At Home

“Yo! We’re gonna be late dip-shit!” Chris yelled, pounding down on the bedroom door.

“Chris!” Lance scolded, opening the door opposite to the one Chris was pounding on. “Leave’em alone would ya? You know how he’s been lately. It’s only been a week”

Chris rolled his eyes and turned to face Lance. “You know, I don’t see what he’s so down about anyways. He should be glad that gold-digger is out of his life. She just used him for his publicity and fame, not to mention the way she went through his money just about as much as Justin went through hair bleach.”

“Hey!” Justin said defensively stepping into the hallway to join Chris and Lance. He ran a hand through his bleached blonde head of curls and frowned. “Girls dig this new do”

Lance stifled a laugh but Chris just shook his head and turned back to pounding on the door. “Joshua Scott Chasez if you don’t get out here in the next 5mins we’re gonna have to think of ways to break it to our millions of fans that there’s only 4 NSYNC members left instead of 5!!”

Still no answer. Chris sighed, looking at Justin and Lance.

Joey came out of the bathroom a little bit further down the hall, the sound of the toilet flushing echoing behind him as he walked up to join his band mates.

“Jeez Joe you could have used some Febreze or something! God!” Chris complained holding his nose. Joey just gave a smirk. He was the only NSYNC member that was just completely shameless.

“Sorry, burritos and root beer for breakfast didn’t exactly cooperate too well with my stomach this morning”

“No shit” Justin mumbled waving his hand by his nose.

“What’s the problem out here, anyways?” Joey asked, ignoring Justin’s remark

“JC’s still in is room, and he’s taking forever.” Lance explained.

“- And he’s gonna make us all late” Chris but in, yelling, just to get JC to hear him.

Just then, the bedroom door swung open, and an irritated JC stood in the doorframe. Chris, Lance, Justin and Joey all stood in a semi-circle around JC’s door and stared at him. His cheeks were flushed, and his hair was disheveled. His shirt was wrinkled and he wore faded denim jeans. Thank God they’d have makeup/hair done and costume change at the video shoot.

“Let’s go” JC growled slapping his baseball cap on to his head pulling it lower over his eyes and forehead and pushed his way through Justin and Lance, not making any eye contact, to make his way up the corridor and through the front door, slamming it so hard on his way out it made the framed picture of the five of them next to the door shake.

Chris, Just, Joey and Lance just stared after him, speechless. They had never seen JC act the way he just did. Whenever he had a personal problem, he usually kept to himself, and dealt with it in private, rarely ever filling in the rest of guys on the major details much less taking out his emotions on them.

Joey was the first to speak up. “He’s still taking it pretty bad huh?”

“I didn’t realize it was that bad” Justin said

“Should we try to convince him to talk to us?” Lance asked

“I don’t think so Lance” Joey replied. “He’ll talk to one of us when he’s ready. For now I think we should just leave him be, and let him deal with this on his own, if he feels it’s what he needs”

Justin nodded.

“I just don’t see why he’s taking it out on us. We’re just trying to help.” Chris mumbled

“I don’t think being impatient and judgmental is helping him Chris” Justin spoke up softly.

Chris glared at him.

 “Look, I don’t think what Allison did to JC is right. Hell if she was standing here right now I’d probably give her the cursing of her lifetime, but let’s face it, even though we all hated her, JC loved her, man. She broke his heart, he’s entitled to some moping around”

Lance and Joey both nodded.

Chris sighed. “Alright I’ll lay off. But if all this even has the slightest effect on his commitment towards NSYNC, then don’t expect me to sugarcoat my words when I talk to him”

“Fair enough” Joey said.

Just then, the front door opened so quickly, you could feel the breeze. It caused the four of them to look up.

JC stood glaring them. “You’re the one who wanted to leave. So get your asses out here so we’re not late for our video shoot” He then slammed the door, again rattling the frames on the wall next to it.

They sighed and left the house, already to see JC seated in the passenger seat of the van with his elbow propped up on the door and his fist supporting the side of his head. He just stared ahead, not looking at anything in particular. Justin, Joey and Lance piled into the backseat while Chris headed for the driver’s seat. The car was silent while they all got settled in.  Chris started the engine and backed out of the driveway of the house the five of them shared. They were a good half hour from the studio where their ‘Tearin’ Up My Heart’ video shoot was supposed to take place so Chris suggested they play a game to help pass the time.

Everyone agreed, besides JC who just kept staring straight ahead and said nothing.

“What about ‘Do Run Run’?” Justin suggested, knowing it was one of JC’s favorite car games.

Lance, Joey and Chris all agreed.

“Who’s gonna start?” Lance asked

“I will!” Chris volunteered, keeping his hands on the steering wheel and his gaze focused on the road in front of him.

“Go ahead”

“Alright, umm..” He looked at the digital clock in his car and started in song, to go along with the rhythm of their ‘Do Run Run’ song. “Today we are really late!”

The three in the backseat broke out too. “Do Run Run Run, Do do-do-do yea”

Justin: “If we get in trouble we can use Lance as bait” Everyone laughed, Chris could even see the corners of JC’s mouth twitch.

Do Run Run

Lance:  “If you keep bleaching your hair you’ll never get a date” he sang

Joey: “I wanna learn to ice-skate!” Random ol’ Joe.

They all looked at JC to hear his part, and he sensed it.

He sang softly. “Because of Allison I’ll never have a soul mate”

Joy kill!

The car became silent again. Chris looked over again at the digital clock, seeing they had only killed 4mins, plus they were victims of rush-hour traffic. He sighed but JC was actually the first to speak up, to their surprise.

“Sorry” he murmured, so quietly it was practically a whisper.

“Wanna talk about it C?” Chris offered.

JC lifted his head for the first time and took off his baseball cap. He ran a hand through the dark waves of his hair and leaned back. “I just don’t get it. I don’t get her! I mean, I loved her! And to turn me down is one thing, sure, but to turn me down because she’s been fucking some other guy for God knows how long is another!”

“We’re sorry C” Justin said quietly.

JC heaved a big sigh. “I’m sorry too. For snapping at you guys. I just, I need some time to get my head together alright?”

They all nodded. Atleast they had gotten JC to talk to them, and he apologized! Bonus!

Now if only they could get him through the shoot.

At the Video Shoot

“..And no matter what I do I feel the pain. With or without you..” JC sang the words with his with his eyes closed, ending the the song looking down to his feet while the cameras rolled. All the singing and dancing caused him to breathe heavily. They had been at this for the past 9 hours, and this had been their final take. By now it was almost 11pm and they guys were exhausted, but yet glad they had gotten the shots they wanted. Turns out they had gotten to their shoot late and just like he promised, Justin blamed it on Lance, which caused a friendly and amusing bickering between the two.

The shoot started off a little tense. The audio & video crew could tell that something was up with JC but the guys just told them to ignore it. JC did what he had to do. He cooperated with everyone, he didn’t speak unless he was spoken to, and he used the song to express the tornado of emotions that spiraled within him. By now he was just ready to go home and return to his beloved bed.

“And.. we’re done” The director called out with a smile. “We did it! We got a video!”

“Woohoo!” The other 4 members of NSYNC all started cheering and high fiving each other, while JC just nodded and barely gave a smile. He was happy they had gotten through the video, but.. The spark just wasn’t with him right now.

He quietly crept off the set and headed for his duffel bag resting on the ground next to the lights and yanked it onto his shoulder. He quietly and patiently stood there while everyone else was all smiles, satisfied they had gotten through the day.

“Good job C!” Their manager Johnny said to him while passing by.

“Thanks” JC replied

Joey and Chris ran up to him while Lance and Justin went to get the rest of their bags.

“Atleast put on a smile Jace! We’re done with the video and we don’t have any more NSYNC stuff to do until Friday!” said Joey

“You know what that means” Chris said mischievously wiggling his eyebrows

“I’m not up for any of that tonight guys. I’m tired” JC said

Lance and Justin joined them.

“We don’t care!” Justin began. “All 5 of us are going out tonight and we’re gonna celebrate!”

“Justin you’re not even old enough to go clubbing with us” JC put in reminding Justin that he was only 17.

“He’ll get in C. We have the hook up remember?” said Lance. “Now come on! You can sleep in tomorrow morning, but right now, we’re getting your mind off of Allison and you’re gonna go out, and have a good time with your friends. Kapeesh?”

JC looked up at his friends and sighed. “One hour. And then I’m taking the car, leaving your asses to find some other way home”

“Oh no you’re not. I’ve got the keys” Chris said holding up the silver object. “You’re leaving when we leave. We’re not letting you mope around tonight. Now c’mon let’s go”

Joey grabbed JC by the arm and pulled him out to the car, yelling their ‘Good-bye’s and Thank you’s’ to everyone on their way out.

“Can’t we atleast go home and change first or get something to eat?” JC whined.

“No!” The other four said in unison. It was the fourth time JC had asked the same question, each time saying it in a different way.

“If we go home, you’re probably gonna lock yourself in your room and you won’t come out. We’re gonna get sweaty again at the club so it makes no sense to go home and shower right now. And you can get something at the bar. Now quit your whining! We’re here” Chris said pulling to the side of the road. They could already hear the loud music exploding throughout the club doors.

Inside The Club

The music was pounding and JC could feel the adrenaline run through his veins. The dance floor was packed! Bodies were backed up against each other.

“Pstt” Joey hissed as a girl wearing a strapless bra under fishnets and a black shorts with stiletto heels walked past them. JC barely noticed her.

“Damn, this place got all sorts of fine ass chicks walking around” Justin said as he scanned the crowd.

“And they’re all too old for you Timberlake” Chris remarked.

Justin ignored him.

“C’mon, let’s see if we can get any of the girls here to dance with us” Lance said

The four guys started walking onto the dance floor but turned around and looked at each other hesitantly when JC called out to them.

“I’ll be at the bar”

They nodded and moved onto the dancefloor.

JC stuck his hands in the pockets of his jeans and sat down on one of the stools at the bar.

“A beer please” He told the waitress politely.

“Coming right up” She replied. She slid the cold drink over the counter towards him and popped it open for him.

“Thanks” JC said handing her the $10 dollar bill.

“You got it” she said

He took a sip of his beer and leaned back on the counter, his eyes scanning the dance floor. He saw Justin flirting with some blonde near the speakers and Joey and Chris were grinding to the music with a couple of brunettes while Lance made conversation with a red head while moving in rhythm to the music. JC took another gulp of his drink, the alcohol in it briefly burning his throat. He heard some commotion a few stools away and the other end of the bar so he shifted his focus to see what was going on.

“Leave me alone you freak!” a girl in a blue halter and black mini with knee high boots said, her left hand pushing against some drunk guy’s chest. She had a drink in her right hand.

“C’mon baby don’t be like that” the guy said pushing his hips up against her. “You know you want this” She raised her hand and threw the alcohol in his face.

“Shit!” He exclaimed.

“Get away from me!” the chick said

“Fuck you bitch!” he spat. The girl looked hurt, staring after him as he walked to the other end of the bar, having to pass JC while doing so.

JC used the remainder of his and casually spilled it on the area in front of him on the ground. The guy passed, frustrated still rubbing his eyes and angrily mumbling to himself. A few steps later, JC turned to the side, trying to look normal. He knew what was about the take place.

The guy kept walking nearing closer to JC’s stool. His quiet mumbling turned into a semi-loud yelp as he skated on the spilled drink he hadn’t noticed on the floor and fell on his back. JC had to bite his lip and hold his breath to keep from laughing out loud in front of him.

“Fuck this” the drunk muttered. “I’m outta here”

JC smiled as the watched the guy get up and angrily push his way past the crowd of people in front of him, disappearing in the crowd. JC turned back to the side to face in the direction where the girl was still sitting with a smile, but her mouth was open in amazement. She had seen what JC  did.

JC gave her a shy smile and winked at her, in a way to say “No problem”. He turned back to the bar, he elbows flat on the marble counter (that was kinda sticky too), his forearms on top of each other.

He waited patiently for the waitress to come back and get him another drink. He was about to signal for her but he felt a hand tapping gently on his shoulder. He spun around on the stool only to come face to face with the woman who he thought was at the end of the bar. Well she works fast.

“Uh, hi” she said shyly. She was holding two beer bottles.

“Hi” JC replied, giving her a small smile. She had awesome chocolate brown eyes and her cinnamon brown hair with auburn highlights fell in waves effortlessly past her shoulders.

“I saw what you did a while ago. Thanks, I appreciate it. Some of the guys here are pure losers”

JC chuckled. “It was no problem, really.” He looked down at the beer bottles and back to her. “Are one of those for me?”

“Oh, yea!” She handed one of the beers to him, she had momentarily gotten lost in his sea blue eyes. “You kind of wasted your drink on the floor so I thought I could repay you”

JC accepted the drink. “Thank you. But like I said, it really wasn’t much. That dude caused you to waste your drink on him and I made him get hurt using my drink. All I really did was help karma out”

The girl giggled. “Well, um, thank you.”

There was an awkward silence that lasted for about less than a second before someone spoke up.

“Uh, I’m Josh by the way” JC extended his free arm out to her

“I’m Liz” she shook his hand

Man her hands are really soft! JC felt the electricity shoot up and down his spine and run through his veins as their skin made contact. If Liz felt it too (and she did), she didn’t show it, so neither did he.

“Liz?” JC repeated her name. “That’s a cool name”

“Thanks, but it’s actually Elizabeth. I think it sounds too formal and well, not me so my friends call me Liz, sometimes Lizzie”

“So if I call you Liz, am I considered a friend?” JC asked with a smile

Was he seriously flirting here?

“Sure”

“You from around here Liz?” JC questioned

“Nah, I’m from Chicago. The windy city” she giggled. “I moved here when I turned 18 though, so yea, I’ve been living here for about 4 years now.”

“Why’d you move?”

“School, mostly. And I like the warm weather. What about you? Where’re you from?”

“Maryland” JC replied. “I moved to Orlando when I was about 14, to uh, you know, better job opportunities” He didn’t want to ruin their conversation talking about himself and/or MMC or NSYNC.

Liz laughed. “You were thinking about jobs at 14?!?”

JC laughed. “Long story”

They both took a minute to drink their beverages and absorb the music.

JC noticed the way she moved her body to the rhythm of the music. He put his drink on the counter and smiled.

“Wanna dance?” he offered to her

“Oh, I’d like to but I don’t really dance”

“Sure you do. I could tell, all you gotta have is rhythm”

She looked at him hesitantly.

“C’mon” he urged her. He took the drink from her hand and placed it next to his on the counter. “We’re friends now, right? I’ll teach you if you like”

“Okay, but don’t blame me if I step on your feet”

JC chuckled. “Deal. Now c’mon”

He led her onto the dance floor while It's No Good by Depeche Mode blared through the speakers.

“Just let the music consume your body and move with it” he advised her, speaking louder than usual so his voice could be heard above the music. They both rocked to the beat of the music for the next 3 songs, JC ever so often grinding behind her, and Liz, not at all minding it. At the end of the Mariah Carey's Butterfly, they made their way back to the bar.

“You’re a terrific dancer! You got skills man!” Liz complimented.

JC blushed. “Thanks. You’re not too bad yourself”

Liz smiled. “Hey I’m gonna go use the bathroom k?

“Yea, I’ll just be.. here” JC said sitting down on the stool at the bar.

When she left, he ordered another drink for himself and an extra one for Liz if she was thirsty from all the dancing. He was sipping on his drink when Justin, Lance and Chris bounced up behind him startling JC.

“Hey man! I see you met a new friend. She’s hot! We saw you guys on the dance floor” Lance winked

JC said nothing but sipped on his drink.

“So?” Chris urged on

“’So’ what?” JC asked

“You’ve forgotten about Allison?” Chris asked happily

JC’s face fell.

Seeing the change in JC’s facial expression caused Justin to swat Chris behind the head.

“Oops” Chris said

“Jace he just mea-”Lance started but JC cut him off.

“Don’t worry about it” JC said turning back to face the bar.

“Alright we’re heading back to the dance floor for a little while longer okay? We’ll drag Joey out of there and head back home in a half hour or so” Chris said

JC just nodded, the back of his head facing his friends.

Justin gave him a pat on the back before heading off with the other two.

JC felt the familiar pang of pain hit his chest. It wasn’t an actual medical related chest pain however. It was more like the pain of a bleeding, broken heart, that he only felt when thinking about him and Allison. He felt his eyes tear up and took another gulp of his drink, the alcohol burning his throat. That way if the tears did decide to fall he’d be able to blame the alcohol.

“Why so glum, chum?”

He looked over to his right, where the voice came from. Liz was back. She slid into the stool beside him and smiled.

“Hey” he said

“Hi yourself. I’ve been gone a little over 5mins and you’re all glum. Miss me that much?” she teased

JC managed a laugh. “I was just thinking, that’s all. Long story” He didn’t feel the need to discuss the elements of his personal life with a someone he barely knew. “Want me to buy us another round of drinks?”

“No I’m okay. I already had three, I’m at my limit”

“Oh well, how are you getting home?”

“I came with my best friend, she’s around here somewhere, probably flirting with some guy on the dance floor. I’ll go find her in a while. You?”

“I came with some friends, they’re on the dance floor somewhere. I think we’re leaving soon”

“Oh” Liz sounded disappointed.

“You know, I had fun tonight. I didn’t expect to but I did. And I made a new friend, so thanks for that” JC smiled at her.

“How come you didn’t think you’d have fun?”

“Like I said before, it’s a long story” He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and saw it was Joey calling him, probably wanting to tell him they were ready to leave. “And I don’t have much time to tell it. I gotta go”

Liz nodded. It was time to go but they both just stood there.

“It was nice meeting you Josh and hopefully I’ll see you around again” she pulled out a card from her back pocket, seeing that she didn’t have her wallet on her. “Here’s my number. If you ever wanna hang out again, let me know” She gave a shy smile.

JC smiled genuinely. Usually when girls slipped him their number at a club he’d accept them politely and just hand them down to Joey or he’d eventually lose them, never really planning to call. But this time, he’d accept. “Thanks”

“See ya around Josh. Have a good night”

“You too Liz. You too”

He exited the club and saw Chris, Justin, Joey and Lance standing around their car, obviously waiting for him.

“What were you doing in there for so long? We’ve been trying to call you” Lance told him

“I made a new friend” JC simply said

“A new friend huh” Joey teased. “Any new numbers for me?”

“Not this time Joe”

“Just get in the car” Chris said

JC was the first to go in, this time in the back seat.

The same thing was running through the minds of Chris, Joey, Lance and Justin as they piled into the vehicle. “A new friend huh”

;)

JC stared up at the ceiling fan, lying flat on his back, his fingers of each hand interlocked, resting behind his head. He lay awake, alone in the darkness. He couldn’t sleep, he hadn’t been able to for a few days, which was odd because he was the NSYNC member who always had an absurd amount of energy, then crashed to no awake. He sighed.  They had gotten home from the club hours ago and when,  JC had headed straight for his bed. And had been lying there for almost 3hrs now, letting his mind wander.

He felt a tear stroll down his cheek, and he didn’t bother to wipe it away. He just let it fall.

 He squeezed his eyes shut as another tear fell from his eyes. God this hurt! How could the one woman he ever loved with everything he had , hurt him like she did? They had known each other since he was on the Mickey Mouse Club.

They fell in love or atleast JC had, and he had planned for the two of them to spend the rest of their lives together. He had gotten the ring, had arrangements at the fancy restaurant she loved so much, bought the roses and even convinced the head chef to make the special blueberry cheesecake she loved so much using her grandmother’s recipe. He had gone the whole nine yards. But that obviously wasn’t good enough for her. Here they were, the two of them, holding hands over the candle lit table, taking in the atmosphere.

 The waiter had just brought out the cheesecake, a special note JC had written on white cardboard was resting at the side of it. JC kept the ring box clenched in his fist resting on his thigh. She was all smiles, when the waiter left the plate in front of her. She opened and read the note first.                                         

Allie,

Thank you for 4 of the best years of my life. You are the reason I am able to get out of bed every morning and smile, you’re the reason  I am the happiest man in the world right now, you’re my everything, andI love you so much!

WILL YOU MARRY ME?

She looked up at JC, who was holding a box with a diamond wedding band resting between the cushions.

“Oh Jace” She she said breathlessly.

JC stared into her hazel eyes and saw something he had never seen in them before. Hesitancy.

Ignoring it, JC kept his gaze.

“Well?” he offered

“I don’t know Jace” she murmured, her eyes locked on the diamonds.

AND THAT’S WHEN THE SHIT HIT THE FAN

JC’s body went numb, he felt paralyzed by what he had just heard. He felt his throat close up, and his lungs refused to accept any oxygen.

“Wha- What? I just- Huh? Wait, what?” He felt tongue-tied.She reached for his hand but he pulled away.

“JC I-” she began but he cut her off.

“You don’t want to marry me?” JC choked out

“I’ve found someone else Jace” Allison said so quietly, it was practically a whisper.

JC felt like he needed to pass out but somehow he kept it together. He cleared his throat and rested the box on table.

“You tell me this now?” he said calmly, and Allison didn’t know whether or not he was talking to her or himself. “You’re telling me the past 4 years we spent together was just a waste? A lie?”

“I’m sorry JC.”

“How long has this been going on?” JC demanded“10 months” she said looking down into her lap

“I can’t believe you!” his voice still soft. “You led me on, for 10 months, letting me think you loved me for all that time”

“It wasn’t all my fault JC! When all this NSYNC shit started, I only got to see you a couple times a week! Not to mention when you went away to Germany for a whole year! I wasn’t going to wait around forever you know!”

Her words hit JC like a ton of bricks. He took the box from the table and shoved it into his pocket. By now, both he and Allison were on the verge of tears.

“I thought you supported what I was doing in this group” he said softly, almost to himself.  

“JC can we ju-” she started but he stopped her and got up from the table.

“Bye Allison. Have a nice life with whatever the fuck his name is. Stay. Away. From. Me.”

And those were his last words to her. She never called him, he didn’t e-mail her, nothing. She made it clear she had moved on. Hell, she had moved on 10months ago and apparently he had only been along for the ride!

By the time he got home that night, his friends were all waiting up for him in the living room, all 4 of them wearing happy faces, ready to congratulate him. But by the time they had seen the look on his face, they knew. They knew the JC using, money wasting, manipulative, little bitch had left her mark on his heart. The only way that they had found out what Allison did to JC was when the four of them had their ears pressed up against JC’s door while he was talking to his parents. If he hadn’t been so exhausted from all the crying the night it all went down, he would have probably done something he might have regretted in the future.

JC wiped his tears, turned over on his side and stared at the red numbers blinking on his clock. It read 4:33 AM. The one day he could get to sleep in, and he couldn’t fall asleep for all the tea in China!

He decided to go out into the living room and watch some TV until sleep could consume him. And it had, 1 hour later, in the middle of his Family Matters re-runs.

By the time JC got up, it was almost 1 in the afternoon. He woke to the sound of Justin’s voice screaming “Chris put me down!!” They were obviously playing by the pool. JC smiled a little and rubbed his eyes. He stepped out the sliding door and stood in the frame watching his friends play.

“Hey look who’s up” Joey yelled

JC smiled.

“How’re feeling C?” Lance asked. He sat on the white lawn chair a few feet away from JC.

“A little better actually” JC replied

“Any particular reason you’re actually acting sane today instead of wanting to scream at the whole world?”

“I just.. I don’t want to be sad anymore” JC said quietly. “I hate what Allison did to me. But I can’t let it affect me forever, you know?”

Lance nodded, then turned back to Justin, Chris and Joey who were playing in the pool and little kids in a sandbox.

“Hey guys!” he called out to them. “I win! Y’all owe me 45 bucks!”

“No way!!” Chris yelled! “You mean he’s normal again?!”

“Yep!” Lance replied happily.

“Hold up! You mean you guys were taking bets based on my misery?!”

“Yea, pretty much” Justin said as he came out of the pool.

“Damn, I was more than 5 weeks off” Chris said

.. And so the 4 NSYNC members continued for the next few moments.

JC tried to look offended but he didn’t pull it off. He knew his friends cared, and right now, friends were all he had. Instead he just turned to his friends and simply said “Thanks guys” before making his way back into the house and headed for his room.

He didn’t have anything to do for the next couple days, so he picked up his phone and created a message.

Hey, uh.. it’s Josh.

Remember me? From the club last night??

He waited patiently for the person to reply. He didn’t have to wait long though!

Hey Josh! What’s going on?

Nothing really. I’m free today. Wanna head out to the movies later?

The movies? LOL Sure why not,. What time?

JC chuckled. He felt like a teenager again, texting a girl he was too scared to talk to, to ask her out on a date.

How about in a couple hours? The multiplex a couple blocks away from Universal?

Sounds great! Meet ya there! See ya then ‘friend’

See you soon!

JC threw his phone down on the bed, grabbed his towel and made his way up to the bathroom.

“I hope Joey flushed this time” he murmured, chuckling to himself.

“Where are you going? I thought we were gonna have a gaming marathon today! You and me against Chris, Joey and Lance” Justin said leaning against JC’s bedroom door.

“Sorry bro. No can do today, I’m out” JC said looking at himself in the mirror, running his hands through his hair, multiple time trying to get a ‘look’ he was satisfied with.

“What’s taking you so long?” Lance and Chris asked walking up to Justin, then turning to stop, peering into JC’s room.

“Hey, where’re you going?” Chris asked

“He’s going out apparently” Justin explained

Chris let out a loud, sarcastic laugh. “HA! Out? As in you’re going out, by yourself?”

JC turned to look at them. “I’m with you guys 24/7. So what if I’m going out without you. And no, I won’t be by myself”

He turned to his dresser and picked up his wallet, keys, and cell phone.

“Well, if you’re not going with us, then who’re you going with? You don’t exactly know anyone here well enough to hang out alone with them” Lance said

“Hey!” JC said, slightly on the defensive side. “I do have other friends besides you guys”

Justin snorted.“I do! Remember my friend at the club I met last night”

“Wait the girl at the bar?” Lance questioned

JC nodded. ”I asked her to go see a movie with me”

“What are you?! 15?! You’re a grown man and you ask a chick out to the movies with you?!” Chris exclaimed

“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with watching a movie”

“Dude you don’t even know her!”

“True, but I need some time away from you guys. And you just said it yourself, I need to make some more friends in this place”

“Fine” Chris said, allowing JC to move past them, leaving his room and making his way up to the door. “Enjoy your date!”

 “It’s not a date Chris!” JC called out before leaving the house.

JC sat on the bench outside the theater, head down, focusing on his current task. How to keep the ring from his key chain that held his keys to swirl around his finger for more than 25secs without it slipping off. He hadn’t had much success.

“Shit!” he muttered when the ring slipped off and landed at his feet.He was about to bend down to pick it up when a pair of tanned, slender and smooth waxed legs appeared in front of him. He watched as they bent at the knees and rose back up.

“I think these are yours Josh” a voice said, giggling

JC looked up and realized who it was and blushed.

“Thanks” he said, taking the jingling key chain. “Wow Liz you look great!” he was referring to the pinkish-yellowish sundress she wore that cut just above the knees. She added a small, short sleeved black jacket to the outfit and her hair was in a pony tail at the side, so it was over her left shoulder. Something about her was so cute!

“Thank you!” she smiled. “You decide what movie you wanna see yet?”

“Actually I waiting for you to decide, I didn’t want to pick something you wouldn’t like” JC smiled shyly

“Well c’mon! Let’s go see what this place has to offer” She grabbed his arm and pulled him to the lit up “Now Showing” board that was on display.

“Let’s see “ She said. “A Bug’s Life?”

JC chuckled. “I don’t like movies about jumbo, talking ants. What about Lethal Weapon?”

She scrunched up her nose. “Too much action”

“There is no such thing as too much action hunny” JC remarked.

Did he just,.. Never mind.

“Well what are we gonna do if we can’t decide on a movie?”

“Well it’s almost 5” JC said. “We can have a really late lunch or a really early dinner. It’ll give us the chance to know each other a little better. You know, so the next time I invite you to a movie I’ll know what you do and don’t like”

“Well..”

“My treat. C’mon we’re friends now. I like being able to hang out with my friends”

Liz smiled. “Okay sure. Where do you want to go?”

“I don’t know. You like Thai food?”

“Not really” Liz said. “Italian?”

“Not in the mood. How about Chinese?” JC asked

“Finally! Something we agree on!” Liz laughed.

“C’mon let’s go”

“So, what do you do?” JC asked.

They had gotten to a small Chinese restaurant and had finished placed their orders. Time for a little ‘getting to know you’ time.

“I do event planning. Weddings, parties, that sorta thing”

“Hey man that’s cool!”

“Thanks, I enjoy it. Pays the bills, you know?”

“Yea, I know.”

They both sipped on their cokes for a few moments.

“You know,” Liz started. “You never got around to telling me why you were so down at the club. We got time now. Talk”

“Oh that well, there’s nothing really to tell. Long story short, I proposed to my girlfriend on almost 4 years, she turned me down, turns out she was screwing some guy for almost a year, and my friends brought me out to cheer me up”

“Ouch” Liz murmured. “I’m sorry, how are you doing?”

JC sighed, but managed a smile. “I’m getting there. It’s not easy but, I can’t wallow in misery forever”

“Yea I know what you mean”

“You do?”

“Sorta”

“Wanna talk?”

Liz looked up. “Oh, no it was a long time ago”

“So what? A heartbreak is a heartbreak no matter the time difference. Either way, I know it hurts. So talk to me”

“Well, when I moved here, I met my first real boyfriend my freshman year of college. Man we were such love birds” Liz smiled at the memory.

“What happened to him?” JC asked gently

“He died”

JC froze. “Wh-What?”

She sighed. “A couple months after I graduated and me, my best friend Emma actually opened up our own business with some help from my dad. We all went out to celebrate one night, me, Em, my parents and I brought along Connor, my boyfriend. On our way up to the restaurant, a drunk came speeding past a red light and there you have it. He crashed us and we never made it to the restaurant.”

She took a deep breath.

 “My parents died on impact, and Connor died a few hours later at the hospital. I was still unconscious at the time, as was Emma, so I never go to see him. Last thing I remember from it all was the sound of a car tyre screeching and my dad yelling, and the next thing I knew, I woke up with a broken arm, neck brace, a cracked rib, no parents and no Connor. Emma woke up a few hours after me”

Tears had formed in her eyes by now, and the waitress, all perky and happy and shit decided to come serve them. Liz thanked her but JC’s eyes remained focused, sympathetically, on her eyes.

He completely ignored the food in front of him.

And he thought he had, had it bad? Well he did, but compared to this, he didn’t know what to say.

“Liz I had no idea. How long ago was it?” he asked softly

“About a year and a half ago. I had a full recovery, don’t worry. So did Em. After the whole accident, I moved in with her and well, we just kinda leaned on each other. We didn’t really have anyone else”

She noticed JC still staring at her, his eyes focused on hers. He just wanted to reach out and give her a hug. He had lost his appetite by now.

“C’mon Josh it’s fine now. Like you said, it’s still hard but you gotta deal with it, you know? C’mon, eat!” She grinned. “If you don’t have that chicken, I will!” she joked.

JC gave a smile and started on his food.

They spent the rest of their meal playing ‘What’s your favorite?”

Now knowing what they had learnt about each other, they were a lot more open and comfortable in each other’s presence.

**

 “Thanks for this Josh, paying and everything, was really nice of you” Liz said as they exited the food place.

“It was all my pleasure. Anything for a friend” JC grinned and Liz giggled.

“Well it was great. Also, um.. Thanks again for, you know, listening to about all the stuff that happened with me. It was nice to open up to someone.”

“It was the same for me Liz so, thank you.”

She smiled

“If you ever wanna talk, you know I’m here.” JC said

She went in to give him a hug. “Same here Josh”

“Is he hot?”

Liz blushed. “I guess. He’s pretty cute. Really awesome personality and he-”

“Yea, okay enough with the personality already. I want details! You can’t hit the home run and not run the bases! Describe him for me”

Li sighed as she swallowed another spoonful of the mint chocolate chip Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream that sat in her lap. It was their routine Thursday night, ‘best friend bonding’ time, where each week they’d fill in each other on juicy gossip, and just kick back. It was funny, even though they lived in the same house, they barely got to have conversations like this, as their lives usually revolved around their work. They both sat in their pajamas, sitting on the living room floor devouring a medium sized tub of Ben & Jerry’s.  She was filling in Emma of the afternoon’s events. That is, until she realized there wasn’t really much to tell.

“There’s nothing much to say really. He’s really nice.” Liz smiled. “I even told him about Connor and the accident”

Emma’s brown eyes widened. “Wow, if you opened up to him like that, then that has to count for something”

Liz giggled. “It’s funny really. We’ve only known each other for a few days, but I feel safe around him. And I enjoy his company”

“Is he single?” Emma winked

“Actually yea, but it’s been kinda hard for him. His girlfriend turned him down when he proposed to her, she was screwing some other guy”

“Ouch”

“Yep”

“So.. He’s hot?”

“He’s do-able”

“My do-able or your do-able?”

Liz laughed heartedly. “Hunny, your definition of do-able is anyone of the male species that has a pulse”

Emma gave her a friendly push. “Shut up” she muttered smiling

“Sorry. Here look..” Liz pulled out her phone and showed Emma the photo JC had sent to her to her to store under his number.

“Damn, hot doesn’t do the man justice. Look at those eyes! Someone could get lost just staring into those things!”

And Liz already had..

The next day

“Oh. My. God.” Justin whispered. All five NSYNC members sat on the couch in their living room, dumfounded, opposite their manager Johnny. “Are you serious?”

“They loved Tearin’ Up My Heart and they think it’s time for a record” Johnny grinned

There was complete silence in the room, for about exactly 3 seconds before the guys exploded.

A round of cheers and shouts and hugs and ‘I can’t believe this’ went around the room.

“When do we start?” Chris asked excitedly

“We record ‘Here We Go’ next Monday. I’ll pick you guys up at 9 and we’ll head out to the studio”

The cheers started up again.

“Now, I gotta tell you guys” Johnny started. “This could be the start of something huge, and I mean huge. You guys worked hard for this, but I gotta say, the work is only gonna get more intense.”

“We don’t care” Lance said

“Man we’ve been working on getting this shot for almost 3 years now. We’re ready to be heard!” Justin agreed.

Johnny smiled. “Congrats guys. See y’all Monday! Until then, go out and have some fun.” Johnny winked and then turned to Justin. “Justin, don’t have too much fun. You’re still not legal”

“Whatever man, when we get famous I’ll be able to have all the fun I want!” Justin kept babbling on and on as Johnny left laughing.

“..And the parties, and the sold out concerts, and we could go on a tour and we can-”

JC left the guys in the living room while he raced to his room, still in shock, and fell flat on his back onto his bed. “Man, our own record” He said softly to himself grinning, running his hands through his hair.

He picked up his phone and sent a text

He got a response almost immediately

Hey! Yea sure. But I got work until 5 with Em. What’s the occasion??

I got something to celebrate! You’ll get to meet my friends too. Bring Emma along!

Alright sure!  What time? What club? And what are you celebrating???Great!

Around 8 at the same club as a few nights ago. And I’ll tell ya when I see ya!

LOL Alright.. See you then Josh!

“Can you believe that we’re gonna be recording our own album? I mean how cool is that?! We’re gonna be huge! On TV, the radio, magazines.. Everywhere!”

Justin still had not stopped talking about their record. He had called just about everyone he knew and told them the news.. Not like the other guys did any differently.

**

“Justin, will you please settle down!” Lance whined. “You’re giving me a headache”

They were a couple of blocks away from the club; and Justin was still babbling.

“J, did you get high on pixie stiks again?” JC asked from behind the wheel

“Maybe” Justin said mischievously

The other guys groaned causing Justin to stop speaking momentarily.

Chris took advantage of the moment and turned to JC from the passenger seat. “So did you invite your girlfriend?”

JC kept his focus on the road in front of him. “She’s not my girlfriend Chris.”

“Yea not yet” Joey snorted

JC smiled. “She’s cool, I like her. But not like that, not now anyways. I think she’s becoming one of my really close friends. Like I can really talk to her, you know?”

“So she’s gonna be there?” Lance questioned

“Yea I invited her, and she’s bringing along one of her friends if you want to meet her Joe” JC glanced at the rear view mirror snagging a look at Joey, who’s face lit up.

“What about me?” Justin complained

“A couple more years J. And then you’ll be exposed to the wonderful life of clubbing, drinking, and getting laid” Chris remarked with a happy sigh

“I’m already doing the clubbing” Justin muttered

“And you’re doing it illegally too!” Lance said brightly

JC just shook his head in amazement of his friends. “C’mon, we’re here.”

“They’re on their way in, so they’ll meet us here in a sec” Liz informed Emma shoving her cell phone back into her purse. JC had just texted her that he’d meet them at the bar.

Emma nodded. “So he’s bringing his friends huh. Any of ‘em hot?” she asked with a smirk

Before Liz got a chance to even answer, a voice came up behind them, answering the question.

“Why don’t you see for yourself?”

The sudden voice caused the two friends to spin around in their chairs.

“JC!” Liz exclaimed happily, sliding off the stool to hug him!

“Hey!” He said with a smile. “Wow you look great!”

He was referring to the skin tight, back-less, leather top she wore that showed just the right amount of cleavage to JC’s liking, and dark, denim shorts which cut above her mid-thigh and showed the shape of her small, but rounded butt. She had on these black boots which stopped mid-calf and sported her hair down, but held together in a small clip at the back.

“You too!”

They both smiled.

“Ahem!” Chris said, breaking silence among them

“Oh, um, these are my friends.” JC went to stand up next to Joey, who was at the end of their little lineup at the bar, and turned back to face Liz. “This here is Joey, you gotta watch out for him, this is Lance, he’s pretty sane, this one here is Justin, he’s only 17-”

“Well don’t sell me out!” Justin said and JC chuckled

“And that one over there is Chris. He’s just uh, Chris” JC finished

Liz shook hands with each NSYNC member JC had introduced, before introducing then to the brunette next to her.

“JC, guys, this is my best friend Emma” Liz said proudly of the slender girl beside her. She wore a blood red mini, over black fish net stockings, and a black halter. He hair was dark brown with a few streaks of red in between. She was pretty attractive, a sure hit in a club like this.

Emma gave a smile before shaking hands with JC and the rest of the lineup.

Justin leaned in next JC. “Damn Jace, your girl’s hot! Her friend too!”

“Not my girl!” JC hissed

Too bad he’d said it a little louder than Justin had because he ended up getting the attention of the rest of them. Liz just laughed.

“Well then JC, if she isn’t yours, then I’d like to take her out for a test run on the dancefloor” Joey said extending his hand to Liz.

She happily accepted and gave JC a friendly nudge on the arm before Joey dragged her out to the floor.

“Take it easy Joe” he called out behind them

“Well I’m gonna go see who I can get to believe I’m past 19” Justin said before disappearing into the crowd of people

“And I’m gonna go make sure he doesn’t get kicked out of here” Lance said following Justin

“And I’ll just.. go..” Chris said scanning the dance floor. “Time to get my Chris on”

Emma and JC burst out laughing.

“Can I get you anything?” JC asked still laughing, while taking a seat on one of the stools

“Oh no thanks. I already had one. I’ll wait till after I dance to have another”

“Oh well, why don’t you go dance?”

“Too crowded right now” She said looking over the floor, and then looking back to JC and smiled. “So you’re Lizzie’s new friend”

JC chuckled nervously. “Well, yea. We only met a few days ago. We’re friends and I like her, I mean, you know”

“Yea, I do. I just wanted to thank you, kind of. She told me she told you about the accident and stuff and well, it’s taken her a lot of time to get over that, and I’m glad she got someone to talk to besides me”

JC’s facial expression softened. “I’m sorry about the accident”

Emma waved her hand. “Drunk driver on the road. What can you do? Move on, right?”

JC nodded.

“So what do you think?” JC questioned with a smile

“Think about what?” Emma replied

“Are we hot?”

Emma burst out laughing. “Yes, yes y’all definitely are. But what up with the one with the bleached hair? Justin?”

“Ohh Justin” JC said laughing as well. “Believe it or not, some girls dig it”

“He’s cute. Chris isn’t so bad either”

“He’s a handful. Never a dull moment. Set you up?”

“I think I’ll go talk to him myself, get acquainted and all that stuff.”

JC chuckled. “Have fun” he said seeing her slip off the stool.

“See ya in a while Josh” she said waving, before heading off to the opposite end of the room.

JC turned to the bar, signaling the waitress to get him a beer. She slid it down the table for him. “Thanks!” he called out

He turned to look around. He was silently laughing to himself when he spotted Justin and Lance talking to two much older girls. Their boobs were as real as the age on Justin’s ID card.

“What are you so happy about?” Liz hopped back into a stool panting.

Ignoring her question, he replied “Damn girl, did you just run a marathon or something?”

Catching somewhat of her breath she answered. “Dude your friend Joey is a fast one!”

“Here, have a drink” he said handing her the alcohol in his hand. Seeing the hesitant look on her face, he said “I’ll get another for myself”

Liz smiled. “So how come you’re celebrating tonight?”

JC could feel the excitement of the news already circulating through his body. “Well I never really told you about what I do for a living did I?”

Liz shook a head.

“Well, Justin, Joey Chris, Lance and myself are in this music group together, we’ve been working at it for almost 3 years now. Well a couple weeks ago we recorded our second song, and well, today we found out the label wants us to record our first album”

Liz looked at him incredulously. “Oh my God!!” she squealed excitedly and threw her arms around him. “Congratulations Josh! Wow! How come you never told me you were in a group? What’s the name?”

“Never really came up as a topic to talk about I guess. We’re *NSYNC. We were actually pretty popular in Europe for a while”

He could see the happiness grow on her face. “I’m sorry I’ve never heard of you guys but now I’ll definitely be on the lookout! Man this is so exciting for you!” She grinned

“Thanks” he said shyly

“So what are you guys? Do you play instruments or you’re a lead singer or guitarist or something?”

JC laughed at the options. “Well, we’re a vocal group really. Boy band type I guess people call it.”

“So you sing!” Liz said.

“Yea” JC said suddenly feeling extremely timid.

“Sing for me” Liz said suddenly

“What, now?!” JC asked

“Sure, why not?”

“You wouldn’t be able to hear me honey. The music in here is too loud” JC chuckled. “But another time. Soon” he smiled at her

So there’ll be another time..

Liz gave him a smile. “Fair enough. But I’m not letting you off the hook so fast. Come dance with me Josh!”

JC chuckled. “Okay, let’s go” and he led her out onto the dance floor.

“And you said you don’t dance” JC said above the music

Liz chuckled. “I learned a couple things from Joey”

The song ended and JC realized his hands were still on her hips, so he turned her around and she was caught by surprise. The floor was packed so they were up against each other.

“Ready for a drink?”

She nodded and they made their way back over to the bar where Joey, Chris and Emma were already there, sipping on whatever alcohol they had in their glasses.

“Having fun?” Emma teased

“Yea, I am” Liz said

“Good, I’m glad” JC spoke up. “What about you guys?” he asked turning to his bandmates. “Where are the other two?”

“Last I saw Justin was macking on some chick and Lance was.. Yea I don’t know where Lance was.. Probably somewhere dancing”

“Ah” JC said.

“Hey what time is it?” Emma asked

“Almost 1 in the morning” Joey replied happily. Night owl

“Damn we killed a lot of time here” Chris said. “And I’m tired. And hungry”

“Yea I am too, kind of” Liz said

“We could get something to eat” JC said. “Drive-thru or something”

“Actually we have work in a few hours Josh, at 8. So I think we should leave” Liz said turning to Emma.

“Oh crap, I’m sorry I kept you out this long”

“Nah it was fun. I enjoyed myself, a lot” Liz said smiling up at him

“Well how about I walk you guys out to your car, while Chris gathers up the rest of the team”

Emma giggled. “Sure”

“Chris, get the guys, I’ll meet y’all by the car!” JC yelled to him

He walked out into the cold air with Liz next to him, Emma walking ahead of them.

“Thanks for coming tonight Lizzie” he thanked her

“Like I said, I had fun”

JC smiled. “I did too, and I’m sorry for keeping you out this late. I should have known you’d have work”

“Nah, I think I can get in late every once in a while. I’m my own boss, remember?” She winked

He chuckled. “Yea”

They got to the silver Toyota, and before slipping into the driving seat, Emma spoke up. “Thanks for inviting me Josh! I had fun. By the way, Chris told me about the record deal you guys got. Congrats!” She flashed him a smile

“Thanks Em! I had fun too!”

He turned his attention back to Liz.

“What are you doing later today?”

“Hmm, work? Probably..”

“I wanna do this again, all of us. I like it” JC said softly

“How about you come over for dinner?” she said smiling. “Bring the guys too. We’ll watch some movies, order in, or me and Em could whip something up.”

“Seriously? I mean wouldn’t you be tired from work?”

“That’s exactly why you should come over. I need a break from work, just to kick back. Just like I’ve been doing with you. So come tonight. I’ll text you my address and directions if you need it. Please??”

“Well, okay, sure. Why not?" he said "We don’t start recording till Monday so I have the next couple nights free”

“Great! I get off at 5:30 so I’ll text you somewhere between 6: 30 and 7.”

“Sounds like a plan! Thanks Lizzie.” He gave her a hug around the waist while her arms linked around his neck.

They pulled away and she opened the door to the passenger seat in the car. “See you then Josh”

“We so do not get paid enough for this” Liz mumbled slamming down the phone on her desk.

“Tell me about it” Emma said, throwing back her head against the back of the leather chair she sat in and started rubbing her temples in a circular motion.

They had spent the past 3 and a half hours in their office at their business place L & E Planning, answering and making calls to various people and companies. The bride of a wedding they had been planning for a few weeks had called in earlier, saying that she had canceled the wedding. Something about finding the groom in bed with her cousin or something .Since then, they had been calling to cancel and apologize to the people arranging the flowers, the caterers, the church, the band they hired, cancelling the ice sculptures that had already been made, the DJ, and having to cancel the area they booked for the reception. Some of the above were just not co-operating, but they had finally made their last call.

“What time is it?” asked Liz sighing

“Almost 6” All their employees had left over an hour ago.

They both sat there for a good 4 secs, before the sound of Liz’s phone ringing broke the silence.

“I swear, if it’s bridezilla calling to un-cancel the wedding I’m quitting this job” Emma said, half joking.

“Hello?” Liz growled into the phone

“Woah! We have got to work on the way you greet people”

Liz’s irritation eased and a tired smile crept upon her lips. “Josh?”

“Yea it’s me” JC chuckled. “You okay?”

“Yea I’m okay. Tough day at work, that’s all. You guys still coming over though, right?”

“Actually that’s what I called about. Joey’s sick from a hangover he had this morning, Lance’s sister called in to say she’s in town, and Chris and Justin have some questions for our manager about recording on Monday, so-”

“So you guys aren’t coming” Liz said, a little disappointed. Emma frowned at her.

“Well, um. I don’t have anything to do. If you’re not too tired, I’ll come over, I’ll even bring dinner for you and Em”

“So you don’t wanna help me cook?” Liz teased

JC laughed. “Honey, I am probably the only person in the world who can burn boiling water. Unless you want me to make you a pop-tart, I’m completely useless in a kitchen”

“Alright,” Liz laughed. “Bring over whatever you like, and we’ll watch a movie. I need to kick back”

“Great! So I’ll see you in about..” He checked his watch. “45 minutes then?”

“Yea, that’s good. I’ll see you then”

“Bye Lizzie”

She smiled and hung up. Emma looked at her with a questioning stare

“So it’s just us and Josh tonight.” Liz informed her

“What happened to the other guys?”

“They’re busy. Josh is bringing food so we don’t have to cook” Liz said happily, getting up and putting away the papers she had scattered on her desk, into a neat pile in a filing drawer.

“Thank God. I thought tonight was my turn to make dinner” Emma said shutting down her laptop and grabbing her purse. 

Liz laughed as she picked up her hand-bag and headed for the door. “It is”

“Lizzie I think Josh is here” Emma called out from her room, after hearing the doorbell.

“Kay” Shit. She had only gotten home about 25mins ago, and she only had time to take a shower. She threw on a pair of grey sweats that fit her small but rounded butt well, and a comfortable purple t-shirt that was a couple sizes too big for her. Her hair was out and combed, thank goodness, but was a little wet from the shower. She darted downstairs when she heard the bell ring again, and opened the door.

“Hey!” Josh said brightly

“Hi!” She replied, slightly out of breath. “Come in” She said stepping aside, allowing him room to pass.

“Thanks” JC said smiling at her on his way in. “I brought pizza” he said holding up the box.

“Terrific!” Liz said happily. She had yet to eat.

JC kept smiling at her, making Liz a little self conscious.

“Do I have something stuck to my forehead or something in my teeth or something?”

“Oh! Oh, no, you’re fine. You just.. look really cute”

“Thanks”

“A guy thinks I look good in sweats.. Nice ego booster” Liz thought to herself

“So it’s just gonna be you, me and Emma-”

“Actually it’s just gonna be you and Josh tonight” Emma said, walking down the stairs in denim jeans, black heels, a white top, (that was translucent enough to tell she was wearing  a black bra) and a black jacket. Her hair was up in a bun, with a few strands of hair hanging near her eyes at the sides of her face. “Hi Josh!”

“Hey” JC said. By just looking at her, JC wondered how girls like Emma and Liz were still single.

“Where are you going??” Liz questioned. “I thought this was our kick back night?”

“Noo, this is your kick back night. And Josh is here to keep you company” She smiled. “Besides, that guy we met at the Henderson wedding reception a month ago called and asked me out.”

“The one that tried to get you drunk and sleep with you in the bride & groom’s limo?”

JC struggled not to laugh, so he just bit his lip and looked away smiling.

“Yea, that one. But he’s sober now, and I’m late.” She said looking at her watch. “So I will see you later.”

Liz sighed. “Fine. Have fun”

“You too!” She said stopping at the door. “But not too much,” She winked. “Don’t wait up kids”

“Bye Mom!” Liz said after her friend as she shut the door

“You know it’s really entertaining around you two” JC spoke up chuckling

Liz smiled “Yea I guess. So it’s just you and me tonight”

“I guess it is” JC said

Liz noticed they were still by the door and JC was still holding the pizza.

“C’mon” she said. “I’ll show you to the kitchen.

He set the pizza box down on the marble counter, while Liz headed to the fridge and peered inside. “You like anything specific to drink?”

“I’m good with water, really”

“C’mon, pizza and water? Seriously?”

“Then I’ll have whatever you have.”

“Coke it is then” she said, pulling out two cans of coke.

While she was getting the glasses, JC looked around. The kitchen was a contrast of a light and dark orange color. The counters were marble, but the cupboards and pantry were wooden, while the stove and oven were steel. Liz & Emma obviously did pretty well for themselves. They weren’t millionaires, but JC could tell that they didn’t have to worry about paying the bills.

“Nice place” he murmured, still looking around.

“Thanks”

“Only you and Em live here?”

“Yep. It’s pretty nice. What’s better than living with your best friend right?” Liz smiled while pouring the drinks into two glasses.

“Yea, I know how it is” JC chuckled, turning back to Liz. “Need some help?”

“Nah, I got the drinks. Just bring the pizza and follow me into the living room”

“You got it”

JC liked the living room. It was a nice shade of brown, not too dark, but not too light, but it suited the room and the furniture well, with the large reddish rug in the middle of the room. It held one large couch, that curved in a half moon shape, with the glass coffee table in front of it and two recliners, near the entertainment set. The room held framed pictures of Liz and Emma over the years they had known each other, along with pictures of what JC assumed were family and friends.

“You can set the pizza down right here” Liz said, putting the two glasses on the coffee table.

JC set down the food, and the two adults stood there.

“So, what’d you want to watch?” Liz asked him.

“Watcha got?”

Liz went to the entertainment system, stood beside it and opened the side cupboards displaying the aligned cases with white labels on them. She held out her arms as if she was presenting something. “Take your pick” She said

“Damn girl” he muttered while walking toward the set-up. It held hundreds of DVD cases.

“I didn’t think there was a person with a bigger DVD collection than me. How about you pick?” JC said

“I think you’re being too nice to me. Always letting me choose” Liz said giggling

“I don’t mind. If I don’t like it, I’ll say so”

“How about Titanic? A romance. Do you like Kate Winslet?”

“Well the sad part doesn’t come till the end so okay. Yea she’s okay. Nice lips”

“Good, ‘cuz I think Leonardo DeCaprio is hot, so we both win”

JC laughed.

She put the disk into the player and flopped down on the couch, with the DVD remote control in her hand. She smiled and patted the cushioned area next to her. “C’mon Josh, sit”

JC smiled and took a seat next to her.

She looked down at his shoes. “You know, as nice as those are, you might be more comfortable if you took them off”

JC chuckled and kicked off his shoes with his feet, exposing his white socks, and reached down to place them next to each other on the other side of the couch. “Better?”

Liz nodded. The intro to the movie started.

JC reached over to the coffee table and picked up a slice of the pizza with a napkin and handed it to her.

“I’ll go out on a limb and say that you haven’t eaten yet.”

Liz shook her head.

“Then bon appetite!”

“Thanks for this Josh. You really are a lifesaver”  she said accepting the food.

“Well I don’t know about the life saver part, but it’s no problem” he said as he reached for a slice for himself.

The both leaned back and ate as the opening credits started rolling.

During Movie

*Scene- ‘The Flying Scene’>> in case you’re curious, this is the scene they’re supposed to be watching> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MDPeL8lpzo

“I love the way she just goes up on the edge with him, knowing she could fall at any minute, but she trusts him enough not to let her go” Liz said sighing, and smiling.

They had finished the pizza and coke about a half hour ago and they were just enjoying the movie now, leaning back, their feet up of the coffee table, the empty pizza box and glasses on the ground. They were relaxed now, Liz unconsciously leaning against JC’s shoulder, tired.

“That’s love for ya” JC mumbled.

Liz looked up at him. “Were you and Allison like that?” she asked quietly

JC just kept looking at the screen, but he smiled softly. “We were, when we first met”

Liz smiled, and rested her head against his shoulder, her eyelids struggling to say lifted but JC heard her breathing start to regulate and become soft.

“You’re tired Lizzie” he said quietly

“The movie isn’t done yet” she mumbled

He picked up the remote out of her hand and clicked ‘Stop’.

“You’re tired. I could tell.”

“Some hostess I am” she said raising her head off his arm and leaning back against the couch, rubbing her eyes briefly.

“A pretty good one. Believe it or not, I liked doing this.”

Liz smiled tiredly at him. “I wish I had more energy, so we could atleast finish the movie”

“It’s cool. I think we all know how it ends” JC said reaching down for his shoes, at the same time Liz leaned forward to get the remote out of JC’s lap. When JC raised back up, their heads collided.

“Oh crap, I’m so sorry” “Oh I’m sorry I-” They both started but they stopped.

They were head to head now and it was the first time JC had taken a good look at her face, and the same for Liz.

She had soft features with these dark brown eyes with what looked like a honey colored ring around them. Beautiful. Thin, but kissable lips, and high cheek bones on her smooth skin.

He had these ocean blue eyes with perfectly outlined lips with hair darker than the night sky itself. An unbelievably attractive combination. And damn! That bone structure!

“Josh,” she whispered

He didn’t let her finish. He leaned in the extra half a centimeter he was away from her face and brushed his lips softly against hers. It took Liz a good 4secs before she slowly pulled away. Her body fell numb and JC sat frozen in place. They probably would have stayed like that if the light hadn’t suddenly come on.

“Why was the room so dimmed?” Emma asked. JC and Liz snapped out of the trance they were in and just stared at Emma.

“And, why do you look like you just saw a ghost?” Emma asked again

“Oh, um. Hey Em” Liz said, her voice slightly shaking.

“Heeyy” Emma said slowly

“Hey Emma. I um, I think I’m about ready leave” JC spoke up.

“Yea uh, okay” Liz said

JC crossed the room to where Emma was standing.

“Nice to see you again Em. Was your date okay?” he asked. He didn’t want to suddenly leave and make things more awkward than they already were.

If that was possible!

“It was good, thanks for asking!” Emma replied

JC nodded. “Alright um,” he looked back at Liz, who was still sitting on the couch staring at him. “Goodnight Lizzie”

She nodded, and he quickly made it to and out the door. Liz still sat on the couch, speechless.

Emma went over to sit next to her on the couch. “Are you okay? What just happened?”

“He kissed me” Liz whispered

An expression of surprise overtook Emma’s face, but it was quickly replaced by a huge grin. “How did that happen?”

“I have no idea.”

“Hey he’s home! How was your night man?” Joey asked not looking up from the game he and Lance were playing.

JC had left Liz’s house around a half hour ago, but it took a while to get home because of the fact he just sat out in his car for 10mins reviewing what had just happened. He was still a little in a wonder.

“It was, uh.. fine” JC managed to get out, taking a seat next to Justin who was flipping through a comic book on the couch.

“You okay man?” Justin asked, noticing JC’s unusual behavior. “Did something happen over there?”

“Well um.. sorta, I think”

“What’d you do?” Lance asked pausing the game to look over at JC

“You didn’t start sobbing to her about your relationship problems did you?” Chris asked walking into the room with eating from a bag of potato chips. All five friends were now gathered together.

“No. It’s not that”

“Then what was it?” Joey asked

“We kissed” JC said softly

Chris started choking on his snack while the rest of them looked at him with wide eyes.

“Wait, wait, wait. Come again?” Justin said

“Who kissed who?” Lance asked eagerly

“Wait you kissed Emma and Liz?!” Joey said excitedly. “Man, you’re an animal now”

Chris was still choking

“Don’t kill yourself there buddy” JC said looking at Chris and then looked at his friends.

“I kissed her”

“How?!” Chris asked, recovering.

“I don’t know!” JC said, standing up and pacing, running his hands through his hair. “Emma wasn’t there so it was just us. We were watching Titanic, and the room was a little dark and she was falling asleep , so I said I should go. I bent down to put on my shoes and somehow we bumped heads. I just remember I ended up kissing her. And well, Emma walked in on us and I just left” He stopped pacing and sat back down. “She has amazing eyes” he said softly.

The four friends exchanged uneasy glances.

“You’re falling for her, aren’t you C?” Justin said

“Wait, what?!” JC said. “No I’m not. It was just, a ‘caught up in the moment’ thing. It didn’t mean anything. A meaningless kiss. Yea that’s what it was”

“Are you sure that’s all it was to her? A meaningless kiss?” Lance spoke up, causing all their minds to wander.

“Well yea. I mean, it was, wasn’t it?”

His friends didn’t look convinced.

“You kissed her C” Joey said. “There’s got to be a reason you did that”

“Plus, you just said to yourself that she has amazing eyes” Lance pointed out.

“You’re falling” Justin said

“And you’re falling hard” Chris finished.

JC groaned and covered his face with the pillow that was behind him. “She’s my friend!”

“Yea.. For now” Justin chuckled.

“Wake up and smell reality JC” Chris teased. “You like her.”

Liz lay in her bed, looking up at the white ceiling. Tossing and turning, not being able to get JC out of her freakin mind. A half hour ago, she was having trouble keeping her eyelids from falling, and now, she had trouble just staying still. She couldn’t get past the feeling she remembered of JC’s warm lips, softly pressing against hers.

“Snap out of it!” She told herself.

 They were friends. Good friends, a kiss didn’t mean anything, Maybe he was just going to kiss her on the cheek as a goodbye kiss and-

Oh, who was she kidding? She enjoyed it. He leaned in for the kiss and she didn’t pull away. She couldn’t deny the millions of bolts of electricity that shot through her when they made contact. She couldn’t run away from the fact that every time his name popped up in her mind, her heart started beating at an irregular pace.

She groaned and turned on her side, burying her face in her pillow and yelled into it, her voice muffled. “What is going on with me?!”

“You just got bitten by the Josh Chasez love bug sweetheart, or should I say you just played tonsil hockey with the Josh Chasez love bug?” Emma said, appearing in the doorway with a smirk.

Liz raised her head out of her pillow and sat up on the bed, cross-legged and frowned. “We’re friends though”

“Yea that’s what they all say” Emma replied taking a seat next to her on the bed. “Lizzie you like him don’t you?”

“He’s nice and we get along well and-”

“Just answer the question!”

Liz sighed. “I don’t know the answer to that question Em. I haven’t been able to even look at another guy in a romantic way since Connor. And even if I did like him, he wouldn’t feel the same way. That kiss was just.. I don’t know what that was but-”

“Just call him Lizzie. Talk about it, or things are gonna get weird. You guys say you’re just friends, but I for one can see the attraction. But it’s not my life.” She said getting up. “Just clear the air and call him. If all you want is friendship, get the kiss out of the way”

Liz knew Emma was right. She didn’t want things to become weird all of a sudden between her and JC. “Fine I’ll call him” Liz mumbled

“Good girl” Emma said leaving.

Liz sighed as she picked up the phone and dialed JC’s number reluctantly.

She almost chickened out after she heard the first ring, but before she could hang up, she heard his voice.

“Hello?” pause “Hellloo?” JC kept saying

Liz cleared her throat. “Hey, it’s uh, me”

“Lizzie, hey! Look, um, I was gonna call but I didn’t know if I should. Look, that kiss, I just, I don’t know-”

“Yea that’s what I wanted to talk about too”

“Yea, I just, I don’t know what came over me. Maybe it was the romantic setting of the movie or we were both a little tired, but, I’m sorry for making this weird between us.” He sighed.

Liz could just picture him running his hands nervously through his hair, making her smile a little.

JC continued. “I just don’t want it to affect our friendship or anything. Us being a couple-”

Liz froze. “Wait, who said anything about being a couple Josh?”

JC realized he had said ‘couple’.  “Oh um, I uh”

“Do we even like each other like that Josh?” she asked softly

“I don’t know Lizzie” he sighed. “I don’t know if it’s because of my break up I’m acting weird. It probably is, and I’m sorry for saying ‘couple’, I have no idea where that came from”

Liz softly  giggled nervously. “You need to breathe Josh. How about we just forget the kiss happened, and go about our usual lives.”

JC relaxed. “Yea, that’s good. Friends right?”

“You know it” Liz said, smiling to herself. “Have a good night Josh”

“Sweet dreams Liz”

And they hung up.

“Well, that’s taken care of” Liz thought

Although they had supposedly clarified things between them, Liz couldn’t help but be slightly disappointed the kiss didn’t mean anything, and she didn’t know how to make sense of the feeling. She and JC were obviously better off being friends. A relationship would just complicate things more, so she decided to push away her feelings toward him, actually considering she had feelings for him.

If only she knew he felt the same...

“L & E Planning Productions, how can I help you?” She answered, while sifting through the papers in the manila folders in front of her”

The person on the other line cleared his throat. “Ahem, yes, I uh would like to know if you’ve ever planned an album release party before?”

Liz’s eyes bulged open and a grin spread across her face. “Josh!” she almost yelled, happily

He chuckled. “Lizzie!” he mocked, causing her to laugh. They both sounded like a couple of teenagers. “Watcha doing?”

“I’m at work smarts, you called the office phone.” She giggled

“Oh yea, right”

 “What’s going on? What’s this about an abum release party?”

JC got excited all over again. “Guess what band is releasing their debut album for the first time in the US on April 24th of this year?” he said excitedly

Liz gasped. “The Backstreet Boys?!” she asked, holding in a laugh

“Mood killer” JC grumbled, joking

Liz laughed. “Josh, I’m sooo psyched for you guys!!” she squealed. “So the full album’s done? When do I get to hear it?”

“Yea, it’s pretty much done. You get to hear it, when it’s released for the rest of America to hear”

“Nice to know I’m special” she said sarcastically

“Anyways, our final session is tomorrow, just to make sure the tracks are smooth or whatever. Me and the guys are gonna be hanging out at our place after, soo..” he said, with anticipation

“What time Joshua?” she said laughing

“So you’re coming! Great! It’s at 4… Chris is probably gonna make a barbeque and we’ll chill around the pool, just hang out. Hey, bring Emma too, if you like!”

Liz sighed, with a smile. “Pool huh? In the mid April? Yea sure, count us in! Need me to bring anything special?” she asked

“Just yourself, and well, a change of clothes or whatever you need. It’s just gonna be the five of us, plus you and Emma.”

“Well, isn’t any of your family coming? Friends from around here?”

“Nah, we wanted to fly in some of ‘em from back home, but they said they’d rather come out when the album is actually out, plus it’s a little past the beginning of the year, so they’re busy. And the only friends we have here right now, are our management crew, and well, Lou and Johnny, but they won’t be there”

“Well alright then Chasez, you got yourself two more guests on your hands!”

“Awesome! Hey uh, Lizzie?”

“Yea?”

“It was really good talking to you again, I mean we talk over email all the time but it’s nice to hear a familiar voice”

“You too Josh. I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

“Tomorrow it is! You know how to get to our place?”

“Email me the directions”

“Okay cool. See you tomorrow Lizzie”

“Man this is soo cool!!” Justin screamed, jumping up and down, holding the clear case.

Their album was finally done and was ready to hit stores in just a couple of weeks, but the members of NSYNC already had their special copies in their hands to see how it was gonna look in stores.

“I can’t believe my face is on the cover of an actual record” JC said softly, staring at the case in awe.

“This is for real?” Lance said, sounding more like a statement than a question.

“It’s real boys. Congratulations! If people here respond to it, you’re looking at you’re first official tour” Johnny said, coming up behind JC and Lance, putting each of his hands on one of their shoulders.

“A tour?!” Chris and Justin yelled, at the same time

“Man, so this is what it feels like when all the sacrifices you’ve made finally pays off” Joey remarked

“Guess so” Johnny said. “So you guys happy with it?”

“Hell yea!” they said altogether

Johnny chuckled. “Good, you worked hard. Now, go home and chill out while you can. Once the record comes out, you’re gonna be doing heavy promotion trying to get noticed.”

“Why can’t we start heavy promoting now?” Chris questioned

“Well, you’re pretty popular in Europe guys, but in America, the most we can really do right now is get your song on the radio, which by the way, I’m working on” He winked. “And I got a couple interviews arranged for you guys but nothing major yet. We’re still working it out. But Disney booked the Backstreet Boys for a special so we’re making some calls to see if they’ll take a chance on you, and we have a good shot with JC and J’s connections”

“Man if we do a special on the Disney channel, do you know how huge that’ll be? Millions of people watch Disney, we could get a lot more fans”

“Hey you’re not completely invisible here guys, you got a pretty solid fan base” Johnny reminded them, but the boys’ excitement lessened. “Hey what are you still doing here? Get out and go home! Chill out for a while!” he chuckled, ushering them out of the studio office.

“Hey uh, Johnny” JC stopped him. “Do you have any of the extra records back there?”

“Yea we got a few more, but I wouldn’t advise you to give them to anyone C. The album isn’t even supposed to be out yet, it could get leaked”

“Yea I know, I know. But this is for a real good friend of mine, I wanna surprise her with it”

“Okay C, but only since you trust her. I’ll be back in a sec” he said turning back to go into the office.

JC smiled, thankful. “Thanks Johnny! I owe you one!”

“I think this is the one” Emma said, pulling into the driveway of the very large, but flat house.”

“Yea this is it alright. It’s got the NSYNC flame on the mailbox” Liz giggled

Before they could even ring the doorbell, the door flew open, Chris standing in the frame.

“Hey Chris!” Liz exclaimed!

“Lizzie!” he said pulling her in for a brief hug, then going in to hug Emma. “I saw you guys pull up. Glad you guys could come over. We need some sanity around here” He said stepping to the side, allowing the two friends entry then shutting the door.

“Where’re the guys?” Emma questioned

“Out by the pool. Lance is helping Joey set up the grill, and Justin and JC are probably playing b-ball out on the court.” He explained.

“I’m gonna go get JC and Justin” Liz said, giving Chris the pie. “We made this for you guys, old recipe I had.”

“This is great! Now I don’t have to worry about Joey eating out all the food. I’ll have to hide this one” he then turned back to Emma. “C’mon Em, let’s go out back by the pool.”

“Sure thing Chris” she said smiling.

Liz giggled watching Chris try to be a gentleman, linking arms with Emma while they both disappeared past the corner and into the kitchen leading to the backyard.

She went back out front and circled half the house until she was standing on smooth black ground, and he could hear the familiar voices.

“He shoots, and he scores! Another one for Justin!” Justin said happily, catching the ball as it fell through the nets, then dribbling it between his legs while JC tried to steal it. Neither of them noticed she was there yet, so she decided to make an appearance.

“I’m getting a rematch Timberlake” JC said, trying to steal the ball, Justin still dribbling. He did a trick and turned around, fake passing the ball and then turned back to run past JC to score another basket. He had barely ran past 3feet when a figure ran past him, grabbing the ball from his hands and jumping to shoot for the basket.

“She shoots, and she scores!” Liz said proudly catching the ball as it fell. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her air and balanced the ball between her arm and her hip. “Hey guys” she flashed them a smile.

Justin was stunned, as was JC, but a smile replaced their expressions.

“Lizzie!” JC said happily, running to hug her.

Liz dropped the ball and went in for the hug. So what if he was covered in sweat and smelled of it too, she was just happy to see him in person again.

“It’s so great to see you!” JC said, hugging her tightly, slightly lifting her off the ground.

“You too Josh!” she said, still hugging him.

“Hey, I want a hug too you know!” Justin said, trying to sound annoyed

Liz laughed and hugged him around the waist. “Nice to see ya J”

“You too Liz. Damn, you kick butt at basketball!”

“I played for fun all through high school and some college” Liz said proudly

“Awesome! You’re my newest opponent. Come play with me!” Justin urged her, bouncing the ball.

She laughed but before she could accept his offer, Joey appeared, calling out to them. “We got the grill started! Time to get this party started!” He did a funny little dance when saying the last sentence, causing JC, Justin and Liz to burst out laughing.

“C’mon let’s go. I need a dip in the pool now anyways.” JC said walking beside Liz.

“Careful I don’t throw you in the pool” Liz warned them both

“Not if I throw you in first!” Justin said running off, leaving behind JC and Liz

Laughing, she and JC kept walking. “Thanks for inviting me over Josh, I’m already having alot of fun. I don’t see how you guys are ever bored around each other”

“We aren’t” JC laughed

They approached the backyard, and could already smell the smoke coming from the grill Joey was working on a few feet away from the circled, 7ft deep pool, whose waters glistened in the light of the afternoon sun. Justin and Chris were already in, urging Emma, who was having a conversation with Lance, sitting on one of the white lawn chairs they had, to come in.

She unconsciously smiled to herself, absorbing the picture perfect setting.

“You alright?” JC asked with a light laugh

Snapping out of her daze, she realized she had been smiling like a fool, physically for no apparent reason. “Oh, yea” she said, smiling at him.

“C’mon” he said, tugging on her arm.

“Lance!” she said walking up to him, and high-fiving him, he pulling her in for a hug. When they let go, she called out to Joey, who was angrily muttering to himself, trying put the steaks on the grill.

“Hey Joe!” she called out, waving

He broke into a smile. “Hey Lizzie!”

“You okay there?”

“Yea I’m oka- Shit!” he burned himself. “C, some help over here please!” he called out to JC.

“Coming Joe” he called out to his friend. He then turned to Liz and Emma. “Hey , you guys could go change inside, so we could go in the pool. The bathroom is down the hall, 2nd door on the left. My room’s the 5th door on the right, if you wanna keep your stuff in there.”

“Yea, okay.” Emma said getting up. “Let’s go Liz”

“Okay, yea. Then we can help out Chris in there” she said nodding to the pool, where Chris who looked like he was drowning Justin, whose head was being scrubbed by Chris’ hands. Chris let go and Justin started heaving for oxygen.

“Well, there goes another technique we can’t use to get the bleach outta your hair”

“Was the aim of that technique ‘try to kill me?!’” Justin yelled

The friends giggled.

“We’ll be back” be back Liz said giggling, taking Emma with her into the house.

“JC!” Joey yelled out

“C’mon, let’s go help Joey” Lance said patting JC’s back, the two of them walking over quickly to Joey and the smoking grill.

“Jeez Joe,” JC said, looking down at the burnt, overcooked pieces of meat on the grill.

“This is why Joey eats the steaks! Not make them” Lance said.

“Just go throw these out” JC said, placing the meat on a plate of foil.

“And let me and JC handle this. By the time you’re done practicing your grilling skills on this thing, we’ll have no more food” Lance

“Whatever!” Joey said taking the plate and grumbling as he walked away. “I never do nothing!” he said

JC and Lance rolled their eyes as Joey went to throw away the food.

“So,” Lance said, placing another piece of meat to cook. “Enjoying yourself so far?” he said winking

“She just got here 10mins ago!” JC said, exasperated.

Lance laughed.

“Just cook your fancy meat” JC mumbled.

Joey returned, and he and JC chatted while watching Lance, who was trying to show them how simple it was to cook a simple piece of meat, but they ignored him, engaging in their own conversation. That is, until they heard Justin’s voice.

“Hey Liz! Think you coul-” he stopped himself. “Woah” he and Chris stood up in the pool, staring.

JC, Joey and Lance turned to look at what had suddenly drawn the boys’ attention, and what had stopped Justin mid-sentence.

All of their eyes looked like bulged out of their heads. Walking out of the house, past the see through sliding door, came two long legged brunettes, both in bikinis. The one who came out second, especially caught JC’s eye.

 She wore a dark, blue bikini top that lifted her B-cup breasts, tied around the neck and around her mid back, which contrasted perfectly with her light but perfectly tanned skin. She wore a matching bottom piece, but could only be seen since the strings at the sides that were poking out from the very short, dark denim jean shorts she wore. Her perfectly toned body showed off her tight stomach, and toned arms and legs. This girl stayed in shape! She had fairly wide hips, which made her sexy curve visible and wore her shoulder length hair down. She flashed Justin an innocent smile.

Emma wore basically the same, but with a fuchsia pink bikini, with no shorts. She had her short hair up in a messy, but attractive clip, and was just as toned as Liz, but in a smaller frame.

“Woah” Joey said.  JC was still staring.

“Hey Jace, you dropped something”

“What?” he whispered, never once taking his eyes away from the beauty in front of him.

“Your jaw!”

JC’s gaze remained focus but was quickly came out of his shocked state when he suddenly felt a burning sensation on his palm.

“What the…” he realized his arms had dropped to his side, and his right palm was resting on top of the fired grill. “Ahh! Shit!!!!” he yelled, grabbing everyone’s attention.

Liz ran up to him, Chris and Justin exchanging dirty looks, and staring after her. Their attention kept shifting, they didn’t know whether to stare at Liz’s behind, or Emma’s front.

“You okay Josh?” she asked with concern

“Yea, fine.” He muttered, blowing on his hand. “Just got um, got distracted.”

Lance and Joey stifled their laughs, but failed, so they tried to cover them up with coughs. Another fail. JC glared at them.

Liz took JC’s hurt hand, and blew on it, sending shivers up and down his spine. He felt himself get a little hard.

“Thanks” JC said

“C’mon. Let’s go in the pool, the water’ll cool off the burn.” She led him away from the grill and next to the edge of the pool. “C’mon, take your shirt off”

JC did as he was told, and lifted his sleeveless basketball shirt over his head and let it fall to the floor. Liz could swear she felt her knees get a little weak, when she saw his exposed torso. Her eyes travelled from the sweat that glistened off his broad shoulders, past his muscled, tanned arms, and down the trail of hair, formed between his abs and disappearing under his pants.

“Nice” Liz said under her breath, not expecting JC to hear her.

“You too” he winked. He watched as a rose color formed at her jaw, and spread behind her ears, and over her cheek bones.

Emma had already joined Justin and Chris, and was killing herself with friendly laughter as the two friends competed against each other, hitting her with lame pick-up lines.

“Was that an earthquake or did u just rock my world?”

“I hope there's a fireman around, cause you're smokin'!”

“I hope you know CPR, because you take my breath away.”

And so they went, to Emma’s amusement. JC and Lizzie laughed as they both sat down on the steps under the water. Liz reach up to tie her hair, but JC brought her arm back down. “No, it looks great down”

There was that rose color again.

“Uhh, c’mon, let’s take a dip” she said standing, stepping down deeper into the water.

JC smiled and stepped up. He ran around the pool and jumped in the middle, his excess water from the jump splashing Liz.

“Hey!”she laughed, when he came up for air, his face and hair soaked. “I’ll get you back you know!”

“Oh yea, how?” he asked

Liz pinched her nose and disappeared under the water. JC stood in confusion, that is, until he sharply inhaled before he felt something drag him down from underneath. Now they were both under the deep water, they laughing silently at each other. Then Liz felt JC’s arms wrap around her waist, bringing her in for an underwater hug. When they both surfaced, the first thing they’re eyes laid it’s sight on was the sparkle in the other’s eyes. JC’s hands were still around her, and as his fingers slowly dragged against her skin to part ways, the familiar feeling they both had that night they kissed rushed back into both their systems. It was electric.. It was scary.. 

They couldn’t help the small smiles forming on their faces as the water pulled them away from each other. The moment however, was interrupted when a huge splash of water sprayed up in their faces, pushing them further away.

“Now that’s how you do a canon ball” Justin said, when he surfaced from beneath the water, particularly talking to Chris, who was now standing at the edge of the pool, his hands on his hips, looking down at Justin.

“Whatever man” Chris said, simply jumping back into the water. “I’m too old to be doing canon balls anyways, but I bet JC could take you”

“Please, the guy couldn’t even beat me at a game of basketball” Justin scoffed.

“But Liz sure did” JC teased, getting out of the pool. “And beat this” He stood a couple of feet away from the pool, his back to the water, and did a one handed back flip back plunging down into the 6ft of chlorine.

“Woooo” Liz and Emma clapped, Justin frowning.

“Let’s just get back to swimming for fun” he mumbled, when JC came up for air, a huge grin on his face. Even Lance and Joey, who were working on the food, were smiling at the entertainment their friends were providing.

JC and Chris were having fun, teasing Justin, while Emma floated off to where Liz sat, on one of the white stools built in the deeper area of the pool.

“I saw you two, you know” she smiled, trying to settle herself on one of the seats.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about” Liz said, looking down, into the water, a small smile forming on her face as she remembered JC’s hands around her waist.

“Uh huh, keep lying to yourself” Emma said. “But the rest of us see it”

“See what?”

“The exact reason you’re smiling”

Liz blushed, and looked over to JC who was on top of Chris’ shoulders while Justin, who had managed to pull Lance into the pool, was on his shoulders. The 4 friends were battling it out to see which set would collapse into the water first.

“He’s pretty great isn’t he” Liz said, watching him laugh and stumble, playing on top Chris’ shoulders.

“So you admit you like him”

Liz sighed. “Guess I do”

“You need to stop lying- Wait what?”

“I said I think I like him”

Emma laughed out and pushed her off the stool. “Finally!”

“Hey, it isn’t a big deal.” Liz insisted. “Nothing’s going to happen”

After spending almost an hour in the pool, the food was done, and this time not burnt. Now, they all sat around the picnic table, towels around their shoulders, chatting and eating. Liz and JC sat opposite each other.

“Hey I helped you know” Joey pointed out

There was a sarcastic chorus of “Yea” and “Of course you did Joey” going around.

“Anyone wanna play a game?” Chris asked after taking a drink of his lemonade.

“Like what?” Lance asked.

“How about 20 questions?” Justin offered

“Yea, that’ll be fun. Give us all a better chance to know each other” Emma said

“Who’s gonna start?” Chris asked

“I will” Justin replied. He stared straight toward Emma. “Would you do me?” he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

Emma laughed. “I’m too old for you sweetie, but if I was 5 or 6 years younger,” she leaned toward him “ I would so do you”

Everyone erupted into laughter, and Justin actually blushed. Liz nudged her friend playfully on the arm.

“I got one” Emma said. “JC” she started, causing him to look up in surprise from his plate of food. “Where is the most outrageous place you have ever done it?”

Even the other guys, and Liz were curious.

“Done what?”

“Do you want an explanation, or a demonstration?” Lance said

“Oh, that” JC said. “Um”

“C’mon C” Justin said. “We’re big boys-and girls-here.”

All eyes were on JC.

He sighed. “On her lawn. At midnight” He blushed. “Don’t ask”

He got a high five from Emma and a couple pat on the backs from his friends.

 “What about you Lizzie?” Joey asked.

“What about me?” she asked

“Where’s the most outrageous place you’ve done it?”

Emma stifled a laugh that she failed to hide. Liz shot her a quick glare.

“I’ve never, well. I’m a virgin actually”

JC almost choked on his food at that point.

“Seriously?” Chris asked.

“I’m waiting for the right guy” Liz said quietly

“Man, even I’ve had a little action” Justin said, almost to himself

“Yea J, it’s called masturbation” Chris retorted

“Shut up man!” Justin said, throwing a chip at him.

“Wow” JC spoke up. “You don’t look like, well at the clubs I mean. Seriously?”

“Why is everyone so shocked?” Liz laughed. “Are you saying I look like a slut?”

“Oh, no no no” JC insisted.  “I just meant, oh you know what I mean” he mumbled.

“Well I think it’s great” Lance said. “That’s you’re waiting for marriage I mean. That’s something to be commended for”

“Thanks”

The game went on for a few more minutes while they all ate. Justin, Chris, Emma and Lance were all ready to jump back into the pool within the 20 minutes after they had all finished, not at all caring about whether or not they’d eventually catch a cramp. Joey had secretly gone back for second helpings.

“Aren’t you gonna go in? JC asked Liz.

They were both in the kitchen, with a clear view of the pool outside. She stood next to the counter, slicing the apple pie she had brought over. JC sat on the breakfast stool, opposite her.

“Nah, I’m so full from that meal we just had to even move around” she giggled. “I think I’m done swimming for the day. I think I’m just gonna go change” she said, looking down at the semi-dry bikini she still wore.

JC smiled. “Before you do that, I got something for ya”

Liz stopped slicing momentarily to look at him. “You do?”

He slid off the stool and went over to grab her wrist. “Yea, c’mon” he said leading her down the hall to his bedroom.

She stood next to his wall of Hard Rock Café menus while he went to his bed and reached under the pillow. He pulled out a case and held it behind his back and approached her, a smile on his face.

“Ta-da” he sang, revealing the *NSYNC record from behind his back. “I got you an official copy”

Liz’s eyes bulged almost out of her head, and she practically grabbed the case out of his hand.

“Oh my gosh Josh!!” she squealed. She stared at the cover, then back up at him. “That’s you!”

“Yea” he chuckled.

“I thought you were gonna make me wait until it came out”

“I wanted to, but, like you said, you’re special. I even mentioned you in my ‘Thank You’.”

She grinned and threw her arms around his neck. “Thank you” she said. “And I am so happy for you”

He held on behind her waist. “Thanks”

They came out of the embrace. Liz was still in awe. “Gosh I’m gonna play this as soon as I get home”

She grinned at him, and he couldn’t stop staring at her. She stared right back.

He cleared his throat, tearing his eyes away from hers. “Alright, well um. I’ll let you get changed now”

“Yea, thanks”

He nodded and left, closing the door behind him.

She sighed happily and sat on the edge of his bed, looking down at the c.d. case in her hands, looking directly at his picture in the middle.

So she was special. 

** 

“Thanks for having us over Josh” Emma said, hugging him.

“Anytime” he said, as she moved on to hug Chris and Justin.

“It was fun” Liz admitted.

“Thanks” she said with a smile.

“Enjoy the record” he told her quietly and she nodded in reply.

After they had said their goodbyes, it was getting close to 7pm.

“So you had fun?” Emma asked, pulling out of the driveway.

“Yea, I really did” Liz replied smiling, leaning her head back against the seat.

Liz lay awake in bed that night, smiling, and nodding her head to the beat of the music playing on the music player next to her. She flipped through the manual the cover was on, looking through the pictures and reading through the Thank You’s. She stopped and smile reading over what JC had written.

Almost as if he knew she was thinking about him, her phone went off to signal a text message.

Enjoying the music? :)

-I’m lovin it! You guys are incredible!

Glad you like it

-Thanks for what you wrote about me btw. It was really nice

And I meant the part where I said I appreciate the time we’ve had together

-I do too, you know

What are you doing tomorrow?

-Work? :/ Oh right. Wanna do something though?

-haha Josh didn’t I just spend my afternoon with you today?

But we didn’t get to talk like we usually do-??We didn’t get ‘us’ time. Let me buy us dinner, and we can eat here. I think the guys are going out

-Yea, I think Em has another date. You sure?

Yes!

-Then great! I’ll see you tomorrow!

So around 7?

-I’ll get Em to drop me off on our way home from work

Sure you won’t be too tired?-Probably will, but who cares. I work too much anyways. And things are a little slow right now

LOL See ya at 7 then!

-Goodnight Josh :)

Night Lizzie :)

“Need me to pick you up?” Emma asked, turning the corner to where the members of NSYNC lived

“Hey, don’t mom me. You’re the one who’s on a date with a guy who you refuse to take this further with”

Liz rolled her eyes. “I feel relaxed around him, I don’t worry about work or anything. I think that’s good. He’s a good stress reliever”

“Probably in more ways than one” Emma said under her breath

“Oh shut up” Liz said, pushing her friend playfully

“Hey, once I get the details when you come home, it’s all good with me”

“Hey you’re going out anyways, so I would have been home alone either way.”

“You know, having him in your life may actually be good for you. You need to get out more”

“Have a good date Em” she said, when they pulled up outside the house.

“I want details when you get home” she said

“There isn’t gonna be anything to tell” Liz replied slamming the car door.

Emma smiled to herself, and drove off.

Liz walked up the driveway and noticed to door was unlocked, so she entered.

“Josh?” she called out, but there was no response. She did however hear the distant sounds of a piano, so she followed the music, which led her into the living room.

There she saw JC sitting at the piano, a notepad on his lap and a pencil between the fingers of his right hand. He played soft melodic notes, his eyes closed, he was lost in his own world. Liz just leaned against the doorframe for a minute or two, watching, and listening.

After the final note, he sighed and looked at his watch. He set down the notepad on the top of the piano and turned around to get up, but he almost gave himself a heart attack seeing Liz, staring at him.

“Holy shit!” he said, his hand against the left part of his chest. “How long have you been there?”

She walked toward him to join him on the seat in front of the instrument. “You left the front door unlocked, and long enough to ear that song. That was beautiful Josh”

He looked at her. “Thanks”

“What was it?”

“Just something I made up” he shrugged. “Nothing special. I was bored”

She rested her hands on top of the keys and looked at him.

“Show me”

“How to play the song?”

“Yea, I wanna learn”

JC smiled and rested his hands lightly over hers. He let her play a few keys that were the main sounds of the melody. Their hands travelled together over them. When he finished the last note, he relaxed his palms on the back of her hands, and they looked at each other.

“Beautiful” Liz said, quietly. “You’re extremely talented”

The setting was too much for JC. “Thanks” he replied softly, slowly leaning in. Liz felt her heart, and time stop. Before she could feel his breath on her face, the doorbell rang, and she felt the moment ruined.

JC got up, realizing what they were doing, or what they had almost done. Again.

“That’s uh.. Dinner. I got Chinese if you don’t mind”

Liz shook her head, still sitting on the seat. “Not at all”

The doorbell rang again. “I’ll be back” JC mumbled

He paid the delivery guy and met Liz in the kitchen.

“Are we eating out of the carton or in plates?” she asked

“I like out of the carton, but you can take out two glasses for the drinks”

“Where are they?” Liz asked, looking around the kitchen

“Top shelf, in the cupboard behind you”

Liz frowned, trying to reach the glasses, that were on a shelf that was obviously too high for her to reach.  JC looked up, and went back down for half a second before he looked back up again. His gaze had immediately settled on the little area of skin exposed at her lower back as her t-shirt rose up everytime she tried reaching up. Even when she wasn’t trying to be sexy, she was turning him on.  He walked over to stand behind her.

“Hey, Josh, you really need to put these glasses lower” she said, still reaching.

He rested one hand at the side of her hip and his other hand on her forearm, and lifted her a little, allowing her to get the achieve height she needed.

“Better?” he asked, his hot breath making the hairs on the back of her neck rise.

She set the glasses on the ceramic tile countertop and slowly turned around to look at him. He tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear, before speaking. “Lizzie” he started but he was cut off, when he felt her swallow his words.

It was like time had stopped all over again, and their fantasies had taken over reality.

“Josh, I-” she said when they pulled away but JC didn’t let her finish.

“Again, please” he pleaded.

She obeyed and did as was asked. She felt his tongue against her bottom lip, requesting entrance into her mouth. She slightly opened and granted him admission. Her hands made their way up and around his neck, while his hands travelled up and down her back, briefly settling on her hips.

She pulled away to let her lungs have the oxygen they craved. She and JC both looked straight into each other’s eyes, the blue meeting the brown. Both were well aware of what had just happened, and what was going on.

“Josh we can’t, we’re only-”

“Lizzie, if this is a dream..” he started

“Then I don’t want to wake up” she finished for him.

He pulled her back in to his mouth for another passionate embrace.

Man, she was gonna need a cold shower when she got home!

Their lips parted, and their faces were a mere 4cm away from each other. They stared into each other’s eyes, almost as if their faces were glass and they were looking straight through. JC placed his hand flat across the side of her face, and pulled her in, kissing her softly on the opposite cheek.

“W-What’re we doing Josh?” she asked shakily.

“I don’t know” he whispered into her ear. “But it feels right”

He pulled away and they both took a small step back, eyes still locked on the others’, trying to make sense of the situation. Liz felt her knees go weak, and she had to put her hands flat on the counter behind her, to maintain balance.

She stared into his deep blue eyes, and the outline of the lips that had just worked its magic on her.

“God, I can’t do this” she said to herself, looking down. She then glanced back up at him and broke out in a speed walk. “I gotta go”

 JC was stunned. He started following her. “Lizzie, wait!”

She didn’t stop, and they ended up in the living room. “Where’re you going? You live half a mile away from here” he pointed out, when he saw her get her back from the loveseat.

“I’ll walk” she mumbled, not making eye contact.

“What about dinner?”

“I’m not hungry anymore” She headed for the door, but JC got a hold of her arm and stopped her.

“Let me go” she said

“Not until you tell me what’s going on all of a sudden”

“Nothing, I just.. Josh let me go, please” her voice suddenly soft

“Baby, what’s wrong?”

She looked him dead in the face. “I am not your baby” she said through gritted teeth.

His grip loosened, and she pulled away, but her feet remained planted on the floor.

“It was just a kiss” he said quietly, looking past her. “So what?”

She felt her face soften. She was confused. What was wrong with her? A couple minutes ago, her fantasy had become her reality, and now, here she was trying to run away from the guy.

“Josh, we can’t do this. We just can’t”

“Don’t tell me that you didn’t feel it Liz”

“Feel what?” she asked, trying to keep her voice from shaking. She knew damn well what he was referring to.

“This” he said, going in for the landing, but he was quickly taken aback when her palm made contact with his cheek.

“What the- Hey!”

“I-I’m sorry. Look Josh, I can’t.. I have to go” she sped past him

He turned around, rubbing the side of his face. “Lizzie what’d I-”

His sentence was cut short by the slam of the door.

“What the fuck just happened?” JC muttered to himself, staring at the door.

She walked through the door, closing it softly behind her. She leaned back against it and shut her eyes, breathing heavily.

“God what is wrong with me?” she asked herself out loud.

“Lizzie?” Emma appeared. “What’re you doing here? Didn’t I just drop you off like, over a half hour ago?”

Liz opened her eyes quickly in surprise. “Em! Don’t you have a date?”

Emma shrugged. “He cancelled at the last minute when I drove off.”

“Oh”

“You didn’t answer my question. Why aren’t you over at Josh’s?”

Liz sighed and walked towards the living room, collapsing on the couch. Emma joined her.

“I’m falling Emma”

“For Josh?”

She nodded, frowning. “Tonight, he just.. Well, we kissed. Again!”

Liz gasped and pulled her legs up to position herself cross legged on the couch, facing Liz. “What happened?” she asked eagerly

“We got caught up in the moment. But I couldn’t resist him”

“Wait, you kissed him?!”

“Yes” Liz groaned.

“Wait, how the hell did you get here”

“I panicked and walked over here?” Liz said

Emma gave an exasperated sigh and grabbed her friend by the shoulders and shook her.

“What is wrong with you?! Why’d you leave?!”

“Em, it was the scariest thing I’ve ever felt in my life”

“The kiss, or the walk over here?” she chuckled

“The kiss! God, I don’t even know if I’m gonna be able to face him again”

“You are making way too big a deal outta this”

“I walked out on him after he pleaded for me to stay and talk!”

“You got problems girl”

“You’re not getting it Em! That kiss… It was… Different”

“Different as in… You haven’t had something like it in a long time?”

Liz shook her head slowly.

“Not even with Connor?” Emma questioned, her eyes widening.

Liz looked up at her with soft eyes, and shook her head slowly. “Not even with Connor”

The next evening

“C’mon Lizzie, pick up!” JC said, talking to himself, pacing his room.

He hadn’t tried to call her the night before, fearing that she would tell him off. He had spent the rest of the night, lying on his bed, thinking. He hadn’t even bothered to eat the Chinese he had bought for them the night before.

He hadn’t done anything all day so far, except sleep in and try calling her. Her cell phone was turned off, and he wasn’t getting her on the office line. All he kept getting was the busy signal.

“Shit!” he said, annoyed, flopping down on his back, flat on his bed.

He heard a knock on the door and lifted his head.

“What’d you want Justin?” he asked, resting his head back on the mattress

“What’re you doing in here? We keep hearing you talk to yourself, it’s getting creepy”

“Sorry. It’s just, I’ve been trying to call Liz and she isn’t picking up”

“Is she ignoring you?” Justin inquired

“Probably” JC mumbled. “We kissed again last night, except, this time… It was, wow”

“So what’s the problem man?” Justin asked happily.

“The problem is that she walked out after I tried to get her to talk to me. We didn’t even eat!”

“Dude you got a serious problem with the ladies. They all seem to walk out on you.”

JC threw the pillow beside at Justin, who caught it and threw it back.

“Look man, we have our first record coming out in about 9 days. We don’t have much time left to go out and party.”

“What’re you saying?”

“I’m saying that you need to give Liz a rest, and go party with your friends”

“I’m falling for her Justin.” JC said sitting up. “I can’t get her outta my head”

“Jace, you gotta think of all this from her perspective. Maybe she doesn’t feel the way you do”

“Oh, she does. I’ll bet my ass on that one. I don’t know what her problem is though! She keeps saying she ‘can’t’”

“Then maybe she only wants to stay friends with you JC!”

JC sighed. “Maybe”

“Give it a rest man. Y’all are cute together but if it’s not meant to be, then don’t worry about it. Enjoy being single for now! Liz great, I like her. But just leave her alone for now, and come party with your friends tonight!”

JC looked up at Justin puzzled. “Didn’t you guys just go out and party last night? We have a record coming out, we should be, you know, preparing ourselves and stuff. Relaxing and taking it easy”

Justin stared at JC, his fists clenched. “I don’t know why we keep you in this band. You’re a freakin’ joy kill!”

JC chuckled. “You need my vocal chords, and besides, SYNC sounds a lot better than NSYN.”

“My vocals are just fine compared to yours, thank you very much” Justin mumbled.

JC laughed, knowing he was pushing Justin’s buttons. This was one of the things he liked about Justin being like his younger brother, he could pick on him.

“I know J, I’m just teasing” JC smiled

Justin growled. “We leave at 8:45. Make sure your ass is ready”

“Fine, I’ll go” JC said, before falling back on the mattress. “Need to get my mind off things anyways” he thought to himself.

“Did you have to make me come tonight?” Liz whined, unbuckling the seat belt.

“Yes! It’s not like we have any major events to plan these days, and our employees got everything else covered. You need to get your mind off of Josh and his lips anyways” Emma stated.

“You party way too much” Liz mumbled

“Please” Emma scoffed. “You need people like me in your life” she said, fixing her lipstick in the rearview mirror of the car.

“How long are we staying?”

“Long enough to score a couple numbers, shot a few drinks and leave our mark on the dance floor”

“I’m leaving your ass here within the hour”

“That’s what you think. Now give your hair a flip and let’s go in”

Sighing, she did as she was told and gave her breasts a quick lift in the strapless bra under the skin tight dress she wore. She stepped out of the car and the two of them breezed past the door man and the line of people waiting to get in.

The club was pumping, not as much people as there were on the weekend, but it was still a decent crowd. They stood at the entrance, gaining a couple whistles from guys that passed them. Emma beamed, while Liz just gave a smile.

“I need a drink” Emma declared, taking her friend’s hand and leading them over to the bar. “I’ll treat tonight, what’d you want?”

“Black Russian” Liz said

“Two of those please” Emma informed the bartender in front of them.

They were waiting for their drinks, taking in the music blasting from the speakers when someone approached them. Tall, muscular, tanned, and blonde hair.

“Hey sweet thang” the man greeted Lizzie

“Hi” Liz replied uneasily

“Mind if I buy you a drink?”

“That’s already been taken care of, thank you” she said politely

“Well how about a dance?” the guy urged on

“Yea Lizzie, a dance” Emma agreed

“Oh um, I don’t know”

“My name is Andy, and I’d like to dance with you”

“Oh hi Andy. I’m Liz, and-”

“And she’d love to dance with you” Emma said for her

Liz sent her a ‘What the fuck do you think you’re doing?!’ sort of look, which was returned by her mouthing the words “He’s cute”

“He’s drunk!” she mouthed back

They guy took Liz’s arm and led her out to the dance floor, Liz, reluctant and helpless.

*****

“Ahh” JC hissed, feeling the alcohol burn his throat

He had been there for 15 minutes and had just finished his 2nd drink. He rested the glass on the table next to him and he got up, peering over the railings of the upstairs part of the club. The whole dance floor was in his view.

“Having fun Jace?” Lance asked, coming up from behind him. “Jeez, a couple more of those and you’re stoned” he said, looking at the empty glasses.

JC shrugged, and turned back to his view. “Where’re the other guys?”

“Well let’s see shall we” Lance said, joining JC by the railing. “There’s Joey” he said, sticking out his hand over the railing and pointing to the far left of the dance floor “with the Spanish chick on his left and the hot brunette on his right”

JC chuckled, watching his friend.

“Then there’s Justin with the blonde babe over there” Lance shifted his arm, to point to the other side.

“Umm, there’s Chris over by the DJ turntable.”

Lance unconsciously recognized another face, who he didn’t realize he pointed out until he saw JC’s eyes almost bulge out of his head.

“Oh! Then there’s Lizzie there in the middle with-wait what the?!” Lance exclaimed

JC’s eyes widened, and almost fell over the railing, leaning over pretty far, gaping at the couple in the middle of the floor.

“Jace!” Lance said pulling him back. “Watch it, you’re gonna fall”

“What is she doing here?!” JC asked no one in particular, still looking over.

“She likes clubbing?” Lance offered. He of course, had no input on what JC was feeling earlier when he spoke to Justin.

“I gotta get down there” JC said, pulling away from the railing, turning around to get to the steps but Lance stopped him.

“C, what are you doing?! She’s dancing with her date, or boyfriend, or who ever that guy is”

JC’s heart sank. “Boyfriend?” he thought to himself silently. “Is that why she freaked when they had kissed?”

JC turned back to the railing.

“Are you okay?” Lance asked his friend

“She’s with someone?” JC questioned

“Probably. Sorry dude” Lance said, patting JC’s shoulder

“But, she doesn’t look like she’s having fun now” JC said, his eyebrows crinkling in confusion.

Lance looked to where JC was referring to.

Liz wasn’t dancing like she was a second ago, right now, she just looked like she was trying to get away from the guy, who started using his hands to ‘dance’, if you know what I mean.

“Do you think something’s wrong?” Lance asked

“I don’t know who that guy is, but I’m gonna find out” JC said, turning to go down the flight of steps. This time, Lance didn’t stop him.

***

Liz started getting uncomfortable. This guy was seriously freaking her out! One second, they were dancing fine, she was going along with it, planning to escape when the song ended. Now, halfway through the song, Mr. Blondie here decided to become Mr. Handsy.

“Hey!” Liz said, spinning around to face him, when she felt his hands go lower than she liked on her behind.

“What’s the matter baby? You don’t like how I move?” he smirked

“You’re disgusting!” Liz spat, and turned to make her escape early, but his hand held on tightly to her wrist.

“Where you going so soon sweet thang?” he asked, bringing her hand up to his mouth, kissing it.

“Let me go!” Liz said, struggling to get out of his grip.

“Not until I get some action” he said, strongly

Liz started to panic, she had no idea who this guy was, or what kind of ‘action’ he was referring to. Emma was nowhere in sight. She was on her own.

“Let me feel those lips baby” he said pulling her toward him.

Liz’s instincts were telling her scream but she felt powerless.

Before he could make contact with her body, a voice spoke up beside them.

“The only thing you’re gonna be feeling is my fist breaking that pudgy nose of yours if you don’t let her go” JC snarled, his fists clenched.

The guy stared at JC incredulously. “Why don’t you just mind your own business buddy?”

“She is my business. Now I’m warning you, take your hands off her, or I swear with everything holy in my body I will take you” Steam was practically coming out of JC’s ears.

The guy looked at him, not even flinching. He then looked back at Liz, and studied her, looking up and down.

“This ho ain’t worth it anyways” he said, letting go of her hand. “You can-” he was cut off when JC’s fist made contact with his jaw in a right hook.

Mr. Hansy stumbled backward, almost knocking down a couple people who were unaware of what was going on.

“I warned you” JC said, his fists still clenched. He turned to look at Liz, who was frozen in place.

“C’mon” JC said, taking her hand, and leading her off the dance floor. She was too lost for words to object, so she just gulped and nodded.

He led her out to the back door of the club, and they ended up in the deserted parking lot. It was just the two of them. The sound of the music inside the club could be heard faintly.

“You okay?” JC asked, his heart beating faster than usual. He used the palm of his hand to rub the knuckles n the hand he used to punch the guy.

“Shit!” he muttered to himself

“Is your h-hand okay?” she asked shakily.

He looked up at her. “Answer my question. My hand’s okay”

He studied her face for a second or two. She was a little pale.

“I’m okay” she replied quietly

“Good”

There was a brief silence between them.

“Alright well, you’re welcome” he told her, starting to walk back to the door.

“Josh wait…” she didn’t know what to say.

He stopped and turned around. “What?”

She walked up to where he was standing, and wrapped her arms around his abdomen, resting her forehead on his chest.

He hugged back, wrapping his arms around her waist.

“I’m sorry” she said softly into his chest. “And thank you”

“What happened yesterday? One second you’re kissing me, the next you slap me, the next you refuse to talk to me?”

Liz squeezed her eyes shut. “I’m sorry”

“And I accept your apology but you didn’t answer my question”

She pulled away her head, looking up at him. Their arms remained around the other.

“I got scared” she said, praying that her voice wouldn’t break.

His face expressed hurt, and he gave her a questioning look.

“I felt it too” she said

JC sighed. Now he understood why she reacted the way she did. She had felt it.

“I’m sorry for leaving… And, not picking up when you called. I just didn’t know what to say to you”

“You should have said, exactly what you’re saying right now”

She smiled softly. “I know”

“I like you Lizzie” JC said, truthfully.

“I know” she said looking down.

“What’d we do then?"

She sighed, keeping her head down.

“Lizzie” JC said, using his thumb and index finger to lift her chin, raising her gaze into his eyes.  “You know how I feel. I just gotta know if you feel the same way”

She studied him for a second, before nodding slowly. “I do Josh” she said, almost like a whisper

He held back a smile, and pulled her in for a sweet embrace, her head buried in his shoulder.

“Can we do this?” Liz asked, lifting her head.

“I want to” JC admitted

“But-” she began hesitantly.  “If we get into something, and it doesn’t work, then we lose what we had before all this started”

“Or it could be the start of something we’ve been waiting for all along” he whispered into her ear

“I can’t risk losing what we have now”

“You’re not going to lose anything Lizzie. I promise”

She pulled back and looked at him. “Promises never last forever Josh”

“You let me worry about that”

She wasn’t convinced.

“We’ve got nothing to lose, but everything to gain. You said it yourself you felt it Liz. I know it was scary, but we gotta try this out. I don’t want to be looking back years from now wondering what could have happened between us”

“You’re right.” She said softly. “I don’t want to be doing that either.”

He looked at her. “We can do this”

“Be a couple?” She questioned

Just hearing the words made JC grin ear to ear. “Yea, I like you, you like me. Isn’t that how these things work?”

She smiled. “Yea, I guess so”

“Then what are waiting for Lizzie?” he asked her gently

“Are you sure you want to get into something like this with me?”

He placed a strand of her hair behind her ear and spoke softly. “You’re pretty damn great, you know”

“Josh I’m warning you. I haven’t been with anyone since… you know” She was referring to the accident.

He nodded. “I know” he said, pulling her in closer to him.  “But let’s try this out. If we don’t, then I think I’m gonna lose my mind trying to deny what I feel for you”

She giggled softly. “Same here”

“Just tell me now Lizzie. You and me. Yes or no?”

She exhaled softly and looked up and smiled at him.

“You’re not single anymore Chasez” she said

JC beamed. “So, this is it? Us?”

“Yea” she nodded, smiling and blushing.

He kissed her on the cheek.

“Gosh, you’re acting like this is a marriage proposal or something” she said, giggling

“You want to go back in?” he asked

She looked toward the door, and started feeling uncomfortable again. After feeling that guy’s hands on her, she wasn’t up for much more dancing but Emma was her ride home, so she had to go back.

“Yea okay. Emma is probably looking around for me”

“Wait, Em’s here?” JC asked

“Yea, she’s the one who dragged me out here”

JC chuckled. “Needed to get your mind off things?”

“Yea…”

He took her hand, their fingers intertwined.  “C’mon, I’ll help you find her”

She smiled at him and took his other hand, so now both their hands were at each other’s sides, entwined. She looked up at him and smiled.

“Lizzie, would it be too much if I kissed you right now?” JC asked her

She giggled. “It’s not like we haven’t kissed before”

“I know but I mean, will you slap me?” he asked, half serious.

Liz laughed, “I’m really sorry about that Josh”

He smiled down at her and lowered his head. “Not a problem” he said before pressing his lips lightly against hers.

If JC wasn’t holding onto her hands, Liz swore she would have melted into a puddle right then and there. 

“Mmm” she moaned, feeling his lips work their magic on her.

JC pulled away and smiled. “Hey look, we kissed and no one got slapped and no one ran away. We’ve been a couple for about 5 minutes and we’re making progress already.”

Liz blushed. “C’mon” she said pulling him through the door.

“Do you see him anywhere?” Justin asked. He and Lance were both leaning over the railing, scanning the club for any signs of JC. He had disappeared after he told Lance he was going downstairs, and the guys hadn’t seen him since. Joey and Chris were downstairs, looking around.

“I wonder where he went” Justin mumbled

“Hey, he isn’t down there” Joey said coming up from behind his friends

Justin and Lance turned around.

“I think he left” Chris said

“Nah, Jace wouldn’t do that” Justin said, shaking his head

“Lance you said that he went down to see Liz and some guy?” Chris asked.

Lance nodded.

“He probably went looking for trouble.”

Joey peered over the railing another time, straining his neck. He patted Justin’s shoulder, not tearing his gaze away.

“He went looking alright, I’m not sure she’s trouble though” Joey said, his smile getting wider. His friends joined him at the railing, trying to understand what he was talking about.

“Well I’ll be damned” Lance said, smiling.

“You’ve got to be freakin’ kidding me” Chris said

“Am I seeing right?” Justin said

At the far end of the club, close to the bar, they saw their friend JC, who had just said a couple hours ago that the girl he was trying to get through to wasn’t even speaking to him. And there was that same girl, right there with him. Their hands held together by the others’, he lead her to the bar section.

“C’mon!” Chris said hurriedly to his friends, turning away to get downstairs. The other four followed.

**

Liz felt her phone vibrate in her clutch. She took her hand away from JC to check the text message, and giggled.

“Who is it?” he asked

“Emma” she said, still giggling. “She’s wants to know where I am”

“Can I get you a drink?” he asked her politely with a smile

“Yes you can” she said smiling back.

Before JC could get the bartender’s attention, he felt a pat on his back. Four pats actually.

“Hey Jace!” Justin said, happily.

“What have you been up to? We’ve been looking for you” Lance said.

“I was gone for ten minutes” JC said casually.

They guys rolled their eyes.

JC cleared his throat, and directed his eye balls in Liz’s direction. The guys hadn’t acknowledged her yet.

“Hi Liz!” The four of them said in unison.

“Hi guys!” She said, greeting them with a smile. “Fancy we all ran into each other here.. Again”

“You look hot” Joey blurted out

Liz blushed, and JC turned around in his stool to look at her, he hadn’t really noticed what she was wearing. He did however, like what he saw. Joey was right, she looked hot. The strapless black dress that cut mid-thigh did her crossed legs well.

JC smiled at her.

“Thanks Joe” she said blushing.

“So, what are you two doing here…? At the bar… Together…” Lance questioned. The other three had knowing smiles on their faces.

JC shrugged. He hated when his friends asked him questions when they already knew the answers.

Justin didn’t let it go so easily. “I thought you weren’t talking to him” he said, looking at Liz.

“We uh… figured things out, I guess” she replied

“Uh huh… Here?” Joey said

They nodded.

There was a couple seconds of silence, despite the music threatening to burst their eardrums, before Chris had his outburst.

“Y’all freakin suck!! Just tell us why you were holding hands! Damn it, enough with the playing dumb!” he said suddenly, and he could see how he had startled his friends.

“Like Lizzie said, we figured things out. And we uh, decided to give this a go” JC replied to him

“This?” Lance asked

JC took Liz’s hand and nodded. “Yea, this”

Justin, Joey, Lance and Chris’ expressions were blank for about half a second before they all broke out it smiles. “It’s about damn time!” they said

JC and Liz chuckled.

“Elizabeth Ava Carrington!”  a voice boomed behind the guys. Liz cringed at the sound of her full name.

“You had me thinking something happened to you!” Emma said, then looking around at the members of NSYNC. “Hey, the guys are here!” she said, smiling.

“How you doin’ Em?” Lance asked

She turned back to Liz. “Well I was fine up until I heard that there was some guy punched another guy in the face in the middle of the dance floor and then realized Lizzie disappeared.”

“Wait, some guy punched a-” Chris said, then his eyes widened, looking over at JC who was looking around the room avoiding eye contact. “Nooo!” he said slowly, in disbelief.

“That was you!?” Emma exclaimed, look at JC. “Why would you-”

“Cuz that dude you sent me to dance with was a complete ass” Liz put in. “Josh helped me get away”

“So Mr. Joshua Chasez almost started a fight in a club huh?” Joey said.

“Can you people stop using our full names?” JC requested.

“And what up with that?” Emma asked, a small smile forming on her face as she looked down at JC’s lap, where his hand covered Liz’s.

“I got her to like me again” JC said, slightly proud.

Emma giggled. “It’s about damn time! I don’t know if I could have took it for much longer if you guys were to kiss again and Liz came home in a complete frenzy”

Liz blushed and turned away.

JC just chuckled. “Well you’re happy now?” he asked

Emma, plus his four friends nodded.

“Hey you guys hungry?” Lance asked.

“Yea, a little” Justin said.

“You guys wanna get something to eat?” JC offered, looking at Emma and Liz.

“Our treat” Joey said.

“C’mon” JC mouthed to Liz and she smiled.

“Okay” she mouthed back.

“Jeez, you haven’t been an official couple for more than 15 minutes and you’re already making sick” Chris said, in friendly disgust.

“Shut up” JC said getting up, and turned around to Emma and Liz.

“Hey, if we’re going out we’re just gonna use the restroom real quick okay?” Emma said.

“”We’ll meet you outside then” Lance said

Liz nodded, and Emma took her hand, leading her away from the bar and to the restroom whispering to her eagerly. “What the hell happened?”

“I told you I was falling for him” Liz said shyly

Emma laughed and pushed her friend. “Finally!”

“So who’s riding with who?” Lance asked

“I want Emma!” Justin yelled out, pulling Emma close to him causing him to giggle.

“Hey! No fair!” Chris pouted

“You guys are such kids” Emma said, laughing. “Liz and JC can take our car and I’ll ride with the guys” She said to the two.

Liz and JC looked up suprised.

“You sure?” JC asked

“Yea, it’s cool” Emma said

“We don’t mind” Lance said, referring to him and Joey.

JC looked at Liz, who nodded.

“Okay, see you guys in a bit”

“Here” Emma called out to Liz, and threw the car keys. “Don’t crash the car you two”

JC wasn’t sure if it was okay for the joke to be funny, given the circumstances, but Liz just giggled as she and JC walked the few feet to get to the Toyota.

“Here” she said handing over the keys.

JC just looked at her. “You don’t wanna drive?”

“I don’t drive Josh”

He looked at her in disbelief. “You don’t know how to drive?”

“Nope. Well, yes. I think. I have my license, but I haven’t driven a car for almost a year. Got scary for me, so Emma basically just drives me around. But to answer your question, I can drive, I just choose not to”

Getting into the car, he strapped on his seatbelt and turned to her. “You should get behind the wheel again. Regularly”

“How about you just drive for now?” she said leaning her head against the seat, smiling at him.

“To the ice-cream parlor we go!” he said, the engine coming alive.

They had decided that they didn’t want a heavy meal so they settled for something easy and sweet. Ice-cream.

“I like this so far” JC said, his eyes focused on the road. He was following Chris, who was driving in front of them.

“Me too” Liz replied a smile on her face.

**

“Aww look at them” Emma said happily, to Justin who was beside her. They looked over to JC and Liz who were sitting on a wooden bench under a tree, with their ice-cream, talking and smiling and laughing.

“They waited long enough” Justin said, putting another spoonful of vanilla ice-cream in his mouth.

“Yea, but at least they’re where we wanted them to be all along now”

“True that”

“Hey Justin?” she asked

“Yea?”

“JC’s a good guy right?”

Justin was a little confused, but then understood where she was coming from.

“She’s been through some stuff hasn’t she?”

Emma nodded.

“JC too” he looked over to the couple, and smiled at the sight. “They really like each other”

Emma looked over and smiled.

“Yea… They do”

:) :)

“Well?” Justin asked, getting frustrated from the anxious waiting.

The other four guys stared on, anxious to hear what Lou was going to tell them.

“Well it’s not bad news” he said

“Is it good?” Lance asked

“It’s alright”

“Lou!” Chris said loudly. “Just give it to us already”

“Well, sales have been kind of… sluggish” He said, watching the expressions on the guys’ faces fall a little. “You can’t expect to sell a million copies in a day boys. It’s your debut album and America is just getting to know who you are. Give it some time. A little more promotion and we’ll get you guys on the charts”

“How much have we sold so far?” JC asked

“A few thousand” Lou said.

They guys groaned.

“So no one’s buying the album?” Joey questioned

“No, people are buying it, just not as much people as we would like.” Lou tried to assure them. “Look, we’ve gotten Tearin’ Up My Heart fantastic airplay, and…”

He smiled, and looked over to Johnny.

Johnny grinned and got out of the office chair he was sitting in to join the boys in the other side of the room.

“What?” Justin inquired

“Guess what group is going to be performing on the Disney special two weeks from today” Johnny said

That didn’t improve NSYNC’s moods.

“The Backstreet Boys. We know” Chris murmured

“Nope” Johnny said simply

The boys looked up confused.

“They cancelled” Lou put in. “You got the gig”

The guys practically jumped out of their pants in excitement.

“Are you serious?!” JC asked, not able to restrain his joy

“Two weeks. Once these people see what you have to offer, I guarantee you, things are going to change”

“Oh, man!” Lance said, falling back on the leather couch behind him, in relief. “So we aren’t just going to be some other one hit wonder?”

“Hell no” Lou said, chuckling

“You need to start rehearsing immediately though” Johnny pointed out. “We’ve brought in a new choreographer, who’s already got the dances to the tracks down”

“In between the rehearsals and preparation, you’re going to be taping some promos for Disney and we booked up some new photo shoots, so you’re going to be pretty busy”

“We don’t care” Lance said

“When do we start?” Justin asked

“We made up a schedule for you” Johnny said, handing them each a sheet of color coded paper. “The pink boxes are rehearsals, the blue boxes are the days for photo shoots, and the yellow boxes are the days you’ll be in the Disney studios shooting your promo commercials”

“What are the green boxes for?” JC asked

“Oh, those are your days off”

“There’s only like four green boxes on here!” he exclaimed “I like my sleep you know!”

Johnny and Lou shrugged.

“Oh! And the red box is the day before you’re scheduled to shoot the special, so you’ll be staying in a hotel a few minutes away from the stage” Lou said

“Sweet!” Joey said

“Are we going to get paid for this?” Chris asked

“You boys let me handle the finances” Lou assured them. “But to answer your question, yes you’ll be getting paid”

The guys cheered while the two older adults leaned back and laughed.

“You start tomorrow, bright and early. Here’s the address where we’ll meet you guys at the studio, so you can learn the dances” Johnny said handing Joey a slip of paper

“Man, I haven’t felt this good since with actually got the record deal!” Justin said, looking over Joey’s shoulder to see the piece of paper

”Save your excitement for tomorrow Justin, we’re going to need all the energy we’ve got” Lance pointed out

“He’s right guys. Tomorrow’s going to be intense and you’re going to get the feel of preparing for your first real concert. It isn’t just going to be some other performance, so I say you go home, get some rest, and we’ll see you in the morning” Johnny said.

“Do we need anything specific?” Chris asked

“Just some loose clothes, and yourselves. We’ll get the water and food for you”

A round of “Great” and “Awesome” went around in murmurs.

“Well you guys better get home, it’s still sun out you can go have fun in the pool or go out or whatever you feel like doing. Just get a good night’s sleep for tomorrow.” Lou said, opening the door to exit from the office. “See you guys at 9”

The boys thanked their managers and practically ran out to the car, bursting from excitement.

“Man, I can’t wait for tomorrow!” Justin said. “I want to meet this choreographer guy they hired. I hope he made up some cool dance moves for our tracks”

“Man, I can’t believe Disney is taking a chance on us” JC said

“I wonder why Backstreet cancelled” Lance wondered

“Hey man, don’t question it. Just be happy that they did” Chris replied

“Yea man true that. Hey, what are we doing later?”

“No more clubbing!” the other 4 replied in unison

“Why not?” Joey whined

“Because every time we got out to a club something always ends up happening.” Lance stated. “JC got in a fight and ended up with a girlfriend the last time we went”

JC chuckled

“And we need to be looking and feeling fresh tomorrow so we should head to bed early” JC agreed

“Okay, daddy” Joey mocked

JC shoved him into the side of the car and went around to the driver’s seat.

“You guy’s mind if I just drop you off at the house? I need the car for a while”

Chris scoffed. “What for? Didn’t you just say we shouldn’t be doing anything today?”

“I just want to go see Liz at work, tell her the news and stuff”

Justin and Joey started making kissing noises from the backseat.

JC rolled his eyes.

“C’mon guys, if the guy wants to go see his girlfriend then let him” Lance said

“Thank you Lance” JC said, pulling out of the parking lot.

“Fine, take the car. But we’re ordering dinner tonight, and you’re paying”

“I’m paying just because I want the car for an hour?!” JC exclaimed, kind of laughing

“No, you’re paying because the rest of us spent all our money on cool stuff at the mall last week. We’re broke”

“This is why you save” JC mumbled

“Why do you always save JC?” Lance asked

“Or are you just cheap?” Justin added in

“What the-!” JC said defensively. "Hey man, I -- yes. Because that is my...I have to save...because, yes."

 His friends burst out laughing.

“Yea, laugh at the guy that’s paying for your dinner tonight, that's real nice”

“Sorry C” Justin said, still chuckling

“We know you can’t help it that you’re such a dork” Joey said, punching his shoulder playfully

“You guys suck” JC mumbled

“How in the world did a fine ass woman like Liz get you?” Joey wondered out loud.

JC smiled, not bothering to acknowledge that what Joey had said was basically an insult to him.

“Can we change the subject?” he asked. “Do Run Run?”

“Yea!” Justin cheered

 And that was enough to occupy them until JC got to the house

“Hi, do you know where Liz Carrington’s office is?” JC politely asked the woman at the door.

“Do you have an appointment with her or Ms. Brooks today?” she asked

“Uh, not really. I’m her boyfriend if that counts as anything” he stated

The woman’s hazel eyes brightened. “Oh, you’re JC. Well, Josh. The one in the band or something?”

“Uh, yea that’ll be me. I’m sorry, but do you know me somehow?” he asked

The woman giggled. “No, no I don’t. But Ms. Carrington plays your song on the player all the time. She talks about you a lot”

JC smiled. “What does she say?”

“That you’re one of the most caring people she knows, and you’re really nice and funny and sweet, and that you have an amazing voice, which you do by the way”

JC blushed. “Wow, thanks”  

“She mentioned another thing too, but we won’t bother with that”

His ears perked up. “What’s the other thing?” he asked

“You’re really hot” the woman said simply

JC’s already blushing cheeks were firefighter red by now. “Okay, uh. Cool” he said chuckling. “I think  she’s hot too”

She giggled. “Walk straight down this corridor and turn left. Their office is the only there. There are a couple chairs outside of it and some potted plants so you can’t miss it. Has a big “L & E Planning” sign on the door too”

“Thanks a lot” JC said, giving her a quick wave.

He followed the directions that were given to him and saw that the door was slightly cracked open. He peered through and saw that only Liz was in there, her back to the door. She was standing, looking over a file in the filing drawers.

He decided to play a little trick. He noticed her cell phone on top of the drawers and decided to call. He crept in slowly and softly, behind her. When he was a few feet away, he selected her name and clicked ‘call’. He stood there, not daring to make a move. About 3 seconds later, he heard his voice sing out.

His plan to sneak up on her sort of failed because after he heard the song start to play, he erupted in laughter startling the shit out of her.

She screamed and turned around, her hand to her chest. “What the f- Oh, Josh! What the hell are you doing?!” she demanded, trying to get her heart beat to regulate.

JC hadn’t stopped laughing. “I can’t believe that’s your ringtone”

Liz blushed. “It’s a catchy song” she said shyly

His laughter eased, and he walked up to her giving her a hug. “Sorry I scared you” he said, chuckling

She smiled, and she too started giggling. “It’s okay.” She said giving him a kiss on the cheek. “What’re you doing here? Hey, how’s the album doing?”

“We had a meeting at the studio. The album, well...  It hasn’t taken off but I got some good news”

“Oh hun, I’m sorry about the album. I’m sure things a just slow. What’s the news?”

“We’re booked to appear on a Disney concert special in a few weeks!” he beamed “This way it’ll help us get noticed!”

“Oh, well that’s great! How exciting!”

“Yea, our rehearsals start tomorrow. The schedule is ridiculous. We basically have something going on every day for the next couple weeks”

“I won’t get a chance to see you” she frowned

“Aww, c’mon. You know we will, just a little less. I want you to come to the concert though” he grinned.

“Seriously?” her face lit up

“Yea, of course. You’ve never seen us perform before, so this’ll be a great way to start”

“Okay, yea. I’ll come” she smiled up at him

He smiled and leaned down to kiss her, but they were interrupted.

“Hey I heard you scream” Emma said, walking in, blowing on a dark blue mug. “Hey Josh” she said casually, smiling.

“Hey Em” he said, nodding his head in her direction

“You heard me scream minutes ago and you come now?” Liz said, her hand on her hip

“I was getting coffee” she replied, holding up the mug

“It’s almost 5:30 in the afternoon!”

Emma shrugged.

Liz rolled her eyes, while Emma took a seat on her desk.

“How’s the album going Josh? Gimme the stats” she said to JC taking a sip of the hot liquid

“It’s going… Could be better, but we’re being patient for now”

“Cool, I bought my copy today” she said, reaching under a stack of papers to pull out the case. “I see Liz already had a copy, so I practically know all the songs she’s been playing these days. You know you should hear her ringtone, it’s-”

“Can you just drink your coffee please?” Liz asked, shooting her a look.

Emma and JC laughed.

“It’s cool, I’m glad you guys like the music”

“Hey, Josh I got to get back to some work here, but I’ll see you soon right?”

“Yea, but I don’t know when” he said softly. “Sometime next week, I think”

“You’re that busy huh”

“I’m sorry Lizzie”

She smiled. “It’s okay, don’t worry. I want your album to do well, just as much as you do, so it’s cool”

“Thanks” he said, giving her quick peck on the lips.

She blushed. “Is there any time I can drop by the studio you guys are at or anything?”

“Actually, we have rehearsals from tomorrow till next Thursday and we shoot the Disney promo this Saturday. Then more rehearsals, a couple free days and then the concert. Then, we go from there” he sighed. “I can send you the studio address if you like, and maybe I can take you out to dinner or something on one of my free days. A date”

He smiled.

“You’re really busy Josh.” She said hesitantly

“Guess I’m going to have to learn to balance” he shrugged

“Text me the address, I’ll drop by one of these good days” she winked

“And about dinner?” he asked

“It’s a date. Whenever you’re free”

“Great” he said smiling. “I’ll let you guys get back to work now.”

“Yea” she nodded. “Thanks for coming by… And almost giving me a heart attack, but thanks nonetheless”

“I just wanted to see you” he said. “And you’re welcome”

“I’ll talk to you later?” she asked

“Yea, I’ll call you tonight” He slid one hand around her waist, and gave her a kiss on the lips.  “Talk to you later Lizzie”

“Bye” she said, when he turned to go back out.

“Bye Emma!” he called out, on his way out

“Bye!” she responded.

Emma, who had been sitting there quietly with her coffee, had been keeping her eye on the couple in her office.

“He’s sweet” she said, smiling at Liz

“Tell me something I don’t know” she replied giggling,

“I got food” JC said, yelling out to his group mates who were assembled in the living room playing video games.

“We’re starving!” Justin said, resting his joystick down on the carpet. “What’d you get?”

“Burgers and fries. Cheap and easy”

“That’s my kind of meal if you know what I mean” Joey said, happily

”Yea, more like your kind of girl Joe” Lance said, heading over with Chris to get his food.

“Just sit down and eat” JC said, taking the foil wrapped burgers out of the bag and setting them down on the table

“Thanks for dinner JC” Justin said, taking a pack of fries out

“Yea” he replied

“Did you go see Lizzie?” Chris asked, taking a bite out of his burger.

“Yea, I did” JC smiled, squirting some ketchup on his fries. “I invited her to the concert too”

“Cool, she’ll get to see us perform” Joey stated

“Yup”

“What’re we doing tonight? Movies? Video games?” Lance questioned

“Games!” Justin, Joe and Chris agreed

They all looked at JC, who was busy dipping his fries in ketchup and mustard.

“I think I’m just going to head to bed” he said. “We’ve got to get up early”

“What time do we have to be there for?” Chris asked

“Around 8” JC replied

“Oh yea, I forgot”

“Alzheimer’s is bad Chris” Justin chuckled

“Shut up Justin! So is being a 17 year old virgin!” Chris retorted

Justin‘s face turned red.

“Oh leave him alone Chris” Joey said

JC couldn’t help but laugh. “I think I’m just going to take my fries and go. Nobody touch my burger” he warned

“Where’re you going?” Chris asked

“To my room. I’m tired” JC said, picking up his packet of fries and a bottle of water. “Don’t stay up too late guys”

He closed the door to his room and flopped down on his bed, and turned on the TV. He chewed on a fry while surfing through the channels. He smiled when he saw Titanic was on, and he clicked on it.

He lowered the volume and reached for his cell phone to make a call.

“Hello?”

“Titanic’s on” he said

She could hear the smile in his voice. “And you thought of me, didn’t you?”

“Course I did” he said happily. “It’s at the end though. Where everyone dies”

“Ugh, the part that always makes me cry” she said giggling

“What’d you doing?”

She sighed. “Nothing, I got home about an hour ago and it was my turn to make dinner, so I’m beat for the night”

“Oh, well I’ll let you go then. Let you get some sleep hunny”

“Speaking of sleep, don’t you have to get up early tomorrow?”

“Yea but, I’ll get there in a while. I told you I’d call you didn’t I? ”

She giggled. “Yea you did. Thanks.”

“So, our date. Where do you want to go?”

She laughed. “Josh, shouldn’t we wait to see how you adapt to your new schedule before you go penciling in more things?”

“I know it’s a lot, but a guy has to make some time for his girlfriend right?”

She smiled softly. “I guess, but let's just wait, okay? Once I see that you’re good at the balancing thing, we’ll have our date”

“I’m holding you to that”

“Not a problem” she said, smiling to herself.

“Alright I’ll let you go now. I need some sleep too. Got to wake up early for that rehearsal”

“I hope you have a good night Josh” she said softly. “Don’t worry about the rehearsal, okay? It’s going to be fine. The album too”

“I wish I was as confident as you are about that” he mumbled

“Trust me. You guys are going to be huge someday, I know it”

“Thanks Lizzie” he said into the phone

“Goodnight … I’ll see you soon”

“Sweet dreams Liz”

“Bye Josh” she said, smiling

“Bye”

He hung up and threw the phone to the other side of the bed, sighing while he pushed the last few fries he had left into his mouth and took a drink of water.

He turned off the TV and got up to flick off the light switch.

He yawned and sat against the headboard. He could hear his friends shouting in the living room, mostly Justin and Chris, who he guessed were playing against each other.

He smiled and lay down on his back. A few minutes later he allowed sleep to consume him.

“So it goes 1, 2, 3 and 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8” Darren told them, doing a different foot movement with each count.

It was almost 3 in the afternoon, and they were only half way through their rehearsal.  They had gotten up early, and started dancing at 9:00am, taking a while to get to know the choreographer. Darren was the name.

The boys seemed to literally be dripping of sweat. They had been there for 9 hours, and so far they had only gotten a couple dances down pact. They were still stumbling on the ‘Just Wanna Be With You’ routine.

Chris put his hands on his knees and bent over. “I am getting too old for all this dancing”

Darren laughed “Just wait till I show you the routine for ‘You Got It’” he chuckled

JC took off his red baseball cap and ran his hands through his moist hair. “Rehearsals man. I forgot how intense they were”

“Tell me about it” Justin said with a small white towel around the back of his neck. “I’m loving it though. Just like how it was when we first started out, except we’re not in some hot, old warehouse stifling”

“Yea. This guy’s good. Really good” JC said, watching Darren go over a couple steps with Lance

“Hell yea. He’s fun, but intense. Knows his stuff”

JC nodded, walking over to the table where their bottled water and cell phones rested. He flipped open his phone, disappointed he hadn’t seen any text messages or missed calls.

“Dude, she knows you’re at rehearsal. She isn’t going to call you now” Justin said, rolling his eyes

“It doesn’t hurt to check” JC mumbled

“You’ve been checking all damn day!” Justin laughed. “Dude leave her alone!”

“He’s checking for calls again?” Joey asked chuckling, coming up from behind them

“Yea” Justin answered

“Man you’re pathetic” Joey said

“Yea I know” JC said sighing. “I just kind of miss her, that’s all”

“Yea, but you’re working right now, so get your mind set back into dancing” Justin reminded him, hiding a smile

“Actually, I’m putting you guys on break” Darren called out. “Lunch is here”

JC turned back to Justin. “What’d he order?”

“Well, I have sandwiches for Joey, Darren and Lance, McDonalds for Chris, chicken salad for Justin and a new tube of strawberry lip gloss for JC to go through” a voice spoke up behind him, giggling

JC spun around and broke out in a grin, throwing his arms around their visitor.

“Hey!” he said, lifting her a couple inches off the ground.

“Well hello to you too” she replied 

“What are you doing here?” he asked, placing her back on the ground.

“I brought lunch” she said happily. “I called Johnny and he said I could come over here around this time, when you guys were on break”

JC turned around to face Justin, Joey, Chris and now Lance, who had joined them.

“You knew she was coming?” he asked

“Yup” Justin said, while the others nodded

“And you didn’t tell me?!”

“It was more entertaining for us to see you check your phone every half hour and see nothing”

JC blushed while Liz laughed, taking his hand into hers. “Aww, I thought you knew I was going to come. Plus I didn’t want to distract you from rehearsing”

“Well I’m just glad I got to see you today” JC said, lowering his head to kiss her, but he was interrupted.

“Ahem” Chris said clearing his throat rather loudly, while giving the couple an impatient smile, his eyebrows raised.

Liz sighed, smiling and reached for the large brown paper bag on the ground, next to her feet.

“Enjoy” she said, handing Chris the food.

She then reached down for four clear plastic boxes with the food and sandwiches and gave them to Justin and Lance. She handed Joey the drinks.

“And you’re welcome”

“Thanks Liz!” they all replied in unison, walking away to start their lunch.

JC smiled . “Thanks for coming over here… And for bringing food”

“No problem. I wanted to see the dance studio, and I went on a lunch break anyway”

“Speaking of lunch,” JC said, “Where’s mine?”

She grinned. “Lower your head and you’ll find out” she said winking, tying her hands around the back of his neck

He grinned and put his hands on her waist. Lowering his head, his lips made contact with hers as his tongue found hers, keeping the two of them in place for a matter of almost eight seconds before JC pulled away slowly.

“How was that?” Liz asked

“Tasty” he said, chuckling. “I like strawberry”

“Good” she said happily.

“But seriously, I’m starving” he said, successfully keeping a straight face. “Where’s my food?”

Liz laughed as she bent down to pick up the last clear box and gave it to him, shoving it gently in his abdomen.

“Here!” she said, still laughing.

“Thanks” he told her kissing her cheek.

“Sure” she said nodding.

“When do you have to get back to the office?”

“Hmm” she said looking at her watch. “About another 25 minutes or so”

“Great!” he said, taking her hand and pulling her down to sit with him cross-legged, right there on the floor.

“Josh, you know your friends are sitting right over there” she said, nodding toward where to guys were assembled and spread out on the other side of the dance studio.

He shrugged. “Yea, but at the end of the day I end up going home to live with them, plus get up the next morning to work with them, then do it all over again the day after that. I’m taking the time I can get with you while I could”

“Well in that case” she started. “Tell me how it’s been going today”

He opened the lid off the box and bit into one of the chicken sandwiches. “It’s great actually. Still stumbling, but we’re getting there”

“I can’t wait for the concert” she said, with a smile

“Me too” he said, swallowing. “Hey, you’ll have to watch from the side of the stage with the security guards though. That okay with you?”

“Yea, that’s fine. I wouldn’t want to get trampled by the hundreds of screaming girls coming out to see you anyways, now would I?” she teased

“Yea, but I’d only have my eye on one” he winked

“Aw, look who’s being cheesy” she laughed

He shrugged with a small smile. “Did you even have lunch yet?”

“I had a donut” she said simply

He frowned and handed her the box with the remaining four sandwiches. “Eat” he commanded

“Don’t you need food for your energy?”

“If I get too full I’m not even going to be able to dance, so you’d be helping me out anyways”

“Are you sure?”

“Hey, you bought it!”

She smiled, and took one out and placed the box in the middle of the two of them.

“Does this count as our date?” she asked smiling

“Of course not!” he said a little loudly, brushing off some of the crumbs from off his lap. “This could be our pre-date warm up, but not our date. Not here in a dance studio on a Monday afternoon sitting on a floor eating sandwiches while I’m all sweaty” 

“I say we count this as a date, just in case we don’t get to have an official one for a while”

“Hey” he said. “I told you I’d take you out on a date. A real one”

“And I told you you’d have to adapt to your schedule before you try promising things like that”

“I’m starting to see the stubborn side to you” he mumbled, then looked up at her and tilted his head. “It’s kind of sexy”

She rolled her eyes at him, her cheeks turning a slight shade of pink. “Finish the sandwiches” she said

He chuckled while they sat in comfortable silence for a few more minutes to eat.

“I think I should get going Josh” she said to him, dusting off the bread crumbs from her clothes and taking a sip of water

 “Yea, I think we’re supposed to start up again in a while” he said getting up from off the floor to stand over her.

She grinned and put out her hands to him.

He held them and pulled her up from off the ground with such force that when she got up, their chests were almost touching.

“You’re strong” she commended

He chuckled. “Thanks”

She smiled up at him.

“Am I seeing you again tomorrow?” he asked softly

“I don’t know” she sighed. “Probably not. Maybe on Sunday, after you shoot the promo”

“So I have to rely on text messages and phone calls for the rest of the week?”

“Looks like it”

He frowned

“Hey, I don’t see what you’re putting about. With the schedule you have, you should be happy you’ll even get time to message me”

“I told ya I’d make time”

She smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up to him.

“I’m glad I got to see you today Lizzie” he said, softly pressing his lips on her forehead

“Me too Josh”

“Hey, how about I take you out on Sunday?” he suggested

“Won’t you be tired? You’d have rehearsals the next day”

“Okay, one, no I won’t be too tired. Two, we are going out. And three, I am never showing you my schedule again”

She laughed. “Okay” she agreed softly

“Really?” he beamed

“Yea”

“Yes!” he cheered under his breath. “I’ll talk to you tonight then?”

She nodded. “I got to go now Josh”

“Yea, alright” he said chuckling. “Thanks for coming… And for, feeding us”

“Any time” she smiled “Talk to you tonight?”

“Definitely” he nodded

“Bye” she said planting one on his lower lip.

“Bye” he said

“Later guys!” she called out to the other members, waving

“Bye Liz!” they responded, waving to her

She smiled. “Talk to you later Josh”

“Bye Lizzie” he said, giving her a small wave before she disappeared out the door.

He smiled and walked over to the corner where the 4 guys and Darren were still sitting, munching on the remains of their food.

“You’re girlfriend’s cute” Darren said, with a smile

JC grinned. “I know”

“Chris. Drive” JC said, throwing him the keys as they neared their vehicle.

It was almost 8:30pm, and rehearsals were finally done for the day. They’d been able to get through the first couple songs, and ended the day after they had finally successfully completed the ‘I Just Wanna Be With You’ number, and how they planned to start off the show. Now, hours later, JC just wanted nothing more than to go home, collapse on his bed, and willingly let sleep consume his body. The last thing he wanted to do now was drive.

“No way man” Chris said, throwing the keys back. “It’s all you tonight”

JC sighed. “Joey? Lance?” he asked, hopeful

They both shook their heads as they approached the car, now opening the doors, sliding into the leather interior.

JC frowned and turned to his last option, who seemed to be the only one with the slightest bit of energy left. “Justin? Please?”

“As much as I love it when you guys let me drive the car, I think I’m going to pass on this one”

JC sighed, getting into the driver’s seat. “I swear, the day we start making some real money we’re hiring a fucking driver” he muttered under his breath

“Watch your language Josh” Chris said teasingly, strapping on his seatbelt.

JC shot him a glare and reversed out the parking lot, only to come across traffic a few away. “Damn it!” he said, resting his head against the wheel.

The guys in the back groaned while Chris muttered a curse, and plugged in his headphones to the mp3 he carried around.

JC sighed, and pulled out his phone when he felt a vibration ripple through the pocket of his pants.

He smiled softly at the screen. It was the only thing that woke him up a little, and there really wasn’t anything left for him to do but wait patiently in the car waiting for the traffic to ease up.

Nope. Stuck in traffic. I’m exhausted

-Aw, I’m sorry. Weird, traffic on a Monday night.

I know right. What’d you up to?

-I was listening to your album. HAHA

He chuckled. Haha again?!

-Hey, I get good music, plus I get to hear your voice. Doesn’t get better than that

Yea, it really doesn’t. LOL Just kidding.

-LOL So, rehearsals went okay after I left?

Yea, it was great! But I’m so tired!

 -Good luck surviving the next week then. Ready to cancel Sunday?

Hell no! Jeez, I say I’m tired the first day of the week and you already want to cancel a date 6 days away!

-Well I’m sorry! Just trying to be considerate hereI know, but I keep my promises.

-I’m sure you do

Wear a dress

-What?? LOL

Wear a dress Sunday. I’m taking you to dinner at 7. Anywhere you want

-How about I wear the dress, you pick me up, and you just take me anywhere you want for dinner

He looked up, noticing the cars in front of him were actually moving.

Alright. Hey, looks like traffic is easing up a bit. Woo

-Good, but you shouldn’t be texting while you’re driving so I’ll talk to you tomorrow?

Yea! Thanks Lizzie. :)  

-Enjoy your night!

You too.

He stuck his phone back into his pocket, and continued on the road.

“You like being in a relationship don’t you?” Chris asked, out of the blue.

“Why do you ask?”

Chris shrugged. “I don’t know. You just seem happiest when you’re doing three things”

“And they are?”

“One, when you’re sleeping in”

JC chuckled. “True”

“Two, when you’re on stage”

“Also true” he said nodding slowly.

“And three, when you’re with someone”

He smiled. “Yea, I guess”

“We’re happy for you Jace, but you know what our schedule is like. It’s hard keeping someone around in the kind of gig we got. Is Liz ready for what could happen to your relationship if NSYNC blew up?”

“I know what could happen, but you’re thinking way ahead of time. We just started going out, and I’m not going to scare her away with a warning that I’m never going to have time for her”

“Okay, I get it” Chris said, leaning his head back against the seat. “But still, I’m happy for you”

“Thanks”

“Hey C?” Justin spoke up from the back

“What?”

“Whatever did happen with Allison, after… You know”

JC’s grip on the wheel tightened briefly, and then became relaxed. “I don’t know” he said softly.

“What’d you do with the ring?” Joey asked

“I pawned it” he said simply. “Best eleven thousand bucks I ever got back”

He noticed the incredulous looks on the faces of his friends in the rear view mirror. “That’s why you save boys” he chuckled

The rest of the week hadn’t been much different from the first day, except for the TV interviews they had done and the promo they shoot yesterday. NSYNC was finally getting some TV publicity, and as much as the boys loved it, they were exhausted. On the second day off of their schedule, while the other guys stayed at home and battled each other on the new video games Chris had bought, JC was busy putting on cologne and frosting the tips of his hair after buttoning the white satin shirt he had bought a few days earlier.

“Ohh, dressy” Lance said, when JC joined them in the living room

“Jeez are you planning to stifle her in the car or something?” Chris gagged. “Why the hell are you wearing so much cologne for?”

“I want to smell nice. Something besides sweat for once” JC defended himself. “And the cologne’s Justin’s anyways”

“Hey!” Justin said.

JC chuckled. “So, do I look okay?” he held his arms out, away from his sides.

“Like a gorgeous beast” Chris cracked out

The other guys burst out laughing, JC included. He picked up a pillow and threw it at Chris, but he ducked and the cushion ended up hitting Joey.

“Hey!” Joey said through a mouthful of chips. “Watch the food”

“Scrub” Lance remarked, causing the pillow to be thrown his way resulting in about four pillows flying around the area.

“Okay, I’m out! Don’t hurt any of the furniture” JC said loud enough to get them to hear him above the yelling that had started.

“Have fun!” Justin said, pounding down on Lance with an orange cushion.

“We have rehearsals again in the morning so don’t be out late!” Chris said, mocking all the times he and Joey wanted to go out but JC kept reminding them of the events they had the next day.

JC chuckled and ensured he had his keys, wallet and cell phone in his pocket before he left.

“Later guys” he said, before slamming the door. He could hear the yelling from out on the porch, and shook his head. “Am I the only sane one in this group?” he asked himself chuckling as he approached the car.

“You like?”

“Yea I like. Especially because the shoes are mine” Emma said, walking into the room giggling.

“I want to look nice. These were the only pair of shoes we had that went with this outfit”

“As long as I get to borrow that dress sometime, you can take whatever you want”

“So you like?” Liz asked hopeful

“Yea, you look awesome!”

Liz smiled, and let out a soft smile of relief. “Great”

“Are you nervous or something?”

“I don’t think I’m nervous, just kind of… Excited slash nervous”

“Why?”

“I’m not sure” Liz said, actually thinking about the concept. “We’ve never been on a date, in public before”

“Well you look great, and be sure to at least take a picture. You know what, better yet! When he picks you up, invite him inside!”

“Why?” Liz asked

“I want to see what he’s wearing, duh! And I want to predict what your kids will look like in the future”

“Emma!” Liz exclaimed

“What?! He’s hot, you’re gorgeous… It’s a match made in heaven”

“I wonder how I ever became friends with you in the first place sometimes” Liz said, laughter and amazement in her voice.

Emma grinned and shrugged. Just then, the sound of the doorbell ringing sounded throughout the house.

“I think it’s him” Liz said, excitedly.

“Well c’mon!” Emma said, grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her out the bedroom door and down the stairs.

“You’re going to make me fall in these heels!”

Emma giggled, as they neared the bottom steps.

“Okay, how do I look?”

“For the third or fourth time, you look great!”

The doorbell sounded again.

Liz took a breath and turned around to open the door. When she did, she probably didn’t notice that JC’s jaw had kind of hit the concrete below him in the same way he probably hadn’t noticed that her eyes had bulged out of her head.

“Lizzie, you look… Fantastic” JC said, managing to find his voice as he studied the skin tight purple strapless she wore, with the black strappy heels she had on. He loved the way each strand of her hair had its own way of falling past her shoulders, and how the end pieces at the front curved up as they were still a little moist. He especially loved that she didn’t have to put on much makeup to try to look nice. To him, her beauty from within glowed naturally.

“Well uh, thank you” she said, giving him a smile. “You look great as well, if I do say so myself”

She just loved the little stubble he had left along his jaw line, and the twinkle in his sea blue eyes kept her eyes locked onto his. The white shirt and black pants he wore went together well with her purple attire. God, he smelled so good.

Emma poked her head from behind Liz’s shoulders, and flashed JC a smile. “Hey Josh!”

“Hey Em” he replied politely, with a smile.

Keeping her grin and her eyes on JC, she spoke softly to Liz, barely moving her lips.

“Damn, your kids are going to be freakin’ gorgeous!”

“Emma!” Liz hissed

JC blushed, and gave a little chuckle breaking the eye contact. “Okay, then” he said with a smile

“You ready?” Liz asked, with an apologetic smile

“Yea, ready when you are” he replied.

“Great” she said, stepping out the door frame to join him on the porch. Her being 5”9 in the heels agreed with his 5”11 height. “I’ll see you later Em” she said

“Adios” Emma said, with a smile

“Okay, uh…” JC started. “Let’s go” he said, taking her hand into his

“Great” she said with a smile.

As they walked out to where JC had the car, he spoke softly to her. “Nice dress”

“Thought you’d like it” she smiled

“Are you kidnapping me or something?” she asked, giggling

They had been driving for a little less than 20 minutes, and Liz could no familiarize herself with the area they were in.

JC smiled at her, briefly taking his eyes off the road. “I said it’s a surprise. I wanted to take you somewhere you’ve never been before”

“I never even knew this part of Orlando existed” she said, looking out the window

“Just about 10 more minutes, don’t worry”

“You went all out or something?” she asked, smiling

“Well, not all out, but close enough. It’s only our first date”

“Then at least tell me where you’re taking me!”

“Okay” he chuckled. “Uh, you like seafood?”

“I hate it” she said simply, staring ahead

“What?!” JC exclaimed

Liz burst out laughing. “Chill Josh, I’m kidding”

He gave a relieved smile. “Jeez, I was about to turn the car around and just take you to a pizzeria and be done with it”

She giggled. “So, seafood?”

He nodded. “That okay with you?”

“Yea that’s fine. I’ve never been anywhere around this area”

“Oh it’s great. The menu isn’t very extensive, but there’s a terrific selection. Nice evening setting and an outdoor seating area if you prefer to eat outside. I think you’ll like it”

She grinned. “You’re really sweet, you know that?”

He smiled and took one hand off the wheel to take her hand in his. “Thanks”

**

“So, what did you think?” he asked, opening the door for her as they left the restaurant.

“I loved it!” she smiled. “I can’t believe I’ve never been here before”

“So I did good, huh?” he grinned

She giggled and nodded. “Yea, you did good”

She was pleasantly surprised with the atmosphere of the restaurant. It wasn’t like most seafood places in Orlando. Out front, there were little seating sets with dark colored umbrellas overhead at each table, as well as cushioned benches with little throw pillows. Inside, faint music played and the lights were low with tiny candles on each table. On the walls, there were a lot of fish sculptors which JC said were ‘tacky’ but Liz thought they were tastefully done. She was unfamiliar with the menu, so JC had to order most of the food. He started them off with lemonades spiked with vodka to get started, which she loved, and moved on the actual meal.

It was fine dining from then on. From crab cakes to coconut shrimp to a couple slices of key lime pie that the restaurant offered. Overall, Liz had enjoyed the evening so far and JC was quite content on how his date was going. The past couple hours were comfortable, yet casually intimate.

He intertwined their hands and walked slowly.

“See, you got your date” she smiled

“Yea, I did. Thanks”

“Are you happy now?”

A few feet away from the car, in the darkness of the night, he stopped walking, but kept his gentle hold on her hand.

He smiled softly at the cute but confused look on her face. He pulled her in closer to him and pressed his lips against hers.

“Now I’m happy” he said with a smile when they pulled away.

She blushed, but leaned in for another kiss. “Then I’m happy too”

He opened the car door for her, allowing her to get seated comfortably before joining her inside.

“I had a terrific time tonight, you know” she said to him

“Me too” he said, starting up the engine

“Are we going to be able to do it again… Anytime soon?” she asked quietly

He sighed, but managed a small smile. “I hope so Lizzie, but you know what things are like for me for the next week or so. I mean we still have some interviews lined up and rehearsals are non-stop and then the concert is-” he kept rambling

“Josh!” she said, cutting him off. “You know I’m not mad, right?”

“You’re not?”

“No, ‘course not. I just, well… I like spending time with you when it’s just the two of us but I understand the demands of you job. I see you when I can”

“I still make time for us” he said softly

She grinned. “That you do, so thank you”

He smiled, and turned to look at her as the slowed down to a red light. “You’re welcome”

They spent the quiet second and a half just looking at each other before JC heard a song that was all too familiar to him ring out.

Liz blushed and fished around her purse trying to shut the music off.

“Is that all the music you have on your phone?” he asked chuckling

“I got the Backstreet Boys too if you want me to change it” she said

He just shook his head in amazement while she ignored the incoming call.

“Emma?” he asked

“Always” she said, giggling

“She cares about you… A lot” JC pointed out

“Yea, I know, but sometimes… I don’t know. She just watches out for me a lot of the time”

“Did you invite her to the concert?”

“I could?”

“Of course you can! I’ll get you guys the passes as soon as I could”

“You sure?”

“Positive. Chris and Justin will love it”

“Okay” she said smiling. “I will”

“Hey Lizzie?”

“Yea?”

“You’re pretty great you know that?”

“Why do you say that?”

“I just, well… Your support and patience… I appreciate it, a lot. I didn’t get a lot of that from past girlfriends”

She squeezed his hand gently and smiled. “Have you had a lot of girlfriends in the past?”

“A few, but only a couple I was serious about. I like to be needed, but I can’t walk around with my head cut off for anybody so I guess that was the problem. They were too demanding”

“You’re a very open hearted person Josh” she said. “I like that about you”

He shrugged. “Traits of a Leo”

“So you like astrology?”

“Yea, it fascinates me. I think it’s cool”

“Yea, it is, but I’m more into-” she was interrupted by the sound of JC’s phone ringing

“It’s the guys” he informed her

“Go ahead”

He sighed and answered the call. “What do you want Chris? Yea we left already. Yea. What, no I didn’t get you anything! Then order pizza, I don’t care. Yea, okay. Fine, can I go now? Bye”

Liz giggled. “Want to pick something up real quick for them somewhere?”

“Oh, no, they’ll survive. My date with you isn’t even over yet”

“It isn’t?”

“As long as the two of us are together tonight, this date isn’t over” he smiled

Entering the living room, he threw the keys down on the coffee table and joined his Lance and Chris on the couch.

“Had a nice night?” Lance asked

“Yup” JC smiled.

Justin burped loudly, and gave a self-satisfied grin.

The rest of guys groaned.

“Where’d you get the money for the pizza?” JC asked, looking at the empty pizza box on the carpeted floor.

Lance, Joey and Justin all looked over at Chris.

“Oh, we uh… Found a few bucks lying around”

“Lying around where?” JC questioned

“In the back pocket of your jeans folded on your bed” Lance said truthfully.

“Lance!” the other 3 cried out.

Lance shrugged. “Chris made us do it”

JC just looked at them with a blank expression, but that was quickly replaced with a smile. “You know what, my night has been too good to get to get worked up over a few bucks you guys stole so I’ll just leave it”

“It’s better than stealing menus from every Hard Rock Café you go to” Justin snorted

Even JC laughed at that one. “Goodnight” he said, getting up

“Hey Jace wait!” Joey said

“What?”

“What’d Liz wear?”

“Did she look hot?” Chris put in

JC grinned. “She looked great… That’s all I’m saying”

;)

“He-o?” he answered the phone, his mouth full of water.

“Josh?”

He swallowed and cleared his throat. “Hey, yea it’s me”

“Oh” she said, giggling.

“What’s up?” he asked happily, falling back on his bed

“I got some bad news” she said sighing

“What is it?” he asked, a frown forming on his face

“I don’t think I’ll be able to come to the concert Sunday”

“What?!” he cried out. “Lizzie, why not?”

“I know, I’m sorry. I’m booked to handle an engagement party that afternoon”

“But the concert doesn’t start till 5”

“You leave for the Chinese theatre tomorrow Josh. I can’t go” she said quietly

“But then I might not be able to see you till Wednesday”

She sighed.

“Alright, I get it” he said

“I’m sorry” she said regretfully

“When’s the soonest I can see you then?”

She smiled. “Come over before you leave tomorrow.”

“Why not tonight?” he pushed

She looked at her watch and saw that the time read almost midnight.  “Aren’t you tired?”

“Not anymore” he said, a touch of sadness in his voice

“Hey, don’t get all Mr. Glum on me now” she teased. “Come on over if-”

He chuckled. “Be there in 10”

“Alright”

“Hey!” she greeted him with a smile.

“Hi” he said, kissing her on the cheek when he stepped in.

“You okay?” she asked

He smiled and nodded. “Yea, I’m okay”

“You’re not mad at me, are you?”

He chuckled and shook his head. “No, don’t worry about that”

“Then what’s up?”

He shrugged. “I needed company”

He followed her into the living room.

“They guys aren’t home?” she asked

“No, they’re home. But I just needed to be around someone that wasn’t talking about track listing or who’s going to mess up what dance number or what’s going to happen if we get booed off the stage. Stuff like that” he sighed, taking a seat on the couch.

“You’re nervous” she concluded, taking a seat beside him.

“This is a make t or break it show Lizzie” he said quietly. “Disney’s taking a chance on us and I don’t want to mess it up”

“I thought you were the positive one” she nudged him

“That’s Joey” he said, chuckling. “I’m the one who tries to get things to run smoothly. I’m like, the sanity in our big mix”

She smiled. “You got nothing to worry about you know”

“Yea, I wish I was that sure”

“You are, you just don’t know it”

“So you don’t think I’ll forget a dance step, or sing off key or something like that?”

“Nope. I’ve see you dance, I’ve heard you sing, and I’ve seen how much hours of rehearsal you put in just to get here. I know you’re ready”

“Thanks” he smiled, looking down. He noticed her hand was clenched. “What’d you got there?”

“Oh” She had almost forgotten about it. “I got you something”

He raised his eyebrows. “Why?”

She shrugged. “It reminded me of you when I saw it”. She opened her hand to reveal a brown necklace that had a cream stone pendant with the face of a lion on it that lay in the palm of her hand.

“You can use it for good luck, or whatever. I know you’re into the whole Leo, astrology thing so I got it for you. I thought you’d like it”

He grinned looking down at the necklace, and took it out of her hand and held it up between the two of them. “Thank you” he told her, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

“You really like it?”

“Absolutely” he said. He untied the knot and gave it back to her. “Put it on for me” he said turning around.

She giggled and tied the string around his neck in a tight knot. He turned around and grinned. “I love it” he said, hugging her.

“It looks good on you babe” she complimented softly

His eyes shot up to look at her. “Wait, what’d you call me?” he asked, fighting a smile

She crinkled her brows in confusion.

“Did you just call me ‘babe’?” he questioned, the smile becoming wider.

“Yea, why?” she said shyly

“Well, the last time I called you that you got mad at me and I got slapped sometime in between” he said recalling the day they kissed and she ran out on him.

She blushed and looked down. “Oh, right. Well, we weren’t together then”

“Mmhmm” he said with a smile

“I wouldn’t really mind it now” she added

He chuckled and used his fingers to lift her chin, planting a soft kiss upon her lips. “Thanks baby” he said softly

“What’s wrong with you today?” Emma asked with a hand on her hip. “You’re biting your nails again”

“I’m just… nervous, I think” Liz responded, ticking off a couple items on her clipboard

“When last did you talk to him?”

“He texted me 2 o’clock this morning, and they were now getting ready to do their first rehearsal on the stage”

“Rough”

“Yea” she mumbled, trying to keep the knives and forks aligned on the white clothed table

“I don’t see why you didn’t go with him to see them perform you know”

“Because we had a job booked”

“So? I would have taken care of it. The money goes to our business anyways so it’s not like you’d be losing out on any of the dinero”

Liz sighed, and stood straight. “I don’t know Em. The concert started a half hour ago, and people are already here” she turned around to smile and wave at the people that had started coming into the room.”

“Fine” Emma said simply. “If you don’t want to go see your boyfriend perform one of the biggest shows of his career then that’s your choice”

“The guilt trip isn’t going to work”

“If you want him to be singing ‘I Just Wanna Be With You’ and then look out into the crowd and not see his girlfriend that’s fine too”

“I’ll call him when it’s over” Liz insisted

“If you want to be the cause of ‘Tearin up his heart’ then you can-”

“Emma!” Liz cried out in exasperation, startling some of the people.

Her friend just stifled a laugh and shook her head. “I did nothing but point out the obvious”

Liz frowned.

“Go Lizzie. You know you want to be there”

She sighed and looked at her watch. “I might make it in time to see him do the last couple songs” she muttered

Emma grinned and threw her the car keys. “Get Denise to drive you” she said referring to their assistant.

“Sure you can handle things here?”

Emma shrugged. “Yea I’m sure, and I got the interns with me so don’t worry”

Liz smiled and ran over to hug her best friend. “Thanks”

“Go! Lover boy’s waiting”

“Denise!” Liz called out to the red head standing by the door, greeting the people. “I need a favor”

The woman smiled, and looked over to where Emma stood. “It’s about time”

“She was being stubborn!” Emma said in exasperation.

Liz rolled her eyes and gave the freckled cheek woman the keys. “C’mon”

“You got it”

**

“Could there be any more cars? Shit!”

“You need to chill out, we’ll make it”

“Yea, if I walk!” she sighed.

The woman chuckled. “You still got at least 15 minutes of the concert left!”

“Sorry” she mumbled.

“We just need to find a parking space and get in, we’ll get there. You’ve got the pass he gave you right?”

She nodded. “I hope he’s surprised”

“He will be” Denise winked. “First time you’re going to see him perform?”

She nodded.

“And you were going to miss it?!”

“Hey, I’m here aren’t I?! I didn’t miss the whole thing” she said with a small smile

“Hey, I see a space. Over there”

“Then get it, so I can get in!” she could hear the roar of fans screaming and the music blasting. She couldn’t quite determine what song was playing, but she smiled just hearing the bits and pieces of his voice.

“How about you get out, and catch the last ten minutes and see if he’ll notice you’re there”

“Thanks Nise!” Liz said, leaning over to give her friend a quick hug. “I’ll see you in a while”

“Go!”

Liz grinned, and got out of the car.

Thank God she kept the pass JC had given to her in her purse that day, it helped her get in way faster as there were teenage girls outside screaming and begging to get in. Someone directed her to where her area was supposed to be, and she could swear was suddenly hard of hearing. The screams of the audience plus the music from the live band on stage was deafening. It all went away however, when a familiar voice rang through. Her eyes caught on, and she could just see him bouncing around on stage having the time of his life in the middle of the Here We Go number.

She grinned to himself watching him run around, the energy in the air just making her want to start jumping around too. She got past the security and made her way up to the side of the stage next to Lonnie, the NSYNC body guard they hired a few days back, who was able recognize her from the way JC had described her. He seemed like a gentle giant.

She flashed him a smile and he returned it with a wink. The crowd roared whenever one of the guys came close to the edge to where they stood, and Liz heard her part of the audience go crazy when they saw JC and Lance come close when they were separating the crowd to do the ‘Yes Yes Yes Here We Go, NSYNC has got the flow’ chant. Both had yet to recognize the brunette standing next to their body guard, that is, due to how close to the stage she was, JC heard the familiar voice. He almost forgot what chant he was supposed to repeat when he saw her smiling face, and she noticed the Leo necklace she had given him still bouncing around his neck whenever he moved.

She grinned and gave him a wink and a wave, before he had to go back center stage to continue the chorus.

The song ended, and JC looked up and winked to her while they held their pose pointing down to the stage.

He smiled at her, and she could feel the chills travel up and down her spine. At this point, she couldn’t even hear the pounding music or the screaming fans. He was all she knew at that moment.

“Jace, slow down!” Joey yelled to his friend, running in front of them.

“Where’s Lonnie?” JC asked, stopping momentarily to look around.

“On the bus, which is this way” Justin said, pointing to his left. “Now c’mon!”

“Is Liz with him?” JC questioned.

“Wait, Liz is here?!” Lance asked.

JC nodded.

“We need to get you guys on the bus now” Johnny said to them anxiously. He knew there were always fans who found their way around the stage and near the NSYNC bus trying to get to the guys, so he and the body guards tried to always ensure that NSYNC was on the bus and out of the area first thing when they stepped off the stage.

With the adrenaline still piercing through his body, JC ran to the large vehicle, almost colliding with Lonnie by the door.

“In there” he nodded toward the door with a knowing smile

JC stepped in, breathing hard, looking around for his girlfriend. He frowned, trying to catch his breath when he saw no one. He stepped further in, hearing the rest of his band mates running toward the bus on the outside.

“Lizzie?” he asked softly, almost to himself.

“Looking for me?” a voice asked from behind

He turned around, his body reacting to the voice almost as a reflex action.

She giggled, seeing the look on his face. “Surprise?”

He grinned and picked her up in a hug. She wrapped her hands around his sweaty neck and laughed.

“You came!” he exclaimed putting her down.

She shrugged. “Thought it was the right thing to do. I didn’t want to miss your first big performance”

He grinned and pulled her in for another tight squeeze.

“Thank you” he told her softly

She smiled then pulled away when she heard Justin, Chris, followed by Lance then Joey burst onto the bus. They were all talking at the same time, trying to catch their breath.

“You guys were great!” she complimented them, going over to the other members to give them each a hug.

“When’d you get here?” Chris asked

“In the middle of Here We Go” she informed them with a smile.

They then felt the bus move forward unexpectedly causing them to almost lose their balance from where they were standing.

“Woah” Liz said, falling on to the built in table seating next to her.

“You get used to it” Lance shrugged.

“How’d you get here?” JC asked, sliding in to sit next to her, his shirt now off. He just had on a white vest, which didn’t do much good seeing that it too was drenched in sweat. The other guys as well had started taking off their shirts and collapsing onto the various seats around the bus. Well, except for Chris who just lay down on the floor and spread out.

“I realized I needed to be here supporting you”

“Emma convinced you, didn’t she” he assumed

She sighed, but nodded. “And I’m glad she did”

He smiled and kissed her. “Me too”

She smiled, but he pulled away. “You do realize you’re going to be on this bus for the next forty-five minutes” he pointed out

She nodded slowly. “I was going to end up riding with you anyways. My assistant texted me saying she needed to get back to Emma, so Lonnie said he could get me on the bus. Turns out leaving two interns with the boss could get out of hand. I think they forgot that the bride was vegetarian but they had ordered chicken as the main course and the groom-”

JC laughed and stopped her rambling by swallowing her words using his tongue. “I’m just glad you got here” he said, his voice almost husky.

“Jace, you wanna go first or…?” Justin asked, holding a towel

“I’ll go last” JC replied, then turned back to Liz.

“Last for what?” she asked

“Since we’ll be circling the area for a while trying to get away from the crazy fans we have before we get back close to home, it gives us time to cool off and take a shower so that by the time we get back to the house, we can just crash”

She smiled. “You sure got energy”

He shrugged. “The crowd keeps us going”

“So you were glad to see me in the crowd?” she asked teasingly

“I loved seeing you in the crowd” he said, then realized he had said ‘loved’. “I uh, I’m glad you were there”

She blushed. “Me too”

He sighed softly in slight relief that she hadn’t noticed what he had said. He just took advantage of the moment and leaned in for another kiss.

“Get off her already!” Chris yelled out from the floor, watching the couple

Liz giggled.

“Aww, are you feeling lonely Chris?” JC asked in a mocking voice

Chris rolled his eyes.

“I’ll make you feel less lonely Chris” Joey said happily, going to sit down on his face on the floor but Chris pushed him and scrambled to his feet.

“Get your butt off me you old poodle man” the oldest member muttered

The guys including Liz erupted in laughter.

“I could see how living with you guys on a bus could be fun” Liz said, trying to catch hers elf.

JC chuckled.

“Maybe one day you’ll find out what it’s like” he said with a smile

 “Lizzie!” the voice blasted through the speakers in her phone

She pulled the phone away from her ear and cringed.

“Joshua it’s one in the morning” she whined, looking at the digital clock on her bedside table.

“Sorry baby”

She sighed. “What’d you want?”

He chuckled. “Lizzie we did it. Record sales went up!” he informed her softly, the excitement bursting in his voice.

She suddenly became more awake.

“Wait, what?”

“We’re #2 on the charts as of today!” he said, trying not to shout

She burst into a smile. “Oh, babe that’s amazing! Congratulations!”

“Thanks Lizzie” he said quietly. “I can’t believe we did it”

“I’m so proud of you guys”

He smiled to himself. “There’s more”

“Wait, when did you find all this out?”

“A couple hours ago”

“And you call me one o’clock in the morning to tell me?!”

“Would you have rather being the last one I called?”

“I’m the first?” she asked softly

“I called you as soon as I was able to get access to my phone. We’ve been in Lou’s office all night!”

She smiled to herself and giggled. “What’s the news Josh?”

“Oh yea” he said, getting excited again. “I think I’ll tell you later instead and let you get your sleep”

“I’m fully awake now Chasez” she said as she sat up and laughed lightly. “Now what’s the good news?”

He chuckled. “We’re going on tour!” he blurted out

Her eyes widened in surprise. “Seriously?”

“Yes!” he cried out happily. “For 6 months starting in a few weeks”

Liz felt her stomach do a flop. Six months, him on the road, not being able to see him. The idea didn’t sound too appealing to her.

She swallowed and nodded to herself. “That’s amazing Jace” she said softly.

“Ah, I know! Man, I can’t wait to get on the road! I mean we have to……”

Liz wasn’t really paying attention to what he was saying at that point. It was finally starting to hit her that this is what life was going to be like as long she and JC was in a relationship. His career came first. She was second. As much as she knew he enjoyed being with her, the idea of not seeing each other for the upcoming six months seemed to hit her much harder than it hit him. And she wasn’t sure if that was such a good thing.

“You alright this morning?” Emma asked her friend, taking a seat at their breakfast table with an apple in hand.

“Yea, just fine” Liz mumbled, looking down at her plate while she used her fork to play around with her eggs.

“Did you not sleep or something or did you just wake up cranky?”

“I’m tired”

“So it’s the ‘no sleep’ thing?”

Liz sighed. “What’s with all the questions?”

“Well you’re not telling me why you’re acting all weird so I have to ask”

 “They’re going on tour” she mumbled

“Wait, who’s going on- Wait, NSYNC?!”

Liz nodded, keeping her head down

Emma broke into an excited grin. “Seriously?! When?! Why didn’t you tell me?!”

She sighed resting down the fork. “In a few weeks. Josh called me this morning”

“Aren’t you happy for him Lizzie?” Emma asked softly

“Of course I am, it’s just that…” her voice trailed off. “I’m never going to see him Em”

“Sure you will” her friend said, pushing her arm. “A little less, but you knew what you were getting into when you guys became a couple”

Liz nodded. “I mean, he’s all excited and I want to be happy for him, but… I don’t know”

“Maybe you should just-”

Their conversation was interrupted when JC appeared in the door way, knocking on the fridge next to it to notify them of his presence.

“Josh!” Emma said, taken aback. “How’d you get in here?”

“The front door was unlocked so I let myself in, if that’s okay” he responded. He held up two paper bags. “I brought donuts though” he smiled.

Liz turned to her friend. “You forgot to lock the door last night didn’t you?”

“I’ll be in the car” Emma mumbled, getting up and grabbing her purse. “Thanks Josh!” she said happily as she took one of the bags from him as she bounced past him on her way out.

“Morning to you too Em” he responded and then turned to Liz who was now alone at the table.

“Morning babe” he said, going over to her and giving her a kiss on the cheek before taking a seat beside her.

“Hey” she said, still looking down at her plate. “What’d you doing here?”

“I wanted to go talk to Johnny about a few things so I thought that I may as well see if you were still home”

“Thanks, but I’ve got to get to work” she said, getting up and walked over to the sink.

He remained seated. “Are you okay?” he asked

“Yea, why wouldn’t I be?”

“I don’t know, you just seem… Different”

She shrugged. “I’m fine”

He got up and walked over to where she stood washing the few dishes and leaned against the counter.

“Then why are you all not ‘Lizzie-ish’?”

“I said I’m fine Josh” she said softly

“I know you’re lying, so you may as well tell me what I did now or you’re going to be late for work”

She sighed and turned off the tap. “It’s not what you did...It’s more of what you’re going to do”

He frowned. “What’re you talking about?”

“It’s just… Your career, and the tour and the record and your schedule… I just feel like I’m never going to be able to see you anymore. When you called me this morning, I wanted to be happy for you, and I am, but I started thinking about how we’re never going to see each other and I don’t know… It brought me down”

“Babe, of course we’ll see each other” he said softly

She looked up at him. “For six months while you’re on the road Josh?”

He sighed. “I’m not saying it’ll be easy, I’m just saying we’ll figure it out to make things work”

She didn’t look convinced.

“Lizzie, I promise you… I’ll find a way to make things work. I know it won’t be easy but you just got to have some patience with me. I like you, a lot Lizzie. I’m not just going to leave us hanging like that when I leave.”

“You promise?”

“Pinky promise” he smiled

“You know promises never last forever right?”

“Would you just quit saying that?!”

She gave a small smile and sighed. “Okay” she nodded. “I’m sorry”

He smiled and placed his hands around her waist. “Don’t worry about the tour right now okay? Just focus on what we got, right now. And right now, I’m thinking we got something pretty great”

She smiled. “Yea, me too”

“So you’re okay now?”

She nodded.

“Alright, then I better leave. You got work”

“What’d you doing today?”

He shrugged. “We got a couple interviews and then rehearsals start in a couple days for the tour. I needed to talk to Johnny about the schedule today”

“Where’re you guys going to be travelling?”

“It’s a nationwide 34 city tour”

“Well, look who’s gotten all famous”

He chuckled. “And look who’s late for work. C’mon” he said taking her hand and leading her out the kitchen.

“Waaiit” she said, her voice lingering over the vowel sounds of the word.

“What?”

“You’re going to leave me without a kiss?” she teased

He laughed and pulled her in for a quick peck. “Better?”

“Thank you” she said, giving him a hug

“I’ll talk to you later, alright? Johnny’s probably wondering what’s taking me so long”

She nodded. “I’ll see you soon. Have a good day, alright”

“You too” She left the house and made sure to lock the door while they stood out on the porch.

“Later babe” he said, kissing her on the cheek.

“Bye” she said softly with a smile.

He waved to Emma before going back to his car and driving off, honking the horn a couple times just to get her attention to let her know he was going.

“Are you okay now?” Emma asked her friend with a smile as she got in the car.

“He just has this way of making me feel like everything’s okay” Liz noted, smiling.

Emma laughed. “That smile on your face is seriously ridiculous. You look like a kid who just woke up to a mountain of candy on Christmas morning!”

Liz shrugged, the smile plastered across her face refusing to go away. “He does that to me”

“You’ll figure out something when he goes on tour” Emma assured her friend. “You guys are too great together not to”

“Boy, I hope so”

The weeks leading up to the tour had been long ones for Liz. NSYNC was constantly in and out of the dance studio, in and out of Lou’s office, in and out of meet and greets and in and out of television and radio stations promoting the tour. Their singles had hit the radio and the record was maintaining its hold on the Top 5 spot on the charts. Disney was constantly replaying the concert due to so much fan mail asking them to show it over and over again. Due to his demanding schedule, Liz and JC saw each other much less than before but they spoke often, usually settling to hours on the phone in the middle of the night filling in the other on what was new or exciting in the other’s life usually until one of them fell asleep when the conversation died down. The day before NSYNC had officially hit the road, JC and Liz had spent the day together at her house just watching TV on the couch, Liz trying to teach JC how to turn on and work an oven, and JC teaching Liz how to maintain balance on the skateboard Emma kept around.  They both held back the three words they didn’t know the other longed for them to say so by the time nightfall had hit, they had spent the last fifteen minutes making out. When he left, Liz actually had to coach herself not to cry. She knew this was what she had signed up for when she and JC had gotten serious around each other.

The months NSYNC was on tour was slowly going by for Liz. NSYNC was becoming more and more famous and Liz and JC only talked when he was within cell phone range and whenever he had as much as five minutes to spare. The guys were in one town doing a show one night and by the time dawn broke, they were crossing the border to enter another state. They were able to meet up a few times by the grace of God when NSYNC had shows in Jacksonville so Liz and Emma were able to drive out to see them. Now, it had been 2 months since she had seen him last, and NSYNC was only 3 months into their tour. Thankfully, work was able to keep her busy and she would have been grateful for the distraction if JC wasn’t the considerate, sweet, caring person that he was.

“What’d he send you this time birthday girl?” Emma asked, a smile on her face as she leaned back against her desk and blew on the coffee cup she held.

Liz smiled and looked up from the stack of cards she held in her lap.

“Nothing yet, I think. I’m just going through the ones from before”

“Weird” Emma remarked.

Liz shrugged and then went back to reading over each word in his hand writing written on each piece lavender colored cardboard.

22nd of October of that year marked Liz’s golden birthday. For the past 21 days while he was still on the road, JC had been sending her little presents each day representing her favorite things with an attached card that all read the same thing.

“You may be out of my sight, but never out of my mind. Another favorite present for my favorite girl. Thinking of you!! - Josh”

From handmade jewelry to mini books full of quotes he knew she loved to little boxes of chocolate he also knew she loved to the bouquet of tulip flowers that he knew were her favorite. Of course, as sweet as it was, it only made her miss him more which really wasn’t helping the fact that he was somewhere else in another part of the country.

Now, strangely, on the day of her birthday, the most he had done was shoot her a text. No call, no card, no nothing. She tried not to think anything of it since she knew he had multiple shows and meet and greets to keep up with. Her birthday was probably not the number one thing on his mind right now.

“Are you sure you don’t want to go out tonight? It’s your birthday, we should celebrate!” Emma urged her friend as she took a seat in her office chair.

Liz shook her head. “I’m not in the ‘celebrating’ mood today”

“Just because he isn’t here?”

She smiled softly. “That’s a big part of it” she said quietly.

 “Don’t you want to go out and have some fun this year? You always want to stay home and do nothing but sleep or watch TV and the day just goes by and we celebrate nothing”

“Just the way I like it”

Emma scoffed at her response.

“You and I can go out for your birthday but I just want to stay in and see if he calls”

“So you’re going to stay at home all night to listen to your phone that may or may not ring”

“Well, when you put it like that…”

Emma threw up her hands in defeat. “Hey, if that’s what you want to do, then by all means go ahead”

“So you’re not mad I won’t go out and party with you?” she asked giggling

Emma shrugged. “I can’t get mad at you on your birthday, but tomorrow I’m not promising anything”

Liz laughed. “You know you love my boring self”

“I’m probably not the only one who loves you, you know” Emma winked

The smile on Liz’s face faded slightly. “Love’s a strong word Em”

“And the feelings that come along with it are even stronger”

Liz smiled and turned her head to face the wallpaper on her computer screen. It was the one of the two of them cuddled up on the couch watching re-runs of F.R.I.E.N.D.S. with the lights dimmed. Emma had come downstairs and stood behind the couch and snapped the photo so that you only see JC’s arm wrapped around her and her head nestled on his shoulder under his neck. The light reflecting from the TV gave the photo enough light to see the couple in the midst of the darkness.

Liz sighed. “If his feelings were that strong then maybe he would have called, at least for my birthday” she mumbled.

After more pleading, nagging, and then some more begging, Emma was able to convince her friend to let her take her out to a nice dinner. Just the two of them to do some best friend bonding. With much reluctance, Liz had given in.

“If it’s my damn birthday, shouldn’t I have the right to stay home if I wanted to?” she muttered to herself as she held up a black strapless top and dark denim jeans in front of her body trying to see how well they went together in front of the mirror.

She nodded in approval to herself and pulled up the jeans. Seeing that they were extra tight, it took her a good 4 minutes before she was able to button it. Now tired, she slipped on the top that was cut like a dress as it ended around her mid thigh with a silver buckle strapped under her breasts. She ran a hand through her hair and glossed her lips before grabbing her phone and purse before taking off the light in her room.

“Em, you down here?” she yelled, walking down the stairs.

“I’m not ready yet!” her friend yelled out from the downstairs bathroom.

Liz sighed as she entered the kitchen and headed for the fridge for a bottle of water but was stopped short by the ringing of the phone.

“Lizzie can you get that” Emma yelled from the bathroom.

Liz sighed and closed the fridge door before walking over to the cordless receiver on the wall.

“Hello?” she asked with a sigh.

“Happy Birthday” a smiling voice greeted her, almost in a sing song tone.

Liz felt her heart skip a beat when she recognized the voice, a smile spreading across her face slowly.

“Josh?” she asked softly

“The one and only” he said with a chuckle.

She giggled. “I miss you so much right now”

“Aww, I miss you too Lizzie. How’s your birthday going so far?”

“It’s just like any other day to tell you the truth. I went to work, I’m tired, and now Emma’s dragging me out to some dinner I don’t even want to go to”

“Well why don’t you go out and have some fun. It is your birthday”

She shrugged and sighed. “I just kind of wish you were here, that’s all”

He smiled silently. “I take it you didn’t get my present” his voice suddenly soft.

She frowned. “Well, no not today. I didn’t even think you sent one”

“You didn’t think I didn’t get you anything, did you?”

She giggled. “I didn’t think you’d have time”

“I always make time for you”

She smiled. “Yea, you do”

“Go get your present” he told her

“Where is it? When did you send it?”

“I sent it a few hours ago and you’ll get it in five, four, three, two…”

He stopped counting and Liz was about to ask what the hell he was doing when she felt a two strong arms wrap around her torso.

“One” the voice whispered into her ear.

She almost dropped the phone and almost jumped out her skin at that point until she whipped around to come face to face with the person.

“Happy Birthday baby” he told her, a grin on his face

“Josh!” she screeched, jumping to hug him.

He laughed. “Hello to you too” he said, his arms wrapped tightly around her not wanting to let go.

“You’re here” she said so quietly it was almost a whisper. “How?”

He put her down but kept his hold around her waist. “I wasn’t going to miss spending your birthday night with you”

A few tears formed in her eyes for whatever reason and she threw her arms around him again. “I missed you, a lot”

He smiled. “I missed you too Liz”

A bright flash interrupted the couple, and Emma just giggled looking down at the digital camera she held.

“One for the books” she said with a grin.

“You betcha” JC nodded

“You guys planned this?!” Liz asked, looking back and forth at her two companions

Both nodded.

“JC’s the mastermind though” Emma included. “I was just the one who was supposed make you miserable on your birthday without him being here”

Liz giggled and walked over to her. “Thank you” she said, pulling her in for a hug.

“Happy Birthday Lizzie” Emma replied, squeezing her friend.

“So you made me get all dressed up for nothing?” Liz asked, studying the loose blue t-shirt and shorts her friend wore.

“Actually, you’re going to dinner” Emma replied

“With me” JC said, coming to stand next to her, lacing her fingers with his.

Liz grinned, squeezing his hand. “But then I’m leaving you home alone” Liz said regretfully to Emma

“Actually…” JC said, his voice trailing off looking to his left.

Liz turned her head to see what he was looking at. Surrounding the open fridge, were four people holding sodas and various sandwich items with goofy grins on their faces.

“Hi Lizzie” they said casually

She laughed. “I can’t believe you all got here! Don’t you have a show tonight?”

JC shook his head. “We’ve got to be in South Carolina by tomorrow ‘cause we’ve got a couple shows but I specifically put in this date as one of our free days when the tour started so I wasn’t worried”

“You’re the best you know that?” she told him, looking up with a smile

He smiled and pulled her in for a kiss that lasted long enough for Emma to snap another picture. Liz blushed, pulling away.

“You can leave now” Justin said through a mouthful of food.

JC sighed and then turned to Emma. “In advance, I apologize for the four of them”

Emma laughed. “I think I could handle them”

JC gave a sarcastic laugh. “Oh really? A bag of fleas in easier to handle than our dear Chris Kirkpatrick over there”

“Just get out of here!” Chris yelled out overhearing JC.

Liz laughed. “You sure Em?”

“Positive” Emma nodded. “JC, have her back by 11”

Liz rolled her eyes and walked toward the door.

“Yes ma’am” JC nodded with a smile.

“So you liked your surprise?” JC asked her with a knowing smile

“Josh, you have no idea”

He brought her hand up to his mouth and planted a kiss causing her cheeks to turn a light pink.

“I’m glad you liked it babe” he said softly

“Where’re we going?” she asked.

“A stroll in Winter Park. You and me” he winked

“No dinner?” she asked

“What’d you think that basket in the back there is for?” he said looking in the rearview mirror at the basket sitting still on the backseat.

Liz grinned and leaned over in her seat to kiss him on the cheek. “Thank you so much for this”

“Stop thanking me already” he chuckled. “I’m glad just being here with you”

**

“It’s chilly out here” Liz said quietly, looking around the park.

“Here” JC said taking off his leather jacket and handing it her. “Put this on”

“But then you’ll be cold”

He shrugged. “So what? I got you to warm me up”

She giggled and slid her small arms through the sleeves.

They had finished eaten a while ago and now they were just sitting on the bench enjoying the quietness of the park and taking in the glow of the full moon above them. Liz was impressed with what JC had brought along, from the wine to croissants and fancy cheese to the strawberries and chocolate truffles. JC had done well.

“So you enjoyed your birthday night so far?” he asked her softly

“Mmhmm” she replied, her head resting on his shoulder. She loved the way it was practically a perfect fit.

“Ready for your present?”

She lifted her head to look up at him. “There’s more?”

“Of course” he said in a ‘Duh!’ kind of manner

“You really didn’t have to do anything else Josh”

“Too bad” he said with a smile, pulling out a long, dark red velvet box from behind him and presented it to her. “I hope you like it”

She smiled softly as she accepted the gift. Opening it, she let out a small gasp when seeing the sterling silver crafted necklace that featured an infinity pendant with shimmering black and silver stones all around the pendant.  The piece of jewelry boasted one genuine black diamond set among the black rhodium-plated pave pattern.

“Oh my- Josh, it’s beautiful!” she breathed

“Emma and Chris helped me pick it out” he said shyly. “I figured you’d like the black diamonds”

“I love it” she said tracing her finger around the piece of jewelry. “Thank you”

He smiled and kissed her cheek. “You’re welcome babe”

She grinned and gave him a long, deep kiss.

“What was that for?” he asked her when they pulled away

“For being the best guy I’ve ever met” she said softly, her face a mere centimeter away from his.

He smiled and kissed her forehead softly before gently bringing her back down to lay against his shoulder.

“This was a great night” she remarked with a smile

“Hey, the night’s still young”

“The moon is bright” she said with a giggle.

He smiled softly to himself. “And you are here with me tonight”

She smiled and gave a small sigh of contentment.

JC swallowed the tiny lump that had formed in his throat when he felt her breath against him.

“Lizzie?” he said, his voice barely audible

“Yea babe?”

He silently let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding and looked up at the night sky.

“I love you” he said, his voice barely audible

Liz became stiff, not sure if she had heard right.

She slowly lifted her head off his shoulder and turned to stare into his sea-blue orbs.

“Josh I-”

Before she could finish her sentence JC swallowed her words, trapping her lower lip between him.

She pulled away slowly, both their heart beats rapidly increasing.

She leaned her forehead against his and stared into his eyes.

“I love you too Josh”

“Did he tell you what time they were coming?” Emma asked from the couch, a magazine in her lap, looking over at Liz who was pacing, practically bursting with excitement.

“He just said that they’d be back in Orlando by this afternoon”

The past two months had practically flew by, considering how slowly the first four were. NSYNC was finally done with the touring, and the self titled album had sold almost one million copies by the time their last show had ended. Now, they just had the Disney Christmas Special booked and NSYNC was free to do as they pleased as they rang in the New Year ahead of them.

JC had called Liz and much to her excitement, told her he’d be stopping by as soon as they got back in the area. But that was almost four hours ago, and Liz didn’t know how much longer she could contain herself. Every time the phone rang or she thought she heard a knock on the door, she’d go crazy. Emma of course didn’t mind. The way Liz was acting was quite amusing to her. She was like a doll, one that’d react to any noise.

Emma was about to suggest Liz calling him again but the sound of the doorbell interrupted them.

“Are you expecting anyone besides…?” Liz asked, feeling her heart rate increase.

“Nope” Emma said simply with a smile

Liz squealed in utter excitement, practically running to the door when she heard the bell sound again.

She grabbed the knob and the door flew open, exposing the guy in the black pants, white tee and black jacket. His smile was wide, and she loved the way the corners of his eyes seemed to enclose making his eyes look almost like slits. His hair was frosted at the tips, and his shoulders looked broader. Or maybe it was just the jacket, who knows?

Like a reflex action, he took a step forward and she practically jumped into his arms wrapping her arms tightly around his neck and he held her around the waist, giving her a squeeze.

“Hey” he said happily, resting her down but her arms remained locked behind him. “I missed you too”

She sighed in contentment. “Finally” she giggled.

He grinned, shutting the door behind him.

He pulled her in for a deep kiss, something he nor her had been able to do or feel for the past almost eight weeks.

“I love you” she breathed pulling away.

He chuckled. “You too”

“Yea, yea. I love you, you love me, he loves her, we get it. Now get over here” Emma said with a grin, holding out her arms.

JC laughed and went over to her. “Hey Em” he said, hugging her

“How was the tour?” she asked

He grinned. “Fantastic” he replied. “It’s the best”

“Good to know” she nodded. “Where’re the other guys?”

“The car dropped us off at different places ‘cause we all wanted to see different people, before we got back to the house”

Liz smiled, wrapping her arms around him from behind. “And you came to the right place”

He chuckled, turning around.

“Man, I almost forgot how great you looked in person” he said softly

She blushed, while Emma gagged playfully.

“I’ll be upstairs” she said. “You got downstairs to yourself” she winked

Liz giggled, leading JC into the living room to sit comfortably on the couch.

“I’m so glad you’re back” she said with a small smile

“Me too” he said, kissing her forehead. “After the Christmas special Saturday, NSYNC is off until after the New Year. Then back to the studio for the next album”

She grinned. “That’s terrific” she nodded

“Hey, I wanted to talk to you about something” he said, taking her hand.

“What’s that?” she questioned

“What do you usually do for Christmas?” he asked. “Like, what’s your tradition?”

She smiled. “Well, the day before Christmas Eve, we usually fly down to Nashville where Emma’s parents are from and we spend Christmas and New Years with them”

“Her parents are in Nashville?”

She nodded. “How come you asked?”

He hesitated for a few seconds before telling her. “I uh, I’m flying out to Maryland in a couple weeks to spend the holidays with my folks and I uh…” he gave a light laugh and lifted his head to stare into her eyes. “I wanted to take you with me so you could meet them, plus we’d get to spend the holidays together. It was just an idea I had”

“Y-you want me to come meet your parents?” she said, happy but her voice was still shaky

He nodded. “And well, Heather and Tyler. I really want you to come with me Lizzie” he pleaded.

She sighed leaning back on the couch. “I don’t know Josh” she said softly.

“Why not?”

“I’ve never been good at the whole meeting parents, introduction thing. And then I’d be sending Emma home by herself, and…” She stopped talking and took a second to think about what he had asked her. “You really want me to come to DC with you?”

He nodded eagerly. “Absolutely! I’ve been telling them about this amazing girl I’ve been dating for the past few months and how incredible you are. They want to meet you. I wouldn’t have asked to take you with me if I didn’t think we were something serious Lizzie”

She gave a small smile. “What about Emma, Jace?

“Emma’s going to be with her family so it’s not your leaving her lonely over the holidays” he pointed out. “Look babe, I’m not going to ask you to choose between spending Christmas with your best friend and your boyfriend but I just wanted to let you know that I’d really love for you to come home with me”

She looked into his dark blue orbs, and saw how genuine his feelings for her going home with him were. She smiled. “Your parents aren’t the ‘You’ll-never-be-good-enough-for-my-son-’ kind are they?” she asked softly, half joking.

He laughed. “No, they’re really not. If anything, they’d probably love you who a whole lot more than they love me at times”

She giggled and squeezed his hand. “Then okay”

He perked up. “Really?”

“Yea” she nodded.

“Oh man, this is great” he said, pressing his lips against hers, sinking her deeper into the cushion behind her. “Will Emma be mad?”

Liz shook her head. “I don’t think so, but if she is, then I get to blame it on you” she smirked

“If she’s upset then I’ll talk to her” he smiled. “Thanks baby”

“When do we leave?”

“On the 24th” he replied. “Christmas Eve”

She nodded an ‘okay’.

“I can pay for your plane ticket if you need me to” he offered.

She shook her head, with a light laugh. “No, I could handle that part. I just got to worry about meeting your family. I don’t do that very often”

He chuckled. “They’re going to love you just as much as I do, don’t worry”

She smiled. “If you say so”

“You alright babe?” he asked with a frown, looking across to her then back at the road.

She exhaled softly and nodded, looking out the car window. “Just fine”

He squeezed her hand and smiled softly. “I don’t know why you’re nervous. If you could put up with me for all the time that you have, my family is a piece of cake”

She giggled, looking out at the snowflakes falling gently on the outside. She admired the middle class houses in what seemed to be a very well quiet, normal, friendly neighborhood.

She had agreed to spend the holidays with him, and to her appreciation, Emma didn’t mind. Not really, anyways. She had seemed a little upset at first but JC had gotten her to come around. He had been able to get Liz out her house and on and off the plane to DC without much trouble. She practically felt like she was going to throw up just thinking about staying with her boyfriend’s family, whom she had yet to meet, over the Christmas holidays. She somehow felt like she was imposing, though JC had begged her to come along with him. And now, they were driving through familiar streets that he remembered all too well.

JC caught her smiling to herself. “What now?

“Well I’m sorry I feel happy”

He chuckled. “Sorry”

“How much further?” She asked, holding in a breath.

He grinned. “Right here” he responded, turning into the driveway of a two story home.

“What!?” she squeaked. She felt like there was a tight knot in her stomach all of a sudden. She had expected him to say ’10 more minutes’ or something like that which would have given her some more time to try and relax.

He smiled as he took the keys out of the ignition and turned to her, squeezing her hand. “Before you give yourself an anxiety attack, you need to chill!”

She exhaled softly and nodded.

“C’mon, I’ll get the bags”

She nodded, opening the door to get out of the car. She looked around and smiled softly. It was a pretty nice suburb in which JC grew up. There were only a few snowfalls so you could still see the green lawn and the sky was a soft shade of light blue. She exhaled and placed a strand of hair behind her ear and mentally gave herself one last dress check. JC picked out the maroon turtle neck and dark jeans for her to wear, since she chose to be stubborn and decided she didn’t know what she should put on for the occasion. She didn’t want to wear something tight and come off as provocative or wear something too loose and come across as too conservative. She was somewhere in between, and if she was going to be spending the holidays with these people for the next week or so, she had to make a good first impression.

“And now we go in” JC said with a smile, taking her hand and led her to the front door. “Just chillax, alright?”

She nodded, watching as he used a key he found under the ‘Welcome’ mat to enter the house. She smiled softly. The house was silent, except for faint voices and laughter coming from a few rooms away. It was so warm, so comfortable. There were pictures in frames of Josh and two other kids she assumed to be his siblings that aligned the cream walls. He gently rested the bags down at the side of the door and smiled.

“Mom?” he called. “Dad? Ty?”

She heard the voices rise and within seconds, she saw two people come running down stopping at the end of the carpeted staircase, bright smiles on their faces.

 “Oh it’s just you” the girl blonde and pretty, about eighteen or nineteen remarked.

“Ha Ha” JC said sarcastically rolling his eyes. “Get over here!”

The two teens grinned and ran to him, trapping him in a tight hug.

“I missed you guys” JC said, high fiving the sixteen year old boy, dirty blonde, and giving the girl a quick kiss on the cheek. “Where’s mom and dad?”

“Right here” a voice sounded. Liz turned around to see an average height woman with a smile on her face, with short blonde hair wearing a light green dress walk over quickly and wrapped her arms around JC, who practically towered over her.

“Hey mom”

“How are you sweetie?” she asked, kissing him on the cheek.

JC nodded. “I’m great. It’s great to be home, finally. Where’s dad?”

“He went out to get some stuff from the grocery but he’ll be back in a while”

JC nodded and then turned to Liz who had been standing there silently and patiently, smiling as she watched JC unite with his family he hadn’t seen in months.

He took her hand and she put on her best smile, cheeks turning a slight pink when JC pulled her toward him.

“Guys, this is Liz” he introduced her. “Lizzie, this is my mom Karen and this is Heather and Tyler”

“Hi, it’s great to meet you” she greeted them smiling.

“It is pleasure to finally meet you Liz” Karen said, giving her a hug, smiling warmly.

Liz immediately felt all her nervousness wash away. “The pleasure is all mine” she said, as she hugged the woman. “Josh has told me so much about all of you. Thank you for wanting him to bring me”

Karen smiled. “Are you kidding? We’ve been dying to meet you! Josh keeps going on and on about this girl, so we just had to ask him to bring you”

JC smiled as he placed his hand around her waist. “See, you were nervous for nothing”

Liz blushed.

“I love the color of your eye shadow!” Heather complimented, admiring the way the dark brown contrasted with the hint of red.

“Thanks!” she replied. “You like makeup?”

“Are you kidding? I’ve been trying to get the right colors to go along with my eyes for the longest time but the pale pink shades aren’t working with me”

“Oh, that’s because that tone is more set for blue eyes. You see, with your hazel eyes you could try more neutral colors like a soft brown or a gold shimmer like-”

“Come with me” Heather said excitedly, taking Liz’s wrist and speed walking toward the stairs.

“I’m stealing her Josh!” she called out to her brother.

Liz giggled while JC just grinned. “Don’t do anything to her Heather!”

He turned back to his mom and Tyler.

“She’s hot man!” Tyler said, punching JC’s shoulder playfully.

He chuckled. “Yea, I know”

Karen laughed and shook her head as her sons continued their conversation.

“C’mon let’s go into the kitchen” she said, taking her eldest son by the arm. “Welcome home Josh” she said with a smile.

“What’d you think mom?” he asked. “Be honest”

“Much better than the last one” Tyler mumbled.

She smiled and nodded. “I like her a lot so far”

JC smiled softly. “Great”

***

“Knock knock” JC said, knocking on the wooden door to Heather’s bedroom where she and Liz sat, her makeup kit sprawled out on the bed.

“Hey” Liz said smiling. “I’m helping Heather with a few beauty tips”

“Take it from the best Heather” he winked.

His sister rolled her eyes. “What’d you want?”

“Mom wants you downstairs. You’ve got dish duty”

She sighed and got off the bed. “We’ll finish up later, right?” she asked Liz.

Liz nodded. “Definitely”

JC stepped aside to allow his sister to leave the room, but smiled when she stopped to whisper in his ear. “I like this one”

He stepped into the room and went to sit on the bed next to Liz.

“You’re a beauty all right” he said.

She giggled, rolling her eyes and went back to placing the makeup pieces back into the kit.

“Since when does Heather like makeup anyways?” Josh muttered, looking at all the different cases.

“New boyfriend” Liz winked.

JC laughed. “I should have known. Man, I didn’t even know she was dating”

Liz shrugged. “She told me”

JC grinned. “You’ve been here twenty minutes and you’ve already got my sister telling you her secrets”

Liz smiled.

“So you like it here? It’s okay?”

 “Definitely” she nodded. “Now I just got to meet your dad. Your mom is really nice”

“She likes you too”

“I hope so” she said softly.

JC chuckled and took her hand. “C’mon, I think dad just got here” he said, hearing the front door slam downstairs.

“Three down, one to go” Liz said, getting up.

He led her out the room and down the stairs keeping a hold of her hand, but let go when he saw his father standing next to the couch, Tyler taking the plastic bags from him.

“Dad!” JC called out, a huge smile spreading across his face.

The man grinned, and the two of them hugged each other in the strong, manly fashion that made Liz smile.

“Glad to have you home. How are ya Josh?”

JC nodded, still smiling. “Great so far. I brought someone with me”

“So I heard” his father said, looking past him to where Liz stood.

Liz smiled and stepped forward to stand closer to the two men.

“Dad, this is Lizzie. The one I’ve been telling you guys about” JC introduced. “Liz, this is my father Roy”

She smiled widely and put out her hand to shake his. “It’s great to meet you Mr. Cha-”

“Call me Roy, Lizzie” he smiled. “Great to meet you. I’ve been wondering about the girl Josh here can’t stop rambling about”

JC blushed.

“He’s told me a lot about you too” She nodded.

Just then, Karen came out to join them. “I see you’ve met Liz” she smiled to her husband, then to the couple.

“You two hungry?” she asked, turning to the couple.

JC nodded. “I got mom to make pasta” he said to Liz, recalling her favorite dish.

“Oh you didn’t have to do that” she smiled, but grateful. “Thank you, that sounds great”

“Not a problem. C’mon, Heather and Tyler are waiting”

Liz was able to get through the dinner with much ease, making pleasant conversation with the Chasez family. JC thought she fit right in, loving the way she conversed with his parents, the way she had the girl-to-girl chats with Heather and joked around with Tyler in between. It wasn’t even as though she was just meeting them for the first time, but like it was a regular thing. She stayed behind to help Karen clean up after the meal and she watched some of the news with Roy, discussing their similar thoughts on the latest world news. She even played a round of cards with Heather and Tyler at in the living room while JC just sat on the recliner and watched it all. After much patience and pleading, he was able to say their goodnights and drag her away from his family and up to his room.

“This okay for you?” he asked, resting her bag on his bed.

She smiled. “I like it” she nodded, looking around the room. “So this is where you spent your days getting caught by your mom making out with girls huh?” she teased.

JC laughed, recalling the time his mom had walked in on him kissing a girl when he was younger. “There were only a few” he shrugged. “You’re only like, the eleventh”

She gasped, punching his arm.

He chuckled. “I’m kidding! Including you, there’ve only been about three girls I’ve been in here with. Maybe four if you count this really distant cousin of mine that I had a crush on”

She giggled. “So uh… You and me?” she looked at the bed, then back to him.

He cleared his throat and felt a sense of nervousness build up within him. “Well, I figured that if you were uncomfortable with it, you know I could just sleep on the couch or something”

“No, this is your room, your house with your family. You’re sleeping in here. It’s uh, no big deal”

“It’s not like we haven’t fallen asleep together before” he reminded her, bearing in mind the few times in the past he had come over and they had fallen asleep watching movies in the middle of the night.

She nodded. “I’m fine with it, I just need to change” she said, taking out a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt from her bag.

“I have to leave, don’t I?”

 “Or you can show me where the bathroom is”

He pointed out the door.”Next to Tyler’s room, to the left”

She nodded and gave him a peck on the cheek. “I’ll be back”

He nodded and pulled off his sweater revealing his white wife-beater. “I’ll just be… in here”

She smiled and left, leaving him alone in his old childhood room. He smiled softly, picking up his keyboard off the desk and sitting down with it on the bed. He started banging on random keys, a goofy smile on his face.

“Noise to my ears” Tyler said, appearing in the doorway.

JC chuckled. “Hey man. Off to bed?”

“Yea, I’m expecting a call”

JC raised his eyebrows. “Girlfriend?”

Tyler laughed. “Nah, it’s almost ten and usually Heather’s new boyfriend calls around this time so I just lean back against the wall and overhear everything. It’s actually pretty entertaining”

JC laughed whole heartedly.

“So will I be hearing anything coming from this room?” he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

JC smiled and shook his head.  “No, we’re not doing anything”

“Seriously?”

JC nodded. “We’re in love and all but sex is just-”

“She’s a virgin isn’t she?”

“Hey so are you!”

Tyler chuckled. “It’s cool man. I like her. I just thought she was too hot not to be doing anything”

“Lay off teeny bopper” JC warned playfully.

“See ya in the morning Jace” Tyler chuckled.

“Night Ty! Merry Christmas”

“Hey, Christmas isn’t till the morning. I hope you got me something good”

“Goodnight Tyler” JC said, rolling his eyes.

He chuckled and turned around, almost colliding with Liz.

“Woah” she said, giggling. “Easy there”

“Sorry Lizzie” he said.

“It’s fine. You off to bed?”

He nodded. “See you in the morning! Hope you sleep well tonight!”

She smiled. “Thanks!”

She entered the room and closed the door. Josh smiled at her.

 “Hey” she said, greeting him.

“Hiya” he replied, resting the keyboard under the bed and standing up. “You look cute” he said with a smile. “Are you tired?”

She shook her head. “Not really, I mean it’s Christmas Eve. But I don’t mind”

He chuckled and pulled her in toward him and kissed her. She giggled and he pulled them both down onto the bed.

He lips made their way to her neck, gently suctioning the skin causing her to moan softly.

“Mmm” she sounded, a small smile on her face.

He brought his lips up to behind her ear, her leg lifting up to stroke against his.

“I love you” he said, his voice a little muffled.

She smiled. “I love you too”

His hands gripped around her waist and squeezed her gently, feeling her hot breath against his face.

Her eyes shot open, and she was fully aware of where this was going to go if one of them didn’t realize what was going on.

He planted a kiss behind her earlobe and she gasped quietly.

“Josh” she got in. “We can’t”

He stopped what he was dong and sighed, planting one last kiss on her collar bone before sitting up.

He nodded, running a hand through his hair. “I know”

She sighed and sat up as well, taking his hand in hers. She gave him an apologetic shrug.

He smiled and shook his head. “Don’t worry about it” he said kissing her on her forehead. “We’re not going to do anything… I wouldn’t want our first time to be in my childhood room next door to my parents anyways” he joked.

She let out a soft sigh of relief and smiled. “I just... Marriage, remember? I… you know”

He nodded. “I know. I’m fine with just making out and being able to touch you anyways”

She smiled. “Thank you”

He smiled, getting up to flick off the light switch, the only glow coming from the moon shining through the window.

She lay down on her side, the side of her head propped up by her elbow. She could see a grin on his face as he settled under the comforter.

“What?” she asked

“You make really sexy sounds when you're being turned on, you know.”

She blushed. “Shut up Josh” she said, laying flat on her back, keeping a distance between their two bodies.

He laughed. “Willing to make that sound again for me?”

“No! Now you’ve got me all conscious and stuff” she mumbled.

“Aww” he said, rolling over to her. “I know how I can make you do it again”

“What do you-”

She was cut short when she felt his tongue slide into her mouth, his lip against hers in a deep, wet kiss.

“Mmm” she moaned out, unconsciously.

He pulled away and smirked. “Told ya” he winked

She gasped, nudging him playfully and right at that moment, they heard a series of snickers coming from either through the wall or out by the door.

“What the-” JC frowned, but then came to a sudden realization. “Go to sleep Tyler!” he yelled.

And the laughing immediately stopped. Liz giggled.

“Goodnight babe. I’ll see you in the morning” she leaned over t him and kissed him on the cheek.

“Merry Christmas Lizzie” he told her softly, using his fingers to swirl around the palm of her hand. “Thanks for coming here with me. Home, I mean”

She smiled and leaned her head back against the pillow. “I’m glad I came”

**

--- So the next week had passed by rather quickly. Christmas morning and dinner had come and gone, and Liz had gotten to meet the extended version of JC’s family later in the week. She cooperated well with each of them, and JC, to his contentment, got nods of approval from everyone. The New Year was spent as it was every year for the Chasez family; A big dinner party at the house. JC had pulled her into a corner and wrapped his arms around her from behind as the countdown went on, and so they rang in their new year together. Their phones went off constantly with calls from Emma, the guys, and various other friends and family. They had gone to sleep pleased that night, well, almost four in the morning, only to get up three hours later to catch their flight back to Orlando. A few tears were shed, mostly from JC’s mom and Liz even noticed his siblings tear up a bit. JC was used to the coming and going. He had been used to it for years now, so he didn’t let too much of his emotion show publicly and Liz didn’t question him when they got on the plane as she did see the hurt in his eyes.  They kicked off the second day of their New Year with a delayed flight, so JC taught her the art of keeping cool when all the sugar from the pixie sticks he made her shot got to her head.

And so 1999 went on…

“I want to move out” Chris blurted out randomly, causing the four faces around him to look up from their joysticks and in Joey’s case, a tray of chicken wings Lance had made for dinner the night before.

“And go where?” JC snorted.

Chris shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean, I know we’re on the road 90% of the time but when we aren’t travelling I want a place to call my own, you know?”

Lance nodded. “I get where he’s coming from. I’ve been wanting to venture out too”

“Venture out of the group!?” Justin almost yelled

“No you idiot” Lance said, a chuckle in his voice. “Out of this house, or maybe Orlando. We’ve been living here too long”

“Can we even afford our own places?” Joey asked, swallowing a piece of meat. “I mean, we get paid but is it enough to buy a house?”

“I don’t think twenty grand is going to get you a house Chris” JC stated.

“This sucks! We sell over a million records, we go on a 34 city tour all over the country, we have girls screaming our names and we’ve done multiple TV appearances, not to mention what we got going in Europe. Shouldn’t we be getting a little more than a few thousand, I mean, I’m not talking millions but c’mon!” Chris said, his soprano voice raising with every other word.

“He’s got a point” Lance agreed. “A gold record, a tour, Europe, the fans, and we’re all still living here getting an ‘allowance’ from Lou”

“What’re you guys saying?” Joey asked. “Go up to Lou and Johnny and be like, “’Hey, we’re famous and we want more money’. You want to do that? We agreed that we wouldn’t use our status to get things like that”

“But Joe it’s not right that we’re getting paid such a little amount when we’ve got all this success going for us. It’s just, not right. There’s a difference in being greedy and a difference in wanting what we deserve!” Chris remarked.

“I bet it’s just some sort of mix-up” JC said, trying to assure his band mates. “We can just bring it up when we go talk to Lou and Johnny, and ask what’s been going on. It’s probably just got to do with a tweak in our contracts or merchandising or our taxes or something”

“Are you trying to convince us, or yourself?” Justin asked

****

“Lizzie get out here!”

Liz and Emma looked up from their desk, their eyebrows raised.

“What’s the matter Denise?” Liz asked with a sigh. “I’m working here”

“NSYNC’s on TV!” the red head cried out

Liz giggled. “Yea, they’re on TV a lot. I’ve seen them”

“No!” Denise hissed. “This is different, get out here!”

Liz frowned, and she and Emma made their way out to where the reception area was, and turned to look at the television screen they had out there.

JC sat on the edge of his bed, his hands locked and his forehead rested against them. It was his first quiet moment he had to himself for the last few days.

That day Chris had suggested moving out, and the topic of their paychecks arose, the boys had decided to go see Lou the next day just to have a casual talk about what was going on with them financially. One thing turned to another and the five guys and their manager were practically screaming at each other in the office while Johnny tried to calm them down. The boys had decided to take a good look at the agreements in their contracts and realized, well, they were in the worst deal in history!  Their manager was practically ‘stealing’ money from them. Money they took almost four to five years busting their asses to earn. The next thing they knew, the boys decided right then and there, demanding that Johnny get them out of their contract with Lou and RCA. Again, one thing led to another and NSYNC learned they had been slapped with a $150 million lawsuit. The guys at that point had gone numb. Neither of them had been able to reveal their true feelings to each other or anyone else, as they were so mixed between controlling their anger and keeping themselves together, emotionally and physically.

For one, they were broke. Two, their names were on the contracts that entitled their dumb ass of a finance manager to a too large amount of their earnings. Three, their record label wasn’t paying them the sufficient amount they thought they were promised. Four, they were beginning what they knew was going to be a heavily publicized lawsuit with their still dumbass manager that refused to let them go. Five, their group name, the one they had spent almost five years building, was in jeopardy. And six, recording the tracks for what they planned on being their second album was still indecisive seeing that they were still legally under the regulations of RCA, though they were determined to switch to Jive Records.

JC felt his blood boiling, but his body felt so numb and tired that he didn’t even have the energy to cry, or even hit the wall. The house was quiet. Justin had spent all day in his room on the phone with his mom who planned on flying out in a few weeks to ensure that the boys didn’t have to go through this alone. Someone needed to stand up to Lou, and in the past few years, Lynn had been the only one to get through to him and win. Chris didn’t want to talk to anyone, period, and Joey and Lance were in the living room quietly playing a video game, not really conversing. JC had just been sitting there in the same position for the past half hour, staring at nothing in particular, just letting his mind stray. Unfortunately, it didn’t stray very far since it just seemed to remain on the same subject.

He hadn’t even talked to Liz for a while, so he wasn’t sure if she was aware of anything that had been going on.

He raised his head, and his eyes landed on the framed picture of the group with Lou in the middle at Universal Studios. He got up, and as though it was just instinct to let out all the anger he had been holding in, he picked it up and threw it against the wall, shattering the glass all over the carpet and leaving a couple marks on the wallpaper. He heard a soft gasp and looked to where it came from.

“Wow”

He sighed. “Hey” he said, his voice low and unenthusiastic.

“Hi” she greeted softly, stepping into the room and bending over to pick up the picture carefully. JC took another seat on his bed and shook his head.

“Son of a bitch” he muttered.

“I heard” she nodded, taking a seat next to him. “It’s all over the entertainment news”

“I just can’t believe it” he stated softly. “I mean, you think you know someone, and then they pull a fast one behind your back when you’re too busy to look. Someone you trust, someone you considered a dad to you, and this is where it gets us”

Liz sighed, throwing the picture back down to the ground.

“I’m so sorry Josh” she told him empathetically.

He nodded, managing what Liz hoped was supposed to be a smile.

“What’re you doing here?” he asked, taking her hand and intertwining their fingers.

“I wanted to check on you, I haven’t spoken to you for a few days. The place is so… quiet and…”

“Not lively?” JC finished for her.

She nodded.

“I can’t believe this is happening to us” he said, looking down to the ground.

She squeezed his hand turned her head to kiss his shoulder. “It’s going to be okay Jace”

He shook his head. “You don’t know that”

“How’re they doing?” Emma asked, taking a sip of her diet Coke as she sat by the kitchen table.

Liz sighed and sat down to join her, taking the Coke and taking a gulp herself. “They guys are a mess”

“Damn, I could just imagine. This whole thing isn’t fair to them”

“Lou should fall in a fucking ditch and be left there” Liz muttered.

Emma nodded. “Did he tell you what’s going to be happening in terms of court appearances and such?”

Liz shook her head. “If he knows, then he didn’t say anything”

Emma nodded. “Hey, I got some news for you”

Liz looked up. “What’s that?”

Emma smiled. “You are never going to guess who was at the Burkley wedding we planned last month”

“Who?”

“Remember my cousin Lana who works for that top planning agency in New York?”

“Sure, she helped us out when we got started”

“Right, well her boss was one of the guests at the wedding and she wants you to fly to New York and be a part of their team to plan Alicia Jackson’s wedding!”

Liz was wide eyed, and her heart rate increased. Alicia Jackson was one of, if not the most high classed fashion designers involved in creating some of New York’s most memorable fashion week shows. Liz knew of her because Emma was obsessed with reading all those magazines that she flawlessly graced the covers of.

“Me?” Liz squeaked. “Wh-… How?”

Emma grinned at her friend. “She saw the formation designs you had with the setting, the flowers, everything. She wants you on their team!”

“But we did those things together”

“Hey, they didn’t ask for me, and I’m fine with that. You have to take this job Lizzie! This is a huge step in our careers! Do you know the kind of reputation L&E Planning would have if we were able to say one of us were a part of planning Alicia Jackson’s wedding?! We’d have people calling us up nonstop to plan their events! You’d be representing our entire business! Plus, we’d make a fortune!”

Liz smiled, and shook her head in amazement. “You’re kidding”

“No, I’m really not!”

“They really want me on the team?”

Her friend nodded. “They don’t start planning for about three more weeks but they want their team members confirmed first. Lana’s boss wants us to keep sending her pictures from our portfolio so that she could see some of our work before she could fly you out”

“Fly me out to New York?” Liz’s eyes twinkled.

“Yes!” Emma squealed.

“Oh my God” Liz whispered. “But, I’d be leaving you here for-”

“Just a couple months” she shrugged. “And someone’s going to have to handle business here, so I’m staying”

Liz grinned.

“So I can call Lana and tell her you’re taking it?!” Emma said excitedly, getting up from the table.

Liz smiled and was about to respond ‘Yes’ until a thought crossed her mind and she sighed.

“What’s wrong?”

“Josh” Liz said, running a hand through her hair. “What’s he going to think? He’s going through a rough time right now Em. He needs me”

Emma sighed, and looked her friend in the eye. “I’m going to say this as both your business partner, and your best friend. Joshua is you boyfriend, and yea, he’s not having the time of his life at this point. But Lizzie, he’s going through this with four other guys who’re like his brothers. They’ve got each other to lean on. You need to do what’s best for yourself right now, without worrying about what he’s going to think of it. You guys aren’t married, so every little decision you make doesn’t have to be taken into his consideration. He always does what’s best for his career, and you’ve been supportive of him since the day you guys met. Now, this is your turn to take your, well, our business to a different level. It’s his turn to support you! It’s not like you’re leaving him, you’re just concerning yourself in an amazing business venture that’s going to benefit us. He could understand that”

Liz sighed as she absorbed the words she had just been told. She knew Emma was right, but part of her still cared about what Josh thought. There was nothing wrong with it, and she was completely honored ad ecstatic that one of the country’s classiest women wanted her to be a part of such a social yet personal event.

Liz nodded. “Let me just see how the weeks go by, and if I think I could actually do this, and if we can add some more stuff to our portfolio that Lana’s boss likes, then I guess I’m going to New York” she smiled.

Emma squealed. “Oh, you are so going!”

Liz smiled and got up. “Thanks but if you talk to him, don’t tell Josh anything yet, alright?”

Her friend frowned, but nodded. “Okay, but don’t make this decision based on his opinion Lizzie”

Liz nodded. “I know he’ll be supportive, but I’ll wait until these few weeks are up and to see how his lawsuit goes before I put any more weight on his shoulders”

“Like I said, this is your decision. The only other thing that should get any backlash from what you decide is me and or our business. Not your boyfriend”

*NSYNC’s situation with Lou hadn’t gotten any better in the midst of those weeks that had passed along dreadfully. L&E Planning was booming, but Liz’s focus remained on keeping JC together. She and he fans plus the guys’ parents seemed to be the only people on their sides. People in the industry had even more or less turned on them, insisting that they should just enjoy the success of the first record, and go back to how they were.

Liz couldn’t turn on a news channel or entertainment channel without seeing her boyfriend’s face on it. The fans and press had at this point involved themselves in what was going on with the boy band making it their duty to make sure NSYNC was ahead of Pearlman in terms of settlement benefiting them more that it would benefit him. They had slowed down recording tremendously, but they continued reviewing tracks, determined that their follow-up album that had been postponed several times due to the lack of recording and lawsuit, would be released by Jive.  

Liz barely saw JC, but he tried calling her whenever he could though sometimes she’d have to resist the urge of picking up the phone knowing how much work she had to get done on her portfolio. She had dropped by a couple times, just for a while to see how the guys were doing, giving JC the full on face lock whenever he needed comfort. She ensured him countless times that things would turn around, and now, things were looking up. Sort of.  NSYNC had been able to win over some of the money they’d been owed, but the suit was far from over.

She had yet to tell him about the offer she got, fearing that it’d break his focus away from what really mattered to him and group. That is, until her deadline came to make her decision that she was still slightly indecisive about. She was intent on going, but now all she had to get past was telling JC the news before she could go home and give Lana her final answer.

This was perfect timing, seeing that JC had sent her an email saying he had news for her, that he wanted to talk, and she had replied that she had news of her own as well. He responded with a ‘Great! So I’ll see you after work” to which she replied with an ‘OK’.

***

“Josh?” she called out, opening the front door. The house was fairly quiet, except for the TV sounding in the living room.

“In here babe” he called out, answering her.

She smiled, entering the room. He sat on alone on the couch, muttering to himself as he turned off the TV.

“You okay there?” she asked.

He nodded, getting up. “Just bullshit” he mumbled. “The media is just…. Nevermind”

She gave him an apologetic shrug and hugged him.

“Whatever happens to you guys, you know I love you” she smiled.

He smiled softly and nodded. “I love you too”

She grinned and pulled away. “So, you have news?”

He nodded. “So do you I hear”

She giggled. “Yea, so… Who’s going first?”

“I will” he volunteered with a smile and took her hand as he sat down on the couch.

She nodded. “Okay, go”

“Lizzie, just to start, I wanted to thank you for being so supportive of me and the guys during this hell of a time. I don’t think I’d be able to go through this without knowing you were here for me.”

She smiled.

“You know I love you right?” he asked, before continuing.

She nodded slowly. “Yea”

“And you love me?”

“Of course”

He exhaled softly. “When this lawsuit is over, and when we win, I don’t think I want to stay here when we make our switch to Jive. When our album comes out, if it ever comes out, me and the guys want to get out of here”

She crinkled her eyebrows. “So you’re moving out, in other words?”

He nodded.

“You’re moving into, what? A bigger place or…”

He shook his head. “I found this house, in L.A. Me and the guys have all agreed that we want to move out, now that we’ve started getting back some of our money”

“When are you moving?” she asked softly.

“The day this suit is settled, I’m going to try to get of here as soon as possible. I mean, I’ll be with the guys 90% of the time if we go on a tour if our album ever gets released, but you know. I just want a place to call mine”

She wasn’t sure what to think at this point. Much like this conversation,she wasn’t sure of the direction in which this lawsuit was going, but he was already planning on moving out of state!?

“Lizzie” he said to her softly, noticing she had become silent. “I want you to come with me baby”

Her eyes shot up to stare into his. “What?”

He grinned. “I want you to come to LA with me”

“As in, move in together?”

He nodded. “I figured it’d be the next step in our relationship”

She didn’t know how to respond.

She shook her head slowly. “Josh” she said quietly. “I can’t”

He frowned, sitting up straight. “What’d you mean you can’t?”

She ran a hand through her hair, and the sides of her mouth twitched. “I got a job offer”

He became wide eyed, a small smile crossing his face. “Like, a promotion? But you’re your own boss”

She nodded. “Yea, I know but someone saw my work and wants me to be a part of their business team to plan this huge wedding”

“Well, babe that’s awesome but what does that have to do with me?”

She sighed and managed a small smile. “It’s in New York Jace”

He pulled back, a little taken aback. “Wait, in New York?”

She nodded. “Yea, for Alicia Jackson. That designer that’s on the cover of most magazines, she hosts the New York fashion shows during fashion week. She’s getting married to some CEO and I’m wanted on the planning team! Isn’t that great!?”

“Yea, but Lizzie, you know you can’t take it, right?”

Now it was her turn to pull away. “What’d you mean I can’t take it? This is a huge opportunity for me”

“I get that, but I need you here right now. You can’t go to New York, not when I’m going through something like this. Hell, I just asked you to move in with me!”

She frowned. “Excuse me, for one, you do not own me. Who the fuck do you think you are telling me I can’t take a job that was offered to me.”

“You are my girlfriend, and you’re supposed to stay here”

“I don’t have to do anything!”

“Yea, you do. Look,” he said getting up. “Just turn down the offer, and be done with it. You don’t need anything in New York anyways”

She got up, looking him in the eye. “I am not turning down this offer, and I didn’t come here to ask for your permission Chasez. From the time I met you to this day I have been nothing but supportive of your career, and now that I’m getting a little push in mine you think you could restrict me!? If you do then you you got another thing coming buddy!”

By this time, they were both angered by the other, trying to control them-selves.

“Liz, I get that your job is important to you, but when we move out to LA you can just start up another business there which in a way is better ‘cause you could expand”

“I didn’t say I was going to move to LA with you Josh” she said, her voice raising slightly. “And even if I was considering it, what makes you think that I’d want to leave my life behind in Orlando just so what, I could move to LA with you and help you build your career!? What about my job JC? I don’t want to branch out in LA. I’m fine right here in Orlando”

“If you’re so fine then why are you going to New York, huh?”

“I was offered a huge opportunity and you expect me not to take it? An opportunity that could make my business better that it ever was and help me?”

“I just told you that you could set up another one in LA!” he practically shouted.

“And I said I’m not leaving my life behind just so that you could live up your life in another state!” she fired back. “I’m not your puppet Chasez. You can’t just string me around and expect me to answer whenever you call!”

“Lizzie, could just hold your pride and stop being a selfish bitch right now!?” he fumed. “If you loved me you’d stay here and we could move in together, and forget about all this New York drama”

She gasped. “If you think that I’m one of those girls who’s going to give up everything I care about for a guy then your perspective of me better change damn fast”

“Oh, so now I’m just some guy? Because the last time I checked I was the guy you were in love with five minutes ago”

“Five minutes ago I intended on telling the guy I loved about this great opportunity I have in front of me in hopes that he’d be supportive but I got the exact opposite. Instead, I got a response from a guy who thought he could control his girl and get his way without compromise”

“What about compromising Lizzie?!” he yelled. “’Cause I’m trying to fucking compromise with you here and you’re not working with me!”

“Do you think it’s right to leave behind everything just so that I could go stay alone in some house, in a state I know nothing about, just so that you could leave me for months on end whenever you go on a tour?! I have a life you know, and I’m not willing to give it up! It’s not even like we’d be sleeping together Joshua!”

“I wonder whose fault that is” he scoffed under his breath.

She too was now fuming, more than she was ten seconds before. “Well I fucking apologize if I’m not one of those chicks who’re just willing to give up everything to sleep with JC fucking Chasez! What, you thought that if I moved in with you, you’d get in my pants?”

He ran a hand through his hair, tightening his grip almost pulling out a few short strands. “Fuck, Lizzie I asked you to move in with me because I love you! But obviously, you’re not where I am in this relationship. You’re not willing to make the sacrifice”

She laughed. She wasn’t sure why, but it was all she could have done besides breaking down into tears or cursing the living shit out of him.

“I’ve made every sacrifice there is in the book when I got into this relationship with you! Not seeing you for weeks on end, having to settle with a few minute phone calls, seeing your face surrounded by screaming women on a television screen more than I get to see you! Josh, I have sacrificed being in a normal relationship with someone just so that we could have a chance together. Now that I want to better an area of my life you’re mad because you’re not a part of it?”

“You know what? If you don’t want me to be in that part of your life, then fine. Go to New York, I don’t care. But when you get back and this lawsuit is done, don’t expect me to be waiting here for you”

“It’s your choice. Me, or New York. Talk fast”

She picked up her purse from the couch and walked up to him slowly. “If you think you could control me and make me choose between bettering myself for a few months and sticking with my dumb ass, selfish boyfriend who doesn’t care about my needs in this relationship, don’t expect me to pick the latter”

He frowned, realizing what she was saying, and he realized what he was making her do.

“Lizzie,” he started off, his voice soft, but she shook her head.

“I’m not sticking around just to keep up with your career. I can do that by sitting in my living room and flipping on the TV”

He stared at her.

“Thanks for letting me know what you think of me and my career after all the support I gave you during yours”

“Liz if you just stop being so stubborn and listen to me!” his voice raising once again.

“I’m not giving up everything for you Joshua” she glared into his blue orbs. “Don’t expect me to be one of those girls who waits around on hand and foot for her selfish boyfriend, because that isn’t me”

She gave him one last glare, practically seeing the steam coming out of his ears and his fists were clenched. She knew her words were getting to him.

“Have fun with your lawsuit Josh. I hope the judge sees past the arrogance and pig-headedness in your damn head and things work out. If you don’t want to wait on me, then fine. I don’t need you anyway”

And with that, she fought back tears and slammed the door leaving him standing infuriated.

***

Seeing her disappear out the door, JC  could barely comprehend what had just gone on. His mind was clouded by the mixed emotions racing trough his system. He needed to calm down, and maybe hit something. He snatched up his phone, cursing every indecent word there was in the book waiting for the person to pick up.

“Hello?”

“Justin” he growled.

“Woah, what up C?”

“What time are you guys coming home?”

“We’re on our way now, Joey just wanted to pick up some food. Why?”

“We’re clubbing tonight, all night. Turn around and I’ll meet you guys there”

“Wait, seriously? What’s the occasion?”

“I need to get stoned. Tonight. I’ll see you guys there in twenty. Don’t ask questions”

He heard Justin mumble off the plan to the other guys in the car and responded. “Cool, see you then Jace”

****

Liz stumbled into her house, up the stairs and into her room. She walked, slowly feeling as though her nerves were numb. She shut the door behind her, took off the jacket she wore, and crawled up on her bed in a fetal position and clutched a white pillow to her chest before breaking down in sob and after sob, almost not being able to catch her breath.

“Oh God” she sobbed into the pillow, staining the material with her tears.

She heard footsteps nearing her room, and Emma burst through the door.

“Hey, I saw your keys on the table and I realized-”

Her heart broke at the sight of her best friend. “Lizzie what’s wrong?” she asked, running to sit near her on the bed. “Lizzie, talk to me”

Liz sat up, her mascara leaving black blotches on her cheeks. “I-I can’t go to New York E-Emma” she got out. “He’ll hate me, I made a mistake. I can’t g-go”

“Lizzie what are you talking about?” her friend asked, wiping some of the hair out of her tear-stained face. “Who’ll hate you?”

“Josh!”

Emma frowned, the wheels turning in her head, trying to make sense of what Liz was saying. “He doesn’t want you to go or…?”

Liz shook her head, sniffling. “He wants me to go to LA with him, and stay here to support him or whatever during the suit, b-but I don’t want to leave everything behind j-just for him”

Emma sighed, shaking her head. “Lizzie, he doesn’t own you! If he can’t accept the fact that you’re only doing what you think is best for yourself, then his opinion shouldn’t matter!”

“But I love him! And how can I leave now knowing we’re on b-bad terms?”

Emma looked at her friend sympathetically.

“Em, just tell me what to do” Liz groaned.

“I can’t Lizzie” she said softly. “All I could do is support you at this point”

“Some best friend you are” Liz mumbled, resting her head against the headboard.

Emma smiled softly. “What’re you going to do?”

“What’d you think?”

“I think your boyfriend’s being a big fat jerk”

“I want to work things out with him. I don’t want to leave like this” She sighed, wiping under her eyes with the back of her palm. “I don’t want him to think he has control over me but I don’t want to leave”

Emma winced. “Lizzie don’t let one fight keep you from taking this job”

Liz nodded. “I know, but… Would it be so bad if I didn’t take this job Em? What if I just stayed here, I mean, business is booming right?”

“Lizzie…” Emma said, disapprovingly.

“I just need to talk to him” Liz said, reaching for her phone but Emma grabbed it and kept it in her grasp.

“Lizzie, I don’t want you to regret this in the long run. Look, you and JC seemed to have a pretty big fight, don’t you want to take some time away?”

Liz shut her eyes, a tear trickling down her cheek. She shook her head. “I’m not going until I talk to him. I have to talk to him. I want to see him”

Emma sighed, and got up. “So… What now?”

Liz lay down flat, taking a breath and turning her head to face her friend that was looking down at her. “Can you drive me over there in the morning to talk to him? Please?”

Emma nodded. “Sure. We’ll see them in the morning”

“Thanks Em”

“Are you okay now?”

Liz shrugged. “I’m not sure”

****

“C, slow down!” Chris advised, watching JC shot the four glasses of alcohol they had on their table, one by one, not taking a second to breathe between the drinks.

“What the fuck is wrong with you? You’re getting drunk!”

JC growled. “I hate relationships”

“Damn, Lizzie got you pretty mad, didn’t she” Justin remarked.

“She’s being completely irrational!” JC cried out above the pounding music. “She’s choosing her fucking job over me”

“JC, you do know that one of the rules we made when we started this gig was that sometimes we wouldn’t have time for a girlfriend? That we’d put this group first? Liz is just doing the same thing with her career” Chris pointed out.

“Whose side are you guys on?” JC asked angrily.

“Look, all we’re saying, is that put yourself in her shoes” Lance told him, the four friends getting up. “We got to get home Jace”

“Go ahead, I’m staying”

“It’s pretty late C. Sure you don’t want to leave with us?” Joey asked.

“I’m fine here. I’ll come home when I feel like it” he said firmly.

The guys looked at each other and shrugged.

“Just… Call us if you need us to pick you up, alright?” Justin offered.

JC shot them a look, then grabbed another glass. “Whatever” he muttered, taking the shot, watching his friends leave.

He winced, feeling the lingering burn on his throat. He looked up, but his vision was blurred and the music pounded in his head. He groaned, running a hand through his hair. He knew he was already pretty much drunk. How he had managed to keep his emotions tamed, he didn’t know.

He looked around, scanning the upstairs area. He was stoned at this point, but he wasn’t leaving here tonight without getting some. If Liz wasn’t willing to give it to him, he was going to find it himself.

He stood up but kept his hands on the table to keep his balance. He looked around smirked, eyeing the brunette in the tight mini skirt and bustier and the 4inch heels. She stood there, her back to him as she stared out over the banister, her beer bottle in her hand. Her hips rocked to the beat of the music and JC licked his lips. Drunk, and completely out of his mind, he sauntered over to her slowly, his eyes focused on her behind as she moved to the beat.

“Hey baby” he said huskily into her ear. “You and me, tonight?”

She spun around on her heel and glared into his familiar eyes.

Smirking, she answered. “Let’s go”

He swallowed, his heart racing. “My place or yours?”

“Yours”

***

They stumbled into the house a half hour later. It was quiet, and JC assumed the guys were asleep.

She sucked on his lips, moving from his lips to Adam’s apple, her soft lips caressing the skin.

He held her up against him, his hands holding her under the thighs and so that they were hip to hip. Staggering, they knocked over a couple frames on the walls trying to get to his room. Opening and shutting the door, he threw her down on the bed, breathing heavily. Lifting his t-shirt over his head, he pulled down her skirt, ripping the zip at the back while she unhooked her bustier. He buried his face in the crevice of her breasts, causing them both to moan. She flipped them over, so that now she was straddling him. With his pants still on, she could feel how aroused he was.

Giving him a smirk, she slowly dragged her tongue along the side of his neck and behind his ear, kissing his softly.

“Ready big boy?” she winked.

He shut his eyes and moaned, feeling her hot breath against his skin. “Awe, fuck me Allison”

“Has anyone seen JC this morning?” Justin asked, walking into the kitchen.

“Is JC even here?” Lance asked from the table, looking up from his bowl of cereal.

Joey nodded. “Yea, he’s here, but I haven’t seen him. I got up to go to the bathroom around three this morning and I heard some weird noises coming from his room.” He shrugged. “Sounded like he was either crying or watching porn or something.”

“So he gets mad when we stay out late but when he does it, it’s no fucking problem?” Chris scowled.

Lance chuckled. “He’s probably just taking some time to cool down from his fight with Liz yesterday. He’ll be fine.”

“What are you eating?” Justin asked, suddenly serious.

Lance looked at him. “What’d you mean? I’m eating cereal.”

Justin frowned. “But, but… That’s Captain Crunch. My Captain Crunch!”

The guys rolled their eyes.

“Justin don’t be a big baby, it’s just a bowl of cereal.”

“And it’s in my bowl!” Justin exclaimed looking at the blue bowl with ‘Justin’s Cereal’ embedded around the curve.

Lance shrugged. “Joey didn’t do the dishes.”

Justin scowled and grabbed the Captain Crunch box and another bowl from the sink after running some water on it.

“Eating my cereal.” the blonde baby muttered, pouring some milk into the bowl.

His three other friends erupted into laughter, amused at how Justin reacted to Lance eating his cereal.

“Anyway...” Chris started, biting into his apple. “Who wants to go pounce on JC?  I mean, he probably has a hangover and his head probably hurts like hell so he can’t fight back. Anyone?”

“Chris, stop. That’s just mean.” Joey remarked.

“I bet I know someone who’d like to pounce on him.” Lance said, rising from his chair and looked out the window above the sink across the room to see a Silver Toyota pull up.

“Who is that?” Chris asked, following Lance’s gaze.

“It’s Liz and Emma.” Lance confirmed, seeing the two brunettes get out of the car. “What’re they doing here? It’s ten o’clock in the morning.”

Justin shrugged, getting up from his seat and walking over to the front door, opening it before they could even get to the porch.

“Hey Justin,” Liz said, a smile on her face as she greeted the curly haired teen.

“Hi,” Justin replied brightly. “What’re you guys doing here?”

“I uh, wanted to talk to Josh.” she replied, hesitating for a moment before answering.

“And I had nothing to do so I brought you guys mini donuts.” Emma put in, holding up a small box.

Justin grinned. “Then you can come right in.” he said, stepping aside to allow entrance.

“Hi guys!” Liz greeted the three other NSYNC members as they entered the kitchen.

“Morning.” they replied, waving.

“I smell sugar.” Chris stated, a mischievous smile on his face.

Emma laughed, walking over to the table and taking the seat between Chris and Joey. She placed the box on the table and opened it, revealing the pastries. “Sugar for breakfast,” she said with a smile. “Enjoy.”

Chris cheered, as he and Joey pulled out two chocolate covered bite sized donuts, both giving her a kiss on each side of her cheeks.

“Just what you guys need, more sugar” Lance chuckled, rolling his eyes.

Justin turned to Liz. “JC’s still in his room, we haven’t seen him for the morning actually.”

Liz fought a smile, a little part of her actually happy that JC was probably moping around his room thinking of her.

“Congratulations on the job thing though,” Justin added in. “That’s really cool.”

“Thanks Justin.” she said, hugging him. “Well, what time do you think he’s going to get up? I just want to talk to him one more time before I put in my decision.”

Justin shrugged. “I don’t know. The guy could sleep through a hurricane if there was one and he’s probably still hung over from last night.”

Liz frowned. “He went out last night?”

“Yea, we all did. But don’t worry though Lizzie. He was just upset over the fight you guys had plus the suit we’ve been dealing with, he just probably needed to get away from everything.”

Liz nodded. “I understand, don’t worry. I just, I wanted to apologize. All we did yesterday was practically scream at each other, and I just… You know I love him and I can’t leave on terms like this, if I chose to leave anyways…”

“It never ceases to amaze me how JC got a girl like you.” he winked.

She laughed. “Aw, thanks Curly.”

Justin rolled his eyes. “If you want, you know where his room is. Just go in and see if you can wake him up. He needs to get his ass out of bed anyways. Everyone’s already awake.”

She nodded. “Yea, alright”.

She took a breath and thanked Justin before turning around and making her way toward JC’s bedroom.

**

“Fuck,” he muttered, the sunlight shining through the blinds almost blinding him. He tried to get up, but his head felt like it weighed 150lbs by itself and his body ached. He tried turning on his side and stretching out his arm but he felt something warm. Something, soft but warm… and squishy, sort of. He groaned, refusing to open his eyes fearing that the light would blind him again, but he soon heard the sound of giggles, feeling a finger swirl around on his forearm.

“Sleepyhead…” she cooed into his ear.

First, he was convinced he was dreaming. That is, until the events of the night before came flooding back into his mind. His eyes immediately opened, him nearly jumping out from under the covers recognizing the face and the naked body beside him.

“Finally, I’ve been waiting for you to get up for almost ten minutes.” she grinned looking around the room. “You know, this room hasn’t changed.”

He pulled away, struggling to get off the bed, stumbling when he planted his foot on the ground.

“Good God.” he mumbled, pulling on the pants that had been thrown on the ground next to the lace bra and black panties the night before.

He turned to look at her, taking in the sight. She smirked at him, lying in a position that sent chills up his spine.

“Allison?” he whispered, the pain in his head increasing.

“Nice to see you again JC.” she winked. “How’ve you been?”

“Cut the fucking small talk,” he snapped. “What’re you doing here?”

She raised her eyebrows. “Uh, as I recall, you came on to me last night at the club, remember? I know you recognized me JC, but you were so drunk you couldn’t even say my name until we were about to do it. Missed me huh?”

He scowled. “Missed you, Allison?! After putting me through complete hell you think I’ve missed you?”

She smiled, rolling over to his side of the bed. “Jace, that was almost a year ago. Aren’t you over it?”

“I am not having this conversation with you right now” he stated, going to his drawer and pulling out a pair of boxers and a t shirt. “Put some fucking clothes on.” he said, throwing the clothing at her.

“Did we even use a condom?” he asked her, looking into his wastebasket.

She shrugged. “I don’t know. I was riding you so hard I didn’t notice if you slipped one on. You got better Chasez.” She said with a smile, nodding toward his crotch.

He scowled. “I am an ass!” he almost yelled to himself, running his hands through his hair. “I can’t believe we did that last night.”

She shrugged, slipping into the boxers. “I liked it. You did too you know.” she winked with a smirk. “Even if we were drunk.”

He wanted to take a gun and shoot himself in the head at that point.

“Allison, I have a girlfriend. One who I love so, so much and last night was me being a complete dumbass.”

She rolled her eyes. “So what if you have a girlfriend? I know what happened last night was fate. What went down between you and me before is history.”

He looked at her incredulously. “You and me? Fate? Ha!” he laughed sarcastically. “Look, I love my girlfriend! She sure as hell surpasses the way you ever loved me! And yea, what happened between you and I is history, and history is exactly where it’ll stay!”

She rolled her eyes, getting off the bed.

“I knew there was a reason I left you,” she retorted. “You’re a fucking bore!”

He fumed. “I can’t believe I sank to your level, sleeping with someone else when I have a perfectly good, loyal and happy person in my life.” He muttered. “Allison, I’m taking my part of the responsibility for what we did last night, but I swear to God, if you ever bring this up or tell anyone about this, you’re going to regret it.”

“Whatever JC.” she seethed.

 He grabbed his wallet, and took out a twenty dollar bill, slapping it in her palm. “For gas money”. he told her. “Go back to wherever you live now but don’t ever come around me again. Ever! I’m sorry we did what we did. Biggest mistake of my fucking life.”

“You know, your girlfriend will never be as good as me Chasez.” she smirked.

He growled, grabbing her wrist and pulling her to the door. “You need to get out.” he said through gritted teeth, pulling open the door. What stood behind the wood stunned him.

--Liz held her hand up, going to knock on the door before it flew open in front of her. The sight she saw brought on a pain that numbed her body, her heart, every nerve in her system. For a second she couldn’t move, feeling her throat close up, not being able to take in any oxygen. She froze in place, before reality slammed into her.

“Oh my God,” JC gasped, his eyes widening. “Lizzie…”

The pain in his head moved down to his chest when he saw her.

Her eyes welled with tears as she studied a shirtless JC, holding the hand of a 5”9 long haired brunette wearing nothing but his boxer shorts and his t shirt. The woman held a pair of heels in one hand along with a bra and women’s underwear while her other hand was in JC’s grasp. This woman however, had a face that triggered a light to go off in her head. JC had shown her a couple pictures of his ex before. No, this couldn’t be. This was her!? This was Allison!?

“Lizzie, I just-” JC started.

“Fuck you Josh.” she remarked, her voice barely audible. She couldn’t get the volume above a whisper, the pain clouded her mind.

“Lizzie we-”

A tear trickled down her cheek as she broke out in a speed walk up the corridor, leaving him standing with Allison in the door frame.

Ignoring the pain in her chest and ignoring the tears that blurred her vision, she entered the kitchen and grabbed Emma’s purse that held the car keys off the counter.

“Lizzie wait!” a voice shouted.

“Go to hell Josh!” She turned to Emma who still sat at the table. “Let’s go!”

The guys were stunned by her sudden outburst, as was Emma.

“Lizzie what’s going-” Justin started before realizing two more people had joined them in the kitchen.

“Oh my God,” Chris blurted out recognizing the person. “Her!? What the fuck is she doing here!?”

Emma gasped, realizing the situation. JC stood there, breathing heavily. “Lizzie!” he called out to her, seeing her standing there holding the car keys.

“Don’t you ever fucking try getting to me again JC Chasez!” she barked at him, the tears streaming down her cheeks.

He flinched a little at her tone, plus she rarely ever referred to him using his initials.

The guys were still frozen in place by what was going on.

“I can’t believe I believed you when you said you loved me!” she cried. “You’re the worst, fucking, lying, disgusting, cheating jackass on the face of this Earth!” she spat.

The place went silent, JC staring at her with his mouth opened but no sound came out.

“I hate you.” she whispered, shaking her head before running out through the door.

“Drama queen isn’t she?” Allison remarked, rolling her eyes.

Emma felt her blood boil, staring at the two people. The veins in her head becoming more and more visible.

JC gulped, looking over to her. “Emma I-“

She shook her head. “Forget it. I can’t believe you, you know that. She made it seem like you were so different from most guys, like you had a chance with her. Fuck, she came over here to tell you she didn’t want to take the god damn job just because you were angry with her and so she finds you in bed with some other girl the first time you guys have a fight?!”

JC felt dizzy. “What?” he asked softly. “She didn’t take the job?”

“Oh, I hope she does now!” Emma walked up to him, glaring into his eyes.

“Stay. Away .From .Her” she said through clenched teeth. “And you can keep your grip on Barbie over here because she’s the only thing you’ll be holding from now on.” she said to him, noticing that their hands were still intertwined. JC immediately pulled away.

“Emma if you could just let me-”

He was cut short when he felt her palm across his face. “Save it for a girl who’d waste her time on you, ‘cause it sure as hell isn’t going to be Liz. Not anymore.”

And with that, she stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

“If it makes you feel better, neither of them was really that pretty.” Allison shrugged.

JC felt all his patience leave him but he remained calm, too frozen to fight back in any verbal way.

“Just get out of here Allison.” he said softly, looking down. “Just… just go.”

She sighed and shook her head before walking away from him.

“Bye JC.” she winked, leaving the room.

He felt a tight knot form in his stomach, and the glares he was getting from his band mates were enough to burn holes through the side of his head.

“You did not just do what we think you did Joshua Scott” Chris said calmly, his fists clenching an unclenching.

JC took a breath before collapsing into a chair, his forearms crossed and his forehead rested on them.

“Oh God” he said softly, trying to calmly come to terms with himself. “Oh God”

“What the fuck is wrong with you JC?!” Justin exploded, causing the rest of them to jump.

“Ah!” JC said, covering his ears as he lifted his head. “Hey quiet down would you? My head is fucking pounding.”

“You’re going to get a fucking pounding if you don’t talk to us right now!”Chris retorted.

“What’d you do last night JC?” Lance asked.

JC groaned. “I’m not sure.” he said, shaking his head.

“Oh, you’re going to have to do better than that.” Joey said.

JC sighed, closing his eyes, then reopened them.

“Alright,” he started. “When you guys left last night, I had another drink. I was practically drunk at that point anyways. I ended up eyeing this chick so I went up to her. I didn’t think anything would become of it… I just wanted to get ‘some’. She spun around and I was already in, if you know what I mean. By the time I recognized who she was, it was like some sort of spell. Almost like I was out of control. Like my emotions and, and hormones were in control of my body instead.”

“That explains the noises you heard last night Joe.” Lance said. “It was JC and Allison’s midnight sex-capade.”

JC groaned. “Oh God, we were that loud?”

“I only heard ‘cause I came outside to use the bathroom, but I just thought you were crying or watching porn or something.” Joey shrugged.

“He was the porn.” Lance stated, fighting a laugh.

JC started breathing heavily again. “Good grief, I have to call Liz.” he said almost in a panic.

“JC stop!” Chris said, pushing him back down on the chair. “Man, she isn’t even going to want to talk to you right now. She fucking hates you, and quite frankly, we’re getting there too.”

“I have to apologize to her Chris!” JC yelled. “She’s my girlfriend!”

“She was your girlfriend JC.” Lance informed him softly.

“I made a mistake I get it. A big mistake, I know. But, I love her man. I need to talk to her.”

“Not today JC,” Joey shook his head. “Not today.”

JC frowned, a strange feeling forming in the pit of his stomach. He started feeling dizzy again, the taste of the alcohol from last night arising on his tongue.

“Shit!” he mumbled, getting up and running to the bathroom, slamming the door.

“Hangover,” Justin muttered.

“Damn right,” Chris stated. “We want to hang him and he and Liz are over.”

“Hangover,” Joey and Lance nodded.

“Lizzie, breathe! You’re going to give yourself an anxiety attack!” Emma said, trying to calm down her friend who was in sobs. More than she was the night before.

“I-I can’t b-believe he did t-this” Liz sobbed, her pillow getting soaked again. She was having a hard time catching her breath.

“Oh Lizzie,” Emma said comfortingly, brushing some of the hair out of her face. “Josh is a fucking dumb, cheating, liar. You’re too good for him, you always have been. He’s an idiot for doing what he did!”

Liz shook her head in amazement. “We argue for the first time and he goes out and fucks his ex girlfriend?! What guy does that?!” she questioned between sobs.

“Assholes,” Emma muttered. JC was going to pay for hurting Liz the way he did!

Liz sniffled. “I don’t take a job because he’s mad at me, and when I go over to tell him I’d rather put him before myself this is what I get?! This is what I get for falling in love again!?”

Emma didn’t know what to say this time but give her friend an apologetic look and curl up on the bed beside her and be the only shoulder she had to cry on at that point in time. The one person she had allowed herself to emotionally get attached to had just ripped out her heart and stomped on it right in front of her. She had caught him red-handed, and there was no use in him even trying to deny it.

“I’m sorry Lizzie,” Emma said softly, hugging her friend. “You can do soo much better than Josh, I promise you.”

She shook her head. “Call Lana,” she said, the tears stopping long enough for her to finish her sentence. “Tell her I’ll take the job.”

Emma looked down at her, a twinkle in her eye. “You’re taking the job? You’ll go to New York?”

Liz sniffled and nodded as she sat up, her face red and her eyes puffy from the weeping.

“I’m not going to sit around like some dumbass for him. Not anymore, I’m done with this shit I’m done with him. I’m going to New York.” She said as she pushed back the strands of hair the tears had stuck to her face. “And I’m leaving tonight.”

***

“JC, where the fuck are you going? It’s eleven o’clock at night.” Chris said, watching as the blue eyed member wordlessly walked past them, sticking his keys and cell phone into his wallet. “We have a press conference tomorrow.”

“So what?” JC asked with his head down. “I’ll be back eventually.”

After spending half the day in the bathroom throwing up and the other half lying in bed recovering from the hangover, JC was tired of letting the hours go by and he hadn’t spoken to Liz after that morning.

“Just tell us where you’re going JC.” Lance spoke up from the couch, eyeing his friend.

“I’m just going out for a while!” JC said loudly. “It’s no fucking big deal!”

“Oh yes it is.” Justin nodded, coming to the scene with Joey who held a pack of tortilla chips in his hand. “It is a big deal ‘cause it’s our business to make sure that you don’t go out and do something stupid again.”

JC sighed. “I want to see her.” He said softly. “I can’t take this anymore! I don’t care if she’s mad! I don’t care if she slaps me, screams at me, cries in front of me, or swears the living day lights out of me! I just need to talk to her. I need to see her!”

His friends looked at one another uneasily.

“JC, you’ve done enough damage.” Joey reminded him. “She caught you doing the dirty with the dirty herself! Don’t you think you owe it to her to leave her alone for awhile?”

JC frowned, running his hands through his hair.

“I don’t want her to think that I don’t love her by trying not to get to her after all of this. I just want to see her, that’s all. If I don’t, then I think I’m going to lose my mind thinking about her. I just want to apologize to her guys. I love her, more than anything in this world right now. I can’t let her slip away from me just like that. I just can’t.”

He sighed, his hands trembling as he approached the door in the darkness of the night. He swallowed the lump formed in his throat, and rang the doorbell twice. He knew that he should have chosen an earlier hour to go over there but either way, it was Saturday night and he knew neither girl would be sleeping just yet.

He rang the bell a third time, this time hearing faint footsteps from on the inside. A few seconds later, the door swung open and he almost felt the need to chicken out and run down the driveway, into his car and back home but it was too late. He froze on the spot so either way he wasn’t able to move for a moment or two.

Emma’s facial expression was cold, her green eyes glaring into his blue ones.

“Leave. Now.” She commanded softly through gritted teeth.

He sighed. “Em, if you could just let me-”

“Save it Josh! I told you to stay away from her, didn’t I? And yet you come over here in the middle on the night. Well guess what, she doesn’t want you back, okay? So get off the property because either way, you’re not going to see her. Why can’t you just leave her alone!?”

He looked down, fighting back tears. “Emma please.” He whispered. “Just let me talk to her.”

She folded her arms. “No!”

He was on the verge of begging at that point. “If I can’t see her, and she won’t talk to me, can you at least give her a message for me?”

She raised her eyebrows. “Why should I?”

“Because I still love her Emma.”

Her expression softened slightly, but she kept her ground. “If you loved her she wouldn’t have caught you sexing with your ex girlfriend Joshua. I mean, what kind of low lying ass of a guy does that?”

He didn’t know how to answer the question, and quite frankly, he didn’t think she wanted him to.

“Just get out of here Josh. Get over her, go back to your music and back to that chick you were holding hands with. Liz is too good for you, and she isn’t going to take you back.”

“If I could only apologize to her…” he pleaded, his voice soft.

“She isn’t here anyways.” Emma muttered.

JC frowned. “Where’d she go? Did she go out to a club or something?”

She glared at him. “She isn’t you, you know.” She snapped. “She doesn’t go looking for a ‘good time’ when she’s having problems with someone.”

“Just answer the question please.”

She looked at him. “She took the job.”

His felt his heart momentarily stop. “You mean she’s-”

“She left for New York two hours ago.  She wasn’t going to wait around for any guy to tell her what to do anymore JC, she’s done with you.”

JC was stunned.

“Go home Josh.” Emma said, stepping back and putting her hand on the door handle to close it. “She’s better off without you.”

..And with that, she closed the door. She didn’t slam it nor did she didn’t give him a final glare. She just closed it gently, and JC could hear her latch the lock from the inside. He just stood there on the porch, the eerie silence around him deafening. Turning around, he didn’t know how he did it without collapsing from the pain but he made it back into his car. Sitting there behind the steering wheel, he realized the consequences of his actions. He messed up, and he messed up big. And now, the one person he had never meant to hurt wasn’t even willing to give him the time of her day to apologize…

She was through…

"JC, you have to get up!" Justin yelled from under the doorframe. "Now!"

JC shut his eyes as he faced the wall, his back to Justin.  "No."

"C'mon Jace, we know you're awake. Just get your ass off the bed and start the fucking day!" Chris added in.

"I don't want to." JC mumbled, staring at the cream colored wall.

"Jace we have a press conference today," Justin whined. "Get up or we'll be late."

"Tell them I'm sick." He said simply. "You guys go."

His friends sighed and walked further into the room. Justin took a seat at the foot of the bed while Chris, Joey and Lance stood around the bed.

"JC?" Justin asked quietly.

"What'd you want?" JC asked softly but exasperated. "Can't you guys just leave me alone?"

"We know you're not okay. We want to help." the teenager responded.

"Of course I'm not okay!!"  JC cried out, sitting up in the bed to face his friends.

His friends frowned, noticing that JC's eyes were red and swollen, and his voice was slightly hoarse.

"We're sorry C. I don't know what else to say." Lance spoke up.

JC blinked back tears and shrugged his shoulders. "There's nothing you can say. The woman I love is over 1000 miles away in New York, she hates me, I hate me, and our careers are on the line. My life's a fucking train wreck right about now."

"Did you try calling her?" Joey asked.

"Of course I did! I've left her a thousand messages, missed calls, texts, everything! She's done with me guys. I'm never going to get her back after this. I messed up, so bad."

"It'll be okay C." Chris tried assuring him.

"She's never going to forgive me, is she?"

Justin shifted uncomfortably on the bed, knowing that the truthful answer wasn't going to be the answer JC wanted to hear. "Would you forgive Allison, for what she did to you?"

JC shook his head. "Dear God, she's never going to forgive me!" he stated, lying down on his back and holding the pillow over his face. "Fuck!" he muttered.

Joey sighed, grabbing the pillow and Justin pulled on JC's arms to make him sit up again.

"Just go to the fucking conference without me." JC mumbled. "I don't care anymore."

Chris felt his blood boil as the frustration JC was causing him quickly got to his head. He walked up closer to the bed and scowled.

"Listen to me Chasez," he started, getting JC's full attention at the sharp tone of his voice. "We've been through this already with you. This time, we're not letting you do it again. You were an ass, you broke her heart, and now you're punishing yourself! We get that! But guess what JC!? She's gone! She's gone, she's trying to move on with a great job in front of her, and here you are with our careers on the fucking line and we have a chance to make it! I don't know about you, but we didn't bust our asses for almost five years to come this far, and now that you're going through a breakup, you don't want to fight anymore? You don't want to do anything? Well fine, stay here in bed and drown yourself in your misery. But as far as I know, our group has a press conference today that we need to get to and I intend to go! So stay here, but we've only got an hour left to get ready." He turned to the rest of the band members. "Fix him! We actually have something to do today and I don't intend on flaking out on it giving Lou another chance to call us unprofessional by missing this conference! I'm going!"

And with that, he stormed out the room leaving the other guys there speechless.

JC sighed and threw off the covers as he got up and ran a hand through his hair. His friends looked at him with blank expressions.

"I'm sorry, okay?" JC mumbled. "I didn't mean for this to affect what's going on with the group. I'll go."

Justin gave a smile and got up from the bed while Joey and Lance gave him a couple pats on the back.

"It'll be okay Jace. Stick it out for a while. If you guys are meant to be, then it'll be..."

***

"Hey Jace?" Chris spoke up, getting into the driver's seat beside JC in the car.

"What's up?"

"I didn't mean to be so insensitive earlier, but I've seen you hurt before and I just hated seeing it again. I know this time it's your fault and everything, and that sucks for you, I know, but I preferred to see you upset and mad at one of us rather than at yourself or a situation you have no control of."

JC nodded.

"I just wanted to say ‘I'm sorry', and I'll quit bugging you about it. You have a right to be mad and upset, I mean it is your fault-" JC rolled his eyes. "-But yea... I'm sorry."

"It's okay Chris, I wasn't mad in the first place. Not at you, anyways."

"So you made me recite a whole ‘I'm sorry' speech for nothing?" Chris cried out. "You see, this is why I never apologize to you guys."

JC chuckled. "I appreciate it though, thanks."

Chris nodded, pushing him playfully on the arm as they cruised down the highway. The three members in the backseat had remained quiet with magazines in their hands. They looked like a bunch of teenage girls scanning the articles eager to hear what the press was saying about them.

The press conference earlier that day had gone no different from the others. Lance and JC sat quietly and didn't speak up unless they were spoken to, Justin did most of the talking whenever someone from the media would ask a question to the group while Joey was stuck trying to keep Chris from flying out his chair and attacking their manager trying whenever Lou would start talking about the contracts. It had lasted almost three hours, but the guys were finally able to make their escape from the photographers and news reporters and just go back home.

Ignoring the mumbling in the back, Chris continued on with JC.

"Did you even talk to her, after... that morning?"

"Who?" JC replied glumly. "Lizzie or Allison?"

Chris screwed up his face. "Don't even do so much as mention that name in our car, ugh. Lizzie, obviously. I don't care about the other one, and neither should you!"

"I don't care about her! Not anymore, anyways... And to answer your question, no, I haven't spoken to her."

Chris saw JC shake his head softly to himself and stare out the window.

"It's killing me Chris." He said softly. "It's driving me crazy not hearing from her, not seeing her. Just the thought of never holding her again is enough to make me want to just give up relationships totally."

"Damn," Chris muttered. "I'm sorry C."

"What'd I do Chris? Where do I go from here? She can't avoid me forever, can she?"

"I'm not the one to ask Jace, but I guess she can't. Not forever, at least..."

"I just wish there was a way for us to talk, just talk. If I could just apologize and... And tell her I love her," he sighed. "Then maybe that way she'd know I want her back...

A little over 3 weeks later

"The name of the song is what?" Justin asked, leaning forward to make sure he had heard correctly.

"Bye Bye Bye," Johnny repeated, looking at the boys sitting on the couches in front of him. "You like it?"

"Well, we haven't heard the track beat yet." JC said, sitting up.

Justin was still trying to get over the title. "Who the hell names a song ‘Bye Bye Bye'? I mean I could understand ‘Goodbye' or ‘Don't Say Goodbye' but ‘Bye Bye Bye'?"

Johnny chuckled. "Hey man, you're lucky I even got the track in the first place! If you choose it to be a single, you'll be releasing it with Jive. RCA just want their dues and you're out of the woods by the end of the year."

"So you're saying..." Joey urged him.

"You can start recording the tracks for the next album. It's approved, kind of."

The guys almost jumped him, bouncing up and down on the couches high fiving each other and laughing in excitement.

"Are you serious!?" Chris asked, jumping off the couch and in front of Johnny, startling the man.

He laughed. "Yea, I am. But sit down! I'm not done with you."

Justin jumped and landed on his butt, sinking into the cushions. "There's more?"

The bald man nodded. "This suit isn't over boys, Lou's still asking a lot, but you can keep the name. Be happy for now."

The boys grinned.

"When can we get into the studio again? So we hear this ‘Bye Bye Bye' track?"

"Well that's one more thing you guys have to do," Johnny started.

The five friends looked at him with blank expressions.

"I'm flying you guys out to New York this weekend to meet with the writers and couple producers who're interested in working on the album. They've got some tracks lined up, and want to do some co-writing with you guys if you're interested. It's just for two or three days, then you've got another court appearance that Tuesday."

"New York?" JC croaked, a funny feeling of excitement and anxiety running through his system.

"That a problem?"

He looked at his friends and turned back to their manager.

"Not at all," he said as he shook his head. "No problem at all."

***

"Hello?"

"Lizzie dear, how are you?" a warm feminine voice greeted her.

She stopped, taking a seat on the couch a few feet away from her as she recognized the voice.

"Karen, hi! How are you?"

"Oh I'm fine. Everything's been great. We're filling out Heather's college applications this week so we're all excited."The woman laughed.

Liz smiled. "Yea, that's terrific. Tell her I said ‘good luck'..."

"How's your business trip going?"

"It's great!" Liz lied. "Just... It's been a great experience so far..."

"Well that's wonderful! When Josh gets there you two should fly in again for a few days. Heather and Tyler miss you two."

Liz's head snapped up from her fumbling hands on the remote control in her lap.

"What'd you mean when he gets here?"

"Well, *NSYNC's flying in to New York in a few days. Justin's mom called me this morning after Justin called her. Josh's phone is off, so I couldn't get through to him. Didn't he tell you though?"

Liz sighed, tears welling as she silently recalled deleting the close to one hundred missed calls she had on her phone from a number she deleted but still recognized as his own.

"No, uh. I haven't talked to him in a while." She said in a small voice.

"Is something going on between you two?" Karen asked.

Liz let a tear fall but quickly brushed it away with the back of her hand.  "You're going to have to ask your son Karen. I... I don't know."

"Lizzie, what happened? Did something happen? What'd he do?"

Liz squeezed her eyes shut, knowing that saying the name she was about to name would take all the energy she had left in her body to get out. "Do you uh, remember Allison? That girl who used to date Josh?"

"Yes, I do remember actually. Lord knows why she walked out of his life. She didn't deserve him, and I'm not just saying that because he's my son. No one but Joshua clicked with her. The rest of us..." she sighed. "But what does she have to do with anything?"

Liz bit her lip, another tear falling. "I uh..." Was she really about to tell his mom she practically caught her son in bed with her? "I think they're back together." She said, her voice breaking.

"Wait, what!?" Karen said loudly. "Liz, what is going on over there? Why hasn't Josh told me any of this?"

"I don't know Karen, I'm sorry. We had a fight the night before I left and..."

The tears were coming fast and furious now.

"Liz?"

She sniffled. "I have to go Karen, just talk to Josh. I'll talk to you soon alright? Take care."

And without giving the woman a chance to say goodbye, she hung up...

***

"Jace, your mom's on the phone outside."  Lance yelled from the living room.

JC frowned, wondering why she hadn't called on his cell instead before he remembered he had left his phone in the car and hadn't bothered to take it out.

He sighed, running out of his room. "Hey mom," he greeted her, taking a seat next to Justin who sat on the couch playing with a basketball.  "How's it going?"

"I need to talk to you Joshua," she snapped.

He frowned. "What's going on?"

"What happened between you and Liz?"

He felt goose bumps form on his forearms. "What'd you mean?"

"Well I just spoke to Liz on the phone and she hung up the phone in tears when I asked her what was going on between you two. She told me that you and Allison were back together. What is going on Joshua?"

He leaned back against the couch, subconsciously holding in a breath.

"You talked to her mom?" he asked softly. "Did she say how she's doing? Is she okay?"

"Answer my questions Joshua!"

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I'm not with Allison mom. But Liz and I..." he sighed. "I don't know."

"She hung up in tears Josh. Why?"

He frowned, knowing that the tears she had cried were tears his actions had caused. "Mom I made a mistake alright? I got together with Allison for one night! Just one night... and Liz caught me."

His friends had all now assembled around him, intently listening in on the conversation.

"You did what Joshua!? I thought I taught you better than that! What the hell were you thinking!?"

He shook his head.

"I don't know mom." He said quietly.

"Well to answer your question from before, she told me that she's doing great but I'm beginning to think she lied. When you get to New York this weekend you better find some time and try to get some contact with her. She's obviously not fine, not after hearing this at least. Fix this between the two of you Joshua. Or you're letting the best person any of us have ever seen you with slip straight through your fingers."

"As though she already hasn't..." JC mumbled.

"I'm telling you Josh, don't let her go without a fight."

He nodded. "I know. I love her mom, I want her back."

"I believe she still loves you too Josh but trying to get her back to you is going to take a lot at this point. She's very upset."

"Yea," he said softly. "So am I."

"Don't let her go Josh."

He heard some voices in the background and his mother sighed.

"Heather and Tyler said ‘hi' and they're arguing for the phone so I'll speak to you soon alright?"

 "Thanks mom," he sighed. "I'll talk to you soon, love you."

"I love you too sweetheart," she said with a smile. "Good luck."

"Thanks ma. Bye."

He hung up the phone and sighed, his hands folded over his eyes.

"You'll get her back Jace, don't worry." Joey said, kicking his leg playfully.

"I'm getting her back guys, I promise you that."

"Not to be unsupportive or anything but how exactly do you plan on doing this?" Justin asked.

JC grabbed the car keys off the coffee table and stood up, heading toward the door. "By getting Emma on my side..."

***

He speed walked in to the blue walled browsing area, past the woman at the desk and down the hallway. He knocked on the closed door, and didn't stop until it flew open, his knuckles almost hitting the person who answered in the nose.

"If you had touched me I would have broken your arm," she said crossly. "What are you doing here?"

JC gulped, his heart racing. "I need to talk to you Em, please. Five minutes, that's all I need from you and I swear I'll stop. Five minutes."

She looked at him. If it weren't for the genuine plead in his voice, the glimmers of hope in his blue eyes and the fact that she really didn't have any work to take care of seeing that she was playing solitaire on her computer before he arrived, she would have slammed the door in his face.

"Please," he begged softly.

She shook her head at herself and stepped aside. "Four minutes, fifty nine seconds. I'm counting."

JC nodded, stepping in as she closed the door behind them.

"What'd you want Josh?" she asked with a sigh.

"I need you to forgive me."

She looked at him oddly. "What?"

"I need you to forgive me Emma. If I can't get through to Lizzie first then I need to get the one person she cares about the most in her life to forgive me for what I did to her, to us. I'm sorry Emma, I really am."

"Why should I forgive you Joshua?" she asked quietly.

"Because I love her more than anything in this world right now, and it's killing me that she won't do so much as pick up my calls or reply to my messages. Emma, I did her wrong and I made a mistake and yea, I probably don't deserve her but the fact of the matter is, I love her! And I need to make it up to her. I don't know how, I don't know when, but I will make it up to her. Right now, I need your help but I'm telling you the truth Emma. I love Lizzie. After everything that's been going on, she's the only thing I had going for me. Just tell me you forgive me, accept my apology. I mean it Em, I am sorry and I love her. Please..."

Emma looked at him, sighing as she ran a hand through her hair. "She loves you too Josh, but I'm not sure if she could forgive you after what you did."

"I just need your help getting through to her this one last time. One more chance..."

She studied him for a moment, contemplating whether or not what he was saying was true.

Finally, she looked him in the eye and nodded. "I accept your apology. I'm not sure if I could forgive you just yet, that'll take some time but I will help you."

JC's face lit up. "You will?"

"I can't see her this way," she said softly. "Not again..."

"I'm going to New York this weekend. *NSYNC has a few meetings with a couple new writers and producers but that's it. I just have to see her when I get there. I have to talk to her... I just want to hold her again, tell her I love her... Don't tell her I'm going alright? I need to make it a surprise, but I need your help."

"Alright," Emma said softly as she nodded her head. "I'll help you..."

JC smiled in relief.

"But Josh," she started, looking up at him.

"Yea?"

"If she does take you back and you break her heart again... Don't expect any of this to play out the way I'm letting it go down now. I'm warning you."

JC nodded, thankful he had at least gotten her on his side. "I promise, it's all about her this time. I'm going to get her back."

"Yea... Let's hope you do..."

That Saturday Night- New York City

"Where is it?" JC muttered, his hand stuck in the dirt of a small potted plant while he balanced his phone between his shoulder and his ear. "Are you sure she keeps it in here?" he asked into the phone.

"I'm positive. Keep looking, dig deeper."

JC squished his hand further down into the dirt, pretty sure he felt something biting him but he finally came across a thin, iron object.

"I think I got it," he said, pulling his hand out, making a huge mess of dirt on the floor where he stood. "Yea, I got it." He held up the small key and kicked the mess of earth into a corner.

"She buried it pretty deep, didn't she?"

"I'll say," JC replied, brushing some of the dry mud from his shirt. "Whatever happened to keeping the spare key under a good ole door mat, huh?"

She laughed. "Alright Josh, go in, and you're on your own from there on. Good luck."

"Wait!" he cried out, closing the door behind him. "What time is she going to get home?"

"What is it... almost nine o'clock now?"

"Yea,"

"She should be there in a minute or two."

"What!?"

"Chillax Josh," Emma giggled. "I was kidding around."

He sighed. "You and Liz just love doing that sorta thing to me, don't you?"

 "Give her a few minutes, but no less than ten. She gets off work at around 8:30. She should be close by now."

"Yea, okay."

"Hey,"

"What?" he asked.

"Don't overwhelm her alright? Remember what you're there for, to talk to her. She still hates you Jace, don't blame her for it."

"I don't. I just... I'm really nervous."

"Good luck. If she lashes out, I hope she doesn't hit you too hard."

JC subconsciously brought his hand up to his face and rubbed his cheek. "Yea, thanks."

"Alright, well I'm out for tonight. I hope everything goes well, and if it doesn't, remember I warned you."

"I know, I know. Thanks a lot Emma, for helping me out here. I really appreciate it."

"Sure Josh." She said with a smile. "I'll talk to you soon."

"Bye Em,"

"Bye Bye."

JC sighed, stuffing the phone in his jacket pocket and walking into the fairly wide area that was the living room of the apartment. He noticed there was a balcony that overlooked the better part of the city.

"Nice place," he said to himself, taking a seat on the couch and taking a deep breath as he looked out past the see-through sliding doors and watched as the busy nightlife lights lit up the area.

Approx. 15 minutes later

Liz sighed, flicking on the light as she dropped her hand bag and a large envelope full of papers on the table near the door and kicked off her heels as she made her way into her bedroom, taking off her jacket.

JC's heart rate increased drastically and he felt numbed all over again when he heard her sigh and heard the door close. He sat up on the couch, still not sure if he should be sitting or standing, if his hands should be folded or in his lap. She hadn't noticed him yet since her bedroom was closer to the doorway that the living room was. He took a deep breath and let it out as he heard the footsteps coming closer to the room. His heart skipped a beat and he was sure he was about to pass out due to anxiety when he saw her enter the room, catching a quick glimpse of her black bra and bare stomach as she pulled a large white t shirt over her head.

He looked up at her as she flipped her hair out of her face and let out a piercing scream, finally noticing there was a body sitting on the couch.

"What the fu-" she yelled, then felt her knees go weak when she recognized the person. "Oh my God," she whispered. "Oh my God."

JC stood up nervously, successfully fighting a smile and keeping a straight face. She looked like his Lizzie, the Lizzie he had longed to hear from or see for the past few weeks. Her hair looked longer, she looked like she had lost a couple pounds, light circles were forming under her eyes and she looked like she hadn't gotten enough resting time throughout her time in the big apple. He noticed everything. She looked tired and weary, and through it all of it, JC thought she looked completely beautiful.

"Hey," he said softly to her.

Her mouth hung open, but no sound came out for a second or two before she gathered her voice and came to terms with who was standing before her.

"What..." she started, her voice in a heated whisper. "...Are you doing... here?"

"I came to see you,"

She shook her head in amazement. "How did you even find me here?"

He shrugged. "I got some help from Emma..."

Her eyes were wide. "Leave, now." She said, pointing toward the door way. "Get out... Please."

He stepped closer to her, she backing away with every decrease in the space between them.

"Liz, hold on..." he said, walking up slowly toward her. "I want to talk to you..."

She shook her head immediately. "No! We have nothing to talk about JC. I don't want to talk to you and I don't want to see you. Get out, now." She kept moving backward to where the door was, JC following her with every step.

"I-" he started but she cut him off.

"Get out."

"But-"

"Get out of my house."

"Lizzie, I-"

"Get out of my fucking house JC!" she screamed, pulling open the door. He could see the tears already forming in her eyes, and he knew she was struggling to keep herself together.

He frowned, nodding slowly. Looking down, he walked out the door, turning around in time to feel the quick breeze blow against him when she slammed the door.

He could hear crying on the next side of the door and he knew she was leaning up against it.

He sighed, pressing her forehead to the door and knocked gently.

"Lizzie?" he asked softly, but still loud enough so that he knew she could hear him.

"J-Just leave JC," he heard her get out between cries.

He sighed, and could still hear her whimpers from on the outside. Knowing she was still there, he did the only thing he knew to do best.

In a small voice, he started singing to her, his lips just millimeters away from pressing on the door.

Baby I remember... The way you used to look at me and say,

‘Promises never last forever'...

I told you not to worry... I said that everything would be alright..

I didn't know then that you were right...

You're all I ever wanted...You're all I ever needed...

So tell me what to do now, when I want you back...

He heard her crying stop, and waited a few seconds before lightly knocking on the door once again.

"Lizzie?"

He heard her sniffle and could hear her unlatch a lock before the door finally opened up. She stood under the doorframe, wiping away the tears that kept streaming down her cheeks.

He continued the song, looking straight at her.

You're the one I want

You're the one I need

Tell me what, can I do...

"W-Why?" she stammered, trying to control her tears. "Why a-are you here?"

He frowned, desperately wishing he could just take her face into his hands and kiss away all the tears she was crying because of him.

"I love you Lizzie," he said softly, stepping in closer to her. "I just need you to hear me out."

She looked at him.

"Can I come back in, please?" he asked gently.

She sniffled as she turned around and walked further into the room, leaving the door open.

JC took it as a mute way of saying ‘Okay', so he closed the door and followed her in.

She stood in the middle of the living room, her arms folded across her chest.

He walked up closer to her, leaning in to give her a kiss on cheek but she pressed her hand against his chest and pushed him away.

"No," she said shaking her head. "Just tell me what you came here to tell me."

He frowned, taking a small step back. "I'm sorry," he said softly.

She took a seat on the couch behind her. "Sorry for what? Sorry you did it or sorry I caught you doing it?"

He sighed, sitting closely next to her.

"Lizzie I'm sorry for what I did, I really am. That night I was mad and upset and drunk and Lizzie I was completely out of my mind. That night with her meant nothing, absolutely nothing to me and when I woke up the next day before you came in, I realized the shit I had just done and I regret it. Lizzie I'm sorry, and I know I can't take back what I did, but baby I love you. I love you Lizzie, more than anything and I'm sorry for doing this to you, to us. For making us the way we are now. I know you're mad at me, and these past couple weeks I haven't been able to see you or talk to you, I've been mad at myself because I know all of this is my fault. I was a complete insensitive, unsupportive ass and I let my anger get the better of me, which led me to making a huge mistake. Babe, I never meant to hurt you. It's the last thing in this world that I'd ever want to do. I love you Lizzie and I'm so sorry..."

She looked at him. "You love me, huh?"

He nodded.  "More than anything..."

"You had a pretty fucking funny way of showing it JC," she muttered, looking down.

"Liz, stop calling me that."

She looked up at him and raised her eyebrows.

"Stop calling me ‘JC'."

"Isn't that your name?" she asked crossly.

"Yea, it's my name to my fans, to the press, to the people in the business. It's what they know me as. The people I love as much as you do use my real name, because you're the people I care about and who know me better than anyone."

"No, I thought I knew you. I thought I knew the guy I fell in love with but that's not the case is it?"

He took her hand and kept it in a fairly tight hold. She tried weakly to pull away but she couldn't.

"Lizzie, I've said it a hundred times before and I'll say it a hundred times more if you need me to but I'm sorry and I love you. Please just... Just find a way for us to work past this babe. It's killing me Liz."

She nodded, another tear falling. "It's killing me too," she whispered.

She pulled out of his grip and walked across the room. Sliding the doors with a forceful pull, she stepped out onto the balcony, the cold New York night breeze hitting against her face. She leaned over the ledge, wiping away her tears and shaking her head at herself and the situation.

Why did he have to come and complicate things even more between the two of them? She thought she was just fine avoiding him and facing her grief silently, crying herself to sleep at night listening to his damn songs! Pathetic, huh? But right now, it sure seemed a whole lot better than looking him in the eye and appear vulnerable and broken right in front him.

He followed her out, her back to him. He walked up to where she stood, wrapping his arms around her. He could feel her stiffen at his touch.

He remained silent as she turned around slowly in his arms, leaning her forehead against his chest. He tightened his hold around her but she didn't hug back. Instead, she started trying to push her hands against his chest to get away but JC kept his arms locked around her.

"Let me go!" she said loudly, tears falling.

JC shook his head. "No," he said quietly. "I'm not letting you go, not again."

"Let. Me. Go!" She started using her clenched fists to pound away at him when he wouldn't release her, but he took every blow wordlessly, letting her express the anger, the frustration and the pain he had caused her.

More tears started to fall from her with each hit and smack, but JC's arms didn't let loose for a second. Between the sobbing and the energy she was using to fight him and get away, after about 45secs she became weary, allowing herself to rest against him in defeat. She felt his familiar, protective embrace around her, taking in his scent and the warmth he brought to her, she sobbed softly.

"You h-hurt me Josh," she cried into his chest quietly.

He closed his eyes, kissing the top of her head.

"I didn't mean to baby," he said softly.

He held her close to his chest as she breakdown in his arms. He hated to even bear the thought that he was the one who had done this to her. Her sobs eventually turned into whimpers which then turned into soft sniffles and he allowed her to pull away slowly when she had started squirming.

She ran a hand through her hair and avoided eye contact with him.

"I'm sorry about your shirt," she mumbled, looking at the tear stained fabric.

He shook his head. "Don't worry about it."

She nodded.

 "It's freezing out here Lizzie," he said softly, stroking her forearm.

"Yea, okay..." she said quietly, stepping back into the warm room and taking a seat on the couch and leaning back tiredly.

He squatted in front of her, taking one of her hands into his.

"Josh..." she whispered, shaking her head weakly. "You can't just show up here unannounced and say all of this and expect me to take you back and forgive you. It doesn't work that way..."

"Then tell me the way it does work Lizzie, just tell me what I have to do! Tell me what I have to do to get close to you again."

She shrugged her shoulders and shook her head in a way of saying ‘I don't know'.

"Liz, tell me you love me, tell me that we can work past this whole big mess and go back to what we were before all of this happened. I need to you babe, I don't want us to end because of this."

She shook her head, looking down to where his hands held hers.

"Lizzie... Do you still love me?" he asked softly. "Do you even forgive me?"

She looked up at him and he saw the tears glistening in her eyes. "I'm not sure," she whispered.

He frowned, nodding his head at her response and stood up in reluctance.

"I think you should go," she said quietly.

"Babe..."

"What Josh?"

"What do I do now?" he whispered. "I still love you."

"I know you do, and when I find the answers to your questions I'll let you know."

He knew this was probably as good as it was going to get between them for the night so he held back his eagerness and nodded.

"Okay," he said quietly.

"Go," she said looking around the room, trying to find a place besides his face to focus her eyes.

He leaned over her and planted a soft kiss on her cheek, making her flinch and she felt the tears return, though she had a feeling they weren't going to leave. She couldn't stand the thought of his arms wrapped around her much longer the way they were wrapped around Allison's under his sheets, she couldn't stand the thought of his lips on her the way they were on Allison in his bed. She couldn't stand any of it so she got up and speed walked to the door while JC followed her.

Looking down at her feet, she mumbled. "Bye Josh."

He looked at her, fighting the urge to wrap his arms around her and feel her lips against his one more time.

"I'll talk to you soon?" he asked in a small voice.

She nodded, still not letting their eyes meet, but she could feel his blue orbs staring straight at her.

"Until then Lizzie, take care of yourself." He stepped out into the hallway outside her apartment. Giving her one last soft look before she closed the door, he stood there for a moment.

"I'm not giving up on us Lizzie," he promised her softly. "Don't give up on us."

"Goodbye Josh,"

*Practically shouting

"I can't believe you helped him find me here!" Liz roared into the phone, pacing up and down across her living room floor.

"I was just trying to do what I thought what was the best thing for you!"

"And you thought telling him to break into my house and force me to confront him was best for me? What kind of best friend does that Emma?"

JC had left the apartment a half hour ago, and Liz had finally gotten some control over her tears long enough to make a phone call.

"He came to me begging for forgiveness! Didn't you see the genuine look of love for you in his eyes Lizzie? Or did you just slap him and tell him to get out of your life without giving him a chance?"

"Hey, so you're saying what he did to me is right? And because I don't want him back it makes me the fucking bad guy here?"

"It's making you the fucking ridiculous one here because not only are you not forgiving him without hearing him out, but you're putting yourself through hell because you know that you still love him as much as he loves you!" Emma fired back.

"Whether or not I still love him does not give either of the right to just team up and plot ways of getting me to take him back you know!" 

"Liz you know what, I don't think that was JC did to you was right, but he's trying to make things right with you and you're denying your emotions right in front of him!"

"I'm not denying anything in front of him!" Liz practically shouted in exasperation.

"So you're telling me that you feel nothing for that man? After everything, after all this time, you're going to let this one mistake tear you two apart? You're going to let everything wash straight down the drain?"

Liz didn't respond.

Emma sighed. "Fine Liz, whatever. It's your fucking love life, I'm just the bystander here that was trying to protect you but you obviously don't need me to. I'll leave this between you and JC, but I'm done with your indecisiveness when the fucking answer is right in front of you, and you know it!"

"The answer isn't the answer I want it to be," Liz muttered.

"Yea, maybe so but guess what, it is what it is and the answer is that you want JC back. You hate what he did to you, you hate what he's putting you through but did you ever stop to think that this is killing him just as much as it's killing you?"

"I did, when I saw it in his eyes." Liz admitted softly. "I didn't before."

"Yea well, it's hurting him that he can't get through to you."

A sniffle was Emma got.

"Liz, stop the shit you're doing to yourself and tell him how you really feel. Do it before you lose him, because yea, he loves you, but do you really think that he's going to wait around for something that he thinks isn't going to happen?"

"Why are you telling me this? You think I don't already know it!?" Liz asked, her voice loud.

"Fine, Ms. Know-it-All, do what you want." Her friend stated simply. "I just wanted to help, but you don't want my advice. You know, I was the one who warned him that you'd be a little harsh but even though I get that you're upset, don't take out your fucking anger over JC on me. If you really want to talk, then call me some other time. I've got plans tonight."

"Emma, I don't-"

She didn't even get a chance to finish her sentence before she heard the conversation cut off. Her best friend had hung up on her. Her face was tear-stained and she was exhausted. The guy she still deeply loved but broke her heart had just showed up asking for her forgiveness and she pushed him away. She fucking hated the job she had accepted ‘cause the control-freak of a bride changed her mind every twenty minutes after a decision was confirmed and got mad whenever something didn't go her way.

Liz wanted nothing at this point but to pack her bags and go back to her life in Orlando where she was happy. Where she could talk to her best friend without fighting, where she didn't have to fake a smile to get through the day, where she could just call her boyfriend when she needed a hug and he'd do whatever he could just to get to her.

She buried her face in her hands, her body shaking as she felt the tears come fast and furious. She knew Emma was right at an extent. Liz still loved JC, but she kept pushing him away.

Lifting her head out of her hands and wiping the tears, she looked around the room and let her eyes linger on the stack of papers she had dropped near the door. She then looked back to a picture of her and Emma she had kept on the table where she wore the necklace JC gave her and then again back to the papers. She got up immediately, walking into her room and pulling her suitcase out from underneath her bed in one swift motion and slamming it down onto the mattress. Looking out her window at the New York night sky, she shook her head, misery clouding her mind.

"Fuck this," she muttered.

***

"Jace?" Lance called out, knocking on the hotel room door that JC, Chris and Justin shared. "Chris is ordering room service. You want anything?"

The door flew open, JC standing there in a pair of loose grey pants and a white t-shirt. "Sure," he replied. "What're we doing tonight anyways?"

"There's a Laker gamer on," Justin grinned, walking past them. "And we got a big ole fifty inch plasma with HD staring us in the face in the living room."

Walking into the large living room set up, JC took a sat next to Joey on the large semi-circled couch while Chris walked back in placing the room service menu back on to the entertainment system.

"What'd you order?" Joey asked.

"Please tell me you got something we could afford when we're leaving," Lance spoke up.

"Who cares?" Joey chuckled. "Johnny's paying anyways."

Chris rolled his eyes. "Mac and cheese with sodas and chicken fingers. Boy next door food."

"More like food for kindergarteners!" Justin exclaimed.

"I'll tell 'em to include some club subs and pizza," Lance sighed, picking up the phone.

The other members nodded.

"And what ‘boy next door' has hair like yours?" JC laughed, eyeing Chris' dreads.

"Shut up," Chris retorted. "At least I haven't been wearing the same size pants since I was sixteen!"

"Okay, okay." Joey said, holding up a hand to stop the two friends from their talking. "What'd we doing tonight, really? Because I ain't staying in no hotel room on our last night here in New York city to watch a basketball game with the four of you. How about Broadway or something..."

"You do know that the point of this trip was for business right ad not pleasure, right?" JC asked with a light laugh. "It wasn't a vacation."

"Yea, well, you mixed business with pleasure when you went to see Liz tonight!"

JC sighed, running a hand through his hair. "That was anything but pleasure," he muttered as he sank deeper down into the cushions.

"Oh God," Chris spoke, stifling a laugh. "You went down on your knees, begged for forgiveness and she told you to get out didn't she?"

JC shot him a glare. "No, I didn't so that."

"Then what'd you do?" Justin asked, muting the TV. "Doesn't she still love you?"

JC shrugged. "I don't know, she said she'd ‘let me know', whatever the fuck that means..."

"So are you single or what?" Joey asked, hitting his knee.

JC screwed up his face. "Hell no! Unless she tells me that she truly still doesn't love me, then I'll leave her alone. Until then, my relationship status is ‘complicated'." He kept rambling. "I mean, if she were to call me right now and-"

"Would you settle for a text message?" Justin cut him off, looking at the screen of JC's phone in his hand.

"What!? She texted me?" JC asked, excitement on his face as he sat up.

"Well, no..." the blonde haired teen frowned. "Allison did."

"Huh?"

Justin nodded, the same confused look on his face.

"Let me see that," Chris said, grabbing the phone out of Justin's grip. The other members, especially JC, watched him intently as he briefly scanned the screen of the phone.

"What'd she say?" JC asked.

He cleared his throat. "JC," he read, his eyes focused on the small screen in front of him. "I need to talk to you A.S.A.P. It's important. I know you're in New York so call me when you get back. Love, Allie."

The other guys raised their eyebrows at the ‘Love, Allie' part but JC felt an instant pang of anger slam into him.

"What the hell does she want?" he muttered, leaning back against the cushions behind him. "Doesn't she know how much damage she's caused? How much damage has been done to my life because of her!?"

"Are you going to call her?" Lance asked.

"I don't see why I should..." JC frowned.

"She said it's important C," Justin pointed out.

"So what?"

"Sooo, it probably has something to do with you."

"And I repeat, so what?" JC asked again. "Since when did her issues become my problems?"

"It became your problem when you got into bed with her all those weeks ago!" Chris snapped.

JC looked at him, shocked.

"Sorry..." the elder member mumbled. "I just want to know what she has to say to you."

"Give me the phone," JC mumbled, standing up.

Chris handed over the cell, watching as JC grabbed it out of his hand and eye the screen.

"I'll be back in a while." He told them, walking out of the living room to go to his bedroom. "Don't come into the room."

"But we want to hear what she has to say too," Chris whined.

JC ignored his friends and shut the door, dialing the number of the phone the text had been sent from.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, he sighed, listening to ring after ring. He was about to hang up when she answered.

"Hello?"

"Why'd you text me Allison?" he growled into the phone.

"JC... I thought you'd call."

He rolled his eyes.

"I thought you're still in New York."

"I am," he said. "But what did you want that was so important you just had to tell me to call you."

"I told you to call me when you got back sweetheart." She said with a smile.

"Allison, cut. the. crap. Just tell me so I can hang up on you and get back to my life!"

He heard a soft giggle on the other line. "Jace, I should really talk to you in person. I don't want to have this conversation over a phone call..."

"Oh is that right? Well I don't want to have this conversation at all Allison!" he sighed. "Just tell me what you have to say, now preferably."

"I'm warning you JC, I really don't want to tell you over a phone call."

"Allison just fucking say it!" he practically screamed into the receiver.

There was silence on the other end and then he heard her take a breath.

"You want to know JC?" she snapped. "You want to know so bad huh? You want to know soo bad what I have to say?"

He was fuming by now. "Just say it dammit!"

"I'm pregnant JC!" she screamed at him through the phone. "You fucking knocked me up and that's the way you want to fucking talk to me!?"

JC felt all the blood rush to his head, though he was standing, and he felt his legs turn to jello.

"I... Uh... We... I..." he was at loss for words.

"Got nothing to tell me now huh Mr. Big Shot Popstar?" she said crossly.

He couldn't respond. He felt all the nerves in his body numb and he wasn't even sure if she was speaking a language he understood at that point. Everything seemed to go through one ear, and back out the other. The only thing that stuck was that one sentence.

"Call me when you get over yourself JC," she snapped. "Get your ass back in Orlando and I'll see when you grow a fucking pair and learn to talk to me right. I'm going to be in your life for a little while longer JC, so get your act together and call me tomorrow. Goodbye!"

The line cut off, but JC still stood in the same position with his hand dropping to his side. Feeling  the room begin spin, he felt the phone fall from his grasp and his vision went black.

The guys, who had been listening intently to what JC was saying stood outside the door, but had unfortunately not been close enough to hear what Allison had initially texted JC to tell him.

The silence that now surrounded them was deafening. That is, until they heard a loud thud come from the inside.

Chris knocked on the door, opening it to a crack. "Jace?" he called out.

Collapsed, JC lay on the carpeted floor of the hotel room, unconscious.

"Jace!" Justin yelled out, pushing the door all the way open.

While Chris, Joey and Justin tried pulling JC back up to the bed, slapping his cheeks gently and yelling at him to wake up, Lance noticed the phone on the ground that was lighting up signaling an incoming call.

Picking it up, he read the name that lit up.

‘Liz'

JC's still unconscious

"Jace?" Chris called out softly, slapping his unconscious friend on the cheeks. They had picked him up from off the floor and rested him on the bed against the headboard.  "C'mon Jace, wake up man."

Joey and Lance stood closely around the bed biting their nails, Lance clutching the phone in case they would have to call an ambulance while Justin leaned against the wall silently looking on as though he were about to pass out. He had turned pale and his eyes were wide. Chris was the only one who had contained himself enough to try slapping and shaking their blue eyed friend back to a state on consciousness.

Shaking his shoulders and pressing his index and middle fingers against the side of his neck to make sure he still had a pulse, Chris slapped him hard against the face, a red mark remaining on the skin.

"Chris!" Joey cried out.

"Wake up Jace!" Chris continued, ignoring Joey.

They heard soft groaning, and JC slowly brought his arm up to his cheek to rub where Chris had slapped him, still not opening his eyes.

Justin sprang to life, practically jumping into the bed next to where JC was slumped.

"C! Get up man, say something!"

JC groaned as he opened his eyes slowly, looking up at the four faces staring down at him with concerned looks on them. He frowned.

"What's up?" he asked, rubbing the back of his head where he had hit when he had collapsed.

The four other members heaved a big sigh of relief as they all took a seat on the bed, JC enclosed by them.

"Thank God," Lance remarked, hitting his leg.

"What the fuck happened to you just now?!" Justin yelled out.

"What'd you mean?"

"You fucking blacked out on the floor! What the hell happened!?"

"Justin, calm down man," Joey advised the younger member seeing how much he was startling JC who was still struggling to sit up.

"No I will not clam down! My best friend just fucking collapsed on the floor and you want me to calm down!?" He turned back to look at JC who had a sick look on his face. "What happened to you?"

JC shook his head.

"Do you need us to call a doctor JC?" Chris offered, waving a hand in front his face to get his attention back from Justin.

JC shook his head.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" he asked, holding up three fingers in front of his face.

JC rolled his eyes, batting the hand away. "How long was I out?"

"About three minutes," Lance answered. "Dude, you okay? You dropped the phone and everything. What happened?"

JC rubbed his face, then his head immediately popped up and his eyes looked like they were about to bulge out of his head. He started breathing hard, muttering ‘Oh God' to himself. He gulped, grabbing the phone out of Lance's hand checking his recent calls.

Scanning the screen, he saw the familiar number. The words of their conversation instantly came flooding back in to his mind, and he remembered why he had even collapsed in the first place.

"Fuck, it wasn't a dream." He said to himself, leaving the rest of his friends looking around at each other.

Still keeping his eyes on JC, Chris spoke to Lance. "Lansten call the doctor now, I think he's going crazy. Jace, you hit your head pretty hard didn't you?"

JC, still breathing heavily, shook his head immediately. "No! I'm okay. I don't need a doctor."

"Then talk to us? What's got you like this?" Justin pleaded. His eyes travelled back to the phone in JC's lap. "Did someone call and say something? What happened?"

JC started trembling, silently contemplating in his mind whether or not he should even open his mouth and spread the not necessarily good news.

"JC?" Chris asked softly.

"Sh-sh-sh-she's pregnant," he whispered, feeling every ounce of energy leave his body just stuttering out the sentence.

Is friends looked at him oddly, raising their eyebrows.

"What'd you mean JC?" Joey asked slowly.

JC looked at them helplessly. "Allison told me she's pregnant," he repeated, not any louder than before.

Soft gasps sounded and JC's eye brimmed with tears that threatened to fall.

"JC are you sure that's what she said?" Chris asked seriously. "You had to have heard wrong."

JC shook his head, not making eye contact with any of them. "I'm telling you, I heard right."

"Oh my God," Justin mumbled, slowly getting off the bed. "JC how could this happen? Man, how could you do this? To her, to yourself, to *NSYNC! Do you know how bad this is going to look for our image!? I mean, I could just see it on the tabloids now, ‘Boy bander goes on tour with pregnant ex girlfriend'. What are our fans going to think?! The record label! Your family! What's going to happen JC?"

JC swallowed. The thoughts Justin had just brought up hadn't popped into his mind yet and now he was sure they weren't going to leave.

"JC," Chris said shaking his head. "I don't even know how to react to you right now man."

JC looked at him and felt his chest tighten seeing the disappointed looks on his friends' faces.

"You can't tell anyone," he said softly. "Please..."

"JC, what're you going to do?" Lance asked. "What'd Allison say?"

"I have to go see her when we get back to Orlando. I have to fix this, there's got to be something I could do."

"I think you've already done your job," Joey pointed out softly. "You ‘sperm'anated her, there's nothing much more for you to do..."

"Oh my God," JC rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm so stupid!"

His friends nodded silently to themselves but gave him apologetic looks. Usually, JC would have expected them to freak out, curse him, slap him, hell he already knew Justin wanted to kill him but they were trying to keep their cool. More drama was the last thing this guy needed at this point.

"Tell Johnny book a new flight, at the earliest time possible for in the morning or tonight even. I need to get back to Orlando and straighten this out."

Joey nodded, but neither member budged. They all just sat around JC, trying to come to terms with the situation. There was silence until Lance spoke up.

"Uh, Jace?"

JC's only response was looking up and him and gulping.

Lance was going to regret making this move but he did it anyways. "Liz was uh, trying to call you a few minutes ago, when we were trying to wake you up...  You were already out when the call was coming through."

"Oh my God... Lizzie," Justin said softly, realizing what was going to have to go down between her and JC.

They all looked at JC whose hand was holding his stomach and looked like he was about to pass out right there and then.

"JC?" Chris asked, observing his friend who pushed him off the side of the bed and scrambled to get off the mattress.

"Man, are you okay?" Joey called out to him, watching as JC bolted out the door and they heard another door down the corridor slam loudly.

"Looks like Allison isn't the only one with the morning sickness," Justin muttered.

Johnny's Office- Sunday

"Oh man," Johnny sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as his brain attempted to soak up the information that had just been given to him. "Are you for real?"

JC nodded, looking down at his hands that were entwined together as he leaned forward on the couch. His red baseball cap was the closest thing to any part of his face that Johnny could see.

The man sighed, taking a seat in the office chair behind the desk and studied the other members that sat uncomfortably on the other chairs in the room.

"Has he talked to her yet?" Johnny asked the guys.

Justin shook his head. "He's going to see her when we're done here... Or at least, that's the plan anyways.

"Does anyone else know about this?"

"Just you, JC, us, Allison and whoever else Allison has told," Joey put in.

JC's head shot up. "You think she's told people?"

"Okay, okay, let's not jump to conclusions here boys," he cleared his throat. "JC, are you sure this girl isn't just playing you?"

He shook his head. "I don't think so... We had sex and I don't even think I used a condom."

"Dammit," Johnny mumbled. He looked at the other four guys. "Does Liz know?" he mouthed.

They cringed and all shook their heads slowly.

"What's going to happen here?" JC asked, obviously not noticing the silent message that was passed.

The other members looked at Johnny intently, eager to hear his response.

"Well... Have you thought about whether or not you're going to now have a relationship with this girl or if you're going to be active in the kid's life or if you're going to just ‘take care' of this whole thing?"

"I don't want a relationship with her," JC said through gritted teeth. "And well, I want to be a part of the baby's life... I don't want her to ‘take care' of it, I mean, it's my baby, I've got to take responsibility for my actions. I can't let a kid I created suffer through life without a dad just ‘cause I'm scared..."

Johnny nodded, understanding where JC was coming from. "JC," he started gently. "If any of this gets into the media and you go on with it, it's practically career suicide."

JC looked over to his friends who just followed the conversation wordlessly. He couldn't let the careers of four other guys suffer for his actions. They had gotten so far already. Their name was finally getting out. Their album went gold. They were, according to Johnny, almost at the end of the lawsuit and things were looking up. The new album plans were already even in the works. He couldn't let all that just go down the drain. He had to think about the guys, his friends. If he let their name fall to pieces they'd never forgive him, and quite frankly, he'd never forgive himself.

"JC?" Johnny asked again.

"What if the media doesn't find out?" he asked, hopeful. "Then that way *NSYNC could still be public but no one will ever know."

"JC, you're going to be deprived a lot of privacy as this group keeps getting more and more famous. Unless Allison absolutely agrees to keep this thing on the down-low and doesn't reveal to anyone in the business you're the father of this kid, I can't guarantee you guys that fans are going to think the same way as they did when you first came out with the first record."

"What does that mean?" Chris asked.

"It means that it's known that JC is going to have a kid with Allison," Justin explained. "*NSYNC is going to have to take a backseat in his life."

JC turned to face his friends. "Guys, I'd never let anything come in the way of us as a group or our chances as a group, and I promise you that I'm not going to let this jeopardize all that we've worked for, okay? I'll make it right..."

"JC, don't make a promise you can't keep man," Joey told him.

"I just don't want you guys to be mad at me more than I already know you are," he said softly.

Justin let out a sigh while Lance squirmed uncomfortably in his seat. 

"We're not completely mad at you JC..." Chris confessed. "We're more like disappointed, annoyed, let down, upset-"

"He gets it Chris," Johnny said firmly.

Rolling his eyes, the eldest member continued. "Point is Jace, we're not mad at you. We're upset over the circumstances by which the situation is playing out and we're mad at you for not being more responsible, but it's not like we're never going to forgive and block you out like you mean nothing to this group. We want to help. You're out best friend and if there's any way that we can support you through this, we will."

"We don't hate you C," Justin said softly.

"Thanks guys," JC nodded, smiling for the first time since the night before.

"JC, the most I can tell you right now is to go talk to Allison, and we can figure things out from there, alright?" Johnny instructed. "But I wouldn't consider this topic one you'd printed want on the cover of magazines, so keep all this as far away from the tabloids as possible. For now at least..."

JC nodded, standing.

"Can I uh, leave now?" he asked softly. "I want to go over there so she and I could talk things over. You know, the baby and publicity and all that."

Johnny nodded. "Go ahead guys," he said looking at the other members who now stood as well. He turned back to JC. "Good luck Jace. And well, uh... Congratulations?"

JC cringed. "Yea uh... Thanks, I guess." He mumbled. 

"C'mon C," Justin said, walking past him and pulling on his jacket out the door. "Let's get you to your baby mama,"

Chris chuckled. "There's a sentence I never thought I'd hear."

JC frowned. "It's not funny man!"

"I didn't say that it was!"

"What'd you even want us to call her C?" Lance asked. "What'd we supposed to refer to her as? The woman carrying your child? Or your ex girlfriend that left you for another guy but is now knocked up after a one night stand with you?"

Opening the door to exit the office and out to their car, JC shook his head. "What you refer to her as is the least of my problems right now," he muttered. "Call her what you will, but she's the mother of my baby... Not that I'm proud of it."

"You got the address she sent you?" Chris asked, getting into driver's seat as JC slid in next to him.

"Yea, right here," he replied, waving a piece of white paper in his hand. "Put it in the GPS,"

Following the directions from the female voice sounding throughout the car, the guys pulled up in front of a two story home that had a red convertible parked in the open garage.

All five guys peered out the windows curiously.

"She did good for herself," Lance noted.

"Either that or she's living off of some fucker," Chris muttered.

JC gulped, his body not able to gather up enough energy to get out of the car.

"Jace, you alright man?" Justin asked, putting a hand on JC's shoulder from the backseat.

JC nodded, still looking toward the white front door just few away from him. "Yea, I'm o-okay. I mean, everything from this point on is going to determine how my life is going to play out so I guess there's no point in being scared right?"

"Dude, that's the exact reason your ass should be scared!" Chris cried out.

Slapping Chris' arm, Joey spoke up. "You want us to go in with you or something C?"

JC shook his head. "Nah, I'm cool. Just uh, wait out here alright. I'll be in there for a few minutes, a half hour tops.  I just want to sort all this out with her so play with the GPS, prank call someone, sing, do anything but do not leave me here!"

"Yea, yea, we're right here," Chris said, turning off the engine and the rest of guys leaning back against the seats. "But we're hungry so we're going to lunch after this."

"If I live that long," JC muttered, opening the car door and getting out.

"Good luck Jace!"

He quickly made his way up the cemented drive way and knocked on the door. He stuffed his hands in the front pockets of his jeans and rocked back and forth on his heels while he waited for the door to be answered.

He heard a faint, ‘Who is it?' come from on the inside.

"JC," he called out weakly.

The door opened, and Allison stood in sweats, her hair in a slick ponytail as she held a bottle of water in one hand and the door handle in the other.

"Hey Jace,"

"Hi," he said softly.

"Come on in," she said, stepping away from the entrance.

He nodded.

She closed the door behind him and they stood there for a silent second before he spoke.

"H-How're you doing?" he stammered.

She shrugged, screwing the cap back onto the water bottle before answering. "I've been better. I didn't plan for my days to be spent either throwing up or having to restrict to myself to how many drinks I can have."

His eyes were wide. "You still drink!?"

She looked at him blankly.

"You can hurt our baby!"

She smiled at him, not because she was happy she could hurt the baby but because he had said ‘their' baby.

"I'll stop," she promised.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Is there somewhere we can sit down and talk about this whole thing?"

"Kitchen," she replied, signaling for him to follow her into the orange painted room. Gesturing for him to take a seat at the wooden breakfast table, she headed over to the counter to pick up a long but small box.

"What's that?" JC asked uncertainly, taking a seat.

She joined him at the table, taking a seat next to him. Opening the box, he watched intently as she pulled out a fairly thin white stick that reminded JC of what a thermometer looked like.

"This is the pregnancy test," she explained, placing the stick in front of him. "There're two lines on it, which proves I'm pregnant."

JC looked at the tool blankly, using a single finger to push it back to her.

"Have you seen a doctor yet?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No, not yet. I took the test a couple days ago."

He sighed. "I can't believe we're going through this."

She took his hand in hers and smiled. "We created a baby, aren't you happy?"

He pulled away from her. "No Allison, I'm not happy! Do you know how fucking messed up this whole thing is?"

She raised her eyebrows.

"Look, I didn't come over here to fight with you Allison," he continued. "I just came over here to take my fair share of the responsibility and for us to figure out how this is going to work out between us." He took a deep breath. "I'm willing to pay for child support or whatever you need but I do not want this getting out into the media."

"You're ashamed of this?" she pressed.

"Well it's not the first thing on my list of ‘Top Ten Things I'm Proud Of'!"

"Well, you tell me. What'd you want to do? Want me to take care of this?"

"Abortion!? God no!"

"Was just an idea, chill..."

"Okay look, let's get real here. With me being in *NSYNC, my focus is going to stray every once in a while but despite the way I feel about you, I want to let you know that I'm more than willing to pick up my slack in reference to the baby and I'll be more than happy to get you or buy anything he or she'll need."

"That's sweet JC, thank you."

"I want to be a part of his or her life, just not be public. I don't want my, your, or his/her face on the cover of those gossip magazines. It could really affect the group Allison, and I just can't let that happen."

She nodded. "Fine,"

He looked at her. Why was she agreeing with him so much without encouraging much argument like JC had known and expected her to do?

"Is there anything you need me to do Allison?" he asked gently. "Take you to the doctor, go get any types of foods you need or stuff like that? I'm kind of new at this..."

She laughed. "JC, I'm fine for now. If I need anything I will be sure to let you know but for now,-" she took his hand in hers once again. "-You and I are going to have a tie between us for the rest of our lives."

JC gulped, looking down at her still fairly flat stomach through the top she wore.

"I won't sell this story to anyone in the media, don't worry."

"Thank you," he mumbled, feeling her release his hand.

"So, we going to do this? The next seven months or so?"

He nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. "Discretely, yea. I'm not going to just leave you hanging here."

"Good," she nodded.

"Allison we're not going to have a relationship besides the fact we're having a kid together, you know that right?"

"Because you're still ‘oh so in love' with this girlfriend of yours?

He swallowed, looking away. "Actually yes, because I'm still in love with her even if she still hates me after finding out what you and I did that night."

"So I take it she is unaware of our present situation?"

JC nodded. "If you bring this up around anyone I'll never forgive you Allison." He warned. Even though there's a lot more things I still don't forgive you for.

She shrugged. "Fine, but when she finds out I'm pregnant, I don't think she's going to take you back sweatheart."

"Don't call me that," he told her, getting up from the table and running a hand through his hair. "You and I are nothing more than friends Allison. Besides this baby, there's nothing more we can ever be. And if you bring this up around anyone else, you'll regret it."

She folded her arms across her chest and nodded. "We'll see about that Chasez." She thought silently.

Sunday night- Liz & Emma's house

She sighed, resting the suitcase at the side of the door and taking a second to run a hand through her hair. She was home, finally. After packing her things and staying one more night in the city, she didn't bother to show up for work that Sunday morning. Instead, she spent the day as a free day in New York and by evening time, she managed to get a cab to take her to the airport and she called Lana. After much ‘thank you for the great opportunity', she made her choice to return home. That is, after learning her flight had been delayed so she had two hours free to spend in an airport walking around, munching on pretzels and fighting the urge to pick up her phone and call someone. Although, she didn't really have anyone to call...

Emma didn't know Liz left New York, and JC had never gotten back to her after missing her call so she figured he was avoiding her.

Closing the door, she wandered through the darkness to where she remembered the kitchen was but she tripped over what felt like cardboard boxes and landed face first on the wooden floor making a loud thud and letting out a scream.

"Shit," she muttered. She then looked up when she heard loud footsteps racing down the stairs and into the room. The slim figure held the cordless phone in one hand and a baseball bat in the other.

Both girls let out screams before Emma hurriedly flicked on the light switch, breathing heavily.

"What the fuck is going on?"Emma yelled, clutching the phone to her chest. She quickly recognized who the person sitting on the floor was and she noticed her boxes of napkins and paper plates were knocked over. "Liz?"

"Well hello to you to," Liz mumbled, rubbing her ankle then managing to stand up. "Why'd you keep those boxes there?"

Shaking her head, Emma pulled her friend in for a hug. "What're you doing here?" she asked, squeezing tightly and smiling as she felt Liz hug back.

Slowly pulling away, Liz shrugged. "I quit to project. I wanted to come home."

"Lizzie, what I said to you on the phone, that was just me PMSing or something, I don't know. But I'm really sorry for not listening to you and understanding that your relationship with Josh is your relationship and I shouldn't have meddled. I just thought that,-" She stopped momentarily to take a breath then continued. "-You guys were so perfect for each other I didn't want you to lose each other over this and I'm sorry for not having more patience when all you needed at that time was for me to be a friend and I didn't act like one. I didn't mean to hang up on you or anything like that I was just mad at, I don't know... I just, I'm sorry okay?"

Liz smiled, hugging her friend as she stopped talking.

"And I'm sorry for pulling you down into the misery zone with me when all you were trying to do was help me out in the first place."

"That's okay, don't worry. I know how hurt you must have been and I guess I made things sort of worse."

Liz shook her head. "You didn't, don't worry. You actually helped me realize that my life in New York sucked way more than it does here. At least here I can come home to people who cheer me up and I'm in my own house where I'm my own boss."

"So we're cool then?" Emma giggled.

"Forever and always," she grinned.

"Speaking of forever and always, did you talk to Josh at all?"

"I tried calling him," she admitted softly. "But he didn't pick up. I think he's ignoring me or something. I guess he really thinks I don't love him anymore."

"But you do love him?"

"Of course I do,"

"Then here," Emma said, handing her the phone she had been holding. "Call him,"

Sunday night (midnight)

"Hey man," Justin greeted his blue eyed friend, taking a seat next to him on the bed where JC held the laptop in his lap. "What'd you doing there?"

JC shrugged. "Googling some baby stuff," he mumbled, closing down the computer. "What's up?"

"Nothing, I couldn't sleep and saw your light on. Joey and Lance are playing cards outside so I think I'm going to go join them in a while. Want to come?"

JC shook his head, resting the laptop gently on the carpeted floor next to the bed. "I'm alright, thanks."

"Want to talk about anything?" Justin offered. "You know you can always talk to me C."

"Don't have sex when you're drunk." JC said, laughing lightly. "Abstinence is the way to go Timberlake!"

Justin laughed. "So Daddy C is actually going to be a daddy huh?"

JC sighed. "I guess," he mumbled.

"Have you told your family yet?"

"I'm waiting till I go back down to Maryland so I can talk to them face to face."

Justin nodded. Another question nagged him in the back of his mind but he held back. However, with JC knowing him since he was like, ten, he could tell when Justin tried avoiding asking or saying certain things.

"I haven't told her yet," JC confessed softly. "I'm scared shitless just thinking about what she's going to think of me."

"Lizzie?"

He nodded.

Justin sighed. "Yea, that part's going to be hard alright. I wish you the best of luck with that."

"Gee, thanks a lot J,"

Justin smiled. "I think it's time to put aside your feelings for each other Jace, and tell her what's really going on with all this so you don't keep her dangling on a string. Well, so that she doesn't keep you dangling on the ‘I don't know if I still love you' string. It's only fair to her."

"But what I have to say isn't what I want her to hear."

"That's just the way it is Jace. And you've got to tell her before someone else does."

"Someone like who?" JC questioned. Johnny won't tell her, you guys won't tell her. I warned Allison not to tell her."

"Just trust me JC. Liz is a smart girl. Keep this up and I'm telling you, she'll put A and B together and then you're going to be in deeper trouble than you can imagine."

"So what you're saying, is that I should probably call her and tell her that-"

"Not over the phone you moron!" Justin said obviously. "You don't tell the girl you love that you've knocked up your ex girlfriend over a phone call. If you do that, then you're just looking to get slapped."

JC chuckled. "I know, I know. If I call her, do you think she'll pick up?"

"Maybe," Justin shrugged. "She tried calling you yesterday when you went out like a light, so I would say call her. If she was calling, then that means she wanted to talk."

"Yea, you're right." JC sighed, then turned to look at the younger member. "I  thought I'm supposed to be the mature one."

Justin grinned. "You are, but you're sucking at the job right now so I got to step in."

JC nodded, reaching for his phone by the bedside table. "Thanks J,"

"No problem," Justin said, standing. "See you in the morning man. If you need to talk, we're in the living room."

"Sure thing dude,"

Closing the door behind him, Justin left the room, leaving JC alone on the bed with the phone in his hands.

Just as he were start punching in her number, the phone rang out with her name on the screen, startling him so much he almost hit ‘End Call'.

Swallowing quickly and calming himself quickly, he answered.

"Hello?"

She opened her mouth for a second but nothing came out. She hadn't really expected him to answer. "Hey Jace," she answered quietly, finding her voice.

He let out a big sigh. "Lizzie, hi,"

"Hi,"

"How are you?" he asked.

"I'm okay. I uh, tried calling you yesterday but you didn't pick up."

"Oh yea, I fell asleep early," he lied. "And my uh, battery died this morning. I was actually just going to call you but you beat me to it."

"Oh," she was surprised. "How come?"

He shrugged, leaning back against the headboard. "I wanted to talk to you..." he sighed. "I still miss you Lizzie."

She nodded. "I miss you too Josh," she said quietly.

"You do!?" he sat up.

"Of course I do..."

He sighed. "Liz I need to talk to you about something. It's really important."

"What is it?"

"I don't want to tell you over the phone so is there any way we can get together, you know, after you're done in New York?"

"I'm not in New York anymore Jace. I came home."

"Wait, what? When?"

"Tonight..."

"How come?"

"I wasn't happy there." She said simply.

"And you thought you'd be happy here?" he mumbled.

He heard her take a breath.  "Jace, what'd I think we need to talk about us. I don't want to do this anymore. I want to fix what's going on with us. It's not fair for either of us to go on like we are."

"You mean not talking one day, yelling at each other the next and stuck in between love and hate?"

"I don't hate you Joshua," she muttered.

"You don't love me either..."

What the fuck is he doing!? He's encouraging her to keep their relationship together when he's supposed to be keeping the conversation at the point where he needs to understand that she's never going to speak to him after she hears what he really has to say!

"I didn't say that either Josh,"

He sighed. "This is exactly what we can't keep doing Liz!"

"I'm trying not to give up on us Jace," she said softly. "Like you said I should."

"Baby, there's so much I need to talk to you about. You honestly have no idea."

"Then talk to me Josh." She urged. "Tell me what we have to do to get back to where we were before the two of us went ballistic in this relationship. I'm tired Jace, I really am."

"I'm sorry," he mumbled.

"When do you want to talk to me about whatever you have to talk to me about?"

He thought for a moment. Hearing her now, made his dread the time where he'd actually have to confront the situation in front of her, face to face.

"Jace?" she asked.

"Lizzie, I uh, my battery's dying again." He lied. "I'll talk to you tomorrow, alright?"

"Okay,"

"Hey babe?"

"Yes Josh?" she sighed, still not understanding why he kept calling her that.

"Thank you for calling,"

She nodded. "Night Jace,"

Before saying anymore, he ended the call and turned off the phone. She was finally making some progress toward him and little did she know that this was as far as they would probably get.

Ignoring the ache in his chest and the single tear he felt trickle down his cheek, he snatched up a paper and a pen and started writing.

Lizzie,

                I just want to start off saying that you have no idea how much I love you. Baby, I'd walk through hell and back for you, even if at times I didn't express it like I should have. All this started when we had that fight about you going to New York where I was in the wrong, I know, and then I just made it worse. I'll never be able to tell you or prove to you how sorry I am, so I understand if you still don't completely forgive me for any of it. Liz, I still love you, I don't think I'm ever going to stop but I know you're not going to feel the same after I tell you what I needed to talk to you about.

Okay, here goes.

Lizzie, something happened with me and Allison after we slept together that one night. Before I continue, baby I want to let you know that writing this is the hardest thing I've ever had to do in a long, long time. I couldn't bear to say this to your face. I couldn't bear to see the tears in your eyes and know in my head, ‘Yea, I did that'. I can't do it Liz. I love you too much than to put you through more than I already have.

What I needed to talk to you about, well, there's no easy or discrete way for me to say it. Alright, uh... Allison's pregnant, Lizzie. I know after reading that sentence, you probably just want nothing to do with me. I get that. I understand that. She called and told me when I was still in New York, the night I saw you but I didn't find out till after. A baby... HA... Who would have thought right? Lizzie, as much as I wanted to talk to you about this in person, I just couldn't. I don't think I could have been able to say what I'm writing here in front of you. Pathetic? Yea, I probably am.

No one besides the guys, Johnny and you know what's going on Lizzie. I'm trying to keep this away from the media. But on a more personal note, I'm sorry Liz. I really am. This is one mistake I can't just push away or avoid the rest of my life so I can't do anything but stick with it. Allison and I aren't a couple if that's what you're thinking, but I guess that as of right now you and I aren't much of a couple either.

I miss you Lizzie, and you got to know how much you mean to me. If I could go back a reverse everything that's been going on, I so would. I'd redo everything in a heartbeat.

There's nothing more I can say to you Liz besides the same thing I've been saying every time you and I have had a conversation. I'm sorry Lizzie, for all of this. I don't want you to be a part of any of this so I won't say any more.

 I love you Lizzie, just know that. Thank you for all that you've been through with me and if you want to kill me right about now, I wouldn't blame you. Through all of this darkness, the lawsuit, the record, you moving away and then Allison getting pregnant, our relationship has probably been the brightest thing in my life and as much as I don't want to see our chances fade to black, I love you enough not to let you stand by me, not that I expect you too.

Bye Lizzie... Thank you and I'm Sorry...

Love always,

                Josh

--

Folding the letter back into its original element, Liz wondered why the tears weren't falling. Why she didn't want to go over to his house and beat the shit out of his with his guitar and tear up all his prized Hard Rock Café menus. She didn't feel the anger. She didn't feel the pain. She just wanted to stay put under her comforter and listen to the thunderstorm going on outside her window. She didn't want to talk, she didn't want to cry. She didn't want to smile, but she didn't want to sigh either. Truth be told, she still wanted him in her life. He had gotten the chick she caught him in bed with while they were still together pregnant and yet, she still wanted to feel his arms around her. Why? She wasn't sure. Well actually she did, but in the letter he seemed to pretty much answer to question ‘Should I forgive him' for her. He didn't necessarily give her the chance to call him or write him back so that she could express how she truly felt. And how she truly felt, she'd never understand.

As far as she knew, she still loved him. And the worst part out of all of it, she didn't want to.

JC stared at the window, the radio next to his bed playing above the thunder than rolled on, loud enough to make Chris yelp whenever it sounded. Silently, he looked back at just one hour earlier in the day. After managing to get the car away from the guys without making them suspicious, he said he was going to the CD store to get some new cases. Instead, he went over to Liz's house, envelope in hand. He had taped the letter to her front door and rang the bell. By the time he was sure he heard footsteps, he ran around to the side of the house. (Note that the rain was pouring down by this time and JC was shaking with the fear of being struck by the lightening.)

Now, an hour (and one lie about the store being closed) later, he lay on his side under the blanket in his bed listening to the rain pound down on the roof. He sighed.

Imagining her reading what he had written was enough to bring tears to his eyes. He was well aware that the second he ran that doorbell, it would be the end of his relationship with the one woman he could have seen himself having a future with. He was convinced that she'd never want to speak to him again after this. Seriously, who would?

He was slowly drifting off into sleep but vibrations that rippled through the sheets interrupted him. Felling around under the covers for his phone, he got to it in time before the vibrations stopped. Seeing that there was an incoming call from an unknown number, he ignored it. A minute later, he received a text message from the unknown number.

Joshua

Frowning, he replied. -Who is this?

I don't hate you Josh. I hate what you've done... But I don't hate you.

Now he knew.

-You finished read the letter, didn't you?

Yea, I did.

-I'm sorry Liz. I am. I can't say it enough.

So this is it? You want me to just move on and forget like we ever had something between us?

-I figured it would be what you wanted...

Do you think it is?

-I love you enough not to bring you into this mess I call my life.

And I love you enough to let you know I'm still here for you Josh. I don't want to be, believe me, but I am.

-I love you Liz.

Best of luck with everything Joshua... I hope everything works out for you.

-Thank you Lizzie. I promise you one thing though... I've never loved anyone like I've loved you. I'm still not giving up on us. Even if we never will be...

She sniffled, finally feeling the tears. Bye Josh...

And with that, they ended the conversation. But what's worse, is that they probably ended the best thing either of them had ever had in their lives.

It had been approximately three weeks since JC had last spoken to Liz, not that either of them had tried calling each other. As far as JC knew, Liz was fine and back to her average Orlando routines or she could be miserable and just at home taking time off. Either way, she didn't make any efforts to contact him and he had been too busy to do any differently.

*NSYNC had finally started recording ‘Bye Bye Bye' which the guys decided would be their single for the next album which all five of them started contributing ideas to. They had already done a few tracks ut because of court appearances and some more business with the boys' finances. Whenever they would set an approximate date for the album to be finished, something legal would pop up, leaving the label and *NSYNC to keep postponing the album release. This was the disliking to many fans but they could do no more than reassure everyone that they'd get the music out there, despite the legal issues.

On a more personal level, JC's relationship with Allison wasn't exactly as bad as he would have expected it to be. They actually got along, and the public was clueless of what was really going on in JC's personal life thanks to all the court hearings and Lou Pearlman statements about the guys.

The guys had all been supportive and Johnny had been understanding. Liz and Emma, well, hadn't heard from them and needless to say, his family knew not of what JC had on his plate. When he wasn't in the studio, in court or at home, JC could usually be found at Allison's house. The two of them started talking a lot more civil now, and JC was actually a teensy little bit excited that they were pregnant. Sure it wasn't the ideal situation, but he had to make the best of it right? She didn't necessarily have him running around the state getting her every little thing she needed, but he did make himself available whenever she called and got her whatever she asked. And tonight was no different...

"Jace, you're phone is ringing again," Chris said, holding the noisy cell up against the glass for JC to see through the recording area. With a sigh, he took off the large headphones he wore and came back out for the second time in twenty minutes.

"Hello?" he answered, taking a seat next to Justin who was sipping on Gatorade on the leather couch.

"Jaaaccceee," a whiny voice sounded through the phone. Justin rolled his eyes, already knowing who was calling.

Rubbing the back of his neck, he sighed. "What's up Allie?"

"I need crackers," she pouted. "I don't have any here. I ate them all last week!"

"Do you need them right this instant?" he asked quietly. "I'm at the studio."

"You're always at the studio!" she groaned. "And I'm here throwing up every two seconds and all I'm asking for is some crackers to keep my guts inside of my body and not out. Is that too much to ask?"

Her voice had gotten louder and JC looked at his watch, then to his tired band mates and to Johnny. With an understanding nod, Johnny signaled a ‘Go ahead' gesture toward JC with his hand. Smiling thankfully and apologetically, JC got up.

"I'll be there in ten Allison. What kind of crackers do you want?"

"Ginger," she replied happily. "Thanks Jace!"

"Yea, yea," he closed the phone and stuffed it back into his pocket.

"I'm sorry guys, I got to go." He frowned. "I'll be back in twenty, I promise."

"Don't worry Jace," Johnny assured him. "We were about done here anyways."

"Well, Chris you want to come with me?" he looked at the younger member sitting, playing with the equipment.

"Uh, Allison throwing up and you feeding her crackers when I could be here poking fun at Joey's voice on these machines, I think I'll pass." Chris replied.

"At least when I sing, people don't think I'm a really high pitched girl!" Joey shot back defensively.

Shaking his head, JC turned to Justin who still sat on the couch. "What about you Curly? Want to come with me?"

Scrunching his nose, Justin looked at him. "Do I have to clean up any of her vomit?"

"No J," JC responded, obviously.

"Then okay,"

"We'll be back to pick you guys up in a while," JC said to the other members, then turned back to their bald headed manager. "Thanks Johnny."

"You got it C," he nodded.

**

Grabbing the keys and moving out the door, the two guys settled into the car and headed to the nearest grocery store in the area. After what seemed like an hour to Justin, but what was really ten minutes, JC finally decided on a brand of crackers to get. They were about to go cash but he noticed a special on organic foods. With a grin, he walked over to the shelf where there were a special for different yogurts, ice creams and even a few bottles of baby food.

"JC, don't you think it's kind of early in the pregnancy to buy all this?" Justin pointed out, watching JC load up a cart.

He shrugged. "She has to be healthy. Organic is obviously the way to go."

Justin rolled his eyes. "Well if you're buying all this, then get a couple of these too." He threw in a box of Frosted Flakes and a couple packs of cookies.

"What're those for?"

"The cereal is for me so that when Lance and Joey eat out one box, still have another box remaining. The cookies, well, I'm just hungry."

"Fine," JC muttered, pushing the cart toward a cash register. After paying and stocking the backseat with the plastic bags, JC drove them to Allison's house. Only a few lights were on: the dining room and a couple rooms upstairs.

"Here," JC said, handing Justin a key.

"What's this?"

"The key to her front door," JC answered. "Take a couple bags and the kitchen is just left when you enter. I'll get the rest of bags but first I want to just wipe some of this dirt off the side of the windshield that the wipers never get to. They've been bugging me since I've been driving."

Justin rolled his eyes, getting out of the car, "You're so anal."

"Just go. I'm right behind you."

Justin sighed and grabbed a couple bags in his hands and made his way up to the porch. Using the key to open the door, he left it open and made his way through the dim lit room. He heard a voice chatting away on the phone but it wasn't in the direction he was going in. Turning to the left, he found the kitchen and wandered around in the dark area for a second before feeling around for the counter. He set down the bags and heard the voice get louder, but not nearer. Ensuring that the bags were set sturdily on the surface, he decided to wander about for a bit and follow to where the female voice was coming from.

He entered what was obviously the living room, where the light was dimmed and he recognized Allison sitting. Her forehead rested in her left palm while her right hand held up a phone to her ear.

She had yet to realize Justin stood watching her, so he just remained there under the door frame, listening to her conversation. He was close enough to hear every word she spoke.

"No Keith, he doesn't know," she mumbled into the phone. "So what?... Yea, well, he can take care of me a lot more than you can... Listen man, I'm doing you a favor here buddy... We agreed, I don't tell, you don't tell... He'll never know if it's not his baby Keith!... Yea, well if JC had a fucking brain he'd have counted back to the day we had sex and how far along I am..." she giggled. "No, I just told him I'm around six weeks... Yea, well, I don't care. I'll send you pictures if it helps..." She sighed. "Look, I got to go. He's supposed to be here any minute now.  Okay, yea. Love you too. I'll call you back when he leaves. Alright, bye."

She set the phone down and sighed, running a hand through her hair and picking up the glass of red wine on the ground and taking a sip. She almost choked though, when she turned around and realized Justin was standing there, his face red, breathing heavy and fists clenched.

"How long have you been fucking standing there Justin?" she asked dryly.

"I can't believe you," he said softly, shaking his head.

"What're you talking about? You heard nothing,"

He felt his blood boil and infuriation raced through the veins in his body. "You know, I always swore I'd never hit a woman but if you weren't pregnant with an innocent child right now I swear I'd know the smirk right off that Botox face of yours!"

"Justin, just don't-"

They were interrupted when JC came into the room, holding the pack of crackers.

"Here," he said, walking over and handing them to her. "Ginger, just like you asked."

"Thanks Jace," she muttered.

"What's that?" JC asked with raised eyebrows, eyeing the wine glass in her hand.

"Oh, nothing." She set it down on the coffee table.

"You're hurting yourself and the baby Allison! Stop the damn drinking!"

"Alright JC, jeez..."

Justin snorted, his fists still clenched and he was practically shaking with anger.

"What's going on here?" JC asked, noticing the expression how his friend was behaving.

Allison looked up at the blonde boy and raised her eyebrows. "Nothing, right Justin?"

"If you think I'm keeping something like this from my best friend then you've got another thing coming little girl," Justin said through gritted teeth.

"What're you talking about?" JC asked, clueless. "What're you not keeping from me?"

"JC don't listen to-" Allison started but was quickly cut off.

"This bitch has been fucking playing you the whole damn time!" He exploded.

JC and Allison both stared at him, startled.

"J, what're you talking about?"

"I'm talking about this fucking two timing, lying, slut has been  playing with your head since she told you she was pregnant! It's not even your fucking baby JC!"  Justin yelled.

JC turned to look at Allison.

"What is he talking about?" he asked her calmly.

She looked away, avoiding eye contact.

"Yea, tell him everything Allison! Tell him how you're just playing him so that he could take care of you and this kid that you've made him believe is his when it's really some other guy's. Tell him all of it."

"U-u-uh," she stuttered, looking away from JC.

"Look at me!" he commanded, grabbing her by the shoulders. He scanned her eyes. "Allison," he whispered. "Is this, or is this not my baby?"

JC opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out.

"Answer him Allison!" Justin encouraged roughly.

JC kept his hold on her shoulders, staring straight into her brown eyes. "Tell me the truth," he pleaded.

She let a tear fall as she shook her head. "No JC, it's not." She said. Her voice was barely audible.

Now it was his turn for his eyes to water. He stepped back slowly.

"So you've been stringing me around for nothing?"

She didn't know how to respond.

"You made me think I got you pregnant? You made me give up everything stable in my life just to support you because this other guys can't?"

Again, he received no response.

"I can't believe this," he whispered, shaking his head. "I can't believe you!" he shouted.

"JC I can-"

He held up a hand to stop her. "Stop, just stop it, okay? I don't want to hear it. I'm out of here!"

"JC hold on!" She grabbed his shirt but he pushed her away.

"You know," he fumed, stepping closer to her. "I'm actually sorry that I'm not the real dad for this baby because at least that way this kid would have had at least one proper parent. You're a joke Allison. Get close to me again, and I will personally ensure that we have no contact ever again."

"Jace," she whispered.

"Fuck you," he spat. "There're more groceries in the kitchen. Keep them. But that's all you're getting from me."

And with that, he shot her one last glare and stormed past Justin and slammed the door.

She watched as he left. Her eyes were wide and her jaw was still on the floor. She then turned to Justin, who had remained fairly quiet after his outburst.

"I can't believe you did this to him," he sneered. "Letting him go all that time ago was the biggest fucking mistake you made Allison. Now you've got another mistake to deal with, but don't you dare bring JC into this."

And with that, Justin kicked away one of the bags JC had dropped in the doorway and left.

Running toward the car and jumping into the passenger seat, he looked at JC, whose head and hands rested and clutched the steering wheel.

"C?"

JC lifted his head, tears streaming down his face but he wiped them away as he stuck the keys in the ignition and they heard the engine come to life.

"I'm really sorry JC," Justin comforted his friend.

JC just shook his head. "It's cool. It's done, it's over with, and I don't have to worry about it anymore."

"She played you Jace,"

"And I'll always hate her for it."

"Don't blame yourself for falling for it JC. You had no idea."

"Let's just get back to the studio, alright?" JC stated, pressing on the gas pedal.

Justin nodded. "Okay."

**

"Hey guys," Justin greeted Joey, Chris, Lance, and Johnny glumly as he entered this studio.

"What's up Baby J?" Chris asked. "Why so down?"

"Hey, where's JC?" Joey noticed.

 "He's out in the car."Justin answered.

"What's going on?" Lance asked.

"Is he okay?" Johnny asked, concerned.

Justin sighed. "We found out something when we went over to give Allison her crackers. And uh, let's just say it was pretty bad news."

"Oh man," Lance started. "Did something happen to her? To the baby?"

Justin shook his head. "The baby's fine... Except, it isn't his..."

Johnny's eyes bulged out of his head, as he leaned forward in his chair.

"Come again?"

"The baby isn't his. It's some other guy's." Justin explained. "She's been playing him the whole fucking time."

"That little bitch!" Chris growled.

"I know right," Justin nodded.

"How's he doing?" Joey asked.

"He's pretty upset..."

"Well, at least that's out of his life now. He doesn't have to worry about it now. He can be a normal guy again. Not having to hide this. Things can go back to normal for him."

Justin shrugged. "Yea, I guess." He mumbled.

"We'll talk about this tomorrow," Johnny stated. "JC just probably wants to get home now. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

The members nodded and waved, exiting the studio and walking slowly back to the car.

JC sat up, his head leaned back against the seat as his hands were outstretched holding onto the wheel.

"Hey Jace," Lance greeted his friend, sliding into the back seat.

"We heard," Chris said gently.

JC nodded. "It's not a big deal anymore. It's not my concern now."

His friends patted his shoulder.

"So you're okay?" Joey asked.

JC shrugged. "I've been better but you know... Whatever..."

They nodded and strapped on their seatbelts. After starting up the engine again, JC turned to face them.

"Do you guys mind if I make a quick stop on the way home?" he asked softly.

The other members looked at him blankly.

"What for?" Justin asked.

Easing onto the road, JC replied.

"There's someone I need to see."

JC shook his head, pulling over to the side of the road. "I've already wasted so much time with Allison and the baby on my mind. I don't want to give her any more reason why we can't make this work."

"Just say what you got to say quickly so I can go home and get some food," Joey whined.

"Just a few more minutes, guys, okay? The kitchen and living room light is on, but Emma's car is not in the driveway so that means Liz is probably there by herself," JC observed, looking toward the house.

"The way you said that makes you sound like a stalker or something," Lance joked.

"Just go in there before she looks outside and calls the police about weird guys in a car parked outside her house," Chris said.

Taking a deep breath, JC left the car and walked up to the front door. Ringing on the doorbell twice, he finally heard some hurried footsteps near the door.

The door flew open and Liz stood in the doorway, some of her hair out of the ponytail and an apron was strapped around her waist. She was slightly panting, and her eyebrows crinkled when she saw him.

"Josh?"

He smiled a little. "Hi?"

"What're you doing here?" she asked, frowning.

"I came over to talk to you. I-" He was stopped when she groaned, looking over her shoulder then back at him. "What's wrong?"

"I think I have something burning in the oven," she muttered. "Look uh, just come on in."

She hurried away from the foyer, leaving JC to close the door. He followed quickly behind and watched as she grabbed a pair of oven mitts and pulled a silver tray out of the oven. On it looked like flat, dark, crumbled pieces of charcoal.

"Shit," she muttered.

"You okay there?" JC asked.

After emptying the contents into the garbage can next to the counter, she slammed the tray into the sink, opening the tap. "I tried to bake cookies, and I left them in for too long." She muttered.

"I'm sorry,"

She shrugged and then turned to look at him. "Why uh-" She cleared her throat. "Why are you here?"

"I needed to talk to you about something important." He replied.

"I think you said all that you needed to say in that letter Josh," she turned her attention back to the tray in the sink.

He shook his head. "I thought I did, but I didn't. Please, I won't take up too much of your time. If you want me to leave, I'll go, but can I just need to tell you one more thing?"

 "If it's about that girl and you having a baby with her and you still wanting to be with me then I don't want to hear it Josh." She shook her head.

He walked over to her and took her hands, placing them against his chest and kissing them.

"But that's just the thing Lizzie. It's not mine,"

"What's not yours?"

"It's not my baby," he told her softly.

Her head shot up to look at him.

"What?" she whispered.

"She lied to me." JC admitted.

He felt Liz go weak by the way her hands almost slipped out of his grip.

"Are you serious?"

He nodded, smiling. "Yea I am. I don't have to worry about it anymore Lizzie, she lied to me. I'm done with her, I swear."

She frowned. "A-Are you sure that you're not the father Josh?"

"I'm positive," he nodded. "Lizzie, if anything I was just her fucking boy toy. All she wanted from me was the fact that I could take care of her and that she could just live off of me. I didn't mean anything to her. And she doesn't mean anything to me."

The corners of Liz's mouth twitched, but then turned back to its original frown.  She cleared her throat, pulling away.

"What does this mean Jace? You telling me all this... What'd you want me to say, huh?"

He stepped closer to her. "I don't want you to say anything," he told her. "I just want to try something."

She crossed her arms.

"If you can tell me," he started. "That you feel absolutely nothing for me after this, then I'll leave you alone and I'll just stop with everything and just accept that you don't want me back."

"After what J-"

She was cut off when she felt his hands cup her face gently and he pressed his lips softly against hers.

She could have sworn time stopped at the moment, and she found herself kissing him back. That warm, tingly feeling returned after all those weeks she hadn't been able to feel his body against hers, even if they were just kissing.

She closed her eyes, opening her mouth slightly allowing their tongues to dance together in lust. Her hands slid to rest around his waist and neither of them would have pulled away if it weren't for the fact that their lungs burned for air. Slowly parting and breathing heavily from the impact of the kiss, JC rested his forehead against hers. Her eyes were still closed.

"Don't tell me it isn't still there Lizzie," he whispered, swiping his thumb over her cheek. "Please, don't tell me you can't help but feel something when I do that."

She slowly opened her eyes, looking up at him. "C-Can you j-just do that again?" she stuttered.

Without hesitation, he backed her up against the wall next to the fridge and moved one hand down to her waist. With the oven mitts being long gone, her hands dove into his hair, her nails scraping gently at his scalp.

Mouth on mouth, they shared a more wet, open kiss so passionate from the weeks they were deprived that they both thought the other was going to swallow them whole. With Liz's back pressed up against the wall, he wedged a knee between hers and she moaned softly. Again, if it weren't for the human respiratory system requiring oxygen, they didn't think they were ever going to stop.

Forehead to forehead, JC planted a final peck upon her mouth.

"Jace..." she said softly, her voice trailing off as her hands left his hair and rested on his shoulders.

"You going to answer my question or should I forget we did this and just leave?" he asked, not sure whether to pull away or stay where they were.

She smoothed her hands over his chest then brought them back to her sides as he took a very small step back. She giggled lightly to herself as she ran a hand through her hair and looked into his eyes.

"What?"  He asked uncertainly.

Shaking her head, she answered him. "I love you Josh," she stated. "If I said I didn't then I'd be telling the biggest lie I've ever told in my entire life. I don't know why or how I do, but I just know that I do for some reason. I can't help but feel something for you, and this, this thing between us."

He looked at her. "You didn't stop did you? After all that went on, you didn't stop."

 "Of course I didn't." she admitted quietly. "Even when I wanted to, I just couldn't and I drove myself crazy all those times before trying to convince myself that you and I just can't work but the truth is, Josh, for some reason I just love you more than I've ever loved anyone before." Her voice broke at the end but there were no tears.

 "I drive myself crazy wanting you the way that I do," he sang to her with a grin.

She giggled, rubbing her forehead. "Don't make me smile Chasez, I'm not supposed to be mad at you."

"But you're not...?"

She shrugged. "I wasn't really made Jace. I mean don't get me wrong, I hated you at one point in time. Maybe I still do, I don't know. But I'm not particularly angry. Just more hurt than anything else."

"I didn't mean for this to happen the way that it did,"

"I know that. Or at least, I know that now..."

Smiling softly, JC pulled her towards him and she locked her arms around his neck as he hugged her around the waist. "I missed you Lizzie," he told her quietly, burying his face in her neck. "I missed us being like this,"

She nodded, resting her head on his shoulder. "I missed you too,"

"Can I just say ‘I'm sorry' one more time?" he asked with a light chuckle in his voice. "One more time?"

She nodded.

He took her hands and placed them together in his. "Liz, I'm truly sorry for putting you through what I did and I promise you baby, if you just let me prove how much you mean to me and how much I love you and how much I want us to work, I won't ever hurt you again."

She smiled softly, her throat burning from holding back, for the first time in more or less two months, happy tears.

"It probably sounds really pathetic begging like this but-"

"Are you asking me to take you back?" she interrupted.

He nodded. "Please?"

She placed a soft kiss on his bottom lip and cupped one side of his face with the palm of her hand.

"You can't ask back for what you never lost Josh," she smiled.

He heaved a sigh of relief, enveloping her in a tightly. "Thank you," he said, his voice muffled by her shoulder.

She nodded against his chest. "Just don't hurt me again Josh," she pleaded softly. "I don't think I'd be able to go through this another time around. I don't think I could take it."

"There won't be another time baby," he promised, kissing the top of her head. "I won't hurt you. We're going to work this time and I'm going to make up for everything. I mean it. Things are going to be different."

"Then okay," She smiled up at him - brown eyes clashing with the blue - but they were interrupted when the sounds of running footsteps suddenly thudded on the wooden floors.

"Can't you hold it!?" Justin's voice rang out.

"Not any longer!" Chris yelled, slamming a door.

JC frowned, turning around his head. Liz took his hand and they quickly walked out of the kitchen and stood next to the doorframe leading to the living room when they saw Justin standing outside the bathroom door in the hall. His hands were on his hips as he tried to catch his breath.

"Uh, Justin?" JC waved to him. "I thought I told you to wait out in the car."

"Chris said he had to use the bathroom so I told him to hold it," he began, taking a breath as he walked up to them. "Then, he got out of the car and threatened to take a leak on the lawn and when I tried to stop him he ran inside here and into the bathroom and well, yea he's in the bathroom."

They heard the toilet flush and the door opened. Chris walked out, a relaxed smile on his face.

"Now that's what I call good urinating." He stated.

"Chris!" JC exclaimed. "You can't just barge into someone's house and use their bathroom without even seeing the person or asking first! It's rude!"

Liz chuckled, shaking her head. "It's okay Jace," she said, then turned back to face Chris. "Don't worry about it. You guys are more than welcome to use the bathroom here whenever you're in the area."

Chris grinned. "See, she didn't mind." Justin just rolled his eyes in response.

"Still," JC said looking at Liz. "Sorry about that. Guess he didn't ‘urinate' while he was in the studio."

"Like I said, don't worry about it."

They smiled while Justin and Chris looked on.

"So you guys are civil now?" Justin asked.

JC nodded, pulling her close to him by the waist and kissing the side of her head.

"Wait, you took him back?!" Emma's voice sounded from behind them. Lance and Joey stood behind her. She had her hands on her hips.

JC and Liz looked at each other and crinkled their eyebrows.

"How is that the seven of us somehow always end up in the same place when it's just supposed to be me and you?" Liz inquired.

JC chuckled, shrugging his shoulders. Lance closed the door while Emma took a few steps forward. She tapped her foot impatiently eyeing the way JC's arm was snaked around Liz's waist.

"Well?" she asked.

"Well, what?" JC asked.

"Don't play smartass on us," Joey said, waving a finger at the couple. "We just want to know if she took you back."

JC looked at Liz and raised his eyebrows. She smirked and turned back to Joey to answer his question.

"What does this tell you?" She placed her hands flat against JC's chest and pushed him against the wall hard enough rattle a couple frames. She pressed her lips to his, fighting a smile when they both heard a couple gasps and she knew there were grins behind her. JC, completely taken off guard, didn't waste any time using his arms to wrap around her and pull her closer to him.

"Okay, we get it!" Chris cried out. "Get off her already!"

Liz giggled, prying JC's hands off her hips as he turned a faint color of pink.

"Did that answer your question Joe?" Emma smiled, patting the red headed member on the back.

Joey nodded. "It sure did,"

"So what now?" Emma asked, looking around. "Why're we all standing around here?"

Liz and JC looked at each other and shrugged.

"I just came over to talk to Liz and then leave," JC started.

"But you're here already," Liz smiled. "Did you come straight from the studio or something?"

"Yea, something like that," JC smiled.

"Aren't you hungry?"

"I am," Justin spoke up. "JC made us come straight here when we should have gone home and eat."

"Hey!" JC said defensively. "I bought you cereal and cookies so don't talk!"

Justin scowled but Emma looped her arm around his and Chris' and walked them led them into the kitchen. "C'mon boys," she said with a smile. "Let's get you something to eat,"

Lance and Joey followed them in with big grins. The loved it when Emma ‘spoiled' them.

JC and Liz turned back to each other.

"So uh," Liz started. "Food now?"

JC shook his head. "I'm really not hungry."

"Yes you are, I can tell."

He shrugged. "I'm satisfied with what I got right here."

She giggled. "C'mon, I'll fix you something. Em's probably got something in the microwave already."

She turned to lead them into the kitchen but JC pulled on her wrist to stop her. "Wait,"

She looked at him.  "What?"

"I love you." He said softly. "And thank you."

She smiled. "You too Jace... But stop thanking me, okay? If we're going to go through with us being together again, I don't want us to ruin it with reminders of what happened in the past."

He nodded. "Alright,"

"JC," Lance's head popped out from the inner side of the doorframe. "Emma wants to know if you want one burger or two."

"One each?" JC asked, looking at Liz.

"Yea, okay." She agreed.

"Two, please."

Lance nodded and disappeared back into the room.

He realized she was staring at his neck with s soft smile on her face.

"What?" he asked confused. "Is my t shirt inside out or something?"

She shook her head and brought her hand up to his chest. She took the stone pendant that rested on the brown string against his chest between her thumb and index finger.

"You kept it?" She asked. "After all this?"

He looked down at the necklace then back at her. "Of course I did. I mean, I did take it off for a photo shoot but that was only for a couple hours."

"Why'd you put it back on?

"I didn't feel complete without it." He said simply. "It was the closest thing I had to keeping you near my heart and well, you gave it to me. I wasn't going to just forget about on my dresser for it to collect dust."

She grinned. "You're sweet Josh."

"I know," He smiled.

She rolled her eyes. "Dork,"

"But I'm your dork." He looked her in the eye and spoke genuinely. "And only yours."

*NSYNC sat side by side, silently biting their nails and bouncing their legs as they awaited Johnny's return from inside the courtroom. They were still in their suits and it had been twenty minutes since they were ushered out. It was their final day, or so they were told, inside a courthouse. It was the last day for their case to be heard and it was the day in which they would finally hear the outcome of their several month long lawsuit with Lou. Whether or not they would put out their new album that had been postponed so many times would finally be decided, along with what label they'd release it under and more importantly, whether the *NSYNC name would stay alive among the five members.

"What if-" Justin began but Chris interrupted him.

"Don't say it."

"But if we-"

"It won't happen."

"But Chris, we-"

"Justin would you relax!" Chris cried out, exasperated. "God!"

His sudden loud voice got back the attention of all the members.

"We're all nervous here Chris," JC said softly. "You're not the only one."

"But with Justin questioning all the negatives isn't helping!" he snapped.

"Sorry," the youngest member mumbled.

"Chris you can't ignore what could happen here." Lance said. "I mean, whether or not the decision is for or against us, the five of us are always going to be *NSYNC. No judge or Lou can change that."

"But if Lou wins then..." Joey's voice trailed off.

"Then..." JC continued slowly. "Then it was a good ride while it lasted. We're brothers, the five of us. And whichever way this suit goes, we got each other and we got our fans. Nothing's ever going to beat that."

Justin, Joey, Chris and Lance nodded in agreement as all five members looked at each other with small smiles on their faces.

"I just don't want things with *NSYNC to go down this way," Chris murmured. "If we lose, that is."

"If we go down," Joey started. "We go down together..."

Justin opened his mouth to say something but he stopped when their attention was drawn to the echo of a loud door slamming. Lou stormed out, blocking his face and muttering curse words when five or six news reporters rushed up to him with their cameras and voice recorders from where they stood about twenty feet away. His female lawyer followed out the door, head high and face stern. She didn't look happy, and she simply kept walking when the cameras tried blocking her path. *NSYNC looked on, standing slowly from their sitting positions on the brown leather chairs and felt the nervousness build up in the pit of their stomach. Lou hadn't bothered to look over at them, neither did his lawyer who was now out of their sight and the news reporters were being ushered out by security.

"What'd you think happened in there?" Lance asked.

"I don't know," Chris started. "But it looks like-"

"Don't assume anything," JC warned. "It could be-"

"Hey!" a voice rang out. The sound of a loud slam of a door echoed with the voice.

The guys turned to their right to see where the voice came from. Johnny stood in front of the large dark brown door, a few envelopes in his hand.

He walked up to the guys, whose palms had started sweating by now. He kept a smile on his face.

"W-What happened in there?" Justin questioned. "What's the outcome?"

Johnny just looked at the five expressionless faces staring back at him.

"We can take it Johnny." JC exhaled softly.

Johnny shrugged. "What would you say if it told you that *NSYNC's going to be releasing their new album early next year?"

Their eyes widened.

"We won boys. Congratulations," Johnny smiled. "No more Lou, no more working for free and no more strings attached. We're finally at the end, or should I say, the beginning..."

The guys couldn't control their excitement before they were jumping around and high fiving and hugging each other as though they had all won the lottery. They even pulled Johnny in for a hug and the noises they made attracted the attention of a few people walking through the long halls who just smiled at them.

Johnny laughed, hugging them back and giving them proud pats on their backs.

"What now?" Joey grinned. "Where do we go from here?"

"Well now, we can legally sign with Jive, we can release ‘Bye Bye Bye', you can say hello to your new manager-" He stopped momentarily and point at himself and grin. "-We can finish the tracks for the sophomore album and finally, you guys can get paid." He handed them each a yellow envelope and they guys took it with shaky but eager hands.

They looked at each other and then at Johnny who encouraged them to open it. "You all get paid the same amount. Be free and have fun with it. It's well deserved."

Their eyes opened wide, and they all gasped softly when they read the digits on the white piece of paper.

"Is this for real?" Justin asked, lightly laughing. "This is what he's been keeping away from us?"

Johnny shrugged. "You earned it not. They've already been deposited into your bank accounts. These are just the agreements the court made up. Big change from that twenty thousand you were getting, right?"

Chris laughed. "I'll say! I mean, from twenty thousand to eight and a half million bucks!?"

"And we each have the same amount?" JC asked. "This is all ours?"

Johnny nodded. "It's all yours. All your work's pay... The seven million album sales, to the specials and appearances you guys did, the tours and merchandising, it's all yours to enjoy and do as you please."

"Damn!" JC stated shaking his head.

"Mercedes here I come." Justin grinned.

"And now you five don't have to stay at the house anymore," Johnny pointed out. "You can all get your own places, but recording for the album remains in Orlando if you don't count the promotional travelling."

"When do we get into the Jive studio?" Lance asked.

"You have two weeks till I officially lock you in studio," their manager joked. "You don't come out until the tracks for the album are set and we can put out a release date."

"And then..." Justin pushed.

"Then... The world better get ready to know what *NSYNC is all about because you guys are going to be everywhere... And I mean, everywhere."

"Chasez, where are you taking me now?" Liz laughed as JC pushed her into the passenger seat with a grin on his face and ran around the car to get into the driver's seat.

"You okay?" He asked with a happy grin.

"Yea," she giggled, nodding. "But you're starting to lose me with all these places we keep going! We've been driving around all day!"

JC laughed, switching on the engine. But Liz was right. They had been driving around all day. Saturday morning, and JC had called her at nine o'clock, waking her up I might add, and said that he'd be in front her house within the next fifteen minutes. To her shock and not taking him seriously, she just shut off the phone and fell back asleep. Twenty minutes later, the profuse sound of her doorbell ringing without stopping made her get out of bed and open it with a scowl on her face on to find JC standing there with a bright smile and let himself in. After much complaining and ‘we can go out later' from Liz, JC had gotten her back on her good side and managed to convince her into showering and letting him take a for a breakfast.

He was also happy to show off to her his newly bought Black Jeep Cherokee he had let himself buy just a couple days before. She was pleasantly surprised, but still confused as to what he had planned for that day. First was the hour long breakfast JC had insisted he'd pay for, then he drove them to the mall where he dragged her into almost every store that had a mannequin wearing attractive clothes in the window. All she wanted to do was window-shop, but JC kept throwing various articles of clothing into her hands. From tank tops, to designer jeans, to jackets even to a couple pair of heels he caught her looking at. Of course, to JC's frustration, she kept shooting him glares and refused to take any of it unless she paid for it herself. JC let her buy a pair of jeans for herself and a new jacket and he agreed to stop offering to buy her everything feminine he saw in his sight if she let him buy her one thing. She settled on an ‘I © NSYNC' t-shirt she had spotted at the side of a store they walked past. After much huffing and puffing and rolling of the eyes, JC reluctantly paid the cashier for the less than special gift but still chose to hold the bags. She was glad he had the funds to walk around a mall and just buy whatever he pleased without bothering to check the price tag, but she didn't like to be spoilt. She was appreciative of the fact that he wanted to spoil her, now that he could, but there was nothing that he could present to her that she necessarily wanted besides him, which she already had. By this time it was almost one in the afternoon and JC was still as lively as he was when he showed up at her door. She on the other hand, enjoyed spending time with him, but was getting tired of the running around.

"Josh..." she smiled, looking at him as they eased onto the road. "Where're we going now?"

"Are you not enjoying the time we're spending together right now?" he faked a sad face.

She laughed, nudging him playfully. "You know that I am Jace. I just find it weird you taking me all over the place like this."

He shrugged. "I don't got much time before we go back into the studio to finish recording, and I want to be with you as much as possible."

"And your solution was taking me out for day in your company?"

"Indeed," he nodded.

She giggled. "Well where to now? "

"I got an appointment kind of thing I got to get to now actually,"

She frowned. "Appointment kind of thing?" she questioned.

"And you're coming with me," he smiled.

"What kind of appointment?"

"You'll see,"

She folded her arms across her chest. "Why didn't you tell me you had an appointment somewhere? You can just drop me off back at the house."

"I can't do that," he said simply. "I'm taking us to lunch afterwards. Wherever you want... Whatever you're feeling for..."

"Josh..." she whined.

"We won't take long," he promised.

"Well what am I going along for?"

"Like I said... You'll see."

"Wow," Liz murmured, taking off a seat belt and looking out the window. "Josh, who lives here?"

JC let a small smile creep up on his face and shrugged. "No one, I guess."

She got out of the car slowly, looking up and admiring the large two-story French Chateau-style home JC had parked in front of.

"You like it?" He asked, snaking an arm around her waist and looking up at the house himself.

She nodded. "It's really big," she giggled.

He chuckled.

"But yea, it's beautiful." She turned to at him and crinkled her eyebrows. "What are we doing here?"

 "C'mon and let's check it," he smiled, leading her up to the door and opening.

"Grace?" he called out, entering the house.

A woman looking about thirty and wearing a pair of black dress pants, a dark black dress jacket that covered up almost all of her white inner-piece and black heels walked in holding a clipboard. Her hair was in a high ponytail and she greeted JC and Liz with a big smile.

 "Good afternoon Mr. Chasez," she greeted JC as he closed the door behind them. "Right on time you are,"

He shook her hand. "Nice to see you again Grace," he smiled. "Yea, I brought someone with me this time, just to be sure, you know."

Nodding in understanding, she smiled and looked at Liz.

"Girlfriend?"

Liz felt her cheeks get hot as JC put an arm around her and answered. "Yup,"

The woman put out her hand. "I'm Grace, JC's real estate agent. Nice to meet you."

Liz smiled politely and shook her hand. "I'm Liz, nice to meet you."

"Well now that we've all gotten acquainted," Grace turned back to JC. "Shall we begin the tour?"

JC nodded.

"Great! Follow me then,"

When she turned her back, JC intertwined his and Liz's fingers and she looked up at him questioningly. He just smiled and continued on to follow the woman into the living room.

A half hour later, when the tour was done, JC and Liz stood downstairs in the large kitchen of the house. Grace had entered another room to take business call which gave the two some time alone together. JC smiled to himself with his arms folded and he leaned back against the island. He watched as Liz ran her fingers over the stainless steel of the stove and over the gleaming marble countertops in the white and dark brown kitchen where the bright sunlight shone through the large windows.

"You like?" he asked.

She turned around to look at him. "This is my kind of kitchen," she grinned. "I love it,"

Not only did she love the kitchen, but she loved the 1930s built house itself. If she had the kind of money JC had, she'd have built one just like it if not bought this same one. There were four bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms including the one master bedroom and connected bathroom as well as a large, cozy fireplace built in to the living room. There was a large 7ft deep swimming pool in the backyard and a boat dock leading out to a quiet lake. To top it off, there was a soundproof basement downstairs that JC already had plans of turning into a home studio.

"So you like it?" JC asked, abruptly snapping her out of her thoughts.

She looked around the kitchen, trailing her fingers over the marble design on the counter. "I'd kill for a kitchen like this," she mumbled.

"You want it?" he asked casually.

Her head snapped up to look at him and she laughed lightly. "Look Josh, I know you guys are finally in the money or whatever but I am not letting you buy me a house!"

He smiled, coming off from leaning against the island and walking up to her as he stuffed his hands in his front pockets.

"But that's why I brought you with me,"

She stared at him. "To buy me a house!?"

"No baby," he laughed. "Well, not exactly. We're all moving out eventually, so I got Johnny to hook me up with real estate agency and I found Grace who showed his house a few days ago when I bought the Jeep. I wanted your approval before I sealed the deal."

She smiled. "How come?"

"'Cause if this is the place where I'm going to be living, I got to make sure you like it too. I plan on getting you to live with me someday you know," he told her softly. "So you've got to like this house too baby."

She looked up at him. "You want me to live with you someday?"

He chuckled. "I did give out that offer a couple months ago but since we won't go back to that, I'm starting new."

"What about a house in LA?"

He shrugged. "I don't need it right now. When I'm not on the road, I want to be with you and if Orlando is where you are, then Orlando's where I'm staying."

She smiled. "Jace, are you sure?"

He took her hands and looked her in the eye. "Would it scare you if I told you I do want to have a future with you?"

She shook her head. "I'm not sure..."

"Then one day, whether it's sooner or later, I want us to be together in this house. Maybe married and you know, in a few years, have a few little footsteps running around."

She smiled softly. "Thinking that far ahead already huh?"

He nodded. "I love you that much."

"But you want that kind of life? Marriage and kids?"

He shrugged. "I do want a life after my career and I do want you to be in that life."

"Almost sounds like a proposal there," she mumbled.

He shrugged. "Someday, but when I actually do it, it won't sound so stupid,"

"Hey, I love what I got with you right now. Marriage isn't the main priority on my mind Jace,"

He nodded. "I'm cool with that,"

"How much is it though?" she asked.

"How much is what?"

She giggled, stepping away from him. "The house Josh,"

"Oh," he smiled. "It's uh... Actually it's a little over a million. 1.2 million to be exact."

"Okay, then..."

"I can afford it now Lizzie," he chuckled.

She smiled and nodded. "I know, and I like the house Jace but you need to make sure that you like the house too, not only focus on me."

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I like it, that's why I brought you here so that you could approve of it."

"If you like it, then so do I,"

"Sorry about that," Grace apologized as she walked back into the room, stuffing her phone back into her jacket pocket.  "Have you decided on whether or not you want the house Mr. Chasez?"

Liz looked at JC to hear his answer. Thinking for a moment, a small smile crept upon his lips. He nodded. "Yea, I'll buy."

JC walked in to the living room of the home the five members would share for only a few more weeks and stumbled upon at least a dozen cardboard boxes stacked one on top the other on either side of the room.

"What're the boxes for?" JC asked as Justin entered the room, a comic book in hand.

"Oh, those are Chris'." Justin explained. "He's out by the end of the week so he wanted to start packing."

"Oh,"

"What about you C?" the younger member smiled. "You got the deal done?"

JC nodded and grinned. "Yea, I'm out of here by the end of the month."

"Cool," Justin nodded. "Man, it's weird... Living here for so long and then leaving. Kind of sad..."

JC laughed. "J, we're still going to be together three hundred days out of the year when they put us back on the bus for tour!"

"Crap, I thought I was going to be done with you guys after I got my own place," Chris joked, walking into the room with a Sharpie marker in hand.

Justin and JC rolled their eyes.

"Where's Joey and Lance?" JC asked.

"Well you see," Chris started. "Superman was trying to fly off the springboard out by the pool and lost his balance so he ended up just falling into the water and his ankle hit the board. So Poofoo over there-" he pointed to Lance as the blonde haired member walked into the room holding a bag of frozen peas. "-has to take care of him."

"He's okay though?"

Lance nodded. "Oh yea, he's fine. He can still bounce around don't worry."

"Oh, okay good." JC nodded.

"Hey, today was the day you took Lizzie with you to see the house, wasn't it?" Lance questioned.

"Yea, she liked it and so did I, so I bought it. Out by month end..."

"Did you ask her?"

JC sighed. "She isn't looking for marriage right now J,"

"Not even a promise ring?"

JC shrugged.

"So I take it you didn't even ask her..."

"I can't... I don't think I could if I wanted to..."JC shook his head and clutched the small navy blue box in his hand that he had kept in his wallet. Smiling as he rested down on the coffee table, he sighed. "It's not the right time right now."

4 weeks later

"Dammit Josh!" Liz grumbled using a cloth to clean up the mess of orange-brown spaghetti sauce JC had made on the cream cushions on his couch. "You got this couch two weeks ago and you've already left your mark on it!"

"The fork slipped out of my hand!" He insisted, looking down at his now stained shirt. What he really meant to say what that he missed his mouth because he got distracted by a commercial where the girls were playing volleyball on the beach. "I'll just flip over the cushion, no big deal."

Liz got up, tired of the scrubbing and looked at his shirt. "You should eat with a bib that's what you should do," she mumbled.

JC rolled his eyes.

"Just put your shirt in the washing machine and I'll call a dry cleaner tomorrow to get this cleaned."

"Or you can clean it for me," JC smiled, pulling his shirt over his head and throwing it at her.

She threw it back at him but didn't share the same teasing mood he was in. She was tired, irritable and JC had just put their home made dinner on hold when he dropped his food. "Do it youself,"

He frowned. "I was kidding you know,"

She shrugged, picking up her plate from the coffee table and taking a seat on one of the recliners she had helped him pick out at the furniture store. She had practically been living there since she helped him move in two weeks ago, and JC didn't mind it. She came over after work and usually stayed till after midnight and then he'd drop her home or she'd fall asleep with him. It started happening so frequently she even kept some of her clothes and necessities in his bathroom that she too, had helped him organize. Tonight however, she had a bad day at work and was PMSing. Emma had flown back to Nashville for a family event that Liz was invited to but there was no one to take over the job so she had decided to stay with JC until she came back in a couple days. She had decided against moving in with him, but yet here she was almost every day in his house with him at all hours.

She turned back on the TV and used her fork to cut a meatball in half. "I'm just not in the fun mood tonight Jace,"

He went over to her and took a seat on the recliner next to her. "I knew there was something different about you today when I picked you up from work but I couldn't put my finger on what it was. What's bothering you?"

She shrugged. "PMS, I guess?"

He smiled. "Anything else that I could probably help with?"

 "I just guess today wasn't one of my good days. Work sucks, just so you know."

"Missing Emma huh?"

"Well, as crazy as she is she is the one that keeps things sane in that place,"

"She'll be back in a coupla days babe, don't worry about it."

"I miss her, but I don't think that's it."

JC leaned in more. "Go on,"

"I just need a break from there, I guess," She mumbled. "I love my job but sometimes I just don't want to do it. Just take a break and chill out. I'm tired and stressed and..." she shrugged. "I don't know... Just having an off day today, you know."

He stroked her arm gently. "Sorry I made a mess," he chuckled.

 "Yea, yea," she giggled.

He smiled at her. "You want to sleep now? Sleep off the day and get up new in the morning?"

She sighed. "I kind of want to sleep in my own bed tonight. It's got nothing to do with you, I swear, but I just miss my bed. I've been around here more than I've been at my own house."

"Mi casa es su casa," he reminded her.

"Can you just carry me home tonight?" she asked. "Tomorrow's Sunday, pick me up in the afternoon and we'll do something, alright?"

He frowned and got up. "Fine, I'll give you your space if that's what you want..." he mumbled.

**

He pulled up outside her house, the engine still running as they both sat in the car in a brief silence.

"Thanks Jace," she smiled at him, leaning her head against the seat.

He nodded. "Tomorrow right? You said that we'd do something."

"Yea, okay..." she agreed. "Sorry I wasn't much fun tonight."

He shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Besides, maybe tonight I'll actually get some sleep without having to hear your snoring."

She gasped, swatting his arm.

"I do not snore!" she insisted, turning a bright pink.

He laughed. "I have the recordings if you want ‘em!"

"I hate you," she mumbled. "And how would you know anyways when you sleep like a freakin' dead man?"

He grinned. "You know you love me,"

She turned to get out the car. "Goodnight Josh,"

"No waiittt," he whined like a child.

"What now?" she giggled.

"Don't I get a goodnight kiss?" he pouted.

She rolled her eyes and planted a quick peck on his cheek. "That better?"

"Not even close," he shook his head. "Try it again,"

She sighed and leaned in toward him, holding his chin between his thumb and index finger. Giving him at least six seconds of tongue action she pulled away and he kissed her cheek.

"Now was that better?" she asked.

"Much," he nodded.

She giggled. "Love you Jace,"

"Love you too babe,"

She took off her seatbelt and JC reached over to unlock the door. Whilst doing so, he felt something poke his leg gently through his pants. And then he remembered... The blue box he had been carrying around for almost three weeks now. Realizing he had it in his pocket and she was halfway out the car door, he stopped her and pulled on her wrist.

"Lizzie!"

She got out and lowered her head to his eye level through the window as she shut the door. "What?"

He stared at her, his hand clutching his pocket but no words came out of his mouth. He just stared, his mouth a little open. A panic raced through his veins as he silently gave the matter some thought. Liz however, was getting impatient as to why he stopped her.

"Joshua..."

He noticed she had an eager look on her face and he knew that she was tired. It was cold outside anyways, and she was already slightly shivering when a breeze passed by.

With his mouth still open, JC caught himself and shook his head. "Nothing, nothing..." he cleared his throat. "Sleep tight babe,"

She crinkled her brows but nodded. "See you tomorrow Jace,"

"Dude you're such a wuss!" Chris exclaimed, throwing the basketball at JC.

"Chris, he's not a wuss," Lance chuckled, putting his hands on his hips.

"And how could you call me a wuss wearing a hat like that?!" JC fired back, throwing the ball back. He nodded at the doggy like winter hat where the ear flaps fell at the sides of Chris' head. "I get that we're getting closer to the winter season but we're in fucking Florida!"

"Don't hate on the hat," Chris scowled. "It protects my face from that fireball up there you people call the Sun!"

"You know there's such thing called sun-block Chris," Justin smirked.

"And there's such thing called ‘go play basketball at your own house' Justin," Chris shot back with a sweet smile.

They had so far spent the day, the five of them, at Chris' house waiting for what was supposed to be a meeting with Johnny. They had gotten there at 11:00am and by the time 12:30pm rolled around, the guys decided to kill the time with some basketball competitions when they saw that Johnny hadn't gotten there yet. JC, Chris and Joey against Lance and Justin. Now, after a half hour outside in 97i0; weather, the heat was becoming overbearing and the air conditioning inside the new house that Chris was still getting used to was taunting them through the glass.

Rolling his eyes, Joey took the ball out of Chris' hold and bounced it over to another part of the court. "Let's go inside," he patted his friend on the shoulder and nodded for the others to follow him. "It's too hot out here anyways,"

"But me and Lance didn't even get a rematch against the three of you!" Justin whined.

"Lance and I," JC corrected, sliding open the glass door to enter through to the kitchen.

"I didn't go to high school so same thing!"

"It's not like you guys were going to win anyways," JC stifled a laugh.

"Only ‘cause I had Poofoo on my team," the younger member mumbled, following JC into the kitchen and taking a seat at the island. "Oh, but, no offense Lance,"

"Hey, I said I didn't want to play!" Lance defended himself, pulling up the stool next to Justin.

"Enough with the rematch," Chris said, opening the fridge and taking out three bottles of water and handing Joey another two. "I'm not done bashing on JC,"

"You can't blame him for being scared Chris," Joey said, throwing a bottle of water to JC.

"Yea! I mean do you even remember what happened the last time I asked a girl something like that?!" JC questioned, leaning back against the counter. "I'd rather shoot myself in the foot than go through that again!"

"Okay, so, sure that proposal didn't end too well," Justin began. "But this time's different! This time the girl actually loves you!"

JC shrugged his shoulders. "She said it herself. She isn't ready for marriage right now."

"And you are?" Lance raised his eyebrows.

"I want to spend the rest of my life with her, I know that much..."

"That doesn't answer the question JC,"

"Jace, c'mon," Joey said. "We're not trying to talk you out of it or anything like that, but are you sure you're ready for a commitment as big as a marriage? I mean really? You're twenty three years old and we're just getting our start on showing the world what this group is made of. Are you sure you don't want to see what else there is out there before you go tying yourself down to one person like that?"

JC shook his head, opening the cap on the water bottle. "That's just the thing. I don't feel like I'd be tying myself down to her. Technically I would be but I just love her so much it doesn't feel that way."

"Like the way we feel when we have to go out on stage," Justin reasoned. "We love it so much we don't feel like we're working,"

"Exactly!" JC exclaimed, pointing a finger at Justin. "I know there're other girls out there, but I don't want any of them. Joey can have them for all I care. I don't even need to see anyone else because in my heart I know that Lizzie is the one for me. She's just, it for me. I don't even know how to describe it but it's like when I'm with her, I don't care for anything else. Everything is just complete and when I'm without her, all I'm thinking about is how much I just want to be with her. I'm convinced that there is no one else out there that can make me feel the way that she does and it's that very thought scaring the crap out of me!"

He lifted his head to see the four guys looking at him trying to hide their smiles. It wasn't often that JC would keep talking about his emotions, so they were glad to see him in the state that he was. That state being completely and utterly in love with a girl he couldn't stop rambling about.

"I knew it before but now I'm completely sure," Lance grinned. "JC's in love,"

JC blushed, looking down and distracting himself with the label on the bottle. "No shit,"

"Then grow a fucking pair and do something about it!" Chris yelled, laughter in his voice. "We're happy for you if this is what you want for yourself Jace, but seriously, get some balls and ask her already!"

JC looked at him incredulously. "Back to where this conversation started... Do you not remember what happened the last time I did something like that?"

"So what you're saying is that you're scared she'll turn you down and go for another guy?"

JC shrugged his shoulders and sighed. "Yea, I guess... I don't want to risk it again."

"JC, we know what happened the last time wasn't good but don't let what happened before keep you from doing something that you want now, or in the future." Joey told him.

"Liz loves you, and you love her JC," Justin nodded. "Don't let what happened with your proposal to Allison influence your feelings toward what you want with Liz. She deserves better than that."

JC nodded. "Any last pieces of advice?" he smiled, happy he had his friends on his side.

Chris grinned. "Name your first kid after me,"

"I want to be the best man!" Justin yelled.

"I'm planning the bachelor party!" Joey winked.

Lance just laughed, looking at JC's paled expression. "Can we get past the point where JC actually asks Liz to marry him please and past the point where she says yes before we start talking about kids and best man and bachelor parties?"

"Who's having a bachelor party?" a male voice asked from the doorway. Johnny walked in holding large envelopes in one hand and his cell phone in the other. "And I heard something about a man and kids?" The bald man looked at the group questioningly but his gaze focused on JC and suddenly a frown crept upon his face.

"Oh God, JC you didn't get another girl pregnant did you?" their manager whined. "'Cause if you did this time then-"

"It's nothing like that, jeez!" JC cried out, waving around his hands to silent the man. "Dude, we were just talking about random stuff."

"And why are you so late anyways, huh?" Justin asked.

"You told us to be here for 11:15 and now it's almost quarter to one." Lance put in.

Johnny sighed, walking over to the round breakfast table and put down the envelopes he'd been holding. "Well sorry, but I was off all morning trying to set dates for us to release your single and book dates for *NSYNC appearances for promotion and all that. We need to get the word out on this record."

"Well what'd you got?" Chris asked, the five guys now crowding around their manager who had taken a seat. "What's the plan?"

They watched as their manager dug around in one of the envelopes and pulled out two familiar looking pieces of paper stapled together. Each page had different colored boxes drawn in and labeled.

The guys groaned as Johnny held up the paper in front of them and grinned.

"Say hello to the next few months of your lives boys," Johnny grinned.

"Another schedule... Joy," Justin said sarcastically, taking the paper out of his manager's hold and letting his eyes travel over the labels as his band-mates peered over his shoulder.

"We're looking to release Bye Bye Bye in November or so and then you're getting December and some of January off except for a few Christmas shows you have to do and then we release No Strings Attached in February or March," Johnny explained. "Depending on how well the album does, then we start talking about touring. From now till we release the single I've set up talk shows, a few performances, uh, some promotional meet and greets, press conferences and of course..."

"Recordings and choreography," All five members said in a dull unison.

"You got it," Johnny nodded.

"When does all this commotion start?" JC asked, taking the paper from Justin and scanning it himself.

"You're back on the bus in a couple days and your first stop is Georgia for a meet and greet. There's only about six to eight states you'll be driving around about and then in a couple weeks, you come back to Orlando for us to start the rest of tracks. Then, after a week or so of that, Darren is going to teach you guys the choreography for Bye Bye Bye and then you're heading to New York for a talk show or two. Your first one being TRL where you'll just be asked the usual questions. When's the album coming out? How has the success and screaming girls changed you? Are you guys dating anyone? And you'll probably meet some fans too." He started digging around in a different envelope. "I have a list of everything in here," he mumbled to himself.

"I'm tired just looking at the schedule," Chris sighed.

"I would suggest you boys start packing for the next couple weeks," Johnny told them, still rummaging around the stacks of paper he held. "And if there're any family members or friends that you guys like to and usually take with you, I suggest you call them up. You're leaving on Thursday."

"Best I call up Steven," Joey said, pulling out his phone and searching through the contact list for his brother's name.

"It's only a couple weeks before we get back here so I don't think I'll bring my mom on this one," Justin said. "Man, we're ending off this year great! I mean, when the album comes out in 2000 that'll be a kickass way of starting off the new millennium."

"Hey, Chris and I are working for our birthdays," JC concluded, still looking at the paper. "Chris we're going to be in New York for yours. Although we're going to be learning steps for Bye Bye Bye that day in Darren's studio," he chuckled.

"Yea, ha ha," the older member laughed sarcastically. "It's still New York. But we're going to be in Vegas for a meet and greet for your birthday in two weeks."

"Vegas," Lance grinned.  

"We can make it a bachelor party and a birthday party in one," Joey joked.

JC rolled his eyes, brushing off the comment but Johnny's head shot up.

"Who's getting married?" he asked, looking at the boys.

"JC is," Lance informed him, shaking JC's shoulder.

"Seriously?" he asked, looking at JC. "Liz isn't pregnant is she?"

JC shook his head. "Ignore what they're telling you, it was just an idea I had. And no she isn't pregnant or anything like that. I love her and I was considering asking her but not any time soon."

"How come?" Johnny smiled. "Why the wait?"

"Have you seen this schedule?" JC held up the piece of paper. "Do I look like I can take on all this plus a marriage right now? I mean, if I had a regular nine to five job then yea I'd try getting up the nerve to do it but I think I'm going to wait and see how everything goes with the group first before I ask her."

"Have you at least talked to her about it?"

"He thinks she'll say no," Justin chuckled.

"Hey I thought we were here to talk about work!" JC muttered.

Johnny cleared his throat. "Yes we are," He looked up at JC. "But before that, I think that you should take her on this little touring session here Jace. I mean, not saying that I want you to get distracted or sidetracked or anything but I'm just saying it'll give you both a feel of how things would be if you did get married some day and she'd want to start touring with you. You know what's it's like to be apart, so why not give her a direct feel of your life on the road and see if she could handle it."

JC took a moment to ponder the suggestion. "That's actually not a bad idea,"

"L&E Planning, how can I help you?"

"Hey babe," he said into the receiver.

"Hey Josh," she smiled, her eyes instinctively travelling up the screensaver of him and her on her computer. "What's up? I thought you had a meeting today."

"Yea, it finished about a half hour ago. You weren't answering your phone. I was trying to call you when it did,"

"Oh yea, it died when I was leaving the house this morning and I didn't bother to charge it. Sorry babe," she apologized.

"Yea, that's okay. I just wanted to talk to you about some things," his voice was suddenly low.

"What kind of things?" she asked, concerned.

"Just stuff, don't worry."

"Good stuff or bad stuff?"

He laughed. "Baby, it's good stuff. Or at least I think it's good stuff. I'll just come by your house later and tell you. I'll let you get back to work,"

She sighed, looking down at the large day-planner she had laid out in front of her on her desk. She was circling the dates of weddings and parties she had booked to plan for the rest of the month. On separate pages next to her she had written down several phone numbers of different caterers and venue owners around the state along with bridal magazines some of her client requested she look through so that she had an idea of how they wanted their wedding themes to be like. She was beginning to get a headache just looking at it.

"Liz, you there?" JC asked when she didn't respond.

"Oh, yea," she mumbled. "Uh, what are you doing now?"

He shrugged. "Just at home. I'm in the studio downstairs playing with the equipment. Why?"

She giggled. "Want to go to lunch and talk?" she asked hopefully. "I need a break and my lunch hour is in a few minutes so..."

He smiled, getting up from the office chair he was sitting on. "I'm leaving now to pick you up,"

"Thanks hun," she said, grateful for a breather.

"See you in a few, alright?"

"Great," she nodded. Hanging up, she noticed Emma walk in from her break, a half eaten donut in her hand and the other half in her mouth.

"Why you din go foo looch?" her friend asked, her mouth still stuffed.

Liz just laughed, watching her struggle to swallow.

"Sorry, I meant to ask ‘Why didn't you for lunch'? Aren't you hungry?"

"I am," she sighed. "I'll get something with Josh in a little while when he picks me up."

"Well what'd we got to handle this week?" Emma asked, walking over and leaning over Liz's desk. She turned the day-planner toward her. "It's not much," she mumbled. "Two weddings for next month, three parties in a couple weeks... Not a lot."

"Yea, just a lot of calls and arranging and booking before the dates for those events finally come,"

"We can handle that no problem,"

Liz nodded. "I know, but I'm stressed! This job is tiring me out just thinking about it. It's like I need a vacation or something. Or new clients to challenge us or something. It's always the same people with the same family and the same friends that call us up. It's boring sometimes."

"What I think you need is a vacation or something because you rarely complain," Emma told her. "Do what I did when I was in your position a couple years ago when we first started and I got overwhelmed. Just take a break for a while, I don't mind."

"But then you'd have all this stuff going on...."

"I can handle it don't worry. And I got Denise and everyone else, I'd be fine." She smiled. "I am the co-owner of this place you know,"

Liz giggled. "I know that but..."

"Just think about it at least," Emma pleaded. "It might be good for you,"

Sighing, Liz rose from the chair and picking up her handbag from the side of the desk where it was next to the wall. "I'll think about it..."

* * *

"Hey there," JC grinned as she slid into the passenger seat and closed the door. He leaned over to give her a kiss and she smiled against his lips.

"Hi," she smiled, strapping on the seatbelt.  "Thanks for picking me up. I needed to get out of there,"

"How come?" JC asked, turning his head back and reversing.

"Work sucks," she mumbled.

"You've been saying that a lot lately," he chuckled. "You said that Saturday too,"

She shrugged. "It's just boring now and it's tiring me out. It's stressful and boring at the same time and..." She realized she was unconsciously venting away when he was the one that said he wanted to talk. "You know what, you said you had stuff to talk about so I should let you talk instead. Go ahead,"

He shook his head. "Finishing off the rant you started might be a good way to make you feel better so I'll go after. You go ahead,"

She sighed, leaning her head back against the seat. "Emma thinks I should take a vacation and leave for a while. Just for like a week or two ‘cause I think she's getting tired of me complaining about the stress and clients and stuff. I'm surprised she's tolerated me for this long." Liz turned her head to look at JC who was focused intently on the road before him with both hands on the wheel but she knew he was listening to every word. "Hell, I'm surprised you've tolerated me for this long."

He laughed, turning his head briefly to meet her gaze, before turning back to the road. "I'm not tired of you just yet," he chuckled, taking one hand off the wheel and taking one of hers that was in his lap. He squeezed gently. "But I do think you should take a break from work, even if it's just for a while. I think it'll be a good thing."

"Yea, but then I'd have nothing to do for that time..."

He let the silence hang in the air for a few seconds longer before speaking. "I actually know of something you can do,"

She looked at him quizzically when they had to stop at a red light.

Taking advantage of the moment, JC turned to face her. "I'm leaving in a couple days for a ‘tour' kind of thing where *NSYNC has a set of conferences, photo shoots, talk shows, meet and greets, that whole deal. Soo, seeing that you're in need of a break and I love you, why don't you come with me?"

She raised her eyebrows. "You'd want me to go with you? On the bus? To all those things?"

"Yes, yes, and yes," he smiled.

"Is this what you had to talk to me about?"

JC nodded. "Basically, yea. And it's already working out perfectly considering your situation."

"For how long though?" she asked.

"A couple weeks. No more than three because we have to back in Orlando for recording."

"You'd be spending your birthday on the road," she said sadly.

"I'd be in Vegas," he grinned. "And if you came I'd be with you,"

"I don't even have a gift for you yet," she groaned, burying her face in her hands momentarily.

He laughed. "You be my gift! Come with me and that'll be my present." He insisted. "I want you with me,"

She smiled. "You do?"

"Of course I do! You'd be seeing what I do when I'm on the road plus all the different places we'd get to go together and it'll just be you, me, Chris and Justin on the bus. Joey and Lance would be on the other. It'll be a great getaway from work baby. Come with me,"

She looked at him hesitantly. "Wouldn't I kind of be another piece of luggage to look after on the road? I would be like extra baggage,"

JC shook his head immediately. "Not at all... We take family and friends with us on tour all the time. We did it a lot in Europe and everyone had fun. Plus it's not like we're leaving the country or anything."

She thought about it for a moment.

"You know you want to come," he sang playfully.

She giggled, looking at him and then sighing. "Okay," she nodded. "Since you want me to and I need a break, I'll come along,"

"Yes!" He grinned, leaning over to kiss her and she placed her hand around the side of his neck. They probably forgot they were in a lane whose traffic light had just turned green because angry drivers behind JC started blasting their horns loudly which snapped them out of their bubble abruptly.

"Hey, c'mon!" One guy shouted, honking his horn. "Move it man! It's a green light!"

"Shit," JC mumbled, putting the car in drive and mashing the pedals.

"You're not the one who's going to be driving on the bus are you?" Liz asked with a giggle. "'Cause you seem to infuriate a lot of drivers,"

"Whatever," JC muttered. "It's your fault. You and your lips distracted me."

"Aww, hurry up and get us to a food place and I'll make up for it with a ten minute make-out session," she grinned.

JC smiled. "I dare you to a twenty minute session,"

She laughed. "Twenty five!" she challenged.

He smirked. "That the longest you've done then? Twenty five minutes of full on lip on lip action?"

"Hey, I think that's pretty good," She folded her arms across her chest. "What's the most you've done?"

"Thirty five or so?" he shrugged.

"Damn, my lips started to feel like rubber by the time I hit the half hour mark,"

He chuckled. "Impressive though. I haven't met any girl that went above twenty five and still didn't go for the sex part of it. Heck I didn't think I'd meet a girl who'd come so close to my time making out without having the sex part of it afterwards,"

"Looks like you've met your match Chasez," she winked.

He smiled at her. "Yea..." he said softly. "Looks like I have..."

Friday morning- 9:00am

"Morning sleepyhead," Liz grinned, looking at a disheveled haired and wrinkle clothed JC who was fresh out of their bunk on the bus. "Ready for breakfast?" she asked, flipping over a pancake on the pan that was set on the small stove.

"It smells good in here," JC commented, sliding into the booth opposite the stove where Justin and Chris sat chowing down on their pancakes.

"That's ‘cause Joey isn't on this bus," Chris joked, squirting more syrup into his plate.

Liz laughed, setting a plate of breakfast food in front of JC. "Breakfast is served,"

He smiled up at her, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her down on his lap. She yelped softly and JC kissed her on the lips sweetly.

"Trying to eat here!" Justin said in the middle of swallowing a mouthful of food.

"Bleh, morning breath," she teased, pulling away. She kissed his bottom lip and stood up slowly so that she wouldn't lose her balance as the bus kept moving.

"Did you sleep well babe?" JC asked her, picking up his fork. "I know it was a kind off bumpy ride but you get used to it, don't worry."

She shook her head, sliding in next to Justin and sipping on a glass of orange juice. "No, I slept fine. I had your arm around me all night didn't I?" she smiled.

JC grinned, stuffing a forkful of pancake into his mouth.

"Blech," Chris gagged, and Justin nodded.

"Hey, be nice or you're not getting those scrambled eggs and bacon you asked for tomorrow morning," Liz warned, joking.

"Thank you Lizzie," the two guys said sweetly.

"Baby you didn't have to make us breakfast you know," JC told her. "We're usually fine with toast or cereal or stuff like that. You didn't have to get up early and do all this,"

"She even made for James and Lonnie up front," Chris informed him, speaking of their bus driver and their boydyguard.

"You did?"

She shrugged. "I wanted to do it. I don't mind doing it for people who appreciate it."

"She likes spoiling us JC," Justin said as though it was obvious. "Don't question it,"

Liz giggled and nodded, taking another sip of the juice in her hand. "Yea JC, don't question it," she found his foot using hers under the small table and playfully poked and kicked at him.

Smiling, he returned the favor while continuing to eat his breakfast.

Justin and Chris just looked at each other and rolled their eyes.

About ten minutes of morning conversation had gone on before Liz looked at the time on her watch and out the window where she just saw car after car disappear at the speed at which their bus was going.

"Alright well, while you guys finish up here I'll take advantage of the shower because we only have about an hour left of driving before we get to the hotel for your meet and greet,"

"Take your time," JC nodded.

"What should I wear?" she asked, standing up and looking at the three guys. "Just casual right?"

"We settle for jeans, a t shirt and a jacket," Chris told her. "Nothing special. Just normal clothes unless it's an event or concert."

"Okay," she said, dropping her glass in the sink and heading off down to where the bathroom was.

"Thanks for breakfast Lizzie," Justin grinned, patting his stomach.

"You're welcome," she called out before closing the door.

Drinking down the last bit of orange juice he had left in his cup, he lifted his head to find his two friends staring at him. "What?" he asked.

"How did you get her?" Justin questioned. "I mean I want a girl who'd put up with my friends and come on tour with me and make me breakfast and stuff! You're too lucky C,"

JC smiled, getting out of the booth and running a hand through his hair. "I know right,"

***

"Damn they're already fans out there and the meet ‘n greet doesn't even start for another two hours," Liz muttered, looking out the tinted windows of the bus and at the groups of teenage girls holding up NSYNC signs on the corners and they were still a couple blocks away from the hotel. "It's always this crazy?"

"Pretty much," JC said, looking out the same window so that their faces were side by side. "Don't worry, we won't run in to a whole lot of them just yet. James parks the bus at the back of the hotel where they're only a few fans and then they smuggle us into the hotel. Plain and easy."

"Then what?" she asked, turning her head to look at him.

"Then, we go up to our rooms and we all usually stay in one room until it's time for us to go down to where they'll hold everything. Until then, we usually just talk about what we're doing tomorrow, watch some TV, play hackey for fun, you and I could make out... Yea, that's about it."

She giggled, turning around in her seat so that she sat properly. He scooted over to sit closer to her and his lips were suddenly pressed against hers. She smiled against him, but had to pull away when she started giggling.

"What's so funny?" JC asked.

She shook her head. "Nothing, it's just that a second ago I saw at least seven teenage girls holding up ‘I heart JC' and ‘I love JC Chasez' signs and here I am kissing the man himself."

"I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing," he said slowly and unsure.

 "I like kissing you,"

"Yea me too but... Can you call me Josh instead? All those signs are for JC from that group *NSYNC and while that's completely awesome to me, I still want you to call me Josh. It reminds me that I'm still Josh above all this and that you're kissing Josh, the guy you love and not JC, the guy record labels love."

She smiled. "Okay," she nodded. "I understand that... But I just want the record to show that both Josh and JC are two incredible kissers."

He chuckled. "Allow me to defend myself?"

She grinned. "Please do,"

He smiled, sliding his tongue into her mouth and she happily allowed her hands to snake through his hair.

Pulling away for air, JC smirked.

"You're not too bad either babe," he complimented.

"Well I've gotten a lot of practice, that's for sure,"

"I'm that good huh," JC had a cocky grin on his face.

Liz however, kept an emotionless expression and shook her head. "Nah, Justin and Chris helped me out when you fell asleep last night. They're really talented with their mouths, and I don't just mean vocals."

JC paled. "What?!"

She watched him get as he got all worked up before she burst into a series of giggles. "Kidding Josh,"

He heaved a sigh of relief. "You're terrible!" he concluded, pulling her down onto the long couch and pinned her to the cushions before he started tickling her. "That wasn't funny!"

"I'm... Sorry!" she gasped between laughs as he kept doing it. He took the fact that she was ticklish and used it to his advantage. "Joshua!" she started kicking around when he didn't stop.

"Anyone seen grey jacket?" Justin called out.

"No!" JC answered, his fingers still roaming around furiously on Liz's body as she kept laughing.

"I can't breathe!" she panted, gathering enough strength to push him away. "Ugh!"

JC laughed as he watched how she tried to catch her breath and recover from her previous series hysterics.

"Are you sure nobody's seen the jacket? I mean it has the little blue zipper on the-"

"Maybe you just left it in one of the suitcases J," JC suggested as Justin walked in to the area where JC and Liz were.

Justin frowned, sitting down next to Liz who was still trying to catch her breath.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked, looking at her.

"Your friend here tried to kill me!"

JC rolled his eyes. "You asked for it." He turned to Justin. "Now you lost your jacket?"

 "I thought I packed it in one of the bags I keep under my bunk because that's where all my clothes are for tomorrow and it isn't in there."

"What's going on tomorrow?" Liz asked, confused. "I thought that you guys just had a conference and then we hit the road again,"

"No, we hit the road tomorrow night instead." Chris answered, walking in holding his mp3. "We've got an event to go to in the evening before we go to before we get back on the bus and on the road."

"Am I going to this event?"

"Of course you are!" JC said. "You're my date!"

"How can it be that JC's the only one with a date?" Chris whispered to Justin who just shrugged.

"Jace, I didn't bring any fancy clothes worthy enough to wear to an event," Liz groaned. "I thought I'd was just going to be the *NSYNC sidekick while you guys just did what you had to do. What do you expect me to wear? And why didn't you tell me?!"

"I'm sorry babe, that part slipped my mind." He sighed. "Uh, how about I take you shopping for an hour so we can get you a few things before the meet ‘n greet starts, huh?"

"Lonnie said you guys aren't allowed to leave the hotel once we get to it," she reminded him. "I'll just go get some stuff by myself,"

"You don't even know the area around here,"

She shrugged and looked out the window. "There's a shopping plaza right here and the hotel is a block away. I'll take a walk, buy some things and get back before they release you to the lions,"

Justin looked at her oddly.

"Your fans Jus," she giggled.

"Ah," he nodded.

"Will let me at least get Lonnie to go with you," JC insisted. "It's my fault you even have to go get stuff. I didn't tell you we had an event tomorrow."

"It's fine," she shook her head. "I'll just go as soon as the bus stops off at the hotel and you'll text me our room number. Okay?"

"Yea, okay..."

***

Almost ten minutes later

"Text me if you need any kind of help okay?" JC told her as Justin and Chris hurriedly stepped off the bus and practically got ready to run before any fan spotted them and followed them into the hotel. "I won't be able to leave but I'll send Lonnie or one of the other body guards to get you."

"I'll be fine. Be back in an hour, tops." She assured him.

"Buy something sexy," JC winked, kissing her on the lip.

She giggled. "Will do,"

*

"Who the hell buys a dress for $3200.00?" Liz asked herself, rolling her eyes at the ridiculous price on the plain, thin strap black dress that had ruffles at the bottom. She sighed, sifting her way through racks of dresses. Some plain, some gorgeous, some she didn't like the fabric and some that were just ridiculously priced. She had been browsing for almost twenty five minutes and the most she had gotten was a pair of long silver earrings. Now, she just needed the shoes and the dress to match.

"I'm really hating you right now Joshua Chasez," she mumbled while still looking through the rack.

"Can I help you ma'am?" a woman asked from behind her.

Liz turned around and noticed a tall, slender woman with her hair in a high ponytail and a smile plastered on her face looking at her. She looked oddly familiar. They'd never met, but she knew those eyes from somewhere... Or from someone...

"I'm sorry to ask but did you say the name Joshua Chasez?" the woman questioned.

Liz raised her eyebrows, slightly taken aback by the question. She wasn't sure if this was just another fan that wanted personal access to *NSYNC or to get to JC by using her.

"Uh, yea I did. I'm sorry but I'm just looking for a dress," she turned to continue looking at the dresses. She pulled out a long kind of gold shimmery dress, and held it out to so that she could study it.

"JC doesn't really like those colors by the way," the voice said again from behind her.

Liz frowned, turning around to face the woman. "How do you know JC?"

She shrugged. "Doesn't matter how I know him. What matters is that I know what he likes and that dress is not it."

Liz stared at her wondering how in the world she would know what JC liked and what he didn't.

"He's your boyfriend, I know." The woman smiled.

"I'm sorry but I don't know who you are or what connections you have to JC but-"

"Look," she held up her hand to stop Liz from speaking. She turned to her right and sifted through a rack silently before smiling and pulling out a short, strapless dark blue dress with sequins around the breast area. Liz had to admit, it was gorgeous. Though, it was really short. If she bent over to pick up a pen someone dropped they were sure to see straight up her ass. Not that she hadn't worn a lot of short dresses and miniskirts back home but those were for clubbing. This was an event where they'd be a lot of important music people or whatever. She wanted to look classy and appropriate at the same time.

"This is a dress guys like JC want their girls to wear," the woman said.

"Uh, that is nice but not really my style, sorry," Liz shifted uncomfortably.

She shrugged. "Suit yourself. But this is the kind of thing your boyfriend likes and knowing your boyfriend, he likes to get a little worked up before he chooses to rip the dress off you."

Liz wasn't sure how to react to that. "Look, I don't know who you are but just so you know, I am not having sex with JC! You don't even know who I am! And by the way, you just lost a sale!"

She stormed past the woman but the voice stopped her again.

"That's all he wants you know," she called after her. "Take it from a person with experience with JC Chasez. If you don't give him something to work with soon, and that something being letting him get access to between your legs, he's going to cut you off from him and find someone who'll give him what you're not going to. He's a man."

"You don't know JC and you have no business telling me what me and him should or should not be doing!"

"I know you're his girlfriend." She smirked. "From the way you're acting I can tell you're still holding out on him. I'm telling you sweetie, wear something sexy and give him something or he'll give you nothing." Think about all his other girlfriends that used to wear dresses like these," she continued. "They used to pleasure him you know. Are you doing that?"

 "You have no idea what you're fucking talking about," Liz muttered, pulling open the door with a force strong enough she thought that she was going to pull the handle off. "You don't even know me,"

"I know JC," the woman said. "And I may not know you a whole lot but I know JC. Give him what he wants or he's going to end things like that," she snapped her fingers. "Believe me,"

Fuming and a little scatter minded from her less than pleasant encounter back at the store, Liz had been too confused and somewhat angry to get her mind back to her initial focus: shopping. Trying to collect herself, she just took a seat in the outdoor area where the plaza offered tables that had umbrellas above them and two or three chairs around them. With lips pursed, a headache coming on and fighting the urge to turn back around and bitch-slap the bitch back at the store, Liz was less than friendly when she answered her phone that had started vibrating against her thigh from the front pocket of her jeans.

"Hello?" she answered harshly, running a hand through her hair and still looking back at the glass door of the store she had just walked out of. She could still see the woman at the cashiers table smiling as she greeted another customer.

"Hey," the voice answered slowly. "It's me. What's wrong with you?"

Liz turned back to face the opposite direction and leaned back against the chair. "Em, hey," she sighed. "Sorry, I just... What's up?"

"I called to see how you were doing on the road with the guys before I headed out to a meeting. By the way, where's your recipe for those peanut butter milkshakes you used to make for us? And how many packs of peanuts do I have to buy?"

"Dude, just throw in some peanut butter, some milk and some ice into the damn blender. Add  little  water if it's too lumpy and stir. How much more of a straightforward recipe do you need?" Liz snapped, a little more harshly than she had intended.

"Someone's cranky," Emma mumbled. "I didn't know asking for a way to make peanuts drinkable would upset you that much,"

"I'm sorry," Liz apologized with a sigh. "You just called at a bad time for me,"

"Are you with Josh?" Emma asked. "You want me to hang up?"

"No, no, I'm sorry, don't hang up. And no, I'm not with Josh."

"Then what's up? Why'd you sound so pissed off? You're on tour with your famous boyfriend, aren't you having fun?"

"I'm starting to think my boyfriend is a little too famous actually," Liz muttered.

"What're you talking about now?"

"You want to know why I sound so pissed off? Well I just ran into someone who basically just told me that my famous boyfriend is going to dump me because I'm not giving him a good fuck like the rest of his girlfriends did!" Liz hadn't realized that her voice had gotten louder with every word she had spoken and therefore was completely oblivious to the people strolling by as they took a break from their window shopping to stare at her.

"Wait, someone told you what?"

"Yea! Some chick in one of the stores I was in just came up to me and started talking to me about Josh about what he likes his girls to do and what he likes them to wear and what he does to them when they don't give him what he wants. Can you fucking believe that?!"

"Uh, Lizzie, are you in a public place right now?"

Liz looked around and only then noticed she had drawn attention to herself. She slouched down in her chair before answering. "I'm alone, sitting outside in one of those shopping plazas in Georgia. The guys have an event tomorrow that they forgot to tell me about so I'm stuck here trying to find a decent dress while they're back at the hotel getting ready for their meet n' greet."

"Then lower your voice would you!" Emma hissed. "And who's this chick that told you Josh is going to break up with you? And over sex? Seriously?"

"I don't even know who she is Emma!" Liz cried out into the phone. "I've never met her before in my life! But she knows who I am and apparently she knows Josh well. Really well, the way she made it seem."

"So you're there in the store, and this woman just comes up to you and says ‘Hey, I know you're dating one of the most famous singers in the world right now. That must be really cool. And hey, did you know he dumps girls if they refuse to wet his dick?' Really Lizzie? Does that sound like Josh to you?"

"Well..." Liz started slowly. "Not really, I guess... But she said that, and I quote, ‘Take it from a person with experience with JC Chasez. Give him what he wants or he's going to end things like that', and I end quote. She has no right to talk to me that way and no right to talk to me about whether or not I'm keeping my boyfriend happy in that way!"

"I agree with you there," Emma nodded. "But, you got to remember that right now, Josh is a celebrity. He knows a lot of people. I mean, he's a man and he's been in the public eye since he was what, 14? And he's been hot since way back then so who're we to say that he didn't have the occasional good time with girls before he decided to commit himself to a real relationship? It was probably one of his jealous ex girlfriends that saw pictures of you guys on the internet or something."

"But Josh would never break up with a girl just because she wasn't giving him sex. He just isn't that kind of person," Liz insisted.

"Maybe she was just fling," Emma suggested. "I'm sure he's had his fair share of girls in the past and the occasional carefree good time but none of them compare to what he has with you Liz, you know that."

Liz stopped to think for a moment. "Do you think he's happy with me?"

"What?"

"We've been together for over a year despite that one big fight we had. We love each other and he treats me like no one else in the world matters to him when we're together. I can actually see a future with him Emma. But we haven't had sex yet. What if that's the final puzzle piece to our relationship and I'm the one keeping us away from it? What if he's disappointed that he isn't getting anything but lip action from me?"

"Liz, listen to me," Emma said firmly. "You are letting some bitch who claims she's had experience with your boyfriend get to your head when for all you know she's just trying to get to you. Liz, has Josh ever, in the time you two have been together, pressured you into doing anything you didn't want to do?"

"No, but... But what if he's just that way because he's trying to be a good guy? What if he decides this isn't the kind of relationship he wants and he goes looking somewhere else for what I'm not giving him..." Her heart broke at the thought.

"Liz, get out of there and go talk to Josh about this. I really think you need to at this point. Just sort out who the girl was and why she may have told you the things that she did. Of course, if I were you I was gonna go back in there and bitch-slap the bitch herself who started talking about my man but that's just me," she giggled. "Personally, I think Josh loves you too much to make you feel like that. He's waiting for you and besides that one night he lost his mind, I don't think he'd do anything that you wouldn't want to do."

"But that one night was the night of our fight," Liz reasoned slowly. "Emma when we had our fight we had practically broken up and Josh just jumped at his free chance of getting laid by someone else! He went out and got what I hadn't been giving him for all that time!"

"Elizabeth," Emma said in a warning tone. "I'm telling you, you're over thinking this. I mean are you going to let some chick who you don't even know and who doesn't even know you and probably doesn't know Josh either get to you like this?" she asked. "Forget what she said and go get that dress you were looking for in the first place and then go back to your boyfriend and talk to him. I mean, what do want to do? Let her affect you so bad that you're going to give in and screw Josh tonight just to secure your chances of staying with him?"

Liz's head shot up as an idea pushed its way into her head. "Not to necessarily secure my chances but..." her voice trailed off. "If I can show Josh how much I love him, and that I can make him feel just as good as his ex girlfriends did, then maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea if we were to-"

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait," Emma interrupted and Liz could just picture her holding up her hands as though she was trying to stop a car from driving as though she was directing traffic. "You're not thinking about having sex with him tonight, are you Lizzie? I mean I was just kidding about going screwing him tonight to secure your chances!"

"It's just sex," Liz shrugged. "And I love Josh more than anything in this world. I want him to be happy with our relationship. I know he loves me and he's been patient. Maybe it's time I reward him... If I had to lose my virginity to anyone then I'd give it to Josh, no doubt."

"You always said that you wanted to wait for marriage though. Don't cross your boundaries now." Emma insisted. "I know you love him but don't have sex with him out wanting to convince yourself that you're better than what he's experienced before  or whatever. Do it because you think it's right in your eyes and when you think it's special."

"You lost your virginity freshman year of college," Liz snorted.

"And I remember all four minutes of it," Emma grinned.

Liz laughed. "Daniel Taylor was a lucky guy,"

"So was his brother," Emma mumbled and Liz gasped. "-but my sex history is beyond the point! C'mon Lizzie, seriously. I'm telling you, sex is great but you and I are two different people. I was ready for it and you just don't seem to be. At least not right now,"

"Yea well, maybe I am ready for it," her eyes settled on a mannequin in one of the stores opposite to where she was sitting. ‘Lovers Lane', was the name. "And tonight, Josh is going to get a little early birthday gift,"

"Lizzie you're not actually going to-"

"I got to go," she said, getting up from the chair.

 "No, Lizzie wait, I-"

"Bye Em!" Liz finished happily and with a smile.

** ** ** **

1 hour later

By the time Liz had gotten back to the hotel, *NSYNC had already been ushered down to the room where at least three hundred to four hundred giddy fans were waiting with their CDs, autograph books and cameras. JC, as reluctant as he was and as worried as he was that Liz hadn't called him or returned to the hotel, put on a smile and greeted his fans. He took pictures and signed autographs for them and had short, polite conversations with whoever asked him a question. Since he couldn't be the one to go out and wait for her to return, he had sent out the next best thing.

"Hey Lonnie," Liz grinned, walking up to the large, bald man who sat on one of the couches in the reception area, flipping through a Fitness magazine. She held a small pink gift bag in one of her hands. "What're you doing out here?"

"JC sent me out here when you didn't call him," Lonnie informed her, getting up. "He was worried about you,"

Liz smiled. She'd thank him for his concern later. "I'm great, nothing to worry about. Just got some shopping done, is all."

"Will you like to go straight up to your room now or you want me to take you down to where the guys are doing their thing so JC can see that you're here with his own eyes?"

Liz giggled. "Uh, just tell JC that I'm okay and to meet me up in our room as soon as he can when the meet n greet is done. Please," she smiled up at Lonnie.

The body guard looked down at the bag and back at Liz before giving her a wink and nodding. She blushed and slowly hid her hands behind her back. "Will do Lizzie," He dug around in his pocket. "Here," he handed her a room key. "Room 693,"

She took the key and high-fived the man before walking away. "Thanks Lonnie!"

** ** ** **

35 mins. later

"I can do this... I love him... It's about time we did this... I love him... I can do this..." she kept repeating the words over and over to herself as she placed her hands on either side of the sink and looked at herself in the large hotel bathroom mirror. She had been in the same position for the past ten minutes trying to calm herself. As much as she was excited, she couldn't help but fight the urge of throwing up when she looked at her almost naked reflection in the mirror and knew that soon enough, she'd no longer be the same. Physically and emotionally. I mean, here she was in her early twenties with a pop star boyfriend, and she was still a virgin. Well, not for much longer she wasn't. She eyed herself in the mirror once more.

"I love him... I can do this..." Those words would be put to the test six seconds later when she heard the door of the hotel room open then close and she knew only one other person had the key.

Wearing nothing but a black, lacey, bikini-like piece of lingerie, Liz couldn't help but feel her pores raise and body stiffen when she heard a familiar voice call out her name.

"Lizzie?" he called out. "Baby you in here?"

"I-I'm in the bathroom Josh," she called out as a response, frantically applying a final coat of gloss and giving her hair the last flip it needed to achieve that perfect volume. "Gimme a minute alright?"

"Okay," he answered, and by the closeness of his voice, she knew he was in the bedroom connected to the bathroom she stood in.

Taking one last breath to soothe her nervousness she grabbed one of his oversized t shirts she had taken out of his suitcase a while ago and threw it over herself so that her body was covered, except for her long, smooth, and bare legs.

"Showtime," she thought as she gave herself one last check in the mirror before unlocking the door and creeping out slowly and silently.

"Jace?" she asked aloud, not seeing him in the room. "Jace?" she asked out, louder this time.

"Hey," he grinned.

Startled, she spun around to look at where the voice had come from. He stood in the doorway of the hotel room, a bottle of water in his hand and a smile on his face.

"Wow," he commented, stepping closer up to her. "You know, I don't think I've ever told you this before but you look smokin' hot in my old t shirts. You should wear'em more often."

She smiled, kissing him sweetly on the lips. "It's more comfortable than those jeans and tank tops I wear all the time so I thought ‘Why not?'"

"Cool," He nodded, kissing her once more before walking over to the dresser and placing the water on top. He looked at his watch. "But uh, babe as great as you look to me right about now I think you should change,"

She frowned. "Why?"

 "There's a cute little restaurant the hotel has downstairs and I thought you'd like to try it for dinner."

Liz shrugged, walking over to him and wrapping her arms around his waist from behind as he tried fixing his hair in the mirror. "I'm not that hungry tonight,"

JC frowned, turning around to look at her. "I thought after all that shopping today and the meet n' greet finishing late and everything you'd be starving. We haven't eaten since this morning when you made breakfast. And the restaurant looks great."

"Why don't we just use room service tonight?" she batted her eyelashes and slowly ran her hands over his clothed chest. She spoke slowly. "We can stay in and order movie and have some fun..."

JC smiled and looked at her. "Well if that's what you want, then okay."

She nodded.

"Are any of the guys coming up here tonight?" she asked innocently.

JC shook his head. "I don't think so. They're all over the place in this hotel so I doubt they'd care what I'm doing..." He winced as he rolled his shoulders and rotated his neck. "Not that I'd want to do much. The back of my neck is killing me. You know, I'm starting to think I have really bad posture when I-"

He stopped talking when she gently pressed her index finger against his lips to silent him.

"Let me help you fix it then." She took his hand and slowly led them over to the bed. "Sit," she commanded, nodding at the bed.

JC did as was asked and took a seat on the edge of the bed. His hands rested in lap. She smiled and ran around to the other side and crept up behind him. She knelt down on the bed and put her hands on either side of his shoulders and started putting pressure on the area as her fingers and palm deliciously but gently dug into his skin through the sweater he wore.

"Feeling any better yet baby?" she asked as she lowered her lips to his ear level. JC had to bite down on his bottom lip to keep from groaning when her tongue came flicked against the very bottom of his ear lobe.

"You should be a masseuse Lizzie," he complimented. "Where'd you learn how to do this?"

She giggled. "Don't worry about that. I'm just glad I can make you feel better,"

"Definitely baby,"

She continued for a few more seconds before she decided to put his little massage on hold. Before JC could ask why she'd stopped, Liz had already moved from her position behind and had crawled up next to him, swinging a leg over his lap so that now she was straddling him and her hands were locked behind his neck.

"You mind if I do it in this position?" she asked with a coy smile.

JC's hands moved over her bare thighs and could feel a stirring already starting to brew in the pit of his stomach. He immediately shook his head ‘no'.

Her hands snaked their way into his hair before moving around behind his neck and around his shoulders. All the while, she was planting kisses in that spot she knew drove him crazy beneath the belt. That spot right underneath the ear in the crook of his neck and she could feel exactly how he felt about it from the way the area she was sitting on, on his denim jeans had drastically gotten a lot more firm.

"Boy I'm glad that you're not a professional masseuse," he murmured, trying hard not to grip his hips too tightly.

"Why's that?"

"'Cause then this way I know I don't have to share this kind of treatment that you're giving me with anyone else."

She giggled, stopping to plant a kiss upon his lips and slowly grind her body against his. As a virgin, she had no idea what she was doing, or if she was doing it right, but by the way she felt the hard bulge in his pants strain against the zip, she had a feeling he was enjoying it. Whatever ‘it' was she was doing...

JC pulled away, his eyes closed and his breathing had become slightly heavier than before. "Shit," he muttered, letting his head fall back a little. "Lizzie what are you-

She cut him off again when she swallowed his words and pushed him to lay on his back, she still on top of him on the comforter.

JC's hands were now holding her from behind her thighs and she pressed her core against the bulge in his pants. She pulled away momentarily as JC tried to catch his breath while he watched her, speechless. She crossed her arms at the bottom of the oversized shirt and pulled it off with ease, throwing it behind her and silently hitting the floor.

So now, here she was, in only a bra and underwear, straddling JC on the bed inside of his hotel room as he just looked up at her, dumbfounded.  She forced herself to maintain the grin on her face when all she really wanted to do was jump off him and run back into the bathroom. But she was in way too deep to turn back around the situation now.

"You like?" she asked him, her hands moving slowly around on his chest and over his shoulders.

"U-Uh... I..." JC stammered, struggling to keep his eyes on hers when the rest of her almost bare body was on top of him. "T-This isn't your usual s-sleeping attire,"

Smirking, she pushed his sweater further up his body and JC just pulled it off, throwing it beside them on the pillows.

JC rolled them over so that now he was on top of her, and started sucking on the flesh of her neck which triggered a series of moans and whimpers from Liz. Remembering that she was the one who had initiated their present situation, she wanted to be in control. She pushed against his shoulders and rolled them back so now she was on top of him. She started rocking slowly against him as he captured her bottom lip between his and started sucking on it. It wasn't until Liz started fumbling around with his belt buckle did JC realize what they were about to do, or in this case, in the midst of doing.

"Lizzie!" he pulled away immediately and she looked up at him, startled.

"What's wrong?"

"W-What're you doing?"

"What does it look like we're doing Josh? I mean if you don't know then..."

JC studied her. "Lizzie, we can't. We just... we can't do this. It's not right."

"What's the matter Jace?" she did her best to speak seductively as she leaned in closer to him. "You don't want to-" She licked his neck. "...Hold me, caress me, give in to me," She sang softly as she quoted his song.

JC groaned quietly, wanting nothing more than to rip the little bit of clothes she had on and pin her to the bed, fucking her in all the ways he knew she'd like. But he knew better than to do that. He knew her too well than to do that.

"No... Baby, we can't."

She pulled away slowly, and looked at him. "You don't want me, do you?" she asked quietly.

He looked at her incredulously and gripped her hips, pressing her down hard onto him so that she could feel the hardness of his manhood straining the crotch of his jeans, threatening to burst open the zip.

"Do you not feel that?" he asked her."Do you not feel how badly I want to do this with you?"

"Then why won't you cooperate with me?" She threw up her hands in exasperation. "I'm here literally throwing myself at you and you're resisting me!"

"Lizzie, what you want us to do right now can only happen once in your lifetime. Don't you want it to be special, you know, when we're married? Right now, I can't do this to you unless I know it's for the right reasons."

"What the fuck are the ‘right reasons' Josh? As far as I'm concerned the only reason I need is that I love you. Is it wrong that I love you now?"

"No! No, no, Liz you're twisting my words."

"Then un-twist them quickly so we can get back to doing what we were doing,"

JC sighed. "What I mean is, is that I know that you've always wanted to wait for marriage and now here you are randomly implying that you've changed your mind all of a sudden? I don't get that part."

"Josh you're killing-"

"I don't care if I'm killing the moment," he rolled his eyes. "What's gotten into you that would just make you want to do this tonight?"

"Is it that you just don't think I'll be good at it so you're avoiding doing it with me?"

"I just told you that that's not the reason! I just want to know what came over you!"

Liz sighed and looked away. Neither of them really bothering to take notice at the fact that they were both halfway naked and she was on him.

JC pulled her down closer to him and slowly rolled them over. "You know that I want to do this..."

"Then why won't you-"

"I know that I want to do this... But I also know that you don't." he told her softly. "I can see it in your eyes Lizzie. You're not ready, no matter how much you try to push yourself. I know you want to wait for a more special moment for us... And I'm fine with that."

"Yea, so you say," she muttered.

JC got up off her and ran a hand through his hair. He sat up straight on the bed and watched as she did the same. "What does that mean?"

"Are you really happy in our relationship Josh? Honestly?"

JC frowned. "What in the hell kind of question is that? You know that I love you Liz. Where's all this coming from?"

"I ran in to someone today," she said quietly. "While I was at the plaza."

"So you ran into someone and that made you question my love for you?"

"The person I ran into told me she knew you Josh. And then she started telling me all sorts of shit about you breaking up with your girlfriends if they don't give you sex and that she's had experience with you and that if I don't give you what you want, you're going to go looking for it from somebody else and-"

JC held up his hands to stop her. "Lizzie, who was this person?"

"I don't know, okay?! I just know that I didn't want to be one of those girlfriends whose boyfriends are unhappy with them because of not giving you what you want and have been so patient for. I felt like I owe it to you somehow because I don't want you think that I don't love you just because we weren't having sex."

"Baby you don't owe me anything," JC said to her, moving closer on the bed to where she sat. "And I don't know who this person is but I don't love you any less just because we haven't consummated our relationship yet and I am so sorry if I gave you that impression."

"You didn't," Liz shook her head. "But what the woman at the store told me... It got me to thinking that you were going to break up with me or that you were going to be unhappy with our relationship if I didn't let you get in my pants at one point."

"Who was this woman is what I'd like to know," JC muttered. "What was the name of the store? Maybe I can get someone to track her down and I can sue her for harassment or something."

Liz giggled. "No, don't do that. But the name of the store was ‘Couture by Shannon' or ‘Shannon's Couture' or something like that. That's one store I won't be going back to that's for sure,"

JC frowned, rubbing his chin. "Couture by Shannon," JC said aloud. "I don't think I know a Shan- Wait a minute,"

"What?"

JC closed his eyes and was tapping his fingers on his knee as he repeated the name to himself in an almost inaudible tone. "Shannon, Shannon, Shannon, Shannon, SHANNON!" he snapped his fingers. "Sharon Stodartson! She owns a clothing store here in Georgia! About your height, brown hair, kind of grey eyes. Really skinny?"

Liz nodded. "Well who is she?"

"God, I dated her for a month or two a few years ago before the time me and Allison were together."

"And the sex part?"

"Well when we were going out, there was one night we were out somewhere, I think it was either at a movie or the food court in the mall or something, when she told me that she was a virgin and didn't intend on having sex with me. I had met Allison a couple days after that and we started talking and what happened was that I ended up breaking up with Shannon because I was more interested in Allison and it just so happened that, well, Allison has a lot more exper-"

"-A slut," Liz concluded bluntly.

"Exactly," JC nodded. "So when she found out that I was with someone who wasn't a virgin and at the time I wasn't a virgin either, I guess she just thought I broke up with her because I wasn't going to get sex from her and I just turned to someone else for it, which is all wrong. But, I guess she still resents me for it."

"Well now I feel stupid," Liz mumbled, avoiding eye contact.

JC took her hand. "I would never make you do anything with me that made you feel uncomfortable Lizzie. You should have talked to me instead of trying to rape me,"

She laughed. "You liked it while it lasted,"

"Oh I definitely liked seeing you in that little number," he winked.

She realized she was still lying there in the lingerie and her face turned red. "Uh..." she forgot she had thrown the t shirt to the floor and JC knew she was a little more exposed in front of him that she was comfortable with at the moment.

"Here," he handed her his sweater that was next to him. "Put this on or I'm going to ‘lose it' if you know what I mean,"

She nodded, thankful as she pulled on the sweater.

"I'm sorry Josh,"

"I can wait Lizzie. You don't even have to worry about that. I can wait for the moment where we both know we're in this forever but right now, it's not what you want, and if it's not fun for you, it isn't going to be much fun for me," he smiled at her. "There is nothing in this world that I want that any girl but you can't give to me, even if you can't give it to me right now."

"I love you Joshua," Liz hugged him.

He kissed the top of her head. "I love you too,"

"One more question, but you don't have to answer it if you don't want to."

"Shoot," JC said, pulling away.

"How many, uh, ‘partners' have you had before you and I got together?" She wasn't sure if it was any of her business to know but she was still curious.

"I'm clean, don't worry," he chuckled. "But uh, before you, I don't know the actual number. I mean, it's not like, forty women or anything like that but I did have the flings and maybe only two one night stands here and there but what I can tell you, is that what I have with you now, is way more than what I had with all of them combined."

"Okay," she responded, satisfied with the answer.

"Did you get your dress for tomorrow?"

She slapped her forehead and gasped. "Dammit, I didn't! Gosh, I was too focused on seducing you tonight that I forgot I was supposed to get something to wear for tomorrow!"

"Come on, there's got to be a couple stores around here somewhere where we can find you something sexy to wear, don't worry about it."

"Still up for that dinner you wanted to have?"

He shrugged. "If you want to, we'll go. I just thought the food would be good."

"Then let's get me a dress real quick and we can try out that restaurant."

JC grinned. "It's a date,"

She smiled. "I'll just go change,"

"Preferably into your own clothes,"

"Shut up," she giggled. "Hey Josh?"

"What?" He laughed, getting of the bed.

"Thank you for being the wonderful way that you are,"

"You got it babe,"

** * ** **

2 months later- October

"He's gonna do it isn't he," Justin grinned.

"He's so gonna do it!" Lance nodded in.

"Dude, he's gonna do it!" Chris yelled.

"You don't know fuck," JC muttered, scrambling around his bedroom picking up shirts he had flung onto the floor and rushing over to his dresser to get his keys as well as to give himself the occasional mirror check to ensure that each frosted tip strand of hair stood up and looked presentable.

"Where's my phone?" JC asked, frantically patting his empty jean pockets. "Where the hell is my-"

"Here," Lance tossed him the flip cell phone from across the room. "I was trying to beat your score on that snake game you have,"

JC rolled his eyes and stuffed the phone into his front pocket.

"Dude you didn't even buy the Playboy channel?" Joey asked, disgustedly tossing Justin the remote.

"And you don't even have any food either," Chris remarked. "So it's not even like we can go raid through your fridge and eat anything besides pop-tarts, frozen pizzas and cartons of ice-cream."

"Hey, you guys have your own houses and you all knew that I was busy tonight!" JC defended himself. "So I don't know why the hell you're all here, over at my place."

"We got nothing to do and Orlando's boring," Justin said simply from JC's bed, never taking his eyes off the basketball game that showed on the flat screen on the wall. "And don't worry, tomorrow we're taking over Lance's house and then Joey's before we leave for LA on Thursday."

JC sighed, taking up one of the men's cologne bottles Emma had given him for his birthday and spraying himself with it as he reminded his friends of a few of his rules whenever they were around. "Just don't mess up anything while I'm gone. If you use the bathroom, flush the toilet, if you go in the pool, try not to pee in it, if you do something in the living room, take off your shoes before putting your feet on the coffee table, if you want to heat up something in the microwave, don't burn down my kitchen and if you're staying here in the room, don't go through any of my stuff. Got it?"

"Yes JC," they replied in monotone unison.

"Cool," he kept spraying.

"God, that's enough!" Chris cried out, coughing. "What're you trying to do? Stifle her in the car on her birthday? Shit..."

"I look okay though?" JC asked nervously, holding his arms out at his sides as he faced his friends. "Think she'll like it?"

"I think she already likes you JC so don't worry about it," Lance chuckled.

"I like that black blazer though," Joey complimented. "Where'd you get it?"

"Liz got it for me for my birthday, remember? That and this," he held up his wrist which sported a gold watch with small diamonds along the circumference.

Looking at the watch, JC noticed that the time was 6:43 and he was supposed to pick Liz up at 7 sharp. (He had put in the ‘sharp' part when he told her that he was taking her out). "I'm late," he muttered. His head snapped up and he looked at his friends. Chris and Justin comfortably sitting on his bed watching the TV, Lance on the chair flipping through some book a fan had given to JC and Joey on the floor.

"You guys need to be out of here by eight," JC warned them. "8:15 at the latest. I'm bringing Liz back here so you guys can't be here."

"Yea yea, we'll leave eventually," Justin said. "But you should leave now... Don't want to keep Liz waiting on her birthday,"

JC nodded, giving himself one last look in the mirror. He was satisfied with the black blazer he chose to wear with his white undershirt, specifically because she had given it to him and he went with dark blue, denim jeans and black dress shoes.

"Out by eight," JC reminded them, pointing his finger and turning around. "I'll talk to you guys later," He said to them, walking out the door.

"Hey Jace! Wait!" Chris yelled out.

"What?" JC yelled back, seeing that he was already at the top of the steps.

"You got the ring?"

JC stopped and dipped his hand into the pocket of his blazer, feeling the small box that rested there. A smile crept upon his face as he continued down the stairs. "Got it!"

** ** **

"I forgot how great your ass looks when you wear those jeans," Liz giggled as she watched as JC closed the passenger door for her and walked around the car to get back into the driver's seat.

JC laughed, hearing her comment and he leaned over to kiss her before buckling his seatbelt. "Well  couldn't keep my eyes off your body all through dinner. You in that dress should be a sin by itself," He ran his fingers slowly up her leg but only up to the point where her black dress had cut at her mid thigh. "You looked beautiful tonight baby,"

She smiled, entwining their hands. "Thank you for another great birthday. Dinner was amazing so thank you. But that restaurant seemed really... High class and expensive Josh. You didn't have to do all that and that steak probably cost just as much as-"

"It's your birthday and nothing's too good for my girl so don't even worry about it," JC smiled, interrupting her. "I love that you're having a great night. I am too,"

"I really am," she sighed contently. "But my favorite part of my day was just being able to spend it with the guy I love. The dining out and dressing fancy tonight was all great but the best part is just being with you."

"Well then are you ready to head back to my place?" he asked. "The next event I have planned is over there,"

She laughed. "Josh, you always make such a big deal for my birthday! All these little events you always have planned. You kill me sometimes,"

He leaned back against the leather seat and spoke softly. "Yea, well you kill me every time I look into your eyes,"

"How so?"

"Because whenever I do the scariest feeling comes over me and I'm just overwhelmed by the feeling that comes over me whenever I realize that you're mine. You honestly have no idea how much I love you Liz. And I'm glad I could spend this day and celebrate with you. It means a lot to me that I'm here too,"

She smiled. "That's sweet Jace, thank you. And I love you too baby... So much,"

They finished that little conversation with a wet kiss and JC started up the car to take the route home.

*

"Please tell me they're not here, please tell me they're not here, please tell me they're not here," JC pleaded silently to himself as he pulled into his driveway. He prayed that the guys had left because he knew that if they were still there that there'd be a lot of noise coming from inside the house and he didn't want anything unnecessary to come and ruin the romantic night he and Liz were having. There were no other cars in the driveway and from the outside, it looked as though all the lights were turned off.

"Thank God," he mumbled under his breath in relief.

"What?" Liz asked.

"Oh, nothing, don't worry." He smiled to her, shutting off the engine and getting out of the car. Working quickly, he had gotten around the car to her side to open the door by the time she had just gotten off the seatbelt. He put out his hand to lead her out the car. "At your service my lovely lady,"

She giggled, getting out of the car and letting JC lead the way. But she got a little confused when he started walking along the house toward the back instead of actually entering through the front door.

"Why are we passing through the back baby?" she asked, trying not to fall in the heels she wore as they walked through the grass.

JC shrugged, maintaining the hold on her hand. "It's a beautiful night and I'm with a beautiful birthday girl so how about we just spend some time out here instead of just being locked up in the house?"

"Okay," she agreed.

They got to the backyard and Liz smiled as she watched as the moon's light glistened off the water's surface of the pool and out by the lake. A cool breeze blew by and JC put his arm around her as they kept walking. The smell of both their perfumes along with the smell of the pool and the grass in the midst of the night circulated and mixed in the air. Only the sound of the leaves rustling could be heard and the otherwise dark backyard was illuminated only by the gleam of the moonlight. Well, that, and something else.

Liz gasped softly when she saw that the wooden dock leading out to the lake was decorated with little, dark orange lights that aligned the sides. JC had had them placed there the day before and he hadn't tried them out to see if they'd work until just now. Thankfully, they did and luck seemed to be on his side tonight.

"It's so beautiful out there," she said softly, admiring the pleasant scenery from the distance.

"Then let's go check it out," JC grinned, leading her further out on the property and they walked in comfortable silence straight up to the edge of the dock.

"This really is a beautiful night," Liz nodded as she spoke softly. "It's perfect,"

"Yea, it is," JC murmured, pulling her close to him in a hug and kissing the side of her head. He smiled when he felt her relax against him and rest her head on his shoulder.

"You wanna dance?"

She lifted her head and raised her eyebrows. "There's no music,"

"We don't need music to dance you know," he started moving with her in a slow rhythm as he hummed a random tune that he just kept going along with. If anything, she seemed to liked it.

"You're an incredible man Josh," she told him, looking into his eyes and her nails gently scraping the back of his neck as they kept moving.

"And you're an incredible woman Lizzie," he returned. "No one has ever made me as happy as you have in my life and I mean that. I thank God every single day for making me feel like the luckiest guy in the world just knowing that I have you in my life."

"Yea, well I feel like the luckiest girl in the world. I'm in my most favorite place in the world right now,"

"On a boating dock on a breezy Sunday night at your boyfriend's house on your birthday?"

"A lot simpler than that actually," she snuggled her head into the crook of his neck and sighed happily. "In your arms,"

He held her tighter and kissed her dark brown hair against her head. "And I love having you in my arms,"

"I wish this night didn't have to end," she mumbled, her words a little muffled. "I wish I could stay in your arms forever,"

"Would you?" JC asked quietly. She pulled away a little and looked up at him. He continued. "Would you do that? Would you let me hold you in my arms forever? No matter what?"

"Definitely," she said against his lips before kissing him. JC felt his heart race up and he swallowed.

"I can do this... I love her... I want her to be mine... I love her... I can do this..." he repeated the words to himself over and over for a few seconds before placing a few strands of her hair behind her ear.

"Uh," he cleared his throat. "Are you uh, ready for your final present of the night babe?"

A breeze blew by and she shivered, the wind blowing up her dress a little higher up her legs and her hair blowing in different directions. JC was momentarily dumbfounded by the natural beauty she presented in the wake of the moonlight.

"What else is there?"

"Close your eyes and you'll find out," he said.

She did as was told and closed her eyes. JC took a silent but deep breath as he looked at her standing before him and he knew that this was it. This was their moment and it was either now or never for him.

Slowly getting down on his left knee, he pulled out the velvet box from inside the pocket of his blazer and opened it to reveal the engagement ring that was cushioned nicely in the box. The exquisite ring that featured princess cut diamonds radiating from the Ascher shaped centerpiece mounted with 12K of white gold. He only prayed it she'd like it, seeing that he had picked it out by himself.

"Lizzie?" he asked softly.

"What?" she giggled.

"When you feel me take you hand, open your eyes, alright?"

"Alright," she said slowly.

"I love you," he smiled. "And I never want you to have any favorite place in this world besides being in my arms because that's when we're both happiest and I don't want to go a day for the rest of my life not feeling you close to me or holding you close. I love you and I want you to know that I'm willing to spend the rest of my life trying to make you feel for me what I feel for you when I hear your voice or see your face or feel your touch."

He reached for her left hand and she opened her eyes, only to come face to face with the ring that JC held up to her. "Elizabeth..."

Her mouth was slightly open but she managed to respond.

"Yea?" she squeaked.

"Will you marry me?

She studied his face, the ring, then back to his face. "Josh... Oh my God..." she said softly in astonishment."Are you being serious?"

"110% serious," he nodded, his eyes locked onto hers.

She quickly brushed away a tear that had trickled down her cheek and she sniffled. Looking at him for a brief moment and then nodding her head enthusiastically. "Yes," she grinned. "Absolutely yes,"

JC had to take a second to understand that her answer was ‘yes' but when he did, the largest grin spread across his face as he took out the ring and slipped it on to her ring finger. (A perfect fit by the way.)

Getting up from on his knee, he pressed his lips to hers and lifted her off the ground, actually spinning her around quickly before setting her back on the wooden surface.

"I love you so much Lizzie," he said into her ear softly. "And I don't want to spend another moment in my life without you by my side,"

"I love you Josh," She smiled against his shoulder and kissed him passionately before cupping his face in her hands and looking at him. "And I don't want to spend another moment without you by my side either."

"You won't ever have to babe," he promised her. "It's you and me forever,"

She giggled, a few more happy tears falling. "I love you so much, you know that?"

He laughed lightly. "I love you too Lizzie... Forever and always...."

She smiled at him.

"Happy Birthday baby," he kissed her forehead. "I've been carrying around that ring for months now,"

"It's beautiful Josh, thank you," she extended out her hand to admire the diamond then back at him. "It's absolutely perfect,"

"I'm glad you liked it then,"

"I love it... And I love you much, much more..."

Later that night

"You look nice," JC winked from the couch.

Liz grinned, walking into the living room in a pair of shorts she kept in his laundry room and wearing one of his t shirts. Of course, the diamond on her finger only complimented the smile on her face.

"Comfortable now?" JC asked with a smile as she took a seat on his lap in a horizontal position and nodded. She put an arm around him and brushed her lips against his. She pulled away and JC couldn't help but laugh at the ear to ear grin on her face.

"I'm happy!" she laughed in defense. "I can't help it!"

"Okay, okay, sorry," he chuckled, kissing her sweetly. "I'm happy you're happy."

"We're happy," she told him softly, leaning her forehead in to touch his.

He nodded, taking her left hand that was in her lap and bringing it up to his lips to kiss it softly before entwining their fingers. "That we are,"

"I can't believe this," she looked at her ring. "You're crazy you know that? I mean we are crazy."

He grinned. "Crazy in love,"

"So true," she giggled, relaxing against him with her head on his shoulder and his arm around her almost like he was cradling her.

"We're engaged Lizzie," he kissed the top of her head, running his fingers up and down her back.

"Yea, we are. And I love it."

"Did you expect it though?" he asked. "When I did it, I mean. Did you know I was going to ask you tonight?"

"Actually, no, I really didn't. I mean, I thought it was kind of odd with the whole decorating the dock and staying out by the lake instead of just coming inside but I just assumed you'd just pull out a birthday cake or something. I didn't expect a proposal."

"So you're ready to spend the rest of your life with me?"

"If I had any doubt in my mind that you weren't the one for me I wouldn't have said yes, Josh," she said softly. "I love you, you know that right?"

He smiled against her hair and spoke. "I did but it's always good to hear. I love you too."

They spent a few more moments in silence before they started to feel the couch vibrate.

"It's your phone," JC said, reaching across for the phone and handing it to her.

"It's Em," she smiled, looking at him then back to the phone in her hand.

"Put it on speaker,"

Setting the speaker on, she answered. "Hey Em. You're on speaker with me and Josh,"

"Hey Em!" JC called out into the phone.

"Hey you two," she smiled into the phone. "Am I interrupting anything? Any late night birthday make out sessions?"

"Not at the moment," JC replied. "We have to talk to you about something though."

"What about?"

"You wanna tell her now?" JC whispered but Emma spoke before Liz could even answer.

"Hey, Lizzie, are you coming home tonight by chance? Because I already locked the front door and you left your keys on the counter. So should I go unlock the door and wait up or..."

"Uh, no it's okay. Josh can just drop me off in the morning before work, right babe? I'll just take a shower over here and put on some casual clothes and change when I get home."

JC nodded. "Sure,"

"Okay, great. So, what'd you have to talk to me about? What extravagant present did JC get you this time?"

"Yea Lizzie," JC mumbled against neck, kissing the skin. "What did I get you?"

"He got me this really, really beautiful present but I don't want to tell you what it is until tomorrow morning. I want to see the expression on your face when I show it to you," Liz grinned.

"Oh God, he didn't buy you your own house did he?"

"Hmmm," Liz hummed into the phone. "Something like that actually, but wait until tomorrow when I get home. Stop guessing!"

"Okay, okay, I'm done. I'm just glad you had a great night with him."

"The best night," she confessed, nuzzling her nose to his. "I'll see you in the morning Em. Goodnight,"

"Goodnight Lizzie. ‘Night Josh! See you two tomorrow,"

"Bye Emma!" JC called out before they heard the line click signaling the end of their call and Liz tossed the phone back on the couch. She leaned against JC. "So... what'd we do now?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I've never been engaged before. It's funny really. Everyone knows what supposedly happens on the honeymoon night but no one ever talks about what we're supposed to do the night we get engaged."

"Call family and friends and fill them in on the good news?" Liz suggested with a giggle. "Why don't we call your parents now?"

"My parents are probably asleep by now and I don't want to leave a message like this over voicemail. I can tell the guys when I see them in the studio tomorrow. So for the rest of the night, it's just you and me baby."

"I got work in the morning so let's call your parents first thing tomorrow instead of waiting for a later time. I want them to be one of the first people to know so that they don't find out through someone else that might see this ring on my finger. Your parents, Emma and the guys should be the first set of people we tell because they're the most important to us. I don't want any of them thinking any less of what they mean to us if they had to find out through someone else."

JC smiled. "You're really sweet, you know that?"

"I did, but like you said, it's always good to hear. Especially from you."

"It's one of the things that got me to fall in love with you in the first place."

"What're the other things?"

"If I were to name them all then it'd take me all night," JC sighed.

She smiled. "Tell me your favorite then,"

"My favorite huh," he smiled. "I guess it'd be the fact that it's become impossible for me to picture my future without you in it. I love the way you make me feel when you're next to me - or in this case, on top of me - and it's like when I'm with you, I feel like I can do anything and I can be anything because nothing seems impossible to me knowing you'll stand by me. That's my favorite."

"Wow," she murmured. "I expected you to say something like ‘You got a hot body' or ‘I like the way my hand fits perfectly into yours when we're holding hands' or something."

JC chuckled. "Those too,"

 "But I like the answer you gave me a lot better," she mumbled against his lips before taking his lower lip between hers.

"I think we should go up to bed now." JC said, finally breaking the kiss. "You know, that's officially going to be our bed once we exchange vows."

"And I can't wait," she smiled. "When do you want to start?"

"Start what?"

"Planning!"

"Planning what?"

"Our wedding Joshua," she nudged him.

"Oh," he laughed. "Whenever you want to start planning baby, we'll start planning. But I don't know how much help I'm going to be. I mean, this is what you do for a living and I'm kind of clueless about this kind of stuff. I mean I'm organized and I like when things run smoothly, but that only applies to stuff I know how to do. Planning a wedding is not one of those things."

 "It'll be our wedding Jace, not just my wedding. I just have more experience with this type of thing. That doesn't mean I'm not going to want you to help me out. I value your opinion you know,"

"How about we start all this planning tomorrow, when we're both fresh and energetic, and we can start telling people and then get everything together."

"Okay," she smiled. "Sorry, I'm just excited. I think I love you too much,"

He grinned, getting up from the couch abruptly but still holding her in his arms with one hand around her back and the other under her bent knees. She gasped.

"Goodness you're strong," she commented.

He shrugged. "Eh, you're not that heavy anyways,"

She grinned. "You really know how to boost a girl's ego Chasez,"

He rolled his eyes. "Now, Lizzie the last thing you should be worried about is your weight. You're beautiful,"

"Are you planning to carry me all the way up the stairs?"

"Well since you suggested it..." he adjusted his arms a little and started making his way out the living room and up the staircase, but stopped when Liz suddenly said ‘Wait'.

"What?" he asked.

"Did you put away the remaining cupcakes that were on the island into the fridge?"

He thought for a moment and then shrugged, continuing up the staircase. "I'll put it away tomorrow,"

"Josh," she whined, making him stop again.

"What?"

"There's icing on those cupcakes and there's some icing that's scattered on the island!"

"Not my fault!" JC grinned.

She laughed. "You tried to shove one in my face and you missed!"

"You'd look cute covered in icing,"

"Jace if you don't put it away or clean up you'll have an ant invaded kitchen,"

"Liz, c'monnnn," he complained in a mimicking fashion. "They're just cupcakes. The kitchen will be fine for one night,"

"It's cake! C'mon babe it'll just take a minute. Put me down and just run into the kitchen and put ‘em in the fridge. It's not that hard."

"Lizzie," he groaned. "Let's just go to bed."

"It'll just take one minute!" she insisted. "You'd be saving yourself from an army of ants that like sugar,"

He looked at her blankly.

"If you want, just put me down and I'll go put them away."

They stared at each other for a moment before he sighed in defeat, putting her down on the next higher step and stretching his arms.

"I'll do it," he muttered.

 She smiled as he turned around and headed back down the stairs.

"I'll meet you upstairs babe," she smiled. "Thank you,"

"Yea, yea," he waved his hand, reaching the last step and taking a right into the kitchen.

"Oh! Don't forget to take off the kitchen light when you're done okay?"

JC rolled his eyes. "Jeez, we've been engaged for a half an hour and you're already starting to sound like my wife!"

** **

Next morning

She skimmed through the contact list on her phone as she made her way to the bedroom, munching on a pop-tart and eyes focused on the screen of the phone. She pushed open the door, not bothering to knock.

 "Hey, baby do you think we should call-"

"Wait! No, Lizzie I'm not-"

"Oh my God," she gasped, dropping the phone as she stood in the doorway. Heat flooded between her legs as her eyes came into contact with the perfectly sculpted body before her a few feet away. The perfectly sculpted and naked body by the way. "Oh my God," she repeated, frozen in place.

JC chuckled, grabbing his boxer briefs from the bed where his towel lay and pulled them up quickly.

"I was going to tell you that I wasn't finished changing but oh well," he smiled, reaching for his jeans.

She was too shocked to respond as she still stood there, lifeless, half a pop-tart in hand and the phone still on the ground.

"Lizzie?" he waved his hand in front of her face, walking up closer to her as he buttoned the pants. "You're still staring at me."

Her eyes widened and she spun around, looking at the floor. "Oh, uh, sorry."

He laughed, turning her around to reveal her reddened face. "I have pants on now, it's cool."

"You know you could have grabbed the towel and covered yourself or something,"

"I didn't know you were going to barge in just like that! And I don't care if you see me naked. Actually, I'm kind of glad you finally did. You're my fiancée. I'm not going to try and hide anything from you, including my body. You're eventually going to see everything one day - I didn't think that today would be that day - but it's not a big deal to me what you see." He grinned. "You on the other hand didn't make any effort to cover your eyes or run out the room either,"

She broke their eye contact and the blush had spread from her cheeks to over and behind her ears. "I was too shocked to move," she mumbled.

He laughed whole heartedly, wrapping his arms around her waist and pressing kissing her cheek before whispering in her ear. "Like what you saw baby?"

She pushed him away, still not making eye contact. "Shut up and put on a shirt,"

"So was that a yes or a no?"

"It was a, ‘I didn't see anything so let's get on with our day'."

"Oh please," he scoffed. "You saw the whole package and you liked it, didn't you? I've never seen that look in your eye before so I know that you liked it."

She giggled lightly. "You were blessed in more ways than one Chasez," she said quietly.

He beamed with pride. "And it's all yours when we get married," he winked.

She rolled her eyes. "Now that we're past this, can you please get dressed? I don't have any of my work clothes over here and I need to get changed at the house. Plus we still have to call your parents and-"

"You know," he said, interrupting her as he walked over to his closet and pulled out a sweater. "You've now seen me naked, but I haven't seen you naked. That's not fair."

"Josh is that all you're going to think about for the rest of the day?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips. "Seeing me naked?"

"That's all I think about every day," he grinned.

"You're disgusting."

He shrugged. "I just don't think it's fair when you got full body frontal from me and the most I've gotten is bikini from you."

"Hey man, you had a chance to see everything," she reminded. "And you turned it down."

He looked at her and wagged his finger from side to side. "No, no, no. I turned it down because you wanted to do something you weren't ready for. This however, is me wanting to get a sneak peek of what to expect when you are ready."

"You saw enough," she giggled.

"But all the good parts were covered!" he complained.

She laughed, walking up to him and wrapped her arms around him. "You'll get to see all that you like on the honeymoon baby, don't worry. Nothing will be covered."

"Fine," he murmured against her neck. "What do I get until then?"

"Close your eyes and you'll find out," she whispered.

He had a goofy grin on his face as he closed his eyes and she took a step back. She tip toed quickly over to the dresser and grabbed the keys.

"I'll be in the car," she giggled as she speed walked past him, making sure to give him a pat on the butt before running out the room. "Hurry up and finish get dressed!"

His eyes snapped open and he gasped as he got a quick glimpse of her running out of the room, giggling. "You're horrible!" he yelled out to her with laughter in his voice. "That's not fair!"

"And you still love me for it!" she yelled back, already halfway down the stairs.

JC shook his head and chuckled to himself. "Damn right I do,"

** * **

"Em?" Liz called out, entering the house with JC right behind her, holding hands. "Emma?"

"In the kitchen Lizzie," she answered.

"Ready to start telling people?" JC smiled.

"Let's go," Liz nodded.

Walking into the kitchen, he holding her left hand so that the ring wasn't visible, they found Emma sitting at the table with a bowl of cereal and an open fashion magazine in front of her. She looked up at them and smiled before returning her focus to the cereal.

"Morning you two," she greeted the couple.

"Morning Em," JC smiled.

"Hey Josh," she nodded. "How was your guys' night last night?"

Liz grinned. "It was great, thanks."

"Did you have breakfast yet?"

"I had a pop-tart," Liz shrugged. "Josh took too long to get ready so he didn't have anything."

"Well there's coffee over there," Emma nodded to the counter. "Freshly brewed and there're bagels in the cupboard if you guys want to make anything. We're still pretty early so we got time."

"Actually, Lizzie and I wanted to talk to you about something first," JC spoke up.

Emma looked at them awkwardly and gave a confused smile. "Talk to me? Talk to me about what?"

Liz looked at him with a smile.

"Tell her," he urged.

"Okay. Remember last night when you asked me what birthday present Josh got me and I told you I'd show it to you this morning because I wanted to show you in person?"

"Oh yea," she smiled. "Where is it?"

"Right here," she pulled her hand slowly away from JC's hold and brought her hand up to her chest so that her palm was facing her and the outer part of her hand that boasted the diamond ring faced Emma, whose eyes widened.

"Wow, that is a beautiful ring," she commented, getting up from her seat. "But it's on your ring fing-" She stopped mid-sentence when she saw the smile on Liz and JC's faces. "Oh my God,"

"I finally asked her," JC stated with a smile.

"You guys are engaged?"

"Yea, we are," Liz grinned.

"Oh, well, oh my God congratulations!" she pulled in her friend for a tight hug, smiling and laughing. "I can't believe this! You guys are engaged!"

"Yea," JC chuckled, hugging her back tightly when she embraced him. "Thank you,"

"That ring is gorgeous by the way," she pointed out. "It's beautiful and I am so happy for you guys!"

"Thanks Em," Liz smiled, hugging her once more. "Or should I say, ‘my future maid of honor'?"

Emma's eyes widened. "Seriously?"

"Don't act all surprised," she giggled. "You know I wouldn't let anyone have that title except for you,"

"True," Emma grinned, making them all laugh. "Really, congratulations. And now this is just one more wedding to add to our calendar except this is actually going to be one I'll do and not care if I'm getting paid or not,"

"Speaking of getting paid," Liz looked at her watch. "We have work and I'm not even dressed for it yet. I'm going to go change real quick and I'll be back down in couple minutes."

"Go ahead. I'll wait around till you come back down and then I'll leave," JC told her.

"Okay," she smiled, giving him a peck on the lips before walking out of the room.

"So you're engaged now..." Emma concluded, taking the almost empty cereal bowl over to the sink and turning on the tap. "That's wonderful. You did a really great job picking out the ring. Nice timing too, with her birthday and all."

JC nodded, going over to the coffee machine and filling a mug for himself. "Thank you," he smiled. "I'm really happy about it. I'm ecstatic that she even said ‘yes' so now I guess I'm just really excited for what the future holds, you know?"

"Yea, I know. I'm glad she said yes too, but more importantly, I'm glad she found someone worth saying yes to. At least with you I know that you'll treat her right and she'll be okay and you're successful enough to support her and any kids you guys might have in the future. At least I know that you'll both be stable."

JC nodded. "Yea, thanks. You're obviously going to play a big part in the wedding planning and the wedding itself so expect to be dragged along for the ride," he chuckled.

Emma nodded, washing out the bowl and placing it in the strainer. There was silence for about a minute before Emma spoke up and looked at him.

"How long do you guys plan to have this engagement?" she asked with a frown.

JC swallowed the hot liquid and thought for a moment before answering. "We actually haven't talked about setting an official date yet. We're just pondering for now and letting the engagement itself sink in."

"Oh,"

"Why'd you ask?"

She shook her head, taking up her seat at the table and turning another page on the magazine. "No reason,"

"You sure?"

"Yea, I was just wondering. I mean, I know you guys are working on the second album and the new single and then all the promotion and the touring, plus an engagement, then a wedding and eventually a wife and marriage to balance out? It just seems like a lot to take on."

JC shrugged. "Yea, I guess so but I know it'll all work out one way or the other. We'll find a way to even things out. I'm just glad we're doing this. Honestly, she's definitely made me happier than I've ever been and I love her. I think we're both excited about this new part of our lives."

"I'm glad you guys are happy," Emma murmured. "If the two of you are happy, then I'm happy too I guess."

JC frowned, walking over to the table and taking the seat opposite hers so that they faced each other. "Are you happy Emma? Are you really happy about this engagement?"

"'Course I am. She's my best friend and I've grown to like you Josh. I'm happy for you guys."

"Okay, so, you're happy we're engaged." JC said slowly. "Is there anything else that's possibly bothering you? Something that you're not happy about?"

Emma shook her head. "Even if there was, you're not really the person I'd talk to about it."

"Why not?"

"Because it's really none of your business."

"Then why are you getting mad at me for trying to help?"

"You don't even know what you're trying to help."

"Well I'd know if you'd tell me."

"Don't worry about it. It's stupid anyways and if I say it out loud, I'm going to feel stupider than I am in the mood for so let's just let it go and we can go back to celebrating."

"Is what's bothering have anything to do with me and Liz being together? Emma, you can tell me if it is. If you want I can just get Lizzie to talk to you about-"

"No! Don't tell Lizzie anything. I'll be fine."

"Well if you won't tell Lizzie and I doubt you'd confide in anyone else, why can't you just talk to me? You know that you could if you needed to."

"I can't talk to you..."

"And I repeat... why not?"

Emma sighed, looking at him. "Josh, I'm happy for you guys. Both of you deserve each other and what you've found in each other and I could not be happier that that's the case in your relationship. But ever since the two of you started getting more and more serious, can you recall the last time Liz and spent some with me besides at work? Can you recall the last time she told you she didn't want to hang out with you for a night because she preferred to stay at home or go out to a party with me? Because I can't!" She continued. "I can't remember the last time the two of us even had one on one time and we're supposed to be living in the same God-damn house but she's with you all the God-damn time! Her stuff is here, but she's not. We have spent the last few years of our lives together and we have been through hell and back but then after she met you, I just felt like I took the backseat and she didn't care like she used to. Don't get me wrong, I mean, I love you both but I miss my best friend sometimes Josh. And now you come and tell me that you guys are engaged, and I think that that's amazing and all, but it just hit me that my friendship with her is never going to be the same. After this she's going to be a wife to you and where does that leave me, huh?"

"Emma, I am so sorry," JC shook his head. "I mean I didn't know that Lizzie and I being together all the time would have this effect on you."

"I didn't think it would either until I saw the look on her face when she showed me the ring a few minutes ago. She's happy with you Josh, happier than she's ever been, and while I love that, it just hurts that from now on it's never going to just be me and her like it used to be. It's going to be you and her..."

 "Is that honestly what you think? You think that she loves spending more time with me than she does with you? You think she's forgotten about you?"

"I know she hasn't but sometimes it just seems that way,"

"Emma," JC started. "The love Lizzie has for me and the love that she has for you, while they're two completely different kinds of love, they're the only two major loves she has in her life. Em, when Lizzie and I got into our first big fight, who was the one she came home crying to?"

"Me..." she mumbled.

"And when I was going crazy trying to get her back, who was the one I needed forgiveness from?"

"Me," she sighed.

"And when we get married and have a million more of those fights, who's the one she's going to be calling on the phone when she needs someone to vent to?"

"Me?"

JC smiled "Emma you've known her way before I did. You guys have a friendship that even I'm jealous of sometimes. You've been through literally hell and back together and that's what makes your bond so strong. Besides me, and this is only because we're in love, you are the most important person in her life. I cannot tell you how much Lizzie loves you Em, and how much she cares about you and appreciates you. You guys have so much together. Now that we're engaged and we want to get married, that doesn't mean you're any less important to her than I am. I'm just a different type of important. That doesn't say that she's forgotten about you just because you guys haven't spent as much time together as you did a couple years ago. Her priorities have just changed. She went from this single, working woman who'd go out with you to clubs on the weekends to a fiancée whose latest major worry is going to be what color dress her bridesmaids are going to be wearing. And when she has a fit because the caterer calls and cancels on us at the last minute, who do you think is going to have to calm her down?"

"Oh God, me,"

"Bingo." JC pointed at her.

Emma giggled, running a hand through her hair and sighing. "I needed that Josh, thank you."

"I understood where you were coming from," he said. "You're not jealous and I can see how happy you are for us-"

"-But I was just having a hard time adjusting the change."

He nodded and stood.

She smiled and got up, going over to hug him. "Lizzie is really lucky. And I could not be happier for her. Thank you,"

"You're welcome," he hugged back. "By the way, you're the first to know about us."

"'Us' being..."

"Our engagement. You're the first person we've told. And Lizzie was the one who wanted it to be that way."

"That's awesome and I appreciate it so thanks." She nodded. "You know, she really is lucky to have us around."

"Tell me about it," JC chuckled, high fiving her.

"What're you two high-fiving about?" Liz asked, walking into the kitchen buckling her watch.

"Nothing, don't worry about it," Emma smiled. "Are you ready? It's getting kind of late."

"Yea, let's go." She walked up to JC and wrapped her arms around him. "I'll talk to you some time during the day, alright?"

"Okay," he kissed her sweetly. "Now that Emma knows, now we can tell the rest of the world."

Liz giggled. "Look, it's actually getting late so do you want to call your parents and tell them later or..."

"No, I'll just call and tell them when I'm back in the car and once they know I'll tell the guys. Although, I think they already kind of know."

"Well, tell your parents that I'll give them a call when I'm done with work okay? And if you get to, tell Heather and Tyler hi for me."

"I will babe," he kissed her on the forehead. "Time for you guys to get to work,"

"Time for you to get to the studio,"

"I'll see you later?"

"Of course," she smiled. "Em, you ready?"

"Yea," Emma nodded. "Ready when you are."

"Ready to hear all the details?"

"What details?" JC asked, clueless.

"Girl stuff, don't worry about it. You know, the proposal, how you did it, my reaction, that sorta thing."

"Girls really go through all that?" JC raised his eyebrows. "The only thing the guys would want to know is whether your answer was ‘yes' or ‘no.'"

Liz laughed. "I'll see you tonight baby," she kissed him one last time before taking Emma's arm and leading them out the kitchen and out the door. "Love you babe," she smiled, waving as JC walked past her and toward his car.

"Love you too," he winked. "Have a good day you two!"

Emma smiled as she waved back and then turned to Liz, who was still grinning as she watched JC get into the car, honk the horn a couple times and wave before driving off.

"I'm really happy for you Lizzie," Emma told her. "I'm really glad that you're happy."

"Thanks Em," Liz smiled at her. "It means a lot. I am happy. Happiest I've ever been actually."

"Baby," he whispered, sitting on the edge of the bed and shaking her shoulder gently. "Lizzie, wake up."

She groaned softly.

JC chuckled. "Baby, I got to go."

She turned over slowly to lay on her back and opened her eyes halfway to look at him.

He smiled at her. "Baby, I got to go, alright?"

She frowned, sitting up slowly. "What time is it?"

JC looked down at his digital watch. "Almost 4AM."

"I thought you weren't supposed to leave until 8,"

"I messed up the schedule a little. Turns out we're supposed to be in New York by 8,"

She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I wish you would have woken me up and told me earlier instead of waking me up the minute you're about to leave."

"You were already when I found out," he pressed his lips to her forehead. "Sorry about that."

"I'm gonna miss you..."

"Just a few more weeks promoting the single and then I'll be home for a coupla days when we drop the record. But I'm going to miss you too baby. I wish I could bring you with me every single time but you know how crazy it is out there with us and you've got work and a whole wedding to plan," he winked at her.

She smiled at the last part of the sentence and nodded. "I know."

"So we're both going to be busy for a while."

She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him. "Call me if you can when you get to New York, okay? Just so I can know you're alright."

"I will," JC promised. "Don't forget to call Emma and tell her to pick you up here before work in the morning alright? And don't for get to-"

"-Close all the windows, turn off the lights, activate the security cameras outside, lock the gate and keep all the doors closed when I leave. I got it."

"I love you," he grinned, pressing his lips to hers.

"Love you too,"

He looked down at his phone in his left hand that was now vibrating and lighting up. Liz could read the name ‘Johnny W' appear across the small screen.

"Okay, I really got to go now. Johnny's outside with the car."

"Where're your bags?"

"Downstairs."

"Okay," she sighed. "I'll see you soon?"

"5 weeks," he smiled at her, leaning over her to kiss her on the lips. "I stored the date on your phone. Go back to sleep."

"Good luck with the single babe,"

"Thanks," he said, walking over to the door. "Bye bye bye," he grinned.

She giggled. "Bye Josh,"

He blew her a kiss and she caught it, holding the hand to her heart as she watched him leave the room. She sighed.

"I hate this part," she mumbled, falling back onto the bed.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

4 weeks later

"You know," Emma started, scrolling through a web page on her computer. "This song came out only a week ago and it's already hit 200 different radio stations worldwide."

Liz grinned, turning in her chair to face her friend. "Impressive. You know all the words to it, don't you?"

"It's catchy! Baby, bye bye bye," Emma sang.

Liz laughed. "If you like that, then you better pick up their album when it drops in a few weeks."

"Have you heard it yet?"

"I heard a couple beats and Josh was talking to me about their song titles but I haven't heard the full album yet. They're pretty nervous about it."

"Nervous about what? The album release?"

Liz shrugged. "Kind of, yea. After that whole lawsuit, they're worried about whether or not people are still interested enough to actually go out and buy the record."

"What's their aim for the album sales?"

"I think they're hoping to get a million sold within the first week or the first couple weeks. We'll see how that goes."

"In that case, I will be sure to pick my copy. Do you know how weird it is to be looking at this stuff online and seeing Josh's face, knowing he's your fiancé? It's incredible."

"It's a little strange but I think I've gotten used to it. I'm just happy he's this successful in what he's doing."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Yea, yea, yea. He's a celebrity now."

"He's just Josh..."

"You talked to him lately? He's been gone for a while now."

Liz leaned back in her chair and sighed. "Actually, the last time I talked to him was four days ago on Saturday morning. We didn't get a lot of time to talk though. His schedule's too crazy."

"What about the wedding?"

"I'm working on that," Liz giggled.

"I am so coming with you when you go dress shopping."

"Don't worry, you are. Maybe we can drag Justin or Chris along just for the heck of it."

"The two of them would wreak havoc in the store. Can you picture it? Justin and Chris sitting fidgety in firm cushioned chairs sipping on tea or something in somewhere completely quiet... Just watching you try on dresses patiently."

Li giggled at the though. "They'd probably go crazy in there. Would be funny if we got them to try on some dresses though."

"Have you started thinking about your honeymoon yet?"

"Maybe," she blushed.

"When you get back, you better give me all the details."

"Of my honeymoon?"

"Heck yea. It's JC Chasez you're going to be having sex with. I need to know what he's like in the sac!"

"You're disgusting," she laughed.

Emma grinned. "Don't pretend that you've never imagined how long his thing is."

"I don't have to imagine," Liz mumbled.

"Wait, what?!"

"Moving ON from this subject, we haven't even decided where we want to go yet so all of this is just my imagination taking its toll. Actually, we haven't decided anything regarding the wedding yet."

"Nothing?"

"We've brought it up a few times but we haven't had time to sit together and actually plan anything."

"Are you okay with that?" Emma asked.

Liz shrugged. "He'll be back late Friday night going into Saturday morning so he told me to set up any plans that I wanted to get done so that we could spend the day checking out the different venues we're considering and then we're going to pass by and check out some florists and then Josh says he knows a couple caterers that we can hire. There's so much freakin' stuff for me to do."

"You gotta set a damn date before you book anything else."

"I know, it's just getting time to do it all. You're helping but I just want him back home already. Just so that he can help me out with all this and missing him while he's away isn't helping my focus. Especially when I'm hearing his voice all over the radio and seeing his face all over MTV."

"I'm sure he misses you just as much Lizzie. But, I hope you know you have to get used to this, if you haven't already."

"I sound pathetic don't I?"

Emma laughed. "That's what you get for falling in love with a popstar."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Friday evening

"Are you sure you don't want to come out and have some fun with me tonight?" Emma offered, folding her arms across her chest and standing at the foot of Liz's bed. "You aren't a married old lady yet."

Liz giggled, shaking her head. She was in bed, propped up against the headboard with her laptop on her lap. "I'm fine here, go have fun."

"What're you even planning to do here by yourself?"

"Wait for my MIA fiancé to call me back," she sighed, picking up her phone to check the screen and resting it back down beside her. "For now I'm looking up places online for open areas here in Orlando that are big enough to hold at least two hundred and fifty guests. I tried calling Josh earlier but all my calls kept going to voicemail. He's supposed to fly in around three AM but he hasn't gotten back to me for the past few days."

"You know, I'd help you with the planning but I do this all day, six days out of the week so I'm happy for the free time I get when we're home. You're focusing on this thing 24/7. I don't know how you're maintaining your sanity."

Liz shrugged.

"Say what, when I get home, if I'm sober enough, I'll help you out with some of the stuff you want to get done. We can put together a portfolio or something of the little details you want to include."

"That'd be nice Em," Liz smiled at her friend. "Thanks."

Emma nodded. "You sure he's going to call?"

"I hope he does. He's the only reason I've been staying excited over all the planning. Just knowing that in a few hours he'll be here and we can start doing this together, that's what keeps me going. If he didn't make me feel the way I do, then I wouldn't have gone out and booked a full Saturday of stuff for us to do."

"Well in that case, I hope you guys have a great day. You need me to drive you over to his house or anything when his flight gets in?"

"No, I think he's picking me up either on his way home from the airport or tomorrow morning. One of the two."

"Alright, well, call me if you need anything. I might get some food after dancing so if you're craving anything, message me okay?"

"Yea, okay. Go have fun. I'll see you later. Don't forget to lock the front door on your way out."

"Have a good night Lizzie," Emma called out to her on her way out the bedroom.

"Yea, see ya," she replied, then sighed. "It'd be a good night if he'd just call me back already."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

1:13 AM

The vibrations rippling through the mattress was enough to wake her out of the sleep she had drifted off into an hour earlier. With the laptop still on, resting beside her and the lights off, Liz opened her eyes wide enough to look around for her phone under the sheets.

She winced, the bright light basically blinding her as she held up the cell.

A text from Josh.

She brushed some of the hair from out of her face and read the message.

Hey babe. I know you're probably expecting me to come home later today. Turns out, the single's doing well for us to take a break now. I won't be back for a while longer. I'm not sure. I'm sorry I can't come home. The plans changed. You know how it is. You understand right? I miss you and I love you. Have a good day.

She frowned, sitting up and rereading the message. She immediately came out of her inbox and speed dialed #2.

"Hello?" he answered with a sigh.

"Josh?" she asked, frowning.

"Liz?"

"Yea, hey, it's me."

She could practically hear him smile through the phone.

"Hey, baby, it's great to finally hear your voice after these last few days."

"Yea, you too. You haven't been picking up my calls."

"Ah, I know, I know. I just don't get the time to pick up the phone and talk to you when I'm out here. I'm doing something 99% of the time and the other 1% is split between trying to get some sleep and trying to remember what city we're in. It's wild out here."

"Where are you?"

"Tennessee, I think. In some hotel. We spent all day doing interviews, a meet and greet an we sang Bye Bye Bye six times for six different small, fan events we went to. We're loving the response though."

"I bet you are," she murmured.

"Did you get my message?" he asked, but Liz had to take a moment to understand what he was saying because he yawned while speaking.

"Yea, I did. Why didn't you call instead?"

"I figured you'd be asleep by now."

"I was trying to wait up for your call to say you were back in Orlando."

"Oh, sorry about that, but the guys and I didn't think it was smart to just disappear back home when things have been going so well here."

"So, you voluntarily made the decision to be on the road longer than you initially planned to?"

"Well, yea. It would have been stupid to leave, don't you think?"

"You think texting your fiancé at after one o'clock in the morning to say that you made a last minute decision to not come home without considering that she had a full day of business planned for the both of you?"

"The wedding plans?"

"Yes, Josh, the wedding plans."

"Sorry babe, I guess I forgot about that. But we can do that some other time, can't we? Or you can do the stuff with Emma or something and fill me in."

"Whatever Jace," she mumbled. "I just thought that maybe we could just do-"

She was cut short when she heard yelling in the background. "Yo, Jace, get out here man!"

"Gimme a sec!" she heard JC yell back.

"Man, Johnny wants us to-"

"I'm coming, hold on!"

He resumed his conversation with Liz. He spoke hurriedly. "Babe, I got to go alright? I'll talk to you soon."

"Okay, but Josh, I-" She was once again cut off mid-sentence, this reason being the ending of their call. She sighed and looked down at the phone. "I miss you..."

Later that Saturday

"Justin, just eat the sandwich and stop being a baby," JC pleaded, handing the youngest member half of his chicken sandwich.

"But there's a supermarket a block away! Why can't I just wait for them to open and go buy a box of cereal?"

"Because we have stage rehearsal in ten minutes and you'd be putting someone to inconvenience by asking one of them to go out and get you a damn box of cereal when you have perfectly good food here. Now just get something in your stomach or I'll call Lynn and tell her your acting like a spoilt brat!"

Justin scowled at his blue eyed friend. "If Lizzie was here, she'd go get it for me!"

"Yea, well she isn't here okay?" JC snapped. "And what nineteen year old still begs for a damn bowl of cereal to make him happy? God, J."

"What's wrong with Bert and Ernie?" Joey asked, appearing behind Chris and Lance who were looking on and listening to the bickering.

"Well you see," Chris started. JC and Justin turned around to hear what Chris had to say. "Bert here is trying to get Ernie over there to behave by refusing to give him his rubber ducky, or in this case, his cereal."

"Why am I Bert?" JC asked with an offensive frown.

"'Cause you're a bore!" Justin responded through a mouthful of bread.

JC spun back around. "Yea, well you take bubble baths with a rubber duck!"

"You have a uni-brow!" Justin fired back.

JC scowled, bringing his hand up to touch between his eyebrows. "I do not! And even if I did, at least I have eyebrows! All you have is that stupid, yellow sea animal!"

"You gawk at pigeons!"

"Okay, okay, enough," Chris said, putting up his hands to stop the two. "Boy, you guys really know how to get into character."

"I have a fiancé!" JC continued.

"I thought we were talking about Bert and Ernie here," Lance put in.

Justin ignored him. "A fiancé you left all alone at home!"

"Your girlfriend isn't here either smartass!"

"Britney is on tour!"

"Lizzie is planning a wedding!"

"She's planning your wedding!"

"Justin you don't even-"

"JC come with me," Chris pulled his arm and led him away from the other members. "We'll see you guys on stage in ten minutes!"

"Justin doesn't even know what he's talking about," JC muttered, pulling his arm away from Chris' grip.

"Jace, he's a teenager with mood swings. Just chill out for a minute, alright? It's been an off day. The stress is getting to your head."

"He's being a baby!"

"You're being a baby! Dude, relax."

"And why does he keep pointing out that Lizzie isn't here, huh? Is that his only argument that he wants to get to me?"

"Stop letting the little things get under your skin. It's just Justin. Ignore it and save your energy for when you're on stage."

JC scowled, shaking his head.

" And why isn't she here JC?" Chris asked, folding his arms. "If she was, I bet she'd calm you down on days like this."

"She isn't here because as far as I know, she's working and she's planning."

"So she's okay with you being out here for another few weeks? And she's planning alone?"

"Hey, why's everyone bashing me for something I had no control over? My career comes first. The same goes for the other four of you."

"Yea, but, she could have come out here with you and that way, she'd help us out by helping you keep some composure and you'd be helping her out with the wedding."

"I'll ask her to come out but I doubt she'd say yes. She's probably going over details with Emma or something. She can hold out till I'm home."

"At least ask. Maybe she can use a break. Unless, of course, you don't want her out here."

"Of course I want here out here. I just don't know if it's a good idea with everything we got going on."

"Dude, call her and talk to her. Clear your head because we have to get on with this rehearsal in five minutes, and I'm not going to get in the middle of things if you and Justin start arguing over nothing again! You guys aren't the only ones that are tired you know!"

"Fine," JC mumbled.

*~*~*

"Why's he calling when he knows I'm working?" Liz mumbled to herself, looking at her phone that was lighting up on her desk with JC's picture on the screen.

She sighed, thankful Emma wasn't in the office at the moment, and picked up the phone.

"Hey, I'm busy, can I call you back?"

JC frowned at her greeting. "Hey, it's me."

"Yea, I know Josh. You kind of called at a bad time. I'm at work."

"So am I but I wanted to talk to you for five minutes."

"Just make it quick," she sighed.

"I thought you had stuff planned today," JC remembered." It's Saturday."

"The wedding stuff?"

"Yea,"

"I cancelled it," she said simply.

"Why'd you do that?"

"If this is what you called to talk to me about Josh, then I don't have time for it right now, okay?"

"Why are you talking to me like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like you don't want to talk?"

"I just told you Jace. I'm busy."

"Hey, so am I but I still made time to call you!"

"Look, you wanted to talk about something?"

"I was just wondering if you wanted to come out here for a while. To keep me company, you know?"

"'Here' being?"

"On the road, with us. You're missed out here."

"By you?"

"Especially by me, baby."

"Yea, well, Josh, I'm busy here in Orlando. I can't just pick up and leave whenever you decide you want me out there."

"I knew you were going to say no," he mumbled.

"Then why'd you even bother to ask me then?"

He sighed. "I don't know. I guess a little piece of me hoped that you'd say yes."

"Look, I can't right now, okay? I'm sorry but not this week."

"Lizzie, why not?!"

"The same reason you chose not to come home. Because I have a job to do."

"That's so not the same thing,"

"But it's close enough. You have fans that want you to entertain them and I have clients that are counting on me to plan their wedding. Seeing that I won't be planning my own any time soon, of course."

"What're you talking about now Liz?" JC groaned, getting impatient.

She sighed. "Nothing babe. We'll talk about this when you get home, whenever that'll be. I got to go."

"Fine but at least say the ‘I love you Josh' at the end!"

"I love you Josh,"

"Love you too."

They hung up and JC just stood there, shaking his head and shoving the phone back into his pocket.  "That woman is a piece of work," he muttered to himself. "She doesn't want to come out here to be with me? Then I'm going to get her myself."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*

Sunday morning

He didn't know how he pulled it off, he didn't know how he'd gotten his way and he didn't know how he'd managed to convince Johnny into letting him do it, but here he was.

"So explain to me one more time why you came back here again," Steven said, looking at JC through the rearview mirror. "And only for a day?"

JC shrugged, leaning back against the leather interior of the SUV's backseat. "We didn't have anything planned today. Maybe some sightseeing but I don't even think the guys are going to that. They're probably not even up yet. We head over to Los Angeles tomorrow so I figured I may as well come see how my fiancé was doing without me. "

"That's nice."

"Mhm,"

Steven snickered. "You're in some kind of trouble again, aren't you?"

"I am not," JC rolled his eyes.

"So you just randomly leave your famous pop group while on promotion for an album that's dropping in a couple weeks, to come home for twenty four hours just because you wanted to check up on your fiancé to see how she's doing without you?"

"Isn't that called being in love?"

"And I heard she didn't take your calls last night when you were trying to tell her you were coming home."

"Okay, so maybe I'm in a little trouble," JC admitted. "Nothing major, obviously. I think it's just the stress is getting to her head and I'm not exactly always there when she needs me to be, you know?"

"So how is you being here for a little less than a day going to change any of that? Either way you end up leaving again, therefore you just end up right back where you started."

"Except this time, I'm going to try to convince her to leave with me. She keeps saying she doesn't have the time or whatever, but then she acts all weird when I leave. I can't stay home and she knows that. So if she wants to compromise, she's going to have to be the one to come out and be with me and the guys on the road."

*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*

"I'm coming, I'm coming, jeez!" Emma mumbled. She speed walked from the kitchen to the front door. Whoever was standing out there was abusing the doorbell.

JC grinned when the door flew open before him and Emma returned the favor with a surprised smile.

"Hey, there's a pop star on my doorstep of my house!" she laughed.

JC chuckled, walking closer to give her a hug. "Very funny,"

She smiled, pulling away. "What're you doing here? I thought you weren't even in Orlando,"

"I got away for the day and came back home."

"Come in," she smiled, stepping aside to grant him entrance into the house. She closed the door behind her and turned around to face him.

"How come you didn't tell us you were going to be back? And why didn't you just use the key we gave you instead of destroying my doorbell?"

"I tried calling Lizzie but she wasn't picking up at all last night or this morning. I was actually kind of hoping she would be the one to answer the door. I kind of wanted to surprise her."

"Oh, well, actually, she isn't here."

"Where'd she go?" JC frowned. "It's Sunday."

"She told me she was going for a walk. She didn't ask me to drive her anywhere so she probably just went to the DVD store or a stroll through the park or something."

"She didn't tell you where she was going?"

"She isn't at your place?"

JC shook his head. "Nah, I stopped by there to get my car before I came over here. And besides, I live too far from here for you guys to walk to. She wouldn't be at the office?"

"We don't work on Sundays," Emma reminded him.

"So where is she? I came back here to see her. I wasn't planning on wasting the little time I have playing hide ‘n go seek."

Emma stood there and thought for a moment. "I think I know where she went. She's within walking distance and she's been quiet all morning. That's the only place she'd be... Or at least, that's where she usually goes."

He raised his eyebrows. "Where?"

"You don't know?" she looked at JC in surprise.

"If I did know, I wouldn't be asking."

*~*~*~*

JC frowned, stuffing his hands in his jacket pockets realizing that Emma's hunch was proven to be correct. From fifty feet away, he could see her sitting on the ground, her arms wrapped around her legs and her chin resting on the top of her knees.

This was one of the last places on his list of places to find her. Hell, this probably wouldn't have ever been a guess if Emma hadn't told him.

He almost never came to cemeteries. He had only ever gone to about, three or four funerals in his lifetime and he only ever went just to pay his respects. He had never lost anyone close enough to him that would make him want to go visit a grave site and just sit there and think and... Whatever else people did when they came here.

They were the only ones in the whole memorial park and JC was getting slightly creeped out at the fact he was standing on someone's grave.  If it wasn't because the Sun was still out and that he had come to see her, he would have up and gotten the hell out of there.

He swallowed and started his slow stroll over to where she sat quietly. Careful not to make any noises whilst walking, he held his breath until he stood a few feet away from her.

"Hey," he called out to her softly, but just loud enough for her to hear.

She frowned, turning her neck around to look at the person that called out her name. Her eyes opened slightly wider than before but then her expression went back to normal.

"Hi," she slowly turned back around to her previous position.

"Mind if I join you here?" he asked, walking closer to stand next to her.

Liz didn't respond. Instead, she just sat there for a second and looked up at him and gave a small smile. She nodded.

"I missed you," he kissed her cheek, taking a seat on the grass next to her.

"You did?"

"You thought I didn't?"

She shrugged. "Didn't think you'd get time to."

"I don't have to make time to miss you when I'm away. It just happens."

"Josh, how are you even here right now? You told me yesterday that you guys were staying an extra couple weeks on the road."

"I uh, got away..."

"How?"

"I told Johnny that if we were going to be staying longer, I had to get some more stuff from home. He offered to hire someone to send me whatever crap I needed but I insisted that I wanted to get my own things from my own home. He knows how particular I am about that sort of stuff so he just gave in. I'm uh, supposed to leave again tomorrow afternoon."

"How'd you know that this was where I was?"

"You weren't at my house, you weren't at your house, you weren't at the office... I talked to Emma and she told me to check here. And well, here you are."

"Oh."

"What are you doing here baby?" he asked her gently. "I thought you had all these meetings set up with caterers and design teams and you said you were going to check out all the different locations you wanted to have the wedding in. Why are you here?"

She shrugged. "I didn't feel like doing anything so I cancelled everything I had lined up for this weekend and just ignored it all."

"To come to a graveyard?"

"Hey, I come here a lot more than you know I do."

"Lizzie, I've known you for almost three years. You and I have fallen in love, broken up, had ups and downs, gotten engaged and I have never once heard you say you were taking a day off of your life to go to a cemetery."

"I didn't think that sort of information was relevant to you. I liked keeping it to myself. It's a personal kind of thing that I just do for... me."

"So personal that you didn't even care to tell me about it?"

She sighed. "Yes, Josh. But now you know, so it's not a big deal. I just liked keeping it to myself."

"How often do you even come here?" he asked, looking around.

She shrugged. "Every couple months, mostly. Unless I'm in your company or too caught up with work, then I don't. When I feel overwhelmed or just want some time for myself, I just take the walk from home to here and sit and think or end up talking. I usually prefer to come alone."

"You never told me you did any of that."

"Yea, well, I just did."

"Who do you talk to?"

"My parents," she smiled. JC did the same.

"It sounds crazy, I know, but it makes me feel better about things."

He shook his head. "If that's what it takes for you to feel better, then so be it. They're your parents. You deserve to communicate with them in any way that you think is right."

"Connor's a few plots away," Liz recalled her old boyfriend. "I don't talk to him as much as I used to but my parents... It's them I confide in. I don't know if they can hear me or not but I try to convince myself that they can and in a way, I feel closer to them."

"I can understand that."

"Times like this, it starts to hit me that they're not here to help me. I know they're not here, obviously, it's just... It's kind of hard sometimes when I just want to talk to them and ask their advice on certain things and then I remember that I can't get a straight answer from them."

"You can talk to me babe, you know that."

"Not as much as I'd like too," she muttered.

"What does that mean?"

She shook her head. "Nothing."

"Aren't we doing a good job communicating," JC mumbled sarcastically.

"I'm mad at you, okay?"

"Well, duh Liz. I wouldn't have lied to my manager to get away from work for a day if I didn't think you weren't. I came here because I knew you had something planned and I started getting the impression that you were upset I wasn't coming home. Why are you mad at me because I had your interest at heart? I thought we could just get it done and have the rest of the night to ourselves. I want to talk to you. I enjoy talking to you."

"Well, am I not supposed to be mad that you just cancel on me the day before we had everything planned out and then hang up on me in the middle of our conversation? You were making me feel like you weren't taking anything about our wedding seriously and you were just leaving me to do everything while you worked, hundreds of miles away. And, ‘Just so we could get it done?'... I get that you were busy but you made it seem like you didn't care."

"You know what it's like when I'm on the road. I work nonstop. I just don't have time for any of that and I didn't hang up on you. I told you I had to go and you kept talking. You know I can't stay on the phone for long periods of time when I'm away."

"It was almost one o'clock in the morning!"

"And you know that that's how my work schedule works!"

"So yesterday when you called me while I was the one at work, did you just expect to drop what I was doing to just hear you talk about work for five minutes?"

"I didn't even call to talk to you about work! I called to talk to you about taking a little break from work so that we'd be together more often than we already are!... Or, aren't..."

"Then what about cancelling on me, huh? I get that you'd want to keep promoting and performing but you just called and told me that you were planning to stay without even taking into consideration that you were leaving me here hanging with everything that we needed to get done together. You wanted me to analyze our guest list of two hundred and seventy three people, book a location when we didn't even set a date yet, I don't even know what kind of food you want to have served and you and Josh, we haven't even limited our budget so I don't know what we can or can't afford! Not to mention the florist, the photographers, the-"

JC put up his hands. "Liz, just, stop, alright?"

"You're acting like you don't even want to be a part of it. You don't even want to talk about it!"

"I don't want to talk about it because you're driving me crazy when you keep bringing it up every five minutes! I thought the two people just go place to place meeting people and choosing things but the woman is the one who makes the decision and the guy just stands there and agrees. Why would I want to do that when I've got an already busy schedule resting on my shoulders? You do this stuff for a living so it's not that big a deal if I don't have much of an opinion."

"Where in the hell did you hear all that?"

"Movies? Reality?"

"The difference from our reality to the average person's, is that in case you haven't yet noticed Josh, you're never here! Those women who're planning their own wedding actually have their spouse with them to do those things with even if he is just standing there. It's our wedding. I want us to make the plans. I want both of us to have our own input on how we want this day to go. I don't want to do everything and then on the day you just show up. I want you to be a part of the process with me."

JC shook his head and looking up at the sky. "We're arguing in a grave yard. Fantastic."

She sighed. "Actually, we're practically sitting on my parents, arguing on their graves. Even more fantastic."

"You want to introduce me?"

"To who?"

He nodded toward the tombstones. "Your parents. This is my first time coming their burial place. I'm engaged to their daughter who's mad at me at the moment but I've yet to meet them. I should pay some respect to my future, late mother and father in law."

"Are you just playing dumb Josh or are you just trying to change the topic on why we're fighting in the first place?"

"Now, how I am playing dumb?"

"They're dead Jace!" she exclaimed. "What'd you want me to say?" She cleared her throat and looked at the tombstones. "Mom, dad, this is my fiancé Josh, your future son in law. Josh, these are my parents, buried in the ground."

"You've just never talked to me about them," JC said softly. "Not a lot, anyways."

"That in and of itself is a whole different story. We can talk about them another time. Right now... I just want to think. I just want to breathe. And I wouldn't have let you find me here if I knew you were coming home."

"I tried calling but you never picked up."

"Oh, right, my phone died this morning. I didn't bother to charge it."

"Yea, well you should have," JC muttered.

"I didn't feel like talking to anyone. I was just... tired and... Yea, I was just tired."

"I'm here for you, you know." He moved closer to where she sat and took her hand. "You can tell me what you're thinking, what you're feeling. I don't leave till tomorrow. We've got the rest of the day if you want to get some stuff done."

She looked at him and her eyes met his. "Josh, you know I support what you do, don't you?"

He nodded slowly. "I guess so."

"I do. I support you and I can't even begin to tell you how proud I am of you. Of what you've accomplished, of what your music does to people. It's important to me. I would never, ever, ever tell you to give that up nor would I tell you to take a break from it if you didn't want to. I just miss my fiancé sometimes. And sometimes, when I do work with people who're planning their weddings and the guy is just standing around there and the woman is doing everything, I realize that she doesn't know how lucky she is to have her guy right next to her while some of us aren't that lucky."

"In my personal life, you are my number one priority Lizzie. But, overall, at this point in time, work comes first. I wish it wasn't that way, and I know no girl wants to hear that she's second but that's the baggage I come with."

"I know, I know," she sighed. "I just didn't know how bad it would get as you guys kept getting more famous."

"So, what'd you thinking?"

"I'm thinking we got engaged at the wrong time. We should stop all this for a while."

JC pulled away from her and stared at her. "Wait, what?"

She realized she had chosen a bad choice of words. She touched his arm, pulling him closer back to her. "No, I didn't mean it the way it came out." She sighed, trying to find a more appropriate way to say what she wanted to say. "I just... I guess I just mean we got engaged at a point in time that was just bad timing for your career. Maybe we should lay off this planning for a while and just... Go with the flow. Be like how we used to before a wedding came into our minds. Just happy and in love."

JC shook his head. "No, we're still planning. We're not putting off this engagement."

"What'd you mean we're still planning? I was the one doing everything. We're not breaking up or anything. We'll still be engaged. I'm still going to wear my ring. It's just going to be a while before we actually have a wedding."

"That was out of my control and you know it. That's not what I want. I proposed to you and promised that I'd marry you. I love you, and I will marry you. We're not putting off the engagement."

"Josh... We can't handle this right now. It's too much work. We have to send out invites, get a venue, hire a florist, caterer, photographers, a band, set a budget and not to mention we have to-"

"Screw it," JC muttered, standing and dusting off his jeans with his hands. "Screw all that stuff. We don't need any of it. I've got you, you've got me. That's what a wedding is about and I'm not going to wait until I get time off or us to do this. The record drops in two weeks and you know things are going to turn insane. If we wait any longer then this is never going to happen. Not any time in the near future anyways."

He outstretched an arm toward her. She frowned, accepting it and he pulled her up from off the ground.

She looked at him. "So what'd you want to do?"

"Marry you."

She rolled her eyes. "Yea, I know that, but-"

"No, I mean, I'm going to marry you." He looked straight into her questioning eyes so that she knew he was serious. "Now."

"Come on." He grabbed her wrist and turned around, practically speed walking away from where they sat a second ago.

"Jace, wait! Hold on a minute!"

JC kept dragging her along with him through the cemetery, not bothering to respond.

"W-What do you mean ‘now'?"

Again, no response.

She yanked her hand out of his grasp. "Hey, answer me!"

He turned around. "What?"

"Josh, where are you even going?"

"Court house," he said simply. "If we can't have that glammed up ceremony you've been trying to plan, then we're going to do this the quick and easy way. I'm tired of waiting and you're already tired of planning. It's the obvious solution."

"How can you say I'm tired of planning when I haven't even gotten to plan anything yet?"

"Are you saying that you don't want to get married?"

"Well..." she hesitated. "Not this way! Not as a spur of the moment kind of thing. I mean, Josh, look around. Look at us. We're making this decision in a grave yard. We're both in jeans and t shirts. The guys aren't here, Emma isn't here, your parents don't know about this. We haven't thought about this rationally!"

JC walked up closer to her and cupped her face in his hands. He looked deep into her almost golden orbs.

"Lizzie, look at me and tell me that you love me."

"Josh, you know that-"

"Baby, if you love me, just say it. Right now."

"I love you."

"And I love you. So, what else do we need Lizzie? I got you, you got me. What else do we need?"

"Your family, our friends, they're going to-"

"Stop thinking about everything else besides the fact that this is supposed to be about me and you. Not about anyone or anything else. Don't think about location. Don't think about the fancy food or the champagne reception with the over-paid photographer. Don't think about what you're wearing. Don't think about who's there and who isn't. Just think about how much I love you, and I know you love me the same way. If we don't do this now, it's never going to happen Lizzie. Not anytime soon anyways. We're going to go right back to where we started; in an argument about a wedding that I could make happen right now."

"Getting married today isn't going to change the fact that you leave again tomorrow Josh," she reminded him softly. "It isn't going to solve all our problems."

"But it would solve a big part of it."

"How?"

"Lizzie, I can make you my wife in a half an hour if you'd let me. We can be married today and I could take you on tour with me tomorrow and make it a honeymoon. We can forget about everything for a second and just celebrate our love together, just you and me. It's not going to be a spur of the moment thing because I asked you to marry me a long time ago."

"What're we going to do tomorrow?"

"I'm going to take my wife to LA with me and try to give her the best honeymoon that I could, given the circumstances. We're doing this for you and for me. For us. Who doesn't like it, doesn't like it. It won't matter. You know why?"

"Why?" she asked, her voice merely above a whisper.

"Because as long as you believe that you and I being together forever feels right, then nothing else is going to matter."

"It feels right Josh but at the same time, when I think of everything, it feels so wrong."

"That's why I told you to think about nothing besides you and me. Just do that Liz, and everything else will fall in to place."

"I don't even have a dress or anything," she muttered, looking down at the denim jeans and orange t shirt she wore.

 "I don't need to see you in a long, white dress to realize how beautiful you are. You've proven that to me time and time again. And if it helps, I don't exactly look ‘red-carpet ready' either."

Liz just stared at him, not saying anything. It took JC a good fifteen silent seconds before he slowly pulled away and outstretched his hand to her.

"Let's do it," he urged her gently. "Marry me Lizzie."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Oh fuck."

"What?" JC glanced at her, momentarily taking his eyes off the open road. "What's wrong?"

Liz held up the vibrating phone. "Emma's calling me."

JC didn't say anything.

Liz swatted his arm. "Josh!"

"What?"

"Am I supposed to pick up or what?"

"Why wouldn't you pick up?"

"Because she'd blow me the fuck out if she knew what I was doing and she didn't know about it! This is like fate telling us that what we're doing is a bad idea."

JC sighed. "Gimme the phone."

Clearing his throat and taking the phone from Liz, JC answered the call. His other hand and his eyes were focused on driving.

"Hey Em, what's up?"

"Oh, hey, Josh. I take it you found Lizzie?"

"Yea, I did. Thanks by the way."

"Yea, no problem. Um, is she there because I-"

"Actually, Emma," JC started slowly. "We're at my place and Lizzie's in the bathroom but I'll tell her to call you back when she comes out, alright? Did you need something?"

"Nothing too important. I just wanted to know what time she'd be home. I've got a couple things to do today and by the time I'm done, I'll probably just grab something to eat out somewhere. I wasn't sure if you guys were doing something or if I should just go."

"Yea, actually, just go ahead. We were probably just going to stay in and watch a movie or something. I'll let her know you're going out."

"Alright, thanks Josh. I'll see you guys later."

"Yea, cool. Later Em,"

He hung up and gave the phone back to Liz, who had an incredulous look on her face, opposed to JC of course, who had kept on an emotionless expression that whole time.

"You just lied to one of our best friends!"

"I didn't lie."

"You said that I was in the bathroom at your house when I'm really on the highway getting ready to elope."

"Technically we're getting a marriage license and then we're going to be married. I think."

"Either way we're going to be married and then what're we going to do when we have to tell our friends and family that we already had a wedding and they weren't invited?"

"Again, the point of us doing this was not to have a wedding, but to do what the two of us wanted from the beginning. To be married, but without all that glam. It's for you and for me, not anyone else."

Liz sighed, leaning back against the seat. "You seem to be pretty sure about this."

JC took one of her hands from her lap and laced his fingers through the spaces between hers. "Stop worrying so much about this baby. Think about tonight, when it'll be official that we'll be spending the rest of our lives together. You're going to be my wife, I'm going to be your husband. I'm gonna take you on the road with me tomorrow and you and I are going to start the next chapter in our lives."

"You make it all sound so good," she mumbled.

"If you like that then you're going to love the way I talk about our first night together," he winked.

"Oh my God, Josh!" Liz groaned, burying her face in her hands.

"Now what's wrong?"

"Josh, I can't consummate our relationship tonight!"

"Of course we can-"

"No, I can't... Not tonight, not this week!"

"What'd you mean you - Oh... Dammit."

"This is yet, another sign that we're doing this at a bad time."

"This is not a bad time Liz," JC insisted. "It'll be okay. We don't even have to do the sex part tonight. We can do it next week over the weekend or something. It's not that big a deal so relax. We're doing this for us."

"That's what you keep saying but I'm not sure if that's what it is anymore."

"What? You don't think I'm doing this for us?"

"Here we go again," she muttered.

"No, no, no, no, go on sweetheart. Talk to me. You don't think I'm doing this for us?"

"Well, you seem to be doing this out of the convenience of yourself."

"Are you saying that I'm the one pressuring you to get married like this?"

"This whole idea was yours! You're the one who appeared out of nowhere on my lovely Saturday afternoon and was like ‘Hey, we're getting married today.' Do you think I expected this?"

"Do you think this is how I thought things were going to go down when we agreed to get married in the first place? I can tell you that it isn't! If you don't want to do this I swear to God I will turn this car around right now."

"Why? So we can go back to fighting over who's home and who isn't? To who actually cares and who doesn't?"

"Do you even want to do this right now?"

"This isn't exactly the way I envisioned my wedding day."

"That doesn't answer my question Liz."

"I just don't know if this is necessarily the right solution to our problems."

"Not knowing whether or not this will ‘necessarily' solve our problems isn't going to cut it Liz. Think now and think fast and tell me if this is what you think you're going to want at the end of the day."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"What'd she say?" Liz asked as JC walked over to her. She started to get up from the brown chair she sat in but JC gestured for her to sit back down. He joined her on the chair next to her.

"They'll call us in to talk with us in a few minutes."

"Okay," she nodded.

"Hey," JC smiled, looking at her.

"What?"

"Lean in so I can kiss you."

She smiled and did as she was asked. JC held her chin and gently pressed his lips to hers. He pulled away after a moment but held her in place.

"I love you, you know that."

"I know."

"Good."

"You're crazy too."

JC chuckled. "So I've been told."

"We're not making a mistake, are we Josh?"

"I don't think so. It doesn't feel that way."

"You sure?"

"I'm ready for this, even if it is a little sudden right now. I think we're doing the right thing for us."

"Okay," she sighed softly, pulling away from him.

They sat there in silence for a couple minutes before JC's phone started vibrating.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Hey C, what're you doing?"

"Justin, I can't exactly talk right now."

"Where are you? Are with Liz?"

"Yea, we're hanging out at my place." JC lied. "Do you need something?"

"Nah, we were just wondering if you were making use of your time. Johnny wanted us to remind you that he scheduled your flight to LA for 9AM tomorrow so don't oversleep!"

"Yea, yea, I won't. Hey, speaking of Johnny, is he there right now with you guys?"

"Nah, he's out doing manager stuff. I don't know where he is exactly. Lance and I are up in the hotel room chilling out and Joey and Chris are down at the pool. You're the only one missing C."

"Yea J, I know. Hey man, I'll be back tomorrow."

"Liz coming with you?"

"Actually, that's what I wanted to talk to Johnny about. Look, I need you to tell Johnny to-"

"Josh?"  Liz tapped his arm, interrupting the call.

"Hold on Jus," JC held the phone by his shoulder and looked at her. "What babe?"

"Who is that?"

"On the phone? Justin."

Liz shook her head. "No, who's that?" 

She pointed her finger over to the other side of the room. Behind a large plant, she could see two men in all black hiding behind cameras that they held. The cameras however, were pointed at JC and Liz.

"You're kidding me," JC muttered under his breath.

"Who are they?" Liz looked from JC to the two guys then back to JC then back to the two guys. "Why are they here?"

"Just keep you head down and don't look at them," JC advised her softly but in an annoyed term.

Liz did like he said but her eyes strayed over to the large doors they had entered from, at the far end of the area. There were at least seven more guys with cameras failing to camouflage themselves.

"Josh, that's papara-" Before she could even finish the word, a voice called out to them.

"Mr. Chasez?" a woman poked her head out through one of the doors aligning the corridor.

Before the couple could even respond to the woman, flashes from cameras started going off and they were getting closer and closer. The voices of numerous people asking questions all at the same time had started echoing.

"I'll call you back," JC said into the phone, flipping it shut and shoving it into his pocket. He kept his head down, pulling Liz to stand up with him. "C'mon," he mumbled to her.

He tried getting to where the woman that had called out his name stood but multiple paparazzi was blocking his way. Liz had never actually encountered this part of the fame that JC's life came with and so far, she didn't like it.

Wasn't this place supposed to have security or something?

"JC, who is this?" - "JC, is it true that you're getting married?" - "Are you getting married today?" - "JC, why aren't you on tour?" - "Where're the rest of *NSYNC?" - "Is it true that Justin Timberlake is dating Britney Spears?" - "Is this your wife?" - "Are you pregnant?" - "Why are you both here today?" - "What is your name, miss?" - "JC why aren't you wearing a wedding ring?" - "Is it true you both are engaged?" - "How much did the ring on your finger cost?"

It's like the paparazzi plays twenty questions and you're barely trying to think about how to answer one question but then the next question is thrown at you.

"Don't answer them," JC hissed to her, still trying to shove his way past the small mob.

Liz kept her head down and closed her eyes, feeling as though the flashes were blinding her, and let JC lead her to wherever it was he was walking to.

 If it hadn't been for that one, stupid guy with the camera grabbing her left hand trying to get a close up of the ring, things would have probably been fine. Out of instinct at the unfamiliar and rough touch, she grabbed her hand away and accidently knocked the camera right out of his hands.

The loud noise it made when hitting the tiled floor caused JC to start moving faster but it also caused the rest of the mob to move in closer to them, their voices getting louder.

Liz looked up, catching a glimpse of the woman they were supposed to be meeting with and she could see the brunette frantically gesturing for three security guards to come stop the madness that had started in a matter of seconds.

On the door that she stood next to had the words ‘Marriage Licenses' written in small, golden, bold letters.

People weren't stupid. They would put 2 and 2 together. JC and her, with the diamond on her finger on the one day *NSYNC had off, in a court house walking toward a room that had the word ‘Marriage' on it... If any of those paparazzi had used their brains plus the photos Liz knew they had by now, by tomorrow this story was-

"Josh, stop," she pulled her arm away and JC stopped momentarily to look at her. The paparazzi, of course, were feeding off of the turn of events. It was almost as though Liz was involuntarily giving them more to the story each one of them were itching to go back to their gossip offices and write.

"We gotta go," he insisted, almost through gritted teeth. "Do not answer any of their questions. Just follow me."

"I can't go through with this," she whispered, praying that she had said it loud enough only for JC to hear.

She turned her back and started speed walking away from the scene, keeping her head down like JC told her to before and literally pushed her body through the horde of people. When she was finally in front of them, JC could see her pace pick up and she pushed open the double doors, disappearing behind them as the closed.

"No way."

~*~*~*

1 hour later

"Liz!" JC called out, slamming the front door behind him. "Where are you?"

He knew she was home. His house was too far for her to walk over to and she had left her cell phone in his car so she couldn't have called anyone to take her anywhere.

Too bad it had taken him almost an hour to figure that out or he wouldn't have gone looking around the area for her on his feet.

"Lizzie!" he called out to her again.

"I'm right here, jeez," she walked out of the kitchen wearing the same t shirt but this time she had on shorts and her hair was in a loose bun. "Did anyone follow you here?"

JC looked at her. "No, no one followed me over here. I can't believe you left me in the middle of all that! Why did you even leave?"

"Why did I leave?" she repeated. "Did you see how crazy that whole scene was getting?! Josh, can you imagine what could have happened if we walked into that marriage licensing office in front of all that paparazzi that followed us in there? Our faces would have ended up on the covers of those gossip magazines tomorrow!"

"That's why you left? Because a couple, nosy people walked up to you and took and few photos?"

"A couple, nosy people? Josh, those people didn't even have enough courtesy to leave us alone! By the time that woman had called out your name, everything went haywire from there on in! I had to get out of there! I wasn't going to do what we were going to do in that environment with that whole situation on my mind!"

JC sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"I need something to drink," he mumbled, walking past her to go into the kitchen.

"I honestly give you guys props for putting up with that all the time."

"The paparazzi?" he asked, looking inside of the fridge.

Liz nodded. "That's some scary shit right there. And those questions they were asking us! None of that is even any of their business. I can't believe they followed you in there."

"Neither can I. I thought I was doing well keeping my low profile but I guess not."

"I don't care about the paparazzi but I just wish they'd leave us - well, you - alone at a certain point. When you're obviously out with someone they know you're linked to, why can't they just understand that that's your time with that person? Why can't they just watch from a distance and just not but in?"

"I don't know babe," JC sighed, taking a seat next to her at the kitchen table with a coke can in hand. "All I know is that this day is just not what I expected it to be this morning."

"We're not doing it Josh," Liz shook her head. "Not today, at least. I don't think I'm up for it anymore. I don't even want to talk about it at this point."

"Fine," he nodded. "You mind if we just stay right here for now? Like, for the rest of the day? I don't want to drive home or even go anywhere today after all that." He rested his keys on the table next to his drink. "I'm just tired now."

"Nap?

"Yea, whatever..." he murmured. "What else are we going to do? All our plans crashed."

*~*~**~*~*~*~*~

4 hours later-> 7PM

"Josh," Liz nudged at him sleepily. "Baby, your phone is going off."

JC turned over and groaned, opening his eyes to try and locate the device on the nightstand next to him.

"What time is it?" Liz asked softly, rolling over closer to him and resting her arm over his torso.

JC winced as he tried to read the time. "After 7."

"We've been asleep for a while then."

JC chuckled, using one of his hands to rub his eyes. "Yea, we have."

After about three seconds, Liz reluctantly sat up and smoothed down her hair. JC did the same, smiling and kissing her when he got up.

"That nap almost makes everything that happened earlier seem like a dream."

Liz shrugged. "I'm over that now. It's not worth it if we keep thinking about it, you know? Just bad timing. Really, really, bad timing."

"I guess..."

"Was someone trying to call you?" she nodded at the phone in his hand.

"Oh, I didn't even check that. I think it's a text message."

Liz got up off the bed and stretched. "From who? Someone important?"

"It's from Johnny, actually," JC told her, pulling the covers off him and letting his legs hang off the bed as he sat up. "Hm, it says turn on channel 24 right now."

"That's it?"

"Yea."

"Why do you think he wants you to do that?"

"I'm not sure."

"Well, c'mon. We'll turn it on downstairs."

By the time they got to the bottom of the staircase to enter the living room, JC could already hear his name being said from a voice on the TV.

They entered the room, only to find Emma standing with her back to them with her arms crossed.

"... As it turns out, Chasez seems to be saying Bye Bye Bye not only to his former manager, but also to his bachelorhood. The blue eyed pop star was caught up in paparazzi frenzy today with his on and off girlfriend and assumed fiancé. The couple was seen waiting outside a Marriage Licensing office right here in Orlando, Florida. Whether or not JC and his still un-named lady have a ready tied the knot after disappearing from the court house this afternoon is still debatable; Especially since sources say that there was no sight of any of Chasez's *NSYNC bandmates present at the time. News on whether or not the couple officially eloped today is still undetermined."

"Oh my God," Liz brought up her hand to cover her mouth when a picture of she and JC plus the paparazzi surrounding them came up on the screen.

Emma spun around and glared at the two.

"What the hell is this?"

"This is bad," JC muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "This is so, very bad."

Liz just stood there, her hand still over her mouth. "This is really bad."

"Yea, you two said that already!" Emma snapped at them. "What the hell was that, huh? What the hell did you two do today!?"

"Look, Em," JC started, walking up closer to her. "Don't-"

"You guys got married and didn't tell me? I have to come home and turn on the TV to some celebrity gossip channel to find out that two of my best friends lied to me and went off and got married?"

"No, we didn't get married, we swear." Liz tried defending herself. "We were going to, yea, but the papara-"

"You were going to?!" Emma's eyes widened. "You were going to get married today? And you didn't tell me?" She turned back to JC a glared at him. "And you! You lied to me!"

"Hey, Em, it wasn't entirely his idea, alright?" Liz tried assuring her. "We both agreed to do it."

"And we didn't do it," JC pointed out calmly. "Nothing happened."

"But I bet if those damn paparazzi hadn't gotten all up in your grill you would have been Mr. and Mrs. Chasez by now, right?"

Liz and JC both looked at each other, not knowing how to respond.

"I can't believe neither of you even bothered to tell me that this was how it was going to go down."

"We're really sorry," Liz apologized softly. "We didn't mean for you to find out about it this way."

"Yea Em, we really didn't," JC added. "We were just doing it for us. We didn't expect anyone else to know about it until we told them and I can assure you that you were going to be one of the first people to find out."

"Yea, I was one of the first people. Me and let's say... The other 6 billion people on the Earth with cable and the internet!"

"We're sorry you found out like that," JC said. "We're sorry we hurt you like that. We just, didn't think it should have been that big a deal. We thought we were just doing it for us."

"Did you even take into consideration how doing this was going to make the people that care about you feel? Did you?"

"We didn't think that mattered," Liz murmured.

Emma turned to face directly at her friend. "You didn't think I mattered enough to you for you to at least talk to me about what you were doing? Or at least give me some sort of input? Liz, you and I are like sisters! We tell each other everything. We have spent the last almost ten years of our lives almost joined at the hip. You and I have been through, literally, the best and worst times of our lives together and you didn't think our friendship mattered enough to tell me that you wanted to get married? Did you even want me there? Didn't you think I would have been happy for you guys?"

"We weren't planning on telling anyone, far less inviting anyone..."

Emma shook her head, taking a step back away from the couple. "Lizzie... Since when did I become just like everyone else?"

"You're not just like ev-" JC started but Emma stopped him.

"Don't... Don't say that to me because if it were true, you would have at least told me. You wouldn't have lied to me and you sure as hell would have planned this whole thing in a way that your family and your friends would have been the first to know."

"You were going to be!" Liz insisted.

"But I wasn't, okay? That's the fucking point!"

"Em, Josh and I just-"

"Stop," Emma held up her hand, shaking her head. "You and Josh this, you and Josh that. It's just you and Josh, just like you just said you wanted it to be. You guys want to get married? Fine. I don't care anymore. Do what you want. Congratu-fucking-lations."

*~*~*~*~

The next day- LA

JC hadn't spoken to Johnny or any of the guys at any point in time during the night or that morning. In fact, he had purposely taken off his phone just to avoid the calls and texts they'd be sending his way. He knew they knew the events from the day before. He just wasn't ready to face the blowout he knew that was coming. It wasn't long before his luck ran out though.

"Sit down," Johnny commanded, the second JC silently entered the hotel room. "Now."

"Johnny, before you-"

"Just sit down JC."

Dropping his overnight bag on the tiled floor, JC sighed and went over to sit on the couch next to his manager.

"Uh, where're the other guys?"

"Practicing choreo at the dance studio."

JC frowned. "Well, you should have told me to go over there straight from the airport so that-"

Johnny cut him off once more. "I'll get you there soon enough. You and I need to talk."

"Can I just start off by saying I'm sorry?"

"Sorry for what exactly? Sorry that I was the one who had to had to take all those calls from people wanting to know why in the hell they were seeing JC Chasez eloping while *NSYNC is still on promotional touring or sorry that because of this craziness we had to cancel two appearances today?"

"I... I'm just... sorry."

"You said that already JC."

"Well, what else do you want me to say?"

"I want you to tell me why you didn't think through that whole plan before the tabloids got a hold of the situation! How can you just decide to leave for one day and then come back married, without telling anyone?"

"I'm not married Johnny."

"No?"

"No, I'm not. We didn't do it."

"But you were planning to?"

"No one was supposed to find out, alright? I didn't think anyone would find out before we got around to telling people. But nothing happened anyways."

"That's your problem right there JC. You didn't think people would find out. You lied to us. All of us. Regardless of whether or not it happened, do you know who you are?"

JC stared at him.

"You're JC Chasez of *NSYNC," Johnny told him. "*NSYNC, who has a new album dropping in just 14 days. You can't do things like that. It's irresponsible and completely inconsiderate to me, the guys, the people close to you and the people you work with. This is a crucial time right now, and you can't just get up and go and do whatever you feel like doing, when you feel like doing it. God Jace, you know better than to do things like that. Not only to yourself but to the group and to your family. Did you know your mom called me four times this morning in a panic looking for you? I can't even begin to tell you how much calls Justin, Lance, Chris and Joey were getting from people looking for you when they themselves didn't know what was going on!"

"It was a stupid idea, I get it now. I'll make up for it. I'll clear up everything."

"How?"

"What'd you want me to do?"

Johnny sighed, leaning back on the couch and rubbing his face with both his hands.

"You can start by turning your fucking phone back on," he muttered. "You can start returning some calls on your way over to the dance studio. I've got someone waiting downstairs for you. You guys have an interview and a performance to tape tomorrow."

JC nodded.

"Can I just ask you something, person to person? Not manager to popstar?"

"I guess..."

"JC, what even possessed you to want to get married so soon? How was that going to solve anything in your relationship?"

"I don't know, okay?" JC mumbled. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Is Liz still mad at you?"

"No... She's more upset than anything else.  Not exactly with me, but with how everyone is reacting to something we almost did. Back home, I guess the only one she'd confide anything in besides me would be Emma but she's pretty mad at both of us right now."

"Emma's the best friend right?"

"Yea... She found out the same way you did. The paparazzi..."

"She isn't talking to you guys, period? Or she's just upset?"

"Oh, she's pretty mad. I don't know how Liz and I are going to make up for this one. I should never have pressured her into thinking we should have been doing this so soon. I mean, Johnny, I honestly didn't expect things to end up being the way that they did."

"We are all pretty mad at you two..."

"Are the guys this mad at me too?"

"They're your friends and all, hell, they're like your brothers, but you're the one who's going to have to talk to them about all this. They love you JC, but with this one, I think you really hurt them. I mean, not only have you added unnecessary chaos to your guys' already chaotic job but you've put a huge dent in the trust and closeness in the brotherhood they thought you had with them."

"Don't be dramatic Johnny."

"Don't be stupid JC."

*~*~*~

"I don't know how you guys mastered that step so fast," Lance mumbled. "I always feel like I mess it up."

"It isn't that hard Lance," Justin rolled his eyes, putting his hands on his hips.

"You're forgetting the guy has two left feet J," Chris snickered.

"They're just picking on your Lance," Joey but in before Lance could say his comeback. "Chris, shut up or help him out."

"Let Justin do it," Lance said. "I at least want someone around my height so I don't have to keep looking down at short-stuff over there."

"Hey dude, at least I-"

"Chris, leave Lance alone," Justin sighed. "C'mon let's just-"

"I'll help you Lance."

The four bandmates turned around to the direction where the familiar voice came from.

JC rested his water bottle and hand towel near the door on the wooden floor and walked toward his friends.

The room went silent but JC tried not to pay attention to it. "Uh, what step do you need help with?"

There was a long silence of just them staring at each other before Joey cleared his throat and broke the silence.

"Actually C, Justin was going to help him out so don't worry about it."

"Yea Jace, it's cool," Lance nodded. "I just tripped a couple times. It's no big deal."

Justin and Chris remained silent, their eyes looking around at everything besides directly at JC.

"Well um, what song were you guys practicing?"

"It's Gonna Be Me," Joey replied.

JC nodded. "Well, shall we start up again? I've been wanting to work on a couple steps myself so maybe we could-"

"I'm taking a break," Justin muttered. He turned around, taking off his cap and walking over to where his water bottle was, next to a bean bag chair. "Chris, you coming?"

 "Take ten guys," he mumbled, turning around to join Justin. "I'm taking a break too. JC, we're working on the steps for the chorus."

JC frowned, folding his arms and looking at Joey and Lance.

"Take ten? I just got here."

"Yea, but we've been here all day JC," Lance reminded him. "And we need a break. A lot of stuff is on our minds. We haven't had the best luck concentrating today."

"I guess you're about to tell me that's my fault right?"

"How've you been JC?" Joey asked. "If Justin isn't going to talk to you and Chris wants to wait until later to ask about it then I'm going to swallow my God damn pride and talk to you myself. How've you been? What's going on with you?"

"You saw me yesterday when I left and now I'm back today ready to rehearse. There isn't much more that I'd like to talk about and there isn't much more that should be talked about. Right?"

"You tell us," Lance said with an accusing stare. "A lot can happen in one day. A lot of people can find out things and hear things and say things and do things in one day."

"Don't you think you owe us some sort of explanation for everything JC?" Joey asked. "We're not going to be immature and do all this ‘you're not talking to me - I'm not talking to you' type shit. We have things to get done and we need to get past this."

Lance nodded. "Just talk to us JC. Tell us what's going on. We're your friends and it kind of hurt that you didn't tell us what was going on with you in the first place. All we want is an explanation. An apology wouldn't hurt either."

"I'm sorry, okay? I don't know how many times I've said that for the past 24hrs and I don't know how many more times I'm going to have to say it but I mean it. I didn't mean for my best friends to find out what I was up to like that."

"We would have been happy for you, you know," Joey said.

JC rolled his eyes. "Yea, Justin and Chris are really happy with me right now, right?"

"That's only because they're hurt and they're annoyed. I mean, can you blame them?"

*~*~*~*~*~*~

Later that night

"We messed up, didn't we?"

"You think?"

JC sighed, adjusting the pillows behind him on the couch. "How're things going at home for you though, you know, since I left?"

"Work was civil. I wasn't in the office a lot because I was kind of running around with some clients."

"How'd you even get to work?"

"Called a cab," Liz shrugged.

"You didn't leave with Emma?"

"She got up early this morning and left without me."

"She left you?!"

"It's okay, Josh. I don't exactly blame her for it. We haven't talked that much. She made eye contact with me a couple times but I don't know...  I tried talking and apologizing but she keeps her door closed and she leaves the room if I'm in it for more than fifteen seconds. I'm living alone, basically."

"I'm sorry baby," JC sighed. "Things haven't been any easier for me either."

"That bad, huh?"

"Johnny's mad at me, Justin hasn't spoken two words to me since I got back in this morning and Lance and Joey are civil but there isn't much to say to them or for them. It's the same with Chris. He hasn't really commented on anything. It's just awkward. At rehearsal today, I spent like, almost an hour by myself trying to get the steps down to a T while they just sat around conversing in a corner. Sure, I was late and all but for the first time, I felt... Excluded, I guess."

"It'll get better babe, hang in there. We hurt them. I guess we should just give them their space now like when we wanted our space."

"I'm sorry, by the way, for not listening to you. You were right. We should have just ignored the fact that we were engaged and should have just lived like nothing was changing and everyone would have been happy. We shouldn't - well, I shouldn't - have made you think we were doing the right thing. The right thing turned out to be the complete opposite of what I expected it to be."

"So we should lay off this for a while?"

"It's what you suggested in the first place and you're smart so yea. Let's just not think about any  wedding or any ceremony or anything like that. All that will fall in to place some day but I don't think it's today."

"I understand. That's what we should have been doing in the first place instead of rushing into things without anyone else knowing."

"Don't you dare take off your ring though," JC warned playfully.

"I wasn't planning on it."

"You'd love it out here Lizzie. I haven't gotten a chance to really see the city or anything but it's pretty great out here."

"I'll come out and join you soon. As soon as all this dies down, I'll see what I can do."

They chatted for a few more minutes before JC decided he should go get some sleep since *NSYNC had to get up early the next morning. Ending off the call with the usual ‘Goodnight' and ‘I love you', they hung up.

Getting off the couch, Liz stood up and turned to leave the living room. She stopped a few feet away from the door frame when she realized Emma was staring at her.

"Hey Em."

Emma just continued to look at her, her arms folded.

Liz forced a smile. "Are you going to watch a movie or something?"

No reply.

Liz frowned. "Alright, well... Good night."

Waiting until Liz walked past her to leave the room, Emma spoke.

"You loved Josh enough to want to marry him in the spur of a moment, but you didn't value our friendship enough to at least think of telling me what was going on."

Liz turned around slowly but Emma's back was still to her.

"You're talking to me now?"

"Didn't you think I would have wanted to know? Didn't you think I would have supported you and been happy for you?"

Liz didn't know how to respond.

After a few moments of silence passed and Liz still didn't answer the questions, Emma turned around to face her friend.

"I love you guys... You and I have been dreaming about the day one of us got married since we started the business. You're like the sister neither of us has. I think it's great that you've decided to spend the rest of your life with someone you love and who loves you back. Didn't you think I would have wanted to be a part of it?"

"I don't know what to say..."

"Then never mind." She turned away to walk into the living room but Liz took a couple steps forward and grabbed her arm.

"Wait, don't start up a conversation with me and then walk away!"

"Don't decide you're going to marry some guy and not tell your best friend!"

"But no one-"

"Okay, so, screw not telling me! Whatever... But the way I found out about what happened... It just... It made me feel like... Like... You didn't care about us enough to include me on it or warn me about it."

"I take the full blame for that Em but you can't be mad at me for it forever. I'm really sorry that's how things happened but you got to understand and believe me when I say that I do value our friendship and how much you mean to both me and Josh. When he brought up that we should do it yesterday, you were the first person that entered my mind. I just thought, ‘What is Emma going to say if she finds out that I'm doing this and she doesn't know about it?'And yea, I was going to do it but at the end of the day, I didn't and I'm sorry that you found out the way you did about something that was supposed to be private. You can blame Josh for that part by the way."

"I still haven't blasted Josh for lying to me..." she mumbled. "Or for coming here and just almost making you marry him."

"Just... I don't want you to be mad at us. I get why you would be but you got to understand it from my point of view as well. I love him and to us, doing this was the only option we had."

"I'm glad you love him Liz but... There're people that care about you out there. People who want to a part of that love and celebrate that love with the two of you. You have to understand that from our point of view too."

"I do," Liz nodded. "Or at least, I do now. And I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry and if I could go back in time to yesterday, I'd call you up and make you my maid of honor and tell you to meet us at that stupid court house and have you witness everything. Not including you on this doesn't mean I didn't appreciate you or love you any less than I do."

Emma folded her arms slowly across her chest and rocked back on her heels, her head down. "Well, now I know that... It didn't seem like it before though."

"I'm sorry."

Emma nodded, and the two stood there silently for a few seconds before Emma lifted her head. "You'd really have made me your maid of honor?"

"There is honestly no one else in this world that would fill that position as well as you would."

"Then I don't completely dislike you anymore."

Liz managed a small smile. "I don't blame you for being mad. I'm actually a little mad at myself."

"As you should be."

"Please don't hate me... Or Josh, for that matter."

"Hate's a strong word... So I won't use it. But, promise me something."

"Anything."

"When you and Josh do get married, one, let me know. And two, promise me you'll make me your maid of honor."

"I will and I promise."

"Then... Just get over here and let me hug my best friend."

Liz heaved a sigh of relief as she wrapped her arms tightly around Emma's neck and grinned when she felt her squeeze back.

"Sorry I got so mad about everything by the way," Emma said. "I'll Josh tomorrow and apologize too."

"You don't have to do that, he's fine."

"He is?"

*~*~*~*~*~

The next day- 6PM

"JC!" Johnny called out to him, entering the hotel room and walking straight past the guys in the living area. "Meet me in your room."

JC lifted his head and frowned. He sat on the couch that was next to the window and had spent the last ten minutes just looking outside. Chris had his music player on his lap and had his headphones in. Justin was silently sitting on another couch watching a golf game while Joey and Lance sat next to JC but Lance was on his laptop and Joey was just checking out what he was doing.

"What does he want to talk to me about now?" JC muttered but Lance and Joey heard him and just shrugged. Justin did too but he didn't bother to pay any attention to JC.

Sighing, JC got up and walked over to the room he was sharing with Joey. Johnny was already waiting for him, sitting on the chair next to the bed.

"Close the door," he commanded when JC appeared.

"What's going on?" JC asked, doing as he was told.

"Come here and sit down."

JC made no argument and just sat down on the bed to face Johnny.

"What's this about?"

"This is about you," Johnny said, pulling out a laptop and opening it.

JC rolled his eyes. "This should be good."

"I've been thinking about what you did. Me and some of the guys from the crew, that is... JC, I don't want what went down yesterday affect your focus, especially at this time."

"Look, Johnny, you don't even have to worry about Liz affecting my focus toward the group. I know where I stand with my job and my personal life and they are both in two separate worlds so if that's what you're worried about then we don't really have a problem here."

"You ran away to almost get married yesterday. You're mind is on your job but your heart is on your lady. Or is it the other way around?"

"It's both ways at different times. Johnny, I know how to balance the two. It's cool. I'm fine."

"What I need JC, is for your whole being to be committed to music. That isn't going to be smooth sailing if yesterday's events still have an effect on you."

"Can't we just keep yesterday's events as just that? Yesterday's events..."

"You are going to get married."

JC raised his eyebrows, not amused. "What?"

Johnny turned around the laptop to face JC. A calendar was shown on the screen.

"No Strings Attached drops here," the manager pointed to a red box marked two rows from where that day's date was.

"Two weeks away, I know."

"No, twelve days away. That's less than two weeks."

"What're you getting at Johnny?" JC asked slowly.

"Today Tuesday. Twelve days from now, it'll be a Sunday."

"Congratulations Johnny. You can count and you know the days of the week."

"Don't play smartass with me. I want you to think about something. Today is Tuesday. You have twelve days before the serious stuff starts. Use those twelve days to collect yourself and do what you were gonna do just a couple days ago. Marry Lizzie in those twelve days and kick off the new album with a bang! With a clear head and momentum to back you up."

"I can't marry her just like that."

Johnny snorted. "Dude, you were going to do it in a court house two days ago. What difference does it make if you do it now?"

"We decided to lay off it."

"JC, think about it. If you wait any longer, when are you going to find the time?"

"I don't know but I can wait. So can Liz. We're fine! And twelve days? You want me to marry her in twelve days?"

"Well, I was actually thinking five days and then spend the next four days on a honeymoon. That adds up to nine days. You spend the next two days back with *NSYNC for final promotion and then the next day, the album drops and we have the release party here in L.A. It's perfect! And all within the twelve day span."

"Is this all you called me in here to talk to me about?"

"JC, do it. Call Liz now and talk to her about it. We can make it happen. This time, without everyone hating you and only the people you want to know about it will know about it. It seems to be what's best for you two anyways."

"Johnny, since when are you-"

"I want you to be happy. We need you to be happy. You're not happy without her. I need you to be happy with your life because if something's wrong in your personal life, then it reflects through your work. People will see through and act and see through phoniness and you said that yourself. You need to give people something genuine to work with. Would Liz do it? Would she go through with it? I mean, you'd be out here but we'd be able to get her the best people to plan with given the circumstances."

"She'd probably like that..." JC murmured. "I don't know Johnny. I feel like I'm on some sort of roller coaster with all this. It's literally giving me a headache talking about everything."

"The timing is great, sort of. We can pull it off if you just say the word. I just need a yes or no answer now that I've shown you what I've got."

"I, personally, would love to do it."

"Would Lizzie go through with it?"

*~*

"You busy there?" JC asked, peeking his head into the room Justin, Chris and Lance shared together.

The younger blonde was on the bed, his head up against the headboard and his eyes focused on the phone in his hands. Chris and Lance were still outside with Joey.

Justin lifted his head to look at JC, who opened the door wider.

"Do you need something?"

JC shrugged. "Just wondered what you were doing in here."

"I'm chilling. So if you don't mind, I'd like to go back to doing what I was doing."

JC remained in place, not moving.

Justin stared at him, his stolid expression not changing. "What?"

"I wanted to talk to you."

"Now you want to talk?"

Nodding, JC took a few steps forward into the room and closed the door behind him. He went over to sit on the bed next to Justin's feet.

"What the fu-"

JC punched his leg before he could even finish what he was going to say.

"Ow!" Justin cried out, sitting up. "What the hell was that?"

"You were going to swear. Say ‘nookie'."

"I thought we were done with that swearing rule!"

"It's been a while so I decided it still applies to you, and well, Joey, for obvious reasons. You're still a teenager. Excessive swearing isn't cool. Now say ‘nookie' before I punch you again."

"I swear but I at least I don't lie," Justin muttered. "Nookie. There, I said it. Now can you please leave?"

"No," JC shook his head. "I came in here to talk and spend time with you."

"I don't feel like having a conversation with you."

"We already are so we may as well continue it."

"We don't have much to talk about."

"No, but I have a lot to apologize about. I know you're mad at me."

"Good to know you pay attention to me enough to tell when I'm mad."

"I've known you since you were like, ten. I know when you're mad. Especially when you're mad at me."

"Which is not very often and you know that."

"So this time I really got to you, didn't I?"

"I found out that you were getting married through some gossip reporter on TV? I've known you since I was ten. Don't you think I should have been one of the first people in your mind to call about something like that?"

"I know, I know. I'm sorry. I'm not... married, though. Just clearing that up."

"You're not?"

"Do you see a ring on my finger?" JC chuckled. "Do I have a wife sitting on my lap right now?"

"No but you may as well. That's the direction all your focus goes to anyways."

"That's not true Justin."

"Whatever you say JC. Just wait till you're actually married. You're going to be split between *NSYNC and your personal life."

"That's how my life is now J. It's not that different."

"If you're split between *NSYNC and your personal life, where do I come in?"

"What'd you mean where you come in? I'm with you all the-"

"Where does the JC-Justin time come in? When does out basketball playing time come in? Our song writing time... Our video gaming time... Our picking on Joey and Lance with Chris time... Where does all that fit in to in your life?"

"Is that how you feel? You feel like I've neglected you as a friend? Justin, don't be ridiculous. You shouldn't feel like that. You know I-"

"If I shouldn't feel that way, then stop giving me a damn reason to make me feel that way!"

"I just... I didn't mean to... To... How do I put this... I didn't mean to make you feel like I didn't care for you as anything more than a bandmate. We're best friends. We have been for almost a decade now. You of all people know what it's like to have to balance and sacrifice the things we love and enjoy to do other things we love and enjoy."

"I just didn't think our friendship would have been one of your sacrifices," Justin mumbled, looking back down at his phone.

"It isn't Just. You're like my brother. Dude, I'm closer to you than I am to my own brother!"

Justin just shook his head, not bothering to acknowledge JC's statement.

"You still don't forgive me, do you?"

Again, Justin didn't respond.

JC sighed, getting up from the bed.

"Well that's too bad because-" He took a piece of folded paper out of his pocket and threw in on Justin's chest. "You have stuff to do."

Justin frowned, taking the piece of paper and looking at it. "What's this?"

JC shrugged. "Just some things you have to get done by this Sunday. Get a tux, make sure rings are secured, write toasts, plan a bachelor party, make sure things run by as scheduled... You know, best man stuff."

Justin's head shot up. He looked at JC with wide eyes.

"What'd you just say?"

JC smiled. "Oh, and you have to escort Emma down the aisle after the ceremony but I'm sure you're cool with that. All that with the help of Johnny and the guys of course. You're still pretty young to take all that on by yourself."

"No! I mean, I can do it. Are you just playing me or are you dead serious C?"

"I'm dead serious and you better be too because all that needs to get done by this Sunday. So, you know, if you mess this up for me, I'm going to kill you."

Justin grinned. "You made me your best man? Over everyone else?"

"You said it yourself. I spent the last almost ten years with you. You've been with me through almost every milestone in my life so you were the obvious choice."

"We have until this Sunday? That's basically five freakin' days away!"

"So what?"

"Do you know how many things can go wrong in five days?"

3 days till wedding

"Mexico."

"He's been there."

"Spain."

"He's been there."

"Italy."

"He's been there too."

"Hawaii?"

"Went there last year."

"Canada?"

"He just got back from Canada this morning!" Liz laughed.

Emma scowled. "The man has been all over the fucking globe! Just pick a place so we can get on with this!"

"I'm tired," Liz whined, putting her feet up on the coffee table so that they were outstretched. "We've been running around constantly for two days straight."

"Blame your fiancés music people for giving us a wedding to plan in five fucking days!"

"We got stuff done though!" Liz insisted. "Johnny and Melinda booked the Eagle Creek Golf Club for the ceremony and then Josh decided on The Grand Floridian for the reception, Justin and Lynn are sorting out seating, head counts and tuxedos and Josh said that he'd take care of music. Oh, and Johnny hired a tabloid free photographer. I looked through his portfolio already. He's pretty good."

"What's a tabloid free photographer?"

"He made the guy sign a contract that basically said that if any of our wedding photos get leaked to the press without me and or Josh's approval, then we have the right to sue."

Emma looked down at her lap to read off the checklist she made. "So, basically, we just need to get the place settings tomorrow, the bridesmaid's dresses are coming in tomorrow and what are we supposed to do about food?"

"Melinda and Robin are taking care of that. Josh and I made a list of what we wanted, what we didn't want, our budget and a list of places and caterers we've both worked with. I gave them to Melinda through e mail the day before yesterday."

Emma frowned. "Where was I when you and Josh did all that?"

"We did it over e mail, basically, at like, one in the morning. I think you were asleep or something.  I had to send it before today or we'd have no food at the wedding and then all this wouldn't be happening."

"I'm surprised all this is even happening. A wedding in five days is incredible."

"You got Josh and his team of people to thank for that," Liz grinned.

"If we actually pull this thing off, then I'm sending everyone who played a part in this, gift baskets."

"We will pull this off. We already sent out invitations."

"We have too much to get done though! People are flying in, we haven't decided who's sitting at what table yet, I have to collect the rings tomorrow and I have to go check up on the staff Johnny hired to get everything ready for the reception and the ceremony."

"You don't have to do that till Saturday morning..."

"And then we have your bachelorette party on Saturday night," Emma wiggled her eyebrows.

"I swear to God, if you hired a male stripped with his dick hanging out of his thong, I'm going to kill you."

"So I guess that's a ‘no' to the flavored condoms and the penis lollipops I was going to give out as prizes for the games too?"

"Emma," Liz glared at her. "A night out at a club or something, and that's it. Nothing more."

"You are so not in charge of planning my bachelorette party if I get married."

"What'd we have to do now?"

"Now, I have to go book two tickets to some luxurious hotel in some far away land for your fairytale honeymoon but I can't do that because you haven't decided where you want to go yet!"

"I'm not sure where I want to go."

"Go to Fiji," Emma giggled.

"Why Fiji?"

"I don't know it was the first thing that popped into my mind."

"I don't know about how I feel about going to an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean."

"You are impossible!" Emma yelled, tossing a throw pillow over at Liz.

She threw it back. "Keep your voice down! You're going to wake up Josh!"

"I'm already up," JC yawned, walking into his living room. He rubbed his eyes, walking over to where Liz sat on the couch and collapsed next to her. He lied down on his side and rested his head on her lap. "Morning," he mumbled, closing his eyes.

Liz laughed, using one of her hands to scratch gently at his scalp through his hair. "Hey sleepyhead. Got some rest?"

"Mmhm. What time is it?"

"It's four thirty in the afternoon," Emma answered.

JC's eyes shot open but he didn't bother to move. "You're kidding. I slept through the entire day?"

"Basically, yes."

JC groaned, closing back his eyes. "I'm hungry."

"I cooked earlier," Liz told him. "There's lasagna in the kitchen."

"Food," JC grinned goofily.

"Want me to go get you a plate?" Emma offered. "You seem pretty comfortable there already."

JC chuckled, nodding his head. "Please."

"You mind?" Liz asked.

Emma shook her head. "Nah, I need a break from you and this checklist." She got up and tossed the paper onto the couch behind her. "And I think I'll fix myself a plate while I'm at it."

"Thank you Emma," JC called out to her, lazily turning to lie on his back so that now he was looking up at Liz's face. He smiled. "Hi baby."

"Did that eleven hour sleep do you any good?"

"I'm still tired."

"Me too," Liz sighed, leaning her head back.

"What'd you guys do all day? Did I miss out on anything important?"

"Not really. Today was a free-ish day for you. All Emma and I did was run around to all these different places, and I was talking to Johnny on the phone from time to time sorting out some stuff. Oh! And I got my dress today!"  

"You did?" JC smiled, a little surprised.

"Mhm. Got it this morning."

"Is it everything you imagined it would be?"

"Yea, it actually is. I mean, I tried on a few really great ones but I guess when it's the dress, you know it's the dress. This is going to sound really stupid but I actually got teary eyed when I saw myself in for the first time. It's nothing too extreme and there isn't a lot of ruffles or wild lace patterns or anything like that but it just, it, felt right on me. Oh, but it's long and it's strapless and... white."

JC smiled, reaching up to take her hand and lace their fingers together above his chest. "I bet you looked so beautiful baby. I can't wait to see it on you."

"Nuh uh uh," she waved her finger. "You're not seeing that dress or me in that dress till you're standing at the top of the aisle. Or is it the bottom?"

"I think it depends on what direction you're facing. Maybe it's the bottom. Where is the dress anyways?"

"It's over at the house. Well, Emma's house now."

"Does it feel weird? You calling it that?"

"A little but I'll get used to it. This is my - well, our - home now... Or, at least it will be from Sunday."

"A lot of your stuff is already here."

"I'm going to miss her though. Us in that house... Em and I had some good times in there."

"And now it's time for you and me to have some good times here."

"Exactly," she smiled. "I'll deal with it. My stuff should be in here by Saturday."

"What were you guys talking about before I came in here?"

"Our honeymoon."

JC grinned. "I'd rather fast forward straight to it than just talk about it."

"We haven't decided a place yet!"

"I thought I left that part up to you."

"Yea, but you've been everywhere."

"Who cares about the place?! We'd only be out of that hotel room like, 2% of the time."

Liz rolled her eyes. "I'm serious. It should be somewhere that the two of us want to go."

"I want to go anywhere you want to go. Spain, Italy, The Caribbean, Mexico, hell, we'll go to Russia if you want us to. Anywhere you want, and I'll make it happen."

Liz smiled down at him, rubbing his hair back from his forehead. "I don't want to go to Russia."

"Then where do you want to go?"

"Have you been to Fiji?"

"Fiji? Actually, yea, I think I have but that was a long while ago. I can't remember it too much. You want to go to Fiji?"

"Emma actually suggested it. I heard it's a beautiful place. It's in the middle of the Pacific Ocean but it might be nice for us."

"It is. Really nice beaches, especially." He closed his eyes and smiled. "I can imagine it. You and I, at night, making love under the moon on the sand with the only sounds being heard are the waves crashing onto the shore and our staggered breathing. It's a fantasy of mine now."

Liz blushed lifting her legs off the coffee table. JC chuckled and got up so that now he was sitting next to her.

"Don't pretend like you haven't had any fantasies about you and me making love together," he said.

She turned to face him and smiled. "Do we have to talk about this now?"

"I wanna know."

"Well, there is something I wanted to talk to you about."

"What's that?"

"For our honeymoon... Our honeymoon night, really..."

"Mmhmmm," JC smiled.

"I don't want to go anywhere that night. Just for that night after the reception."

"What'd you mean?"

"Well, you know what happens on our honeymoon night right? Our first time?"

JC nodded.

"Well, when that time comes, I want us to spend our first, intimate moment in our own bed in our own home. Not in some fancy hotel in a honeymoon suite in a bed that I'm only going to sleep in for a coupla nights."

"So, you want to spend our first night together, here at home, upstairs, in our own bed?"

"I just... I thought it would be more special that way, you know?"

"Yea, I know. Well, if that's what you want to do, then okay. We start the honeymoon at home and then we leave for Fiji early the next morning."

Liz's fit lit up. "We're really going?"

"Yea," JC chuckled. "Honeymooning in Fiji. I like the idea."

"Me too," Liz grinned, leaning over to plant a kiss on his lips. "Thank you baby."

"I'll eat and take a shower and then we can start googling some hotels online so we can tell Emma what to book. I'll call my parents and tell them that we'll either get a hotel for them and Heather and Tyler to stay at or they can stay with Emma for the one night we'll be spending here. The rest of the time we're gone, they can stay here if they want to, right?"

"Of course. You shouldn't even have to ask me that. They can stay here whenever they need to or want to."

"They'll leave a couple days before we get back though, because Heather and Tyler have school and what not so we don't have to worry about them being here when we return."

"Sounds good."

"Good."

"Josh, you're taking care of the music right? I mean, you haven't really showed me a playlist or what band your hired or anything like that. And your tuxedo? And the guys' tuxedos?  And our-" she stopped mid sentence and gasped. "Our cake! Our wedding cake! We haven't even done taste testing or anything."

"Baby, relax. I told you that I had the music taken care of so don't worry about that. Justin and I are picking up the tuxedos Saturday afternoon right before we head on over to the club where Lance, Chris and Joey are having my ‘bachelor party'. As for the cake, I'll pull some strings with Jonny and Melinda today and see if they can get through and check if the caterer they hired specializes in wedding cakes even on short notices. Most likely he should, so we'll take a look at the cakes and talk to the caterers and tell them what we want. We're fine Liz."

"You're really pulling through for me."

"I told you that we could do this in five days."

~*~*~*~*~

Friday night- Less than two days before wedding

"Who in the hell told me I could pull this off in five days?!" Liz practically yelled, looking around at the ballroom in the Grand Floridian. "This is not what we ordered! Nothing in here is what we ordered!"

"Uh, baby," JC tried putting his arm around her waist to calm her but she pushed him away.

"They messed up everything!" She looked around the ballroom that was decorated in a black and white theme. There were black roses on the white table cloths and the place settings were a grey metallic color. The only instrument on the stage was a harp.

"What the fuck is this?" Liz glared at the hotel manager. "A funeral reception or something?! This is not what this room is supposed to look like!"

"Our records showed that there was a mix up in the date of your wedding and that of another wedding that's set for another two weeks. This was originally designed for a Cameron wedding."

"How the hell do you get the names Cameron and Chasez mixed up?!"

"We apologize Ms. Carrington and we will follow through with your instructions immediately."

"See baby?" JC spoke up, moving closer to her. "It was just a mix up. They'll have it down immediately and they'll transform this place using our requests as soon as possible. Right?" JC gave the manager a look.

"Right away Mr. Chasez," the bald man nodded.

Liz glared at him. "I am getting married on Sunday. That is less than forty eight hours away from now. This ballroom needs to be the way we have envisioned it using the appropriate requests we planned out and submitted AND already paid for."

"I understand ma'am. Again, we apologize. I assure you things will be carried out as you have asked immediately."

"Thank you," JC nodded, putting an arm around Liz's shoulder and leading her away from the man so they could leave. "We'll be back tomorrow afternoon."

"And by that time, this all needs to be done!" Liz added in, turning around to shoot the man a look.

Leading her out of the ballroom, JC removed his arm from around her shoulders and they made their way down the corridor to get to the elevator.

"I can't believe a five star place like this messed up what occasions take place on what days," Liz muttered as they waited for the elevator to open. "It's extremely unprofessional."

"They'll get it done. If anything, Johnny will make sure of that."

"They have less than forty eight hours."

"In a place like this, and the money we're paying them, they'll get it done."

"Did you talk to your mom?"

"Yea, their flight is coming in around 10AM. I'll pick them up and take them to the hotel."

Liz sighed, stepping into the elevator and JC followed. "What else do we have to do tonight?"

JC looked at his watch. "It's almost nine. There's nothing much more that we can do. Justin already has the rings safely in their boxes at his house, you and I have to pick up the tuxedos and bridesmaids dresses tomorrow, well, we have to come back here and see if the ballroom is decorated right before we do that but other than that, we're okay."

"I'm starting to feel really overwhelmed with all of this. I mean, things are getting done but I feel like there's a million and one things that I still have to do."

"That's because compared to what you were trying to do last time, you don't have a million and one things to do. This time, everybody's helping."

"I'm ready to go home. I've still got some packing to do."

The elevator dinged and they both got out. JC put on his sunglasses in case there were any snoopy paparazzi outside and h held Liz's hand as they walked out the door. There was one or two people with cameras but they kept their distance as Liz and JC made their way toward JC's car. Once they were buckled in and the doors were locked JC turned the keys in the ignition and drove out.

"So I'm taking you to my house or yours tonight?"

"Mine."

"You need me to stick around to help you pack?"

"Nah, Emma's home. She'll help me out."

"You sure?"

"Yea."

They drove in silence for a couple minutes before JC's phone started ringing.

He used one hand took it out of his pocket but kept his eyes on the road. "Baby, can you answer it? Tell whoever it is that I'm driving."

Liz nodded, taking the phone and clicking ‘Answer.'

"Hello? Oh, hey Johnny... No, he's right here but he's driving. We're on our way home... Mmhm, yea we just went over to how everything was turning out but they messed up our date with another wedding so now they have to do everything over... Yea, I know. The manager promised he'd make it happen by tomorrow so we'll see how that goes... What?... Oh, well, not really. I mean, we're a little tired but we aren't too far from you. What's going on?... Alright then. Yea, I'll tell him. See you in a while... Okay, bye."

She ended the call and gave the phone back to JC.

"What was that about?" he asked.

"Johnny wants us to come over for a few minutes before we go home. He said he needed to sort out one last thing."

"Is something wrong?"

"I'm not sure. He didn't sound like something was wrong. He was just like ‘Oh, well, before you guys head home, can you tell JC to stop off at my house first? I just need to sort something out with the two of you before Sunday and now seems like a good time.'"

"Well, we'll see what he has to say."

*~*~*~*~*~*

"Johnny?" JC called out, entering the mansion. "We're here."

"In the office!"

It was only Liz's third time at Johnny's house and she didn't know where the office was so she let JC lead the way.

Taking her hand, JC lead her down a hallway and into a door on the right without knocking. They saw that Johnny was sitting at his desk, leaned back in his office chair doing something on his phone.

"Hey man," JC greeted his manager.

Johnny looked up and smiled, sitting up. "Hey guys."

"Hey," Liz said, taking a seat in one of the two chairs in to face him when he gestured that she and JC sit down. "Everything okay?"

"Oh, yea, everything's fine. You two look tired."

"We are," JC sighed.

"Well, what's going on?" Liz asked.

"Well, everything's being taken care of but there's one last thing that I, JC's manager, found necessary to bring up with the two of you in private."

"What's that?" JC asked cautiously, sitting up some more.

"Alright, I don't want to cause any tension while bringing this up so just think about it logically, okay?"

JC and Liz both nodded.

Johnny reached under a few folders on his desk and pulled out a couple crisp sheets of paper with writing on it.

"What is this?" JC questioned when Johnny handed the papers to him. Liz looked over into JC's lap.

"A prenuptial agreement," she said softly.

"A prenup?"JC raised his eyebrows at Johnny but then frowned. "What'd we need a prenup for?"

"Before we start getting all mad, let's just take the subject into consideration because it is necessary however you look at the situation." Johnny looked from Liz to JC, then back to Liz and then back to JC. "If the two of you get married without this prenup, then there isn't going to be anymore ‘My money.' If one day down the road the two of you decide to split up and get a divorce, then half of your assets go to her-" He looked at Liz, who sat quietly. "We're talking millions of dollars here. We can't just leave that as it is. You have to think about what's going to happen to that money if something were to happen between the two of you."

JC looked down at the paper and frowned. "I trust you though."

"Thanks," she murmured.

"The two of you need to think this through and decide what you're going to do with this because that's a lot of money. If you were to just give half of that away to-"

"I'll sign it," Liz announced. "If that's you want, then I'll sign in."

JC's head shot up and Johnny raised his eyebrows.

"You're willing to sign it?" JC asked.

"I'm not in this for your money. I can take care of myself. I know how you feel about your finances and you've earned everything you have right now. If you don't want to risk losing half of that to me if one day, God-forbid that we split up, then fine. I'll sign in and we can just go home."

"If we split up, then I'd be leaving you with nothing. I can't do that to you. Yea, it's my money that I've earned over the years and yea, I admit, it's a lot of it but I love you and if I'm going to be spending the rest of my life, I want us both to be comfortable."

"I have my own money. I'm comfortable on my own. I can take care of myself. I work too, you know. I don't rake in eight figures annually like you do but I don't need eight figures to live."

JC looked at her and then back to Johnny.

"JC, if she's willing to be smart about this, then..." his voice trailed off.

JC looked at Liz who just looked back at him. "If you want to... I mean... I wasn't exactly thinking about any prenup or anything like that. I don't want you to think that I don't trust you."

"Actually, JC," Johnny put in. "It's really more of a matter of being safe and smart. She knows you trust her and you both have your own money. Maybe this way, it's just smarter to keep it at that. Your money and her money. No questions asked."

"What'd you think?" JC asked Liz. "What'd you want to do?"

Liz shrugged, rubbing the back of her neck. "If you want to keep our finances separate, then fine. If you want me to sign and if that'll make you happy and more secure, then I'll sign whatever it is you want me to sign."

Johnny smiled and nodded. "Okay, great. JC, she'll sign."

JC looked back down to the paper hesitantly as Liz took a pen from on Johnny's desk and put out her hand to JC so that he could hand her the paper.

"Josh?"  

"I don't want you to sign it. Regardless of whether we do break up in the future, I don't want you to sign that. I want to take care of you."

"I can take care of myself if I have to," she told his gently.

"I don't want you to. I want to take care of my wife and from Sunday, we share everything. Including money, if you want us to. What I'm saying is, you don't have to sign this if you don't want to."

"I was going to sign it if you wanted me to sign it."

"I don't want you to sign it."

She smiled, putting the pen back on the desk slowly. "Then I guess I'm not signing."

Johnny looked at the JC incredulously as he tore the papers in half and handed the remains back. "I love that the two of you are so set on this but do you know what you're doing?"

"Yes, Johnny," JC sighed as he got up. "We know what we're doing."

"Well then... Okay. You guys can go home now. I'll see you tomorrow."

After a couple ‘Goodnight's and nods, Liz and JC walked out of the study and closed the door behind him. Before they could go any further, Liz stopped them and looked at JC.

"Are you sure we know what we're doing?"

JC shrugged. "Maybe not but... We'll figure it out along the way."

*~*~*~*~

Sunday- Less than 10mins to wedding

Liz looked at herself in the mirror and stood there. It was here. The day she and JC had been fussing over, had gotten in trouble for and had almost lost the respect of their friends and family for was finally here. If it wasn't for JC's management team and Emma, she knew she wouldn't be standing there at that moment. She turned to her side and looked at her reflection, smoothing her hands over the fabric on her torso. There wasn't a stain on the dress nor was there a blemish on her face. Her hair was out and slightly curled at the ends. She didn't wear a veil.

"Can I come in?" someone knocked on the door.

"Y-yea."

Emma opened the door and walked in. Her hair was held back in a small clip and she wore a light blue, also strapless gown that fit her tall but small frame nicely.

"Wow," she whispered, putting a hand over her mouth. "Wow..."

"D-Do I look okay?" Liz stuttered, a worried look crossing her face.

Emma grinned, shaking her head. "You look so beautiful. I can't believe it."

"You sure? The dress is okay? It's not dirty? My hair doesn't look bad?"

"You look amazing."

"You too," Liz smiled.

"I can't believe this is it. Just a couple days ago, I... I knew you were getting married and this morning I knew you were getting married but seeing you now... And seeing all the people out there. I can't believe it."

"Is everyone okay out there?"

"Yea, everyone's seated and waiting. We only have a few more minutes before Josh is supposed to take his place at the altar."

"Is Josh okay?"

"He's hyped, that's for sure. I walked in when Justin and Joey and Lance and Chris were giving him a final pep talk. He was a little nervous but I guess that's to be expected. He told me to tell you to get ready to become ‘Mrs. Elizabeth Chasez.' He looks really, really handsome," Emma smiled. "And you look spectacular. Everything and everyone's okay so don't worry. Everyone's here."

Liz felt tears well in her eyes but she continued to smile. "Not everyone," she whispered.

Emma stepped forward and held Liz's arms at her sides. "Your parents would be so proud of you today."

"You think so?"

"I know so. And I know they're here. And I know they're looking down on you right now proud as ever."

"Thanks Em," Liz nodded.

"I... I have something for you."

"What?"

"A few years ago, I was told by your mom to look out for you if at some point in time, it narrowed down to just you and I. Same with my parents and you, remember?"

"Mhm."

"Remember when she died and your uncle had her will and he gave everyone that she left her things to their respective items?"

"Yea."

"I never told you this, but she left this to me to give to you for a special occasion and I can't think of anything more special than this day right here." She reached for a small box on a table next to her that Liz hadn't even noticed before and opened it to reveal a diamond necklace with three light colored stones in the middle to form a triangle. So light, they were almost blending in with the small diamonds.

"Each colored stone represents a birthstone. Your dad's, your mom's and yours. She wanted you to have it so that no matter what, on the special occasion that I chose, you'd always have them here in the most physical way, closest to your heart. It's a few years old by now so I guess you can make it count as your ‘something old' and your ‘something new'. You already borrowed my earrings and your underwear is blue so..."

Liz looked down at the necklace and couldn't help but lose the fight of keeping her tears from falling.

"Well thanks for ruining the two hours of makeup you made me go through," she laughed lightly, using that back of her hand to carefully wipe away the tears.

Emma laughed, sniffling. "I'll put it on for you."

"Thank you Emma," Liz said as her maid of honor latched it around her neck.

"Thank you, thank you and I love you."

"I love you too Lizzie," she hugged her friend. "Congratulations."

There was a knock on the door and the two girls pulled away.

"Come in," Emma called out.

"Hey," Chris grinned, opening the door halfway. "Lizzie, you ready?"

"It's time?!" she squeaked.

"JC and the guys are already standing at the altar. We're ready to start sending people down the aisle. We're ready to start."

"Oh my God." Liz had to start fanning herself and taking slow breaths in order to keep herself from throwing up. Chris walked in and put his arms around her.

"You and Josh are ready," he told her. "This is what you've been talking about for weeks. You're ready."

"You ready to walk me down the aisle?" she asked him.

"I am more than ready."

"So," Emma began, picking up the lilac wedding bouquet and handing them to Liz. "You ready to do this?"

Liz took a breath and accepted her bouquet, taking Chris' hand for comfort. "Okay. Let's do this."

*~*~*~*~*

30 minutes, one accident free trip down the aisle, two heartfelt vows, several tears, one kiss, one dress change and a limo ride to The Grand Floridian later

"Are you ready to go in Mrs. Chasez?" JC grinned at his wife, their hands entwined as they stood outside the double doors of the ballroom that everyone was waiting for them in.

"I'm more than ready," she smiled at him, reaching over to touch his cheek with her palm and bring him in for a kiss.

"We did it," JC whispered against her lips. "We're married."

Liz grinned and nodded, but before she could say anything back, they heard four knocks on the door from on the inside. That was their cue for when to come in after counting up the six after hearing those four knocks.

JC squeezed her hand and they both silently counted up to five before JC put his hand on the door handle and practically pulled the two of them into the room just in time to hear Justin and Emma yell the words ‘Mr. and Mr.s Joshua Chasez' into the microphone. Everyone in the room was on their feet, all smiling and clapping and yelling.

Justin, Emma, Chris, Tyler and Joey were by far, the loudest of the one hundred and fifty nine people there.

Liz and JC kept their hands in each other's hold despite each of them being pulled into different directions by friends and family for hugs and kisses and many ‘Congratulations!'. This went on for a few seconds before everyone was forced to quiet down.

"Okay, okay," Justin's voice boomed over the speakers. "It's time for Josh and Lizzie to have their first dance as man and wife so if you can all please clear the dance floor, the bride and groom will now proceed."

Everyone took their seats and some guests just chose to stand around their tables to watch as JC took Liz's hand and lead her to the middle of the ballroom.

Liz blushed as she felt all the eyes in the room on her and JC but he just kept his eyes on hers.

"Y-You took care of music didn't you?"

JC chuckled. "Yes, I did." He looked over her shoulder and nodded at Justin.

"Ladies and gentleman, this is a song off the new *NSYNC album that only you, Josh and Liz's close family and friends, are going to hear right now. Josh collaborated with Richard Marx on this song and it's dedicated to his new bride. This song is called, ‘This I Promise You'. Congratulations you two."

Liz looked at JC with teary eyes as he wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned his forehead against hers. She tied her arms around his neck and stared into his eyes.

"You wrote a song for me? For our wedding?"

JC smiled. "I remember the first day I met you, at that club two years ago. When I told you I told you I was in *NSYNC, you asked me to sing something for you and I never did. And... I remember when I proposed to you on the dock that night, and you told me that you wanted to stay in that moment forever, in my arms. Well, now, you're in my arms and you're right where you belong. And I'm not going to let anything change that."

Liz turned around for a moment when the music started playing only to see Justin, Joey, Chris and Lance standing in different areas of the room with mics in their hands.

"Where's your mic?" she whispered to JC.

"I'm singing to you," he said softly as he started moving in time with the melody. "I'm not performing for them."

"Listen to the lyrics, okay?" he whispered to her.

Liz had to fight to keep herself from breaking down in happy tears in the middle of her own wedding dance as JC started to sing the song softly in her ear, while his voice sounded from the track being played. The other four members just backed him up.

"And with this vow, forever has now begun..." He continued to sing to her softly. "Without you in my life baby, I just wouldn't be living at all... Just close your eyes, each loving day, and know this feeling won't go away... Every word I say is true, this I promise you..."

"I love you," he whispered to her as the last notes of the song faded. "And I mean every single word in that song. Every single word. And I promise you that I will spend the rest of my life proving that to you."

Liz looked at him through her teary eyes and smiled, bringing his head down to kiss him on the lips. "I love you Joshua. And till the day my life is through, I promise you that no matter what, nothing is ever going to come between us. No matter what, nothing is ever going to top the love I have for you. And I will spend the rest of my life proving that to you."

JC grinned as the song finally ended and the room erupted into claps and cheers. He wiped away a few of the tears that had fallen from Liz's eyes and kissed her sweetly.

"Mr. and Mrs.  Joshua Chasez everyone!" Justin's voice sounded over the speakers.

"Not to sound non enthusiastic about the rest of this reception, because I am, but I honestly cannot wait to just go home and spend the rest of the night with you." JC chuckled.

Liz laughed, pulling away but still grinning at him. "Soon baby. Soon."

 "Josh," she giggled, her hands pushing against his shoulders.

They had gotten into the limo 20 minutes ago and JC was already all over her on the long, black, leather cushioned seats.

"Mmm?" he responded, his face buried in her neck, sucking on the skin.

"Just a little while longer babe," she said softly.

"God Lizzie, I don't know if I can wait that long," JC complained. He lifted his head to look down at her.

She smiled up at him. "Trust me. You can. You've made it this far, you can go a little longer."

 "Oh, I can go all night if you know what I'm saying."

Liz laughed. "You got it space cowboy," she winked.

"I knew it was a bad idea playing you that song. I should have made you wait like everybody else."

"Why-yi-yi-yippie-yi-yay-yippie-yi-yo-yippie-yi-yay."

"You gonna come and take a ride with your space cowboy tonight baby?" 

Liz laughed. "Mmhmm."

He felt the limo come to a stop and lowered the tinted windows, realizing they were in his driveway. He broke out in a grin.

"We're here," JC grinned. He lifted him-self off of her and sat up straight, running a hand through his hair.

She smiled and sat up, smoothing her hands over the white, satin material of the dress.

He took her hand and opened the door in the limo, letting them out. He made a signal to their driver and then turned back to his bride as they stood on the doormat.

She wrapped her arms around his neck trying to pull him in for another kiss before they got inside, but by the time the first arm was around him, he swung one arm under her knees and the other behind her back.

She gasped in surprise when she felt herself leave the ground, and he looked at her with a grin.

"Welcome home Mrs. Chasez," he said and she pushed open the front door.

He stepped over the threshold and put her down gently. He pulled her in closely to him.

"Bedroom... Now," she demanded softly to him.

She didn't have to say any more before JC had a hold of her hand and practically ran to and up the stairs.

"Josh, not so fast!" she said giggling. "I'll fall!"

"Sorry," he said, leading them down the hallway to his - wait - their bedroom.

He entered and Liz froze in doorway, stunned by what was before her. She gasped.

The room was dimmed, with only a few vanilla scented candles aligned on the dresser. There was one on each bedside table. The comforter was already pulled down exposing the dark red sheets underneath, and the pillows were already fluffed and up against the headboard. A few rose petals were scattered on the surface and two glasses of champagne were set on a small glass table. In the middle, there was a squared white plate with six chocolate drizzled strawberries.

He smiled happily, watching the expression on her face.

"I know you wanted tonight to be special. Do you like it?" he asked her softly.

She took another step into the room, and he followed her.

"You're incredible, you know that?" she smiled, turning around to face him.

"It's only because I love you so much," he said wrapping his arms around her waist, slightly blushing. He had never done this for a girl before. Quite frankly, he thought the whole thing was pretty much too clichéd but he was glad he had pulled it off, and seeing her take it all in had made it worthwhile.

"It's pretty much the cheesiest thing," JC chuckled, looking around. "Our first time. The champagne. Dimmed lights and candles. The satin sheets. I wasn't sure if this was how you always envisioned your wedding night but I tried to give you the whole deal."

Liz smiled. "It's amazing. Thank you."

"Well I'm glad you liked this part of the night. Now we can move on to... the other part of the night."

"Then I'll be right back," she whispered. She kissed that spot she knew drove him crazy - close to the ear, right below the jaw - before turning away.

She heard him growl deep in his throat as she walked slowly over to the dresser. She pulled the drawer toward her and reached in, pulling out a small Victoria's Secret gift bag.

She walked slowly over to the master bathroom connected to the bedroom, and looked back over to JC, who had still been standing still in place watching her. She gave him a smirk and winked, before closing the door.

"Dear God," JC murmured to himself. He blew out the candles on the nightstands and sat on the side edge of the bed, his back to the room, facing the wall.

He took a couple minutes to mentally run through what he had had done this morning. He had made sure to disconnect all the telephone lines in the house, and had shut off all the computers, even pulling the cables from the TVs. He had locked the gates and kept his cell phone on vibrate downstairs making sure no one could reach him at any point in time during the night. He wanted no disturbances, period.

"Tonight's the night," JC thought silently, smiling softly to himself. It had been a while since he had been someone's ‘first', and he was determined to do it right with Liz.

She was so soft and delicate, he was almost afraid to go beyond his boundaries with her, feeling as though he didn't deserve such a privilege. But at the same time, he couldn't bear the thought of keeping his hands off her.

He kicked off his dress shoes and took off his tuxedo jacket, undoing the buttons at the end of the sleeves at his wrists and the first couple buttons at the top, near his neck.

He was about to start undoing the others when he sensed soft movement on the bed, and felt two soft hands run smoothly over his shoulders and around his chest. She rested her chin on his shoulders and spoke softly.

"Hey there," she smiled as her hair fell past his shoulder.

God she smelled so good!

"Hi," He smiled and got up, turning around to keep his hands on her hips. She rose up and knelt on the bed, looking up at him shyly.

JC wanted to just let things get going right at that moment, but he used every bit of will power he had left to keep himself from throwing her down on the mattress and kicking things off right then and there.

"Lizzie, you look..." He was lost for words. "Damn!" he whispered to her as his eyes travelled up and down her body only covered by her bra and the matching thong.

She too was pleased with the dark blue, lace bikini-like lingerie she had bought a few days ago, specifically for this night.

She raised herself up a little more and started planting soft kisses on his jaw line, focusing her hands on unbuckling his belt that was still on. When she had gotten that off, she went back for his shirt to finish undoing the buttons.

By now she had started nibbling on his ear lobe and JC's hands had made their way to firmly holding her beneath the curves of her butt so that she was up against him.

She pressed her hips into his, already feeling his erection inside of his pants.

JC groaned softly.

"Excited already?" Liz asked him teasingly. She took off his shirt and running her long fingers up and down his chest.

"God, I have never been this fucking hard so fast before," he muttered, letting his head fall back.

"Glad I could help," she grinned, kissing his Adam's apple.

"Lizzie..." he said softly.

"Mm?"

"Baby, you're ready for this, right?" he asked gently.

 "This is our night Josh. I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

"I just mean, well... You know..."

She looked at him and smiled. "What?"

"Are you scared?"

"Well, it's my first time..."

He used the back of his index finger on his right hand to stroke her cheek gently.

"Just uh... Don't be too rough, alright?" There was a slight sense of nervousness in her tone. "At least not this time."

JC smiled.

"I'm going to make you feel so good, baby." He promised. "We'll go slow. I'll be gentle. I promise you."

"I know you are, and I know you will be." She placed her palm flat against his cheek. "And I love you for that."  

 "I love you too. Slow, sweet love," he began tracing the outline of her lower lip with his thumb, across her jaw line, down her neck and he trailed his fingers along the lace strap of her bra. "All night long..."

She nodded, smiling.

He looked over to the little plastic wrappers at the bedside and turned back to her. She leaned over and spoke to him, almost seductively.

"We won't be needing those," she whispered.

He looked at her in slight confusion.

"I uh... went on the pill." she said, licking his neck.

He raised his eyebrows. "Oh really?" he teased.

"I want nothing between us," she told him.  "I want to feel all of you." She used the other palm of her hand to press against his crotch. "Every-," she squeezed gently. "-Inch."

This time he couldn't take it anymore. His lips met hers, while their tongues sought each other in hunger as they both fell back onto the bed, him on top of her.

"Jace," she groaned, feeling his manliness press into her core from inside his pants. "Take ‘em off."

Without tearing his lips away from her neck, he started kicking around trying to get his pants off. He successfully kicked them to the far corner of the room.

"Much better," she stated breathlessly, feeling his legs on top of hers.

 "God, I love your body babe." JC groaned. He balanced himself on his arms so than he was leaning over her. He let his kisses take over her entire anatomy.

"I love these arms," he said, kissing them softly. "I love this neck. I love these lips. God, baby I love your breasts. I love this stomach. I love these legs. I love you." He whispered to her. "And so far, I'm loving this," he said, moving one of his hands down south and into the frontal part of her thong, fondling with the already damp area and pinching gently on the sensitive flesh.

He was her husband now and that alone gave him enough confidence to touch her in ways he hadn't been able to before.

She gasped.

"You're already so wet baby," he mumbled in her ear, stroking and feeling how aroused she already was.

She trembled beneath him as he kept up the action that caused her inner thighs to twitch.

"I think it's time to take these off?" he said softly to her, feeling how soaked the lower piece was quickly becoming.

She just nodded, slowly.

Before going any further, he moved back up and wrapped his arms behind her, unfastening the hook of her bra. He threw it off the bed. He caressed her entire torso up and down, over her ribcage and his large hands cupped her B-cup breasts. He smiled as he looked down.

"I'm going to take my time with you baby girl," he said to her softly.

She managed a smile despite feeling a little uncomfortable that she was practically lying naked under him but she eased up when she saw the smile on his face. He liked what he saw.

"They're not that great you know," she said softly. She watched him as he admired her chest and used his large hands to get used to the feel of them, cupping and massaging.

"You're right," JC nodded, squeezing her breasts tenderly. "They're so much better."

She smiled up at him.

"You have no idea how long I've waited to do this."  

He swiped his thumb over each swollen nub and her nipples reacted instantly to his touch. He did it once more before leaning down and sucking slowly on the sore area, taking the bud into his mouth and between his teeth, flicking his tongue against it.

She gasped softly, arching her back off the mattress and semiconsciously pushing herself more into him.

He moved slowly, from breast to breast, nibbling, licking and sucking repeatedly before he could feel her juices starting to slowly stream down her legs.

Lifting his head and looking straight into her eyes, he moved his hands back down her body and hooked his fingers around the sides of the underwear and pulled them straight down to her ankles. He threw them behind him, the final article of clothing silently hitting the carpeted floor.

JC smirked as he moved his body down hers and knelt between her legs. He slowly spread them as far apart as he could for full access so that she was completely open to him from this angle.

Liz immediately stiffened when she felt the cool air wash over her bare body and she suddenly became self-conscious.

Thank God for bikini waxing.

She watched as JC focused intently on what was in front of him. She almost went through with her urge of getting up and pulling the comforter over her body, not knowing that JC wanted the complete opposite.

"Okay, Jace..." she began softly, instinctively trying to squeeze her thighs together to kind of hide herself but JC shook his head slowly, spreading her out back to the way she was.

He lifted one of her legs and rested it on his shoulder, granting him more available access to her as he smiled his personal the view.

"You have no idea how beautiful you are baby," he murmured softly, leaning over to kiss the lips softly.

She gasped and had to grip the sheets at each side of the bed in order to control herself.

"You're perfect."

He continued to kiss at her while his fingers parted her folds slowly, finally finding the treasure he was looking for. He ran his tongue slowly up her clit, she completely lost in the pleasure she never knew a person could experience from the actions of another.

"J-Josh..." she whispered, her voice trailing off. "Oh God..."

He smiled, and sucked hungrily but gently on her pleasure nub until she started squirming and arching her back off the mattress, handfuls of the sheet in the grips of both her hands.

He smirked, keeping his head down and nibbling on her womanhood. Having to use his hands to hold down on her thigh to keep her in place, she was pinned down so that she was forced to endure the blissful torment he was putting her through as his lips and tongue caressed her wet heat.

He smiled to himself as he swirled and flicked his tongue around on her sodden clit, enjoying the many whimpers of pleasure that were escaping from her lips.

The noises she made just made him keep going on for more and more, determined to get her to that place of climax where he knew she'd lose herself. The more noises she made, the harder he sucked and teased.

Liz was losing it.

She had never been tortured like this before, and she loved it. She wasn't sure how much more of it she could take, until she felt one long number slide into her without warning, testing her readiness and forcing her to arch her back begging him for more. She gasped loudly.

"Oh my-"

 "Just relax babygirl," he advised her softly, feeling her body stiffen up at his delicate touch. "Take it easy, alright?"

She wasn't sure how much more she could handle until a few seconds later she felt another finger join the first, stretching her yet causing slight but temporary discomfort.

He started pumping his fingers in and out of her, going deeper each time.  JC kept sucking and licking until he finally bent his fingers inside of her, palm up, in a ‘Come' motion. He felt her tremble and he knew he had hit her G spot.

"Josh!" she called out, bucking up her hips while he was still between her legs. A mind blowing sensation over her body when he hit that spot inside of her that made her toes curl and made her back arch. "Oh my God!"

Should this even be legal!? Not with JC Chasez it shouldn't!

 He smirked and sucked down hard on her clit once more before all her juices came spilling out into his mouth, and he made sure not leave so much as a drip behind.

"You taste so good Lizzie," he said, licking his lips.

He could feel her body still quaking as the sensation washed over her.

He removed his boxers quickly and made his way further on top of her, so that now they were chest to chest and his erection was pressing into her inner thigh. The comforter covered their naked bodies from the waist down and their legs tangled under the covers.

"Jace..." she moaned softly, her eyelids fluttering as she came down from her high.

"You like that?" He whispered into her ear.

"I want you."

"You ready for me?"

"Yes, please," she panted. She was begging, unable to tame the urge of wanting to feel him inside of her.

Her body desperately craved the pleasure he was bantering.

His lips captured hers, while he moved between her thighs and rubbed himself in her wetness.

They both moaned in unanimity into the other's mouth. Her hands found their way into his thick head of brown hair and to the back of his neck.

She needed something to hold on to.

"Feels sooo damn good Lizzie," JC moaned against her lips as he continued the action. "Shit."

 "Quit teasing," she whined.

He used one of his hands to direct himself to her opening, teasing the entrance with the head.

"Jace..." she trembled softly, staring into his sea blue orbs. "Please..."

"Just try to relax, alright?" he advised her quietly, nuzzling his nose against her cheek.  

She nodded, keeping her hold around his upper body. She had one hand gripping the short hairs at the back of his neck, and the other around his shoulders, resting at his mid-back.

He pushed into her slick, wet, heat slowly, inch by inch as he gave her body time to adjust to his large size.

He looked down at her pained face as she felt her most private and delicate of areas slowly become invaded by his throbbing shaft.

Her mouth opened but no sound came out. She gripped his hair tightly as he kept going. She wasn't sure if it felt good yet. There was still that feeling of aching pressure as she felt him squeeze himself into her tightness but it hurt too good to ask him to stop.

He was long, thick, and rock hard. Damn! She couldn't find the words to ask him to stop even if she wanted to.

"Fuck," JC panted, his forehead dropping to rest on her shoulder but he still wasn't all the way in.

"Good, God," she managed to croak out.

 He immediately lifted his head and looked down at her to see her expression. "How'd you feel?"

"I feel... Really, filled."

"You're so tight baby."

Liz didn't respond.

 "You okay so far?"

She nodded slowly. "Y-Yea, I'm alright."

"Do you want me to stop?" he asked gently but she shook her head. "Do you need me to pull out?"

"No. Keep going."

Not wanting to push himself too quickly too soon, it took every bit of will power he had in his body not to slam into her when he felt her heat around him.

He was at her last bit of innocence and she felt him prod at the barricade between them.

JC closed his eyes briefly and exhaled softly. As much as he was enjoying this, and as long as he had waited for this moment, he was hesitant about being the one to cause her the physical pain that came along with the debut package.

This was her first time and she depended on him to be careful with her. He was the one in full control in their present situation. He looked at her hesitantly, his forearms that were holding him up, shaky.

She knew what he was thinking, and she stared into his eyes that showed worry, yet an unbelievable amount of love.

"Lizzie, I don't want to hurt you baby," he said softly.

She brought his neck down to give him a kiss on the lips. "I know it's going to hurt," she started. "But don't worry about that, okay? I trust you with me Josh. So let's just get past this part so we can start... the loving." she said with a small smile.

"I don't think I'm ever going to be able to stop that."

He chuckled lightly, looking down at where their bodies had become one.

"Now baby, please!" she whispered, practically begging, desperate to allay the heat that had formed in the pit of her stomach.

"I know," he said softly.

"Do it," she tightened her arms around his neck. "Gimme what you got. I'm ready."

He smiled down at her and lowered his head to kiss her again, maintaining his balance on his arms. He kept his lips in contact with hers and closed his eyes.

A second later, he pulled out almost all the way, just leaving the head inside of her, and thrust into her in the easiest way that he could, but hard enough to break the barrier that had been within her separating them.

Feeling the sudden pressure and the feeling of a knife stabbing her between the legs, she tore her lips away from his and gasped loudly, her eyes closed. She then opened them, tears slowly forming.

Well that hurt!

"Oh God, Lizzie-"

Liz shook her head and tried to give him a smile. "No, no I'm okay," she tried assuring him, feeling a ‘pinch and burn' sting shoot up and down her body.

"Lizzie, am I hurting you?"

"I just need a sec, it's fine. I'm okay."

"I'm sorry baby," he said softly, seeing the pain on her face.

He remained fairly stiff on top of her as he feared he'd hurt her with any more sudden movement so he just let his lips lightly press against her neck while his nose nuzzled at the skin.

 About 25 silent seconds had passed before she looked at him and smiled.

"Okay," she said, exhaling softly. "I'm okay."

"You sure?"

"Positive. Show me what you got Chasez."

"Tell me if you need me to stop, okay?"

"Okay Josh," she nodded with a small smile.

He smiled down at her and moved up further so that now he was buried deep inside of her, causing both of them to moan.

"We fit... perfectly." she said, feeling her body stretch beyond it's thought capacity.

"God babe, you're so hot and wet and... so God-damn tight," he moaned into her neck. JC felt her velvety walls clamp down around him, almost like suctioning. "You feel so good Lizzie."

She wrapped her legs around him, tightening the muscles.

Assured that it had started feeling good not only for him but for her too, he started slowly pulling out, then thrusting gently back in, until her body got used to the movement and he picked up the pace.

He rolled his hips against hers, setting a slow but steady rhythm.

He grunted softly.

"Fuck!" She gasped, overwhelmed by the pleasure JC was making her feel. "Right there, yes!"

He sucked and bit on her neck between his thrusts, and her fingernails dug into his back sure to leave behind half moon marks the next morning.

She pulled him in tighter, if that was even possible, and started moving in sync with him, bucking up her hips to meet his thrusts allowing him to go as deep and as far as their bodies would allow.

JC lifted his head to look at her. A few more thrusts and she could feel herself get close to her breaking point.

"Oh God... Josh," she whimpered helplessly, feeling him hit all the right spots deep inside of her she knew only he could get to. "I... Yes! Oh God," she whispered.

He knew she was close so he brought his forehead up to lean against hers, not at any time breaking their perfect paced rhythm.

"I got you babygirl," he assured her softly as he kept rocking into her, his own nails digging gently into the back of her thighs as he held her legs up to his waist. She bucked up her hips once more, causing him to growl deep within his throat.

"Josh, I think I'm going to come," she said. Liz squeezed her eyes shut and threw her head back as she tried to keep moving with him.

"Let it go baby," he panted into her ear, knowing he wasn't far behind. He grunted. "Come for me."

She bit into his shoulder blade as he quickened his thrusts. She cried out softly when he moved one hand down to where their bodies were connected, pinching her clit.

"Oh my God," she whimpered, about to go off the edge. "Oh my God, oh my God -"

"Come on Lizzie, just let it all go baby," he whispered to her, rolling his hips against hers. "Don't fight it."

"Josh, come with me." she trembled, holding on to him as if for dear life.

He groaned loudly, feeling her walls tighten around him. "Fuck, I'm right there with you babygirl."

 "J-Josh!" she cried out, feeling herself get ready to lose it. "Ah!"

"That's it baby, just like that." he urged her on, his voice husky. "Go with it, come on. Say my name Lizzie."

She tightened her legs around his waist and felt him use the pad of his thumb rub down on her harder.  

One more thrust and that was all she needed before her release threw her over the edge.

"Josh!" she shrieked so loudly it hurt her throat, feeling the intense waves of her orgasm wash over her one by one. "Oh my-" she threw her head back, her nails clawing into the smooth skin of his back. "God, yes! Ah! Josh!"

He felt her walls close in on him, squeezing him like a vice and his own orgasm took its course over his body.

"Lizzie!" he cried out her name as he felt himself shoot his hot load deep within her, riding the waves of his bliss. "Yes! God, baby yes! Damn!"

A couple more thrusts later, and they both were still trembling under the covers trying to recover. JC had collapsed on top of her, breathing heavily, his head resting on her chest.

They were still connected and he could hear her heart beating quickly as her orgasm left her body.

"You alright there?" he asked her.

"Y-Yea," she replied softly.

"Did I do okay for you?" he asked her, slightly panting, using the fingers on his left hand to swirl around the nipple on her breast that was glistening with sweat.  

She ran her fingers through the moist waves of his brown hair, smiling.

"Josh, that was... incredible," she said breathing heavily, kissing his head.

"Jeez Liz, I've never had anything like that before. God babe, you were so worth the wait."

"So I was okay? I did it right?" she asked, kind of nervous.

He rose up too look at her with a grin. "Baby, you were fantastic! You had me going in there!"

 She smiled and nodded an ‘Okay'.

He pulled out slowly and rolled off her to lay on his back. He dragged her on top of him and held on to her so that she was stuck on to him like a second skin.

She sighed in contentment. "I love you," she said, feeling his arms wrap around her.

"I love you too ... So much," he smiled, running his hand up and down her bare back. "Elizabeth Chasez. Do you know how much I love being able to say that?"

She giggled. "Well I'm glad you like it, because you're going to be saying it for the rest of your life."

"That's something I think I'm looking forward to," JC said with a smile. "I wasn't too hard, was I babe? I didn't hurt you a lot did I?"

She shook her head. "Maybe a little bit at first but Jace, you made me feel... Wow... If I knew it was going to be like that I would have let us done it months ago!"

 He grinned, reaching over for a strawberry from the plate they hadn't touched yet. "It was worth the wait."

He held it up to her lips and she took a bite. She reached over and fed him one as well, although he seemed to enjoy the taste of her fingers more than the actual fruit.

"Josh," she said giggling as he swirled his tongue over the tips of her fingers, after he swallowed the strawberry. "Babe..."

"What?" he asked innocently. "It's not my fault my wife tastes better than chocolate covered fruit."

She felt her heart swell. It was the first time he had referred to her as ‘his wife'.

"You're silly," she said, blushing.

He chuckled. "I'm not silly. I'm your husband."

"That you are. What time is our flight tomorrow?" she asked, resting her head on his chest.

"Seven o' clock," he replied. "It's a 3 hour flight, you know. I wonder how we'll pass the time." he winked.

"Hmm, sleeping?" she teased.

JC snorted. "Woman please, the only sleep we're getting for the next four days is sex."

She laughed out loud and rolled over, bringing him on top of her. She brought him down for a kiss.

"I don't know if I'm ever going to have enough of you now," JC murmured. "I'm going to keep wanting you so bad. Slow and fast, hard and rough or gentle and intimate... I'm going to give it all to you baby."

Liz smiled. "Didn't you just have me?"

He smirked. "Yes, I did. And it was fantastic."

"I want you too, Jace."

JC grinned. "Round two then?"

 "Yes!" Liz replied with no hesitation.

"You're gonna be so sore though," he reminded her with a frown. "We'd have to only hope you'd be able to walk around in the morning."

She reached down under the comforter and wrapped her hand around his quickly hardening wand that had just worked its magic on her. She gripped it and squeezed gently. "I don't care."

JC hissed.

"Good God Liz," he muttered.

"I'll be okay in the morning. But the morning is morning and I want us to make this night last for as long as we could let it. I want you to make love to me until we both feel like we can't even move. Take us back to that place for those few moments of passion between us. Make love to me, all night long."

"That's a lot of time... That's a lot of loving."

"I'm not complaining," Liz whispered.

"Neither am I," JC mumbled against her lips.

Los Angeles : 12:30 AM Monday - After NSA Release Party

"Where're you going?" Liz frowned as she tied her white robe together. She walked into the bedroom of their hotel room for the night only to find JC putting on his shirt and heading for the door. "I thought you wanted to take a shower."

JC smiled. "I know, but Johnny wants me and the guys to meet him in his room."

"Wait, it's after midnight so-"

"-He probably has the first day sales by now," JC finished for her with a sigh. "I think that's what he wants to talk to us about. It can't be anything else."

She nodded in understanding and walked up to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Are you nervous?"

"Little bit," JC admitted.

"Wanna tell me why?"

"The way people responded to Bye Bye Bye was great but how many people actually took time out of their day to go out and give the album a chance is a different story. I don't want something that we spent the last year working on to be a flop."

"Regardless of how many people got the album and enjoyed it, you guys know that you worked hard and you did an amazing job no matter what. If people can't see that, then screw them."

"You do realize that if that is the case, and if the album is a flop, we're basically out of a job."

"You're not going to be out of a job Joshua," Liz rolled her eyes.

"If it wasn't for the lawsuit and all that, people wouldn't have-"

"Trust your fans," Liz told him firmly. "It's going to be okay. If the sales are a little under what you guys expected then that's okay too. Just give it a little time."

"Okay," JC sighed. "You're right... Kind of."

"I am... And Emma got almost everyone she knows back in Orlando to buy the album so *NSYNC already has a solid amount of sales just in that little circle."

JC laughed. "Well, that's good to know. I'll be back in a few minutes baby."

"It'll be okay."

"Yea, I know. Promise me one more thing though."

"What's that?"

"Don't start that shower without me," he mumbled into her ear. He let one arm travel down her back and squeezed her ass through the robe. "I'm gonna finish what we started before we left earlier."

She grinned, a chill running up and down her spine at the feel of JC's hot breath and low voice. "I'll be waiting."

*~*

45 minutes later

"I could have taken a shower and a nap before he'd get back," Liz muttered to herself.

She was still in her robe and she sat at the table in their hotel room building a tower of cards. She had spent the past almost half hour trying to keep each card balanced on the other while the first ten minutes was spent randomly walking around and waiting for JC to come back to their room.

She knew he was with his manager so she didn't find it appropriate to call him or to go check on him. Instead, she'd wait it out and entertain herself. She wasn't supposed to start her shower alone. Therefore, she wasn't ‘allowed' to entertain herself in the mood she was in so she was reduced to playing with a set of cards.

"Don't fall, don't fall, don't fall," she murmured to herself as she carefully and lightly placed the final card at the very top of the tower. "Victory!" she grinned when the card balanced.

She took a few moments to enjoy her moment before she heard the door open and close quietly. Liz turned around in her chair just in time to see a quiet and slightly pinked faced JC walk in with one hand rubbing the back of his neck.

"You finally came back," she smiled, getting up and walking over to him.

"Mm?" He looked up at her and smiled. "Oh, yea. Hey."

"Is everything okay? What'd Johnny say? Did he have the numbers? I was going to call but I didn't want to interrupt anything."

"Yea, we were just talking, really. About the album and what not..."

"You look like you've been crying," Liz pointed out, looking at his eyes.

JC chuckled, shaking his head and wiping his eyes. "I wasn't crying."

"Liar."

"Am not."

"Are too!"

"I had a tear in my eye. I didn't cry."

"Then tell me why you had a tear in your eye," Liz urged. "How were things?"

"It uh... exceeded our expectations, that's for sure."

"So it did good?" she grinned, getting excited.

"Really good."

"How good?"

"One million."

"Is that the prediction? One million by the end of the week or-"

JC laughed, shaking his head at her. "No, Lizzie. We sold one million. In one day."

Liz raised her eyebrows and gripped his arms. "What'd you mean one million in one day?"

"I mean that No Strings Attached just sold one million albums in its first day of release. Lizzie we sold one million albums in one day! Can you believe that?!"

"No, I can't!" she laughed, throwing her arms around him and letting him lift her off the floor. JC held her up against him and she rested her arms on his shoulders.

He grinned and she returned the smile with a long, deep kiss.

"A million in a day is phenomenal Josh!" she whispered to him excitedly. "That's amazing! How'd you feel right now?"

"I feel like I can't breathe," he chuckled. "When Johnny told us the numbers, I just couldn't believe it. None of us could. It wasn't what we expected at all."

"I am so proud of you guys!" She kissed him again. "I'm proud of you. I told you that you could trust your fans. They love you guys and look what happened. I think you just made history."

"I don't even think I can go to sleep now."

"Who said we were going to be spending the night sleeping in the first place? We still have a shower to take."

"Am I getting lucky tonight?"

Liz giggled. "You've gotten lucky every night for the past week."

"What about tonight?"

"I think luck's been on your good side tonight."

"Is that so?"

"Yea, it has. I'm proud of you. I think you deserve a little reward."

"Mhmmm." JC adjusted his arms and hiked her up a little more and started walking toward the bathroom.

"I wanna make you feel good tonight," Liz whispered into his ear. "Especially tonight. It's well earned."

"Yea? How're you planning to do that?" he smirked.

"Get this robe off of me and you'll find out."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

2 and a half months later - New York City : Challenge For The Children Game

"Lizzie!" JC called out, quickly walking into the hotel room with his duffel bag on his shoulder. "Babe, we gotta go!"

He saw no sign of her in the bedroom and he sighed, impatient. JC was about to call out her name again before he heard a tap running. Speed walking toward the bathroom, he pushed the door open without knocking.

"Babe, we have to - You're not even dressed yet?!" JC stared at her, still wrapped in her towel but she wasn't completely naked underneath since JC could see her black bra straps. "The game starts in less than an hour and a half! Liz, we got to go!"

"I know, I know," she mumbled, rubbing her forehead. "I heard you. Just gimme a minute."

"What's taking you so long anyways? Just put on your jeans and your Knights t shirt. You can finish do your make up when we get there. Everything else we need is downstairs in the bus."

"Look, I'm not feeling too good, okay? If you're just going to stand there and hurry me up, then just go downstairs and tell everyone I'll be there in five minutes."

"Fine. But only five minutes. We're behind schedule."

"Okay," she mumbled.

JC was about to leave the bathroom and let her change but when he realized that her both arms just rested far apart on the sink and she didn't move, he walked further in and put a hand on her back.

"Hey," he started. "Are you okay?"

 "I just told you that I wasn't feeling well. What more of an answer do you need?"

"What's going on then? I know you woke up a little nauseous but I thought eating breakfast helped."

"Breakfast just ended up in that toilet in liquid form," she muttered, reaching for the bottle of mouthwash.

"Food poisoning from that sea food dinner last night?" JC suggested.

She shrugged.

JC raised his eyebrows. "What? You think it's something else?"

Liz sighed and shook her head. "N-No, no, I think it's just some bug I caught."

"Well you've had that bug since we got here a few days ago. Want me to tell Johnny to send a doctor over when we get there?"

"No, I'll just... Shake it off." She looked up at him and smiled. "I'll be downstairs in a couple minutes."

"That's my girl," JC grinned, kissing her forehead. "You'll be fine, don't worry. Just shake it off."

"Okay."

JC left the bathroom, but Liz could hear voices that were just outside.

"Is she okay?"

"Oh, yea, she's fine," she heard JC say. "Just running a little late. Try to get her to hurry up if you can."

A few moments later, Liz heard a knock on the door.

"Come in," she called out weakly, already feeling the nausea taking its second toll for the morning.

"Hey hun," Lynn said brightly, opening the door and peering in. She was dressed in her blue Daze jersey and her curly, dirty blonde hair was tied back in a bun. "I was doing a headcount downstairs and I was missing you and JC."

"Yea, I know, I'm sorry. I just woke up a little under the weather this morning. I'll be right there."

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Yea, I'm alright," she mumbled.

Lynn scanned Liz's pale face and wasn't convinced.

"What's wrong?"

Liz shook her head. "Nothing. I just... Stomach problems."

"Have you been throwing up?"

"Just a couple times."

"Since you woke up?"

She nodded.

Lynn walked up closer to her and placed one hand on her abdomen and another on her back. "Are you feeling like yourself?"

"I feel like I want to throw up and crawl back into my bed with a bucket nearby."

"How long have you been sick like this?"

"A few days now, I guess."

Before Lynn could ask another question, she watched as Liz immediately pulled away and turned around. She fell to her knees and had her hands on either side of the toilet with her head almost all the way inside.

Snapping into ‘mother mode', Lynn immediately held her hair back with one hand and rubbed Liz's back with the other as she started throwing up.

"Shit," Liz muttered, her head still sort of hanging inside. She waited a few seconds to see if anything else would come up before she pulled back slowly and kneeled on the tiles. "I really don't like this."

"Just take a second to compose yourself hun," Lynn told her gently. "Hold on."

She got up and reached for a hand towel from the counter next to the sink and filled a glass with water.

"Just take a sip," Lynn directed, handing Liz the glass. She accepted with a shaky hand and nodded.

"I'm making the guys so late."

"I'll take care of that in a minute. First, I need to take care of you."

Liz looked at the woman who had become almost like a second mother to her while *NSYNC was on the road for the past couple months. "Don't say it," she said softly.

"I'm a mom Lizzie. You're not my daughter but my maternal instincts are telling me something that I think you already know."

"I know."

The room was silent for a few seconds before Lynn spoke up. "JC doesn't have a clue, does he?"

Liz shook her head. "No," she said softly. "I haven't told him anything."

"How long have you known about this?"

"I took six tests yesterday. They all came back positive."

Lynn smiled. "So I'm right."

"I-I think so."

"Here, lemme help you up."

Liz held on to Lynn's hands as the older woman slowly helped her to her feet.

Once she was balanced, Lynn smiled and hugged her. Liz hugged back, burying her face in Lynn's neck.

"Congratulations sweetheart."

Liz shook her head.

"What?"

Liz lifted her head and Lynn noticed tears in her eyes.

"I wanna be happy but with everything going on with *NSYNC, I can't help but feel mad at myself for not being more careful. Their schedules are so jammed and then having something like this happen? Josh is going to hate me for doing this to him!"

"You husband is not going to hate you for this," Lynn told her firmly. "You're not doing anything to him. This is a blessing for the both of you!"

Liz shook her head. "I-It happened so soon.  I mean, we're just enjoying being married and we're practically still in our honeymoon phase. I didn't plan to just skip to the part where we'd start a family so quickly. Right now, me being on the road off of work and Jace working and we're both travelling together... We were just enjoying it being the two of us. We weren't planning on anything like this to happen."

"Sometimes, things just happen. Have you been using protection?"

"Birth control was our only protection," Liz muttered. "I'm thinking that I missed a few days when we were flying around from place to place and I just, forgot sometimes."

"You are going to have to tell him what's going on with you. Sit him down as soon as you can and tell him."

"I don't want to. Not now."

"And why is that?"

"He isn't ready for news like this. *NSYNC started touring only a month ago and if I give him this news now, he's going to flustered and he's going to be distracted. He's been working hard, all of the guys have been, but I can't give him this kind of news. This weekend is Challenge for The Children and then Monday night they're filming the HBO Special. He's having so much fun but then I know he's stressed with everything being so jammed and when there're so many things on his schedule. Lynn, I can't just spring this on him when he's already got so much on his plate."

"Yes, you can. You know why? Because you're his wife and this is something that the two of you did together. JC is a big boy. I've known him a long time and I know that he can take care of things, even if it does take him a little bit of time to get used to it. You need to tell him as soon as possible. Do it tonight, after the game or after the party. Don't wait for someone to notice that you've been acting strange and then tell JC before you get a chance to."

"But if I tell him I'm pregnant then-"

"Then he will be ecstatic. A little shocked at first but once he gets over that, he's going to be so excited."

"You think?"

"Yes!" Lynn insisted. "Hunny, this is fantastic news for you both. You're both still a little young and yea, you are still in your honeymoon phase but you're both at the prime of your lives right now. Your priorities are just going to have to be adjusted a little."

"I hate birth control," Liz mumbled, slowly stepping toward the sink and opening the tap. She looked down at the small, open case that held her birth control pills and sighed. "99% effective my ass."

She washed off her hands and closed the tap. She picked up the small, plastic case and turned to look at Lynn. "I don't want Josh to find out yet."

"Lizzie, you're going to have to tell him soon."

"Soon, yes. But soon doesn't mean now."

"He has to know."

"And he will," Liz nodded. "Just... Not at this second and you can't tell him or anyone else either! He doesn't need to find out that there's a baby-"

"Where's there a baby?" a confused voice sounded from the doorway.

Liz and Lynn both spun around to see who had suddenly talked only to come face to face with Justin, who was walking further into the bathroom.

He frowned. "And why does it smell like throw up in here?"

"U-Uh," Liz stuttered. Obviously a little stunned from Justin's sudden appearance and invasion on her ‘private' conversation, her already cold and fidgety hands dropped the birth control pills onto the floor when her eyes met Justin's.

"Damn it," she mumbled, stooping down slowly to pick up the pills that had scattered. It wasn't until that her face suddenly paled and she dropped the medication she had already picked up in her hand that Justin knew something was wrong.  

"Lynn," Liz murmured, resting completely on her knees and putting a hand over her mouth.

Snapping back into her mom mode from before, Lynn grabbed the waste basket that was next to the sink and quickly handed it to Liz, who almost immediately started throwing up into it.

"Shit," Justin commented, looking away. "How did you get so-" He stopped mid sentence when the math started making sense in his head. His jaw dropped open when he looked at the pills on the floor and then to Liz who was hunched over, vomiting into the waste basket and being tended to by his mother.

"Mom," Justin started. "What's going on?"

Lynn looked at Liz who was just lifting her head weakly out of the throw up bucket and using the back of her hand to wipe the side of her mouth and then looked back at Justin.

She gave her son a small smile and nodded.

They blue eyed teenager's eyes bulged out and he took a second before breaking out into a grin. "Lizzie! You! You're the one having a baby? Seriously?!"

Liz's only response was a soft groan.

"She has morning sickness Justin," Lynn informed her son, rubbing Liz's back soothingly. "And quiet down a little."

"Don't tell Jace," Liz pleaded, looking at Justin weakly. "Just... You can't tell him."

"He doesn't know?!"

"No, he doesn't." Lynn gave him a stern look. "And you are not going to tell him either. This is something for him to find out through his wife and not his best friend."

"So he has no either that you're this ‘sick' right now?"

Liz shook her head.

"I swear, JC lives on another planet sometimes."

"J, if you tell him, I swear to God I will cut your balls off and put them in a blender."

"Damn, the hormones are already starting to act up!" Justin looked at his mother. "Do you see how I'm being threatened?!"

"This is not your situation so if you do tell JC this news, I give her full permission to cut your balls off."

"I'm not going to tell him, gosh."

"Thank you," Liz sighed.

"I'm going to be an uncle!" Justin grinned, but his face quickly turned serious. "Oh my God, that means you and JC are going to be parents."

"Lynn, c-can you help me get dressed for the game now? Josh is probably throwing a fit downstairs because I'm making you guys so late."

"Are you sure you're even up to going to the game?" Justin asked uncertainly. "You look pretty bad."

"I think Josh really wants me there and I don't want to let him down. I should be there to support him."

"Are you sure?" Lynn asked.

Liz nodded. "Yea, I'll be okay...  Just make sure I have some kind of paper bag with me or make sure there's a bathroom nearby in case I need to throw up again."

"Justin, go downstairs and tell JC and Johnny that you guys can go ahead. I'll take one of the other cars with Liz and we'll be there in about a half an hour."

"What am I supposed to say to them about you guys taking another car?"

"Just say that Lizzie wasn't feeling good and wanted to rest a little before she left. We'll get there eventually."

"Fine," he sighed, turning around to leave. "I'll see you guys there."

"Justin, wait!" Liz started, calling out and looking at him.

"What?"

"Promise me you won't mention any of this to JC. Promise me you're not going to tell him anything. Please?"

"I promise I won't tell," Justin nodded.

"Thank you."

*~*~*~*~*~

20 minutes into the game

"Where'd she go now?" JC asked, breathing heavily as he opened his Gatorade bottle. He stood beside Justin and Chris who were using hand towels to get some sweat off of their necks and foreheads. "I just saw her sitting with Lynn a couple minutes ago!"