along her hairline, smoothing back a few stray strands of her auburn hair. Shannon could feel her heart beating quickly, and she held her breath, hardly believing what was happening.

"You have very beautiful eyes,” Joey whispered, drawing closer to Shannon. He put his arms around her waist, and pulled her into a soft, sweet kiss.

Chapter Three

After a few moments, the kiss ended, leaving both Joey and Shannon breathless.

“Pay no attention to the man in the kitchen with the cheese doodles!” A voice called out, startling them both. Shannon looked in confusion at Joey.

“Do you live with someone?”

“Well … no, but I have a pretty good idea who that is,” Joey replied, frustration evident in his voice. “I’ll be right back.” He rose from the couch and headed towards the kitchen, his annoyance growing with each step. Rounding the corner, he bumped right into Chris, who was busy helping himself to a large bag of cheese doodles and a bottle of Dr. Pepper.

“Oh, hey Joey.” Chris said, grinning broadly. “What are you up to?”

“You know very well! What are you doing here? Don’t you ever eat your food?” Joey asked, shutting the door that separated the kitchen from the living room.

“Yes, I just wanted to see what she looks like. She’s pretty … I’m impressed!” Chris teased, Joey growing more and more aggravated with him by the second.

“Will you please leave? We’re trying to work on this project -”

“I could see that you were working pretty hard.” Chris laughed at Joey’s obvious embarrassment.

“Okay, so we weren’t working on it at that moment, but man, I don’t bother you when you’re with Amy,” Joey pointed out.

“So the paper clips and gummy bears magically appeared in our hair while we were sleeping on the bus last month?” Chris argued, making Joey giggle.

“That was Justin’s idea, but that’s besides the point,” he tried to look stern. “Please, will you just go? I promise I’ll talk to you later.”

“Sure, I'll go … after I say hi!” Chris pushed past Joey into the living room, jumping onto the couch next to Shannon, who was more than a little surprised.

“Shannon, this is Chris Kirkpatrick, my hyperactive best friend. Chris, Shannon McFadden, my classmate.” Joey smiled softly at her, making her blush.

“Classmate, huh?” Chris smirked evilly, his eyes glittering with mirth.

“Yeah, she’s my new best friend, and you’ve been replaced. Now will you please go?” Joey begged, giving Chris a look.

“Yeah, I’m going. It was nice meeting you, Shannon. I’m sure we’ll see each other again, since you were all Joey talked about this afternoon.” Chris cast a sidelong glance at Joey to see his reaction. Joey just shook his head, vowing silently to kill Chris when he had the chance.

“It was nice meeting you too, Chris.” Shannon smiled at him, amused by his antics. She could tell they were close, despite Joey's anger. While Joey walked Chris to the door, Shannon leaned back against the couch cushions, reflecting on what had just happened between Joey and her. Although she hadn’t known him long, she was already falling for Joey … hard. She was giddy with the memory of his lips on hers, and she could still feel where his fingers had traced her jawbone.  

Joey closed the front door behind Chris, sighing with relief. As much as he loved Chris as a brother, there were times he wanted to throttle him too. He walked slowly back to the living room, a smile coming to his lips as he thought of the kiss he had just shared with Shannon. He really liked her a lot, more than he had liked anyone in a long time. And he trusted her, too, which was important - it had been so long since he had felt he could trust anyone who wasn’t affiliated with *N SYNC or his four best friends. Taking a deep breath, he reentered the living room, his heart fluttering when Shannon smiled at him.

“Sorry about that. Chris sometimes gets a little carried away, but he means well.” Joey apologized, shaking his head.

“Don’t worry about it, it was nice meeting him. He seems really nice,” Shannon grinned.

“Why don’t we try singing those songs now?” Joey suggested, moving towards the stereo. “What do you want to sing first?”

Shannon perused over the list of songs she had made. “A Little Fall of Rain”. I can work up to “Phantom”, so I can hit the aria at the end.” Joey looked at her with awe.

“You mean … you can hit those notes?” Shannon laughed at his surprised look.

“Yeah, Joey, I can. I guess you have quite a bit to learn about me.”

************

A few hours later, after singing through every song, they had finally decided on the title song from The Phantom of the Opera.

“In all your fantasies, you always knew
That man and mystery …” Joey’s rich baritone sang, followed by Shannon’s strong soprano. “… were both in you.”
“And in this labyrinth where night is blind
The Phantom of the Opera is there/here
Inside your/my mind …” Their voices blended together perfectly, complimenting each other.

As Shannon finished the aria one last time, Joey pulled her into a hug, spinning her around.

“Wow! You are going to blow that teacher away next week!” Joey’s face shone with pride.  “Why aren’t you singing professionally?”

“Well, I don’t know. I love singing … I just think of it as a hobby, I guess.” Shannon shrugged. Joey stopped grinning and looked at her seriously.

“Shannon, you’re good. I mean … wow. I honestly am so excited about singing with you for the rest of the semester, I really love hearing our voices together.” Joey complimented.

“Thanks,” she blushed. “I do too.”

“I hate to do this, cause I’m having a great time, but it’s almost 2 a.m. - I’d better get you home.” Joey said, reluctantly.

“Is it really?”  Shannon stretched, yawning.

“What are you doing tomorrow night?”

“Nothing, really. Meaghan and I have girl stuff during the day, but we didn’t plan anything for tomorrow night.” Shannon began gathering her things together.

“Would you like to go out with me? I could show you around, we could maybe have dinner …” Joey looked at her face to gauge her reaction.

“That sounds wonderful,” Shannon smiled brightly.

*************

Joey walked Shannon to the apartment door, waiting for her to unlock it and go inside.

“Thanks for the great time, tonight, Joey. I really had an amazing time.” Shannon grinned. She shivered in the cool night air.

“Are you cold?” Joey rubbed his hands up and down her arms, moving closer to her. “Is that better?”

Shannon found herself lost in the depths of his warm hazel brown eyes. “Yes …”

Joey couldn’t take his eyes off of her. His heart began to beat faster as he placed his lips on hers, pulling her closer when he felt her arms wrap around his neck.

“Ahem!” The sudden noise made them both jump apart, and they turned to see Meaghan standing in front of them, two bags of groceries in her arms.

“Don’t mind me,” Meaghan grinned. “I’d just like to get into the apartment, and you guys were kind of blocking the door.”  Joey pulled the bags from her arms, and carried them inside.

 “Meaghan … why were you out getting groceries at 2 a.m.?” he questioned as he set them down in the kitchen.

“I had a sudden urge to make salsa,” Meaghan replied, ignoring his confused look.

“Meaghan often gets ‘sudden urges’ to make salsa at odd hours. Don’t worry about it,” Shannon laughed at Joey’s expression.  "Date went that badly, huh?"  She asked Meaghan.

"Don't even ask," Meaghan made a face, and started putting groceries away.

“Okay … I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?” Joey asked Shannon.

“Sounds great.” Shannon walked him to the door, surprising him by kissing him softly on the lips. “Thank you for tonight.”

“No, thank you.” Joey smiled at her sweetly. He kissed her again before shutting the door behind him. Shannon let out a sigh of contentment and leaned against the door, smiling broadly to herself.

“Okay … are you gonna let me die of curiosity or what?” Meaghan asked from the kitchen.

“Yup,” Shannon grinned evilly as she waltzed to her bedroom.

“I hate it when you do that!” Meaghan called after her, the only response Shannon’s laughter.

Chapter Four

(Wednesday, October 9th, 7:30 p.m.)

Laurie Benton sighed as she watched her boyfriend of two years, Steven Fatone; flirt openly with the hostess of the restaurant. She usually ignored the constant flirting - she knew Steve loved her, and she also knew it came with the territory. Being the brother of a superstar, she was used to Steve being recognized almost as much as his little brother, Joey, and she never had a problem with the recognition. She did have a problem with the girls who openly threw themselves at Steve, usually right in front of Laurie. It never ceased to amaze her:  those girls who would do anything to meet *N SYNC, anything to achieve fifteen minutes of fame, a few moments of celebrity. And Steve knew that’s all those girls ever wanted, but his friendly nature and flirty personality couldn’t be held back.

“Wow … I can’t believe you’re really related to Joey!” The hostess gushed, running her fingers up and down Steve’s arm. “So what’s it like? Do you ever get jealous?”

“No, can’t say that I do,” Steve chuckled. “What’s your name?”

“Jennifer,” the girl sighed.

"That’s a beautiful name,” Steve smiled the killer Fatone smile. Finally exasperated, Laurie made her presence known by clearing her throat loudly. “Oh, hey baby!”

“Hi, Steve. Is there a problem with our reservation?” Laurie asked sweetly, taking off her coat to reveal a slinky black dress, knowing the effect it would have on Steve.

“No, no problems.” He swallowed hard at the sight of Laurie in the dress. “You look amazing.” He pulled her close and kissed her softly.

Laurie felt her anger melting as she looked into Steve’s warm brown eyes.

“Thank you. I’m sorry I’m late, I had some work that needed to be finished at the studio.” Laurie explained, as they were led to their table.

“JC keeping late hours again?” Steve asked, rolling his eyes.

“You know him, always working. I keep telling him he’s on a vacation, but …” Laurie grinned, shaking her head. Laurie had been best friends with Joshua Chasez since they had both been eight years old. She knew him better than anyone, and he knew her just as well. When *N SYNC had begun their rise to the top, JC asked Laurie to come along on the first tour, and now she worked directly with JC, as one of his personal assistants. Sometimes it was strange, working for her best friend, but Laurie loved her job, and loved being able to see not only JC, but Steve as well. JC had actually been instrumental in their relationship, setting them up, and along with Joey, had pushed Laurie and Steve together. Laurie had never been happier, she loved Steve with all her heart, and they had a great relationship, and a lot of fun together. She was grateful for the vacation that had just started, the first leg of the tour had ended, and there would be a break until January, giving everyone a chance to relax.

“Have you talked to Joey today?” Laurie wondered. “How did his first day of classes go?”

“I only got to talk to him for a minute, he was getting ready to work on a project with some girl from his class - he seemed really excited.” Steve answered.

“About the project, or the girl?” Laurie laughed.

*********

JC Chasez entered the house he shared with his girlfriend, smiling when he saw candles lit and heard soft music playing. He set down the stack of papers he had been carrying and headed into the living room to investigate. Smelling the aroma of chocolate wafting from the kitchen, he quietly opened the door, grinning when his eyes landed on Natalie, who had her back turned to him as she melted chocolate on the double boiler. Silently, he moved behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing the nape of her neck. “Hello love,” He purred, resting his chin on her shoulder.

“Hi baby,” Natalie smiled, turning around to face him. “I was wondering what was keeping you.”

“I got inspired and I wanted to lay down some tracks before I left. I made Laurie late for dinner with Steve, but it was worth it. I’ve had this melody stuck in my head for weeks.” JC explained. His eyes traveled over the melting chocolate, a bowl of strawberries, and a bottle of champagne. “And just what do you have planned?”

“Well, in honor of your first night home, I thought we could do a little celebrating,” Natalie suggested, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“It’s been so long since it was just the two of us …” She kissed JC gently, and his arms wrapped around her as the kiss deepened, causing them both to moan with the longing they both felt.

“You’re right, it’s been too long.” JC’s eyes twinkled with passion, and they moved the food and drink into the living room.

*************

Laurie and Steve lingered over dinner, enjoying each other's company and relishing the thought that there was nowhere they needed to be, nothing to rush off to. It had been so long since the two of them had had an evening all to themselves with no interruptions, and Laurie was grateful for the opportunity. She was just about to ask Steve about ordering dessert when a girl approached the table.

"Excuse me, but are you Steve Fatone?" The girl looked about nineteen or twenty, with a look of determination on her face.

"Yes, that would be me." Steve smiled. "Can I do something for you?"

"Not at the moment," she shot Laurie a dirty look. "But call me, and I'll be able to tell you all about what I can do for you." She handed Steve a folded piece of paper, waved coyly, and strutted away.

Laurie stared after the girl in amazement. "Can you believe the nerve …" She looked at Steve, who was watching as the girl sauntered off, a familiar twinkle in his eyes. "Oh … not again."

"What? Did you say something?" Steve turned around to face Laurie, the paper still clutched in his hand.

"I'm right here, for Christ's sake!" Laurie seethed, anger flushing her cheeks. "You could at least wait until we're not together to have your little fantasies about a groupie!"

"Laur … I'm sorry …" Steve sputtered.

"Just save it, Steve! I'm tired of this - I'm leaving." Laurie stood up from the table, and grabbing her coat and purse, headed out of the restaurant.

***************

"JC? Where are you?" Natalie called out from the bedroom they shared. She had been waiting patiently for over thirty minutes, and JC had sworn he'd be right back. But the minutes ticked by, the lit candles burned low, and the magic of the evening had started to wear thin.

"I'm in the music room," JC answered as he scribbled lyrics in his notebook. He had meant to only be a few moments, but an inspiration had struck him suddenly, and he needed to get the ideas and words onto paper before they were forgotten.

Natalie blew out the candles and changed quickly out of the lacy nightgown she had been wearing. Her anger grew as she threw clothing and personal items into a suitcase. She knew how important she was to JC, but she was tired of always taking the back seat - to the group, to his writing, to the fans - she hardly felt like she even existed to him on a day-to-day basis. After one last look around the bedroom she had shared with JC for six months, she picked up her suitcases and walked downstairs. Natalie heard the sounds of JC's keyboard coming from his music room, and headed in that direction.

JC could feel someone's eyes on him, and he looked up from his keyboard. "Nat? Baby, what's wrong?"  The look on her face scared him; he had never seen her look that way at him before.

"I'm leaving, Josh." The simple words broke her heart, but she couldn't keep living like this. The pain she saw in his eyes was reflected in her own, and she had to turn away.

"But … why?" JC asked in disbelief.

"I can't keep living like this, JC. I need to feel like I'm an important part of your life, not just someone you fit in when you can. I'll be at my sister’s … call me when you've figured out what you want." And with that, Natalie walked out.

*************

Laurie drove around Orlando aimlessly, the tears making it difficult for her to see the road. Unconsciously, she had made her way to JC's house, and now sat in the driveway, unsure of what to do.

JC's heart was breaking. What had he done? Had he really left Natalie out, had he really been ignoring her? He stared at the lyrics before him, he had poured his heart out on the paper, and it showed.

I don't know when we fell apart
The love that we had was like a work of art
I used to see heaven in your eyes
Now angels have fallen from your skies

The things we said were so wrong
And I haven't held you for so long
My foolish pride turns me inside
Why did we tell all those lies?

If you can reach for the phone
You don't have to be alone

Outside the winter seems so cold
Your heart is frozen like the snow
And there's no one home to keep you safe and warm
Your eyes are red because you've cried
You fell asleep by the fireside
But there's one thing you should know
On this Christmas, baby, you don't have to be alone

JC was pulled from his thoughts when he heard a knock sound on the front door. He ran quickly to answer it, his heart racing, praying it was Natalie. He opened the door to reveal Laurie, standing before him with tears streaming down her face. "Laur?  What's wrong?"

"JC …" Laurie cried, collapsing in sobs on his chest. "Steve and I had a horrible fight. Can I please come in?"

"Of course." JC kissed her forehead and lead her inside.

Chapter Five

JC sat Laurie down on his couch, handing her a box of tissues. He looked cautiously at his best friend, unsure of what to do. “Laur? What happened?”

Laurie sniffled, trying to find the words, not sure of where to start. She took one look at JC’s worried blue eyes and her tears started anew.

“Oh, Laurie, don’t cry,” JC moved to her and pulled her into his arms. “It’s going to be okay. Why don’t you take a deep breath and tell me what happened?”

“Well …” Laurie drew a shaky breath. “Steve and I went out to dinner, and everything was fine. He was flirting with the hostess, but you know how Steve is, he flirts with everyone. That didn’t bother me so much. We had a great dinner, it was nice being able to just relax and not have to rush off somewhere. We had just finished dinner when this girl approached the table. I thought for a minute it was the waitress, but …” Laurie’s sobs started again as she relived the memory. JC gently rocked her back and forth, shushing her until her sobs relented before pressing her for more.

“What happened then?”

“This girl … she asked Steve if he was really Steve Fatone, and he said yes, and asked her if he could do anything for her. And … and she gave him a piece of paper with her number on it and said ‘call me and I’ll tell you what I can do for you’. She gave me the dirtiest look …” Laurie shook her head, tears streaming down her face. “JC, I can deal with the fans, but this girl was so relentless, so jealous … she scared me!”

“I can imagine. But why did you and Steve fight?” JC wondered, holding her hand.

“He looked at this girl as she walked away with this look in his eyes … I’ve seen that look before, JC. It’s the same look he’s given me a hundred times. But that he wanted this girl … he didn’t even act like I was there!” Laurie cried, the anger making her shake violently. “I’m just so tired of feeling this way, like I’m not good enough! I feel so unwanted and so ugly sometimes …”

JC tilted her chin up so that her green eyes were staring deeply into his own. “Now you listen to me, Laurie Benton - you are beautiful. I don’t ever want you to feel like you are less than you are, and don’t let anyone make you feel that way.” Laurie stared back at him, she could see the fire in his eyes, and it made her shiver.

“Thank you, Josh. You’ve always been here for me,” Laurie smiled slightly, wiping the last of her tears away.

“I’ll always be here for you, Laur. Always. I’ve known since the first time I met you when we were eight years old that you and I had something special. I’m never going to let you get away from me.” JC brushed back a lock of her golden brown hair that had fallen into her eyes. “I kind of … never mind.”

“What were you going to say?” Laurie looked at him strangely.

“Well … when we were in school, I … I had a small crush on you.” JC’s cheeks were pink with the effort of his confession. “Okay, a huge crush on you. But I never wanted to ruin the great thing we had and still have. And when I got picked for the Mickey Mouse Club and moved away, I was so afraid we’d lose the great friendship we had. But you’ve been there for me, every step of the way, every success I’ve had, you’ve been there to help me celebrate, and I love you for that.”

“I love you, too, JC. You’ll never lose my friendship,” Laurie smiled, touched by his confession. “And since it’s truth time, I’m going to have to admit something too … I had a crush on you too - the first time I saw you on the Mickey Mouse Club, something in me just came alive, and I realized at that time that I loved you. But I didn’t want to ruin our great friendship, either, so I just never said anything.”

JC’s eyes widened in surprise. All those years … he never thought that Laurie ever felt what he was feeling. And now that he knew that she had …

“Wow, that’s just … amazing.” JC looked at Laurie, and he felt the familiar tug at his heart. He moved closer to her, and a tiny voice in his head was chiming warning signals, but he ignored it. Sensing no resistance from Laurie, he placed his hand on her face, and drawing her close to him, kissed her gently.  Laurie wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him closer, deepening the kiss. JC pulled away to look into Laurie’s eyes, amazed at what he was seeing there.

“Laurie … I …” JC breathed, unsure of what to do next.

Laurie touched his face softly, tracing his cheekbone with her fingers.  “JC, please?” she pleaded.

He brought his lips to hers again, this time with such passion it took their breath away. Their kisses became more and more desperate; JC was soon positioned above Laurie, covering her body with his. They held on to each other tightly, not wanting to let go. JC sat up and slowly pulled off his shirt, moaning when Laurie’s hands traveled over the well-defined muscles of his chest and abdomen, his flesh tingling from her touch. He reached behind her and unzipped her dress, pulling it down to reveal her soft tanned skin, breathing in her sweet scent. He covered her neck and breasts with tiny kisses, so soft they made her shiver with anticipation. Laurie stood so that she could remove her dress completely, as JC removed his pants, pulling Laurie into his arms and unclasping her bra. He pressed his bare chest against hers, enjoying the feeling of her hard nipples brushing against his flesh as he lowered them both to the couch. His hands caressed her contours, traveling to her panties, which he removed quickly, his fingers gently probing the wet recess of her inner folds, making her moan loudly. She writhed against his hand as he slipped his fingers inside of her, moving them in and out of her quickly, bringing her to orgasm. Her green eyes opened to stare into his, begging him for more. Gently, JC covered her body with his own. Laurie opened herself to him, and JC slowly entered her, each thrust generating loud moans from the both of them. They moved together slowly, relishing the new feelings they had never experienced together, their bodies moving as one. Their pace became frenzied as they came together, the force of their orgasm washing over them and leaving them breathless. JC placed gentle kisses along Laurie’s forehead, cradling her in his arms. He pulled a throw over them and held Laurie close, falling into a blissful sleep.

Chapter Six

(Thursday, October 10th, 1 p.m.)

“Come on, Shan! You’ve gotta tell me what happened last night!” Meaghan begged her best friend, jumping up and down on her bed. “I won’t stop bugging you till you tell me, so you might as well!”

“I told you what happened. We were working on the project, he kissed me, Chris came over, then he left, Joey took me home, kissed me again, and we’re supposed to go out tonight.” Shannon summarized.

“You’re no fun, you know that?” Meaghan groaned, flopping onto the bed.

“I’m lots of fun!” Shannon insisted, grinning. The doorbell rang, and the girls stared at each other.  “Are you expecting someone?”

“No … you?” Meaghan wondered as they started for the door.

“Nope, Joey’s supposed to call me when he’s about to come over.” She opened the door, and they were both greeted with the sight of Joey loaded down with grocery bags, smiling.

“Hey Shannon, Meaghan. Do you mind letting me in? These things are starting to get heavy,” Joey remarked, shifting his weight.

“Come in,” Shannon opened the door wider, and Joey deposited the groceries on the kitchen table. He strode over to where Shannon was hanging back shyly and pulled her into his arms for a hug, kissing her gently.

“I missed you,” Joey smiled softly, making her heart melt, and Meaghan made gagging noises behind them. “Hi Meaghan, how are you?”

“Not bad, my stomach’s feeling a little queasy after that display,” Meaghan grinned.

“It better not be, I’m about to make you guys my famous spaghetti tonight,” Joey began pulling items out of the bags and arranging them on the counter.

An hour later, the sauce was simmering on the stove, and Joey was showing Shannon how to make meatballs when his cell phone rang. Holding up his hands, Joey cast a pitiful look at Meaghan who was busy stirring the sauce.  “Could you grab that and answer it for me?”

“I guess.” Meaghan sighed sarcastically and pulled the phone off his belt. “Hello?  You've reached Joey's Pants.”

“Hello? Who’s this?” A frustrated male voice demanded.

“Excuse me?” Meaghan asked. “This is Meaghan. Who are you?”

“What are you doing on Joey’s cell phone?”

“He asked me to answer it for him, since he’s busy. You still haven’t told me who you are,” Meaghan insisted.

“Why should I? I don’t know who you are or how you got Joey’s cell - ”

“I told you, I’m Meaghan and Joey’s busy so he asked me to answer for him. Someone sounds cranky,” Meaghan remarked to Joey, who was trying not to laugh.

“Excuse me?” The voice roared. “I'm cranky? Who the hell are you to tell me anything! Where’s Joey?”

“He’s right here, but he’s busy right now. If you’d tell me who you are, I’d tell him to call you back, but since you won’t tell me, I guess I’ll just have to hang up.” Meaghan smiled sweetly, enjoying every minute.

“What? I don’t believe this! Fine, this is Justin, now can I talk to Joey?” Meaghan took a deep breath, realizing who it was she was talking to. Laughing, she decided to keep messing with him; it was too easy to get him riled up.

“No, I don’t think so.”

“WHAT?” He shouted, hearing Joey’s laughter in the background, which only aggrivated him further. “What do you mean ‘no’? Do you even have the slightest comprehension who you are talking to?”

“Someone who’s pretty damn cocky, I’d say.” Meaghan answered.

“Now I'm cocky?  That’s it! Where the hell is Joey? I’m going to kill him!” Justin fumed.

“1003 Riley Court, apartment B,” Meaghan replied.

“I’ll be there in five minutes, tell Joey to stay put.” Justin clicked off his phone, amazed at the girl’s audacity. Who did she think she was, talking to him like that? He quickly found the address she had given him, and stomped up the steps of the apartment building, formulating what he was going to say when he got to the door. Stopping in front of the apartment door, he knocked loudly. He was just about to knock again when the door swung open, revealing the prettiest girl he had seen in a long time.

“So … you’re the famous Justin Timberlake,” Meaghan remarked, looking him up and down.

“Uh … um …” For once in his life, Justin Timberlake was tongue-tied. Joey stared at his friend in amazement, and looked at Shannon, who was unsure whether to laugh or go to Justin’s defense.

“Is that all you have to say?” Meaghan locked eyes with Justin, her breath catching when she noticed how deeply blue they really were.

“Hi, I’m Justin,” he managed to squeak out. “You must be Meaghan …” he looked to her for her last name.

“Meaghan Fraser,” she grinned. “It's nice to meet you, too.” Meaghan smirked as she walked away, leaving Joey and Justin both with their jaws on the floor. Shannon had both her hands pressed against her mouth as she tried to hold back her laughter as she followed Meaghan back to the kitchen. Joey looked at Justin, who looked after Meaghan in shock.

“I guess she told you,” he laughed. “Man, I’ve never seen someone leave you speechless like that before. She got you good.”

“Is she single?” Justin wondered, his eyes twinkling, and Joey patted him on the shoulder, shaking his head.

“Meaghan! You certainly weren't easy on him,” Shannon laughed, wiping the tears from her eyes.

Meaghan tossed her head, her blue eyes lit up with triumph. “I don’t care who he is, he’s no better than anyone else. He needs to stop being a spoiled brat and start acting his age instead of half his shoe size.”

“I guess I sort of deserved that,” Justin said as he entered the kitchen, a sheepish look on his face. He was followed by Joey, who pulled Shannon over to the meatballs, wearing a smug smile.

“Yeah, you sort of did,” Meaghan responded, turning her back on Justin to pay attention to the simmering sauce. Justin shifted his weight uncomfortably, grimacing at her words.

“You’re right, I was. And I’m sorry, I hope you can accept my apology.” He leaned against the counter and tried to make eye contact with her. “I really am sorry.”

“Well …” Meaghan looked at him ruefully. “I did kind of egg you on.”

“That you did. But, still, I shouldn’t have acted the way I did.” Justin grinned. “So are we cool?”

“Yeah, we’re cool. It’s nice to meet you, by the way.” Meaghan smiled at him. “I never thought you’d ever be standing here in my kitchen. But since you’re here … chop up this garlic.” He looked wide-eyed at the cloves of garlic she pushed towards him.

“Uh-oh Meaghan. You don’t know what you’re asking.” Joey teased.  “Justin doesn’t know the first thing about chopping. Come to think of it, J, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in a kitchen.” Justin shot a dirty look at Joey.

“That’s what you think, Fatone. I can cook, and I can certainly chop up a clove of garlic.” He went to work on the garlic, a look of fierce determination on his face.

Chapter Seven

(Thursday, October 10th, 1:30 p.m.)

Laurie woke slowly, stretching out her arms and coming in contact with something soft and fleshy.

“Oof,” JC mumbled when Laurie’s arm hit him in the face.

“Oh JC! I’m sorry, are you okay?” She giggled as he rubbed his nose.

“I’ll be okay,” JC smiled down at her. “How are you this morning?”

“Better than I was last night …” Laurie admitted, blushing at the memory that was still fresh in her mind. “JC … what are we going to do?” JC frowned, knowing the previous night needed to be dealt with.

“I don’t know, Laur. I mean … I love you … but I know you’re in love with Steve, and I’m in love with Natalie. What happened between us last night …” JC fought for the right words.

“Was magical,” Laurie finished for him. “But I know what you’re saying is right. I do love Steve, I love him so much … and you and Natalie should really work out everything, you two are perfect together.”

The two were silent as they dressed and cleaned up the couch they had slept on. Laurie picked up her cell phone and noticed she had three messages, all from Steve. “Oh no, Steve’s been trying to call me all day … he’s probably worried sick.” Laurie quickly dialed the number of their apartment.

“Laurie?” Steve answered.

“Steve … I’m sorry I haven’t called - ” Laurie began explaining only to be cut off by Steve.

“I’ve been so worried about you!  Are you all right? I know I was such an asshole last night, and I’m so sorry, baby.” Steve apologized, the worry evident in his voice.

“I’m okay, Steve. I slept on JC’s couch last night. He and Natalie had a fight last night too, and we kind of kept each other company.” She heard a sigh of relief come from Steve.

“I’m so glad you’re okay. Are you coming home? We really need to talk,” Steve wondered.

“Yeah, I’ll be home in about twenty minutes.” Laurie looked at JC who was busy checking his answering machine.

“I love you, Laurie.” Steve whispered.

“I love you, Steve.” She smiled as she turned off her cell, turning to face JC who was still checking his messages.

“Nat’s called me twice,” JC sighed, feeling tears prick his eyelids.  “She’s coming home in a few hours.” Laurie looked deeply into his azure blue eyes, feeling a pang of guilt.

“JC … what are we going to do about last night? You’re my best friend … but so is Natalie. I don’t know if I could ever tell her about this.” Laurie confessed, and JC nodded.

“It would kill her.” JC stated quietly. The feelings of guilt were overwhelming him and he didn’t know what to do. Last night everything had seemed so simple, he and Laurie had fulfilled needs they had both had, never thinking of the consequences. Now they had to face the music and face reality and the repercussions of their actions. He turned away from Laurie, trying hard to hide the tears that were now streaming down his cheeks. His strong shoulders shook with sobs he refused to voice, and Laurie stood behind him, and lightly touched his back.

“JC?” Laurie’s green eyes filled with tears. “Please … what can I do?”

“There’s nothing you can do,” he replied, his voice thick with emotion. “God, Laurie … I love her so much, yet last night, I wanted to be with you so badly. I don’t know what to do anymore. Steve loves you so much … what do I say to him?” His eyes searched hers for answers.

“I don’t know, JC. I don’t know what to say to Steve ... do I even tell him?  Can we keep something like this from them?” Laurie paced about the living room, her mind racing.

“I don’t think we have a choice here, Laurie. If we tell them, it’s all over. Not only between Natalie and I and you and Steve … but Joey will kill me. I’ll lose two of my best friends, and god only knows what the other guys would think.” JC looked over at Laurie, who had nervously settled on the couch.

“So we don’t tell them? Last night stays between us?” Laurie asked.

“Always,” JC swore.

Chapter Eight

(Saturday, October 26th, 7 p.m.)

Shannon nervously paced around her bedroom, occasionally glancing in her mirror and smoothing her dress of emerald green satin. She wanted everything tonight to go perfectly, she really wanted to make a great first impression. After looking over her appearance once again, she cast a glance towards Meaghan, who sat calmly in the living room, watching television, cool and collected in a dress of pale purple.

“Aren’t you nervous?” Shannon asked her best friend.

“Not really. After the way Justin and I met, the other guys should be a breeze.” Meaghan replied, laughing. “Calm down, Shan. You look great.”

“I shouldn’t be so nervous, I know. I mean, I’m only meeting JC and Lance … but we’re also meeting their girlfriends too, and that’s what’s making me nervous.” Shannon sat down on the couch, her foot tapping nervously.

“I’m just hoping they’re nice,” Meaghan admitted. “You hear such awful stories on the net … but then, look at us. We’re nice, normal people, but I bet we’ll get typecast and picked over just as much as the other girls the guys have dated.”

In the two weeks that had passed, Shannon and Joey had become quite serious, they seemed to be in their own little world, and Joey’s best friends were anxious to meet the girl who had made him so happy. Justin and Meaghan were dating also, enjoying each other’s company and having fun. JC had decided to take the group out to dinner - both in honor of Chris’s birthday, which had just passed, and for everyone to get to know one another.

**********

Meanwhile, JC went over the reservation confirmation and the plans for the night, his mind reeling with memories … memories he needed to forget, but couldn’t. He closed his eyes, and he could almost feel her lips on his, the touch of her soft skin on his fingertips.

“Josh?” Natalie looked at her boyfriend with concern in her eyes. “Are you all right?”

“Hmm?” JC was brought back to reality at the sound of her voice. He blushed guiltily, his eyes traveling over Natalie. She was so beautiful, and he loved her so much. “I’m sorry, sweetie. I was just thinking of something. Yeah, I’m fine.”

Natalie smiled, relief coming over her features. “Great. I guess we should head over to the restaurant now, Joey just called, he’s on his way there with Shannon, Meaghan and Justin.”

“Good. Joey was telling me that Shannon’s really nervous about meeting everyone. I just can’t wait to meet her, she seems to be really good for him.” JC commented, grinning.

“She’s all he talks about, I can’t wait to meet her. I just hope she’ll like me,” Natalie worried. “I mean, with all the crap that gets printed about us …”

“Nat, don’t worry about it. I don’t think Joey would be with someone that shallow,” JC reassured her.


***********

Laurie glanced around the restaurant for the rest of the group, her heart beating nervously in her chest. She hadn’t seen JC since they had made their vow not to tell anyone of their indiscretion, and she was more than a little nervous. Not to mention she would be meeting Shannon and Meaghan for the first time, and first impressions meant a lot to Laurie. Taking a few deep breaths to calm her nerves, she turned to face Steve, who gave her a reassuring smile.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this nervous,” Steve commented, reaching over and gently rubbing Laurie’s shoulder.

“I don’t think I’ve been this nervous in a long time,” Laurie admitted.

“Don’t worry about it, Laur. Joey said Shannon is really nervous too, and from what I hear, she’s really sweet, so I don’t think you have much to be nervous about.” Steve smiled at her gently, and noticed his little brother making his way across the restaurant with Justin and two girls in tow. Laurie and Steve stood, and  introductions were made.

“It’s so nice to finally meet you,” Shannon smiled at Laurie. “I’ve heard so much about you from Joey.”

“Likewise,” Laurie smiled ruefully, winking at Joey who blushed. Laurie really liked Shannon and Meaghan, they were very friendly and sweet, and they seemed to be perfect matches for Joey and Justin. Meaghan kept Justin’s ego in check, and Shannon looked like she was quickly falling for Joey, and he looked the same way.

It wasn’t long before everyone had arrived, and introductions had been made all around. For the most part, Shannon really liked everyone, JC and Lance had been very friendly and open, and the girlfriends of the other guys were great. She really liked Laurie and Natalie, and Bridget, Laurie’s little sister and girlfriend to Chris, seemed like a lot of fun. Meaghan liked the other girls too, though Alison, Lance’s date for the evening, hadn’t exactly made the greatest impression …

Meaghan was in the restroom, double-checking her appearance in the mirror before the other guys arrived. Taking a calming breath, she headed for the door, accidentally bumping into someone. “Oh! I’m sor - ” Meaghan began.

"Excuse you! Maybe you need to watch where you’re walking.” The snotty voice belonged to a scantily clad blonde, who pushed her way to the mirror.

“I’m sorry, it was an accident.” Meaghan had to bite her tongue to hold back what she really wanted to say.

“Whatever.” The blonde kept her eyes on her reflection, applying more makeup to her already heavily defined eyes. “You know, he’s not going to stay with you. He’ll use you just like all the others.”

“I beg your pardon? Who are you to - ” Meaghan looked at her incredulously.

“Alison Garner. I’m Lance’s girlfriend, you’re Justin’s flavor-of-the-minute, right?” Alison looked Meaghan up and down. “You’re a little older than what he usually goes for. Rob the cradle much?”

Meaghan eyes opened wide in shock. For the first time in a long time, she was completely at a loss for words. She was still staring at Alison when Bridget Benton exited one of the stalls.

“Oh, hi Alison. I see you’re still going for the skank look - it suits you.” Bridget turned to Meaghan and smiled. “I don’t think we’ve met. Bridget Benton, I’m Laurie’s little sister.”

“Hi, Meaghan Fraser, it’s nice to meet you.” Meaghan followed Bridget out of the restroom. “Is she always like that?”

“I wouldn’t worry too much about Alison. Contrary to what she likes to believe - she’s not Lance’s girlfriend. None of the guys like her, Justin especially. She came onto him at a concert a few months back, and he didn’t even go for it. So then she sunk her claws into Lance … that boy needs to learn to choose girls better. He feels sorry for her mostly, I’m just hoping he’ll come to his senses soon.” Bridget grinned, her green eyes shining with laughter. “So how long have you and Justin been a thing?”

“Only a few weeks, but we’re having a lot of fun, at least I am.” Meaghan smiled. She had a feeling she and Bridget were going to be great friends.

Chapter Nine

(Saturday, October 26th, 10 p.m.)

Since the dinner had gone so well, JC had invited everyone back to his place to watch a movie and hang out. He was having a hard time keeping his eyes off of Laurie, she kept invading his thoughts and it was beginning to wear on his nerves. Every move she made he was conscious of, and he feared that Natalie and Steve would catch on to it. As everyone settled into the living room, JC made his way to the kitchen to calm his nerves. He pulled an ice pack from the freezer and placed it on his throbbing temples, trying to relax. JC nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt someone’s hand on his shoulder.

“Relax, JC. It’s me,” Laurie said soothingly. “I need to talk to you.”
JC pulled away from her warily. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea, Laurie. What if Steve or Natalie …”

“They’re busy in the living room. It’s just you and me,” she smiled at him seductively, wrapping her arms around his waist. “I’ve missed you so much, JC.”

“Laurie … please don’t …” JC struggled to get away.

“Don’t you want me anymore?” Laurie pouted playfully.

“It’s not that … Jesus, Laurie - if someone saw us …” JC looked around the room cautiously.

“No one will see us, JC. It’s just the two of us,” Laurie insisted, pulling him closer into a kiss.

Shannon could do nothing but stare for a few moments until she regained her composure, and quietly closed the door.

“Oh my god …” Shannon whispered, shaking her head. She leaned against the wall opposite, staring at the door to the kitchen. Joey came around the corner, smiling and looking at her curiously.

“Did you find the bathroom okay? What’s the matter, sweetie?”
Shannon looked at Joey, searching for the right words, unsure of what to say. How could she tell her boyfriend that his best friend was not only cheating on his girlfriend, but also cheating on her with his brother’s fiancee? “Um … Joey, I think … I think I’d better sit down if I’m going to try and explain this to you.”

Joey’s look of amusement quickly turned to one of concern. He opened up a door leading into a small office and ushered Shannon inside, sitting her on the couch. He noticed her face had become pasty white - she had obviously been shocked by something. “Tell me what happened.”

“I was looking for the bathroom … and I couldn’t remember if you had said the first door on the right or left, and so I opened the first door … and," Shannon looked up at Joey, not sure what to say. “I don’t know how to tell you this, Joey.”

"Shannon, you know you can tell me anything. You can trust me, I trust you completely.”

“I know, but … this is awful.” Shannon wrung her hands in frustration. “I guess I’d just better say it - I saw JC and Laurie kiss.” Joey got a look of relief on his face.

"Okay, they kissed. No big deal, honey. They’re really close, they’ve been friends for years.” Joey sighed, chuckling.

“No! Not just kissed, kissing. Like you and I kiss, Joey. This wasn’t a friendly peck on the lips!” Shannon insisted, and Joey’s chuckling ceased abruptly.

“You’re serious?”

“Dead serious. What are we going to do?”

“What the hell are they thinking? What is JC thinking?” Joey fumed, pacing around the room. “How am I gonna tell Steve this? And Natalie … she and JC have been together for almost two years! I’m going to kill him!”

“Joey - you can’t blame this entirely on JC. Laurie seemed to be doing her fair share of the kissing, too. I even heard her say she’d missed him and then he said maybe it wasn’t a good idea.” Shannon said.

“Maybe we should talk to JC or Laurie first before we say anything to Natalie or Steve?”

JC waited a few minutes after Laurie had left the kitchen before he made his way back to the living room. He was really beginning to fully regret what had gone on between them - his stomach was in knots and his head was pounding. Laurie seemed so changed, and JC wasn’t sure if she fully understood that it was over between them. She had surprised him in the kitchen; her demeanor was so different than usual. He leaned back against the counter and sighed. This was getting out of hand faster than he knew how to handle it, and it was scaring him. JC grabbed some popcorn and drinks and exited the kitchen, almost smacking right into Joey who was on the other side of the door.

“Oh, hey Joey. Sorry about that,” JC smiled at his best friend tiredly. “I guess I didn’t see you there. Can I get you anything?”

“JC, we need to talk.” Joey said seriously. JC looked at him, shuddering when he noticed his tone left no room for mistakes - he knew. JC simply nodded and followed Joey into the small office, where Shannon waited, her face saying it all. JC sat down beside her on the couch and hung his head, trying to think of what to say.

“I know what you guys are going to say, and I can explain,” JC said.

**********

It was over. The whole ugly mess was over, yet JC felt no relief. He closed his eyes and all he could see were Natalie’s angry and hurt eyes as he told her what had happened between him and Laurie. He wanted to be angry, but the only person he could be angry with was himself. It wasn’t Shannon’s fault that she had seen he and Laurie kissing, it wasn’t Natalie’s or Steve’s faults that made he and Laurie have sex. Nope, Chasez, this time it's your fault, JC thought to himself as he lie back on the bed he had shared with Natalie for six months. He rolled over, and his eyes landed on the open closet door, where he could see the empty hangers and shelves where until an hour ago Natalie had kept her clothing. For the first time in his life, JC felt completely alone. Laurie refused to talk to him, she lied to Steve, telling him it had been all JC’s idea - that she was drunk and had no idea. Luckily, Steve saw through her lie.  Luckily, JC thought ruefully. There was no luck about it; he had screwed up big time. Natalie had slapped him across the face when he told her everything, and she left shortly thereafter with all her belongings for her sister’s house. It was useless for him to call her; JC knew it was completely over between them. Steve was angry with him, but he seemed even angrier with Laurie who had lied straight to his face when given the opportunity to tell the truth.  Joey seemed more disappointed with him than anything, and poor Shannon. She had been thrown in the middle of the whole thing, and JC felt badly for her.  As for his relationship with Joey and Steve, JC knew the only thing that would heal that was time.

Chapter Ten

(Friday, November 29th, one month later.)

Shannon sighed and rested her head on her worktable. She had been hard at work for hours on the costumes for her and Joey’s final project for Musical Theatre class. The costumes were coming along nicely, but she was getting frustrated - her eyes hurt, her back hurt, and her fingers hurt from all the beading she had been doing. She’d had the apartment to herself all afternoon, as Justin had taken Meaghan out to dinner. Stretching, Shannon stood up from her table and glanced at her watch. Joey had promised he’d call her as soon as the production meeting for the new tour was over, and they were due to go out to a new club with Justin, Meaghan, Bridget and Chris at seven.

“Oh no! It can’t be six thirty already!” Shannon stared at her watch in disbelief and turned to check her alarm clock. The bright red numbers read 6:31. “Great, just great!”

She rushed around her bedroom, tore through her closet and dresser, and hurriedly made her way to her bathroom. She pulled out the ironing board and pinched her finger hard just as the doorbell rang.

“Ow! Damn it, hang on!” Shannon yelled toward the door, tears rolling down her face. She yanked the door open to reveal Joey.

“Baby, what’s the matter? Why aren’t you dressed yet?” Joey asked her, a look of concern on his face.

“You were supposed to call me!” Shannon cried, her chin trembling.

“I know, love, and I’m sorry. The meeting ran long, and …” Joey stopped when he noticed Shannon was now crying. “Shan, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing! Except for the fact I lost track of time while working on these damn costumes, my back hurts, my finger hurts, and … and …” Shannon stopped to catch her breath and sobbed, and Joey pulled her into his arms.

“Shhh, sweetie, it’s okay.” He soothed.

“No it’s not! I’m not even ready, I look awful, and we’re going to be late,” Shannon sobbed.

“Don’t worry about that. I’ll call Justin and Chris, and tell them we’ll be a little late. You go and get a shower and take your time. Now let me look at that finger,” Joey took her hand and kissed her pinched finger.

Shannon drew a shaky breath, trying to calm down.

“Okay, are you sure they won’t be mad we’re late?” Shannon wiped the last of her tears away and started the shower.

“Nah, JC is late nine times out of ten, so I think the guys will forgive me this once.” Joey smiled and kissed her softly. “If I wasn’t all ready, I’d join you in that shower, but …”

“Nice try, Fatone.” Shannon laughed. “I know how long it takes you to get your hair just right, we’d be here all night!” She shrieked and ran for the bathroom as Joey chased her away.

**********

“Hurry up, Chris! We’re going to be late if you don’t get a move on!” Bridget hollered up the stairs.

Chris looked at his watch and swore. “Damn it, I’ll be right there!” Chris ran his fingers through his short, dark hair. “Guess that’s as good as it’s gonna get.” He grabbed his wallet and ran down the stairs where Bridget was waiting expectantly at the bottom.

“Done primping?” Bridget teased him.

“Very funny. I don’t primp,” Chris made a face at her. “Let’s go.” He opened the front door just as JC had raised his hand to knock.

“Oh! Hi, JC, what are you doing here?” Bridget asked, surprised.

JC took one look at how dressed up she and Chris were and sighed. “I was just in the neighborhood, but I see you’re going out. I’ll just go see what Justin’s up to,” JC said forlornly. Bridget and Chris exchanged looks, both coming to the same conclusion.

“Hey, C? Why don’t you come out with us? We’re meeting Justin and Meaghan at that new club downtown.” Chris suggested. He didn’t have the heart to tell JC it would be just couples, but ever since Natalie had broken up with him, JC had been so down, someone needed to get him out and having fun again.

“Are you sure?” JC asked, looking somewhat interested.

“Positive, you need to get out and have some fun.”

**********

“Guys, I’m really getting worried about JC - all he does since Natalie left him is sit at home and mope. So, I do the nice thing and invite him out - and he sits at the bar and mopes.” Chris said in frustration. He looked around at the others, gathered around a small bar table.

“Anyone else have any bright ideas?”

“Well, Chris - it’s only been a month, it’s going to take him awhile.” Bridget said sympathetically.

“Has anyone called Natalie? Is there any chance of them getting back together?” Shannon wondered.

“Tried that - no way. She’s through with him, I called her last week.” Justin answered, shaking his head. Meaghan cast her gaze back towards the sad figure of JC, nursing a beer at the main bar, when one of the bartenders caught her eye.

“Hey, Shan? Does that bartender look familiar to you?” Meaghan pointed her out to Shannon.

“Hey … isn’t that Amber Kelly, she was in our history class senior year, right?” Shannon and Meaghan looked at each other, the same idea formulating in both of their minds.

“Uh-oh. Joey - I hate it when they both get that look,” Justin stage whispered to Joey.

“We’re going to go get some drinks - we’ll be right back,” Meaghan smiled innocently, pulling Shannon with her. The pair made their way through the crowded club  to the main bar, waving to JC as Meaghan maneuvered in beside him, and quickly caught the attention of her old friend.

“Hey! I haven’t seen you in ages! Meaghan, right?” Amber smiled. “How have you been?”

“Great! Do you remember Shannon?” Meaghan pulled her up to the bar. Amber nodded and waved to her in greeting.

“Wow, it’s been so long since I’ve seen you guys! How long have you been in Orlando?” Amber conversed in-between drink orders.

“We’ve been here about a month, when did you move down here?” Shannon asked.

“Almost a year ago - small world, huh?” Amber grinned. She moved her gaze to JC, who had motioned for another beer. “I’ll be right back, don’t go anywhere!” JC watched the girl move away, and turned to Meaghan and Shannon.

“Is there anyone you guys don’t know?” He smiled his first real smile of the night.

"Whoa, watch it, Jace. Another smile like that and people might actually think you’re enjoying yourself,” Shannon teased.

“Funny, Shan.” JC grinned. “So how do you guys know her?”

“She went to high school with us - do you want to meet her?” Meaghan asked JC point blank. As usual, JC was a bit taken aback by Meaghan’s blunt demeanor, but he smiled.

“Sure, she seems pretty - I mean, nice.” JC stammered. As soon as Amber made her way back towards them, Meaghan introduced her to JC.

“Hey, Amber - I want you to meet a friend of mine. JC Chasez, meet Amber Kelly.  Amber, JC.”

She and Meaghan discretely made their way back to the table, allowing JC and Amber to talk in private.

“Hi JC, nice to meet you.” Amber smiled, and JC couldn’t help but notice how beautiful her eyes were - hazel blue - that twinkled when she smiled.

“Nice to meet you, too.  I'm sorry about that,” JC blushed, motioning towards where Meaghan and Shannon had been.  "They're just trying to cheer me up."

“It’s okay, no worries.” Amber drew a deep breath - she was really attracted to this guy, more so than she had ever been attracted to anyone before. The first thing she had noticed about him was his eyes, the bright blue of them, though she noticed the sadness in them, too.

Chapter Eleven

(Friday, November 29th, later that night)

“So, what happened today at the production meeting? Anything exciting?” Bridget asked the group an hour later.

“Actually, there were a few interesting developments,” Joey smiled, looking at Shannon.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?” Shannon looked around at the guys, who all had expectant grins on their faces.

Joey pulled a large packet of papers out of his jacket and handed them to her. “I think this will explain."

Shannon opened the packet and quickly skimmed over the top page. “I don’t understand. This is a contract for the wardrobe for your spring tour … with my name on it.”

“See, I borrowed one of your portfolios last week, and I showed them to Johnny. He loved them, and he wants you to design the costumes for the tour - and come on the tour with us as our wardrobe person.” Joey explained.

“It gets better,” Justin interjected. “Meaghan will be coming too, she’s going to handle the marketing end of our wardrobe.” Shannon stared at her best friend in disbelief.

“How long have you known about this?” She managed to squeak out.

“About a week, and I’ve been bursting to tell you, but it wasn’t final until today,” Meaghan grinned. “So what do you think?”

“I think I’m going to kill you guys for not telling me!” Shannon shrieked, jumping up and down.

“You’re going to accept, right?” Joey asked excitedly.

“Oh my god, of course I’m going to accept! Thank you!” Shannon wrapped her arms around Joey’s neck and kissed him fully on the lips.

“I helped too!” Chris piped up. Bridget elbowed him in the ribs. “What?”

“Behave,” Bridget warned him, not liking the sudden wave of jealousy she felt come over her. She brushed it aside, trying to forget it. “So when does the tour start?”

“January fourth. We’ll be on the road until May, and we’ve got a few breaks in-between, but for any other details, you’ll have to ask Lance.” Justin answered.

“Speak of the devil,” Meaghan pointed out Lance making his way across the crowded dance floor.

“Hey guys, sorry I’m late - did you tell her yet?”  Lance asked as he joined them.

“Yes, thank you so much!” Shannon jumped up to hug him.

“Your designs are amazing, I have a great feeling we’ll be thanking you,” Lance said honestly, hugging her back.

“Hey! I helped too!” Chris whined. “Where’s my hug?”

“If I hug you, Chris, will you quit whining?” Shannon laughed, hugging him.

“That’ll appease me for a little while,” Chris grinned.

****************

(Monday, December 8th - One week later, WEG Compound.)

Shannon and Meaghan sat surrounded by sketches, paperwork, bolts of fabric, and swatches in one of the wardrobe rooms at the Wright Entertainment Group compound, quickly going over last minute adjustments before their meeting with Johnny Wright and *N SYNC began. It had been a busy week for the pair, Shannon had been busy making tons of sketches and mapping out ideas for each section of the show, while Meaghan had called around for prices on fabrics and supplies and worked out a final cost and budget analysis for the wardrobe. Now they just had the meeting with Johnny to finalize the contract and budget, get input from the guys on the sketches, and then take their measurements. Meaghan looked up from the papers she was double-checking when she heard Lance come in the room, followed loudly by Chris and Justin.

“Hey guys, could you be a little louder? I don’t think the neighbor down the street heard you come in,” Meaghan commented, rolling her eyes.

“Sorry,” Chris apologized sheepishly. “Cool - are those the sketches?” He reached out for the stack of drawings only to have his hand smacked away by Shannon.

“Hey now, no peeking until the meeting starts.” Shannon grinned. “I haven’t let Joey see them yet - you think I’m going to give you a sneak peek?”

Lance and Chris gave her their most pathetic faces. “Please?”

“Nice try, guys, but … NO.” Shannon said firmly.

“It won’t work, guys - trust me. I begged Meaghan last night for two hours, I even gave her the ‘sad puppy face’ that no one can resist.” Justin explained.

“Did it work?” Chris wondered.

“Nope.” Justin sighed, bending down to kiss Meaghan on the cheek. “Meaghan is apparently immune to the sad puppy face.”

"Never has worked, never will.” Meaghan smiled up at her boyfriend smugly.

An hour later, all the particulars had been figured out, the budget had been set, the order of the show had been finalized, and everyone had approved of Shannon’s sketches.

“Alright then, I’m all done. Do you girls have any questions?” Johnny asked Shannon and Meaghan.

“No sir, I’m just very ready to get everything started,” Shannon smiled broadly.

“Okay, I’ll let you get started then. Welcome to the team,” Johnny smiled at the girls and left the room. The five guys turned to Shannon and Meaghan expectantly. “So what now?” JC wondered.

“Measurements,” Shannon and Meaghan said in unison.

“Who’s first?” Meaghan asked, grabbing a notebook, while Shannon pulled a tape measure out of her bag. Joey offered himself up to be first, and the other guys followed in quick succession, as Shannon measured and called out the numbers to Meaghan. Shannon did notice a look of discomfort on Joey’s face as she measured the others - especially when she was taking their hip and inseam measurements.

"Guys, why don’t you take a quick break - quit pouting, Chris - you’re next.” She walked over to her boyfriend, who had a slight scowl on his face. “Joey?  Is something wrong?”

“No … I’m just being immature.” Joey shook his head.

“Care to explain?” Shannon leaned back against the table. Joey took a deep breath and looked her straight in the eye.

“It’s just … I don’t know … just seeing you with the other guys …”

“Whoa, whoa, wait a minute - are you kidding me?” Shannon stared at her boyfriend in disbelief. “You’re jealous of me measuring your best friends?”

Joey looked at her sheepishly. “I guess it is kind of stupid,” he admitted.

“Kind of?” She raised her eyebrow at him.

“Okay, so it’s really stupid.” Joey laughed. “Come on, hurry up and measure Chris so I can show you how sorry I am.” He wiggled his eyebrows playfully at Shannon, causing her to giggle.

As Shannon was finishing up with Chris, Johnny re-entered the room with a pretty petite girl behind him.

“How goes the measuring?” Johnny asked.

“Great, I’m all done now.” Shannon grinned.

“Hey, who’s this?” Meaghan asked curiously, smiling at the girl.

“Okay, everyone - I’d like you to meet Marki Hooper, she’s going to be joining the tour as JC’s new PA.” Johnny explained. Everyone looked around with surprise, most of all JC.

“I didn’t know I was getting a new PA,” JC said coolly, looking directly at Johnny.

“Well, JC - I decided you needed someone to replace Laurie, after everything that happened.” Johnny said calmly.

“I just would have appreciated being included in the decision, that’s all.” JC sighed. “Hi, Marki, I’m JC Chasez, it’s nice to meet you.”

Marki looked around at her surroundings, smiling nervously. “Hi, JC. I’m really glad to meet you.”

“Hi, Marki, I’m Shannon McFadden, the costume designer,” Shannon introduced herself. “I’m glad there’ll be another girl on the tour with me and Meaghan.” Marki relaxed visibly, smiling a genuine smile this time. The others introduced themselves, lastly came Lance, who couldn’t take his eyes off of Marki. He looked over her dark wavy hair, her sweet hazel eyes and soft smile - and he was hooked.

Chapter Twelve

(Tuesday, December 9th, 4 p.m.)

Joey sat back on the couch and took a good look at his girlfriend of two months. Shannon never ceased to amaze him - he thought his own life got hectic - but even with all of the projects she had going she still managed to stay afloat, when he would have simply been overwhelmed. Joey didn’t know how, but somewhere in between fitting and constructing the costumes for *N SYNC’s spring tour and going to classes, Shannon had managed to construct their costumes for their Musical Theatre final project. And they were magnificent - Joey had seen The Phantom of the Opera when it had come to Orlando a few years ago, and if he hadn’t known better, he would have sworn these were the same costumes he had seen on the Phantom and Christine. They had tried the costumes on earlier, and his fit perfectly, and his breath had been taken away when he saw Shannon in her costume. Joey had been thinking a lot about his feelings for Shannon lately, and everything kept coming back to the same conclusion - he loved her. He was certain she felt the same way, and the first time he told her his feelings, he wanted it to be perfect. Impatient as he was to talk to her, he waited until Shannon was off the phone with her mother, who had called when she heard the news about the tour. Joey looked up as Shannon hung up the phone and smiled at him.

“So, is your mom proud?” He asked, pulling Shannon down onto his lap.

“Extremely, she’s just mad I didn’t tell her sooner,” Shannon laughed. She turned her head to study Joey’s profile, gently brushing his hair back with her fingers. “You’re awfully quiet today, anything wrong?”

“No, I’m just thinking.” Joey replied, turning to look into her eyes.

"We better get down to the theater, we have our performance at six." Shannon said, picking up the costumes. She waited for Joey to get out of the apartment before locking it up. Joey opened the passenger door of his SUV to let her in first before taking the costumes and laying them gently into the back. The drive to the theater was quiet, nervous, and exciting all at once. Joey and Shannon both didn't talk much, both going over the music for the project in their heads. The ride was shorter than they thought, as they pulled into the theater parking lot. Their nerves hit them full blast as they walked into the theater with their costumes.

"Have you ever been this nervous for a concert?" Shannon asked, holding onto her stomach in the women's dressing room. Joey shook his head no as he paced the floor. "I think I’m going to be sick." Shannon said, reaching for a bottled water. Joey laughed as she drank the water quickly.

“Baby, you’d better not drink it that fast - it’ll make you sicker. It’s going to go great, just try to relax.” Joey reassured her and sat down, trying to calm his own nerves. A knock at the door told them it was almost time for them to get ready. Joey kissed Shannon lightly on the forehead and left for the men’s dressing room with his costume in his hand. After changing and finishing his make-up, he waited on Shannon. She came out of the dressing room a few minutes later, and he could have sworn she was Christine herself. She looked beautiful in her costume. They stood looking into each other’s eyes for a few minutes before one of their classmates came to tell them it was their turn.

“Hey guys? Wow, you look great!” Claire Weinert, one of the girls in their class commented. “It’s your turn - break a leg!”

Joey opened the door, his soft hazel eyes smiling at Shannon, giving her confidence as she exited before him. As soon as they reached the stage, their senses overtook them and they were no longer nervous. It seemed like they had barely started moments before, when they were holding the final pose, and it was all over. They looked out into the audience, where they could see Meaghan, Justin, Chris, and Lance, all on their feet and applauding loudly. As soon as they were offstage, Shannon screamed and jumped into Joey’s arms, kissing him fully on the lips. Joey laughed and swung her around, hugging her tightly to him.

“You were wonderful!” Joey set Shannon down gently.

“Me? WE were wonderful, Joey.” Shannon’s green eyes danced happily. “I forgot how much I love performing, no wonder you do what you do. I forgot how great the adrenaline rush felt.”

“Do you have any idea just how beautiful you are at this moment?” Joey looked at her tenderly, his hand cupping her cheek.

Shannon looked at him, quite breathless at his question. “No …”

“I’ve been wanting to say this to you for awhile now … Shannon, I know we’ve only been together for two months, and to some people that may be a short time, but I know my heart - and my heart tells me that I love you.” Joey looked at her and waited for his words to sink in. He got a bit concerned when she kept staring at the floor, but when she raised tearful eyes to look at him; he knew this was the right time.

“I love you, too, Joey.” Shannon smiled through the tears of happiness that threatened to run down her cheeks.  Joey cupped her face gently in his hands, kissing away her tears.

Chapter Thirteen

(Saturday, December 13th - one week later)

Meaghan pulled her shoulder-length blonde hair back in a headband and took a final glance in the mirror. She and Amber had plans to finish their Christmas shopping, have dinner, and then they were planning to meet up with JC and Justin for a movie. Meaghan had hoped Justin would join them for dinner, but he insisted he had made plans with his mother to go Christmas shopping. Meaghan knocked quietly on Shannon’s door. At the noise, Shannon looked up from the pair of pants she was hemming.

“Hey, are you sure you don’t want to come to dinner with Amber and I? The guys aren’t going to be there, it would just be us girls.” Meaghan suggested, looking hopefully at her.

“Thanks, but I really should get these pants done. I can’t hardly believe the tour starts in less than two weeks … I don’t know how I’m going to get this all done.” Shannon sighed, pushing a few stray strands of her auburn hair out of her face. She sat on her bed, surrounded by at least a dozen costumes, her hair messily pulled back into a ponytail.

“You’ll get it done, I know you will. I’ll help you finish with the opening costumes tomorrow, I promise.” Meaghan smiled and glanced at her watch. “Well, I’d better get going, I guess I’ll see you later tonight - I might be spending the night with Justin, though.”

“That’s cool. I’ll see you later, Meg. Tell Amber I said hi.” Shannon replied, going back to her hemming.

*********

A few hours later, Meaghan and Amber had finished their shopping, and were now laden down with bags and starving. They decided to have dinner at The Cheesecake Factory and as the waitress led them towards a table in the back, Amber was surprised when she felt Meaghan grip her arm tightly.

“Ow, Meaghan! What the hell …” Amber cut herself off when she saw the look on Meaghan’s face. “Meaghan, what’s wrong?”

Meaghan couldn’t believe it. “Christmas shopping with his mom …” Meaghan muttered to herself. There in a corner booth sat Justin and Shannon, their heads together as they whispered to each other and giggled. Her heart froze, the green-eyed monster of jealousy rearing its ugly head. Meaghan couldn’t help but think of all the “friends” who had stabbed her in the back before. Friends who had heartlessly moved in on her boyfriends and taken them, leaving her heartbroken. She stopped and shook herself firmly.  Stop it, she told herself. They’re just two friends having a conversation.

“I thought Justin was shopping with his mom tonight?” Amber questioned.

“That’s what he said,” Meaghan replied dejectedly.

“What a sweetheart - I bet he’s getting Shannon to help him plan something for you for Christmas,” Amber smiled. “I know JC said he’s been planning something.”

Meaghan took a deep breath of relief. “Really?”

“Yeah, I guess he just needed some help - and who better than your best friend?”

*********

(Thursday, December 18th, a few days later.)

Meaghan closed her eyes and willed the tears back. She opened her eyes long enough to look at the Caller ID once more.

It was there in plain black and white, and she could  hear Justin still talking with Shannon on the extension she had picked up, thinking Justin hadn’t answered the phone yet.

“Are you absolutely certain Meaghan has no idea?” Shannon questioned Justin.

“I’m sure, Shan. Besides, she’d kill me if she knew about this.” Justin answered.

 “Don’t you know what she’d do to me? We’ve been best friends for six years!” Shannon exclaimed.

“You’re not having second thoughts, are you?” Justin sounded worried.

 “No … I’m just not sure that … damn! Joey’s here, I gotta go, Justin. I’ll meet you tomorrow at the normal place.”

Meaghan hung up her extension with a heavy heart. Her worst fears were becoming reality. Justin had seemed so distant lately, making excuses and going out more than he usually did. Her suspicions had been roused when she first saw Shannon and Justin at the restaurant, but she had noticed more weird behavior and odd occurrences. Like the fact that her number was showing up on Justin’s Caller ID when she hadn’t called or even been home. Shannon had been acting strangely as well, keeping to herself at home and shutting herself up in her bedroom - to work on costumes, she said, but Meaghan knew it was because she was hiding something. And now she knew it was true … her boyfriend was cheating on her … with her best friend.

*********

Justin knocked on the apartment door, which was quickly answered by Shannon.

“Hey Justin, come on in.” Shannon smiled at him. “I’ve got it all ready, it’s in my room.”

“Cool, let me see it!” Justin hopped up and down impatiently, causing Shannon to laugh.

“It’s not going anywhere, calm down!” She led the way into her room, pulling a large box out from under her bed. She set the box down on the bed, opened the lid and peeled away a layer of tissue paper.

“Wow … Shan, it’s perfect.” Justin breathed. His eyes fell on a dress of the softest blue satin with an overlay of chiffon in the same color.  Delicate straps made of tiny rhinestones crisscrossed in the back, and the material shimmered in the light that streamed in from the window.

“So, it’s just like you thought it would be?” Shannon asked, holding the dress up so that the hem fell to the floor. “Granted, Meaghan’s taller than me, so it won’t touch the floor …”

“I know. It’s better than I could ever imagine. She’s going to look beautiful in it.” Justin smiled at the thought. “I wish Valentine’s Day would hurry up and get here!”

“Justin, it’s still two months away, and you still have a lot of planning to do - relax.” Shannon laughed.

Justin had been planning the perfect Valentine’s Day surprise for Meaghan for almost as long as he had known her. Not knowing just what to do, he had asked Shannon to help him, but she had mostly just listened. Justin had planned every detail, helping Shannon design the dress, reserving an intimate dining room at a local bed and breakfast - he had even planned what the dinner would be. Meaghan had no idea … as far as he and Shannon knew. It was getting harder and harder for Shannon to keep the surprise a secret - she wanted Meaghan to know just how sweet and caring Justin really was, and she was just itching to see the dress on Meaghan. She gently folded the dress back up and replaced it in its box, putting it back under the bed.

“I had another idea for the dinner,” Justin told Shannon, his blue eyes shining with excitement.

"And what’s that?” Shannon grinned, knowing he was just bursting to share.

“This …” Justin replied, pulling a small box from his jacket pocket.

Shannon opened the box to reveal a beautifully made diamond ring, set with three princess cut diamonds in a platinum band.

“Oh … wow … Justin, are you sure?” Shannon looked at the younger man questioningly. She could see the love he felt for Meaghan radiating from his eyes.

“I’m sure, Shan. I love her … and I don’t want her to get away. This is what I want, I want Meaghan to be my wife … and I’m asking her on Valentine’s Day.”

Chapter Fourteen

(Wednesday, December 31st - New Year’s Eve)

Justin closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he surveyed his living room, full of his friends and their girlfriends, all well on their way to being drunk. He wasn’t so innocent himself - he could feel that the five Crown and Cokes he had consumed were working on dulling his senses - but he had forgotten how annoying his friends could get when they were drunk. Lance had been on the couch all evening with Marki, they had started with small kisses, but now that several hours had gone by, they were heavily making out. JC had disappeared with Amber somewhere - Justin only hoped it wasn’t his own bedroom. Chris and Bridget had  practically been undressing each other with their eyes all evening, while Shannon and Joey were snuggled up together in an armchair, their heads together as they whispered and giggled. Justin looked longingly across the room at Meaghan, who was nursing her cranberry and vodka, her blue eyes troubled. Something was bothering her and he wasn’t quite sure what it was, but not from trying. Every time he tried to get her to open up to him she would shut down, insisting it was nothing.

“Hey guys! It’s almost midnight!” Chris jumped up and down, his energy knowing no bounds.

The group looked at the clock and turned up the volume on the television as Dick Clark began the final countdown. “10 … 9 … 8 … 7 … 6 … 5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … 1! Happy New Year!” Everyone cried out, and each sought out their significant other to have their first kiss of the New Year. Joey and Shannon kissed passionately, and Justin then tugged on Shannon’s arm, and pulled her into a hug.

 “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me,” Justin whispered in her ear.

“I’m happy to do it,” Shannon smiled, hugging him close. She was a bit surprised when Justin pulled her into a more private corner of the room, a serious look on his face.

“Can I ask you something?” Justin asked.

“Anything - what’s the matter, J?” Shannon had never seen Justin look this upset.

“Did … is … is Meaghan mad at me for something?” Justin blurted out and chewed on his lip thoughtfully.

I don’t know … did something happen?” Shannon wondered. “I thought you two were great.”

“It’s not that something happened … it’s just that she’s been really distant the last few days. It’s nothing I can put my finger on, but just this weird feeling I’ve been getting.” Justin sighed.

“I’m sure everything is fine, Just. We’ve been working really hard on finishing up the costumes for the tour; she’s probably just tired. Let me know if there’s anything I can do.” Shannon touched his cheek and he hugged her tightly.

“Thank you, Shannon. You’ve been such a great friend to me.” Justin smiled and kissed her on the cheek.

“Well, thank you!” Shannon laughed at the unexpected gesture.

Meaghan looked around the room for Justin as the countdown to the New Year ended. Although she had her suspicions and she wasn’t too happy about his closeness with Shannon, she had decided to try and give them both the benefit of the doubt. She had discussed the phone call between them with Amber, who reminded Meaghan about the surprise she knew Justin was planning. So Meaghan waited for the surprise, thinking it would happen at Christmas. Although Justin gave her a gorgeous platinum necklace set with a solitaire diamond and many other gifts, there was no big surprise. Again, Amber reminded her that New Year’s was right around the corner. So she waited, and thus far no surprise had happened. Meaghan’s eyes scanned the darkened room for her boyfriend, and her breath caught in her throat when she saw Justin in a dark corner, his arms around Shannon as he kissed her on the neck.

“Oh, fuck this shit,” Meaghan seethed, and stomped off to the kitchen to make another drink - a strong one.

Bridget wondered where Chris had gone; he had left her side earlier to get another drink, and had never returned. She sighed and got up from the couch, deciding it was time to find him and go to bed.  Stumbling a little, she looked at her watch and realized it was nearing 2 a.m. Bridget wandered into the kitchen where Joey and JC were seeing how quickly they could down shots of Jagermeister.

“Hey, have you guys seen Chris?” Bridget asked patiently, as they were both quite drunk.

“Uh … who’s Chris?” Joey giggled.

“Chris … he’s the short, funny one!” JC hiccupped, laughing. “’Member? He’s crrrraaaaaaaazzy!”

“Oh yeah! Chris!” Joey snickered, pouring himself another shot.

“Come on, guys! Try to be sober for a few minutes!” Bridget snapped, frustrated. “Where did Chris go?”

“Okay … um … oh yeah! Chris took Shannon upstairs ‘cuz she had too much alcohol,” Joey said seriously.

“Okay, thanks!” Bridget walked away, muttering under her breath, “Shannon had too much alcohol?”

Bridget made her way upstairs, cautiously opening the first bedroom door she came to - only to see her boyfriend sleeping peacefully - with Shannon in his arms. The jealousy she had been feeling for months all came to a head, as she walked down the hallway, all Bridget could see was red.   I can’t believe him! Or her … who does she think she is … 

Seething, Bridget noticed a dim light at the end of the hall and went toward it. Justin stood looking out the balcony doors, wearing only his black dress pants, no shirt. God, he’s gorgeous, Bridget thought, reflecting that it was a shame she had gone for Chris instead of Justin. She could see the well-defined muscles of his back in the half-light, and her hand reached out to touch his flesh, her sudden intake of air made him turn around quickly, his blue eyes clouded with the effects of too much alcohol.

“Meaghan! There you are … I’ve been wondering where you went, baby.” Justin moved towards Bridget, who made no effort to correct him. He took her in his arms and kissed her deeply.

********

It was now well past 4 a.m., and it seemed that everyone had gone to bed or passed out. Meaghan had tried to drown her sorrows in vodka, but she just couldn’t seem to get herself into enough of a drunken stupor to ease the pain. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she thought of Justin. She loved him so much, it was hard to believe that it had happened in such a short amount of time, but somewhere in the past two months she had fallen in love with Justin Timberlake. She found it hard to believe that he and Shannon were cheating on Joey and her with each other.

Maybe you were seeing things that weren’t there, a tiny voice in her head answered her unspoken question. Had she been seeing things that weren’t there? Was everything that she had seen or heard between Justin and Shannon innocent? Amber had said Justin was planning a big surprise, who else would Justin turn to for help than Shannon - her best friend and roommate.

“I’m so stupid!” Meaghan muttered to herself, getting up to find Justin. She passed the living room where the remnants of the party lay scattered about; Joey snoring on one couch, JC sprawled out on the other.

“Joey,” Meaghan nudged him awake. “Where’s Shannon?”

“Huh? Wha …?” Joey slowly came to life, raising sleepy hazel eyes to Meaghan.

“Where’s Shannon … and why aren’t you with her?” Meaghan questioned.

“She’s asleep in one of the bedrooms, I think she had too much to drink. Chris was in there talking to her, and I guess I just fell asleep here. What’s wrong?”  Joey looked worried; he saw the tearstains on her face.

“I’m just an idiot, and I need to find Justin and Shannon … which room is Shannon in?” Meaghan asked.

“Uh … I think she’s in the one at the top of the stairs,” Joey replied and yawned loudly.

“Thanks, Joe. Go back to sleep.” Meaghan smiled, and headed for the stairs. She opened the first bedroom door when no one answered her knock, surprised to see Shannon asleep on the bed, curled up in Chris’s arms. Meaghan knew Chris had a thing for Shannon, the whole group knew it … except for Shannon, who was always oblivious to guys liking her. Meaghan was sure that Shannon had simply fallen asleep after drinking too much - and she was equally sure that Chris had decided to take advantage of the situation. Closing the door quietly behind her, Meaghan headed down the hall towards Justin’s bedroom.

Chapter Fifteen

Briget’s mind was reeling as she let herself fall deeper and deeper into Justin’s kisses. Her mind traveled back to the conversation she’d had with Chris about the tour a few days before.

“So, we’re leaving January fourth?” Bridget asked Chris, her eyes fixed on her computer screen where she was typing up her term paper for her English final exam.

“No … I’m leaving January fourth.” Chris sighed.

“I don’t understand … I thought …” Bridget turned away from the computer, confusion evident in her face.

“Well you thought wrong, Bri. I never said you were coming on tour with me, that was an assumption you made.” Chris closed his eyes, knowing what was coming.

“But Shannon and Meaghan are going, and so is Marki,” Bridget pointed out.

“They’re also working on the tour, Bri. You wouldn’t be … and I think it’s better if you don’t come with me this time.”

Bridget knew why Chris didn’t want her to come along. He had some sick fantasy that if she wasn’t around his chances with Shannon might increase. Bridget was so sick of hearing about Shannon that she could scream. All Chris talked about was how after the tour he wanted to ask Shannon to come on board FuMan Skeeto and become the resident designer.

Justin brushed Bridget’s dark blonde hair away from her face, moved his hands across Briget’s back and began to untie the handkerchief top she was wearing.  Bridget moaned with pleasure when she felt Justin’s hands on her bare skin, and gasped when he rubbed his thumbs over her hardening nipples.

“You like that, don’t you baby?” Justin’s voice was thick with alcohol, his blue eyes dark with desire.

“Mmm, that feels so good,” Bridget breathed, her lips touching his neck with light kisses. Justin picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he headed for the bed, their kisses never stopping. Justin seated himself on the bed with Bridget on his lap, grinding his crotch into hers. Bridget moaned when she felt the hardness touch her saturated panties, her skirt now well above her hips.

“This has to go,” Justin growled, pulling her skirt off with one hand as his other hand found Bridget’s clit.

“God, Justin …” Bridget cried, involuntarily bucking her hips against his touch. “I need you … NOW.”

Justin needed no further invitation as he pulled his pants and boxer briefs off his slim frame as Meaghan removed her underwear. Bridget beckoned with a finger and a seductive smile and Justin crawled across the bed to her, covering her body with his own.

“Baby, I can’t wait to make love to you. I love you so much,” Justin said thickly.

“I don’t want you to make love to me, Justin.” Bridget purred. “I want you to fuck me.”

Justin’s eyes grew wider, a sly grin coming to his face. “Oh … baby!” His hard cock was in her in one instant, Bridget screamed with ecstasy. She wrapped her legs around his waist to give him better access, tiny orgasms exploding inside of her. Sex had never been like this with Chris, he had always been too afraid he would hurt her. Bridget ran her nails up and down Justin’s back; sweat covering their naked bodies. Justin slammed into her again and again, their moans and cries rising as they both came closer and closer to release.

“Holy shit … Meaghan … I’m gonna cum …” Justin whispered, his face contorting.

“Oh god … Justin … I’m cumming …” Bridget cried as they both reached their peak and Justin collapsed against her chest, panting.

“Wow … that was amazing.” Justin sighed, running his fingers through his curls.

“You’re telling me,” Bridget smiled. “I guess I went for the wrong member of *N SYNC.”

“What?” Justin sat up, the fog beginning to lift from his alcohol-saturated brain. “Oh my god …”

**********

Meaghan ran sobbing from Justin’s bedroom, the image burned into her brain. She couldn’t believe it … Bridget … and Justin … it was almost too much to take. Meaghan ran to the kitchen and tried to pour herself a shot of rum, but the tears combined with her shaking hands made it nearly impossible until a pair of strong hands pulled the bottle away. Meaghan turned around quickly, her tear-filled gray eyes meeting Joey’s serious hazel ones.

“What’cha doin’?” Joey looked at Meaghan with concern. He poured each of them a shot of the spicy rum. “Why don’t you sit down here and tell me what’s going on.”

Chapter Sixteen

Shannon could feel her brain slowly coming back into consciousness, slowly working through the alcohol-induced haze that the night had been. She could feel a warm body beside her and snuggled into the warmth it offered. She tried to open her eyes, but even that small effort hurt - she was going to have one hell of a hangover in the morning.

“I should’ve never had those last four shots of tequila with JC,” Shannon groaned. She felt an arm wrap itself around her waist and pull her against a strong chest. Shannon sighed as she breathed in the familiar cologne and curled up next to him. She could feel him begin to nuzzle her neck and she giggled when his beard tickled her. Shannon rolled over and touched her lips to his forehead, lightly dotting it with kisses. Their mouths found each other, the kisses growing deeper and stronger and their passion growing with each kiss. Shannon couldn’t quite figure it out, but something was different, something was new.

“Oh, Joey … ” Shannon breathed.

“WHAT?” Chris jumped back; pulling away from who he had thought was his girlfriend. He turned on the light, blinking painfully when the light hit his eyes.

Shannon tried to catch her breath and recover from the kisses, her face flushed with passion and with alcohol. “Wow … Chris, I had no idea it was you. I thought you were Joey,” Shannon touched her lips lightly.

“God … I thought you were Bri. I’m so sorry, Shannon, really.” Chris stammered apologetically.

Shannon made a face, “Gosh, Chris, was I that bad?”

“No! You were great! I mean, uh, oh shit …” Chris sat down next to her, his head in his hands.

“It’s okay, Chris. You don’t have to say anything. We just got caught up in the moment.” Shannon tried to compose herself, smoothed her hair and tried to calm her racing heart.

“Well, this sucks … I’m horny as hell and I can’t do anything about it,” Chris cursed himself and tried to  hide the bulge in his pants. Shannon reached out, not sure if it was just the alcohol talking or her own secret fantasies.

“Who says you can’t do anything about it?” She said softly, lust obvious in her green eyes.

“I’m dreaming, tell me this is just a wet dream …” Chris’s eyes grew wide with surprise as he felt Shannon’s hands brush over his erection, a small moan escaping his lips. “Please tell me you’re not just teasing.”

Shannon unzipped her dress and let it fall to the floor, standing before him in a black lace bra and panties as she unclasped her long auburn hair. “Does it look like I’m teasing?”

***********

Meaghan looked at Joey with bleary eyes, her sorrows drowned in a half-gallon of rum. She had told Joey the whole story, poured her whole heart out and in the process, they had both consumed a fair amount of rum. Joey had been on his way to sober when he had found Meaghan in the kitchen, but after an hour of doing shots with her - sober was not a word to describe him. It hadn’t helped that his temper had gotten the better of him when Meaghan had mentioned Chris being cuddled up with Shannon - not that he didn’t trust Shannon. But the whole group knew about Chris’s little crush on Shannon, and lately it had really begun to irk Joey anytime he saw them together. He had always been able to shrug it off - until he had gone upstairs and seen them sleeping in each other’s arms. He joined Meaghan, and as they matched each other shot for shot, they both became more and more intoxicated. A slow song came on the stereo, and Joey held out his hand to Meaghan.

“Dance with me,” Joey grabbed her hand when she giggled. “C’mon, it’s fun!”

“Joey … I think I’m drunk,” Meaghan giggled.  “Shhhhh, don’t tell anybody!”

“Okay … but don’t tell anyone I’m drunk either!” The pair collapsed against each other in a fit of laughter, falling on the floor of the kitchen. They landed with Joey on top of Meaghan, their faces very close together. Meaghan buried her face in Joey’s neck, breathing in the crisp scent of his aftershave. The silliness of the position they were in sent her into another fit of giggles.

“What’s so funny?” Joey asked, grinning down at her.

“You smell really good, Joey.” Meaghan grinned, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“So do you,” Joey replied, allowing himself to relax, his lips lightly brushing hers. They pulled back from each other, startled. “That’s different.”

“Is different so bad?” Meaghan lightly kissed his lips again. There was a fire burning in his hazel eyes unlike anything she had ever seen from Joey before. He answered her with a searing kiss, pulling her closer. Meaghan was so caught up in kissing Joey that it took her by surprise when she felt her back press up against something solid.

“Hey, that’s the wall,” She grinned.

“So it is,” Joey replied, leaning in to kiss her again as Meaghan wrapped her legs around his waist. She could feel the hardness of his erection through his jeans and looked at him somewhat startled.

“Hey, I haven’t even done anything to you yet,” her blue eyes twinkled mischievously.

“I can’t help it, you’ve got it goin’ on, girl.” Joey growled, pulling her towards him possessively. They continued kissing as Joey carried her into the game room and set her down on the pool table, her legs still wrapped around his waist. He ran his hands over her breasts, feeling her nipples growing hard beneath her blouse. Meaghan gasped as Joey pulled her blouse away roughly, his lips moving down her chest and taking possession of her right breast through her bra.

“This has to go,” Joey said huskily, unclasping the closure of her bra, and quickly returning to devouring her breasts, making her writhe in pleasure. Meaghan reached up and pulled his shirt off, kissing her way down his muscled chest, running her hands over thesoft hair of his treasure trail and to the waistband of his pants. Joey moaned as she cupped his throbbing erection through the confining denim of his jeans with one hand as she unbuttoned them with the other.

“Lie down,” Meaghan ordered, straddling him as he obeyed her command. Joey ran his hands over her slim frame, grinning when he felt her shudder as his erection rubbed up against the wetness of her panties. Unable to wait any longer, Joey slid his pants off of his tall frame, reached over and ripped Meaghan’s skirt and panties off of her. She straddled him again as he thrust upwards, ramming his hard cock into her, stroking her instantly to orgasm. Joey held onto Meaghan’s slim waist as she rode him, her cries growing louder with each thrust. Joey growled as he flipped Meaghan over onto her back, never breaking his rhythm. Her legs wrapped around his waist to give him better access as he grew closer to his climax. The intensity of their passion reached a fever pitch as they both felt their release and collapsed against each other, sweat streaming off their bodies.

“Wow … wow, that was amazing,” Joey sighed heavily, slurring his words.

“What - does alcohol put a big ‘S’ on your chest,” Meaghan questioned and collapsed in a fit of giggles against his chest.

“Me thinks you're drunk!” Joey laughed. “And I KNOW I am!”

**********

Justin paced around his bedroom, panic overtaking his mind. “Jesus, what the hell am I gonna do?”

Bridget sat calmly on the bed, a satiated smile on her face. “Calm down, Justin. It’s not like you and Meaghan are serious - besides, you don’t exactly know what she’s doing right now, do you?”

“Shut up about Meaghan!” Justin turned on her furiously. “We’re very serious, you have no idea.” He continued to pace the floor, clawing at his curls when no rational thought came. “You have to get out of here … go find Chris or something.”

“Chris is busy,” Bridget smiled sweetly. “Very busy if you know what I mean.”

“What? What the hell are you talking about?” Justin asked.

“Well, he fell asleep with Shannon, but I’m guessing they’re not really sleeping … do I need to draw you a picture?”

Justin sat down in an armchair, his face buried in his hands. “Christ - what the hell is going on tonight?”

Chapter Seventeen

(Thursday, January 1st - Justin’s house - The Morning After)

Meaghan groaned as the bright morning light filtered into the room, her head pounding with a hangover that already promised to be worse than any she had ever had. She shifted uncomfortably on the hard surface she was laying on - unsure of her surroundings. Where the hell am I? She cautiously opened her eyes, squinting as the light temporarily blinded her. Looking around, Meaghan realized she was in Justin’s game room, but she had no idea how she had gotten there. She tried to sit up, but an arm wrapped around her waist held her back.

“Justin …” Meaghan coaxed softly, touching the arm. “Wait a minute …” She followed the arm to where it was attached to the body. “OH SHIT!”

“What? What?” Joey sat up startled, grabbing his head when the sudden movement was too much. “Owww …”

“Joey! What the hell did we do last night?” Meaghan pulled herself into a sitting position. “And why are we on the pool table?”

“Forget that … why are we naked?” Joey covered his eyes, looking away from Meaghan. Slowly his mind worked its way back to the events of the past night. He remembered kissing Meaghan, and lots and lots of alcohol.

“I think we did a very, very bad thing.” Meaghan looked at Joey grimly.

“Where are Justin and Shannon?” Joey wondered as he searched for his clothing. He vaguely remembered getting angry because Chris and Shannon were  somewhere - together. He looked over at Meaghan, who had her head in her hands. “Meaghan?”

“I just remembered … Justin was in his room - with Bridget.”

***********

Chris rolled over onto his back, cursing alcohol as the light hit his eyes. “I’m never drinking again,” he swore, slowly pulling himself into a sitting position. He looked down at himself; curious as to why he was naked, trying to remember how he had gotten that way. He stretched and glanced over, smiling when he saw the dark auburn hair on the pillow beside him.  Wait a minute … Bridget has dark blonde hair … Chris slowly turned the thought over in his mind, trying to work through the haze. “Oh … shit!”  Okay, calm down, Kirkpatrick. You’re going to close your eyes real tight, and when you open them again, that will be Bri lying next to you. Chris looked again.  Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck!

Shannon moaned and clutched her head as she woke, the night before a vague memory. “Oh god … I think I’m gonna be sick …” She rolled over and gathered the bed sheet around her body, a small voice in her head wondering why she wasn’t wearing any clothes. She struggled to open her eyes and was surprised to see Chris sitting next to her on the bed, a panicked look on his face. “Chris? What are you doing here?”

“I, uh, think we did a very bad thing last night …” Chris gestured at the fact that they were both without attire.

Shannon slowly made the connection in her mind, jumping off of the bed when everything clicked. “Oh my god … you and me … we … WOW.”

“Well, wow isn’t what I’m thinking!” Chris yelled. “You don’t understand! When Joey finds out I … you … WE - you know - he will rip off my arms and BEAT me with them!”

“Chris, calm down. It’ll be okay,” Shannon tried to soothe him.

“HOW will this be okay?” Chris hastily pulled on his boxers and began pacing the room.

“We’ll try and explain … I guess. Besides, Chris - we don’t exactly know where Bridget and Joey slept last night - do we?” Shannon pointed out as she pulled on her underwear and dress.

“No … but …” Chris stammered, pulling on his pants.

“It will be okay, it has to be,” Shannon insisted, attempting to convince herself as well as Chris.

************

Two hours later, everyone had gathered up their things and headed home. Shannon and Joey were silent on the way back to his house, silent as he unlocked the door, and silent as they headed upstairs. Shannon headed straight for the bathroom where she started the shower, stripped, and stepped under the hot water and let her tears flow. The guilt was eating away at her heart and she covered her mouth with her hands, trying to stifle the sobs that fought to escape. She scrubbed vigorously at her skin, hoping the soap could erase the mistake she had made. Clean but feeling no better, Shannon turned off the water and wrapped herself in a towel. She took a deep breath before pulling back the shower curtain to reveal Joey who was in a state of half-dress, his back facing her. Shannon gasped as her eyes met claw marks that crisscrossed Joey’s back, fresh tears coming to her eyes. Joey turned quickly at the sound, his hazel eyes dark with hidden emotions.

“Shannon … are we going to talk about what happened last night?” Joey said thickly, close to tears.

“Um … why are there claw marks on your back, Joey? I know I didn’t put them there - ”

“I could ask you the same thing about the hickey on your left breast.”

Chapter Eighteen

(Monday, January 5th - WEG Compound - The Start of the New Tour.)

7:30 a.m.

The scene at the Wright Entertainment Group compound was much the same as the beginning of *N SYNC’s previous three tours - the only difference this time was the palpable cloud of tension that had come over the group. The tour buses were lined up in the driveway where Lonnie stood beside the head bus, handing out copies of the rider to everyone as they arrived.

Shannon pulled her silver Mustang convertible into a space between Chris’s cherry red PT Cruiser and Meaghan’s dark blue 4Runner, the sight of which made her sigh. The shit around her was so deep, she felt she should be wearing hip-waders. She rested her head on her steering wheel as she braced herself for the day ahead, her thoughts racing through her mind. The past few days Meaghan had stomped around their apartment in stormy silence, Joey hadn’t called her in four days, and Justin and Chris wouldn’t stop calling her for advice - the latter only giving Meaghan and Joey more reason not to talk to her. Taking a deep breath, Shannon got out of the car, gathered up her bags and headed towards Lonnie. She felt strong hands take hold of the heaviest two duffels, and she was never more glad to be wearing sunglasses as she turned and looked into Lance’s light green eyes. JC and Lance had been calling her all week trying to piece together what had happened New Year’s Eve, but she had been successful in avoiding them thus far. But once Lance looked at her with those eyes that saw everything - even those things left unsaid - her strong façade crumbled.

“Hey stranger,” Lance smiled softly, placing her bags on the ground by one of the buses, grabbing a copy of the rider from Lonnie.

“Hey Lance,” Shannon’s smile trembled as tears came to her eyes. “I’m sorry I didn’t call you … I - ”

“It’s not a problem. Jace and I were just worried about you.” He led her over to a bench and sat down, patting the seat beside him. Shannon sighed as she sat down, fighting to keep her emotions in check.

“I know, and thank you.” She nervously ran her hands over her hair that was pulled back in a ponytail. “So … uh …”

“Joey’s not here yet. That is what you were going to ask, wasn’t it?”

Shannon just stared at him unable to answer; the knot in her throat was too large. Lance scooted closer and put his arm around her shoulders. “Shan, I know you’re hurting, and I know that you know you fucked up - but Joey wasn’t innocent either, so don’t think he’s not battling his own demons. The last four days here have been hell, PURE hell. Chris and Joey aren’t talking to each other, Joey and Justin aren’t talking to each other, and Chris and Justin aren’t talking to each other - which basically leaves me and JC to carry on any and all ‘group’ conversations.” Lance took a deep breath before he continued. “I’m not entirely sure what  happened at Justin’s New Year’s Eve …”

“Neither am I,” Shannon whispered, her emerald eyes brimming with tears. “God, Lance - I’ve ruined *N SYNC.” The guilt she had been carrying finally became too much for her to handle and her strong resolve finally broke as the tears freely cascaded down her cheeks. “I’ve destroyed *N SYNC!”

Lance pulled her against his chest as she sobbed, smoothing her hair and rocking her gently. Marki quietly came up behind him and touched his shoulder to let him know she was there. She didn’t know Shannon very well, and she was still getting to know *N SYNC as men and not just as *N SYNC, but it broke Marki’s heart to see two couples who were obviously so much in love break apart - and all because of careless mistakes. Lance smiled at Marki reassuringly, shushing Shannon gently as her sobs subsided. Shannon clung to Lance as her breathing returned to normal and her tears stopped flowing.

“Do you feel better?” Lance asked her softly, brushing her hair back and lightly kissing her forehead.

“A little,” Shannon sighed, pulling away from him. “Oh god … Lance, I’m so sorry, I got your shirt all wet.”

Lance chuckled. “It’s okay, it’ll dry. I’m more worried about you.”

“Don’t be. I’ll be fine, I’m just worried about the group.” Shannon shook her head sadly. “It’s my fault three of your best friends aren’t talking to each other - ”

“And just how are you responsible for Justin and Joey not talking? If I recall Meaghan and Bridget had a hand in that one.” Lance cut her off, giving her a look of reproach.

“Okay … well then it’s my fault two of your best friends aren’t talking to each other. Joey and I have hurt each other so badly, I don’t know if we can ever repair it. Neither one of us can take back what we’ve done and …” Shannon’s voice caught in her throat as she noticed Joey’s black Escalade SUV parked next to Lance’s dark green 4Runner.

********

Joey maneuvered his SUV into a space next to Lance’s 4Runner, his heart heavy - an unusual feeling for him at the start of a new tour. Usually he was one of the first to arrive at Johnny’s, excited and anxious to get on the road and start the tour, but the events of the past few days had left him empty and torn. Rehearsals had been tense, tense being a severe understatement. It broke his heart to know Justin’s heart was breaking, and it hurt him more that every time he looked at Chris, all he could think of was that he had slept with Shannon. His heart beat faster thinking of her, and he wondered if she was there yet. He felt like such an ass, he hadn’t bothered to call her in four days.

Joey noticed her car as he unloaded his bags from the back, glad she wasn't in sight as he was in no way ready to face her.

Joey dropped his bags on the ground next to one of the main buses, stopping for a moment to chat with Lonnie and look over the rider for the tour, attached to which was a list of the bus assignments. His heart nearly froze when he noticed that the assignments hadn’t changed from the last tour - he was sharing a bus with Justin and Chris - but not only that … Shannon and Meaghan were on the same bus. He was still staring at the rider in disbelief when JC came up beside him.

“Hey Joe - what’s up?” JC smiled at his best friend.

“Uh … Jace … who decided on the bus assignments?” Joey wondered, his hazel eyes becoming stormy.

“We all did - remember? Oh that’s right … you, Chris, and Justin were too busy being asses so Lance and I had to decide for you.” JC’s eyes glittered with the anger he was fighting to keep under control.

“What the fuck, Josh? So you and Lance decide to have a little fun and put me on the bus with Justin and Chris, not to mention both Shannon and Meaghan? Is this some kind of joke?” Joey rounded on him ferociously.

“Do I look like I’m laughing?” JC wasn’t backing down.

“God damn it, Josh, this isn’t any of your business!” Joey punched the side of the bus in anger, his hazel eyes blazing. JC’s anger came to a head and he shoved Joey against the bus, pinning him there with his body.

“The fuck it isn’t my business!” JC seethed, his face inches from Joey’s. “You three are tearing apart the whole group, something we’ve all worked too damn hard for to throw away. I know Chris fucked up, hell - you fucked up too - but is it worth losing what we’ve earned, what we’ve busted our asses for?”

“Fuck you, JC.” Joey struggled against his best friend. “You have no right to - ”

"Damn it, Joey, why can’t you look past your selfish  pride and look at the bigger picture here?” JC pulled away, running his hands through his hair in frustration. “Is this really worth losing *N SYNC? Is she really worth it?”

“Don’t. Talk. About. Her.” Joey spat out.

“I’m sorry, Joe, really - ”

“Of course she’s worth it.” Joey’s eyes lost some of their fierceness. “I love her.”

“I know you do, buddy.” JC’s voice softened, and he put his arm around his best friend.

“God, JC … what am I going to do? I miss her so much, but every time I think of her, every time I see Chris … all I can think about is them together.” Joey’s voice broke, and he wiped at his eyes furiously, trying to hide the tears.

“I know,” JC swallowed guiltily, memories of his indiscretions with Laurie coming back to him. He was still nervous about working with Steve on the tour, even though all had been forgiven and they were friends again. JC thought of his recent conversations with Natalie and smiled. Though strained, there was some real progress there, progress that could be headed towards a relationship again. She had agreed to come see him once she wrapped up a large project at work, and he couldn't wait. He heard Joey clearing his throat and broke away from his thoughts.

“So … do you think this is fixable?” Joey looked at JC with hope in his eyes.

“I don’t know if ‘fixable’ is the right word, Joey. But Lance, Marki, and I are doing all that we can.” JC sighed. It was going to be a very long ride to Jacksonville.

Chapter Nineteen

(January 4th, 9:00 a.m., WEG Compound)

The buses were getting ready to head out, last minute preparations were being made, and the group on Bus #2 could stall no longer. Shannon got a hug of confidence from Lance, Meaghan hugged her mother good-bye and ran onto the bus, and Joey gave JC a look of desperation before boarding the bus. Justin and Chris looked up from their positions at opposite ends of the front room, each looking back down immediately when they saw who had come on board. Meaghan hurriedly brushed past everyone to get to the back of the bus, slamming the door closed. She was furious at JC and Lance for doing this to her - sticking her on a bus with Justin and Shannon for three hours. Deep down, part of her knew JC and Lance were only trying to open the lines of communication, but there wasn't much for her to say. She had slept with Joey knowingly and part of her wasn't sorry about it, as she knew Shannon and Chris had done the same. Joey headed straight for his bunk, lying down and closing the curtain, his thoughts too jumbled to sort out. Shannon sighed and set her sewing basket and a bag of costumes that still needed some last minute alterations down on the table. She sat down as the buses pulled out of the compound, only then looking over the rider for the tour, her eyes widening as she read it over. In the mass confusion of the last few days, no one had bothered to change the rooming assignments - she was still set as rooming with Joey, and Meaghan and Justin were still rooming together. She buried her face in her hands, willing the tears of frustration away. Chris moved silently across the room, sliding into the seat across from Shannon, his brown eyes serious.

“Hey little girl with the sad green eyes …” He smiled at her, trying to get her to smile back. Shannon began pulling supplies out of her sewing basket and costumes out of the bag, unwilling to meet his eyes. “Are you planning on ignoring me the whole trip? The whole tour? ‘Cause that’s gonna be a little hard, us being on the same bus and everything.”

“No, I’m not going to ignore you, Chris. I just want to be left alone right now, okay?” Shannon looked up at him, tears evident in her eyes.

“Shan …” Chris’s voice softened, his hand impulsively reaching out to cover hers. “I wish there was something I could do - ”

“There isn’t, Chris.”

“But if I hadn’t - ”

“It takes two, Chris. I’m at fault just as much as you are,” Shannon shook her head. “But placing blame isn’t going to fix this, I just need to talk to Joey alone, Justin needs to get Meaghan alone and talk to her, and you three guys need to talk - I mean, you have a concert tonight for crying out loud. How are you going to harmonize when you’re at each other’s throats?”

Justin came over then, sitting next to Shannon. “Chris and I are fine, we talked everything over yesterday. He isn’t happy I slept with Bridget, but knows it wasn’t on purpose - I thought she was Meaghan.” He looked around for emphasis. “I really did.”

“I know you did, J.” Chris smiled at his best friend.  "Not that she cared.  We're over, she had the nerve to call me and tell me she didn't think we were working out."

 “So … its just Joey not speaking to you now?” Shannon questioned Chris.

“Well - Justin wants to talk to Joey … work everything out … but Joey won’t ever stick around to talk to him. Or me.” Chris sighed.

“So you make him stick around,” Shannon pointed out. “Nothing is going to get fixed if you don’t fix it yourself, Chris.”

“What about me?” Justin asked her. “She’s your best friend … how do I fix this?”

“Meaghan’s stubborn, but she’s mostly hurting right now, J. If I know her like I think I do, right now she’s back there pissed off at herself almost more than she’s pissed off at you. I know she knows you didn’t sleep with Bridget intentionally - I overheard a phone conversation she had with Amber about it - but at the same time it still hurts her.”

“I know it does.” Justin rubbed his forehead, readjusting his bandanna. “I’d do anything to take it back, anything to remove that hurt look from her eyes.”

********

Two and a half hours later, the buses pulled into the parking lot of the hotel in Jacksonville, Florida. The bodyguards quickly hustled everyone into the hotel while the hotel staff brought the luggage inside. Johnny handed out room keys as they got off of the elevator, ignoring the tension that had settled over the group, choosing instead to worry about the concert later that night. Justin slid the keycard into the lock; his breath catching in his throat when he noticed Meaghan was already in the room, going through one of her bags. He set his messenger bag down on the dresser and turned towards his girlfriend.

“Meaghan?”

No response.

“Meaghan?” He tried again, but she refused to look over at him. His already frazzled nerves had reached a breaking point. “Dammit, Meaghan, why won’t you talk to me?”

“You know why, Justin.” Meaghan tried to move past him to go into the bathroom but he grabbed her arm and stopped her.

“We have to talk - now.” Justin sat on the bed and tried to get her to sit next to him only to have her pull away.

“There’s nothing to talk about.” Her blue eyes were cold.

“Meaghan, baby … I know I fucked up. I know it. I know I shouldn’t have slept with Bridget - but I thought she was you! I was so drunk, baby, I know that’s not an excuse but it’s all I have. The whole time I called out your name …” Justin’s cerulean eyes brimmed with tears, a few of which rolled down his cheeks. “I love you so much, Meaghan.”

“I can’t do this now,” Meaghan turned away quickly before he could see the tears in her eyes, or that her heart was breaking at his confession.

“Please … please tell me we can fix this. Meaghan, I can’t live without you in my life … I need you … you’re my heart, and I can’t live without my heart.” Justin sobbed openly now, desperate. “Don’t you think I would take back what I did if I could?”

“It’s not just that …” Meaghan fought to keep her voice normal.

"What then? You know there’s nothing that could be as bad as what I did,” Justin took her hand and turned her towards him. “You can tell me anything, baby.”

“I … I … I slept with Joey.” Meaghan could hardly get the words out. “New Year’s Eve - after I saw you and Bridget together and he saw Chris and Shannon together. I was drunk … but I didn’t care, I wanted to hurt you, I wanted to make you feel as badly as I did.” Meaghan wrapped her arms around herself, sobbing.

Justin's sharp intake of breath startled Meaghan out of her own guilty sorrow. She hadn't expected this reaction from him, she hadn't known what to expect from him, but something - anything but the shut-down Justin in front of her.

"Justin?" Meaghan wiped some of the tears from her cheeks. "Talk to me, please."

Turning his head slowly, he fixed dark eyes on her. "You ... and Joey ... on purpose?"

"Y..yes. I thought you knew ..." Meaghan stammered.

"I did know ... but -" Justin turned and faced the window, trying to sort his jumbled thoughts. All along, he had been prepared to forgive Meaghan, to forgive her for the same mistake he himself had made. But this wasn't the same mistake - it wasn't even a  mistake. Meaghan had turned to Joey on purpose, it wasn't mistaken identity, it was hate. Cold, unfeeling hate that had made her do what she did.

"Justin? Baby ..."

He flinched at the pet name as it left her lips, and pulled away from her touch. "I can't do this right now, I have a show to prepare for." Justin began to gather the things he'd need at the venue and picked up his messenger bag from the dresser.

"But what about us?" Meaghan's voice was small, the realization of what she was losing coming over her.

Justin looked up as he was leaving the room. "Maybe it was too much too soon."

Chapter Twenty

Shannon knew as she opened the door to her hotel room that Joey was already inside. Making sure to avoid eye contact with him, she quickly moved to the table and placed her belongings there. Shannon looked at her watch, it was a little past noon; she knew everyone would be heading out for lunch soon, but her stomach churned at the mere thought of food. Instead, she needed to finish a few more of the costumes - one of Lance’s shirts needed the buttons sewn on, Justin wanted her to embellish several of his bandannas, and there was a pair of Joey’s pants that needed to be hemmed - which she needed him to try on before she did that. 

I might as well get this over with. Shannon took a deep breath and turned to face Joey, her eyes on the pants in her hands. “I … I need you to try these pants on.” Shannon nearly dropped the pants when she saw the look of pleading in Joey’s eyes.

“Shannon, I think we need to talk. I don’t want you to be afraid to talk to me.” His hazel eyes were serious. He pulled the pants from her hands and turned to put them on.

“I’m not afraid to talk to you … I just figured you weren’t talking to me.” Shannon sat on the floor at his feet and started pinning the hem of his pants.

“Well, I was mad, but I really want to work through this.” Joey looked down at her. “Could you stop with the pinning for a minute?”

Shannon put in another pin. “Actually, I’m all done - you can take them off now.”

“Shannon?” Joey pulled them off and handed them to her. “Do you want to talk about what happened or not?”

“I don’t know where to begin,” Shannon said simply, sitting down at the table. Joey could tell how nervous she was by how much her hands shook as she tried unsuccessfully to thread the needle. After her fourth attempt, Joey covered her hands with his and kneeled down before her.

“We both know we’ve messed up … we’ve both done things that we shouldn’t have … I’m not going to say either one of us was right or that one of us was more wrong than the other.” Joey stopped to collect his thoughts. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that I don’t want to lose you over this.”

“I don’t want to lose you either, but I don’t think that a few words are going to fix this and make it all better.” Shannon raised her eyes to meet his. “I’m more worried about your friendship with Justin and Chris - you really need to talk to them first.”

“My friendship with Justin and Chris will be fine - I’m more concerned with working all this out with you. I need to know you aren’t mad at me … I’m not mad at you.” Joey rested his arms on her thighs and his head in her lap, looking up at her with pleading eyes.

“Joey …” she couldn’t help but smile at the picture he made. “I’m not mad at you, we were both in the wrong the other night, and yes, I want to work through this together. But you really need to talk to Chris and Justin, I mean, they’re way more important than I am.”

“What? How do you figure?” Joey raised his head in shock.  “Sweetheart - you mean more to me than anything, than anyone. I thought you knew that.”

Shannon touched his face gently. “Joey, I know that, trust me, I do. But you’ve worked so hard and for so long with Chris and Justin to get where you five are today, and I think you need to work everything out with them before the concert tonight. I mean, how are you guys going to be in synch if you’re not speaking to one another?”

“We’ll be okay - trust me. I just need to know we’re okay.” Joey raised his eyes to meet hers.

 “Look … Joey, we can’t say a few kind words and make everything okay here. I mean, you and I both made conscious decisions to sleep with someone else. Chris and Meaghan were part of those decisions - they knew what they were doing, as did Bridget. Justin is the only innocent here, in his mind and in his heart he made love to Meaghan that night.” She paused to take a breath and to place the costumes back in the bag.  “Joey … it’s going to take time to repair this. I could sit here and say everything is all right and say I’m sorry and say I forgive you - but in my heart I would still have the guilt and the fear. So let’s be adults here and just give each other the time and the space to heal, and you go find Chris and Justin and make everything okay before the concert tonight.” She got up to leave and only then noticed Joey’s shocked expression.

“You mean … but … I want us to fix this now.” His voice came very close to sounding like a whine.

“I know you do, but it’s not going to be that easy. I need time, and we both have work to do before the show, so I’ll see you later.” Shannon willed herself to be as strong as her words sounded, but it was hard when Joey grabbed her arm to prevent her from leaving.

"Where are you going? This isn’t resolved yet and besides - this is your room, too.”

“I’m going to head over to the venue.  Meaghan and I need to get a few things straightened out between us, and I have to make sure I have all of this stuff done before six.” Shannon motioned to the bag of unfinished costumes.

“All what stuff? It’s going to take you six hours to hem my pants and sew a few buttons on?”

“Well … no. But I do need to talk to Meaghan, she’s my best friend, and - ”

“And I’m your boyfriend - unless you’d rather I wasn’t. Maybe you’d rather be with Chris instead.” Joey regretted the words the moment they left his mouth, especially when he saw Shannon’s face crumble and tears fill her eyes as her belongings fell to the floor. “Shannon … I’m sorry, I - ”

“Shut up, just shut up. I can’t believe you just said that to me.” She turned to face him, her dark green eyes stormy. “Get out.”

Joey tried to swallow past the gigantic lump that had lodged in his throat. His voice broke when he tried to speak. “I’m sorry.”

“Get out, Joey. I can’t look at you right now. Please, just leave me alone.”

His hazel brown eyes pleaded silently to stay, but he knew she needed to be alone, so he simply nodded, grabbed his bag, and closed the door quietly behind him.

Shannon pulled his pants she needed to hem out of the bag and sat down, the scent of Joey overloading her senses. Tears filled her eyes, and unable to hold back, she clutched his pants to her chest and sobbed.

********

Joey stood outside the room, not sure if he really should leave or go back inside, his confusion made greater as he listened to Shannon's sobs. His mind made up, he had just raised his hand to knock when he felt someone touch his shoulder.

"Uh ... I think you should maybe leave her alone for awhile." Chris said hesitantly.

Joey's eyes darkened with anger. "Let me guess ... you heard everything?"

"Well ... yeah. I didn't mean to - I was just coming to try and talk to you ..." Chris tried to explain only to be cut off by Joey.

"Do you hear her in there? She's upset and here I stand, the whole reason she's upset. I need to fix this." Joey moved again to knock on the door only to be stopped again by Chris.

"Dude - leave her alone." His brown eyes were serious. "I know she's upset from what you said to her ... why did you say that, Joe? You know Shannon loves you."

"I know, I know ... I don't know why I said it. I have to go in there, she needs to know I -"

"Joey, just leave her alone for a little while. Trust me, it's what she wants."

"And just where do you get off acting like you know my girlfriend better than I do?" Joey glared at Chris.

"I don't know her better than you do, but maybe I understand her better!" Chris waited until his words sunk in before continuing. "I know what everyone's been saying about me the last few months, about my 'crush' on Shannon. Yes, I like her, I like her A LOT. But not the way you all think. I like her because she  understands me and listens to me better than anyone I've ever known. She sees past the jokes and the humor ... don't get me wrong, Joey. You and the other guys are the best friends I've ever had and you're my brothers in every sense of  the word ... but it's just been great having Shannon around to talk about the more serious stuff - FuMan, my problems with Bridget. I do love Shannon, but as a best friend. I know I screwed up -"

"Chris, we all did." Joey cut him off, the fierceness gone from his eyes. "God ... I love her so much! I don't know how I'm going to fix this." He wiped furiously at the tears in his eyes. "I mean, she's all I've ever wanted, she's all I've ever needed ... and I'm so pathetic that I'm quoting our song lyrics."

Chris chuckled and smiled at his best friend. "Just leave her alone for a little while, let her sort out her thoughts and go from there."

"Thanks man ... so ... are we cool?" Joey asked, nudgeing Chris with his shoulder.

"Yeah, we're cool ... ya big dork."

Joey let out a small laugh. "Watch who you're calling a dork, Fievel."

Chapter Twenty-one

(Later that day, at the venue, 6 p.m.)

"Hey ... you need any help?" Marki asked from the  doorway of the costume room, breaking Shannon from her thoughts.

"Sure," Shannon smiled one of the first real smiles she had in days. "You can start hanging up Lance's stuff if you want - it's in the green bins."

Marki looked around at the neat stacks of plastic bins, organizers, and hangers - each neatly labeled and sorted by color, a different color for each of the guys.

"Green ... Lance always complains he gets stuck with whatever's green." Marki grinned. "And I just have to ask ... who got stuck with pink?"

Shannon couldn't keep a straight face. "Joey," she answered and Marki burst out laughing. "Well ... he wouldn't pick a color! Chris just had to have orange, and Justin just had to have blue, JC picked red -"

"I get the picture," Marki laughed and shook her head. "I have to say, though, you're really organized, I'm impressed."

"Thanks." Shannon finished the bandanna she had embellished for Justin and started going through the blue bins. The two women worked in a comfortable silence for a few minutes until Marki spoke up.

"Have you talked with Joey yet?"

Shannon kept her concentration fixed on the shirt in her hands. "You could say that."

"Didn't go too well, did it?" Marki glanced over at her friend.

"Oh, Marki ... it was awful!" Shannon turned to face Marki, tears of frustration in her eyes. "He wants to say 'I'm sorry' and for me to say 'Okay' and everything to go back to how it was ... and it can't."

"Do you think you two will ever be okay?" Marki asked with concern.

"I don't know, everything is so confusing right now."  The tears spilled down Shannon's cheeks. "My heart is so torn ..."

"About what?" Marki gave up any effort at hanging the costumes and sat down on a couch. "Don't you love him?"

"Which one?" Shannon whispered.

Marki gasped. Lance and JC had told her everything that had happened on New Year's Eve, and the whole group knew about Chris's crush on Shannon, but no one had begun to think of Shannon's feelings for Chris. "This is bad."

"I know! I don't know what to do. I love Joey ... but when Chris and I ... when we - Marki, there was more than lust there." Shannon looked at her friend, the fear evident in her eyes.

"Well ... do you think Chris feels the same way?" Marki wasn't sure how much Shannon knew about his crush on her.

"I don't know, I'm afraid to ask." Shannon tried to pull herself together and started hanging costumes again. "I don't know what I'm gonna do."

"Do you love Joey?"

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Shannon answered. "Yes."

"Are you IN love with him?"

Shannon paused before answering. "I don't know."

Both women jumped when the door of the costume room slammed open and Meaghan stormed in and shot daggers at Marki.

"What are YOU doing in here? I'M the one who's supposed to be the costume assistant, not YOU." She said the last word like it tasted bad.

Marki threw up her hands and backed away from the bin of Lance's costumes. "Whoa, okay, I was just trying to help Shannon and the guys out, since you were nowhere to be found."

"Why don't you do your job - you are still JC's P.A., right? Or are you too busy making out with Lance?" Meaghan spat back.

"What is your problem, Meaghan? What did I ever do to you?" Marki crossed her arms and waited for her to answer as Shannon stared at the scene before her in shock.

"You're trying to take my job, THAT'S my problem." Meaghan then turned on Shannon. "And you? Why aren't you saying anything? You ARE my best friend, you're supposed to be supporting me here."

Over her shock, Shannon finally found her voice. "You're being rediculous, Meg. How can I support you? Marki was only trying to help me out, she didn't mean anything by it."

"Whatever, Shannon. If you're this loyal to your best friend, no wonder Joey slept with me."

Before anyone could blink, Shannon slapped Meaghan as hard as she could across the face. She barely had time to register what she had done before Lance and Chris were in the room, pulling her away from a shocked Meaghan.

"You bitch! I can't believe you fucking hit me!"

"From what I heard, I'd say you deserved it," Lance glared at Meaghan.

"Are you okay?" Chris pulled Shannon into his arms.  "You're shaking."

"I'm okay ... I think." Shannon shivered, her heart racing.

"Maybe you'd better leave, Meg." Lance said seriously. "We don't need the tension back here."

"Well, Lance, that's not really up to you, now is it?" Meaghan smirked.

"But it is up to me." The people in the room turned around quickly to see Justin leaning against the doorjamb, his arms crossed over his chest. "I have plenty to say about it, too."

Meaghan tried to hide her look of surprise and quickly turned a fake smile on Justin. "Baby, I didn't know you were here yet ..."

"Nice try, Meg, but you can just drop the act. I see you for what you really are - a heartless, conniving liar - a woman I should have never trusted my heart with." Justin's eyes were cold and dark, his jaw tense. "A woman I never want to see again. Get out."

"But, Justin ... I-" Meaghan's chin had begun to tremble.

"Just leave!" Justin roared at her, his rage overcoming him at last. "I never want to see you again! Don't you get it? Just get out!"

Lance placed a comforting hand on Justin's shoulder. "I'd listen to him, Meg. I think it's best for all of us, you need to go."

"So that's it? I'm off the tour? For what?" Meaghan's tears quickly turned bitter. "For sleeping with someone else? I'm not the only guilty one here, Lance. Shannon and Chris are just as guilty, why don't you kick them off the tour, too?"

"Get out of my sight, Meg. Don't make me call security." Lance's cool resolve broke at last.

"Fine, kick me out ... but keep the slut?" Meaghan looked over at Shannon who was staring at her former best friend, tears of shock and rage streaming down her cheeks. "That's what you are, Shannon, a slut. You're nothing better than me, and you never will be." Marki lept from her seat on the couch next to Shannon, fists ready to fly, but was held back by Chris. "It's not worth it, Mar. Just let her go." Chris looked at Marki with calm brown eyes.

"I didn't want to do this, but ... Lonnie!" Lance yelled and instantly the large man entered the room followed by three other members of *N SYNC's security.

"What's the problem here?" Lonnie's dark eyes scanned over the scene before him.

"Can you please escort Ms. Fraser back to the hotel so she can get her things and then drop her off at the airport?" Justin requested, and Lonnie nodded.

"Sure thing, Timbs. Come on, miss, let's go." Lonnie placed his hand on Meaghan's arm, only to have her pull away and rush to Justin, begging.

"Justin, baby, you're just mad ... it's all gonna be alright, we just have to talk! Please, Just -" Meaghan touched his arm.

"Don't. Touch. Me." Justin's eyes shot blue fire.

"I said, let's go." Lonnie pulled Meaghan from the room, the door slamming shut behind them.


(One hour later, backstage)

Joey entered the backstage area with trepidation, something wasn't right, and it wasn't just the fact that he and Shannon were still on the rocks. His heart beat faster as he neared the costume room, especially when he didn't hear any of the normal commotion coming from inside. He knocked on the door lightly, waited a few moments, and just when he was about to open it himself, it swung open to reveal Shannon.

"Oh, hey." Her green eyes were red-rimmed and puffy, a sure sign that she had been crying recently. "I was just lying down, did you need something?"

"I didn't mean to bother you ... I just wanted to talk, if that's okay." Joey shoved his hands in his pockets to keep from brushing a strand of her hair from her face.

"That's fine, come on in." Shannon stood aside and let him enter the room, all the costumes neatly pressed and hung, ready for showtime.

"Wow, everything looks ready ... except for you, and I have a pretty good idea that it's mostly because of me." Joey smiled wanly at her.

"No, it's not you. Meaghan was here ..." Shannon's tears started anew. "I can't believe ... I don't know why she did what she did. I don't know why I did what I did - god, what was it about that night?" She began to sob, Joey pulled her into his arms and held her while she cried.

"I don't know Shan." He tilted her face up to look into her eyes. "We need to talk about us ... is there still an 'us'?"

"I don't know ..." Shannon whispered. "I do love you, Joey."

"I know you do, and I love you." He fought to get his words around the lump in his throat. "I just don't think that I'm IN love with you ... maybe I never was. Wait, that sounded so bad -"

"But it's true, Joey. I think we were both pushing this too fast - it was too much too soon." Shannon felt strangely calm, not nearly as sad as she thought she would be. "I don't want to lose your friendship ..."

"And you won't." Joey smiled gently at her. "Shannon, you are such a dear friend to me, I don't ever want us to stop being friends. If I can't be with you as a boyfriend, I at least want to be there as a friend." They both rushed to hug one another, giggling with relief.

"God, this wasn't so bad," Shannon wiped the last of the tears from her eyes. "Why is that?"

"Maybe because we both did what our hearts knew was right." Joey shrugged. "But there's one more thing I have to talk to you about."

"What's that?" Shannon raised her eyebrow.

"Chris."

"Uh, Joey, maybe that's not such a good idea ..." Shannon rose from the couch and started rifling through a bin.

"Shan, sit down and listen to me - I know what I'm talking about here." Joey looked at her pointedly. "You're in love with him ... admit it." Shannon blushed darkly and squirmed uncomfortably. "See? I told you I know what I'm talking about."

"It's just weird, me talking to you about this." She looked at him closely. "Wait a minute ... you aren't just trying to get me to tell you all this so you can go out there and kick Chris's ass, are you?"

Joey laughed. "No, you dork. I'm trying to be mature, here."

"Whoa ... careful there, stud. You might lose that rep you have going." Shannon grinned.


********

The stadium clock was counting down and the fans were getting louder, screaming for the five guys who stood in a circle backstage, playing the required game of hackey sack. Justin, who's eyes were still red from crying, hugged each one of his brothers tightly, thankful to the God who had placed him in their care. JC hugged Joey the tightest, still thoughtful of the fight they had had earlier. Lance hugged them all, wonderous as to how he'd ever been so lucky to land there. Joey and Chris faced each other with some wariness, but embraced tightly, each reminded of what they could have lost.

"Okay, gentlemen, you're on!" The backstage manager announced, waving them all towards the stage entrance.

The five men looked at each other with excited grins.

Pop Odyssey had officially begun.


THE END!!!!!!!!!!!!