Based off of Britney Spears ‘Everytime’ mostly the music video.

The day had gone pretty much to hell. Becca was pissed as hell at Chris and he just wasn’t getting it. Lately it seemed like the group had been getting in the way of them. She had been supportive of him for god knows how many years with the whole group thing. And he always found a way to make time for her. He knew all the sacrifices she was making. Her lack of privacy and the fact that she had to brave cameras every day because she was the wife of a celebrity. He knew that she hated having her picture taken and that she was scared of strangers. But she made those sacrifices and she braved through them. Even more so for the sake of their two kids. She loved those kids. She loved Chris. More than anything in the world. But three albums later something had changed. He was so caught up in his work that he never even bothered to at least call. Let alone talk to her when he was home. He was either on the phone or out with his friends.

She had thought that maybe some quality time together while Chris was on tour would make a difference. She had spoken to Kelly about it and she said that every now and then she would spend a day with Joey while he was on tour. So why couldn’t she do the same with Chris. It hadn’t turned out so well. Vegas was a pretty place but unfortunately too many people had recognized them and Chris didn’t bother to turn off his damn cell for more than ten minutes. So not only did they not get any good quality time but they also had spent the whole day running away from people and being surrounded by bodyguards. When all she wanted was some alone time with him.

Now they were in a limo on the way back to the hotel. Chris had a show in six hours and he needed to get his butt to the theatre where they were playing. And once again he was on his cell. Finally he hung up. They were maybe about five minutes from getting to the hotel and Chris looked annoyed.

“What’s wrong?” Becca asked trying to keep her emotions hidden.

“Nothing. Johnny’s just wondering where the hell I am and wants me to get there in negative ten seconds.” Chris said rolling his eyes. “What’s been eating you?”

“Nothing.” Becca said flatly.

“Hun you’re a really bad liar. I know something is eating you.” Chris said. “Look just tell me okay. We’re married aren’t we? I’d think that we’d be able to tell each other anything.”

“You’re never there!” Becca hadn’t meant to snap like that but she had been holding this back for so long it was just getting to be too much.

“What?”

“You know damn well what I mean!” Becca shouted. Tears stinging at her eyes. “You are always too busy for me. And too busy for your kids! Heather and Maddox wait every night by the phone for daddy to call! And I have to have body guards escort them to and from school because of the psychos that follow them with cameras! God if you could see the people that show up at our house every night!” Chris opened his mouth up to say something but she looked away. “Just save it okay? You’re always making empty promises.”

“Becca baby…” Chris would have said more but the limo had pulled up in front of the hotel entrance. The door opened and they got out being harassed once again by an army of paparazzi. Becca’s heart nearly skipped a few beats when some of the creeps jumped in front of her trying to get a shot.

“Come on sweetheart!” One of them yelled. “Let’s see a smile for once!”

“Come on folks move along.” Their body guard said calmly. “Come on you two.”

“Aww give it a rest will ya?” The man said. “That stupid bitch can’t do shit for a camera anyways.”

“What did you say about her?!” Chris lunged at the man and a brief fighting frenzy took place. Their body guards were trying to get Chris off the bastard and other people were lunging to get an image. Becca meanwhile was screaming trying to get away from all the commotion. People seemed to have forgotten about her. Not even realizing that she was being hit with flying objects.

“Okay lets go!” She felt a hand on her back and looked up seeing the body guard who began ushering Becca and Chris into the hotel. He shut the door behind them tightly and led them quickly up to their room.

“Look Becca I’m sorry.” Chris said once they got to their room. “I promise I’ll be there for you and the kids more often.”

“Why can’t I believe you?” Becca cried. “Hell why do I even stay with you! I can’t take this anymore! All the harassment! The cameras! So many strangers! Chris you know the hell I’ve been through! Please! I just want a peaceful life with you!”

“And have all that you and I worked for end?” Chris yelled shaking his head. “Becca this is all we ever dreamed of! I swore to myself that I wasn’t going to let you die hungry! I am not going back to what I left behind!”

“I never cared if you were poor or rich or anything in between!” Becca sobbed. “I just wanted you! Where did the man I love go? You’ve disappeared! Even your own kids don’t recognize you! You promised that even if the band went well you’d still be able to be with me! But you’ve become so distant!”

“God damn it!” Chris kicked a table over causing Becca to scream. Before he could say more she ran into the bathroom and shut the door. Locking it and sliding to the floor. She didn’t care anymore if people could hear her. Let them hear her screams.

She had been with Chris since high school. She had switched colleges to be with him. How could she not have seen how distant he had really become? Had it started when the group itself began? Or was it after their first child was born? What did it matter?

She stood up and drew a bath. Her face was red with tears and she wanted nothing more than to curl up and die. Slowly getting into the bathtub she let herself soak for a good long while. But then she started to notice something wrong. There was an odd metallic smell but she couldn’t locate the source. And when she dunked her head in the water it stung. Especially in the back of her head. Reaching behind her she could feel a strange stickiness on her hair and scalp. Pulling her fingers away she looked. To her horror there was a red tint on them. Turning around in the tub she looked down and sure enough on the clean white surface of the tubs rim there was a red blotch where she had been bleeding.

Becca began panicking. She got out of the tub immediately. Walking as quickly as she could to the door and unlocking it. She had to get help…Or did she?

Becca looked around the room. Sure enough there was a pad of paper on the counter. One of those surveys to see how well hotel service was. Grabbing the paper and turning it over Becca took the pen and wrote down a hasty note. Her final goodbye to her lover and children. To her friends and family. She would see them again someday. She knew it.

She got back into the tub right on time. She already felt herself slipping out of consciousness. She smiled a bit letting herself fall into the water. Allowing it to cover her face and fill her nostrils and mouth. But strangely instead of going black…there was a light. She would have scoffed if she had the opportunity. How cliché.

The light got brighter and brighter until she found herself in a white room. There were people running about and some of them looked like they were hurting.

“Excuse me?” She said walking over to a woman who was wearing a white lab coat. “Is this heaven?” But the woman ignored her. Instead turning around and walking in the opposite direction. She looked like she had something important on her plate so Becca decided against following her. She wandered around a bit but no one seemed to notice her in the least bit. Then it all clicked in her mind. She heard pained cries and a voice telling someone to push. This wasn’t heaven. No. It was a hospital.

Becca walked over to where the voices were and sure enough there was a woman in labor. It looked like she was close to giving birth. Her husband was next to her holding her hand. His face twisted from pain of having his hand crushed but excited as well. She remembered that Chris had a similar look with the kids came.

“So you moved on as well?” Becca jumped and turned to see a young woman about her own age. She was smiling at her. Though it was an almost half hearted one. “I thought I was getting this body.”

“What do you mean?” Becca furrowed her brow.

“A new life. Rebirth. What do you think stupid?” The woman rolled her eyes. “When death came for me he said that I would be reborn here. And it looks like mom is almost done there. I’ll be going back to earth in a few minutes.”

“But…” Becca shook her head. “This isn’t right. I’m done with the world! I wanted to go!”

“Where?” The woman raised an eyebrow. “Heaven? Sorry hun but that only happens every so often. You probably don’t remember all the afterlife rules cause it’s not your time yet. And from the sounds of it you’re one of those quitters. The ones that skip out before it’s time.”

“You don’t understand!” Becca once again felt tears come to her eyes. “It was the only way! I just couldn’t take anymore of this!”

“Sweetie nothing in this world is worth ending your own life over.” The woman said. “Look I gotta get going. The docs say they can see the head and I don’t want to be late for my big debut to Mom and Dad. Maybe we’ll see each other again sometime.” She smiled. Becca bit her lip to keep from crying again. “Look hon don’t cry. I know things are tough right now. But trust me. In the next room you’ll see that it does get better eventually.”

Before Becca could get another word out to protest the woman disappeared. As though someone had touched their reflection in the water and the reflection hadn’t come back together properly. Becca shook her head holding back tears just as the cries of “It’s a girl!” came from the nurse attending to the woman and her husband. These were drowned out by a different sound though. One that Becca knew too well. It was the sound of her son and daughter crying. And Chris. What were they doing here?

“Mommy!” Heather was screaming while the doctors and Chris tried to pull her off Becca’s body. “Mommy you can’t go now! You have to read me my bedtime story! And you said that you, and Maddox, and me could play a game together tonight!” Becca had to lean against the wall to keep her knees from buckling at the sight of looking at her own dead body. Doctors were swarming her trying to revive her. Chris was holding onto Heather and Maddox who were both crying hysterically. Becca could also see that Chris was also crying. She could see that his eyes were read and that he was soaked. Probably from pulling her out of the tub.

“We’ve lost her!” One of the doctors yelled. “Hurry we haven’t got much time before she’s gone for good!” Becca couldn’t even catch what else was said. It was all just one big blur. Then amidst all the commotion there was one unmistakable noise. *beep* *beep* *beep* There was no mistaking it. It was her heart. It was beating again. As Becca watched the scene take place she felt something behind her. A kind of warmth that she hadn’t felt in what seemed like forever. Turning around she saw the bright light again. Taking one last look at her family she walked into the light.

“Becca? Becca? Oh my god baby! You’re alive!” Becca felt her eyes flutter open and looked up seeing Chris standing over her. “I thought you were dead! God I was so scared for you!” Becca blinked a few times to get things to really come into focus.

“Chris?” She said a little dazed.

“Yes baby. It’s me.” Chris nodded. “I’m so sorry. I swear I’ll do better. Just don’t ever leave me.”

Before Becca could reply two large weights crashed onto her.

“We’re sorry mommy!” Maddox was crying into his mothers shoulder. “We don’t want you to leave us!”

“We promise we’ll be good!” Heather sniffled. “We promise.”

“You two didn’t do anything wrong.” Becca reassured them stroking their heads. She looked at Chris who sat down next to her.

“Becca…I know I’ve done nothing but screw up lately.” Chris said taking her hand. “But I swear I will do better this time. Justin’s thinking about going solo for a little bit so we’ll have lots of time together. I promise.”

Becca nodded. She had been disappointed before in the past. But she was willing to give another chance if Chris meant it. Which from the look in his eyes he did.

EL FIN!